Arundel -
Entering Arundel - The Faeries - The Gnome Village - Arnulf Dwarves - Tyrian - Carondus - The Ice Cave - The Frost Giant - The Cloud Castle - Desolate Lands of the Blue Magi - The Gathering - The Dragon Queen - Entering The Other Plane - Ysthra - The
Ending
Entering Arundel (part 2)
The evening air is a little
chilly and a gentle rain is falling. Autumn is approaching but it
feels so relieving to be out of the dungeons and all the undead
and finally being in the fabled lands of Arundel. You walk away
from the faintly shimmering void and let the rain wash away the
worst of the dust and soil on your clothes (- Tuvinel sleeps
under a warm blanket on the strecher). You find a nice spot in
the woods, with a stream closeby and decide to rest, bathe, do
laundry and so.
You gather various berries, roots, nuts and chanterelles and Kara
prepares a delicious and satisfying meal by cooking roots and
then roasting them and the nuts, and making a mixed
blueberry/other berries soup. Ariel manages to catch a fish and
you share the fish too (- you really need proteins, vitamins and
fat after having eaten mostly fungi down in Durnath).
[You may be
wondering about Tuvinel - doesn't she need to eat? Well she is in
a very deep state of sleep and her metabolism is greatly reduced.
However, now is a good time to temporarily wake her up so that
she can have some soup and a bathe. Wren and Kara treat her
carefully and comfort her. Her state is like before and she is
also stiff and confused. You tend to Tuvinel as good as you can
and tell her that soon all will be fine again (hopefully). Then
Giljath puts her to sleep again.]
Now the night has fallen and the rain has passed. The air is
fresh with a scent of carrots and the dark sky is spotted with
stars.
You all look at the stars, quietly contemplating. None of you
ever thought your lives would turn out like this. Arathor thinks
about Wren. She is so beautiful and he knows that he is in love
with her. He doesn't know how to tell her, though. She is elvish
and even though he doesn't want to realize it, they can never be
together. Arathor gets up to his feet and wanders off a bit into
the woods. He wants to cry but a knight crying? That is
ridiculous, he thinks to himself. "If only Wren would come
to me and say that she loves me", he hopes and tries to gain
strength from that wish.
Wren knows (=feels) the reason of Arathor's behaviour. She can't
fall in love with humans but she knows humans can fall in love
with elves. Wren is also uneasy. So many bad things are happening
- everything seems so uncertain and insecure. She can sense why
humans act so erratically. She is tormented in her mind by all
kinds of things. She wouldn't be able to handle this stress if
she would be a human, she thinks. She needs to relax and meditate
but she must first talk to Arathor. Arathor is getting more and
more gloomy and she fears that he will do something foolish just
to show her that he loves her.
(- Arathor has actually considered 'sacrificing' himself in an
ultimate 'display of love'. For Wren he would die and when he
would be taking his final breaths he would tell her that he loves
her and she would cry and tell him that she loves him too. That
would be his ultimately glorious and sad ending, an ending which
bards for ever would sing about).
So Wren also gets up to her feet and follows Arathor. She sees
him by the stream where he is kneeling with his sword in front of
him, in a prayer to Eledain.
Wren moves up to him and places a hand softly on his shoulder.
Arathor looks into her eyes with an anguished but hopeful look.
"She came", he thinks. "Maybe there is hope after
all".
Wren smiles a sad looking smile and almost whispers:
"Arathor, if the circumstances were different and I were a
human, I would be the happiest woman in the world, knowing that
you love me. But now I am very sad that you love me for I can not
love you back in the same way".
Arathor is shocked and devastated to hear 'his' beloved put it so
directly and stammers:
"Oh, Wren. I thought... I... I will immediately take my
leave. I have disgraced you and Eledain. I am not suited to wear
this armour. I have failed to be a Knight of Eledain. I..."
"Don't be a fool", Wren says in her friendly way and
gives him a soft slap on the shoulder. "You have not
disgraced anybody and I don't wish you to leave!"
"But...", Arathor stammers.
