The Prodigal Legend Returns
May 16, 2023 17:05:53 GMT
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Jaezred Vandree and Andy Davy like this
Post by Ghesh on May 16, 2023 17:05:53 GMT
(Following the events of …If I Could Find A Way…)
An afternoon rain soaks the city of Daring Heights in cool and dreary grey. Seeking shelter from the drizzle, Ghesh heads into the Three-Headed Dragon and takes a seat at the bar. The tavern is warm but quiet and sparse — it seems most of its adventurer clientele are currently away doing jobs across the planes.
Peg, one of the three kobold brothers who own the tavern, is assigned to bar duty today, and he is quick to pour a mug of ale for the dragonborn warrior as they exchange pleasantries. As a regular customer and a fellow Kundarian, the two have long been on a first name-basis with each other.
A few minutes later, a familiar black-clad drow walks into the tavern, totally dry in spite of the rain outside. His silver-capped cane taps a soft rhythm on the woodboards as he makes his way towards the bar and claims the stool next to Ghesh’s.
“Ghesh. How have you been…?”
“I’ve been better. But hey, either they’ve strengthened the beer here or I’m still not quite back up properly from that fight. Either way, it’s nice to have the option to get drunk again.”
“Heh. It’s the small things, isn’t it.” Jaezred grins. The stubble on his face has grown a bit thicker since the incident on Gwynneth, and there is still a sense of weariness in his posture. He calls out to Peg and orders a pint of Whispers of the Wind, a strong, flavoursome barley beer imported from K’ul Goran.
“I thought I should tell you a bit more about the situation in Kundar,” he says after a sip. “There is a wealthy kobold merchant named Matthias Prideborn. Have you heard of him? He owns the Prideborn Trading Company. He has been going out to public places and speaking out against adventurers and the Aegis Accords — he alleges that the Dawnlands wants to keep Kundar weak and reliant upon it; he has been mentioning you, in particular, and your reshaping of the city as an example of adventurers meddling without anyone’s permission.”
“Oh, Matthias? And the Prideborn Trading Company? I remember them when I was still in the pits there. They’d stop by sometimes with supplies, theirs were always the comfiest clothes. Said they were looking out for dragonborn folk in town, they were different to most of the traders like that. I still remember seeing the food parcels they’d share along the streets with anyone without a roof over their head. I think they have expanded a lot recently, since I’ve been over this way, this does seem a shift in how they are talking though. Maybe someone has got their ear with some good business that they are abandoning their ways over…”
Jaezred blinks in surprise. “Is that so? I would never have guessed that. He once went out of his way to help dragonborn, but now he’s alright with his name being synonymous with their oppression? How come?”
“No idea, probably worth finding out though. Someone’s gotta be pulling these strings for a reason.”
The drow lord rubs his chin in deep thought. “Yes… You’ve seen that graffiti outside. That symbol has been worn by a few other people leading the anti-Dawnlands efforts elsewhere. Matthias himself hasn’t been seen wearing it but his secretary has. I know of two pin-wearers whose lives had been turned upside-down due to the actions of certain adventurers. I wonder what happened to Matthias that changed his views drastically…?” He shakes his head. “Anyway. Enough speculation for now. Where was I… Ah, yes.
“Prior to all this, the Prideborn Trading Company hired a party of adventurers for a job set up for failure, just to make Dawnlands adventurers look bad. The man is serious about his agenda. And sure enough, people are buying into it. They’ve been vandalising parts of buildings that are larger, those that accommodate dragonborn. Graffiti with the letters ‘PTC’, broken windows, things like that. Dawnlanders say they get stared at when they visit the city now.”
“So wait, the kobolds who were keeping the dragonborn down are using the equalising of housing to attack adventurers now?” Ghesh says. “I gotta be honest, that’s a spin I did not expect… Did some people get hurt during the remodelling or something? I hope I didn’t make things worse. You have much more of a mind for this kinda stuff, do you reckon there’s any use in me going back at the moment? Or are they gonna find a way to spin that as worse than if I stay away?”
