Realms of the Dragons II/The Road Home

"The Road Home" is a short story by Harley Stroh published in the 2005 anthology Realms of the Dragons II.

"Can a captured pseudodragon can give a wandering barbarian a new lease on life?"

Summary
On Marpenoth 17 of, the Company of the Chimera, a mercenary organization, is partying in the Inn of the Seven Silvers. The head of the company, the half-duergar dwarf Tombli, picks a fight with one of its members, Saskia, an Uthgardt barbarian of the Great Worm tribe, after she refuses to drink as commanded. He strikes her by surprise on her way out the inn; their fight is briefly interrupted by a small explosion, which she takes advantage of in order to pound on his face. It takes twelve of the other mercenaries to restrain her.

She wakes up some time later, and sees that Tombli has purchased a pseudodragon. Though she tells no one, the pseudodragon mind-speaks to her, demanding to be freed. She refuses, and the dragon stings her with its tail. She falls prey to its poison, and is knocked out again. Her mind goes back to the trial of the Great Worm she undertook before leaving her tribe, pushed by the ominous magic that happened around her. She made her way to the cave of the Great Worm, and spent ten days without it coming out to see her; after she returned, she learned that the creature had been slain by adventurers.

When she wakes up, she makes her way to the dragon and sees Tombli is tormenting the caged creature, whose stinger has been cut off. She fights him, and he swiftly beats her with his magic. In turn, she finally accepts her sorcery, and uses magic to push the key into the lock, freeing the pseudodragon. Without the cage, the drunk Tombli is overmatched by the pseudodragon, and flees. When the paralyzation ends, Saskia and the dragon steal a horse, and decide to make good on their escape, anticipating that their coming battle against the Company of the Chimera will be a worthy one.

Index

 * Characters
 * Aeristhax • Grummond • Saskia • Tombli
 * Akilskyls
 * Akilskyls


 * Locations
 * Archtassel • Dawnpost Highawy • Inn of the Seven Silvers • The North • Sembian Waystation • Spine of the World • Tassledale • Uthgarheis
 * The Dales • Nine Hells • Sembia
 * The Dales • Nine Hells • Sembia


 * Deities
 * Abbathor
 * Gods of War • Gruumsh • Moradin
 * Gods of War • Gruumsh • Moradin


 * Ethnicities
 * Calishite • dwarf • half-orc • Uthgardtian
 * duergar
 * duergar


 * Organizations
 * Company of the Chimera
 * Rift Clans
 * Rift Clans


 * Creatures
 * caribou • goblin • horse • pseudodragon
 * djinni • dragon (black dragon • gold dragon • white dragon)
 * djinni • dragon (black dragon • gold dragon • white dragon)


 * Weapons
 * bow • dagger • shortspear • war axe


 * Coinage
 * copper • gold crown • golden lion • silver falcon


 * Magic
 * abbathor's flowering • hold person • shield


 * Magical items
 * dagger of poison


 * Materials
 * copper • cold iron • gold • hide • sealskin


 * Customs
 * trial of the dragon • Uthgardt language


 * Celestial Bodies
 * Selune (moon)