Maran 4-6, 653 DR. An early morning conflict on the ground floor of the inn wakes the group sending Ferveo and Zuroolly to investigate. The tentacled guardian is saved but many rogues are killed. When the town guard comes to see what happened, Ferveo turns over a captured rogue. Soon all three are interrogated at the barracks until Zuroolly pays for their release. Information is gathered. Silda discovers who it is who has been calling and reaching to her through the Dream.

Continued from The Way to Zembra.

Amor, 4 Maran 643

Somewhere below, a door splintered and slammed open, followed by the sound of grunting and banging swords. Ferveo awoke, rushed to the door and into the hall. Zuroolly followed shortly thereafter, slipping his new bracers on to his arms. From the stairwell, Ferveo saw two men bearing down upon the armored guardian, who parried and slashed as he retreated into the inn lobby. Already a table was overturned and its overturned chairs scattered across the floor. Ferveo raced forward and engaged the smaller of the two men fighting the tentacled warrior.

Zuroolly reached the bottom of the stairs and wove a spell, dazing the man Ferveo had struck. Near the door, the guardian and swordsman clashed again and again, trading deep wounds but holding ground against one another. The bent and old Zuroolly was surprised to find a sword slashing at him from behind, a third rogue had padded in from a rear entrance and took his chances with the spellcaster. Zuroolly drew his own short sword and swung back at the man, cutting him well. Soon a fourth rogue slipped in from the rear, snaking around the battling warriors. Vaulting the registry table, the rogue slid his blade into the guardian’s back.

The chain mailled warrior let out a cry as chain links skittered to the floor and a long wound opened across his chest. The guardian turned on the rogue that had crept behind him as Ferveo and Zuroolly turned to deal with this last intruder. Within moments the man was beaten down, and despite Ferveo’s plea to save the man, the guardian’s blade carved up and down into the man as he surrendered. Soon his blood mixed with that of his comrades, soaking the inn’s carpets. Zuroolly searched the “pulse” and pockets of the fallen men. The guardian, wounded and weak, sat on the registry table to gather its strength. They tried to talk with it, but it responded only in its strange language. They were uncertain if it even understood their questions. Silda stumbled into the lobby from the stairwell, holding herself upright with her sword. She looked terribly tired and feverish, not having slept well in days because of terrible dreams. Seeing her, the guardian picked himself up from the table and made its way to the barbarian woman, who was too weak and confused to react. The guardian laid a hand on her shoulder and her mind cleared. The guardian then turned and left the inn, resuming its place outside the front door. Silda, very tired and hoping this newfound clarity would grant her much needed sleep, returned to the room. Ferveo found the man he’d knocked-out was still alive, so he picked him up and carried the rogue upstairs. In the bedroom, he laid the man on the ground and tied his wrists to the bedpost. His prisoner moaned weakly but did not move.

The innkeeper arrived downstairs to inspect the damage. He spoke with Zuroolly briefly before calling his daughter downstairs to call a guard. Zuroolly went up to the room and began hiding his loot around the chamber, putting a fine long sword inside the fireplace, a suit of tattered chainmail under the mattress, and such. He was pleased with his findings. Soon a town guard arrived to investigate the incident. While his fellow guards dragged the bodies from the downstairs, Sendjū was led to the party’s room where he talked with Ferveo, Zuroolly, and found the unconscious man tethered to the bed post. He spoke with the two at length before having one of his men carry the man from the place. Ferveo asked if he could see the prisoner in the morning, and Sendjū agreed.

After breakfast, Ferveo found his way through the covered streets to the barracks where he learned that the prisoner had not yet awakened, but that they had sent for a healer to tend to the beaten man. Ferveo left. Meanwhile, Zuroolly hefted the bundle of chainmail to a local armorer-leatherworker and tried to sell the suit, claiming it was his but that his battling days were over. The store owner said he didn’t have the money to buy metal armor and didn’t know anyone in town that dealt with chainmail. He suggested Zuroolly try to sell it in Jædð, or maybe Marádaç. While there, Zuroolly bought a sack to carry the armor in and hefted it back to the inn.

At midday, Ferveo was admitted into the barracks and to the chamber where the prisoner now sat upright in the corner. As they approached, a woman in gray robes passed the other way. Sendjū explained that she was the healer, a priest. Entering the room, the man grew very agitated and backed his chair farther into the corner. Sendjū sat in the only other chair and asked both of them questions about last night. The man, Kāúzar, claimed that he and his friends were ambushed in the road by a swordsman that came out of nowhere. He claimed that the man was armored like he’d never seen and slashed at them to kill. He continued saying, that his friends defended themselves, and pushed the skirmish out of the road and into a nearby building. At some point during the fight, the monk and his bent old master came downstairs to aid the armored swordsman and that was the point when people started dying. He didn’t know how the fight ended except for what Sendjū had explained, that he was the only survivor. Ferveo struggled with his answers, but managed to avoid any mentioned of an armored swordsman. Confused with the stories, Sendjū scratched his chin, stood, and said that he’d return later, leaving the two alone in the chamber. With Sendjū gone the rogue seemed very afraid. Ferveo and Kāúzar spoke little about the night, but the rogue did manage to mention that he was unsure if the armored swordsman was even a man at all.