“I have to say, disappearing from Kundar during this time doesn’t look good for you. I bet people are wondering where you are, why you haven’t spoken out against Prideborn’s hate-mongering. I think a lot of dragonborn in the city are scared, too. Sure, Prideborn may somehow spin your return into more bad press, but what are people to think if their Living Legend is not there, seemingly running away from the heat? Better to say something and set the record straight than to do nothing at all, in my opinion.”
Jaezred looks across the room at Peg pouring a stein of lager from a barrel thrice his size. He gives a toothy grin and a cheerful wave in the two veteran adventurers’ direction.
“Tell you what. If it helps, we can see what the future has in store for you.” He reaches into his frock coat and pulls out a deck of black tarot cards, the phases of the moon and constellations of the night sky rendered in white on its back. “A cheeky bit of divination. What do you say?”
“Yeah, I’m not good with the whole publicity thing… It’s good to have your view on it, and your magical insight too if that is an option. I mean, what if I have caused problems? Do they have a point?”
“Ghesh, I come from a city that relies on slave labour. Gladiatorial combat, we have that too back home. So believe me, I know: when Prideborn talks about ‘asking for permission’, he was really saying, ‘How dare the menials think they deserve better.’ They would never have given you permission even if you asked. They wouldn't have given you shit.”
“But the rest of it. Have I left the rest of the citizens in the lurch by disappearing and leaving a dao to coordinate building there? Have adventurers been causing problems for Kundarians? Even if it’s really over the top in how he is describing it, there’s gotta be a reason people can believe it…”
“Most recently, adventurers helped the temples of Bahamut and Tiamat deal with some rogue undead dragon god, actually. That helped the city from what I’ve heard. Perhaps he is right in saying that adventurers have been all over the place, but only because locals keep hiring them. As for the citizens… Well, I believe your reputation has only grown since the remodelling — until now, I guess — but perhaps this is for you to ask around and find out yourself.”
Jaezred casts prestidigitation on the space on the bar they’re occupying, cleaning off crumbs of food and small puddles of beer, and then places a number of ritual implements in a circle on the bar: animal bones, a seashell, a snail shell, and a small amethyst geode. He puts the tarot deck in the centre of the circle.
“Now, shall we?”
“Hold on a sec—” Ghesh downs the rest of his then-quite full drink, then sets the mug to the side. “Alright. Do you need me to do anything for this to work?”
“Since it’s your future I’m reading, I do need you to be involved. Just follow my instructions.”
Jaezred throws back his own drink, puts the empty glass aside, and summons the tome of witchcraft.
For the next 10 minutes, he reads out from a page in the black leather-bound grimoire, a prayer-like incantation to spirits in archaic Elvish, in a voice low enough to not attract too much attention. Nonetheless, Peg the bartender stares curiously at the two of them as their shadows seem to elongate across the floor and candles all around the tavern dim slightly.
After the ritual is cast, Jaezred takes up the deck in his hand and offers it to Ghesh. “Draw three cards, lay them face-up, and for each card repeat this question in your head: ‘What would happen if I return to Kundar?’”
“Hmm,” Jaezred intones, peering over the cards. “The spirits don’t have a concrete answer one way or another. The Two of Swords represents indecision — your indecision to stay or to go, perhaps — and difficult choices; a fork in the road, so to speak. The Two of Cups signify… the connections one makes. And finally, Justice”—he taps on the scales pictured in the card—“is about cause and effect; the consequences of one’s actions. It seems there can be both good and bad outcomes from you staying in the Dawnlands or going to Kundar, but it all depends on what you do, as well as whom you speak to and what they do.”
