{"id":229,"date":"2019-05-23T11:59:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T11:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/141.148.246.190\/index.php\/single-post\/wings-of-chaos-chapter-30\/"},"modified":"2023-08-10T11:01:58","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T10:01:58","slug":"wings-of-chaos-chapter-30","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/23\/wings-of-chaos-chapter-30\/","title":{"rendered":"Wings of Chaos: Chapter 30"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chapter 30: Without Planning<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Fillip and Keelan approached the stable of wyverns first, the druid casting a spell over himself to speak with them in a hissing tongue. There were four wyverns in total. They gave Fillip a few minutes, and soon he was waving them in with a big grin on his face. They entered and saw he and Keelan were starting to hitch saddles onto the winged creature\u2019s backs, a rather complicated system of girths and cinches that had to be set just right to avoid hindering wing movement or slipping off the slick scales. Keelan placed Ember in one of the empty stalls. The warhorse snorted unhappily, and the paladin patted Ember\u2019s nose comfortingly, then mounted the largest wyvern behind Fillip, who took up the reins. With a shout from the druid, the wyvern launched itself at the stable roof. Keelan raised his shield to block their impact as the thatched roof was torn apart and snow fell inwards. Shale nervously took the reins to her wyvern and led it outside the large doors, then picked up Trigger and mounted with him in her lap. The fox shook nervously and curled around her tightly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Whisper mounted one of the smaller female wyverns, and Oszaren and Reverence jumped on the other male together. Then they took to the air. It was cold and Shale had to wrap her fur cloak around Trigger as the wings took them higher. Beneath that, she wore the purple cult robes she\u2019d stolen long ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The floating ice castle was no longer in view, but they knew which direction it had taken over the mountains. They steered their mounts and the icy wind blew past them, frosting their eyelashes and leaving them chattering and stiff.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It was another couple of hours before the outline of the castle came into view through the clouds. Shale felt a sense of thrill at catching up, but also a nervousness. They\u2019d planned nothing for when they reached the castle, except to find Rezmir, and hope they escaped with their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Just then, the air around them seemed to reverberate. Shale turned and saw, bursting out of the clouds behind them, a massive white dragon. It swooped over their wyverns and skimmed the clouds with its wingtips, lazily looping around to fly between them and the castle. It turned, its massive body taking up the sky, and turned its long neck toward them. They all held their wyverns back, and the creatures screeched nervously and flew in place. Whisper waved to the dragon. \u201cI don\u2019t know you,\u201d the dragon said in common, its voice deep but loud. \u201cWhose side are you on?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oszaren stood in the stirrups behind Reverence and recited the password. \u201cTiamat, our mother and our strength,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The dragon stared at them, wings pulsing, then nodded, turned, and flew toward the castle.<\/span><\/p>\n

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They all collectively let out their breaths and watched the white-scaled beast soar beneath the ice castle, circling the base, which was carved from a thick iceberg, then breathed a cone of ice upwards and moved into the fog around its centre, landing presumably somewhere in the courtyard. Whisper pulled his stolen cult mask over his eyes, hiding his cat ears. Shale pointed up at the tallest tower. The whistling wind in their ears made it almost impossible to communicate as they followed the dragon, but Oszaren saw her hand and nodded. As they swooped nearer, Shale saw figures moving on the walls, patrolling. They were large. Not giant-sized, but not humanoid either. As they moved closer, she saw that they were grey-skinned ogres with bald heads and wearing only the barest forms of armour. They had thick, rolling shoulders and almost no neck at all, with large, protruding jowls. They stood on the wall and pointed at the approaching wyverns, and some ran for the ballista on that side of the wall and began loading it with a large javelin. They didn\u2019t wait to hear a password. They shot, a javelin narrowly missing Whisper\u2019s wyvern as he rolled out of the way. Whisper retaliated with a firebolt.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shale quickly tied Trigger to her middle to ensure the fox wouldn\u2019t fall should her wyvern dive, then took out her bow and shot an arrow at the ogre loading another javelin. The arrow whistled through the air and struck him in the ribs, but he tore it out and took aim again, the other ogres picking up javelins and chucking them by hand. Reverence veered his and Oszaren\u2019s mount toward the tower and magically enhanced his voice, shouting, \u201cWe need the cover of the tower!