Evender strolled along the street until he was well out of sight of the asylum and set the puppet down. "Are you quite alright with where we are now, Wesley?" he asked it as he started stuffing tobacco into his pipe. The puppet stood up and dusted himself of before responding. "The only person that could see me is a bum, so yes, this is good," he said and surveyed the area. "So what now, smart guy?"
"We simply go to Alagondar and deliver the message to him," Evender said as he lit the pipe. He inhaled deeply and blew out a series of smoke rings. "And after that, tea and a warm bed. I believe that's the least we deserve for essentially saving Neverwinter." He chuckled and sat down on a crate. Wesley began to dig in one of the pockets of his tiny tunic, and pulled out an envelope. It was written in a language he couldn't read.
"This the one you mean, chief?" he asked Evender, offering it to him. Evender took the envelope and nodded a confirmation before putting it safely into one of his pockets. "Yeah, it was a good idea you gave it to me," Wesley said sarcastically, "or else those guards would have found it and taken us right to Alagondar and saved us hours inside of an asylum."
Evender rolled his eyes and stood up. "Regardless, we've spent enough time sitting in an alley. Let's be off then," he replied with a slight note of irritation. "You do realize that we're going out into public, and as such, you might want to change your appearance." He handed the puppet a wide-brimmed dark blue hat with a lighter feather in it and waited as Wesley grumbled and tugged it onto his head. Instantly, the wood-and-paint puppet gnome's body changed to that of a real gnome. He scratched his head and grumbled, "Would it have killed you to get one of these that wasn't so ugly looking? This makes me look like some kind of pirate."
They began to walk, Evender smoking and admiring the city, Wesley grumbling and kicking stones. After a short while, Evender gestured towards a large keep and said triumphantly, "Ah, there we are, Wesley! Lord Alagondar's palace! Step lively now, we're almost there!"
Lord Nasher Alagondar rubbed his temples and groaned. There was always something wrong in the city of Neverwinter, and he was the man that had to deal with it. Today alone there was a duel between two mages in the middle of the marketplace over spell components of all things, some crazed old man had claimed to have an appointment with him, and a new cult of doomsayers had appeared and panicked the lower classes of the city into a small scale riot. The day previous there had been reports of Klauth, the hellish wyrm terror of the North, moving slowly closer to Neverwinter, and the day before that there was a rumor that Drizzt Do'Urden had arrived in the city again, and that always meant trouble. He looked longingly at a glass of wine and put quill to paper before he could neglect his work.
Before he had written more than a sentence, there was a loud commotion outside of his chamber. "Oh ye gods," he muttered and stood up. He stormed to the opening of the chamber and slammed the massive oaken doors open.
Alagondar was prepared to deal with drunken guards. He was prepared for an assassin. But he was not prepared for an old man standing in a circle of his guards, swinging a gnome by the arm like a flail. "Get back!" the old man shouted. "Get back before you are smote so mightily, your parents will feel it!" He was dressed in a robe and slippers with a mustache and white hair.
"What in the nine hells is going on out here?" he roared.
The old man looked at him and his face lit up. "Ah, my Lord Alagondar! I am Evender Greycastle, I have an appointment with you, I believe, and I have an important message for you," he said, bowing. He quickly stood up again as the guards took a step forward to apprehend him. He held the gnome by his arm and raised him again. "Now, if you please, call off your guards so that we may conduct business."
Alagondar sighed and asked one of the men, "Wasn't this man taken to an asylum earlier today?"
"Yes, my Lord, he was, but he escaped."
The Lord of Neverwinter gestured to Evender, motioning for him to come into the chamber. Evender stood up very tall and let the gnome down, who grumbled to himself and tugged a dark blue hat tighter onto his head. The two followed Alagondar, who closed the door behind them. He turned slowly around to face them and said just as slowly, "What is this message you have for me?"
Evender snapped to military attention and called out, "Wesley! Present. Letter!" The gnome dug in his tunic for a moment and walked over to Alagondar. He thrust it towards him muttering something profane and stalked back to beside Evender. He kept muttering to himself and fixed his hat again.
Evender announced like a bailiff in court, "It is a message from the mighty Elminster himself regarding one Halastair Blackcloak, my Lord!" He watched as Alagondar's already exhausted face turned even more so and took on an ashen grey color. Alagondar lowered the letter, his hands shaking. He took a few shaky steps towards Evender and Wesley and collapsed as his vision tunneled and he fainted.
