D&D II Act One Scene II(b) - The Dread City

The council turn to follow Othegre out of the room. The liquid councilman turning to one shapped like a flamingo.

"You tell her why we need to go to Faerûn, I don't want that again."

They leave.

Karinth rubs his neck. "Oh great, another pseudo-death sentence....ha! Have I ever failed her though!"

He walks over.

"Sarric, Boros, our bridge to Athas awaits. Othegre was kind enough to leave it open"

sKeith wrote: »

Sarric hops and skips towards the bridge, "This just got even better, we're off to save a fool" Sarric says, then turns to Karinth, "what's the story with the maggot, is that going to be trouble on our mission?"

"Pfffftt, I doubt it. I have removed similar items and thwarted modifications the city have made to me before, no worries my friend Karinth is his own man."

They enter the planeshifting room. This time, the gateway is not within the mouth of one of the odd frogs, but is a large sphere shining in the center of the room.

Karinth salutes and dives into the sphere.

Ser Boros stares at a frog with 'Mystara' written above it. "So it's done with frogs? Except when the use balls? Well I don't get it...after you Sarric"

Sarric tumbles out the gateway onto red sand. Karinth stands over him hand outstretched.

"Welcome my friend to a plane as tough as they get."

Above Karinth hangs the sun, though it is dim, with the appearance of a smouldering fire.

"It's essentially a post-apocalyptic society, the plane once had a population of billions, but now only a few million remain. Mostly city states ruled over by ancient sorcerers, who are ascending to dragon form. Magic is very rare here as the only source of magic energy isn't the mind of the caster or a god, but the environment itself. That's what led to the world's ruin.

We know there was a genocidal war at some point, so the plane no longer has dragonborn, gnomes, orcs and several other races.

For reasons we don't understand the plane developed without any Gods, thus there are no Clerics. Our main interest in Athas is that the inhabitants display mental powers unrelated to magic, psionics they call them."

sKeith wrote: »

"So, my ice scroll is just a piece of paper in this plane and my cantrip won't work either?"

"It's difficult to cast magic, especially without causing further corruption. Those born with the talent are often killed, those who learn may be accepted if they can do so without draining the plane further. The extent of the corruption is worst in its effects on the sun, almost extinguished.

It will be difficult to cast the ice spell I suspect, probably best to leave it until an area with plant life you can drain the energy from, though the locals won't be happy.

The cantrips are usually weak enough in effect that they may be cast without too much environmental damage, but they're rare among natives, even Wizards rarely get to practice magic to the point that they have spells they can just do without effort. They'll mark us out as very odd."

"Yes, that is odd"

Karinth paces the portal.

"I can't return through this one, where is he?"

"In Nibenay, named after its ruler, the sorcerer kings are a vain lot."

sKeith wrote: »

Sarric looks at the portal, "I suppose we should head there then..... That woman you were talking to, Othegre, she had this portal open already, did she come from here? do you know what she done here, what did she tell you?"

"Well I mostly convinced her not to kill me...or maybe it would be more accurate to say I spoke for a while and probably independently of anything I said, she happened not to kill me.

She was here to trade with another of the Sorcerer Kings, Borys, some of their most powerful psionics in exchange for education in Vivimancy. According to what I heard it went quite well."

In the distance Sarric and Karinth see a large trade caravan heading their way across the desert.

The caravan consists of a group of about forty clad in furs, tattooed and holding spears, the group is a mix of humans and elves. They ride atop strange mix of dinosaurs, large mammals and other hulking beasts.

One of them dismounts.

"City dwellers or...." he looks at the portal "...something else?"

"Something else, like yourself.

If either of you can fight, we'd be glad to have you, we are being pursued by raiders. Help us and we can offer you transport and shelter."

"A party of about twenty, twelve of our warriors can aid you"

"Similar to our own, though their beasts are faster, we managed to slow them down a day ago by collapsing a ridge, but they'll be one us soon, two or three hours I would guess."

"I wish so, unfortunately, they're slavers. They'll take some cargo, but also the young."

Karinth laughs.

"Then your young should be strong enough to wrench their freedom from the jaws of these slavers, not rely on the help of two strangers they find in the desert. Perhaps we are worse than these raiders for all you know."

The caravan leader looks a bit nervous at this.

"I can guarantee they are...this is all we have, many will be fighting for their own families."