Chapter #1217
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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 +
+ 1991-2026 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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+ THE BRIGHT ALLIANCE +
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+ Alindyar 18th level dark elven wizard, illusionist +
+ Belphanior 18th/18th/18th level elven fighter/wizard/thief +
+ Irina 14th/7th level female human priestess/warrior of Istus +
+ Dexitheseus 17th level human wizard, enchanter/generalist +
+ Kronos 22nd level lich wizard, necromancer/generalist +
+ Lyra 14th level female drow wizard, invoker/evoker +
+ Pallin 18th level grey elven wizard, teleporter +
+ Parekh 18th level female human wizard, innovator +
+ Shemeya 19th level human sorceress from ancient Sulm +
+ Wu 18th level human wizard, alterer/generalist +
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+ Date: 4/18/587 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: late afternoon +
+ Place: the Brass Hills, within the Bright Lands +
+ Climate: hot and dry +
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+ "We're supposed to be the good guys, right? And good +
+ guys don't hurt anybody." +
+ "Sometimes they do." +
+ - from _Stingray_ episode _That Terrible Swift Sword_ +
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MCCXVII. A Prisoner Revisited
The wizards of the Bright Alliance have finally turned their attention
to a prisoner taken years ago, a prisoner who has been imprisoned in a
powerful iron flask since that battle in another time and place...
Irina: You want me to use one of Istus' most powerful spells to obtain
information from this monk Babuk?
Belphanior: Yes. We need to learn everything we can about the Crimson
Blades' stronghold - where it's located, how exactly it's guarded and
protected, what it contains. Once we know what the monk knows, we'll
be sending a group to deal with this.
Irina: You and the others must be sure the place exists, if you're ready
to take this step.
Belphanior: The others simply feel that such a lair _should_ exist, and
they also _want_ it to, since such a group would certainly have a vast
hoard of wealth and power kept in such a place. (he pauses) However,
I know something they don't: the journal kept by Hope's former self
suggests not only that the Crimson Blades had a hidden stronghold, but
it lists three possible locations of the place. Hope - or should I say
Drusilla - took meticulous notes, all of which have so far proven to be
accurate. (he folds his arms) So yes, I believe there is a lair, out
there somewhere. But knowing three possible locations isn't enough; we
need to know what the monk knows, not just the location but also details
about what resistance we'll encounter. So yes, the powerful magic of
Istus is once again needed.
Irina: (nods) I am aware that my...predecessor Jenna employed this spell
despite being less adept that me. Nevertheless, Istus must choose to
grant it, otherwise I will not be able to help you. (she sighs) I will
need to pray to her tonight, and she will render her decision on this.
Belphanior: That's all I can ask for. Hopefully the deeds of the Bright
Alliance have served Istus' wishes well, and she will aid us.
The elf was fairly confident that the combined work and accomplishments
of himself and the larger group would earn them the goddess' favor in this
matter. Irina would never have been assigned to help him if Istus lacked
interest in his deeds, not to mention that she had a new and growing power
base here in the desert since she was one of only three deities that would
be formally and officially sanctioned by the archmagi. On the off-chance
that the goddess chose not to help interrogate the monk, the backup plan
was to employ ESP and other magic to attempt to learn what he knew. That
method seemed less likely to succeed, as none of the Bright Alliance were
true masters of "mental" magic like ESP and charming; Dexitheseus was the
closest they had to an expert, as he had done some dabbling with assorted
charming magic over his long career. At any rate, Belphanior hoped, the
preferred outcome here would be Istus lending her support through Irina.
Hopefully, the high priestess would have an answer in the morning.
Irina: We will see. If it was meant to be, it will be.
Belphanior: Right.
She departed then, to seclude herself and commune with her goddess;
Belphanior spent the rest of the evening gathering his thoughts on not
only the Crimson Blades and the coming interrogation of the monk but
also various other matters. He was concerned about the potential next
move of the Circle of Eight - friendly, neutral, or otherwise - and he
was also trying to figure out some way to convince their former member
Tenser to reconsider joining the Bright Alliance. That fellow had been
of great help in the effort to topple Rary, and if he desired, he could
also be a highly-contributing member of the new group that was remaking
the former wasteland. The only possible issue was Tenser's devotion to
the cause of Good; while that wasn't a problem in and of itself, it could
be an area of concern in matters such as the Verzak Massacre (as it was
being called by the inhabitants of the desert) and potential parleys with
the vast hordes of undead beneath the sands.
