# From the Diary of Doorag Marzipan



## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

In 2004 my rpg group wrapped up a pretty epic campaign that took us from level 1 to level 20 over the course of a couple of years. Until that time I'd been the only DM in our group to run a long campaign that actually reached a real conclusion. Then one of my players stepped up, and it turned out that she was a spectacular DM. Imaginative, fair, and fearless, she ran a truly epic, plane spanning adventure, and I was able, for the only time, to see a character all the way to the end. It was great. 

She offered us bonus xp if we contributed to the campaign in some way, such as art or a character diary. Since I was envisioning playing a crafting wizard i knew I'd need all the extra xp I could get, so I started a diary for my character, Doorag Marzipan. 

325 pages later it was finished. I posted it as I was writing it on another board, inspired by some other great story hours. But that board is gone now.  

Anyway, I recently stumbled upon it again and gave it a reread. It was super fun to remember all the ups and downs of the campaign, and I thought, what the heck, I'll post in on the enworld boards, on the off chance that somebody might read it. 

I should mention that the writing in the first ten to twenty pages is pretty sparse. At the time I really didn't know if I was going to see the project through, so they were just jotted notes in a journal. But as things progressed I began to find Doorag's voice a little more, and began to broaden the scope of the story telling. 

This was a 3.5 game. The world was homebrew, although she used Greyhawk's calendar and a larege part of it's deity pantheon.


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## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

Book I

   Ptchwl 6  

   Have recently arrived in Toulouse, a town I have not visited for quite some time. I
believe the last time the Old Man and I came here for supplies and news it was my
seven-tenth summer. Not much has changed in four years. I don’t plan on staying 
long; perhaps a day or two to pad my supplies and get my bearings before heading
to Havilah. 


   Ptchwl 7 

   My journey to Havilah has been postponed. Baron, the captain of the guard here
in Toulouse, has asked me to accompany a small band of scouts to check on the 
condition of a monastery a days walk from here. According to him the monks that
reside there visit the town every year around this time. Thus far they have not come,
and Baran is worried for them. He has asked myself and four others to make sure 
they are well, and has even added the incentive of a twenty-five gold payment. I
would do it without the coin, but I can’t say it won’t come in handy in the days to
come.   

  We leave tomorrow. Five of us in all. I have only met my new companions
briefly, but already I have a good feeling about them. There is Griffin, a human
warrior; Caribdis, another human, young, but he carries a bow. I hope he knows 
how to use it. There is Taklinn, a dwarven priest of Clangeden; obviously devout
and zealous. Mayhap a bit OVER zealous, but one must admire faith. And last,
besides myself, is another small folk. Her name is Happy, and she’s a Greenie. She 
packs a lot of blades, I’ll say that for her! 


  Ptchwl 8  

  The day has been a harsh journey to the east, into the forested mountains and a
winter storm that seems awfully extreme for this time of year. The end of the day
found us at the monastery where no life appears to exist. It is bitterly cold, so cold 
that the door was iced over. We found a dead monk in the frozen pond in the front,
but that was to be the least of the horrors we’d face.  

   Upon entering the monastery Griffin was attacked by what I believe was a delver. 
The ensuing fight was short, dark, and ultimately we proved victorious, but not
without some damage being done to Griffin.  

  Pressing on, we found the kitchen, and beyond it a dining room that showed signs 
of struggle. Two skeletons dressed in the rags of monks robes suddenly animated
and attacked! My companions fought valiantly! Happy risked her life to help
Taklinn deal with one of the undead, and with supreme team work we were able to 
dispatch them.  

  Stairs lead up to sleeping quarters, empty and cold. More stairs led down to a
basement and an odd furnace, and in that room were we nearly brought down! From 
a pile of coal an undead hand slapped at me, nearly knocking me senseless! I could
do little but make my escape as my stalwart comrades stepped in to deal with the
atrocity. It was then that Taklinn was hit hard enough to be brought down. The rest 
of the party fell upon the monkish zombie with vengeance in mind, and it soon fell
dead. 

  Which finds us here, back in the kitchen, warmed by fire and furnace, keeping 
careful watch over the unconscious Taklinn. He breaths and sleeps peacefully,
which is a good sign. It has been an exhausting day and I must sleep. With all the
undead that seem to be in this place I think it would be a good idea to memorize
Disrupt Undead. Also, if I have time, I am going to try my hand at scroll scribing.  


   Ptchwl 10  

  Another days rest and we believe Taklinn is out of the woods. He is on the mend,
and we think that we’ll be able to move on tomorrow or the next day. My scroll
work is coming along nicely, but I don’t want to over do it. I am doing a bit of 
healing myself. 

  I have had little time to talk about my companions, and certainly more will be said
later, but for now I must write a few small accolades.   

   I feel very lucky to have fallen in with this lot. Though Griffin seems fatalistic
and concerned only with finding the monks wine supply, he is a ferocious warrior!
Taklinn is a rock, and his healing spells have already come in handy. His axe is a 
thing to behold, and with it he makes short work of undead skulls. I am quickly
seeing where Happy’s expertise lies. She is always eager to scout silently ahead and
check for traps. Yes, a roguish lass she is, but she seems more about the fun of the 
caper than the actual loot. One can’t fault a small folk for natural curiosity. She is
also quite brave. And speaking of brave, Caribdis has the courage to recite poetry in
the heat of battle! Such courage have I rarely seen! He is also quite a shot with his 
bow, and though he is young, I feel we’re fortunate to have him. 

  Unfortunately, for my part I seem able to do little more than lug a torch. Still, it’s
been only a couple of days. I’m sure a spell or two will come in handy when the 
time comes. 


   Ptchwl 11  

   We head back out tomorrow. Taklinn is back on his feet, but needs a day to
recover his spells. Caribdis and Griffin scouted up the stairs briefly and reported a
hall full of foreboding doors. In the morning we will set out to get to the bottom of 
this mystery and root out the evil that infests this once beautiful monastery. 

   My scroll looks good. I believe all has gone well and I now have Unseen Servant
on paper. 


   Ptchwl 12 

   Whew! What a day it has been! Full of combat, mishaps and flaming zombies.   

   We ascended the stairs this morning and the first door we opened found us face to
face with a pair of the undead that infest this place. I was able to apply a little
flaming oil to one of them while Griffon mopped up the second. All would have 
gone like clock work had Happy and I not tried to help. We both hurled daggers at
the creature, but we both missed and ended up hitting Griffin! He was not badly
injured, and seemed to forgive us, but I wouldn’t blame him if he holds a bit of 
resentment. Our clumsiness in battle did nothing to alleviate the reputation we small
folk have as troublemakers. 

  At any rate, soon after this fight, Caribdis suddenly became terrified and obsessed 
with fleeing the monastery. He claimed to have seen a ghost or a vision of a woman
watching him. He swears that we are in terrible danger, more than we understand. It
may be a ghost, but I’m not so sure. The way he made it sound it could well have 
been someone scrying us. I’ve seen the Old Man scry plenty of times. It could easily
have been Caribdis sensing himself being magically watched. Whatever the case,
the mystery deepens, and we will do well to be on our guard.  

   Back to the events of the day, we moved on, checking out the rooms on the upper
floor, discovering still more undead! One room in particular, the library, seemed
positively bursting at the seams with them. Courage, determination and fighting 
prowess won the day, and I was even able to make use of all the Disrupt Undead
spells I’d memorized. Unfortunately, I would prove far less effective in our next
fight.  

   After clearing out the second floor we discovered a stair case leading up to the 
third floor. The first thing we saw upon climbing them was a room with two doors
and as many statues. We were leery of the statues, but not leery enough! Taklinn 
touched one of the doors and the two stone monks sprang to life! We have fought
battles, but nothing like this! The two statues moved faster than they should have,
and struck with powerful stone fists. Worse yet, the only one of us who seemed 
capable of hurting them was Griffin, and even he was only just able to dent them.
My spells proved useless, and Taklinn, our only other strong fighter, was at a loss.
His axe simply lacked the power to breech their stone skin! I tried to aid Griffin and 
perhaps redeem myself from the dagger throwing incident by helping him to flank
one of the statues and hopefully distracting it while Griffin concentrated his attacks.
I don’t really know if it worked, but in the end Griffins sword was the end for the 
statue. Good thing, to, for one hit from the statue would surely have been the end of
me.  

  Badly wounded, Griffin turned to deal with the second statue, which Taklinn and 
Caribdis had been managing to stave off, but the magic that gave the stone life must
have been finite, for at that point the second statue ceased to move and became
harmless granite once again. We took no chances, however, and smashed it to 
pieces.  

  We were all quite the worse for wear after such a fight, and have decided to bed
down for a couple of days to regain our strength before breeching the doors. My 
Unseen Servant came in quite handy for opening suspect doors. I believe I’ll make
another such scroll. I feel that my skills have benefited greatly from even this small
amount of real world work.   


 Ptchwl 16 

  Today we head back to Toulouse, for victory is ours and the murderous evil that 
made puppets out of monks has been driven from the monastery. I can only hope
that more of their order will eventually come and repopulate the place and bring life
back to it.   


   I write this while we rest on the trail back to Toulouse. I haven’t much time, but,
extraordinarily enough, there is little to tell. Still, what there is to relate is gripping 
enough!  

   We rested for two days, honing our blades and reciting our spells, all the while
glancing nervously upwards, knowing that we would soon face whatever dwelt 
behind those last doors. Finally, with our loins properly girded, we fit the correct
key into one of the key holes and let the door swing open.  

  The creature within greeted us with the hiss of hatred that only the undead can 
muster. This had obviously once been a high ranking monk, and he was the last
stand of evil in this place. He crouched low amongst the ruined room, eager to
pounce upon the first to come close enough. But it was not to be.   

   I know that clerics can have power over the undead, and I’ve seen Taklinn try his
hand at rebuking several of the zombies that we’ve crossed paths with already, all
with dismal results. He claims that manipulation of the undead is not his particular 
forte, and until today he had done nothing to disprove that. But this morning, in the
face of the purest evil I have yet to see, Taklinn stepped forward, roaring the name
of Clangeden, calling upon the dwarven god to smite this abomination before him.   

   And Clangeden did!  

   The zombie monk suddenly whimpered and cried out in fear and frustration, and
fled before the glow that radiated from Taklinn’s holy symbol. The pitiful creature 
sought a way to escape, but there was none. Taklinn backed it into a corner, and
held it at bay while it cowered before him. Griff and Caribdis wasted no time in
filling it full of bolts and arrows until it lay still.  

   Griff says it is time to move if we want to make it to Toulouse by sundown. I will
write more when there is more to tell. 


   Ptchwl 18 

   It’s been far too long since my last entry. The Old Man in the Pointy Hat would 
not be pleased. He always said that the keeping of a journal is an exercise in
discipline, and discipline is at the heart of successful wizardry. I shall try to better
stay abreast of events in this log.  

   Our arrival back in Toulouse roused a sleeping Baron, it being well past dusk. He
gratefully received our report though, as well as the letter we had found addressed 
to him. He read it with some concern and then sifted our story for details. It was
clear that he was much troubled, and I daresay it was no help that Caribdis decided
that it was an appropriate time to pump him for more money, reminding him 
incessantly of our deeds and the fact that the job had turned out to be far more
difficult than the mere delivering of a letter. I was quite appalled, but he is young,
and Baron took it in stride. I do hope that our impetuous bard will one day soon 
learn the fine art of subtlety.  

   Baron sent us to The Happy Merchant to enjoy an evening of refreshment and a
clean bed, courtesy of Toulouse, promising to meet us there in the morning with our 
payment and more information. 

   Whether it was Caribdis’ hinting, or Baron’s own sense of fairness I don’t know, 
but the following day he brought to each of us a pouch heavy with 40 gold! Fifteen
more than promised. We were all well pleased, and it certainly made us receptive to
his offer of further aiding him. Sitting down to dine with us, he told us what he 
knew.  

   The abbot of the monastery, it seems, was a gruff piece of work by the name of
Alluzin who had split away from some monks order or another because it wasn’t 
strict enough for him. It seems that he had, before starting his own order, raised a
sister whom Baron feels might have cause to resent him. She is a possible suspect
as the culprit behind the monastery murders, especially considering Caribdis’ tale of 
seeing visions of a woman. The motive may be a bit tenuous, but it is still there, so
Baron felt it wise to at least tell us of her, and ask us to undertake a second mission
on his behalf.  

   He wants us to travel to Ravens Hollow to see Yigil Sakeri, a wizard of some
renown. I recall the name from The Old Man in the Pointy Hat, though not very
many details. Baron assures me that my having apprenticed under The Old Man in 
the Pointy Hat will lend weight to our meeting, but I don’t know. It’s always been
my experience that wizards consider apprentices to be slightly beneath privy
cleaners on the importance scale. We shall see.  

  We have accepted the mission, though it pains me a bit. On the one hand, I desire
travel and the opportunity to see new things and face new challenges. But I worry
that I may become too involved in the affairs of this kingdom and lose the freedom 
to follow my whims. Still, it’s for a good cause, and I must admit to a certain
curiosity as the mystery deepens. The culprit must be brought to justice, and to a
certain extent, I think it only right that we be the ones to do so.  

   On a side note, I’ve finally finished research on those new spells. At last, I have
Mage Armor and Sleep. While I find it difficult to make room for defensive spells, I
feel sure that the time will soon come when they will come in handy. Already I can 
cast more spells than I could only a week ago. My learning has accelerated
dramatically. The Old Man in the Pointy Hat was right! There is no class room like
the real world! I find that I have very little time for study, but the research I am able
to get in seems to correlate far more clearly with real world examples than they do 
in the lab. It’s as if the danger has forced my mind to respond to it by swiftly
grasping the nuances of my craft. The Old Man in the Pointy Hat said it would be 
so, and it is. 

   And while Shield and Mage Armor may go unused for a bit longer, I’m very
excited at the prospect of  Sleep. The Old Man in the Pointy Hat swears by this 
spell, still preferring to have one about him even at his power. I’m eager to try it out,
my one reservation being its area of effect. I would hate to accidentally knock out
one of my fellow party members due to poor calculations of distance. I shall try to 
be careful. 

   Note to self: See about buying some scrolls in Ravens Hollow. Now that I have 
some money it’s time to supplement my own research with purchased spells, though
I daresay I hardly have the funds to copy them into my book. That may soon
change, however, as one of the spoils of our recent adventure turned out to be an 
amazing book that promises to reveal to me the secretes of scribing at half the page
space and even less the cost! I have been pursuing it ravenously. This book could
save me many thousands of gold in the long run, though it is a slow and painful 
read.


 Ptchwl 23  

   We are on the road to Ravens Hollow, a week away from Toulouse. Not all of us
were so eager to lend our strength to Baron, but he hints that our solidarity may be
our best source of income, an already formed and cohesive party being quite 
valuable. It remains to be seen, but in the meantime we have a weeks worth of
travel to gel even more. It’s a perfect opportunity to get to know one another better,
though I’m afraid I may be losing out on this time due to my studies. I have so much 
to learn and read that it takes up most of my spare time. I hope my companions do
not think me anti-social. My research really is necessary.  

   Happy has bought a donkey, which she has named, Don Kay, and her (the 
donkeys) back is broad enough for the both of us to ride. She wanted to purchase a
small horse with my financial help, but I convinced her to save some gold and go
with a pack animal. I’m a terrible rider, so it would be pointless for me to claim part 
ownership in a horse. I am far more comfortable astride the slow but sure Don Kay,
where I am able to read and study along the road. 

   The rest of the party, with the exception of Taklinn, who says that he prefers to 
walk, has also bought mounts, but none are worried that we’re slowing them down.
We are under no pressure, and were even able to spend a couple of days in
Toulouse in preparation before hitting the trail. I was able to scribe a couple more 
scrolls (Sleep and Mage Armor), which is always helpful.


 Ptchwl 26  

   Once again I have felt the sting of an enemy’s weapon! This life of adventure is
rife with reward, but the downside of its danger can be only too apparent
sometimes.  

  It was an ambush. Riding through a dense forest, we rounded a bend and for some
reason I looked up from my book. To my surprise I was able to spot several
creatures hidden in the overgrowth that lined the road. Hobgoblins! Nasty beasts 
with foul tempers and wicked blades. As nonchalantly as I could, I slipped my book
into my pack and muttered to the rest what I had seen. Taklinn had also spotted
them, and he stiffened; his axe at the ready. Caribdis twirled an arrow from its 
quiver and all hell broke loose. 

   The order of events is murky to me, but suffice to say, I was able to try out my
new Sleep spell. Zeroing in on a hobgoblin, I uttered the incantation, and to my near
surprise and great pleasure, he dropped into a deep slumber, effectively taking him 
out of the fight! 

  And then I got shot with a crossbow!   

   I leapt from Don Kay’s back and scurried into the cover of the woods while
Taklinn and Griffin charged forward to meet the threat head on. Taklinn seemed to
take particular glee in the fight, and in no time at all he had split the skull of a 
hobgoblin. Griffin took on another, and traded blows back and forth with the beast,
when all of the sudden Happy appeared behind the hapless hobgoblin and drove her
dagger into his blind side. She left a grievous wound, and Griffin was easily able to 
finish him off. Caribdis continued to show his bow skills and dropped another
hobgoblin with a volley of arrows. With four of them taken down so swiftly, the last
two quickly fled into the forest.   

   We are now left with a prisoner, the hobgoblin that I put to sleep. We found sets
of manacles on each of the hobgoblins, and at first we thought they were slavers,
but our prisoner scoffs at the idea. We now believe they were trying to specifically 
capture us. It appears that we have made an enemy! 

   We plan to turn the hobgoblin over to the local authorities in Ravens Hollow. I
need to rest now. Taklinn was able to heal me fully, but I can still feel the ghost of 
the bolt in my shoulder, and it’s been quite difficult to study this evening. I look
forward to getting back on the road tomorrow.


  Ptchwl 28 

  At last, a spot of peace and quiet. It seems that these moments are coming few and
far between lately.   

  I write this from the relative comfort and safety of the first floor of Yigil’s tower.
He has allowed us to stay the night, with promise of more information, and perhaps
a job in the morning. After the day we’ve had I’m sure we’ll all be able to use the 
rest. Even Griffin seems more attracted to his bed than his bottle tonight, and
Ambros is already curled up asleep. I would join him, but the adventures of the day
still run through my mind, and I’d best get them on paper while they are still fresh.  

   But to do that I must back up a bit. I have been unable to update my journal since
our first run in with the hobgoblins on the road to Ravens Hollow, and much has 
happened since. I would be remiss if I didn’t take up my tale where it left off. 

  After defeating the ambushing hobgoblins, we took our prisoner and set out again,
wanting to put as much distance between ourselves and the ambush site as possible. 
But we were unable to outrun the surviving hobgoblins, for that night, as we lay
asleep, the two that had run away embarked on a daring rescue mission that ended
in disaster when they alerted Taklinn, who was on watch. And fortunate that he 
was, for he is the only one among us who can see in the dark! He was able to spot
the marauders and set to work with his axe. His bellows roused us, but we could do
little but stumble around in the night while Taklinn settled accounts with the 
hobgoblins by himself.  

  The failure of the rescue attempt seemed to be the last blow to the moral of our
prisoner, for the next day when I questioned him; he seemed far more willing to 
deal. 

 It turned out that his ambushing group was about half of a band of scallywags
hired specifically to capture us. After some coaxing, he decided to trade his 
comrade’s life for his own, and agreed to take us to his bands campsite in return for
his freedom and a sword. He also said that whoever had hired them in the first place
was a spell caster, but he did not know exactly where or who they were. We would 
have to settle with taking out the remaining hobgoblins and their two bugbear
leaders. 

  We followed the road to Ravens Hollow until we were mere miles from the town,
then the hobgoblin led us into the forest to a small farmhouse not far away. There 
showed no signs of movement, but he assured us that they were there, and after
some quick reconnaissance, he proved true. A hobgoblin was busy chasing chickens in 
the back yard. We led our prisoner several hundred yards into the forest, and
freed him, and that’s the last we’ve seen of the traitorous fellow. I’d say it was a
good trade though, for we were able to mount an assault that laid many more of his 
kind low that day. 

  Quickly formulating a plan, we crept around to the back of the farmhouse and
drew back our missile weapons, hoping to take out the chicken chasing hobgoblin 
in a single, silent, volley of arrows, daggers and bolts. Griffin recently came across
a crossbow that suited him, and he gave me his old one. I decided that this would be
the perfect time to try it out. It was a shot of beauty! Most of us hit the hapless bad 
guy, but my bolt took him right through the eye. At the time I felt quite enamored of
the weapon, and it would prove still more potent in the coming days.  

   The hobgoblin went down without a single grunt of alarm, and we crept forward, 
toward the rear of the house. I snuck around the side of the house, hoping to get a
peek in the window and get an idea of what we faced before going in, but Taklinn
had other ideas. With a great dwarven war bellow, he kicked open the rear door and 
waded into the fray. Nearly half a dozen hobgoblins sprang to meet his challenge,
grabbing up their weapons and quickly surrounding him. By this time I was peering
through the window, so I did what I was able to and cast a Sleep spell. 
Unfortunately it was rather ineffective, and only one of the thugs went down. Still,
it took a bit of pressure off of Taklinn, and by that time Griffin had followed him in
and the two warriors set to work with sword and axe, cleaving a bloody swath 
through the room. 

  I had little time to appreciate the skill with which my two friends fight, however,
for at that moment, around the front corner, came a massive hobgoblin, charging 
right for me! What could I do but flee? He chased me back to the rear of the house,
into the goat pen. Fortunately Happy was back there as well, and she commenced to
harrie the brute with well placed daggers. Still, she didn’t drop him, and I ran out of 
the pen and back toward the house where Caribdis stood, firing arrows into the fray
inside. And it was Caribdis who downed my hobgoblin pursuer when he chased me
a bit too close to Caribdis for his liking. The young bard and Happy filled the 
bugger with enough steel to drop him, after which we turned our eyes to the inside
combat. 

  Taklinn and Griffin had mopped up the hobgoblins downstairs, but the gang’s 
leaders had joined the battle now, charging down the stairs. One final hobgoblin and
two bugbears. I have heard of bugbears, but in the flesh, they seem impossibly huge
and strong. They swung their massive morningstars as if they were made of rotten 
wood, and a single hit from one would surely do me in. Taklinn and Griffin stood
their ground, but it was a desperate fight. Things looked grim, but the turning point
came when it seemed that Griffin had met his end. Overstepping through one of his 
sword thrusts, he was caught off balance, and the bugbear was able to grab him by
the hair while the last hobgoblin flanked him from the opposite side. The hobgoblin
tried to grab Griffin, as if to pin his arms, but our warrior was too slippery, and, 
with his hair still clenched in the bugbears fist, he whirled and struck, downing the
hobgoblin, and then following through for a mighty backswing into the bugbear that
took the beast to its knees! With a heavy thud, the bugbear slumped to the floor.   

  Caribdis was able to fire his arrows, but Happy and I could do little as we
watched Taklinn and Griffin square off against the final bugbear. I toyed with the
idea of trying another Sleep spell, but was stymied by its area of effect. Happy 
would not throw for fear of hitting one of our comrades. The lessons learned in the
zombie fight have stayed with us. 

   As it turned out, our warriors were more than able to handle themselves, and with
a mighty double team, the two struck high and low, axe and sword cleaving through 
muscle and bone. The bugbear went down with a defeated grunt, and the house was
still.  

   Wounded, hurting and weary, we still had to secure the house. Griffin went
upstairs, and to our horror, he discovered two young human girls, tied to the beds 
and obviously mistreated and ravaged. They were physically sound, but the hell
they had gone through showed on their faces. Griffin wrapped them in blankets and
Happy soothed them while Taklinn tended to their wounds. The girls were able to 
tell us that the farm had belonged to an elderly couple called the McDonalds.
Hoping against hope that they might still be alive, we manacled the sleeping
hobgoblin (and a still alive but unconscious bugbear) and forced him to tell take us 
to the McDonalds. We found them in a gully in the forest, heads bashed in and
tossed aside like so much garbage. Our hobgoblin prisoner was made to carry their
bodies back to the farm and dig proper graves for them. It was quite sad, even 
though I didn’t know them personally. As Taklinn said a few words over their
graves, I couldn’t help but feel a sleight responsibility to these innocent farmers. 

   We toyed briefly with the idea of staying at the farm, hoping that whoever had 
hired these curs would come to visit, especially after Taklinn discovered a cage full
of ravens, each with a tiny scroll tube tied to it’s leg and a couple of pre-written
scrolls obviously meant to be used as confirmation of the success or falier of the 
thugs mission. Taklinn set free the ravens, one of them with a note stating that the
mission was accomplished, hoping to throw our enemy off the trail. In the end we
decided to hurry on to Ravens Hollow, the quicker to reunite the two girls with their 
families and meet with Yigil.  

   We rounded up our gear, as well as the livestock from the farm, and headed out. 
As we entered the small town, the populace began to pour from the houses and
shops as word spread of the girls rescue, and it was not long before their mothers
arrived, crying and wailing with relief and thanks. It was the best I have felt for a 
very long time. Truly, such moments are the real reward for a life of adventure.  

   Soon after we met Adri Lawson, the sheriff in Ravens Hollow. Adri Lawson is an
untrusting sort, and though he was grateful to us for bringing the girls back safely, 
he appeared guarded, especially after we told him we wanted to meet with Yigil.
Yigil, it seems, is, like most wizards, looked upon with great suspicion and mistrust.
Still, Lawson’s hospitality was first rate, and we spent the night in Ravens Hollow 
as the towns honored guests, dining and dwelling for free.  

   Early the next morning we met again with Adri, and he gave us directions to
Yigil’s tower. It was a days travel through rough woods, he said, and urged us to be 
careful, or better yet, to simply not go. But there was to be no turning back, and
after a fine farmer’s breakfast and a visit to the armoror for some business for
Taklinn and Griffin, we plunged into the forest.  

  The ride was pleasant, if a bit rough. Don Kay was sure footed and I was able to
get in a bit of reading from his back before harsh reality interrupted my study once
again.   

   We had ridden for roughly seven hours, when we began to spot movement in the
woods. It was a warning, but not enough to keep us from another ambush, as
suddenly the air was thick with javelins! The slender spears rained from the sky, 
one of them piercing my shoulder. It did little damage, but the pain was fierce.
Casting about, it seemed that the woods had suddenly exploded with goblins! These
smaller cousins of hobgoblins may be half the size of their brethren, but they are no 
less fierce, and their jibbering war whoops chilled my spine as I realized how many
of them there must be. A quick scan showed at nearly two dozen lining the road, all
of them well armed with wicked morning stars.  

  Our mounts panicked, and I quickly slid from Don Kay’s back, casting a spell 
even as I dropped to the ground. Centering it in the midst of a tightly packed group
of goblins, I let fly with a Sleep spell, and it was a wonder! Half a dozen goblins 
fell to the ground, deep in slumber! It was a good hit and thinned their numbers, but
they quickly fell upon us and chaos reined. Taklinn and Griffin found themselves
surrounded by goblins while Happy, Caribdis and I faced off with another six or 
seven of the little beasts. I tried to Grease the area beneath the goblins feet, but was
hit for my efforts, and my spell fizzled. Wounded and dazed, I could do little but try
and distance myself from the melee. Caribdis fired arrows from point blank range 
into a goblin while Happy threw daggers on the move, plunking one into the back
of a goblin that threatened Taklinn. I believe she was hit, but she is made of stern
stuff, and kept her feet. Griffin and Taklinn swung their weapons, keeping their 
enemies at bay and connecting a couple of times, but they were quickly being
overwhelmed.  

   Finding myself clear of enemies for a brief second, I fired off a Color Spray at a 
trio of nearby goblins in an effort to help Caribdis, who is no melee fighter.
Unfortunately only one of them was affected, but it helped a bit, and Caribdis was
able to get off another bow shot. A goblin seemed to pick me out and ran at me, 
swinging his morningstar. The threat was immediate and deadly, but from the
corner of my eye I could see that Griffin and Taklinn needed relief, so I took a
chance. Reading a scroll while dodging the weapon of a crazed goblin is a very 
tough proposition, but I was able to get the spell off, and with it centered just so, the
Sleep spell knocked out another three of the goblins that surrounded Taklinn and
Griffin. This brought their numbers down to reasonable levels, and it was the work 
of a few seconds for Griff, Taklinn and Happy to dispatch the remaining few.
Caribdis took care of the goblin that was attacking me with a well placed arrow.
When I was at last able to look around without fear of being brained, the ground 
was littered with dead or unconscious goblins. All of us were wounded, but there
was no time to rest. Despite reservations, we had to dispense some roadside justice
to the surviving goblins. I’d have preferred taking them to the local law, but it 
simply wasn’t an option. In the end, it was Taklinn who, with typical dwarven
aplomb, "took care" of our prisoners. It left a bad taste in our mouths, but we had
little choice. Caribdis especially, seemed affected by the harsh reality of what had to 
be done. Still, I would rather sleep uneasily than sleep forever.  

   We moved on. Taklinn and even Caribdis had used most of their healing, and yet
most of us were still wounded, which made the next encounter even more deadly.  

   It was an hour later and the woods grew thick around us. We felt that Yigil’s
tower must now be very near, but getting there without further conflict would not be 
an option. We rounded a corner in the trail, and still more goblins blocked our path.
Only two this time, but mounted on worgs, huge wolves, bristling with teeth and a
malevolent intelligence that shown from their red eyes. Sensing our weakened state, 
they charged us, not bothering to listen to Happy’s demands that they let us pass
(very fortunate that she speaks the language). One of them barreled into Griffin
while the second pair skirted us to attack our flank. It was a short and bloody fight, 
and Griffin and Caribdis took the worst of it. I was out of spells, and thus fell back
to my new crossbow, putting it to good use. The worgs were some of the toughest
creatures we’ve yet faced. Happy hit one of them with dagger after dagger, and it 
just wouldn’t go down until the very end. I must say, that girl plays hell with those
knives of hers. I’ve watched her study an opponent, look for his weak spot, and hurl
her dagger with deft ease that does its damage via placement, not force.   

  When the dust had cleared, two goblins and two worgs lay dead. Griffin and
Caribdis lay near death, bleeding and unconscious. Taklinn was able to staunch
their wounds, but he was as bereft of magic as I, and in the end all we could do was
put them on their mounts and hope that we’d soon find the tower.  

   The last half hour was the worst. Behind every shrub or tree stump we seemed to 
see goblins lurking. Our imaginations played nasty tricks with the wind and the
shadows, and we knew only too well that we were in no shape to take on much
more. But at last, the forest broke into a clearing, and there it sat, Yigil’s squat 
tower, beckoning to us with mystery, and hopefully, refuge. 

  A smart rap on the door (or two), and a shouted explanation to the servants as to
who we were and what business we had here, and finally the master of the tower 
dinged to greet us. Yigil is a musty old bugger, but one can expect little else of a
wizard of any repute, and I get the definite feeling that Yigil is not one to be trifled
with. He was curious about my relationship with the Old Man in the Pointy Hat, and 
I get the distinct impression that he doesn’t care for him. I will let that be between
them, however, as I have business to attend to. Once we’d given Yigil our letter of
introduction, he mellowed a little (very little) and gave us some small aid in the 
form of potions to heal our felled comrades. It was a relief to see Griffin and
Caribdis come around. Yigil offered us his limited hospitality (a bit of the floor on
the first floor of his tower), and that is where we are even now. He tells us that we 
will know more in the morning, and that is good enough for me. I am bone tired,
and my yawns are threatening to overwhelm me. The others are all well asleep. It is
unlike me to burn so much midnight oil, but our adventures need to be recorded. 
Now that they have, I must bed down.  
   More will be written when there is more to tell...

  Rdyr’t 3 

   Here we are, back in Ravens Hollow, with our feet firmly set on a new path of
adventure.   

  Yigil has given us a bit of a test to prove our worthiness to accompany him to
Havilah and to call ourselves a real crew, eligible to accept good coin in exchange
for dangerous services rendered. You would think that ridding the monastery of 
zombies and battling dozens of goblinoids on the road would be enough, but
apparently not. To win Yigil’s favor, we must seek out and destroy a wyvern. 

  In my research while under the tutelage of The Old Man in the Pointy Hat I 
studied many types of monstrous creature, and I recall briefly skimming over
wyverns. Fortunately Yigil is disinclined to send us on this hunt with such sparse
knowledge of our quarry, and has given us much more information, as well as a 
scry of the beasts lair.  

   A wyvern is a cousin of the dragon, and while not nearly as fierce as one of those
terrible beasts, it is still a spine shaking terror. It is a winged lizard, some twenty or 
thirty feet long, with six inch long fangs, clawed feet, and a tail stinger full of
poison! Fighting man sized creatures is one thing, but this, this is another matter
entirely.   

   According to Yigil, wyverns are fairly clumsy on the ground, unable to move
much faster than a dwarf or a halfling. Their hide is thick and leathery, highly
resistant to sword blows. Their teeth and claws are capable of terrible damage, but 
their favored tactic is to sweep up their hapless prey in their talons, fly them high
into the air, and then drop them to their deaths. Yigil’s says that they hunt in the
daylight and slumber through the night, their dark vision being non-existent, though 
they have keen ears and smell. This promises to be a dangerous undertaking, and
we are here in Ravens Hollow in preparation for this hunt. Happy has come up with
a clever idea that may well be the undoing of this beast.   

  Before we left his tower, Yigil brought us to his chambers and unveiled his
scrying mirror. With it, he showed us exactly what the wyvern’s lair looks like. It is
a cave, situated some forty feet up on the side of a sheer cliff face, though there is a
substantial shelf of rock that forms a lip beneath its entrance. Happy proposes that 
we construct a net that we can somehow drop over the wyvern, and has even found
a craftsman in Ravens Hollow who is making it for us. It’s a fine idea, but I daresay 
the logistics of getting the wyvern into the net would be well nigh impossible
without the new spells I’ve learned. 

  The morning of the 1st day of Readyreat, I awoke and, as usual, went about my 
morning studies, and, as has often happened over these last days, finally came to an
understanding of two brand new spells! Only these two deserve special mention, as
they are both of the second circle of power, and are, arguably the best of that lot! 
Levitate and Invisibility. Two spells that no mage should be without. The words to
the spells just fell into place for me on that morning, and I find my mental catalogue
of spells expanded. I memorized one of each of them, but had no time to try them 
out until yesterday. The townsfolk in Ravens Hollow have been extraordinarily kind
to us. They regard us as heroes for saving their children, and have treated us as
such. We have a difficult time paying for anything, and truth be told, getting a bit of 
privacy has been difficult, given their adulation. Still, last night I was able to sneak
out to the lot behind the inn and test out my new spells.  

   Casting levitate first, I felt little, until I mentally commanded myself to rise. And I 
did! My feet left the ground with a lurch, and I must admit to a few seconds of
panic as I continued to lift into the air, seemingly leaving my stomach below! It is a
heady feeling to watch the earth recede below you, defying gravity through nothing 
more than magic. The logical mind insists that it is impossible, and even though I
flew once or twice under the influence of The Old Man in the Pointy Hat’s spells,
this was a much different experience. Without him there to oversee, to assure me of 
my safety, I had to will myself to remain calm and control the spell. Soon, I was
able to do just that, and the feelings of fear turned to euphoria as I rose higher and
higher, able to control my vertical motion with mere thought! Unlike the Fly spell 
(which is still beyond me), I cannot move side to side. But the feeling of flight is
every bit as prevalent with Levitate, and every bit as exhilarating! Watching Ravens
Hollow grow smaller and smaller below me... well; the feeling is hard to describe. I 
felt as though I’d truly crossed a threshold from apprentice to wizard. My stomach
did flip flops for several minutes after I’d landed, and I found myself giggling long
afterward. It appears that flying simply makes one happy! One thing though, I 
must be careful. Currently I can only hold the spell for about a half hour, and it’s
vital that I keep that in mind. Should I allow the spell to dissipate before I alight, the
results could, obviously, be disastrous.  

   I set down from my Levitate experiment quite some distance from where I’d
started, as the wind shifted me a bit east. Still finding myself alone, I decided to try
out Invisibility. Though not so dramatic as Levitate, watching my body fade from 
view was a curious sensation. Waving ones hand in front of ones face and seeing
nothing but the ground beyond, is disconcerting until one grows used to it. It gives
one a feeling of mischievousness, I must admit, and I can see how such a spell 
could be misused in the wrong hands. I even snuck up on Griffin as he drank in the
tavern, and I do believe he was ready to draw his sword and swing wildly until I
assured him that it was just me. I believe he was duly impressed, but a bit 
suspicious, nonetheless. 

   Not all research leads to enlightenment though. I cannot crow over my spell casting
exploits without confessing to a failure. While at Yigil’s, I purchased from him a 
scroll of that staple of every wizards library, Magic Missile. I studied the bloody
thing all the way back to Ravens Hollow, and attempted to copy it to my book, and
failed utterly! I am disgusted with myself that I appear unable to comprehend what 
should be so simple! How can I master Levitate when I can’t even grasp Magic
Missile? It is depressing, but I shant give up. Sooner or later I WILL cast that
bloody spell! 

   At any rate, I was talking about the plan to incapacitate the wyvern via Happy’s
net. It turns out that my new spells will enable us to do so (we hope). I can cast 
Levitate onto the net itself and raise it into the air, the idea being to position it over
the lair entrance like a spider web. I shall also turn the net invisible, and one of us
will serve as bait, luring the wyvern straight into it. I’ve found that I can keep the 
nets position as I want it with an unseen servant.  

   These past two days have been spent constructing the net while I write scrolls.
Nearly half of my gold has gone towards a pair of Levitate scrolls. Expensive, but 
they will be vital, as I can only cast two second circle spells per day, and I figure I
will need at least two Levitates (one to get us up to the cliff, and a second for the
net), as well as an Invisibility.   

   We depart tomorrow for the wyvern’s lair, which is a days ride from here. We
must pass the remnants of the goblin tribe that attacked us earlier to get there
though, so we’ll have to be on our guard.   

   It is late, and I must be to bed, but before I did I must mention the generosity of
these fine folks of Ravens Hollow once again, for this evening they have showered
us with gifts. Each of us has received a fine gift from a craftsman here. A kind, old, 
gnomish woman named Edie has given me a fine wizard’s cloak, complete with
pockets for components and Ambros! It is of beautiful design, and I wear it proudly.
I only hope that we live long enough to enjoy our gifts.   


   Rdyr’t 4  

   Another long day on the road, and another fight against goblins, though I daresay, 
either we are getting better at fighting, or the goblins are getting worse, because
today saw us with fewer casualties than our last encounters with them.  

   Or mayhap it was because we were not ambushed this time.  

   We departed Ravens Hollow early this morning, thronged by townsfolk
assembled to see us off. They know of our mission and, being their patron heroes, 
after a fashion, they wish us well and cheer for our victory.  

  Our path led us into the low foothills a days ride east of the town, and by late day
we had begun to climb, riding our sturdy mounts up ever steepening switchbacks or 
leading them across shale covered slopes. And, around one particular bend, without
warning, there appeared the whole of a goblin encampment; this one fairly
permanent, there being several sturdy huts built onto the alcoves that pock marked 
the canyon in which it was situated.  

   Griffin, in the lead, hissed back a warning, and I decided that now was the time to
test my new spells.  

  The Old Man in the Pointy Hat often said to me, "Doorag, in times of danger and
combat, the learned must endeavor to become airborne as soon as possible, and
remain unseen for as long as possible." Up until today I have been unable to heed 
this advice, but at Griff’s warning, I remembered those words well. Casting quickly,
I vanished from beneath the nose of a startled Happy, and then rose into the air to
see what I could see.  

   The village spread out before me, and more than half a dozen goblins and several
worgs went about their business there. We had yet to be spotted, and I pondered our
strategy until Griffin made a command decision and stepped boldly forward, 
marching right into their midst! He even gave a startled goblin a jaunty salute as he
passed like it was the most natural thing in the world. Knowing that these buggers
would soon regain their composure, I cast quickly, sending a Sleep into a throng of 
them. Four, perhaps five, went down in peaceful slumber. And then hell broke
loose. The remaining goblins came to their senses immediately and Griffin soon
found himself surrounded. Happy had raced up behind him to lend support, and she
danced her way between goblins to position her quick blades. Taklinn sauntered in, 
a grin beneath his beard with twin handfuls of axes. He was met with a goblin and a
charging worg at once. Caribdis, unassailed, was able to do what he does best: Lend 
his support via word and arrow. His verse, while some might consider it doggerel,
has the desired effect, and no one can deny that he can split a horse hair at fifty
paces with his bow.   

  As for me, I could do little but follow Caribdis’ example. I landed upon a good
sniping position overlooking the camp and raised my crossbow. What a fine
weapon it is! I would think that some of Griffin’s fighting prowess has rubbed off 
on it, for my shots fell true. I was even able to dispatch the goblin that threatened
Taklinn.  

  Unbeknownst to us, the goblins had among them a spell caster! The little bugger 
set to work Dazing Griff and Happy, and, with the help of an exceptionally large
worg, attempted to do me in! The worg leapt nearly fifteen feet, nearly dragging me
from my ledge, and the goblin cast at me. I was able to resist his efforts and rose to 
safety. Taklinn heard my shouts, and, as fast as thought, hurled his hand axe. Just
like that, the goblin caster lay dead.  

  At the same time Griffin, Happy and Caribdis were downing the final few, and the 
huge worg lowered its head in supplication, surrendering to us. To my amazement,
the beast actually spoke, as would a man, albeit haltingly. We sent the worg on his
way. Finding nothing in the huts except several goblin infants, we roused the 
sleepers and told them to hit the road with their offspring. Road side justice or no,
we had neither the hearts nor stomachs to wipe them out after they’d been utterly
beaten.   

   As the day wound down, we made our way through a canyon, and at last came to
a sheer cliff. A step back and a telescoped peek later, and we were sure that we had 
found our wyvern lair. The creature wasn’t there, so we decided to double back to a
cave some forty-five minutes from the lair, that we might hide our mounts and gear
up for the coming battle. And we are here now, about to bed down. At least three of 
us are. Taklinn and Griffin have gone back to keep watch over the lair, to try and
get an idea of when the wyvern leaves to hunt. I worry for them, but of us all I
suppose they are the most fit to spend the night so close to the wyvern. Still, the 
morning cannot come fast enough for me. 


  Rdyr’t 5  

   Taklinn and Griffin have returned after an eventful morning! The wyvern flew
from his cave at the crack of dawn, and unfortunately, spotted our companions. The
huge beast landed quite near them, and the pair thought better of valor and ran like 
thunder! I do not blame them a bit, and thank all the gods that they had the good
sense to flee. Alas, Taklinn is not built for speed, and the wyvern nearly caught up
with him. Good thing for him that the wyvern is slow on the ground. As it was, they 
escaped through a narrow crevice. So narrow that Griff had to cut Taklinn free of
his armor to get him through! The wyvern could not follow, and flew away for
easier pray. Griff and Taklinn are back now, and we are whiling away the day, 
waiting for tomorrow morning, and another exit by the wyvern. Our plan is to be
there at first light and net ourselves a flying lizard!  

  Caribdis is using this day to regale us with more of his rhymes and to practice the 
gift he received in Ravens Hollow: A mandolin. It’s a beautiful instrument, and I
hope one day that Caribdis will make beautiful music with it. But for now, it sounds
like a hundred mice in a tin drum. I haven’t the heart to ask him to stop, but its 
difficult to read and Ambros has threatened to sneak over and chew off his strings
in the night. Ah well, the boy is an artist. I suppose I can comfort myself in the
knowledge that I will one day be able to say that I traveled and fought alongside the
famous Caribdis!   

   Ha! 

  Well, stranger things have happened.   


  Rdyr’t 6 

   Victory is ours! We are back in Ravens Hollow this night, our quarry defeated 
and our prizes safely stowed away from delivery to Yigil.  

  Our plan went quite smoothly. In the early morning, an hour before dawn, we
crept toward the wyvern’s lair, Taklinn leading us with his ability to see in the dark. 
Once at the base of the cliff, we set to work. I cast a levitate on myself and each of
my comrades, in turn, grabbed hold of me and I flew them to the shelf of rock some
forty feet upwards that lay beneath the cave entrance. Once we were all there, we 
quietly unfurled our net and spread it out. I quietly read off one of my levitate
scrolls and cast on the net. It rose into the air, and I quickly followed it up with an
Unseen Servant with which I was able to guide the net into position over the cave 
entrance. Once it was just so, I made it invisible and we were ready to go. From
within the cave, we could hear the heavy breathing of a huge beast in slumber. It
gave us all the chills, and more than one heart was in a throat, I can tell you!  

  We moved into ambushing position and Taklinn took his place as bait. At the
signal, he began to beat on his buckler with his axe, bellowing dwarven war chants
and challenges to the wyvern. We heard the beast awake, and within only seconds, 
it took the bait!  

  Even safely floating out of the way, the sight of it charging from the cave into the
dawns light was horrific and frightening! I feared that the net might not hold and 
that Taklinn would be torn asunder or pushed from the cliff. But the net did hold,
and the wyvern was brought up short, much to its surprise and our relief. But even
in the net it was still a danger, and it managed to bite Taklinn with fangs that we 
have now measured as some six inches in length. It also plunged it’s stinger into
Griffins chest, and we feared that the poison would be his doom. But Griffin is
made of tougher stuff. Perhaps all the alcohol in his blood served to dilute the 
poison. Whatever the case, he survived. The same cannot be said of the wyvern, for
we set to work with axe, sword, arrow and bolt, and within a few short seconds the
beast lay dead.   

   And so we have taken our trophies and returned to Ravens Hollow where we now
rest before going back to Yigil’s tower. I am quite excited at the prospect of
returning to that mage victorious.   

   For now though, the events of the day have caught up with me and I must be to
bed.


  Rdyr’t 7 

  Another day on the road, though this one was particularly uncomfortable. I
suppose I can’t complain too much, my discomfort being my fault, after all.  

   Last night, after my journal entry, I decided to forgo my usual practice of study
and bed for a bit of frivolity in the tap room with my companions. The excitement
of the fight with the wyvern was still fresh with me, and I wished to share it with 
my friends, so I made my way to the bar, where Griff was already deep in his cups,
and asked him if he might not order me something. 

  The rest of the night is a blur and this morning brought the unduly loud pounding 
on my door of Taklinn, who, not the least bit concerned with my aching head, bid
me make ready for our journey to Yigil’s tower.  

   It was not until much later in the day that I was able to eat anything, and even 
now my temples throb unceasingly. I was able to study my spells, but only through
sheer determination and discipline. All I really wanted to do was stay in bed and
nurse these terrible drums that pound behind my eyes. The day spent jouncing about
in the back of our wagon did little to settle my rocking stomach, and I dare say I’ve 
never been so happy to finally reach a destination as I was today when Yigil’s tower
came into view at last.   

   Yes, I believe that I will leave the drink to Griffin from now on and content
myself with returning his toasts with mugs of milk.  
   Fortunately we are not forced to do much more than rest through the night. Yigil 
is not here. His servant has bid us enter and take up residence on the first floor once
again to await his return. Caribdis, curious as ever, keeps trying to convince us to
let him wander into the upper levels. Taklinn has told him in no uncertain terms that 
this is not acceptable, and I have tried to gently assure him that one simply doesn’t
flail, pell mell, around in a wizards tower if one wants to keep ones head on ones
shoulders. Caribdis sits now, aimlessly plinking away at his new mandolin, as he 
did throughout our day long journey. I must say, I admire his determination to learn
this new instrument, but with my head being in the state it’s in, it was all I could do
not to hit the lad with a sleep spell to shut him up.   


   Rdyr’t 8 

   We awoke this morning to the sight of a newly returned Yigil, standing over us 
with a sort of malevolent benevolence, if that makes any sense. I suppose it’s a
matter of always keeping arch mages at arms length and vise versa. I suppose one
day I may find myself in such a position, though I hope not. As much as I admire 
the Old Man in the Pointy Hat, I feel a bit sorry for him and the manner in which he
sequesters himself from the general populace.  

   But that is neither here nor there. The point is, Yigil had returned, and after a 
quick bite of breakfast (my appetite had returned with a vengeance!) and an hours
wait for Yigil to freshen up, the six of us convened to turn over the spoils of our
wyvern battle and to discuss our future.   

   Yigil had watched our battle via his scrying mirror, so we did not have to regale
him with the tale, though I’m sure Caribdis was dyeing to do just that. He seemed
well impressed with our team work, giving special accolades to Happy for her net 
idea. She blushed deeply, but I think she was well pleased with the notice. 

   Yigil has agreed to sponsor us as a crew if we go to Havilah and meet with one
Nivin Mottul, the dean of recruiting at the Academy. Nivin is an acquaintance of 
Yigil’s, perhaps even a friend, and he assures us that we will be treated well once
we get there.  

   At last, we are going to the city! The capitol! I am beside myself. My feet have 
been itching to get at the Queens Road for weeks now. I’ve always dreamed of
seeing the city of such legendary splendor, and it appears that that dream shall soon
come true!  

   Yigil also tells us that he is almost sure that it was, indeed, Alluzen’s sister who
was behind the evil at the monastery. Her name is Melisandre, and Yigil tells us that
she hated her brother. He thinks she hated him enough to murder him and his 
followers. It seems awfully extreme for a simple case of sibling rivalry, but Yigil
believes that it may run deeper than that. Apparently, after leaving her brothers
care, she spent some time in Ebarium, a city who’s hedonistic and lawless 
tendencies are renowned. Yigil says that the dark arts are practiced with impunity in
Ebarium. Necromancers and demonologists ply their dark trade there, and he thinks
that Melisandre may have fallen in with that lot. It would explain the undead that 
infested the monastery. 

  Be all that as it may, Yigil cannot scry Melisandre and he knows not where she is.
For the time being, we shall have to let this mystery lie and get on with the job of 
becoming a real crew. 

   Bidding Yigil farewell, we hit the road, once again, back to Ravens Hollow,
which is where I write this from. We have gathered our wagon full of captured
treasures in hopes of selling them for a decent price once we get to Havilah, and 
plan to leave first thing in the morning. I am so excited that I don’t think I’ll be able
to sleep!  


   Rdyr’t 9 

   Looking back through the pages of this journal, I see that the majority of entries 
find us either on the road or fresh in from the road. This entry is no different, but I
find it special anyway, since we are on the Queens Road, headed for Havilah!  

  We left Ravens Hollow this morning with bounce in our stride, and I think all of 
us sense that we have entered a new chapter in our lives. Before, it was as if the
fates had conspired to bring us together and throw us in the face of danger. But
now, there is a feeling of purpose, of a goal. At the end of this road lies the capital 
city of Havilah, with its Academy, and our future! 

   I must say, be it fate or the hands of the gods, or pure coincidence, I find myself
glad to be in the company I now keep. Who could have known that a simple 
expedition for Baron could have turned five strangers into a group of fast friends?
Our differences are many, but despite them, we seem to share a common thread of
decency. Even Griffin, who adamantly claims to have no interest in anything 
beyond drink and coin, has a gleam in his eye, and I believe that he is as excited as
the rest of us.  

   He is a strange one, our Griffin. On the outside he is all bluff and blather, and it 
would be easy to assume that he cares little for anything but strong drink, loose
women, and cold coin. Unlike Taklinn, who will gladly fight for a principal, Griff
oft times must be dragged into a battle if there is no reward immediately in sight. I 
believe he considers himself a true mercenary, without conscience or kingdom. But,
I think he runs a little deeper than he lets on, and is of a far more complex nature
than he would have us believe.   

   He is unlike the knights that I remember seeing riding through our woods on
patrols. They were all gleaming plate mail and gaudy standards with plenty of
pompous attitude. Griffin is none of that. His way is down and dirty, with little 
room for pomp, circumstance or chivalry. Yet, if one watches him closely, one can
see chinks in his armor, and I think that he may be growing attached to some of us.
He seems to have a particular soft spot for Happy. The two have become a team of 
sorts, or perhaps, partners in crime might be a better way to put it.  

   Personally, I think Griffin is a much deeper chap than he pretends to be. As much
as he threatens to clobber Caribdis, I get the feeling that he likes the boy and would 
protect him, or any of us, should the need arise.  

   One other thing that belies Griff’s heartless exterior is the fact that he is
remarkably patient with those of us who are unfamiliar with the ways of battle. I 
still recall, with much chagrin, how Happy and I both accidentally stabbed him in
the back while he was trying to fight a zombie at the monastery. We could have
killed him! Yet he never said an unkind word toward us. I would think that most 
warriors would have had little patience with a couple of halflings brash enough to
pitch daggers wildly into combat. I think that when we get to Havilah I will gather
up Happy and see if she will accompany me on a shopping trip to purchase a gift for 
Griffin. A thank you, of sorts, for his forgiving attitude and willingness to put
himself between us and harm.  

   Perhaps a nice flask...  


   Rdry’t 11 

  The road still stretches out before us. The trip to Havilah would normally take a 
week for a mounted man, but we ride only as fast as Taklinn can walk. And while
our dwarven friend is seemingly tireless, his legs are still only so long. He refuses to
get onto a horse. Claims to have no truck at all with them. I can’t say as I blame
him. A full sized horse is a frightening beast to me, that much is sure. I like Don 
Kay, she is small enough so as to be manageable, but the horses are not my cup of
tea.  

   Taklinn plods down the road, hour after hour, tireless. He is every bit the dwarf,
even more so for his faith and devotion to Clangeden. He is fastidious in his
appearance, and I think that he considers himself an ambassador for all dwarves. 
His beard is always groomed, and he spends much time with polishing his armor
and axe. Even now, as I watch him walk on ahead of us, his grooming is perfect,
and the dusty miles have done little to dishevel him.   

   Oddly enough, I find that Taklinn may be the member of our little band with
whom I have the most in common. The two of us are often times the moral voice
within our group, and it is sometimes left to us to convince the others that a fight is 
worth the risk for the simple sake of quashing evil. Griffin is no coward, that much
is sure, but sometimes, if there is no immediate reward apparent, he would rather
circumvent a battle and allow baneful beasts to go on their way rather than to quell 
them in the interests of protecting the nameless innocent. Taklinn and I have had to
play on his pride from time to time to convince him that a particular foe must be put
down.  

   I have learned much from Taklinn over this past month about concepts like pride,
honesty, trust, respect, and devotion to an ideal. While I have always been in favor
of doing the right thing for its own sake, Taklinn serves a higher calling and his 
stalwart heart is a shining beacon for us all. I think he makes us all better. Without
him, we would be just another band of roustabouts looking for trouble. Taklinn
gives us purpose and direction. He is our conscience. Our heart. I don’t know what 
we’d do without him. He is our standard bearer, is Taklinn, and a credit to his race.  

   My spell research continues. I’ve been working on Fox’s Cunning and Mirror 
Image. While there are other spells that might be more offensive, I think a good
defense will serve me better in the long run. Mirror Image will see to that. Fox’s
Cunning will make my spells harder to resist, and that is always good! I’m also deep 
in study of this blasted Magic Missile scroll! It still galls me that this wretched spell
thwarted me!  

   I’ve also been working my way through the Arcamagus book. It is a grind of a 
read, no doubt, but the concepts are starting to take hold with me. If I can figure out
the finer points of it, this book will save me a lot of coin.  

   Speaking of coin, our wagon is filled nearly to overflowing with the spoils of our 
battles. Breast plates, swords, crossbows, javelins and shields clank about back here
with me, not to mention the gems whose value we still don’t know. A couple of the
stones have been appraised by Caribdis and he swears that they are worth a king’s 
ransom, but Happy disagrees with him. I’m a bit doubtful myself. We shall see what
the merchants in Havilah have to say about them. 


   Rdry’t 12 

   We stayed in a tiny village called Lamsted last night and witnessed the start of the
Days of Dedication festivals, and that always marks the turning point of autumn. As 
if by clockwork, today feels colder, and it wouldn’t surprise me to know that flurries
of snow are already falling further north. Fortunately we still have the winter gear
given to us by Baron, so I am able to bundle up a bit. Still, the chill wind whips at 
me and makes it that much more difficult to write as it threatens to tear the pages
from my journal.  

   But there is little else to do on the road, and when my mind needs a rest from 
constant reading I find that the jotting of notes is soothing, even if I must fight the
wind for the privilege.  

   I have been using my entries to sing the praises of each of my companions thus
far, and as I watch Happy bounce along the trail, I am hard pressed not to include a 
few passages about her. 

   Happy is every bit the halfling, and every bit the greenie on top of that. While my 
own clan can frolic with the best of them, the greenies have raised it to a fine art,
and they would be well pleased with their Happy. 

  Could there be a more suitable name for her? I doubt it, for I have yet to see her 
frown. She is utterly kind, ever optimistic, always ready with her infectious smile,
and while she can be irreverent, she is also surprisingly thoughtful, and I get the
idea that her outward frivolity camouflages her strategic mind. I could easily see her 
enemies underestimating her because of her size and good nature, but I’ve watched
her fight, and can say with no irony that she is not to be trifled with.  

  Happy, like many of our kind, has the kind of grace that is usually reserved for 
elves. I envy her dexterity, for I could never pull off the kind of tricks that she
makes look easy. She somersaults and flips like a born acrobat, and it is nothing for
her to walk a rail as thin as my finger. I’ve watched her spin and dive between the 
legs of a foe to end up on their blind side in the blink of an eye, and once she has
you at a disadvantage, you will no doubt feel the sting of her daggers, of which she
seems to have a never ending supply. Watching her hurl her blades, it is as if time 
slows down for her, and she throws them with a careless ease that turns into deadly
accuracy.  

   I like her very much indeed, and so does the rest of the crew. It is difficult to be 
down in the mouth with Happy around to lift your spirits. She and Griff are thick as
thieves most of the time, and I dare say they probably share much of the same
roguish philosophy.   

  And though I’d be willing to bet that Happy is not above helping herself to ill
gotten gain, I can’t help but trust her. Perhaps that is another example of her
disarming personality.  

   I have only one other to write about, and that is Caribdis. But it is time to return to
my reading. We still have much road to walk, so I shall get to him in due time.  


   Rdyr’t 13 

  Apparently my thoughts on Caribdis will have to wait, for it turns out that danger 
follows us. 

   It was noon and the sun that shone on us did little to warm the crisp air. But, 
bundled in our good fur coats, it was easy to enjoy the ride and chat as the wind
foretold of winters coming and brushed swirls of leaves across the road. We had
just crested a small hill and begun the gentle decent into a valley. To our left we 
could see the Tein River as it snaked toward us from the west. This time of year the
river is low, and what nearly intercepted the Queens Road was little more than a
stream, easily wadable if one had to. We could see from our vantage point that it 
flowed lazily toward our road until, at the bottom of our hill, it changed course to
run parallel to us, and we knew that it would be our companion for the rest of our
journey.   

   Griffin smiled and gave a satisfied nod. "The Tein," he said, "We’re half way
there!" This immediately lightened our mood and put a bit of bounce into our steps,
for we are all anxious to get to the city. Griffin is the only one among us who has 
actually been there before, and it’s good to have him with us as a guide, or at least to
tell keep us abreast of our progress. With renewed vigor, we headed into the valley. 

   Along the riverbank there grew thick strands of oak and elm, and were it not for 
the fact that autumn has stripped the trees of their leaves, we probably would not
have spotted the hobgoblins. About half way down the hill I saw a flash of
movement through the trees, as if someone wading along the river bed. Happy
agreed that she too had seen something. "Taklinn," I said, in hushed tones, "Let me 
have the spy glass." He looked at me quizzically, but handed the ornate telescope
over to me and with it I scanned the trees, searching for the flash of color I’d seen.  

   Yes, there it was. And again. Something... somebody... trodding through the
Tein’s low waters. And there, another. And yet another. It was difficult to see
through the screen of branches, but what I did see gave me pause. Muscular limbs 
and iron weapons. I decided to get a better look.  

   "Something’s on the river," I told my companions. "Wait here, I’ll be right back."
Without waiting for an answer, I quickly cast my two (and only) most powerful 
spells, and within seconds I was invisible and rising high into the air, the feeling of
leaving my stomach behind, still gripped me, but I concentrated on the work at
hand.  

   I rose still higher, getting myself above the trees for an unobstructed view of the
river, and there I saw them. A ragged column of figures marching with the river.
Even from my distance I could tell that they weren’t men, for their gait gave them 
away as humanoids. Pressing the spyglass to my eye showed me the truth.
Hobgoblins. A quick count showed sixteen of the buggers, and worse yet, trailing
behind them were a pair of bugbears. Our raid on the farmhouse flashed through my 
mind as I quickly descended. The wind had blown me a bit off course, so I had to
hurry to catch my friends, who started a bit when my voice came from no where,
explaining what I’d seen.  

  At my report, the shift in Taklinn’s stance and the knit in his brow gave away his
intentions even before he said, "Hobbers n’ bugbears! Lets be at ’em then!" He
shifted his axe and touched his holy symbol as I have seen him do before battle, and 
it was obvious what his plan was. But Griffin was not so sure. 

   "They haven’t seen us yet," he said, coolly, "I say we let them pass. We’re
outnumbered and we’ve nothing to gain by taking them on." His steely eyes showed 
his resolve on the issue, but in this case I had to agree with Taklinn. 

  "Griff," I implored, "What if they’re a raiding party, come to wreak havoc on
innocents down river? Remember the farm house? Those were hobgoblins and 
bugbears there too, and they murdered an old man and his wife, and ravaged two
young girls! If this new group does something similar without our trying to stop it,
it’ll be on our heads! Also, don’t you find it a bit coincidental? Another group of 
hobgoblins, prodded along by two bugbears? Something is afoot here, and it could
relate to us somehow. Besides all that, you’re right. They haven’t seen us. If we
hurry we can beat them in that grove of elms at the bottom of the hill and set up an 
ambush. That should even the odds a bit." I strode purposely over to stand beside
Taklinn to show my solidarity with him, though I’m afraid the effect was largely
lost due to no one being able to see me.  

   Griffin scowled and opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it.
Happy and Caribdis looked from him to a very grim Taklinn. This was not the first
time they’d had to listen to Taklinn and I convince Griffin that a fight needed to be 
fought, and though Caribdis, especially, wore a worried look, I felt confident that he
possessed the sand to do what needed to be done. Finally, Griffin sighed and
loosened his sword in it’s scabbard. "All right then, lets be about it." he said, though 
obviously against his better judgment. He spun on his heel and started off down the
hill.  

 We hurriedly hitched our mounts to a nearby bush and hurried to catch Griff, the 
five of us trotting at a quick pace in an effort to reach what appeared to be a fine
ambush spot. Thus far it appeared that the hobbers hadn’t spotted us, and we needed
that element of surprise. I used my levitate to cross long stretches of ground by 
running and pushing off, allowing myself to glide down the hill effortlessly. Once at
the bottom, we quickly surveyed the thick strand of elms that lined the river bank.
Having little time to discuss our strategy we quickly hid ourselves. I rose up into the
branches of a thick old tree and positioned myself on a hardy limb in such a way as 
to have a fine view of the river while still affording myself the cover of the trunk,
which I knew I would need once my invisibility was dispelled by offensive spells. 
Caribdis did the same, climbing a tree near my own and balancing precariously, his
trusty bow at the ready. Taklinn hunkered down amongst the thick weeds that grew
alongside the river, while Griffin and Happy quickly waded across the river and 
positioned themselves behind a deadfall there.  

  We did not have long to wait. Within minutes the first of the hobgoblins rounded
the bend, splashing through the waters, their weapons at the ready. As more of them 
appeared, they choked the stream with their hulking forms, and I realized that there
certainly were a lot of them! The two bugbears that followed did little to bolster my
confidence when they appeared, but it was too late to turn back now. Looking down 
from my branch, I could see Taklinn, coiled like a spring, ready to pounce, and I
knew that he was going to have at these villains weather there be 16 or one hundred
and sixteen.   

  It was not until the first line of hobgoblins were directly beneath me, and not more
than a few feet from Taklinn’s hiding spot, that I realized that we’d not made any
plan as to who would initiate our ambush or when! For a moment I wondered if we 
might not all sit there frozen, waiting for another of us to make the first move until
our quarry had passed us by. I needn’t have fretted though, for Taklinn was not
about to lose his opportunity, and with a mighty roar, he sprang from the tall grass, 
hurling himself at the front line of hobgoblins, his axe a blur in the cold sunlight.  

  From that point on things moved very quickly. No sooner had Taklinn made his
attack than the rest of us were in motion. From his position on the opposite side of 
the river Griffin leapt into the fray, laying about with his sword in the very midst of
the surprised hobgoblins. From the deadfall I saw a brief flash as Happy hurled a
dagger that downed a hobber, and I hastily cast as, from the corner of my eye, I saw 
an ashen faced Caribdis begin to let fly with arrow after arrow.  

  The river began to boil with blood as Taklinn and Griffin set to work, and within
seconds at least three of the hobgoblins lay face down in the water, and still others 
were pierced with dagger and arrow. For myself, I could do little but try to thin their
ranks with Color Sprays and Sleeps. Unfortunately, those hobgoblins that went
under due to Sleep fell into the water where they quickly revived, though it did keep 
them from combat for precious seconds and kept our warriors from being
overwhelmed through sheer numbers. As it was, Griffin was surrounded and his
blood mingled with that of his enemy as it flowed from several wounds. Even the 
stalwart Taklinn was feeling the bite of hobgoblin blades as they pressed in around
him.  

  From his perch to my right, Caribdis chanted his verse and loosed arrows as fast 
as he could draw his arm back. I had already exhausted my most powerful spells
and shifted to my trusty crossbow, leveling it at a hobgoblin who had spotted Happy
and was now hacking away at her while she bobbed and weaved away from his 
blade, desperately trying to get a hit in of her own. My bolt took the hobber
between the shoulder blades, and down he went. She flashed me a grateful grin and
went back to doing what she does best, chucking daggers into soft spots.  

  Nearly a dozen hobgoblins lay dead in the crimson waters, but the bugbears had
advanced by now upon our very wounded warriors. I saw one of them draw back
his morningstar to take a swing at Griffin. I quickly cast the last of my first circle 
spells, Grease, upon the handle of his weapon, and as he drew back, it slid from his
grasp and into the murky river. I prayed that it would buy Griffin the time he
needed to dispatch the last of his hobbers that he might concentrate on the bear.   

   Shifting my attention to Taklinn, he was in much the same fix, badly hurt and still
outnumbered with a bugbear looming over him. I was down to cantrips, but I had to
try. Rattling off the brief incantation, I cast Daze at the bear, and to my happy
surprise, the brute fell under it’s effect, standing there stupidly, trying to get it’s 
bearings and leaving Taklinn free to dispatch another hobgoblin. I hastily followed
the first Daze with another, the last of my offensive spells, and it too worked, 
keeping the bugbear off balance. It bought Taklinn just enough time.  

  Hobgoblins dropped like ripe wheat under our steel and soon there were none left
but the bugbears. With one of them unarmed and the other dazed, it was quick work 
to put them down. Griffin and Taklinn spun wildly, caught up in battle lust,
scanning for more enemies. But there were no more. The Tein ran thick with blood
and we were victorious.  

  But our victory came at a price, for both Taklinn and Griff were badly wounded.
It was all Griff could do to make it to the riverbank where he leaned upon his
sword, panting heavily and bleeding from a dozen wounds. Taklinn hauled himself 
from the river and saw to his companion, treating Griff’s wounds first as Caribdis
and I came down from our branches and Happy joined us. Long moments passed as
we caught our breaths, but at last, after Taklinn had brought himself and Griff a few 
steps away from deaths door, we looked about at the carnage and could do little but
laugh weakly at each other, such was the relief of having survived such a battle.  

   In short order we set about the business of searching the dead and retrieving our 
mounts. Unfortunately there were no survivors whom we could question, but we
felt confident that we had saved blissfully unaware innocents from murder and
mayhem by stopping this band from getting to where ever they’d been headed.   

   Within an hour we were back on the road, leaving the row of dead humanoids
behind us on the riverbank, food for scavengers now. 

   We rest tonight in a tiny hamlet, the name of which I do not even know. The inn 
here has only one common room with hard cots, but to me, it is a night in paradise,
as I am bone tired from the exhilaration of battle, and weary of the road. I shall
sleep hard tonight.   


   Rdyr’t 15 

   ***Note*** This entry involves Taklinn’s dream. I need to ask Cheri/Ron a few 
details about it before I write it. 


   Rdyr’t 16  

   We are all a bit quieter today. The fight with the hobgoblins, Taklinn’s dream,
coupled with our find today leaves us all wondering how the fates conspire to move
us to their whims.   

  It was getting on toward late noon, and we’d decided to take a short break to water
our mounts and stretch our legs. I did just that, pacing a length of riverbank while
watching Happy give a lesson in stone skipping. I swear, the girl can make a flat 
rock positively dance across the surface of the river for a mile! 

  At any rate, Ambros crawled from his nest in my belt pouch and dropped to the
ground, scurrying off into the grass, presumably to answer the call of nature. I 
thought little about it until he returned some moments later, dragging behind him
the sorry looking corpse of a raven. My favorite rat told me that he’d found it a few
yards down river, obviously washed up on shore. What made it a worthwhile find 
was the tiny tube attached to its leg and the peculiar dart that still protruded from
the birds body. Freeing the dart, I could still detect a thin sheen of black ichors the
consistency of tar clinging to it’s needle like tip. A strange weapon, and not one that 
I’ve ever seen before. Too small and flimsy to be thrown, it must be a blow gun dart
of some kind. 

  Within the tube, a message that deepens the mystery that seems to follow us.  

   "Bugbears, goblins, hobgoblins. Bands 20-100. Unknown goals." 

   This simple, yet telling, message was signed simply, "- Janek".  

   Who this Janek fellow is we do not know, but it is fairly obvious now that the 
lands of Havilah are experiencing an encroachment of goblinoids in large, well
disciplined bands. We have already encountered two such groups. Who knows how
many more lurk within our borders?  


  Rdry’t 17 

   Yet another night spent in the relative comfort of a tiny village on the road to 
Havilah city, though Griffin tells us, and it is easy to see, that we are getting close
now. This little village (Duloch, I believe it is called) is a bit larger, more densely
populated, and I sense an air of sophistication here that, while practically smothered 
in rustic hominess and uneducated boorishness, was not even evident in any of the
other villages we have passed through. Indeed, they are even willing to watch
Caribdis ply his trade in the tap room and listen with something almost like quiet as 
he recites his verse. They show him a certain respect, as if they appreciate art, or at
least wish to appreciate it.  

   Which brings me nicely to the subject of Caribdis. I have promised to tell more of
him, and now, as I sit here in the tap room and watch him trying to hold his
audience while I scribble my notes at an unobtrusive table, it feels like the right 
time to be about it. 

  He is just a boy, a fact that we often times forget, and a fact that we are just as
often reminded of at the most inopportune of times. He is... awkward. Caribdis is at 
that most wonderful and terrible of points in the life of every man, the point of
becoming a man. He is still as gangly as a new deer, and he seems to have little
control over his own limbs unless he is actually giving thought to what he’s doing.   

  He is possessed of the artists heart, and he desires nothing more than to entertain.
He fancies himself a great orator, yet he possesses all the tact of an ogre with a
tooth ache. He can be counted upon to say exactly the wrong thing at the wrong 
time, and more than once have I wished my legs were long enough to give him a
swift kick under the table.  

  He is every bit the young, human, male. Curious to a fault, friendly, loyal, 
lumbering, and true. He has yet to find his step, as my Uncle Window would say,
but I think it will be most interesting and rewarding when he does. 

  At heart, Caribdis is an entertainer. A bard. An actor. A would be musician He 
has a gift for lyrical poetry, a knack for crafting rhyme out of a current scene, and
with it he can even perform some small feats of magic. His healing verse can
produce effects that rival Taklinn’s, and I’ve seen the odd arcane bit here and there. 
He is, of course, a spontaneous caster, lacking the discipline of true arcane book
work, but how can I fault a natural gift?  

  In combat he is surprisingly effective. His bow has made the difference in several 
fights, and his battle rhymes have an effect on his allies that rival any spell I can
cast, for his words become a background noise that spurs us on, assuring us of our
victory and aiding us in battle. Griffin’s sword swings truer, Taklinn’s axe cleaves 
deeper, and so on, even though his voice often grows shaky in the face of hand to
hand combat.  

  Sometimes Caribdis feels like the fifth wheel. He is the youngest, and therefore 
ends up in the role of the younger sibling. Griffin sighs heavily and tolerates him,
Happy is amused by him, Taklinn fathers him, and I, well, I try to see what he will
be like in a couple of years. For while the four of us roll our eyes at his lengthy and 
poorly told sagas, or reprimand him for being too open to strangers, I think we all
see a vast potential in him, and, like older siblings, we have developed a certain
protective attitude towards him.  

   At least I have.   

  I was not joking when I said that, one day, I will be able to tell people that I
traveled alongside that most famous of bards, Caribdis.   


   Rdry’t 18 

  We have arrived! Early evening saw us crest a small hillock and for the first time 
our crew witnessed the sprawl that is Havilah.  
   The city stretches out for miles, it’s streets and alleys winding and intertwining
like arteries through which the blood of a great beast courses. It took my breath 
away, for though I’d often imagined it, the sheer scope and scale of such a vast city
was overwhelming. My apprehension was easily overshadowed by my anticipation,
however, and we eagerly rode forward to fall in line with the rest of the teeming 
masses that sought to enter Havilah. 

   Drawing nearer, we were awed by the height and obvious thickness of the great
fortifications and walls. Armed soldiers lined the ramparts, keeping watch, and a 
company of soldiers stood at the mighty south gates, checking each entry,
presumably for contraband or to collect the toll that allowed entrance.  

  When our turn arrived we were greeted by a professional and curt sergeant who 
collected our toll and bid us entry after a cursory glance. But once inside, we were
taken aback by the myriad of streets and choices that confronted us. Not knowing
where to begin, we flagged down our sergeant for directions.   

   A civil enough fellow, he explained to us that Havilah was built with the
Academy at it’s heart, and that all roads eventually led to that center of great
learning. We attempted to gather this information with a modicum of fuss and clues 
as to what we were about, but no sooner had we said our thank yours to the sergeant
than Caribdis blurted out far more than was necessary.  

   "We seek Nivin Mottul!" he declared, "And by the way, have you heard of a man 
called Janek?"  

   We groaned collectively and Taklinn favored Caribdis with a dark glare, but the
sergeant merely smiled and offered what he knew. "Janek is a common name, lad." 
He said, "But Nivin Mottul is not. You may find him at the Academy. Simply
follow this road, for as I’ve said, it will take you there."  

  We accepted this as good and helpful news, despite the fashion in which it had 
been acquired. Then, Taklinn had a thought. "Tell me, good sir, can you direct us to
the temple district? I have business with the order of Clangeden that cannot wait."
As before, our sergeant was most helpful, and he gave us fine directions. Within 
minutes we were on our way. Some of us grumbled at having to take this detour,
most of us wanting to find an inn or head directly to the Academy, but Taklinn
explained. "Should we not first go to a place we can trust? Will we not receive the 
best directions and advice from those with whom I share my faith? Surely
Clangeden’s servants in Havilah will help us stay out of the way of ner do wells and
charlatans who seek to fleece unwary travelers."  

   Grudgingly we acquiesced to his wisdom and followed the directions the sergeant
had given. 

   I had never dreamed that so many people could reside in one place, and for 
awhile, as we led our mounts through the throngs that choked the streets, I felt a bit
of claustrophobia, a sensation of not having enough air to share with so many, for at
every turn the crowds milled and moved, shouted and hurried, bought and sold. It 
was only through quick meditative exercise that I was able to keep my composure. 

   At last, after an hour of winding our way through the streets, we arrived at the
temple district, and from there, the temple of Clangeden. The temple was a strong 
and simple structure, made entirely of stone. It rose three full stories, without frill or
superfluous decoration, a monument to dwarven architecture and lack of nonsense.
It was decided that Taklinn and I would enter while the rest watched our mounts. 

   The interior of the temple was much like the outside, and I felt a strange sense of 
security once inside. A cold comfort of sorts, though Taklinn appeared to be right at
home. In due course we were greeted by a dwarven acolyte who, once we’d 
explained ourselves, hurried off to fetch someone with the authority to help us.  

   The dwarf that next arrived bore himself with the regalness that only men of the
cloth seem able to convey. His simple clerical garb did little to quell the notion that 
this was a considerably powerful figure, and I emulated Taklinn as he bowed low
before the new arrival. 

  He bid us rise, and introduced himself as Father Rheget, whereupon he and 
Taklinn fell deep into conversation that I was content to be an observer to.  

   Taklinn had been right, for Father Rheget was able to provide us with thorough
directions to the Academy, as well as much information about what was safe and 
what was not within the city. He also offered to safeguard our mounts and supplies
for us until such time as we had found a place. He also informed us that potential
crews were expected to reside within the walls of the Academy, and thus, we would 
have no need of finding an inn. Last, but certainly not least, he offered to help put
us in contact with an honest merchant who will give us fair price for the goods we
have brought to sell.   

   Well pleased with having met such a useful and friendly source of information
and aid, we left the temple with many thanks, assuring him that we would be right
back with our wagon and mounts. But alas, as we exited the grand hall and stepped 
into the street, our companions and horses were nowhere to be seen. Scanning up
and down the street showed us only faceless throngs, and Taklinn and I looked at
each other in disbelief. In the city less than a couple of hours, and already three 
fifths of us, as well as our livestock and treasure were missing! 

   Still, there were no signs of fight or struggle, so we assumed that they could not
have gotten far. "I’ll go this way and you go that way," I quickly said to Taklinn. 
"Go round the block and I’ll meet you back here." With a nod the cleric hefted his
axe and stomped off down the street while I did the same in the opposite direction. 

 I did not have to go far. Turning the corner, I spotted our wagon, the horses, and 
the ever patient Don Kay hitched to a railing outside what was advertised as a pie
shop and brewery. I should have known, I thought to myself, and I squared my
shoulders as I marched toward our property, which was already being not so 
surreptitiously inspected by a handful of youthful scallywags. With stern voice and
forceful presence, I told them to sod off, and climbed into the drivers seat for a look
around from high ground.   

   Sure enough, there they were. I could see Happy and Griffin through the shops
open window, she with a mouthful of mutton, and he with a lip covered in ale foam.
They saw me just as I saw them, and I did nothing to conceal my ire as I proceeded 
to unhitch the mounts in an effort to lead them back to the temple.  
   Dealing with that many horses, plus our donkey, plus the wagon was no easy
chore, and thus I had not gotten far when the pair caught up with me, still wiping 
crumbs from their faces.  

   "You couldn’t wait five minutes?" I asked tersely, not bothering to conceal my
anger.  

   "We were hungry." Griff stated with a shrug. Happy said nothing, but took Don
Kay by the bridle to assist me in leading the animals.  

   I glared at Griffin. "What, you think I’m not hungry? You think Taklinn just 
finished a seven course meal? We’ve been inside taking care of business, and you
two decide to just wander off and have a snack, all the while leaving our animals
and treasure unguarded? I’m no big city fellow, but even I know that’s a bad idea." I 
tossed him the reins of his horse and climbed into the wagon to drive it.  

   "We could see out the window the whole time." Griffin said, flatly, his seemingly
uncaring stoicism making me all the more furious. 

  By this time we had reached the temple again, and there was Taklinn, waiting for 
us. "You couldn’t wait five minutes!" he bellowed, and Griffin rolled his eyes
maddeningly while Happy busied herself with picking a burr from Don Kay’ s mane. 
Working up a head of steam, Taklinn tore into them. "We’re gettin’ information,
we’re doin’ the job, and you two go off..." 

  I cut him off. "Where’s Caribdis?" I asked.  

  The four of us looked around, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. "We thought
he was with you." Happy said. 

   "We left him out here with ye two!" Taklinn roared back, and for the first time I 
saw a small glimmer of concern in Griffin’s eyes.  

   "You two let that boy wander off alone in a city this size?" I asked in disbelief.
"Are you mad? Caribdis is a danger to himself at the best of times! He may have his 
head on a pike by this time!" 

  Taklinn, too, was beside himself, and I read real, almost fatherly, concern in his
words. "You two... why, if anything happens to that boy I hold you personally 
responsible!" 

  "Calm down, the both of you!" Griff snapped. "He’s not a child. He has to learn to
deal with things someday, why not today? He’ll be fine!"  

   "Oh really?" Taklinn mocked, taking a menacing step toward Griffin. Both I and
Happy held our breaths as the warriors stood toe to toe. "Why not today? I’ll bloody
well tell ye why not today! Because today we have matters to attend to! Places to 
be! People to meet! But all that doesn’t matter now, because our first priority has
just become finding a boy with more sand than brains in a city of thousands! Now
one of us gets to wait here and hope he comes back, while the rest of us..." Taklinn’s 
stream of fury cut off in mid sentence, and he slowly looked to his left where
Caribdis now stood, munching an apple.     "What’s going on? What’s all the yelling
about?" our oblivious young bard asked, looking quizzically at all of us. Griffin 
rolled his eyes again while Taklinn choked on his words, his face turning red.  

  "Hmmm," Happy said to herself, looking thoughtfully at Caribdis, "Perhaps a
harness of some kind..."  

   So it was that we, at last, turned our mounts and valuables over to the safekeeping
of Father Rheget, and set out on the last leg of this journey, the short walk to the 
Academy! 

   ***Here we find several pages torn from Doorag’s diary, followed by his 
explanation*** 


   Rdry’t 18 (con’t)  

  Yes, a short walk to the Academy, but a long road to write about it, apparently.  

   I wrote a detailed and flavorful account of our journey to the Academy, a vivid
description of it’s architecture and all around magnificence (it really is an incredible 
structure!), and our subsequent meeting with Nivin Mottul.  

   Then Ambros tipped my inkwell all over it! I have never seen a rat so humiliated,
and well he should be! An hours work and a cramped quill hand, all for naught! 
Ambros is having a self imposed time out in his nest. 

  After cleaning up the mess, I just can’t bring myself to re-write the whole
business. The gods know that the Academy is a building that deserves more than a 
passing mention, it being the center of not only the city of Havilah, but of the
kingdom as well, not to mention the fact that it’s architecture and scope dwarf
anything I’ve ever even dreamed of.     But the day has been a long one, and there is 
much to do tomorrow, so until such time as I can bare to write it all over again, I
shall have to suffice with a few quick passages to sum up the days events. 

   From the temple we made our way to the Academy where we were allowed entry
after showing our letters of introduction. A guide was brought to us and he took us 
to meet Nivin Mottul, who is, apparently, a long time friend of Yigil’s, and probably
a good person to know in Havilah. We told him our story, starting with the 
Monastery and ending with our arrival at Havilah, and he was able to shed a little
light on at least one of our mysteries. Janek, it seems, had been a member of a
sponsored crew sent out by the academy to investigate rumors of goblinoid 
movement within Havilah’s borders. Judging by the scroll we found on the raven, it
would seem that he found some, but Nivin fears him dead, as this is the only
communication he’s received from Janek in weeks, and this, only through sheer 
luck. 

  Nivin has agreed to enter us into the process of sponsorship, which apparently
involves still more testing, though he assures us that the Academy’s tests are a little 
more scientifically conducted. We shall see, for I fear that this testing, scientific or
not, will probably take place on the gigantic field that the Academy is built around,
much like a massive coliseum.   

   But that will have to wait. For now, we’ve been shown to our quarters by a boy
named Crispin Reis who has been assigned to us as a sort of runner and guide.  

   Test or not, sponsorship or not, Taklinn has declared that we will investigate the
mysterious goings on that are taking place, and I would have to agree. I don’t know
how eager Happy, Griff and Caribdis are about it, but hopefully it won’t be an issue.  

   For now, there is yet some daylight and the city beckons us to explore. 

   OOC: OK, my computer took a freeze on me after I’d written four frikin pages, 
and I just couldn’t face doing it again.


 Rdry’t 19  

  A fine day today! Father Rheget managed to sell our goods for us and delivered to
us just a little under 4000 gold! I’ve never seen so much gold in one place! We
immediately set to shopping. I’ve purchased a fine parasol and a real wizards hat, 
Happy got a miniature horse that she is utterly enamored of, Taklinn and Griffin are
upgrading their armor, and Caribdis promptly spent most of his gold on gaudy
jewelry. His fingers now glitter with rings, and his ears are studded with gems. The 
boy never ceases to amaze me. 

   On a magical note, I have, at last, mastered Magic Missile! It finally came to me 
in a flash of understanding, and I can now hurl two "skip stones" that will strike
unerringly. The spell is such a staple of spell casters everywhere, I am very happy
to finally know it.  


  Rdry’t 20 

   Another beautiful day in Havilah, and one left solely for us to explore and enjoy. I 
fear that I shall never see the length and breadth of this magnificent city, but I am
surely going to try. The art, the culture, the architecture, it’s overwhelming in a
pleasant way.   

   I still miss my family, but I am already beginning to feel like this city is my home. 

   Nivin tells us that we shall face our trials on the 22nd. We are all a bit
apprehensive, but I’m certain that we will pull together and emerge victorious.  


   Rdry’t 22 

   Oh my. Well, we have indeed emerged victorious, but did we pull together to do 
it? Today has been an eye opener in more ways than one! 

  We were called to the arena at early noon after being told to equip ourselves for
anything. Upon our arrival, we could see many people in the stands, there to watch
our trial. Yigil had arrived, and Nivin was there as well, of course. The stands 
weren’t packed by any means, but enough spectators were there to make me a bit
nervous.   

   Another group also stood not far away, obviously another party seeking crew
status, for they mirrored us in many ways. They had with them three humans, a
dwarf and a halfling, and it was fairly apparent that at least two of them were 
warriors, while two others looked like a cleric and a spell caster. They looked at us
and we at them, and we realized that they would likely be our competitors. 

  General Devon Murka, an aged and much respected administrator at the academy, 
read his speech and gave the rules.  

  We were to undergo five tests of courage and ability to prove ourselves worthy of
sponsorship. In each test there would be a flag which we must capture. Our rival 
team would be required to do the same. Each of the teams was instructed that
interference with the opposing teams flag would result in disqualification, though it
was implied that interfering with an actual TEAM, was not against the rules. It was, 
however, made clear that finishing the test first was not a requirement for
sponsorship. The idea was to finish well. 

   Upon completion of the reading of the rules, we were given a half minute to 
prepare. I did so by casting Mage Armor upon myself as well as Fox’s Cunning. I
saw that the mage from the rival team was doing much the same. 

  Then, the lights went out and we were thrust into utter darkness, but only for a 
few seconds. When next the lights went up we saw that it’s source was a florescent
glowing moss that covered the interior of a massive, underground cavern. We stood
at one end while the opposing crew stood at the other. Near each of our parties, 
along the east wall, was affixed a door with a target positioned over it, one red, one
blue. We had no idea how we’d arrived there, and no time to ponder the matter, for
we were immediately besieged by our first trial, namely, about two dozen animated 
skeletons! The undead rattled toward us, and the melee was joined! 

  Realizing that I could do little against these fiends, I quickly cast levitate upon
myself and rose to safety. Once I found the ceiling, I began to push myself toward 
the red target in hopes that a well placed bolt from my crossbow might open the
door, which seemed an obvious use for such a thing in a magical contest such as
this. But before I could get far, a magical keening started up that shook all our 
senses, stunning several of us. It was a moment before Caribdis was able to counter
it with his verse, helping not only our party, but the rival band as well to shake off
the effects of the horrid sound.   

  As I scuttled along the ceiling I could see that my comrades were entrenched in
battle with the skeletons, and not faring particularly well. There seemed a never
ending supply of the them, and sheer numbers threatened to overwhelm both 
groups.  

   At last I reached the red target and was just about to apply a bolt to it, when I
glanced down and saw that Taklinn had found a flag. A blue flag. Cursing to 
myself, I hurriedly dropped to the ground and raced with all the speed I could
muster to the blue targeted door, praying that my hunch was right. Seeing that
Taklinn had won our flag, our crew began to fight their way toward the blue door. 
By that time I had lifted myself to within a few feet of the bulls eye, and I quickly
punctured it with a bolt. As I had suspected, this was the key to opening the door,
and it swung ajar. I landed, ready to hurry through, but alas, it was not to be.   

  Seeing that the rival crew were now beset on all sides by skeletons, Taklinn
turned and charged to give them aid, swinging his axe in broad, skeleton rending
arcs. I swore under my breath, my competitive nature despairing as I watched our 
lead slipping away. Still, I could not help but admire his honor and ferocity.  

  Then, their halfling broke free of the ranks of skeletons, a red flag clenched in her
fist! She streaked toward the red door, and it was at this point that the real test for
our group began. I watched, unable to stop him, as Caribdis drew back his bow and 
took aim at the running halfling. He let loose twice, hitting her both times.
Horrified, I watched as she stumbled, nearly falling! She was made of tougher stuff 
though, and rose to her feet, continuing on toward the door.  

  I was not the only one to see Caribdis’ rash action though. Happy ran at him,
waving her arms, putting herself in his line of fire, trying to ward off any more 
shots. Taklinn took things a step further, charging at the befuddled bard and taking
a swing at him! Well, he took a swing at Caribdis’ bow, obviously hoping to sunder
it, but Caribdis managed to pull it away at the last second.  

  This was too much! I could not agree with Caribdis’ attack on the halfling, but
Taklinn’s attempt to violently disarm one of our own was crossing the line, and my
blood fairly boiled with fury! Disgusted, I turned away and walked through the 
door. 

  Fortunately, the rest of my group were not far behind. Evidently the rival crew
were out of danger (most of the skeletons being destroyed by this time), and well on 
their way to opening their own door. Griffin, Taklinn, Caribdis and Happy joined
me and the door slammed shut.  

  Before us lay a lengthy, torch-lit, hallway with another door at it’s opposite end, 
but no one seemed the least bit interested in what dangers it hid, for emotions were
now running high.  

  Taklinn turned on Caribdis, seething with righteous indignation and stepping 
quite close to the boy, lambasting him with angry words. Happy had a few choice
phrases for him as well, and Caribdis could do little but stutter out a few lame
rationalizations as he was soundly dressed down.   

  I, on the other hand, was madder than a wet hen, and I told Taklinn so. Drawing
myself to my full height, I stepped between him and Caribdis and assured him that,
yes, Caribdis had been wrong in firing at the halfling, but it was a rash act by a 
young man. Taklinn, on the other hand, was old enough to check his anger, and to
attack another party member, or even another party members weapon, was simply
unacceptable, and were he to do it again, he would deal with me.   

  I’m not sure how seriously our dwarf took me, for his face was still dark with
anger, but he took a deep and rumbling breath and stepped away. 

  Griffin, ever the voice of stoic reason, reminded us that we still had four tests to 
deal with, this hallway probably being one of them, and that we’d best get on with
the task. He was right, of course, and we all peered down the hall. Caribdis,
apparently having learned nothing of discretion, made ready to march on down the 
hallway! Fortunately, Griffin grabbed him by the collar and drug him back.  

   "This place stinks of traps!" I muttered, saying what we were all (well, most of
us) thinking.   

   Happy bravely volunteered to go first to check it out, but I had a different plan.
My levitate was still going, and I postulated a means of traversing the hall without
touching floor, ceiling, or wall. I cast an unseen servant and then lay down, bidding 
Caribdis to straddle my back and hang on. He tied a string to the end of his bow and
held it before us as a means of detecting any trip wires that might span our path, and
I then rose into the air with him on my back. I had my unseen servant push us 
slowly down the hall, and before long we had reached the end safely. Once there,
we could see that the new door was red, and etched in flames. Getting near it, we
could feel sleight heat emanating from beyond, which gave us pause. But for the 
time being, I concentrated on getting the rest of the crew through the hall. Returning
to the group, I did the same trick with Happy, and she soon joined our bard.
Unfortunately, Griffin and Taklinn would not be such easy passengers.   

  Taking Griffin first, we’d got no further than several yards when he promptly lost
his balance and fell off! Our fears were confirmed as he felt a stone beneath him
shift and we heard the faint click of gears within the walls as panels opened on
either side of us and huge hammers came swinging out! Fortunately I was between 
them. Griffin got clipped by one of them, but managed to get himself into a safe
spot without too much damage. The silver lining to our having found this trap soon 
became apparent though, for wrapped around the arm of one of the hammers was a
blue flag. I retrieved it and dropped down to Griffin. We decided to tie ourselves
together this time, and we again rose to the ceiling where we found a safe path in 
the upper corner where the hammers did not reach. Soon, I dropped Griffin off with
Happy and Caribdis. 

  There was only Taklinn to fetch, and I did so quickly, tying him to myself as well. 

   Once we were all gathered at the far door, we took stock of it. It was defiantly hot
to the touch, and Happy decided that she needed to check it out in detail. I had no 
spell to put her out of danger this time, so the rest of us backed up several feet and
let her do what she does.  

  She fiddled and examined the lock for several moments, and then one of her pick 
wires must have tripped a trap, for from hidden vents in the door came a spewing of
molten fire that fanned out to a distance of nearly ten feet! Fortunately the rest of us
were far enough removed that we were merely singed, but Happy was directly in it’s 
path! But with a tuck and a roll, she somehow managed to avoid the flame, coming
out of the smoke a bit brown around the edges, but no worse for wear. 

  Well, I’m sorry to say that it was at this point that we began to over think our 
situation, and precious moments were lost as we tried to find an alternate route from
the hall, or something we had previously missed. I won’t go into detail except to say
that it involved setting off still more traps, losing my unseen servant, and finding 
nothing. At last, Happy simply decided that the trap on the door was probably spent,
and she picked the lock.  

  The door swung open, and we saw what was creating such heat.  

  The room before us was a sweltering hot chamber, with a massive forge in one
end. Worse than that, dancing about the room were four figures made entirely of
fire! Their laughter sounded like the crackling of a campfire as they weaved and 
skipped about the room, but as soon as we stepped inside, they were at us. 

  For me, it was again a matter of assuming a defensive position in the air while I
tried to lend aid where I could, for my spells could do little to affect such creatures. 
The good news was, Griffin and Taklinn made short work of these elemental beasts,
cleaving into them with a force that soon silenced their laughter. Happy, Caribdis
and I did what we could, but this was the fighters show, no doubt. And when the 
last of them had been dispatched, it left behind a blue, if somewhat sooty, flag. 

  We discovered a ladder leading up through the forges chimney, and though it
should have been far too hot to navigate, it was not, and we were able to climb 
upwards, to our fourth trial. 

   Griffin led the way and found a trap door at the top of the ladder which he pushed
open without fanfare. Thank goodness it was not trapped! He climbed out and we 
followed, finding ourselves in a small, well maintained room, well lit by streaming
sunlight that entered through two windows that afforded us with a view of a lovely
garden outside.   

   Inside, the room was sturdily furnished with carpets, plush chairs, fireplace and a
table that held five potion bottles, each labeled, enigmatically enough, "Drink Me".

   I don’t know who first decided to follow the instructions, but it was soon found
out that the bottles contained potions of healing. Whoever had set up our tests must
have known that we wouldn’t get this far without suffering a few cuts and bruises, 
and they were right. Most of us were beaten fairly badly, and the potions took much
of the edge off of that.  

  After drinking the potions, we began to search this seemingly friendly room.
Caribdis found himself an exceptionally plush chair and took a seat with an audible, 
"Ahhh!". But his comfort was short lived, for no sooner had he settled within it’s
embrace, than it suddenly came to life, it’s arms pivoting inwards to pin him to his 
seat while it’s legs began a hideous bucking! At the same time, practically every
other inanimate object in the room took on a life of its own and began to fly,
bounce, or trundle toward us! Chairs hurled themselves at us, Carpets flew at us, 
dressers attempted to beat us with their drawers! In all, a surreal and dangerous
scene, and one that I wanted no part of. My levitate spell was nearly used up, but
enough time remained that I was able to lift myself toward the ceiling and 
effectively remove myself from harms way, with the exception of the flying carpets.
Fortunately Happy pinned one to the wall with a well placed dagger before it had a
chance to come at me.  

   I took up crossbow duty while my earth bound friends fought the furniture at
ground level. Caribdis managed to extricate himself from the chair, but then
decided to ride it as if it were a wild horse! Happy dodged and thunked daggers into 
dressers, while Griffin went toe to, uh, well, Griffin fought off two dancing
fireplace pokers. Taklinn engaged an armoire that seemed bent on his destruction,
but an axe is a fine tool for destroying furniture, and soon he had reduced it to 
kindling. Within one of it’s drawers, he found our fourth blue flag. Once he held our
flag aloft, it was as if the rest of the room took that as a signal to return to normalcy,
and once again, all fell silent. We had sustained a few bumps and cuts, but nothing 
serious. We decided to get out while the getting was good, and the only door in the
room swung open. We stepped into a beautiful afternoon where the sun shone down
on a walled in garden.  

   The garden was situated as a semi-circle, with it’s flat area being the wall of the
room we had been in. A bubbling fountain gurgled happily to our right, and though
it seemed inviting, our previous test had taught me to be wary. I didn’t get near it.  

  Along the far arc was positioned a trellis, entwined with a thick rose bush, and
tied within those vines, a blue flag. Before we could stop him, the ever impetuous
Caribdis raced forward to seize it!   

  Of course the true nature of the trial immediately made itself evident as our bard
made to snatch the flag, for the rose vine slithered to life, striking like a snake to
wrap around his waist, constricting and biting with it’s thorns! The hapless Caribdis 
could do little but yell in pain! 

  Griffin raced forward and took a deep bite out of the vine with his sword, but at
that point the very grass beneath his feet began to writhe and twist, wrapping itself 
around his boots in an attempt to pin him in place. He was not having it though, and
pulled his feet free. However, the whole area in front of the vine was now a mass of
seething grass, and we feared to enter it. Instead, I decided to use my new spell. 
With a swift incantation, two magic missile streaked from my finger, smacking into
the vine causing it to jerk with what appeared to be pain! Griffin took advantage of
the vines distraction and came down with a mighty two handed cleave that lopped 
the offending plant away from it’s supporting trellis! With the vine dead, the grass
ceased it’s writhing, and Caribdis hurriedly stripped the vine from him. As if in
victory, he leapt to his feet and grabbed the last flag, holding it aloft like a trophy!  

  And then, all went black again. 

   Seconds later the lights came up again, and we found ourselves back in the 
Academies arena. "I knew it!" I cried, "It was all illusion!" I had little time to pat
myself on the back, however, for two things became readily apparent.  

   First, we could see that we were not alone in the arena. Our rival party had 
completed their tasks at much the same time, apparently, for they stood not thirty
feet from us. 

  Second, about a hundred feet from both of our groups, there stood a circle of ten
posts, each with a hook on top, each just begging for a flag to be attached.   

  We looked at our rivals, they looked at us, and we both began to run! 

  They were already a bit closer than we, so we had to even the odds a bit. I quickly 
cast grease beneath the feet of their human wizard and dwarven cleric, which
slowed them down a bit. Their wizard attempted a sleep spell on Taklinn and I, but
we shrugged it off. Griffin raced to the circle and placed his flag, as did Happy. A 
couple of our rivals reached the circle as well and posted their red flags, and for a
moment it seemed that they might have us. But Taklinn must have some
competitive spirit, for he cast a spell which I later found out was Scare. All of our 
rivals resisted it except their halfling (the same one who’d been shot by Caribdis,
ironically enough), and she immediately began to run from both Taklinn and the
circle of posts. Unfortunately for our rivals, she still had one of their flags tucked in 
her belt. 

   Caribdis and I raced for the circle and hooked our flags, as did the unfrightened
members of our rivals. Only Taklinn’s flag remained for our side, and their halflings 
flag, and she was across the arena. Victory seemed to be ours! 
   But I should have known it would not be so easy. Taklinn stepped into the circle,
his flag clenched in his fist. The opposing team members watched, but could do 
nothing except watch as one of their fighters ran to retrieve their last flag from the
frightened halfling. Taklinn looked at Caribdis, then at the rival teams cleric, who
also happened to be a dwarf. And then he handed our last flag to their cleric!  

  My jaw dropped, and Griffin’s eyes practically spun in their sockets. But Taklinn
had some sort of weird dwarven method to his madness. "We will only take this last
flag from our rivals when Caribdis apologizes!" he thundered. I groaned, for I knew 
that getting the prideful lad to give a sincere apology would be a tougher fight than
any wyvern was. Indeed, as I watched their fighter getting closer and closer with
their last flag, I could only curse as I heard Caribdis babble on about 
misunderstandings and the rules of the game and so on.  

   But in the end, he must have seen the approaching fighter as well, for at the last
minute he gave in and shouted, "OK! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!"   

  Was there even a hint of sincerity in his hurried apology? No. But I decided that
enough was enough. I stepped up to the cleric and held out my hand. "That belongs
to us, I believe."  

  He could do little but comply with the rules of the game, and he handed our last
flag to me. I wasted no time and hooked it to it’s post, effectively ending the game
and winning our victory, albeit tainted. 

  ***Note: Due to my recent computer crash I’m now a week behind in Doorag’s
diary, and I know from hard experience that that is tough to recover from if I wish 
to stay current and not constantly be playing catch up. Therefore, the following
entries will probably be pretty succinct until I’m back on top of the story.*** 


  Rdry’t 22 (Con’t) 

   There was much hushed murmuring among the crowd as we shuffled off the field, 
and the creased brow on Yigil’s face further dampened my spirits, but I was
determined that we had done nothing technically wrong. A tad dishonorable,
perhaps, but I refused to let  Caribdis’ rash act ruin the fact that we had won, if 
nothing else, the race. 

   I could tell that Taklinn was not going to put such a positive spin on events
though, for he stalked away, his face dark with anger and perceived shame. I 
thought to talk with him, but figured our exchange of words earlier might be too
recent to allow clear heads to prevail, and so I chose to let him be, trusting in his
wisdom, that he would see the logic in things. 

  A dinner was held in the evening to honor both crews, but when we showed up 
there was no sign of the rival party. They snubbed us, and by midway through the
dinner I was furious! Even the words of Nivin, welcoming us into the fold of the 
Academy as a bona fide crew, were lost on me as I fumed about the absence of our
competitors. I had been looking forward to toasting their bravery, but instead I
dwelt upon their pettiness, and later that evening, when we met in private with Yigil 
to discuss the events of the day, I must admit that I quite lost my temper! I made
what, for most people, would be a fatal mistake. I spoke out of turn to an arch
mage!   

  He had only to raise an eyebrow to remind me to whom I was speaking, and I
immediately stood down.  

   Taklinn said little during the entire night, and Happy has favored Caribdis with a 
glare or two. Only Griffin seems to have little opinion on the subject, and Caribdis
himself is either blissfully unaware of the turmoil he has caused, or completely
obstinate in his rationalization of his bow shots to the halfling.   

  As for me, I have decided to take Yigil’s advise, to step back, sleep on this thing,
and look at it like a wizard should. With logic, and a good nights sleep to put things
into perspective.  
   On a final note, though perhaps the most exciting, Yigil tells us that we are to
winter in Havilah! We are to stay here throughout the entire season, learning our
crafts and honing our skills that we’ll truly be able to serve as a crew for the 
Academy.  

  I am beside myself with excitement at this news! Oh, the books I will immerse
myself in! The museums I will visit! The classes I will attend! Already I can hear 
the voice of this magnificent city calling me to accept all she has to offer, and I
cannot wait for the sun to come up tomorrow so I can begin to do just that. 

   ***And Doorag did just that. Through Suns’ebb, Fireseek and Readying, he toiled
diligently under the tutelage of the Academy and it’s teachers. In his spare time, he
devoured books, went to plays, studied, scribed many scrolls, and learned all he 
could.  

   During those months the confrontation and bad blood between the crew and it’s
rivals were eventually ironed out, though not without drama.   

  The day following the trials confirmation as a crew, Taklinn shaved his beard in
abject, dwarven shame and moved to a room in the Academy away from the rest of
the crew. Furthermore, he sent, not only the braids from his shorn beard to the rival 
crew, but the 1000gp credit voucher that had been his prize from the Academy as
well!  

 Doorag did not particularly agree that such histrionics were necessary, but he let 
the cleric work things out for himself. In the meantime, Doorag had mellowed a bit
and decided that relations must be mended between two of Havilah’s crews, and to
that end, he write this letter and had it delivered to the rival crews wizard, one 
Teppo Safford.  

   "Mr. Safford,   
   I have chosen you to be the recipient of this letter simply because you are, like
myself, a practitioner of the arcane arts, and as such, we share a common bond. This
letter is, however, open to the rest of your party, namely Ryton Safford, Finch 
Severi, Lotte Spangler, and Kester Orban.  

   Gentlemen and Lady, I formerly extend to you the hand of friendship. The events 
of Readyreat 22, specifically the crew sponsorship test at the Academy, were both
heroic and unfortunate. I would concur that mistakes were made, however they are
far from insurmountable. If I am mistaken, then I am afraid we have failed a much
larger test indeed.    

   We must look upon that contest as sport, as a game devised to teach us more 
about ourselves. And, like children at play, we must pick ourselves up, dust off,
forgive the trespasses of our opponents, recognize their skill, and move on with the
much larger business of Academy business.    

   Your crew played well, with skill, and honor. I regret that my friends actions will
taint that. I regret that I was not able to tell you that in person, and to raise a toast to 
you at the awards ceremony. I believe my regret is born of anger and
impetuousness. I say, let this be the end. I say, let us write a new chapter that has, at
it’s heart, the best interests of Havilah and the Academy between our groups.    

   Yours,  
   Doorag Marzipan"  

   This letter was answered by a visit by that same wizard, and Teppo and Doorag
were able to arrive at a meeting of the minds. The following is their exchange.  

   For a couple days you hear nothing, but then Teppo Safford seeks you out.
 You’re checking out your new laboratory digs, which are a bit dusty and in need of 
some homemaking.  He knocks politely at the door and then steps in, taking a seat
unbidden in one of the three chairs arranged around the big table that serves as a
desk and work surface (there are also two long "counters" for the accoutrements of 
a wizard’s office).    

"We got your letter," he says.  He is a frail man, his skin quite sallow, and he stops 
for a moment while he catches his breath.   The climb to your study seems to have
done him in.  Finally he resumes.    

"Logic and intellect are the stuff we wizards are made of," he says.  "And logic
dictates that you are entirely correct.  The events between our two parties were
unfortunate, and it is indeed my hope that we can come to an understanding.  If it 
were my decision alone, then we would join together this evening and clear the air
over dinner and wine."  

He sighs and shakes his head.  "Ah, but reason does not come so easily to some, as
much as we would wish it so.  I must admit that Lotte has a bit of revenge in her
heart.  Even your dwarf’s tokens did little to cool her head."  He smiles.  "Kester 
nearly had his own beard ripped off after they came to words over his letter.  

"You may take comfort in the fact that she is not in the majority, but actions can’t be 
taken until Lotte decides to let things be.  

"Your bard picked the wrong target, Doorag Marzipan.  Finch is something of a 
favorite of hers.  They’ve traveled together for a very long time, long before they
joined up with Ryton, Kester, and me.  She took it very personally when he plugged
her friend full of arrows.  She feels...."    

Teppo pauses, and looks nothing except...uncomfortable.  "Finch and Lotte are,
well...  they are close.  Let us end it at that.  Finch has forgiven and forgotten, but 
I’ve heard those two battling about it every night since the contest.  It was Lotte
who refused to go to the banquet.    

"Myself, I would have liked to see my adversaries in more normal circumstances. 
 But like it or not we are a team, and we learned long ago that we always stick
together.  We’ve been a crew long before coming to the Academy, and learned the 
hard way what happens when we don’t act as one."  

He looks uncomfortable again, and fiddles with his robe.  "Kester says that Taklinn 
has removed himself from your quarters.  That is bad news indeed.  I’d say that this
is your greatest test as a crew; that wyvern they say you killed will be nothing
compared to the harm a fractured party can be.   

"I don’t mean to give advice where your own friends are concerned, so stop me if I
overstep my bounds, but I don’t know how much you know about dwarfs. 
 Especially those that follow Clangeden.  I myself didn’t until Kester explained it to
us.  Cutting his beard was irrational; I think both you and I can see that.  But
dwarven pride is something that you just can’t ignore, and it appears that Clangeden 
only exacerbates the problem."  Teppo grins.  "Kester offered Kurd’s path to him,
but I dare say that that offer won’t be taken."  

He stands and offers his hand.  "All is well between you and I, Doorag Marzipan,
and you’ll just have to be patient with my friends.  My advice to you is to bring
Taklinn back into the fold as soon as you can.  I’ve heard rumors around the 
Academy that there is something big afoot in the kingdom, although I don’t know
what it is.  Things are so hush-hush that my guess is that it is something serious.
 The kingdom needs its crews, and I hear that your crew was somewhat.... 
impressive, if a bit fractured."  

   Doorag considers Teppo’s words thoughtfully when the man has finished. At last, 
he sighs and says, "Yes, I suppose your right about Taklinn. I’ve been letting him
be, hoping that this will blow over, but the whole shaving of the beard, well! I can
tell you, it startled me, and no doubt about that!"   

   "The Old Man in the Pointy Hat used to say that the only thing harder than stone
is a dwarf, and I’m beginning to understand what he meant. At this point I’m getting
a little exasperated with him, so perhaps we would do well to share a cup and a few 
words."  

  "As for us, I can’t tell you how happy I am that you came today, Teppo, nor how
gratified I am to learn that my hunch was right, that you are a logic driven chap who 
won’t miss the forest for the trees. I hope that Lotte will one day come around.
Perhaps if he were to actually meet Caribdis, and perhaps if Caribdis we’re actually
apologetic... well, that will be a job for my crew. I swear, but that boy drives the lot 
of us to distraction! His raw talent is too much to ignore, but there are many rough
edges that need polishing."  

   "As for we two, perhaps our meeting of the minds will sew the seeds of future 
reconciliation. And if they don’t, well, at least we have forged a valuable
relationship. You can’t have too many friends!" With that, Doorag grins and taps the
side of his nose with his finger.   

   So Doorag and Teppo were fine, and Doorag was titillated by the fact that Finch
and Lotte (both females) were having -ahem- relations. Taklinn had arrived at his 
own peace through his dealings with Kester Orban. Happy and Finch (the halfling
rogue) had met many times on the training fields and learned to get along. Griffin
just didn’t care, and Caribdis made amends in his own way, by taking both Finch 
and Lotte out for what must be one of the most expensive nights on the town in
Havilah history. Lotte let him spend nearly every copper he possessed on them
before she decided to forgive and forget, but in the end, she, too, saw the wisdom in
putting the needs of the Academy before their own differences.   

   Caribdis’ birthday was celebrated, and the new year came, and with it, the 
warming rays of the spring sun, as well as their first mission as a real crew. 

   On Readying 13 there were called before Nivin Mottul and told that they were to
travel to Kalendia, a city to the south, only fifty miles from the Wild Lands, a 
border town where many sightings of Himrak orcs had recently been reported.
Himrak orcs are a particularly nasty breed, sure that they are the supreme race on
earth and only too willing to slaughter any who don’t agree. Nivin tells them that 
another crew was recently sent there and had not been heard of in some time. They
were to investigate the orc sightings and the disappearance of the other crew.  

   On Readying 14 they hitched up their wagon and headed south.*** 

  ***Note: Forgot to mention that, in addition to their ultimate mission in Kalendia,
the crew are also to investigate sightings of another possible wyvern along the way. 
Supposedly the small village of Vasain, which lies at the halfway point of their
journey, has been harried by wyvern attacks.***


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

Rdying 15 

  Back on the road again, and it feels good to be here. Spring is well upon us,
though there is a fine chill in the air.   

   Being here again, with firm direction in mind, it seems that we have once again
solidified into the crew we were before our trials at the Academy. A bit
scatterbrained, perhaps, but united as much as we ever were. Taklinn’s beard is 
coming back in nicely and all the old bad blood seems to have thinned.  

   I must admit though, that three months in the comfort of Havilah has softened my
bum and the wagon is playing havoc on it. It will be awhile before my bones have 
acclimated themselves to the road again. Until then I will surely spend a few sore
nights. 


   Rdying 17 

  Well, we may travel the Queens Road, but today has proved that even this main
artery across the land is less than safe, for as we traveled this noon, we were 
ambushed by a group of ten orcs. Though we were outnumbered, our skills that we
honed in the Academy were more than enough to deal with such rabble, and in less
than a minute the would-be bandits lay dead, strewn across the road, bloodied and 
burnt by steel and spell. We sustained a few wounds but nothing that Taklinn and
Caribdis couldn’t handle.  

  I fear that this is yet more evidence that Havilah is being slowly encroached upon 
by humanoid hordes.  


  Rdying 19  

  We have entered Vasain, and apparently the reports are true. This town has
suffered several attacks from an airborne creature, and, in fact, as we approached
the village this afternoon we spotted the creature. It was high in the air, merely a 
speck in the sky, but with our spyglass we were able to get a better look at it, and
I’m afraid that the reports of a wyvern were amiss. The beast we saw has four legs,
not two, and no stinger on it’s tail. No one wants to say it, but we are all thinking the 
same thing: Dragon!  

  It was difficult to tell from our distance, and we have only seen pictures of
dragons in books, but what I saw looked an awful lot like those pictures. Caribdis is 
already lobbying for us to return to Havilah and request the assistance of a more
learned crew.  

  Once in Vasain we established a base of operations in the inn and learned much
from the townsfolk. It seems that quite a bit of livestock has been carried away, as 
well as two children and two adults. 

  Surprisingly enough, Griffin appeared quite affected by the news of the children’s 
disappearance. He and Happy spoke with the parents of the children and found
further evidence of a dragon at the sight from which they vanished: A large circle of
burnt grass, which we can only assume to be the results of fiery dragons breath.   

  Griffins rage at the deaths of these two children is apparent, even though he tries
to maintain his stoic exterior. He has fortified himself even more than usual with
strong drink tonight. I believe we may have discovered Griff’s blind spot.   

  While Griff and Happy met with the parents, the rest of us sought out and talked
with one Rogan, a trapper in these parts. He tells us that he has seen the beast up
close and has an idea of where it may lair. He has agreed to take us there on the 
morrow. 

   We are all a bit nervous tonight. The idea of taking on a dragon, even a small one,
is enough to turn my legs to jelly, and Caribdis is positively in a frenzy of trying to 
convince us to return to Havilah for aid. But it will not be. We will do what we have
been sent to do, and that is that.  

   I pray that I will still be around tomorrow to make an entry in this journal. In the 
meantime, I must rest and dwell upon which spells will be best suited to deal with
such a beast.  


  Rdying 20 

   We awoke early, and true to his word, Rogan was waiting for us. After a quick
bite (of which Caribdis was able to eat very little - the boy was a bit pale this 
morning) we set out to find this dragon. 

   Rogan led us into the surrounding woods, of which he is intimately familiar, and
we followed him into the low hills a few miles from the village. He would not go 
too near where he believed the dragon to be, but he gave us further directions and
agreed to wait for us. 

  We continued on, following his landmarks, until we had climbed a small bluff, at 
the top of which was a large clearing that served as a porch to a dark cave. Any
doubts that this was the beasts lair were soon put to rest, for the clearing was littered
with bones, broken and burnt. I thought I could hear Caribdis’ knees knocking 
together, and truth be told, my own voice was a bit shaky as I read off a couple of
protective scrolls. Most of the time I trust the others to protect me, as well as my
ability to simply stay out of harms way, but I was taking no chances with a dragon. 
Neither was Taklinn, and he cast similar spells upon himself. 

   As we neared the cave entrance we could hear the heavy breathing of something
within, and I declare that raw fear nearly caused us to turn back. But we steeled 
ourselves and entered, with Griffin and Taklinn leading the way. I remembered
Griffin’s description of the burnt circle of grass they had found and I hung back,
having a bad feeling that things were going to warm up.  

We had not far to go. A mere fifty or so feet into the cave the sun shone enough to
reveal the hulking form of the wurm, newly awakened by our entry and uncoiling 
itself to deal with us. It was small, by dragon standards I suppose, barely out of it’s
infancy, but still as big as a war horse and bristling with teeth and claws. It gleamed
a bright red, and it lay atop a pile of coin, the amount of which I’ve never seen in 
one place.  

To my surprise, it spoke!  

"Who dares disturb me?" It demanded. 

"I do, that’s who!" it was Griffin who answered, his sword point quivering with 
anger as he addressed the beast, "We’ve come to extract retribution for the children
of Vasain! Prepare to die!"  

The dragon seemed not the least bit worried by Griffin’s declaration and looked
down his long snout at us as if we were no more than minor annoyances. "How you 
humans do bore me," it said, snidely, "Yet you come at an inopportune time and I
don’t feel like killing you right now. Leave me, and do not return, or I shall burn
you where you stand. Now go!"  

Caribdis, standing not far from me, looked as if he were about to heed the dragons
command, but Taklinn simply reinforced Griff’s words with a hefted axe and a 
prayer to Clangeden. Happy, well in the shadows, slid ever forward. The wurm,
seeing that we were not to be so easily dismissed, reared itself up to it’s full height,
it’s tail whipping behind it, it’s wings flaring out and sending buffets of wind at us.   

"Then die!" it roared, and exhaled its flaming breath at us! A wall of fire emanated
from that toothy maw, engulfing all that stood before it. Luckily I had judged 
correctly and was just out of range. I could feel the heat of the flame, but the fire
stopped only feet from me. When it cleared, we all still stood, but it was clear that
all had been badly burnt. Still, as long as we keep our feet we shall fight, and Griff, 
Taklinn and Happy moved in for their strikes while Caribdis loosed arrows even as
flames still licked at his sleeves. I know the boy was terrified, but to his credit, he
held his ground.  

Taklinn reached the dragon and drew first blood for our side with a tremendous
swing. Griff stepped up, but the dragon surprised us with a spell. "Flee!" it 
commanded our stanch warrior, and before I know it, Griffin was running for his
life! I could see the shame in his eyes as he passed me, but he had no choice, for he
was well and truly under the influence of magic. Fortunately, it would not last long.  

Trying not to stumble over my words, I cast glitterdust at the beast, hoping to blind
it, but it just shook its head and laughed! Taklinn and Happy laid into it again, 
drawing a bit of blood, but taking their own lumps from it’s claws and teeth.
Taklinn reeled back, badly bitten, but refused to give up and hurled himself back at
the beast with renewed vigor. Caribdis fired arrows as fast as his arm could draw 
back his bow, and I tried another spell, and to my great joy, this one worked! 

It’s was Reduce, and to my great surprise it actually took, for the dragon suddenly 
went from being horse sized to pony sized! I knew that he would still be
formidable, but perhaps his newly diminished strength would give us the edge we
desperately needed.  

Then, a blur raced past me. It was Griffin. The spell that had forced him to flee had
expired and he charged the wurm with renewed fury, slamming into it with his 
blade. The dragon flinched, obviously hurt and not prepared to deal with foes that
fought back.  

Rallying now that Griff had returned, Taklinn and Happy hacked away. As for me, I
thought to myself that if it was good that the dragon were smaller, it would be better
still if we were bigger, and with that in mind, I yelled out, "Griff! I’m hitting you 
with a spell! Let it take!" Hoping that he’d heard me, I cast Enlarge on him. Within
seconds, he grew to nearly nine feet tall, his sword almost twice its original length,
and it bit even deeper into the dragons hide.  

