I'll do a little prefacing before we jump whole heartily into the story so that you have a general idea of the details. The story is based in a fantasy world I created called Lendinbar. I've drawn out a lot of stuff for it, and I've made a lot of details. I've never truly finished it, but that's besides the point. The events in this story are true-ish though! They take place immediately after Part 1 of a campaign I ran with my D&D group. Long story short, a group of monster humanoids (a goblin, two hobgoblins, and a bugbear to be precise) took down an evil cult worshiping the war god, Bane. With the downfall of the cult came the literal downfall of their massive tower. Only the destruction of the cult is relevant to this story, but I figured it'd be nice if I kinda set up the tone of it. This is happening to a random yet important bystander...That's enough prefacing for now. LET THE STORY BEGIN!
Call of the Night
Chapter 1 - His World's End
Chapter 1 - His World's End
"I can't believe this happened..." Noldor Spellfury looked out towards the city of Mesnonia and could only see the smoke and ruins of what had happened. Just a day before, he had looked upon this same city and was studying the massive Tower of Bane. Despite his thoughts on the cult itself, the Tower of Bane was a sight to behold. The large tower had loomed over the city and seemed to watch all of the land around. However, now there was barely anything left of the magnificent work of architecture and labor. He had watched over the years as a small temple had grown into the enormous and elaborate work of the Bane Cult. Noldor had to reach the city quickly. He ran to where he had his horse, Swiftwind, tied up. He quickly mounted the horse and raced towards the city.
"What could have caused all of this?!" Noldor had to know what had gone so wrong during his brief time away. He had only left for matter of hours to collect some samples for his wizard's studies. This much destruction in so little time seemed almost impossible. His horse raced through the massive fields of grass that surrounded the city. This area was normally quite beautiful to behold, but the destruction of the tower brought up a huge cloud of dust and debris. Despite the distance to Mesnonia, Noldor had no regard for his horse right now and quickly spurred the beast on.
As he came closer, the sounds of a panicked city became louder and louder. There were people running all about in a frenzied state. Normally, Noldor would have been one of the first to give assistance to these civilians in need. However, something of greater importance was currently in his mind...Was his family safe? Noldor didn't agree with his families' belief in the war god, but he still cared for them all the same. They would have been in the tower at this time. If the gods were to grant him only one wish, it would be that his family was safe and sound. He spoke to his horse and asked that he go faster. The horse was already at its limit, but it pushed harder for its master and raced through the city streets. Swiftwind was a well trained horse though and weaved in and out of the panicked crowds of civilians. After what felt like an eternity to him, Noldor finally reached the epicenter of all the panic and destruction.
Noldor leapt off of his horse and ran to what used to be the tower's base. There were wounded Bane followers moving all about, but he didn't see his family among them. He kept running all among the ruins and hoped for some sign. Noldor worked far into the night and disparately searched about. Finally, after searching what he could, he left the site and asked among the other Bane followers. None of them had seen them since before the attack on the tower though, and it seemed that the worst had come to pass. When morning finally came and the cloud of destruction was finally gone, he truly knew in his heart that they were gone. However, despite that feeling, Noldor kept trying. He went back to the tower's remains for the next several days. He kept hoping that something would come to light, or maybe someone would remember a lost detail. They were all he had in this world, and he couldn't let them go.
And finally, on the sixth day, Aswane Gramstin came to him. Aswane rode in on his horse and slowly approached the wreckage of the tower. He hadn't seen or heard from Noldor in days, but he already knew what had happened. He had heard about the attack on the Tower of Bane, and he knew where to find his apprentice. He only had to look about briefly before he spotted the young elf looking through the ruins. Aswane got off of his horse and slowly approached Noldor. Aswane told him the truth he didn't want to accept. "Noldor, they have left this world behind, and there is nothing you can do. I know you miss them, but no one can change what has happened here." Noldor recognized the voice of his teacher. He respected Aswane, but he wasn't ready to accept it yet. He got up and turned to the aging wizard. "You could never understand what has been taken from me. They weren't just my family! They were all I had here!"
Noldor's eyes began to burn with sorrowful rage. "Without them, my life has no meaning!" Aswane looked at the elf and responded. "Your life has just begun young elf. You came here to learn and wield the arcane knowledge. Unlike my limited time in this world, you could live on for ages to come! With your longevity, you are the one of few who must live on to keep our practice alive." Noldor listened to the words, but he couldn't give up yet. "Master Gramstin, surely you must know a way to bring them back! Your knowledge is truly vast enough to know of something that could change all of this!" The old wizard looked at Noldor and knew he couldn't keep the information from him. Aswane looked at his student and said "There might be a way, but I can't guarantee its success." Noldor looked at him and replied "I would let my very being come to destruction for but a chance." Aswane didn't really like the idea of that, but there was no stopping the elf now. "We must return to the academy before I can tell you anything. Let us head back now."
