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Part 1 of 2: The City of Greyhawk. N - 10 days
The City of Greyhawk was bustling and rowdy. People were moving everywhere. The traveller was weary, and attempted to move though the crowd quickly. He had paused at a fruit vendor and picked up a succulent melon to keep up his strength. As he moved through the streets, his hood was still up. He would have been more comfortable with the hood down, of course, but the citizens of the city always stared in wonder at the ears. Here elves were essentially among the nobility by virtue of race. He did not care much for that, especially given the poor looking half-bloods that he saw around him. As he passed any of them that were begging, he tossed them a silver in spite of himself.
He sat down at a bench that was not occupied and began to eat his melon. How he loved this city... He had visited many times over the years, of course, and had seen it change face many times. In his time he had made many friends here and regretted that he had not the time to visit as many of them as he would like. He would consider settling here if not for his duties, the duties that kept him busy. Normally he would see those duties through to the completion, but not now. He had come to the city now to answer a message of the highest importance and requiring the most rapid response. Thus he had ridden for many days, despite having magically sped his mount. He had finished the melon and wondered where he should dine tonight. Should he see if Alphonse could find him a table... for two perhaps? Who would the lucky young lady be? He resolved to think upon the matter. Perhaps he should try once again to get an audience with Aestrella Shanfarel. He could but hope! But then so did just about every young man around him, as he was now passing the Halls of Clerkburg.
Presently, he had reached his destination: the Grey College Observatory. What an odd building, and was an entry fee required? He reached into his purse and found it empty. Damned thieves! Next time he would be fool enough to sit down at a park bench, he would conjure up a mousetrap in the purse, or perhaps an alarm cantrip. That would satisfy his humour on the matter. He went up to the door and knocked loudly. How was the time doing now? The door opened and a middle aged gentle-lady motioned him inside. He pulled his hood back, and the hostess gasped at the handsome and regal face that she saw smiling before her now. "You must be the lovely young Melf that I have heard so much about!"
"Young," thought Melf "I must be three times her age!" He spoke aloud, "That is correct. Good day to you!"
Karol Zagan inspired deeply. Before her was the most handsome young man she had seen for many a year. He has the features of a Grey Elf, but he also seemed quite human as well. She had met many nobles before but never a prince, and none this good looking. She was told not to address him as a prince... private elf business. She noted that he wore his hair much shorter today than she had expected. It was no less silky and inviting than she expected, however.
"The master of the Observatory is waiting for you upstairs, if you will follow me. I have some melon waiting for you as you must be famished..."
They ascended a great spiral staircase. The stair ended at a doorway that was open. The hostess motioned him inside. Melf looked around the large chamber and beheld all manner of devices for viewing the night sky. These devices were mounted on all manner of platforms that were accessible via a network of stairs. The air was cool in here, and on the lowest level, there was no wall that was not covered with star charts. Melf looked around and saw an elderly man up a nearby ladder. He was working over the viewer in front of him, and seemed to be polishing a lens. Melf smiled and called out not too loudly, "Agath?"
The former High Priest of Celestian looked down and saw Melf. He immediately put down his equipment and descended the ladder, he strode forward and they embraced as friends. "Hello again, young man! How long has it been?" asked Agath of Thrunch.
"Far too long! I have find myself humbled by both the memories and by the sheer numbers of people whom I owe visits."
Agath looked at Melf with glee. Ah, to be this young again! To be an elf and have a completely different outlook on life. Melf spoke, "You are looking fit."
Agath appreciated the compliment. He had been very busy in his near retirement, and the work was required that he keep himself very active. He had managed to loose most of th e middle age flab that had afflicted him and the majority of those in his profession. If he had a regret about accepting this position as custodian of the observatory, it was that it bound him to the city and he really wanted to be travelling to the West. "Thank you! But I must suggest that there will be time enough for this later, our colleagues await in here."
Nodding, Melf followed Agath into an inner chamber and beheld two men, both well known to him. One was Ravel Dasinder, the city High Priest of Boccob for the city and authority on the subject of magical phenomenon and manifestations. The other... well, Melf noticed that he had shaved his head since last they met.
Sweeping low, he addressed the Elf Prince. "Good morning, your highness. Thank you for responding to our urgent summons, and promptly."
