Profiles in History: Tibri

After fighting your way up the rocky slope and down into the cavern, slashing your way through the Olthoi hordes, you hobble into an open room empty of opponents and sink gratefully to the floor. The old Tonk who ran ahead of you begins beating his drum: the gentle rhythms move over your body like soothing fingers, and you watch your wounds close. "Thank you," you mutter.

"You're welcome," says the Tonk. "Stay here for a moment and catch your breath. Welcome to Tibri's Outpost, meeting-place of heroes: nobody else can get here," and he laughs.

"Why 'Tibri's Outpost'? Who was Tibri? I never heard of him."

"Her," the Tonk says, squatting down beside you. "Tibri the Cavedweller, they called her. She was a hermit, who lived near Cragstone city in the days when Ispar Elysatah ruled Osteth. She was a crafter of fine spears that were imbued with fire magic, and warriors went there to find them, and to find clues to a quest. The journal of Ispar Mariamaua spoke of her, let me see...." With three fingers of one hand he beats a simple rhythm, as if to lead his memory along old paths. " 'The cave was deep and complex, with many winding tunnels, and as full of Banderlings as a dead rat is of maggots. At each intersection I had to stop and blow away another dozen of them. By following the right-hand rule I found the cavern where the fire spears are stored within minutes; it took a longer time, and many more Banderlings, to find the cave where Tibri herself dwelt. She had lived so long away from human company that she had lost the habit of conversation; she would say only, "Avoid the lightless ones! Evil, evil are they!" But elsewhere I found a letter she had written to Iquba al-Julmud, who had sent me thither; it gave instructions for reaching the Carved Cave which is the starting point in the quest for the Sword of Lost Light.' "

"Who were the evil, lightless ones?"

"No one knows for sure. I think, myself, that Tibri referred to the Shadows who followed Bael'Zharon, and who warred against the Light. Myself, I follow Isin Dule."

"An honorable and tragic figure," you say politely. The old Tonk nods.

"As to this Outpost--" he gets up and stretches. "I suspect that whoever first found this place was a historian, and remembered the description of Tibri's caverns, as full of Banderlings as this place is of Olthoi." He grins, showing many sharp teeth. "Ready? Let's go!"