Long seconds passed with only the sound of grunts, cries of pain, teeth ripping flesh
and steel biting scale. I hit the beast with Magic Missile, desperately trying to chip 
away at it. 

With a snarl, the dragon realized that it was outmatched and attempted to flee. 
Unfortunately, I stood directly in its path, and I can now attest to the fact that there
is no more fearsome sight than a dragon barreling down upon you. It nearly
trampled me, but my protective spells paid off, and I was only tossed aside as it 
exited the cave. Only a few more steps and it would be able to take to the air where
we would have no chance of catching it.  

But it was not to be, for Griffin was hot on it’s heels, his newly lengthened legs
eating up ground as fast as the dragons, and with a final battle cry, he plunged his
bastard sword through the dragons back, piercing through organs and coming out of 
its belly! Griff was thrown back by the beasts death throes, and we all stood well
away as it writhed and twisted, trying to drag itself from the cave. But it got no
more than a few yards before it slumped to the earth and breathed its last, Griffin's 
sword still impaled into it. 

In the ensuing silence we could only stand around its corpse, looking at each other, 
barely able to believe that we still survived. All of us were wounded, bitten, burnt,
or clawed, but the relief at having slain the beast took much of the sting out of our
wounds.  

And so Taklinn and Caribdis began their healing. Griff returned to normal size, and
we began to sift through the treasure. The amount of coin was impressive, but its 
denomination disappointing, for the vast majority of it was copper. Still, we
managed to extract a goodly portion of gold and silver, as well as a handful of
gemstones. Best of all, my detect magic picked up several interesting items. We 
found a beautiful bastard sword, an ax, a wand, a ring, a suit of leather armor, and
a pair of goggles, all of which glowed mellowly of magic.  

The sword, especially, was an interesting find. Caribdis actually recognized it and
named it as Everyman’s Blade. Supposedly it was once used by a great hero in the
defense of Havilah city, but was lost after a great battle and had not been seen since. 
A true treasure! Griffin appeared unimpressed (of course) with the tale, but he left
his old blade in the dragon carcass and hefted this new one with a shrug, slipping it
into his sheath.   

I fetched Rogan and our mounts, and we headed back to Vaisan, our saddlebags
heavy with treasure and the dragons head strapped across Don Kay's back.   

Upon entering the village, word of our victory spread quickly, and we were given a
heroes welcome that turned into quite the party. Only Griffin seemed unable to 
enjoy it, for he still dwelt upon the loss of the two children and his inability to even
find their remains. He delivered to their parents the head of that dragon, perhaps as
a means of closure. He disappeared soon after with two bottles of strong liquor, and 
we didn’t see him until the next day. 

As for me, I enjoyed myself at the party for a few hours, but soon the excitement 
caught up with me and I retired to my room where I now am, writing down these
events before I take my rest.


 Rdying 21 

   Our third day in Vasain, and I have spent the better part of it working with a spell 
that I picked up at the Academy but had not yet had a chance to try. Identify has
told me much about the items we found in the dragons lair, though a few details still
elude me.   

   The sword that Griff now carries, Everyman’s blade, remains an enigma with the
exception of what I already guessed, that it is enchanted to such an extent as to give
its wielder a minor advantage on the field of battle. Same with the axe, but unlike 
the axe, I can sense deeper enchantment in the sword. Enchantment too complex for
my simple spell to reveal its secrete.  

  Perhaps only time will tell. Whatever the case, it fits Griff well, unless one 
remembers that its former owner was a hero of the people. Hardly our lone wolf,
Griffin. 

   Taklinn took the axe, it was a natural fit, as was the leather armor for Happy. She 
was delighted to find that it would shrink to fit her small form, and she now has a
very "black cat" look indeed, and seems well pleased. Her armor holds deeper
enchantment as well, but nothing I could put my finger on.  

  The wand is a wand of Cure Light Wounds, and the ring grants minor protection
from physical blows. The goggles provide dark vision, and both Happy and I looked
at them greedily, but since she had already fallen in love with the leather, she 
grinned and slid them over to me. 

   It was decided that Caribdis should hang on to the wand, which left him with the
ring as the last piece of treasure. But with Caribdis nothing is ever easy, and he took 
it into his head that one of the front line fighters should have it. Taklinn and Griff
shrugged and said that they’d be glad to have it, but I think they both wanted
Caribdis to share in the loot, and they protested.   

   But Caribdis would have his way, and it was ultimately decided to let Olidamara
decide with a roll of the dice (though we did insist that Caribdis at least play).
Olidamara must favor our Griff, for his dice rolled highest, and he reluctantly put 
on the ring. Caribdis seemed pleased though, which, I guess, is what matters.  

  I think, however, that the next time we encounter a magical trinket that would suit
the boy, we will not take no for an answer. Self sacrifice is one thing, martyrdom is 
another. 

   We get back on the road tomorrow. According to our calculations we should 
reach Kalendia by the 26th


  Rdying 26th

   Its been another long day and I’ve got lots to tell so I’d best get started. 

  The last four days were spent in uneventful travel, but today brought us still more
action. We were only about three hours out of Kalendia when danger struck. We are 
fast becoming experts in the fine art of being ambushed, for as we rode along we
spotted two hunched figures hurrying across the road. We only caught a glimpse of
them, but even from a distance we could tell that they were orcs. No sooner had 
they disappeared into the woods than we heard the sound of hoof beats behind us.
Turning, we beheld yet another orc, only this one was mounted on a particularly
mean looking warhorse and was charging straight for us! We set ourselves to deal 
with him, but before he’d even covered the distance, four more of them burst from
the woods, waving their huge axes and snarling war cries!  

 But they were little match for my sleep spell, and three of them never even made 
it to the road. The mounted orc and his remaining foot soldier were easy prey for
Griffin and Taklinn, and they died swiftly, but the horse was another matter, for it
fought as if it had a personal vendetta against us, biting Taklinn and hammering
about with it’s hooves. Caribdis tried to mount the thing, but got only a hoof in the 
face for his trouble. I used my scorching ray to fine effect, and after I’d softened it
up, the rest were able to take it down. I think killing the horse upset Happy, she has 
a soft spot for the beasts, but there was no help for it.  

  The mounted orc was not dead, and we decided to take him prisoner along with
the other three that I had slept. We manacled them and tied them to the wagon while 
Griffin and Happy went ahead on foot to scout around, figuring that there were
likely more orcs in the area. While they were gone we noticed that these orcs were
heavily tattooed and wore a sort of uniform armor. We deduced that they were 
Himrok orcs. We had not even made it to Kalendia yet and already we were seeing
evidence of a Himrok invasion! 

  Griff and Happy returned with a report of a farmhouse not far ahead and sightings 
of several more orcs around it. We could only assume that they had taken over the
house for a base, and I worried for the human inhabitants. For Taklinn and I it was
not a question of IF we were going to deal with these orcs, but WHEN, and HOW. 
But again, the rest of our crew needed a gentle prod. Caribdis argued that we were
nearly out of spells and Griff muttered about it not being our business, and we
ended up arguing about it all the way to the house, but Taklinn and I were not to be 
moved on this point. Neither of us could sit idly by while innocent folk were
potently held captive in their own home.  

   While we discussed it from a field adjacent to the house, we were suddenly 
witness to a large burst of light that emanated from a nearby shed! The light
exploded silently and shot up into the air, giving us all pause.  

  But the farmhouse and its inhabitants were our first order of business, and we 
assumed by this time that we’d been spotted, for all the orcs that Griff and Happy
had seen outside were nowhere to be found. We could only surmise that they had
retreated into the house.  

   Happy volunteered to scout out the house, and she quickly covered the ground
between us and it. By this time the shadows were growing long, and we were utterly
surprised to see her simply disappear into one of them! I think we can now safely 
say that the deeper magic’s of her armor involve bettering her ability to camouflage
herself and blend into the shadows, for I swear, she seemed to simply vanish into
thin air and then reappear again a second later from another spot! Most impressive!  

 She circled the house and brought back a report that the orcs were indeed inside
and had barricaded themselves in. Caribdis, of course, took that as an obvious
indication that we should leave well enough alone and press on to Kalendia for aid, 
but I was having none of that. Cocking my crossbow, I ran for the house. The
others, to their credit, followed.  

   Once at the corner, we decided to divide and conquer. I had already cast a levitate 
on myself, so I rose to the second floor and found a window unlocked. It let into a
small, unoccupied bedroom, so I descended to pick up Happy. Taklinn had already
started toward the front door, casting enhancement spells on himself as he went.   

  Unbeknownst to me, as I ferried Happy to the second floor, Griff was fortifying
Caribdis’ courage with his own special brand of liquid steel. In other words, he let
the boy gulp down half a bottle of rotgut wine! I didn’t realize it until I took 
Caribdis up and then went back down for Griff. He decided to go in another door
and made off for it. I rose back to the bedroom, only to find Caribdis passed out on
the bed! Happy was slapping him awake and he got up, already slurring! I clapped 
my hand to my forehead in disbelief, but what could we do? 

  I opened the door to reveal an empty hallway full of doors and a staircase that led
down. I made my way to the half point of the stairs and beheld nearly a half dozen 
orcs and several war dogs at the bottom. Fortunately, they were all watching a door
at the bottom, presumably the door that Griff was trying to break through. In the
distance, I could hear the sounds of battle, and I figured that Taklinn had made his
presence known.   

  I quickly cast from a scroll, and three of the orcs went down, asleep. That drew
their attention, but before they could act, Caribdis had stumbled past me and was 
launching arrows at them. Good enough, I thought, putting the bard between myself
and the enemy as Griffin finally smashed through the door.  

  One orc tried to rouse his fellows, but another scroll from me put him and the 
remaining orcs back to bed as Griffin laid about with his sword. The dogs proved to
be tougher than their masters, and they chased Caribdis up the stairs as far as I
would let him go.   

  Happy tumbled past us to help Griff on the floor, and I must confess to an
embarrassing moment here, for I fired my crossbow at a dog and missed, hitting
Happy instead! I was mortified, and she shot me an angry glance. By this time she 
and Griff had dispatched the last of the dogs, and they both ran to aid Taklinn who
was busy with his own grip of orcs and dogs as well. Fortunately, our dwarf is so
well armored that he was well neigh impossible for them to hit. By the time Griff 
reached him he’d already slain two of the orcs and had only taken a single bite from
a lucky dog. When Griff got there, it was all over for the bad guys, and he and
Taklinn flanked them with a vengeance, leaving a pile of dead orcs and dogs in 
their wake. 

  Happy reported (as she removed my bolt from her arm) that she’d killed a
wounded orc upstairs and that the rest of the rooms were clear. We quickly tied up 
our sleeping prisoners, though keeping living prisoners was a bone of contention,
especially after we’d witnessed the horror in the living area. The orcs had
transformed it into a torture chamber of sorts, and we found a human man there, 
tied to a chair, obviously the victim of sadistic torture before his throat was slit. 

  We found a final door to the cellar, and after breaking it open, we discovered
more human prisoners. Four men, one of them, his name is Aif, the owner of the 
farm.

  Rdying 26 (con’t)  

  Aif and his fellow farmhands greeted us warily, which was understandable,
considering their recent run in with the orcs, but they soon realized that we were
liberators and not invaders and they calmed down. Aif related to us that the orcs had 
descended upon them a few days ago and had taken over the farmhouse, keeping
the humans prisoner for torture and sport.  

  The cellar held another secrete, however, for under our scrutiny we found a 
hidden panel in the wall that led into a room lined with weapons! An odd cache for
a farmer, but when questioned about it Aif explained that he had once been an
adventurer like ourselves and that the weapons were simply his collection from 
those days long past. We accepted that, but not without reservation. Something just
didn’t seem right. I think that Happy, especially, did not buy his story, but he had
given us no real reason to distrust him. Still, as I close this entry and go to bed, I 
know that I won’t sleep lightly knowing that he is in the room down the hall. I’ll
have Ambros take a watch tonight. 

   Later... 

  Well! It appears that our troubles with the orcs was not over. We’ve barricaded
ourselves in the farmhouse in case they decide to return, and it turns out that our 
caution was not without warrant. Only a half hour ago I was startled awake
by the sounds of heavy bodies slamming into the doors. A dozen or so orcs had
rushed the house, hoping to catch us unaware, but Griff was on duty downstairs and 
Taklinn was snoozing not far away. By the time I’d made it downstairs, the two of
them had already dispatched several of the orcs. It was quick work to mop up the
rest of them after Happy, Caribdis (still half drunk) and I showed up. Even though I
was low on spells, my scrolls came in handy, and we now have a few prisoners 
thanks to a Sleep spell. We’d have had more, but Happy was not too keen on taking
live ones, and before we could stop her she sent four of them from sleep on to the 
next world. Taklinn reacted strongly to her, but I wont dwell on it. I dislike the
notion of executing prisoners, but I also realize that we are simply delaying the
inevitable, for they will surely be hanged once we turn them over to the law in 
Kalendia. In a perfect world justice would always be served, but folk like Happy,
Griff, and Caribdis follow different drummers, and I won’t hold them to the same
set of standards that I aspire to. The truth is, I often fail to satisfy my own 
expectations, so I won’t lord them over others. These orcs certainly weren’t
innocent, so I will neither shed tears for them nor worry over the manner of their
demise.   

   In more practical affairs, Griff tells us that Aif departed earlier this night! Griff
was on watch when Aif came down with his pack, announcing that he did not feel
safe here and intended to flee for fear of further orc attacks. Griff, being Griff, 
merely shrugged at the farmer and locked the door behind him. That was that. 

   Well, I believe I have sufficiently calmed down from the excitement, and I must
get some rest if I am to be of any use tomorrow.  

   Rdying 27 

  We have decided to investigate the strange goings on around the farmhouse 
before proceeding on to Kalendia. There was the matter of the weird light we
witnessed shooting up from the shack built on the top of the hill behind us, as well
as Aif’s information that there was a cave on the hills opposite side, near its base. 
We wondered if the orcs might not be using that cave as a campsite, so we reckoned
we’d check it out first.  

  We stole through the trees, making a quiet loop around the hill, but before long 
we realized that there is a limit to how quiet a dwarf in armor and a hung over
Caribdis can be. So Happy volunteered to scout it out, and like that, she melted into
the forest.   

   She was back some fifteen minutes later, breathing hard and a bit shaken. She’d
had to dispatch an orc by herself with a single, well placed dagger, thrown from
hiding in order to get back to us. The orc went down without a sound and the alarm 
was never raised. She reported a cave with signs of movement at its mouth, as well
as several orcs perched in the outlying trees, bows at the ready.  

   We followed her route back toward the cave, and soon, we made contact. Taklinn 
charged into clearing, openly drawing their fire, and the air around him buzzed
with arrows. This gave us the opportunity to flank them, and we picked them out of
their trees one by one with spells and missile weapons. In no time, they littered the 
ground beneath the trees like rotten fruit.  

   The cave turned out not to be a simple hole in a hillside, but rather a well dug
tunnel that led into a good sized chamber complete with another tunnel on its far 
wall. We knew than that we would have our work cut out for us, and we set out to
uncover this mystery.  

   Happy took the point as we plunged into the tunnel, and good thing, too. I’d lent 
her my dark vision goggles, and with them she found a nasty pit trap on the floor
before us, and we were able to circumvent it as well as another placed near the first.
That girl has a good eye!  

  Two more orcs waited for us at the end of the tunnel, and they took pot shots at us
until Griff and Caribdis rushed them and cut them down with blade and arrow.  

   We spent the next few hours dealing with a stubborn door or two and the 
discovery of what appears to be a burial tomb for orcish heroes. Four massive stone
blocks seal four chambers that, according to the glyphs carved onto them, contain
four orcish warriors of lore, while a fifth chamber has been (unsettlingly enough)
broken out of! It looks as if one of the dead decided that he’d had enough of his 
eternal rest and smashed free of his grave. Only an empty sarcophagus lay in his
tomb. It is still a mystery when this happened or where the creature is now. We can 
only hope that it was long ago and that he is far away, but I fear that we don’t have that 
kind of luck.

   We have now returned to the farmhouse to rest ourselves for the further 
exploration of the complex. Several doors remain unopened, and it galled the
fighters to leave them, but I am without spells, as is Caribdis. Even Taklinn is low
on his healing, so we’ve opted to rest.   

   Rdying 28 

   Our second day in the tombs, and almost too much has happened to try to fit into 
a single entry. But I will try. 

   We awoke this morning, refreshed, at full health, and full of spells. Thusly armed
we dove back into the darkness of the tunnels that honeycomb the hill. Caribdis is 
filled with curiosity about the four orc hero tombs that remain sealed, and it was my
mistake to think aloud that I could breach them with a simple Reduce spell. He
spent most of the morning dropping hints and wondering aloud what they might 
contain in an effort to pique our curiosity. But we have bigger fish to fry, and plenty
of doors remained unopened that required only a trap scan from Happy and Griff’s
strong shoulder to open them.  

   It is becoming more and more apparent that this complex had, at one time, been
an orcish stronghold, but has been recently occupied by human forces. Now,
however, the orcs seem to have retaken their ancestral lair and have fought us tooth 
and nail to retain it. Indeed, rather than desert the place while we rested, they have
dug in, fortifying their defenses and stand ready for us at every turn. Fortunately,
we have become more than a match for even a sizable group of the thugs, what 
with my Sleep spells and the blades of my fellows. Taklinn, in particular, seems to
take great joy in hurling himself into the midst of a knot of orcs and laughing at
them as their axes clang, ineffectually, off of his shining armor. According to him 
his people have a long standing feud with orcs, and he doesn’t even try to conceal
his joy at cutting them down. We’ve all had plenty of opportunity to do just that
today, for even the first door we opened revealed a half dozen orcs ready to die in 
defense of this complex.  

  And die they did.  

  We soon found that they were merely the front line, guarding two more doors. We 
forced open the one to the north and were shocked and disgusted by what we saw:
A prison, stoutly built of stone rooms and iron bars, the orcish jailor and his deputy
still standing at the ready. The jailor was a tough fellow, but down he went, and we 
were saddened to find that the cells he had so fiercely died for were largely devoid
of life, though much evidence still remained of the prisoners who had once
languished there. Yes, they had all been slaughtered and tossed into a single cell 
like so much refuse. The scene was appalling and we saw that nearly a
dozen helpless prisoners had been hacked to death. The worst of it was the
discovery of five bodies that still bore their Havilah crew rings. We have found the 
missing crew, slain to a man. With heavy hearts we retrieved the rings for return to
Havilah and set the bodies of those brave souls aside for a proper burial once we
have sorted this place out.  

   Not all the cells contained corpses, however. In one of them we found four human
men, scared out of their wits and pleading to be set free. But we are a cautious lot
now, for we believe that the farmer (if he really is a farmer at all) Aif may have a 
hand in all of this, and once these prisoners revealed to us that they had once been
Aif’s men, we thought better of letting them roam free before we’d found some
answers to our questions. Under questioning they told us little, and I believe that
they probably don’t know much. But they did say that Aif had, before the orcs 
arrived, controlled this complex and had been amassing men and weapons here.
They knew not why, but perhaps the magistrate in Kalendia will get more out of 
them. Either way, they sit, even now, in their cells, awaiting transfer to the city. 

   Another tunnel led from the prison and into a terrible, yet fascinating room that
could be classified as a torture chamber of sorts, though that does not appear to be 
the reason it was built. Inside we discovered a strange machine of what looks like
gnomish design. It was built over a table festooned with restraints, and indeed, a
body still rested there, its face contorted with pain and an ugly hole in its chest, 
obviously the cause of death. But the hole was not caused by some base weapon.
Perched over the table, like some alien insect, hung a bizarre contraption riddled
with gears and buttons and leavers, all of which narrowed to a tube-like protrusion 
that came to a nasty point. Its angle still suggested that it had recently been buried
within the chest of the hapless victim on the table.  

   Within the machine we found a slot that could accept one of the many copper 
plates that were strewn about the room. The plate within the devices bore a short,
engraved, message: "The temple is ours." We conclude that it is some sort of
message sending machine, and even though it seems mightily ponderous for so 
simple a task, the ability to send words over distance without the threat of
interception may well be valuable enough to these orcs to warrant it.

  Whatever the case, no one will ever use this diabolic mechanism again, for
Taklinn was quick to put it to the axe. I must admit that it pained me just a bit to see
such a mechanical marvel destroyed. I realize that it’s use could cause nothing but 
pain, but still, it was a wonder of construction the likes of which I have never seen.
Fortunately I was able to make some sketches of it as well as keep a box of tools
laying nearby. I may never know what many of the tools are even used for, but they 
will one day make marvelous conversation pieces for my laboratory. 

   At any rate, we soon left the "message room", as we dubbed it, and continued out
its exiting corridor. There was another door in this hall, but there was also another 
trap. Fortunately Happy has eyes that would make an eagle jealous and she caught it
before any of us tripped the nasty thing. Upon opening the door we found a stair
case clogged with furniture, as if someone had attempted to block off the door that 
we could barely make out at the top of the stairs. Caribdis was all for hauling it all
out and checking the door, but we decided that whatever it was would keep until
we’d cleared out this lower level. He seemed disappointed, but bounced back fast 
when we reminded him of another door we’d left behind us.  

   We made our way to said door and, after a trap scan by Happy, opened it up to
discover a funnel shaped room filled with orcs and war dogs! Again, it was a short 
but brutal fight. The orcs never even attempted to run. They must have feared
whomever commanded them to hold their positions more than they feared us. Too
bad for them, for they were soon laid low.   

  Yet another door led from the wide end of this triangular room, and it gave easily.
Inside we beheld a room with a maze of sorts, made of iron rail. I suppose it was to
keep an invading force from charging headlong through the room. At the opposite 
end of the low maze, near the exit, stood an ogre. I’ve only read about these buggers
in books, but there was no mistaking the low brow and gangly arms that bulged
with muscle. The thing hefted a tree trunk of a club and howled his challenge. Well, 
Griff and Taklinn are not the sorts to let such a thing go unanswered, and soon they
were ducking or leaping the railings in an attempt to close with the brute. Griff
struck first, and the bite of his big sword only seemed to enrage the ogre further! 
Suddenly, as Taklinn closed the distance, another ogre charged in from the exit.
Griff found himself caught between the two giants, and I feared the worst for him.
Happy, Caribdis and I harried the two with what we could while Taklinn and Griff
went toe to toe. Happy even closed with the first ogre, darting in and thrusting with 
her wicked dagger.  

   I have noticed of late that Happy seems to take personal offense to anyone who 
manages to land a hit on Griff, and I daresay Griff tends to react much the same
way when Happy is threatened. The two have a connection, no doubt, though I fear
that not much will ever come of it should it blossom into romance due to their 
rather dramatic size difference. 

   It was touch and go for a moment, but at last our stalwart fighters
dropped one ogre, then the second. When it was over we all stood there for a long 
time, breathing heavily and wondering how many more of these things might lie
ahead. Taklinn and Caribdis set about healing the wounded, and we agreed that we
still possessed enough firepower to move on.   

   We did, heading north through the exit and into a hall filled with doors that led to
a veritable den of orcs. It appeared as if we had reached the barracks of the
complex, and each room seemed to lead to two more, all filled with at least half a 
dozen orcs.  

  They fell like wheat before us. Our skills simply make them no match for us now,
even in numbers. I remember that not so long ago we were nearly felled by a dozen 
goblins, but today we have mopped up over twenty orcs that easily weigh three
times what a goblin does. I hope this does not seem prideful, but it is hard not to
notice how far we have come.   

  We also discovered a series of offices, empty of life but brimming with interesting
finds. We have discovered a log book of prisoners once held in this complex as well
as a listing of supplies and contacts in Kalendia, not to mention further evidence 
that directly links Aif to a treasonous bid to raise an army within the boarders of
Havilah , for what purposes we still cannot ascertain. To top it all off, we also
uncovered a fine cache of treasure. A chest fairly brimming with coin! True, most 
of it is copper or silver, but enough of it is gold to make it more than just
worthwhile.  

  We searched out and put down every orc we could find within the barracks, and 
soon we were left with a single door that graced the end of the hall. This one we had
left for last, for it bore malevolent orcish artwork depicting a gaping, demonic
mouth that warned the unwary to stay out better than any words could. Still, there 
was no turning back now, and though it was tightly locked, Happy made short work
of it and Griff wasted no time in kicking it in.

  They had been waiting for us. Nearly ten burly orcs surrounded a final orc, this
one bigger than all the rest we had seen. He was obviously a chieftain of some sort,
for he raised his great axe over his head and commanded his fellows to stand fast! 
Griff wasted no time, charging directly into their midst and laying about him with
his bloody sword, but these orcs were apparently the cream of the crop, for where
others fell under a single blow from Griff, these stood their ground and returned his 
attacks with deadly ferocity. Soon we lost sight of him as they closed around him,
hammering away. I heard Happy gasp in concern for her friend, and Taklinn plowed
into them, his axe cleaving a path of gut and bone through their ranks. But Griff 
was already badly hurt, and I knew that something had to be done, and quickly.  

   I had been conserving my spells for just such and occasion, and I let fly with my
final Sleep. At one time I would have been taking an enormous risk casting such a 
spell in the vicinity of my friends, but they have grown powerful enough to be
immune to its effects. Not so with the orcs. They may have been a stouter breed
than their brethren, but they still crumpled and snoozed like so many lambs at its 
touch. Nearly half of them went down, which gave Taklinn and Griff some much
needed breathing room.  

   Happy joined the fray and Caribdis began to chant his calming verse as he sent
arrow after arrow into the crush. Griff, even badly wounded, would still do nothing 
less than take on the most powerful of them, and he went toe to toe with their
chieftain. But I could see that he was in bad shape, and Taklinn was held back by 
the orcish underlings who still stood. I chose that moment to try my very latest
spell, one that I have only just mastered.  

   Hold Person is from the third circle of magic and I’d been itching to cast it, but the 
ogres had been too big, while the orcs we’d been fighting had been too weak to
warrant it. This big orc chief was just what I was looking for, and as he snarled out
a promise to eviscerate Griff and hauled his axe back for a mighty blow, I let it fly.   

   He stopped dead, frozen, his face still contorted in rage. But I could clearly read
the surprise in his eyes when he realized the state he was in. The surprise soon gave
way to fear as Griff took the opportunity and sheathed his long blade in the 
chieftains chest, piercing his heart and slaying him with a single thrust. 

   The tide had turned with us and the remaining orcs knew it. They fought
desperately, but to no avail, for everywhere they turned there was a blade or arrow 
to meet them, and one by one they fell to the floor until finally they were no more.  

   We thought that we could then claim victory, but our fight was not over, for
another corridor lead still further north from this room, and as I knelt to tie the 
sleeping orcs we heard yet another challenge issue from its blackened depths. This
one was a deep and powerful growl, full of hate and boastful confidence. Without a
backwards glance or a thought given to the danger, Griff grabbed up his torch, drew 
his gore covered sword, and charged headlong down the hall to meet it. Fortunately
Taklinn had had a few seconds with which to lay his healing hands upon the
wounded fighter, so Griff wasn’t at deaths door, but he certainly wasn’t at full 
strength either. We raced after him.

  I don’t mind being a halfling, in fact, for the most part, I prefer it. But the fact 
remains that I will never be the fastest fellow round the track, and so it was that I
was the last to see what lay in the chamber.  

   Another knot of guardian orcs, already battling with Griff as Taklinn crashed into 
their flank. These orcs were far larger and better equipped than any we had thus far
seen. These, I thought, were the elite guard. 

   And their ward? A hideous perversion of a creature stood near the rear of the 
chamber. It must once have been an orc, I could see that, but where it had once
had arms it now sprouted writhing tentacles the color of pale death! Horrid boils
burst and streamed over any bare flesh on it, and coarse hair sprouted with no 
rhyme or reason all over the beast. I had arrived just in time to see it reach behind a
statue in the room and do something that caused a low "clunk" to reverberate
throughout the chamber.   

   And then I heard the low rush of what could only be water from behind me. It
seemed that I was the only one who heard it. That, or the rest were too busy with
problems of their own. Griff and Taklinn savagely pushed at the ranks of orcs while 
Caribdis recited verse and Happy seemed to be everywhere at once, thrusting,
drawing blood, and dancing away.  

   Knowing that I was nearly out of spells and would be largely useless anyway, I 
raced back toward the previous chamber and peered down the hall. What I beheld
was a slow but steady stream of water pushing its way up from grates in the floor at
the far end of the tunnel and working its way it either direction. I had only a few 
seconds before it reached my feet, and that was when I realized that I still had five
sleeping orcs laying all about me. 

   A moral dilemma was suddenly thrust upon me, for I knew that the water would 
surely wake these sleeping beasts and they would be only too happy to join the fray
against my friends! I couldn’t tie them up fast enough, but what was the alternative?
With a sinking feeling, I realized what had to be done, and without thinking about
it, I unslung my crossbow, leveled it at a sleeping orc, and pulled the lever. The bolt 
struck him in the throat and before he’d even rattled his last breath of air I was
loading a fresh bolt into my weapon.   

  My revulsion at slaying helpless foes was overwhelming, and my hands shook as
I fired again, killing a second. But the water was only a few feet away now, and it
was the only way. I killed a third before Happy suddenly burst into the room. She 
spoke quickly as she surveyed the scene. They had slaughtered the orc guards, but
the tentacled mutant had slipped through a secrete door and escaped. Our fighters 
were still engaged with a few guards, but she had come to see what I was 
about. I pointed at the water, which now pooled at my feet, and nodded at the
sleeping orcs. She understood immediately, seeing the crossbow in my hand, and
what must undoubtedly have been a look of distress on my face.   

   "I’ll take care of it," she said, drawing her dagger and kneeling next to an orc,
"You see if you can find out how to shut the water off." 

  It was a kind gesture on her part, and maybe I should have taken it. But what sort 
would I be to allow a friend to take on a task that I would not do myself. No, I
would not leave her to this grizzly business. I slew a fourth while she drew her
dagger across the throat of the last.  

   And that was the last of the action we have seen this day. We managed to find a
trio of levers hidden behind the statue which not only turned off the water and let it
drain, it opened up the doors again. Yes, the orcs final act of defiance was an 
attempt to seal up the complex and flood it. It would have taken several days to do
so, but I gather that it would have eventually drowned us all had we not found the
levers in their hiding place.  

   We also found the secrete escape route that the mutant had used and it let out onto
the hillside overlooking Aif’s farm, but by that time he was long gone. I can only
hope that our paths will cross again.  

   We rest now, back in the farmhouse, tending to our wounds and counting our
gain. Caribdis has somehow convinced us that we should check out the four orcish
hero tombs, but we have agreed only on the condition that we check to see what lies 
behind the door that tops the furniture clogged staircase I described earlier.  

  I must admit to a certain amount of curiosity about the tombs. Taklinn is our
biggest detractor though, for he feels it is a sin to desecrate the dead. I believe he is 
splitting hairs, since we’ve looted plenty of dead orcs in the past three days and he’s
had no objections to that. What does it matter that they’ve been dead only a few
minutes or for centuries? Dead is dead as far as I’m concerned, and I’ll waste no 
remorse at breaching orcish tombs. An honorable burial such as that is too good for
them anyway! 

   Still, I must admire Taklinn’s simple, if somewhat flexible, faith. His ideals are 
pure, though perhaps a bit skewed and nonobjective. I admit to frustration when
unfounded faith staves off sound logic and reason. But without our sturdy dwarf we
would surely have never gotten this far, and, as the groups conscience, he doesn’t 
always have to make sense. I will not fight him on this issue.  

  Though I’m sure Caribdis is, even now, wheedling away at him, trying to
convince Taklinn of what treasures must surely be buried with these orcish legends.  

   We will find out on the morrow. For now, it is late and its been a full day.

  Cldevn 1  

   It’s been a long but satisfying day.  

   Reasonably certain that we had driven off most, if not all, the orcs in the
immediate area, we enjoyed a decent breakfast and lingered over tea before setting 
out to mop up the rest of the caverns.  

   Our first order of business was to retrace our steps to the staircase full of
furniture. It took a little over an hour, but we’d unclogged the stairs well before
noon, and reached the door at its top at last. We were feeling full of confidence and 
vim.  

   And then we opened the door.  

  The thing greeted us with a guttural howl that turned my knees to water. Because
the door was around a corner at the top of the stairs, I did not immediately see it,
but I could certainly hear the thing. It was immediately answered by Griff’s war cry, 
and I could hear the thud of steel on leathery flesh, then a flurry of meaty thuds and
Taklinn’s cry of, "Griff is down!" as he flung himself from my view and at whatever
it was that had laid Griff low so quickly.   

   We were bottle necked into the corridor, the narrow hall and sharp corner
preventing us from dealing with the threat as a team. Caribdis, standing behind me,
was in a panic! "What’s going on? Doorag, what’s happening?" He finally shoved 
his way past me as I considered my options, but once at the top he could not get a
clear shot. He pulled our wand of healing and dove forward. I could still not get
around Happy, who was doing her best to find a hole through which to hurl a 
dagger, so I quickly cast Levitate and rose above her head. Once there, I pulled
myself forward, until at last, I could see what we were up against. 

   I failed to detail earlier the depictions we’d found upon the walls of the orcish 
legend tombs. Faded murals on the walls show these four orcs, larger than life, each
engaged in their own particular specialty. As a matter of fact, one of them appeared
to be of bardish ilk, probably the reason Caribdis was so eager to breech the tombs. 

   But this was not the bard. Oh no. 

   I did mention that one of the tombs had already been smashed open. From the 
inside. The visage around this tomb was that of a four-armed orcish beast, nearly
half again as tall as a normal orc, and throbbing with muscle, claw and rage.  

   This was the thing that Taklinn attempted to hold at bay, as he stood over the limp 
body of Griffin, his axe biting and drawing blood, all the while taking a terrible
pounding from the creature. Taklinn’s armor was dented in several places, but he
showed no signs of stopping.  

   I unloaded everything I had. I followed a Scorching Ray with several Magic
Missiles fired over Taklinn’s head. Caribdis, with nary a thought for his own safety,
had crawled up to Griff and hit him with the wand, and our warrior opened his eyes. 
He rolled painfully to his feet, and bore down on the beast.  

   We were finally beginning to wear it down. It was covered with burn marks and
deep gashes. Several of Happy’s daggers jutted from it. Griff lay a mighty slice 
across it’s chest, and it stumbled backwards, reeling. Taklinn was quick to step in
and take its knee out with an axe blow, and in a matter of minutes it had been
thoroughly run through and lay dead.  

   And all this before lunch! 

  Taklinn and Caribdis tended to wounds while we searched what turned out to be
an empty room, except for a strange metal device that jutted up from the floor. It 
was a while before we realized that this room was directly above the "message
room", and that a section of the machine from that room had indeed thrust into the
ceiling. We could still not ascertain how the thing worked, but in a way I am almost 
glad of that. 

   Magic is a marvelous thing. Without it, it would have taken Griff weeks to heal
from his wounds, but with the divine power that coursed through Taklinn’s rough 
hands, Griff was ready to move out again in only a few moments. 

   It was time to take on the tombs, though we were far less excited at the prospect
after having just faced one of the former inhabitants of those graves. But Caribdis 
was adamant, and we came to a compromise. We would enter one tomb and leave it
at that. Taklinn was still not happy about the idea of "grave robbing" anyway, and it
was probably best not to press the issue. 

   In the end, the decision was mine since I was the only one who could cast the 
Reduce spell on the blocks that sealed the tombs. Which, of course, I did. Small
surprise that we cracked the orcish bards tomb, no?  

   We translated the name on the huge block as Das Kobb, and a few words in an
ancient dialect of orcish went on to relate some of his more sinister deeds. With a
deep breath and a look to make sure that everyone was ready, I cast the Reduce.  

   The block shrunk to half it’s original mass, and it was an easy matter for Griffin to
push it over. The dry must of long ago death washed over us, and a black hallway
beckoned.  

   Exploring, we found a sarcophagus at the end of a short tunnel, and after still
more girding of loins, we pried off its lid. The mummy inside never stirred, even as
Griff ran it through several times and then lopped its head off.   

   We decided to burn it for good measure. 

   Caribdis’ hunch proved to ring true, for we did end up finding a strangely magical
dagger amongst the ashes. I think Caribdis was a little disappointed not to find a 
more bardly item therein, and he showed no signs of disagreeing when Happy asked
if she might hang on to the dagger. She is, after all, our mistress of the short blade,
and it just seemed right.  

  We discussed which tomb would be next to fall, but by this time Taklinn had had
enough. His superstitions got the better of him, and he declared that we could carry
on if we wished, but it would be without him. He informed us that he would wait 
outside, and off he went. 

   Well, in the end it was a vote of one for all and all for one. We decided that we
would not continue without him, especially if he felt that strongly about it. Caribdis 
gave an aching look back as we left the last three tombs unmolested. 

   We gathered our supplies and prisoners and headed for Kalendia, some three
hours away. Once there, we turned our prisoners over to the chief constable, one 
Hardy Jensen and presented him with our findings. He sent a small group of
guardsmen to watch over Aif’s farm, and then set us up in Kalendia’s finest inn,
where I will soon get the first night of real rest I’ll have had in a long time. In fact, 
my bed is calling to me rather loudly at this late hour. Ambros is already curled up
on the pillow. I believe I shall join him.


Cldevn 2 

   Spent the day identifying some of the items we’ve found in the orc caverns.
Nothing too wizardly, but a few nice trinkets for the rest of us. Happy received a 
Ring of the Ram, which she seems quite proud of, though I know she’d trade it to
me for the Goggles of Night, were I to offer. Alas, I can’t bear to give them up. 

   We were also able to send a magical message to Havilah today. We reported our 
findings, and were ordered home without delay. We shall leave in the morning. 


   Cldevn 3  

   Back on the road and yet another night under the stars. I do miss a comfortable
bed, but there is much to be said for the crackle of a camp fire and the snugness of a
bed roll, especially surrounded by such fine companions. We made good time 
today, and expect to be back in Havilah within two weeks if all goes well. 


  Cldevn 11  

   The plot thickens!  

   We arrived this evening in the tiny hamlet of Falla, a village only about three days
out of the capitol. Thus far our journey home has been without incident, but I knew 
it was too good to last. 

   We decided to bunk in Falla for the night, and, after washing up, had joined each
other in the tap room for a meal and conversation. The place was empty, save for
the innkeeper, until an odd pair entered just after we’d eaten. A man and a woman, a 
striking couple, and dressed far better than any commoner, strode in and took a
table not far from our own. We certainly noticed them, and they could not have 
helped but to notice us, but they gave no sign that they did. 

   And then, Caribdis marched on over to their table and introduced himself! I don’t
know why, perhaps he hoped to earn a coin or two in exchange for a tale. 
Unfortunately, the tale he decided to tell was ours! Before we realized what he was
about, he was going on and on about our adventures in the orc lair, Aif, the
farmhouse, the Himrock orcs, and who knows what he’d have spouted off had 
Happy not rushed to his side and shut him up! 

   Griffin was only half paying attention to what was going on, and Taklinn and I
were more amused than concerned as we watched Happy trying to coax Caribdis 
back to our table. But my own concern grew when all of the sudden, Happy seemed
to have a change of heart and sat down at the strangers table and made no more
moves to stop Caribdis’ blathering.  

   Something about the scene wasn’t right, and, on a hunch, I cast a quick Detect
Magic under my breath and scanned Happy, Caribdis, and the two strangers, who
had bid Caribdis continue with his story.   

   My hunch was right! My detection spell not only showed me a few trinkets that
the strangers carried, but also the fact that Happy had had a spell cast on her. It
looked like an enchantment to me, Charm, perhaps, or Suggestion. I haven’t had a 
lot of use for those sorts of spells myself thus far, but I recognize them when I see
them, and I suspected that Happy had been magically influenced by these two.  

   Without wishing to raise an alarm, I stood up, giving Taklinn a look that told him 
immediately that something was amiss. He sat straight in his chair and waited. I
clapped Griff on the shoulder to get his attention, and then walked over to the
strangers table with Taklinn not far behind.  

   "I hope our friend here isn’t bothering you," I said, politely enough as I reached
them, "His mouth takes on a mind of it’s own when he’s had a few, if you know
what I mean!" I gave them a knowing wink and tried to take Caribdis by the elbow 
but out babbling bard would have none of it. 

   "What are you talking about, Doorag?" Caribdis protested, "I haven’t had a thing
stronger than well water tonight! I was just trying to tell these fine folks the story of 
how we cleared out that orc complex back in Kalendia!" 

   "Yes, Doorag," It was the woman. She spoke in soothing tones, and her words
were like gauze around my mind. "Why don’t you sit and have dinner with us?"  

   Somewhere, far in the recesses of my mind, I knew that I had been enspelled, but
I was powerless to refuse her. The notion of sharing a meal with them seemed the
most natural thing in the world, and I didn’t hesitate to slide into an empty chair and 
pick up a spoon. 

   Good thing Taklinn was there. 

   "What goes on here?" our gruff cleric demanded.  

   Well, the spell cast upon me had merely made the idea of supping with these
strangers a pleasing one. I found that I was in full control over the rest of my
faculties, and I had no trouble replying to Taklinn.  

   "Well," I said calmly, "I’ve been invited for dinner with these fine folks, though I
should mention that Happy has had a spell cast on her, and it wouldn’t surprise me
to learn that I’ve got one on me to!" I toasted Taklinn with a smile and prepared to 
feast. 

  Taklinn’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he brought his axe up. And then, play
time was over. Caribdis looked genuinely confused when the man stood and drew a 
wicked looking scimitar in the blink of an eye and slashed out at Taklinn. It rang off
his armor, but this attack was enough to put both Happy and I off our dinner, and I
found myself casting at the woman as she too got to her feet and went for her blade.

   My Hold Person stopped her in her tracks. Griff had risen and was drawing near,
and Happy had rolled away from the table and come up with a dagger in each hand. 
Taklinn was angling around the still befuddled Caribdis for a shot with his axe. I
guess the fellow new he was out numbered, for suddenly he touched the table and
all went utterly and completely dark.  

   Chaos erupted as we were all blinded by the spell. Taklinn told me later that he
tried a clerical light spell, but it had no effect. I felt my way toward where I had
frozen the woman, but, to my chagrin, by the time I got there she was gone! I asked 
Ambros what his keen nose told him, and he replied, "Snakes! I smell snakes!" 

   This befuddled me for a moment, but I quickly drew on my studies and the pieces
fell into place. The smell of snakes, darkness and suggestive spells, it all added up 
to one creature: Yuan-ti, a secretive and ancient race of evil snake-folk. I wondered
why they were here, but quickly realized that those questions would have to come
later. Right then, we needed our sight back.  

   I could hear Griffin near me, he had found his way through the blackness to my
side, and I enlisted his aid. First, I cast a Reduce spell on the table, as I had seen the
man touch it just before the lights went out. Once it was small enough for Griff to 
lift, I guided his hands to it and bid him hurl it out the window! Fortunately the
couple had chosen a table near the window, and Griff found it after a second of
feeling around. With a great crash, he flung the offending piece of furniture through 
the glass and into the street. He even managed to angle his throw so that the table
bounced around the corner, effectively putting the wall between ourselves the
darkness spell. And we could see again.  

   I scanned the bar and saw Taklinn charge for the back door with Caribdis and
Happy hot on his heels. Ambros seemed to agree with them, for he craned forward
to catch the trace whiffs of Yuan-ti that led in that direction. I utilized another new 
spell, and soon I was air borne and flying over the bar to catch up to my
companions while Griff leapt through the window and braved the darkness again in
an attempt to secure the ally.  

   In short, we searched the grounds around the inn as best we could. I even flew
into the air to get a better view. But they were gone. Frustrated, we gathered back in
the tap room to discuss the attack.   

   Taklinn tossed the inn keeper a gold piece to pay for his window while I filled the
crew in on my Yuan-ti theory, which also nicely explained how the female had
escaped. I put forward the notion that my Hold Person had not blocked her from 
being able to utilize the innate Yuan-ti ability to shape change into serpent form,
that she had shrunk to her viper form so that her male counterpart could snatch her
up, pocket her, and flee.   

   It was plausible, and the best theory we had. We resolved to keep our eyes peeled
for further signs of Yuan-ti trouble, as we were convinced that this was no chance
encounter. I am troubled by the realization that Yuan-ti are somehow involved in 
the troubles plaguing Havilah.  

   Taklinn and I, and even Happy, had a few choice words for Caribdis regarding the
Queen’s business being the Queen’s business, but I did try to refrain from 
lambasting him too hard. I have to keep reminding myself how young he is and of
my faith that one day he will learn to control his tongue.  

   We are now to bed, though we have set up a watch to ward off further attacks. 
Ambros will be my eyes and ears tonight, as well as my nose. I fear I shall not sleep
well, but sleep I must. 



  Cldevn 12 

   Last night passed without incident, though not without many tosses and turns on
my part. As I suspected, the attack by the pair of Yuan-ti made for a restless night. I 
can see it on the faces of my companions as well, and though we’ve spoken little of
it, I know that we are all concerned by this turn of events.   

   With any luck we shall be in Havilah within the next two days. I’ve never put
much stock in the gods, but if they notice us at all I hope they grant us safe passage
home.   

   I have great plans once we get to the city. I plan to expand my magical crafting
horizons and attempt to fashion an item that should assist me in my magical
endeavors greatly. It will be costly, and I may have to borrow some coin, but I feel 
it will be worth it if I am successful. 

   ***Whether or not the gods notice our heroes is a point of future debate. Suffice 
to say, they did make it back to Havilah without further incident. Once there, they
gave their report to their Academy superiors and were then granted a much needed
rest.   

   The crew spent the next two weeks enjoying the comforts of the city, though
Doorag, as usual, spent more time in the laboratory than in the taverns. The bulk of
his time was spent crafting a Hat of Intellect (+4). The cost of construction put him 
in considerable debt, but he deemed it well worth that burden, given the expansion
of spells it afforded him, not to mention the increase in his magical potency.  

   Soon after he had completed his project Taklinn informed them that he had 
recently received a message from his cousin, Rumnar Talonskull of Talonskull
Keep, a dwarven stronghold quite some distance away. The message had been a
distress signal of sorts, and asked that Taklinn proceed there with all possible haste. 
Taklinn, of course, hesitated not one second in his decision, and he informed his
friends that he would be leaving come the morn. He invited them along, but assured
them that they were under no obligation to do so.  

   There was never any question as to whether or not our steadfast crew would
accompany Taklinn, and on the 2nd of Planting they departed Havilah once again,
this time on a personal mission. They did, of course, ask permission from their 
higher ups at the Academy, and were granted leave. 

   For seventeen days they followed the Queens Road north until they had to take an
arterial route that continued their course toward the mountains. For two more days 
their luck held, and they made good time, until disaster struck.***

   Plnting 20 

   Another day on the road, and how I miss the ruts and cobblestones of the Queen’s 
Road! For they seem like pillows and blankets compared to this trail we now labor
upon as we press still further and further north. It’s been ten days since we left
Ravens Hollow, and ten days since we’ve had the luxury of a bed or a meal that we 
didn’t have to prepare over a smoking fire while we stave off the chill of the
evening wind.  

   Every day, as we plod through mile after mile, we can feel the weather sharpening 
itself. I’ve been reduced to huddling in my wool coat several times. 

   Griffin doesn’t seem to mind the nip in the air, and Taklinn appears to be in his
element. If not for his obvious worry for his cousin, he would strike me as more 
robust than ever before.  

   Happy is a Greenie, and I guess she is not overly bothered by the cold, but
Caribdis is positively languishing! It is truly pitiful to listen to him recite his verse 
through chattering teeth.  

   I suppose I should not complain. After all, aren’t adventurers made of sterner
stuff? Yes, I suppose they are. I shall try not to belabor my lamentations about the 
weather from this point on. 

   On a happier note, our journey has been without attack or complication thus far.
I’d half expected to have been ambushed thrice or more by this time, but luck seems 
to be with us. 

   Knock on wood! 



Plnting 22

   Tonight we bed down in a clearing that looks like it has been used by many 
travelers before. It’s always good to find a spot with a pre built fire pit.

   Caribdis regales us this evening with a new body of verse he’s been working on. I
find it endlessly fascinating that someone so chaotic can compose, memorize, and 
deliver such calming poetics and tales. I realize that some of the effects of his words
have to do with their being interwoven with magic (which also fascinates me), but
the voice, the rhythm, the timing and the style are all his, even in the midst of his 
childishness or excitement. 

   He is at his best on nights like these, sitting around the fire after a meal. I sit near
the fire and keep this journal as Caribdis’ voice fills the background. The words do 
not matter, for it is a perfect tone that fills an otherwise distractingly empty space,
and helps me to concentrate. I find this to be true even when I am in deep study,
which is odd, as I usually prefer total silence when I am pursuing hard fact and 
arcane learning. 

   Anyway, Taklinn is growing anxious to get to his cousins keep. He knows
nothing of the nature of the trouble there, only that it exists and threatens dwarves. 
He tells us that we have another twelve or thirteen days ahead of us, and I know he
will have us up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to cover as much ground as possible.
That is alright with me, but getting our bard up with the sun can sometimes be a 
chore.

   I will be taking a watch tonight, as I have for the last few. I have had no call to
cast a spell for several days, so I need not worry about having to keep my usual 
strict sleep schedule. I sometimes worry that the rest of the crew thinks I’m shirking
a vital responsibility by not taking watches, but in my heart I believe they
understand that I have no choice. It does feel good to be able to do my part during 
this journey and give them all just a bit more rest. 

   So, I had best get my own rest now. I’ll be relieving Taklinn in only a few hours.

   ---

   We have been attacked again! Something terrible has happened! Taklinn has lost 
his arm! They cut it off! He lies now, in shock and unconscious on the ground, pale
as a ghost. We have decided to return to Yigil, as he is the nearest we can turn to for
aid.  

   Clangeden, hear my plea! I am not a religious man, but I know that you exist, for I
have been healed through your power many times. I ask you now to look down
upon your servant, Taklinn, with mercy and grant him the strength to survive this 
awful tragedy. 


   I can write no more, I am too upset to properly hold the pen. 


   Flktme 4  

   I have written nothing in this diary for ten days. The sheer weight of recent events
has been too much for me to grapple with. I have avoided it, for to see them in ink,
by my own hand, makes them even more real.   

   But I know it must be done; recorded for posterity, and even though I verge on
exhaustion I have finally mustered the courage to record this thing once and for all.

   I have thought us invulnerable thus far. Not consciously, but I know now that that 
is what I’d believed.  

   I was terribly wrong.  

   I took my watch that night, as I recorded, without incident. I woke Happy to
relieve me and snuggled into my bedroll for some shut-eye, but I told Ambros to
stay alert, that he could snooze tomorrow. A good thing it turned out to be, for 
about an hour later my faithful rat picked up a familiar scent.  

   Snake.  

   His high pitched warning filled my head and I sat bolt upright from a dead sleep 
with visions of Yuan-ti attackers. Happy was there, awake, but had noticed nothing
and she looked at me questioningly. I threw off my blankets and hissed at her,
"Ambros smells Yuan-ti!" She was immediately on her feet in a coiled crouch, a 
dagger gleaming in each hand as she scanned the woods. I rolled over to Taklinn
and gave him a swift kick in the behind, causing him to grumble and open his eyes.
He saw my look and, without question, reached for his axe.  

   Happy raced to wake Griffin, and then they were upon us. It was the Yuan-ti
couple we’d fought in Falla, and they leapt from the cover of the trees with scimitars
in hand!  

   Now I happen to know quite a bit about this species (at least the lowest of their
kind), and one of their powers is that of revulsion; the ability to cause one to abhor
serpents to such a degree that one will flee from their presence. Unfortunately, the 
female of the pair was able to use this on me, and before I could raise a spell, I
found myself running from her cold gaze in a panic. Nothing is as frustrating as a
mind effecting spell!  

  I ran for several seconds before the enchantment broke. Thankfully the duration is
not very long, and I was soon hoofing it back towards our campsite, cursing myself
for not having memorized Fly. I could hear the sounds of combat and I pushed my 
legs as fast as they could take me. 

   And then everything went dark. I found out later that the female had cast her
darkness onto a stone and cast it on the ground. But we have learned from the past, 
and Happy happened to have been standing near her bedroll as she’d fought the
female Yuan-ti with Griffin while Taklinn went toe to toe with the male. 

   She grabbed her blanket and, in a desperate and incredibly lucky move, she tossed 
it to the ground where she thought she’d heard the stone land. In a stroke of fortune,
it covered the offending stone, and firelight and moonlight and dark vision worked
again. Caribdis, just now waking up, hurriedly grabbed his bow and commenced to 
fire at the male. 

   I arrived at this scene and tried to put my magics to use, sending Scorching Rays
at the female as fast as I could cast them. Despite her magic resistance, they burned 
her anyway, and one could tell that she was hurt. She bore several gashes from Griff
and wore at least two of Happy’s daggers that I could see. 

   Meanwhile, Taklinn was having difficulty with the male. While our Dwarf is 
usually incredibly difficult to hit, he is vulnerable in the evenings when he must
take his armor off. He is a slow moving target, and the male Yuan-ti made good
advantage of this, slashing again and again at Taklinn. Taklinn gave as good as he 
got, and Caribdis harried the snake man even further, but our stout cleric was
beginning to fail. 

   And then it happened. The male feinted left, drawing Taklinn, then cut right, his 
scimitar coming down in a blinding arc. And just like that, Taklinn’s right arm lay
on the ground. 

   Time seemed to freeze for a split second, and the only sound I could hear was an 
agonized, "Noooo!!" from Caribdis. And then a great gout of blood jetted from
Taklinn’s shoulder. Our dwarf, the toughest of the tough, stumbled and fell. 

   Stunned, I watched as events unfolded in slow motion. Caribdis diving toward
Taklinn, shielding him from a coup de gras from the Yuan-ti. Griffin ignoring the 
female as he charged the male, his sword gripped in both hands, his fury terrible to
behold. The female Yuan-ti shape changing to snake form and slithering for the tree 
line. I could hear my own voice screaming, "Taklinn! Taklinn! Taklinn!" 

   Then I was running, closing the distance to the female as she crawled into the
brush. Black rage overtook me and I sought to kill her, to make her pay for the pain 
that she and her counterpart had caused.  

   I heard a meaty thunk as Griffin connected with the male and drove his sword
deep into his belly. He lifted the Yuan-ti off the ground with his blade and slung the 
dyeing body to the dirt and then hacking into it again and again. 

   Happy raced after me, her face full of revenge, and the two of us, with Ambros’
help, combed the woods for any trace of the female. But she was not to be found. At 
last we had to concede her escape. It was a bitter pill, but we hurried back to the
camp site to see about Taklinn. 

   When we got there we saw him laying on the ground, his head cradled by a 
shaking Caribdis who still clutched his wand of healing. He had already expanded
nearly ten charges into Taklinn in an effort to revive him, but our dwarf lay still as
death, growing paler and paler. "He won’t wake up! Griff, he won’t wake up!" 
Caribdis looked at Griffin pleadingly, and the grim warrior gently took the wand
from him. 

   "You’ve done all you can do, boy." Griffin said, "It’s in his gods hands now."  

   Happy and I walked to them in a state of shock. How could this be? How could
Taklinn have been brought down? Yet there he was, his right shoulder leading to
nothing more than a bloody stump. I sat down hard, holding my head in my hands. 
Happy knelt next to Taklinn and stroked his hair. Tears threatened to overflow her
eyes, but she held them back, instead turning to rage to deal with her sorrow. With
an animal like growl, she launched herself at the dead Yuan-ti, not stopping her 
dagger work until she’d cut out it’s tongue. 

   There was no sleep to be had after that. We sat up the rest of the night watching
over Taklinn, discussing what to do. It was finally decided that we would turn back 
and make for Yigil’s tower. He was our closest and most powerful ally, and if
anyone could do something it would be him. At first light we gingerly loaded
Taklinn into the wagon. His breathing was so shallow that we had to check him 
constantly to make sure he still lived. Happy made him a bed of clover she picked
from the side of the road, and we set out for Yigil’s tower. 

   For ten days we traveled, feeding and watering Taklinn as best we could. He 
stirred not once during that whole time.  

   We spoke little, each of us not daring to risk conversation that might lead to talk
of the possibility of Taklinn’s death.  

   At last we arrived at Yigil’s. Thank the gods he was home! We were let in and the
old wizard had us carry Taklinn into the upper reaches of his tower. He then bade us
go back down and wait. He gravely assured us that he would do all that he could.  

   And that is where I sit now, on the bottom floor of Yigil’s tower, grimly recalling
that terrible fight and wondering what is going on upstairs. It has been several hours
and still no word. I am so tired, but I simply cannot sleep without knowing 
Taklinn’s fate.  

   But my eyes are so tired...


   Flocktime 5 

  ***The following morning Taklinn is led down the stairs, a bit wobbly, but with his
arm reattached. He appears somewhat shell-shocked by the events, so they decide to 
rest another day. ***


   Flocktime 6 

  ***Taklinn’s arm is still weak, but they get back on the road.*** 


   Flocktime 21  

   ***For fifteen days they travel, until they reach the tiny village of Hallingsburg
which is nestled at the base of the mountains in which Talonskull Keep is located.
This is a human community, and the crew soon learn that a woman had come 
through town only a few days before. Apparently she had bewitched nearly twenty
of the townsfolk and had led them away toward the mountains. Her description
matches that of Melisandre, and she was accompanied by a young girl. A Detect 
Evil cast by Taklinn reveals residual evil still in the area, meaning that whoever the
woman was, she must have been pretty bad for her malevolent aura to last this long. 


   Flocktime 23 

   ***They enter Talonskull Keep via a secret entrance known to Taklinn. Immediately
upon entering the cave they smell the familiar stench of death, and they do not 
travel far before they are beset by some twenty zombies. The zombies are little
match for Taklinn though, and the cleric mows through them, his power to turn
undead causing them to dissolve into dust by the dozens. After mopping up the last 
of the zombies it is quickly understood that these had once been the townsfolk of
Hallingsburg. One of them bears a scroll tube with a single name inked upon it:
"Caribdis." Inside is a note which reads:  

   "Looking for someone? -M" 

   The crew is mystified by the taunting note, but Caribdis seems nervous. 

   They travel still deeper into the mountain, and that night are attacked by a
gibbering mouther. Once the beast is dispatched, they rest.*** 


   Flocktime 24 

   ***At last they enter the halls of Talonskull Keep via another secret entrance, and
they soon meet Taklinn’s cousin, Rumnar Talonskull. Rumnar tells them news most 
dire.  

   A woman matching Melisandre description has invaded the dwarven lair with an
army of undead. After having murdered most of the clerics and warriors of the 
community, she has holed up in the temple that once had been dedicated to
Moradin. Apparently she still waits there.  


   Flocktime 27 

  ***For three days they plan a course of action. The dwarves have already been
tunneling toward the temple, and they decide to attack from both the tunnel and the 
front door. On the morning of the 27th the crew strides up to the double doors of the
temple. Meanwhile, Ambros is riding along with the tunneling dwarves in order to
maintain communications between the two groups and to synchronize the attack.   

   The doors swing open invitingly and the crew is greeted to the site of the
desecrated temple, filled to overflowing with zombies, including one particularly
tough looking zombified dwarf who still bears the tattered and sullied garments of a 
priest of Moradin. It is obvious that this dwarf, once a noble priest, has become an
abomination, bent by the will of dark forces. 

   Melisandre stands on a balcony overlooking her army of undead. Next to her is a 
listless girl over whom Caribdis gets very excited. He has left his armor off and his
bow is nowhere to be seen. He charges into the fray, shouting the name, Freya.  

   And the fight is on.  

   As the crew clash with the undead the dwarves break through the south wall and
flank them. The fight is short but brutal, with many dwarves being swarmed and
brought down by the zombie horde. Taklinn’s holy spells and turning abilities even
the odds though, and they are able to press through the mass.  

  Doorag concentrates on stripping Melisandre of her protective magic’s with
Dispell’s, while Caribdis tries, in vain, to reach the girl next to the witch. It is not to 
be, for even as the fighters bring down the undead priest of Moradin and the tide of
battle begins to shift in the crews favor, Melisandre laughs, mockingly, and
disappears, though not before referring to Caribdis as "Grizwald" in her parting 
words. She takes the girl with her. 

   When the dust settles the temple is once again in dwarven hands. None of the
crew has fallen, though there are plenty of wounds to be healed. Caribdis looks 
especially stricken, and will not answer the many questions posed to him by his
friends that day. Doorag, frustrated by Caribdis’ lack of forthrightness, is ready to
insist on some answers, but cooler heads prevail and he consents to wait a day for 
the young bard to come to grips with events.*** 


   Flocktime 28  

   ***The crew holds a meeting, and Caribdis comes clean. 

   It appears that his true name is Grizwald, that he had changed is upon embarking
on a career in adventuring (feeling Caribdis had a far more heroic ring that 
Grizwald). It also turns out that one of his core reasons for becoming an adventurer
was to better himself, that he might one day return to his home and court his
beloved, Freya. Freya is the girl whom Melisandre now taunts the boy with.   

   Freya is also the reason Caribdis chose to go into battle with neither bow nor
armor. The boy had wished to present a more "heroic" image of a swashbuckling
rescuer than a simple archer/bard would provide.  

   It all makes perfect sense to Caribdis, and, of course, seems ludicrous to Doorag,
but what can be done? Their mission in Talonskull accomplished, they are rewarded
with a bit of coin from Rumnar and head out that very day, making haste toward 
Havilah to report to their superiors. Alas, there are more surprises ahead of them,
and the road back to the capitol will be filled with strife.***


   Wealsun 4 

   ***The crew re-enters Hallingsburg, prepared to inform the townsfolk of the fates of
their fellow citizens, but it turns out that there is no one to give the news to. 
Hallingsburg is eerily silent, and a quick look around shows that the town is utterly
deserted. All clues point to an orderly and mass exodus of some kind. Chairs are
pushed away from tables, food has been left on plates, and drink still waits in mugs. 
In the constables office they find a journal that gives no clue about the
disappearance of the town, other than that the last mundane entry was on Wealsun
1, just three days prior.  

   At midnight Taklinn is able to pray for new spells, and he chooses as one of them,
Speak With Animals, for there is still plenty of livestock and domestic pets to be
found. He questions a friendly hound and all signs point to the involvement of 
yuan-ti in this deed, though few details can be garnered.  

   They rest there that night, and in the morning Caribdis announces that he wishes
to learn how to sword fight. He enlists the help of Griff, but the rest of the crew is 
doubtful. Caribdis insists that he must master the art of the sword to be of better use
in the rescue of Freya, but Doorag gently assures him that he might want to stick
with his specialties, that they are every bit as important as a skilled hand with a 
blade. Griff waits impatiently to give the boy a lesson, but suddenly Taklinn strides
up to the boy and lays a healing hand on Caribdis’ ear!  

   Up until this time Caribdis had been (unbeknownst to all but Taklinn) deaf in his 
right ear, hence his lack of enthusiasm for learning a musical instrument. But
Taklinn has recently been given access to a spell that can cure the boys affliction,
and he does so. Caribdis is so excited by the repair of his ear that he abruptly
forgets all about sword fighting. To Griff’s disgust, Caribdis mounts up and 
prepares to ride out with all haste. On the morning of Wealsun 5, they do just that. 

   However, they leave with quite a caravan, for Happy refuses to leave the animals 
of the village to fend for themselves. She loads the wagon with chickens and a litter
of pups she’s has found, and ties off a train of goats and sheep to it as well. Doorag
shakes his head in disbelief, but there is no help for it.***   


   Wealsun 7 

   ***They enter the next village on their way back to the Queens Road, Yseult, and to 
their dismay, they find it as empty as Hallingsburg! It is after dark by the time they
enter the village, but Yseult is obviously deserted. Deserted, except for a trio of
yuan-ti, waiting there to ambush them!  

   The crew dispatch the yuan-ti without major injury, and carefully search the
village. It appears as if the same thing that had happened in Hallingsburg has
occurred here. Another journal found shows the last entry to have been the 4th of 
Wealsun.  

   Faced with the realization that yuan-ti are somehow emptying towns at an
epidemic rate, the crew know that they must reach Havilah with this news at once. 
But their horses are tired, and they must rest in the empty village and wait for
morning.*** 


   Wealsun 8 

   ***Once the sun comes up they are faced with another problem: Speed. 

   Up till now they have traveled as fast as Taklinn can walk, and while the dwarf 
can keep up the pace for hours on end, he will never be as fast as a horse. Neither
will Don Kay, for that matter. 

   The problem with Don Kay is easily solved when Doorag uses a new spell to 
Polymorph the donkey into a full grown horse, but Taklinn is a tougher nut to crack.
He flatly refuses to get on a horse, and under severe scrutinization he finally breaks
down and confesses an utter and complete phobia of all things equine. It seems that 
he was thrown from a horse at a young age and now cannot bring himself to get
back on one.  

   No amount of pestering, cajoling, logic or argument can seem to sway him, so 
Caribdis decides to try a different ploy. He Charms the dwarf into getting onto the
newly polymorphed Don Kay. Doorag shudders, knowing that this will end badly,
but haste is of the essence. They gallop out of Yseult.   

   Their need for haste also precludes them taking their trusty wagon along, as well
as the column of animals that Happy had tried to rescue. They let them all go,
except for a couple of puppies that Caribdis and Happy have taken likings to.  

   As Doorag had feared, the Charm on Taklinn wears off several hours later, and
the unhappy dwarf suddenly comes to his senses in the most terrifying position he
can find himself in! Out of instinctive fear, he clouts poor Don Kay on the back of 
the head causing her to throw him from her back. Happy nearly plants a dagger into
Taklinn when she witnesses this brutality to her beloved donkey. It takes Taklinn
only a few seconds to put two and two together and pin the blame squarely where it 
belongs, and were it not for the fact that Caribdis still rode a horse and could easily
outdistance the infuriated dwarf, he may well have faced his last day. As it is,
Taklinn finally gets within arms reach of the boy when they break camp and 
clobbers him a fine belt across the mouth, warning him against further trickery.  

   The rest of the party agree. Charming fellow crew members is simply not an
option.***  


   Wealsun 11 

   ***For three more days they travel, until they reach Ravens Hollow. They had hoped
to tell Yigil of the disappearing towns. But Yigil’s tower is gone.   

   The crew stand dumbstruck at the site the tower had once occupied, now empty
except for a circle of dead grass. With fading hope, they make the short trek into the 
village and find it as deserted as Hallingsburg and Yseult.  

   In the center of the silent town square they have a crew meeting. Obviously a
great evil is occurring at a frightening rate and they simply must get back to Havilah 
with all speed. Their current rate of travel just will not do. Even were Taklinn to
have a change of heart about horses, it would not be fast enough, and drastic
measures are decided upon. Once again using his polymorph spell, Doorag 
transforms Caribdis into the largest flying creature he has yet seen, a red dragon!
They lash Doorag to Caribdis’ scaly neck, and the "dragon" clumsily takes to the
air. Griff, Taklinn and Happy will catch up while Caribdis and Doorag hurry on to 
warn the capitol.  

   Before they leave, Doorag has Caribdis swoop down upon their friends and he
tosses down his goggles of dark vision, knowing Happy may have more use of them 
than he will. 

   The power of flight turns a week long journey into a days travel, and by mid day
on the 12th they arrive in Havilah.***


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

Reaping 12 

   ***After flying through most of the night, Caribdis and Doorag begin to see evidence 
of people again, with streams of obvious refugees streaming toward the capitol city.
By the end of the day they are nearing Havilah and can easily see that it is already
crowded with citizens fleeing the evil that nips at their heels.   

   Doorag turns Caribdis invisible so as not to cause a panic when the populace sees
a red dragon flying into their city, and the pair glide into the Academy to find Yigil
waiting for them. Happy to see their sponsor, they quickly spill all that they know, 
to which Yigil can merely sigh and respond that he feared as much.  

   It seems that, A) the disappearance of Havilah’s citizens is taking place kingdomwide,
starting at the outer edges of the kingdom and working inward in an evertightening circle. 

B) The same thing happened several hundred years ago. The evil
had reached the very walls of Havilah where it was turned back by a legendary
warrior named Roland who wielded Everyman’s Blade. Few details remain of that 
battle except that Roland disappeared after its conclusion. 

C) Only Havilah is in danger of this crisis. Kingdoms outside its borders report no problems. 

D)Apparently the process of vanishing citizens is a long one. The last time it happened 
it took nearly two years for the threat to reach the capitols walls. The same thing
appears to be happening in this case, though it looks like it may be progressing
slightly faster. At any rate, they have a little time.  

   Yigil and the Academy council are already hard at work seeking an answer to this
dilemma. Several crews have been sent out to find a solution, but none have
returned. There is little Caribdis and Doorag can do except await the arrival of the 
rest of their crew.***  


   Reaping 18  

   ***After watching Doorag and Caribdis fly off toward the capitol, Taklinn knows
that speed is of the essence. Nearly paralyzed with fear, but determined not to slow
the party down, he mounts up on Don Kay.   

   After a couple of days on the road, they at last begin to see some signs of human
life. They find themselves at the tail end of a stream of refugees heading toward
Havilah. There is much suffering and sorrow on the road, and the trio do what they 
can to help, but in the end they must ride hard to catch up with their friends.  

   It is on the 18th that they ride into the city, now crowded to capacity with
humanity with still more coming every hour.  

   They head for the Academy where Caribdis and Doorag meet them. The pair are 
overjoyed to see their friends, but there is little time for celebration. The late trio are
quickly filled in on the situation and also on Doorag’s plan.  

   Evidence suggests that the cities of Havilah are being systematically emptied one
at a time in an ever tightening circle, the center of which is the capitol city itself. It
would appear that this evil is not so much a wave-like inward ripple, but more a 
town by town invasion by beings that facilitate the mass exodus. Doorag speculates
that the yuan-ti, with their suggestive abilities, might be behind it, though he also
suspects that Melisandre is the real evil here, and is somehow enabling the 
disappearance of so many folk at one time. He knows that an interdimensional gate
would do the trick.  

   He proposes that the crew travel to an outlying city of decent size that has yet to 
be emptied, and await whatever it is that is emptying these cities, and either stop it
there or at least find out how it is being done that they might better combat it. 

   The rest of the crews initial response to the plan is less than heroic. Caribdis 
believes it madness to leave the safety of the city, and Griff has never been crazy
about looking for trouble. Speaking of Griff, Caribdis now takes to referring to him
as The Chosen, since he now wields Everyman’s Blade. Caribdis is convinced that it 
is Griff’s destiny to stand and fight at Havilah’s gates and turn back the evil once it
arrives. Doorag must admit that it makes sense, but Griff calmly tells them both to
stick it where the sun don’t shine, that he "Ain’t no chosen nothin’!" But the fact 
remains that he does carry the legendary blade and will not give it up, despite the
apparent destiny it means.  

   The whole "Chosen" business strikes a chord with Happy as well, and she fears 
for Griff. She does not want him following in the footsteps of Roland, and is
adamant that he not put himself in any position to do so.  

   Only Taklinn believes that Doorag is on to something. The dwarf agrees to the 
plan, but the vote is far from unanimous. 

   Doorag and Taklinn work on the others for the better part of a week before finally
convincing Griff and Happy that it is better to take the fight to Melisandre than to 
wait for her. It is the thought of how many they can possibly save that convinces
Griff, and Happy will follow the stoic warrior anywhere. Caribdis is the last to be
swayed, for he is nearly paralytic with fear at the thought of the mere five of them 
taking on such an unknown evil, but in the end, as Doorag and Taklinn sadly shake
their heads and tell him that they will miss him, Caribdis relents. His sense of
loyalty will not let the crew leave without him.  

   For nearly two weeks they make ready. There are spells to be learned and items to
be forged. Specifically, Yigil fashions for them a wand of Daylight with which to
combat the yuan-ti’s maddening ability to plunge them into darkness. He also loans 
Doorag a book full of useful spells, not the least of which is Detect Scrying, which
Doorag casts at the first available opportunity.  

   Sure enough, at at least two points during the subsequent day he feels the magical 
eye of someone watching him. He warns the rest of the crew, but there is little to be
done except keep the spell running and do any planning when not being scryed. 

   They decide to make for the city of Candice, a good sized town on the outskirts of 
the disappearances that is due to be hit soon. 

   A couple of notes concerning these two weeks: It appears that at least a few
people did see Caribdis as a dragon, for many of the citizens have taken to referring 
to him as just that. He is not terribly pleased with being given the nickname,
Dragon, but there is'nt much he can do. 

   Also, Doorag begins each day by polymorphing himself into a different humanoid 
in order to know what it is like to be an elf, or a dwarf, or a gnome, or a human, or
what have you.  

   Last, but not least, Yigil loans a wand of Enlarge to Happy, and with it she makes
herself big enough so that she and Griff may, ah, consummate their friendship. The 
two of them spend their last night in Havilah in each others arms, though this is
unknown to the rest of the crew.***  


   Richfest 3 

   ***They depart Havilah.***  


 Richfest 7 

 ***They travel to the outskirts of Candice and are immediately attacked by yuan-ti. 
They defeat the snake men and enter the city, only to find it in the process of being
emptied out. In the village square they witness the last of the townsfolk being led
like sheep through a large, round, portal by five more yuan-ti.   

   The crew attack the yuan-ti and slaughter all but one of them. This last yuan-ti
escapes through the portal. Taklinn charges forward to chase him into the unknown.
Griff tries to stop him, but Taklinn bulls his way onward, taking Griff with him 
through the portal.  

   A horrified Happy follows the two through. Doorag is beside himself. Never in
his wildest imagination had he dreamed that Taklinn would do such a thing, but 
what’s done is done. With a shrug to Caribdis, the halfling enters the portal, leaving
the bard behind.  

  Caribdis, still shouting, "No! No! No!" finds himself with only the horses for 
company and the portal slowly dwindling. At the last minute, he leads the mounts
through. 

   Once through the portal they find themselves inside a mighty city within a 
magical circle. They are surrounded by dazed and wandering townsfolk and yuan-ti.
And they also see Melisandre, with Freya still at her side. The witch queen laughs,
and with a wave of her hand, the crew is sent away, teleported far from the city. 
When next they get their bearings, they find themselves on a barren plain that
stretches in all directions. Worse, they need only look at the sky to see that they are
no longer on their home plane.*** 


   Richfest 7 (con’t) 

   ***The crew spends several minutes getting their bearings. Happy is none too 
pleased that Caribdis has brought the horses (especially her miniature horse and
Don Kay) into such danger, but there is nothing to be done about it now. 

   Doorag already has a fly spell cast on him, so he uses it to ascend to a great height 
to try and survey the area. In the distance he spies what might be a ruined city, but
its too far to tell. However, another sight quickly takes precedence. Less than a mile
away and moving fast, he sees a large dust cloud approaching them. Quickly flying 
back down to the group to borrow the telescope, he heads back up for a better look.

   The dust cloud is a result of a flock of earth bound birds. They appear ostrich-like, 
but bigger, and with gnarly looking beaks that mean business. They are covering the
ground fast, and will soon be upon them. He shouts down this report, and the rest of
the crew make ready for battle.  

   The huge birds are upon them all too soon, and the fight commences. Doorag
stays in the air and manages to immediately polymorph one of them into the most
benign thing he can think of: a cow.   

   These feathered monsters turn out to be a tougher match than many of the beasts
the crew has fought thus far, and they give them quite a run for their money. But
with spell and sword, arrow and dagger, they are brought down one by one until 
only the "cow" is left standing. As it turns out, cows have quite a nasty bite, and this
one manages to take a chunk out of Taklinn before they turn it into so much beef. 

  They decide to take a chance on potential civilization and head for the ruins that 
Doorag had spotted.*** 


   Reaping 1 

   ***It takes them nearly two days to reach what had once been a sizable village, now
left to ruins. There is no sign of life here, but the town had been built at the base of 
a mighty mountain range, and the main road appears to lead straight into a massive
tunnel cut right into the living rock. With no better prospects in sight, they lead their
mounts into the darkness of the underground.***  


   Reaping 2 

   ***After a full days travel, they hear the familiar noises of battle ahead. Investigating, 
they find themselves at the entrance to a large cavern in which a pitched battle is
taking place between a group of ill equipped humans and a band of the ever present
yuan-ti. With the yuan-ti is a horrid creature they’ve never seen before. Looking like 
a cross between a giant scorpion and a giant spider, the massive insect is getting the
better of several humans who are trying vainly to bring it down with clubs and
spears.   

   Never one to shirk a fight, Taklinn charges. Not to be outdone, Griffin follows
suit, and the crew joins the fight.  

   They snatch victory from the jaws of defeat that day, and soon the ground is 
littered with dead yuan-ti. Even the spider thing goes down, but not before plunging
its terrible stinger into Griffin at least twice. By the battles end the stalwart fighter
can barely stand, so drained of strength is he by the creatures poison.   

  The leader of the humans approaches them cautiously, and for a moment there
appears to be a language barrier, but Caribdis has a trick up his sleeve. He casts
Tongues, and is soon translating for the group.   

   The leader introduces himself as Nanden and, with a few sidelong looks at the
halflings and Griff’s sword, he fills them in.  

   It turns out that they have landed on a planet called Edik, a place that shares many 
similarities with the crew home planet. On Edik a terrible witch queen named
Melisandre has enslaved most of the populace under her iron fist with the help of an
army of yuan-ti. She has captured untold numbers of humans and turned them into 
undead. The capitol city of Anvie is where she rules from. Spell casters are unheard
of here these days since Melisandre has hunted them to extinction, and Nanden and
his kind have never seen halflings. What really seems to interest the leader is Griff 
and his sword, though he says nothing about it. He invites them to accompany him
and the rest of his refugees to their base. 

   They follow the fighters for several hours through a honeycomb of tunnels until 
they reach an underground base filled with human survivors of Melisandre evil.
Nanden gives them a chamber for their own and tells them that tomorrow he will
introduce them to someone who not only speaks their language, but will be able to 
tell them more.***


   Reaping 3  

   ***The following morning Nanden brings a young woman to meet the crew and
introduces her as Adeede, his sister. To their surprise and pleasure, she greets them
in their own language, albeit heavily accented. Over a morning meal she explains.  

   475 years ago a great evil fell upon the lands of Edik similar to the one that
plagues it now. Thousands died, and most major cities were held under its sway.
From the ashes of almost certain doom rose a hero named Roland wielding a 
strangely glyphed sword that came to be known as Everyman’s Blade. With this
legendary sword Roland made a final stand against the evil hordes that threatened to
bury the last good men of Edik, and turned it, breaking its back. The hordes of
evil were pushed back but Roland disappeared, along with his sword, and was never 
seen again.  

   Most of the details of those times have been lost, but what is sure is that Roland 
had left behind offspring. His bloodline lived on through the centuries, and Adeede
is his granddaughter with many "greats" before her title. What is also known is that
Roland spoke a strange language that was also passed on from generation to 
generation, and Adeede still knows enough of it to communicate with the crew. 

   Adeede tells them that Melisandre controls Anvie city and that Nanden has
gathered many of the surviving tribes of humans together for a final assault on her 
stronghold, though they have little hope as they are severely outnumbered and
under armed. Still, they have little choice and would rather go on the offensive than
simply wait to be exterminated one tribe at a time.   

   The tunnel that has brought them here continues on under the mountain range, and
was once a major trade route to Anvie, but now is blockaded by scores of yuan-ti.  

   Much discussion follows and the crew decides to lead the way and break the 
blockade. They will take the point by a lead of several days which will give Nanden
time to gather his forces and march them through the mountain. Adeede offers to
accompany them as their guide.   

   Unfortunately the underground terrain is too rough for the horses. Here on Edik
the preferred means of travel (especially in these underground caves) are tame
axebeaks. Axebeaks are the common name of the birds which had attacked the crew 
upon their arrival to Edik's plains.  

   Not willing to leave them behind, the crew waits through the next day so that
Doorag can put his polymorph spell to good use, transforming their mounts into 
axebeaks.***  


   Reaping 4  

   ***In the morning Doorag polymorphs the last of the horses and they head out, with
some difficulty, it turns out, for only Adeede is competent at riding an axebeak. To
make matters worse, the transformed horses and donkey are quite uncomfortable 
going from four legs to two. But within a few hours on the road they all settle down
and progress is made. 

   The wide tunnel cuts through the mountains, mile after mile. They rest that night 
in a spot obviously used as a campsite by travelers for many hundreds of years. But
it is not to be a restful night, for the yuan-ti patrol this main tunnel heavily and there
is nowhere to hide. Before they even have dinner they are set upon by two of the 
snake men and another of the kildebraun.  

   The crew, normally so dangerous, find themselves nearly taken down by this evil
trio! (OOC: This battle was a fumble fest of horrendous proportions. I’ve never seen 
so many natural 1’s being thrown) Griffin and Adeede both fall victim to the
kildebraun’s poisoned stinger and are sapped of strength. Finally, however, the
enemy is brought down, though the injuries to the crew are such that they will be 
slowed down considerably to give Taklinn time to help Griff and Adeede with his
spells. ***


   Reaping 5 

   ***They decide to rest through the day to give Adeede time to regain her strength.
Taklinn manages to heal Griff with his spells, but he ends up with none left to help 
their guide, and therefore it must be left to nature, at least for another 24 hours. 

   But they will not have rest! By noon they are attacked yet again, this time by
another kildebraun and four yuan-ti. Fortunately the fighters manage to keep better 
grips on their swords, and Doorag has access to his more powerful spells. He uses
Wall of Ice to fine effect, as well as several well placed Bolts of Conjuring. Happy
manages to land several fine sneak attacks. All of this, combined with Caribdis’
verse, leads to a victory in fine style. Better yet, this enemy had brought a fine 
cache of loot with them. They not only find a goodly amount of platinum, but a bag
of holding and two rings of protection, one of them more powerful than any they 
have ever seen. At first Doorag claims the much cherished ring, sighting the fact
that he has taken very little in the way of magic treasure up until now. But after
some thought he has a change of heart, realizing that the small bit of extra 
protection would better help one of the fighters. He puts it back into the pool,
though he states that he thinks it ought to go to Griff, as he seems to always be in
the thick of things and constantly needs healing. The rest agree and Griff shrugs, 
slipping on his new ring.***


   Reaping 6  

   ***The following morning they set out again. Adeede tells them that they shall soon
reach the yuan-ti blockade, and she is correct. Drawing near, they decide to leave
their mounts behind until it is safe to bring them along. They make their way 
cautiously forward and soon enter a large chamber guarded by several yuan-ti and a
kildebraun. It is a bloody battle, but in the end the crew slay the lot of them save
one who flees. They delve deeper into the yuan-ti lair and discover the one who had 
run away. He is dead, a strange dagger in his back.  

   Intrigued, they descend down a large shaft with a spiral ramp gracing its interior.
At the bottom they find a veritable honeycomb of yuan-ti caves. They manage to 
surprise a group of the snake men sitting at a table about to eat dinner. Griffin leaps
onto the table and lays about with his sword and the battle is on.  

   Kildebraun and yuan-ti come out of the woodwork. There must be at least a dozen 
of them and it takes every bit of skill, strength and magic they can muster to thwart
them. Not only are the yuan-ti fearsome warriors, their darkness abilities cause
Doorag to spend much of his time countering them with his wand of Daylight. Also, 
the kildebraun, it turns out, can spout out webbing that hinder them to no end.
Several times the crew is forced to simply burn the stuff away and deal with the self
inflicted burns.   

   Toward the end of the battle they find that they have a surprising ally. Doorag
spots her first. She is a yuan-ti of great stealth, and she manages to bury daggers in
the backs of several of her fellows even before they know that she is upon them. 
When the last enemy falls, the crew approach her with distrust. They are bloodied
and battered and low on resources and take no chances. The yuan-ti woman calmly
introduces herself as Sensesi. She is the one who slew the yuan-ti who had retreated 
from the first battle and stopped him from calling out an alarm to those below. She
also informs them that she has no love for Melisandre and is more than willing to
lead them to her.***   


   Rping 6

   ...This Sensesi woman makes my skin crawl. I’ve always tried to believe that there 
can be exceptions in every race that possesses a soul, but she is so cold, so... snake
like. Still, she has offered her help to us. After the huge battle with the yuan-ti in the
main living chambers we were ready to lick out wounds. But there would be none 
of that. Sensesi informed us that beyond the next bend in the corridor lay another
series of rooms that held still more yuan-ti. Less than we had already fought, but
yuan-ti just the same, not to mention a couple more kildebraun. Thankfully they had 
not appeared to have heard the fight, for they had not come to reinforce their
brethren. Sensesi assured us that the yuan-ti were split into two groups, one in a
room to the north, and a smaller group to the south. She told us that we had little 
choice but to take them on now, as they guarded a portal that would take us directly
into the city of Anvie. Directly into Melesandre's tower, no less! She also pointed out that
there were prisoners being held; humans who had been treated shoddily already and
would not last much longer. That was all it took for Taklinn and I, and, despite how 
few spells we had left, we pressed on, hopeful that the element of surprise would
help to win the day. 

   We followed the tunnel and ended up in a large chamber which looked like a
dining area. Two doors, one to the north, and one to the south beckoned. We hashed
out a quick plan and Taklinn flung the northern door open, charging into the room with 
Griff  hot on his heels. The rest of us poured in from behind as our two warriors caught a
knot of yuan-ti sitting at a game of cards. Taklinn buried his axe in the first of them,
and Griff lopped off a yuan-ti head before they’d even grabbed up their weapons.  

   To the south of the room sat a table, seated at which was a sinister looking yuan-ti.
He had a look of importance about him, and Sensesi had told us that the leader of the
group was here. In the north end of the room squatted a kildebraun, hate andmalevolence 
glittering in its many eyes.

   I flew in quickly and let fly with a Bolt of Conjuring at the leader without
hesitation. He stumbled backwards from the force of the magical energy, and 
behind him appeared the secondary effect of the spell, my trusty badger. The little
bugger, as always, snarled and leapt for the well dressed snake man, not managing
to hit him, but  keeping him off balance as Happy suddenly appeared, her 
daggers held low and at the ready. With two quick thrusts she punctured the leader
in too many important locations for him to bear, and he fell, face first, onto the table
without an opportunity to even raise his sword to us. 

   Then the room was filled with web, for this is one of the kildebraun's favorite
tricks. Many of us were hung up in the stuff, but I’d been expecting this and had lit a
torch earlier. Its flame immediately caught the web on fire. True, the singing of my 
robes and a few painful burns are a high price to pay, but compared to being stuck
in place and at the kildebraun's mercy, I find it justified. Before long I was able to
fly out of the morass.  

   Still in the web, Taklinn and Griff worked their way through the remaining yuanti
with the help of Caribdis, Adeede, and even Sensesi. Imight find her creepy, but she is
unafraid to mix it up,even though it be against her ownrace.

   When the dust cleared they lay around us. Several yuan-ti, faces frozen in snarling
death, and the kildebraun, it’s head split in twain by Griff. We breathed heavy from
the exertion, but knew that there was still one more fight to be won. We made our 
way to the southern door.

   Again, it was Taklinn who opened the door, and before us lay a short corridor.
Happy set herself up to check for traps, but Taklinn barreled on ahead, rounding the 
corner and running head on at a yuan-ti the likes of which we have learned are
"abominations". They are far more dangerous than the average snake man, and this
one put a pretty good hit on our cleric before the rest of us could reach him. I was 
nearly out of spells, but had another trick up my sleeve. I Greased his sword handle,
and it slipped from his grasp, falling several feet away. Griff and Taklinn renewed
their efforts against the abomination as the kildebraun behind him scuttled forward 
and cast the room into webbing. Again, the torches licked at the webs, and again we
took the burns. By the time the flames reached Griff and Taklinn, both the
abomination and the kildebraun lay dead. 

   Sensesi had been telling the truth about the prisoners. We found half a dozen
humans, ill treated and malnourished, imprisoned in tiny wooden crates. They were
pitiful, and Taklinn quickly set about laying them in yuan-ti beds and tending to 
them. Though they could not speak our language, the look in their eyes was thanks
enough. 

   Searching the bodies and rooms brought us a fine haul indeed! Each of these 
yuan-ti carry at least 60 platinum, and several of them have had items that glow of
magic under the detection spell. We have found a cloak, a rod, a necklace, several
vials of fluid, and a couple of very fine scimitars. Best yet, each of the yuan-ti from
the north room wore a matching ring of magic. Sensesi informed us that they were 
rings of Non-Detection, that these particular yuan-ti had also been plotting against
Melisandre, and had used the rings to remain unfound. There is a ring for each of us 
with one left over, and we wear them now. I hope that she is telling the truth, for it
will be fine indeed to not feel her baleful stare upon us at least twice per day!

   We have decided to rest here for the night and through tomorrow to give me time 
to Identify these items. We hope that they will provide us some assistance in the
coming battles. Sensesi has shown us the glimmering portal in the north room and
assures us that it leads directly into Melisandre’s tower, though it is heavily 
guarded. She warns us to go in at our full capacity, and I have to believe that. 

  I sleep tonight in the leaders bed. He has his own room, and though it is little
more than a cot, its just a bit nicer than the rest of the cots strewn about the place. I 
would feel guilty, but I am too tired. I have taken a fair amount of wounds today,
far more than I usually do. I have felt the sting of arrows and the hot caress of flame
too many times this afternoon, and Taklinn and Caribdis are out of healing. Taklinn 
has tended to me though, and if I know him, he will continue to do so throughout
the night. I’m sure that tomorrow I’ll be right as rain. 

   And I am quite anxious to see what all these items are! Too bad the only pearls 
we have have been appraised by both Happy and Caribdis at around 500 gold value!
Such a shame! But, it shall hopefully be worth it. Besides, we are richer now than
we ever have been. Each of us have already accumulated over 600 platinum pieces! 
With this, I can pay off my debts at last! I only hope we make it back. We have only
been on Edik for less than a week, but it feels like much longer. My only wish is to
see my city again. 


   Rping 7

   I have spent the last eight hours cloistered in the leader yuan-ti’s chamber, busily 
identifying the items. Caribdis, with his wide array of esoteric knowledge was able
to shed enough light on some of the items that I did not need to use magic on them,
but several more of the things were unknown to him, so it fell to me to uncover 
their secrets. We have divvied them up, and in a short while we will pass through
the portal that will, according to Sensesi, take us into Melisandre’s tower. The crew
has given me a few hours to rest though, and with this time I find it soothing to jot 
down some notes in my journal.

  I was only able to identify nine of the items, so I chose those that looked the most
interesting. I am now the proud owner of a Cloak of the Arachnid! I have no love 
for spiders, and it’s a bit creepy to wear this thing, but according to my studies this
cloak will help me to overcome being stuck in webs from here on out, not to
mention the fact that it will allow me to cast a Web spell once per day, as well as 
giving me the ability to Spider Climb. 

   Griff now wears a scarab much like the one that Taklinn has. It is a Scarab of
Golem Bane, and while Taklinn’s will help him defeat flesh golems, Griff’s will aid 
him against clay golems. We have yet to confront a golem yet, and I fear the day we
do! I know little about them except that they are constructs, impervious to magic. I
can only hope that if we ever do have to deal with one of them it will be made of 
either flesh or clay!

   There were several other items as well. Happy now wears a Necklace of Fireballs
about her neck, and I have a Bead of Force in my pocket. There was a magical spoon 
that, when inserted into a bowl, fills itself with a nourishing but bland gruel, and I
am also the proud owner of a vial of magical glue as well as a vial of it’s solvent.
But the most peculiar of the items is the one that Caribdis now carries, much to my 
dismay.

   It is a Rod of Wonder. A very odd and chaotic item which I have to wonder why
anyone would craft such a thing in the first place. Apparently its effects are too
numerous to mention, but there is no control over which effect the rod will produce 
at any given time. As far as I can tell the wielder utters the command word, and the
rod might spout a fireball, or it might fill the room with butterflies, or it might cause 
it to snow, or, or, or... well, you get my point! There are a hundred different things
the rod might do, none of them controllable! The very last person that should have
such a thing is, of course, the person who now wields it! Caribdis began drooling 
over the rod as soon as I announced what it was, and he held off on laying claim to
any of the other items until the rod came up for grabs. I fear that no good can come
of his having such a thing, for I’m positive that he will begin firing it off at the first 
opportunity, the results of which could be disastrous. 

   Please read a heavy sigh here, for it is not my wish to make Caribdis sound like a
dolt. I fear my patience with him has grown short of late, and I must remind myself 
to curb my tongue, for despite his impetuous ways he really is coming along. His
verse and rhyme has reached a new level, for when he recites his battle poetry these
days we can all truly feel its benefits. Our aim is defiantly truer, and there is no 
doubt that our weapons bite deeper. The fact that he can have this effect on all of us
is invaluable! He is, of course, still Caribdis, and still has the attention span of a
ferret, but he is learning. It is a slow process, but it shows. I only pray that he 
doesn’t kill us all with his new toy. Taklinn has already warned him that it will be
taken away the first time he hurts a crew member with it. 

   Speaking of gaining knowledge and power, I, myself, have had a major 
breakthrough this morning! I have been spreading myself thin as of late, researching
more spells than I normally could or should, but the understanding has come so
naturally that I haven’t fought it, and today has brought a fine pay off to this study! 
As I poured over my notes and studied spells this morning, I suddenly realized that
I now grasp spells of the fifth circle of power! Not only that, but I can understand
four of them! This is a major breakthrough for me, for these are very powerful and 
useful spells, and usually I can only come to grips with one or two newly
researched spells at a time. To be able to learn four of them is tremendously
exciting. 

   The spells I have learned are Wall of Force, Feeble mind, Hold Monster, and Fire
Bird. The last is a very esoteric and rare spell that I’ve been grappling with for some
time. It takes a while to cast, but once I do it will summon forth a mount for me that 
will last most of the day. The Fire Bird is a giant eagle formed of solid flame.
Riding it will grant me immunity to most fire, as well as a flying mount that is even
faster than a standard Fly spell! True, maneuverability will be a factor, but I am 
excited at the prospect just the same. I haven’t been able to test it yet, but I have it
memorized for the coming day. 

   They are calling for me. Seems that it is time to move on. We know only what 
Sensesi has told us of what lies beyond the portal, and I hate diving blindly into the
unknown, especially on the word of a yuan-ti. But it is our only option. Melisandre
has brought down the tunnel from this point on, so there is no way to physically 
traverse the mountain. We must enter the portal.

   We are leaving our mounts here in the care of the resting humans we freed
yesterday. They look much better today, thanks to Taklinn’s attentions. We have 
told them to fill Nanden in on the situation when he arrives, and hopefully our
trusty steeds will be taken good care of. Happy is nearly in tears at the prospect of
leaving Don Kay and her horse behind. But she agrees that they will be safer here. 

   Very well, with any luck I shall continue this entry later today.


   Rping 7 (Con’t)  

   As I’d hoped I would be able to do, I am now updating my journal from the
relative safety of a chamber within Melisandre’s tower. It is not the best place to
rest, but we don't have much choice, for the day has brought many perils. With any 
luck our new rings of non-detection will shield us from the witch queens unwanted gaze 
and we will be able to stay here, unmolested, until we are ready to move on. I fear
that we will lose whatever advantage of surprise we might have had, but, as I said, 
our choices are few. 

   But I get ahead of myself. 

   After completing my identification tasks and resting a bit from the strain, we 
decided to brave the portal. There was much discussion as to how we would enter
the thing, and what we would do afterward. Too much discussion, I fear. The crux
of the argument was how Taklinn would behave once we’d entered Melisandre’s 
tower. Sensesi cautioned us against a headlong approach, assuring us that there
were far too many of the enemy within the tower to take on all at once. We all
nodded, but some of us seemed sure that Taklinn would charge through doors at 
every opportunity and attempt a one dwarf siege of the tower. I think we’re a little
unsure as to the cool headedness of our cleric after his impetuous move of hurling
himself through the portal that brought us from Havilah to here in the first place. I 
admit that I hadn’t seen that one coming, though in hindsight I suppose I should
have. Taklinn’s view of the world is quite black and white, as is appropriate for a
dwarf, I suppose, and for him discretion was simply not an option when faced with 
evil such as that. So, Griff and Happy wondered aloud about whether or not he
could control himself once in the belly of the beast, as it were.  

   The argument swelled and continued for what seemed a long time, and I fear that 
I grew a bit snippy with the whole thing. Still, we have come this far with Taklinn,
and sometimes we’ve needed his straight forward tendencies to give us the kick in
the pants in the right direction. I dare say I probably could not have convinced 
Griff, Happy and Caribdis to have undertaken our current adventure by myself. And
as far as impetuousness goes, Taklinn is a study in strategic planning compared to
Caribdis! So from my point of view it seemed that we would do what had to be 
done. We would enter the portal and deal with whatever lay on the other side, and
so long as blatant wrongs were not being committed under his very nose, Taklinn
would conduct himself in the manner he always has. In other words, he will deal 
with trouble where he finds it, and where it is best dealt with rather than look for it
in obscure places. 

   All of this led me to take the reigns. Interrupting their heated discussion, I simply 
said, "Well, I’m off then!" and stepped through the portal, sure that they would
follow. 

   Stepping into the unknown without vital preparatory spells and without my 
companions was not, I’m sad to say, my finest move. Fortunately my friends are as
stalwart as I believed them to be, and within seconds they stood beside me, though
not before I caught the full view of what we had to deal with.  

  The portal exited into a large entry chamber with three doors. Along each wall
three yuan-ti sentries, and at the back of the room a yuan-ti captain and lieutenant
hovered over a simple desk. All eight of them looked at me as I popped through the 
portal, and their scimitars were swiftly drawn.  

   I had never cast Fireball before that day. In most circumstances it is a poor spell
choice, for in nearly all cases my party is well embroiled in hand to hand combat 
with our foes before I can use it, thereby putting them within the area of effect.
Rather than subject them to damage I usually stick with spells that target only one
or two enemies. But this morning I’d had the feeling that I may finally get the 
chance to use this nifty spell, and lo, that chance had come! Before the yuan-ti
could get their bearings, I unloaded a Fireball on the trio to my left. The one nearest
to me managed to leap clear of the blast, but the other two took the full brunt. One 
of the snake men went down in a heap of burning flesh, while the second managed
to put himself out. He’d been sorely injured though and I hopped he’d be easy to
finish off. 

   By this time my friends had joined me, and they raced forward to meet the enemy. 

   Have I described the clang of swords too many times? Has the description of 
Caribdis and his bow lost its impact? There have been so many fights that I fear any
reader must surely grow tired of their constant relation. Perhaps I simply cannot do
them justice. Whatever the case, I can only assure the reader that this was a brutal 
and bloody fight. Griff, Taklinn, Hap, Adeede and Sensesi waded into battle,
hacking away at yuan-ti while doing their best to avoid retaliatory blows. Caribdis
stood at my side firing off arrow after arrow and reciting his verse. As for me, I 
feared that this would not be our only battle this day, and I vowed to conserve my
spells, using less powerful magic’s to harrie and distract our foes.  

   Speaking of magic’s, I have related many times that the yuan-ti have plenty of 
their own innate magical abilities that we’ve had to contend with, but it appeared
that at least one of the yuan-ti commanders knew a little about spell casting himself,
for I later learned that Taklinn had been Cursed, making it far more difficult to hit 
with his axe. Our cleric suffered through this during the fight and still suffers with it
now. He tells us that upon the morning he will be able to free himself from it, but I
can tell that it’s slowed him down considerably.   

   Griff and Taklinn carved a path through the sentries and charged to deal with the
commanders. Caribdis, Adeede and Sensesi mopped up the remaining sentries
while Happy and I made our way through the fray to help the fighters. I cast a Wall 
of Ice across the corner of the room to block the three doors and ensure that none
could escape or call for help, but the spell casting yuan-ti Levitated himself to at
least try to stay out of our reach. It was not to be, however, for Taklinn leapt up and 
grabbed hold of him. The two hovered there, each grappling with the other. I can
tell you that it is not a pleasant experience to wrestle with a yuan-ti, for the
creatures can excrete an acidic substance that can melt flesh. It is quite painful, and 
I could tell that Taklinn was feeling its effects. But he refused to let go. Meanwhile,
Griff was doing his best to hammer away at the yuan-ti without hitting Taklinn. 

   The second commander still had to be dealt with, and I chose to put myself in 
harms way to facilitate Happy’s strike. I snuck around behind the yuan-ti in an
attempt to distract him. It worked, for he turned to face me just as Happy reached
him. She swiftly sank two daggers into his vitals, and he yelled in pain. As for me, I 
figured my job had been done. I scurried beneath the desk and came up on its far
side, casting Magic Missile as fast as I could. The magical bolts struck him, and it
was enough. Down he went.  

   Suddenly we were cast into darkness! Now, I have no real reason to believe that
this darkness was not yuan-ti induced. It is, after all, a favorite tactic of theirs. But
Ambros did spot Caribdis as the bard raced forward and pointed his new rod at the 
fray and mouthed its command word. So, was it yuan-ti darkness, or was it
Caribdis’ new toy? Likely, we shall never know, and as it turns out, its a moot point
and we shan’t be bothered by the rod again. But I’m getting ahead of myself.  

   By the time I’d found my way out of the darkness, Griff and Taklinn had
pummeled the yuan-ti to death. We were left with a roomful of dead snake men and
three doors to contend with.  

   From where I was I could make out the entirety of the room. It was fashioned in
nearly seamless stone the color of alabaster. The architecture was unfamiliar to me,
and for the first time since I’ve been on Edik I was acutely aware that we are truly 
not in Havilah anymore. There is a foreignness about the wall carvings and accenting
that makes me feel quite out of place.

   I could see Griff and Taklinn standing over the dead yuan-ti commander, their 
chests heaving from the exertion of battle. Happy, as always, was quick to make
sure Griff was not too badly injured. I have an odd feeling about those two, but if
there is anything going on other than stalwart friendship, they are good at masking
it. Besides, the size difference would be a major difficulty to overcome.  

   Still...

   Ah well, none of my business anyway!  

   Caribdis let his voice fall and his verse end as he quickly put his rod away 
 and strode forward to retrieve his arrows. Adeede did the same, and Sensesi 
quietly wiped her scimitar off on one of her dead brethren.  

   The woman gives me the screaming creeps!

   We collected ourselves and Taklinn and Caribdis healed those that needed it. I
decided that I’d had enough of being land bound, and began the rather laborious 
process of casting Fire Bird. 

   Now I had only know about this spell in theory. That is to say, I had never seen it
cast. It’s a rather rare spell that I’ve been working on for some time, and I thought 
that I’d had it pretty well figured out. But the creature I summoned as my steed was
far more than I had counted on! The Fire Bird is just that, a massive eagle-like bird
made entirely of fire, much like a fire elemental, which, I suppose it must have 
some relation to. The thing is nearly as big as a horse, and when it suddenly
appeared in the room with an accompanying roar of flames, my startled companions
nearly fell all over themselves pulling weapons, ready to take it on! 

   I pondered my new servant, as did Ambros, now perched on my left shoulder,
stroking his chin thoughtfully at the eagle shaped inferno before us. I looked at him,
and he at me. How in the world was this thing going to travel indoors with us? Yet 
it had a saddle upon its back, and it seemed a shame to just dispel it when it would
last for nine hours. I decided to try and use it anyway. There must be SOME use for
a fireball that walks clumsily and preens itself.  

   As it turned out, it DID have an immediate use. My wall of ice still separated us
from the three exits from this chamber. Gingerly, I touched the bird, and to my
great relief I felt no warmth, just the wing of a very real feeling bird. I had known 
that the spell grants its caster virtual immunity to fire, but I never get over the
nervousness at trying a new spell out for the first time. One misspoken word in the
casting, and I could have suffered a nasty burn! 

   Ambros scuttled under my hat as I finally got a foot into the stirrup and mounted
the bird. I’m sure I was quite a sight, wreathed in fire and all. Soon I was
commanding the bird to peck away at the wall, and I saw that it is capable of 
inflicting a goodly amount of damage. The wall was breached.

  We looked at the three doors, one on the east wall and two on the north. "Well,
Sensesi," I asked, "Where to now?" 

   The yuan-ti woman flicked her tongue at me and motioned to the eastern door and
the far door to the north. "Those will be quarters and temple." She nodded to the
final door. "That," she said, "Is where we need to go." 

   She walked forward, her body fairly slithering in it’s skin, and addressed us. "I
don’t know exactly where Melisandre is, but she has a helper, an assistant of sorts,
from your world. He’s a mealy little runt named Albert. He may have valuable 
information, or even know where she is. He’s her book keeper, an accountant, you
might say, and getting to him is a swift step toward Melisandre." She smiled her
unsettling smile. "And I know where to find him." 


  Rping 7 (Con’t)

   With only one door leading to anywhere of significance, we hadn't much option but 
to take Sensesi’s lead and follow her to Albert. 

   We did, of course, search the other two rooms, and, as she had said, they were
quarters for the yuan-ti and a temple to a god I had never heard of. Sensesi called 
him Illugi and said that Melisandre and all who follow him are worshipers of this
most vile deity. Within the temple was a visage of Illugi sculpted from deep, black,
stone. It hurt my head to stare at it too long.  

   We did find a few trinkets and coin, as well as the ever present gems and pearls
these yuan-ti all seem to carry. We also found a set of unique and beautiful clothing 
that Caribdis immediately took a liking to. Hap said that the cloths could be sold for
quite a pretty piece of coin, but Caribdis begged to have them for his own. I balked
a bit at this at first, since any find of real value is considered party treasure, but then 
he made a surprising offer. Pulling out the rod of wonder, he offered to give it to me
if I let him keep the cloths. How could I refuse a chance to get the cursed thing
away from him? No one else had a problem with the deal either, so now it is I who 
posses the rod, never to be used again, and thankfully so.

   We breached the last door and beheld a stone hallway leading north. I rode the
fire bird, painfully aware of how much space I was taking up in the corridor, but 
still refusing to let it go. At the very least it would protect me from any potential
fire damage.

   We walked only a short distance to where the hall emptied into another chamber, 
and it was there that we first faced drider. Sensesi had told us that many drider
served the witch queen, and my studies had prepared me a bit for them, but
actually seeing one of the half-spider, half-humanoid horrors was a ghastly 
experience still. There were three of them on guard, and they skittered forward to
engage us. 

   I’m afraid I wasn't of much use in this fight, for being atop the fire bird made it 
impossible to maneuver or move fast enough to even enter the room without fear of
knocking down my friends. It’s a good thing my friends can look out for themselves
most of the time, for they hurled themselves at the drider, weapons glinting. Again 
and again Griff and Taklinn drew their blades away covered in black drider blood
while Hap and Caribdis let fly with dagger and arrow. Sensesi and Adeede fell upon
the driders as well, and within a moment all three of the things lay dead on the 
floor, curled up in death in that strange way that spiders have. 

   We took the rooms exit and proceeded onward and up a flight of stairs. At the top
we found a room with a couple of doors, but Sensesi assured us that one of them led 
only to more yuan-ti clerics of Illugi. She nodded at the other door, and Happy
quickly scanned it for traps. When she gave the all clear, Griff pushed it open,
stepped through with his guard up, and was attacked immediately by driders. The 
rest of the crew plunged in to help, but as I was about to wobble the fire bird into
the room so I could see what was going on and possibly lend a hand, Caribdis
stepped in front of me and stopped to fire arrows, effectively blocking my way. 
Again, my part in the battle was sitting atop the bird, cursing. 

   But our fighters were having a good day, and they made short work of the two
driders, leaving us free to enter a northern door. The hall beyond cornered sharply 
after about twenty feet, and continued on to yet another drider filled room, only
these drider could cast spells! Fireball, to be precise, and Griff, Taklinn and Adeede
felt that burn. Happy was caught in it too, but she is so fast that she was able to 
dodge away at the last second and escaped without a scorch. 

   Four of the spider things held us off here for long, combat filled, seconds.
Another fireball went off, as well as a couple of web spells. It was an inferno in the 
room for a brief time, but our fighters pressed forward, taking down one drider, then
another, then a third, and finally backing the fourth against the wall where it died
with a piercing shriek. 

   Injured, but unwilling to stop, we pressed on into the next room, which was a
round affair with a massive wooden portcullis on its east side that Sensesi
told us led outside to the city. But that is not where we needed to go. She pointed to 
one of several doors with her scimitar and said that Albert was not too far beyond it.
She did warn us that the hall beyond was heavily trapped, and that’s where Happy
was able to put her expertise to use. 

   After opening the door to find a wide, plushy carpeted hall, lit with odd and
fragile glowing orbs set in wall sconces, our plucky friend was crawling gently 
forward on hands and knees, scouring every inch for suspect trip wires, pressure
plates, and what have you. She found several too, and was able to disarm them, and
a good thing, for they were nasty traps indeed, most of them pits that only led to a 
long drop and certain death by spikes set into the stone below. All the while she
searched, Griff looked on worriedly. We all had concern for her, but I think it
especially troubled Griffin to see her in harms way and not be able to do anything to 
help her.

   The hall turned a corner, and we followed gingerly in Happy’s footsteps. She
continued on until she reached a door flanked by two statues of leering, winged, 
creatures that crouched on pedestals and bared stone teeth at us. Happy looked at
them uncertainly as she began to comb the door for more traps. Even as she touched
the door, the statues sprang to life, leaping to attack her. I knew immediately that 
they were gargoyles. 

  Gargoyles can be tough and destructive creatures, but with Griff there to defend
Happy, they had little chance. Even as they scored a painful hit on her, Griff was 
bringing down his vengeful steel to split one open with a great gout of gray blood.
Taklinn followed this with an axe blow to the second, and before long we had 
overwhelmed it. It fought to the bitter end, but at last it lay dead.  

   A little shaken, Happy went back in to check the door, disarming still another trap
before announcing an all clear. Griff led the way, and we found a square room
beyond with a door on each wall and a spiral staircase shaft dominating its center. 
Happy went back to work, checking first the door to the north. She found no traps,
and what looked like a plush waiting area was revealed. Another door led east from
that room, but we decided to check the staircase room first. Happy proceeded to the 
eastern door (of the first room), and found another trap, only this time she found it
the hard way, and as quick as she is, she could not avoid inhaling some of the
poisonous gas that was expelled from the door lock. She staggered back, turning 
quite green. I feared that she would be sick, but she straightened up, assuring us that
she was ok, even though it was obvious that she wasn’t. I saw the frown of concern
on Griff’s face, but she would not be deterred, and at last announced that the door 
was safe. 

  Griff opened it to see a large and officious looking room hosting several
bookshelves and desks. He and Happy took a few steps into the room, and whistled 
low in their throats as they looked to their right. We couldn’t see it, but we could
hear it. The heavy footsteps vibrated through the stone floors, and I heard Happy
wonder aloud, "Is that a golem?" 

   And then there were more gargoyles. They came leaping and chattering forward,
slashing away at Hap and Griff before Taklinn could lend his aid. And by the time
he did, he had his hands full, for the golem plodded into view, swinging its long and 
heavy arms like twin hammers. One fist thudded off of Taklinn’s mail, leaving a
melon sized dent. Taklinn was wearing the Flesh Golem Scarab, so he turned to
face the thing as we tried to get the gargoyles off of Happy.  

   Our rogue was in a bad way, for a gargoyle had knocked her to the ground and
stood over her, ready to maul her with it’s terrible claws. But Griff closed the
distance with cat-like speed, and with one long swipe of his blade, sent the 
gargoyles head sailing, end over end, across the room. He cleaved into another,
bringing it down as Sensesi and Adeede teamed up on the third. 

  It was then that I had a not so bright idea. My research had told me that golems 
could not be effected by magic’s, but that fire effects slowed them down
considerably. Hoping that the third door in the staircase room might mirror the first
we’d checked, and would lead to a room with a door that might lead into the golem
room, I raced for it.  

   And of course it was trapped. I got a snoot full of the same gas that Happy had
inhaled, and immediately felt ill, as if my stomach were going to try to escape from 
my body by any means necessary. But I pressed on, throwing open the door, and to
my pleasant surprise, it opened up directly into the golem chambers. To my left I
could see it locked in battle with Griff and Taklinn. I swiftly judged distance and 
cast my remaining fireball in the room, careful to only get the gargoyle in the edge
of its blast and spare my friends from the flame. It worked, and the golem seemed
to fight from then on in slow motion. Taklinn and Griff hacked away at it, and soon 
it fell heavily to the floor. 

   As I walked around the corner to step over the body, I heard Happy. She had
already begun to search the chambers and had opened a cabinet door. There, curled 
up in a frightened ball, was an old man. "And you," Happy said, "Must be Albert!"


   Rping 7 (con’t) 

   The old man looked up from his protective fetal position and blinked warily at us.
I’m sure we presented a fearsome sight, but it was the sound of Happy’s voice, or
rather the language in which it was spoken that drew his attention. His fear turned 
to a toothless smile of relief. "You...you speak my language!" He gasped, crawling
stiffly from the cabinet with Happy’s help. He was so thin and frail that even she
could support him as he straightened up with an audible creak.  

   His eyes found our rings and he grew even more excited. "Your from Havilah!"
he exclaimed, "Crew members of Havilah! Bless my soul, I never thought I’d see
the day! Welcome! Welcome all of you! And yes, my name is indeed Albert. How 
did you find me?"

   Needless to say, it was Q&A time for Albert. We had much to ask, and the old
man was quite forthcoming with his answers. He had, he told us, been brought here 
from Havilah some ten years ago in the same way that so many Havahlians have
been brought to this place. He confirmed what we’d already suspected, that most
people who are kidnapped by Melisandre are transformed into mindless walking 
undead to be used as cannon fodder in her unrelenting quest for power and
domination. Why Albert was not thusly transformed, he did not know. He surmised
that it may have been because of his record keeping background and mental 
dexterity with facts and figures. Whatever the case, she put him to work keeping
track of her armies and their supplies, and so forth. At first he had resisted, but, with
downcast eyes, he admitted to finally giving in under threat of painful death.  

  One very interesting fact that he was able to give us was that time here on Edik
flows much faster than our own world. His ten years here match only a single year
in Havilah, which means that we have not been gone from our home world for a 
very great length of time at all. This gives me hope that we will be able to make it
back in time to stop Melisandre.

  He also told us that we are not the first crew to have come here. He told us that 
one other had arrived, but had failed to complete their mission. However, there
were survivors of that crew that were in contact with a small resistance group
within the city. Better yet, he assured us that one of these surviving crew members 
was in hiding right here, deep within the secret recesses of the tower! It is good to
know that there are still a few secrets that escape the witch queen. 

  Albert was quite excited at the prospect of rescue, and offered to take us to the 
surviving crew member. He warned us, however, that she was badly injured, and
had been for some time. He feared that she was slowly dying. With this news we
resolved to make haste to find her, in spite of our thinning spells and injuries.  

   Albert led us back into the trap littered hallway and revealed to us a very well
hidden door behind a tapestry. He explained to us that Melisandre had taken over
this tower when she conquered the city, and that she had not yet learned all of the 
secretes of the place which was how he had been able to hide a crew member right
under her nose. 

  He closed the door behind us and led us down a narrow spiral staircase that
penetrated deep below the streets of Anvie. At the bottom we followed a hallway
that looked like it had seen little use for some time. At last we came to a door on 
our right side, and Albert gingerly opened it, as if trying not to disturb whoever was
inside. We were on our guard, still fearful of treachery, but caution quickly turned
to wonder and concern at the sight of the rooms occupant. 

   It was Lotte Spangler! 

  The ranger who had once thought so ill of us for Caribdis’ actions during our
Academy trials now lay gasping and pale upon a dirty pallet in a tiny cell, empty 
save for evidence of meals past and a chamber pot. She looked up weakly as we
entered, and I read disbelief in her eyes. It was obvious that she had long since
given up hope of rescue. She was able to rally a grin as we closed the door behind 
us and rushed to her aid. 

   Taklinn checked her wound as we tried not to all talk at once. Her belly was an
open mass of brackish blood and smelled of rotting meat. It was immediately 
apparent to Taklinn that she was barely clinging to life. When asked if she’d been
treated with clerical magic already, she could only shake her head and tell us that
there were no clerics to be had in Anvie. Taklinn cast healing spells upon her that 
did nothing to close the wound, but they did give her a bit of comfort and strength.
Caribdis was beside himself at the sight of her. This was the woman, you may
recall, upon whom he had spent a small fortune trying to placate in the interest of 
goodwill between our crews, and he tapped her several times with his wand of
healing before it was obvious to all that the spells were being wasted. Stronger
magic’s were needed, and Taklinn vowed to pray for just that as soon as night fell. 
In the meantime, she was able to speak with us. The story she told was a sad one
indeed.


   Rping 7 (con’t)

   Lotte grimaced through the strain of talking, but she told her story.

  She and the rest of her crew, Finch, Lotte’s halfling lover, Kester, the dwarven 
cleric of Moradin, Ryton, the human warrior, and his brother, Teppo, the wizard
with whom I had come to befriend after our crossing of swords during the Academy
trials, came to Edik on Planting 21, which, as I look back, is the same day Taklinn 
got his arm chopped off. They came in much the same fashion that we did, by
following yuan-ti kidnappers through their portal. Instead of being teleported away,
they were able to fight a path through the ranks of yuan-ti and transformed 
townsfolk, and make good their escape into the depths of Anvie. They hid, with the
whole city looking for them, but eventually they were able to make contact with
Albert and to find out some vital information from what was left of the scattered 
resistance in Anvie. 

   According to them Melisandre possessed two orbs given to her by her terrible
god, Illugi. The orbs are quite powerful, and somehow allow her to move vast 
armies from Edik to Havilah and back as needed. She carries one of them at all
times while the other stays in Edik, guarded by minions of the hellish realms. At
least that is what Teppo was able to piece together. Teppo had a theory, via his 
research on the matter, that the orbs are powered by both divine and arcane magic,
and that between himself and Kester they should be able to control or destroy the
orb should they be able to get it.  

   But they would never get to put that plan into action.

   Several days before their proposed raid on the tower, where the orb is kept, Kester
went out to gather some needed supplies and components. He returned a monster.
When the cleric of Moradin came back to their hideout, he reeked of death, wore a 
crown upon his head, and attacked his fellow crew members without warning. With
a single blow he decapitated Finch. Lotte’s tears ran unchecked when she related 
this part of the tale.

   Kester managed to score a hit on Teppo and Ryton as well before Lotte ran him
through with her sword. But Kester hammered at her with his last breath, and 
delivered to her side a gash that felled her. Teppo and Ryton thought her dead, and
they fled, fearing that more of Melisandre’s troops must be close behind.

  Lotte awoke shortly thereafter with Albert trying his best to save her life. She has 
been on the brink of death ever since.

   Lotte fell back, exhausted at the effort of telling the story, and Caribdis did his
best to ease her pain, tapping her again with his wand and shooing the rest of us 
away, except for Taklinn, whom he begged to change her wounds dressing. 

  I felt as tired as Lotte looked, and lay down for some rest, knowing that I would
need it to regain my spells. That is where we sit now, here in Lotte’s room. Albert 
assures us that he can take us to the orb chamber, and we will make our assault at
first opportunity. Taklinn is waiting only for the sun to go down so that he can pray
for spells that will finally bring relief to Lotte. I send my warmest regards to 
Clangeden in this matter. The woman has been through too much, and I hope
against hope that our cleric will undo the damage that hers did.


