-3- NorthBound

The autumn sun hung low over the horizon as Bosch made his way into the small hamlet located just north of Waterdeep. It was his final stop on a long journey northward, where he would search out the future of the faction. His decision to search in the northern lands came rather spontaneously as he stood in the square in Waterdeep. The south was infested with trolls, and the east was a wilderness he would just as soon forget. The west had potential, but only after crossing the Sea of Swords, which would open up more options than he had time to consider. That left the north, of which little information was still known, and that was a definite selling point for his decision. While he had a long journey ahead of him, he knew that it would be much easier to manage if he rested up for the evening. Passing by several farms, he noticed a group of buildings set up in what he only guessed as being the center of the settlement. The Long Road passed directly through and opened up into a crude square with several water troughs and hay. A crude road stretched to the east across the fields and down into a swampy area below. Just a few paces from the road sat an inn which seemed to be doing quite well, as patrons frequented it more so than they did anything else. Bosch made his way in. At the front desk stood a stocky, middle-aged man who was busy with an angry patron. The patron, obviously drunk, was busy yelling at the innkeeper and beating his fist against the desk while rambling on about his room. When he grew tired, the innkeeper leaned forward and whispered in the patrons face, such that it became white with fear. In another instance, it was all over, with the patron stumbling quickly out the door, but not before setting down a few platinum pieces on the desk. "Greetings! What can we do for you here in the Sleeping Dragon?" Bosch was taken aback for a moment at the sudden pleasantness of the innkeeper, but it was only for a moment. "I've been on the road for several days without a decent place to rest. I was wondering if you had a room?" The innkeeper laughed. "You are fortunate. One just became available. The price will be 5 platinum, and that includes a meal and drink. Bosch counted out five platinum coins and placed them onto the desk. With one hand, the innkeeper slid the money towards him and tossed Bosch a key with the other. This switch happened so quick that Bosch nearly lost his bag trying to recover the flying key, causing the innkeeper to laugh. "You'll like this room. Breakfast is served within an hours of sunrise, so don't miss it. And losing that key will cost you much more than I think you can afford. Have a good night!" Bosch made his way through the tavern area toward the back where the rooms were. Opening his room number, he found the accomidations less than pleasant, with half eaten food still on the table and an unmade bed complete with beer stains. But Bosch never quite got used to beds again, having spent a decade sleeping on beds of leaves and soft earth. Pulling the straw mattress from the bedframe, he made himself a place to sleep and quickly settled in for the night.

-2- Greater Things

Clausius and Vaishu entered the main collection of the archives, which was a vast chamber filled with rows upon rows of shelves and cases. At the end of near every row were stacks of containers filled with overflow which made the aisles extremely difficult to navigate. Clausius and Vaishu meandered their way through to a large fireplace at the northern wall. In front of it was an equally large desk that sat in a small clearing that managed to remain uncluttered from the invading antiquities. With a smile, Vaishu placed his bag on the desk and pulled it open. "Two sets of crystal panes from Waterdeep," he said as he produced two wooden boxes. "The jeweler apologizes for being late with them." Clausius opened the boxes and examined the panes under the firelight. "I will settle with him next month when he visits. Did you manage to find the tools?" Vaishu smiled as he produced several leather bundles from the bags. "They were hard to find, but I managed to locate a trader from Heifong that acquired them for me." Clausius nodded as he produced a dwarven toolbox from under the desk. Taking the tools one by one, he began to sort them in the toolbox with the greatest of care and satisfaction. For several minutes, the two rooted through the bags, producing a sizable pile of seemingly unrelated items. Along with the crystal panes and tools, there were three bronze shields, two spools of binding leather, a tanner's kit, several small sheets of various metal, including copper, tin, and soft iron, a canister of metal polish, and several books related to manufacturing of small machines and other mechanical contraptions. All of these things Clausius sorted and piled next to more items which looked even stranger together. "I know you won't tell me what these things are for, but I ran into Bosch who was also in Waterdeep, and he seemed to know about the items I was looking for. I was just curious if you two were planning something." Vaishu asked as he stood up in front of the desk. "Well, it is a safe assumption that we are always planning something, but to answer your question: Yes, he has always known about the dreams and my interest in them." A spark of interest showed in the halfling as he looked up at Clausius, such that Clausius had to justify his statement. "Well, my intentions regarding these things you brought me are not related to the future of the faction. It is strictly a personal interest, but one that may prove beneficial to our cause. I think I will stop at that for fear of dragging you into my flights of fancy." He was adamant about keeping secrets. That is one thing Vaishu was certain about when it came to Clausius. While curiosity burned within him, he knew also that Clausius had his reasons for not letting on to certain things. It was an old observation that Vaishu had learned about and also learned to live with from the day he came to know the keepers now just half a year prior. And as expected, Clausius had another task to utilize the strider's abilities with. Tearing a strip of parchment from his stack of notes, Clausius penned several lines and handed it over to Vaishu. "I need you to locate these keepers for me and have them come to the archives." Taking the parchment, Vaishu folded it up and carefully placed it in his pocket. "And when do you need them here," he asked. "Within the next few weeks if possible. As we speak, Bosch is busy searching for a new place to store the archives and we will need all the help we can get for the move." Vaishu blinked slowly. "The move?" Clausius smiled at the reply, having purposely instigated it. "Yes, I would like to have everything moved within the month. There will be no problem finding them right?" The halfling grinned at the question which he couldn't possibly answer in any truthful capacity. He thought how ambitious such a proposal was when there wasn't even a place to move to as of then. Even with all of the keepers assembled to work on the move, it would be very difficult to have it all transported and reordered within the year, much less within the month. But then something had to be said about optimism and that is where he mustered the courage to reply that finding them would be no problem. "Good," replied Clausius. "Good luck?" asked Vaishu. "If any luck is with us in this endeavor, it will be good," was Clausius' reply as Vaishu exited the archives.

