The Journal of Calamar Eldanil:

Chapter 11: Battle

3rd Sunflowers 591

In the morning, I went to the town hall and cast a spell to break the enchantment on the poor wretch we rescued from Solnee the night before. He had also been under a geas to serve Lazarus as a spy, just as Calper had when he poisoned the prisoner. Now that we had revealed this part of the evil wizard’s plans, we all doubted that there would be more people enthralled so as to spy on the town.

Kiri and Narion turned their efforts into identifying some of the enchanted items we had recovered of late, in case any of them would come in handy in the coming fight.

We revisited the brewer’s house where the Scarlet Brotherhood had set up their den of spies and I cast forth a protective glyph to ward the room he had used as a teleportation receptor. To further hamper anyone who tried accessing the town in this manner through this room, Narion and Rackhe laid steel bear traps all about the floor. If anyone popped into that room magically, they would be in for a rude surprise indeed.

Narion took the heads of Farad and Otrig and placed them on spikes on the front gate. This would serve as a warning to the enemy that their spies had been uncovered. It would also serve to let the wizard Solnee know that his confederate would not be soon joining him after all. Bannar and his dwarves began exploring the sewers below town, seeming almost happy once again to be under the ground and poking about dark places. I will never understand this aspect of the dwerfolk’s nature.

As we pondered over our next steps, Rackhe talked to the mayor and suggested a festival or feast to help improve morale. Alexander Castle thought that whereas this might not be the time, later on after we’d won the battle it would definitely be opportune to celebrate.

About noon, we sat down to partake of the midday meal. The inn was fair bustling today as many people on many tasks moved hither and yon with great purpose. I felt almost guilty not helping them in their work to bolster their community. But I was, in essence, merely a guest in their town and they seemed quite satisfied to let us “heroes” take some leisure and relax when the opportunity arose. Heroes? Well, I’m sure that there would be no doubting to include my three fellows under that appellation. Myself, well … I still felt a little guilty, as I was just here to support them in their adventures.

Suddenly our repast was broken by the loud clanging of an alarm bell. It was the alarm set atop one of the stone towers to the west gate, just outside the inn, and almost as soon as it reached our ears, Ivorean sped through the taproom with his sword belt in hand and out the door. Narion, Kiri, and I went after him, while Rackhe dashed up to our room to arm himself.

We exited the front door of the inn and hustled to the main gate standing opposite, which was barred and shut. We saw Ivorean disappear into the main entranceway of the north gate tower (both towers and the gate being made of stone as opposed to the berm and timber walls) and decided to follow our innkeeper friend. Armed men were charging off to the walls and regular townspeople were milling back towards the centre of town away from the gate. All had an air of desperation and alarm.

Something must indeed be happening.

We approached the tower and a guard waved us up the stairs to the tower roof. Opposite us on the other tower, a militiaman was banging on the alarm bell with an iron bar. As we reached the top of the tower, we came upon Ivorean and a group of other important personages of the town, including Alexander Castle, the magistrate Culbane, and Bannar the smith. Many had spyglasses trained on the enemy camp to observe the activity. As we looked out from the tower top, our gaze moved from a small clump of trees some fifty paces from the wall to our front, over an expanse of a few hundred yards to the lines of the enemy besiegers. At that point, we saw that the pits that had been prepared for the siege engines were bustling with activity.

The siege engines had arrived and were in the process of being constructed by some dwarven engineers. Bannar told us that these must be dwarves from the highlands to the west. “A mercenary lot, no doubt,” he spat with finality. Narion noticed the machines were going up quickly, seemingly being constructed with prepared parts, but saw no siege towers; just heavy catapults. Narion and I noticed the army was bigger than before. Rackhe borrowed a spyglass and started trying to determine who was in charge. He noticed some bigger tents around a barn with a tower set up behind it. On the tower were a number of the enemy, likewise watching us, some using spyglasses of their own. To one side, Rackhe noticed Baron Tees’s standard.

Upon informing us of this fact, Kiri, Narion and I waved cheerily at the group, hopefully indicating to Baron Tees that we were here in the town. Narion pointed out the heads raised on pikes just outside the gates so that Lazarus Solnee would notice them if he were part of the group.

Rackhe conferred with Bannar about shooting one of the highland dwarves. The doughty dwarf huffed and spat, then replied, “Not my kin. Opposite side. They chose the wrong side in this battle. Shoot away as much as you want.” Rackhe picked out one of the dwarves, one directing the setting up of a catapult. He cast forth a couple of enchantments to make his arrow fly true and let rapidly loose two shafts into the sunlight. The missiles arced high into the sky, almost disappearing in the brilliant blue sky. As the turned and began to dive for the target, we watched in anticipation to see the result of this great shot. The first arrow struck the poor engineer in the shoulder and drove down almost its full length into his body. He threw up his arms and, with a short cry, toppled off the edge of the pit he was supervising and rolled to a lifeless heap on the ground in front. The second arrow struck soundly into one of the supports that had been raised for the catapult.

The enemy’s reaction to this was almost comical. There was a brief pause where all near the dead dwarf stood in stunned silence at the death of their companion. Then heads started to crane about, looking for the mysterious force of archers that had approached to shoot him from his perch. Then, as Rackhe’s next arrows hurtled towards them, whistling like stinging death out of a clear blue sky, panic set in and they all began running willy-nilly for any cover they could find. They had thought themselves safe from archery from the walls. Our Northman friend had proved them wrong.

Over the next few minutes, Rackhe fired arrow after arrow at the enemy camp, striking down two-dozen of their number, until his fingers fair bled form the harsh pull of the bowstring. People along the wall were cheering each hit and making bets on each arrow. What had started as alarm at their apparent impotence to react to the arrival of the siege engines; had turned into a morale boost at Rackhe’s striking at the enemy from the safety of the town wall.

