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.

21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

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Over the next few weeks Tifre adjusted to life as a pirate. She had feared it would involve plundering other ships, selling captives into slavery. But captain Azog seemed more concerned with getting to Tuma and retrieving the Gorgostone he didn't have time for other "business ventures." Tifre was grateful to Selencia for helping her learn the ropes. She didn't trust the other pirates, they seemed like they'd slit her throat for a few gold coins. They were nothing like the legends of the noble rogue Selkath, but then she knew her parents had likely known those were just legends. One Ork in particular, his name was Ogthrak. Tifre didn't know all of the details, but from what she could tell Ogthrak and his family had lost their homes to the Trogolodites during a tribal war. Tifre couldn't blame Ogthrak for being somewhat bitter, but he spoke of revenge often. Tifre didn't want to mention that she had friends who were Trogolodites, in particularly old Doc. Much of the crew were drunks, they fought each other in knife fights over minor slights. Selencia didn't seem particularly friendly towards other crew members, Tifre coudn't understand how any had asked captain Azog to show her mercy. Than it soon became clear, when Selencia, walked away from the lower parts of the ship, with another crew member. It became clear that she had promised to be "friendly" for a brief period. Selencia didn't seem particularly proud of herself, but she did what she had to do to survive. One, during a storm, captain Azog saw a smaller ship in distress. He ordered his crew to try and rescue survivors from this ship. Tifre was the first to try and help, Selencia helped her new friend. The others, they couldn't understand why they should bother. Ogthrak even asked "Are they slaves or sacrifices?" But captain Azog knew they were near port, but low on supplies. If they rescued this other ship, some of whom might be locals, they would be thought of as heroes. Perhaps they could get provisions, enough for the remainder of the trek to Tuma. Azog was definitely more rational than his crew, he seemed uncertain who else might betray him. Tifre planned to escape this ship before things went down. But she wanted to protect Selencia. Tifre was torn, Selencia wanted the Gorgostone as much as anyone else, Tifre wondered, what would happen if one of these thieves got their hands on any piece of the Gorgostone? Ofcourse she remained silent about her own "Good luck charm." But if Tifre were to find this piece before them. Malark had taught her that noone should posess more than one piece, lest they succumb to temptation. Still, it worried her who these pirates might sell it to.

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When the pirates reached port, they were indeed greeted as heroes for saving ten survivors. One was indeed the son of the local innkeeper. He was so grateful he gave Azog's crea free food and drinks, and let the captain sleep in a real bed. In the tavern they heard stories of a nearby volcano. The rumor was that decades ago a local miser hid his wealth here. He was so paranoid he risked his wealth being destroyed rather than let anyone steal it. According to these stories, the miser's wealth even included a piece of the Gorgostone itself. This confused Tifre, but she kept up her best card face. She silently did the math. There were five pieces of the Gorgostone, she had one, another was protected by the Harpers, and one protected by the high king of Darokin. That left just two pieces. If one was in the volcano, another protected by the mysterious hermit of Mystera, and one held by the king of thieves in Tuma, all couldn't be true. Then again, they had no real proof that either Tuma or the volcano had any piece of the Gorgostone. Still, maybe this volcano was worth exploring. Azog realized that, including himself, only four people had heard this local legend. The other three were Ogthrak, Selencia, and Tifre. They quietly made a vow this night. They would sneak away to the volcano, and see if this treasure was really there. If it wasn't, they would return to their crew. If it was, than perhaps it was time to leave this crew behind and retire.