Menue
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Prelude
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Picking their way through the broken cobblestones that lined the ancient road, the five travelers cautiously advanced through the ruined elven city. A pall of despair and sadness seemed to emanate from the rubble all around them. Even through the moss and weather worn surfaces of the building the beautiful architecture of the ancient elves was still evident. At least the sections where the great stone buildings still stood. A partially collapsed building up ahead blocked off most of the road and only allowed for one person to squeeze through at a time. Taking point, Katharine slipped through the opening and after a brief struggle to get the cobwebs out of her way; she emerged on the other side, gasped and involuntarily backed up against the wall behind her. Seeing his sister tense up, Denor drew his long sword and rushed around her ready to fight off whatever had threatened her. Blue eyes darting left and right he quickly scanned the area for immediate threats, finding no danger he suddenly realized that before him was the building that they had traveled so far to reach. The massive tower of white marble climbed straight upwards as if reaching out for the heavens, its magnificent stonework and intricate carvings looked as if they had been completed yesterday, when in fact the tower was over eighteen centuries old. Surrounding the tower was a huge plaza that was dotted with statues of every size and description; from huge fearsome stone dragons, which seemed ready to spit fire at any moment; to little gnomes who appeared to be playing some kind of game involving a ball and sticks. Awed by the sight before him, Denor absentmindedly began to take a step into the plaza when his sister roughly grabbed his arm and jerked him back. Nearly losing his balance he angrily demanded, �What�d you do that for?�
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�Because the plaza is deadly to any who don�t know the proper magical words of entry,� replied Katharine. �And unless you have them hidden in your sword, I suggest that we wait until Rummir says it�s safe.�
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Feeling foolish for acting so rashly Denor started to apologize when Katharine cut him off. �Don�t worry about it, it�s not your fault. This place is enchanted to draw the unwary to their doom, but this was not always the case,� explained Katharine, �used to be that these stone guardians provided entertainment for the citizens of this city, but just as the so called army of light,� pausing to make a sour face before continuing, �conquered this city forcing all the elves to flee, the head of the Zar�enthil (elven arch mages) cast a great spell that would protect the tower though the ages. The army marched on the tower with five hundred troops including priests and clerics who prayed to their gods for the power to gain them entry. But the arch mages spell was so great that none could remove it. Of those five hundred, only a handful of them returned to their homeland to report their failure. All of them became extremely paranoid, having been driven mad by witnessing the horrific deaths of their comrades.�
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�Um�remind me again why we are going there then?� Denor whispered. �It seems to me that it is not very conducive to a long life.�
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�We go because it is the only way that those pricks in Salarian will allow us to stay.�
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�Oh, right,� muttered Denor. To him it didn�t matter if he lived in Salarian, home of the elves, or not. He would be just as happy going anywhere else, but he would stick by his sister no matter what she chose. Being only 5 years older than his sibling he was the only family she had left. Their human mother had died while giving birth to Katharine, nearly 40 years ago; and their father, Ehlonna bless his soul, had died the previous year having drowned when the ship he had been on was attacked by a kraken. Those stuffy old elves in Salarian were intent on cloistering themselves up from the world, and anyone without pure elven blood was being told in no uncertain terms that they weren�t wanted around. After their father�s death, they had been pressured into leaving Salarian to the point that they had struck a bargain. If he and his sister helped in retrieving some lost elven artifacts, they would be allowed to remain unmolested in their home. Thus Denor found himself in what had once been Anderilian, an old elven city, standing before the gates of one of the zar�enthil towers. Interrupting his thoughts, Rummir came walking up to them.
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Rummir was a moderately powerful wizard who believed that he had discovered the secret of infiltrating the tower before them. �Prepare yourself half-elven.� Sneered the wizard, �For you are about to see a master in action.� Looking over the scroll in his hand Rummir began to recite a rather lengthy chant. As he neared the end of his spellcasting he extended his right hand, his purple robe billowing in the wind that seemed to spring up from nowhere, a faint shimmer of magic began to coalesce over the entire plaza. When the final word of the scroll was uttered it turned to ashes and blew away. Before them the faint glow of the magic started to rapidly increase until its brightness rivaled the light of the sun. With a mighty roar the light was suddenly snuffed out leaving the five companions to rub the black spots from their eyes.
