The Dragons Bane

Our approach to the castle seems to have elicited quite a bit of excitement, which only serves to compound our curiosity. There are three times as many guards on duty at the gate. And the walls are packed with both guards and townsfolk, all cheering our safe return.

“Welcome home, as you can see, you have gained a few admirers,” says the sergeant at the gate, as he motions for some of the other guards to open the gate for us. “If you will all step over to the inquisitor’s room, we hope to be able to admit you quickly. When you have all gone through, I have been ordered by Lord Muldoon to escort all of you to his audience hall.”

Now thoroughly confused, we enter the castle, stopping before the door to the room where we were questioned when we first arrived at the castle.

“Will the acknowledged leader among you please step forward first. What is your name?”

“My name is Mizdar.”

“How much treasure does your party return with?”

“I do not know, exactly.”

“Very well, please show the guards where any and all moneyed items that you are declaring as treasure are located. They will bring the treasure in here to be sorted and counted.”

“Yes, sir,” replies Mizdar, who then goes to show the guards where in our wagon we have stowed the non-magical part of our treasure, namely the coins, gems, and jewelry.

With the help of several guards, all the sacks are then carried into the small room and set upon a special table against the back wall, with Mizdar being the last to enter and the only one, save the inquisitor, to remain in the room.

After the door is closed, ensuring the privacy of the two, the inquisitor goes over to the table and dumps all the sacks out upon the top of the table. The tabletop has raised sides designed to prevent any coins from rolling off. Underneath the top, there is a slide that is used to refill the sacks, yet there is no hole visible in the tabletop.

“Is this all of the moneyed treasure that you are declaring for this trip?”

“Yes, sir, it is.”

“Very well.”

The inquisitor then takes a gold colored sack bearing the mark of 1000 embroidered upon it and places it over the end of the chute under the table. He presses a gold encrusted lever on the front edge of the table, causing 1000 gold coins to fall down the chute into the sack. He repeats the process until no more gold coins fall from the chute, and though there are still gold coins on the table, they number less than 1000.

He repeats the process for each type of coin, until there is less than 1000 of each coin on the table. Next he takes a bag of each color and repeats the process for each type of coin, only this time a voice calls out the number of coins as each type falls down the chute into a bag.

The inquisitor then writes down the amount on a label attached to the drawstring of each bag. With all the coins gone from the table, the gems and jewelry are all that remain.

The inquisitor then presses a gem-encrusted stud on the table and the gems fall into another bag having an embroidered gem upon it. Again, the voice declares the value of the gems, which is promptly written on the tag affixed to the bag.

“Do you wish to sell the gems now for the accepted price?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Ok, the amount will be applied to your taxes, with anything left over to be refunded to you from the castle’s coffers.”

The process is repeated for the jewelry, with Mizdar again deciding to sell now. The inquisitor then moves to sit behind his desk, where he removes a piece of parchment from a drawer. Quickly totaling the moneyed treasure, he marks down the total of each type on the parchment.

“You have a total of 4196 copper pieces, 11488 silver pieces, 6966 gold pieces, 380 eridium pieces, 72 gems valued at 36000 gold pieces, and one necklace valued at 5280 gold pieces. Your total is 50741 gold pieces equivalent with some change left over. Your taxes are therefore 5074 gold pieces and the change, leaving you with 45667 gold pieces equivalent. How much of it do you currently request?”

“I think 667 gold pieces will be sufficient for now.”

“The remainder will of course be held in the castle’s coffers until you claim it. You may claim it at any time during the daylight hours beginning tomorrow.”

“At the specific instructions of Lord Muldoon, any magical items are to be considered tax free for this trip.”

“May I ask why?”

“You may, but it is for Lord Muldoon to supply you with the answer, not myself. Please declare any magical items which you personally are declaring as treasure from this trip.”

“I have a ring of invisibility and a +1 dagger.”

“Ok. Have you contracted any disease or illness since you have last visited the castle?”

“No.”

“You may now proceed into the castle proper.”

“Thankyou.”

“Next!”

Clandistra is the next to enter.

“What is your name?”

“Clandistra.”

“Is all the moneyed treasure that you are aware of declared by your leader?”

“Yes.”

“What items of a magical nature do you claim as treasure for this trip?”

“One suit of +2 Elven platemail.”

