Griznuq Gaming

I am very confused.    Doesn't Dolph Lundgren wear boxing gloves and speak with a bad Russian accent?  

Dale was hardly paying attention to the priest as he scrutinized the chalice.   He was lost in thought, trying to remember all that his mentor had taught him.   Dale's ablty to concentrate was a blessing and a curse.   He could focus so intently, that the rest of the world around him seemingly disappeared.   That same concentration, would also allow him to miss other important details.   He often would become fixated on a small detail and miss the overall picture.  "Yeah, Sardior's boots probably do need some polishing..." he muttered.   After responding to Bastion, he refocused himself on studying the chalice...

As if snapping out of a trance, he looked at Bastion and noticed that the young priest was holding some polishing cloths.   "How common is a chalice like this in the temples of Sardior?" he asked.

Dale was turning the large cup over in his hands again and again.   Feeling the rough edges and bumps of the artwork on the palm of his hand as it spun by relaxed Dale as he thought about the chalice's possible origins.   Before Bastion could even respond, Dale had resumed his transfixed state of mind.

Dale was surprised by Bastion's enthusiasm.  As Bastion spoke, Dale remembered the zeal that some of the wizards of the coven had for academic debate.   They would spend endless hours arguing over the finer points of summoning creatures from the outer planes or finding how to create elemental power through the alchemical combustion of sulfur and charcoal.   This inevitably led to explosions, stinking fumes and more than a few singed beards.  

 By listening to these conversations, Dale learned that there were two kinds of scholars, those that debated to discover truth and those that debated to hear their own voice.   Dale hoped that Bastion was not one of the latter.   He feared that Bastion was one to listen to himself too acutely.

"It is possible that the arachnid stole the chalice from an unsuspecting victim...However, I think it is also likely that the chalice, cloak and scrolls were secreted away long ago.  The wall that they were stashed in may have been from a very old structure.   That structure may have been built around the same time as the chalice.   This of course is all conjecture.  We will probably never know for sure.  

" Might I have a look at the chalice?"   Dale stepped around from  the horse and approached Bastion.   He hoped that he might find something that would help define the chalice's age.

Dale smiled at Bastion.  “I was wondering if you would let me examine the chalice that we found this afternoon.   Among other things, I have become a student of ancient sites.   I am hoping to see if there are any clues on the chalice as to what the arachnid’s lair had been before it became a ruin.”   Dale let his hand pause upon the horse’s back as he waited for the priest to respond.

Yeah

Dale frowned in thought.   After a moment he decided to move the discussion in a slightly different direction.   "When you call upon Mahiya, do you call to Mahiya in general or do you call to the power that would best help you at that moment?   For example, when you want to use fire for your power, do you call to Kossuth?"

Dale tried to sit calmly as he listened to Maccabeus speak.  He tried very hard to keep an open mind to what the druid had to say.  Dale continued to wring his hands, showing the tension that he was feeling.   He was extremely nervous speaking to Maccabeus, a druid, about magic, even if it wasn’t directly about his own use of that power.

Dale put his hands on his knees and replied to Maccabeus.  “I have heard and understood what you are saying.  The power of Sorcer ‘Nyx is not to be used lightly.   It should be treated with great care and respect, just like all of the other powers of Mahiya.  

“As for evidence of its use, Whisper claims that Valekai abused the power of Sorcer ‘Nyx and as a result, the wastelands to the east and north of Threshold were created.   By all accounts, these wastelands are very similar to what we saw at the ring on the way to the arachnid’s lair.   The wastelands are supposedly the same, but on a much greater scale as what happened to the Ring of Mists.   We know that the Ash Lords created these rings of waste.   It is probable that they manipulated Sorcer ‘Nyx to do this.   I have no evidence that the Xan Thakians are connected to the Ash Lords, but it is not too much of a stretch.  Where there is trouble, the dark cloaks are not far behind.

“As for fighting fire with fire, the most important lesson that I have learned is that those who seek to rule others with power, will not respect anything other than power.   Even if fighting the power of Sorcer ‘Nyx with the power of Sorcer ‘Nyx is not the answer, we need to learn of this natural power.   Without understanding the power of Sorcer ‘Nyx, we can not hope to defeat it.”

Dale stood up and paced back and forth in front of the gnome.   With anxiety clear on his face, he continued.   “According to Whisper, Valekai destroyed his enemies who also used used the power of Sorcer ‘Nyx.   He used Sorcer to do it.

As Dale continued his thoughts, he looked the gnome straight in the eye.   The light of the fire highlighted the scar on his face in a most hideous fashion.   “Aren’t you even the least bit curious to find out about this lost facet of Mahiya?   What if it is no different than Istisha or Kossuth?   Should the use of the power of Kossuth be banished, because it can be destructive?   Fire can also start the process of healing and regeneration.   I would think that any facet of Mahiya would be both destructive and regenerative or protective.   Isn’t that part of the balance of Mahiya?”  

Dale stopped pacing and place a log in the fire.   Then he sat down and took a long draw on his waterskin while he waited for Maccabeus to respond.

“I understand that much.   Our enemy is abusing the power of Sorcer ‘Nyx.   But you said it yourself, that power is of ‘Nyx, which is Mahiya.   So the power itself is not evil, just those who are using it to destroy.   The power is a tool.   Much like a sword, it can be used to kill or protect.    

Whisper mentioned that Valekai lost his way and didn’t realize it until it was too late.   Then he destroyed others who were seeking to use the power for ill gains.  

The more I ponder this mystery, the more I believe that Valekai was very much like you…”    Dale looked Maccabeus in the eye to gauge his reaction to his next statement.   “I believe that Valekai was some sort of priest of Mahiya.   Only he didn’t serve Mahiya as much as he manipulated her power.   I think that when he strayed from his path, he studied and maybe worshipped only one aspect of Mahiya, Sorcer ‘Nyx.   In this devotion he may have failed to recognize how his power was taking from the other aspects of Mahiya.

It is my belief that the power of Sorcer could be used to help right the wrongs that have been done to the land.   At the very least, it could help balance the fight against the Ash Lords and their minions.”

Dale watched the diminutive druid for his reaction.   He fervently hoped that he had not offended Maccabeus.   He wondered if he was straying too close to committing blasphemy in the eyes of the druid.   Or maybe even worse, giving away his secret.   Would Maccabeus persecute him for being a mage?