   Rping 7 (con’t)

   My, but this has been a long day! One thing after another! 

  I had only been asleep a few hours when Ambros suddenly forced me awake by 
intruding into my dreams in that way he has. I sat bolt upright, immediately aware
that something was wrong. 

  The sight that greeted me was that of Sensesi, backed into a corner, her hand on 
her scimitar. The rest of the crew stood on the opposite side of the room, looking
from her to Taklinn, who had his axe out and ready for use.

   "I’ll ask you just one last time," he was saying, "Drop your weapons and surrender 
or face my steel!" 

  "What the devil is going on?" I cried, rolling from my blankets and shaking my
head to clear it.  

  "She’s a spy!" Taklinn growled. Sensesi laughed at him.

   "Your crazy!" she hissed, "Haven’t I brought you this far? What would tell you that
I’m a spy? Where’s your proof?" 

  Happy, Griff and I looked from Taklinn to Sensesi in confusion. All Taklinn
would say was, "She’s a spy. I’ll explain how I know later, just believe me, she’s a
spy!" He took a step forward. 

  I made a fast decision. Taklinn had no proof, and this was out of the clear blue
sky, but if it came down to his word versus hers, there was simply no argument. I
cast my remaining fifth circle spell, a Wall of Force, to block the door. Sensesi felt 
it behind her when she stepped back, and knew that there would be no escape. Her
eyes flashed and she flicked out her tongue at Griff, then at Happy. "I should have
killed you when I had the chance!" she shrieked, and drew her blades, rushing at 
Happy!

   Griff and Taklinn were there to meet her, and Adeede tried to get in a swing as
well. But before she could be brought down I cast again, and lo and behold, it 
worked! I polymorphed her into a turtle!

  In a flash she used her yuan-ti abilities and shape changed into a snake, and
crawled beneath Lotte’s pallet. Caribdis swept up Lotte while Griff hauled up the 
mattress. There Sensesi was, in snake form, trying to squeeze through a crack in the
wall. Taklinn reached down and grabbed her. She did her best to bite him, but her
fangs were no match for his armor, and in a flash she was in the bag I quickly held
out. I gave her back to Taklinn with a shudder, and sat down heavily. There was 
much to discuss. How has she been communicating with Melesandre? Will
Melesandre still be able to get reports from her while she was our snake/turtle 
prisoner? 

  Taklinn tells us that he had cast a powerful spell that would allow him to
communicate directly with Clangeden. All of his question had been used to 
ascertain what spells he could use to aid Lotte and the order in which they had to be
cast, save one. His final question had simply been, "Is Sensesi a spy for
Melesandre?" Clangeden had said, "Yes." That was that. 

  We fear that this hideout is not safe, but we have little choice. I am going back to
bed now, for I must get some rest. My spells are exhausted.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

Reaping 8

   I awoke to a crew in very poor spirits. I could tell right away that something was
wrong by the frowns on the faces of Happy, Griff and Caribdis. Taklinn had a dour 
look to him too, but its hard to tell with dwarves. 

  "What’s been going on?" I thought to Ambros. He naps when he can, and he was
already curling up under my hat now that I was awake. I knew that he would have 
been keeping watch while I slept and that he would be able to fill me in. 

  I could hear his yawn in my head when he answered. "Lots of talk about what to
do with Sensesi. Caribdis and Hap want her dead. Taklinn wants to keep her. Griff 
doesn’t care. Oh, and Adeede is all for killing her too. That girl REALLY hates
yuan-ti! Lotte’s all better though. G’night master, wake me if something good
happens." With that, he curled up in my hair and was fast asleep within seconds. 

   Sighing, I knew that I’d soon be drawn into this argument, but first things first.
After having a sip of tea and a bite of bread, I sat down to select my spells. Had to
go with a couple of Greases, and you can never have too many Magic Missiles. It’s 
also become habit to burn a Mage Armor and a Dark Vision per day. 

   I keep an Invisibility in the back of my head always, and a See Invisibility, just
because I know that some day I’m going to really need that spell!  

  I can’t stay away from Scorching Ray! What a marvelous offensive spell! I’ve
taken to memorizing at least three of them when I know we’re going to be in the
thick of it. 

  A Fly, of course, and a Bolt of Conjuring. I’m also taking Hold Person today. I
haven’t used that spell much as of late, so I’ve decided to dust it off. I’m also taking
a Dispel Magic. I have a feeling in my bones that the closer we get to those things 
important to Melesandre, the more we might need that particular spell.

   Moving up the chain of power, I do so love Polymorph Other! I don’t feel like I’ve
even scratched the surface of that spells usefulness! Two of those and two Walls of 
Ice.
   And last, but certainly not least, my most powerful spell. This morning I
memorized a Wall of Force and a Hold Monster. It’s very difficult to choose only 
two, but that’s part of being a wizard. I’m coming very close to being able to
memorize three 5th circle spells though!

   I record all of this for no reason other than to settle my nerves a bit, for the
conversation with my fellow party members that followed my studies was
unpleasant, to say the least, and it still upsets me to remember it now. 

  As Ambros had told me, the crew was bitterly divided as to the fate of our captive
yuan-ti spy, Sensesi. After closing my book and packing it away, I stretched and
finally addressed my friends. 

   "What’s going on?" I asked. 

   Happy and Caribdis immediately talked over each other, but eventually I got the
story that the two of them were indeed ready to execute Sensesi, but that Taklinn
would have none of it. Caribdis was positively passionate about the matter, and he 
paced back and forth, gesturing excitedly toward Taklinn, who simply stood there,
arms crossed, the bag containing Sensesi tied securely to his belt.  

   "She tried to kill us!" Caribdis shouted, "And because of her Melesandre knows
what we’re up to! What if Melesandre can still spy on us? Sure, we’ve got the rings,
but if she’s a spy she must be able to get information to that witch some other way! 
Its not worth the risk. We kill her now!"

  "No." Taklinn’s voiced boomed through the room, resonating with resolve. "I will
not kill an unarmed opponent! She stays with us, and that is that! We will hand her 
over to the proper authorities as soon as we can."

  My eyebrows raised a bit at this, and I read a strange glint in our clerics eye. He
seemed quite dead set on the matter, but the idea seemed ludicrous to me, and I told 
him so.

   "Taklinn," I said, "I never thought I’d say this, but the boy speaks with wisdom!
Taking her with us is absurd. She poses far too great a risk. Caribdis is right, she 
may still be able to communicate with Melesandre somehow, and that is simply
unacceptable." Taklinn regarded me with a fiery stare, but I pressed on. "And what
do you mean, you won’t kill unarmed foes? Do I have to remind you of the goblins? 
What about the orcs!"

  "That was different!" He shot back. "We were in Havilah, abiding by Havilah’s
laws. We were within our right! And we had no other choice!" 

   I gaped at him. "Executing the enemy is okay only if we’re in Havilah? Taklinn, I
don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re at WAR here! We are a Crew of Havilah,
and we represent Havilah! We have every right to do whatever it takes to secure 
Havilah’s safety! Oh, and by the way, the local law here happens to be
Melisandre’s! I’m willing to bet that she’s all in favor of killing spies, and I’ll bet
you a gold to a shaker of salt that she’d do one of us in a lot less humanely than we 
will to one of hers."

   "Kill her!" Happy interjected. Her eyes were fastened on the bag at Taklinn’s hip,
and I could tell that our roguish friend would have no problems doing the job 
herself. "She tried to kill me, Taklinn! Me!" Griff put his hand on Happy’s shoulder
and she calmed down a bit. 

   "What do you think about all this Griff?" I asked. 

   He scowled and spat on the floor. "I’m with Taklinn about killin’ prisoners. Ain’t
no honor in it. I don’t like it." And with that, he spun on his heel and walked out
into the hallway. Happy followed him and it was left to Taklinn, Caribdis and I to 
work this thing out. 

   "She’s a spy!" Caribdis cried. "A spy for Melesandre! You're out of your mind if
you want to keep her with us!" 

   I said, no!" Taklinn roared. "We are not on Havilah’s soil, and I will not impose
Havilah’s laws upon this foreign land!"

   I was flabbergasted by his bull headedness! "Taklinn, what do you think your 
doing here?" I asked him. "You ARE Havilah! Caribdis is Havilah, and so is Griff
and Happy, and so am I! Havilah doesn’t just end at a border somewhere. It’s always
right here." I thumbed my chest. "Havilah exists as long as we do, and we carry it 
with us wherever we go. Taklinn, think of the lives at stake! I don’t like executing
an unarmed prisoner any more than you do, but we can’t afford to make mistakes.
Right now there are thousands of people counting on us. Right now there are people 
being led through portals by yuan-ti! We can stop this, but we cannot let emotion or
a misplaced sense of justice cloud our view. We must keep our eyes on the prize,
Taklinn, and Sensesi is a loose end we cannot afford." 

   Taklinn glared at me, his brow deeply furrowed. "Very well!" He thundered,
"Take her! Do whatever you want! Just don’t ask me to take part!" And with that, he
tossed the bag at our feet.  

   Caribdis paused for only a second. The boy made to stomp on the bag! I threw
myself at him, grabbing him about the legs while Taklinn quickly swept down to 
grab the bag again. "Caribdis, no!" I yelled. "If we do this, we do it correctly, and
we do it with the full consensus of the whole crew! We must get Griff and Happy
back in here and vote on this thing, and then we will decide what must be done" 

   "You have no honor, boy!" Taklinn snapped, re securing the bag to his belt. 

   "No honor?" Caribdis retorted, "Where is the honor in letting something like that
live?" 

   And then Caribdis did a very bad thing. He began to rhyme.

   "Hear me Taklinn, hear me well,
   for when this story bards do tell, 
   the people will have heard
   how the dwarf did finally heed my words!"

   Or something like that. The point is, Caribdis was trying to charm Taklinn, much 
as he had done to get him to ride a horse not so long ago!

   My eyes widened in horror, and I yelled at him to stop! "Caribdis, no!" but it was
too late. 

  Taklinn almost seemed to drift into Caribdis’ words for a second, but then he
shook his great head and the next thing I knew his axe had been slung around to
come to rest in his hands. His voice was low but there was no mistaking his words. 
"I told you, boy, never to do that again." He took a menacing step toward Caribdis,
but I leapt between them.

  "He didn’t mean it, Taklinn!" I babbled, absolutely certain that Taklinn meant to 
kill the boy. "He’s out of his mind! He didn’t know what he was doing! Don’t kill
him, Taklinn! Don’t kill him!"

   Taklinn looked at me and took a huge breath. I could see the internal struggle, but 
at last he took a step back and spat on the ground at Caribdis’ feet. "I thought you
were learning, boy, but I see that you have learned nothing! You have no honor!
You are not a man, you are a sniveling child! I’ll have my braid back. You do not 
deserve to wear it!"

   A long and chilly moment passed, but then Caribdis, with more anger in his eyes
than I have ever seen, hastily unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a braid of hair worn 
around his neck on a leather string. He tore it from his throat and threw it to the
ground in contempt. With a last look of fury, he stormed from the room. 

   As Taklinn picked up the braid, I understood. The braid had been Taklinn’s from 
when he had shaved his beard in dishonor after our trials at the Academy. He had
sent one to Kester as an act of contrition, and he must have given one to Caribdis as
a reminder to never again bring such shame upon himself and his fellows again.  

   I was speechless. Taklinn growled and stuffed the braid into his pocket. He
looked at me with an utterly unflinching gaze. "Here’s how it stands," he stated,
"I’ve got Sensesi, and she stays with me. If anyone doesn’t like it, they can try to 
take her from me!" 

   His words hit me like a fist to the stomach. Was he serious, I thought? Would he
really raise his axe to anyone who tried to take Sensesi? Would he raise his axe to 
me? Never before had I heard this from one of the Crew members. Never before
had I heard such a veiled threat, such an assertion of leadership, of superiority.
Would Taklinn really go to such extremes to get his way in this thing? Would he 
really disregard the wisdom of his friends so out of hand?

   "You didn’t just say that, Taklinn." I whispered. But he only scowled at me. I
opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I simply turned and walked out 
into the hallway. 

   Once outside the room, even more harsh words were flying as Caribdis told Hap
and Griff what had gone on.

   "You did WHAT?" Griff exploded. 

   "You tried to charm him? Are you insane?" Happy stood there, her mouth a
perfect "O" at the shock of what Caribdis had done.  

  "I was just trying to get him to settle down!" Caribdis said in a defensive tone. "I
was just trying to get him to see the truth!"

  "The truth?" I snapped, cutting him off, "Very well then, Caribdis, allow me to 
help you see the truth! Let me charm you! I’ve got the spell, all you have to do is
accept it! Come on, Caribdis, I promise you, you’ll see things my way!

   Caribdis sputtered, "But that’s not the same... but I was just..." 

  "Don’t you get it, Caribdis!" I raged, "If you charm him, it makes his opinion
invalid! Maybe I don’t agree with him, but he’s still one fifth of this crew, and as
such, his voice is every bit as important as the rest of ours, and his voice must 
remain clear, without magical influence!"

   "But..."

  "No, Caribdis!" I cut him off, "We do not cast such spells on each other! It is that 
simple! We. Do. Not. Cast. Such. Spells. On. Each. Other! I understand your
position with regard to Sensesi, but you have no right to deprive Taklinn of his free
will! Do you understand?" I looked at him, exasperated. 

   Caribdis opened his mouth to speak, but found nothing to say. He looked at the
ground in shame as his anger turned to understanding. He turned away from me, his
shoulders hunched and his head low. 

   "Ah, to hell with this!" Griff rumbled. "The rest of you can sit around and talk all
day if you want to, but we’re going to get this orb!" With that, he strode away,
leading Happy, Adeede, Lotte and Albert with him. 

  I cursed under my breath at Griff’s impatience. We still had matters of great
concern to deal with, and it galled me to not put them to rest. But we had to stick
together, and I made to go back into the room to fetch Taklinn. But Caribdis 
stopped me. "No," he said, "I’ll get him. We’ll catch up, just wait for us at the top of
the stair." 

   Seeing the look in his eyes, I nodded, and made off down the tunnel. Ambros 
awoke with a start and yawned, "Did I miss anything?"

   "I’ll tell you later." I said, hurrying to catch up with the others. Ambros smacked
his lips sleepily and was out again in seconds. 

   I caught them on the stairs and told them that Caribdis and Taklinn would be
along shortly. Griff merely grunted and continued his climb, but he did wait once
we’d reached the top of the stairs.  

   It took quite a few minutes, and I feared that Griff would leave the pair behind,
but just then we heard their footsteps coming up the stairs. What we saw when they
arrived stunned us all into silence.  

   Caribdis had shaved his head! 

   I could tell that he had done it hastily, probably with a dagger, and without benefit
of a mirror, for odd clumps of hair jutted this way and that from his pate. Our bard, 
once so obsessive and vain about his appearance, had hacked away most of his hair!
I surmised that it must have been done as penance to Taklinn, an act of contrition
and apology, for Taklinn seemed to have no more anger in his eyes toward the boy.  

   "What?" Caribdis challenged our shocked faces, "Haven’t you ever seen someone
whose gotten a haircut? C’mon, lets get on with this!"


   Reaping 8 (con’t)

  We all looked away from the shorn Caribdis and shuffled our feet a bit. We
decided at last to get back to business and formulate a plan. It was decided that 
Adeede would lead Lotte and Albert to a safe place and hopefully rendezvous with
Nanden and the forces he was bringing, while we would follow Albert’s directions
to the orb room and, with any luck, wretch it from the grasp of Melisandre’s
minions. Adeede told us to meet them in the towers prisons, which Albert was also 
able to tell us how to get to. We parted ways, and Griff, Happy, Taklinn, Caribdis
and I made our way further up the stairs into unexplored territory.  

  We did not have far to go, for the next landing emptied into a bare room with a
hall leading from it. Down this long hall and around a corner we met with the first
of Melisandre’s guards. They were two drider, though these two were magically 
toughened, and though we bested them, it was a hard fight, and I mainly stayed out
of it except for a Magic Missile finisher on the last drider. I feared that my spells
would be much needed. As it turns out, I was right. 

  Another hall led from this room, and Happy led the way, her eyes peeled for traps.
Instead, she found a secret door midway down the hall. After announcing that it
was clean, Griff swung it open, and we beheld a narrow hall that emptied into a 
triangularly shaped room, this one containing a door that could not be missed, for it
bore the visage of that strange and terrible god, Illugi, and it positively reeked of
danger and evil. Taklinn cast a quick detect magic, and reported that a powerful 
magical source waited for us beyond the door. He could see streams of it’s dark
power leaking through the door cracks, and all of us could feel a sense of unease. I
quickly cast some preparatory spells while Hap skulked forward to examine the door.  

   It was trapped. And dangerously so. She asked us all to move back, and we did,
though Griff stayed a little nearer to her than I think she approved of. We watched
her in silence as she concentrated, and the tension was utterly palpable. I could 
almost feel the sweat dripping off her, as I imagine it must have been, trying to
deactivate a delicate magical trap without setting it off. After what seemed like a
long time, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief and stepped away from the door. She 
turned, and with a smile gave us the thumbs up. 

   She had done it.

  And so we came to our greatest challenge yet. Griff swung the door open and we 
beheld a sight that weakened even our battle hardened knees.

   The room was simply massive. Round and domed, I could barely see the other
side through a haze of murky torchlight. Its walls writhed and moved, and after our 
eyes adjusted to the light, our minds had to adjust to the horror, for the walls
stretched and swelled with the faces of the dead/undead as they swam in agony
before us. We saw plainly the faces of Kester Orban and Teppo Stafford. 

   In the center stood a massive statue of Illugi fashioned of reflective, black, stone.
It raised at least forty feet into the air, and clutched an object. Sandwiched between
its two massive hands shone a black orb, the size of a small pumpkin. 

  At the statues feet there was still more horror awaiting our eyes. Upon a dripping
alter was lashed the naked and tortured body of Ryton Stafford. He had been cruelly
gutted and terrible things had been done to his appendages.  

   And then, from either side of the statue they came. The guardians. There were
only two, but their sheer size and appearances gave me pause, and for the first time
I wondered if we’d bitten off more than we could chew. The thing on the left was a 
demon, a half spider creature born of the underworld. It scuttled forward, looking a
bit like a drider, but roughly the size of a small house. It gnashed wickedly hooked
mandibles and chittered a challenge at us.  

  The thing on the left was also a giant, though obviously undead. A walking
skeleton, its eyes shone with intelligence and hate as it swung hammer-like fists
before it, awaiting the fight.  

  Without a word, Griffin charged the demon while Taklinn raced toward the
skeleton, bellowing prayers to Clangeden that were swallowed up in the howls of
the tortured souls that writhed in agony all around us. Griff brought his sword down 
with enough force to fell a ogre with a single hit. It glanced off! The demons hide
was incredibly tough, and even Griff found himself thwarted by the armor. The
demon seemed to laugh, and with a single thrust of its mandibles, lashed out and 
tore Griff’s breast plate cleanly from his body! It exposed him as easily as one
would rip the paper from a package, and I knew that the next hit would strike flesh! 

   Taklinn was having his problems too, for his axe met with stiff resistance. The
skeleton was obviously magically protected, and it ignored our clerics slashes and
pounded down a rain of blows that staggered even our stout dwarf.  

  Happy raced around, trying to get into flanking position with Griff, looking for a
weakness, a spot to slip a dagger. Caribdis unleashed a barrage of arrows at the
skeleton while I tried to help Griff with a Hold Monster aimed at the demon. The 
beast simply shrugged off my spell, and I feared that I might never affect such a
creature. But I had to try.

   Griff, Happy and the demon danced around each other, waiting for an 
opportunity. Griff slashed and stabbed, and may even have drawn blood, but
Happy’s daggers simply bounced off of the thing. I took a deep breath,
concentrated, crossed my fingers and shouted out the words to Polymorph Other. 
To my great shock and amazement, it worked! One instant Griff and Happy were
fighting a massive demon, the next, they were looking as a fluffy, white, rabbit that
hopped about uncertainly for a moment, quite dazed to have found itself so 
suddenly neutered. With a cry for blood, Griff brought his sword down on the
bunny, but it was already gone, gating itself back to its own plain. I can only
imagine its reception upon arriving back in the abyss! 

  Meanwhile, Taklinn and Caribdis had worked their way through much of the
skeletons magical protection, and it was starting to show signs of damage, though
the same could be said of Taklinn, for he bore many a mark made by the heavy fists 
that pummeled him again and again. Griff and Happy raced to his aid, but I was
already casting. My Bolt of Conjuring slammed into the undead thing with
tremendous force and it clattered to the ground in a pile of still bones. I’m quite 
certain that Caribdis and Taklinn had weakened the skeleton considerably, and full
credit must go to them. Mine was simply the killing blow, and a lucky one at that.


   Rping 8 (cont)

   Taklinn reeled back from the pile of undead bones as an eerie wail made by the
trapped souls within the dome rose and fell. He was already healing himself even as 
we joined him at the base of the statue. Looking up, it was a malevolent and
obscene figure, inky black and cloyingly evil. In its ebony hands, thirty feet above, 
it held our prize.  

   Climbing the thing was out of the question. Every bit of good sense told us that
touching it was not an option. 

   We wondered aloud for a second about how we would retrieve the orb, but I knew 
that the answer was obvious. 

   I already had a Fly spell cast on me. I emptied a sturdy sack and rose into the air
with my friends watching, helpless to aid me. Happy, bless her soul, asked me to 
Levitate her so that she could do it, but I didn’t happen to have it memorized, and,
truth be told, I don’t know that I’d have cast it on her even if I had. Sometimes we
must all face risk, and Clangeden knows the rest of this group has taken more than 
their fair share. Today was my turn.

  I flew up to the orb, where it rested between the statues two giant hands. I paused,
still not certain that the statue might not simply spring to life and bat me down, but 
there was nothing else for it. It would be tricky getting the orb into the bag without
touching the statue itself, but I felt confident that I could do it.

   Overly confident, it would seem. Apparently my sack had a small hole in it, and 
as I grasped the orb, my finger slipped through and I must have touched that foul,
black, stone, for all at once, all the spells I’d cast on myself in preparation for the
battle suddenly blinked out, including my Fly spell! 

   I fell, slamming into the statue on the way down, and each time I touched it I
could feel the icy shock of undiluted evil course through me. It hurt nearly as bad as 
the floor did when I finally came to rest. 

   But I had the orb. 

  Groaning, I held up my hands and announced my success. I was barely able to 
hold onto the thing, and Taklinn quickly wrapped the sack around it and stowed it
away while Caribdis and Happy helped me to my feet. My head throbbed and my
body screamed in pain from the fall, but worse, I felt fundamentally drained, 
weakened. My mind was muddled, and I realized I couldn’t even remember my fifth
circle spells! As Taklinn healed my physical wounds I described my plight to him
and he nodded in understanding. 

  "We’ve been drained, my friend," he explained, "The skeleton did the same to me.
We’ve both felt the touch of pure evil and have been sapped of energy, knowledge
and ability." I was aghast, but he smiled and clapped me on the shoulder. "Not to 
worry! At sundown Clangeden will grant me spells that can right these wrongs! He
will see to this, I assure you! Nice job getting the orb, by the way." With that, he
gave it back to me, for I wanted to closer examine this artifact.  

  But that would have to wait, for as I took it from him, there was a strange ripping
noise, and a terrible creature tore its way from the abyss into our world! 

   It was another demon spider thing, similar to the one so recently turned into a rabbit. It 
skittered into the room and immediately settled it’s glowing red eyes on me. 

  "It’s a retriever!" Taklinn yelled, leaping to stand between me and the demon as it
closed the distance with terrifying speed. I’d never heard of a Retriever, but the 
name alone said it all. It obviously meant to retrieve the orb!

   My comrades understood this too, and Griffin joined Taklinn as a blockade for
me while I quickly cast Levitate from a scroll and rose into the air (ok, well I did 
have Levitate on scroll). 

  The retriever was a nasty opponent, and Griff, without his breast plate, felt its
sting, though he did manage to bite deeply with his sword, drawing an enraged 
shriek from the demon.

  We unloaded everything we had at it, and soon it was pock marked by arrow,
dagger, axe and sword. The burns of magic scorched it, but it fought on, hitting 
Taklinn with a jolt of electricity fired from it’s eyes. Taklinn sagged to his knees,
but hauled himself up again to slash away with his axe. He and Griff dodged
between the demons legs and tore into it’s abdomen as Happy, Caribdis and I helped 
as much as we could. And the whole time, I felt as if it were staring right at me.

   At last, it fell, frustrated and dead in it’s pursuit to retrieve the orb. 

   It’s carcass was fascinating, in a horrific way, and we appraised it while Taklinn 
and Caribdis took care of wounds. Perhaps that is why we didn’t see Griff stroll
over to another door in the chamber and grasp it’s handle. We heard his gasp of
pain, though, and when we looked at him he returned our stares with a smile forced 
through a grimace of pain. He stepped back from the door, trying to whistle nonchalantly,
as Happy lambasted him for tinkering with doors before she’d had a chance to check
them out.

   After doing just that, she opened this one and we beheld a library! Row after row
of books lined shelves in neat, orderly rows. I salivated at the very odor of all these
old tombs, and I could not help but to hurry down the aisles, reading spines as I 
went.

   In all, I managed to select twenty-seven books of interest or value, and two of
what I believe to be Melisandre’s personal spell books! I have yet to open them 
though, for I don’t even want to imagine what heinous protections guard her
spells. I will have to wait until we return to Havilah to pursue them under safer
conditions. 

   Another door led from the library, and while I read esoteric titles, Happy checked
it for traps. She declared it safe, and opened the door. 

   She was wrong.

   The bolt of pain hit her like a hammer, and she doubled over on the floor, face
going pale, her mouth open to scream but no sound coming out. Griff, still acting a 
bit odd himself, knelt at her side, looking from Taklinn to myself, his face pleading
with us to help her. 

  Happy fought back tears of pain as she shakily regained her feet. I could tell that 
it wracked through her body even as I recognized the symptoms of a Symbol of
Pain. There was nothing to be done for her except wait until we had spells to get rid of
it. Until then, we knew that she’d be at a considerable disadvantage. But we had to 
go on.

   Behind the trapped door was a length of empty hallway. It was such an obvious
place to put a secret door that we had to at least check it. Happy, putting on a brave 
face over her grimaces of pain, stepped into the hall, her watering eyes peeled for
danger. She found the door near the end, and with a touch, it pivoted to reveal that
we’d just gone in a circle. The door emptied into the room where we had fought the 
two drider. 

  At least Taklinn, Happy, myself, and possibly Griff were injured beyond
immediate repair. We’d gotten what we’d come for, and needed to heal badly. We 
decided to hide in the secret hall where we’d found Lotte until we were ready to
brave the towers prisons. We made our way down to that small room, and we
dropped to the floor, our backs resting on the walls. The orb in its bag lay at my 
feet, and I could almost feel its pulse emanating from within. I decided to examine
it more thoroughly later. We had things to discuss right now.

  I cleared my throat, getting their attention. "Friends," I said, "There is a matter to 
talk about that we can’t put off. That of what to do with Sensesi. Is it agreed that we
will discuss it?" I looked around the room and saw four heads nod. I continued.

   "Before we dive into it, however, there is one thing I must say." I looked straight 
at Taklinn. "There is no one of us here any more or less important within this circle
than any other. We are all one fifth of a Crew of Havilah, and none among us can
make this decision on their own. Taklinn, when you said that whoever wanted 
Sensesi would have to take her from you, you may as well have slapped me in the
face. Never have I feared your hand, and you have no right to place it above me." I
stared at him, and Taklinn met my eyes with understanding. 

   "You are right, my friend," he nodded at last, "I spoke then out of anger and pride
and in a misguided attempt to protect my ideals. But you are right, none of us
should have to bow to the other, and I apologize if you will accept it." He stretched 
his hand out to me, and I got up to shake it. 

  "Apology accepted." I said, and I felt as if a great weight had been lifted from
both of us. 

  "Now then," I said to them all, "Here is what I suggest. We each say our piece
regarding what we feel should be done with Sensesi, afterward will be a short
discussion, then a vote. I submit that we demand a unanimous desiccation. This 
may mean the difference between life and death for Sensesi, and such a thing
should be agreed upon by all of us. I will start."

  I took a breath. "Sensesi is a spy. She tried to kill Happy, and she was one of the 
two yuan-ti that  cut off Taklinn’s arm. For all we know she may still be able to 
communicate with Melesandre. I take no pleasure or pride in executing prisoners, 
but we are at war, and we are a Crew of Havilah. We are well within our rights to do 
whatever needs  to be done. It is a simple matter of practicality. She is too great a liability, 
and she must die. Too many lives hang in the balance to afford a mistake at this late hour."
Having said my piece, I sat down. "Happy," I said, "Want to go next?"


   Rping 8 (cont)

   Happy took her feet and I could tell that she was as passionate now on the subject 
of Sensesi’s fate as she had been earlier. 

  "She tried to kill me! Me!" She cried vehemently. "She’s a spy and a yuan-ti, and I
have no sympathy for her. I say she dies!" 

   She sat back down again, her point made in short but firm sentences. 

   I looked at Griff, and though I could tell he was made uncomfortable by the idea
of giving his opinion, he did so anyway. 

   "Look," he said, "I don’t give a crap about this war and whether or not she’s a spy
and blah, blah, blah! I just don’t like killin’ unarmed foes. It goes against my grain,
that’s all. Frankly, I don’t care if we turn her over to the law or let her go. She 
doesn’t scare me either way. I just don’t want to be the one that has to stick her
when she can’t fight back."

   "Duly noted." I said. "Caribdis?" 

   Caribdis leapt to his feet and we could tell that his bardish loquaciousness was
about to take hold. It was as if he was taking the stage when he expounded, "Doorag
is right! Sensesi may still be communicating with Melesandre for all we know! Too 
much is riding on this decision for us to take it lightly! Havilah is depending on us!
Countless lives hang in the balance! Will any of us ever be able to bear the
knowledge that we failed in our mission because of misplaced compassion? She 
dies! Yes, and immediately!" Caribdis’ actual speech was far more lengthy and
verbose, but that was the meat of his argument.

  Taklinn went last. He stood and addressed us in his deep rumble. "I can still not 
agree to the out and out execution of a prisoner, especially on foreign soil. But that is
a personal qualm. My true reasoning is one that I have only just thought of over the
past hour or so. While it is true that Clangeden revealed to me that Sensesi is a spy, 
the question I posed to Him was, by necessity, of the simple yes or no variety.
There is still much we do not know. We have no way to be certain that she is still
actively working for Melesandre. Perhaps she has some ulterior motive. Perhaps she 
in no longer loyal to the witch queen. These are questions that cannot be answered
now, but as soon as I am able to ask for new spells, I can cast a few that will reveal
the truth of these matters. I would ask that we wait until that can be done. Her life is 
on the line, and thus she deserves any benefit of the doubt that we can give her,
otherwise this cannot be considered a fair shake. Also, I’m with Griff. I cannot
condone, nor do I see the honor in killing helpless foes. True, I have done so in the 
past, but only under the most extreme of circumstances. As things stand now, she is
our helpless prisoner. True, she may be communicating with Melesandre, but if that
were so, why aren’t there a hundred yuan-ti storming this room right now? I say we 
wait until I can cast my divining spells and learn the truth. There may yet be things
we can learn from her."

  He took his seat again, and I nodded solemnly. I passed out a stone to each of us. 
"The vote is on weather or not to kill her right now." I said. "We shall hold out our
fists and reveal the contents. A stone is a vote for death. An empty palm means life.
The decision must be unanimous. All agreed?" Four ’ayes!’ sounded, and we hid our 
stones behind our backs before holding our fists out to the circle. As one, we
opened our hands. As I suspected, the vote was not unanimous. Three stones lay on
outstretched palms. Happy, Caribdis and I had all voted for her execution, but her 
death was staved off by the empty hands of Taklinn and Griff. 

  In my heart I had known that they would not vote for her death, but I had felt that
this small act of democracy was needed to focus us again, to solidify the fact that 
each of our voices must be heard. I was disappointed with the result, but pleased
with the act itself.  

  "Very well." I said, "Tomorrow Taklinn will cast his spells, and perhaps a new
vote will be taken. Until then I pray that you are right Taklinn, and that she can no 
longer report to Melesandre. 

   We spent the rest of the day in rest, healing, and study. Every once in awhile my
eyes would stray to the orb on the floor, but I abstained from dwelling upon it 
overly much. The artifact was far too powerful to tinker with without some sort of
road map for its use, and I wanted no part in accidentally setting it off without
knowing how to turn it off again. A worse case scenario might have us Teleporting 
Melesandre and her entire army directly to us! That would never do.


   At sundown Taklinn entered into meditation, as he does every evening, and soon he 
opened his eyes, replete with spells that would, hopefully, reveal the truth about
Sensesi. His first order of business, however, was to deal with the lasting wounds
we had received, the energy draining taint of the statue I had touched, and the blow 
from the skeleton. In mere moments he had laid his huge, calloused hands upon me
and recited his prayer. Just like that, I felt good as new. Powerful magic’s indeed,
my friend! Powerful magic’s indeed! 

  He then turned his attention to Sensesi. To question her in her current viper/turtle
form, he had to first cast Speak With Animals upon himself, after that he cast his
divinations and for several minutes we heard no sounds save an almost inaudible 
hissing exchange. We had given him our questions, and he asked them without fear
of lies.

   When he again spoke to us in recognizable tongue, he had this to report. 

  "I could only ask a few questions," He said, "But this I know: She is no longer a
spy working for Melesandre. In fact, she has no loyalty to Melesandre at all. She
aided us for her own reasons, though what those might be I cannot ascertain. Also, 
she is unable to communicate with Melesandre."

   He shrugged, looking at us all. 

  Much discussion followed. Griff and Taklinn were now not to be swayed on the 
matter, and even Happy and Caribdis now raised empty palms when next we voted.
I found myself the only holdout. 

   I don’t know why, but I have a deep foreboding about Sensesi, a feeling that there 
is far more to her than meets the eye. My fear is so great that I must admit that I
would see her dead rather than give her even a chance to wreak havoc. It defies
logic. On the surface, she is a turncoat from Melesandre, and I suppose, could even 
be of use to us. But my heart tells me that, though she might be against Melesandre,
that does not mean that she is loyal to us. 

  I have no real evidence upon which to base that. It is a moral dilemma that I have 
fought with myself now for the past several hours. I must now admit that she dose
not deserve execution. Yet the thought of her fills me with such dread that I find
myself wishing that I possessed a less rigid set of ethics.  

  It has been ultimately decided that she will remain our prisoner for the time being,
but that she shall be released when this nasty business is over. It galls me that I will
be the one who has to Polymorph her back to yuan-ti form. But I will do it. It is the 
will of the crew, and I know that no matter what evil she may cause in the future,
we will defeat her. If the four people I trust most say she lives, she lives.


   Rping 9

  Well, this has been a busy day to say the least. 

   We set out as soon as possible. Rested, healed, and full of spells, we delved 
deeper in to the tower, following the path described to us by Albert. Through taking
secret passageway we were able to enter into the prison level without dealing with
yuan-ti patrols. Yet, we had more things to worry about that a few yuan-ti.  

  A spacious and empty room greeted us when we stepped from the spiral staircase,
and we quickly made out way through it toward the exit on the far side. We had not 
gotten more than half way across, when a quick look behind saw another retriever
claw its way into this dimension and rattle forward, a huge and hellish spider with
lava in its eyes. I looked at it.  And I realized that I still held the bloody orb! 

  I didn’t even have time to react. The demon hit me with twin rays of magical fire
shot from its eyes, and I felt the world slip away. I could barely keep my feet as I 
felt the life run out of me in a single, huge, second. I sagged against Caribdis, but he
was already there, laying his hands on my shoulders and infusing me with his most
powerful healing verse. Just that quick, I was nearly fully healed! It was an 
incredibly odd and frightening experience, but I had no time to dwell upon it, and,
almost by reflex, I threw up a Wall of Ice that effectively blocked the creature. 

   Happy and Griff ran to the wall, getting into position, for the retriever was already 
hacking away the wall in big chunks. In mere seconds it had breached the wall only
to find Griff standing there.

   "Come on!" Griff roared, his sword brandished and his body bereft of armor, 
"Come get some!"

  But the Retriever still had its eyes locked on me, and it charged forward, heedless
of the Ice Wall's freezing damage and Griff’s blade. It took hits from both Happy 
and Griff but sent Griff spinning to the floor in its headlong rush to get at me. But
they had bought me a little time, and Taklinn still stood between myself the demon.
I cast Fly on myself and shot toward the ceiling - only to find it a mere fifteen feet 
high! The retriever could easily reach that with it’s hooked legs! 

   It became a race, with me doing my best to lead the thing toward my companions
and still not get caught.  

   I failed to mention in my account of the first retriever we fought that the things
regenerate, and only fire seems to be an effective method of keeping them dead. In
the end, we wore it down and overwhelmed it, and a flask of alchemists fire 
finished the job. The only serious injury had been mine, and I must remember to
thank Caribdis for pulling me so swiftly from the brink. 

  Sometimes I am reminded of how physically frail I am compared to our 
swordsmen. Griff or Taklinn probably would have shrugged off those fire blasts as
if they were minor annoyances. 

  The day was far from over though. The exit from the large chamber was a lengthy 
hall. Happy took the point by some thirty feet or so until she came to a doorless
room. Cautiously, she stepped in. 

  Right into an ambush! Half a dozen yuan-ti waited here with drawn bows, and 
they unleashed a full barrage of arrows at our hapless girl. We heard her cry out in
pain before we even saw the black arrows thunk into her body, and she reeled,
barely keeping her feet. 

   We acted quickly. I hurried forward and threw up a Wall of Force down one side
of the room, blocking off three of the yuan-ti. After that it was a matter of
supporting Griff and Taklinn as they mowed through the other three. Griff made 
them very sorry that they had harmed his favorite halfling. Alas, the yuan-ti trapped
behind the wall blacked out that section of the room and escaped by changing into
viper form and slithering through small holes at the base of the walls obviously 
meant for travel in serpent form.

   "They know we’re here!" Griff rasped, and he set out through the opposite exit at
a quick jog. We feared that the yuan-ti might slay prisoners rather than see them 
freed, and thus we hurried down the hall straight into another mass of yuan-ti. 

  Seven of them waited here, and again they stood with bows at the ready, only this
time it was Griff who met their barbs, and though they scored hits, Griff was
amongst them in a split second, his sword carving a path through the serpentine 
ranks with meaty thuds. Taklinn came in behind, his axe bringing death and
dismemberment to them in great swaths.  

  Our steel, as well as our spells and arrows brought them down, and when it was
over not one yuan-ti breathed life. 

   We were faced with five doors, two north, two south, and one east. The southern 
and northern doors lead to barracks and kitchen for the yuan-ti soldiers, and though
Griff urged us on, we could not help but be captured by what we found behind a
secret door in the barracks. Swords, longbows, armor, arrows. Hundreds of sets of 
weapons, all of very fine craftsmanship were stacked along the walls of this room.
Taklinn took one look at it and pronounced it worth a fortune! That, and the notion
of deriving the yuan-ti of weapons, set us to pitching as many of these weapons as 
we could into our bag of holding. 

  But we did not tarry long, and in short order had opened the eastern door to find
another corridor that led to a stout pair of business like double doors. Griff wasted 
no time in shoving the unlocked doors open, and we beheld the antechamber of the
towers prisons. The room was large and lined with weird sarcophagus-like
chambers, each of which had a dozen or more tubes running through it. All seemed 
to leak a green, viscous, liquid, and, still dripping that same liquid, there staggered
ten undead zombies toward us. We would soon learn that these were no run of the
mill zombies.  

  Toward the back of the room stood a rack, and upon it was stretched a broken
wreck of a man. Behind the rack stood a caricature of all that is good and right. A
cleric of Illugi. He cast a spell even as the doors swung open, and Taklinn would 
later reveal that the spell had made him a magnet for the undead. Immediately all ten
of the zombies turned their attention to our cleric and stumbled toward him. 

   Griff charged through, slamming zombies out of his way as he did, to come toe to 
toe with the cleric, but I had other things in mind for this servant of hell than an
opportunity for more magical hijinx. Flying up to see over the converging mass of
zombies, I let loose a Hold Monster that stopped the cleric in mid motion. He froze 
as still as stone, and Griff was showing no mercy in the heat of battle. With a swift
roundhouse swing, he sent the clerics head sailing from his shoulders. 

   In the meantime Taklinn was getting a chance to show off the raw power of 
Clangeden, and pure holiness seemed to radiate from him in waves beneath which
the zombies crumbled. Within seconds he had destroyed the lot of them, but more
streamed from a door to the south. Lots more. They came at Taklinn in a stumbling 
tide, and again he cried out to his god, and again a full half of them were turned to
dust.

  But there were five zombies left and Taklinn’s ability to call upon Clangeden to 
destroy undead is finite. The last of these things would have to be dealt with the old
fashioned way.

  We quickly found out that they were somehow at least partially immune to most 
forms of damage. Taklinn, Caribdis, Happy and myself all scored tremendous hits on
zombies. I hit one of them with a Scorching Ray that would bring down an ogre, but
the undead just ignored it!  

  On the other side of the room Griff was also having problems. Two quasits,
apparently the clerics pets, had appeared on either side of him, bent on revenge.
They attacked him with a fury of blind rag, and he sustained several poison filled 
bites that would plague him later in the day. But they were no match for his
sword, and soon he was joined with us in a maddening fight against seemingly
impervious zombies. We had brought a couple of them down through either lucky 
shots or just a mass of damage that tore the things apart. I was able to polymorph
one of them into a fish, and apparently they had a weakness for force spells, and
Magic Missiles proved their worth again as it turned out to be one of our only sure
ways to damage them. 

  Mindless, on and on they came, pounding away at Taklinn until the last one fell to
my final volley of Missiles. Taklinn, Griff and myself stood there for long minutes, 
trying to figure out how they had sustained so much damage. In the meantime
Happy was busy trying to bring comfort to the still surviving torture victim on the
rack while Caribdis was happily opening the only other door in the room.  

   What he found behind it has changed the whole scope of this mission!

   Rping 9 (cont) 

   It was the cells. Caribdis had located the still living prisoners who were held in
this hell hole and there were lots of them. On and on the rows of cells went, and
Caribdis, who had found the keys somewhere, ran merrily down the rows, 
unlocking doors and singing the praises of our crew. They walked, staggered, and
crawled out of their cells, and before I knew it the main antechamber was filled to
capacity, and then overflowing, with newly released people, many of them speaking 
excitedly in Havilahian. It was music to my ears!

   On and on they came, most of them stout men, eager for leadership, a weapon,
and a chance to take revenge on Melesandre. We counted 450 of them in all, several 
of them Crew members come to Edik in the same way we did, only captured upon
arrival. They looked to us for guidance, and we took the role, using the Crew
members as lieutenants and organizing them into groups. We emptied our bag of 
holding of the weapons and armor we’d found and sent others to retrieve the arms
we’d not been able to carry. Within a short time we had at our command a sizable
force, considerably armed.  

   And Nanden had yet to arrive with his people. 

  To find so many survivors filled me with joy, but I couldn’t help but feel heartsick
at the thought of how many thousands had been lost and now served Melesandre as 
her undead minions. 

   The organization of these people has taken up the whole of the rest of this day. I
sit now in an antechamber guarded by three wizards we found amongst the 
prisoners. They are all Crew members. It appears that all spontaneous casters such
as clerics and sorcerers were killed out right, but those spell casters who could be
rendered inert by withholding their spell books were sparred. I opened my own 
books to them and they eagerly memorized select choices. They take my privacy
very seriously and each of them take turns standing guard at the door to make sure
that I am not disturbed during my study and rest. I am both amused and 
uncomfortable with being put in a position of reverence, but I suppose it would be
rude to reject their gratitude. I guess I’m just not used to being looked up to. 

   I should mention that there are also some twenty-four yuan-ti prisoners held here 
as well in specially designed cells to keep them from escaping as vipers. Though
they are more than likely turn coats against Melesandre, we have chosen to leave
them where they are. We cannot trust them.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

***My apologies for the screwy formatting. My copy/paste job is sucking. I'm trying to fix it.***


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

Rping 10

   Nanden has arrived. He has brought with him nearly fifteen hundred more men, 
women, and children, half of whom are potential combatants. Albert and Adeede
are with them, and Albert has given me three books he was able to retrieve that
have helped us formulate a plan.  

   One of the books is Teppo Stafford’s journal, and it contains vital information
about the orb. It tells how to power the artifact with arcane and divine spells, and
goes on to say that, once charged with this magic, a Plane Shift spell cast into it will 
teleport any touching the orb, and any in contact with it through flesh to a point
within a few hundred feet of the second orb. 

   The other two books are Melisandre’s personal journals, and after dispelling the
protective magic’s on them we were able to read her diabolical plans.  

  She is obviously mad and utterly devoted to Illugi. Her goals appear to be to
spread chaos and evil, with specific emphasis on the downfall of Havilah. She has 
used Edik as a base of operations. It was an easy mark, and she has done her best to
destroy this land, stripping it of people and resources to build an army that can
crush Havilah. Though it is difficult to figure exactly, given the time differences 
between Edik and our world, her time line would indicate that her direct assault on
Havilah grows near.

   Albert has also given me a crystal ball that was formerly Melisandre’s, and, after 
identifying it tomorrow, I may be able to get a look at her and see just how close
she is, should this be an actual scrying device.

  Griff, Happy, and a troop of men went into the city today to scout around. While 
it appears that Anvie is largely devoid of Melisandre’s troops, a few yuan-ti patrols
still linger, and they found one. The two groups clashed and slew several yuan-ti,
but the snake men used their darkness ability to force our force to retreat. It is good 
news that the city is, more or less, ours though.


   Rping 11     

   Another day of intensive study into the mind of Melesandre through her journals.
I have discovered why the zombies we fought were so difficult to bring down. 
Apparently Illugi grants Melesandre the power to create undead that are unusually
hardy. They can withstand nearly any blow to their bodies, short of hacking off
important limbs. The best means of dispatching them is to take their heads off. It 
disturbs me to think that she has raised an army of these creatures. 

  The journals do give a hint as to their destruction, however. It seems that the
powers infused into Melesandre, and hence her zombies, through Illugi is keyed to 
her unholy symbol of the god. I believe that if we can destroy this item it may
destroy her undead, or at least weaken them to the point where the armies of
Havilah can deal with them.  

   Another quirk of these undead is that any living thing they slay will arise as one
of them!

  The journals also tell of Melisandre’s dealings with other races sympathetic to her 
cause. It mentions the yuan-ti extensively, of course, and indicates a connection
with the Himrok orcs as well.

   Excitement today came in the form of yet another retriever suddenly appearing 
out of no where. We have secured the orb within our bag of holding since the last
one, and Taklinn holds the bag. The retriever could apparently still sense the orb
even within its extra dimensional space and ran straight at Taklinn.  

  But we have had some practice fighting these beasts by now, and our combined
skills quickly dispatched it, though not before it nearly tore Griff in half. 

  One other thing: Caribdis took it upon himself to free the yuan-ti prisoners this 
afternoon. They caused quite a stir when he led them out, and about a thousand
swords were suddenly leveled at the snake men. Even Griff couldn’t deny that we
could not trust these yuan-ti, and Taklinn and I gently herded them back to their 
cells. To their credit they didn’t try to escape. 

 I plan to cast a couple of Identify spells tomorrow. We have several items, many
potions, and the crystal ball to check. 


  Rping 12

   I cannot sleep, yet I cannot seem to write either. I identified the crystal ball as a 
scrying device and learned how to use it this afternoon, and what I saw in it left me
in a state where sleep eludes me.

  I decided against trying to scry Melesandre, for I must assume she wears
protective magic’s against such things. So I chose to try to find Freya instead. 
Melesandre has hauled Caribdis’ long lost love around with her all this time; I had
no reason to suspect that she was not near her now. And Caribdis still had her scarf, 
which allowed me a better chance to scry her. 

  It worked. Freya’s image in the crystal ball slowly came into shape, and I beheld
her frightened form standing atop a hillock overlooking the once lush fields that 
surround Havilah city. As I pulled my view back from her I could see Melesandre!
The witch queen stood not far off, surveying her armies. Suddenly, she whirled
around, and I could tell by the look in her dark eyes that she knew that they were 
being scryed. 

  But I could not break the connection. The scene beyond Melesandre froze me in
place. 

  Undead. As far as I could see through my small window. They milled about in
loose ranks, an ocean of mindless fodder awaiting Melisandre’s orders to slay their
former countrymen. They were rolling in siege equipment and setting up catapults 
under the orders of yuan-ti. There were thousands and thousands of them. The
magnitude of that army made my heart sink. Our force will be a mere drop in the
bucket against such an overwhelming mass of undead. 

   Then my attention returned to Melesandre, for she was looking right at me. Her
once beautiful face was twisted in a knowing smirk, and I knew that she could not
have cared less if we wanted to spy on her. She believed her plan too far underway 
for us to stop. And from the looks of things she was not far off. Her armies looked
as if they might be ready to attack and lay siege to Havilah by tomorrow. Time is
short; we have decided to return to Havilah at first light. 

   Griff approached me today and asked if he might have a word in private. I was a
bit surprised at this since Griff usually plays his cards pretty close to his vest, and I 
wouldn’t consider myself high up on the list of people he’d confide in. So I was
curious as I shut the door to one of the ante chambers to give us some privacy.

  He paced the room several times, as if deciding just how to say what he needed to 
say. At last, he turned and laid it out.

   "Look," he said, "I’m telling you this ’cause I think your the only one who won’t
think I’m crazy. There’s something you have to tell the others, and I think they’ll 
take it better coming from you, or at least you’ll know how to explain it."

   "Your pregnant?" I quipped. He scowled. 

   "It’s Roland!" he finally blurted.  

   "Roland? You mean Roland who used to wield Everyman’s Blade?" I asked. 

  "Right! That Roland." Griff nodded. "He’s in the sword; part of it somehow, and
he talks to me in my head! He’s been yapping at me for months now! He never 
shuts up! He’s worse than Caribdis, always callin’ me the chosen one and such!"

   "Interesting!" I exclaimed. "Interesting indeed! It would appear that you are, in
fact, the Chosen One, Griff. And it can’t be too bad, otherwise you would have just 
gotten rid of the sword."

   He grimaced. "Don’t you think I’ve tried?"

  "Oh." I said. 

   "Anyway, the point is, he’s told me something about that unholy symbol you told
us about. The one that’s supposed to keep Melisandre’s zombies so tough."

   "This sounds promising." I said. 
   "Yeah. Well, according to Roland, Everyman’s Blade is the only thing that can
destroy it. So you gotta tell the rest of ’em to leave it to me. It’ll kill anyone else that
tries to touch it." he paused. "I don’t want the rest of ’em knowing where this came 
from though. Okay?"

   "Ah, well," I said, "I’m not sure why you don’t trust your friends to take you
seriously, Griff, but I suppose I could tell them that this is some new information
I’ve gleaned from her journals." 

  "Gleaned. Yeah, that sounds good." He nodded, satisfied with that as a cover
story. He scowled again and walked out the door without another word.  

  So I’ve done as he asked and told the rest of the crew and our men to leave the
symbol to Griff. 

   I must lay my quill to rest now and try to get some sleep. This may well be the last
entry in this diary, for tomorrow will see either the liberation or the fall of Havilah.
I say a small prayer tonight to Clangeden, for he is the only god I really know well 
enough that I believe he may hear me. My prayer is for our Crew, and our men, and
our city. My prayer is for the safety of us all, but in the end, if we must die, so be it.
So long as we may be buried beneath the soil of a free Havilah.   


   Rping 13/5

   There was little sleep to be had the night before the battle, and still I awoke early. 
My spell selection this day would be critical, and I had dwelt upon it even during
my slumber.

  The rest were not far behind. Taklinn went about his morning prayers as usual, 
but there was a somberness to his tone that I hadn’t heard before. Griff was stoic as
ever, and you’d never have known by his expression that today was different from
any other. I suppose for him, it wasn’t. 

  Happy chewed at her thumbnail and ate very little of her breakfast. Her eyes went
again and again to Griff, worry creasing her brow. Caribdis chattered nervously, yet
he managed to brighten the morning at least a little.  

  We broke our fast with Nanden and the crew members who led our motley bunch,
and we hashed out the last details of our plan. The women and children and elderly
who could not fight would be left behind with a small contingent of Nanden’s 
people to protect them. The rest of us would use the orb to teleport back to Havilah,
hopefully only a short distance from its sister orb. Then, we would face Melesandre
on the battle field, once and for all. 

   A thousand pairs of eyes watched us as we broke camp and made our final
preparations. Our lieutenants took command of their groups, and the five of us
walked to the center of the prison antechamber to stand by the rack, once an 
instrument of torture, now a table upon which to set the orb. Havalihians and Edik
born pressed in around our small circle, and we could hear their weapons and armor
clinking in the stone chamber. They looked to us for leadership. And we looked to 
Griff.

  Griff scowled, but oddly enough, did not hesitate to climb up on the rack to
overlook the throng. Silence descended.  Caribdis quickly cast Tongues on himself 
and translated for the benefit of Nanden’s people as Griff began to speak. 

   Even the dead rock of this accursed prison could not deaden Griff’s voice, and as I
looked up at him I saw not my old friend Griffin Dorjan, scruffy mercenary and 
roustabout. No, that morning I beheld a man that people would follow. A general. A
leader. A hero. His words were simple and direct, and he said them matter of factly,
but each one was a diamond of hope to us as we prepared to plunge into certain 
death.

   "Listen!" he said in a voice made of steel, "I know your scared. Hell, I’m scared.
So what? Our backs are against the wall and now we fight! She’s destroyed one 
world, she’s trying to destroy another. It ends today! Just remember, were not going
out there to fight the thousands she commands. No, we’re out to take down one
person! Melesandre! And from where I’m standing, she’s outnumbered!" 

  A great cheer swelled and filled the hall. Hundreds of scimitars and bows were
raised. It was deafening, but I found myself yelling as loud as any of them. Griff
stood there like a grim statue, accepting the chorus, letting himself be the focal
point of their hope. I don’t think it was where he wanted to be, but he knew they 
needed a figure to believe in. I admired him very much at that moment, and Happy
positively glowed.  

  "All right." he said and stilled the crowd, "Let’s get this over with." He dropped to
the floor and nodded at Taklinn and I. It was up to us now.

   We cast our final preparatory spells. I cast a Fly on Griff after asking his permission 
and receiving a shrug. I just had a hunch. I also cast a Polymorph Other on Albert,
changing him into a giant eagle. He was too old to fight, but would not be left
behind. He was to fly to the city and deliver a note to the guard there that we were a 
force come to help. 

   I gathered the three spell casters we had rescued from the prisons. Each man and
woman put a hand on their neighbor so that we were an interconnected group. Each 
of us had a connection through flesh with the other, and according to what I had
figured out about the orb, that would send us all back to Havilah. 

  I glanced to my right as the wizards began to cast spells into the orb at Taklinn’s 
signal. Happy stood there touching both Don Kay and her horse, both of whom I
had polymorphed back into their normal equine states the day before. I wished them
luck, and did not envy them. Ambros braced himself within my hat, and I cast an 
Ice Shards on myself as Taklinn cast his divine spells into the orb, which was
already beginning to pulse and glow with a dark inner light. It’s glow filled the
room as he cast the last spell into it and followed it with a Plain Shift. And then, all 
was blinding white and our stomachs seemed to drop.

  The next instant our world was gray sky and the stench of a battle field ruled by
undead. We landed like the wrong end of a magnet in a pile of iron shavings as 
zombies were displaced and thrown hundreds of feet from us as we suddenly
appeared among them. They hit the ground and tumbled and splattered, but their ilk
swarmed in to take their places. We were surrounded on all sides by thousands and 
thousands of them, and they stumbled and hurled themselves at us in mindless
obedience to their master. 

   We were at the center of our circle, and we shouted commands to get our bearings 
as our outer ranks fielded the first wave of undead. I flew straight up and looked
around. 

  I saw her. Only a few hundred yards to the east, flanked by her personal guard of 
yuan-ti and drider. Our entrance had not gone un noticed by her, I do believe our
eyes locked for a second across the war torn field. 

  "There!" I cried, pointing with my parasol and flying to the edge of our circle as it 
shifted and an entrance parted to allow Griff, Taklinn, Happy and Caribdis to
charge from within and take the lead. Zombies awaited them, and they met with a
ferocious clash. Undead fell, but more stepped in to take their places, despite our 
army. Still, Griff and Taklinn pressed forward and we surged ahead, plowing into
the zombies ranks to gain a few precious yards toward Melesandre. 

   At that point I took a chance and flew forward until I was within range and cast 
my Dispel Magic, and I could tell by the look in her face that I’d just deprived her
of several magical enhancements. But I paid the price, for I was only about ten feet
above the heads of her undead army, many of whom carried simple bows and 
crossbows. Mindless undead they may have been, but they were certainly able to fill
the air around me with barbed shafts, and despite the Ice Shards protection, I was
hit a couple of times. 

  My friends fought on, gaining ground as fast as they could against an enemy that
knew no fear. As I flew back to them I saw Melesandre cast a spell that I recognized
as Improved Invisibility, and she winked out. Cursing, I cast See Invisibility on 
myself watched her fly forward under the power of her own spell. 

   Then Taklinn cast. It was a cone of diamond dust that seemed to strip the flesh
away from our enemy and rend their bones. Dozens and dozens dropped before us,
and with a surge our forces charged forward. But still the undead washed in upon 
our flanks like ocean waves, and I watched many brave warriors go down, and I knew that
they would only rise again as zombies themselves. We had to hurry.  

   More arrows found me, but I gritted my teeth and cast a Hold spell at Melesandre.
She laughed as she ignored it, and answered with a terrible casting of her own. All
around us it was as if the very darkness of the abyss itself slithered up through the 
earth and caressed us with sickly tentacles. It even reached me, and I felt the world
go gray and then black. 

   Caribdis tells me that I fell unconscious, but he leapt up to reach me and infused 
me with healing. I shook my head to clear it and focused on the witch queen again.

  Taklinn cast his spell again, and again the diamond dust blasted zombies into
oblivion. The field before us was suddenly nearly clear of undead, and Griff spurred 
his horse on, galloping through zombies on his own to close with the drider. The
two met at the top of a low hill, and I could see their silhouettes as they wheeled
and fought to kill each other. Melisandre’s yuan-ti guard closed around Griff as 
well, but Taklinn was already casting another cone of diamond dust. 

   I tried a polymorph spell on Melesandre, hoping to end this thing with one lucky
spell, but it was not to be, for despite my Dispel on her, she was still well protected. 
I could see her fortifying herself still further with clerical enhancements, and I
cursed. All she had to do was out last us. Soon we would simply be overwhelmed
by her army. Worse yet, I knew that I was the only one who could see her. I needed 
to somehow get Griff on her.

   I resorted to damaging spells and hit her with a Bolt of Conjuring, but she
followed with a volley of Magic Missiles that nearly put me out of commission 
again. Still, I flew toward her, determined to point her out to Griff.

   Happy darted forward, wanting to help Griff, but she was quickly hemmed in by
undead. Caribdis yelled a warning and fired his bow, but again it was Taklinn’s 
spell that cleared a swath through the zombies, and by this time he was close
enough that his cone hit the drider and yuan-ti as well. Several of the yuan-ti fell,
and the remaining ones turned and charged toward Happy.  

 Caribdis suddenly raced forward, dodging around zombies, his eyes locked on the
figure tied to a chair on the hill. Freya was there, and he meant to rescue her at long
last.  

  I flew to within ten feet of Melesandre and screamed at Griff! "Here! Griff, she’s
right here!" I pointed at the invisible witch, but she just laughed and peppered me
with another handful of missiles. I groaned, and new I could not take another hit 
like that. I fumbled for my potion of healing, desperate to remain conscious so that
at least one of us could see her. "Griffffff!!" I screamed.

  And then Griff charged his mount past the drider's flailing arms and delivered a 
powerful blow that split its dark body from shoulder to sternum. He wheeled his
horse and it rose on two legs for a second, pounding the air with its front hooves as
Griff raised his bloody sword over his head. His dark eyes fastened on Melesandre, 
and I knew that somehow he could see her. 

  Happy was now surrounded by yuan-ti, and I feared that Griff would ride to her
rescue, but this time he did what had to be done, and he spurred his mount in a dead 
charge in our direction. He needn’t have worried, for Taklinn cast his final diamond
dust spell. The beauty of this spell is that it only effects evil, and Happy stood in its
midst as yuan-ti were stripped of their flesh and fell to the ground. 

  With renewed hope, I cast my own set of Magic Missiles at Melesandre to keep
her off balance as Griff closed the distance. For the first time, I saw fear in her eyes.

   Griff was still some thirty feet below us, but he grinned wolfishly as he left the 
back of his horse under the power of my Fly spell and closed the gap between
himself and the witch queen. She tried to fly backwards in an attempt to escape, but
he caught her with a great slash from Everyman’s Blade, which now seemed to
glow with eagerness at being in battle with her at last. Her fear turned to 
disbelieving terror as she realized she couldn’t get away from Griff. The blood from
her wound ran hot and free, and I suddenly knew that she had not let herself believe 
that this could happen, that she might be defeated and need an escape plan. I held
my own casting, hoping to disrupt her with another volley of missiles should she try
to cast. I needn't have worried. She was within Griffin’s reach now, and despite her 
magics, she was no match for his fury. Down and back, once, twice, three times,
Everyman’s Blade slashed at her. The first cut took her across the chest, and she
screamed in pain. The second pierced her belly, and it was with a final mighty 
backswing that Griff opened a bright gash beneath her chin. Her last expression was
of utter surprise as her head fell backward, nearly severed from her body. A great
gout of blood shot into the air. Griff hovered there, his blade held at a ninety degree 
angle from his body, blood dripping from it in slow motion. He did not cut her
again, for she was already dead. 

  "The symbol, Griff!" I cried as her body began to float to the earth. He settled on 
the ground next to her, and brought his sword above his head in two hands. With a
mighty thrust, he brought it down to pierce the symbol hanging at her side. 

  A great clap of thunder emanated from it, and Griff was sent reeling. The 
wave seemed to roll out from Melisandre’s body, and undead simply went from
fighting to falling as it passed through them. Just like that, more than fifty thousand
bodies lay on the fields of Havilah city, lifeless and harmless.  

   I looked at Griff and he at me, then at the sword in his hand. It was broken.
Everyman’s blade lay in pieces on the ground next to Melesandre. Griff shrugged
and tossed aside the handle. He searched the area for Happy, found her, and began 
to walk to her.

  We could see yuan-ti break and run, hundreds of them, outnumbered now, and
without leadership or the courage to continue the fight. We heard a great roar erupt 
from the direction of Havilah city, and I realized it was the cheer of a people
delivered as the gates of the city opened and first soldiers, then citizens poured out. 

   Of our forces, only half stood, but they raised a cheer of their own that rivaled that 
of the city. Nanden joined Taklinn as he neared me, and Caribdis came toward us,
leading Freya, his eyes glowing with pride. 

  I settled my feet on the earth again, still woozy with loss of blood. I looked down 
at the body of Melesandre, now twisted and hacked apart. A hundred emotions
washed over me, and it was as if the cheers of our men came from very far away.
We had beaten the witch queen at last. It was over, and the five of us still stood. I 
looked to the sky and breathed a silent thanks to the powers that be, and began to
walk toward my friends.  

The End: Book I ​


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

_   Epilogue 

The days that followed the end of Melesandre were filled with celebration, 
rebuilding, and acclamation. 

  The crew were, of course, regarded as heroes and adulation was showered on 
them. Idas Whitestock, king of Havilah, rewarded them with key items of near
legendary magical status, as well as a sizable sum of gold. 

   They were also given, at long last, some much needed time off. The next seven
months were spent in the city, though their rest was not without productivity.  

   Doorag had been awarded very special new accommodations within the academy
that included a state of the art wizards laboratory sized to fit his small stature. He 
would spend the better part of his vacation locked away in his lab pursuing the craft
of making magical items. Flush with gold, Taklinn and Happy both took advantage
of Doorag’s offer to fashion items for them as well. Perhaps the most interesting 
build was a special request from Happy. She wished for something to make her
bigger, and for as long as she wanted, hinting that such a thing wasn’t so much for
field work as it was to facilitate romance. Five days later he presented her with a 
bracelet that would add two feet to her size, putting her just on par with a small
human. She was delighted, and after that she and Griff seemed to become even
closer. The rest of the crew wondered about their relationship, and some even asked 
outright. Happy would neither confirm or deny anything, and Griff would simply
ignore the question. 

  Doorag was also able to visit his family, as well as see The Old Man In The 
Pointy Hat again. The pride he had won in his mentors heart was, perhaps, the best
reward Doorag could have hoped for.

   Doorag and Taklinn also took on the task of retrieving the remaining people from
Edik, and it was discovered that it was indeed possible. Magic’s were used, and
within a day they had returned the women, children and elderly to their families. 

   Caribdis became a very busy young man. As he had hoped, Freya was utterly
swept away by his heroism and gallantry. Only days after her rescue Caribdis was 
puffing his chest and declaring himself a man. He bought her a fine house, then a
tavern he dubbed the Broken Blade. Griff even went so far as to give him the
remains of Everyman’s Blade which Caribdis displayed in a place of honor. The 
Broken Blade was soon the premier meeting place and performing theater in all of
Havilah. 

   Caribdis and Freya were inseparable. This was the young girl who had once 
ignored Caribdis when he was a boy, and here she was, the realization of his quest.
He had tracked her across two worlds and had rescued her, and had won her love. 

  And yet, Caribdis found out that sometimes the dream is better than reality. As the 
end of their time off grew near, his friends began to notice that he always seemed to
be at the Broken Blade, working day and night, and sleeping there as well. They
wondered if he might not be trying to avoid Freya. When pressed about it he 
confessed. His vision of Freya had been one of perfection, while the actual young
woman was, in fact, not perfect. He found her a bit short sighted. She was intent on
day to day things that offered security and routine while Caribdis began to yearn 
for the open road and the adventures that lie there. She also hinted incessantly
about marriage, children, and his possible retirement from the Crew that he might
better focus his talents to business propositions. And she...well, she nagged.  

   By the time Caribdis finally spilled all of this to his friends he was well and truly
tired of Freya, and wished nothing more than to never see her again. He was
probably the most eager of them all to go when duty finally called again. 

   Taklinn left Havilah to return home for a good long stretch. It was a time for him
to be under the stone again, to live with his family and to see his fiance. His deeds 
had certainly not gone unnoticed by his clan, and his name was carved into the
Stone of Heroes. He was frugal with his money, and talked often of opening his own
temple to Clangeden one day.  

   Griff and Happy spent most of their days together, enjoying the city and each
other. Griff trained new recruits in both Havilah’s army and the academy.  

   One of the more sad casualties of the final battle with Melesandre had been Don
Kay. Happy’s beloved donkey had found herself in the area of one of the witch 
queens more foul spells, and the poor beast had been overcome, dieing on the battle
field. Happy mourned her passing, as did the rest of the crew. They all raised their
cups to the staunch animal, and Taklinn gave Hap a rare apology for having once 
clouted Don Kay on the head.

   Griff also spent considerable time with the people from Edik. 

   Nanden’s people were strangers in a strange land, and their acclamation took 
some doing. Because Griff spoke their language (Everyman’s Blade had instilled
this knowledge upon him) he was able to help them in this. 

   It was soon obvious, though, that the natives of Edik were ill suited to city life. 
For the most part they were tribesmen and herders. They missed the once lush hills
of their home and most of them wished to find a place of their own within Havilah.
With Griffin’s help, Nanden took his plea to King Whitestock, and the king, 
appreciating full well the part that Nanden and his people had played in freeing his
own kingdom, granted them their choice of several sites within his borders. They
had only to look them over and choose one. It was this task that was set before the 
Crew. King Whitestock asked that they accompany a representative of Nanden’s
people to these locations that he might decide which would best suite them. They
readily agreed, for all of them were beginning to chafe at their inactivity. Even 
Doorag, content to while away endless hours tinkering in his lab, was eager to
serve Havilah again, and this seemed like a perfect and worthwhile peacetime
assignment.  

   Nanden’s people cast their lots and chose their representative. It was decided that
Nanden would stay with his people to govern them, so they chose one of their most
trusted to go in his stead.  

   He was called Mardath of the line of Roland, and he wore his name with pride.
The crew had noticed him during their fight on the fields of Havilah, for none
among his people had fought so fiercely. He had put himself between crew member 
and undead time and again, and both he and his greatsword had been coated with
gore by the time Melesandre fell. 

   He was tall, and his arms were corded with lean muscle. He bore a wild look 
about him, but was surprisingly polite and soft spoken in social settings, as if he
were embarrassed at his broken command of the language. He had only been
learning for seven months, but had caught on quite well, proving that he possessed 
intelligence as well as strength. 

   On the last day of Growfest celebration they strapped on their well worn gear,
mounted up, and rode out of the city in search of a new home for the people of Edik. 



From the Diary of Doorag Marzipan: Book II

Prologue

   They departed Havilah on the first day of Growfest, and though the idea of
leaving without first properly celebrating banapis did not agree with all of them, 
Mardath, at least, was eager to be off, having had quite enough of city life. He was
the first to arrive at their meeting place near the city gates.  

   One by one the crew arrived, except Happy and Griff, who showed up together. 
All arrived with mounts, save Doorag, who had other ideas. Glad for the chance to
use the blasted spell for its intended purpose, he cast a Firebird, and mounted up.
There was some consternation caused by the sudden appearance of the flaming
eagle among the city guard, but these were, after all, the heroes of Havilah, and 
they raised not a finger to stop Doorag, who appeared quite oblivious to the panic
he had caused in the nearby equine population. He mounted up, commanded the 
bird to lift off, and flew in an ever widening spiral that leveled out to follow the
north road. Griff rolled his eyes a bit, but spurred his mount along to follow. The
rest did likewise, and with that, the Crew took to the road again.   

   The ride was a relaxing jaunt through the crisp air that smelled of a coming
spring. All around them the earth was waking up, and they could already see
sprouts pushing their way upwards through the destruction left in Melisandre’s 
wake. Even seven months had not been enough time for the earth to heal itself from
the damage she had caused, but there was ample evidence that it was on the mend. 

  Taklinn, Happy, Griff, Caribdis and Mardath rode their mounts on an ever 
northward path, talking all the while, laughing at what being back in the saddle
could do to a behind gone seven months soft. Mardath proved to be an amicable
companion, and though his command of the language was far from fluent, he 
enjoyed listening to the banter between the crew, sometimes chiming in himself with
a surprising sense of humor. Now and again, they would look overhead and spot the
soaring dot of red that was Doorag on his bird.  

   For the little wizard, watching the world unfold below in a breathtaking
panoramic view was something he never tired of. He would fly in lazy circles above
the crew, scouting for danger, and grinning at the wind in his face. He did not have 
to pick very many bugs out of his teeth before he realized that a scarf to cover his
mouth was a prerequisite of this flying business.  

  At times, Taklinn, who could cast Firebird as well, would cast his own and soar 
alongside Doorag. The two of them amused themselves with races, though it was
obvious that Doorag was the more comfortable in the air. Though Taklinn could
appreciate the exhilaration of flight, he was forever nervous when his feet were not 
fully planted on terra firma.  

   They left the north road after two days, and struck off overland, northwest. At
night Caribdis would employ a new spell he had acquired. It was a long lasting 
Leomund’s Secure Shelter that provided them with beds and fireplace. A far cry
from their old tents and campfires to be sure! They spent long hours after dinner,
sitting outside beneath the stars, retelling stories and enjoying each others company 
as they had not done for what seemed like a very long time.  

   Or at least most of them did. Caribdis had taken to bringing a bottle of strong
drink with him to the fireside, and he would brood over it, taking long swallows and 
adding little to the conversation until he would fall into an alcohol induced
slumber. Taklinn always carried him into the shelter and put the boy to bed.
Caribdis had also, apparently, stopped shaving or combing his hair. By the fourth 
day on the road his beard was showing signs of life, while his appearance was
steadily declining. Taklinn made a comment on this at last, but Caribdis merely
grunted and shrugged, obviously not caring what the dwarf thought.  

   On the fifth day Caribdis’ appearance was forgotten, for they came at last to the
first of the plots of land being offered to Nanden’s people by the king of Havilah.
They followed their map to a lush valley that rippled with spring grasses. A clear 
river flowed through ripe farmlands and pasture while miles of oak, elm, and fir
bordered the valley. It was a prime plot, and Mardath nodded appreciatively as
they let their mounts meander to a campsite located near the river. Doorag 
settled his mount some distance from the horses, and was about to dismount and
join his friends when it became apparent that the valley was not without
inhabitants.   

   From a grove of trees a stones throw from the campsite stepped five monstrosities
the likes of which they had never seen. They were giant sized and grotesque. Each
of them sported a third arm swinging from their chests, and each of them was
festooned with copious amounts of gaudy jewelry. Their size was such that they 
wore necklaces as bracelets and bracelets as rings. They carried crude clubs and
tree trunks which they held menacingly.  

  The two groups eyed each other for a long moment, neither of them sure of the
others intentions. It was, of course, Caribdis who broke the stalemate. The bard
stepped forward, uttering a particularly chilling poem of death and slaughter. 
Doorag could practically see the magic flowing from the boys mouth. 

   The creatures felt it, the fear as it welled up inside them, but was, apparently,
pushed back down again. These monsters were made of sterner stuff and they 
howled their disapproval at having been the target of such a spell. Clubs were
raised. Griff’s sword appeared in his hand. Taklinn stepped up, angling to get
between the three-armed giants, and Caribdis, who said, "Uh oh." and reached for 
an arrow. Happy stepped into Griff’s shadow, shielding handfuls of daggers from
the eyes of the giants. Doorag spurred his bird and the great flaming eagle heaved
into the sky, banking around to circle the clearing. And Mardath. Mardath broke 
into a dead run, charging one of the giants, his greatsword held away from his
body. His teeth clenched into a gate, opening only to allow the escape of a tribal
war shriek that caused one and all to snap their heads to follow him for an instant.  

   The clash of flesh and steel echoed above the tree tops as Doorag surveyed the
battle from thirty feet in the air. He pulled the reins of the bird, and it banked hard,
coming around to let him see that these giants were not to be trifled with. He saw 
Taklinn head off one of them that had been making its way toward Caribdis, but
another slipped by. It took three arrows, point blank, from the bard, and never
faltered. The giant slammed Caribdis with the business end of a tree trunk, and he 
was sent reeling, franticly drawing his sword. 

   Doorag put the heels to his bird, and it swooped in low as he let fly a
Hold Monster at the giant. It stopped in its tracks, and Caribdis waved his thanks to 
Doorag before picking his bow back up. He did not have far to look for a target. 

   Griff and Happy flanked a third giant, the warrior keeping the thing busy with
hard cuts to its midsection while the halfling dodged between its feet to deliver 
crippling stabs to vital organs. The giant sagged and faltered, but a second giant
soon joined the fight, and the duo suddenly had their hands full.

   Mardath and a giant stood toe to toe, swinging, being hit, swinging again, making 
contact, breaking bones and spraying blood. Mardath gave not an inch. The
muscles on his neck stood out like sail rope as he pressed his much larger and
heavier opponent. He forced the giant back a step with a long gash across the leg, 
but the giant gave as good as he got, smashing Mardath again and again with a six
foot long club. As Doorag circled around, he could see that Mardath would not last
long, and he readied another spell. 

   Taklinn seemed somehow at ease with his giant, as if he took particular delight
with the trouble the giant had hitting him. Again and again the dwarf either dodged
or angled himself so that the club merely glanced off his armor. Then Taklinn would 
answer with his pair of axes, shattering a kneecap, hacking open a thigh. Blood
flowed unchecked down the giants lower extremities, and it was failing fast, for
Caribdis had begun to fill it full of highly potent arrows. The bard was now capable 
of greatly enhancing his shafts, and it showed. 

   Griff and Hap finished off one giant and focused on the second. The monster beat
away at the fighter, but Griff merely grunted and rushed in to close with it, stabbing 
deep with his sword while Happy hamstrung the giant from behind. 

  Mardath was in real trouble, though one would not have known from the look on
his face, which was still contorted in rage and battle lust. Again and again his 
greatsword bit into the giant, but the fact was, he was losing. Doorag could hear
the crunch of bone as the giant hit Mardath, finally sending the warrior stumbling
back a step. He knew that Mardath would not likely survive another such blow. He
decided to try a long shot, knowing that the odds were against him, but the prize 
was high. The Polymorph spell caught the giant in mid swing, and just like that, it
was a kitten; a furry, tabby with a look of utter shock on its face. 

   Doorag turned to see how the rest were doing just in time to watch Caribdis fire
an arrow into the forehead of the giant he had held. The monster died instantly.
Happy and Griff had already killed theirs, and Taklinn’s lay dead as well. Mardath 
seemed to come out of his frenzied state. The tall warrior staggered across the
clearing, reeling drunkenly and supporting himself with his sword. He made it to
where Taklinn stood and said, in his broken Havalihan, "So, I hear you can heal!" 
And then he fell over, unconscious and losing blood. The dwarf was quick to kneel
over Mardath and pull him from the brink of death.              

_


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

Grwfst 6 

   This has certainly been an eventful day! 

   After having defeated the grip of three armed giants we decided to camp for the 
night. Caribdis cast his shelter and we bedded down. Unbeknownst to us, Taklinn
was paid a night time visit.

   I am unsure whether our cleric was visited in a dream or if his vision was more 
"real", but in any case when I awoke early the next morning I was surprised to find
him already up, his bearded face locked into a dour grimace as he absentmindedly
poked the ashes of our fire from the previous night. Thinking nothing of it, I chirped a 
pleasant good morning to him and went about my morning rituals. From time to
time I would catch him from the corner of my eye as he sat there, stoically,
apparently lost in deep thought. I resolved not to bother him, and as it turns out, my 
questions were soon answered anyway. 

   An hour later the rest of the crew had risen and breakfast was well under way.
Caribdis washed down his rations with something that smelled oddly of alcohol, 
and I glanced to Taklinn for the disapproving frown that should have been there, but
he was still in a world of his own. His eyes seemed not to focus on anything beyond
his own nose, and I began to wonder very much what was on his mind.  

   I did not have to wait long. 

   Our stout cleric sighed and pushed away his half eaten meal. He stood up,
brushing away the dust, and cleared his throat with a gravely rumble.  

   "I must take my leave of you." he announced, without fanfare.

   A bit of milk shot out my nose at his declaration as it took all of us off guard.
Even Griff raised a questioning eyebrow, and Caribdis, though he seems to have 
been distancing himself from Taklinn a bit of late, looked as if he had been pole
axed by the statement. 

   "Leave us? What do you mean, leave us?" I asked. 

   "Just what I said. I have business to attend to that I cannot ask you to help with. I
hope to rejoin you, but I don’t know..."

   Happy had leapt to her feet, real concern on her face. "This is awfully sudden, 
Taklinn," she said, "Maybe you should tell us what your talking about and let us
decide if we can help you or not." 

   I was surprised to hear Mardath chime in on this, but his words were full of 
simple wisdom. "Yes," he said, struggling to put the words into our language, "Are
we not brothers in arms? I will help if I can."

   Taklinn sighed again and began to pace slowly across the campsite. I could tell 
that he was trying to put his words together. "You remember when I lost my arm?"
he asked after several minutes.

   "How could we not?" Griff grunted. "Yigil had to reattach it." 

   "Yeah, well, Yigil didn’t exactly put my old arm back on," Taklinn explained, "He
sort of... replaced it. Or rather, he asked a favor on my behalf of some very 
powerful beings. They granted the favor and gave me this limb, but Yigil told me
then to expect a price to be paid for it one day. What could I do but agree, though it
galled me to owe a favor to an entity I know nothing of. All Yigil could, or would, 
tell me was that those who gave me the arm are celestial beings of sorts. They are of
the light, so I fear not the infection of evil, yet they share no direct connection to
Clangeden, and therefore I have never been entirely comfortable with the bargain. 
Still, what could I do? By the time I awoke the arm was already attached to my
shoulder, and I could not bare the notion of serving Clangeden at half strength. To
have lost that arm forever would have meant my leaving this crew and returning 
home a failure."

   "’They’?" I asked.

   "Yes, there are more than one. I do not know the nature of these beings, but 
according to what little I do know we are talking about a consortium of beings who
dwell outside the ken of mortal men. Yigil assures me that they seek only to foil the
plots of evil in this and all realms. I have thought little about it as of late. It has been 
a long time, and I wondered if I were ever to be asked to repay the favor, but last
night I was visited with a vision and told me that payment is due." Taklinn glanced at
the sky to check the time. "Supposedly, when the sun has reached noontime today, 
there will come an emissary from this cabal to explain all of this in detail. Yet the
point remains, this is my debt to pay. I will not ask the rest of you to risk yourselves
for it." 

   Griff rolled his eyes and barked a short laugh. "Ever noble, Taklinn. Fat chance
we’re gonna let you have all the fun!"

   "He’s right, Taklinn," Happy interjected, "We’re a Crew. More than that, we’re 
your friends! Of course we’ll help you!"

   A chorus of ’ayes!’ sounded from all of us. Even Mardath showed no hesitation at
plunging into unknown danger. Taklinn sighed again. "Thank you." he said. "I 
feared that such would be the case. I cannot force you to not follow me, but first we
should wait until the emissary has given us more information. Also, it must be taken
into consideration that we already have a job to do. We are currently under orders to 
find Mardath’s people a home. I feel that my debt usurps that, but it doesn’t for the
rest of you."

   And so we waited, nervously sitting around the campsite, all eyes continually 
watching the sun crawl across the sky, waiting for it to reach its zenith, not knowing
what noon would bring.

   When, at last, the sun hung directly over our heads, the emissary came. It was as 
if every dappled beam of sunlight suddenly coalesced into a figure so bright that we
could barely look at it without shielding our eyes. It took the form of a man, yet its
visage was that of oil on water, for its body shimmered and swam with every color 
of the rainbow. Light radiated from it with fierce intensity, yet we were all strangely
calmed by its presence. It’s voice resonated and seemed to echo within us. It was the
voice of not one, but a chorus of many within one body. I was immediately 
fascinated.

   "Taklinn." It spoke without fanfare, "Are you ready to receive your direction?"

   "I am." Our cleric answered bluntly.  

   "And your companions?" The being intoned.

   "They have resolved to accompany me.

   "It is as We have foreseen. This is good. You will need help in your coming trial."  

   I could stand it no longer. My curiosity got the better of me and I strode forward,
eyeing the things mirror-like, rainbow patterned surface closely. "What do you
mean, ’We’?" I  questioned.

   "Doorag..." Taklinn tried to interrupt. 

   "How many of you are there?" I asked, ignoring Taklinn.

   "Doorag!" the dwarf tried again. 

  "And for that matter, just exactly who are you? And how did you attach that arm
to Taklinn, and what’s it made of? Oh, and where do you come from..."

   "DOORAG!" Taklinn’s boom finally cut me off and I flinched sheepishly. 

   "Fear not, Taklinn," the emissary cut in mildly, "It is natural for the little one to
have questions. It is his nature. We are sure that many questions must be
forthcoming. We will answer what We must, but know that not every question will 
be satisfied, not every answer will be clear, and there is much that We must allow to
remain unseen. As for who We are, We can tell you only that We are celestials,
outsiders, who seek balance and truth, not only on this world, but on all worlds. We 
are many, yet We are one. We work in unison to advance a greater good where ever
evil seeks to insinuate itself. As for Taklinn’s arm, We do not wish to reveal its
secret, though its origin is of little immediate importance." 

  Griff, having had enough of this Q&A, decided to get right to the point. "Just tell
us what we’re supposed to do already." he stated. 

   Though the being had no facial features of which to speak, I felt its smile at 
Griff’s words. 

   "We feel a great evil presence upon this world, an evil with which you are
qualified to contend. We ask that you seek out this evil and put an end to it. It’s 
name is Acessiwall, and it is a dragon. The creature resides to the far north, encased
in a lair of ice and snow as befits one of his ilk. He could be considered weak for
his species, for he is a white dragon, and therefore technically inferior to his 
cousins. Yet Acessiwall is quite ancient and ambitious. He possesses an intelligence
far beyond the ken of his kind, and he seeks to spread his influence across
the realm through machinations even We have been unable to ascertain. We would 
have you seek him out and destroy him. That is your task."

   Silence followed this announcement, broken at last by Caribdis, who had been
strangely silent thus far.  

   "A dragon?" he gulped. "A dragon! You must be out of your mind! Or minds! We
fought a dragon a long time ago and it nearly killed us! This dragon sounds a lot
bigger and badder than that one!" 

   "It is." the emissary answered blithely.

   "Consider it done." Taklinn said bluntly. 

   "Now just a dog gone minute..." Caribdis began, but Taklinn cut him off. 

   "I told you that you didn’t have to go, boy. This is my debt, and it will be repaid.
One way or another." Caribdis bit back his words and visibly sulked. 

   "A dragon?" Mardath intoned wonderingly, "I have heard of such beasts on my 
own world, but have never seen one. They are said to be the most dangerous of all
enemies. I will fight with you, dwarf."

   "Yep." said Griff. 

   "Umm, well, I guess so..." Happy chimed in, though she didn’t sound nearly as
sure about it as our two fighter friends. As for me, there had never been a question
as to whether or not I would follow Taklinn into the very pits of hell. Still, the 
notion of taking on an ancient white dragon was a bit disconcerting. We are a
powerful Crew, no doubt, but a dragon? Still, I nodded and resolved to help Taklinn
in any way I could.  

  The emissary seemed satisfied with our responses. "Acessiwall is a powerful
creature and cannot be defeated by your lot without aid. To this end We provide
you with this." In his hand there appeared an amulet of strange stone which glowed 
mellowly. It’s dull light faded as the emissary handed it to Taklinn, but I knew that
its shimmer was just beneath the surface. My curiosity was piqued anew. "This
token will help in your battle, though its secrets must be uncovered. About it We
will say no more. Acessiwall holds his council many months ride from here in the 
frozen wastes of the north. We will transport you closer to his lair, though there will
still be much travel before you find him. We will take you to the village of Finch 
where you will meet another who will ally with you against the dragon. Are all
agreed?"

   "Meet with someone else? Who...?" Caribdis began. But Griff was getting antsy. 

   "We’re agreed already!" he rasped, "Do what your gonna do!"

   "Gather your belongings and your mounts." The emissary said. Make haste, for
my time here is short. 

   Silently, and a bit uncertainly, we did so, bringing the horses together and
shouldering our packs. The emissary instructed us to clasp hands, to form an
unbroken chain of man and beast, and I knew we were about to be teleported. There 
was that feeling of the ground dropping away beneath our feet, a flash of blinding
light, as we passed through the dimensions of time and space. In the next instant,
we felt the knife like blast of a wind so cold I feared it would tear my cloak straight 
from me! All around us was snow covered forest, and Hap and I immediately sank to
our thighs in the powdery stuff. The emissary was nowhere to be seen, but it was
evident that he had left us on a path of some kind that meandered through the trees. 
And we were not alone. A straggling caravan, heading the opposite direction,
shared it with us. They were humans, heavily bundled up against the weather, and
our arrival caused great chaos within their ranks.  

   "Gods save us!" cried one old woman, "More of them have come to slay us!
Cirilli! More demons!" 

   We looked around franticly, weapons at the ready at the word, ’demons’, but soon 
realized she was referring to us as she made the sign of the forked horns at us and
scurried away. We made to call out and assure her that we were certainly not
demons, but she and the rest of the caravan of folk were in a panic, plunging into 
the forest in an attempt to flee. At last, a short fellow with a bulbous, red, nose
approached us. He pushed his hood from his face and I could see that he was
probably a gnome. His stature was roughly that of mine and Happy’s, but he 
appeared a bit more robust. He gave us the once over and spat onto the snow. 

   "Yer no demons!" he announced.

   "No. We’re not." Griffin agreed wryly. "Who are you and what’s going on?" 

   "I’m Cirilli Treetrapweaver, sheriff of Finch. Right now we’re fleeing from a
demon that has taken over our village! It’s back that way about half a mile! If I were
you, I’d come with us! The beast is hideous! Dead set on killing us all! Quick, 
follow me and I’ll lead you to shelter!"

   "Hmph!" Taklinn sniffed, hefting his axe, looking down the trail in the direction
of the village.  

   "A demon?" Mardath repeated, "I have never seen a real demon! I should like to
kill it!" He grinned an unsettling grin and swung his greatsword in a lazy swath. 

   "We’ll take care of your demon." Griff said to Cirilli, and without another word he 
made off through the snow.

   "Your crazy!" the gnome cried at our backs. "It will kill you all! It will..." but his
words were lost in the howl of wind and snow. We marched through the forest, 
huddled in our cloaks, and presently we rounded a bend that allowed us to see the
tiny village of Finch, blanketed in thick snow, and utterly silent. Everyone had
apparently fled, and the village was eerily quiet and covered in white. We spread 
out a bit and entered the village cautiously. I cast a Fly on myself just in case, and
Caribdis softly whispered a rhyme as he knocked an arrow. Griff, Mardath and
Taklinn strode forward, weapons at the ready, while Happy pressed herself against 
a building, sliding along its length for maximum cover, her daggers pressed against
her inner arms. 

   Presently we discovered a set of tracks in the snow that did not match any of the
booted prints we’d seen leaving Finch. These tracks certainly looked demonic 
enough, what with their claw markings. They led to the door of what appeared to be
a general supply store. Hap pressed her ear to the door and nodded, signifying that 
she could hear movement within. We looked at one another and readied ourselves
to face an unknown foe. Griff took a breath, and with Mardath and Taklinn flanking
him, he kicked open the door.          

   Grwfst 6 (con’t)

   An instant before Griff kicked open the door I reached out and cast invisibility on
Hap. As she faded from view I pitied anyone she blindsided. 

   The door gave way easily under Griff’s boot. He followed it in, sword at the 
ready, with Taklinn and Mardath following. I knew that Happy would slip in behind
them. Caribdis went in last, while I stayed outside for the moment, not wanting to
put all of our eggs into one basket. I listened closely for a moment, heard Griff ask, 
"Who the hell are you?". I could not hear the reply, but a short laugh followed it. I
could wait no longer, and attempted to slide into the store with as little fanfare as
possible.  

   There I beheld the Crew standing in a rough semicircle around a creature whose
type I have read about, but never dreamed of actually seeing. He was a half-dragon,
and stood well over seven feet tall, not even taking into account his folded wingtips 
that arched above his back. His flesh was leathery white, with little body hair to
speak of. His hands and feet were bare and taloned, and it was easy to see how the
lesser educated could mistake him for a demon.  

   The half-dragon was standing near the store counter, a pile of goods stacked there,
and more in his hands. He dropped a coil of rope and some hard tack, raising his
hands in surrender. Mardath looked from the half-dragon to Griff and back again, as 
if for a command. "So we kill him now?" he finally asked. 

   "I told you, I’m no demon!" the half-dragon spoke, with surprising eloquence. My
name is Taigel, I am dragon spawn, but I mean no harm!" 

   Griff did not sheath his sword, but he did lower it a tad. "Hmmm, probably not
this time." he answered Mardath. I could detect just the faintest hint of
disappointment in his voice. Griff glanced at me and I nodded.  

   "He’s telling the truth about being dragon spawn. I’ve studied his kind in the past,
and he fits the description of an advanced example of his species to a tee."

   "That’s because its exactly what I am." the half-dragon snorted indignantly. My 
father is a white wurm, my mother, a human seduced by him in the form of a man.
But I am not my father! I wish only to live in peace, which is why I reside in this
forsaken wood. I come to Finch only for necessary supplies. The folk here are 
superstitious and will not be swayed in their belief that I am a demon. Every time I
come here they break into panic and flee, so I take what I need and leave payment
behind. See?" He jingled a purse at his side to signify that he possessed coin.  

   Griff scowled and I knew we were all thinking the same thing. Taklinn put it into
words. "A white dragon, you say? Does your father have a name, Taigel?"

  "As a matter of fact, he does. It is Acessiwall." 

   Caribdis groaned at this news and Happy laughed sardonically.

  "It would appear that your celestial friends have put us here in Finch at a most
fortuitous time, Taklinn." I said. The dwarf grunted a reply at me. 

   "Taigel," Taklinn said, "How do you get on with yer old man?"

  "Well, not that its any of your business, but since you are the ones with swords,
I’ll tell you that I don’t get on with him at all. He is evil to the core and was the 
cause of horrible pain to my mother. I would see him dead, but I am no match for
him."

   "Really?" Griff stepped in, smiling dangerously, "And do you know where old
Acessiwall lives?" 

   "Yes." replied Taigel, innocently enough, "About three hundred miles north of
here in the mountains of ice." 

   I clapped Taklinn on the back. "Taklinn, my friend, I think we have found
ourselves a guide!"

   Grwfst 6 (con’t)

   As it turned out, Taigel not only hated his father, but had actively sought out a 
means of his death. He would never be a match for the old wurm himself,  but given 
the possibility of assistance, his interest was piqued. 

   We rolled barrels onto their ends to use as stools while we came to a mutual 
understanding. Taklinn produced his strange amulet and contemplated it. "It must
be consecrated in dragons blood." he stated flatly.

   "It does?" I asked, "How do you know that?" 

   "I just do!" Taklinn gave me a look. 

   "Ah. Forgive me, I am not as used to celestial visions."

  "Dragon’s blood!" Caribdis piped up, "You don’t think it’d work if we used his 
blood, do you?" He eagerly looked at Taigel. The half-dragon’s reptilian/human
eyes narrowed, and he showed a glimmer of snow white fang. Caribdis did not
suggest such a thing again. 

   Though I must admit, the idea isn’t so far off base. Taklinn did not say, and
apparently doesn’t know exactly how much dragons blood is required. Could a pin
pricks worth of blood possibly empower the relic?  

  Still, we do not even know what the amulet does. I shall have to study it further. 

   Happy tossed a dagger casually into a knothole the size of a silver piece from
fifteen paces. It thunked satisfyingly as Griff got to the point. "Look," he laid it out 
for our new friend, "We’ve been, err, commissioned to slay Acessiwall. That amulet
is supposed to be able to help us do that. Now, you also want him dead, and you
know where he lives. It wasn’t coincidence that dropped you in our laps, so join us 
and lets kill this bastard!"

   Taigel could hardly argue the wisdom of Griff’s words. We had been paired by
forces far larger than ourselves. The hands of immortal beings was at work here, and 
I, for one, felt a certain foreboding because of that. Still, it was a good match. In short
order Griff had found the shopkeepers selection of ales and was pouring not only
for himself, but Mardath, Caribdis and Taigel as well. By this time Cirilli returned to 
find out what had become of his town, only to find the heroes cavorting with the
demon! In the end, the gnome was made to understand that Taigel meant no harm,
possessed gold to pay his supply and drink bill, and would be leaving in the 
morning with us. The sheriff still looked at Taigel distrustfully, but it beat spending
the night in an old bear cave. Taklinn escorted him to retrieve the townsfolk. 

   We paid our bills and arranged for them to stable our mounts for the coming 
weeks. There was no inn, per se, but we managed to rent the common room at the
villages only tavern. I gathered everyone about me. "Before you boys get too much
further into your cups and your warrior talk, we have a couple of things to address. 
For one thing, we are still under obligation to Havilah to seek out a home for
Mardath’s people. Nanden provided us with much during the war with Melesandre,
and we owe him our attention in this matter. Still, this is a personal debt owed by 
Taklinn. He cannot devote himself to our appointed task until he completes this one.
Without him, we are at a severe disadvantage. Without us to aid him against the
dragon, I fear that he will be at an even greater disadvantage. No offense, Taklinn." 

  "None taken, lad."

   "Therefore," I continued, "It is our duty to petition the Academy and the King to
release us from our current mission, or to at least postpone it. It should be
understood that there is a very real possibility of our request being denied." 

   I let that sink in a little, sighing inwardly. I knew that if Havilah bid us stay our
ordered course, we could be looking at a very serious situation indeed. Taklinn 
would certainly still seek to repay his debt. Loyalty to a kingdom was one thing. A
debt to a dwarf is, apparently, an entirely different matter. 

   If Taklinn went, odds were that Caribdis would go. And it was hard to see Griff 
and Happy waving goodbye to those two while they elected let someone else tell
them what to do. 

   Still, perhaps it wouldn’t be an issue.  

   "There is another point." I said, "I know a little about dragons, but not nearly
enough to properly be prepared against an ancient wurm the likes of Acessiwall. I
need access to the Academy library. To those ends, I’m going to teleport to Havilah 
and hopefully resolve both of them. If all goes well I’ll be back in several hours.
Agreed?"

   "Yer right, Doorag." Taklinn nodded. "I follow Havilah’s law and know we need 
to do what is right. I trust Nivin Motel’s judgment on this matter. And if he does
give us the stamp of approval, we’ll need all the information about these lizards you
can cram into yer little head!" 

   The others agreed, and I wasted no time. Stepping back from them, I waved
goodbye, pictured the Academy courtyard, and said the words. 

   And I was there.   



   Grwfst 6 (con’t)

   In the blink of an eye I was standing in courtyard on the east side of the Academy. 
Several people gawked and I startled one old woman rather badly, I’m afraid, but I
am now well recognized among most of the citizenry due to the bards and artists
who have had their way not only with our story, but with our images.  

  I’m not overjoyed to have been made an icon, but I suppose it comes with the
territory. 

   The change in weather was dramatic. Even with the fire stoked in Finch’s Inn the 
wind had still cut right through the stout wood walls. Here in Havilah, the birds
sang in the trees that lined the wide path that led to the Academy’s east entrance,
and the sun baked away the bit of chill that remained in the air.  

   I made my way directly to Nivin Motel’s office and informed his secretary that I
needed an audience with the Dean. The old man noted the set of my jaw and hurried
to relay my message. Unfortunately I was told that I would have to wait an hour, as 
Nivin was attending an audience with the King. I told the secretary that I
understood and would return. 

   With a bit of time to kill I returned to my chambers, making sure that everything 
was still the way I’d left it. I had an unseen servant clear away the dust while I
pursued what information I could about dragons from my own library. My
bestiaries told me what I already knew and clarified a few points, but I knew that I 
would still need to visit the schools library. 

   A short time later I was back in Nivin’s antechamber and presently was ushered
through his office doors.  

   The old man greeted me warmly as I entered, and despite the fact that I was
supposed to be in the field on Academy business, he seemed genuinely happy to see
me. He tugged his beard and poured me a glass of something that crackled a bit as I 
sipped it before we both took our seats, he, behind his massive, oak, desk. His tom
cat familiar sat serenely and still as a statue on top of a small pile of books. I sat in a
comfortable leather chair on the opposite side. I had to use a pillow to sit on so I
could see him. 

  "Now then, Doorag, what brings you back to Havilah?" He asked with a twinkle
in his eye, "I trust everything goes well on your surveying expedition," 

  I took a deep breath. "Well, sir," I began, "Actually there has been a bit of a
snag..."

  And I told him everything. Taklinn’s arm, Yigil’s aid, Taklinn’s debt, his vision, 
the visit by the celestial emissary, our detour of many hundreds of miles to the
northern wastes, Acessiwall, Taigel, and so on and so forth. 

   "So you see, sir," I finished my fifteen minute diatribe, "We have a bit of a 
situation where Taklinn is torn between his loyalty to Havilah, and his honor. His
dilemma carries over to us all, and therefore I must petition, on behalf of myself and
the entire crew, Mardath included, a suspension of our current mission so that we 
can aid Taklinn in satisfying his debt. We also wish to point out that slaying this
Acessiwall would probably be in the best interest of the world as a whole."

  Nivin looked thoughtful and tugged his beard a bit more. He scratched himself a 
bit, coughed, looked thoughtful some more, and at last said, "Doorag, it appears that
your crew has already made their decision. You are already far beyond Havilah’s
borders, and with the obvious exception of yourself, they have no readily available 
means of returning." He picked up a battered old pipe and began to fill it with
smokeweed.

   "Ah, well, yes, there is that." I replied, "That was a rather spur of the moment 
choice, I’ll admit, but Taklinn, at least, was going to go no matter what."

   "So it was a matter of duty verses friendship?" Nivin asked, tamping the weed
into his bowl with a thick finger.  

   "I suppose it was, sir." I admitted. 

   "Tell me, Doorag, what do you think your crew would do if I were to tell you that
they must return and fulfill their appointed task?"  

   I cleared my throat. "Well sir, honestly I’m afraid that Taklinn would ignore your
order. It would break his heart to do so, but in the end Clangeden and his family’s
honor will always usurp his loyalty to a human ruled government. I don’t think I 
have to tell you what Griffin thinks of other people telling him what to do. He’ll
follow an order as long as it’s what he wants to do, but I think, if pushed, he’d shrug
off the Academy in about two seconds. Same goes for Happy, not to mention that 
she and Griff are quite close. I think she would take his lead. And Caribdis, well, to
be quite honest, I don’t even think he knows what he’s going to do at any given
moment. I might just as well flip a coin to give you his supposed answer." 

   Nivin had gotten his smokeweed packed just so, and lit it with a flame from his
finger. He drew deeply and leaned back in his chair. "It sounds as if you're not
terribly confident in your crews loyalty to Havilah, Doorag." 

   I shrugged. "They are who they are, sir. I can’t fault them for their individualistic
ways or sense of honor. Perhaps it’s their strong sense of identity that makes us
work so well together. I’m not sure, but I do know that I wouldn’t change them if I 
could."

   Nivin pursed his lips and drew on his pipe stem before considering me through a
thick cloud of blue smoke. "And you, Doorag?" he said, at last, "What would you 
do? Would you choose your friends, or Havilah?"

   I stared at him. "Sir, its hardly fair to ask me this. Even my suppositions about my
friends could well be wrong. Your asking me to confirm my loyalty, when I would 
hope that it would be unquestioned!"

   "No one is questioning your loyalty, Doorag," Nivin smiled his grandfatherly
smile with no hint of malice, "But I am within my right to ask, and ask I shall." 

   I swallowed hard. "Is that an order, sir?" Nivin raised his eyebrows in surprise,
and seemed to chuckle at the idea.

   "Well, yes. I suppose it is."  

  I nodded glumly and got down from my chair so that I could go to the open
window and look down on the courtyard. I stood there, my back to Nivin, 
considering the question at length. Finally, I whispered, "Havilah. I would choose
Havilah." I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth. I felt
ashamed, as if I had betrayed my friends, but I knew that they were true. 

   Nivin stood beside me and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Do not be glum,
Doorag. You simply see a different picture than your friends. You hold a slightly
different set of values. Yet they are not so far removed that they invalidate each 
other. I know that you consider the people of Havilah your family. You have made
the Academy and this city your home. There is no shame in loving your home and
family enough to forgo all others. Havilah is lucky to have protectors such as you. 
And she is still also lucky to have friends like Taklinn and Happy and Griff and
Caribdis." 

   I sighed and straightened a bit. He continued. 

   "Doorag, I grant you your request. Your crew may follow it’s own instincts as you
have in the past, for that is how you seem to best serve Havilah. You have the
blessings of the Academy and the court. Fear not, I shall inform the king. He will 
understand. I will also speak with Nanden, and perhaps another crew can be put to
use in finding his people a home. I wish you well, and will expect a full report upon
your return."  

   "Thank you, sir." I said, bowing low and saying no more. The hard question as to
where my heart lay still hung heavily upon me. I bid him farewell and closed the
door behind me. Once in the hall, I took a deep breath and resolved to focus on the 
task at hand. I walked toward the library.

   Grwfst 6 (con’t) 

   As it turns out, dragons are an oft studied species and there was an entire shelf
dedicated specifically to their reference material. I was soon sequestered in a
reading room, flanked by stacks and stacks of books that focused on dragons. Their 
ecology, diet, variances, strengths, weaknesses, life cycles, history, and on and on.
Many of the tomes contradicted each other, but several offered reputable and
invaluable information. Gwostell’s, Dragons By Their Color, Bindibat’s, Wurms of 
the World, and Aaron the Blind Sage’s, White Dragons: A Complete Study were full
of hard fact that I could use. Even a small treatise called, So You Want To Kill A
Dragon? by someone called Hadrian Epfhresure contained a few choice iota’s of 
white dragon weak spots and gave a strategic tip or two on fighting them.

   I filled several pages with notes. It took me the better part of five hours, but in the
end I was satisfied that I now understood our enemy much better than previously. 
Unfortunately, what I had learned filled me with dread. 

   With my notes secured in my haversack, I made for the courtyard once again,
eager to return to Finch. Once in the fading daylight, I walked to a spot under an 
ancient oak, pictured the interior of the tavern, and disappeared.

    When I arrived back in the inn, it was quiet. All were well asleep except for 
Griff, who sat leaning back in a chair, his boots on a table with a bottle nestled on
his hand. Caribdis was at the same table, still in his chair, passed out. His hand still
gripped an ale mug. Happy snoozed in a makeshift hammock suspended from a 
beam, while Taklinn, Mardath and Taigel all used tables as beds. Obviously
Caribdis had gotten too drunk and had passed out before he could provide proper
shelter and beds via his Leomund’s shelter. Still, compared to many of the places 
we’ve slept, it could have been far worse. 

   Griff raised an eyebrow at my entrance and tipped his bottle toward me in salute. I
walked to the table and helped myself to a mug of water from the clay pitcher there.  

   "Everything go alright in Havilah?" Griff asked, matter of factly, taking a pull
from the bottle.  

   "Not bad." I replied, "We’ve been released from our mission for Nanden and I
found out a few things about white dragons. I’m tired, but I got what I went there
for." I did not mention Nivin’s pointed questions, and I felt another small wash of 
shame. Perhaps I had been wrong, I thought. Looking at Griff now, it was hard to
picture him turning his back on Havilah. I hoped that I was wrong.

   "I still have some work to do." I said. Griff grunted and took another swig. I made 
my way to a table near the fire, lit a candle, and began this diary entry.

   It has indeed been an eventful day, and I believe that tomorrow will bring more of
the same. We are slated to traverse an impossibly large expanse of tundra in search 
of Acessiwall. I suppose I will want to be sharp for that. It’s time I got some rest.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 6, 2015)

Grwfst 7 

   Today began on an dangerous and unsettling note. 
   We spent the morning gathering our supplies for the journey ahead and arranging 
stabling for the mounts that Griff, Happy, Caribdis and Mardath had brought along.
The horses would not survive the frozen waste that awaited us, so our four riders
paid handsomely to have them sheltered.  

   I let Caribdis eat a bit of breakfast to take the edge off of his hangover before I
gathered the crew around a table in the Inn. I took out my scrolls of notes and
unrolled them. 

  "As I told Griff last night, Nivin has given us leave to follow our own instincts.
We are on our own until we return to Havilah. Mardath, Nivin assures me that
another crew will be dispatched to secure land for your people." Mardath nodded. 

   I carried on. "I spent several hours in the library and came away with a pretty
good idea of what we’ll be facing, though I have a feeling that Acessiwall is an
exception among his kind. You see, there are many varieties of dragons, as you 
already know. We fought a young red way back when, and I’m sure you all
remember how tough that was. Trust me when I say that Acessiwall will be a far
greater challenge. The red we faced was barely a hatchling. It was still a long way 
from its ultimate power, while Acessiwall, if I understand things correctly, has
already surpassed the apex of power that most whites dragons reach."

  "Let me break what I have down for you point by point: White dragons are 
generally considered one of the weakest of the species, both in terms of raw power
and intelligence, no offense, Taigel."

   "Go on." the half dragon said stoically. 

   "Physically Acessiwall will be very strong and he will command many attacks.
His jaws, claws, wings, and tail can all be used to devastating effect. We also have a
breath weapon to worry about; a cone of frost which can freeze a man in his tracks. 
He should be able to use it about once every ten to thirty seconds, give or take a
few." I noticed Caribdis growing a bit pale as I described the beast we were to take
on, but I paused only for a breath. 

   "Apparently whites can also make surrounding ice extremely slippery. You’ve all
seen me use ’grease’ spells, so we’ll have to figure out a way to combat that. Then
there’s the matter of their innate spell like abilities. I still have a bit of research to 
do, so I’ll fill you in on that later. Lets see, what else... ah yes, Acessiwall will be
extremely tough to hit. I’m imagining that it will take a weapon with an
enchantment at least as powerful as that of Griff’s sword to make a dent in this 
thing. Fortunately, I believe Caribdis can see to that. As far as spells go, dragons of
all ilk’s are extremely hard to affect. Acessiwall will have spell resistance that will
stymie much of what I’ll try to do, not to mention their abilities to simply shrug off
or avoid most spells. I get the idea from my research that spells that require an 
opponent to dodge to avoid their effects will be the most useful, as they are
extremely resistant to mind affecting spells, and it should be obvious that things like 
’polymorph’ will be next to useless against him.  On top of all that, we can expect
him to be able to cast spells in much the same way as Caribdis, that is to say,
spontaneously, and last but not least, there is the matter of an aura of fear that all 
dragons manifest. Griff can attest to this all to well." Griff scowled at me, but I
ignored it. "All in all, we are outmatched. We must find out what the amulet given
to Taklinn does, for it may be the only thing that gives us a fighting chance." 

  We talked for awhile longer, but at last decided to get underway. The journey
would be a difficult one, for most of us had no steeds. Fortunately Taklinn could
provide us with comfort from the cold via his clerical magic, and Caribdis would be 
able to raise his Leomund’s shelters when we rested. Still, I foresaw a long and
arduous journey, though I, of course, planed to ride my firebird. To that end, I
stepped into the street while the rest gathered their supplies and began the casting. 
They gathered near me as I brought the bird into being. It immediately melted the
snow beneath it.

  No sooner had I summoned the firebird than we were attacked! Flying in low, 
they came over the rooftop of the tavern and landed not twenty feet from us. There
were two of them; skeletal creatures made of ice, some nine feet tall with nasty
claws at the ends of long arms. They plodded toward us with uncanny speed. 

   But we were not slow either. Mardath, already carrying his bow, loosed an arrow
that I had earlier enchanted with a ’shocking bolt’ at one of the skeletons, but he
missed. He drew his sword as Taklinn stepped forward, holy symbol raised high, 
commanding them to flee. They ignored him, and I got the feeling that these were
not undead.

   None of us had yet closed with them, so I took the opportunity to hit them both 
with a fireball which seemed to scorch them badly. Ah, I thought, they don’t like
fire!

   Taigel drew two swords, one long and one short, and rushed at one of the 
creatures. He lashed at the thing, but his blade merely glanced off of those icy
bones. Both of the skeletons fell upon Taigel, scoring hits and nearly downing our
new guide. Long stripes of blood appeared behind their claws as they ripped open 
Taigel’s flesh. Griff was right behind the half dragon and threw himself at one of the
skeletons, but he missed as well. 

   Caribdis raced by me, running up behind Taigel and shouting out a rhyme as he 
touched the half dragon, healing many of his wounds, while at the same time Happy
let loose with a pair of daggers. But these things were very well armored. She
missed as well! 

   Mardath finally managed to land a blow from his greatsword. He had dropped his
bow and charged. His steel bit deep, shattering several rib bones on one of the
creatures, though it still stood in the wake of his attack.  

   Taklinn, having seen the damage my fireball did, summoned the power of
Clangeden and brought forth a pillar of flame that engulfed one of the skeletons for
a brief second. When the fire had disappeared, the skeleton was gone as well, 
leaving behind only a few icy bones and a pile of glimmering stones where it had
stood. I added still more fire of my own with a well placed ’scorching ray’ that hurt
the remaining skeleton. Taigel slashed away at it, hurting it still further, but not 
before it landed a pair of furious blows on him that nearly downed him again. But
the skeleton was near death now, and a two handed swing from Griff shattered it
into pieces.  

  "What the hell was that all about?" I wondered aloud. 

   We found a surprise in the spot where one of the skeletons had been. A small
scattering of diamonds! Eighty in all, each valued at around one hundred gold!
Most fortuitous, though I was still more concerned with what they were and why 
they had attacked us. After examining their few remaining bones, I ascertained that
they were probably constructs.  

  We could find no more clues as to their origin, and it was obvious that the people
of Finch were now more anxious than ever for us to depart their village. We
complied, and within twenty minutes we could no longer see the town behind us.  

  I flew, the rest walked, and before long the only view for as far as the eye could
see was an expanse of white. The snow formed an unbroken blanket that seemed to
stretch to the very edge of the world. On top of that, the weather plotted against us. 
Toward midday Griff said that there was a storm coming, and though it looked calm
to me, I didn’t argue when he suggested we get out of the open. Caribdis cast his
shelter, and we settled in.  

   Within an hour, Griff was proved right, for even as I write in my log our shelter is
being pounded with winds the likes of which I have never heard. A peek outside
reveals blinding snow and nothing else. We are in the middle of a blizzard, with no 
way of knowing how long it will last. Taklinn has conjured food for us, and his
spells keep us from succumbing to the cold, but the shelter is small, we are
cramped, and I hope that the storm ends soon. We are all eager to be off. 


   Plntng 1 

   Marvelous. Less than ten miles from Finch and we’re caught in a bloody blizzard!
The wind still howls outside, and is a vortex of snow.  

  I had not noticed before just how small Leomund’s shelter is, but now that there
are seven of us, and going outside is practically an act of suicide, our cramped
quarters is only too apparent.  


   Plntng 2

   The blizzard finally died down around noon today and we did our best to make
some time, though getting through the fresh snow proved a challenge and we
probably only made a few miles. Happy was forced to ride on Griff’s shoulders, 
though he didn’t even seem to notice her weight. 


   Plntng 3 

   Another day of this hellish expanse of snow. Our progress is painfully slow.
Taklinn cast his own ’firebird’ today, but near the end he elected to dismiss it and 
walk with the others, since he cannot ultimately go any further than they can. In the
end, my own mount is good for little more than a means for me to not have to be
carried by a taller member of the crew, and to scout ahead.  

  We are probably only making about ten miles a day thus far. At this rate it will
take us a month to get to the mountains. There must be another way! I can only
teleport myself, and even between the two of us Taklinn and I cannot cast enough 
firebirds for all of us to ride. I will have to give it more thought.


   Plntng 5 

   No entry last night. The days here have quickly fallen into a routine of slogging
through the snow. We spend the nights in the shelter, perpetually on top of one 
another. Caribdis and Taklinn appear to be especially grating on each other.
Caribdis continues to drink each night, and here in these cramped quarters it’s
impossible not to watch him methodically plow through a full cup of hard spirits,
get sloppy drunk, and pass out. Taklinn has tried to breach the subject, but has been 
told, more or less, to sod off. Caribdis took great offense tonight at Taklinn
referring to him as ’Boy.’ Caribdis is adamant about his having achieved manhood, 
and demands the title that accompanies it. 

   His hygiene leaves something to be desired too. I understand that we are on the
road, and certain concessions must be made, but Caribdis has become a bit lax 
altogether, if you take my meaning. 


   Plntng 6 

   We were attacked today! I think, deep down in us all, when we spotted the huge
wolves we were secretly glad for the opportunity to take them on. Anything to 
break up the tedium; the endless view of the tundra, was welcome at that point. 

  They came bounding across the snow. Three of them; huge wolves of pure white,
nearly twelve feet long, lips curled back into a snarl, breathing clouds of frigid 
breath as they closed the distance. 

   But it proved to be a difficult battle. Happy was at a distinct disadvantage due to
her height, and she struggled to move into strategic position after she leapt from 
Griff’s shoulders. 

   I spurred my firebird upwards to hover for a second at thirty feet before veering
around in a tight circle to drop a fireball onto them. Again I found that creatures of 
this land are susceptible to fire, for the wolf I hit yelped and faltered for a moment
before catching up to his brothers. 

   They closed. Mardath hit one twice in its broad flank with a pair of ’shocking bolt’ 
arrows. Caribdis roused our spirits with his verse, and let fly his own volley of
arrows which disappeared to the fletching in another wolf.

   One of the wolves leapt at Taklinn while the other two flanked Griff. They 
breathed cones of cold before tearing at our friends with flashing teeth, grabbing
them, shaking their huge heads and tossing them aside like rag dolls, only to pounce
again. Griff, knocked off his feet, slashed at a wolf muzzle and drew blood, nearly 
cutting the wolf’s nose off. 

  Taklinn cast ’diamond dust’ before closing with his wolf. Happy saw that Griff
was in trouble, and ran to his aid, only to be nearly bitten in half. I rained fireballs 
and scorching rays upon them, doing terrible damage, but these wolves could take
the punishment. They just wouldn’t go down, and Griff and Taklinn were swiftly
being bled to death. Neither of them could seem to keep their feet long enough to 
put together a solid attack. Taigel hacked away again and again at one of Griff’s
wolves, while Happy crawled away, bleeding badly, turning to hurl a dagger over
her shoulder.  

   And then Taklinn went down, as his wolf grabbed him in its jaws, breathed his
cone point blank, and tossed him to the bloody snow. Mardath charged in, trying to
drive it away from Taklinn while I unleashed two scorching rays directly onto its 
back. It was burnt and cut to ribbons, but it still stood. 

   And then Caribdis began his fear verse. It radiated from him and affected half of
us and half of the wolves. What followed was a chaos of our own crew either 
fleeing along with a winter wolf or two, and then turning to rejoin the fight as
Caribdis would end his effect and begin another one, starting the process all over
again.  

  It was an odd, frustrating, but ultimately effective tact, as it gave us a bit of much
needed breathing room as the wolves broke off and fled for precious seconds. The
wolves, already terribly wounded, were finally brought down with spell and arrow 
as they tried to charge back in at us. 

  I landed quickly as Mardath checked Taklinn. "He lives." The barbarian said
simply. We brought him around with a potion, and he climbed to his feet, still
wobbly, looking for his wolf. 

   Griff stalked back to where we were, very wounded himself. "I hate that!" he
snarled at Caribdis. Griff had shared the fear effects of Caribdis’ verse, and I doubt 
there is anything Griff hates more than running from a fight against his will. He spat
in the snow and went to look after Happy, who was barely standing. 

  Taklinn and Caribdis healed, and we decided to take a short side trip. It was easy 
to track the wolves back to their lair through the snow, and not a mile from where
we’d been attacked we found an empty den with a few choice treasures there. Two
diamond rings and a winged shield that glows of magic made the trek worth it.  

   From the den we set out again, putting a couple of hard miles between us and the
wolf bodies before turning in for the night. 

   I have formulated a plan to speed us up a bit, but I don’t know if it’s going to 
work. I shall have to broach the subject at dawn.  


   Plntng 7 

   My friends are humoring me, I think.

