Entry 0 - Prologue

1.  Prologue

 

I.  Introductions

It's good to meet you at last story teller.  Tell me a story.

Excuse me?  Who are you?  Where... are we?  Show yourself.

I am your patron.  You have my book.  Now tell me a story.

 

The blank book the boy delivered?  The craftsmanship was lovely if, odd, and I do appreciate the gift. That however does not give you the right to abduct me and make demands!

I dreamt you here; and I do as I please.  One of my finders told me you are a story teller.  You will tell me a story. 

Where are you?  Why can't I see you?  Where am I!?!

 

This is MY dream.  It is for me to see you.  I do not answer to figments.  You are here to entertain me.  Perhaps my finder failed me...  Maybe you are a waste of my time?  Or maybe you lack anything interesting to relay?  I could... Yes, that has potential...  I'll change you.  Change you and come back to you some other time.  Another will amuse me for now.

 

II.  Chosen

Are you ready to tell me a story?

Is this a dream?  Am I... asleep?  Gods it's been days since I've slept!

I have dreamt of you again storyteller.  You are here to tell me a story.  You must have done something with the my... gifts.  Or should I find another to entertain me?

Wait!  No, I'll... I'll tell you any story you want to hear!  Just... I must have sleep!  If I tell you a story, you'll let me sleep?

I have no care what figments do when I focus elsewhere.  Tell me a story.

Yes, yes... Patron, was it?  What story would you have me tell?

 (long sigh)  If you are to be one of my chosen I would suggest you craft the story yourself.  Even a masterful retelling of a story I already know may boar me.  Look figment, I'm beginning to think you may be a bit dim so we'll start simple.  Tell me what happened since last we spoke, and tell it well.

Right... just.  One moment and I'll.  OK.

I was jolted awake.  My heart pounding in my breast.  I was still in the guest room at the Fadewyn estate in Baldur's Gate's upper city.  For awhile I tried to calm myself and return to sleep but eventually gave up, got dressed and made my way to the kitchen.  I had my usual cup of strong tea and a light breakfast.  The day passed rather uneventfully and late afternoon I made my way to the play house to ready for the evening's performance of King Malford and the Gorgon.  I had the starring role for this production and Lady Fadewyn had become entranced with me during our first showing.

I know that story already and I have little interest in your conquest of patriar women.  Perhaps later I shall find out if you tell the play better than others, but not now.  When did you first realize you were changed?

Changed… yes.  Well I suppose when I was unable to sleep at all the next evening and found the writing in the book.  Writing in no alphabet I had seen.  Writing in a previously blank book which nobody but myself had access to.  Staring at the page written in ink that seemed to shift from black as soot to deep purples and blue I became uneasy.

It’s MY book fool.  Get on with it.

Right… apologies, but you did choose me to tell the story my way; correct?  Anyway, if I stared for too long I would become dizzy and swear I heard whispers just at the edge of my hearing but I could not make out the words.  Just a single page yet I returned to it again and again over the next day.

The second night again sleep eluded me.  I was tired yet my mind would not stop racing.  Still I felt compelled to study the page of the book.  Our brief encounter was all I could think about.  A silly dream I told myself.

A frustrating dream, and of little interest.

Yes, I... apologize for that... Patron.  I didn't understand.

Continue

That day I spent some time with lady Fadewyn and her retinue entertaining them and serving as her conversation piece and escort as we socialized with her acquaintances in the upper city.  A tiefling actor was enough of an oddity to make the both of us the center of attention. 

The third night I failed to sleep the whispering got worse.  I got up and decided to go for a walk.  Walking the estate grounds alone in the dark I heard growling behind me.  I turned to see a large wild dog snarling at me.  Behind him was a cloaked figure.  The whispering grew louder.  A cacophony of unintelligible gibberish near drowning out the growling beast.  Then it abruptly silenced.

“Destroy this beast lest it bleed you.  Act now!”

The message screamed through my mind.

