This story is a tale of Virtue from Ultima 9

[Shard] - Sosaria
[Type] - Fiction/History
[Book] - Purple - 40 pages

[Title] - Dupre' and the Gargoyles
[Author] - McCubbin the Wise


[Page 1]
The most notorious
Gargoyle fighter against
mankind was named
Gratagmalem. He was
equally renowned among
his people for his keen
intellect as for his fierce
disposition.

[Page 2]
He was the leader of a
small band of likeminded
Gargoyle. This fierce
troop devoted themselves
to burning and pillaging
the remote areas of the
land, stopping short only
at outright murder.

[Page 3]
Now there was an inn,
located between Britain
and Yew, and famous for
its excellent autumn ale.
So good was the brew
that many fine folk were
given to retire to that
place for a fortnight's

[Page 4]
holiday when the new
casks were breached.
Tents had to be pitched
to hold all the guests,
and for two weeks each
fall the place took on
the air of a festival.
It was during this time

[Page 5]
that Gratagmalem choose
to attack that inn, and
he and his band flew in
during the late afternoon,
surrounding the place and
quickly dispatching the
few hired guards. And
they mockingly ordered all

[Page 6]
the humans to leave, or
see the whole place
burned around their heads.
At this, one lone
festival goer stepped out
from the crowd, wearing
the clothes of a
gentleman, but gripping

[Page 7]
the sword of a knight.
And he spoke, saying, "I
am Dupré, Knight and
Paladin, and I call on you
to cease this unlawful
incursion, and to surrender in
the name of Lord
British."

[Page 8]
But Gratagmalem only
laughed, saying, "Of all
the names of man or
Gargoyle to conjure with,
that one is the least
likely to inspire fear in
my heart. I reject your
demand for surrender."

[Page 9]
Dupré retorted, "Then
let us settle this
honorably. I shall face you
or any of your troops in
single combat, with the
winner to determine the
fate of this Inn."
The Gargoyle laughed again

[Page 10]
at the human's audacity,
but when he spoke, he
said, "Very good, then,
human, your proposal
intrigues me. You shall
face three of my
brothers, and if you
defeat all three I shall

[Page 11]
leave this place standing,
asking only a suitable
forfeit in return for my
generosity." Then he
named his three champions.
The first was a great
brute almost 10 feet tall,
wielding a mace of solid

[Page 12]
iron, and the second was
a young champion of the
Gargoyles, wielding a
sword nearly as long as
Dupré was tall. The third
was Gratagmalem's chief
lieutenant, who fought
with two great-bladed

[Page 13]
battle axes, one in each
hand.
But Dupré was a
veteran of many battles
against dragons, daemons
and giants … aye, and
Gargoyles as well, and he
did not fear the size or

[Page 14]
fierceness of these foes.
One by one they engaged,
and the first two he
cast down with severe
wounds, while the third he
killed outright.
This loss only seemed to
amuse Gratagmalem more,

[Page 15]
and when the last
Gargoyle was dragged
from the field, he
announced, "I shall honor
my word, human, but
first I must see my
forfeit paid. And my
price is you, Sir Knight."

[Page 16]
"I will gladly give my life
for the safety of these
people," Dupré replied,
"though you may find the
collecting of it more
costly still."
"Nay," said the Gargoyle,
"I have no use for your

[Page 17]
head, but rather your
arm. Today you have cost
me a lieutenant, and I
demand that you shall
take his place. You shall
join my company, and
teach us your ways of
battle."

