Atheline Corcyra

Lord Fred followed the innkeeper to a closet to the south of the main room. It appeared to be a storage shed for all kinds of tools. The innkeeper grabbed a wheelbarrow, and then pointed to a rope ladder, giving Lord Fred guidance. "It is on that peg. No, more toward your right, above the pick axe. There you go." Lord Fred followed him to a spot just under one of the square holes at the top of a wall. The man dropped the wheelbarrow and held out his hands for the ladder, which Fred gave to him. "I will need you to stoop. I will go upon your shoulders, and that should allow me to fasten the ladder onto the peg." Fred obeyed. Soon the ladder was fastened, and Fred was climbing it. Fred had to stoop to enter the air duct, and had to advance carefully to avoid bumping his head. The man was short enough so that he did not have to stoop as he rolled the wheelbarrow by. "How did he grab onto the wheelbarrow and climb the rope ladder?" thought Fred, but he was interrupted before he could ask the question.

The man explained, "There were some rocks that were sprung from the trap when some thieves tried to use the air ducts as a way of sneaking around. Damned adventurers! The keep trying to steal the valuables and descecrate the final resting place of those that went before them. As you can tell, Fred, these air ducts serve multiple purposes. They provide fresh air so that the citizens of the city can breathe pure air. We also have methods of heating and cooling the air on the most oppressive days, although the caves themselves do a good job of keeping the temperature within comfortable levels. There is an active lava pit within the city that our mechanics put to all sorts of wonderful uses, and that is one of the things that they do. We also use these ducts as an escape in case we are overcome. That is how I got out of the caves during the last battle."

They had now arrived at a pile of rocks. Fred started picking them up and placing them in the wheelbarrow. His mind was racing with questions.

"Sir, who are you? And what is this magical city that I see? These caves have always been dominated by foul creatures, and the evil dragon Minestus. What I see looks grand, well-organized, and beautiful all at the same time. And yet you are the first person that I have seen. Where did they all go?"

"If I told you that I was no longer alive, would you hold that against me?"

Fred was mildly surprised, but in this setting, the man's statement almost made sense. "You are a ghost then?"

"I don't feel like a ghost, but that is the only thing that makes sense to me. My name was Paul Hearthing, you can just call me Paul. I was the host of the hostel at Mount Erebus, the city that you are in. My grandfather and my father both had the same job. It kept you busy, but I loved it. I got to meet people from all walks of life. I have served three kings, a queen, and six of the high mages. But everyone that I have ever met was interesting. The was a favourite stop for the merchants on the Ryngaerd - Havnheim route, and they had some stories to tell. Those were exciting times, especially in the years before the war. We all thought that it would last forever."

Fred called him over for help in moving an especially large rock into the wheelbarrow. For a ghost, he sure was strong. Once the rock had been loaded into the wheelbarrow, the innkeeper grabbed the handles and started rolling the wheelbarrow toward a large bucket in a shaft. It was attached to a pair of chains, one on each end of a square handle. Paul tipped the wheelbarrow and dumped the rocks into the bucket. He then turned the crank of a winch, and the bucket rose. He and Fred climbed a short ladder of metal rungs hammered into the wall, in the shaft. At the top rung was a little room. When Fred and Paul stepped out on it, the floor shook.

"Don't worry, Fred. There is not enough weight on these rocks to trigger the trap. Only if someone tries to go through one of these air ducts with the trap trigger on will this floor fall through."

Fred started unloading the rocks. He was not tired. He felt better than any time since before he entered the cave. "Paul, I have never heard of Mount Erebus. Sorry. It looks like magic to me, though. Who ruled it? And what was the other side in the last battle that you talked about?"

"Much time may have passed. I am sorry to see that even the memories of our glory have been wiped from the memories of the world. The problem began with the dragons, or at least, some dragons. Here is a bit of history that I picked up from the mages. After the Tetralonian Wars, a group of refugees under Erebus the Fourth found refuge in the Vale of the Shreken. It was a prosperous land, but vulnerable to raids and invasions. The famous scout, Grimsfreid Chuttler, found and explored the cave system. It was on of the best natural fortresses in the world. There were enough mechanics and wise men at that time who were able to use their skills to found the great underground city of Mount Erebus."

"Fortunately the Vale and the City remained undisturbed for years, while choas ruled over most of the continent. The few who dared to enter the Vale were either killed if they tried to raid, or were accepted if they wished to join. Trails into Mount Erebus became roads, and the city expanded. The city became prosperous, and the police were able to provide safe conduct for a hundred leagues on either side of the Shreken. The population boomed.

For many years, Mount Erebus was ruled more-or-less wisely by the heirs of the House of Erebus and his privy council. But the line of the house failed, and there was a dispute over the succession. At this time, the dragons discovered the vale and burned the crops.

While there was much hunger, there were no recorded deaths from famine, for a surplus of food from years before had been stored. However, the city could not survive another year with this happening, so envoys were sent to the dragons, asking for terms of tribute. These were heavy, but seeing no better alternative, the privy council submitted.