   This morning I discussed my plan to speed up our travel and was met with mixed 
reactions. More or less, my wish is to summon as many firebirds as I can, and then
‘polymorph’ at least two of us into rideable flying mounts. However, I
underestimated the mistrust which some of my companions view magic. Only 
Happy would let me transform her into a small dragon. Mardath, Taigel, Caribdis
and Griff flatly refused, and though I grumbled a little, it was at last decided that
Taklinn, Mardath, Caribdis, and I would ride firebirds; Griff would ride Happy in 
her dragon form, and Taigel would fly under the power of his own wings. This all
seemed a reasonable plan, until I realized just how slow Taigel flies. He is clumsy
in the air, and I find us still able to go no faster than our slowest companion. True, 
we have nearly doubled our former rate of travel, but it is still a comparative crawl. 

  I suppose it can’t be helped though. At the very least we may circumvent some of
the dangers on the ground. Unfortunately this mode of travel exhausts the upper 
reaches of my spell repertoire, and I fear I will be ill prepared should trouble arise. 


  Plntng 8 

   Another blizzard, and we are snowed in again for another long day. How in the
world can it snow so much! 


   Plntng 9

   The weather cleared late last night and we were off again at dawn, all of us
gliding in slow circles around Taigel, his wings rapidly pumping to keep him aloft
as the ground crawled by beneath us. He is exhausted now, and lies in his cot trying 
to recover from the exertion. I feel for him, but I do wish he’d just let me
polymorph him. I suppose I can’t blame him. He does hardly know me, after all. 


   Plntng 10

   Yet another day forging through the air. We spied another pack of winter wolves 
below us today. They padded along beneath us for several miles, waiting for us to
land, but they gave up and broke away at last. 


   Plntng 11

   Well, I suppose we can’t stay in the air forever!  

   Another hard day of flying over this ocean of snow brought us a few more
precious miles toward our goal before we landed for the night. It was dusk, and I 
was just about to dismount, when suddenly a massive snow bank erupted! A furred
worm of incredible scale, with monstrous mandibles reared back on its coils like
some monolith serpent, and I recognized it from my studies. A frost worm! 

   I pulled back on the reins of my bird franticly, willing it to lift me into the air and
out of reach as I hurriedly tried to remember what I knew of these things. The crew
were already in motion, and though the worm dwarfed them, they bravely hurried to 
meet it with drawn swords and knocked arrows. Griff and Mardath both drew long
slices in it’s flank, and Taklinn plowed through the snow to get a shot at it as well.
But the worm seemed not to even notice. It’s huge head swayed back and forth, 
preparing to strike. 

   Then I remembered. 

   The terrible thing about frost worms, aside from their awful attacks, is that even 
when slain they are not through wreaking havok. According to what I could
remember, once killed, an internal combustion occurs within the body of the worm,
resulting in a massive explosion! I screamed this information towards my friends, 
yelling at them to flee from it, though I knew they could not possibly out run it.
Desperately I tried to answer the dilemma, and came up with only one solution. I
had just one ‘polymorph other’ left, slated to turn Happy back to halfling form for 
the night. It was a long shot, but I would have to hope it worked. 

   Banking my firebird around, I activated my wand of Greater Magical Flow
Enhancement and felt heightened awareness and power surge through me. Diving 
straight down towards the melee, I saw Taigel stab the worm twice, and Happy snap
at it with her dragon jaws while Caribdis drew back his bow. Before he could let fly
his arrows, I held my breath and cast.  

   By all rights, the worm should have easily ignored my spell. Perhaps it was the
Enhancement, perhaps I just got lucky. Whatever the case, I released the energy at
the worm, willing it with all my might to change... 

   Into a turtle. 

   I franticly twisted in my saddle, pulling my bird around so that I could see below
me. The worm was gone, and as I sailed lower I could see that, in its place, was 
indeed, a small turtle. It had worked!

   “Don’t kill it!” I yelled over the wind, landing my bird clumsily and sliding off
into the slush. I hurried to where my bemused companions stood around the small 
reptile. 

   “Leave it alone!” I cried again, “Don’t kill it!” I ran to pick it up, gingerly. “This
thing is still a bomb waiting to happen! Kill it, and it blows us all to kingdom come! 
I’ll get rid of it!” I dropped the turtle into my haversack and remounted the bird,
willing it into the air. I set a course several miles from our camp and landed once I
was safely away. I set the turtle down in the snow, releasing it and remounting to 
fly away. Something, I thought, is likely to get a nasty surprise when it bites into
that turtle! I chuckled to myself. 

   Once back at camp I had to give Happy the news that I had used my last 
‘polymorph’, and that she would have to remain a dragon throughout the night. That
meant that she could not enter the shelter, and though Taklinn’s spells would
protect her from the cold, it did nothing for her comfort, and she glowered at me. 
Not willing to let her suffer alone, Griff and I both elected to spend the night
outside with her.

   ***

  Ye gods, will these monsters never cease to harrier us? No sooner had I drifted off 
into a snooze than Ambros woke me with a warning. He smelled wolf. Sure enough,
I just had time to cast a fly on myself and rouse Hap and Griff than they came. 
Three of them, launching themselves through the darkness. One was upon me
before I could react, taking a deep and painful bite out of me before I was able to 
lift off to a safe height. Two of the wolves busied themselves with Griff and Happy
while the third tore open the shutter to the shelter and poked its nose through, trying
to bite at those inside who were now awake. I believe that Mardath gave him a 
snoot full of arrows for its trouble. 

   In a split second both Griff and Hap were severely wounded. I mustered my fire
spells, pelting the wolves with fireballs and scorching rays that would have killed 
dozens of men, but left the wolves still standing, burnt, but alive. 

   Just as it looked as if Griff would fall, Caribdis exited the shelter voicing his fear
verse. This time it worked as he hoped, and only the wolves were effected. All three 
of them broke and ran, but I was not willing to let them go just to return later. Two
more fireballs and a scorching ray later, they were all dead.


  Plntng 12

   I have decided that using all of my most powerful spells to facilitate flight is 
simply too dangerous and puts me at a disadvantage should events like the ones last
night occur. I will no longer force the issue of flight. Instead, I’ve tried a different
tact. This morning I cast my allotment of lower tier spells to create enough ‘tensors 
floating disks’ for all to ride. I then polymorphed myself into a dragon and loped
across the tundra, the disks following me. As it turns out, we actually make better
time this way. Still not as fast as I’d like, but nearly the road speed of a riding horse, 
and I still have plenty of powerful spells to draw from should I need to.


  Plntng 15 

   Bah! I have not even bothered to make entries in my journal over the last three
days other than a few arcane notes to myself. All entries would look much like 
this…

   “Snow, snow and more snow!” 

   Why belabor the point?

  Today has been fraught with some danger and at least some change in Caribdis, 
so it warrants an account.

   Toward the end of our traveling today Griff sniffed the air and announced that yet
another blizzard would soon descend upon us. I groaned at the news, but resolved to 
put at least another mile in the books before we broke for the night. Alas, it was not
to be. No sooner had Griff made his prediction than we spotted two figures flying
toward us, closing fast. As they drew nearer I could see that they were two more of 
the icy skeleton constructs. I wasted no time in unleashing a fireball at them while
Mardath and Caribdis did the same with arrows. The pair slowed not a whit. 

   The two skeletons landed in our midst, one of them striking Taklinn who replied 
with a devastating blow from his axe. The other joined in battle with Griff and
Taigel, it’s gangly arms flailing about and tearing flesh with sharp talons. Caribdis’
voiced his bardic encouragement above the fray as both he and Mardath attempted 
to use their bows to good effect. As for me, I had, two days earlier, decided to
Empower a ‘scorching ray’ for just such an opportunity. I let fly with it, striking
Taklinn’s foe with twin rays of devastating fire. Steam boiled off the skeleton and 
several bones dropped away. It still stood, but barely. 

   We fought in fine unison. Griff, Taigel and Happy bore down on their enemy,
surrounding it and bringing it down. I attempted a ‘magic missile’ on Taklinn’s, but
as I suspected, the spell merely fizzled. The failed spell had little bearing on our 
victory however, for Taklinn bashed the thing again and again with his axe, sending
splinters of freezing bone flying. At last, it fell to the snow with a clatter, leaving 
behind it’s pile of diamonds. Taklinn touched his wounds and made them disappear
before tending to the others. 

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone was out to get us!” Happy said with a 
wry laugh as she went to investigate the piles of diamonds left behind. 

  Caribdis had produced a green bottle from his pack and began drinking deeply
from it. I could sense the ire in Taklinn before he even said anything. 

   “Drinking already, boy?” our cleric asked in a disapproving voice. “Maybe you
should lay off that stuff until we’re safe for the night!”

   Caribdis screwed up his face and took another exaggerated quaff before unloading 
on Taklinn. “I’ll drink anytime I damn well please, cleric!” He spat, with venomous
emphasis on his last word. “Your not my father, so quit acting like it! And
furthermore, for the last time, I am not a BOY! I’m a MAN!” 

  This was too much for me. I had been keeping quiet about Caribdis’ behavior
throughout this trip, but I could contain myself no more. 

  “Then quit acting like a spoiled child, Caribdis!” I snapped. “Look at you! Drunk 
half the time, throwing tantrums, letting your appearance go to pot; need I remind
you that you are a representative of Havilah. The least you can do is conduct
yourself in a manner becoming of such a title.”  

  Caribdis rolled his eyes and assumed a much put upon visage. “Ah, to hells with
the lot of you!” he cried, and stormed off across the snow. Taklinn watched him
walk away, seething.  

   “Let him go.” Griff said. “He’ll be back.”

   But he did not come back. An hour passed and we saw no sign of him. Griff
predicted the blizzard within only a couple of hours, and we began to worry. 
Taklinn, who had been pacing with worry, at last made to follow his tracks, only to
be stopped by Happy.

  “Not you!” She said firmly, “You’ve done enough!”  

   “What does that mean?” Taklinn replied indignantly.

  “You treat him like a child,” Happy pointed out, “You’re the reason he’s gone off
out there, and he won’t follow you back. Griff and I can get him.” 

  “Like hell you will!” Taklinn fumed, and I could tell that his anger was very near
the surface. 

  “Oh for the love of… I’ll go get him!” I said, exasperated. I still had a polymorph 
spell on myself, and assumed the form of a large eagle. I quickly flew off
low across the snow, following Caribdis’ tracks. 

   I found him less than a mile from the party, struggling gamely through a snow 
bank. I landed in front of him and changed to my normal form. 

  “What do YOU want?” He sulked. 

  “Caribdis,” I said gently, “I have come to apologize and to ask you to return with 
me. Griff believes that another of those accursed storms is on the way, and we can’t
have you caught in it.”

  Caribdis stood before me, his face twisted in frustration. “I’m not a boy!” he 
cried. “I’m a man! I’m tired of Taklinn speaking down to me all the time!”

   “I know. And I know that I am guilty of it too. You must forgive us Caribdis, for
we, especially Taklinn, think of ourselves as your guardian, an extended parent of 
sorts. And like any parent, it is difficult to let go. Also it is hard to watch you do
harm to yourself with that bottle night after night and say nothing.”

  “Griff drinks all the time!”  

   “Griff is another matter. He chose his path a long time ago. You are still at a
crucial fork in the road. And besides, lets face it, Griff’s constitution allows him the
luxury of alcohol.” 

  Caribdis stood for a moment, shaking with unfocused anger. “I am a man!” he
shouted at last. 

   “Yes, you are.” I replied.

   “I am!” he shouted again, as if to convince himself.

  “I shall endeavor to treat you like one.” 

   A moment passed and the rage seemed to flow from him, replaced by weariness.
With a sigh, he turned and followed his own prints back towards the crew. I
followed him as best I could through the snow.  

   “Doorag,” he said after a moment, “I’m not so sure I like it.”

   “Not sure you like what?”

  “The responsibility!” 

   “Ah, you mean back in Havilah.” I nodded.

  “Yes. I mean, I got everything I wanted! I got the girl, I opened my own bar, I
bought a house, but I’m not… it’s not what I expected.” He lapsed into a brooding 
quiet.

   “Caribdis, you may be a man, but you are still a young man. You have taken on
an enormous amount of responsibility because it is what you thought you wanted. 
So perhaps it turns out that the chase was better than the catch. Perhaps living the
sedate life is not what you really want after all. Who knows? What I do know is
this: Freya and all of your responsibilities are a long way from here. It has done you 
absolutely no good to dwell on them thus far. We have a mission to accomplish, and
my advice to you is to forget Havilah for now. These matters will keep, and time
away from them will give you perspective. For now, focus yourself on the task at 
hand. We are on the road, headed into the jaws of a dragon. For all we know, we
may all perish and your worries will be moot. Why waste time on concerns that may
never come to pass?” I offered him a reassuring smile, and for the first time in many 
days, he replied with a genuine smile of his own. “And now, if you don’t mind, I’m
going to transform myself into something more suitable for traveling across this
bloody snow! I could become a horse if you’d like to ride?” 

   “No,” He said, “I think I’ll walk.”

  I shrugged and polymorphed into a wolf, padding across the snow next to our
bard in silence until we reached the others. The sky had already begun to boil with 
clouds full of snow, and Caribdis quickly cast his shelter. 

   It is now late, and the winds outside are terrible. Gusts rattle the shutters and find
their way down the chimney, sending clouds of ash and snow all over us. Caribdis 
has not touched his green bottle tonight, and sleeps now without the aid of alcohol
for the first time in weeks. 


   Plntng 16

   Caribdis, usually the last to roll out of bed, was up with Taklinn and I this 
morning. We watched, saying nothing, as Caribdis neatly laid out fresh cloths,
cleaned himself as best he could, shaved, and combed his hair. Our bard whistled a
tune as he got himself ready for the day, and I marveled at how quickly this young 
man’s mood could turn. 

   We set out again. Taklinn decided to cast his firebird today and fly instead of
riding a disc. Most of the day he would fly on ahead, scouting out our way, then 
come back to circle us for an hour or so before taking off again.

   Toward late noon he soared back, landing his bird within several yards of us. He
dismounted, and I stopped, thinking we were just taking a break.  

   “We’ve got a situation ahead,” He stated, “Maybe three miles on. Four trolls, if I
recognize them correctly. Big ones. They’re guarding a pass into a mountain range
we must go through, and they are demanding a toll of one-hundred gold per
traveler.  

   “A toll?” I laughed. “You can’t be serious!”

   “Right,” He answered without humor, “A troll toll. And they seemed serious 
enough to me that I wouldn’t take them on alone.” 

   Griff spat on the ground and Happy hummed softly as she picked her nails with a
dagger. “Let’s go see about this toll.” Griff said flatly, remounting his floating disc.  

   We sped on, Taklinn flying above us, until I spotted the trolls; four big fellows
bundled in fur and hides against the cold. They stood staggered out across our path
into the foothills. I stopped about fifty feet from them, changing into my own form. 
Taklinn landed beside us, and soon our two groups stared each other down. Though
we out numbered them, the trolls seemed not at all afraid. 

   One of them, the largest, stepped forward. “Ah! You’se back!” he hollered at 
Taklinn in broken common, “You’se have brought your fellas to pay da toll, no?”

  I’m sure that Taklinn was about to say no to that, but before he could, Caribdis
began to rhyme in a sing-song voice. He spouted some ribald poem about a jester 
and the queens handmaiden. His timbre and rhythm were such that I could almost
see the eyes of the trolls glaze over. They stood, utterly transfixed, fascinated by
him. He took a few more steps toward the trolls, and we followed him cautiously. 
“No spells or attacks,” he said, inserting instruction for us smoothly into a new
series of limericks, “Or the gig will be up!”

   “Dat sure is a funny poem!” One of the trolls yelled, clapping his breastplate with 
glee.

   “Ya! Ya! His leader agreed. “But you’se still gotta pay da toll!” he added, still
smiling at Caribdis.  

  “What now, maestro?” Griff growled. 
   But Caribdis seemed not at all worried, and I noticed a subtle shift in the pitch of
his voice. I recognized his ‘suggestion’ at work. 

   “Listen now good trolls, and you will see! We simply should not pay your fee!”
Our bard rhymed. 

  The troll leader seemed to consider this for a moment, then brightened. “Ya, dats 
true!” He grunted, “You’se don’t gotsta pay!

   Caribdis bowed low and ushered us ahead. Still not fully trusting in our bards
ability to con our way past this lot, we were cautious in our approach. The three 
other trolls, though still hypnotized by Caribdis’ verse, looked a bit troubled at the
thought of letting us pass. Still, they would not challenge the word of their leader,
and we managed to nearly get beyond them before Caribdis decided to up the ante. 
Still rhyming his way through a new tale of royal debauchery, he began to insert
another suggestion directed toward the troll leader. 

   “At last we’ve passed without tax or toll, perhaps, good sir, you should give us 
YOUR gold!” 

   I gritted my teeth when I realized what Caribdis was up to, and Taklinn had to
visibly restrain himself from wringing his neck, but to my astonishment, the troll 
agreed!

  “Ya!” He crowed happily, “You’se a mighty fine fella! You’se kin have da loot!”
With that, the troll trotted into one of two nearby hide tents and returned in seconds 
with a bulging sack that clinked of coinage. He made to give it to Caribdis, but this
proved to be too much for the other three trolls. 

   “Bah!” One of them cried, “Tag’s done gone ‘round da bend! He’s gonna give 
‘em da loot!” With that, the three trolls forgot all about Caribdis’ rhyme and
bounded toward us, filthy claws and tree trunk clubs brandished. 

  “Aw, screw this!” I heard Griff mutter. I heard his sword leave it’s sheath, and 
that was enough to break Tag, the troll leader from his own fascination. The big
fellow shook his head and looked down at the bag of gold, surprised to find it there.
With a bellow, he dropped the bag and raised his own club. 

   Things happened very quickly. I had already cast a ‘fly’ on myself, and so bore
straight up to a height of thirty feet. I looked down to see Caribdis take a heavy 
smack across the body from a gnarled tree trunk held in the hands of a troll. Taklinn
and Mardath intercepted another. Taigel drew his blades and took a third by himself
while Happy and Griff flanked the leader. I made to pelt Taigel’s troll with a 
‘scorching ray’, but changed my mind at the last minute, electing instead to save
Caribdis’ life with a ‘hold monster’. The dim witted troll froze in his tracks.
Caribdis winked a thanks at me and drew his bow, launching a series of arrows to 
aid Taigel. 

   To be sure, we were more than a match for the remaining three trolls, even though
I was unable to overcome unexpected spell resistance from the lead troll. But even 
that did not save him from Happy and Griff. The two of them spilt his guts over a
five yard span. I had better luck with the lesser trolls, finding them easy marks for
scorchers and magic missiles. Taklinn waded into the threat range of his troll, his 
axes slicing green flesh and cracking bone. Mardath pincered the troll with Taklinn,
his greatsword hacking into it again and again. As they downed theirs, Hap and
Griff raced to help Taigel, and the last troll soon fell into a heap. There was still the 
matter of the held troll, and Caribdis killed it with a single arrow to the forehead.

   “Don’t stop hacking them!” I cried, “They regenerate! We need fire to keep them
dead!” I flew into one of the tents, hoping to find oil or other combustibles while 
our warriors continued to stab the bodies. 

  “Humph!” Taklinn grinned. He had just the ticket. He led his firebird to a troll
body and had the creature sit on it. Within seconds there was little left but a mound 
of putrid flesh. He repeated the process with the remaining three bodies, and at last
the threat was over.

   “Caribdis, why?” Hap moaned, her eyes rolling in exasperation, “Why did you 
have to push them for their gold? We could have walked right on by them!”

   Caribdis grinned and pushed a lock of hair from his boyish face. “Well, we
couldn’t just leave them here to rob other travelers,” he said, “And besides, they 
might have a few goodies we can use.” He could barely conceal his mischievous
smile as he went into a tent to have a look around.

   As it turned out, Caribdis was right. The trolls had apparently had good luck 
fleecing hapless travelers, even in this desolate waste. Their tents were ripe with
some very select treasure. Not only did we find a substantial sum of gold, but
several items of magic as well, not the least of which is the armor that Tag, their 
leader, wore. This cache is good enough that we have decided to stay here an extra
day so that I can identify our finds in hopes that they can help us against the dragon.
I must rest now, for tomorrow will be a long day for me. 


   Plntng 17

   An arduous eight hours after sunrise I was able to shed some light as to the nature
of the magical treasure we’ve found. These trolls were rich by any standards, and I
am now quit happy that Caribdis would not be satisfied to simply let us circumvent 
them. Of course he did have a point with regard to not leaving them behind to
harass other travelers, but from a standpoint of pure greed, I can’t help but admit
that I’d have been loath to leave such treasure behind. The armor alone would have 
been worth the battle! My voice shook a little with excitement when I told the
others what it was. 

   “I wouldn’t be surprised if it has a name,” I said, holding the studded leather, “But 
I don’t know what it is. What I can tell is that it holds a maximum enchantment,
much like the bracers and ring we found on Melesandre. On top of that, it provides
spell resistance!” 

   Beyond that, I ‘identified’ a ring of warmth, several potions and scrolls, a picture
frame that can hold a small illusion permanently, and a wand of silence with several 
charges left in it. No wonder they had no fear of magic! 

   I also tried to identify Taklinn’s amulet, but I met with limited success. All I
could get was an esoteric clue that it can ‘trigger an unquenchable rage in a white 
dragon’. I sense that there is much left to uncover within the amulet, but it will
require a much stronger dweomer than a simple ‘identify’. I have thus decided to
cast ‘analyze dweomer’ on it at the first opportunity. It’s a spell that I have only 
recently learned, and until tonight had not even possessed the material component
for. I announced that I would be making another teleport jaunt to Havilah to pick up
the component, and within seconds I was gone.  

   The lens I needed was expensive, but I deemed further knowledge about the
amulet worth the cost. I also decided to treat the crew to a fine dinner that night, and
after my shopping I went to The Golden Crow, one of Havilah’s finer eateries, and 
had them crate up a smorgasbord of delectable dinners, complete with roasted boar,
bisque, fruit, fresh bread, wine and pie for dessert. I teleported the whole affair back
to the shelter with me and we dined in style that night. Happy looked at me agog, as 
if she had only just understood the potential of ‘teleport’. 

   “You just blipped back to Havilah?” She asked, mouth open.

   “Well, yes.” I replied. 

   “And brought all this back?”

   “I’ve done this before, Hap…”

   “And you can do this anytime you want?” 

  “Well, technically speaking I can only teleport so many times per day, but
basically, yes. Understand though, teleporting is not an exact science. There is a
slim but very real possibility that I could end up far away from my intended 
location. I have to be quite careful, and it is always wise to have a back up teleport
in case I need to try it again.”

   Much of my explanation was lost on her. She still seemed utterly awed by the idea 
of instant transportation, and I think it was just dawning on her how powerful
wizards can be. 

   “I don’t suppose, umm, maybe you could pick up one or two things for me next 
time you go?” She asked, somewhat shyly. 

   “Of course!” I laughed. “I’d be happy to, though I don’t know when I’ll be going
again. I don’t like to press my luck, but if I do, make me a list and I’ll take care of 
it.”

   After dinner I approached Taklinn. 

   “Ah, Taklinn,” I began, unsure how to phrase my request, “Do you, er, happen to 
have an extra holy symbol of Clangeden on you?”

   He looked at me, surprised. “Yes, I have one. Why do you ask?”

   “Well,” I said, “I was wondering if I might wear it, unless you think it might be in 
some way sacrilegious.” 

   He looked quite perplexed. “No, it would not be. But why, Doorag? Are you
thinking of converting?” 

   “No!” I laughed, “Not at all! It’s just that, well, Clangeden has healed me more
than a few times, and while I have little use for the gods, I would be the last to deny
that I’d most certainly have been dead ten times over if not for him. I merely wish 
to show my gratitude by wearing his symbol.”

   Taklinn nodded in understanding. He produced a simple symbol of unassuming
steel and placed it around my neck. “May his strength and wisdom guide and 
protect you, my friend.” He said. 

   I write now with a belly full of The Golden Crow’s finest, though I am terribly
tired. We have elected to march on to Latona, a small city supposedly located only 
two days from here, before I attempt to ‘analyze’ the amulet, as the spell is most
taxing. 


   Plntng 19

   I have been sitting here for an hour looking at the blank page, unable to write the
truth. My pen has dried up three times. To scribe the events of the day is to make
them real; permanent.  

  Caribdis is dead. Swallowed by a rhemorez. Only hours from Latona, nearly
within view of it’s walls. Senseless. Meaningless. My heart feels like dead stone
within my chest.  

   Caribdis is dead.  




   Plntng 24 

   I am in Havilah. Ostensibly the reason for my being here is to craft a few items; a
pair of gloves of strength for Griff, a periapt of wisdom for Taklinn, and a belt of 
many pouches for Hap. A more oblique reason, though probably more important, is
that it has given me an opportunity to immerse myself in work; to clear my mind of
the shock of Caribdis’ death, or at least to work out the emotional tangle it has 
instilled within me. 

  I have tried several times over the last five days to relate the events of his death,
but I have been unable to do more than stare numbly at the page. I have resolved to 
try again.

   It was the 19th.. We had been traveling most of the day and by our reckoning
Latona should have been only a few hours away. We were all eager to make the 
city, to finally have some relief from the endless miles of ice and snow. 

   I was in the form of a small dragon, making steady progress across the snow with 
the rest of the crew seated on their disc’s behind me.

   We never saw them coming.

   The ground directly before me suddenly heaved and burst open. A horrific and 
huge head burst from the earth. Heat radiated off of it in terrible waves, and it’s
mandibled jaws snapped at me before I had a chance to even think about reacting.
The mandibles tore into me and I reeled back, near death. The head was followed 
by a centipede-like body. The thing, which I instantly recognized as a rhemorez,
scuttled from it’s hole with a speed which seemed impossible for something so big.

   Two more of them burst from the snow on either side of us. 

   The crew leapt from their disc’s, weapons flashing. Happy hurled a dagger into
the flank of the one on our left. Taigel charged for the same rhemorez and sunk one
of his swords into it to the hilt. He pulled back nothing else, as the metal of his 
blade simply melted away. 

  The rhemorez to our right scuttled forward into our midst. It towered over
Caribdis, who had yet to react. With a single terrible bite, it struck, biting him 
around the waist, hoisting him upward and swallowing our bard with apparent ease.
One minute he was standing there, the next, he had vanished down the things throat.

   Taklinn screamed in anguish. He and Griff reached the rhemorez simultaneously, 
Griff with his sword and Taklinn with a spell. But our luck was still bad. Griff
overdrew himself, falling against the creature, and I could hear the sizzle of his
flesh against it’s body. He grunted in pain and pulled away, leaving charred skin
stuck to it’s hide. Taklinn reached out and touched the rhemorez, casting his spell. 
Even through his gauntlet the heat seared his hand. He commanded it to die, but the
rhemorez ignored him.  

   Knowing that I could not withstand another bite, I pumped my wings and flew
straight upward until I was out of their reach. Unfortunately I could not cast in
dragon form. I concentrated on changing to my own form as I invoked a contingent 
‘fly’ upon myself.

   By the time I had shifted to my true nature, it was over. The rhemorez are vicious
and can mete out tremendous damage, but they can take little of it themselves. 
Taigel and Mardath took down one. Griff and Taklinn hacked the one that had
swallowed Caribdis furiously. It died from a long gash in it’s flank cut by Griff.
Steam and lava-like ichors gushed from it, and I saw a booted leg jut from it’s belly. 
Griff followed through with the same sword slash to finish the last, which had
already been wounded by Happy. Even as the final rhemorez collapsed, Taklinn
was dragging the charred body of Caribdis from the rhemorez carcass. In shock, I 
landed next to his body. I did not even have to ask if he was dead. His cloths were
burnt away, his jewelry melted, his bow immolated. Taklinn clenched his fists in
rage and sorrow and raised them to the sky as a scream of impotent rage tore from 
his throat. He looked at me with stricken eyes, touched Caribdis’ body, uttered a
word, and disappeared. He had taken our dead friend with him. 

   Stunned silence followed. The attack, the death of Caribdis, even the knowledge 
that Taklinn could somehow teleport; it all combined to send us into utter shock.
Mardath, in his simple barbarian logic, did not seem to comprehend the gravity of
what had happened. “Too bad about the dandy fellow.” He said, blithely. “At least 
he died a fine death!”

   A rage tried to well up within me. I wanted to tell Mardath to shut up, to tell him
that he had no right to speak of such a death with frivolity, but shock and sorrow 
overwhelmed all other emotion, and I could do nothing but stare at the melted slush
where his body had lain.

   A tiny voice of logic still spoke in the distance of my mind. I knew that there were 
magic’s that could bring Caribdis back. I knew that Taklinn possessed such
magic’s, but I also knew that the spell must be cast within a very short time of
death. I had to assume that Taklinn had not prepared the spell, and had somehow 
shifted himself and the body to a place where it could be done. I had been
considering teleporting Caribdis to the temple of Clangeden in Havilah in a
desperate bid to get him to a powerful cleric there before Taklinn had gone, but was 
beat to the punch. A tiny glimmer of hope blossomed within me. Surely Taklinn
would know what to do. Surely he would get Caribdis’ body to a worthy priest in
time to have the ‘raise dead’ cast. Surely he would return with our friend, a little 
worse for wear, but still alive. I held onto that small glimmer, though I dared not
voice it to my friends, lest I give them false hope.

   Griff was grim, his face ashen, but he was ever pragmatic. “We should be on to 
Latona.” He said. “This place is not safe. We will have to hope that Taklinn can
somehow contact us.” 

   We did not argue with his logic. Wordlessly we picked ourselves up and began 
the last leg of our journey. 

   Within an hour we sighted the city walls. Taigel made an announcement. “I will
not enter the city.” He said. “They are very prejudiced against my kind there, and I 
would not be allowed entry. I will wait for you here. Don’t worry, the cold will not
affect me.” 

   I didn’t like the idea of leaving him to fend for himself, and told him so. “Stay 
here until noon tomorrow, then take your ring off and I’ll scry you. I’ll come and
get you when we’ve found an inn. I can make you invisible and we’ll get you
inside.” He nodded in agreement and sat down to wait. 

   The rest of us made our way to the city gates. As we neared them I received a
‘sending’. The voice of Taklinn spoke in my mind, “Use the bracelet. Bring me 
back. No Caribdis.”

   I returned the message. “Soon. Take your ring off.”

  I was referring, both in Taklinn and Taigel’s case, to the rings of non-detection 
that they wore.  Earlier we had wondered about the separate attacks by skeleton ice
constructs. I hypothesized that Acessiwall was somehow scrying his son (though I
had seen no sensors), so Caribdis had given Taigel his ring, reasoning that 
Acessiwall had not seen him, and therefore would not scry him. 

   Latona is a rough and ramshackle town, filled with mostly humans, all of them of
hardy stock to live this far north. We were allowed entry by suspicious guards who 
told us of a decent inn not far away. We made for it and purchased rooms as fast as
we could. Once inside, I drew forth my crystal ball and scyed Taklinn. 

   I found our cleric in a tomb carved from living stone. Torchlight from two 
sconces on the walls threw back only a little of the shadow on his face. Behind him,
another dwarf dressed in clerical garb passed my line of sight and disappeared
through a door. Taklinn sat in silent vigil over the body of Caribdis, now covered 
with a blanket and lying atop a stone slab. I hung my head and the rest of the crew
watched as I reached into a pouch and withdrew the Bracelet of Friends that I had
crafted in Havilah. Around it’s length hung seven charms, each keyed to an 
individual. Taklinn was one of those. I pulled his charm loose from the bracelet, it
seemed to melt into nothingness in my hand, and then he was there, standing in the
room with us. He looked as if he had aged several years, and his armor still bore the 
stain of battle, an unheard of occurrence for our fastidious friend. He looked around
the room at our faces, saw all of the questions that we could not bring ourselves to
ask. He spoke. 

   “I did not have a ‘raise dead’ prepared.” He said with unusual quiet. “I used a
‘word of recall’ to transport Caribdis’ body and myself to my mountain home, into
the temple of Clangeden that lies there. I knew that there would be priests there 
capable of casting the spell, if not from memory, then from a scroll. At first they
refused. Caribdis is…” He stopped, drew a ragged breath, and started again,
“Caribdis was not a dwarf, and my brethren felt no compulsion to raise him. 
Precious time was wasted, but I was most insistent. At last, they complied, and the
spell was cast in time.” 

   Taklinn walked to the table and poured himself a cup from the bottle that Griff 
had left out. He drank deeply before continuing. 

   “When an attempt to return one to life is made, the spirit of that person is
contacted and invited to come back. The spirit has free will to accept or refuse the 
offer.”

   “Caribdis declined.”

   My jaw dropped. “What? Why!” 

  “I do not know.”

  “But… but…” I sputtered, “Why!”

  “I do not know.” 

  Happy slid off of her chair. “I need a drink.” She said, tersely, and slammed the
door behind her as she left. 

   Taklinn sighed. “You are still wounded,” He said. Indeed, all of us still bore 
wounds from the rhemorez. I, myself, could barely stand. Taklinn reached toward
Griff, voicing a healing spell that we can repeat almost as well as he can. 

   Griff cut him off. “Don’t touch me.” He spat. “Keep your god, Taklinn. I don’t 
want Clangeden’s help.” His words were measured, quiet, and hard as steel. Taklinn
looked stricken, as if Griff had slapped him in the face. Griff stood and left the
room without another word, still bearing his wounds, and a rage that was almost
palpable.  

  Taklinn looked at the rest of us helplessly, cut deeply by Griff’s words. “Perhaps
Happy is right,” He said, “Perhaps a drink is in order.” He left for the inns common 
room, and presently, Mardath followed him, shrugging at me as he left. I was alone
in the room. I spoke a word, and disappeared.

   ***

I appeared inside the stone chamber I had scryed earlier. Caribdis still lay on the 
stone slab and the torches still flickered, but the tomb was otherwise empty. I
climbed up on the slab and sat cross-legged on it’s edge, next to his body. He was
still horribly burnt. His hair was gone, and most of his features were badly 
disfigured, but I could still make out face. 

   Why?

   Again and again I asked the question. Why, Caribdis? Why did you not come 
back? 

   Finally, I just sat there with him. I was not disturbed, and three hours later, I
teleported back to the inn. 

   I did not sleep that night, but no one returned to the room and I was disinclined to
leave. It was not until late morning that I discovered what had become of my crew 
that night. Happy, Taklinn and Mardath had gotten deep in their cups. They drank
until the alcohol overcame them and they slept in the common room. 

   Griff had apparently stalked the city streets until he found a fight of some kind. 
The details are unclear, but the city guard was involved, as was a small fine and a
night in the Latona jail. At noon I scryed Taigel and went to find him. I had still not
memorized my spells, for my night had been less than restful so he had to agree to 
being polymorphed into a human as a disguise to enter the city. He was not pleased
with the idea, but it was preferable to spending the long nights hidden on the tundra. 

   A short time after, we had all gathered again. It was late noon, and we were seated 
on floor, chairs and bed in one of the rooms we’d rented. I looked at Taklinn, his
face was motionless, but his eyes bore an expression of profound guilt and sorrow.
Griff was stone faced. Happy busily ran a stone over one of her daggers. 

   Taigel was the first to break the silence.

   “Caribdis is dead. I am sorry. He seemed a well intentioned lad, and you were all
obviously fond of him. I grieve for his passing. Yet we still have the question of 
Acessiwall to contemplate. We are one less now, and we grow nearer to his lair. I
believe we are only a hundred and fifty miles, give or take, from his mountain. Are
you still confident that we can take him?” 

   I groaned inwardly. It seemed almost blasphemous to already be talking about our
mission in the recent wake of Caribdis’ death, but Taigel was right. 

   “I don’t know.” I answered honestly. “Caribdis was not only a hell of an archer 
and a great combat healer, he also made us better at what we did. His verse was
indispensable. I don’t know that he ever realized how important it was. It will be a
tough go without him.” 

   “Furthermore,” I said, “I’d still like to do some more research on dragons,
specifically Acessiwall. I would like to try to determine his age if I can. That would
give us a much clearer picture of what we’re going up against. He has been referred 
to as ancient, but I hope to narrow that down a little. But before I do that,  I want to
try to ‘analyze’ the amulet. I am hoping that it somehow holds the key to
Acessiwall’s defeat. To that end, I will need space, quiet, and time. I intend to retire 
to the next room and rest, after which I will begin work. I should be casting by nine
o’clock, and the spell will probably take up most of the night, if not much of
tomorrow. Once I have determined the amulets powers, we will be able to better
gauge our chances against the dragon.” 

   Taigel considered this. “Very well then. We should post a guard outside your
door. We will reconvene when you have more information for us, Doorag.” 

   I went into the next room and shut the door. I suddenly felt incredibly tired, and as
my head touched the pillow I fell into a hard slumber. 

   ***

   Exactly eight hours later I awoke. It took me a moment to remember where I was
and what had happened. I realized once again that Caribdis was gone and felt that
sharp sorrow anew. Sighing, I went about my morning ritual. In due course, after a 
bit of breakfast delivered by Mardath, I asked Taklinn for the amulet. I locked
myself in the room with no other company than Ambros and went to work. 

   ‘Analyze Dweomer’ is a potent yet taxing spell, and like ‘identify’, takes a fair 
amount of time to cast. In the end, I had to cast it twice in a row. The whole process
took nearly twenty hours, and by the time I stumbled out of that small room I was
exhausted, but flush with knowledge.  

   I gathered the crew about me and explained what I had learned. 

   The amulet had several functions, at least one of which still eluded me. I was
quite frustrated by that fact, and hoped for one more opportunity before we met the 
dragon, but I had uncovered much. The results were less than promising. 

   The amulet can be used against white dragons and half-white dragons. Apparently
it was crafted specifically to deal with Acessiwall, for it requires either his blood, or 
the blood of one of his descendants to activate. As I had hypothesized before, a very
small amount of blood is required. As to what exactly it’s function is, the amulet
will drive the targeted dragon into a frenzy of rage, similar to that of Mardath when 
he is in battle. The down side of this is that it actually increases the dragons
physical strength, as well as a few other factors. The supposed up side is that the
dragon cannot flee and will fight until either it’s death, or the death of the amulets 
wearer. 

   Finding out the amulets secrets did not give us much hope. All it appeared
capable of was to insure that Acessiwall would not flee while making him all the 
more strong! 

   But Taigel reasoned that it may prove valuable. His father was a spell caster, and
as such, would certainly use magic to escape at the first sign of the battle going 
against him. I was still doubtful. The odds were heavily against us actually turning
any such confrontation in our favor, and I had hoped that the amulet would
somehow be the key to doing that.  

  Taigel delivered still more bad news when he told us of at least one ally of his
fathers that he knew about. A wizard of no small power named Helious is in
cahoots with Acessiwall. I groaned at this news. Not only a dragon, but a wizard as 
well? 

   On a hunch, I scryed first Acessiwall, then Helious. My chances of finding them
were slim at best, given only their names, but luck was with me. My first scrying 
revealed a sheet of white scales. As my sensor pulled back, Acessiwall came into
view and I gaped. He was massive. With an irritated gesture he dispelled my sensor,
but not before I caught a glimpse of his lair. I was also able to find Helious, though 
he dispelled my sensor just as easily with a wand. 

   My next order of business was two-fold, I explained to the crew. One, I would
return to Havilah to research more about Acessiwall and dragons, and two, I would 
pick up whatever gear we felt we might need. Happy gave me her list, and in a short
while I was gone.

   Unfortunately my research revealed little. It was near impossible, given my 
limited information, to narrow down the age of Acessiwall. I found only one
reference to him in an old tome, a poorly written account of his attack on a caravan
many years before that left few survivors and was particularly brutal, even by 
dragon standards. It was of little value. After a frustrating day in the library, I
shopped for Happy, then returned to Latona with the seed of another goal in mind.  

   I explained to the crew that we were obviously outmatched in this coming
confrontation, but that perhaps we could even the odds a bit given the judicious
application of a few magic’s. I volunteered my services as an artificer once again, 
explaining carefully (especially to Griff) that I could craft items which would
enhance them. In the end Taklinn, Griff and Happy parted with enough gold to
facilitated the items they needed made, and the following day (the 23rd) I ported
back to Havilah once again and got to work.  

   I heave an inward sigh as I write this, for had my friends taken me up on this
same offer during our seven month sojourn in Havilah, not only would the items I 
could have crafted been far more powerful, they would not have cost me my
personal essence. Still, I feel that the need for them is worth the cost to myself. I am
crafting Griff a set of ‘gloves of ogre power’, Taklinn a ‘periapt of wisdom’, and 
Happy a ‘belt of many pouches’. They have recompensed me with gold, which is
always desirable. 

   The crafting process will take several days. I can only hope that my friends can 
stay out of trouble. I also hope that Taklinn and Griff can somehow work things out
between them. Griff still refuses Taklinn’s healing touch, and I can sense a great
strain on their friendship.  

  As I began my work today I thought more of Caribdis. Why? The question keeps
up it’s incessant nagging in the back of my mind. Why did he elect not to return? I
cannot overcome this desire to speak with him one last time, to ask him that 
question. I fear that I have become slightly obsessed with it, and to that end I have
begun some research into the area of communication with the dead in what little
spare time I have.  

   I have also resolved to go to Freya tomorrow and break the news of Caribdis’
death to her. No matter what Caribdis’ final disposition towards her may have been,
she has a right not to hear it from the mouth of strangers.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 9, 2015)

Plntng 25

   My work goes well, and I have made good headway on the enchantment on
Griff’s gloves. The periapt for Taklinn is a bit more difficult, not in it’s crafting, but
in finding a ‘legend lore’ spell to use as the base. I finally had to settle for having an 
academy wizard cast it for me for a price. No matter, it’s not a spell I’d have really
wished for in my library for anything other than it’s novelty value. It’s far to vague
for my tastes.  

   At any rate, I visited Freya today and told her the news. She took it quite badly,
and I am not used to dealing with women in crisis. I fear I could do little more than
pat her on the knee and say, “There, there.” 

   I explained to her that the Broken Blade is hers, that Caribdis would have wanted
it that way, but she professed not to want the bar. She has no interest in running it,
and it was then that I could see that she is exactly what she appears to be: a very 
young farm girl who was caught up in something she has not the imagination for.
She was used as a pawn by Melesandre, and Caribdis chased her across two worlds.
She was swept off her feet by his heroics; how could she not fall in love with him? 
But I see now how the bloom had left Caribdis’ rose. She is not stupid, but rather
simple. She has no vision beyond everyday life; no ambition other than to build her
nest and live happily ever after. Her capacity for intellectual conversation is non-
existent, and she has no wish to speak in words of more than two syllables. I
quickly grew uncomfortable in her presence, and assured her that I would do what I
could to alleviate the responsibility of the inn to her.  

   One thing did strike me though. As I sat consoling her, I looked into a basket that
was set near her chair. In it was a ball of yarn and a pair of knitting needles. When I 
saw what she had been knitting my heart leapt in my throat and then sank like a
stone. She is knitting booties. Baby booties.

   I have since done what I can to procure management for the Broken Blade, 
insuring that the place will continue to run, with a portion of the profits going to
keep Freya in a decent lifestyle. She has been through enough, and I know that,
even though Caribdis had tired of her, he would still see her comfortable and taken 
care of. 

   All of this had cut into my work a bit, and I must be to bed now so that I can get
an early start in the morning.  


   Plntng 26

   Work continues steadily. I hope to be back with the crew by early Flocktime. 


   Plntng 29 

   Happy’s belt of many pouches is nearly complete. I think that she will like this
item very much, for I have seen her look with envy at my handy haversack many 
times.

   I have succeeded in finding a manager for the Broken Blade. He realizes that he is
dealing with a wizard who intends to scry him from time to time, and who will 
check the books to make sure accounts are being handled correctly. He knows that
there is no place he can hide from me should he try to steal from the bar, which I
think will keep him honest. No one wants to be on a wizards black list.  


  Flktme 5

   Taklinn’s periapt will be complete by tomorrow. I intend to return to Latona the
minute they are done. I miss my friends, and hope they are well. Unfortunately I
cannot scry them, as they all wear rings of nondetection.  

   Over these past days I have had much time to dwell upon Caribdis’ death. The
weight of it will not leave me, and I have been (somewhat obsessively) scouring
tomes that deal with the art of communicating with the dead. I must somehow talk 
to him. I must know why he didn’t come back. I must know that he is happy where
he is. And I must say goodbye. 

   Also, there is the matter of Freya, or, more to the point, what could be growing 
within her. If she is with Caribdis’ child, should I tell him if I have the chance to
speak with him? Does he already know? Would he have come back had he known?
So many questions.  

   I hope to speak with Taklinn about this upon my return, for clerical magics will
be of far greater use in finding and talking to him. 

   In the end, I suddenly feel a part of something incomplete. The Crew is without 
one of it’s vital components, and I fear further splintering will occur. Will we heal
ourselves? Will we find a replacement for him? Or will we dissolve? 

   I like to think that we are stronger than that, but the possibility is there. Each of us 
lends our balance to the whole, and suddenly we are teetering, without center. I
wonder now if the one thing we cannot defeat is our own internal dichotomy now
that it has been pushed off kilter. These thoughts keep me up at night, and I fear that 
I will return to Latona to find a crew steeped in discord. I doubt my wisdom in
leaving them for so long, as I am often times the voice of logic and reason, yet I
must trust them to police themselves.  

   Perhaps this loss will make us stronger. It may prove to be the most difficult thing
we must ever overcome.  


  Flktme 9

   How swiftly the worm turns! Two days ago we were heroes. Today, we are
wanted criminals. As I write this Taklinn languishes in a prison cell and the rest of
us have been branded fugitives.  

  Our story has taken such twists and turns in such a short time it is difficult for me
to unravel it all. The more I try to make sense of it the more tangled it becomes, but
I shall attempt to relay an account of this mess in the hopes that writing it may 
somehow reveal some pertinent wisdom I have overlooked.

   I spent an extra couple of days in Havilah undergoing an initiation into the
academy of mages there. Given the benefits of membership to the Order, it seems a 
wise move, though now that my future is unclear and my honor besmirched, I may
have to reconsider my options.

  I returned to Latona on the 8th of Flocktime and found Taklinn drinking in the bar
with a woman I had never seen before. She was a stunningly beautiful human with 
an air of mystery to her. Even though I am not given to amorous desire in most
cases, I could not help but appreciate her features, though I still regarded her with 
mistrust when Taklinn introduced me to her after our initial greeting. 

   Her name is Scylla D’neif, and according to her, she was an acquaintance of
Caribdis. A very ‘close’ acquaintance, it seems. To be succinct, she was the Other 
Woman in Caribdis’ life. How strange it seems to suddenly have one of his secrets
revealed in the wake of his death. She told me that she had heard of Caribdis’ death
only a few days hence, and had used a scroll of ‘teleportation’ to travel to Latona 
where she had sought out his friends. Apparently she felt somehow responsible for
his death, given the fact that she had given him an ultimatum shortly before he’d
left Havilah. She was under the impression that her having drawn a line in the sand 
with Freya on one side and herself on the other, had been the reason Caribdis had
left the city. She claims to have come here to help us find a way to bring him back. 

   I gave her explanation a sideways glance, not trusting her in the slightest, even 
though Taklinn assured me that he detected no evil upon her. I was still unsure
though, and kept my eye on her as we waited for Happy and Griff to return.

   An hour later the pair walked into the bar and were delighted to see me. I was 
eager to catch up, and the five of us sat around a table exchanging our stories over
warm mead. Taigel and Mardath, growing weary of life in the city, had taken a
hunting trip into the tundra that was expected to last only another day or two. 
Though it seemed ludicrous that they would actually go looking for trouble out in
that accursed snow, I could do little but shrug and hope they fared well and returned
safely.  

   My first order of business was to give Griff, Taklinn and Happy their newly
crafted items, with which they seemed quite pleased. 

  Our second item was the further matter of Caribdis. I was reluctant to speak of 
this in front of Scylla, but Taklinn, Happy and Griff had, apparently been keeping
company with her since her arrival in Latona, and they seemed at ease with her.
Reasoning that I would be giving up few secrets, I allowed the conversation to run 
its course. 

   It looks as if Taklinn and I have been on the same page regarding this, for while I
was in Havilah doing research of my own, he has taken it upon himself to gather 
information from a source intimately familiar with the realms of the dead. He told
me that he had called a celestial deva and sought guidance from her, and that she
had told him that, yes, it was possible for us to make contact with Caribdis again; 
that it was even possible to petition his deity for a second chance at a resurrection.
The only hitch was, we would have to go to him. 

   I watched Happy and Griff grow more and more uncomfortable as Taklinn
explained the convoluted process we would have to go through to reach Caribdis. It
involved the crossing of several planes of existence, the infinite staircase, a trip into 
Ysguard, and still further possible rejection from Caribdis even after we pay what
will surely be a steep price for a second chance for our bard, should his deity even
decide to give it.  

   It was a long shot, and a dangerous one to boot. I immediately declared my
willingness to take it. Taklinn agreed, though he sighed and explained that the
dragon would have to be dealt with first. I argued with him, but he was adamant 
about it, and in the end I could only agree that Caribdis wasn’t going anywhere
soon. 

   The final item on our agenda was the sticky matter of an assassination attempt on 
Griff and Happy some two weeks ago. As they explained it to me, they had decided to
do a little fact finding themselves while I was gone in the hopes that some of the
locals might know something about Acessiwall, given their close proximity. 
They roved from bar to bar, casually asking questions and being greeted with blank
stares or turned backs. No one, it seemed, wished to talk about the old wurm.
Finally they were pointed in the direction of a fellow named Losom the Large, an 
ironic moniker, given the fact that he is a gnome. Losom was reputed to be a retired
bard who now dealt in information. Happy and Griff paid him a visit, as well as
some hard coin, but unfortunately received little more information about white 
dragons (and Acessiwall in particular) than I had already provided. Feeling
frustrated and a bit put out with having paid for trivial information, they returned to
our inn.  

   A few nights later Griff woke up with a start as a shadowy figure plunged a blade
into him as he slept! Griff was quite fortunate that the assassin’s blade missed it’s
mark by a fraction. He was able to roll out of bed and grapple his assailant while 
Happy grabbed a dagger and nailed the assassin a couple of times. Weakened and
wounded, the would be murderer was little match for Griff once he grabbed his
sword, and with a slash, he crumpled to the floor, dead. They disposed of the body 
after searching it in a fruitless effort to find clues. 

   Happy was convinced that Losom had been in some way involved in setting the
assassin on them, and to that end she resolved to question him. She snuck into his 
house and confronted the gnome, but he merely ‘charmed’ her and called the guard.
She just barely managed to escape. As we sat at our table she reiterated her
assurance that he was a prime suspect and that they had been waiting on my arrival 
to deal with him. 

   It all sounded reasonable to me, and I suggested we pay Mr. Large a visit with a
few ‘charm persons’ of our own. There being no time like the present, I fortified 
myself by memorizing a few appropriate spells before attempting to scry him. To
my happy surprise, I was able to locate him despite having no more than a name to
go on. I viewed him as he sat in a small room full of books as he sat reading. I 
studied the room carefully, and within the hour we set out for Losom’s house.
Scylla trailed after us, though I was still unsure of her. I shrugged, reasoning that
she couldn't do much harm.

   How wrong I was!

   I must have been filled with either misplaced confidence or foolish pride, for we
formulated a half baked plan that contained many holes and no contingencies 
should things go wrong. 

   It was decided that, since Losom would probably not recognize me or Scylla, the
two of us would pose as would be information seekers while the rest of the crew 
waited across the street, ready to lend aid. Happy scouted through a window or two,
and saw that three body guards lounged in the main sitting room downstairs.  

   I knocked on the door and it was answered by one of the guards, and though he
answered me, it was Scylla that he could not take his eyes off of. He seemed utterly
smitten with her beauty, as did the other two guards who vied for her attention as 
we were let in after I introduced ourselves. They fell over themselves getting her a
comfortable chair and something to drink while I explained that we were here to see
the master of the house; that we had good coin to exchange for information. One of 
the guards finally tore his attention from Scylla, who appeared a little
uncomfortable with the attention, and went to fetch Losom. 

   Five minutes later a finely dressed gnome entered the room with a wide smile and 
greeted us. He seemed only too pleased at the prospect of selling a bit of his
knowledge, and listened intently as I spun a threadbare tale. We were, I inexpertly
lied, seeking information on the whereabouts of a band of scoundrels which 
included a halfling, a dwarf, and a tall swordsman. Describing my own crew gave
the story some small bit of validity, but it was merely a ruse, a framework within
which I wove a spell.  

   He did not see the ‘charm person’ coming, but to my amazement, he got lucky
and shrugged it off! 

   It was at this point that things began to spiral out of control. 

   His face turned pale and he immediately drew a dagger and backed toward the
door as he yelled at his body guards. “He tried to cast on me! They're thieves! Get
them!” He suddenly blinked out of view as I recognized the ‘invisibility’ he had just 
cast. Swearing, I just had time to cast ‘see invisibility’ on myself as one of the
guards rushed me. I watched, frustrated, as Losom fled through the door. The guard
grabbed for me but I ducked and danced back a step. Two of the guards were 
attempting to grapple Scylla, but I was determined not to let Losom escape. I
quickly cast a ‘teleport’ and the guards arms closed around empty air as I popped
into the book lined room I had seen Losom in earlier.  

  Sure enough, a second later the door opened and Losom entered with a look of
fear on his face. He was surprised to see me there, but not so much so that he could
not try a ‘confusion’ spell on me. Fortunately the dweomer slid off my mantel, and I 
grinned at him. “Not today!” I said, cheerfully, and targeted him with a ‘hold
monster’ which stopped him in his tracks. 

   Now, what to do with him? 

   I quickly shut the door and cast an ‘improved invisibility’ on him, reasoning that
the guards would be here to check on him soon. Then, just to be sure he didn’t
escape, I cast a ‘feeblemind’ on him, which turned him into a drooling, held, 
invisible idiot. In retrospect, the ‘feeblemind’ may have been a little overkill, but I
knew the hold would only last a minute or so, and I wasn’t about to allow this
slippery fellow to escape. I just had time to read a scroll of ‘invisibility’ for myself 
as I heard the pounding of booted feet in the hall outside. The door swung open, and
I cursed when I realized that Losom stood too near it. The door hit him, knocking
him over, and giving away the fact that the room was not unoccupied. Two guards 
stepped into the room, finding Losom by feel, and vainly asking him what the
matter was. 

   I was surprised to see Griff step in behind them. The two guards seemed to pay 
him no mind, and I believe I must have blown a cover of some sort when I said,
“We’re going to need the bag of holding, Griff!” 

   Hearing my voice, the guards looked about wildly, then at Griff. With suspicious 
faces, they drew their swords and pointed them at him. 

   Griff sighed. “Look,” He said, “I don’t want to kill you. We’ll pay you double
what he was paying. Just take it and get out!” 

   The two guards looked unsure until I wondered out loud if it might help to
convince them if I turned one of them into a toad.  

   “Fifty gold!” one of them shouted.

  “Apiece!” agreed the other one.

   “Pay them, Doorag.” Griff grunted, walking around them to find Losom’s form. 
Grumbling, I tossed the guards the coin. They scooped it up and ran as if the devils
of hell themselves were on their heels. Griff rolled Losom into the bag of holding as
I heard whistles of alarm sound outside.  

   “Now what?” I wondered aloud. “Griff, get him to the inn and take care of him.
I’m going to search around here for a bit and I’ll catch up with you! Go!” 

   Had I only known what was going on downstairs! 

   I followed Griff from the room to find Happy waiting for us. “I heard whistles!”
She said, nervously. “Let’s get the hell out of here!” The three of us made our way 
downstairs and saw Taklinn and Scylla. I gaped at Taklinn, who stood beside a pile
of his own weaponry and gear. 

   “What are you doing?” I asked him warily. 

   “You’d better go.” He replied stonily. 

   “What,” I asked again, “are you doing, Taklinn?”

  “Come on, come on!” chattered Happy, standing near the door. 

  Taklinn stood as still as a statue, neither speaking nor looking at us. I was
exasperated, though still invisible, so I’m sure that my expression of frustration was
lost on anyone. 

  “Taklinn! Come on!” Griff snapped. “Let’s get out of here!”

   “I think he’s waiting for the guard.” Scylla interjected quietly. 

  “What?” I cried, “Taklinn, what?” He merely nodded.  

  “Ah to hell with this!” Griff muttered. “We’ll meet you back at the inn! Come on,
Hap. You too!” He grabbed Scylla and ushered her out the door. The three of them
disappeared into the night.  

  “Taklinn, what’s going on?” I pleaded, hearing more whistles in the distance. 

  “It ain’t right!” The dwarf said, at last. “I ain’t no kidnapper!”

  I groaned. “Kidnapper? This guy is our prime suspect in the assassination attempt 
on Hap and Griff! We’re going to question him, that’s all!”

   But any reply from Taklinn was cut off as city guardsmen piled through the door,
swords drawn. Still unseen, I quickly backed away and watched helplessly as 
Taklinn greeted them stoically. “There’s been a kidnapping and an attempted
murder.” He said without emotion. “I’m one of the culprits. That’s my gear on the
floor, and there’s a wounded man across the street. I’ll come quietly.” 

   I stood there, mouth hanging open as they shackled him and led him out the door.

   Soon the house was full of guardsmen and it was all I could do to avoid them as
they searched for more kidnappers. Finding none, they left after about fifteen 
minutes, and I was alone. I clapped my hand to my forehead in disbelief at what I’d
just witnessed, and walked in a few tight circles in a lather of frustration. This was
bad. Very bad.  

   Gathering myself, I focused on the task at hand. I began a methodical search of
the house, looking for evidence that would tie Losom to the attack on Griff and
Happy.  

   Nearly five hours later, I cradled my tired head in my hands in despair. I had
found nothing. Not a single incriminating factor to point to Losom as our culprit.
The pit of my stomach dropped away as I was forced to accept the fact that we had 
made a terrible error. Sighing heavily, I used my last teleport to return to our inn
room.  

   There they sat, Happy, Griff, and a drooling Losom, tied as comfortably as they
could make him to a chair. When I arrived they both leapt to their feet and began 
pummeling me with questions. 

   “Where have you been!”

   “Where’s Taklinn?” 

   “What the hell is wrong with this guy? What did you do to him?”

   “Hold on a second!” I yelled, holding up my hands defensively, “Give me a
minute! Where’s Scylla?” 

   Griff scowled. “She’s gone! She went to the bathroom and never came out. When
I checked, she’d disappeared. I don’t know where the hell she is, and I ain’t gonna
go looking for her! Now what the hell is going on?”  

   I gulped and looked nervously at poor Losom. “I have good news and I have bad
news.” I said.

   Happy eyed me. “What’s the bad news?” She asked, hesitantly.  

   “Taklinn is probably in jail. He gave himself up to the guard. He told them that he
was part of a kidnapping plot. He may have told them where we are, though I’d
think they’d have been here by now.” 

  Griff stared at me. “Your kidding!”

   “No.”

   “What’s the good news?” Happy asked hopefully. 

   “Actually, I’m not through with the bad news. Apparently someone was injured.
Probably one of the body guards. We can likely add attempted murder to our list of
crimes.” 

   Happy’s face drained of blood and Griff gaped at me. “What about him!” Griff
pointed to Losom. 

   “Um, yeah,” I stammered, “More bad news there. He’s under the effects of a 
‘feeblemind’ spell. He had roughly the intellect of a sack of mud.”

   “You don’t say! And how long does that last?”

   “Well, permanently, more of less…” 

   “What!?”

   “…permanently, until the right spell is cast on him!”

   “And what would that be?” Happy groaned.  

   “’Heal.’”

   “And can you cast that?”

   “Actually, no.” 

   Happy sat down on the bed, thunderstruck, unable to talk. Griff paced the room,
shaking his head. “You cast a spell on him that you can’t fix? Are you crazy?” He
shouted. 

   “Well Taklinn can fix it!” I replied defensively. “Of course that will be a bit of a
trick at this point…”

   Silence followed for several minutes as the pair digested this information. I sighed 
and went on. “There’s more.” I said. 

   “Not more bad news!” Happy pleaded.

   “Actually, yes, I’m afraid so.” 

   Griff growled deep in his throat and glared at me. “What?”

   “We got the wrong guy.” I said. “I didn’t find a shred of evidence to tie him to
that assassin. Either he doesn’t keep any kind of a record of his criminal activity, or 
he keeps it somewhere else, or he’s not involved at all. At this point, I’m leaning
toward that last hypothesis.”

   “Doorag!” Happy cried, “What’s the good news!” 

   “Oh, that. There is no good news. I was just trying to soften the blow.”

   Happy fell back onto the bed again, and I sensed that she was close to panic.
“How could you do this?” She demanded, sitting up and glaring at me. “How could
you turn this guy into a turnip while Taklinn gets hauled away to jail!” 

   “Me?” I answered, indignantly, “Happy, you’re the one who seemed so sure he
was the guilty party! I’m not the one who went to him asking about dragons! I’m 
not the one who snuck into his house and got herself charmed! But I am the one
who’s dealing with it! Now calm down and lets think this thing through! This place
isn’t safe, but we don’t have any other place to go. I’m nearly out of useful spells 
and I need to rest. However, we’re not without a few tricks yet. I have a couple of
‘rope trick’ scrolls that should provide us with a safe hideout until I can get my
spells again and try to figure this thing out. In the meantime, I’m going to scry 
Taklinn. It’s probably safe to assume they took his ring off, so I should have an
easy time of it. Now let me read the scrolls, we’ll get out of sight, and I’ll do what I
can.” 

   “This is bad.” Muttered Griff.

   “Yes, it is.” I agreed, pulling scrolls from my haversack. In short order I had cast
the ‘rope trick’. I had to burn another scroll to ‘levitate’ the chair Losom was sitting 
on so we could get him into the space. We climbed up after him and I sealed the
entry. 

   “There.” I said, “We should be reasonably safe.” I withdrew my crystal ball and 
held the image of Taklinn in my mind. The mist within the ball shifted and parted to
reveal our cleric. He was indeed in a cell, kneeling on the dirty floor in prayer.
Before him, drawn in the dust and hay on the floor, was a crudely inscribed outline 
of Clangeden’s holy symbol. I sighed deeply. How, I wondered, were we going to
fix this mess?  

   *** 
   Eight long hours later we opened the hatch of the extra dimensional space and
climbed out. It took another ‘levitate’ to help Losom to the ground. We immediately
noticed that our room had been ransacked during the night. Obviously Taklinn had 
finally gotten around to telling his jailors where we were staying and they had come
to see if we remained. The fact that we had eluded them while being right under
their noses did not make me feel smug. The events of the past night were still fresh 
in my memory, and the sight of poor Losom, with the attention span of a ferret and
the mental faculties of a gnat, only made me feel worse. I could tell that Happy felt
much the same way. It had been Happy who had tended Losom throughout the 
night, and it had not been a fun job. She’d fed him and cleaned up after him as best
she could, but he was still a mess and she looked frazzled. I quickly used an ‘unseen
servant’ and a few well placed cantrips to freshen him up.  

   “I feel so sorry for him!” Happy moaned. “I wish we could talk to him and
explain what’s happening.”

   I nodded sympathetically as I secured my hat on my head and prepared to learn 
my spells for the day. 

   My hat!

   “Happy! I’m so stupid!” I cried. “I must be slipping! Of course we can talk to 
him!” She looked at me quizzically, but understanding dawned on her as I quickly
removed my enchanted hat and placed it on Losom’s head. Immediately a light
seemed to return to his eyes. He blinked and regarded Happy and I with curiosity, 
then fear, as he remembered the night before and realized who we were. His
intelligence was probably nowhere near what it was before the ‘feeblemind’, but he
was at least able to understand me when I reassured him that we meant him no 
harm. 

   His eyes kept returning to Happy with fearful glances, and she smiled weakly
back at him as I attempted to explain.  

   “Losom,” I began slowly, “A terrible mistake has been made…” I toiled over the
tale for an hour, repeating parts that he had obvious trouble understanding. I told
him of the assassination attempt, of our suspicion that he was involved, of our half
baked plot to charm and question him, culminating with his ill advised capture, the 
‘feeblemind’, and our night in the ‘rope trick’. Happy interjected periodically with
sincere apologies. I went on to tell him that my main goal for the day was to 
procure a spell that would return him to normal, which would be followed by his
immediate release. 

   He nodded, but said nothing. I could tell that his comprehension still left a lot to 
be desired and that he still didn’t trust us a bit. I could not blame him. It pained me
to do so, but I told him that I would leave my hat on him to insure that he would not
have to endure still more hours as an idiot. 

   After a quick discussion Happy and I decided that she and Losom would remain
in the room inside a fresh ‘rope trick’ while I teleported to Taklinn to explain the
situation to him. Perhaps the knowledge that he could cure Losom would convince 
him to let me help him escape from his cell. My hopes were not too high, for it
appeared that Taklinn was bound and determined to suffer the full consequences for
his part in our plan, but it was about all I had to go on. I selected my spells 
carefully, scryed Taklinn again to make sure he was still in his cell, made myself
invisible, and cast the teleport.

   I appeared in Taklinn’s cell and he was in the same position I’d seen him in last 
night, head bowed in prayer and supplication. His eyes were tightly shut, and his
lips moved wordlessly. To my surprise, in the cell next to him, sat Scylla. She wore
a strange pair of manacles around her wrists which I eyed suspiciously. Anti-magic, 
I wondered? They would need something of that sort to keep her from using her
spells, especially given the fact that she was probably a sorcerer. 

   I cleared my throat loudly, and Taklinn’s lips ceased their whispered prayers, 
curling instead into a knowing smile. 

   “Hello, Doorag.” He said.

   “Good morning, Taklinn.” I replied, taking a seat on his cot. “How was your 
night?”

   “Not bad.” He answered, opening his eyes and looking toward the sound of my
voice. “I have been treated surprisingly well, all things considered.” Scylla perked 
up, listening to our conversation but saying nothing. 

   “Err, Taklinn, it seems that we’ve gotten ourselves into a bit of a bind.” I said,
humorlessly.  

   “Yes.” He said blithely, “Kidnapping and attempted murder. How does Losom
fare?”

   I sighed deeply and began to unravel the story again, explaining that Losom was 
innocent as far as I could tell, and that he was ‘feebleminded’. “You can cast heal,
can’t you?”

   “Not without my holy symbol.” He said, shaking his head. “And they’ve taken 
that from me.”

   I brightened a bit. “You could use mine! The one you gave me!” But he quickly
squashed my enthusiasm.  

   “That one has not been properly consecrated.” He explained. “Besides, the fact
remains that I am in here while Losom is out there.”

   “Well that’s just a matter of logistics. Give me five minutes and a couple of spells 
and we’ll be out of here! I could even ‘port to your temple and get another symbol
for you…”

   That would not be wise.” He cut me off. “Teleporting into a dwarven temple 
would not be looked kindly upon.”

   “I did it before,” I replied, “After Caribdis died. I went and visited his body.”

   “Did the clerics see you?” 

   “Well, no, I guess not.”

   “That is lucky for you. Besides, I cannot allow you to facilitate my escape. I have
broken the law, and a penalty must be paid.” 

   I groaned in frustration. “Taklinn! Your missing the forest for the trees here! We
have bigger fish to fry! We’ve got a dragon to slay and Caribdis to get back from 
the great beyond! We can’t let a stupid mistake detour us from what must be done!”

   He shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Doorag. My honor is at stake. I must uphold
the law, no matter how small the crime, nor the intent behind it.” 

   “The law? We don’t even know what the law is here!”

  “I must assume that kidnapping and attempted murder is against the law here, as
they are in Havilah.” 

   “How do you know you’ll even get a fair trial here?” 

   “I don’t”

   “Then how…” 

   “I have faith.”

  I stood up and paced back and forth, trying to put my thoughts together. “What
did you tell them about us?” I asked. 

   “Everything.” He said.

   “Everything?”

  “Everything.” 

   I smacked my forehead with my hand. “Taklinn, how could you…?”

   “I cannot lie, Doorag! And frankly, I am surprised at your eagerness for
duplicity!” 

   I sputtered and swore at his stubbornness. “What about this attempted murder
thing? What happened there?”

   Taklinn pointed over his shoulder to Scylla with a thumb. “She took one of the 
body guards down with a spell. By the time I got to him he was near dead. I healed
him.” Scylla suddenly became very interested in a speck of dirt on her gown.

   “Well thank the gods we don’t have a murder on our conscience! What were you 
thinking, Scylla?” 

   “I acted in haste.” She replied. “I have never been in such a situation before, and I
cast without thinking, wanting only to stop him from raising the alarm. I realize 
now that it was a foolhardy move, and thus I have joined Taklinn here after turning
myself in.”

   “Marvelous!” I said, caustically. “You two make a fine pair of martyrs.” 

   Just then the jingle of keys could be heard coming down the hall. I quickly went
silent as a guard approached Taklinn’s cell. He looked around curiously.
“Everything all right in here?” He asked. 

   “Yes.” Taklinn answered. “Everything is fine.”

   “Hmmm, thought I heard voices.” Satisfied that things were as they should be, the
guard turned to leave. I gritted my teeth in mute frustration. 

   “Wait!” I shouted. The guard turned in surprise, looking into the cell suspiciously. 

   “Who’s in there?” He demanded. 

   “My name is Doorag Marzipan.” I answered. “You can’t see me, but you can rest 
assured that I am here. I need to speak with the magistrate. Now!” The guard looked
quite unsure, and I prompted him in no uncertain terms. “Well, what are you
waiting for? Go get the magistrate before I change my mind! Come on! Chop 
chop!” 

   The guard seemed to finally realize that this was no trick, and he took off down
the hall at a quick jog.  

   “What are you doing?” Scylla asked.

   “Probably making a terrible mistake.” I said. “But I suppose that would be no
surprise.” I sat down to await the magistrates arrival. 

   ***

   My wait was short. Barely ten minutes passed before we heard the sounds of more
footsteps hurrying toward Taklinn’s cell, and presently we were joined by a small 
troop of guardsmen and a distinguished looking fellow with graying hair and a stern
expression. He bore an air of importance; of not having his decisions questioned.  

   “What goes on here?” He demanded, looking at Taklinn. 

  “Good morning, your Lordship.” I said, wearily. “I am Doorag Marzipan. I
assume you’ve heard of me.” 

   The magistrate stiffened visibly at the sound of my voice. “Indeed I have. Show
yourself!”

   “Well now, that seems an awful waste of a spell.” I replied, shuffling my feet.  

   The old man sniffed indignantly and I could see color fill his cheeks. “How dare
you! You will show yourself, or this conversation is at an end!” 

   I began to get a little indignant myself. His tone was haughty, and I surmised that 
he did not yet realize that he was not dealing with average criminals. “Your
Lordship, if I may just…” But he cut me off.

   “This is outrageous!” He cried. “You break our laws, you enter my jail, you 
dishonor me this way! Is this how things are done in your precious Havilah?”

   I bristled at his derisive mention of Havilah, but did my best to maintain my
composure. “Your Lordship,” I began again, “I am merely attempting to right our 
wrongs. If you would allow me…”

   “You may right your wrongs by turning yourself over to me!” He snapped. “And I
will speak no further with you until I can see you, that is, provided you are brave 
enough to show yourself.”

   His attempt to shame me into becoming visible by questioning my courage was
thinly veiled, but I decided to concede the point to him. The spell was near its end 
anyway, so I dismissed it, and within a second he could see me. “There,” I said,
“May we have a civil conversation now?”

   He ignored me. “You can be sure that a message has been dispatched straight 
away to Havilah informing your superiors of your activities. You are in no position
to make demands, Mr. Marzipan! You may think that you are above our laws simply
because we are a tiny city, but I assure you that you are sorely mistaken.” 

   I scratched my head. What would it take to make this man listen? “Your Lordship,
I am not arguing the fact that what we did was wrong! If you would just hear me
out you would see that I am trying to do the right thing, the most important of 
which is the return of Losom…”

   “Ah! So you do have him!”

  “Yes, he is safe. But he is under the effects of a spell, and I need Taklinn  to…” 

   “What is the ransom?”

   “There IS no ransom!” I shouted, exasperated. I want to turn him over to you! I
want to free him! Do you understand that? I simply need Taklinn to be able to cast a 
spell on him that will reverse the effects of a spell I have placed on him!”

   “You enspelled him?”

   “It was necessary at the time, so yes, I did. Unfortunately Taklinn is the only 
person I know of who can reverse the effects.” 

   “This is outrageous!” The magistrate was working himself into a fine lather, and I
began to despair of ever reaching a meeting of the minds with him.  

   I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice calm. “Lordship, I am sure
Taklinn has already told you who we are and why we are here. I’m sure he’s told
you why we did what we did. It was ill advised and ill conceived, but our intentions 
were good. I know that does not excuse us, but I need you to understand that we
mean your city, nor it’s inhabitants any further harm. This has been a most
regrettable occurrence, and no one is more sorry or embarrassed than I. Were we in 
Havilah I would have already turned myself over to you. But we are not. We are
here to slay Acessiwall…” The magistrate inhaled sharply at the mention of the
dragons name, and I looked at Taklinn. “You have told him about Acessiwall,
haven’t you?” 

   “Actually, no.” Our cleric shrugged.

  “Wonderful. Anyway,” I turned back to the magistrate, “That is why we’re here. 
We have a debt to pay and a dead comrade to rescue. I cannot be detoured from
this, especially not to face trial in a place where I cant be sure of receiving a fair
trial. This incident with Losom the Large has compromised us already. It is my 
fervent wish to return him to you, and to return him to his full faculties.”

   I looked at the magistrate hopefully, but all I could see was righteous anger. “Mr.
Marzipan,” He began, struggling to control his voice, “I am unused to such 
disrespect. You have kidnapped a prominent citizen; you have nearly caused the
death of one of his bodyguards; you have entered my jail uninvited; and now you
question the validity of our judicial system. How dare you come to me with 
demands…”

   “Your Lordship, I have made no demands!”

   “You want your cleric to cast a spell on Losom…” 

   “More a request, I’d say.” I interrupted him again. Unfortunately this seemed only
to have the effect of making him so angry that he could not speak for several long
minutes.  

   “Mr. Marzipan,” He began again when he had regained his composure, “This
conversation is at an end. You will release Losom to me and I will see to his well
being, be that through the care of Taklinn, or another of our priests. After that, you 
will surrender yourself to me or be branded a fugitive. It is that simple!”

   I opened my mouth to say something but thought better of it. There was obviously
no reasoning with this man, at least not until I’d met him half way. “Very well.” I 
nodded, and cast a ‘teleport’, leaving Taklinn’s cell and the disagreeable company
of the magistrate. 

   I appeared back in our inn room and called out to Happy. She cracked the hatch to 
the ‘rope trick’ space and, seeing it was me, climbed down. “How did it go?” She
asked hopefully. 

   “Not very well.” I sat at the table and ran a hand through my hair. “The magistrate 
is unwilling to listen to reason, and for that matter, neither is Taklinn. I’m going to
take Losom to them. Let it be their problem.”

   “Then what?” 

  “I don’t know.” I admitted glumly. “We can’t hope to defeat the dragon without
Taklinn, and frankly this whole business has compromised me to an extent that I am
unsure as to my own future. The magistrate is a disagreeable chap, and I have never 
so wished to turn an innocent man into a toad before. But he is right about many
things. If only I had a real notion as to what kind of justice one can expect here. I
have to assume that we will be found utterly guilty and that the full extent of the 
law will be applied to us. If we are prisoners, that can only mean death or a life time
of incarceration. I don’t know that I can submit myself to that kind of penalty.”

   “What if we can convince Losom to drop the charges?” She asked. 

   “Well, again, I don’t know if that would have any bearing. We might be accused
of magically coercing him to do so. It may be out of his hands at this point. I just
don’t know.” 

   “So what are we going to do?”

  “Turn Losom over to them. After that, I have some thinking to do, and perhaps
some research into the judicial system here. They obviously hold the law in high 
regard here, though I cannot know to what extent. We are in a sticky spot, Hap, and
no doubt about that.”

   She nodded.  

   The two of us brought Losom down from the ‘rope trick’ and I explained to him
what was to happen. He nodded in understanding and I led him from the room. Folk
in the common room gasped as we made our appearance, and many of them 
followed us into the street. In a short time the avenue was lined with onlookers,
many of them grumbling and hissing at me. Word had obviously spread.  

   I led Losom to the jail and bid a guard to fetch the magistrate. Moments later the
old man arrived, once again flanked by his guards, as well as a fellow I suspected to
be a spellcaster. Yet they did not attempt my capture. I apologized to Losom a final 
time and retrieved my hat from him as a guard led him away from me. Not a word
was spoken as they entered the jail and left me alone in the street, surrounded by
citizenry who, I’m certain, were held back from trying to lynch me only by their 
fear of my reputation. I hung my head sadly and walked back down the street,
ignoring the jeers of the crowd. My direction was aimless, and my thoughts were
scattered. I was made doubly sad by the notion that Havilah would soon hear of 
this, and I wondered what sort of disciplinary action we could expect from the
academy. If only Losom had been the culprit! If I had found evidence to incriminate
him, we would probably be hailed as heroes, or at least well intentioned vigilantes, 
for ridding Latona of a criminal influence. 

   I needed to gather the crew together. We needed to talk. I glared at the crowd
following me and returned my path to the inn, hoping to find Happy that the two of 
us might find Taigel, Mardath and Griff. 

   As my boots trod through the ever present snow, I focused inward, ignoring the 
hostile onlookers and taking the long way back to the inn. I hoped that Happy could
take care of herself; she still had the ‘rope trick’ to hide in if the authorities came
calling so I figured she would be safe. I needed time to think. 

   How had it all happened so quickly? One day we were regarded as one of the
finest group of heroes Mycondros has ever seen, and the next, we’re outlaws! I
gnawed on that strange turn of events for long moments and a plethora of emotions 
welled up inside me, not the least of which was anger. Anger at Taklinn for being
so stubborn. Anger at the magistrate. At Happy and Griff for poking their noses
around in the first place. Anger at Scylla for using deadly force in a situation that 
had not called for it. 

   I had a prideful swell of anger at the temerity of those too blind to see that I was
above the law simply by dint of the power I could wield, and I had a sudden dark 
vision of myself, flying above Latona, dropping ‘fireballs’ on the heads of it’s
citizens in an insane show of retributive magical talent that would teach them all
that it would have been better to let sleeping dogs lie. I could turn the magistrate 
into a toad; I could level buildings; I could summon terrible creatures to wreak
havoc through the town; I could…

   But of course I was most angry with none other than myself. For even having 
those thoughts, and for attempting to place blame. I was furious for
allowing myself to ever be put into such a position. I was angry that I would
consider myself above the law, for that would shame a philosophy I had thus far 
dedicated my life to: that all, be he king or beggar, must follow the Rules. 

   I mused over that philosophy for awhile. It had not changed. The law had not
changed. But I had changed dramatically. A year ago I had been little more than an 
apprentice wizard, barely able to hold my own against a few zombies in a
monastery. How I had depended on the strength of others for my survival. Even up
to the battle with Melesandre I had felt that I was little more than good backup for 
Griff and Taklinn. But sometime after that, in these ensuing months, my power has
crept up on me, and suddenly I command magic’s that even a dragon like
Acessiwall must fear. I had never considered the awesome responsibility that 
having such power at my fingertips would entail. The fact was, I COULD do
terrible things to this town. I could very likely slay every living thing in Latona,
given a day or two. There was also the matter of my superior intellect. I looked
about at the faces of Latona’s citizens and knew that I was vastly smarter than 
nearly all of them, even without the benefit of my hat. I realized how easy it was,
given that knowledge, to consider myself above them, and therefore above their 
law. 

   I could so easily rationalize it. Was I not benevolent? Was I not basically good?
Did I not strive to uphold the ideals of truth and justice? Surely it was better to have 
someone such as I in a position to ignore laws that got in the way of the greater
good! Did the ends not justify the means?

   I sighed, half believing my own argument. For someone so smart, I thought, I feel 
pretty dumb right now. 

   I considered The Old Man In The Pointy Hat and wished that I could seek him for
council. I supposed that I could teleport to him, but perhaps that would be taking the 
easy way out. To let someone else tell me the path to choose right now would be to
miss an important lesson, I thought. There is wisdom to be gained here, if I can just
figure out what to do. The only trouble was, all of the choices that seemed to lead to 
the most enlightened paths were also the hardest. 

   Responsibility. I chewed on that word for many minutes. Who was responsible for
our predicament? What was our responsibility to Latona? How could I responsibly 
wield the power that I had learned to control? What was my responsibility to the
law? To the crew? To Havilah? To our honor? Was I more responsible to the law,
or to the concept of good?  

   I knew then that my personal philosophy would have to be considered in depth in
the future. Right now there was the matter of our situation, and I had a sudden
epiphany. I felt my responsibilities settle squarely on my shoulders and I believed 
then that I knew what had to be done. Abruptly, I spun on my heel and quickened
my pace. My step knew a determination and sense of purpose, and I knew that,
come hell or high water, this thing would be resolved soon.  

   Within fifteen minutes I stood, once again, in front of the jail, my jaw set, my
mind made up. A pair of guards eyed me suspiciously as I approached. “I must see 
the magistrate!” I announced to one of them. He sniffed, but walked into the
building. Moments later he returned and bid me follow him. I was led to a small
antechamber and told to wait, which I did for what seemed like a very long time. I 
surmised that the magistrate was probably trying to figure out what to do with
Losom, assuming that Taklinn would have to wait until his next chance to pray for
spells.  

   The hours dragged by, but finally the simple door opened and the magistrate
entered. I had expected him to be accompanied by a full contingent of guardsmen,
but to my surprise he was alone. He pulled up a chair and regarded me. “You asked 
to see me?” He said, simply.

   I took a deep breath and resolved to carry through with my plan. “Yes, Your
Lordship.” I replied. “First, allow me to apologize for the tone of our earlier 
meeting. I spoke out of turn and treated you with less than the respect that you
deserve. I hope that you can overlook my rash words and we can have a civil
conversation as gentlemen.” 

   The magistrate cocked an eye at me. “This is a difficult situation, Mr. Marzipan,”
He said, “I can imagine the stress it puts you under, though I’m afraid you’ll find
little sympathy here. Still, I am not so unwise as to close my ears to you should you 
have something important to say.”

   I nodded and plunged ahead. “Your Lordship, a terrible mistake has been made,
of that there can be no doubt. We have insulted your town and it’s citizens, and 
things must be set right. Under normal circumstances, that is to say, were we in
Havilah, I would already be under your guard. But we are not. Latona is alien to
me, and you must understand that I have no idea how your law deals with such 
offenses, nor if I can expect to receive a fair trial. Can you give me any assurances
of the validity of your court here?” 

   The magistrate, to his credit, did not take offense to my reasoning. He simply
answered my question. “Mr. Marzipan, the only assurance I can offer you is my
word and the history of justice in Latona under my stead. I believe you will find 
very little evidence of corruption within my court. This has not always made me
popular among the less moral of our citizenry, but the law is the law, and I will not
be responsible for seeing it bastardized by greed or influence.” 

   I mulled on this for a moment. “And what could I be facing here?” I asked.

  “Well,” He sighed, “The charges are serious. I’m sure that they would be just as
serious in Havilah. Yet it does sound as if there are extenuating circumstances, 
though that will have to be born out in court. Much will depend on the testimony
and disposition of Losom the Large and his guardsman that was wounded. I can tell
you that we are not in the habit of handing down death sentences lightly. Still, I 
won’t lie to you. If things go very badly, you could well face a significant term of
imprisonment.” 

   “I suspected as much.” I nodded glumly. “Yet that doesn’t change the fact that 
reparations must be made. To that end, I have a proposal for you.”

   “I’m listening.”

   “Your Lordship, after much consideration, I realize that the root of this fiasco can 
be traced back to me. I would like to offer myself up to the court, taking full
responsibility for my own actions, as well as the actions of my cohorts. They were
simply following my lead and instruction. I would ask that they be absolved of all 
guilt, or at least have it understood that they were mere accomplices under my
direction. If that can be agreed upon, I shall turn myself over to you and accept
whatever penalty you hand down.” 

   The magistrate cocked his eye at me again. “That is an interesting proposition,
Mr. Marzipan, and one that I can neither accept or decline until I am able to speak
with Losom. If his story supports your assertion, then I can strongly consider it. 
Your clerical friend tells me that he will be able to cast the proper spells to return
Losom to his full faculties in several hours. Only after that can I give you an
answer.”  

  “Very well.” I replied. “I suppose I will see you tomorrow then.”

  “You're welcome to remain in my custody tonight.” He smiled.

   “That is most generous of you, Your Lordship, but I really should talk this over 
with the rest of my crew.”

   “Of course. Then perhaps tomorrow?”

   “Yes, perhaps tomorrow.” 

   I left his offoce and hurried back to the inn, my heart still heavy, but with some small
light at the end of the tunnel at last. I found Happy pacing the inn room, so nervous
that she nearly hurled a dagger at me when I entered unannounced.  

   “Where have you been! I’ve been going crazy here! Did you return Losom to
them?”

   “Yes.” I answered as I pulled my crystal ball from my pack and set it on the table. 

   “Well? What happened?” She demanded.

   “I’ll explain in a moment. First we have to find the others.” 

   Happy bit her tongue and paced again as I concentrated on Griff, seeking him out. 
The mist within the ball parted, and he came into view. “’Bert’s cudgel!” I swore as
the scene revealed itself. 

   “What? What!” Happy asked, looking over my shoulder.  

   “Grab your gear! We have to go to them! Now!”

   Without asking me again, she scooped up her pack and grabbed my outstretched
hand as I cast. The teleport blinked us out of the room, and the next second we were
whipped by the icy wind of the tundra as we appeared behind Griff, who stood, 
swaying a bit, and cursing loudly. In his hand he held the melted remains of his
sword. It was little more than a blob of useless steel. Ten feet from him lay the 
carcass of the rhemorez I had seen him fighting. Taigel and Mardath stood across
from it. 

   “Oh no!” I cried, “Not your sword!”  

   Griff jumped, startled at my voice, and spun around. He scowled but relaxed
when he saw Happy and I, and tossed his ruined blade to the ground in disgust.
“Yep. The blade the king gave me. Son of a… I don’t like rhemorez!” 

   “Are you hurt?” Happy walked to Griff, inspecting him for wounds. 

   “I’ll be ok.” He grunted. “How are you?” What’s going on with Taklinn and
Scylla?” 

   I picked up his melted blade pondered it for a moment. “It’s going to be awfully
difficult to fight a dragon without a magic sword, especially one of this quality.” I
mused. “Hang on to it, Griff. Who knows, I might be able to fix it.” He shrugged 
and dropped it into our bag of holding. “As for what’s going on in town,” I said,
“We need to talk. Lets find a place out of this wind.”

   An hour later found us hunkered down within a shelter built of snow. It was cold, 
and a far cry from the Leomund’s shelters Caribdis had provided us with, but it
would do for our purposes. 

   “What?” Griff demanded when I had told him my plan.  

   “You can’t take the blame for all of this!” Happy exclaimed. “If it’s anyone’s
fault it’s Griff and me! We’re the ones who started this whole mess!”

   “That may be,” I explained patiently, “But the fact is, it was I who formulated the 
plan of charming Losom; it was I who cast the first spell; and it was I who
incapacitated him. The rest of you can viably claim to have been following my
orders.” 

   “And why would you do this?” Griff asked.

   “Because it’s better for one of us to take the fall for this than all of us. Besides,
reputations are at stake here, and I will not have your names sullied. Especially 
yours, Griff.”

   “Mine? What the hell does my reputation have to do with anything?”

   “Your reputation has everything to do with this, Griff. You are the savior of 
Havilah; the slayer of Melesandre, and the wielder of Everyman’s Blade! I will not
have your name tarnished by some stupid mistake! The people need their heroes!”

   Griff rolled his eyes.  

  “Besides,” I continued, “It’s a matter of principal for me. I am guilty, after all.
Furthermore, who better to defend themselves in court than me? I am eloquent,
loquacious, and verbose. I know that you and Hap aren’t going to turn yourselves 
in, and I wouldn’t ask you to; and Taklinn really isn’t guilty of all that much. He
has association and intent going against him, and I’m sure they could charge him
with conspiracy, but in the end I am the culprit most able to deal with the charges 
and the penalty.”

   “What if the penalty is hard labor for the rest of your life?” Happy asked.

  “That would be most unfortunate. I’m ill suited for it.” 

   “And how are we supposed to fight a dragon without you?” Griff added. 

   “You’ll find a way. I am not indispensable, and Taklinn will hopefully be with
you.” 

   Griff swore and spat. “If I have to choose between you and the dwarf, I’ll take
you.”

   “You don’t mean that.” I said, giving him a stern look.  

   “Whatever.” He said. “If your going to do this I can’t stop you, but I still think it’s
a bone head move. I say we bust Taklinn out and make tracks!”

   “You’d have to pry Taklinn’s fingers from the bars of his cell.” I laughed. “He is
determined to accept the full weight of the law. I believe he has an over developed 
sense of justice. Anyway, I will need the two of you to get your stories straight; that
you were both following my orders. I know your prides may not like that, but its 
essential.”

   The two of them looked at each other and shrugged their acceptance. It was
decided that we would sleep in this shelter tonight and that I would port us back 
into the town in the morning. I have spent the rest of the day catching up this
journal and with returning Taigel to his normal half-dragon form. He feared that,
should I be put away for good, he would have to spend the rest of his days as a 
human, a situation he has no desire for. 

   I must try to rest now. Tomorrow will be a long day.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 9, 2015)

Flktme 10

   I awoke early this morning, my breath freezing in the air. It was a cold chore to
rise and go about my morning rituals, but the promise of some resolution to our 
present legal situation was a great motivator, and I hastened to memorize my spells.
As I scanned them and committed my choices to memory I wondered if this would
be the last time I’d ever do this. I couldn’t imagine being locked away from books 
and learning and magic, and the thought filled me with dread. I pushed the notion
from my mind and concentrated on spells that would be useful in case things went
wrong and I had a chance to use them. 

   Hap, Griff, Taigel and Mardath rose as I was halfway through my spell ritual, and
they prepared a sparse breakfast of rations. The wind was beginning to pick up, and
I kept waiting for Griff to announce the coming of another blizzard, but he never 
did. 

   Packed up and ready to move, I gathered them all around me. As we formed a
chain, I noticed a look on Griff’s face unlike any I’d seen before. He was nervous! 
Almost frightened. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were squeezed shut. He
gripped Happy’s hand so hard she winced a little. I knew that he had never been
terribly comfortable with magic, but apparently, the idea of teleporting was 
particularly unsettling to him. I stifled a small chuckle and did not make him wait.
The words rolled easily from my lips, and we went from the tundra to our inn room
in less than a second.  

   Griff released Hap’s hand and paced back a step, checking his limbs to make sure
they were all still there.

   “Alright,” I said, “I suppose there’s no time like the present. Griff, I want you to 
look after my gear. For the love of everything holy and a bottle of wine, please be
careful with it!” I handed him my haversack, loaded with my books and magical
items, as well as this journal. 

   I turned to Happy. “Hap, I need you to take care of something even more precious
than my things. You like animals, so I know you’ll keep a good eye on him.” 

   “I should really be going with you!” Ambros squeaked at me as I handed him to 
Hap. “This is insane! I absolutely demand that you take me with you!” My poor
familiar was beside himself, and Happy looked none too sure either.

   “How do I take care of a rat?” She asked, unsure. 

   “He’ll take care of himself for the most part.” I assured her. “He’s as intelligent as
most humans, if not more so. Just give him a bite and some water when you eat, and
he’ll be fine. And you, Ambros,” I looked at my rat sternly, “Will be on your best 
behavior for Happy!”

   “Master, you simply cannot leave me here!” He stretched forward from Hap’s
hands, squeaking furiously. His emotion resounded in my head, and I shared his 
heartbreak at having to separate. I wondered again if this might not be the last time
I’d ever see him. 

   He was still demanding to accompany me as I left the room, shutting the door
behind me. I could still hear him in my mind even as I put distance between us, and 
I finally had to shush him and tune him out. 

   I arrived at the jail shortly, and the guard did not even wait for me to ask; he
disappeared into the building, and returned shortly with the Magistrate, who nodded 
solemnly at me and led me in. He took me to the same room we had occupied
before and shut the door behind us.

   “I assume you’ve been able to speak with Losom?” I asked. 

   “I have.” He said.

   “And?”

   “Well, he was understandably shaken by the ordeal, but he has rebounded with his 
usual good cheer. He was also gratified to find that nothing of value was stolen
from his home. He has given his statement, and also remembers your explanation
during his incarceration, though he admits to being a little foggy. I have relayed it 
for you again, in detail as I understand it. His disposition remains uncharitable
towards you and your crew, though that should hardly come as a surprise.”

   I sighed and nodded.  

   “With regard to your proposition,” The magistrate continued, “I am prepared to
tentatively agree, though I dislike the idea of allowing others to shirk their fair share
of accountability. I retain the right to view them as unsavory characters, should 
testimony reveal them as such, and they would hereby be subject to exile from
Latona, or any other penalty I see fit. However, the bulk of the blame will be laid
about your shoulders, and you will answer in full for the charges levied against you. 
Is that acceptable.”

   “I suppose that’s as good as it’s going to get.” I said.

   “Yes. I’m afraid it is, though I would assure you that I am no fool, Mr. Marzipan. 
I understand who you are, and I have some idea of the power you wield. I realize
the sacrifice you are making here, and I know full well that you do not have to do
this. I will consider this when making my judgment, and, on my honor and the 
honor of my family, I will give you a fair trial.”

   I nodded slowly. “Very well then. Show me my cell.”

  The magistrate rose and left the room, and I could hear him speaking with the 
guards. “Let nothing happen to this halfling.” He warned them. They came to get
me, and I was led into the depths of the building to a row of simple cells. They
ushered me into a cell directly across from Taklinn and locked the door with a 
devastating ‘click’. To my surprise, they had not fastened the anti-magic manacles
to my wrists, and it made me feel slightly better to know that I could still teleport
out of there should I wish to. 

   “Doorag!” Taklinn grinned at me from his cell. “What are you doing here?”

   “Exorcising my right to be stupid!” I snapped.

   He laughed, and Scylla rose from her cell floor next to Taklinn’s and waved to me 
glumly. She still wore her manacles.

   I explained the entire situation to Taklinn and his face grew serious. “You have
done a most honorable thing.” He said. “I admit, I did not think you had it in you.” 

   “Yeah, well, I’m probably not doing it for the reasons you think.” I replied dryly. 

   “Be that as it may, I’m still proud of you, and glad to have you here.” 

   “And we may not have to worry about the guard I downed!” Scylla added. “He’s 
dropping the charges against us!”

   “Really?” I said, skeptically, arching an eyebrow at her.

  “Yes.” Taklinn answered for her. “She’s been a busy girl in here. She managed to 
bat her eyes at the jailor a few times and he fetched that guard; his name is Marken.
She’s bribed him.”

   “Oh, that’s swell!” I said sarcastically. 

   “Bribe is such a harsh word,” She pouted, “I’m just trying to make sure Marken
and his family are cared for! He has, after all, been dropped from the employ of 
Losom. I simply offered him a small stipend to get him through these trying times,
and he was wise enough to see that as long as I am locked up I have no way of
getting his gold.” 

   “850 pieces of it.” Taklinn chuckled. 

   “I’m surprised you haven’t turned her in.” I shot at Taklinn.

   “That’s between her and the guard” He answered easily. “If someone asks me 
about it, I won’t lie. But I see no reason to offer the information up voluntarily.”

   I sighed and closed my eyes, dreaming of better times. I remembered the way we
had met, how we had become a crew, and how we had toiled against Melesandre. 
But most of all I thought of Caribdis. How I missed him. I had to laugh to myself.
For all his chaotic ways, it was not until after his death that we had managed to get
ourselves into such a fix! How ironic that we were now embroiled in a situation that 
simply reeked of Caribdis. It was as if our bard’s hands were still busy from beyond 
the grave. 

   I dozed for awhile, but awoke with a start. The sound of Ambros’ worried voice 
filled my head and I snapped to attention and I groaned when he relayed his
message. 

   “They’re going to see Losom!”  

   Ambros was agitated, of that there could be no doubt. His high pitched shrill
echoed in my mind as he repeated, “Master! Happy and Griff have arranged a 
meeting with Losom! I couldn’t stop them, and now they’re getting ready to go to
him!”

   “Well don’t let them!” I exclaimed aloud. Taklinn and Scylla looked up at me. 

   “Don’t let who do what?” Taklinn asked, but I ignored him, focusing my
concentration inward to assess the full extent of my high strung familiars emotion. 

   “How?” Ambros wailed. 

   “Stand in front of the door!” I thought back to him, “Don’t let them leave!”

   “Umm, ok.” Ambros replied. He sounded a bit unsure, and well he should have
been, for the next message he relayed to me was that Hap had simply picked him up 
and deposited him into a belt pouch before she and Griff left the room.

   “Doorag, what’s going on?” Taklinn asked me again, but I held up my hand to
shush him, concentrating on Ambros.  

   “Just stay low and keep your ears open.” I sighed to him. “Keep me updated.”

   Twenty minutes later Ambros let me know that Griff and Happy had entered a
tavern called the Tricky Trap. They were led into a back room by a dour faced gent 
of dubious disposition who closed the door behind them. Inside, seated on a rather
regal chair, was Losom the Large, looking none the worse for wear from his recent
capture and release. 

   Ambros relayed the conversation to me as it unfolded. Happy began with yet
another heartfelt apology and an oblique invitation to Losom as to the possibilities
with which they might somehow make amends. They spoke for several minutes, 
and Losom seemed more and more intrigued with the idea that he might have, at his
disposal, a very powerful group of individuals. At last he laid an offer on the table
which Hap and Griff both readily accepted. This acceptance put Ambros in a 
positively fevered state, and I groaned again when he explained it to me. 

   “Doorag!” Taklinn demanded, “What is it?”

   “What do you know about hydras?” I finally asked him. 

   “Hydras? Why?”

   I did not bother explaining it to him just then, preferring to let our dwarf stew for
a bit. He would know only too soon, I guessed. I mulled over the arrangement to
myself for a few moments, and realized that it might not turn out so bad after all.  

    Losom had explained to them that he was getting set to open a tavern in Latona
that he wished to decorate with a hydra theme. It would be called, appropriately 
enough, The Hydra, and the crowning touch would be an array of stuffed hydra
heads mounted around the inside of the tap room. It just so happened that he knew
of the location of a hydra lair not thirty miles from Latona. He offered to drop all 
charges against us if we would agree to bring him back the hydra’s heads. Hap and
Griff had accepted on all our behalf’s, and though that was a bit presumptuous, I
considered that I would much rather battle a many headed reptile than the law. A 
simple fight was preferable to a lifetime of imprisonment, and I hoped that perhaps
the daring duo had actually accomplished something worthwhile with this
harebrained scheme.  

  Later that evening the magistrate came to visit us. He told us that our trial was set
for the following day. I made myself as comfortable as possible on the hard wooden
bench and ran over my arguments for the hundredth time in my head. I resolved to 
get a good nights rest, for I would need to be as sharp as I could be come the
morning. 


   Flktme 11

   Taklinn, Scylla, and I were led into the airy room that served as the cities court at
near noon. The three of us were seated on hard chairs behind a no nonsense wooden
table well away from the handful of spectators who had come to witness our trial. 
Among them I noticed Happy and Griff, doing their best to be inconspicuous.
Happy was almost getting away with it, but there was no missing the tall figure of
Griff, festooned with daggers and a new sword. He leaned back in his seat and 
looked generally dangerous. I noticed the guardsmen glance at him nervously
several times, but none made a move to apprehend him. I also saw the black nose of
Ambros peeking from under Hap’s protective hand as well, and it did my heart 
good to see him again.

   There would be no solicitors. We had not been offered one, and it did not appear
that there would be a representative for Latona other than the magistrate, who was 
already seated behind a raised desk, shuffling papers and sharpening his pen. That
suited me fine, as I knew this would be a simple matter of confession and
sentencing. 

   The magistrate cleared his throat and called for order with a dismissive wave of
his hand. The onlookers settled down as he got underway.

   “We shall dispense with opening remarks. The accused have been most 
forthcoming with their confessions, and each appears to corroborate their respective
stories. The charges that have been put forth are kidnapping and attempted murder.
We will begin by setting straight the events of Flocktime 8. I would ask that 
Taklinn please relate his memory of that evening.”

   Taklinn rose and solemnly nodded at the court as he began his tale. He told of our
having come to Latona as a stop over on our way to the dragon, Acessiwall. At the 
mention of the wurm's name, several members of the audience gasped and
murmured amongst themselves until the magistrate called for silence. Taklinn went
on to explain about Hap and Griff and their dragon information hunt, the midnight 
visit by the assassin, Hap’s subsequent visit to Losom, my return from Havilah, our
half-baked plan to extract information from Losom, and finished with his surrender
to the authorities.  

   “More than that, yer honor,” He said, “I can’t tell you. I wasn’t there when they
captured Losom. As a matter of fact, I never saw him that night.”

   “Perhaps Mr. Marzipan can fill in the gaps for us?” The magistrate invited,
looking at me.  

   I picked up Taklinn’s story, telling of my disastrous ‘charm person’ spell, the
scuffle with Losom’s bodyguards, my teleporting to his room and subsequent ‘hold 
monster/feeblemind/invisibility’ casting. I told of my having ordered Griff to take
Losom to our inn with him, and also of my search of Losom’s house.

   “And what did you find, Mr. Marzipan?” The magistrate interrupted. 

   “Some gold, some books, but no evidence to link him to the assassination
attempt." I replied honestly.

   He bid me continue, and I told of our night with Losom in the ‘rope trick’, then 
my visit to Taklinn the following day, and finally, my return of Losom to the
authorities. The rest was pretty much all public record. 

   The magistrate turned to Taklinn. “You mention your cohorts in this crime, one 
Happy Lavina and Griffin Dorjan. Are these people in our court today?”

   Taklinn nodded slowly and pointed them out. Happy looked as if she would like
to melt into her seat, while Griff stared back at the magistrate defiantly.  

   “Mr. Dorjan, let it be understood that no criminal charges have been levied upon
you. The court is to understand that you were simply an accomplice to this crime,
and that all charges against you are to be dropped in exchange for the testimony of 
Mr. Marzipan. The same holds true for Miss. Lavina. We would ask you to give
your testimony, however, in an effort to make certain that we have the story
straight. Now than, do you have anything to add to the testimony thus far?” 

   “No.” Griff answered curtly.

   “And would you say that the testimony we have heard is accurate?”

   “Sure, I guess so.” 

   “You guess so, Mr. Dorjan?”

   “It sounds about right.” Griff slouched sullenly, apparently unwilling to give the
magistrate any more than was absolutely necessary.  

   “And you, Miss. Lavina,” The magistrate continued, “Have you anything to add?”

   Happy was equally evasive, and she was obviously ill at ease in the presence of so
many guardsmen, not to mention the judicial process in motion before her. She 
shifted uncomfortably as she confirmed our story.

   Finally it was Scylla’s turn. She turned up the charm and soon had every male
heart in the audience in her pocket. She was almost unbearably alluring, and her 
innocent pout and air of contrition changed many a mind, I’m sure. She told what
she knew, and it solidified our story.

   “Very well,” The magistrate said, making several notes in his book. “The victims 
of these crimes have declined to be interviewed by the court, the reason for which
we shall address presently. The defendants have declared an admission of guilt, and
under normal circumstances there would be the mere matter of sentencing to 
address. Decorum states that the defendants may make a statement at this point,
either to defend themselves, or to simply speak their minds. Taklinn, you may
address the court.” 

   Taklinn rose from his chair, and his deep baritone filled the room. “Yer honor,
while it is true that I am associated with these folk and did accompany them to the
door of Losom’s house, I would like to assert my innocence!” 

   I stared at him, thunderstruck. What the hell was he talking about? 

   “Yer honor,” He continued, “The only intention I ever had in going to the bards
house was to ask him a few questions. As soon as I realized what was going on, I 
laid down my arms and did my best to see that no further laws were broken. It was I
who called upon the city guard, and it was I who pulled the bodyguard back from
death. As I see it, I have broken no law, and therefore wish to have my name fully 
cleared of all wrong doing.”

   My jaw hung slack as I listened to him, but he was already back in his seat and
the magistrate was calling my name. I stood, trying to collect my thoughts.
“Lordship,” I began, “I can but agree with Taklinn. I am still prepared to accept the 
full responsibility for the actions of my crew, as well as Scylla. They were
following my lead. Taklinn cannot be held accountable for laws that he did not 
break, and I would second his request for exoneration.” While I was still
flabbergasted that Taklinn had done such an about face, I did agree with him.

   I took my seat again and Scylla rose.  

   “Your honor,” She said, with a bat of her eyes, “I just want to express how deeply
sorry I am for these unfortunate events. This was a matter of impetuousness on all
of our parts, and of inexperience on mine. If I could take it back I would, and I can 
only pray that you’ll find it in your heart to have mercy upon all of us.”

   The magistrate, apparently one of the few men in the rooms unmoved by Scylla’s
charms, cleared his throat again and asked if anyone else had anything to add. The 
room remained silent, and he went on. “I have conducted this trial according to
normal procedures largely to satisfy my own curiosity and to hear a public
admission of guilt from the defendants. However, there are unusual circumstances 
surrounding this case, not the least of which is the fact that the court has been
informed that outside arrangements have been made between the victims of these
crimes and the defendants whereby all charges shall be dropped in exchanged for 
services preformed by the defendants for the victims. This is an entirely legal option
open to the victims, and as such, the court has no choice but to dismiss the
outstanding case against the defendants.” 

   I was thunderstruck again! Apparently bribery was an accepted cog in the wheel
of justice in Latona. Happy, Griff and Scylla’s propositions had paid off, and we
were off the hook! 

   Or so I thought.

  “However,” The magistrate foraged ahead, “It is clear to me that the laws that
govern Latona have indeed been broken, and that the defendants, as well as their 
entourage, however well intentioned, did present a threat to the safety and well
being of the citizens who live here. As such, the court is well within it’s right to
press charges independently of a plaintiff, especially given the voluntary 
confessions of the accused. I have weighed the evidence carefully, and have spoken
with the defendants at length. In many ways they have been most forthcoming, and
the court understands full well that they are here of their own volition. It is my 
belief that the defendants pose no further threat to Latona, yet their complete
absolution would be a slap in the face of simple justice everywhere, not to mention
that it would serve as no example or deterrent to others who would seek to 
circumvent the law. With that understanding, I find the lot of you, Doorag, Taklinn,
Happy, Griffin and Scylla guilty as charged. Your sentence is exile from the city of
Latona for a period of one year from tomorrow, with the exception of any dealings 
they may have that directly involve the completion of their tasks for the victims.
This court is adjourned.” 

   The magistrate made to gather his papers and get up. I was in utter amazement. I 
was only too happy to agree not to set foot in Latona again ever, let alone for a year.
I felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders, and a broad
grin spread across my face. I saw the same on Scylla’s as the guards came to unlock 
her manacles.

   But Taklinn was having none of it. “Wait!” He thundered, bringing the room to a
stand still. “You find me guilty? Of what! I will not have my name tarnished for the 
sake of setting an example! Tell me my crimes! I have committed none, and I
demand to be released from the stain that a verdict of guilt carries with it!”

   The magistrate sat back down. “Taklinn, you did tell the court that you were 
aware that Mr. Marzipan intended to charm Losom, did you not?”

   “I did! But As soon as I understood that he had actually done so I…”

   “A change of heart midway through a crime does not exonerate you, Taklinn. You
have been found guilty of conspiracy, plain and simple.” 

   Taklinn’s face clouded, and I wondered again what he was thinking. Where he
had once been so eager to wallow in his guilt, he now seemed bound and 
determined to profess his absolute innocence, even if it meant denying what I
considered an extremely lenient sentence. 

   “This is a matter of honor! My name will already be sullied in Havilah once your 
report arrives there!”

   “Actually,” The magistrate said, “That report has not yet been sent. I had decided
to wait for the results of this trial. At this time I see no point in sending it.”  

   But Taklinn would not be placated. “I have been found guilty for the crimes of my
companions?” He raged, “What sort of nonsense is this? Would you seek out a mans
family if he commits a crime?” 

   The magistrate looked at Taklinn without humor. “It has been known to happen.”
He said, flatly. 

   Taklinn stood dumb for a full minute, and I saw the realization dawn on him that 
Latona was, indeed, not Havilah. Certain rules did not apply here. Things
were done differently, and it was as simple as that. He opened his mouth to say
something but no words came. At last, he shoved his chair from the table and 
stormed toward the door, shouldering past spectators and guards, demanding his
gear.

   Several minutes later, when all of their belongings had been returned to Taklinn 
and Scylla, we gathered on the street. As Griff handed me by haversack and Hap set
Ambros on my shoulder, I glanced at Taklinn with a wry smile. 

   “He did have a point with the whole conspiracy thing!” 

   Our dwarf was not amused.


   Flktme 12 

   “A hydra?” Taklinn exclaimed over his breakfast on our last legal day in the city
of Latona. Happy and Griff had just explained their deal with Losom to him, and he 
scowled deeply. “This is getting ridiculous! Every time I turn around I’m beholdin’
to someone else. First I’m beholdin’ to those that gave me my arm back, and now
I’m beholdin’ to a gnome. What next?” 

   “Oh cheer up,” Happy smiled at Taklinn, “At least you're out of jail and we can
finally get back to the task at hand. We’ve taken on worse than a hydra.” She
looked at me, a little unsure, “Haven’t we, Doorag?” 

   “Well,” I replied over a sip of tea, “Hydra’s are not to be trifled with, though I
dare say I’d rather deal with one of them than another rhemorez.” Griff nodded
dourly. “This one that Losom is sending us against is more than likely a 
‘Cryohydra’, which is a cold dwelling version of the beast. From what I’ve studied,
we can expect a many headed reptilian creature that is fast, tough, and can
regenerate. It will have a breath weapon, if I’m not mistaken, made all the more 
dangerous by the fact that each of it’s heads will be able to use it. Fortunately, they
aren’t too bright. I’d say average animal intelligence, which gives us a distinct
advantage. Also, hydra’s have no innate spell resistance, and they’re weak against 
mind affecting magic’s.”

   “Sounds like a good hunt!” Mardath grinned wolfishly. 

   “Right.” Griff said. “We’ve got our map from Losom; it looks like the lair is only 
about thirty miles from here. I say we get busy and go after the thing as soon as
possible. No point in screwing around.”

   Happy groaned. “More trudging through the snow!” Brightening a little, she 
looked at me, “Unless Doorag can teleport us all there!”

   “Forget it!” Griff declared. “I don’t like that teleporting stuff. I’d rather walk
through a hundred miles of snow than go through that again!” 

   “Pish posh, Griff!” I chided him, “It’s perfectly safe! Well, it’s more or less safe.
Kind of.” 

   Taklinn cut in. “I may have an alternate means of travel. While I was in jail I
made aware of a few other spells that I have neglected, one of which is ‘wind walk’.
I can’t take us all, but I could get myself and three more there in only a few 
minutes; and there’s no chance of it going wrong like with Doorag’s port spell.”

   “How does it work?” Griff asked, suspiciously.

   “Much as the name implies.” Taklinn answered through a mouthful of bacon. 
“It’ll turn me and three others into gaseous form and we’ll be able to let the wind
fly us to where we want to go much faster than on foot. We’ll never leave this
plane; you’ll be able to see and hear everything around you; and we’ll be able to 
follow the map.”

   “And when you get there I can scry you and teleport the rest of us to your
location!” I added.  

   Griff still grumbled over the idea, but was quickly outvoted. The idea of tromping
across the tundra had little appeal, and the rest of us were only too eager to
circumvent such dangerous travel if at all possible. It was decided that Taklinn 
would take Griff, Hap and Mardath to a location outside the lair, and I would follow
him with Taigel and Scylla. 

   After breakfast we shouldered our gear and made ready. From within our room 
Taklinn cast his first ‘wind walk’, and I watched with interest as he and his
passengers appeared to dissipate into a cloudy substance. In a flash, they were
whisked out the window, riding a current of air produced by Taklinn. We watched 
as they rose into the sky and quickly disappeared from our view. 

   I gave them the five minutes that Taklinn had told me they would need before
using my crystal ball to scry them. In no time I found Griff, standing securely on a 
snow bank. I quickly scanned his area, held out my hands to Taigel and Scylla, and
cast.

   We popped into a vast field of empty snow with our party nowhere to be seen. I 
just had time to say, “Whoops!’ and feel a bolt of pain wrack through my body
before we were off again. We were deposited in yet another stretch of tundra, and I
saw the grimaces of pain on the faces of Taigel and Scylla that mirrored my own 
before we spontaneously teleported again. The third time I managed to muster
control of the spell and stopped it’s effect. We were once again on a barren field of
ice and snow, and I could tell that we had all suffered internal injuries from the 
teleporting mishap. 

   Taigel looked quite confused and sore. Scylla gave me a seething glare. What the
hell was that all about?” She asked coolly. 

  “Well, it’s not an exact science.” I shrugged. “It was bound to happen sooner or
later. Now let me just try that again…”

   “Wait!” Scylla cried, but I was already casting, and before she had even finished 
the word we were standing safely beside Griff, Happy, Mardath and Taklinn. Scylla
glared at me some more.

   “Are you three okay?” Happy asked, noticing our obvious pain. I sighed and 
explained, and Taklinn was kind enough to see to our wounds while Griff pointed in
triumph.

   “Ha! I knew it!” He crowed.  

   When we were healed at last and Griff was through with his gloat, we made our
way to the crest of a dune of snow and beheld a view of pristine white. Some two
hundred yards away we could just make out the entrance of a dark cave.

   “That should be the lair.” Griff said.

   “Very well, let’s get into shelter and formulate a plan.” I said, and quickly cast a
‘rope trick’ which we all climbed into. 

   The rest of the day was spent in hashing out a plan of attack. I reasoned that we
needed more information, perhaps a layout of the caves interior, and to that end I 
cast a spell that I have had for some time but have never gotten around to using.
‘Ocular Orb’ is a weird and somewhat grotesque spell in which my right eye is
pushed forward and out of my head by a replacement that grows behind it. It takes 
about an hour to accomplish the whole procedure, and I noted with some
amusement the effect it had on the rest of my party. Happy’s jaw looked as if it
would hit the floor as my eye bulged from my head and finally dropped into my 
waiting palm. I blinked my new eye and held up my now detached orb, still trailing
ganglia and nerve endings. I practiced a bit with it, switching my vision from the
eyes in my head to the one in my hand several times. Interesting. 

   During the casting of the spell Scylla had wondered aloud if it might not be a
good plan to somehow lure the hydra from it’s lair with bait. Taking this idea and
running with it, Griff and Mardath went on a short hunting expedition. I was a little 
concerned for them being out on the tundra alone, but they were gone before I could
nag them, so there was nothing to be done short of interrupting my spell and going to
find them. Fortunately they returned several hours later dragging the head of a 
juvenile mastodon. Despite my reservations, I agreed that it would make fine bait.

   I carried my ‘eye’ gingerly out of the rope trick and flew, invisibly, to the lair.
Once I was sure that no hydra would come charging out, I landed and gently set the 
eye on the snow. At my mental prodding, it began a slow process of dragging itself
forward into the cave. I wished it a silent good luck, and returned to our shelter.

   It was near dark by this time, and I cast a second rope trick that would last 
throughout the night. The crew huddled around me as I focused my vision through
the ‘ocular orb’. The eye traveled painfully slow, inching along on it’s ganglia
through the cold, dark cave. I cast a ‘darkvision’ on myself to let me see, and 
watched as the cave revealed itself to me.

   It cut into the hill some sixty feet or so before making an abrupt left turn and
widening into an airy cavern. I urged the eye onward, cautiously, for I knew that 
hydras possessed a keen sense of smell, and that should the eye be discovered by
the beast and destroyed, I would be stunned and blinded for several minutes. 

   Closer and closer the eye crept, until at last, at the edge of my vision, I made out a 
hulking mass of reptilian flesh rising and falling with the breath of slumber. From
one end I could make out a tail; from the other, a tangle of necks and heads with
distinctly draconic appearance. The thing was frightful even in sleep, and I told the 
crew so. 

   We debated out options for awhile and finally decided to wait for the morning.
This would allow Taklinn and I to be full of spells specifically geared to deal with 
the creature. I had recently learned ‘protection from energy’ which I believed would
be invaluable against the hydra’s frost breath weapon. I also wanted to try another
new spell. It was a summoning dweomer, and I reasoned that we would be able to 
use all the help we could get. 

   I am to bed now. The eye still watches and the hydra still slumbers. In the
morning we shall hopefully slay it and repay our debt to Losom.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 9, 2015)

Flktme 13

   Today we were reminded of just how dangerous we can be when we set our
minds to it, and I must say, I think it was a boost to our confidence after the fiasco
in Latona.  

   We spent the early morning finalizing our plan, and by nine o’clock we were
in position. Griff, Scylla and I were situated on a ledge some thirty feet above the
hydra’s cave entrance, while Happy, Taigel and Mardath flanked the cave mouth on
the ground. Taklinn stood directly in front of it, axes in hand, glowing with holy 
power from his spells. Next to him lay the bloody head of the mastodon as further
bait. I watched through my eye as Scylla tried Plan A.  

   She knows ‘magic jar’, a spell that I’ve toyed with the idea of learning, but have
never quite gotten around to, so I watched with interest as she laid on the snow and
cast it. It was almost possible to see her spirit leave her body as she said the final 
words. I watched the hydra as Scylla attempted to enter it’s body. I saw the hydra
suddenly snap open it’s twenty eyes. It’s mass of necks began to uncoil with
frightening speed and it peered around intently. The next thing I knew, Scylla sat 
straight up and shook her head. 

   “It didn’t work!”

   “Plan B!” I cried down to our members on the ground, and they immediately set 
up a caterwauling of shouts and shield banging loud enough to catch the hydra’s
attention.

   Through the eye I watched the hydra stand up and curiously move toward the 
tunnel. It sniffed the air with it’s many noses, and as it neared the place where my
‘ocular orb’ was hiding, I saw several of it’s heads turn in that direction. My
stomach dropped, and I knew if it sniffed out the eye it would certainly destroy it in 
a heartbeat. That would put me out of commission, and I resolved not to let that
happen. In a flash, I had cast my first summon spell, and a large earth elemental
appeared in front of the cave, much to the surprise of my crew. I bid it to enter the 
cave, which it did at top lumbering speed. 

   “Doorag, what the hell are you doing?” Griff hissed. But I held up my hand to
silence him.  

   Inside the cave the elemental met the hydra at the tunnels corner, and the hydra
lost any interest in strange scents in his lair. The awful beast lurched toward the
elemental and unleashed a blast of icy wind from ten separate heads. Frost coated the 
elemental, nearly killing it, and I bade my creature to flee back out of the cave. It
did. 

   To my relief the hydra charged after it, and I grinned in satisfaction as I cast a 
second summon spell and another elemental appeared to stand near Taigel on the
left side of the cave mouth. 

   Things happened very fast after that.  

   The hydra, spotting Taklinn, the wounded elemental and the mastodon head,
barreled out of the cave, intent on breakfast, but before he even reached them, Griff
was in motion. To my shock and horror, he leapt off of the ledge! He dropped the 
thirty feet and landed squarely onto the back of the hydra, straddling it just behind
it’s necks. His sword came down, and it’s momentum cleaved through a scaly neck,
lopping off a head. 

