Construction for the house began quietly enough. Hern had acquired the building supplies from neighboring carpenters who were curious as to why he didn't want them anywhere near the project. After several wagon trips, the area near the hill entrance was filled with beams, planks, shingles, poles, barrels of nails and pegs, and stone.
Arbiddance sat on a nearby rock cradling the bottle as if it were a fragile infant. Qova stood further up the hill looking up and down the road.
Shit, she thought as she spotted the familiar figure trotting their way on horseback.
"Guess who's coming," she muttered to Hern as he finished unloading the last wagon. "Your friend, Smiley."
Hern turned to the sound of the hoofbeats. The rider crossed the ditch and entered their camp.
"I wonder," the ridculous looking man cried out. "Could you spare a cup of water? For the horse you see. He's not particular in what sort of vessel it comes in."
The rider was a tall, thin man with no apparent muscle whatsover. His head was too small for his body, and his grin was too big for his head. And he always grinned... even in his sleep, Hern once noted. His hands looked like butter paddles at the end of small handles... he stuck one out toward Hern, who shook it.
"I suppose we could water your nag with one of our finest crystal chalices," Hern quipped. "You, however, will have to make do with a trough."
"Oh, that's fine. I'm not too proud," the man laughed and turned to Qova. She always got the impression he was sizing her up for potential dinner based upon the glistening in his eyes. "And my dear Qova... how are you?"
"Well, I was fine until you lowered the tone of this little get-together," she shot back smiling. "You just can't resist fucking up someone's fine day, can you?"
"My dear," the man grabbed at his heart as if shot with an arrow. "Barbs from you are more precious than the sweetest whispers from an entire harem. Speaking of... how would you like to join mine? You'd want for nothing, I promise you."
"I'd rather kiss a naga, but thank you all the same," she beamed. Though it didn't seem possible, the man's smile grew even wider.
Arbiddance seemed to be napping against the rock, or at least faking one. The man cried out "Arbiddance! Still the life of the party I see...!" Arbiddance replied only with a middle finger.
"Yes, that's right. Do it again," the man mumbled through his smile.
"Prince, I hate to break this up," Hern interjected, "but we're about to build a house right where you're standing."
"A house? My word!" he looked quickly around. " I shall, of course, retire to a safe distance lest I be accidentally struck by a hammer or something like that."
He led his horse back across the ditch, unstrapped his mandolin, and began to pluck wildly at it as he bent his knees in time:
O Qova the darkmane
Can drive a man insane
With her gaze and her womanly wiles...
And nary a warrior
Can stand up before her
Or say no to her ruby-red smiles...
Qova looked at him as if his head were two dogs stuck together, turned and slightly smiled to herself as she brought her attention to Arbiddance.
Hern walked off to the side to stifle a grin.
Arbiddance stood up, walked toward the construction site, and began to remove the stopper from the bottle.
O Arbiddance the tragic
Will now use his magic
To build a quaint domicile...
"You're going to want to shut up!" Arbiddance shouted. "This isn't lemonade in here! It's something I can slay you with, so let's pipe down, okay?"
The Prince returned the instrument to the horse's saddle and waited patiently. What he saw next took him an entire week to make into song.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Escape
"So, would this have been a good time," Qovakrisstia Darkhair questioned the wizard from her huddled position on the icy floor, "to have brought that bottle of yours?"
Arbiddance chuckled as he looked her over for remaining signs of frostbite. "Perhaps, but I really didn't want to take a chance on losing it... so I left it behind. In hindsight, I guess we handled the dragon well enough."
"You handled it," Hern said as he returned to the cave. "Fire and ice... fire and ice..."
Qova was helped to her feet. She checked out all of her joints and decided she was fit to go. The three walked back out into the central cave.
"What makes me hesitate," Arbiddance said as they examined the well shaft both up and down, "are two points. One, once we get to the top, if we're in the right shaft, we'll have to destroy the door to get out... the door that you secured from the other side. New steps will have to be taken. Two: who knows what we'll meet on our ascent, so be ready for anything when we go up."
The wizard stretched out the carpet and stared at it quizzically. "That's two Ak'Kori magical relics we've found in this complex, yet the construction is unmistakably Anayari. Hmm."
