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Dragons Attack

Page history last edited by Michael 6 years, 9 months ago

back to the Index or to Travels in the Hyborian Age

 


The Hyborian AgeDay 133

 

     Our Heroes were at the foot of the Border Range:   mountains separating Nemedia from Aquilonia. The Last Inn staff told us stories about mountain worms, and fire-breathing dragons, lurking among the peaks and attacking travelers.

     If time travels along back on (some) Earth at the same rate, it's August 17th, 1935. Here in Hyboria, it was the tenth day of the month of Fire, in the year of the Spider; 1019 years since the founding of Aquilonia. The party consisted of:

 

  • Nora Cullin

  • Qua Lin Worthington

  • Bill Davis

  • Algernon DeLacy

  • Ivan Ivanov

  • Captain Lotta

  • Tom Fury

  • Kohn, a Turanian slave boy, a skilled archer and horse-whisperer

  • Lylah, an Argosian slave girl, former accountant and temple ... assistant?

  • Cypher Phretonian, a Corinthian scholar ("not a mage" he insists)

  • along with ten horses and a wagon

 

Day 136

 

     Nora and Qua Lin were making good progress in learning meditation skills from Cypher; Qua Lin did well enough to learn how to move her inner power, and may have learned how to heal without touching the patient. Nora was giving sword-fighting lessons.

     Lotta figured out more about the use of her "cold beam" ring. She also began wearing the large ruby taken from the lich as a pendant.

 

Day 141

 

     While camping in the foothills of the Border Mountains, we saw a late-night lightning storm. The lightning started some grass fires; we quickly packed up and moved on before dawn. As we traveled, Lotta saw the shapes of some large flying things against the smoke and glow of the fires. Possibly dragons?

 

Day 142

 

     As we proceeded into the foothills before dawn, avoiding the wildfire, we came to a small village, surrounded by a ruined stockade. The inhabitants and livestock were all either dead, carried off, or had fled far away; apparently an attack by strange "mop-foot men" had happened yesterday. The well was contaminated with corpses, the simple buildings torn down. Several of the party members searched eagerly for loot; Qua Lin followed the mop-men's size 16 tracks a short distance. The mop-men apparently rode creatures with camel-like feet (or perhaps camels).

     That night, it rained heavily.

 

Day 144

 

     The road continued to wind and climb onto the steep, lower slopes of the mountains. Mid-day, Tom Fury was riding point, and was struck in the shoulder by an arbalest bolt! Ambush! A group of raiders fired arrows at Our Heroes from the trees ahead; as we struggled to get our animals under control on the narrow road, a few us us rushed forward towards the enemy.

     Qua Lin and Lotta were hit, for minor amounts of damage; Cypher was struck in the forehead by an arrow, but it bounced off.

     Algy came up to work on Fury's shoulder; as the pain briefly overwhelmed Fury, he seemed to see Algy's eyes go completely black. Spooky!

     Suddenly, a hot wave of magical flame burst past our heads! Cypher had cast a magical spell, which destroyed many of the brigands and demoralized the rest. We easily hunted down or drove off the survivors -- Bill Davis rode after them, using a bow from horseback; it seemed that the bandits had just that morning attacked a small group of merchants. While we dealt with our injuries and sought out the last brigands, Nora and Kohn found the brigand camp, nearly a mile from the road. Various ordinary weapons, mail shirts, helmets, camping supplies, plundered trade goods, food and fodder, etc. were taken, along with coins worth 200 gold pieces and 2000 silver pieces. More than a dozen horses were also found, but driven off to the east, downhill -- we didn't need them.

     Part of the plunder was three chests of tea -- black tea, green tea, and (we later discovered) "happy" tea, which makes you sleepy.

     That night was very cold; fortunately most of us had parkas and furs from our travels in the Tien Shan Mountains, and much of the bandits' plunder had been silks, linens, and carpets. We camped a short ways off from the befouled area around the bandit camp. Kohn and Lylah were wrapped in bandit clothes and fine linens, and slept in rolled carpets.