Noldor went to retrieve Swiftwind while Aswane got back on his horse. The two of them made their way out of tower ruins and began the journey to the academy. As they were riding back, Noldor started to really think on his life so far. He wanted a different life for his family than offered for most elves, so they left the elf capital of Folkehaven and came to Mesnonia. It was a melting pot of races and species and offered a lot of options for him. Being magically gifted like many elves, he took to the Mesnonia Magical Academy. He excelled and quickly became Aswane's apprentice. This was quite an honor since Aswane, known to most as Aswane the Almighty, was one of the most powerful wizards of this age. Noldor was glad to be taught by one of such great knowledge and power, but he often felt that he was picked less for his arcane abilities and more for his potential to live on. His longer lifespan would keep the knowledge intact for ages of mankind, but Noldor always pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
Despite the hardships for an elf in this mixed grounds of a city, he was always happy because his family was there. His family was quickly accepted by the local religious group who worshiped the god Bane. Noldor was never the religious type, but the acceptance was enough for him. As time went on, his family came to accept the teachings of Bane as their own. Noldor wasn't extremely happy with this, but the safety and prosperity of his family was assured with such a powerful group behind them...What had happened to change all of this? Noldor finally snapped to, and he was angry again. He hoped that Aswane had the answers to correct this problem.
It was a long ride to the academy, but Noldor hadn't noticed since he was lost in thought. When they reached the academy, they left their horses at the stable and quickly moved on. Noldor followed Aswane as they wandered through the courtyards and finally to the wizard's study. This room alone contained more knowledge than Noldor could even fathom to learn. The entire room was just a massive library with hundreds if not thousands of books. Someday, he would take Aswane's place, but that didn't mean he'd ever be at the same level. As Noldor was admiring the collection, Aswane walked over to a nearby bookshelf and began to rummage about. Noldor looked over and called out to him "What are you looking for? Can I be of assistance Master Gramstin?" Aswane didn't seem to hear him, but he quickly came down. "Ah! Here it is." Aswane brought a large book over to his desk and carefully pushed the clutter aside to make room for it. The book he sat down was labelled in strange magical glyphs, readable only to trained magic wielders. The both of them spoke a few arcane words, and for them, the glyphs rearranged and read out as "Legends and Myths of Mesnonia".
Noldor looked over at the old man. All he could think was...What possible use could this book be? Aswane opened up the book and quickly flipped through it. Noldor wanted to question his actions, but he figured the old wizard knew something he didn't. Finally, Aswane stopped at a page and pointed out the title to Noldor. The elf read the title out loud, "Grandell the Time Master...I thought Grandell was just a story. Are you telling me that he and his power over time is real?" Aswane nodded at his apprentice and added, "Grandell is quite real. I have never seen the man myself, but my master met him once." Aswane grabbed a small scroll from inside his desk, set it down, and began to open it. "My master left behind notes of how to reach Grandell's Tower, but I must warn you once again. Just getting to him will be an incredibly difficult task, and even if we reach him, Grandell might not be able to help you."
Noldor glanced over the notes that Aswane had placed out on the desk. His master was right about one thing...It would be a very difficult journey ahead of them, but Noldor didn't care. He told Aswane once again "I would let my very being come to destruction for but a chance." The old wizard looked over at his young elf apprentice. Aswane paused for a moment and started to reconsider even showing Noldor this. He was a quick learner and made promising progress in his arcane studies. The elf had given the old wizard hope that maybe he had finally found a true successor. For Aswain, he could feel his final days coming closer, and every day he felt a little weaker. There was so much more to teach him, but he knew he couldn't stop Noldor from doing this. He looked over at the elf and said, "Noldor Spellfury, for your sake and mine, I hope that doesn't come to pass."
Aswane rolled up the scroll and placed it in a nearby bag. "Well, if we are to make this journey, we'll need to do some preparation. Be sure to pack light and bring only what you need. I will look into hiring us an adventurer to help us with this task. I need you to go into the city and buy some supplies for the journey. I will write you a list of what we shall need." As he was giving instructions to Noldor, Aswane was moving all about and grabbing books seemingly at random. He stopped for only a moment to quickly jot down a list. As he handed it to Noldor, he told him, "After you fulfill the list, I'd ask that you return here immediately. There are a few spells we'll need to have on hand, and I'd advise that we both prepare our spellbooks tonight. If at all possible, we will leave early tomorrow morning." Noldor nodded to his master and began to hurry out of the study. As he reached the threshold, he heard Aswane speak to him again. "I know your mind is set, but I feel I must ask you once again. Are you sure you want to do this?" Noldor looked back at the old wizard and told him, "I don't just want to do this... I must do this." As he was turning away, he though he saw the glow in his master's eyes dull a little. Noldor almost turned back, but he had work to do.
