Porpherio's Garden
by
Sage Wastrich Tychris
of Port Toli
541 CY
I have made the lands of the Sea Princes my home and my focus of study. In all of the Flanaess I can think of no place more exciting to explore and study. These lands were populated by many small Flannish kingdoms thousands of years ago of varying personality. The Suel migrated through these lands after the Rain of Colorless Fire. And then the Oerid began exploring these arid semi-inhabited lands many years after. Groups came and went, were destroyed or disappeared in the wilderness. I expect there are millions of unmarked graves and treasure carried by these unfortunates scattered throughout the lands. Tumbled towers, ruined castles and dilapidated forts some of which were only used for a couple of years exist decaying all over these lands built in times from the Stone Age to today. Each one has a story. All we need are the clues to reveal the tale.
These lands were not conquered until finally the settlers approached from the sea. I cannot suggest that The Hold is at all tamed today, but it is much more navigable than ever before. I've been taking advantage of this development to explore history. Many places I cannot go. Fell creatures inhabit the ruins and various historic locations. I have at times been forced to invite treasure hunters to rid the areas of pests without damaging the historical evidence. That's like asking a servant to clean your house without moving anything. It is near impossible.
I have had some success with a few mercenaries who were willing to bring back artifacts to be analyzed and catalogued before being spirited away and sold for ale. One can usually find amazing historic treasures in pawn shops, but without knowledge of where they were found they have no value to me. It is such a shame what knowledge Istus will take from us.
My latest journey took me to the island of Sybarate. I had heard stories of a very magical place located rather oddly in a very peaceful land. The people who live on Sybarate, in fact, go there quite often. I thought I would do some research and go check it out.
The place I am speaking of is known as Porpherio's Garden. Most nearly opposite Sybar on the southern coast of the island is a wondrous wonder. High on a grassy hill is reputedly a magical garden. Why reputedly? Because nobody can get in. Let me tell the story as Istus has revealed.
About two hundred years ago there was an orcish uprising from the Hool which brought a great orcish horde led by a powerful chief down upon many elvish settlements in what is now the Monmurg area. Any elves who did not stay and fight escaped via ships and relocated their communities all along the coast to the north and south. Many of the ships they escaped upon were passing merchant vessels who responded to distress signals while some were pirates and privateers looking for loot and slaves. At this point many elvish names and family lines have disappeared from history as they escaped from one tragedy and fell into another. Some went down with ships that perished at sea, some colonized lands already claimed by hostile tribes, disease, and other nameless horrors and some were tortured and murdered by their rescuers.
Caerwyn was a half-elven princess who ruled a small elven village on the Monmurg peninsula. Her mother was a queen of the high elven court on the peninsula and her father was a human hunter from Jawarl Avignon from many, many years before—remember elves' long lives. Caerwyn was not young at the time. In terms of a human life span she was entering her early thirties. She and a small group from her village escaped the invasion on a privately chartered boat, a boat chartered by Porpherio.
He was a wizard of little renown, yet some ability, and had hired the ship and its crew to take him to the remote south so he could live a life of solitude in a magic tower of his own definition. His full name was Porpherio Profoundeus, also just starting his early thirties and retreating from a shameful marriage in Gradsul wherein his wife's lover had challenged him to a duel for her love. Porpherio figured that if the man was so bold then he knew for whom his wife was wishing victory. Instead of slaying the rascal and having to face an unhappy wife and addressing all of the middle class gossip associated with his station he chose to just leave them to live their small lives of betrayal and unnecessary complexity. He expressed his indignation at the turn of events, but would not at the time reveal how hurt he really was. He chose a stiff upper lip and a fast ship to deal with his troubles.
Porpherio did not realize at the time that he hired one of the lesser ships from the navy of the infamous piratical forefathers of our current illustrious nation. They were quite willing to take a single unarmed man of means far south into their hive where he wouldn't know anything was amiss until it was too late. They were confident he would be a dead man.
As they traveled along the coast heading south, they saw many signal fires to bring in passing ships. Porpherio wanted to investigate, as did the pirates, since he was paying for their services. The sailors figured they could find a way to profit from this eventuality too. When they saw the elves on the beach, the sailors became very interested in offering them a ride. Elven maidens were very desirable to have and since elves don't usually accept help from humans, this was a perfect opportunity. They took aboard ten elven men and women including Caerwyn. The sailors were only willing to bring this many along citing size of the ship and its hold full with Porpherio's belongings. In their haste the elves gratefully accepted the ride. The boat left the shore and the pirates became very excited. Too excited.
Being already so close to the pirate hide-out, the captain steered the boat out to sea to allow himself and his men some time to enjoy the spoils of the voyage before the pirate leader at Fairwind claimed all of the "booty" for himself. He told Porpherio that he had to set out to open water to circumvent some hazardous currents near the coast. Now, if one looks at a map of where the elves were picked up on the Monmurg peninsula and then finds the end point of Sybarate Isle, it is apparent that the captain made quite a circuit to avoid Fairwind and must have intended to reach Fairwind from the south and in the morning. This would have also meant that great care in navigation was taken all through the night to arc back to the pirate base. The wind also must have kept them at a rapid clip for them to have arrived at Sybarate when they did. In any case, Porpherio was not suspicious. The elves were given a separate room away from Porpherio's so as not to disturb him during the night.
