October 1, 1372
Three
weeks pass before all of the training is complete and the party gathers
again in Occa's mansion. Ragnar returned from Strabath on September
24th, fully trained as a priest; but Galil was delayed an extra week.
In the meantime, news from far off lands has come in.
Early in September you learned that the armies of Nlad had mounted a
major attack on the forces of Mestom, breaking through their lines and
advancing south.
You also hear that in late August the armies of the Empire of Saltar
invaded the country of Riverland. End fell quickly, and soon the land
was subjugated.
Also during your stay, some of the MAIN party members paid a visit,
before returning to Oerth.
Galil returns from training and something about her seems different
though it would be very difficult to put an exact description to it.
She is as impeccably dressed as usual, with matching gloves and boots.
Her armor is as shiny as it was before her recent adventures.
Perhaps she stands a bit more proudly, observes a bit more keenly, or
simply seems a bit more remote than usual. Galil is pensive upon
hearing the news that the armies of the Empire of Saltar overran
Riverland. "While Nlad fights Mestom, they are made weak to the
forces of Saltar! That Saltar is marching and striking within a
stone's throw of Nlad itself bodes well."
"And if Nlad wants to stay separate from Saltar?"
Galil shrugs. "That may be though they would be better off in allying
themselves with a superior force. I have no objection to an
alliance as both Saltar and Nlad are foes of Mestom."
"Right. And since we do not speak for Saltar or Nlad, it is
really none of our business."
Galil smiles and shakes her head. "It is very much our business while
we each still have a breath in our bodies. I am not content to be
a spectator of life as it rolls by. I intend to be an active part
of it, in whatever way I can manage. I'll not leave this earth to
heathens!"
"I did not say you should. But, neither Saltar nor Nlad are our
homelands."
"Yet alone, our homelands would have perished. Your own lands of
the southern Aldacan were lain waste not so long ago and Dorian
suffered as well. Without the aid of the mighty kingdom of Saltar
I daresay neither of us would be here to have this discussion."
"That was true in the past. It remains to be seen for the
future. You are blurring the past with the present. The
events you speak of occurred years ago. It is not apparent to me
that they will occur again, unless some great need causes it to be
so. And right now, I do not see that need and I sure neither do
the leaders of the countries that you speak of."
"Yea, we're bad, we're bad," says Trinity. "Since we come from Saltar.
We kicked butt. And we'll keep doing it."
Galil raises her brow at Trinity's antics. "You did in the past,
when the Empire was thriving though that has not been for quite a while
as humans count it."
"A detail, a mere detail," replies the mage.
"I am sure the King of Nlad is not blind to what is going on. But, no
matter what the case, there is little we can do about it."
Galil rounds on Lord Kadlian in surprise.
"Little we can do about it? You of the Alcadan should rejoice that
Saltar is once again coming to power! If Nlad can be persuaded to
join with Saltar, Mestom can be easily beaten back and the world
restored as it once was," Galil says, exhibiting a bit more
passion than she has been known to in the past. "If we can aid in
either merging Nlad with Saltar or aiding Saltar
itself directly, we should be extending our efforts in that direction."
"Why? Mestom has self-destructed from within. That, we have
already heard. And Nlad is seemingly having little trouble in
destroying what is left of Mestom's army. As far as Saltar goes,
we have been given indications that Clarvis may be good for that
region, but no real proof. And very little information."
Galil nods. "Though Mestom must be utterly crushed this time.
They seem to re-emerge like a plague every so often to bedevil all that
is good in the world. As for Saltar, what proof do you
require? Clarvis may or may not be the best choice, but a choice
he is and he is bringing Saltar back unto the map from obscurity.
Would it not be wonderful to see the Empire of Saltar rule again?
To have things as they were once more?"
"And the time when they do so will beyond our children's children's
lifetimes. I look to see how Saltar handles Nlad. Do they
invade or do they negotiate? And I do not have any particular
preference for an emperor of Saltar. I wait to see what his
actions will be. Right now, he is consolidating that which has
been Saltar. It will be interesting to see how he deals
with Nlad. As far as seeing the Empire of Saltar whole again,
would Clavis be content there? Will he extend into Aldacan?
