Dear Reader,
The Lost Dispatches of Feraso, the telling of all the tales of my AD&D table during the 90's, is effectively over. All the stories have been told, retold, revised, or even re-envisioned as best I could.
There are a few more tales from Elsderth himself however, as casual onlooker, scheming powerbroker, or simply the Witch of the Nightwood Forest. I advise you to read Ballad of the Pigeon God, or at least episode #1-15 of it, before delving into this final story.
4th of HexDec - Chateau d'Echelon, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
The great advantage of the Chateau d'Echelon for a stealthy visitor was the amount of overgrown coverage throughout the the estate. This allowed Elsderth Millbottom a chance numerous place to hide and watch the goings-on of all the new visitors. Most of the key figures had departed to Hydincall, to warn the King about the "Spider-People" and deaths of Lord Athelstane and Archbishop Adolphus, but also of the rescue Lady Iris and numerous other folks, some from just a few weeks ago, others trapped for hundreds of years.
Elsderth cared little for that, but there was one man, a brown-skinned, legless fellow who drew almost all of his attention: Mohammed. He appeared to be the wisest of these heroes' entourage, but to him alone had proved problematic.
Mohammed tended to travel with a group, so when Elsderth saw him moving into the vinyard for some horribly overdue pruning, he took his chance. He found a spot with a good view, so Mohammed could get a good view of him before he emerged from the shadows, palms open and facing the legless man.
Elsderth made two steps toward Mohammed before he was stopped in his tracks by his words.
"What is your role in the village?"
"I'm its aging guardian for balance in this area?"
"And are we balanced after the events of the past week."
"As it matters to the world. It's no worse than what I've seen before. People only care more now because folks with fancy titles have been affected."
"How long have you been guardian?"
"Too long, my friend, I've always strove to help the people of this village, but perhaps my years, my service, or my laziness has allowed me to fail and discovering threats."
"And who would replace you in discovering and solving these threats, old man?"
"I was hoping your friends that brought you here would. I'm pondering retirement, and as I was hoping you could provide me with some insight, being you are the teacher of Kane...
For the first time in the conversation, Mohammed looked up from his work, stared at Elsderth and let out a long, belly aching laugh. He wiped a tear from his eye.
"You think I'm the teacher of Master Kane? Dear man, Kane is a fine, loyal man of great insight. His mastery of elemental water amazes me, and our short talks on theology and philosophy have hopefully laid the seeds for many more. I am the mentor, teacher, and friend of Echelon, wise in the ways of Tshang Kai Ching, what your kind might call an "Eastern" god of the oceans.
Elsderth let out a cathartic laugh that complemented Mohammed's. At least it explained the ridiculous trident Echelon wielded, if not the pigeons. And elemental water had to be better than the elemental fire cults he fought over the years.
"Regardless of which person is your student,
Master Mohammed, I implore you to bestow knowledge and wisdom regarding your friends. Unlike some previous groups that my predecessors entrusted with power and responsibility, it appears this group wants a stable base to work from . None of them ever purchased land and settled down. None of them had a stake in the affairs of the Eding beyond fame and fortune."
"Echelon intends to turn this place into his sanctuary, for both he and his friends. Some may travel, new friends shall appears, and all will be ready to defend this place, when the time comes. Why do you plan on retiring now, guardian?"
"I've already traveled too far in my lifetime before I came to Eding. I was supposed to retire into obscurity, perhaps be the wizened old codger giving swordplay tips to the youngest militia members, but this obligation... I'm no too proud to say that I couldn't see anyone else taking up the role, and Akana knows I haven't found a replacement since."
"Akana? Wait? You're not one of the nature priests? Who are you?"
"Nature priests? .... the druids? Yes and no. The druids took care of this until they died off in this region. Some non-religious folks relied on parlour tricks, superstition, and diplomacy to fill in their absence..."
"That makes sense, but who are you?"
"I am Sir Elsderth Greyhawk, of the family Millbottom from Feldkurton in the Viscounty of Verbobonc, in the Kingdoms of Ras-Prythax. I am still a dutiful servant and scribe to the late Wilifrick, Viscount of Verbobonc, and his progeny thereafter. I was the leader of the Order of Merit, an adventuring company that traveled the continent righting wrongs. I am still the Freigraff of the Totenlinden of Amberstoll, willing to determine and dispense justice from here to the outer reaches of the Weissmach. I was Baron of Greyhawk until I gave up my title and my family to avoid a fool's quest which I was very much against. I slayed General Balfas and personally wield his blade, Betrayer. I help destroyed the Dragon-Priest Sost and the Wizard Sazor. I've received a point blank fireball and lived to tell about it. I've stared down blood-thirsty jarls and man-eating dragons. I've defeated Cults of Tiamat and waylayed Temples of Evil Elementalists. I have loved some, lied to others and gone on many quests, successful and otherwise. I've been accused by others of false love, and helped others find love in other dimensional planes. "
"I have been Sergeant in the Eding militia, and served as the Witch of Alasku for the last decade."
"My name is Elsderth, and I'd like to go home and rest."
"Then my son, go forth and rest. As some of Echelon's friends say, 'We got this'"
"Elsderth let out a huge breath, nodded to Mohammed and walked away, pausing for a moment to turn back and say one more thing."
"If your protege needs furniture for his Chateau, he should contact the halfling Merovec Puddinfoot in Elmshire. Fantastic craftsman. I'll be sending some of my furniture back to him as a I leave. Be well Mohammed."
Fin
GM Notes: There you have it, basically a rundown of my D&D campaigns in Georic from 1989-1999, with some bleed through into Ballad of the Pigeon. The eyes and words of Elsderth Millbottom are about as trustworthy as any adventurer's tale, so here's to hoping that most of this was accurate.
Elsderth fills in a number of plot holes that I've seen with sometimes three decades of hindsight, most notably is the complete and utter lack of mention about the Witch after Kane knocks on her door before visiting Elwyn's Sanctuary. I was always more a fan of the Bard Games Compleat Spellcaster and the Witch class contained within, but thanks to the motivation for the druid Elswyth, I concocted a vague backstory for Alasku (but far more than I originally did), and set up the mentor-protege relationship for the Witch of Eding and how Elsderth ascended into it.
More importantly, I resolved where the Witch was after Kane's visit. He just had enough, saw the heroes' return as a replacement as guardians of the village, and with Elswyth's divination, left for parts unknown.
I honestly don't know where a 70-something-year-old Elsderth goes.... Draloite and the slightly younger Druidess Elswyth? See if the Bishop of Ferrand is still alive and friendly? See if the Totenlinden of Amberstoll needs a new permanent Freigraff? Retire to Hydincall or Feraso City? Maybe he might even attempt to reconcile with his son, Baron Matthias, for his abandonment?
I can tell you one thing for certain. In his final days in Eding, Elsderth seals up Witch's shack, for the next worthy Witch/Druid to appear, he will send his furniture by wagon to Merovec to resell (proceeds go to the skinny halfling fund), and he'll leave with three items:
- His books and journals. How they ended up where they did and you were able to read the, I'll leave that up to you.
- His trusty sword, Betrayer. strapped to his back.
- And using a Dragonman Spear as a giant walking staff.
