Chapter 227 Cormyr Expeditionary Force
The hobgoblin army was completely defeated.
The cavalry pursued the remaining enemies as much as possible, while the remaining warriors drew their weapons and chopped off the heads of the hobgoblins one by one.
This is their most important trophy, and it is also the most important trophy in Mokou Town, Obert, the commander of the Purple Dragon Legion riding on his horse, thought to himself.
The heads and corpses of these hobgoblins will be transported to the city, not only to show their achievements, but also to deter the surrounding humanoid creatures.
If necessary, their heads will even be pickled and piled at the junction of the territories to serve as a terrifying spectacle.
This is used to warn the nearby evil tribes such as gnolls, hobgoblins, orcs and ogres that intend to provoke Mokou Town.
Obert was riding on a war horse, his cloak embroidered with a purple dragon rustling, looking down at the fleeing hobgoblins in the distance.
After this battle, the threat from the hobgoblin tribe in the Mokou Mountains will be completely eliminated.
Of course, there may be small-scale wandering groups, but this rabble poses no threat to the defense forces of nearby villages and towns.
Those large-scale humanoid tribes are never allowed to appear near civilized settlements, unless they are frightened and actively avoid the territory of Mokou Town.
Otherwise, they must use blood and death to stabilize the rule of this land.
The most impressive lesson Obert once took at the War College in Susa City was: Nothing demonstrates force more than defeating the enemy!
Compared with the instructor's words, he believed that what their lord said was more accurate: strength is the basis for safeguarding justice, national defense is the backing of diplomacy, and within the radiation range of the Wizard Tower, That is dignity and truth.
That’s exactly what happened.
If the wizards of the Silver Scholars Association had not assisted them in detecting the enemy's situation through the wizard tower's detection methods and were responsible for reporting the location of the hobgoblin army and providing aerial spell support, the army he led would not have been able to completely annihilate the troops near the Mokou Mountains so easily. The largest hobgoblin tribe.
If there are no surprises.
The nearby humanoid tribes will never easily set foot in the territory of Mokou Town, because the first thing they have to consider is whether they can defeat a military-managed hobgoblin tribe.
This battle will soon be recited by bards, and before long, various stories will be spread in the tavern.
After cleaning the battlefield, Obert walked straight towards Griffin Mountain.
A long time ago, at the junction of the Mokou Mountains and the rocky wasteland, this inconspicuous Griffin Mountain was home to a small number of mountain people.
Here they built stone houses and fortifications to defend themselves against frequent attacks by wilderness tribes.
It is said that when mountain people are threatened by a terrible threat, they will retreat to a cave within the mountain for safety.
Legend has it that this cave is very deep and can be connected to the Underdark.
Now it is no longer a legend, Obert thought: This is a fact. The caves in Griffin Mountain can indeed lead directly to the Dark Territory.
Otherwise, they would not be so persistent in wiping out the hobgoblin tribe entrenched here.
Now, this cave leading to the Dark Territory is not only a commercial road that accumulates wealth for the treasury of Mokou Town, but also a place where the stone giant family settles.
In this operation against the hobgoblins, in addition to his purple dragon knights and garrison soldiers of the garrison, there were also hundreds of stone giants led by the Stone Whisperer Hegram.
This group of giants who are proficient in earth elemental magic are best at fighting in mountainous areas and dealt a devastating blow to the hobgoblin army.
Even the military fortress of the hobgoblin collapsed under the earthquake spell of Lord Stone Whisperer.
This is a perfect expulsion battle, the Purple Dragon Knight thought to himself.
Unfortunately, the protagonist is not him, but the lord they have never met before.
Maybe one day in the future, he can become the protagonist of a legendary story, but now he is just a slightly famous Purple Dragon general.
Still a descendant of the rebels... he thought bitterly.
He is a descendant of the Jinyu family. His ancestor was the former ruler of Arabe City. However, due to a rebellion that declared independence, his family was deprived of titles and lands by the king. The few surviving members Members are permanently exiled.
As a descendant of a fish that slipped through the net, Obert has been working hard to cleanse the stain on his family and restore its glory.
