# Vincent's Laboratory Notes and Footnotes (Updated December 30, 2007)



## Altalazar (Dec 3, 2006)

Vincent Character Background

He came for them in the night.  It was dark.  I remember the darkness.  She screamed.  She ran.  I did not see her.  And then he took them both.  My parents were taken.  I could feel they were gone.  But when I got out of my bed and went over to them, I could see them still, unmoving, in their bed.  Their blood looked black in the moonlight, staining their sheets and their walls.  They were gone.  But their bodies were there.  And so there was hope.  
I had just reached my thirteenth summer, ready for my apprenticeship with my father.  But that did not change.  Need not change.  I started my apprenticeship with him still, my research.  I spent my second thirteen summers doing nothing but my research, using all of my parents’ coin to buy what I could not steal from our village.  The wilderness came back to our land, long neglected.  I ate when there was food.  There was always food.  After several summers, I know not how many, she would bring me food to the door.  She was always bringing me food.  Left on the door.  Some was bitter, but it was all good meat.  She showed me how good it was with her skills learned in the wild.  She would leave the food and go, and I would find it in the early morning darkness, fresh meat only half eaten.  I would cook it and spice it and leave some of it out for her as well.
Thirteen further summers from when he came to take them, she finally returned to my doorstep, not with food but with herself.  She looked at me strangely, as if I were someone she did not know, but only remembered.  I remembered her.  She had a wild look in her eye, but she was still her.  
“Welcome home, Willow,” I said as I greeted my sixteen year old sister back into our parent’s house.  She had much to tell me.  I shared with her my research into restoring our parents while we shared a nice evening meal.  


Book I

Vincent – Chapter One – Road Research Required

	I have reached the limits of my research in our old, broken down home.   Perhaps I should have maintained it, but no matter.  The research is what matters.  There is nothing left for me to learn in this village.  We must hit the road.  Not skilled at theft myself, I’ve subcontracted my thefts to a professional named Belor.  He has proven quite adept.  He is one of the family, though my sister has not yet joined us for dinner.  She is still more comfortable in her wilds.  But she has been around, watching, when he is over.  She also, I think, enjoys listening from afar to his partner in theft, who cannot speak except through his drums.  His drumming is almost primeval, especially when he kills.  But while his killing is poetic, it is nothing compared to the precision of the Marshall.  He’s my best source of all.  
	But now that the limits of my research have been reached, it is time for us to go on the road and see what new tomes I can find there.  We will live off of the land and the people, together.  We will advance our family.  Now we are on the road to Oakhurst, where work for coin is in the offing, as well as something I may need.  

	Vincent – Chapter Two – Oakhurst

	In town, we find there is work.  Kerowyn Hucrele is looking for two kin, Talgen and Sharwyn, who have gone to the nearby Sunless Citadel, den of goblins, a month’s past, and have not returned.  One hundred twenty-five pieces of gold for their signet rings, for each of us, or double that if they are alive and well.  I wonder which would ultimately be worth more.  
	We also hear rumors of an apple of great power to heal sold each midsummer, and another apple of even greater power to harm sold each midwinter.  I should like to think both would benefit my research.  The citizens of this small town have thus far been unable to duplicate either, their saplings stolen before they could grow much taller than my knees, presumably by the goblins intent on keeping their monopoly.  Clever goblins.  I wonder if their brains are larger than normal.  They have kept their monopoly for the past twelve years.  Interestingly, this seems to coincide with a curious story from Garon, barkeep of the Ol’Boar Inn, who told our mute bard that the last time anyone inquired about the Sunless Citadel (aside from our two Hucreles) was a grim man named Belak who stopped by his bar thirteen years ago, a very large frog in tow.  
	Also of note is the recent attacks on cattle and food, leaving both dead in the morning, pierced by dozens of needlelike claws.  
	Thus filled with information, we began our long walk down the Old Road, toward the Citadel and goblins, ready to earn our coin.  

 	Vincent – Chapter Three – Research on the Old Road  

	We walked down the old road single file.  I made a note of each of my subjects and their physical characteristics, in case I ever needed to identify a badly mangled body.  Willow walked by me, her wolf Breeze coming close behind her.  Willow is short and wiry, with dark hair, dark eyes, and she was covered in leather.  A dull in color but sharp in blade scimitar swung at her hip.  It is good for cutting up food as well as serving other needs.  
	In front was Lord Malachite, his cape fluttering in the breeze, along with his long blonde hair.  His eyes were green, something I’d not seen before.  Glowing red eyes are another matter.  He was well armored and armed with a blade and a bow.  His services as Marshall have proven most useful.  
	Close behind him was Belor, with short black hair, braided in front.  He has done well at procuring reagents hard to come by for those short of gold.  He obtains gold of his own in combination with his partner, the mute bard, who carried a long spiked chain and had drums strapped to his back.  His playing was a sight to behold.  I found out to what degree it was soon after.  
	And if anyone finds my body, I have short black hair and a goatee, and I am skinny in build, though my sister does try and hunt to feed me well.  
	A day’s travel on the road left us with half the distance remaining, so we camped on the road for the night.  It was Willow who first heard the approach of something in the night while I was studying my notes.  

	Vincent – Chapter Four – The sounds of Twigs breaking in the Woods at Night – Two Twig Corpses

	Willow later described to me the sounds she heard.  She said it was like dry leaves blowing across the barren ground, a natural sound made unnatural.  She woke everyone soon after, and we all saw their approach.  Two short creatures made of downed tree limbs, covered in a sticky sap.  
	We fought.  And with great joy I summoned forth from the place I still do not understand, a wonderful ally!  His slim, alabaster limbs shone in the moonlight, so pure and smooth, armor against his marrow!  He walked proudly and fearlessly up to the creatures of twigs and fought his empty rib-cage out for me.  It was a beautiful sight, and I almost felt tears in my eyes.  But then the next moment, he was gone again.  If only I could find a way to keep them here with me longer than an instant.  I hoped my travels would aid me in this endeavor.  
	The twigs dispatched, we returned to slumber, and then traveled the remainder of our journey to the citadel in the morning.  

	Vincent – Chapter Five – Descent into Sunless Citadel – Three Dire Rat Corpses plus one, three goblin corpses 

	We reached a crack in the earth covered with the ruins of pillars.  Attached to one was a knotted rope leading downward.  Balor lowered himself first, right into the midst of three dire rats.  He ran to stairs off of the platform and we dealt with the rest of the rats in due course.  
	Willow dealt with their bodies, finding the best way to lay them to rest.  We then all joined Belor and took the stairs down several more platforms until we were in the cavern below at the base of a tower on the edge of the Sunless Citadel, a name appropriately descriptive, negating any requirement I elaborate in my notes.  
	The door to the tower was open.  A pit also opened under Belor when he approached the door.  Down below were two skeletal goblins, inert alas, but there was also a freshly dead goblin and a live dire rat.  
	We dispatched the rat and raised the body of the goblin.  I took the body into my care, making further notes as I examined it and utilized it, with Willow’s assistance.  We also found some coins on the corpse, further financing my research.  

	Vincent – Chapter Six – Tower – Three Goblin Corpses, Three allies of alabaster!

	Inside the tower were three more fresh bodies, one speared into the tower wall.  Willow removed the spear, revealing the name “Ashardalon” in Draconic runes upon the wall.  Two more doors and one hidden door provided exit to the rounded, hollowed out tower.  The mute bard seemed to recognize the name, but did not elaborate.  
	The hidden door opened first, the Lord Malachite entering the small room first.  Three skeletal forms lay within, apparently from the days when the citadel saw sunlight.  He began to search them for valuables when they took umbrage and stood to attack him.  I could scarcely contain my excitement.  They were beautiful!  Their pale alabaster forms barely diminished in all of the years they lie fallow in the confines of the hidden tower room.  The graceful curves of their armored marrow pressed into such a dark hole.  One came out and the other two raked their beautiful bony claws across the Marshall’s chest.  
	I pulled the skull from my pouch and held it aloft, channeling its cold, strong, energy through my body.  I could not tell if the chills I felt were the energy or my own excitement at my first encounter with the beautiful beings of alabaster that did not only wink into existence for a moment, but who remained for centuries.  One quickly cowered, and the Marshall dispatched it, sending a tear to my eye, but my tear was short lived.  The other two immediately snapped to attention and walked toward me, bowing down and awaiting my every desire.  Oh how beautiful they were!  I traced their curves with my fingertips, marveling at how solid they felt, excited in knowing that in another instant, they would still be with me.  I filled my notebook with my findings!

	Vincent – Chapter Seven – Room off Tower – One Dire Rat Corpse

	A room off of the tower led to another door, one carved in the likeness of a dragon.  The Mute Bard pointed at it excitedly and then pointed back toward the runes in the tower.  Perhaps this was the same dragon.  Perhaps all dragons look alike.  I wonder what a dragon corpse looked like.  
	We found another dire rat corpse in the rubble by the door, after the Marshall killed it.  The door itself had a keyhole in the dragon’s large mandibles, but Belor could not open it no matter how much he tried.  This lock needed a key.  

	Vincent – Chapter Eight – Drinking Problem – One Water Mephit Corpse

	Exiting the tower through the remaining door, we found a hallway with a door at the end and two other doors to the side.  One led to an empty room, the other led to a small room with an iron cask.  
	Willow noticed the cask was sealed at the top, and she rectified this, unstopping it with much effort.  And then a small creature of water flew forth and spat corrosive fluid across the small room.  
	This little beast proved quite resilient, shrugging off most of our attacks, and it took the combined efforts of everyone to subdue it.  I even sent in one of my alabaster friends to face it, and it did quite well.  But then the horrid beast spat a green arrow at my poor friend and it slowly burned his armored marrow into pulp.  
	“Nooooo!” I shouted as I ran forward into the tiny room, ripping off my gloves and touching it square in the chest, channeling the cold energy that powers me through my fingertips and into its tiny heart, sapping away its life force in a way it could not shrug off.  It then tried to flee, and we surrounded it and subdued it at last.  
	I took a moment to hold my poor friend’s bones, and laid him to rest, tears in my eyes.  While we were victorious, and I could feel the rush of another kind going through my body at that victory, we were badly mauled, and needed to rest.  We spent nearly two days in the other empty room, resting, and watching for signs of trouble.  My other friend, unscathed, stood watch the entire time, unmoving, uncomplaining.  He was the ideal guardian.  As I watched Willow sleep, I wondered if such a guardian would have served her well while I researched, but no, my research is its own reward.  She and I will both benefit, as will our parents.  
	I cooked up several nice fresh stews for all to share, thought the Marshall and Belor seemed to prefer their hard trail rations to my fresh stew.  Strange.  Perhaps it is the spices I use.  I will have to see what else I can find at the stores of Oakhurst.  

	Vincent – Chapter Nine – No corpses, only Kobolds  

	The next chamber, through the door at the end of the hall, was a large one.  Inside, we found disarray.  A large cage with the bars bent and distorted, unable to hold even the idea of captivity.  And next to it, a sobbing Kobold.  We quickly surrounded it.  
	“No hurt Meepo!” he said.  
	“Then Meepo needs to help us,” replied the Marshall. 
	“The clan’s dragon . . . Calcryx… we’ve lost Calcryx.  The wretched goblins stole our dragon!”  
	The Marshall replied, “What color was your dragon?”
	“Meepo dragon white!”
	The Marshall declared, “I thought pseudo dragons were red, but no matter, we can help you.  But we have other questions for you.”  
	“Meepo help you!  Meepo take you to Yusdrayl, she the leader, if you make nice.  Grant you safe passage, if you promise not to hurt Meepo.  May be if you promise to rescue dragon, leader make nice to you, answer your questions.”  
	The Marshall agreed on our behalf, and the Meepo excitedly led us through another hall to a grand hall that ended at a throne.  Along the way, we picked up nine more kobolds, who agreed to escort us to their leader, Meepo in tow.  

	Vincent – Chapter Ten – Yusdrayl, grand leader of kobolds

	Yusdrayl greeted us from her throne, a throne backed by a large carving of a dragon that held in its mouth a shiny gold key.  She agreed to answer our questions.  
	The Marshall asked her about the lost adventurers whom we were seeking for a reward.  
	“They fought the goblins.  They never returned.”  She then had a proposition for us.  “If you return the dragon to us alive, I shall grant you a reward.  Meepo will accompany you.”  
	“We’d like the key,” the Marshall said.  
	“Then if you bring us the dragon, it is yours!” she said, and then her guards escorted us toward where we found Meepo, on our way to face the goblins.  

	Vincent – Chapter Eleven – Fountains and Friends, Five Friends

	Through several more halls and rooms, we ended in a room with a large, dry fountain.  Written above it was a word in draconic, Nainarya, Let there be Fire.  Meepo, as fluent as I, said he could read it and the Marshall asked him what it said.  As he said the word, the fountain filled a small basin at its base with a red liquid.  I examined it carefully, and from my notes I discerned it was a magical elixir of some kind.  The Mute Bard gathered it up in a flask, and then we turned our attention to the non-ordinary door in the room.  
	It was a wondrous sight.  Skeletal dragons adorned it in bas relief, and there were words in draconic above it, reading Tana Aman Heka Men, Channel good, open the way.  The Marshall and Willow both asked me if I could channel energy to open the door, somewhat skeptical of the descriptor of the energy I controlled.  I picked up my skull and held it tight, and channeled my power, feeling its cold liquid ooze down my spine.  The door slowly opened.  
	Inside, we found five dusty sarcophagi on the walls and a dark altar with a candle burning and some other items.  The Marshall immediately expected there were five friends in the room, and asked me to be ready.  I’ve been ready for thirteen years.  
	“You think you can handle them all?” asked the Marshall.  
	“Yeah, they might be vampires,” added Belor.  
	“I can take them all!” I shouted, and I walked into the room and held aloft my skull.  
The Marshall opened one of the sarcophagi.  All then opened in response and five more friends entered our sight!  I was so happy I almost dropped my skull, but I did not let that show, and I quickly let the power flow through me.  Soon four were cowering and the fifth joined me at my side.  The Marshall again set out to destroy my friends, but this time I stopped him and asked him to leave them for me to collect later.  I assured him I could keep them at bay for quiet some time, and so we collected the candle, potion, and clear metal whistle from the altar and left the room.  

	Vincent – Chapter Twelve – Two Goblin Corpses – Caltrops and Barricades  

	Several more rooms of investigation later, following tracks in the dust of four or five humanoids, we found ourselves staring down a short hallway ending in a barricade.  Behind it were two goblin pre-corpses, holding javelins.  In the hall were small caltrops, making egress difficult.  But not for my friends.  
	I sent forth my two alabaster friends at full speed across the hallway, the caltrops points unable to penetrate their armored marrow.  One jumped the barricade, stepping over the arrow-ridden corpse of one goblin while the other faced the second goblin head on.  Both then raked their claws into its flesh, ripping out its eyes and heart and sending it to the floor.  So many new subjects for my research.  So many new friends.  I became very confident that my decision to take my research on the road was the right choice.  I’d already gained so much.  I looked forward to what lay ahead.  Soon, very soon, our parents will be able to benefit from my research.  And then so will the world.


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## Altalazar (Dec 14, 2006)

Vincent – Chapter Thirteen – Four more Goblin Corpses – Javelins and Barricades and Dragon (no corpse)

	Through the room and around a hall we found another barricade with four fresh, still living goblin corpses throwing javelins at us.  The Marshall taunted them and drew most of them to him, though they stood behind the barricades still.  I sent my lovely, glorious alabaster companions into the room with the others, where they bravely charged the barricade, unconcerned with their own safety, carrying out my will.  The others fought them as well.  Soon the corpses were not quite so fresh, unmoving, and so I assisted Willow with making sure they found the natural order in this unnatural place.  
	Belor, impatient to explore, headed forward, into a great hall with many dragon-shaped columns, and then into a room with a creature to match them.  He found Meepo’s lost charge Calcryx.  We slowly marched into the room, almost filling it as we surrounded the dragon.  I stayed outside, my alabaster beauties providing my own presence by double proxy.  Willow shouted to Meepo to come take his steed.  Meepo charged in, and the dragon, which was busy feasting on Belor’s blood, let out a piercing roar and jumped on top of Meepo and proceeded to try and gouge his eyes out with its claws.  
	For such a small beast (no larger than a cat!) the dragon fought tenaciously before it was surrounded and finally beaten into submission.  Such strength!  I wondered just how well its flesh would fare as one of my minions!  I took many notes on this later.  Dragons in life are powerful.  In death, undeath, the must be even more so!  I wonder if their breath weapon survives the transition?  I wonder if their wings, even with decaying or absent flesh, can still take them aloft?  I must find out more about dragons and death.  There must be more here, with all of these dragon statues.  Such as the one which held the key that, in between my laboratory note-taking, I noticed the Marshall took after handing over the dragon to the kobolds.  I wonder if that dragon statue is of a real dragon, now long dead?  I asked the mute bard, but he said nothing.  
	I took more detailed notes into the night while the others mostly slept.  My two alabaster friends stood watch all night while we rested in a room generously provided by the kobolds.  Such civilized animals, they are.  I wonder if they are as good as goblins.  I make a note here to ask Willow about that later, for she knows such things better than I.  

	Vincent – Chapter Fourteen – Four Kobolds Freed – One Gnome, We Lead

	In a room near the javelin room, we found four captive Kobolds, whom we freed, and a captive gnome, who Willow could not tell me if he was good or not.  He said he was a cleric and that he had been held for over a year.  He explained he was captured from the Old Road by goblins.  He also claimed his healing magic kept him alive all this time.  
	We asked him about the grove below, and he replied, “I’ve heard the goblins talk about the Twilight Grove down below.  There an evil druid called Belak tends an enchanted garden and harvests the enchanted fruit from something the goblins call the Gulthias tree, but only in the most terrified of whispers.  The enchanted fruit grows on the Gulthias tree.”  
	The Marshall asked him what the fruit’s properties were, and he explained that “the midsummer fruit restores spirit and vigor to those who eat it; the pale midwinter fruit steals the same.  Belak allows the goblins to sell the fruit on the surface, but I don’t know why.” 
	The Marshall, ever concerned about our reward, asked about the lost human adventurers.  Erky told us their names were Sharwyn, Talgen, and Sir Bradford, but that the goblins only kept them with him for about a week before they removed them.”  He told us Belak wanted them and that was the last he had heard about it.  I glanced at Willow when he made that last comment.  Belak is most certainly a druid.  	 
	Thus freed, Erky offered to join us, assisting us in return for his freedom.  He said he had healing magic and knew how to fight, so we gave him a goblin morning star and resumed our exploration of the goblins’ lair.  	

	Vincent – Chapter Fifteen – Six more Goblin Corpses 

	Belor explored further, beyond the dragon’s room (where apparently the dragon had a small hoard of its own – I only pay attention to such things as they can help fund my research) and found another room with a camp fire and six more goblins.  The room, while large, was barely large enough to hold the goblins and every member of our party, including as it does now our original six, my two alabaster minions, and now Erky Timbers.  The goblins stood nary a chance against us, and soon we had our fill of them.  
	Instead of pausing, Belor pressed on further, and led us down a long hallway to the furthest most reaches of the citadel, opening a door into a tower.  Inside we finally saw a group that outnumbered our own.  

	Vincent – Chapter Sixteen – Five Goblin Corpses, Four Hobgoblin Corpses, One Twig Blight Corpse – And the way down

	The tower we found ourselves opening had a large open pit in the middle of it, covered with vines that looked good for climbing.  In one corner was a large throne of stone with a large, muscular hobgoblin seated upon it.  To his left was a large potted twig blight, to his right was a goblin of clerical power.  And then all around the edges of the room were four more goblins and three more hobgoblins who wasted no time in charging forward to meet us.  
	Lord Malachite and Willow were quickly surrounded and overwhelmed, creating great worry in me.  As much as my alabaster beauties meant to me, I knew I could always create more.  My research had not yet reached the point I could create another Willow.  I sent forth my friends and called forth one more from the ether, though his presence would not last long.  It did allow me to quickly surround the hobgoblin chief.  What I saw next was most impressive.  
	The mute bard ran into the room, his spiked chain spinning high above his head.  Then he began to play the drums on his back with the chain, bouncing them off in an ever increasing crescendo, with counter-points made with each strike of his chains against the head of a goblin or hobgoblin before they returned to strike his drums.  It was a literal song and dance of death and it was mesmerizing.  Music of death.  I must make further notes in this area.  
	One of my alabaster companions took a serious wounding in that combat, creating a wound on my heart as I saw it.  I ran into the room and reached out and touched the chief, pulling away some of his life energy as I did so.  It tasted good.  I will have to sample more of that later.  
	The chief went down, but his goblin wench put him right back up with her healing magic.  But she was then the last one standing, and so we quickly made mince-meat out of her.  
	The battle over, I carefully ran my hands up and down the smooth alabaster white forms of my friends.  One looked fine, but the other felt rough and pitted to my touch.  His bones were almost smashed through!  Rest!  We need to rest so I can restore him!  I must restore him!  His bones tasted so sour!  But with just a hint of fungus.  I wet my lips.
	Oh, and I briefly note that various items of money and magic were found on the various corpses and in a chest by the throne, but I left those details to the specialists, like Belor.  I knew it was good to hire specialists.  It leaves me more time to work on my research.  
	I took a glance down the pit with the vines, and knew that my research would take us there next.


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## Altalazar (Dec 22, 2006)

Notes – Chapter Seventeen – Flesh is weak!  It runs, it fears.  

	My observations under so many different conditions are proving very valuable.  It has become very clear to me that, in so many ways, ways I did not even imagine, flesh is weak.  
	Observation one – after opening the door locked by the key held by the dragon’s mouth (from the kobolds) we found a room with a glowing, singing globe.  As we approached, it sang louder and we all ran from the room.  All of us, save my three alabaster friends, who, were it not for their orders to follow me, would have stood there for eternity.  Eventually, the globe was destroyed, but that does not matter.  What matters is how it easily and repeatedly sent all those of the flesh running from that room.  Flesh is weak!
	Beyond that room, there was a glimmer of hope.  Beyond a troublesome imp, there was a sarcophagus with a giant being inside.  It attacked us and at first, I thought it was a new and wondrous being of the undeath, but this turned out to be wrong.  At first I could not discern how it could live so long, but then it must have been preserved, much like the flesh we eat.  This was true even though its flesh seemed to regenerate.  But then we burned it and it lay still.  Flesh, even regenerating flesh, is weak.  

	Notes – Chapter Eighteen – Flesh is weak.  It decays, it rots, it infects.  

	Further observations ensued in the last branch of this complex to be explored before our descent into the lower level.  We found a long corridor full of dire rats, including a bloated queen that took great exception to our explorations.  We set off a trap of poison gas and several of us were bitten by the rats and diseased, laid weak and frail by the festering wounds left behind by those dirty rodent incisors.  Those same incisors chewed on my friends of alabaster, but beyond scuffing their bones, their disease had no chance to find purchase there.  
	My alabaster minions stood tall and strong while the others in our group were laid low, weak with fever, for days.  It is true they did recover on their own, but only with much help and nursing.  Even my healing magic, which so quickly heals even the undead, could do nothing for them.  Flesh is weak.  It decays.  It rots.  It makes host for an infinite number of infections.  Not like the purity of alabaster.  

	Notes – Chapter Nineteen – Bugbear flesh – looks strong, as weak as the rest

	We climbed down the large shaft, and ended in a huge garden of garbage.  Several twig blights met us in battle there.  But that did not matter, because I found two more alabaster minions who quickly submitted to me, standing mute, waiting for their calling from my power.  
	Willow and I ventured north while the others ventured south.  We found a large bugbear and his two dire rat hounds.  I regretfully lost two of my alabaster companions to the powerful, and apparently magical, morningstar held by the bugbear.  Fortunately for me, fate had already intervened, and I commanded the two docile alabaster minions in the garden to replace them.  By then, the others had rejoined us in the north and the bugbear proved that even his powerful flesh was ultimately weak, and we dispatched him.  

	Notes – Chapter Twenty – Interesting – is plant fiber strong where flesh is weak?

	In the next chamber, we found a room with six more rooms leading from it.  Each one held goblins, or experiments done by goblins, all involving plants.  Most interesting of all was the dire rat that was strapped to a table, branches like plants growing from its flesh.  I will have to consult with Willow when we have the chance to discuss it.  Could this be another path?  Flesh turned fiber, fiber of a plant, fibers that are strong where flesh is weak?  I have my doubts.  We have snapped the twigs of the blights easily enough, but then, they were but saplings compared to the mightiest of trees.  And it is true that even alabaster can snap.  Trees can certainly live far longer than flesh – even the flesh of the elves.  This will bear further scrutiny, though I fear it is outside my expertise.  Willow must help me here. 

