The Chronicles of Kulgar Hakonson

THE DRAGON VISIONS (PART 1) VISIONS (PART 2) UNDER THE COVER OF NIGHT MIYAN CHAPTER 18: GREYHAWK (PART 2) THE BATTLE AT MASON'S CORNER HULATIOUS

Kulgar Tharrison Walc Circh Othello Strystynne Merrill

The Dragon [Thursday 10 August 2000]

17 Feb 08 (CY 584) Night (cont.): Greyhawk: Thar flees towards the city's waterfront.  As he passes by Golrart's favorite tavern he notes that all is quiet - no-one seems to be here.
    It is after midnight when he arrives at the wharf where the nargison ferry is moored.  The boat is still here.  Thar decides to check out the ferryman's shed.  He gains entry by forcing open a shutter and searches inside for the five nargison whips that he gave to the now deceased ferryman.  He does indeed find the sack containing the whips and also takes a worn, but very warm, quilted cloak and grabs a pair of oars.  He then decides to wait patiently for Kul or Circh to show up.  But first he exits the shed and walks about in the fresh snow around the waterfront area in order to mix up and obliterate his own footprints and confuse any potential followers.

18 Feb 08 Pre-dawn: Kul and Circh still have not shown up, so Thar finally departs in the boat.  Rowing against the current, he makes his way towards the private docks of the Perith Estate.

Mid-morning: Thar arrives at the Perith Estate outside of Greyhawk.
 
 

Interlude

Inside a darkened room.  Banging is heard on the door. Miyan opens the door and Circh barges in, pushing past him with Strys in tow. "Miyan, you'll never believe what happened..." begins Circh.  "I'll need bandages for this girl - close your mouth!" Miyan looks past Circh and she follows his gaze across the room to find that captain Hulatious is standing nearby watching. She then looks back and forth between them as a realization of the truth slowly sets in.

    Meanwhile, Kul awakens in a dark chamber.  He hears a loud voice echoing through the surrounding chambers, "Praise the Lord of Evil, for He is walking the earth again!"
    Kul finds himself in a sitting position.  His neck and shoulders are sore.  His arms are spread out to either side and shackled to a long wooden beam.  He has also been fitted with a neck collar connected by a chain to the wall behind him.  Kul is alone in the cell, but he can see through the bars into another cell across from his own.
    The chamber gradually becomes a bit brighter as morning sunlight filters in through a slit in the wall above Kul's head.
    The loud voice continues to echo through the chambers, "People of Greyhawk prepare to meet your end!"
    Kul stands and leans forward, hoping to catch sight of someone familiar or at least the owner of the mysterious voice.
    Someone opens the gate to the cell.  Koskin enters the cell briefly to check on Kul and then exits again.  He soon returns with a stool which he puts on the floor in front of Kul.
 

    A blonde haired, hook-nosed man [Direwelch] soon enters followed by a woman.  The woman [Alesa] has a wide, comely face and is well dressed (wearing Kul's cloak clasp!).  A dark skinned man with a turban [Abi-Aduse] also follows them in.
    "Surrender your souls to the Lord of Evil, for His day is come!" echoes the loud voice.
    Abi-Aduse asks about the yelling and a guard explains that it is a priest of Iuz recently caught while trying to poison the water well.  Abi-Aduse points to two of his men and gestures down the corridor.  The two men march down the corridor where a guard hands over a set of keys to them.  Abi-Aduse's men then enter the cell and silence the loud priest.
    Alesa speaks to Direwelch as she looks at Kul, "This is him..."
    Direwelch: "Ah, so this is the Kulgar Hakonson, 'the Butcher of Wharf Street', 'the Black Angel'".
    Direwelch sits on the stool, resting his hands on his knees.  "It's costing me a lot of money to delay your execution.  There's a lot of people who want you put to death immediately".
    Abi-Aduse quietly tells the guards to leave and they obey.  However, as they exit, another man approaches the cell and one of the guards responds, "Hey, wait!  You can't come in here".
    Koskin, who is near the open cell door, looks into the corridor and his expression pales.  He whispers a name into Direwelch's ear.  The name is "Hozorotes".
    Kul looks up to see a short tunician [Hozorotes] entering the cell followed by two henchmen (one is tunician).
    Friendly greetings and handshakes are exchanged all around.  However, once the pleasantries are done with, Hozorotes, the man also known as "the Iron Man" and "the Dragon", confronts Abi-Aduse, "Why were your men fighting the city guards?" he asks.  "This has caused problems for us".
    Koskin watches from outside in the corridor as Hozorotes' henchmen step into the cell.
    Abi-Aduse suddenly looks very frightened as Hozorotes continues to intimidate him.  "This is an embarrassment," continues the Dragon.  "The damage that you've caused in the capture of this man is irreparable".
    Hozorotes steps aside and glances at his two henchmen who move in quickly.
    The men suddenly draw daggers and shove Abi-Aduse aside, swiftly stabbing Direwelch instead!  Direwelch is completely surprised by the sudden attack and clutches at his throat as he sinks to the floor dying.
    Hozorotes frowns.  "You ordered that attack on the Silver Unicorn using Abi-Aduse's men,"  Hozorotes says while watching Direwelch slowly die.  "We're businessmen... not bounty hunters, and what you did was very bad for our business".  Alesa screams as Hozorotes' men haul Direwelch out of the cell before he has even expired.
    Hozorotes steps forward towards Alesa who is still screaming.  He calmly places a hand on her arm, "You have my deepest sympathies".  He then ushers her through the gate.  "You understand, it is nothing personal.  Strictly business".
    Abi-Aduse, now out in the corridor, is very shaken by this unexpected event.
    Hozorotes addresses him.  "You're alive to clean up this mess.  How well you do controlling the damage determines how well we do business together".
    Hozorotes then sits down on the stool before Kul.  "Forgive me for finishing up business.  So, you are Kulgar Hakonson".
    Koskin watches in wide-eyed surprise as Hozorotes begins to make an offer to Kul.
    Hozorotes, it seems, is looking for an "enforcer/strong man", one that people will fear.  He has decided that Kulgar is an excellent candidate for this position (actually, Hozorotes doesn't really need a strong man - he has many - but he realizes that it would be a shame to lose Kul's reputation and ability to intimidate, which, in Hozorotes' field, are valuable assets).
    Hozorotes expresses his willingness to commit his personal time and money - lots and lots of money - to keep Kul alive and get him out of prison.
    However, if Hozorotes is going to make such an investment in Kul, Hozorotes wants to be certain that his investment is protected and remains loyal to him.  There is a certain amount of risk involved in freeing Kul and Hozorotes won't work at getting Kul out only to have him flee afterwards.
    Hozorotes needs commitment from Kul, and asks Kul if this reasonable.  "I need to leave no doubt that you're committed to this business relationship".
    "I understand," is Kul's only response.
    Hozorotes then signals for a lackey to bring someone else in.
    A cloaked man enters the cell and slowly removes his hood, revealing his face.  It is Xaxamaia!  The sorcerer sees Kul and reacts with surprise.  "You!" he says with an edge of contempt in his voice.
    Xaxamaia's eyes stay on Kul.  "Do not involve yourself with this one, Hozorotes.  He has his own agenda".
    Hozorotes notes dryly that Kul is scheduled to be executed.
    Xaxamaia lets out a loud, humorless laugh.  The sorcerer turns to look at Hozorotes.  "He will die when he is ready to die.  He is Slayer.  The only death he will ever know is the death he doles".
    Xaxamaia then leaves without another word and without looking back at Kul.  Hozorotes turns to Kul and smiles, a bit bemused and perhaps a bit worried.  This hadn't gone quite the way that he had expected.  Hozorotes seems to re-evaluate Kulgar: is Kul really that dangerous, even chained up in a guard tower of Greyhawk?  Even Xaxamaia seemed a bit spooked by Kul.  Is Hozorotes getting in over his head if he involves himself with Kul?  Is this a situation that he will not be able to control?
    Hozorotes tells Kul that they will continue their business discussion later and then exits the cell.  Everyone else follows, including a somewhat bewildered Koskin.
    The cell gate is left open for a while, until a guard finally arrives a bit later to lock it up.

