The fiendish
hobgoblin dropped back to the ground, his goo-covered, arrow-punctured wings barely preventing him from crashing. Landing on one knee and bent over in pain, he dismissed his spell. Then, he strangely began laughing.
"What is so funny?" demanded Leokas.
"I find it humorous that even his enemies do not know his actual name."
Szordrin continued to point his wand at their captive. "One more taunt and you will not be left to recall his true name. Now, tell us all that you know about him. Do not try to hide a thing." The
tiefling made a motion with his other hand to imply that he was watching the
hobgoblin closely.
"I want a guarantee that you will let me live to leave this cavern and return to the
Marching Mountains, before I speak," replied
Durbuluk.
Kytharrah had seen the others interrogate prisoners before, so he figured he'd try to imitate them. Tapping the bottom of his axe handle on the ground, he snorted, "Talk!"
"By Torm," swore Szordrin, choosing a god who supposedly cared a lot about oaths, "if you give us all the information that we seek, we shall allow you to go free... eventually. If we intended to kill you, we would have done it by now."
Belvin and Leokas stood by defensively, while Hakam and Solisar seemed to be studying the
hobgoblin's body language.
After a short pause,
Durbuluk finally answered. "His name is
Allustairimarinastralmindivu. Most
pure-blooded
hobgoblins are too stupid to remember something with that many syllables. I do not have such a handicap."
Now that this was revealed to them, it was not too shocking to Hakam. He remembered learning a little known fact that the names
Calim and
Memnon were also shorted forms of those famous genies' true names.
"As for who he
was," continued their prisoner, "I do not know much of anything about his past. He has never told me his true background, but I suspect that he was just someone at the right place at the right time."
Leokas suddenly seemed to recall something and interrupted the current topic with a new question. "Wait! You mentioned the
Marching Mountains. Are
goblins gathering in force under the
Marching Mountains? Are they preparing for an attack?"
"I promised to tell you of the
efreeti, not of the
Marching Mountains. Nevertheless, I will tell you what you should already know: the
goblins are too weak to ever war against the surface world without guidance. Good for nothing but arrow-fodder are they in combat. That is why they needed someone like
Allustairimarinastralmindivu."
Hakam uttered a quick prayer, and instantly, everyone felt a strong compulsion to speak only the truth.
Durbuluk smirked. "Your god cannot overcome the power in my blood, human cleric. Save your magics; I intend to speak the truth on my own."
"In that case, I affirm that you will be allowed to return to your home, provided that you answer all of our questions truthfully," said Hakam. "First, you say that you do not know much of
Allustairimarinastralmindivu's past." (Szordrin looked at Hakam with shock that he so easily pronounced the name.) "When and how did you come to learn of him? And why did you join him?"
"I was high priest of
Nomog-Geaya and chief advisor to
Guthash,
King Under the Marching Mountains. About this time last year, messengers came to King
Guthash through the
goblin tunnels from
Calimshan. These messengers claimed to have been slaves to owners in
Calimshan yet were set free by followers of
Allu, a new god of
hobgoblins. Seeing as I serve the only true god of
hobgoblins, naturally, my ears perked up at this news. They were evangelizing, recruiting for an army with which to retake
Calimshan for the goblinoid races."
"
Nomog-Geaya?" asked Leokas. "Who is he?"
"
Nomog-Geaya is the General, the god of authority and war. He is the true patron of my people."
Leokas was under the impression that
Maglubiyet was god of both
goblins and hobgoblins, and this was what they had heard some of the other
goblins and
hobgoblins whom they had encountered say, but he did not sense deceit in
Durbuluk's voice, so he let the matter pass.
Szordrin opened his mouth to say something, but then doubted that he would be able to lie with Hakam's spell in effect, so he thought better of it.
Durbuluk continued. "Even though I knew that this new god, '
Allu', must be an imposter, I was intrigued by the message. King
Guthash had been planning for years to build an army to unleash on the overworld. Perhaps this
Allu could be an ally of sorts. A
genie is a powerful adversary or a powerful friend. I advised
Guthash to send me as an ambassador, to observe
Allu and his schemes.
"I have thus pretended to be a 'priest of
Allu', but while he can grant us three wishes a day, which is not a minor thing by any means, he cannot grant spells. I still serve
Nomog-Geaya, and
Allustairimarinastralmindivu knows this. The other
hobgoblins do not. That is all that matters.
"
Nomog-Geaya knows that I am faithful to him. As I bide my time, so
Nomog-Geaya bides his time for when he will rebel against
Maglubiyet."
