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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2001 - 2007 All Rights Reserved
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300
In the cold and damp of the night a fire will be most welcome. The room is small and holds no furniture or fittings except for a rusting brazier and flue pipe against the far wall. As has so many other travellers you will be able to safely make a fire here and settle for the night. Tinder and firewood proves to be no trouble as a short excursion back out into the stalls finds a pile of dry wood stacked against the stable entrance. From this supply you take more than enough to provide a flame through the cold night. After relocking the tack room door you start the fire and make yourself a hot meal. (Deduct one ration from your character sheet.)
Outside the wind has started to build again in strength. Settling down next to Pallenten you watch the fire crackle and spark, and listen to the howl of the wind as it buffets the trees outside. Here, inside your stone shelter you sit in the comfort of your fire's warmth and think about your quest and the trials of the day. In the main your thoughts lie with the Kalboreans and the circumstances of your quest.
Your captors at Maenum proved that they knew a considerable amount about the history of the Dwarvendim, and the circumstances that led to the loss of the Tellandra. It was equally plain that they did not have a good understanding of the real nature of EarthMagic or the true power of the pillar of stonewood. In their desperation the Kalboreans sent you on this journey, and they have ensured its completion it by the use of the metal collar that nows rubs uncomfortably at your neck. What they do not realise however, is that the act of fixing the Tellandra will forever take it from their grasp.
Your early training at the Temple of the Suns, and the echoes of more than one learned voice, have told you that the magic the Kalboreans wield with the Tellandra is only a pale reflection of its true power. This power is something they have never experienced, nor had to control, and this inexperience will leave them wholly unprepared for its restoration.
Since the demise of the ancients only the Dwarvendim have attempted to test the true limits of the powers of EarthMagic. Having done so they have respected it enough never to do it again, the consequences of the Tellandra's full potency simply too overwhelming to control. With the Tellandra restored the Kalborean's hold on it will falter as surely as attempting to tether a wild horse with twine. It will be then that the Dwarvendim LoreMasters will have their opportunity to take back their control of it.
It is true that the Kalboreans sent you on this quest, but as you listen to the whip and surge of the winds you resolve to complete it because of what it will mean to your people, and to their chances of shrugging off their servitude. Of course, there is the small matter of what the Kalboreans will do to you once they realise that the Tellandra has been restored and that their control of it has ended. But then you've never been one of their favourite thieves anyway, and you feel sure that no matter what happens you will be little appreciated.
The crackling of the fire brings you back from your musings and in its flickering light you feel the heavy hand of fatigue grab you squarely by the shoulders. For a short while you listen to the wind as it howls through the many cracks in the old stone walls, but then your eyes close and you fall into a dreamless sleep.
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This book, and its associated books and other documents in the Chronicles of Arborell series are the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Windhammer is best viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution. Any questions regarding the Chronicles of Arborell can be answered by emailing the author at densleyw@shoal.net.au
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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2001 - 2007 All Rights Reserved
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