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shale grabbed the reins to steer her wyvern just as a javelin buried a few inches into her mount\u2019s chest. It shuddered and dropped a few feet before regaining altitude. Shale\u2019s heart leapt into her throat as she urged it toward the tower. She turned and saw Keelan and Fillip\u2019s wyvern dip into the fog below the wall, out of the ballista\u2019s range. \u201cC\u2019mon, c\u2019mon,\u201d Shale said, pressing her heels into the wyvern, then turning and taking another shot. She waited for the wyvern\u2019s wing to drop, then released, and struck the ogre again. Trigger whimpered somewhere in her cloak. \u201cIt\u2019ll be alright, buddy,\u201d she reassured him, gritting her teeth and grabbing hold of the reins again, bringing the wyvern higher out of the reach of the ogres on the wall, who, while able to throw their javelins decently far, were no match versus the ballista.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ahead of her, she saw Reverence hand Oszaren the reins to their wyvern. The warlock slid into the front of the saddle as the tiefling stood, balancing for a moment with his tail, then launched himself at the wall, half a hundred feet below. He landed lightly despite the distance\u2014Shale could see he\u2019d cast something on his feet to slow the fall\u2014and hit the ground running. The two ogres turned in surprise at their attacker. He paused and crouched, positioning himself on the wall in front of them, then waved them forward with one hand tauntingly. The ogres took the bait and rushed forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shale turned and saw Fillip and Keelan burst out of the fog and fly up and over the wall. Fillip turned in the saddle and a wave of thunder exploded from his hands, throwing an ogre off the wall to fall a thousand feet to the earth below. Two other ogres stumbled and nearly met the same fate. The fog had cleared somewhat inside the courtyard, and while the dragon was nowhere to be seen, there were several more ogres as well as a few men in black cloaks running out, thrusting spears and javelins at the newly appeared Fillip and Keelan. Their wyvern took a few hits before the druid could bring it back up over the wall. Their wyvern, angry at the wounds it\u2019d received, thrust its large stinger into an ogre and threw it over the edge while Keelan\u2019s hands lit up with white fire and burned more ogres with horrible screams.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shale shot a few more arrows down as her wyvern finally reached the top of the tallest tower and landed roughly. She freed Trigger and the fox leapt off immediately. She jumped down and pulled the javelin from her wyvern\u2019s chest, blood splashing on the thick ice, then ran and looked over the tower. She saw Reverence running back down the wall, then jumping up as Oszaren swept their wyvern lower. The tiefling grabbed its leg and held on tightly as the wyvern beat its way up to the tower. They landed, Reverence dropping to the ground and breathing heavily. Shale took the moment to glance at the tower. There was a massively large door on the circular landing. There were no windows and the whole thing was made of opaque, carved ice bricks. She went to the door and pulled on it, but it wouldn\u2019t budge. There were no locks to be seen. \u201cHow do we get in?\u201d She asked, slamming a fist angrily into the door. The door had bluish runes glowing around it, but she didn\u2019t recognize the language.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oszaren jumped off their wyvern. \u201cWe have no plan,\u201d he said crossly. \u201cWhere are we going?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cTo find Rezmir\u2014and perhaps Rath Modar, if he\u2019s here,\u201d Reverence said, wiping sweat from his horned brow. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have company soon enough. We need\u2014cover.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oszaren threw his hands in the air in frustration.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI have an idea,\u201d Reverence said after a moment, shoving a hand into his patchwork cloak and ripping off a square piece of fabric, holding it up, and sticking it to the large door.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The patch immediately expanded until it was an open window into the room. The tiefling smirked, and behind them, Whisper landed his wyvern, quickly followed by Fillip and Keelan, their wyvern looking especially injured. As they jumped off, Keelan healed the creature, which screeched gratefully as its wounds closed. Fillip said something to them, and the wyverns seemed to nod their assent. \u201cI told them to come back for us should they need to leave,\u201d he said, then noticing the giant door with the window said, \u201cho, what\u2019s this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cOnly one way to find out.\u201d Shale clambered through the window and helped Trigger through.<\/span><\/p>\n