Wren (softly): "I know how you feel for me and it
is not your fault that you have these feelings. You just have to
handle them differently. I know you can do that. Let me teach you
the elvish ways of meditation to appeace your mind. Together we
will face the difficulties and when we have overcome them, you
will see me in a new perspective, like a sister. You will be a
great knight loved by everybody, and trust me, the woman who
becomes your wife will consider herself the luckiest woman in the
world."
Arathor nods slightly, tears dropping down his cheeks.
"Nobody can ever match you Wren", he thinks. To Wren he
mumbles: "I will do as you bid, my beloved Wren, for my life
now belongs to you".
Wren senses his strange concept of 'belonging', smiles and says
fondly:
"Dear Arathor, let us immediately start with the
studies."
[End of
Entering Arundel]
The Faeries
The peaceful forest opens up into a large glade. The glade is
filled with strange creatures and beings. They seem to have
enjoyed a merrisome gathering until recently. You see some Satyrs
and Faeries approaching you.
Ivil, Filundrus and Arathor have never encountered such creatures
before and neither have you, even though you (Wren, Giljath and
Eldur) have heard about them before.
Satyrs are
male forest living creatures who mainly concern themselves with
'partying and chasing nymphs' (- so you have heard anyway). They
live in forests and every night they invite all forest beings to
festivities with lots of forest wines (- you see plenty of
amphorae), songs (- satyrs are very good singers), dancing and
music (satyrs like to play pan-flutes).
A satyr has the upper body of a male humanoid, legs like a goat,
pointed ears like an elf and small horns like a goat. His face is
otherwise like a human and he has a brown beard. Satyrs' lower
bodies are covered with red/brown furs.
Now nobody is
dancing, though. Some Faeries are crying and everyone looks very
worried.
Usually Faeries are full of fun rascals who love to play tricks
on unsuspecting travellers of non elvish origin (- elves are
considered a little boring by the faeries).
Faeries are very small (no taller than 3 dm) and usually have
straight fair hair (with a tone of green) and fair skin. They
look a bit like elves with their pointed ears and almond shaped
pupils. They have insect like (transparent) wings and are usually
snub-nosed. Obviously they seldom wear more clothes than a
loin-cloth. Even though both genders of Faeries love to tease and
play tricks on travellers, they never intend any harm and if any
harm would come to the 'victim' then they get full of remorse and
immediately try to repair any damage.
You have heard that a few Faeries sometimes (very rarely, though)
become faithful companions to mortals, (at the same time) helping
them and driving them crazy with their pranks! Furthermore,
Faeries are known to have the ability of making themselves
invisible to mortals and they are very good at reading other
peoples' minds. Faeries are not violent, but they know how to use
magical bows. A hit from their arrows will render mortals asleep
or make them forget recent (within an hour) events.
They notice you (- the Satyrs seem very interested in you and the
sleeping Tuvinel, though they are aloof because of what has
happened) and a female Faery flies to greet you:
"I am Oona. Please help us. One of my sisters has
disappeared", she sobs.
Wren: "I am called Wren. Fair Oona, we
would try our best to help you, but please tell us what has
happened".
Oona: "Aletha was going to convince a
nymph to come here earlier this afternoon, but she hasn't
returned yet. The nymph came by her self and she says that she
saw some large fire breathing creatures who seemed dangerous! I
am sure Aletha must be in danger! Strange, worrying things have
been happening lately and one of the wisest gnomes in this area
also disappeared and...(sobs)"
Wren (comforting):
"We will look for Aletha, Oona".
Oona (sobs but smiles):
"Oh, thank you Wren! If you need any help, we can heal you
and give you food."
Wren (smiles
back): "Who is the wise
Gnome you were talking about?"
Oona: "He is called Carondus. He went to
investigate strange appearances of creatures we have never seen
before. There is a gnome village east of here. They may know
more."
[The Faeries
heal all the members in the party who have been badly injured.
Then they give you a large supply of berries, nuts (etc) and
water and you prepare to leave to find out what is going on.
Return to the map.]
