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The Saga of the Gwandorlings 39
Agrath put out the call for the hsunchen warriors to gather at the monastery and they collected food and supplies for the campaign. Doiban and his monks prepared so summon the dream dragon and Bronwyn aided in their activities. After four days, Mao Chien returned with Ulan. Ulan was a tall and imperial looking man, coloured like tanned leather as all of these easterners were. His hair was a brilliant white and his nose was sharply hooked, even when he was not manifesting any eagle spirits. With Ulan was Palbar Far-Seer, a wrinkled old man held in great respect by all present. Palbar was Ulan's spirit talker. Also with Ulan were his Nest Guardians Orki Two-Talons and Wolan Flies-like-a-Rock, so called because he flies hard and fast striking his foes like a catapult stone. Doiban bade Ulan welcome and named Argrath to him. He then led them to the feasting hall where he sat Argrath and Ulan at the head of the room on the Dragon's Perch. The Friends and Ulan's followers were arrayed along the sides of the table and Doiban with his senior monks sat at the foot. Argrath and Ulan spake of this and that and shared tea. Argrath spake of his intent to free the region from Kao Lu's depredations and sought Ulan's aid. Ulan agreed readily and spake of seeing Ko-Lahu burning two days past. One of his braves had seen a force of Kobai and Black Iron disciples destroy the town. He also told of a force issuing from Kao Lu's fortress. All three hundreds of the Kobai, one hundred of the bandits, four-score each of the spearmen and the cross-bowmen and four-score of the Black Iron disciples had left the Fort. They were led by Kao Lu himself with all ten of his body guards and they were faring directly to Dragon's Rest. Gudny fared to the Black Iron Fort striding upon the wind. Once there he unleashed Black Cloud on the shantytown surrounding the fortress having the Vadrudi spirit destroy it and toss all the bodies into the fortress. "I'm out! I'm out! Yes! Yes! Kill! Kill! WEEeeee!" Thunder crashed and whirl-winds danced. Lighting struck out in insane directions while winds thrashed the hovels. Wreckage and bodies flew through the air and Kao Lu's prize Bonsai garden vanished in the blink of an eye. When finished Black Cloud returned to his bag on Gudny's belt chuckling happily to himself and Gudny returned to Dragon's Rest. Now back at the monastery, the monks had entered a chamber hidden deep in the stone of the mountain. There they each freed their consciousness and focused it on the Cosmotic sceptre that Bronwyn still held. Over the duration of that day a dream dragon, stretching 45 ells from snout to the tip of its tail, formed around the hillside. The dragon lay on the backside of the outcrop with its head resting on the uppermost terrace of the monastery. Unmoving, the dragon was indistinguishable from the other carved dragon's heads, just a little larger. We need now describe the monastery of Dragon's Rest. The monastery is carved into the face of a granite scree slope on four terraced levels. There is a broad stairway that stretches from the fields below to the upper-most terrace in 120 steps. On each terrace there are a few buildings, carved from the granite and decorated with jade and other stonework, but most of the level is inside the mountain. The dream dragon's snout pointed directly down the stairs. When Kao Lu comes to the Monastery he marches his force straight up the stairs and stops at the top. Some of his troops search each level but the passages are many and the hiding places more. In these hiding places waited the Friends and their allies. So now our tale turns to Kao Lu's arrival. The warlord's force arrived with the full panoply of an eastern army. Gongs thrummed, pipes trilled and gaily-coloured banners snapped in the breeze. The men in Kao Lu's force walked like the red-men in Sartar, they all strode forth on the same foot at the same time, it was most unnerving. As expected, the warlord marched directly up the stairs. At each level a few of the bandits and some soldiers searched the level but found naught that they weren't expecting. When Kao Lu was within ten ells of the top Bronwyn yawned and exhaled. A roaring jet of flame boiled out of the dream dragon's muzzle covering the entire stairwell from top to bottom. When the furnace blast ceased, the surviving Kobai were fleeing into the undergrowth with their coats aflame, the only thing left of the spear and cross-bowmen were a gross of badly charred skeletons and melted spearheads. Kao Lu's proud disciples were staring at their burning clothes and the half of their number who had been cooked beyond recognition by the blast. Kao Lu himself, and his bodyguards, stood where they had been. They all glowed a dull red like iron thrown into a furnace. Some of the guards stared at their hands as they slowly turned to slag and melted. It was at this signal that the Friends surged from hiding and set upon the survivors. Sigmund leapt from hiding hurled Little Weighty at the mass of bodyguards. He had spent the day before blessing the Thunderstone to seek Kuchjan Harder-than-Iron and he had done well. Kuchjan saw the blow coming and he made to block the stone with his arm. Little Weighty seemed to stop when it struck Kuchjan's open palm but then the Black Iron warrior shattered into uncountable flying shards and Little Weighty returned to Sigmund's waiting hand. Bronwyn stretched his wings and with a sharp snap was airborne over the hillside. His shadow streaked across the rock as he hunted down the fleeing Kobai warriors with the merciless precision common of all dragonkind. Kao Lu and his men charged the top of the monastery. Doiban fled to the rear of the terrace as the Friends boiled up around him and leapt to the attack. Garthael, Mau Chien, Gudny and Kamoar made to attack Kau Lu. Mau Chien flew through the air and smote at the warlord with his Dragon Striking Kick. Kau Lu caught Mau Chien's foot in his left hand and threw the warrior off of the terrace. With his right foot his kicked Garthael's great blade from his fist, pivoted and struck the Humakti in the face with his left heal. Garthael spun around from the blow and his helm jumped into the air to land on the next terrace down. Gudny's lighting bolts rebounded and left the storm priest with crackling hair. Kau Lu jabbed his right hand into Kamoar's berserk forehead and sent him reeling back. Argrath made to strike at Kau Lu but a bodyguard leapt at the king and shrugged off Argrath's magic. Kau Lu's still glowing form blurred as he entered his Fists of Fury trance and stuck at the assembled foes. His rain of glowing iron-edged fists were each met by a flurry of lightning blasts from Gudny and Kao Lu fell back on his heals exhausted with the effort [1]. The Black Iron warrior struck at Argrath with the grim certainty of steel but Argrath was no longer there, he teleported himself behind the monk and struck like an adder smashing the warrior's head onto the tiled floor with his movement magics. With his army destroyed, his disciples slain and faced by the entire force of his foes, Kao Lu surrendered to Argrath. The warlord agreed to collect his remaining followers and leave the region. They would take their clothes and weapons and enough food to survive. Gudny was later heard to say these words: Iron-man strikes with serpentile speed Kao Lu returned to his fortress with the Friends and turned it over to them including his treasury. He and his followers then left the area. Argrath now held the EWF warbanner in his hand
and the Friends cheered themselves hoarse. Also in Argraths' new
hoard were roll after roll of silks, ingots of gold, silver and
bronze. Weapons, Iron, precious vases and boxes upon boxes of spice.
Tapestries, art and books of collected wisdom. >BACK< |
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March 27, 2001 All graphics and articles on this site are the property of their respective owners. Glorantha, Hero Wars, and Issaries are Registered Trademarks of Issaries Inc. No infringement on these trademarks is intended.
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