 

Day 148

 

     We reached the summit of the pass; there was a small fortified settlement here, named Trade Town. Both Nemedia and Aquilonia maintained customs stations and a few troops here. There were taxes and fees for travelers entering Nemedia -- fortunately, we were going the other way. We spent the night in the caravanserai, spending an exortibant amount of money on baths and clean beds, and bought a couple of pots for brewing tea.

     At the caravanserai, we heard rumors about Moss Men, who ride trees; the descriptions of their "feet" seemed to match the prints seen at the destroyed village a few days previously.

 

Day 149

 

     At dawn, we saw that snow had begun to fall during the night, and already a few inches were on the ground. We set out, not wishing to be trapped at Trade Town for the winter. Over the next week, the weather was very unpleasant, a mix of rain and snow.

 

Day 155

 

     Nora and Algie discovered the properties of "happy tea". Qua Lin marks that box carefully.

 

Day 162

 

     Finally down into the foothills on the Aquilonian side of the Border Mountains; this day, as Our Heroes were riding along in the morning, we saw a mile or more away:  a dragon! The huge beast was attacking a small village; we decided not to rush to the aid of the villagers, and waited until the dragon flew off, clutching an ox in its claws.

     When we finally entered the villagers, we heard them wailing and cursing, as they tore and beat up on the strange mounds of ice which the dragon had created with its breath. We gave them some help breaking open the ice, and then moved on.

 

     For the next seventeen days, we rode across the Aquilonian countryside, sometimes staying in small towns or cities, sometimes camping. The culture seemed somewhat reminiscent of medieval France:   castles owned by various knights and feudal nobles were scattered about the land. We heard stories about dragon attacks, and about the war between Aquilonia and Zingara; recruiters are seen, wearing shiny blue helms and glittering red capes. Wagonloads of tipsy young men pass by -- victims of the recruiters.

 

Day 179

 

     Our Heroes were following a major road, and expected to reach the Aquilonian capital city, Tarantia, in about a week. On this day, we came to the Khorotas River, in a deep gorge; the sides of the gorge dropped sheer almost 500 feet to the tumbling, swirling cold waters below. A narrow bridge of three arches, made in some unknown ancient age, crossed the gorge; a few soldiers collected an arbitrary toll and allowed us to pass onto the bridge.

there's a person standing on the left side of the bridge, to scale

 

    About a third of the way across the 340' long bridge, we spotted two huge dragons flying in the gorge, heading for us and the bridge! Fury managed to distract one of the reptilian menaces with a pink star shell, but the other was more determined. It made three passes at the bridge, using its claws and flaming breath to attack us; Cypher made some mystic gestures and vanished, never to be seen again. Bill Davis was engulfed in flame, but quick thinking and Qua Lin's magical powers saved him (though not his clothing). Rifle bullets bounced harmlessly from its hide; a ballista bolt, fired by Kohn, misses completely; and even one of Fury's shaped-charge shells only injured it. The other beast began to swing in for an attack, as well.

     As the larger dragon flew up level with the bridge, ready to spew flame on several of us, Captain Lotta lept from the parapet, catching hold of the dragon's left foreleg and began climbing towards its neck. The dragon breathed its terrible flame right onto Tom Fury, just as Fury leapt from the parapet himself, directly at the beast's face! While none of Our Heroes know exactly what happened, an explosion tore the left wing from the dragon, which began to fall --  but a couple of seconds later a much bigger blast destroyed the dragon, damaged the bridge parapet, and flung Lotta (and the dragon's head) onto the bridge deck.

 

     The smaller dragon had only managed to set fire to our supply wagon (killing Lylah and more of our horses), and slightly scorching Ivanov; a couple of explosions below it (one of which obliterated its partner) entirely ruined its morale, and it quickly flew off.