Noldor hurried over to the stables to retrieve Swiftwind and quickly rode into the city to retrieve the supplies. Aswane wrote up quite a list to be filled, but Noldor managed to get everything on it. Most of the items were just basic travelling necessities, but Noldor questioned some of the last couple of items on the list. The final three items on the list were a Red Diamond, a Cyclops Eye, and a Silver Dagger. Noldor wasn't sure what use these items could be for, and he had an even harder time finding them. He went all over Mesnonia trying to find someone with them, and when they were finally found, it cost him quite a bit to procure the items. Of course, Noldor didn't care about the cost of anything if he could just get his family back. After several hours of riding all over, he was finally ready to head back to the academy. It had been a long day, but there was still work to be done. He had to return and prepare his spellbook with Master Aswane.
Upon reaching the academy, Noldor unloaded the supplies and left Swiftwind to rest for the night. He had been rough on his horse lately, and it was time to give the poor beast some rest. He grabbed the bag of supplies and hurried back to Aswane's study. As he entered inside, he found that the old wizard was busy looking over some old books and scrolls. Aswane was quite preoccupied with whatever he was looking at and never heard the elf come in. Noldor set down the bag of supplies and approached Aswane. "Master Aswane, I've obtained all of the items you requested, but I'm curious about a few of these." The old wizard was startled since he didn't hear Noldor come in, but he quickly responded, "The items are necessary for what we are going to do. I can't really explain it, but we will have need of them before our journey is done. Go ahead and get your spellbook out because you'll need to copy down some spells." Aswane got up from his desk and went over to retrieve a book from the shelf.
Meanwhile, Noldor pulled out his spellbook from out of his wizard's pouch. He got out some ink and his quill to write the spells. Aswane came over a short time later and placed a large green book down in front of him. Like all arcane tomes, the book is written with magical glyphs that can't be read normally. Noldor muttered the arcane words necessary, and the glyphs rearranged themselves to read "Advanced Spells and Runes". Aswane handed Noldor a small list and walked back to what he was working on. The elf looked at the list and realized he still had a long night ahead of him. Noldor got to work and spent the next couple of hours copying down everything on the list.
As he finished copying the last spell, Noldor noticed that Aswane had already gone to sleep for the night. He did leave a note for Noldor though. It requested that he clean up the study when he was finished and be sure to rest because they'd leave at first light. Noldor put his spellbook back in his pouch and began to clean up the study. As he put the last book in place, he decided it was time to rest for the night. Being an elf, Noldor didn't need to sleep but required a few hours of meditation to refresh his mind and body. He left the study and went back to his room at the academy. Normally, he didn't stay at the academy, but without a family at home, he had no reason or want to return there currently. Noldor entered the small room that was given to him. As he didn't spend much time here, the room was barely furnished with anything. This didn't bother Noldor of course because he only need the place to meditate. As he settled into place, Noldor Spellfury hoped the morning would come fast. He just wanted to see his family again because they were his world.
Noldor came to as the sun was starting to rise. His meditation lasted a little longer than usual, but he was greatly refreshed by it. He was ready to take on this day and change it all. He gathered the few things he had brought with him and left his room. He quickly made his way over to Aswane's study and found that the old wizard was already waiting for him. Aswane was rolling up a group of scrolls when he looked up and greeted the elf. "Good morning Noldor. I do hope you are prepared because we have a long journey ahead of us." Noldor looked at the grouping of items that were spread all over and asked, "Do we really need all of this? We'll need a horse just for carrying all of this." The old wizard laughed at Noldor and replied, "We do need all of this, but it won't be any hassle to carry at all." The young elf was confused and didn't understand how it could be possible.
Aswane pulled out a small, simple-looking bag. He went over and picked up one of the larger scrolls and started to put it into the bag. To Noldor's surprise, despite the large scroll's size, it easily fit into the bag and didn't even seem to hit the other side somehow. Aswane saw the baffled look on Noldor's face and answered, "This my young apprentice is a Bag of Holding. Despite it's small size, this bag can hold a near infinite number of objects, and it never weighs more than a few pounds. It's a wizard's best friend." Noldor watched as the old wizard proved this to be true. He put more and more into the bag until all of the laid out items had been placed in the bag. Aswane then threw the bag over to Noldor, and he was surprised how light the bag felt in comparison to what all was in it. Aswane added, "I'm going to let you carry the bag. I planned to give it to you soon anyways." Aswane turned around and started collecting his own pack of items. "I'd advise that you pack whatever else you might need in there. If and when you need something from the bag, simply think about the item, and it shall come to you."
