555/2/18. We
arrived at Blue Castle. Though I hoped to meet this Phad person, us
mercenaries weren't allowed that close. I busied myself securing my
desk and dresser to the wagon in preparation for the long trip north.
Two blue rangers would lead us to Red Castle, though of course they
would not be wearing their blue uniforms. Tok has made disquieting
rumblings about leaving my desk and dresser behind. I fought hard when
we assaulted Green Castle just so that Nakaro would give these two
pieces of loot to me. I'm not letting them go without a fight.
555/2/19. Looks like the choice was taken out of my hands. I woke up
late, as I am wont to do and found that my desk was gone! Frantically I
searched everywhere, until Tok told me that he had given it away. The
nerve! Someday I swear, I will extract revenge! And to top it off, the
guy who he gave *my* desk to gave Tok a gift! The universe is a harsh
mistress. At least I still have my dresser. We leave for Red Castle
today, it'll take three weeks with the Janers and cart.
555/2/20. The two rangers saved us this night. A massive Chaos storm
brewed up out of nowhere. Mack and Eddy performed a Chaos ritual to
protect us. But it wasn't enough, until Krelga herself beseeched
Romgurk to aid us, and apparently Romgurk has a thing for giant
rabbits, becase the acid rain that fell didn't enter the protected
circle. Meantime Nakaro tried a Dragon circle to protect himself, but
it failed. Tev at least was able to burrow deeply and escape most of
the storm without entering the Chaos circle.
555/2/21. Mack and Eddy have really opened up to us. They almost
worship Krelga, following her around, combing her fur, saving the
choicest parts of their kills for her. I think that Tev and Tok are
jealous, casting envious glances at Krelga and her two followers,
though there is something disturbing about the way Tok looks at the
trio, almost menacing. But that's probably just my imagination.
Mack knows a lot about what's going on. Seems that King Aranten
appointed his second son (most unusual, but royalty can do whatever
they want) Iitee as his heir. Iitee, also called Iitee the Just, would
make a good King. But Phad, also called Phad the Chaotic, the eldest
son, wasn't going to sit idly by and let Iitee take his inheritance.
Orgal, also called The Dandy in Yellow, supports Phad since Phad has
the largest forces and Orgal believes that Green is a King's color and
Blue and Yellow make Green so...
Naturally, after hearing "the way things are according to a couple of
Chaos Rangers who could be lying to us," Tev pledged his life and soul
to Phad. Tev is like that a lot, always blinking before he looks. He
convinced the rest of us to switch sides and betray our current
employers, saying something about "Dak Alaran would want us to betray
Chaos." Apparently Dak Alaran has a big list of people you can ambush,
betray, and lie to.
Our plan seems to be to travel to Red Castle and tell Iitee everything
we know and then pledge ourselves to his cause. I bring up the
possibility that Iitee the Just might justly imprison and execute us,
since we are apparently on the Most Wanted List. Remember, it was
Iitee's troops that threatened us when we first came to this region.
Tev will have none of that talk, believing that the fine sheen of his
fur will convince Iitee that we're actually Good. Sure we are. And Dak
Alaran keeps all his promises.
555/2/22. This trip gets more and more interesting every day. Today we
were traveling along, minding our own business. Timroth was telling me
about how life under the Ice Sea is. Good Grief, those people are
primitive. I wonder why the Empire hasn't sent a brigade down below to
enlighten the poor people. Our conversation was interrupted by cries
for help.
We rushed towards the sounds of distress, to help the survivors or loot
the remains, whatever the case turned out to be. It was only two old
men, one having fallen down a hill, the other crying plaintively to the
heavens instead of doing something useful like checking to see if his
friend was still alive. Krelga and Tev went to check on the body while
Tok talked to the wailer, who was so overcome with emotion that he
tried to do something in Tok's pants.
As you can imagine, that made Tok mad. He demanded to know what the
guy, who we later found out was Zirdon, was doing "cause whatever
you're doing, you're not doing it right!" I balk at describing the rest
of the scene, suffice it say that there was a white mess afterwards.
Meanwhile Tev and Krelga discover that the other guy is King Aranten,
late of Green Castle and ruler of this region. Hmm, I guess the custom
around here is that former Kings wander out into the wastes to die.
Aranten wailed about his plight, his two bad sons, and how he was all
alone. What a bad father he had been, to deserve this. Obviously the
sun had gotten to him. Finally we had to slap some sense into him.
Mack and Eddy were overjoyed. "With Aranten in tow, you'll be a shoo-in
to get into Red Castle. You're in like Flynn." Flynn being the
legendary thief who could break into anyplace. On seeing Zirdon, also
known as The King's Fool (ok, you have to flee for your life and you
get to take one thing, few would pick a fool), and Tok covered in the
white stuff, Eddy exclaimed "Whoah! Even us Chaos followers have lines
we don't cross."
So, King and Fool in tow, we continue to Red Castle.
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555/2/30.
