Episode 22: Montage of Pain

Quest Information

 * "The Library at Salihm"
 * 4 Araḫ Ulūlu to 4 Araḫ Tišritum roughly mid-August to mid-September. High 87F, low 77F. Dry season: 1% chance for light rain daily.
 * Kassithe, hex 1304 to Jow-Hadan, hex 0707 (Salihm)
 * Level 5

Primary Cast

 * Craganor, battle cleric of Innara
 * Gimble, gnome evoker
 * Ket-Ramat, soldier-scout
 * Lugal, Mage of Learning

Secondary Cast

 * Tabni, plains ranger in the service of Gemekaa
 * Various cityfolk

Summary
Crestfallen, the survivors return to the Hurrethe station east of the Badlands. The trip was contentious: Craganor blamed Ket for letting their traveling companion die. "We should have gone back!" The scout maintained that it was Shoklen's choice. "He sacrificed himself to delay the enemy so we could escape." Daric wonders if Shoklen was suicidal and blamed himself for alerting the gnolls to their position. Lugal tries to apply reason to the loss. "He was a ranger from the Sappanu Swamp. Maybe the heat of the Badlands was simply too much for him. Dehydration can affect the minds of those unfamiliar with this climate."

At the outpost, they tell the captain of their failure to recover the marble mastodon. "The gnolls have a powerful new weapon" says Craganore. "You need to prepare for their raids, may you prove your worth in glorious battle!" Lugal reminds them of the odd ceremony. "The gnolls are up to something," he tells them. "They were accompanied by two creatures we encountered before, creatures that are not of this world.Prepare for the unexpected, tell your commanding officers to have mages and clerics standing by." Ket then speaks up. "We've done all we can, we have to be going. We have our own mission to accomplish." "I understand," says the captain. "We'll take care of things here, good luck to you." The party turns to leave, but are stopped briefly by the captain. "I forgot," he says, "there's a ... strange little fellow, camped along the road. He's been waiting for you."

Confused, the party seeks their ... fan? ... along the roadway. They come across a small tent with a smaller fire, over which roasts an even smaller rabbit. "Ahoy there," Craganor shouts at the tent. "Anyone there?" Out from the tent strides a small man. Just over 3' tall, he has the craggy face of a fifty-year old. "Hello!" he says, in a chipper voice. "Are you the soldiers from Ag-Rakade?" "Well, I wouldn't call us 'soldiers'", states Lugal, "But we are from Ag-Rakade." "Well nice to meet you! My name's Gimble, and I heard of what happened to your village. I've been researching the theory of inter-dimensional travel for years, and I think that's what happened there."

"Wait, how did you hear about that?" asks Lugal. "Word travels fast, plus I keep my ears open for things like that" says the gnome. "Wait, this has happened before?" "Um, well, no, not that I've ever heard of. But my guild has been waiting for a sign that our theories are true." "What theories are those?" "Why, the theory that interdimensional travel is real, of course!" At this, Lugal is momentarily speechless, and then he says "well, why don't you come with us. We're heading to the great library city of Selihm, to speak to a great wizard. He apparently has seen this happen before." "Ah, great!" chirps the gnome. "I always wanted to see Selihm! We can share what we know as we walk!" "Oh, great," murmurs Craganore. "The mage was insufferable enough on his own, the two of them talking magical theories for the next month on the road will be intolerable!"

The following weeks were indeed insufferable. The two wizards talked magical theories practically nonstop. They shared research notes and taught each other new spells. Lugal bragged over how he decoded the mad necromancer's journal, and showed the sketches he discovered in the abandoned village. Gimble deduced the drawing represents pathways between dimensions, or "planes of existence", which he found incredibly fascinating. Every night, whether they were camping on the side of the road or spending the night in a fine tavern, the two mages sat, hunched over scrolls, giggling like schoolgirls when they discovered a new tidbit of info. Craganore came close to losing his temper several times, always restrained by Ket. "Yeah, they're insufferable," said the scout, "but the more they can learn about what's going on, the better prepared we'll be to deal with it."

After weeks on the road, the travelers approach the last rise before Selihm. Craganore turns to Ket and says "after a month on the road with those two, the last thing I want is to sit in a library. I'm a cleric of Innana, if I don't have a good fight once in a while, I'll go insane." Ket, looking forward, says bluntly, "I'm guessing you're about to get your wish."

Selihm was burning.

To be continued ...

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