Noldor and Aswane spent a few more minutes preparing themselves for the journey. As they were leaving the study, Noldor remembered something. "Master, didn't you say you were going to hire us an adventurer to help us?" Aswane looked over at him and nodded. "Why I already have! He's waiting for us near the Southern Gate, and we'll meet him there as we are leaving Mesnonia." Noldor wondered why Aswane was being so mysterious about their helper, but he figured that he'd find out soon enough. The two grabbed the last of their equipment and went to get their horses. Besides his spellbook, Noldor had only grabbed his weapons, a rapier and a longbow with some arrows. The supplies he had gotten yesterday covered anything else they would need on their journey. The two wizards reached the stables, mounted their horses, and rode off towards the Southern Gate.
It was a quick ride through the city to the Southern Gate. The gate served as the main entrance into the city of Mesnonia, and they would have to pass through it to leave the city and begin their journey. As they came to the gate, Aswane stopped his horse and started looking around. Noldor figured he was looking for the adventurer and waited for the old man. Aswane was only looking briefly before he seemed to spot the adventurer and rode off. Noldor followed after the old man until he came to a stop. Aswane got off of his horse and led it along as he walked towards a heavily armored individual nearby a tree. Noldor got off Swiftwind and followed Aswane to meet this adventurer. As he caught up to the old wizard, Aswane had already begun to talk with the heavily armored person.
Aswane approached the figure and said, "I'm terribly sorry we are late, but I had to make sure I had everything deciphered correctly before we left." The heavily armored figured began to turn and responded, "No worries Aswane. I've only been waiting a little bit now. I prefer to get to places earlier than most, so you aren't late at all." As the figure fully turned around, Noldor saw that it was a male human wearing a bronze-colored full plate armor decorated with yellow cloth. Emblazoned on the chest of the armor was a large yellow sun decal with a face. Noldor recognized the decal to be the mark of the Order of Pelor, a good god of the sun. He didn't know why the Order of Pelor would help them, so he figured this must be a friend of Aswane's. The man looked over at Noldor and introduced himself, "Greetings! My name is Sir Andrew Tyfendor, I am a paladin of the Order of Pelor. And you must be Noldor Spellfury."
Andrew extended his hand out to Noldor. Generally, elves aren't much for shaking hands, but Noldor had done his best to fit in with the majority around Mesnonia. He reached out and shook the man's hand. "I am Noldor, and I assume that Master Grasmtin told you about the quest at hand." Andrew smiled at him and said, "Straight to the point I see, and indeed he did. He's lucky that I was in town when he was looking for someone to help. I spotted him trying to hire some seedy-looking adventurers to help his cause. Aswane and I go way back, so I stepped in and offered my services for free. I'm currently away from our Order's fortress on a quest to better myself and the world around us. Spreading the light of Pelor to all of those who-" Aswane cut him off at this point and said, "Yes yes, I am glad you are coming along, but please refrain from giving the whole 'spreading the good' speech again. We need to get on the move if we are to make good time." Andrew didn't seem to like being interrupted, but he seemed to understand the essence of time. "Very well than Aswane, if you say so. I guess we should be on our way then." Andrew went over to where a large horse was tied up and proceeded to release and mount the horse. The large beast was almost twice the size of both Noldor's and Aswane's steeds. The two wizards got back on their own horses. The trio started back on the road and started heading for the gate.
Due to the recent disaster, the gate was being heavily guarded, and everyone who went through was being questioned before they could enter or leave the city. A city guard saw the group approaching and came up to them. He looked up at the group but focused mostly on Noldor, "Good day to you folks. Might I ask your names and reasons for leaving?" Noldor didn't much care for the authority of this town. Part of him felt they were to blame for the events that occurred. Why hadn't they done anything? Where were these bungling oafs when the Tower of Bane was under attack? Noldor was just getting mad again. Noldor couldn't bring himself to respond, but then Andrew stepped forward and answered the guard.
"Greetings guardsman, my name is Sir Andrew. I am escorting these two wizards to their destination for academy business. They can't tell you what it is of course, but I will vouch for them and guarantee their intentions aren't malevolent." The guard shifted his view from Noldor and looked over at Sir Andrew instead. Once the guard saw the Pelor emblem on his armor, he gasped and immediately apologized, "I'm quite sorry Sir! I didn't realize you were a Paladin of Pelor. Those of your Order are considered some of the noblest men throughout the land." Andrew smiled at the guard and said, "No worries young guard! You were simply doing what has been told of you. You are striving for good and to protect these people from the evil that would walk among them."
Noldor had a feeling that this would get out of hand quickly, so he went ahead and asked the guard, "May we pass now?" The guard looked over at Noldor somewhat disapprovingly and said, "Yes, Sir Andrew has vouched for you all, so you are free to pass through the gate." The guard saluted Andrew and walked off. The group began to make their way to the gate. Noldor looked over at Andrew and asked, "I see being a paladin has its perks." Andrew chuckled at the statement and replied, "Haha! It's not a perk my friend, it is part of being a paladin. We are shining beacons of hope to all these civilians, and we do our best to spread the good and keep evil at bay. They respect us for that." Noldor looked over at the paladin and said, "Then why do the wizards not see this respect? We do our part for society and protect the civilians, and yet we get nothing but scorn."
