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The World of Teréth End - Chronicles - Jadthàri |
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"Too often days swiftly pass / Weeping in the evening grass / There just is not enough time / Forthings you dreamt you'd do / The hours still drift by. "Too many years, too high a cost / Too many lessons earned but lost / And still you complain all the time / Cursing the days before you / Lamentng the days gone by. "And finally laying in your bed / Staring skyward, nearly dead / It all floods back one last time, / The chances that you left behind / But alas there's little left to do / ... but cry." Dirimoran song  |
The Ring and the Seal Zuroolly finds friend Velé of Kedwin to help group. Velé helps group recover from Burning Dog brawl and accompanies them back to the Old City in search of the Lokor ring. Rats and stirges feed on the group but the ring is found. Vorén learns that they are being hunted down. Silda and Vorén visit the Lokors and arrange a deal for the ring. Vorén meets with Mizerrim and dicusses shadowy matters. Velé sat among the marshy ruins east of Akazjir wondering what the day had in store, and why he had been brought to this dismal place near the mouth of the Run Suluth. It was never dry and the flying and biting bugs were almost unbearable. Huffing and grumbling along the trail from the city a familiar form moved toward him, walking with legs askance and planting a heavy wooden cane before him as he came. The wild-haired Zuroolly stopped and greeted his friend from months before. After some talk, Velé agreed to come with the beaten-up old man and see his friends in a house not too far away. Within the sorcerer's house, Velé found a motley group of people scattered about in varying states of injury and hangover. This, he thought, was why he'd been "led" to the marshes this morning. Kedwin indeed worked strangely through his disciple. In exchange for some food, the weather-worn priest tended to their bruises and aches. That day Ferveo left for the Northshore to see the monastery mentioned to him the night before at the Burning Dog. After hours of finding his way through the Jadthàri streets he came upon the beautiful palace before finding a road leading north into the countryside. Another half-hour beyond the palace he came to a simple fortified compound where he spoke with the sentries standing outside. One explained to Ferveo that this place was home to the Order of the Night Lotus, a monastery. Ferveo had heard of the order before and knew them to be warrior-monks, unlike the Esara'shal Kdar to which he belonged. Returning to the Southshore, Ferveo met a group of street-urchins which tried to pickpocket him. He spent some time trying to explain that their paths were misguided, but after three aurala realized that the children would not be converted this day. As he left they threw stones at him, but he deftly knocked them aside. After some more prosletyzing, one of the urchins threw a stone at a woman's head and ran off into the crowded streets. Ferveo attempted to aid the woman but she only screamed and seemed worried that a stranger had drawn near. Disappointed with the reactions he'd found, Ferveo returned to the house to ponder on his day. Once evening arrived, the pale Vorén stirred and left his comrades into the rainy streets of Akazjir. Somewhere lightning flashed as he drew his cloak about him and made his way toward the Daluj Malar, scene of the ambush but four days past. Approaching the tall building, he noticed a swordsman standing in the street, watching people pass. The swordsman gave him a glance but looked away as two other dragged an albino across the deck and into the street. The toughs pinned the figure's white arms to the muddy ground with their boots as the swordsman circled, asking questions of the poor soul that Vorén could not hear. The figure writhed and struggled against his captors until the swordsman lifted his blade and brought it down twice upon the albino's neck, freeing it from his body. With the man dead, the others searched through his clothes but found nothing that interested them. The swordsman commented, "must have been the wrong man" as they scattered into the darkness. Vorén, keeping a good distance, shadowed the swordsman several blocks to the river side where Nuth were gathered waiting for a ship to moor. He watched the swordsman sit on a barrel and clean his sword. Making note of the man's face and the docks, he returned to Zuroolly's. Little happened on the next day until evening when everyone gathered their things and headed out into the downpour, setting out for the Old City once more. They waited in a queue of pilgrims outside the Old City for sometime before entering the Grand Courtyard, but from there swiftly made their way north toward the lone tree. Silda grabbed the stone and pulled it upright again. The rain fell all around. There were no monkeys to be seen. A rope was tied and Vorén slid down the rope with a torch in hand. Followed by Silda and Zuroolly, they found themselves once again in the dark and wet corridor of rats and bat-winged wall-clingers. Soon the air was filled with flapping wings as one of the stirges sunk its claws into Silda's chest and then sank its proboscis into her flesh. She grabbed and tugged at the tiny monster but it held fast, growing in size beneath her hand as it sucked blood from her body. Finally, the thing withdrew itself and the barbarian flung it hard against the stone wall where the fattened parasite exploded with dark blood. Zuroolly cried out as another attached itself to him. Silda drew her sword and cut at the flittering monsters as Vorén worked on a locked door, which soon opened into a room of broken statues. Above the Kedwinin priest shouted words of blessing to those that had climbed below. Soon, the attacking stirges were dead, but many more remained along the walls leading away. Velé came down the rope to find Zuroolly and Ferveo making their way down a slippery sloped corridor with a second rope. There was much slipping and cursing as they descended, but they made steady progress, their torch becoming a smaller and fainter light in the distance. Once Velé arrived they too followed down the corridor. At the hall's end they encountered a water-filled room layered with leaves and sentiment, and shapes moving throughout. Zuroolly summoned an unseen servant to dredge the room, which began pulling bones from the water's depths. As the servant pulled bones from the submerged floor the water came alive with giant rats which hungrily attacked Zuroolly. Ferveo punched and kicked furiously at the large rodents as they bit and circled about him. Soon Zuroolly looked weak from fighting, and then the old man dropped to the floor, the torch dropped beside him sputtering in a pool of his blood. Silda moved to help her friend but slipped past him, ending up inside the flooded room, surrounded by rats of her own. Vorén was the next to arrive and slide past the body of Zuroolly as the rats continued to tear at his otherwise