As he continued shooting, I went to the inn and returned with a bag of food and wine and a rope ladder. I had also grabbed my sword and Kiri’s magnificent bow. I approached Narion and asked, “Do you feel like finishing our midday meal, my friend?”

He caught the gleam in my eye and, seeing the rope ladder in my hands, relied cockily, “Of course. One must eat.”

With that, we threw the ladder over the outside of the wall and, while Rackhe continued shooting and Kiri covered us from the tower, we descended to the road in front of the gate and proceeded toward some small distance from the wall and beside the copse of trees. Mayor Castle was confused at first, but when we sat down and began to set out the food and wine I had brought form the inn, a broad smile creased his face, turning to a deep laughter as he looked across the field to the enemy. Bannar just shook his head in wonder and muttered, “Elves!”

As we sat and had a leisurely meal of bread and cheese and wine, people began laughing and then began making fun of the enemy. Jeers rose up and soon it seemed as if the entire wall had started to sing bawdy and insulting songs at the foe. Rackhe’s arrow fire still helped to keep those souls brave enough to stick their heads up cause for concern.

When we were finished, we calmly packed up our lunch and ascended the ladder to the tower top, pulling it up after us. As the four of us turned to descend the tower, a great cry rose up from the walls, “Hail the elven heroes! All hail the elf-folk!” This pleased me greatly; that Narion’s and my small gesture of defiance could cause such feeling in these townsfolk that we had come to help at Rackhe’s urging. A larger crowd greeted us on the street and many were the hands that clapped Rackhe on the shoulder as we passed.

We turned to head off back to the inn when Rackhe noticed a bedraggled man in the crowd that seemed oddly out of place. He darted off after the man, who turned to retreat through the crowd to the market. “There!” cried the Ratiker. “A bearded man in a homespun cloak! Seize him!” I cast forth a spell to calm the emotions of the crowd, fearing a panic, and Kiri cast a spell of flying and launched herself into the air. She tried to keep track of Rackhe’s progress and Narion and I did our best to follow her from the street. But she soon lost him in the crowd and returned to us.

Rackhe turned a corner and found a dirty homespun cloak lying at his feet. He put the cloak and hood on himself and continued to the market. He caught a glimpse of what he thought was the man, seeing him talk to someone in the crowd and ducked into the temple of Xerbo, Dropping his bow off with one of the acolytes; he used his enchanted hat to disguise himself as a farmwoman with a small baby. Under this guise, he went back out into the market to search for the man.

He eventually found the man he was looking for. He was talking to a woman and another man. The second man exchanged a piece of paper with the woman and then they all split up in different directions. Rackhe returned to us and dropped his disguise. As we went to retrieve Rackhe’s bow from the acolyte of Xerbo, Kiri suggested that he pay the man for his trouble. “Why?” Rackhe asked.

“As a donation to the church,” she replied, smiling charmingly at him. Rackhe, grumbling, fished out two gold sovereigns and dropped them in the poor box, which pleased the acolyte greatly, thanking us profusely as we returned to the inn.

Once we were in our room, I turned to Rackhe and asked, “Now, what was all that about?” He filled us in on the details and from his description we figured that the woman was the same one who had attacked Narion after our fight in the temple. We surmised that this was possibly Laureth, the spy. But how would we find her?

It was decided that I would use the divine power granted me by the Seldarine to scry out the man’s location. Having his cloak in our possession would give us a powerful link to enable me to divine his location. I asked Kiri to get me the silver ewer consecrated to Kord that we had recovered in one of our earlier adventures so that I might use it as a viewing device for my spell.

“Relying on help from Kord, are you?” jibed my ranger friend.

I just smiled and nodded. “We’re all one big happy family. Didn’t you know?” I winked at him to show I was jesting and turned to prepare to cast my divination.

The surface of the holy water I placed in the bowl calmed and came over glassy and mirror-like, and in it we saw an image of the man sitting at a table in what we recognised to be the Twitching Dwarf Tavern. We decided that we should confront him quickly and with purpose and so set out to the tavern, ready for danger.

As we approached the Twitching Dwarf, some of the town militia caught sight of us and, after recalling our activities at the wall earlier that day, hailed “the heroes!” Through the window of the tavern, we saw our man catch at this call and bolt for the back door of the place. As the other three made for him over the tables, chairs, and patrons, I called forth the power of my armour and launched myself through the air to light between the man and the rear exit to the tavern. I tried to make him come to me by overriding his will with mine through divine magical power, but he resisted, and swerved just in time to have Rackhe sail over a table at him, barely missing the sleeve of his tunic. The Northman sailed past his quarry and landed in a heap against the wall at my feet.

Narion also tried to tackle the man and was spun around and into a table for his troubles, knocking both drinks and patrons to the floor in a crashing pile of limbs, shattered glass, and splintered wood. As our quarry turned and made for the front entrance, Kiri leapt atop one of the tables, this one occupied by off-duty guardsmen, and extended her finger to launch a bolt of magical energy at the man, catching him in the shoulder and spinning him to the floor.

She jumped down and, feet planted firmly akimbo over him, called out to him, “Stop or you’re dead!”

Seeing the fire in her eyes and knowing that he may well not escape our talents, then man’s morale collapsed and he capitulated. By this time, the town guards were up and had their swords drawn. As Rackhe and Narion heaved the man to his feet, the watch cleared a path so that the culprit could be taken off to the cells.

Kiri and I stayed and talked to the bartender. We commiserated over his broken up establishment and we gave him a small bag of some more than a hundred pieces of gold, with which he was much mollified. We said that it might help him clean up the mess and repair some of his broken furniture. If it did anything to win him more to our side in future, then that would be an added bonus. While I do love her, Kiri sometimes did not think things through to their possible conclusion … but she did usually have quite good ideas.