In the quiet and dim cave, he listened to the echo of water drops falling into the pool, and through the exquisitely carved stone wall corridor, he came to the residence of the Stone Whisperer, Lord Hegram.
The war is over, and he needs to hand over the defense issues of the Mokou Mountains to the old giant.
The stone giant is a secluded race who likes to live a peaceful and quiet life, and his mission is to protect the security within the territory of Mokou Town and prevent foreign invasion.
As usual, every time he met the other party, the four-meter-tall old giant sat in a spacious and bright hall, like a silent rock, waiting patiently for him.
"General Obert, please sit down." The old giant raised his hand, slightly narrowed his cloudy eyes with astigmatism, and spoke in a soft and gentle voice, which sounded like he was on a calm lake.
"Excuse me, Your Excellency Stone Whisperer." Obert bowed slightly and saluted the old man.
He was about to sit on the stone chair when, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed an elegant man admiring the vivid murals on the wall with great interest, nodding from time to time.
This elegant gentleman has his back to himself, wearing a black cloak, and carrying a picture wrapped in black cloth behind his back, which is slightly larger than the two-handed giant sword of a heavily armored warrior.
It seems that he noticed his gaze, or that he caught the gentleman's attention when he was communicating with Mr. Stone Whisperer, and he slowly turned around.
This gentleman's skin is dark brown, he looks quite young, but his eyes are wise and he looks very scholarly.
On his left chest, there is a unique pattern composed of three mountain peaks and a moon-like silver ball embroidered with gold and silver thread. Anyone who sees it will be deeply impressed.
"The Prince of Shadows, Brainas Tanshur!" Obert's eyes widened like a lion, he exclaimed, and subconsciously reached for the sword at his waist.
As the commander of the Purple Dragon Knights, he remembers the characteristics of the ghost princes as clearly as he usually exercises his sword skills.
As he exclaimed, the quiet atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.
Obert felt unbelievable about the Prince of Shadows appearing here, and even began to wonder whether the Stone Giants had surrendered to the City of Shadows.
"Don't be nervous, General Obert." The old giant said with a smile.
The gentle tone made Obert calm down involuntarily, but he still looked warily at the young ghost prince not far away.
"The Purple Dragon Knight of the Kingdom of Cormyr is indeed well-deserved." The Ghost Prince's tone was gentler than that of the old giant, and his smile made people feel like they were bathing in spring breeze. "It seems that my appearance has doubled your pressure. Since So, I will take my leave first."
The young gentleman bowed gracefully to the old giant. When he walked to Obert, he deliberately slowed down and said in a meaningful tone, "Relax, you have to learn to adapt. After all, we will meet many times in the future."
As the subtle footsteps of the Ghost Prince disappeared from the hall, Obert's overly nervous mood gradually relaxed.
"What's going on, Lord Stone Whisperer?" He asked impatiently, "Why did the Prince of Shadows appear here."
"It was arranged by your lord." The old giant motioned him to sit down and said in a soft tone, "He and this ghost prince are cooperative friends. The purpose of coming to me is to take away a Stone Whisperer crystal that can enter the Engraved Valley."< br>
Inscribed Valley?
Obert frowned and pondered for a moment, and finally remembered that the Engraved Valley is located in the Dark Territory and is a legendary library established by the stone giant.
There is no doubt that the Stone Whisperer Crystal should be the key to the Engraved Valley.
Before he could continue to ask, the old giant spoke again, "The Engraving Clan records the knowledge of our stone giant clan, as well as the echoes of the past, present and future that are scattered in the hall. As long as those who have been here have , their traces can be found through the echo."
"Then what is the purpose of this ghost prince?" Obert asked curiously, temporarily suppressing the question of why the Lord cooperated with the other party.
“Help your lords find a lost mind flayer city ‘Eliento’.”
The old giant whispered: “It is rumored that the sage of Eliento was once the The greatest human arcanist during the Netheril Empire."
Regarding the history of the Netheril Empire, Oberth only knew information about the City of Shades.
He did not ask too much, let alone why the ghost prince could become a cooperative friend with their lord.
