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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
"A Stone golem, my, my, I should have known." said Ivo. The
old gnome walked around the ogre and examined it with care. "An ugly
brute, human work."
"Do you recognize it?" asked Talberth.
"I can tell the work of a human hand, but nothing more than
that." Ivo told him. "The stones here are old, this golem is old as well."
"We can't get it out of the hall." said Harold.
"Bound to this place no doubt." said Ivo.
"Too bad it cannot speak." Talberth mused.
"At least it still obeys commands," said Telenstil, "or
so it appears."
"What a wonder we have found." said Ivo. "Too bad that we
found it just now."
"I am glad that we found it at all." said Talberth. "And what
about the golem? We can use it against the giants."
"If it cannot leave this room I do not believe it will
be of help." Telenstil was sorry to dampen Talberth's enthusiasm.
"Do we know that it can't?" Talberth waved at the dark corners of
the hall. "We have not even explored this room. There are openings in the
pit that we could try."
"It may be safe here for the night," said Telenstil, "but there is
only one way in and the same way out. If the giants found us all they
would need to do is to roll a boulder over that entrance and we will be
trapped."
"Maybe there is another way out, a door or down through the
pit..." Talberth objected.
Ivo shook his head. "That shaft was clawed from the living rock,
the gibberlings could find no other way out." he paused for a moment to
think about Talberth's suggestions."There might be a hidden door."
"A door, there must be a door." said Talberth.
"We will have a few hours to search." Telenstil said. "But
Talberth, this is a poor place for us to camp. Too close to the giants,
too many things unknown, all this..." he waved toward the columns,
"perhaps more dangerous than the giants are themselves.
"I will start searching now then." said Talberth. "Harold will
you help me?"
"I will..." said Harold. Little Rat tugged at his sleeve. "We
will." he corrected himself. "What happened to the orcs?"
"What?" Talberth exclaimed, he twisted his head back and forth
looking for them but they were nowhere in sight. "Where did they go?"
"They followed you here," said Harold, "they didn't go back down
the passage. Maybe they fell down the pit."
"We aren't that lucky." said Talberth. "Let's go, they might have
found something."
"I can wish, maybe they are lost." said Harold.
"If you find anything," Telenstil said to them, "come right back,
do not explore on your own."
"We will." Talberth said over his shoulder, he was already leaving
them and following the curving wall to the left of the entrance looking
in.
"Ivo, I think it is best if we bring the others here." said
Telenstil.
"I agree," said the gnome, "but I do not trust this chamber or
our new toy there." he nodded at the ogre.
"We have not found safety anywhere." Telenstil rubbed at the back
of his head as he talked, feeling the slight scars of an old
wound. "Better to be away from the entrance. The chance of danger seems
greater from the outside than it does in here, despite all that
we do not know. That is how I feel."
"I hope that you are right my friend." said Ivo.
* * *
(To Be Continued...)