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She gasped. Inside the room, she could see out in all directions. The walls, which were opaque from the outside, were completely transparent from this view. On one side of the wall was a wide, winding staircase leading down. She stepped across the carved stone and ice to the middle of the room, in which sat a large pedestal sparkling with gems and topped with a spherical glass object, inlaid with more gems. It looked to be, oddly enough, some sort of steering mechanism. Shale moved out of the way as Reverence climbed in after her, followed by the rest, and began inspecting the pedestal. \u201cThere are runes\u2014carved in the gems,\u201d Reverence said, walking around the sphere.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s in giant language,\u201d Oszaren told him, inspecting it closer. \u201cThere are eighteen commands for the castle. You speak them while touching the sphere, and the castle should obey.\u201d The warlock touched his hand to three runes, speaking a strange word with each one, and those runes seemed to brighten just a little as the sphere started to spin.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The castle instantly slowed to a stop, and they could hear bells echoing in the courtyard. Then, with a rumble, Shale looked out over the tower and saw the clouds around the ice castle were forming up and darkening with rolling thunder, obscuring the place.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve told it to anchor,\u201d Oszaren said. \u201cI gave it the all-clear signal and brought in a storm to keep us hidden. That should help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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They all nodded. \u201cNow what?\u201d Fillip asked cheerily.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cDo we wait for Rezmir to find us?\u201d Shale asked doubtfully.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cOr crash the castle into a mountain,\u201d Keelan said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Whisper walked around the room slowly, hands up. \u201cI sense a spirit inside the castle,\u201d the tabaxi said. \u201cIt is alive, in a sense. It will not harm itself by crashing into a mountain.\u201d The tabaxi turned suddenly at the navigation sphere. \u201cMove,\u201d he said, and Reverence and Oszaren backed up. The wizard aimed a paw at it and shot a firebolt. The fire hit the sphere and the spinning slowed as the heat blasted into it, leaving streaks of black scorch marks. The glowing runes faded.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat did you do!\u201d Oszaren demanded. \u201cDid you kill it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat have you done,\u201d Fillip said, sounding unusually angry. \u201cWHAT HAVE YOU DONE!\u201d He shouted, running toward the now darkened sphere.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The ground beneath their feet began vibrating, and the castle started moving again, northwards in the same direction. At the same moment, the storm began to fade as quickly as it\u2019d come. Then, the sound of heavy footsteps below them, coming up the winding stairs. \u201cHELLO?\u201d The bellowing voice came, and Shale felt sudden dread. \u201cWHO\u2019S UP THERE?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fillip scrambled back to the window to jump outside. Shale steeled herself and ran for the stairs, giving Keelan a look. The paladin rushed after her, and Whisper followed. \u201cWe\u2019re looking for Rezmir,\u201d Shale called loudly, and she heard the footfalls immediately pause. \u201cWhere in nine hells is she?\u201d She tightened the purple robe around her shoulders, pulling off her winter cloak and stuffing it into her bag. She continued down the stairs until she saw the hulking form of a cloud giant standing on the landing of a secondary room next to a massive pillar of blue fire, which went straight up, presumably into the steering column in the tower. The giant was twenty-four feet tall with bluish gray skin and white hair with a gray goatee. He wore thick plate armour and at his back was slung a massive, spiked morning star.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you use the front door?\u201d The giant demanded, looking down at her as Keelan and Whisper stepped behind. Whisper still wore his cult mask.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shale shrugged, feigning casual. \u201cWanted to make a statement, didn\u2019t we? Land on the tallest tower and make Rezmir come to us. Obviously, she didn\u2019t care, though.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd what have you done to my castle?\u201d he growled.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t think<\/em> we did anything,\u201d she said, glancing back. \u201cSome of my companions are a bit dull. Perhaps one of them tripped over something on our way through?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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The giant sized them up for a long moment, then grumbled and pushed past them up the stairs. \u201cExcuse me while I go check.\u201d She was surprised the giant didn\u2019t resist more.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cCould you point us to Rezmir?\u201d Shale called before he could reach the next landing, hoping she\u2019d given the rest of them enough time to hide.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Impatiently, the cloud giant said, \u201cTry the courtyard. That\u2019s a usual spot for her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThanks,\u201d she said quickly, and Keelan, Whisper and Shale rushed down.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The cloud giant stomped up the stairs. Oszaren stepped away from the sphere and stood innocently, having heard the conversation below. \u201cAh, hello. Have you just seen three people go downstairs\u2026?