“Ok. Have you contracted any disease or illness since you have last visited the castle?”

“No.”

“You may now proceed into the castle proper.”

“Thankyou.”

“Next!”

Delgar goes next.

“What is your name?”

“Delgar.”

“Is all the moneyed treasure that you are aware of declared by your leader?”

“Yes.”

“What items of a magical nature do you claim as treasure for this trip?”

“One pair of boots of enhanced movement.”

“Ok. Have you contracted any disease or illness since you have last visited the castle?”

“No.”

“You may now proceed into the castle proper.”

“Thankyou.”

“Next!”

Dimlar goes next.

“What is your name?”

“Dimlar.”

“Is all the moneyed treasure that you are aware of declared by your leader?”

“Yes.”

“What items of a magical nature do you claim as treasure for this trip?”

“A +1 war hammer.”

“Ok. Have you contracted any disease or illness since you have last visited the castle?”

“Yes.”

“Do you still have the disease or illness?”

“No.”

“You may now proceed into the castle proper.”

“Thankyou.”

“Next!”

Mintock goes next.

“What is your name?”

“Mintock.”

“Is all the moneyed treasure that you are aware of declared by your leader?”

“Yes.”

“What items of a magical nature do you claim as treasure for this trip?”

“None.”

“Ok. Have you contracted any disease or illness since you have last visited the castle?”

“No.”

“You may now proceed into the castle proper.”

“Thankyou.”

“Next!”

Clernon goes next.

“What is your name?”

“Clernon.”

“Is all the moneyed treasure that you are aware of declared by your leader?”

“Yes.”

“What items of a magical nature do you claim as treasure for this trip?”

“One brooch of immunity from poison and disease.”

“Ok. Have you contracted any disease or illness since you have last visited the castle?”

“No.”

“You may now proceed into the castle proper.”

“Thankyou.”

“Next!”

Nordok decides to go next, but not before Seldor cautions him about not tempting fate again. “Remember last time? Don’t play around at all in there.”

“Who? Me?” as he enters the room.

“What is your name?”

“Nordok.”

“Is all the moneyed treasure that you are aware of declared by your leader?”

“Yes.”

“What items of a magical nature do you claim as treasure for this trip?”

“One +1 long sword and one ring of flying.”

“Ok. Have you contracted any disease or illness since you have last visited the castle?”

“No.”

“You may now proceed into the castle proper.”

“Thankyou.”

“Next!”

Seldor goes last.

“What is your name?”

“Seldor.”

“Is all the moneyed treasure that you are aware of declared by your leader?”

“Yes.”

“What items of a magical nature do you claim as treasure for this trip?”

“One +1 long sword.”

“Ok. Have you contracted any disease or illness since you have last visited the castle?”

“No.”

“You may now proceed into the castle proper.”

“Thankyou.”

Once we are all on the other side, we see that the guards have led our mounts and the wagon into the courtyard, and that they are forming a protective barrier around us, preventing any townsfolk from approaching us.

“Well, now that we are all together again, does anyone want to know how much treasure we hauled in this trip?”

Everyone’s eyes light up and we all want to know what the total was. Showing us the voucher from the inquisitor, we are all stunned at the amount written there. 45000 gold pieces is a lot of money.

“And to top it off, I have 667 gold pieces for us to share right now. Here is 100 gold pieces for each of you. The remaining 67 gold pieces I figured we would use to replace or repair some of the gear that we lost this trip. Any objections?”

Nobody cares, so Mizdar hands out 100 gold pieces to each of us. “Try not to spend it all tonight. Even though there is plenty more where that came from, we each still have to pay our training fees and live for the next month or two.”

“Not to mention buying more magic items!” adds Delgar.

“How do we do that?” asks Seldor, having never had enough money to buy magic before.

“We go to the store at the mages guild, show them this paper, and buy what we can afford, signing a waver which they will take to the castle’s coffer, after they deduct it from our own voucher, of course,” replies Mizdar.

“Well, that sounds easy enough.”

Just then, one of the sergeants of the guard approaches us. “Are you ready for your audience with Lord Muldoon?”

“Yes,” replies Mizdar.

“Then please follow me.”

The sergeant leads us to the gate in the south courtyard wall, still encircled by a ring of guards. “The Dragons Bane, here to see Lord Muldoon, as per his request!” states the sergeant, informing the guards at the gate of our purpose.

