An Unlikely Find

{{Fiction
 * author=Chris Schoenthal;
 * hasSetting=Larisnar
 * storyBody====The Edge of the Kabal Lands===

Midnight.

The trees rustled in the soft breeze, whispering portents of doom. Somewhere in the distance, a bird of prey gave a screech that broke the silence.

The young spellcaster was restless. She still could not comprehend why she was here. Oh, she knew why she was laying in her billet in the midst of the nothrog camp. But why this tent, and why this mission?

A few short weeks before, she was merely another of the many wizards and soldiers of Hyena's Legion, faithfully serving the Ashenstorm's will. Why, then, was she here, on this fateful night, on the brink of the most important conflict of her young life? And why was she in this tent, the tent reserved for the leader of the mission? She was certainly no general, no great military mind. Yet here she was...

Tarya's impatience ultimately got the better of her, and she left her tent to wander the sleeping camp. It was a quiet night - the calm before the storm, she mused. The snoring that emanated from many of the tattered nothrog tents was by far the loudest sound to be heard.

She greeted the night watchman, who was warming himself by the crackling fire. They chatted for a moment, laughing at a shared joke, both trying to lighten the mood, to forget the darkness of the coming day. The conversation died quickly, though, as the gravity of tomorrow's duty came down hard upon them both. The wizard continued her stroll, inspecting the mighty engines of war that would aid her assault, now mere hours away.

Tarya wandered on, past the sparse tree line that partially concealed the camp, and looked out on the blasted plains and levees of the Kabal lands. A truly desolate place, full of sand, rock and desert. It seemed to be uninhabitable and deserted.

Well, not completely deserted, she reflected. Standing out against the bleak landscape, as if trying to pierce the heavens, was a wizards' spire. The light of the stars made its bone-white exterior shine, and the ancient carvings that surrounded it caused it to seem all the more sinister. The young priestess could see a few lights burning in various chambers, but for the most part the tower was darkened. She knew, though, that as silent and lifeless as it appeared now, tomorrow the wizards who lived, studied and trained inside would defend it, and their secrets, fiercely. Tarya lay down, and looked up at the sky. The stars shone brightly, gleaming eyes that watched over her sleeping company. This might be her last chance to see them... a sobering thought, to be sure. She thought back to her charge...

Syvonne's camp, three weeks earlier
The giantess towered over all in the room. Her eyes glowed like carbuncles as she pored over the map that was spread before her. "Here, Tarya - here is your target." Syvonne pointed to the pictograph of the wizard school near the edge of the Kabal lands.

Tarya started, and turned questioningly toward Ashenstorm. "My target? Should it not be yours? You are our leader; we will follow you to victory with Hyena's blessing."

The fire giant chuckled to herself, and turned to the wizard. "No, young one - this is your mission. You have proven yourself in all the ways I deem necessary to lead this excursion. You will do what must be done against these cowards. This is your mission: the tower I send you to is an important lookout post for the Kaballite scum.  You will be the first wave in our assault upon their lands. Show them no mercy, for they will certainly show none to you. The Kabal hold many secrets - it is possible that you may find some of them here. If they have anything of value, return with it to me. Are we clear?"

The still-stunned wizard slowly rose. "Clear, Commander..." she replied, as she walked from the room in a daze.

"An 'important lookout post?' A bit overplayed, was it not, Syvonne?" murmured Goza, after Tarya had departed. "That school is far too remote to serve any real purpose. Let us hope she does not guess your intentions."

Syvonne slumped into her chair, and motioned the elderly wizard from his concealed spot behind a large trunk. She put her hand to her forehead, and replied slowly. "Perhaps you are right, but she suspects nothing - she was far more agitated by the promotion than by the mission. I regret her loss; she had great potential. It seems wrong to squander such a young talent in this way."

The albino nodded sagely. "True, but always remember that her loss is for the greater gain. The distraction that she will provide gives us the opportunity that we need. Once the wizards rush to the aid of their brethren, we will be able to strike at the very heart of the Kabal. There we will find that which you have sought for so long."

Syvonne sat up, realizing the wisdom of Goza's words. "You speak truly, sage. I must not fret over the minor losses, for once the greater good is served, all will be well, and Hyena will be strong."

Goza paused, debating how to use the information that he knew. There was no point in hiding it, he decided. "There is a chance, that she might succeed more fully than you expect. Soon, the great moons will be eclipsed, and the gods themselves will be powerless to act upon the world. If Tarya's forces strike at the right time, they may survive after all."

Her mother was calling her. "Tarya? Lieutenant? Wake up!" It was strange for her mother to be so proper with her. She could feel her side being poked with a stick…

Tarya awoke with a start, to find one of the nothrog of her legion standing over her, trying to rouse her with the butt end of a spear. She must have fallen asleep here in the wilderness outside the camp.

