The Master Of Zooz

[RedPlague]

OOC> I'm waiting for someone else to post, because at the moment i have nothing really worth adding.

[Malchik]

OOC> You can wait overnight to hear the rest of the story next day or do something this night. If you can let me know I'll post accordingly.

[DragonDudeAW]

OOC> I think we want to hear the rest of the story, Aldhelm isnt going to go get the poison, if he needs to deal damage he isnt going to sneak around. He has Fire Magic at his disposal.

[karkarinus]

(ooc > Sorry for taking so long. The general concensus seems to be to stay the night and hear the rest of the story. We'll stay for dinner and then retire. And I could murder a curry!)

[Malchik]

OOC>

 

Right. You passed a wonderful night and ate whatever you fancied. Curry is certainly available.

 

On topic.

 

The following morning over breakfast Nikishastra completes the story.

 

"I had lost touch with Zander many years before the Akitaron problem. I did not know he was there. I was visiting an old friend who wanted some advice on growing plants that liked cooler conditions. Akitaron had plenty of water in great cisterns that filled up from snowmelt higher in the mountain. But while water was no problem, the temperature was never colder than 'very hot'. I knew you could use flowing water to lower temperatures in certain conditions and wondered about applying the techniques in his circumstances. Naturally I spent some time examining the cisterns and on one occasion I bumped into Zander."

 

Nikishastra pauses to eat.

 

"One thing about the very arrogant is that they love to talk about their achievements. He was full of himself. It was to be the culmination of his life's work. I thought he had finally found immortality but of course he hadn't. He did however believe he had found it. It involved stealing the souls of the dying. But in order to work he needed vast numbers of deaths."

 

Nikishastra shakes his head.

 

"Of course he would not tell me the details but I was not blind to the obvious. The cisterns of Akitaron served over a million people - if the supply were contaminated in some way... The problem was what to do with the knowledge. First, I had to try to establish if my fears had any basis. Was there anything powerful enough to affect the whole population? It seemed unlikely but I needed to know. This was when I learned of the Avelys and its properties. And I learned too through some very costly detective work that several dried Avelys flowers had been delivered to an address in Akitaron. I painstaking built a case I could present to the city Governor. But what then?"

 

Another pause allows Nikishastra to drink his tea.

 

"I don't blame the Governor. I couldn't tell him everything. If I'd mentioned Zander's bolt hole out of time or his ability to stay in stasis for 50 years and pop back as if it had been a matter of minutes, I would have been arrested as a madman. With patience I was able to convince him that Zander existed and believed killing many people would bring him immortality. I also produced enough evidence for him to accept that his means of achieving this was by poisoning the water supply. What he did not believe was that a couple of dozen dead flower heads would do more than make a few people sick. And the efficacy of the Avelys as a poison was not something I could demonstrate."

 

The man's delivery suddenly falters.

 

"The Governor intended to send out guards to arrest Zander, though no one knew where he was. He also intended to put guards around the cisterns. That had to be enough. I tried to tell him that the city had to be evacuated until Zander's death was confirmed. He just laughed at me. How would that help? Zander would simply go and poison people in another city. Of course I had established there was no other city in Bashkher with Akitaron's vulnerability but the Governor pooh-poohed it. It was then I made the most terrible mistake of my life."

 

He glowers suddenly at Face. "Leave us!"

 

The boy scuttles out, startled.

 

"Before I admit to this catastrophe I must mention the Knight again. I had kept my researches into Zander as quiet as possible to avoid alerting him. But my nosiness aroused the inquisitiveness of the Knight who was himself searching for Zander. I never knew this - I read it in his diary later - but that was how he tracked Zander to Akitaron. And now to my disastrous mistake."

 

Having told you of his intention, he falls silent. The subject is hard for him to talk of. Rousing himself he starts again.

 

"A Life mage, like myself, does not know anything of death magic. However we do have the power to terminate our own creations; obviously because we can get things wrong. When the Governor would not listen to me I determined to make him. Having suspected what his response would be I had set up my little charade already. Akitaron, like any huge city, at any moment in time has areas that are derelict. I brought in a water barrel of the kind that stored water for those too old or too ill to go to the cisterns and created a neighbourhood of some twenty souls. I told the Governor that Zander had experimented with one drop of extract in a barrel and wiped out a whole district and that I could show him."