Hern re-appeared with two bags filled with coins from the dragon's lair secured to his shoulders. The three kneeled on the carpet and the wizard triggered the magical word. Silently, the carpet rose to about two feet in the air.
"I'm freezing," Qova said. "Make it quick."
Arbiddance mentally guided the carpet over the well shaft. Hern felt a jolt of vertigo that quickly faded and then re-appeared as the carpet slowly ascended the shaft. He had just a few seconds to scrape a mark on the side of the shaft to identify this level for future visits.
Past several levels they went... caves, a tunnel, a wide chasm, a few rooms... one occupied by some very surprised trolls, until they reached the familiar collapsed room. The carpet drifted to the side and settled down on the rubble across the floor.
"We'll use it again to get to the door," Arbiddance said. "But first, how will we get through it?"
"Float us up there, and I'll bash the hinges," Hern replied. "Just be ready for a possible falling door once the hinges are loose."
In the process, the door did not fall, being tied to the opposite wall, but the fighter was able to pry the door out enough to give them exit.
Returned to their lair... Hern started a fire and the three collapsed around it.
Arbiddance chuckled as he looked her over for remaining signs of frostbite. "Perhaps, but I really didn't want to take a chance on losing it... so I left it behind. In hindsight, I guess we handled the dragon well enough."
"You handled it," Hern said as he returned to the cave. "Fire and ice... fire and ice..."
Qova was helped to her feet. She checked out all of her joints and decided she was fit to go. The three walked back out into the central cave.
"What makes me hesitate," Arbiddance said as they examined the well shaft both up and down, "are two points. One, once we get to the top, if we're in the right shaft, we'll have to destroy the door to get out... the door that you secured from the other side. New steps will have to be taken. Two: who knows what we'll meet on our ascent, so be ready for anything when we go up."
The wizard stretched out the carpet and stared at it quizzically. "That's two Ak'Kori magical relics we've found in this complex, yet the construction is unmistakably Anayari. Hmm."
Hern re-appeared with two bags filled with coins from the dragon's lair secured to his shoulders. The three kneeled on the carpet and the wizard triggered the magical word. Silently, the carpet rose to about two feet in the air.
"I'm freezing," Qova said. "Make it quick."
Arbiddance mentally guided the carpet over the well shaft. Hern felt a jolt of vertigo that quickly faded and then re-appeared as the carpet slowly ascended the shaft. He had just a few seconds to scrape a mark on the side of the shaft to identify this level for future visits.
Past several levels they went... caves, a tunnel, a wide chasm, a few rooms... one occupied by some very surprised trolls, until they reached the familiar collapsed room. The carpet drifted to the side and settled down on the rubble across the floor.
"We'll use it again to get to the door," Arbiddance said. "But first, how will we get through it?"
"Float us up there, and I'll bash the hinges," Hern replied. "Just be ready for a possible falling door once the hinges are loose."
In the process, the door did not fall, being tied to the opposite wall, but the fighter was able to pry the door out enough to give them exit.
Returned to their lair... Hern started a fire and the three collapsed around it.
Friday, August 7, 2009
By Demand...
Here is the first of a series of maps for this story. This map shows the area explored under Breakharrow Hill by the three. Read back through the posts and see if you can determine what happened where.
The next map I post will detail the ice caves after I've written some more about them.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Ascent?
Arbiddance had to check for himself that the dragon was dead... not that he didn't take Hern's word, but that one could never be too careful with dragons. Satisfied, he crawled over the corpse and entered its lair.
It was hard to focus with ice covering most things, but Arbiddance walked around to take stock of the cave's contents... hoping something here might solve the predicament they were in.
In the middle of the room was a mound of coins of various kinds. The mound was studded with gems and assorted silverware... so typical of a dragon... and it was a lot. He kicked around and found a few vials; from the labelling, he thought one or two might heal. Assorted urns lined the back wall. He checked out the contents of each: oil, coins, more coins, cremains, a carpet, some scrolls...
A carpet?
Praying against the odds, Arbiddance pulled the carpet out of its container and spread it out. He spoke a few arcane words over it, and it glowed with a dim light.
"Okay," he muttered. "You're magical in nature. You either fly or you stay really clean."