After two weeks of travel, we finally met a Red patrol. Tev
puffed himself up "Look! We have your King!" "And my mother is an
asparagus sprout" came the unimpressed reply. To go farther we had to
give up our weapons. We huddled and talked this over. "Give them our
weapons already!" said Tev. Easy for the dog to say, I don't see him
giving up his teeth. Eventually, we did give them our weapons. I made
them promise not to harm my da's polearm or my ma's bow (after checking
they that they weren't Dak Alarani followers, of course).
555/2/32. We reached Red Castle today and were promptly put in jail. So
much for being welcomed with open arms. Tev wasn't distressed. "I still
have an out," he kept mumbling to himself. At least it's not the worst
room in the dungeons. We get three square meals, good lighting, warm
beds. Krelga is teaching Mack and Eddy her war cries, mostly variations
of a high-pitched "Squeeeeee!!!!"
555/2/34. After two days locked up in the same room, large as it may
have been, we were all ready to tear each other apart. Nakaro in
particular was hardest hit by our confinement, skulking in a corner,
nary a word or movement throughout the two days. Surprisingly, we were
summoned to meet Iitee. Tev wanted to look his best and tried to get
Mack to groom him, to no avail since he and Eddy were busy grooming
Krelga (she is a *large* rabbit). Tev stomped off with a mad gleam in
his eye. Nakaro refused to move so we left him in the room.
The audience with Iitee was a formal affair. Compared to the court, we
looked like a bunch of hicks from Karakal. At least Iitee was short and
direct. "Normally, I should have you all killed. But I will grant you a
boon for returning my father to me. What is it you would have of me?"
and horror of horrors, he addressed the dog! "Not the dog!!!" I yelled
out, to be swiftly reprimanded with a bonk on the head for speaking out
of turn.
Tev, who has never been accused of using the full potential of his 16
INT, wanted to argue that we are not criminals. Sure we want to destroy
your civilization, but only to bring about a new order where all the
Cold peoples can be exterminated by the grateful masses of the other
races. Surely that's not bad is it? Iitee was not moved by the dogs
eloquent barkings. "Perhaps you should discuss your boon with your
friends," he suggested, having realized that picking the dog as our
spokesperson was a grave mistake.
Krelga and her honor guard left to sightsee the Castle. The rest of us
were led to our new rooms, much more sumptuous than the dungeon. They
had even moved Nakaro to the corner of this room. We argued over what
we should ask for our boon. Tev wanted to the boon to be that we are
allowed to join Iitee and crusade with his troops, pledging our lives
to an honorable cause. Silly dog.
Timroth and Tok eventually prevailed over the dog and we decided to ask
for a pardon in this land. While Timroth was off in the bathroom and I
took a short nap, one of Iitee's advisors wandered in and asked us if
we were ready. It was at this point that Tok betrayed our two Chaos
pals, saying that Mack and Eddy weren't part of our party. I woke up
then, catching the end of the conversation.
"Wait, Mack and Eddy are loyal to Krelga, they'd never betray you," I
said. "But if the rabbit is killed, then those two will have no qualms
about betraying our cause," said the advisor. "So they must die!"
quipped Tok. Tev just sat back and smiled wolfishly. I couldn't believe
their rank betrayal of the M & E boys. Knowing that there was no
point trying to appeal to Tok or Tev's sense of honor, I did nothing
when the advisor left.
Krelga came in an hour later, going on about how Mack and Eddy had been
taken and executed. How could something like that happen, she asked?
Tok said he had no idea, while Tev just rolled around on the groud
trying to contain his glee. Timroth had no idea what was going on while
Nakaro actually harrumphed when Tok claimed his ignorance, then Nak
went back to his meditation. I couldn't face my friend and tell her the
truth. It is indeed a sad day for the party.
555/2/38. We ended up getting pardoned for our High Treason, at least
in Iitee's domains. So now we have a real reason to want Iitee to win
and gain control of all of this region. Given a choice between joining
Iitee's legions and embarking on a campaign or staying at the castle to
act as double agents, meeting with Phad and Orgal and deceiving them,
we chose the suicidal mission. I asked Tev what Dak Alaran would do in
this situation, lying for whatever reason. He just said that it's ok to
lie to people as long as you're not the one doing the lying.
So now we get to wait for a couple of weeks while the Blue and Yellow
armies advance on Red Castle. Krelga and I visit the graves of Mack and
Eddy every morning. Krelga solemnly swearing that she'll use their gift
on whomever was responsible for their deaths. I'm not sure what she
means by that, but I don't like the mad gleam in her eyes each time she
makes that promise.
I moved my dresser up to our room. It's way too big for my things, so
Nakaro has taken a couple of drawers. To make sure people don't take
it, I've inscribed my name in several places. It reminds me of what I'm
fighting for. Home, family, a normal life for myself and the rest of my
people. It's silly. It's only a dresser, and not that great of a
dresser in the first place. But it stands for something. It's an ideal
and a promise that after this is all over I'm going to return to a
normal life.
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