At this point, the council also accepted a dragon as the leader of Mount Erebus. Atheline Corcyra was her name.

Fred thought, ACR on the coat - could that be Atheline Corcyra Regent, or perhaps Regina? Or could it be from somewhere else, as this hostel was at the hub of a long since abandoned road?[35725]

Paul continued the history, "She came from the far south of the continent, beyond the great jungle of the Ryngaerd. We eventually just called her Lady Atheline. At first she was little more than a tax collector - she left the city alone otherwise. But she then began to take an interest in the affairs of the city. Atheline gave us much advice on how the dragon confederation thought, and told us what might be considered provocative, and what would pass without notice."

"With the passage of time, Lady Atheline was, if not loved, at least respected for the difficult job that she had. The historians, all of whom are hostile to the dragon confederation, regarded her as personally honest, frugal, and well-disposed toward the races of the city. A golden age had passed, but it was at least replaced with an age of iron and security, where the mass of the city lead orderly and tidy, if not luxurious, lives."

"Lady Atheline would fly south from time to time, to confer with the other dragons. History at this point is now at the time in which I lived. I was able to talk to some of those who had directly spoken to her. The last time she flew back, the Archmage Gilroy told me, she had changed. Something was said or done at the gathering of dragons that had affected her. Lady Atheline had started to make requests in a way that she had never done before. At was as if she were now truly the leader of Mount Erebus, and not just a regent of the dragons, and was preparing for a calamity. The one thing that Gilroy told me was that she definitely said was that if she were called back, that it was likely that they would never see her again, but not to worry."

"Atheline had aged terribly during her last ten years here. At this time, there were a great number of little villages that she founded outside the Vale and the City. She also ordered Tiller, one of the more ingenious of the mages, to build a strange sort of burglar alarm. If some disaster over took the city, fifty of the heroes of Mount Erebus would be frozen into statues, hidden away with valuable items. If someone were to steal the item, then the magic would be broken, and the heroes would come alive after the city had been conquered, and try to take back and reconstruct the city."

Fred interrupted, "And if someone, out of consideration for the watchers of the place, offered an item or some gold?"

Paul nodded his head. "You have seen the statues in the ampitheater then?"

Fred replied, "Yes, I have. There was a man holding a golden rope that we gave Astra."

"Parican the Traveller. What did you give him in return?"

"A knife from Allaria. It is of fine workmanship."

"Parican would be pleased. He would pump you dry asking questions about the place, how the knife was made, and so on. Some people find him to be a bit of a bore, but he is one of the smartest philosophers of Mount Erebus, and a skilled mountaineer as well."

"So what happened to Atheline?"

Paul finished the history. "One day a bold young dragon, Minestus, came to the Vale. The people fled, and told Atheline. Atheline met Minestus. Gilroy told me about the conversation afterward."

"Minestus announced, in a loud and bold voice, 'Atheline, you have been derelict in your duty. You have been ordered by the Confederation of the West to liquidate and disperse this settlement. I am not seeing progress. You have been relieved of your duties, and are to report back. I can assure you that your discipline will not be a fatal one. I will oversee the liquidation while you away.'"

"Atheline responded, 'They cannot be very serious about that, as they sent you, little weakling. So whose tail are you stroking now? Glaucon's, or Spindral's?' Glaucon and Spindral were two of the most powerful dragons, and were rivals, I think."

"Minestus responded, 'I represent the will of dragonkind. I demand respect.'"

"Atheline threw a pair of copper coins at Minestus. This must have been a serious insult, by what he said afterward."

"'You shall soon regret this Atheline! You are a dead wyrm walking.'"

"'It is better to die on one's feet than to live on one's knees, Minestus. I will take a short life of good purpose than a long life of sloth and waste, which is where your is headed.'"

"Atheline made her last public appearance in the ampitheater that evening."

"She began, 'Citizens of Mount Erebus. This will be the last time that you see me. I have become weak with the cares of my office. If at times I have not exercised it well, and not spoken for you effectively, please forgive me. Although as a dragon I have great power, it is not infinite. Nor would I want it to be.'"

"'There have been rumours spread about the appearance of another dragon. He is of no account, named Minestus. He came here to try to bluff us out of more tribute, or to illegally usurp my duties here. He is not someone that you should worry about.'"

"'However, there have been dragons, less enlightened than they should be, who are afraid of what you have built here. They are afraid of what you all would do if you become too powerful, and challenge their dominion. I would say that if they could see the city, and live here, they would not feel that way. So I have had to speak for you.'"

"'The tide has been running more and more against you. My last instructions were to 'reduce' the city. I have attempted to do that with the colonies that I have sent out in the wilds of the Havnheim, Ryngaerd, Tetralonia, and the Far East. I have avoided setting them up in places that would offend my fellow dragons. I feel that I have done my duty.'"