	Notes – Chapter Twenty-One – Even more interesting – Rock as flesh?  

	In another chamber we discovered a creature seemingly made of molten rock that attacked and burned us.  But that was not what was interesting about it.  What was interesting was that the creature had no flesh, and truly was made of nothing but rock.  Rock lasts even longer than trees.  Rock is, but for magma, eternal.  Is this the secret I seek?  But then this creature was born of rock, and I did not know how one could ever turn living flesh to living rock.  So many questions.  I have, for now, very few answers.  But I have learned enough to know that my leaving my home has proved very fruitful for my research.  I’ve discovered far more in a few days than I had progressed in the prior few years.  These explorations must continue!  And I hope we find this druid here so I can question him about his experiments with plant fiber from flesh.  We must find him!  Or at least his notes.


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## Altalazar (Dec 29, 2006)

Notes – Chapter Twenty-Two – A Powerful Friend – and Belak’s Notes

	We traveled through several more chambers of gardens and such, which I left to Willow to examine.  We also found more alabaster friends, which would prove fruitful for later.  They were quite beautiful, even covered in fungus-dung, or whatever it is they were doing.  Willow said it was compost, and I take her at her word.  
	We found a chamber with a very powerful being, something of darkness and shadow.  It had a beauty of a different sort from my alabaster friends.  It was almost insubstantial.  It was almost not there at all.  It’s chill touch drained away the strength of one of my party.  It was also strong!  So strong that I could not control it, though I did quickly set it to cowering.  No matter how many times I tried to hold my skull aloft to tame it, it remained wild and free.  What a wondrous being!  I will have to study this further, though I fear its insubstantiality makes it a poor choice for my research.  One cannot easily lift a spoon or a pot with hands of shadow.  
	The chamber also had a statute, one that looked like a dragon.  The Marshall stood before it and said, in Draconic, “Let the Sorcerous Power Illuminate my Mind” and found that it did, as a red mist enveloped him.  He commanded his legions much more effectively, at least for a short time, and would return to that room later.  
	But none of that matters as much as what we found in the next chamber, down a long hallway, through some soggy stairs.  We found all of Belak’s notes!  Volumes of them!  I could (and did) spend weeks studying them.  Perhaps there is something to plant-flesh after all, but I would need Willow’s help to make sense of them.  I had hoped to ask Belak about them, but then he did not provide us an opportunity.  He did make an interesting comment before we slaughtered him, however.  

	Notes – Chapter Twenty-Three – Belak’s Grove – The Gulthias Tree 

	Beyond the room with Belak’s notes was an enormous underground grove.  It was thick with thorns and plants and was difficult to traverse for us (except for Willow, of course).  At its far end, though really its center, was an enormous tree.  A singular tree of evil, its blackened, twisted limbs reaching upwards like beautiful alabaster hands clawing their way from the earth.  Around its base was a cobbled courtyard surrounded by a half-height stone wall.  
	Standing at the base of the tree was two humans with skin of bark, a large frog, several twig blights, and Belak himself, in all his glory.  As we reached the edge of the briars, he spoke to us.  
	“I am Belak, called the Outcast.  The druidic society expelled me, the fools.  And why?  Because I dared to expand nature’s reach in ways their puny minds couldn’t grasp.  I don’t care.  I have found what I long sought, embodied in the Gulthias tree.”  
	He paused and then looked up at the tree behind him.  “It’s beautiful, no?  It lives, though it looks dead.  In an age long past, someone staked a vampire to the earth on this very spot.  The wooden stake was yet green and took root.  And so grew the Gulthias tree, reverberating with dark primal power to those who can tap it.”  
	I would later learn from his notes that the vampire staked to the ground had something to do with the ancient dragon Ashardalon, though exactly how was unclear.  I also learned from his notes that the twig blights grow from the seeds of the apple that grows on the tree.  They mature in a year and then walk off in search of prey.  And they can reproduce themselves as well in some way plants do, from a piece.  Willow would understand better.  
	Belak then reached his climax of conversation.  “While your remains would enrich the compost, you’ll better serve my needs as supplicants to the Gulthias tree, much like these two adventurers here.  You retain your lives, after a fashion.  Submit peacefully, or it will go the worse for you!”  
	And so then began the epic combat with Belak.  Willow tried to entangle him and his ilk, though they were safe on the cobblestones.  And Belak entangled all of us.  And for good measure, a dozen more twig blights came from the brambles around us to join the five already by the tree.  It was a long, slow fight, as we moved through entanglement and brambles to slowly make our way to the courtyard, slaying twig blights as we went.  
	Belak sent forth a ball of fire that seemed almost alive as it followed the mute bard around, burning him nearly to death.  The adventure supplicant who used to be a paladin nearly killed Erky Timbers, and he did slay two of my alabaster friends!  For that, he must be killed, though it did not matter, because as a supplicant, he was dead already.  His sorcerous companion was felled by arrows.  
	Belak himself was finally slain by our combined strength when he was all that remained of his tiny empire.  I did regret not having the chance to parlay with him about his research, but his notes should suffice.  No need to talk to him if I have all of his knowledge in such an easily accessible form.  And being dead does not prevent one from asking questions of one.  
	Hanging on the tree was a golden fruit, ready for picking.  It has powerful healing properties, so we kept it, and hopefully we can keep it preserved for when we need it.  

	Notes – Chapter Twenty-Four – Back to Oakhurst – To sell for Research Funding

	We returned to Oakhurst, leaving my alabaster friends behind (for now) so as not to alarm the good citizens there.  We sold much of what we found and we claimed the reward for the two signet rings we found.  Our funding would have been better had their owners still lived, but then my research has not progressed quite that far.  I still had an idea about that, however, though I kept it to myself.  
	We found good prices for everything we sold.  In particular, we found an old dwarf who was quite excited about the notes we found from an old dwarven citadel.  It was the last refuge of Durgeddin the Black, a dwarven smith and leader of great reknown.  The old dwarf told us the papers we found (and sold to him) showed the location of his citadel and forge.  He said he would go to it himself, were he not so old and infirm, but he asked us to go for him.  He said we could keep whatever we found there with no insult to dwarven kind, but he asked that we retrieve any weapons we could find forged by Durgeddin and sell them to him.  He offered to give us the full market price for each, plus 500 gold coins, a very generous offer, according to the Marshall.  Such coin could fund my research for some time.  So we agreed to his contract and set out for the mountain citadel (after a brief stop for supplies in Oakhurst with our newfound coin).  
	And we had one other stop on the way.  I returned to the corpses of the two adventurers by the tree.  We buried them in shallow graves and then, over the course of week, we used the clear metal whistle over those graves, and raised them both as zombies, loyal to us.  While not as pretty as my alabaster friends, they provided other benefits, with the help of Willow’s talents.  

Book II

	Notes – Chapter Twenty-Five – Wilderness path to Mountain Entrance  

	Willow was quite excited about our trek through the trackless foothills before the small mountain that held the fortress.  She pointed out tracks of orc patrols that led to the mountain as well as their former encampments and hunting parties.  Her knowledge led us to easily ambush four orcs on patrol.  Their corpses piled high, we headed forward, ripe with the knowledge that their brethren occupied the top of the citadel we sought.  We reached the base of the mountain and began to climb, heading toward the entrance.  As we neared the final turn along the edge of the mountain, two orcs came into sight.  They were certainly going to be in for a shock when they saw our party, a dozen strong, a half-dozen still living, heading their way.


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## Altalazar (Jan 10, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Twenty-Six – Orc Flesh is weak

	The orcs had some self-awareness that their flesh is weak.  They departed the escarpment as soon as they saw our undead army approaching their position.  We quickly gave chase, the zombies bringing up the rear.  The former paladin looked particularly grim as his dead flesh clawed its way along the mountainside path.  So interesting to watch the dead flesh move, its pieces slipping off the bone in places.  I wondered why the zombie flesh, while stronger, was so much slower than its nimble alabaster cousin.  There was only one answer.  More research.
	As we rounded the corner and entered the face of the mountain, arrows began to issue forth from hidden holes in the rock face.  So the orcs know flesh is weak and take appropriate precautions to protect their flesh.  The mute bard sent his magic into their holes and hopefully put them to sleep while we followed the self-aware orc flesh though the door to their fortress and into the mountain.  Their flesh did not live far past that threshold.  
	I followed slowly behind with my zombies, verifying that at least for that time, the arrow orcs were silent.  Inside, I saw a large chasm that was crossed by a small rope bridge guarded by two more orcs on the other side.  My alabaster beauties charged straight across the bridge and engaged them, allowing my research assistants to cross unmolested.  
	The walk across the bridge was not easy.  Such things are better written about in a research report than experienced.  One can be far more objective that way.  My objectivity was sorely tested.  I do not enjoy heights.  My flesh is as weak as my parents’ was.  But I made it across.  
	On the other side, there were caves and more orcs.  We freed two farmers who claimed they would give us a great reward if they returned to their villages, so we let them go.  Then we went further into the caves and ended more orc flesh, along with what my reference materials assure me was an ogre.  The ogre had two pet wolves, much like Willows, only much less accommodating.  
	We cleared out all of the orc flesh save three and thoroughly explored the tunnels.  Then there was a bit of trouble, but not with orcs.  

	Notes – Chapter Twenty-Seven – Orc flesh unpreserved for research

	The last room to contain orcs, though we did not know this in advance, contained a respectable orc named Burdug.  She appeared to be deep into her own research when we stumbled into her room through a hidden door, her pot brewing with exciting possibilities beneath her old, gnarled hands.  She was enraged at the interruption, which was entirely understandable.  Research is a delicate business!  Her two assistants were ready to fight as well, but then they all sensibly decided to talk to us after we surrounded them and showed them they were outnumbered almost four to one.  
	At least, she decided to talk.  When her assistants refused to fight, she threw a flash of alchemist’s fire onto each of them and burned them alive as she called them “useless fools!”  That was not very sensible.  It is very hard to find good research assistants.  
	The Marshall asked her what she was working on.  She told him, “potions!  You ought to try a taste!”  
	“I’m on a special diet,” he replied.  
	“Let’s talk about your research,” I asked her, eager to get inside her orcish skull to see what she had learned.  I also figured that once I had emptied her mind, she would make a fine specimen herself for my research.  Balor disagreed.  As her lifeless corpse dropped to the stone floor, I screamed at him, “wait, she was useful!” To which he replied, “She has no knowledge, and orcs are useless in every respect.”  As I said before, good research assistants are hard to find.  

	Notes – Chapter Twenty-Eight – Fire and stirges and tunnels down – Stirge flesh makes other flesh weak

	There was one room beyond hers, through a locked door that had the key on our side.  We cautiously entered and were met by four flying bird-like creatures that my research reference manual indicated were stirges.  They feast on blood.  They take the strength of flesh and make it their own, what strength there is.  Their flesh, despite partaking of so much of ours, was still weak, and we dispatched them.  Which just proves that weak flesh begets weak flesh.  
	At the far end of the room was a door that did nothing but fill half the room with alchemist’s fire when opened, as evidenced by the four old, charred orc skeletons on the floor in front of it.  After confirming that this was indeed the case, and after we put the flames in Belor’s flesh out, we headed down the enhanced, but natural, staircase that led further into the mountain complex.  We crossed a short stream before reaching an open cavern, which had nothing remarkable in it save two more stirges.  The next room was far more interesting.  

	Notes – Chapter Twenty-Nine – An unused tomb – what a tease

	One of the caves beyond was filled with open caskets of stone, all prepared for the final resting spot of the dwarves who built this fortress.  Unfortunately, dwarf flesh was even weaker than orc flesh and it appears that almost all of the dwarves perished before they could be placed here.  Only three of the sepulchers of twenty-three were in use.  Only one of those had anything of note, a masterwork warhammer bearing the mark of Durgeddin, which made it worth far more than its weight in gold to us.  Research is expensive, after all.  
	Looking east, we saw a huge cavern that was accessible to us from a short stairs to the south, but we abandoned that for now to head west, through a small passage leading to a pool of water at the far end of the stream we found earlier.  We sent in my alabaster beauties first, and they sniffed out two foul smelling beasts which they fortunately could not smell at all.  Troglodytes.  We dispatched them, then searched the cave further to the east, finding a large subterranean lizard on a chain that guarded a chest.  We guessed that the chest contained great riches, so our dead paladin accommodated us by approaching the chest, just out of the creature’s grasp.  Unfortunately, it was not out of the lizard’s tongue’s grasp, and Sir Bradford soon found himself being slowly eaten by the lizard.  There goes our meals for the week.  On the plus side, this means the magic of the whistle was freed up to raise one of our dwarven friends in a sepulcher.  Though on second thought, perhaps Troglodyte flesh should participate in my next experiment.  
	In that vein, we opened up a plug in the Troglodyte cave to the west and prepared to face the tribe as a whole inside.  At first, all we could see was the darkness and all we could smell was the dank, putrid smell of troglodytes in domestic bliss.  Then came the claws.


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## Altalazar (Jan 10, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Thirty – Troglodytes apparently fear flesh?

	Our small troop marched into the troglodyte complex on the Marshall’s orders.  We soon dispatched them all, save one large one and its pet lizard, and their dozen offspring.  The lizard soon died, but then the large one disappeared, having last been spotted standing upside down on the ceiling of its room, sniping through its open doorway.  
	We searched and searched for him, to no avail.  Willow sent forth spiders to feel for his vibrations, but they did not find him before they vanished back into the ether.  Belor had inspiration, which I understood.  Parents and their offspring.  Offspring seeking the flesh of their parents.  He told the apparently empty room that we would execute younglings if he did not appear.  Belor brought one in and slit its throat, but there was no reaction.  The experiment thus over, I asked Belor not to kill any more because it was apparent from the evidence of the first that he did not care.  Plus, I wanted them alive for my research.  At least initially.  He did not listen, and two more young corpses joined the first.  
	Finally, we all just spread out and waited, hoping whatever magics he had would soon wear off, revealing him.  As it turned out, he was revealed, but still well hidden, and it was not until his further magic holding his feet to the ceiling wore off that he appeared before us.  Several seconds later, his flesh was no more than rotting on his stinking alabaster bones.  
	We had much more to explore, so we decided to leave the younglings here for later experiments.  The old one we killed was also so tough that I began to wonder if he’d be a better choice for the whistle.  We were about to leave and replug the troglodyte cave when the Marshall suggested we take all the corpses of the adults and pile them up by the door to discourage the young ones from trying to escape.  I did not understand why that would make any difference.  Why should their parents dead flesh prevent them from leaving.  If anything, it would attract them to that area as a tasty source of fresh food.  
	“Vincent,” he told me, “some have an aversion to dead flesh, especially the dead flesh of their parents.”  This still does not make sense to me.  But since I could not see the harm of it, I did not argue further.  This bears further investigation.  Why would anyone have an aversion to dead flesh, particularly when that flesh is so well known and revered?  

	Notes – Chapter Thirty-One – The Glitterhame 

	Such a thing of beauty.  So lovely in shape and form, and how the light glitters off of it.  Such was my admiration of my alabaster friends as I healed them from their prior battles and polished their bones.  In the meanwhile, my research assistants began to explore the huge cavern we saw earlier that was filled with shiny, glistening, multi-colored minerals that made the whole ceiling look like it was built out of the fiber spun from a million tiny rainbows.  
	At the far end of the cavern was a locked iron door.  There were also further passages north and south.  The south passage led to back to the small stream and then down a waterfall to another level below us.  The passage to the northeast led to a ledge containing the remains of those who did not survive the pair of gricks we found in its entrance, and subsequently killed before they ate Belor.  
	To the northwest, we found the remaining cave on this level, which contained two more soon-to-be-dead troglodytes and a black bear in a cage.  Willow quickly befriended the poor animal, and then we released it out of a tunnel here that appeared to lead to the surface.  Nearby we found two corpses covered in yellow mold, mold Willow warned us to avoid.  One of them had a gleaming bastard sword with the mark of Durgeddin on it.  I quickly discerned that it was magical and we added it to our spoils.  Our avenues thus exhausted, we returned to the large iron door.  

	Notes – Chapter Thirty-Two – Iron Door – Iron Dwarves

	Belor, with much effort, managed to pick the difficult lock on the door and we found stairs on the other side of it.  The stairs led up to a large octagonal room that held three metal statues of dwarves, one with two axes, two with one axe, standing before two doors.  We quickly discerned that opening the doors led the axes to swing down and slice into the flesh of whomever was standing within their great reach.  We also determined that both of the doors led nowhere.  Which did not matter, because a third door hidden in the east wall led to Durggedin’s main throne room.  
	Our approach was well known, perhaps because of the magic mouth that shouted “intruders!’ as soon as we approached the room.  Another live voice soon followed, warning us, “Go back the way you came!  This is the only warning you will get!”  
	The Marshall, never impressed by warnings with dire consequences, attempted to parlay with the disembodied voice.  The conversation turned bloody when he ordered us all into the room, which was of considerable size.  
	Halfway across the stone floor, we still saw nothing, until the nothing became three dwarves of dark complexion and of rather considerable size.  They nearly killed Breeze, Willow’s wolf, before two were dispatched.  The third then retreated toward the throne, where a fourth appeared to ambush the Marshall and Willow from their pursuit.  My alabaster friends were about to make the killing blow when Willow was knocked to the ground!  I could feel her life force draining away.  Her flesh, weak or not, must not expire!  
	My alabaster friends all abandoned their fight and quickly picked her up and carried her to me.  Even before she arrived at my feet, my fingers were weaving my most powerful healing magic, ready to bind her wounds and end her suffering, knitting together her flesh.  Fortunately, my magic was powerful, and she was well.  Some time later, I noticed the fight was over, and the four dwarves, now back to dwarf size, were all dispatched.  My research assistants looted their flesh and I continued to knit Willow’s.  It was then that I noticed the faint sound of hammer on anvil coming from the south.


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## Altalazar (Jan 14, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Thirty-Three – Weak Flesh, but Strong Metal

	Belor quickly moved to the door, his ear pressed to it.  “The hammering is coming from behind here,” he announced.  My alabaster friends moved to flank him by the door and we all prepared to enter the room.  
	Belor opened the door.  We saw a huge room filled with anvils, split by a fast river, spanned by two stone bridges, and three gray dwarves stood pounding metal on metal.  Then Belor closed the door.  
	A few preparations later, the door was again opened, and we “surprised” them, moving in at the Marshall’s direction at a speed unheard of before in my research.  We were across the river and slicing into their flesh before they could even stop hammering their anvils.  Or rather, my research assistants and alabaster friends were across the river.  I stayed where I could get the best vantage point, near the door.  After all, one cannot get good research notes from the thick of the action.  One needs to be a detached, neutral observer.  I pulled out my notebook and began to transcribe.  
	Fascinating how angry they were at being interrupted.  They began to hammer at my lab assistants in protest.  Their protests were in vain.  Even more fascinating were the three more grey dwarves, these ones as large as giants, that appeared from the ether and attacked us.  Two were on this side of the river, one of them swinging at me, nearly disrupting my note taking.  The third send a spray of colors toward Willow, but they did not affect her.  
	The Marshall, still outside the room, moved in to engage the large dwarf on myself, allowing me to properly record what occurred.  For instance, were it not for his move, I would never have had such a good vantage point to see and record the rat that jumped out of the shadows at the Marshall and sunk its teeth into his boot, sending a discharge of negative energy with its first bite and a large burst of electrical energy with its second.  Were it not for my brave note taking and research acumen, I would not have been able to then discern that this rat was the familiar of the color spraying dwarf, nor would I have been able to deduce that its bursts of energy were spells cast through it by its master.  Such knowledge would have been forever lost after we had killed its master, which we of course proceeded to do, after a short delay.  
	First, we dispatched the anvil workers.  Then we dispatched the two fighters on our side of the river, as they were quickly swarmed by research assistants, alabaster friends, and a wolf.  Then the wizard vanished from sight, just as Willow’s summoned spider was bearing down on it.  Her spider then climbed over the river, via the ceiling, and began to skitter about on the bank on this side of the river.  My careful observations had its mandibles snapping at air, which I dutifully recorded as consistent with the position of the dwarf wizard, who then appeared on our side of the river with a burst of energy against the Marshall, just as he was about to sweep the huge room with a rope.  The wizard was back to dwarf stature by then, and he did not last long.  I had hoped to interrogate him about various matters, to clarify them for my notes, but I forgot to tell the Marshall to stop because I was in the midst of making a sketch of his change in proportions when the final slice of his flesh ended his life in a spurt of blood.  The mute bard, dutiful as always, took a sample of each specimen, something I’d seen him do with each freshly generated corpse on our travels, and this without any direction from me whatsoever!  Good laboratory assistants are truly hard to find.  

	Notes – Chapter Thirty-Four – Sinkhole, Angle One – More friends for research – Table flesh is splintered

	We further explored the room and determined that the river we saw had an eastward flow that ended in a giant sinkhole into darkness.  We explored its edges, but left the rest for another exploration, which is more fully explained in my laboratory observations in chapter Thirty-Six.  
	Our avenues in that direction exhausted, we opened the southwestern door in the throne room, and discovered a kitchen.  Upon our entry, the table there animated and attacked.  I had first high hopes for the strength of the table as compared to flesh, but we splintered it quickly, leaving not even a corpse behind to study, though the Mute Bard did take a sample nonetheless.  In the room beyond was a pantry, where we rested and recouperated.  
	I began to cook some meat stew.  I happily and generously offered to share it with all of my hardworking assistants.  We had gotten a fresh infusion of supplies in the anvil room, and I looked forward to tasting it, fresh as it was.  The Marshall was again reluctant to partake, as was Belor and the Mute Bard.  The Marshall said he’d eat the dead rat familiar, but Willow was shocked, as was I.  And Willow had already seen that the dead rat would meet a natural end as a meal of natural carrion.  Belor and the Marshall then both said they’d eat any ANIMAL flesh that we cooked for them.  This was too much and I threw up all over myself and the floor.  Animal flesh?  How barbaric and disgusting!  How could they possibly eat the flesh of animals?  “More meat stew anyone?” I asked as I continued to cook, trying to keep the horrid thoughts created by the Marshall out of my mind.  Again, they refused, leaving Willow and I the only to partake of my cooking.  They really will need to keep their strength up.  Flesh is weak.  Though it can be tasty.  
	The northwestern door from the throne room was next.  And inside, to my delight, were corpses and bones!  
	Two large pile of bones lay to either side of an altar.  A dessicated orc corpse stood before a prostrate dwarven corpse, each in half-plate armor.  The Marshall directed my alabaster friends to scout it out, but they found nothing.  Then we all entered, and we found something wonderful!  The orc stood and attacked, as did two large alabaster beauties!  I could hardly contain my excitement, and I almost dropped my skull before I held it forward to them and spoke my calming words.  The large skeletons both immediately bowed down to my command, and the orc cowered in the corner.  I was so upset that he did not take my commands, but I did keep my researcher’s objectivity as I studied him carefully.  From my research, I was able to determine that he was a wight, a rare specimen, that up until now I’d only read about.  Such dark, ugly flesh, yet so beautiful.  I could feel its beautiful ebony energy flowing from its fingertips as it stood there prostrate before me.  Such strong fingers, so dangerous, able to drain the life force of anything living with but a touch.  I burned with the desire to have it follow me and obey my every whim, but it just was not to be.  With great reluctance, before it could recover from my rebuke, my research assistants slashed its leathery flesh to ribbons, ending its unlife forever.  
	And though I could command the two large alabaster beauties, I had to surrender control of two of my less imposing friends.  I left them here in this room, this forgotten shrine, to keep the dead dwarf, the great Durgeddin, according to the scribblings of the mute bard, to keep him company.  His bones, at least.  The Marshall was quickly looting his corpse of his half-plate.  

