The Quest of the Dragonblade

It all started when dragons attacked Highbeck. They swept through the narrow streets with great agility, stopping only to ravage those that got in their way. The terrified citizens fled to the homes and awaited someone who would dare to challenge the fearsome beasts.

In her sanctuary, Paige the healer saw one dragon slip by the entrance silently and called for help. Passing through the area was Sharkur and several of his Tabaxi friends. They came quickly to the aggrieved healer, who told them what she had seen. Along with Calgofin, Sharkur mounted a brave team to track down the creatures, though now they were nowhere to be seen. Paige pointed them in the direction of Hovenheim, so off they headed, down Shyreglen Road.

However, they had not travelled far beyond Highbeck when they heard roaring and saw smoke rising above the trees to the south. So they stormed into Shyreglen Forest, where they encountered the grandest of dragons. It fought back, sending the trees up in flames, but before the heroes could slay the beast, it took to the sky and soared away into Shyreglen Town.

Not deterred by the dragon’s resilience, Sharkur and Calgofin led their team in pursuit. They tracked it down and surrounded it on Shyreglen Town’s main road. There they struck it down, leaving its body amongst the corpses of its victims. The fearful deed done, the heroes returned to Highbeck.

Everyone wished to hear of their tale, not least of all Paige. However, shortly thereafter, a mortally-wounded knight staggered into the sanctuary and collapsed. He revealed his name to be Amphion. His parched lips spoke words of a Touched One who would find Dragonblade and end the attacks on Highbeck. Those gathered were most intrigued. One, Skye, piped up and told them all of a vision she beheld of being touched by a flying blade whilst seeking refuge during the attack.

Amphion’s final words were of another knight; a knight who held Dragonblade and commanded the souls of the dragons. Despite Paige’s best efforts, Amphion died in their arms. However, it was clear to Sharkur what must be done: they must claim Dragonblade from this evil knight and bring his tyrannical power over the dragons to an end.

Paige agreed, though admitted she was not knowledgeable enough to advise them all on this quest. She suggested Sharkur seek an audience with the grumpy but wise Thelos, her counterpart in Hovenheim. Sharkur took Skye alone to the titan city and put her before Thelos. Thelos spoke cryptic words of a prophecy about the Child of Sun and Sea being the only one who can lead the way to Dragonblade. In Sharkur’s eyes, this was all that was required to prove to him that Skye was the Touched One.

Thelos himself was ambivalent. In personal conversation with Skye, he told her to find three elements to add to her own. Sharkur quickly interpreted this as earth, fire, air and water, believing Thelos to be instructing Skye to find three companions to help her. Anxious to complete the quest, Sharkur took Skye from Thelos, urging her to pick him as one companion. This she did.

So began a period of intensive training of Skye by Sharkur. He posed her puzzles and mind games. He honed her skills and her senses. But Skye grew tired and Sharkur grew angry at her reluctance. One fateful day at Paige’s sanctuary, Skye disowned the mantle of being the Touched One and stormed off. Now there was no Touched One.

In desperation, Sharkur begged Paige for her wisdom. She told him a vague prophecy about the one who will decide the fate of Highbeck. She went on to add that she always believed that to be Sidiate, the evil trade baron who was defeated by the Moki. However, she added that she was now no longer so sure.

Sharkur recalled something Thelos had said to him: the Child of Sun and Sea. He instantly thought of the Sitha beauty, Cariad, whose surname was Solaris. He bid Paige farewell and set off to find her.

Meanwhile, Cariad’s betrothed, Morrigan came before Paige wondering whether he was the Touched One. She gave him a vague response, unsure herself. He toyed with the idea of hunting down Dragonblade alone but as if by some strange coincidence, a gang of Orcs appeared in town and began calling for him. Paige wished him well, yet he didn’t need her luck. He made short work of the brutes.

However, more were to come in their place and Morrigan required the assistance of Sharkur, Midir and their companions to fend them off. Led by Morrigan, the warriors stormed back to Paige, wanting to know where the true evil lay: the dragons or the Orcs. Paige warned them that neither was the true evil, though Morrigan remained adamant that the Orcs were important.

Without further ado he left the others with Paige and headed for the Orc camp. There a ghostly knight appeared to him and lured him into the clutches of the aggressive Orcs before vanishing. Whilst Sharkur and the others rushed across Ossaca to render him aid, Morrigan fell before the Orcs. But the ghostly knight, his stark warning delivered, transferred the unconscious Morrigan back to Paige, where the others joined him later.

Disillusioned by his apparent failure, Morrigan resigned himself to the fact that he might not be the Touched One after all. Paige urged him to build an army, though, and when a pitiful female Orc followed the others back from the camp, she spoke of the Army of the Invisibles.

Whilst Morrigan recovered, Sharkur slipped away, heading across country toward the Orc camp, alone. However, en route, he encountered a lone ice dragon. He did not slay it, but it followed him all the same. When eventually he confronted the creature it spoke to him in the voice of Amphion, the dying knight who had staggered into Paige’s after the attack on Highbeck. Sharkur had acquired a new guide and companion. Together they proceeded to the Orc camp.

