Villenspell: City of Wizards

The wizard stood up, then walked around behind his desk  and sat in the chair.

“So,” he asked less conversationally. “What brings you to my city?”

“We’re hoping to find some help against a rather large invading army.” Dale explained, and the wizard regarded him silently for a moment.

“An invading army?” he asked. “What army and where is it invading?”

“It’s a rather long story,” Dale said.

“So give me the short version,” the wizard replied.

“Well ...” Dale began.

“But before you do that,” Rommalt interrupted, “How about you tell me exactly who you are and where you come from.”

“Are you sure you want the answer to that question?” Dale asked. “You might find it hard to believe.”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want the answer,” the wizard told him, “but I’ll make it easier on you. Since you both obviously recognized what you saw behind my curtain, and it didn’t faze either of you, I know you do not come from this world. So, where do you come from?”

“Which century?” Jarl asked and the wizard grinned.

“This one,” he replied.

“I don’t actually have a home world,” Dale replied. “I move around a lot.”

“I tend to do that too,” Jarl agreed. “Where ever there’s work, or looks interesting.”

“All right,” the wizard said, settling back in his chair. “Let’s start at the beginning. Why are you here and how did you get here?” He steepled his fingers, then regarded the two of them over their tips.

“Are you asking me or him?” Dale asked.

“You,” the wizard replied. “I assume he is here because of Sourbane’s miscast spells or else why would he have been part of a demon ring?”

“All right,” Dale replied. “I’m here because in the process of trying to close a warp like the one behind your curtain, I fell into it and wound up here.” He launched into a brief recitation of everything that had happened up to banging on the gates of the city. The wizard listened silently as he talked, nodding once in a while.

“A most interesting story,” he remarked, when Dale had finished. “I will have to take a trip to the Wizard’s Cut one of these days and check out your theory. I’m also quite intrigued by your dragon. I wonder if it’s the same one I knew long ago. Sounds like him. An ominous vision to be sure.” He stood up and looked thoughtfully out one of the windows for a few seconds. “Your theory about this army though,” he went on, turning around to face them once again, “and why it’s coming, and especially about who is controlling it, I would be very tempted to laugh at,” he said,  then sighed, “except I’m afraid you are more correct than you know.”

They stared at him and Dale stood up.

“What?” he asked, surprised, “How do you know?”

“Well,” the wizard explained, sitting back down in his chair. “Aerline was correct when she told your young man that I was the oldest living wizard here. I am, but I’m hardly the oldest living wizard in existence.”

“You were around during the Wizard’s War, weren’t you!?” Jarl exclaimed.

“Yes I was,” the wizard agreed. “In fact,” he went on, “you might say I started it.”

Jarl leaped to his feet, and Dale put a hand on his arm, restraining him from further action.

“You started it?” Jarl exclaimed. “How? And more importantly, why?”