Kazrac forces himself to his feet and hobbles over using a spear as a crutch.
"Francisca, Briar, Gus, Ampersand, Vivi, grandfather Pitamaha... It has been an honour battling with you. I have seen greater bravery this night than in ten years among my own people. I see now why the old chieftain left to explore the world. Perhaps when my wounds are healed I shall follow in his footsteps."
He lifts off a wolf pelt from his shoulders and places it on Briar.
"I can think of no orc better to lead my tribe. This pelt will mark you as my successor. The Urk-Ril is yours... if you have the courage to claim it from whichever cowardly underling of mine has stolen it in the meantime."
"Francisca... I see now that you are no mere woman, but a warrior. I cannot follow you on your journey, and I cannot ask you to follow me on my travels. As you humans say, I bid you farewell."
"And little Vivi," says Kazrac, towering over the small tiefling. He spits out a broken tooth and hands it to her. "My people believe that there are powerful spirits in the relics of brave men. Maybe you will find some magic in this."
~~~
When you return to the world outside, it seems that a great deal of time has passed. Much has changed. The orc encampment has gone, leaving only a rotted wooden palisade and the old stone house, almost exactly as you left it. Where the orc settlement stood there is now a field of tall grass.
Travellers on the road are surprised that you haven't heard of recent events, but they humour your questions anyway. It turns out that five years have passed since you entered the white tower, and a great deal has happened in that time. King Taren never returned, leading to a brief civil war in which orc tribes captured significant amounts of of Catharsus territory. The conflict ended with the election of a new ruler: Taren II, the first druid king of Rynwold.
The letter Pitamaha left is written in Common.
To whom it may concern:
The reader of this letter I presume findeth me deceased. This I have prepared against the contingency that my long-deferred end nevertheless finds me ere I see my task completed. Thee I entrust with the knowledge I have borne.
This world I have for some years wandered on a holy mission which I have to none divulged, save the honourable Father Ptolemy of the High Temple of Amethyst. I owe to him much, and am gratified to name him my friend. Enclosed thou shalt find a letter, in accordance of which, delivering thou it unto him, he shall show thee a text that I composed in secret. In this volume find thou recorded the sole and fragmentary record of my former life. It is a wondrous and terrible tale, and to the resolution of its great age-spanning Mystery my life and soul hath been utterly dedicated, in alliance with Mighty Amethyst.
To the younger children of this world, I offer the wisdom by which I have ever lived: Let thy first, last, and every thought be with thy Gods, for thou wert created to fulfill Their hopes.
Signed, in the name of One whose Name hath been lost,
The Gods' servant and thine,
Mandavya "Pitamaha"
P.S. If my faithful camel Vrinda hath had the good fortune to survive me, I pray that thou keepest her kindly.
Your excursion into the tower was also quite profitable. Cogs managed to strip gold and platinum from the tridrones, to the value of 5,000 gold pieces. Cogs ties a spare sword to his belt and leaves, saying something about being inspired to become an adventurer. The remaining modrones march off and return through their portal to whichever plane those machines call home.
The dwarves settle for whatever spoils they can loot from the dungeon before leaving for home, and their priest places a powerful ward on the doors to the underground facility so that nobody shall enter again. The dwarves pledge to protect this place from intruders for as many generations as needs be, and their priest urges you to protect the pages of the Pantheon that you possess, as they are a powerful artifact.
Inside the amethyst cube, Pitamaha's spirit medidates peacefully and patiently awaits the end of time.
Author
Topic: The Rynwold Pantheon (D&D 4e) (Read 95003 times)