The latest Chronicle? or Memoirs of the Drunken Dwarf
by Drano Battlehammer
August 31, 1998
I lay on my back in the grass. Scudding clouds danced merrily across a
sea of pale blue. The trees nearby whispered secrets to no one in
particular as their branches waved in the slight breeze. The air was
cooler here in the shade of the maples and the whole scene brought forth
visions and made it possible to think and ponder the existence of
dwarves. It was difficult, then, to foresee that I would be carrying the
body of one of my comrades from the field of battle...
Recent memories took me to my arrival in Ravenholt. For some reason, the
leaders of both Stormwatch and Anvil, the town protectorate, decided it
would be wise to bunk together in the same inn. This was well with all
involved as many friendships had been forged over the past years and
warriors who had gone their separate ways were reunited once again.
Indeed, Gabriel, Bishop, and Nork were all members of Anvil before
joining in the birth of Stormwatch. I had trained under Taimar, a healer
of Anvil, and practiced spell casting with the rogue, Kestryn. She
helped me greatly " I was able to practice the spells of the ninth
circle with her " even though she is unable to work magic herself.
Brendel Poundstone was also there " fellow dwarf and stout warrior -
Donnel and Vastan too.
As I was preparing my bunk, Willow Treespeak approached me. If you
don't know her (and I believe everyone does), she is a mere slip of a
girl, an elven girl at that. She barely comes up to my chest in height
and I can't imagine that she weighs more than my shield. She has eyes
that sparkle with mirth and freckles that sparkle as well. She usually
has some sort of vegetation decorating her hair and flowers seem to
sprout wherever she walks. A nymph or sprite of myth, nay, I believe the
name is dryad. She is nice, gentle, kind, lovable, polite, congenial,
merry, and downright pleasant to be around " everything that I am not.
She approached and with her usual aplomb sparkled, "Hello Drano! How are
you?"
Despite my grumpiest look and gruff mumble, she stood smiling, waiting
patiently until I told her I was well. I knew that if I did not come up
with an appropriate response, she would hang about, pestering me until I
showed signs of happiness. So it was with my best smile (more like a
smirk) that I cheerfully (ahem!) said, "I'm doing well, thank you!"
This seemed to appease her and she went on to others spreading joy and
cheer wherever she went. At that time, as I busied myself cleaning my
armor, I did allow myself a small smile.
I learned from some of the others that during my absence both Gabriel
and Adrian the War-Dog had contracted some sort of curse. It caused
their blood to boil in their veins and their features to contort. After
a while it took control of their bodies and caused them to feel the
blood lust - a feeling of inexplicable hunger for bloodshed. Last month,
when they were initially cursed, Adrian had gone berserk and tried to
harm all manners of townsfolk. From what I understood, they had managed
to quell the hunger, but had not cured the condition. It was only a
matter of time before it could surface again. Many of us feared what
Gabriel could do if he were overcome by it.
On Saturday afternoon, Stormwatch went on a brief adventure into a tomb.
I can't recall the details of the trip " I only know we had to go
there, fight our way past a small battalion of undead, dodge a regiment
of spell-casting undead, and recover something. It was a tough fight. I
remember at one point, Gabriel turned to me and said, "Watch Chastity "
I don't trust myself. If this curse acts up, I don't want her hurt."
I took his words to heart and prepared to guard Chastity with my life.
We fought our way into the tomb with great skill " the skeletal
warriors were no match for our steel. But then the spell throwing ones
came forth. They summoned powerful magics that arced like lightning
towards us and utterly shattered our weapons and shields on impact!
At one point, we found ourselves in a tight corridor. The dingy grey
walls closed in around us so that there was only room for one abreast.
Gabriel was near the front, Chastity was in the middle, and I was
directly behind her bringing up the rear. Just then I heard a scuffle
and spun to meet not one but two skeletal warriors closing in on our
rear. I've never really seen myself as a hero. I tend to cover holes in
a battle when needed, keeping our flanks safe and the like. If one were
to compare kills for some kind of points, I'm sure I would fall to the
bottom of the point scale.
