Prince Javindar was disappointed.
With all this talk about prophecies, ancient heroes, and grand quests, he thought his transport to the last scroll fragment would be something spectacular, something epic. While it was naïve to believe everything the girl and the old man said at face value, there was a part of him that wanted to believe. Wanted to have faith in that someone could finish the quest that he could not, that it was their responsibility and not his. That his failures would be covered up and fixed by someone else. Most importantly there was a part of him that thought he would be riding a great dragon to face their Asura foe.
While the militia girl and the man in yellow were evasive about their identities, Javindar was sure that the old man was a shape changed dragon of some sort. He never said it outright, but it was plain enough that he was eluding it to it. He might have been simply putting on airs, something he well accustomed to in the courts of Ghata, but there was something about the old man that made Javindar wanted to believe that a dragon was amongst them. Though he had little experience with the mythic beasts, since most were chased away from Vinraj millennia ago, he had heard the tales. Great saurian beasts growing up to a hundred feet long, with great armored scales, and deadly breath weapons consisting of some form of base element like fire or lightning. Masters of the arcane, whose blood is said to be source of magic. Some had wings others did not, but regardless of physical characteristics they can all somehow fly, be it be from their aforementioned magic or great strength.
Knowing all of this and from what he could infer from their conversation, Javindar was sure the old man would …change… into a great beast and all of them would take flight on his back to battle evil. Instead, the man in yellow rolled out a large and mundane beaten rug, and the five of them sat down and flew into the Grommish night sky.
A beaten rug was an unfair description, it was actually a well weaved piece of textile most likely from the steppe lands, but to Javindar they might have well been riding the hide of a donkey. Given his background, Prince Javindar had much experience on flying carpets, beautiful and soft rugs sewn by the masterful craftsman of Ghata that were considered works of art, centerpieces of most palaces. A master's creation, regardless if it was enchanted or not could fetch a princely sum that would even give him pause.
Despite his 'slumming' on the old man's carpet, Javindar put on a brave face as he sat in the proper bow legged position on the carpet as they sped northward towards their foe.
"Um…excuse me sir…" said Nahbob, interrupting Javindar's brooding over his undignified mode of transport. "I believe my divinations have indicated that the scimitars owner, the Marilith general of the Asura Lord, is to the east of here, most likely at that strange island with the megaliths near the city. Knowing that, why are we headed north? Should we not make haste to battle the foe since she is so near?"
"Aye," agreed the militia girl. "We are going a bit off course."
Javindar hadn't noticed, but added his scowl to mask his ignorance, while the drunk simply lied down and continue to snooze.
The old man in yellow bowed his head. "Though the scrolls are my primary concern, I cannot simply abandon my post. I have sworn fealty to the Great Khan, and in turn his son, Prince Vleda. First I need to explain my current and most likely future absence. Also, since his scroll has been taken, I must soothe his wrath before he does something rash. I am ashamed to admit my charge can be a bit…impulsive."
Javindar snorted at that comment. He had dealt with Vleda before, at the grand archery contest, and did not think much of the man. When he was a younger man, he considered him a rival or sorts, but had not really thought of him recently save for his encounter with the Khanians on the frog island.
"Hey, if Prince Vedo, wants the scroll back, he can have it…" slurred the drunk. "I didn't mean to take it from him, he was a pretty decent guy, but…but…. I had this urge to take it. "
"Like you took the Greyiron?" asked Nahbob.
The militia girl sighed."No, that was my doing. I just left it in his care because he can….resist its mad song. From what I can surmise, it has a nasty habit of driving its wielder insane. The druid I had a chance encounter with has somehow soothed its rage."
Javindar frowned as he cataloged that piece of information away. While his trusty shark tooth khanda has served him well over the years, it was naturally accepted that he would commission for some epic blade to be constructed in his honor when he would eventually become Sultan and rule Ghata. The alternative of course would be to quest for some legendary blade, but because of their rarity that proved extremely difficult for the previous several Sultans, his father included. Finding this blade Greyiron here so unexpectedly did cause Javindar to entertain thoughts of possessing the weapon for himself.
"Umm….I think you can cancel your apologies to the Prince, " said Nahbob as he pointed downwards. "I think the time for that is over."