Visions (Part 1) [Wednesday 30 August 2000]

18 Feb 08 Morning (cont):  Thar arrives at the Perith Estate (outside of Greyhawk) and docks the ferry at his family's private pier.  He enters the manor and immediately seeks out Merrill asking for her help in finding Kul, Circh and Strys.  Merrill is immediately concerned, but explains that she knows a scry charm that may help.
    Thar sits on the floor while Merrill fills a bowl with water.  She then adds some oil which floats atop the water.  She peers into the liquid and then suddenly cries out, dropping the bowl to the floor.
    "What did you see?" Thar asks.
    Merrill describes Kul and his surroundings.  He is apparently in a dark place with his arms outstretched and tied to a yoke.
    She covers her mouth, looking at the spilled water on the floor.
    Thar inquires as to what else she saw and Merrill spreads her hands out, closing her eyes once again and this time tilting her head back.
    A few moments pass before her eyes open again.  They are completely white now, with no pupils showing.  Thar watches as she looks off to one side and then crouches down.
    "Oh, Kulgar..." she breathes, as she reaches out towards empty space.
    Thar realizes that Merrill can see Kul and his surroundings in a vision.
    Merrill stands again and looks around.  She describes a prison and then wanders about the room as she explores the area around Kul.  "I see two men, they wear armor... they carry weapons."
    "Do they wear uniform colors?" asks Thar.
    "They wear the symbol of the bird," replies Merrill.
    Thar recognizes this as the symbol of Greyhawk (which all the city guards wear) and surmises that Kul is being held prisoner by the government.
    Merrill continues to explore the prison, describing her path to Thar.  She passes the two guards and descends a set of stairs.  She then passes by some people celebrating.  She finally exits the prison.  It is still snowing outside.  When she describes the surrounding area outside of the prison (including a gallows) Thar recognizes the area as the south-central barracks.  He asks her to return to the prison and check to see if Circh and Strys are also being held there.
    Thar watches as Merrill crosses the room, returning to the prison in her vision.
    Merrill passes a cell.  "There is a man sitting here... and another here," she states, walking past another cell.  She stops at the third cell.  "This man is screaming..."
 
 

    Thar realizes that Merrill's link with Kulgar's surroundings are limited to visual sensation... she apparently cannot hear any of the sounds within the prison.  "He keeps mouthing the word 'Slayer'," Merrill tells Thar as she continues moving around the area, watching the priest.  "He knows that Kulgar is there.  Neither Circh or Strystynne are here," she explains.
    "Can you find out where they are," asks Thar.  "Strys was hurt."
    Merrill sighs.  She is showing signs of weariness.  Her eyes return to normal and she retrieves the bowl from the floor.  She explains that she will need something of theirs and Thar quickly retrieves something from Circh's and Strys' personal belongings.
    There is a knock on the door and Merrill answers.  It is Othello.  Thar takes the opportunity to ask the monk (in Oeridian) to go to the nearest city gate and listen to the street talk.  He further explains that Kul is apparently in prison.  Othello agrees and leaves immediately.
    Merrill prepares her scry spell again using the water and oil in the bowl.  Thar leaves to get some food and drink for himself while she gazes into the liquid.
    Thar returns in time to see Merrill's eyes widen.  She becomes somewhat upset as she finds Strys in a dark area.  She can't see the girl's face, but she can tell that Strys has a bandage on her head.  A stranger is looking down at her.  Merrill looks closer, closing her eyes briefly.  When her eyes open they are white again.  She releases her hold on the bowl of water and looks around at the vision around her.
    Merrill describes an older man... balding and with sunken cheeks.  The man sits next to a bed, looking down at Strys.  He seems to be waiting for something or someone.
    Merrill exits the building and explores the area outside.  It is still snowing outside.  There are many uniformed militia.  There are also many bodies on the ground here.
    "How many?" Thar asks.
    "More than I can count," she replies.
    There is smoke rising from behind the nearby buildings.  Thar asks Merrill to describe the building that she has just emerged from.  As she does so he quickly recognizes it as Miyan's shop.
    Merrill re-enters the shop and examines Strys.  The girl is breathing.  At Thar's request Merrill looks outside again...  no-one is standing guard directly outside the building.  The only soldiers in sight seem to be taking part in the clean-up.
    "A man has entered..." Merrill states.
    Thar recognizes her description as belonging to captain Hulatious.
 
