Our story begins with a shipwreck. A sudden storm of terrifying strength blew a small ship far off course and wrecked it on the rocky shores of a distant land. Luckily all survived but they are lost and seek a (hopefully) friendly civilization; we pick up where they found a road...
It was a peculiar group indeed. A weathered bearded human, the captain of the ship. A big female half-orc and slender stoic male elf, his crew. A huge human barbarian. Two intelligent red pandas, the male also of the ship's crew during the voyage. An armored dwarf, beard braided (of course!). A blue-furred anthro wolf known as an "azuralupin." A lawful good half-elf cleric, thankful the healing liquid made from that a special plant extract had survived in its red crystal flask along with the silver water, clerics of Ayundell are essentially fighter-priests with exceptional healing and field surgical skills. This one also had a slender but very sturdy staff unique to his religious order, a well-constructed alchemic device capable of several things, including shining a soft golden light from an artificial crystal in its tip with help from copper and zinc, and non-lethal defenses...
Oh, and did I mention the red Ayundellian dragon? No? Well, Ayundellian dragons are quite different than AD&D dragons, at their most expanded roughly half again the size of elephants, they do not have true wings (no six limbed vertebrate on Ayundell) but rather wing-like back fins they can flap for propulsion, but flight is achieved by swelling with hydrogen gas. Their scales are very tough but they are very lightweight (no more than about 200-250 pounds!), they are weaker, and slower in flight, than the normal AD&D dragons for they are bound by the physics of Ayundell (indeed an AD&D dragon could not fly or use breath weapons in that world, just as creatures such as giant eagles, griffins, pit fiends, and djinn also could not fly or use their magic powers). He can "breathe" fire by using two ducts in his mouth that shoot chemicals which combine and ignite in the air; with practice it can be a long stream or a short-range fiery spray. His left "wing" had been badly injured and he was unable to properly fly, although the cleric's treatment would completely heal the injury in a few days. Lacking magic spells Ayundellian dragons often use lightweight alchemic devices and they do instinctively hoard shiny pretty things; an Ayundellian dragon's horde can consist of both valuables and shiny trinkets- it's instinct layered over intelligence. Because of their peculiar way of flying they can float nicely and they can hover, but strong winds can make flying too risky for them.
There are a number of dragon types: white dragons who spew chemicals which result in a terrifyingly cold endothermic reaction; black dragons who spit heated acid; green dragons who spew poison gas; the armored and very strong aquatic flightless blue dragons who use electricity like giant electric eels; brown poison-spitting dragons (like spitting cobras); coppery dragons that spew a mist that causes intense pain and swelling like bee stings; yellow dragons who can spit a sticky liquid meant to entrap; brass dragons spewing a gas that causes sleep or severe drunkenness (depending on the one being affected); silver dragons able to emit blinding bio-light from points on their heads and bodies including remarkably powerful ultraviolet; beautiful golden dragons also able to spit fire like reds but a more intense blue-white flame; flightless shrieker dragons in the wind-torn Howling Chasms with their own destructive howls, among others...but here it is a good-aligned red. Of all creatures on Ayundell dragons have by far the most unusual physiology, and given some creatures there that's saying something. Curiously enough two different dragons cannot breed, so no half-red half-green dragons.
The lesser dragons are not unlike smaller long-necked pteradactyls (no swelling with hydrogen gas) with long tails and other dragonish features, sometimes called "draco-wyverns," they are akin to their dragon cousins with their breath weapons although there are no blues or shriekers. Small finger-like appendages on the wing joint do allow them to use small specially-constructed alchemic devices...and write letters. Due to their more normal physiology they are faster and more maneuverable than the true dragons, but their breath weapons are not as strong and they are not quite as intelligent; lacking arms they cannot manipulate alchemic devices as well as true dragons, especially in the air.
Very distantly related are the "draconfolk," that world's equivalent of AD&D dragonborn, they are roughly the size of large humans, do not inflate with hydrogen gas, have no "wings" but do have tails and scales, in fact somewhat resembling a long-armed anthro megalosaurus with dragon ruffles, horns, and fins. They are very strong and pretty quick, have the same breath weapons as their true and lesser dragon counterparts but with shorter range and less power; the blues are longer-tailed, have webbed fingers and toes, and can also emit jolts of electricity. Remember that there is no magic and Ayundellian biology is much closer to ours so a human-dragon cross is impossible, that is not where draconfolk came from.
But here it is just a red Ayundellian dragon- no lesser dragons, no draconfolk. Sorry about that, it just turned out that way...I really do like the lesser dragons.
"Nobody blames you, captain," said the little female red panda reassuringly to the human captain as she stood on tippy-toes on a rock, helping the cleric further tend the dragon's injury, "that was a terrible storm- there was no time to avoid it, and even the weather glass gave little warning. You were able to get us to land, otherwise we would have drowned out there."
"She's not just saying that to be nice," said the dwarf, "you think a dwarf would go sailing on the seas in a boat if he didn't trust the captain and crew?"
"As little one say, you not get us to land we all be dead now," said the big battle-scarred barbarian, brushing back his long black hair, "it truth. Storm come from nowhere, I not smell it in time."
"Yeah, captain," said the brawny dark blue-black half-orc as she tossed another large piece of wood on the campfire lit by the dragon, "it really was just rotten luck. When we get back from wherever this is we'll all pitch in and get you another ship."
"I'll help with that," said the dragon, "my horde is small but it does have gold and silver, maybe even a few diamonds and rubies. It would be useless to me if I was dead, so...we'll use it to help buy that ship. I want to." He smiled and sighed with relief, the cleric's treatment had greatly eased the pain in his wing and he could see it was going to be fine, "and some as a donation for your order, cleric- thank you...and thank you too, miss."
Everyone knew that for a dragon, even a good-aligned one, to offer someone his horde was indeed a show of gratitude. Because of his size he had been down in the hold and would have been trapped and drowned but the others, even the two red pandas, had all risked their lives to get him out before the ship sank. He would never forget that, ever.
The human captain nodded appreciatively at the offers.
Just then the male red panda, strange compound bow slung over his shoulder and special alchemic arrows in a quiver, appeared with the similarly-armed elf, he moving like a swift puff of smoke.
"We scouted around three miles but saw nothing," said the elf in his musical voice, "yet the road surely leads somewhere. We should post sentinels since we do not know what to expect, we do not know where we are."
"Good idea," said the half-orc, patting her long warhammer reassuringly, "there should be two of us on watch."
"Captain, do you know where we might be?" asked the female red panda as she sat down near the fire and smoothed her knee-length skirt; her fiance sat down next to her.
"No, missy, not for sure- but that storm blew us west, that I do know. There be a series of large island clusters in that area, we likely be on one of the outermost if we didn't reach the mainland far north or south of them," said the gruff human, "we can at least be thankful this not be The Warlands."
The cleric was silently meditating, his order's way of praying and giving thanks to God, in this case for that wondrous plant with its incredible healing properties and for what silver water could do. Gratitude brings good, he knew, and all were grateful for the fire's warmth...not to mention having a red dragon with them whom could easily light the damp wood.
"Where we are not matter now, we now decide who on watch," said the barbarian, gripping his battleaxe, he being the only humanish comparable in size to the big half-orc, "I take first watch now. Who will help?"
"I will," said the elf, moving like a liquid shadow, hand to rapier indicating readiness. The barbarian smiled; strange as it may seem his tribe liked elves and respected their prowess in a fight, especially their archers.
"I'll take the second watch," said the male panda, "I will too," said the azuralupin, green eyes gleaming, it was obvious he had decided to be the two pandas' protector, and now he checked the alchemic bolt-shooting bracer he wore, bolts that would glow and explode in emerald fire, burst in a sticky resin web, a cloud of sleep mist, or blue endothermic cold; on his other forearm was a bracer with a shield that would instantly unfold and open as a disc of ultra-strong alloy when desired. Luckily sea water couldn't damage any of their weaponry.
"You others get some rest," said the elf.
The night passed uneventfully.
All the next day the group journeyed on, following the road, but except for harmless wildlife they saw nothing. That was strange- in fact, the entire group had an eerie feeling of isolation, as if that storm had blown them to a place where they were alone in a vast empty land...yet someone had built the road and it was in decent shape.
Finally the road led into a large wooded area, in they went, on the alert- bandits could be lurking- but again they encountered nothing, and the strange silence among the towering mossy oaks was as unsettling as any visible threat.
"There is no scent of any people here," said the azuralupin, crouching, "none."
"I don't like this," said the half-orc, gripping her long warhammer, "there's a road but no signs, no marker-stones, nothing. It's like this road leads nowhere."
They all silently agreed. There was a strange feeling of anticipation, the feeling one gets when one just knows something is going to happen.
"I not like this too," said the barbarian, hand to his large battleaxe, "better open danger, one you can see. This feel like ratskins, they lurk and wait to attack when you not expect it."
"Ratskins" are the Ayundellian equivalents of AD&D wererats. Usually found in cities but sometimes in the wilderness, they use numbers and stealth attacks, along with large highly-trained rats they control with special ultra-frequency pipes. They generally wear rat skin clothing and the potions they take make rats friendly to them through pheromones; they also give them speed, excellent night vision, hearing, and sense of smell but make them highly allergic to silver. They tend to be tribal, small, and very thin.
The female red panda looked around nervously and stood closer to her husband-to-be, "I- I know this sounds silly, but...we're being watched. I've felt it for some time, someone knows we're here."
The male red panda patted her paw reassuringly, but the elf spoke up.
"You are not being silly. I too feel it. We are being watched."
"I too have sensed it. Whoever or whatever it is is keeping a good distance," said the azuralupin.
All hands (or in the case of the male red panda and Azuralupin paws) moved closer to ranged weapons, but...there was nothing. Still, an elf was not given to paranoia, intuition was well-developed in female red pandas, and azuralupins were almost impossible to surprise.
The human captain, depressed about having lost his ship but understanding he was still considered the leader of the group, decided he had to act the part.
"If we be watched, then by who? It could be they think we be dangerous and they want to know what we be up to- remember, we don't know where we be or what's been happening here- but the most dangerous thing for us be we don't know anything. So the question is, what do we do now? Go ahead or turn back? I say we go ahead, but with caution."
It was a good question, and it broke the tension.
"Go ahead," said the barbarian, "as you say we know nothing. We not just stay here, and if someone knows we here turning back no good, they can follow and they know this land."
"If we are being watched, well, look at us- a half-orc, a dragon, a big barbarian, an azuralupin, armed intruders, we are an intimidating group. What would any of us do if such a group of strangers was wandering around our homelands," asked the dragon, "who could blame them for being cautious?"
"We are the intruders," agreed the half-elf cleric, "we are in someone else's land. If they are watching we should signal that we want to talk."
"Yeah, but we don't know anything, as captain says," said the half-orc, "there could be bandits waiting for us, or slavers."
"Let them try," said the dwarf, gripping his mace and shield of super-strong alloy with ornate parts of silver and iron making them especially effective against certain enemies, "nobody makes slaves of dwarfs or their friends!"
The hatred dwarfs have for slavery was well-known by all, for long ago much of their population had been enslaved in the three uppermost levels of the Nine Caverns of Tyranny and Torment, by the hideous long-faced grey hags of The Gloomlands, and the cluster of huge iron ore islands of endless battles known as The Warlands until combined help from The Seven Noble Realms, the Peaceful Realm's azuralupins, an army from the giant valley Twin Realms of Magnificence, flights of flying foxes and lesser dragons from the Othersrealm, and several lesser kingdoms helped the dwarfs to finally gain their freedom- and they had never forgotten it, for it had cost those good-aligned realms and kingdoms dearly.
"What do you say, sir?" asked the male red panda of the human captain.
"Well, I be a sea captain, not a land captain, but...as I said before, we go forward, but be ready for anything."
They all nodded and soon left the woods, out in the open, looking around for any signs of ambush or traps, azuralupin checking for scents, elf scouting ahead like a nimble half-seen shadow...but again, that eerie nothingness.
The sun was lower in the sky but still above the hills as they went around a hill into a small valley...and that's when they saw it.
It was a village, with a mansion on an estate on a hillside overlooking it.
They approached on the ready, the half-elf cleric walking in front holding out one hand, palm forward, a long length of white cloth tied around his wrist- the universal sign of completely non-hostile intentions. The female red panda was in the middle of the group, the best protected position. The dwarf, barbarian, and half-orc couldn't help but silently admire the cleric's dedication to peaceful contact and his courage since he was in the most vulnerable position, no coward this one they knew!
