Genn Wintord

UP: Napa Valley

    I think we’ve all heard the fable at one time or another, about the poor mage who could never summon anything greater than a house cat. Well, along those lines, was a similar mishap, but nowhere near as innocent.

    A young mage (by the name of Harvey) practicing in Wind, through some fool method, managed to summon something yet unseen by any of his peers: an iron elemental. Ignoring his duties to report such a happening, he began some tests of this new creature’s abilites, and found it was more solid and resistant to magic than any single being he had ever heard of. The elemental, apparently, was not so ammused by these experiments, and decided it would be happier without Harvey poking and proding him. Thus began a panic that spread throughout the town, as the elemental marched free of Harvey’s home and made its way out of town.

    Before the panic had begun, Harvey has sent a message to a Seer acquaintance of his. Seer Kelley made sure to waste no time in heading to the city of mages, but unfortunately was already too late. By the time Kelley had arrived, the elemental had already started it’s way towards the outside of town.

    For reasons unknown to either Kelley or Harvey, when reaching the outside of town the Iron elemental stopped in it’s tracks and stayed inside the small alcove housing the magical teleporter leading to Wind. This effectively blocked all traffic into Wind, as the elemental began treating it like its territory and attacking all ‘intruders.’

    As the crowd grew, they became bold, and attempted many attacks on the elemental. But it proved much too resistant to their blades and spells. The elemental was even able to defeat a summoned deamon in the blink of an eye, dispeling all hope of destroying the bothersome thing.

    Were it not for the brains of one man, this may have gone on all the night. This clever mage summoned a water elemental in hopes that me may rust the iron elemental and thus weaken it. As hoped, the magic waters twirling forth from the summoned water elemental, despite the water elemental’s immediate death, quickly brought low the powerful iron elemental. Though the iron elemental still stood, it was quite weakened and the crowd swooped in to finish it, and soon the path into Wind was again cleared.

    Harvey rewarded the man with his personal staff, which was enchanted with 100 castings of the Greater Heal spell. He then bid farewell to all that helped him, and left with the Seer to answer many questions she had for him, and his accidental summoning.

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Tuesday, July 21st 1998