 

    Thar asks Merrill to investigate the battle scene as he describes the happenings of the previous night to her.  Merrill explores the area.  She finds that the Silver Unicorn is still burning.  The cobblestone streets are all a mess from Golch's destructive earthwave.  Men are still here removing bodies.  Thar asks her to look for the bodies of the defeated bounty hunters.  Merrill describes only two bodies... those of Taribark and Muliff.
    Merrill's eyes finally return to normal as the vision ends.  She retrieves the bowl once again.  She takes Circh's personal item and looks for Circh in the liquid.  She soon finds that Circh is chained to a wall by her hands.  The chain is long, but Circh is forced to lean against the wall with her hands chained up high.
 
 

Visions (Part 2) [Wednesday 20 September 2000]

18 Feb 08 (cont); Perith Estate (outside of Greyhawk):  Thar asks Merrill to find Marlok in a vision.  He anticipates her need for a personal item of Marlok's, and shows her the winged rune-sword.
    Merrill examines the sword, identifying the black runes as Grohmish writing.  She translates the ancient words for Thar.  On one side of the silver blade are written the words: "Seek the nectar of blood".  On the other side is: "Come home when sated".
    Merrill then casts her visions spell again.  Her eyes turn completely white as the spell takes effect.  She soon finds herself on a city street with Marlok, Golch, Distrol and Golrart.  Marlok seems to be in very good health, despite all of the wounds that he suffered during the battle at the Silver Unicorn Inn.  Merrill describes all to Thar as she follows Golrart and the bounty hunters through the snow covered city.
 
 

    Kul watches as several men approach his cell.  Golch enters the cell and approaches the chained barbarian.  The sorcerer makes several dramatic hand gestures and soon Kul's chain falls loose as the rock in the wall behind the barbarian turns to mud.
    Marlok and Distrol approach and drag Kul from the cell.  Kul's feet are still chained together and his arms are still chained to the wooden beam.  Golrart tries to stop them as they drag the barbarian downstairs, but Golch casts a spell that pushes the heavy set man back up the stairs again.
    The bounty hunters pass through a door, continuing to drag Kul towards the barracks exit.  Golch casts a spell and the earth erupts from the floor, blocking the side doors of the corridor before them and cutting off the approaching guards.  They open the door at the entrance to the barracks and Marlok quickly punches the guard, knocking him down to the ground.
    Marlok and Distrol then drag Kul down the street, while Golch pauses to cast a spell at the pursuing guards.  Golch is suddenly struck in the shoulder by an arrow, though, interrupting his incantation.  The sorcerer turns and flees.  Marlok and Distrol look back to see numerous guards charging at them.  They quickly drop Kul to the ground and also flee the scene with the guards chasing after them.  Several guards stop to grab Kul and drag him back to the jail.  They encounter Golrart at the entrance to the barracks...

Under the Cover of Night [Thursday 18 January 2001]

18 Feb 08 (cont) Late Afternoon; Perith Estate (outside of Greyhawk): Merrill is worn out from all of her spellcasting, so Thar leaves her to rest for a while.  Thar is also weary and injured (from the battle at the Silver Unicorn Inn) and decides to nap for four hours himself.

Night: Upon awakening, Thar finds that Othello has returned. Othello explains that the folks outside of the city are very concerned that gates have been locked up, especially with the approaching army of Iuz and the impending siege. Rumors that Kulgar Hakonson has been captured have circulated. The guards say that the gates will open again after Kulgar's execution tomorrow morning.
    Thar checks on Merrill. He finds that she is still sleeping and decides to let her rest further, but she awakens just as he is leaving. Thar updates her. Kul is slated for execution in the morning. Merrill is very concerned and afraid for Kul's life. Thar tells her to meet him and the others in the main hall as soon as possible and leaves to visit Walc. Thar explains to Walc that they need to get Kul, Circh and Strys out of Greyhawk. Thar also tells him to be prepared for opposition. Walc does not quite understand what is going on and Thar only tells him that he will explain on the way.
    Thar prepares to depart and soon meets Merrill, Othello and Walc in the hall. They all leave for the city.

    Meanwhile, at the south-central barracks, Kul is now in a different cell next to the stairs. Three soldiers now stand guard outside of his cell. The priest of Iuz is quiet. Kul hears a door open downstairs and soon, a fourth guard, carrying a torch, arrives.
    Hulatious follows, his face grim. Captian Hulatious carefully checks the gate on Kul's cell. It is apparently sealed tight.
Hozorotes arrives next.
    "Make this quick, Hozorotes," orders Hulatious. "You're taking up my time."
    Hozorotes approaches the closed gate, "Kulgar, I'm sorry that it didn't work out, but circumstances have changed. You understand... it is nothing personal. Strictly business." Hozorotes seems sincere in his regret that their working relationship didn't work out.
Kul watches from his cell as a familiar figure, holding a handkerchief over his nose and mouth, steps forward from the stairway... It is Sir Farchard!
    "I won't pay a coin until his head is on a pole!" Farchard announces.
    He lingers only long enough to identify Kul and then leaves with Hozorotes.
    Hulatious looks at Kul and then turns to leave.
    "I'm not afraid to die," Kul states boldly.
    Hulatious glances at Kul with a derisive expression and then leaves.