[Page 18]
"I will never take up
arms against my king or
his people," Dupré replied,
hotly.
"I would not ask it," the
Gargoyle said with
mocking gentleness. "You
will come and train my

[Page 19]
company, and when I
order them back into
battle you may be e
xcused, if only you give
the word to do nothing
to resist or hinder our
efforts."
Now Dupré knew that

[Page 20]
Gratagmalem offered him
a Daemon's bargain, one
which could easily lead to
the utter destruction of
a man of Honor like
himself. At the same
time, he could not stand
idly by and see the

[Page 21]
honest innkeeper ruined,
nor could he oppose the
whole Gargoyle company
alone. Most importantly,
perhaps, it would not be
fully Honorable to refuse
the forfeit after fighting
under those terms. He

[Page 22]
could only hope that time
would provide a means of
escape. "I will accept your
terms, sir," he said, and
there he knelt and
presented his sword to
the mocking brigand.
So he went to live with

[Page 23]
the Gargoyles, and he
drilled and trained them.
He found that while
Gargoyles were both
mighty and courageous,
they had little mastery
of concerted tactics or
strategy, but they quickly

[Page 24]
grasped the fundamentals
of both. He also soon
learned that it was futile
to try to hold back
knowledge, for under the
watchful eye of their
leader, any useful hidden
expertise was soon

[Page 25]
sniffed out and analyzed,
and presented to all.
Nor could Dupré
Honorably refuse when
Gratagmalem proposed
that they try out their
new skills against orcs,
brigands, or pirates, for

[Page 26]
Dupré had only sworn to
stand apart from actions
against the subjects of
Lord British.
So he fought alongside
the Gargoyles, and saw
his teachings tested by
fire. But at last the

[Page 27]
dread day came, and
Gratagmalem announced
that they would attack a
walled town, with the
garrison of King's soldiers
stationed in it. This was
a stronger objective than
the Gargoyles had ever

[Page 28]
assayed before, but Dupré
knew that they were well
capable of victory, thanks
to his teaching.
On the day of the
battle, Dupré went up to
a hill overlooking the
doomed town, for he

[Page 29]
would not turn away from
the evil that his hand
had caused. But while he
waited there, he was
surprised when a c
ontingent of the
Gargoyle band approached
him, and asked an

[Page 30]
unexpected question.
"Lieutenant," their
spokesman said, "we know
that you base all your
decisions on Honor, which
is a strange concept to
us, but nonetheless we
wish to know if this is

[Page 31]
an Honorable fight today."
Now Dupré well knew
the cool power of the
Gargoyle intellect, and
that any attempt to
dissemble or dissuade
would be immediately
perceived, and would

[Page 32]
discredit him forever
among the Gargoyles. He
was also minded of his
oath to Gratagmalem, to
do nothing to overtly
subvert his plans, so he
kept his answer as
straight and honest as he

[Page 33]
could.
"You have been told by
your Captain that Lord
British is a tyrant. Well
then, it is no dishonor to
take up arms against
tyranny, if that is truly
what you believe. However,

[Page 34]
your people do not
extract oaths of fealty
as mine do, and I have
often heard your Captain
say that you follow him
at the call of your
reason and of your own
sense of what is right,

[Page 35]
which is the Gargoyle
way. Now your hearts and
minds have moved you to
ask whether the fight
today is Honorable.
Perhaps the question
itself is its own answer."
Then the Gargoyles went

[Page 36]
apart again, to dispute
the question among
themselves, and the end
result was that fully a
third of the band declined
to follow Gratagmalem
into combat against the
town. And one young

[Page 37]
Gargoyle of impetuous
nature (that same young
champion whom Dupré had
cast down at the inn)
took it upon himself to
fly down and warn the
garrison of the pending
attack.

[Page 38]
Nonetheless, Gratagmalem,
in a cold rage, refused
to call off the battle.
But against warned and
ready defenders the
diminished Gargoyle force
could not prevail, and
Gratagmalem himself was

[Page 39]
slain. But the Gargoyles
who had refused the
battle (and some of
the survivors) returned
to Dupré, and begged
that he continue to lead
them as he had in the
past, against brigands and

[Page 40]
pirates and monsters, so
that humans could see
that Gargoyles were
capable of service to all.
Dupré agreed, and they
won great renown and did
much good for many
years.

You certainly have a good source. You post 'em, I just keep on reading and copying them. thanks yet again!