Monoliths #4i: A Meeting with Tsakchanar

[Gurns]

She had flown over Waterdeep, heading west. We found her inside Caer Corwell, in her guise as an elderly elven woman.

She looked at us wearily, a bit blankly. Then her face cleared. “Oh, some familiar faces in an interesting locale. Hello.”

Tarov and I bowed. Iduna curtseyed, smiled, and said, “Hello again.”

Cirath nodded, and said “Been a while, dragon.”

Tsakchanar said, “In some ways. In others, the time moves too quickly.”

Cirath said, offensively, “I do hope that you have been hard at work.”

“I have had much to atone for,” Tsakchanar said in a tired voice. “It still doesn't seem to be enough, but they are waking.”

She added, “The alliance with King Bruenor is solid, that is a good beginning to complement the rest.”

I said, “Allies are important.” A platitude, but anything to encourage her to talk.

She nodded at me. “In this, more than anything else.”

Cirath sneered. “Meanwhile, the elves hide, the gnomes and halflings are still in the dark, and the humans are apathetic. A fine pace you set, while an army is at your door.”

Tsakchanar said, “I can only do so much.”

Iduna also was worried. “Indeed, we thought you gave up,” she said.

The elven woman, or dragon, didn’t shrug, but gave that impression. “My energies have gone to waking the Sleepers. Where I could, I requested aid or offered advice. You yourself, Priestess, aided me with one.”

Iduna said, “I remember. It has been quite some time.”

“One of the Sleepers is nearby, stirring,” Tsakcahar said. “I need to speak with the residents here to arrange for their safety.”

“This town is also in danger?” asked Iduna.

Cirath interrupted before she could answer. “You concern yourself with farmers, and not with gathering forces? What a fine logic that is.”

“If I neglect the people here in my pursuit of allies for the grand battle, will the result be worthwhile? Azoun'tvorl does not care for others, I would not become him.”

Well, Tsakchanar could say the Vile One’s name if she wanted. I still couldn’t quite pronounce it. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to pronounce it properly, something might be listening.

In case she wasn’t as well informed as I thought she was, I pointed out, “Well, you have had some help, albeit not yet effective help.”

She looked at me. “This help you speak of, who is it and how?”

“I spread my tales, though to little effect. The only listeners seem to be those already aware, and interested. And some other is spreading little missives, calling on heroes to arise. This has attracted some attention. Enough? Probably not, but it is a worthy endeavor.”

I didn’t mention who Deshana thought was behind the messages. Or who I thought it was.

Cirath was still repeating his point, as if the repetition alone would be persuasive. “If you neglect those that can fight and busy yourself with saving these sod splitters, then you won’t be too terribly well prepared when the battle does come.”

Finally, Tsakchanar did the sensible thing: She ignored Cirath.

Tarov asked her, “Are you here to ally with Corwell?”

She nodded. “And I hope to meet with the elves soon. They have one spokesperson who has the power and presence to step forward, to try and take up the rallying cry.'

I noted, “It is too bad that the Queen herself will not do that.”

Iduna agreed with me.

Tsakchanar sighed. “They strengthen the Mythal in hopes it will help. My words do not penetrate. Perhaps the Geomancer's will.”

Ah ha! Hamid had also mentioned the Geomancer, though as a source of information. This mage was sounding ever more important.

“Can you find the Geomancer?” I asked. “I heard he kept himself hidden.”

“I can but try, and hope he will make an appearance,” she said.

Cirath offered his calm and reasoned opinion. “Such a surprise that you can’t rally the elves to action. They are cowards and snobs, and should they be wiped out, then we will all be better for it.”

Tarov snickered softly at Cirath. The rest of us tried to ignore him.

Iduna mentioned her own adventures. “Waterdeep has had some unkindly visitors. And our Lord in Waterdeep isn’t all that much help.”

Tarov agreed with her, perhaps he’d had similar adventures of his own.

Tsakchanar gave Iduna a small, knowing smile. “Lord Piergeiron is more help than you may expect. For a paladin, he can be surprisingly devious.”

Iduna was dubious. “Maybe so, but to believe it, I'd have to see it.”