Javindar looked down and even from this distance he could see the large unmistakable profiles of a half dozen War Kaylons sailing in a column towards a dozen smaller Grommish craft arranged in a line formation. Javindar approved of the Grommers' formation since it capitalized on the maximum angles of attack, while injured ships could sail out of the 'line' to repair and recover while the rest of the fleet still maintained their formation. Though it was a good tactic, the Prince still had his doubts if they could stop the much bigger and sturdier Khanian ships. While the Khanians were not the most adept at naval tactics, their ships were built by the best shipwrights and their hulls enchanted by the must skilled Gurus in Ghata. Javindar was confident their hulls could withstand any attack the Grommers unleashed on them, be it mundane or magical.
"Why is that madman attempting to run that blockade?" asked the militia girl. "Does he want to start a war?"
"Khanians thrive on war," said the man in yellow sadly. "They've also never lost a war, save the one against Prince Javindar's father."
Javindar smiled smugly, but his pride was quickly deflated when Nahbob spoke.
"They didn't lose that war did they, Aurumgar," noted Nahbob. "They didn't win all those other wars as well….at least not by themselves."
"Aurumgar? Is that his name? That sounds familiar," though Javindar. He wasn't sure how Nahbob inferred the man's name since he didn't recall him identifying himself, but assumed that it must be some type of servant network information sharing going on, since Vleda and himself were both Princes.
The militia girl scoffed at the comment, but then noticed Aurumgar's jaundiced face blanch. "Wait….the Black Scroll? You let these barbarians use the Black scrolls? I can understand having the scrolls being kept in their care, but you let them use them?"
The old man bowed his head in shame. "Not by choice, and when I had realized what had happened it was too late, the scrolls had already worked their evil on the Khan."
Javindar scratched his head. "Eh? I don't follow."
"You and me both brother," added the drunk as he raised his head in a moment of lucidity.
"From what I gather my lord," explained Nahbob. "This particular guardian realized he too could be corrupted by the scroll he watched. Since hiding it or burying it was out of the question, as our epic heroine has demonstrated, he simply chose another guardian so to speak. But what type of guardian could he pick that could resist the corruption that even he was afraid of. I assume to circumvent the scroll's power he entrusted it to barbarians, savages who are strong of will and more importantly barely literate. It makes sense now, he probably submitted to them as their servant to keep watch of the scroll. It probably worked for a long time as well, but then these barbarians slowly came under the scroll's influence and marched upon the world."
"Their first few victories were attributed to pure lucky or perhaps their skill at arms, but let's be honest. Are you telling me that savage horse warriors conquered every empire from the Dragon Kingdoms of Rokogan to the lands of Vinraj without help. Even a great mage or a powerful cleric's magic could be countered, but an artifact? Especially one that had the power of forsight?"
The man in yellow's nervous silence simply confirmed Nahbob's theory. The militia girl was surprised but Javindar recalled the Baroness mentioning the divination properties of some of the Black Scrolls, and nodded smugly as if he knew it all along.
"I'm not sure what stopped the Great Khan eventually as he threatened to overwhelm Vinraj. Perhaps it the united front lead by the Sultan of Ghata, maybe some last vestige of the Great Khan's barbarian heritage took sway, or maybe the scroll's hold on him wasn't that strong, as it simply directed and suggested ideas to the Khan. Or….maybe it was all part of the Scroll's plans if it does indeed possess some semblance of sentience, though to what ends I do not know. I suppose I could have taken the scroll from him, but these people ...their resilience is admirable. I have seen first hand what the scroll can do to a lesser people, and I accept the responsibility that their use of the scroll has been ...limited at best. "
The militia girl shook her head. "Regardless of what is motivating Prince Vleda, we cannot let this battle take place. These scrolls are a blight upon this world, and I cannot let a war take place because of them. It would bleed Grom's and Vinraj's resources against each other instead of their common foe. Take us down Aurum, and we'll attempt to reason with him."
"Hah!" laughed Javindar at the girl's ridiculous suggestion, but Aurumgar guided the carpet towards the lead War Kaylon.
At first the Khanians seem receptive and even Prince Vleda waved them in, but when he got a closer look at his servant's passengers he grew furious and directed his archers to loose their arrows at them.
Javindar was normally calm in the face of missile fire, but on this carpet there was no place to dodge and worse still he wasn't the one in control. His chivalrous instincts first told him to fling the girl behind him to shield her from the attack, but at the same time his high caste senses told him to grab Nahbob and use him as a shield. Neither drastic course of action proved necessary however as the man in yellow simply exhaled a deep breath towards the volley, sending the arrows scattering as if they had been launched during a strong summer typhoon.
