~ The Dwarven Blockade: [Archive] [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Shaken, Emma pauses several seconds to reflect on this new revelation. Tonight had been a pivotal moment for her. First, the Commune with High Priest Towers and the ability to receive answers from Anhur, himself. To hear his approval of her actions and those of Rinder's Six had flung aside many of her old doubts. She felt empowered knowing that her soul measured favorably upon his Scales of Justice. And then, the closeness she had felt with him when calling upon his power during the battle with the Drow. Nothing had ever seemed so right in her life. Her purpose never seemed more clear.

'I am indeed meant to be a priestess of Anhur...,' she thinks to herself, 'And if the quest for this Ring of Fire is blessed by him to succeed, I will no longer be a simple Shield-Maiden in the caste. They will listen to me. Finally, my interpretations of Anhur's doctrine will be heard because they will recognize that he supports what I've done in his name. And, if I always seek his wisdom instead of my own, perhaps I too can become a great leader and advisor in Rinder's history.'

A religious fire lights Emma's eyes as she returns Tower's intense gaze. 'The old priest is saddled with the responsibilities of leadership for the caste here in Parton,' she realizes, 'And, the preparations for war with Caerloon tax him heavily. This is something he cannot undertake himself, but yet he entrusts it to me and Rinder's Six to see that it gets done.'

"I will search for the ring," she finally announces, "Hopefully the rest of my friends will too." She looks around at everyone, assuming that they will agree. Then her eyes settle on Hannibal and she remembers his situation with Bernigan...still unresolved.

"But first," she says, "We will ensure that Bernigan and Paros cause no more trouble with the Great Dwarven Pact. We may not have sufficient strength to deal with the Red Dragon wizard completely, but his accomplices can certainly fall before us. Once we have disrupted his plans with a quick skirmish, we can fall back and focus our attention on the ring while he tries to recover. In the meantime, we will locate this Ring of Fire, join it with the Ring of Water Command, and forge a weapon that we can take with us into a full-scale battle against him. That day will sound the death-knell of not only Paros, but the rest of these Red Dragon renegades as well."

Hannibal scratches the stubble on his cheek, also checking one of his wounds. Listening to Emma speak, he can feel himself nodding in agreement. "I'm recommending that we settle the Bernigan issue so that Duke Bryant can see the real situation with the Dwarves and provide some closure. I don't think we'll be able to strike down Paros, but we can certainly foil his plans right now. We'll just put on a nice face like we don't realize yet that he was behind it all when we reveal the situation to Duke Bryant. Following that, I'm all for taking up the quest for the ring. It should give us the power to face down Paros, and eventually the rest of the Red Dragon renegades among the forces of Caerloon. Any one else have an idea?"

"Settling the issue with Bernigan seems like the most sensible thing," Naeron concurs. "Though first, we must be healed. I thank you, Emma, for your efforts." Then, turning to Towers, "High Priest, can you or your fellow clerics help us with that?"

"Of course," Towers replies, looking to a couple of the other clerics nearby. They nod, grabbing holy symbols and water to wash some of the wounds and then call upon Anhur's power to offer some healing.

Crayne stands there a little perturbed hearing for the first time the importance of the ring that his Uncle possessed. He had suspected that its properties were strong but now he was faced with it. To have such a powerful item was dangerous Crayne knew and to combine this item with the Ring of Fire would mean a power close to unrivalled. Such a weapon, he feared would be dangerous in any hands. It did cross his mind that this quest to find the Ring of Fire was not such a great idea. To retrieve the ring would bring two of the rings together again. If these rings were to fall into the wrong hands then it would be fatal. Was it not wiser to leave the ring where it lay? It was a difficult question, Crayne recognised, and one that did require some thought. Nevertheless, there was the risk that the Red Dragon School could find the ring for themselves and at the moment Crayne wondered whether they had their hands on the other two. With the three in their hands perhaps the kingdom would be doomed. Thus, Crayne now knew that the ring must be found and indeed as Towers had suggested, it could be used to bring down the evil of Paros.

At the moment however, Crayne would not relax until the ring was with Rinder's Six. Karelth was no pushover and he was with Storm, Crayne knew. Nevertheless, there was little they could do if confronted by a Red Dragon mage. Let them hurry!, Crayne thinks to himself.