“Thanks, as much as that wasn’t a clear answer it’s good to know I’m right to be unsure, I guess!” Ghesh says. “It’s probably best I do go and see what is happening for myself, and if I have made mistakes that I try to put it right. Not sure how to actually talk to them in the right way though, I can deal with them lashing out at me but not at this community of adventurers that have become my closest friends…”
Jaezred nods. “May I ask a favour of you? I know you’re not the type of fellow to be up-to-date with the latest word, so once you’re back in Kundar, could you connect me with someone you trust? Someone who could write to me about news from Kundar. I can set up a discreet way for us to exchange correspondence. All you need to do is give them my details.”
“Oh yeah, sure. Not sure who would be best to ask… but I’ll have a think.”
Initially, Kundar doesn’t seem any different to Ghesh when he steps off the teleportation circle. The desert dust almost choking the air. The tireless bustle of a crowded metropolitan. The unforgiving heat. However, as he trods down the busy streets, it doesn’t take long to spot the first instance of the letters PTC crudely scrawled in black on the second story of a limestone building — just like what Jaezred had said, except that a certain familiar three-pronged symbol, shaped like a bird taking flight, had also been drawn over the letters. The further he walks, the more he notices this same symbol painted on the side of buildings, more common than even the PTC’s initials.
He is still not entirely sure of what to do, but he knows he wants to suss out public opinion of… whatever is taking hold of this city. He heads into a pub called the Scale and Flagon, and notices that the bartender is someone he recognises from the gladiator days: a bronze dragonborn called Milo, with his pet pseudodragon perched on his shoulder. The pub is busy, but Milo notices Ghesh and waves him over to the bar.
“Well, I’ll be a son of a basilisk. If it isn’t the mighty hero Ghesh! What brings you to my fine establishment?” Before Ghesh can even answer, Milo pulls a full flagon of ale from under the bar and slams it down in front of Ghesh. With a great smile and a nod, he says, “On the house.”
“Oh, umm, thanks.” Ghesh takes the drink and sits at the bar. “It’s been a while since I’ve made it back, good to see you seem to be keeping well, both of you.” He reaches across the bar and tickles Milo’s pseudodragon under the chin. “Truth be told, I wasn’t sure if people would want me here. Heard word of some speeches going on in town against adventurers, even Kundarians like me. Know what’s going on with that? Apparently me getting the buildings redone so dragonborn can use them as easily as kobolds has caused some problems, I hope I didn’t get anyone hurt with that.”
“Oh yes, Prideborn that would be. Look, I just think that questions were raised about how the deal was made and if the elder council were told. Most of us know that it was for the better of the city, and we thank you for doing it, but some were taken by surprise when earth elementals erupted from the ground. As far as I know, people weren’t hurt but Matthias is very good at stocking up some of the others.”
Milo takes a deep breath. “Look, I’m going to be honest, Ghesh, I really don’t mind what he is saying. For the first time someone is calling for unity in this city, further breaking down the barriers between us and the kobolds. He wants to pull this city out of the sand. I don’t know about the whole adventurer part of what he is talking about, I know you guys help us when we ask for it, but I just wonder why people don’t solve some of these problems on our own. I don’t know why some are getting so angry about things but they are the minority, most seem to think they are misled and taking Matthias’s message to the extreme. We can only hope that Matthias can help them see reason. He’s hosting a totally free street fair in the next couple of weeks — you should come along, it’s said to be a great affair. Matthias is going to be there, maybe you could talk to him.”
“Oh that’s useful to know, I’d be curious to see what he would tell me. Sounds like this unity is at the expense of a lack of unity with other people though, at least for the minority who are trying to take it further. I’ve always seen folks ask for help from adventurers because they see them as friends, and powerful ones at that, who can help when the stakes are high. If they are cut out, then what happens when there’s a big problem, like when a nightwalker showed up? No problem if there are similar strong types here, but if not, then what happens? But if he just wants Kundar to be more unified across the city and the dragonborn are all being treated better, that’s something at least. I just hope it’s not gonna place Kundar against the adventurers of the Dawnlands to achieve that. That would really trap me in a strange position.
“Anyway, I’ll see about coming to that street fair, see what’s going on there. Do you have any rooms free? I’m hoping to stay for a week or so, I’ve missed a lot here it seems so I wanna catch up in person.”
