Chapter 1

It was a quiet afternoon in the town of Luinstat. Inside the Flaming Spear Tavern, Dorm Silverfalcon finished cleaning his long sword Silverwind, which he had just bought an enchantment for. The sword that was given to him by his parents, now radiated a faint blue glow. From his table, his green eyes looked around the tavern. His elven friend Timber was finishing off what had turned out to be a very profitable game of cards. Timber gathered his large pile of winnings and gracefully walked over to where Dorm was sitting. "What a beautiful day this is," the blond haired and blue-eyed elf rogue said in a merry tone of voice. He reached into his pocket and drew out a brown bag and quickly put all of his steel pieces inside.

"Yes very beautiful," Dorm replied. He ran his fingers through his short brown hair, then adjusted his studded leather armor.

Timber slipped the bag of money in his pocket. He wore the same leather armor as his ranger friend and carried a master crafted rapier on his belt. "Any news from the evangelist?" he asked, lacing his boots.

The evangelist the elf was referring to was their companion, Roxilandra, the half kender of cleric of Mishakal. Roxi had spent much of her time at the local temple since they arrived in Luinstat the day before. She had told Timber and Dorm that she had some business to attend to. "None at all," Dorm answered. "If she doesn't return, we'll have to look for her."

"Look for who?" asked a soft-spoken voice from the door. The elf and the ranger turned to see Roxi standing at the door. She was a little over four feet tall, her blond hair up in a topknot. She wore silk blue robes over her body, and a silver medallion bearing Mishakal's symbol hung from her neck. She carried her Eagle Headed staff in her right hand. Dorm noticed the excitement in her blue eyes as she walked over to the table. "Look for who fellas?" she asked again.

'That who would be you," Timber answered in a casual voice. "You missed a good game of cards where I made handful of steel."

"Really?" Roxi asked curiously," and did you play fair or did you keep your Aces and One Eyed Jacks up your sleeve again?"

Dorm raised an eyebrow and looked at the elf. Timber laughed and turned away. "I have no idea what you are talking about." He ordered a mug of ale, then added," and in case you're wondering, the Jacks were in my left boot this time."

So where were you?" Dorm asked Roxi.

"I was at the temple where they showed me and some of the other clerics this goblet," the priestess answered. "It was made of gold with rubies decorated around the rim of the top. There were elvish runes written all over the goblet. I think it was called the Goblet of Maridoc. Jarl, he's a priest of Kiri-Jolith says that dark wizards used it to summon demons to do their bidding. It was pretty interesting. The goblet, not the whole idea of summoning demons. Do either of you want to check it out?"

Timber sighed. "I'd love to join you Roxi, but I promised a couple of young ladies that I'd join them for drinks today."

Roxi responded with a heartbroken sigh. She had really wanted her friends to go with her. Dorm shook his head, and sheathed Silverwind. "I'll go with you Roxi," the ranger said to the half kender. "I'm sure it will be fun."

The cleric's eyes lit up. She gently grabbed Dorm's hand trying to hurry him out of his heat, "Oh Dorm, it will be fun." She let go of his hand and quickly walked out of the tavern.

Dorm glanced over at Timber and asked," Are you sure you don't want to come?"

The elf shook his head. "Nah, I promised those girls that I'd have a drink with them. They said that they've never met an elf before. Besides, Roxi would probably keep telling me not to try and steal the goblet. I'll make it up to her."

Dorm nodded and walked outside to catch up with Roxi.

The temple of Kiri-Jolith was a small building right next to the granary. Its walls were made up of fine stone with banners hanging all over the temple. On every banner was an image of a bison's horn, the symbol of Kiri-Jolith.

In the altar room, the tall muscular bald priest named Jarl lifted the black cloth and revealed the small goblet that sat on top of a four-foot altar. The Goblet of Maridoc was made from the finest gold in the land. Letters from the elvish alphabet were writing all over the cup.

In his soft voice, Jarl explained this to the twenty individuals in attendance. Dorm listened to only half of what Jarl was explaining. Roxi continued to listen eagerly as Jarl explained how the Kingpriest of Istar sized the goblet from a Tower of High Sorcery. Someone asked how the temple acquired the goblet, and Jarl explained that a paladin of Habbakuk named Storm gave the temple the Goblet of Maridoc as a gift to Kiri-Jolith.

"I should have stayed at the Spear and drank with Timber and those girls," the ranger muttered under his breath.

Jarl's brown eyes turned to Dorm. "Something to say sir?" he asked.

Dorm bit his lip and replied," Oh nothing, I just need to go out for some fresh air." Jarl nodded and continued to talk about the goblet. Roxi's eyes turned Dorm.

"I'm fine Roxi," he whispered. "I'm just going to go outside."

Roxi nodded and grabbed his arm. "I'll go with you then." The cleric of Mishakal and the ranger walked out of the altar room and proceeded down the hallway. Roxi's kenderlike short attention span kicked in, drawing her over to a golden suit of armor that was propped up against the wall. "I wonder if anyone actually wore this armor?" she asked as she read the stone plaque next to the suit of armor. "Maybe it was Kiri-Jolith's, but I never remembered any stories with Kiri-Jolith walking around wearing a gold suit of armor. Although I do know some clerics that were gold suits of armor."