   The rest of the crew descended upon it from all sides. Happy, under the effects of
a fly spell from me, swept in and attempted to stab one of it’s throats, but missed.
Scylla flew down to land behind Taklinn, and launched a fireball that exploded near 
it’s hindquarters. As for me, I was determined not to let it retreat into it’s cave, so I
flew down for the view I needed and cast a ‘wall of force’ to block the entrance
behind it. Taigel, Mardath, Taklinn and my two elementals waded in, hitting with 
sword, axe and fists, hammering away at the hydra, which was now thrashing about
wildly in an attempt to deal with the overwhelming numbers against it. It snapped
out with it’s heads, several of them taking frightful bites out of Happy and Griff, but 
it was too late for the beast. We had already dealt it a tremendous amount of
damage, and Griff was in excellent position to finish it off. He thrust his sword down
again and again into its body, piercing vital organs as a veritable fountain of blood 
and ichors spewed into the air to splash on the trampled snow. Griff rode it all the
way through it’s death throes until it collapsed to the ground, it’s remaining heads
twitching in death. 

   We gathered around it, cheering and clasping hands. It had been a relatively easy
fight, and that could only be attributed to our having made a decent plan to deal 
with it. I felt good knowing we were not necessarily the bumbling armatures we’d
made ourselves out to be in Latona. 

   Cutting off the heads and getting them back to Latona was a simple matter of a 
few strategic ‘wind walks’ and ‘teleports’. We gathered first in our inn room where
I cast a number of ‘tensors floating disks’ to carry the heads. We must have made
quite a sight, leading a parade of floating hydra heads through the town, and the 
citizenry turned out in force to watch our progress. 

   Losom was well pleased as we dumped the ten heads on his front porch. He even
arranged to have us stay one final night in Latona, that we might get our rest for 
further travels. 

   We used the time to discuss our dragon fighting strategies, and quickly came to an
unavoidable conclusion: We had barely any magical weapons at all, and without 
them, we had little chance against Acessiwall, who would ignore the damage from
most mundane weapons. It was a very real problem, not to mention a potently
expensive one. I sighed, knowing that I had a difficult choice to make.  

   I have recently been in the process of learning how to cast cooperative spells, a
talent that would allow me entry into Havilah’s mages’ guild. However, I had also
been toying with the idea of learning to craft magical weapons and armor. The 
choice now seemed to have been made for me. I announced that, were we to
return to Havilah, I would be able to craft weapons for our fighters that would
penetrate Acessiwall’s resistance.  

   Tomorrow we plan to return to Havilah. Taklinn will wind walk there with
Happy, Griff and Taigel while Scylla and Mardath and I will teleport first to Finch,
to pick up Hap and Griff’s horses, then to Havilah. It will take me a couple of ports 
to do it, but I have every confidence that we shall spend tomorrow night in our own
beds in our own city. I confess, I am quite looking forward to it.


   Flktme 17

   Happy, Griff, Taigel and Taklinn arrived yesterday. It is good to have us all back 
in Havilah again, and it is time to get to work. I fear that I shall have little time to
make proper entries in this journal as I will be devoting nearly all of my energies to
crafting items for quite some time, though I will endeavor to at least make a note 
here and there. 

   Today has been taken up with the identification process of several items (the gear
from the assassin that tried to kill Griff and Hap). We are also tossing around 
strategies to fight Acessiwall, and while we have no solid plan yet, I feel like we are
becoming more focused as a crew. Perhaps the fiasco in Latona and the subsequent
ease with which we killed the hydra will turn out to be the best thing that ever 
happened to us. It has shown us both the folly of failing to properly plan, as well as
the benefits of taking the time to formulate a winning strategy. Even Griff, who is
normally loathe to sit still long enough to discuss options, has been reasonably open 
to the idea of utilizing forethought in our quest to defeat Acessiwall. 

   This is a particularly good thing, since new information has recently been
revealed to me.  

   I have had the nagging suspicion that Acessiwall is somehow spying on us. With
that in mind, I have been casting ‘detect scrying’ on myself everyday since arriving
in Havilah. Today, my hunch paid off. At noon, as I was in the process of 
identifying, the alarm sounded in my head, and I looked over my shoulder to see the
sensor. So great was my insight that I managed to catch a glimpse of the watcher. It
was Helious, the aged wizard employed by Acessiwall. I quickly dispelled the
sensor and returned to my work, but as soon as I could I let it be known to the crew 
that we could expect more voyeurism on the part of the dragon, and that we must
beware of speaking about our plans so as not to tip our hands to an unseen watcher.  


   Flktme 18

   An exhausting day, and my real work has not even begun! I have finally been able
to analyze the final dweomer on the amulet given to Taklinn, and while it is not
much, I feel it is best to know everything about the item before we use it against 
Acessiwall. 

   Essentially, if the amulet is activated (via dragons blood) and then changes hands,
it must be activated again. It is a small bit of knowledge, but even tiny details can 
sometimes be the difference between victory and defeat. 


   Flktme 19 

   I have begun work on Griff’s new sword. It will be my first attempt at enchanting
a weapon, and thus far all goes well. The strain of imbuing the blade with magic is 
exhausting, but satisfying. I am glad that I long ago learned the art of siphoning off
the essence from others, as crafting such a thing would drain me beyond my
capacity.  

   We have also decided to tinker with the nature of the blades enchantment a bit.
This new blade will boast a bane verses dragons, rather than undead. Considering
our coming battle, it seems appropriate.  


   Flktme 23

   It is my birthday! 

   Work continues steadily on Griff’s blade and all goes well. I hope he likes this
thing! 


   Wlsn 10

   This day has brought happy news! Today, at dinner, Griff announced that he and
Happy have become engaged to be married! They have not yet set a date, but
apparently they have already purchased a small home in a town not far from 
Havilah. 

   The news was met by congratulations all round. Happy was positively beaming,
while Griff, of course, scowled dourly, though I believe I detected just a hint a 
smile under his grumpy visage. 


   Wlsn 17 

   It is complete! Today I called Griff into my laboratory and conducted the final
ritual. Holding onto to Griff’s hand, I touched the sword with my other hand and 
incanted, feeling our warriors essence flow through me and into the blade. I could
feel his nervousness, but he stood firm, and within an hour it was done. Reverently,
I held it out to him. “I call it ‘The Talon’,” I announced proudly, “As in, ‘The 
Griffon’s Talon’”.

   He took it by the handle and felt it’s clean balance. His smile was all the payment
I needed.  

   More information has come to light! 

   In an effort to know more about our enemy I asked Taklinn to ‘commune’ with
Clangeden, to ask the god several questions that have been nagging at me. This
afternoon, he and I cloistered ourselves in his room and I watched as he prayed. He 
fell into a deep trance, and in due time he came into contact with Clangeden and
began asking my questions. The exchange went a bit like this. 

   “How old is Acessiwall?”

   “Nine-Hundred and fifty years.”

   “Is Taigel loyal to Acessiwall?” 

   “No.”

   “Does Acessiwall know the spell, Dispel Magic?”

   “Yes.” 

   “Do we have at least two months to complete the task of killing Acessiwall as far
as those to whom Taklinn is in debt to are concerned?”

   “Yes.” 

   “Can Acessiwall magically protect himself from fire?”

   “Yes.”

   “Is Acessiwall evil?” 

   “Yes.”

   “Is Helious evil?”

   “Yes.” 

   “Does Acessiwall have more allies than Helious in his lair?”

   “Yes.

   “Does he have more than five allies in his lair?” 

   “Yes.”
   “Does Acessiwall have any special abilities other than his normal dragon
powers?” 

   “No.”

   “From a spell casting standpoint, is Helious more powerful than Doorag?”

   “Yes.” 

   “Was Caribdis involved with Scylla?”

   “No.”

   It was this last question, asked by Taklinn almost as an afterthought, that gave us
serious pause. Scylla had been lying to us! Taklinn and I talked at length about how
to deal with this information, and we decided to confront her with it at dinner.  

   The rest of the answers we got are more precious to me than gold. I now feel that
I can indeed trust Taigel, for I admit to a certain amount of wariness about him,
feeling that it was possible that he might simply be a spy for his father.  

   Knowing Acessiwall’s exact age is important too, as we can now narrow down
just what we will be facing. 

   Knowing that Acessiwall and Helious are, in fact, evil will avoid a repeat of the 
Latona mistake. It would have been just our luck to have gone in there and killed
the only good white dragon in the world!

   And finding out more about Helious is invaluable. I fear that we will have to think 
harder about Acessiwall’s wizard ally, for if he is more powerful than I, he will be a
force to recon with; potentially more dangerous than the wurm himself, if he is
given opportunity to prepare for us.  

   ***

   At dinner tonight, Taklinn and I laid our cards on the table, telling the crew what
we had learned, finishing with our final question and answer about Scylla. The 
sorceresses eyes fell when confronted with the truth, and an air of danger descended
over the table, as no one knew if she might panic and start blasting. 

   She did not. Scylla sighed and nodded, admitting that she had lied. When pushed 
for the truth, she hesitated and asked how we would trust her to tell it. It was a good
point, and after much heated discussion, we decided to meet in a few hours in our
Academy chambers where Taklinn would cast a ‘zone of truth’. Scylla agreed that
she would answer all questions at that time.  

   I half expected her to not show up, but she was not only on time, she was early. 

   All of us were there except Mardath, who we had seen little of since we arrived in 
Havilah as he has been spending nearly all of his time with Nanden and his people. 

   Taklinn began his rituals, first casting several spells directly upon Scylla to ensure
that she would not try to resist the ‘zone of truth’. To her credit, she did not balk at 
the prospect, and quietly accepted them. Taklinn followed his spells with the zone,
and we seated ourselves within it’s area. No lies would be spoken for the next hour.

   “Now then,” I began, “Who are you?” 

   “I am Scylla D’neif.” Scylla answered.

   “And?”
   The sorceress sighed and told the rest of her story. “My name is Scylla D’neif and 
I have been quested to kill Acessiwall by a cleric of Wee Jas named Malika Moricz,
though killing Acessiwall is not my only mission. In fact, it is more of a cover story
for my true purpose.”  

   “Which is?” I asked.

   “To discredit you two.” She stated flatly, pointing at Taklinn and I.

  “What!” Taklinn’s face grew dark as she continued. 

   “Apparently Malika believes that you two are responsible for shifting the balance
of things to far toward the good. She wishes to sully your names in an effort to
realign her notion of balance.” 

   Taklinn positively fumed at this revelation, for his name may well be his most
valued commodity. As for myself, I could only chuckle, Since my recent
philosophical revelations after Latona, I cared little about my reputation, knowing 
full well that folk would believe exactly what they wished to. 

   “Yeah, yeah, that’s all real nice.” Griff cut in. “So other than dragging their names
through the mud, are you planning on harming us, backstabbing us, killing us, 
betraying us, or screwing us over in any way? Because if you are, you’ve bit off
more than you can chew, sister!”

   “No.” Scylla replied. 

   “I want to meet this Malika.” Taklinn demanded. “Can you set it up?”

   “Possibly.” 

   “That’s not a bad idea.” I agreed. “The last thing we need right now is yet another 
enemy trying to undermine us. What do we do with Scylla in the meantime?”

   We all spoke at once. Some of us were in favor of showing her the door right then
and there, while others (like myself) saw the value in having a second caster in the 
group. 

   “Even if you demand that I leave,” Scylla pointed out, “I am still under magical
compulsion to slay Acessiwall. Without your help I will surely fail and, more than 
likely be killed. I don’t know if it makes a difference, but should you cut your ties
with me you will almost certainly be sentencing me to death.”

   This thought brought about another round of heated debate, which I was a part of 
until suddenly my ‘detect scrying’ alarm sounded in my head. I looked around and
saw it, the sensor, peering at us from a corner of the ceiling. I quickly bade
everyone be silent as I cast a ‘dispel’ at the thing, but this time Helious’ intentions 
were not to simply spy on us. 

   The first sensor winked out under my dispel, only to be replaced by a second
moments later. Before I could dispel this one as well, Helious had sent his first 
attacker. In the blink of an eye, a skeletal ice golem stood on our table, it’s wicked
claws ready to lash at us. 

   We broke from the table, Scylla and I putting some distance between ourselves 
and the golem, while Taklinn, Griff and Taigel drew and laid into it with their
weapons. Happy, unable to harm such constructs much, backed off as well.  

   But Helious had obviously learned that we were more than a match for one or two
golems, for, in quick succession, three more of them arrived, teleported in by the 
wizard. 

   It was a brutal battle, and it nearly cost Griffon his life as the golems connected
with him time and again. I was largely frustrated, as I had not prepared many spells 
that could adequately deal with the constructs innate resistance to magic. Even the
elemental I summoned could barely hurt the things. 

   Scylla caused nearly as much harm as aid, for she opened up on the golems with 
the one spell that I knew could harm them: ‘scorching ray’. Unfortunately, she is
not a particularly good shot, for I counted no less than four times when one of her
rays went astray and hit a crew member. Once she hit Griff, already grievously 
wounded, and nearly took him down. I saw her face go deathly pale, and I knew
that she felt horrified at having accidentally hit him. Thank Clangeden Taklinn was
able to lay a hand on our warrior and pull him from the brink of death!  

   In the end, they fell. One by one our fighters hacked them apart, though we were
on the verge of desperation by the final golem. Happy was even reduced to tossing
flaming logs at it that she had plucked from our fireplace! I was able to do little, 
though I did manage to dispel Helious’ second sensor, hopefully preventing him
from sending any more (though in hindsight, it would not have), or at the very least
denying him the pleasure of watching his golems do their work. I was also able to 
fell one of the golems for a few seconds with a ‘grease’, though that did little more
than buy our warriors a bit of time. 

   When it was all over we still stood, and the room was strewn with heavy chunks 
of melting ice. The silver lining to the cloud was the cache of diamonds contained
within each of the golems, and between them we found over 20,000 gold worth
which we split up immediately, since we had all incurred quite a few expenses.  

   We sent for Academy help to clean up our meeting area while we put our heads
together again. Helious had shown himself to be a foe to be reckoned with, and this
attack in our own home infuriated us all. I resolved to deal with him at our first 
opportunity, forgoing further item creation until we could take the wizard out of the
equation. The rest of the crew agreed with me, and to that end I stepped up my
plans, vowing to learn a spell that I had only recently purchased, as soon as 
possible. The spell, ‘antimagic field’ is, I hope, the key to defeating a wizard. 

   Even though Scylla had made herself few friends with her sloppily cast ‘scorching
rays’, we still saw the value in having a second caster, especially when she came 
clean with what spells she could, in fact, cast. One of them was teleport, and I knew
that that could come in quite handy in our plan to go after Helious. We decided to
keep her with us, albeit at arms length. 

   I stressed that we must, from this day on, stay close. Had Helious sent his golems
after only one or two of us, we would have had little chance. This idea was met with
some resistance. Griff disliked the idea of being held prisoner by the threat of future 
attacks, and Taklinn insisted that he was going to ‘wind walk’ to his home to visit
his fiance. I argued my point passionately, feeling that it was pure folly to divide
our forces. In the end, no consensus could be reached, and I feared that we would 
splinter again. We resolved to speak more of it at breakfast tomorrow.

   But my night was not yet over. An hour after we had all separated and I was once
again cloistered in my lab, there came a soft knock on my door. Opening it, I was 
surprised to find Scylla there. I half expected some sort of attack, but she said that
she merely needed to talk with me. I warily let her in.

   We spoke for nearly an hour, and what she revealed to me left me shaken and 
thoughtful. When she left I considered my options carefully, cast a ‘rope trick’ and
climbed into it for a night of secure rest. I write from the inside of that safe space
now, pondering what to do with this new information. I believe that the only course
of action is to tell Scylla’s real secret to the rest of the crew in the morning. They 
must know, though I am a bit worried as to how they will deal with it. Apparently
she only told me because she feels that I am more logic driven than my comrades, 
and therefore less given to knee-jerk reactions. I can only concur. 


   Wlsn 19

   We gathered this morning around the breakfast and I brought with me a cold glint 
in my eye, for I not only had staggering information to relay to the crew, I also had
a plan for dealing with Helious.

   I tossed and turned last night, unable to let go of my anger at having been attacked 
in our own quarters; inside the Academy, no less! I had been turning over a strategy
for fighting Helious for some time, and it made so much sense to me that I’d even
purchased an outrageously expensive copy of ‘antimagic field’, a spell that would 
be the key to the entire plan. The attack made me realize that our battlegrounds had
drastically changed, and so must our strategies. I resolved, last night, to press ahead
with my plan. I can’t help but see the irony in my rage at having been attacked by 
foes in my own home, considering the fact that I seem to have based much of my
career in doing just that very thing, but it still made me madder than a wet hen, and
I wish nothing more now than to see Helious cold and dead.  

   Call it righteous indignation.

   Taklinn and I had little to say to each other as we ate, for we’d argued long over
his plan to visit his fiance. Not only would it divide us, it would call for a 
postponement in going after Helious. 

   “Look,” Taklinn leveled his gaze at me, “I’ve got it all planed out. I’ll cast a
‘word of recall’ here, and if I get into any trouble I’ll just retreat back here. I’ll be 
back in two days; three tops!”

   “Fine.” I replied, nonchalantly, “I can’t take all of us anyway. We’ll let you
know how it goes when we return.” I took a dramatic quaff of my milk while 
Taklinn’s eyes narrowed.

   “Can’t take all of us where?” He demanded. “You’ll let me know how what
goes?” 

   “Yeah,” Hap chimed in, her interest piqued, “What are you spinning, Doorag?”

   “Well, we’re going to kill Helious, right?” I asked, wide eyed over my oatmeal.”
I’m certainly not going to sit around and wait for him to come to me, and we’ll have 
to teleport in to do it, and I’m sorry, but I have yet to attain the power to transport
all of us. But I can take four, so that would be Taigel, Happy, Griff and Scylla. Of
course,” I added thoughtfully, “Scylla can cast teleport, so I suppose we could take 
more, but I understand that you need to see your fiance, so the five of us will just
pop over and mop up this nasty business.”

   Taklinn looked at me for several long seconds, his jaw set, and then broke into a 
grin. “Okay.” He sighed, “What’s the plan?”

   I chuckled and leaned over the table, no longer bothering to conceal my eagerness to
talk with them about it.  

   “We need to kill a wizard.” I stated. “A powerful wizard; more powerful than me,
in fact. Helious has already demonstrated his power. Those golems last night were
more than likely sent here via ‘greater teleportation’, which means he has access to 
at least one, and probably two circles of magic that I can’t even comprehend yet.
Now I can give you a probably two dozen reasons why we don’t have a prayer in
hell of getting close enough to hit him, let alone actually kill him, not the least of 
which are ‘fly’ or ‘teleport’. We’ve already been able to scry him, so we have a
decent chance to port in to him, but if he gets a spell off, we’ll never see him
again.” 

   “Unless…” I let the word sink in, “Unless we take away his magic.” I withdrew
the scroll from my holder held it up for them. “This, ladies and gentlemen, is a 
scroll that contains one ‘antimagic field’ spell. Once I learn it, I shall be able to
impart upon my person a field of anti magic that will extend ten feet from me on all
sides. Absolutely no magic will work within this field. Items will not function. 
Magic swords become normal swords. And spells cannot be cast. Once inside this
field, Helious will become nothing more than a harmless, old man.”

   “My plan is this: Today I learn this spell. Tomorrow we port to Finch, which is 
within striking distance of Acessiwall’s lair. We scry for Helious and when we find
him we act quickly, casting as many speed enhancing spells on ourselves as we can.
We then teleport directly to his location. At that point it will all come down to who 
acts first. My first and only concern will be to cast the field –for obvious reasons I
can’t cast it before we teleport- while the rest of you launch yourselves at him,
though I don’t mean to attack him with weapons. Only Hap has that job. Taklinn, 
you, Griff and Taigel rush Helious and grab him. You wrestle him to the ground
and stick a sock in his mouth if you can. You break his fingers, you sit on his hands,
you do whatever you have to do to make sure he is immobile and can’t run or cast 
should I not be able to get the field up in time.”

   “Now Hap will probably be first to reach him since she’s so quick. Hap, you don’t
attack him unless you see him trying to cast. If you do, you hit him with everything 
you’ve got and try to disrupt the spell. If we can keep him from casting or running
before I get the field up and get to him, then he’s ours. If he’s pinned down, he’ll be
short work for Happy.” 

   “As soon as the job is done, I drop the field and we port the heck out of there.”

  I smiled at the crew, awaiting the inevitable complications that they would point
out. 

   “What if he’s not alone?” Griff asked.

   “He probably won’t be.” I said. “It doesn’t matter. All we should need is ten
seconds. After Helious is dead, we either deal with his guards or port out. Scylla 
may come in handy as well if she can get out of the field and cover our backs.”

   “He’ll be helpless?” Taklinn asked slowly.

   “That’s the idea.” I answered, already knowing where this was going. 

   “I don’t know…” The dwarf thought aloud, scratching his beard, “If he’s helpless,
why couldn’t we take him prisoner?”

   “What?” Happy laughed, sitting straight up in her chair, “Take him alive? 
Taklinn, have you gone mad?”

   “I cannot kill a helpless foe!” Taklinn shouted. “It is dishonorable! If he can be
incapacitated, we must bring him to Havilah for trial!” 

   “You really are nuts!” Griff scoffed. “Let me tell you something, Taklinn. If it
was Doorag after me and I had a chance to kill him, I’d take it without a second
thought, and if this Helious is more powerful than Doorag, then it’s a done deal. He 
dies if we get the shot.”

   Taklinn sighed. “I understand your position, my friend, but you must understand
mine. It is simply against my code to slay an unarmed opponent when there is an 
alternative.”

   “Taklinn,” I asked, “If that is so, why do you carry those large, sharp and fatal
axes? Why do you not wield a club, that you might beat your foes into 
unconsciousness, after which you can haul them off to justice?”

   “Axes are the symbol of Clangeden.” Taklinn answered lamely. 

   “Look,” I said, not wishing to press the point, “Take the guard position then. 
Taigel and Griff will tackle Helious while you and Scylla keep his friends off our
backs. I will be extremely vulnerable, so I’ll need all the protection I can get. And if
he does happen to be alone, all I ask is that you help to incapacitate him. You don’t
have to do the dirty work.” 

   “And don’t forget,” Hap chimed in, “He is evil. Clangeden himself said so!”

   Taklinn scowled, but he could see that our minds were made up on this. Helious 
had to die. “Very well, I’ll go with the intention of protecting you. I’ll even grab the
wizard if I can, but I will not take his life. Let that be between yourselves and
whatever higher power you ascribe to.” 

   “Agreed!” I said happily.

   Taklinn had other concerns. “It’s still a long shot.” He said. “Don’t you think 
Helious will have ways of protecting his lair from being teleported into? And
what’s our contingency plan if things don’t go right?”

   “Your right,” I agreed, “He may very well have a ‘dimensional lock’ in place, in 
which case the plan won’t work and we go back to the drawing board. Nothing
ventured, nothing gained, and all that. As far as a contingency, if Helious gets a
spell off and we can’t get him, we get out as fast as we can. At the very least he’ll 
know he’s not safe and it’ll give him something to think about. It’s not full proof,
but if you can think of a better plan I’m all ears.”

   Taklinn could only shake his head somberly and admit that he had no better idea.  

   “Very well,” I said, standing up, “I am not to be disturbed for the next twenty-four
hours. Tomorrow at this same time we’ll leave for Finch. I’ll see you then!”

   I stopped, suddenly remembering that I was not finished. Sitting back down, I 
looked them over. “There’s one more thing.” I said.

  “What is it?” Happy asked.
   I looked across the table at Scylla, and the sorceress knew that I was about to spill 
the beans. She seemed to steel herself for the worst.

   “Last night,” I began, “Scylla came to me with news that you should all know.
She knows that I’m going to tell you, so I’m not speaking out of turn here.” 

   Griff’s eyes narrowed. “What?” He asked, dangerously.

   “Well, apparently, it’s a matter of her lineage.” I said. “Specifically the identity of
her mother.” 

   “What are you trying to say, Doorag?” Taklinn asked.

   “Uh, well, Scylla, why don’t you tell them who your mother was.” I said, looking
at her. 

   Scylla met the gazes of the others and did not flinch. “Her name was
Melesandre.” She said.

  I will not go into the chaos that followed. Everyone spoke at once, and several 
hands fell to weapon handles, but I shushed them and finally got their attention.

   “Yes, she’s Melisandre’s daughter. Apparently she wishes to clear her family name,
or at least bring some semblance of honor back to it. She was able to circumvent 
Taklinn’s ‘zone of truth’ by seeking out this Malika person and having the ‘geas’
spell she spoke of cast on her. In other words, she had herself geased so that she
could tell us one layer of the truth.” 

   Happy whistled under her breath, and I could tell that she was impressed with
Scylla’s machinations despite herself.

  “So this Malika woman has no real axe to grind with us?” Taklinn asked.  

   “She has no love for you,” Scylla nodded, “And she would not mind seeing your
name sullied, but the idea was mine, not hers.”

   “This is making my head hurt.” Griff intoned. “Why did you lie all this time, and 
why are you coming clean now?”

   “I’m tired of lying.” Scylla shrugged. “One lie leads to another and another.
Sooner or later you will uncover the truth, and when that happens, how will you 
ever trust me. It is my only desire to bring some honor to my name, to make up for
some small part of the damage my mother caused. How better to do that than to aid
the very people who slew her? I decided, after coming so close to being found out 
last night, to tell all and let the chips fall where they may. I’m tired of living behind
a veil of falsehoods.” 

   “And how do we know your telling the truth now?” Griff pressed on. “How do we
know your not just like your mother?”

   “I never really knew my mother.” Scylla said. “I was raised by… others.” 

   “Where are you from?” Happy asked.

   “I was raised on Edik.”

   “Wait a minute.” Taklinn’s eyes narrowed and I could see that he had a hunch. 
“What ‘others’ are you talking about? Who raised you?”

   Scylla sighed. “I was raised by a yuan-ti couple.” She admitted.

   “Was one of them female?” Taklinn hissed. 

   “Yes.”

   “And her name was?”

   Scylla paused for a long moment, and I knew the answer before she even said it. 

   “Sensesi.”

   Another groan rose from the table and it was long minutes before order was
restored.  

   “Look,” I said, “She’s either telling the truth or this is another part of some
complicated web of lies. At this point I don’t know what to believe. I’m inclined to
give her the benefit of the doubt. She’s come clean when she didn’t have to, and I 
can’t hold the sins of her mother against her. Besides that, she’s another spell caster,
and she could be very useful in the coming battle.”

   “Or she might turn against us and spell our doom!” Happy countered. 

   “I can’t argue with that.” I agreed. “But the fact is, she’s geased herself to kill
Acessiwall. I’d rather we all tried it together rather than waste a potentially valuable
ally by letting her go alone and get herself killed. I’m not suggesting we trust 
her entirely, but I say we let her accompany us until she gives us a solid reason not
to.”

   “Whatever.” Griff spat. “I don’t care. Just know this: If you're thinking of 
extracting some kind of vengeance for your witch of a mother, you’d better think
again. I killed her, and I’ll kill you too.”

   Scylla smiled without humor and nodded. “Understood.” 


   Wlsn 20 

  The easy part of the plan has gone smoothly. I have learned ‘antimagic field’ and
we are now all in Finch. The townsfolk here are less than overjoyed to see us, 
especially since we brought Taigel back into their midst, but we are spending the
majority of our time shut away in the single, tiny room the innkeeper has provided
for us. It is uncomfortable and cramped, but we should be used to such conditions 
by now. 

   Scylla successfully scryed Helious yesterday, though her sensor didn’t last long
under his scrutiny. Still, she was able to get a look at his surroundings and will have 
a chance to teleport there. Our strategy now is to simultaneously scry Helious in an
effort to find him in a place we both recognize so that we can both have a
reasonable assurance of teleporting to the same location. It would not do to port our 
two groups into the lair only to be separated. 

   We are finding out that Helious is a slippery one, and obviously has
‘nondetection’ cast upon himself. Breaking through that barrier may prove a 
difficult feat, for neither Scylla nor I was able to do so tonight. The crew stood
around us, ready to go, but we’ve had to call off the plan in favor of trying again
tomorrow night.  

   We have decided to attempt this in the wee hours of the night, hoping to catch
Helious at rest.  

   On another side note, I have explained another potential flaw in the plan to the
crew: the fact that there is a very real chance that either Scylla or I might teleport
erroneously, that either of us might take our group to the wrong location. There is 
even the very small chance that we may find ourselves in a ‘teleportation loop’,
which is potentially fatal. Griff groaned at this news, but he is still set on going. 


   Wlsn 21

   Another day of waiting around until dark to scry Helious, and another day wasted.
I am frustrated by my inability to break through his ‘nondetection’, but I know it’s
just a matter of time. I only hope my crew shares a little of my patience.  


   Wlsn 22

   A third day of failed scrying, and I can tell that the crew is going stir crazy. There
is little to do in Finch at the best of times, and poor Taigel cannot even leave the
room without one of us to accompany him for fear of causing general panic 
amongst the townsfolk. 


   Wlsn 23 

   It began as it has the last three days, with the crew gathered around my small table
as I peered into my crystal ball, focusing my ‘scry’ spell into it and seeking out 
Helious. This was my third attempt of the evening, and they were all expecting a
repeat performances of our previous nights as they lounged around and spoke
quietly amongst themselves. Taigel had excused himself to use the chamber pot, 
unfortunately at a very inopportune moment.

   The mist cleared, my focus sharpened, and there he was! My sensor hovered
above his form, swathed in blankets on a simple cot in a small chamber. My 
excitement showed on my face, and the crew immediately stood up, knowing that
this might be our time. 

   Helious sat bolt upright in his bed, obviously aware of my sensor. His 
annoyance was apparent on his face, and he hastily cast a dispel at it… only to have
it fail! I chuckled at the rage and frustration on his face when he realized he’d been
thwarted, but my laughter quickly died in my throat as I saw him disappear without 
a single gesture of movement of his lips. He can cast without speaking? I wondered
to myself. That put another kink in my plan, for if he could cast silently it meant
that the boys had little chance of keeping him from casting even if they managed to 
tackle him. Covering his mouth would not prevent him from teleporting if he had
such an enhanced version of the spell prepared, which he obviously did. 

   I cursed. “He’s gone!” 

   A groan rose from all of us, and it seemed as if we had been stymied again. How
would we ever get the drop on him? But Scylla was not ready to give up. “We could
still go in!” She suggested, excitedly, “We could steal his things, maybe set him 
back a little. And perhaps I can leave my familiar in his chambers. It would be easy
to scry my familiar, and we wouldn’t have to keep trying to scry Helious!”

   “That’s a bad idea.” I said. “If he finds your viper, which he more than likely will, 
he’ll…” But I never had a chance to finish my sentence. Scylla said the words I
knew only too well, and was gone.

   “Holy…!” I sputtered, “She’s gone in!”

   “What? That crazy wench!” Griff exclaimed. 

   “Quick, Taklinn, cast what you need to, we’re going in!” I withdrew my wand
and cast from it, ‘hasting’ the lot of us as Taklinn hurriedly hit himself with an 
enhancing spell. As one, we grasped hands and I cast my own teleport, crossing my
fingers and hoping for the best.

   As we disappeared I wondered what Taigel would think when he returned from
the chamber pot to find us missing. Perhaps Ambros would somehow be able to
explain as I had decided to leave him at the inn.  

   The four of us reappeared in a tiny, doorless, stone cell that I immediately
recognized as the room I had seen Helious in. His unkempt bed still stood in the
corner, and a sturdy, metal chest squatted in another. In a third corner was a gently 
smoking brassier, and in the last corner there stood a low desk at which Scylla stood
franticly going through drawers. Helious was nowhere to be seen, and I breathed a
sigh of relief at our having arrived safely and accurately.  

   We spread out, Griff and Taklinn drawing weapons and putting their backs to the
wall in case we suddenly had company. Happy made straight for the chest and
examined it. “Hmm,” She muttered, “Magical trap.” 

   I was already casting, and in a second the antimagic field was up, filling nearly
the entire room. I felt suddenly naked within such a field, but I knew it probably
offered the best protection I could ever ask for. I went to stand next to Hap and she 
smiled, for she no longer saw any evidence of the magical trap. She lifted the lid
carefully and we both gasped at the plethora of items contained within. Quickly she
began tossing them to Griff, who stood outside of the field and began to deposit the 
goods in his bag of holding. 

   Scylla was apparently trying to pry open the false bottom of a drawer, and soon
she produced several tightly rolled scrolls. Taklinn, meanwhile, was poking around 
the room. Looking under the bed, he noticed something and reached for it. He
gasped as his hand encountered an invisible, fleshy object. He motioned me over
and I stepped toward the center of the room so that both the object he’d found and 
the chest Happy was emptying were in the field. 

   Once the invisibility that masked Taklinn’s find was suppressed, we were all
treated to a shock. It was a body! What’s more, it bore a striking resemblance to 
Helious! I examined it closely and realized what it was. 

   “Destroy it!” I said. “It’s a clone; his back up plan in case he dies. If we managed
to kill him, his soul would enter this body and he’d be back in action.”  

   Griff grinned as he drove his sword through the lifeless body’s heart, spilling
greenish ichor across the floor.

   Hap had just finished clearing out the chest, and Scylla was satisfied that the desk 
contained no further treasures, when it happened. 

   Helious returned, blinking into the room, already working his hands in an attempt
to cast. On the opposite side of the room another figure appeared. He looked very 
much like Taigel, except that he bore an aura of malevolence that positively
radiated off of him. He was a half-dragon, another spawn of Acessiwall, no doubt,
and he held a truly wicked looking sword in his hand. An evil grin spread across his 
face, and he looked prepared for murder. 

   But Hap was incredibly fast. She let loose with a handful of daggers, the last
leaving her hand even before the first hit. All three of them sank into the half-
dragon with meaty thunks as they pierced his throat, groin, and abdomen. He
grunted and swayed a bit, and I could tell that she’d hurt him bad. He swung around
on her, and I could see hate in his eyes. 

   Meanwhile, Helious must have finally realized that he’d made the fatal error of
porting into an anti magic field, for his eyes widened in horror as he found himself
helpless to fend off Taklinn, who was standing right next to the mage. Despite
Taklinn’s reservations about slaying Helious, he must have realized that he was still 
far from innocent or incapacitated. Our dwarf swung first one axe, then the other,
connecting twice, leaving deep and gory wounds on Helious’ chest and thigh. The 
wizard looked for running room but found none. As for me, I was in the center of
the room, far too close to the half-dragon for my likening. I quickly scurried under
the bed, leaving the half of the room containing Hap and the half-dragon out of the 
field. 

   I saw Griff’s eyes glance from the half-dragon to the Helious. “Kill the wizard!” I
screamed. “We won’t get another chance!” Thank all the gods that Griff listened. 
He took a step forward, closing the distance between himself and Helious, and
unloaded on the wizard with everything he had. Once, twice, three times, the Talon
bit into Helious. Blood sprayed across the stone walls, and just like that, our 
wizardly foe lay dead.

   We were not out of the woods yet, for the half-dragon was now out of the field. In
a heartbeat he was upon Happy and slashed his sword across her as quick as 
thought. Our roguish friend yelped in pain as she tried to dodge, and I could tell that
she was barely standing, which made what happened next all the more unfortunate. 

   Scylla raced across the room to get out of the field and fired off a ‘scorching ray’ 
at the half-dragon. But, much like her shooting against the golems, her aim was
poor. The first two rays struck the half-dragon, but the third landed on Happy, and
with a moan, she fell to the floor.  

   “NO!” Screamed Griff, and he and Taklinn were already moving toward the half-dragon.
Taklinn landed an axe, but it was Griff’s strike that downed the horrid warrior. His dragon
bane sword came around, driven by the full weight of his fury,and the half-dragon’s head 
went sailing across the room, careening off a wall and bouncing across the floor. 

   Before the half-dragon’s body had even fallen to the floor, Griff was dragging 
Taklinn to Hap’s body. 

   “Fix her!” He demanded. Taklinn knelt at her side and detected some life still
within her. He quickly cast his most powerful healing magic, and Happy opened her 
eyes. 

   “Did we win?” She asked, with a crooked grin. 

   Griff wheeled around to glare at Scylla. He pointed his bloody blade at her and 
hissed through clenched teeth. “Don’t ever do that again. Ever!”

   “It was an accident!” Scylla cried defensively. 

  “I’ve about had it with your accidents.” Happy grumbled, fingering the rips in her 
clothing left by the sword blows. “Maybe you shouldn’t fire into combat if you’re
that bad a shot!”

   “Maybe you shouldn’t stand so near where I’m shooting!” Scylla replied 
petulantly. 

   “Shut up!” Griff cut her off. “Your lucky I don’t drop you where you stand!”

   “All right, all right!” I said, “Break it up! Let’s strip these clowns and get out of 
here!” I dismissed the field and felt my magic’s return to me. 

   Within moments we had taken everything of value from the bodies of the dead.
After a last search of the room, we clasped hands and teleported out. Scylla made 
straight for Havilah while I stopped off in Finch to retrieve a very befuddled Taigel
and Ambros. Both were full of questions. 

   “I’ll fill you in when we get home.” I assured them, and we were gone. 

   So now we are back in Havilah, surveying our treasures and going back over the
battle. Luck was on our side tonight, for had Helious not left his chambers before
we’d arrived, the chances of casting the field before he teleported away would have 
been quite slim. And though Scylla’s impetuousness is frustrating, I must admit
that, had she not gone off on her own to Helious’ chambers, we probably would not
have gone at all. I can’t say that I like the fact that so much of the battle came down 
to luck, but I won’t let it sour our victory either. I feel as if we’ve delivered a major
blow to Acessiwall, and the old wurm must be seething with rage tonight. 

   On another lucky note, the antimagic field turned out to help us in more ways than
one. I forgot to mention that when I slid under the bed, I pulled the field away from
the chest. As soon as it’s magic’s functioned again, it had disappeared! No doubt, 
had Hap opened that chest while not in the field, it would have ported away, taking
all it’s treasures with it. 

   And what treasures they are! Several scrolls, a wand, a necklace, a magical pearl, 
a pair of bracers, not to mention the headband we found on Helious, as well as a
ring. The half-dragon also had his share of items, including his armor, shield, and
that terrible looking sword. Two fat bags of coin also clink upon the table, but the 
most exciting find of all is the book that now sits next to me. I have yet to open it,
for I must make sure that it’s protective magics are dealt with first, but my gut
instinct tells me that this is Helious’ spell book! I will not be able to sleep tonight 
for wondering what it contains!


   Wlsn 25

   Helious is out of the way, and thus the real work begins. 

   I have spent the better part of yesterday and today analyzing the items we
liberated from Helious. We divided them up at during our lunch this afternoon, and
I think everyone was quite pleased with our haul. Scylla did extremely well, taking a 
pair of armor bracers of the highest enchantment, as well as a wand of ‘dispel
magic’, Helious’ crystal ball, and several scrolls. Taklinn kept Helious’ headband of
intellect and a nicely enchanted ring of protection. We all made a fair amount of 
gold off the sale of a few items, as well as gold we found in the wizard’s room, but
it was I who made out the best (at least in my opinion). There is the 4 level pearl
of power, which I like very much, but it is the book that has given me the most joy. 

   After seeking Nivin Motel’s aid to break the protective magic’s that warded the
book, I found it, not only to be a spellbook, but a highly enchanted one at that, for,
while it looks and feels like a normal book, it contains ten times the amount of 
pages that a normal spellbook could, with 444 of them being full. 

   Just skimming the book tells me that there are over eighty spells contained in it, at
least half of which I do not already have, as well as a handful that I am not even 
sufficiently powerful enough yet to cast. 

   The curse of too little time! I have so much work to do, yet my eyes keep
returning to this wondrous new find. So many spells, yet I do not even have half of 
the days needed to learn the ones I want to. 

   But I know that time is of the essence. Chances are we will be here for at least
another month before we move against Acessiwall. I still have Hap’s gloves to 
finish, though I intend to scribe several scrolls before I get to them, which is why I
have been holed up in my lab all afternoon, franticly scribbling the words onto
paper. I intend to scribe five ‘stone skin’ spells, at least as many ‘protection from 
energies’ and a handful of ‘fly’ spells. All of these will be invaluable against
Acessiwall, and I feel that facing him with the chance of these spells not being
readily available would be tantamount to suicide.  

   Least I forget to mention: the sword we took from the body of the dead half
dragon turned out to be a highly magical blade of life stealing. Not only that, the
thing was sentient, and evil! While it pained me to hear him say it, I could but agree 
with Taklinn when he insisted we destroy it. There was some grumbling among the
ranks, but in the end I used an ‘unseen servant’ (for I dared not touch it) to prop it
against a wall so that Taklinn could break it.  

   Then it spoke to us! An unearthly voice issued from the blade, pleading with us
not to kill it, promising at once to forgo its evil ways, and to impart on its wielder 
power untold. 

  But Taklinn was not to be swayed, and he made to snap it. Scylla was only too
happy to point out this bit of perceived hypocrisy, wondering aloud why our cleric 
would balk at the notion of slaying a helpless Helious, but have no qualms with
killing whatever being possessed the sword. Taklinn argued that swords did not
have souls, but Griff denied that, reminding us all the Everyman’s Blade certainly 
had certainly contained the soul of Roland. 

   The arguing went back and forth, but at last I took a stand. The sword was simply
too evil and too powerful to let live, and I have no moral objections to executing 
evil, no matter it’s state. If Taklinn would not break it, I declared that I would take
it to the forge and have it melted down myself. 

   Taklinn’s axe sundered the evil sword, which shrieked out it’s defiance as it died. 
I took it to the forge for good measure.


  Rchfst 5 

   We are well into Richfest, yet I have taken no time out to enjoy the revelry. There
is still too much work to be done.  

   I have been attempting to scry Acessiwall again, but he is proving to be a difficult
target. Not only is he extremely resistant to spells, his mind is terribly strong, and
thus he shrugs off every attempt I make. I will keep trying, but my hope is slim.  


   Rchfst 7 

   The ‘stone skin’ and ‘pro energy’ scrolls are complete. I will begin work on Hap’s
gloves in the morning, and if there is still time when they are through I will scribe 
the ‘flys’. I need a break from scribing!


   Rping 16 

   I have failed to enter a word into this journal for sixteen days, and now that I 
finally allow myself a moment to do so I find myself too exhausted to write much at
all. 

  These past days have been spent in raising Happy’s gloves of dexterity to their 
fullest potential, and though it may be superfluous, their enchantment may be the
difference between her hitting Acessiwall or not. Every small bit will count. 

  I must also admit to a certain amount of pride at having raised them to such a 
degree, and the look on her face when she tried them on tonight assured me that it
was time well spent.


   Rping 17

   The ‘fly’ scrolls will have to wait one more day. I have instead elected to learn a
new spell. “Arcane Eye’ is a spell that I have been neglecting to take for too long,
and today I have rectified that. I am learning that divinations can be our best tool to 
defeat our enemies. Fireballs are nice, but an invisible spy is invaluable. I plan to
put this spell to good use once we enter Acessiwall’s lair.  

  I also intend to use tomorrow to learn ‘greater heroism’, as I believe it might give
Griff the edge he needs against the dragon’s tough hide. 


   Rping 21

   At last, they are done. The ‘fly’ spells are on paper. Even Ambros is sick to death
of the crafting and scribing process, and Griff is positively climbing the walls with
impatience.  

   I told the crew at dinner tonight that my work was complete, that we could depart
for the snowy north tomorrow, but Scylla has been busy. She explained to Taklinn
tonight that there was still the matter of Malika, the high priestess of Wee Jas to 
contend with. She swears the Malika still wishes to sully Taklinn’s name, and that
she can take him to her. But Taklinn only partially bit on this bait. Scylla would not
tell us why she chose now to tell Taklinn this, she just seemed very adamant that we 
deal with her soon. Taklinn chose to report the existence of the secret church to the
city officials and leave it at that. We have bigger fish to fry. 

   Scylla was disappointed, and the more I know her the less I trust her. She may not 
be evil, but I find it difficult to believe that she has out best interests at heart. I don’t
know what her game is, but I fear for the day we find out. 

   She is her mothers daughter.  

   So it has been decided: we will leave Havilah first thing in the morning. Happy,
Griff and I intend to stop first in the Green Mountains to visit Hap’s family for a
few hours before we continue on to Finch (via teleports) where we will meet up 
with Taklinn, Taigel and Scylla. Though she has not said as much, I have a
sneaking hunch that Happy wishes to properly introduce Griff to her parents.

   I have just tried scrying Acessiwall again, and still no luck. His spell resistance is 
too strong, his mind too slippery. Scylla has also been trying, with the same results.
It is very frustrating. 

   No matter. Soon we will face him head on! 


   Rping 22 

   We awoke before dawn this morning, our gear already packed and ready to go.
Gathering outside the Academy’s rear entrance, Scylla reminded us once again of 
the threat of Malika in what I can only assume was a last ditch effort to divert our
plans, but we would have none of it. Taklinn and Taigel merely shouldered their
packs and reached for her hands, telling her to hurry up and get them to Finch.  

   I was a little worried for the boys. After all, if Scylla truly wanted to do us harm,
she could accomplish plenty of it while teleporting us. The thought of her porting to
a spot miles above the ground and letting them fall crossed my mind briefly, but 
then I remembered that Taklinn can use his ‘word of recall’, and Taigel has wings. I
sighed and tried to put it out of my mind. Scylla is an odd duck, and I doubt I will
ever trust her entirely, but we cannot let fear rule our lives. Besides, her magic will 
be vital to our coming mission, especially her teleportation abilities. 

   With a frown and a word, she disappeared, taking the two with her. I held out my
own hands to Happy and Griff, and seconds later we stood in the town square of a 
tiny village of halflings nestled in the shadow of the Green Mountains. I had been
scrying Hap’s father for several days, and thus knew this location quite well and
had little trouble getting there accurately.  

   Our abrupt arrival in the little village prompted a great deal of excitement,
especially when the folk realized that their favorite daughter had come home. A 
chorus of “Happy is back! Happy is here!” could be heard from every direction, and
we were immediately surrounded by dozens of greenie children, and at least half as
many adults, all talking, laughing, and greeting us at once.  

   We spent the better part of the day enjoying the hospitality of Happy’s home
village. For such a tiny community, these folk celebrate like a town three times its
size. Within a few hours a full blown feast was well under way and we were given 
positions of honor at one of the dozens of tables set up outside to accommodate
everyone. There was roast boar and venison, plenty of fowl, and plates piled high
with fresh fruit and vegetables, not to mention some of the best breads I have ever 
put in my mouth, as well as three whole tables devoted entirely to desserts. It’s been
a long time since I had dirtberry pie like that.

   The whole thing was quite pleasant, though I became a bit melancholy toward the 
end as the sights and sounds reminded me of my own home and the fact that I have
yet to visit my family. I began to feel quite a bit of guilt, knowing that I had little
excuse for not having popped by my own village for a chance to catch up with mom 
and dad. I have been so wrapped up in the defense of Havilah and the study of the
arcane that I have neglected my family, and I vowed right then and there to make
the time for a visit as soon as opportunity allowed.  

   At any rate, we were treated like royalty. Happy is a local celebrity and her
friends and relatives (of which she has a never ending supply) pressed her for
stories of her adventures while Griff played with the children. For such a gruff 
fellow Griff has a soft spot for them, and thank goodness he does, for he was able to
divert their attention from me. Children make me quite uncomfortable, and I was
content to sit and observe the party from my seat. Most of the greenies gave me a 
courteous space after they found out who I was. Halfling wizards are an anomaly at
best, and these folk, while respectful and friendly, obviously had little clue as to
how to take me. I was left alone for the most part, which suited me fine.  

  At one point I observed Griffin and Happy’s father break away from the gathering
for a stroll around the village. I can only assume that the two were discussing Griff
and Hap’s upcoming nuptials, and the thought of Griff asking Happy’s dad for 
permission to marry his daughter brought a smile to my face. It’s always fun to see
the big warrior a little uncomfortable. When the pair returned, Happy and her
mother joined them briefly, and I could tell that things had gone reasonably well. 

   By late noon I began to hint that it was time to go, but it would be three more
hours before we were allowed to. When we finally teleported away, it was with a
basket full of fruit, three pies and a loaf of still warm bread. Hap’s mother wept and 
her father shook mine and Griff’s hands, wishing us well. I don’t know if Hap told
her parents where we were going.

   We arrived in Finch seconds later, greeted by the now familiar cold shoulder of 
the folk there. We found Taklinn, Scylla and Taigel safe and sound at the inn.
Taklinn and Scylla were embroiled in yet another of their philosophical arguments,
and it seems to me that the sorceress delights in pulling our cleric into rhetorical 
discussions that tax his faith. By the time we arrived Taklinn’s face was red and his
voice was loud while Scylla demurely countered his points with wry smiles and
circular logic. I could already see that it was talk merely for the sake of talk and I 
rolled my eyes and left them to it, electing instead to study my book and call it an
early night. Tomorrow will see us at Acessiwall’s lair, if all goes well, and I want to
be well rested for that. 

   Taigel assures us that he knows the location of a spot in the Mectcliff mountains
where Helious had told him to come should he ever want to join with his father. We
have to assume that the entrance to Acessiwall’s lair is near there. The plan is for 
Taklinn to ‘wind walk’ the rest of the crew there, after which I will scry them and
port to their location. From there it will be a matter of searching for an entrance. 


   Rping 23 

   Today has been long and frustrating, and we find ourselves back in Finch tonight
with little to go on other than some small hope for a plan. 

   All went according to the script this morning. Taklinn wind walked himself,
Taigel, Hap and Griffin to the spot pointed out in the Mectcliff mountains by
Taigel. Soon after, I scryed them and ported myself and Scylla to their location. We 
found ourselves at the base of a sheer cliff some three hundred feet high with a
frozen river flowing from within it. Only the portion of the river where the water
met the cliffs base remained unfrozen due to the violent movement of the water, and 
we surmised at first that following the river upstream might lead us into
Acessiwall’s lair. Unfortunately the water allowed no space between rock and water
to investigate with my ‘arcane eye’, and the thought of jumping in and trying to 
swim upstream through an underwater tunnel of unknown length appealed to no
one. 

  Instead, we elected to search the cliff more thoroughly, and to that end I took to 
the skies, flying in an ever widening circle in an attempt to spot a cave mouth or
some other entrance. Griff hiked along the base of the cliff looking for the same. He
found nothing, but he did manage to stir up a small creature from it’s lair in the 
snow. He called a warning as the creature leapt from the snow and made a mad dash
for the river and we all got a good look at it, though I was unable to identify what it
was. It appeared to be no more than three feet tall, very thin, and perhaps made 
entirely of ice. It scampered to the base of the cliff and dove into the river without
hesitation. The last we saw of it was when it disappeared beneath the water,
presumably to swim under the cliff. 

   Still having no way to follow it, we continued our search of the cliff, and it was
Scylla, also air born, who finally stumbled upon something. Some fifty feet above
the ground, camouflaged against the cliff face with a large, white, fur, she found a 
cave entrance. It was quite well concealed, for I had looked right at the spot several
times and had managed to miss it.

   We gathered on the snow below the cave and I had my first chance to use my 
‘arcane eye’, casting it and sending the spy through a tiny opening between the cliff
and the fur. My ‘eye’ traveled through a wide tunnel adorned with stalactites and
stalagmites, following it for only fifty or so feet before rounding a bend to find a 
creature that I was now quite familiar with. It was a cryohydra. A big one. This
hydra sported twelve heads, though I soon realized that it was not so much a
predator as a guardian, for as I circled the thing I noticed a thick chain attached to a 
heavy collar around the base of it’s necks. The opposite end of the chain was
securely set into the wall of the cavern. 

   I saw no other exits from this chamber and surmised that there must 
be some secret passageway hidden here and guarded by the hydra. I told the crew
what I had seen, and they agreed. We used our flying magic’s to raise the six of us
to the cave mouth where we discussed potential plans for dealing with the beast, 
and it was decided that there could be no harm in letting Scylla try her ‘magic jar’
spell again. The sorceress laid down on the cave floor and breathed deeply,
whispering the words to the spell. We watched as her life essence departed her 
body, only this time she did not immediately return. Moments passed and still she
did not stir. We could only hope that she had been successful. 

   Happy, Taklinn, and Griff edged forward to investigate, with Happy taking the
lead, searching the ground for traps. Unfortunately, she missed the ones that lay in 
wait for us. She had a twenty foot lead, and as soon as Taklinn and Griff put their
weight on a section of floor she had just passed over, it fell away beneath them to 
reveal an icy shaft that led down to certain doom. Thankfully Griff still had the ‘fly’
spell on him that Scylla had cast in order to raise him to the cave, and Taklinn has
his winged shield. Both of them barely managed to escape the fall and they landed 
on the opposite side as the floor section slowly lifted itself back into place. 

   I had been about to follow, but now I wasn’t so sure, electing instead to hang back
with Taigel and Scylla’s body.  

   Hap continued to search for traps, and continued to miss them! No sooner had
Taklinn and Griff caught up to a spot she declared was safe, than a massive blast of
magical fire filled the area! Hap managed to roll to safety, but both Taklinn and 
Griff suffered terribly from the flames. I gulped, knowing that that single trap
would have been the end for me. 

   Taklinn grumbled something about halflings in general, but quickly cast his 
healing spells on himself and Griff. Before long they were ready to venture ahead
again.

   No more traps lay in wait, and soon they faced an impatient hydra, one of it’s 
huge claws drumming the ice floor in anticipation. As I flew after them it became
obvious to me, just from the look on the hydra’s twelve faces, that Scylla did indeed
reside in the creatures body.  

   We set about searching the cave, and to our dismay, found nothing! Apparently
the hydra and his cave were a red herring, for no secret entrances to Acessiwall’s
lair could be found. Nothing but a few old bones were revealed to us, and we cursed 
in frustration. Happy picked the lock that held the hydra chained to the wall, and
Scylla lumbered about in her hydra body, trying to communicate with nods or
shakes of her dozen heads, which was comical to say the least.  

  Taklinn was all for re-chaining the hydra to the wall and leaving it alone, though
the rest of us were not comfortable with leaving such a beast behind. Scylla flatly
refused to let herself be chained again, and she finally lumbered down the tunnel to 
the pit trap. Once there, she leapt onto the hinged floor and let the hydra fall while
she exited it and returned to her own body. We heard a ground shaking thud and a
dozen hisses of pain and rage. The fall did not kill it, but it could not escape the 
sheer pit. We felt a bit bad about leaving it to such a fate, but Taklinn reasoned that
it would at least not starve, figuring that, since it could regenerate, it would eat it’s
own heads and that they would simply grow back. I am not so sure, but if it lets 
him rest easy at night, who am I to discourage his rationalization. 

   We descended back to the snow again and continued our search, spending the rest
of the day combing the cliff face and the surrounding area. At dusk we gave up in 
frustration. We had found nothing, and it looked more and more as if the only way
into the cliff would be to follow the river upstream. We bandied about ideas on how
to do so, and I proposed that a ‘passwall’ spell might do the trick. The only problem 
was, I did not actually know the spell. However, ‘passwall’ is contained within
Helious’ book. Given twenty-four hours, I could learn it and we could be on our
way.  

   The rest of the crew sighed at the notion of still further delays, but no better ideas
were forthcoming. With a last look at the cliff, we ported back to Finch where I set about 
learning the spell. 


   Rping 24 

   I was taking a short break for lunch this afternoon from learning the spell,
‘passwall’, when Scylla joined us at the table. She excitedly plunked down a sheet
of parchment on the table with a hastily drawn map of a room.  

   “That’s where it is!” She exclaimed.

   “That’s where what is?” Griff asked through a mouthful of mutton.  

  “The creature we saw yesterday!” She answered proudly. “It took me some time,
but I managed to scry it! There’s a whole pack of them, but they are pretty small,
and I got a good look at the room they’re in. I’m pretty sure I can teleport there. 
Even Doorag will have a good chance!”

  “What?” I cried, “What about the ‘passwall’ idea? I’m right in the middle of
learning the blasted thing!” 

  “Well, this way we don’t have to worry about whether or not the ‘passwall’ will
extend far enough, and we’ll also have some element of surprise. Come on, we can
do it!”  

   Griff looked doubtful but said nothing. Happy looked at Griff. Taklinn eyed the
map thoughtfully, as did Taigel. 

   “It might not be such a bad idea.” Taklinn said at last. “We can’t count on the 
‘passwall’ to get us in as far as we need; you told us that yourself, Doorag.”

   I sighed. “You're right. I guess I’m willing to give it a try, though remember that
our chances of teleporting accurately are only about seventy-five percent. I’m up for 
giving it a go, but not until tomorrow. Now that I’m already halfway through
leaning this spell I’ll be darned if I’m going to stop now. Griff, what do you think?”

   “Seventy-five percent, you say?” Griff answered slowly. 

   “Yes, about that.”

   Griff scratched his chin, and I could tell that his internal battle was over a course
of action that might lead only to more waiting and reliance of spells, or the chance 
for immediate battle with Acessiwall’s forces. In the end, his warrior side won out,
and he nodded his acceptance of the plan. Scylla grinned broadly and we vowed to
depart first thing tomorrow.  


   Rping 25 

   Last night, after my journal entry, I attempted my own scry of the small ice
creature and his lair, based on Scylla’s description. It was very little to go on, but 
without having seen the creature at least once I would have no chance at all of
porting to his location.

   To my surprise, it worked, and I was able to view the creature through my crystal 
ball for several minutes. I studied the room he was in and watched as several more
of the ice creatures wandered by him. There seemed to be quite a few of them, but
they did not appear to be too dangerous.  

   Though I am not foolish enough to let looks deceive me. I’m sure that many
would say that I don’t look dangerous. 

   I looked at Scylla over my crystal ball when the scry had ended. “What do you 
suppose they are?” I asked.

   “Ice mephits?” She shrugged, taking a guess.

   “Hmmm,” I said thoughtfully, “I don’t know much about them.” 

   “Neither do I.” She replied. “But I don’t think they’re too bad.”

   I frowned. “I hope you're right.”

   So it was that we gathered this morning for a ‘hero’s feast’ conjured by Taklinn.
A mighty fine spell, that. Not only does it provide an excellent meal, he tells us that it will
negate the fear effects of Acessiwall should we meet him today.  

   We split into two groups. I would port in with Griff and Happy, and Scylla would
take Taklinn and Taigel. I was as nervous as Griff usually is over teleporting, but
Scylla seemed all to eager to get on with it. She wore a reckless grin and I hoped
against hope that she knew what she was doing. We wished each other luck and 
began our casting, timing our teleports so that we would reach our destination
simultaneously. The innkeeper watched with a scowl. By now he was used to our 
coming and going in such a manner, but I doubted he would ever approve of such
things in his establishment. We had paid him well though, and he merely waited for
us to disappear so that he could clear our table. 

   I spoke the final word of my spell and we were gone. Just as quickly, we
reappeared in a cold room with a pair of massive ice pillars supporting the ceiling.
A quick look around showed far more of the small ice creatures than I had 
originally seen, not to mention a massive beast squatting in a far corner that I
quickly identified as a paraelemental. There were at lest a dozen and a half of the
ice mephits (if indeed that’s what they were), but the paraelemental gave me far 
greater pause. It was huge, and resembled a frozen wave of water adorned with
hundreds of icy spines. 

   There was no sign of Scylla, Taigel or Taklinn. 

   There was no time to wonder where our companions were. We had the element of
surprise and we used it to our full advantage. Happy had long ago become the proud
owner of a necklace of fireballs, and she had been waiting for just such an 
opportunity to use it. Pulling one of the beads free, she hurled it into the midst of a
group of mephits. A wave of searing heat washed over us as it exploded into a ball
of magical flame. When it was gone, nothing remained of several mephits but 
misshapen chunks of melting ice. 

   Taking my cue from her I quickly read off a ‘fireball’ of my own from a scroll,
killing another handful of mephits. Griff stepped toward a mephit and it shattered 
under his blade. 

   Happy threw a second bead straight at the paraelemental, but it seemed to do
little, and the strange creature glided forward, hammering at her with it’s spines. 
She danced away, suffering only a minor wound before Griff put himself between
her and the creature. 

   The remaining mephits scrabbled toward us, surrounding us and breathing cones 
of frozen breath that chilled me to the bone. The damage was minimal, but I knew
they must be dealt with. I read from a second scroll, this one containing a fireball of
less than full capacity. I centered it on myself, knowing that it might damage my 
friends as well, but taking the chance of killing the rest of the mephits. 

   My gamble paid off. My mantle protected me, as did Griff’s armor for him.
Happy rolled out of the area with ease, taking nary a scorch. When the blast 
dissipated not a single mephit remained.

  I looked franticly about me. Still no Scylla, Taklinn or Taigel. I could only
assume that her teleport had not worked. 

   Griff hacked away at the paraelemental, his sword biting off huge chunks of the
things icy body, but still it came. Happy tried to hit it with her daggers, but they did
little. I cast ‘fly’ on myself an became airborne just as our erstwhile companions 
showed up.

  Scylla, Taigel and Taklinn appeared in the room without fanfare, and I could tell
by the look on Taklinn’s face that he was not pleased. He had no time to voice his 
displeasure, however, for Scylla’s teleport had deposited him only a few feet from
the paraelemental. He wasted no breath, for his axes were already in his hand. He
made to attack the thing, but fortune did not smile upon him. He slipped on a patch 
of ice and fell to the floor with a curse. Taigel ran around behind the creature and
slashed away at it with his two short swords, dealing it some damage, but not
downing it. Scylla backed away, casting a ‘scorching ray’ that seemed to do nothing 
more than enrage the thing. It turned it’s full fury on Griff, slamming at him with
tremendous power. Once, twice, three times it’s spiny arms connected with our
warrior, and down he went. Griff was sent spinning to the floor, and Hap screamed
his name. I took a sharp breath, for Griff did not move. 

   To make matters worse, one of the doors in the room burst opened and in charged 
a two-headed beast that I immediately recognized as an ettin. The giant made straight 
for  Hap, bashing her with it’s club, nearly taking her down. She groaned in pain as she
danced back, letting fly with her daggers at it. 

   Taklinn, back on his feet, and Taigel renewed their efforts on the paraelemental, 
each of them connecting, but still it stood. I knew that we had to kill the thing; that
we had to focus our efforts on a single foe. I also knew that Taklinn must get to
Griff soon. 

   I fired off my ‘conjuring bolt’ at the elemental. It was the one spell I had that
would bypass its spell resistance, and I prayed it would be enough. Ten small
missiles slammed into the creature, and to my great relief, it shattered into a 
thousand pieces. 

   I turned my attention to the ettin, but to my surprise it was waving it’s arms.
“Don’t attack!” It shouted, “It’s me!” I looked to where Scylla had stood and saw 
her limp body on the floor. I immediately understood that she had ‘magic jared’
herself into the ettin’s body, and she smiled at me with both heads. 

   “Griff!” Happy screamed, racing for her companion. She knelt down at his side 
even as Taklinn did the same. Our cleric felt for a heartbeat and his face looked
grim.

   Panic showed in Hap’s eyes as she watched Taklinn. Our cleric pressed his
fingers to Griff’s throat for a second, feeling for his life pulse, and at last, he
breathed a sigh of relief.  

   “He lives.” He said.

   “Well don’t just sit there, heal him!” Hap exclaimed.

  Taklinn did just that, laying his hands on Griff and allowing Clangeden’s power 
to course through him. Within seconds Griff’s broken bones mended and his cuts
closed. He stirred and his eyes fluttered open. A moment later he stood, good as
new. I silently thanked the gods that Griff had gotten over his notion of not wanting 
Taklinn to heal him anymore.

   We set about searching the room, finding little except for an adjoining room that
had been the ettin’s, and a second door that lead out to a deserted corridor some 
twenty feet wide. An antechamber lay between us and the corridor, and after some
searching we found that it’s floor bore a strange and magical rune. Happy surmised
that it might be a trap and was somehow connected to an unmarked leaver she had 
found in the paraelemental room. We stood well away as she tested the leaver.
Upon pulling it the antechamber was immediately filled with a ‘force cage’. A nasty
bit of business that would have been had we gotten ourselves trapped in that! 

   Scylla, still in the ettin’s body, carried her own lifeless body into the corridor and we
followed, gathering to decide which way to go next. Before us stood a massive set
of double doors while the corridor led left and right before curving off into the 
unknown. It seemed a perfect time to use my ‘arcane eye’ spell, and I did so,
casting it and concentrating. I sent my invisible spy to the south and it traveled
around the bend which began to slope upwards. It spiraled around in an ever 
increasing ramp until it emptied into a chamber full of doors. An ice golem stood
sentry there, still as a statue. I held my breath, waiting for the golem to come to life,
but apparently it either did not sense the ‘eye’ or was not set to bother with such 
things. It simply stood there.

   I could find no way beyond the doors with my eye, so I turned it around and
brought it back to myself, sending it the opposite direction. Down the corridor it 
floated, rounding another bend, this time descending down a spiral ramp for about
one hundred feet. At the bottom it emptied into a room similar to the one I had seen
previously. A golem stood here as sentry, and again, did not move. This room,
however, had but one exit, an open tunnel, and I steered the eye through it.  

   Down hallways it went, spying on a group of six ogres mining for ice before
heading deeper into the complex. Past several closed doors it went, following 
corridors and exploring intersections before finding a couple of passageways that
ended in what appeared to be abandoned mines. I back tracked the eye, finding
another corridor and followed it. I saw a small chamber guarded by five more ogres, 
and beyond that another mine, only this one being worked by apparent slaves of
several races that included humans and dwarves. I gasped inwardly as I saw what
they were mining.  

   Diamonds!

   I had gone as far as the eye would allow, and thus I let the spell end, quickly
getting out a piece of parchment and sketching a map from memory. I held it up to 
the crew, but they were already at work investigating the set of double doors that
blocked our way. I shrugged, figuring that we would search beyond the door
eventually, so why not now? 

   Happy picked the lock on the doors and Scylla put her now considerable ettin
strength into it, opening them to reveal a corridor that traveled some fifty feet only
to end at another pair of double doors. On the right wall were two more sets of 
doors, with another on the left. 

   Cautiously Scylla and Hap made their way to the first set of doors on the right,
and before long Happy announced that they were trap free. It took some doing from 
Griff and Scylla, for the doors were stuck fast, but eventually they forced them open
into a comfortable room complete with a bed and a magical brazier that heated the
area. Another set of double doors led from the room to the west. 

   While Griff and Scylla investigated the room, Happy picked the lock on the doors
to our left (in the corridor) and opened them. She and I looked in to see a storage
chamber filled with shelves and trunks. The smell of must wafted over us, and I 
whispered to her that it looked like no one had ventured in here for a long time.
Happy entered to poke around a bit while I stood watch at the doors. No sooner had
she prodded a pile of moldy blankets than a massive centipede crawled forth, 
snapping its mandibles at her. Happy was no fool, and she quickly retreated after
hurling a dagger at the thing, but more of the fifteen foot long insects were crawling
out of their hiding places. I quickly counted five of them, and called to Scylla and 
Griff for some help. I considered casting a spell, but reasoned that Scylla may as
well put her borrowed body to good use. Scylla and Griff entered into battle with
the centipedes, and were soon joined by Taklinn as well. Taigel stood watch at the 
first set of double doors, and I saw that it irked him to be left out of the fight, but he
was also standing guard over Scylla’s real body.

   He did not miss much though, for Scylla, Griff and Taklinn easily slew the 
centipedes. I was content to watch as they chopped the big insects into pieces, and
Happy was already searching the room with the brazier while our warriors were at
work. By the time the last centipede stopped moving Hap had declared that the 
room contained nothing except a fiendish trap of some sort. She could not tell
exactly what it did, but she could point out dozens of tiny holes in the ceiling, and
said that they were somehow connected to the bed.  

   It was a sleeping dog we decided to let lie for the moment as Scylla and Griff
broke into a few of the trunks in the storage room. We found little there except for
moth eaten winter gear. Even a ‘detect magic’ revealed nothing. 

   Happy shrugged. “Which way now?” She asked.

   “Well,” I said, “First things first. We need to back up a bit. Scylla and I should go
back to the ettin’s room and study it for a good while so that we’ll have a better 
chance of porting in here. I have a feeling that we’re not going to clear out this lair
in a single day, and if we’re forced to leave and return later, I’d like to not have
another teleportation mishap. After that, I suppose we can either head on down this
corridor, or we can free the dwarven slaves.” 

   I let those last words drop before Taklinn, knowing full well that he would never
resist that sort of bait. 

   “Dwarven slaves!” He roared, “Where?”

   “Right about here.” I said, pointing to a spot on my map. “In the diamond mines.
Of course there are more than just dwarves being held as slaves down there, but I 
thought you would want to know.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before!” He demanded, already turning to stalk
toward the wide hall where Taigel stood guard.  

   “Where the hell do you think your going?” Griff hissed. 

   “To free my brothers!” Came Taklinn’s curt reply.

   Griff snorted. “Just hold on a minute. Didn’t you hear Doorag? He needs to study 
a room to teleport into. Those slaves aren’t going anywhere. I’m all for setting them
free, but let’s get out ducks in a row first, shall we?”

   Taklinn grumbled but stopped, waiting impatiently for Scylla and I to study the 
room to our satisfaction. 

   We did just that, committing every detail of the ettin’s room to memory before
announcing that we were ready to carry on. It cost us an hour, but I deemed it time 
well spent if it meant a solid teleporting location.

   “All right then!” Said Taklinn, “Let’s go!”

   “Wait,” I implored him, “Lets at least set our strategy first. My ‘arcane eye’ has 
given us the advantage of knowing what we’re going up against. Let’s use it to our
advantage.”

   Taklinn frowned, but he could not help but see the wisdom in my words. “Very 
well then, what do you suggest?”

   “Well, I know that the first room we’ll come to is guarded by one of those ice
golems. I think we should let Scylla use her ettin body as much as possible. I say we 
let her go in alone to battle it. We can hang back and mop up anything if the golem
kills her ettin body. What do you think, Scylla?”

   The sorceress shrugged. “May as well.” She agreed. “We’ll have to dispose of this 
body sooner or later. I’d just as soon have it killed by a golem as anything, though
I’m not crazy for the idea of being bashed around. I can still feel pain you know.
But I can also cast from this thing, so maybe I’ll be able to take it out. Let’s give it a 
try!”

   So it was that we made our way down the north corridor, looping around the
descending ramp that led into the lower levels of the lair. Halfway down we paused 
so that I could cast two ‘stone skins’. One on Griff, the other on Taigel. 

   We continued on until the ramp leveled out to empty into the golems chamber.
We could see the thing standing statue still. Scylla took a breath and entered the 
room.

  We waited for the golem to come to life and attack her, but it did not. It seemed
likely that it was programmed to ignore such things as ettin’s. Scylla glanced at us 
and shrugged. She took up a position as far from the golem as she could and
unleashed a ‘scorching ray’. Three lines of flame leapt from her fingertip and all
three hit the golem, melting great chunks from it. At last, the construct came to life, 
lumbering straight at Scylla. She just had time to fire off another ‘scorching ray’ at
the thing as it closed with her. We have known for some time that, while the ice
golems are immune to most magical effects, they are particularly vulnerable to fire 
spells. Scylla’s three rays struck the golem, and it immediately fell to pieces, put out
of commission before ever having a chance to lay a hand on her. Scylla grinned
with both her heads and waved us into the room.  

   “That wasn’t so hard!” She said.

  We searched the room but found nothing other than a cabinet full of mining
equipment. I pointed to the room’s only exit. “That way leads to a large ice cavern
with six ogres mining for, apparently, ice.” I said. “They shouldn’t be too hard, but 
let’s not get overconfident.” The rest of the crew nodded and we carefully made our
way down the tunnel. 

   It was a short walk of no more than fifty feet down the tunnel that led to an
intersection. The tunnel continued on to the south while a short hall opened into a 
rough hewn chamber that appeared to be chipped from solid ice. Six large ogres
toiled there with picks, hammering away at the ice walls. In the center of the room,
on a cart, was a massive block of rectangular ice.  

   We gathered in the entryway, making no attempt to conceal our presence, and the
ogres obviously noticed us, yet they did not cease their labor. We looked at each
other a bit uncertainly, not prepared for non-violent confrontation. 

   “Perhaps we should talk to them…” Taklinn began. But Scylla was already in
motion. Unbeknownst to us she had cast a ‘spectral hand’, and before we could act
she sent it flying toward one of the hapless ogres. The disembodied hand touched 
the ogre and it groaned in apparent pain. Glancing at Scylla’s ettin body I noticed
several of it’s small wounds close and heal. 

   ‘Vampiric Touch’! I thought. Taklinn shot a glare at Scylla, but there was no time 
for him to disparage her, for Scylla’s act of aggression prompted the ogres to turn
the attention on us at last. All six of them turned from their work and lumbered
toward us, picks raised, and the battle was on.  

   These ogres were tough indeed, one of them even managing to score a painful hit
against Taklinn, who’s armor is normally very hard to penetrate. The clang of
weapons echoed off the ice walls as our two forces bunched up near the entrance. 
Happy dodged aside and Griff stepped into her space, cleaving into the ogre that
had threatened her, taking it down. Scylla continued to stand back, letting her
spectral hand deliver her vampiric touch. Taklinn got off a spell that made him even 
stronger and more frightful than he already was, and closed with an ogre, while
Taigel laid into another with his two short swords. As for me, I hung back, still not
wishing to cast against enemies that should not be a real threat. Truth be known, I 
had prepared my spells that morning with an eye toward dealing with Acessiwall.
To that end I had plenty of ‘dispel magic’s’ and ‘stone skin’s’ and the like at my
disposal, but few offensive spells. I was loathe to spend them on mere ogres.  

   And indeed, while these ogres were of a sturdier breed than their normal lot, they
were still little match for the fighting prowess of our warriors, and one by one they
dropped. I was feeling quite confident by the time only two remained, and I stood 
watch at the intersection believing that these last two would fall with ease and that
we would soon be on our way.

   I was partially right. 

   I glanced away from the battle for a split second to check the south tunnel, and
my heart leapt into my throat, for there, charging towards me, was the biggest ogre
I’ve ever seen in my life! Granted, I have not seen that many, but this one, a female, 
was at least a foot taller than her brethren. She sported a finely wrought breastplate,
a wicked looking double axe, and a gleam of pure murder in her eyes. I barely had
time to take to the air, flying above the heads of the combatants in the ice cave, 
yelling a warning to them as I got out of her way. 

   Scylla spun around to see the she-ogre hulking in the entry way. The sorceress
cast quickly, and immediately the floor beneath the ogre was covered in a fine film 
of grease, which slowed her considerably. Taklinn, glancing over his shoulder from
the ogre he was fighting, grinned. He ignored his ogre to cast a spell that made him
suddenly double in size. Holy power seemed to radiate from him as he turned to 
block her passage, keeping her standing on the greased floor. He raised his axes to
her in challenge. The two exchanged blows, each connecting, and I gasped.
Taklinn’s attack could have felled a sturdy oak, but the she-ogre just grunted a
laugh. She retained her balance on the greased floor and returned the hit.  

   Griff and Taigel, unable to get past Taklinn and Scylla to help with the she-ogre,
contented themselves with dispatching the remaining miners, and within seconds 
the last of them lay dead. 

   I floated above them all, and did my part to help Taklinn, casting a ‘grease’ of my
own on the she-ogre’s weapon. To my delight, she dropped her axe. Snarling, she 
leapt from the greased area and ran with all speed back down the corridor,
disappearing around the bend.

   With a great dwarven war cry, Taklinn leapt over the greased area and sped off 
after her, ignoring our cries of, “Taklinn! Wait!” 

   I flew after him, determined not to lose sight of our raging cleric. 

   Around the bend we raced, down hallways and past closed doors. I glanced over 
my shoulder and could not see the rest of the crew. I prayed that they were
following us. 

   I was only just able to keep Taklinn in sight as he made an intersection and 
quickly turned right. I knew that he was heading toward the diamond mines. Upon
reaching the intersection I hesitated, and decided to wait there for the rest of the
crew. It would do no good to have them looking all over for us. A second later I 
heard Taklinn’s war cry again and the clang of steel on steel. I groaned inwardly,
wishing that the crew would hurry up.

   Then I saw them, jogging down the hall in search of Taklinn and I. I waved to 
them before flying off after Taklinn. I reached another intersection and looked left
to see our cleric’s broad back filling the hallway some fifty feet down. The hall
beyond was full of ogres, and he appeared to be taking them on one at a time. I 
quickly flew down to be near him and saw what I’d already known was in this
corridor. Directly to Taklinn’s left was another door set into a small alcove. It was
guarded by another ice golem, and it had been my fear that it would have come to 
life and attack him. Ogre’s were one thing, but I had already seen on several
occasions how difficult the golems could make life for our fighters, and I was quite
glad to see that, again, this one simply stood there, letting Taklinn ignore it in favor 
of the ogre’s. 

   I landed quite behind Taklinn, far too close to the golem for my liking, but I had a
plan. I waited for Scylla to arrive. 

   Sure enough, the lumbering ettin (Scylla) rounded the corner and made it’s way to
my position. She saw that golem and skidded to a stop. “Scorching rays!” I shouted
to her, and she understood. Simultaneously we cast, and six fiery rays pounded into 
the golem. It never had a chance to activate; our two spells melted it into a pile of
ice chunks and puddles of water. Hap was right behind, and set about gathering the
trademark scattering of diamonds that these golems left behind.  

  Griff and Taigel arrived, but could do little, for Taklinn’s wide form filled the
hall. Again and again our cleric’s axes came down. His laughter echoed down the
tunnel as he split ogre skulls one after another. The ogre’s put up a tough fight, but 
they were no match for our magically enhanced cleric, and he downed them one by
one as a farmer might cut wheat with a scythe. 

   Griff and Taigel did not have to stand idle for long however, for we heard a roar 
behind us. Spinning, I saw yet another ogre coming at our rear, with another
behind him. From around the corner we could hear a distinctly feminine ogre voice
issuing commands, and I knew that the she-ogre had returned with support.  

   Scylla dropped a ‘fireball’ amongst them as Taigel and Griff closed to combat
with the first ogre. I cast a ‘persistent missile’ and pelted it, and the roaring ogre
dropped without a chance to even raise his massive club. Taigel and Griff moved 
against the second, and Scylla and I provided yet more spell support from the rear
until it too dropped. At last, the she-ogre rounded the corner, now armed with a new
double axe. She screamed her challenge and lashed out, but victory would be denied
to her, for she was already grievously wounded. Taigel punctured her with his short 
swords, Scylla blasted her with another ‘scorching ray’, and Griff did what Griff
does best. His sword came around with enough force to carve through granite, 
hewing into flesh and bone. A great gout of blood erupted and sprayed across the
wall, and she fell with a defiant scream.

   I looked to see how Taklinn was doing and saw that only a single lone ogre still 
stood against him. The ogre was terribly wounded; near death, and I believed that I
could probably take it out with a volley of my missiles. But Taklinn had been barely
hit at all, and he appeared to be enjoying himself very much. It is not often that he 
has the opportunity to revel in such battle lust against sworn dwarven enemies, and
he had thus far taken on four ogres by himself. I decided against stealing his kill and
held back, waiting for him to finish the job. 

   Scylla had no such style, however. “What’s the matter, wizard?” She laughed,
“Running out of spells?” She let fly with a handful of her own ‘magic missiles’ at
the ogre. I scowled at her and thought briefly about countering her spell just to shut 
her up, but did not, figuring it would only stir up more bad blood. Fortunately, her
missiles did not kill the ogre and Taklinn would not be denied his kill. With a final
cry to Clangeden, our cleric stepped in and brought his axe down, caving in the 
ogre’s skull, killing it in fine fashion. 

   Taklinn turned to regard us, his face lit up with a bloody grin as his spells finally
dissipated and he returned to normal size. His breathing was heavy, but I could tell 
that he was flush with battle fever and victory. 

   “Nice.” Complimented Griff, as he eyed the carnage that lined Taklinn’s path.
   Beyond the five dead ogres led another path that led into what I knew were the 
diamond mines with their slaves. We quickly searched the ogres, and found a
bulging sack of uncut diamonds on the she-ogre, not to mention her axe and her
breastplate that glowed with magic. I quickly flew back to the area we had first 
encountered her to retrieve her first axe, which also glowed magical. We tossed this
loot into our bag of holding. Taklinn stood like a statue, impatiently waiting for us
to follow him into the mines. I was curious about the door that the golem had been 
guarding, but I knew full well that Taklinn would not wait much longer to free his
brethren. In truth, I knew that it was the best course of action as well. If we could
spare the workers beyond even a few minutes of slavery, then surely that was our 
most important duty.

   As it turned out we would not have to seek out the slaves, for as we gathered 
behind Taklinn to head into the mines we became aware of forms approaching
cautiously from behind the first bend in the mine tunnel. Several of them came
forward, all humans save for a single dwarf, as if to see what all of the commotion 
had been about. They had obviously been treated badly by their captors, and their
first instinct was to believe that we had either come to slay them or to force them to
work harder, for upon seeing us they grew fearful.  

   I suppose we must have made quite a sight. Griff was splashed with streaks of
blood from chest to thigh. Taigel, fearsome looking at the best of times, was striped
with ogre blood that stood out in stark contrast to his pale, white, leathery flesh, not 
to mention that these poor souls had likely been visited by Taigel’s brother, the
half-dragon we had killed in Helios’ room. I could only imagine the cruelty that one
would have visited upon helpless slaves. 

   And what to make of Scylla, still in her ettin body? It’s two heads and hulking
form would have been enough to put the fear into anyone, and Taklinn was a mess
of gore from head to toe. His shield and axe dripped with ogre remains, and he 
smiled through a mask of blood. He would need several cantrips that night to make
himself presentable. 

   So it was no surprise that we had to chase the slaves into the mine and assure
them that we were liberators, and not tormentors.  

   We found twenty-two of them in all, three of them being dwarves, the rest,
human. Many were undernourished and weak or suffering from sickness or wounds. 
Taklinn set to work as best he could trying to ease their pain. 

   As the understanding that we had come to free them spread through the group of
slaves, a mummer of gratitude and joy swelled among them, and I was touched. 
These poor folk had suffered in ways that I could not possibly imagine, and for
what? To stock a vain old lizards treasure horde. I resolved that we would do
everything in our power to return them to their homes before pressing on any 
further.

   It turned out that most of them are from Latona, which would make the job
somewhat easier. Though I was technically forbidden to enter the city, I reasoned 
that this would be an acceptable exception to my exile. I would teleport as many as
I could back to the city at my first opportunity.

   But we were still not through with the day. Not by a long shot. Many doors lay 
behind us, and with these, the slaves were quite a bit of help as well. They were
able to tell us what several of the doors guarded, and we were saved the time and
anxiety of searching them. Behind one we found still more played out mines. 
Behind the one that had been guarded by the second ice golem, was the slaves
quarters. Around a corner and down a hall we found a door that Griff unlocked with
keys he’d taken from the big female ogre. It opened into a hallway that held tiny 
spy holes into two other rooms. One looked to be quarters for ogres (now empty),
while the other was obviously a golem sculpture room. Four huge, rectangular slabs
of ice lay on four tables. One of the ice slabs was being feverishly sculpted by a pair 
of slaves; artisans forced to ply their craft to hideous ends. Already the torso and
legs were visible. Griff smashed the half finished golem after we had freed these
two slaves, which made twenty-four that we had found so far. 

   We unlocked another empty barracks room with ogre sized beds, and then another
that led into a hall flanked with several doors. We soon found out that these were
sturdy cell doors that held Acessiwall’s prisoners. One of them was a frost giant!  

   The huge humanoid sat against the wall of his cramped cell and glared at us as we
debated his fate. Scylla was all for tossing in a few fireballs and toasting the
helpless brute, but Taklinn glared her down, and I daresay I shot her a disgusted 
look.

   “Hmmm,” Taklinn wondered aloud, “Perhaps he’d help us against Acessiwall…”

   I stared at him, aghast, and the rest of the crew seemed just as dumbfounded. “Are 
you out of your dwarven mind?” I asked. “He’s a giant! A FROST giant! You’re a
bloody dwarf, are you telling me you don’t know anything about frost giants?”

   Taklinn shot me a wounded look. “Well,” He said, I’ve never actually met one.” 

   “Well neither have I, but I’ve studied them at length. Frost giants are generally
evil!” I said.

   “Are you sure?” Taklinn looked doubtfully between me and the giant, who 
obviously understood us and had taken an interest in the conversation.

   I slapped my forehead. “Cast ‘detect evil’ on him if you don’t believe me! Go on,
cast it!” 

   Taklinn did so, gesturing with his holy symbol. “Oh.” He said, a bit sheepishly, “I
guess your right. Still, he’d be a good arm to have against the dragon. My enemies
enemy is my friend, and all that.” 

   The giant agreed whole heartedly with Taklinn’s line of reasoning and said so in a
booming voice. “Bet your arses I’ll help ya against that cursed worm! Just give me
a chance and I’ll show ya!” 

   “Shut up, you!” I snapped at the giant. I then looked Taklinn straight in the eye.
“Let’s get one thing clear,” I said, “We are not allying ourselves with this giant! We
are going to leave him right were he is, we’re going to feed him if we have to, and
we’re going to go kill Acessiwall. After that, we’ll figure out what to do with him. 
I’m putting my foot down on this one, Taklinn.” I looked at the rest of the crew to
gauge their thoughts on the subject, and found them to be in total agreement with 
me.

   “I ain’t traveling with no freaking giant!” Was Griff’s vote, and Happy nodded
vehemently. Taigel shook his head and Scylla shrugged. Taklinn did not argue the 
matter, and I don’t think he was terribly upset to have his idea shot down.

   Two other cells were empty, but in the last we found yet another slave, this one
obviously stricken with a debilitating disease. The poor fellow was on the verge of 
death, and Taklinn did what he could, though he said that he would have to wait
until tomorrow to pray for the needed spell to cure the ailment. We picked up the
mans entire bed and transported him back to the rest of the slaves who were 
overjoyed to find him still alive.  

   One other door led into a storage area, and the last emptied into a tunnel of rough
design. It led off into darkness, and I (more or less) volunteered Scylla to explore it, 
figuring that we might as well get as much use out of her ettin body as possible, and
that it would be no great loss should it be killed. Scylla shrugged again and plodded
off down the tunnel. A second later, Happy, to Griff’s great displeasure, scampered 
off after Scylla. She assured us that she would stay well behind the ettin, she just
wanted to see what happened. Her bright grin was the last thing we saw disappear
into the inky blackness.  

   It was all we could do to keep Griff from tearing off after her, but we convinced
him to have a little faith in Hap’s capabilities. “Five minutes.” He said, at last. “I’ll
wait five minutes. Then I’m going after her.” 

   I could tell that he would not be dissuaded and we agreed.

   Perhaps three minutes later Griff stalked into the tunnel, hot on the heels of Hap
and Scylla. Taklinn, Taigel and I hurried after him.  

   It was several minutes before we caught up with the pair, safe and sound. The
tunnel appeared to simply sink into the earth at a sleight grade without promise of
any particular destination. Even after all of us had walked nearly a half hour, the 
tunnel changed not a whit, and I surmised that it might go on for miles. Perhaps
even into the underdark. At last, despite Hap’s curiosity and certainty that
something must surely lay just ahead for us to discover, we decided to turn around 
and head back. Soon we had returned to the men we had freed and at least one wing
of Acessiwall’s lair that was now under our control. It was time to rest.

   Before I did, however, there was the matter of the slaves. We now had twenty-
five men and dwarves in all to return to Latona. Scylla was out of teleports (or so
she said), but I had two left. Gathering four of the sickest of the men around me
(including the bed ridden fellow) I told the crew I would be back in moments. 
Telling the men to form a chain, I touched one of them and cast, picturing our old
inn room in Latona. 

   I think we scared the poor trader who was sleeping in that room half to death! I’m 
sure that when he rented out the room he never expected a halfling wizard and four
bedraggled and sick ex-slaves to teleport into it while he tried to sleep! I had to toss
him a gold piece for the fright we had put into him, which quieted him down in no 
time.

   I told the men to report what had happened to the magistrate, that we would be
returning more slaves tomorrow, and that I sent my apologies for this breech of our 
exile. I hoped he would understand. 

   The grateful men promised they would deliver my message. They thanked me
until I was embarrassed, and then helped their sick friend from the room. With a last 
nod and a wink at the trader, I ported out again, returning to the lair. 

   It was time I got some rest. I was nearly out of offensive spells, and that would
never do. I cast a ‘rope trick’, climbed into it, put out my ‘Do No Disturb’ sign, and
settled in for a journal entry and some shut eye.    


   Rping 26

   It seems that our day was not yet over after I had gone to bed last night. 

   We had decided to hole up in this, the mining wing of Acessiwall’s lair. It
appeared the best spot, being that there was only a single entrance to it, and to that
end Taklinn, Happy, Griff and two of the former slave dwarves settled themselves 
in for sentry duty in the room where Scylla had killed the first ice golem by herself.
This room was a sort of antechamber to the whole wing, and was a defensible spot. 

   Fortunate that the crew was cautious, for late last night we did indeed have 
visitors. 

  I was, of course, asleep in my rope trick in a far room of the lair, so I had no idea
of this until I was informed at breakfast. From what I gather, our crew and the two 
dwarves were resting on the floor of the room when Happy heard the sounds of
approaching footsteps. She quickly hid herself behind the entry corner as Griff and
Taklinn roused themselves from their bedrolls. Two men, both heavily armed, 
entered, and though they were outnumbered, it didn’t bother them a bit. Apparently
sure of their own fighting prowess, they drew and advanced, only to have Happy
slip up behind one of them from the shadows and plunge her daggers into his back, 
nearly taking him down. But the fighter was made of tougher stuff and wheeled
around to cut Hap with his sword badly enough that she was forced to retreat. 

   By then Taklinn and Griff had joined the fray. From what I’ve been told, luck was 
on their side during that fight, for our warriors missed not a swing, cleaving the two
enemies down in a matter of seconds. 

   I would have to agree with the luck assumption, for I’ve seen the equipment that 
the two dead men had on them, and I can scarcely believe that any two foot soldiers
would be able to acquire such gear. One of the suits of armor alone must be worth
thousands at the least. 

   At any rate, no further attacks came, and I was able to slumber through the night
in blissful ignorance of the violence. 

   And where was Scylla during all of this? According to Happy, our intrepid 
sorceress did have a single ‘teleport’ left, and she used it to return to Finch,
preferring to sleep in a warm bed instead of sharing a floor with the rest of us. She
arrived back this morning after having obviously enjoyed a good breakfast, and she 
showed not the least bit of guilt at having left her party to suffer the confines of this
lair alone. 

   Yet another reason to dislike her.  

   I said nothing to her about this lack of etiquette, for I knew I would need her help
today. We spent the first part of the morning teleporting back and forth from Latona
to the lair with our cargo of former slaves, and between the two of us we managed 
to transport all but one of them back to the city. The magistrate there must have
given us some leeway in our exile, for no constabulary awaited us, and indeed, even
the poor trader that I had frightened so badly last night was gone, as if they had left 
the room empty specifically for us to use as a landing point. 

   There were no mishaps, and we ported twenty people into Latona today without a
hitch. This, of course, used up both of our repertoires of fifth circle spells, and we 
decided to wait for one more day before continuing our hunt for Acessiwall, thus
allowing both Scylla and I to replenish, as well as giving us the opportunity to take
the last man to Latona tomorrow.  

   We whiled away the rest of the day in the lair, searching it out and feeding our
prisoners. The frost giant still sits in his cell, sullen as ever, and Scylla’s ettin now
occupies another cell. She knew by last night that she had to do something with the 
monster before her spell wore off, so she imprisoned him in a cell and returned to
her own body. I suppose it is an improvement.  

   As we prepared to bed down again tonight, Scylla announced that she would be
returning to Finch again for another comfortable night. She ignored the looks on our
faces and disappeared without so much as a fare thee well.  

  But the laugh would be on her tonight! Last night, as I studied my spells before
bed, as I usually do, I suddenly realized that I had had a major breakthrough!
Several spells of the seventh circle became clear to me, and it was with trembling 
hands that I turned the pages, basking in the potential power of these dweomers.
This morning, when I memorized, I committed a spell that I have been longing to
cast ever since I heard of it. I have spent months researching it, and after Scylla 
departed, I felt that it was time to put it to the test. Grinning from ear to ear, I
gathered the crew around and cast. 

  The shimmering doorway appeared in thin air and I opened it with a command, 
ushering my friends inside with pride. 

   ‘Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion’, it is called, and the interior was even
more lush and opulent than I had hoped. Spreading before us were carpeted floors 
and decorative entryways that led into warm, comfortable rooms. There were beds,
chairs, couches, tubs, tables piled high with food, and cups overflowing with drink.
Ghostly servants awaited our orders, and the night was spent in more luxury than I 
daresay we have ever been privy to. Griff grumbled a little at the idea of spending
the night in an extra dimensional space, but Happy was utterly fascinated with the
mansion. I had even constructed it with the pair in mind, having designed a specific 
bedroom for their pleasure. There was not even a question as to where she would be
spending the night, and Griff sighed, following her in. I don’t know that he was
ever able to relax, but the wine was good, and soon even he was settled into the 
mansion. All in all it was a delightful evening; restful, clean and safe. The final
slave was in utter awe, and he thanked me for this final treat with tears in his eyes.

   I sit here now, in my room, looking about the mansion in wonder. It may not be 
an offensive spell that lights up the sky and strikes fear into the hearts of my
enemies, but this mansion may well be my new favorite spell. Now if I could just
figure out a way to make it permanent… 

   Tomorrow we intend to head back into the unexplored areas of the lair. Part of me
hopes to find Acessiwall tomorrow, but I must admit to a certain amount of
trepidation. The old wurm will be crafty, and my spells will do little against him. It 
is extremely difficult to try and gauge what spells to memorize for the upcoming
battle, especially should we meet any more of his minions before we confront him.
The spells I will learn to deal with the dragon will be more oblique in nature, and 
will do little against his allies. 

   This is, of course, always the difficulty of being a wizard. At times I find myself
admiring Scylla, with her ability to spontaneously cast. She seems to never run out 
of spells, and she never has to memorize them. If she needs a ‘scorching ray’, she
will have it. If she needs a ‘teleport’, it will always be there for her.

  Of course this flexibility comes at a steep price, for she will never know the broad 
range of utility spells that I have mastered. Her entire repertoire would only fill a
few pages in my book, and I would not trade my own knowledge for that kind of
limitation. Besides, while she is undoubtedly powerful and dangerous in her own 
right, she is still only a sorcerer. Much like any fool born with a decent singing
voice or an innate talent for art does not have to truly work at his craft, she can
hardly be considered a true aficionado of the craft of magic. She is merely a savant, 
gifted with natural aptitude, but she will never know the true meaning of the art of
the arcane, for she has not the intelligence or the drive to master the intricacies of
magic. In many ways she is a spoiled child with a wonderful gift that she will never
fully understand. 

  I have been noticing some interesting changes taking place within our crew. Griff
and Happy are now a force unto their own, as if they are their own team. They still 
watch our backs, but it is now no secret where their priorities lie. I know that if it
came to a choice between myself and Happy, Griff would leave me to rot. I cannot
fault him for that. He has found his partner, his other half, and who could begrudge 
him such a thing? Griff is still as grumpy as always, but I sense in him an inner
calmness now; a sort of peace that was absent only a few months ago. Gone is the
man who lived only for cheap drink and cheaper women, and in his place stands a 
husband and protector. As much as he tries to hide it, it is only too obvious that his
world revolves around Happy, and I do not think he regrets it one bit. 

   Happy is, of course, over the moon for Griff. She always has been, and their 
recent engagement has only solidified her love for him. Now Happy and Taklinn,
on the other hand…

   The dichotomy between those two has gotten a bit rough of late. As both of them 
become more and more secure with their respective places and life paths, the more
they have diverged. Taklinn has become far more zealous in his quest for
divine perfection, and his code of ethics seems to conflict with Happy on a daily 
basis. Happy is, of course, a thief. She is small, she is quick, she can hide in the
shadow of a pebble, and her deft hands can best nearly any lock ever made. She
strikes from hiding and uses the angles available to her to her best advantage. And 
well she should! However, her ideas of what is right and wrong do not necessarily
follow the word of law, let alone Taklinn’s concept of morality, and it is for this
reason that the two have exchanged rather harsh words of late.  

   I believe that deep down they both at least respect each other. I would hope that
that respect could even bare a certain sort of love that comrades in arms share. But
on the surface they continually jibe one another, and sometimes it gets downright 
nasty! Taklinn has taken to reminding Hap of how many times he has healed her,
while Happy refers to him, off handedly, as nothing more than a tool for a god. She
laughs at his supposed lack of free will, while he remembers aloud all the times he 
has brought her back from the brink of death, as if keeping score of some debt she
owes. 

   The whole thing is petty and bores me, but it is a bit bothersome to see the rift 
growing between two members of our crew. Worse, any rift between Hap and
Taklinn will certainly distance Griff and Taklinn as well. I consider this a bad state
of affairs, for our very strength lies in our solidarity.  

   Still, there has always been bickering between us. I only hope that we will
always find a way to overcome our minor disagreements in favor of the big picture,
something that I must keep at the forefront of my mind.  

   Perhaps finding Caribdis will set things right. As chaotic as the boy was, he
seemed to provide a focal point for all the chaos within the rest of the crew. It was
as if we were kept so busy watching out for the trouble he caused that we had no 
time to dwell on our own differences. Scylla is, of course, a bit similar, but not
much. Caribdis was, at heart, simply a boy going through the difficult transition to
manhood. He never meant any real harm, and his heart was always in the right 
place. Scylla, on the other hand, seems not to have a heart at all. None of us trust
her, and I can only believe that we will cut her loose once we have dealt with
Acessiwall. I keep waiting to find out what her real plan is; for the other shoe to 
drop, as it were. I only hope we find out before it’s too late. 

   Ah, Caribdis. I have not mentioned him much in this journal since his death. It is
too painful. At night, when we share our meal, I listen for his ceaseless rhymes, but 
they are not there. Every time we are faced with a decision, I keep expecting him to
chime in with the most ludicrous of notions, but he does not. Taklinn remains sure
that we will be able to find him in the spirit world, though he tells me that there is 
every chance that Caribdis may refuse to return with us again, or that whatever god
holds sway in that realm will deny us the right to even petition him again.  

   It is a chance, though. A chance that I am willing to take. I miss the boy too much,
and there is still too much left unsaid between us.

   Speaking of rifts developing between us, it should be noted that, while Scylla is 
not much liked by any of us, the acrimony between she and Taklinn is fast reaching
a boiling point. Not only are her actions suspect, he finds her selection of spells
profoundly distasteful. She thinks nothing of using ‘magic jar’, ‘vampiric touch’, 
and ‘enervations’. While these are not inherently “evil” spells, they do not mesh
well with Taklinn’s skewed notion of right and wrong. He grumbled heartily over
her taking over the ettin’s body, and while I understand the value in being able to do 
such a thing, I can understand Taklinn’s stand point as well. The idea of trapping
another’s soul makes him terribly uncomfortable. Worse yet, she seems to take
great pleasure in flaunting such spells in front of him; poking the bear, as it were. 
This is a bad idea, for Taklinn has never been one to be poked, and he has said as
much on several occasions. I can only hope that we will find and defeat Acessiwall
before those two have a bad confrontation. I daresay the outcome of such a thing 
would be devastating! 

   Ah well, there is little I can do except try to be the voice of reason. Thank
goodness for Taigel! I suddenly find myself being more in line with the thinking of 
our half-dragon companion than any of my old friends, for he is supremely easy
going in nearly all things. He regards the world with a kind of stoic humor that I
admire. Perhaps it is born of having been an outcast for so long.  

   Not that I have any real problems with any of my crew. I still get on well with all
of them. Taklinn and I no longer see eye to eye on many counts since I have come
to see the world from a much different perspective than I used to after the incident 
in Latona. Still, I admire and respect him, and I believe he shares the same feeling
for me. We have gone through far too much, and in the end we both share a basic
sense of justice and morality, though mine may be a bit more flexible now.  

   Perhaps it is simply due to my having grown so dramatically in power. Griff has
never been keen on spellcasters, and the more I learn about magic the more he
seems to distance himself from me. I know that, in his heart, he likes me and trusts 
me as much as he can any wizard, but I doubt we will ever be much closer than we
are now. Happy, of course, bears no grudge against my powers. She seems
endlessly fascinated by the things I can do, but her very interest seems to make 
Griff all the more reticent. 

   Such is the price of knowledge and power though. A wizards life is a studious and
solitary one, I am learning. I believe that I will always be able to count this crew as 
my companions and friends, but in the end I know that my true family will be my
books and my lab and my spells. I will never know the love that Hap and Griff
share, and I will never know the serenity that Taklinn receives from his faith. It is a 
choice I have made, and there is no turning back now. I only hope that my friends
will remain accepting of me. 

   Alas, it is late and time to turn in. The plush four poster bed awaits me, and the 
bath I took earlier has made me sleepy. If we should perish tomorrow at the claws
of Acessiwall, I suppose I will not be able to say that I did not have at least one fine
last night of rest.  


   Rping 27 

   We awoke at dawn, and it was odd, throwing back the thick quilts on my
luxurious bed, stepping on the thick carpet, and having an attentive magical servant
slip my robe onto my shoulders. It took me a full minute to remember that we were 
still deep within Acessiwall’s lair, and intended to hunt him down today if at all
possible. 

   We met for breakfast, as always. Instead of partaking in the sumptuous fare
offered by the mansion we elected to eat Taklinn’s conjured ‘hero’s feast’ for the
magical protections it would offer. As we ate, we went over the plan one more time. 

  “All right,” I said, “You know how this is supposed to go. We get as close as we
safely can to Acessiwall, then Taklinn and I pile as many buff and protective spells
on us as we can. Many of them won’t last very long, so time will be a major factor.” 

   “And what if we don’t have time for the spells?” Griff asked.

  “Then we teleport the hell out of there.” I answered. “Going in without ‘stone
skins’ and ‘pro energies’ would be suicide, and that’s the bare minimum. I won’t be 
satisfied unless I hit most of you with several more. Taklinn will also give at least
one of you a coin with a ‘silence’ spell cast on it. That will make it a little tougher
for the wurm to cast spells. We’ll also need ‘fly’ spells on everyone or we’ll likely 
never get near enough to him to make a difference. Once we get within ninety feet,
Taigel will attempt to use the amulet on Acessiwall. He may resist and force Taigel
to try it a few times. It will be a matter of luck on that count. Griff, you and Taigel 
will go into melee with him. Remember to flank him as much as possible; this will
give Happy the opportunities she needs. Taklinn, I imagine you’ll be in combat as
well. Once you get the proper spells cast on yourself you should give Acessiwall 
plenty to worry about; but remember this: Your our only real healer! It’s your
responsibility to fall back and lay hands on anyone who’s in bad shape. Do you
have that ‘status’ spell you mentioned earlier ready?” 

   “Aye.” Nodded our cleric. “Though you must remember I’m not much good at
casting while being attacked. It may be rough.”

   “Just do what you can, and be cognizant of the rest of the crew. Don’t get so 
wrapped up in fighting that you neglect the wounded.”

   Taklinn nodded again.

  “Scylla and I will hang back.” I continued. “She’ll try to punch through his spell 
resistance with whatever she can. ‘Scorching ray’s’ will likely be the best bet if we
can get around any fire protection spell he may have on him, ‘enervations’ if not.
As for me, I’ll provide support. My first order of business will be to hit him with a 
‘dispel magic’ to get rid of those protection spells if I can. I’ll also be waiting for
him to cast so I can try to counter him. I’ll have more protection spells of our
own ready in case he casts a dispel on anyone. After that it’s just a matter of getting 
past his hide and doing him in. But if it goes bad and at least twoof us go down, 
Scylla and I do our best to port us all out of there. Any questions?”

   Five somber faces regarded me. Finally, Taklinn spoke quietly. “I have a 
question,” He said, “For all of you. I’ve got two ‘raise deads’ memorized. Now we
never spoke of any of us dieing before Caribdis went down, but we should have.
When I cast the spell, it’s not in my hands. The spirit can choose not to return to it's 
body. What I want to know is, what do each of you wish me to do should you be
killed? Who among you wants me to bring them back should I have the
opportunity?” 

   The silence around the table deepened as we all considered the implications of his
question, though I did not hesitate. “You’d better bring me back!” I grinned. “I’ve
got too much left to do!” 

   Hap and Griff looked at each other as if for a hint of what the other would want.
“If you don’t let Taklinn bring you back, I’ll hunt you down myself!” Hap said to
Griff.  

   Griff scowled. The very idea of returning from death via magic was abhorrent to
him, but he sighed. “As long as you promise to do the same.” He said.

   “We’ll both come back.” Happy smiled, looking at Taklinn.

   “But if both of us go down, he brings you back!” Griff suddenly demanded. 

   “Now wait just a minute…” Hap began to protest, but we could all see that Griff’s
mind was made up. Hap glared at him, and I could see that she was far from 
finished with this argument, and I did not doubt that she would lobby Taklinn in
private to do just the opposite.

   “If I should die,” Taigel quietly put in, “I do not wish to be brought back.” 

   “Taigel, you can’t be serious!” I cried. “Think of all you have to live for!”

  “That is my wish. Taklinn has asked, and I will expect him to respect that.”

   “Aye,” Taklinn answered. “Of course I will. And just so it’s understood, I share 
the same feeling. If I should die, I want none of you getting the crazy notion of
trying to have me raised by a more powerful caster than I. I’ll stay dead.”

   I gaped at him. “Taklinn, no! How can you say that?” 

   “Tis my wish, Doorag.” He said, gruffly. “I am a war priest, and what better death
could I ask for than at the teeth of a dragon?”

   “But you…” I tried to protest, but Taklinn cut me off. 

   “Scylla?” He said to the sorceress, almost as an afterthought.

   “Of course I want to come back.” She laughed. “If I find that death is so
wonderful, I can always return to it easily enough!” 

   Taklinn gave Scylla a look, but said nothing.

   “I still think you should consider…” I began again, but it was Griff who cut me
off this time. 

   “Are we gonna sit around here all day worrying about dieing, or are we gonna go
kill us a dragon?”

   We finished our meal and made ready, stepping out of the mansion and back into 
the harsh reality of the dragon’s lair. Before we continued on, I had one more quick
trip to Latona to make. Holding the hand of the last slave, I ported him home where
he thanked me again. Within seconds I had returned to the crew and we were ready 
to be off.

   We made our way back up the spiral ramp that led to the wide corridor with it’s
still unexplored double doors. We paused at the major intersection to have a look 
into the room where we had fought the mephits and the paraelemental. Oddly
enough, it looked as if nothing had been disturbed, and I wondered if it were
possible that Acessiwall still did not know that we had invaded his lair. Either that, 
or he was running out of minions. 

   We decided to check out the large hall with it’s double doors first, and after a few
minutes Happy announced that they were trap free. Griff put his back to them and 
they swung open to reveal nothing more than an unadorned room with an icy river
cutting through it. The river was, we assumed, the same one that we’d seen coming
out of the cliff face. It flowed out of one wall and disappeared through another. We 
checked the walls for secrets but found none and Griff sighed with disappointment,
for he’d had a gut feeling that Acessiwall would be lying in wait behind those
doors. 

  There was still another door inside the room with all the holes in the ceiling, and I
was not keen on finding out what might come out of those holes, so I stood in the
hall while Griff tugged at the doors. He heaved with all is might, but they wouldn’t 
budge. Even with Taklinn’s help they only managed to unstick the door a few
inches, and Griff gave up in frustration. Scylla cast a ‘blink’ on herself and
transported herself into the room beyond the door with a thought, appearing seconds 
later to announce that it was merely another guest chamber. 

   We were left with only one way to go. South, and up the spiral ramp. But Scylla
had a thought before we ventured that way. She wondered if perhaps one of the 
prisoners might not know a little more about Acessiwall’s lair. Perhaps, she mused,
they might provide us with valuable information, given the right… motivation.

   Scylla’s idea of motivation, of course, was to drop a fireball into the cell to give
her hapless victim an idea of what sort of fate might be in store for him should he not 
answer her questions, but neither Taklinn nor I would have any of that nonsense.
We discussed what we might offer the prisoners as we made our way back into the 
mines, and I offered the obvious choice.

   “We offer them their freedom.” I said. 

   Taklinn scowled. “You’d let a frost giant, and an ettin go free?”  

   “If they gave me directions to Acessiwall, I would.” I replied. “Besides, what else
are we going to do with them? Do you plan to execute them after we kill the
dragon? Or will you just let them starve to death in their cells?” 

   Taklinn had no good answer for that, and he sighed in resignation as we
approached the prisoners. 

   I spoke to the ettin first and found that he could communicate at least a little in 
orcish. We had a brief exchange, and he was surprisingly polite and deferential. I
wondered if that had anything to do with the look Scylla gave him whenever he got
a little rude. 

   The ettin was quite excited by the prospect of gaining his freedom, and he
gestured towards the ceiling, repeating the words, “Up! Up! Up!” when I asked him
where Acessiwall was. I handed him a sheet of parchment and a piece of chalk, and 
he eagerly scrawled out a pathetic attempt at a map which showed a crude spiral, a
room, and crooked hallway. It was well nigh impossible to make it out, but the idea
was clear that, to find the dragon, we must head “Up!”. 

   The ettin seemed disappointed and confused when we did not immediately release
him, but I assured him as best I could that we would return after we had killed
Acessiwall.  

   “Can we go now?” grumbled Griff, impatiently. 

   So, back up the ramp we went, down the hall, past the intersection, and up the
second spiral ramp that rose into the mountain. 

   “There will be an ice golem at the top room.” I warned. I saw it with my ‘arcane
eye’ when we first got here. Scylla, be ready.

   As it turned out, I was half right. There were, in fact, two ice golems guarding the 
room at the top of the spiral, and both of them immediately came to life the instant
Griff stepped into the room. But we now knew how to deal with these things, and
Scylla and I blasted both of them with a pair of ‘fireballs’ that left them severely 
weakened. Taklinn was able to step up and shatter one of them with a blow from his
axe, and Griff slammed the second in the head with an ice pick he’d grabbed for
just such an occasion. The golem still stood, but I finished it off with a scorching 
ray before it had a chance to attack.

   Double doors led from the east of this room while a smaller door was set into the
south wall. We readied ourselves, fearing the worst, and Griff pulled open the 
double doors, only to reveal a grizzly sight. This had obviously once been a
laboratory, but now everything lay shattered and strewn across the room. Beakers,
vials, half finished golems, and bits of paper littered the room, and it rended my 
heart to see such damage done to innocent equipment. No other doors led from this
room.

   So Happy checked the smaller door in the golem room, and Griff opened it to 
reveal a hallway lined with more doors. We set out cautiously to explore, expecting
to find Acessiwall waiting behind every one.

   It appeared as if the dragon was cleaning house, for the first room we opened was 
streaked with the blood and gore of the poor human who lay, dismembered, on the
floor. We recognized tools for gem cutting laying on the floor, and the man still had
a jewelers loupe clutched in his dead hand, which Happy pocketed. 

   We opened still more doors, finding a kitchen, a dining room, a privy, and a
couple of guest rooms. We found several more dead humans, probably slaves that
Acessiwall had slain in his rage at having had his lair invaded. One room in
particular gave us the chills. It was a large area with a huge pentagram carved into 
the floor that glowed of faint magic. Above the pentagram, painted on the ceiling,
was a mural of four white dragons spiraling inward.  

   We gave the pentagram a wide berth, and felt sure that the double doors in this
room must lead to Acessiwall. But opening them only led to the dining room, and 
we were disappointed again.  

   An hour passed, and at last we had to face the fact that we had opened every door
and searched every room.

   “Damn it!” Said Hap, “Where is he?” 

   “Up, up, up!” I replied, dryly. 

   “There must be a secret door we’re missing,” muttered Taigel. “Perhaps we
should check again.” 

  “The pentagram!” Taklinn shouted. “It must be a portal! Of course!”

   I looked at him doubtfully. “You think so?”

   “What else could it be? We’ve searched everywhere else. I say we step onto the 
pentagram and get this dragon!”

   We went back to the pentagram room, and the symbol did glow with faint magic.
I rubbed my chin, and hoped that Taklinn was right. “Very well,” I said, “We 
should go ahead and cast our spells. We don’t know what we’ll be going into, so
we’ll have to hope that Acessiwall isn’t far from where we’ll land. 

   So Taklinn, Scylla and I began casting. Stone skins, protections from energies, 
and flys for everyone. I hit myself and Hap with greater invisibilities, though I
assured her that Acessiwall would not be fooled at all by not being able to see her. I
put a ‘see invisibility’ and a ‘spell turning’ on myself, as well as several more minor 
protections. Taklinn was doing the same, and by the time he was through, he
positively radiated with strength and power.

   “Okay!” He cried, “We don’t have much time before this all wears off! Let’s join 
hands and…”

   “Umm, guys,” Hap called out, “I think I found something.”

   We looked toward the south corner of the room, and while only I could see her 
invisible form, we could all see the secret door that she had found and opened
there. 

   “Oh no!” I groaned. The appearance of a new route to explore was a major 
problem. “We’ve got about thirteen minutes before several of these spells wear off.
Which way do we go?”

   “We try the portal first!” Taklinn cried, his voice resonating with divine power.  

   We agreed, and the six of us joined hands, and stepped onto the pentagram.

   Only to have the doors to the dining room open. 

   That was it. Nothing more. We gaped in dismay at the realization that the 
pentagram was nothing more than a regal means of opening the doors. I counted off
the passing seconds in my mind. “We need to move!” I said, “Now!”

   This was it. Time was of the essence, and if we did not confront Acessiwall 
within the next ten minutes or so we would be forced to retreat for the day. 

   All six of us took to the air, flying down the hall that lay beyond the secrete door.
We raced, pell mell, around corners and burst through doors with none of our usual 
caution, expecting a trap to explode in our faces at every turn. But we found
nothing. Just more rooms within a hallway that took us in a circle to our starting
point. We had wasted a full minute and I gritted my teeth in frustration until Happy 
exclaimed again.

  “There!” She pointed, and raced toward an unassuming wall in the last room we’d
found. Her fingers quickly traced another secrete door, finding the release catch and 
flinging it wide. A blast of cold air swept into our room, and beyond the door we
beheld a massive shaft that went straight up, disappearing into darkness. A spiral
stair case lined it’s wall, but there was no time to walk it’s steps. We instead flew
straight upwards as fast as we could.  

   A hundred feet straight up we flew, the air getting colder and colder as we
approached the top, until finally we crested the shaft to find ourselves in a natural 
cave so huge that we could not see the walls. All about us hung icicles. Plateaus of
rock rose from the floor and natural columns of ice and stone connected floor and
ceiling. It was eerily quiet, and I knew that this was it.  

   We had found Acessiwall’s lair.    

   We hovered there for a few seconds, taking in the sheer size of the place. Though 
our vision was limited, the cavern simply “felt” big. Even the largest of dragons
could fly unfettered in this place.

   We slowly advanced forward, and I scanned for anything I might recognize from 
the only time I had successfully scryed Acessiwall. Rising twenty feet above the
surface of the cave, I thought that the canyon-like fissure we were flying through
looked familiar.  

   Seconds ticked away, and I was painfully aware of how long our spells would
last. I worried in particular about the fly spells on everyone else, knowing that the
mobility of flight was a major advantage for us, and I prayed that we would meet 
the wurm before they wore off. Taigel and Taklinn floated near me, though we were
careful not to bunch up. Hap drifted off to my left about twenty feet away with Griff
near her. Scylla hung back, uneager to be the first to meet the dragon. 

   And then he was there.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 9, 2015)

From out of the darkness a huge shape formed and came into sharp focus.
Acessiwall, the ancient white dragon that we had hunted for so long flew on silent 
wings, gliding with incredible speed out of the inky blackness. He was upon us
before any of us had a chance to react. At least fifty feet long and fifteen feet at the
shoulder, I knew that he was small by dragon standards, but his very speed and 
visage made my blood run cold. I had no doubt that, were it not for the ‘hero’s
feast’ I’d eaten earlier I would certainly have bolted from the caverns, running for
my life.  

   Acessiwall pumped his wings, buffeting us with the downdraft as he came to light
on a plateau that towered some forty feet above the cave floor. With a mighty roar,
he exhaled, catching Taigel, Taklinn and myself in his freezing breath ray. I felt the 
chill numb me briefly, but the protection from energy spells did their jobs, and we
took no damage from his breath. Acessiwall roared again, and this time I recognized
it as a challenge. 

   Taklinn was the first to react. “Clangeden!” He bellowed, casting a ‘righteous
might’ on himself. His size doubled as the spell took hold, and he flew straight at
the wurm, axes held at the ready. 

   Taigel flew upwards toward his father and slashed a wound onto his own forearm,
coating the amulet worn around his neck with his own blood. Acessiwall’s eyes
narrowed as he looked straight at our half-dragon friend, but he must have shaken 
off the effects, for he turned his attention back on Taklinn. Before he could attack,
however, I wove a spell and hurled it at him, hoping against hope that I would
defeat his spell resistance.  

   I did. The ‘dispel magic’ stripped away several protective spells. Acessiwall’s
body seemed to shimmer for a brief second, and then remain firmly within my
vision. I shuddered, realizing that I’d just got rid of a ‘displacement’. The wurm 
snarled in my direction, long strands of bile dripping from his fangs, but he
unleashed his fury upon Taklinn.

   Acessiwall struck like a snake, his jaws clamping into Taklinn and tearing at him 
before letting go, only to lash out with his cruelly hooked claws. Our priest took all
three hits, but wavered not a bit. His ‘stone skin’ soaked up the majority of the
damage and he was well able to take the rest. Acessiwall also managed to slap
Taigel with a wing, knocking the ranger back several feet. 

   By now Griff was in motion. He flew straight at the dragon’s flank and brought
the Talon down in an arc that could have sundered steel, but it merely glanced off 
Acessiwall’s scales, and Griff’s curse echoed through the cave. 

   Taigel had been knocked down to a ledge beneath the plateau by Acessiwall’s
wing, and as he struggled to right himself a creature appeared from behind a rock 
outcrop that made my blood run cold. 

   It was a Hezrou, a demon apparently summoned by Acessiwall to aid him against
us. The sickly beast was upon Taigel as fast as thought, snapping at him with an 
ugly mouth full of teeth. Taigel twisted away, avoiding the bites and flying out of
it’s reach. I watched as a second hezrou appeared from the opposite side of the
plateau. This was a worrisome development, but I vowed to concentrate on 
Acessiwall.

   Happy flew forward, searching for a position from which her dagger could do the
most good. Seeing the second hezrou looking upward, as if to climb up to Griff, she 
hurled a knife, taking the creature by surprise and causing it to howl in pain.

