"03 - Song of the Saurials - Jeff Grubb & Kate Novak [2.0]" - читать интересную книгу автора (Finder's Stone)

uncertain counsel.
The sage rose to his feet and cleared his throat. "At my request," he explained,

"the Harpers have agreed to reconsider the case of the Nameless Bard. They have
chosen ye from among their ranks to represent them and serve on this tribunal.
For the benefit of Kyre and Breck Orcsbane, who were not yet born when Nameless
was first tried, I will review the circumstances of his trial and the outcome.
If it please thy grace," the sage said, nodding politely in Morala's direction,
"feel free to add to or correct me at any point. Ye knew Nameless as well as I."


Morala nodded politely in return, but Elminster realized it was unlikely she
would interrupt him. His report would be scrupulously accurate, and Morala was
astute enough to know she would only look like a fussy old woman if she began
correcting him.
Elminster began his tale. "The Nameless Bard was born three hundred and fifty
years ago in a small village in one of the northern nations, the second son of
local gentry. At an early age, he completed his training at a renowned barding
college and graduated with highest honors. He chose the life of a wandering
adventurer, and his songs became popular wherever in the Realms he roamed. While

he relished his fame, he also put it to good use, attracting other young
adventurers to help in any cause he felt worthy. Thus he and his companions
became the founding fathers of the Harpers.
"With the blessings of his gods and such aid as magic can give, he lived well
beyond the natural span of years given to a human, yet there came a time when
his mortality began to prey greatly on his mind. The bard became obsessed with
preserving his songs for posterity. He was never satisfied with any other
person's performance of his works, so he would not settle for the tradition
among most bards of passing the work on orally or leaving a written record. He
began to experiment with magical means of recording his work and thus created a
most marvelous piece of magicЧthe finder's stone."
Elminster paused a moment and glanced at Morala, wondering if she would object
to his mentioning the name of the magic device. Morala, however, chose to ignore

Elminster's mischief and waved her hand impatiently for him to proceed.
"The stone was originally a very minor artifact that would serve any person as a

compass of detection. Basically its wielder needed only to think of a person,
and the stone would send out a beam of light indicating a path to that person,"
the sage explained. "It also protected itself from theft as well as it could
with a blinding light spell. Occasionally it was known to direct its wielder
without instruction, as if it had a mind of its own, so that the stone was said
to help the lost find their way.
"The Nameless Bard experimented with altering the artifact's nature, something
only the most skilled or the most foolish magic-wielder would dare to try. Into
the crystal's heart he inserted a shard of enchanted para-elemental ice. Having
survived such a risky undertaking, Nameless reaped a great reward. In his hands
or those of his kin, the stone acted as a rechargeable wand holding those spells