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Standing before the wise one, Iduna listens carefully.
"Iduna, I have a task for you. I need you to seek
knowledge, I hear there are many new sources of magic in the land. Go and find out what you can." Tahd looks at her with compassion. "There will be many troubles for you there, but I have
confidence in your ability to see this through. I will transport you there. Once you arrive, search for the runes that will lead you to E3. Then, when you have obtained the knowledge, a simple mind-walk
to me will return you safely to Athas once more. Do you accept this quest?"
Iduna answers immediately, "Tahd, you know that I will
always do what I can for Athas, it is my home!"
"Very well, then. Let's not waste time!" Tahd
opens an ancient book, and with a blinding flash, Iduna finds herself in the city.
Iduna looks around slowly, her sparkling green eyes open
wide. Tall buildings surround her, the glass glittering cruelly in the sunlight. Moving slowly down a strange path made of a stone she has never seen before, humans dressed in odd types of clothing brush
rudely past her, all of them seeming to be in a hurry. The half-elf clutches her pack protectively close, her spell components at the ready. She stops suddenly, her heart pounding, as she sees many
moving objects, apparently some sort of strange creatures never seen in her days in Athas. She watches in amazement as one of the beasts draws close; it has humans caught inside! Realization dawns on her
as one of the beast's stops and the humans disgorge from its innards. She snickers as she realizes that the humans are using it for an inferior mode of travel. Making her way down the pavement again, she
searches for the runes that will lead her to her destination.
All around her people jabber furiously in a
foreign tongue, their faces hostile and angry. Strange smells and sights assault her senses. The moist, hot air, unbearable for one used to the dry desert, seems to cover her, smothering, making it hard
to breathe. The strange beasts emit foul odors from their rears, as if they had ingested spoiled kabak roots.
She soon realizes that she has lost all sense of
direction in this maze of stone. The buildings tower threateningly overhead, blocking her view of the alien sun. Her eyes search for the mysterious runes Tahd told her of. She sees them all around, but
none seem to point her in any particular direction. Choosing one at random, she follows it for a distance. Soon she becomes aware of a change in the terrain. The buildings, before so sparkling, now seem
desolate, abandoned. The ones that are occupied have colorful designs scripted on their exteriors in seemingly random patterns. She realizes that she is traveling further from the heart of the city, and
begins to retrace her path.
"This task is more difficult than I thought
it would be!" Iduna thinks in frustration. Yet the stalwart heroine travels on, not discouraged. The oppressive heat, scarcely bearable at first, begins draining the strength from the young
warrior's body. Although she has carefully retraced her steps, she does not recognize any of the landmarks around her.
"Tahd was right, there is strange magic here. It must
be like the teleportation rings at home that take you to other locations. How odd that I did not sense the magic working." Iduna muses as she walks along. Seeing more of the mystic signs, Iduna
chooses another direction. She feels time pass slowly, and although the stone of the path is hard, her feet begin to feel as if they are mired in mud.
After hours of endless journeying, she suddenly comes to a
humongous structure. All around are hung banners with the runes she has searched for, hanging limply in the humid air. Making her way to the building, Iduna enters it's interior. Once again she feels
overwhelmed by sights and sounds. The interior of the building is kept magically cool, and she breathes in relief in the darkened interior. She sees signs before her, unreadable, but the directing arrows
make it plain that this is the way she should go. They lead her to a huge antechamber, adorned with rows of purple raiment, to what purpose she can not decipher. A smiling attendant waits there, and
Iduna hands him the message that Tahd assured her would secure her entrance to the buildings' secrets. The human directs her to some sort of machines....
Pressing keys at random, the machine whirrs, and Iduna
steps away in alarm. Another attendant, sensing her discomfort, directs her to a stall where the merchant there hands her some sort of key. It is made of a hard substance -- shiny like glass, hard as
stone, yet strangely pliable. It too has strange runes on it. Taking the key, Iduna loops it on a string around her neck, in imitation of the other humans.
Following them, they lead her to a wondrous flight of
stairs, seeming to move silently of their own accord. Iduna hesitantly steps aboard, and clings tightly to its sides as it descends into the building's depths. Elation fills her as she realizes that she
grows closer to the completion of her mission.
Stepping carefully off the stairs, Iduna looks around her
in amazement. Brilliant lights flash and bedazzle. A cacaphony of loud sounds, laughter, chatter fill her ears. Smells of food assail her nostrils and her stomach rumbles as she realizes that she has not
eaten since long before her journey began. Wandering quickly through the throngs of people, Iduna stops only to take scrolls from the many stalls that line the great hall. All of the stalls contain more
of the strange machines that she saw upon arrival to the building. Many of them display disturbing, moving imagines in a manner that she can not possible fathom. Taking as many of the scrolls as she can,
one thought fills her mind.
"Soon enough I will be quit of this strange land and
back to the safety of Athas." Iduna thinks. A small chuckle escapes her when she realizes that never before had she thought of Athas as a haven.
"Perhaps this will be enough for Tahd." Iduna
looks about for a relatively quiet spot in all the confusion in which to concentrate. Spying a secluded corner, Iduna pushes through the masses and concentrates. As he receives the mind walk, Tahd once
again opens the ancient tome. With another flash, Iduna finds herself within the comfort of the bathhouse.
"Tahd, this is what I was able to find. I hope that it
meets your expectations," Iduna says as she hands him the bundle of scrolls.
"Excellent Iduna!" Tahd exclaims. " I am
most pleased by your work. Once again you have done Athas a great service."
Iduna blushes modestly, "it is something anyone would
do for their country. If you will please excuse me Tahd, I would like nothing more than to make my way to my humble abode. I am sure that you are anxious to examine these documents."
"Yes, yes, you are excused Iduna. I thank you once
again." Tahd's voice drops to a mutter as he begins immediately to examine the scrolls, anxious to begin the arduous task of deciphering the runes.
Iduna leaves quickly, making her way back to her
quarters in Tyr, relieved to have once again aided in the fight against the defilers.
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