The Mystery of the Snakes and the Upside-Down Ziggurat: Part 1

Or, The Case of the Walking Corpse

A Short Story from my D&D Bachelor Party, in Parts

Daggers and Stew Tavern

It was a normal day at Daggers and Stew, a quirky tavern on the outskirts of Feyguard.  As a cold wind blew down from the north, the customers within were kept warm while enjoying food and drink.  A gold-scaled Dragonborn sat at one table eating the lion share of a steaming meat pie, flanked by two halfling lasses, one a cleric dressed in a sailor's coat, the other a wizard in a cozy green robe.  Elsewhere a tiefling bearing the habit of an Oghman lore-hunter sat enjoying a warm cup of tea, her tail gently leafing through the pages of a new book.  Across the room, a dwarven battle mistress sat alongside a shady fellow, leaning back in his chair while gently relieving a neighboring patron of a few coppers.  Meanwhile, a half-elf ascetic begged for coin outside the door dressed in a robe and loincloth.  It was a normal day until Cheldic walked in.

The Ascetic saw him first, wandering down the path toward the tavern with a large sack on his back, though he thought little of Cheldic.  Rolen was more concerned with his ritual begging, despite being quite capable of paying for the bowl of rice he was longing for.  After all, self-deprivation was the path to enlightenment.  He simply watched Cheldic waddle past, struggling under his load.

The door of Daggers and Stew opened with a creak, drawing the attention of everyone within.  Shiff the Dragonborn Avenger, Daisy the Green (Wizard), Anagik the Storm Herald, Temerity the teifling lore-hunter, Vara the Strong, and Jondar the Swift all turned to see the human take a deep breath, stand up straight, reveal the numerous wounds and blood stains, open his mouth, and fall flat on his face, spilling the contents of his sack across the the tavern's floor.

Like buzzards descending upon a discarded carcass, everyone in the tavern rushed to scattered items on the floor.  The Dragonborn dragged the body to the side, taking with it a shabby looking sword.  The hobbit-wizard grabbed a bizarre pair of goggles and a scroll.  The teifling made off with a wand and another sword.

Everyone grabbed something before the Daggers, the barkeep, sent for a guard.  "That's enough," Daggers said, pulling people off the pile (as well as a handful of coins).  "Back to your seats until the guards arrive!"  He turned to return to the bar, when he looked and stooped down, coming up with a book.  "Hmm, what's this.  A book?"  He started flipping through it, before shrugging and holding it up.  "Any of you adventurers interested?  Otherwise, I'm giving it to the guards."

Temerity spoke up.  "A book?  I'll take a look."  Her tail swooshing behind her, the teifling dove into the book with zeal.

"What's it say?" Daisy said, tugging gently on Temerity's robe.  "Any spells?"

Outside, the monk Rolen was listening to the commotion happening inside, while Shiff was gingerly holding the sword he found, wondering who travels the world with a weapon so flimsy and uncomfortable to wield.

Temerity and Daisy sat quietly for several minutes, Daisy looking like she cast enlarge on her eyes from wearing the strange goggles she looted.  "I can see everything!" she announced, goofily looking at the book and trying to turn pages before Temerity was done reading them.  "Oh, sorry!" she'd say, then impatiently wait.  Daisy eventually took the goggles off, rubbing her temples.  "Wow, those give me a headache."

"Me too," Temerity said, but then she smiled at Daisy, and the two continued studying the tome.

"Anything interesting?" Anagik came over to ask, stepping around two patrons wrestling over a gold ring, each winking in and out of sight as they tried to put it on.

"It's a journal of a-," Temerity squinted at the book, then showed it to Daisy who held up one lens of the goggles shouted, "Cheldric!"  "Yes, Cheldric.  Seems he heard of some town overflowing with treasure and went to investigate.  I think he was waiting for someone when he decided to go alone."

"Overflowing with treasure, you say?"  The human Jondar was all ears.

"He doesn't go into it much further," Temerity said, "but instead starts talking about the town itself.  It seems to be the home of some sort of apocalypse cult."

This caught the Dragonborn's interest.  His life as a sworn warrior of Tempus made him wary of groups devoted to potential destruction, and he would bring divine wrath to any endangering the innocent.  "What is this cult up to?"

"Well, the apocalypse," Temerity repeated, tail twitching in Shiff's direction.  "But there isn't much more about what they do, though he does say something about people just showing up there.  This man seemed more interested in treasure.  Though seeing how he's dead-"  Temerity left the rest unsaid.

Outside, the monk Rolen began gathering up his few things.

"Looks like poison!" Anagik said, stooping beside the body, poking at the corpse's wounds.  "Arrows, most likely, and one dagger wound."

"Well, that settles it!"  Shiff said, thrusting the loose blade of the shabby sword into the floor with a mild yelp.  Composing himself, and looking at the small cut now on his hand, he continued.  "Regardless of this man's motivation, he must be avenged.  Poison is the weapon of cowards and cutthroats."

"You want to go there?" Daisy looked up at her large, draconian companion.

"Do we even know where it is?"  The dwarven lass Vara stepped forward.

Temerity and Daisy glanced at each other.  With a sigh, the little wizard put the goggles over her eyes and joined the teifling in examing the book once again to glean their destination from whatever clues the journal contained.

By now the rest of the bar's patrons had returned to their pre-looting activities, albeit slightly richer.

"Not far!" blurted Daisy, turning her bug-eyed visage from the journal.

"Seems to be about a days travel north," Temerity clarified.

"Interesting," Shiff said, nodding.  "We should leave at once and camp once within a few hours of this place.  Would prevent us from attracting too much attention before we have had a chance to rest."

"Good plan," Vara said.  "Would also allow us a chance to scout the area."

"Treasure!  Adventure!  Excitement!"  Jondar clapped Vara on the shoulder, joining the group gathering around the table.  "Where do I sign?"

Rolen also approached, much to everyone's amazement.  As Jondar gave the nearly naked man a concerned look, the monk spoke.  "I feel as if I must go with you.  These occurrences intrigue me."

"You coming, sis?" Daisy asked Anagik.  She still had the goggles on, and started staring at her sister's prayer wheel.  "Oh.... pretty..."

"Sure, why not?" she said, smiling.  "The Storm never lingers in one place too long anyway, and this tavern has gotten boring."

Temerity snapped the book closed, snapping Daisy out of her daze.  "Better get going then.  Can't miss a chance to make a record on the rituals of a cult."

With that, the group paid their tabs and prepared to go, but first, they had to deal with what waited for them outside the tavern.

The Northern Wilds of Elifor

Tune in next time for the continuation of this story that I haven't had enough time to write as one post!

*     *     *

So it's been two weeks since our friends hosted a bachelor/bachelorette party for my then fiance and I, and in the meantime we've gotten married!  Meant to get this out with a week of the party but alas, such was not to be.  So here is part one!  The action will start next time!  Looking forward to writing it!  Hope you enjoy reading it!