The Lore of Archmagus Apollo of the Dunes
Hemmingway the Hummingbird looked at Apollo over the shoulder of a Yellow Wizard and raised an eyebrow as the party mage rummaged around in his wallet.
Apollo looked back at his flying friend and smiled as if to say, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
When the Yellow Wizard eventually looked up from his wallet he gave Apollo a business card that said;
MAGIC & FUN
everything you need and more
+5598-020-GOOD
"Call me when you get to the Alchemist’s Archipelago, I’ll give you the instructions when you’re there."
Archmagus Apollo of the Dunes and his Hummingbird Hemmingway had spent the long weekend at the Yellow Wizard’s Haven meeting old friends and networking with new business partners. With summer just around the corner; they needed to prepare. This meant that they were going to The Alchemist’s Archipelago, the only place that he could be sure to find the stock he would need for his best customers.
Every year in the festival season Apollo would set up a stall at the Haven selling many of the general goods he would also sell in the city, plus some special extras he only stocked because of the roaring demand for a good time. The money was good and the season enjoyable enough that it was worth the trip. The Yellow Wizards were generally good natured and they liked Apollo’s laid back approach which kept him coming back year after year.
The way to the Archipelago was long but Apollo and the Hummingbird Hemmingway made sure to enjoy as much of it as they could, for they knew that the journey back - with cargo - would be tougher.
They were a little under halfway through the journey when they reached a crossroads.
Sitting outside of a small shack under a sign that read "TOLL" was a rotund creature that was humming to itself and tapping rhythms onto a crate. With a green complexion and bare feet, it became clear as they grew closer that what they saw was a Kobold. The Kobold had no idea of their presence and seemed deeply contented. Its eyes were closed and the tune it hummed was cheerful and boyish.
As they approached, Apollo readied himself for chaos to break out. Some of the Kobolds are wizards whilst others are warriors, but all are unpredictable. Whilst Kobolds had a reputation for being brutish in particular circles, to Apollo the claims were often unsubstantiated and seemed to be routed in discrimination. He had heard stories of ambushes but knew that unless a Kobold was a wizard, it was unlikely that they would know how to respond to any spells he might cast. The hummingbird had flown a few meters higher into the air to keep a lookout as Apollo began to speak:
“Hey there!”
The Kobold was startled and fell backwards off it’s stool. A laugh escaped from Apollo’s mouth but he was able to collect himself.
“I didn’t mean to scare you!”, he continued, “I had thought about pretending not to see you but I didn’t think you’d fall for it!”
The Kobold looked up from the ground to see Apollo smiling at him with a glint his eye. The Kobold didn’t seem to get the joke and stood up abruptly, brushing the dirt off of his ripped trousers.
“Stop right there! You must pay a toll to pass the Kobold’s Crossroads!”
The Kobold looked around as if he were expecting to be backed up by some friends, but nobody appeared.
“I…errr….well….ummm…”, the Kobold fumbled his words.
Apollo and the hummingbird remained still, waiting, amused at what was unfolding before them. Looking down at his feet and then up again at Apollo, the Kobold fell silent. Out of the silence, the sound of what could have been a dozen pigs snoring came from the shack behind the singular toll collector.
“You’re the first traveler to pass through here since we set up”, the Kobold admitted, “We kind of had a big party yesterday! I wasn’t drinking, though.”
“I see…”, replied Apollo, “That’ll be why I can hear some snoring from that shack then?”
The Kobold cracked a smile, “Yep, that’s my friend!”
“Well,” replied Apollo, “If you let me pass safely…”
He winked at Hemmingway the Hummingbird who had flown around to have a look inside of the shack.
"…I can bring back some hangover herbs for the next time you have a party.”
“Hangover herbs?”
“Yes! They’re some of my best sellers over the festival season. You’ll be as fresh as a daisy in the morning even if you’ve been on a 5-day bender! There’s a few minor side-effects but nothing that lasts.”
The Kobold seemed to have stopped listening and was lost in a daydream about daisies or something.
“Do you want me to get some for you and your friends?” asked Apollo.
“What? The Hangover Herbs? Yes! Definitely!”
The Kobold stood up straighter - remembering that he was supposed to be doing an important job.
“I will allow you to pass this time, traveler. You should bring us the best hangover herb you can find and we will pay you handsomely.”
Apollo mirrored the Kobold’s seriousness and saluted him. The Kobold looked puzzled by the theatrics and this prompted Hemmingway to prod Apollo in the arm with his beak.
“As you wish!”, Apollo replied to their newest customer, bowing, “We’ll be back in a few weeks!”
Apollo and Hemmingway continued on their way towards The Alchemist’s Archipelago. Every year before this they had managed to avoid the Kobold’s Crossroads, passing through the citadel to reach The Salt. This year however, they were going to stop by The Secret Tower on the way. There was a friend there who had secrets to spill about unrest bubbling under the surface in the city. As it turned out, skipping the city would turn out to be a good choice, but they did not know this yet.
Either way, it was good to know about the other routes they could take to and from the Yellow Wizard’s Haven to other regions of the realm. Apollo knew that if they were going to be traveling these routes, it was good to make friends with the locals, new or old.
Hemmingway felt he would have to temper Apollo’s comic sensibilities if he was to avoid them getting into trouble but Apollo thought of this as unnecessary nervousness. Anyway, having the Kobold’s as friends would be useful if their special brew grew any more popular in the city… They could talk about it in more detail on the way back, Apollo thought.
First, they would head to The Secret Tower. Then they needed to get to the Alchemist’s Archipelago.
And so the journey continued…
Entered by: 0x7C45…72cf and preserved on chain (see transaction)
On Ethereum block 14771428, Archmagus Apollo of the Dunes passed through The Sacred Flame and became a Soul
