Of the Way

Note: I wrote this back on October 13, 2003 for my favorite Dungeons and Dragons character, Deke MacKlellan.  I played with my best friends back home for close to ten years before I got married.  He was my good character in what we called “The Good/Evil Campaign.”  I just stumbled upon it again and thought I would repost.

Complicated…

Deke really could not find a better word to describe “Dread” than that which the seemingly omnipotent being had used to describe himself. On the one hand, he seemed utterly vain and sadistic, creating Ravenloft for his own amusement, while on the other hand, Dread seemed fairly just, imprisoning some of the most foul and wicked beings in that dreadful realm. He seemed to have power supassing that even of the “gods” of Faerun, but he said that even he was a created being, albeit chief among them. Who created Dread? Did that creator have a Creator? So many questions…

Deke tapped his finger twice on the bar and the well-trained barkeep knew to bring him another pint of ale, his eighth.

Never had Deke felt so powerless, so insignificant, so powerless. Even when his father had been murdered by Darksparkle, he felt that he could do something; he thought that he was in control of his own destiny. Now he wasn’t so sure. Had Dread known about Cain’s bargain before Cain offered it to him? If so, then there was really nothing Deke could do. Knowledge is power. If Dread was truly omniscient, then he was omnipotent and there was nothing Deke could do to save Cain. But Deke really had no way of knowing whether Dread knew his current thoughts. Could he really pay attention to everything at once?

Cain had not fully solved the problems in Faerun. It seemed as if Cain had pruned the weeds without getting to the root, for Womai was still alive and well, far more powerful than Bloodborne and far more malevolent. However, Womai had not yet destroyed the free peoples of Faerun either. Deke had always been willing to sidetrack his larger quest for the sake of his comrades, as he had left the party with Cain to recover Drakesbane during the campaign against Muhrann. Deke had no hesitation as to what he should do. The only question was how…

Deke tapped his finger on the table but the barkeep was nowhere to be found. He groggily rubbed his eyes and staggered to his feet in the dark, empty room.

Now for it! At some point during the night, perhaps while he was passed out Deke had found his solution. It was certainly something he had to do before he sobered up and his wisdom kicked in…

Deke slowly lumbers up to the battlements and cries into the dead of the night:

“ALL RIGHT DREAD! IF YE LIKE TO MAKE DEALS ‘N PLAY GAMES, I’VE GOT ONE FOR YA! YOU WANNA BE AMUSED? TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE! GIMME A CHANCE TO REDEEM CAIN! PULL ME AN’ TRYTO AN’ JONATHAN INTO YOUR SADISTIC LITTLE REALM! PUT US TO THE TEST! IF WE PASS, YOU RELEASE CAIN TO US, BUT IF WE FAIL, I SHALL BE FORFEIT TO YOU; FOREVER YOUR SLAVE! CAN YOU HEAR ME DREAD?! IF YOU WANT SOME EXCITEMENT, I’VE GOT A BELLY FULL!”