From the boys perspective several adventurers were already in the room. Entering the richly decorated hall a knight well of age strode in confident behind Hollend, who retreated quickly. Jardel was a tall, fairly strong built individual wearing shiny, almost white plate mail armor. Over his armor was draped a white toga with a herald of the diety Heimdall adorning his breast. A great helm with a closed visor prevented further details of his face presently, but bright blue eyes shone through. Some pouches and an iron vial stuck to his belt aswell as an iron holy symbol, which hung loosly on a short chain from his belt. Upon reaching the throne seating Price Edmund, Jardel dropped to one knee, removed his great helm and placed it in front of him on the floor. Right hand resting on his sword hilt his eyes remained averted downword to the floor. In the light of the many torches kneeed a tanned, bald man with a short cropped gothee beard of black color hair with a vertical streak of silver at his chin. From his left ear dangled an ornamental silver earring. His age seemed to be around the late 30’s. A sense of warmth and confidence emanated from this man. Head still bent downward he addressed the Prince in a deep resolut voice "Prince Edmund. T’is an honor to be invited by you to this important event. Jardel Jar’axel, Follower to Heimdall - Guardian of the Bifrost Bridge - is at your personal services." Raising his head he looked at the Prince and his eyes wandered around the room to see who else had been personally summoned to this event. Not waitning for an answer by the boy, he grabbed his helm, held it under his left arm and rose easily, albeit the great weight from the armor. "I see you have gathered here a proud group of adventurers for your needs. Tell me Prince Edmund, what troubles you to have Jardel Jar’axel summoned."
A small, slight man of humble appearance walked in following Jardel and waited in stoic patience. He was balding on the top but otherwise had shoulder-length wispy white hair and a long white mustache. His dark, dancing eyes complemented the yellow tinted skin of a person from the Orient. He was dressed simply in a white hooded robe, tied at the waist with a rope, and sandals. A simple wooden rosary and several pouches hung from his belt, as he carried his belongings in a wicker backpack. After Jardel retreated Da Ghiri leaned on his staff as he quietly wandered towards the prince. Placing his staff in the crook of his arm, he bowed deeply from the waist before the young prince, not breaking eye contact, hands at chest level with the right fist covered by the left hand. He spoke the common tongue with a heavy accent which made him difficult to understand. "It is goood too see yoou again my prince", the old priest said mildly and with affection, "I trust yoou are well ? I was studying at thee monastary but came as sooon as I received Hollend's summons. How may I serve yoou ?"
Talthan remained in the shadows of the great hall, as the knight and the fragile old man entered the throne room. His black cloak, brown tunic, and well worn boots seemed a bit out of the place in such a civilized setting. Perhaps the only thing that seemed neat and orderly about him was his well trimmed mustache and neatly combed brown hair. At either side of him hung two highly polished swords, one long and one short. He listened carefully to the others before stepping out of the shadows to speak. "I won't lie to you, I have been out of the loop of recent happenings but if evil is here then I am there to see to it, I am Talthan the humble woodsman ! My services are at your call if you will accept them".
Kethas had always eschewed the use of a horse as he was still young and possessed of a will to walk whenever possible, so he made his way carefully through the streets of the busy city on foot. He seemed to know some of the guards that he met along the way smiling at each in turn as he made his way towards the palace. His deep blue cassock nearly brushed against the ground as he moved through the throng of people. Kethas hair was an unruly blonde affair that fell down below his shoulders, his hands large and muscular, and his gait one of a man of no small strength.
His smile was genuine and his voice had a cultured tone as he spoke to the guard. His hand ran along the buttons of his cassock as if he were not used to wearing it. The buttons of his cassock each had the seal of his lord, the Baron Duras, but underneath the robe the boots of a common man could be seen by those who were observant. "I have come at the princes request" he informed the guard as he approached the man and handed him the invitation."Quickly the guard returned with Hollend, who smiled warmly, "I'm glad you came, we must hurry, the others are waiting". He hurried when told and smiled again commenting to Hollend, "And do you fine sir have some identification ?" He chuckled at his own remark as he followed the older man through the palace. He was led high into the grand hall, presently filled with various people. Kethas just stared. Although he had heard tales of what had transpired before, he was unprepared to the shear weight of it all as it came crashing down upon him. Then taking his eyes from the young king he tentatively spoke. Kethas bowed as he held his staff in his right hand for support. "Your Majesty, I have come at your request and on behalf of Lord Duras. What may I do to serve you ?"
Another person stood at the side of the grand hall, a tall muscular human. As all was silent once more, assuming he was the last one to be summoned, Caladan approached the prince. One could see his strong and handsome face, but as he moved closer to the others, it was obvious that his eyes were all white. There was no color at all there and as he got closer yet, everyone noticed that small scars covered his hands and continued up both his arms. He was dressed in chainmail armor, green leggings, soft riding boots, a brown shirt and a green cape with a hood. By his left side hung a by elven hand finely crafted longsword. He had a couple of pouches dangling from his belt. When he was in front of the prince, he dropped to a knee and bowed his head. "My Prince, Caladon Thalagon is to your service. I'll do everything in my power to help you." He looked each of the present adventurers over, though it was hard to determin where his looks went, since his eyes were all white.