Belvin, with singed hair and leathers, asked, "I suppose that you attacked us thinking that we are enemies of
Allu-stair-into-the-
astral-sea-or-whatever. Could we not have come to a peaceful resolution, considering that we earlier freed your kin? Or does that not matter to a
hobgoblin?"
"My goal was to flee this place. You were in my path. I know nothing of any kin of mine that you freed; I only saw my opportunity to escape, since the mummies below had been destroyed. You were not goblinoids nor
efreet, so you would be no friends of the
efreeti, even if you are enemies of his enemies. For all I know, you are simply greedy adventurers. Whoever you are, you made my task easier, and I took advantage of this, as anyone with any intelligence would."
Hakam jumped back in with a question. "Tell us more about these mummies. Was there another mummy with them, one called
El Sadhara? She would have been dressed more ornately than the others that we destroyed."
"What her name was I do not know, but there was another, yes, without a veil like the others, extremely thinning hair, terrifying presence. She commanded the undead and
elementals of air and slew many of the
hobgoblins with a single word, turning them instantly to ash."
"Is she still here somewhere?" asked Leokas.
"She only left just recently."
"Why did she leave?" asked Solisar.
"Someone summoned her back."
Durbuluk shrugged. "I do not know why. She left her handmaidens behind."
"What do you know of her designs?" asked Hakam, "Why was did she come here at all?"
"
Allustairimarinastralmindivu, when scouting the desert, had learned of her ancient temple. He discovered that she was seeking to restore the
djinni kingdom that once ruled here, one that warred against the
efreeti kingdom to the north.
"Her designs were thus completely at odds with
Allustairimarinastralmindivu's. He sabotaged her works.
Allustairimarinastralmindivu did not expect her to find this hidden palace of his, and he trusted in the 'protection' of the
blue dragon lairing 'next door'. But with the dragon gone, she must have seen an opening for her revenge.
"Her forces annihilated us. While I am drastically more powerful than the poor miserable pure-bloods, I am no match for the mummy,... nor was
Allustairimarinastralmindivu."
"The dragon
Yrevkethend is gone?" asked Hakam. "Where did she go?"
Durbuluk shrugged. "She was last seen flying to the northeast, and she has not returned."
"The
hobgoblins whom we freed said that she had been absent since the beginning of the year," added Leokas.
Durbuluk nodded in agreement.
"And where are
Allustairimarinastralmindivu and his archwizard now?" asked Hakam.
"When he saw that his plans here had failed, miserably, he fled to the Spinning Keep."
Hakam knew that he should be familiar with the term, but he could not place it.
Solisar sensed this and explained, "The Spinning Keep of Siri'wadjen is the great prison of the genies
Calim and
Memnon, created by the High Mage Pharos nearly 9,000 years ago."
"Why would he go to a prison?" asked Hakam.
Durbuluk chuckled. "Do you not know the legends of the Calimmemnon Crystal and the Spinning Keep?"
"Clearly I do not," Hakam replied.
"Within Siri'wadjen lies the Calimmemnon Crystal," said Solisar, "in which the entrapped essences of the two noble genies strive ever for freedom. Legends say that anyone touching the gem would obtain the powers of both
Calim in
Memnon. Other legends say that, if the Crystal were to come into contact with the wind of the desert or the crackle of its dried sands, then the corresponding
genie would be freed. Of course, the elves protected the Crystal. No one has ever entered Siri'wadjen or successfully solved its puzzles. In fact, it is impossible even for anyone to pass through the magical field of protection surrounding it."
"Typical of snobbish, arrogant elves, your definition of 'anyone' differs from that of other races," said
Durbuluk. "In truth, the protections on the Spinning Keep bar genies, humans, and elves from ever touching the surface of the magical structure, but nothing prevents a
hobgoblin or a
goblin, like Booyagh, from touching it."
Durbuluk gave a truly devilish smile.
Hakam suddenly understood the gravity of
Allu's plan and why he was so interested in
hobgoblins as a race. "Curse you elves," he said. "
Calishites would have protected the prison with better magics!"
"Oh, we shall just go back 9,000 years and fix that then!" said Belvin.
"History has already been written," said Solisar. "We must deal with the present."
"So,
Allustairimarinastralmindivu desires the power of the Crystal and needs the
hobgoblins to bypass the prison's defenses," said Hakam.
"No,
Allustairimarinastralmindivu knows that the power gained from touching the Crystal is only temporary. He wants the permanent power that a fully restored
Memnon can grant him. He does not want to simply touch the Crystal; he wants to free the Trapped Terrors within."
