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Post by Dungeon Master on Nov 15, 2008 13:56:30 GMT
"Nay, the Shade in Anauroch. They came this winter and are slowly consuming the sands, creating an Empire of Shade. If theyve moved into Neverwinter Woods or even further then maybe our chances are further reduced." replied the woman sadly
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Post by Rumbleskin Ironeater on Nov 17, 2008 11:32:09 GMT
<Rumbleskin Ironeater>
"Hmm..." remarked the Dwarf, stroking the copious hairs on his auburn beard "Shades in Neverwinter and in Anauroch and his royal hissiness abroad again. This has wider repercussions. Perhaps we should, an' I be only talkin' out loud here mind, but perhaps we would be better placed tryin' t' hit yon Shades, assumin' th' Scaly Upstart be usin' them to boost his ranks. If that be th' case, it should cause him t' slow down a pace an' re-think his plans... What think ye Zeric?" the Dwarf remembers his manners, blinks, takes a step back and introduces the pair: "My apologies... Zeric, this be Aesha of th' Sands o' Anauroch. Aesha, the mage, Zeric"
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Post by Zeric on Nov 17, 2008 22:44:03 GMT
"Sorceror," Zeric corrected the dwarf automatically, forgetting that in the dwarf's time there had been no sorcerors. "The distinction is quite important, Rumbleskin. A mage, or wizard would turn you into an elf for making the same error.... It is considered a grave insult among their kind as they view my profession with contempt and arrogance that disguises the jealousy that their book learning and written spells can not compare to a directly tapping The Weave itself for the power of magic. However, I would not be so boorish as to transmute your flesh into another species. Perhaps you would prefer to spend the rest of your days as a small nugget of gold?"
He then winked to reveal his jest, saying with a touch of mirth in his tone, "Zeric of Westview, Madame Aesha. I am your humble servant."
The melancholy mood that had hung over him since the encounter with The Shade in the village seemed to be passing. Perhaps a result of the sea air, or the company? Or maybe the cure that Myrmidion had fashioned was beginning to take effect.
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Post by Rumbleskin Ironeater on Nov 18, 2008 12:56:26 GMT
"Well blow me sideways wi' a fish fork" exclaimed Rumbleskin, the skin around his eyes crinkling and his beard shifting in a huge grin, "Methinks that be th' first lesson in magic a Dwarf has e'er been given." Rumbleskin half-hides his gesture for 'not a clue' from Zeric and follows it up with a wink "An' tae be tole ye kin casually fulfill any good Dwarf's hopes fer yon afterlife too, namely turnin' ol' Rumblie intae nugget o' gold, well... I thank 'ee fer yon advice an' apologise fer any offence caused, goodman"
Realising he was in 'polite' company, Rumbleskin blushes and nods to the Sand Witch and Zeric to continue their introductions...
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Post by Zeric on Nov 18, 2008 18:59:18 GMT
The normally serious Zeric let out a belly laugh at Rumbleskin's jest, "Ah, 'tis a long time since I felt like this, friend Dwarf. I thank you for the remedy."
He wiped the tears from his eyes, drew a breath and continued, serious once more, "My lady. Since I have a vested interest in besting one particular Shade, I feel 'twould be best if I increased my knowledge of such aberrations in order that education might serve as a weapon in the fight against their evil schemes."
He proceeded to tell Aesha the tale of his encounter with the Shade at the village in Neverwinter Wood. He told the tale as he had to Lord Nasher in the city, but did not reveal the purpose of their voyage to Waterdeep.
"Bearing that in mind," he concluded. "What can you tell me of the Shades of your desert homeland? Any nugget of information might go towards piecing in the puzzle that will result in their defeat."
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Post by Dungeon Master on Nov 18, 2008 20:51:28 GMT
"The Shade are searching Anarauch looking for Netherese artifacts or power. Hoping to create a new Netheril for the shade. Think of it, a country full of shades. Nay, Wizards born hundreds of years ago, wizards who were around when Karsus cast his spell. Stole Mystryls power and turned her into Mystra, reducing her power considerably and ending his life." her eyes narrowed.
"You see the Shade want to take over, they are corrupted by the power of Shar, goddess of the night. Living hundreds of years on the plane of shadow is enough to corrupt any one. Moving away from the weave and using something else, something more corrupting. Its difficult to say why anyone would go down this road"
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Post by Zeric on Nov 18, 2008 23:26:44 GMT
"The power of The Weave can be corru[ting enough to those of undisciplined minds," Zeric stated. "But what is there that could be more corrupting than pure magical power? Are you suggesting there is some dark and evil analogue to Mystara's Weave? And do you perhaps think the purposes of the Shades of Anauroch and Neverwinter Wood are in some way connected?"