But I figured I'd do what I do best. I planted my feet and raised my
sword and shield to hold them off until help could arrive from the
warriors in the front. Things seemed to be going well; I was holding my
own against the two of them when I noticed movement behind them.
A man-sized skeleton strode forward, wearing the tattered remnants of
mage robes and raising his hands in the spidery movements associated
with mage-craft. Its empty sockets stared blankly at me but I could
swear I saw laughter in its bony face. The telltale arcs of lightning
came at me and my shield exploded on my arm. All I was left holding was
a leather strap. Another series of arcs came at me as I dropped quickly
to the ground. I felt the magic dissipate just over my head and mentally
thanked the dwarven craftsman who made my sword; it was still in one
piece.
The two skeletal warriors staggered forward swinging their rusty blades
mercilessly at me. I didn't have time to get to my feet but my body was
pumping with adrenaline and my arm flew with speed only reserved for
desperation, parrying blow after blow of the relentless undead. My semi-
prone position didn't lend itself to the best defense however and soon
I took a hit, then another, then they came in a little more frequently
as my arm tired and my luck ran out. The skeleton-mage started to laugh
then, a hideous, frightening sound like chalk on slate.
Then I heard possibly the best thing I could have imagined at that
point. I couldn't turn to see without giving up my pathetic defense,
but I felt a presence behind me, just over my shoulder. The presence of
the cat " and her hackles were raised! With a furious battle cry,
Chastity let loose with a barrage of earth magic (spells from the earth
harm unnatural forces like undead). White light flew over my shoulder so
quickly that individual spells appeared as a solid stream of light. All
that could be heard for a moment was Chastity's voice uttering incant
after incant. The laughing skeleton stopped suddenly as its minions
exploded before it. It turned to flee but it was far too late. Its form
was abruptly shattered into tiny bits. Ashes to ashes... dust to dust...
Given the respite, I quickly prepared my spells, having no shield, and
we rejoined the rest of the group. The rest of the battles were just as
furious and it was after a long fight that we finally, sweating and
exhausted, escaped from the tomb.
The rest of Saturday flew by in a flurry of events. Countess Altair of
Dragonshire resigned, the court fell into a state of chaos. A new baron
was named for another county. Sometime around mid-day on Sunday, we
found ourselves asked to guard a ritual. The ritual took place at a
large tomb in the middle of the field, so we had a large expanse of
grass before the waves of grain gave way to the wall of the forest.
Knowing watch duty in the middle of the day in an open field was easy,
we took the time to lay back and relax. Which brings me to where I
started...
...I lay on my back in the grass. Scudding clouds danced merrily across a
sea of pale blue. The trees nearby whispered secrets to no one in
particular as their branches waved in the slight breeze. The air was
cooler here in the shade of the maples and the whole scene brought forth
visions and made it possible to think and ponder the existence of
dwarves...
That night, we had to go on a small mission. In a dark cave, there was a
pool of liquid most vile. A dwarf by the name of Dougan Steelforge
needed to reach this pool for some reason " mage magic I assume. The
rest of us " Anvil, Stormwatch, the county of Arkham, Countess Aleena,
and others had to slay the denizens of the caves and protect Dougan from
harm. We pressed our way through hordes of... well... I guess one might
call them "chaos creatures". (If you ask me, all creatures seem to
be
made of chaos these days...) They were skeletal in appearance but were
not made of bone. Rather, they took form out of some kind of black,
bubbling, goo
The whole way to the pool chaos creatures attacked us. They seemed to
melt right out of the walls, the floor, the ceiling. It didn't matter.
Whenever you turned around, another one was forming out of a pile of the
black goo. Poor Borax met with some misfortune " his pole-arm had
shattered and he was relegated to holding some equipment of the more
powerful warriors. Brendel and I stood rear-guard. At one point, we were
the only ones holding off a number of the creatures. I felt honored to
stand side by side with such an accomplished dwarven warrior. Finally,
we arrived at the room with the pool.
