Quest for the Tellemmond Sceptre

By Ronald and William Fischer

© 2008

In the small coastal city of High Kennard on the north-eastern shore of the Montanian Sea, you and your friends are gathered around a table at the Monk's Retreat Inn and Tavern. As you dine on a hot meal of hearty venison pie and spicy smoked-salmon chowder, the robust, ruddy-faced proprietor, Ceravis, spins an interesting and alluring tale. His cousin, Froedric, is charged with the diurnal task of delivering fresh pork to the castle of King Johannes VI each day and has apparently heard an intriguing rumor from a loquacious member of the royal kitchen staff. Ceravis is only telling you of this, he assures you in a conspiratorial whisper, because you and your friends are valued patrons and because he served in the royal army with your father many years ago. As a loyal subject to the King, he hopes that you can be of some assistance. According to these rumors, the King, much revered throughout the land, has suffered a terrible loss; the Royal Sceptre of Tellemmond has disappeared!

Ceravis proceeds to describe the Sceptre in glorious detail, though this is hardly necessary as this symbol of the Tellemmond family's dynasty is well-known throughout the realm of Montania. The Royal Sceptre was commissioned by the first Tellemmond king, Tellemmond the OrcSlayer, in order to commemorate his final battle against an evil lord, which resulted in the liberation of Montania from an era of darkness and oppression. The victorious Tellemmond assumed leadership of the land and set about forging a powerful and prosperous kingdom that remains a beacon of just and benevolent rule even today, nearly 300 years later.

The ancient craftsman who constructed the Sceptre, Fabgreone, was the product of an unlikely pairing between a Dwarven warrior and an Elven princess. Though he was raised in a home of love and encouragement, he was nevertheless treated with cold reserve by both sides of his heritage and strived to overcome this situation by learning the best of both Elven arts and Dwarven craftsmanship. Sought by Tellemmond for this reason, Fabgreone's magnum opus is without equal.

The Sceptre is crafted of the purest Montanian gold; the body of the artifact is a little over two feet long and nearly three inches in diameter and is studded with the finest precious stones mined throughout the land, including rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Sinuous rivulets of silver course up and down the length of the shaft, interwoven between the gemstones in an intricate braid. The Sceptre is crowned by a perfectly-round six-inch orb set in platinum and carefully fashioned from the largest and purest diamond known in the World of Kraeton. Mysteriously set inside the crystalline globe is a soaring eagle carved from the rarest aquamarine-hued jade. Kept in Castle SouthFork under constant guard by the most trusted and heroic veterans in Montania, Tellemmond's Sceptre is the most beloved relic in the realm; the precious metals and stones of its construction make it extremely valuable, but the history and artistry of this Montanian icon make it priceless!

Ceravis goes on to relate the known circumstances of the Sceptre’s disappearance: it happened two nights ago and, as is often the case during mysterious and dreadful events such as this, it happened during a frightening and powerful storm. As far as anyone can tell, a mighty bolt of lightning struck high up on the side of the castle, destroying one of the many stone-and-bronze gargoyles that serve as rain gutters. This particular gargoyle was on a section of wall near the chamber where the Sceptre rests, and was apparently disintegrated, smashed into countless fragments of rubble into the moat below. A hole was opened up in the castle wall and for unknown reasons a nearby tapestry caught fire. The Sceptre Guards rushed to extinguish the fire and call for laborers to begin temporary repairs to the hole in the castle wall; even though they were gone for only a moment, they returned to discover that the Sceptre, which had rested in the same place for over 250 years, was gone. No one knows who took it or how; the mystery of the event is heightened by the fact that there is only one way in or out of the Sceptre Chamber and the passage was more-or-less blocked by the guards as they put out the tapestry fire.

The young maid, Jennica, who reported this to Froedric, stressed that the event is a highly-guarded secret. This order comes directly from King Johannes himself and is thought to be a result of his not wanting to cause a panic or loss of morale among the citizens of Montania; indeed, Froedric reveals that the only reason she told him was because the two young people had been courting this past year and Froedric is soon to ask her father for her hand. The reality, however, is characterized by an old Montanian proverb: you can’t hide fire by wrapping it in paper. Both Froedric and Ceravis know that it won’t be long until the entire kingdom learns this news and the results could be disastrous.

As a veteran of the royal army in good standing, Ceravis has direct access to the King at any time the security and safety of Montania are at issue; he proposes to take you and your fellow adventurers to the castle in order to introduce you to the King in the hope that you will be able to solve this mystery as soon as possible and recover the Sceptre. Ceravis has every reason to believe that the King will reward your loyalty and desire to help; but beyond that, he has faith that you “young spitfires” can restore this most venerated Montanian artifact to its rightful place. As loyal subjects and trusted friends, you agree to accompany Ceravis to the castle and do what you can to help the King