Chapter #1172
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+ THE ADVENTURERS +
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+ Epic VI +
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+ Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells, and other +
+ terms used in these stories are the property of Wizards of the Coast +
+ which has in no way endorsed or authorized their use. Any such +
+ property contained within these stories are not representative of +
+ Wizards of the Coast in any fashion. +
+ The player characters depicted in these stories are copyright +
+ 1991-2024 by Thomas A. Miller. Any resemblance to any persons +
+ or characters either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. +
+ Copying and/or distribution of these stories is permissible under +
+ the sole condition that no money is made in the process. In that +
+ case, I hope you enjoy them! +
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+ Kronos ancient lich wizard +
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+ Date: 7/12/586 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: evening +
+ Place: the Brass Hills, within the Bright Desert +
+ Climate: hot and dry +
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+ "I would encourage you to think about what happens after what +
+ happens next." +
+ - Raylan Givens, from _Justified_ episode _Over the Mountain_ +
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MCLXXII. Return to the Tower of Sleep
Well over a month ago, the lich Kronos had charted the recent sightings
of the mysterious Tower of Sleep, and then successfully deduced not only
the frequency of its appearances as every forty-three days, but had also
predicted exactly where it would next materialize. He had then taken the
next step, braving the unknown risks of the tower as he approached and
then entered it...and conversed with its master who was also its prisoner,
the ancient Sulmish sorceress Shemeya. Trapped within her tower - for a
single step outside of its chronally-distorted space would cause her to
fall victim to the curse that had ruined the entire region - the woman
had spent long years doing research and attempting to escape her unusual
predicament. While two thousand years had passed in the outside world,
she had only experienced a fraction of that, although even a couple of
decades imprisoned in solitude was a severely trying experience.
At any rate, the ancient sorceress and the equally-ancient lich had
enjoyed a brief conversation, realizing that they could each help the
other. An agreement of sorts had been reached...that upon the tower's
next appearance, they would meet again and discuss the steps necessary
for both to get what they sought. And now, that day (or night, actually)
has arrived, and Kronos waits in the desert, alone because none of his
allies can safely venture into the tower with him.
Kronos: (having arrived at the location predicted by his calculations,
an hour ago, he simply stands amidst the sandy dunes, arms folded,
waiting)
From behind a nearby dune, an immense scorpion watched its potential
victim. As long as a man was tall, the monster had slowly approached
for some time now, and was preparing to scuttle forth and strike with
its lethal stinger.
giant scorpion: (twitches, readying itself to dart toward the other)
The creature had barely begun its attack when the lich turned toward
it, pointing with a pale, slender finger. A small bolt of greenish-
yellow energy issued forth, enveloping the scorpion in searing flames
and consuming it in a matter of moments. All that was left was a pile
of brown dust, which was quickly scattered by the desert winds.
Kronos: (turns his attention back to the site)
Presently, a low humming sound began and (as during the previous such
encounter) was soon followed by a shimmering effect and then a silvery
glow. A moment later, the Tower of Sleep stood in that spot: a tall,
round spire of whitish stone more than a hundred feet high and twenty
in diameter. It was topped with a pointed roof of pale bluish shingles
whose appearance spoke of an architectural style not seen in millennia,
ever since the decay of the Sulmish Empire and the birth of the Bright
Desert.
Kronos wasted no time; for this return engagement, he knew what and who
he was dealing with, and began walking toward the shimmering tower. He
did, of course, still have his plethora of magical protections in place.
The tower's time-distortion tugged briefly at the lich, without effect,
and presently he walked through the small door that had appeared at its
base. As before, the interior of the tower was much larger than should
have been possible given its exterior dimensions - obviously the result
of powerful spatial magic. The large round chamber was over a hundred
feet across, its high domed ceiling decorated with detailed paintings of
the Sulmish Empire and supported by several dozen thick, intricately-
decorated stone pillars. The ivory throne at the far end held a single
occupant, comfortably propped amidst a number of finely-made cushions and
pillows. She was clad in a turquoise robe (which Kronos noted was highly
magical) which offset her deep brown skin; her hair, jet-black with just
a bit of gray, cascaded down past her shoulders.