The doors opened again and Humus entered the room next. His stride was proud and confident with an air that he was as much in his element here in the palace as he was on the battlefield. He was tall and very muscular. His plate armor was so well polished that it had an almost mirror-like finish. At his side hung a long sword, and he carried a shield in his left hand. It had an intricate pattern of a griffin embedded on it. As he entered the room, he quickly took in everything - noting where everything and everyone was in it. He then walked up to the prince and dropped to one knee, next to Jardel Jar’axel and Caladan Thalagon. "My liege, I am here as summoned. Humus Giantbane, son of Strum Giantbane, is at your command. How may I serve you?"
Barely after having seen the doors close on him, a small halfling rendered them open again. "Well well well ... you see the trouble with strawberries is that they tend to turn brown when they are baked. So when you add them to pies, they sometimes look like they were shot out of a cannon. Raspberries on the other hand, well, they tend to stay very red and often taste like they were dipped in some sweet sauce that only the god of raspberries could create. Mmmm.... At least that's the way it is where I come from." The little halfling burst into the hall, attempting to move out of the way of Da Ghiri's eloquence. He stood approximately 3 ½ feet tall and supported a slight belly with his belt. Fastened by his belt was a recently purchased fiery red vest that shone like no other. His hairy toes curled up as they attempted to escape from the cold stone floor. There was naught exceptional about him except for the ornately jewelled dagger that he kept picking his fingernails with. "My apologies for being late to this grand meeting," as he stole a quick smile at Da Ghiri, who in turn nodded slowly "but I couldn't seem to sneak around that stupid guard at the palace gates quick enough to .... er ... nevermind. Culdat Manyfingers, at your service !"
Addressing all of the adventurers the young boy spoke with a voice that belied his age, "Greeting brave friends, I am in much need of your services." The prince smiled at the halfling and the slight humble oriental "Greetings to you old friend Culdat, it always was your style to make a grand entrance, and to you Da Ghiri, we have a violent history to share. Actually greetings to all of you and thank you for coming on such short notice." his voice became deep and troubled. "It seems an ancient evil has been awakened in our lands. A high priest of Asmodeus whom has been thought long dead has come forth once again to spread his evil." Nervously carressing his crown at his side he continued, "This High priest, named Rackart Flagg, has summoned his evil master Asmodeus from his prison in Hades and brought him once again to this plane. Asmodeus has brought all of his evil cohorts with him. Demons and devils that he has commanded for many millenium have come forth to reign in ultimate evil and chaos. My spies, along with court wizards and priests have told me of an army that Asmodeus is amassing." His eyes grew even more troubled, too much for a fifteen year old, "There is a new order of evil in this land, they call themselves Knights of Blood. They are the evil version of our holy warriors, the paladins. I don’t know a whole lot about them yet, as I just sent a spy into their ranks in training. They are reputedly the physically strongest of men, and are as unholy as they are strong. My spies say some have graduated their training, though they are few, and they are strong. Asmodeus has appointed generals to his armies. Of details I know so far of Rackart Flagg, the overall High Commander and High Priest. It is said he is the creator of these Knights of Blood. Under him are two direct generals, a human woman, and a dark elf. We don’t know much about them, so I cant tell you much." He paused to drink from a glass beside him. "There is a demon to the north, named Balazaar, who has a few knights under his command. He also has many other unholy creatures working under him that need to be stopped. I need you, no, let me change that, the kingdom and the realms need you to seek this Balazaar out and a certain item he is keeping for his Dark Lord. It is a Scepter of Power that he discovered and is keeping from all good. We think this item is a potent artifact that can, in a massive way, ensure the victory of Asmodeus in his hunger for conquest, should he manage to twist its magic to his avail." Pausing once more to drink from his jewel encrusted chalice, he continued "Please, also, find as much information as you can on any of these points of interest. You can keep any treasure you find, plus you will have the kingdom of Dunadors wealth to see you through. I only ask that you bring the Scepter of Power back so that my priests and court wizards may study it to see if we can use it against Asmodeus." Then, as if remembering something else, "The demon, Balazaar, is hiding in the Caves of Wind in the north, just west of the Valley of the Drow. Be very careful with him, as he can call others of his kind, as well as he may have many unholy servants to defend him. The fate of the world rests in your hands, please, bring back this Scepter at all costs!" he uttered with desperation. "Some of you I know from personal experience, to be capable. Others, your mentors or reputations have told me of your skills. I only hope I have chosen wisely, as much is at stake now. If you have any questions, ask now, as there will be no time until you return. I must ask of you to leave immediatley, during the coronation, as to throw off any would be assailants."
