(G432 28/11/2020 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF) LR29

  

(G432 28/11/2020 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF) LR29


DAY 513 (29th Flamerule) (July) cont ...

Rolled in drunk back at the Vanderboren Manor, and pretty much loafed about for the rest of the day, discussing our plans loudly, with arms waving in the air.

Lavinia is in good spirits, revitalised by being back at home. The Manor has been well looked after while we were away. We were let in by a faithful old servant who was pleased to see the lady of the house return.

We discussed the Pie Shop, the Sea Wyvern and the Blue Nixie. The Wyvern is somewhere around, but the Nixie had just arrived in port. It had been trading up and down the coast and earned 20,000 gold which was nice.

Eventually we dosed off in the day room, then got up and went to bed.


DAY 514 (30th Flamerule) (July)

Taeghen Calaudra, our sun elf baker, has really been expanding the Pie Shop.
Bhula Jalamba, our butcher, helps, but Taeghen is the brains of the operation.

Rita, the ex-Lotus Dragon mercenary is still there, acting as a guard.

Taeghen has remodelled the place a fair bit and expanded it. There is a tea room now, attached to the place, where he sells his fancy pastries to old ladies in big hats.

He told us that Nobby popped in not so long ago to pick up 200 pies to help provision the Sea Wyvern on another run out to Farshore.

Oh, and Shifty did come back! As he had said he would, and sold his stake to Taeghen  (for a pittance of 800gp). Last he heard, Shifty was now a drunk in the gutter in  Sasserine. I wonder if that's true though. To be honest I'd rather not run into him again.

I asked how much a one-third share of the business was worth now and he said 300,000 gold as there are now six shops in the city! That cannot possibly be true though. He also wants to re-brand from 'The Pie Shop' to 'Sunbucks'.
I'll just let him get on with it.

Well, over cups of tea and elven scones me and Lavinia decided that Sasserine was probably the best place to raise a baby, considering we had a Manor to live in and a thriving business.

Turning in now, time to blow out the candle. I suppose it is good to be back.
It's good to feel at home in a place, but I think I will miss my family.
And my friends, Jiggles, Irritator and even that idiot Fenrir.
Well, Rolanda and Molly are here, and while good company, its nice to have someone to go to the pub with, or even an adventure or two.

DAY 515 (Fest Lathander) (July)

Nice as Sasserine is at this time of year, I had a big weight on my shoulders that I felt that now - urgently - I needed to get rid of.

Useful as a hidden island is that can be used to teleport anywhere, the cons far out-weighed the pros. Nobody but me could stand the place, it was haunted, a prison for much of the unspeakable evil of Faerune.

Even if I could get past that, and use the place as a sort of depot or hidey-hole, it would still be incredible selfish. What really needed to happen was for it to disappear and never be heard from again. A druid flying back and forth to it would only lead to more trouble.

I had a plan. I teleported to Waterdeep (500 gold to a wizard) and then flew out to Midpoint Island one last time. The fleets were there, but greatly reduced as they were now essentially guarding nothing.

I entered the 'pocket dimension' of the island, found Alfred and talked to him.
As I expected, he was only concerned for the safety and sanctity of the Island.
He cared for nothing else. I could see that any idea I had of colonising this place, or even using it as a lair was foolish.

The Island needed a new Warden. Not a human, but someone long-lived, patient and used to solitude. I teleported back to Waterdeep.

At eight o'clock I went to House Tesper and gained access to Lady Tesper.
We talked for a long time and I told her of the island.
'You are the young man who has involved himself in that whole island situation.'
She knew of me.
'Yes,' I admitted, then went on to tell her the whole story. I ended by saying,
'Do you know of any dragons that would be willing to take over as Warden? I think it would more suit a dragon - to be honest - than a human. When it comes to looking after an island of unspeakable evil, I mean.'

She agreed, and said she would contact me at the OJB later if she found a suitable candidate.

In the evening I went out to the pub with Corum and got pretty drunk. I was somber though, with the weight of the decision I was making. I admit that I went to see the genies to cheer myself up.


DAY 516 (Eleasis) (August)

After breakfast I left word at the OJB and returned to the Singing Sword to get back to being drunk.

A young man arrived and introduced himself as 'Steelheart'. He was one of the dragons of Waterdeep that go about disguised as men. He was of the Confluence, having been sent by Lady Tesper.

We flew out to the island together. I showed him about and introduced him to Alfred. Steelheart decided he wanted to become the new Warden and so he and Alfred went into the caves to get the tests ready.

'You sure about this then?' I asked the young dragon.
'This is a vast responsibility,' he replied. 'The Confluence want to do it, I mean, I want to do it too of course.'

He went into the caves, which gave me plenty of spare hours to be crushed with doubt and regret. Would the Confluence take care of this place? Would they use it for their own purposes? However good the intentions, the place was best left alone as much as possible.

It was too late though, I had made my decision and much as it tormented me it was really the only one I could have made. I am just a man, I have a life to live. I can't dedicate the rest of it to doing something that would be much better done by a group of long-lived, sensible (as far as I know anyway) and  powerful dragons.

Once it was done I could tell they wanted me to leave. I was furious, but I  never said anything. After all - it had been me that had save the Island (and probably the world) and it had been me that had handed it over to this dopey looking dragon!
Treasure or curse, it remained to been seen, but they now possessed something of tremendous power.

'Good Luck,' I mumbled as I stepped into the teleporter. 'Bye.'

And that was that.
'That's that sorted,' I told Lavinia, grimly, on my return.
'Aww,' she said as she rubbed my back. 'Cup of tea?'