   Taklinn roared his own challenge at Acessiwall, bringing the full fury of
Clangeden to bare and attacking again and again with his axes. Twice his blades 
clanked off the wurm’s scales, but his third attack hit home, eliciting a hiss of
unfamiliar pain from the dragon. Taklinn had drawn first blood.

   Taigel was out of the hezrou’s reach and once again within his fathers line of 
sight. He splashed more of his own blood across the amulet as he closed. This time
it worked. Acessiwall’s head snapped around to regard his son. The dragon’s eyes
glazed in a rage that I had expected. A shriek of pure hatred filled the cavern and he 
bared foot long fangs at Taigel. 

   A black ray beamed in from the darkness and struck Acessiwall as he prepared to
unleash his fury on Taigel. I recognized it as an ‘enervation’, and I was glad to see 
that Scylla had found her range. Unfortunately, the ray fizzled against the dragon
and I heard Scylla mutter an expletive behind me. 

   I decided to try an offensive spell of my own, firing off three ‘scorching rays’. To 
my pleasant surprise, they worked! My dispel must have stripped him of his fire
protections as well, for when my three rays of fire overcame his spell resistance
they burned him badly. I grinned with deep satisfaction at having actually hurt the 
wurm.

   But Acessiwall barely noticed. So intent was he on the bearer of the amulet, he
shrugged off the damage I had caused and hit Taigel with everything he had. Taigel 
was enveloped in a hurricane of teeth and claws. Wings and tail lashed out at him as
well, and blood gouted from several wounds as he was sent reeling. The ‘stone
skin’ I had provided him with soaked up much of the damage, but I could tell that 
our friend had taken much of it himself. I knew that he could not take too many hits
like that.

   Griffin did his best to help Taigel, bringing his sword down again and again 
against the dragon’s hide until finally the blade bit deep, cutting through scales and
into flesh. The dragon bane enchantment I had imbued upon the sword caused
Acessiwall added pain. 

   I had been watching, waiting for Acessiwall to act so that I might try to foil him
should he go for a spell, but I had neglected the hezrou. I barely had time to see the
one that Hap had stuck with a dagger twisting it’s claws in a spell gesture. The 
‘unholy blight’ saturated the area around me… and bounced back at it’s caster! The
‘spell turning’ I’d cast on myself earlier saved me from the effects, turning it
instead on it’s caster. Unfortunately the hezrou was not affected by the spell, though 
Griff and Taklinn were in the area of effect. I saw Griff wince and wobble a bit, but
Taklinn seemed barely to notice as he stepped inside the dragon’s reach again,
hammering away with his axes and drawing still more blood with two long gashes
across it’s flank.  

   Happy moved within range and let fly with three daggers at the hezrou that had
just tried it’s spell on me. All three of them slammed home, and the hezrou shrieked 
in unexpected pain, looking about wildly for it’s invisible attacker.

   On the opposite side of the plateau Taigel went toe to toe with Acessiwall, and I
beheld an eerie calm on his face as he ducked a claw, coming in with his twin short 
swords flashing. Once, twice, three times he made contact, opening up new wounds
in his fathers breast and neck. The dragon screamed in pain and rage, his eyes
flashing, and I knew his counter attack would be bad for Taigel. Determined not to 
let that happen, I desperately cast ‘haste’ from a wand, hitting Taigel, Taklinn and
Griff with it just as Scylla cast a scorching ray of her own from behind me. Two of
her rays hit, breaking the dragons resistance and burning it. 

   But neither my ‘haste’ or Scylla’s fire could prevent Acessiwall’s attack on
Taigel. Maddened with pain and fury, the dragon struck again and again, teeth
ripping, claws rending, wings and tail whipping forward to slam our ranger over 
and over again. Taigel was hit too many times to count and blood splashed from
him in obscene fountains. Staggering back, he raised his sword in a futile attempt to
fend off the terrible bite, but Acessiwall forced through the defense and clamped his 
jaws onto Taigel’s shoulder, snapping his head back and forth, shaking his son as a
dog would a rat. I saw Taigel go limp, and he crumpled to the icy floor as
Acessiwall released him and raised his great reptilian head in a roar of victory that 
drowned out our own cries of anguish. Taigel lay in an unmoving heap on the
ground, his life blood flowing from a dozen wounds. Even the ‘stone skin’ had not
been able to protect him, and I knew that Taklinn did not even need to check him 
for a heartbeat, for even I could see that the damage was too great. 

   Taigel was dead.  

      As the last of the life drained from Taigel I could see the rage clear from
Acessiwall’s eyes. The dragon looked about him as if understanding for the first
time how wounded he was. True, he had killed one of us, but blood poured freely 
from him now and we were pressing the attack with renewed vigor, eager to avenge
Taigel’s death even as the dragon’s allies deserted him. The hezrou that Happy had
wounded so badly disappeared, followed closely by the second demon. Acessiwall 
flexed his great wings as if to flee, but not before we set upon him again. Taklinn
hacked away with all his might against the wurm’s breast, but was unable to pierce
the tough scales. Scylla hit with two more scorching rays, and we could tell that her 
fire burned him to the core. 

   Griff, beside himself with bloodlust at seeing Taigel go down did the unthinkable.
He flew above the dragon and straddled him as one might a horse. The Talon came 
down again and again, biting deeply.

   But Acessiwall was already in motion. With a great beat of his wings the dragon
launched himself from the plateau and took flight. We could do little but watch 
helplessly as he disappeared into the darkness with Griff still hanging on to his
back!

   “Griff!” Happy screamed as she landed near us on the plateau. She and Scylla ran 
for the fallen form of Taigel, each reaching for the amulet as Taklinn and I took
flight in a desperate attempt to reach the dragon, even though we knew that he was
more than twice as fast as we were.  

   The events that followed are a bit of a blur and much of it took place out of the
line of my vision. I have been able to piece together what I believe happened after
hearing my comrades versions of things.  

   Taklinn and I plunged into the inky blackness, but we could see no sign of either
Griff or Acessiwall. According to Griff, the dragon flew several hundred feet, trying
to shake him off as Griff clung tenaciously to his scaly back. Nearing the rear of the 
cavern, Acessiwall banked hard and doubled back toward us, but instead of
continuing his attack, escape was now his desire.  

   “Hang on, friend!” The old wurm hissed at Griff as Taklinn and I saw the pair
headed straight for us. We braced for the attack, but at the last moment Acessiwall
beat his wings furiously and headed straight up. Like an arrow, the dragon bore 
toward the roof of the cavern, smashing through a thin spot in the cave roof and
flying into open air. 

   According to Hap, she watched as Scylla flew forward after Taklinn and I, 
perhaps sixty or seventy feet, and then disappeared when she saw Acessiwall head
for the cave ceiling. I must assume now that Scylla teleported.

   Happy snatched up the amulet and a strip of Taigel’s bloody shirt. She took to the 
air, flying after us.

   Taklinn and I flew after Acessiwall with dwindling hopes, knowing we would
never catch him in the open sky. 

   Griff still clung to Acessiwall’s back, the wind whipping at him as the dragon
flew ever upwards. A thousand feet high he flew with only a few mighty wing
strokes. He then folded his great wings against him and turned toward the earth, 
plummeting downward in a terrifying dive, heading straight for the frozen river. I
must assume that he intended to get to the water and swim back into the sanctum of
his lair.  

   The impact with the water would surely have killed Griff, but he had no time to
think about it, for as they streaked downward, Acessiwall was suddenly engulfed
with a fireball that could only have come from Scylla, who had teleported to a spot 
near the river. Unfortunately her spell did not overcome the dragons resistance,
though it did do a fair amount of damage to Griff. 

   Cursing, Griff tried a desperate move, releasing a hand from the dragons back to 
take a swing with his sword. But he was moving too fast. Acessiwall gave a sudden
jerk, and Griff was forced to let go of his sword to regain his handhold or lose the
dragon. The Talon tumbled to the earth below and was swallowed by the snow.  

   Down and down they plummeted, only four or five hundred feet from the river.
Taklinn and I finally rose from the cavern into open air just in time to see them pass
us on their way down. We flew toward the edge of the cliff and were just in time to 
witness Scylla’s second fireball erupt over Acessiwall. 

   This one took. The already wounded dragon felt the burn of the fireball, unable to
either resist or dodge the magical flame. It scorched every inch of his body, and 
Griff had no choice but to feel the pain of it as well. 

   But Acessiwall was far more wounded than Griff. The dragon gave out a terrible
roar, attempted to gain control with it’s weakening wings, but they suddenly went 
limp. The dragon’s head tucked beneath itself and it began to tumble like a stone in
free fall. Griff let go, using his ‘fly’ spell to stay aloft, and we all watched as
Acessiwall fell, end over end, to earth, smashing into the snow with a muted thud. 
Hap reached us, panting, as we peered over the edge of the cliff. Acessiwall did not
move. The old wurm’s arms and legs bent at impossible angles, and his neck
stretched out against the ground. One wing lay trapped beneath his body, while the 
other fanned out on the snow, shattered and scorched. 

   Griff joined us as we flew down to the body, and Scylla was suddenly there as
well. The five of us stood around Acessiwall, scarcely able to believe that he was 
dead. I think we kept expecting his eyes to pop open and for him to attack us again.

   But he did not. 

   Acessiwall was dead. 

   There was no rejoicing. There were no cheers. Somberly I turned and flew
upward, back toward the hole in the roof of the cavern. I flew back into the cave
and went to Taigel’s body. Our ranger friend lay there, twisted and battered, 
covered in blood. As my friends joined me, I straightened Taigel’s arms and legs
and closed his eyes. There was silence among us. 

   Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw Scylla fly away into the darkness. My
eyes narrowed and I left Taigel’s side to follow her. The sorceress flew across the
cavern, skirting a wall until she came to a spot that was well worn. This, I assumed, 
had been where Acessiwall had spent much of his time. I landed next to her and she
seemed a bit surprised to see me. 

   “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Scylla,” I said, “But I don’t trust you.” 

   She gave me a wolfish grin. “Well spoken.” She said.

   I watched Scylla as she scanned the cave walls, searching. At last she seemed to
see something, and the two of us flew up to an outcropping of rock that could have 
easily been missed. There, behind the barrier of stalagmites, we saw the first glow
of Acessiwall’s horde. 

   The rest of the crew joined us soon after, and we spent the remainder of the 
afternoon going through a treasure the likes of which I have never seen before. Coin
of every denomination was heaped in piles. Gems and jewelry lay scattered and
draped everywhere. Our ‘detect magic’s’ picked up item after item, and pieces of 
art decorated the scene. It was amazing to behold. 

   We collected and organized the treasure as best we could and then sat down to
discuss our next move.  

   “What shall we do with Taigel?” Hap asked. We had all been thinking the same
thing, but none had thus far dared to voice it, as if talking about what to do with his
body would make his death more real.  

   “Well, he didn’t want to come back,” Scylla remarked, “Why don’t we just leave
him here?”

   Taklinn’s eyes flashed at the sorceress. “I found a symbol to Heironious on him. 
If he was a follower he should be taken to the church for proper burial. It is the least
he deserves. We will take him to Havilah and commit his remains to the priests
there.” 

   Griff cleared his throat. “This is gonna seem weird,” He said, “And you might not
believe me, but Taigel asked me something before we went out this morning. He
told me that if he didn’t make it, he wanted me to take care of his equipment and 
weapons. I don’t know what I ought to do with them, but there you have it.”

   “Of course we believe you, Griff.” I said. “You’re hardly the type to take
advantage of a companions death for the sake of a few trinkets and a couple of 
swords.”

   Griff grunted and spat.

   “Look,” Scylla insisted, “Why should we take him all the way back to Havilah? 
He deserves a heroes tomb, and this is as good as any. In fact, I think we should cut
him out a share of the treasure and bury him with it. We could entomb him where we
found the horde, buried forever with his share of the loot!” 

   “No!” Taklinn rounded on her. “We are taking him back to Havilah!”

   “Why?” She pressed the point. “I don’t see why…”

  “Because,” I cut her off, “It would be only too easy for someone to wait a few 
days, teleport back here, strip all the treasure from his body and keep it for herself!”

   Taklinn looked at me, his eyes wide with shock at my words. “Doorag, do you
really think…” 

   “I don’t know what I think. But I do know that I don’t trust her.” 

   “Do you really want to address that here? Now?” Taklinn asked me.

   I looked straight at Scylla. “I just did.” 

   Was it hurt that filled Scylla’s eyes? Anger? I am not sure. She looked back at me
for long seconds and silence hung between us. When she spoke at last, it was but a
single word. It was the verbal component to her teleport spell, and just like that, she
was gone.  

   “Doorag, perhaps…” Taklinn began, but I cut him off, turning in anger. 

   “Perhaps what?” I asked him. “Perhaps I was too harsh? I think not, Taklinn. 
Acessiwall is dead and our ties to Scylla are now broken. For months now I have
been waiting for the other shoe to drop. For months now I have been wondering
what her ultimate plan is. Perhaps she has none, but she has given me no cause to 
believe that! Every time we turn around we are faced with her lies and
machinations, or have you forgotten that? I have tried to trust her, but the fact is, I
have not been able to comfortably turn my back on her since the day we met. She is 
the product of Melesandre and Sensesi. She flaunts spells before you that cause you
distress. She delights in suffering and shows no compassion whatsoever, and might
I remind you that she has shown no loyalty to us at all. She was only too content to 
let us all stay in the danger of this lair while she ported back to Finch for a cozy
nights rest! You think I was too harsh? I have been holding my tongue for a long
time, Taklinn, but no more! She is entitled to a share of the treasure, and I will do 
my best to see that she gets it, but beyond that, she has a long way to go to gain my
trust.”

   Taklinn nodded, stroking his beard. Griff and Hap said nothing. I took a deep 
breath and turned, casting a ‘mord’s mansion’. I opened the door and disappeared
inside. 

   The others joined me after a few moments and it was decided that we would stay 
here tonight. The mansion was comfortable, and we still had a bit of business to
attend to in the lair. We have brought Taigel’s body into the mansion and he lays
now, wrapped in clean sheets, upon a bed in a comfortable room of my design. It is 
beside him that I sit now, scribbling furiously in this journal and wondering about
all of the things I never got to know about him. So often am I buried in books that I
oft times neglect to explore the friendships that I have.  

   I realize now that my anger toward Scylla was largely born of my anger at
Taigel’s death, though in the end I meant every word I said. 

   Tomorrow, if she does not return, I shall try to scry her. She should, at the very 
least, receive her share of the horde. 

   I must be to bed soon, but I cannot stop looking at Taigel. I keep wondering why
he did not wish to be returned. Was life so cruel to him? What a shame that such a 
magnificent creature could find peace only in death. 

   Yes, I must be to bed soon. But perhaps I will sit here for just a while longer. 


   Rping 28

   Today we have wrapped up the few loose ends that needed to be taken care of in
Acessiwall’s lair. 

   I should have mentioned that I went in search of Griff’s sword before settling in 
for the evening yesterday. I put far too much work into that blade to let it be lost in
a snow bank, and when Griff reminded me that that’s where it was I immediately
set out to locate it. It took an hour of flying around and scanning the area with 
several ‘detect magic’s’, but at last I spotted it’s glow buried beneath a mound of
snow. Griff was pleased to have it back.

   Griff and Happy also spent some time combing the areas in the lair that we had 
passed over in our haste to get to Acessiwall yesterday, and found a few more items
and some treasure, which is good; I’d hate to leave anything behind.

   My first order of business this morning was to analyze our finds and organize the 
horde. The scope of the wealth we will take from this lair has left me quite
breathless! Being a practitioner of the arcane arts comes with a high price, not the
least of which is monetary. I never seem to have enough gold, but my share of 
Acessiwall’s fortune will go a long way toward my goals. The final list of our
discoveries is as follows. 

   42,672gp worth of miscellaneous coinage. 
   3,500 in various gems and jewelry. 
   A pair of jeweled gloves.
   A fire opal pendant.
   A string of pink pearls. 
   A silver scroll case.
   A polished obsidian mug.
   A silver snuff box. 
   A silk pillow.
   A wool tapestry with images exalting the deity, Cord.
   A mithril and ruby hat pin set. 
   A teakwood serving tray.
   A silver anklet decorated with elephant charms.
   An onyx statuette of a centaur. 
   A cape made of vrock feathers.
   A lion skin cloak.
    An antique carpet depicting the god, Herionious. 
   A lovely crystal lamp.
   A gem of Brightness with 19 charges left.
   A Staff of Transmutation with 13 charges left. 
   A vial containing a potion of ‘shield of faith’.
   A Rod of Cancellation.
   A Ring of Evasion. 
   A Short Sword of subtlety (Happy’s jaw hit the floor when I told her what this
sword does).
   An Iron Flask. 

   This list does not include the hundreds of diamonds we have recovered
throughout out journey through this lair, both mined from the walls and found in the 
wake of golem battles, not to mention the several fine magical items taken from the
bodies of our dead foes. All told, if we were to decide to sell everything we would
all walk away with something in the neighborhood of 50,000 gold apiece (if 
Happy’s assessment of the values of the art objects is correct). Of course there will
be magical items that we wish to use instead of sell, and Taklinn seems intent upon
turning over the tapestry of Cord and the rug of Herionious to their respective 
churches, which will cut the portion down a bit, but still, it is more gold than I ever
dreamed of having at a single time. 

   We have seen no sign of Scylla today. I tried to scry her, but to no avail. I will 
attempt it again tomorrow, and I also plan to learn the spell, ‘sending’ as soon as
possible, with which I can send her a message. 

   Our last order of business was to deal with the ettin and giant that still sat, 
imprisoned, in cells. After some discussion on exactly what we should do with
them, we were faced with the distasteful task of setting them free. True, they are
evil at their core, but they pose no immediate threat, and have done nothing we 
know of that would justify execution. Leaving them to starve was not an option, so
we unlocked their cells and led them to Acessiwall’s cavern where Taklinn issued a
stern warning to both of them that if he ever found out that they were meddling in 
the affairs of the civilized races he would personally hunt them down. I seconded
this threat, assuring them that no place was safe from my scrying eyes, which
appeared to make believers out of both of them. I cast a pair of fly spells on the two
and they (rather clumsily) extracted themselves from the lair. 

   Toward late noon we gathered outside at the body of Acessiwall. The old wurm
was semi-frozen now, but we were able to take a trophy or two. I had Griff dig me 
out a tooth and a claw for my personal collection, after which Taklinn chopped off
the entire head! 

   “It is done!” He cried at the sky, presumably to the celestial folk to whom he had 
been in debt. “I am beholdin’ to no one!” He used magically enhanced strength to
hoist the dragons head to his shoulder, cast his ‘word of recall’, and spirited the five
of us back to Havilah.  

   I must say, the urchin that keeps out rooms at the Academy in order (Crispin, I
believe his name is) was awestruck at our appearance, especially given the fact that
Taklinn dumped a dragons head in the middle of the room. The youngster is utterly 
star struck with Griff, and he immediately bombarded our warrior with excited
questions. His chatter tired me within seconds and I retired to the calm of my lab for
a well deserved bit of peace and quiet. Ambros and I spent the rest of the day in 
relative calm, doing a bit of research on the outer planes. 

   At dinner this evening there was talk of Griff and Happy’s wedding. They wish to
be married before we go in search of Caribdis. I was a bit taken aback at this, and 
asked them how they could even think of having their wedding without Caribdis
present, but they explained that they felt that they had waited long enough, not to
mention the fact that Griff really does not believe that the boy can even be brought 
back. I think he believes our quest to find Caribdis a fool’s errand, though I have
little doubt that he will accompany us. 

   At any rate, there are some logistical dilemmas surrounding their wedding, not the 
least of which is the transportation of several dozen halflings from the green
mountains to Havilah. I wonder at the wisdom of bringing so many of them to the
big city, but Griff did promise Hap’s father that her entire family would be hosted at 
the wedding. I wonder if he knew just how big Hap’s family is when he made that
promise. 

   I suppose I will aid them with a few teleports to expedite the process. Happy is 
quite excited at the prospect of her upcoming nuptials, and intends the wedding to
take place some forty days from now. This will give me a bit of desperately needed
time to learn some of the spells contained in Helious’ book, not to mention crafting 
a few items that I have been wanting.

   I savor the notion of a rest, but at the same time I find myself eager to be after
Caribdis. I feel as though each day we delay our odds of bringing him back grow 
slimmer and slimmer. 


   Gdmnth 1

   Our first full day back in Havilah, and I can already feel myself begin to breath 
easier, despite the fact that Scylla has still declined to make an appearance, and the
sorrow with which we turned Taigel’s body over to the priests of Heironious today.
I know they will care for his remains well, but still, it was difficult to let him leave 
my sight.

   Taklinn has sent a sending to Scylla requesting an audience with her. I would do
the same if I had the spell, but alas, I do not. It is in Helious’ spellbook, but I have 
had no time to learn it yet, and probably will not for some time. 

   Despite our desire to be off after Caribdis, we have decided to spend at least a
month and a half in Havilah. We need this time to liquidate our treasures, and Hap 
and Griff’s wedding must be planned. Both of them are already hard at work with
the organization of the event. As for myself, I have already begun work on
something that I have been wanting to craft for several months now. It is in it’s
beginning stages, and I have yet to even get any more than the raw materials for the 
item. My plan is to craft an anti-magic vest for Griff. It seems appropriate for him,
given his general distrust of magic; it simply feels right, and I vowed some time ago 
that he would have such an item.

  I want to craft the actual vest from the leather I’ve taken from Acessiwall’s wing.
I have the material, now it is a matter of turning it into a vest in a timely manner. 
Rather than waiting through the tanning and sewing process, I have elected to track
down a scroll of ‘fabricate’. It will not be inexpensive, but time is of the essence if I
am to complete both this vest and the wedding gifts that Taklinn and I intend to 
make for Griff and Happy. What I spend in gold, I make up for in time.

   There is also the matter of the iron flask. It is easily the most valuable item we
found amongst the dragon’s horde, yet is potentially the most dangerous, for, 
according to my research, it’s purpose is to trap dangerous outsiders and bend them
to the owners will. Therefore, it is conceivable that the flask could contain anything
from an elemental to a balor. We have no way of knowing until we uncork it, 
although Taklinn has found a way to circumvent this problem through his
divinations. He has communed with an agent of Clangeden with regard to the flask,
and the agent has revealed to Taklinn that the flask contains a glabrezu, a 
particularly loathsome and dangerous type of demon.

   This is a potentially deadly problem, but we think we may have a way to
effectively deal with the demon, since the flask will allow us to command the 
demon for the period of one hour. Our plan is to force it to lower it’s resistances,
after which Taklinn will ‘dismiss’ it back to the abyss. Taklinn assures us that it
will work, but I am sure that Griff and Happy, like myself, will take all available 
precautions when we attempt this tomorrow. 


   Gdmnth 2

   Our good luck continues. Not only did I manage to procure a scroll of ‘fabricate’ 
this afternoon, we were also able to deal with the iron flask.

   Taklinn’s plan of dismissing the demon actually worked flawlessly. Griff, Taklinn
and I (I don’t know where Hap was) took the flask several miles outside of the city, 
and after much preparatory spell casting on the part of both myself and Taklinn, I
unstoppered the cork and uttered the command word. 

   An oily, black, smoke issued forth, swiftly forming itself into the dog muzzled 
freak of evil that stood before us, balefully awaiting my command. With a shiver, I
forced it to accept Taklinn’s ‘dismissal’, and in a flash, it was gone, sent back to the
pits to rejoin the blood war. With a collective sigh of relief, we headed home. 

   Taklinn is already at work on finding a buyer for the flask, though I must admit
that, at least on an academic level, it pains me to see it go.

   We have also split the few items of magical treasure. Which reminds me, Taklinn 
got a reply from Scylla today. He sent her another sending, and was told that all of
her share of the treasure was to be dealt with through Happy!

   The revelation that Hap had somehow been in contact with Scylla was startling 
indeed, but she would give little detail, other than to say that she considered Scylla
a friend, and that we ought to reconsider our positions toward her. Griff bristled at
this, and Taklinn seemed none too pleased either. As for myself, I care little either 
way at this point. I am bothered to think that Hap might be somehow deceived by
the sorceress, but I must trust her to take care of herself. I wish for Scylla to have
her fair share of the treasure gained from Acessiwall, but beyond that, I consider 
our relationship at an end. I haven’t the time for ill will, and I do not consider her an
enemy, but the plain fact of the matter is, I cannot trust her.

   I will spend tomorrow learning the ‘fabricate’ spell! Ironic that this one spell that
I need was not contained in Helious’ book, and cost me over a thousand gold to 
purchase. Still, that cost will be minimal compared to the cost of enchanting the
vest itself. I have no regrets though. This will be a masterpiece; a one of a kind item 
that will serve Havilah’s greatest hero. If my name lives on only as that of the
artificer that crafted some of Griff’s most cherished items, I will have done well by
it. 

   Griff, of course, would never understand that. He does not realize that people
need heroes, and in a sense, that is the quality that makes him the best kind of hero
of all. His very reluctance; his continued ascertains that he is simply in it for the 
gold; his reticence toward fame; all of it makes him all the more heroic, and I love
him for that. 


   Gdmnth 3

   The ‘fabricate’ spell is mine! It has been an exhausting day, as it always is when I
must learn a spell, but the exhaustion carries with it the delicious satisfaction that
only comes with unearthing a new secret. “Fabricate’ can hardly be considered the 
gem of my arsenal, but the thrill of learning a new spell never fails to please me, no
matter how benign the dweomer. 

   Tomorrow I will cast it on the leather of Acessiwall’s wing, and with any luck, I 
will have the beginnings of Griff’s vest.

   I have also decided to make use of my ‘permanency’ spell, and to that end I have
created a permanent ‘familiar pocket’ inside of my hat in which Ambros may spend 
his time in safety and comfort. He is in there now, and while it is odd not to feel his
weight on my head, he tells me that the small space is a large step up in terms of
comfort. It is worth the spent life essence to keep him out of the line of fire. 

   I cast a second ‘permanency’ on myself, in conjunction with ‘detect magic’. This
one has been a long time coming, and is probably something I should have done for
myself months ago, yet ‘permanency’ carries with it it’s own risks, and it is only 
now that I feel that I am powerful enough that my spells will stand a decent chance
of resisting possible dispels.

   Tomorrow I intend to finish the job with permanent ‘darkvision’ and ‘see 
invisibility’. The cost in essence is high, but being caught without these two spells
can be deadly, and I never want to suffer that again.


   Gdmnth 4

   The vest is finished! Well, at least the physical vest now exists. It is of fine and tough 
leather, white, and has a texture unlike any bovine leather creation. I believe it will
be well suited to Griff. 

   My research into the ‘anti-magic’ spell is also complete. It is necessary to tweak 
the spell a bit with regard to it’s area of effect. It’s ten foot radius would, I believe,
get in the way at times and make it difficult on his other party members. Therefore I
have reduced it’s area to a five foot radius. The cost will be slightly higher, but not 
prohibitively so.

   I now have permanent ‘darkvision’ and ‘see invisibility’ on myself.

   Each day sees more and more of our treasure liquidated, and Taklinn drops off the 
new portions to us as soon as he can. All told, we will each take away nearly
50,000gp from the dragon, and we all appear to be doing our best to spend it as fast
as possible. While I have hardly left the lab, I still hear of the obscene amounts of 
gold that Griff is spending on his wedding, and Taklinn has told me that he is
having his armor further enhanced. I would love to do it for him, but we simply
haven’t the time.  

   Happy, apparently, has made sure that Scylla is receiving her share of the
treasure. While I know that the very idea of Hap paling around with the sorceress 
grates on Griff’s nerves, I can only shrug and hope she knows what she’s doing. I
am a little put out, though hardly surprised, that Scylla will not talk to us. Truth be
told, I don’t know that I have much to say to her. 


   Gdmnth 5 

   The true work on the vest has begun. I doubt I will make many entries in this
journal other than specific working notes simply due to the fact that the crafting 
process is so exhausting. Still, it gives me such a sense of satisfaction. 

   I have always wished that I was more skilled in the arts. How I envy the painters
and musicians; yet I am beginning to realize that the creation of enchanted items is 
an art unto itself. Perhaps I am more creative than I gave myself credit for.


   Gdmnth 19

   What a long and interesting day this has been! 

   It was an hour past noon when I imbued the vest with it’s final incantation and
stepped back to admire my work. It was complete, and ready to wear, and I could
hardly wait to give it to Griff. We were due to all meet for dinner this evening, and I 
resolved to give it to him then.

   But the day would hold much more in store that just that!

   Late last night I received a written message via currier from Happy. Our roguish 
friend is obviously too busy to come see me herself, and I do not begrudge her for
that, for I know that the planning of her wedding has taken them nearly every
available moment. That, and I daresay she probably would not have wanted to field 
all of the questions that her note brought to my mind.

   “Doorag,” the letter began, “Scylla has been in contact with Nivin Mottul and
Yigil. She wishes to join the Academy and become a protector of Havilah, and they 
support her in this. I ask you to give her a second chance.”

   I was quite taken aback by this news, for certainly the idea of Scylla being
sponsored by Nivin and Yigil was an unexpected twist. Still, doubt nagged at me. 
The odds were simply too great that this was an example of still more of Scylla’s
machinations, and I resolved not to take her at face value. Yet, if these esteemed
and learned men could give her their trust, then I knew that I must at least hear her 
out, should she decide to come to me. 

   So I was surprised, but not shocked when, an hour before dinner was to be served,
there came a knock on our door and I answered it to find Scylla standing there. 
Beautiful as ever, yet still with her icy cold eyes, she regarded me cautiously, and I
her. 

   I was on my guard. “Are you here to fight or dine?” I asked, taking a step back, 
prepared for anything.

   “Well,” she laughed easily, “I certainly didn’t come to fight.”

   “Then make yourself comfortable.” I said, showing her in.  

   She did, and I had my unseen servant pour her a glass of wine, though I did not
turn my back on her. We sat in silence, each regarding the other for the better part
of an hour until the others began to arrive. 

   Happy smiled at Scylla and Griff scowled. Taklinn gave her a noncommittal nod.
We sat around our communal table and Crispin began to bring in the food. Talk was
light at first. We have seen little of each other over the past two weeks, and there
was much catching up to do. Griff and Happy, of course, had been deep in wedding 
plans, not the least of which was the transportation of some twenty-six of Happy’s
family members to Havilah. To that end Griff had approached me about possibly 
teleporting them here, and I had told him that I would be only too happy to do so
when the time came.

   The pair had finally set a date. They will be married on Harvester 11, which 
means that I will just have time to finish their wedding gifts.

   Taklinn had gone back to his home in the mountains and had returned with
several of his family, not to mention his fiance and her chaperone. He introduced 
me to them, and I must say that she is… handsome? He is putting them up at
Havilah’s finest inn, which must be costing him a fortune, but what good is gold if
not to be spent on ones family and friends? 

   As dinner winded down and Crispin cleared the table, I had my servant pour us all
wine, and Griff stood up as he produced several tightly wrapped parcels. I
had been about to present him with his vest, but, not wanting to interrupt him, I said 
nothing. 

   “Taklinn, Doorag,” He said, clearing his throat, “Since you're both going to be in
my wedding, I’ve gotten you a couple of things.” He passed a parcel to each of us, 
and, unwrapping mine I was delighted to find a beautiful robe of ceremonial design
in the blues and whites of Havilah. Taklinn received clerical robes of similar make. 

   “Why, thank you, Griff, you needn't have bothered…” I began, but he cut me off. 

   “Yeah, whatever,” He gruffed, “It’s also customary for the groom to get his honor
guard a little something, so these are yours. Don’t get all weepy on me either!”
Griff slid two more bundles to us. Mine was long and thin, a while Taklinn’s was 
wide, flat and round. 

   Pleasantly surprised by this unexpected outburst of generosity, I unwrapped my
gift and stared in awe at the bronze wood staff I held in my hands. Taklinn 
unwrapped one of the most beautiful shields I have ever seen, and we both looked
at Griff, mouths agape. 

   “It’s a staff of fire.” He said to me. “And Taklinn, that shield is made of 
Acessiwall’s hide and it’s magiced all to hell.” Indeed, Taklinn’s shield was a work
of art. It was white, and engraved with a series of dwarven runes and the symbol of
Clangeden.  

   I hefted the staff, savoring the feel of it. “Griff, you should not have done this!”

   “Shut up.” Griff muttered, and I laughed.

   “Griffon Dorjan, I thank you!” Taklinn rumbled, his voice nearly cracking with 
emotion as he fit the shield onto his arm. “It is beautiful and I shall wield it with
pride!”

   Griff muttered something else, and I laughed again at his discomfort.  

   “Well, Griff,” I said, “As long as we’re giving gifts, I suppose now is as good a
time as any to give you this.” And I produced a parcel of my own, sliding it across
the table toward him. His eyes widened a bit, obviously not expecting such a thing. 
He unwrapped it and held up the white vest, obviously wondering what it was.

   “Griff,” I said, “I know that you have never been very comfortable with magic,
and to that end I have been wanting to make you something like this ever since we 
battled Helious. It is my position that you should not be bothered by magic if you
don’t want to be, and therefore I have imbued that vest with an ‘anti-magic’ spell.
You need only utter the command word, and it will envelope you in an anti-magic 
field once per day.”

   Griff’s eyes widened even further and his mouth dropped open. It is perhaps the
only time I have ever seen the gruff warrior at a loss for words. “Doorag, I… it’s 
incredible!” He finally said. “Thank you! I shall wear it with pride!” 

   We toasted each other, lifting our glasses to the Band of the Broken Blade. Only
Scylla did not join in our festive talk, and I knew that the time had come to deal
with her.  

   I set down my glass and regarded her across the table. “Well, Scylla,” I said, “I 
know you didn’t come here for the food. I take it we have a few things to discuss?”

   “Indeed.” She nodded, smiling demurely.

   “Yes, we do have much to discuss.” Taklinn agreed, stroking his beard. “Am I to 
understand that you have been in contact with Yigil and Nivin Mottul?”

   “As a matter of fact I have.” She said.

   Griff leaned back in his chair, cradling his glass in his hand and watching with 
interest, and Happy scooted forward, her eyes bright.

   “I know what the message I received told me,” I said, “And apparently Taklinn
has heard the same. I must assume that Griff knows of this as well since Happy and 
you are now such good friends. But I’d like to hear the whole story from you,
Scylla, if you wouldn’t mind.”

   The sorceress coughed and gave me a disarming smile that immediately put me 
on my guard. “Of course I wouldn’t mind. I have been in touch with Nivin and
Yigil in an attempt to further clear my good name. It is my desire to be accepted as
a full fledged member of the Academy, and they have agreed, though they request 
the good word and backing of at least four other Academy members, specifically,
yours. They feel that, having traveled with me, you four are in the best position to
judge my intentions. That is why I am here, to humbly beg you for a chance to 
prove myself, not only to you, but to Havilah at large.”

   The table fell silent as we digested this surprising new development. Across the
table, Hap dug and elbow into Griff’s ribs. The warrior scowled, but finally sat 
forward in his chair. 

   “Look,” He said, “If Hap says your ok, then I say you’re ok. But hear me now,
I’ve given you chances in the past and you’ve blown it! This is the last chance you 
get from me. Put any of us in danger again, and I swear by every god in the heavens
and hells that I’ll take your head off. You got that?”

   “Of course.” Scylla nodded.  

   Happy looked hopefully at Taklinn and myself. Our cleric was the first to speak. 

   “I have been speaking at length with Happy about you, Scylla,” He said, “And she
has convinced me that you have gone through many changes in these past weeks. I 
know that I have sometimes been less than kind towards you during our time
together, and I also know that it has not always been warranted. I have been
meditating upon my own shortcomings recently, especially with regard to my 
attitude toward those who do not necessarily fall in line with my philosophy, and to
that end I am trying to be more open minded and accepting. Happy and I have, until
only recently, had an axe to grind, but hopefully we have buried it. Part of the peace 
we have made concerns you. To facilitate that peace, and to attempt to turn over a
new leaf myself, I will offer you my support in your sponsorship to join the
Academy. I may have my reservations, but I believe that few are irredeemable. I 
welcome you into the fold, and hope that this will mean a future of friendship
between us.” 

   “Thank you, Taklinn.” Scylla said, quietly. And then all eyes were turned to me. 
“Doorag?” 

   I sighed and pursed my lips, narrowing my eyes, attempting to see past the
innocent expression on Scylla’s face. Many thoughts whirled around in my head, 
but at last I straightened them out.

   “Scylla,” I said, “Understand that I have nothing personal against you. I admire
your talents, and I believe that your skills would be invaluable in the service of 
Havilah. However, there is still the matter of history, which weighs heavily against
you. You ask me to extend my trust to you, yet, upon reflection, I can find no
reason to do so. The fact is, while you seem sincere enough, I am reminded of all
the lies; all the layers we have had to get through to find the truth in the past, and I 
can only wonder if this is not yet another in a long line of your seemingly endless
machinations. That said, I’m afraid that I cannot, in good conscience, put my 
reputation on the line for you. I applaud Taklinn and Griff for taking the leap of
faith, and I pray that my concerns are unfounded. I hope that you do become a
member of the Academy and prove me wrong, but until then I must err of the side 
of caution. I would hope that my vote on this will not be the difference between
your sponsorship.”

   Sadness clouded Scylla’s eyes. “Actually, I’m afraid it might.” She said. 
“Certainly I can never become a full fledged member of this crew without
unanimous consent.”

   “I’m sorry, what?” Taklinn shook his head as if to clear his ears. 

   “A full fledged member of this crew?” Griff sat bolt upright in his chair. Even
Happy’s head snapped around, as if startled by Scylla’s desire, not only to join the
Academy, but our crew. 

   “Well, of course.” Scylla said, “What better crew to join than this one?”
   “Now just a damn minute!” Griff pointed at her, “You never said nothing about
joining up with us on a full time basis!” 

   “No,” Agreed Taklinn, “You didn’t.”

   “Why would I want to join any other crew?” Scylla asked, as if it made perfect
sense. “I have traveled with you, we know what we can all do, and I’m certain that 
we’ll soon be working as a smoothly oiled team.”

   “No,” I interrupted, “We won’t, because I absolutely will not agree to that!”

   “Nor can I.” Taklinn shook his head. 

   “Hell no!” Griff said, his jaw set. He glanced at Hap, ready to fend off her
arguments, but she was strangely silent.

   Scylla sighed, and a hint of anger flashed in her eyes. “I should have known. You 
have always treated me as if I were beneath you, why would you change now?”

   “Now just a minute!” Taklinn said, “Perhaps I have not always been kind to you
in the past, but I am willing to let bygones be bygones. I will support your decision 
to serve Havilah, but you cannot expect any of us to open the doors to this crew to
you without your having proven yourself!”

   “Ha!” She smirked, “I have to prove myself to you!” 

   “You find that ironic?” Taklinn asked.

  “I do.”

   “Pray, tell me why.” 

   “I rather think I should spare you my personal observations, Taklinn. I doubt your
ego would let you hear them.”

   “Try me.” Our cleric said, leaning back in his seat. 

   Obvious anger now boiled in Scylla’s eyes, and I tensed a bit as she seemed to
warm to a topic which she had obviously dwelt much upon. 

   “Very well then. You are a priest of Clangeden, are you not?” 

   “I am.” Taklinn replied

   “And you follow the law of Clangeden?”

   “I do.” 


   “You are Clangeden’s representative, his voice in the mortal world, are you not?”

   “I am one of many, but yes.”

  “You hold his laws above all others?” 

   “Of course! Get to the point, Scylla.”

   “Is it not your duty to enforce his laws upon this world? Is it not your duty to
quash evil in all it’s forms?” 

   “It is.”

   “And do you do so?”

   “Yes, I do!” 

   Scylla smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Ah,” She said, slyly, “But you do
not!” 

   “Explain yourself, Scylla.” Taklinn said.

   “Taklinn, you call yourself a man of god, yet you turn your back on evil again and
again. You allowed the release of that giant and ettin from Acessiwall’s lair, 
knowing full well that they were, at their very core, evil.”

   “They had done nothing for which I might convict them.”

   Scylla ignored him, pressing on. “I have seen you pick and choose, Taklinn. I 
have watched you argue for mercy towards the blatantly evil. I have watched you
let others carry out justice. You do not have the courage of your convictions! You
are a coward, Taklinn the Shorn.” 

   I gasped at her words, and even Griff moved away from Taklinn a bit, as if to
allow him room to swing an axe. Taklinn’s jaw stiffened and I saw pure ice behind
his eyes, but he remained calm. 

   “I will assume you are trying to make a point, Scylla,” He said, slowly, “So I will
ignore your insult.

   She barked a mocking laugh. “My point? Yes, I am trying to make a point. The 
point is, that you will not carry out the wishes of your own god! You allow evil to
go free in the name of mercy, but at what cost? You really think that giant we let go
will just change his ways? How many innocents will die because of that decision? 
Do you recall your arguments when we planned to go after Helious? The point is,
Taklinn, that you are utterly qualified to play the role of judge, jury and
executioner, yet you shirk that responsibility, instead placing it in the hands of your 
companions, or, worse yet, the hands of judges who have no idea of the
circumstances! You do not trust your own judgment.” 

  Taklinn’s face darkened, and the danger in the air was palpable. Yet, with 
supreme self control, he said only, “If accepting quarter when asked is a crime, than
I accept my guilt.”

   Scylla scoffed derisively again, but by this time I had had enough.  

   “How dare you!” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “Taklinn may be many
things, but a coward is not one of them. You cross a bad line when you call him
that!” 

   “I agree.” Griff put in. “Taklinn is no coward.”

  “The fact is,” I said, “I may not always agree with Taklinn’s decisions, but I never
have to worry about trusting him. He is a good dwarf, and a credit to his race and 
religion. He follows his path and we accept him for that. You, on the other hand,
have shown time and again that you cannot be trusted! That is the basic difference
between all of us and you, Scylla. I can place my wealth, my loved ones, or my life 
in the hands of any at this table and not think twice about it, with one glaring
exception, and that exception is you! If Taklinn, or indeed, if any one of us says that
we will do something, if we make a vow, you can rest assured that we will see it 
though. With you, not so much. Such concepts as loyalty and trust are alien to you.
You have proven that time and again, and frankly I am tired of constantly waiting
for the other shoe to drop. I am tired of wondering what your real agenda is. I am 
tired of having to question your motives, and I am tired of needing divination spells
to assure me of your sincerity! You dare question the honor of Taklinn? That is a
thinly veiled attempt to muddy your own mirror, Scylla.” 

   “Thank you, my friends.” Taklinn said, quietly. 

   “Look,” Griff cut in, obviously tiring of this debate, “I already said I’ve got no
problem with you joining the Academy, and I don’t even give a crap if you want to 
come with us on this cockamamie search for Caribdis, but it won’t be as a full
member of this crew. I’d have to see you change first.”

   “Griff speaks wisely.” Taklinn said. “I would also agree to a trial should you wish
to travel with us.” 

   “As would I.” I agreed. “At this point we may be able to start with a clean slate,
but a trial period would be expected of any perspective member of this crew.” 

   “So I must prove myself yet again!” Scylla snapped.

   “You have not proven yourself a first time!” I retorted. “You are a talented spell
caster, that is true, but you give no thought to the ramifications of your magic. You 
cast carelessly. You fire spells into melee and hit your own companions, not just
once, but over and over! I am glad that you and Happy have found common ground,
but I daresay she would be singing a different tune had you accidentally killed Griff 
with one of your misplaced scorching rays.” I glanced at Happy, and she favored
me with a glare, but I knew I had spoken the truth.

   “And let us not forget the matter of simple, decent, loyalty.” I pressed on, “In 
Acessiwall’s lair you gave not a second thought to leaving us to rot in the mines
while you ported back to Finch for a nice warm bed. That, Scylla, was the straw that
broke the camel’s back for me. You think that I could not have done such a thing? 
You think that I would not have preferred the safety of a cozy inn? Yet I stayed,
even though I could do little more than hunker in a rope trick and rest, I stayed. Do
you even understand why I would choose to stay, Scylla? Do you even comprehend 
the concept of friendship?”

   “When have you ever treated me as a friend?” She shot back.

   “When have you given me reason to?” I answered, coldly. “All things considered, 
I believe that I have been more than decent to you.”

   Scylla choked out an ugly laugh but said nothing. She looked at Happy for
support, but still our halfling friend said nothing.  

   “Ah, screw this!” Griff exclaimed. “This is getting us nowhere! We’ve put our
offer on the table, Scylla. We’ll back you for Academy membership, and we’ll even
let you come with us when we go after Caribdis. If you can convince us that you’ve 
changed, then fine, we’ll talk about crew membership then. There it is, take it or
leave it.”

   Scylla’s eyes smoldered for several long seconds, and I half expected her to 
simply teleport away again in a fit of pique, but she only said, “I shall have to think
on it.”

   “You do that.” I said. “Think on it very hard.” 

   She shot me a last look and spun on her heel, heading for the door, but Taklinn’s
voice stopped her as she reached for the handle.

   “Scylla!” He barked. 

  She turned and waited for what he had to say.

   “I meant what I said about clean slates,” He said, “And I still have hope that we
can start fresh. But know this: If you ever call me a coward again, we shall cross 
more than words.” His voice was even and without threat, but they carried the
weight of ten thousand years of dwarven pride, and they sent a shiver down my
spine. Scylla said nothing. She flung open the door and disappeared. 

   “That went well.” Griff said, sarcastically, and Happy shot him a scathing look.
She groaned.

   “I didn’t know she wanted to join the crew.” Was all she said. 


   Gdmnth 20 

   It is late evening now, and still we have heard nothing from Scylla. Her silence
worries me, but I suppose that I would have to thing twice about anything she did 
say, so there’s no point in losing sleep over it one way or another. 

   I have begun work on Happy and Griff’s wedding presents. Taklinn and I were
thinking along the same lines when it came to a gift for the pair, and we have
pooled our resources to make the items. We are crafting them a pair of amulets with 
a permanent ‘status’ spell imbued within them that will only work for them. This
way, as long as they wear the items, they will know the health and whereabouts of 
each other. I would have liked to have included a teleportation ability as well, but
the cost would have been prohibitive, not to mention the time factor. Perhaps in the
future I can add the port ability. 

   Taklinn has agreed to cover the monetary cost of the amulets while I will take on
the cost in life essence. He will also cast the ‘status’ spell daily, while I do the
actual crafting, so this is truly a combined effort. If all goes well, I should have 
these items finished by the day before the wedding.


   Gdmnth 23

   Damn that woman!  

   Three days have gone by without a word from Scylla. Taklinn finally sent her a
‘sending’ this morning asking her what decision she has made, and she replied to
him with a very curt, “I do not consider ourselves to be allies anymore.” 

   Taklinn told me this, this morning when he arrived to cast the ‘status’ spell, and I
was so angry that I could not concentrate on my work. Instead, I shelved the
amulets and dug out Helious’ spellbook and spent the day learning ‘sending’ for 
myself. I fully intend to give her a piece of my mind come tomorrow.


   Gdmnth 24

   My ‘sending’: “Do you still intend to attend Happy and Griff’s wedding? She is 
expecting you.” Happy had asked Scylla to be her maid of honor (much to Griff’s
chagrin. 

   Scylla’s reply: “No.”

   My second sending: “Grow up! Do not make your only friend suffer for our 
differences!”

   Scylla’s reply: “Happy did not stand up for me during our conversation. I will not 
come.”

   My third sending: “Wallow in your pettiness then!” 

   She made no reply at all to this. Was I harsh? Perhaps I was, but I am through
handling her with kid gloves. If we are no longer allies, then I must assume we are 
enemies. This state of affairs saddens me, but I will not live in fear of her. Part of
me thinks that a pre-emptive strike against her is in order, but I realize that that
might be an overreaction. I will hope that we can both find peace in neutrality. I 
wish her no harm, but I will shed no tears if I never see her again.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 9, 2015)

Hrvstr 3

   The crafting on the wedding gifts progresses well, though I have had to put the 
project on hold for another day, though this time it is at Griff’s request. 

   I had mentioned the fact that I have made several spells permanent on myself, and
he had also picked up on the other spells that I can make permanent, which I had
mentioned in passing while discussing the ‘permanency’ dweomer. He approached 
me a few days ago and asked me if I would be willing to cast a permanent
‘telepathic bond’ upon he and Happy during their wedding. He is willing to pay the 
cost in life essence, and has also purchased a copy of the spell for me to learn. How
could I say no?

   So I have spent the day learning the ‘telepathic bond’ spell. Griff, of course, does 
not know that this will set his wedding gifts back a day, but it is something he
seems to really want, so I will be honored to do it for him.


   Hrvstr 11

   The deed is done! Griff and Happy are married! 

   It was a beautiful ceremony, and everyone of note in Havilah was there, even the
king and queen themselves! Outside, the streets were jammed with citizens eager to 
catch a glimpse of this union of the two heroes. There was no shortage of halflings
either, as Taklinn spent the last week ‘wind walking’ Happy’s family (all twenty-six
of them) here from the Green Mountains. Crispin walked out at Griff’s side, his 
narrow chest puffed out with pride as he took the position of Griff’s squire. 

   Griff was nervous and Hap was beautiful.

   Taklinn and I stood nearby, dressed in our blue and white finery as the couple 
stood before Nivin Mottul, who preformed the ceremony. Nivin seemed delighted
to wed them; he positively beamed. 
   After Nivin had led them through their vows, Griff asked me to come forward and 
do my part. Happy looked a little unsure as I took both of them by the hand, but
Griff gave her a reassuring nod as I began to cast. Within seconds the ‘bond’ and
‘permanency’ had been cast, and Hap’s eyes widened as she heard Griff’s voice in 
her mind for the first time. I don’t know what he said to her, but whatever it was
made her smile.

   Soon after, Nivin pronounced them man and wife, and a great cheer shook the 
hall. Taklinn and I looked at each other like proud parents as they walked down the
aisle amid the flower petals that the onlookers showered upon them. I am not
certain, but I think I saw a tear forming in Taklinn’s eye! 

   Every wary of her, I kept a sharp eye our for Scylla, and I had cast a ‘detect
scrying’ upon myself before the event, just to see if she would at least magically
watch the proceedings, but I saw nor sensed nothing.  

   Griff and Hap intend to plan to spend a week at their new home, after which we
will, at last, be after Caribdis.  


   Hrvstr 12

   The wedding gifts are finally complete. Taklinn and I hid them in amongst the
massive pile of gifts that continue to arrive at our Academy quarters. Griff and Hap
will find them in their own time. 

   At last I have some time to learn the spells that I really wish to learn! While a
week is not even half the time I might wish for, it is far better than nothing, and far
more than I had expected. We are due to depart for the planes on the 19th which
gives me six days to learn spells. I have chosen them carefully, and, with any luck, 
by the time we leave I will have added the following spells to my repertoire:
‘disintegrate’, ‘chain lightning’, greater teleport’, ray of enfeeblement’, ‘force 
cage’, and ‘plane shift’.


   Hrvstr 19 

   Today started out innocuously enough, but it has grown progressively more 
strange as it has progressed. 

   Knowing that we were to be headed into the shadow plane today, I took the
opportunity to teleport to Ester yesterday. Ester is, of course, the small town in 
which Griff and Happy have set up their household. I have scryed them
occasionally while they were here, so it was a simple matter to arrive on their
doorstep. 

   Elium is a picturesque little town, and Griff and Happy’s house fits nicely. From
the outside one would never know that two of Havilah’s finest reside within when
they are not out righting wrongs. The only tip off might be the silver raven 
sculpture that adorns the roof overlooking the front porch. I glanced at it nervously,
noting the dim aura of magic that surrounded it before knocking. 

   Happy was pleasantly surprised to see me and showed me in. We found Griff 
lounging in the living quarters, and it may be the most relaxed I have ever seen him,
though the Talon was still propped within arms reach. I noticed that they both wore
the status charms that Taklinn and I had crafted for them. Hap gave me a tour of the 
house, and I must say that, while no where near the magnificence of my mansion, it
is warm and cozy. I can easily see that the two of them would enjoy what days their
schedule allows there.  

   Hap offered me the guest quarters, but I assured her that I had no wish to intrude
upon their privacy, and that I still had work to do that would require solitude and
the rest of the day. To that end I cast a ‘mansion’ in their back yard and cloistered 
myself within, not seeing them again except for a brief but enjoyable dinner. I must
say that I had no idea that Hap was such a fine cook! Certainly my memory of her
trail ration preparations did not hint at her true abilities in the kitchen. She smiled 
wryly at me when I complimented her on the fare, giving only a mysterious look by
way of thanks.

   At any rate, yesterday was spent in seclusion, as I was busy learning the final 
spell on my list, ‘planeshift’. The plan is for Taklinn to cast that particular spell, but
it won’t hurt for me to know it as a back up.

   I awoke this morning and broke my fast with Happy and Griff. We expected 
Taklinn sometime today, and he was not late. Near noon he knocked on the door,
having ‘wind walked’ here from his home in the mountains. He has spent the last
week with his family and fiance, and he looked well rested and ready for action as 
we greeted him.

   The five of us took seats around the kitchen table to discuss our plan again.

   “All right, Taklinn,” I said, “Break it down for us again.” 

   “Very well,” He replied, “Here it is. We will first ‘planeshift’ to the plane of
shadows. From there we must locate the nexus of the river Styx and Oceanus. We
follow Oceanus to the infinite staircase and ascend it to the third door, which should 
lead us into the top lair of Ysguard, which is the domain of Olidamara. Once there,
we will more than likely have to petition the deity to even allow us to speak with
Caribdis, let alone let Caribdis return to life.” Our cleric looked at us with raised 
eyebrow as he laid it out for us.” 

   “This is crazy.” Griff muttered. “Have you even cast this ‘planeshift’ thing
before?” 

   “Well, no, not actually.” Admitted Taklinn, “There’s never been a need for it. But
it’s a simple matter; just another spell.”

   “Just another spell my arse!” Griff growled, “Is it like teleporting? Can you screw 
it up?”

   “He can’t screw it up,” I answered for Taklinn, “But there is the matter of how
close we come to our actual destination.” 

   “Right.” Taklinn said. “We will basically end up between five and five-hundred
miles from where I try to put us. My target will be the nexus, but the odds of 
actually landing close to it are slim.”

   “Marvelous.” Griff said, dryly. 

   “I still don’t understand something,” Happy interrupted, “If that spell can take us 
to any plane, why not just go straight to Ysguard?”

   Taklinn sighed, as if he weren’t too keen on his own answer, but gave it anyway.
“Because this is the course of action given to me by the servant of Clangeden I 
communed with. Your right, in theory I should be able to shift directly into
Olidamra’s plane, but Clangeden has counseled me otherwise, and I am loathe to go
against that.” 

   “I agree.” I said. “Clangeden must know what he’s talking about. I’m not going to
second guess him.”

   “So okay,” Griff said, “What do you two know about this shadow plane we’re going 
to?”

   Taklinn stabbed a thumb towards me. “I know a little, but I’m willing to bet
Doorag knows a lot.” 

   I smiled, for indeed, I had been doing some research, and the study of the planes
has long been an interest of mine. “The plane of shadows will be, as it’s name
implies, dark. You can expect vision to be as if under a moonless sky at night. Color 
simply does not register well there, and everything will be drab and bland. Magic
will also be affected, though only Taklinn and I will have to worry about that. In
essence, spells containing a fire element will have a chance of failure, and their 
ranges will be reduced. I, of course, have such profound control over my spells that
I should have little trouble, though I don’t know how Taklinn will fare.”

   “I’ve chosen my spells accordingly.” Taklinn said, glumly.  

   “Also,” I continued, “the plane of shadows is morphic. That is to say, distance and
geography will have a tendency to shift, though not so much as to prevent us from
actually getting to where we need to go I believe. All in all, I think it will be 
fascinating!” I smiled happily at them, but Griff still looked far from pleased. 

   “I’m just going to go on record one last time as saying that I think this is a
colossal waste of time! Caribdis is dead. There’s no coming back from that. Maybe 
Taklinn can do it with his ‘raise dead’ or whatever it is, but I haven’t seen it yet,
and it’s been months. That’s way more than the time Taklinn said he had to cast that
spell. We’re going to get there and this diety thing is going to tell us to go piss up a 
collective rope! Sooner or later you’re going to have to accept the fact that Caribdis
is not coming back!” Griff leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and glowered at
us. 

   “Duly noted.” I said. “No one has to go. Taklinn and I are doing this with or
without you, and Hap has said that she’s ready for it. Should we have another
vote?” 

   “Don’t even bother,” Griff sighed, “If you think I’m going to let you fools go
without me to keep you out of trouble, you’re touched in the head. I just want to be
able to say I told you so.”  

   “Oh cheer up!” Happy grinned, nudging Griff with her elbow. “It’ll be fun!”
   Griff smiled in spite of himself, something only Happy seems to be able to make
him do when he is in an obstinate mood. 

   “Very well.” Said Taklinn. “When shall we go?”

   “No time like the present.” I answered, standing up and shouldering my
haversack. The four of us assembled in their back yard and formed a circle, joining 
hands. I saw in Griff’s face the same unease that was always there when we were
about to teleport as Taklinn intoned the words and held out the fork of metal used as
a focus. Slowly, then all at once, our world faded, the sky darkened, and ruined
buildings rose up around us. The grass beneath our feet was replaced by broken 
cobblestone streets, and as we looked about we realized that we were in a gutted
city, standing on a crossroads. A faint air of familiarity touched me, as if I had 
been here before. 

   As I had warned, it was dark, and Griff and Taklinn wasted little time seeing to
that. Griff lit his ever burning torch and Taklinn caused himself to glow with holy 
light, though both of their illuminations were pushed back by the oppressive
shadow. 

   I cast an ‘overland flight’ on myself and took to the air for a look around, but no 
sooner had I done so than Happy gave a sharp whistle of warning.

   “We’ve got company!” She hissed, and even before the words had left her mouth
I saw the creatures bounding toward us. 

   From out of the ruins they came, horrid two-headed beasts seemingly torn from
the shadows themselves. Even their teeth were black, and they seemed to flow from 
the night like quicksilver. Dusk Beasts! I recognized them from my research, but
had no time to alert the crew as to their nature, for they were already upon my land
bound comrades. But these denizens of the shadow realm had bitten off more than 
they could chew, for Hap had already hurled a handful of daggers into the flank of
one, wounding it grievously, and as a second tried to close with Griff, our warrior
brought his blade around in an almost casual series of strokes, disemboweling it 
within seconds. 

   Two more of the beasts appeared from the shadows, seeking to close with Griff
and Taklinn, and I was about to try out my new staff when a curious thing 
happened. The dusk beasts were suddenly caught in the area of what I recognized as
an ‘ice storm’ spell. For a brief few seconds they were pelted with sleet and hail,
and while it didn’t kill them, it caused them quite a bit of damage. Startled, I looked 
about, trying to find the caster of the spell, but the inky blackness hid everything
from me, even with my magically enhanced eyes. 

   The spell had only hit the creatures though. I could tell that it had been cast to 
purposely miss Griff and Taklinn, which gave me some hope that we were not
dealing with another enemy. I decided to concentrate on the danger at hand, raising
my new staff and uttering it’s command. The ‘fireball’ shot forth, exploding around 
the two injured beasts, enveloping them in flame. When the smoke cleared, they lay
dead.

   Taklinn was already toe to toe with another beast, and Hap shouted a warning that 
more were on the way. From my vantage point I could just make them out a second
pack of them running from shadow to shadow. I dropped a second ‘fireball’ into the
midst of them, and for a brief second I could make out three of the beasts, 
illuminated in sharp contrast by the flame. I didn’t kill them though, and on they
came, leaping through the rubble to close with Griff and Taklinn, who had just put
down the last beast from the first group. I spied Hap as she scurried into a gutted 
building to hide, presumably to attack from cover, but one of the beasts spotted her
as well and veered off to track her down.

   And then another mysterious spell from our hidden ally was cast. From the 
cloudless sky there came a bolt of lightning. It crackled and struck one of the beasts,
and I was able to ascertain that it was likely a bolt from the spell, ‘call lightning
storm’. Now I was even more intrigued, yet I had no time to try and find the caster, 
for danger was still afoot below me. Griff and Taklinn were dealing well with the
pack of beasts that assailed them, but I did not like the idea of Hap dealing with one
of these things by herself. I flew above the building she had run into, it’s roof now 
crumbled away, and was able to see down into the area where our rogue danced and
dodged away from the snarling creature. She had already been bitten at least once,
and I decided to lend her some aid. My ‘hold monster’ paralyzed the beast in it’s 
tracks and Hap winked a thanks at me as she stepped in to pierce it with three quick
dagger thrusts that ended it’s life. 

  I turned my attention to the street in time to see Griff slay another dusk beast
while Taklinn wounded a second. Another bolt of lightning crackled from the sky,
hitting a beast, and by now I was determined to find the caster. Griff killed another 
beast, then another as his sword continued it’s arc. Taklinn laughed, almost
playfully fending off the last beast as Griff approached, knowing the warrior would
make short work of it. He was right, and within seconds the street was quiet again. 

  As Happy stepped from the ruined house to join Taklinn and Griff, I set myself on
solid ground next to them. “We’ve got company.” I whispered as I scanned the
darkened street on all sides. I saw nothing, and decided to play a hunch. I 
concentrated, looking for magical auras within range.

   “What do you mean?” Taklinn asked. “What company?”

   “Those spells,” I answered, still scanning the area, “The ice storm, the lightning; 
somebody was helping us out.”

  “Griff looked surprised. “I thought that was you!”

   I was about to answer him, when I suddenly beheld a faint glow from within a 
tree standing not far from us. From within it’s branches (how do the trees here grow
without sunlight?) I could just make out an aura. It was quite small, and as I stared
at it, trying to get a better look, it seemed to fly away. Just like that, it disappeared 
beyond the range of my detection. I thought I heard the flutter of wings as it
retreated, and I began to make a hypothesis. 

   “A druid?” I mused to myself. 

   “What?” Taklinn asked.

   “Well,” I surmised aloud, “Those spells were of a divine nature, and are often
favored by druids. That, and I believe I just saw a magical bird fly away from that 
tree yonder. I know of few clerics who can shape change into an animal, so I’m
thinking that our mysterious ally might be a nature priest.”

   Taklinn grunted at this, looking around, a little paranoid at the idea of unseen 
birds casting spells, even if they were to aid us.

   Happy, who had been listening to our exchange, suddenly hissed. “In the tree
behind us! I see a bird. I think it’s an owl!” 

   This time I decided to be cagey. Not wanting to tip my hand, I remained facing
away from the tree that Happy indicated as if still searching the east road. But
beneath my hat Ambros peered through his peep hole. He was the eyes in the back 
of my head, and was able to benefit from the ‘detect magic’. Sure enough, there was
the magical owl, perched in a tree not far from where we stood.

   Taklinn, however, is not prone to subtlety. Staring straight at the tree, he shouted. 
“You there! Are you going to play about in trees all day, or are you gong to come
down and face us?”

   I sighed, but turned to face the tree. “Yes,” I added, “Please show yourself! We 
are an envoy from Havilah and mean you no harm! We thank you for your
assistance, and would like to meet a friendly face from this realm!” The bird
answered me by taking wing and quickly flapping away into the darkness. For a 
moment I thought that it had left for good, but then Happy’s sharp eyes spotted a
figure moving toward us.

   The man emerged from the shadows. He was dressed in simple robes and had the 
scruffy appearance one might expect from a druid. His hair and beard were
unkempt, and well worn sandals shod his feet. He walked to within ten feet of us
and stopped.  

   “You might want to put out those lights.” He said simply, looking at Griff and
Taklinn, “They will only attract more evil.” 

   Griff scowled and seemed in no hurry to plunge himself into darkness, but he
played along, extinguishing his torch. Taklinn, likewise, turned his light off. 
“Great!” Muttered Griff, “I’m freaking blind!”

  I bowed low to the man. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” I said, “I am
Doorag Marzipan, and these are my friends, Griff, Happy and Taklinn. I thank you 
again for your aid against those dusk beasts. What may we call you?”

   “I am Driscoll.” The druid said. We waited for any elaboration, but none was
forthcoming.  

   “Well, Driscoll,” I carried on, “We are travelers, unfamiliar with this plane. What
about you? Are you from here?”

   “No.”  

   “Ah, so but have you been here for some time?”

  “For awhile, yes.” 

   “What do you do here?” Taklinn cut in. 

   “I am the guardian of this place.” Driscoll answered. 

   “Oh, a guardian!” I exclaimed, “Well, rest assured that we mean no harm to this,
ah…” I looked around me, wondering what further harm could actually come to this 
ruined city, but though better of pointing that out. “…place.” 

   “Hey, maybe you can tell us where we need to go.” Happy interjected. “We could
use a guide.” 

  “And where is that?” The druid asked. 

   “We seek the nexus of the river Styx and Oceanus,” I replied, “you see, a friend
of ours has died and we intend to find him and…” 

   Taklinn interrupted with an exaggerated clearing of his throat. “Perhaps,” He
cautioned, “We shouldn’t tell all before we really know who we’re talking to?”

   I looked at Taklinn, but shrugged. “We’re looking for a friend of ours.” I said 
simply. “Can you tell us how to find the nexus?”

   The druid nodded slowly. “I can take you there.” He said. “It is outside the city,
perhaps a few hours, perhaps a day. It changes.” 

   “Ah, of course.” I said, remembering the morphic nature of this plane.

  “So you can take us there,” Griff said, “But will you?”

   Driscoll almost smiled at Griff’s bluntness. “I will take you there. All I request is 
your respect for the land.”

   “Of course.” I assured him.

   “What about me?” Griff complained. “I’m blind as a bat here. Doorag, can you do 
anything about that?”

  “Hold on a minute,” I said, as I thumbed through my scroll collection, finally
finding an old ‘darkvision’ scroll. I unrolled it, casting the dweomer on Griff, 
enabling him to see as well as the rest of us. “Unfortunately,” I said, “It’s a scroll I
scribed a long time ago. It will only last about three hours. Tomorrow I’ll make sure
to memorize a longer version for you.” 

  “Whatever.” Griff grunted. “Let’s get moving.”

   I looked at Driscoll. “Shall we?” 

  He favored me with a curt nod, and then cocked his head for a moment, as if
listening to a voice in his head. We watched him curiously, but soon our attention
was drawn to the massive form that emerged from the darkness. It was a wolf, 
roughly the size of a horse! I took several quick steps back, preparing to take to the
skies again, and my companions were equally startled by it. But the wolf paid us
little heed, instead it padded up to Driscoll where the druid gave it a friendly scratch 
on it’s muzzle. Apparently the two were acquainted, and it fell into step behind him
as he headed off down the street. 

   We followed, still a little unsure, but thankful to have a guide. I nudged Taklinn
as I walked beside him. 

   “Did you check him?” I whispered.

   “Aye,” He rumbled, “He bears no evil that I can see.” 

   “That’s a relief.”

  “True, but then again, neither did Scylla.”

   That was food for thought, and I kept my eyes open as we walked down the 
cracked streets. 

   As we made our way through the city I began to see more and more things that
jogged my memory until I could keep quiet no longer. “Does anyone else keep 
seeing familiar buildings?” I asked, stopping in an intersection.

  “Now that you mention it…” Hap trailed off.

  I pointed to the husk of a burnt out building on the corner. “Tell me that’s not the 
bakery on the corner of Adder street!”

  My crew looked hard at the building. “I think your right.” Said Griff.

   “Aye, lad,” Taklinn agreed, “It’s a mess, but now that you mention it, I can see it. 
And look there, that’s Barl the tailor’s shop next to it.”

   “Ye gods! It’s Havilah!” I cried. 

   “Well, it’s one version of it.” Taklinn said, stroking his beard.  

   Happy looked mournfully around at what we all remembered as a thriving
metropolis. “How sad.” She said.

  “You think this is what it would have looked like if Melesandre had won?” Griff 
wondered aloud.

   “Probably,” I answered, “Though maybe even worse.” Then I was struck with a
sudden thought. “Hey, we’re heading right by the Academy! You don’t think…” 

   “Think what?” Griff snorted. “That we’ll find ourselves waiting for us? I doubt it.
If Havilah looks like this here, it means we’re probably dead.” Griff’s brow
furrowed around the duality of the idea. “This is making my head hurt.” 

   “Maybe we could just stop in for a moment…” I began, but Griff was having
none of it.

   “Hell with that! We’re getting out of here as fast as we can. I only know one 
Havilah, and I like it that way.”

   “We need to be moving.” Driscoll interrupted us, “It is dangerous to stay too long
in the open.” Without waiting, he continued on down the street. We followed. 

   Now that I realized that we were in some sort of perverted mirror version of
Havilah, I could not help but marvel at the horror of it all. Everywhere I looked I
saw things that I recognized, though now they were sad parodies of what I 
remembered. As we rounded a corner and the Academy came into sight, my heart
sank. Here in this land of oppressive darkness, it’s magnificence was reduced to
ugliness. Still, my curiosity was eating me alive, and I tried to think of some way to 
convince my friends to at least give the insides a cursory look. Before I was able to
come up with anything, however, we would be assaulted again.

  As we walked up the wide street that paralleled the Academy’s courtyard, we 
suddenly saw a dark shape ride from around the far corner. It was a man, dressed in
black armor, astride a six legged mount that I quickly and wondrously identified as
an ecolipse. The rider reined his mount, blocking our path, and the pair of them 
stood menacingly in our way. Again, I was tickled with a faint familiararity. I had
seen that armor before.

   “I was afraid of this.” Driscoll said, without emotion. 

   “Who the hell is that?” Griff asked.

   “He calls himself the toll master. He requires a fee for safe passage. I believe he
was once a blacksmith, though now he seems to have delusions. He is not right in 
his head.”

  “Bert’s cudgel!” I exclaimed, “It’s Elbert! The Academy smith! We know him!” 

   “I doubt you know this version of him.” Driscoll warned. This fellow fancies
himself a knight of sorts, and he has a keen interest in arms and armor. He will want 
a toll paid in return for safe passage.”

   “Ho there!” Taklinn called out to the rider. “What is it you want? We mean no
harm, and I ask you to let us pass!” 

   For a long moment the rider and his mount stood as still as a statue, then, his
voice came to us, resonating throughout the street. “You may not pass!” He stated
“Without payment!” 

   “And what is your fee?” Taklinn asked.

   The smith appeared to look each of us over until his helm pointed directly at
Griff. “I will have his armor.” It was more a command than a request. 

   Griff gave a short laugh. “To hell with that and to hell with you!” He snorted.

   “Then you will fight me!” The smith retorted.

   “Okay then.” Griff said, happily, and unsheathed his sword, walking resolutely 
toward the knight.

   Things happened fast after that. The smith spurred his mount forward in a
frighteningly fast charge, and I could see the incorperalness of the ecolipse as it 
closed the distance. As they clashed, I saw the front half of the ecolipse suddenly
solidify, and I reasoned that Griff must have used his anti-magic vest for the first
time. This worried me a bit. 

   The two fighters clashed, and Griff drew his sword across the ecolipse’s flank,
drawing a gush of black ichors, while at the same time the rider brought around a
heavy war hammer. Without benefit of magical protection Griff was an easy target, 
and the blow sent him reeling. 

   Happy raced around, doing her best to get to the opposite side of the ride so she
could flank him. Taklinn cast a spell, but it fizzled as it hit the anti-magic field. He 
cursed when I shouted to him that Griff was using his vest. I cursed a little myself,
realizing that I could do little as long as the field was up. I tried a different tact.
“Elbert!” I cried, “Stand down! We are a crew of Havilah!” For the briefest of 
seconds the helm turned toward me, as if in recognition of his name, but then he
turned back to Griff, dismounting and coming forward, hammer raised.

  The two exchanged blows again. Griff did what Griff does best, cutting deeply 
through metal and flesh, but the smith appeared nonplused. Instead of dropping
dead, as most of Griff’s opponents do, he swung his hammer around in three
devastating arcs, connecting again and again. The force of the blows nearly dropped 
Griff to his knees, and I saw pain and anger cross our warriors face as he went into
a defensive posture, warding off further blows. He was hurt, and badly at that. I
knew he could not take another pounding like that, and I screamed at him in 
desperation. 

   “Griff! Turn it off! Turn the field off!” 

   I heard him utter the command word, and I took my chance then, knowing it was 
slim, but desperate to end this fight before he was killed. Summoning the words to a
spell that I had only just learned, and had, in fact, never tried before, I cast
‘disintegrate’. The pale ray of magical energy sprang from my fingertip, striking the 
smith above his right elbow.

  And then the smith was gone. His armor and hammer clattered to the
cobblestones, a thin scattering of dust the only evidence of their owner. Happy, 
nearing the back side of the ecolipse, skidded to a stop, her mouth hanging open in
utter awe. Surprise lit Griff’s face, but he kept his head and turned his attention on
the riders mount. But the ecolipse would not stand without it’s master, and with a 
shake of it’s ghostly head it turned and galloped away, disappearing into the
shadows.  

   I stood there, shaking at both the realization of just how close we had come to
losing Griff, and of the raw power of such a spell. I looked to Taklinn and saw our 
cleric looking at me with something akin to awe. 

   “What the hell,” He asked, “Was that!”

   “New spell.” I replied with a shrug. 

   Happy walked to the pile of armor and moved it with her toe, looking from the
dust to me, then back again. 

   “Ow!” Griff said, reminding us of his plight. Taklinn quickly moved to him and 
began his healing spells, but even as he did his eyes kept returning to me, as if still
unable to believe that I commanded such power. 

   I was a bit embarrassed by all this, and busied myself with scanning the armor and 
weapons for magic. I was gratified to find that the armor, hammer, and a ring all
glowed. We stashed them for future analysis. During all of this Driscoll had stood
by, watching with his wolf. I could not blame him, for it had not been his fight. 
When Griff was sufficiently healed, I said, “Well, shall we move on? Unless, of
course, any of you thinks we ought to go into the Academy and have a look
around…” 

   “Let’s go!” spat Griff, working the feeling into his joints and muscles. 

   “You might want to be a little more careful with that vest.” I chided him.

   “You don’t say.” He said, dryly. 

  With that, we moved on again. 

   Within an hour we had reached the edge of the city. The grand gates and 
portcullis that I remembered from Havilah hung from rusty hinges here, forever
frozen open to allow anything to come and go at will. Looking behind me I could
still barely make out the remaining spires of the academy, and sadness gripped my 
heart. I was glad to be leaving this caricature of my home.

   Driscoll led us along the main road until it was overtaken by thick forest. There
was still an air of familiarity about the place, but it faded more and more the further 
we got from the city, until at last I truly felt like I was in a different place. Truth be
told, I preferred it to the constant reminder of what Havilah might become.

   The oppressiveness of the forest in the shadow plane is like nothing else. It is 
difficult to describe, and every shadow was a potential enemy, waiting to leap at our
throats. Yet Driscoll guided us unerringly, as comfortable here as Taklinn would be
in the belly of a mountain, and I was glad to have such a guide.  

   We traveled for several hours until we were in need of rest. By this time the
‘darkvision’ spell had worn off of Griff, and he was none too pleased with having to
be led through the darkness, so we elected to bed down for the night and get a fresh 
start in the morning. I cast my mansion and invited Driscoll to join us, but he
humbly declined, stating that he was far more comfortable in the forest. 


   Hrvstr 20

   I awoke early this morning to carefully select my spells and then meet the rest of
the crew to make a plan for the day. Taklinn had been busy with thoughts of his
own, and he revealed them to us as we gathered in the sitting room. 

  “As much as I appreciate the help of the druid,” He said, “I believe we can make
far better time without him.”

  “How so?” Hap asked, her eyebrow cocked in curiosity.  

   “I’ve memorized two spells today that I believe will facilitate our travel.” Taklinn
explained. “One of them you’re already familiar with, ‘wind walk’. The other is
called ‘find the path’, and it will guide me to the exact location I specify.”

  “Without fail?” I asked, skeptically. 

   “Without fail.” Taklinn replied, with a firm nod.

  “I don’t know,” Happy mused, “It’s nice having an extra hand about if there’s a 
fight. Actually, a hand and a paw, if you count his wolf.”

  Taklinn nodded in agreement, but pointed out, “Ah, but the wolf is the problem. If
it were just the druid we could offer to let him join us. But the wolf is far too large 
for me to carry with us on a wind walk, and I have great doubts that Driscoll would
be willing to leave his friend behind to travel with strangers such as ourselves.
Besides, this is not his quest. We should not involve him in such dangers unduly.” 

  “I agree.” Griff said firmly. “I’m all for anything that gets us there faster. Besides,
with the wind walk thing, we’ll fly over most of the dangers this forest has to offer.
I say we thank the druid and then get the hell out of here!” 
   I scratched my chin and said, “I have to agree. The power of flight will allow is to
circumvent many possible dangerous encounters, not to mention getting us there
much faster. Driscoll said the nexus might be an hour from the city, or it might be a 
day away, depending upon how much the landscape shifts. We could be chasing it
on foot for quite some time.”

  In the end, only Hap was not keen on the idea of leaving Driscoll behind, but fate 
would make the decision for us. I poked my head out of the mansion to invite
Driscoll in for breakfast and discussion, only to find that he was nowhere to be
seen. Indeed, the terrain had morphed considerably overnight. Where we had 
stopped in a reasonably thin grove of unassuming trees, we were now within a
strand of what looked like mighty oaks with trunks of utter black. The very air was
forbidding, and I quickly pulled my head back into the warmth of the mansion after 
calling out to Driscoll for several moments and receiving no reply. I hoped that he
was safe.

  I returned to the crew at the breakfast table and explained to them what had 
happened. “I’m surprised Driscoll didn’t warn us that the land might carry him
away from our location.” I wondered aloud. 

   “Maybe he knew and wanted to cut us loose.” Griff surmised.  

   “Maybe.” I agreed, though not really believing it. “At any rate, it appears that we
will have to take Taklinn’s plan after all.”

   “I hope he’s ok.” Hap said, worriedly.  

  “We can have a look around for him before we go.” Griff suggested, and we all
agreed with that. It was the least we owed the druid, so we ate quickly and geared
ourselves up for the coming day. I cast an ‘overland flight’ on myself and a much 
lengthier version of ‘darkvision’ on Griff while Taklinn cast his ‘wind walk’. We
stepped out of the mansion, right into the arms of danger!

   No sooner had our feet touched the thick moss of the grove outside the mansion, 
than the very forest itself seemed to leap to ambush us. We detected slight
movement from three of the massive trees that surrounded us, and then, from the
canopy of branches that covered our heads, thick vines dropped, each of them 
looped to form a sort of noose that sought to snare us!

  I dodged aside as several of the nooses dropped near me, and I could see the rest
of the crew doing the same. I quickly aimed my staff skyward, filling the air above 
our heads with a fireball that burned away several of the vines. I then scurried back
into the mansion, turning to poke my head out of it’s covering door. 

  Happy fled several yards from the vines, but still more of them dropped to reach 
for her. This time she could not dodge them all, and I heard her gasp in pain as they
tightened around her, squeezing the life from her small body. At the same time, I
heard Taklinn cast a ‘flame strike’ at the nearest tree, but apparently he had 
forgotten that the plane of shadows is quite unreceptive to such spells, and he
cursed heartily as it fizzled.

  Griff raced to the trunk of the tree that had Grabbed Happy and slashed at it with
his sword, drawing a gush of oily sap. The tree seemed to wince in pain, but it still 
held Happy tightly. As I watched helplessly, it tightened it’s vines around her even
more as she struggled, and she went limp. Desperate to free her from the tree, I cast 
a new spell, ‘finger of death’, that should have killed the thing out right. But the
spell failed, and Happy was being hauled up into the trees branches even as Taklinn
joined Griff in hacking away at the trees base.  

  I quickly cast a summoning, and a large earth elemental appeared beneath
Happy’s dangling body. The elemental heeded my bidding and reached up with one
massive hand to pull and snap the vines that held her while his other hand cupped 
her body easily. Once it had freed her, the elemental brought her to the mansion, all
the while covering her with it’s body as still more vines dropped around it. The
elemental was far too large for the trees to get a grip on though, and it easily 
deposited Happy next to me in the mansions foyer. I called out to Taklinn as I
checked her for life. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw her chest still rise and fall.

  By this time Griff and Taklinn had hacked their way through the trunk of the tree, 
and we could almost hear it groan as the life fled from it. Taklinn quickly returned
to the mansion and cast a ‘heal’ on Happy that returned her to her feet. She grinned,
rubbing her bruised ribs, and returned to the battle, skipping out the door even as I 
sent my elemental against a second tree. This time, however, she was able to stay
out of reach of the remaining vines, and she hurled alchemist fire at the trees from a
safe distance as Griff, Taklinn and the elemental teamed up in an all out attack 
against one of them. There was a bad moment when Taklinn was grabbed by a pair
of vines and hauled off his feet, but he managed to break free and fell with a solid
thud to the moss. I tried a ‘disintegrate’ on the tree, but again, it was ignored. I 
cursed roundly, satisfying myself with a volley of empowered scorching rays. The
third and last tree still strove to grab my companions, and I decided to give it
something to think about. With my staff, I cast a ‘wall of fire’ that encircled the 
trunk. The immobile creature could not escape the flames and heat, and within a
minute it was blackened and dead.

  At last all three of the tree creatures were still, and the forest around us was quiet 
as a tomb. Griff ant Taklinn were both quite injured, so Taklinn set about taking
care of their wounds even as Griff said, “Can we go now?”

  We did search for Driscoll as much as we could, but the druid was no where to be 
found, and he did not answer our calls. At last we had to hope that he was ok, and
Taklinn cast his ‘find the path’ spell. “Got it!” He announced, declaring that he had
the location of the nexus firmly in mind. We all let ourselves take on the cloudy 
form that facilitates the wind walk, and we took to the skies, following our cleric
through the murky darkness.


   We soon found that wind walking in the shadow realms is an un-nerving exercise
at best. With our vision limited to only a handful of yards, the process of traveling 
at such un-natural speeds became disconcerting very quickly, yet there was little
way around it and we had to put our faith in Taklinn to get us where we needed to
go without slamming into the side of a mountain. Of course, a mountain side would 
be little more than a distraction, given our gaseous form, but still, I could not get the
image of a cliff face suddenly rushing to greet me out of my mind.

  Fortunately Taklinn knew his business, and we traveled throughout the day 
without incident. Many hundreds of miles passed beneath us, and I wondered if
Driscoll’s calculations had simply been incorrect, or if the landscape had really
morphed so drastically, for the druid had inferred that the nexus could be reached 
with a days walk. Certainly such would not have been the case.

   At any rate, toward early evening Taklinn indicated that we were close and we
slowed down, not wanting to over shoot our mark. Several minutes later we 
followed Taklinn as he began to descend, and soon we got our first glimpse of the
nexus.  

  A great whirlpool of two toned water flowed in entirely the wrong direction,
allowing the water to gush upward from the earth instead of down into it. As we
landed beside the whirlpool we could see that the waters diverged and became two 
very distinct rivers, one flowing north, the other flowing south. As different as night
and day, the river Styx was the color of coal and we could smell the scent of death
and decay coming off of it at a hundred paces. Conversely, the river Oceanus was 
the color of snow, and gave off an inviting aura that brought a kind of peace just
from being near it. As we neared the nexus of the two rivers Taklinn gave us a stern
warning. 

  “Hear me now,” He intoned, “Do not, under any circumstances, touch the waters
of the river Styx! It is the river of death and madness, and can bring only woe to
whomever comes into contact with it.” 

  “You don’t say?” Happy said, looking curiously at the brackish water from the
river bank.

   “I do say.” Taklinn said, solemnly. “I can’t say exactly what would happen, but I 
know that it cannot be good for the living. Doorag may know more.”

   “A bit.” I agreed. “According to my research the waters of the river Styx
eventually descend to the lowest pits of hell, traveling also through the abyss. It 
would depend heavily on your own internal fortitude as to what might happen to
any who touch it, but I’d wager that it would do none of us any good at all. It might
simply kill you, and at the very least it would make you very ill, perhaps in body, 
perhaps in spirit, or perhaps both. The river Oceanus, on the other hand, is reported
to have healing powers. It has also been known to reveal great truths to it’s
imbibers. Still, it is raw, uncontrolled magic, and I believe it would probably be 
wisest to leave both of them well enough alone.”

  But even as I concurred with Taklinn’s warnings, I was already digging out a pair
of empty flasks that I had brought along for just such an occurrence. I simply could 
not let such an opportunity go by without at least trying to collect samples for my
collection of oddities, and to that end I cast an ‘unseen servant’ from a scroll and
commanded it to procure a vial of water from each of the rivers. I was pleasantly 
surprised that the Styx did not dissipate my servant, and in due course I proudly
held up two bottles, one black, and one white. “These will go right next to the alien
tool box in my lab.” I mused to myself while Hap looked on a bit nervously. 

   I was just tucking the bottles into my haversack when Griff gave a hiss of
warning. Looking up, I saw he and Taklinn hunched over a spot of muddy ground
near the Styx. As I joined them he pointed out what his sharp eyes had seen. I 
would have missed it had he not traced the prints out for me with his finger, but
after he had done so it was easy to make out the mark of unshod hooves in the mud. 

  “No ordinary horse made these tracks.” He whispered. “Whatever it was had six 
legs, and I only know one kind of horse that fits that description.”

   “An ecolipse?” I wondered.

  “Damn straight,” He grimaced. “And it was here not long ago. I say we get the 
hell out of here.”

   “I second that!” Happy nodded vigorously, already letting herself go cloudy for
further wind walking.  

   But it was not to be.

   From the edge of our vision they came, three riders, mailed in black, mounted 
astride fearsome ecolipse’s. They took shape from the shadows and I squinted to
make them out. The two on the outsides wore helmets, but the one in the center
wore only a dark cowl, and the features of his face that I could make out stirred a
sudden spark of recognition. I quickly realized the irony of my having referenced 
the alien toolbox that graces my collection of oddities, for it was during the same
adventure that I had procured it that I had fought so many himrock orcs, and these 
three riders (or at least the one in the center) were none other than members of that
same race. The slightly piggish and heavily tattooed features on the middle rider
were unmistakable. After all this time we had come face to face with himrock orcs 
again, only these fellows were obviously of a more aristocratic breed. There was an
air of sure authority about them, and just from the ease with which they sat astride
their mounts and the way they carried themselves, I was fairly certain that these 
fellows were seasoned warriors. One of the outside riders carried a heavy crossbow,
already cocked and loaded, as well as a great axe across his back. The other held a
wickedly curved bow of black wood, and a well broken in sword rested at his hip. 
The center orc had a cruel looking mace strapped to his side. One hand moved in a
magical gesture to cast a protective spell upon himself, while the other held a short
length of rope from which he casually swung a round object about the size of a 
pumpkin. From the fact that he wore armor I deducted that he was likely a priest,
and I stepped behind Griff to cover my actions and cast a ‘spell turning’ on myself
as they trio came to a halt some fifty feet from us, looking down toward where we 
stood from the crest of a low hillock. 

  They regarded us for a long moment, and we regarded them, until at last the
middle orc bellowed his challenge. 

   “You are the slayers of the armorer!” He declared, his voice filling the river
valley. 

  We looked at one another, uncertainly. “The armorer?” I mouthed, unsure of who 
we had been accused of killing.

  Griff grimaced. “What the hell are you talking about?” He yelled back at them.

  “The one called the Toll Keeper!” The orc exclaimed. “He was one of ours, and 
you have slain him! For that we issue you challenge! You have taken one of ours,
and we will take two of yours!”

  “Looks like that guy in the city had friends.” Happy said with a smirk. “Good 
thing they can’t catch us! Let’s get misty and get the heck out of here!” She was
already beginning to change to her wind walking form, but Taklinn turned slowly,
shaking his head.  

  “I cannot.” He stated. There was small tinge of regret in his voice, but I could
already see by the line of his jaw that he would not be swayed. Happy, however,
would not be dissuaded from trying. 

   “What do you mean you can’t” She hissed. “We can outrun these fools! Turn
gaseous and lets get going already!”

   “I cannot decline a challenge!” Taklinn rumbled.  

   Happy clapped a disbelieving hand to her forehead. “You’ve got to be kidding
me!”

   “I’m sorry Hap.” Taklinn turned and began casting enhancement spells of his 
own.

   “Griff? Doorag?” Happy pleaded, looking to us for support. 

  Just then the center orc whipped the pumpkin shaped object around on it’s rope in 
a sharp circle and let it go. The thing sailed toward us, landing with a meaty thud
and bouncing to a stop at our feet.

   It was Driscoll’s head. 

   “Well, that about answers that!” Griff frowned, drawing his sword from it’s
scabbard and taking a position beside Taklinn. I sighed and reached out to touch
Happy with a ‘fly’ spell. 

  “Looks like we’ll be sticking it out.” I shrugged, and then turned to give a low
warning to the crew. “Don’t charge them,” I cautioned, “Let them come to us!”
Griff and Taklinn nodded and Happy sighed, quickly going invisible with the aid of
her magical dagger.  

   “Come on down and get some then!” Griff cried, his sword held out at a
dangerous angle from his body.  

  The following seconds were silent except for the words of magic intoned by
Taklinn, myself, and they orcish cleric as we cast our respective enhancements. 

  “The middle guy just put a ‘stone skin’ on himself.” I informed the group after 
recognizing it being cast. I used my contingent ‘greater invisibility’, though I knew
that the cleric had already cast ‘true seeing’ upon himself. 

  The flanking orcs opened the battle with missile weapons as a volley of arrows 
and a crossbow bolt sped toward us. One of them hit Griff in the shoulder, but it
was more a feeling out than anything. When we refused to run to meet them, they
broke away from the cleric at fast trots. The one dropping his crossbow and un 
slinging his battle axe, while the other moved to our right flank, already knocking
another arrow. The cleric made to cast another spell, but I had been holding a spell
on the tip of my tongue and chose that moment to unleash it, hoping to divide and 
conquer our enemy. My ‘wall of ice’ formed a sudden barrier some twenty feet high
and blocked us, at least for the moment, from the archer and the cleric. One end of
my wall butted against the river Styx, while the other would be easily ridden around 
by the cleric, but the archer would have to drastically change his direction to round
it. 

  The axe wielder galloped in, heedless to our outnumbering him, straight at 
Taklinn. The two smashed together in a clang of axe steel as the ecolipse reared
four of it’s legs in attack as well. Hooves and blades slammed into his armor, but
our cleric stood tall and responded in kind, his mighty steel biting deep into the orcs 
flesh. 

   The orcish cleric had quickly maneuvered around the walls end and rode hard
along it’s length at an invisible Happy that had been skulking along it in the 
opposite direction. His ‘true seeing’ exposed her to him, and he took a sweeping
blow at her with his mace that barely missed, whistling above her head by inches.
Griff charged forward to take the focus from Happy, coming down with his sword 
on the clerics thigh.

  As for myself, I flew quickly upwards, wanting to peer over the wall and see what
the archer was up to. I was quickly reminded that ecolipse’s can fly! The archer had 
simply spurred his mount to climb thin air, and he met me at the top of the wall, his
arm already drawn. Fortunately, he did not have the luxury of ‘true seeing’ so I was
hidden from him. He released an arrow at Taklinn, and I saw it sink into our 
dwarven friends hip.

   Happy and Griff tried their best to flank the cleric, and they brought terrible pain
to him. I saw Happy, floating behind him, jab again and again, and the cleric reeled 
atop his ecolipse, but did not fall even as Griff punished him further. But the cleric
seemed to focus instead on Taklinn as the dwarf brought his axes down again and
again in utterly devastating blows to the fighter. The orcish axe man sagged on his 
mount, barely able to keep upright as Taklinn yelled, “Surrender!”

   But there would be no surrender. The fighter swung back in kind, connecting, but
not nearly hard enough to give any hope that he could best Taklinn. Victory for 
Taklinn looked assured, but the cleric had other plans. With harsh kicks of his heels,
he spurred his mount in a dead charge for Taklinn and reached out to touch him,
uttering black words as he did. I recognized the ‘harm’ spell and gasped. The very 
life seemed to drain from Taklinn all at once, and our cleric, usually so hale and
healthy, nearly dropped to his knees. He could barely keep his feet, and I knew that
he was only one good axe hit away from death. Or an arrow strike! 

  I glanced at the archer and saw his drawing a bead on Taklinn and I cast without
thinking. He stopped in mid bow draw as the ‘hold person’ gripped him. Unable to
shift his weight to stay atop his mount, he slid, statue-like, from the ecolipse’s back
and fell heavily to the ground.  

  Meanwhile, Griff rushed to Taklinn’s rescue. He charged in, placing himself
between the axe wielder and Taklinn, simultaneously swinging his sword at 
activating his anti-magic vest. His blade caught the axe man square in the breast,
piercing plate armor and flesh below. Blood gouted from the orcs mouth and he fell
to the ground in a heap.  

  Hap flew in at top speed, skimming along ten feet above the ground. As she his
the anti-magic field, her momentum carried her forward and she landed neatly
behind the cleric with supreme grace. Her dagger came up and around, finding the 
soft joint in the armor below his arm pit. It pierced deeply and the cleric groaned.
Happy followed him to the ground as he fell, barely conscious, already drawing
back her arm for the killing blow.  

   I breathed a sigh of relief and was able to concentrate on the archer. Griff was
holding off the dead axe wielders ecolipse, and the cleric’s had fled, plane shifting
away. 

  The archer's ecolipse stood guard next to it’s masters form, and I cursed as I
watched the orc shake off the effects of the ‘hold’ spell and stand up, grabbing
another arrow. I hit him with three scorching rays, but it only seemed to enrage him, 
for he fired off a volley of arrows at where he thought I was, only to have them
miss. 

   I decided to try to end the fight quickly, casting my only “sudden death” spell. If 
it worked, he would be held for a significantly longer period of time. My ‘flesh to
stone’ spell hit him and I watched as he tried to fight it off. But the spell took, and I
saw him turn swiftly to a perfect statue of himself cast in solid stone, his bow string 
still drawn back to his cheek in mid fire. 

   Looking back to the other side of the wall I could see that Griff had dispatched the
last remaining ecolipse. He had dismissed his anti-magic field, and Taklinn was 
already casting healing spells upon himself, so there was no danger left. Even the
archer’s ecolipse had fled to another plane, and I quickly had to decide what to do
with my statue orc. He was hidden from the crew by the wall, and I acted swiftly.  

  Setting down next to the statue, I cast a ‘mord’s mansion’. Then, from scrolls, I
cast both ‘reduce’ and levitate’ on the statue, making it light enough to lift with the
levitate. I quickly pushed it into the mansion and bid the servants take it to my 
room. I am some what sad to say so, but I was worried by Taklinn’s potential
reaction to how the statue orc should be dealt with. As for me, I wanted the orcs
gear. To that end I would have to cast a ‘stone to flesh’ on him in the morning, but 
to do that in safety would require the orcs permanent demise. As far as I was
concerned, he was already dead, and had given up any rights to life when he
attacked us. I had no qualms at all with the notion of breaking off the statues head, 
thus assuring a very dead orc when I changed him back to flesh. I worried that
Taklinn, on the other hand, might not complicate the issue with his overly zealous
moral notions.  

   Indeed, when I flew back across the wall and announced that I had gone ahead
and put up a mansion, for we surely needed to rest, he asked me what had become
of the archer. I shrugged and assured him that the archer was “No longer 
breathing.” And that he had been taken care of. It was an esoteric reply, and had
Taklinn not been so shaken by his close brush with death he probably would have
questioned me more closely, but as it was he was only too happy to accept it and 
head for the mansion for some much needed rest in a safe place.

   Later that night I made my way to Hap and Griff’s room and asked them to
quietly follow me to mine, where I showed them my prize. 

  “What the hell did you do to him?” Griff asked wonderingly. 

   “Turned him to stone.” I replied.  

   “Wow!” Laughed Happy. “You never cease to amaze, Doorag. Too bad about his
gear though. You’d have to break his bow out of his hand, and it still wouldn’t be 
worth anything.”

  “Well,” I said, “I actually can turn him back to flesh tomorrow. Trouble is, he’ll
be back to life and dangerous again. That’s kind of where you come in.” I looked 
meaningfully at Griff.

  “What?” He said, suspiciously.

  “Well, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to knock his head off for me?” I asked. 
“I’d do it myself, but I could be here all night chipping away at it. Your way
stronger than I. I’ll bet you could take it off with a single good hammer blow! You
could use that cleric’s mace we took!” 

   Griff stroked his chin and regarded both the statue and me with doubt. “I dunno.
You say he’s still alive in there?”

   “Well, technically yes, I suppose so. Though in reality he’s permanently a statue 
of stone, so he’s basically innate, and thus, dead.”

  “Yeah, well,” Griff mused, “That may be, but I still don’t really like the idea. I’m
not saying it’s necessarily a bad way to go, but I just can’t see myself killing a guy 
who can’t fight back.”

  “He is pretty much already dead.” Happy chimed in, obviously having no
compunctions with fixing the ‘pretty much’ part. 

   “Mmm, well, still, I can’t do it.” Griff shrugged. “I won’t stop you from doing
what you have to do, Doorag, it just ain’t me. But don’t worry, I won’t mention it to
Taklinn. He’d probably want to send the guy home with a pat of the head and a 
basket full of muffins. I don’t really buy that either.”

   I shrugged back at him. “That’s ok, Griff. I can respect that. I wouldn’t want you
to do anything your not comfortable with. Besides, I can probably get the mansion 
servants to work on it tonight.”

   Which is what I did. Even as I write this I can hear three of the servants busily
chipping away at the statues head with hammers I provided them. It is taking a little 
longer than Griff would have, but the last time I checked they had fairly good
progress, and I believe that a couple more hours will assure a very dead orc upon
his return to flesh tomorrow.  

   It is a bit morbid, I realize, but the orc can feel no pain, and he is unaware of what
is happening to him. Better to at least free his soul than to keep it trapped in
suspended animation forever.  


   Hrvstr 21 

    Gads, what a day it has been. Once again I fear for the cohesion of my crew, only
this time it is I who is to blame. 

   We set out early this morning from the nexus with a fresh ‘wind walk’ cast upon
us. Thirty feet above the river Oceanus we sped, following it’s winding path like a
silver road through the darkness of the shadow realms. Unable to converse in our 
gaseous form, it was, as long wind walks always are, a boring trip, and it was made
more so by the inability to even appreciate the scenery, hidden as it was by endless
shadow.  

  As the hours passed I fear we must have grown complacent, for when we were
attacked without warning it was only Happy who had the presence of mind to react. 

  The thing came out of the darkness right in front of us, hurtling itself at us at 
insane speed. I never saw it coming until it was right on top of me; a horrid winged
creature with a massive great axe poised for a swing. I later identified it as a
Nycoloth, a sort of demon-like creature from the plane of Gahanna that lives only to 
hunt and bring pain. It had chosen me as it’s target, and it would certainly have
caught me by surprise had Happy not intervened.  

   Before anyone of could even react, our small friend veered to cross it’s path,
putting herself between me and that terrible axe. She took the full brunt of it’s edge
and though she could make no sound, I could almost sense her cry of pain.  

   The Nycoloth  flared it’s wings out, pulling itself up short and hovering as the rest
of us slowed to a halt. It brought it’s axe back for another swing, and I feared that it
would be the end for Hap, and I could do nothing about it. 

  The one downside of wind walking is the cloud like form we must all take, and
the thirty seconds or so that it takes to enter into and come out of it. While in that
gaseous form I am helpless to cast and Taklinn and Griff are unable to swing their 
blades. Normally Hap’s vaporous body would have allowed the Nycoloth’s axe to
simply pass right through her, but it must have been enchanted enough to allow it to
bite. I desperately began the transformation, knowing full well that it would be far 
too late by the time I took solid form.

  But Griff was not about to wait. I saw his cloudy form shoot between me and
Hap, and suddenly he was solid again. I realized that he must have activated his 
anti-magic vest! His sword was already in his hands, and he swung it even as he
began to fall. He would get only one good swing before hitting the ground as there
was no magic to hold him aloft, but he made it count, bringing his steel around in a 
wicked arc that cleaved into the Nycoloth’s hide. A great gout of brackish blood
sprayed Griff, and then he fell the thirty feet, landing just inside the bank of the
Oceanus. I saw him splash and then haul himself to his feet, knee deep in the silvery 
waters, and even in the midst of battle I found myself curious as to what the effects
of such a dunking would be.

   Happy dove down to her husbands side, landing and doing her best to turn solid. 
Taklinn floated near me doing the same thing. The Nycoloth was quite near us, and
had it wished to it could have hacked one of us to bits, but Griff had caught the
creatures undivided attention, and it folded it’s bat-like wings and dove, dropping to 
it’s feet on the bank of the Oceanus, slamming into Griff with it’s axe. 

  Unprotected by magic, Griff could do little but take the hit, and he reeled from the
power behind it, but our fighter showed then why he is a hero of renown. With a 
bloody grin, he hauled The Talon back and brought it down. Three mighty cuts tore
through the Nycoloth’s blood and bone. The first sent it staggering, the second took
it to it’s knees, and the third separated most of it’s head from it’s body. It was the 
work of mere seconds, and just like that, Griff stood over the things twitching form.
He was not even breathing hard. 

  The Nycoloth’s blood flowed into the river Oceanus, and I watched with interest 
as it left no stain at all on those pure waters. The blood simply dissipated into
nothingness as it came into contact with the river. With a grunt, Griff kicked the
body into the river, and it sank like a stone into it’s depths and we saw it no more. 

  Our troubles were not quite at an end, however, for as we all became solid it was
evident that the creatures ax had been enchanted to leave lasting wounds. Happy
was still bleeding profusely, and I worried that even Taklinn would be unable to 
staunch the flow. Then I noticed that, while Griff had also received wounds from
the axe, his wounds were not continuing to gush blood, and I had an idea as to why.

  “Hap, quick!” I exclaimed, “Get into the river!” 

   She looked at me quizzically, but did not argue. She waded into the Oceanus and
immersed herself neck deep before climbing back out again. To my relief, my
hunch had been right. While her wounds were still there, they were no longer 
bleeding out, and Taklinn could now see to them.

   Moments later we were back in the air, our eyes wide open now, on the alert for
any more enemies. Fortunately, no more attacks came.  

   Into our eleventh hour of travel I noticed a curious mist begin to cover the ground.
As we covered more miles the mist turned to light fog, which in turn turned thick. 
Soon we were enveloped in the soup and vision became a serious issue. Several
times we thought we had actually lost the river, and we were forced to skim it’s
surface at a much slower speed. With my enhanced vision I could see that the fog 
was magical in nature, and that had me a bit worried. 

  At last, when we could barely see one another, we slowed to a stop and let
ourselves become solid on the rivers bank. We had little choice from that point on 
but to do it the hard way. We continued on foot.

  Mile after mile we slogged on, following the twists and bends in the river. The
oppressive fog muted all sound, and it was an eerie thing to travel through it.  

  Then, the river was gone. One moment it had been at our sides, and the next it
was nowhere to be found. We listened for it’s gurgle, but could hear nothing, and
panic gripped me as I feared we were well and truly lost and could not find our 
guide. 

  There was little to do but keep moving and hope for the best, and just like that, we
got a break. We took no more than a dozen steps, when suddenly the fog was gone, 
and so was the shadow realm. I looked about in wonder at what I now beheld. 

  We stood in a pasture of the most utterly pristine grass I had ever seen. Fields
spread out before us, dotted with small groves of trees that bore fat fruit. Not ten 
feet from where we stood, a group of rabbits feasted upon the sweet grass with no
fear of us at all, and not far away I spied a small stream that led toward a beautiful
forest not more than a mile away. 

  As I took it all in, I became aware of the oddities. It was, to put it in a word,
perfect. Each blade of grass was the same height and shade of green. Each tree was
spaced exactly the same distance from it’s brother, and each was a mirror image of 
the other. The fields were perfect squares, and the river was unlike any river I had
ever seen in that it was absolutely straight and without variation in it’s width.
Everything about the place was a perfect representation of nature, yet it’s very 
perfection was an anomaly to nature itself. As we walked deeper into the field, I
began to realize where we were.

  “We’ve crossed planes.” I said. “We’re on Arcadia!” 

   The others looked at me curiously, and Taklinn’s eyes practically bulged from his
head. “Are you certain?” He gasped.

   “Look around!” I said, waving my hand at the geometric precision of the pasture, 
“Could we be anywhere else?”

  “What the hell is an Arcadia?” Griff demanded. 

   I smiled back at him. “Arcadia,” I replied, “is the plane upon which one will find 
Mount Clangeden.”

   “Mount Clangeden?” Happy asked, eyes wide.

   Griff narrowed his eyes. “You mean…?” 

   “Exactly,” I said, nodding, “Arcadia is the home of Taklinn’s god, that fine
dwarven diety whom we all owe our lives to.”

  Griff whistled low and long. “Well I’ll be damned!”  

  “Arcadia,” I continued, as if giving a lesson, “Is a plane of law and good, though
it is not without it’s problems. The balance between law and good has, apparently,
been tipped in the favor of law, and therefore it is slowly being overcome by 
unyielding structure. In fact, it used to encompass three layers, but, as I understand
it, it’s lowermost layer has been assimilated by the plane below it thousands of
years ago. That plane is, of course, Mechanus, the plan of ultimate law.” 

   “Your making my head hurt.” Griff said with a scowl. 

   I grinned back at him. “It’s all really quite fascinating! It could be said that we
now stand in the birthplace of harmony and law. Can you imagine? Even nature
conforms to order here. Have you ever seen orchards grow like the ones you see 
over yonder? Have you ever seen a field with no blade of grass out of place? What
must the cities be like? Not to mention the fact that deities actually reside here! Not 
only does Clangeden live here, but Saint Cuthbert as well!”

  Happy, at least, appeared to share my enthusiasm. “Do you think we have time to
visit Clangeden’s mountain?” She wondered. “Does he allow visitors there?” 

   “From what I’ve read,” I replied, “Mount Clangeden is actually quite inviting to
guests, especially warrior types who can stay within the law. From what I hear it’s
quite a party; and some of the finest armor and arms to be had anywhere can be 
found there.”

   “Well,” Griff said, stroking his chin, “That doesn’t sound too bad. Maybe it’s on
the way.” 

   But Taklinn had said nothing throughout this exchange, and I wondered as his
expression become more and more dour. At last, he said, “No. I cannot go. It has
been commanded.” 

   “What do you mean?” Hap asked, surprised.

   “The servant of Clangeden whom I spoke to; the one who gave me this path to
walk to find Caribdis, specifically forbade me from entering the Mount.” 

   “But why?” I asked, astonished.

   Taklinn hung his head, as if in shame. “I do not know.” I could see that it hurt him
deeply to be denied entry to his gods home, and I wondered why such a thing would 
be.

   “Perhaps it is a test.” I postulated.

  “Perhaps.” He nodded, glumly.  

  “Well, at any rate, we still don’t know exactly where we are on this plane, and we
still have to find the river Oceanus again. We should find some civilization and ask
for directions. The inhabitants of this plane should be pretty friendly, especially to 
Taklinn.” Everyone agreed to this, and soon we were walking along again. We
could have wind walked, as there was still some time left in the spell, but it was
good to feel the grass beneath our feet and the sun on our backs after the 
oppressiveness of the shadow plane, and we elected to walk. We made our way to
the ram rod straight stream and began to follow it toward the tree line.

  We soon found out, however, that there is danger to be found even in this idyllic 
place. 

  We were less than a hundred feet from the perfect forest, when suddenly a small
form broke from the tree line. I immediately recognized it as a halfling, running as 
fast as his short legs could carry him. He spotted us and made straight for us,
screaming for help at the top of his lungs. 

  When he reached us we could see that he was battered and bruised, out of breath 
and clad in tattered clothing. “Don’t let them get me!” He panted, “Please! Don’t let
them get me again!”

   “Don’t let who get you?” Taklinn demanded. It was at that point that six riders 
thundered forth from the trees, reigning their horses in hard as they saw us and
coming to a halt no more than fifty feet away.

  “Ahhh!” The obviously terrified halfling cried, “It’s them! Don’t let them hurt me 
again, I beg of you!” 

   “Calm down!” Griff hushed the halfling, “No one is going to hurt you. Who are 
these guys and what do they want with you?”

  Before the halfling could answer, Taklinn uttered a single word: “Harmonium.”

   Keeping one eye on the six riders I asked Taklinn if he wouldn’t mind expanding 
on that. The word struck a faint bell with me, but I couldn’t quite place it.

  “The Harmonium,” Our cleric explained, “Are a militant group dedicated to
forwarding the ways of law in all things. They span many planes, including the 
prime. They have no real power base that I know of, but in some places they are
quite strong. I’d imagine they thrive here.” 

   “So what, they’re like a cult or something?” Griff scowled.

  “For lack of a better term.” Taklinn nodded and began to walk forward. “Perhaps
they will be open to parlay.” 

  Griff fell into step behind Taklinn and the pair of them walked to within twentyfive
feet of the riders who had been conversing amongst themselves in hushed tones, probably
weighing our potential threat. Hap and I stood back with the shivering halfling; I quickly 
cast a ‘fly’ on her just in case. “This could go bad.” I worried aloud. 

   “Do you have a weapon?” Happy asked the halfling. 

  “N-no.” The fellow stammered.

   “Here, take this,” She said, handing him one of her daggers. I wondered briefly at
the wisdom of arming him, considering the fact that he may very well be an escaped 
criminal, but decided against bringing it up right then. Things were happening.

   “Hail!” Taklinn called out to the riders. “I am Taklinn the Shorn, of the Band of
the Broken Blade! Yonder halfling has asked me for refuge and I cannot deny it 
until I am certain that you are within your rights to take him! Will you parlay?”

  My discerning eye had already determined the probable types of men we were
facing. Four of them were heavily armored in uniform plate and carried pole arms 
and long swords. Another was also dressed in plate but wore a holy symbol of
Cuthbert prominently displayed, and I surmised that he might be a priest. The last
of them hung toward the back, mounted on a light horse. He was dressed in robes, 
and I could only assume that he was an arcane caster. I kept my eye firmly upon
him.

   One of the knights leaned over in his saddle and words passed between he and the 
cleric before the cleric answered Taklinn in an authoritative bellow. “The little one
is ours!” He shouted. “We will have him back, as well as two of yours!”

   This last bit caught us by surprise but I had seen him glance at Happy and Griff 
when he had said it. Apparently he could read the auras of our friends and had
decided that they would join the halfling as prisoners, presumably since neither of
them were adherent followers of the concepts of law.  

  Taklinn was not yet ready to give up, even though Griff, who had also seen that
glance and heard the implied threat, had already dropped his sword into a ready
position. “There is no need for blood shed!” He called out. “I ask for twenty-four 
hours to determine if you are within your rights to hold the halfling. If such is true,
then on my honor he shall be returned to you! My companions, however, you may
not have!” 

   The cleric swung down from his horse and his five followers did likewise. He
answered as if he had not heard Taklinn at all. “Both small ones will come with us,
as will the swordsman at your side! Drop your weapons and come quietly, or feel 
the wrath of the Harmonium!”

   Taklinn, at last realizing that diplomacy would not be an option with these
fellows, sighed and hefted his axes. “Then this question shall be determined by 
combat!” He answered. “May your gods show mercy when you arrive at their
gates!”

  There was no turning back from that point, and I had already been whispering the 
words to a spell. As quick as thought, I flew forward and left, covering some
ground and putting myself into line with two of the warriors and the mage. I
released the ‘lightning bolt’ and it sprang from my finger tip in a jagged line of 
electricity. It struck all three of them, and I noted with satisfaction that the mage
took the full brunt of it. Yet none of them went down, and that worried me a bit. I
mouthed the word to my contingent ‘greater invisibility’ and disappeared from
sight, and was slightly perturbed to see their mage do likewise, though he had to 
hard cast it. Fortunately he could not hide from my magically enhanced vision, and
I was able to see him flee back toward the tree line for cover. 

   Griff charged the cleric, covering the distance at terrific speed and smashing into
him with a great sword thrust. Two of the fighters ran to help their priest while a
third charged at Taklinn. The fourth fighter headed toward where Hap and the 
halfling stood, but neither of them were going to stand still for very long. Hap took
to the air and headed toward Griff while the halfling took off at a dead run in the
opposite direction.  

  The cleric got off a single spell before Griff unloaded a flurry of steel upon him.
Three mighty slashes opened up the priests guts and he fell with a scream that was
cut short by death. Griff’s momentum carried his blade into the flesh of another 
knight, bringing more pain. Taklinn, still not wishing to kill these men, used the flat
of his axe to pound his foe, who was having a difficult time penetrating our clerics
armor. Hap, not having flown high enough, found out the hard way that the last 
knight could reach her with his pole arm, and he drew a bit of blood from our
halfling friend. 

   I lost track of them from that point on, however, for I found myself embroiled in a 
wizardly battle that took all my attention.

   I flew forward, scanning the tree line for the wizard, when suddenly, I was able to
see myself! I cursed, realizing that I must be in the area of an ‘invisibility purge’ 
that the cleric had cast, and though he was dead, it still clung to him and revealed
me to the sight of the wizard, who took ample opportunity to fling a ‘fireball’ at me.
The flames overcame my mantel’s spell resistance and I was unable to dodge them. 
I could do little but cry out in pain as the heat washed over me, singing my clothes
and blackening my flesh. I knew I could not sustain another hit like that, and
desperately looked for the wizard.  

   There! I spotted a bit of movement behind a tree and raised my staff to return a
fireball of my own, but at the last second I saw the shimmer of magical energy that
surrounded the spot. Though I do not personally have the spell, I could recognize it 
for what it was; a ‘globe of invulnerability’. I cursed, knowing that I would be
unable to affect him with two thirds of my repertoire, including a fireball from my
staff. Still, I had plenty of other weapons at my disposal, and I resolved to give him 
something to think about. I quickly cast my most powerful summoning spell,
conjuring up a massive air elemental and directing it to attack the spot where I’d
seen the mage. I then flew upwards in an attempt to get out of the invisibility purge 
area. I was just able to see the elemental smash away at the spot, and was gratified
to hear a cry of pain. 

  I glanced over my shoulder to see how the others were doing and saw that two 
more of the fighters now lay on the ground, either dead of unconscious. Hap and
Griff flanked one (and I knew he would not be long for this world), while Taklinn
continued to pound a second with subduing blows. They appeared to have their 
situations well in hand, and I returned my attention to the wizard. 

  Through the canopy of trees I could see the elemental swing away at the wizard,
and though my creature could not see the caster, it obviously frightened the mage 
enough that he had to deal with him, which bought me the time I needed. I head the
wizard intone a quick spell, and to my surprise, it worked! The elemental was
polymorphed into a small, white, rabbit! 

   Cute, I muttered to myself, remembering how well that particular spell had served
me in the past; but these days I had a different spell that had quickly become my
favorite, and I was determined to give this wizard a taste of it.  

   I dove at a steep angle, heading straight for the wizards hiding spot. I zipped
through the branches and pulled up just short of the ground. There he was. The
enemy mage was just looking up from the polymorphed elemental, and he
desperately tried to bring a spell to bare on me, grabbing for his components. But I 
was already casting, and though he still stood within the area of his ‘globe of
invulnerability’ I knew it would offer him no protection from ‘disintegrate’.  

   My ray struck him square in the chest. His eyes never had time to register surprise
before he was reduced to a small pile of ash. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing
that I had taken a gamble. Had I missed, or had he shrugged off the spell, he likely 
would have killed me, for I was sorely wounded from his fireball. Such are the
ways of combat, I reasoned. I glanced toward the elemental/rabbit and quickly
issued an apology to it before releasing it to return to it’s home. Then I peered 
through the trees to the battle field and saw that it was over. The ground was littered
with Harmonium dead, and Taklinn now knelt beside the cleric, obviously casting a
spell. I wondered what he was up to, but for now I contented myself with gathering 
the wizards gear and shaking the dust from it.

   I walked from the tree line with my hands full of the wizards belongings and 
headed toward Griff and Happy who were already in the process of stripping the
dead or downed fighters. My magic scan detected quite a fine haul and Happy was
all smiles as she removed a cloak from a warrior. Griff looked me over as I checked 
for a heart beat on one of the knights. 

   “You ok?” He asked.

   “A little toasted around the edges,” I said, “But I should be fine after a bit of 
Taklinn’s help.” I looked to where our cleric knelt over the enemy cleric. He was
still in the process of casting a spell and had his holy symbol held over the body. “Is
he doing what I think he’s doing?” I asked. 

  “I dunno, what do you think he’s doing?” Griff replied.

  “Just watch.”

   Sure enough, a moment later we were able to observe the dead cleric’s body begin 
to undergo a transformation. His wounds began to close and then sealed shut
entirely. Within seconds his eyes fluttered and he sat up with a gasp.

   “What the hell?” Griff exclaimed. 

  Taklinn then cast a minor healing spell to give the cleric back a bit of strength,
then stood and offered the man a hand. The cleric looked at it with uncertainty, but
finally took it and allowed himself to be helped to his feet.  

  “I am Taklinn the Shorn,” Taklinn said, solemnly, “Remember my name well, for
it is I who has given you a second chance at life today. I hope that you will use it
wisely.” 

   The cleric nodded, still obviously shaken from his experience in the great beyond.
“I will remember your name.” He said with a wry smile. 

  Happy came to stand beside Griff and I as we watched the exchange. She dumped 
some gear near us and rolled her eyes at the conversation.

   “Perhaps,” Advised Taklinn, “You should consider a change in philosophy.
Forcing others to bend to your will is folly and has brought you only death today. 
Might I suggest a more oblique approach?”

   The cleric grimaced and spat out a little blood. “I thank you for your mercy,
dwarf,” He said, “But I will have to ask your forgiveness if I do not heed your 
council. It is a shame that you are so misguided.”

   Taklinn nodded, and his voice was tinged with regret. “Very well. I can do no
more than I have. Two of your men yet live; I assume you can get them to their 
feet?”

   “I can.”

   “Good. You shall return to your masters on foot, with only mundane weapons to 
protect you. Should you cross my path again with such an attitude of aggression, I
cannot promise such mercy.”

   The cleric smiled mirthlessly. “I will keep that in mind, Taklinn the Shorn.” 

   Taklinn walked to where we stood as Griff tossed our hard won treasure into his
bag of holding. Happy regarded Taklinn with a raised eye brow. 

   “What?” Taklinn asked.

   “Nothing, nothing.” Hap said quickly, and busied herself searching for the
halfling. She found him a few hundred yards away, hiding behind a tree, and led 
him back to us. He was still quite shaken up, but he could not hide his exuberance at
seeing the beaten cleric casting healing spells on the two fighters who yet lived. The
three of them gave us one last look before turning to walk back into the forest. 

  “Yeah!” the halfling chuckled, “That’s right! Skulk on back to your camp, you
big bullies! Next time pick on somebody your own size!” The halfling turned to us,
eyes wide with adoration. “I’ve never seen anything like that!” He gushed. “You 
took those buggers out like last nights chamber pot! Wow! How can I ever thank
you?”

   “Well,” I said, “First off, you can tell us your name.” 

  “Ah,” he replied brightly, “My name is Wasp!”