"Thank you, I'm awake, " she said quickly as the green-skinned soldier made ready to poke her a third time. "Tell the troops to ready themselves for the assault."

As the soldier departed, she tried to clear the cobwebs from her head, and looked out once more toward the enemy tower. "Victory. Victory is ours," she reminded herself, and rose to prepare for battle.

"FIRE!"

The command given, wood creaked in obedience as the catapults disgorged their fiery payload toward the spire. The flaming projectiles crashed against the whitewashed walls, charring the stone.

"Victory! Victory for Hyena!" cried Tarya.

The battle raged, with the wizards combating the vicious siege attacks with gouts of flame and ice. Several engines had been eliminated from the battle, but the well-trained nothrog force was slowly but steadily overcoming the Kaballite forces.

Spurred on by their commander's admonishments, the soldiers pressed the attack, slowly gaining ground and edging ever closer to the tower. The spire itself showed many scars of battle; the curtains in several windows were ablaze, and students scurried up and down the twisting stairs, some eager to engage the threat, others fleeing to the seeming safety of the upper chambers.

Tarya conferred with one of her lieutenants as siege engines continued to pound the other walls. She then gathered a small force of nothrog shamans and soldiers commanding them to circle around the back of the tower, knowing they would be unnoticed amongst the fray.

A move to the building's interior was risky, but today she felt invincible. As she neared the rear of the wizards' school, she met little resistance. Throwing spell after spell, she incapacitated several young wizards who were charged to guard the door - clearly they had not expected anything but a frontal assault.

As the wizards lay stunned on the ground, she exulted above their scattered forms. "Yesss, Hyena delights in your fear! Give in, share your secrets with us!"

She led her forces past the downed wizards and into the tower. Passing from room to room, she realized that, while the school was full of adept magic users, they certainly had no idea how to properly defend their spire. She quickly found the quarters of the professors and scholars as well as the Headmaster's office.

She burst in, waving a staff of the Hyena legion above her proudly. A wizened old man sat behind a desk, and jumped in surprise as she entered.

"This spire belongs to the Nothrog! Surrender!"

As the young albino nothrog forced her way into his study, the headmaster grabbed his wand, knowing that the nothrog would accept nothing less than a full surrender. He drew upon ancient magics, and arcane energy flew toward his foe.

Amazingly, however, the spell passed around her and toppled a shelf of books behind her. He had never seen such a thing - how could his spell have failed?

The young wizard cackled, and yelled something to her compatriots in her guttural tongue. The headmaster readied another spell, but before he could unleash it, the nothrog wizard countered with magical energies of her own, pinning him to his desk.

Knowing that he was helpless against her, he conceded. "Please tell your troops to stop slaughtering my students."

Tarya quickly instructed her team to spread news of the surrender, and secure the headmaster to prevent his escape. She continued on into the headmaster's quarters, wondering what sort of trinkets a wizard of his stature would keep in his room.

As she entered, she found a surprisingly empty room. No artifacts, no tomes, just a few personal items, a bed, and some tapestries that hung limply from the walls. Where were the great secrets that Syvonne had spoken of? Where was the treasure of the Kabal?

Angrily, she threw a bolt of fire at a particularly ugly-looking tapestry of an old lady, and stormed toward the door. The firebolt, however, did not impact on a stone wall behind the tapestry, as she had expected, but continued on into a darkened passageway.

Quickly, she brushed the blackened fabric aside and grabbed a torch that was hanging in a wall sconce. Lighting it with the tip of her wand, she ran down the passageway, and found herself in a massive room, filled from floor to ceiling with volumes and tomes.

In the center of the room was a large table, covered with various items and artifacts: strange crystal orbs, assorted pieces of jewelry, and several weapons. At one end sat a hat, which, though she could not see any source, seemed to have a flame coming out the top.

As she looked around the room, the reality of what she had found dawned upon her. She crowed with delight, and set to work...

Syvonne's camp, a week later
The watchman burst into Syvonne's tent in the middle of her evening meal. "Syvonne! A force approaches from the west!"

The fire giant stood up, and followed the guard to the outskirts of the encampment.

A cry of "Hail Hyena, and hail Syvonne!" rang out from the approaching ranks. There, against all odds, was the young wizard Tarya, marching at the head of her troops. "You were right, my commander, I was ready. And I have brought you a gift: The Kaballites did indeed have many secrets. Within the walls of their school, there was a room filled with much of their knowledge: spell books, tomes of history, and some... interesting trinkets. I present them to you as the spoils of our victory."

Still taken aback by the unlikely survival and incredible success of the young wizard, Syvonne nonetheless took the news in stride. "Yes indeed, you have more than proven your worth. Congratulations on your unprecedented success. Thank you, young one. Hyena has blessed us mightily."

Tarya beamed at the recognition. Perhaps she wasn't so common after all... }}