"Why would he want to free
both genies?" asked Hakam.
"He only
wants to free
Memnon, of course, but it is likely impossible to free one without the other. His original plan was to have the backing of an army of
efreet behind him when the Crystal was removed from the Keep. With the aid of a multitude of genies, surely
Calim would immediately be subdued and slain, and
Memnon would rule."
"Why release
Memnon only to be subjugated by him?" asked Hakam.
"I have always suspected that
Allustairimarinastralmindivu is no one of note on the
Plane of Fire. He is not noble born. None of his
efreeti kin would ever follow him. I think that he believes that if he succeeds at his elaborate plan to restore
Memnon to power, then he will be rewarded handsomely or even appointed to higher status among his kind."
"It seems foolish. There is no guarantee that a
genie such as
Memnon would reward him."
Durbuluk shrugged again.
"What do the
hobgoblins get out of all of this again?" asked Leokas.
"
Allustairimarinastralmindivu's ultimate goal is to free
Memnon and to restore the kingdom of Memnonnar, but he knows that he needs the help of
hobgoblins, and in exchange, he will return to us the
hobgoblin portion of the kingdom that was once ours."
"
Calimshan was never yours!" protested Hakam.
"Typical
Calishite human, seeing your history the way that you want to see it! Travel north to the nation that you humans call
Tethyr. To this very day, you will find a gorge with the remains of a massive monolith that my people raised thousands of years ago to the greatness of
Nomog-Geaya. How many human nations have monoliths that have persisted for so many ages? Do you think that wandering bandit tribes of
hobgoblins could build such a thing? No! We were a kingdom. The lands of
Tethyr were fully ours, not those of the
Calishites!"
Hakam thought it best to return to the matter at hand rather than argue about ancient history. "Where exactly is the Keep?"
"East of here, several day's journey on foot. I do not know the exact location, but
Allustairimarinastralmindivu had obtained a journal from a gnome adventurer, who claimed to have bypassed the Keep's defenses and entered it. She left a map to the site in the journal as well."
"Was the gnome's name
Samber? or Ramseb? or anything like that?" asked Hakam.
Durbuluk shook his head. "No, she only signed her name as
Stumblesparkle, a typical foolish nickname among those ridiculous people."
"Is this journal and map still here?" asked Solisar.
"It is,"
Durbuluk replied, "in on of
Allustairimarinastralmindivu's storage chambers."
"Beyond the fire traps?" asked Hakam.
"Yes."
"How can they be disabled?"
"They cannot be disabled," said
Durbuluk, "but that is not a problem for a
fire genie or for a
hobgoblin with magical blood like mine."
"I assume that they reset."
"They do."
"Are there other traps?"
"No, but the very walls of the inner chambers are composed of fire, not of stone. You natives of this plane would not fare well."
"Are there other
hobgoblins still alive here besides you?" asked Solisar.
"I know not. Remember, I was just trying to escape through the tunnel behind you with my own skin, and now I have lost a good bit of that."
"Did any other
hobgoblins go with
Allustairimarinastralmindivu?"
"He only took Booyagh with him."
"Why did you not also go?" asked Solisar.
"My talents are not with ancient artifacts and mysteries. I was to remain as long as I could to defend against the undead. Clearly, I failed at that task, as you have now subdued me."
Kytharrah now asked a question. "What do you guard?"
"
Allustairimarinastralmindivu's inner sanctum."
"What do you know of
Allu's dealings with
Samber?" asked Hakam.
"
Samber? The same name that you mentioned earlier as a possible name for the gnome? I know nothing of anyone by this name."
"He is a wizard of great power. His was the island where the
Allustairimarinastralmindivu first entered our world."
"Ah, the one from whom
Allustairimarinastralmindivu stole the gate."
"Stole the gate?" asked Leokas.
"This gate here?" asked Hakam.
"Yes, the gate directly behind you."
"Why would
Allu steal a gate to the
Plane of Fire?" asked Solisar.
"To lead through an
efreeti army for
Memnon to lead," said Hakam somberly.
"Yes, exactly," confirmed
Durbuluk. "As I said before,
Allustairimarinastralmindivu was supremely fortunate to have found an open portal to his plane, and he simply passed through it. He came upon the abode of some powerful wizard with a portal on an isolated island and a band of
hobgoblin pirates — with a sailing ship no less. Is it so surprising that he saw this as an opportunity? Everyone knows that to this very day a deep and ancient magic still bars all genies from using their own magic to enter Calimsham or wizards from calling them here. No such magic prevents a portal to the
Plane of Fire from operating, however. All
Allustairimarinastralmindivu had to do was dismantle the portal and transport it here to
Faerûn to rebuild. As you can see behind you, he succeeded."
