Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn From: troy@pistachio.cns.udel.edu (gary troy) Subject: Rhoan`s answer and guard boy advice Message-ID: <1992May21.023119.15993@udel.edu> Date: Thu, 21 May 1992 02:31:19 GMT Krasnor stands, and pushes his chair back. He leans over to Prince Garonand comments"Kind sir, please excuse me..this lad seems to need help far more than i need to hear stories of bold adventuring.Maybe later , i will again have the oppurtunity to sit and exchange stories with you..but for now i must impart some knowledge of aid ,and a little bit of wisdom to this youth. Hopefully he will listen and heed" Krasnor then moves over to join Rhoan and the boy guard. Krasnor then orders another mug of dwarven ale...reaches into his pouch , takes out a few coins of silver...hands them to the barmaid..and bows his head. Krasnor then mumbles a few words to himself..closes his eyes for a momment and pulls out a small crystal globe about the size of a apple from the pouch and sits it on the table. Krasnor then clears his throat, takes a sip of ale and starts."Rhoan Pathfinder, as i can see by looking at your eyes...you are a wordly man. You have traveled far and wide and have seen the best and worst of things and know the value of temperance and mercy. These values are what indeed saved you out on the road earlier...and if nothing else that this boy can learn..these two values will be the most significant." Krasnor then picks up the crystal and holds it out in his open palm..says a few unintelligle words..and the crystal floats up out his palm and enlarges to the size of large watermelon. Krasnor then continues,"Honorable Rhoan and my young naive friend,look into this crystal and listen and take heed of the knowledge. Though i am but a young lad myself, i have traveled extensively and dabbled as you can now see in far more than hand to hand warfare. I have learned from the best and have taken heed of what i have been told. A piece of advice is a kind friend and a promise is something never to be broken. As you will see..and be told...a friendcan found in the most unlikely of places. For you Rhoan you will see, whence your aid came and you my young lad, will find some of the knowledge you seek." As Krasnor recites his story, all around him who care to watch and listen, hear the following tale and see,within the crystal the following action.Krasnor then closes his eyes..and begins..and as he does, a mist forms and clears within the crystal ball. Then the following scene appears..changing shapeand form as Krasnor speaks....... "The tall elven wood was getting darker as the sun slowly began to fall behind Gnoll`s Peak, as i walked the wood i knew i must find a campsite for the night. As the shadows grew longer and the light grew dimmer..i noticed a small cave off to the northeast. I continued on up to the entrance being the bold and confident warrior that i was taught to be, however as i drew nearer i heard several people chanting. This at once through my guard up. Being Confident is much different than being foolish. I peered into the roughly hewn stone cave and saw a dim light farther around where the tunnel turned. i stopped and listened for a few minutes to see what was happening. As i stood at the cave entrance, night continue to fall and the chanting progressed louder and louder until it reached a high pitched pinacle of yelling which i have heard before..but not for a year or so. At the culmination of the spell a large explosion and roar of immense pain echoed from within the tunnel, followed by several shrieks of fear..cut off abruptly by silence. Sensing people in trouble i blindly ran into the cave....as i turned the corner i faced a sight that i had only heard about in fairy tales and stories told to young children to make them behave. In front of be was a huge silver dragon. I was mommentarily frozen in awe as i surveyed the area. The large cavern i now faced was scorched and seared along the entire lenght of all it`s walls..and part shapes resembling,what could only be described as shredded meat..possiblely at one time human?.. I when i saw this carnage was overcome with rage..and quitewithout thinking charged in to slay this beast..that slaughtered these helpless people. I was quickly brought to reality as the dragon raised it's head and looked directly at me. It opened its large maw and sucked in sharply and let out a large whoosh of air...not quite at all what i was expecting! At this point i had thought i would be what you people call a `frech fry`..but amazingly i was still standing. The dragon also looked a bit amazed at the this..but nonetheless stoped and looked at me. For the first time i was able to collect my senses and survey the entire scene..free of the fear..but still a bit full of confusion. As i looked closer upon this beast my mind came to realize a few things first..i should be dead...however i am not...why? second...this dragon was in bad shape!it was missing one eye and it itself was severely burned..and as looked at it..the only this it did move was its neck and head. I was then cleared from my lost thought by a sweet melodic voice... apparently ..for the lack of any other presence from the dragon. "Greetings brave and noble warrior. as you can see i have been badly wounded by what has taken place here...but be not foolish as these men were i still retain enough strenghth left to dispatch of you if i so desire.......yet i do not desire! I am Colestal, a silver dragon as you can tell..and sadly also a mother. As you may or may not also know we silver dragons are dragons of good.not evil , murderous, types