Trademeet

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(( Oh, my bad! It won't happen again ! ))

"That's interesting, because when we gave you that power to kill Dumbledalf, I noticed your body took to the magic smoothly. I didn't know what would happen to you when all of that magic was coursing through and around you. Anything could happen," Elwithral said dreamily, "by the way, where are you from?"

 

"I'm used to others casting spells upon my body to make me stronger, faster, or anything else that makes me a better fighter. Perhaps thats why the magic was accepted so smoothly." Kalab answered, unsure if he was correct, but as far as he knew it was the best explanation. "I come from the Icewind Dale. It's far, far, far north of here. North of Neverwinter, North of Luskan and beyond the Spine of the World. It's a land of harsh climates and the weak very rarely survive."

 

"What was your village called? Or maybe tribe? Myself and Dalamar have travelled far and wide, give us a name."

 

Andra remained hidden in the shadows, watching the eagle and panther clear away rocks. Scanning the area carefully, she decided to help the two companion animals. Perhaps their masters or mistresses could shed light on why she was in this strange land.

She approached the rockfall stealthily, her pointed ears quivering in anticipation of sound. The animals managed to find an opening and voices reached her. She picked up the words Athkatla and approaching army.

"Hmm, Ath-cot-lah must be a that city I skirted through the previous night," she whispered to herself. In her attempt to get closer to the newly found cave, she accidentally skipped some loose stones with her worn boot. She sent a quick prayer to the gods of travel and seated herself on the nearest flat rock to wait for whoever was in the cave to come outside.

 

Elwithral stopped talking and frowned. 'Hmm...'

Elwithral told Ellesime to fly upwards, and Dalamar told the panther to walk away like nothing happened.

There was something out there.

Elwithral drew both his swords and proceeded to the cave opening without a sound, motioning for the others to do the same.

He conjured a Wizard's Eye when he got to the opening, and sent it out.

Invisible to all but Elwithral, the Eye scanned around the cave.

Elf. Master will want to know. Adventurer looks like. Interesting.

The Wizard's Eye came back and informed Elwithral and the others of the danger. Elwithral nodded as the eye faded away, and stepped out of the opening slowly.

He quickly cast a web around the elf's body, and jumped in front of it. "Who are you?" He smiled at the look of fear.

 

Andra licked her lips, propping her chin on a palm. The sticky strands of the elven stranger clung to her legs and prevented her escape. "Quite the sticky situation you made me in," she said in an elvish dialect. "No, right that is not." She shifted her tone and supressed her tongue on different syllables. "Is this a better tongue in which to speak to you?"

The other elf's hands glowed with power.

"I have no wish to battle this day," Andra stated, getting the feel for the old elvish language. "I am unfound -*lost*- in this new land. I think I am here to stop the army that comes." She noticed the trembling in her fingers, signaling the fear she tried to hide. "I am known as Andra, a woodswoman from ... another place." Noises from behind the stranger stiffened her spine. More people emerged from the cave.

She gave each one a cursory once-over, sizing each up. Then, her dark eyes spied one of them - a fighter of some sort. Her lips curled in distaste at the sight of the human and she shifted her attention away from it.

 

"Any language will do, my lady. Now, do you truly think we can trust you after one encounter?" Elwithral cast a spell on her, one which made her only speak the truth, "Now," he smiled, "Tell us the truth."

 

Galliel came out of the cave and looked at the female elf caught up in Elwithral's web. She was very pretty, and for some unknown reason seeing her tangled in sticky strands made her very angry.

"Let her go, Elwithral, please! We shouldn't treat her this way. She might be friendly."

She waved at the elf. "Hi, there. My name's Galliel. Have we met before? Maybe in Water's Deep, or somewhere in Calimsham, in a slaver's tent?" The new elf looked at her blankly. "No? Well maybe in the forest south of Suldanelessar? I just feel that we've met before, but I could be wrong."

 

She raised an eyebrow Elwithral, her voice low with anger, "Of course not. Trust is something to be earned and works two-fold. I trust you no more than you trust me." Standing, she continued to speak. "My name is Andra and I hail from Mestra-shaba in the lands of Yorrim. By your blank expression, you have not heard of my home. It exists on another aspect of the Material plane. I found it to be stifling and threw myself to the teachings of Fharlanghn, traveling the planes of our cosmos."

Andra tipped her face at the new speaker. "Yes, you are familiar. I last visited this plane in a city of the desert which welcomed djinn. Perhaps there, though I do not recall the name."

She fought her way through the web spell, being careful not to show the struggle of each step as she walked toward the halfelf. When she was within an arm's length, she gently touched Galliel's shoulder. "Would you care to talk in a more peaceful setting?"

Galliel nodded. Andra shot Elwithral a triumphant look over her shoulder and disappeared with the halfelf.