	Notes – Chapter Thirty-Five – Allip makes my heart flutter, rugs smother me

	We then went to the last door unopened from the throne room, the northeast door.  There we saw a room with two halls leading off of it, and a dark pool in the center of it.  And most exciting of all, we saw a floating apparition, dark and misty, like black smoke, that was jabbering and gibbering unintelligibly, moving ever closer.  Before it could overtake us, Belor closed the door yet again.  
	“An Allip,” I breathed excitedly.  “I’ve never seen one in the flesh!” I said, and then corrected myself.  “Of course, I meant that literally, since they have no flesh at all and are entirely incorporeal.”  I further explained, “They are creatures born of those driven to suicide by madness.  And trying to listen to them breeds more madness, for they say nothing but the unintelligible.”  What I did not say was that I wondered if there really was something they said, and that researchers had just not figured it out yet.  If only I had more time to study it!  I hoped I could command it, but from my fleeting feel of it through the open door, it felt very strong, probably too strong for me to control.  But I knew I could rebuke it, for nothing I had faced, no matter how strong, could ever stand up to me in all of my travels.  I readied my skull and Belor opened the door for me.  
	I held aloft the skull and channeled the ebon flow through me as I had done so many times before.  The Allip immediately stopped its babble and hovered in the air, rebuked and forlorn.  I wished I could study it further, but I knew it would take some time for my alabaster friends to end it.  We gave them our two enchanted weapons (which I explained would be necessary to harm it) and then left them to slowly wear it down while I scribbled down notes as fast as my fingers could write them.  When it at last faded away to nothing, I felt very sad, and ran forward and tried to get some fleeing feel of its cold form before it vanished entirely.  I felt a brief chill, and then nothing at all.  
	With a sigh, I returned to my place of good observation from the rear, and we explored the many rooms along the two halls to the east and west.  We found nothing of interest in most, though Willow did find a scimitar of exceptional quality in the bony grip of a long-dead explorer (as evidenced by his non-orc and non-dwarf status).  We also found a room full of a half dozen alabaster beauties of normal size, which I rebuked and then left in their place for our possible return.  And finally, we found a room of some wealth, which included a desk and many papers.  I went in at once to collect them, and was nearly enveloped by the large rug that covered the floor.  At the Marshall’s urging, I ran out of that room before it could move again and we dispatched it with arrows and fire from the safety of the hall.  Then we found the last rooms of all, and met a woman of unearthly beauty, in the literal sense.  

	Notes – Chapter Thirty-Six – The Wizard’s Library and Guest – And Sinkhole, Perspective Two

	We opened the door to a library, a door left unlocked, but no less a prison.  Inside we saw a form quickly resolve itself into a woman of some beauty.  But there was something somewhat off about her.  Looking closely at her, and remembering what I saw when the door opened, I realized that she was not of this plane.  Her name was Idalla, which she quickly told us.  What she had failed to tell us, but which the Marshall confronted her with at my urging, was that she was a demon known as a “suck-yoo-buss.”  I was unsure exactly what that meant, but knew enough that one should never kiss such a beast unless one was already in the ebon flow.  
	Before confronted by the Marshall, she said, “A vile wizard has imprisoned me in this library.  Please, tell me I can go free!”  At the same time, she worked some magic, which I discerned to be an enchantment to detect those of good hearts.  I assumed she found we all met the description, which is why it puzzled me when she later said that her curse “only allows her to leave if one of a good heart gives permission” but that none of our party would be able to help her.  Strange, indeed.  This curse must also have made her lose her mind.  
	The Marshall did convince her with some well-spoken words that, despite our knowledge that she was a demon, “hey, we can work with you” and he promised her that “we will return with someone more suitable for granting your freedom as soon as we are able.”  
	She explained that she did not know where the vile wizard was, and when the Marshall asked her how we could trust her if not to attack us if we freed her, she replied, “I have a date with a wizard.”  
	After looting the adjoining bedroom, we returned to the hall, where the Marshall decided that if we could not free her one way, another way is just as well, and we fired arrows at her from the safety of the hall outside the library.  She shrieked, and then she laughed as all of the arrows bounced harmlessly off of her demon-flesh.  I took a great many notes.  Perhaps demon flesh is flesh that is not so weak.  
	We searched the adjoining hall and found a secret passageway that led to a sinkhole, which by the sound of rushing water beyond our vision, seemed to be another angle on the one we saw before in the forge.  And this one had a chain ladder leading down along the side into darkness.  We rested again in the kitchen, were I again offered to share my somewhat less-fresh meat, but got no takers but Willow.  Then we returned to the sinkhole and descended into darkness.  

	Notes – Chapter Thirty-Seven – The Black Lake  

	At the bottom of the ladder we found a pool of water that collected the flow of the water from above.  The water was frothing from the great waterfall from the sinkhole.  There was a ledge for us to stand on and a stone bridge leading to the waterfall to the south and then another stone bridge to the east that led to another ledge around the outside of a great, dark, black subterranean lake.  
	We first checked the bridge in front of us for safety, and then crossed it, to explore the base of the waterfall.  Willow noticed tracks leading in the mud from the water up to the rocky ledge.  She said it looked like the tracks of a four legged reptile with a long tail.  We all figured she had discovered another reptile like the long-tongued beast we had seen above.  We were wrong.  
	The Marshall suggested sending my alabaster beauties, particularly the two large ones, to dredge the bottom of the falls to see what they could find that was shiny and valuable.  It seemed dubious, at best, but search they did, and one did eventually return to the surface clutching a shiny longsword, glowing with enchantment and stamped with the mark of Durgeddin.  
	We then returned to the rocky path and headed toward the second bridge.  This bridge was pitted and frail-looking, but still seemed strong enough to hold at least one of us at a time.  We carefully crossed over it one by one until we were on the other side, by the lake.  Balor saw it first.  
	A black reptilian head appeared out of the water in front of us.  It took a quick breath and then exhaled a long stream of acid right between our ranks, melting away to nothing one of my poor, large alabaster beauties, right before my eyes!  Through my tears, I saw that the Marshall, the Mute Bard, and Willow were also hurt by the acid.  Before we could react, the head then disappeared back into the dark, murky water.  
	The Marshall ran back across the bridge and back to the ladder, where I joined him with some healing from my wand.  He did not look in great shape, though I was still weeping over my alabaster loss.  The tears did not prevent me from seeing what happened next.  
	Suddenly, bursting forth from the water came the reptile, colored black, standing on the bank and slashing at the Marshall.  This was no lizard.  This was a black dragon!  
	At the Marshall’s direction, my alabaster friends and laboratory assistants all ran back to the Marshall and nearly surrounded the beast, slashing away at its thick hide.  I stepped back and let them work.  The dragon then slipped back into the water and disappeared.  
	Willow send into the water an alligator, summoned from the ether, and I sent in an ether-zombie of my own, to chase it beneath the surface.  They were nowhere near it, as it turned out, until it swam back toward the lake, when they both took swipes at its scaled hide.  By the time we all returned to where it lay beneath the water, it was ready to spray us with its acid breath again, nearly dissolving away another one of my alabaster beauties!  It then turned to flee, cowardly beast, and so I threw into the water every one of my beauties to surround it, and then the Mute Bard screamed a voiceless scream and charged, jumping from the shore and landing upon it, his magical touch changing its skin from black to bright white, making it stand out as a target in the darkness.  My alabaster beauties then combined with Willow’s crocodile to tear its flesh to ribbons until it slowly sank down toward the bottom.  
	My large alabaster beauty helped us pull the carcass out of the water.  We then went to its small island in the lake and recovered its treasure, which included many coins and our last great find, a dwarven waraxe, magical, and stamped with the mark of Durgeddin.  Such a find was surely to gather us even more coin from the dwarven collector.  
	The Marshall set about carving up the carcass of the dragon for trophies, but I stayed his hand.  “I have a much better idea.”  

	Notes – Chapter Thirty-Eight – A Better Idea

	The complex thus cleared, we packed our finds and I finalized my notes for the journey back.  But first I, I sprinkled out on the ground a large circle of silver dust, intoning the words of darkness as I did so.  The air grew noticibly colder and I felt the ebon energy flow outwards from the circle to all of my alabaster friends standing nearby.  It was a warm, good feeling, one which I felt a fleeting presence from within me fuel before the spell took over and then filled the entire area.  
	The ritual thus complete, I sat down on the ground, my legs crossed, and began to play.  The tune was melancholy and dark, but it had a beauty to it that I always enjoyed on the few occasions I’d had thus far to play it.  The tune on the whistle thus complete, I felt the freshly dug ground beneath me stir.  First a claw, then another claw, then a wing appeared, until standing before me was the unliving corpse of the dragon, its flesh only just starting to rot.  And its undead flesh awaiting my first command.  Yes, a much better idea.


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## Altalazar (Jan 22, 2007)

Book III

	Notes – Chapter Thirty-Nine – Another good idea – Fruits of Research

	The troglodyte younglings proved to be useful for my research.  My most important find was that living troglodyte flesh was actually much more offensive to the olfactory nerves than dead and decaying troglodyte flesh.  Proving what I already instinctively knew, which is that many types of living flesh, for many reasons, is much more unpleasant than dead flesh.  This proved especially true when it came to troglodyte cuisine, though there was a certain spicy rush when consuming their living flesh, this can only be appreciated if one does not immediately expel the fresh meal.  
	My experiments thus complete on them, I stored them for travel, as rations were low, and based on previous delicious snacks with our sorceress, I decided that her flesh was not going to stay long on her bones, so I ended her unlife and, with the whistle, picked up the troglodyte chief as my new erstwhile companion.  His first duty to me was to carry our fresh troglodyte-veal rations for our long journey back.  I tasked the large alabaster beauty with carrying our sorceress rations, and ration her we did, because such delicate flavor is somewhat addictive.  Though strangely, still, the Marshall did not seem particularly interested in my stews.  Perhaps he favors other flavors.  I will have to keep trying out new recipies on him.  My large alabaster beauty also carried our emergency kobold jerky goblin rations.  
	Thus well stocked for our epic journey, we returned to the road to civilization, much to Willow’s sorrow.  She and I certainly enjoy being out in the fresh woods.  She wisely sees the decay inherent in the city stomping out the living nature, and I can see all of the flesh wasted on the living serving a similar polluted purpose within civilization’s cobblestoned prison.  

	Notes – Chapter Forty – Awakenings

	The Marshall took and sold most of our valuables, starting with the Durgeddin weapons.  I assume he managed to get a good price.  All I know was that he came back and gave both Willow and I nearly ten thousand gold coins each.  Willow immediately spent all of hers on various things, including a breastplate made entirely of wood.  It was very nice.  I’m not sure what else she spent it on.  I was too busy researching and assimilating my research notes.  I had much to transcribe!  In the magical arena, I have discovered a magical formula that can allow me to control the undead, any undead.  I was so excited when I saw it, I had to tell Willow right away!  I also found another necromantic enchantment that allows me to touch at a distance, something Willow said would keep me out of harm’s way.  
	In my research, I discovered something most exciting!  There is a way to give a spark of intellect to my mindless friends, or the “quiet ones” as I call them.  But it requires magic well beyond my meager skills.  But then I thought perhaps the Great Old One could help me, and I was right!
	I found him where I usually do, in his crooked cottage on the edge of the woods that stretch back to our own empty cabin.  As I thought of that empty place, I wondered if our parents were ok.  I will have to go and check on them the next chance we get.  I’ve almost learned enough to help them, though I still think it may be some time before I can put that knowledge into action.  
	The Great Old One peered at me from the cracks in his repeatedly-patched door and asked me what I wanted.  
	“I want to awaken my quiet friends,” I told him, and gestured to my four alabaster men, my large alabaster man, my troglodyte, and my dragon.  “Please, can you help me?  I can pay,” I said as I showed him a handful of platinum coins.  
	His eyes widened, then his gnarled hand reached through the wooden planks on his barely-intact door and his dirty fingers opened on his palm.  “One hundred ninety-one platinum, it will take,” he said.  	
	I eagerly scooped the coins into his hand, and then stepped back, my eyes darting back and forth between my friends and his bloodshot eyes peering through the gaps in the door.  His dirty hands, fingernails curled at the ends, both appeared and he began to whisper words of great necromantic power.  Dark energies flowed out to my friends and enveloped them, and then their eyes, dull and lifeless, turned bright, and they all began to look at one another, and at me.  I was so excited, I forgot to take notes, and just stood there gasping with delight.  
	From what I later remember, I spent some time talking to them all, telling them all how much I appreciate them all, how much I valued their friendship.  We all held hands together and I told them stories, taught them games, and we had a grand time.  It was one of the happiest moments of my life.  My friends could finally talk to me, and share my dreams!  I told them of my plans to save my parents, and they all listened with rapt attention (after I ordered them to do no less).  
	I could not wait to show them to Willow, and to the Marshall as well.  Now his orders to them would be much more effective in a fight, and they would be able to independently plan as well.  I gave each of them a potion for them to drink if they were injured, giving several to some, and told them to drink it as soon as they were hurt, unless they were in no immediate danger and could come to me for healing.  I did not want to lose any of my friends!  
	I also bought chain shirts for them all, even the dragon, along with a few more weapons, greatswords all.  Now they were well armed and well protected, and able to heal themselves.  And the Marshall’s special talents will now give them full benefit, which ought to make them invincible!  Dead flesh is strong!

	Notes – Chapter Forty-One – Mysterious Keep Beckons

	I returned to Willow and told her the good news.  I discovered that not only was all of her gold gone, she still wanted to buy more things, so I bought some armor for Breeze, though it did take some time to find some that could be adapted for a wolf.  He looked a little uncomfortable in it, but then I would be too.  The studded leather shirt I had been wearing was proving too difficult to work my magic in, so I removed it.  
	I bought a cloak to protect me, along with more potions for my friends, and a wand of curing for my lab assistants benefit to complement the one Willow bought.  Our nearly depleted wand was given to the Mute Bard.  
	Willow and I then retreated to the forest and I had my newfound awakened friends help her pick berries and gather tulips in the wild.  We had a wonderful time together.  We were one big happy family again.  
	Some time later, the Marshall found us in the woods and we arranged to stay outside an inn on the edge of town while my lab assistants stayed inside.  The Marshall had a dwarf with him, named Makkal.  He first told us we had a job that would pay us each a thousand gold coins.  I said, “Great!  Let’s go,” and then I said, “wait, what are we doing?”  
The Marshall explained that there was an abandoned keep, Brightstone Keep, that used to protect a lucrative mine known as Brightstone Mine, a great source of iron ore, gold, and gems in its day.  The Marshall told us that there was trouble there, and trouble in town as well.  The military was occupied elsewhere, leaving the town at night free for brigands, and the sheriff and town council were unable to do much about it.  
	The Marshall said that the head of the council offered us one thousand gold coins each if we were to deal with the keep menace.  He then said, “it is rumored that undead and ghosts walk the keep.”  
	“A keep of undead,” I said, excited.  But then I thought for a moment and was confused.  “Wait,” I said, “so what are the undesirables that they want to get rid of?”  
	The Marshall replied, “The rumors could be wrong, and there could be other things in the keep.”  
	“Ah, ok, I understand, and perhaps those other things are keeping the poor undead hostage!”
	With that matter settled, we retired for the night.  My large covered wagon and horse was parked by the inn, and I slept underneath the wagon, while Willow slept in the trees nearby.  My friends kept watch in the wagon above me and in the woods by Willow.  The Marshall suggested I keep them out of sight in town.  I considered this a very sensible suggestion.  After all, it wasn’t safe out at night, what, with all the brigands about town.  I would not want any of my friends hurt in the night while I slumbered.  

	Notes – Chapter Forty-Two – On the Road

	In the morning, we set out, Makkal going along with us.  The Marshall explained to me privately that we need not worry if he is going to betray us or otherwise act in a bad manner.  We could just kill him.  It is hard to argue with that logic.  I wondered if regular dwarf flesh had a different consistency than the gray dwarf flesh we experienced earlier.  
	The road at first was well-traveled, so I kept my friends in the wagon, out of sight, to protect them from bandits.  Willow was concerned that the poor horse had to work to pull the cart, but he was willing to do it.  
	We stopped for a short while for a meal during the day, and I offered some of my stew, as always, to the others.  We were off to the side of the road, so my friends could come out and stretch.  The dwarf came out and saw my friends sitting in a circle, talking and playing cards.  
	“Wait, the sheriff hired THIS group?” he asked incredulously.  “I’ve got to give it to you guys if you managed to get the Sheriff to approve this.”  
	“The Sheriff did not see our whole group,” replied the Marshall.  
	“Still,” the dwarf said, “that is impressive.”  He then explained that he had a few run ins with the Sheriff himself,, and so that was why he was not hired by him.  
	Back to my stew, the dwarf approached as I was offering it, and he agreed to try some.  He seemed to really like it.  He asked me for the recipie.  I promised him I would get it for him, though I told him it involved a unique ingredient that we had in short supply.  (After all, I thought to myself, we only have the one ex-zombie, ex-Gulthias-tree supplicant, ex-living human sorcerer, and she can only go so far), but I did thank him for the complement and gave him seconds.  
	He was less impressed with the offered kobold jerky, and side of troglodyte sticks, and so he did not ask for those recipies.  Which was just as well, since I did not make the jerky.  We finished eating and resumed our travels.  
	Once we reached the intersection with the less-traveled road to the keep, my friends could finally get out and walk and talk with me as we went.  My large alabaster friend took over wagon-pulling duty, giving our horse the chance to rest in the wagon.  At Willow’s suggestion, we positioned the horse’s rear end off the back of the cart.  

	Notes – Chapter Forty-Three – Glowing Red Eyes – Damn, wrong type of eyes!

	It was starting to get toward dusk when my normally dull ears heard something in the deep underbrush on the left side of the road.  My normally blurry vision happened to resolve itself there on two red glowing eyes, barely visible through the brush.  My heart beat faster, could it be more potential friends for me!  But no, charging from the brush on the other side of us was a giant wolf, and it went right for Rolo, one of my alabaster friends.  
	At the same time, another one struggled out from the side I saw, much slowed by some quick entangle magic from Willow.  Before we could react, the wolf was on top of Rolo and nearly destroyed him.  Bad wolf!  To make it worse, he knocked Rolo to the ground, and things looked grim.  Rolo shrieked for help.  And Simon came to the rescue!
	Simon, another alabaster friend, ran up to Rolo and grabbed him, taking his own wounds from the wolf in the process.  He then dragged Rolo away from the beast, next to me, where he was safe.  Rolo stood up and pulled out a small skull, unstoppered it, and drank down his healing potion.  The magical fluid went through his jawbone and then melted away into his open rib-cage where it vanished as his bones mended themselves back to normal.  Rolo was safe!  Simon waited by my side for my own healing magic, saving his skull for later.  I could not heal him at once because I was sending a ray of weakness toward the red eyed wolf to the left, which struck it squarely between the eyes, slowing it down.  
	Brunt let go of the wagon and moved his large bones over to the right-wolf, joined by my lab assistants, who then quickly overwhelmed and killed that wolf.  The second wolf was then surrounded and finished off as well.  Willow was sad to do it, but that is life in the wild.  
	After they were dispatched, Willow followed their tracks back to a small cave where there were two large wolf pups.  She quickly rescued them and placed them in the cart, with the horse, who then decided he wanted to walk beside the cart.  No wonder the wolves attacked us.  There was no food whatsoever in this area to eat.  And there was nothing for us to eat, either, beyond our stores.  The Marshall again suggested we eat, ANIMAL flesh, the flesh of the wolves, and I threw up all over my boots.  
	“That is just so disgusting!  How can you keep saying that?  That’s like cannibalism,” I said, and Willow silently agreed.  She left the wolves out for carrion and we prepared to continue on.  We did collect the wolf skins.  Then Brunt picked up the wagon hitch and we walked the rest of the way to the edge of the forest before the keep.  

	Notes – Chapter Forty-Four – Keep on the Borderlands in Sight

	From the road, we could see the keep in the distance, on the side of a mountain.  I sent up Blackberry, my dragon, to scout from the air and then report to us what he saw.  He said he saw humanoid shapes walking the three towers of the keep, but he did not get close enough to see what they were.  He also said he saw trails up the side of the mountain that would allow us to approach the keep from above on a relatively unprotected angle.  The only problem would be how we would then climb down to the keep.  
	We approached closer for a climb up the mountain, and eventually we were close enough to determine that it was orcs in the towers.  I hope the orcs haven’t hurt any potential friends in there.  The only thing weaker than orc flesh is orc brains (at least, that’s what Trosty, my other zombie friend, told me).  
	We left the horse and cart and pups in the edge of the woods and started our climb up the mountain.  We decided to go in the day, hoping the orcs would be nocturnal, and even if they weren’t, we could not see in the dark and they could, so we need not give them that advantage (so says the Marshall – my friends can see just fine).  
	Once we had climbed around and above the keep, apparently still out of the vision of the orcs, we had a problem.  How to get down?  But Blackberry solved that for us.  He helped lower everyone down by rope, flew some others down, and then he flew down last, taking the rope with him.  
	At the base of the keep, we saw an entrance to the mine, an entrance filled with tracks of humanoids, orcs and humans and others, heading in and out.  Finally, we find a source of food!  The Marshall and Willow debated whether to enter the mine or the keep first.  We did not want to leave anyone behind us in either place, but then we settled on the keep first, because that is bound to be where the military might is held.  After all, that’s what the keep was built for – to protect the mine.  We then entered the keep through a hole in a wall and crept up on a large winter wolf tied to a well.  

	Notes – Chapter Forty-Five – Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Well, White in Color at least) – Then Towers of Orcs

	The white wolf was rather hostile at first, but Willow talked to her and calmed her down.  She was well-fed, but she had been beaten by the horrid orcs.  Willow offered to free her, but since she could not pick the lock on the chain around her neck, and since the wolf would not let anyone but Willow touch her, Belor had to talk her through it.  She eventually succeeded, and freed the wolf, who slowly crept off.  We then turned our attention to the first tower.  
	Belor moved quietly into the first tower, and we followed.  On the first floor, we found nothing of note.  On the second floor, Belor discovered that the orcs there were asleep in their beds, and he helped them to remain in bed indefinitely with a quick slice to each of their throats.  Finally, we have some food.  
	We heard footsteps above, and they must have heard us, because we heard shouts from above, in orcish, which Belor quickly replied to.  Belor called them down, and two orcs descended.  We quickly surrounded them and killed them without too much difficulty, though it was noisy.  The orc above seemed unsurprised by the sounds of combat.  I looked at Trosty, who then nodded to me, seeming to say “see, I told you so,” with his glowing red eyes.  
	The Mute Bard opened up the trap door to the roof again, and tried to send the remaining orc (that we could see) into slumber.  The first try did not work, but the second did, and then the trouble began.  The orcs twenty feet away, across the gate, on the other tower, who apparently do not care about fights, do care when they see an orc fall.  
	Thinking quickly, I sent Blackberry over to their tower.  Unfortunately, while he is strong and powerful, he is not quick, and by the time he got there, they had descended into the tower.  Or rather, the ones who had not been put to sleep by another bardic spell descended.  To cut them off, we all ran down the stairs of our own tower, outside, and then into the base of their tower.  We met in the middle and faced six orcs and their sergeant in an epic fight that ended with a large jerky and stew resupply of orcish flavor.  
	Not wanting to break our stride, we ran to the other tower, and before they could escape, we slew those orcs as well.  Now we had a lot of work to do, and we had to act fast, before other orcs in the keep could react, and before any of this nice, fresh meat could spoil.


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## Altalazar (Jan 28, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Forty-Six – Troll Flesh is resilient, but ultimately weak

	After my alabaster friends cleaned the meat and hung it to dry in the rafters of the tower (while we rested), Balor explored the courtyard.  When he returned, we all went down to stand behind him while he opened up the door to one of the two main buildings in the courtyard.  Inside, he found what at first seemed like some sort of warm food storage facility.  It turned out to be a bit more than that, and most of the food escaped, but I will get to that later.  
	What drew my attention and fury was the other building, which soon disgorged four goblins and two trolls, who had the temerity to attack my friends!  I had Blackberry and Brunt standing to guard the door to that building so that we would not be ambushed while dealing with the first building, and so Brunt took the brunt of the damage from the first troll.  The second troll attacked poor Rolo after charging him.  Rolo was hurt badly!  His bones were about to snap.  Quickly, I ordered Simon, Edgar, and Twig to start to surround the second troll, while Blackberry charged him from behind.  That troll did not last long.  Unfortunately, the first troll did.  
	Brunt stood valiantly against him.  He held him off as long as he could before that horrible, evil, vile, disgusting troll snapped Brunt’s large bones like twigs and Brunt collapsed in a pile of alabaster inside a large chain shirt.  
	“Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” I screamed as I heard his undeath throes.  I was not close enough to him to hear his final whisper, and that will haunt me for the rest of my days.  In my fury, I conjured a ghostly hand and sent it to grab the throat of the remaining troll to ram a spirit worm down it’s gullet, but it moved and I missed.  The hand hovered nearby while my companions and my friends assaulted the troll and took him down.  Willow was busy putting fire to the troll that went down first to make sure it stayed down.  As she and the others were about to do the same to the troll that killed poor Brunt, I stopped her.  
	“No, he’s MINE,” I shouted, and I ran to his corpse.  I could see its wounds already starting to mend, and I knew it would be all healthy again.  If we had more time, I would take his body, strap it down, and have my alabaster friends endlessly torture him for what he did to Brunt, secure in the knowledge that his regeneration would make him last a very long time.  But time was short.  Goblins, an elf, a gnome, and a dwarf had run out of the first building, and may have been warning those in the mine about our presence.  They were all unarmed and held against their will, which was why I assumed it was a warm food storage building, but we later found a schedule that showed they were slave labor for the mine, so they really had a dual role.  
	In any case, I knelt before the troll that killed Brunt.  It was interesting to see flesh that could repair itself so easily, though it still was ultimately weak because it could not repair damage from acid or fire.  And it would repair no further, because I reached out my hand and touched it, calling upon the spirits of death.  I felt the beast’s heart stop underneath my palm.  “No fire for you,” I said to him.  “Now you are mine.”  
	Blackberry, Rolo, Simon, Edgar, and Twig then dug a grave for that troll while Trosty started cleaning the other one plus the four goblins.  After the grave was filled, I sat and waited until nightfall.  I had Trosty sit beside me.  I knew that once the Whistle had done its work, it would no longer control Trosty, so I weaved an enchantment I had recently learned to exert my own control (Trosty being too resilient for my to control directly).  As I felt its bindings fall into place, I then blew the whistle over the troll’s fresh grave.  He crawled out of the ground and stood before me, my servant. 
	“Your name is now Brunt’s Revenge,” I told him.  His cold, lifeless eyes stared back at me uncomprehendingly.  He had no mind.  He needed my mentor’s enchantment.  I missed Brunt so bad.  I began to sob.  Brunt would have known to hold me without my having to order him.  Brunt’s Revenge had to be ordered to.  Somehow, the rotting troll flesh, while thicker than Brunt’s alabaster, did not seem to comfort me as much.  Especially not during Brunt’s funeral service.  