Vleda grew incensed at his attacks failure and swore at them in a base version of Khanian that Javindar had heard briefly in his explorations of the Great Khan's warcamp. While Javindar couldn't understand what was said exactly, he did understand the words Ghata, traitor, and death.
"It seems the Prince has a point Rintaxia," sighed Aurumgar reluctantly. "He cannot be reasoned with in this state. I suggest we retreat until he calms himself."
"Rintaxia?" said the drunk. "That's a pretty name. Though Rina rolls off the tongue better."
The man in yellow and the militia girl both ignored the drunk, though Javindar made note of her name.
"We don't have time for him to exhaust his tantrum. We must stop this warmongering child's attack," said Rina. While Javindar hadn't cared much for her before, his respect for the militia girl greatly increased when she referred to him as some petulant child. That was something he could approve of.
"Prince Vleda is not a warmonger. The purpose of this Khanian fleet is not something world shaking or monumental," explained Aurum." It's purpose is simply to kill Prince Javindar for stealing his father's moment of honor."
Javindar was not surprised at Vleda's extreme actions. He recalled his last minute rally at the Holy temple robbed the Great Khan of his glory, though that was more out of necessity than his desire for fame. The Khan's unannounced outflank might have smashed the Asura, but the entire flank would have collapsed because the Khan's forces were slow to move, and Javindar barely saved the battle due to his quick actions. He wasn't surprised at the pettiness of Vleda though, as he could see himself doing something similar in his shoes. Raising a small fleet to hunt him down though, that was taking things to the extremes.
"I still can't let them and the Grommers do battle. If the Marilith General is nearby, I can assume her lord and their scroll is near as well. I suspect we might have need of both their forces. I have concerns and questions about why she is here, so close to the scrolls. Are they seeking it for themselves, or perhaps they have some other purpose. Regardless, it only benefits the enemy if they fight amongst themselves," said Rina.
"I could have …another archery contest with him….." suggested the drunk. "Loser leaves town."
Javindar scoffed at the suggestion. "If there is to be an archery duel, I, Prince Javindar, General of Ghata shall be the one to test my bow against his. "
The drunk shrugged at Javindar's claim. He attempted to go back to sleep again but Aurum banked the carpet sharply causing him to tumble a bit to the side. He would have fallen off their twisting, but still magically stable platform had not Nahbob quickly grabbed him.
"Where are you going now?" asked Rina.
"If the Prince Vleda will not stop, perhaps the Grommers will," said Aurum. "Perhaps I can explain to them Vleda's unstable …mental condition. Surely they see the number and the size of the ships before them. Perhaps they will withdraw their forces…."
Rina shook her head.
"He don't know Grommers very well does he…" commented the drunk who was once again seated firmly on the carpet.
"This isn't the Dragon Kingdoms, or even Vinraj. Though they are a dirty and violent people, these Grommers have a certain charm to them. Their quick wits, their value of justice ,even though in many cases it is a shallow view, and their resentment to authority makes for an admirable but chaotic society. However, to me, their greatest trait is their tenacity. They have loss countless battles in the past, but somehow always managed to win most of their wars. "
"We fought tooth and nail against those Boar, Mammoth, and Lion guys. We took a beating against the Great Orders, but they saw our way in the end," pointed out the drunk proudly.
"Aye," agreed Rina. "I suggest you pull up before we are brought down by more arrows or magic."
Javindar noted that the drunk did not appear Grommish, but proudly talked as if he was one of them. That sort of thing did not happen in Vinraj. You were defined by where your people originally came from. People might move around, but a Ghatian would always be a Ghatian, regardless if he resided under the rule of the Sultan of Indra or was even a trader in the camps of the Great Khan. This sort of changing loyalty was very foreign to him.
Aurum reluctantly agreed with their logic and began to pull his carpet upwards towards safety. However before he could get out of range, Javindar noticed someone on the deck of the vessel.
"That man! I know him! "exclaimed the Prince as he pointed to an old naval officer who appeared to be in a position of importance. The old man stared directly at Javindar for a moment before waving at him. "There may yet be a way to avoid open conflict. Bring us closer so I may reason with him. "
Aurum and Rina were both surprised at the Prince's outburst, while Nahbob was clearly used to his master's antics. The drunk had once again settled into a resting position and paid Javindar's demand no heed. The man in yellow and the militia girl exchanged wary glances before they nodded and flew towards the Grommish flotilla.