It is then that Crayne speaks up to Towers, "I am ready to take on the task that you give us, Towers! A very dangerous one it is! Nevertheless, I must make known my reservations. After this war comes to an end these rings must be buried deep again and hidden from human hands. For any human to have access to these rings in my mind is dangerous! You will succumb to my request?" Crayne says with a raised eyebrow.

"Nay, I would recommend against that," Emma interjects, "The rings aren't inherently evil. They can be put to use for just causes in the hands of the wise...only when they are needed, of course. Like all weapons, there's a time to use the rings and a time to put them away. Anhur's wisdom is what helps tell the difference between the two. Perhaps to bury one of them might make sense, but certainly not both...and definitely not together where someone else might stumble across them and take them from us.

"I believe the only way to safeguard such powerful magic is to place the rings in the temples of Anhur, Crayne..." she says, "...where they'll lie firmly within our people's control. After all, the halls of the god of Justice are the best place to defend them from those that would abuse their power. Our priests are warriors and they make the most dedicated guardsmen in all the land.

"But, even so, I would trust no other save the King himself to decide this issue," she finishes, "It is not for us to judge. I say that if we succeed in reclaiming the rings, pushing Caerloon back across the border, and punishing these renegade Red Dragon wizards, then we petition King Bryant regarding their future. My recommendation would be to house the Ring of Fire in Merriam, itself. The Ring of Water Command could be kept in Seden since it is a coastal province. And the others, should we happen to find them, should be scattered across the rest of Rinder...but always in a defensible place that we control."

Crayne shakes his head in disagreement immediately, "I am afraid that I do not agree with your demands, Emma! I have nothing against Anhur, of course, and you must not take offense to what I have to say. But for me to proceed with this mission those rings must at the end of this be hidden from the hands of humans as they have been for so long. They are too powerful for any one person or group to hold! I must make this point clear right now! What are the views of the rest of the Six?"

"Crayne, I'm afraid I have to side with Emma on this one," Canter says, his face apologetic as he approaches his friend, the mage. The cleric nearby had just finished his healing prayer, and Canter now rubs an arm where he can once again feel his strength. "If the renegade Red Dragon mages can threaten our kingdom so in this era, such that we need the rings to defeat but one of them, who is to say that it won't happen again? Perhaps not the Red Dragon School, but another? Perhaps an evil clan of priests? Would it not be best to have these rings as our defense and not have to once again send a party of explorers questing after them before too many lives are lost?"

Hannibal leans up against the nearest wall and listens to the debate over the fate of the rings. Part of him feels he has no place in such a conversation, the other part remembers still how the mage earlier had picked his brain with such ease. Stealing the opportunity he speaks, but is by no means confrontational.

"I'm afraid I'm with Crayne on this one, Emma. I can't see something with such obvious powers not eventually being used for evil purposes. Don't get me wrong, better in the hands of Knights than Orcs, it just sounds like it may be too much power to hand over to one group."

With that said he quickly looks away, as if not wanting to be pulled into the debate. Instead he lets his mind wander off, staring up to the sky blankly.

"Perhaps," Fallon says, nodding to Canter, "but you mention evil priests..." he looks to Towers and then to Emma, "some fear the Caste of Anhur even today, fearing that it is too powerful. How do we know that the Temples of Anhur are the safest places for magic of this magnitude?" His face is suddenly sad, almost embarrassed for doubting his own Church.

Fallon's question is met with momentary silence. True, corruption was by no means a stranger to all aspects of Rinder's society. The conspiracy in Seden was just the most recent example, to say nothing of Paros and the intrigue in the Court at Parton.

"But," the cleric continues, answering his own question almost rhetorically, "I do believe the Caste of Anhur is best suited to hold these rings, in such an imperfect society."

Naeron then steps to the fore. "Why aggrandize the Caste of Anhur?" he asks, "Why not distribute the rings among the Castes?"

Canter nods, "Certainly then one Caste would not be able to use their combined power without cooperating with the other Castes. And in my lifetime I haven't seen that happen too often..."

Clearly, Towers is uncomfortable with the idea of giving his Caste's hard-earned prizes to the other Castes. Emma can sense this, and she can also sense the tension in the room rising. She waits patiently to hear the views of everyone else, clearly not wanting the situation to explode into an argument. She and Crayne often have differing opinions, after all, but they've remained staunch allies regardless. Once everyone has had their say, she speaks once more.