That night the pirates' lust got the better of them and they lost control of the situation. The pirates crept into the elves' room and quickly overcame the refugees, binding and gagging them at dagger point. For the next several hours the sailors revelled in their sadistic pleasures as they beat the elven men and raped and tortured the women at their leisure. The entertainment reached a climax when one sailor removed a woman's gag so he could hear her cry and beg for mercy better, but the fun came to a frantic and terrible end when she began screaming. Panicked, the pirates began to murder the elves in desperation. Porpherio heard the screaming and went to investigate. In minutes, all of the pirates were dead, however, the pirates in their savagery had butchered all but Caerwyn. Acting fast, Porpherio went to the captain's cabin and recovered the maps and logbook. From the book he learned who his chauffeurs actually were and from the maps he learned that the ship was very near the pirate stronghold. Porpherio knew immediately that the ship had to disappear and that he and this terrified elven woman had to escape to the nearest land. In his memoirs, the veracity of which is still in doubt, Porpherio describes this energy charged situation as a moment of clarity. His body and mind functioned together to slay the pirates, learn of their treachery, collect his imperative belongings and flee the boat. He grabbed his spellbooks and a few important items threw them in a sack and prepared his departure. The sack was thrust into Caerwyn's hands and she was told to "Hold this as our lives depend on it, for they do." Porpherio cast a fly spell, picked her up, and shot off the boat firing two fireballs behind, which utterly destroyed the ship.
Critics of Porpherio's memoirs take exception to this part of the story because of his seemingly impossible talent of carrying off a maiden, concentrating on his flight, and shooting fireballs "apparently from his ass." Careful analysis of his writing shows many times he does not need to use somatic components for his castings. He was a mentalist. His mind performed the somatic gestures required of those spells which required such components and the energy found the material components needed nearby, usually on his person, and consumed them. This may also help explain his green thumb and desire to grow herbs because mentalist magic does tend to use more material reagents per casting. He needed to have lots of stuff available to him.
The first land they spied was, of course, Sybarate. When they landed, Porpherio had no intention of staying there to build his new home. He remembered the captain's map and knew that all of the islands in the area were crawling with pirates. He figured he would be constantly fighting to defend his home. At the time, however, he needed to find shelter and rest, so he and Caerwyn could decide their next course of action. He found a damp cave at the base of a grassy hill they could hide in and after he killed all of the resident predators living there, oozes and enormous spiders, they were able to rest the night and the next day.
Porpherio tried to talk to Caerwyn about what she was going to do now, but she was generally unresponsive, still traumatized by her ordeal. The wizard was nervous about their situation; he knew they had to keep moving for danger was going to find them, but Caerwyn was in no condition to travel, and he did not feel it would be appropriate to push her. He never thought of just leaving though. She needed to be brought to safety.
After several days, Porpherio caught a chill from living in the damp cave. He was sneezing and congested and miserable. They relocated to the top of the hill and spent the day in the sun drying out. The top of the hill was found to be far preferable. There was a clear lake, a sweet spring, several streams, and much wild food to be picked and eaten. Caerwyn's spirits brightened in this new setting and she set about to building herself a small lean-to. Porpherio found he was on his own for Caerwyn kept her distance, and he did not have any idea how to build a shelter. He had to sleep in a small muddy hole in a hollow log. This was upsetting to him since he had saved her life and was trying to be helpful. She was just behaving rudely. Their proximity to the pirates continued to make Porpherio antsy. They were still in a danger zone, he was uncomfortable in this wholly rustic setting, and his spellbooks were getting wet and ruined. That was very, very bad. Caerwyn seemed content to spend the day gathering berries and roots and swimming and exploring. She was entirely ignorant of Porpherio's concerns.
Finally, Porpherio confronted her with his dirty, mildewed, bedraggled self and said—as chronomancers have recorded:
"OK, I've had enough. We've got to get away from here. I can't live in a log any more."
"Fine. Go. I've decided this will be my new home. Nobody asked you to stay."
"You can't stay here. You didn't see the map. This whole area is the pirates' base. Do you remember the pirates?"
"I'll hide from them."
"They will find you and they will kill you. Do you want to die?"
She didn't answer and just turned and walked away.
He shouted after her, "Well, I'm leaving! You're on your own! I'm not waiting around to see the end of this story!" It began to rain suddenly and heavily. "I've done enough waiting and being treated like crap! I'm gone … as soon as it stops raining!"
It rained hard for three days. Porpherio's illness became more severe as fever set in. He languished in delirium in his log for five days. When he woke, he was on a bed of soft grass inside a small hut. There was a small fire in the center slowly cooking a fish.
When Caerwyn returned to her hut and saw he was awake, she said sharply, "As soon as you are healthy you can fly off my island."
He was going to be appreciative for her care, but suddenly he didn't feel that way anymore. "Sure thing, princess. I've got my own castle to build on the mainland. You can stay here in your little hut."
"Oh, a castle. That's quite a project for someone who was sleeping in a log two nights ago. Are you going to build it yourself? There's nobody else this far south except brigands and savages."
"I was told there were plenty of settlers this far south."
"Who told you that?"
Porpherio thought for a moment and realized his source on this information was also his source on the transportation.
Caerwyn added, "Besides, didn't all of your money sink with the ship?"
Porpherio stomped about holding his head saying, "No, no, no, no …"
Caerwyn continued, "Though I witness your consternation, if you can behave with such exaggerations, then I will have to ask you to leave my island."
Porpherio almost exploded. He never hated women more than at that moment. He held back though.
"Well, since you know I have no money, may I pay for my stay in your land, princess, by performing necessary tasks in your kingdom while I consider my next actions?"
"For the time being. Let me draw up a list for you."
On the inside cover of one of his books she scribed an extensive list of home improvements. He began them immediately, but not being very handy with labor and design, Caerwyn had to teach him how to complete many of the tasks. Many days passed as he made fishnets, baskets, cleared trails, built a boat, chased away dangerous creatures and more, all the while with Caerwyn and him crabbing at each other incessantly. After a month, he begged Caerwyn to help him make a hut for himself. She relented and when it was done, it was bigger than her hut. She said it was unacceptable that his hut be larger than the royal palace, so she commissioned him to aid her in making additions to her hut. After two months their hill top paradise started looking like a royal garden or hunting grounds. All the while, Porpherio was waiting for the pirates to come.