Cirath was openly scornful. “Piergeiron is likely too big a fool to see what is happening in front of his nose. Hells, half the city already knows of it, and still he does nothing.”

This was getting tiresome. “It's nice to see that Cirath is so wise, as to know all, see all,” I said. But on the other hand… “Although I agree with much of the substance of his comments.”

Tarov snickered again.

Tsakchanar disagreed. “As I said, Piergeiron is more devious than one would expect. One does not rule a city as large as Waterdeep for so many years and survive as long as he has…”

Then she returned to her subject. “Without the Sleepers, we will have no chance. Upon the end, they will serve as mounts to those willing to take up the battle. I'm needed for this task, others can rally as well as I.”

That surprised me. And made me think of several who might find the prospect attractive. “May we make that promise? For a hero, the chance to ride a dragon mount?” For the Sleepers could be none other than the ancient dragons she was trying to arouse. Even I…to ride a dragon…

Tsakchanar nodded. “They have agreed, those who have awakened. As they did before, they will serve again.”

This was evidently news to Iduna. “So we have forces behind us that we are unaware of?” she asked.

I said, “It depends on what you're aware of, Iduna.” I looked innocent.

A grin! I got a grin out of Tsakchanar!

Iduna gave me a sideways glance. “True, I know very little..but I do know I’ve been attacked three, yes, three times! In my own city by drow!”

Tsakchanar frowned. “They should not be doing that, he'll have to reign them in better.”

Ah ha! “Who will have to reign them in?”

She answered without answering. “One of those hidden allies Gurns, will have to reign in the drow.”

Everything’s hidden, bah. “Do you think we can trust this hidden ally?”

She almost shrugged. “No, but he knows the cost of failure as well as I.”

Lovely. “Ah,” I said, “we can trust him as I trust Cirath. Or Nilan.”

Cirath didn’t care for the comparison, and glared at me.

Tsakchanar…Was she a bit surprised? “What an... apt comparison,” she said.

Well of course it was, I'm a bard! But I was pretty sure just who it was we weren’t talking about, so my choice of names had not been random.

Tsakchanar stood in thought for a moment. Then she said, seemingly to herself, “He is still mostly disembodied, unbound to any form. When the binding happens, the world will know. It will be at a place of great power, somewhere.”

I didn’t catch on right away.

She sighed. “I wish I knew more of when the binding would occur, it would help more.”

“You speak of the binding,” I said. This was the first I’d heard of anything like this. “The binding of whom? Or what?”

Exactly what she’d wanted someone to ask. “As I said, Azoun'tvorl is still largely essence, able to possess for a brief time but he consumes the host quickly. He will have to be bound to a prepared form, one that is resistant and resilient.”

I was confused. “He is already in a golem, I thought.” Then I got it. “Oh, that golem was dissolved. Disintegrated? He wore it out. So he is formless again, hmm.”

Tarov cut to the heart of the matter, “Who is preparing this form for him? And where?”

Tsakchanar wasn’t sure, or wouldn’t tell us. “Those who prepare this form believe they are aiding their dead god Bane. I don't know where they are.”

She considered possibilities. “Undermountain would not serve. Many have died there, but none of significant power to imbue the area.”

Then she added, “The golem he initially inhabited was destroyed, melted into slag near Lake Skeldrach.” Was her mind wandering from one topic to another? Or would the dissolution of that golem give enough power to the area to prepare his new and final form?

Cirath coughed, obviously. “Well, seems to me you have a few problems.”

We all looked at him.

Cirath counted off his first point. "You have a rather powerful wizard with a good deal of access to Undermountain.”

Cirath said, “You have the Zhents, half of whom are bound body and soul to one rather powerful god or another, and they did house a god themselves once.”

Iduna looked at him consideringly.

Cirath counted off his third point “And then, there’s the drow, half of which serve the Vile One, the other half... well, the other half don’t much matter at the moment.”

