Mr. Dove and the Pipes of Creation

**Standard** · 21st February 10, 04:46 PM

Well, things certainly are looking up now that the Wizard is on the scene.

**davedove** · 22nd February 10, 06:50 AM

Scene 11

Could it really be Steve Ashton, the man I knew as the Wizard of BC? Or was this man perhaps a different version of the man? Whoever he was, I had to find out where he had gone.

“Where is this wizard now?” I asked Starbuck.

“Probably to Lord Swill’s tower,” he answered. “He’s the local law around here.”

“Lord Swill?” I asked, remembering my encounter on the road. The brigand had mentioned that name.

“Yes, he has control over all the land around here. His family has held the lordship for centuries. If you need to know something about the local area, he’s the man to see.”

“So he enforces the law around here?”

“If that’s what you want to call it,” Frederick cut in sarcastically.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Frederick looked around uneasily and lowered his voice. “You didn’t hear it from me, but things were a whole lot better around here before Lord Swill brought in his nephew to act as his Sheriff.”

“His nephew?” I asked.

“Yeah, arrogant kid, who does nothing but issue regulations about everything, from how I run my business to what crops the farmers can sell at market.”

“So he’s power hungry?”

“That’s putting it mildly. It’s got to the point where a person can’t do anything without him ruling how it should be done.”

“If he’s so bad, why did Lord Swill appoint him?”

“I wish I knew. But no one has seen the Lord since his nephew showed up a few weeks ago. The kid just came out of the tower one day and read a proclamation from the Lord that he was now the Sheriff and that he spoke for Lord Swill.”

“And you think the wizard went there?”

“I saw him headed in that direction myself. I haven’t seen him since late morning, so he’s either still in the tower or has left town.”

“Where is this tower?”

“On the north end of town, you can’t miss it.”

“Thank you Frederick. What do I owe you for the beer?”

“Nothing, first one is on me for travelers.”

“Then thank you.”

“Are you going to the tower?”

“Yes, I have to find this wizard.”

“Then be careful.”

I nodded to the innkeeper and walked out the door.

**davedove** · 22nd February 10, 08:54 AM

Scene 12

I left the tavern and looked to the north. Frederick had been right; I could easily see the tower through the trees.

I started walking down the street towards the tower. Along the way I passed several small houses and again noticed the people watching me.

As I approached the tower, I could see that it was a typical stone keep, a common medieval fortification. The entry was a large, heavy door set into the side. Two guards stood watch at the door.

When I was about twenty feet from the door, one of the guards called out to me. “Hold, what is your business here?” he asked.

“I come looking for a friend. I was told he came this way,” I answered.

“And who might this friend be?”

“He would call himself a wizard, the Wizard of BC.”

The two guards talked quietly so that I couldn’t hear before turning back to me. “And who might you be? The wizard said he was looking for someone in particular.”

I wasn’t sure if I should tell them my identity, but I had to find the wizard. “I am Mr. Dove,” I answered.

I could see the guards stiffen a bit. Something wasn’t right.

“Your friend was here, but he moved on,” the guard said to me. “However, he left instructions with the Sheriff should you come this way. Come inside with me.”

This had all the signs of a trap to me, but I had to find out where the wizard had gone, so I followed the guard through he door.

Unfortunately, I didn’t go any further when I felt the blow to my head and everything went black.

Meanwhile…

The dwarf watched as the oddly dressed man was attacked at the door to the keep. From his hiding place, the guards would not be able to see him.

“Are you sure that is the man? It seems I am too late.” He said to the image behind him.

“That’s him,” said the image of the leather-clad woman with white pink-tipped hair. “He must succeed in his quest.”

“But what can I do? I’m just a simple smith’s assistant.”

The image chuckled a bit. “You and I both know that’s not entirely true. Good luck.” And with that, the image disappeared.

The dwarf watched the tower until the door was closed, then moved from his hiding place.

He quickly trotted back into town to where he lived, a small shack behind the smithy. He knelt and threw aside his simple sleeping pallet and began to dig.