 

Nikishastra sounds increasingly upset, even unwell.

 

"Again he didn't believe me. Someone would have escaped or at least another would have reported it. But I had my answers. The district was full of the criminal underclass. No one visited because it was unwise to do so and no one had escaped. I only knew because I had learned of zander's plan and had gone exploring. The Governor was still very unsure."

 

Nikishastra lets out a wail of pain. "If only I had made him come to see himself but he dispatched a minion. I had wanted an orderly planned withdrawal and indeed when he learned of what had apparently befallen the neighbourhood that is what the governor ordered. But the minion did not keep silent. He had listened at the door - as Face is even at this moment - and told others. There was a panic. People fled into the desert, where they almost certainly died, others... We did eventually get the orderly withdrawal but by then the whole system of cisterns had been smashed beyond repair. Apart from my causing the deaths of many hundreds of innocent people, because of my 'cleverness', the city of Akitaron was made uninhabitable forever."

 

A tear trickles down the old man's nose.

 

"Well, it is long ago. Let me finish the story. In the final phase of withdrawal, speeded up as it had to be because of the destruction, a man answering Zander's description was seen. He had lost an arm and was bleeding profusely. Yet his corpse was never found. The Knight's was and later the Knight's diary. The sword was never found either. But Zander, if the reports of his injuries are true, would surely not have been able to take it. He must have used his good arm to staunch the wound as far as possible while he hurried back to stasis, where no doubt some form of healing can occur. Whilst the sword itself may no longer be in Akitaron, I believe that city alone holds the clue as to its whereabouts."

 

He is clearly very tired. But he waits for questions.

[karkarinus]

Kalmer hails the serving girl, and orders an infusion of black tea with orange blossom, cloves and cinnamon, or the most similar local equivalents. He pours himself a cup, and offers some to Nikishastra. Feeling most refreshed, he proceeds with his questions to the old mage.

 

"If we were to travel to Akitaron, what dangers would we have to be wary of? And what precautions should we take? What other advice can you give us that may help us seek out the sword? Where did Zander supposedly go into this 'stasis'? Is it likely that he is still there?"

[Malchik]

Nikishastra also takes further tea. "Little is left of Akitaron but rock cut tombs, they are very spectacular. It receives few tourists because of the location but it does get a few dozen every year. You will need plenty of water and camping equipment as there is no lodging. As for Zander I can't really guess. The corpse of the knight was found on a road a little outside the city to the west. He had been trying to drag himself back to the city. Perhaps he had found Zander's dwelling. No one else ever did. I would expect Zander had a means of getting to his safe haven close to his dwelling, perhaps in it. If he got back in one piece he could well still be there. But do not for any reason contact him. If that ever becomes necessary you will need some powerful defences and even I cannot provide those."

 

He is tiring rapidly but adds.

 

"There are fewer dangers in the desert than in that temple you intend to visit. If you do find Zander's house do not pick up any dried flowers. The poison of the Avelys remains deadly and works on contact. Unless one of you has immunity?"

[RedPlague]

Áni looks up from his tea as the last words escape Nikishastras lips. "Have..im-immunity, all Jourtresians do."

[DragonDudeAW]

Aldhelm decides to inquire, "I like to see myself as an alchemist of sorts, is there any way you know to counteract the effects of this poison? I had no idea of its power.... I simply knew it was quite deadly. Also, if it is deadly on contact is there a way to handle it safely?"

[Malchik]

Nikishatra shrugs.

 

"Your friend here may know more than I do. I believe the only cure is to develop immunity in childhood. But it is exceedingly rare. You will recognise the flower itself. It is twice the size of your hand, scarlet and purple in colour with a long golden stigma. It is also known as the 'bird lily' as it is said to trap and devour small birds. It keeps its colour if dried. You should be able to transport it normally if it is wrapped, or your hands are covered. Only the stigma contains the poison."

 

OOC> I don't think there's any more info for the swords quest. You need to start getting hold of them. Re the Temple you'll get one more piece of info when you go into the Skull Temple otherwise you have everything you need too. You need to decide your mode of entry. Why not revitalise the Drunken Alligator thread for discussions?