A thorough search of the carpet's edges revealed a tiny phrase... written in Ak'Kori sewn into the threads near the tassels. Arbiddance smiled.
It was hard to focus with ice covering most things, but Arbiddance walked around to take stock of the cave's contents... hoping something here might solve the predicament they were in.
In the middle of the room was a mound of coins of various kinds. The mound was studded with gems and assorted silverware... so typical of a dragon... and it was a lot. He kicked around and found a few vials; from the labelling, he thought one or two might heal. Assorted urns lined the back wall. He checked out the contents of each: oil, coins, more coins, cremains, a carpet, some scrolls...
A carpet?
Praying against the odds, Arbiddance pulled the carpet out of its container and spread it out. He spoke a few arcane words over it, and it glowed with a dim light.
"Okay," he muttered. "You're magical in nature. You either fly or you stay really clean."
A thorough search of the carpet's edges revealed a tiny phrase... written in Ak'Kori sewn into the threads near the tassels. Arbiddance smiled.
In The Tunnels of Ice
The three stood perfectly still as they listened to the abrasive noise coming from one tunnel. For almost a minute, the scraping and vibrating echoes assaulted their ears as it grew louder.
At last, through the gloom, Arbiddance saw the head of something large and shouted "RUN!"
Qova and Hern didn't argue, but followed the wizard as he quickly ran toward another tunnel. Qova turned her head just enough to see the rest of the beast emerging from into the cave.
A white dragon.
She increased her pace, slipped a little on the ice and turned around in time to center a stalagtite.
Hern head the blow and turn to see her sprawled on the ice with blood flowing from her nose. He ground to a stop and shouted "Wizard!"
Arbiddance had already stopped as well and stepped back the way he came. Hern was backtracking to grab Qova, and the wizard intended to provide covering fire.
As he began to think of the spell he would cast, he saw the dragon's mouth open.
Hern crouched to pick the slight woman up, his eyes glued on the dragon as it released a blast of icy cold. The blizzard of ice and cold wind knocked the wind out of the fighter, and he felt his skin crack under the assault.
He looked down. Qova was white with ice; even the blood on her face was frozen solid. He stumbled to his feet, fell, and rose again to begin dragging her toward the nearest tunnel. As he began moving, he felt a sudden blast of heat pass by him.
The wizard's outstretched hands had erupted into a strange flame, coalesced into a small ball of fire which sped away from him and grew larger as it traveled. By the time it reached the dragon, it had grown into a magnificent fireball which tore into the icedrake and drew a sickening howl.
The two men fled with their wounded cargo.
The tunnel they entered crawled up at a difficult slant for several yards until it emptied into a small cave only slightly warmer than the one they fled. They gently placed her down on the floor and sat down themselves. There was no exit.
Arbiddance checked Qova for signs of life and was delighted to find a steady pulse. He smoothed some of the ice from her face and mouth so she could breathe better. "Huddle against her," he told Herne. "Your body heat does you no good in temperatures like this, but will do wonders for her, as will her heat for us."
The two men leaned her against a wall and bundled up against her. "We're not dressed for this," Hern said. "It's a matter of time before we either freeze or be forced to go back... and we've no idea where we are."
"Well," Arbiddance replied. "I was going to mention it before our friend arrived. In the corner of that cave, I saw a large hole in the ceiling right over a large hole in the floor. Sound familiar?"
"You think..." Hern trailed off. "Well, we have rope, but I'm not sure how we're going to get up that hole."
"We'll think of something," Arbiddance said. "We usually do."
They listened for sounds of pursuit, but Hern guessed the tunnel was too small for the dragon to follow them. After a short time of hearing it bellow, it became quiet.
"I'm going to scout," Hern said. "Stay here." Arbiddance didn't argue.
The fighter crept down the sloping tunnel as quietly as he could. His joints and skin ached from the dragon's breath, making it hard for him to move with the usual dexterity he enjoyed. After a few minutes, he reached the cave and peered in.
There was no sign of the dragon. Hern looked off the the right and saw what Arbiddance was talking about. A large well, roughly the size of the one in the collapsing room, was in the floor with a corresponding hole directly above.