“I don't know what you mean!” I cried my hands pressed to my temples.  The dog started to pace towards me.  My vision dimmed and the whispering returned, more insistent than ever.  Words and gestures flooded my mind and as the dog prepared to lunge I knew what to do.  I called out words in a tongue I'd never heard spoken, let alone studied, and focused on the beast.  It flinched, yelped in pain and ran away from me as I backed away. A moment later it turned back and charged.  I raised my arm, my fingers gesturing as if on their own as yet more words with a similar sound came from my lips.  A glowing green beam of crackling energy leapt from my hand and struck the beast.  It crumpled and slid a bit before coming to a rest dead at my feet.  When I looked up, the cloaked figure was gone.

I was exhilarated and terrified.  I quickly made my way back to my room.  Was I going mad?  Had that really just happened?  Was it delusions due to insomnia or...  My eyes were drawn to the book and my thoughts to our conversation.   Changed.  I had been changed... 

I excused myself from Lady Fadewyn's company and sought seclusion in a residence sometimes shared with another performer in our troop.  For the next two days I tried all I could to find sleep.  Physical exertion, heavy drink, potions from the apothecaries in town.  Nothing worked.  I was becoming more physically exhausted, irritable and jumpy at this point.  During this time I explored these... changes, as surreptitiously as possible.  The next day, concerned with my health I even visited a temple to see if perhaps some magical affliction was upon me.  When they informed me they could divine no arcane ills upon my person I was hardly surprised.  By now I realized I was being punished, by you.

The seventh day without sleep found me at Candlekeep.  I hoped they could tell me what script the page was written in and what it said.  I felt that if I could decipher this page, that would be the key to finding the rest my body and mind so desperately needed.

I asked the monks at the entrance if they had encountered this writing before and after passing it between them they walked a bit away and murmured excitedly to each other for a bit.  They then walked back over to me.

“While a single page is typically not a sufficient entrance-gift, we would make an exception for you.  Leave this with us and you may have entry to the Great Library.”

“Do you know what it says?  Can you read it? I... I can't let you keep it.” 

I knew this as soon as they asked.  A sense of dread came over me at the thought of giving up this book.

It is well you refused.  It is not yours to gift to another.

Two of the monks muttered while a third handed me back the book a look of annoyance or disappointment on his face. 

One of the two monks in the back broke off his discussion.  “We have seen this writing before but cannot tell you what it says.  May I ask, how did you come by this book?”  I explained being given the book by the boy after a performance one evening and how the text appeared on the first page after... our introduction.  Their interest seemed even greater and one asked if they might scribe a copy of the page.  They said that if I would return periodically should any further writing appear in the book that I would be welcome within the library.  Despite being dead on my feet and struggling to speak coherently after almost a week without sleep I was still excited about the prospect.  My vision was beginning to suffer at this point so the prospect of trying to take advantage of this honor was bittersweet.  I agreed leaving the book in their care while I was taken for a meal and hot bath.

After they finished I was offered a room to rest in, though at this point I didn't honestly expect to find sleep.  Then here I was again.

A bit light on action figment, but I see potential in you.  I may make not have to choose another after all.  You will find me a generous patron if you refrain from annoying me; as you did on our first meeting.  When I dream of you the book expands.  Show whomever you please but they will not understand.  Should you prove of little interest in your own right, it seems likely you can at least be useful relaying compelling stories of others with access to this library.  I'm done with you for now.

III.  The Return of Rest

Several entries follow covering the events of Tale's day to day going's on, a few retellings of his performances as an actor and 2 stories he told to small crowds while staying at an inn.  The rest is the rather ordinary day to day events of a tiefling living a moderate lifestyle in Baulder’s Gate.  At least when they weren’t interrupted by the Patron who seems to have a short attention span.  Each entry appears to be a daily log of a conversation between The Patron and Tale, presumably broken up by each night's encounter within the dream.  At the end of the last of these entries is the following by The Patron.

I think it's time for something a bit different.  One of my finders suggested there may be something of interest in the mists.  You shall tell me if this is so.