"'In order to supply the colonies, and meet an increased exaction of tribute, I have spent most of my personal wealth. I consider that it was money well spent. Tomorrow I shall fly down toward the south to explain my position. If I am successful, a single dragon will show, and will take my place. All will be well. If I am not, a host of dragons and their minions shall appear to destroy the place. You can expect no mercy. You must save everything you can.'"

"One of the chief mechanics, whom I did not know well, Recheve, responded, 'It is not good to travel alone, Lady Atheline. At least let me travel with you, as a companion.'"

"She replied, 'I can only take one of you, and I cannot take you in to see the gathering of the dragons. It would cause much offense. There is a village far to the south, with some men in it. If you do not mind a one- way journey to near the end of this world, Recheve, I will gladly accept your company.'"

"Recheve accepted. A crowd gathered in the vale the next morning, to witness the departure of Atheline and Recheve, who were never heard from again."

"The Archmage Gilroy was the last legitimate ruler of Mount Erebus. During that time, many people left the city, but many others stayed, and prepared for war. A year passed, but eventually sentinals to the south spotted a host of dragons."

"The wisdom of the mages, the craft of our mechanics, and the valour of our soldiers allowed us to break the first attack on the city. Three dragons died, which for them, was a substantial loss. Chastened, they laid siege to the city. At first it was ineffective, as there are many shafts which lead to the outside, not even big enough for a man to get through. That is where the gnomes and the Gliders were vital to our cause, sneaking through news of the enemy's plans as well as food inside. One by one, the entrances were found and plugged, and the land for leagues around was burned. Eventually, driven by hunger, a suicide attack by the bulk of the soldiers was launched, in order to take out as many dragons as possible. The leader of the dragons was said to have died that attack. At that time, I was a nurse, as the hostel was turned into a hospital. There was not much that I could do apart from dulling their pain with liquor from the hostel's cellars."

"That attack spent the last of our strength. The City now lay at their mercy. They had none; they were determined to make an example of us to any other cities that dared resist. I managed to escape into the air tunnels, but how I got out, I really cannot say. I fled south, to the hamlet of Archdale. I became a stablehand at a wretched little inn there, and died soon after."

"And now I am talking to you, back in the place where I spent the happiest years of my life. It is strange, eh?"

Fred replied, "Yes. Have you ever heard of Allaria, or Camelyn, or Suffex?"

"Camelyn I have heard of, but not the other two. It was a little kingdom, notable as being a half-civilized oasis in the midst of barbarism. I remember a flax merchant, Enrique d'Honaire, who told some of the bawdiest tales. He had everyone laughing for hours."

"I am of the House of d'Honaire!"

Paul laughed. "Then I owe you a bottle of prime mead. There was a bet that I lost to Enrique, and was never able to pay him back. I suppose that this would be as good as I can do."

"Well, the last of the rocks has been loaded. We can head back down to the hostel. But I do need to ask, how can I help Astra out of her cavern?"

"Gilroy would have certainly known, but he was not amongst the mages who was preserved. If I remember correctly, Sartoma, Solbert, or Gardener were preserved, and they would know something of the ways of dragons.

"How would I wake them from their stone sleep?"

Paul paused. "I did not design the burglar alarm, but I think that you just remove one of the valuable items without replacing something. Then once they are awake you offer the item back and explain yourself. You should not have any trouble. I understood your intent, and I think that they have been watching you as well. Believe me, if you had been disrespectful, I would have made your stay here unpleasant."

"I am glad that you did not. I thank you most heartily. How would I recognize Sartoma, Solbert, or Gardener?"

"Sartoma is a young lady dressed in a blue silk dress. Solbert is a gnome, and he likely has a staff with a horse's head engraved on it. Gardener you can't miss - he is a Glider, the only one in the group.

"A Glider mage? Checkers is a skeptic. This would come as a surprise to her."

"Indeed it might. She isn't native to here by any chance?"

"No. She appeared to be summoned by the dragon, as I said, but she claims to be from some far away land, across the Teral Sea."

"That is likely, actually. Their homeland is over there. She must be from a group that is attached to a settlement of men."

"Why do you say that? She acts as if her people fear and hate man."

"Ah, I have heard of Gliders fearing men, especially the wild ones, but not hating them. And I have never heard of them fighting - they just move on, unless they are cornered. They are difficult to acclimatize, though, unlike gnomes and elves. You have to get them young, so that you can condition them to think of men as part of the Glider group. There was a coffee trader named Yuri who works a lot with them who explained it to me, better than they can themselves. If she really is a wild Glider, and has become comfortable with you, then you have quite a gift, Lord Fred."

Fred pondered this. This did not square with what Checkers had told him, but her group may have been different than the Gliders Paul knew about.

By this time, Paul and Fred walked into a cellar. Fred could smell the musky but sweet mead. He took the bottle, and started to tip it to his lips.

Fred then awoke from his dream. He was disoriented, as the dream had seemed genuine.

1. There was a pickaxe amongst the tools! Fred knew how to get Astra out, if the tool shed was where he dreamed it.
2. Try to awaken one of the statues, as Paul suggested.

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