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�Yes!� shouted Rummir in triumph, �It worked perfectly, just as I knew it would. Did you all see that; only I, Rummir greatest of wizards could have accomplished this feat.� Calming down a bit, Rummir boldly strutted towards the tower doors, his two elven guards flanking him on either side.
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�Cocky bastard.� muttered Denor as he started to follow the wizard into the tower, Katharine beside him. About three fourths of the way to the entrance, the stone guardians started to stir and come to life. Whatever disenchanting spell Rummir had cast on them had only slowed them down, but they were fast recovering. The sound of grinding stone and the snarls of anger coming from the stone guardians spurred the small group to quickly run for the tower gates. Arriving before the massive doors it was immediately discovered that they were held fast by powerful magic. Banging on the door Rummir was panicking, not accustomed to being outside his magical study he had little experience with situations that he wasn�t in control of.
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�Step aside o mighty one,� Katharine said sarcastically. Reaching into her robes she withdrew an amulet with a key shaped imprint on its surface and pressed it into the door. A loud cracking sound and jolt of power later the door swung open. Rushing inside the adventurers quickly slammed it closed behind them. As heartbeats started to return to normal Katharine glanced down at the broken amulet in her hand. �Drat� that shopkeeper had promised it had at least five uses in it, and she had only used it once. Sighing heavily she returned the now useless thing to her pocket.
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As Rummir regained control over himself he had the presence of mind to cast a light spell, which emanated from the top of his staff. Looking around the five adventurers saw that they were in a grand hall; which despite its age showed no sign of decay anywhere. The suits of armor that were placed around the perimeter of the room and tapestries that hung from the walls were spectacular looking. Even the furniture was exquisitely carved with beautiful decorations. Continuing into the all the companions noticed several doors leading off of the main chamber. The one they were looking for was the stairs, which they found easily enough.
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As they began to ascend they discovered that the second and third floor held the vast libraries of the tower, some of the books were unique and had no other copy on the face of the world. Any of these would have been worth an enormous sum of money to a mage. But the company moved on without a second glance. The next floor held the sleeping quarters of the mages. At the top of the stairs the great wooden door was inscribed with runes that read. To enter here is death. Only the Zar�enthil may pass.
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Having regained his confidence by convincing himself that the spell he cast over the guardians must have been tinkered with by one of his apprentices, he himself incapable of making such an error, and thus even with the unintentional sabotage his spell had still preformed remarkably well. Of course he had designed it and therefore that was only to be expected. Walking boldly up to the door the self styled arch mage stated, �I am Rummir Goldenstar, open and let me pass.� The door swung silently open on its hinges. Strutting through the entryway, Rummir made his way down to the end of the hallway. Before him was the door to the chamber of the most powerful zar�enthil to have ever lived. Trembling with excitement he cast his detect magic spell to see what powerful warding spells protected this door. Frowning, as he found nothing he was about to cast another spell when Denor who had been studying the door as well shoved past him grabbed the handle and twisted it.
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�No!� shouted Rummir thinking that this ignorant half-elf had just cost him his life. No lightning bolts or fiery death consumed them for opening the door; in fact nothing happened at all. Feeling a bit foolish Rummir rudely pushed past Denor and looked about. Lining the walls was a collection of books that contained every spell ever recorded by the most powerful magic user to walk the face of the world. Here was true wealth, any one of these books being worth a small fortune. Even so, Rummir just glanced at them and walked right on past them, after all what could these old spell books teach him. He was already as great as the zar�enthil that once inhabited this chamber, if he did say so himself (which he did, constantly).
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Sitting on a huge oaken desk carved with arcane ruins was what appeared to be a large glass globe filled with swirling red flames. This was what the adventurers had been seeking. This was their objective in coming here.