Melf cringed. Mordenkainen always did this. Address him by title to begin with and then by name forever after. He would call it paying the proper respect, but Melf knew it owed more to Mordenkainen's eccentric concept of balance in all things. Mordenkainen could not be trusted with just about anything unless it was necessary for the greater good, thought Melf, such as the many monster tactical reports that they had prepared together. Mordenkainen's use of these was very worthy, but that was about the only interaction that Melf would usually tolerate. This was becuase they would usually end up arguing about something. Still, Mordenkainen had said that there was an urgent matter of interest to him, and if he was anything, he wasn't a liar.
"Well, any excuse to pay a visit to the city, I say! But regardless, you have some problem for which you need my help?" said Melf as dispassionately as possible given the company, and wondering exactly what it all entailed.
"Yes, now Agath, could you be so kind as to show our esteemed colleague what we have discovered?"
Agath motioned Melf over to a viewing device that was pointed outward to the sky. Melf noted that it was pointing a little downward, which he thought very curious. "You will find it pretty easy to use. The lever here will assist with the focus of the lens. We do not all share the blessing of the elf sight, myself especially."
Melf looked through the viewer and saw that indeed it was pointed overland rather than skyward. Through the viewer he saw a shimmering and ghostly pattern of lights somewhere above ground. He focussed the viewer until the landmarks came through clearly, and found himself gasping in awe at the beauty of the pattern. Was it some sort of shape or crystal lattice? Even more curious, thought Melf, was the fact that it was moving overland albeit very slowly.
"It is beautiful, if I indeed I am looking at that which I think you are directing me to look at." said Melf
"The crystalline lattice? Yes indeed," said Ravel. Melf felt his intuition was telling him to be wary of comment here.
Mordenkainen seemed to notice his ally stiffen. "Allow me to come straight to the point. You recall that seminar that I gave on the subject of wild magical phenomenon, perhaps five years ago?"
Indeed Melf did remember, it was at that same conference that he had attracted the attention of a lovely young lady by name of Sheroyl... or so he thought at the time. There was one person he would not be finding the time to visit. "I remember. Is this manifestation one of those that you were inviting speculation upon?"
"Yes indeed. This is one of the Spinning Helixes of the Archmage. We had not long discovered them at the time by chance at the time, and there is little more that we know about them to this day. However, thanks to a certain amount of creative ingenuity on the part of Agath here, we can locate them and track their movement."
Melf nodded, clearly impressed. "Thank you for inviting me to share the spectacle." He went to return to the viewer. He felt a hand on his shoulder that he knew belonged to Mordenkainen. "There is something more that you have to tell me?" Melf asked.
"Yes there is..."
...
Melf found himself staring through a third viewer at a third Helix. Astounding! That there were three active and relatively close by. He looked back and found that the mood on the faces of the three wise men had grown very grave. He looked back and forth between them, and waited for speculative debate to begin. When they remained silent for a while longer than Melf was comfortable with, he decided to break the deadlock for them. "Well, lets be having your thoughts then!"
Mordenkainen spoke. "We have been tracking them since we discovered that there was more than one in the vicinity. Tracking them... very carefully."
"They have each been following a path that will see them converge and we have found that they will soon converge on the one spot." continued Agath. Melf found himself suddenly alert. He waited for Ravel to break the surprise to him, but he already had a fair idea.
"Yes Melf, the three Helixes will soon converge on the site of Greyhawk Castle north of the City."
...
Melf was standing to attention as Mordenkainen prepared to introduce him to the party that would be sent to investigate the unique phenomenon. He was escorted to another chamber within the observatory and watched with awe as the great archmage caused the wall and all the star charts on it to shimmer and disappear. Melf noted that Mordenkainen neither gestured nor spoke when he willed this to occur. Really! He must ask for a lesson, and he must get a commitment before leaving here today!
Melf looked into the chamber beyond and looked at the people that gathered there. He noted that none turned to look at the wall. Clearly Melf was looking in through a special one way effect. He saw that the noble Bigby was addressing the group, and the members varied in the degree of attention that they were paying to his words. Next to Melf, Mordenkainen spoke. "Well, let us begin with Fioranna Ailestriel on the left, you know of her and her release from service to Nyrond as Ambassador to Greyhawk?"
Melf smiled at the pleasant memories of their time together in the past, "Yes we know each other, and well. She has some free time on her hands now?"
"Yes, and she is eager to tackle the mystery of the Helixes head on. I expect that she will be the one that will have the most to gain from Bigby's lecture."
"Yes, and next to her?"
