Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

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jcftao
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Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

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A week or so passes since your departure from The Ways. In the meantime, much has happened.

Odimus has invited you into his home, which from what you can tell, is hidden in the forest a short walk away from a standing stone.

As he had promised, the forest provided a sunlit glen abound with wildflowers. Bizenghast was laid to rest in this peaceful location, in the hope that she has found comfort and rest at last.

Odimus' dwelling is a curious sort of thing. His "hut' as he calls it, is nestled in a peaceful wood and is a comfortable little cottage. It looks like a woodcutter's hut. On entering, the interior seems to be the same, except for beyond the door leading into a pantry or some small closet. This door opens into a long hallway with doors on either side. As you walk down the hall, you see additional doors to both sides. Each door opens into a spacious room or study. One door...you think it may have been the sevently door on the left...opens to the outdoors. Beyond the door is a woods of large fir trees and a sparkling blue lake. Odimus mentions to be careful visiting this lake. A guest of his makes his residence in the waters. He is not harmful, but is quite shy.

His larder is full of food...bread, cheese, sausages, eggs, pickles, and more. Occasionally a visitor from the town of Isprey will drop by and bring supplies. Odimus is a gracious host and there is little that you want. He spends much of his time in his study or walking along the lake beyond door number 5.

You are rested, refreshed, and comfortable. To stay here would be an excellent choice. Odimus doesn't seem to mind the company at all and he has plenty of room. But many of you may have other adventures ahead. It is your choice to make.

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Re: Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

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Odimus tells you that there is no shortage of adventure near Isprey.

The town is a seaside fishing town of about 2500 people. South of it lie the Fish Marches, an area of swamp and tidelands that borders on the territory of the Dagonites. These are your typical humans that worship fish-demons and like to kidnap fishermen for unholy ritual.

To the north is the Kettleshire, a large collection of hobbit holes. Nearby the shire are hillmen, barbaric fellows that guard their hills feverently.

Farther to the north and a bit west is the Silverwood and Hall of the Elven King.

To the west is the bulk of the Kingdom of Eyre...wherein lies Rumpstone (where Erwin and Moonglimmer started) and the Forest of Nye.

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mythictom
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Re: Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

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One day, after they have spent some time getting to know one another, Moonglimmer will approach Odimus when they are alone.

"Master Odimus," the elf starts tentatively, "do you know anything about the Lost Song Elves and their dealings with a witch named Maub?"

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Re: Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

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mythictom wrote:
Sun Mar 28, 2021 1:25 am
One day, after they have spent some time getting to know one another, Moonglimmer will approach Odimus when they are alone.

"Master Odimus," the elf starts tentatively, "do you know anything about the Lost Song Elves and their dealings with a witch named Maub?"
Moonglimmer finds Odimus sitting by the lake on a warm, sunny day. It always seems to be good weather in room No.5.

Odimus takes a puff of his pipe, "Well, of course, I've heard of the witch...<he looks behind him and around>...you being one of the Lost Song Elves know it's best not to say her name aloud, but we are quite far from the Geistwald."

"What I have learned from my studies and from other magic-users is that Maub seems to have blown herself up many years ago BUT even in death, she still has a hold on the area around her castle."

"If you want to restore your tribe's magic, you'll need to delve into her castle. Perhaps your song is gone forever, but maybe there is a chance it is hidden somewhere in the depth's of the witch's dungeons?"

"You are a good elf and a heavy burden lies upon your shoulders. I can offer you what knowledge that I have and start you on your way. Mau...er..that witch was rumored to have made pacts with dark forces. Did you know that she was the sister of Titania, the Fey Queen? If you thought Titania was ill tempered, the witch is a thousand-fold worse!"

"If you and your friends wish this, I can use the standing stone to get you to the Geistwald (the dark forest in which Maub's castle lies). You know of this standing stone, it is in the Chokecherry Woods, your ancestral homeland."

Moonglimmer knows about the standing stone. It lies in the Chokecherry Woods, but in a portion of the woods that is the territory of Big Yog the bugbear and his tribe. Big Yog isn't a typical bugbear, though. Your tribe has worked with his in fighting a common enemy in the wood, Skitterlegs, the Spider-Queen and her evil spiders. Attercop knows only too well how Skitterlegs rules her spiderlings with an iron web! Big Yog's bugbears would need to help you get into Maub's castle, he is a honorable chieftain, but capricious. You know that he hates Skitterlegs and Maub.

Moonglimmer and Odimus talk at length at the edge of the beautiful lake. "One more thing, that rapier you've acquired, it is enchanted. The fey noble you borrowed it from may want to get it back. It is a weapon of quickness. As you've drawn it, you certainly can feel how it leaps into your hand. With a weapon such as this, you will strike first against most opponents. Also, the blade is made of a bronze alloy. The fey don't like iron or silver, but bronze is a favored metal. The enchantment has made it stronger than the strongest steel and allows it to hold a sharp edge."

"Keep it close at hand and if that pompous fey lord comes looking for it, give it to him point first."

[In game terms, the blade allows the wielder to strike first in any encounter (but not if surprised) and is +2 to hit and damage. The first strike is only for the first round of initiative. Subsequent rounds are rolled as normal. So, as a shortsword, it is +2 to hit and does 1d6+1 (+1 for damage instead of +2 because a fey lord's weapon is more of a shortsword in scale and would do 1d6-1 damage. So, 1d6-1 +2 is a total of 1d6+1]

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Re: Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

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Moonglimmer thanks Odimus for his counsel and tells everyone else what he told her.