As we arrived at the town hall, our fellows informed us that the captive was a relatively new person in town, one of the refugees who had made it into the walls just as the enemy closed the ring about the town. As he did not have any family or anything in town, he fell to gambling and drinking, losing all his money and sinking into the depths of despair. It was at this point that he had been recruited by the enemy. Narion, Kiri, and Rackhe sat him down in a cell. I felt for the man, but then this was a time of war and my counsel did not carry so much weight as the actions of the enemy forces outside town.

He was terrified. Kiri watched him as Rackhe turned and with great menace said, “Close and lock the door” to the guards. Then he began to question him, using the hat of disguise to great effect.

“Tell us…” he changed into the woman the man handed the note to.

“There is a meeting tonight … in a house a couple of doors up from the Roguish Sister boarding-house,” stammered the fearful man.

“Is there a password? Special knock?”

The prisoner swallowed, “No. None”

“What did I,” Rackhe changed into other man, “say to the woman?”

“It was she who did the talking. She told him, ‘your money will be in the usual place’.”

“Do you work alone?”

“Y-yes. I’m of no importance.”

“What were your orders?”

“I was get information – guard schedules, etc … something about a map.” At these words Rackhe and Narion’s attention piqued. The man saw this and quickly added, “I wasn’t involved in the map.”

“What’s your name?”

“Fakos, I hail from one of the towns in the See of Medegia.”

The questioning did not uncover more than that and so we returned to the inn to consider our next steps. Upon arriving at our room, we found our hairbrushes and Rackhe’s light clothes stolen. I surmised that it could possibly be that the enemy planned to use these personal items to spy on us through some form of divination magic. We hoped to strike first by crashing the meeting planned for tonight.

Rackhe would be in disguise as Fakos. Narion suggested getting somebody from town to watch the backdoor; perhaps Bannar or Ieric again. Rackhe suggested the dwarves, as their night vision was superior. Their ides were discarded as anyone from town loitering about the alleys may arouse suspicion. I suggested getting Coreb, the stable boy, and his friends to park a cart in front of the backdoor. We asked the dwarves if they would once again provide a flying squad should we run into trouble we could not handle.

*~*~*~*~*

Upon arriving at the back alley behind the house the meeting was to take place in, we found that it was very cluttered and crowded, as the market was packed to overflowing with refugees. Many groups of refugees were huddled in the corners and sheltering against bales and boxes along the sides. Rudimentary shelters had been set up to provide these wretches some modicum of comfort. This meant that we could not block the backdoor or put the boys in danger as any activity could be seen be the people in the alley.

After some discussion, I volunteered to stay and keep watch on the back door. I would be the least useful in a fight and would best serve our plan by being our eyes and ears here. Kiri touched my cheek and said gently, “Be careful.” She gave me a quick kiss.

“You as well,” I replied, squeezing her hand softly.

Rackhe stepped up and gave me his ring that could enchant a disguise for me, much as his hat did. I took the ring of disguise, disguised myself as a young adolescent human girl (my build and colouring lending more to that, and not wanting to appear as an elf, of which there were few in town and would appear conspicuous), made my way to the alley, and took up a position to watch the backdoor.

Not long after I had been sitting there, I was approached by a matronly woman. “On your own, dearie?” she asked me in a kindly manner. “No family?” I simply nodded, hoping that my innocence would deter her from causing me any obstacle to my task.

“Well, we can’t have a young lassie such as you left alone. You never know what type of character prowls the streets these days. Come, lassie, and share our fire,” she said, waving her arm to indicate a ragged family of six or seven gathered under a tarp around a small fire. “We have some food we can share,” she added, looking down at my lack of belongings. I must have appeared as a lost waif to the Goodwife.

Giving her a warm look of thanks, I went with her and joined her family at their shelter. They were a good and hearty lot, their spirits not so dimmed by their current plight, although the father did show some concern over his livelihood in wake of the invasion. The family consisted of two other girls and five boys, all ranging in age from two to (I guessed) thirteen. The children warmed to me and I sat and bided my time with these simple folk. Much laughter was shared around the fire and, after the evening meal of porridge and bits of cheese, the father and mother began telling stories of times long past to myself and the children. In repayment for the shelter and comfort they had provided me, I told them a fable of a great elven hero, saying that it was a story that my grandmother had told me (which was not a lie, as it actually had been told to me by my grandmother). I did embellish the story some to entertain the little ones, and as they all curled up to rest, the littlest boy curled up beside me and cuddled as he drifted of to dreamland.

As the quiet night settled over those of us sheltered in the alley far from the storm of war, I kept watch on the house. I saw someone peek briefly through a curtain, and a small hint of light. Then the lights dimmed and I could detect nothing until I was called by my friends after the event.

*~*~*~*~*

Kiri filled me in on what had occurred during their “assault” on the house.

The plan was for Rackhe to disguise himself as Fakos and approach the door with Kiri invisible and behind him. She would cast a spell of clairaudience and clairvoyance into the front room before the door opened, then message Rackhe as to what she found. Narion would be waiting across the street beside the mason’s shop in the alleyway. The dwarves would provide a cordon around the area.

As Rackhe approached the door, Kiri magically informed him that the front room was empty. And upon not receiving any answer to his knock, Rackhe and Kiri entered, and Narion charged across the street to join them. The room was indeed empty.

My friends then set about searching the house. As Kiri remained on watch from the kitchen, my two warrior friends ascended the stairs and checked the top floor. There they found two rooms, one of which was occupied by two bodies, those of the man and the woman Rackhe had seen today in the market. The man laid dead, his throat cut ear-to-ear. A rattling breath from the woman on the bed showed that she was not dead, but close to it. A dark crossbow bolt was lodged in her belly.

Rackhe withdrew a potion from his belt and poured it over the woman’s ashen lips. The healing draught seemed to have no effect. “Are you alright? What happened?” he asked her.

