"My prices are too high?" the crystal dragon seems slightly offended by that suggestion but does give it some consideration. "I assure you that you would easily be able to sell each of those items and recoup every penny of those prices! But, perhaps, I can see why that might not be enough to tempt you. Very well, I will halve those prices so you could easily double your money if you choose to sell those items. I prize skulls highly enough to make that concession although I doubt you would find anyone else interested in buying them at that sort of price."

"As for the suggestion that I should help you fight the giants, well, you have surely noticed how brightly I reflect any light? In starlight or moonlight I luminesce most beautifully and in direct sunlight I am absolutely brilliant! I can literally be seen a mile away, if not more. That would give the giants far too much time to prepare and I have no desire to fly into a barrage of boulders hurled by those brutes. I am no beast of burden, either. On the other hand, if you were to arrange for a number of those giants to be gathered out there on the trail opposite my cave I might be willing to dive down on them and scour them with my brilliant breath to weaken and blind them so you can finish them off. I would want a share of their treasure, too, for assisting you that way. They would all need to be within a 50-foot area, though, or I could not affect them all, although some of them would probably flee in terror as soon as they saw me attacking. It might also be fun to chase and kill one of those that fled, I suppose. Yes, I am sure I could do that."

Meanwhile, out on the ledge, Dregz finally slides the last segment onto the top of the Black Mace. A sigh of pure contentment fills the air, then a voice speaks from the head of the Black Mace

"I am Forya en' i' Leitha," it says. [Language unknown: "P m Virbutles a tedfi Stei."] "I am the enemy and bane of anything that aids sorcerous enslavement, compulsion, enchantment and domination of free will. Such abominations are evil and cannot be allowed to exist."

Dregz whimpers, staring at the mace, only his utter devotion to his god allowing him to keep his grip on the now completed mace.

"Wese can dos wun ov der magic jumpses ... if wese wants ter ?!" the little goblin priest reluctantly informs those of his tribe out on the ledge with him.

"Fury in a lizard," he makes a brave attempt at the Elvish name, "seemses reel keen on der freedom fingy."

Jurz lets his head nod gently from side to side, with no clear preference for a line of action.  Setting up giants for a dragon attack sounds like fun, but a jump to another strange place sounds equally interesting.

"Yer all ain't happy ere, ow bout we go where we started an kill sum humans?"

"Dunno where der Magic Stick will takes us nows," Dregz warns.  "Wese might find usses taken sumwheres tah free anywun, anyfing."

"We could ask it? Err, mister Forya da magic stick? Can wees now controls where we magic jump to? Cos I wanna go put der hurt on der folks dat been lordin over our folks."

The dispassionate voice of Forya en' i' Leitha speaks clearly from the head of the Black Mace in reply to the direct question asked by Minmorc.

"I am the enemy and bane of anything that aids sorcerous enslavement, compulsion, enchantment and domination of free will. Let he who holds me point me in any direction and I will show him any oppressive enchantment that lies in that direction. Let him say the word and I will transport him and those close to him to whatever destination he chooses. It need not be one of the visions I show him, but be warned, the quest for freedom is like a hunger within me that demands to be fed."

"Mister Forya, doz any of yer visions show people dat need ter be free from a bad guy so dey can play Nuffle ball?"

Bulldust shrugs and walks away from the dragon to join the party for that private discussion.

"She's almost got dere wiv dat deal.  Does anyone want da stuff she said de stories about?  I don't need none ov dat stuff, but it could be good ter trade in da city.  Anyway I fink she only gets one share, like da rest ov us."

He has no motivation to go hunting giants other than treasure, so he's ambivalent about this plan.  He'd like to know where the magic stick would take them next ... like Min, wondering if it would take them back to punish the Watchers for what they did.  Or the elves for living so long.  Or somewhere else they haven't been.

He was about ask Dregz what the 'vision' looks like this time when the black mace speaks up.

"Does dat mean da stick is chaotic?"  Bulldust asks Dregz, grappling with this strangely familiar philosophical discussion.

"An does dat mean youse a slave to a hungry magic stick dat wants ter free slaves from magic fings?"

"Neh...but okay!" Moffdust grins and shows her pointy little teeth. "I doesn't wants dose tings, but I'se okay wid tradin fer dems, or jus goin to de next places."

Jurz agrees with Moffa.

Away for a few days, limited access for posting
This message was last edited by the player at 13:46, Sun 15 May 2022.

Bully's question is a good one that sets Dregz tiny little brain a-whirlin'.

"I fink dat if der Magic Stick doesn' like us den id will leaveses us," he postulates. "Mebbe dat wuz why id wuz in so manys bits dat wese had ter find ?"

The little priest isn't keen at all on fighting giants, particularly not on behalf of a scary dragon, so he decides to explore other options.

"Hokays den Furyuz," he holds the stick out before him, turning from side to side to describe as much of a circle as the ledge will allow.  "Whas can youse sees out der dat wese coulds ... er, 'elp wiv ?"

