Doggerel

The ebony dragon turns as the field crackles and sees the man he had summoned (and admittedly damaged) totter through the eldritch barrier. Despite himself, the dragon still had an appreciation for the little unit's versatility and endurance. It was what his "friends" called and enviro-unit. It was designed to keep an area.....say a large house (or even a huge cavern) a comfortable temperature....and at times of need, it functioned as a shield against certain types of toxins and particulates (such as what is termed "fallout"). It had kept the wyrm's lair habitable while the poisons from the nuclear device quickly diminished outside. Actually, the level of the fallout outside his den was relatively safe, but......the wyrm had been too busy to read the dosimeter meter built into the unit. He had been too absorbed in a futile search to repair his destroyed magical toy. Now, finally.....the key to obtaining a new toy was at hand!

"About time you got here!" snaps the dragon angrily. "What in Tiamat's name took you so long? Why didn't you come before I had to use such strong measures?!"

"Dred playing with Bambi," Drederigo explains. "Then heard expl....explos.....big bangs. Got horse and rode fast here.... Then...."

"Never mind," Minestus snaps, not wanting to hear any more of the drooling idiots prattling. "At least you're here. Good thing I just need your warm body.....and not that excuse of a brain that you have! I could fix that latter but......I won't need to!"

"Yes Master!" the duke giggles.

"Well," chuckles the dragon. "If nothing else, your eager to serve! If circumstances were different, I'd change you into something more befitting for a pet, but....I need you for getting another Crystallic to replace the one that my 'friends' made me break. Grab that bag of components, pet, and let's be on our way!"

From around the corner, hidden from sight by limestone and spell, listens the puzzledSuddenly, Synizn looks stricken.

"Of course!" he whispers hoarsely, berating himself. "The bastard was always an admirer of the magic and history of the Atlantians.....and had bragged about traveling to that one intact city! I thought my sources had been kidding about that.....and if that legendary artifact.....

The manbear turns and looks frantic as he turns towards the questioning adventurers.

"We've got to stop him!" Synizn whispers harshly. "If he actually gets that Crystallic thing, the world could be in danger again!" The bear magi looks nearly scared s**tless.

Unaware that he has an audience, the dragon hums happily as he shoves a barrel containing what will be his last gift to what remains of humanity, the dragon makes sure his dull witted servant's reflection is present in the ornate golden mirror etched with griffons, centaurs, and more alien creatures that the world hasn't seen in thousands of years. This was the only entrance into the city that Minestus had found after hundreds of years of searching.....and had the added grace of bypassing whatever problems the dragon had observed while gathering his resources from his remote vaults. He then says the childishly simple poem that had been incorporated into a child's tale....of all things! He makes the nercessary changes, and speaks:

......Mirror, mirror of my Hall.................................

.......Take us to were Atlantis did fall.......................

.......Be not slow, but let us be very fair............................

........This would be god deserves to be there!.............

1. The mirror had begun to glow at the beginning of the dragon's doggerel verses. At the end of the final verse the mirror flashes a blinding light and draws in those reflected in it's surface just before the adventurers come bounding around the corne

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree