White Plume Mountain

“Ah.” The scholar pulled at his nose with a superior air.“Thirteen hundred years ago, Keraptis was one of the region’s major sorcerers, agenius, though quite power mad. He ruled a considerable empire, slowly draining the lands with greed. He had some rather absurd theories about absorbing the essence of others to enhance his own abilities. When he began to butcher his subjects for the purpose of massed human sacrifice, the people revolted. He escaped-and there we lose him.” The scholar shrugged. “He disappeared for anentire millennium. Then for reasons unknown, he returned ten years ago to Greyhawk to conduct the theft of three magic weapons: Whelm, Wave, and Blackrazor.”

Jus poured himself more wine and said, “Legend said he diedyears ago.”

“Rumors of his death seem to have been somewhat precipitous.”The scholar steepled his fingertips. “However, he was quite definitely slainduring the Greyhawk wars in a battle seven years ago. He was decapitated by a vorpal blade while fighting as an ally of Iuz.”

The Justicar fixed the other man with his dire gaze and asked, “Where is the body?”

“It was destroyed.” The scholar raised one eyebrow in asuperior little air. “This is no mere story. It is history! There are definiterelics of the event. A lock of Keraptis’ hair is encased in a crystal cylinderand kept in our own library’s vaults.”

Escalla clapped her hands and leaped importantly up onto her feet. “All right, let us take it as fact that the big K is deader than a dwarvenfashion plate, but we do still have a crime! Your librarian has already told J-man and myself that he wants us to retrieve three weapons in some kind of weird little test he’s set for us. So let us assume that your librarian hasalready raced off with your toys and put them in hiding somewhere.”

The senior law officer opened out his hands and said, “Why?”

“Because your librarian has a real thing about Keraptis!” Thefaerie circled her fingertips madly beside her skull. “This guy likes to readabout Keraptis, write about Keraptis-now he even dresses up as Keraptis!Call it a wild guess, but maybe he even wants to be Keraptis!”

The high priest of Bleredd sank down into the collar of his robes and thought.

Beside him, the temple’s herald mused then said, “Why wouldanyone seek to copy a dead sorcerer?”

“Because he’s a loon!” Escalla flung open her hands. “Thisguy has a serious Keraptis fixation! Maybe he wants to recreate the big K’s greatest joke? Maybe he wants to go one better and out do the guy?” Thefaerie gave a shrug. “Maybe the guy really is Keraptis? Who knows?”

“Keraptis cannot return.” The baron’s scholar rappedhis knuckles on the tabletop. “His remains were destroyed and cannot bereanimated. To clone the wizard, someone would need a sample from his actual body.”

Escalla gave a nasty little snort. “You mean like a lock ofKeraptis’ hair? Like the one in your library’s vaults? The library where oursorcerer worked for the past few years? Think, people!”

Several of the priests turned pale and began an embarrassed study of the tabletop before them. The senior priests simply seethed.

With Cinders’ hide rippling sheer black upon his back, theJusticar turned to face one of the hall’s painted walls. A mural of the entirecontinent gleamed and glittered in the lamplight. Allain joined him and stared at the painted plains and hills.

The Justicar glared at the wall as though sheer force of will could project him at his prey. “Where were the weapons taken the last time theydisappeared?”

“Here.” The lawman pointed to a position almost three hundredmiles to the north. “White Plume Mountain, a volcano on an ash plain. It’s awasteland now. The bandit kingdoms there were annihilated during the war with Iuz. We’re trying to repopulate the zone with colonies.”

The mountain marked on the map was well past the northern borders of the County of Urnst. It adjoined the region of new settlements, the regions that relied upon wagon trains for food and winter clothes. The Justicar stared at the map, then settled his black sword, already planning his route.

“This was a stronghold of Keraptis?”

“Extensive. The first exploring party hardly scratched thesurface.”

The Justicar grunted as he ran a hand across the map. White Plume Mountain was dangerously close to the settlements that were reseeding the wilderness. If the librarian was setting up the mountain as his kingdom, then the colonies would be a danger to him-too many eyes to see, too many troops outon patrol…. The raids on the supply convoys were finally explained.

“He’s at White Plume Mountain. He’s been trying to depopulatethe nearby border to keep newcomers away. Keraptis may have left considerable relics there that he intends to exploit.” The ranger’s deep voice drove throughthe facts one by one. “Yet he has now almost deliberately revealed himself.Why?”

A priest hissed petulantly from the conference table. “Thisis all merely supposition! There is no proof that this librarian-wizard ever took Wave and Whelm!”

“The first step is to search White Plume Mountain.” TheJusticar turned away from the gigantic map. “If the weapons are found andreturned, then your proof is there. You will have no further cause to threaten war against each other’s temples.”

Bleredd’s high priest looked up sharply and said, “Youpropose to find the weapons?”

“I propose to bring this librarian to justice for crimesagainst the innocent.” Huge and sinister, the Justicar seemed to breathe in thescent of prey. “In White Plume Mountain, I can find him.”

Escalla flicked a look between the map and the Justicar, then tried to drag the man away. “It’s been a long day, and my friend here is alittle tired. C’mon, Jus. Time for bed!”

Jus glared at the girl and said, “We’re going. The librarianmust be brought to justice, and Whelm and Wave must be recovered to prevent a civil war.”

Escalla whirred close to whisper frantically in the Justicar’s ear. “Are you crazy? That dungeon was specifically designed as ahero-trap! It’s a damned fortress!”

Ignoring the faerie, the baron sat back and folded up his arms in thought. “We will not entrust such a mission to a single ranger. We willneed to send a team to represent all interests in this matter. Geshtai and Bleredd shall each provide a priest as an observer. From my own garrison, I will send a sorcerer, a paladin, and at least one archer to provide you with proper fighting power.” The baron laid his hands flat upon the table, glaring at theassembled men. “Whelm and Wave are all that matters. The other thefts this manhas done are of no consequence to me.”

From across the table, Escalla’s tall ears pricked like arabbit’s. “Other thefts?”

“He has absconded with the library treasury of over eighteenthousand nobles, as well as wands, jewels, relics, magical scrolls, potions, and spellbooks.”

With a noise like a crossbow bolt, Escalla shot through the air, landed on her stomach in front of the baron and batted her long lashes. Her artless smile had more teeth than a shark.

“And these would be in your ‘spoils of war, finders-keepers’category, yes?”

“The state would require a thirty-three percent tax upon allsuch profits.”

“Which as good servants of the state, we’ll report to youwith unfailing accuracy!” Escalla raced back to Jus, hovered above the hellhound’s ears and polished the animal’s black nose with a rag. “Mister Baron, weare on the job one hundred percent at your command! My boys guarantee delivery!”

Geshtai’s priest rolled his head to gaze at the girl andsaid, “Why should we tolerate these filthy interlopers?”

The ranger stepped forward, his hand on the pommel of his sword. This time the Justicar was clearly going to decapitate the priest. Winging brightly down to save the day, Escalla blocked his path by happily shaking the baron’s hand.

“M’learned colleague here wishes to thank the county, city,and municipality of Trigol for their kind offer of assistance in his attempts to bring this dangerous thief to justice. My goodness but he’d like to thankyou for your kind interest! Is a start tomorrow morning too early for you?”

The baron emptied another wine goblet and shoved the empty cup out for more. He glared at the priests in absolute contempt. “This man has acommission from the countess. This man has fought and killed along that border for the best part of a decade. The party would all be dead men without an experienced ranger. You are