Spoiled Plans

Standing out of her crouch, Rhea eyed the stone before giving a quick nod and setting it into the pouch on her belt. Cinching the small bag, she tucked the ties behind her belt and grinned. The pond shimmered in the sun before her, and with a final glance down its shore she turned and stuffed her hands into her pockets. There was a bounce in her step as she left the park and started down the road toward the jeweler's. Reaching for another pouch on her belt, the gnome slipped her fingers in and withdrew a handful of coins. Eyeing them, she nodded to herself. That should be enough, she figured, slipping them back into the pouch. A few gemstones, a few painted stones, and she would have the makings for another of her creations. She thought of making it mechanical this time, a toy for the children she had seen roaming the Sunite hall. Back in her room she had the metal she would need, but she didn't have the colors of gems she wanted. Turning down an alley as a shortcut, she started to reach for her tablet to prepare her request. With a grin, she let her arms drop back to her sides; she didn't need it any more. The creation Icehawk had given her allowed her thoughtspeech, and she still marveled at such a large gift from a virtual stranger. Little did he know how much it meant -- Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her from behind, pulling her into the shadows of the alley. There was a flash of motion in front of her and a hand clasped her choker, removing it before she could call out. She struggled, kicking backward and meeting only air as the grip on her tightened. A cloth was pressed over her nose and mouth; instinctively, she took a deep breath, inhaling a strange scent deeply. She coughed, pulling her head backward, and the cloth was pressed closer to her face. Silently she cursed herself for not carrying her dagger, for thinking herself safe without it. Twisting, she tried to pull away, one of her pouches catching and ripping open. The stones she'd collected spilled out onto the ground around her. With a fast motion, her head was pressed forward into the cloth, and she took another deep breath of the strange substance. The alley around her began to spin, and she slumped backward into her captive's grasp as she fell unconscious.

-5- Correspondence

Clausius closed his eyes and the world fell around him like a house of cards. Without focus, the thoughts rebuilt themselves into visions, though fuzzy and lacking in substance. As verified by the Entity, these visions were prophetic, but what good was a prophecy if the writing remained undecipherable? For perhaps the better part of a year he had them off and on. When luck was with him, he could make out images, and sometimes faces, though they were often confused with people he had known such that it was difficult to tell at any given time whether the face he remember was from a dream or from his memory. One face in particular haunted his dreams for many months. She was a young girl, with jet black hair and dark robes; human in appearance, though the wicked gleam in her eyes betrayed a heritage that was anything but innocent... A knock at the door broke Clausius from his dreams. It was well past the ninth hour, yet someone found it necessary to pay him a visit. Reluctantly, he opened the door to the face of a familiar kenku courier bearing a large scroll tube. "Pardon the intrusion Clausius, but this message came with the instruction that it be delivered immediately upon receipt." Clausius nodded and accepted the tube, which bore the seal of the Wizard's Guild along its side. It was the reply he was waiting for, within a week of sending it as his friends in the guild were always quick to answer his correspondence. "Come in a moment," he replied to the courier, who was soaked from the rain. Clausius walked to the main archives, with the kenku close behind, and made his way over to the desk which still sat cluttered with various objects. Scooting them to the side, he broke the seal on the tube and tipped it over. A roll of heavy parchments fell out onto the table, each bearing the seal of the Guild. The first he read near the fire: In response to your letter received on the second week of Eleasias, we have convened and discussed your inquiries: To your first question, by our methods, this one you call Bosch is who he says he is. His records in the guild are also in tact, as there was never a claim made to his wealth. We shall expect a visit from him shortly to have his records updated or otherwise removed from the repository. To your second question, it is curious you know of the details of our encounter with this girl you so vividly describe. She was declined the opportuntiy to study here due to an impure bloodline that we cannot place, though her skills with the weave are exceptional. Attached is our report on this girl, which you should find more informative that I can make it to be. It is also convenient that you should send us this inquiry, as we have something that we need to discuss with you and your faction. Some recent information has come to our attention concerning the imbalance of powers in the realms. While we would like to have you come in person to the High Tower, we realize that you are not as fit for travel as you may have been 200 years ago, and so we will accept any trusted representative to appear before us at either's convenience. The next few pages were the official reports on Bosch and the girl who remained nameless on all pages. Clausius pulled a piece of paper from his desk and prepared a reply: To the High Council of the Wizard's Guild, I will make preparations to send a representative you are no doubt familiar with. The Simbul is currently attending to clan affairs in the east, but I will ask that she convene with the council at her earliest convenience. In regards to the information you have provided on both of my inquiries, I thank you for the help in these matters. The business with Bosch's records will be reconciled as soon as he returns from a trip of the utmost importance. The future of our humble faction relies on his success in this journey, and so I ask that you be patient until such time as the plans are finalized. With warmest regards, Clausius Sagacus Sealing the letter in wax, Clausius imprinted the Sagacus crest upon it and handed it to the courier with confidence that it would reach its destination with the greatest of speeds.