"That is Kirilarien Allavesse, she is a servant of the elf-father and you will find her abilities indispensable. You may have heard of her group of colleagues, the Fellowship of the Torch?"
"I have... vaguely." replied Melf. "They are not currently adventuring?"
"All are still active but they gather together infrequently. Kiri here is very interested in the mystery of the Helixes. Now... specific skills were called for for this mission, and I had in mind Murfles to fill a position. You know of her?"
"Yes, I know Murfles as well. She is busy?"
"Too busy to answer the summons, I am afraid. Fortunately, Drawmij was able to vouch for this capable fellow here. His name is Oceanus, and he is a resident of Southern Keoland. He has been a valuable ally of the Militia there for some time, before the Wars, in fact."
Melf looked at the Sea Elf who was slumped in his lounge and looking bored. He was fair rippling with muscle. Despite this, he seemed to have a well toned grace to his body, which was almost naked save for the most modest of briefs and a robe of kelp that no doubt sustained him out of the water "... show-off !" thought Melf to himself.
Melf's attention came at last to the two final members of the group. They were both alert and paying close attention to the flourish of Bigby. Melf looked at them for the first time and was speechless. Both were young and petite, no more than five feet tall, but what really caught his attention was the the braids of honour on their surcoats. Mordenkainen did not seem to notice the attention that Melf was paying to these two, nor did he notice Melf's eyes glaze over as he wept silent tears of joy.
"These last two hail from the Vesve, and both have lived in or near Highfolk at one time or other. The first is Ambara of Flamethrower."
Melf regarded Ambara lovingly. She was stunning and as fit as he was, more so perhaps. He saw the interlacing green and silver patterns on her grey uniform and wept some more.
"Next to her is a fine young dual practitioner who has glowing testimonials from no less that Philidor himself. Indeed, she owes many of her special talents to his blessing, in recognition of a special mission of extreme risk that she handled alone. Ambara is also a dual practitioner, I might add."
Melf was having trouble maintaining his composure at the sight of this beauty. She was tiny, her dark hair pulled back into a small but unruly bun at the back. She was an elf, of course, but like no other one he had seen before. Her skin had a bronze sheen to it that he could not explain. "What is her name?" he asked of Mordenkainen, and a little more excitedly than he had intended.
"Ah, she is a child who has survived a very unfortunate upbringing. That sheen that you would have noted is a mark of her drow parent. The story is too tragic to tell here and even I do not know her real name, for she is unable to tell it. She is perhaps the most talented acrobot you could ever hope to meet. We know her as Passing Shadow."
Melf was upset for her but entranced. She also wore the green and silver mark of honour. It was unmistakable and he recognised it on sight. Redundantly, he mouthed the words, "they are practitioners of the Bladesong..."
"Practitioners of the Bladesong ?" Mordenkainen was replying, "You are mistaken Melf, Ambara and Passing Shadow are not practitioners of the Bladesong. They are masters of it!"
Melf felt giddy. The rarely seen Bladesingers were among the most esteemed of elves. They had vowed to defend any elf in distress to the death. Melf considered this as something of a cruel irony, for most elves would allow themselves to be imperilled just for the honour of meeting one. He turned to Mordenkainen and considered the look of the party: young, fit, comprising a good many young women whom he found especially tasteful and no doubt very talented in their specific fields. He was agonising over how to ask for inclusion in this party. To his surprise, he found Mordenkainen was asking the question. "So, would you like to join the party?"
Melf answered slowly. "You are asking me if I would like to investigate the mysterious Spinning Helixes... and to do that I would have to venture to Castle Greyhawk, possibly into the dungeons below... In doing so, I would be joining the most superb looking elf band that I have ever seen... Tell me Mordenkainen, what do you think?"
"Is that a yes? Are you agreeing to the offer?"
"YES I am! Twist my arm why don't you!" Of course, to do would require Mordenkainen to wield great magic, as Melf was no slouch as a fighter and could give Old Baldy here a run for his spell components.
"I need to ask another favour, would you consent to lead the party?"
...
Agath had helped Melf to come around. Little time had passed, as Bigby was continuing his lecture. Mordenkainen was asking "I didn't hear an answer Melf, would you be willing to lead this capable groupm or not?"
"Divine the answer for yourself then, if it is not obvious!"
"Excellent! I could not think of a way of explaining your decline to Ambara and Passing Shadow, given that they had generously agreed to act as your personal bodyguards and that they are prepared to defend your safety to the death... or something like that."