\u201d Reverence and Fillip were nowhere to be seen.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The giant looked at him pointedly, then took three large strides to the pedestal and placed his wide hands gingerly on either side of the darkened sphere. In a surprisingly soft voice, he caressed the sphere and said, \u201cStupid cultists, messing with my tower\u2026\u201d then, he noticed the scorch marks from Whisper\u2019s firebolt. \u201cWHAT! Oh, my dear,\u201d he murmured as Oszaren slipped past him and ran down the stairs. \u201cWhat have they done to you, my love? Please come back.\u201d He said it softly, soothingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The light in the runes flickered as though responding to his touch, then hummed back to life, the sphere slowly spinning in his grasp. The giant looked around the room and noticed the small window inside the door. He released the sphere and exhaled in annoyance. \u201cThis should be properly locked down\u2026 what is this? Rezmir will pay for these fixes.\u201d The giant moved over to the window and began tugging on the tiny frame. Some of the wood around it cracked, and the giant looked through the transparent walls and seemed to notice for the first time the four wyverns sitting atop the tower, licking their wounds. The giant threw open the large door and waved them away angrily. The wyverns screeched at him, but seeing their fight not worth the effort, took flight and soared away. Grumbling again, the giant slammed the door shut and turned back to the steering column.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Reverence put a hand to his chest where the amulet was buried and inched his way quietly toward Fillip from his hiding place.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shale, Keelan and Whisper descended the winding flights of stairs. In the middle column of the stairs was the constant cylinder of blue flames. Keelan thrust his sword tip into the flames and felt that they were cool to the touch and frosted the steel. The flames seemed to go through the entire core of the ice castle, and Shale wondered vaguely if it was caused by the white dragon they\u2019d seen earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

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They passed a few landings and Oszaren caught up with them. Quietly, they agreed to forgo the courtyard until they\u2019d explored the castle more. Shale was especially curious about the flames, and insisted they go down until they couldn\u2019t. They heard footsteps and clanking metal, and peeked into rooms to see ogres gearing up, sparring, or sharing meals in steaming bowls. Finally, they reached a final landing, the column of flames going down into the stone and disappearing beneath it. There were three doorways, and Shale snuck to each one and looked through, finding ogres sleeping in bedrolls, and others working in a forge. The forge had been reinforced with real stone instead of ice to keep from melting. In the third room, Shale peeked in and noticed past three filled sleeping cots was a curtain only partially drawn over another, smaller stairway. She tucked her lavender hair into her purple robes, then looked back at her companions and whispered, \u201cI\u2019m going to sneak down there. Maybe I can figure out how they\u2019re powering this castle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cSplitting up again?\u201d Keelan asked uncertainly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oszaren grabbed her arm warningly and Shale looked down at Trigger and said quietly, \u201cStay with them,\u201d then pulled her arm free and tip-toed into the room to the staircase.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve felt the entity that powers this castle,\u201d Reverence whispered to Fillip, having watched the giant leave the sphere and tramp back down the stairs. \u201cI could sense\u2014incredible sadness. It seems like it doesn\u2019t want to\u2014help the cult. Perhaps we should talk to the giant. We may have\u2014an ally in him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI think we should go downstairs with the rest,\u201d the druid said nervously. He didn\u2019t like the look of anything so large as a giant.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFillip\u2014this could be our chance to bring the giant\u2014to our side. Imagine what we could do,\u201d Reverence said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fillip gave a long, heavy sigh. \u201cAlright,\u201d he finally said, and without another word, they ducked from their hiding place and back through the window, following the way the giant went.<\/span><\/p>\n