They neared and then entered the village...
It was a dead village.
Nobody was there. No people of any sort, yet all of the structures were in decent shape. There was farmland but only some of it had been worked, the rest was becoming wild. They checked several cottages and a small general store, but nobody was there- there were no corpses or skeletons, no blood stains, no sign of combat. Yet...
"Someone has been here very recently," said the azuralupin, "there is a scent of humanish here, elvish- maybe half-elven but no true elves- and humans. It's the same scent as in the other places we checked, no other scents of anyone else, not even traces. Only a few hours ago they were here. There is also a strange scent, barely a trace remaining even to me, of something that was once in the wells- not poison, not sleep potion, I do not know what it was. Humanish would not have been able to detect it at any time."
"But where IS everyone?" asked the dwarf, "nothing has been damaged or taken from any of these places, it all looks wrong somehow. And someone has been working some of the farmland."
"Yes," said the barbarian, "all wrong, not attacked. Slavers and bandits take gold, silver, food, people, they kill and leave the old- but no fighting here, no dead, nothing taken. Look, small gold thing on table."
The dwarf picked it up, "pure gold or I'm a fool. Anyone can see it's real gold, especially bandits and slavers." He put it back carefully.
"If we were seen earlier perhaps the villagers fled, thinking we were slavers or bandits? We would be a frightening group to ordinary villagers," said the elf although he didn't really believe that was what had happened.
"No," said the azuralupin, "each home would have a unique set of scents in it, to me it is as clear as tracks in wet sand. The only scents anywhere are those few dozen."
"It doesn't look as though people fled from here- they would have taken something with them, but see, there is nothing missing," said the half-elf cleric.
"No, that be not quite true," said the human captain, "there be no food anywhere. It all be gone."
"But why take food but nothing else- see, sword hanging above fireplace there," said the barbarian, "people run they take food, but also take blankets, weapons, not just food. This all wrong."
"He's right," said the half-orc, "nobody grabs food and nothing else if they're running from something. Slavers and bandits grab anything worth something. If there was fighting here...was it done with soft pillows to leave no damage?"
They all stood silently, wondering...and nobody had forgotten what the azuralupin had said.
Then a small timid voice, the female red panda. She looked frightened, as if afraid to ask what she was about to ask the azuralupin.
"You- you said the same scent as in the other places here. You said there were only a few dozen?"
"Yes, a few dozen, no more. Why?" he asked, kneeling and putting a reassuring paw on her shoulder.
"What were they doing here? If you are right about how long ago they were here...then...they were here AFTER we would have been seen. And there's no scent of anyone else who might have lived here? This village would have had more than a few dozen people. And look at this place, hasn't anyone noticed?"
They all looked at her, she seemed uncomfortable about the attention but continued, "it's all so clean. No dust, no cobwebs, who cleaned it? The ones azuralupin said were here just a few hours ago? Why would they do that? I- I guess as a female red panda I can tell, but these places have been kept clean all along, they weren't cleaned a few hours ago in any case- I- just know they weren't. Whatever those others were doing here, it wasn't that."
She stopped, head bowed, and took a deep breath, these simple actions an effort to relax. "There's something else?" asked the azuralupin patiently.
"Yes," she answered, looking around, "it's been kept clean but it hasn't been lived in. It all has such a lifeless look and feel about it."
This simple statement sent a chill through all of them, even the battle-hardened barbarian, dwarf, and big half-orc. The implication was obvious...
"Several dozen humanish, the same ones, be going through all these places after we were seen. They be doing or taking nothing...or at least nothing we be knowing about!" said the human captain.
"What happened here? What is happening here? I wish I could fly now or we had a flying fox with us to look about from above," said the dragon, peeking in through the doorway then looking around outside.
They had been on the lookout for traps, but there were none, no regular or clever alchemic traps. What was going on in that dead village?
They all left the cottage, and...just then "there!" said the elf.
Someone was coming out of the mansion in the distance.
"Be there anyone else coming at us?" growled the human captain.
A few seconds- "no," said azuralupin, male red panda, and elf.
"Then we wait- but be ready."
They waited. By now the sun was low in the sky, but it was not long before the lone figure approached them. It was an almost absurdly foppish quarter-elf majordomo by his appearance, he had no visible weapons although a sleep-gas orb or fireburst globe was easy to conceal. Sensibly the visitors stood close but not too close to one another, they could fan out in a second. The dragon tried to look imposing but friendly, noting that the mysterious figure was well within range of his fiery breath weapon, he must have known that. Once again the half-elf cleric held up his hand with the long white cloth tied around his wrist, but even so that was a formidable-looking group.
Still, the majordomo, in a voice indicating he was used to being a part of nobility above mere commoners yet not unfriendly, bowed low with a flourish and said "welcome, travelers...welcome to Elsben."
All bowed their heads in polite greeting, the dragon nodding once, the barbarian and half-orc putting fist to chest, dwarf raising his shield in friendly salute, the female red panda giving a small curtsy, and since he was the leader of the group the human captain stood forth and replied "thank you, sir. We greet you, and come with peaceful intentions."
The majordomo smiled, "that is good, my friends- I then welcome you as friends to Elsben."
It was a charming smile, and the greeting was gracious indeed- but the elf, being of a subtle and highly artistic race, noticed an unsettling trace of eagerness about that smile, as if it was somewhat forced. He was pleased nobody mentioned the shipwreck or that nobody else knew they were there. Let him wonder a bit about us...
"You are well after being shipwrecked here. Oh, yes, we know- first that simply dreadful storm, then a group of strangers with few supplies appear out of nowhere- and you all have a salty sea scent about you."
Was it simply a good guess, or did he really know?
"We are preparing dinner, do be our guests. We are having dinner on the patio, a most beautiful view. Do say yes, please."
There was something about the way he said it, in spite of the flowery manner in which he spoke, that implied it was more a command than a request. Suddenly all felt eyes watching them, all around; they had not been there before.
"Yes- we will accept your gracious invitation. We be tired and hungry," said the captain, but the lost travelers all knew he was merely going along with whatever game this mysterious person was playing...for now.
It was all unreal. There they were in a weirdly deserted village, no people, yet this majordomo acted as if everything was quite normal.
What was going on?
As they walked to the edge of the village the azuralupin glanced at the elf whom nodded once- the sharp-eyed beings both saw the raven flying into a window in the mansion, and they, even with their exceptional eyesight, could just barely see the black vest the bird was wearing. It was a "familiar," a well-trained animal bred for intelligence equipped with an image-disc vest: a specially-treated metal disc would click and move at regular intervals like the second hand of a clock, images being made on the reusable disc in concentric circles by a special lens that could later be seen under a powerful magnifier. They HAD been watched all along, and no doubt the bird had flown over where they had been shipwrecked. It was probably trained to avoid being easily seen, flying among the trees. This took exceptional training skills, indicating that whoever awaited them would likely be expert and well-armed alchemists.
Inwardly elf and azuralupin cursed themselves for their carelessness, they had been looking for snipers and stalkers but not familiars- they should have spotted the bird at some point, especially after what the female red panda and both elf and azuralupin themselves had said in the woods. They swore they would not make the same mistake again.
They followed the majordomo to the hill, through the entrance- nobody failed to notice that the high stone walls and the heavy decorative bronze gate had razor-sharp blades and barbs- or how the gate silently swung shut once they were inside, obviously by a mechanism operated from somewhere inside the mansion.
By now shining lights appeared in the many windows, lights from artificial crystals that had been out in the daylight and would now glow brightly all through the night. The mansion seemed to be made of smooth white granite and glass, almost too lacy and elegant...yet special shutters made of thick bronze could be closed tight, turning the place into a fortress. There was a garish ugliness about its luxury, as if its inhabitants were trying too hard to impress. Several of the "guests," especially the dwarf, noticed large reflectors in one high bay window pointed at the village; with blazing light from special artificial crystals touching copper the entire village would be bathed in blinding light and that was not a good sign; it was not something benevolent rulers would do. Such things were only meant to intimidate.
Everything about "Elsben" had a forced look and feel about it.
On the patio of that mansion were now dozens of people, many having just appeared, looking as if they had been running uphill- were they the "eyes" the travelers had felt while speaking with the majordomo?- while several tired-looking servants hurried to prepare everything. It seemed to be a dinner for nobility and indeed it was...yet something was wrong with it.
Globe-shaped glass lanterns of blue were strung up, glowing in the slowly approaching dusk. Small brightly glowing artificial white crystals shone in refracting glass holders in the center of each table. Again it was elegant and seemed the sort of outdoor dinner one would expect with nobility, and yet...
The people were all humans, quarter-elves, half-elves, or humans with traces of elf in them, laughing and talking as more appeared and seated themselves- yet it all seemed forced, an act. The barbarian had been right, a simple fight would have been preferable to this false scene of friendship.
They would all have preferred to be facing the nine-foot giant Archduke of the Nine Caverns of Tyranny and Torment in the lethal river region Evilrun with its dreaded Riverlords than being where they were now. Well, maybe not THAT terrifying tyrant, but maybe instead the five-member ruling dragon matriarchal council "Tiamat" in the first of the Caverns with its fiery bursts of vapors...anywhere far away from Elsben.
"Please be seated," said the majordomo, bowing and gesturing elegantly...and immediately it was obvious something sinister was planned, for the empty seats were well apart from each other; the group would be separated in a seemingly natural way yet each would be surrounded by several Elsbenians.
It was a dangerous moment.
"Oh," said the little female red panda, paw to chest, "I am to be married to my future husband here- it is against our customs for a female to be seated away from her intended when among others, and the half-orc, my friend, is to be a bridesmaid- she should sit with me too, it is bad luck otherwise."
It was a clever move, especially as she held up her slender paw with the brown wooden ring with a single smooth green crystal embedded in it- the other red panda held up his paw showing a matching ring. It was also all quite true for during the sea voyage she had asked the half-orc if she wanted to be a bridesmaid; the busy half-orc had good-naturedly replied "sure why not," which the little red panda took as a "yes," if anyone there knew anything about her folk they would have no choice but to agree.
"And I want the barbarian sitting with me, we still have to talk about which is better, a half-orc warhammer or a barbarian battleaxe!" The dark-skinned half-orc thumped her weapon down on the patio stone, "I say warhammer," this in a voice that indicated the only acceptable answer would be "yes."
"Half-orc is friend, we talk about weapons" said the barbarian, his voice indicating "yes" was the only answer he wanted to hear- and he was a big fellow, bigger than any Elsbenian there.
"And the good azuralupin is my friend, he too will be with me at the wedding under the tall crystal-topped mountain in the center of the Peaceful Realm. I want him sitting with me here for luck, and because a barbarian and a half-orc are rather imposing, especially when arguing about weapons!" said the male red panda cheerfully.
"I am rather large and here is space enough for me at this outer table, I won't be in anyone's way here," said the dragon, "and the view from here is indeed beautiful. Your entire estate is magnificent."
"Maybe we should all just sit together," said the human captain, "who be wanting to risk bad luck for such a cute couple, aye? And who here be wanting to get between a human barbarian and a half-orc when they be arguing about tribal weapons, or be risking a big dragon accidentally knocking things over?"
"Certainly...if that is your wish," said the majordomo, bowing low and smiling...but if looks could really kill then the human captain and the cute little female red panda would have been dead with a dozen daggers in each of them.
They were all seated, and the curiously few servants hurried about, lights gleaming in the windows and on tables with their white linens, round blue lanterns swaying in the breeze, several dozen nobles talking and laughing, but giving sideways looks to their "guests."
Those "guests" also suddenly noticed that there were no children anywhere, this making the scene even more unreal...and ominous.
It was then that a middle-aged female human with mild elven features appeared from the double doors.
She was introduced as the Lady Elsben, she in a gown that was so embedded with gleaming precious gems and stitchings as to be almost garish, obviously she was the matriarch of that elegant, polite, yet subtly sinister family. She was seated on a raised dais embedded with those light-crystals overlooking everyone there. All bowed their heads and remained silent until she raised her hand; our heroes did as the others did. By now the majordomo stood to her left and before the dais, he now holding an elegant staff, embedded with glowing blue artificial crystals, that rang like a bell when he tapped it down on the patio, four times he did this; Lady Elsben then raised and slowly lowered her own slender ivory staff inlaid with gold, silver, and many brightly gleaming silver gems- it was no doubt capable of several dangerous attacks- signaling that now it was time to eat.
