Rick's Thoughts and Ponderings: 2020

Theonos squatted in front of the cave entrance and peered into the inky black of the cave mouth leering at him like the soundless scream toothless skull. “This has to be the place,” Theonos thought to himself. After a lifetime of searching, he had finally found it. In his hand he rubbed a well-worn object and held it up in front of him looking at it, looking back into the past.

Theonos had only been a youth, maybe eight or nine, he couldn't remember, when he came upon a traveler, wounded and dying in the woods. For a moment the young Theonos was puzzled at the sight. The woods were a day-trip from the main trading route where most folks traveled. The woods could be dangerous, and not just for a child, but Theonos knew the woods like he did his modest home, and he knew where not to go. Obviously, this man didn't have the same knowledge.

“Youngster,” the man groaned, leaning up against a tall oak, the trunk wider than a man laying down, and motioned for Theonos to approach. Theonos did so, cautiously.

“Here, take this,” the man said and thrust something into Theonos's hands. He looked at it in wonder. It appeared to the skin of a pomegranate, but it was solid gold. On one side he could see the familiar smooth skin of the pomegranate but on the other, an image of a cave was carved into the gold, a cave that looked like the open mouth of a skull.

“That is where you will find the treasure, but tell no one, not even your parents, for the path leads to death,” the man said. “I tried to claim the treasure for myself but I could get past the gormy that live in the cave. I was wounded and the poison in their claws will be my undoing.”

“There is a healer in the village not far from here,” Theonos said. “I could run and get help.”

“No,” the man said, “my time is at hand. I feel my spirit trying to flee this mortal clay, but I want to linger for just a moment more. Stay with me, it will be nice to have company when I quit this world for the next.”

Theonos sat down and took the man's hand. It was cold and stiff. “You are you?” Theonos asked.

“Ah, a good question my lad. I am the Great Sarinis.” Sarinis smiled and closed his eyes. “Have you heard of me lad?”

“No,” Theonos said simply.

Sarinis laughed, and then coughed and the cough was filled with blood. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and said, “An honest answer, to be sure. Not many have heard of Sarinis , and that is as it should be because I am a thief. Well-known thieves end up hanging at the end of a rope.”

“And what have you stolen?” Theonos asked intrigued.

“What haven't I stolen?” Sarinis asked. “I have stolen the ruby eye of the serpent god Niraha-el in the Forbidden Mountains, the emerald bracelet of the Queen of Rydia far to the east, and the living sword Galinerdh from mountain king Odbric, far in the north. Whether it is something famous or not, I have stolen it.”

Theonos was struck by awe at the words and asked, “How do you become a thief?”

Sarinis chuckled. “The idea of treasure lights your heart does it?”

Theonos nodded, but then realized the man could not see him anymore and said, “Yes! We are but poor folk and treasure would be...” Theonos trailed off since he really didn't know what treasure could actually do for him and his family. Yes, it brought riches, but looking at the man Sarinis, he could see it also brought death.

“Ah yes, riches and possibly death,” Sarinis said, as if reading Theonos's young mind. “I sense that there may be a thief in you boy, and if so, go to the Thieves Guild in Heatherbrush, west of the Plains of Cairns. If you have the aptitude, they may take you in. But beware lad, and look at me well. This may be your ultimate lot. This, or the end of a rope.”

Theonos squeezed the cold, stiff hand in response but he wasn't sure Sarinis could feel it.

“I am departing lad, my time has come. Remember, not a word of the Golden Pom, least you and yours die a horrible death,” Sarinis said softly, opening his eyes and looking upward. He sighed his last breath. Theonos sat with the man for a while, just in case he wasn't truly dead, but the man was indeed dead. Theonos ran to the village and informed the Magistrate who sent out a party of men to recover the body. He said nothing about the Golden Pom, to anyone.

He did indeed follow the advice of Sarinis and, when of age, made his way to Heatherbrush and the Thieves Guild. They questioned him and when he told them of Sarinis, they welcomed him and set about testing him to see whether he would make a passable thief. It turned out that Sarinis had been right; he had turned out to be a very good thief.

He had memorized the outline of the cave etched on the Golden Pom, long faded from his constant touch, and through the years he had looked, he had read, and he had asked about a cave that resembled a skull with a wide-open mouth. A mouth open, like a scream. None had heard of it.

One day his persistence had paid off. In the tower of a wizard who had commissioned him to steal back a token of magic stolen from him in a bandit raid, he had chanced upon a book of geography from the Ancient Days in the wizard's library, and there, on a page was the drawing of a cave that looked like a skull with a mouth screaming. He had asked the wizard if he knew where this cave was located and the wizard, reading the ancient text, pointed to a more modern map and said "Here, in the Majestic Mountains, at the Phantom Peak."