The Beginning Pt. I

After many days of endless stress I made my way to the Blue Moon Tavern. I Pulled a few coins out of my pocket, slammed them on the bar and demanded service. The Bartender hustled his way to where I was sitting 'What are ya drinkin?' he asked, I replied 'Give me a bottle of your finest wine'. He pulled a 12 ounce of his best White Whine and poped the cork, and poured me a glass, 'Have the whole thing, you look like you need it'. 'Thanks' I said, chuckling a bit. 'Don't mention it'. I picked up the bottle and glass and caught out of the corner of my eye the image of the women whom I have come to love very much. I let out a slight whistle trying to catch her attention, success!! she slowly walked to me with the brightest smile I've ever seen on her face. Strolling up behind was her pet Kaji purring away like always. I beckoned for her to follow but instead she rushed by me sneaking off to the Back Room of the Tavern. I quickly followed her path, moving from room to room, trying hard at the same time to not spill my drink. Finally I made it to Back Room panting as if I had just had a battle with Tchazzar and won (out of pure luck). Looking around the room I noticed she had somehow pushed the two chairs together making it seem as if it was a couch. I sat on one of the chairs, Wine Glass and Bottle in hand, poured some more wine, I noticed Xairin had a puzzled look on her face, she said 'What's that for?', I told her 'It's just a little wine, never hurt anybody.'.

-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."

Horrible Mistake

I hit the floor suddenly, coming awake forcefully. Eyes flying open, I lay still for a moment, catching my breath before rolling onto my back and staring through the darkness at the ceiling. Usually I would light a small flame to illuminate the room, but tonight the darkness suited me better. Through the floor I felt the soft vibration of the wind despite the magical shock absorbtion in place; the Alyra was being pelted by strong winds, anchored in her place high above the moutains. A pain jolted through my gut as memories from the evening before came back to me in a rush, and I curled my knees up to my chest as waves of tears "No," I told myself quietly, forcing myself to my feet. "It was an accident, nothing more." The words sounded hollow even to me, though. Ret and I had made a horrible mistake. I reached out, picking up a dagger from my desk and weighing it in my hand. Memories flashed in my mind quickly. Ret's eagerness to explore, trying to cheer me up, had taken us to new parts. His magic had led us there, and I'd slowly been warming to the idea when we'd come across the bandit. "We were only defending ourselves." It did nothing to comfort me. I sat back down on my cot, tracing the odd imprint on the dagger's hilt with one of my fingers. That was probably the worst part. I'd killed him with my mother's dagger. Standing quickly, I flung the dagger sideways at the wall, turning and fleeing the room before it hit the floor. I clamored up the stairs and rushed down the hallway to the open helm of the Alyra, climbing up onto the railing and standing there, staring out over the landscape. The brisk wind caught me, throwing me backward onto the deck, and for the second time I landed heavily. Instead of getting up this time, I rolled onto my side and cried.