Melf was astounded. What a day for good news! Where was the bad? This was Mordenkainen he was speaking to.
"... You will be provided with a variety of items to ensure your safety against the effects of the Spinning Helixes. You will be provided with the Silver Key of Portals to speed any access problems that you have beneath the castle. You know of it?"
Melf nodded.
"... and everyone will be equipped with a Wand of Wonder."
Melf was ready to strike Mordenkainen. "Is that your idea of a joke? You know that those items are renowned for doing exactly what you don't want them to do and at the most inopportune of times."
"No joke Melf, I believe that you will find these items to be a little more... easy to control beneath the Castle. For indeed, were they not conceived by the fertile imagination of the Mad Archmage himself?"
Melf was not sure if Mordenkainen had adequately addressed his concerns. Mordenkainen was continuing, "that leads me on to my next point. Two other adventurers will be joining you, but could not be present for the briefing. They will replace Elraniel Tesmarien of Nyrond, who I had hoped would be able to join you. Sadly, he is gravely ill at present..."
"I am very sorry to hear that..."
Mordenkainen was still continuing regardless of what Melf had said, "I hope to have these two ready for you to inspect tonight. The first will be your most valuable ally for the mission. You will travel with a young man by the name of Kormath Burrsten."
"I do not recognise the name. Should I know of him?"
"You would not know of him, but know this now. Up until recently, he was the sole pilgrim of Zagyg. Guardian of the House of the Mad Archmage, his location and the location of the house is always changing. It was last heard of in Dyvers. Later today, I expect it to be in the vicinity of the City. When it appears, Ravel will know."
Melf nodded. Still Mordenkainen was explaining. "Ravel will vouch for him and will also brief you on his skills. But essentially, he will be your guide and healer. His knowledge of chaos magic and the way through the castle will make him indispensable. I must warn you though, he is more than a little eccentric..."
"Very well... who is the other that will be joining us?"
"Aestrella Shanfarel."
"YOU MUST BE JOKING!"
"No. Why are you unable to accept this? Is your ego mocked by my choice? said Mordenkainen with irritation.
"You are sending the Grand Diva of the Royal Opera House with us? Who will ensure her safety?" replied Melf, not even attempting to hide the stubborn tone in his voice.
"Oh, do be quiet Brightflame! A more talented Bard you will not meet. Besides, I believe you will find that she has an abundance of hidden skills that she is eager to keep to herself, until the time is right..."
Mordenkainen was arranging for him to be introduced to Aestrella Shanfarel... what a lark! Melf was already savouring the identification of each and every one of her skills, hidden or not, and could that time be as soon as tonight?
Mordenkainen was calm again, "I must also apologise for not being to provide you with the services of a druid, which I feel feel would be an essential beneath the castle... believe it or not. Given the urgency of the mission, I was unable to locate a suitable candidate in time. However, both Kormath and Kirilarien should be able to compensate between that between them. Now, you should join the others for the final stage of the briefing. Bigby has been waiting for you before he starts on the subject of the Ring of Five and their apprentices..."
...
Mordenkainen watched and listened through the magical window as Bigby concluded his speech. Ravel Dasinder drew close. "You know, I can't say that I have seen you in such a sombre mood since that Doomgrinder affair."
Mordenkainen rippled irritably at the mention of that incident. "What a complete farce that was, and here we were worried that it would turn out to be something much more. Bah!"
"Still, it was a bit of fun at the time, eh?"
"Of course. It did leave more questions than it answered, though."
"Hmmm... Mordenkainen, this is an exceptionally skilled group. I am unsure if it is fair or wise that you have hidden the details of the hidden menace that they will be facing..."
"Ravel, you more than anyone should be able to appreciate my motives. Firstly, the Balance must be preserved. If I were to tell them that some great force of evil will challenge them beneath the Castle, Melf will no doubt prepare all sorts of precautions that will likely see him fail in his quest." with this, Ravel Dasinder nodded in agreement. "Furthermore, would it be fair of us to tell them of a menace that is so skilfully cloaked that neither of us have been able to penetrate the protective field? All we know is that they will be fighting for their very lives. Melf will relish the challenge." Ravel shuddered at the thought of this, that a potent force of darkness was so skilful as to be able to hide from the strongest of divination, that was able to hide from both of them.
"You are sure that Melf Brighflame is the best choice for the mission?"
"Absolutely... I hope..."
To be continued... The next day, half a world away...
