An Adventure in Recruiting
The two of us stood outside the tavern for a moment. There was one thing that I was unsure of; Luna’s appearance. While magical creatures are not strange in Faerun, she would stand out a bit too much. Then I had a brilliant idea.
“Hey Luna, do you think you could shape shift into a humanoid form? It would draw less attention and make the coming interaction much easier.”
She looked at me for a moment. “I can try.”
“Great. Just use me for a reference.”
She closed her eyes for a moment as her horn lit up. In a flash of light she was replaced with a bipedal version of herself. She still had her coat color, horn, wings, tail, and mane. The only difference was that she stood on two legs and sported much more humanoid features. I handed her my cloak which she wrapped herself in quickly.
“Okay Zir, how do you expect this to draw less attention?”
“Easy, I can just say you’re a werehorse.”
“What in Tartarus is a ‘werehorse’?”
“It’s a type of lycanthrope. Kinda like a werewolf, except a horse.”
She just glared at me. “That’s you brilliant plan? Calling me a werehorse?”
“Hey, I know a wereoctopus samurai. This is normal compared to some of the other strange shit around here.”
She just sighed and facepalmed. “Fine… let’s just get this over with.”
Her first few steps were awkward as she got used to the new upright position. With a little help from me we managed to make it into the tavern.
It was loud inside the building, just like I had remembered it. The stench of body odor and alcohol hung heavy in the air. It was a busy night, almost every booth, table, and barstool had someone sitting at it. No one paid us any heed as we entered the tavern. Off to the left in one of the booths sat the people I was looking for. Jorven, GImble, and Malen were all drinking and occasionally cracking jokes. I motioned Luna to follow me as I made my way across the room toward their table. Jorven was the first to notice me walking over, as he dropped his empty mug and just stared at me slack jawed.
“Oh shit! Zircom? We thought you might have died. Where the hell have you been?”
Malen and Gimble then looked over at us.
“Hey guys. Miss me?”
“Miss ya? Lad, I hardly noticed ye were gone.” Malen said with a chuckle.
“I see the pint sized prick hasn’t lost his edge.” Malen’s face grew red under his massive braided beard.
“Who you call’n ‘pint sized’?!” He jumped up and stood on his bench as he glared at me. The other two at the table just laughed.
Gimble just sat there laughing before jumping up to Malen’s shoulder and pulling him back down to the bench. “Just shut up and have another drink.”
“Why!?”
“Because you get angry when you’re sober.”
Malen just grumbled as he brought a mug up to his face and began to down the whole thing before letting out an ear shattering belch.
“Better?”
Malen smiled contently. “Better.”
I just shook my head and glanced at Luna. She was doing her best not to laugh at the trio. I then motioned for her to sit next to Jorven as I took a seat next to Malen and Gimble. Jorven motioned to the bartender for more drinks. Before long, five mugs were brought out and set at our table. Malen immediately began chugging his. Gimble then smacked him on the back, causing the dwarf to choke and spit up a good portion of his beverage. Gimble began laughing hysterically before Malen brought his mug down hard on the gnome’s head. Jorven just sighed at the display.
“The two of you are like children sometimes…”
“Only sometime? They must be losing their touch.” I said with a smile and raised eyebrow. Jorven just rolled his eyes.
We all continued to enjoy our drinks before the silence was broken.
“So Zircom,” Jorven said as he set down his mug. “Where have you been these past few months?”
“Well… remember how I said I wanted to find a new plane?”
Jorven nodded.
“Well I did it. I found a new world.”
Now the other two were listening to me.
“I’m sorry, did you just say you found a new world?” Gimble had a look of sheer disbelief.
“Yup. A whole new world.”
“Was it inhabited?” Jorven sounded quite concerned.
“Yup.” I then gestured toward Luna, “that’s why I brought her here.”
The other then shifted their gaze to Luna, who just sat there quietly, unsure of what to say.
“Okay… now you need to start explaining stuff.” Jorven said as he leaned back and crossed his arms.