Countess Aleena and I took up posts at one entrance, Brendel at another.
Other members of the group branched off into adjacent chambers to try to
intercept the chaos skeletons before they got to Dougan who knelt over
the pool in some kind of meditative trance. Just then, one of the
creatures melted right out of the wall next to the Countess and myself.
We swung with all our strength and eventually succeeded in beating the
thing back into a pile of primordial goo. The Countess gave me a quick
smile. She seemed to enjoy the combat.
Countess Aleena is one of the finest examples of human nobility that
I've had the opportunity to meet. Of the two dozen-or-so nobles that
I've actually met in my time on the surface, she shows the most quality
of character. While some nobles may find affairs of state their calling,
the Countess hasn't strayed from the people that she governs. She seems
to know what it is to be one of the "common-folk" and I believe makes
her a stronger ruler for it.
Soon, whatever Dougan had to do at the pool was finished and we had to
make our way from the caves. The denizens seemed to sense something was
wrong for their efforts redoubled and they came after us in angry
droves. We pressed our way back to the upper levels of the cave complex
(there were many) and regrouped. I felt a tug at my armor and spun to
meet Dougan Steelforge face-to-face. He said, "Drano " guard me. If
those things get what I have taken from their pool, then we are lost."
Guard the dwarf. Me? I thought he knew I was no hero or even a mighty
warrior. I mean, sure I'm not gonna let a fellow dwarf down when he's
in need, but me?? Guard the dwarf then... FINE, FINE...
The chaos skeletons were massing near the final chamber " the one we
needed to pass to escape. I saw many spell-casters and warriors alike
pacing the chamber waiting for us. At that time, I heard Anvil and
Stormwatch up ahead. Together they gave a battle cry and surged into the
room. The final conflict was long and furious and I heard many screams
from all about. The warriors parted the skeletons and made a passage for
the rest of us to pass through. In all the confusion I heard members of
Anvil arguing and fighting with each other as they apparently had a lack
of single leadership at the time of the scuffle. I thought nothing of it
but pressed onward urging Dougan on his way out of the caves.
In the end, we all escaped alive, if badly battered. The group of us
began heading back through the farmer's fields towards town, the stars
of the midnight sky leading the way.
I noticed then that Gabriel wasn't feeling up to snuff. He seemed to
have developed a terrible limp and I asked him to wait a moment so I
might examine the wound. He muttered that he was ok and would make it to
town where the members of the Healer's Guild would restore him to full
health with their healing magics. I inspected the wound anyway but
agreed " he had surely suffered far worse wounds in the past. But then
why was he limping so?
I noticed that the rest of the adventuring party had gone on ahead
apparently unhampered by any severely wounded. So I stayed with Gabriel,
moving at a slow pace, so that he might not have to make the journey to
the Guild alone. I didn't mind the pace, mind you; I had wounds of my
own to contend with. But as we walked, his limp grew worse and I began
to feel concerned. I asked him, "How do you feel?"
"OK, I guess." He replied. "It feels like the curse is coming on."
"WHAT?" I stammered. I had a bad, gut feeling that if Gabriel suddenly
went into a berserk rage that I would soon be the one visiting the
Healer's Guild " in multiple pieces!
"My wounds aren't that bad." He said. "But the events back there...
make
it hard... I am able to hold back the curse through force of will. My
friends strengthen my will. When there is harmony among my friends, I am
well, but when there is conflict " like when my friends from Anvil were
arguing back there, or when Thrakkish and Koryon have arguments I am
weakened."
We stumbled on further and I asked, "Is there anything I can do?"
"I don't think so," he replied, "I just need... to... make it...
back
to..."
With that he collapsed in a heap like a pile of Koryon's laundry. I
gasped knelt down immediately beside him. Quickly, I spat out the incant
to one of the most powerful spells I know. A spell that can restore the
body from almost any condition " blindness, disease, wounds,
amputation, poison, anything short of death. I felt the powers of the
earth flow through me as Gabriel's wounds closed under my healing
touch. His body appeared whole and he was breathing, but it was as if
his spirit was unable to bring him to consciousness.
