The next morning, the party searched the bodies. Each lizard had been armed with a short falchion, a long spear, a shortbow and a quiver of arrows. Some had daggers. All had been dressed in scale armour; those caught in the fireball had had the straps of their armour burned off.
The leader had a document pouch, and Surya bent to examine it. Inside were maps of the region - far too detailed and accurate for the dwarves' comfort - and a set of orders, written in Krultac. They directed the patrol to scout unobtrusively within the borders of Kobur, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the dwarves' defences and, ideally, to capture a dwarf for interrogation.
Grimly, the party pressed on to Gloiran. Much the same pattern as their arrival at Kobur followed; interception by a patrol, escort to the gates of the underground dwarf city and interview, this time by a group of dwarf nobles. Sack had parted from his bear at the gates of the city, trying to indicate to it that it should travel across the mountains atop Gloiran and meet him at the other side.
Examining the party's warrants and letters from Hrolf Earthstar, these declared that there was no problem with passage through the city for the PCs, but that there was an ancient custom which had to be honoured first; all visitors to the city were required to speak with the Goldeneye.
Hildraft and Vollun had heard of the Goldeneye. The dwarves of Gloiran declared it to be their oracle and greatest treasure, naming it "the Soul of the Mountains". No dwarf in Kobur in living memory had seen it, so they didn't know what it was exactly, but they knew it was significant.
There was a problem. Sack refused to go. There was a brief impasse, and then one of the brighter dwarf nobles pointed out that as he couldn't speak, the Goldeneye wasn't going to have much of a conversation with him. That sorted, he was left under guard and the others taken to the Goldeneye.
Marching down through the city, the band noticed that the general air of this city was far more warlike than Kobur. Gloiran, northern-most of the dwarf cities, was obviously on the frontline with the forces of the Dragon, and it showed. Deeper and deeper they went, until the humans - despite now having become used to dwarf tunnels and not having acquired further contusions - were utterly lost, and the dwarves knew they were at the very heart of the mountain. They found themselves in a huge, open, vaulted cavern, standing on a rock ledge about half-way up. Across at the far side, embedded in the stone of the wall, was the Goldeneye.
A fifty-foot high humanoid skull, apparently made of pure, bright gold, looked down at them. Though it didn't move, there was an almost palapable sense of being observed, that there was awareness and intellect lurking somewhere in the glittering planes of its' structure. The dwarf nobles manoeuvred the group so they were squarely under its' gaze, and stood back expectantly.
There was a pause, and then, unnervingly, it spoke. In a deep, resonant voice, it spoke to each of the band in turn. Each was greeted by the oracle, in terms not immediately clear of meaning...
| To Surya - "dark power and bright fate - which rules? Heed your soul, not the dark urgings of the power you wield; or you shall be destroyed." |
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To Kobort - "the Mind of Glass; to allow passage is either to be violated or to focus and refine, and only your Will can decide which." |
| Hildraft - "the Hand of Kord; he who must close the Door against the rising of an abomination cloaked in Godhead." |
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To Vollun - "Faithful servant. Follow well, be brave and true." |
The group were left scratching their heads and blinking by this lot. Surya - typically - was unimpressed and declared the whole thing "rubbish". Vollun Crusher appeared awed. Kobort was thoughtful, and Hildraft deeply suspicious. No further information appeared forthcoming, however, and their hosts appeared to feel that the excercise was concluded. They seemed to think it had gone well, mentioning that by no means every person brought before the Goldeneye received such valuable advice.
Meanwhile, Sack had become bored of waiting, and tried to leave the guarded chamber he'd been escorted to. The two guards politely but firmly indicated that he should stay. Thinking quickly, he made gestures indicating he needed the toilet. Nodding understanding, one of the guards signed back that he should follow. He was led to a nearby facility, the guard taking up position outside.
Bringing his night-stalker's skills into play, he slipped past the guard and off down the corridor, off to have a poke around. He had half a mind to try and catch up the others and join them, but rapidly realized he didn't know where he was going. Whimsically, he wrote "Goldeneye" on a scrap of paper in common, and waved it at a passing dwarf warrior. The reaction was not quite what he expected; the dwarf, confronted by an orc-kin inside the dwarf citadel waving a piece of paper with the name of their greatest treasure and oracle on it, was immdediately suspicious, and tried to arrest Sack, drawing his sword and shouting at the half-orc to surrender. Sack drew his sword, waggled it, and then put it back. By now the warrior's shouts had brought others - including Sack's original guards - and he was escorted firmly back to his chamber.
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The others returned shortly after, and, after telling the dwarf nobles about the lizardman patrol - and showing them the documents - made their departure from Gloiran, though the north gates. Equipped with fresh maps, showing the location of the Stone Tooth, they marched off down the valley. Four day's travel along the dwarf-road - two nights with occupied watchtowers, two with abandoned ones - and then off the road for a further day, and they'd be there. As they emerged into daylight, Sack cast around, looking for his animal companion. But ursine navigation had proved insufficient; no bear. |
The missing bear |
Moving confidently along the mountain valleys, they reached the first tower easily before dusk. The garrison there provided them food and shelter, and sent them on their way the next day. The second day was pretty much the same; the garrison at the second tower warned them that from this point on, the country northwards was at best no-man's-land, and at worst, Dragonlands.
The first night, the tower proved to be completely empty. The group's sleep was undisturbed. Towards the end of the next day, as they approached the tower, however, they realized things were different. Dark had already fallen, and firelight could clearly be seen, flickering in the windows of the top floor of the tower.
