A RETURN TO 'A WHOLE WORLD AWAITS'
(A campaign run by Cap'n Jose Monkamuck)
Riches? Fame? A monk craves not these things. But, I am NOT a monk. I am the blessed kin of the greatest of all beings, the child of mortals and scaled gods. I am an adept, gifted of dragonfire. Wealth and station are mine for the taking.
In the west, there is a desert. A small town lies towards the south-eastern border near an imposing range of jagged earth and stone. Here, you find the merchant town of Kanach. Frankly, the place barely registers as a sinkhole. So, out of courtesy, I burned down a section of the bazaar on my parting. 'Twas a blessing that I shared the breath with such lowly men in the first place.
I journeyed forth from the meager den of misery till I wound up along the northern coasts west of the fabled Black Moors.
In these lands dominated by a fearsome "Egg Lord", one might tend to tread softly. I fear no self-proclaimed man-god. Monstrous metalli-crabs that decapitate the wielders of the arcane with a squeezing of their claws are another matter entirely. Fear is simply a tool of survival that one would use to avoid such potential fates. Sometimes, we simply stumble into fate. In this case, I was merely tired of getting my feet wet.
I opted for a change of scenery. Lush green forests are always satisfactory as there is always much to prey upon. However, not much is green and lush as the early days of autumn creep in upon the lands.
Journeying through the woods, my pleasant silence (and stealthy attempt at evading the notice of a party of the Egg Lord's crustaceous constructs) was interrupted by a disembodied voice that PRESUMED to inquire upon the nature of my activities. Often, the whispers of ancients have graced my thoughts. They speak to me and share their knowledge. If this was the presence of one of my ancestors, indeed, he was stupid.
"I am looking for mushrooms."
Stupid, indeed, for the voice directed me towards a small clearing where I might find such earthly delights. I refused to move and in a short time, the silence settled back into place.
I invoked my heritage, produced wings, and took flight to a sturdy branch in a tree nearby. In the small clearing ahead, I could see a party of what could be none other than a band of adventurers. Except, they were not a band of adventurers. No, assuredly not. They were recruiters, undoubtedly in the employ of a sex slave merchant. And central in my sight was another dragonkin! If blood alone were all I knew, it would be enough. Yet, the slightest tinge of the ruby scales that freckled her scantily clad form were all the information I needed to know that she was indeed the leader of such a despicable and unsavory bunch. A 'Red' would have it no other way. And to her side, a tall man appeared – the man whose voice so rudely questioned my presence.
Amongst their number, I could see the saddest of assortments. But for the tiny knight adorned in quality plated armor and hiding behind her massive shield (surely, it was almost her size!), was a band of paupers dressed in robes, or lightly armored, and equipped with simple blades. A massive wolverine, easily a dire beast, rested to the rear of the tall man who must have been a scout for his 'Red' mistress's bidding. Hardly a luster of magic amongst them, these were certainly the poorest, and therefore least able, of any group of slavers I can recall.
Obviously, these wretches recognized my beauty and innate power and found me to be a worthy asset for their collection. Why else would they have dared to lure me into their company other than to be captured?
Failing their attempt to trick me and to discern my new position, they set their sights on the camp of the Egg Lord’s minions. I was content to watch their massacre at the claws of the metalli-crabs. And when their bodies lay strewn across the forest floor in a bloody mess, I would gleefully pick through the remains and take their enchanted treasures.
Yet, it was not to be. Again, this crew was hardly clever, or capable, and engaged the enemy almost head on throwing tactics to the wayside.
In a disgraceful display of her power, the 'Red' mistress attempted to fly with magic over the tops of the camp and came falling down by the feet of the human female who captained the Egg Lord's mechano-minions. The rest of her mercenaries tried to pile upon the largest of the crustaceous constructs with complete disregard for the many lesser foes that they might have more efficiently dispatched.
If the sheer embarrassment of the attempted attack had not averted my eyes, the sudden appearance of massive flame walls enclosing the camp with me trapped in quickly-burning branches prevented my attention from staying on the battle. I was being assaulted by the captain, herself, and the thought that I was far from escaping the Egg Lord's clutches prompted me to act.
I was no friend to the Egg Lord, but I could easily escape the stupidity of the slavers if they managed to survive. Picking sides was an easy, if not ultimately 1-sided, decision.
Fortune favored the foolish as were aided by my wondrous might of flame breath. I quickly dealt with the majority of the minions, and the blow that brought the captain face to face with the earth beneath, of course, came from my own lips. Indeed, 'twas lucky for these purity pirates that I was so willing to aid them.
With the captain immobile and unresponsive, the fires surrounding the camp extinguished. The slavers made their move to bind her for transport and attempted to revive her, if only to ensure she was not damaged goods. It would be bad business for them to ruin the merchandise.
I took the opportunity while the attentions of the others were on their prize, to go after a prize of my own. And, as if the pull of treasure guided us, the 'Red' mistress and I entered the captain's tent at the same time.
I'd say there was a tension in that brief moment when we were crowding in each other's space, but we set aside differences to focus on the goal at hand – looting the booty. In what little time we had before the others returned to their mistress, we surveyed for enchanted goods and were each able to procure something without the knowledge of her party.
Understandably, descended of the blood of Reds, and having as little success as they must at kidnapping women, the 'Red' mistress was skimming off the top. I would not betray her to her companions as nothing short of mutiny would come of it.
Certainly, we dragonkin are capable of some compassion?
If I had thought the presence of the scout was irritating, I was wrong. A worshipper of the man-god Pelor approached me.
The rest of the mistress's companions began collecting what goods could either fetch a price or serve a use, as the cleric began to question – AGAIN with these curt inquiries – my actions. After much discussion/persecution by the cleric, and subsequently the scout and what could only be a monk, my procurement of a bag of (sadly) feather tokens went successfully unnoticed. (If only the 'Red' mistress had such skill for fibbing is not amongst her talents.)
I reminded them that I was their salvation from the mechano-minions and worthy of their praise. I convinced them of my ability, that I was deserving of my independence from their lustful intentions, and that they owed me a generous reward for my involvement. I demanded the flying carpet. Yet, the cleric maintained it was a decision for the group to make, not an individual. (Not much loyalty to a thieving mistress, I suppose.)
By sunrise of the following morn, they'd relinquished unto me an arcane wand of fire magic.
It was trickery on my part to gain additional treasure, but it was the trickery on their part to keep me, still. In order to obtain my prize, I was to return with them to the keep of the father of the scout – apparently, the man who had employed their services. I was to be offered a position with promises of gold and goods as my reward.
Yes, obviously, these criminals HAD recognized my beauty, my power, and my worth. I saw the opportunity for wealth, for fame, and to use them all in my quest for power. An offer like that could not be refused.
Oh, such pawns they will make!