as you may have heard of in your foolish human talesI however am not as lucky as most for i am dying...not due too old age ...as most dragons never do...but of the incidents of recent days the last of which you have witnessed here. These men were three evil wizards of the Red Dawn who imprisoned me , while i was on one of my feeding runs, but a few days ago. They transformed and imprisoned me into a smaller form of what you see now..and placed me into a cage. then then tried to cast their spell of destruction on me` hopeing to suck out my life energy for their own evil purposes.Yet, they foolishly failed to realize the potency of a dragons life essence and were consumed by their own greed and power gain. The resulting explosion, mortally wounded me and restored me to my former size...thus imprisoning me in this cave with no way to escape or care for my youngster. This would not be a typical problem, as us dragons are shape changers and magical..but the evil wizards spell has had enough effect to leave me mostly powerless...and in a state of immenent death... i,brave warrior, will spare your life...and reward you hansomely for onesmall favor." I, by this time was reeling mentally...and was somewhat skeptical about the dragons story...and about it`s boast of yet untapped power...but tolerence and wisdom kept me in check...and allowed me to do nothing rash and hear out this story of despair. I just looked up and said..somewhat shakily and uncertainly" For you my brave soul...i could do no more honorable thing but to aid you in any way possible....it is the fair and just way...to repay your kindness in sparing my life".(all the while still somewhat skeptical about the story...but did i have much of a choice?) "Good",Colestal continued," i ask only this..., that you leave here in peace and alert no-one to my existence here...and let me die in peace. In addition, i charge you with looking after my child......before you throw a thousand questions at me as all you stupid humans are prone to do i'll explain a few things.......first i will impart into your mind the location and directions on how to find him. once you find him ....of course he will not trust or reconize you. i will tell you my secret name....and burn that into your mind as well. When you find him tell him that name and tell him i sent you to care for him. He despite his young(as far as dragons go) age , will understand. in return, for this debt of honor and loyalty...he will protect you always..till the death of one you parts that bond. He will link mentally with you and at time will be an extension of your eyes and ears...but he will explain how that can take place when the time comes........ promise me warrior, that you will do this.. I sat there pondering this question for several momments...and came to realize that this wasn't really a dragon`s favor for sparing a life, but that of a mother's dying request. i in reality , probably could have killed her, for what the hide was worth...but i as a warrior and future leader...could not deny such a noble and honorable request. "Certainly, my fair and noble dragon...i will grant your request....i promise on my life i will raise and protect your child to the best of my ability...and in return i only ask...for the needed knowledge...... The crystal they were all peering at..then clouds again, and Krasnor says" with that i was imparted withthe neccessry knowledge and completed my task. The crystal then shrinks and floats back down to the table. Rhoan, looking confused, wonders how this answers his question....but before it can be asked..... Krasnor continues...."MY dear Rhoan..on several occasion my dear friend,Pindel. the silver dragon, has come to my aid. He is never far away and often travels alongside of me..as he is these past few days. In time of need..he often changes shape as dragons are abound to do..to something more appropriate for a fight. Usually it is in the form of a black -winged demon....or in real dire emergencies..that of an actual dragon. But, that attracts too much attention.. so he prefers to avoid it. He usual pops in , from his state of invisible...in the from of the demon....renders his aid and blinks back out. It is his way of having fun with the world...among several others. To me and other travellers he has helped ..in is life-saving..to him it is a game. That, my dear Rhoan, is who indeed helped you...as it has fit his description. Also briefly mommments ago i contacted him and he explained briefly what happened. You, my friend...if i may call you that...will get to meet your savior in a momment as he is on his way back........ And you, my young guard friend.. i hope that you have learned a few lessons as well...that of the value of temperance , mercy, loyalty, and honor.....all of which are mighter that the sword....as you have just been shown. I know not for what you seek your knowledge...but heed these lessons....because it takes more than a good sword and swordmanship to surbive....it takes the Wisdom to know how and when to use and not use it! Remember well......for these lessons will take you far! With that Krasnor, opens his eyes sits up...and finishes his ale. As he calls for another....A small fairie dragon pops back inthrough the door and alights on Krasnor's shoulder. It leans over and whispers something in Krasnors ear.. Krasnor...look across at Rhoan Then looks back......and replies"Yes, Pindel.. your were accurate in your judgement...and he thanks you kindly for your help"..with that the fairie dragon...closes its eyes and drifts to sleep and Krasnor takes a sip of his newly brought ale........