**Ancienne Alliance** · 22nd February 10, 11:03 AM

You have all my attention Mr. Dove

Best,

Robert

**starbkjrus** · 22nd February 10, 12:15 PM

Indeed...slender build? Perhaps Lord Swill owns the local eateries so my counterpart is less well fed.

In this reality I think I need to reach for the Orville Redenbacher :mrgreen:

Keep on Dave.......

**Jack Daw** · 23rd February 10, 01:50 PM

Of course, God's a piper. Probably makes his own reeds, too.

**davedove** · 1st March 10, 09:30 AM

Scene 13

My head throbbed as I regained my senses. Unfortunately what met my senses wasn’t pleasant. The cold stone floor beneath me felt filthy and a stench of decay filled my nostrils.

As I tried to push myself up, a wave of dizziness swept over me and I collapsed back to the floor with a moan.

I heard movement and a pair of hands helped me sit up. “Easy there,” said a familiar man’s voice.

“Thanks,” I said to him. “They hit me pretty hard but I think I’ll be okay.”

“Commander Dove?” the voice said in shock. “What are you doing here?”

My eyes were slowly becoming accustomed to the sparse light in the room. I turned to face the man who had helped me. In the dim light he looked remarkably similar to the Steve Ashton I knew. It seems I had found the Wizard.

“Looking for you,” I replied, “But it looks like we’re both in a bit of trouble. And by the way, it’s not Commander Dove, just plain Mister Dove, but you can call me Dave.”

“Then you are the Mister Dove I was told to find. Captain Pleater never mentioned you would look so much like my ship’s Security Officer. Are you related, brothers perhaps?”

“No, I’m not a brother exactly. I’m the same man, but I’m from another dimension.”

“Another dimension? Like one of the alternate realms of creation the fiction writers describe?”

“Exactly like that,” I replied. I looked around my surroundings. We were in a large stone room with a single, heavy door. The bars of the door’s small window a faint light came in, probably from a torch or lantern outside. “Where are we?” I asked.

“In my dungeon,” said a weak voice from the shadows of the room. As I watched, a man crawled towards us. Although they were now dirty and torn, his clothes seemed to be well made and fairly luxurious.

“And who are you?” I asked.

“Oh, forgive me, David,” said the Wizard. “Mr. Dove, allow me to introduce Lord Swill.”

**davedove** · 16th March 10, 08:36 AM

Scene 14

“Lord Swill?” I asked, “The Lord Swill who runs this village.”

The man shook his head sadly. “Yes, I am that man, or at least I was until that interloper arrived a few weeks ago.”

“Do you mean your nephew?”

“Nephew!” he spat out in disgust. “That man is no more my nephew than you are.”

“Then how is it that he’s running things now. He claims he’s working for you.”

“And behaving like a tyrant, yes, I know. Steven here has told me what the villagers have been saying. As I said, he arrived only a few weeks ago and asked for an audience. I try to accommodate all such requests and I granted his. Shortly after that I found myself here in the dungeon.”

“But how, what happened to all your men?”

“I don’t know; somehow he has gained control of them, or at least my inner council.”

“Controlling them, how?”

“Again, I don’t know. They seemed to follow his orders willingly. But when I looked at them, they didn’t seem the same. I believe he has bewitched them.”

“Bewitched? What do you mean?”

“Magic!” he declared, “Or sorcery, wizardry, whatever you want to call it.”

That made some sense, I thought to myself. This world was following a fantasy format, and thus magic would be a part of the setting.

“And he’s kept you down here since then?” I asked.

“Yes, a few times he has come down to question me, but usually I only see the guard who brings me a few meager scraps for a meal.”

“So, do you think Steven and I are in for the same fate?”

A shadow moved across the floor and a familiar voice came through the bars. “You will meet your fate soon enough, Mr. Dove. You will both be hung in the middle of town tomorrow morning.”

I slowly turned to face the door, but I had a good idea who I would see. There were slight differences in the lines on the face, but there was no mistaking the flowing blond hair.

Our captor was this world’s Grant.