Zuroolly wandered through the marketplace, looking at the wares being sold in this riverside city. Lines of fruit carts circled the market with more leaving and arriving all the time. From the open bazaar he saw one of the five round white towers rising from the rooftops not far away and so decided to have a closer look. Finding his way through covered streets and an alley he came to the base of a round stone tower. Inspecting the fine craftsmanship he admired the perfectly cut white stones all set with great precision, a quality of workmanship that surpassed all else in Zembra. Marveling at the clean white stones, he almost didn’t hear someone clearing her throat behind him. Looking up he found a gentlewoman standing near him, asking of his business. He explained that he was a mason, and was admiring the workmanship. She could not (or did not) answer his questions about who built the towers, and guessed that the others in the city were constructed the same. When prompted for who lived in the towers, the woman answered that they were people who valued their privacy, and that he shouldn’t remain longer.

Eventually, Zuroolly found his way back to the inn where he was met by a town guard who asked him to follow to the barracks. The little man stowed his belongings and followed the guard. Arriving at the barracks he was led to a small chamber where he spoke and gave his account of things to Sendjū, who was very tired and exhausted from a long night and day of work. After speaking with Zuroolly, the guard left him in the locked room and went back to cross-check the story with Ferveo and Kāúzar. Between the three accounts there were enough omissions and inconsistencies to leave Sendjū suspicious of the whole affair, especially the account of the rogue that there had been an armored swordsman that had attacked them in the street. Tired of the whole affair, Sendjū finally returned to Zuroolly’s room and made him an offer. He offered that instead of keeping him and his manservant, for a small “fine” he and Ferveo would be freed, and the case dismissed. If Zuroolly were unwilling to pay the fine, they would be kept for several days or until a judge could be found to take the case. Sendjū explained that there had been a rash of thieves and rogues in the town the last few days and that they were backlogged with cases, so the wait could last a while. Zuroolly gave the man seven tala for his and Ferveo’s release and met the monk on the street outside the barracks.

Ferveo seemed most disturbed at the old man’s explanation that the town guards were corrupt.

It was evening when they returned to the inn and decided to stay closer to the marketplace. The guardian was still standing outside the original inn, supporting itself weakly with the large curved sword that it used to hold effortlessly. The armored guardian had suffered grave wounds in the fight last night, and did not seem to be healing. Ferveo and Zuroolly gathered their things and moved to a separate inn for the night and small cost of five aurala.

Wōdor, 5 Maran 643

With morning, Ferveo went downstairs and ate some eggs, but passed on the “meat”. Zuroolly soon joined him. They spent much of the morning speaking with the innkeeper Illybàel, and learned more of the city of Zembra. Most interestingly, they learned of the northern wall where the terrible Brū were repelled again and again when the season came. Unfamiliar with Brū, Zuroolly explained that they were foul creatures of great strength and evil that appeared like men but had the heads of goats. Illybàel explained that two years ago her nephew Pinnal had joined the Jadthàri army and was stationed along the eastern border in the Sleeping Mountains. She explained that the army fought constantly to keep the Brū at bay, but every year they somehow came to Zembra. When questioned about the ivory towers, Illybàel only said that she didn’t know who lived in them, but that no-one ever talked about them.

Much of the day’s remainder was spent moving between the inns, and checking on Silda. Over the night’s course her clarity had faltered and she was exhausted and haunted from the dreams plaguing her again, every time she closed her eyes. Ferveo and Zuroolly also checked on the sword guardian, but it was difficult to tell whether he was any better or not. He didn’t seem to be leaving the inn where Silda and Vorén were staying.

The day passed uneventfully.

Ildor, 6 Maran 643

The morning of the sixth, they went to check on Silda again and found her at the edge of her bed, sitting upright, propped against her sword. As they entered she explained that her dreams were making more sense. Until this morning, she’d only seen gnashing teeth and thousands of claws swarming and spinning in her dark dreams. But all the time, somewhere far beyond these demons there had been a shape, a screaming prisoner within the swarm, trying to reach her but forever being pulled away. Last night, she explained, she reached the voice and it was Morgōmir.

“Silda of Wurm. Stalwart warrior. Despiser of Dragul. I am Morgōmir of Sarat, and I would claim your fiery heart for noble purpose. We have not failed. Not yet. This battle is not done. I see in you the will and the strength to complete this most noble task. To be the sword and will of great Sarat, and bring foul Izzàradràgulð to its merciful end. The souls of thousands call to you, brave Silda of Wurm. They plead and pray for your help. Your eternal favor. Do not turn your back on those that have gone forward. Do not abandon the quest and dreams of your people. Avenge your friends and family that have fallen. Strike this mightiest of blows against the terrible Dragul, and you will know the way and the truth and the purpose of why you were brought to this place.”

Silda explained that the specter of Morgōmir had told her that she must destroy the Dragul and that he would help her. Ferveo and Zuroolly were incredulous, repeating again and again that facing the Dragul again would be folly. Silda would not be moved by their statements, saying only that she could not do this thing in the short-term but had promised to see it through. She explained that Morgōmir had said that he knew much more about Izzàradràgulð than they had before, and that all they had done, had been done wrong. He would show Silda the necessary way to rid the world of the great Dragùli evil.

Continued in Gardens of Adjàdâr.

• Ferveo Cælestis
• Talôr Dal-Vorenen
• Silda of Wurm
• Zuroolly Hicubaba
• Rallēa Adjàdâr
• Illybàel
• Kāúzar (Rogue): jailed
• Kirai (Rogue): killed
• Morgōmir (Paladin): dead
• Ōmāyid
• Pinnal (Rogue): killed
• Selèkū
• Sendjū (Zembri Guard Sergeant)
• Takin (Rogue): killed

Played: 25 May 2001