THIS IS THE TEST SITE OF EUROBRICKS!
Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Quest for the Egg Part 4'.
Found 1 result
-
Quest for the Egg Part 1 Quest for the Egg Part 2 Quest for the Egg Part 3 --------------------------------------------- The events of this story in the GOH timeline happened shortly after Adair's Origins of a Rebellion. -------------------------------------------- Word had come through the speaking stone that the war was over. Ulandus had fallen, and the High Council had lost many of its seats of power, the Desert King had won. It was decided that, as long as appropriate taxes were paid, the Nestlands Clans could govern themselves. The High Ministry of the Nestlands Clans had decided, though, to covertly support a growing Resistance. Estolad civilians had been offered sanctuary on Edst Nol, and provisions had been sent north with the Horus Worshiping Mountain Mummies. Sdair Zuuree and Kynkayd Hernbolnd finally had a map to the home of Driz Urdon, but were low on supplies. Estolad seemed like the appropriate place to acquire the goods needed for the next leg of their journey. As it would happen, Estolad was in the midst of evacuation when the two faithful travelers arrived. It wasn't hard to get a large quantity of dried meats that had come from the Nestlands. Apparently jerky made from mountain cat and monitor lizard was a little difficult for the Estolad warriors to stomach. Sdair also got some good advice on the best route to the old quarry where Driz Urdon made his home. He was advised to approach from the west, following goat trails for the most part. From that direction it would be easy to see the large bird statue that sat upon Driz Urdon's house. This was news that buoyed the spirits of both the clansmen. They set off quickly to find this mysterious elf. --------------------------------------------- An unexpected member of the faith: It was midday when Sdair and Kynkayd spotted the grand statue, but it took another four hours to reach the place Driz Urdon called home. "Welcome, holy travelers," Driz Urdon exclaimed as they reached the top of the staircase, "You have finally made it. I had expected you far sooner than this." "Why thank ye, but how cood yeh know we wuz comin'?" Sdair replied. "Sdair, Kynkayd, your quest is quite common knowledge in the Rakath communities by now." Driz answered, "I, myself, was in Estolad over a month ago, and had been given word that you would be coming to me for my maps of the underdark." "Praise de Goddess," Kynkayd exclaimed. "Yes! Come, rest and pray." Driz gleefully replied, easily lifting a plant covered section of wall revealing a ladder leading down to a huge, well lit cavern, "Goddess be willing, my maps be what we need." "Ye follow de Armored Eagle Goddess, an' wish ta join us?" Sdair asked, following the strange pale elf down into the cavern. "Of course," Driz's voice echoed back, "It was elves that brought your people into the faith. I would be remiss in not joining this holy quest." After rest, prayer, and some good food, Driz, Sdair and Kynkayd pored over various old maps and patrol accounts. Sdair spent much of the time reciting the Book of Confusion in Green Elvish as he tried to match something from Driz's records to the meandering prose. Come morning they had a rough idea of what cavern system they needed to traverse, and what underdark communities they need to pass by. Driz counseled patience. A journey in the underdark would be even more wandering than the path that led Sdair and Kynkayd to his door. They would need to prepare quite well before setting off. ------------------------------------------------- ~About Driz Urdon~ Driz was born a Drow. The second son of the fourth daughter of Skaz'baernath, the Matron of House Urdon, he had little status, or responsibilities. He was a noble of the house in name only, and he hated his kin. More than a century ago, by the reconning of the surface dwellers, Skaz'baernath was a rival of the Valsharess. She held her position in society by keeping a vast storehouse of history, knowledge, secrets, and arcane tomes. Secrets most of all held the other Drow noble houses in check, secrets that could spark decades of warfare. It was in this place that Driz spent much of his time. There he learned many truths about the Elvish Wars, the history of his house as part of the Sky Elves, and found a faith long since buried. Driz had little belief in the Dark Goddess Loth, and the books of the Armored Eagle Goddess spoke to him. It revealed to him how far his race had strayed. Driz dearly wanted to practice his newfound faith, but being surrounded by the trappings of his House, he could not. So, Driz formulated a plan. First, Driz began secreting away the books of the Armored Eagle Goddess, and as many maps and patrol records as he could find. He would need them when he escaped, to the surface. To do this Driz created several bags surrounding dimensional pockets as a way to carry all he would take. Second, Driz searched for a way to bargain with fell creatures safely. He knew that his grandmother's rival had dealings with Illithids, and planned to use them to destroy his family, whilst Driz made his escape. The credit for the destruction would fall to the Valsharess. It took months of preparation, but the day finally came when Driz summoned an Illithid and made his offer. The fell creature would take his skin-tone and much of his facial features, disguise itself as Driz and pass the house wards into his family's inner sanctum. There it could wreak all the havoc it wished. Its ally could then conquer the rest of the Drow noble houses. The plan worked. Driz, now a wraith elf, escaped, made his way to the surface, and has rejoiced in the sky and glory of the Armored Eagle Goddess ever since. ----------------------------------------------- Seeing Driz's home from a distance, through the western mountain pass, you would think the place abandoned, but Driz does keep the less visible areas of his domain neatly landscaped. Can you discern the logic of this pattern of cultivated grass? When Driz first came to this place, this section of limestone had only a small hole that revealed a layer of hard-packed clay beneath. Driz took the natural formation and carved himself a representation of the fiery portal through which the Armored Eagle Goddess left the material plane. Here is Driz's main source of water, a clear freshwater spring. While it is true that much of the stone from which Estolad was built came from this quarry, humans were not the first to quarry here. This pedestal is the base of what was once a copper statue to some long forgotten Dwaven god. Driz would have most visitors believe this is the entrance to his home, and that the staircase is a trick. The opposite is true, though. A close look at Driz's false entrance. As a follower of the Armored Eagle Goddess, Driz felt the need to proclaim this area for the faith even while trying to make it look abandoned from a distance. ------------------------------------------------- There are four more overall shots and a lot more detail shots in this Flickr Album. CCC