“You may proceed. Open the gate.” The two guards closest to the doors promptly open them, allowing us to enter, led by our escort. The ring of castle guards remains at the gate, helping to ensure that none are allowed to enter behind us.

The sergeant brings us to the same hall that was used for the party the night before the caravan left. Up on the dais the great table still stands. In the middle of the opposite side sits Lord Muldoon, along with his Lady. Also seated at the great table are several of his henchmen and all of the other town leaders. We are directed to stand in a row on this side of the table, in the middle so that we are facing the Lord and his Lady. They are all wearing a rather stern look on their faces.

“I assume nobody has informed any of you as to the reason behind my request to have you brought here before me,” booms the Lord’s voice, echoing around the chamber and sounding very official.

“No my lord, we have no knowledge of the reason for this audience,” replies Mizdar, adopting a tone of formality equal to the occasion.

“You have been brought here before me to state what your actions were in the attack of the snow giants that resulted in so many deaths.”

“My lord, has it been implied that any of us behaved in a manner that could be considered to have been without honor?” asks Mizdar.

“The manner in which all of you acted is what we are here to determine. Bring in the surviving witnesses!”

A guard opens a different door than the one that admitted us. The survivors are then lead into the chamber and commanded to stand at one end of the dais, one man is missing his right arm. Each and every one of the faces of the witnesses looks to be set in stone, revealing nothing.

“Do any of you feel that your actions on that night were committed without honor?”

“I know of no such actions of my own nor of any of my fellow adventurers that could possibly be misconstrued as such. It is my belief that we acted in accordance with our commitments as outlined in the charter, my lord.”

“Then do any of you feel that you did not do as much as was possible to defeat the giants or help with the wounded when the battle was over?”

“My lord, I am not aware of any member of this charter that did not do all that was within his or her ability to defend the lands of the my lord. Nor am I aware of any failure to render assistance to any of the wounded during or after the battle.”

“What say the rest of you?”

Clandistra goes next. “My lord, my name is Clandistra, I am the senior cleric of the party. And while it is true that my healing services were not put to use either during the battle nor after the giants were defeated, it was because I was fighting with the rest during the battle, and afterwards those that came to us took responsibility for the wounded.”

“Then you feel that your performance was in abeyance with the terms of the charter?”

“Yes, I do, my lord.”

“Who wants to step forward next?”

“Melord, me name be Delgar, and I be the senior fighter of our party.”

“Do you also feel that you fought with bravery and honor, and that you did your utmost to defeat the giants?”

“Yes, melord.”

“Anyone else?”

“Me lord, me name be Dimlar, and I be the second most senior fighter. ‘Twas Delgar an’ meself that dropped one of the giants by hamstringing him. We also helped defeat the last giant at the end.”

“Then you too feel that you fought with bravery and honor, and that you did your utmost to defeat the giants?”

“Yes, melord.”

“Who wishes to go next?”

“My lord, I am Mintock. I am but a lowly first level mage. If any of us here can be said to have failed in their contribution to the defeat of the giants, then it must be me.”

“Then it is not true that you assumed command after the sergeant was killed, helping to save what few men were left alive?”

“Yes, my lord, I did assume command upon the sergeant’s death.”

“Then don’t sell yourself short, you commanded with great bravery, I’m told.”

“Thankyou, my lord.”

“Do any of the rest of you feel that you could have done more to defeat the giants? If so, speak up now.” The other three remain silent, knowing in their hearts that they had done as much as they could.

“Therefore it is the decision of this council that the party known as The Dragons Bane did act in accordance with the terms as stated within the charter. Furthermore, it is the decision of this council that we owe The Dragons Bane and the surviving men of the road crew and the squadron assigned to protect them a great debt.”

“For had they not alerted us to the presence of the snow giants, as well as helping to defeat them, the giants would have had free reign to plunder and destroy amongst the countryside. Thus they have helped to save numerous farmers, their families, and their farms from destruction at the hands of the giants.”

“Thus, as a reward to The Dragons Bane, we have decreed that any taxes from items of magic that they have garnered from this trip will be waived. As for the road crew and the surviving guards, they have already been compensated for their roles.”