Food was served, the azuralupin nodded politely to the servant, then he gave a subtle second nod- this indicating that he detected no scent of any poison or drug. The red pandas were not served any meat, proving that yes those there did know about them. The servants were efficient but hardly spoke, they had strangely vacant looks in their eyes, their hands were very calloused, and they were also tanned in such a way that indicated they spent a good deal of time working outdoors. The talk and laughter sounded even more forced, but was thankfully muted by the half-orc and barbarian getting into a spirited "discussion" over which weapon was indeed better!
Then something even more unsettling happened.
As I mentioned before the mansion, including the patio, overlooked the village. As dusk shadows settled over the vale below...lights came on in windows in the little village.
Shadows appeared in the windows. And movement, doors opening, shadows, activity, maybe even distant glimpses of people...yet something seemed not quite right, not only because nobody had been there before, or had they simply been away after all? Yet the azuralupin had been certain that it was not so...
"Ah," said the matriarch of that household, raising her gleaming staff, the embedded glowing multi-faceted crystals in the top of her chair gleaming and refracting their own light, "the lights come on below, our happy peasants, the villagers, busy at their tasks, serving us! Isn't it a fine sight?"
The others clapped.
"Obedience to one's betters must be absolute, unquestioning. We were born, the chosen, predestined to be the higher ones, they were born to be subordinate...to us! So long as order is maintained, all is well!"
Down below it seemed like a normal small village scene in the sunset shadows...but there was something strange about the activity- and who was down there? Where had they been before? Sharp-eyed elf and azuralupin looked carefully, something else was wrong...
Now more than ever the "guests" felt themselves in danger, and the female red panda put a slender paw on the other red panda's paw. More than the others, even azuralupin and perceptive elf, she sensed something evil about the elegant woman sitting in that gleaming chair- evil, along with a growing insanity. The other red panda gave her a reassuring look that also warned her to give no indication that anything was wrong...not yet.
"For generations it was so, all knew their places! Is it not so in your homelands?!" the matriarch demanded of her "guests," obviously wanting an answer.
"In my tribe the strongest and bravest man leads," said the half-orc, "and he is expected to be first into battle and the last out."
"As it is in my tribe" said the barbarian, nodding at her approvingly.
"We the azuralupins are the lords of the Peaceful Realm, I myself instructed my friend the King of the Seven Noble Realms in the ways of wilderness combat and the laws of compassion," said the blue-furred anthro-wolf, "and as rulers we guide and teach, training those such as the red panda boy-cubs to be able to defend their homes and families." He had placed a subtle emphasis on the words "my friend," as if asking if any there in Elsben wished to provoke the power of a realm even the evil Archduke himself, in spite of his vast armies and airship fleet, dared not openly challenge.
"We elves have chiefs and a king, they must be wise and compassionate as well as strong and able," said the dignified elf in his musical voice.
"All religious orders have a hierarchy," said the half-elf cleric, "those within mine are expected to serve our god, each other, those poor and injured, and to try to find peaceful answers in times of trouble. Our patriarchs must protect, guide, and assist those of lesser rank, and most of whatever wealth they may have had goes to charity and the needs of our temples." He said this in a non-judgemental way that tried to make all those there, including the Lady Elsben, at least consider a kinder way of thinking.
"We dwarfs have our clans, each led by several elders; in times of trouble we unite under a king to lead us. A dwarf's worth is determined by his skill in something, be it mining, metalwork, battle, teaching and caring for others, scholarly work, or anything useful."
"But you DO understand rulers and ruled, do you not, of discipline, of betters and inferiors," said the lady of that household in a voice more shrill, "but what happens when underlings fail to obey?! When they claim we take too much and return nothing, crying about the cruelty of our just punishments, what did they understand?! Discipline, obedience to their betters, the Fates' chosen, never to rebel...but they did! They dared! They dared to speak against this family, the family Elsben, against ME!"
Here the people assembled watched her, hanging on her every word. Their "guests" tensed up, knowing that whatever it was they had feared all along was about to happen but trying to show no sign of preparing, of noticing how they were outnumbered in hostile territory...
"So I, Lady Elsben, of a long line of lords and ladies Elsben, determined to crush such foolishness, such disobedience, once and for all- I used my alchemic skills and prepared an obedience potion, this poured into the wells of the villagers that night! But those weaklings, those inferiors...they all died, all except those few servants you now see here! It was no error on my part, their bodies had become as feeble as their idiot peasant minds!!"
Here she pointed at the village, "now we enjoy the lively scenes with the skill of our illusionists, with their shadows, their mirrors of colored glass, their animated disc-lanterns, their bells and sound devices, recreating things as they were, we assemble here to remember, to enjoy what was!"
Here she took a deep breath, then...
"But skilled as our illusionists are, who to grow the food, who to maintain the village and our ancestral home, who to do all the work here? Our few servants, even with the endurance crystals I created and they must wear at all times, cannot do it all, farmland is going wild, food is becoming even more scarce!"
Now all eyes turned to their guests, all traces of even false friendship gone.
"But fate has smiled upon us, delivered to us strangers, two among them big and strong and able to do the work of a dozen, shipwrecked, nobody knows they are here- THEY SHALL REPLACE THE VILLAGERS WHO DIED THROUGH NO FAULT OF MINE!"
Here she pointed at our heroes, "TAKE THEM! TAKE THEM, ALIVE!"
Immediately all of that family stood up, drawing or readying weapons, from the large double doors and from the lawn-side armored knights in elaborate shining mirror armor appeared...
But the travelers were ready, as expected- or perhaps years of arrogance and the subservience of the villagers had made this simple reaction unexpected, they had not even thought of asking their "guests" to leave their weapons and alchemic devices before being seated.
Two Elsbenians with purple and gold electrified shock-gloves foolishly grabbed the half-orc but she was big and although badly staggered from the electrical jolts was tough enough not to be brought down- she was able to knock them away with rage-enhanced strength; the barbarian grabbed another before he could activate his alchemic missile weapon with sleep-darts and heaved him into three others; two knights approached with raised electrified weapons but the dragon whom, dodging a looped rope that nearly went around his jaws but unwilling to burn a living being to death, spewed a blast of fire in front of them, forcing them to step back, but moving quickly another threw a shiny blue globe at the flames, the exploding mist extinguishing the fire.
The swift azuralupin fired a glowing green alchemic bolt at an Elsbenian across the patio about to do the same at the dragon (the wound would not have killed the dragon but would have prevented him from flying, they did not know he couldn't properly fly yet) but in that instant a clear rectangular resin shield unfolded in front of the attacker, catching the azuralupin's exploding bolt just in time although the attacker was knocked back and a hole was blasted in the shield. Another bolt and a table being used as a shield blew apart, the Elsbenians behind it knocked back, dazed, before they could use their own ranged weapons.
The elf and the red panda swiftly fired alchemic arrows that split into many glowing white bolts, these exploding in knockout gas that caused a dozen Elsbenians to collapse coughing, passing out- but others closed, forcing them to draw rapier and short sword both of super-alloy, the red panda standing protectively before his future mate whom following his command sensibly crouched low and stayed out of the way, but still she had grabbed a small dish and tossed it like a frisbee at an Elsbenian trying to attack the dwarf from behind with a drugged needle-sword, hitting her on the side of her head, distracting her as the dragon swept her feet out from under her with his tail and flicked her weapon away.
The majordomo, on his smiling face a look of evil fanatical loyalty, pointed the elegant staff with its blue glowing crystals and from its tip flew several glowing silver tranquilizer darts but the dwarf and azuralupin used their shields to block them; from that staff then shot sticky webbing like a net but with the lightning speed and accuracy they were famous for the elf shot an alchemic arrow that burst in a net to counter it, this immediately followed by another that with a rush of emerald and ruby sparks burned and pushed the web-nets away so flaming pieces descended on several Elsbenians, causing them to stumble away in a panic; the half-elf cleric fired a glowing white dart from his own slender staff and down went the majordomo, asleep, the special tip penetrating the light armor he had been wearing underneath his overly-elegant clothing.
Two noblewomen from a distance held out bejeweled wands; one fired a spray of dazzling violet and white sparks meant to temporarily blind while the other fired a cone-shaped stream of knockout spray but the shock-angered half-orc had already heaved a heavy chair at them that hit and knocked them back, injuring them, before their alchemic devices had a chance to do much of anything.
The armored dwarf was now fighting a knight, white sparks from the knight's electrified lightning sword flying as it struck the small but sturdy dwarf's shield of ultra-strong alloy but special insulation meant to protect against heat and electricity kept him safe; he smashed his mace on his taller opponent's foot, laughing as the knight hopped away holding his injured foot!
Another knight tried to stab the female red panda from behind with a slender drug-injecting needle-sword but this was parried by her furious mate-to-be with short sword, the knight tried to hit him with a long electrified stave but the quick little defender dodged, striking his foe's armored wrist in such a way that he dropped the stave; that knight then made the mistake of trying to pick it up only to have the round end of the red panda's pommel smash into his forehead- in spite of the helmet the enraged strength of the blow almost knocked him out, the powerful barbarian then kicked the Elsbenian knight away in disgust at his cowardly act...in his tribe attacking an unarmed non-combatant would result in beatings and exile at the very least.
It soon became obvious that the Elsbenians, including the knights, were not very good at fighting- armed adventurers were not subservient peasants after all- but they still outnumbered our heroes and alchemic weapons are always dangerous. Even so the "guests" had managed to drive back anyone near them, so now it was about ranged weapons, with a bolder few Elsbenians trying to get in close but true elf was liquid swift; red panda small and quick; half-orc and barbarian too big and strong; armored dwarf tough as rock; azuralupin strong, skilled and fast, oh they could hold their own.
"DO-NOT-LET-THEM-ESCAPE!!" shrieked the Lady Elsben, standing up tall while a large clear metal-strong shield with the family crest unfolded on her left arm even as she quickly raised her right arm; fast-firing tranquilizer darts glowing white shot from a bejeweled bracer while, moving quickly with her shielded arm, she also touched copper to an artificial crystal on her tiara resulting in a blazing blinding beam of light which she directed at our heroes, then with the same arm she pointed her gleaming prismatic staff and out came glowing sickly orange globes that would burst in sticky webbing upon hitting something.
The others instinctively averted their eyes, those with shields raised them, and the elf and red panda were about to swiftly use alchemic arrows but it was the easy-going half-elf cleric whom instantly reacted first against this when he saw her move: an unfolding shield had earlier appeared from his left sleeve, this made of a mirror-like alloy; now with speed nobody knew he possessed he pointed his staff that fired a strong clear resin that instantly spread in the air as a shield, stopping the swift darts and web-globes while he used the mirror shield to reflect the light back at Lady Elsben, blinding her so she fell back even as the elf shattered her staff with a well-aimed green alchemic bolt from his own bracer- he did not wish to kill since the cleric had incapacitated her. The dwarf smiled and saluted the cleric.
"AAAAAARRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" howled the azuralupin at three knights with electrified weapons and shields as well as four nobles raising alchemic weapons, including a glass globe with blazing flickering lights meant to dazzle and disorientate; they dropped their weapons, the globe shattered, and they all collapsed, the dreaded ultra and subsonic sounds causing weakness and fainting in those before him, a natural weapon azuralupins developed to a fantastic degree!
Superior numbers are significant but the Elsbenians did not know how to fight as a unit, their attacks were piecemeal, clumsy, they even got in each other's way, our heroes used this to their advantage, and as unbelievable as it seemed they soon had the upper hand. Had their opponents been even reasonably skilled they could have used their numbers and long-range alchemic devices to devastating effect but their poor fighting ability prevented this. Even so, if they managed to regroup and attack in any coordinated way from all sides at once...
"Fall back!" shouted the human captain as he parried the two swords of an overly-elegant armored knight with his own cutlass of that ultra-strong alloy that bit deep into his opponent's steel weapons, cutting in half the slender blade of the one that flamed with bright blue fire due to a magnetic coating of blazing chemical, the bearded human thankful for the special insulated hilt as diamond sparks flew from the knight's electrified blade even as the red panda fired a splitting arrow above a window-door where sniper-archers were about to shoot dart-spray crossbows, ruby bolts shattering stone and glass that fell upon the snipers, the half-orc bashing a knight back whom knocked over another, "WARHAMMER!" as the barbarian at her side slashed drugged fast-extending needle-spears to pieces, "BATTLEAXE!"