Jurz listens carefully for the stick's response.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:06, Sun 19 June 2022.

As Dregz starts to swing the Black Mace from east to west it halts when it is pointing toward the northeast.


After a moment the dispassionate voice of Forya en' i' Leitha speaks clearly from the head of the Black Mace.

"No, you are not ready to face the Old One. The Third Eye Dominate must wait for another day."

The Black Mace dips slightly and settles at a slightly different angle, perhaps pointing toward a closer destination.


After a minute or so the voice of Forya en' i' Leitha speaks again.

"Those gloves are an abomination. They allow that mage to ensorcel more people than his own powers would be capable of. I would see those gloves destroyed!"

Then the Black Mace shifts back a fraction toward the east before settling again.


Half a minute later the voice of Forya en' i' Leitha speaks again.

"That mask is another abomination. It makes that orc's words far more persuasive and terrifying than they deserve to be and robs the listener of the chance to weigh the true worth of what he is saying. I would see that mask destroyed, too!"

"I reckon we should av a crack at der Orc in der mask! Mr Forya, can yer see dese places an choose where you goes? Before you started talking we was flyin blind."

Jurz pauses for a moment, as he  wonders just how evil a mask can be, then asks  "De mask destroyed, or de Orc dat is wearing it?"

Bulldust stares wide-eyed out across the valley and mountains as horror after horror are named and the worst one is decided upon.  He knows an orc!  He shudders - an orc in a mask just sounds so much more terrifying!  He swallows the lump in his throat and nods vigorously to hide his trepidation as he stammers out "D-d-deaf to da Orc in da Mask!"

The dispassionate voice of Forya en' i' Leitha speaks clearly from the head of the Black Mace once again.

"The mask is an abomination. I care not about the orc. I am the enemy and bane of anything that aids sorcerous enslavement, compulsion, enchantment and domination of free will. He who holds me has seen visions of three abonimations that lie in that direction. Let him say the word and I will transport him and those close to him to whatever destination he chooses. He is free to choose any of those I have shown him, or any other as he chooses."

Jurz gulps, and nods effusively.

"So Dregz, woz der Orc alone? Inna cave or a hut? Wot did yer see?"

Moffdust shrugs. "Dats all rights Bully. Wes can gets de orcses. De bigger dey is de harder dey falls."

She looks around at her friends. "De orcses will tries ter tells us what we's got ter do. But wes not gonna does what de orcses says. I'se gonna makes de spells ter stops dat." She looks at Minmorc. "Dats so our orcses doesn't join up wid de bad... badder orcses." She grins toothily at him.

"Ime finking der same. I gots magics wot makes stuff quiet, as soon as I saw der orc wid der mask I was gonna shut im up wid magic, den wid my axe hur hur hur."

Jurz waves his Stompy Stick around, setting the charms and coins jingling.  "And I got magics dat let me do de spells in the quiet." and

All of the visions are quite terrifying, and it takes Dregz a few moments to compose himself after Furyuz's revelations.

"I saw der big Orcses standin' on der big rock an' yellin' at," he pauses to stare at his fingers for a moment before giving up, "hunnerts ov uvver Orcses. 'E wuz wearin' some scary armourses - all black wiv a 'uge yeller eye on der front an' a big helmet wiv more eyes on dat too, on 'is 'ead an' on his mouf ... an' on ises spikey gloves too."

"An' der eyes moved !" the little goblin priest proffers in tones of dread.

"Der big orcses wuz jus' yellin' at der uvver Orcses jus' likes usual ... but much more scary !"


OOC: Synopsis for those who struggle with traditional goblin phrasing:

Dregz sees a vision of what looks like an orcish war chief standing on a large rock and addressing a crowd of over a hundred orcs in front of him in a large cavern. However, this orcish war chief is dressed in some of the most disturbing armour you have ever seen. The black breastplate has a huge, blood-shot, yellow eye upon the front. The open-faced steel helmet has a similar eye above the forehead and a steel half-mask covering the lower half of the orc's face has another of these yellow eyes over the orc's mouth. The spiked, steel gauntlets he wears on both hands display the same yellow eyes on the back of the gauntlets. Worst of all, all five of those eyes move about as though they are alive and watching everything around them. The orc's words seem like the same sort of rallying speech that Dregz has heard many times before by every commander he has had the misfortune to serve under since the invasion of Geoff began. But somehow those words hit home with far more force and terror than any other speech Dregz ever heard.

OOC: that's a fair rendering into goblish... convoyed the terror of the vision convincingly.

Bulldust gulps.  "Hunnerts ov orcs?!"  He looks up at Minmorc, suddenly feeling very small.  "An yella eyes all over 'im?!" 

Its almost too much.  But Bulldust is a bugbear, just a big goblin really, and goblins are smart and they always find a way.  "Let's go now.  Sooner we start, sooner we poke 'im in de eye... eyes."