unmoving flesh. Finally Velé, who had ignored the rope altogether, slid down to Zuroolly's side and managed a spell of healing on his fallen friend as Ferveo kicked and knocked the feeding rats aside. In the room, standing in the knee-high muck, Silda and Vorén chopped and stabbed at swimming rats, but they too were soon covered with bites and bleeding. After a time the fight was ended. A half-dozen of the dire rats lay in the corridor and floated in the slimy water. Vorén, most displeased at the condition of his cloak, took his time searching through the water's bottom, picking through the bones until he came upon a small hard object. Pulling the muck and slime from it he found that it was the ring that they'd sought. The ring found, they gathered Zuroolly's body and made their way back to the exit. Vorén helped the others go up the rope, holding the torch and being wary of stirges and rats (which scurried all about the floor). Finally, when it was his turn to climb he stopped only for a second for he heard something moving up an unexplored hall toward his position. Not only was it moving but a strange hiss and click sound came from the thing. Not caring to see the approaching dweller in this deep place, he quickly climbed after Silda dropping the torch to the hallway floor. As he pushed the grate into place in the level above he watched a bloated snake-like shape move into the failing light below, just before the torch was smothered. The hiss and clicking sound grew louder just beneath him, and although he could not see the horror below, he knew he would face it again some day. Gathering outside at the tree, Ferveo lifted the bent little black man's body onto his shoulders and they left the pillared courtyard. On their way through the next courtyard, a Red Guard bid them stop and asked what had befallen them. Velé stepped forward to "deal" with the guard, but mentioned sewers and rats and such that confused and concerned him, for none existed (as far as he knew) in the Old City. Finally, seeing this tack of explanation souring, Velé explained that his carried companion was diseased and that he too was probably diseased. The guard stepped backward and let them pass, instructing Velé never to return. The wounded troupe returned in time to Zuroolly's home and collapsed onto the floors. Velé made sure that each was comfortable and tended to their wounds, returning from the jungle marsh with herbs and berries to nurse their infected cuts. Here they stayed for four days, pleased with Velé's timely appearance, and thankful for his skills and magic. During their convalescence, Vorén examined the ring closely and found that the top jewel slid aside to reveal the seal of a skull surrounded by flames. He made some impressions of the seal in warm wax before letting Zuroolly examine the item as well. On the first night that Vorén felt well enough to explore the streets some more he visited Thojir to seek out Mizerrim, whom he'd met at the dweme days before. Mizerrim met with Vorén and they walked throguh the streets for many hours discussing the Neveren's future in Jadth, a future that might involve Semàtir of Zalan, and the Cult of the Black Dagger. Vorén listened long to the words of Mizerrim and he expressed interest to his guide in the things that he heard. Mizerrim seemed pleased with this and explained t him that he should mull over his decision, and if he decided at some future time that he was still interested (and had a few days to spend being educated) that he should return and he would have him meet with a priest to discuss his future. Amicably, they parted before the dawn. The second night Silda and Vorén left the group to find the Lokor House once more. Reaching the Northshore, they searched around a bit until they found the familiar walled yard and building. Vorén quickly scaled the side wall and secured a rope to a garden tree for Silda to climb over after him. As the barbaran was making her way, the Neveren rogue sneaked to the side of the house and spied through the windows. In a ground floor study he noticed a man reading beside a fireplace. Climbing to the first story he found another room, wherein Eserell Lokor (who they'd spoken with many days ago) also reading in her room. Unlocking and climbing into a dark window, Vorén made his silent way along an inner balcony until he was standing at Eserell's doorway. She turned to look at him, so he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, throwing the latch. Eserell stared at the pale faced intruder and recognized him. She called for her husband Servil who could be heard rushing up the steps to her aid. Vorén moved toward the window, but she assured him he would not leave the house with his life unless the ring was left behind. Vorén could hear the distinct sounds of spellcasting behind the chamber door and soon saw a fine mist curling in beneath the closed door. Soon, the old man was standing where the mist had been, but he made no further motions once he saw that Eserell was fine. The three discussed the business of the ring-finding for sometime before it was agreed that a higher price would be paid, minus the cost of sending four men to kill the group. Vorén agreed to this, took the money, left the ring, and vaulted from the high window into the garden below. As he and Silda made their way back toward the wall, a house guard motioned that they leave through the gate, which they did. Returning in the nightsdeep to Zuroolly's they divided the reward money as appropriate. Vorén was off one more time before the pale dawn to see Arun (who always seemed to be at the Sharm Thojir). He gave the broker five talam for his services and was warned that he, Vorén, might still be in danger until the hit-men were called off. They agreed to do further business and Vorén returned home. 26 Jan 2001
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Navigation People Birak Darindar (Ftr..) Introducing Mage's Ring: It is customary among ranking members of a sirkùli sorsèreul to bear a ring signifying your membership and right to vote on issues of the organization. Most sirkùli have a finite number of rings available, so when one is lost it may well affect the balance of power within the order. The creation of mage rings varies from one order to the next, but rarely within a sirkùli no matter how widespread. In these cases, the rings serve as identifiers to other members of the order of a person's membership and good standing. In less organizaed locales, the mere ownership and presentation of such an item is enough to convince others of your rights. Within most organized sirkùli, mage rings are passed down from the retiring to the promising in a simple ritual before an audience of peers. This is the "Passing Ritual", and is important to the politics of each sirkùli for during these events, the normally staid members reveal alliances through their choices for succession. |
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| Ref. PHB (Player's Handbook), © Wizards of the Coast  |
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