The pirates, in their early years, were generally quite busy. With all of the mutinies and power grabs among captains let alone maintaining the piratic pressure on trade lanes just to keep supplies available for survival, the pirates didn't notice the two castaways on Sybarate for quite some time. When they finally saw a small spiral of smoke rising from the top of the hill, their interest was piqued, but when they looked in their spy glasses and saw huts and other sundry structures on the hill they figured that anyone confident enough to live in their territory should be left alone. They gave the coast of Sybarate Island a wide berth.
After around five months of constant nagging anxiety about when they would be discovered and killed, Porpherio had to act. He prepared his most potent offensive magic and flew out to the next passing ship. He hovered over the deck, flung an arm out to point at the island and said, "That is my home! If anyone dares trespass, I will destroy them and send their souls to Hell!"
The sailors looked at the same time nervous and confused since this was a rare occasion when they were doing nothing wrong. This was a rather strange introduction even for pirates. The nearest one spoke. "OK. Sure. Maybe you'd like to talk to the captain."
Porpherio hadn't thought that far in advance, but he had to keep up the appearance of being in control. "Why, yes! Of course. Get him."
The captain was a reasonable fellow with direct access to the pirate leaders. He and Porpherio came to terms rather quickly without revealing any personal information on either side. The first agreement they made was a pact of non-aggression which both sides were eager to make since both were terrified of the other.
Then came a turning point that totally defined Porpherio's future. The captain offered him a job in the employ of the pirate leaders. Benefits included sumptuous living arrangements, fully stocked and growing research facilities and library, very good food, women, and various other amenities. Porpherio thought about it. A whole new life with possibilities unfolded before him. It was very tempting to adopt a new rich and powerful lifestyle. The captain was waiting for an answer.
Two things kept him from joining them. The first was his previous experience of them as cruel and ensanguined brutes who searched for opportunities to quench their thirst for atrocity upon the helpless. He knew he did not have to be that way, but he wasn't sure he wanted to be around it either. The second reason was Caerwyn. She was defenseless on the island. Even though she was a bickering, squabbling harpy, after five months he liked his new home, and he felt that he had to protect her. So he declined the offer. It probably saved his life.
Porpherio would not have been the first wizard the pirates had hired. There were many before, but the pirates, being largely undisciplined warriors, were quite intimidated by wizards. They loved having a wizard on their side, but eventually the wizard would disagree on some point with the pirate leaders and the pirates would immediately have the wizard assassinated before disagreement became rebellion. The reason they could do this was that the wizards were in the pirates' house. They got to know the wizards' and their weaknesses, and the pirates could deal with the wizards on their own terms. On the other hand, the pirates wouldn't oppose anything they didn't understand. The mystery would terrify them.
So when Porpherio declined the offer he put them at arms' length. He kept the relationship with them in business terms only. Shortly after his first encounter, he negotiated a trade agreement. Since he had no money, he offered his services in naval battles against Keoish warships which were starting to cruise further south to address the pirate threat. Porpherio refused to aid in any raids on trade vessels. In return, the pirates provided building supplies, food, tools, and occasionally items for magic-users such as spellbooks which they could not use. His fireballs kept the Keoish navy out of the southern seas and the pirates continued to respect and fear him even more. But Porpherio never made any demands other than to stay off of his island, and the pirates never became so bold as to think him less than a business associate. They tried to get him to join them for victory celebrations. The captains would engage him in personal conversations. They wanted to get to know him. Porpherio realized that if they knew more about his life, if he seemed more human, he would be less of a threat and he would become a target. He became so deft at avoiding their inquiries some thought he was a demon. It got to the point where he wouldn't even take a piss in front of them. But this relationship was strong because of a mutual fear and terrible respect they each had of the other. The pirates were too afraid of upsetting this powerful denizen of their abode, and Porpherio knew very well that if they chose to attack, the pirates could take the island and kill him and Caerwyn without breaking a sweat. It was a tough spot. Porpherio had to keep both the relationship and the bluff with the pirates to survive.
Now, look what all of this means to history. Without Porpherio's aid in the early years the pirates would not have had the opportunity to settle their differences and organize themselves into a potent fighting force to oppose Keoland when that nation became a threat. Without Porpherio there would be no Sea Princes. I'm sure Porpherio wouldn't have cared. He was just trying to survive in a new and more vicious world. His trade with the pirates, however, produced one of the most fantastic and mysterious places in the world.
Porpherio and Caerwyn stayed on the island for many years slowly turning their rustic home into a garden of delights. Caerwyn knew that Porpherio was working with the pirates, and she hated the arrangement, but her life was getting better by the day through the transactions the wizard made. She turned a blind eye to these developments as long as none of them came to dinner.
Caerwyn designed her garden and nurtured all of the beautiful plants. She focused her time on elven favorites like ash, elm, birch, and oak trees and she loved roses of all kinds and colors. In time, faerie creatures of many types were attracted to the garden where they became permanent residents. These new "subjects" of Caerwyn's pocket nation became the guardians and helped build it further. With Porpherio's acquisitions they built bridges of stone and homes for the creatures and began plans for construction of a house in the middle of the lake. Porpherio became amazed at the animals, centaurs, and faeries coming to join them in their garden. He welcomed them all and they became lifelong friends.