    Thar, Merrill, Othello and Walc travel back to Greyhawk in the nargison ferry boat. As Thar rows the boat past the waterfront, he can see soldiers patrolling the wharf area. Thar asks Merrill if she is able to disguise him with a spell. Merrill explains that she can change his skin and hair color, but that would be her limit. Thar wants very dark skin and hair in order to easily blend into the shadows of the night. Merrill sits across from Thar as he continues to row. She runs her fingers through his hair and down the sides of his face, in a somewhat sensual manner. Walc and Othello watch as Thar's features darken.
    Thar rows the ferry to the far end of the wharves. He intends to dock the boat underneath the very last pier (where he found Golrart's tunnel on 02 Feb 08). Thar carefully maneuvers the boat into position beneath the pier. There are two guards on the pier talking casually. One apparently was at the battle at the Silver Unicorn. He refers to Thar as the "guardian demon" and mentions that Kul was almost freed by Golrart and Golch recently. Golrart apparently got Golch and some others into the jailhouse, but was supposedly then knifed by his own men after the failed attempt.
    Thar is concerned about moving past the soldiers undetected. He asks Merrill if she is able to cast a spell of silence to cover the sounds of their movements, but Merrill cannot. She offers instead to summon a thick fog to hide them from view. Thar considers this, but then asks if she can extinguish the soldier's lantern. Merrill thinks that she can do something to help. Thar explains his plan: During Merrill's distraction, the party will need to move quickly, but quietly up the cobblestone path past the pier and into the city.
    Merrill looks out over the river. Her hair flutters as a breeze rises. The winds pick up to a light wind blowing inland off of the water. The guards begin to stomp their feet and move around to keep warm as they complain about the cold wind. The water soon gets choppy and the guard's cloaks flap in the strong wind. The lantern suddenly blows over, spilling flaming oil onto the pier! Thar and company move quickly! They manage to reach the street, apparently unnoticed!

Miyan [Thursday 15 February 2001]

18 Feb 08 Night; Greyhawk (cont): Thar (still disguised by Merrill's magic) leads Merrill, Othello and Walc to Miyan's shop. They enter the shop through the rear door and quietly move through two small unoccupied storage rooms. All seems quiet. Thar knocks on the door to Miyan's workshop. The door opens suddenly and Thar finds himself face to face with Circh's former right-hand man. Miyan is wielding a frying pan, but Thar quickly grabs him and violently throws him to the floor! Miyan hits the floor of the workshop hard, dropping his frying pan.
    Thar kneels on Miyan's chest and grabs him by the shirt lapels. "Hello, Miyan," he whispers in a menacing tone. He hauls Miyan to his feet and drives him backward into the wall.
    Thar quickly scans the room, but finds no other occupants. A portion of the room is obstructed from his view, though, and he expects that they will find Strys there lying on a bed (as she was in Merrill's vision). He hauls Miyan across the room, slamming him into an adjacent wall. From here Thar can get an unobstructed view of the bed. Strys is there. Thar calls to Walc to tend to her. He realizes the good timing of this, as the self-righteous knight was about to object to Thar's manhandling of Miyan. Walc, upon learning that Strys is in need of aid, quickly moves to her side and tends to her head wound. Strys soon awakens, though she is still very groggy.
    Thar lets Miyan sink to the floor, retaining his hold on the man's lapels, as he instructs Othello to guard the front door. He whispers menacingly to Miyan, asking who he ratted them out to. Miyan is in panicked state - he doesn't know who is attacking him! He eventually admits that he ratted out Circh to Hulatious, but he still doesn't recognize Thar. Thar tells Miyan not to move and throws him into the corner. Miyan promptly wets his pants.
    Thar looks around quickly for Strys' belongings, but doesn't see them anywhere nearby. He is painfully aware of the passage of time, and does not want to stay here any longer than necessary. He calls to Merrill, asking if she is able to find anything. Merrill does indeed locate Strys' belongings (including her armor and weapons) and brings them to Strys' side. Thar, meanwhile, finds the sack of coins that Hulatious gave to Miyan (as seen in Merrill's vision [18 Feb 08: Interlude]). He discovers that the sack contains rare gold crowns (worth 100 sp each!). Merrill tends to the still dazed Strys, giving her a tonic to help return her to her senses. Strys slowly dons her armor and equipment as Thar drags Miyan into the back room and tosses him into the far corner. Miyan cowers in the corner. Thar gives his money pouch to Walc (to cover unforeseen expenses) and charges Walc with Strys' safety. He instructs Walc to lead Strys back to the boat, undetected if possible. Thar, Merrill and Othello plan to rescue Kul and then meet Walc and Strys back at the boat. Thar tells Walc to wait as long as possible for the rest of the party before leaving. Walc and Strys then leave through the back door and disappear into the night.
    Thar looks menacingly at Miyan. "I really want to kill you now..."
    Miyan continues to cower as Thar grabs some cloth. Thar ties up and gags Miyan, but then covers him with some furs for warmth. Thar, Merrill and Othello then leave through the rear door. Thar intends to follow the back streets to the south-central barracks where he believes both Kul and Circh are being held prisoner.

The Battle at Mason's Corner [Saturday 17 March 2001 Supersession]

18 Feb 08 Night; Greyhawk (cont): Thar, Merrill and Othello move through a section of Greyhawk known as Mason's Corner. Thar is still disguised by Merrill's spell. He asks Merrill to teach him the grohmish pronunciation of the words on the winged rune-sword. Merrill takes the sword from Thar and casually examines it as they move through the snow-covered streets.

    She successfully teaches Thar to say the words from the first side of the sword, but as she flips the weapon over she is suddenly interrupted by a whooshing sound. She is cut off in mid-sentence as something strikes her from behind and wraps around her neck. Merrill immediately drops the rune-sword and falls to her knees, clutching her throat. Thar looks down to see a pair of bolas wrapped around her neck and quickly uses the dagger hidden in his bracer to cut the bolas rope.
    He glances up the street and sees four heavily cloaked and armed men approaching. Thar grabs the winged rune-sword and points it at one of the approaching men while speaking the ancient grohmish words aloud. The sword does not respond to his verbal command, however. He concentrates steadily on the sword and silently recites the words in his head. The winged sword suddenly yanks from his hand and flies towards its target, a man wielding a maul.
    As the men draw closer, Thar realizes that they are all tunician!