"Please don't misinterpret my advice," the priestess explains, "Each ring doesn't need to reside within a temple of Anhur, though I think they are easily the most defensible places in all of Rinder. They could be given instead to different groups which the King deems trustworthy. In that fashion, they could act as a check and balance upon one another."

"Urhmmm!" Crayne still dosen't look convinced. "Who are these groups that the rings would go to and who is to say that the rings would be protected from error or possible treachery? The rings in my opinion are safest where humans cannot get at them. Such powerful objects are not safest in human hands. For instance, if we place them in the hands of the religious castes, isn't it the case that many of the wars in Rinder's previous history has been spited by religious argument? What a choice it would be to entrust rings of such power to a religion! And which ring should go to which faith or group? Wouldn't it be the cause of argument. Forgive me Emma, but I am still not convinced that these rings should remain in the hands of us. I stand firm on this and I must make it clear that I will have great doubts over whether to complete this mission unless I retrieve some sort of clarification that these rings will again be lost!

"You may all see me as a pessimist! But I believe these rings would bring great misery and squalor!"

"But," Emma replies, "I don't think we should simply bury them in the ground in random locations. They should be defended...and actively so, not simply by traps and magical wards. Anything less runs the risk of allowing them to slip through our hands, which presumably are directed with a little more wisdom and compassion than say a renegade Red Wizard trying to unite them for the purpose of world domination."

She looks toward the Highbrow and says, "Blindly burying them does not insure they won't fall into the wrong hands. Actively defending them, does. And, it also insures that we'll have them somewhat close to hand if another threat like this war with Caerloon should ever cast a shadow over Rinder again. But regardless, I still say it's not the Church's decision to make. If we use these devices, we do so in the name of King Bryant, and it is his wisdom that I would defer to on this subject. He is Anhur's choice to lead our nation, after all."

"Fine then," Crayne says to Emma, obviously disappointed that the others don't agree wholeheartedly with his position. "I will make my case to the King, and he will understand."

Turning the conversation to more agreeable topics, Emma once again pulls out the torn piece of fabric Canter took from the dead drow. She looks at the emblem curiously, not recognizing the symbol from any of her books or scrolls. She defers to Crayne, asking, "Does it mean anything to you? I suppose it's just a family crest or military patch of some kind, right?"

Crayne notes Emma's query and searches his mind for any knowledge of such an emblem. "I am not intimately familiar with the intricacies of Drow society," the mage begins, examining the specimen closely. "But I am aware that it is highly fractured into a number of houses dominating the trading world. This, I would venture to guess, is probably the emblem of a particlar house. Which house, however, is beyond my expertise..."

"Well, do you think we should keep it?" she asks, "Anhur and his brother, Nire, might provide some divinations if we use it as a focus. Or, failing that, we can at least use it as evidence once we get this whole mess sorted out. Would you like to hold onto it, Crayne?"

Crayne nodds, "Of course!" He puts it in one of his numerous pouches that hang from his strong leather belt.

"Now," Canter says, wanting to learn more of their imminent quest. He turns to Towers once more, "how are we to begin this search for the Ring of Fire Command?"

Towers snaps the book shut in his hands, sending a small cloud of dust into the air before his face. "I will entrust this tome to Emmalya for study and translation, though it will certainly take her some time to do so." He holds the book out steadily, as Emma takes it, slowly at first. She clutches it with both hands as Towers continues, "And I entrust you, Canter Tarp to see to it the tome returns and is guarded at all times. Its worth for scholarly study and in value to the Caste is beyond your imagination."

Canter gulps as he is instructed. "I will try..." he replies weakly.

"You must succeed," Towers corrects him.

Then, interrupting the moment between Canter and Towers, Hannibal clears his throat. Instructions and old books were fascinating, he was sure, but at the moment it was the showdown with Bernigan--that swine--that the thief most looked forward to.

"I see you are eager to be on your way," Towers says, turning away from Canter to face the others. "I will not stand in your way. Do what you must to assuage the problems of the moment, but do not delay on this search, for it will guarantee solutions for centuries and more."