[End of The Faeries]
The Gnome Village (Halflings)
It is a cold morning (+10º C) and
you slowly advance deeper and deeper into the swamp. The fog lies
like a cover from your knees and up.
As you walk on the sludgy ground, your feet often get stuck in
the soft moisty ground and you have to be careful not to step
into quicksand or other treacherous places. There are many
insects, but none so ferocious as in Deep Swamps, east of Dead
Forest.
On the other hand, many larger, more dangerous creatures inhabit
these swamps and you are careful not to get their attention, for
they might well decide that you be their next meal.
Towards the afternoon you hear the sounds and smell the smells of
a village. The temperature has risen (to about 18º C) and the
fog has cleared. You are having trouble carrying Tuvinel but so
far you've managed.
Soon you reach firmer grounds and you see a small mud path
leading to a palisade surrounded village. The houses are small
wooden cottages, resting 2 metres above ground, on wooden poles.
From many cottages smoke arises and here and there on the ground
goats and fowls walk around. The sight conveys a feeling of a
quiet and peaceful little village - quite picturesque, actually,
despite the unhospitable surrounding swamp.
You also hear the laughter of children playing and can see gnomes
chasing escaped fowls and attending to domestic matters.
A scouting tower is also present and as you approach the village,
some gnome elders come out to greet you. They all have beards,
are a bit shorter than dwarves and not so sturdy built. Their
feet are big and very hairy. They don't wear footwear. One of
them hails you:
"Hello there, travellers. You are a rare sight. What has
brought you to this place?"
"We have important news to carry to Arundel", you say.
The Gnome Elder's expression changes as if he recognizes you:
"Wren! We thought you'd never make it! Praised be Tevatenu
that you have come!"
"You know me?", you ask a bit surprised.
Gnome Elder: "Yes! But that is a long story. Let's go inside
and talk over a nice dinner. I see that you have a wounded member
in the group (points at the sleeping Tuvinel). If there is
anything we can do..."
Wren: "She is in deep sleep. We believe she is suffering
from side effects of magic-using."
Gnome Elder: "I see - then she must be brought to Arundel
soon."
You nod and the gnomes bring you into the center of the village
where a large platform is located. This is where the town council
resides. Tables and chairs are brought forth and everobody sits
down (- except Eldur who is attending to Tuvinel).
Soon a number of vegetarian dishes are brought to you as well,
including cheeses and goat milk (- goat milk doesn't smell too
good!).
The gnomes don't serve meat and when Ivil asks a gnome woman
about it (silently, in body language), the gnome woman rolls up
her eyes to the heaven, opening her palms and nodding in the
direction to where the elves are sitting.
"I see!", Ivil signs back and smiles.
(Later during the meal - after you having explained your
situation and the gnome elder having explained about Kor-Dur's
message to him about you):
Gnome Elder (while shewing): "So Oona told you about
Carondus?"
Giljath: "Only that he was missing. He seems to be
considered a very wise gnome?"
Gnome Elder (still shewing): "Yes, very 'wise'. He is the
only gnome here who knows magic. He knew how to animate Golems to
protect us from the aggressive creatures which have appeared
recently. He went out to find out the source of these appearances
and we haven't heard from him ever since. We have built a
palisade around the village to protect it from the creatures.
Carondus' disappearance has been strange and sad but now
something yet more alarming is happening. It is as if the trees
are getting weaker and dying. They first lose all their leaves
and then they become black. It started not long after Carondus
disappeared. Maybe there's some kind of connection?"
Giljath: "What about Arundel? Have you sent word to the
elves there?"
Gnome Elder (swallows): "Arundel? It is a long way there...
beyond the oceans. We don't travel by see but we know of a hidden
ship, designed by the elves long ago. Please help us with the
strange happenings around here - we'll show you how to get to the
ship."
Giljath: "We will try to find out what is happening to the
woods and bring Carondus back. Then we will proceed to
Arundel."
Gnome Elder: "Maybe you and Tuvinel can stay here while the
rest of you try to solve the problem. You will be travelling
faster that way and both Tuvinel and we would be safer to have
you (Eldur or Giljath) around. There is a dwarven settlement far
east of here. They also know about you and would gladly help you.