The four approaching tunicians:
Lardus: gimja 
Raih: maul
Tanacaw: longsword
Gnar: sawtoothed sickle

    Othello arms himself with a pair of jo-sticks as Thar swiftly uncoils Asterlain from his belt. The flying rune-sword, humming loudly, swipes and chops at Raih twice as the rest of the tunicians advance upon Thar, Othello and Merrill. Thar avoids Tanacaw's longsword, but is then nicked by Gnar's sawtoothed sickle. Merrill manages to get back to her feet, coughing.
    Lardus closes in and engages Othello with his gimja. The monk thrusts a jo-stick at Lardus' throat, knocking the tunician backwards.
    Raih screams for help as the flying rune-sword strikes him again. Thar attacks Gnar twice with Asterlain. Thar is worried that Raih's yelling will attract reinforcements, but so far sees none arriving. Thar avoids an attack by Tanacaw and then uses Asterlain to deflect an attack by Gnar.
    Othello brings up a jo-stick to defend against Lardus. They both manage to avoid each others attacks. Othello uses very circular movements in his fighting style, which compliment Thar's own fighting style.
    Merrill rubs her throat as she orientates herself.
    The flying rune-sword attacks Raih twice.
    "Get this thing off of me!" yells the tunician.
    Raih, swinging his maul wildly, manages to strike the flying rune-sword which is deflected through a snow bank, sending snow flying. The rune-sword rings from being struck, but gradually returns to its usual humming as it continues its relentless attack on the hapless tunician.
    Merrill thrusts her hand towards Gnar, throwing him off balance with a charm just as Thar attacks the tunician.  Gnar is struck in the stomach by Asterlain and buckles over. Thar anticipates the tunician's counterattack and attempts to leap up.  He almost succeeds, but Gnar strikes him from the ground with his sickle before the half-elf can avoid the attack.
    Othello and Lardus dance around, managing to avoid each other's attacks.
    "Behind us!" Merrill yells.
    Thar glances over to see two more tunicians approaching!

The two approaching tunicians are:
Hidfur: (unshaven with scraggly hair): handaxe
Hiforlan: splythe (tunician polearm w/curved blade on end like a glaive (w/ tassels & dried ears hanging on strings as trophies))

    Raih flees from the flying rune-sword in panic, running towards Thar, Othello and the approaching tunicians. The rune-sword quickly impales him from behind and then swiftly extracts itself before the tunician has even hit the ground. The sword then hovers over the corpse, humming.
    Thar strikes Gnar twice, but almost over-extends himself on the attack. Tanacaw's blade comes in and punctures through Thar's shirt, but Thar manages to twist and avoid being wounded. Gnar takes advantage of the situation, however, and strikes Thar from behind with the sickle again.
    Merrill turns to face the approaching tunicians. The snow around her melts away a bit as she mumbles an incantation, slowly raising her arms on either side of her.
    Thar finds that he is able to redirect the flying rune-sword without sacrificing any control over his spinning nargison whip. He directs the sword through the battle to target one of the new arrivals (Hiforlan). Meanwhile, Thar and Othello move around a bit, adjusting and closing up the space between them. Merrill moves back away from Hidfur and Hiforlan. Thar attempts to position himself between Merrill and the oncoming tunicians without breaking close formation with Othello.
    Othello and Lardus continue their exchange of parries until Lardus finally drops back, re-adjusting his cloak. The tunician suddenly kicks snow at Othello, perhaps aiming for the monk's face. The snow only strikes Othello in the chest, however, with no effect.
    Hiforlan uses a special tunician grip on his splythe as he moves in quickly towards Thar. The tunician is intercepted by the flying rune-sword, however, which he is just barely able to parry.
    Thar strikes Gnar, who finally drops to the ground, mortally wounded. Thar then avoids an attack by Tanacaw. Hidfur and Hiforlan continue to advance on the half-elf guard.
    Meanwhile, Lardus pulls a standard tunician feint and Othello falls for it! Lardus strikes Othello with the gimja and then tries to rake the weapon across the monk in typical tunician fashion, but Othello is smart enough to roll with it and avoid serious injury.
    Hidfur approaches from Thar's right side, tunician style, moving quick and low. Suddenly the tunician's knee explodes, with blood splattering outward, and he falls to the ground in pain. Thar hears Merrill gasp. He glances over to see that her hand is outstretched towards Hidfur. Merrill is apparently surprised by the severity of the wound she has inflicted on the tunician. Meanwhile, Hiforlan closes in and strikes Thar with the splythe.