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On the first landing, they reached a large door, which the giant had presumably opened, for it was open only a crack and there were noises coming from within. They looked through and saw an audience chamber carved of ice. At the end of it was a dais with two giant, empty chairs. \u201cThrones,\u201d Reverence whispered.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There was a flap of tiny wings, and Whisper\u2019s fey owl fluttered to the doorway to land on Fillip\u2019s shoulder. The druid blew it a kiss and Reverence flipped it off with a rude hand gesture. Then, they pushed inside the room. \u201cHello?\u201d Reverence called loudly, \u201cWe\u2019re looking for the cloud giant who runs this place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shale went down two smaller flights of stairs without meeting anyone, for which she was grateful. She wasn\u2019t sure, even with her cult robes, if she would be recognized. She reached a basement of sorts with a thick curtain drawn across a doorway. Softly, she raised a hand and pulled the curtain aside a few inches, peering in. Inside she saw a surprisingly nicely furnished room with an alcove on the righthand side and a dressing area that was partially closed off. There were thick rugs on the floor and curled up on one of them was a large drake. It lifted its head, sniffing the air, and turned its dark eyes on her, hissing and slowly standing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cHeel,\u201d Shale said in her accented draconic. \u201cI am a friend.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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The drake snorted and hunched down, ready to pounce. Shale reached back for her scimitars, the curtain falling back over the doorway, and felt, a second later, the large creature slamming into her. She pushed it off and started up the stairs, bruising her shin hard on the steps as she stumbled and caught herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

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From somewhere else inside the room she heard a commotion, and a familiar voice, and her stomach plummeted in dread. It was Rezmir\u2019s voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cMore of you? Get out,\u201d the cloud giant waved at Reverence and Fillip in annoyance, and Whisper\u2019s owl cocked its head, looking affronted. \u201cI\u2019ve had enough of cultists for one day. I thought my privacy was a condition of you people taking my castle.\u201d The giant sat at a desk in the corner of the chamber. It seemed the desk had been placed there as an afterthought, but it was piled with books, and when the giant turned to them, he removed a pair of spectacles where they were perched on his nose and glared at them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cSorry about that,\u201d Fillip said, clearing his throat and trying to steady his voice. \u201cI wasn\u2019t aware of the conditions upon which your castle was taken. My name\u2019s Frollop. We\u2019ve only just arrived.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI wish to speak with you, because I have a lot of interest in this castle, and it seems you\u2019re the one who\u2019s most intimately familiar with it,\u201d Fillip said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s my castle,\u201d the giant nodded gruffly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI get the sense that there\u2019s a great deal of, ah,\u201d Fillip paused as though looking for the words, \u201ca great deal of suffering within the castle. Do you know what\u2019s caused this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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He surveyed the half-elf and tiefling for a moment. \u201cI\u2019d say the sadness has to do with all of you being here.\u201d At this, the giant stood from the desk to his full height, and the two of them took an involuntary step back.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m\u2014Reverence,\u201d the monk said. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFirst, let\u2019s get you out of here,\u201d he looked around and led them into a secondary chamber with giant chairs. \u201cMy name is Blagothkus,\u201d he said finally, still standing over them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Whisper\u2019s owl hooted.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cBlagothkus,\u201d Reverence repeated, \u201cwe wanted to talk to you\u2014because\u2014well\u2014we\u2019re not strictly with the cult.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re contractors,\u201d Fillip put in.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWho are a bit concerned about this end of the world<\/em> business. That\u2019s\u2014why we\u2019re here and we\u2019ve\u2014mostly stumbled upon this castle.\u201d Reverence told him. \u201cWe noticed the sadness emanating from it and thought\u2014there\u2019s got to be a story here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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The giant seemed to grow hesitant, and sat in a squashy chair, rubbing his hands on his thighs. \u201cWell, let\u2019s say the cult is, ah, paying me for the use of this castle for their\u2014purposes. I don\u2019t tend to agree with it, but I do what I can to survive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cMoney talks,\u201d Fillip nodded, crossing his arms. \u201cAnd what can we do to liberate you from this\u2026burden?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd compensate you for it,\u201d Reverence added.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cHow do you propose to do that?\u201d Blagothkus snorted doubtfully.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cAn interesting question,\u201d Fillip smirked, \u201cwith which we\u2019ll need your consultation. I don\u2019t exactly know what\u2019s the best approach to liberating your castle. I suspect that there is a head of a serpent that must first be severed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cQuite literally, in fact, I think,\u201d the giant agreed. \u201cHm,\u201d he said then, gazing at them thoughtfully, the looks of annoyance cleared from his expression, \u201cI suppose if we could incite a rebellion with the ogres, who are, of course, under my command\u2026 Hm, yes. That could work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cHow much are the cult paying you for this castle?