	Notes – Chapter Forty-Seven – Brightstone Mines – Necro Duel

	After my rest in Brunt’s Revenge’s arms, I prepared my spells and we cleared the area of the keep.  Only the mines lay ahead of us.  Balor managed to open the complicated lock on its entrance, and we ventured into the darkness, Blackberry leading the way with his darkvision, Trosty following behind our group.  I was still unsure about him.  He no longer was under my direct control, but the enchantment I gave him should last at least three days.  He seemed willing enough to be our rear-guard, but I decided not to press him.  With any luck, we’d find enough riches in the mine to cover my coveted purchase of a phylactery that would allow me the power to command even him.  
	The entrance tunnel opened up into a large cavern.  There appeared to be nothing there but columns of natural rock until Blackberry circled to the side and noticed several alabaster beauties standing behind them.  We all surged forward, though no one attacked, as they let me pull out my skull and parlay with this new potential friends.  
	I held my skull aloft and called upon the power within me, but they did not stir an inch.  Fascinating!  Could these be some new, more powerful friends?  But alas no, as I got closer, it was clear there was nothing special about them.  This could only mean there was one well versed in the necromantic arts standing nearby, bolstering them.  
	Confirmation was achieved when the Mute Bard assaulted one of the skeletons and then an orc appeared and raised a holy symbol of his own.  I could feel my control slipping away, but only over my alabaster friends.  Blackberry and Brunt’s Revenge stood strong, showing their true loyalty to me.  
	Rolo, Simon, Edgar, and Twig now stood uncertain.  They knew I was their friend, and yet this orc was now poised to command them.  But I could not lose so many friends in one day!  I already lost Brunt!  I raised my skull aloft and tightened my control over them.  They all quickly returned to my nest, though they still stood dazed for some time from the transition.  
 	In the meanwhile, Blackberry and Brunt’s Revenge assaulted the orc.  We soon had him surrounded.  He was tough, but that did not change the fact that orc flesh is weak, and he was soon added to our list of provisions.  His remaining skeletons still stood bolstered, so my research assistants dispatched them.  It seemed like such a waste, but time was short, because we discovered another betrayal.  

	Notes – Chapter Forty-Eight – Makkal’s Image

	We soon determined that Makkal’s flesh was gone, even as his image remained.  He must have cast some sort of illusion magic.  The last thing I remember him doing was running to the side of the cavern, near another tunnel, and shooting a crossbow bolt at the orc.  Then he never moved from that spot.  But I was too busy with the necromancer to notice much more.  
	We searched the other tunnels, and found the orc’s treasure in a chest by his living cave.  It was all gems, which gave us hope that this mine was not completely depleted.  We searched the tunnels for some time, and determined that there was still iron ore and gems to be mined, at least on this level.  The way down into the deeper levels of the mines was through rope elevators, but the ropes and elevators were long gone.  It will take us some time to fully explore the lower depths of the mine.  
	Willow said that Makkal’s tracks went down one of the tunnels and then ended.  Either he teleported out or had some other means of traveling without leaving a trail.  Whatever his agenda was, we still do not know.  We may see him again.  
	We found the orc necromancer’s journal, which indicated he had grand plans to raise an undead army to take over the whole region.  It was great reading.  I didn’t quite understand why he would want to do it.  It sounded very dangerous, and it sounded like he would lose a lot of alabaster friends if he carried his plans out.  War is dangerous!  How could he justify risking so many friends’ lives on something that seemed to have such dubious chances of success.  Better to live in peace and prosperity, your alabaster friends all around you, safe and sound.  
	I did wonder how he was going to raise an entire army, one he could actually control.  I will have to study his notes further, and we will have to explore this mine and see what secrets it hides.  

	Notes – Chapter Forty-Nine – Reg’s Reluctant Heroes

	The keep and mines secure, we returned to town to collect our reward from Reg, the Paladin Sheriff.  He did not seem pleased to see us.  The town council was very pleased.  
	“I had you followed out of town,” he said.  “I know who you travel with.”  He then gave a huge sigh.  “As much as I hate doing this, you have shown you are willing to put your lives on the line to help the community.  We don’t have the forces to spare to man the keep, but we need it manned, so,” he paused, a pained look on his face.  “Would you consider taking over the keep to help protect the area?”  
	The Marshall quickly agreed.  
	Reg responded, rolling his eyes as he did so, the town counsel pushing him forward.  “Good to see ‘good’ adventurers such as yourself taking such responsibility for the good of our town.”  
	The town counsel leader behind him beamed and said, “Now that you will be the ones in charge of the keep, the area will return to good!”  As he said his, Reg slapped his forehead and then, shaking his head, walked out of the chamber.  
	Before he left, Reg had expressed some concerns about how we could live there with all the animals gone, leaving minimal sources of food.  I pointed out to Willow, though, that with the escape of the goblin slaves, there would be plenty of food to hunt, not to mention the orcs and goblins already curing.  
Now we just need to figure out how we will man the keep.  If only I could make alabaster friends of my own.  I will have to visit my mentor in the woods.  Unfortunately, I will need more coins, having spent them all (including the new ones found in the keep), because I’ve spent them all on my phylactery.  On the positive side, now I have no problem controlling Trosty.  Now where can I find some new friends?


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## Altalazar (Jan 28, 2007)

Ok, I just have to ask - anyone who is reading this have any commentary about this, good or bad.  I realize this is a rather, uh, non-traditional sort of adventuring party.  (If you hadn't guessed, the alignments are either Neutral or Neutral Evil).  But at the same time, they are still heroic, in a sense, at least in the jobs they take.  

Or as I like to say about Vincent - "He's neutral evil, but not in a _bad_ way."  

It's more like he's evil by his attitude about undead, well, and perhaps his dietary choices, but otherwise he tries to be a decent fellow.  Or maybe not...

Also, just an aside - Cordozo and Kamakawiwo will be resuming adventures shortly...


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## Altalazar (Feb 6, 2007)

Well, don't everyone respond at once... LOL.   I guess no comments... 


And so it continues...


Book IV

	Notes – Chapter Fifty – Night Falls

	I began to hear rumors when we got back in town.  Whispers, really.  Words on the wind.  There was a town nearby, a town known as Night Falls.  Undead have arrived there and are roaming the streets!  The towns people are being scared as they are killing them and piling the bodies in the middle of town.  Some are being captured.  Those are being mistreated, and tortured.  Those poor undead!  
	I immediately informed my lab assistants and my friends.  I’m sure they were as incensed as I was!  So we immediately departed and headed for Night Falls.  
	Once we arrived in town, we found there were no undead in the streets.  There were no undead at all that we could see.  The Marshall asked around but could not find anything out.  It turned out the town was one with a huge graveyard that serviced many, many surrounding towns.  They had a guild dedicated to the bodies.  So at least it seemed like a pleasant place to live.  
	I just had to see the graveyard, so we headed out to it.  It was very beautiful.  There were many mausoleums.  And there was a hill that had a huge mausoleum at its crest.  We inspected it from the outside, but we could not get inside.  Balor tried to break in, but its sturdy stone held its secrets.  So we returned to town.  

	Notes – Chapter Fifty-One – Felix runs into town with good news!

	As we returned to town, a young man came running, a young man we learned was named Felix.  He started breathlessly yelling, “The Grim, the Stone Tomb is open, the ghost is free!”  
	He began to tell his tale after he regained his breath.  “I know I had no business going there alone.  I was trying to prove my mettle by going up to the tomb and chalking my sign on the doors.  But when I got there, the doors were burst open.  Something had made it past all the wards!”
	I looked over at Belor and wondered how he must have did it without us noticing it.  
	After Felix was done, the town elder, Genni, came forward and asked us if we would help.  Apparently the tomb was the tomb of a great necromancer!  He was a hero of the town and he was buried with a heroes funeral.  His name was Arathex, and I listened to the tale of his exploits with great interest.  
	This must be a truly great town to recognize one of such a noble calling as necromancy as a true hero.  Genni offered us 1,000 pieces of gold each to return to the tomb and seal in the restless spirit of Arathex’s ghost.  Apparently if the new dawn breaks while the tomb is open, he will escape.  
	I did not mention that I did not think this a terribly bad thing.  I’m sure he must have been terribly bored stuck in there all those years.  Of course, we agreed to help.  

	Notes – Chapter Fifty-Two – We return to the graves to weeping

	We returned to the grave hill at nightfall.  This time when we entered we were not unmolested.  Four statutes shaped like large women attacked us.  They wailed in sorrow as they did so, apparently deafening everyone but the mute bard, who apparently can talk when he can’t hear.  Or something like that.  I was unclear on this.  The wailing was loud, but my ears were as solid as the dead and did not waver.  
	I soon determined it was not speech, but the mute bard’s voice in my head.  He had cast an enchantment to connect us all.  Willow asked him, “why don’t you talk?”  
	He responded, “I talk all the time”
	Willow said, “yes, but it all comes out in growls.”
	The mute bard said, “I talk all the time.” 
	Willow asked, “ok, what is your name?”  
	“Brodgy,” he said.  
	In the meanwhile, combat raged on.  After dispatching those four in an epic fight, we ventured further, and encountered four more.  They seemed to have something against Trosty as they kept on beating him, to the exclusion of all others.  Thankfully, he survived and I healed him before we reached the tomb.  These weepers seem to be everywhere on the grounds.  What a wonderful way to leave the graves unmolested so I can dig up as many bodies as I need!  

	Notes – Chapter Fifty-Three – We enter the tomb – four statues call four skeletal worgs 

	There was a short tunnel, and then we were in an entrance chamber inside the tomb.  There were four statues, two on each side, and there was a large stone door.  And then, before each statue, rising from the ground, came skeletal worgs, four in all.  I immediately held aloft my skull and cowed three of them, claiming the fourth as my own.  As we smashed their beautiful bones to dust, more would rise, never more than four.  What wonderful statues!
	We began to smash the statues, but were making little progress.  Then the mute bard translated the inscriptions and came up with an insight.  The guardians would not attack those who were already dead, nor would they attack those who carried the dead, ensuring a steady supply of bodies into the tomb.  Now we just needed some bodies.  I looked around at my friends.  I wonder if Rolo would do the trick for me.  I headed over to him and prepared to lift his beautiful bones aloft.


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## Altalazar (Feb 12, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Fifty-Four – Bodies piled high – how wondrous!

	It took us a bit of time, but we each managed to hold aloft a body of some sort to prevent the summoning of more skeletal worgs.  Balor managed to get the lock open for us to the door and we entered the main entry for the mausoleum.  Inside, we found a large pile of very dead bodies.  Apparently one only needs a body on the way in, or there is another way out, because otherwise, why would bodies stack up?  They would have to be carried out as well.  
	We searched the room and found an altar to the west and rubbled rooms to the east.  We also found a large black pudding, that threatened to melt us all away.  Balor struck it with his magical morningstar, only to see it dissolve before his eyes.  His scream of despair echoed throughout the cold, dead halls.  I sent in Blackberry to face it.  I knew she would not have any fears from acid.  She pummeled it, along with the others, until it was reduced to a puddle of ooze.  
	The Mute Bard looked at a loss.  He wanted to take a trophy, as he always does from his kills, but all there was left was runny ooze.  He asked me if I had means of taking a sample.  
	“Wait, you can still talk?” I asked him.  
	“Yes, I can.  I talked before.  I was just mumbling, but you said you could not understand.”  
	“Oh, ok then,” I told him and I handed him one of my empty-skull potion bottles.  He gathered some ooze in it and put in the stopper.  I wonder where he keeps all the parts.  Maybe he’ll let me try and combine them all together someday.  
	Most of the rooms we went through were empty, though we did find a pedestal with a black cloth filled with bells (to alert intruders?) and a longsword.  
	We also found a bedroll and supplies, as if someone very much alive were living here.  We found markers indicating that it was someone from the funerary guild.  Perhaps Harkin himself.  This was later confirmed when we found his handwriting on a scroll that rambled on about how at least two heroes needed to die on the broken wards to allow the spirit to escape.  It turned out dawn was not the deadline for us, but for the necromancer’s spirit.  

	Notes – Chapter Fifty-Five – We have seconds of Pudding and meet Arathex

	In the furthest chamber, save one, we found another large oozing black pudding.  We again pummeled it, but this time, I also sent forth rays to weaken it, just in time to free Balor from its oozy embrace, and Willow called forth lightning from the roof, her fingers sizzling with electricity.  It was quite a show.  I wondered why she hadn’t shown it to me before.  I showed her all of my experiments.  
	We were looking around the room for further clues when we noticed a spirit come right through the wall and attempt to touch Balor.  It just barely missed him.  I took a good long look and realized, it was Arathex!  And he was no ghost, he was a wraith!  What must have gone wrong for this to happen to him!  
	I held aloft my skull and attempted to reason with him, but he ignored me, and kept on trying to drain away the life from my lab assistants.  Steeling my resolve, I channeled every last bit of strength through my bones and then out into the skull and held it aloft again, and this time, it burst forth with an energy stronger than I’ve ever felt before.  Arathex was awed, and stood helpless against it.  
	It was then only a matter of time before he was slowly worn down by our onslaught.  When at last he faded away to nothing, I ran to his side and reached out to him, his fingers passing through mine before he was gone forever.  A tear rolled off of my cheek and bounced in the dust that once held his incorporeal form.  
	In the next and final room, we found his remains, still laid out with honor on an altar.  I silently gave him a eulogy, and placed my hand on his, feeling it crumble to dust.  As his hand dissolved away, I found myself grasping what he had been grasping all these decades since his death – a rod of meta-magic power, for extending lessor magics.  Willow should find great use from it.  
	The longsword we identified as a weapon of bane to undead and rangers.  No one would wield it, and so we sold it later, keeping the rest of our finds for ourselves.  

	Notes – Chapter Fifty-Six – We depart – something else departs first

	The complex thus secure, we rested until dawn, restoring our energies and enjoying the good feelings this place of the dead, a place for a necromancer of honor, gave to me.  I’m sure my friends and lab assistants felt it too.  It was like home.  The looks of disgust on their face hid their true feelings, I’m sure.  
	As we left in the morning, we saw a figure running ahead of us in the distance.  We could not catch him, not even Willow after she turned into a great wolf (another thing she failed to mention to me she could do, but then Willow has always been more about showing than explaining), but Blackberry took to the skies and followed him, eventually returning to tell us he had run all the way to Harkin’s house.  So we knew where to go next.  
	Harkin at first feigned surprise.  The Marshall feigned believing him, and then told him the truth.  We knew what he did.  And even if he didn’t do it, we have evidence he did it.  
	“Either you pay us to keep quiet, or we will tell the whole town and let them deal with you,” The Marshall told him.  
	“Ok, you win.  I will go get my money from my back shed.”  
	So of course, we followed him back there, where he then let loose a golem of flesh (flesh sewed together – alive yet not, this bears further research!  Could I make such a beast?)  
	We surrounded and pounded it into the ground.  We also rendered Harkin unconscious.  It turned out he had little money to offer us anyway.  It was thus time to see what coin we could wrest from the town for his head.  

	Notes – Chapter Fifty-Seven – We gain property, but no coin for the mystery solved

	The town elders were suitably impressed with our tale of defeating the necromancer’s spirit.  They offered us the deed to the mausoleum and free funerary services for life.  Talk about a wonderful reward.  
	The Marshall asked the elder, “so what do you offer us if we can tell you the solution to the mystery of who smashed the wards and freed the spirit in the first place?”  
	The elder replied, “Oh, we have nothing more we can offer you, but of course we would love to know!”
	“Ok then, as soon as we figure it out, we will tell you.”
	We then returned to Harkin, where my friends had him held.  The Mute Bard saw no point to turning him over to the authorities.  “We can just kill him now,” he said.  The Marshall had other ideas.  
	“You work for us now,” he told him.  “You can learn far more from our own necromancer than that old, dead one,” he said.  “And you will not learn anything at all if you are dead, killed either by us or the good townsfolk.”  
	“I’m a better necromancer than he was,” I assured him, referring to the vanquished hero Arathex.  
	With such a wonderful offer – being able to work necromancy with me! – he could not refuse, and so we set him the task of cleaning up the mausoleum for our use.  
	While he began his work, I took up three of the bodies from the entrance and put them in Arathex’s chambers.  I put an onyx gem in each mouth and then began the dark rituals I learned from reading the remains of Arathex’s works.  Rituals I found wrapped around the rod.  Rituals I had told no one I had found.  Won’t they be surprised!  
	At sunset, I finished the ritual, which took me three days, one hour each night per corpse.  One after the other, then, they rose back to life.  At first each tried to strike me, but I held aloft my skull, and they each took their proper place at my side.  
	When the last one was risen, I then asked them to help me with my first important task for them.  “Ok my friends, what are some good names for ghouls?”


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## Altalazar (Feb 20, 2007)

Book V

	Notes – Chapter Fifty-Eight – Reg looks for some heroes and finds us!

	We were back at our keep for a week or so when Reg approached the Marshall in town and told him about someone in town who was seeking the assistance of some heroes.  Reg said he did not know any, but referred him to us, a subtle compliment, I’m sure.  
	We found this person, Riikan Dack, in the weather district.  He told us he was a collector of rare items, and that one of his precious items was stolen, a weapon named Whelm, a warhammer of some power.  He offered to pay us ten thousand gold coins for its safe return, a sum he assured us was far more than we would get on the open market, which was a wise move, because my lab assistants would not have returned it to him otherwise.  
	Dack told us that he received a note when the item was gone, a note with a long poem on it giving some sort of clue about where to find it.  The most interesting part of it was that it was signed “K.”  The mute bard told us that this could only be Keraptis, an ancient arcane wizard of some power, long thought to be dead.  As if that would stop any good wizard from writing notes.  
	Dack also told us there were two other weapons stolen, a sword named Blackrazor, and a trident named Wave.  Those he promised us nothing for and we promised him nothing in return, a fair exchange.  
	From the poem, we discerned that we had to travel two weeks to White Plume Mountain, a name that was vaguely familiar to me.  
	I left my alabaster beauties and Trosty at the keep and had them continue the cleanup work there.  My trusty lieutenant Blackberry and Brunt’s Revenge came along with us, with BR pulling the cart.  And my three new friends Gorem, Wilson, and Eames rode with me in the carriage while Blackberry covered us from the air.  
	After two weeks travel, we reached Yellowreach, a small city at the base of the mountain.  

	Notes – Chapter Fifty-Nine – We see the plumes

	The Town had nothing much worth mentioning, though they did have some nice, hot baths from natural springs.  I wanted to go and sit in those hot springs and relax with my friends, but the Marshall seemed to think that my friends would not be welcomed there.  It seems the specter of bigotry (including against spectres, no doubt) again rears its ugly head.  
	After our brief dally in town, we headed for Wizard’s Mouth, the cavern that was the only known entrance to the mountain.  From a distance, we could see huge plumes of white steam gushing forth from the top of the mountain and leaving a trailing plume to the east.  Whomever named the mountain lacked imagination.  Blackberry could do better.  
	We entered the cave and found ourselves standing ankle deep in water.  At least most of us.  I climbed on BR’s back and rode him, keeping my boots dry.  BR is a good friend.  
	Balor scouted ahead and then came back, so we all went forward.  We reached the end of the tunnel and found a Sphinx there, riddles ready, answers needed to continue on.  BR took me right up to him, past all of my lab assistants, who were standing stunned in the hallway, probably something from the sphinx.  Perhaps a riddle is required to enter as well.  
	He told us that he was bound to guard the halls and that we had to give the solution to a riddle each time we wished to pass a hall.  Three halls branched behind him.  He said the riddle will change with each new journey through the hall.  
	Balor, stunned behind me, seethed, ready to kill the sphinx.  But I wanted to hear the riddles.  They ought to be fun.  It gave me so many wonderful ideas for my next friends.  By the time Balor was moving again, I had already answered the first riddle, something about a river, or a coffin, or a moon.  Or something like that.  We took the north passage first, finding more water.  

	Notes – Chapter Sixty – Sea Creatures must DIE

	The passage went past an alcove that seemed empty, then opened into a large room full of water.  At the far end were stairs and a door.  Balor walked along the ceiling to the door, but before he could open it, a hag appeared from the water and gazed upon him, sapping his strength and almost sending him into the water.  I had to save him!
	I sent my three new friends forward, into the water, after the hag.  Blackberry flew right behind them.  The hag, weakened by missiles of magic from Selena, cowardly ran into the water before Eames could reach her.  Even worse, some large sea creature came up from the water and wrapped its tentacles around Wilson, grabbing him, and then crushing the unlife out of him.  
	“Wiiiiiilsoooooooon!” I screamed over and over as I let loose words of magical power, forming them into a spectral hand that I then sent out to repeatedly touch and harm the tentacled monster.  I told Gorem and Eames to get away from the beast before it killed them as well.  Blackberry jumped into the water and began assaulting it with his great sword.  Willow, bless her heart, surrounded the beast with three crocodiles she summoned from the depths.  From our combined might, the beast’s tentacles were no more.  We, the great heroes, had vanquished it!  
	Blackberry retrieved Wilson’s body.  Poor Wilson.  Only four weeks old and now dead and gone.  I saved his body for later.  The hag’s body was also taken, after the Marshall finished her off.  
	I sent Blackberry to swim under the water to search for the hag’s lair, and he found it, retrieving for us her pathetic horde.  She would pay dearly for her deeds later.  I have great plans for her body.  Or rather, what was left of it after the Marshall killed her and the Mute Bard cut off a souvenir.  

	Notes – Chapter Sixty-One – Spinning hall of fire

	The door led to a hall that ended in a spinning cylinder of oil, ripe for fire.  Balor caught the brunt of it when he ran to the end and saw a flaming arrow spew forth from an arrow slit at the hall’s end.  We quickly doused the flames and then made our way to the end of the hall.  
	It opened into a room that led to another door.  This door led to a small room with a large book on a table and a man and a wolf, standing in the corner.  
	“Vampires!” shouted the Marshall, and I readied my skull.  
	“Vampires?” responded the Mute Bard.
	“Vampires?” I asked, with a slightly different inflection.  
	“Yes,” said the Marshall, “Look at the wolf!  He can call to him wolves, he must be a vampire!”
	I glanced to my left at Willow, standing next to me, a large wolf at her side.  “Are you a vampire?” I asked her?  She knew the question was earnest, and she knew I already knew the answer, and so she said nothing.  
	My own training told me nothing so far.  But I did know that I would love to meet a vampire and have him join the ranks of my friends.  Vampires can be such charming friends, I’ve heard.  
	I held aloft my skull, and waited to see what the man had to say, particularly to the Marshall.