“Alright, it goes like this…”
I then spent the next hour retelling what had happened from the day I arrived to the events of today. The others had looks of bewilderment and shock. Jorven sat in his seat with a stoic expression then entire time. Being a cleric of Helm meant he had to be objective and judge things fairly. Even though he was a green half-dragon, he maintained his objectivity and applied it accordingly. I could clearly see that the last part of the story had gotten to him. It was obvious he had something to say. As I got to the part of Celestia being taken prisoner he interrupted me.
“Alright, I’m going to stop you there. That’s complete bullshit.”
I just stared at him in shock.
“With everything you just told me about her, about her incredible power and ability, I find it impossible for someone like her to be taken as a prisoner without offering a fight.”
“I gotta agree with him lad. That’s a loada crap.” Malen added.
“Yeah, why would she just quietly lay down and let herself be captured. It’s stupid really.” Gimble then looked to Luna,“ Now, I mean this in the most respectful way possible, she can move a star… but when her nephew comes with a few guards she is suddenly powerless? That’s just fucking dumb.”
“Profanities aside, Gimble and Malen are right. I can’t fathom why a deity like her would yield to a mere mortal.” Jorven was shaking his head as the others just glanced between me and Luna.
Luna then decided to speak up. “I agree.” Everyone at the table just stared at her in shock. “It was a foolish move on her part to not stand up to Blueblood. However, it is now the situation we have, like it or not.”
“Well then… I guess since we all agree on the absurdity of what happened we should decide on what to do.” Jorven was looking looking straight at me. “You have a plan?”
Before I could speak up, Malen interjected. “Woah there lad, I never agreed to do anything. And I’m sure Gimble didn’t agree to anything either yet.”
“Yeah! I’m kinda happy playing here at the tavern. What reason do I have to go with you?”
I turned to look at Malen and Gimble. “How about a deal? Malen, if you come with us and help us retake the capitol, I’ll pay for an open bar tab for you for an entire month. Sound good?”
Malen was practically drooling by this point. Luna then looked to Gimble. “And I can offer you something as well. You enjoy playing for large crowds, correct?”
“Well yeah… why?”
“Well, in three weeks we have a large gathering called the Grand Galloping Galla. It is the largest gathering of the year and is always held at the castle. How would you like to play at it?”
Gimble’s jaw hit the table with a thud, shaking all our mugs. “H-h-how many people are we talking about?”
“Thousands.”
Gimble then lunged across the table with his hand outstretched toward Luna. “Deal!”
Luna laughed and shook his hand before Malen grabbed the bard by his belt and pulled him back across the table. I then looked across at Jorven.
“So then Jorven, are you willing to come on this endeavor?”
“Yeah. You’ll need someone halfway responsible to keep you all out of trouble. Will anyone else be joining us?”
“Yes, Runbick and Neltharious will be joining as well.”
Jorven just shook his head slowly, “So Neltharious is coming… what horrible creation has be made this time?”
“Eh, I don’t know yet. But he seemed quite excited about it.”
“That’s not any reassurance.”
“Yeah, he’s like a bloody child.” Malen added.
“That’s because he is a child; he’s only five.” I replied.
“Still, he’s so immature.”
“Oh you’re one to talk.” Gimble muttered next to Malen.
Malen just looked at the gnome before hitting him on the head.
“Children, please. If you keep this up then I’ll take away your desert privileges for a week” Luna suddenly spoke up.
"Heh, I'd like to see ya try." Malen said with an air of confidence. That very same confidence was soon shattered as Luna's horn lit up and made the mug in front of him disappear.
Jorven looked at Luna before smiling. “I like her.” He then looked back at Malen and Gimble. “She adds an air of intelligence that the two of you seem to lack.” The two just looked at each other before shrugging.
“Well then,” I began, “I would like to leave tomorrow morning for Candle Keep.”
“Candle Keep? Lad, how the nine hells do you expect us to get there in less than a week?”
I just stared at him. “Are you serious? You're serious, aren’t you?”
Malen stumbled for his words before it hit him. “Oh… right… dragon… never mind.”
I just nodded with a grin. “So then. I would recommend everyone get some sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day.”