     Our Heroes spent the remainder of the day searching for Tom Fury, hoping he might have somehow survived. A crumbling, zig-zag stair at one end of the bridge led down the cliff face to the river; we found a few scraps of Fury's gear, and an assortment of items from apparently inside the dragon -- but not Tom Fury. He must have perished in the explosion; nobody could have survived the blast and fall. Fury's ceramic breastplate was seen drifting down the Khorotas River, with a smoking cigar perched on it.

 

RIP

Thomas Michael Fury

Fell in combat this 26th Day of the Golden Month, 1019th Year of the Aquilonian Age.

He gave his life that his comrades might live.

 

     On the narrow banks of the river we did find:

 

  • seven fist-sized uncut gemstones from the dragon's gizzard

  • 65 gold pieces, also from the gizzard of the beast

  • a leather packet, wrapped in waxed parchment ... probably not Fury's, so presumably from inside the dragon

  • a Saint Barbara's medal (must have been Fury's)

  • Fury's toolkit, or at least much of its contents

 

Day 180

 

     We continued on along the Road of Kings, with only three horses at first. Much of our camping gear and accumulated treasure had been destroyed in the wagon, although many of the precious metals had survived. We arrived at a small town within a day or so, and purchased horses and camp gear; dinner that night turned into a wake for Tom Fury.

     During the trip to Tarantia, we puzzled out the document from the dragon's innards; it had apparently been inside the beast for many years.

 

Crusaders' journal from circa 1120 AD

     Text to be provided later

 

Day 186

 

    Our Heroes arrived at Tarantia, and began a stay that eventually extended 42 days.We changed our lumped, melted gold and silver for proper coinage, at a 15% loss. We bought better shoes, clothing, minor weapons, and other supplies.

 

Tarantia

     The capital of Aquilonia, this large city is located on both sides of the Khorotas River, which is navigable down to its mouth in Argos. There is a university, many temples of various gods (especially Mitra, Ibis, and Asura), palaces (including the royal palace), workshops, markets ... it's one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the Hyborian Age. Nobles swagger along the streets, brushing shoulders with soldiers and mercenaries, priests and monks, scribes and sorcerers, peasants and slaves, traders and craftsmen, etc. 

 

     Nora and Qua Lin began researches on portals and magics; Qua Lin looks into healing and medical knowledge. Nora considered having her scars healed, but followed Lotta's advice and decided not to -- they are part of her history. Nora and Qua Lin presumably took the 12 metal books from the lich's treasury to be examined by some scholars ...

     The cult of Mitra is the primary religion in the city, and indeed focuses on healing and protection. In addition to performing their service to the deity, priests of Mitra act as keepers of ancient lore and wisdom. Above all, they seek to oppose the evils of the priesthood of Set..

     Bill Davis asked soldiers and travelers about the war with Zingara, and investigated a cure or counter-agent for Agent White. He is assured that it has a better than 50% success rate in curing an addiction with only 1 person in 20 dying from the cure, although of course the alchemists have never tested it on someone addicted to Agent White. He buys three doses, and gives two of them to Nora and Qua Lin.

     The smiths of Tarantia make some of the finest armor and weapons of the world; some of our money was spent on that. Nora decided to convert much of our orichalcum into a supremely strong, sharp sword -- there was only one smith in Tarantia that could work that fabulous metal, and it would take him 4 weeks to complete her order.

     Kohn was given his freedom, his slave-collar was struck off, and he was hired back as a guard and groom, for 1 silver piece per day.

 

     We got to make all accumulated checks, plus we got another "ongoing" check in Ride Horse (or Drive Horse), Aquilonian, Hyborian Trade Talk, and whatever language or subject you may have been studying with Cypher before he vanished.