Co-written with Jaezred Vandree and Charlie (DM)
An afternoon rain soaks the city of Daring Heights in cool and dreary grey. Seeking shelter from the drizzle, Ghesh heads into the Three-Headed Dragon and takes a seat at the bar. The tavern is warm but quiet and sparse — it seems most of its adventurer clientele are currently away doing jobs across the planes.
Peg, one of the three kobold brothers who own the tavern, is assigned to bar duty today, and he is quick to pour a mug of ale for the dragonborn warrior as they exchange pleasantries. As a regular customer and a fellow Kundarian, the two have long been on a first name-basis with each other.
A few minutes later, a familiar black-clad drow walks into the tavern, totally dry in spite of the rain outside. His silver-capped cane taps a soft rhythm on the woodboards as he makes his way towards the bar and claims the stool next to Ghesh’s.
“Ghesh. How have you been…?”
“I’ve been better. But hey, either they’ve strengthened the beer here or I’m still not quite back up properly from that fight. Either way, it’s nice to have the option to get drunk again.”
“Heh. It’s the small things, isn’t it.” Jaezred grins. The stubble on his face has grown a bit thicker since the incident on Gwynneth, and there is still a sense of weariness in his posture. He calls out to Peg and orders a pint of Whispers of the Wind, a strong, flavoursome barley beer imported from K’ul Goran.
“I thought I should tell you a bit more about the situation in Kundar,” he says after a sip. “There is a wealthy kobold merchant named Matthias Prideborn. Have you heard of him? He owns the Prideborn Trading Company. He has been going out to public places and speaking out against adventurers and the Aegis Accords — he alleges that the Dawnlands wants to keep Kundar weak and reliant upon it; he has been mentioning you, in particular, and your reshaping of the city as an example of adventurers meddling without anyone’s permission.”
“Oh, Matthias? And the Prideborn Trading Company? I remember them when I was still in the pits there. They’d stop by sometimes with supplies, theirs were always the comfiest clothes. Said they were looking out for dragonborn folk in town, they were different to most of the traders like that. I still remember seeing the food parcels they’d share along the streets with anyone without a roof over their head. I think they have expanded a lot recently, since I’ve been over this way, this does seem a shift in how they are talking though. Maybe someone has got their ear with some good business that they are abandoning their ways over…”
Jaezred blinks in surprise. “Is that so? I would never have guessed that. He once went out of his way to help dragonborn, but now he’s alright with his name being synonymous with their oppression? How come?”
“No idea, probably worth finding out though. Someone’s gotta be pulling these strings for a reason.”
The drow lord rubs his chin in deep thought. “Yes… You’ve seen that graffiti outside. That symbol has been worn by a few other people leading the anti-Dawnlands efforts elsewhere. Matthias himself hasn’t been seen wearing it but his secretary has. I know of two pin-wearers whose lives had been turned upside-down due to the actions of certain adventurers. I wonder what happened to Matthias that changed his views drastically…?” He shakes his head. “Anyway. Enough speculation for now. Where was I… Ah, yes.
“Prior to all this, the Prideborn Trading Company hired a party of adventurers for a job set up for failure, just to make Dawnlands adventurers look bad. The man is serious about his agenda. And sure enough, people are buying into it. They’ve been vandalising parts of buildings that are larger, those that accommodate dragonborn. Graffiti with the letters ‘PTC’, broken windows, things like that. Dawnlanders say they get stared at when they visit the city now.”
“So wait, the kobolds who were keeping the dragonborn down are using the equalising of housing to attack adventurers now?” Ghesh says. “I gotta be honest, that’s a spin I did not expect… Did some people get hurt during the remodelling or something? I hope I didn’t make things worse. You have much more of a mind for this kinda stuff, do you reckon there’s any use in me going back at the moment? Or are they gonna find a way to spin that as worse than if I stay away?”