   “Pleased to meet you, Wasp. My name is Doorag. This is Happy, Griffin and
Taklinn. We are a crew from the city of Havilah. Are you from around here?” 

   “Me?” He laughed, “Oh no! This place is far too stodgy for me! I’m from all over.
I was just passing through when those tin suits grabbed me.”

   I had a sudden thought and asked our new friend, “Tell me, Wasp, we seek the 
river Oceanus. Do you know where it is?”

  “The river Oceanus?” he looked thoughtful, “Hmm, the river… the river… Oh!
Yes, I know what you’re talking about! It’s up on the next layer.” 

   I glanced at the crew, then back at Wasp. “Do you know how to get there?”

   “Oh, sure! I can take you there. Heck, it’s the least I can do! There’s a portal not
far away that will take us up, and from there it’s a short walk to the river. I’d be 
glad to take you!”

   “A most fortunate occurrence that we crossed your path,” Taklinn said, “For all of
us.” 

   “I’ll say!” Wasp concurred. “Those metal heads were putting a hurt on me, that’s
for sure. Wow! I still can’t believe how you beat up on them! They never had a
chance! You guys must be the best fighters anywhere!” 

  “Well, I wouldn’t put it that way…” Taklinn said, modestly.

  “Can we get a move on now?” Griff cut in. “Those Harmonium guys could be
heading back here with reinforcements.” 

   “Griff is right,” I said, “Besides, it’s been a full day and we need to rest soon. I
say we use our new horses and put some distances between us and the Harmonium,
at least until night fall.”  

   “Great!” Wasp nodded vigorously, “I’ll be happy to camp out with you! Though,
I don’t see any tents.”

   Happy grinned at the halfling. “Camping with Doorag isn’t what you might 
expect,” She said, “Just wait.”

  Thus it was that we set out again, with Happy, Griff and Wasp riding our captured
horses. Taklinn, as always, refused to ride, but was able to trudge alongside at a fair 
clip. I, of course, flew. 

   Night came to Arcadia as I knew it would; in one fell swoop. One moment all was
sunny and bright, the next, we beheld a line of darkness sweeping across the land. 
Within seconds it had passed us and it was dark. Only this was not the cloying
darkness of the shadow plane. This was simple night time, and we felt no
malevolence in it. I cast a mansion and we all entered. Wasp gasped in delight as he 
beheld the wonders of the place, and looked at me with renewed awe. 

   We made ourselves comfortable and Taklinn used the rest of his healing to take
care of the last of our wounds. Wasp, seeing him do this, cleared his throat. “I, uh,
don’t suppose…” He began. 

   “Are you wounded, little one?” Taklinn asked. 

   “Well, my feet have seen better days.” The halfling said, and to be sure, the poor 
fellows feet were cut and bruised. Taklinn quickly laid his hands on them, and the
halfling sighed with content as the healing washed over him. 

   “So tell me about these Harmonium.” Griff said as we sat around the dinner table.  

   “Well,” Wasp replied through a mouthful of roast chicken, “Apparently they just
ride around and grab anybody they see that they don’t think is living right! I was
just wandering through the forest, minding my own business, and then there they 
were. They snatched me up and said they were taking me back to their camp for
‘reeducation’.” Wasp shuddered at the memory.  

   “And what, exactly, did re education entail?” Taklinn asked. 

   “Hmm, well, you probably can’t see them too well now that you healed me, but
maybe you can.” Wasp stood and pulled his shirt off, turning around to show us his
back. I gasped, for I could still make out the faint criss cross pattern of whip scars.  

   “They flogged you?” Griff said, outraged.

   “Just about every day.” Wasp nodded, pulling his shirt back over his head. 

   “But why?” Hap asked with disbelief.  

   “They said my mind wasn’t right.” Wasp shrugged. “They beat us every day like
clockwork until you said what they wanted to hear.”

  “’Us?’” Griff repeated, eyes narrowing.  

   “Oh yeah, they have a whole camp full of prisoners.”

   “How many?”

  “Mmm, probably around fifty, I’d guess.” Wasp reached for a plate of bread and 
slathered a slice liberally with sweet butter. “As a matter of fact, I seem to recall
some of them saying they were from Havilah. That’s where you said you were
from, right?” 

  Griff looked around the table, and I knew what was on his mind. My heart sank.

   “So? What, are we gonna let this just slide by?” Our warrior demanded.

   “Griff,” I said, gently, “We already have our mission…” 

   “Are you kidding?” He looked at me. “We’re gonna leave those prisoners behind
to get beat on until they tow the Harmonium line? That’s crap!”

  “He’s right!” Happy nodded, “We can’t let them get away with that kind of 
stuff!”

   I groaned. “But what about Caribdis?” I asked. “We’re so close! For crying out
loud, let’s not get side tracked again! Besides, if those six that we fought back there 
are any indication of their strength, we could be biting off more than we can chew!
Wasp, how many of the Harmonium would you say there are?”

   The halfling paused to consider this for a moment, doing quick calculations in his 
head. “Oh, probably not more than a hundred.” He said. “But you could take them!
You guys have got to be the most powerful fighters in the land! And with you
wizardly skills I’ll bet you could wipe them out in a minute! Why, just look at this 
house your able to whip up!”

  I looked at Griff. “A hundred of them? Get serious, Griff! If they’re as tough as
the ones we fought, we’re out-numbered, and badly, not to mention that they must 
have more spell casters!”

   But Griff’s jaw was set. “Look,” he said, “I don’t care if there’s a thousand of
them. I can’t sit still while innocent people get nabbed off the road side and then get 
whipped until they ‘get their minds right’. Taklinn, what do you say?”

   Our cleric had been strangely silent throughout this exchange, and now he looked
from Griff to me and back again. At last, he sighed heavily. “Griff, you are my 
friend, and you have followed me into messes that you probably didn’t believe in.
Of course I’ll go with you.”

   Griff looked at Happy, but needen’t have worried. “Count me in!” She chirped.  

   Then our warrior looked at me, and I felt the terrific weight of responsibility settle
on my shoulder. A bitter taste filled my mouth as the seconds passed. The thought 
of Caribdis being so near filled my mind, blocking all reasoning. “I’ll wait for you
here.” I said, at last.

   Griff looked at me with an expression of such grave disappointment that it 
crushed me. “After all the times you and Taklinn talked me into fights? After all the
times I followed you into fights that weren’t mine? After all those time, you’re
going to cut me loose?” 

   “Griff, we have our mission…” I tried.

   “He’s right!” Happy scolded me, “Griff as always followed you guys everywhere,
and now that he finds something he believes in, you’re not going to back him up?” 

   “We can’t do it without you, Doorag.” Taklinn said, quietly. 

   “Look!” I sputtered, becoming more and more agitated, “I asked Griff to follow
me into fights that I believed we could win! We’re talking about a hundred well 
trained, well equipped, warriors, and who knows how many wizards and clerics! Do
you really think the four of us can take them on?”

   “Five!” Wasp interjected. “I’ll help!” 

   “And besides all that,” I went on, “Caribdis is…”

   “Caribdis is dead!” Griff cut me off, “And these people are alive! Doesn’t that
mean anything to you?” 

   “Of course it does, and I’m sorry for their plight, but if we stop to right every
wrong we see, we’ll never get anywhere! What are you going to do if you find out
that there’s another Harmonium camp fifty miles from here with more prisoners? 
Will you go after them too?”

  “If I have to, yes!” Griff shouted.

   “That’s ridiculous!” I cried, my own voice beginning to raise. “You’re suggesting
a declaration of war on a militaristic cult that spans whole planes!”

   “Yeah, so what?” Griff growled, “What if we were in Havilah, Doorag? What if 
those were Havilah citizens being held in that camp against their will?”

   “Actually, I did say that there were folk from Havilah there…” Wasp piped up.

   “He did say that!” Happy nodded vigorously.  


   Frustrated, I cast about for answers to these difficult questions. “It would depend
on the situation! I would ask for council from the Academy and the king, and if they
willed it…” 

   “You’re full of crap.” Griff interrupted. “You’d no sooner let this kind of stuff go
on within the borders of Havilah than you’d use your spell book for bog paper, and
you know it!” 

   “It’s a matter of priorities, Griff!” I insisted, digging in my heels, “We are here to
find Caribdis! Were he with us right now, if our crew was whole, there would be no
question as to what we must do.” 

   “But Caribdis isn’t here.” Griff retorted. “He’s dead. I, however, am alive, and
this is something I think we need to do.”

   Happy jumped at this point. “He’s right, Doorag. I care about Caribdis too, but 
this is here and now. Those people are suffering and we can stop it. Caribdis isn’t
going anywhere.”

   “Since when did you become such a crusader?” I asked, turning on her, “How 
many times have I heard you say that this is just a job to you? That you belong to a
crew because it pays well and is exciting? When did you start caring so much about
your fellow man?” 

   “If Griff cares, I care.” She said, curtly.

   “And what about you, Griff?” I carried on, “Mr. ‘I don’t want to be a hero’?”

   “It has nothing to do with heroics.” Griff answered, flatly. 

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I guess it has to do with freeing the innocents. Well what about
your friend, Griff? What about Caribdis? Don’t you want to free him? Whoops! I 
forgot, you don’t even believe we’ll ever see him! You think that this whole trip is a
fools errand, so why not hang him out to dry, eh?”

   “Caribdis isn’t a prisoner! He had his chance to come back and he refused, as I 
recall!” 

  “He’s a confused boy! We owe it to him to offer him a second chance!” 

   Griff and I were now both on our feet, our voices raised to levels we had never 
used before with each other, and Happy helped not at all when she interjected.

   “You’re putting a dead comrade ahead of a live one, Doorag,” she declared, “Is
that how your loyalties lie? If so, then I’m a little disgusted with you!” 

   Now, full of righteous indignation, I swung around on her. “How dare you!” I
stormed, “How dare you question my loyalties! If it were you who had died and not
Caribdis, I’d still be here, willing to go to the ends of the earth to bring you back! 
I’d hunt these planes to hell and beyond for any one of you, and I’d hope you know
that by now. The fact is, my dear, you’re only too willing to let yourself be
distracted by any perceived evil that comes down the pike. Or perhaps you simply 
see this as more profitable than continuing our quest for a dead friend? We did get
quite a tidy haul off those we bested earlier, and maybe you’re hoping there’s more
where that came from, no? What are you’re priorities, Happy, my dear? Is the 
promise of coin and magical trinkets more appealing than the long and unsure road
to finding Caribdis? If such is the case, then I am afraid that it is I who is a little
disgusted with you!” 

   Fury glazed Hap’s eyes, the likes of which I had never seen directed at me, but I
was too angry to take back my harsh words. “OK!” she said, tersely, “That’s it. I’m
through talking with you.” With that, she got up from the table and made to walk 
from the room, but I was far from finished. 

   “Oh, you’re through talking to me?” I yelled, following her, “Well I’m not
through with you!” I was about to unleash another verbal barrage, but fortunately, I 
was interrupted. 

   “Enough!” Taklinn slammed the table with the palm of his hand hard enough to
rattle the dishes. “We are a crew, and more than that, we are friends! We do not talk 
to each other so! There must be a way to compromise!”

   How do you expect to compromise with this pig headed…” Hap began, but I was
still seeing red myself, and, petty though it was, I deliberately baited her. 

   “I’m sorry, what?” I cut her off, “Are we talking again? I could have sworn that
you had said you were through talking to me. I take it we’re talking again?”

   Her face reddened, and I could tell that I was treading on very dangerous ground, 
but I didn’t care. She sputtered and said something under her breath.

  “All right, knock it off!” Griff said in a commanding tone. “Taklinn’s right.
There’s got to be a way we can work this out.” 

   “OK then,” I said, turning back to the table, “Let’s talk about a few things with
Taklinn.” I eyed our cleric and asked him a few rough questions. “Taklinn, if we do
this, are you prepared for what the consequences might be?” 

   “What do you mean?” he asked, warily.

   “What I mean is this: If we mess with the Harmonium, it may very well mean that
we end up killing many or all of the ones that reside in that encampment. Are you 
prepared to stand by and watch me fly over them and rain fireballs down upon their
heads if it comes to that?”

   Taklinn looked uncomfortable at the thought, and I pressed on. 

   “Are you also prepared to wage war on a society that is not, technically, evil? As I
understand it, the Harmonium, despite committing what we might perceive as evil
acts, are not, in fact, evil. Will you impose your will upon their way of life because 
you find it distasteful? I ask this because I recall a certain town called Latona that
we visited not long ago, and…” 

   “That was an entirely different situation.” Our dwarf insisted. 

   “True,” I agreed, “But this situation may well bring with it moral quandary, and I
don’t want to be in the thick of it only to have you change your mind half way 
through. And need I point out the obvious repercussions of meddling in the affairs
of such a far flung order as the Harmonium, especially here, on Arcadia? I’m
willing to bet that there are more than a few followers of Cuthbert among them; so 
now we’re talking about you, a servant of Clangeden, picking a fight with servants
of Cuthbert, on the very plane where both these gods live! Need I even point out the
implications of such a thing?” 

   Taklinn sighed, and I could tell that my points had driven home with him. “It is
something I shall have to pray upon.” He admitted. “But I say again, I cannot sit
idly by and let evil thrive, even if the evil doer does not understand it's actions. It is 
complicated…”

   “That it is.” I agreed, with a solemn nod, “That it is. I’m having a hard time
wrapping my mind around the notion that these Harmonium can commit evil acts 
day after day, yet remain neutral. I can only assume that their belief that they are
doing the will of Law is so fervent that they are blinded by it; that it somehow
protects their souls with a sort of naive view that what they are doing is just. The 
point is, Taklinn, we could very well end up killing many of them, which could lead
to a much bigger war than we counted on should this thing escalate, not to mention
the fact that we will forever be looking over our shoulders for retributive strikes 
from the Harmonium. This is a powerful enemy we’re talking about here, and I
highly doubt that they’ll let bygones be bygones if we wound them.”

   Taklinn looked uncertainly at Griff, still wanting to throw in his lot with him, but 
also beginning to see the bigger picture. Griff saved him the discomfort of
answering me.

   “Tell you what,” Griff said, “Let’s focus on the tangibles. We don’t even know 
what we’re really facing here. Wasp, can you draw us a map of the camp? A
detailed map?”

   “Sure!” Wasp said, eager to be included in the plan. 

   “OK,” Griff continued, “And you, Doorag, can you use your magics to spy on
them to try and determine their strength?”

   I looked doubtfully at him, but nodded. “I suppose I could try to scry that cleric; 
maybe watch him for a bit and get an idea of how many other casters and clerics
they have if he interacts with them. That, and there’s the option of a fly over while
invisible. I can’t see that it would hurt to at least take a look…” 

   “Good enough!” Griff said. “And you, Taklinn, can you somehow talk this thing
over with Clangeden? Doorag is right, I don’t want to start some holy war, so
maybe if you could ask your god where he’d stand on such a mission?” 

   Taklinn pulled at his beard. “Give me the time to pray for the spell and I’ll do it.”

   “OK,” Griff smiled thinly, “You do that. If Clangeden tells you it’s a bad idea, I’ll
trust that he knows better than I do and drop the whole thing. Is that fair?” He 
looked at me.

   “That’s fair.” I replied.

   “Then I suggest we sleep on this.” Griff said. “Wasp will draw us a map and tell 
us all he can remember, and you two can cast to your hearts content. Tomorrow
morning we’ll all be a lot calmer and we can hash this thing out like the crew we’re
supposed to be.” 

   I must admit, I was caught off guard by the maturity of Griff’s suggestion, but I
could hardly deny his wisdom, and I nodded my agreement. We all went to our
separate rooms shortly afterwards, though Happy and I still had little to say to each
other in the way of good night wishes.  

   I retired to my room when we had all parted, commanding even the servants to 
leave me in solitude and locking the door securely behind them. I had some
thinking to do.

   Wearily undressing myself, I removed my hat from my head and set it on the 
desk, immediately feeling the drain on my mental faculties as I did so, but enjoying
my normal intellect at the same time. While it is true that the hat, with it’s magical
enhancement to my intelligence, affords me a greater range and command of magic, 
sometimes I think it causes me to be too cerebral, and thus, out of touch with
visceral emotions. I have always struggled to maintain a connection with my heart,
and the wisdom therein. Too often I am simply too analytical, and I feel like 
removing my hat sometimes allows me to catch a glimpse of the world as “normal”
folk see it. 

   Besides, I needed to talk to someone, and that someone lived in my hat. 

   “Come on out, Ambros.” I said, sipping from a glass of sherry and rubbing the
bridge of my nose. My trusty familiar appeared, whiskers first, sniffing the air and
then padding out to sit on his haunches. He regarded me with raised eyebrows, and I 
could see by the expression on his small face that the crew’s conversation had not
gone unheard by him.

   I set my glass down so that he could have a sip of the sherry, and while he did, I 
loaded my pipe, lighting it with a cantrip, trying to relax and look at things
objectively.

   “Well,” I asked him, “What do you think?” 

   “About what?” he asked, innocently.

   “Don’t be coy, Ambros.” I said, dryly. “You know what I’m talking about.”

   “Ah,” he said, “The Harmonium problem?” 

   I blew a smoke ring that landed on his head and turned into a tiny wizard’s hat
before dissipating, a trick that I know irks him. “Yes. Specifically, my take, as
opposed to the rest of the crew’s position.” 

   “You want my honest opinion?” He asked, swatting away the smoky hat. 

   “Of course.” I replied.

   Ambros scratched his chin for a moment and twisted a whisker thoughtfully as he 
considered all the angles. Finally, he sat back on his haunches and began to speak.
“You bring up many good points,” He said. “The Harmonium could well be a far
reaching group, and our actions may have repercussions as far as Havilah and 
beyond. I don’t relish the idea of having them as an enemy. Depending upon just
how vengeful they might be, we have to consider the possibility that they might
seek to extract revenge not on us directly, but on those whom we love, though that 
is, of course, always that chance. Also, there is the matter of Taklinn’s stance to be
considered. Starting a war with them, especially here on Arcadia, could be
disastrous, given a possible clash between Cuthbert and Clangeden. Taklinn will not 
want to be the one to upset the balance between the two deities on their home plane.
Hopefully things wouldn’t go that far, but, as with many things we stick our noses
into, the potential for uncontrolled escalation is there, and that’s a factor to be 
considered. All too often, events have a tendency to run away from us. There is also
the matter of Caribdis. We are close, and every day we dilly dally about decreases
the odds of his returning with us when we finally find him.” 

  “However…” he let this last word hang for several seconds until I prodded him.

   “However, what?” I said.

   “Well, you’ll forgive me for saying so, Master, but I personally believe that 
Caribdis is a bit of a blind spot for you. Since his death you have become somewhat
obsessed with the idea that you can find him and return him to life. I know that you
accept the possibility that he may refuse to come back, or that we may never even
get the chance to talk to him, but in your heart of hearts I don’t think you have 
allowed yourself to actually believe that it could happen that way. The closer we get
to him, the more tunnel visioned you have become, and now we find ourselves in a 
position where you have been ostensibly forced to choose between Caribdis and
Griff, and you have chosen Caribdis, or at least that is what it looks like to the rest
of the crew. Not only that, but you have chosen Caribdis over your own morals and 
the tenants by which you have lived your life and upheld as a crew member. Your
desire to find Caribdis has enabled you to rationalize the suffering of innocents, and
while I agree that we cannot save everyone, and that innocents will always suffer, 
we have always considered ourselves duty bound to do what we can, when we can.
Evil thrives when good men do nothing, and all that.”

   Ambros paused to take another sip of sherry and regarded me, trying to gauge my 
reaction to his observations. 

   “Go on.” I urged him.

   He did. “There is also the matter of your vote on this matter, and the way in which 
you cast it. The fact is, should this encampment of Harmonium be as powerful as
we think they might be, the three of them, well, four including Wasp, will have
almost no chance at success without your help. Taklinn can cast some very 
powerful spells, but I don’t think he has the utility that you command. Therefore,
what you have, in essence, done by simply refusing to take part is to attempt to win
the argument by allowing them no chance of success. Because I can feel your 
emotions, I know that this was not your consence intent, but perhaps on a deeper
level you did realize it. Essentially you have made a power play, blocking their will
in an attempt to facilitate your own desires, which, I’m afraid, can only lead to 
resentment.”

   Ambros fell silent then, and I did not answer. I smoked furiously for several
minutes, looking at a point above his head, lost in thought. 

   “Your angry, but not at me.” He said.

   I sighed. “I am angry at myself, Ambros. You are, of course, right.” I stood from
my chair and began to pace the room, talking all the while. “How can I possibly call 
myself a crew member of Havilah if I am willing to let evil, even under the guise of
neutrality, go unchecked? And how can I call myself a friend if I am willing to
withhold my help in order to accomplish my own ends because I decide that they 
are more important than Griff’s? I still doubt the wisdom of picking a fight with the
Harmonium, but I cannot let fear govern my choices. I’m quite sure that they will
not be the last enemies I acquire.”  

   I sighed again and realized my pipe had gone out. I set it on the desk and looked
thoughtfully at my rat friend. “Perhaps,” I said, “There is another way than a full
frontal assault.” I sat back down at my desk and began to formulate a plan.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 9, 2015)

Hrvstr 23

   This morning I met the crew at the breakfast table, and it was immediately
apparent that the wounds we had opened between ourselves had not healed over
night. Griff was even more silent than usual, and Happy refused to look at me at all. 
Only Taklinn seemed not to have lost his appetite (well, he and Wasp) and the pair
of them were busy tearing into platters of eggs and ham. It was obvious that there
was much we all wanted to say, but none of us seemed to know where to begin. 

   I shuffled my feet for a few moments, stirring my eggs listlessly, until I finally
decided to break the tension.

   “Ahem.” I cleared my throat, “Griff, Happy, I have a few things I need to say.” 

   The two of them looked at me expectantly, though it was clear by their faces that
they did not expect to like it. 

   “I, umm, I think I owe the pair of you an apology.” I began. “I said some things
last night that were not befitting of a crew member, let alone a friend and comrade.
I hope you will take me at my word when I say that I was simply heart sick at the 
notion of forgoing our quest for Caribdis again, no matter how short the diversion
may be. I was blinded by it, and spoke without thinking. I placed my desire to find
him above your desires to do the right thing, and such is not the way of this crew. 
Of course I will help you to free these prisoners. If I didn’t, I would not be worthy
of having a place in this crew, or of your friendship. I hope you can forgive me.”

   Griff regarded me for a moment, then shrugged. “No apology necessary, Doorag. 
Lets just do this and get out of here.”

   Happy also looked at me, her face softened dramatically. “I understand, Doorag,”
she said softly, “I want to find Caribdis too. I know you didn’t mean those things. If 
it’s any consolation, I can tell you that my main reason for wanting to knock these
Harmonium guys down a few pegs is because they picked on Griff and I. They
wanted to take us in for their ‘re-education’, or whatever it is, and that rubs me the 
wrong way. I take that kind of thing personally.”

   I smiled at her, realizing that she was telling the truth. My mind went back to our
capture of Sensesi and the memory of how personally Hap had taken the yuan-ti’s 
attack on her.”

   “OK,” said Griff, breaking the awkward silence that followed, “Taklinn, have you
talked with your god?” 

   Taklinn stopped his chewing, his mouth still stuffed with ham, and swallowed
slowly. “Err, no.” He said.

   Griff raised a questioning eyebrow. “Why not?” 

   “Well,” our cleric answered, wiping his mouth, “I thought quite a bit about it last
night and came to the conclusion that I’m not entirely sure I want to use a
‘commune’ to speak with Clangeden this close to his home. I’m not real sure what 
would happen. Probably nothing out of the ordinary, but I don’t know. That, and I
think this is a decision that we need to make ourselves, and I have a feeling that it
has been made.” 

   I nodded slowly. “You may be right, Taklinn. Truth be told, I’m all right with the
responsibility. This way Cuthbert cannot blame Clangeden for putting his stamp of
approval on our action.” 

   Griff shrugged again. “So I guess we need a plan.”

   “Funny you should mention that, Griff,” I said, “I actually have a little something
put together in my head that you might like. Wasp, did you make that map we asked 
you to?”

   “Yep!” The little fellow grinned, shoving a rather rumbled and grimy, though still
legible sheet of parchment with a map drawn on it toward us. 

  I spent the next twenty minutes going over my plan, stopping to answer questions
and clarify points, though for the most part Taklinn, Griff and Happy, and even
Wasp, listened with rapt attention, nodding now and again. I produced paper and 
pen, sketching it out and showing them exactly what I had in mind. I used Wasp’s
map a reference often, and stopped to ask him for details on the schedule of the
Harmonium troops. 

   “So there you have it.” I said at last. “And the real beauty is, if it works, it may be
one of the sweetest prison breaks of all time! If all goes well, we’ll free every
prisoner in their, we won’t shed a drop of Harmonium blood, and they won’t have a 
clue as to how we did it! What do you think?”

  The four of them looked at me for several minutes, then Griff’s face broke into a
broad smile. “I think we’ve got a plan!” 

   I spent the rest of the day in preparation. First, I wanted a peek inside that camp,
and to that end I used a ‘greater scrying’ to find and watch one of the fighters we 
had let go the day before. He was busy going about his routine, and I was able to
catch many glimpses of other warriors as he passed and interacted with them. What
I saw gave me serious pause. 

   My second scry was directed at a fellow whom Wasp had shared a cell with. With
his name, I was able to find him, and got a good look at the interior of the prison as
well as the yard when they took him out for a bit of exercise before his ‘lesson’. 
Fortunately, his lesson for the day consisted of a few hours of being preached to by
a pair of Harmonium who hammered away at him with their twisted philosophy of
law. It was an obvious attempt to brainwash him, and I could tell that he was very 
tired. There was no physical abuse, but I could only imagine the mental strain of
such lectures day after day.

   When I was satisfied, I cut the connection and found the rest of the crew. 

   “These guys are tough.” I said, flatly. “Very tough! And rich, apparently.”

   “What did you see?” Hap asked, suddenly very interested. 

   “Well, as you know, we got quite a haul off of those six we dealt with in the field. 
Each of those guys wore at least a decent ring of protection and a cloak of
resistance that is equal to mine, and those aren’t cheap! Not only that, but all of
them packed magical blades and armor. I was hoping that such wouldn’t be the case 
with the rest of them, that perhaps that was some sort of elite strike team, but
apparently not. Just from following one of them around today I was able to see that
each knight is armed exactly the same way! We’re talking about heavily magically 
equipped troops here, and a lot of them!”

   “Well, with any luck we shouldn’t have to run into any of them!” Hap reasoned.
“Though it sure would be nice to relieve them of some of those toys. But ah well, if 
we can relieve them of their stupid pride I’ll be satisfied.”

   I spent the remainder of the day and most of the night in learning a spell from
Helious’ book that I would need. ‘Solid Fog’. 




    Hrvstr 24 

   Today we put the first phase of our plan into action. As soon as we were up and
ready, we exited the mansion and walked back around toward the forest. The
encampment was located about one hundred yards from a tree line, which suited me 
perfectly. We made our way to a spot about fifty yards back into the trees, well out
of sight of the camp, and we began.

   First, Taklinn cast a ‘find the path’ on himself, and I was envious at what a nifty 
spell it was! However, the second part fell to me, and thus I cast a ‘polymorph’ on
him. Immediately he took the form of a frost worm, smaller than the one I had
turned into a turtle on the tundra, but every bit as frightening. Taklinn seemed to 
grin through the huge mandibles, ready to go to work.

   I cast a ‘passwall’ spell directly at the ground, opening up a shaft in the earth that
descended for thirty feet. I stood back, motioning for Taklinn to lead the way, and 
he did, slithering down the shaft. Once he’d reached bottom, he began to eat away
at the dirt below, quickly carving out a tunnel that led south, toward the Harmonium
encampment. With a levitate, I let myself down the shaft to follow him while Hap 
and Griff remained on top. 

   I followed Taklinn as he bored his way through the earth at amazing speed,
casting ‘walls of stone’ every so often to ensure that the tunnel did not collapse on
our heads. With his dwarven knowledge of tunneling, he was able to avoid sections 
that looked unstable. It took two castings of ‘polymorph’, but at last he stopped. We
were now exactly thirty feet below the prison building. I knew that, straight up, was 
the hallway that ran between the rows of cells.

   When Taklinn had returned to his own form, we made our way back through the
several hundred feet of tunnel and climbed out again. I dismissed the ‘passwall and 
the earth closed up over our tunnel as if the shaft had never been there. Our tunnel
was hidden thirty feet below. 

   I cast a mansion and we entered, hiding out for another full day while I learned a 
second spell from Helious’ book. ‘Dominate Person’.


   Hrvstr 25

   Today we put our plan into action! 

   It took me until early afternoon today to learn the ‘dominate person’ dweomer,
after which I needed my rest, which was fine as we could do nothing until night. At
midnight my servant woke me as instructed and I began to prepare. By one o’ clock 
we had assembled ourselves on the spot where we had begun our tunnel yesterday.
Wasp was to remain there, out of harms way and ready to greet the escapees. 

   Taklinn, Hap, Griff and I set out for the tree line and once there, we found 
ourselves a fine hiding spot from which we could barely make out the log walls of
the Harmonium encampment in the odd moonlight afforded by the orb that passes
for a moon here on Arcadia. We waited there until two o’ clock, at which time we 
put our plan into motion. 

   Taklinn began to intone a prayer that would eventually lead to the casting of a
‘control weather’ spell. At first the hot summer night was still, but as the minutes 
passed a sudden breeze played at the trees and the first fat rain drops began to fall.
Thunder rolled in the distance. Our cleric let the storm build slowly, taking nearly
an hour to wind it up to its full force. By 3:00am the land was gripped in a two mile 
radius by a full fledged summer storm that caused the trees around us to bend with
the force of the winds. A driving rain pelted down upon us and one thunder clap
quickly gave way to another. With any luck the storm would provide the distraction 
we needed and would cover any noise we might make.

  “Ok, Taklinn!” I shouted above the thunder. “We’re going in! Remember, only
use the elementals if I give you the signal!”  

   I saw his face lit up by a flash of lightning as he nodded. We had decided that,
should we need further distractions to do our work, Taklinn would summon several
air elementals to wreak havoc in the camp. Hopefully it would not be necessary.  

   “Are you two ready?” I yelled at Griff and Hap. Griff gave me a thumbs up, and
all I needed from Happy was the excited grin on her face to know that she had been
ready for quite some time.  

   The first order of business was communication, and to that end I used a spell that
I had learned specifically for Hap and Griff’s wedding. I cast the ‘Rary’s telepathic
bond’ and the four of us soon found that we could hear each others thoughts 
provided we were open to receiving and sending them. This would facilitate silent
communication between all of us, including Taklinn so that we could keep him
abreast of the situation. 

  Next, I cast ‘invisibilities’ on Griff and Hap and they faded from view
satisfactorily. For myself, I invoked a ‘greater invisibility’. It would not last as long,
but it would enable me to cast offensively without becoming visible. We knew that 
at least one controlling spell would have to be used.

   “All right, get ready!” I thought to Griff and Hap. “And remember, there will be
one guard in the hall, I’ll attempt to deal with him. If it fails, it may be up to you.
Silence is key!” 

  “Got it.” Griff thought back.

   “Check.” Added Happy. 

   I reached for them and cast ‘greater teleport’, picturing the hall that ran between
the cells within the prison building. 

   And we were there. 

   The prison was the only solid structure within the entire camp. Warriors, clerics
and wizards alike resided in sturdy tents that lined the log walls, while at it’s center
they had constructed the prison, also from logs. One half of the building was used 
for “re-education” while a single door led into a narrow hall that ran for thirty feet
or so. The entry door was made of sturdy wood with a single, barred, window
looking out into the rest of the building, while more of the same sorts of doors lined 
the hall. Behind each of these locked doors I knew we would find several prisoners. 

   But first, there was the matter of the guard.

   My previous scrying, and Wasp’s information, had told us that a single guard 
patrolled the hallway at all times. I had aimed my teleport for the spot closest to the
outer door so that we could be between it and the guard should I fail to enspell him.
The first thing I did as we appeared in the hall was to look for the guard. He was 
easy to find, as he was leaning up against a door not three feet from me! He
appeared quite bored, and never flinched as we ported in so near him. I had a split
second of panic before I remembered that he couldn’t see us, though I knew I had to 
act quickly, for water from the rain outside would soon begin to drip from our
cloaks and give us away. In an instant, I was casting. 

   The thunder outside masked my whispered incantation. The guards eyes jerked 
wide, and then I felt a powerful bond to him as the ‘dominate person’ dweomer
took hold! 

   “Got him!” I thought to Hap and Griff, excitedly. I felt rage and resistance boil 
within the guard, but he had to obey me when I spoke quietly into his ear. “Do
nothing!” I commanded. “Stay where you are and remain utterly silent!” I felt him
try to break the charm, but it was no use. He was my puppet. 

   “Hap, get the keys!” I thought to her.

   Our silent rogue did so, snatching them from the guards belt with a chuckle, but
Griff had discovered something. “Doorag!” He thought to me. “There’s another 
one, right outside the door! All he’s gotta do is take a step and look left and the jig
is up!”

   Fortunately I had prepared for just such an eventuality, and cast another spell that 
I had never used before. I aimed the ‘permanent image’ at the outer doors window,
carefully picturing the scene I wanted to set. Once I had finished the spell I allowed
myself to relax just a bit, for now if anyone was to look through that window they 
would see nothing more than the hall, empty except for the bored guard, leaning
against the wall. 

   “How’s it going in there?” I heard Taklinn’s worried thought in my head. 

   “Everything’s fine,” I answered, “Just keep that thunder coming.” As if in reply, a
huge clap of thunder sounded in the night sky, and I sent more instructions to the
crew.  

   “Hap, get the cell doors. Use the thunder to mask the sound. Griff, you know what
to do.” With that, I dismissed the ‘invisibility’ on him. 

   The day before, I had explained to Griff that I felt it was of vital importance that 
he be the first one of us the prisoners saw. I reasoned that he was the most “heroic”
looking one among us, and would easily command the trust of the prisoners and be
able to convince them to stay silent, that we were here to help them. He had rolled 
his eyes at this, but could hardly argue. The only thing that made him nervous, he
had said, was that he would be the only one visible!

   Hap turned the key noiselessly in the first cell door and swung it open, thunder
and rain covering the creak of hinges. Inside we saw five forms, huddled in 
threadbare blankets, rising and falling shallowly with the breath of sleep. Griff
entered quietly and knelt beside a man, placing his hand over his mouth and rousing 
him from slumber. At first, the man’s eyes went wide with fear, but Griff quickly
put that to rest. 

   “We’re here to break you out!” Our warrior whispered urgently. “Be as quiet as 
you can, wake the others and tell them to wait in the cells! Not a peep out of
anyone! Got it?”

   The man nodded and Griff took his hand away to reveal a wolfish grin on the 
fellows face. He and Griff quickly woke the rest.

   Hap and Griff repeated the process again and again, unlocking doors, waking
prisoners, and assuring them that their freedom was at hand while I kept an eye on 
the outer door, listening intently for sounds of alarm and communicating with
Taklinn every few seconds to tell him what was going on. 

   Within a minute every cell door was ajar and some fifty people waited within for 
us to free them. We instructed one cells worth of prisoners to come out into the
hallway, after which I commanded the guard, who had, this entire time, been
seething with desire to scream for help, to enter the now vacant cell. I did not want 
him to see how we were to free the prisoners. As I closed the door and locked it, I
told him to remain silent and to do nothing. He looked at me with hatred, but had to
obey. 

   It was time to put the next phase of our plan into effect. Hap took my spot and
kept watch as I made my way to the far end of the hall. Once there, I looked at the
final ten foot section and prayed that my calculations had been correct and that 
Taklinn’s ‘find the path’ had been accurate. I cast a ‘passwall’ at the floor and a
thirty foot long shaft opened up into the earth. I looked down into it and breathed a
huge sigh of relief. I could see the end of our tunnel below. I quickly followed the 
‘passwall’ with a ‘solid fog’, filling the shaft with the heavy mist. 

   “Ok, Griff,” I thought to him, “We’re set to go!”

  “All right, in you go.” Griff whispered to the nearest prisoner. She looked at the 
shaft uncertainly, hardly willing to trust that the fog would keep her from
plummeting to the bottom, but Griff was convincing in his own way. “You can stay
here and let these tin suits beat on you,” he hissed, “Or you can trust me. It’s magic! 
You’ll be fine!” He handed her his ever burning torch and lit it for her. “Take this,
it’ll be dark down there. Now go!”

   The woman could hardly argue with him, and with a deep breath, she stepped into 
the shaft. 

   As I had known it would, the fog caused her to settle slowly into the shaft. I was
gratified by the look of surprise and relief on her face as she sank harmlessly 
downward.

  Griff motioned for more prisoners to follow, and seeing that the fog would do as
he had promised, they quickly followed the woman. The seconds that passed were 
tense as we waited for all of them to take the leap of faith. I kept expecting the
sounds of our discovery and cries of alarm, but none came. At last, the final
prisoner had stepped into the shaft and we were alone in the hallway.  

  “Let’s get the hell out of here!” I thought to Griff and Hap, and the could not have
agreed more. 

   The three of us jumped into the shaft and settled to the bottom where we found 
the fifty people waiting for us. I quickly turned and dismissed both the ‘solid fog’
and the ‘passwall’, and just like that, the shaft sealed itself. Now, anyone searching
for a means of the prisoners escape would find nothing. We had left no trace. 

   “Let’s go!” Griff shouted, shouldering his way to the front of the column. We
followed him through the tunnel and I could see the excitement growing on the
faces of the people. They were beginning to believe that they were actually going to
be free! Truth be told, I was just beginning to believe it myself. 

   I sent a quick message to Taklinn. “We’re in the tunnel! Get out of there and meet
up with Wasp!”  

  We followed Griff for several hundred feet until we came to the end of the tunnel.
Several of the prisoners eyed the dead end nervously, but I asked them to excuse me
as I made my way to the front of the line. From there, it was a simple matter of 
casting a second ‘passwall’ at the tunnels ceiling, and soon I heard the delighted
gasps from the prisoners as they felt rain pour in and a breeze cool their faces. 

   I had used a ‘fabricate’ to craft a ladder the day before, and Wasp stood ready 
with it. He lowered it down to us, and from there it was a simple matter of climbing
out. By the time half of the escapee’s had made it to the top Taklinn had rejoined
us. Soon the clearing was full of our crowd, and when I was certain that all were 
accounted for, I dismissed the ‘passwall’, thus hiding the last of the evidence. 

   By this time I was visible, and I made the same true for Hap. I quickly made
introductions to the freed prisoners, but warned them that it was too early to 
celebrate. 

   “I still have a connection to that guard,” I said, “So I’ll know when they find him.
So far, so good. He’s just sitting in that cell, stewing, but sooner or later they’ll 
relieve him, and when that happens I want to be as far from here as possible! We’re
heading for the portal that will take us to the upper layer of Arcadia. I suggest that
you all accompany us!”  

  There was no argument from the crowd, and soon we were a mobile column
again, moving in a northeasterly direction through the forest as fast as we could. 

   Despite their confinement, the prisoners were able to make good time, and we 
soon left the trees and broke into open fields. On and on we raced, knowing that the
portal was only a few hours away, yet I also knew that we were not out of the real
woods yet, for I had to assume that a few things were going to soon happen.  

   First, the guard would be discovered. Second, their wizards would scry one of the
escaped prisoners. Third, they would mount up and ride hard after us while a
contingent of them would almost certainly teleport directly to our location. I could 
only hope that we would beat them to the portal. Even then, there was no real
reason to believe that they would not chase us even to the upper layer. 

   We jogged on for two hours, at which point the “sun” showed it’s face, and within 
seconds daylight bathed the plains of Arcadia. This seemed to invigorate us, and we
forged ahead.

   Another hour passed, and still I felt nothing but frustration and anger from the 
guard back in his cell, but then, that all changed. 

   I stopped, detecting a sudden change in the emotion of the guard. It was hope!
Griff, Taklinn and Hap looked at me quizzically and I told them what was 
happening. “We’re about to be found out.” I informed them.

   Minutes later, hope turned to excitement and relief, and I assumed that the guards
cell had finally been opened. I knew that the guard would be unable to tell them 
anything as long as I dominated him, but I wanted one last laugh at the expense of
the Harmonium. I sent the guard a final mental command, which I also voiced aloud
for the benefit of Hap, Griff, and Taklinn. “You will do nothing but sing and 
dance!” I willed, and I could feel a sudden burst of humiliation from the guard as
I’m sure he began to caper about and caterwaul. The rest of the crew must have had
the same mental image, for all of us doubled over with laughter at the thought of the 
befuddled Harmonium as they watched the poor fellow helplessly prance about. 

   But there was no time to savor the joke. Wiping a tear of mirth from my eye, I
glanced behind us. “They’ll probably dispel my ‘dominate’ soon and that guard will 
be able to talk. Also, they’ll scry us. I’ve got a ‘detect scrying’ going already, so I’ll
tell you when that happens. I think we’ll beat the riders to the portal if Wasp is right
about how far w have to go, but we can expect a few of them to port after us. Let’s
get going and stay ready. 

   I was soon proven correct, for fifteen minutes later I felt the bond between myself
and the guard break. Nearly an hour to the minute later, I felt the first hint of a scry 
being used. 

   “They’re on to us!” I shouted. “Keep moving!” The prisoners renewed their
efforts, running on on tired legs, but the taste of freedom gave them strength. Griff, 
Taklinn, Hap and I fell to the rear of the line of people, and I kept looking over my
shoulder, waiting for our pursuers to arrive. 

   I did not have long to wait. 

   They appeared behind us, eight of them in all, perhaps one hundred feet away.
One thing I can say about the Harmonium is that they are consistent in their 
uniform, and thus it was easy to pick them out by occupation since their dress was
identical to the first six we had fought days ago. Five of them wore the plate mail of
their knight class; there was a single cleric; and my stomach fell when I saw not 
one, but two mages. That was bad.

   We skidded to a stop, yelling for the prisoners to keep moving, to break for the
portal and not look back while we held the Harmonium off. Taklinn, Hap, Griff and 
I turned to face these opponents and I began to cast furiously. 

  I had only a few high level dweomers left after the escape plan. Even my normal
‘overland flight’ had had to be forgone in favor of other spells. I had a normal ‘fly’ 
spell still in reserve, but I decided not to waste the precious time needed to cast it. I
wanted to hit them hard and fast. To that end, I invoked a contingent ‘greater
invisibility’, hoping that it would be defense enough. I followed that up by raising 
my staff and sending a fireball at them. Grouped as they were, it caught them all,
and while I knew it probably wouldn’t kill any of them, it would soften them up a
bit and give them something to think about. The fireball exploded in their midst and 
I saw at least one of the wizards nearly fall to the ground. Near dead, he was able to
keep his feet only with the aid of the cleric who was already casting a healing spell
on him. 

   After my initial volley, I raced away from the rest of the crew, hoping to get
outside the possible area of any return spells, and setting up for another blast of my
own. 

   My hunch was right, for the second mage, not as badly wounded, hurtled a
‘fireball’ of his own at my crew that completely missed me. It was a nice try, but
largely ineffective. It would take far more than a couple of medium evocations to 
kill Taklinn, and Griff’s spell resistant armor simply allowed him to ignore the spell
entirely. As for Happy, it is pure folly to even try to hit her with such things as
‘fireballs’. She tucked and rolled, coming up without so much as a singe. She pulled 
her magical dagger and went invisible, blinking out of sight. Now, only Taklinn and
Griff offered visible targets, and the Harmonium knights took their best shots.

   Four of them charged straight at Taklinn and Griff while the fifth man hung back, 
searching the area for Hap and I. Griff grunted as two long swords found him and
bit through his armor. Taklinn was hit once. Neither of our fighters were in too bad
a shape yet, and I resolved to concentrate on the spell casters. Besides, with my 
enhanced sight, I could see Happy maneuvering around for a killing strike on one of
Griff’s enemies. I hoped that they would soon have those fighters well in hand.
Indeed, Taklinn took a step back and invoked his ‘righteous might’. As I saw the 
holy energy flood through him I grinned, knowing that he would soon give these
Harmonium much to think about. 

   Meanwhile, the two mages and the cleric still stood back in the spot where they 
had first appeared, and I thanked them inwardly for being kind enough to stay
bunched up like that. The cleric was preparing to cast another healing spell on one
of the mages, but he never got the chance. I hurled a second ‘fireball’ at them. For a
split second they were concealed by the flames, but when it cleared, both wizards 
lay on the ground, still as death. The surprised and wounded cleric looked about
himself for help, found none, and switched the target of his healing spell to himself! 

   At the same time, Griff was returning the pain that his two enemies had visited
upon him. With a mighty swing he caught his first man high on the shoulder. The
knight tried to dodge, but that only brought him close enough for Happy to dart in 
and sink a dagger into his thigh. Griff followed with a second slash that dropped the
knight where he stood. 

   Undaunted, the knights pressed their attack. Taklinn’s pair managed to hit him a 
couple of good blows, but our cleric laughed them off. He was nearly twice his
normal height now, and bursting with holy strength. He dropped his shield, grabbed
the haft of one of his axes in both hands, and waded into the two knights. His first 
attack caught a knight squarely in the side of the head, caving it in, helmet and all.
The knight dropped like a sack of flour. Taklinn followed through with a mighty
slam at his second opponent, and I saw that one drop as well! But our cleric was not 
through yet, for his momentum carried his axe blade on around to connect with
Griff’s last opponent, and down when that one as well! True, the fighters had all
been softened a bit by my first ‘fireball’, but it was a fearsome display of clerical 
might nonetheless! 

   There was one fighter remaining, and he appeared utterly ready to lay down his
life for his cause if it meant possibly taking one of us with him, and unfortunately, 
Happy was directly in his line of attack. Her hit on Griff’s man had caused her to
become visible, and she barely had time to spin around to meet him as the knight
charged her from behind. His sword came down, she dodged, and the blade 
whistled harmlessly past her! Cart wheeling out of the way, our roguish friend
backed off, opening up space for Griff and Taklinn to deal directly with the knight.

  The cleric had used his healing spell on himself after my last ‘fireball’, but I 
continued to pile the damage on to him. I cast a ‘lightning bolt’ at him, all the while
moving ever closer to him, getting within the range I needed for a follow up should
it come to that. Apparently it would, for the cleric still would not go down! In fact, 
he even ignored the damage to cast an offensive spell of his own! Vertical pillars of
flame suddenly filled the area where Hap, Griff and Taklinn stood. Happy, of
course, rolled out of the way, but Griff and Taklinn were beginning to show signs of 
wear from the spells and hits they had taken. Still, they were far from down yet, and
I knew that if I could put the finishing touches on this cleric, our fighters would
certainly be able to take care of the final knight.  

  I raced forward the final few feet I needed and unleashed an ‘empowered
scorching ray’. All three of the rays struck the cleric, nearly lifting him off his feet.
He shrieked in pain, franticly batting away at the flames, but it was no use. He took 
three staggering steps and fell, face first, onto the ground.

   I breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at the rest of the crew to see how they
were doing. My relief was made complete, for I saw that the last of the knights was 
on the ground, with Taklinn’s massive form pinning him there. I learned later that
Griff had rushed the man, knocking him off his feet, and Taklinn had simply thrown
himself on top of him.  

   “Surrender!” Taklinn commanded the helpless knight, and to my surprise, he did!
The knight let go of his sword and asked for quarter. 

   I checked myself for wounds, found none, and jogged to where the three casters 
lay, scanning them quickly for useful gear and finding much to make me smile. 

   We gathered what items we wanted from our defeated foes while Taklinn healed
an unconscious knight. We now had two prisoners and Taklinn reminded them 
again of who had brought about their ruin. 

  “I am Taklinn the Shorn!” He roared at them. “You live today at my whim! Now
go, and tell your masters to end their harassment, or we shall not be so eager to take 
prisoners the next time." Beaten and stripped of all but their undergarments, the two
knights gritted their teeth and began the long walk back to their encampment. 

   Taklinn laid his hands upon wounds that needed his attention as I rejoined them.
“We’d better catch up to our people.” I said. “The Harmonium might send more.
We were lucky this time. I doubt the next lot of wizards they send will be without 
the protective magic’s they should have had. Lets go!”

   I did not need to ask them twice, and soon the four of us set out at a run across the
plain. 

   Within a few minutes we had caught up to the prisoners, several of whom had
lagged back out of concern that we would lose them. The looks of relief on their 
faces was obvious and a cheer went up from them as we neared. 

   We all trotted on, ever vigilant of more Harmonium that might come after us, but
all our backwards glances showed us nothing. The Harmonium were, if only for the 
day, ready to sit back and lick their wounds. 

   Soon we crested a small rise and beheld the portal. A massive stone dais was
flanked by two massive pillars that curved slightly inward to points, like two giant 
fangs. Between them glowed a shimmering, round, portal suspended in mid air.
Stone steps, worn concave by countless feet led up the dais toward the portal, and
we all stopped, catching our breath as we regarded it.  

  “This is it!” Announced Wasp with a grin. The halfling approached each of us and
happily shook our hands. “I can’t thank you enough.” He said, solemnly. “If we
ever cross paths again, I hope its on better terms, and if its anywhere near a tavern, 
the first round is on me!” With that, he climbed the steps and, with a last look over
his shoulder, he stepped through the portal. 

  The rest of the former prisoners followed suit, each of them embracing us or 
pumping our hands and offering their heartfelt thanks before disappearing into the
glowing disk. Finally it was just the four of us, and one by one, we entered the
portal to Abellio.  

   In no more time than it takes to draw a breath, we stood upon a similar portal, still
in Arcadia, but now on it’s top layer. Abellio shared all of the features of the lower
layer with regard to the terrains geometric precision. In the distance we could see 
another river flowing arrow straight, dividing squares of grassy fields and
symmetric orchards. The most prominent feature, however, was easily the mountain
that dominated the horizon. Perfectly conical, it rose into the Arcadian sky, it’s tip 
piercing the clouds. For me, it was awe inspiring. For Taklinn, it was heart
breaking. 

   I glanced at our dwarf to see him staring at Mount Clangeden with a barely 
concealed look of anguish on his face. Even as Wasp, who had waited for us on this
side of the portal, piped up, Taklinn did not tear his eyes from the mountain.

   “The river Oceanus is that way,” Wasp told us, pointing toward the mountain, 
“Just keep heading toward Mount Clangeden and you’ll have to cross it. Good luck,
and thanks again!” With that, the halfling joined the rest of the people we had freed,
trotting away across the fields to what I hoped were better fates. 

  “Well,” said Griff, “You heard him. Let’s go.”

   Taklinn heaved a sigh that was almost a choked sob, but he quickly coughed it
away and set his jaw. Without a word, he set his path toward the mountain and we 
all followed. 

  It had been a long and trying day though, and we made only an hour before we
decided to get some rest. I cast a mansion and entered, though it turns out that I 
sleep here alone, for Hap, Griff and Taklinn have elected to sleep outside. Hap and
Griff simply prefer nature, and Taklinn, I believe, would at least sleep in the
shadow of his gods mountain, even if he may not climb it. 


   Hrvstr 27 

   We slept through most of the day of Harvester 26 and napped through the night.
By the time the sun orb cast its light over Arcadia on this, the 27th we were all
eager to be off, especially Taklinn, who has been uncharacteristically quiet, 
spending long hours staring towards Mount Clangeden. 

   We walked at a leisurely pace for the better part of the day, fording small streams, 
cutting through fields and small groves of forest, now and then waving at the
inhabitants of this plane. Though Abellio is much the same as the lower layer, we
felt somehow safer here, as if our troubles with the Harmonium had been left far 
behind, though I knew, in the back of my mind, that that was probably untrue. 

  By late noon the mountain was quite close, and soon we could see the shimmering
strip of liquid white that was the river Oceanus as it coursed its way across Abellio 
like a razor straight slash. As we got nearer and nearer to the river, I stole more
glances at Taklinn, for I knew that once we reached it our course would change and
would be heading away from the mountain. He had said little all day, and it was 
painfully apparent that his unexplained exclusion from Mount Clangeden was
causing him no end of torment. I sighed, feeling great empathy for him, and
allowing myself a moment of wonder at how the diety could justify such a cruel 
thing. I knew that it was pointless to try to understand the workings of a god, but to
simply tell one of his most faithful that he can come right to the gates of his most
holy of places, but not enter, with no explanation, just seems unjust. I hoped that, 
once we put the mountain to our backs, Taklinn’s mind would be put at ease a bit,
though I sorely doubted it. 

   As it turned out, our path would find yet another detour! 

   By early evening we were nearly to the banks of the Oceanus, and as we got
closer we could make out a figure standing on the far side of the river, apparently
waiting for us. As we drew closer still, we could see that the creature was quite tall, 
hairless, and sprouted beautiful white wings from its back! It also held a massive,
two-handed sword. As we reached the river bank, I heard Taklinn gasp as he
realized what it was, and I echoed him as I also recognized it.  

   A solar! 

   Taklinn dropped to one knee in deference to the angelic form, and even I lowered
my eyes and gave it a courteous bow. Griff and Happy looked curiously from 
Taklinn and I to the solar, having no idea what it was or why we would genuflect
toward it. 

   “It’s a solar!” I hissed at them. 

   “Yeah, so?” Shrugged Griff.

   I opened my mouth to whisper to them exactly what a solar was and why they
should give it its due respect, but was interrupted by the creature itself.  

   “Arise, Taklinn the Shorn.” The solar said in a weird and echoic voice from his
position on the opposite side of the river. “I have been waiting for you.”

   “You’ve been waiting for him?” Griff growled, eyes narrowing, “What the hell 
does that mean?”

   “I have been waiting for all of you, Griffin Dorjan.” The solar said patiently.
“Greetings, Happy Dorjan, and greetings, Doorag Marzipan.” 

   The fact that the solar knew our names did not surprise me, though it did take
Griff a bit off guard, and our warrior challenged him no more. 

   “What would you have of us?” Taklinn asked, his voice heavy with reverence.  

  “Not I, but Clangeden,” The solar said, his topaz eyes glowing with holy inner
light, “For I am merely his messenger. You may call me Anwell. I have been sent
here to inform you that your quest has changed.” 

   I groaned inwardly at his words. Part of me had already known that the
appearance of the solar would lead us away from our path to Caribdis, but I had 
been holding onto hope that such would not be the case. I said nothing, however,
for since the Harmonium I had come to a certain peace with the fact that we would
simply get to Caribdis when fate so decreed it. We were obviously only partially in 
charge of our own fates, and there was little point in fighting it. I sighed and waited
for this new detour. 

  “I am Clangeden’s humble servant.” Taklinn declared. “What would he have me 
do?”

   Clangeden would request a service of all of you,” Anwell spoke, “A service that,
if not completed, could tip the balance of power in the lower planes and send 
ripples outward that affect us all.”

   “Several nights ago,” The solar continued, “An item of great import was stolen
from Clangeden. How such a thing came to be is unimportant. Suffice to say, the 
item is an axe of great power, both physically and symbolically. Clangeden asks
that you retrieve it.”

   Griff sighed, obviously not as resigned to our fate as I. “Crap.” He muttered.  

   “Where must we go, my lord?” Taklinn asked, pointedly ignoring Griff. 

   “The axe has been taken by a Yugoloth called Valthjov to the grey wastes of
Hades, and there intends to use it’s powers in a bid to take over the throne of Siege 
Malicious in Khin-oin. Such a thing cannot come to pass, especially with the aid of
Clangeden’s own weapon. 

  “Khin-oin?” Happy wondered aloud. 

   “Siege Malicious?” Griff echoed her confusion.

   “Perhaps Doorag Marzipan can explain the details better than I.” Invited the solar.

  I cleared my throat, knowing full well the weight of what the solar had asked, and 
tried to put into words the details for Hap and Griff. 

  “Hades is the grey wastes,” I began, “A plane that separates the abyss and the
hells. The abyss is, of course, where demons reside, while the hells are home to 
devils, and Hades is where they meet to do battle.”

   “To do battle?” Hap exclaimed.

   “Yes,” I nodded, “It’s the site of the blood wars, the eternal battle that has raged 
between demons and devils for untold millennia. Hades is a war zone of untold
proportions. It’s where demons and devils and untold amounts of other evil
creatures battle in a never ending conflict. It’s not a nice place.” 

   Griff spat on the ground. “And this Khin-oin?” He asked.

   “Khin-oin is an artifact of near uncontrollable power.” I said. “It’s a tower that
stands in Hades. Legend has it that its carved from the spine of a massive demon. 
Within the tower lies its control center, a throne, known as the Siege Malicious.
Whoever sits in the throne may wield the terrible power of Khin-oin to his own
ends, though, as I understand it, it’s a dangerous proposition at best.” 

   “Doorag Marzipan’s studies have served him well.” Anwell said. “Valthjov seeks
to unseat the current ruler of Khin-oin. That, in and of itself, is not our worry, for in
the end, the tower governs itself. What we may not allow is the use of Clangeden’s 
axe to facilitate such a thing.”

   “When do we go?” Taklinn asked simply. Griff and Happy looked none too
pleased with this new twist, but they said nothing, nor did I, for I knew that there 
would be no turning away from this quest for Taklinn, and therefore we would
follow him. 

   “I will return to you in twenty-four hours.” The solar said. “Use that time to 
prepare. Do not cross the river under any circumstances.” This last sentence seemed
to hit Taklinn in the gut, and he lowered his eyes in shame made all the more
hurtful by its lack of explanation.  

   “One more thing,” Anwell said, “You may rest assured that Clangeden is well
pleased with the way you dealt with the Harmonium.” With that, he simply 
disappeared, and we were left alone on our side of the river.

   With little to do except wait for the solar’s return, I decided to use the time wisely 
and returned to the mansion for some study. I had only recently learned to control
spells from the eighth circle of power, and there was one particular spell from
Helios’ book that I felt might aid us in a fight against Yugoloth. Happy and Griff set 
out to explore the area a bit, and Taklinn sat on the river bank, his axes at his feet. I
believe he stayed there most of the day and on into the night, staring wordlessly at
the mountain, so near, yet so far away. 

   At dinner that evening I explained what I knew of Yugoloths. 
   “Yugoloths,” I said, “Are evil creatures from the plane of Gehenna. Most often
they act as mercenaries for both demons and devils. They are extremely chaotic, 
and have little loyalty other than to the highest bidder. They come in several
varieties, the least of which are the Canoloth, who are the grunts. They are blind,
but their sense of smell more than makes up for that. Next are the Mezzoloth. They 
look like large beetle demons, and have a repertoire of nasty abilities, not the least
of which is the ability to cast ‘cloud kill’ at will. After that you have the Nycoloth,
one of which we already encountered just before we got to Arcadia. They are 
winged, tough, and delight in pain and suffering. Finally, there are the Ultraloth.
You can consider them the generals or wizards of the Yugoloth. Not as tough as the
Nycoloth, but far more intelligent, and with a whole host of spell like abilities at 
their command. It’s my guess that this Valthjov fellow is likely an Ultraloth. We
can expect all manner of nasty work from him, including hypnotism and mass
suggestion.” 

   “Great.” Griff said sourly.

   “Oh, and they are also highly spell resistant,” I added, “Not to mention resistant to
fire, cold and most other energies. That could be a problem.” 

   “So what’s the plan?” Hap asked.

   “I don’t really have one right now.” I answered. “Just being on Hades will present
its own difficulties. The Yugoloth might be the least of the foes we face there. My 
suggestion would be to keep an extremely low profile, get in and get out as fast as
we can. We certainly don’t want to get the attention of some of the worst of the
things that inhabit that place on a regular basis. Even the minor demons and devils 
might be encountered in their hundreds.”

   “All will be well.” Taklinn said, somberly. “Clangeden guides us.”

  “Great, that makes me feel a lot better.” Griff chuckled dryly.  

   “I must return to my research,” I said, “Lets just try to get a good nights sleep and
be as ready as we can be for whatever tomorrow brings.”

  My friends agreed with this, and soon I was back at my desk, sifting through the 
details of the ‘mind blank’ spell.


   Hrvstr 28

   I awoke early the next morning and decided to prepare my spells on the river 
bank, reasoning that a bit of fresh air would do me good. I had mastered the ‘mind
blank’ dweomer last night, and was eager to cast it upon myself. It was a spell I had
been looking forward to for quite some time. 

   I left the mansion to find Taklinn already sitting in his spot on the river bank, still
motionless, still staring at the mountain. I did not disturb him, but sat several yards
away with my books. An hour passed and I soon became lost in the preparation
process of my spells. When next I looked up, the sun had moved some ways across 
the sky, and Taklinn still sat there. With a sigh, I put my books away and walked to
him.  

   “Umm, how ya doing?” I asked, rather lamely. 

   His only reply was a grunt of acknowledgment. 

   “Taklinn,” I tried again, “I know you must be feeling pretty low about this whole 
Mount Clangeden thing, but you can’t let it drive you crazy.”

   Taklinn looked at me and I was surprised by the anger in his eyes. “You cannot
know the depths to which it affects me.” He said flatly. 

   “I’m sure that’s true, but perhaps my distance affords me some perspective.” I
said. “Surely this is just some sort of test…”

   “How can he do this to me?” Taklinn’s words were tinged with heartbreak, with 
anguish, and I felt his pain most acutely at that moment. “Have I not been a true and
faithful servant? Why does he shun me? What have I done to deserve to be
ostracized from his holy mountain? It is not right! It is not fair!” Taklinn had risen 
to his feet by now, and though he spoke to me, his eyes never left the mountain.

   “Again, I’m certain that this just must be some sort of test of faith, Taklinn.” I
assured him, “Part of your duty as a cleric of Clangeden is to accept his decree 
without question, to trust in his wisdom.”

   The anger seemed to drain from him a bit. “I do trust him.” He said. “Of course I
do. And I accept his word as well. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” 

   “No,” came a voice from behind us, “It does not.” 

   Taklinn and I whirled around to see Anwell standing there. He had crossed the
river this time. Taklinn clamped his mouth shut, refusing to speak more of his 
feelings, which was just as well. Hap and Griff were, even then, sauntering down
the hill toward us, and I knew we would be off soon.

   “A couple of questions, if you please?” I asked the solar. 

   “I will answer what I can.” He nodded.

   “This Valthjov, what sort of Yugoloth is he?”

   “Valthjov is an Ultraloth.” Anwell said. 

   “Hmm,” I mused, “I thought as much. And how many others can we expect?”

   “Anwell considered for a moment. “Valthjov is the only Ultraloth we know of
that you will encounter, but he is in command of at least one Nycoloth, as well as a 
small troop of Mezzoloth. It would not surprise me if he had more though.
Generally such creatures do not travel without an entourage of Canoloth at the very
least.” 

   “And how do we find him?”

   “We are unsure as to his exact whereabouts, though we believe that you will find
him near the tower of Khin-oin.” 

   “Fair enough.” I said. “What about returning? I assume that you will shift us to
the Hades, but how will we get back here?”

   “Taklinn will use this.” Anwell said, producing a small, forked piece of metal that 
I recognized as a ‘plane shift’ key. “It is attuned to Arcadia. Either Taklinn or you,
Doorag Marzipan, can use it in conjunction with the ‘plane shift’ spell to return
here.” 

   By this time Hap and Griff had joined us, and though I’m certain they had plenty
of reservations about this mission, they seemed eager to be off. Their gear was
ready, and they nodded when Anwell asked if we were prepared to go. I had only to 
cast a few long lasting preparatory spells on myself (‘mind blank’ being one of
them), and I was ready as well. I grasped Taklinn’s hand on one side, and Hap’s on
the other. Anwell touched out chain, and uttered a few words. The lands of Arcadia 
grew dim and slipped away, and the next instant found us standing in the grey
wastes.

   There was no sun. There was no moon. All was grey and lifeless. Here and there
we could see trees that somehow grew on this desolate plain of ash and rock, but 
they were horribly twisted and deformed, as if evil itself had taken root in the very
soil of this forsaken place. In the distance we could see dots of light that might have 
been hundreds of small fires, and I could only guess at the horrors that danced
around those flames. In another direction, we could just make out the cruel spire of
a tower that pointed like an accusing finger at the heavens, and I assumed it to be 
the dreaded Khin-oin. Some fifty yards away we could see a black river winding its
way across the barren plain; I figured it to be the Styx. 

   Nothing moved as far as we could see, and we were gratified that Anwell had 
seen fit to deposit us in a relatively safe place. 

   “Oh, this is lovely!” Hap exclaimed, sarcastically. 

   I peered about ourselves, quite nervous, and used my ‘overland flight’ to ascend 
several feet into the air. “Let’s just get going.” I said. “Let’s find the axe, take it,
and get the hell out of here!”

   “I’m all for that.” Griff nodded. The oppressive evil that permeated the very air 
here seemed to disconcert even him. 

   Thus, we began to walk across the fields of ash and lava rock, picking our through
the unforgiving terrain. We used no light source, for we wanted no beacon to attract 
unwanted investigators. Over hill and crag we walked (or flew, in my case), with
the tower ever in our sights. We were perhaps an hour from it when we met our first
denizens of this hellish place.  

   Happy heard them first and whirled around to face them with a warning to us all,
but it was too late. Three coal black horses with hooves of fire and eyes red with 
hate ridden by three horrible old crones with sickly figures and hideously revealing
clothing charged down from behind us, crossing the distance with incredible speed.
I had chosen this moment to alight on the ground and walk with my comrades for 
awhile, and I never even had time to retreat to the air before they were among us.

   Griff was pounded by flaming hooves while Taklinn fended off his own hag with
his shield. The third looped around and came straight at me, and I ducked franticly 
as hooves battered the air where my head had been only a fraction of a second
before. Without thinking, I fired off a trio of max/empowered ‘scorching rays’ at
the night hag rider, and then promptly cursed myself loudly, for not only did my 
spell fail to penetrate her spell resistance, even if it had it would have done no good,
for hags are, of course, immune to fire! As I sailed into the air, dodging yet another
flurry of hooves, I berated myself for my stupidity. 

   Happy tucked and rolled, coming up behind Griff’s hag. Three quick dagger
thrusts found their homes and Griff followed with a massive slam of his own that
unseated the hag, which hit the ground hard and lay there twitching.  

   Taklinn slammed his own hag with axe blows, and meanwhile I was in trouble!
Even the air offered no refuge from the hag, for her nightmare simply took to the
skies after me. I could not avoid the hag as she grabbed for me. I felt her bite and 
yelped loudly. Blood streamed from my shoulder as I dived for a position beside
Griff, turning in midair to fire off a ‘flesh to stone’ on her night mare. But it failed!
The hellish beast shook off my spell and dove right after me! 

   Then I saw Taklinn take a step back and hold out his crossed axes symbol of
Clangeden. With a mighty shout he cast what I learned later was “holy word’, a
very powerful divine spell which instantly paralyzed the three remaining 
nightmares! I breathed a sigh of relief as the one coming after me froze and her
rider, caught off balance, fell to the ground, only to leap to her feet and try to bite
Taklinn! She pierced his armor and I saw blood on her teeth, but Taklinn merely 
grunted and whirled to face her.

   Griff stepped in at that moment and brought the Talon across the throat of
Taklinn’s first hag, dropping her where she stood. One of the nightmares fell,
reveling Happy, who had been standing on it’s other side. Her daggers were coated 
with gleaming ichor, and she wore a gleeful grin as she moved on to the next frozen
nightmare. As for myself, I set my jaw and cocked my crossbow, flying up to the 
last paralyzed nightmare. I took careful aim and unloaded a bolt into the things eye.

   Between Taklinn and Griff, the final hag was out matched, and she quickly fell
beneath their steel. We looked around for more marauders, but none appeared.  

   Taklinn inspected his own wound and seemed satisfied that he was uninfected,
but upon examining my bite he clucked his tongue in concern. 

   “She’s given ya the taint, boy.” He informed me, and I had a moment of panic as 
he explained the awful disease that night hags enjoy infecting their victims with.
Fortunately our cleric knew a bit about these creatures, and after rummaging over
one of their bodies for a moment, he gave a satisfied grunt as he found what he was 
looking for. It was her heartstone, and with it he assured me he could cure the
wound. He pressed the stone against the bite for a moment, and I almost felt the
poison and sickness being pulled from my body. The stone glowed dully for a 
moment and then returned to its dead black hue. I felt much better.

   We gathered the two remaining heartstones, found nothing else, and headed out
again, eager to leave the bodies and any evidence of our existence on this plane 
behind.

   We trudged on for another hour, Khin-oin growing larger before us with each 
passing step. Though I should say that Hap, Griff and Taklinn did most of the
trudging. After the attack by the hags I wanted to be off the ground as much as
possible (even though it was no help against the nightmares), so I spent the hour in 
high in the air with Taklinn’s telescope, scanning the area around us for any signs
of trouble. 

   I found some! 

   I quickly adjusted the focus on the telescope, zeroing in on what appeared to be an
encampment of insectoid creatures. Though I had never actually seen one in the
flesh, my studies identified them easily enough. I flew straight back to the ground to 
stand with the others.

   “Mezzoloth!” I announced excitedly, “About a half mile away! Twenty of them!”

   “Didn’t Anwell say something about Valthjov traveling with mezzoloth’s?” 
Happy asked.

   “Indeed he did,” I agreed, “These might be his.”

   “So what do we do about them?” Griff said. “Did you see the guy we’re looking 
for?”

   I shook my head. “No, I didn’t see any Ultraloth or Nycoloth’s. They could be
just a random band of Yugoloth mercenaries.” 

   “Let’s find out!” Taklinn said menacingly. “We should capture one of them and
get information from it!”

   “Easier said than done.” I said. “They can all plane shift at will. You’d have to 
knock one of them out to take it prisoner. I could try a ‘dimensional anchor’, or
Griff could use his vest, though I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

   “We can at least try.” Taklinn said, setting his jaw and hefting his axe.  

   “I agree with him.” Griff said, stroking his short beard. “If these guys know where
the Ultraloth is, it would be worth the trouble.”

   “I suppose you're right,” I nodded, “Besides, I don’t relish the idea of letting them 
get behind us. How do you think we should approach this?”

  “I say we sneak up on ‘em!” Happy said, a dagger already held loosely in her
hand. 

   I waited for Taklinn to disagree with such a dishonorable tactic, but he surprised
me by nodding his head and agreeing. Apparently he felt no compulsion to show the
inhabitants of this place the modicum of fair play he generally afforded others.

   “How tough are these guys, Doorag?” Griff asked. 

   “Well,” I said after some thought, “I’m not real sure. Their ‘cloud kills’ could
hurt, and they have high resistance, both to spells and energies. I’m not certain how 
effective I’ll be against them. Still, I don’t think they pack that much of a punch.”

   The four of us spread out and began to cover the ground between us and the
mezzoloth’s as surreptitiously as we could by darting from sickly tree to ashy 
hillock. We almost managed to get the drop on them, but alas, it was not to be.

   I have said before that Happy can hide in the shadow of a pebble, and I don’t
think I’m exagurating, for even as we moved across the field I would look for her 
from time to time, and even though I knew where she was, I still had trouble seeing
her. Griff and I are nowhere near as stealthy, but even we managed to keep our
heads down and our feet quiet enough to draw within about a hundred feet of the 
Mezzoloth  encampment. Taklinn, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.
Tip toe though he might try, there just wasn’t much help for his clanking armor and
lumbering pace. I cringed with every step he took as the sounds of metal on metal 
echoed all around us. 

   We had made it to a small pile of rubble within a stones throw of the Mezzoloth,
and I felt reasonably happy that we had even made it that far without being heard, 
but even as I was congratulating ourselves, Taklinn took another rattling step and I
watched in dismay as twenty Mezzoloth heads snapped around as one to look in our
direction. Taklinn gave us a look of, “Oops!” but it was far too late to worry about it 
now. We had been discovered, and it was time to rely on our fighting abilities rather
than our stealth.

   Suddenly our entire area was cloaked in a thick, cloying, gas that filled our lungs 
and made us gag and choke! The Mezzoloth had wasted no time in using their
‘cloud kill’ abilities, and it appeared that the whole area was no suffused with the
yellowish fog. I felt the sickness grip my body and strength drained away from me. 
I cursed as I watched it have the same effect on Hap and Griff. This was not good,
and I began to worry that we had underestimated these foes. 

   I leapt into the air, flying straight up as fast as I could, bringing my staff around to 
point at the Mezzoloth pack. I unloaded a fireball into their midst, knowing it would
do little, but having few area effect spells available that would reach them. The
fireball exploded, and at least singed a handful of them, though for the most part 
they simply ignored it and pointed toward me with their tridents. 

   I was out of the gas for the moment, and I watched as Griff charged from the
rubble where we had been hiding. He ran full tilt, sword gripped in both hands, lips 
curled in a sneer. He barreled into the thick of them, and soon I could barely see
him, so surrounded by Mezzoloth he was. All I could make out for long seconds
was his blade coming down again and again.  

   Taklinn was hot on his heels and crashed into the flanks of Griff’s Mezzoloth
attackers. He waded in with his axes, and soon he and Griff were fighting back to
back. It was a desperate battle, for the Mezzoloth proved to be made of tougher 
stuff than we had anticipated. I saw sword and axe blows land that would have split
normal men in two, but the Mezzoloth appeared non-pulsed and simply jabbed
away at our fighters with their tridents while the rest of them piled more ‘cloud 
kills’ into the area. I was sick with worry over that strategy even as I hurled another
fireball into a group of them, for while Griff and Taklinn were very hard to hit, and
could withstand many physical attacks, sooner or later the cloud kill poison would 
bring them down. We needed to turn the tide, and I was frustrated by my inability to
help. My fireballs, even when they overcame the Mezzoloth spell resistance, were
doing little real damage, and I had nothing else that could seriously hurt the 
buggers. I decided to change tactics and try to aid our fighters instead. I used my
wand of ‘haste’ on Griff and Taklinn, and watched as they were suddenly made
faster.  

   More cloud kills surrounded me and I choked as I tried to fly out of the spells
area, feeling even more life drain from me. I scanned the ground for Hap but could 
not find her, which was a good sign. She was probably hiding, working her way
into position for a stealthy kill. Taklinn and Griff hung on grimly, hacking and
slashing, slowly making small bits of headway as they dropped a couple of the 
Mezzoloth. But there were still far too many of them.

   I quickly cast a powerful summoning spell and called forth a large earth elemental
on the flank of the group surrounding Taklinn and Griff. The elemental immediately 
laid about with its massive fists, slamming a Mezzoloth and getting their attention. 

   I continued to fly straight up, trying to get out of range of the cloud kills, when
suddenly, as if from nowhere, I spied a flurry of daggers whip through the air. Two 
of them thunked home less than an inch apart in the back of a Mezzoloth’s head,
and the beetle creature dropped in instant death. A third dagger pierced a Mezzoloth
that Taklinn had already wounded, and it to dropped. I grinned in spite of the 
nausea that gripped me, for I knew that Hap had finally gotten into position.

   Happy’s two kills seemed to be the spark that Griff and Taklinn needed, for the
pair seemed to go mad with blood lust and fury. Griff howled out a guttural battle 
cry and swung his sword like a madman. I watched as one, then two, then three,
then four, and finally a fifth Mezzoloth dropped. Taklinn was close behind, his axes
coming down, biting, cleaving, rending flesh and bone. He killed four of them out 
right. 

   At last we were evening the odds. My elemental continued to beat on Mezzoloth
while Griff and Taklinn moved to deal with still more of them. The battle was 
slowly turning in our favor and even the small amount of damage I had done with
my fireballs appeared to have helped as Griff and Taklinn waded through still more
of them. Between our fighters and the elemental, four more Mezzoloth’s were 
dispatched. I was about to cast a few ‘magic missiles’ in an attempt to at least help
in some small way, but I never got the chance. Seeing that the fight was lost, the
remaining five Mezzoloth disappeared, plane shifting away. Just like that, we were 
left alone on the field.

   Cloud kill fumes still clung to the ground and I could hear my land bound
companions coughing as they sought clear air. At last, Happy, Taklinn, and finally 
Griff stumbled from the clouds and I set down next to them. Griff was dragging the
still form of a Mezzoloth with him.

   “This ones still alive.” He said, spitting bile. “That’s what we were after, right?” 

   Taklinn quickly saw to the bleeding Mezzoloth, using minor healings to stabilize
the creature without bringing it to full conciseness. 

  Our lungs burned and all of us were worse for wear. Hap and I could barely stand 
at all, and I suggested a quick retreat, voicing my fear that the fleeing Mezzoloth
may have gone to their Ultraloth master and might already be getting ready to come
back with reinforcements.  

   Packing our prisoner with us, we hurried away from the battle field to a position
about a half mile away. I quickly cast a mansion and we all stumbled inside. I
sealed the door behind us with a relieved sigh and joined the others in the sitting 
room where I threw myself onto an overstuffed chair, breathing heavily.

   “Cloud kill!” I said, simply.

   “Yeah.” Griff replied, still coughing. 

   “That’s a nasty one all right.” Taklinn added.

   “I feel like hell warmed over.” Happy said. I knew that all of us had been
poisoned by the gas, and I asked Taklinn if he could do anything about it. 

   “Tomorrow I’ll be able to dispel the lasting effects.” He replied. “But not much I
can do right now. It may be a long night. Sorry.”

   “So what do we do with this thing?” Griff asked, pointing at the limp Mezzoloth
body that lay on the carpet before us.  

   “We get the information we seek from it, and then we kill it!” Taklinn replied
flatly. 
   “What?” Happy looked at Taklinn, aghast. “You never cease to amaze me…” She

started, but Taklinn knew where she was going.

  “Look,” he said, cutting her off, “These things are irredeemable. Everything on 
this plane is fair game. I will show no mercy to demons, devils or Yugoloth. I see
no dishonor in slaying them, be they combatant or prisoner.” Happy glowered at
this, seething in Taklinn’s perceived hypocrisy. 

   “Yes,” I said, “But how are we to get the information from it? I don’t think torture
will do much good against a creature to whom torture is meat and drink, and
besides, I don’t relish such an idea anyway. Our other option is to promise it a 
reward in return for the information.”

   Taklinn’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of reward?”

  “Well, it’s freedom, I suppose.” 

  “Bah! To hell with that!” Our cleric barked. “Promise him whatever you like, but
after that, he gets the axe!”

   “Taklinn, think about that for a moment.” I cautioned him. “This Yugoloth may 
be beyond redemption, but there is still the matter of your personal honor. If you
promise a prisoner freedom in exchange for information, and then kill him anyway,
isn’t that a pretty bad reflection on you, no matter how loathsome the prisoner?” 

   Taklinn scowled and chewed his lower lip for a moment. I could tell that he
wanted nothing more than to kill the Mezzoloth, that the very idea of freeing such
an evil creature was abhorrent to him, but at last he sighed heavily. “I suppose your 
right. Especially if it means getting to the Ultraloth and Clangeden’s axe.”

   “So how do we keep him from just plane shifting out of here when he wakes up?”
Happy asked. “And even if we can, what’s to keep him from just going to this 
Valthjov character and warning him that we’re coming?”

   I considered her questions for a moment and then said, “I have a few spells that
may help. I have a couple prepared that I normally don’t have ready since I thought 
we may be meeting the Ultraloth today. I think they’ll work just as well against this
guy. My suggestion is this. I can use a ‘dimensional anchor’ on him to make sure he
can’t plane shift away. After that, I can incapacitate him until after we’re through 
with Valthjov. Once we have the axe, we make good on our promise of his release.”

   “How are you going to incapacitate him?” Griff asked. “Turn him into a statue?”

   “Ah, therein lies the rub.” I said. “Unfortunately I don’t have that particular spell 
prepared. We could wait until I’m rested and can prepare it, but we then run the risk
of our friend here waking up and shifting out of here. As an alternative, I do have a
scroll of ‘feeblemind’ though. It would keep him from being able to use his shifting 
ability. He’d be too stupid.”

  “Wait a minute!” Taklinn interrupted. “Feeblemind? Isn’t that the spell you used
on Losom the Large?” 

   “It is.” I nodded.

   “And isn’t the only way to get rid of the effects a ‘heal’ spell?”

   “Yes,” I replied, “You would have to ‘heal’ him once our mission is 
accomplished.

   Taklinn had plenty to say about this, and Hap was only too eager to be
exasperated by his moral compass. Griff sighed and rolled his eyes. As for me, I felt 
that the time for action was now. 

   “Griff, would you tie him up, please?” I asked. Griff shrugged, and in a minute,
the Mezzoloth was securely bound. I cast two spells in quick succession. The first, 
‘weaken resistance’, was to strip away his spell resistance; the second, ‘dimensional
anchor’ took hold easily, and we could now rest assured that he would be unable to
shift away. 

   “Taklinn,” I said to our cleric, even as he was still arguing with Hap, “We have
fifteen minutes, after which time the ‘dimensional anchor’ will wear off. Would you 
please bring him around?”

   I don’t think that Taklinn had even realized that I had already cast my spells. He
scowled, realizing that we were committed. Grumbling, but seeing little choice, he 
knelt next to the Mezzoloth and recited a prayer with very little passion. Health
flooded into the bound creature, and it’s eyes flickered open. It glanced about itself
with hate and fear. I knew it was trying its level best to plane shift away, and I 
could see the confusion on its beetle-like face when it didn’t work.

   “What do you want!” It demanded, speaking with us telepathically. 

   “Information!” Griff answered the Mezzoloth with a steely voice. The creature,
out of its element, and unable to use its plane shifting powers to escape us, cowered
before Griff, obviously in great fear for its life. 

   “Will tell you what you want!” It whined. “Don’t kill! Don’t kill!”

   “That’s up to you, my friend,” Griff answered, “Tell us what we want to know,
and you go free. Hold anything back, and I let him do what he wants.” Griff pointed 
at Taklinn, who stood with axe in hand. The Mezzoloth shuddered, for Taklinn
wore his holy symbol openly, and there was little doubt as to what the dwarf would
do given the opportunity. 

   It peered at Griff. “I tell you, you let me go free?” It asked, slyly.

   “That’s right. But if I think your lying, it’ll go bad for you.” Griff said.

   “Will tell!” It nodded eagerly. 

   “OK, first question. You know Valthjov?” 

   The Mezzoloth hesitated not one second. “Yes! Valthjov! I know!”

   Griff raised an eyebrow toward me, then continued. “You fight for him?” 

   “He is master! I obey! You let me go now, yes?”

   “Not just yet.” Griff said. “Where is Valthjov?”

  “In lair. A cave, not far from Khin-oin.” 

   “How do we find it?”

  “Walk to Khin-oin until you get to boiling lake. Put Khin-oin on left. Walk to
hills; maybe one hour. There is valley between hills. Look for cave. You find 
Valthjov there!”

   I glanced at Taklinn, and even he seemed to think that this was going far better
than we could have hoped. Apparently, loyalty was not the strong suit of the 
Yugoloth race. 

   “How many guards, and what kind of guards?” Griff continued his interrogation. 

   The Mezzoloth paused to think about this for several minutes, doing painful 
calculations in his head. He seemed to finally give up trying to get a sound number
and simply said, “Many Canoloth. Maybe five or six Nycoloth. And Valthjov waits
for Clodoveo. Clodoveo is Ultraloth!” 

  “Another Ultraloth?” Happy wailed. “This gets better and better!”

   I stepped forward and caught the creatures attention. You’ve been in this lair?” I
asked. 

   “Yes, in lair. I have been!” The Mezzoloth answered.

   “Describe it.” I said. “In detail.”

   While the Mezzoloth told me of everything he could remember about the lair and 
I committed it to memory, I had a servant fetch pen and paper, whereupon I had
Griff free one of the Mezzoloth’s arms and I bid him draw me a map. Ever helpful,
the creature took the pen in it’s hooked pincer and sketched a crude map of a large 
underground cavern with two exits. 

  “That way to Valthjov!” He announced, jabbing at one of the exits with his hook.
I no go there. No Canoloth go there. No Mezzoloth go there. Valthjov no allow!”

   “But he is down that passageway?” I asked. 

  “Yes, yes! Valthjov is there. Not far. But this room full of Yugoloth! They kill
you good, yes! Canoloth snap your bones and Nycoloth chop off your arms! They 
kill you good!”

   “We’ll see about that,” Griff cut him off, “When is the other Ultraloth supposed to
show up?” 

  “Do not know.” The Mezzoloth shrugged. 

   I looked at my crew. “Any more questions? We’re about out of time.”

   “None that I can think of.” Griff said. Hap shrugged and Taklinn shook his head, 
never taking his eyes from the Mezzoloth. 

   Satisfied with our information, I produced a scroll and unrolled it. 

   “You let me go now, yes?” The Mezzoloth asked, hopefully. 

   “Not just yet,” I replied, “But soon, don’t you worry. Just as soon as we take care
of Valthjov, you’re on your way.” 

   “But you say…!” The creature hissed, not understanding. I ignored him and read 
from the scroll, casting the ‘feeblemind’ contained therein on him. As I said the
final word of the dweomer, the Mezzoloth became quiet and withdrawn. I looked at
his eyes and saw only dull listlessness and confusion. A small rope of drool began 
to slip from his mouth. 

   I breathed a sigh of relief. “It worked.” I said. “He’s dumb as a box of hammers.
Let’s lock him in a room. I’ll have the servants feed and water him.” 

   “Doorag,” Griff said, “You seem awfully relieved. Did you have some doubt
about all of this?”

   “Well,” I said, “To tell you the truth, that scroll was the only ‘feeblemind’ I had. 
If it hadn’t worked, we’d be in a bit of a moral pickle right now.”

   “What was your plan if it didn’t work?” Hap asked.

   “Cross that bridge when we came to it?” I said, shrugging. “To tell you the truth, I 
was just kind of hoping for the best.”

   Griff chuckled. “So okay, we got our info. What do we do with it? It sounds like this
Valthjov is holed up pretty tight, and he’s got plenty of guards. If we had such 
trouble with a grip of Mezzoloth, what are we going to do about this lot?”

   I picked up the map that the Mezzoloth had drawn for me and studied it
thoughtfully.  

   “I have a plan.” I said.


   Brwfst 1

   “It’s a simple scry and fry.” I said the next morning. We were gathered around the 
dining table as is our habit, and Taklinn was in the process of casting ‘restorations’
on us to heal the losses incurred from the ‘cloud kills’. I pointed at the map that the
Mezzoloth had drawn for us, outlining my plan. “We port in here,” I said, drawing 
an ‘X’ on a point nearest the exit where the Mezzoloth had said Valthjov could be
found, “And we hit them hard and fast. We don’t screw around with the guards in
this main room unless we have to. We’ll be flying, and as soon as we get there we 
make for Valthjov’s chamber. Griff, I’m thinking that you and I should concentrate
on him. Hap, if you can get the right angle on him, well, you know what to do.” 

  Hap grinned wolfishly at me, fingering the hilt of a dagger.  

  “Taklinn, I’ll need you to protect my flank. These guys can see through my
invisibility, and chances are the ceiling won’t be high enough for flight to afford me
much safety. Heck, the Nycoloth can fly, and if they come after me, I’ve had it. I’ll 
do my level best to ‘dimensionally anchor’ Valthjov, because if he thinks he’s in
any real trouble he’ll just shift out and we’ll be worse off than we are now. We need
to take him out as fast as possible, grab the axe, and port out of there. Any
questions?” 

   Three heads shook, and we spent the next twenty minutes going over details and
finally casting enhancement spells. By the time we were ready nearly all of us had 
‘fly’, ‘stone skin’, and ‘haste’ on us. I added a ‘greater heroism’ to Griff before we all
joined hands. I pictured the point in the cave in my mind and cast ‘greater teleport’, 
crossing my fingers in hopes that the Mezzoloth hadn’t been smart enough to lie. 

   As it turned out, our prisoner had been telling the truth, for in the next instant we
appeared in a large underground cavern, quite near an exit. The cave was full of 
bulldog looking Canoloth and four-armed Nycoloth, but there was no time to deal
with them even as their heads snapped around to regard us with surprise. 

  We’d gotten the drop on them and had a few precious seconds in which to act 
before they gathered themselves to attack us. I resolved to use them wisely.

   I was the first to move, and thus I flew as fast as I could through the exit. The
tunnel was short, only fifteen or so feet, and emptied into a smaller chamber. At it’s 
far end, I saw our target! An Ultraloth stood over the body of a second Ultraloth.
The dead one appeared to have died in quite a bit of pain for its features were
twisted in agony. The living Ultraloth stood over it’s brethren with a look of 
consternation on its face. I saw also that the dead Ultraloth held in its claws a
beautiful white axe, and I immediately assumed that the pair had been attempting to
wield Clangeden’s artifact and that one of them had paid the ultimate price for 
doing so. 

   The Ultraloth, whom I assumed to be Valthjov, looked up at me with a face full of
pure shock. My companions were already streaming in behind me, and for a second 
I thought to go with our original plan. But I had a plan B in the back of my mind
that was contingent on just such an event. I had the drop on Valthjov, and I had
decided that if such came to pass, I would gamble. Casting furiously, I rolled the 
dice.

   One of the things that had given me great pause when formulating a plan of attack
against the Yugoloth had been their resistance against spells, and therefore I had 
spent the previous night going into the back pages of my spell books and boning up
on offensive dweomers that could not be resisted. Two of them had leapt
immediately to mind. ‘Conjuring bolt’, a spell that I had used with great success in 
the early days of my career, and ‘Duvar’s Ripper Portal’, which was basically the
more powerful cousin of ‘conjuring bolt’. Both of them used force energy to
damage their targets, both of them hit unerringly, and neither of them could be 
resisted. The only downside was the relatively small amount of damage that they
would cause. But I had recently mastered a couple of new meta-magic techniques
that I hoped would make those spells far more dangerous.  

   I had gone into the fight assuming that the best I’d be able to hope for would be to
use ‘dimensional anchors’ and ‘weaken resistances’ against Valthjov, but I’d also
prepared two big hitters in the event that I caught him with his pants down.  

   My first spell was a maximized ‘ripper portal’ which took Valthjov square in the
chest. The Ultraloth took a surprised step back as a look of rage and pain swept
across his face. He snarled and glared at me with hatred, but I was not through yet! 

  I followed my first spell with a quickened ‘conjuring bolt’, and it too sizzled into
the Ultraloth’s chest. A look of sheer amazement crossed his face, and then he
dropped to the floor, dead. 

   “Holy crap!” I heard Happy yell from behind me. “What did you just do?”

  “Get the axe and lets get the hell out of here!” I yelled back by way of reply. But
Taklinn and Griff had already reached the bodies of the Ultraloth. Taklinn reached 
down and grasped the axe, tearing it from the dead hands of the Ultraloth and
holding it up reverently. Happy flew to their sides, as did I, but it was too late for a
clean get away. As fast as we were, the Yugoloth were hot on our heels. Three 
Nycoloth’s suddenly teleported directly into the room to surround Taklinn and Griff
while Canoloth began to pour into the room, charging our fighters.  

   “Grab my hands!” I shouted, already bringing a ‘teleport’ spell to my lips. But it
was not to be. Even as Happy reached for me, a Nycoloth leapt into the air,
pumping his wings, and grabbed her in its four arms, pulling her out of reach of my 
extended hand. On the ground, two more Nycoloth swung away at Griff and
Taklinn while the Canoloth joined in as well, snapping at the pair of them (and at
me as well) with long tongues that dripped with paralyzing poison. Our luck held, 
and none of us were frozen by the Conoloth’s poison, but there would be no easy
escape. Griff and Taklinn were in the thick of it, and Happy struggled for her life to
escape the grip of the Nycoloth as it attempted to rend her.  

   Griff looked over his shoulder to see his wife in the grip of the Nycoloth. Rage 
overtook him and he tried to go to her, but he was pressed back by Yugoloth
attackers. I saw him dodge a Canoloth tongue even as he parried a Nycoloth axe.
Frustrated in his attempt to reach Happy, something seemed to snap in him. Griff’s 
eyes became narrow slits of steel; through clenched teeth I heard his guttural exhale
as he lashed out with his sword. The Talon caught the Nycoloth between its two left
arms with a meaty slice that nearly cut the beast in half. It threw up its hands, its 
axe flying away from it as it howled fruitless denial at its own death. 

  The Nycoloth slumped in death, but Griff was far from finished. His yard of steel
continued its arc, cleaving into one, then two Canoloth, both of whom fell. Griff let 
his momentum carry him to the next, and it too fell to the gore soaked cavern floor.
Then another, and another fell dead, cut too deeply to live, until Griff stood at the
center of a clearing, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Not one Yugoloth was 
within reach of him.

   Not to be outdone, Taklinn faced a horde of his own Yugoloth. The axe he held in
his hand seemed to flare with brightness as he gripped it, and I saw flickers of doubt 
and fear in the eyes of the Yugoloth as holy light appeared to dapple across them.
With a look of wonder, and something like peace, Taklinn swung Clangeden’s axe,
and buried it to the haft in a Nycoloth chest.  

  The Nycoloth was driven to the ground by the force of the blow, and it died there
as Taklinn used his boot to kick the body off of his axe. He fended a Canoloth off
with his shield even as he brought the axe around for a backhand swing that took 
the top off of a second Canoloth’s head. 

   He brought it back forward, and his eyes seemed to follow the axe head, as if in
awe, instead of his targets, but it did not affect his aim, for he dispatched two more 
with bone crushing slams.

   All of this happened in the space of a few heartbeats, yet I witnessed it all, as if in
slow motion, as I twisted my body to dodge the tongues of two Canoloth that 
stalked me from below. I could see that victory, not escape, was now the order of
the day, for Taklinn and Griff had reduced the enemies number by nearly two
thirds. Instead of running, we were going to kill these hateful creatures.  

  But there was still the matter of Hap, and I resolved to free her of the Nycoloth
that was doing its level best to tear her head off. 

   My intention was to fly out of range of the Canoloth tongues, but even as I made 
to shoot away, a tongue found my ankle, wrapping around it and hanging on. I felt
its poison flow into me, but I shook my head to clear it, refusing to succumb to the
paralyzation. Never taking my eyes off of Hap, I pulled at the Canoloth’s tongue 
even as I cast the ‘hold monster’. 

   The Nycoloth froze, utterly frozen by my spell. It’s wings stopped beating, and
immediately both it and Happy crashed to the ground. Fortunately Happy landed on
top, and managed to quickly slither free of the Nycoloth’s statue-like grasp. It’s 
eyes flashed with hatred as it willed itself to disappear into another realm, but not
before Hap got in one quick thrust with a dagger that nearly killed it. Alas, before 
she could draw back for a second thrust, it shifted. 

   The rest of the Canoloth, seeing the final Nycoloth flee, did likewise. My ankle
was suddenly free as they shifted away, popping out of Hades one after the other 
until only the four of us and the bodies of our foes remained.

   Griff limped over to Hap, who was gingerly checking her bruised ribs. 

  “You okay?” He asked. 

   She grinned through the pain at her husband. “Been worse.” She said, giving
Griff’s hand a squeeze. She clucked her tongue as she checked Griff’s wounds,
making sure that none were potentially fatal.  

  I landed beside them and nodded toward Taklinn, who stood amidst the scatter of
Yugoloth bodies. His eyes were still glued to the axe with a reverent gaze as he held
it before him. He was utterly entranced. 

   “Taklinn?” I called to him, and he broke from his reverie with a start, looking
sheepishly, yet proudly at me.

   Happy was already searching the bodies, and soon we’d collected a nice sum of 
platinum. She spied a chest in a small alcove as well, and within a few minutes had
bested the lock to reveal quite a bit more coin. We tossed the lot of it into Griff’s
bag of holding, and Taklinn said, “Very well then! Let’s be back to Clangeden!” He 
withdrew his plane shift ‘key’ that Anwell had given him, and held out his hands to
us.

   “Not so fast!” I said. “We still have one more obligation!” 

   Taklinn gave me a look, but merely sighed. “All right, all right. Let’s get it over
with!”

   I grinned at him and held out my own hands. As they all linked together, I 
‘teleported’ us back to the mansion. 

   We entered and went to the room where we had locked the ‘feebleminded’
Mezzoloth. Taklinn gave me another sour look and a grumble, but in the end he 
gritted his teeth and cast the ‘heal’ that was needed to restore the Yugoloth to its
full faculties. The thing grunted and hissed at us, but Taklinn simply gave it a level
gaze that spoke volumes.  

   “Never let me see you again.” Our cleric said simply. The Mezzoloth’s eyes
widened, and it disappeared. 

  “Now can we go?” Griff asked. 

   “Yes,” I said, “Taklinn, cast away.”

   Taklinn did, and we soon left the infernal planes of the blood wars to return to
Arcadia. 

   We wait now on the spot where we first met the solar. I had to use up all my
seventh circle spells capabilities during the Yugoloth fight, and thus, I sleep for the
first time in a long time without the comfort of the mansion. Though I miss it, I 
must admit to a certain pang of nostalgia as I sit around the campfire with my
friends as we did on so many nights so long ago and listen to them recount the tales
of our battles as I write in this journal. 

   Yes, I miss the warmth and comfort of the mansion, but I have a feeling that I will
sleep very soundly tonight, under an open sky with my friends near at hand. 


   Brwfst 2

   Today has been a fair whirl wind of events that I am nearly at a loss to even put
into words, though I suppose I shall have to try.

  This morning would be a good place to start. 

  I arose early and stretched in the new “sun” of a fresh Arcadian day and saw that
Taklinn was already up, seated in his now familiar spot on the riverbank, keeping 
his vigil for the return of the solar. Clangeden’s axe was still gripped firmly in his
hand.

   Hap and Griff rolled out of their blankets shortly after I had begun to prepare my 
spells, and they soon had breakfast in order. 

   After a meal I cast an ‘analyze dweomer’ on the unidentified prizes we’d
accumulated and split them as we saw fit.  

   As we finished this task, I saw Taklinn jump to his feet from the corner of my
eye. Anwell had returned, and now stood on our side of the river. He had appeared
no more than five feet from Taklinn, and our cleric bowed low before him, 
proffering the axe in outstretched arms. 

   The solar said nothing, but took the axe from Taklinn’s hands. He gave it an
appraising look, and when he was satisfied that this was, truly Clangeden’s axe, I 
saw a smile spread over his face. 

   I got the distinct impression that solar do not smile much.

   “You have retrieved the axe and accomplished what was asked of you, Taklinn 
the Shorn.” Anwell said. I heard Happy cough loudly in the back ground, but the
solar ignored her. “Our lord Clangeden wishes to express his gratitude. You are
permitted from this day forward, to enter his mountain as a guest of honor. He 
wishes you to make haste to the front gates of the city.”

   Taklinn looked up with a mixture of “its about time!” and gratitude on his face,
but the solar was already gone, having disappeared in the blink of an eye.  

   Taklinn looked at us. “Well what are ya standing there for?” He exclaimed,
throwing his hands up. “You heard him! We have to get to the city!” With that, he
tromped away from us, fording the river like a bull and climbing up the opposite 
bank. He did not wait for us, and we were left to hurriedly stuff our gear (his
included) away and run after him. 

   We caught up to our dwarf eventually and asked him to kindly slow down a bit, 
but there was no talking to him, and we could do nothing but match his pace as his
short strides ate up the ground. I flew, but Hap was reduced to being carried on
Griff’s shoulders.  

   “We gotta get you a harness!” Griff laughed.

   “You just keep walking!” She said, playfully slapping his head. “You’re a lot
prettier when you don’t talk!” 

   It was three hours to the gates of the city nestled within Mount Clangeden. Those
gates were tall, reinforced, and meant business, but as we neared, they were opened
wide to us by none other than Anwell, flanked by a contingent of heavily armed 
dwarf guards, who parted to let us through. 

   “Come.” Anwell said, motioning for us to follow him. We did.

  The city is a honeycomb of dwarven engineering the likes of which I had never 
hoped to see. It was breathtaking as each massive cavern gave way to the next, each
one in turn more magnificent, more complex, as they connected to each other via a
myriad of tunnels. Buildings were hewn out of solid rock, and vast walkways 
spanned the air above us, connecting their upper floors. I saw shops of every kind as
well as temples, schools, sculpture, rivers… the list goes on and on, and I soon
realized that beneath the face of Mount Clangeden there breathed a living 
metropolis.

   Everywhere I looked I could see dwarves in training. They marched through fest
halls, they sparred in court yards, they drilled in front of their homes. But dwarves 
were not the only race I recognized. Plenty of humans, and even a smattering of
small folk walked the roads, shopped in stores and made merry in inns. 

   And last, but certainly not least, was the clanging of hammers on anvils. Every
fourth shop here appears to be devoted to blacksmithing of some kind, and even a 
cursory glance at their wares displayed out front showed us weapons and armor that
were enough to have Taklinn and Griff practically drooling openly. We also had to 
keep dragging Happy away from selection after selection of some of the finest
daggers she claims to have ever seen.

   Anwell finally brought us to one of the cities finer inns and stated that we were 
honored guests, and that rooms had been prepared for us. Our room and food
would, he said, be taken care of. We were led by the beaming dwarven proprietor to
our rooms and left to rest, though Anwell informed us that we would be visited 
shortly.

   I closed the door to my room and looked around at what passed for dwarven
luxury. It was not on par with my mansion, but it was certainly comfortable by any 
standards, and I bustled about happily, setting up house as much as I could. When
an hour had passed and I had still seen no sign of a visitor, I settled down with
Helious’ spell book, in hopes that I would have time to learn a fresh spell from it.  

   Several hours passed, and I was quite immersed in my studies. I fear I missed the
first series of knocks on my door, but when they caught my attention at last, I
opened it to find Anwell standing there.  

   “May I come in, Doorag Marzipan?” He politely asked. 

   “Of course.” I replied, standing aside to let him enter. I eyed him a bit warily, for
he still presented an imposing and fearsome figure, despite the kind smile that he 
directed at me. I shut the door and found a chair, awaiting his words. 
   “Clangeden has chosen to honor you, Doorag Marzipan,” he said, “It is not often
that the Father of All Battles finds occasion to gift a halfling, a halfling wizard at 
that. But he is pleased with the doings of you and your dwarven companion,
Taklinn the Shorn.”

   “It is not an easy thing for a suitable gift to be found,” the solar continued, “You 
stand in a center of metallurgy and smithing. Were you a warrior, the task would be
simple. The best armor and weapons in the planes can be found here.”

   “But you, Doorag Marzipan, are not a warrior. You are a wizard – an uncommon 
career for the dwarven fold. You are a weaver of spells, a slayer from a distance.
These are things that Clangeden Silverbeard does not honor.”

   I raised an eyebrow at this and stiffened a little, but did not interrupt him. 

   “But Clangeden honors you, Doorag Marzipan, and thus he has ordered this. First,
he gives you the title of Dwarf Friend. This is a gift in and of itself, for should you
need aid and find a dwarf in your midst, you must merely name yourself in the eyes 
of Clangeden, and good dwarves within the reach of Clangeden will recognize you
and come to your aid.”

   “But this is only part of your reward, Doorag Marzipan. He also offers you these.” 
Anwell dropped to one knee as a box appeared from thin air at his feet. It appeared
to be crafted of finest mithril and bore the images of scrolls on its lid, crossed in the
manner of Clangeden’s axes. I could see that it glowed with the aura of 
transmutation.

   “Open it.” The solar commanded.

   I slid from my chair and walked around to the font of the box, eyeing it and 
appreciating the craftsmanship required to build such a thing. I could see no seam in
its construction, and wondered if it might even be water tight. With a look at the
solar over my shoulder, I reached for the lid and slowly opened the box. 

   Inside, I was puzzled to find a small chain shirt, patiently crafted from links of
pure mithril. 

   “Few mages wear armor,” Anwell said as I lifted the shirt from the box. It was 
surprisingly light, and the links rippled like folds of Ebarium silk, “but few mages
have had the opportunity to wear armor such as this. It will not slow you down, nor
will it hamper the flow of your magic. It is comfortable enough to sleep in, and you
will never find need to repair it. It is the final achievement of Kristol Goblinsbane, a 
follower of Clangeden Silverbeard. He considered it his greatest creation. Indeed,
Clangeden has kept it over the ages, until now. He believes he has found the one 
worthy to wear it.”

   “Finally,” he said, “The box is also yours. You may call it or send it away at will,
and when it is gone you can be sure that it has gone to a place untouchable except 
by gods. Your belongings will be as safe, or safer than anywhere else you could
imagine. Clangeden gives you his word on that.”

   The solar was silent then, as if waiting for the true weight of these gifts to sink in 
to me and to say something.

   My mind raced. The title of Dwarf Friend would have been enough reward for
me, but the addition of the box was more than I had dreamed of. The chain shirt, 
however, gave me pause, and I searched for the proper thing to say. 

   “Err, thanks…?” I said, lamely.

   A frown creased Anwell’s features. “I sense that you are… embarrassed.” He 
said, curiously. “Pray, tell me why?”

   I looked up at the tall, winged, creature and felt like a fool. “Its just that…” I
stammered, “Well, please convey my thanks to Clangeden for the title and the box, 
I hope they both see use. But, err, well, I’m thinking that I cannot accept the shirt of
chain.”

   Anwell’s eyes widened in surprise. “And why not?” He asked.  

   “Ah, well,” I swallowed, “Its just that… I don’t… I don’t wear armor.” I admitted
at last. I hurried to explain as he opened his mouth to protest. “You see,” I said, “I
already have items that provide me with as much protection as this shirt could, and I 
already wear magical clothing that I could not continue to wear were I to put on this
shirt. My mantel and robe are both enchanted, and I would be loathe to part with
them. Therefore, I’m afraid that this fine gift would be wasted on me. If it is, 
indeed, the crowning achievement of this Kristol Goblinsbane fellow, I would hate
to take it only to give it an unfitting home amongst my collection of oddities. This
armor is a piece of art, and I fear that it would be wasted upon me. Please 
understand, I do not wish to appear ungrateful. These rewards are far more generous
than I deserve, and I am more than happy with the box and title. But please, see to it
that someone more fitting than I receives this armor. It deserves much more than to 
end up a museum piece in a wizards laboratory.”

   Anwell considered this gravely for a moment. “You are correct, Doorag
Marzipan.” He said, at last. “I will take the shirt back to Clangeden and explain the 
situation. He will understand your motivations. Still, he will not be satisfied until
you receive what he feels to be adequate reward.”

   “But really,” I began to protest, “The box and the title are more than…” 

   Anwell cut me off with a wave of his hand. “Such things are not for you nor I to
decide, Doorag Marzipan.” He said. “Simply accept his generosity. Now then, do
you have an idea as to what might prove a more suitable reward? Something that 
you desire?”

   I thought about that for a long moment, reluctant to offer suggestions and still
feeling like a lout over the whole armor thing, but at last, I sighed. “Well,” I said, “I 
have most of what I need, and what I don’t, I can eventually craft myself, if I ever
get the time, so I don’t really…”

   “Time?” the solar said. 

  “Well, yes, time. I never seem to have enough time. Heck, I have a whole book
full of spells that need learning, but I just never have the time to…” I stopped, for
he had caught my eye. His look was questioning, and I dared a guess. “Unless,” I 
wondered, “Clangeden can give me… time?”

  “Would that be your desire, Doorag Marzipan?” Anwell asked. “Time?”

   “Why, yes!” I exclaimed. “Is that possible?” 

   “We shall see,” The solar smiled, “We shall see.” And with that, he was gone,
leaving me to wonder at what he was up to. I shrugged, and went back to my 
studies, though I could not help but try out the box several times. It satisfactorily
disappeared and reappeared when I spoke the command words, and I was quite
pleased indeed. 

   Several hours later there came another knock on my door. It was Anwell again,
and he wore a wide smile on his face.  

   “Gather your belongings and come with me, Doorag Marzipan.” He said simply. 

   Anwell led me from the inn and through a half mile or more of tunnels to an awe
inspiring structure carved of living rock. Priests of Clangeden milled about 
everywhere I looked, and the gods crossed axes symbol was carved prominently
above the entryway. Anwell led me inside and dwarven priests bowed low before
him, parting to let us pass.  

   Down corridors and through chambers I was led until at last he brought me to a
simple, stone, door. He pushed it open and I could feel a grin spread across my face
when I saw what was inside. A complete wizard’s laboratory was set up inside, as 
well as a fine selection of tomes and books. The solar led me inside and opened a
second door that led into an adjoining room that was obviously a living area with
bed, basin, and other accoutrements. It was comfortable and clean, and I looked at 
Anwell questioningly.

   “Once I close this door you will have your time.” Anwell stated. “Two months, to
be precise. Outside the door only two weeks will pass, but within this room you 
have much longer to do with as you please. I will explain to your friends what you
are doing. Have no fear for them, for they have much to accomplish as well, and
some of their rewards will take more than two weeks to facilitate. Is this an 
acceptable reward, Doorag Marzipan?”

   I gaped at the solar, open mouthed. “Two months?” I hardly dared believe he was
serious.  

   “Two months.” He nodded.

   “That is more than generous!” I grinned. “Thank you very much!”

   “It is Clangeden’s will.” Anwell said simply. “Food will be delivered to you daily, 
and if you have need of anything at all you may ring the bell you will find in the
laboratory. Good luck with your studies, Doorag Marzipan, and enjoy your time.”
With that, he bowed low and backed out of the room, shutting the door softly after 
him. 

   I looked about, hardly knowing where to begin. Two months! What I could do
with that kind of time! I quickly unloaded my haversack and became familiar with 
the lab and library. Once I was satisfied that I had everything I needed, I decided
upon which project to start first. I withdrew Helious’ spell book and laid it open on
the desk, turning to the first of some twenty spells that I had thus far had no time to 
learn. 


   Ptchwl 9

   Only two weeks have passed since my last journal entry here outside of the time 
fold in which I have been sequestered. Inside the room that Anwell left me in,
however, two months have passed, and not a second of it went to waste. In that time
I have learned more than twenty new spells and have crafted for myself a pair of
dexterous gloves much like the ones I made for Happy.  

   My journal is chock full of notes concerning my time spent outside of the normal
stream of time, the vast majority of which are technical specifications and notations 
of curiosities with regard to spells, yet one entry in particular I keep going back to
over and over again. 

   My reward here in Arcadia has sparked an idea within me that I cannot let go, and 
I am determined to explore it further. 

   In essence, my idea concerns time; my need for it, and a way to get it. I had not
previously considered a way in which to facilitate my studies and crafting in a more 
expeditious manner, but now that I realize that it can, in fact, be done, I am
intrigued enough to follow through on ways in which I can emulate the gift given to
me by Clangeden. Near the halfway point of the two months spent in the lab, it 
suddenly dawned on me that the answer to this dilemma has been right under my
nose for some time now! 

   Edik.  

   Once the name of that plane popped into my head I immediately re-read my
journal entries from our time spent there and, sure enough, I saw where I had
recorded a time difference of ten Edik days for every one of our days!  

   This is a tremendously exciting discovery, for it means that, if I can return to
Edik, I can have access to just about all the time I will ever need! For example, the
gloves that I so recently crafted would require thirty-six days to create in Havilah, 
but if I were to make them on Edik, only three to four days would have passed in
Havilah! 

   The mind boggles at the possibilities!  

   We have already been able to return to Edik with Yigil’s help. At the time I was
unable to cast the needed spell, namely, ‘plane shift’. But Yigil had cast it after
crafting a key to the plane and we were able to return there to retrieve the remainder 
of the women and children that did not accompany their men when we attacked
Melesandre. I can only believe that, now that I possess the ‘plane shift’ dweomer,
the only thing between me and unlimited access to Edik and it’s time differential is 
a ‘fork’ attuned to it. If Yigil can craft one, then why not me?

   All of which dove tails nicely with a quest that Taklinn has been hinting about for
some weeks. He has visions of returning to Edik to destroy the evil temple to Illugi 
where the souls of Kester Orban and his crew are still trapped. Taklinn feels it is our
duty to free them, and I can naught but agree, though now I have all the more
reason to wish to return to Edik 

   But I am getting very far ahead of myself. Our quest here is hardly at an end. I
feel that we are so terribly close to Caribdis, and I yearn to get back on his track. It
will still be another week before we leave Arcadia though, for Taklinn, Hap and 
Griff are all in the process of having weapons and armor crafted for them. Each of
them has already received a major reward from Clangeden. When I finally left the
laboratory, exhausted but happy, I went back to the inn where my friends have been 
staying. They were glad to see me, and I could immediately see that they had
received their gifts. Happy carries a new dagger that glows with a magic the
brightness of which is matched only by the new sword that Griff now wears at his 
side. He still carries the blade I crafted for him, but it has now been relegated to a
back up weapon, for this new bastard sword is a blade of incredible enchantment
and quality. I must admit to being slightly saddened at the thought that the Talon is 
in semi-retirement, but Griff made me smile again when he flashed both of his
swords from their scabbards and referred to them as “The Talons”. I suppose that
any decent griffin should, indeed, have two talons.  

   And Taklinn, well, Taklinn carries the axe. Yes, the axe we rescued from the
Yugoloth now belongs to our cleric. I doubt I could ever put into words the pride
with which Taklinn wields that axe. It is perhaps THE major milestone in his
career, and he now joins what I am sure is a very elite group of dwarves who have 
been personally gifted by Clangeden with one of his weapons. I am by no means a
scholar on the ways of dwarves, but I know enough to appreciate the honor and 
prestige that such a gift confers. 

   As I said, we are still a week from departing Arcadia, as at least Happy is having
a new suit of armor crafted. She tells me that it will be heavily imbued celestial 
armor that will allow her the ability to fly for limited periods of time, which I agree
is something she has been lacking. Between her new armor making her far more
mobile and difficult to hit, and her new dagger, with its myriad of enhancements, 
she will become twice as dangerous to her foes as before, so I cannot begrudge her
the extra time we are spending here. 

   As for me, even though I have just spent two grueling months at work, I have 
resolved to use the next seven days wisely. I plan to scribe several new scrolls, as
well as make permanent both the ‘tongues’ and ‘comprehend languages’ spells
upon myself. It is a significant drain on my life essence, but I feel the benefits are 
well worth it.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 11, 2015)

Ptchwl 16

   At last! We are on our way again!  

  We left Clangeden’s city at early noon today once Hap had finally received her
armor. I must admit, it is beautiful. It is as thin and supple as Ebarium silk, and
though it is not as “roguish” as her old armor, which was darker in color, it provides 
much the same dweomer as well as offering far more protection. Hopefully, she will
not get hit nearly so often now.

   One other gift has been made known to me, though I do not know all of the 
particulars. Apparently Griff has undergone a bit of a time shift himself, though it is
far more subtle than mine. From what I can gather, Clangeden has slowed his
aging slightly so that he is a bit more in line with Happy. In essence, Griff now 
ages as a halfling, which will extend his life span by some fifty years or so. This is a
fine thing, since I know that Hap has expressed her concern to me about what will
happen when they get old. She has had fear (and rightly so) that Griff will die of old 
age long before she does. I have been meaning to do a bit of research on magic that
can extend the ageing process, but now it looks as if the problem has been taken
care of, though I dare say, if my plans to gain access to Edik come to pass I will still 
need to find a way to control my own ageing, for I could easily die of old age on
Havilah long before my time should I not take care with how much time I spend in
a faster time stream. 

   At any rate, we have hired a boat to ferry us down the river Oceanus. A typically
dour dwarven guide stands at the helm and assures us that we should reach Ysgard
within a couple of days.  

   Before we left, I made one final request of Anwell, namely, I asked him exactly
where we might find Caribdis. He replied with his wry smile that Caribdis is in the
free city of Himinborg in Ysgard where he tells tales to the heroes of that realm 
from the stage of an in called The Heroes Rest. 

  He also explained to me that our route has changed slightly. We are no longer
required to find and follow the infinite staircase into Ysgard, but instead may 
simply follow the Oceanus into that plane now that our deed for Clangeden has
been accomplished. 

   All of this is extraordinarily exciting news! As it now stands, we could find 
Caribdis before the end of the week! I am beside myself with excitement at the
prospect of finally finding our bard again. It has been so long. We have so much to
tell him. Soon, very soon, the Band of the Broken Blade shall be whole again.


   Ptchwl 19 

   Toward midday, after following the river for two days and nights, the mist began
to roll in. I recognized it now as the border between planes, and as our vision 
became reduced to mere feet, I grew more and more excited, for I knew that when
the mist cleared we would be in Ysgard. 

  For these past two days my stomach has been knotted in apprehension. It seems 
that for every step toward Caribdis we get, we take a step backwards. At every turn
we have been asked to perform some mission or have become side tracked, and as
we floated down the Oceanus I kept expecting some detour to present itself; 
something that would delay us yet again.

  But such has not been the case, and when the mist did finally clear and the planes
of Ysguard came into view, I almost dared breathe a sigh of relief. 

   Ysguard is a different place altogether than Arcadia, that much is sure. Gone are
the geometrically perfect fields and streams. Here, the terrain and vegetation
appears to do what it wants, growing willy nilly and spreading itself in random 
directions. It has a far more natural appearance, and both Griff and Hap
immediately seemed more at ease on this plane. I know that both of them, Griff
especially, enjoyed their time on Arcadia, but Ysgard appeals to their inner 
convictions and philosophies far more, and I could see them visibly relax as we
cleared the mist and left Arcadia firmly behind us.

   Our guide worked the oar for an hour as the Oceanus twisted its way through 
valleys and around hills, until we were treated to a breath taking sight. On our right,
we beheld an immense battlefield alive with tents, cavalry, machines of war,
infantry, and on and on. The sounds of war reached us as two opposing armies 
clashed in a veritable blood bath of steel meeting flesh. We watched, fascinated, as
we saw folk of every race lift up arms against their foes. Soon the field was awash
with blood and gore; the clash of weapons and the screams of the dieing reached out 
ears, and I saw Hap shudder as she watched, wide eyed, the carnage. 

   “Not to worry, Hap.” I said cheerfully, patting her on the shoulder. “This is just
what goes on in Ysguard.” 

   She looked at me curiously and I expounded, for I had done much research on this
plane after having figured that Caribdis would be here. 

   “Ysguard is the plane of heroes and men of war.” I explained. “The battle we are 
witnessing is its own kind of heaven for men and women who spent their lives
dedicated to the art of war. Believe it or not, this happens every day. They will fight
throughout the day, and at night the fallen will rise to drink and tell tales of the 
battle with the victors in the inns of Himinborg, only to do it all again in the
morning.”

   Hap looked at me incredulously. “You’re kidding.” She said. 

  “He is not.” Taklinn interjected, and in his eyes I could see his own lust for battle
as he watched a troop of horsemen smash into the flanks of a contingent of infantry.
A cloud of arrows suddenly filled the sky and rained down death into their midst as 
he said, “The eternal battle is the only thing that can slake the true warriors thirst for
blood, and for these heroes they have achieved true reward in being able to
participate in such. Aye, tonight the dead on this field will rise and share in the 
glory in the fest halls, for tomorrow they may be the ones left standing. When my
own time is at an end I shall reside in the halls of Clangeden, but I can well
appreciate this end as well. What better way to spend eternity than among you’re 
fighting brethren, testing you’re skills against the finest blades from all of history?”

  “Hmph!” Happy scowled. “I can think of lots of better ways!” 

   But I could tell that Griff shared Taklinn’s sentiments, for his eyes were fastened
securely to the chaos of battle and contained a kind of longing, as if he would like 
nothing more than to enter the fray. 