Anyone up to visit with some (mostly) friendly Bugbears and then plunder a witch's castle?

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Re: Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

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Otis - Fighter

Otis enjoys hanging out at Odimus' crib, and he makes himself useful with tidying things up and trying to make himself less of a nusiance. Curious about the warning of sorts about the lake, Otis will spend time trying to figure out what the big deal is at the lake.

He'll also spend some time chatting with Katherine. "Miss Katherine, other than my friends here, you're the only friend I've got. You helped me and my buddies, and you made me think about what I wanna do with my life from here on out. And I owe you. I wish you could stay with me, but you've been forced to stick with people for a long time when you haven't been able to decide for yourself, and that's not nice. It's time you decide where you go and who you're friends with. So if you've helped Miss Moonglimmer with her questions about gettin' back what she's missing, then I think it's time that you go and do what you what, where you want. So where do you want to go? Can you leave this mirror? If you can't maybe Master Odimus could find a spot here, it's pretty, and he seems like a right nice fella, and I doubt that nasty Queen can find you here. What do you think? It makes me sad, but I want you to be happy, not doin' what other people tell you to." So Otis will wait to see what Katherine wants to do. He fears toting her around in her breakable state, and he also fears if the Queen somehow catches up with him while he has her. Of course, if she thinks Odimus' house is a good destination, he'll politely ask him if that's okay.

As far as next steps, Otis perks up at hearing about Moonglimmer's idea. "Friendly bugger bears? Bad bad witches? Helpin' you git back what that witch took from your people? Count me IN!, I'll be right by your side!" Otis smiles and drifts off into a daydream, of him fighting bad witches side by side with smiling happy bugbears, and then he chuckles at the thought of that smarmy noble coming to reclaim the sword. Happy bugbears and sword-sliced evil fey nobility dance around in his brain....
Last edited by badams30 on Sun Mar 28, 2021 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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mythictom
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Re: Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

Post by mythictom »

"The Happy Bugbear" sounds like a really cool name for a tavern!!!

Also, because the Internet provides.....

Image

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badams30
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Re: Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

Post by badams30 »

mythictom wrote:
Sun Mar 28, 2021 6:39 pm
"The Happy Bugbear" sounds like a really cool name for a tavern!!!

Also, because the Internet provides.....

Image
Just wait... Otis is intrigued by happy shiny bugbears now.

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Re: Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

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:clap: :clap: :clap:

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Re: Chapter 9 ~ Odimus of Isprey

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Odimus listens to Otis' concerns about Katherine.

"Otis, your friend Katherine is a magical creature. Maybe you have heard of djinns? They live in another realm and are sometimes bound to the service of their master. Well, Katherine is like a djinn but instead of a lamp, she lives in a mirror. Her world is only as large as her master allows. She could have a world just beyond the door of her room in the mirror, but if her master is cruel, he won't let her leave that room. If the fey queen was the previous owner of the mirror, then Katherine would've been very unhappy. Now that you have taken possession, you can release here and she may leave her chamber."

"The mirror itself is a magical object and very strong. It could withstand many heavy blows by a hammer and not show a scratch. Only powerful magic could crack it."

"I will keep the mirror safe. I have just the perfect spot for it. Can you carry it for me?"

Odimus leads Otis to Door No.5 and down the path to the river. Near the edge of the clearing, he finds a tall fir tree and fastens a silver chain around it and attaches it to the back of the mirror. Katherine is curious too and watches from within. She can now look out over the lake and view the sun on the water.

Odimus now cautions Otis to be still and make no sudden moves as he makes a few steps towards the water. "Come out, come on now...these are my friends, Otis and Katherine." Odimus waits for a few moments and Otis can see the water swirl around and the grass by the lake flatten. Something large but unseen moves up the hill.

In a wink, a creature appears. It is a dragon! Emerald scales and large head with light green eyes. It looks a bit timid, not like any dragon Otis has heard of.

"This is Yarrow, the reluctant but most magnificent dragon ever to be!"

The dragon takes a step back, tucks his head under one wing and peeks out at Otis and Katherine. Katherine's eyes light up with delight! She claps her hands and has a beaming smile, "How wonderful! I've neven seen such a handsome dragon!"

Katherine tells Otis, "Thank you for keeping me safe, Brave Sir Knight. I will accept your gift of freedom from my bondage and will help Moonglimmer in any way that I can. This is the best that I could hope for! I can leave my chamber and walk among the gardens of my realm and then I can always look out upon this beautiful lake and talk with my new friend, Yarrow!"

Odimus quietly says to Otis, "This will be good for both of them. Yarrow gets quite lonely when I am away on my travels. Katherine, now that she is free, can wander her realm, but the sad fact is that her realm is void of other creatures. She lives in a world of many rooms and gardens, but no one else can share it with her. You will make her very happy having a friend like Yarrow. He is quite a conversationalist. A bit childlike, but very curious and will love to hear the stories that Katherine will tell him. Don't feel sad in the least bit. You may always come back to this place and see your friend whenever you wish. The weather is always perfect, a warm summer's day and at night, the fireflies float over the lake and the moon lights the forest. It took a bit of work to fashion this, but I've always felt at peace here."

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