“I have to say, disappearing from Kundar during this time doesn’t look good for you. I bet people are wondering where you are, why you haven’t spoken out against Prideborn’s hate-mongering. I think a lot of dragonborn in the city are scared, too. Sure, Prideborn may somehow spin your return into more bad press, but what are people to think if their Living Legend is not there, seemingly running away from the heat? Better to say something and set the record straight than to do nothing at all, in my opinion.”
Jaezred looks across the room at Peg pouring a stein of lager from a barrel thrice his size. He gives a toothy grin and a cheerful wave in the two veteran adventurers’ direction.
“Tell you what. If it helps, we can see what the future has in store for you.” He reaches into his frock coat and pulls out a deck of black tarot cards, the phases of the moon and constellations of the night sky rendered in white on its back. “A cheeky bit of divination. What do you say?”
“Yeah, I’m not good with the whole publicity thing… It’s good to have your view on it, and your magical insight too if that is an option. I mean, what if I have caused problems? Do they have a point?”
“Ghesh, I come from a city that relies on slave labour. Gladiatorial combat, we have that too back home. So believe me, I know: when Prideborn talks about ‘asking for permission’, he was really saying, ‘How dare the menials think they deserve better.’ They would never have given you permission even if you asked. They wouldn't have given you shit.”
“But the rest of it. Have I left the rest of the citizens in the lurch by disappearing and leaving a dao to coordinate building there? Have adventurers been causing problems for Kundarians? Even if it’s really over the top in how he is describing it, there’s gotta be a reason people can believe it…”
“Most recently, adventurers helped the temples of Bahamut and Tiamat deal with some rogue undead dragon god, actually. That helped the city from what I’ve heard. Perhaps he is right in saying that adventurers have been all over the place, but only because locals keep hiring them. As for the citizens… Well, I believe your reputation has only grown since the remodelling — until now, I guess — but perhaps this is for you to ask around and find out yourself.”
Jaezred casts prestidigitation on the space on the bar they’re occupying, cleaning off crumbs of food and small puddles of beer, and then places a number of ritual implements in a circle on the bar: animal bones, a seashell, a snail shell, and a small amethyst geode. He puts the tarot deck in the centre of the circle.
“Now, shall we?”
“Hold on a sec—” Ghesh downs the rest of his then-quite full drink, then sets the mug to the side. “Alright. Do you need me to do anything for this to work?”
“Since it’s your future I’m reading, I do need you to be involved. Just follow my instructions.”
Jaezred throws back his own drink, puts the empty glass aside, and summons the tome of witchcraft.
For the next 10 minutes, he reads out from a page in the black leather-bound grimoire, a prayer-like incantation to spirits in archaic Elvish, in a voice low enough to not attract too much attention. Nonetheless, Peg the bartender stares curiously at the two of them as their shadows seem to elongate across the floor and candles all around the tavern dim slightly.
After the ritual is cast, Jaezred takes up the deck in his hand and offers it to Ghesh. “Draw three cards, lay them face-up, and for each card repeat this question in your head: ‘What would happen if I return to Kundar?’”
“Hmm,” Jaezred intones, peering over the cards. “The spirits don’t have a concrete answer one way or another. The Two of Swords represents indecision — your indecision to stay or to go, perhaps — and difficult choices; a fork in the road, so to speak. The Two of Cups signify… the connections one makes. And finally, Justice”—he taps on the scales pictured in the card—“is about cause and effect; the consequences of one’s actions. It seems there can be both good and bad outcomes from you staying in the Dawnlands or going to Kundar, but it all depends on what you do, as well as whom you speak to and what they do.”
“Thanks, as much as that wasn’t a clear answer it’s good to know I’m right to be unsure, I guess!” Ghesh says. “It’s probably best I do go and see what is happening for myself, and if I have made mistakes that I try to put it right. Not sure how to actually talk to them in the right way though, I can deal with them lashing out at me but not at this community of adventurers that have become my closest friends…”
Jaezred nods. “May I ask a favour of you? I know you’re not the type of fellow to be up-to-date with the latest word, so once you’re back in Kundar, could you connect me with someone you trust? Someone who could write to me about news from Kundar. I can set up a discreet way for us to exchange correspondence. All you need to do is give them my details.”
