Author: niliz
Date:Nov 1 2013
The Wrath of an Eastern Sorcerer
With an anticipating crowd gathered closly around a crackling fire, I drink a
mouthful of Shadowkepian red, clear my throat. Tonight I will try to take away
the daily sores of a hard day's labour for this gathering of farmers and
artisans. Not the grand audience a minstrel of my stature should be
entertaining, but that's a different story and not one to be told this
evening. One more sip of my wine and I start my performance:
"In the days long before the cataclysm that destroyed the single continent
known to the inhabitants of Bat, a group of adventurers traveled to the Inn of
Four Winds to plan a quest that could bring them fame and treasures undreamt
of. Or tragedy and loss that none of the band dared to mention or consider.
First to arrive were the stout woodelf warriors from the endless forest across
the western see: Galronio, Fnor and the famous Ewige, leader of the
expedition. Soon to follow were the swampdwelling wizards from the Lowlands:
Harambikkel, Jenske and Niliz. Beers were served and freshly roasted boar
prepared to make a fine dinner. There was still one member of the group
missing at the feast and when Ewige was about to go scouting the roads for a
sign of the lonely traveller a loud "Harrumph!" made everybody jump from their
chair to give the huge Ent healer named Oak a warm welcome. When hunger and
thirst were satiated, Ewige quieted the group and started laying out the plans
for their bold endeavour: to find the fabled Flying Citadel and call a golden
dragon to bring them inside the place of legend. Once inside they would start
their search of the notorious Dragonlady Kitiara and the imfamous deathknight
Lord Soth. Soon agreement was that the dragon Skie would not be bothered as
the adventurers lacked the skills to take out such a mighty foe.
The next morning the group travelled abroad to follow upon a lead that Fnor
had recently wrung from an orc he'd captured in the mines of Kutunakor.
Galronio had already obtained a shiny glass orb from the sinister markets of
Rilyn'ttar that was supposed to call and subdue a golden dragon. The orcish
tale was true as the adventurers stood in the shadow of a huge castle in the
sky, glaring in awe at the sinister sight. Galronio uncovered the orb and
started chanting the words to invoke the golden dragon. The dragon came, but
subdueing was not part of the orb's power. Luckily the good spirited dragon
loved to bring people to the citadel to annoy the dragonlady and he
transported the expedition to the castle.
Once inside the real adventure began when the group explored the depths of the
dwelling. Battling draconians that turned into exploding statues upon defeat,
they hacked their way to the rooms of the dragonlady Kitiara. The fierce
fightress certainly wasn't pleased with the intruders and an intense battle
commenced. Fireballs flew down the hallways, burning down the furniture,
carpets and quite a few hairs from our band of brigands. But eventually,
Kitiara was defeated and the exploration continued.
When the adventurers to put on their boots after defeating another draconian
that tried to demolish their footwear with a nasty trick of spraying acid,
there was an unexpected surprise when suddenly a mystic figure apparated in
their midst. When the appearance solidified, Ewige gasped in confusion: it was
the powerful sorcerer from the Eastern lands, Krzysiek! Older brother of the
well known and many times ridiculed sorcerer Pancreas, this wizard was not
someone to mess with. And our adventurers would soon find out why! Still
deliberating who had invited Krzysiek for a visit in the middle of their
campaign, the adventuring friends were suddenly blasted by a terrifying mental
scream that drove them insane. The casters in the group were instantly send to
the underworld, soon followed by the warriors when Kryziek follow up his
psychic scream with a acid storm imbued in a powerful wand he had brought with
him. Unbelief and rage roared among the ghosts of the adventurers and with the
help of a few befriended clerics they soon returned to the world of the
living.
After a lot of swearing and threatening from both the adventurers and the evil
sorcerer, Krzysiek uncovered the reason for his killing spree: the well-known
Arch Magus Backlash from the West, retired after many years of quests and
adventures, had capriciously decided to annoy Krzysiek and cursed him with a
Jinx Staff. The sorceror had to make many a sacrifice to amend his standings
with the Gods before he could cast a spell again without failing or fumbling.
Since Krzysiek was unable to retaliate against Backlash himself, he decided to
go after any person he knew had befriended Backlash in the past. Poor Ewige
was on the mad sorcerer's blacklist. Many pleas and prayers from Ewige and his
friends convinced Krzysiek to let Ewige of the hook. Sadly, the expedition
inside the Flying Citadel was unable to recover from this unanticipated blow.
Not all had been in vain though, since the adventurers managed to bring
Kitiara's sword, shield and kerbholz with them from the citadel, plus a girdle
of wisdom from a draconian priest. And if the was some wisdom every member of
the group received that day, it must have been: never mess with a sorcerer
from the Eastern lands and kill them on sight when they visit you uninvited!"
Just as I stand up and start to bow, expecting to be applauded for my
breathtaking performance, I realize there might be trouble. Maybe it was not
such a good story to tell while travelling the eastern lands...