Master of Spells from Faerun

Chapter 111 Meeting
Bryn Shander was not like any other town in Ten Towns.Its proud banner flies high atop the hills central to the tundra between the three lakes, south of Dwarfvale.None of the boats on the lake fly its flag, and it has no docks on any of the lakes, but it is indisputably the geographical center of the region and the hub of activity.

This is where the main caravans from Luskan stay, the Dwarves come to trade, and most of the artisans, artisans and valuers stay.Bryn Shander was inferior to other towns only in the catch.Tamarin and Targos on the south bank of Lake Doulton, and Kekkoni and Cadineva on the west bank of Lake Dinesia are the overlords on the lake.

A high wall surrounds Bryn Shander, blocking the cold wind and preventing the invasion of goblins and barbarians.The buildings inside are similar to those in other villages and towns in this area: low wooden buildings.It's just that the houses in Bryn Shander are close together, and there are usually several families crowded into the same small room.Although it is crowded here, there is still a certain degree of comfort and safety in the city. This is the most civilized place within the four hundred miles of uninhabited land.

After Imrik returned to the demiplane from Incanista Yum, he came to the position of the locator dropped by the black dragon through the teleportation device alone. This is one of the ten towns of Icewind Dale [Brin · Shande], a bustling trade center in a bitterly cold place.

Imrik was walking on the street wearing a black mage robe, but the fishermen and caravans who came and went took it for granted. In this small town near [Luskan], muttering wizards always appeared in people's eyes. In sight.

He wandered among various vendors and shops with great interest, and opened a room in the tavern. He wanted to stay for a few more days to appreciate the unique ice and snow scenery and cultural customs in this northern town.

At the same time, a fierce meeting was being held in [Bryn Shander]'s mayor's mansion.

"Speakers,"

A short halfling stood on a podium in a gorgeous hall, and said to many well-dressed leaders below the stage.

"While I respect the importance of the debate between Kadineva and the Kekoni spokesperson, I believe we have more urgent issues to discuss."

Before he came to power, Dorin Ruja, a scrawny, dark-skinned man.And Jacin Brant, a younger, blond man, the two representatives were arguing bitterly over a territorial dispute between them.

At this moment, when the little halfling interrupted, both of them turned blue, but everyone else looked at the halfling curiously.

"This is a good start," thought the halfling Regis, "I've got everyone's attention."

He cleared his throat, trying to stabilize his voice, and make it more impressive: "I have no doubt that the barbarian tribes are going to jointly attack Ten-Towns!"

Although he tried to make the announcement sound more dramatic, Regis found himself facing an unmoved and confused crowd.

"Unless we form an alliance," Regis continued in an anxious tone, "that group of people will smash our towns one by one, and kill anyone who dares to resist them!"

"Indeed, the spokesman for Regis in Lonewood Town." Cassius said in a deliberately calm, but actually mocking Regis voice. "We've been attacked by barbarians before. There's no need to be here..."

"This time is different!" Regis exclaimed.

"All the tribes have united. The previous raids were one tribe against one city, and usually we handled it well. But how could Tamaran or Kekkoni, or even Bryn Shander, fight against all the barbarians in Icewind Dale?" Union Army?"

Some of the speakers leaned back in their chairs to ponder what the halfling had said; others began to murmur privately, some worried, others angry and unbelieving.At last Cassius tapped the gavel again to silence the entire chamber.

Then Kemp of Targos rose slowly from his chair with his familiar bravado. "May I speak, friendly Cassius?" he asked with unnecessary civility. "Perhaps I can put this momentous announcement in more proper light."

Targos is the largest and strongest of the nine fishing villages, and its fleet is fully twice the size of the second largest, Tamarin.

"Members of Council," Kemp began, leaning forward to make him appear larger to others. "Let's know more details of the halfling's tale before we worry. We've fought off barbarian invaders too many times to be confident that the defenses of even our smallest town are adequate."