“Agreed. Pack your bags tonight and meet here in the morning.” Jorven instructed the others before turning to me,“ Are the two of you going to be staying here tonight?”
I nodded. “I was planning on it.”
“Great.” The five of us then stood up from our table. “Well then, I’ll see you all in the morning.” Jorven then began walking with Malen and Gimble in tow. I walked to the barkeep and bought a two-bed room for the night. Luna and I then headed up the stairs and to our room.
It was a cozy room. Two beds sat against the left and right wall, a single large window sat in the wall across from the door. There was another small door on the left that led to a small bathroom. It was your typical tavern bedroom.
“Well then, goodnight Luna.” I took off my boots and jacket before placing them at the foot of one of the beds.
“Goodnight Zir.”
~~~
We woke up around sunrise the next morning. Neither of us said anything as we prepared to meet the others. We wandered down into the tavern proper and sat at the bar for breakfast. We both ordered oatmeal and two sweetrolls. It wasn’t long before the other three wandered in fully geared and packed. Jorven walked in first. He was wearing a heavily enchanted breastplate with a beautiful greenish grey cloak. He opted to not wear a helmet due to the swept back twin horns on his head. He also had a magical bastard sword and bow slung across his back and on his hip, a bag of holding held the rest of his equipment.
Malen was next to enter behind Jorven. He was wearing a magnificent set of dwarven full plate. His weapon of choice was a pair of magical dwarven war axes. He also wore a steel kite shield on his back. He wore a blue gold cloak across his back; he too wore a bag of holding.
Gimble was bringing up the rear. He was in a simple, yet masterfully made mithril chain shirt. He carried a six-string lute across his back and also wore a green grey cloak. In addition to his lute, Gimble had a small crossbow on his hip with thirty bolts in a belt. The rest of his equipment was in a small bag of holding.
Jorven and the others walked up to our spot at the bar.
“So, we’re all here. Are we ready?” Malen asked impatiently.
“One last thing.” Jorven then handed me a second bag of holding. I peered in and saw a riding harness.
“Is it huge sized?” I asked.
“Yeah, I figured it would be best to bring one since dragonback seems to be our method of transportation.”
“You ready Luna?”
She nodded at me. “Yes, let’s get moving.”
The five of us all began our walk to the city limits where I would be able to shift back into my dragon form and then put on the riding harness. It only took ten minutes to leave town and then another five to get me harnessed up. Luna then dropped her shape shift and looked to me.
“What do you want me to do with the cloak?”
I looked over at her. “Give it to Jorven.”
She then grabbed the cloak in her magical grip and levitated it to Jorven who rolled it up and stuffed it into his bag. With everyone packed and ready to go, they began climbing onto my back. I glanced back to make sure they were ready before turning to Luna who was waiting patiently to take off.
“Alright. Lets go.” With that said I kicked off from the ground and began my ascent with Luna following close behind.
~~~
It took six hours of hard flying to reach Candle Keep. We set down in the courtyard where Rubrick was waiting with another man whom I did not recognize at first. I kneeled down to let my passengers disembark as Luna set down next to me.
“Do any of you have water?” Jorven pulled a water canteen off his belt loop and tossed it to her. She grabbed it in her magical grip and drank almost half the canteen. “Thank you.” She said as she levitated it back to him.
“So Rubrick, where’s Neltharious?” I asked.
“Oh, he’s just grabbing some last things.
“Oh great… any idea what he’s bringing?”
“Not really, but I know he’s been working on something complex these past few weeks.”
“Lovely.” I then looked at the other man with Rubrick. "Oh shit! Laren is that you?"
The mage laughed lightly, "Good to see you Zircom. Rubrick tells me you are going on an adventure of sorts."
"Yeah, I take it he told you about what happened?" Laren nodded. "Well then, you wanna come? We could always use a malconvoker."
He then laughed even harder. "Let me guess, Jorven told you about the time we spent a full day summoning Legion Devils to assault Merimidria?"
"Good times." Jorven laughed, clearly enjoying the memory.
"You never know when we could need a Balor." I said with a grin.
"Hey, as long as you can pay I'll summon them." Luna was horribly lost and slightly disturbed at what was being said. I noticed her discomfort and decided to relieve the tension.