This time the dragon, whom even now did not want to burn living creatures with his terrible fire, sprayed flames upon tables and decorations, the heat and smoke driving back a dozen Elsbenians before they could try to extinguish the blazes, then on a hunch he spat a fiery stream through the distant double doors, igniting tapestries, furniture, and rugs!
"THE MANSION?!" shrieked Lady Elsben, staggering back up, trying to clear her vision, "SOMEBODY EXTINGUISH THE FIRE, OUR VALUABLES, OUR ANCESTRAL HOME!!!"
Immediately a number of Elsbenians grabbed containers and ran to water pumps while others tried smothering the flames with tablecloths, desperately trying to keep the fire from spreading!
It was now obvious what real weakness the Elsbenians possessed: fear of the destruction of their luxurious mansion and the treasures within.
"Dragon, up there, those rooms are empty!" said the elf, the dragon spat fire through the windows on the second floor, setting three more rooms ablaze!
"NO, STOP, STOP YOU SAVAGES, SOMEBODY CLOSE THE SHUTTERS!!" shrieked Lady Elsben, even as red panda and elf drew back alchemic arrows that would explode with rustfire (thermite); the dragon readied another stream of his dragonfire.
"Let us go, do not pursue, or we be setting too many fires for you to stop before you can be closing those shutters!" hollered the human captain!
"ELSBENIANS, LET THEM GO, GET AWAY FROM THEM, SAVE THE MANSION!" sobbed the matriarch, and all seemed eager to stop fighting such tough opponents, "ALCHEMISTS PUT OUT THE FIRES PLEASE!"
It was now or never! "Let's be getting out of here, now!" commanded the human captain, "keep together and beware arrows or alchemic weapons!"
They all ran down the hill, red panda holding his fiance by her paw, all looking back for pursuit but every Elsbenian was desperately battling the fires, it was a strange scene in the last light of dusk, crystal lights and fire in the windows, they ran on, the elegant bladed gate was closed but red panda, elf, azuralupin, and the half-elf cleric fired exploding arrows and explosive glowing yellow alchemic bolts of greater power at the heavy hinges and locks; the gate was strong but against such things it was blasted apart!
Once they were all out the elf took a second to take out what seemed to be a small twelve-pointed resin star; with great precision he pressed it in several places at once and out shot tiny darts that embedded in the stone on either side of the ruined gateway, these pulling out a web of fine sticky steel wire from the resin star- the gateway was now blocked by that web, it had only taken a few seconds but would take any pursuers precious moments to get through.
The fastest escape route was back through the village, again they turned but saw no pursuit, the fires didn't seem to be spreading, already they were under control by Elsbenian alchemists and others with water. It was actually unlikely the Lady Elsben would allow the other Elsbenians to try anything against the fleeing former "guests" at the moment since Ayundellian bows and alchemic arrows as well as long-range alchemic bolts could easily reach the mansion even at that distance, including the smaller red panda's.
In the village...and another horrifying sight greeted the former "guests," revealing the madness of Elsben.
Lady Elsben had mentioned illusionists, and at first it seemed to be a normal nighttime village scene...but a closer look revealed it was all illusions, special effects, using flicker-lanterns with glass wheels for animation, small stained glass and metal cutouts for images and shadows, skillfully painted life-sized cutouts, flickering lights, devices to make sounds or to open and close doors, clever clockworks to move things...all to create the illusion that the villagers yet lived. There was even smoke carrying the scent of cooking. It must have all been removed before they arrived and then put back after they had gone with the majordomo.
"Captain- let's get away from here now. Rather I'd face the two-headed giant ape Demogorgon and his flesh-rotting whips in the Endless Caves of Chaos and Savagery than spend another moment here," said the dwarf, horrified by it all.
They ran through the dead village with its illusions of life, then when out of sight of the mansion they turned away from the road and into the woods, climbing the hill opposite the one with the mansion, azuralupin and half-orc carrying the two red pandas who could not travel as quickly with their short legs. The dwarf even consented to be carried by the barbarian, knowing speed was essential. The dragon had some difficulty at times due to his size but he could swell enough to lighten himself and partially float along when the trees were not too close.
Near the top of the hill they stopped to catch their breath, always keeping under cover of the trees in case someone had an uncommon telescope or those reflectors were used, from there they could see that by now the fires were almost extinguished. Nobody said it in deference to the gentle female red panda and peaceful half-elf cleric, but they knew a number of Elsbenians had been badly injured and several had been killed. That, and the damage done to their ancestral home, might cause them to organize a pursuit to take revenge.
"They cannot pursue us by scent," said the azuralupin, "I detected no hunting beasts nor steeds of any sort, strange as that seems with such people. I also doubt they have skilled trackers, they saw us going down the road and will likely believe we simply ran back the way we came. Darkness will offer us and what trail we left concealment, there is only a crescent moon and there are clouds."
They all knew what he really meant by "strange as that seems:" with food being scarce because of the deaths of the villagers it was obvious what had happened to those animals.
"Do not forget that raven," said the elf, "it can fly above and see us if we leave cover, it may be trained to circle high above so the Elsbenians will know where we are. We must avoid the open places for now, I would not want to shoot an innocent creature because of those people."
"I only wish we could have helped those servants. What must their lives be like?" said the cleric.
A tear streamed down the female red panda's face and the dwarf growled in anger at the thought.
They took a little more time to rest and for the cleric and female red panda to tend the injuries they had sustained, the plant extract once again revealing its powerful healing properties, silver water used against possible infection- at least nobody had been struck by anything drugged, this in part because of the poor fighting skills of the Elsbenians. They also checked their equipment, concerned that they had used up most of their ranged alchemic weaponry with no way to rearm now.
"Everyone?" came a voice from above; they looked up and saw the red panda climbing down a tall tree, "don't worry, I kept behind foliage and on the side away from the mansion," he said, "to the east, I saw lights in the distance, many lights, by the sea- it's a port!"
"How far away?" asked the human captain.
"I think about twenty-five miles."
"We can find out where we are and maybe get home" said the dwarf, thankful for the protection insulated shield and armor of that special alloy had given him.
"Yes, that seems be our only option," said the captain, "but we must still be careful. We not be knowing how much influence and power those madfolk Elsbenians be having in this land, especially that Lady Elsben."
Tired as they were they all wanted to get as far away as possible from that scene of murder and insanity so they walked on, and on, keeping under cover of the huge trees, only stopping to drink and refill canteens from a spring, mile after mile, finally stopping an hour before dawn's first light. The going had been slower than on the road of course, but there was no evidence of any pursuit- at least not in the direction they had gone.
They dared not light a fire in spite of the chill. The human captain and dwarf stood first watch while the others slept, female red panda leaning against the other in loving admiration and gratitude, but again no sight or sound of pursuit. Even so, the memory of that village and what must have happened to its inhabitants...
In the darkness the half-orc thought of a pleasant halfling village her tribe, which had taken her in, was on friendly terms with, trading with them, years before when she was younger and much wilder. A small army of slavers had attacked the village while her mostly-human tribe was nearby, and although females were not sent into actual battle she was already big enough that she was ordered to help guard families of halflings hiding in a community hall in case any slavers got through. Some did, and were they surprised to burst in and encounter not helpless halflings but several tough old human warriors and a big half-orc with a warhammer! They had held the slavers off long enough for her victorious tribe's warriors to return...cleanup did not take long after that.
But for the first time she had felt something in her, a sense of purpose defending those grateful halflings, at last she had understood what her war chief had told her about fighting for a reason, not just for the sake of violence. That same feeling had gone through her during the fight with the Elsbenians, fighting to help her friends, she too wished they could have rescued those servants.
What went through the minds of the others, one wonders...The barbarian lay awake, listening to the night sounds, strange thoughts in his mind. The skilled fighting of the peaceful cleric, the dragon not wanting to burn the Elsbenians yet enabling them to escape, the little red panda battling an armored Elsbenian knight so much bigger than he was as fiercely as any warrior in his own tribe to help his friends and protect the female he loved...freedom. His tribe was free but those servants, under the control of that dangerous Elsben leader-woman, slaves...Dwarfs were once slaves and others had died to help free them. Slavers did not dare bother his tribe, but was that enough?
The time passed uneventfully.
In the daylight of early afternoon they made somewhat better time when they resumed their travels, but keeping under cover in daylight- especially with a dragon- and trying to keep on course slowed them down; luckily barbarian, half-orc, elf, and red pandas all have a good sense of direction. Finally early the following day they reached their goal: a half-mile away downhill were the outskirts of the large seaside town, three big cargo ships approaching even now while a small spindle-shaped airship slowly descended.
The human captain insisted on going ahead alone, to spy out the place and learn where they were and what influence, if any, the Elsbenians had. He would blend in nicely, and of course humans were more common than red pandas, dragons, or half-orcs!
After an hour the others became concerned and there was talk of going in to find him when he reappeared, walking up the slope.
He sat down, "it be as I guessed when I saw the sea and those two islands away to the north- we be on one of the Ten Islands, on the outskirts of Alliance territory. In a tavern I overheard a captain of an airship be mentioning a fire he thought he saw through a telescope far away inland, that must have been the mansion. The barmaid just said 'good riddance to those lunatics,' and others agreed, family Elsben not be popular here. I saw elves, dwarfs, even a few flying foxes, orcs, ogres, and a family of lesser green dragons, many others, we be blending in fine here."
"Aren't there still slave markets in Alliance territory?" asked the female red panda.
"Yes, small ones be in backwaters mostly run by the grey hags of the Gloomlands, they move around- officially slavery be abolished in Alliance territory although it be common knowledge it still exists in the shadows. The Seven Noble Realms demanded it be abolished in exchange for aid against the mighty Red Pirate Empire years ago, and The Peaceful Realm be demanding the same for help from azuralupins and blue dragons against the river bandit attacks that be crippling their trade in parts of their empire," said the human captain, "you won't be finding open slave markets or slaver gangs in places like this port, but there maybe be small groups of kidnappers lurking here and there. If we keep together no such, if there be any here, will dare try anything."
"I hope we do run into some lurking slavers and they do dare try something," said the dwarf, thumping his heavy mace on a log, "I can save the authorities some time and money dealing with them."
"I help," said the barbarian. The others were surprised: normally his people did not care about slavery as long as it did not involve them, but his brief time with the others there and the experience in Elsben had changed his view of such things. When he returned to his tribe maybe he could change their views too; if so then woe onto any slaver gang that encountered his people.
"Well, we should just keep together and enter that port now while it's clear daylight," said the dragon, "perhaps we can hire a ship to get home- and captain...we meant what we said before."
They all stood up, and walked down the slope and into the port. Needless to say that group encountered no troublemakers, but they had little money- luckily a modest temple of the half-elf cleric's lawful good religious order fed them and took them all in so they could get a safe, warm night's sleep...even the dragon!
The cleric spoke with the patriarchs of that temple, and they in turn spoke to the local authorities about the situation in Elsben, of the plight of those hapless servants, of how any travelers who blundered into that place risked enslavement or death...all of Elsben's former "guests" were questioned, the words of the azuralupin carrying considerable weight since he was a friend of the king of the Seven Noble Realms. Red pandas were known for their simple honesty, the cleric was backed by his religious order, and a dwarf would never lie about slavery.
As it turned out vague rumors of Elsben had been circulating for some time but they were always an isolated people and their rank prevented anyone from investigating them without strong cause- but the testimonies of those adventurers who had just escaped from Elsben was the evidence needed. A small military force, the veteran Crimson Firebird Legion, would be sent, that sinister family would be brought to justice at last, and the mind-drugged servants would be taken to the healers of the cleric's temple, once there they would surely be freed from the effects of Lady Elsben's forbidden obedience potion.
The temple then made the needed financial arrangements to buy passage to get everyone home- helping to end the danger of the Elsben family was considered payment enough.
Before long they were all home and promises were kept, the human captain thanking them all and promising in turn that they would never have to pay if they were passengers on board his small beautiful new ship swiftly sailing across the blue seas.
And the wedding was a simple happy little affair under the prismatic light of the clear crystal topping the tall slender mountain in the center of The Peaceful Realm. And yes, the half-orc towering over the jolly little red pandas was indeed a bridesmaid, warhammer nicely decorated with strings of pretty flowers.