Sharkur sneaked through a gap in the fence but as he avoided the Orc hordes and became increasingly lost amongst the tents, he suddenly found himself down in a dark tomb. And there was Dragonblade, a sword of cold fire, nestled beside a coffin, free for him to take. So that he did.

The moment his hands seized the great blade he found himself running back down Shyreglen Road toward Highbeck with Amphion at his heels. Somewhere along the way, however, he must have passed Midir, Martacus and Elanor who were on their way to the gypsy camp.

They had been listening to Morrigan as he had been healing at Paige’s. He told them all of a young Sitha boy who came to him to listen to stories of derring-do. Apparently, the boy had been fraternising with those Elven gypsies, who were also under the control of the ghostly knight. Whilst Morrigan continued to heal, Midir, Martacus and Elanor journeyed to the gypsies, only to find nothing amiss. However, on returning to Highbeck, they made a horrible discovery.

Sharkur had returned with Dragonblade, but whilst sleeping with it, the blade had been snatched… and replaced with the fresh corpse of a Tabaxi infant. Sharkur was distraught. Midir, Martacus and Elanaor returned the child to Abehan soil and buried it there.

With many concerned faces gathering at Paige’s, there was much fear over what was to happen next. It soon became obvious. For a mere second Sharkur was snatched out of time, though it seemed much longer for him. He came face to face with the laughing ghostly knight who gave him a stark warning: “… the darkness rises tonight … Highbeck will fall … be there, or be alive tomorrow …”

This warning echoed across all of Highbeck as well and there was not one who did not hear it. On returning to Paige’s sanctuary the others were already preparing for battle and waiting for Sharkur to lead them to victory. But Sharkur would have none of it. When the pressure became too intense he stormed out angrily.

Those that remained were lost without him. Morrigan said he would lead and choose three companions. Paige interjected. Once they were all paying attention she revealed the identities of Thelos’ four elements: strength, faith, compassion and unity. Skye had compassion, which is why she needed to find the other three. Except the Touched One was them all, when working as one. She reminded them of the prophecy: that the Touched One would decide the fate of Highbeck. But they lacked unity. They lacked Sharkur.

Sharkur sat on the cliffs outside Highbeck, looking out to sea, toward Abeh. Sitting with him was the ice dragon. All of a sudden, Amphion’s voice began to speak to Sharkur from nowhere. He demanded to know what Sharkur was doing and repeated the question over and over until he gave the right answer: fighting for Highbeck. A new resolve came over him and Sharkur hurried back to the others.

It was several hours later when the attack began. It was preceded by eerie cackling echoing about the sanctuary. Then Paige began to speak the word of the ghostly knight. Those assembled, which now included Morrigan, Martacus, Myrrn, Cariad, Elanor and Goathan as well as Sharkur readied themselves for battle. Calgofin was nonplussed about the fall of the Sitha town and fled back to Abeh.

As soon as they all left the building they were set upon by a horde of Orcs that outnumbered them greatly. Each one played his part, though Goathan was mortally wounded and had to retreat. Orcs poured from hiding places and were fought off with much aplomb. The remainder fled down Shyreglen Road to the Orc camp, pursued by the avenging warriors. They caught them up and slew them where they stood.

Unbeknownst to them, however, this was all part of the ghostly knight’s plan. On entering the Orc camp, Sharkur’s team found it deserted. It suddenly became obvious that the chase had been a diversion. They returned to Highbeck too late. Paige’s cries for help were distant and Orcs were flooding the town. Trolls and dragons joined the fray, cutting off the adventurers, so they engaged them all in battle. When Sharkur finally fought his way through to the sanctuary he found that Paige had been seized.

Fighting continued in the streets of Highbeck for many hours. Injured and exhausted, the heroes fought on. When unified they were unstoppable. This was apparent. Obviously so to the ghostly knight. He summoned Sharkur to a plan of nothingness where he guarded Paige’s bound form and wielded the Dragonblade.

This was the final decisive battle. Initially Sharkur had the upper hand, but Dragonblade was too powerful. Its influence forced Paige to goad Sharkur into defeat. The ghostly knight was just too strong for Sharkur alone. Except that he realised he wasn’t alone. He knew, in that moment, that they were all with him. Morrigan and Myrrn and Cariad and Martacus and Elanor and Goathan. It was this power that allowed him to grasp the Dragonblade, wrestle it free of the ghostly knight and send him spinning off into oblivion.

In an instant, the ghostly knight’s magic ceased to be. The Orcs, trolls and dragons under his control came to their senses. Paige was freed and returned to her sanctuary. And Shyreglen found himself back with his friends who had helped him win.

Morrigan was cautious about whether it was really over but Paige allayed his fears. Much to the delight of Martacus, the champagne was brought in for the celebrations. As they drank, Sharkur handed the mighty Dragonblade to Morrigan. The Sitha then announced an agreement: the Order of Dragonblade. All those gathered pledged to protect their ideals whenever called upon to do so.

And to cap it off, he asked Cariad to marry him. She said yes.