Chapter #1223
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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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+ Alindyar 18th level dark elven wizard, illusionist +
+ Belphanior 18th/18th/18th level elven fighter/wizard/thief +
+ Hope 16th level female human wizard +
+ Poulos 8th level human warrior +
+ Irina 14th/7th level female human priestess/warrior +
+ Neera 12th level female human wizard (sage/savant) +
+ Otto 12th/14th level dwarven fighter/thief +
+ Adolphus 10th level half-ogre warrior +
+ Damien small, renegade imp +
+ Peyton 11th level gnome thief +
+ Rogar 10th level human priest of Olidammara +
+ Sylus 8th/10th level dark elf warrior/thief +
+ Wembly 10th level human wizard +
+ Paige 13th level human female warrior +
+ Razor Charlie 12th level human fighter +
+ Skektek 14th level human wizard +
+ Ys 14th level reptilian fighter +
+ Lyra 14th level female drow wizard, invoker/evoker +
+ Pallin 18th level grey elven wizard, teleporter +
+ Socrates large albino hound +
+ Talos adamantine golem +
+ Parekh 18th level female human wizard, innovator +
+ Drak 15th level human barbarian +
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+ Date: 4/20/587 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: midday +
+ Place: the northern end of the Rakers mountain range +
+ Climate: cold +
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+ "You know your history!" +
+ "I know my treasure." +
+ - from _The Mummy_ (1999) +
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MCCXXIII. Cleaning House
The expedition to the remote mountain stronghold of Chargrim has proven
fruitful indeed. After a great deal of effort to defeat multiple layers
of protection, both magical and physical, the Bright Alliance descended
to a sub-level and found the slain foe's laboratory. Aside from various
magical items, equipment, and supplies within, they also unearthed a most
unexpected prize.
Otto: (watches as the coffin of black iron is magically moved up the
winding steps)
Skektek: Good thing the stairway was wide enough.
Otto: (frowns) I doubt Chargrim intended to ever remove the coffin, or
its occupant.
Razor Charlie: (thinking about how, if the coffin hadn't fit in the
stairway, one of the archmagi would have probably just made it wider
with their magic)
Paige: So let me get this right...this guy was a prince, and has been
missing for more than ten years?
Belphanior: Fourteen. He was the hero of the Battle of Emridy Meadows
in 569, when the Horde of Elemental Evil was soundly defeated. He
united several disparate forces - men, elves, dwarves, gnomes - and
they won a great victory over a superior force. They went on to sack
the temple itself, overwhelming its upper works and their defenders
and then sealing the temple proper, keeping the evil within its deeps
trapped there.
Paige: Sounds great, but why didn't they go down there and finish the
job?
Belphanior: It's likely that Prince Thrommel feared such an effort would
take too much time and effort, and result in great losses. (he frowns)
Hard to say. I wasn't there.
Hope: I suppose we can just ask him, when we wake him up. (she glances
at Belphanior) We _are_ going to wake him up, right?
Belphanior: We are, but not here and now. We need the expertise of the
entire Alliance on this...to make sure we do it properly and don't harm
him.
Parekh: I suspect the knowledge of Kronos in particular - and maybe
Shemeya as well - will help with that effort.
Hope: I wonder what happened with him, exactly...I mean, who took him,
and why, and how did he come to be here, in a hidden lair belonging to
Chargrim?
Belphanior: It was always suspected that he was kidnapped by evildoers
affiliated with the temple but not sealed within it...and we know that
the Crimson Blades delved into the place later, sometime in the 570s.
(he nods to Hope) We actually know that because of the journal kept
by your previous self. It's proven invaluable in more than one way.
Hope: (frowns) Well...thanks. I think.
Belphanior: So my assumption would be that one of more of the Crimson
Blades explored deep into the sealed part of the temple, defeated
whatever guardians lurked there, found Prince Thrommel - possibly
already in stasis - and took him. (he looks around) To this place.
Alindyar: A most interesting turn of events.
Belphanior: I also recall that Deryck once sent Peyton, Sylus, and the
others to the temple, to scout its ruins and dungeons. We'll need to
check with them, but it's likely that however far they explored, they
didn't go nearly as deep as Chargrim and the others had.
Otto: I'll make a point of asking Peyton about that mission, and whether
they saw anything of note.
As it had turned out, those left in the upper reaches of the citadel
had not been idle...for a band of ogres, having seen the former occupants
of the place depart, had headed there right away in hopes of getting any
treasure left behind. Instead, they had found not only Peyton's band but
also the adamantine golem, which had been left outside with instructions
to allow no one else through the front gate. While the six mercenaries
and the massive golem hadn't coordinated their efforts, everyone had done
their part. Talos simply attacked any foes it could reach and mashed them
into paste, while Peyton's crew dealt with any of them who got around the
construct or tried to climb up to the ledge above. The mercenaries were
more skilled and dangerous than they had been in previous campaigns such
as the assault on the Fortress of the Nine; Wembly in particular had made
great strides in both his confidence and aggressiveness. While he was no
Skektek, he could now target foe after foe with the most optimal spells
for the situation, and do so quickly and efficiently without thinking or
worrying about it as he had in the past. At any rate, the group of about
twenty ogres had not breached the citadel, and when the main party had
returned from the depths of the place in triumph, they had been surprised
at the assortment of blood, gore, and magical blast marks scattered all
around the stronghold's main entrance.