 

     While at the university, Nora and Qua Lin saw:

 

  • a map of British Columbia, dated 1892, with the name HMS Condor written on it

  • a fragment of the uniform coat of a German naval officer, Captain lieutenant (Joachim) Mueller, dating from the reign of Wilhelm II

  • a reddish metal wand that looks similar to Martian artifacts some of the characters saw in the Rocketship Empires universe

  • artifacts from the commander of Kubla Khan's Great Lost Fleet of 1281 -- a jade compass, a silver dagger, and a red stone chop

 

     All of these have a nautical connection (well, except for the wand), leading Our Heroes to surmise the portal is located in the ocean. Some other rumors:

 

  • In Argos, if you want to make money, go to the Zingaran forests where there is a city full of ghouls, with loot they have collected over the centuries. Examples would be fancily-decorated skeletons, scrimshaw and other unique items made of (probably human) bone.

  • There are many stories of a sect of Stygian sorcerors that rebelled. They left their homeland and later built a great city of learning open to all. The city was said to be located to the southwest of the Barachian islands.

 

     We decided to travel by river-barge to Messentia; Kohn needed quite a bit of convincing (he didn't like travel by water, and in fact became sea-sick).

 

Day 228

 

     Our journey down the Khorotas River begins -- 1500 miles to the coast.

 

Day 249

 

     We arrived at Messantia, at the mouth of the river. This Argosian city had a culture reminiscent of ancient Greece or medieval Venice; the locals were a swarthy lot, with dark hair and olive skin. Messantia was a busy, smelly seaport, with many merchants and  ship-builders.

     We hired a translator to help in finding a ship, and to help in asking questions about the portal, or any portal-travelers like ourselves. The translator took us to a local cemetery contained the headstones of three Roman soldiers, apparently members of the "lost" Ninth Spanish Legion who died here 637 years ago. Algy remembers some history and says they disappeared about 70 A.D.

     Some islands to the southwest, more or less, seemed to be in the area where strange people appeared.

     We paid off and said goodbye to Kohn, who had no wish to sail the seas; he thanked us by stealing Ivanov's pipe.

     A captain, Lengue Juane, was pointed out to us; his ship, the Barachan Spirit, carried on covert trade with the pirates of the Red Brotherhood. In fact, his ship was ready to depart on the ebb of that same day's tide; Lotta negotiated with Captain Juane, and we paid for passage, purchased some nautical supplies, and boarded his small ship.

     As the two-week voyage began, one interesting feature of his ship became apparent:  a member of the crew, Jascellus, was a Windgatherer. She could commune with, or command, or magically create, winds favorable to the ship. The other members of the crew were mostly older, "retired" pirates turned semi-legitimate traders.

 

Day 263

 

     We arrived at the rather volcanic Barachan Isles, inhabited by the corsairs of the Red Brotherhood. These islands might share some coordinates with the Cape Verde Islands in the "real" world.

     Captain Juane told us that the HMS Condor visited once ever three years, during a Fell Storm, when the lightning changed colors. Other strange vessels, debris and wayfarers had been seen during these storms, including a submarine!

     Before even landing at Tortage, we visited the submarine, which proved to be a reasonably large Japanese vessel, apparently constructed in 1943. The crew had mostly been turned to jelly, and the interior was covered in rust and strange growths of fungus and mold. When a torch was tossed inside, it set of a small explosion or methane fire, which quickly extinguished itself. Bill Davis and Nora investigated inside, and found several crates and containers with Nazi markings; three disintegrating wooden crates contained 6 dozen German automatic rifles, model StG44, along with magazines and their special ammunition. We took some of the rifles, which had been protected from corrosion and mold by a heavy coating of wax paper and cosmoline. Other containers contained eight jet turbine engines, not much use to us.

 

Junkers Jumo 004B turbojet engine
length 12 feet 8 inches, diameter 32 inches, weight 1642 pounds
StG44 automatic rifle

Each came with one magazine, but Bill Davis collected 6 magazines and about 240 rounds of the 7.92mmK ammunition.

