“The tale of the Traveling Wizardium and Too Many Eels”

“The tale of the Traveling Wizardium and Too Many Eels”
A tale of #SundayAMSwords

Opening eidolon: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113990765511580864989/posts/HKMojZ5ZNDh?pid=6105482651649246818&oid=114806195090021544777

The traveling wizard’s tower, closed for the night. A single light in an upper window. Dario boosting Gammon’s impossible leap to the roof. The rogues down the chimney. A serpent, scaled in crimson and gold, writhing and throwing heat in the hearth. Sometimes the inobvious way in is hard for a reason! Dario soothing the beast with his ocarina.

Flashback: Taryb in the marketplace. It is outdoors, but covered by so many ad-hoc roofs that they blot out the sun and the moon.  She is trying to sell a mysterious bag of untold treasure. The horned wizard buys it from her.

In the wizard’s tower, patrolled by lynxes that stalk the walls and ceilings. The upper greenhouse, resplendent with greenery. Taryb finds an oceanic pool. Within is her bowling ball-sized pearl, inscribed with events which cannot be sung of. A hand dipped into the water. A finger-length eel with angelfish fins. A bite, and it writhes under Taryb’s skin. A narrow focus may lead to a grand disaster.

Months later our rogues clinging to a decaying steel building frame. The girders covered with flowering vines. Gator-apes in bronze age armor howling and throwing spears chasing them up. A hurled spear hitting a flower. An explosion of color and seed-shrapnel. The building’s creak. A sheet of green vines peeling off with a rogue hanging out like a fruit.

Gammon wedging scongs into steel. They vanish within. What overpowering non-magnetic force lurks within the overgrown building?
The rogues and vines peeling toward their doom. Dario catches vines on a nearby building. Writhing dark eels unseen beneath the vines. How did the eels replaced the vines in the derelict building? Numberless little eels nipping at the rougeflesh, herding them to the maw of the massive eel within. The glint of starlight on massive needle-teeth.

Taryb is thrust past the teeth. An eel with angelfish fins bursting forth from her body. It merciless attacks destroying the mother-eel from within.

The rogues covered in eel-gore. The numberless dark eels cannot sense them. Gammon finding the moves to part the sea of eels—doing the happy dance surrounded by a sea of eels that follows his commands.

Outside, the horned wizard and his tower. “The pearl can never return to you, Taryb.” “I have something to return to you, horned one.” Wrist clasped to wrist. The too, too long angelfish-finned eel writhing out of her wrist into his. The horned wizard receiving all the numberless dark eels into his modest carpetbag.

Dario, certain the gator-apes want only the other building, ignoring their attentions. Their armor glinting in the starlight as they carry him off.

Taryb, weakened and uncoordinated, leaning on Gammon. “This was just another long game of the wizard-whales, wasn’t it, my friend?” “What isn’t?” Lifting Dario’s dropped ocarina. “We don’t dance to their tune.” A single high-pitched note. The greenhouse windows growing bright. Flames consuming the top floor of the wizard tower, the crimson and gold serpent writhing within.

Days later A discarded snake skin. A charred ruin of the oceanic pool. A soot-stained pearl, unseen amidst the rubble.

A year later Dario’s ballad of the gator-apes, sung from the lips of everyone.

Miguel Zapico  portrayed Dario. Keith Stetson  portrayed Taryb. Epidiah Ravachol  was the overplayer. I portrayed Gammon. Our virtual tabletop: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1EbxzgelpbI65b82DbRj_Z21wNUyOH3auG9sAFc379pU/edit?usp=sharing