By Eric "Rosetta" Willisson
Before I begin, you should know this,
Magic I worked still lingers in my mind,
And may, at times, still manifest,
In slips of tongue, till next I rest.
In New Verai we found ourselves,
A pleasant summer’s day.
Gardens sprawled around the lands,
Life returning where Blight had burned away.
Me and mine helped new plants grow,
Though many found the work a chore.
We left, returned, and left again,
New Verai has much to explore.
A priestess approached, requesting aid,
In finding orbs to help divine
Some truth the Seers of Ro could show
If we could trust ‘twas not malign.
But while we searched, ‘why’ was unclear,
Then a pickle merchant did appear.
Carl sold his wares at prices fine,
But bandits sought to steal his brine.
For the merchant used to cart his wares,
A barrel much too large for stairs.
On wheels for easy to-and-fro,
One could but grab it, turn, and go.
I wandered to a valley fair,
And I smelled magic in the air.
We spread the word, and soon we found,
Attackers coming all around.
Assassins sent through Time, we thought,
Who came in groups, and on we fought.
Some had hides most hard to pierce,
Enfeebles helped, but they were fierce.
As Arryn, Storm Queen, and I incanted,
Suddenly, a vision granted.
A Stone Lady, all in gray,
Speaking from another day.
Haughtily, she spoke in turn
To servants with commands most stern.
One had failed her she was clear
To claim relics that she held dear.
He was sent to Blackwood’s lands,
A helmet sought with his own hands.
His last chance, she made quite clear,
Suggesting we have much to fear.
The next servant, it sounds to me,
Expects to travel astrally,
The Lady wished for choicest bits
From Those Beyond Death, not just their wits.
When all was done she turned to say,
She knew we had watched her that day.
Unconcerned, she seemed to be,
No matter what we tried to see.
The vision cleared, and we did know
What we had seen was long ago.
The orbs we’d sought were used up, spent
The Seers of Ro, their lives they’d lent.
We knew we must stop what she wanted,
And set out to do good deeds, undaunted.
Yet while I say this, I must confess
Already there were signs of stress.
We found shrines to the elements
Ruined by salt, most irreverence.
Desecrated by hands unknown,
So to fix them we were prone.
Voraniss said they saved the shrines,
And ‘twould rob the Lady of her strength.
But at vision’s end, Sir Sean declared
They’d made things worse, if we cared.
We all spread out, and soon did find
More to do, both cruel and kind.
Rifts in space, to close with thread,
Many fought a harvester of dead.
An arsonist who ‘scaped down the trail
Not once but twice was thrown in jail
While lunch was served for those who’d pay
Hot food makes a long quest okay.
As day progressed, a druid came
To tell us all where we must aim
The Night Pack would soon be known
And monsters huge would next be grown.
To stop their plans, Sal did attest,
We’d need a serum, so we would quest
He knew the way, or so he said
A risk, for he was off his head.
Dusk came and went, while we prepared
Thanks to Chim, I was well-cared.
But no more pickles, I’m sad to say,
We’d eaten all, Carl on his way.
Voraniss planned to lead the charge,
The Night Pack’s enmity with them is large.
Their ritual was a thing to see,
Strengthened bonds of family.
First to birds, who towered tall,
We took the feathers we saw fall.
Their heads smashed down through armor strong,
While Night Pack foes fought with our throng.
Next a beach, to take a sap,
From swampweed reeds, almost a trap
Voraniss covered our behind,
At last we fled, sap unrefined.
Sal told us of a mushroom pit
We’d need their spores, there was much wit
For magic flowed in fungi there
We get it, you don’t breathe only air.
About this time, we seemed to learn,
The master of the Night Pack’s turn
Would come only if disenchanted
The collars on his folks he’d planted.
The mushrooms left us in a daze,
I saw tall ones jumping in the haze,
At last on to lizards’ den,
To take their eggs, like from a hen.
They were not docile like Sal said
But this worked out, if many bled
For we needed some scales too
They’d not give willingly, it’s true.
At last we gathered at the inn,
Components spread, but much too thin
Were our reserves of swampweed sap
So Lako gave a magic zap.
An altar stood where we did see
A host of monsters, Night Pack’s fury.
The battle raged, the serum used
But through it all, we came out bruised.
The altar’s spells were keyed to race,
They reached us all while in that space
We Rose, we raged, our arms repaired,
Or rooted, died, with misery shared.
None could see the altar’s ways,
Least of all me, to paraphrase,
I used my skills to no avail,
Help came but could not tip the scale.
The Night Pack won, their power grew
Though we’d killed more than one or two
This enemy will come back soon
We’ll need the magic of the Moon.
We licked our wounds, and rumors spread
That not just outfought, we’d been misled
And one of ours had stolen all
We could have used to save this brawl.
Voraniss, Gau Dring, and Chimeron,
Went to the one who’d done us wrong
And while we talked late in the night,
It could not keep us from a fight.
While over quick, the conflict led
To a more despondent trip to bed
And to New Verai, we were sure to say,
Sorry about the mess this day.
When morning broke, a new task loomed
A Dracolich feared they’d be consumed
When Death came to take its toll,
They wished instead to remain whole.
We learned the rifts seen yesterday
Were side effects of old drake’s way
And as we entered the body rotted,
More enemies, we had soon spotted.
We solved a puzzle on its bones
By listen’ing to their ringing tones.
And spells returned through sacrifice
By Kindrianna, quite sweet and nice.
Next to the heart we traveled swift
Discussing how to give a gift
For to save the Dracolich
From Death who takes souls both poor and rich.
Inside the heart, I could not fit
I hear the trials had great wit
Lightning crashed and blazed away
It sounded to be fun to play.
Next the lungs loomed red and white
Both sides pushed a trying fight
One lung breathed flames, its small cells burst
When slain, the fires got the worst.
The white side raised undead for sure
Had to be stopped by a Life’s Cry pure.
We caught our breaths, but could not gloat
Next we must climb up the throat.
It tried to swallow us back down
Yet at the top, close to the crown
We’d reached the head, and soon the end
We hoped to save draconic friend.
A door was locked, rope cleared the way,
We entered the last fight that day.
The Lady Stone was in the head
Her minions all filled us with dread.
We could not keep them down, you see
And we feared what their goals could be.
They seemed like ours: the dragon’s soul
But if they won, oh, what a toll.
The Lady’s spells kept them alive
With each time, we tried to thrive
The soul was split, the pieces scattered
And her forces through ours shattered.
Lako pulled me and others near
To try to use a magic cheer
To keep our side all fighting strong,
But in the end, it all went wrong.
We fought her to a standstill yet
Then our cause filled with regret
She marched alone to soul’s repose
And smashed it with a stony pose.
Spells zigged and zagged, I know not where
But all was not quite lost right there
We kept the soul from evil grasp
The drake was dead, with a last gasp.
Again we licked our wounds, forlorn
Victory lost, new plans were born
And Syruss asked if we could heal
His small friend who, for all his zeal,
Had disappeared when Lady struck
What could have happened to his luck?
I lead a ritual at this end
Hoping to restore his friend.
We only could get part o’way,
The rescue’d come another day,
And I, though drained in soul and mind,
Am slightly left with a small bind.
For both times that I used my strength
To hold off stone’s arms, and ritual’s length,
I Invoked my power, mighty, old
It does not always do what’s told.
You’ll find me thus, a bit First Age
Until I step down off this stage
But travel soon, I know I should,
I’ll see you at Feast of Blackwood!