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## Altalazar (Feb 25, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Sixty-Two – The Marshall is right 

	The Marshall asked the man his name.  He mumbled to himself and said nothing.  
	Willow talked to his wolf.  The wolf also said nothing.  Willow whispered to me that we should focus on the man and try and get the wolf on our side.  The man can’t be trusted.  The wolf is, at worst, misguided.  
	I still wondered why the Marshall thought the man was undead.  He did not have the sweet smell of death about him, but I did not get very close to him.  (I could not get close with all of us crammed into the small hallway outside the room.)  
	Finally, he spoke.  “You cannot be here.  This place is not open for you.”
	The Marshall replied, “Why don’t you join us?  Do you really want to be here?  Are you really stuck in this place of your own free will?”  
	He said, ”you aren’t welcome here.  I’ll give you another chance to leave.”  
	This was enough for me.  I started intoning the words to my new favorite enchantment, one I’d never had the opportunity to use until this moment.  I felt the power surge through me and then I saw it surge through BR’s and Blackberry’s bodies.  The Marshall then barked forth orders and Blackberry and BR ran through the door before the man or his wolf could react.  We soon had him surrounded, with Blackberry in the corner behind him and BR standing in front of him, Willow and Breeze at his feet.  
	He tore into Blackberry, ripping off large chunks of Blackberry’s decaying flesh.  Blackberry and BR returned the favor, and soon he was laying prostrate at Breeze’s feet.  His companion the wolf, meanwhile, had grown arms from her legs and was standing up and savaging Willow.  She was a lycanthrope!  What a fascinating creature!  I hear that the bite can transform you!  They are unnatural creatures – I can tell that they are by the fact that as soon as she transformed, Willow immediately turned and started attacking her ahead of the man.  Willow is a reliable guide in that respect.  She’ll also be able to answer my questions concerning the bite, since the werewolf bit her at least once, maybe twice, in the encounter.  
	In the end, the werewolf did not last long.  The Marshall and Belor expressed concerns that it might heal its wounds and kill us in the night.  I laid those concerns to rest by laying my hands on the now human corpse and snuffing out whatever lifeforce might remain there.  
	I’ve never heard of what happens when one animates a lycanthrope.  This will be fascinating research material!  I carefully preserved the body and gave it to BR to carry out of here.  
	Since we were well spent by this fight and the hag, we rested in this room.  During the night, the Mute Bard and I identified some of the magic we found on their corpses.  One piece of interest was a ring that protects, which the Marshall donned.  
I spread out my desecration magic to make the room more cozy for our slumber.  The last thing I did before drifting off was to place a black onyx in the mouth of the unnamed man’s corpse and weave my magic over him.  An hour later, he stirred to unlife, and thus my new friend Eagon was born.  
	I turned to the Marshall, “You were right.  He’s undead.”  

	Notes – Chapter Sixty-Three – Soft room of stone

	In the morning, the Marshall informed me that the book in the room was a treatise on local history written in Aquin, the language of the deep.  It included references to Wave, the trident we were after down this particular branch of the complex.  
	Once again, I offered to cook for everyone, and once again Balor and the Marshall refused to partake of our feast.  The unnamed man was a bit chewy, but there was a certain tangy taste from the sampling of lycanthrope.  I will have to save that for special recipes, assuming the flesh stays fresh after reanimation.  
	I offered some of that to the Marshall as well.
	“It has the exact balance of nutrients your body needs,” I implored him.  
	“I never would have thought to cook the flesh,” Willow commented to me as I cooked up some fresh stew.  She grew up on raw meat with her wolf friends in the woods.  I reminded her why cooking was better.  
	“It makes it easier to chew.”  
	We opened up the door to the next room after breakfast, revealing a room full of luxuries.  There was a soft feather bed.  There were treats lined up on tables next to wonderfully comfortable furniture.  It seemed too good to be true, especially after spending the night on a cold stone floor.  
	We searched the room thoroughly.  I asked BR to move the bed.  BR looked at me like he did not understand.  I again regretted that I had not yet the funds to grant him his brain.  I needed another trip to the wizard for that.  I’ll just have to while away the hours, consulting with the rain, until then.  
	I asked Blakberry to do it next, and he was also unable to do so, but he explained why.  The bed was really not there.  It turns out the entire room was only made to look nice.  Which was a shame, because Blackberry would have really liked the lemon squares.  Blackberry likes anything acidic.  
	Balor found something real there.  A chest.  With money and a note.  Apparently the unnamed man’s complaints about his meager surroundings did not entirely fall on deaf ears.  The room thus looted, we returned to the hallway leading from the hag’s lair.  Eagon led the way, just learning how to walk again.  I was so proud of him.  It was too bad he died so young.  

	Notes – Chapter Sixty-Four – Long Hall, Three Doors, Big Bubble

	The long hallway led to not one, but three doors.  All designed to hold back water, we later determined.  That made sense, given that the room beyond was a tunnel leading to a bubble, the walls a thin membrane holding back a lake of boiling water.  We had to be careful not to pierce it.  We’d save that for later.  	
	At the center of the bubble was a pile of refuse and bones.  It was beautiful.  I expected to find a kindred spirit.  Someone who would really appreciate me and my friends.  Instead, we found a giant crab.  
	Eagon and Eames rushed forward to greet it, as did Blackberry and BR.  The crab grabbed Eagon and crushed the unlife out of him within seconds.  Eames died soon after.  I wanted to rip its claws out with my bare hands.  I wanted to tear out its eye sockets and pour acid into them, burning through to its brain.  It must DIE.  
	I turned to Willow.  “Crush its spirit.”  
	She obliged and summoned forth three snarling dire wolves, Cuddles, Fluffy, and Snuggums, who immediately surrounded it and tore its carapace apart.  Soon, we had an overabundance of crab meat.  I was so angry at it, I almost ate some of its flesh before proper decorum took over and I threw up all over my boots.  The Marshall and Balor ate plenty of it, and took more of the flesh for later.  I tried not to throw up again when they did so.  
	“And you won’t eat my stew??” I scolded them.  Truly disgusting.  
	We had a long discussion about whether or not to pierce the bubble deliberately.  I thought it was a terrible idea, and so quickly left the bubble.  I managed to convince my lab assistants that it would be best, if we did it at all, to do it when we were ready to leave this complex.  It looked like there was an awful lot of water in there.  

	Notes – Chapter Sixty-Five – A Sphinx says what?  

	We returned to the Sphinx, who seemed somewhat surprised to see us alive again, repeating our answer to the riddle as we did so, to avoid the symbol trap.  He then asked us another riddle:

	I surround the tower’s base
	A hollow sun to bring joy to my master’s face
	Because of me they ignore opportunities they’ve missed
	By design, I remind them of their promise.  

	It made us all think for a moment.  The notion of a ring came to mind.  A ring of gold, from the picture of the sun.  But then what rings were gold.  It suddenly brought me back to a dim, dim memory.  I was sitting at home, sitting at the main table.  My parents were there, as was Willow, in her crib.  I saw mother’s hand holding a bowl of something that smelled strange.  I noticed her finger had a gold ring.  She saw me looking and smiled.  And then she spoke as I stared up at her red, glowing eyes.   
	“A gold ring,” said the Marshall.  
	“A wedding ring,” I said, though I don’t remember the words.  
	The Sphinx said it was correct, though he said the complete answer was a gold wedding ring, but he was generous because of all the crab meat we brought him.  
	We all repeated it and headed down the hallway to the northeast, eventually coming to yet another door to yet another room.  
	Along the way, a large patch of green slime fell from the ceiling onto Balor, Willow, Breeze, and Blackberry.  We quickly scraped and froze it off, but not before they were all severely weakened.  We needed to rest, and the room seemed the best option.  Riddles could wait for later.  

	Notes – Chapter Sixty-Six – Nine Globes of Glass – Two new friends  

	The room we found had muddy floors, but that did not stop us from resting.  I slept in BR’s arms, while the Marshall slept on Blackberry’s outstretched wings.  Willow seemed to enjoy the mud.  
	The room closed itself on us when we entered, leaving us with a puzzle.  Nine large glass globes hung from adamantine wires from the ceiling.  We could not see into them.  We could not open the door.  Starting at the end, we decided we needed to open the globes, but carefully.  After we rested long enough to cure what ails us, we cut down the ninth and carefully lowered it to the ground on BR’s back.  Balor then used his glass cutter to open a small hole in the globe.  
	From the hole, we poured out several gems and pearls and a key.  The key fit the door perfectly.  The door did not open.  
	We repeated this with the rest of the globes, finding such useful items as lead coins, glass gems, and more keys, one per globe, none of which would open the door.  One globe spewed forth an air elemental, which gave us fine sport before we returned to our key quest.  
	One globe revealed two shadows.  I was so excited I almost dropped my skull before I made some new friends.  They quickly settled onto either side of me.  I was so happy I did not care about the globes anymore, though it was nice when the very last globe we tried, number eight, held the key to the door.  My two new friends, Shaemus and Seeka, met us on the other side.  Oh how I wish I could glide through walls like they do.


----------



## Altalazar (Mar 3, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Sixty-Seven – Sick as a Dog

	Willow came to me distressed.  Breeze, her wolf, was as sick as a dog.  She was feeling weak and tired and so we just had to stop and rest and get Breeze feeling better.  I took the time to make many long observations of my two new friends Shaemus and Seeka.  Both tried to talk to me, but their words were unintelligible.  They reminded me of when Willow first started talking.  I copied down what they tried to say, filling one of my notebooks.  Perhaps great secrets can be unlocked if only the strange language of shadows can be deciphered.  
	While they lacked words, they did not lack intelligence.  They did communicate to me in simple ways.  I taught them to show me what was true and what was not to a simple question.  Their ability to go through walls would be useful.  I wondered what it was like.  Oh, if only I could drift through the world like they did.  I wish they could tell me about it.  
	Once Breeze was well again, with my tending, we returned to the hall.  We found a door to a room containing five bodies.  I tried to contain my excitement!  

	Notes – Chapter Sixty-Eight – Five Bodies, one unlike the other

	Each of the five bodies wore a tunic with a symbol on its surface.  The symbols ranged from ‘5’ to ‘7’ to ‘9’ to ‘11’ to ’13.’  Before I could inspect the bodies more closely to see if they were ripe for my use, the ‘11’ body spoke.  “One of us is not like the other’s.  You have one minute to tell me which or I shall destroy you.”  
	We looked at them carefully.  I consulted with Willow and my friends.  Blackberry suggested that they all looked equally tasty.  But Willow and I quickly decided that ‘9’ was unlike the others because it was not prime.  Willow explained that prime numbers are unnatural numbers because they are never found in nature, only created by the destructive forces of humankind.  We said ‘9’ and passed the test, leaving the bodies in the room before moving on.  My discerning eye told me that they would be worth something to someone who has an interest in bodies.  Or rather, they interested me.  We’ll have to gather them later.  
	The corridor beyond the room was blocked by a portcullis.  Balor vanished from sight, then was quickly stuck by it.  It was alive!  It was an aberration known as a mimic!  And it was slowly bashing Balor’s invisible brains into raw materials for my experiments.  
	I quickly sent Seamus and Seeka through its body to the other side of it and they started slowly draining away its strength while Balor struggled to escape.  The Mute Bard kept hitting it with his spiked chain, his drumming echoing down the hallway.  I was disappointed to see the creature die before my two new friends could drain away his strength.  I was very curious to see what would have happened.  I’ll have to set up a more controlled experiment in the future.  

	Notes – Chapter Sixty-Nine – Huge, complicated room of mud and fire

	The next corridor led to a large room filled with boiling mud fifty feet below us.  The only way across the large room was to jump from platforms suspended on chains attached to the ceiling.  It looked like a long, treacherous journey to get to the other side of the room without falling and without being incinerated by boiling hot mud.  So Blackberry ferried all of us across, flying back and forth until we reached the other side.  

	Notes – Chapter Seventy – Ctenmiir is not formally introduced

	In the next room I sent my new friends ahead to scout with Balor and Willow.  They excitedly tried to tell me they saw something, but I did not understand.  I heard Willow say something about “smoke” and then the Marshall gave his special commands and we all quickly entered the chamber and surrounded what appeared to be a dwarf dressed in full plate armor and holding an impressive warhammer.  
	With my friends surrounding him, I quickly weaved my new magic and made my two zombie friends move much faster, allowing them to pummel the dwarf with great efficiency.  
	There was something about that dwarf.  At first, I could not place it, but then he turned and looked into my eyes, and then I knew!  Unlike our earlier friend, he really was a vampire!  My first!  I had heard so much about them!  He will be my friend, I know he will.  We will have so much to talk about!  I was so happy.  I quickly ordered my friends to move away from him.  I held aloft my skull and made him my friend.  
	“No, stop!” I shouted.  “I made him my friend!”  
	Suddenly the dwarf stopped fighting, and introduced himself.  “I am Ctenmiir.”
	The Marshall asked him, “How did you become a vampire?”  
	“Whelm was my birthright.  My weapon that I’ve always had.  I fell in battle, but my friends escaped, taking Whelm with them.  It was then eventually sold.  After the battle, I rose as a vampire, and served my vampire master for many decades until the great Karaptis came and rescued me, killed my master, and then restored my birthright to its rightful place in my hand.”  
	“What is it like to be a vampire?” I asked him. 
	“It is very lonely,” he replied.  Ctenmiir looked at me after noticing that Balor was searching the stones in this room.  “Stop that Balor, that is very rude,” I said, but Balor ignored me.  
	The Marshall asked him, “What of Karaptis, can we meet him?”
	“Karaptis would never trifle with the likes of you,” Ctenmiir replied.  
	“Wonderful,” said the Marshall, “so then would you like to join us?  Get out of this place?” 
	Ctenmiir paused and thought long and hard.  He seemed torn, like he wanted to join us, a group who could truly accept him for who he was, value his contribution, and not balk at his special dietary needs.  But then his shoulders sagged, and he said, “No, I’m afraid I cannot abandon Karaptis.  I owe him everything.  I owe him my existence.  I owe him blood!” He then emphasized his words by slamming his warhammer into Balor, then slamming his fist into Balor, sucking the life right out of him.  Balor staggered and stepped back.  Ctenmiir then grabbed the Marshall and sank his fangs into his neck, draining the blood from his body.  My other lab assistants then began to assault Ctenmiir once more.  
	“No wait!” I shouted, “he’s our friend, don’t hurt him!”  
	But they did not listen.  I could only sit and watch as the slowly wore him down.  I sent my spectral hand to heal him, keeping him alive as long as I could.  Finally, he evaporated into mist, releasing the Marshall, retreating to the ceiling, turning his gaze to Balor.  But before he could do more, Selena greased the ceiling beneath his feet and he fell directly onto the Marshall’s blade.  Soon he was overwhelmed, worn down by blades,  blasts of lightning from Willow, and missiles of magic from Selena, until his gaseous form seeped into the rocks beneath us.  
	Below our feet, we found his coffin, his journal, and the sum total of his existence in treasure.  Of most interest was a huge, double-bladed sword that was literally dripping in magic.  And, of course, we had Whelm, which brought us to this place.  Now that we had it, we had only one more weapon to retrieve before we were finished with this awful place.  This place where I made a new friend, only to see him cut down in his prime.  I will have to create a new, special friend in his honor.  I began to gather the components.


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## Altalazar (Mar 11, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Seventy-One – Logan joins us, Sphinx joins us in fact

	Overnight, I prepared my ritual desecration, making the ground fertile for my new friend.  My research had reached a new pinnacle, and I used my new insight in the creation process.  The werewolf’s body stirred and twitched, the gem in its mouth slowly melting into her brain cavity.  Her muscles, formerly soft and withered, sprang back to life, and then filled out even larger than they were before.  I made a new friend!  And she was better and stronger than she was before.  I named her Logan.  She was a lovely ghoul.  
	We returned to the sphinx.  He was quite impressed to see us still alive.  We showed him that we had two of the three weapons.  
	“I see you made it back.  You are the first to make it this far.  You are the first to make it back with even one weapon.”  
	The Marshall spoke first, “Yes, we are.  And we’ll get Blackrazor next.  Why don’t you come with us.  We have a keep, we have a mausoleum, you can take your pick of where to stay.”
	The sphinx thought for a moment wistfully, “ah, to see open sky, to see the stars.  I miss the stars.  But I cannot go.  If you get Blackrazor, I am freed from my task, but I am still not free to leave, if you know what I mean.”  
	“Your task complete, there is no reason to stay.  And Keraptis will have no reason to keep you, if you know what I mean.”  
	The sphinx closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again.  “I accept your proposal.  The way is clear, no more riddles need be answered.  When you return with Blackrazor, I will return with you.”  
	Willow was disappointed.  “I wanted another riddle!”  
	“Yes, a riddle for Willow,” I added.  
	“Very well,” the sphinx said, with some amusement in his eye.  “One last riddle.”  

What does man love more than life,
Hate more than death, or mortal strife?
That which contented men desire,
The poor have, the rich require?
The miser spends, the spendthrift saves,
And all men carry to their graves?

	Before the words were complete, I already had the answer.  “Nothing.”  Willow smiled, and we moved on down the corridor.  

	Notes – Chapter Seventy-Two – Hot dagger, new friends

	The hall led to a corridor, still knee-deep with water, that had large copper plates on either wall, all the way down its length.  Balor quickly discovered that standing between the plates caused all of his metal to heat up and burn him.  He removed his dagger and sword and then methodically disarmed the plates all the way down the hall while I taught Logan how to play ‘Dead Man’s Cards,’ a card game popular with my other friends since they first gained awareness.  
	Once the hallway was safe, we traversed it to a room with stairs at the opposite end, and a hidden door on our end (found courtesy of Balor).  
	Balor opened the door and saw more creatures like Logan, and an apparition he had never seen before.
	“Vincent!” he shouted, and the Marshall responded by ordering us all forward.  We quickly filled the room with our presence, my ghouls out front.  I stood by the door, ready to turn the corner, my skull in hand.  
	The apparition was something I had never seen before, but in the dim recesses of my mind, I recalled reading about it.  It was known as a Quell, and it was known only for its ability to cut off a divine being from the divine.  This quell seemed taken aback by the appearance in our party of ghouls similar to the ghouls it led.  
	Before it could react to me, I turned the corner and held aloft my skull, and made it, and two of its three ghouls, my friend.  Pure peer pressure induced the final ghoul to join us, aided by expert diplomacy from the Marshall.  The Marshall called that one ‘Blue,’ while I named the other two Stabler and Benson.  The Quell was Irishdan, a name that floated down from on high.  
	Our party thus enhanced, we moved forward into the next room.  

	Notes – Chapter Seventy-Three – Sliding pits, Slashing Blades, Singing birds

	The next room was a very long and wide corridor, split by two large pits.  We heard a siren’s song from ahead, and Balor and Selena heard its call and walked carelessly forward, into the pit ahead of us.  At the bottom, they were met by whirling blades which slashed their flesh.  I sent BR ahead to grab Selena out of the Pit, but could not stop Balor, who began walking up the opposite wall and along the corridor ahead, his slippers clinging to the wall of the pit as easily as the floor.  
	I sent Blackberry to ferry Stabler to the other side of the pit while Willow changed into a bird and flew ahead.  Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then Stabler started slowly sliding forward to the second pit.  The Marshall threw him a rope and he grabbed it, stopping his slide. Balor kept on walking.  
	Balor walked right through the opposite wall and vanished.  The wall was not a wall at all.  I sent Blackberry ahead with Selena and my three disembodied friends flew ahead, sapping the strength of the foe beyond.  
	It turned out that beyond the wall not a wall was a bird not a bird.  It was a harpy.  Soon it was a dead harpy.  More treasure.  Slightly gamey.  

	Notes – Chapter Seventy-Four – Floating river, and then a floating feast

	There was an amazing sight in the next room.  A river suspended above the floor, flowing through the walls. Balor scouted ahead, walking along the ceiling, and reported that the river flowed to another, similar room, where six men made camp.  I quickly sent ahead Seamus, Seeka, and Irishdan to deal with them.  A minute later, they returned, a new shade in tow, one of the former men.  Then three of the men came on rafts from the opposite direction on the river, apparently attempting to flee the three shades that killed their friends.  The sight that greeted them as they entered the room on their rafts, ostensibly to escape:  The Marshall, his Sorcerer cohort, Willow and her large wolf Breeze, the mute bard, six ghouls, a zombie troll, a zombie black dragon, three shadows, one quell, and myself.  I doubt they had time for it to all fully register before they joined their comrades.  We ate well that day.  

	Notes – Chapter Seventy-Five – Tiers of water and beasts

	Though a hidden door and hall in the dead men’s room, we found another spectacle.  This was an inverted ziggurat, each level filled with water, beasts, and peril.  It looked like it would be one hellacious struggle to make it down through each level, fighting beasts even as we fought for breath underneath the water.  It would be a struggle we would be lucky to survive, a struggle we would tell our grandchildren about.  So I sent in the shadows to drain all of their strength and kill them, then we moved on.  

	Notes – Chapter Seventy-Six – Blackrazor and Friend, the Sphinx joins us in spirit

	Beyond the ziggurat was a room with a halfling.  The room looked luxurious.  The halfling looked forelorn.  He quickly agreed to join us out.  He had Blackrazor under a divan, and he was very reluctant to touch it.  The Marshall had no problems with it, and picked it up.  It was a fabulous looking greatsword.  I also noticed there was another greatsword in the room, of large size, hanging over the door.  BR might want that, so I had him take it.  It was not magical, which made it strange that it was there as decoration.  
	We made our way out of the complex, only to be stopped where the sphinx was, greeted by a huge being of fire and by Keraptis himself.  The fur and remains of the sphinx filled the corridor.  
	“Very good.  You’ll make excellent additions to my stable,” Keraptis said.  “Now if you’ll just throw down your weapons and prepare for processing.”  
	“Where’s the sphinx?”  We asked.  
	“Oh, I was watching it all.  I can’t have my minions acting on their own.  His purpose was fulfilled.” 
	I silently vowed that I would bring him back and he would see his clear skies.  
	The battle was joined.  
	It turned out that Keraptis was but an image, and the only real foe was the being of fire before us.  And fire there was.  A wall of fire filled the hallway ahead, and then filled the hallway we stood in as well, cutting us into four segments of creatures.  My ghouls all were burned badly, and then BR was burned almost to death.  I healed him, only to see him burned again.  The creature kept turning to smoke and hiding in the flames before appearing again elsewhere.  It quickly became apparent that we were at a great disadvantage in this cramped space, filled with overlapping fire.  Willow dispelled one of the walls, and then I ordered my friends to leave.  If the fire creature wished to follow us and fight in the open, we could kill him then, and if not, well, we had what we came for.  
	We exited the complex, and it did not follow.  
	We healed ourselves, then quickly returned, gathering up the bodies we had left behind, particularly the valuable ones.  Then we headed for town, laden with bodies and loot, and three special weapons.  I had the feeling we had not heard the last from Keraptis.  Now where did that halfling go?


----------



## Altalazar (Mar 18, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Seventy-Seven – I make some new friends

	We headed back to the small town near the mountain.  After dispensing with the fungible goods we had liberated, we had nearly seventeen thousand gold coins for each of us.  We also had a fair number of items that were magic.  I had no use for any of them, save a small necklace of beads that allowed me to bless and heal.  I ended up with two suits of full plate armor that were enchanted to better protect the wearer.  They were too restrictive for me to do my magic, but one suit fit on Blackberry quite nicely.  The other suit I will get to in a moment.  
	My biggest portion of the booty was the five bodies of the men, the harpy’s body, and the sphinx’s body.  I made two new zombie friends out of the harpy and sphinx, and then I made my very first personal bodyguard out four of the other bodies.  It was a fascinating ritual.  First, I had to cut holes into one of the bodies.  Then I had to drain all of the blood out of three of the others, and magically channel all of it into the first body until it was bursting at the seams with blood.  It was a veritable blood hulk.  I named him Rankin.  He is my first bodyguard.  And so I gave him the other suit of full plate armor.  He looks quite handsome in his armor.  He does me proud.  But there is something missing.  
	I returned to our keep, and gathered together all of my friends.  I introduced my new friends, including four new human alabaster beauties that I created for the occasion.  About half of them could only stand there, their faces blank.  I could almost hear them screaming to be released.  I knew what was missing and what I had to do.  
	It took some time, but I marched all of my friends to the Great Old One.  I again offered him one hundred ninety one platinum to do his great ritual.  And thus the eyes of more friends were opened, including my new alabaster beauties, my new bodyguard, BR, my new harpy friend, and my new sphinx friend, whom I named Tessa.  
	When I was on the road back to the keep, Willow came running up with Breeze.  
	“I was looking everywhere for you,” she said.  “Where is the sphinx’s body?”  I pointed to the wagon, where Tessa was busily pulling it forward.  Willow stepped forward and touched the sphinx, weaving her magic.  
	Suddenly, another body appeared next to the sphinx, to meet the sphinx’s essence.  It was a large spidery form.  The form held there a moment, then resolved itself into a humanoid.  
	“Welcome back,” said Willow.  She then introduced the new-body sphinx to her old body.  “This is Tessa – is that okay with you, that name?”  
	“That is not me,” said the spider-turned-humanoid sphinx.  “I have nothing more to say on that.”  