Andrew saw the glare that the elf was giving him and responded, "My new friend, you don't often see an evil paladin striking out at the people, and unfortunately, evil wizards have existed throughout the land and throughout time. It's not so much what you have done but what others have undone for you." Noldor wasn't very happy with that answer and was starting to be angry again. Andrew realized he had opened up a dangerous topic of conversation but wasn't sure what to do. Aswane spoke up at this point and said, "One doesn't do good deeds to be recognized or respected you two. One simply does good deeds for the sake of good. You would both do well to remember this. Come now, we have a long journey ahead of us." Aswane then rode on ahead of the two.
Andrew looked over at Noldor and said, "I apologize Noldor. I didn't mean to offend you." Noldor felt that the paladin was sincere, so he nodded and replied, "You have nothing to apologize for. You were just being honest, and you weren't necessarily wrong either. Let us forget it and focus on the task ahead." Andrew smiled and said, "Yes, we should focus on this quest." Then he looked over at Noldor and added, "I do hope that we can bring your family back." The elf looked over at him and said, "As do I Sir Andrew...As do I."
End Chapter 1 - His World's End
Noldor leapt off of his horse and ran to what used to be the tower's base. There were wounded Bane followers moving all about, but he didn't see his family among them. He kept running all among the ruins and hoped for some sign. Noldor worked far into the night and disparately searched about. Finally, after searching what he could, he left the site and asked among the other Bane followers. None of them had seen them since before the attack on the tower though, and it seemed that the worst had come to pass. When morning finally came and the cloud of destruction was finally gone, he truly knew in his heart that they were gone. However, despite that feeling, Noldor kept trying. He went back to the tower's remains for the next several days. He kept hoping that something would come to light, or maybe someone would remember a lost detail. They were all he had in this world, and he couldn't let them go.
And finally, on the sixth day, Aswane Gramstin came to him. Aswane rode in on his horse and slowly approached the wreckage of the tower. He hadn't seen or heard from Noldor in days, but he already knew what had happened. He had heard about the attack on the Tower of Bane, and he knew where to find his apprentice. He only had to look about briefly before he spotted the young elf looking through the ruins. Aswane got off of his horse and slowly approached Noldor. Aswane told him the truth he didn't want to accept. "Noldor, they have left this world behind, and there is nothing you can do. I know you miss them, but no one can change what has happened here." Noldor recognized the voice of his teacher. He respected Aswane, but he wasn't ready to accept it yet. He got up and turned to the aging wizard. "You could never understand what has been taken from me. They weren't just my family! They were all I had here!"
Noldor's eyes began to burn with sorrowful rage. "Without them, my life has no meaning!" Aswane looked at the elf and responded. "Your life has just begun young elf. You came here to learn and wield the arcane knowledge. Unlike my limited time in this world, you could live on for ages to come! With your longevity, you are the one of few who must live on to keep our practice alive." Noldor listened to the words, but he couldn't give up yet. "Master Gramstin, surely you must know a way to bring them back! Your knowledge is truly vast enough to know of something that could change all of this!" The old wizard looked at Noldor and knew he couldn't keep the information from him. Aswane looked at his student and said "There might be a way, but I can't guarantee its success." Noldor looked at him and replied "I would let my very being come to destruction for but a chance." Aswane didn't really like the idea of that, but there was no stopping the elf now. "We must return to the academy before I can tell you anything. Let us head back now."
Noldor went to retrieve Swiftwind while Aswane got back on his horse. The two of them made their way out of tower ruins and began the journey to the academy. As they were riding back, Noldor started to really think on his life so far. He wanted a different life for his family than offered for most elves, so they left the elf capital of Folkehaven and came to Mesnonia. It was a melting pot of races and species and offered a lot of options for him. Being magically gifted like many elves, he took to the Mesnonia Magical Academy. He excelled and quickly became Aswane's apprentice. This was quite an honor since Aswane, known to most as Aswane the Almighty, was one of the most powerful wizards of this age. Noldor was glad to be taught by one of such great knowledge and power, but he often felt that he was picked less for his arcane abilities and more for his potential to live on. His longer lifespan would keep the knowledge intact for ages of mankind, but Noldor always pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
Despite the hardships for an elf in this mixed grounds of a city, he was always happy because his family was there. His family was quickly accepted by the local religious group who worshiped the god Bane. Noldor was never the religious type, but the acceptance was enough for him. As time went on, his family came to accept the teachings of Bane as their own. Noldor wasn't extremely happy with this, but the safety and prosperity of his family was assured with such a powerful group behind them...What had happened to change all of this? Noldor finally snapped to, and he was angry again. He hoped that Aswane had the answers to correct this problem.