In time, all old wounds healed. Caerwyn put aside her terrible past and her lost peoples. One day, she looked up and saw Porpherio. He was physically lifting the stones, that would eventually be the lake house, upon a cart pulled by one of the centaurs. He had cast his load lifting spell and had transported a quarter of the great blocks to the lake shore when he had lost it from his memory. Frustrated and not willing to lose daylight hours to restudy, he was using his own finely developing back and arms to heave the stones into the cart. He worked furiously, yet carefully so as not to scratch the delicate white, moving the great pile of blocks for the rest of the day with a single minded determination all the while with the centaur commenting wryly on the wizard's impressive magical skill. Later she knew he would come to her and tell her with great excitement how he would complete the house and his ideas for further projects before he joined the centaurs for a few cups of their wine and went to his cottage to rest for the new day. He was an extraordinary man, and he had become a wonderful friend.
Caerwyn spent her days tending the garden designing, decorating, and repairing her home and visiting with the garden inhabitants. Porpherio was such a busy body, though, and he began using his magic to aid the plants' growth and perform all of the repairs. She had nothing but free time. She really began to feel like royalty and she was content to be in her garden with her forest friends and with constant improvements sprouting up all about.
Porpherio was so happy and excited about everything when in the garden. He rushed about not realizing that he was doing everything there. What's more, he didn't care. The work was wonderful fun. Sometimes Caerwyn would join him for the day trying to help out, but his energy and excitement were too much for her to keep up with. His enjoyment for life kept him from thinking about his life and what he was doing. He didn't want to do research, he didn't want to become powerful and wealthy, he didn't want to exact vengeance upon his first wife, he forgot all about his old life. All he wanted to do was build the lake house, and find the right spell to create the roof, and then move on to the next thing. His memoirs indicate this. He was totally absorbed, yet not obsessed, into turning the garden into a paradise on Oerth for his friends. Caerwyn was in his thoughts. He loved her, but he did not pine or worry and he was not jealous. She had become his best friend and he was simply happy to do things for her.
The lake house went up quickly. On the day of the unveiling, Porpherio gathered all of their friends together on the shore and announced, "Finally, our wondrous princess has a palace that befits her nobility." He dropped the blur screen revealing a beautiful white house with a clear yet frosty roof. The cheers went up and Porpherio instructed two enormous eagles to retrieve the fine furniture that the garden denizens had made and bring it to the palace. Caerwyn was so grateful tears of joy flowed freely. Porpherio picked her up like he did years before and sailed through the air to the house. He reassured her that a boat would be the regular method of transport but that day was special. It was a simple building of three large rooms, one per level, and Caerwyn was excitedly shown about. When the tour was done, he hurried about arranging the fine furniture where she desired but in the middle of this new project, Caerwyn threw up her hands and demanded that he sit down and rest. He protested, but she pushed him down into the soft chair and announced that the remainder of the day would be devoted to relaxation, conversation, and the eating of toasted cheese sandwiches (Porpherio mentioned once that he had friends that could cook their food with little trouble).
Caerwyn was also quite disturbed that Porpherio had built her this fine home and he was still in a hut. The day after the unveiling, she had the eagles move some of his furniture over to the lake house. When Porpherio discovered this, he was confused but Caerwyn said, "Mr. Profoundeus, surely you must know that a princess cannot be too far from her finest and most trusted advisor, especially through the night."
From here on, we suspect that Porpherio and Caerwyn's relationship changed, but there is no indication of this in primary sources. There is no wedding mentioned. Chronomancers have verified the sexual element began at this time. To everyone they met, however, they explained their relationship as merely very friendly. I think this was a strategy Porpherio insisted upon for survival with the pirates. Nobody could ever say he had a family. Nobody could ever say he had a love, a weakness the pirates could exploit.
Meanwhile, the pirates themselves were changing. They were adopting civilization. One thing that changed was that they were no longer attacking any ship that approached their waters. They began to discriminate their targets and release boarded vessels with the remittance of a passage fee. They also began inviting mercenaries, political dissidents, specialists of various fields, and nobles of dubious honor to their tables in an effort at recruitment. They were in the early stages of their big push that would come in about twenty years. What this meant to Caerwyn and Porpherio was a greater variety of people, some with more agreeable temperaments, who might be stimulating dinner guests. It was their presence in the region that lead some historians to call the wizard First-Prince since he was the true respectable dignitary that most emissaries thought was at all redeemable in the territory. Most Holders, however, find the characterization woefully inaccurate because Porpherio was never a member of the government that eventually became the Confederated Hold. He was merely an attraction that fortunately gave their guests the sense that not everything on the islands was wild.
Guests to Sybarate were by invitation only. Comers to Sybarate unannounced were immediately neutralized, loaded back into their boats asleep, and set adrift. The pirates tried to warn others, "Don't go to Sybarate! You'll get fucked!" but sometimes the mystery was too much for people to ignore.
Some guests that were invited to the garden were notably Velunese, Furyondian, and Kettite dignitaries, many artists, and the elven bard Dervin and his warrior companion Braynil. From Porpherio's writings, we know many of their guests provided news of the world and told of the growing Keoish empire. For the most part, this news was merely interesting and not alarming because their position was completely non-partisan, which is why they enjoyed Dervin and Braynil's company the most. These two were known throughout the lands south and west of Greyhawk as traveling jackanapes who were artistic, refined, and extremely charming. They worked for private interests and the growing Sea Princes were the greatest private interest at the time. We suspect that they and their freebooter friends at one time or another were employed as agents against Keoland during this period. Caerwyn and Porpherio thought they were just traveling musicians and rascals who were fine company as they were intelligent, well-traveled, and generally opposed to politics of any kind, except as material for songs, satire, and gossip. Even the other garden inhabitants had a raucous time with them. Whenever Dervin and Braynil stopped by, which they did whenever in the area, everyone knew a crazy party would ensue.