I'd advice you to go there first."
[Proceed
reading this entry when you have returned with the solution]
Accompanied by Carondus, you return to the village. You are
warmly welcomed and Carondus immediately consults his books, in
search for a way to banish the cloud. There is nothing more you
can do for them and the gnome elders show you an ancient elvish
scroll which contains words that will call the elvish boat to
you, when you are close to the ocean. Afterwards, the gnomes do
their best to restock your food supplies and bid you godspeed on
your future journeys.
[End of The
Gnome Village]
Arnulf Dwarves
In the mountains to the north east
you finally reach a dwarven kingdom (monarchy), ruled by the old
dwarf Arnulf. When you reach them you are greeted with cheers and
get a warm welcoming - news of your helping the Durnathi dwarves
have reached them and many young dwarves are ready to aid you on
your journeys.
Having discussed with Arnulf, you get to know that something has
happened to the Giants on shark island.
(- The name is derived from the shape of the island). A Frost
Giant named 'Trym' sent a message that demonic forces have
invaded and that powerful magicks have twisted the minds of many
Giants. The source of these demonic forces seems to originate
from an island west of Shark Island. This island is called
Dolphin Run. The Dwarves are not sea travellers but they had a
ship left by the Arundel elves and they dispatched a force to
Dolphin Run. This force has not been heard from and Arnulf fears
that they have failed to stop the foul demons.
You ask why they haven't requested aid from the elves and Arnulf
tells you that it seems as if nobody has heard from the elves in
years. Somehow all lines of communication have been cut.
[It is now up
to you to help the dwarves and the giants]
[End of Arnulf Dwarves]
Tyrian (the Ent)
It is a windy and rainy day, when you
see a huge tree moving over the ground, deep in the forest,
towards you.
The tree is moving very slowly and seems weak despite its
tremendous natural strength. You sense that it wishes to
communicate with you (Wren) alone and so you ask your friends to
stop while you go to talk to the tree.
Arathor is about to object but you give him a friendly smile and
he nods and accepts your decision.
The tree communicates mentally with feelings:
"Pain from unknown. Plea for help. Magic danger."
The tree sends out a sound: "Carondus - demons".
The tree finishes with more feelings:
"You - elf friend. Please help! Tyrian thanks you."
Astonished and moved, you nod to the poor Ent, showering him with
emotions of friendship and caring.
The Ent shines up and wishes to give you some strength before you
go...
[Possible
resource cost symbolizes the difficulties involved in the process
of sharing strength from an ent to an elf]
[End of Tyrian]
Carondus
The day is cool and windy. Dark
clouds pass the skies quickly, in strange formations. The sounds
of thunder is heard in the distance...
In the vicinity of some lakes you see a small, robed character
with a strange and frightening helmet covering his/her face. The
sounds of the character's chanting indicate that it is a male
gnome. You see that he is invoking power words to give magic
force to Golems. He stands in front of an Altar of Fire. As he
chants the clouds cluster in the skies and a bolt of lightning
strikes a tree, killing it immediately and setting it afire.
A dark and chilly fog materializes. As the fog moves, everything
it touches turns black and lifeless. You realize that the robed
figure is probably Carondus. What has happened to him? Why is he
doing this?
A strange red glowing emanates from the helmet. It seems as if it
may control him, somehow.
The robed figure turns around and sees you. A moment of fear
seems to reflect from the helmet, but then Carondus says:
"Fools! You will not stop Ysthra! She is coming to claim
this world and I am her High Priest!"
[Resolve the
combat situation, then proceed reading this entry]
After an intense struggle, you manage to get past the golems and
force the helmet off Carondus' head.
A bolt of energy (from the helmet) is unleashed, striking
Carondus and rendering him unconscious.
You try to revive him and soon he wakes up, confused:
"Who are you? What am I doing here? Where is the
village?"
You calm him down and explain what has happened. He is full of
remorse and tells you that the cloud must be destroyed.
He needs to get back to the village in order to consult his spell
books about banishing the cloud. You ask him where he found the
helmet, but he can't remember that.
