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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
This is a first draft of a story set in the world of Greyhawk.
It is based on a home campaign so some of the people, places and things
may be different. Any helpful comments or suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks
Jason Zavoda
Gytha stepped from the cell, she left Jalal sleeping, healed
of his wounds, but weak and tired. She felt weary herself, being a
vehicle for the Saint's grace and power enriched her spirit but
took its toll on her strength.
"Gytha," called Telenstil, "please give us a hand."
The two elves struggled with the heavy beam, Gytha set
aside her metal staff and ran to them, with her help they set
the bar in place.
"Phew!" said Gytha letting out a small huff of breath.
"I concur." said Telenstil.
"And I." added Ghibelline. "How is my friend?" he asked Gytha.
"Asleep, but I believe he will be fine." said Gytha. "That was
a nasty blow he took, and he is frail."
"The giants use up their slaves, at least Nosnra does."
Ghibelline
told them. "The dwarves last the longest."
"We saw no dwarves." said Gytha.
"No, they are kept at the forge, it lies somewhere among these
passages." explained Ghibelline. "It is near their chamber of pain, I
have
been there many times. There are a pair of huge giants at the forge, the
kind that are kin to fire. They look like creatures of that plane, burnt
skin and hair like the embers in their forge."
"That," said Telenstil, breaking into the elfs rambling speech,
"that is very strange. Fire Giants you say, hmmm..."
"Yes, I have heard them talk, but I do not understand their
words,
it is not like the speech of Nosnra or his kind." said Ghibelline. "But
Jalal might be able to tell you more, he has become close friends with
one of the dwarves who they hold at the forge. They use them for the
finer work that the orcs cannot do, the giants of stone find them useful
as well and make sure that Nosnra does not kill them out of hand, but
still they work them close to death."
"Giants have little feeling for those smaller than themselves."
said Telenstil.
"Those are kind words to describe such evil monsters." said
Gytha.
"No, there are giants of all kinds, some are cruel and some
are not." said Telenstil. "I have met worse than Nosnra, giants and
those of our size."
"You are right." said Gytha. "The Saint teaches that the body is
but a shell, it is the spirit inside that matters."
"Wise words." said Ghibelline.
* * *
Meatstealer turned to Boss, the orc who leads, prepared to go to
the humans aid, but Boss held him back.
"Let them kill him, maybe they can cut down the other one as
well." Boss said in the gruff orcish tongue.
"They'll cut him to..." Meatstealer began but stopped as he saw
the human down one then another of the rebel orcs with bare feet and
hands.
"Maybe this one doesn't need help." Boss shook his head. "He
has Gruumsh's own strength, ah they have him now."
They could not see what had happened, the rebel orcs closed in
and blocked off their view.
"I don't know." Meatstealer said. He could hear the shouts and
cries of pain coming from orcish throats but not cheers or laughter to
say that they had slain the madman or captured him for slow death
by torture.
The crowd swayed, the rebel orcs seemed to draw in like sand
falling down an hourglass, funneling to one point. There was a final
shout and the rebel orcs set off the way they had come leaving their
dead and wounded behind.
* * *
(To Be Continued)