“And as a further reward for service above and beyond the call of duty, I hereby decree that the forthcoming party is to be dedicated in their honor and to the honor of the fallen, each of whom shall be remembered as heroes who gave their lives in defense of the realm. Let the festivities begin!“

As we are all led to seats of honor at the great table on the dais, the main doors are opened and the whole town seems to be pouring into the great hall. And a party that rivals the last one begins, one that is destined to last well into the night.

----------

During the course of the night, several of those that we have come to call good friends, as well as many whose names we do not know, come to the table to give us their thanks and blessings.

One of the first of these is Maximar. “I’m glad to see that all of you have returned safely. And I’m glad that all of you showed the courage that you did, not many beginners would have had the guts to stand and face certain death at the hands of snow giants like that. You have all done your guilds proud.”

Another unexpected surprise was when Smitty, with his son Boy in his huge arms, came up to the table. “While I owe all of you the same debt as the others, I also feel I owe another, greater debt to Seldor. You gave me back the power to love my son. For that I can never repay you.” And Boy, unable to contain himself any longer, leaps from his father’s arms, landing on the dais opposite Seldor, he crawls under the table and into Seldor’s lap, hugging him tightly and being hugged tightly in return.

“Boy, I have a whole new set of stories to tell you, assuming it is alright with you, Smitty?”

“Aye, my son is your son. You may tell him all the stories you want.”

“Father, can I stay here with Uncle Seldor for a while?”

“That is up to him and my lord.”

And Lord Muldoon, having been briefed many weeks ago about the miraculous change in his smith, nods his approval.

“Why not? I have missed you very much, and I have a surprise for you,” says Seldor.

“What is it?”

“I will show you later, it is something that will make you the envy of all the other children, I promise.”

“Oh, I have taken the liberty of seeing to your mounts and what is left of your wagon, they have been put in the west stableyard.”

“Thankyou, Smitty. We will come by tomorrow and compensate you for the favor.”

“No need, consider it a gift.” Smitty then departs, making room for the other well-wishers.

But it is Nordok who receives the biggest surprise of all of us. Freedar, his wife Teela, and an extremely beautiful young woman approach the table. Freedar and his wife express their thanks not only for our roles in the defeat of the giants, but also for our safe return.

“I have your rooms all ready for you when you want them. Your gear has already been placed in them.”

The young woman, shyly hiding behind the bulk of Freedar, waits until Clandistra asks of his daughter, giving Nordok a knowing wink, causing him to blush deeply. “What, pray tell, has become of Timora? Did she not accompany you to the festivities tonight?”

“Aye, that she did, did you not recognize her before she so shyly decided to hide herself behind me?”

Now it is all of our turn to be surprised, as Freedar brings forth his daughter, now remade into a beautiful young woman. Nordok, his blush replaced by awe and wonder at the young woman that is Timora, finds himself speechless as he gazes at her.

Timora, at first embarrassed and unsure of what Nordok’s reaction to the new her will be, discovers that she likes the unadulterated look of wanton love that she sees so clearly on Nordok’s speechless face.

Overcoming her shyness with remarkable speed, Timora asks a favor of Lord Muldoon. “My lord, may I steal one of your heroes for the next dance?”

Lord Muldoon, seemingly aware of all that transpires in his lands, including how the young lady before him has been pining for Nordok, and making life difficult for her father, waits a moment before nodding his assent.

Meanwhile, Clandistra leans forward to say a few words to Nordok. “If you can overcome your shock and dance with the girl, I will sing for the two of you.”

Lady Sheela, upon hearing Clandistra’s promise to sing, immediately nudges her lord, forcing him to his feet. Silence falls as soon as Lord Muldoon stands, his lady joining him. Looking at her quizzically, he allows her to have the floor.

“It seems we have a rare treat for tonight. One of our heroes is going to dance with what I suspect may be his true love.” The applause at this announcement causes her to pause, “but that is not the only treat for us, for another hero is going to bless us with a song while they dance!”

More applause greets this announcement.

“Make way for Nordok and Timora, may they dance for the duration of Clandistra’s song,” commands Lord Muldoon.

With that said, Nordok meets Timora at the end of the dais. Offering her his arm, the two of them proceed to the middle of the floor. Clandistra proceeds to the front of the other side of the table, directly opposite the lord and his lady.