	Notes – Chapter Seventy-Eight – Balor misses his mark, we redeem our hammer

	When my friends returned to the keep, I heard a sad tale from Balor.  Apparently his new friends had asked him to provide a service for someone that turned out to be the halfling we had met.  Only he did not realize the halflling (who apparently was an ogre magi) was the one he was supposed to provide the service for (or was it on?)  Balor tried to track him, but could not determine his path through the woods.  
	“Don’t worry,” I told him, “you can make more friends.”  
	We prepared ourselves for another expedition.  I finally was able to obtain my skull-rod of friend mastery, and so greatly increased the number of friends I could have at one time within my circle.  I also obtained another rod to extend how long my enchantments would last, and so I can now make Blackberry my lieutenant for two days at a time.  Blackberry is proud to serve.  
	 Our affairs in order, we returned to the town near the keep.  There, we gave the hammer, Whelm, to its former owner and told him the tale of how we got it.  He was very sad to hear that the former owner was a vampire.  
	“I know, it is a tragedy,” I told him, “we had to destroy a vampire.”  
	“Well, at least he’s not roaming the land as undead,” he replied.  Before I knew what I was doing, I was about to touch him and drain the life out of him, but Rankin stopped me.  Good bodyguard.  Willow was standing behind him.  
	We returned to the street, Rankin following behind me, his features hidden well by his full plate armor.  We ran into Reg, out on the street patrolling for the festival.  I had not realized there was a festival.  Everyone was dressed as if they were one of my friends.  They called it the Midsummer parade.  The one day of the year when all of my friends could walk the streets without worry of the horrible bigotry of the cattle.  
	“What wonderful costumes,” Reg said, referring to my friends.  He looked carefully at them a moment, before returning his eyes to crowd control.  Reg seemed more concerned about order than the fun of the festival.  He needed a vacation, I think.  Or the freedom of being one of my friends.  
	“Did you manage to take care of Riikan Dack’s needs?” Reg asked.  
	“Yes, we did.  Unfortunately, we were forced to kill a vampire,” I said, echoed by the Marshall.  
	Reg managed to roll his eyes at us without looking at us, a feat I found particularly impressive, as he said, “you guys are becoming a really good group of heroes.”  
	“Thank you,” we said.  “If there are any other needs, be sure to let us know.”  
	“Have you noticed how the woodland creatures have returned to the land?” asked Willow.
	“I did not notice the critters were missing,” Reg replied.  
	“How could you not know??” Willow retorted, and this time it was I who restrained her from pummeling the Paladin. I had to remind her that the land would return regardless of Reg’s notice.  Reg must not have noticed the sign we posted, which read:  

	Hunting for food only. 
	No Hunting Animals.  

	As we were about to depart, Reg voiced a need.  “We have a training program for youths who are to join the city guard.  I was hoping to give them a test run of their skills.  Might they find some good training at the keep?”
	“Why of course,” the Marshall said, “there is a lot of training they can get done there.”  
	I hoped that they would not hurt my friends.  But then maybe they can be good practice!  If anything happens to the youths, they can always join my ranks.  
	We returned to the road to the keep after enjoying the festival.  

Book VI

	Notes – Chapter Seventy-Nine – Puppy runs, Pixie plums  

	When we were almost back to the keep, one of Willow’s puppies suddenly ran away from us and headed off the road and into the woods.  We quickly ran after him, finally catching up to him in a small clearing, where the puppy had trapped underneath his paws a small creature.  
	The creature was less than three feet tall, wore bright clothes, had curly-toed boots, and had small wings that were pressed into the dirt underneath him as the puppy held him down.  
	“Fluffy, what do you have there?” Willow asked.  
	“Help me, get him off me,” the small creature said in Sylvan.  
	“That’s not much of a meal,” I replied helpfully to Fluffy.  
	“Get off him,” Willow said to Fluffy, and Fluffy let him go.  
	“Are you the one that made the animals reappear and the forest bright?” the little being asked.  
	“Yes,” said Willow, “I am.  What brings you here?”
	“Something has been hunting my kind,” the little pixie said.  
	“Are they hunting animals too?” I asked.  
	“Other creatures that speak my language,” he said.  “We keep finding them dead.  We find tracks leading back to the village nearby.  I’m afraid that it is trying to convince us to go after the village.” 
	“Humans do a lot of damage,” Willow said helpfully.
	“I don’t think it is the village,” said the Marshall.  “I think this creature, whatever it is, is just trying to trick you.”  
	“We will help you,” Willow said.  “Lead us to your friends.”
	“They won’t talk to outsiders,” said the pixie, “But I will lead you to our wood.  I have been watching you for a while.  That was why I let your puppy catch me.”  
	Though it was only two days through the woods, we took the long way around on the roads so I could bring my two carts.  Midsummer festival was over and I needed to have my friends with me, free of bigotry.  After a week’s travel, we made our way to the pixie’s wood.  

	Notes – Chapter Eighty – Woods outside Pearl Glenn

	Dusty the pixie took us all the way to the scene of the latest body, a dead dryad.  He said that they had tried to raise her and failed and tried to reincarnate her and failed.  
	“I bet I can raise her,” I said, but Willow suggested I wait on that.  
	The next body he showed us was of a nymph.  Like the dryad, there was little left of her.  The tracks from the scene headed back toward the nearby village of Pearl Glenn.  
	Willow thought that the damage to the bodies could have been done by one or more very large bears.  I think she was right, but only because of what happened later.  
	Dusty asked me how I could raise them.  I explained about zombies.  
	“Zombies live in harmony with nature.  Humans aren’t so good with nature (though they are good sources of food).  But zombies are good and in perfect harmony with nature.  They don’t consume anything.  They don’t have any need to venture beyond their basic duties.  The world would be a much better place if there were more zombies in it.”
	Dusty listened with eyes wide.  I think I got through to him.  The Marshall also tried to convince him, but he told the Marshall, “your words dripped in sugar won’t change who I am.”  
	We turned toward town.  Dusty said he would not come with us, but, “come to this tree here and leave something of yourselves.  I will find you.”  
	Willow suggested leaving some of her blood, but I told her we could just leave a ghoul.  

	Notes – Chapter Eighty-One – Pearl Glenn – Home of the Shrine of the Feathered Serpent

	The village was surrounded with a wooden stockade.  It looked rustic, but quant, nestled in the middle of the vast woods.  It was just the sort of village that Willow would happily burn to the ground.  But I would not let her do that.  Fire tends to ruin the bodies.  
	“Halt travelers!” yelled a guard at the gate as we approached.  “You must pay one silver per person and animal and three silver per cart.”  
	“How much per un-dea…” I started to ask before Willow elbowed me.  Such bigotry is everywhere.  
	We told him we were here because something was killing things out in the forest.  He still asked for a toll.
	“Why pay a toll?  Why is there a toll?” the Marshall asked.  
	“To support the civic project,” he replied in that nice vague manner town guards everywhere have perfected.  
	“What project?”  
	“I don’t know what it is,” the guard replied.  “But people also come here to see the great feathered serpent statue.  Don’t you know the story of it?”  
	“No, we do not,” said the Marshall.  “Please tell us.”  
	“Well, I don’t have time, there are others waiting in line!” said the guard, gesturing to the long line that had formed behind us.  
	“Here, take this,” said the Marshall, handing him a handful of four gold coins.  “That ought to cover us.” 
	“Well, if you put it that way, then I don’t think I’ll be needing to look in the carts, either,” said the guard.  My dozen special friends huddling in the two carts breathed a sigh of relief.  Or was it disappointment?   “And as for the shrine, some say it has miraculous powers.  You might find out more at the inn, the Village Tapp.”  
	We then bid our good bye and headed into town.  A few moments later, Balor joined us, and then handed each of us a gold coin.  “Here’s your money back, Marshall, and then some,” he said.  “Now I just have to get rid of the guard’s pouch, lest he notice it on us when he comes looking for his gold.”  
	“Here, give that to me,” I said.  
	Balor handed me the small pouch.  I handed it to Rankin, who then opened his full plate visor and put it in his mouth.  
	“Rankin will eat it,” I told Balor.  And he did.  The belt pouch vanished down into his massive girth.  

	Notes – Chapter Eighty-Two – Village Tapp

	Just outside the inn was a centaur, begging for coins.  Willow stopped to talk to him.  He looked pretty mangled and downtrodden.  “Would you like a new life,” she asked him, “you can join us.”  I wondered if she was referring to giving him a whole new body.  
	“Leave me alone,” he replied.  Everyone but Willow went inside the inn.  
	We found lots of travelers inside.  We started to talk to them.  The Marshall heard that the main village priest, a priest of Pelor named Kalina, left about a week ago.  
	“Did she destroy undead,” I interrupted, but the tale continued.  
	The statue of the feathered serpent tale then followed.  
	“The statue is watched by the wardens,” we were told.  “The statue was built to honor a feathered serpent, a Coutl, who came to our village in its darkest hour.  There was a plague across the land, and our small village had no clerics to protect it.  Then the serpent came, and he cured us and sequestered us, and helped us bury our infected dead, who lie still in the huge cemetery on the other side of town.  His name was Tlanextic.  After saving our town, we built a magnificent wooden statue in his honor.  The plague gone, he left, but he promised to look in on us from time to time.”  
	Another patron interrupted his companion’s tale, “And now he has!  Tlanextic has returned!” 
	“When?” we asked.  
	“A week ago!  That was also when the warden was killed.”  
	“Hmm,” the Marshall said quietly, “that seems rather convenient.  When can we go see the shrine?”  
	“Well, the wardens put the kibosh on seeing the shrine a week ago.  Ever seen the undead in the graveyard rose up and killed the head warden.”  
	“What?  What undead?” I asked.  
	“Plague victims, rising from their graves, I hear!” whispered one patron.  
	“Who is the new warden,” asked the Marshall.  
	“That would be Larius, he’s at the blockhouse, where the wardens are housed.”  
	Time to visit the shrine.  

	Notes – Chapter Eighty-Three – Shrine and Blockhouse

	The shrine turned out to be a large wooden building.  Once we were inside, we immediately noticed a discrepancy.  
	“Where’s the statue?”
	“Oh, we had to move it,” answered a voice behind us, a voice attached to Hetagg of Pelor, the acting head of the shrine.  I noticed his prominent holy symbol of Pelor around his neck.  I wondered how many poor, innocent undead were slaughtered by that infernal thing.  I wondered how many potential friends had that cursed symbol be the last thing they ever saw.  I leaned over to Belor and whispered in his ear.  
	“Since you are here to help, there is no harm telling you this.  Tlanextic came back to help prevent something, some great evil, much like he did before.  He needs to create a great ward for us, and so we have been gathering all of the gold that we can to give him for this task.  He is holed up in the ancient temple near town.  If you want to help us, the first thing you can do is take care of the undead in the graveyard.”  
	“Oh, we can do that,” said the Marshall, “and what do you want us to do for the second minute?”  
	“What is this ward stone supposed to do?”  I asked.
	“Protect us from the great evil, of course!” Hetagg replied.  “We appreciate your donations at the gate, by the way!”
	“Oh, we’d be happy to give again,” replied Balor.  Balor then repeated, under his breath, “and again and again and again.  The same gold, even.”  
	“What about the wardens,” I asked.  
	“Oh, the blockhouse is off limits to the public.  But perhaps he can make an exception for you.”  
	We then left the shrine and headed for the blockhouse.  On the way out, Belor came up to me and handed me something.  I looked down and saw I was holding Hetagg’s holy symbol of Pelor.  “He won’t be needed this anymore,” I said.  “Here Rankin,” I said as I opened his visor and Rankin took it into his mouth and chewed it into tiny bits before swallowing it.  
At the blockhouse, we met Larius, the new warden leader, a gnome.  Along with him was a wolf.  Breeze made an introduction.  The wolf’s name was Atraeus.  Larius seemed particularly interested in Rankin, trying to look beyond his visor.  Rankin was unrattled and did not let him see his face.  
We told Larius we would help, starting with the graveyard.  
“I believe there were skeletons there that took down the warden,” he said.  “Do you need an escort to get there?”
“Oh no, we don’t need an escort,” the Marshall replied, not wanting our whole party to be seen by the gnome.  With that, we left.  

Notes – Chapter Eighty-Four – Graveyard Shift 

The graveyard was easy to find.  We set up watches that lasted all night and then proceeded to search the whole place.  We did find many graves recently dug up and then recovered, including the warden’s grave.  I had my ghoulish friends dig into the loose dirt to see what they could find.  All of the graves were empty.  
Waiting all night was a disappointment.  No one was there.  No friends.  No enemies.  No visitors.  By the break of dawn, we were all tired, so we slept, then we returned to town.  
Balor had a separate tale to tell from the night.  He went to the shrine to search it for all these donations.  While he was inside, searching, the priest came and asked “who is in there?  Are you a ghost?”  The priest then apparently began to prepare to turn, “by the power of Pelor, I… where’s my??“ and then Balor heard his rapidly retreating footsteps.  
	After we were gathered up together, we set out for the ancient temple outside of town.  

	Notes – Chapter Eighty-Five – Narrow Path to the Temple

	The path through the woods was narrow and difficult.  We had to leave the carts behind.  It was uneventful, until the temple was almost in sight.  Then we saw three large dire bears blocking the path.  They were eating a large pile of berries.  They did not look like they would share.  
	Willow ran forward, her instincts telling her that they were about to attack us.  Unfortunately, her instincts did not warn her that three dire bears could pretty quickly rip her to shreds, which they proceeded to start to do.  I sent Blackberry ahead to cover her retreat while Balor sent a few arrows into the side of the largest one.  Willow and Breeze pulled back into the thicket off the trail, barely alive.  
	The bears then proceeded to shred Blackberry’s poor flesh, and so I had Blackberry retreat soon after, and sent up three of my ghouls to engage the bears.  I had already cast zombie haste on my zombies, and so then I proceeded to weave one of my newer enchantments, granting a blazing fire to my undead friends that they could use as they struck.  Blue and Benson ripped into a bear, tearing out its flesh and burning it, though it still did not go down.  The Marshall tried to flank it, but could not get around the thick brush.  Then an arrow came from our left and struck Blackberry.  There was someone else here!
	I sent Tessa up into the sky to deal with our sniper.  She found a wooden platform, enclosed, in a tree nearby, and proceeded to begin to rip the roof off of the structure.  Whomever was inside could not see her, so he or she kept shooting arrows at us.  
	The bear on Blue and Benson quickly ripped both of them to shreds, and the other bears rushed forward.  We finally took one of them out as Selena sent lightning through several of them.  Then, when there was only one left, he rushed forward and managed someone to sniff my scent out of all of the others on the path, and attacked me.  I nearly died from the wounds it quickly made.  Fortunately for us, where it moved left us to surround him, and he quickly died.  Then the huge ball of fire erupted from the berries, killing ghoul Stabler, and nearly killing several of my laboratory assistants.  
	Tessa finally ripped open the bunker, but found no one inside.  Whomever it was had fled.  
	I surveyed our group after the fight was over.  We had expended half our magic.  We had nearly lost four of our primary numbers, and we had lost three of my dear ghoul friends.  By the time we were fully healed, we had almost nothing left in reserve.  It looked like the temple would have to wait.  I mourned the passing of my friends.  It is sad when you lose a friend.  Especially three all at once.  I looked at the three large bear corpses and began to think.


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## Altalazar (Mar 24, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Eighty-Six – Burial and Cookout

	It took me quite some time and most of my magic to heal poor Blackberry back to his normal robust condition.  And poor Stabler, Blue, and Benson lay upon the ground, smouldering husks.  Stabler in particular had been burned while standing near a mesquite tree.  The tangy mesquite-roasted flavor of her flesh wafted through my nostrils.  It was time to honor the dead.  
	We went down the path a ways, and then off of it, setting up a place to rest and a place to honor the fallen.  We honored them with a cookout.  Stabler was the centerpiece.  I made stew and appetizers for, from the others.  Yet again, only Willow accepted my cooking.  Grunt still claims he is a vegetarian, yet I could have sworn I saw him eat some of the bear meat.  How revolting.  I threw up all over my boots.  
	After we rested, we again headed for the temple.  At the entrance, we saw two wardens awaiting our arrival. 

	Notes – Chapter Eighty-Seven – Welcome to the Shrine

	The two wardens welcomed us and asked us our names, so as to announce our arrival.  
“Halt – do not approach any further!  We require the names of those who would see our beneficent savior!”
I took a few minutes to write up a list for him of my friends.  Balor slipped in behind us invisible.  Willow and the Marshall led the way, announcing himself as “Overlord of Bundelsnorf.”  
	Inside was a lovely, ancient temple.  Sunlight poured in from above, so I sent my shadow friends through the floor to look for somewhere less inhospitable for their sensitive dispositions.  The scent of flowers permeated the air.  Upon a raised platform was what I presumed was a coutl.  I apparently presumed wrong.  But I’ll get to that in a moment.  
	The coutl spoke, its words filling the air with beautiful sounds.  “There is an evil, a great menace, that we all must fight.”
	“What do you know of this evil,” our own lord of Bundelsnorf asked.  “What can we do to fight it?”
	“Why, you can donate gold for us to finish these stones that will fight it!”  
	“Why can’t we do something more useful, like some task,” the Marshall replied.  “We can be of great help!”
	“No,” the coutl replied back, “you know how magic is created.  It requires great quantities of gold.”
	“No, I do not know how magic is created,” the Marshall said back, “I don’t swing that way.”  
	“Well, then how about a donation, then?”  said the coutl.  Then it asked, “come forward so I can see and hear you better and we shall see how much you can afford to give.”  
	Willow and the Marshall and Breeze went up the platform to the Coutl, followed by the mute bard.  I stood along the back wall with my friends, waiting for the inevitable conflict.  I noticed eight rooms, four to each side, and saw a statue in each one that looked strangely lifelike.  Then they looked even more lifelike as they surged forward, engaging us all, eight of them in all.  
	I saw a flash of magic, and then Blackberry, BR, Rankin, Logan, and I were surrounded by tentacles that seemed to have sprung from the ground.  The fight was on.  

	Notes – Chapter Eighty-Eight – Stuck and Done

	For pretty much the entire fight, I was held by the tentacles.  Br managed to break free, as did Blackberry.  Then BR tried to help me get out, reaching over the edge of the tentacles.  Rankin also eventually made his way out.  Logan was fried by two balls of fire sent out by the coutl after the coutl revealed itself to be a spirit naga.  
	The fire hurt me greatly, as did the tentacles themselves.  I felt my life slipping away, when finally I managed to break free and crawl out of their reach, just in time to see the naga float up toward the ceiling, where it had escaped the maw of four Willow-summoned dire wolves.  The eight gargoyles had been reduced to one, who was flying up to meet its master.  
	My shadows, meanwhile, had found the only shaded portion of the temple, and there they saw a huge creature, a behir, come out and swallow Balor whole.  The shadows beat upon the behir repeatedly, until it finally collapsed to the floor.  Balor then strolled out of its mouth, pulled out his bow, and with one quick shot brought down the naga from its levitated perch.  Blackberry and Tessa swooped up and finished the remaining gargoyle, and then we had a few moments to catch our breath before noticing the gnome warden above disappear from a window.  He then jumped into a tree and vanished from sight.  Willow said he must have gone miles within seconds.  I wonder if he is going to meet the dwarf and the ogre mage/halfling?   We found a note in gnomish script, “Things are set, our plan moves forth, signed L.”  
	We found some armor and weapons in the temple, apparently property of the former warden and priest.  We kept those for ourselves.  We found the head priest’s silver holy symbol.  Rankin found it delicious.  
	A few minutes after that, the two wardens from outside strolled in, looking confused.  “What happened?  We don’t know what happened.  We’ve not been ourselves!”  
	We quickly determined that they had been charmed, as had many others.  The acolyte from town returned to the temple.  I noticed he had a new holy symbol of Pelor around his neck, held by a sturdy iron chain.  I also noticed he had two more holy symbols tucked into his boots and his belt.  I looked toward Balor, and his eyes told me everything I needed to know.  Rankin will be quite full later.  
	“Thank you so much for saving us,” he told us.  “Our church will be most grateful.”  And they were.  Several days later, when their high officials arrived in town, they took the body of the head priest (which we found in the woods, along with the body of the former head warden) and raised him from the dead.  They paid us twelve thousand gold for his body, proving Willow right when she told me I should not eat the body because it was worth something, despite these wicked Pelorian’s tendency to destroy my friends.  At least we destroyed his holy symbol.  
The high priest told us, “How wonderful to find such do-gooders!  We will keep you in mind the next time we have some problem, we will keep you in mind!”  
The Marshall replied, “We are especially helpful if you have an undead problem!”  
“Yes, we are,” I echoed.  “Just leave them to us.  When you return, whatever undead that plague you will be gone.  Have you any such need?”  The Marshall dragged me away before I could get more specific.


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## Altalazar (Apr 2, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Eighty-Nine – Long Trip Home

We returned to our lovely mausoleum and its caretaker, Harkin.  He was quite happy to see me.  I showed him my three new friends, ghasts I just made, named Wend, Smenl, and Snift.  They were still not popular with my other laboratory assistants, apparently because of their alleged bad smell.  I tried to show them that this was pure prejudice, that the smell was not so bad if you got used to it in the morning, but they would have none of that.  Even Willow, who was totally unaffected by it, did not wish them near.  “They are unnatural,” she said, even after I pointed out that “skunks are natural.”  
“So how did you handle it, my master,” Harkin asked.  
“Simple, with these,” I said as I showed him the crystal masks covering each of their faces.  “Each of these keeps the smell at bay, until the wearer wishes it let free.  I call them Necklaces of Aroma-Prejudice.”  I also showed him my new belt that heals undead.  What I did not show him was Blackberry’s new crown, fresh from the Naga’s corpse.  A circlet of blasting.  I hope he likes it.  
Harkin told us that our former Sphinx had left the mausoleum and headed toward the keep.  Willow wished to parlay, so we left the tomb in Harkin’s hand, along with a thousand gold in upkeep and repair funding so he could continue his work.  We then headed back toward the keep.  

Notes – Chapter Ninety – Up to the keep, down the shaft

At the keep, everything was in order, except the sphinx had gone down into the tunnels of the mines.  After a short rest, we headed down after her, down to the lower levels we had yet to explore.  
We found on the second level down a long track for mining carts.  We did not see any carts, not at first.  Then we saw one when we did not wish to.  Balor was leading the way while BR took up the rear.  Then suddenly Balor tripped something and then BR heard something coming up behind us.  BR turned and saw a cart speeding down the track toward us.  Selflessly, BR rushed forward to stop it, smashing the cart with his huge blade, sending splinters flying.  Unfortunately, it also let loose the contents of the cart, which included many flasks of alchemist’s fire that, ironically, sailed through the air right past BR and engulfed everyone but him in burning fire.  
Once the smoke settled and we were all healed, burning many a charge on my various wands, we continued on down the shaft, only to meet yet another burning foe from our rear.  This time it was a huge creature that filled the shaft, enlarging it, even, with its corrosive saliva, eating the rock itself.  The creature nearly killed all of my ghasts and did horrid damage to BR before the Marshall finally convinced it to stop fighting us.  
He told us his name was Crushstone and that he was very hungry for metal, particularly silver and gold.  Apparently he was fed only copper by some being named Bshana.  We convinced him we could give him a better deal.  We offered coins for gems and sent him off to find gems in the rock.  The Marshall gave him 100 gold coins and he returned with over a dozen blue star sapphires, easily worth over a thousand gold each.  I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  If we survive the next five minutes.  

Notes – Chapter Ninety-One – Bshana is not nice at all

Crushtone left us, looking for other gems, when we heard someone approaching from the tunnel ahead.  We hid off the side of the main shaft in two groups, myself with my friends in one tunnel, Balor, Willow, Breeze, the Marshall, and the Mute Bard in the tunnel further ahead.  We then saw the sphinx-spider come running past us, not even slowing down when we said hello.  Following her was a group of almost a dozen gnomes come running into the tunnel, seemingly the chasers, not the chased.  And so Selina greeted them with a fireball, leaving all of them dead save one, who looked remarkably unharmed.  
This last gnome was willing to talk.  I was immediately suspicious.  She asked us, “Who among you is the strongest?”  
“I am,” said the Marshall, “but really he is,” he said, pointing at me, “because he controls all of them,” the Marshall said, pointing at my special friends.  To punctuate the Marshall’s words, I waved my hand and all of the other gnomes rose up as my friends.  Then the flames really hit.  
Immediately, the whole corridor was filled with fire again, killing all but two of my new friends.  Soon after, a web covered everyone but the gnome and the Marshall on that side of the corridor.  And the gnome was no longer a gnome, but was a tiger-looking humanoid creature.  Bshara, I presume.  
Another fireball soon joined her first, and all three of my ghasts and all of my new gnome friends were but dust on the earth.  That’s just evil.  BR charged in and began hitting her, his sword blazing, but he seemed to do little damage to her.  Even worse, the Marshall was of no help, obviously beguiled by this beast.  I readied my magic to deal with that just as my other assistants managed to claw free of the web.  But we were badly hurt, and the beast was barely scratched.  I wondered if now would be a good time to withdraw.  I readied my magic.