It was a long ride to the academy, but Noldor hadn't noticed since he was lost in thought. When they reached the academy, they left their horses at the stable and quickly moved on. Noldor followed Aswane as they wandered through the courtyards and finally to the wizard's study. This room alone contained more knowledge than Noldor could even fathom to learn. The entire room was just a massive library with hundreds if not thousands of books. Someday, he would take Aswane's place, but that didn't mean he'd ever be at the same level. As Noldor was admiring the collection, Aswane walked over to a nearby bookshelf and began to rummage about. Noldor looked over and called out to him "What are you looking for? Can I be of assistance Master Gramstin?" Aswane didn't seem to hear him, but he quickly came down. "Ah! Here it is." Aswane brought a large book over to his desk and carefully pushed the clutter aside to make room for it. The book he sat down was labelled in strange magical glyphs, readable only to trained magic wielders. The both of them spoke a few arcane words, and for them, the glyphs rearranged and read out as "Legends and Myths of Mesnonia".
Noldor looked over at the old man. All he could think was...What possible use could this book be? Aswane opened up the book and quickly flipped through it. Noldor wanted to question his actions, but he figured the old wizard knew something he didn't. Finally, Aswane stopped at a page and pointed out the title to Noldor. The elf read the title out loud, "Grandell the Time Master...I thought Grandell was just a story. Are you telling me that he and his power over time is real?" Aswane nodded at his apprentice and added, "Grandell is quite real. I have never seen the man myself, but my master met him once." Aswane grabbed a small scroll from inside his desk, set it down, and began to open it. "My master left behind notes of how to reach Grandell's Tower, but I must warn you once again. Just getting to him will be an incredibly difficult task, and even if we reach him, Grandell might not be able to help you."
Noldor glanced over the notes that Aswane had placed out on the desk. His master was right about one thing...It would be a very difficult journey ahead of them, but Noldor didn't care. He told Aswane once again "I would let my very being come to destruction for but a chance." The old wizard looked over at his young elf apprentice. Aswane paused for a moment and started to reconsider even showing Noldor this. He was a quick learner and made promising progress in his arcane studies. The elf had given the old wizard hope that maybe he had finally found a true successor. For Aswain, he could feel his final days coming closer, and every day he felt a little weaker. There was so much more to teach him, but he knew he couldn't stop Noldor from doing this. He looked over at the elf and said, "Noldor Spellfury, for your sake and mine, I hope that doesn't come to pass."
Aswane rolled up the scroll and placed it in a nearby bag. "Well, if we are to make this journey, we'll need to do some preparation. Be sure to pack light and bring only what you need. I will look into hiring us an adventurer to help us with this task. I need you to go into the city and buy some supplies for the journey. I will write you a list of what we shall need." As he was giving instructions to Noldor, Aswane was moving all about and grabbing books seemingly at random. He stopped for only a moment to quickly jot down a list. As he handed it to Noldor, he told him, "After you fulfill the list, I'd ask that you return here immediately. There are a few spells we'll need to have on hand, and I'd advise that we both prepare our spellbooks tonight. If at all possible, we will leave early tomorrow morning." Noldor nodded to his master and began to hurry out of the study. As he reached the threshold, he heard Aswane speak to him again. "I know your mind is set, but I feel I must ask you once again. Are you sure you want to do this?" Noldor looked back at the old wizard and told him, "I don't just want to do this... I must do this." As he was turning away, he though he saw the glow in his master's eyes dull a little. Noldor almost turned back, but he had work to do.
Noldor hurried over to the stables to retrieve Swiftwind and quickly rode into the city to retrieve the supplies. Aswane wrote up quite a list to be filled, but Noldor managed to get everything on it. Most of the items were just basic travelling necessities, but Noldor questioned some of the last couple of items on the list. The final three items on the list were a Red Diamond, a Cyclops Eye, and a Silver Dagger. Noldor wasn't sure what use these items could be for, and he had an even harder time finding them. He went all over Mesnonia trying to find someone with them, and when they were finally found, it cost him quite a bit to procure the items. Of course, Noldor didn't care about the cost of anything if he could just get his family back. After several hours of riding all over, he was finally ready to head back to the academy. It had been a long day, but there was still work to be done. He had to return and prepare his spellbook with Master Aswane.
Upon reaching the academy, Noldor unloaded the supplies and left Swiftwind to rest for the night. He had been rough on his horse lately, and it was time to give the poor beast some rest. He grabbed the bag of supplies and hurried back to Aswane's study. As he entered inside, he found that the old wizard was busy looking over some old books and scrolls. Aswane was quite preoccupied with whatever he was looking at and never heard the elf come in. Noldor set down the bag of supplies and approached Aswane. "Master Aswane, I've obtained all of the items you requested, but I'm curious about a few of these." The old wizard was startled since he didn't hear Noldor come in, but he quickly responded, "The items are necessary for what we are going to do. I can't really explain it, but we will have need of them before our journey is done. Go ahead and get your spellbook out because you'll need to copy down some spells." Aswane got up from his desk and went over to retrieve a book from the shelf.