Hern moved further into the room, looked to his left, and froze in fear. The dragon, scorched and burned, was in the tunnel from which it came, snorting heavily and staring at him. Hern fought the urge to run; some warrior's instinct told him he was not in danger.
He wasn't. The dragon was blind... it's pupils burned away. It was dying and could barely muster a twitch as Hern crept closer.
He stood to one side of the dragon's head in order to avoid any last gasps of breath, and plunged his sword into the creature's skull. It jumped once, grunted, thrashed for a few seconds, and became still.
If it has a mate, Hern thought, I'm in trouble. Of course, if it had a mate, it would have come by now.
Hern, his curiousity (and greed) stimulated, climbed over the dragon and ventured down the tunnel from which it came. After a short stretch, it opened into a large cavern. Hern looked around the cavern, his eyes wide.
After some time, he returned to his companions. Arbiddance looked up at the fighter, who said "we're rich."
"How rich?" the wizard asked.
"Go and see for yourself," the fighter replied, and took his place by Qova.
At last, through the gloom, Arbiddance saw the head of something large and shouted "RUN!"
Qova and Hern didn't argue, but followed the wizard as he quickly ran toward another tunnel. Qova turned her head just enough to see the rest of the beast emerging from into the cave.
A white dragon.
She increased her pace, slipped a little on the ice and turned around in time to center a stalagtite.
Hern head the blow and turn to see her sprawled on the ice with blood flowing from her nose. He ground to a stop and shouted "Wizard!"
Arbiddance had already stopped as well and stepped back the way he came. Hern was backtracking to grab Qova, and the wizard intended to provide covering fire.
As he began to think of the spell he would cast, he saw the dragon's mouth open.
Hern crouched to pick the slight woman up, his eyes glued on the dragon as it released a blast of icy cold. The blizzard of ice and cold wind knocked the wind out of the fighter, and he felt his skin crack under the assault.
He looked down. Qova was white with ice; even the blood on her face was frozen solid. He stumbled to his feet, fell, and rose again to begin dragging her toward the nearest tunnel. As he began moving, he felt a sudden blast of heat pass by him.
The wizard's outstretched hands had erupted into a strange flame, coalesced into a small ball of fire which sped away from him and grew larger as it traveled. By the time it reached the dragon, it had grown into a magnificent fireball which tore into the icedrake and drew a sickening howl.
The two men fled with their wounded cargo.
The tunnel they entered crawled up at a difficult slant for several yards until it emptied into a small cave only slightly warmer than the one they fled. They gently placed her down on the floor and sat down themselves. There was no exit.
Arbiddance checked Qova for signs of life and was delighted to find a steady pulse. He smoothed some of the ice from her face and mouth so she could breathe better. "Huddle against her," he told Herne. "Your body heat does you no good in temperatures like this, but will do wonders for her, as will her heat for us."
The two men leaned her against a wall and bundled up against her. "We're not dressed for this," Hern said. "It's a matter of time before we either freeze or be forced to go back... and we've no idea where we are."
"Well," Arbiddance replied. "I was going to mention it before our friend arrived. In the corner of that cave, I saw a large hole in the ceiling right over a large hole in the floor. Sound familiar?"
"You think..." Hern trailed off. "Well, we have rope, but I'm not sure how we're going to get up that hole."
"We'll think of something," Arbiddance said. "We usually do."
They listened for sounds of pursuit, but Hern guessed the tunnel was too small for the dragon to follow them. After a short time of hearing it bellow, it became quiet.
"I'm going to scout," Hern said. "Stay here." Arbiddance didn't argue.
The fighter crept down the sloping tunnel as quietly as he could. His joints and skin ached from the dragon's breath, making it hard for him to move with the usual dexterity he enjoyed. After a few minutes, he reached the cave and peered in.
There was no sign of the dragon. Hern looked off the the right and saw what Arbiddance was talking about. A large well, roughly the size of the one in the collapsing room, was in the floor with a corresponding hole directly above.
Hern moved further into the room, looked to his left, and froze in fear. The dragon, scorched and burned, was in the tunnel from which it came, snorting heavily and staring at him. Hern fought the urge to run; some warrior's instinct told him he was not in danger.
He wasn't. The dragon was blind... it's pupils burned away. It was dying and could barely muster a twitch as Hern crept closer.