"You said you had news that someone was going to invade," Kemp said, his sharp eyes fixed on the halfling. "How did you get this valuable and hard-to-get information?"

Regis found his temples sweating.He knew where Kemp's questions would lead, but he couldn't escape the fact. "I learned it from a friend who often travels on the tundra." He answered frankly.

"The dark elf?" Kemp asked.

With Regis' neck bent upward and Kemp looking down at him, Regis soon found himself forced into the defensive position.The halfling's father had warned him that he was often at a disadvantage when facing humans, because humans had to bow their heads physically to talk to halflings, just like talking to their own children.Under such circumstances, Dad's words made Regis feel heartbroken and true.He wiped a drop of sweat from his upper lip.

His friend, oh, that good and brave dark elf, Drizzt Do'Urden, may the gods punish those pedants who discriminate against him because of his appearance.

"I can't speak for the rest of you," Kemp continued, and then laughed, looking at the halfling's angry eyes with a ridiculous look, "but I have too many more important things to do." Do it instead of running and hiding in the city just because of what the dark elf said!" The burly speaker laughed again, and this time he wasn't the only one laughing.

Agwa of Tamaran provided some unexpected assistance to the halfling's failed intentions. "Perhaps we should let the spokesman of Lonewood go on. If his words are true..."

"His words are but echoes of the dark elf's lies!" Kemp growled. "Ignore him, we've fought off barbarians before, and..."

But then Kemp also stopped suddenly, because Regis jumped on the conference table.The halfling couldn't take it any longer. He had to resort to some dirty tricks to save Ten-Towns, and he slipped a string of ruby ​​pendants out of his vest.It shone brightly on his chest as he walked up and down, using the table as his own stage.

"What do you know, to mock a dark elf like that?" he asked the others, especially Kemp.

"Can any of you name the people he hurt? No! You punished him for the crimes of his people, but none of you thought Drizzt Do'Urden would come to us The reason for this is because he refused to accept the way of life of his people?"

The silence in the chamber led Regis to believe that if he had either impressed these people, he would have been dismissed as nonsense.In any case, he was not arrogant or foolish enough to think that his little speech would accomplish his task.

He walked over to face Kemp.This time it was he who looked down, but the speaker of Targos seemed on the verge of bursting out laughing at the halfling's remarks.

Regis must act quickly.He stooped a little, raised his hand to his cheek, pretended to scratch it, but really wanted to start the pendant spinning, tapped his arm on it as it swung by, and remained patient for a moment in silence.Ten seconds passed without Kemp blinking.

"You must realize that it is wise to guard against such an attack," Regis suggested calmly.Then he added in a whisper only Kemp could hear: "These men look to you for guidance, Great Kemp. Military alliances only increase your stature and influence."

The effect is surprising.

"Perhaps there is more to the halfling's words than we first believed," Kemp said mechanically, never taking his eyes off the ruby.

Regis froze for a moment, then straightened up, hiding the gem behind his vest.Kemp shook his head, as if to clear a confusing dream from his mind, and rubbed his dry eyes.The speaker of Targos seemed unable to recall the last moments, but the halfling's suggestion was already embedded in his mind.Kemp himself was surprised by the change in his attitude.

"We should listen to Regis," he declared aloud. "Because forming such a coalition doesn't make things worse, but the consequences of doing nothing could be really serious!"

Jassine Brant seized the opportunity and jumped out of his chair. "Spokesperson Kemp spoke very wisely," he said. "Count our town of Kedi Neva into the army that will repel the enemy!"

The rest of the speakers lined up behind Kemp, as Drizzt had expected, and Dorin Lugar made a show of loyalty even more exaggerated than Brant.

When Regis left the Council later that day, he was rather proud, his hope that Ten-Towns would survive returning.But the halfling found his mind was full of thoughts about the power of the gem that Drizzt had given him.He wants to find the least failure-prone way to turn this newly discovered power of persuading others to cooperate into profit and pleasure.

(End of this chapter)