Belphanior stayed up late indeed that night, pondering these and other
issues and concerns, and was not as well-rested as he would have liked to
be the following morning. The elf was having a light breakfast while he
stood at the fortress' wall and gazed out at the vast desert beyond, his
thoughts known only to him, when Irina approached with a determined look
on her face.
Irina: It is done. Istus has granted us this favor.
Belphanior: That's great news. (he pauses, not wanting to seem pushy)
So...when exactly can you work the magic?
Irina: I prayed for and received the holy incantation during the night.
We can get to work today.
Belphanior: That's it? You make it sound so...
Irina: Easy? Rest assured, it was not. Although both receiving this
spell and using it should be easier for me than it was for Jenna. Not
that she had issues.
Belphanior: (recalling that past event) Nope. She actually did quite
well. I doubt that interrogating a powerful vampire was easy.
Irina: It's very possible that interrogating this monk won't be easy,
either. Based on what you've told me, there's no telling what sorts
of training and discipline he has, given the fact that - like all of
those Crimson Blades - he was a master of his profession, with vast
experience.
Belphanior: (nods) We're taking precautions.
A short time later, the high priestess saw for herself exactly what
those precautions were. While the Bright Alliance did not share all of
the details of the underground chambers beneath the fortress, Irina was
not surprised to learn that that complex included cells as well as an
interrogation room. However, the latter was nothing like she expected;
the hemispherical chamber was about forty feet across with a single door
to afford entry and exit. A score of stone seats were built into the
perimeter; within this ring, at the center of the domed chamber was one
more seat. Seeming to extrude directly from the stone floor, this chair
of rough-hewn stone was covered with thick padding and cushions. It was
also surrounded by a thin, shallow circle cut into the room's floor; this
ring could be populated by whatever protective wards were necessary for
a particular occupant of the central chair.
Today, that individual was the lean, wiry monk known (if never formally
introduced) as Babuk. While he had not been present with the majority of
his group during the battle at Panagaea, he had made up for lost time in
the great battle at the Center of Time. After incapacitating Pallin's
pale hound and then incapacitating the wizard himself, the swiftly-moving
monk had avoided the bulk of a barrage of flaming arrows from Lyra before
finally being stopped cold by Alindyar's use of a powerful magical cage.
And there he had remained, all this time, until the Prison of Zagyg had
been brought to this subterranean chamber. The nine wizards of the Bright
Alliance were already here, all of them seated and protected with whatever
magical enchantments they deemed necessary. The exit to the room was also
blocked with mighty wards, and its walls were - like the meeting room far
above - heavily shielded against all types of scrying and teleportation
magic.
Parekh: Welcome, friend Irina, and please accept our sincere thanks, to
you and your goddess.
Irina: (not one to be impressed or intimidated by even an assemblage such
as this, she simply nods) Istus is pleased to be of help in this. The
prisoner...?
Alindyar: (gestures to the small gilded cage which is already inside the
protective circle, on the stone floor next to the chair) He is within
that cage, to be released when the time is right.
Parekh: We didn't want to let him out until the exact moment you'll cast
your spell.
Dexitheseus: Even though an unseen barrier around that chair will keep
him at a safe distance...it is best to take all precautions.
Irina: I see. Will this barrier interfere with my spell?
Pallin: No. Like certain anti-magic shells, it is a one-way measure...
although inverted from such standard configurations. We can use our
spells and items from outside, but anything within will not function,
nor can he physically reach us.
Kronos: Before we begin, can you briefly describe the nature of this
spell, for those of us who have not witnessed its power?
Irina: The spell is one of Istus' most powerful boons. Called the Hands
of Fate, it is extremely powerful truth magic. (she holds up a small
hourglass filled with blue sand) The spell lasts as long as the sands
inside this glass take to pass, and that will vary with the willpower
of the spell's subject.
