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"I had an idea..."
The Tale of the Mad Wizard of Imbroglio
By Pukaq
Chapter 13
When next I opened my eyes, I found I was in bed without remembering how I had gotten there. Quello and my parents were there also as was my patron and landlord. Quello quickly checked me over asking quick questions which I answered: how I felt, what I'd eaten, was I getting enough rest. He seemed satisfied with what I told him.
When I asked what had happened, I learned that I had stopped still as a statue in the middle of the bar for several moments - long enough for all the regulars to notice I was behaving oddly and turned as white as a newborn. Then, I had dropped the tray of drinks creating a huge mess, clutched at my chest and collapsed.
When I asked how my parents and Quello had gotten here so quickly, I found out that my collapse had happened four days prior. The news shocked me into complete silence.
* * *
With another couple days of rest, Quello and my parents felt once again that I was healthy and whole. My patron seemed relieved to find out I was not a health risk and that business would be uninterrupted. I was also told I would have to make up for the lost work time. I didn't mind, though, I had lots to think about.
* * *
Months passed until a few sailors made their way into the Candolis tavern followed by a number of town's folk. We all gathered around to hear the news. The expedition to bring the mad wizard to justice had ended in failure and in tragedy. These sailors had been there and lived to bring back the news and to display a map of the Imbroglio Islands, but their tale sent chills down my spine.
The cost had been dear and in the end, what they finally found, many argued for weeks afterwards about whether or not justice truly had been served. They'd used the dock the previous expedition had built and gathered together prepared to take on any attack from the mad wizard, but the attack did not come. Making their way through tunnels designed to ensnare and confound those who used them, they finally made their way from island to island: searching - always searching.
Many were lost, killed by innocent enough looking creatures that had been perverted into powerful killing machines. Others were killed by abominations previously unknown. Their force was gradually dwindled down to less than half by the time they reached the final island - where they found the mad wizard. Many of those who saw him still had difficulty sleeping at night. Others said it was justice and providence - that he'd gotten what he deserved in the end. The debate was often heated.
They'd barely gotten a glimpse of the mad wizard, who had somehow become blended with a tree. Large crows were still pecking at the few remaining pieces of flesh that remained and then a beast of incredible ferocity attacked them. Their leader, Captain Sladoth, quickly ordered the retreat.
"He fell victim to the beast just as the last of us escaped. Others perished as we made our way back to our ship. We're the last survivors from that vast expedition. As such, we decided it was up to us to decide what to name these islands and it was our wish to name them after our fallen comrades."
"For Captain Sladoth, we honored him by naming the island where he fell saving us after him."
A map was unrolled on the table for all to see as they pointed to a small section labeled Sladoth's Isle.
"Here too are Galio Isle, Tio Isle, Moglo Isle, Ilo Isle and Brio Isle. We honor our fallen friends in this way," he said into a now silent tavern. "May we never forget and may they rest in peace."
The tears I shed as drinks were passed around were not for the fallen heroes of the Imbroglio Isles expedition; they were for the loss of a brother who'd had an idea - a brother whose presence I would never sense again and whose voice I would only hear in my memories of him. It was a somber crowd who stayed to ask questions of these sailors and to buy them another round.
Not long after that, I ended my employment at the Candolis tavern.
### Epilogue ###
Five centuries have passed for me. My hair is long and white now and my scales are dull and burnished except for one that shines golden. I've spent all this time learning everything I could.
I now live alone in this cave in Glacmor surrounded by some of the items from my youth: The Shield is here as are a couple of sticks and an obsidian dagger. The books I study are piled here and there along with charts and maps. The locals call me a hermit or a recluse, some even call me a moon sage, but I don't care. My questions remain as I seek the answers I've pursued all this time. What really happened? The explanations I've gleaned together over the years hint at things, but a hint is not enough of an answer.
In all my years of study, I have concluded these things: some kind of demon or evil sorcerer took possession of Anniu and since all these strange events occurred after I found him where the ball of fire had crashed, I am forced to conclude that this all started somewhere beyond the boundaries of the Draian sky. But, where did this mad sorcerer come from? Why did he take over my friend? Why did he do all those terrible things to the people I cared about and to those I had never met?
The problem of how to get the answers I seek has so far eluded me and so I study and learn. At times, I try to approach this problem head on and get nowhere; at other times, I try to sneak up on the problem from a new direction and begin to make headway. I feel I am close to uncovering the truth.
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