Day 109: Starday the 5th, Abadius, 4708
I woke up early and extracted myself from Savah's almost herculean embrace. I got up and made breakfast for all of us. I didn't want to waste the magical energy so I did it all by hand. I did use my prestidigitation powers to clean up everything. I brought the food into bedroom and Savah enjoyed a nice breakfast in bed. After breakfast, we got dressed, again sans spell craft, and headed downstairs. It was just before sunrise when Jonathan arrived at the house, his meager traveling possessions on his person or in his backpack. We sat down and talked while Niddler set about to do his last few duties around the house.
Just a few scant minutes before sunrise, Faunra and Dame Rebekah came riding up. Dame Rebekah immediately took a few minutes to greet the sun and provide worship for her deity. I had learned in my conversations with Father Zantus that the deities here require oblations at specific times to receive their divine grace. I wonder if it is the same for the All-Father, or if he can even provide blessings here. That was another discussion that Father Zantus and I had. Father Zantus was of mixed opinions, because obviously I was being contacted by him, but without a priest calling down miracles, we could not tell if this was the extent of his capabilities. Also there was the troubling thought that bringing him more into the focus of the deific world might lead other, less wholesome evil deities back to the world that I was from.
Even though I wasn't really planning on going back, I still felt that they wouldn't be ready for this kind of assault. I needed to do everything I could to not do something unwise like that. After Dame Rebekah was done with her prayers, we got onto the two bikes and started off. We took off at a good clip, with Faunra's bike doing a good job at keeping up with my cruising speed. We were pulling a good twenty miles an hour, close to Faunra's top speed, but not nearly as close to my bike's. We would get over half way in one day if we kept up this pace. We were travelling at least five times as fast as the giants could, and more than six times as fast as those hobgoblin militiamen that they had gotten, so I was certain that if it took us one day, they would be looking at a week's travel. Considering that this was the sixth day after the attack, they might be expecting the raiding party at the halfway point.
We spent three hours riding hard up the Lost Coast trail to Windsong Abbey, with nothing much going on, except some conversations between the four of us using the radios, linked via our upgraded circlets or laurels. Faunra could work wonders with her enchantments. When we got there, my car was nowhere to be found, as was expected from the text messages that I had gotten. I asked the rest of the group if they felt like we should stop, and they all were looking to take a quick pit stop, so we busted out a little food and drink and we all took the opportunity to avail ourselves of the facilities. The Masked Abbess was not available, so we noted that we could always stop back in on the way back to Sandpoint.
After our short break, we got back on the bikes and headed east-north-east towards Galduria. We rode on for another four hours until we got to the former town. There were a lot more survivors than I would have expected honestly. I'm crediting it to the magic school that resides in this town. The Twilight Academy. It focused on traditional wizardry and on the specifics of Varisian Harrow Magic. From what I've seen with the fortune telling of Madame Mvashti, they definitely had more of a fighting chance. We got stopped by a few people, who asked us where we were going. I flipped up my visor and told them all that we were heading out to stop the giant horde that was coming this way to attack Sandpoint. The people told us of a farm up the way that was being held by a trio of ogres who none of the townsfolk could defeat. Dame Rebekah lifted her visor and declared that we would abolish this menace. The townsfolk wished us well and we took off.
We went in the direction that the townsfolk had pointed until the outskirts of a farmstead appeared to us. We heard the cries of distress from some cows and decided to dismount the bikes and approach on foot. We were not being extremely stealthy, and when we got within sixty feet, Dame Rebekah stepped on a branch and broke it. I had hoped to get closer. The Ogres dropped what they were… doing... and looked up at us. They broke into a charge, heading immediately at us. Jonathan focused up and sent a blast into one of the trio, making it stumble back a step before continuing on towards us. The one that was in second place was now in the lead and crashed into Faunra, bringing its massive hook to bear and smashing Faunra in the chest.
Faunra took a few steps back, just to get out of reach of the ogre that had struck her, and unleashed a volley of arrows into it, all three finding their mark somewhere, and finishing her salvo up with a blob of acid to the chest which created a nice sizzle. I was a few steps behind her and had decided to try out the rifle. It got some tremendous results. I fired a series of shots at the ogres, dropping the one that had struck Faunra with a well-placed shot to the head, I fired a round into the chest of the middle one, slowing them down, and dropped the one that Jonathan had hit with my last shot. I was a bit amazed at the performance of this new rifle.