Meanwhile, as Clandistra is making her way around the table, Lady Sheela quietly whispers to her husband. “We are in for a real treat. One of the clerics from her homeland sent me a message shortly after she arrived here last year. Among other things, he told me that Clandistra has a voice so beautiful that even among her own people she is revered.”

“Why has she never sung for us before?”

“It is a grave matter, I will tell you later, but the fact that she has begun to sing again is a good sign that she is recovering.”

“Recovering from what?”

“Shush, she is coming.”

As the couple reach the middle of the floor, Clandistra begins to sing a song from her native lands. It is a song of love and happiness everlasting, it is a song meant for lovers to dance to. The power of the song is such that should two people that have love for each other dance to the song, they will find that their love will blossom, outlasting the song for many years to come. For the song that Clandistra sings is the wedding song of her people, meant to bind two lovers forever, the song that she thought never to be able to sing again.

Nordok and Timora, caught by the full power of the song, begin to dance their love for each other. Clandistra’s voice, so beautiful, contains a magic unknown to her, but the power of the magic combines with the power of the song, cementing the love between the two young lovers and creating a bond between them that even death will not severe.

The people gathered in the hall, feeling the power of her voice and the beauty of her song, remain speechless as the song captivates them with its beauty, igniting in each the love they have for those they hold dearest. The backlash of her song, it will be said, is responsible for all the new births that bless the lands the next spring, not the least of which will be the child born unto the lord and his lady.

One man alone remains unaffected by the song, though a curiously thoughtful look remains on his countenance for the remainder of the night, as if he were pondering the great mysteries of the world and what Clandistra’s role in that world will be, which is exactly what he is doing. For the great mage Elrod sees many paths in the futures of the world, he but waits to see which will eventually unfold before his ageless eyes.

----------

The next day sees many a late riser, for the party lasted well into the night. Having somehow made our way to the Blood Moon Tavern, we find ourselves awakened by our hunger. All of us, that is, except Nordok. Coming down to the common room, we discover Freedar and Teela are waiting for us.

“Ahem, I have an issue that needs addressing. While it is plain to mine eyes that Nordok and my daughter love each other very much, I fear that they may have committed a sin against the church and god last night.”

“How so,” asks Mizdar.

“Her bed has not been slept in, and I fear that she may be with Nordok still.”

“And what is the sin that you suspect them of?” asks Clandistra.

“They have not been properly wed,” says Freedar, wringing his hands anxiously.

“But they have, I wed them with my song, though they did not know it at the time. I told them later, when they came to me asking to be wed. Did they not tell you?”

“No, they did not, though truth be told, me and my missus were kinda busy ourselves last night. Well, this changes everything!” says a now smiling Freedar.

Teela, hugging her husband, says, “well, we may have lost our little girl, but it seems we have gained a grown daughter and a son-in-law.”

Mizdar and the rest of us, taken by surprise at the turn of events, find ourselves just standing there, speechless. Finally, Seldor regains his senses. Running up the stairs and down the hallway to Nordok’s room, he bangs on the door, waking the newlyweds with shouts of glee.

----------

Later, after we have all congratulated the bride and groom, and been fed some of Freedar’s best food, we decide that it is time for us to address the business at hand. It is time to deal with the money and the bills.

We each are entitled to one eighth of the 45000 gold pieces, but we decide to leave 5000 in the castle’s coffer for unexpected expenses and emergencies. This leaves us with 5000 gold pieces each.

Out of this money, we must each pay our training fees, but as for the rest, we are free to spend it as we each see fit. So, after agreeing to meet in an hour, we separate into three groups and depart to our respective guilds to pay our training costs.

----------

At the fighter’s guild, Delgar and Dimlar find that the cost of training for them to go to fourth level is a whopping 1000 gold pieces each. Seldor and Nordok, however, merely have to part with 200 gold pieces each to become second level fighters.

“’Tis highway robbery I tell ye,” complains Delgar.

“Aye, that it ’tis.”

“Oh, I don’t know, it seems reasonable to me, they make members that can afford it pay the bulk of their expenses this way,” comments Seldor.

“Aye, but ’tis still a lot of money.”

----------

Mizdar and Mintock, paying their training expenses at the mages guild, are similarly charged 1000 and 200 gold pieces each. But while they are there, Mizdar decides to inquire about the wall and the powers bestowed upon them by it.