Well, I’m pretty sure he’s wrong about that, I don’t know that any of the drow serve the Vile One, and you should never count on the drow “not mattering.” But…

Tsakchanar corrected him, herself. Indirectly, of course. Does she never just come out and say something straight-forwardly, and to the point? “Yes, we cannot trust the drow. But they cannot be discounted either. As a whole, they shouldn't be a harm. They are... a nervous ally for now.”

Cirath concluded, “Seems to me, you need a mole.”

Cirath said, “Someone close to the Vile One's servants.”

Cirath said, “Someone who could ferret out the information you so desperately require.”

Tsakchanar knew the game at least as well as Cirath or I. She said, “If such a one existed, it would be invaluable.”

Cirath said “Such a one might exist.”

I added my bit. I said, only slightly sarcastically, “Someone who wants a well-paying job.”

I got another grin from Tsakchanar! And a nod from Tarov.

I said, “Someone who's hinting around it.”

Cirath said, “For the right price.”

I said, “Finally!” Then, “I'll bet you anything Cirath has ‘a friend’ who would do that.”

Iduna sighed, and said “I'll bet he does.”

Cirath said “I might.”

Tsakchanar said, “If it is within my power, price is no object.”

I jumped in quickly, “Oh, dear, I wouldn't say that. Cirath’s ‘friends’ can be expensive. Set the price up front.”

Cirath said “The price depends on the risk, and this will be very risky indeed.”

Well, that was true, but… “Some numbers are always a good thing,” I told Tsakchanar.

She sighed wearily. “If the world perishes, the bill is pointless. If it does not, I will doubtless outlive Cirath and his friends and can re-accumulate what is lost. The world is worth the price.”

I asked “Is it worth it to save the world, if you owe it to him afterwards?”

Cirath smiled at me, and said “Now, now, Gurns. I don’t want the world. Only a suitable chunk of it.”

Tsakchanar agreed. “If it within my power.” But she warned him, “If I perish, my power is... considerably less.”

Not “none”? Interesting.

Iduna sighed. “This shouldn’t be about price”

Tarov beat me to it. “With the rogue here, it's always about price,” he said.

Cirath said, “I will see what I can learn, and then we will set a bill.”

Iduna sighed again, and said “A pity we have to pay him to help.”

Tsakchanar looked at her gently. “Allies cannot be discarded, Priestess. Whether their price is heroism or coin or land, it must be met, if they are willing.”

I tried again. “At least restrict it to money. If you hire him without setting a price first, you have only yourself to blame later.”

Not that I cared what Tsakchanar paid, but Cirath was far too smug already. And a rich Cirath would be unbearable. Ah, well.

Tsakchanar, I guess, was desparate. She said, “Money or magic or something within my possession. There are artifacts within my horde that shame the vaults of Dobluth Kyor, Calimport and Waterdeep combined.”

Oh, well. There were still many possibilities. “Maybe you’ll be lucky, and he’ll get killed.”

Tsakchanar looked at me calmly. “Or I will”

Iduna gasped.

Tsakchanar nodded. “I, too, shall serve as a steed, come the end.”

Cirath chuckled nastily. “And won’t that put a pretty little dent in that ego of yours?”

Iduna was shocked. “Cirath!”

Tsakchanar merely sighed. “You continue to believe I do this for pride.”

Well, that was Cirath. I said, “It is why he would do it. Pride or price. If he refuses to acknowledge anything else...” I shrugged.

Tsakchanar nodded wearily, “His belief isn't important at this point.”

Iduna and I nodded.

Tsakchanar told us. “It is almost time for me to meet with King Tristan. I'm glad we could speak. Civilly, even.”

Well, some of us were civil.

She bowed a courteous farewell. We returned it. Cirath’s was a bit mocking, but a bow nonetheless.

Tsakchanar said, “Oh, I hear the spirits rouse as well, the dead are restless. No doubt it shall please the necromancers.” Another thought, out loud “to herself”? Ha!

Tarov expressed some interest, evidently he had heard this before from his friend Bilraex. But Tsakchanar was called before the king. Even a dragon must be polite to a king in his own court. Well, when she wishes something from him, anyway.

She said, “I must go. Peace and sweet waters to you, may our efforts prove sufficient.” She left for the throne room.

Cirath smirked.