The group scouted around. There were no horses around, and no sign of any having been there. There were the tracks of one man, heavy and probably armoured, approaching and entering the tower. Kobort, using his cloak, went up the side of the tower, and peered into the window from above, hoping to put any unfriendly missiles off their aim.
Inside, he saw a man, powerfully built and armoured in chainmail, his worn but well-cared for equipment and weapons arranged around him, roasting a couple of pigeons and rabbits over a small fire. The tower gave off a feeling of being homely and safe due to the fire, though it was small and didn't give much warmth. Although the man appeared completely relaxed, everything was right where he can grab it at a moment's notice - the sign of a professional soldier. He looked a bit familiar, somehow; but not immediately threatening, so Kobort coughed gently.
Almost unsurprised, the man looked up and saw him. "Greetings, inverted traveller," he said. Then both he and Kobort did double-takes. They knew each other!
Mazahir
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The man was Mazahir, the commander of the Crimson Eagles mercenary company that the group had all served in! He was a man they all knew, and trusted as a good leader and an honest man - and (in Surya's case) a fellow Tellaran. But what was he doing here, 900 years after they last saw him? Bored with waiting, Surya smashed in the door - which turned out not to be locked - and the rest of the company joined Kobort and Mazahir in the tower room. The mercenary captain appeared delighted to see his old comrades in arms again - and as incredulous at their appearance in this day and age as they were of his. Inviting them to sit down, get warm, eat and drink, he told them his story. |
He explained that he had found a potion of unknown type in a treasure hoard that the Company acquired about a year after the PCs left. Under the impression it was a potion of Heroism, he swigged it in combat one day. It didn't perform, and he was disapointed to say the least, though he did survive. However, in the following years, he began to notice that he wasn't greying, or slowing down, or getting fat, or married, or any of the other things he regarded as signs of growing old. And so he went on, keeping the Company running, recruiting new troops as the old ones died off. As the decades rolled by, some men left, and recruits dwindled, men regarding him as "uncanny". He thought, he said, of claiming half-elven blood, but that (here he grinned at Surya and made the old V-fingers salute adopted by the Tellarans after the defeat of the elven army at Tharkad) would have been a bad idea in Tellare!
So things went, until the armies of the Dragon invaded in 1386. Then he led the Eagles in battle against the Dragon, with some initial successes, but eventual defeat in 1388. He and a few others escaped, and fled south. Since then, he'd been hiring out here and there in the southlands, and for the last 50 years had been working for the Dwarves of Gloiran, patrolling the outer edges of their borders. Hildraft asked for proof of this, breaking the narrative; Mazahir, with a slightly disapointed look, opened his pack and handed over a set of patrol maps, which Hildraft recognized as the standard maps issued to the dwarven patrols operating within the borders. He also indicated several of his items of equipment, obviously dwarf-made.
The others continued to question Mazahir, and while they did, Hildraft quietly wove an invocation to Kord and released the power his Master granted him, using it to see the moral aura of their host. Horrified - but not especially surprised - he watched as the dark stain of evil deeds became visible emanating from the captain of the Eagles. He also saw a similar black stain radiating from Surya's sword. Not a surprise, but he could see that the taint from that sword was beginning to tarnish the soul of his friend. The Dark Power referred to by the Goldeneye. Mazahir turned to look at Hildraft, clearly aware of what he'd just done. "My, my," he said, still jovial and friendly, "you never used to be so suspicious, old friend,"
The evening went on. Kobort, who was inclined to trust Mazahir, accepted his offer and shared his food and ale - both excellent. Sack and Surya, deeply suspicious, made sure they had no contact with the man they by no means believed was the surely long-dead commander they'd known before. Finally, Mazahir turned in, offering to stand a watch but not demurring when turned down. The group watched themselves, and in addition, Surya didn't sleep at all. Mazahir, however, spread his blankets, rolled into them, and slept deeply for many hours.
Sack went out and scouted around during the night, finding no additional tracks up to ten minutes walk along the valley - and unfortunately no bear either. Returning, three hours before dawn, he found Mazahir up and around, collecting his equipment. Being on foot, he said, he needed an early start to be sure of reaching the next tower on the way towards Gloiran. He promised to carry the news of lizard raiders to the other dwarfcities when he went that way. With parting words of "we must all meet up for a beer when we're free, the Hanged Man in Narthal is good," he was gone, walking into the darkness along the valley the group had come down.
The next morning, no-one felt on top form. Surya was a bit sandy-eyed, as was only to be expected after an all-night watch; but those who'd slept felt, if anything, somewhat worse. Their limbs were stiff, and their muscles slow; as if the cold had got into them while sleeping on the ground.
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With the aid of Kobort's wand, Sack was transformed into a giant condor, and soared back down the trail in search of Mazahir - and the bear. After flying as far as the previous night's tower, he had found nothing, and came back lower to the ground. He picked up Mazahir's tracks easily with the bird of prey's powerful eyesight, and found that the tracks stopped - dead - about as far away from their tower as a man could walk in an hour. Flying the other way, he found that they started equally suddenly, just as if the walker had been dropped from the sky onto the path and started walking... |
Sack the Condor |
Kundrakar - the Stone Tooth |
He also scouted ahead, locating the Stone Tooth. A day's stiff walking saw the party cresting the rise from which they could see the mountain. They had arrived at last... |