The helmet seems to be a source of very powerful mental energy,
capable of twisting the minds of its bearer. By some reason it
doesn't seem to be able to affect you (Wren), though.
[End of
Carondus]
The Ice Cave
After a long and stormy sea journey,
you lay anchor at a cold and snowy island. The winter must be
approaching and you have prepared by bringing thick and warm
clothes and a cart of fire material from the Arnulf dwarves. You
enter a small raft to row to the beach of the island. It is a
cloudy and dark night and snow is beginning to fall. You see how
nearby flakes hit the dark waters around you and disappear. The
sea looks dangerous and you see that the dwarves seem relieved to
soon be on firm ground again. They have been uneasy the whole sea
journey...
[Journals of
Anadin, Dwarven Commander in Wren's party - Day 17]:
"Finally we reached the island where the demons were are
supposed to be. Of our fellow dwarves we didn't find any traces,
and this made us sad and worried but also strengthened our
determination to find out what has happened to them...
...We have had sporadic sights of twistedly shaped winged beings,
high in the air. These beings seem to come from a mountainous
area, a bit more inland. We held a council with Wren and have
agreed to investigate the mountains in that area..."
A new day of struggling through the snow is about to be ended by
the sun quickly disappearing beneath the horizon. You are finally
in the mountainous area and a strange silence is surrounding you.
A dwarven runner sent out by Anadin has returned and he reports
of a strange ice cave entrance, with tracks from unknown beings
at the entrance.
You decide that it would be best to find a safe place to rest and
then investigate the cave tomorrow, in the morning. Tonight you
will not light a campfire. This is a precaution not to be spotted
by any hostile beings...
...The night passes and in spite of strange sounds, nothing
happens...
The next morning you consolidate the party and move forward,
towards the Ice Cave...
[The Ice Cave
entrance leads into a system of tunnels and caverns, where you
face a number of oddities and adventures - unfortunately, there
is not time to tell about them now... Resolve the combat
situation and then continue this entry]
...You finally manage to seal the strange dimensional door before
the terrible Agarash creature can enter this world. You have
dealt a severe blow to the infernal forces, but you sense that
this has only been the beginning. Furthermore, there might still
be lots of demons left who have already entered this world,
roaming about the lands.
The time has come to seek out the Frost Giants and report to them
about Agarash and his attempts to enter this world - attempts
which you have foiled, at least temporarily.
[Feel free to
look for signs of the missing dwarf party too, if you feel that
you are in no hurry...]
[End of The Ice Cave]
The Frost Giant (Trym)
The dwarves lead you to the mountains
in the eastern parts of I'Karish (Shark Island in Elvish). There
Trym lives. He is a Frost Giant who managed to escape from Cloud
Castle (the home of the FrostGiants) when the demons invaded and
turned the minds of almost all giants.
You reach his home at noon, a sunny and cold winter day. He is
the largest creature you have ever seen (appr. 5½ m tall) and
speaks with thundering and deep voice. He wears no armour but has
a gigantic Ice Sword that only he and his likes can wield. He
welcomes you and explains of the strange happenings of late.
[If you have
foiled the plans of Agarash, then continue. If not, Trym asks you
to try to find out what is happening before he also becomes mind
twisted]
You tell Trym about the Ice Cave and the creature called Agarash.
Obviously he is the infernal being who put the spell on the
giants. You show trym the strange cube which you found next to
the Dimensional Door.
"Aah, this must immediately be destroyed", Trym
thunders and takes the cube. Then he asks you to step back as he
creates a shimmering void, in which he places the cube. Then he
hurries away a bit and soon thereafter there is a terrible
implosion and the cube and the void are gone.
"The spell which have threatened us is no more. However, I
fear that the coming of Agarash is only the beginning. We must
seek out the Dragons beyond the maelstroem. Arundel has been
isolated by a strange void and only the Dragons will know what to
do. At least I hope so", Trym thunders.
"Now, let's go and free Cloud Castle from the demons. We
will need all the help we can get!"