Just because he has seized control of the Empire does not make him a
good man."
Galil chuckles.
"Did you not just say it was of no interest? Or at least none of our
business?" Galil nods at the balance of Kadlian's words. "Has not
the Empire of Saltar always dealt favorably with Aldacan? And if
you wish for that to continue, perhaps you should present yourself to
Clarvis as an envoy of Aldacan so as to be sure that such an alliance
will come about."
"No, I said it was none of our business, not that it was not of
interest. I do not have enough information at this time."
"And how are we to know if we do not seek information? We learn
of world events months after they occur. Surely there must be
some way for us to have more regular updates?" Galil asks.
Kadlian shrugs. "Ray Jay is always well informed. And he
will likely tell you that you will not be admitted to talk to
Clarvis. I could likely get an audience with King Goldhine, but
to what end? Galil, I understand you wish to recreate the
alliance of old, but I think you are
fairly alone in that desire."
"We could subscribe to the Wall Street Journal," says Trinity, "Or get
into the bard's guild and see if they can get information
quicker. Of course, the other issue could be that there is still
magical mischief abounding, preventing magical communications between
interested parties, thus slowing down the flow of information. We
need an information superhighway to help. If we know someone of
importance, we could try to contact them and see what they learned."
"The Wall Street Journal?" Galil asks curiously, "As to the
magical interference I had heard of, has that too not yet been
resolved?"
"Well, it is possible distance related spells are being minimized, and
we know that has happened in the past. That would prevent
information from traveling rapidly," replies the mage.
"What is your relationship with Yuri the Good?" Trinity asks Kadlian.
"He should be plugged into the information networks and maybe we can
get plugged in with him, or perhaps a visit to the mage Ray Jay.
If it is critical to get the information sooner, those are two sources."
Kadlian shrugs. "I have not seen him in a while. We have
had some pretty good times, though. Hlarn, Drandar, Yuri, a niece
of Yuri and myself took out a whole tribe of greater orcs. Good
fight. I think he would remember me, if just for that. Because I
tagged more orcs than anyone else."
Kadlian grins.
"As for the Empire. That was very long ago. And I do not
presume to speak for King Goldhime. I am more than sure he was
aware of the events in Saltar and has sent emissaries to speak with
Clarvis. I am a simple ranger."
Niko looks blankly at Galil. "And what do you propose we do about it?"
Galil smiles.
"It would depend on what one feels for the old Empire versus the newer
one. My people have no love for Saltar nor for Mestom. They must be
stopped, and 'how' is indeed the question. Does an answer lie at
the Tower of Galgar with it's ancient magics? Does the answer
lie in discovering what it is that the new 'Emperor'..." Galil
gives a particularly sarcastic inflection to the word, "has acquired
that makes him successful of a sudden? Does the answer lie
elsewhere?" Galil replies thoughtfully, her mind on the same
questions.
"If everyone is ready to head back to the Tower, let us do so."
Galil nods, "It is my theory that something of value might be found in
that old tower that can aid us in this upheaval of Empires."
"Such as what?"
Galil smiles again. "If I knew exactly, it would be an easy task.
But in the days of the Saltar Empire, those towers ruled over the land.
If we were to discover how they worked, what they did, it would make
Saltar all the more powerful again. That is my aim."
Kadlian shakes his head. "It is not mine. My original goal
was to find Hlarn. But, since we know he is safe, I want to find
out who threw all those monsters at us and have a little discussion
with that entity."
"And if it relates to what occurs between the existing Empires?"
Galil smiles knowingly.
"Then we shall give that information to the proper people so that it
may be used."
"And who are the proper people? Shall we send messengers to
Clarvis? The Temple of Hecate in Atlantia? To your king? To
Nlad?" Galil asks.
"To Ray Jay. He has King Goldhine's ear and perhaps Clarvis' as well."
"There is a temple of Hecate in Atlantia?" Trinity asks.
Galil nods, "I thought I saw one when we were there last."
"Missed something, I did."
Eventually Trinity teleports you back to New Golgar, and you ensconce
yourselves back at the inn.