“Oh yeah, sure. Not sure who would be best to ask… but I’ll have a think.”
Initially, Kundar doesn’t seem any different to Ghesh when he steps off the teleportation circle. The desert dust almost choking the air. The tireless bustle of a crowded metropolitan. The unforgiving heat. However, as he trods down the busy streets, it doesn’t take long to spot the first instance of the letters PTC crudely scrawled in black on the second story of a limestone building — just like what Jaezred had said, except that a certain familiar three-pronged symbol, shaped like a bird taking flight, had also been drawn over the letters. The further he walks, the more he notices this same symbol painted on the side of buildings, more common than even the PTC’s initials.
He is still not entirely sure of what to do, but he knows he wants to suss out public opinion of… whatever is taking hold of this city. He heads into a pub called the Scale and Flagon, and notices that the bartender is someone he recognises from the gladiator days: a bronze dragonborn called Milo, with his pet pseudodragon perched on his shoulder. The pub is busy, but Milo notices Ghesh and waves him over to the bar.
“Well, I’ll be a son of a basilisk. If it isn’t the mighty hero Ghesh! What brings you to my fine establishment?” Before Ghesh can even answer, Milo pulls a full flagon of ale from under the bar and slams it down in front of Ghesh. With a great smile and a nod, he says, “On the house.”
“Oh, umm, thanks.” Ghesh takes the drink and sits at the bar. “It’s been a while since I’ve made it back, good to see you seem to be keeping well, both of you.” He reaches across the bar and tickles Milo’s pseudodragon under the chin. “Truth be told, I wasn’t sure if people would want me here. Heard word of some speeches going on in town against adventurers, even Kundarians like me. Know what’s going on with that? Apparently me getting the buildings redone so dragonborn can use them as easily as kobolds has caused some problems, I hope I didn’t get anyone hurt with that.”
“Oh yes, Prideborn that would be. Look, I just think that questions were raised about how the deal was made and if the elder council were told. Most of us know that it was for the better of the city, and we thank you for doing it, but some were taken by surprise when earth elementals erupted from the ground. As far as I know, people weren’t hurt but Matthias is very good at stocking up some of the others.”
Milo takes a deep breath. “Look, I’m going to be honest, Ghesh, I really don’t mind what he is saying. For the first time someone is calling for unity in this city, further breaking down the barriers between us and the kobolds. He wants to pull this city out of the sand. I don’t know about the whole adventurer part of what he is talking about, I know you guys help us when we ask for it, but I just wonder why people don’t solve some of these problems on our own. I don’t know why some are getting so angry about things but they are the minority, most seem to think they are misled and taking Matthias’s message to the extreme. We can only hope that Matthias can help them see reason. He’s hosting a totally free street fair in the next couple of weeks — you should come along, it’s said to be a great affair. Matthias is going to be there, maybe you could talk to him.”
“Oh that’s useful to know, I’d be curious to see what he would tell me. Sounds like this unity is at the expense of a lack of unity with other people though, at least for the minority who are trying to take it further. I’ve always seen folks ask for help from adventurers because they see them as friends, and powerful ones at that, who can help when the stakes are high. If they are cut out, then what happens when there’s a big problem, like when a nightwalker showed up? No problem if there are similar strong types here, but if not, then what happens? But if he just wants Kundar to be more unified across the city and the dragonborn are all being treated better, that’s something at least. I just hope it’s not gonna place Kundar against the adventurers of the Dawnlands to achieve that. That would really trap me in a strange position.
“Anyway, I’ll see about coming to that street fair, see what’s going on there. Do you have any rooms free? I’m hoping to stay for a week or so, I’ve missed a lot here it seems so I wanna catch up in person.”
Co-written with Jaezred Vandree and Charlie (DM)