It was a peculiar group indeed. A weathered bearded human, the captain of the ship. A big female half-orc and slender stoic male elf, his crew. A huge human barbarian. Two intelligent red pandas, the male also of the ship's crew during the voyage. An armored dwarf, beard braided (of course!). A blue-furred anthro wolf known as an "azuralupin." A lawful good half-elf cleric, thankful the healing liquid made from that a special plant extract had survived in its red crystal flask along with the silver water, clerics of Ayundell are essentially fighter-priests with exceptional healing and field surgical skills. This one also had a slender but very sturdy staff unique to his religious order, a well-constructed alchemic device capable of several things, including shining a soft golden light from an artificial crystal in its tip with help from copper and zinc, and non-lethal defenses...
Oh, and did I mention the red Ayundellian dragon? No? Well, Ayundellian dragons are quite different than AD&D dragons, at their most expanded roughly half again the size of elephants, they do not have true wings (no six limbed vertebrate on Ayundell) but rather wing-like back fins they can flap for propulsion, but flight is achieved by swelling with hydrogen gas. Their scales are very tough but they are very lightweight (no more than about 200-250 pounds!), they are weaker, and slower in flight, than the normal AD&D dragons for they are bound by the physics of Ayundell (indeed an AD&D dragon could not fly or use breath weapons in that world, just as creatures such as giant eagles, griffins, pit fiends, and djinn also could not fly or use their magic powers). He can "breathe" fire by using two ducts in his mouth that shoot chemicals which combine and ignite in the air; with practice it can be a long stream or a short-range fiery spray. His left "wing" had been badly injured and he was unable to properly fly, although the cleric's treatment would completely heal the injury in a few days. Lacking magic spells Ayundellian dragons often use lightweight alchemic devices and they do instinctively hoard shiny pretty things; an Ayundellian dragon's horde can consist of both valuables and shiny trinkets- it's instinct layered over intelligence. Because of their peculiar way of flying they can float nicely and they can hover, but strong winds can make flying too risky for them.
There are a number of dragon types: white dragons who spew chemicals which result in a terrifyingly cold endothermic reaction; black dragons who spit heated acid; green dragons who spew poison gas; the armored and very strong aquatic flightless blue dragons who use electricity like giant electric eels; brown poison-spitting dragons (like spitting cobras); coppery dragons that spew a mist that causes intense pain and swelling like bee stings; yellow dragons who can spit a sticky liquid meant to entrap; brass dragons spewing a gas that causes sleep or severe drunkenness (depending on the one being affected); silver dragons able to emit blinding bio-light from points on their heads and bodies including remarkably powerful ultraviolet; beautiful golden dragons also able to spit fire like reds but a more intense blue-white flame; flightless shrieker dragons in the wind-torn Howling Chasms with their own destructive howls, among others...but here it is a good-aligned red. Of all creatures on Ayundell dragons have by far the most unusual physiology, and given some creatures there that's saying something. Curiously enough two different dragons cannot breed, so no half-red half-green dragons.
The lesser dragons are not unlike smaller long-necked pteradactyls (no swelling with hydrogen gas) with long tails and other dragonish features, sometimes called "draco-wyverns," they are akin to their dragon cousins with their breath weapons although there are no blues or shriekers. Small finger-like appendages on the wing joint do allow them to use small specially-constructed alchemic devices...and write letters. Due to their more normal physiology they are faster and more maneuverable than the true dragons, but their breath weapons are not as strong and they are not quite as intelligent; lacking arms they cannot manipulate alchemic devices as well as true dragons, especially in the air.
Very distantly related are the "draconfolk," that world's equivalent of AD&D dragonborn, they are roughly the size of large humans, do not inflate with hydrogen gas, have no "wings" but do have tails and scales, in fact somewhat resembling a long-armed anthro megalosaurus with dragon ruffles, horns, and fins. They are very strong and pretty quick, have the same breath weapons as their true and lesser dragon counterparts but with shorter range and less power; the blues are longer-tailed, have webbed fingers and toes, and can also emit jolts of electricity. Remember that there is no magic and Ayundellian biology is much closer to ours so a human-dragon cross is impossible, that is not where draconfolk came from.
But here it is just a red Ayundellian dragon- no lesser dragons, no draconfolk. Sorry about that, it just turned out that way...I really do like the lesser dragons.
"Nobody blames you, captain," said the little female red panda reassuringly to the human captain as she stood on tippy-toes on a rock, helping the cleric further tend the dragon's injury, "that was a terrible storm- there was no time to avoid it, and even the weather glass gave little warning. You were able to get us to land, otherwise we would have drowned out there."
"She's not just saying that to be nice," said the dwarf, "you think a dwarf would go sailing on the seas in a boat if he didn't trust the captain and crew?"
"As little one say, you not get us to land we all be dead now," said the big battle-scarred barbarian, brushing back his long black hair, "it truth. Storm come from nowhere, I not smell it in time."
"Yeah, captain," said the brawny dark blue-black half-orc as she tossed another large piece of wood on the campfire lit by the dragon, "it really was just rotten luck. When we get back from wherever this is we'll all pitch in and get you another ship."
"I'll help with that," said the dragon, "my horde is small but it does have gold and silver, maybe even a few diamonds and rubies. It would be useless to me if I was dead, so...we'll use it to help buy that ship. I want to." He smiled and sighed with relief, the cleric's treatment had greatly eased the pain in his wing and he could see it was going to be fine, "and some as a donation for your order, cleric- thank you...and thank you too, miss."
Everyone knew that for a dragon, even a good-aligned one, to offer someone his horde was indeed a show of gratitude. Because of his size he had been down in the hold and would have been trapped and drowned but the others, even the two red pandas, had all risked their lives to get him out before the ship sank. He would never forget that, ever.
The human captain nodded appreciatively at the offers.
Just then the male red panda, strange compound bow slung over his shoulder and special alchemic arrows in a quiver, appeared with the similarly-armed elf, he moving like a swift puff of smoke.
"We scouted around three miles but saw nothing," said the elf in his musical voice, "yet the road surely leads somewhere. We should post sentinels since we do not know what to expect, we do not know where we are."
"Good idea," said the half-orc, patting her long warhammer reassuringly, "there should be two of us on watch."
"Captain, do you know where we might be?" asked the female red panda as she sat down near the fire and smoothed her knee-length skirt; her fiance sat down next to her.
"No, missy, not for sure- but that storm blew us west, that I do know. There be a series of large island clusters in that area, we likely be on one of the outermost if we didn't reach the mainland far north or south of them," said the gruff human, "we can at least be thankful this not be The Warlands."
The cleric was silently meditating, his order's way of praying and giving thanks to God, in this case for that wondrous plant with its incredible healing properties and for what silver water could do. Gratitude brings good, he knew, and all were grateful for the fire's warmth...not to mention having a red dragon with them whom could easily light the damp wood.
"Where we are not matter now, we now decide who on watch," said the barbarian, gripping his battleaxe, he being the only humanish comparable in size to the big half-orc, "I take first watch now. Who will help?"
"I will," said the elf, moving like a liquid shadow, hand to rapier indicating readiness. The barbarian smiled; strange as it may seem his tribe liked elves and respected their prowess in a fight, especially their archers.
"I'll take the second watch," said the male panda, "I will too," said the azuralupin, green eyes gleaming, it was obvious he had decided to be the two pandas' protector, and now he checked the alchemic bolt-shooting bracer he wore, bolts that would glow and explode in emerald fire, burst in a sticky resin web, a cloud of sleep mist, or blue endothermic cold; on his other forearm was a bracer with a shield that would instantly unfold and open as a disc of ultra-strong alloy when desired. Luckily sea water couldn't damage any of their weaponry.
"You others get some rest," said the elf.
The night passed uneventfully.
All the next day the group journeyed on, following the road, but except for harmless wildlife they saw nothing. That was strange- in fact, the entire group had an eerie feeling of isolation, as if that storm had blown them to a place where they were alone in a vast empty land...yet someone had built the road and it was in decent shape.
Finally the road led into a large wooded area, in they went, on the alert- bandits could be lurking- but again they encountered nothing, and the strange silence among the towering mossy oaks was as unsettling as any visible threat.
"There is no scent of any people here," said the azuralupin, crouching, "none."
"I don't like this," said the half-orc, gripping her long warhammer, "there's a road but no signs, no marker-stones, nothing. It's like this road leads nowhere."
They all silently agreed. There was a strange feeling of anticipation, the feeling one gets when one just knows something is going to happen.
"I not like this too," said the barbarian, hand to his large battleaxe, "better open danger, one you can see. This feel like ratskins, they lurk and wait to attack when you not expect it."
"Ratskins" are the Ayundellian equivalents of AD&D wererats. Usually found in cities but sometimes in the wilderness, they use numbers and stealth attacks, along with large highly-trained rats they control with special ultra-frequency pipes. They generally wear rat skin clothing and the potions they take make rats friendly to them through pheromones; they also give them speed, excellent night vision, hearing, and sense of smell but make them highly allergic to silver. They tend to be tribal, small, and very thin.
The female red panda looked around nervously and stood closer to her husband-to-be, "I- I know this sounds silly, but...we're being watched. I've felt it for some time, someone knows we're here."
The male red panda patted her paw reassuringly, but the elf spoke up.
"You are not being silly. I too feel it. We are being watched."
"I too have sensed it. Whoever or whatever it is is keeping a good distance," said the azuralupin.
All hands (or in the case of the male red panda and Azuralupin paws) moved closer to ranged weapons, but...there was nothing. Still, an elf was not given to paranoia, intuition was well-developed in female red pandas, and azuralupins were almost impossible to surprise.
The human captain, depressed about having lost his ship but understanding he was still considered the leader of the group, decided he had to act the part.
"If we be watched, then by who? It could be they think we be dangerous and they want to know what we be up to- remember, we don't know where we be or what's been happening here- but the most dangerous thing for us be we don't know anything. So the question is, what do we do now? Go ahead or turn back? I say we go ahead, but with caution."
It was a good question, and it broke the tension.
"Go ahead," said the barbarian, "as you say we know nothing. We not just stay here, and if someone knows we here turning back no good, they can follow and they know this land."
"If we are being watched, well, look at us- a half-orc, a dragon, a big barbarian, an azuralupin, armed intruders, we are an intimidating group. What would any of us do if such a group of strangers was wandering around our homelands," asked the dragon, "who could blame them for being cautious?"
"We are the intruders," agreed the half-elf cleric, "we are in someone else's land. If they are watching we should signal that we want to talk."
"Yeah, but we don't know anything, as captain says," said the half-orc, "there could be bandits waiting for us, or slavers."
"Let them try," said the dwarf, gripping his mace and shield of super-strong alloy with ornate parts of silver and iron making them especially effective against certain enemies, "nobody makes slaves of dwarfs or their friends!"
The hatred dwarfs have for slavery was well-known by all, for long ago much of their population had been enslaved in the three uppermost levels of the Nine Caverns of Tyranny and Torment, by the hideous long-faced grey hags of The Gloomlands, and the cluster of huge iron ore islands of endless battles known as The Warlands until combined help from The Seven Noble Realms, the Peaceful Realm's azuralupins, an army from the giant valley Twin Realms of Magnificence, flights of flying foxes and lesser dragons from the Othersrealm, and several lesser kingdoms helped the dwarfs to finally gain their freedom- and they had never forgotten it, for it had cost those good-aligned realms and kingdoms dearly.
"What do you say, sir?" asked the male red panda of the human captain.
"Well, I be a sea captain, not a land captain, but...as I said before, we go forward, but be ready for anything."
They all nodded and soon left the woods, out in the open, looking around for any signs of ambush or traps, azuralupin checking for scents, elf scouting ahead like a nimble half-seen shadow...but again, that eerie nothingness.
The sun was lower in the sky but still above the hills as they went around a hill into a small valley...and that's when they saw it.
It was a village, with a mansion on an estate on a hillside overlooking it.
They approached on the ready, the half-elf cleric walking in front holding out one hand, palm forward, a long length of white cloth tied around his wrist- the universal sign of completely non-hostile intentions. The female red panda was in the middle of the group, the best protected position. The dwarf, barbarian, and half-orc couldn't help but silently admire the cleric's dedication to peaceful contact and his courage since he was in the most vulnerable position, no coward this one they knew!