I jumped up and looked quickly about, half-expecting an ambush. We were
alone in the dark in the middle of some farmer's field, the rest of the
group had gone on ahead and were out of earshot, possibly my most
powerful spell had failed to fully restore Gabriel, we could be ambushed
at anytime by wandering monsters, and I felt as though my luck had
finally, ultimately run out.
Just then, I spotted a wandering patrol. It was Sir Delahr and Eastwyck!
I hailed them and they hurried over. We could see the lights from the
Healer's Guild far in the distance, but with these people, we would
actually be able to get Gabriel there!
Sir Delahr stepped up to take control of the situation and summoned
Squire Kiril forward. The Squire is a BIG man and seemed to be able to
lift Gabriel with one hand even with Gabriel in full battle armor! He
took one shoulder, Delahr the other and the two began to walk the
unconscious elf across the field. But in less than twenty steps they
were staggering. Apparently the uneven heights of the two man-crutches
made the effort difficult at best.
Honestly! Leave humans to do a dwarf's work! "Take my shield and stand
him up!" I bellowed. Then I ducked down under the elf's waist and
hefted him up on my shoulder " armor and all! <OOF!> who knew elves
could weigh so much! With that, I started on my way across the field to
the Healer's Guild. For crying out loud! It's a wonder the human race
ever stood erect! Just so though, a dwarf's work is never done! Stupid
humans! How the ^&*$ do they carry their own dead off the field?! He's
only a frail elf, after all! Guess I gotta look out for my own friends.
Hrumph! <Stomp, stomp, stomp...> And I suppose this would look great to
any dwarf who might happen to see this! A dwarf carrying an elf! I'd
probably be shaved! Well I'll be a bearded gnome if I'm gonna have
some incompetent oaf play litter-bearer to my companions, no matter how
tired or wounded I am!
In fairly short order we made it to the Guild where I was met by more
incompetence. They said that his body was whole and they couldn't help
him, so I should get him to the Mage's Guild. To the Guild, to the
Guild, to the Guild...!
Viscount Daramor, an Arch-Mage attended to Gabriel, found the curse, but
stated only that the elf-warrior needed rest. "He will recover." He
said. "But it will take time."
By this point the other members of Stormwatch had gathered - Gabriel's
human blood brother Nork and his Sarr wife Chastity. Collectively, we
got him back to the inn and to a bed. Many members of both Stormwatch
and Anvil came by to bring regards, but Gabriel was only able to sweat
and mutter incoherently. Chastity coddled him throughout, mopped his
brow and offered him water to sip.
I waited nearby, forgotten by the others, but left with my thoughts. I
wanted to see that he came through this but also felt I needed to be at
hand in case the curse took hold. I had some holding spells prepared for
that unfortunate circumstance but hoped I wouldn't need them. Mostly, I
sat and watched, and waited.
The elf has been possibly, the one, true friend to me these past years.
Sir Delahr had gone the way of nobility and was seldom about, as his
duties to Eastwyck required the majority of his attention. The half-ogre
Scourge had moved south, somewhere, and I've not seen him in nearly two
years. Tempus has had maternal problems that have cost him his mind.
Only recently has he seemed to come together, thanks to the mental
acumen of a Stone Elf " Jatrina. Old Man Koryon has been, well, human,
and has been either lost in either quests for relatives or mourning for
lost companions. I feel that we should take care of the companions who
are still here. Remember the lost ones, but don't dwell on them. Those
ghosts will chase you to your grave. Gabriel and Chastity have been
there for me directly or indirectly almost the entire time I've been on
the surface. They overlook my shortcomings and ill temper. They don't
seem to mind that I'm not a mighty warrior or magician. For that friend
I will wait by his bedside until he is well.
Some time went by and most of the others had gone about their business.
Finally, the elf stirred. He recognized me and embraced his wife. This
dwarf's work was done.
-- As seen through the eyes of Drano Battlehammer " July 20, 598