Chapter #1228
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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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+ Dexitheseus 17th level human wizard, enchanter/generalist +
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+ Date: 6/1/587 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: early morning +
+ Place: the Brass Hills, within the Bright Lands +
+ Climate: hot and dry +
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+ "How'd you know?" +
+ "Oh, a lifetime of experience." +
+ - from _The Equalizer_ episode _No Conscience_ (1986) +
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MCCXXVIII. Dexitheseus
Within the fortress of the Bright Alliance, atop a massive plateau in
the heart of the Bright Lands (formerly known as the Bright Desert back
in more troubled times) the wizard Dexitheseus moved through his tower,
putting his possessions and supplies where they needed to be as he sorted
things out.
Dexitheseus: (whistling as he sails through one floor of the tower atop
a translucent, floating chair of force)
This was the old wizard's preferred way of getting around, at least for
those times when a lot of getting around was called for. Conjured into
being as needed, the chair had a concave disc as a base, the entire thing
a single "piece" of magical matter that served as a mobile platform that
he could ride to avoid a lot of walking. As always, he'd put some plush
cushions and a fine blanket onto the magical seat, for his own comfort.
Dexitheseus: (raises one thin arm, the ring on his hand pulsing with
magical energy)
The wizard used his ring's telekinesis power to lift a box that was in
the wrong place, move it across the room, and set it down in the corner
where it belonged. As he'd gotten older, this ring had made his daily
life incredibly easier; he no longer had to pick things up or do physical
work himself. In fact, he'd gotten rather proficient at using the ring's
powers to manipulate various household items for various household chores
(indeed, this was how he practiced utilizing the ring, keeping his skills
sharp with daily use).
Dexitheseus: (suddenly remembers something he left on a higher floor)
Aha. (he mentally guides the force-chair over, into the central shaft
of his tower, and then upward toward that other level)
Dexitheseus' tower was a classic, simple rounded design with a pointed
turret at its top. Eighty feet high, it tapered from bottom (thirty feet
in diameter) to top (ten feet in diameter). At the tower's center was a
narrow vertical shaft that spanned the entire structure, from bottom to
top, in one continuous line. There were only four floors, all of an open
design with high ceilings; their floors were at ground level, the twenty-
foot mark, the forty-foot mark, and the sixty-foot mark. Each floor was
a single giant room, with a specific purpose: the ground floor was where
Dexitheseus lived, ate, and rested...the second floor served as a storage
area for all his things (due to his great age and extensive travels, the
wizard had a lot of things)...the third floor was a library and workroom
for studying and tinkering...and the tiny topmost floor was empty save
for an ancient, well-worn leather chair in which he sometimes liked to
sit and think. The pointed roof was for show only, affording no access
into or out of the tower. The entire structure was fashioned of bluish
stone of a moderate hue - not bright enough to appear gaudy, and not dull
enough to appear boring.
The vertical shaft had a permanent anti-gravity effect, so that the
tower's master could move up or down - either in a summoned force-chair
or without it - freely and easily. At his age, joint pain was a fact of
life, and Dexitheseus preferred to be as comfortable as possible as much
as possible - and had the means to do so) Aside from the lack of gravity
in the central shaft, the tower's only other significant magical property
was its high resistance to damage and spells of movement or rock-shaping
that would otherwise allow an intruder to enter the building. As was the
case with almost all of the Bright Alliance wizards' homes here, Pallin
had advised Dexitheseus as to the most effective methods of preventing
unwanted access, this knowledge augmenting everything that the elder mage
already knew. As for physical access, the tower had no windows at all,
just a single small, simple wooden door at ground level. Of course, this
portal was far sturdier and more powerful than it appeared. It was also
guarded on the outside by a pair of massive stone golems, designed in the
form of armored warriors of unusual size; one construct was stationed to
either side of the small entry door. Visitors to Dexitheseus' home were
not meant to approach and knock, but rather to wait nearby as the wizard's
magic alerted him to their presence and he then decided whether to let
them in or not. The two golems were enchanted so that he could speak in
his own voice through their stony mouths; he could also issue commands to
them from afar, using the power of his thoughts. Further, each of these
golems bore a magical glyph on its chest; these protective markings, if
touched by certain offensive magical attacks, would reflect those spells
right back upon the caster.
Dexitheseus' tower had one other resident - not a guard, nor a servant,
henchman or hireling. This unique being was at once both construct and
familiar: it was called Zudar, and it was a highly-magical owl fashioned
of mithril, its internal gears and workings powered by bizarre magic. The
metal owl could fly, had multiple resistances and protections, and could
bring to bear a few other other spell-like abilities. The mechanical
bird had been a gift from an obscure deity whose temple and priests had
been saved from doom some forty years ago, in Dexitheseus' youth. While
Zudar had been with him ever since, the wizard did not often travel with
it, and had not previously shown it to his fellow members of the Bright
Alliance. Now, as they established new homes within their great fortress
amidst the Brass Hills, more than one of them was revealing associates
as yet unseen by the others.