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## Altalazar (Apr 8, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Ninety-Two – Willow flips Marshall 

Before I had to send my magic, Willow sent hers.  She dispelled the charm on the Marshall.  The Marshall immediately stopped aiding the tiger beast and started aiding us again.  I sent Blackberry in to bolster BR.  Selena sent a flaming sphere to free the Mute Bard from the web and we all then surrounded the tiger.  BR’s troll-sword, burning with undead fire, slashed into her back.  Blackberry’s dragon-sword, burning with undead fire slashed her shoulder.  Even my bodyguard Rankin managed to rake a chunk of tiger-flesh to the cold stone floor with his own sword.  The Marshall’s shouted commands made each slash run deeper.  The tiger finally could take no more and shouted out an offer.
“Let me live!  Let me live and I can get you far more wealth than you will find on my corpse and in my room!”  
	It was clear she was sincere, but only in her desire to live.  BR gave our first answer, slashing another long gash into her body.  She then fell to the stones.  Her act was unconvincing.  We continued to slash her until her body no longer yelped in pain.  Balor bounced her corpse a few more times after that with his mace.  
We were joined in our slashing by Crushstone (I shouted, “That will teach you to feed him copper pieces!”), who made a tunnel that ended right where the tiger was standing.  He was about to consume her corpse when the Marshall talked him out of it.  
“Leave us her corpse.  She’s not that palatable anyway.  We can get you more metal.”  Willow and myself then gave him one hundred more gold coins to sate his appetite.  
“Yes, I need the corpse.  I will animate her as one of my minions.”  
“She will serve him for years,” said the Marshall, “and then you can have her.”  
“Poetic justice,” said the Mute Bard poetically.  
“Ah, karma,” said Crushstone and he relented from consuming her corpse.  
Her corpse was not all that wealthy.  She had a ring and a few trinkets.  Her room had a few more items of value.  Apparently she had also ordered some very expensive furniture, to be delivered to another entrance to the mine that we were unaware of.  
The Marshall took his gemstone booty from Crushstone and used it to purchase a lyre of building, which he then gave to the Mute Bard.  The keep and mausoleum are looking much more finished now.  We even built a gatehouse to block off the new entrance to the mine.  We will be taking delivery of that furniture now.  We also found a very nice set of utensils that will also be useful to have at the keep when we have guests.  
Willow disagreed.  “What use is that?  We can sell them and use the proceeds to help the forest!  I don’t use utensils or eat inside anyway.”  
“But we have an image to maintain,” said the Marshall.  
“The only image that matters is the image of a land restored, animals returned, and civilization burned to the ground,” she replied.  Or so I imagined, since I was not really paying that much attention to the parlay.  I had new friends to groom.  
For I mourned the loss of all of my new ghast friends.  I gathered up their masks and was about to create more when I realized that now I could attempt to create something a little more interesting.  I returned to my corpse storage, had BR place the tiger woman there for future use, then gathered up four goblin corpses.  Now was the time to make some friends that truly appreciate alabaster.  I returned to my altar, which was desecrated now merely by my presence, and began my new rituals.  I could now create two friends at a time, and I savored the joy of creation.  

Notes – Chapter Ninety-Three – Deals and Dragons

Crushstone agreed to search for more gems for us.  The last batch he found were pretty, but worthless.  He also agreed to help tunnel.  We had to caution him not to create too many tunnels or else all would collapse.  I think he must instinctively know this, however.  
We asked him to tunnel a way all the way from the keep to town for us.  Then his next project will be to tunnel his way from the keep to the mausoleum.  Perhaps we could put other rooms down there along the way as well.  Quarters for my friends to stay in, out of sight.  Particularly nice for  those friends of mine who don’t particularly like the daylight.  
He moves slowly, but he still tunnels faster than any possible means of digging we could ever do.  He could make 120 feet of tunnel in a minute, well over a mile of tunnel in an hour.  I don’t think it will be long before we have our tunnels in place.  
The former sphinx returned to us as well.  She said that she has learned to love the dark, which scares her after her longing for the sky.  But I guess her new form has its own comforts.  She particularly liked the spidery-silk robes of the drow now worn by Willow (courtesy of Crushstone from one of his deeper jaunts).  
We returned to town and made some purchases of needed supplies.  There, we heard of troubles in a small village nearby, called Gross Fell.  Apparently they have dragon trouble.  We ourselves spotted the dragon in the distance before it disappeared behind a mountain.  Blackberry may have a new friend soon!
We walked to the village and began our search for its lair.  Along the way, I introduced my four new friends.  They were small, and no longer resembled goblins.  
“Meet Hauver, Spence, Sunctum, and Vact.”  
They had lovely tentacles at their waists that stretched out impossibly long distances.  And they were very friendly, always wanting to offer a hug.  “But you only get to eat our enemies” I reminded them after one too-long hug.  “And we always have plenty of those.”  “But the dragon is off-limits.  That corpse is its own treasure.”  
Outside the area of the dragon’s lair, we found a single scale.  A blue scale.  “OOo,” I said.  “I don’t have one of those!”


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## Altalazar (Apr 17, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Ninety-Four – Start at the end

Just inside the entrance, there was a huge double stone door set into worked walls.  Around their edge to the left was a fast-moving stream that went deeper into the mountain.  Balor investigated that while I and my friends held back toward the entrance.  Then I heard the scream and splashes.  
I quickly ran around the wall until I could see the river.  I saw two huge snakes coming up out of the water, one of which had grabbed Willow and was in the process of pulling her down into the water.  The Marshall shouted out tactical orders and my four new friends rushed forward, their tentacles quickly snapping into the flesh of one of the snakes.  A line of fire then surged through both of them, courtesy of Selina’s magic.  
I weaved some of my lovely magic, speeding up my zombie friends.  I sent Blackberry into the water after the rapidly retreating form of Willow.  The Marshall jumped in as well.  I waited a minute or so and then I saw Willow, in the form of a large bear, return to the surface, pulling the body of a snake behind her.  The Marshall came up behind her.  Then I heard the blast of thunder from behind me.  
I turned and saw Hauver still smoking from a blast of lightning.  I rounded the corner back to where the doors were and saw them burst open, a large blue dragon standing in their wake.  I waved my hand and my friends burst into blue flames, the better to harm their foes.  Hauver and Spence charged the dragon while Blackberry went around his flanks to come at him from behind.  BR also approached.  
The Blue ignored Blackberry and turned to Spence, ripping into him with his claws, teeth, wings, and even his tail.  Big mistake.  Blackberry let loose with his circlet of blasting, ripping away large chunks of the Blue’s flesh with a single, searing blast of light.  Spence was nearly gone.  Hauver was well scorched.  But BR, Blackberry, and my new, small friends’ tentacles quickly did their work.  Selina sent another line of fire into the Blue’s flesh.  Then BR’s final blow sent the Blue to meet his maker.  Me.  I’m sure he’ll make a lovely alabaster beauty.  

Notes – Chapter Ninety-Five – Dragon’s horde, Druids gourd

We found a small fortune, emphasis on the small, in the dragon’s chamber beyond the doors.  There was rubble piled up against another door on the far side of the room.  My friends made quick work of the rubble, and we opened the door, revealing a hall heading further into the mountain.  Balor was met with more pain as a large wall of plants attacked him, shambling out of the rubble.  Balor, not wishing to take it, struck back, but Willow would have none of it.  
“Stop!” she yelled.  
The two shambling mounds stopped, as did we.  Unfortunately, one of them was already dead, or dying.  I quickly healed it.  
“We’re not evil!”
“You just killed my mate”
“Well, look, your mate is all better now,” I said, and he was.  
“Would you like to come live in our forest,” Willow asked them.  “It is a lovely forest.”  
They seemed to stop and think for a moment.  Either that or plants are just used to sort of sitting there.  Then they spoke.  “Can you give us lightning?” it asked, as it caressed Willow with one of its tree-like tentacles.  
Willow smiled and raised her arms to the sky.  A low roar of thunder filled the room.  Then for a full minute, lightning struck each one of the mounds in turn, making them bigger and bigger.  Willow was positively aglow, and not just from the electricity running up her fingertips.  
“We will go to your forest,” they finally said, and then they began slowly shambling out the door.  
They’ll make a lovely addition to our family.  I turned toward the dark tunnel ahead, wondering what wondrous creatures awaited us there.  “Maybe we’ll find a vampire!” I shouted gleefully, listening to the words echo off the stone.


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## Altalazar (Apr 22, 2007)

Notes – Chapter Ninety-Six – Looks like a Crypt

The room beyond the Shamblers was dark and dusty.  I hung back with my friends while the others investigated it.  I heard Willow’s voice shout from the darkness ahead.  
“Hey Vincent, it looks like a crypt!”  
“Really?” I shouted back to her.  “Let’s move in!”  
After a pause, she yelled, “there are skeletons here, too!  Large ones!”
That got me really excited.  Then she said something that got me even MORE excited.  
“And now one of them is standing up!”
“Vincent!” the Marshall shouted, “Get up here!”  
I had my hopes up so high.  But they were dashed almost immediately.  Far too much flesh on those bones.  And the flesh did not even look like it all came from the same creature.  Neither did the bones.  The flesh that was there was rotting.  At least the smell was pleasant.  It reminded me of home.  
“Oh, its just a flesh golem!” I said and I went back to the rear and pouted.  The sniff of bones excited my four tentacled friends, so they ran forward to greet it.  Another one rose up as it moved, making two in all.  
Selina’s flaming sphere seemed to have little effect on the golems.  The mute bard’s chain, however, had great effect as he slammed one of them into oblivion.  The other one soon fell as well.  The parts, while interesting, were in far worse shape than the well-preserved golem bits we had discovered at White Plume Mountain, so they held little interest for me.  As my tentacled friends tore apart the flesh and feasted on their bones, some platinum and gems spilled out of the bodies onto the floor.  We also found a magical longbow in the refuse pile.  No arrows, though.  

Notes – Chapter Ninety-Seven – Crypt number two, two friends in number

Beyond the trapped door of the crypt lay another crypt.  Two wraiths stood menacingly there.  I raised my skull, and flicked it lightly in their direction.  I barely even broke a sweat.  
“What is your bidding my master,” they said to me in unison.  It was great to have some wraiths.  I’ve never had one of those.  It will be a while before I can make my own.  But these two new friends would suffice for now.  
“Tell us what is in the halls ahead,” I asked them.  
“We do not know, master.  Except that there are those who walk in light.”
“Have they been imprisoning you?” I asked them, with some compassion in my voice.
“I fear for you master,” they replied.  
“Describe them for me!”
“They can weaken us, master, they are very strong against us,” said the wraiths.  “They are beings from not-here,” they said.  
“Outsiders?  Clerics?  Do they turn our kind to dust?”  I could get no real answers from them on that point, beyond the fact that the evil ones had “dog faces.”  That’s all the wraiths could tell me.  Poor fellows.  They must really have been traumatized.  I told them what lay in store for them with me.  They would get their own rooms.  They would be welcome additions to the family, wanted and loved.  No longer orphans of fate.  I also promised to take care of their health needs, showing them my cure-undead wand, belt, and natural abilities.  They seemed very impressed by my health plan.  
Two doors led from this room.  BR ripped the one on the left from its hinges, his troll-strength continuing to impress me.  If only I had made him myself, he’d be even stronger.  Bygones.  
Beyond the door was a very narrow tunnel.  Breeze and BR could not fit, but since the tunnel led back around to a secret exit behind the altar in the crypt, this was moot.  We soon marched forward, up a long hall leading to a small room with a table and one other exit.  Then it had two exits, as the northern wall collapsed.  

Notes – Chapter Ninety-Eight – Dog-faced evil  

Balor and Willow rushed up to the opening in the wall and stood their ground.  Further down the tunnel, we heard footsteps coming.  Then they saw two dog-faced devils running toward us.  Then a third, close behind!  At first glance, I knew what they were.  Hound Archons.  Foul, evil beasts from the outer planes.  Without any warning or conversation at all, they charged us, forcing Balor and Willow to defend us from their onslaught.  
Then in an instant, they were gone, and they were on the other side of us.  Teleporters!  I quickly had my friends surround me.  I summoned my spectral hand to attack them, but then paused to heal Willow, who was still hurting from our encounter with the golems, and now was nearly dead from the dog-faced evil ones’ attacks.  
“Vile creatures!” one of the hounds shouted at us.  
“Vile?” I said, “You were the one who attacked US, unprovoked.”  
“We are simply following the laws of vanquishing evil!” he replied.  
“Then you must vanquish yourselves!” I said, “for we are good, and you are the evil ones!”  
They then snarled and attacked us further, proving their evil intent.  
My tentacled friends quickly surrounded one of the hounds, then grabbed onto it with their tentacles.  Just as they were about to pin it and finally feed on its sweet bones, it teleported again.  But one remained within reach, and so this one they could grab and pin quickly, sucking the marrow from its bones, then sucking out its bones as well.  My tentacled friends squealed with delight!  
I heard Balor scream in triumph as well as one of the hounds went down.  But then the two remaining teleported away.  
“Cowards!” echoed off the walls and back again as Balor let them know his opinion of their retreat.  
We took the greatsword and two bows that were left behind by the fleeing fiends (and the dead one).  Willow and I used our healing magic to help our friends.  
“Such foul evil in the world,” I said, “I hope the world appreciates our efforts on behalf of all that is true and good.”  I said as I fed some of the bones and flesh of the dead Hound Archon to one of my walking dead.  
“Fighting evil has made me tired,” said the Marshall.  
“Me as well,” said Balor, “Let’s rest!”  
I agreed, and so we returned to the crypt of my two new wraith friends to rest.  They told me stories from their crypt well into the night.  My other friends shared their own crypt tales.  It was a happy time.


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## Bryon_Soulweaver (Apr 26, 2007)

Dude. This is great, even funny.


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## Altalazar (May 7, 2007)

Bryon_Soulweaver said:
			
		

> Dude. This is great, even funny.




Thanks - I'm glad someone gets something out of this.  We have evolved into an evil group of do-gooders.  And now, another chapter or two.  


Notes – Chapter Ninety-Nine – Families, Xorn, and diplomacy

During the course of the night, many conversations drifted over our fire.  I was busy telling my new friends about the last vampire we met when I caught the end of a conversation between Willow and the Marshall.
“What’s your family name, Willow?”  
“What do you mean, I’m just Willow,” she replied.  “What’s a family name?” she asked, looking rather puzzled.  
I cut in, “this is our family, Marshall,” and I held my arms out in love and affection for my walking dead, soul-sucking spirits, blood hulk monstrosity, and tentacled horrors.  “And my name is Vincent.”  
By that point, the fire had run low and it was time to prepare for further crypt exploration.  I had some kobold jerky for a quick breakfast and then we set out down the corridor where we last saw the dog-faced demons of evil.  
Around the bend, we found a hot room that smelled strongly of sulfur.  A bridge led across a pit of tar.  As soon as we set foot on the bridge, two creatures appeared.  They were round, with many eyes, arms, and mouths, such that it looked like they could roll or walk and face in any direction.  They were xorn.  
“Hail friends,” the Marshall said to them, as friendly as ever.  “We wish to palaver, not fight.”
“Don’t take what is ours,” they replied, “you must leave this place.”  
“We only wish to explore, friend,” the Marshall soothed. “Is there anything you need?” 
“Don’t take what is ours,” they said again, not quite explaining what it is they were referring to.   “We have all that which we need to make us happy.”  
“Ok then, friend, we will depart in peace.”
“Do you promise not to come take what is ours?”
“I cannot speak for everyone,” said the Marshall, “but I speak for myself when I say that we will leave.”  
“But what about the others?” they asked.
“They have free will, and I’m sure they will freely will to not come back and take what is yours were it not for my promise.” 
Their multi-eyes looked at him uncertainly.  There was much confusion in those eyes.  There was enough confusion to make these xorn seem like umber hulks.  Then they finally sighed and said, “go then, there are other tunnels than these.”  
We departed and took the other branch in the passage, finding our way around again to the west until we found a door.  

Notes – Chapter One Hundred – A new friend with a hundred-twenty thousand gold piece smile

The door was, of course, temporarily locked.  After Balor opened it, we found a room that looked more like an arrangement of art than a threat.  In one corner, on a platform, was a large statue of a lovely man with a friendly smile, reminiscent of the dwarf we met at White Plume Mountain.  A symbol of Erythnul was etched into his palm.  The statue itself was well worn, but intact.  
Balor approached the statue.  
“Don’t hit it,” shouted the Marshall.
“Ok, but if this thing tries to hit me, you are in for a smashing, and I’ll never believe you again,” replied Balor.
In the other corner was a very decayed body guarded by a large creature made of stone, wood, and metal.  When I finally laid eyes on it up close, it was clear what it was.  A shield guardian!  Very valuable!  And very likely that the amulet of its control lay on the corpse of its former owner.  Just before Balor attacked our treasure, the Marshall shouted to him to stop and find the amulet.  The guardian already had begun to react, and thumped its foot, causing the statue to fall over on Balor and the Marshall. 
A voice was then heard from underneath the statue that sounded like the Marshall saying, “Hey, it wasn’t the statue that attacked you.”   
Then Balor vanished from sight, only to reappear moments later with a shiny new amulet around his neck.  
“Kneel!” he shouted at the construct, and so it knelt down before him.  

Notes – Chapter One Hundred One – Lothander introduces us to Elizar

Searching the body, we also found a note, preserved after a hundred years.  It gave directions to find this place.  It also had warnings of possible traps and guards.  It was addressed to Lothander (the corpse) and was regarding the whereabouts of Elizar, his master.  We needed to know more.  
We rested again, and I prepared my enchantment to speak to Lothander’s corpse.  I hoped he would enjoy having some conversation after so long.  As the enchantment completed, I asked my first question of Lothander.
“Who is Elizar?”
“He is my master.  I am here to rescue him.  It was his statue in the room of my death.”  
Then I asked, “Who would pay for the information to rescue him?”
“He paid for me to rescue him, he is my master.”
“Who was holding Elizar?”
“The Paladins of Hieroneous.  Tyrants who use their religion to control the masses!”
“Yes, we know of their evil,” I said, “Why were they holding Elizar?”
“Because they couldn’t kill him!” he said, and then his corpse once again was at rest.  At least until dinner time.  
My palaver  over, we returned to the hall of the xorn.  

Notes – Chapter One Hundred Two – The Marshall is nearly dead tarred 

Balor scouted ahead, walking along the ceiling while vanished from sight.  We saw no hint of the xorn as he went on ahead.  Several minutes later, we heard a “thump” as Balor fell to the floor ahead.  Apparently his slippers no longer worked further on down the corridor.  In fact, no magic at all worked there.  The hallway ended in a large iron door.  After he returned to tell us this, the Marshall set out to follow in his footsteps, only on the bridge, not the ceiling.  Then came trouble.  
As he reached the middle of the bridge, a trapdoor opened and the Marshall found himself immersed in tar hot enough to melt rock.  His screams echoed down the halls as all of the flesh came off his body.  We rushed forward to help him out, pulling at least his barely-fleshed bones from the tar before he expired.  Then the xorns arrived.  
Willow healed the Marshall, as did I.  Balor and the mute bard held off the xorn, finally smashing them into the ground from whence they came after a terrible struggle.  Most of my minions were kept out of the fight by the narrowness of the hall and the bridge over the tar.  Willow’s summoned elemental of fire is what finally tipped the fight in our favor.  
The fight won, Willow sent her flaming friend to search the tar and retrieve the bodies of the xorn.  We found gems within them (and I added two more corpses to my stockpile) and the elemental also found a fireproof eternal wand in the tar that can be used to heal constructs.  I wonder how it got there.  
That just left the door.  



Notes – Chapter One Hundred Three – Elizar 

After much work, we finally got the iron door open, revealing a small triangular room.  There were many books lining the shelves of that room.  There was also a man standing in its center who looked remarkably like the statue we had seen earlier.  
“Elizar, my friend!” said the Marshall as he strode into the room and shook the man’s hand warmly.  
I looked at him carefully, and was able to discern his true, warm nature.  He was a vampire!  
“We’re here to rescue you!” I said sincerely.  “Together we can fight against those vile hound demons!”  
“What can he contribute,” Willow asked skeptically.  
“I can turn into a wolf!” he said, and then he did.  
Willow was unimpressed.  “I can do that, too, show us something more.  Can you do a bat?”  
“Yes, I can,” he said, and then he did.  A few bats, wolves, and floating clouds of gas later, Willow was feeling less skeptical.  Then he turned all of us invisible with one wave of his hand.  
“Ok sold,” she said.  
“Everything in this room you may have,” he said, “except for this one book of mine,” which he cradled protectively in his arms.  
I looked at it closely.  “I have one of those as well, perhaps we can compare notes,” I said.  
“That we can,” he said, “But now I ask you to help me punish those who imprisoned me.  Be on your guard.  They are sure to be aware of my release.  Oh, and might you have some books I might read?”  
I looked around and noticed that all of the books in this room looked well worn, read dozens of times each.  Such torture!  
“We can bring you home,” said the Marshall.  “There we have hundreds of volumes!  We even are working on a tunnel system so you need not fear the sunlight.”  
Elizar smiled at that, showing his lovely fangs.  We then joined arms with the vampire and marched merrily out of the door.  We went down the hall, over the bridge, and then rounded the corner just in time to see that two hounds and a paladin hound had appeared in our path.  I sensed great evil from them all, particularly the paladin.  It was almost palpable, like there was something solid surrounding them all.  

Notes – Chapter One Hundred Four – We face the last great test of evil before we depart

The vile one spoke.  “Please tell me you are not trying to take Elizar out of this place.  We were tasked to keep him in his tomb for eternity to atone for his great evil.”  
“How dare you imprison such a wonderful man,” I replied, “does your evil know any bounds at all?  Have you no decency?”  
We then threw ourselves into the fight.  Again, due to the narrowness of the corridor, I and my friends stayed mostly back while Balor, the Marshall, Willow, and the mute bard fought Elizar’s evil jailors.  I sped up my zombies and brought forth flames from all of my friends, including Elizar, but none of them ever got close to the hounds.  
I want to now mention a special hero from this fight.  William, one of my new wraith friends, rushed to the fore almost immediately, traveling through the walls.  He came out right next to the paladin, and immediately drained from him some of his evil life force.  I am saddened to say that the vile creature then turned his canine eyes toward my friend and then cut him down in his prime, slashing him through with four swipes of his unholy holy blade, reducing William the Wraith to dust before my eyes.  
“Noooooooooooooooooo!” I screamed.  “I can’t even make wraiths yet!”  Poor William will never know the warm, caring hearth of our keep.  He will never feel the love of acceptance, long denied him in all of his years of undeath existence.  He will never partake in the festival, he will never meet all of my other friends.  He will never see the room I had all ready for him upon our return to the keep.  I began to cry.  
Soon the combat was over.  The three hounds were gone, their corpses decorating the tomb floor.  The paladin was preparing to leave like the coward he was when Balor, Willow and the Marshall cut him down with a spectacular show of swordsmanship, leaving him no breath left to utter his traveling magic.  
But he was not quite dead.  I stabilized him.  Then I called Elizar to my side.  “Drain away his life, I have plans for him after his grave is filled.”  
I missed William dearly.  And I had not even a corpse to bury or to feast with in his honor.  It was a sad day.  His brother Richard mourned with me as we slowly departed the tomb, our voices low in remembrance of William’s sacrifice.  He is the definition of a true hero.  
I looked down at the paladin’s corpse as BR dragged it behind him.  I thought to myself, “he is going to pay.”  Yes, he will make a fine ally once Elizar is through with him.  Then we’ll send him back to his foul masters.  William would be proud.