They neared and then entered the village...
It was a dead village.
Nobody was there. No people of any sort, yet all of the structures were in decent shape. There was farmland but only some of it had been worked, the rest was becoming wild. They checked several cottages and a small general store, but nobody was there- there were no corpses or skeletons, no blood stains, no sign of combat. Yet...
"Someone has been here very recently," said the azuralupin, "there is a scent of humanish here, elvish- maybe half-elven but no true elves- and humans. It's the same scent as in the other places we checked, no other scents of anyone else, not even traces. Only a few hours ago they were here. There is also a strange scent, barely a trace remaining even to me, of something that was once in the wells- not poison, not sleep potion, I do not know what it was. Humanish would not have been able to detect it at any time."
"But where IS everyone?" asked the dwarf, "nothing has been damaged or taken from any of these places, it all looks wrong somehow. And someone has been working some of the farmland."
"Yes," said the barbarian, "all wrong, not attacked. Slavers and bandits take gold, silver, food, people, they kill and leave the old- but no fighting here, no dead, nothing taken. Look, small gold thing on table."
The dwarf picked it up, "pure gold or I'm a fool. Anyone can see it's real gold, especially bandits and slavers." He put it back carefully.
"If we were seen earlier perhaps the villagers fled, thinking we were slavers or bandits? We would be a frightening group to ordinary villagers," said the elf although he didn't really believe that was what had happened.
"No," said the azuralupin, "each home would have a unique set of scents in it, to me it is as clear as tracks in wet sand. The only scents anywhere are those few dozen."
"It doesn't look as though people fled from here- they would have taken something with them, but see, there is nothing missing," said the half-elf cleric.
"No, that be not quite true," said the human captain, "there be no food anywhere. It all be gone."
"But why take food but nothing else- see, sword hanging above fireplace there," said the barbarian, "people run they take food, but also take blankets, weapons, not just food. This all wrong."
"He's right," said the half-orc, "nobody grabs food and nothing else if they're running from something. Slavers and bandits grab anything worth something. If there was fighting here...was it done with soft pillows to leave no damage?"
They all stood silently, wondering...and nobody had forgotten what the azuralupin had said.
Then a small timid voice, the female red panda. She looked frightened, as if afraid to ask what she was about to ask the azuralupin.
"You- you said the same scent as in the other places here. You said there were only a few dozen?"
"Yes, a few dozen, no more. Why?" he asked, kneeling and putting a reassuring paw on her shoulder.
"What were they doing here? If you are right about how long ago they were here...then...they were here AFTER we would have been seen. And there's no scent of anyone else who might have lived here? This village would have had more than a few dozen people. And look at this place, hasn't anyone noticed?"
They all looked at her, she seemed uncomfortable about the attention but continued, "it's all so clean. No dust, no cobwebs, who cleaned it? The ones azuralupin said were here just a few hours ago? Why would they do that? I- I guess as a female red panda I can tell, but these places have been kept clean all along, they weren't cleaned a few hours ago in any case- I- just know they weren't. Whatever those others were doing here, it wasn't that."
She stopped, head bowed, and took a deep breath, these simple actions an effort to relax. "There's something else?" asked the azuralupin patiently.
"Yes," she answered, looking around, "it's been kept clean but it hasn't been lived in. It all has such a lifeless look and feel about it."
This simple statement sent a chill through all of them, even the battle-hardened barbarian, dwarf, and big half-orc. The implication was obvious...
"Several dozen humanish, the same ones, be going through all these places after we were seen. They be doing or taking nothing...or at least nothing we be knowing about!" said the human captain.
"What happened here? What is happening here? I wish I could fly now or we had a flying fox with us to look about from above," said the dragon, peeking in through the doorway then looking around outside.
They had been on the lookout for traps, but there were none, no regular or clever alchemic traps. What was going on in that dead village?
They all left the cottage, and...just then "there!" said the elf.
Someone was coming out of the mansion in the distance.
"Be there anyone else coming at us?" growled the human captain.
A few seconds- "no," said azuralupin, male red panda, and elf.
"Then we wait- but be ready."
They waited. By now the sun was low in the sky, but it was not long before the lone figure approached them. It was an almost absurdly foppish quarter-elf majordomo by his appearance, he had no visible weapons although a sleep-gas orb or fireburst globe was easy to conceal. Sensibly the visitors stood close but not too close to one another, they could fan out in a second. The dragon tried to look imposing but friendly, noting that the mysterious figure was well within range of his fiery breath weapon, he must have known that. Once again the half-elf cleric held up his hand with the long white cloth tied around his wrist, but even so that was a formidable-looking group.
Still, the majordomo, in a voice indicating he was used to being a part of nobility above mere commoners yet not unfriendly, bowed low with a flourish and said "welcome, travelers...welcome to Elsben."
All bowed their heads in polite greeting, the dragon nodding once, the barbarian and half-orc putting fist to chest, dwarf raising his shield in friendly salute, the female red panda giving a small curtsy, and since he was the leader of the group the human captain stood forth and replied "thank you, sir. We greet you, and come with peaceful intentions."
The majordomo smiled, "that is good, my friends- I then welcome you as friends to Elsben."
It was a charming smile, and the greeting was gracious indeed- but the elf, being of a subtle and highly artistic race, noticed an unsettling trace of eagerness about that smile, as if it was somewhat forced. He was pleased nobody mentioned the shipwreck or that nobody else knew they were there. Let him wonder a bit about us...
"You are well after being shipwrecked here. Oh, yes, we know- first that simply dreadful storm, then a group of strangers with few supplies appear out of nowhere- and you all have a salty sea scent about you."
Was it simply a good guess, or did he really know?
"We are preparing dinner, do be our guests. We are having dinner on the patio, a most beautiful view. Do say yes, please."
There was something about the way he said it, in spite of the flowery manner in which he spoke, that implied it was more a command than a request. Suddenly all felt eyes watching them, all around; they had not been there before.
"Yes- we will accept your gracious invitation. We be tired and hungry," said the captain, but the lost travelers all knew he was merely going along with whatever game this mysterious person was playing...for now.
It was all unreal. There they were in a weirdly deserted village, no people, yet this majordomo acted as if everything was quite normal.
What was going on?
As they walked to the edge of the village the azuralupin glanced at the elf whom nodded once- the sharp-eyed beings both saw the raven flying into a window in the mansion, and they, even with their exceptional eyesight, could just barely see the black vest the bird was wearing. It was a "familiar," a well-trained animal bred for intelligence equipped with an image-disc vest: a specially-treated metal disc would click and move at regular intervals like the second hand of a clock, images being made on the reusable disc in concentric circles by a special lens that could later be seen under a powerful magnifier. They HAD been watched all along, and no doubt the bird had flown over where they had been shipwrecked. It was probably trained to avoid being easily seen, flying among the trees. This took exceptional training skills, indicating that whoever awaited them would likely be expert and well-armed alchemists.
Inwardly elf and azuralupin cursed themselves for their carelessness, they had been looking for snipers and stalkers but not familiars- they should have spotted the bird at some point, especially after what the female red panda and both elf and azuralupin themselves had said in the woods. They swore they would not make the same mistake again.
They followed the majordomo to the hill, through the entrance- nobody failed to notice that the high stone walls and the heavy decorative bronze gate had razor-sharp blades and barbs- or how the gate silently swung shut once they were inside, obviously by a mechanism operated from somewhere inside the mansion.
By now shining lights appeared in the many windows, lights from artificial crystals that had been out in the daylight and would now glow brightly all through the night. The mansion seemed to be made of smooth white granite and glass, almost too lacy and elegant...yet special shutters made of thick bronze could be closed tight, turning the place into a fortress. There was a garish ugliness about its luxury, as if its inhabitants were trying too hard to impress. Several of the "guests," especially the dwarf, noticed large reflectors in one high bay window pointed at the village; with blazing light from special artificial crystals touching copper the entire village would be bathed in blinding light and that was not a good sign; it was not something benevolent rulers would do. Such things were only meant to intimidate.
Everything about "Elsben" had a forced look and feel about it.
On the patio of that mansion were now dozens of people, many having just appeared, looking as if they had been running uphill- were they the "eyes" the travelers had felt while speaking with the majordomo?- while several tired-looking servants hurried to prepare everything. It seemed to be a dinner for nobility and indeed it was...yet something was wrong with it.
Globe-shaped glass lanterns of blue were strung up, glowing in the slowly approaching dusk. Small brightly glowing artificial white crystals shone in refracting glass holders in the center of each table. Again it was elegant and seemed the sort of outdoor dinner one would expect with nobility, and yet...
The people were all humans, quarter-elves, half-elves, or humans with traces of elf in them, laughing and talking as more appeared and seated themselves- yet it all seemed forced, an act. The barbarian had been right, a simple fight would have been preferable to this false scene of friendship.
They would all have preferred to be facing the nine-foot giant Archduke of the Nine Caverns of Tyranny and Torment in the lethal river region Evilrun with its dreaded Riverlords than being where they were now. Well, maybe not THAT terrifying tyrant, but maybe instead the five-member ruling dragon matriarchal council "Tiamat" in the first of the Caverns with its fiery bursts of vapors...anywhere far away from Elsben.
"Please be seated," said the majordomo, bowing and gesturing elegantly...and immediately it was obvious something sinister was planned, for the empty seats were well apart from each other; the group would be separated in a seemingly natural way yet each would be surrounded by several Elsbenians.
It was a dangerous moment.
"Oh," said the little female red panda, paw to chest, "I am to be married to my future husband here- it is against our customs for a female to be seated away from her intended when among others, and the half-orc, my friend, is to be a bridesmaid- she should sit with me too, it is bad luck otherwise."
It was a clever move, especially as she held up her slender paw with the brown wooden ring with a single smooth green crystal embedded in it- the other red panda held up his paw showing a matching ring. It was also all quite true for during the sea voyage she had asked the half-orc if she wanted to be a bridesmaid; the busy half-orc had good-naturedly replied "sure why not," which the little red panda took as a "yes," if anyone there knew anything about her folk they would have no choice but to agree.
"And I want the barbarian sitting with me, we still have to talk about which is better, a half-orc warhammer or a barbarian battleaxe!" The dark-skinned half-orc thumped her weapon down on the patio stone, "I say warhammer," this in a voice that indicated the only acceptable answer would be "yes."
"Half-orc is friend, we talk about weapons" said the barbarian, his voice indicating "yes" was the only answer he wanted to hear- and he was a big fellow, bigger than any Elsbenian there.
"And the good azuralupin is my friend, he too will be with me at the wedding under the tall crystal-topped mountain in the center of the Peaceful Realm. I want him sitting with me here for luck, and because a barbarian and a half-orc are rather imposing, especially when arguing about weapons!" said the male red panda cheerfully.
"I am rather large and here is space enough for me at this outer table, I won't be in anyone's way here," said the dragon, "and the view from here is indeed beautiful. Your entire estate is magnificent."
"Maybe we should all just sit together," said the human captain, "who be wanting to risk bad luck for such a cute couple, aye? And who here be wanting to get between a human barbarian and a half-orc when they be arguing about tribal weapons, or be risking a big dragon accidentally knocking things over?"
"Certainly...if that is your wish," said the majordomo, bowing low and smiling...but if looks could really kill then the human captain and the cute little female red panda would have been dead with a dozen daggers in each of them.
They were all seated, and the curiously few servants hurried about, lights gleaming in the windows and on tables with their white linens, round blue lanterns swaying in the breeze, several dozen nobles talking and laughing, but giving sideways looks to their "guests."
Those "guests" also suddenly noticed that there were no children anywhere, this making the scene even more unreal...and ominous.
It was then that a middle-aged female human with mild elven features appeared from the double doors.
She was introduced as the Lady Elsben, she in a gown that was so embedded with gleaming precious gems and stitchings as to be almost garish, obviously she was the matriarch of that elegant, polite, yet subtly sinister family. She was seated on a raised dais embedded with those light-crystals overlooking everyone there. All bowed their heads and remained silent until she raised her hand; our heroes did as the others did. By now the majordomo stood to her left and before the dais, he now holding an elegant staff, embedded with glowing blue artificial crystals, that rang like a bell when he tapped it down on the patio, four times he did this; Lady Elsben then raised and slowly lowered her own slender ivory staff inlaid with gold, silver, and many brightly gleaming silver gems- it was no doubt capable of several dangerous attacks- signaling that now it was time to eat.