Her unfocused eyes turned to gaze at him, and she tried to say something, the words coming in a barely audible mumble, “That’s a pretty good job,” another rattling intake of breath, “but the accent is all wrong.” A weak hand extended to rest against his stout sword arm. She smiled weakly and said, “The heroes. I thought so.”

Without turning, Rackhe spoke to the spearman at his side, “Narion, go and get Calamar.”

*~*~*~*~*

Narion appeared at the backdoor and signalled for me. I eased the small child off me and rested him against his older brother. Going over to Narion I dropped my disguise when I entered the back kitchen area. He directed me upstairs. “Your healing is needed. Quickly now!”

Checking out the fading woman, I determined she had been poisoned. I withdrew the bolt and cast a curative spell upon the wound, but again nothing happened. Whatever was happening to her was happening slowly. Brushing my hand across her sweat-covered brow, I asked her, “What is you name?”

“Gaura,” she replied, her words coming out as a wheezing gasp.

I called on the Seldarine to neutralize the poison … again there was no effect. Something otherworldly and evil was preventing the healing of this woman. I looked up at my friends and shook my head.

I sat back slightly and took her hand in mine. I gently caressed it, trying to comfort her in this dire time. “What happened, my child?” I asked her.

A sharp pain caused her to screw up her face and she gasped loudly. When she settled, her eyes closed and she whispered in a barley audible voice, “Laureth. She turned on us and attacked us both. We were betrayed!”

So, the mysterious Laureth was behind this nefarious act as well. Another entry on her account that needed to be settled.

“Whom do you work for?” I asked.

“We worked for Etam Malinor, spymaster for Lord Tees. But Laureth seemed to have another agenda,” Gaura spat. This fact gave me the idea that Laureth was perhaps working for Lazarus Solnee, as his name was unknown to Gaura. “Our contact in town is a man named Gunnason.”

“Do you know where Laureth is hiding in town?”

She winced again as a stab of pain shot through her. She would not last much longer. “No, but she is most likely hiding somewhere in the north quarter. I do know that she’s looking for a way out of town.” She gave me a weak smile; “I can only guess that the great heroes of the town have made things a little too hot for her of late.”

Gaura revealed that the blonde Laureth had our hairbrushes lifted from the inn and that the enemy did indeed intend to use them as items to divine upon us. The map in question talked to the fact that the town was built over and old settlement.

Bundling the woman up in a blanket, we took her to the temple of Velnius. The doors were closed but we knocked loudly. Alphdis answered our knock and we explained the situation. The priestess was a little shocked that I couldn’t help her. “It must be powerful evil poison, indeed. Bring her in.”

We laid Gaura on top of a side table and she clasped Alphdis’s robes. Pulling her close to her face, the two of them whispered for a few seconds. Then Alphdis looked up and said, “She wishes to have words with me.”

“Of course,” I replied and bowing ushered my friends outside.

Alphdis came out to us a half hour later and with a sad note in her voice told us, “She’s gone.”

She closed the door to the temple and we made our sober way back to the White Swan. On the way, Rackhe and Narion stopped in at the town hall so that they could pass the news of all we’d discovered to Aivand, the militia commander, who was on duty call in the hall.

We were still no closer to catching Laureth, and we had witnessed the extent of her evil.

4th Sunflowers 591

I needed to pick up my spirits. My inability to heal Gaura of her wounds had cast a dark pall over my mood. I would not see my faith desert me once more as it had with the nightmares caused by the demon Verath. I needed to find a way to breathe life back into the world.

It was Narion who gave me the idea. As he and Kiri were discussing some of the magical treasure we had recovered from our past foes, he mentioned “the spoils of war.”

I looked up from my reading of a prayer book. “What are spoils of war?” I asked my friend.

The soldier looked at me, “Spoils of war are material seized from the enemy after winning a battle. The victor can claim all he wishes of the defeated enemy’s possessions.”

I pondered that a moment. “So if we defeat somebody, we can claim all he owns as our possessions now?”

Narion nodded; his brow furrowing slightly as he began to detect a growing animation in my face and posture. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?” Rackhe roused from the nap he was taking.

Kiri smiled and leaned forward. “What is on your mind, my love?”

I patted her hand and said to my three friends, “Come with me and see.” I grabbed my walking stick and dashed out of the room and down the stairs.

My friends followed me to the town hall, where I asked the mayor after someone who could help me with a matter of town law and property. Alexander directed us to an office in the rear hall where I approached the town clerk, an older human female Gaes. The greying woman looked up; wisps of hair escaping from a tight bun pulled up at the nape of her neck, a pair of small spectacles perched on a sharp and angular nose.

“What can you tell me about the house that we recovered the spies from last night?” I asked her, somewhat taking her aback by my rushed manner. She was an ordered woman, and elves bursting into her lair unannounced and asking blunt questions was something new to her.

“I’d have to check the records,” she said, and turned to draw a huge leather-bound book from the shelf behind her. Leafing through the pages, she ran a slender finger down the entries. The passion that humans had for keeping lists and records never ceases to amaze me. It wasn’t like our people’s use of lyric and poetry to record history. Sometimes the lists just seemed to be lists for the sake of keeping lists. I chuckled as I thought that somewhere there must be a list of all the lists that existed.

“Here it is,” she said triumphantly. “That house was purchased two and half years ago by one Farad.”

I clapped my hands and did a small leap for joy. Gaes was even more startled at this and stood back, drawing the ledger against her breast as if to protect her from this mad elf person. “Farad was the agent of the Scarlet Brotherhood that we took two days ago, and whose head now sits on a pike by the west gate, is it not?”

Gaes nodded, her wide stare looking at me as if I’d suddenly sprouted horns and was about to devour her precious papers and scrolls.

“Then, he was a defeated enemy, correct?” A smile began to spread across Narion’s face. He had twigged to where I was going with this.