Meanwhile, Noldor pulled out his spellbook from out of his wizard's pouch. He got out some ink and his quill to write the spells. Aswane came over a short time later and placed a large green book down in front of him. Like all arcane tomes, the book is written with magical glyphs that can't be read normally. Noldor muttered the arcane words necessary, and the glyphs rearranged themselves to read "Advanced Spells and Runes". Aswane handed Noldor a small list and walked back to what he was working on. The elf looked at the list and realized he still had a long night ahead of him. Noldor got to work and spent the next couple of hours copying down everything on the list.
As he finished copying the last spell, Noldor noticed that Aswane had already gone to sleep for the night. He did leave a note for Noldor though. It requested that he clean up the study when he was finished and be sure to rest because they'd leave at first light. Noldor put his spellbook back in his pouch and began to clean up the study. As he put the last book in place, he decided it was time to rest for the night. Being an elf, Noldor didn't need to sleep but required a few hours of meditation to refresh his mind and body. He left the study and went back to his room at the academy. Normally, he didn't stay at the academy, but without a family at home, he had no reason or want to return there currently. Noldor entered the small room that was given to him. As he didn't spend much time here, the room was barely furnished with anything. This didn't bother Noldor of course because he only need the place to meditate. As he settled into place, Noldor Spellfury hoped the morning would come fast. He just wanted to see his family again because they were his world.
Noldor came to as the sun was starting to rise. His meditation lasted a little longer than usual, but he was greatly refreshed by it. He was ready to take on this day and change it all. He gathered the few things he had brought with him and left his room. He quickly made his way over to Aswane's study and found that the old wizard was already waiting for him. Aswane was rolling up a group of scrolls when he looked up and greeted the elf. "Good morning Noldor. I do hope you are prepared because we have a long journey ahead of us." Noldor looked at the grouping of items that were spread all over and asked, "Do we really need all of this? We'll need a horse just for carrying all of this." The old wizard laughed at Noldor and replied, "We do need all of this, but it won't be any hassle to carry at all." The young elf was confused and didn't understand how it could be possible.
Aswane pulled out a small, simple-looking bag. He went over and picked up one of the larger scrolls and started to put it into the bag. To Noldor's surprise, despite the large scroll's size, it easily fit into the bag and didn't even seem to hit the other side somehow. Aswane saw the baffled look on Noldor's face and answered, "This my young apprentice is a Bag of Holding. Despite it's small size, this bag can hold a near infinite number of objects, and it never weighs more than a few pounds. It's a wizard's best friend." Noldor watched as the old wizard proved this to be true. He put more and more into the bag until all of the laid out items had been placed in the bag. Aswane then threw the bag over to Noldor, and he was surprised how light the bag felt in comparison to what all was in it. Aswane added, "I'm going to let you carry the bag. I planned to give it to you soon anyways." Aswane turned around and started collecting his own pack of items. "I'd advise that you pack whatever else you might need in there. If and when you need something from the bag, simply think about the item, and it shall come to you."
Noldor and Aswane spent a few more minutes preparing themselves for the journey. As they were leaving the study, Noldor remembered something. "Master, didn't you say you were going to hire us an adventurer to help us?" Aswane looked over at him and nodded. "Why I already have! He's waiting for us near the Southern Gate, and we'll meet him there as we are leaving Mesnonia." Noldor wondered why Aswane was being so mysterious about their helper, but he figured that he'd find out soon enough. The two grabbed the last of their equipment and went to get their horses. Besides his spellbook, Noldor had only grabbed his weapons, a rapier and a longbow with some arrows. The supplies he had gotten yesterday covered anything else they would need on their journey. The two wizards reached the stables, mounted their horses, and rode off towards the Southern Gate.
It was a quick ride through the city to the Southern Gate. The gate served as the main entrance into the city of Mesnonia, and they would have to pass through it to leave the city and begin their journey. As they came to the gate, Aswane stopped his horse and started looking around. Noldor figured he was looking for the adventurer and waited for the old man. Aswane was only looking briefly before he seemed to spot the adventurer and rode off. Noldor followed after the old man until he came to a stop. Aswane got off of his horse and led it along as he walked towards a heavily armored individual nearby a tree. Noldor got off Swiftwind and followed Aswane to meet this adventurer. As he caught up to the old wizard, Aswane had already begun to talk with the heavily armored person.
