Takesis
This is a history, first of my Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Character, then of the adventures and misadventures of her adventuring group, the Heroes of Happenstance, as seen through her eyes. Glad to have you visiting.
 ALL MATERIAL IN THIS FILE IS UNDER COPYRIGHT BY ARIEL GOLD
 I found myself standing at the edge of a balcony which sprang from a castle so large I could not see the edges of it. I couldn't see much in any direction, given that it was dark--though the darkness seemed unnatural, and I did not think it night. A human-sized silver cat was before me immediately. It stood on two legs and wore a belt and belt pouch. It asked me who I was and why I was there. All I could say was that I had been sent by my lady, who had told me only that I would be needed. The cat asked who my lady was, and I told her. It relaxed then, and introduced itself as WindSong. I introduced myself to the two others on the balcony. One was a man, quite talk, who called himself Zeke. The other was Nyda, a small woman, elvish-looking, with night-black skin and white hair. She was leaning on a footman's lance, and looked very withdrawn. I asked her if anything was wrong and she ran away, crying. I think I picked the wrong thing to say just then.
WindSong took me into what appeared to be the center of affairs in the castle. It was a large room, entirely too full of people. It--she--introduced me to a small woman--or maybe elf, though I have only heard tales of such--named Chantelle. Chantelle was not doing well at the time, though. She also was crying, supported on one side by a stoic-looking woman with kind eyes, and on the other by a tall woman in white robes embroidered with silver and gold dragons. The woman in white didn't appear quite solid, and her eyes were entirely black. She was called Poisoned Blade, I was told. The kind-eyed woman was Breeze.
This left a great many people unaccounted for. Zeke began talking entirely too quickly, trying to tell me something of what was going on. I understood little, if any, of it. Then he introduced me to Ariakan. Chantelle collected herself and explained that Ariakan was the leader of the Knights of Zeboem, who were not directly those to whom I had been sent, but who were aiding them. I asked what venture they aided in. Chantelle explained to me, then, why so many of those around me appeared to be either grieving or enraged. It seems a member of her group--they call themselves the Heroes of Happenstance, and that seems to be merited--had just died. He fought in single combat with a goddess-made-flesh, and died. Somehow, his death tore these Knights of Zeboem away from the goddess, whom they ten worshipped. Now the Knights were helping to fight against this goddess, who was evil.
I understood, the, why I was now needed. They had lost a brave fighter in this venture. I am not so brave, but I am a well-trained fighter. I knew I could not do less than my best for them.
I spent a great deal of time in the next few days lurking around the edges of the common room--for the castle was very full just then of refugees from other places--and listening. Everyone went about their business, most of them grimly. Chantelle wandered in and out often. The others of these Heroes of Happenstance seemed to look to her, for the most part. She spent a great deal of time escorting Nyda in and out, making her eat and take care of herself. I learned from Zeke that the battle everyone was preparing for would be against the goddess whom the Knights of Zeboem formerly worshipped, Takesis. Takesis's usual shake was a huge, five-headed dragon, all the heads of different colors and with different things they breathed out to cause damage.
At some point here, Chantelle walked out to the balcony and sat at the edge for a very long time, looking for nothing. I followed her, after awhile, and she made no move that I should leave. Looking down, now I could see that the castle was not built on any hill, but floated of itself, and we were moving. I asked her if something was wrong. She told me that she was just realizing that she was the last of the original Heroes of Happenstance, those who were thrown together by chance and whose path had now brought them here. The man who just died--or elf, rather, he being of the same race as Chantelle--had also been one of those original Heroes. Now there was only Chantelle, who was very alone and very young. I wished I could do something to make her feel better, but I knew I couldn't. I know what it is to be the last of your folk, and that is a pain that never leaves, only lessens with time.
She told me then that even after this battle with Takesis, the path happenstance had forced her into would not be done. The Heroes had an enemy, a very bad enemy, named Chesintra Thilofar. She was a lich, a very powerful wizard who was now undead. The darkness of the sun was her doing. I felt my blood go cold, but I almost smiled. I would have no pains of conscience to help these people against that enemy as well. Things should die only once, and if they don't, I have no problem with helping them along. Chantelle asked a bit about me, then. I told her very little, only that my folk had been killed and I now served a mage called SkyFire. It is not that I did not trust her, but that anything I said might be overheard, and with such a thing as a lich for your enemy, that is something to give much thought to.