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�Finally, after all these long centuries the orb of fire shall be mine.� Reaching out his hand to touch it he suddenly jerked back as the ruins on the desk started to glow and a ghostly figure materialized on the ornate chair behind the desk. Wearing an elegant white robe embroidered with golden ruins was a ghost mage, its face hidden beneath its cowl. �You mustn�t touch the orb,� Intoned a deep voice that resounded throughout the chamber. �Only a true zar�enthil may safely call upon its powers.�
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�I am a true zar�enthil you stupid ghost,� said a very offended and angry Rummir. �I have searched for half my life to find a way to get into here and take it. I used my amazing powers to defeat the defenses of the tower and no magical image is going to stop me.�
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�I am no image,� stated the figure before them. �I am the master of this tower and while your attempt at lordly magic was impressive, your spell didn�t work. If not for the quick thinking of the young woman over there you would have perished, killed by my guardians. As for how you got up here without setting off any traps...� Katharine could feel the ghost grinning at them. �It had more to do with the fact that I lowered the defenses of the tower than with anything you did. I let you live because you are of the people and obviously you have some small talent in the arcane arts. It�s a waste to see even a minor mage killed pointlessly. You mage and your two guards may now teleport yourselves back to wherever you came from and have my leave never to return. The two half-elves will remain here for a time; I have matters to discuss with them.� Waving his hand in a gesture of dismissal the ghost turned from Rummir and faced the two terrified half-elves.
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Sputtering in indignation, Rummir prepared to cast one of his most powerful spells at the apparition seated before him. Speaking in the arcane tongue Rummir pointed at the ghost and cast a spell that should have banished it from this plane of existence. A huge crackle of energy enveloped the ghost and then a terrifying explosion knocked everyone to the ground.
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Cautiously looking up Katharine noticed that the bookshelves behind the desk had been blown apart and the chair were the ghost had been sitting was little more than kindling wood now. Looking closer she was relieved to find that the books while appearing battered had been protected from the blast by wards etched into their bindings.
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�Ha ha, not so tough sounding now are you,� gloated Rummir. �Now back to business.� Reaching out his hand he grasped the orb of fire in his hands. The flames flickering in the orb started to swirl violently and Rummir�s eyes rolled back in his head. Looking sightlessly at the ceiling he let out an ear-piercing shriek of pain that even a banshee would be proud of. Flames flickered around the orb greedily winding there way up his arms and down his body finally consuming him in a fiery inferno. The intensity of the heat drove the other four people in the room to back as far away as possible. With his shrieks rising in pitch so that Katharine, who was holding her hands over her ears and had her eyes shut against the glaring light thought surely she would be driven mad from hearing them; in a rush of air the flames snuffed out and an unnatural silence permeated the room.
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Daring to look up, Denor saw that the orb of fire was resting in a small crater in the stone floor. A perfect circle with a seven-foot diameter had been scoured with fire, partially melting the stone floor; the ceiling directly above it had similarly been charred. To think that this tower had survived the ages, withstood storms and assaults both natural and man inspired without taking so much as a scratch; and this orb lying on the floor had almost burned a hole though it. Nothing could have demonstrated its power more fully to the half-elf.
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Materializing before them was the ghost, his robes looked battered but he still exuded a powerful presence. Bending down he calmly picked the orb up and put it back on its stand. Turning to face the four companions huddling in the corner he said, �Now that that�s over with would you two elves like me to transport you home or are you still intent upon claiming the orb of fire?�
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The elven guards looked at each other and promptly decided that they had had enough. After all it was only there job to protect the wizard from bandits while they traveled here. If he couldn�t touch the orb they certainly had no intention of trying. The bolder of the two stepped forward and humbly asked, �Master zar�enthil, would you be as good as to transport my companions and me back to Salarian, so that we might report the death of mage Rummir to the council of elders.�
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�Of course,� said the spirit before them �but I�m afraid only you two elves will be going, I have something to discus with the others.�
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Mustering his courage the elf responded, �I must insist that they come with us as well. I am responsible for their safety as well, and cannot leave them in this dangerous place. Not that I think your untrustworthy,� he added hastily not wanting to offend the spirit �but I am obligated to see they return with us.� Sweat trickling down his back and the elf hoped that his words wouldn�t cause him to end up like Rummir.
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�It is commendable of you to show concern over your companions, even though I can tell you dislike them greatly. You have my word of honor that no harm shall befall them while they stay here and that when they leave I shall offer to transport them to Salarian.�
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As the two elves were being teleported back home both were secretly glad that the half-elven would not be going with them. This way they got rid of their bothersome problem and their consciences were guilt free. After all they couldn�t force the ghost to send them along now could they? The Last thing they heard before the swirling mists of the teleporting spell sent them on their way home was the ghost telling the two half-elves, �My name is Laurilian��
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