Tales of Fantasy & Wonder Vol. 1

X - The White Tower of Illusion

The white tower of illusion

Game X                                  December 1st, 2017.

Woken the next morning by the gentle hand of an apothecary, Theo steps around the sleeping figures in the audience hall of Lord Fingers. Led out past the presence of the hill giant who reclines against the smooth mud walls of the hall, the wildsman soon finds himself seated in a hovel that sits barnacle like against another hut near the main thoroughfare.

After his wounds are looked over and treated with aloes and sage related plants gathered from the local country, Theo notices that Jerac is also awake early from the previous night's revels and moving with some evident determination. Following his intuition that the half man is acting strangely, he thanks the apothecary and shadows Jerac until he turns left into a sun blocked alley.

Keeping close to the corner before the turn, Theo listens to the echoing conversation when it gets heated, otherwise he can only guess at what Jerac and his acquaintance speak of. There is talk of a particular individual in the group, his welfare and present location under guard with the other sailors back under the boab tree. Jerac seems to reaffirm some pledge or agreement before the conspirators take leave of the alley individually. The first is a well dressed figure in black leather and clothe, a fine made travelling garb for the nobler classes. Jerac emerges some moments later, into which time the ranger now reveals himself as though innocently walking back to the warlord's chambers.

As they stroll back to the mud palace, Jerac becomes more verbal than his usual detached presence. He warns Theo to ignore all of the promises and bargaining from the night before as his brother's (Lord Fingers) lies; his real motive is to divide the leader/s of the group from the rest of the sailors, in which he would enslave them and sell them back to a ship Capt. like Bawa, or worse. The sorcerer of the wilderness is true, as far as Jerac knows, but he hasn't been seen in the flesh for the last twenty to thirty years. Wendel is just enough truth in the convincing lie to lead Theo off to his 'heroic' death while his guards take the rest as property.

Coming within sight of the warlord's adobe palace, a course of action is agreed on to prolong all their lives. Jerac would leave immediately and steal a mount to reach the others waiting under escort near the arboreal landmark. Hopefully they would overthrow the small number of outriders through wits and then move west to meet Theo. The ranger's own ruse would be to continue Lord Fingers bargain and ride west to intercept the sailors and Jerac. As for Wendel, they would wait and see if he could be found and used as an ally against the warlord of the wastes. If the rumours were true.

Recovering their arms from the gatekeeper who had withheld them a night past, Jerac bid farewell and luck as he faded into the morning throng of weird desert dwellers, their task beasts of raiding and trade finally obfuscating his form.

By this time Lord Fingers and his closer entourage of guards and followers had awoken, exiting the halls to find Theo nearby as he prepared his terror bird mount for the expedition. Surprised at the ranger's enthusiasm to begin the trek to the sorcerers last known hermitage, the warlord offers him any further services. After Theo asks for extra provisions, Lord F. whispers aside to a guard in spotted cowhide armour. A calf's haunch is soon presented to the departing traveller, and once it is secured to his saddle Theo and the backworld court move en masse to the open end of the clay canyons.

With a veiled and somewhat sarcastic farewell from Lord F. and the others, the ranger rides out into the barren world, a trail of flies buzzing around the limju calf haunch as it bounces on the saddle.