It had been a grueling trip through the mountains, dangerous, not only from the terrain and weather, but from the Orcs that lived in these mountains, but he had arrived. The Majestic Mountains had earned the name, they were massive by all measures, and the Phantom Peak was the tallest of the peaks. Truly he was rubbing the sky here on this peak, and in the fading light, he steeled himself for what could be his last trial.

Sarinis had said the cave was inhabited by gormy and it took years of research, but he found that gormy were mythical creatures that resembled bats, were quite blind like bats, used echolocation to “see” their surroundings and drank the blood of their victims after poisoning them with their claws. How Sarinis managed to escape the cave, get down out of the mountain and into the forest near where Theonos had lived was nothing short of heroic.

That heroic feat had prompted Theonos to speak to Gerey, the Thieves Guildmaster, before he embarked on his trip. Gerey, like everyone else, thought the gormy a myth, but playing along he mentioned an alchemist that Sarinis would often visit for potions before heading off on a job. “Go see Algannaed, the alchemist in Dorn. Sarinis would often visit that old elf before going out on a job. He may be able to help.”

Algannaed was indeed old, how old Theonos couldn't know, but for an elf to be as wrinkled as Algannaed, he had to be centuries old. Theonos mentioned Sarinis, and told the tale of the chance meeting he had often thought of since childhood. Algannaed's eyes lit up at the mention of Sarinis but grew sad when learning of his death.

“I feared as much when I had not seen him for years,” Algannaed said. “Still I had hoped he had retired with his riches and settled with a bar-maid or two to spend his last days.”

“He would come to you for potions I understand?” Theonos asked.

“Indeed,” Algannaed said. “This was always his first stop before a job.”

“May I ask, did he ever consult you about a potion for gormy?”

“Ah, yes he did. It was an unusual request considering that most people think the gormy a myth.”

“But they aren't,” said Theonos. “The poison is what killed him in the end.”

Algannaed nodded. “I take it you are going to follow in the footsteps of Sarinis?”

Theonos nodded. “It was Sarinis that set me upon the path of the thief and I would like to complete what he had started.”

Algannaed smiled. “And the treasure would be a bonus too. Yes, I remember what I had given him, but obviously, it wasn't potent enough. Give me a minute and let me see what I can do.” Algannaed turned to a rack of ingredients and began mixing various herbs and powders in a mortar and pestle. He poured the ground mixture into a flask and mixed in a red fluid and then heated the concoction until it boiled. He poured out the ruby red mixture into a small vial and handed it to Theonos. Theonos expected the mixture to be hot, but it was cool to the touch.

Algannaed smiled at the surprised look on his face. “The potion absorbs the heat of the fire and will release it upon drinking. The heat will counteract the action of the poison should you be unlucky. It will only last for one hour, so you will need to be in and out in that time. The last batch I made lasted only half an hour which obviously was not enough. Only take it if you feel the poison in your system. You will know you are poisoned by the coldness you will feel in your body.”

“Maybe I should take another?” Theonos asked.

Algannaed shook his head. “More than one dose in a week could prove fatal,” he said. “No this will have to suffice.”

Theonos nodded. “You don't seem to hold the myth theory. What can you tell me about the gormy?”

“They are no myth as you have mentioned,” Algannaed said, “although their range is in the Majestic Mountains so not many have seen them. My advice to you is stealth. They are blind, but their echolocation is better than your vision will be in the cave.”

“How did you know I was going into a cave?”

“Because the gormy live in caves, rarely coming out unless food is scarce. They resemble bats, but they are not bats. They are an ancient species, dating back to the days of old, and as such, they are semi-magical so they are difficult to see. They are not quite invisible, but nearly so.”

Theonos sighed. “This will be more difficult than I thought. Is there a potion that will allow me to see in the dark?”

“Indeed there is,” Algannaed said. He reached under the desk and set a small vial of clear liquid on the counter. “This will allow you to see in the darkest of darks. The duration is quite good and should last you in your quest. You will need something else as well, but I cannot make it for you. A Scroll of Muffle will silence your footsteps but you will need to see a wizard for that.”

“Do you have a recommendation?”

“Yes, of course. Go see Galemmable, a fellow elf and master wizard. He lives in Ryefield, just north of here. Tell him I sent you.”

Theonos paid Algannaed and headed north. Galemmable was indeed an elf, but not nearly so old, and after a friendly exchange, produced a Scroll of Muffle and sent Theonos on his way.

Squatting in front of the cave, the sun was about to dip down under the earth, so in the last light of the day, he read the words of the scroll out loud. His feet tingled for a moment and the scroll crumbled in his hand. He reached into his bag and uncapping the vial with the night vision potion, he drank it all in one gulp. It had the bitter taste of sulfur. For a moment nothing happened, and then the night around him grew light as the potion took effect. He reached into his bag and felt the coolness of the poison antidote and stood.

It was time to venture into the cave, into the unknown, and hopefully into a trove of treasure.