Aswane approached the figure and said, "I'm terribly sorry we are late, but I had to make sure I had everything deciphered correctly before we left." The heavily armored figured began to turn and responded, "No worries Aswane. I've only been waiting a little bit now. I prefer to get to places earlier than most, so you aren't late at all." As the figure fully turned around, Noldor saw that it was a male human wearing a bronze-colored full plate armor decorated with yellow cloth. Emblazoned on the chest of the armor was a large yellow sun decal with a face. Noldor recognized the decal to be the mark of the Order of Pelor, a good god of the sun. He didn't know why the Order of Pelor would help them, so he figured this must be a friend of Aswane's. The man looked over at Noldor and introduced himself, "Greetings! My name is Sir Andrew Tyfendor, I am a paladin of the Order of Pelor. And you must be Noldor Spellfury."
Andrew extended his hand out to Noldor. Generally, elves aren't much for shaking hands, but Noldor had done his best to fit in with the majority around Mesnonia. He reached out and shook the man's hand. "I am Noldor, and I assume that Master Grasmtin told you about the quest at hand." Andrew smiled at him and said, "Straight to the point I see, and indeed he did. He's lucky that I was in town when he was looking for someone to help. I spotted him trying to hire some seedy-looking adventurers to help his cause. Aswane and I go way back, so I stepped in and offered my services for free. I'm currently away from our Order's fortress on a quest to better myself and the world around us. Spreading the light of Pelor to all of those who-" Aswane cut him off at this point and said, "Yes yes, I am glad you are coming along, but please refrain from giving the whole 'spreading the good' speech again. We need to get on the move if we are to make good time." Andrew didn't seem to like being interrupted, but he seemed to understand the essence of time. "Very well than Aswane, if you say so. I guess we should be on our way then." Andrew went over to where a large horse was tied up and proceeded to release and mount the horse. The large beast was almost twice the size of both Noldor's and Aswane's steeds. The two wizards got back on their own horses. The trio started back on the road and started heading for the gate.
Due to the recent disaster, the gate was being heavily guarded, and everyone who went through was being questioned before they could enter or leave the city. A city guard saw the group approaching and came up to them. He looked up at the group but focused mostly on Noldor, "Good day to you folks. Might I ask your names and reasons for leaving?" Noldor didn't much care for the authority of this town. Part of him felt they were to blame for the events that occurred. Why hadn't they done anything? Where were these bungling oafs when the Tower of Bane was under attack? Noldor was just getting mad again. Noldor couldn't bring himself to respond, but then Andrew stepped forward and answered the guard.
"Greetings guardsman, my name is Sir Andrew. I am escorting these two wizards to their destination for academy business. They can't tell you what it is of course, but I will vouch for them and guarantee their intentions aren't malevolent." The guard shifted his view from Noldor and looked over at Sir Andrew instead. Once the guard saw the Pelor emblem on his armor, he gasped and immediately apologized, "I'm quite sorry Sir! I didn't realize you were a Paladin of Pelor. Those of your Order are considered some of the noblest men throughout the land." Andrew smiled at the guard and said, "No worries young guard! You were simply doing what has been told of you. You are striving for good and to protect these people from the evil that would walk among them."
Noldor had a feeling that this would get out of hand quickly, so he went ahead and asked the guard, "May we pass now?" The guard looked over at Noldor somewhat disapprovingly and said, "Yes, Sir Andrew has vouched for you all, so you are free to pass through the gate." The guard saluted Andrew and walked off. The group began to make their way to the gate. Noldor looked over at Andrew and asked, "I see being a paladin has its perks." Andrew chuckled at the statement and replied, "Haha! It's not a perk my friend, it is part of being a paladin. We are shining beacons of hope to all these civilians, and we do our best to spread the good and keep evil at bay. They respect us for that." Noldor looked over at the paladin and said, "Then why do the wizards not see this respect? We do our part for society and protect the civilians, and yet we get nothing but scorn."
Andrew saw the glare that the elf was giving him and responded, "My new friend, you don't often see an evil paladin striking out at the people, and unfortunately, evil wizards have existed throughout the land and throughout time. It's not so much what you have done but what others have undone for you." Noldor wasn't very happy with that answer and was starting to be angry again. Andrew realized he had opened up a dangerous topic of conversation but wasn't sure what to do. Aswane spoke up at this point and said, "One doesn't do good deeds to be recognized or respected you two. One simply does good deeds for the sake of good. You would both do well to remember this. Come now, we have a long journey ahead of us." Aswane then rode on ahead of the two.
Andrew looked over at Noldor and said, "I apologize Noldor. I didn't mean to offend you." Noldor felt that the paladin was sincere, so he nodded and replied, "You have nothing to apologize for. You were just being honest, and you weren't necessarily wrong either. Let us forget it and focus on the task ahead." Andrew smiled and said, "Yes, we should focus on this quest." Then he looked over at Noldor and added, "I do hope that we can bring your family back." The elf looked over at him and said, "As do I Sir Andrew...As do I."
End Chapter 1 - His World's End
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