When the couple reappeared a few hundred feet from the cave, Galliel stepped away. Andra bowed in apology. "Forgive me, but your 'friend' was getting on my last nerve. We are not far from him and I will gladly take you back if you wish." She smiled broadly, knowing the spellcaster elf would be furious, but more than happy to prick his pride.

The two ladies found a protected place among the forest and began to talk.

 

Tania watched the interplay and when the new elf and Galliel disappeared she wander over to the pool. Sitting down she called to the nixie. Soon it appeared and they began a babbling conversation.

Returning to Elwithral, "I have asked the nixie to see if she can get any information about this army. Unfortunately nixies are easily distracted so we may never hear or see her again. So this new elf is from another plane."

She wanders around near the cave entrance poking at plants that have been damaged or dislodged by the rock fall. Many seem to perk up and take on new life at her ministrations.

Finally she sits down on a rock to wait.

 

Galliel was delighted. She hadn't thought about that season posing as a slave girl for quite awhile. It hadn't been that pleasant, but how else could she have gotten that inside information on the djinn?

"So tell me more about this Fharlanghn," she told Andra. "Is it a he, or a she, or an it? Is it a god? Or a sage? Is travelling the planes something that anyone can learn? I've been all over the Forgotten Realms, and there's plenty there to keep me interested, but travelling the infinite planes holds quite an allure."

She glanced over her shoulder towards the cave. "We'd better get back to the cave. Elwithral is okay, but he might start to think that you've kidnapped me or worse, and then he or Dalamar might blow away half the countryside with their magic trying to find me or kill you. I'm not sure what we're doing with Athkatla, or why, but there's never been a dull moment with them, so I've been happy." She got up and started heading back towards the cave.

 

"Fharlanghn is a god of travels," Andra answered as she walked with her new ally. "He keeps watch over those who walkabout. As for plane walking, I find myself going where I'm needed."

With a sigh, she spoke more. "Last I recall, my companions and I were slicing our way through some wizard's minions. There was a blast of magic and I found myself getting fished out of the water. I was at the docks of the closest city and used my steath to creep out of town. I overheard your friend talking about some sort of army. Until I figure out how to return to my own plane, I'll help you."

They grew closer to the cave. Even from this distance, Andra could make out the angry sneer on Elwithral's lips. 'Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall,' she thought with a grin.

 

Elwithral's sneer quickly turned into a grin as he noticed the reassuring look on Galliel's face. "Well, if Galliel can trust you, I sure can." he bowed very low, considering that Elwithral hardly bows to anyone.

Elwithral and Dalamar called their two pets back. Ellesime landed beside the new elf, and, from Elwithral's instruction, nudged her shoulder in a show of affection. Gwynephere bounded over and licked the elf from feet to head.

"I am Elwithral Irenicus. I am glad that you will be helping us."

"I am Dalamar Maximus. I am, of course, reluctant to let you join, but all the same, I will give you a chance."

"Now, we need to plan the attack on the approaching army. But I think we need to travel somewhere closer."

 

Tania walks over to the newcomer. "Welcome, Andra. I am Tania, cleric of Lethander. So you come from a different plane. I would love to hear of this if we have time."

Turning to Elwithral, "I am ready when ever you are."

 

"Hello Tania. I think a plan to deal with this army is more important than my history." She winks at the cleric. "Perhaps we can talk more after the strategy session." Andra glances expectantly at Elwithral and Dalamar.

 

"Well, just rushing in and attacking them with all we had didn't really work out last time, so let's try to think of something better than that," Galliel said. "Trouble is, I never was very good at that sort of planning, running in and making a mess of things was more my forte. Hope one of you has a better idea." She adjusted the scout's dragon pin in her hair.

 

"We could set a trap! Maybe..?"

 

Kalab had stood back in silence watching the events unfold. He had seen the look the elf had given him, but it didn't bother him. He had dealt with elves before. "I doubt that even with a great exploding fireball spike trap that we would do much more damage then we did when he rushed them. I suggest we find the leader and follow the old addege of kill the head and the body will follow."

 

Elwithral looked at Kalab curiously. He wondered how he had felt about the look that the new elf had given. Elwithral, although he didn't show it, had a small inch of his heart that disliked Kalab. It was his *hatred* for magic. But that wasn't the issue right now.

"Yes, but .. when we fought I did not see anyone who seemed to be in control. They seemed to act without anyone telling them what to do."

 

"A mental link, maybe?" she suggested. She brushed a finger along her temple. "A wizard I traveled with cast a spell on the party were fought with. I can't recall the name or even if there is one like that here. What the spell did was connect people the wizard wished via a telepathic bond. We could speak thoughts to each other." Chuckling, she gave in to a vivid memory and let her grin find Tania. "Ah, Nessa Rose was quite the crazy one. She constantly projected the image of people in dresses."

This comment seemed to break the tension between Andra and the rest of the party. It seems crazy-as-bedbug companions were universal.

"Whoever is leading this army might be somewhere else. Not in the fray, yet close enough to give orders. Someone who can be unseen when he or she wishes?"