[End of Trym]
The Cloud Castle
The home of the giants towers in
front of you. It is a magnificent place among the mountain tops
and it seems to reach to the skies.
All giants are still under the influence of the mind twist spell
and are confused. Trym must aid them before the rest of the
giants can aid you.
Gigantic Demon Seducers in the shape of Giants attack you as you
approach the city!
[After
defeating the demon guards you enter the city and Trym restores
the giants]
The city is a remarkable place but time is short and Trym urges
you to try to persuade as many giants as possible to join the
party. Then you should find the maelstroms.
Khazim interjects and tells you to go to his home turf first. It
lies in the far west and he says that although it is a long way
there (and guarded), he is confident that he remembers the
password to enter the hidden valley. There, aid can be expected.
Now Anadin interjects, saying that although visiting this land
may be helpful, you must first go back to the Arnulf dwarves.
They have ancient Giant Armour which will be very useful to the
Giants.
Trym agrees with Anadin but Khazim says that the Magi can equip
the Giants with the equal or better equipment and that visiting
the dwarves may be a time waster. There may also be valuable
spells or wands for you, if you are wise enough to control them.
[End of The
Cloud Castle]
Desolate Lands of the Blue Magi
These desert lands are the ancient
lands where the blue magi appeared, once upon a time. Their
former origins are a well kept secret.
Khazim says that he will talk to his colleagues. They will
probably aid you, he thinks.
Khazim also claims that there are several magical weapons and
pieces of armour in his home. Such equipment may make a
difference in a battle versus demons. Some demons are known to be
invulnerable to non magical weapons...
[The Arena is
where Khazim used to live and it holds the weapons/armour]
[End of entry]
The Gathering
Trym leads you through a land as
beautiful as it is ancient. All around you are green meadows and
lush forests filled with animals and insects. Two large rivers
flows into a great lake and the sparkling of fresh water from
nearby streams, coupled with the bird songs fill you with peace
and hopefullness. Here, the winter has turned into spring and the
sun shines brightly on the deep blue skies.
The studies with Arathor have proceeded very well and you rejoice
at the fact that he is happy and in balance with his feelings. He
will make the most wise knight of Eledain, there is no doubt
about that!
Actually the whole party is at ease and happy. Everybody except
poor Tuvinel. She is still in deep sleep. Occasionaly you have
awoken her briefly to feed her and bathe her but she has not
shown any signs of improvement. You did ask the giants if they
knew of something that could help her but they could only advice
you to bring her to Arundel. This you already knew. Most of your
party members are caring for Tuvinel, now that the Giants and
other more powerful members of your party are ready for handling
battle situations. Actually, the party is a veritable army now!
You saw how easily the Titans forced the remains of the demons
into a wild escape and you feel confident that they can handle
more dangerous demons as well.
Trym is wearing a formidable and rare field armour of golden
mithril. He doesn't look all that optimistic though, and you hear
him occasionaly mumbling about the immense strength of the
demons.
You ask him why he is so weary and he tells you:
"The void which has blocked the passage to Arundel could be
a huge gate, used by the infernal forces to transport enormous
armies of incredible strength. Agarash must have been leading an
advanced reconnaisance force of demons and this relatively minor
force almost had us (the Frost Giants) defeated. Agarash is only
a lower demon lord but as you saw, he can create dimensional
doors to manifest himself in other worlds. I fear that the void
is the beginning of a terribly dangerous invasion attempt by the
demon lords. I recall that a void such as this one can be revoked
but it would take angelic powers combined with a certain sphere
which can only be found in the infernal plane. This sphere was
created by angels in order to protect worlds from being invaded
by the infernal beings. However, it must have been taken from the
angels, otherwise a void such as this one couldn't occur."
As he speaks, a sound which resembles a chanting choir resonates
through the air and four Winged Beings (shimmering with light)
appear.
They are four
Arch Angels (Mikael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel) and they are
here to aid you!
They also have many abilities similar to the demon lords. They
can for example open dimensional doors to other worlds.
