Expedition 104: The Coward and the Queen

We fly into Drakehall, the citadel of the Time-Weft, and save our enemy Subala from the clutches of their ruler, queen Adaina Drakken.

### Detailed Writeup

A few days after the expedition, Finnjamin is telling a new story: one he swears is an old folk tale in the farthest reaches of Tark, lost to time, but in need of resurrecting.

"Gather, friends, and listen close, to the Tale of the Coward and the Queen.

"Many, many years ago, in a faraway place, there lived a man. A pretty man, a well-liked man, yet a man with no conviction, whose mind went whichever way the wind happened to be blowing. This man found himself in a dangerous situation, all for a cause he cared only slightly for - for he did not care about anything much, and certainly did not care enough about anything to risk his life for it.

"Being in a land far from his home, and facing a likely death, instead of fight for this cause he allied himself with, he fled. He found himself lost, for he did not know this strange place, and stumbled into the clutches of a strange people.

"Hidden from the world, these people had apparently survived millenia without interference from other civilized people, and had mutated into an unfamiliar form. The man was hardly able to communicate with them, almost if they did not know what language was. However, they helped the man, and brought him back to their city, an alien city of tall walls and large statues.

"He was escorted by fearsome warriors in beautiful, elaborate clothing, which only accentuated their strangeness. Thus, when he was brought to a woman of their kind, dressed in simple clothes, he knew only by the others' reverence of her that she must be their queen. He was fascinated by her, and thought that she must be noble indeed, as his savior.

"Over many weeks, the man lived in the hall of the strange folk. He began to notice that instead of seeing themselves for what they were, they saw themselves as the one true people, and treated him as lesser, as if he was the deformed one. He began to think this way himself, and began to hate himself for what he was. He was confined to a cell, and wished to be like them. The queen gave him an iridescent black potion, and he gladly drank some every night. This potion was a poison that was slowly deforming his own body, turning him into one of them.

"Many moons later, the transformation was almost complete. The man was beaten down, small, sad, and dying. Suddenly, through the wall of his chamber there came five people: the very same people he had fought before, and ran from like a coward. As soon as he saw their faces, he saw the error of his ways. He realized that the true evil was these strange people all along, and that he had lost his way. He cried, and came with them as they transported him back home, to the crazy, diverse world he once knew.

"He was sure he had been charmed by the evil queen, but upon returning, his rescuers were able to ascertain that he had in fact, not been charmed by the queen - it had been him all along. However, the man was so weak, that upon returning, died within the day. Forevermore, people would praise the rescuers' heroic deeds, saving the person they had known to be their enemy - but would despise the man, having been such a coward that he forgot who he was.

"So, friends, remember the tale of the Coward, and do not seek to change who you are to be accepted by others."

Any reader who gets this far may now make an insight check on Finnjamin, as he delivers the moral of this story (DC 15/20 for basic/advanced info).

#### What Really Happened

The above is a near complete fiction invented by Finnjamin, almost none of it is factual, and we do not know as we have not interrogated Subala as to what happened while he was in the clutches of the Time-Weft.

Important notes:

* Subala did not die, he is currently imprisoned in Windhome.
* Importantly, we know nothing of his time with the Time-Weft. He also probably wasn't happily imprisoned like Finn made it out to be.

We discovered the following important info about the Time-Weft:

* They are led by leader Adaina Drakken, who is a powerful spellcaster and can trap people in stone
* The citadel is huge, and could fit an entire city - filled with many various rooms
* They all follow Ova, religiously
* They are basically Nazis who want the extermination of all non Time-Weft
* They speak in air blasts
* They all read religious propoganda - "The Teachings of the Heron and his Servants"
* Their elite soldiers are "The Herons of Drakehall," recognizable by their beautiful garb. They can move 120 feet per round.