His premonition told him that this wise stone giant priest might not know either.
After he and Lord Stone Whisperer Hegram finished explaining the defense issues of Griffin Mountain, he stopped wasting time and rode his horse towards Mokou Town as quickly as possible. go.
Because he received a magical message from the wizard tower, Mr. Ogruul, the land dragon turtle, had important matters to discuss with him.
the next day.
When the last ray of the setting sun disappeared on the horizon, Obert returned to Mokou Town dusty.
He returned to his residence in the Rock Bunker, took a hot bath, changed into light clothes, and walked towards the Wizard Tower.
In a living room on the third floor of the wizard tower, he saw the terrestrial dragon turtle in the form of a human old man, who had been waiting for him for a long time.
The decoration in the room is very simple, there is no decent furniture, there is no marble floor on the ground, and the walls are mainly made of sand.
But with the sense of smell of Paladin Oberth, he could clearly feel a trace of energy similar to that of a magic circle, floating in the moist air.
At this moment, Mr. Ogruul was playing with some newly born earth magic bats. When he saw him entering the room, he waved his hand to let the magic bats leave on their own.
"Old housekeeper, what do you want from me?" he asked respectfully.
As Mr. Ogruer joined Mokou Town, his management of the territory and a series of policies to benefit the people have made most people, including civilians, respect him. I volunteered to call him: the old housekeeper of Mokou Town.
Olbert is no exception.
In Mokou Town, the reputation of old Mr. Ogruul is second only to their young mage lord.
“This time I have called you here directly across Balerith because the lord has a very important thing that needs you to complete.”
The always amiable old butler is here. He didn't smile for the first time, a look of solemnity appeared on his old face, and his brows were furrowed.
Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Obert said solemnly:
"Don't worry, old housekeeper, from the moment I stepped into Mokou Town and swore allegiance to the lord, , I have sworn to do my best to respond to any call from the Lord of Mokou Town, obey any of his instructions, and be at his disposal.”
He is a descendant of a traitor family, which makes his status in the Kingdom of Cormyr even worse than that of a civilian. His childhood experiences make him unbearable to look back on.
But the old Duke of Arabe City took him in regardless of the past, and sent him to the War Academy in Susar City for training.
It was this kind of favor that allowed him to serve the female lord of Arabe City faithfully from beginning to end.
Even if Duchess Myrcella Raul asked him to be loyal to an unknown lord, he would not hesitate to carry it out.
It turns out that this young mage lord is indeed worthy of his service.
"It's just a mission, there's no need to take it so seriously." The old butler was stunned by the solemn voice of the Purple Dragon Knight, and then smiled: "Relax, what I'm not used to the most is the paralyzed faces of you soldiers. Expression."
"But..." Seeing the familiar expression on the old butler's old face, Obert looked at him doubtfully.
"Oh, you said just now." The old housekeeper said suddenly: "The reason why I frowned just now was mainly because I was thinking about what caused the production of this batch of earth magic bats to increase by half."< br>
After saying that, he motioned for the other person to sit down, and then handed him a glass of wine.
“……”
The serious Purple Dragon Knight didn't know how to proceed.
"Old butler, what task did the Lord arrange for me?" He took the wine handed over by the old butler and couldn't help but ask.
“It’s no big deal, I just want you to take your troops and Maric’s battle mages to station in the Lightless Woodland in the Underdark Region.”
The Lightless Woodland in the Underdark Region. woodland?
Obert thought as he picked up the wine in his hand and brought it to his mouth, intending to take advantage of the moment of sipping the wine to quickly consider the meaning of the old butler's words.
The Matte Woodland is the territory of the Myconids. In the occasional meetings held by the acting lord Balerius, he heard many times from the wealthy businessman Graal that the magic potions in the Matte Woodland are the main source of income for Mokou Town.
Could it be that the myconids in the Lightless Woodland are in danger?
Obert nodded thoughtfully and drank the wine in one gulp.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!..."
What he didn't expect was that as soon as the wine reached his mouth, the spicy taste made him choke to tears.
The old housekeeper on the side suddenly laughed.