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Post by Dungeon Master on Nov 18, 2008 23:45:16 GMT
"I think we can say that, the Shadovar, those Netherese wizards who disappeared some 400 hundred or more years ago almost certainly have a new way of tapping into magical energy. All those years they have been denied access to the weave and as such most likely brought the alternative here." replied the woman
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Post by Zeric on Nov 19, 2008 1:07:18 GMT
"So, I suppose it would be fair to refer to this other Weave as the Shadovar Weave?" Zeric offered.
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Post by Dungeon Master on Nov 19, 2008 10:13:06 GMT
"Sorcerer, sometimes its better not to put a name to such things. Such evil should probably be hidden. The thought of some 'academic' or some 'do-gooder' trying to use the dark weave for good will corrupt the minds or normal creatures. You can call it what you want, but it will only lead magic users into temptation. This must be stopped." replied the woman.
"The thing is Zeric, Mystra for all her faults lets anyone use the Weave. No penalty, you dont even have to worship her. She doesnt care. What is the penalty, what is the price that one must pay to use the other Weave? If its Shar, as I speculated before, what price is the dark goddess asking for? With Selune on the wane, Shar is obviously after bigger fish. The control of magic, that would raise her power to dwarf all the other major powers and the world will be consumed in darkness and we all become Shade. No good, no kink of light left." she ranted passionately
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Post by Rumbleskin Ironeater on Nov 19, 2008 10:43:24 GMT
Feeling dwarfed by the implications of the conversation, Rumbleskin looked perplexed. Magic and Human Gods were so far out of his knowledge base that the names barely registered.
Far more used to seeing a target and hitting it, Rumbleskin felt at a complete loss on how he could contribute to the scene unfolding before him.
'There's something in all of this' mused the Dwarf 'something that links everything together. Why would Sssakathka wish to ally himself wit hthese Shades? What would the Scaly Lizard benefit from a world of darkness? If, as the Lady says, this evil method of doing magic would destroy the hopes of any normal caster accessing the weave, well, he has crippled the spellcasting abilities of his foe... in fact...'
"So THAT's what the cold-blooded dung-beetle of a demon is doing!" exclaimed Rumbleskin...
Realising that he had just exclaimed out loud, Rumbleskin apologised: "Sorry... It just appears that if yon weave is destroyed by this other form of evil, well then there's no magical defense left to use against the Lizard King. I know that the repercussions go much further than that, but I be lookin' fer a link an' that be it, methinks. If there be no magic available fer us tae use again' him, None o' us kin banish him. Methinks Sssakathka be a creature more o magic than flesh an' blood an' it'd be my reckoning that it be taking a weapon forged o' magic tae stop him. All magic we know of works on yon weave..."
Rumbleskin left the thought hanging...
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Post by Dungeon Master on Nov 19, 2008 16:36:41 GMT
"You make a good point dwarf, but I cant see the forces of evil joining together in that way. In all honesty, your destiny and that of your group is to stop this demon, I suspect that the question of shades is something that will affect us all in the long term. Fight one battle at a time and dont get caught on multiple fronts. Isnt that what you warriors say?" she replied her eyes smiled.
"So a demon you say? Tell me more of this Scaley kind. We have many strange things in Annauroch, things that the rest of the Realms has yet to see and some things I hope the Realms will never see....."
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Post by Dungeon Master on Nov 21, 2008 17:36:53 GMT
OOC- As Ill be without Computer from Wednesday. Ill shift the campaign to Waterdeep when I get back, so any more info ask away. Im sure she'll answer
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Post by Rumbleskin Ironeater on Nov 24, 2008 11:17:32 GMT
"Well, Lizard Kings" said Rumbleskin to Aesha's query "They be th' bastard offspring o' a demon an' th' Lizard folk. This here particular one were last seen abroad some three hunnerd year ago an' he nearly brought th' Realms to it's knees." Rumbleskin stroked his beard in recollection "Last time it took th' Duke o' Daggerford an' a stonkin' magic sword (no doubt o' Dwarven craftsmanship) t' rid us o' him. An' now it looks like he be back fer more..." Rumbleskin's face turned slightly white in the telling of the tale. He finished by saying "I jus' hope it's nae gonna involve unitin' th' races o th' Realms again this time... Seems t'me that communications have broken down somewhat atween us all in th' past three centuries..."
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Post by Dungeon Master on Nov 26, 2008 23:39:06 GMT
"Your on a Quest for a sword, dear dwarf, to kill this Lizard King? Its a solid quest, where will you be searching? Waterdeep is a massive place, probably the largest city in the whole of the Realms. So what do you know of this sword, tell me of it?" she responded. OOC- Ill start Waterdeep on Monday next week. At least one person knows where your headed 
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