The Gorgostone

by jediknigh5

6000 years ago, two armies fought for control of an area. One side tried to enlist Gorgos to help them destroy their enemies. But Gorgos could not be controlled, he ravaged the land. The two armies had to join forces to defeat him. They were able to contain Gorgos in a stone, and spit the stone into five pieces. What happened to those stones, therein lies our tale.

9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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Selkath wasn't exxagerating when he said that he wasn't particularly lenient. He worked Jihlem harder than his main crew. Maybe he was still sore about losing the bet, or maybe he knew he had his main crew for years, had to treat them okay or they would leave his service. But since he only had Jihlem for a few days, he could work him practically to death. Still, he was providing these three safe passage to Glantri, and he gave orders that Share was not to be touched. So Jihlem worked hard, and asked no questions about what cargo they were transporting. One night, as they were all eating dinner, a crew member known as "Storyteller" began this function. He seemed to enjoy having a new audience to tell his stories too, as most of Selkath's crew had heard all of his stories before.

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Storyteller: Five hundred years ago, Mystera was a beautiful land, full of plenty. Orks and Trogolodites lived in harmony, and the order protected the Gorgostone in the sacred temple. Then a terrible plague struck Mystera. There were some within the order who wanted to use the stone to stop the plague and heal the sick. The ruling council prohibited this, and so a small group stole the stone, planning to use it to end the plague. Now, Orks claim it was the Trogolodites who stole it, Trogolodites claim it was the Orks who stole it. I cannot say for certain which version is true. At any rate, those who stole it, the loyalists mistrusted them, and vice versa. It wasn't long before the two factions were ready for war. The leaders of the factions met one last time to try and resolve it and avoid war. But both sides mis-trusted each other so much, they gave orders to their soldiers. "If you see anyine from their side draw their sword, attack." During the negotiations, one soldier saw a snake, and drew their sword to kill it. The other side mistook this was aggression, and war began. It was a terrible war that brought great destruction on our land, and forever made Orks and Trogolodites into enemies. What little good land remained was taken by the Republic of Darokin on one side, and Faerun on the other side. When the war was finally over, the order was destroyed. All of the loyalists were dead, and only one man from the traitors was alive. He was horrified by all he had done, and he realized, only too late, that this had been the stone's plan all along. It wanted the order to wipe itself out, thus eliminating it's guardians. For the stone desires to be reassembled, and free his evil master Gorgos. The man sealed himself in a cave, vowing that the stone would never again see the light of day. The stone's power keeps the hermit alive, although the ravages of time have affected his mind and body. This is his punishment for using the power of the Gorgostone. Thus he remains for all eternity, or until such time as he trusts a successor to relieve him of his pain. But he can never trust anyone again, and thus his pain endures without end for eternity.