Shemeya: (sitting atop her throne) You ventured here alone this time.
Kronos: (eyeing the four stone statues, which he had previously sensed
to be golems and which flank her two to a side) The same cannot be
said for you.
The sorceress had first spoken in her native tongue, that of ancient
Sulm, and Kronos had replied in the same language. His knowledge of it
had been established last time, and neither of them had come across an
opportunity to practice in a long time.
Shemeya: My guardians are always present when I greet visitors. But
no matter. (she smiles thinly) You and your companions have been
busy in the desert since we last talked. You have assumed control of
Rary's military outposts and integrated your own forces with those he
left behind...closed a gateway to an infernal realm, which had haunted
an oasis...allied yourselves with both the centaurs and the barbarians
of the northern hills...and even dealt with the eye tyrant and his
forces, in the mines.
Kronos: Indeed. Sometimes it is necessary to clean away debris before
building a home.
Shemeya: Your alliance has also started work on a massive fortress, not
far from the site of the fallen wizard's own such effort. It appears
that the new one will sit atop the heart of a new city as well. And
you have begun gathering those from less fortunate lands and giving
them opportunities here. (she regards the lich) All of this is the
sort of evidence that tends to convince me of your group's productive
and benevolent intentions.
Kronos: As promised. And now I come here to ask the location of the
cursed artifact that led to Sulm's downfall two millennia ago, and
transformed it into the wasteland it is today...the Scorpion Crown.
Shemeya: Technically, it didn't lead to my kingdom's downfall; it was
merely the final step in a long and torturous decline. Believe me,
I did not enjoy being present for all that. (she clenches her jaw)
King Shattados' folly ruined the land and sealed the fate of everyone
within.
Kronos: Almost everyone.
Shemeya: Point. Although my unique exile within this tower has not
been idle.
Kronos: So let us correct it by finding and destroying the crown. With
it gone, its curse will end and - among other desirable outcomes - you
will finally be able to leave this tower.
Shemeya: (nods) I have considered this every day since our previous
meeting. Our goals align, and so I will help you. (she pauses for
a moment, pondering the weight of the secret she is about to reveal)
The Scorpion Crown rests atop Shattados' head, and he can be found in
or around his palace, at the center of our once-glorious capital Utaa.
Kronos: Excellent. And this was our leading theory...that the palace
and the city were one and the same location...or should I say, one lay
within the other.
Shemeya: Yes. When do you intend to seek him out?
Kronos: (frowns) Soon. Days, I'd imagine, or weeks at the most. It
will definitely happen before the next appearance of your tower.
Shemeya: I see. And I am not surprised, given how quickly your alliance
of wizards has addressed and acted on the other matters.
Kronos: It is indeed amazing how efficient such efforts can be in the
absence of a formal government and the associated bureaucracy.
Shemeya: Agreed. (she frowns) But before we discuss his forces, and
any other challenges you will face...I would know your plan to secure
the crown, and protect it from any foolish enough to try and claim it
for themselves. Or should I say, to protect them from it. Because
that will be necessary until the time comes to destroy it...which is
another question. How do you intend to destroy the artifact? Even I
do not know the proper course of action to accomplish that.
Kronos: Our sage had determined that the crown, despite its power and
curse being bound to Sulm, was originally forged in the Hellfurnaces.
And thus, her belief is that it can be destroyed by being returned to
those same fiery peaks. (he pauses) Once we have the thing, we intend
to drop it into the maw of an active volcano.
Shemeya: Ah.
Kronos: While we will secure it in as safe a container as possible for
that journey, we will also not dally. That would be...foolish.