Dorm continued to listen to Roxi's religious ranting until he heard some yelling coming from inside of the altar room. Dorm drew his long sword and Roxi stopped her talking.

"Stop that thief. She has stolen the goblet!" yelled Jarl as a woman wearing a dark green cloak ran past them. From what Dorm could see, she had blond hair and wore studded leather armor.

Dorm watched as two of the temple acolytes blocked the temple doorway. The woman said in elven tongue," I don't want to hurt you," then drew her long sword. She quickly drove the hilt of her weapon into one acolyte's jaw, then smacked the other acolyte hard across the face with the goblet.

Both of the acolytes fell to the floor and the woman ran past them. Dorm looked back at Roxi. "Go get Timber," he told her," While I follow her."

The half kender was about to ask why she always had to get Timber, but just as the words were forming in her mouth, the ranger was already out the temple door.

Wearing his Cloak of Elvenkind, Dorm tracked the woman's footprints to a small grassy area behind a blacksmith's shop that was closed for the day. Dusk was beginning to approach, which made it a little difficult for Dorm to spot the woman. His green eyes did notice the Goblet of Maridoc laying on a small wool blanket. He moved quietly over to the blanket, but the woman jumped in front of him. "You should have stayed at the temple," as she drew her long sword and short sword.

Dorm drew Silverwind from its sheath. With the aid of his long sword's blue glow, Dorm noticed the woman's slanted ears. He guessed that she was half elf. "You have something that doesn't belong to you," he said as a soft breeze flew past him. "I don't want to fight you, but I'm going to have to ask that you give it back."

The blond haired half elf woman stepped forward, swinging the long sword in her right hand at Dorm's knee. Dorm's quick reflexes helped him evade the woman's attack, but he wasn't quick enough to dodge the woman's short sword as it swiped him across his right forearm.

Dorm bit his lip as he felt the sting from the woman's attack pinch his nerves. Despite the sharp pain in his forearm, he quickly deflected the next pair of attacks that the woman sent at him. He made a thrust with Silverwind, nicking her chin with the sword's tip, then brought his blade low, striking her hard across the ankle.

He watched as a little blood sprayed from the wound in her ankle. The woman bent down and grabbed her ankle, which caused Dorm to be distracted. This granted the half elf the chance she needed as she cast a spell.. Vines quickly rose up from the ground and ensnared Dorm's feet.

Dorm tried to struggle free from the vines that had entangled his legs, but the thorns broke through his leather armor and boots, their sharp tips digging into his legs and feet.

He looked up and saw the woman as she limped over to the blanket. He wanted to call her a coward, but then he noticed a look of sadness as she stared at the goblet. "Why did you do this?" he asked instead.

The woman turned to him as she sat down on the blanket. "My friend Eliza was kidnapped by an evil wizard," she answered as she wiped the blood from her chin.

Dorm stopped struggling. For a moment, he forgot about the pain in his forearm and his legs and feet. "What does this have to do with the Goblet of Maridoc?"

The woman sighed as she bandaged her ankle. "If I explain to you, will you leave me alone?"

"Maybe," Dorm answered as he began to hack the wines away. After he freed himself, he slowly walked over to the woman and sat on the blanket. "Start from the beginning."

The woman took a deep breath, then introduced herself as Jaina Borjusen from the village of Two Creek. She explained about going on patrol earlier in the morning and finding goblin tracks outside of the village. She then talked about her friend Eliza-who also was the mayor's daughter, coming to find her. Then she finished her tale by telling of the bugbears grabbing Eliza, and a man in black robes putting her to sleep. When she woke up, her friend was gone.

"What did you do afterwards?" Dorm asked as he looked at her.

"I found a note," Jaina answered," and it said that Eliza was taken to the City of Lost Names. The note also said that if the mayor wanted his little girl back, he needed to take the Goblet of Maridoc in Luinstat, and bring it to him in the City of Lost Names. The mayor said that it was my responsibility to get the goblet and bring back Eliza."

Dorm took a piece of silk cloth from his pocket and pulled off his shoes, wiping the cuts on his feet. "The City of Lost Names is pretty far. If we're lucky, we can probably get a teleport there from Solanthus."

Jaina shrugged her shoulders. "We? Are you saying that you want to help me, even after taking the goblet from the temple, and summoning thorns and vines that could have cut your feet and legs to ribbons?"

Dorm nodded. "It sounds like your friend is in danger. It not fair that you should have to do this alone. Besides if what Jarl said was true, the wizard might be summoning some demon that would more and likely kill your friend." He paused as he leaned in close to her and whispered," And to be honest, I really don't care that you stole the goblet. I just wanted to get out of that temple." Jaina smiled and Dorm continued," Now all we need are some horses and supplies, which my I can help us get. The only difficult thing is my cleric friend Roxi. She won't like the idea of us taking a stolen artifact that belonged to the temple out of the town."

"What would make you think that Roxi wouldn't want us to take the goblet out of the town?" Jaina asked in a soft voice.

"Wouldn't want you to do what?; the cleric asked in a voice that suggested that she was in a foul mood. Dorm saw that she was carrying a passed out elf over her shoulder.

Jaina stared at the half kender. She wondered how someone so short could carry a larger person over her shoulder like that. Dorm took a deep breath and said," Roxi, you might want to set Timber down. We have to talk."