Not one to experience any kind of distraction, Dame Rebekah countercharged the last one rushing towards us and ducked under its wild swing to give it a vicious slash across the sick thing's belly, dropping it. We looked over the carnage and noted that the one that Dame Rebekah had dropped and the one that Jonathan had struck were still breathing. Jonathan unceremoniously exploded their heads. We looked over at the cattle, who were a bit shaken, but remarkable not very hurt. Apparently, the ogres didn't have time to do anything worse than just round them up before we arrived. I Offered to help Dame Rebekah herd them back to town, while Faunra and Jonathan took over removal of the bodies.
The townsfolk of Galduria were very grateful for us destroying this menace, but regretted that the farm who owned the cattle were probably long gone. I apologized that we did not get here earlier, and they noted that we were at least avenged. We reiterated to the town that we needed to head on to a good stopping point for the night, and the town offered up the town's inn for us as travelling heroes. Dame Rebekah said that she would secure the area if I went to go get the other two. I smiled and asked if she forgot something. Dame Rebekah looked confused, and I paged out over the radio to Jonathan and Faunra to tell them that we had accommodations back in Galduria. It took a few seconds, but Faunra came back with telling us that they would start out immediately and be back in town within fifteen minutes.
I decided to walk around the town and see what I could do to help the town out with recovering from the assault. It was the only thing I could do considering how this town suffered from the horde that had went to target Sandpoint. There wasn't much that I could do except utilize brute strength and a bit of intellect, as my equipment for massive construction was gone. I helped out a bit with some recovery efforts by lifting up some fallen roofs and structures with Dame Rebekah, I worked on cleaning out the debris from the town well, and helped a little bit with dealing with some of the farm related issues. After twenty minutes, Faunra came to find me to let me know that they were back.
The four of us helped a bit more about the town, with some of the mages from the Twilight School finally breaking away from their apparent sanctuary to check out us newcomers. They were a bit fascinated with the differing types of magic in our little group and offered us up a good dinner to talk to us about the subject of our unique types of magic. Faunra noted that she was okay with it, Jonathan was a little skeptical with what they were calling a good dinner, and Dame Rebekah was a bit pissed with the fact that they didn't do more to help the town after the assault. They all looked to me, and I noted that I wasn't figuring that the food would be better than Jonathan's but maybe we could benefit from an exchange of ideas, culinary and otherwise.
We secured our rooms in the town's Inn, a place called the Wicked Wyrm, an almost cut rate carbon copy of the Rusty Dragon with much less personality. I thought about offering up a recipe or two, just to make some difference, but decided to wait until I got back. We left the Innkeeper, a chap by the name of Petru Ilica, a decent tip in addition to the regular fee for the rooms, not accepting an offer of free rooms for heroes, and locked up our least valuable things in the rooms as a test. We all started to follow the remaining wizard, an Elf by the name of Jamyel, and walked a few miles out of town until we came to an empty field. The Jamyel smiled, and put his hand out to what became a door knob.
The Door opened up into a large fortress gate. We all followed carefully, and went into the fortress courtyard. We looked around and determined that we were still on the same plane, in the same field, just inside the courtyard of an invisible structure. I asked Jamyel if this is where the townsfolk were evacuated to. Jamyel nodded and said that when they got the warning to get the people to safety, all of the apprentices rushed out to round everyone up that they could. I asked them why they didn't go to the outlying area to help the farmers, and Jamyel looked down, saying that he had tried, but no one had believed them.
I looked to Dame Rebekah and she looked like was a little bit more mollified. We followed Jamyel to the central building which seemed to be larger than all of the others. When we got in, it looked like it was the communal meal space. For the most part, the room was taken up by small groups rather than a festive group of people eating together. I certainly knew that I didn't want this atmosphere in my school when I opened it up. Jamyel led us to a table that seemed to have the worldlier members of this school. There were four seats saved for us, and Jamyel indicated that we should be seated. I looked a bit askew, asking where he would be sitting. He indicated that he would be over with the group in the corner, but that he would lead us back to town when we were done if it was needed.
This got under my skin a little. The table was certainly large enough for another person, and he had been the one to be brave enough to approach us, and determined enough to stick it out. Another thing that I would not permit in my school. The people remaining at the table were the head masters of the different foci of the school, an elven Magus that goes by the name Baobab, a Dwarven Wizard that focused on Divination whose name is Gregion, a Halfling Sorcereress who said that she goes by Albia, and a Varisian woman by the name of Adela Arcos who was something called an Arcanist which was something of a mixture between a wizard and a sorcerer.