Food was served, the azuralupin nodded politely to the servant, then he gave a subtle second nod- this indicating that he detected no scent of any poison or drug. The red pandas were not served any meat, proving that yes those there did know about them. The servants were efficient but hardly spoke, they had strangely vacant looks in their eyes, their hands were very calloused, and they were also tanned in such a way that indicated they spent a good deal of time working outdoors. The talk and laughter sounded even more forced, but was thankfully muted by the half-orc and barbarian getting into a spirited "discussion" over which weapon was indeed better!
Then something even more unsettling happened.
As I mentioned before the mansion, including the patio, overlooked the village. As dusk shadows settled over the vale below...lights came on in windows in the little village.
Shadows appeared in the windows. And movement, doors opening, shadows, activity, maybe even distant glimpses of people...yet something seemed not quite right, not only because nobody had been there before, or had they simply been away after all? Yet the azuralupin had been certain that it was not so...
"Ah," said the matriarch of that household, raising her gleaming staff, the embedded glowing multi-faceted crystals in the top of her chair gleaming and refracting their own light, "the lights come on below, our happy peasants, the villagers, busy at their tasks, serving us! Isn't it a fine sight?"
The others clapped.
"Obedience to one's betters must be absolute, unquestioning. We were born, the chosen, predestined to be the higher ones, they were born to be subordinate...to us! So long as order is maintained, all is well!"
Down below it seemed like a normal small village scene in the sunset shadows...but there was something strange about the activity- and who was down there? Where had they been before? Sharp-eyed elf and azuralupin looked carefully, something else was wrong...
Now more than ever the "guests" felt themselves in danger, and the female red panda put a slender paw on the other red panda's paw. More than the others, even azuralupin and perceptive elf, she sensed something evil about the elegant woman sitting in that gleaming chair- evil, along with a growing insanity. The other red panda gave her a reassuring look that also warned her to give no indication that anything was wrong...not yet.
"For generations it was so, all knew their places! Is it not so in your homelands?!" the matriarch demanded of her "guests," obviously wanting an answer.
"In my tribe the strongest and bravest man leads," said the half-orc, "and he is expected to be first into battle and the last out."
"As it is in my tribe" said the barbarian, nodding at her approvingly.
"We the azuralupins are the lords of the Peaceful Realm, I myself instructed my friend the King of the Seven Noble Realms in the ways of wilderness combat and the laws of compassion," said the blue-furred anthro-wolf, "and as rulers we guide and teach, training those such as the red panda boy-cubs to be able to defend their homes and families." He had placed a subtle emphasis on the words "my friend," as if asking if any there in Elsben wished to provoke the power of a realm even the evil Archduke himself, in spite of his vast armies and airship fleet, dared not openly challenge.
"We elves have chiefs and a king, they must be wise and compassionate as well as strong and able," said the dignified elf in his musical voice.
"All religious orders have a hierarchy," said the half-elf cleric, "those within mine are expected to serve our god, each other, those poor and injured, and to try to find peaceful answers in times of trouble. Our patriarchs must protect, guide, and assist those of lesser rank, and most of whatever wealth they may have had goes to charity and the needs of our temples." He said this in a non-judgemental way that tried to make all those there, including the Lady Elsben, at least consider a kinder way of thinking.
"We dwarfs have our clans, each led by several elders; in times of trouble we unite under a king to lead us. A dwarf's worth is determined by his skill in something, be it mining, metalwork, battle, teaching and caring for others, scholarly work, or anything useful."
"But you DO understand rulers and ruled, do you not, of discipline, of betters and inferiors," said the lady of that household in a voice more shrill, "but what happens when underlings fail to obey?! When they claim we take too much and return nothing, crying about the cruelty of our just punishments, what did they understand?! Discipline, obedience to their betters, the Fates' chosen, never to rebel...but they did! They dared! They dared to speak against this family, the family Elsben, against ME!"
Here the people assembled watched her, hanging on her every word. Their "guests" tensed up, knowing that whatever it was they had feared all along was about to happen but trying to show no sign of preparing, of noticing how they were outnumbered in hostile territory...
"So I, Lady Elsben, of a long line of lords and ladies Elsben, determined to crush such foolishness, such disobedience, once and for all- I used my alchemic skills and prepared an obedience potion, this poured into the wells of the villagers that night! But those weaklings, those inferiors...they all died, all except those few servants you now see here! It was no error on my part, their bodies had become as feeble as their idiot peasant minds!!"
Here she pointed at the village, "now we enjoy the lively scenes with the skill of our illusionists, with their shadows, their mirrors of colored glass, their animated disc-lanterns, their bells and sound devices, recreating things as they were, we assemble here to remember, to enjoy what was!"
Here she took a deep breath, then...
"But skilled as our illusionists are, who to grow the food, who to maintain the village and our ancestral home, who to do all the work here? Our few servants, even with the endurance crystals I created and they must wear at all times, cannot do it all, farmland is going wild, food is becoming even more scarce!"
Now all eyes turned to their guests, all traces of even false friendship gone.
"But fate has smiled upon us, delivered to us strangers, two among them big and strong and able to do the work of a dozen, shipwrecked, nobody knows they are here- THEY SHALL REPLACE THE VILLAGERS WHO DIED THROUGH NO FAULT OF MINE!"
Here she pointed at our heroes, "TAKE THEM! TAKE THEM, ALIVE!"
Immediately all of that family stood up, drawing or readying weapons, from the large double doors and from the lawn-side armored knights in elaborate shining mirror armor appeared...
But the travelers were ready, as expected- or perhaps years of arrogance and the subservience of the villagers had made this simple reaction unexpected, they had not even thought of asking their "guests" to leave their weapons and alchemic devices before being seated.
Two Elsbenians with purple and gold electrified shock-gloves foolishly grabbed the half-orc but she was big and although badly staggered from the electrical jolts was tough enough not to be brought down- she was able to knock them away with rage-enhanced strength; the barbarian grabbed another before he could activate his alchemic missile weapon with sleep-darts and heaved him into three others; two knights approached with raised electrified weapons but the dragon whom, dodging a looped rope that nearly went around his jaws but unwilling to burn a living being to death, spewed a blast of fire in front of them, forcing them to step back, but moving quickly another threw a shiny blue globe at the flames, the exploding mist extinguishing the fire.
The swift azuralupin fired a glowing green alchemic bolt at an Elsbenian across the patio about to do the same at the dragon (the wound would not have killed the dragon but would have prevented him from flying, they did not know he couldn't properly fly yet) but in that instant a clear rectangular resin shield unfolded in front of the attacker, catching the azuralupin's exploding bolt just in time although the attacker was knocked back and a hole was blasted in the shield. Another bolt and a table being used as a shield blew apart, the Elsbenians behind it knocked back, dazed, before they could use their own ranged weapons.
The elf and the red panda swiftly fired alchemic arrows that split into many glowing white bolts, these exploding in knockout gas that caused a dozen Elsbenians to collapse coughing, passing out- but others closed, forcing them to draw rapier and short sword both of super-alloy, the red panda standing protectively before his future mate whom following his command sensibly crouched low and stayed out of the way, but still she had grabbed a small dish and tossed it like a frisbee at an Elsbenian trying to attack the dwarf from behind with a drugged needle-sword, hitting her on the side of her head, distracting her as the dragon swept her feet out from under her with his tail and flicked her weapon away.
The majordomo, on his smiling face a look of evil fanatical loyalty, pointed the elegant staff with its blue glowing crystals and from its tip flew several glowing silver tranquilizer darts but the dwarf and azuralupin used their shields to block them; from that staff then shot sticky webbing like a net but with the lightning speed and accuracy they were famous for the elf shot an alchemic arrow that burst in a net to counter it, this immediately followed by another that with a rush of emerald and ruby sparks burned and pushed the web-nets away so flaming pieces descended on several Elsbenians, causing them to stumble away in a panic; the half-elf cleric fired a glowing white dart from his own slender staff and down went the majordomo, asleep, the special tip penetrating the light armor he had been wearing underneath his overly-elegant clothing.
Two noblewomen from a distance held out bejeweled wands; one fired a spray of dazzling violet and white sparks meant to temporarily blind while the other fired a cone-shaped stream of knockout spray but the shock-angered half-orc had already heaved a heavy chair at them that hit and knocked them back, injuring them, before their alchemic devices had a chance to do much of anything.
The armored dwarf was now fighting a knight, white sparks from the knight's electrified lightning sword flying as it struck the small but sturdy dwarf's shield of ultra-strong alloy but special insulation meant to protect against heat and electricity kept him safe; he smashed his mace on his taller opponent's foot, laughing as the knight hopped away holding his injured foot!
Another knight tried to stab the female red panda from behind with a slender drug-injecting needle-sword but this was parried by her furious mate-to-be with short sword, the knight tried to hit him with a long electrified stave but the quick little defender dodged, striking his foe's armored wrist in such a way that he dropped the stave; that knight then made the mistake of trying to pick it up only to have the round end of the red panda's pommel smash into his forehead- in spite of the helmet the enraged strength of the blow almost knocked him out, the powerful barbarian then kicked the Elsbenian knight away in disgust at his cowardly act...in his tribe attacking an unarmed non-combatant would result in beatings and exile at the very least.
It soon became obvious that the Elsbenians, including the knights, were not very good at fighting- armed adventurers were not subservient peasants after all- but they still outnumbered our heroes and alchemic weapons are always dangerous. Even so the "guests" had managed to drive back anyone near them, so now it was about ranged weapons, with a bolder few Elsbenians trying to get in close but true elf was liquid swift; red panda small and quick; half-orc and barbarian too big and strong; armored dwarf tough as rock; azuralupin strong, skilled and fast, oh they could hold their own.
"DO-NOT-LET-THEM-ESCAPE!!" shrieked the Lady Elsben, standing up tall while a large clear metal-strong shield with the family crest unfolded on her left arm even as she quickly raised her right arm; fast-firing tranquilizer darts glowing white shot from a bejeweled bracer while, moving quickly with her shielded arm, she also touched copper to an artificial crystal on her tiara resulting in a blazing blinding beam of light which she directed at our heroes, then with the same arm she pointed her gleaming prismatic staff and out came glowing sickly orange globes that would burst in sticky webbing upon hitting something.
The others instinctively averted their eyes, those with shields raised them, and the elf and red panda were about to swiftly use alchemic arrows but it was the easy-going half-elf cleric whom instantly reacted first against this when he saw her move: an unfolding shield had earlier appeared from his left sleeve, this made of a mirror-like alloy; now with speed nobody knew he possessed he pointed his staff that fired a strong clear resin that instantly spread in the air as a shield, stopping the swift darts and web-globes while he used the mirror shield to reflect the light back at Lady Elsben, blinding her so she fell back even as the elf shattered her staff with a well-aimed green alchemic bolt from his own bracer- he did not wish to kill since the cleric had incapacitated her. The dwarf smiled and saluted the cleric.
"AAAAAARRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" howled the azuralupin at three knights with electrified weapons and shields as well as four nobles raising alchemic weapons, including a glass globe with blazing flickering lights meant to dazzle and disorientate; they dropped their weapons, the globe shattered, and they all collapsed, the dreaded ultra and subsonic sounds causing weakness and fainting in those before him, a natural weapon azuralupins developed to a fantastic degree!
Superior numbers are significant but the Elsbenians did not know how to fight as a unit, their attacks were piecemeal, clumsy, they even got in each other's way, our heroes used this to their advantage, and as unbelievable as it seemed they soon had the upper hand. Had their opponents been even reasonably skilled they could have used their numbers and long-range alchemic devices to devastating effect but their poor fighting ability prevented this. Even so, if they managed to regroup and attack in any coordinated way from all sides at once...
"Fall back!" shouted the human captain as he parried the two swords of an overly-elegant armored knight with his own cutlass of that ultra-strong alloy that bit deep into his opponent's steel weapons, cutting in half the slender blade of the one that flamed with bright blue fire due to a magnetic coating of blazing chemical, the bearded human thankful for the special insulated hilt as diamond sparks flew from the knight's electrified blade even as the red panda fired a splitting arrow above a window-door where sniper-archers were about to shoot dart-spray crossbows, ruby bolts shattering stone and glass that fell upon the snipers, the half-orc bashing a knight back whom knocked over another, "WARHAMMER!" as the barbarian at her side slashed drugged fast-extending needle-spears to pieces, "BATTLEAXE!"
