23rd Godsday, Highmoon
Fireseek
Temple of Enduring Silence
The silence of the monastery is more than impossible to endure. Not being able to speak even a word is sure to drive me mad. So I put quill to paper and here is a catalog of my early life…
I am to start with why I am in this god forsaken frigid mountain top prison. This place where I temporarily call home is a small monastery, appropriately named the Temple of Enduring Silence, located in the uppermost reaches the northeastern Lortmil Mountains. My journey started when a friend of my fathers had come to our estate 3 years ago.
Aragorn whom had shared many an ale and pipe with father at our estate in Furyondy had come back after a long absence. I had overheard that Dorwin was on assignment and that he was unable to make the meeting. Aragorn and father had locked themselves in his study for over a week. With the few breaks that they had taken throughout that period, I had visited father’s study without his permission, with the intention to look at what had drawn them into such seclusion. I had never seen the study in such disarray.
Books and scrolls were piled waist high, along with maps to countries and lands that I had never heard. Throughout that long week messenger after messenger had come and gone to the estate, sometimes two to three a day. At every opportunity when father and Aragorn had taken rest, curiosity had gripped me.
Father’s study had transformed from a calm tranquil reading room to what I can now describe as what a war room might look like. Each day new markings were made on many maps of differing countries. Every time I had sneaked into his study more and more changes were made. Symbols, diagrams and talismans were drawn into the floors, walls and ceiling of the room. Maps of countries like Greyhawk, Wild Coast, Lands of Iuz, Pomarj, Hold of the Sea Princes, wild lands known as Hepmonaland and Amedio were spread all over the table and floor. Books on local history of Verbobonc and many on the Battle of Emridy Meadows. Scrolls containing information on surrounding lands and territories of the village of Hommlet. Each day as new information came to the estate, maps were drawn on and pinned with notes about dates, times and locations. I never could decipher the content of those long days.
As the days wore on, little did I see of father and Aragorn, but those few glimpses that I did get showed father aging by the day. The only thing that made my father smile was when a beautiful woman with a tiny little dragon showed up on a flying carpet. When she had arrived no time was wasted on pleasantries. She had said hello and rushed into the house. After several hours had passed since the arrival of the woman and as I was sitting out side with my favorite book “Wondrous Travels of Padin Fain volume 1” reading by the fire light, I noticed a weird phenomenon occurring by the front door.
The very air around the front of the door was taking on an appearance of rippled water, as if someone had disturbed the air. It lasted only for a few seconds then I heard a loud popping sound and before me was the most outrageous looking gnome I had ever laid eyes upon. He was dressed in the most clashing colors and wore the most ridiculous feathered hat. He also wore rainbow colored stockings with a velvet vest. He looked at me and introduced himself as Keedels, illusionist and mind traveler extrodinare. I got up and shook his hand, he asked me if my father was inside, and as I led him to the study we stopped in the entry hall. He told me that he was weary and needed a little wine first, so I went to the kitchen and brought out a bottle for him. Keedels ask if I wanted to join him in finishing the bottle, before he went to go into the study with the others, so not wanting to be a poor host I agreed. While we talked I grew very comfortable with this little gnome. Keedels was quick and witty. He asked how I was taking all this secret stuff that was going on with father and Aragorn. So I told him that I didn’t know how to take it. Keedels essentially made light of the subject and asked how I was doing. And so the conversation went on for many hours, too much of my enjoyment. He asked me what I was reading and so I showed him the book. He laughed and smiled and told me to hold on. He skipped over to the center of the hall and pulled a length of black cloth form his vest and he stretched it over the floor. Then he hopped in and disappeared into the cloth. I let out a little yell because I was startled when he reappeared so quickly with a book in his hand that he didn’t have before. He folded back the cloth and snickered again when he saw the expression on my face. He gave me the book from his hands and said that this was the original copy, hand written edition of the “Wondrous Travels of Padin Fain volume 4”, and that there was no other like it. That he had come across it in a dungeon that Padin Fain had reputably died in. Keedels had removed it from his rotting body and was thus an unfinished last volume. He stood up, tipped his purple-feathered hat, grabbed what was left of the bottle and made his way into the study before I could say thank you. I remember holding the book and looking upon it with awe and disgust at touching the last diary of a rotten corpse.
At all time during the night and day, father and his 3 guests would disappear into his study and what I can only presume was all manner of spell casting was going on during those times. My duties did not change. In fact I found myself taking on more responsibility in fathers absence. After 2 weeks of this going on father had finally introduced me to this beautiful woman named Jallarzi, as well as her scaly companion whose name escapes me at the moment. Dinners were full of laughs and good times. As I look back now it seemed that father would look at Jallarzi in a strange, starring sort of way, almost like a fondness. This woman was full of laughter and life. Everyone had told stories of the glory days and even father telling some stories that had shocked me. One where he had traversed an abandoned temple to some dark power and had slew a known vampire of some infamy.
They had all talked of great friends that they had lost in their travels. And a moment was taken to remember those friends that will always be with them. The last evening where Jallarzi and Keedels had left had been the best. Aragorn left the following morning. Jallarzi was always in a good mood and asked on many occasions how I was doing and if there were any prospective young women chasing after me. To this I blushed deeply and said no. She assured me that there would be, because I had my father’s good looks. It never seemed that anything would ever bother the vibrant woman. More stories were told of blunders and victories. Most of these stories were what I thought extremely embellished, but everyone assured me that they were very real.
At the closing of the evening Keedels and Jallarzi had said goodbye to father, Aragorn and myself. Jallarzi, as she walked out and unrolled her flying carpet in the court yard, pulled me aside and gave me a small necklace and said something like this, “Makaus, never become so hard of nature as to not allow anyone into your heart. You are on a possible track to where your destiny will show you many hardships and agonies. You will loose loved ones and will be hurt along your course in life. Never allow your heart to grow like stone. Hold close those dear to you, and let those memories warm you and keep you company in your darkest moments. Your future is bright and always follow your heart.” It seemed that she was to say more but she stopped and looked in the direction of the front door, turned and flew into the night on her carpet. A few breathes later father had come to the front door breathing heavy with two glasses of wine in his hands and appeared to look saddened. At first I was not sure whyfather looked saddened but after a minute it was because Jallarzi was already gone.
I look back now and it seems that father was to invite her to stay for the evening but was too late. He drank both glasses in one gulp each, looked at me, ruffled my hair and said, “Whatever Jallarzi had to say to you, it was for your ears only, listen to her and take heed, it is good advice.” Father told me that he would shut down the estate, that he wasn’t tired and wanted to think. I asked if all was right and if he was sure, because closing down the house was always my job. He told me just to go to sleep…
Aragorn left the next morning and life returned as usual….