"
Allu told the
hobgoblins that the gate would bring warriors from Clangor," said Leokas.
"A lie that appealed to their simple minds more than the truth."
"How is it that
Samber has not already located his missing gate and taken it back?" asked Solisar.
"The gate is protected against attempts at scrying.
Allustairimarinastralmindivu is not foolish. He knows that the one from whom he stole the gate is a powerful spellcaster who could scry on the gate to find him and teleport here on a whim."
"Why has he not opened the portal yet?" asked Hakam. "Why has the Army of Fire not already come through?
"Because a petty and weak human wizard, a stowaway on
Allustairimarinastralmindivu's ship, stole the key."
The party knew that this "petty" wizard was
Malick of Darromar, the very one who had set this whole adventure in motion by hiring Leokas many months ago, but they tried hard not to let on to
Durbuluk that they knew this or, worse, that they had the very key on one of their persons.
"Is the army waiting on the other side now?" asked Hakam.
"I do not know; I only know that until this mummy attacked us,
Allustairimarinastralmindivu was still searching for the lost key. It was a major missing component to his plan. With the loss of the key and now the destruction of his army, the
efreet's last chance is to free
Memnon earlier than he had willed."
"Is there a way to destroy the portal?"
"I do not know that either. Booyagh might."
"Should we
destroy the portal?" asked Belvin.
"There is no need for the portal to be destroyed if the key is still missing," said Solisar.
Kytharrah was growing noticeably bored of the interrogation by now and was scratching at his itching, rotting flesh, causing more fur to fall out.
"Are you satisfied yet," asked
Durbuluk, "or do you have further questions?"
"Does the path behind us lead out of the caverns?" asked Solisar.
"It does, to the desert sands."
"How do
Allustairimarinastralmindivu's magic bottles work?" asked Hakam. "Is he actually summoned when someone opens the bottle, or do we merely view an image of him?"
Durbuluk seemed thoughtful. "How would you know about these bottles?"
"We found one in the past and foolishly opened it."
"You.
You are the ones who have the key. He has searched for so long, and had he only waited, you would have come to him!"
"Were it the case that we had the key," threatened Hakam, "we would have to eliminate anyone who might inform
Allustairimarinastralmindivu."
"Now, now," said
Durbuluk, "your so-called worshiper of Torm here already gave me a promise."
"Our agreement with you says nothing about finding you again after we let you go."
"After you let me go," said the half-fiend, "you will never find me again. I assure you."
"Nevertheless, you will tell us about the bottles."
"Unlike the bottles crafted by your own people to entrap
efreet for their own purposes, these bottles summon
Allustairimarinastralmindivu himself for a short time, after which he returns from where he came."
"If one were to open a bottle and then destroy it before that time had passed, what would happen?"
"I have no idea," said
Durbuluk.
"Does
Allustairimarinastralmindivu have any weaknesses? Or are there any means we could use to bargain with him?"
"You could offer him the gem key."
Durbuluk smiled, but then he continued. "If that fails, you could use ice magic, which tends to work well on fire creatures. To be honest, I have never considered attacking him, so I do not know. It seems a foolish thought."
"Bored, bored, bored," complained Kytharrah.
"The fire traps in the chamber below," said Hakam, "what triggers them?"
"They only trigger for non-
hobgoblins,"
Durbuluk replied, "and they only trigger moving away from the center of the four columns."
"So the way into the inner chambers are blocked? Is there any other way in?"
"That tunnel is the only way in. Are we finished here? Are you not yet satisfied? I have told you everything."
"To satisfy us and our agreed-upon conditions, you must tell us everything written in the gnome's journal."
"What? Absurd! I cannot read the language that the journal is written in, and even if I could, do you truly expect me to have memorized it?"
"Can you at least recall the map?"
"Not well enough to draw a copy for you. I only saw it once."
"Then you must retrieve it for us," said Hakam.
"That does not seem to me part of our agreement."
"You agreed to answer all of our questions, and we are questioning you about information found in a document that you clearly have access to. In any human court, this argument would be upheld."
"Perhaps in a
human court," said
Durbuluk.
"That is the only court that matters at the moment," said Hakam.
"Stay here, and I shall retrieve the the book for you."
"And risk you escaping?" said Leokas.
"We will escort you as far as to the fire traps below," said Hakam.
"So be it. That is only fair," answered the fiendish
hobgoblin. "Lead the way."