He stood to one side of the dragon's head in order to avoid any last gasps of breath, and plunged his sword into the creature's skull. It jumped once, grunted, thrashed for a few seconds, and became still.
If it has a mate, Hern thought, I'm in trouble. Of course, if it had a mate, it would have come by now.
Hern, his curiousity (and greed) stimulated, climbed over the dragon and ventured down the tunnel from which it came. After a short stretch, it opened into a large cavern. Hern looked around the cavern, his eyes wide.
After some time, he returned to his companions. Arbiddance looked up at the fighter, who said "we're rich."
"How rich?" the wizard asked.
"Go and see for yourself," the fighter replied, and took his place by Qova.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Behind Door #3
When Hern had originally peered past the open door and saw only blackness... several days ago... he thought it was due to a vast area beyond.
The three stood in a room that probably measured ten feet by ten feet... it was hard to tell for the eternal darkness in this space. Even their amulets shed light no more than a few inches. A careful checking of the walls revealed two doors here: one to the left, and one to the right, with a blank wall ahead. It was hard to spot a secret door in the pitch black, and none of them found anything unusual on the bare wall.
The door to the left they tried first. Its rusted handle refused to budge until Hern applied the shoulder. The handle mechanism itself gave way and separated from the door itself. Beyond lay the gloom of another unexplored chamber.
A short passage gave way to a small room... no more than twenty feet square. They heavily searched here, with the only results being curious scratches covering the walls from floor to ceiling.
The other door was more productive. Giving easily to a good jolt, the adventurers found a short passage way leading to a larger chamber. Sconces lined the walls here, and as they stepped in, torches lept to life and illuminated the way.
"Well, would you look at that," Arbiddance said as he examined one torch. He scratched it, sniffed his nails, and said "it's wood. Interesting."
Hern focused in on the exiting passage on the far end and to the left. From somewhere in that direction could be heard the distant sound of running water.
Qova had stopped to look at the walls. What at first appeared to be intricate decorations were, she noticed, really writing. Lots of it.
"Anayari," she whispered, and began to trace some of the minute glyphs.
"Can you read it?" Hern asked her.
"To a point," she replied. "I think we're looking at a history... that's how it reads. It would take weeks to decipher all of this and get just a rudimentary understanding of what it means. We'd need an expert."
"My Anayari is probably no better than yours," Arbiddance added. "Here's something for us to do on those rainy days." He smiled at his own joke and looked toward the other passage. "Let's find that water."
The three moved to the other end of the room and peered down the hall. In the shadows made by the torches, it seemed to split not far away.
They advanced forward... ten feet, twenty... and came to a fork. One hall led left and seemed to have doors; the other took an oblique angle off to the right out of sight but at a downward slope. It was from there the sound of water came.
They followed the slope down and came into a reasonably large room. In the center stood a large fountain filled with water and producing more. The statue in the fountain resembled a fish with human legs... its head angled upward to constantly vomit more water.
In the light of their amulets, Arbiddance noticed that the water had a silvery sheen at times, but not all the time. He dipped a finger in, pulled it out, and tasted.
"Fresh... and cold." He put his hand in and splashed the water a little... mainly just to see what would happen.
Hern walked around the fountain and pointed at the base of the statue. "Runes."
The wizard stepped back and began to circle as well... peering at the inscriptions.
"Ah! These I can read," he smiled. "Garden variety Anayari with no linguistic tricks whatsoever."
Qova joined him in examining the runes. As she looked, she noticed that the water in the fountain was beginning to churn. Her head whipped around to stare at Arbiddance as if he were an idiot, and she screamed "RUN!"
Hern wasted no time bolting for the door, but was not quick enough to avoid the sudden surge of foamy water that washed over all three of them.
To the adventurers, it was as if reality itself was too slippery to hold onto... or perhaps it was the other way around. They felt themselves slide to one side as if on ice, through the wall with a sudden blinding speed but none of the obvious pain that comes from a fast contact with stone. They were no longer solid as they whipped through rooms and downwards through floors for what seemed to be hours until...
They stopped... skidded and fell on their rears. It was cold and dark until they could focus their amulets. A large icy cave was their final destination. The water on their clothing begane to freeze, and their breath came out in clouds.