Gaes relaxed and put the ledger back on the shelf. “I-I guess so, yes.”

I pulled myself up to my most imposing pose (which wasn’t much considering I am slightly over five feet tall and very slim of build), tapped her desk with an outstretched hand and said loudly, “Then I claim his house as mine, by right of spoils of war!”

Narion barked out a laugh, and my other two friends chuckled at my statement. Gaes just stared at me open-mouthed. When she finally collected herself, she pushed her spectacles back up her nose and sat down. “Well,” she said, “I guess that would be fine. So you now own the house.”

My friends and I let out a small cheer. I said, “Well, give it to someone who needs a place to stay.”

Gaes gaped and began to stammer, “B-But… you can’t…”

I then thanked her, and we went off to confer with the mayor on the events of the previous evening. Nobody had any idea on where to begin searching for Laureth. We could only hope that she tipped her hand and revealed herself somehow.

As we were preparing to leave and be about something or other, Gaes approached and handed me a small piece of folded parchment. I looked at the parchment and, puzzled, I asked her, “What’s this?”

“The deed to the house,” she said. “You are now the legal owner of the house you seized from Farad.”

“What do you mean I ‘legally own’ it?”

She took the parchment from me and unfolded it, pointing to my name written on it under some small detailed writing. “This document says that you, Calamar Eldanil, are the legal owner recognized by the town for the property in question.”

I stared at the parchment then at Gaes, a baffled look upon my face. “But I don’t really want the house. Can’t you just give it to someone?”

She smiled smugly. “No. All property must be recorded as to proper ownership. It can’t just change hand on a whim.”

“And this parchment says the house is mine?”

“Yes. Your name appearing on the deed indicates that you are the legal owner of the house.”

“So, if my name wasn’t on the deed I wouldn’t be the owner?”

She looked at me queerly. “Yes. I guess that’s true.”

“Well, I’m not really in the market for a house,” I said. Then I took the parchment and, drawing a quill from an inkwell on the side table, scratched out my name on the deed and wrote in the name of the family who had taken me in the night before. When Gaes saw what I was doing, she just about had a stroke. I handed the deed back to her. “Give it to them. They need it more than I do. And it is some small way I can repay a kindness they paid me.”

“B-But,” sputtered Gaes, “You can’t do that! You can’t just write in any old name on a deed!”

I looked at her, smiling. “Did you not say that my name on the deed indicated I was the legal owner of the house?”

“Yes, but…” She was looking at the deed as if to see if there was some way she could remove the scrawled name at the top over mine.

“And if that’s the case,” I continued, “Can I not do with it what I want?”

“Well, yes, but the document…”

“So now that the good man’s family name is on the deed, doesn’t that make him the legal owner?”

Gaes paused. “Well… I guess so…” I turned to leave, but she stopped me by announcing, “But there is matter of land transfer taxes.”

I turned and arched an eyebrow.

She swallowed and said, “There is a tax of one hundred pieces of gold when a property changes hands normally.” She rested back triumphantly, finally having found a way to stop this madness form upsetting her well-ordered applecart of a life. Mayor Castle was doing his best to hold in his laughter, hiding a large smile behind his hand.

I looked at the woman. “A hundred pieces of gold?”

She nodded curtly. “That’s right. I can’t say that this is a legal document until the tax is paid,” she said with an air of finality. She would put this crazy elf in his place.

I just stood and looked at her. Then I took a small purse from me belt pouch and tossed it on the side table. With a broad smile I said to her, “Well, there should be more than enough in that purse to suit the need. If there is any surplus,” I added as I turned to leave, “pay their taxes forward to be covered by the coin.”

As my friends and I walked out, our mood much lighter now, we were accompanied by a squeal of frustrated rage and gales of laughter from the mayor, which soon retreated down the corridor as Gaes hurled the inkpot at him in her fury.

I fear that was one tidy little applecart that was all topsy-turvy today.

*~*~*~*~*

We decided another trip to the wall was in order. Rackhe had decided to work his own brand of “magic” today. This time he went off to the south gate. On arriving and ascending to the top of one of the towers, he saw some changes in the enemy arrayed before the town. Now all the dwarf engineers were armoured and toting shields on their backs. (I thought that it must have been hot and uncomfortable to work under such conditions, which I guess was the point.)

Rackhe drew back his bow, muttered his incantations, and then fired, slaying another engineer in the first shot. Over the next half hour, he dropped many more, the enemy trying their best to stay out of sight and under cover.

Narion in his turn went to the west gate and, upon hearing that Rackhe was having all the fun at the south gate, decide to make his own little sortie.

He dropped over side of the wall and cast a spell on himself to quicken his pace; then ran towards the copse of trees. As it turned out, he flushed almost half a dozen archers who had been hiding there and they all loosed arrows at him as he charged. One struck him and Narion tumbled to the ground, rolling to the edge of the trees and playing at dead to try and fool them. The town militia, seeing this from the wall, began to raise a ruckus, also thinking the great elven spearman dead. The enemy scouts decided that discretion was the better part of valour and quitted the wood, running back to their lines in great haste.

Narion popped up and launched a magic missile at the fleeing archers. This caused a great cheer to arise from the soldiers on the wall, and he began a running fight with the archers as he followed after them towards their lines.

Stopping within a hundred yards of their positions, he called out “Go home! Leave!” Fully twenty arrows arced up from the enemy lines towards my friend, all but one missing. Narion withdrew the arrow from his arm and called out, “That was pathetic!” Another volley crested up from the enemy lines, this time not a single arrow found its mark. Narion shook his fist at the foe and calmly returned back to the wall.

Kiri and I met him at the copse of trees and we set out a small folding table and chairs and sat down to a nice meal.