Mikael is the strongest of the four (- his name means "Who
(Mi) is () like (ka) God (El)" {- hebrew, present tense of
'to be' does not exist in hebrew. This is because it is similar
to God's name, and His name may not be spoken}). Gabriel is often
a messenger, Raphael is a guardian angel (to Tobit and Tobias)
and Uriel is the guardian of the stars.
Gabriel speaks to you mentally:
"Trym has assumed correctly. The void is indeed a door from
the infernal plane. The demons managed to steal the sphere from
Uriel and we have come to retrieve it. We can not do this without
your help, though. The demons know that we will try to retrieve
the sphere and have gathered an appropriate force to counter us.
They will not be expecting you too, though."
Uriel: "We do not wish to involve you in this but time is
running short and there is no better alternative"
Trym: "We will come with you. First I
suggest that we request the aid of the Golden Dragons. They are
strong allies."
Gabriel: "So be it, but we must hurry!"
[End of The
Gathering]
The Dragon Queen
In the green mountains, the source of
the river water, the Queen of the Golden Dragons resides.
(- Golden Dragons form a society and are altruistic as opposed to
the more individually and egoistically inclined Black Dragons and
Azure Dragons)
She flies high above you in circles and lands near Wren.
"I will only help the elves! I am informed that Wren is
here. Please step forward, Wren, so that I may have a look at
you."
You step forward, saying:
"Noble Queen, I am Wren."
Dragon Queen: "I see. Wren, you shouldn't be in
the company of Angels and Giants! They are not like us. However,
this time there is no other option and they need our help, so we
will give it to them. But be warned, as much as they seem to help
us, they are primarily serving their own selfish purposes! They
don't have the same relation to Life as we Golden Dragons and
Elves have."
The Dragon Queen looks around to see if she can notice any
feelings of insult among the Arch Angels and the Titans, but
there is none, so she continues:
"I see that you have grown wiser since last time - Good! We
know where to find an entrance to the Infernal plane. (Indicating
at Mikael) Create the dimension door at that location and we will
emerge close to where the sphere is located!"
Mikael: "Very well, lead on to this place
and I will open the door."
[End of The
Dragon Queen]
Entering the Other Plane
You enter a land tainted by the
infernal occupants. This is the land you saw in the temple where
the Fire Egg rested! It was once a beautiful land full of life.
Now it is black and lifeless.
The air is barely breathable and it smells of brimstone. In order
to complete the portal the demon lords need energy. The whinnying
from a Unicorn echoe through the air. Another life has been taken
to serve as energy for the void!
You advance quicker and Uriel senses that the sphere is near. In
front of you towers a citadel of black brimstone!
Mikael: "Ysthra is nearby! She has an army
with her...and she carries the sphere!"
Dragon Queen
(to Wren, mentally):
"Ysthra is a Demon Lady. She is a lower demon lady but she
aspires to rise in rank. She has gathered a huge force of minions
of different strengths. We must free the Unicorns before all
else, though. No more Life may be destroyed by these infernal
beings!"
Mikael: "No! We must attack now! We will not
have the advantage of surprise if we rescue the Unicorn. If we
defeat them now, they won't have time to harm the Unicorn. Even
if it means sacrificing the Unicorn, the demons can't be allowed
to win!"
Dragon Queen: "You see, Wren! They don't respect
life as we do! (To Mikael) We can defeat them after we have
rescued the Unicorn!"
[Play
technically: If you go for the Unicorn, you will lose the bonus
from the rally flag. On the other hand, a unicorn has 20% to
blind an opponent and may bring you other aid as well]
[End of Entering the Other Plane]
Ysthra
Ysthra, the demon lady (of low rank)
sits on a throne of bone (- similar to but less ancient than the
one Dakoth is often sitting on). Her plans to rise to Demon Lord
are about to be realized! The foolish Arch Angels are no match
for her zillions of troops! She will punish them severly and then
move on to command the invasion force in Arundel!
But why have they not showed up yet? A seed of worry roots in her
mind... what are they up to?
Well, if they don't dare to show up, then that's even better! Her
masters will notice her strength and maybe, just maybe they will
even offer to marry her! Who will I choose, Axtrodus...? No he is
of too low rank! Caradocus!?...yes, Caradocus the Demon War Lord
will be a suitable choice... But what is that noise outside my
citadel...it sounds like fighting!