 

     While most of the documents in the submarine were too soggy and ruined to be taken or even read, some of the maps survived pretty well and seemed to depict the Indian Ocean.

 

The Red Brotherhood

     These pirates are loosely organized under the "laws of the sea". Most of these men are outlaws from Argos; their cruelty as pirates is legendary.  The capital of the Barachan Isles, and the only settlement, is Tortage.  Harbored among the rocky cliffs, Tortage is a pirate port whose crooked, cobbled alleys are lined with alehouses, brothels, and inns.

 

          The corsairs of the Red Brotherhood turned out to be not too threatening (to us, at least); we spent two days in the town, which also had doctors, a library, schools and children ... The Windgatherers, it seemed, could (with enough effort and payment) summon up a Fell Storm; Captain Juane agreed to take us to their village, on another island.

     The voyage to the Windgatherers' Island took ten days ...

 

our travels during this episode

 

Day 275

 

     Upon arrival, we quickly made an arrangement with the Windgatherers, bought an old fishing boat (the Minnow), and were towed out to the open sea by the Barachan Spirit. Captain Juane quickly departed, the Windgatherers worked their magics!

     A powerful storm indeed develops, with mystic lightning flashing up from the depths and shooting across the sky. Over the course of an hour or so, the southerly swells grew and huge waves began to threaten our small boat. The lightning from the seas changed from white to a deep blue, while balls of readdish lightning began shooting around in circles across the horizon. Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light ...

 

August 17, 1932

 

     ... and we all awoke, lying on a white sandy beach under the morning sun. We each had only what we could have swam or floated with -- the fishing boat was gone. The persons cast onto the beach were:

 

  • Algernon DeLacy:  unconscious, wearing his most precious possessions ... the ebony rod perhaps?

  • Bill Davis:   clutching a German StG44 rifle, among other things (items taken from serpent men, perhaps?); a container of Agent White pills, and the "cure" pill

  • Ivan Ivanov:  ragged tunic and trousers, sandals, a crucifix and dog tags (he's not very attached to material possessions)

  • Captain Lotta:   her blue ring and the big ruby pendant, at least. Her hair color has wandered a bit from the original bright color.

  • Nora Cullin:   carrying swords, wearing armor, and with a bag of other possessions. The dragon-headed broach and silver belt, at least. Agent White pills, and the "cure" pill probably.

  • Qua Lin Worthington:  ?

 

     Things people might have been carrying:

 

  • The box which makes Agent White, for whoever has it.

  • Some amount of Hyborian Age currency

  • seven tiny-fist-sized "fire gem" stones from the dragon's gizzard. These are fire opals, each 525 cubic centimeters, 1100 grams each (about 2.5 pounds) ... about 5400 carats each. When cut and polished, any one of these would probably be the largest polished opal in the world. There are a few larger, not-red opals known in the 1930s, but not many. Uncut, but kinda rounded-off by rolling around in the gizzards. Roughly, one might be sold for £9,800 on Corfu. Sold in a major city, as a set of at least three stones, they would bring £14,000 per stone, with payment about a month later. As a set of seven stones, they'd bring £16,000 each (£112,000 total), again in a major city, and with a delay in payment.

 

     From the surf, across a white sand beach a small, whitewashed beach cottage was within sight; a man dressed in a white suit (and a brown-and-blue tie) was sitting in a deck chair, watching us. To our astonishment, the man spoke English. However, he was a bit put off by our various swords and guns, but went into the cottage, brought out some tea and bath-robes, and a copy of the London Times ("A couple of weeks old, I'm afraid."). The date was the 17th of August, 1932; the place was the quaint village of Paleokastritsa, on Corfu, Greece.

     We claimed to be castaways (nearly true), but a slightly unwise comment about "contagious diseases" made Mr. White, "some sort of Foreign Office chappie", call for the Royal Navy to take us away to a hospital.