Caladan listened carefully to what the prince said about the quest and the enemies. He turned to the rest of the adventurers. "I'm pleased to meet all of you, I'm Caladan Thalagon, long ago a promising mage, now a travelling warrior. I hope that our joined forces are sufficient to stop the evil, that roams these lands. I say we move as fast as possible, personally I'm ready to leave now."
Da Ghiri bowed again. "I am at yoour service my prince", he spoke. "And I have all I neeed with mee, except a mount. May I again borroow a horse from yoour stables ? My feeet are good enough for me but time is of the essence and I must travel with mounted men. Accepting this, I am ready to depart as sooon as we may".
Humus listened patiently to the proposed quest becoming more and more concerned with the fate of the land. He then bowed to the prince. "By my honor it will be done. The quest will be full of peril, but it will also bring much glory. The enemy shall fall or I shall ! My mount and I are ready to leave as soon as everyone else is."
Eagerly Culdat added his voice into the frey of introductions. "Scepter you say ? What does it do ? I think I could certainly make use of that pony that I was riding a week ago. My feet tend to disagree with long journeys. Wow ... demons and the like ... jumping from the frying pan and into the fire ... er ... so to speak. Well, it is time to change out of this gaudy attire and find something more suitable for a journey such as this. Scepter eh ? What does it look like ? Damn ! I've got raspberry on my new vest. Well, I'm ready ... shall we ? An adventure awaits. Da Ghiri, have you ever floated anyone around on a journey ... I would certainly like to float on air one day." Culdat rumbled on, his seemingly endless rapid speech a trait known of inherent to the hafling race. "No, Da Ghiri, I haven't seen anyone float yet, including you. I was just making conversation. But we have a task at hand and I can ask you about floating later..."
Humus gave Jardel a warrior salute, "I too am honored to meet a noble warrior such as yourself. This task at hand will be difficult, but it will bring much honor and glory. I welcome your company - aswell as the company of the others - on this quest that will surely press us all to our limits."
With further passing of the grim details portrayed by the price, Jardels face changed from a friendly demeanor to an angered frown. "Prince Edmund, I see now what peril the Realms face once more. Let me recollect the vital bits of information you have told, so I understand everything clearly. Rackart Flagg, High Priest of Asmodeus, has summoned Asmodeus to this plane of existence to wreak chaos and evil upon the lands. With Asmodeus comes an army of demons, devils and undead. Unholy warriors - more to say Anti-Paladins - are enlisted into the ranks of these armies. The fiercest Knights of Blood, two of which you know - a woman and a dark elf - also serve directly under the High Priest Flagg. The demon 'Balazaar' also commands a legion, which is presently situated in the caves of Wind, west of the Valley of the Drow. Our goal is to find and retrieve this Scepter of Power, to return it to you. I have limited knowledge and experience in fighting this kind of evil, for so far my enemies have mostly been giant-kin. We shall see what evil steps in our way, which we will have to dispose of, by sword or by magic, this I do not fear. What bothers me, is the possiblity of gating. Most demons, devils and the likes have the power to gate in more of their kind. How do we prevent this, for this power is worse than that of regenerating trolls ! For every one you kill, two more step into this plane. I am at a loss for words ..."
The prince, seemingly tired, and quite frightened, looked to Jardel, "That is what the Scepter is able to stop, if we can get it and learn its properties. If our wizards and priests can learn about the Scepter, then the gating ability can be stopped. This is written somwhere in our libraries, a court wizard just happened upon, luckily one night ago. But you need not fear too much about Balazaar gating, as he is an arrogant enemy who feels he has no match on this plane, and probably will not gate in any more of his kind, especially out of fear of being defeated and overrun by a new demon. But beware, he still posseses that ability and may use it." Looking to his crown, he muttered, "And about the two aforementioned people, neither are Knights of Blood, one is a warrioir woman who commands them with her generals, and the other, the dark elf, is a dark mage a co-founder of the Blood Knights. He is very feared, even amongst those who have been his superiors." Jardel nodded humbly, "My warhorse waits for me and I am packed ready for this journey. As we are to venture forth into the bowels of the earth, we must leave our mounts outside of the caves. For this I ask you, Prince Edmund, to send a few armored men along with us, to take care of our steeds once we arrive." The prince nodded in recognition, "It shall be done, Hollend ?" he motioned to the aged one, "Would you see to it that seven of our best guards accompany the group to look after their horses while they journey into the caves ?" Hollend bowed and scurried out of the hall. Then, looking back to the group the prince continued "If there is nothing else, I need to get to my coronation" he said and stood up. An enturage of guards surround him and lead him safely out of the room. Jardel, turned to Humus and the rest of the party. "Humus Giantbane, I am honored to meet you and to have the opportunity to serve our new King by your side. It pleases me to find such favored 'volunteers'. Certainly we must exchange pleasantries later, but this must be done on our journeys way. Enough time has been wasted. Rackart Flagg must be stopped - our first trip takes us to 'Balazaar'. Let us defeat him and return the Scepter."
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