"We simply go to Alagondar and deliver the message to him," Evender said as he lit the pipe. He inhaled deeply and blew out a series of smoke rings. "And after that, tea and a warm bed. I believe that's the least we deserve for essentially saving Neverwinter." He chuckled and sat down on a crate. Wesley began to dig in one of the pockets of his tiny tunic, and pulled out an envelope. It was written in a language he couldn't read.
"This the one you mean, chief?" he asked Evender, offering it to him. Evender took the envelope and nodded a confirmation before putting it safely into one of his pockets. "Yeah, it was a good idea you gave it to me," Wesley said sarcastically, "or else those guards would have found it and taken us right to Alagondar and saved us hours inside of an asylum."
Evender rolled his eyes and stood up. "Regardless, we've spent enough time sitting in an alley. Let's be off then," he replied with a slight note of irritation. "You do realize that we're going out into public, and as such, you might want to change your appearance." He handed the puppet a wide-brimmed dark blue hat with a lighter feather in it and waited as Wesley grumbled and tugged it onto his head. Instantly, the wood-and-paint puppet gnome's body changed to that of a real gnome. He scratched his head and grumbled, "Would it have killed you to get one of these that wasn't so ugly looking? This makes me look like some kind of pirate."
They began to walk, Evender smoking and admiring the city, Wesley grumbling and kicking stones. After a short while, Evender gestured towards a large keep and said triumphantly, "Ah, there we are, Wesley! Lord Alagondar's palace! Step lively now, we're almost there!"
Lord Nasher Alagondar rubbed his temples and groaned. There was always something wrong in the city of Neverwinter, and he was the man that had to deal with it. Today alone there was a duel between two mages in the middle of the marketplace over spell components of all things, some crazed old man had claimed to have an appointment with him, and a new cult of doomsayers had appeared and panicked the lower classes of the city into a small scale riot. The day previous there had been reports of Klauth, the hellish wyrm terror of the North, moving slowly closer to Neverwinter, and the day before that there was a rumor that Drizzt Do'Urden had arrived in the city again, and that always meant trouble. He looked longingly at a glass of wine and put quill to paper before he could neglect his work.
Before he had written more than a sentence, there was a loud commotion outside of his chamber. "Oh ye gods," he muttered and stood up. He stormed to the opening of the chamber and slammed the massive oaken doors open.
Alagondar was prepared to deal with drunken guards. He was prepared for an assassin. But he was not prepared for an old man standing in a circle of his guards, swinging a gnome by the arm like a flail. "Get back!" the old man shouted. "Get back before you are smote so mightily, your parents will feel it!" He was dressed in a robe and slippers with a mustache and white hair.
"What in the nine hells is going on out here?" he roared.
The old man looked at him and his face lit up. "Ah, my Lord Alagondar! I am Evender Greycastle, I have an appointment with you, I believe, and I have an important message for you," he said, bowing. He quickly stood up again as the guards took a step forward to apprehend him. He held the gnome by his arm and raised him again. "Now, if you please, call off your guards so that we may conduct business."
Alagondar sighed and asked one of the men, "Wasn't this man taken to an asylum earlier today?"
"Yes, my Lord, he was, but he escaped."
The Lord of Neverwinter gestured to Evender, motioning for him to come into the chamber. Evender stood up very tall and let the gnome down, who grumbled to himself and tugged a dark blue hat tighter onto his head. The two followed Alagondar, who closed the door behind them. He turned slowly around to face them and said just as slowly, "What is this message you have for me?"
Evender snapped to military attention and called out, "Wesley! Present. Letter!" The gnome dug in his tunic for a moment and walked over to Alagondar. He thrust it towards him muttering something profane and stalked back to beside Evender. He kept muttering to himself and fixed his hat again.
Evender announced like a bailiff in court, "It is a message from the mighty Elminster himself regarding one Halastair Blackcloak, my Lord!" He watched as Alagondar's already exhausted face turned even more so and took on an ashen grey color. Alagondar lowered the letter, his hands shaking. He took a few shaky steps towards Evender and Wesley and collapsed as his vision tunneled and he fainted.