Dexitheseus had little need of immediate company inside his tower; he
had never married or sired children, and in his old age, the metal owl
served the same purpose as a dog, cat or other pet did for normal people
in the world. In his simple tower, with a lifetime's worth of knowledge
and possessions, the old wizard found not just happiness but the kind of
clarity and focus that kept his mind engaged and busy. His hobbies and
interests were few: he enjoyed reading, tinkering with simple devices
and mechanisms, and the collection and study of coinage. As a matter of
fact, he owned a collection of several thousand different coins from all
the lands of the world, representing not just current designs but those
from the past. Sometimes, he would sit in his chair and look through his
collection, simply enjoying thinking about (or in many cases recalling
memories of) the specific region from which a given coin originated.
Physically, Dexitheseus was in his late seventies with a thin, almost
frail frame and a long, wispy white beard. The hair atop his head was
sparse, his face lined and wrinkled with age - but his dark brown eyes
still gleamed with uncommon intelligence and clarity. Born in Nyrond
shortly after the turn of the century, he had always remained loyal to
his homeland while at the same time roaming the rest of the world, having
adventures and dealing with evil whenever he found it. He did not engage
in physical combat, instead relying on his spells and his staff of the
magi to deal with foes. Due to his age and limited strength and speed,
the wizard was a proponent of protective barriers and fields; before any
battle, he always employed such magic to help ensure that he wouldn't be
taken out by something as trivial as an arrow or a charging swordsman.
The other magic items he always wore were his ring of telekinesis (which
was actually more powerful than typical rings of this type, for he had
once used it to push a pair of ogres away from him), another ring, this
one able to summon a powerful djinni, and a white robe of the archmagi.
Dexitheseus also typically carried his pouch of holding and cube of force
on his person, and had sometimes been known to wield a unique wand that
could generate and launch small, powerful meteorites. Also owned, but
usually kept at home, were his well of many worlds, crystal ball, and
alchemy jug. With the capabilities of that last item and a great deal
of painstaking research over the last few years, he was (and had been for
a while) agonizingly close to perfecting a unique potion, a very special
formula that would temporarily restore fifty years of faded youth and
strength but could only be quaffed once in one's lifetime. If he could
ever perfect this great and wondrous draught, it would provide him one
hell of an emergency option in a combat situation.
Not unsurprisingly, Dexitheseus had accumulated a sizable number of
spells over the years. Almost all of them were commonly-known (if not
commonly-usable by the majority of wizards in the world) but the crafty
old mage had developed a handful of his own unique new spells. These
included the force-chair that he frequently conjured into existence and
used to move around comfortable...a giant fist of red energy that both
struck with great physical force and simultaneously inflicted burning
damage...another spell that gently but firmly pushed objects and people
aside as if they were water to be parted. These last two spells had seen
use many years ago, in the battle at the Fortress of the Nine, and were
representative of the sort of new magic Dexitheseus tended to invent:
simple and with a single use. It was likely that he had some other such
incantations stashed away somewhere within his extensive but often-messy
library.
Outside of battle and other challenging situations, Dexitheseus led a
more or less magic-centric life. To him, magic was the answer to every
problem, and he always sought those solutions first, before considering
other options. He was pleasant and soft-spoken, and preferred this to
the more active behavior he'd displayed in his youth; he was simply too
old to fuss and worry and argue if he could avoid it. He was also far
less concerned than others with ambitions and goals, having already spent
a lifetime pursuing and achieving those. At this point, he preferred to
enjoy life, helping others where he could...and the Bright Alliance was
the perfect way to do that, especially with an entire geographic region
now under its control and all prominent evildoers slain or neutralized.
The group's predecessor, the Cabal put together by Parekh, had possessed
the same potential but had lacked direction and the push needed to become
relevant. While it would have found those things in time, that process
had been accelerated by the defeat of Rary and subsequent efforts to make
the desert a better place...and at this point, just over a year later,
there was no denying that they had been wildly successful. As a result,
Dexitheseus was quite pleased, and eager to continue the work. He'd been
put into a diplomatic role several times already, and not only done well
but genuinely enjoyed these efforts. He'd also been able to bring some
good friends from his past adventuring group into the fold: first Oakly
Greenleaf, then Lord Marcus. Over his long career roaming the Flanaess
and putting evil in its place, he had made the acquaintance of dozens of
kings and other rulers, and he intended to leverage those relationships
to further the Bright Alliance's goals. Despite his age, Dexitheseus
had a strong feeling that some truly great times still lay ahead.
next: Bright Alliance member profiles, part four: Kronos
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/Bright-Desert_1226.png
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 9/25/2026
notes: So this is the first of these eight "profile a wizard"
episodes to tackle someone we didn't already know a lot about. While
I am doing these alphabetically, and thus Alindyar/Lyra and Belphanior
came first, the other six Bright Alliance members have always been more
of a mystery. And that's the purpose of this series, or pseudo-arc, or
whatever you want to call it.
We hadn't seen Dexitheseus much before the overthrowing of Rary and
formation of the Bright Alliance...he showed up in episodes 763 and 776
and 785 as part of the great assault on the Fortress of the Nine, then
he appeared in 978 as part of Belphanior's grim dream, and later on he
helped out in 989-992 as a larger force invaded Skava-Ra. He kept kind
of a low profile for a while after that, but reappeared in 1095-1100 in
the Center of Time mission...and then the attack on Rary in the Bright
Desert...and ever since that he's been around regularly.
I hope that this episode was fun to read and also shed some light on
the old wizard. My goal was to gather everything we had ever found out
about him, and then add some new material to flesh him out and fill in
the blanks. And now I'll be repeating that with all the others.
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