Obert wiped the wine stains on his beard, cleared his throat awkwardly, and suppressed the burning feeling in his stomach, "It is my duty to be stationed in the lightless woodland of the Dark Territory. , It's just..." Halfway through his words, he suddenly didn't know how to continue.
"You are trying to say that overachieving is overkill, right?" The old butler guessed his thoughts, shook his head slightly, sipped the strong wine in the glass, and sighed.
“The truth is not what you think. The Dark Area at this moment has long been targeted by many demon lords in the bottomless abyss due to the surge of leyline energy.”
"The reason why Mokou Town's most powerful armed forces are allowed to guard the Sunless Woodland is not only the promise our lord once made to the Myconid God, but also for the safety of the Kingdom of Cormyr."
"How do you say this?" Obert asked directly without thinking.
“There is a road leading to the Dark Territory in the Mokou Mountains.” The old housekeeper said, “If the Dark Territory is ravaged by the demons of the abyss, do you think our surface kingdom will be safe?”
"That's it." Obert showed a look of surprise, and then said with a wry smile: "If the Dark Region is really ravaged by demons, I'm afraid we alone won't be able to do anything."
"You don't have to worry about this." The old housekeeper said gently:
"Since the Lord has arranged for you to go to the Dark Territory, he certainly has his own intentions. How could you let your sacrifices be in vain? Besides, a teleportation circle has been set up in the Lightless Woodland for a long time. If necessary, we can provide support as quickly as possible. You.”
For some reason, after listening to the old butler’s explanation, Obert suddenly recalled that when he saw Brenas Tanshur in the Ghost City yesterday, the Prince of Ghosts threw him to him before he left. One of my own words with profound meaning.
This made him vaguely feel that he might have something to do with this matter.
However, he was always accustomed to obeying orders and accepted the task without hesitation without asking too much.
"As the saying goes: in the darkness, the light is the most dazzling." The old butler put down his wine glass, slowly stood up from the chair, stood with his hands behind his hands, and said solemnly:
"Although I'm not sure what the Lord's real intention is in doing this, I believe that you will be able to carve out a glorious place in the dark underground world."
"Obert, this is It's the item that the Lord asked me to hand over to you." He waved his hand, and a long sword with a dark golden luster and a badge similar to a mushroom cap appeared out of thin air:
"This is a sacred weapon. The adamantine broadsword is made of adamantine by gray dwarves and is enchanted by the lord himself. This badge represents the friendship of the myconid clan and allows you to live in peace with the myconids in the Sunless Woods."< br>
Looking at the two items of extraordinary quality, Obert was indescribably excited. He quickly knelt down on one knee, stretched out his hands, and respectfully accepted the gift from the lord.
Since Mokou Town returned to the embrace of the Kingdom of Cormyr, their young mage lord has strictly ordered to cancel the ceremony of kneeling. However, at this solemn moment, only kneeling on one knee can express his inner piety. and loyalty.
"Old Mr. Ogruer, I have gathered all the people you want me to arrange for you." When Obert's men stood up, a clear female voice came from outside the door.
He followed the sound and looked over.
The figure of Pastor Kalina of the Mother Earth Church appeared in his sight. This beautiful pastor lady wore a brown robe and a belt woven with gold thread.
“According to Brian’s instructions, I have selected ten pastors in the church.” Karina said with a smile, “However, in my opinion, ten pastors are not enough. , so I added ten more druids who are good at planting and caring."
"How are you satisfied?" She winked playfully at the old housekeeper.
"Very satisfied, Miss Kalena." The old housekeeper stroked his beard and smiled, "The lord will definitely be grateful for your generous contribution."
"I don't need his gratitude." Kalena is not here He shook his long black hair with a smile, and there was a hint of resentment in his tone.
You just want to climb into the lord’s bed, Purple Dragon Knight Obert thought to himself.
This is no secret to the entire Mokou Town.
Because this pastor lady has already disclosed her love for the lord, and secretly threatened that one day there will be a joyful celebration in the fields under the witness of the Mother Earth Goddess.
As for whether the second half of the sentence was true, he actually couldn't guarantee it.
