ercy ission - Part 1- he ragon's hallenge

A few days had passed since the companions had returned from their encounter with the treant. More than enough time for them to feel fully rested and healed from their exertions. A loud knock on the door drew them away from their studies and on opening the door a familiar face was revealed.
"Rellan." Said Ako smiling. "It is good to see you again."
"I am glad to find you here." Replied Rellan. "I bring sad tidings." He waved a gloved hand towards a hireling standing beside a cart. The man pulled the cart to the door of the house. Lying atop a pallet on the cart was Rintrah. The mage looked very pale and wasted from the ravages of the disease that had struck him down. "He is no better." Rellan's voice was low as all but Trimus stood around the bed on which they had placed Rintrah. Trimus stood just outside the door with a silk handkerchief held over his nose and mouth. "He still suffers from Wizard's Bane. No one at the Tower could aid him so they sent me with him to see if you could find a cure, probably a natural rather than a magical one. During my stay in the Tower I had the opportunity to research and study the texts in their great library. From what I read it seems that the Bane is having a different effect on Rintrah to normal. It may be due to his 'unusual' heritage. I found in a very old scroll a possible herbal cure for the disease. You need to seek out Fireblood leaf and Yellowtonguecap fungus to cure the disease both of which have to be administered with a thorn from the Lunareyespike bush."
"Where can we find such plants?" asked Trimus, his voice muffled by the handkerchief.
"That I was not able to discover." Replied Rellan, "But you could try asking in the market. A herbalist there may know of such plants or even have some for sale, though I fear they may be very rare."
"I will go to the temple and ask if any there know of such herbs." Said Ako.
"A good idea, will you want anyone to go with you?" asked Trimus.
"No, stay here and look after Rintrah, I will not be long."
The cleric threw a cloak over his shoulders and left for the city. The others left Rintrah to his troubled rest and spent the rest of the day talking with Rellan of the adventures they had had since they had parted.

It was dark by the time that Ako returned. Shaking rain from his cloak the cleric stood before the hearth warming his hands before replying to the many questions the others flung at him.
"It's a long story." The cleric began." I got to the temple and spoke with a young acolyte. He knew nothing of the herbs we sought and he assured me that no one else in the temple knew of them either. He did however give me the address of a herbalist in Montfort Street, a part of town I did not know well. Foolishly I failed to ask for a brother who knew the streets to accompany me and soon I was completely lost. It seemed that every alley I walked down was a dead end. It was around then that I first sensed that I was being followed. I could hear footsteps behind me and I turned to see three ruffians approaching me. 'What have we here?' the largest asked, he was a nasty looking brute, shaven headed with a tattooed face. 'Hand over your money and we won't hurt you, much!' he said. I swiftly cast a light spell at him, which blinded him and gave one of the others a reason to run away. The other fool drew a cudgel and ran at me. I ducked his incautious blow and punched him twice, the second landed on the point of his chin and he fell to the ground. The leader was howling like a stuck pig so I gripped him by the collar and pounded his head against the wall till he shut up. I tied the pair of them together and dragged them back to the main street where I attracted the attention of a guardsman. He helped me take them to the guardhouse before walking me to Montfort Street and the shop of the sage I was seeking."
By this point the others were banging their hands on the table and laughing uproariously.
"I though you had got drunk again." Trimus was almost choking on the tears that ran down his face.
"You actually banged his head against the wall." Laughed Jodotha, "I thought that only happened in the tales that barroom bards sing."
"Anyway." Said Ako trying to retain some sense of decorum. "The sage was a bit shy, being knocked up at that time of day. He is an oldish man, small with eyes like an owl. He knew of the herbs but asked me to return tomorrow by which time he should have found out what we need to know. He is not cheap, five hundred Daros is the price he is asking. I said yes, what else could I say, it seems that this knowledge is fairly specialised."
The others agreed and after finishing the mugs of wine before them they retired for the night.