We were unmolested until almost midway through our meal when a single flaming arrow shot out from the enemy camp and struck me with great force, opening a burning wound in my leg. As I tended to my wound, Kiri spied a tall figure with long blonde hair and a longbow drawing another arrow. Even at this distance, we recognized her as the ranger we had fought during our raids along the river to the north. Then Kiri suggested we make for the trees and some bit of safety. As I started to say that it would be better for morale to stay here, I caught her glance and closed my mouth. Her look told me all that I needed to know about her agreeing to me staying in the open such as we were. I was, after all, the ‘great evil elven wizard’ and thereby a prime target for the female sharpshooter.

Kiri raised her glass and saluted the enemy. We had no idea what the ranger as thinking but I guess she feared some kind of magic spell and ducked down behind the embankment. Narion inquired, “Are we leaving?”

With a quick glance at Kiri’s back I said, “I think it best, yes.” I cast forth a mist to obscure our actions somewhat and we gathered our equipment and made for the copse. Kiri and the ranger exchanged shots back and forth, until the enemy began to use Rackhe’s own tactic against those on the wall, dropping quite a few before she was finished. Rackhe arrived part way through her exercise and dodged her fire by leaping off the tower and landing in a roll near us.

Once her hail of arrows had ended, we called up to the wall. “How is everybody up there?” A loud cheer erupted from the wall and we were pleased to see that our allies were emboldened even after being under fire of the enemy ranger for some time. We then made to return up the rope ladder to the top of the tower. I gathered a small bunch of wildflowers and, upon reaching the top of the tower, I gave them to Kiri, followed by a quick kiss and I was off to see of I could help with the wounded. The ranger had killed two of the townspeople and wounded three more; nowhere near Rackhe’s score during the same exercise at the south wall. I stayed and chatted with the three wounded men as I tended their wounds. They were all young men, fresh from the farm and full of hearty spirit. They thanked me for looking after them, and also thanked me for giving their families and them heart during this siege.

I blushed slightly but accepted their gratitude as graciously as I could muster. Being acclaimed as some type of hero was new to me. I’m sure my friends were well accustomed to receiving this praise, but I was too used to, by choice, being in their shadow and not singled out for any particular praise. We four had a good laugh over the first time Narion and I had picnicked out beyond the wall. These men were good souls, and I felt proud to have contributed in even such a small way to making their load easier to bear.

*~*~*~*~*

I rejoined my friends after they had experienced similar reactions from the soldiers as I had, and we all went off to search out Culbane, the magistrate. Kiri had had a thought that, if Laureth was indeed in cahoots with Solnee, we might find her in some way connected with the old tunnels beneath the town.

We found Culbane in the town hall, which was fast becoming a bustling hive of activity as the enemy stepped up their activities. Mayor Castle was conferring with Aivand and some other soldierly types, obviously preparing for the coming battle. Culbane was acting as some sort of information officer, checking messages and gathering information to try and discern the enemy’s intentions. Kiri approached him and, catching him in a quiet moment, addressed him; “We’d like to talk to you about the history of the town. We think we may have a plan to deal with the spies within the walls.”

We went into a private office beside the records office and she explained to him, “They’ve been making maps of the underground of the city. Is there any history that connects with this?”

Culbane stroked his chin and said, “Dullstrand was founded a few hundred years ago. It became important when one of the Overkings of the Great Kingdom used it as a staging area for invading the Isles. Wardlow had a settlement before this period though. A keep existed – but it disappeared or was destroyed during an earthquake. At the time of the Great Kingdom’s rise, the town was held by a minor noble of the Overking. Hastein’s house was actually that owned by the noble. That’s why it is much older than many of its neighbours, and also why it is one of the few in the town enclosed by its own small wall.”

He drew a book from his pocket and leafed through it until he found the information he was looking for. “The noble died approximately three generations ago. If Gunnason had some type of map perhaps it belonged to the manor.”

As we thanked Culbane for his time and started to mull over the history he had revealed to us, we went back to the inn. I drew forth the ewer dedicated to Kord and poured more holy water into it, casting another divination to see if I could find the woman, Laureth. As a focus, I used her poisoned crossbow bolt, which I still had stored away in my healer’s kit.

The spell revealed her sleeping in an underground rough-hewn chamber with a single side door. This made us think that she was indeed somewhere connected to the sewers beneath the town.

*~*~*~*~*

Around mid-afternoon the alarm bell sounded again. A messenger appeared at our door to say, “The mayor asks that you join him on the wall. The enemy is sending a party to parley.” We joined Mayor Castle on a smaller tower partway along the wall near the south gate. He invited us, as heroes serving the town, to join himself and Ieric, Aivand, Bannar, and Culbane in treating with the enemy party.

As our group descended to talk to the gathering of the Lordship of the Isles’ command, soldiers of the town watched warily from the walls.

The leader was Erilan Tees, a human man, not overly large, with blonde hair pulled back into a smooth ponytail, in his late 30s, and with a deep voice. Accompanying him were a female cleric of Osprem, who carried herself with a proprietary air over Lord Tees; another scholarly looking woman dressed in robes with a staff; a pureblood Suloise man, lightly armoured in fine chain mail, and the evil Lazarus Solnee with three of the biggest, blackest, nastiest men many of us had ever seen.

Accompanying them was a man introduced as Arlen One-Eye, a seafaring man with a jewelled eye patch; a nasty look about him and a war pick hanging at his side within easy reach of his gnarled and heavy hands. I could definitely see this man as the butcher and pillager of the villages to the north that we had heard about.

At the back of the group was a small half-elf; an ugly, scarred, pirate captain named Thamivust – introduced as Tham. My fellows had burnt his ship to the waterline in Bayport a few months ago. He said nothing but glared evilly at my three friends.

Baron Tees and his entourage dismounted and met us halfway between their horses and the wall.

He stood, one hand gripping his sword belt firmly, the other indicating each of his party as they were named. Then he turned to Mayor Castle and said, “We’ve come to discuss surrender terms.”