     After a few minutes, a truck appeared with some Royal Marines, to take us to the hospital. Algy was still unconscious, and there was some concern about what an examination would reveal ("Jim, this man is dead!"). In the end, the hospital examination was pro forma -- the hospital probably didn't have an X-ray machine, for example. Bill Davis, Qua Lin Worthington and Ivan Ivanov remained in the hospital, monitoring Major DeLacy and waiting for him to wake up; Lotta and Nora Cullin were placed in a nice hotel (the Hotel Konstantinoupolis, facing the port), with real baths, modern beds, and flush toilets. It's a good thing Mr. White seemed to be on excellent terms with the hotel keepers and other hospitality staff -- the island had thousands of visitors, here to see the visiting royalty, the Royal Navy, and (oddly enough) a lot of cricket matches.

 


Corfu, a Greek island in the Ionian Sea.

 

H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth, during the summer of 1932

 

 

BRITAIN AND GREECE

Enthusiastic Reception

For the Princes.

 

Corfu, August 14th.

     A testimony to the strength of the traditional friendship between England and Greece was strikingly given today on the occasion of the visit of the Prince of Wales and Prince George. Union Jacks, brought from the mainland, were eagerly bought by the islanders and flown on all sides, while both peasants and townsmen joined in according an enthusiastic welcome to the Princes. The Princes were returning a visit paid to them on board H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth by the Greek Minister for Marine and the Prefect of Corfu.

     The Prince of Wales informed the Greek authorities that, except for a visit to the Prefecture and a walk through the town, he would be unable to participate in any public ceremony. Nevertheless, it is notable that visitors are arriving from all parts of Greece to welcome the Prince, whilst the hotels are full and enthusiasm is being displayed everywhere. Meanwhile, in Athens the Greek Press are splashing photos and eulogistic articles concerning the Prince of Wales and Prince George and are publishing a full programme of the Royal visit to Corfu.

 

Visit to Warships.

August 15th, 1932

     The Prince of Wales had what he described as the most instructive three and a half hours of his life today when he inspected H.M. submarine Oberon, H.M.S. Revenge and the cruisers Coventry and London. In the meanwhile, Prince George boarded the hospital ship Maine  and visited over one hundred sick in the wards and then inspected the First Destroyer Flotilla.

     The Mediterranean Fleet moored off Corfu, which the Princes are visiting, comprises 45 units with H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth as flagship. When the Princes landed yesterday evening to visit the Kaiser's former villa at Achilleion. they were welcomed by top-hatted and frock-coated Greek officials. Realising that the heavily clad officials would suffer from the heat in ascending the hill on foot, the Prince of Wales sent the officials to Achilleion in his motor-car, both the Princes, who were lightly clad, climbing the hill on foot.

Reuter Wireless.

 

 

Prince George of Greece, arriving aboard H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth at Corfu in 1932

 

 On to Carpathian Reveille!

Comments (6)

Kevin McHale said

at 1:01 pm on Mar 10, 2014

To confirm, we are going with the *adjusted* August arrival date. You should all feel free to take a check in sailing or small boat handling. Nora and Bill can take navigation checks as well, for what little they were worth.... and Qua Lin gets another MD check.

Michael said

at 3:44 pm on Dec 3, 2013

After 26 days at sea, maybe we learned something about Sailing ...

Michael said

at 10:57 am on Dec 2, 2013

Lots of two-day cricket matches took place. All the local teams played against various ships' teams; and various ships' teams played against each other. Probably 5 or 6 days of concentrated cricket play around Corfu!

Michael said

at 10:46 pm on Dec 1, 2013

I'm pretty sure the Prince of Wales was being a bit ... hmm ... on his best behavior when he commented about "the most instructive three and a half hours of his life".

Michael said

at 7:00 pm on Dec 1, 2013

Kevin might want to go for August, so as to not miss the awesome royalty-cricket-and-navy combo!

Kirk said

at 6:51 pm on Dec 1, 2013

If I recall correctly, the local date was April (23rd?) 1932.

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