The following morning Ako, accompanied by Jodotha, returned to Montfort Street and the shop of Lestus Sonmar. He bid them enter and sat them down at a wide table. A stack of books, each with at least one slip of parchment marking pages, threatened to fall over at the slightest touch, filled one end of the table. The sage took the first book from the pile and opened it at a page with pressed leaf gummed to it.
"This is Fireblood leaf." The sage's voice was as dry as the dust that collected in the corners of his room. He took another book and opened it. Squinting at the page he read a passage in a strange tongue then translated it. "It is a tropical plant, known to grow on Roister Island in Ierendi." He took another book, causing the pile to topple and it was only the swift reactions of Jodotha that prevented the tomes from crashing to the floor. Unfazed the sage continued. "This is what Yellowtonguecap looks like. It too grows in the tropics possibly on Roister Island as well, though none has been seen for a while, the winters have been too dry I suppose. The other books mention Lunareyespike but none has a picture or any details as to where it can be found. "
Ako thanked the man and handed over the bag of Daros in payment. The sage carefully counted them before showing Ako and Jodotha the door. "It's been nice doing business with you." the sage called out as they walked away.
"So we travel to Ierendi." Said Trimus after he had heard Ako's tale.
"I will stay here and join you later." Said Rellan, "There are leads I would like to follow up."
"And Rintrah?" asked Cain.
"He comes with us. We will make him secure on one of the bunks in the Phoenix. We may not have time enough to go there and return. Time is getting crucial." Trimus said forcefully.
With that decided they carried Rintrah down to the Phoenix and made him secure in one of the bunks. Bade farewell to Rellan and took off for Ierendi.

The journey to the islands was uneventful for the most part, although Trimus was puzzled by what he saw at the heart of a thundercloud on the first evening. A dark shadow at the heart of the cloud reminded him of the Floating City of Serraine but it had a more regular appearance. For a moment he almost asked Ako to change course to investigate, then he remembered Rintrah in the cabin. With gritted teeth he just watched the strange cloud fall behind them. He did however store the memory away for later.

At dawn on the second day the main island of the Ierendi group came into sight. Trimus landed the skyship a few hours walk from the city on the edge of the tropical forest. Memorising the location of the invisible skyship Trimus and the others walked in the humid heat towards the city, leaving Cain to watch over Rintrah. On arrival Darkhawk and Ako headed for the People's temple while Trimus and Colloran headed for the market to see if any of the items they needed were on sale. Jodotha went from tavern to tavern listening and asking simple questions to see what news he could find.

They met up afterwards in the great hall of the Adventurers' club, the room was crowded and it took a while for the companions to get a table away from the prying ears of other adventurers.
"The People's Temple knows nothing of what we seek." Said Ako cryptically, trying to keep from looking around him.
"A tourney is coming up. That's why this place is so crowded. The general opinion is that the King will probably win unless someone very powerful turns up. The large man with the braided beard on the table beside the window. He has put his name into the ring." Reported Jodotha.
"We had a little more luck." Said Trimus gnawing on a pork chop. "We met a woman in the market, she was selling potions on a stall. She knew of Fireblood leaf, it is found in the swampy areas of Roister island. She knew nothing of Yellowtonguecap or Lunareyespike. She suggested we asked here or looked for a witch by the name of Derlorna. She sometimes has a stall in the market but she was not there today."
"I was directed to a mage by the name of Anquiton." Continued Colloran, "His name came up in conversation while we were waiting for you. He had heard of the Lunareyespike. He said it is most potent if picked in moonlight and that it could be found in the colder reaches, perhaps on exposed mountain ridges."

By now it was late afternoon and the great hall was almost bursting with adventurers. The serving girls were loitering and a party of burly, hungry dwarves was standing behind them waiting for a table so Trimus and the others paid up and went outside and started to walk north when a commotion drew their attention.
"A dragon! A Dragon" cried a young boy running down the street in front of an equally panicked woman who was almost tripping over her full white gown. Soon other people were fleeing from the north of the town all telling the same story. Trimus and the others started to jog in the opposite direction towards the grounds of the Whispering Palm where the dragon was said to have landed. Other adventurers swiftly joined them, all vying for the honour of saving the city from the marauding dragon.
"Strange." Said Trimus to Colloran. "If a dragon was going to lay waste to a city, why did it land? And where are the flames, the smoke?" They arrived at the Whispering Palm just as a small contingent of the city guard was deciding what to do. Seated quietly in the midst of shattered benches and palm-leaf sunshades was a large red dragon. The afternoon sun glinting off its scales gave it an even ruddier hue. It's tail was curled tightly around its lower limbs while it studied and cleaned it's fore claws.

"Cease and desist." Shouted Trimus at the guards, "Let a master mage handle this."
Ako had to disguise a snort of laughter as a sneeze at Trimus' pomposity.
"Why have you come here dragon, what is it you want?" Trimus continued, bravely addressing the dragon who slowly turned his head and looked down at the mage.
"Sir." He began in a cultured but slightly sibilant voice. "In accordance with the judgement of the Tribunal, Council of Adventurers and Monarchs of Ierendi and as so tested by the oath, I Respin-ak-Tarpis, Draconic Earl, Prince of Arentilla issue a challenge. I intend to take part in the Challenge of Adventurers. I wish to be King of Ierendi."

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