Apparently, the reason that Jamyel didn't sit with us at this table wasn't due to him not having enough credit or ability, but rather we were being vetted for whether or not we would be desired to become members of the school, either as students or as faculty. Faunra seemed a bit interested, but noted that her domicile was over eighty miles away and that she didn't want to split it up. I told them that I was already authorized by the Lord-Mayor of Magnimar to start up my own school for a different field of study in Sandpoint, so I didn't think it would be prudent. That was when the head masters lit up. They wanted to know all about the school, and what it would teach.
I told them how the school would be teaching the natural sciences, and the scientific method, and a bit about technology. Gregion asked what I meant by technology, and I showed them the flashlight, how it didn't utilize any magic, but still produced light. They asked how this would be useful, and I told them that it didn't carry the smell of oil or torches, lasted longer than either, and didn't cost as much as an enchanted item. I told them that there were other things that the school would teach, such as steam plant operations and design, to create movement and energy without needing the specific spells that would accomplish the same. Adela asked for an example, and Faunra brought up how the bikes that we rode were powered by a fairly simple spell that generated heat continually, and how this created steam which turned a turbine, which then created rotational force.
The four of them seemed a little impressed, with Albia seeming the least impressed, but faking it well. I figured that I would give them the last little thought, and told them that I would be opening the doors to almost anyone, and that I would be recommending further studies in magic to the schools that would best suit the individuals, as there is not sufficient technology in this world to accomplish what I need, while I worked on getting the technological level up and running, and that I would like to keep their school in mind, even offer up chances for the wizard schools to recruit from the graduating students.
Albia asked why they would like to recruit from a school where the prospective students were already taught this form of "magic". Faunra handled the question for me, and she handled it beautifully. Faunra told her that the students that graduated from my school would be skilled in the concepts of trial and error, and gaining the proper lessons from those trials, that it was not just the fact that they knew what to experiment with, but how to formulate their thoughts to try to find the right answers to the questions and make experimentation easier. I thanked her and added that the students that pass my school that go on to study magic would have my blessing, and that they would be using the theorems and study of thought to focus in on the little details of experimentation, making it more efficient and safer.
Gregion seemed to really appreciate that last bit, and I'm guessing that the rumors that I heard about there being a lot of experimentation in this school were true. Baobab said that they would have to consider this, but welcomed us to come back at any time, to further discuss it. He handed us each an obsidian arrowhead with a rune engraved in it. He told us that this would allow us to perceive the door after we left. I thanked them and they had the staff bring food out.
I'm not glad to say that Jonathan was absolutely right when it came to their food. Jonathan decided that he was going to deal with this, so he excused himself and went into the kitchen to get them sorted. I took the opportunity to flavor everyone's drinks with my prestidigitation. Gregion noted immediately that this was magical and Faunra again jumped in for me, noting that my ability to create these effects didn't occur until after I had arrived in Sandpoint, and that it seemed that I soaked up magical energy. In the kitchen I could hear Jonathan yelling at, what I guessed was the person who had made the food, asking them what they were trying to make. I didn't hear the response, but I heard Jonathan yell out that they were an idiot and I heard another voice timidly say that they were an Idiot Sandwich. He never told me where he had heard that from.
Adela asked if she could talk with me later about my experiences, and I told her that she could call on us when we get back to Sandpoint after dealing with the giants. She agreed and said that she would keep it in mind. The next version of the meals came out and they were phenomenal. Jonathan thanked the chef, and said that he just needed the proper motivation. We finished our meals, and thanked our hosts. I personally felt that we had overstayed our welcome, and we made our way out of the building. Jamyel rushed after us to ask us if we would be coming back.
I told him that we would consider it later, but that for now we needed to be focused on the task at hand. Jamyel nodded and asked if we needed assistance getting back. I told him that we did not, and that we thanked him for his diligence. We parted ways and headed the rest of the way back to the town of Galduria. It is funny that I finally got a chance to see another wizard school, and I still haven't found them to my liking. Guess I wasn't as much of a Potter-head as I thought.
In contrast, the Wicked Wyrm was just what we were expecting, even having a performer play some songs, but at least no rehashed stories from me. I felt it was good to take a break. I retired early to go send a message to Savah and check up on my gear. It was the end of the day and it felt good to have solved a town's problems again.