Narion cleared his throat and answered for the mayor, “We haven’t the facility to take you all prisoner.” I winked at Solnee. He tried to put forth a calm cool air, but I could detect that underneath his cool exterior was seething with rage.

Tees was mildly amused by Narion’s comment. He went on to explain the reality of the situation. “You are surrounded. Our forces are engaged with any force that could come to your aid. Your town is as good as lost, but innocent people need not be hurt. Disarm your troops; no harm will come to the citizens of your town.” Solnee, Arlen, and Tham were not thrilled at this statement. Arlen especially let out a low soft growl and flexed his massive hands, cracking his knuckles loudly.

“Kind of like Swellenden, right?” Rackhe said snidely.

Mayor Castle asked the baron, “Could we have some time to discuss this offer?” Tees nodded and his party turned and mounted, returning to their lines as we turned to scale the wall of the town.

Narion paused and called after them, “You really should have surrendered!” Such bravado! Bannar slapped him on the back with a hearty bark of a laugh.

We retired back to the town hall; the group now included Hastein, Ivorean and Amin the shipbuilder. The mayor explained the terms, asking for opinions at the end, “We could surrender. Does anybody have anything to say?”

Kiri offered a point. “I think it unlikely that Arlen One-eye and his crew would honour the deal.” There was a general agreement from everyone.

Rackhe took out his captured banners from his pack. “My collection is not complete.” There was much talk, back and forth, over what should be done.

Realizing that there was most likely a split in their camp between Lord Tees, representing the Lordship of the Isles, and Lazarus Solnee, representing the Scarlet Brotherhood, and perhaps Arlen One-eye as a wild card, Kiri stated, “The outcome depends on whom in their camp ‘wins’.”

Ivorean hesitant. He didn’t want to see his town sacked, his inn ruined, and his family killed or worse.

From my place at the side of the room I asked, “What do they want Wardlow for?”

The others stopped and looked at me. “They may want it as a supply base.” “Or maybe as a port to launch further raiding from.” There was much discussion on this point.

I suggested that they make Wardlow an open town. That way it would allow people to resume their lives, while putting the enemy in place where it would be in their best interests to maintain the town as it was. No destruction; no pillaging.

Everyone gathered around the table, even my friends, looked at me as if I had just fallen out of a tree.

Then the mayor called for a vote. It was unanimous amongst those in the war council. “Right,” said Alexander, “We fight.”

I threw my hands up in the air. I just didn’t understand these peoples’ rules and manners sometimes. If it was a foregone conclusion, why talk at all?

I rose from my chair. “Though I think this an ill course of action,” I said, “Allow me to show my standing behind you by being the one to deliver your message to the enemy.”

At the second parley, we met with Tees’s lieutenants, Vanudari Salat and Vindinari Gamis. Narion and Rackhe decided to accompany me to the parley (no doubt encouraged to see to my safety by Kiri, who would be watching over us from the tower with her bow at the ready).

I stopped in front of the two mounted men, looking up at their stern faces looking down on me. “Well?” inquired the larger of the two, rather smugly.

I smiled apologetically. “Sorry, but we decline your offer.”

Our answer and my manner puzzled and confused him, especially when I extended my hand to shake his and wished him, “Good luck in the coming battle.”

He and his companion turned and rode back to their camp.

My friends and I went back into town to the inn to enjoy some wine and relax. It had been a most taxing day so far. I had no idea how much more stressful the day was to become.

*~*~*~*~*

As we were sending a boy for some wine, the alarm went off. We were off to the west gate in a flash. From our perch on the tower, Narion extended his arm and guided my searching eyes. “See?” he said, indicating some of the enemy troops advancing towards the wall. They bore ladders with which they could scale the wall and bring the battle to us. “It certainly didn’t take them long,” said the stalwart elven spearman. Smiling at me he added, “Pray for the Seldarine to watch over us, my friend. We are to be about the Coronal’s work this day.”

Rackhe displayed his banners over the parapet, hoping to incite the enemy to anger and lose their discipline. Bannar and his dwarves arrived, ensconced themselves in the second floor of the towers with heavy crossbows, and began boiling seawater to pour onto the assaulting enemy. I moved off to the wall on one side and began chatting with some militia, including a young man named Corran, so that they could point out everything to me. This was my first battle and I wanted to learn as much as I could, and I also wanted to bolster the morale of these fine young men who stood ready to offer their lives to the gods of battle.

About halfway to the wall, the advancing enemy troops halted and, from behind them in their redoubts, the catapults let fly with a volley if huge stones hurtling through the air towards the town. A few feet away on the tower, Narion turned to Rackhe and, giving him the benefit of his military experience, advised him, “Now … the trick of this game is not to lose your nerve.” A rock hit the roof of the tower where my friends were and actually took out a few crenulations at the rear wall of the tower.

As the enemy archers deployed to our front, another round of catapult fire was let fly. Narion chuckled and, ducking behind the wall of the tower, asked Rackhe, “So … having fun yet?”

I called forth the power of the Seldarine to bless those stout men that stood at my shoulder defending their town. I then moved to the other side of the gate and called forth a blessing on the men there. Then I returned to my friends on the top of the tower. We could spot no identifiable targets. Tees’s men were advancing in good order, Arlen’s men to our north flank less so. Our allies began returning fire and arrows arced into the sky en masse.

The enemy troops made the wall and threw their ladders up against it. Men began climbing to reach us and engage us in battle. Narion and Rackhe positioned themselves each at the top of a ladder on the wall, while Kiri and I provided archery fire against the coming mob. Their efforts began to centre on the gatehouse and the walls to either side. Seeing a peril developing on the other tower, and knowing my two martial friends would have no problem dealing with the ladders they covered, and for some reason being caught up in a rush of adrenaline and thinking I could actually do something to help, I leapt over the wall of the tower to run across the wall atop the gate and reinforce the other tower. It was one of the most unwise things I have ever done!