    The flying rune-sword strikes Hiforlan twice and Thar strikes him once with Asterlain. Hiforlan yells for the injured Hidfur to get up. The tunician spins his splythe and then suddenly drops down, coming in low at Thar. Thar moves aside, but Hiforlan quickly draws back and attacks again, striking Thar. Tanacaw attacks, but Thar knocks aside the tunician's longsword with Asterlain.
    Othello attacks Lardus in a flurry, spinning the jo-sticks expertly.
    Hidfur manages to get back up to his feet. He sees Merrill looking directly at him and begins to move towards her. Merrill is still looking somewhat guilt-ridden over her last attack on Hidfur, but she mutters another incantation as she makes a gesture of separating her two fists. Hidfur falls to the ground again, writhing in pain.
    Thar suddenly notices four more tunicians approaching!
    Hiforlan is struck by both the flying rune-sword and Asterlain. Tanacaw moves around to Thar's left and clips Thar in the back as the half-elf ducks. Hiforlan moves in quick and also strikes Thar in the chest with the splythe as Thar is ducking. The blow actually lifts Thar from the ground as the weapon almost drives completely through him! Thar falls onto his back and then quickly rolls over onto to his feet again. Merrill cries out in alarm at the severity of Thar's wound. He has an open bleeding gash in his chest! Othello is also struck by Lardus after being distracted by watching Thar tumble over.
    Hiforlan spins the splythe around and points the weapon at Thar. "I look forward very much to adding your freakish half-breed ears to my collection." However, the flying rune-sword suddenly strikes the gloating tunician in the back of the neck. Hiforlan spins around as the sword follows through with a second attack at his throat, decapitating him!
    Merrill turns towards one of the four approaching tunicians [Sheden] as he releases an arrow from his bow. She makes a quick gesture, slowing the arrow in mid-flight with her magic. The arrow dies before it ever reaches its target.
    Thar continues to fight, striking Tanacaw once with Asterlain. Tanacaw concentrates on jabbing at Thar's chest wound with his longsword. Thar desperately defends with Asterlain. Othello feints an open pose to draw Lardus in close. The strategy works as Lardus lunges forward at the monk. Othello springs forward, suddenly dropping his jo-sticks to the ground. He grabs Lardus by the wrist and somersaults over the tunician, twisting around in mid-air. Othello finishes the maneuver as he descends behind Lardus with a kick to the tunician's head.
    Merrill, meanwhile, blows air towards the four advancing tunicians. A wall of wind and snow generated by her magic blows at them, creating a whiteout and forcing them backwards. Sheden releases an arrow into the maelstrom, but it is redirected and lost by the wind.
    Thar directs the flying rune-sword to attack Tanacaw. The tunician is surprised by the buzzing rune-sword as it strikes him. He is then struck by Thar's whip as he tries to deal with the bizarre sword. Tanacaw slashes and thrusts at Thar, but he is too distracted by the flying rune-sword to mount an effective attack. Thar, not wanting to aggravate the gaping wound in his chest, defends himself with great economy of motion.
    Othello forces Lardus down to his knees and strikes at the tunician's throat.
    The flying rune-sword strikes Tanacaw twice. Tanacaw is still too distracted to defend against Thar effectively. Thar strikes Tanacaw with Asterlain and the tunician falls defeated. He then turns and quickly strikes Lardus who is still prone from Othello's last attack.
    Lardus falls back onto the ground, gasping for air, and feebly tries to get back up.
    Merrill has her arms spread wide, using her power to maintain the whiteout condition. She is looking intently up the street towards the area where the four newcomers were last seen.
    Hidfur lies on the ground, screaming in pain.
    Thar looks around... there seems to be no immediate threat. He moves to one side of the street, near an alleyway, and pulls his jar of Keoghtom's Ointment from his bag of holding. Thar quickly applies two portions of the salve to his chest wound. He then returns the jar to the bag with one portion remaining. Suddenly, an arrow fired from the alleyway grazes him in the shoulder! A tunician [Notac] wielding a codj emerges from the alleyway in a crouched stance, so as to avoid the arrows which are being fired from behind him.
    Thar redirects the flying rune-sword to attack Notac. The rune-sword responds and strikes the tunician. Thar also lands a blow on Notac with Asterlain. Notac twirls the codj and strikes Thar low in the shin.
    Othello wrenches Lardus' arm back with a loud pop. Lardus falls unconscious and defeated.
    Another tunician [Deped], wielding a serpent-tongued sword, also tries to emerge from the alleyway, but Notac is blocking his way. "Notac, move up!" he orders.