Otto: Good work. (he looks around) Damn good work.
Peyton: We aim to please. As my dear old uncle used to say, something
worth doing is worth doing well.
Sylus: (notes the floating coffin of black iron as it emerges from the
citadel, followed by Parekh, who seems to be controlling its movement)
What's this?
Belphanior: A most unusual prisoner. (he begins talking with Alindyar
about the nature of that individual, while Pallin follows the coffin
with a large floating disc atop which various smaller treasures are
stacked, while Sylus simply marvels at these things)
Adolphus: (to Sylus) You think they am wanting Adolphus to help carry
coffin?
Sylus: Not this time, my hulking friend. Our wizardly employers seem
to have things well in hand.
Adolphus: But me can help. (he ambles away sadly) Me really could.
Wembly: (watching the heavy metal coffin pass by, he resolves to start
learning telekinesis magic at the next opportunity)
Damien: (sitting on a boulder) Coffin, huh? Wonder if there's a mummy
inside.
Rogar: Or a vampire, maybe. (he takes a swig from his wineskin) Not
our problem, in any case. Especially if it's a vampire.
Nearby...
Parekh: -not only is he the only son - and heir - of King Belvor of
Furyondy, but he still has a fiancee in Veluna. Granted, she's a bit
older now...but this will still be a better ending to their story than
the one everyone thought they had.
Belphanior: There's also the potential unification of the two kingdoms
to consider. That will be no small thing.
Alindyar: Indeed.
Lyra: Neither will be...the fact that everyone involved will have the
Bright Alliance to thank for the Prince's safe recovery. (she smiles
thinly, pleased that the group is continuing to do things that make the
world a better place)
Pallin: Let's assemble all of the items over there, in that courtyard.
Once everything is brought up, I'll open a portal to our fortress in
the Bright Lands.
Alindyar: (working mighty magic) And I shall cover this entire place
with an illusion to mask all of that.
The current effort - which would take several hours if not the rest of
the day - involved bringing up all of the useful contents of Chargrim's
subterranean workshop. A small team was still down there identifying
which items were magical and whether they could be moved safely. Quite
a bit of the non-magical contents were also valuable, such as the dozens
of tomes and scrolls containing yet-to-be-determined arcane knowledge and
lore. Last but certainly not least, they had found a trio of large chests
that contained a fortune (not a small fortune, either, but a rather large
one) in gold, platinum, and gemstones.
Belphanior: Interesting that he kept only the more valuable metals, and
only higher-quality gems.
Otto: Yeah, I noticed that. It's not surprising, really - why hold onto
copper and silver when you have gold and platinum, you know? (he nods)
Either way, it makes our life easier.
Belphanior: (nods) And the Bright Alliance's fortune grows.
The two of them had rejoined the bulk of the elf's team in the citadel's
subterranean laboratory, where the work of identifying what to take (and
then getting it secured before moving it up and out) was being supervised
by Neera.
Neera: (to Ys, as he hefts a large crystal urn) Watch out for that, it's
fragile.
Ys: Right.
Neera: (to Skektek) We'll need another floating disc over here, please.
Skektek: (somewhat annoyed at being told what to do, he bears in mind
that some powerful magical treasures will come from all this labor) No
problem, I'll conjure one right up.
Belphanior: (surveys the area, pleased to see that everyone is working
well together despite their personalities) We've built a good team.
Otto: Yeah. Speaking of which, I'm planning to give a small monetary
bonus to each of Peyton's crew. They stayed fairly busy while we were
down here, and I don't want them to feel like they missed out on any of
the action, or the treasure.
Belphanior: Sounds good to me. I trust your judgment.
Pallin: (having just returned to the laboratory, he examines its walls,
running one thin hand along the stone) Hmm.
Belphanior: What is it?
Pallin: This area is basically teleportation-proof, similar to several
other such places that we - or you, in the case of your old dragon's
vault - have encountered. It stands to reason that Chargrim's methods
of doing this will be found among all of his scrolls and tomes here,
and I'll also take a sample of this enchanted rock. (he nods) Which,
combined with the same things from Rary's fortress, and perhaps those
from the purple dragon's vault...not to mention what few notes we have
from Cespedes, who also had interest in this subject...(he folds his
arms, a pleased look on his face) I think we can render our fortress
even stronger and better-protected against intrusion, given time for me
to study everything.
Belphanior: That sounds great.
Otto: (looks around, surveying the work and its progress) Looks like
we'll be done here by late afternoon, thanks to all of the magic being
used to clear this place out. What's next?
Belphanior: We'll take this loot back to the Bright Lands and get it
properly cataloged and stored...we'll get the others to help figure
out how or if we want to try and awaken the prince...and at some point
we'll pay a visit to King Belvor in Furyondy.
next: a deeper look at the things plundered from Chargrim's citadel
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: 8/21/2026
notes: I found a pretty good article online, concerning the Battle
of Emridy Meadows: https://greyhawkstories.com/wp-content/uploads/
2019/04/the-battle-of-emridy-meadows.pdf
Belphanior mentioned in this episode that Deryck had tasked the
Misadventurers with checking out the Temple of Elemental Evil, but as
was said, they (obviously) didn't get as deep into the place as the
Crimson Blades already had. Anyhow, their less-fruitful explorations
were set up around 2/6/579, in episode 643.
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