With this growing social life, Porpherio decided that the princess and her advisor needed a bigger, more opulent palace. Through the course of a year Porpherio tinkered, built, and made some deals with various persons and creatures to finish the palace. The palace was stunning, but despite there being many invited guests within its halls, there are no eyewitness accounts. Important guests would be invited to attend balls or discussions, or musical gatherings and though they would remember the people and conversation, they could not recall the palace at all. This is not particularly surprising since guests, when they arrived within the garden, would find themselves becoming drowsy and overcome by sleep. When they woke again they would be in the garden, but they would have fresh memories of fine food and a jovial smiling man in colorful robes with a beautiful, radiant woman beside him. They remembered conversations and music but not one door, not one flagstone, could be remembered. The beautiful woman, who we assume was Caerwyn, became known as the Dream Princess. Visitors to Porpherio's Garden often did not return despite the fond memories because the events were too unsettling. As the Marquis FenLaBeau of Veluna once said to a count in the council, "Oh, it's a beautiful place and they are wonderful people. If you are invited, mon ami, you should go, but I shall not return. I do not want to be pulled along by my dreams again."
We know Caerwyn and Porpherio did not entertain everyone in their new palace. Dervin and Braynil preferred the Garden and the rustic realness of the lake house, now a shack belittled by the grandeur of the palace behind it. They got on well with all of the garden inhabitants and they felt no need to be confined in a "stuffy, old palace." On occasion they would bring a friend who would likewise be welcome. One time they brought with them a dark skinned man who was named Frentese. He was from the far west. He was a poet, a swordsman, and according to Dervin a great lover of women. Dervin would sing a little song about how Frentese was master of all of the mighty weapons—the pen, the sword, and the tongue.
Porpherio never wrote about Frentese's visit to the Garden. Chronomancers, take your grain of salt here, examined the empty time slot of his journals and found this story that roughly encompasses a week.
Porpherio and Caerwyn joined their guests in the garden for a week. During that time Frentese extended his charms to Caerwyn and she was quite receptive. She loved the playful attention, but she was quite prudent in her behaviour especially since Porpherio was always very near. Frentese was not so overt as to snub Porpherio from the entertainments, but Frentese was always questioning about their lives in the garden and how they lived together.
Finally, at an evening meal in the lake house, Frentese became blunt.
"Porpherio, al sidiqi, I must ask and this question should not cause offense since the truthful answer is a fact that both you and I must respect as a good thing because you chose it and so we can tip our glasses to it. Tell me, are you betrothed to Caerwyn?"
The table went silent. Dervin caught with a mouthful, stopped chewing, dropped his knife, and coughed a little. Braynil's mouth went slack and his eyes got big. Caerwyn lowered her eyes to her plate and a mixture of fear and embarrassment fluttered across her lips. Porpherio looked up undisturbed, smiled coldly, and answered:
"Why no, al sidiqi, we are not so conjoined. We are just very good friends. The protection we have here afforded by reason remains necessarily unclouded by love."
Caerwyn's eyes sank lower as she reached for her glass which would aid her in hiding her face. Frentese's smile split his face wide showing happy teeth. He spoke with gaiety:
"Well then. I see the princess is eager for the toast." He hoisted his glass high and said, "Yes, to the protection that freedom from love affords."
Porpherio raised his glass with an aggressive salute while Dervin and Braynil looked back and forth between Caerwyn and Porpherio, hesitant to do anything, shocked by things unfolding before them. Lex the Timekeeper described Dervin's expression as "positively horrified." They slowly joined the toast.
"In addition, let me give a gift of love to the fair princess." He retrieved a small exotically designed metal box from a pocket of his fancy cloak. He opened it and delicately plucked a ring from within it. It was a plain dull grey metal with a small blue crystal atop it. "In my travels over the mountains to the west I found this rare metal and strange crystal in the Sulhaut Mountains. Both are as rare and beautiful as Princess Caerwyn as the elements of this ring can only be found in one mystical place upon the world as is true of the Princess herself. I had this fashioned for this moment in time to give in honor to beauty and love. Please, take this gift and wear it for the day when I return from my journeys when I can reclaim my ring and the woman who wears it."
She hesitated.
"Please, this is but a gift of time I give to you, to wear this ring and think of me which is a gift you give to me of memory and consideration. When I return you may return the ring and I will understand the meaning with no further words. But I am sure I will have you as my own. And maybe such will be true even if I do not return."
She smiled politely, took the ring from Frentese's hand, looked at Porpherio with a cold sadness, and slid the ring onto her finger. Frentese clapped his hands together with joy and flashed a toothsome smile at the other men. He was overjoyed.
Caerwyn stood up quietly, looked down at the celebrating Baklunish scalawag and said, "Yes, then I will tell you what I think when you return, and let us see if it is true that absence does make the heart grow fonder … starting immediately." And she left without another word, her demeanor as frosted as the roof above.
Frentese got up to relieve himself outside in the lake. Braynil sipped at his wine shaking his head and glaring at Porpherio. Dervin began pummeling Porpherio with his hat demanding to know what got into him and how he could be such a bastard. Porpherio raised his hands to protect his head from the punishing hat all the while making worthless excuses.
Braynil spoke then with familiar sincerity, "P-man, you better shut up before Dervin composes a song about this. Besides, I think we've all heard enough." Braynil stood up patted Dervin on the shoulder and said, "C'mon, Derv, let's get the happy guy out there back to camp before he falls in the lake. We're leaving tomorrow morning, Porpherio. We'll stop by on our way back again to see how you both are doing … without Frentese. Thanks again for the hospitality."
As they departed Dervin was heard to say, "Oh, man, he is so sleeping on the couch tonight." Braynil nodded.
Porpherio sat quietly thinking. The damage was done.