    The flying rune-sword buzzes around Notac, striking the tunician once and tearing apart his jaw.  Notac falls to the ground defeated. Deped moves forward and thrusts at Thar, striking Thar in the chest. The sword actually lodges in Thar's breastbone momentarily!
    Othello turns and runs at Deped. Thar sees that Sheden has an arrow notched just behind Deped.
    He yells a warning to Othello, who is able to adjust his attack towards Sheden instead of Deped. Sheden sees Othello closing in and falls down as he avoids the attack. His arrow fires, missing wide and landing in the snow near Thar's feet. Merrill realizes that she can now drop her spell as the tunicians have moved around the whiteout.
    As Deped extracts his sword from Thar's chest, the flying rune-sword suddenly swipes down and severs the tunician's leg at the knee [critical]! Deped drops down onto the stump in shock just as Thar strikes him in the face with Asterlain one last time.
    Sheden, meanwhile, regains his footing and retreats down the alleyway away from Othello. Othello lunges for the tunician, but just misses.
    "Othello, be careful!" yells Merrill.
    Othello suddenly bends backwards as an arrow fired at close range flies up past his face.
    Thar hears a humming sound approaching - it is not that of the flying rune-sword, however. It is a humming very familiar to all nargison guards. Thar turns to see a familiar figure approaching from behind and wielding a nargison whip (which makes the familiar humming sound). It is "Pipesmoker" (Last encountered in Rel Mord on 11 Jan 08 [p467])! "Pipesmoker" apparently circled around Merrill's whiteout, emerging on the opposite side of the street from his companions.
    "Pipesmoker" nods to Thar and addresses the half-elf in common, "Good evening, captain."
    "You have me at a disadvantage, corporal," replies Thar.
    "I am known as Hifalutur. I very much have enjoyed following you since Rel Mord. My only regret is that you didn't stop at more ferries and speak to more ferrymen. However, due to circumstances - with impending doom marching upon this city - I very much would like to collect the bounty that's on your head before this city falls."
    Thar remains silent, not wanting to give Hifalutur the satisfaction of a response.
    "Please do try to die quickly," adds Hifalutur as he closes in on the guard.
    Thar realizes that, although Hifalutur is tunician, he has obviously studied nargison fighting techniques. Thar normally has an advantage against tunicians in combat due to his study of the Handbook of Tunician Tactics, but Hifalutur's use of nargison tactics instead of tunician tactics against Thar negates this advantage.
    Thar yells to Othello that he'll be needing some help and immediately directs the flying rune-sword to attack Hifalutur. The flying rune-sword closes in quickly and strikes Hifalutur by surprise. Hifalutur recovers from the unexpected attack quickly (unlike the others who were not as experienced), but Thar takes advantage of the tunician's momentary surprise to strike swiftly with Asterlain.
    Othello turns and runs at Hifalutur. The monk executes a few handsprings and backflips and strikes Hifalutur in the chest with his foot upon landing. Othello then turns and kicks Hifalutur in the side of the torso with his other foot (ending up on his back on the ground). Hifalutur strikes Thar with his whip and then kicks snow into Othello's face. There follows a flurry of whip action as Thar and Hifalutur exchange blows.
    Merrill makes a fist and extends it towards Hifalutur. The tunician's knee erupts with blood spurting outward! Hifalutur grimaces, but somehow maintains his concentration - keeping his whip spinning at high velocity. Sheden emerges from the alleyway and takes advantage of the situation. All the attention seems to be concentrated on Hifalutur. Merrill is suddenly struck through the mouth by an arrow! She drops to the ground with the missile protruding out through her neck! "Othello! Help Merrill!" Thar yells.
    The flying rune-sword strikes Hifalutur twice. Thar misses once with Asterlain and then strikes the tunician on the next attack. Thar can see that Hifalutur is adjusting to the dancing sword as an extra opponent - not panicking like the others. Hifalutur attacks Thar twice, missing once and then striking the half-elf with the follow-up.
    Othello, down on his back, hears Thar's urgent request to help Merrill and slides easily out of the way - disengaging from the combat.
    Thar tries to get Hifalutur between himself and Sheden as protection against the missile attacks, but he realizes that Hifalutur is counter-maneuvering to keep Thar in the line of fire. Thar responds by giving ground and maneuvering towards a nearby alleyway.
    Othello reaches Merrill's side just as Sheden fires an arrow at the monk. Othello dodges it and quickly investigates Merrill's wound. A feathered shaft sticks out of her mouth. She is still barely breathing as blood gurgles within her mouth. Othello must break the arrow's shaft on the outside since the arrow has passed almost all the way through her neck. After removing the missile the monk then heals Merrill with a chant.
    The flying rune-sword again strikes Hifalutur, but Thar misses with Asterlain. Thar defends three blows towards his face.
    Hifalutur's next attack suddenly drops low and trips Thar up. Thar falls to the ground with Hifalutur's whip wrapped around his leg, limiting his mobility.
"Sheden, finish him off!" yells Hifalutur. Hifalutur then begins dragging Thar in an attempt to keep the whip around the half-elf's leg taught and prevent Thar from getting back up to his feet. Sheden knocks an arrow and aims at the half-elf guard. Othello sees the danger and, executing a backwards, handspringing cartwheel, takes the arrow for Thar as Sheden fires!
    The flying rune-sword misses Hifalutur, but then strikes the tunician [Hifalutur's AC is lower - his whip is still wrapped around Thar's leg, so he loses that part of his defense]. Thar flips himself over and kicks, breaking free [successful save vs. Dex]. He quickly attacks twice with Asterlain, missing once and then striking Hifalutur with the follow up.
    Othello leaps up at Hifalutur, who dodges. The monk then turns upon landing and delivers a roundhouse kick. Hifalutur just avoids the kick and strikes Othello in the neck with his whip. Hifalutur never misses a beat as he directs his next attack at Thar, successfully striking the half-elf again.
    Hidfur finally struggles to his feet and hobbles towards the fighting while Sheden fires an arrow at Thar, which the half-elf avoids.
    Hifalutur avoids an attack by the flying rune-sword, but is struck by Asterlain. Hifalutur responds by striking Thar [Thar is down to 7hp!]. Thar considers retreat, but doesn't want to flee and leave Merrill defenseless as she lies motionless with a pool of blood around her head in the snow.
    Hidfur limps towards the fray. Othello charges at the injured tunician and kicks him in the injured knee. The monk then spins and then kicks the same knee again with his other foot. Hidfur falls to the ground, incapacitated and screaming in pain.
    Another of Sheden's arrows just misses Thar.
    "Perhaps you misunderstood me when I said I wanted you to die quickly," Hifalutur quips as he is struck by the flying rune-sword again. The rune-sword misses on it's follow up, though, and Thar misses twice with Asterlain. Hifalutur strikes the rune-sword with his whip [Thar successfully saves vs. spell] sending the sword ringing through a snow bank and thus spraying snow into the air.
    Othello charges at Sheden intending to finally remove the threat of missile attack. Sheden notches another arrow just as Othello leaps and kicks. The monk strikes Sheden, knocking the tunician to the ground. Soon, Othello has Sheden properly immobilized.
    Meanwhile, in a surprising move, Thar belts Asterlain.
"Thank you," responds Hifalutur, assuming that Thar is about to give up. "Know well that the bounty I collect from you will be generously applied to the destruction of more nargison guards."
    Thar manages a backflip (intending to get some distance between himself and his adversary in order to retrieve his wand of light from his bag of holding). However, as Thar finishes his maneuver, the flying rune-sword suddenly swoops in and impales Hifalutur from behind like a lance! Hifalutur's spinning nargison whip wraps around the end of the rune-sword as it protrudes from his chest. The tunician falls to his knees and then spits up blood as he dies, falling backwards onto the pommel of the rune-sword.
    Thar looks around at the aftermath of the battle. A couple of the tunicians are still alive, but incapacitated. Thar uses a dagger from one of his bracers of defence to administer the coup de grace to Hidfur and Deped. Sheden, being held by Othello, watches in horror as his compatriots are killed in cold blood. Sheden begins begging for his life - offering the names of two tunician moles in exchange for his own life. Othello responds by tightening his grip, making sure that Sheden won't be able to break free and run for it. Thar pauses to check on Merrill as Sheden stammers on, explaining that he's served with Hifalutur for a while. Sheden further explains that Hifalutur replaced several ferrymen with moles and he again offers to identify them. Thar realizes that blood is still gurgling in Merrill's throat and turns her on her side to clear her mouth of the thick liquid. He notices with relief that Merrill's wound is no longer bleeding thanks to Othello's healing.
    Thar tries to summon the rune-sword, but it is stuck underneath Hifalutur's body. He returns to Hifalutur and manually retrieves the sword. He then relieves Hifalutur of a couple of items:

