Chapter #427
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+ THE ADVENTURERS +
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+ Epic III +
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+ Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells, and +
+ other terms used in these stories are the property of TSR, Inc. +
+ However, this does not mean that TSR in any way endorses or +
+ authorizes their use, and any such items contained within these +
+ stories should not be considered representative of TSR in any +
+ way, shape, or form. +
+ The player characters contained in these writings are copy- +
+ right 1991-6 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to any persons +
+ or characters either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. +
+ Copying and/or distribution of these tales is permissible only +
+ under the sole condition that no part of them will be used or +
+ sold for profit. In that case, I hope you enjoy them... +
+ +
+ Thomas Miller +
+ tmiller@cimmeria.ns.gatech.edu +
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+ Peldor 20th level human thief (N) +
+ Tanya 5th/11th level female human fighter/thief (N) +
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+ Date: 4/18/576 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: evening +
+ Place: the Free City of Dyvers +
+ Climate: pleasant +
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+ "Music played at weddings always reminds me of the music +
+ played for soldiers before they go into battle." +
+ - Heinrich Heine +
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CDXXVII. Tallying The Loot
The two riders, weary and dusty from days on the open road, rode
through the gates of Dyvers just as the sun vanished over the horizon.
Peldor: Here we are again.
Tanya: Yeah...you remember what happened the last time we were here?
Peldor: (thinking, he rubs his chin) We acquired Leonardo?
Tanya: Hmm, true, but not quite what I was thinking of.
Peldor: Oh, yeah. Flavius Shadow-Walker came back from the dead and
caused some mischief. (he rolls his eyes) At least, that's what I
heard.
Tanya: Heh.
Peldor: (eyeing various inns as they ride into the city) Where do
you feel like staying?
Tanya: Somewhere fairly nice, if we can afford it.
Peldor: Not to worry. You know that I brought a goodly sum of money.
Tanya: Not enough to make life boring, I hope?
Peldor: Nah. Hey, what kinds of adventures were you hoping to have?
Tanya: (shrugs) Who knows? Maybe quests where people need rogues
to accomplish something...treasure hunts...that kind of thing.
Peldor: Sounds like fun. We'll have to see what we can find.
Tanya: How about an inn, for starters?
They chose an inn that looked decent, though not extravagant, and
paid for a night's lodgings. Their room looked out onto the street,
and had a single large bed, a small washbasin, and a fireplace. The
thick oaken door had a bar, and after bringing their things up, they
locked themselves in.
Peldor: Time to unpack, and see what's what.
Tanya: You mean...
Peldor: Yep, the wedding presents.
Tanya: (pulls out a small sack, and opens it)
The "small sack" was in reality a magical bag of holding, within
which were a variety of items.
Peldor: This bag was a good wedding present in and of itself...very
useful.
Tanya: Yes, we're in Ged's debt. Without this sack, we couldn't have
brought so many things along on our trip.
Peldor: Like this...(he pulls out a thickly-rolled scroll)
Tanya: Eh?
Peldor: Spells, m'dear, spells. Alindyar and Lyra's gift.
Tanya: Spells? What kind of spells?
Peldor: (opens the scroll, surveying its contents) All kinds of
spells. Looks like an all-purpose variety pack.
Tanya: Neat.
Peldor: And then there's this, from Belphanior...(he holds up a small
green statuette, carved in the shape of a ferocious-looking little
animal)
Tanya: What the hell is that?
Peldor: Apparently, a command word causes it to assume an animal form
and do whatever we say. Kinda like Ged's lions, or Bosco's eagle.
Tanya: Oh. I suppose we should be thankful that it's not a demon.
Peldor: Hey, give the guy a little credit.
Tanya: Right.
Peldor: Then there's this...(he examines a silver ring) Bosco gave us
this ring.
Tanya: I could use another magical ring.
Peldor: He didn't say what it was, though.
Tanya: It's safe to assume the thing's not cursed, though.
Peldor: Probably. But this is Bosco we're talking about...he may not
know what he deals in.
Tanya: We'll find out, I suppose. (she takes some clothes from the
magical bag, setting them aside on the bed) What else?
Peldor: Lots of money, gems, and such- oh, this is from Arnold. (he
displays a gemmed necklace)
Tanya: Where'd he get that?
Peldor: No idea, but it's not magical. We can sell it, though, if
we need liquid funds.
Tanya: (nods, turning the thing over in her hands) It should fetch
at least two thousand crowns of gold.
Peldor: Not crowns - we're not in Greyhawk any more.
Tanya: Sorry. Old habits, and all that...