Caerwyn had never felt so betrayed in all her life. She had known difficulty, adversity, terror … but all of these things paled beside Porpherio's heartless admission. She knew he had a reason for his statement, but that did not matter in the face of years of devotion to each other. For her, it was time for everyone in the world to know that they were in love. She didn't care if bad things would follow.
She kept Frentese's ring. Porpherio insisted on doing some divinations and found it to be non-magical, unpoisoned, or harmful in any way and generally unexceptional. Even the materials were cheap in appearance and the craftsmanship looked hurried. Porpherio figured that the whole ring giving event was a practiced show to enamour women and he felt sure that Frentese had a sack of duplicates in his pack. The fact that Frentese never returned vindicated Porpherio in his own mind that he was correct.
Caerwyn was not impressed. She had not spent one minute thinking about the greasy, Baklunish weasel. She only thought of Porpherio and how she wished he understood. She kept the ring to remind him of that evening. He continued his busy life of projects and things to excite his Princess, always trying to do something better than before to please her. She played the role of being excited and appreciative of all of his works, but she was more aloof now with the knowledge she had of his careless heart. Years went by and he didn't even notice that she was dying.
One day, Porpherio commented that he thought her ears were getting longer. She looked at him sideways and said, "You're the magic-user. You tell me what's wrong with that statement." He laughed and put it out of his mind. She didn't want to tell him she was losing her hair.
It became undeniable in a month's time and she was completely bald one month later. Neither of them could explain it. Nothing in their lives had changed in many years. He began to search for an explanation. He suspected it was a magical illness brought on by their magically enhanced home, but he didn't know how that could be, especially since he was entirely unaffected. When she became ill and found it difficult to eat, he became frantic. He took drastic measures.
Porpherio went to the pirates and offered his services in full on the condition that he could keep all books found on the vessels. The pirates were quite content with that arrangement. They hadn't realized that they were now in league with a desperate spellcaster. When he was with a ship, the pirates attacked every ship they encountered. Porpherio would attack ships even before the captain decided it was prudent. When he still hadn't found what he was searching for, he urged the pirates to go further north. If Porpherio had his way he would have gone into Keoish waters and waged war on Gradsul, but the pirates refused even at risk of angering the mad mage.
Porpherio became an unstoppable force. When he attacked a ship he would throw all the crew overboard, smoke out those below decks and go straight to searching the boat. He would take what he was looking for and relinquish the rest to the pirates. Needless to say, many innocent, even defenseless, people died during these onslaughts and Porpherio was the primary practitioner of this mayhem. He only cared about one thing. He knew he was running out of time. And then he realized that he already knew how to do something about that.
Back in the garden, Caerwyn was rapidly deteriorating. On days when she did get out of bed, she would walk in the garden with the garden creatures. With each passing day, she grew weaker. Sores appeared upon her face and hands that burst and became infected. As she lost weight and her flesh grew thinner, strange lumps became apparent all over her chest, arms, and legs. Her life was lived in pain. Near the end she began coughing violently often expelling blood and lung. It was clear that whatever disease was killing her was tearing her apart and it was doing it faster as time progressed.
She loved her friends in the garden dearly, but she wanted Porpherio with her. She knew he had gone off on a quest to save her. While most would say it was terribly romantic what he did, she would not have agreed. When she needed him with her he was off being a hero. She was scared. She didn't need a hero. She needed him with her before she died.
When Porpherio returned, he had to search for Caerwyn. He found her in the cave beneath the hill where they first hid the night of their escape from the pirate ship. Several years before, as one of his many projects, Porpherio had dug out an observation room behind the waterfall located at the back of the cave. He would create dancing lights in the cave that would shimmer and reflect off of everything in the room. They furnished the observation room and sometimes there they would entertain guests.
Porpherio found her laying upon the couch in agony just watching the cascading water. Only the cool beauty of the water was keeping her alive now. When he arrived, she did not take notice until he fell to his knees, clasped her hand, and looked into her weakening gaze.
She smiled a thin little smile and rasped out, "Porpherio, you've come."
He looked at her desperately and said, "Yes, but there is little time."
"You are right. There is but the barest moments remaining."
He stood up. "No, there is all the time we need, my love. I must complete the incantation …"
"Oh, bother the incantation. Stop fussing this instant and sit down and enjoy the water. You've been on your crusade for too long. We've been apart too long."
"But I've been with the pirates trying to find a cure for you."
"Did you ask me if that's what I … wait, did you say you were with the pirates? Did you sacrifice your honor …?"
"I was searching for a cure. I did it for you."
"No, damn it. You did it for yourself. I never would have you work with the pirates for me. I would never ask you to sacrifice your good heart when I could have it near me in my last days. I hope you can live with yourself because I won't have to."
Porpherio pleaded, "Caerwyn, let me help you. I still can."
"Porpherio, you've wasted enough of our time doing what you thought was best. Right now, there is only one thing you can do: sit down, hold me, and enjoy the damned water."
He gave up and sat down upon the couch and put his arms around her. There they sat in the quiet sound of rushing water completing one perfect moment after the next.
Finally, Caerwyn spoke through the aqueous drone and said to Porpherio, "Here, do something with this. I don't want it anymore." and she placed in his palm Frentese's ring.
Porpherio smiled and tucked it away into a pocket and then they both drifted off to sleep: her for the last time. When he woke and saw her, he began mumbling through his tears as he placed her body in repose. He stood up, such anguish upon his face, and then … that is all we know from the chronomancers.
For those who don't know, chronomancers who are deep time delvers are like solo big game hunters. Their lives are exciting and action filled as they hunt down the next big mystery; when should I look for the next clue? how can I approach the time frame to get a clear understanding? when have I gone too far? And, just like solo hunters, if you do it long enough, it's going to get you.