• a finger clasp (wide ring with amethyst set in raised etching)
• Hifalutur's nargison whip.

• a silver flask connected to a silver chain (from around Hidfur's neck)
• Tanacaw's longsword & gemmed sword sheath
• four money pouches (Thar quickly cuts the strings with his dagger)
• Deped's sword sheath (which Thar intends to use for the rune-sword)

Four tunicians in Greyhawk:

• Lonpen
• Dashular
• Bavilak
• Udd (Thar recognizes this name)

---

Hulatious [Thursday 03 May 2001]

18 Feb 08 Night (cont) Greyhawk: The snow continues to fall as Tharrison (still carrying Merrill) and Othello arrive at the waterfront. However, there is no sign of Walc or Strys. Thar spots two soldiers standing guard on the last pier, where the boat is hidden. He looks around carefully trying to determine how to get past the guards without being noticed and wondering where Walc and Strys could be.

Suddenly, he spies a familiar little girl on the street. It is Lostiel, the sewer girl! Thar enlists her help, asking if she can create a distraction. He drops a gold crown (a gold coin equal to 100 sp) into her palm and without a word, she cuts back through the alleyway away from the waterfront disappearing into the night.

However, a few moments later Thar sees her emerge from another side street onto the waterfront again. He watches as the girl quickly runs up to the guards pointing away from the waterfront and can barely overhear as she tells them that two people are scaling the palisade wall. The guards easily fall for the deception and run off to investigate, leaving Lostiel behind.

As Thar moves across the street towards the pier he spies Walc and Strys nearby. Apparently they too were waiting in the shadows for just such an opportunity. The whole reunited party then quickly moves down to the boat and everyone climbs aboard. Thar rows the boat back towards the Perith Estate outside of the city. As they move upriver, Walc finally asks Thar what is going on. The half-elf explains that they were attacked by tunicians, but Walc’s questions continue. He wants to know what's happened to Kul.

Thar was hoping to skirt around this issue, but now is forced to explain in full. He begins with the incident of the slave auction over a year earlier (18 Aug 06) in which Kul and Thar freed several of Kul's tribe members who were being auctioned off as slaves. This is why Kulgar and Tharrison are wanted here in Greyhawk. He then explains that Kul and Circh entered the city on the morning of the 16th intending to exact revenge upon a fat thug named Golrart for his mistreatment of Circh. Thar felt it was necessary to accompany them. Trouble found them at the Silver Unicorn when the inn was attacked and burned in the night and Kulgar, Circh and Strys were ultimately captured.

19 Feb 08 Pre-dawn: The conversation continues as Thar and company arrive at the docks of the Perith Estate.

After hearing the whole story from Thar, Walc finally responds, "Tharrison, you know I'll help, but I would like to be informed about these things."

"The original intent was for Circh's revenge," replies Thar. "Your hands didn't need to be sullied by this. As soon as we get back to the house, I'm going off to help Kulgar again... just to inform you."

"I will help you," Walc replies.

Once inside, Walc suits up into his armor. Thar stashes his new tunician loot in the house, but grabs his sack of smokepowder. They leave Strys and Merrill under Othello's care at the house. It is still snowing lightly as Tharrison and Walc depart for the city's south gate where Tharrison intends to seek out Kul's old mercenary friend, Tharb.

The day dawns as they finally arrive at Tharb's camp outside of the south gate.

Tharrison finds Daernuvale standing watch. "I'd like to speak with Tharb."

Daernuvale recognizes Tharrison. He nods once at the half-elf and strolls off into a nearby tent.

Presently, Tharb emerges from the tent and greets the half-elf.

"I need help, Tharb," begins Tharrison. "We need to recover a lost ally."

"I already heard."

"What did you hear?"

"That Kulgar was caught. He's probably being held in the south barracks. He's to be executed at dawn."

Tharb seems to consider the half-elf's request for help and analyzes the situation aloud, "Kulgar is in the city - the gates are closed - he is locked in prison. They will probably bring him out for a public spectacle." He pauses in thought. "Kulgar is a very wanted man," he reminds Thar. "That thing with the slaver guild - ballsy."

"You're mercenaries. I can pay you," responds Thar. Then he adds, "I can get the gate open. All I need is confusion - a distraction."

Tharb finally agrees and they begin to formulate a plan. Tharb and his crew will cause a distraction and Tharrison will blow the gate open with smokepowder (he shows the powder to Tharb). Tharrison needs Tharb and his crew to cause enough mayhem so that he can get to Kulgar and then get the barbarian out.

After working out these details they finally discuss compensation. Tharb asks for 75sp per mercenary (2,100 total). Tharrison calmly counts out 21 gold crowns. Tharb is somewhat shocked at being paid in gold crowns, but accepts the sack of coins from the half-elf (who has only three left now).

Tharb assembles all thirty of his mercenaries, and they follow Tharrison and Walc towards the south gate.

Meanwhile: Two guards still stand on duty outside of Kulgar's cell. Four men arrive. One is the magistrate, Gamorol. Another is the sheriff. The other two are members of the Grand Council that Hulatious summoned. Gamorol, a heavy set man, has curly hair hanging down. Kulgar listens impassively as Gamorol reads aloud the official charges against him.

"In accordance to the laws of Greyhawk," continues Gamorol, "the Council has found you guilty on all charges. Your sentence is to be put to death..." He is interrupted by a sudden crash from downstairs followed by stomping footsteps ascending the stairs.

Hulatious storms into the area and yanks on the gate to Kul's cell, but it doesn't budge. It is locked. The enraged captain grabs one of the guards and slams him up against the gate. He suddenly unlocks the gate with the guard's key without even removing it from the man's belt. Hulatious then storms into the cell and attacks Kulgar, hitting him in face three times with his fist. Kul falls back hurt as Hulatious gets in close to his face screaming at him. Kul responds by spitting blood in Hulatious' face. The captain grabs the barbarian and slams him against the hard stone wall. His tirade continues as he slaps Kul a few times.

"Get him to East Village with an escort," he orders. Hulatious wants everyone to see Kulgar die. He wants to make an example of Kul.

The guards unlock Kul's chain from the wall and drag him out of the cell with the wooden yoke still in place over his shoulders. The Grand Council members step back, frightened and intimidated, as Hulatious follows Kul and the guards down the stairs and outside. He is dragged through the snow barefoot wearing only his blood-stained ragged shirt and pants.

Meanwhile: Tharrison asks Tharb to approach the guards at the south gate. Can Tharb actually enter the city to see Kulgar's execution?

Tharb returns with the new information and Tharrison quickly translates it to Walc as they head back to the East Village.

Revised: 19 Dec 04 Unpublished work © 2000-2001 fraz