With that, Towers bows slightly to Emma and the party, then snaps his fingers and heads back to the staircase, heading down into the tunnels beneath the temple, followed by a couple of clerics. Only Fallon remains in the sanctuary, and he slowly moves off toward the altar to engage in his own private prayer.

"Okay then," Hannibal says, beginning the next discussion.

"What we need now," Canter says, gathering himself, Hannibal, Emma, Crayne, and Naeron in a close circle, "is a plan."

Before Cy can answer Sir Jornek, Storm chirps in, right at Jornek finishes making his request that the three travelers accompany him to Parton. "Aye there shiny one, me's hoping ye've got a pony there fer me. I's don't work to well with ye damn big people's rides." Storm looks ahead, truly hopeful that the valiant knight does in fact have a smaller mount for the smaller dwarf.

Seeing there's no pony, Storm grumbles aloud and complains frequently on the trip to Parton, more or less annoying the other riders that he's with. Still, he spends much of the trip--which lasts the rest of the day--lost in thought and amazed that, despite his conversations with his father, he still feels reenergized and happy that he's found some degree of acceptance in the dwarven community.

Storm ponders asking Jornek about Guilliam, but decides he might as well wait until he meets with Bryant, as it seems like that's where he's headed anyway.

It is nightfall as the Knight's party arrives as Castle Parton. Storm, Cy, and Karelth follow the Knight in and are soon shown into a very nicely decorated ante chamber. Beautiful tapestries line the walls, which surely capture Karelth's attention.

"The finest craftsmanship..." the older mage whispers. "I always enjoyed a good work of--"

Then the door opens, and King Bryant steps through quickly. Cy and Karelth quickly drop to their knees. Storm, not being so quick about these things, scrambles to follow.

"At ease, gentlemen," Bryant says, watching as they rise from the nicely carpetted floor. He walks up to Storm, nodding as he recognizes the dwarf. Then he steps up to Karelth, eyeing the old man and squinting at his face. "I do not recognize you..."

"I am Karelth, your lordship," Karelth replies, "of Haven. Uncle of Crayne of Mistledale, of Rinder's Six..."

"I see, Karelth," Bryant says, nodding. "You are in good company...Cyveiliog," he smiles to the warrior and nods. Then he turns to the table behind him, leading with an outstretched hand. "Do have a seat."

They sit, and soon Bryant sits as well, flanked by two guards as well as an old man, later introduced as the Master Chamberlain. It is late, and it's been a long day; the King is tired but he continues.

"Your friends, the rest of the Six, have been here already and I understand are out an about in Parton. They bring the news that the Great Dwarven Pact must be renegotiated. I know of no details, for I told them to see Paros, the Keeper of the Ducal Treaties. And a Dwarven Captain, Delk I believe, is at the Court to speak on behalf of the Clans. This is all well and good. But for you, Cyveiliog--"

Just then a side door bursts open and a young man, perhaps eighteen years old, comes running through. He is out of breath and bows quickly toward Bryant. "My apologies, Sir," he begins as Bryant motions for him to speak. "But the Captain of the Guard has sent me to inform you that drow have been found in the city!"

"Where?" Bryant asks, suddenly concerned.

"They were spotted near the silver market a few hours ago, and now one of the constables has reported spotting a dead drow body at the steps to the Temple of Anhur, Sir!"

"Temple of Anhur?" Cy asks, his interest suddenly more aroused.

"Emma ya think?" Storm chimes in.

Bryant's head spins back to Storm and Cy. "Are your friends at the Temple?"

"Your highness," Cy replies, "we bade farewell to them many days ago at the mines of the Warhammer Brigade. Though our shield-maiden, Emma, is a priestess of Anhur."

"Investigate, then!" Bryant orders, rising from the table in a hurry. "Between the war, the blockade, and now the threat upon my life at the coronation, I will not have a drow invasion added to the list!"

"Threat at the coronation?" Karelth asks, not having heard of this before.

"Yes, that's what I wanted to see you about, Cy. But before we can have a cornontion we must break the blockade so I may journey to Merriam. And your friends are intimately involved in that effort. If they were at the scene with the drow, friend or foe, I want to know about it!"

With that, Bryant spins on his heels, rushing to leave the room.

Storm stands, raising a dirty finger and squeaking out, "But..." He so badly wanted to ask the King about Guilliam. Would he lose that chance, now that he was so close?

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