Peldor: We'll have to learn to break them.
Tanya: It'll be fun.
Peldor: Yeah.
Tanya: What about Mongo?
Peldor: Mongo already gave me a greater gift than anything he could
have found for the wedding...(he pats the longsword at his side)
Tanya: Magical?
Peldor: Unbreakable, from what Mongo and that sage said.
Tanya: Sage?
Peldor: (shrugs) I figured he might be able to learn something that
Mongo didn't know.
Tanya: And?
Peldor: And, the sword's forged from adamantite. It may have other
powers, but he couldn't tell without borrowing it for a week or two.
Tanya: Obviously, that's not an option any longer.
Peldor: Nope. (he removes a small sack of coins from the larger,
magical sack, putting it on the floor) From Rillen and Songa, we
have these. (he holds up matching furred cloaks)
Tanya: Nice.
Peldor: He said that Songa made them herself, from the pelt of a
mountain lion she slew this winter.
Tanya: Nice-looking cloaks.
Peldor: Yeah...too bad the warmer weather's just about here.
Tanya: Well, maybe we'll end up in colder climes.
Peldor: Could happen.
Tanya: (looking at a hollow wooden tube that rattles when shaken)
Now what in the world...?
Peldor: Peyote.
Tanya: What, is it full of beans?
Peldor: Seeds, actually.
Tanya: Oh, boy.
Peldor: He said to plant them if we ever needed help overnight.
Tanya: Maybe a wall of thorns, or weeds, or trees?
Peldor: I got the impression it was something like that.
Tanya: Almost makes me hope we don't have to try and use it...
Peldor: (removes several carefully-wrapped disc-shaped items)
Tanya: What's that smell?
Peldor: These are pies, from Leonardo. To keep us company when we're
nowhere near good food, he said.
Tanya: (checking the pies) Apple, blueberry, cherry...banana. Yum.
Peldor: (hands her twin silver amulets, each bearing a carved insignia
of a blazing sun) Derider gave us holy symbols of Pelor.
Tanya: (jokingly) Not Peldor?
Peldor: Nope. I haven't gotten that far...not quite yet, anyway.
Tanya: I'll keep my holy symbol of Celestian, thank you.
Peldor: Who knows, these might come in handy...
Tanya: Weren't there some more things...things too big to bring along
with us?
Peldor: Yes. That big desk Gorin gave us...the cuckoo clock Rob gave
us...things like that.
Tanya: Hmm. (she frowns) Say, I've been wondering about something.
Peldor: Yes?
Tanya: Didn't Nerof try...you know, try to get you back? Maybe he
made an offer or a promise or something?
Peldor: He tried - sent a messenger to the inn, that evening. But
even if he'd offered me the Guildmaster position - which he wouldn't,
because it's final - I wouldn't have stayed.
Tanya: It's the thought that counts, I guess.
Peldor: Right you are...right you are.
Tanya: Well, shall we go downstairs and have some supper?
Peldor: Yes! I'm starving, and the last few days' meals on the road
haven't been outstanding.
Tanya: (makes a face) Rations...
Peldor: You can't polish a turd. C'mon, let's go get a hot meal in
our stomachs.
next: a new adventure for the newlyweds
ftp: ftp.digex.net in /pub/access/dpm/rpg/stories/adventurers
ftp.nol.net in /pub/users/zac/rpg/adventurers/
ftp.tas.gov.au/misc/stories
www: http://www.access.digex.net/~dpm
http://www3.hmc.edu/~kshobaki/adventurers
homepage: http://www.gatech.edu/oit/oe/design/thomas/adv.html
mail: tmiller@cimmeria.ns.gatech.edu (preferred)
thomas.miller@oit.gatech.edu (emergency)
notes: For your benefit, here's the complete list of their
wedding presents from their close friends (not all of these
were discussed in the story itself):
Alindyar/Lyra scroll 4x1st, 3x2nd, 2x3rd, 1x4th M-U
Arnold necklace ~2000 gp
Belphanior figurine emerald badger
Bosco ring of mind shielding
Derider holy symbols of Pelor
Ged bag of holding
Gorin desk hand-carved, weighs a ton
Halbarad boots made for walking
Leonardo pies apple, cherry, blueberry, etc.
Mongo (longsword) +6...
Nenya/Deryck painting rare, elven
Nerof Gasgal lamp magical, has a switch
Otto rare liquor 4 bottles, from Perrenland
Peyote dust seeds of ?
Rillen/Songa furred cloaks nice and warm
Rob cuckoo clock might be magical
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