With a startled cry from Kiri and a swirl of my priestly robes, I vaulted onto the walkway atop the wall. Coming to my feet, I began to dash past the wall’s defenders to the other tower.

Suddenly my progress was halted when an enemy ladder propped against the wall directly in from of me. Turning to get some advice from my friends back on the tower, I was surprised to see the top of another enemy ladder appear between me and me companions. I was now trapped between two scaling ladders amongst a half dozen or so of the town militia. That one spurt of warlike spirit had landed me, the most useless of our band with a sword, in the midst of a most likely terrible melee.

I called to Corellon to bring down doom on our foes scaling one of the ladders, and full of divine power, commanded the other foes to flee. Rackhe and Narion, having fought off their besiegers, joined me on the gate and stood ready to defend the top of each ladder.

Then a flaming arrow shot up from the copse of trees to the front of the gate, straight at Kiri as she stood pouring down a hail of arrows on the enemy gathered at the foot of the wall. The enemy ranger had made her reappearance with a vengeance and, Kiri giving a great cry of pain, caused me to turn from the centre of the wall flanked by my friends and the militiamen. Kiri cast forth a glowing ball of flame to burst around her and I hurled down a divine burst of the brilliant chaos of Arvandor at the blonde ranger. There was a loud explosion and some the trees’ branches fluttered smoking to the ground, but no return fire rose from the forested clump.

A cry went up from the enemy archers deployed in front of the gate. “There’s the evil elven wizard!” And suddenly three enemy spellcasters revealed themselves and cast forth a fireball Kiri and magic missiles at me. A second fireball was launched at me, bursting about me with great force. I noticed the ranger trying to drag her wounded frame from the field and cast forth a spell to hold her in place. My lady threw out one of her magic missiles to strike her just as she began to shake off my enchantment and she appeared to be sorely wounded. The ranger called up a wall of wind to shield her from us and began to withdraw from the field, limping and holding one arm motionless at her side.

Arrows and spells began to fly between us on the wall, the enemy scaling the ladders, and those milling about the foot of the wall before us. Fireballs flew up from the enemy sorcerers and again and again caught us defenders in their fiery blast. It seemed no arrow could touch me. Rackhe and Narion, as well as some of the townsmen around us, took the occasional missile sneaking between the parapet’s defences. While I cast spell after spell, bringing the might of the Creator down upon the enemy in the form of blasts of divine energy and starlight, as well as magic spiritual weapons of my god, I became the focus for the enemy spellcasters to target with their exploding balls of flame and terror. At one point, a pair of the defenders on the tower raised their shields to cover Kiri as she drew an entire volley upon herself, all arrows bouncing of the sturdy steel of her two defenders.

Battle cries and screams of pain intertwined in the gathering smoke and dust. Blood made the stone wall slippery, and the bodies of those fallen made it hard for either side to press through and engage. It was one of the most terrifying few minutes of my life. I had no time to worry for my friends as I was battered again and again by the enemy. I returned their assault with as much power as I could muster, finding myself eventually shouting meaninglessly into the heat of the fight, not trying to do anything other than give some vent to the fear and anger inside me.

Finally, as Narion held forth a wand to spray one ladder with magical fire, the enemy began to withdraw. We sped them on their way with arrows, although the fire from the wall was somewhat lessened compared to what it had been prior to the storming. The enemy catapults put up a renewed fire to cover their troops as they regained their lines. Kiri fired on, madly venting her fury at the enemy but her arrows having little effect.

As the catapults ceased their fire, a ghostly stillness grew over the battlefield.

The aftermath of the battle was terrible in my eyes. Fully ten villagers lay dead about me, not a spark of life in any glazed eye or blackened face. The destruction of the enemy’s fireballs had twisted arms and armour and roasted men alive, leaving their bodies but blackened husks barely recognizable as human. Others bore handfuls of dark fletched arrows, while still others had bones crushed by large stones hurled from the far-reaching arms of catapults.

I sank to my knees and began to weep as I resolved that, regardless of the glorious stories that were told, I did not like warfare.

*~*~*~*~*

Narion found me there amidst the dead men atop the gate. He placed a hand on my shoulder and, seeing my upraised gaze shining with newly shed tears, said to me, “It is over for now, my priestly friend. Go and see to what wounded there are while I look after scouting the remains of the enemy.” The proud elven soldier gently shook my shoulder and helped me to stand. As I rose beside him, he clasped me on both shoulders. “I am sorry that you had to experience such horror in your first battle Calamar.” Then he briefly shook me by the hand before he turned and set off on his grisly task.

I looked to the top of the tower to see Kiri looking at me, a sad look in her eye as tears gently ran down her alabaster cheek and the wind gently tossed her jet-black hair. I smiled at her even though I did not feel it, and then turned to tend the wounded as well as I could.

That night we were all resting at the inn, each of us seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Kiri and I held each other’s hand softly, but no word passed our lips.

A knock came at the door of the White Swan. Narion answered the call, opening the door to reveal the holy warrior of my sect, my old friend Lodorin. The knight entered the taproom and announced, “I’ve come on an urgent errand.”

I invited him to join us, “Brother Lodorin, enter and make yourself welcome.”

Taking me to one side he looked at me and said, “Calandir has asked me to pass this on: ‘Hold on. Help is on its way.’ There are forces moving to relieve the town even as we speak.” This news somewhat raised my flagging spirit, warming me that I might not have to experience the horror as on the wall again. We returned to the room and the others brought Lodorin up to speed on our activities of late.

As I sat back down with a satisfied smile on my face, Kiri gave me a questioning look but I just gave her a kiss and settled down to trance there and then in the common room of the White Swan. Lodorin would share the good news. And I badly need to rest and regain my balance in the world.

*~*~*~*~*

TO BE CONTINUED...