Being friendly with many time stalkers myself, I know that they get drawn in to the excitement of coming home with another major mystery solved. They get a charge out of being the first explorer to an unrecorded historical event. Why, then, don't we have every moment in time recorded? Chronomancers are rare because of the required discipline and intellect, and chronomancers often don't come back from their explorations. In time stalker circles they call this "dead." It's hard telling what exactly happens to them since they disappear and nobody knows why, but no chronomancer who has become "dead" has ever returned.
Time magicians know the hazards of stalking. Temporal distortions or spatial manipulations, powerful magical emanations of divine or arcane origin, positive or negative energy leaks, some divinations … these are all known dangers for stalkers. If a chronomancer is watching events in a room and then someone enters the scene through a dimensional rift, the time stalker is fucked. Individuals today who want to keep their privacy carry a bag of holding or cast blink spells at random intervals. This is a recent practice. Chronomancers don't like to investigate current events because of this. So there are mysteries that won't ever be solved because some temporal booby traps are so unexpected that chronomancers keep getting picked off before they can come back and report on safe zones in a given time frame.
The mystery of Porpherio's Garden is such a time frame. Eight time stalkers we know of were lost to the event of Caerwyn's death. Gellum was the one who completed the story as far as it is known and thus ended the game of "temporal chicken" with this time frame. Nobody wants to go deeper there. Everyone seems satisfied that that point is the time to get out. And because Porpherio instigated some incredible changes in the next year to how it is now, no chronomancers even consider going there as they assume it is a "death zone," i.e., you go there and are immediately ganked.
So let me just say, though I respect the brave chronomancers as they have given me invaluable morsels for my understanding of historical events, I will continue on where they do not as I do not need magic to tell a story.
From the time of Caerwyn's death, Porpherio all but disappeared. There were no more dinner parties, he did not work with the pirates again, and he did not allow anyone to come near his hill. By now some of the pirates had settled down into minor fishing villages on the other side of the island, but they knew to steer clear of the mad wizard. The first noticeable thing that happened, though, was that the river which flowed from the cave beneath the hill and down into the sea stopped running and the bed dried up. About five months later the whole palace disappeared from the hilltop. Nobody saw it disappear, but nobody claimed to notice a palace flying away either.
Eventually, Dervin stopped by the island to check on his friend. He knew Caerwyn was dead and he knew that Porpherio took it hard, but he didn't expect what he saw as he beached his little boat. Porpherio came flying down from the hilltop to greet his old friend. When Dervin saw him, he could tell that Porpherio was wasting away now too. He was completely bald, his skin was pale and slack, and he carried a handkerchief to wipe away the blood that would occasionally trickle from his nose. Dervin knew he would die soon too. Porpherio still greeted Dervin with a smile, though, and explained he could only visit for a short time as he had many works ahead yet uncompleted. He would not permit Dervin to stay as he did not want anyone else to fall ill. Dervin understood, they chatted, and then Dervin said he would return with help in a few days as he had a powerful new patron. Porpherio said that he may have something to show them too when they return.
If you're curious about Braynil, then I can tell you he settled down in Celene with a beautiful elven maiden and helped the elven folk fight in the ongoing struggle of the Hateful Wars. More information can surely be had from a Celenese scholar.
When Dervin returned, he brought with him a Prince and his entourage. Porpherio met them on the beach, but he was already familiar with Prince Cato. Cato looked at the rotting man before him and produced a vial. He claimed it was a cure for all ills. Cato offered Porpherio a deal, the curative potion for the island including the garden. Porpherio said he wouldn't accept that offer, but he was prepared to bargain. He reached in his mouth and effortlessly twisted out one of his own teeth and offered it in exchange for the vial. Cato was not shocked, horrified, or even angry. He simply tucked the vial away and began walking back to his boat.
Porpherio asked him to wait because he had something to show him. Dervin rushed to Cato tapping him vigorously on the shoulder and turning the Prince to face the hill. What Porpherio did then was say a few sharp syllables and a crown of mist rose upon the top of the hill. It slowly dissipated as Porpherio explained that now nobody could enter Princess Caerwyn's garden except him. He need not bargain anything and no pirate would enter his home … ever. Cato shrugged and waved his hand dismissively as he turned to his boat. Cato was never willing to address dramatic performances and regardless of Porpherio's power, he would not be excited by the overdone demonstrations of a mortal man. He didn't get to be a leader of a people by responding to fantastic shows.
Porpherio went to Dervin to say goodbye to his friend forever. As they parted, Dervin tossed Porpherio the vial and Porpherio accepted it with the comment that he still might have a use for it. Porpherio flew away and that is the last recorded event of Porpherio Profoundeus in life. Since then he has passed into legend.
Being so near such an incredible unnatural wonder as Porpherio's Garden, the residents over the years have pressed their luck. If you walk up the hill to the garden, you will find a mist rising gently before you. At the top you will find an invisible barrier before the wall of mist, so you cannot see into it and you cannot pass into it. Magicians have tried to fly over the wall, but they've found that it covers the entirety of the garden and digging under it reveals the same fact. Though it cannot be seen for sure, it has been suggested that it is roughly egg shaped and utterly impenetrable. Magic does virtually nothing. On one occasion, Dargo the Barrier Breaker came to Sybar claiming he would crack "Porpherio's egg." He went to the wall with many locals in audience to witness the event. Dargo cast a concentrated, continuous, greenish beam of light at the wall almost like he was attempting to drill a hole. After a couple of minutes a great rip appeared in the wall showing within a myriad of bright colors and flashing lights. Then, it was almost as if his green beam became a lariat which pulled him into the rift and the gap closed. It happened in the blink of an eye. The people seemed contented with this result as well as any other and they quietly went home. Dargo was gone, never to return.