"Luna, this is Laren. He's a special summoner called a malconvoker. Meaning he is very good at summoning evil things, like devils and demons, to do good. A bit chaotic but his heart is in the right place."
She blinked in confusion. "So he summons beings of pure evil and convinces them to do good?"
"Basically."
She just stared at him for a moment, processing what she had just heard. Laren stood there with a cheesy smile on his face.
It was ten minutes later that Neltarious emerged from the college dragging a bag behind him. He was wearing what look like a modified riding harness. This one had two rings on either side of his body.
“Hey Neltharious, what in the nine hells are you wearing?” Rurbrick inquired.
“You mean this? Oh, this is a wand harness. I made it myself. It allows me to carry and use two wands.”
“I see. Don’t you need to know the spell to use the wand though?” Jorven had asked.
“Well normally that is true, but I can use any wand that I can make. Benefits of being an artificer.” He then reached into his bag, revealing it was full of wands as he pulled out two and fitted them in the loops in his harness. “Aw yeah, wands of magic missile.”
“Are you bringing any others?” Rubrick sounded a bit concerned.
“Yeah, a couple fireballs, lightning bolts, cone of cold, disintegrate, ray of enfeeblement, wand of cloud kill, power word kill, and some other fun.”
“Alright then. Are we set?” Everyone nodded. “Alright, everyone get close. I’m going to pop the last charge on the ring.” Everyone in our group circled around me facing outward. “Here we go.”
I focused on my destination and made sure I was in physical contact with everyone else. I then focused on my ring and used its last charge. In a flash of light and a pop we were gone.
~~~
Thankfully our exit location was devoid of life. It was the exact same courtyard that we had fled from just two days prior. Everyone had their weapons drawn, ready for an attack. As soon as we were certain that no one had seen us we moved across the courtyard toward the dragon ambassador’s chambers. I slowly pushed the doors open to allow everyone to move inside. They all sat in a circle as I closed the doors and walked over.
“Alright, we’re here and so far we’re undetected. So, here’s the plan…”
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Luna needs no help, she controls space. "Stones fall, everypony perishes!"
Awesome! I'll be looking for that blog with their specifics. Especially the Malconvoker.
2502171
The part about spending a day to summon legion devils actually happened in a campaign. It was absolutely horrifying.
Two things:
WEREOCTOPUS SAMURAI LOL.
Snickers commercial reference!
And I'm not evem halfway through this chapter yet.
Hmm, my last DM has a pure summoner as well. You know Pun-Pun? Get this, his character, Zuka, KILLED HIM. Ya just dont mess with a summoner.
Well, I have little to say about this chapter cause it is fairly well done. It has some things that could be better, but they aren´t the most important ones.
Good :)
I call bullshit on Celestia being subdued, and even more bullshit from Blueblood.
Aside from that, I like. Never thought I'd be one for heroic fantasy.
3306197
I totally agree. It's a major weak point in the story that needs to be fixed.
This story is currently being gutted and rewritten.
A new reader, I
Have just found your work today.
You have gained a like.
This is sounding like the Greyhawk campaign I run. Regicide has become a common theme among other things and features an equally strange group. I have a Human Dread Necromancer, a Half-Elf Rogue and a Human Wizard that went from dungeon busting for money to dungeon busting to gain more followers for the Faith of Dread Necromancer Willem Dafluffy. Weirdest part is that they are actually doing some good by eliminating the monster gangs surrounding Narwell.
TL;DR, Adventure group become monster conquerors.
Eny ETA on the re-write?
Well, I never thought I would hear that from someone NOT Pinkie Pie.
I hope that you continue this!
Few odd things: Galla is actually spelled Gala, doesn't the ring have six charges, so where did the other two go, and how are they getting back? (For that matter, how did he get THERE, since the planes are supposed to be infinite? Shouldn't his second attempt even to get home have dropped him in one of the Hells or something?)
3306408
can't wait to see what you can do with this story
It's very rare to see a story where DND is a world and not a game. However you choose to rewrite or continue the story I cannot wait to see the outcome