\u201d Fillip asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The hesitancy returned. \u201cAn undisclosed amount, yet to be agreed upon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fillip studied his face. \u201cIs that all?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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The giant met his eyes. \u201cThey don\u2019t pay me, so much as,\u201d he took a deep breath, \u201cdon\u2019t kill those I love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s no compensation at all,\u201d Fillip said, reaching into his bag and taking out a divided coin purse containing a hundred gold and flipping it up to the cloud giant, who caught it in surprise. \u201cThis is for your time, for speaking with us. I ask for your discretion as we try to severe the vile head of this serpent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt sounds like our goals are very much aligned,\u201d Reverence added carefully. \u201cIf we work together, we can do some good here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd we won\u2019t harm the castle,\u201d Fillip said. \u201cI get the sense that you are sentimental towards it, and we won\u2019t ask you to hurt it. But we may need to call on your help. Be ready for that. And keep the ogres from fighting us, if you can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Blagothkus nodded. \u201cI can do that,\u201d he said in a low voice, looking relieved as he moved to a corner of the smaller, but still giant-sized, room and rummaged around in a chest, pulling out a badge with a symbol on it. \u201cThis is my family crest,\u201d he said. \u201cUse this as authority over the ogres.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fillip took it gratefully, and it was rather large in the half-elf\u2019s hands, but he managed to squeeze it into his pack nonetheless.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI don\u2019t wish to\u2014pry,\u201d Reverence said slowly, \u201cbut how can we help you\u2014with this leverage the cult has over you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Blagothkus looked down at his hands. \u201cThey attacked our tribe, killed my wife, and took my young son, Eigeron. I don\u2019t know where they have him, but I can\u2019t do much against them without risking his safety.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want you openly involved in the fight,\u201d Reverence told him. \u201cWe will use discretion, to protect your son.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The giant looked at them for a while. \u201cYou are very kind, for little folk,\u201d he said finally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Fillip bowed slightly. \u201cThen I will ask only one last thing before we depart. This blue flame, the core to this castle, can you tell me the source of this? Is it inborn in the nature of the castle?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt is the spirit of a cloud giant,\u201d he said softly. \u201cThat of my wife\u2019s.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

They both dipped their heads. \u201cMy deepest condolences,\u201d Fillip said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Clearing his throat, the giant said, \u201cIf you can clear the castle of cultists, I can direct the castle to some friends in the north. Perhaps they can help us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe will carefully search the castle,\u201d Fillip said. \u201cIn the meantime, is there a place we can rest?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAh, I do have some guest rooms. I suppose those will do. Though, I\u2019m not sure how long you\u2019ll be protected. Word travels quickly inside the castle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe will be very discreet,\u201d Reverence assured him. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Whisper\u2019s owl hooted again, then flashed out of existence, just as Whisper opened his eyes and saw Shale scrambling up the stairs. She held her scimitars, one in each hand, and hissed at them as she went running past. \u201cRezmir, downstairs!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 30 follows our adventurers in this Dungeons & Dragons campaign as they cross Faerun, fighting against the rising tide of the Dragon Cult, in this story based on The Hoard of the Dragon Queen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[18,19,17,14,15,13,16,21,20],"series":[],"class_list":["post-229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wings-of-chaos-dungeons-and-dragons-series","tag-campaign","tag-cult-of-the-dragon","tag-dnd","tag-dungeons-and-dragons","tag-fantasy","tag-hoard-of-the-dragon-queen","tag-series","tag-wings-of-chaos","tag-wizards-of-the-coast"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Giants-Gamble-Blog-PhotosArtboard-3-copy-9.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/music.amazon.ca\/podcasts\/09c34bbc-b359-49af-a286-31830ed5634c\/short-stories","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0lcQCRs52MfYlKs35lVX4K","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"

Wings of Chaos: Chapter 30<\/a><\/blockquote>