So the fools entered! Damnation! They have brought allies! To
battle, to battle!
[Resolve the
battle and continue this entry if you are victorious]
The battle has finally ended and Uriel takes the sphere! Then,
with a shimmer of light, the Arch Angels disappear!
[Dismiss any
present Arch Angels or put them in garrison - If you don't have
any other troop, then keep them]
Dragon Queen: "Let us return, Wren. I now know how
to open a gate to Arundel from here."
[End of
Ysthra]
The Ending
The void has been dissolved and you
have finally reached the legendary lands of Arundel.
The Elves
living here are the Sendari Elves (- they are the Elves from Dead
Forest). The Sylvani Elves and The Noldori Elves have not
returned to this ancient home.
Only Wren, Eldur, Giljath, Arathor, Ivil, Filundrus, Ariel, Kara
and Tuvinel landed on the island of Arundel. All the others have
returned to their respective homes.
The island seems undisturbed by any outside events. All is moving
along peacefully with birds singing and insects buzzing around
the air. (Well, all is not peaceful. Checking the ground closely,
you see two different tribes of ants carrying out a war)
The elves don't seem to interfere with these things, though. It
is a part of the nature and as protectors, the elves are only
intervening if something that threatens the balance occurs.
You walk along for days, without seeing any traces of elves. You
see pegasi, dwarves, ents and unicorns and you talk to the
dwarves who welcome you warmly.
The dwarves tell you that the elves are more to the north and so
you head there after having shared a meal with the dwarves.
Later, you reach a breathtaking glade with the most beautiful
garden. In its center is a circular table of the smoothest stone
and around it are chairs made for elves, halflings, dwarves,
giants... and humans!
Nobody is here either, but the place doesn't seem abandoned.
You leave the place and continue north after having spent several
hours resting there.
Later that day you reach a small village among the trees. This
humble village is where the Sendari Elves live!
The elves number about 400. Arathor and the other humans are
surprised that they are so few and live in such a simple looking
village.
---
"What happened next", the young boy asked the old man
(Arathor).
"Well, son, the elves already new about the dangers
threatening the new world outside the Arundel lands, and I asked
them why they had done nothing and what had been the point in
coming here", Arathor says to his youngest son (- he has
four children, two boys and two girls. The oldest girl is 28
years of age, the youngest boy is 5 years old).
Garren (the
boy): "What happened then
and what about Tuvinel?"
Arathor
(laughing): "Easy boy,
easy. The elves explained that there had been an important point.
The experiences of the journey would prove decisive for the
future. I spent a few weeks in Arundel with Wren, learning to
respect life and myself (- he gets a tear in his eyes; he
remembers something very painful. But it lasts only momentarily
and he continues)...while the Elves tended to Tuvinel and cured
her. Then the Elves held a council with the old peoples and I
represented the humans. The elves refused to join in the war
against the evil forces that had just invaded our home lands
north of Dead Forest. They said that they could not disrespect
life by participate in killing. The giants pointed out that the
undead were not living and a compromise was reached. The elves
would fight against undead but not engage any of the allies of
the undead. The outcome of the council was very disappointing for
the elves. They felt that engaging in war was to stop an evil by
'temporarily' becoming evil. The elves can be emotional too, even
though I only witnessed it once - at that time. Wren, she was
really something special (Arathor's eyes fill with tears again).
Well, the elves agreed to try to stop the undead and then I,
Tuvinel and Ivil & Filundrus were sent back to Dead Forest by
the means of a 'door'. I never saw them again but I know they
joined the struggle elsewhere. As for me, I returned north to see
the home lands being invaded, but that is another story which I
will tell you next week, Garren. Now let's find a peaceful spot
in the garden and meditate a while", Arathor finishes and
rises.
Garren: "When I grow up I will be a Grand
Knight like you and fight Evil Dragons and..."
Arathor smiled as if he recognized himself and led the way out to
the garden...
The End
Follow the human struggles in next part...