Hern turned to Qova. "What did the runes say?"
The raven-haired woman rubbed her backside as she stood up. "They said 'VISITORS ARE NOT WELCOME.' "
Somewhere in the darkness, a strange crack echoed throughout the caverns. Through the gloom, Arbiddance thought he could see tunnels leading off in various directions. From one tunnel, the three heard a loud, vibrating sound that could only come from something alive.
And big.
The three stood in a room that probably measured ten feet by ten feet... it was hard to tell for the eternal darkness in this space. Even their amulets shed light no more than a few inches. A careful checking of the walls revealed two doors here: one to the left, and one to the right, with a blank wall ahead. It was hard to spot a secret door in the pitch black, and none of them found anything unusual on the bare wall.
The door to the left they tried first. Its rusted handle refused to budge until Hern applied the shoulder. The handle mechanism itself gave way and separated from the door itself. Beyond lay the gloom of another unexplored chamber.
A short passage gave way to a small room... no more than twenty feet square. They heavily searched here, with the only results being curious scratches covering the walls from floor to ceiling.
The other door was more productive. Giving easily to a good jolt, the adventurers found a short passage way leading to a larger chamber. Sconces lined the walls here, and as they stepped in, torches lept to life and illuminated the way.
"Well, would you look at that," Arbiddance said as he examined one torch. He scratched it, sniffed his nails, and said "it's wood. Interesting."
Hern focused in on the exiting passage on the far end and to the left. From somewhere in that direction could be heard the distant sound of running water.
Qova had stopped to look at the walls. What at first appeared to be intricate decorations were, she noticed, really writing. Lots of it.
"Anayari," she whispered, and began to trace some of the minute glyphs.
"Can you read it?" Hern asked her.
"To a point," she replied. "I think we're looking at a history... that's how it reads. It would take weeks to decipher all of this and get just a rudimentary understanding of what it means. We'd need an expert."
"My Anayari is probably no better than yours," Arbiddance added. "Here's something for us to do on those rainy days." He smiled at his own joke and looked toward the other passage. "Let's find that water."
The three moved to the other end of the room and peered down the hall. In the shadows made by the torches, it seemed to split not far away.
They advanced forward... ten feet, twenty... and came to a fork. One hall led left and seemed to have doors; the other took an oblique angle off to the right out of sight but at a downward slope. It was from there the sound of water came.
They followed the slope down and came into a reasonably large room. In the center stood a large fountain filled with water and producing more. The statue in the fountain resembled a fish with human legs... its head angled upward to constantly vomit more water.
In the light of their amulets, Arbiddance noticed that the water had a silvery sheen at times, but not all the time. He dipped a finger in, pulled it out, and tasted.
"Fresh... and cold." He put his hand in and splashed the water a little... mainly just to see what would happen.
Hern walked around the fountain and pointed at the base of the statue. "Runes."
The wizard stepped back and began to circle as well... peering at the inscriptions.
"Ah! These I can read," he smiled. "Garden variety Anayari with no linguistic tricks whatsoever."
Qova joined him in examining the runes. As she looked, she noticed that the water in the fountain was beginning to churn. Her head whipped around to stare at Arbiddance as if he were an idiot, and she screamed "RUN!"
Hern wasted no time bolting for the door, but was not quick enough to avoid the sudden surge of foamy water that washed over all three of them.
To the adventurers, it was as if reality itself was too slippery to hold onto... or perhaps it was the other way around. They felt themselves slide to one side as if on ice, through the wall with a sudden blinding speed but none of the obvious pain that comes from a fast contact with stone. They were no longer solid as they whipped through rooms and downwards through floors for what seemed to be hours until...
They stopped... skidded and fell on their rears. It was cold and dark until they could focus their amulets. A large icy cave was their final destination. The water on their clothing begane to freeze, and their breath came out in clouds.
Hern turned to Qova. "What did the runes say?"
The raven-haired woman rubbed her backside as she stood up. "They said 'VISITORS ARE NOT WELCOME.' "
Somewhere in the darkness, a strange crack echoed throughout the caverns. Through the gloom, Arbiddance thought he could see tunnels leading off in various directions. From one tunnel, the three heard a loud, vibrating sound that could only come from something alive.
And big.
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