So the preferred method of entrance to the garden is said to be the cave beneath the hill. Shortly after Porpherio's disappearance, some of the locals were known to have gone in. Some never returned. The one's that did return said that there was a fantastic cave of echoes that contained an oracle. I've been there myself.
The cavern is a marvelous glassy, black cathedral. The slightest sound is increased and repeated many times around the room. My guide warned me only to whisper for loud noises have been known to harm individuals. Upon the floor inlaid neatly in white marble is the word "ASK." My guide also warned me against making any requests unless I be willing to be judged and suffer the penalties of an angry oracle. Apparently, not everyone is granted the permission to seek the oracle. I asked who had success with the oracle and he said that mostly the shepherds, fishermen, and townsfolk find it beneficial. The mayor or the Prince did not have positive experiences with the oracle. That this is the work of Porpherio I have no doubt, but why would he make such a cave? I cannot puzzle it out.
The rest of the cave seemed too hostile for them to continue, but since some people did not return, everyone is certain there must be a way into the garden. It is also considered certain that those individuals are inside living a life of bliss and luxury. I think they were eaten, but you can't convince a Sybaran of that.
Professionals have gone in too, though. The first organized expedition to plunder the treasure of the Garden Wizard was led by Janis Kael, daughter to the Bastard Prince of the Hool. There is a saying, "Cruelty begets cruelty," and this was quite true in this case. She learned much from her father, the meanest Prince of the bunch, and this was how she controlled her troupe, but, then, she had to since they were just a pack of bloodthirsty jackals. Janis knew that Porpherio had invited many renowned artists into the garden to do work for him. Her plan was to liberate those pieces and cash them in for a life of leisure since she knew she would never be a Prince. That distinction would go to her younger brother. Her group was about twenty strong of varied abilities and talents. Not one of them returned. Porpherio's Garden did the world a favor.
The next group was much smaller and of a better temperament. The leader was a friendly fellow with the uncanny ability to predict the weather, a warrior from Bissel named Lanier. By this time the people of Sybarate had adopted Porpherio as a folk hero and were very protective of the garden. The garden was their special blessing. So, when Lanier came and professed his intentions to enter the garden, the people warned him of the dangers involved, both in the garden and upon his return if they discovered that he pillaged the sacred place. Lanier claimed he was going in to solve the mystery and tell the world. Some of his team were of more questionable character, but Lanier was a strong leader and he could keep them in line. The people permitted his team of six to enter.
Again, none of them returned and the Sybarans just assumed that the garden once again consumed interlopers. It was ten years later when a crazed man accosted a shepherd in the hills. He thrust a book into the shepherd's hands and fell to his knees crying and pleading to be saved and babbling many other incoherent things. He was taken to Sybar and given food and a bed. For three days the man thrashed about in his delusion begging forgiveness and apologizing and saying all manner of indistinguishable phrases. It didn't take long before several of the townsfolk recognized him as Hexed, Lanier's magic-user. He still wore the same clothes as the day he went to the garden, though covered in dried mud, and he'd clearly had a shave since his beard growth was less than a week's worth. When he had rested enough and his mind had restructured itself, Hexed could describe nothing of the events that transpired after he entered the cave. He had no idea what happened to Lanier, Father Parlette, Galen the Slick, or the two warriors Angel and Vega. He didn't even know if he was successful in entering the garden; he could have spent ten years in the back of the cave. The one thing he felt strongly about was that Porpherio does not like trespassers, especially vandals. Hexed went home to Keoland a couple of days later.
The book he was carrying was the priceless journal of Porpherio which has been read and reread by historians and magic researchers the world over. Unfortunately, his writings end in 444 just before he went to search for a cure for Caerwyn. All other historic accounts after that time come from eyewitnesses such as Dervin and various pirates Porpherio sailed with. There is no clue of anything about the garden after Caerwyn's death. The only way we can know, finally, of Porpherio's end is exploration inside. But once inside it seems that it must be difficult to leave and if you do, you may find your memories scrambled. The Garden may forever keep its secrets.
Ever since the return of Hexed, the Sybarans tend to protect the garden. This seems kind of silly as the garden does a fine job on its own, but the people take pride in rallying behind their local treasure. Islanders also visit the Echo Oracle often for advice, money, healing, or just to enjoy its tranquil nature, but they don't dare venture further into the cave.
When I went to Sybarate, the people were quite willing and often excited to talk about their experiences with the garden and the oracle. Some claim to have seen Porpherio flying about the hill or walking across grassy fields enchanting plants. Some have seen spectral incarnations of Princess Caerwyn guiding ships at sea or haunting inns in Sybar. Much of this storytelling is surely just imagined or wished for since these behaviors were unlikely in life, why would they be performed now or in death? Needless to say the people love the Princess and her hero regardless that they know very little about them.
Do I want to know what is in the garden? Certainly. Do I want to go into the garden? Certainly not. I'll leave that to the professionals and I'll have them tell me about it later if they can. We are all agents of Istus, but we don't all have the same duties.
The story of Caerwyn and Porpherio is an amazing one. Where else in the world could danger have pulled these two people together? Two people thrown together surrounded by adversity with no simple way out, they carve out a pocket of civilization and respite in the wild frontier and make life in the wild south a respectable possibility for the rest of the world. Some historians claim that First-Prince Porpherio's paradise taught the pirates themselves about propriety in the face of a world of aristocrats and dignitaries. The pirates couldn't survive as savages and Porpherio showed what a honey coating can do.
So with that I end this bittersweet tale. Someday Istus will take us all to our glorious gardens and those on the outside will perpetually wonder what it is really like inside. May Istus take you in peace.
~*~