This news was obtained by one of his subordinates from the little boy Levis in the Salamander tavern, who was the adopted grandson of Balerius. Levis was the deputy of the garrison. Commander Puranda learned it from his mouth, and Puranda heard it from a temple knight of the Church of the God of Knowledge.
It is said that the lover of this temple knight is a female druid in the Church of the Mother Earth who is best at transformation. She heard it from Kalina with her own ears.
When Obert was on a mission in Morningstar Town, he witnessed this female druid transforming into a violent earth bear to drive away a group of wandering orcs.
It’s great to be young, he couldn’t help but sigh to himself.
"Uncle Obert, long time no see." Kalena walked over with confidence and grace, and said with a smile:
"I heard that Brian sent you to the lightless woodland in the Dark Region. Then I’ll leave my priests to you. They were all transferred from the temple in Morning Star Town and are not good at fighting.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Kalena, I will protect them. ." Obert promised her.
He is quite familiar with this pastor lady.
Ten years ago, the Red Dragon Rebellion in Mokou Town.
The female lord of Arabey picked up a seven or eight-year-old little girl from the ruins of Mokou Town and raised her in the mage tower as her own sister.
Of course, this little girl is not the Miss Kalena in front of her. Her name is Hesaya.
He is Miss Hesaya's swordsmanship teacher, and Kalena, who lives in Morning Star Town, is the lady's friend and often visits the mage tower in Arabeb City.
After listening to the old housekeeper’s instructions, Obert did not interrupt the chat of the female priest of the Mother Goddess of the Earth and chose to leave quietly.
He returns to his home in Rock Bunker.
His bedroom was a small room diagonally across from the Lord's Mansion. During the Zhentarim's rule, this was the area where slaves lived.
The room was very small, with only a bed, a chamber pot, a wardrobe, and a dusty chair.
On the bedside table, he placed a tallow candle and a small statue of Thom, the god of truth.
Since he left the Gauntlet Order and chose to return to the Kingdom of Cormyr to serve the female lord of Arabel City, his belief in Thom has become less pious.
Like the Harpers, the Gauntlet Order also fights for justice and equality, but their methods and principles of action are completely different from the former: the Gauntlet Order's actions are to fight evil while Spread the pursuit of justice.
Therefore, they will never operate in secret.
Evil must be defeated and eliminated with dignity and dignity in broad daylight. Only in this way can the world gain courage and inspiration from the destruction of evil.
Everything has two sides. Although his belief in Thom has become less pious, his belief has become stronger.
It is this belief and oath of dedication that has never wavered in his power from the paladin.
When he thought that he was about to lead his troops on an expedition into the dark and dark regions, Obert had mixed feelings in his heart.
It wasn't that he wasn't willing to go, but it reminded him of the first time he left the Kingdom of Cormyr.
Training at the War Academy in Susar City, and in his third year of graduation, he fell in love with a half-elf sword mage.
He can still vividly remember the voice and smile of this half-elf girl, as well as her heroic figure when wielding the rune sword.
The taste of first love is always bitter.
This sunny and cheerful half-elf girl turned a blind eye to him and took the initiative to give her heart to his classmate at the same time, the king's younger brother Prince Selante.
It is true that Prince Serante was tall and handsome, with the grace of a swordsman and the wit of a courtier.
This half-elf girl who longs for poetry, romance and laughter needs passion and fire, not his calmness.
What is Dansailant?
He once possessed Sir Winder's wife, had affairs with his cousin's wife from time to time, and even had an affair with the tenth wife of Marquis de Rich of Sussal.
No wonder he doesn’t want to get married. Why buy one if all the cows are impatiently waiting for him to milk them?
This does not include the many noble girls from Susar who have touched his sun-decked hair with their fingers, kissed his frivolous smiling lips, and climbed onto his soft bed.
There is no doubt that this half-elf girl was abandoned by Prince Selant, and eventually she came to him crying.
So, people cannot be protected too well. Even the students of the Zhan Zhan Academy, most of them are no different from good girls studying. They are often taken out of the blood by bad guys, and then after they wake up, Just hit hard on honest people like them.
