Alter Aeon The Great Library

Welcome to the Alter Aeon Historical Archive!

Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  48332
Title: the Quest for the Silver Halberd, part 2

The Quest for the Silver Halberd, part 2

by Sparity Ket, Captain of the Order of the White Knights

In the eastern Giftsmarsch, the Bloodscale tribe of lizardmen made their
home in a place called Sitee Boggart.  Lux, the great red wyrm, claimed
leadership of these lizardfolk and would visit them from time to time to
collect tribute, leave eggs under their care, and instruct the tribe's
shamans on magic and how to govern in her absence.

Jamarkas was the product of one of those eggs.  Though his patrilineage was
unknown, he was clearly saurian in nature and had not only inherited the
red coloring of his mother but also her ability to breathe fire.  Jamarkas
stood much broader and a head taller than any of the lizardfolk.  He styled
himself as a sort of prince because of his mother's greatness and
reputation, although Lux paid him little attention during her infrequent
visits.

Also among the Bloodscales was a sorcerer named Silliriun.  Silliriun was
also red in color like unto Lux, and many of the tribe attributed his
natural proclivity for magic to be a result of draconic heritage (although
further removed than Jamarkas').  Silliriun had a poisonous lizard familiar
named Zachary who always stayed by his master's side while avoiding being
underfoot.

One day the two friends were out hunting together when they stumbled across
the scene of a recent battle.  Scores of sporebats and death fungi had been
massacred, with some of them shredded to pieces.  In the midst of the
carnage lay a humanoid figure clad in a grayish-green armor face down in
the marsh.  They turned the figure over to see that the front of the helm
had been shattered.  The face looked somewhat reptilian but whoever it was
had succumbed to the spores of the death fungi,  and it was covere d with
black streaks that marred its features.  Working together, Jamarkas and
Silliriun managed to remove the armor from the deceased warrior.

The right arm-plating and helm were too damaged to be of any use, but the
breastplate, left arm-plating and leg pieces remained intact.  The leg
pieces wouldn't fit either one.  The breastplate had some sort of strange
device attached to the back, but that didn't stop Jamarkas from trying it
on.

He was surprised when heard a voice in his mind after donning the armor,
who introduced himself as "Jeff" and explained in detail that what he was
and where he came from.  Apparently Jeff was an intelligent piece of
military equipment of alien origin.  The device attached to the armor was
something Jeff described as a "minigun" and that he could fire so many
rounds per second and could fire as many as he wanted.  Jeff claimed that
he would now serve Jamarkas, and when Jamarkas tried to remove the armor he
found that it was permanently stuck to him.

Meanwhile, Silliriun tried on the intact armplating, and it fused to his
arm in a similar fashion that Jeff had done to Jamarkas (although the arm
didn't try to speak).  Silliriun discovered that the bionic arm granted him
great strength, and that it could rapidly fire energy projectiles.  The two
practiced with their newfound weapons before returning to their tribe.

The shamans informed them that Lux would be returning and that they had
nowhere near the amount of tribute that she required.  In order to save the
tribe from her wrath, Jamarkas and Silliriun were directed to travel to
Ritterholm and try to find work and obtain what was needed to satisfy the
dragon's demands.

When Justice discovered the duo, they were haggling with a gnome over the
price of the strange leg armor pieces.  When the lizardmen started to
threaten the vendor, Justice intervened and asked them to accompany him on
his quest, where they were sure to find plenty of treasure.  They agreed to
go.