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## Altalazar (Dec 9, 2007)

Book VII

Notes – Chapter One Hundred Five – One Happy Family

	Elizar has moved in and is doing well.  Wilhelm, William’s wraith brother, is also doing fine.  Crushstone has completed our tunnel system, allowing us access to Reg’s town of Mayberry to the south as well as access to Night Falls (and its crypt) to the west without ever having to step out in the foul light of day.  Goblin hunts in the woods continue to go well.  Willow is concerned, as always, about the humanoid population, but she must appreciate the need to keep a stable food supply as well.  
Our family has thus grown and is very happy.  The only missing part of the family, as always, is our parents.  But my experiments are getting closer and closer to fruition.  
Our happy family was almost disrupted one morning when Crushstone came tunneling in, breathless (as always) and stated that he heard “many footfalls” coming from Night Falls, moving slow.  I was busy in the kitchen, cooking up some goblin stew, when I was interrupted with this report.  This required some investigation.  I send my loyal sphinx corpse Tessa to the air to see what was coming.  As always, I asked her to fly high, to avoid the prying eyes of those evil humanoids who would do her harm simply for existing.  Such prejudice and bigotry runs deep.  
When Tessa returned, she verified what Crushstone had said.  There were almost a hundred men, all mounted on horseback, heading up the mountain toward Brightstone Keep.  They had mixed banners, but they had one thing in common.  They were all paladins.  It remained to be seen if they were the evil sort of paladins we encountered when we rescued Elizar, or if they were true good paladins, such as Reg.  
As they approached our gate, the Marshall rode out to greet them.  “Ho!  Parlay!”  
“Stand aside in the name of King Asaloth,” they said to the Marshall.  “We have reliable intelligence that there is an army of evil, vile undead here!”  
“Well, your information is wrong,” the Marshall smoothly replied.  “There are no _evil_ undead here,” he replied truthfully, with special emphasis on the word “evil.”  The Marshall spoke true because we all knew that our undead were of the purest good.  The paladins were ummoved.  Such prejudice is to be expected from paladins.  
	“Deploy the troops!”  the lead paladin said, and the paladins behind him began to move into formation for storming the keep.  The Marshall’s forces behind him, some forty strong, manned the now-repaired walls and towers for the assault.  My friends stayed out of sight below, ready if the gates were to be breached.  
	Just as the paladins were about to charge, we saw another mounted figure riding furiously up the path to the keep.  It was Reg!  “Here, let me handle this,” he said, as he pulled the lead paladins aside in conference.  
	It was hard to hear it all, but we heard Reg tell them of how the incidents of undead have drastically been reduced in the surrounding lands since we’ve come to the keep.  Which, of course, is true.  The undead in the surrounding lands have been drained considerably, I noted, looking back at all of the undead now standing in our walls.  
	Reg then assured them that he has instituted a program to guarantee there were no more incidents of undead in the surrounding area and then asked for them to allow this program to proceed.  Reg then pulled aside on paladin in particular, someone he apparently knew well, and they talked privately.  
	“I don’t know what you have going here, Reg,” Reg’s friend said, “but be careful.  So long as the higher-ups are appeased, you’ll be ok, but if anything happens…” 
	“I’ve got it covered,” Reg replied.
	“I’ve seen undead.  I saw something flying above us on the way here.  I can smell them.  Something up here reeks of evil, Reg.” 
	“I’ve got it covered,” Reg repeated.  
	“Just be careful,” Reg’s friend said before he rode off to join the others.  
	Reg then joined us.  “I’m glad I was able to divert that.”  
	“Would you like to come in for a bite to eat,” the Marshall asked him.  “Vincent just loves to cook.”  
	“Uh, no thank you,” Reg said.  “I trust you, and lets just leave it at that.  As long as you keep whatever it is you do away from the towns around here, I’ll do my part to keep trouble out of your way.”
	“Good to know,” said the Marshall.  “Do you have anything for us to do?  Any evil to vanquish?”
	“I have nothing for you right now,” Reg said, and then he rode off, heading back to Mayberry, shaking his head, as he always seems to do after talking with us.  
	The last thing I heard before going back inside to my cooking was Willow commenting on the damage the horses’ hooves had done to the land as they rode up.  “But at least they made up for it with the fertilizer they left behind,” she commented.  


	Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Six – Willows Gross Dreams

	Willow told me the next morning that she had been having dreams, very vivid dreams, about something very wrong with the village of Gross Fell.  
	“Was it sexual?” asked the Marshall.  
	“It was a private dream,” was all she said in reply.  The Marshall seemed to take that as a “yes” and then he departed before I could ask him what he was doing following me into Willow’s room.  
	“Something has gone bad in Gross Fell, something that is causing an illness in the land,” Willow said.  
	So that was it.  We had a mission.  Perhaps I could find out, in curing this illness, how to save our parents as well.  We prepared to depart.  
	I decided to bring my three small bonedrinkers with me to see if they can prove their worth.  BR, Blackberry, and Rankin came as my bodyguards.  Two of my shadows came as well, to, well, shadow me.  With my wall of undead flesh around me, we started to head out of the gate.  Elizar stopped by to wish us off.  
	“Is there anything you’d like us to bring you, Elizar?” I asked him.  
	“Clean farm girls have nice blood,” he told me.  
	“Is used okay?” Balor asked (which I found puzzling, given that I did not think Balor drank blood and he always refused my meals).  
	“Just don’t taint the blood,” Elizar said.  “Oh, and I don’t like children.  Their blood is too gamey.”  
	“We’ll see what we can do!” I cheerily said, as we exited the gate and felt it close down behind us.  We hunkered down in our wagon for the day’s journey to Gross Fell.  

	Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Seven – Naboo’s Hut leads to Frendy

	By nightfall, we were at the outskirts of Gross Fell.  Willow in particular noted a hut that seemed familiar.  It was the hut of Naboo, Gross Fell’s resident druid.  Willow asked him about her dream.  
	“In my dream, I saw a great and powerful druid, and elf, but when he spoke to me, the words were not understandable.  It was like the land was trying to talk to me but I could not hear it,” she said.  
	“Did that elf have blue hair?  Green eyes?”  
	“Yes!” Willow said.  “Did you dream of him as well?”  
	“I often do, but not like that.  I know this elf.  I know him well.  His name was Naralex.  Long ago, he was a very powerful druid.  He kept the land in balance.  Then, two dozen moons ago, he vanished.  Another druid, one of his disciples, traveled far to the west, to Camp Taurajo, to find him.  He shared Naralex’s conviction that it was humanoids who were destroying the balance in this area.”  
	“It is settled, then, off to Camp Taurajo we go.”  I said and then I headed back to the cart.  
	When Willow joined me, she told me we were searching for Frendy, Naralex’s disciple.  

Not wanting to risk traveling in the open, we returned to the Keep and then we took the tunnels on the week’s journey to Night Falls.  I checked in on my necromantic apprentice Harkin and the sphinx in her new body.  Our tomb there is complete and they are now in the process of decorating it to taste.  I noticed there were many detailed webs, some woven with symbols of magic.  This place was definitely secure.  Our inspection complete, we departed for Camp Taurajo.  
After several days’ journey south from Night Falls, we came to Camp Taurajo, which was surrounded by a wooden palisade.  Guards asked us our business at the “gate.”  
“We are adventurers!  We seek ale and food!”  
The guards waved us in.  One of them asked if I was feeling ok.  “He seems a little pale.”  
“He’s fine,” said the Marshall, and in we went.  
We did not have much luck finding Frendy.  Apparently he did grow up here, but no one has seen him in a long time.  They said he left to follow Naralex and then never returned.  
Well, that was helpful.  Willow told me that the sickness seemed even stronger here.  Well, at least that was something.  Further inquiry by the Marshall revealed that there were creatures “not of this area” collecting in a place called the Howling Caverns.  Lizard type creatures.  So we went to investigate.  

Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Eight – Howling Caves are Quiet

Following the directions of the locals, we found our way to the entrance to the Howling Caves.  And what an entrance it was!  It was shaped like a skull!
“Cool, we’re moving in!” I shouted as we saw it. 
“Vincent, we already have several homes,” Willow said.  
“But this is a skull!”  
“You can always carve your own,” Willow said.
“But this is a SKULL!”  
Willow sighed and we entered the cave as my mouth hung open in wonder.  
As we traveled the tunnels, they became noticeably damper.  There were also strange plants growing, plants Willow had never seen before, and she had seen plenty.  Most she had never even heard of before.  That was strange.  
Then the strangeness peaked, as the slimy floor rose up into a cube to attack us.  And another, even larger glob of slime formed into a huge ball in front of us.  Quickly, I sent my bonedrinkers to surround the smaller ooze in our midst.  Before they could take it down, Balor and the Marshall “helpfully” split it into several smaller, but still deadly oozes.  Then they turned their attention to the huge one in front of us.  
Gerry, one of my bonedrinkers, was quickly engulfed by the ooze, and I watched in helpless horror as his flesh slowly melted away from the creature’s digestive juices.  Then, just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Gerry was ejected and the ooze tried to slither away.  We quickly surrounded it and pummeled it into submission.  Gerry was saved!  Though he was disappointed there were no bones to drink.  I consoled him as I healed his grievous wounds.  
It was then that we noticed that the caves, despite their moniker, were quiet and still.  At least, they were right up to the point of Balor’s discovery.  

Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Nine – Terrible Lizards not so Frendy

The cave ended in a cliff, opening up to an even larger cave.  We saw dozens of lizards there, lizards much larger than animals normally get, but still animals themselves.  Some had long necks and huge, long bodies.  Others were smaller, but with rows of razor-sharp teeth.  Some were nesting in the opening above the center of the larger cavern.  Very strange.  
We searched high and low, but could find no further egress into the cave.  Then we noticed that the wall to our original tunnel was not what it seemed.  It was not a wall at all, but an illusion.  We could tell because we heard the faint sounds of battle on the other side of it and, when we touched the wall, our hands went right through it.  
Stepping forth, we saw a minotaur battling with an elf and one of those terrible lizards.  Before we could move, the elf was dispatched by the minotaur.  Balor, thinking fast, quickly slew the lizard, and then shouted “don’t hit the minotaur!”
The minotaur then introduced himself.  “I am Frendy.”  At this point, I wondered if it would have been too much trouble for anyone we had talked to to mention that Fendy was a minotaur.  But no matter.  We, unlike certain paladins that will remain nameless, do not prejudge based on prejudice.  We welcomed the minotaur with open arms.  
“What happened?” we asked him.  
“It has been so long, I can barely remember,” he told us.  “I have been here, stemming the tide for as long as I could.  I tire, but I cannot stop.”  
“Where is Naralex,” Willow asked.  
“He’s somewhere, but I know not where.  I have not seen him in ages.  There is something wrong with the others, his other disciples.  They have all become . . . evil.”  
“We don’t stand for evil!” I and the Marshall said, simultaneously.  
“Do you mind if we take the elf,” Balor asked.  
“Is she a farmer?” I asked.  
Balor then had his shield guardian pick up the elf.  

Frendy said he would guard the passage from any further escapes while we explored further, looking for Naralex.  “If you find him and need my help, come get me,” Frendy said as we departed further into the caves.  As a parting gesture, he cast an enchantment on all of us, making us feel smarter, stronger, and more vigorous.  

Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Ten – Rivers Rise

The cave led to another cross-tunnel that had a twenty foot deep crevice down its center.  Bridges led across the crevice on either side.  The crevice itself had stairs leading down into it and it was filled with a river of water about two feet deep.  Breeze smelled something down that way, so we followed the scent up the river into a room filled with two feet of water.  Standing on a ledge in the room, just out of the water, were two elfs and a huge snake.  
I stayed at the entrance to the room, surrounded by my protective flesh, while my three small bonedrinkers (and everyone else) charged into the room.  Before they could reach the elves, a wall of fire sprung up in front of them and the water started to slowly rise.  
There was much confusion, but one thing became clear.  The elves and snake were not real.  When I saw them, I saw them for the insubstantial illusions they were.  The real elves were high up on a ledge, a ledge that came closer and closer to the surface of the water as it continued to rise.  
In the end, they were no match for us.  They both jumped off the cliff.  One became a huge snake, the other a bat.  The snake landed in the water and we surrounded it.  The bat flew to the ceiling.  Soon, the snake was an elf again, floating face-down in the water.  Blackberry finished off the bat, blasting it with his circlet of blasting, sending it falling to the water where, by the time it impacted, the body was an elf once again.  
We found several strange gems on the bodies.  They had a strange, green, swirling color.  They were not of this plane.  We took them to Frendy, who told us that they were from a plane with no humanoids.  He did not know what they were for, but he promised to study them.  We left the gems with him (keeping the rest of the items we found on the druids for ourselves) and then returned to our exploration of the caves.  Unfortunately for Elizar, it seemed there were few farm girls in this place.  But one should never give up hope.


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## Altalazar (Dec 15, 2007)

Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Eleven – River’s End

We followed the “river” in the other direction all the way to the end, where it ended in a large, circular room.  Our everburning torches barely illuminated half of the darkness, but there were tell-tale glints of something at the far end of the chamber.  Water dripped from the ceiling, making loud, echoing “drips” into the pool of water below.  There was a long ledge along either side of the room, providing the only dry ground within our meager vision.  
Noticing the glint, I suggested Selena illuminate it.  “Fireball, I said.”  
Before the echo on “ball” stopped, there was a burst of flame at the far end of the cavern, showing an island aglitter with gems.  “No Wait!” shouted Willow, but it was too late.  Willow was probably worried about who we might hurt there, but I did not think there was any reason to worry.  And I was right.  
Balor walked around the outer rim, toward the gem peninsula at the far end of the cavern.  The Marshall and Selena began walking around the other side of the rim, in the same direction.  Willow made herself into a polar bear and swam up the middle.  Breeze and my friends stayed at the entrance, covering our rear.  My poor, small bonedrinkers would soon be over their heads in the murky water.  
Balor was almost to the gems when something fell on top of him from the ceiling.  A cloaker!  I had heard of such things in my research.  Such an exciting discovery!  If one could animate enough of them, one could make one’s entire ceiling out of friends!  The possibilities were endless!  
I sent my shadow friends to help Balor, who was now engulfed and being carried up toward the ceiling.  My friends used their cold touch to slowly weaken the beast, allowing Balor to wrest himself free.  It was then that two more cloakers fell, one on the Marshall, one on Selena.  Selena’s small halfling body was snatched right up off of her wardog.  She was likely not long for this world (but would soon be joining mine) if she did not get out of that monster’s maw quickly.  
I pulled back my shadows from Balor’s beast and sent them to help Selena.  I also sent a ray personally into the beasts’ hide, weakening him in anticipation for my shadow’s icy touch.  Fortunately for Selena, we acted just in time, draining away almost all of the creature’s strength, forcing it to drop Selena, barely alive, onto the ledge.  The Marshall was next on my list.  After my shadows drained the beast to nothing, they moved to his aid.  
Selena asked me if my shadows could take fire damage.  I told her, “No don’t!  They can’t take fire damage!”  Selena then took this to mean they were immune to fire, and so promptly fireballed the Marshall’s cloaker and my two shadows.  “Nooooo!” I screamed, but too late.  Fortunately, my shadows heard my scream, and they ducked out of the way, avoiding the full brunt of the flames by a fraction of an inch.  Had either not dodged so effectively, they would have been dispersed back to the shadows from whence they came.  So close to death, I called them back to me to be healed.  The Marshall, thanks to Selena’s fire fetish, was on his own for the time being.  
As I healed my friends, Balor took down his beast and Willow was busy pulling pieces of flesh out of the Marshall’s beast with her large polar bear claws and teeth.  
Selena came to me, begging for healing.  As I prepared to heal her, I said one thing to her, perfectly clearly.  “Selena.  Don’t fireball the shadows.  Ever.  Again.”  She seemed to listen, but that could have been the desperation as she barely clung to life.  I could tell by looking at her that the temporary boost given us by Frendy was the only thing keeping her alive.  Were that to wear off, she would be requiring a few onyx’s plus a visit to get my necromantic mentor’s awakening magic before she would be up for much conversation.  
Balor then made an interesting discovery.  

Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Twelve – Balor’s Gems

Balor was walking across the peninsula to help the Marshall when he suddenly stopped.  “Gems!” he shouted, and he began picking them up.  He got two into his pouches before the third opened up, disgorging a diamondback snake that then bit into his hand, substantially reducing his social dispensations.  
Balor shouted, “shoot the gems, shoot the gems!” and before anyone could say anything, the whole island was illuminated by another of Selena’s fireballs.  
Willow seemed particularly disappointed to find that the snakes had been fried to a black crisp.  “Aww, you killed some cool snakes!” she said.  “I wanted their poison!”  
Balor said, “Here, have some!” and held out his hand with the two bite-marks still fresh with blood. 
Searching in the water, we found a body of an unknown humanoid.  Curious as to what it was, I prepared to give it new life, but Willow stopped me.  “Save it for later.  We have to find the druid.”  I stopped my magic and collected the helm, boots, and ring that were the body’s only remaining adornments.  
Willow was so insistent that we move forward that we did not stop to rest and pressed further into the caves, back over the bridges we saw across the water earlier.  There was where we discovered Naralex.

Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Thirteen – Naralex’s Slumber

Naralex was lying on a stone slab, apparently deep in slumber, when we found him.  
“That’s not a farm girl!” said Balor.  But Balor still said, “He’s mine!”  
“You want to drink his blood?” asked Willow, incredulous.  
“No, but I can kiss him” said Balor.  
“You kiss him,” said Willow.  “I’m a polar bear.”  
And people say I am odd.  
Balor tried another strategy.  “Wake up!”  
Failing that, we took him out to Frendy, the not-minotaur, half-cow, half-man, Tauren.  
“What is this you have here,” he asked, until he saw us bring Naralex into the light.  “Naralex!”  
“Can you help us wake him?”  
“No, but I can transport you to his emerald dream.  I can open a portal so you can view it, and, if need be, you can enter his dream.”  Frendy then made his preparations, which took several hours.  What he revealed was strange.  
We saw a vision of an emerald landscape, full of forests, mountains, and grasses.  The view was from above, as if we were flying.  We could see the wings of a giant owl at the edge of our “vision,” making me think we were seeing through the eyes of Naralex while he was transformed into a giant owl.  
The landscape flew by until we saw a woman.  She was a rather interesting specimen.  Very symmetrical, with few interesting blemishes on her face.  She’d make an attractive zombie.  She was running toward Naralex, waving at him, asking for help.  As we got closer, I wondered, “Is she a farmer?”  
Naralex seemed to land and run up to her.  Then there was a flash and the vision faded, filled with blood and the sight of the ground up close.  Then it all restarted again.  The same vision, with only slight differences.  When the vision ended the second time, the woman was closer.  It seems this woman is bad news.  She must be evil.  Willow confirmed this when she saw her up close.  Apparently in her wake, all vegetation she had touched was dead.  
“She is causing the taint!  We must stop her and save Naralex!”  
Willow again was insistent that we could not wait or rest, so we quickly plunged into the vision, entering the emerald dream world.  

Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Fourteen – Joining the Dream

It was strange being in the emerald world.  It seemed so much more, well, alive, then our own.  It gave me a strange sensation to be there.  Looking behind me, I could see the “door” we had passed through.  It always seemed to remain ten feet behind us, no matter how far we moved.  What a comforting thought.  
It was not long before we saw the girl.  We ran up to see her.  
“Are you a farmer,” I asked her, always mindful of our purpose.  
Before she could answer, Balor, Selena, and the Marshall were all around her, vying for her affections.  I exchanged a glance with Willow.  We never did understand the whole strange mating dance of humanoids.  Our parents were always at home with us and never made much of a fuss.  They simply sat there, in their bed, providing safe haven for the maggots and the spiders who Willow tended as her little friends on her visits to our home.  
“Would you like to come back with us!” the Marshall asked the woman.  
“No no no no!” shouted Willow.  “She’s evil!  She’s the taint on the land!  We must stop her!”  
“Do you think she’d be better if I animated her,” I asked Willow, too quietly for the others to hear (I think they were too captivated with the woman to notice us in any case).  
“Oh yeah!” shouted Willow.  “But we must hurry!  Look!”  
I looked up at the sky.  A giant owl was approaching.  And I heard a rustle in the underbrush.  From three different directions.  Something bad was coming.  Make that two directions.  From the third, the way was already lit up with a fireball.  Taking inspiration from Selena, I waved my hands and weaved my magic, causing all of my non-shadow friends to burst into flames of their own.  Whatever was coming, we were ready.  Hopefully the Marshall, Selena, and Balor would be helping us and not that woman.  Glancing at Willow, I prepared my friends for the fight.


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## Altalazar (Dec 30, 2007)

Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Fifteen – A Ringing in my Ears

Despite the rustling of the leaves, nothing seemed to come from the underbrush.  The overbrush was another matter.  Soon after I gathered my friends into a tight circle around me, in anticipation of hastening their moves, a rustling was heard in the branches directly above us.  Then there was a loud shaking of the air as a strange beast blasted a cone of pure sound directly down upon us.  It instantly dissolved my poor shadow friends.  If only I could have understood their dying words as they wordlessly shouted in agony before melting away!  That beast will pay for that evil!  
My own ears were ringing, and I was forced to wait for this to stop before I could hasten my friends.  Unfortunately, the foul beast did not let up, blasting us all again.  Fearing for the lives of all of my undead companions, I quickly turned back toward the “door” behind me and bade my friends to do the same with their own “doors,” returning us to the cavern, and out of harm’s way.  
We could still see through the “doorway” that there was still a fight going on in the dreamworld.  A huge creature was in the trees above where we were standing.  The druid there had summoned aid in the form of lions that were now climbing the tree to surround the beast.  When my ears stopped ringing, I finally was able to haste my undead friends and then I sent Blackberry back through the doorway, carrying two of the small bonedrinkers in his arms.  They flew up into the tree and engaged the horrid beast.  
The beast in its pure evil attacked my poor, nearly defenseless undead friends with another blast of sound.  Fortunately, only two of my friends were caught in the blast: Blackberry and a bonedrinker, Josh.  Josh was nearly dead, but Blackberry was still looking spry, despite the massive damage he had already absorbed.  Josh and his brother Jeb slashed their talons and their tentacles against the beast, to little effect.  Blackberry, however, hasted as he was, tore the beast a new orifice, slashing away with his greatsword.  The beast did not take kindly to this and blasted Blackberry again and again.  In the meanwhile, there was another battle afoot.
I arrived back in the dream world with the rest of my friends on the ground below.  We had to find the beastmaster, the evil druid that was causing all of Willow’s pain.  The trouble was, she was invisible, thanks to the Marshall, who was quite “taken” with her.  I never will understand that whole “love of the flesh” that seems to enthrall so many.  It is just flesh.  You eat it.  You can animate it.  Why do you have to get all messy with it?  
Willow was having none of this, either.  She weaved her hands and unweaved the charm over Balor and the Marshall, freeing them from the foul chains of the flesh.  This also allowed us to see the vile druid woman.  Josh and Jeb leaped into action, jumping over to where she was standing in the tree branches.  Josh wrapped his tentacles around her and embraced her, digging down to her bones, which be began to drink!  Josh had a look of ecstasy on his face as her bones dissolved and slipped down his warm throat!  Unfortunately, she was able to work her magic and escaped from his embrace, arriving on the ground some distance away.  But she was still too close to Josh.  Josh and Jeb, hasted as they were, ran and leapt into the air, pouncing on top of her, sucking out more of her bones!  But she managed to escape again!  This time, it was Balor and Willow who were upon her, ending her existence.  Josh then finished off her bones, sharing some with Jeb in the process.  Her soft flesh then lay in a heap upon the ground.  The beast was no more.  Naralex was free.  

Notes – Chapter One-Hundred Sixteen – Naralex’s Shame

Naralex was visibly shaken and clearly shamed.  He had traveled to the emerald forest world in the hopes of helping to reduce the population of our own world, to preserve the environment from destruction.  Instead, he had found this woman trapped there who then used him to further her destruction on our own world.  Apparently one can’t save the world’s forests by killing everyone, Willow.  But that’s ok.  That still leaves the option of saving the world by making everyone into my friends.  
At this point, Naralex realized that his door had returned and that he could leave.  We all did so.  
Willow later was quite excited.  Not that the forest was safe.  But that she could now become a tree!  A Treant!  
“Hey Vincent, Look at me!  Look at what I can do!”  She then turned herself into a Shambling Mound.  Amazing!  We all returned to our keep, vigilant against the oppressive evil of the paladins (sorry Reg, present company excepted)!
I had much work to do.  In my research, I had finally figured out how to make the larger, more regular-sized bonedrinkers.  I also think I have finally determined the ancient secret of mummification.  That, plus I think I finally know how to replace my shadow and wraith friends.  Finally, there is something called a Direguard and something else called the Spawn of Kyuss that has caught my interest.  I am going to need a few more bodies.  And I’m getting ever closer to the secret of restoring my parents to their former glory!  Only three more levels of secrets to unlock and I’ll have their bodies back!


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