Of course Obert would not accept it, but he chose to have a fair duel with Prince Celant.
In the Zhan Zhan Academy, duels between students are as frequent as eating and drinking.
He thought it would be a difficult battle, but who would have thought that it would be a one-sided battle.
Prince Celant thought that this honest man who had always been taciturn did not dare to take action, but unfortunately he miscalculated.
His first punch hit Prince Cerante in the mouth, and his lips split like cherries, and red liquid flowed out.
Obert withdrew his hand and hit the same spot again. Prince Selant raised one foot, turned half a circle on the ground comically, spit out a mouthful of blood and several teeth, and fell to the ground on his back.
Then, regardless of the instructor's dissuasion and the sound of drawing a sword from behind, he raised his foot and kicked Prince Serante in the face, breaking his cheek bone.
Although the best priest in Susar City was hired afterwards to restore Prince Selant's appearance, Obert was also kicked out of the War College.
In order to prevent Prince Celant's revenge, he embarked on an escape journey with two friends.
These two friends: Custer, who has freckles on his face and has a perfect bow and arrow, and Wood, who is handsome but has poor eyesight.
One of them loved to laugh, the other was lustful. Obert spent half of his young life with the two of them, and they were his best friends.
Although they are not connected by blood, they are brothers and sisters with him.
This was his first time away from the Kingdom of Cormyr.
Unfortunately, when they arrived at the disputed Weihong Sea on the Elf Maiden, the Jondas pirates came up to kill them under the cover of pre-dawn darkness.
The crew fought hard to save the ship, but at the cost of fifty-three lives, including two of his companions.
After the battle, the crew stripped off the boots, belts and weapons of the dead pirates, divided up the pirates' wallets, and took away the magic rings and earrings. One pirate was too fat and had to fight to get the ring. Don't chop off his fingers.
The crew respected the dead. They wrapped the dead body in canvas and stuffed it with gravel to make the body sink faster.
That's not how it should be.
Looking at the corpses of his two companions, this was an idea that came to Obert's mind at that time.
“This will be a legendary story to be told to my grandchildren.” Carters said excitedly as he let the salty sea breeze blow his long hair as he set off from the port of Susar.
"You mean to tell the story to the tavern maids, so that they will take the initiative to lift their skirts." Another companion, Wood, said with a smile.
“If you want to have grandchildren, you must have children. If you want to have children, of course someone must lift up your skirt.”
They stood excitedly on the boat, debating whether to go to Waterdeep or Baldur's Gate.
He even talked about the wonders he would see in the future, the legendary deeds he would accomplish in the future, and the glory he would gain in the future.
In the end, all they got was a canvas bag filled with gravel, and now Obert, who is forty-five years old, is not yet satisfied with the so-called wonders, legendary deeds and glory.
“Zheng!”
Obert pulled out the sacred adamantine broadsword given to him by the lord, and looked at the head of the Arm Armor Order in Waterdeep City when he became a paladin. , giving himself a statue of Thom.
When choosing between the sword and the statue, he recalled the secrets of the legend of destiny mentioned to them by the young mage lord during the meeting.
“The path to legend for priests is far more difficult than that of wizards and warriors, because if they only think that their power comes from gods and cannot understand the nature of their own power, it will be impossible to cross that chasm. Advance to the legendary realm."
"Druids and rangers know that their magical power comes from nature."
"But in addition to the natural faction, the priests of other gods. They usually believe that their power is given by the gods, and the gods can take away and grant them power according to their joy and anger."
"Essentially, the source of power of the priests is the power of faith, and the gods only use it. Divine power and magic net make the power of faith concrete. ”
"However, those priests who have stepped into the fourth-level paragon level and are qualified to pursue the legendary path of destiny, who are not extremely pious and dedicated believers? Doubt is the first step, but most priests are stuck. Here, doubting one's own strength is no different from sacrilege to the priests."
"The light shines brightest in the darkness."
Purple Dragon Knight Ober. Te murmured to himself, gradually realizing the true meaning of the last words left to him by the lord and the old butler.
…………
(End of this chapter)