12.3 - The Sage of the Reach

General Summary

Elfriede, tormented by the imposter syndrome that has set in since his assumption of the role of guildmaster of the Black Dragon Library, sets off alone with the ostensibly empty Professor Orb in hand with the arcane conviction that it will lead him to the solution to his problems--he will find something that will give him the knowledge or power he needs to truly lead as the Sage of the Reach, or at the very least prove to himself that he deserves the title.
For days, he wanders alone in the wilderness, expending every spell and using every last resource to make his way through the Darkwood, into the Dragonsbane Mountains, through the Trollskull River, across the Arid Waste and finally, finally, to his destination: the seat of a fallen kingdom, a mighty, crumbling city in a land of ash and dust. Several days pass as Elfriede wanders aimlessly through the fallen towers and empty temples of a long-dead civilization, the only creature he encounters a solitary gargoyle he quickly dispatches with his spells. He discovers a library, but all he recovers is a single crumbling tablet with a powerful necromantic spell, one far beyond his current abilities.
At long last, on the third night in the city, exhausted and nearly dying of starvation, Elfriede follows the guidance of the orb to a massive temple atop at hill in the center of the city, where it comes to rest before a giant corroded statue of a dragon--a steel dragon, Elfriede remembers. As the orb touches the statue, the vessel flashes with green energy, then shatters and crumbles away... and that same green energy lights up the dragon statue's eyes, and the voice of the Professor himself greets the bedraggled young wizard.
History is shared. A bargain is struck. Elfriede struggles for the throne of his mind.
With his dying breath, he reaches for the wand in the pocket of his cloak, and blue-green light whisks him back to the comfort of his library...
But can one ever truly return home, when the one returning has been forever changed?
Songs of Glory: Elfriede +2

Report Date

07 Jul 2024