Nyda joined us, then. She asked if either of us had any ideas where she might acquire protection from fire and lightning. Chantelle rose and went off with her. I walked back into the common room. Zeke was there, as usual. He told me what he knew of how the Heroes of Happenstance had come together, and of how he had joined them, and of what they had done. I felt honored to be working with them, hearing what they had already accomplished. Zeke went to cook dinner, then. I stayed out of the kitchen, for fear of making things worse. I can cook for myself without causing illness of the belly. Barely. When he was finished, he went to call his friends to eat. He told me he'd made Zeke Surprise. I asked what the surprise was, and he smiled and told me it turned out good, that was the surprise. I think I like Zeke.
Later that day, we came within sight of a city. Looking down, I saw silver and bronze dragons already massed for defense of the city. A huge platinum dragon was with them, and it bore a rider. Chantelle found me then and told me that this was Waterdeep, the city to which Takesis traveled, and that it was time to go. I took a moment to paint my face as warriors of the People ought before a battle.
We rode a magical lift from the castle to the ground, and went to where the platinum dragon stood. The one who had been riding it was Poisoned Blade. We--the Heroes of Happenstance, the Knights of Zeboem, and those of no group who fought with them--were told we would each receive a piece of paper telling us what color dragon we would ride in the battle against Takesis. I had learned that Zeke could read, so I when we were given the papers I asked him to tell me what color dragon I was to ride. A bronze. We introduced ourselves to the dragons and were shown both how to strap ourselves onto them so we would not fall off, and how to release those straps quickly if the dragon but not the rider should be killed, on the chance that the rider might be saved from falling by another dragon. Nyda alone took no part in this. She would ride the red dragon who had been perched on the castle since before I arrived.
WindSong asked me if I had any armor, and if my weapons were enchanted to be stronger than simple steel. I said no and no, it had never been necessary. She reached into her pouch, and from that tiny bag pulled a suit of chain mail, a longsword, and a dagger. The armor fit me, the longsword was enchanted, and the dagger was enchanted both to be strong and to poison whatever it cut. I thanked her for letting me borrow the things, and equipped myself.
Later still, we saw them coming. Takesis was there, just as described, complete with five heads: red, white, black, green, and blue. She was in the company of hundreds of red dragons, and they all looked angry. Also with her was a single, huge, blue dragon with a rider. We mounted our dragons and took to the air. I flew with the Heroes of Happenstance directly toward Takesis and the three red dragons nearest her. I suggested that we send a mage and a fighter to each of the red dragons, so we did. Zeke and I took one; Chantelle and a mage I never saw, for he was invisible and could fly, took another; and WindSong took the third alone, for she was fighter, mage, and priestess, all of herself. Nyda said she had something she must do, and flew straight toward Takesis. Zeke and I--or rather, the dragons we rode--took out our red fairly quickly. At some point during the engagement I saw Nyda fly toward Takesis . . . and then leap from her perch on the red dragon and fly on her own--directly into the mouth of Takesis's blue head.
When the red dragons were dead or fallen, we closed on Takesis. She was nearly impossible to damage, and what little damage we did seemed to have no affect. We kept at it, though. I had ample opportunity to learn that her red head breathed fire; the white, cold; the black, acid; the green, a noxious gas; and the blue, lightning. I was caught in a cloud of gas from the green head and felt like I might die right there, it burned my lungs so. I didn't, though it hurt, and I conferred with the bronze dragon I rode to see what we should do next. We decided that if we were going down, we were going to take Takesis with us. We were almost ready to grapple with her left wing, tearing us all from the sky, when suddenly she fell for no apparent reason.
Everyone in our small group landed, then. Before I reached the ground, I saw that Nyda was already standing there, covered in blood. Above us, the red dragons were fleeing. The platinum dragon went to where Takesis lay, then, not dead, but badly injured. The blue dragon landed, then, and Nyda challenged the blue's rider to a duel--or perhaps had already done so and was only now making good on the promise. I'm not sure. I watched, though. Nyda used only two small, metallic weapons of a type I didn't recognize. The blue's rider used a sword. I think that Nyda would be a bad enemy to make, for with only her two small weapons, she killed the blue's rider.
The rider, a woman named Kitiara, I was told, had worn blue scale mail. Nyda offered it to me, as I was the only one in that group who was of a height to make use of it. Then Nyda crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Takesis and the remaining red dragons disappeared. I gave the chain mail and the dagger I had borrowed back to WindSong. I would have given her the longsword back, too, but she refused, saying she didn't need it, so I might as well keep it. We went into the city of Waterdeep, then, where we rested and were healed of our wounds. Then we returned to the floating castle to take the refugees to their homes.
Find out what really happened to Takesis.
Read the next section of Dooley's story.
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