This time the dragon, whom even now did not want to burn living creatures with his terrible fire, sprayed flames upon tables and decorations, the heat and smoke driving back a dozen Elsbenians before they could try to extinguish the blazes, then on a hunch he spat a fiery stream through the distant double doors, igniting tapestries, furniture, and rugs!
"THE MANSION?!" shrieked Lady Elsben, staggering back up, trying to clear her vision, "SOMEBODY EXTINGUISH THE FIRE, OUR VALUABLES, OUR ANCESTRAL HOME!!!"
Immediately a number of Elsbenians grabbed containers and ran to water pumps while others tried smothering the flames with tablecloths, desperately trying to keep the fire from spreading!
It was now obvious what real weakness the Elsbenians possessed: fear of the destruction of their luxurious mansion and the treasures within.
"Dragon, up there, those rooms are empty!" said the elf, the dragon spat fire through the windows on the second floor, setting three more rooms ablaze!
"NO, STOP, STOP YOU SAVAGES, SOMEBODY CLOSE THE SHUTTERS!!" shrieked Lady Elsben, even as red panda and elf drew back alchemic arrows that would explode with rustfire (thermite); the dragon readied another stream of his dragonfire.
"Let us go, do not pursue, or we be setting too many fires for you to stop before you can be closing those shutters!" hollered the human captain!
"ELSBENIANS, LET THEM GO, GET AWAY FROM THEM, SAVE THE MANSION!" sobbed the matriarch, and all seemed eager to stop fighting such tough opponents, "ALCHEMISTS PUT OUT THE FIRES PLEASE!"
It was now or never! "Let's be getting out of here, now!" commanded the human captain, "keep together and beware arrows or alchemic weapons!"
They all ran down the hill, red panda holding his fiance by her paw, all looking back for pursuit but every Elsbenian was desperately battling the fires, it was a strange scene in the last light of dusk, crystal lights and fire in the windows, they ran on, the elegant bladed gate was closed but red panda, elf, azuralupin, and the half-elf cleric fired exploding arrows and explosive glowing yellow alchemic bolts of greater power at the heavy hinges and locks; the gate was strong but against such things it was blasted apart!
Once they were all out the elf took a second to take out what seemed to be a small twelve-pointed resin star; with great precision he pressed it in several places at once and out shot tiny darts that embedded in the stone on either side of the ruined gateway, these pulling out a web of fine sticky steel wire from the resin star- the gateway was now blocked by that web, it had only taken a few seconds but would take any pursuers precious moments to get through.
The fastest escape route was back through the village, again they turned but saw no pursuit, the fires didn't seem to be spreading, already they were under control by Elsbenian alchemists and others with water. It was actually unlikely the Lady Elsben would allow the other Elsbenians to try anything against the fleeing former "guests" at the moment since Ayundellian bows and alchemic arrows as well as long-range alchemic bolts could easily reach the mansion even at that distance, including the smaller red panda's.
In the village...and another horrifying sight greeted the former "guests," revealing the madness of Elsben.
Lady Elsben had mentioned illusionists, and at first it seemed to be a normal nighttime village scene...but a closer look revealed it was all illusions, special effects, using flicker-lanterns with glass wheels for animation, small stained glass and metal cutouts for images and shadows, skillfully painted life-sized cutouts, flickering lights, devices to make sounds or to open and close doors, clever clockworks to move things...all to create the illusion that the villagers yet lived. There was even smoke carrying the scent of cooking. It must have all been removed before they arrived and then put back after they had gone with the majordomo.
"Captain- let's get away from here now. Rather I'd face the two-headed giant ape Demogorgon and his flesh-rotting whips in the Endless Caves of Chaos and Savagery than spend another moment here," said the dwarf, horrified by it all.
They ran through the dead village with its illusions of life, then when out of sight of the mansion they turned away from the road and into the woods, climbing the hill opposite the one with the mansion, azuralupin and half-orc carrying the two red pandas who could not travel as quickly with their short legs. The dwarf even consented to be carried by the barbarian, knowing speed was essential. The dragon had some difficulty at times due to his size but he could swell enough to lighten himself and partially float along when the trees were not too close.
Near the top of the hill they stopped to catch their breath, always keeping under cover of the trees in case someone had an uncommon telescope or those reflectors were used, from there they could see that by now the fires were almost extinguished. Nobody said it in deference to the gentle female red panda and peaceful half-elf cleric, but they knew a number of Elsbenians had been badly injured and several had been killed. That, and the damage done to their ancestral home, might cause them to organize a pursuit to take revenge.
"They cannot pursue us by scent," said the azuralupin, "I detected no hunting beasts nor steeds of any sort, strange as that seems with such people. I also doubt they have skilled trackers, they saw us going down the road and will likely believe we simply ran back the way we came. Darkness will offer us and what trail we left concealment, there is only a crescent moon and there are clouds."
They all knew what he really meant by "strange as that seems:" with food being scarce because of the deaths of the villagers it was obvious what had happened to those animals.
"Do not forget that raven," said the elf, "it can fly above and see us if we leave cover, it may be trained to circle high above so the Elsbenians will know where we are. We must avoid the open places for now, I would not want to shoot an innocent creature because of those people."
"I only wish we could have helped those servants. What must their lives be like?" said the cleric.
A tear streamed down the female red panda's face and the dwarf growled in anger at the thought.
They took a little more time to rest and for the cleric and female red panda to tend the injuries they had sustained, the plant extract once again revealing its powerful healing properties, silver water used against possible infection- at least nobody had been struck by anything drugged, this in part because of the poor fighting skills of the Elsbenians. They also checked their equipment, concerned that they had used up most of their ranged alchemic weaponry with no way to rearm now.
"Everyone?" came a voice from above; they looked up and saw the red panda climbing down a tall tree, "don't worry, I kept behind foliage and on the side away from the mansion," he said, "to the east, I saw lights in the distance, many lights, by the sea- it's a port!"
"How far away?" asked the human captain.
"I think about twenty-five miles."
"We can find out where we are and maybe get home" said the dwarf, thankful for the protection insulated shield and armor of that special alloy had given him.
"Yes, that seems be our only option," said the captain, "but we must still be careful. We not be knowing how much influence and power those madfolk Elsbenians be having in this land, especially that Lady Elsben."
Tired as they were they all wanted to get as far away as possible from that scene of murder and insanity so they walked on, and on, keeping under cover of the huge trees, only stopping to drink and refill canteens from a spring, mile after mile, finally stopping an hour before dawn's first light. The going had been slower than on the road of course, but there was no evidence of any pursuit- at least not in the direction they had gone.
They dared not light a fire in spite of the chill. The human captain and dwarf stood first watch while the others slept, female red panda leaning against the other in loving admiration and gratitude, but again no sight or sound of pursuit. Even so, the memory of that village and what must have happened to its inhabitants...
In the darkness the half-orc thought of a pleasant halfling village her tribe, which had taken her in, was on friendly terms with, trading with them, years before when she was younger and much wilder. A small army of slavers had attacked the village while her mostly-human tribe was nearby, and although females were not sent into actual battle she was already big enough that she was ordered to help guard families of halflings hiding in a community hall in case any slavers got through. Some did, and were they surprised to burst in and encounter not helpless halflings but several tough old human warriors and a big half-orc with a warhammer! They had held the slavers off long enough for her victorious tribe's warriors to return...cleanup did not take long after that.
But for the first time she had felt something in her, a sense of purpose defending those grateful halflings, at last she had understood what her war chief had told her about fighting for a reason, not just for the sake of violence. That same feeling had gone through her during the fight with the Elsbenians, fighting to help her friends, she too wished they could have rescued those servants.
What went through the minds of the others, one wonders...The barbarian lay awake, listening to the night sounds, strange thoughts in his mind. The skilled fighting of the peaceful cleric, the dragon not wanting to burn the Elsbenians yet enabling them to escape, the little red panda battling an armored Elsbenian knight so much bigger than he was as fiercely as any warrior in his own tribe to help his friends and protect the female he loved...freedom. His tribe was free but those servants, under the control of that dangerous Elsben leader-woman, slaves...Dwarfs were once slaves and others had died to help free them. Slavers did not dare bother his tribe, but was that enough?
The time passed uneventfully.
In the daylight of early afternoon they made somewhat better time when they resumed their travels, but keeping under cover in daylight- especially with a dragon- and trying to keep on course slowed them down; luckily barbarian, half-orc, elf, and red pandas all have a good sense of direction. Finally early the following day they reached their goal: a half-mile away downhill were the outskirts of the large seaside town, three big cargo ships approaching even now while a small spindle-shaped airship slowly descended.
The human captain insisted on going ahead alone, to spy out the place and learn where they were and what influence, if any, the Elsbenians had. He would blend in nicely, and of course humans were more common than red pandas, dragons, or half-orcs!
After an hour the others became concerned and there was talk of going in to find him when he reappeared, walking up the slope.
He sat down, "it be as I guessed when I saw the sea and those two islands away to the north- we be on one of the Ten Islands, on the outskirts of Alliance territory. In a tavern I overheard a captain of an airship be mentioning a fire he thought he saw through a telescope far away inland, that must have been the mansion. The barmaid just said 'good riddance to those lunatics,' and others agreed, family Elsben not be popular here. I saw elves, dwarfs, even a few flying foxes, orcs, ogres, and a family of lesser green dragons, many others, we be blending in fine here."
"Aren't there still slave markets in Alliance territory?" asked the female red panda.
"Yes, small ones be in backwaters mostly run by the grey hags of the Gloomlands, they move around- officially slavery be abolished in Alliance territory although it be common knowledge it still exists in the shadows. The Seven Noble Realms demanded it be abolished in exchange for aid against the mighty Red Pirate Empire years ago, and The Peaceful Realm be demanding the same for help from azuralupins and blue dragons against the river bandit attacks that be crippling their trade in parts of their empire," said the human captain, "you won't be finding open slave markets or slaver gangs in places like this port, but there maybe be small groups of kidnappers lurking here and there. If we keep together no such, if there be any here, will dare try anything."
"I hope we do run into some lurking slavers and they do dare try something," said the dwarf, thumping his heavy mace on a log, "I can save the authorities some time and money dealing with them."
"I help," said the barbarian. The others were surprised: normally his people did not care about slavery as long as it did not involve them, but his brief time with the others there and the experience in Elsben had changed his view of such things. When he returned to his tribe maybe he could change their views too; if so then woe onto any slaver gang that encountered his people.
"Well, we should just keep together and enter that port now while it's clear daylight," said the dragon, "perhaps we can hire a ship to get home- and captain...we meant what we said before."
They all stood up, and walked down the slope and into the port. Needless to say that group encountered no troublemakers, but they had little money- luckily a modest temple of the half-elf cleric's lawful good religious order fed them and took them all in so they could get a safe, warm night's sleep...even the dragon!
The cleric spoke with the patriarchs of that temple, and they in turn spoke to the local authorities about the situation in Elsben, of the plight of those hapless servants, of how any travelers who blundered into that place risked enslavement or death...all of Elsben's former "guests" were questioned, the words of the azuralupin carrying considerable weight since he was a friend of the king of the Seven Noble Realms. Red pandas were known for their simple honesty, the cleric was backed by his religious order, and a dwarf would never lie about slavery.
As it turned out vague rumors of Elsben had been circulating for some time but they were always an isolated people and their rank prevented anyone from investigating them without strong cause- but the testimonies of those adventurers who had just escaped from Elsben was the evidence needed. A small military force, the veteran Crimson Firebird Legion, would be sent, that sinister family would be brought to justice at last, and the mind-drugged servants would be taken to the healers of the cleric's temple, once there they would surely be freed from the effects of Lady Elsben's forbidden obedience potion.
The temple then made the needed financial arrangements to buy passage to get everyone home- helping to end the danger of the Elsben family was considered payment enough.
Before long they were all home and promises were kept, the human captain thanking them all and promising in turn that they would never have to pay if they were passengers on board his small beautiful new ship swiftly sailing across the blue seas.
And the wedding was a simple happy little affair under the prismatic light of the clear crystal topping the tall slender mountain in the center of The Peaceful Realm. And yes, the half-orc towering over the jolly little red pandas was indeed a bridesmaid, warhammer nicely decorated with strings of pretty flowers.