Shemeya: It would. The crown is likely to reach out to anyone nearby
and try to bend them to its will. This is doubly so if it realizes
the intention to destroy it.
Kronos: It is sentient?
Shemeya: On some level...yes, I believe so. While not truly intelligent
or able to speak, it was said to have a subtle way of influencing the
minds of others. (she frowns) But I only heard rumors and theories;
it's not as if I ever examined the damned thing myself.
Kronos: Have you any idea of its powers and properties?
Shemeya: Aside from the changing our king and all of his citizens into
monsters, and the region itself into a wasteland...its power seems to
be linked to Sulm. I doubt that it would function anywhere else. As
for its actual useful powers, my belief based on what little I know is
that they center around the mind and it thoughts, allowing the crown's
wearer to manipulate and affect others. There is no way to know the
specifics, but I would imagine they involve the reading and control of
others' minds...and stunning, paralysis, telekinesis...perhaps even the
inflicting of physical damage. (she shakes her head) I am sorry. I
cannot say for sure.
Kronos: There is no need to apologize. This information is much more
than we knew, and will prove useful. But there is another topic that
we will need assistance with...what do you know of Shattados himself,
and any minions he may have?
Shemeya: The bulk of them are scorpions or scorpion-like monsters, and
there are legions...tens of thousands across the desert, as every one
of his subjects fell victim to the crown's curse. Not all reside in
the palace or capital city, of course, but many did - do - so expect
vast numbers of the things, as well as countless normal scorpions of
every size, ranging from those you can hold in your hand to gigantic
beasts the size of wagons. I would figure every single one of them to
have stinger venom far beyond the potency of any normal such creatures.
As for the king himself, he is some sort of unique and terrible hybrid
of man and scorpion, of a size and strength never before seen. Before
he cursed himself and the land of Sulm, he was a wizard of substantial
expertise; now - with the additional powers conferred by the crown, he
will be a difficult adversary. Especially with an army of scorpions
and their kin to back him. (she regards him) Which is why I am giving
you all of this information. I want you to succeed.
Kronos: (nods) We share a common stake in this endeavor.
Shemeya: (frowns) You are likely wondering how such large numbers of
scorpions have survive all these years, without a ready source of food
available. I have wondered the same, and can only assume that they are
sustained by the same dark magical energies that created them.
Kronos: A valid possibility. (he thinks about the underground vampire
city of Skava-Ra and the people kept there as livestock) Hmm.
Shemeya: Aside from the hordes of scorpions and related monsters, there
are likely some undead creatures down there as well. No offense meant,
of course.
Kronos: None taken. (he ponders all of this) Again, my allies and I
thank you for all of this information. It will help immensely. You
may rest assured that we will do our best to put Shattados to rest -
permanently - and then rid the world of the crown.
Shemeya: Excellent. That's the best news I've heard in...quite some
time.
Kronos: I cannot say with certainty that we will be successful, but I
do believe that we represent the best possible chance of success.
Shemeya: Judging by your other work in the desert...I agree. Let us
hope and pray that your efforts go well.
They did not talk for much longer, as the tower only remained in any
one location for a relatively short span of time, and overstaying his
welcome could result in the lich being trapped within until its next
appearance. At any rate, both he and the ancient sorceress were rather
optimistic after this conversation; Kronos had confirmed what he already
knew and also learned some other useful information, while Shemeya was
now convinced that the alliance of wizards meant business and would do
what they set out to do. She merely had to watch, and wait...and during
that time, she would have something she'd lacked for a long while: hope
of regaining her freedom and rejoining the world.
next: the entire Bright Alliance assembled to discuss everything
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/bright_desert_1156.jpg
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 10/18/2024
notes: You're reading this in mid-October, but it was written in
late June, capping a massive writing outburst during which I wrote 15
episodes in 15 days. This is the sort of thing I always wanted to do
but usually couldn't due to lack of focus caused by work stress.
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