“Before we leave, I was wondering who we would talk to about a magic item that we encountered while in the dungeon.”

“That would depend on the item,” replies the old mage that serves as clerk.

“Well, it was a carved wall, having six engravings on it, and each of them bestowed a power of the creature depicted onto whoever stood in front of it.”

“Well, I have never heard of such a wall. What type of powers did it give and how long did they last?”

“Well, one of the carvings gave the person that stood in front of it the power to fly at will. Another gave the strength of a giant. And the effects seem to be permanent, at least they haven’t worn off yet.”

“And you say there were six of these carvings?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I think the master would find this wall very interesting, and if anyone knows about such a magic item, he would. Let me see if he is available.”

The old man then closes his eyes and his mouth begins to move as though talking, but no sound emerges that we can hear.

“I have told the master of your inquiry, he asks that you return this afternoon at 4 bells past midday. But be prompt, his time is precious.” The clerk then returns to his duties, marking various scrolls and parchments. We take the hint and depart.

----------

Clernon and Clandistra, going to the church to commune with the church elders, find themselves separated fairly quickly. It seems that the head of the church, the Lady Sheela, wishes to see Clandistra, but privately. Clernon, knowing that he would feel intimidated in her presence, is glad that he isn’t invited. One of the other church elders meets with him instead.

“We have been expecting you. I take it that you are here to put money into your account?”

“That is correct. I have gained 5000 gold pieces and an amulet possessing magic. I would like to know what is appropriate for me to give to the church as well as what I should put into my account.”

“That is quite a haul for a first level of our order. We had heard that the party you are a member of had a very successful trip.”

“Yes, I guess we did.”

“It is not necessary for you to make an outright contribution to the church. And the money that you place in your account will, of course, be matched by us when you decide to build a church of your own with it. Most members place half of their money in their account, keeping the remaining money to use to enhance their ability to garner more treasure when they again decide to go adventuring.”

“Then I would like to place 2500 gold pieces in my account, please.”

“Ok, but take some advice, use the rest of the money to buy items of magic that will ensure your safety as well as items that will make you more useful to your party.”

“What would you suggest?”

“I would start with better armor, and maybe some potions of healing, though I doubt you will have enough money for the armor, at least not yet. However, you may have enough to commission the armor. The mages guild will be better able to tell you about that, though.”

“Thankyou for your advice.”

“Now, is there anything else that I can do for you today?”

“No, you have given me enough food for thought, and I am scheduled to meet my companions shortly.”

“Then good day and may the Mother Tree continue to shield you from harm.”

----------

Clandistra, not sure why she has been summoned before the high priestess of the church, nonetheless waits obediently outside her office. Shortly, the door opens and Lady Sheela invites her in.

“Have a seat. I wanted to thank you personally for your performance last night. You had quite an effect on all of us.”

“Thankyou, my lady.”

“There is no need for formalities in here. Call me Sheela. I also wanted to know how you are doing.”

“I am fine.”

“Are you getting along with your companions?”

“Yes, they have become like family to me.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. I know being away from home can be very traumatic at times, and I was concerned for you.”

“There is no need for you to worry so, I am quite happy with my companions, and they have pledged themselves to my well-being.”

“I am glad to hear it.”

“On another matter, I have a request to make of you. Do you know of Elrod? No? Well, that is not surprising, since he is a mage and a recluse, at that. In fact, except for the occasional appearance at a party, he almost never leaves the tower. He has asked me to ask a favor of you. He asks that I give you a word of return, and that should you ever find yourself in a situation where you know that you will die and be forever lost to us, that you use it to return to me.”

“May I ask why he is so interested in my well-being?”

“You may, but I don’t have an answer for you. The great Elrod keeps his own council in most matters.”

“Do I have a choice in the matter?”

“Of course, we all are free to do as we choose, especially when death comes for us.”

“Then I wish to consider the matter.”

“Fair enough. But I want your answer before you leave to go adventuring again.”

“That I will do. Is there anything else?”

“No, you may go.”

“Thankyou.”

When she leaves, there is an acolyte waiting to escort her down from the upper level.

Stopping at the same church elder that saw Clernon while she was meeting with the Lady Sheela, Clandistra also decides to place 2500 gold pieces in her account. She then goes to meet with the others, who are no doubt waiting on her.