-1- Dawn of a Legacy

Dark clouds loomed over the forests around the ruined city. At an outcropping of rocks there sat carved a small place called simply 'The Archives'. It is a place where on this particular evening an aged titan sat in an equally aged wooden chair inside a room with no roof. In place of one was a tattered canvas, partially draped over a series of rings fabricated into a dome such that leaves and birds wandered in freely from the outside. Also that evening, the titan named Clausius let wander in thoughts of shaking the stability in his life. For longer that he could remember, this place served as his repository for all things he knew or hoped to know about his world. It was his lifes work, and as such his life, but he also knew that beyond the antiquities and beyond the volumes of knowledge, there lied a greater cause that pre-existed all others. It was time to complete the legacy. And with those thoughts came the rain. The droplets fell through the open roof with no resistance and struck the ground forcefully, saturating the room with the smell of dry earth. The elder titan sat in his chair, tossing a ball of string to the ground such that it rolled and bounced across the floor. A length of the string remained tied to his finger such that with a tug of his wrist, the ball came bounding back to his hands. This he entertained himself with through the rain, until the ball became saturated to the point that it fell like dead weight onto the ground. That is when he realized it was raining and that he was not alone. "You become stranger by the day, Clausius" a voice called out through the downpour. Clausius turned to see a cloaked halfling standing in the entranceway holding several bags. Ah Vaishu. Good to see you again." Clausius rose from his chair as he pocketed the ball of string. "Good to see me or to see these bags full?" Vaishu replied as he lifted them slightly to show they were indeed heavy with items. "Both to be honest, but you above all else. Let me gather my senses again and we'll have a look." Clausius made his way over to the large rope which was tied to the canvas. With a gentle tug, the canvas pulled shut and with it came several splashes of water. Vaishu watched this display carefully, being more interested in the funny length of string which ran from the titans pocket to his finger. "So I must ask you: what is the ball of string for?" Vaishu asked as they made their way down the hallway. "Well, it was of the advice of a friend that I take up new hobbies, and I found that the string helps me understand." "Oh really? How so?" asked the halfling. Clausius looked up again, half taken by surprise at the question. A few paces later, he replied, "Well, I was just thinking how much me and this ball of string have in common. Someone drops it and it rolls like it was meant to roll, across the ground in all its imperfections. Somewhere it will stop as it hits a rock or maybe just runs out of momentum, but no matter what niche it finds, theres something it cannot change. It is always tied to something; tied to its driving force if you will that will eventually decide its time to pull that ball of string back in and let it roll again." Vaishu looked at him with a puzzled look and shook his head. "You know, dont take this the wrong way, but sometimes I think all this isolation starts getting to your head." Clausius cracked a smile amidst a look of concern. "Perhaps youre right. All I know is that Ive been sitting in my little niche too long now for something not to come along and pull me out." Clausius stopped at the end of the short hallway to hang up his robe which was soaked with water. Taking one of the bags from Vaishu, he patted him on the back and said, "Let us dry by the fire and see what kinds of things you have for me."