Belphanior: Wait, so we may not have a quarter-hour like we did with the
vampiress?
Parekh: Vampiress? (she exchanges glances with Pallin) What vampiress?
Belphanior: A previous target of this spell, long ago. Nothing to worry
about right now. (to Irina) How long can we question the monk?
Irina: Impossible to say. We must simply watch the rate of the sands'
flow, once the spell begins.
Alindyar: What exactly transpires after the spell is cast?
Irina: While the sands flow, the subject of the spell has no conscious
thought, no confusion, no anger...they are simply compelled to answer
any questions asked of them, truthfully and to the very best of their
knowledge. (she pauses) In the event that they are intimidated or
panicked, they will be more susceptible to the spell - although with
this individual, I doubt that will be the case.
Kronos: I see.
Irina: Also, it is best that only a single person ask the questions, to
avoid confusion given the subject's mental state from the spell. Aside
from that, just keep track of the time remaining from the sands of the
glass.
Pallin: What happens when the sands run out?
Irina: An empty mind. Best case - if the subject doesn't resist the
spell - is amnesia, no memory whatsoever of the questioning. Worst
case - if the person fights the spell - is permanent amnesia, the loss
of all memories...past and present. (she regards the tiny cage within
the protective circle) I think it is safe to assume this monk will
resist, and fiercely.
Belphanior: So basically, after the sands run out, his mind will be gone
forever?
Irina: Assuming he resists the magic, yes. (she frowns) I suggest that
you choose your speaker and your questions ahead of time, and then ask
them quickly and directly. We don't know exactly how long we'll have.
Lyra: Well, that's unfortunate.
It was quickly decided that Belphanior would be the questioner, since
he had experience doing this before with a subject under the influence of
this spell. The key questions were also determined: where was the base
located, what defenses protected it, and what treasures lay within. Wu
brought up the possibility of any additional strongholds, while Kronos
thought to ask the prisoner if there were any additional Crimson Blades
who, to this point, remained unknown. When everyone had agreed on the
questions and the order in which to ask them - and Belphanior was ready
to take the lead - Irina began working the powerful spell of Istus. At
the same time, Pallin - who had learned this item's words of command via
a combination of Cespedes' writings and his own effort - commanded the
Prison of Zagyg to free its captive. One moment, the small metal cage
was resting on the floor, near the chair and well within the protective
circle and its magical guards. The next moment, a man was lying prone
on the stone floor, still clad in the robes and holding the old wooden
quarterstaff with which he'd been fighting just before his entrapment.
Babuk: (shakes his head to clear it, blinks several times, then sits up)
The monk was of average height, and athletic build; even sitting on the
floor, he appeared completely at ease...yet coiled like a spring, ready
to leap into motion. There was no excess fat on his lean form, and the
skin was tight around his angular face and shaven skull.
Babuk: (looking around, he regards the wizards calmly, then stands up)
Where am I? (he wastes no time using his wooden staff to probe the
area around himself, quickly finding the unseen force-barrier that
surrounds him and the chair) I gather that the battle is over.
The archmagi wasted no time talking with him - not in this condition,
at any rate. Irina was already at work...
Irina: (her hands glow brightly as she utters obscure words of power)
Babuk: (backs up a couple of steps)
Moments later, a half-dozen glowing strands of silvery energy formed
around the high priestess' hands and then extended toward the prisoner.
His efforts to avoid them were futile, as they were not quite physical
objects. The arcane tendrils found their quarry, then slowly entwined
themselves around his form, which had abruptly ceased struggling.
Babuk: Urk. (his eyes glaze over)
Irina: It is time. (she turns the small hourglass over) Begin.
next: the secrets of Babuk
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/Bright-Desert_1203.jpg
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 7/10/2026
notes: Some relevant episodes:
- 812 ( 5/ 8/580) (interrogation of Drusilla, by Jenna)
- 976 ( 2/25/581) (contents of Drusilla's journal revealed)
- 1099 (~ 7/19/581) (last appearance of Babuk, in battle)
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