   “I agree with you, Hap,” I said, “But for the true warrior, this is heaven. Still, this
is not all the Ysguard has to offer. There is much to know about this plane.” I was 
interrupted by the screams of several men about a hundred yards from us as a
catapult stone hurtled into their midst, sending them flying. “Ysguard,” I shouted, “is
comprised of three layers, and we are on the top most. This is fortunate, as the 
bottom two are not nearly as hospitable. This is the plane of heroes; Olidamara
resides here, as well as Kord. This plane is actually made op of floating earth bergs;
gigantic islands of land that float upon the second layer, which is called 
Muspelheim. Muspelheim is made up mostly of fire and is inhabited by literally
thousands of fire giants. Below that is Nidavellir, which is just as unfriendly, for the
earth there is in constant flux. Any step you take there might cause the ground to 
open up and swallow you. For the most part only dwarves live there, for only they
are in tune enough with the earth to know where to safely step.”

   “Earth bergs?” Happy asked, “Floating islands of land? So how do we get from
one to the other?”

   “Well,” I replied, “You would have to fly or teleport I suppose, but that shouldn’t 
be an issue. We are already on Olidamara’s island, which is where Caribdis is. All
we need do now is find the city of Himinborg and…” 

   At that moment we rounded a hill that took us out of sight of the battlefield and 
opened up a broad expanse of plain before us. There, in the distance, we could see
it. A city, broad and shining in the sun light, perhaps an hour away. I knew at once
that it was Himinborg. 

   “There it is!” I cried, barely able to contain my excitement. I was breathless with
it, for Caribdis was so near now that I could feel his presence in my bones. Taklinn
and I exchanged smiles as I urged our guide on, sure now that we would be seeing 
our bardic friend at last. Happy shared our anticipation, but Griff looked at the city
sourly, a frown on his face. He said nothing.

   Our dwarven boatman dropped us off some time later as the river Oceanus began 
to turn away from the city. We paid him handsomely and set our feet on dry land to
walk the last leg of our journey. 

  The road to Himinborg was alive with warrior types and heroes of all shapes and 
sizes. It was odd to actually recognize a few of them as great generals and fighters
of old, now passed on to this afterlife. They led men at arms to and from the
battlefield, barking orders over each other. The whole thing bore an air of controlled 
chaos that I supposed only the dead could truly appreciate and understand. Under
normal circumstances I would have been fascinated, but as it was, I could focus
only on the gates of the city as we drew nearer and nearer to them. My stomach was 
twisted in knots and I was a bundle of nerves. I heard myself chattering on and on
about something or other and clamped my mouth shut, knowing that I was talking
out of sheer apprehension. Taklinn grinned at me, recognizing my jitters, and 
probably feeling much of the same, though he hid it better than I. Griff had still not
said a word.

   A half hour later we passed through the city gates and into the narrow streets 
bustling with heroes. The noise and smell was overwhelming, and everywhere we
looked showed us something new. Men, dwarves, elves, orcs, gnolls, halflings,
gnomes, and on and on and on filled the streets. We passed jugglers and dancers 
and other street performers as well as fest hall after fest hall. From all directions
came the sounds of song and the clashing of steel. Warriors sparred on street
corners, laughing and clapping each other on the back when blood was drawn.
Again, the overall feel of the city was that of barely controlled chaos, and I saw 
unease in Taklinn’s face, though apparently the city suited Happy just fine. Her grin
never ceased as we made our way through a market place that was a hive of 
activity. 

   I stopped and asked a merchant where we might find the Heroes Rest Inn, and he
was only too happy to give me proper directions in exchange for a coin, and soon 
we were hurrying along with our destination near at hand.
   The four of us rounded a corner after ten minutes of walking, and there it was.
The Heroes Rest squatted on a busy corner, its aged shingle waving in the breeze. It 
was a wide, two story affair, and its doors were open wide to allow the constant
flow of traffic to enter and exit. The sounds voices raised in celebration could be
heard coming from within, and the street near the entry was crowded with folk.  

   We pushed our way toward the doors, and then Griff stopped, frozen in his tracks.
I looked up at him and his face was ashen as he appeared to cock his head, listening.
I looked at Hap for she could hear it too.  

  “It’s him!” she cried. “I can hear Caribdis!”

   I strained to listen above the clamor that surrounded me, and there, just at its edge,
I could make out a word or two in a familiar voice; a voice that I had not heard in a 
very long time indeed. It was Caribdis, telling a tale in his stage voice, a voice that
carried above the crowd and was meant to grab attention and entertain. 

   Barely able to keep from jumping up and down, I cried, “Well what are we 
waiting for? Let’s go!” I made for the door, but Taklinn stopped me.

  “Wait!” He said, and I turned to see him hurriedly casting cleaning cantrips on
himself. I sighed with impatience at his vanity but waited for him. When he was 
satisfied at last, he and I, with Happy at our heels, entered the Heroes Rest. I turned
to see Griff still standing on the street, as if rooted to the spot. 

   “Come on, Griff!” I shouted at him. The sound of my voice seemed to break his 
trance, and he walked up the steps with determination, following us inside.
   The air within was a haze of smoke and noise. Tables filled the room, all occupied
by fighting men and women who either shared tales of their own glory or listened to 
the bards that worked the room. I hopped up and down, straining to see over the
heads of the people, and at last I simply allowed myself to fly above them. I
scanned the room, and finally saw that Taklinn was staring at a particular corner of 
the inn. Following his gaze, I saw him. 

  Caribdis stood on a stage in the far corner of the tap room, his arms outstretched
as he told a tale of warrior’s glory and honor in battle. Several dozen people 
listened in rapt attention to him and clanged their mugs on their tables by way of
applause during particularly gripping moments. Caribdis was dressed as he always
wanted to be, in the finest of apparel. Rings glittered on his fingers and his hair was 
perfect. He worked his audience like a true professional, building his tale to an
exciting climax as we made our way closer to his stage. 

   All of us except Griff, that is. Our warrior suddenly blurted, “I need a drink!” and 
made for the bar. I thought to call after him, but I was too entranced by the fact that
Caribdis was finally within out sight to worry about Griff. Instead, I followed in
Taklinn’s wake as he pushed through the crowd.  

   We reached a spot near stage right as Caribdis brought his tale to a close. He held
his audience enrapt as his hero saved the day in an exciting manner, and even I
found myself getting caught up in the story. I recognized his particular style of 
embellishment, but to the untrained ear it made it all the more gripping. 

   “And they lived happily ever after!” Caribdis said, drawing an end to his story
that brought a round of approving applause from his audience, including Taklinn, 
Happy and myself. Indeed, when the applause had died down, one pair of hands still
clapped, and Caribdis turned to see who it was. His eyes came to rest of Taklinn,
whose hands still pounded together, eyes welling with tears.  

   Recognition, shock, and joy swept over Caribdis’ face as he realized that his old
comrades stood at the foot of his stage. “Taklinn!” he cried, leaping to the floor to 
embrace our cleric. “Happy! Doorag!” Caribdis gathered both of us into his arms
for a hug, and I could only grin stupidly, such was the joy that filled me upon
feeling him as flesh and blood again. He knelt at our level, looking at us, scarcely 
able to believe that we were actually there. 

  “A fine tale, boy!” Taklinn said, clapping Caribdis on the back, “And well told! I
see you have honed your craft during your stay here.” 

   Caribdis laughed. “Thank you, my friend, I try. But to hell with my tales, what of
yours! I can’t believe my eyes! Come, we must have a drink!” He stopped
suddenly, a look of concern on his face. “But what about Griff? Where is he? He’s 
not…?”

   “Griff is fine.” Happy answered, and I could see relief flood Caribdis’ face. “He’s
just getting a drink at the bar. I’m sure he’ll be along soon. He’s a little… 
uncomfortable with all of this.”

   “Oh.” Caribdis chuckled. “Well, I suppose it is odd, seeing me dead and all. I
can’t wait to see him though!” 

   Caribdis led us to a table that was obviously reserved for him, and the serving
woman treated him with impressive respect. I gathered that Caribdis was something
of a celebrity here.  

   I also noticed that Caribdis was… different. His manner, his speech, his persona,
all of it bore a maturity and wisdom that I did not recognize. His voice had taken on
a deeper edge, as if it had filled out, and I realized that the boy we had once known 
as Caribdis was gone. Before us was the man, Caribdis. The man that he had always
wanted to be. 

   I was far too giddy with excitement at having finally found him, at actually sitting 
across a table from him, and I could not find the words to properly speak. I found
myself looking at him, wide eyed, as he and Taklinn spoke. 

   “What in all the nine hells are you doing here?” Caribdis laughed, wonderingly, 
as a round of drinks were brought to our table by the serving maid, who winked at
Caribdis. 

   “We came to see you, boy!” Taklinn grinned, taking a frothy swig from his mug. 
“We’ve traveled quite a ways, I can tell you!”

   “I can well imagine you have! You must tell me all the details of your journey;
I’ll bet there’s a tale to enthrall the masses there! But what about everything else? 
What about Acessiwall? Did you kill him?”

   “Aye,” Taklinn nodded somberly, “That we did.”

  Taklinn went on to relate our adventures after Caribdis’ death, though I 
interjected with a precaution that perhaps Caribdis could tread lightly when retelling
our trials in Latona, it not having been our finest hour. 

   Taklinn told him of Scylla, and our hunt for Acessiwall. He told him of our final 
confrontation with the wurm and the fall of Taigel. He told of our falling out with
Scylla. Happy filled in details as Taklinn went on to relate Hap and Griff’s nuptials,
and then our travel into the planes of shadow, Arcadia, Hades, and Ysgard. He told 
of our battles and our trials, and ended with the four of us having found Caribdis at
last in the Heroes Rest. 

   Caribdis listened with rapt attention, soaking up everything, asking for details. 
When Taklinn had satisfied him, he asked, “So but why? Not that I am not
overjoyed to see you all, but why have you come? Why put yourselves through all
of this?” 

   “Well,” Taklinn said, as if it were obvious, “We’ve come to fetch you, boy! We
want you to return to the land of the living with us, eh?”

   Caribdis’ eyes widened in surprise at this news, as if it were something he had not
even considered. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. 
He took a drink of his ale and looked at our expectant faces, and finally said, “That
is… that is an incredible thing. You have come all this way for me.” His voice was 
choked with emotion. “And it makes this all the more difficult to say. Taklinn,
Doorag, Hap, I thank you. I truly do. You are the best friends anyone could ever ask
for, but…” 

  “But what, Caribdis?” Hap coaxed him gently.

   “But I cannot go back.” He said at last.

   “But you can!” Taklinn said, “I have the proper spell, and it can be done, for 
Clangeden has told me…”

   “No, no, you don’t understand.” Caribdis cut Taklinn off, though it appeared to
pain him to do so. “It’s not that I can’t go back, it’s that I do not wish to.” 

   It felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach, and I reeled back in my seat,
the room spinning. My mouth opened but no words came out, and I shook my head
to clear my ears. I looked at Taklinn, whose face was as motionless as stone, and 
Happy, who bit her lip. A long moment passed, and Happy leapt from her chair
without a word, making her way toward the bar, I hoped, to find Griff.

   “Caribdis,” I said, at last, “We’ve come all this way to give you another chance. 
To give US another chance. The Band of the Broken Blade is incomplete without
you. Things are just not the same. Even the actual blade that Griff carried and gave
to you, the Everyman’s Blade, has been stolen from your tavern, as if a sign that 
things are not as they should be. Your death was senseless, meaningless, and
pointless. You deserve a much longer life and a much finer death than that. You had
so much ahead of you, so much to look forward to. It’s fine to tell the tales of 
others, but are not the finest stories the ones you participate in? Caribdis, we miss
you. We all miss you. And what about your tavern? What about Freya? Please,
Caribdis, won’t you reconsider?” 

   My old friend looked at me sadly, and I could tell how difficult it was for him as
he slowly shook his head. “I don’t want the bar.” He said. “And Freya and I were
never meant to be. And I do appreciate this, I really do. To come so far to offer me 
this chance, I… it is overwhelming. But Doorag, Taklinn, please try to understand,
here in Himinborg, I have found… peace. Here in Himinborg I have found
happiness and a place to call my own. All my life I felt out of place, as if I didn’t 
belong. But here, I am respected and sought out. Here, I am Caribdis, the bard
extraordinaire. Each day for me here is as a brand new day, and I love every minute
of it. Here, I can not only tell the stories of heroes, I get to have dinner with them as 
well! I… I belong here, and I do not wish to leave. Please try to understand that.
Please try to respect my choice.”

   I sat back in my chair, utterly destroyed, completely shocked and overwhelmed 
with disbelief. This could not be happening! This was not how things were
supposed to happen!

   “You’re dead!” Came a voice over my shoulder, and I turned to see that Hap had 
somehow convinced Griff to return to the table with her. Our warrior stood, stock
still, pointing at Caribdis, his face as pale as I’d ever seen it. “You’re dead!” He
repeated. “I saw you die!” 

   Caribdis broke into a wide grin and got up to grasp Griff’s pointing finger in both
his hands for a hearty handshake. “Griff! My friend, it’s so good to see you again!”

   “But your dead!” Griff exclaimed a third time, even as Caribdis embraced him.  

   “Yes, I suppose I am.” Caribdis said, with a shrug and a smile. “This is my
afterlife. Welcome to it!” 

   “This is bull!” Griff shouted to no one in particular, which made Caribdis laugh 
heartily. 

   “I’m glad to see you haven’t changed.” He smiled.

   “He’s not coming back.” Happy said to Griff.  

   “What? What the hell do you mean he’s not coming back? You mean we came all
this way for nothing?” Griff turned to look at us angrily.  

   “It was hardly all for naught,” I said softly, “The journey has not been without its
reward, and we at least get to say goodbye to our friend…”

   “Whatever!” Griff snapped at me. He turned his eyes back to Caribdis. “I already 
said my goodbyes. I won’t go through that again!” With that, Griff turned on his
heel and stormed out of the bar, slamming the doors open before him.

   Happy looked after her husband. “Don’t take him the wrong way, Caribdis.” She 
said, “He doesn’t mean it. He just…”

   “I know.” Caribdis said, gently, “I know.”

   With a sad smile, Happy gave Caribdis a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She peered 
into his eyes for a moment, and then left to follow Griff. 

   “If you will not come back,” Taklinn said in a low rumble, “May I ask your
forgiveness?” 

   “My forgiveness?” Caribdis blinked, “Why, whatever for?”

   “For all the times I spoke out of turn.” Taklinn said. “For all the times I treated
you as less than the man you were. For those things, I am truly sorry.” 

   Caribdis laid a hand on the big dwarf’s shoulder and met his eyes. “Taklinn, there
is nothing to forgive. I could ask for no better friend and mentor than you. You
taught me lessons that my father never did, and for that, I thank you. Let your 
conscience rest at ease, for I harbor no ill will over any way you ever treated me, of
that you can be sure.”

   The two looked at each other for a long moment, and I saw a single tear roll down 
Taklinn’s cheek and soak into his beard. Our dwarf blinked rapidly and coughed,
wiping his eye as if clearing an irritant. He smiled at Caribdis.

   “Then let us dine and rink tonight as if in the old days! Let us tell stories of our 
adventures and enjoy our brief time together as the best of friends and brothers in
arms! I have done what I set out to do. If you will not return with me, I can but
respect your decision, but I will not stay longer than I must. I will return to Havilah 
tomorrow. But tonight, let us forget what separates us, and revel in what binds us!”

   “Aye!” Caribdis agreed with a broad grin, and the two clasped hands.

   As for me, I still could not digest the truth that Caribdis had refused our offer, but 
though I was deeply saddened by it, I resolved to follow Taklinn’s lead and enjoy
what little time we had with Caribdis. I raised my own pint and the three of us
clashed mugs as the waitress brought us more. 

   “Taklinn,” Caribdis said, “Do you remember the time…”


   Ptchwl 21

   Taklinn, true to his word, departed for Havilah today. He awoke early and met 
with Caribdis and I for breakfast and told us that he had learned, via ‘sendings’ that
Griff had rented a room at another inn and that Happy had joined him there. Griff
refused to see Caribdis again, which caused our bard to smile sadly, but say 
nothing. Taklinn informed me that he intended to collect them after his meal and
‘plane shift’ back to Havilah immediately. 

   Taklinn assumed that I would be accompanying them, but I told him that I 
planned to stay in Himinborg for a few more days. There was some shopping I
wanted to get done here and that I would be joining them within three days.
Caribdis had already told me that he had many contacts in Himinborg, and that he 
could direct me to a merchant that could provide me with a planar ‘key’ for my
home plane. I had hoped that Taklinn would stay with me, but his resolution to
leave was firm and thus he told me to watch myself and that he would see me soon. 
He said his goodbyes Caribdis, embracing the bard one last time, and turned away
before his emotion could catch up to him again, and left the two of us alone.  

   Caribdis and I set out on our shopping expedition, but no sooner had we gotten
into the market than I received a ‘sending’ from Taklinn explaining that Griff
refused to leave without me, Hap refused to leave without Griff, but Taklinn, 
himself, was still leaving. He gave me the name of the inn where the pair was
staying, and later in the day I left Caribdis to his work of entertaining the patrons of
the Heroes Rest and went there.  

   There was a bit of a chill between Griff and Hap, as if she was not strictly pleased
with how he had dealt with the Caribdis situation, but he showed no signs of
remorse. I told Griff that he needent have stayed and that I was entirely safe here in 
Himinborg, but he flatly dismissed that, saying that he would not leave until we all
left. What could I do but sigh and nod, and appreciate his loyalty? I told him that I
would come to collect them when my errands had been accomplished and he replied 
that he and Hap would be waiting. I tried to convince him to come with me, to
spend a little time with his old friend, Caribdis, but the look in his eye stopped me
before I even finished. I have long ago accepted Griff’s hard headedness, so I did 
not press the point. 

   I spent the evening with Caribdis again. He showed me many of the cities night
spots, and though I am generally not one for carousing, I had a fine time with him, 
and it gave me pleasure to see the warmth with which he was received at every
tavern and inn we entered. Caribdis has made a good name for himself here, and
many friends as well.  


   Ptchwl 22 

   Caribdis does, indeed, have some very fine contacts here in Himinborg. Though
the purchase of planar keys is generally a difficult process, he has been able to put 
me in touch with a few merchants who deal in such esoteric wares, and I was able
to buy a fork attuned to the Prime Material Plane today. It was expensive, but
obviously worth it. Tomorrow I will purchase a key to Ysgard, for I fully wish to be 
able to return here. Caribdis may not be returning with us, but now that I know that
even death cannot keep me from seeing him, I find no reason not to facilitate the
odd trip or two to visit him once in awhile.  

   He smiled at that, saying that he certainly wished to be kept abreast of our
adventures so that he could continue to tell our tale. 


   Ptchwl 23

   It was hard to leave. 

   Near noon a delivery was made to me of my planar key attuned to Ysguard, and
thus I had no more reason to stay. I lunched with Caribdis and then told him that it 
was time I headed for home. 

   “You’re sure you won’t change your mind?” I asked him one last time. 

   Caribdis shook his head slowly and smiled at me. “You know I’m not going to,” 
he said, “But I do hope you make good on your threat to come visit me once in
awhile.”

   “Count on it.” I nodded solemnly. “Caribdis, it was worth the journey just to see 
you and talk with you again. I’m sad that you’re not coming back with me, but I’m
happy that you’re happy here. Just don’t forget your old pals, okay?”

   “Like you’d let me forget!” He laughed.  

   We said our goodbyes and I left him there at the Heroes Rest, watching until he
took the stage. “This!” He declared to his audience, “Is the tale of the Band of the 
Broken Blade! Once upon a time…” He waved to me and I waved back, and I
turned and fled from the inn, my vision blurred. 

   I walked for an hour to clear my head before heading for the inn where Hap and 
Griff had been staying. I met them there and informed them that I was ready to
leave, which suited Griff just fine. He was ready within minutes and so was Hap. I
cast ‘plane shift’ while concentrating on the Prime key, and just like that, we were 
there. It was a simple matter to teleport back to the city.

   Back in Havilah, Griff and Hap declared that they were heading to their home for
some much needed time alone. I told them that I would keep them informed of any 
important goings ons, and they departed. As for me, my steps were as heavy as my
heart as I made my way to my apartment in the Academy. Our quest to find
Caribdis had ended on a bittersweet note to say the least, and I still wrestled with 
his decision not to return to life. As I looked out my window at the streets and roof
tops of Havilah, I thought of all the lives that were going on down there; all the
dramas that were being played out; all the laughter and tears, and I sighed heavily, 
wondering again how Caribdis could have turned his back on it all. 

   But there was nothing to be done about it. Our friend had made his choice, and I
had to accept it. I meditated for a moment to clear my mind and focus it on tasks at 
hand. I closed the shutters and returned my attention to Academy matters. 

   First I cast a ‘sending’ to Taklinn to inform him that we had safely returned. His
reply told me that he was in his mountain home with his parents and fiancØ, and that 
he would return to Havilah shortly. 

  Next, I headed for Nivin Mottul’s office, for while I was certain that he already
knew that we had returned, he would want a full report from me. I was admitted 
straight away, and was surprised to find not only Nivin there, but Yigil as well. The
administrator and the mage motioned for me to enter and have a seat.

   There was already a chair prepared for me, with a cushion, so I climbed into it and
sat with the two men. Nivin prepared a glass of wine for me, which I sipped
politely.  

   “So tell us of your adventures, Doorag.” Yigil said from his place near the
window as he stroked the academy cat and inhaled deeply on his pipe. 

   So I did. Drawing in a deep breath I began, relating our journey and trials in the 
realm of Shadow. I told them of the mad armorer in the Shadow version of Havilah;
of our fight with the tree creatures, then of Driscoll’s death and our battle with
Himrock orcs at the nexus of the rivers Styx and Oceanus. I told them of our flight 
from shadow and the Yugoloth attack before we entered Arcadia. I relayed our
trials with the Harmonium, of our successful plan to free their prisoners and our
subsequent run to Arcadia’s upper layer.  

   I told them of Anwell, the solar, and his mission for us to retrieve Clangeden’s
axe. I told of our journey into Hades and our battles with the Yugoloth. I spoke of
Clangeden’s city and our rewards, then of the final leg of our travel that took us to 
Ysgard, and at last I told them of Caribdis and his decision. When I could tell no
more, I stopped and shrugged at them. 

   “That is,” I said, “More of less, it.”  

   Both of the men nodded sagely. “That is quite a tale, my young friend.” Yigil said
in his gravely voice. He pulled a bit at his short beard. “You have my sympathies
with regard to Caribdis. He will be missed.” 

   “Aye.” Nivin agreed. “The boy was a wild card, but he added a curious balance to
your crew. Indeed, he shall be missed by all of Havilah.”

   “I suppose he has his reasons.” I sighed, “Whether I agree with him or not is a
moot point. I take some pleasure in the fact that I have rare access to visit my friend 
beyond the veil, but its hardly the same as adventuring with him. But at least we
tried.” 

   “Aye.” Nivin said again with a nod, “You did everything you could for a friend,
and that is part of what makes you and the rest of the Broken Blade such a fine
crew. Havilah is lucky to have you.” 

   “And so are the people of Edik.” Yigil added. I looked at him, but he only sipped
his wine mysteriously.

   “Funny that you should mention Edik,” I said, “I’ve been giving that plane a bit of 
thought these days, and I know that Taklinn has as well.”
   “Mmmm, yes, we know.” Nivin replied. “As a matter of fact, Taklinn has
expressed his desires to us during your absence. Apparently he is interested in 
traveling there to destroy the temple of Illugi and thus free Kester Orban and the
rest of the poor souls who are trapped there.”

   “Yes.” I said. “He’s said as much to me.” 

   “And what do you think of the idea?” Yigil asked.

   “Well,” I said, “I’m all for it, though I would seek the permission of the
Academy, of course. For that matter, we would need Academy aid to even reach 
Edik. Neither Taklinn of I can cast ‘gate’ yet, so we would need a fork attuned to
Edik, which, as I understand it, you possess, Yigil.”

   “Mmmm.” Yigil nodded slowly.  

   “But I must confess to an ulterior motive.” I said. “Clangeden’s gift to me caused
me to realize that Edik, with its different flow of time, would greatly facilitate my
crafting purposes, and would save me much needed time here in Havilah.” 

   “Ah yes, the time differential.” Yigil said. “I see your point. A day for every ten is
a good deal, no?”

   “Yes!” I said. “So, for purely selfish reasons I wish to have access to Edik. But 
while we're there I see no reason not to carry out Taklinn’s plan as well. It pains me
to think of those souls trapped in that temple, especially considering at least two of
them are Havilah crew members! Please, what are your thoughts on the matter?” 

   Nivin filled Yigil’s wine and then his own. “Actually,” He said, “We have been
thinking upon similar lines. Melesandre was but a puppet of a larger master. Illugi,
while a fairly young deity, is ambitious and evil in the extreme. He has been 
thwarted thrice now, twice here, and at least once in Edik. We fear that he will not
cease his machinations, and therefore we have been deep in study trying to
determine a means of dealing with him.” 

   “We think,” Yigil finished for him, “We may have a lead.”

   I raised a curious eyebrow at the two and waited for them to proceed. It is never
wise to rush a wizard or a sage.  

   “Melesandre,” Yigil continued, “was not without her own ambitions and plans.
We believe that she realized that her alliance with Illugi was transitory at best. We
believe that she, herself, quietly studied Illugi’s weaknesses and recorded them in a 
book. We have great reason to believe that that book has been hidden here on our
world, as Illugi has less power here, and thus she had more freedom. We think that
the book lies within one of her old fortresses in the Wildwoods.” 

   I nearly jumped from my chair. “Well then what are we waiting for? You have but
to issue the order and we will go and bring the book back!”

   “Ah,” Nivin smiled, “That order may well come very soon. But for now, we still 
have much research to do. We believe that we are quite close to pinpointing the
location of Melesandre’s lair, but it will yet take a bit more time. In the meantime,
may I suggest you talk this over with Griff and Happy?” 

   “You and I could also work on crafting a duplicate ‘key’ to Edik, Doorag.” Yigil
added. “You will need one, and, as you said, it will aid you in your crafting
endeavors. I will caution you now though to be careful, least you grow old before
your time!” 

   I smiled at Yigil. “I have considered that.” I said. “I will indeed be wary of my
time spent there, and part of it will no doubt be used to study ways in which a 
wizard might slow or stop his natural aging process.”

   “A wise choice.” Yigil agreed. 

   “It is settled for now then,” Nivin said. “You and Yigil shall work on a fork for 
Edik while I continue our research. Taklinn should be back on the fifth of
Readyrea’t. Explain the situation to Happy and Griff and when Taklinn returns,
come and meet with me here.”  

   I nodded. “Consider it done. We shall be here on the fifth.”


   Ptchwl 28

   With several days to kill until Nivin had completed his research, Yigil and I used 
the time wisely, spending most of the last week sequestered in his laboratory
crafting a fork, or key, that is attuned to Edik and will facilitate my casting of the
‘plane shift’ spell to get there.  

  I must say that it was an enlightening and invaluable experience to spend a week
with Yigil. The old mage, while not a loquacious speaker, says a lot when he does
talk. Not only is he a master in the art of item creation and magic in general, but he 
is wise in the more subtle art of being a spell caster. We spoke much of the risks
and hazards of having so much power at hand, and I believe that he may be the first
man I’ve met who understands temptation as I do.  

   We talked of good and evil, of moral fiber, of past conquests and defeats on both
our parts. The morality of magic and power was an underlying theme to many of
our conversations, and he nodded in understanding when I admitted that I often 
times feel misunderstood, untrusted, and quite alone. Yigil knows what it is to be
separated, not only from the common man, but even from powerful non-spell
casters, by the sheer possibilities of the magic he commands.  

   He also knows what it is to be tempted by that power, as do I. 

   I must admit that I have never seriously considered using my magic for nefarious
purposes, but I still know that others wonder if I ever will.  

   Happy makes nervous jokes about power mad wizards in my direction, and I’ve
seen not just awe, but fear in her eyes the first time she witnesses me cast a truly
devastating spell. I can still remember the way her jaw dropped when I 
disintegrated the mad armorer in Shadow Havilah. I think I knew, at that moment,
that her trust in me will never rise above ninety-nine percent. She will always
wonder about her ability to deal with me should I ever turn on her.  

   Griffin simply doesn’t trust most magic. He’s gotten much better of late, and now
seems to relish his enchanted items. Happy bought him a belt of giant strength in
Clangeden’s city of the highest enhancement, and about time too! For all this time, 
all of us except Griff have been running about with enhancing items of the highest
caliber. All he’s had is a pair of gloves that I made him a long time ago that barely
boost his strength at all. At last, he wears the belt that all fighters must eventually 
strive for. 

   But does Griff trust me? I don’t know. I don’t know if Griff truly trusts anyone
other than Hap. Perhaps it wouldn’t matter if I were a wizard or not, but I don’t 
think it helps much. 

  Taklinn is another matter. Like me, he trusts the rest of the crew implicitly, and he
bases that off of simple faith in our moral fiber. He trusts that, at the end of the day, 
Hap and Griff will always do the (basically) right thing. As for me, well, Taklinn is
a spell caster of some repute as well. Hypothetically, if I had to fight any one of my
fellow crew member, I would fear Taklinn the most, for he is every bit the spell 
caster that I am, in divine terms. Fortunately, I do not fear ever having to fight
Taklinn, and I think that he feels the same way about me.  

  Still and all, being a mage is a lonely profession, and it was edifying to spend
some time with a wizard whom I can look up to. I visited The Old Man in the
Pointy Hat just before our journey into the planes, and I realized with a shock that I 
had access to, and could cast, spells that he could not! I have surpassed my mentor,
and that was a thing both humbling and empowering at the same time. It reminded
me of the time I was four years old and beat my father at chess.  

   Yigil also has a laboratory that nearly had me salivating. Being on the road as
much as I am, it is difficult for me to keep my lab up to the most modern standards,
but Yigil has no such problem, and his lab is easily the most technologically 
advanced I’ve ever seen, both in terms of utility and convenience. With it, we were
able to copy the formula for his existing Edik key without err, and by the fall of this
evening, we were able to complete the project. It cost me a pretty copper, but I now 
own a plane shift fork attuned to Edik! 

   I plan to use it tomorrow!

   I also used a bit of time this week to visit Hap and Griff at their home in Ester. Of 
course I ‘teleported’ there, and made the mistake of porting directly into Hap’s
living room. I must have startled her, for she made quite a fuss, not allowing me a
chance to even tell her why I’d come. After a few seconds of her finger in my face, 
I scowled and decided I’d had enough, and ported away, determined to let her cool
down for a day and try again the next. 

   I suppose it was in rather bad form. They could have been up to who knows what, 
and it could have been embarrassing for all of us had I ported in, unannounced, at
the wrong time. 

   So the following day I teleported to their front door and politely knocked. Happy 
politely let me in, and we started over. 

   I told her and Griff of Illugi and his tower of trapped souls on Edik. Griff nodded
when I mentioned that Taklinn wished to destroy that tower and free those souls, 
and he said that Taklinn had mentioned it to him several times. 

   I told them of Melesandre’s book and Nivin’s research, and of the very real
possibility that we could soon be on our way to retrieve that book as part of a 
sanctioned Academy mission. Griff, stoic as ever, just said, “Yeah, whatever.” 

   Happy said, “Well, we’d better enjoy being home while we can!” She said this
with an odd grin at Griff, and added, “See ya later, Doorag!” 

   It was a fairly heavy handed hint that they she wanted to be alone with Griff, so I
sniffed and bid them farewell, and that we were to meet on the fifth. I then
teleported home.  

   At the risk of waxing ever more introspective, I sometimes lament the fact that I
am seriously at a loss with regard to romance and all things concerning the opposite
sex. I am woefully undereducated in the ways of romantic love, and truth be told, I 
have no real wish to be edified. Why this is so, I don’t know. I’ve never even been
with a woman, and have had little desire to do so. I should probably also mention
that my lack of libido includes all sexes, so it is not simply a matter of confused 
sexuality. I simply don’t appear to be attracted to anything other than knowledge
and magic! 

   I sometimes wonder if this is entirely healthy. It certainly does not appear to be 
normal, for it is the natural instinct of nearly all species to procreate. Even Taklinn
is subject to urges that he eventually satisfies. But I, I seem to lack that basic
instinct, and that worries me sometimes! 

   The last time I visited my parents I was forced to go through the painful
experience of my mother trying to get me to have dinner with Lolly Featherfoot,
who I have known since childhood. Lolly is a lovely girl, and even I can see that
she is an attractive one at that. I think my mother still somehow believes that all of 
my wizardly ways are some sort of phase I’ve been going through for the last
twenty-five years, and that eventually I will settle down in the village and give her 
grandchildren, although I don’t know why she wants any more! She already has
somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty-six grand kids!

  The point is I am continually forced to disappoint my mother and be faced with 
the fact that it is extremely unlikely that I will ever find love as Griff and Happy, or
my mother and father know it. 

   I must admit that this is a little depressing. I feel as though I am missing out on an 
integral and important past of life, and I have no idea what to do about it. This was
another area in which Yigil could relate. He, like nearly all serious mages, is a
bachelor. He said that he had once met a woman with whom he fell in love, but he 
could never reconcile his relationship to her with his relationship to magic. In the
end, he had to choose, and he chose magic. Did he tell me his tale with some regret?
I think so. But it appears that that is our lot in life. 

   Enough of this soul searching! One thing I do know is that I have always needed
time to complete my projects, and now, that time is mere hours away! I have
already purchased all of the materials I will need for my maiden voyage, and my 
laboratory is already packed away and stowed in our bag of holding. Tomorrow I
plan to ‘plane shift’ to Edik and craft a project that has been on my drawing board
for a long time, though it hasn’t been important enough to spend the twenty days 
required to make it. But tomorrow, I shall begin those twenty days in Edik, and
when I am through, only two will have passed here in Havilah! I can be finished
with this project before our meeting with Nivin!  

   I am beside myself over this! The chance to complete crafting in one tenth the
time as normal may well be the most important discovery of my career. I have only
written this much in my journal because I know how difficult it will be to sleep 
tonight.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 11, 2015)

Rdyr’t 2

   I have just returned from an exhausting twenty days on Edik, though only two of 
Havilah’s days have passed. My plan worked perfectly, and though I am bone
weary, I am also alive with excitement over the knowledge that I can use the time
difference in Edik to my advantage.  

   For some time now I have wished to craft a traveling laboratory. I have had the
plan, and even the financial wherewithal to make it happen, but thus far I have not
had the time. Until now. 

   I used my new key to ‘plane shift’ to Edik on the morning of Readyrea’t 1 and
found myself on a desolate plain. My location was of no concern to me, as I was not
there for a sight seeing trip, and immediately set to work, first casting a mansion, 
and then having the servants unload my laboratory, which I had carefully packed
and placed inside our bag of holding for the trip. Once all was ready, I set about
crafting a portable hole. 

  Twenty days and ten thousand gold worth of materials later I finished my work
and was the proud owner of an extra dimensional hole, which I wrapped up and put
in my pocket, after which I wasted no time in ‘plane shifting’ back to my own 
world to happily find that I had hardly been missed, given the seemingly short time
I was gone. 

   I had enlisted the services of several carpenters to build a frame in my 
absence, and by the time I had returned, they had completed their task. They had
followed my design and specifications to the letter, and I was pleased to take into
my possession a frame work of wood six feet in diameter and ten feet deep,
separated by a “floor” at the five foot mark, and with a narrow staircase descending 
through top and middle layer. With the carpenters help, I was able to lower the
thing into my new portable hole, after which I had, in essence, a portable, two-floor, 
room, of just my height, that I can fold up and carry with me! In short order I had
returned to my Academy room and set up my lab in the hole. It is a trifle cramped,
but utterly useable and entirely portable! Even now it is folded up and secured in 
Clangeden’s box, awaiting its next usage. I was even able to fit most of my library
within it!

   My days in Edik were more strenuous than usual, as the crafting procedure within 
the mansion was, by its very nature, difficult. Each night, before the mansions
duration ended, I had to carefully pack up my lab and my work, cast another
mansion, and set everything back up again. It was time consuming and frustratingly 
monotonous, but now that the portable lab is completed, I should never have to go
through such a trial again. 

   It is a triumph of magic! 

   But now that I am back, it is as if the last twenty days have caught up with me and
I find myself barely able to keep my eyes open to write this entry. I feel as though I
have been extremely lax in my journal upkeep, since I was simply too tired or busy 
to write more than work notes during my time on Edik, though I suppose by
Havilah standards I have only missed two days, so I will not be too hard on myself. 

   I plan to spend the next few days in rest and study for our upcoming mission to 
retrieve Melesandre’s book.


   Rdyr’t 5

   Evil is afoot, and we are, once again, in the thick of it! Though this time we have 
not sought it out; no, this time evil has invaded the very grounds of the Academy
and we are forced to look it in the eye and face the fact that we are vulnerable even
here! 

   Taklinn had returned via ‘wind walk’ earlier this morning and had found me in
my apartment in the Academy. Though I had resolved to catch up on some much
needed rest, after a day of lounging about I could sit still no longer and have been 
using the last two days to research the Wildwood further, wanting to be as informed
as possible about what we might run into. I was deep into a treatise on Himrock Orc
manhood initiation rites when I recognized Taklinn’s none-too-subtle pound on my 
door. I opened it to find my friend all smiles and good cheer. Obviously his time
spent with family and fiance had done his spirit well. 

   We caught up a bit and I soon suggested that we fetch Hap and Griff, which we 
did with a quick teleport. Within an hour the four of us stood on Academy grounds,
making our way toward Nivin’s office.

   We took a short cut across the Academy training grounds where we had first 
made such a debacle of our crew trial. Happy was able to laugh at it as she pointed
to the spot where Taklinn had forced Caribdis to apologize for his rash actions
against Lotte Spangler’s crew. Taklinn just sniffed and looked away, as if still 
embarrassed by the memory.

   And then all hell broke loose!

   There was a sudden shimmering in the air that only I was able to perceive. I 
immediately recognized it as portent to several beings about to teleport into our
vicinity, though it happened too fast for me to even shout a warning. Quick as
thought, we were instantly surrounded on all sides by four drider and an 
abomination yuan-ti!

   A chill rent my spine when I saw them, for we have not fought driders or yuan-ti
since the days to Melesandre. Now, here we were, about to embark on a mission to
find her book, suddenly being attacked by her old allies. Coincidence?  

   Instinct took over and I took to the air, shooting nearly thirty feet above the
ground just as two of the driders opened up on us with spells. They fired off twin 
‘lightning bolts’ that zapped into the midst of Happy, Taklinn and Griff. I smelt a
quick waft of seared flesh and ozone as my comrades rolled out of the way,
coming up with weapons in hand. Taklinn was already mouthing the words to his 
‘righteous might’ spell and Hap drew her new dagger and winked out of sight. Griff
drew his new sword in a single, smooth, motion, and squared off against a drider. 

  As I went aloft, I had also invoked my contingent ‘greater invisibility’, but I 
watched in dismay as the yuan-ti’s eyes never left me. It was then that I noticed the
robe he wore, decorated with unblinking eyes. I stared hard and the robe glowed
hotly of magic. I cursed under my breath, trying to bring a spell to bare on the yuan-
ti, but the lizard man was faster. I saw his lips move and I steeled myself as I
recognized the words to ‘baleful polymorph’. 

   I felt the magic grip me and attempt to change me. I fought the shift, feeling my 
limbs trying to reform. As it is when fighting any spell, it seemed like a full minute
passed. In reality, mere seconds ticked away, but at last I shedded the Dweomer and
glared at the yuan-ti, still in my natural form. Anger gripped me as I thought of the 
audacity of this fellow, porting into my home and attempting to polymorph me. I
grabbed for components and rattled off a spell of my own even as I heard alarms
begin to sound all over the Academy. My maximized, empowered, ‘scorching ray’ 
hit the abomination three times in the chest, sending him reeling and gasping in
pain. Yet he still stood! I had hoped to down the bugger with such a powerful
casting, but he was made of tougher stuff.  

   Beneath me I watched from the corner of my eye as Griff plowed into a drider,
severing it’s head from its spider body in three quick slashes. I also heard Taklinn’s
‘holy word’ shake the very souls of all of us, though it appeared to do little more 
than that to our enemies. 

   I saw a drider wince in pain and stumble, spinning around to hack at empty air,
but Happy was nowhere to be seen, until another drider showed off its spell 
capabilities by casting an ‘invisibility purge’ which revealed our roguish friend as
she danced away from her foe. 

   Two arrows whizzed by me as the abomination had seemingly set aside his spells 
in favor of a bow. Fortunately, he missed both times, and I prepared to hit him
again. But then I saw that Griff had taken down a second drider with Taklinn’s
help, and now had a straight shot at the yuan-ti.  

   I let him take it, and watched as our warrior barreled toward the lizard man. I had
already damaged the yuan-ti severely, and he was in no condition to take what Griff
was dishing out. With a single round house slice, Griff opened up a ghastly wound 
in the yuan-ti’s chest that sent it spinning to the ground in a spray of blood. 

   With the abomination dead, I changed my target to a drider, attempting to ‘hold
monster’ it, but the evil creature ignored my spell, only to find itself face to face 
with an angry dwarf with a fist full of Clangeden’s axe. He pummeled the drider
until it staggered back on its eight legs, only to be flanked by Hap, who had slipped in
behind it. She thrust with her daggers, her arms a blur, and the thing went down. 

   A final drider remained. “Take it alive!” I shouted, not wanting to lose a prisoner
that might have valuable information. To that end, I cast a ‘bigby’s clenched fist’
and used it to punch the drider a great clout on the side of its head. The spidery 
beast staggered, unable to cast or fight for a few precious seconds. That was all it
took for Happy to appear beside it, sap in hand. With a few surgical blows, she beat
the drider into unconsciousness, and it slumped in a heap.  

   “What the hell was that all about?” Griff demanded to no one in particular. 

   “Yeah,” Happy echoed, nudging the drider with her boot, “Since when do these
clowns port into the Academy to try and kill us?” 

   “We can figure it out later!” Taklinn cried. “Alarms are sounding and I hear
battle. We are under siege!” With that, he pounded toward the arena exit, axe at the 
ready. 

   As it turned out, we were not, technically, under siege, though various shock
troops of drider and yuan-ti had sprouted up in several Academy locations and had 
done their level best to slay as many as they could before either being killed by
Academy security or fleeing via teleports. By the time Taklinn arrived at the battle
scenes, there was little to do but tend to the wounded. 

   Griff tied our drider prisoner securely, and we went on damage patrol, looking for
straggling drider or yuan-ti, and trying to help those we could. Within an hour it
was over, and the Academy was declared free of antagonistic forces. The four of us 
met again on the training grounds, determined to hurry to Nivin’s office for a
clearer picture of what had happened. 

   When we arrived we were told by his secretary tat our meeting would be delayed 
for two hours, given the recent attack and Nivin’s responsibilities. This was entirely
understandable, and we settled in to wait, only then noticing the other figure that
stood, razor straight, in the corner of the room.  

   He was obviously a fighting man, for he bore light armor and a pair of well used
short swords at his hips. He was a young human, in his late twenties perhaps,
though his stance and demeanor betrayed a man who had seen his share of battle. 
Light scares crossed his face, though they did not detract from his rugged good
looks. He wore the uniform tabard of Havilah’s regular military, and I could see
from his insignia that he was an officer, probably a major. He was not a large man, 
but I could sense that he was dangerous nonetheless, for his body was like a coiled
spring, even at his ‘at ease’ position. His jaw was square, and he regarded us with
steely blue eyes.  

   “Who the hell are you?” Griff asked, bluntly, when he noticed the man.

   The stranger did not bat an eye. “I am Major Cromwell Throst.” He replied in an
even voice. “I am here for an audience with Nivin Mottul.” 

   We looked at Major Cromwell Throst and he looked at us for several long
seconds, all of us, I’m sure, wondering if our two meetings had anything to do with 
each other, but finally deciding to simply wait and see. Our crew made ourselves
comfortable in the chairs that lined the waiting room walls while the Major
remained standing.  

   The hours passed with little conversation other than speculation about the recent
attack, and at last Nivin’s secretary announced that we could go in. To our surprise,
she nodded at the Major as well, and he led the way, pushing open the double doors 
to Nivin’s office. 

   Inside, both Yigil and Nivin awaited us. Both men wore looks of recent strain on
their faces, and I imagined that they had been quite busy during the last few hours 
trying to piece together the mystery of the attacks as well as coordinate added
defense and care for the wounded. Nivin waved to five chairs, and this time the
Major joined us in being seated, though his posture remained stiff.  

   “Let us get right to business.” Nivin said, his tone serious. “We have been
attacked within our own walls by forces we believe to have come from Edik at
Illugi’s command. Certainly Melesandre was not his only peon; we can only 
surmise that this attack was an attempt to judge our strength. We can assume that
they have not the power to teleport a greater force directly into the Academy, and
for that we are lucky. It highlights the seriousness of the situation, however, for we 
can now see that Illugi must have some clue as to what we are about and wishes to
cut us off at the knees. I’m certain that he would have been only too happy had his
strike force managed to kill the crew of the Broken Blade.”

   “First things first; I take it that you have met Major Throst in my antechamber?”  

   The four of us nodded, as did the Major, and Nivin continued. 

  “Major Throst has served Havilah well in her regular army for several years, 
achieving a name for himself as both a fierce warrior and a leader of men. He has
recently, however, come to me with a request to be assigned to a crew. Now that it
is assured that Caribdis will not be rejoining the Band of the Broken Blade, I 
thought that the Major might be a fine figure to round out your thinned ranks. It is,
of course, not my decision. I am merely here to facilitate a meeting between the five
of you. However, I would submit that a fifth man in your crew would not be 
unwise, and you could do far worse than Major Throst.”

  Again, we looked at Throst and he at us. Happy was the first to grill him with
questions.  

   “Why do you want to join a crew?” She asked pointedly. 

   Major Throst regarded her coolly. “I have grown weary of chains of command
and having to fight through hundreds of minions only to have Academy crews deal 
with the true threats to Havilah.” He said. “I wish to trade off regular military life
for a chance to take the battle to our enemies.”

   Taklinn stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Tis a large pill to swallow.” He said. 
“We have fought well, even without Caribdis, for some time now, and the idea of
replacing him may be difficult to accept.”

   “I have no wish to replace anyone.” The Major replied. “I only wish for the 
chance to serve my kingdom in the most direct way possible. I am not Caribdis, nor
am I a bard. I am my own man and will try to be nothing more.”

   “Doesn’t matter to me,” Griff shrugged, “As long as you don’t try telling us what 
to do.”

   “Of course.” Cromwell nodded. “I would not think to consider myself your
superior in any way. If you accept me as a member of your crew, it would be as an 
equal. That is all that I ask.”

   “You realize,” I said, “That some might consider us a bit nonconformist.”

   “And we bicker amongst ourselves quite a bit.” Happy added.  

   “I am familiar with your history,” Cromwell said, “And again, it is not my desire
to change your crew in any way. I have followed your exploits, and I agree with
Nivin and Yigil that it is your very diversity and unconventional spirit that is your 
strength. I wish only an opportunity to be a part of that. In no way will I consider
myself in a position of leadership. In fact, leadership is something I wish to leave
behind me in favor of traveling with those I can consider my equals.” 

   “He talks a good game.” Griff said, leaning back in his chair.

   I looked at Nivin. “I know that time is of the essence,” I said, “But may we have
an evening to discuss this matter? Perhaps the five of us could meet for dinner 
tonight at the Broken Blade to get to know each other under less formal
circumstances.”

   “I agree.” Said Nivin. “Time is short, but we can allow a night for the five of you 
to get to know one another and come to a decision. Besides, we still have some
small amount of study to do. I believe that we will be ready to send you on your
mission within two days. My suggestion would be to come to your conclusions and 
gear up for your mission to the Wildwoods. Return here on the morning of the
seventh, with or without Major Throst, and be ready to begin.”

   “Have you any more information about where we’re going or what we might be 
facing?” Taklinn asked. 

   Yigil took the floor then, responding to Taklinn’s questions. “There is a reason
that Havilah does not expand into the Wildwoods,” He said, “It is a rough and 
brutal territory, not only in terms of unforgiving geography, but also of its
inhabitants. You may meet any and all manner of monsters within those dark
woods, and you will certainly cross paths with the worst that the Himrock Orcs can
offer. You will do well to remember that Himrock’s, unlike their boorish cousins, 
are far from the lowbrow trash that raid our outlying communities to the north. No,
Himrock Orcs are intelligent and cagey, and many of them are able to master skills 
that normal orcs cannot, not the least of which is magic. Be prepared! The lair in
which we believe Melesandre hid her tome will be much like the pyramid in which
you fought Himrock’s during your formative days, though we believe it will be far 
more dangerous, given its deeper location in the Wildwood and its import to the
Himrock’s. Most of these pyramids are built to house their dead, so it would not
surprise me to find guardians that can withstand eons worth of time.” 

  “Undead?” Taklinn said.

   “That would be one of my guesses.” Nivin answered. 

   “The pyramid is protected against divination and transportation magic. Even with 
our combined skills we have not found a way to view it directly, and therefore we
cannot get you directly into the structure,” Yigil continued, “though we have scryed
a good location about a mile from where we think it is. Doorag, you will want to 
join us tomorrow for a look at the location so that you can port the crew there.”

   I nodded in agreement. 

   “Beyond all that,” Nivin added, “Prepare yourselves as best you can for anything, 
get to know Major Throst and decide whether or not he will travel with you, and
meet us here on the seventh. Bare in mind that not only the kingdom of Havilah is
at stake here, but also the world of Edik. I cannot stress enough the importance of 
this mission!”

   We left Nivin’s office with much to think about, and agreed to meet with Major 
Throst that night at the Broken Blade to discuss our possible collaboration. 

   Our dinner with the Major that evening was profitable for all sides. Though he 
seemed unable to shed his military stiffness, he showed up for the meeting in
civilian garb and attempted to relax a little in our company. We talked for the better
part of the night, and we found him to be generally inoffensive, and carried himself 
with a calm assuredness in his own abilities. 

   After our meeting with Nivin I had gone to do a bit of research on the Major, and
had easily found his records of military service, which were exemplary. He had 
fought with distinction in several major battles, including Havilah’s defense against
Melesandre’s hordes. He was well regarded by his superiors, and his men followed
him without question. Their loyalty spoke volumes about his character and made 
the idea of his joining us a bit easier to accept. 

   In the end, we could not deny the wisdom of having an extra sword (or pair of
swords, in the Major’s case) on our side, and by the time we broke for the night 
there was unspoken agreement among Taklinn, Griff, Hap and myself that Throst
would be accompanying us on our journey. 


   Rdyr’t 7

   Lands, but it has been a long day! 

   Major Throst met us in the antechamber of our Academy apartments early this
morning. All of us were geared up and ready for anything. Or so we thought. 

   Nivin and Yigil were waiting for us in Nivin’s office to see us off and offer us last
bits of advice. With Yigil’s help I had studied the location that we were to teleport
to yesterday, so I was ready with the image of it in my mind. As we have so many 
times in the past, we joined hands and I cast my teleport.

   ***

   We appeared in a dour grove of trees whose canopy blocked out most of the sun.
Looking around ourselves and listening, we saw and heard nothing. The forest was
eerily silent and devoid of life, which made us all uneasy. 

   Hap disappeared into the shadow of a tree while I lifted off from the ground
almost without thinking about it. Griff, Taklinn and the Major spread out, searching 
the area, but finding nothing. I pointed west. “That way.” I said.

   The five of us made our way through the quiet woods, ever alert for anything.
Griff led the way by twenty or thirty paces, and suddenly stopped, holding up his 
hand and kneeling down to study the ground intently. It is good that Griff has such a
keen eye for tracking, for I never would have noticed the subtle claw marks left in
the earth. Griff outlined them for me with his finger, then pointed to several more 
that led off into the woods. 

   “They look reptilian,” he said, “and whatever it is, it’s got more than four legs. I’d
say about eight. What do you think it is, Doorag?” 

   Eight legs? Reptilian? The words clicked switches in my mind and I did a bit of
quick mental research, coming to a disquieting conclusion.

   “My guess is a basilisk.” I said, somberly. Griff scowled at me, for he was not 
unfamiliar with such creatures. Hap, however, was not so educated.

   “What the heck is a basilisk?” She asked. 

   “A basilisk,” I replied, “Is a large, lizard-like creature with multiple legs, a long 
neck, sharp claws and nasty fangs, though incurring physical damage should we
happen upon one will be the least of our worries.”

   “What’s that supposed to mean?” She demanded. 

  “He means,” the major answered, showing off a bit of his own knowledge, “That
the basilisk’s most feared and preferred attack form is it’s gaze, which can turn a
mortal to stone.” 

   “You gotta be kidding me!” Happy said, wide eyed.

   “He’s not.” I said. “And, truth be told, it’s worse than that. A basilisk doesn’t
even need to look at you for its ability to work. All you have to do is look at the 
creature and you have a chance of being turned to a statue.”

   “Great!” Hap said with a sardonic laugh. 

   “Which way is it going?” Taklinn asked Griff.  

   “Same way we are.” The big warrior replied. 

   “Even better.” Hap grumbled. 

  There was no help for it. We would just have to carry on and hope that our paths 
would not cross that of the basilisk. Ah, if we were only that lucky.

   Not twenty minutes later we came across still more evidence of the creature that
solidified my hypothesis that we were trailing a basilisk. Griff saw it first and 
pointed. It was a rabbit, turned to stone in mid hop. 

   We continued forward, every nerve on full alert now, our eyes and ears peeled.
Even Ambros had his nose stuck from a hole in my hat, sniffing the air for any 
unsavory scents; but even with our vigilance, we could not avoid the confrontation.

   Ten minutes later they came, stepping from behind huge trees as if to ambush us,
scrabbling forward with surprising dexterity for such heavy beasts. There were 
three of them in all, and there was no avoiding the first onslaught of their gaze. 

   The magic in their eyes was palpable, and I felt my limbs attempt to stiffen into
stone, but I furiously shook it off, as did the rest of us. I responded with a ‘fireball’ 
from my staff on one of them, but was dismayed to see how little damage it did to
the beast, and I quickly flew behind a tree to stay out of their line of sight.

    Major Throst charged to meet the one I had scorched and dealt it a blow with one 
of his short swords even as Griff and Taklinn did the same to the second and third
basilisk. Hap, of course, vanished, and I knew that she would be attempting to get in
on a blind side for one of her devastating attacks.  

   From my hiding spot I could hear the sounds of battle; the clang of steel, the
grunts of our fighters, and the screeching roars of the basilisk’s. Knowing that I had
to help, I took a deep breath and readied a spell. I poked my head from around my
tree and spotted one of the lizards locked in battle with Taklinn. Not wanting to 
miss, I took a chance and looked straight at the thing, pointing my finger and
beginning my incantation, but before the words had left my lips, I felt the power of 
the basilisk hit me again. My limbs went numb, and I fought it with all my might. I
just had time to see my hands go stone gray before everything went black. 

    ***

   First there was a dim light that grew steadily brighter, at last forming into blurry
vision that soon snapped into sharpness. I looked about myself curiously, still with
my finger pointed in mid cast. I let my arm drop to my side when I realized that I 
was in Nivin’s office. I blinked a bit as I saw Nivin leaning against his desk. Yigil
stood before me, the remnants of a scroll in his hand. To my right stood Taklinn
with a worried expression on his face.  

   “What…what happened?” I stammered, confused.

   Taklinn laid a fatherly hand on my shoulder, his look bespoke grim tidings and he
said, “I’m so sorry lad, you were turned to stone by the basilisk in the Wildwoods. 
I’m afraid it wasn’t easy changing you back. It’s been three years.”

   “What!” I cried, my eyes bulging from my head. “Three years! I’ve been a statue
for three years? How can that…” 

   Taklinn could hold a straight face no longer. With a guffaw, he burst into
laughter. “I’m sorry, lad,” he howled, tears of mirth squirting from his eyes, “I
couldn’t resist a little leg pullin’!” 

   My eyes narrowed as I looked at him more closely and realized that his clothing
was exactly as it had been when I had seen him last, and he still had traces of blood
on his tabard. I understood that I had been had. 

   “Tis been no three years,” He confessed, wiping his eyes, still chuckling, “Only
an hour or so. We mopped up those bloody lizards and then found you behind a
tree, stiff as a board and ten times as heavy. I dumped ya in the bag o’ holding and 
‘word of recalled’ us back here for Yigil to take a look at you.”

   Yigil could barely conceal a small smile of his own as he explained. “I did not
have the ‘stone to flesh’ Dweomer memorized, but knowing that time is of the 
essence, I procured a scroll and set things right. How do you feel?”

   “Fine, I suppose.” I said, scowling at Taklinn. “I’m glad I could provide you with
a little entertainment.” 

   “Ah, don’t be mad, friend Doorag,” Taklinn said with a grin. “Just having a bit of
fun is all.”

  “All well and good,” I said, stretching my arms, “But we still have a job to do. 
Where are the others?”

  “Still in the Wildwood.” Taklinn replied. “We’ll return to them in the morning
once I’ve cast another ‘word of recall.” 

   “The hell we will!” I exclaimed, “We’re going back to them this minute!”

  Taklinn’s face became serious. “Now lad, don’t go acting rash! It’ll not do to have
no quick means of escape! I don’t like being without the ‘word’!” 

   “That may be,” I said, “But I’ll be damned if we’re going to leave Hap, Griff and
the Major alone in those woods until you have your spells again! They could be
fighting for their lives right now!” 

   Taklinn sighed. “But the ‘word of recall…’” He began.

   “Sod the word of bloody recall!” I shouted, waving my arms in exasperation. “We
are a crew, and we do not leave half of our members to fend for themselves in an 
area as dangerous as the Wildwood! I just won’t have it! Now listen, here’s what
we’ll do: We will port back to them, then tonight, we’ll all port back here so you
can cast your recall. And if things get dicey and we need an escape route, I’ve still 
got teleports to haul us out if we need them.”

   Taklinn stroked his chin and pulled his beard, considering my words with
maddening deliberation. “Very well,” He said finally, “But we come back tonight
and I cast the word. Agreed?” 

   “Agreed!” I said, grabbing him by the arm and already incanting my teleport. 

   “Be careful!” I heard Nivin shout as we disappeared. “Try to be gone for more 
than an hour this time!”

   I landed us in the grove in which we had first appeared and we immediately began
a fast trek through the woods. It was nearly a half hours run (or fly, in my case) but 
at last we found the rest of our crew seated amongst a strand of oaks. Not far off I
could see the three bodies of the basilisk’s, and I shuddered.

   “Doorag!” Happy shouted with a grin. “We didn’t expect to see you back so soon! 
How you feeling?”

   “Other than my pride, just fine.” I replied. 

   “Thought you weren’t coming back until tonight.” Griff said, looking at Taklinn.  

   “The lad convinced me otherwise.” Taklinn said with a scowl.

   “This is good,” Said the Major, “We can get on with the search for the pyramid
now.” 

   With the Major’s “Ever Onward” spirit motivating us, we determined not to waste
the rest of the day and set out once again, keeping our eyes sharp for any more 
threats, though I was sorely distracted by a revelation from Happy as we made our
way through the brambles. 

   Our rogue sidled up next to me as we tramped through the brush and asked, 
innocently enough, if I had anything on me to deal with future basilisk attacks.

   “What do you mean?” I asked.

   “Oh, you know, stuff to turn a fellow from stone back to flesh, so we don’t have 
to run back to Yigil if it happens again.” She said.

   “What, you mean like a scroll of ‘stone to flesh’?” I asked.

   “Sure, something like that.” 

   “Well, no,” I said, “Though I suppose we could have picked one or two up in
Havilah. Though what good they would do us I’m not sure, especially if I’m the one
that gets tagged by a basilisk. ‘Stone to flesh is an arcane spell, and just as I can’t 
cast a ‘heal’, Taklinn would be unable to cast a ‘stone to flesh’, so I don’t know
what help it would be.”

   “Oh,” She said, nonchalantly studying her fingernails, “Well, I might be of some 
help in the event that you get incapacitated.”

   I looked at her quizzically. “I’m not sure I understand, Hap. What are you trying
to say? I know that some non-casters can figure out how to use wands and such, but 
scrolls are a different matter.”

   “I know,” She said, with a hint of exasperation, as if I weren’t picking up on the
obvious, “And I’m saying that I might have an outside chance of using a scroll.” 

   I stopped dead in my tracks. “What!” I exclaimed, loud enough for Griff to look
back at us over his shoulder. I lowered my voice and caught up to Hap again.
“What?” I demanded again. 

   “Look,” Hap said, as if it were no big deal, “When I was hanging around with
Scylla I used to watch her cast her spells. Now she didn’t have to sit around and
memorize them out of a spell book like you do, she just woke up in the morning and 
had them, right?”

   “Right.” I said warily, stiffening at the mere mention of the sorceress’ name. 

   “Well,” Hap continued, “I used to see her cast ‘unseen servants’ from time to time 
and I thought that was a pretty neat spell. On the whole, I don’t have a lot of use for
magic, but that one seemed like a pretty good trick, especially since I was about to
get married. See, I’ve never been much of a home maker. Cleaning the house and 
learning to cook just isn’t my thing, so I thought, wouldn’t it be great to be able to
whip up an unseen servant to dust the house and fold the laundry, and for that
matter, it would sure help my meals if I were able to cast a flavoring 
prestidigiwhatever its called. So I talked about it with Scylla, and she was nice
enough to teach me a few spells.” 

   I stopped again. “Happy Dorjan, are you trying to tell me that you can cast arcane
spells?”

   “Just a couple of the basics,” She replied, “Nothing like you can, and I guess I’m 
pretty much stuck with the ones she taught me, since I cast like Scylla.”

   I began walking again, my mind spinning with this news. “Happy, why in
Clangeden’s name didn’t you tell me this before?” 

   She looked thoughtful for a moment and said, “I didn’t think it was important. I
don’t have any spells that would be useful in combat, so I figured, why bring it up?
That, and you know how Griff is about spell casters.” 

   “Have you told him?”

   “Yeah, I told him right before we got married.”

   “And?” 

   “What could he do? He’s not crazy about it, but he loves me. We just don’t talk
about it. Besides, he’s not stupid. He knows that magic is what makes it possible for
us to… well, you know.” 

   I looked at her, perplexed. “No, I don’t know.”

   Happy laughed at me. “Doorag, you're so innocent sometimes. The magic bracelet
you made for me allows me to grow bigger, which lets us… you know, be… 
intimate!”

   “Oh!” I said, blushing furiously and quickly changing the subject. “Happy, I
really wish you had told me about this before. The fact that you are able to cast 
arcane spells, no matter how sleight your ability, is of major importance! It gives
you access to all manor of magical items that are usually restricted to casters.
Wands, staffs, that sort of thing. Generally I’m the one who carries such things, but 
I rarely have time to use them in the heat of battle. We have a wand of ‘haste’, for
example, which would have been a major boon to our warriors in many a battle,
especially before you and Griff received weapons with the speed enchantment, but I 
usually find myself with more important spells to cast. If you had had the wand you
could have put it to use! And yes, you are correct in your assumption that you
would have a decent chance to cast many spells from scrolls. If I had known this 
then I would have certainly made sure that I grabbed a ‘stone to flesh’ scroll or two
for you, just in case. Beyond that, I confess that I’m a tad bit hurt that you would
keep such a thing from me.” 

   “Sorry,” She said, “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Like I said, I just didn’t
think it was all that important.”

   “My dear,” I sighed, “Every small edge we can get is important. Even something 
as innocuous as a ‘daze’ or a ‘prestidigitation’ can be the difference between life
and death. You just never know.”

   “Well, now you know.” She said. “And when you go back to Havilah, pick me up 
a couple of those scrolls. Like you said, you never know.”

   Our conversation was halted by Griff, who again held up his hand for us to stop as
he pointed out the steep hill that had revealed itself beyond a strand of thick oaks.  

   The earthen hill, covered by trees, was too steep and too uniform to have formed
naturally, and we could only assume that we had found one side of the pyramid.

   “Now,” grunted Taklinn, “How to get inside?” 

   How indeed? We searched the base of the pyramid for nearly an hour with
frustrating results. Griff and the Major resolved to climb to the top to see what they
could find, and while they were about that, I decided to use the ‘locate secret 
doors’ dweomer that I had prepared for just such an occasion. It is not a spell that I
generally have on hand, but on this day I was quite glad of my foresight, for, with it
in effect, I flew low to the ground, scanning the base of the pyramid, and within ten
minutes I detected a glow coming from an innocent looking clump of brush. 

   I flew back to my comrades and gathered them together, leading them to my find.
Griff hacked away at the brush and revealed a gully that led into the pyramids base 
for several feet before being blocked by an obviously humanoid carved slab of
stone. The slab was massive, and must have weighed many tons, but closer
inspection revealed that it appeared to be set into a track which meant it was 
probably designed to be slid aside. Griff put his weight into it, but the slab would
not budge. This, of course, made it Happy’s turn.

   Our small friend leapt into the gully and studied the stone for several moments, 
testing here, searching there, and finally slipping her fingers into a crack in the
outer stone. There was an audible click and she stepped back with a satisfied grin. 

   “Try it now!” She said. 

   Griff found an edge and heaved. This time the slab slid easily on its track, and
disappeared into the mountain to reveal a well built hallway leading into the
pyramid. The smell of must rolled out into the air, and we could tell that no one had 
set foot in here for quite some time. 

   “Okay,” said Taklinn, hefting his axe, “This is it. Be ready for anything.” 

   Beside me, the Major drew both of his swords, and I saw a hue of steel color his 
eyes. 

   With Griff and Taklinn in the lead we took our first steps into the pyramid, only
to be immediately stymied by a set of heavy double doors set at an angle not thirty 
feet down the hall. 

   We immediately fell into our standard operating procedure for dealing with such
things, with all of us falling back a bit to give Happy room to work, and to stay out 
of range of possible traps that she might miss. Our roguish friend searched the door
for several minutes, tinkering at the lock with her tools, and finally announcing that
it was both unlocked and free of dangers. Griff replaced her at the door with 
Taklinn at his side, axes at the ready. Griff gripped the handles and flung the door
wide. 

   I flew toward the ceiling to get a view over their heads and sucked in a breath at 
what I saw. Inside was a room, perhaps thirty feet square. Another set of double
doors led from it on the opposite corner, but between us and the doors stood three
iron statues that were far too intricate to be anything other than golems. I cursed, 
knowing full well that my magic would be of limited use against these things, and
though they had not yet come to life, I had a hunch that it would take no more than
a few steps inside the room from one of us to animate them. 

   My hunch was right, for no sooner did Griff cross the threshold of the door than
we saw the glow of magical life spring to the eyes of the golems. With rusty creaks,
their heads swiveled to look directly at him. 

   I cursed again and did what I could. I knew that the one weakness an iron golem
has is to electricity, and to that end I cast another spell that I had only prepared on a
whim. ‘Chain lightning’ is not a dweomer that I often use, but in this case I was 
glad to have one on hand, for I fired it at the middle golem and watched as it struck
and split to hit the other two. I was gratified to see the three statues immediately
slow their movement. 

   Griff angled off to the golem on our right, while Taklinn headed for the middle
one. The Major slipped past Hap and squared off with the golem on our left. 

   Some fights are lengthy and fraught with strategy. Not so, this one. With little that 
Hap or I could do, we were resigned to watch as our warriors traded blows with the
golems. The only sound was the grunts of our men and the clang of steel on steel. I
saw both Griff and Taklinn receive terrible punches that would have killed lesser 
men, but they answered with their own devastating attacks, rending the iron skin of
the guardians. The Major, while seemingly impossible to hit, was having trouble
dealing any real damage to his golem. It appeared to me that he was made for
delivering many small hits rather than a few heavy ones, and while his short swords 
pounded out a constant rat-a-tat on the golems iron hide, it was clear that it would
take him a long time to down the thing. I attempted to help with a ‘bigby’s fist’, but 
even that did little to hurt the golem.

   Taklinn was having better luck, and I heard a massive crash as his golem went
down, the light of animated life draining from its eyes, and our cleric turned his 
attention to the Major’s foe. Griff soon followed suit, and his golem hit the floor as
well. He raced over to add his steel to Taklinn’s and the Major’s. With the three of
them, as well as my fist, beating at the guardian, it did not take long for us to bring 
it down, and soon we stood over their iron bodies, breathing with exertion. 

   “This one is ready to go!” Announced Hap from the other set of doors. She had
made herself useful by scanning them for traps and locks already. 

   Taklinn saw to the wounds that needed tending to, and we searched the room,
though of course, we found nothing. It had been a guard chamber and nothing more, 
so we soon took up our positions in readiness for what might lay beyond the new
doors that Hap had so recently checked.

   Griff pulled them open and we breathed easier, at least for a moment. A non 
assuming set of stairs ascended into the pyramid. Griff shrugged and made to step
onto them, but Happy was quick to insert herself between him and the stairs. She
insisted that she check them for traps, and a good thing she did, for on the sixth step 
she found a pressure plate that would have dropped several of the stairs from below
the hapless foot of anyone setting significant weight on it, thus plunging them into a
pit of unknown depth. She marked the stair and we were careful to step over it as 
we followed her. 

   She continued her search but found nothing more. The stairs ended in a landing
that took an abrupt turn to the right. She peered around the corner and quickly drew 
her head back.

   “What is it?” whispered Griff.

   “Not sure,” she said, “I see something on the wall at the end of the hall, though I 
can’t quite make out what it is.”

  “Let me have a look.” He said, stepping up to the top of the stairs and peeking
around the corner. No sooner had he popped his head around than he pulled it back 
as a ray of dull light narrowly missed him! 

   He cursed under his breath in disgust. “Damn spell casters!”

   “What did you see?” I asked him, excitedly, as I pushed my way to the front. 

   “Not much.” He said, “Like Hap said, there’s something on the wall down there
that shot a ray at me, but I don’t think I could describe it.”

   Over come with curiosity, I made a foolish mistake and poked my head around to 
have a look for myself. At the same time, Happy suddenly launched herself into the
hallway, hitting the ground in a somersault, coming up in a cartwheel and diving
down the hall. At the end, she bounced to her left, around a corner, and apparently 
out of the line of sight of whatever magical trap was now shooting its ray at me!

   The beam struck me between the eyes and I ducked back around the corner,
sputtering mad and echoing Griff’s curse. “Flaming, damn spell casters!” I spat as I 
felt my essence drain away and several spells disappear from my mind. 

   “Doorag! Are you okay?” Taklinn gasped, coming to my side.

   “Enervation!” I cried. “It’s a trap that shoots ‘enervation’ rays! It got me! Well, 
we’ll see about that!” Beside myself with anger, I readied a spell and ducked my
head back out, casting quickly. Before the ray could go off again I used a ‘wall of
ice’ to block its view of us. The sheet of opaque ice formed at an angle that 
effectively covered the magical sensor.

   “I probably could have disarmed that thing!” Happy called down to us.

   “Oh bloody well!” I answered, still infuriated at having been zapped with the ray. 

   “Not to worry, my son!” Taklinn said cheerfully, clapping me on the back. “I’ve
got just the ticket. Now just stand still…” He cast and I felt the soothing magic of 
‘restoration’ flow through me, returning my essence and memory to me. I breathed
a sigh of thanks to my dwarven friend, relieved that he had such a ready answer to
my problem. 

   We joined Hap on the stairs to find her already snooping for more unwanted
surprises. I am happy to say that she found none, and we followed her up into the 
next level of the pyramid. 

   A short landing led from the top of the stairs to another set of double doors which
Hap again checked, and again found no traps. She deftly picked the lock and 
stepped aside for Griff to open the door. Inside was a room teeming with obvious
undead. They were mummies, draped in ceremonial wrappings and already
climbing out of sarcophagi to deal with us.  

   We fell into action with practiced ease, with Happy heralding our arrival with a
thrown fire ball via one of the beads on her necklace. Griff, Taklinn and the Major
fanned out into the room, blades ready and already hacking into mummy bodies.  

   There were nine mummies in all, but one of them, I noticed, was steadfastly
staying in an alcove of the room, and I could see his hands working to craft a spell.
Seeing that our fighters were otherwise engaged, I determined to put the caster 
down, and to that end I flew toward the ceiling of the room and unleashed a huge
max/empowered ‘scorching ray at the thing, hitting it all three times, and though it
obviously caused immense damage to the thing, I was stunned to see it still 
standing!

   Fortunately, Griff had extricated himself from his own battle and was suddenly
upon the mummy caster. Much as it had been with the abomination that had led 
the driders in their attack on us in the Academy, I had sufficiently softened our foe;
so much so that it took very little effort for Griff to smash the mummy to bits.

   Between Griff, Taklinn and the Major, the remaining mummies stood very little 
chance, and the three plowed through them with some support from Happy and I.
Taklinn even managed to turn two or three of them from us, and those were easily
slain. 

   Yet another set of double doors led from the south of the room, and we followed
the short hall beyond it to a stairway leading ever upward. At its top, a short hall ran
toward a room where we would fight for our very lives! 

   We followed the hall some twenty feet or so to find an intersection where we
could either continue forward or turn to the right. Each path brought its dangers, for
to our right, we could see four fierce Himrock orcs standing guard. Directly in front 
of us, about sixty feet down, were still more Himrocks. Here was a room with eight
more orcs seemingly standing guard over a massive sarcophagus. We were able to
identify at least three of them as casters, if only from their garb.  

   We tensed, waiting for the charge, but none came. I looked closer at the orcs on
our right, standing in a corner of the hall about thirty feet away, and realized that
they had not moved an inch since our arrival. They appeared frozen, or paralyzed, 
as did the eight orcs at the end of the hall, and it suddenly dawned on me that they
were probably in some sort of stasis effect, frozen in time to await intruders such as
ourselves.  

   I quietly informed the others of my hypothesis and Taklinn nodded, agreeing with
me. 

   “More magic.” Griff spat. “It never ends. So what’s the deal? You think they’ll 
come to life if we get too close?”

   “That would be my guess.” I said.

   “Can we just blast them from here?” Hap asked. “Seeing as how they’re just
standing there waiting for a good blasting.” 

   “No,” I replied, “Not if they are under the effects of stasis magic. The spell is
quite powerful and will prevent them from harm until they are freed from it.” 

   “Well then,” muttered Griff under his breath, “Let’s not keep them waiting.” With
that he gripped his sword in both hands and headed toward the far room before I
could stop him. He left the hall and entered the room, and, as I had suspected they 
would, the orcs blinked and came to life. 

   All hell broke loose.

   Taklinn and the Major were quick to follow Griff into the room, and Happy went 
invisible, as I knew she would, slipping in behind our trio of warriors. As for me, I
quickly scanned the room with my enhanced sight and realized that Griff no longer
glowed with magic. I could only assume that he had activated his anti-magic vest to 
ward off the threat of spells from the three casters that stood behind the
sarcophagus. 

   I glanced to my right to make sure the other four orcs were still frozen. To my 
relief, they had not budged, but when I looked back I could see that my companions
were already in dire straits. 

   The Major had rounded the hall corner so he was out of my sight, but I saw one of 
the casters mouth the words to a ‘slow’ spell in the direction he had gone, and I
cursed, knowing full well the devastating effect that dweomer could have on a
warrior with the Major’s fighting style. I could but hope that he had been able to 
resist it. 

   I could just see Taklinn from around the right corner, flanked by a pair of orcs.
These Himrocks were obviously elite guard, for I saw their great axes bite into our 
cleric again and again, and he reeled with pain, trying to answer with his own axes.

   Griff was also flanked, and though his anti-magic offered him protection from
spells, and quite probably much of the damage the orc’s enhanced axes would do, it 
was a double edged sword, for much of his protection is magical in nature, and the
orcs were able to hit him over and over. Their damage may have been lessened, but
I knew that Griff would not be able to take the continued pounding for long. The 
field stymied me as well, for with the orcs in its area, I could do little to help him. 

   Instead, I focused on the casters, sending a fireball into their midst. It exploded
and engulfed the lot of them, scorching them badly, but taking none down. I cursed 
and flew forward a little to get a better view of the room. 

   I quickly realized that we were in a fight for our lives. Within the space of
seconds Griff and Taklinn had sustained terrible wounds and their blood spattered 
the stone floor for many feet around them. The Major was locked in combat with a
lone Himrock, but I could see from the way he moved that he had been ‘slowed’,
and while he was still amazingly hard for the Himrock to hit, he was offering very 
little in the way of return damage to his foe. 

   Happy suddenly slid behind one of Griff’s orcs, her daggers flashing with
vengeance as she inflicted terrible wounds on the creature, but he still stood! We 
did, however catch a lucky break, for the casters still had not understood that Griff
was surrounded with anti-magic. The three of them fired off volleys of ‘melf’s acid
arrows’ at Griff and Taklinn, but all of them fizzled as they hit the field, dropping 
ineffectually to the floor. 

   I unleashed another fireball into them, and they began to huddle back towards the
corner in an attempt to get away from both myself and the anti-magic field, but I 
pressed on, determined to drop them before they could put their spells to good use. 

   Griff’s Talon flashed and tore through flesh and sinew. Great sprays of blood
gouted from the wounds of his foes as he pressed his attack. Then, with a feint to 
push an orc back, he retreated a step and leapt onto the sarcophagus, gaining higher
ground and hacking away with renewed vigor, even though I could tell that he
barely had the strength to remain standing, so many were his wounds.  

   Taklinn was fairing even worse. Though he had inflicted his own share of damage
to his foes, they had done far worse to him, and he was now in a defensive fight. He 
dodged and ducked their axes, bringing his shadowy blade around in wicked arcs
that ignored armor and opened terrific gashes in the orcs. But they refused to die,
and I knew he would not be able to take much more. With a mighty bellow to 
Clangeden, our dwarf swung, connecting with the orc on his right and allowing the
momentum of his blow to carry into the orc on his left. Neither went down with his
attack, but Happy was already in motion.  

   An instant before Taklinn’s swing, Hap had taken a step back and released a
handful of daggers at one of the orcs bent on killing Griff. Her steel bit hard, three
times, and at last, the orc sank to its knees, then fell forward onto its face. But 
before it even hit the floor, she was rounding on the nearest of Taklinn’s enemies.
Her arm pistoned and a single dagger flew from her hand, burying itself to the hilt
into the back of its thick neck. The orc howled in pain, reaching back desperately to 
try and pull the blade free, but its strength was rapidly flowing away with its life
blood. The orc spun in a circle like a dog trying to catch its own tail, slowed, then
stopped, and finally slumped to the floor. Hap was still in motion, her hands already 
full of more knives, spinning to get into position to help the Major, who was gamely
hacking away at his own foe with his diminished capacity. I cursed myself for not
having given Hap our wand of ‘haste’ now that I’d discovered her talent for arcane 
casting, knowing that it would have negated the ‘slow’ effect on the Major. For a
second I contemplated using it myself, but looking at Griff and Taklinn, I knew that
far more drastic measures had to be taken. 

   Griff was at deaths door, still standing atop the sarcophagus, swaying dizzily, but
still pounding away at his remaining orc with the Talon. I knew I could do little for
him, still surrounded as he was by the anti-magic field. As fortune would have it, he 
would not need my aid, for his sword came down in a mighty cleave that broke
through the orcs armor and bit deep into flesh and bone. The orc dropped like a
felled tree, and Griff quickly pivoted, bringing his long blade around to catch one of 
the casters beneath the chin with the very point. The caster orcs throat opened like a
grizzly smile, and blood cascaded down the front of his robes. He staggered, still
attempting to cast, and died.  

   The battle was turning in our favor, but the remaining two casters worried me. I
so wanted to finish them off, but looking at Taklinn, I knew that I had to help him.
Our cleric’s face was ashen from loss of blood, and he was barely able to keep his 
feet as he still faced one last orc. The orc looked pretty bad as well, bleeding from
several harsh wounds. I realized that one hit from either of them would take the
other down. I was determined not to let it be an issue, and turned my spells on the 
orc. My ‘magic missiles’ hammered into the orcs chest and face, five in all. Under
normal circumstances I’m sure this Himrock warrior could have shrugged off twice
that number, but so badly had Taklinn hurt them during their battle that he was 
unable to withstand the magical barrage. The orc stumbled back against the wall,
his axe slipping from his bloody grasp. I saw his face contort, as if willing himself
to live, but the fight was gone from him. His eyes rolled back in his head and he 
died, sliding down the wall to sit, legs splayed, before slumping over on his side. 

   The Major’s orc was likewise grievously wounded, and it took no more than two
daggers from Hap to drop him. The Major saluted a thanks, but Happy had already 
spun away from him, hurling more daggers at one of the two remaining casters. My
fireballs had done their jobs, and the wounded sorcerer was ripe for Hap’s attack.
The two knives landed less than an inch apart in the orcs chest, and Hap was able to 
chalk up yet another foe killed. 

   The last caster, weaving a spell in desperation, cast ‘mirror image’. Suddenly
there were no less than eight images of him in the corner of the room, and we had 
no way of telling which was the real caster. Griff didn’t care, and waded in, sword
arm pumping. He connected with three of the images and they blinked out.  

   I did my part, landing to put myself in line with as many of the images as I could,
and fired off a ‘lightning bolt’ that caused three more of them to disappear. Taklinn
was gasping, casting a healing spell on himself, and the Major was unable to move 
fast enough to get to the remaining images and the true caster. 

   But Hap was right there. 

   Grinning, our little rouge filled her palms with daggers yet again and let them go. 
The first one struck an image even as the caster was desperately trying to get off
another spell. The image winked out. With no doubt now as to which was the real
flesh and blood orc, Hap let go with the remainder of her knives. They slammed 
home, thunk, thunk, thunk, in a neat row from the orcs throat to his naval. With a
sigh, the caster lay down and died. 

   Shaken a little at just how close some of my friends had come to dyeing, I leaned 
against the sarcophagus. “Are you two alright?” I asked Taklinn and Griff. 

   Taklinn gave me a blood covered thumbs up, and I saw that many of his cuts had
closed. He had obviously healed himself. Griff was in the process of taking a gulp 
from an oddly shaped bottle, and I watched in awe as every single one of his
wounds immediately healed! This was no ordinary potion, and I wondered where he
had received such a thing. He capped the bottle and returned it to his pouch. He 
positively radiated magic now, and it made me wonder all the more, though I would
not be so gouache as to ask him about it. 

   Griff stepped up to the sarcophagus and heaved at the lid with all his might. His 
muscles bulged beneath his armor and the stone slab shifted and moved. He slid it
aside and it fell to the floor with a mighty crash. Eons worth of must boiled from
the coffin, and when it cleared we were able to see the mummified corpse of a 
female Himrock.

   We immediately prepared ourselves for battle with it should it return to unlife, but
it only laid there. Griff put his sword through it once or twice to make sure, but 
apparently it had no power to become undead. 

   Griff’s blade had torn many of its wrappings away and Happy grinned as the
mellow shine of gold was revealed. This orc, some sort of royalty perhaps, was 
adorned with quite an array of jewelry which Hap immediately began stripping
from it. 

   Griff and Taklinn would have none of this grave robbery, and the Major, having 
finally shaken the effects of the ‘slow’ spell, appeared to have little interest in
treasure. As for myself, I share Happy’s pragmatism, and felt not a whit of guilt
over helping Hap secure the trinkets. Far better that we put such money to good use 
than to have it molder away in this crypt!

  “Okay,” Griff said, poking a thumb back down the hallway, “Four more to go.”

   “Perhaps we should rest first.” I said. “Most of my higher dweomers are used up. 
Are you sure you’re ready to deal with more of these guys?”

   “Aye.” Answered Taklinn, “I’m ready if Griff and Throst are. I’ve enough spells
left, and I’m as healed as I can be. I say we do them in before we're to rest.” 

   “I’m with you.” The Major nodded. “I’d like to get in at least one decent fight
before we call it a day.”

   I scratched my chin uncertainly, but finally sighed in agreement, knowing all too 
well that I would be unlikely to change their minds. “Very well then, but lets at
least go about this the right way. I have a simple, but potentially effective plan.”

   “Let’s hear it then.” Griff said, impatient, but no longer selling the orcs short after 
so recently being brought so near death by them. 
   “Okay,” I said, “Here’s what we’ll do…”

   Fifteen minutes later we were in position. Happy stood hidden in the shadows on
the stairs that we had originally ascended to get to this room. Griff, the Major and I 
were in the sarcophagus room, with Griff and the Major standing on either sides of
the entrance, waiting for our victims to come through, while I took up a position
behind the sarcophagus, peering over it, ready to do my part. 

   Taklinn waited for my signal from his position at the intersection where he would
only have to walk a few steps to meet the still frozen four Himrock orcs. When I
was satisfied that we were all ready, I gave him the signal to go. 

   I saw Taklinn disappear down the hallway, his axe in hand. I waited for perhaps
five long seconds, and then out he came again, running as if pursued by the devils
from hell!  

   One might think that Taklinn would be an odd choice for bait, given the plodding
speed with which most dwarves move, but Taklinn is another matter thanks to his
magically enhanced boots that he has been wearing for nearly two years now. They 
make him far faster than the average dwarf, and for that matter, far faster than the
rest of us. 

   So it was that he had little problem outrunning the orcs after they awakened to 
find a dwarf intruder walking down their hallway. Taklinn turned the corner, his
beard flapping over his shoulder, with a broad grin on his face as he barreled toward
us. He reached our room just as the Himrocks rounded the corner, hot on his heels. 
Taklinn skidded to a stop about fifteen feet inside the room and turned to face them
just as I cast from my hiding spot. 

   The ‘grease’ spell coated a ten foot area just inside our room, and the orcs never 
had a chance. The first of them hit the grease and both of them lost their footing and
went down in clumsy heaps, to be immediately set upon by Griff from the left, the
Major from the right, and Taklinn from directly in front of them. Swords and axes 
fell like steel rain, and blood spattered the stonework, even as the second pair of
orcs attempted to cross the greased area. One of them fell while his partner kept his
feet, though little good it did him. Happy had come in behind them and was now 
busy hurling dagger after dagger, while Griff took round house, two-handed swings
at him. 

   The battle, if one can call it that, was short. Within seconds the four orcs lay dead, 
and not one of us had received a scratch. How different a fight can go with only a
small bit of strategy and planning!

   “There,” I said, “They’re dead. Can we call it a day now? I’m running on empty 
over here.”

   “He’s right,” Agreed Taklinn, “I could use a bit of spell replenishment myself.”

   “Yeah, okay.” Griff said with a slight grumble. 

   I cast a mansion and we entered, safe for the night, though the Major insisted on
keeping a watch outside anyway. Even as I write this he is standing his post outside
the door, even though I have told him repeatedly that he is much safer inside. I 
suppose it is difficult to change old habits. 

   I must say that I am very pleased to have the Major along with us on this venture.
I don’t believe that we have even seen the best of what he can do yet, but just his 
calm and sure presence in the ranks is a good influence for all of us. Thus far I have
found him thoughtful and open to planning, as would be expected of a military man.
He brings a bit of discipline to our otherwise freewheeling crew, and though I doubt 
he’ll ever have us marching in step, he sets a good example of teamwork, and I
appreciate his being with us very much. 

   Taklinn and I had a small argument tonight. Well, not an argument per se, but 
more a bit of discussion, though not without a bit of my laying on a ploy of guilt to
him.

   As we settled in for the evening, he reminded me of my promise to port him back
to Havilah that he might recast his ‘word of recall’. While its true that I had indeed 
said that, I informed him that, for one thing, it would be a costly teleport, as all I
had was a scroll of ‘greater teleport’ to work with, and for another, there was no 
guarantee that the spell would even work, given the protective magic’s that
surround this pyramid, and certainly we would not be able to port back into it. We
would have to teleport back to our original spot some hours away and walk back in, 
thus giving us the unwanted chance of meeting more basilisk, not to mention having
to deal with the enervation trap on the stairs below again.

   Taklinn was fairly adamant about going back though, sighting the fact that he did 
not like being without an escape route. I responded with the fact that I would still
have the scroll, and therefore we would still have a means of escaping. He argued
that that would mean that they were all reliant on me, and should I become 
incapacitated, as I had when the basilisk had turned me to stone, the scroll would do
them no good. 

   I said that that was not entirely true, that I was not the only one among us with 
arcane ability. Taklinn looked at me questioningly while Hap suddenly became very
interested in a speck of dust on her armor. I repeated my assertion while looking
directly at Hap pointedly, and at last she cracked, spilling the beans to one and all 
about her abilities. 

   Taklinn was still not to be swayed however, even after Happy’s revelation. He
countered with the fact that I had promised, and I could do little but agree with him 
on that point, though I did rationalize it by reminding him that, had we stayed in
Havilah long enough for him to cast the ‘word’, it would have meant leaving Griff,
Hap and the Major alone in the Wildwoods to fend for themselves for twelve hours.  

   In the end, a promise is a promise, and I withdrew the scroll for a casting attempt,
though I did it slowly, giving Taklinn plenty of time to reconsider. By this time
Griff had come to my defense, and before I could begin reading, Taklinn sighed and 
told me to put the scroll away. He would go without his escape route. I don’t think
he was pleased to do it, but to his credit he acknowledged the wisdom of not
wasting valuable scrolls that might not even work, and said no more on the subject.  

   It is much later and I should, by all rights, be deep in slumber. Clangeden knows
that I have enough to do tomorrow without wasting time waxing poetic. 

   Yet, something in me compels me to set pen to paper at this late hour. Sleep
eludes me as if trying to grasp mercury. I turn over in my mind, again and again, the
true nature of heroism, and one of my companions in particular.  

   I have never fully explored in writing one of the most fundamental facets of my
philosophy, namely, that one of the basic reasons for the existence of this crew is to
facilitate the legend of Griffin Dorjan. 

   It is never far from my thoughts, the reputation and necessity of the figure of
Griff. Have I said in these past pages how important I feel it is for men such as Griff
to exist? Perhaps. I am too weary to check the volumes of my journal at this point. 
Even if I have, it bears repeating. 

   Havilah is a city of humans. How odd that I have allowed myself to fall under the
spell of a city not of my own building. Yet, there it is. I have devoted my loyalties 
to the city, the kingdom, and her ideals. I wonder sometimes if I feel a connection to
human ambition that others of my race do not share, for I suppose if there is any
one single trait that sets the races apart, it is the inborn need for humans to explore 
and conquer. That, and their improbable birthrate must certainly ensure them a
place at the top of the political ladder. 

   It is this expansionism, yet also the fact that it is tempered by wisdom in Havilah, 
that attracts me so to this kingdom. 

   Or is it more basic than that? Is it simply a drama that calls to me; a chance to
dabble in the epic exploits of a people destined to face the greatest challenges, and
taste the greatest rewards? 

   One might ask why I would call it dabbling. Surely I have played an important
role in the events of the last two years. Surely my magic and my council have been 
the difference between victory and defeat on many occasion. Yet, when the history
books are written, let me be a footnote, let me be window dressing for a man who,
against his will, has been thrust into the role of hero. 

   I have oft wondered why I keep this extensive journal, almost obsessively, and I
believe that one of its sole purposes is to chronicle the life of Griffin Dorjan, for one
day his stories will be taught to children in Academy classes. If it is but noted that a 
Halfling wizard was arcane council to Griffin Dorjan in one-thousand years, I will
be satisfied.

   Why do I hold to this notion of Griff as a hero; as the peoples hero? I suppose it is 
because of the ease with which, when I close my eyes, I can summon up the image
of him, clad in armor, outlined against a setting sun, weary, battle worn, yet still
standing proudly, hands resting atop the butt of the great sword sheathed at his 
waist. Griffin Dorjan is, whether he likes it or not, the very image of a human hero.
Yet he is even more. He is a hero that transcends racial definitions. He is a man who
would stand up for the rights and honor of any good Halfling man or woman, no 
matter their origin. He is a man who will never be able to ignore the plight of any
being that lives under the light of truth and honor. Griff is the silhouette of the
strong armed swordsman that gives hope where there is none, for as long as he 
stands, the people of Havilah, no matter their race, will stand and follow and fight
for what is right and just. 

   I recall those nasty days in Latona, accused of terrible crimes, and rightly so. How 
odd that my main concern was not for our escape from imprisonment, but for
Griff’s reputation. I laugh now, remembering how cavalier he was about the whole
mess, how dismissive he was of what others might think, and how angst ridden I 
was over the possibilities that our actions might besmirch his image in Havilah. 

   I believe that the people would forgive Griff's (and likely, the rest of us)
transgressions in a far away land, but still, better that there be no smear on his 
record at all.

   I think that Griff understands, deep down, that the people need a hero. I have no
doubt that he has no wish to be that hero, but in the end, that is what makes him so 
perfect for the job. Griff is the consummate hero: utterly without interest in fame
and glory, yet rising again and again in defense of the people of Havilah. What man
or woman could not look to such an icon and find hope? What downtrodden soul 
would not follow such a man in the fight for justice? 

   It is late. Very late, and I am nearly too tired to see the paper clearly. I know it is
time for bed, yet I am glad to have gotten this out of my system, at least a little bit. 
Tomorrow will bring its share of challenges, and part of my duty is always to be in
top form, for it would certainly not do to have such a hero die some senseless death
at the hands of a lucky orc who should have been brought down by magic. No, Griff 
is bound for a better end. I can only hope that I am there to be some small part of it,
be it glorious death, or the chance to see his face on a coin. 


   Rdyr’t 8

   As has become our custom, we broke our fast on Taklinn’s ‘hero’s feast’ some
twenty-four hours after I first cast the mansion. I must say, that’s a handy spell, and
a tasty one at that! 

   The Major joined us for breakfast, and we could tell that he had stayed up the
entire night. Obviously a man used to putting in long hours, he was far from
exhausted, but Taklinn scowled just the same and used a refreshing spell to put the
Major right, though he warned him that such use of his magic was superfluous, 
given our quarters. The Major only shrugged and cast a wry grin as he dug into his
food. 

   When we were ready, we left the mansion and headed down the hall where the
last four orcs had stood guard. Directly to the right of where they had been standing,
a new flight of stairs led upward, and we began our climb anew, as always, behind 
the watchful eye of Happy, who fastidiously checked each stair for unwanted
surprises. 

   We followed her to a landing some thirty feet up, and down a short hall to yet 
another set of double doors. Hap checked them and then grimaced. 

  “Trap,” She announced, “Magical.”

   Those two words were more than enough to give us pause. She seemed fairly 
certain that she could disarm the thing, or at least circumvent it, but Griff was
having none of that. He invoked the power of his anti-magic vest once more and
stepped forward so that the door fell into the radius of the effect. With the trap 
effectively inert, he threw open the doors without ceremony. 

   From behind him I spotted an odd rune on the opposite wall in a medium sized
room, though that was hardly the least of our worries. Six more Himrocks stood in 
stasis guard here, though they were not frozen for long. Seeing the rune as well,
Griff crossed the room in three long strides and put his back against the rune, using
his anti-magic field to dampen it even as it started to glow evilly at his approach. 
His strategy was sound though, for as he closed to within five feet of it, the glowing
rune was rendered inert.

   Happy was close on his heels, though she blinked from view as she did, staying 
just far enough away from her husband to ensure that her dagger would work. 

   Conversely, the once inert orcs sprang to life, hefting great axes and stepping
forward to surround a very visible Griff, slamming down several times with their 
axes. We heard our warrior grunt with pain, but not give a step, remaining
stubbornly against the wall.

   Taklinn and the Major charged in after him, throwing themselves at the rear guard 
of the orcs even as Happy went to work with her daggers, bloodying up one fellow
in a bad way. 

   One orc broke off from Griff to go toe to toe with the Major, while two of them 
turned to face Taklinn. Griff gamely held off two of them while the sixth orc
slashed at the air wildly in an attempt to find Hap. He was unsuccessful. 

  As for me, I stepped into the room and did my best to aid the nearest fighter, who 
happened to be the Major. I cast a ‘Bigby’s clenched fist’ and pummeled his orc.
The beast staggered and dropped his weapon, looking quite dazed from the beating. 

   Long seconds followed in which swords and axes came down, finding flesh and 
armor, clanging away or biting deeply. I continued to try to beat on the Major’s orc
even as the Major used his whirlwind fighting style to try to bring it down. The orc
got lucky though, and I fear that I allowed myself to be caught on the ground with 
little protection. The orc spotted me from the corner of his eye, and seeing an
opportunity to damage someone a little easier to hit than the Major, he took it. He
had retrieved his axe, and now charged me with it raised high in the air! I ducked 
and tried to avoid the steel, but it was no use. I gasped as the unfamiliar pain of
being slashed with a weapon roared through me. My back was against the wall, but
I still had an escape route. I flew upwards at full speed to get out of his range (thank 
the gods that the ceilings are nearly twenty feet high in this pyramid!) while
directing my ‘fist’ to engage him again. The Major quickly caught up with the orc
and between the two of us, it was not long before he collapsed.  

   Taklinn had started the fight on a bad note, having swung a bit too wildly with his
axe and throwing himself off balance. He had righted himself finally, after staving
off a flurry of axe attacks, and came back around to try to give a better show of
himself. With a two-handed swing, he cut deep into the chest of an orc, dropping 
him. He cleaved straight through and went on to the next, hacking and chopping
until that one went down as well.  

   Griff and Hap were just finishing off the last of their orcs as I landed, still shaking
from having been cut so deeply. I could not feel Taklinn’s healing hands soon
enough, I can tell you! I don’t know how our warriors can take being cut and hit all 
the time. 

   We waited until we were reasonably sure the rune had run its course, and Griff
stepped away from the wall. We breathed a sigh of relief when no further magic’s 
were unleashed upon us, and Happy turned her attention to the next set of double
doors that led from this room. After several minutes, she declared it safe and
unlocked.  

   Taklinn had been seeing to all of our wounds, and now that he was through and
we were healthy again, he stepped toward the door, taking Griff’s usual position,
and pushed them open.  

   What he saw made him gasp. He glanced over his shoulder quickly at us, and I
could see that the blood had drained from his face, though he tried to keep up
appearances.  

   “Maralith!” He cried, and I knew immediately his fear.

   ***

  Time seemed to slow down from that point on as Taklinn shook his great mane of 
beard and hair, squaring his shoulders and planting his feet in the doorway. I saw
the glow from his axe flare in proximity to the evil that emanated from the room
beyond.  

   Then, we all heard the voice, soothingly sweet, yet indescribably wicked at the
same time. “Come, son of Clangeden!” The voice taunted with palpable
malevolence. 

   Taklinn, unfazed now that he had collected his wits, backed down not an inch.
“Let us dance!” He cried.

   But it would be the Major who would start the dance, for the words had not even 
fully left Taklinn’s mouth before Throst was charging by him, both swords gripped
in his fists. I cried out for him to wait, but it was too late. The Major disappeared
into the room, and seconds later I could hear the clash of steel. 

   “Crazy son of a…” I heard Taklinn yell as he charged into the room hot on the
Major’s heels. 

   Griff, Happy and I raced to the doorway and beheld the battle that took place 
before us. The room was huge, perhaps seventy feet long and two thirds as wide,
with a massive and ornate sarcophagus set into the floor at its far end. Four
Himrock warriors helped to guard the sarcophagus, and they were now busy 
surrounding Taklinn, beating down our dwarf with mighty axe blows. The Major
had obviously broken through the ranks of orcs with his ill advised charge, for he
now stood quite near the sarcophagus, and was paying dearly for the honor, for atop 
the stone coffin was coiled a Maralith. 

   Her beautiful female torso and head did little to detract from the horror of the rest
of her body. Her lower half was all snake, and slithered incessantly as she playfully 
dodged the Major’s attempts to strike her. She also had four arms, three of which
wielded demonic looking swords with which she parried an attack and then returned
several of her own. Mere seconds had passed, but we could see that Taklinn was 
outnumbered and the Major was out matched. 

   Griff and Hap broke into a dead run heading in to help even as I cast, using a new
spell I had learned only the night before. The ‘horrid wilting’ overwhelmed the 
Maralith and the orcs for a brief moment, and I was gratified to watch them writhe
in pain as the spell sucked the moisture from their bodies. None of them dropped,
but I had certainly wounded them, hopefully priming them for the blades of my
friends.  

   The Maralith appeared to shake off the pain of the ‘horrid wilting’ even as the
Major came at her with everything he had. His twin blades were a blur of motion as 
he struck, but only a single attack seemed to give her a scratch, and she looked
down on him with something akin to pity. So sure was she that the Major was no
real threat that she ignored him, instead electing to toy with Happy, who was 
stealthily creeping up behind one of Taklinn’s orcs. Hap was, of course, invisible,
but the magic of her dagger could not hide her from the Maralith’s gaze. With a
word and a gesture, the Maralith used ‘telekinesis’ to lift Hap bodily from the floor 
and slam her against the far wall. I heard the Maralith laugh, as if she were a cat
batting around a mouse before the kill.

   By now Griff had rounded the orcs and had gotten close enough to the Maralith to 
strike. Anger drove his blade, but I knew that the demoness would simply soak up
most of the damage he might do, and even though he hit her once, she simply
looked down upon him, still none too concerned.  

   Taklinn was in a bad way. Two of his orcs had broken off from their battle with
him to deal with the Major and Griff, but the remaining pair continued their assault,
and I was shocked to see their axes bite through Taklinn’s plate again and again. 
Taklinn reeled as blood flowed from numerous wounds, and I could tell that he
would not be able to take another attack like that. 

   “Taklinn, heal yourself!” I cried, as I grabbed for components, and I breathed a 
sigh of relief when I saw him take a step back out of the reach of the orcish axes
and cast a mighty healing spell that closed many of his wounds. 

   I cast a ‘chain lightning’ that fizzled against the spell resistance of my primary 
target (an orc), but still arced out to strike the other three, wounding them further. I
did not bother with the Maralith, for I knew she was immune to such electrical
effects.  

   At the sarcophagus, the Major showed why he has risen through the ranks of the
military to his position, for even in the heat of battle he could see that his blades
were doing little against the Maralith, and that our hopes must lay in Griff’s ability 
to lay on massive amounts of damage with a single blow. To that end, he ignored
the orc that was attempting to chop his head off in favor of trying to take some of
the pressure off of Griff. The Major stepped up to Griff’s orc and swung like a 
whirlwind, carving three times into the creature, but with every blow his arms
seemed to get slower and slower, and I suddenly had the idea that something was
very wrong. Even Griff, upon striking the Maralith again, did not have his usual 
strength and vigor behind his follow up attacks. 

  The demoness smiled without humor at Griff and seemed to attack him from all
angles, her three swords a blur of steel as she cut him again and again. He was 
taking a terrible beating and I wrung my hands, trying to figure out the best way to
help him. The fact that my ‘chain lightning’ had fizzled against one of the orcs told
me that I could not depend on magic to harm them, and I cursed myself for not 
having another ‘Bigby’s hand’ prepared, or at least a ‘conjuring bolt’. 

   Fortunately Hap had made her way back into the fray, and though the Maralith
could see her, the orcs could not. She stopped several feet from Griff’s orc and fired 
off a volley of daggers that sent the orc staggering.

   At the same time, Taklinn was busy with a little wet work himself. He had been
struck again by the two orcs still bent on his death, but he refused to back off. With 
a mighty bellow he brought his axe around, gutting the first orc and cleaving into
the second. Already wounded from my spells, neither orc was up to the task of
living through Taklinn’s attacks, and the second one dropped as well, giving him 
some much needed breathing room. 

   Griff saw the orc that Hap had wounded draw back his axe for a swing at him, and
he turned his attention to the foe. Perhaps the Maralith had skin thick enough to
ward off his blows, but not so the orc, for Griff’s blade cut deep and the orc sagged, 
dropping his axe and falling to the floor before he could finish his swing. Griff
continued the arc of his sword, hitting the Maralith again, though I noticed that 
there was little force behind it. 

   The Major and Hap double teamed the final orc, each of them drawing blood, still
hitting it even as it crashed to the floor. 

   The Maralith scanned the area. With the four orcs dead, she did not seem so sure
of her victory now, but she hardly looked afraid either. It was easy to see that Griff
was barely able to keep his feet after the beating she had given him, and the Major 
was in an even worse way, practically reduced to supporting himself with his
swords, using them as crutches to keep from falling. She ignored Hap, knowing full
well that as long as she could keep the little rogue in sight she offered no serious 
threat. The Maralith shifted her eyes from Griff to the Major, as if deciding which
one of them she would slay first, and I had little doubt that she could do just that. 

   I gritted my teeth and knew that I could not let her slay one of my crew. With a 
leap, I took to the air, flying hard straight for her, waving my arms and screaming at
the top of my lungs. 

   “Come on, you four armed freak!” I cried, “You haven’t even scratched me! I 
thought you demons were tough! What’s the matter, afraid of a Halfling?” At the
last possible moment I hit her with a ‘disintegrate’, but, of course, it fizzled against
her resistance. 

   But my true strategy had worked, for I had defiantly caught her attention. With a
bemused and twisted grin, she ignored Griff and the Major, and I steeled myself for
whatever she was going to throw at me.  

   Her ‘blade barrier’ swept across the room and I dodged franticly as whirling steel
suddenly seemed to erupt all around me. I was fortunate to get out of the way as the
wall of flashing blades bisected the room, and I breathed a relieved sigh, knowing 
that I’d not only been lucky, but that I’d bought my friends some much needed
time.

   The Major refused to give in to the magic’s that sapped his bodies strength. As 
long as he stood, he would fight, and with that philosophy firmly in mind, he threw
himself at her again, his swords trying vainly to pierce her hide, only to be drained
more and more with each hit. At last, the Major slumped to the floor, utterly 
without the strength even to stand.

   Things still looked bad. The Major was down, and Griff was weakened, but
Taklinn still had a trick up his sleeve. 

   “Stop!” He cried in a voice that shook the walls. I felt the power of the spell that
accompanied his command, and I saw the horror in the eyes of the Maralith as she
tried to resist it and failed! Her three swords fell from her grasp and she seemed to 
stagger, disorientated and unable to react to her own body’s commands. 

   It was the opportunity we needed, and a golden one for Happy at that! Hap’s
daggers looked like a beam of steel as she set them loose, two of them slamming 
home and extracting a terrible toll on the Maralith. Griff followed her example,
swinging around in his two-handed style, chopping deeply into demonic flesh and
bone. The Maralith slithered one way, then the next, pain and rage boiling in her 
eyes, but it was too late for her. With a heavy crash she toppled from the
sarcophagus and fell to the stone floor, dead.  

   Griff stumbled backwards like a drunken sailor, nearly falling. He was bleeding
from a dozen places, and Happy raced to his side to prop him up. He wiped blood
from his eyes with the back of his hand and looked around, his sword still gripped 
in his hand.

  “Everybody still alive?” he asked.

   “It would appear so,” Taklinn said, “Though it looks as if the Major took more
than his fair share of that fight.” He moved to Major Throst’s side and knelt beside 
him. The Major did not even have the strength to roll over onto his back. His lips
barely moved, but no sound came out, and his eyes struggled to remain open as 
Taklinn laid a gentle hand on his forehead. 

   “He’s been sapped of all strength.” Taklinn announced, “I believe that the
demoness and her lot were under the protection of an ‘unholy aura’, a nasty bit of 
magic, that. I can feel my own muscles aren’t what they were at the top of the fight,
and I’m betting you’d say the same, Griff. With every hit we made on these
buggers, the magic of the ‘aura’ drained us. We got lucky. Things could have gone 
a lot worse.”

   “Will he be okay?” Happy asked curiously, looking at the Major.

  “Aye, I can help him. Give me a moment.” Taklinn concentrated and grasped his 
holy symbol as he laid his hand on the Major again. Throst’s body, barely able to
generate enough strength to work its own lungs, seemed to revive by leaps and
bounds as the power of Clangeden undid the damage caused by the Maralith’s 
magic. As the seconds passed and Taklinn’s lips moved in prayer, strength and
vitality flowed back into the Major’s body until he was able to sit up, and then
stand, if a bit shakily. He retrieved his swords from where they had fallen and 
sheathed them, nodding his thanks to Taklinn

   I made myself useful by scanning the bodies of the fallen for magic, finding a few
trinkets. In the meantime Happy was scouring the room for any exits, hidden or 
otherwise. When she had searched the room to her satisfaction, she announced that
this was it, we had come to the end of the line.

   “Well then,” said Griff, “Lets see what the bitch was guarding.” He waited for 
Hap to check the sarcophagus for traps, and when she gave the all clear, he and
Taklinn put their shoulders to the lid and slid it aside. 

   The five of us peered over the lip of the stone coffin at the mummified remains of 
still more Himrock orc nobility. This one, most likely a male, lay in eternal repose,
wrapped in funeral linens, smelling faintly of spice and rot. Its hands were clasped
across its chest, and within them it held a book.  

   We waited while Hap looked closely, not touching, but examining every inch of
the book, the corpse, and the interior of the coffin. “I don’t see any traps,” she said,
“But its hard to tell. That, and I wouldn’t rule out contact poison.” 

   “And me without an ‘unseen servant’ prepared.” I said pointedly to Hap. She
rolled her eyes at me, then looked at Griff who grimaced but said nothing.

   “Oh, all right!” she said, and muttered a few words that invoked her own ‘unseen 
servant. We all backed away as she commanded her servant to fetch the book,
which it did with no fanfare. I held out my hands, draped in protective cloth, and
she had the servant give it to me. 

   I took it with the same awe with which I regard all ancient tomes and books. It
was heavy and leather bound and without title. The only feature I could see on its
cover was a stain of some silvery substance that had long ago been splashed across 
it. Looking closer at the stain, I deduced that it was dried blood, though not that of
any mortal. No, this was the blood of a celestial, and I wondered at its origin. 

   I was eager to open the book and delve into its contents, but of course I did not. 
Flipping through its pages without first checking it for magical wards and traps
would be a sure recipe for disaster, as any first year mage can tell you. Instead, I
reverently wrapped the tome in cloth and summoned my box from Clangeden. I 
placed it inside and dismissed the trunk, sure that it was the safest place for it. 

   “Good enough,” Griff said, spitting some blood onto the floor, “Are we done?
Can we go now?” 

   “I don’t see why not,” I said, “Shall I try a teleport?”

   We gathered and joined hands, eager to be out of the Himrock tomb, but alas, it
would not be so simple, for, as I had theorized in my earlier argument with Taklinn,
the nature of the pyramid’s protective magic’s would allow neither entry nor exit 
via teleport, and my spell was cast with no result at all. We would have to make out
way back to the point in the woods where we had first appeared. 

   Fortunately we now knew where the traps in the pyramid were located and how to
navigate them, and we had slain all guardians on our way up. We made our way to
the exit unmolested and began our trek back through the woods. Our luck held, and 
we met not a soul on our way, and within an hour we had reached the grove we had
first teleported to. I cast, and soon we stood again on Academy grounds.

   “I’m taking the book to Yigil and Nivin,” I announced, “You’re welcome to come 
if you want, though I doubt we’ll get too many answers this early in the game. The
book will need to be thoroughly cleaned of wards and traps first, which could take a
day or two.” 

   “Fine with me,” Griff said, “I could use a drink!” He and Hap promised to meet
with us later in our Academy apartments for a full report, then they headed for the
gates to find a watering hole.  

   Taklinn and the Major joined me as I headed for Nivin’s office. His secretary
admitted us immediately and the sage greeted us warmly as we entered. 

   “You have returned,” he smiled, “And in the flesh. I trust all is well?” 

   “It is.” I replied. “Our mission is accomplished. Is Yigil available?”

   “He is already on his way. I expect him momentarily. 

  Indeed, even as the words left Nivin’s mouth, the doors to his office swung open 
and Yigil strode in, excitement showing in his eyes. 

   “You have it?” 

   “I believe we do,” I said, “Though I haven’t dared to open it. I figured to await 
your expertise before doing so.”

   “A wise choice,” Yigil said with a wry smile. “Well, lets have a look, shall we?”

   And so it was that I called upon my trunk again. Its appearance was cause for 
admiration in the eyes of both Yigil and Nivin who looked at me questioningly. 

   “A gift from Clangeden.” I explained. 

   I brought forth the book from the trunk and gingerly unwrapped it from its 
protective cloth, holding it out to Yigil who took it with great care. The old mage
examined it closely, being careful not to open it. His fingers traced the bindings and
he appeared satisfied.  

   “This is it.” He announced. “You have done well. Have you any idea what this
stain on the cover might be?”

   “I think it may be the blood of a celestial,” I answered, “Though I could be 
wrong.”

   “No, I do not believe you are.” Yigil said. “If only these leather covers could talk.
I would be interested to know how such a stain came to be.” 

   “When will we know something?” Taklinn asked, as always, getting directly to
the point.”

   “I fear it will take several days, my friend.” Yigil replied. “We must be sure that 
we have stripped it of protective magic’s before we even dare open it, and then
there will be the matter of scouring its contents for information pertinent to our
plans. I must assume at least a week, perhaps longer. Rest assured though, your 
crew will be high on the list of the first to know as soon as we uncover any
information. May I suggest that you assume the best, that we shall find what we are
looking for and be ready to send you on your next mission within no more than two 
weeks. Stay close and prepare as best you can, for if my suspicions are correct, you
will soon be off to Edik to face Illugi there.”

  “Then I will await your summons.” Taklinn said. “Clangeden’s strength guide 
you.” With that, he turned on his heel and departed. 

  “I’ll do the same,” I said, “Though I have a bit of crafting to do. Shouldn’t take
much time, and when I’m through I’d be interested in helping you with the research
of the book if you’ll have me.” 

   “Of course!” Yigil replied. “You know where to find me.” 

  The Major and I left Nivin’s office and headed back into the Academy. I could 
tell that the Major was still at less than full strength, but I said nothing. He is a
proud man, and I knew that any show of weakness left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

   I left the Major and headed for my apartment. Even though I was still weary from
the recent battles and exploration I had much to do to prepare and I am not one to
waste time. Also I was eager to be at my journal while the events were still fresh in 
my mind.

   Some hours later I was paid a visit by Taklinn who had it in mind that he wished
an item crafted. His desire is for a periapt of wisdom crafted in the form of a belt, 
and after discussing it for awhile it was decided that it could be done, though the
crafting process will have to take place on Edik due to our time constraints. I am
loathe to leave Havilah, even for the three days that will pass here, but this project 
seems of great importance to him, and I feel that I owe him this favor after our
recent disagreement. I fear that a trip to Edik may be ill advised, given the nature of
our current quest to destroy Illugi and the fact that the deity has such a strong grip 
there, but I have weighed the risks carefully and have decided that it is worth it. We
must simply be wary and keep an escape spell handy at all times. 

   We will depart in the morning. 


   Rdyr’t 11 

   Taklinn and I ‘plane shifted’ to Edik on the morning of the 9th after I had analyzed
the treasures we had recovered from our enemies in the pyramid and let the rest of 
our crew know where we were headed. Hap and Griff set out for their home in Ester
the same day while the Major said that he would remain in Havilah. They bid us
farewell and we were off. 

   It is now, of course, the 11th of Readyrea’t in Havilah and we have returned
unscathed after a month spent in Edik. 

   The landscape on Edik tells a terrible tale, one that is progressing swiftly. It is 
barren there; and the earth will support no life as far as we could see. Pathetic scrub
grass struggles to survive in parched soil, and it rained not a drop during our entire
time there. We spent our month cloistered within my mansion, but we still stepped 
outside from time to time for a breath of fresh air, though the air on Edik could
hardly be called fresh. There is a foulness there the likes of which I do not
remember, even from my last visit, as if the evil of Illugi is fast spreading across the 
land, leaving ruin in its wake. 

   It was a harsh reminder that the time differential between our two worlds has
worked against us as well as in my own favor, for while months have passed for us 
since the defeat of Melesandre, years have come and gone on Edik; years in which
Illugi has recovered from the loss of Melesandre and gathered his forces again. We
were far from any civilization and saw not a soul, but I can only imagine the forces 
of yuan-ti and drider and other abominations he has called to serve him, and it was
depressing to think of the relative swiftness (at least by Havilah time) with which he
has rallied from the blow we dealt him.  

   On a more positive note, Taklinn’s belt is complete and he seems quite happy
with it. It was far from inexpensive and it cost him a fair share of his own essence,
but, like my hat, it will provide him with a considerable boost to his magical and 
divine powers. A worthy trade off, no doubt.

   It was also pleasant to spend an extended length of time with only Taklinn for
company, and we spent many fine nights beside the mellow fire retelling tales of
our journeys and trading philosophical ideals. Taklinn is far more than axe and 
armor; he is far more than a holy symbol as well. I have met my share of priests, but
Taklinn has reached a point where he shines with an inner light I have not seen in 
any other holy man. I wonder if there will come a day when his word will be
considered canon to his faith. It would hardly surprise me, for even without his new
belt, he speaks with a simple wisdom that is undeniable, if perhaps a bit slanted.  

   Yigil has successfully cleansed Melesandre’s tome of its wards and tells me that
he will begin his research into its contents tomorrow and has invited me to aid him. 
I am very excited at the prospect of gaining such knowledge, though he has
cautioned me that much madness may be contained therein. We will have to tread
lightly, least we suffer the megalomania of Melesandre as well. Between Yigil, 
Nivin and I, we intend to check and balance each other, and I believe that we will
succeed. 


   Rdyr’t 20

   Our research is complete and our plan is made. Tomorrow we depart for Edik to
deal with Illugi, or at least Illugi’s avatar.

   Yigil, Nivin and I have spent the last long days deep in study of Melesandre’s 
book, scouring it for clues as to the nature of Illugi and how he can be brought
down. In the end, we have discovered that we probably cannot slay him entirely (he
is an immortal, after all), but we believe we can eject him from Edik and thereby 
close his door to Havilah as well.

  Nivin and Yigil summoned us to Nivin’s office this afternoon. All of us have been
in the city for the past couple of days, shopping, having things made, and generally 
making ready as best we can for whatever we are to face. We assembled in Nivin’s
office to learn what secrets we could and formulate a plan.

   Nivin was seated behind his desk while Yigil paced the room. Melesandre’s book 
sat on the desk, and my eyes kept returning to it as Yigil spoke.

   “We have learned much from the tome,” He began, “Though unfortunately we
find it not only written in the style of a woman possessed by delusions of grandeur, 
but somewhat incomplete as well. Still, we believe that we have pieced together
enough information to justify an assault on Illugi.”

   “Melesandre refers to her dark master again and again as He Who Returns Again, 
and infers many times that he enjoys the struggle for power as much as the power
itself. We can gather that he is a dark, intelligent and creative being who delights in
conquest and pain. He is known on many worlds, usually as the god of serpents and 
arachnids. On some of those worlds he is still young and struggles to gain a grip on
even a small amount of the populace, but on others, he rules supreme.”

   “Illugi seeks always to expand his rule. He is patient and cunning, finding gates 
that lead from one world to the next, and insinuating himself there, always with an
eye toward his next conquest. For some reason that we have yet to ascertain, he
seems to bare a particular grudge against Havilah and her people, perhaps because 
we have thwarted him again and again. Whatever the case may be, he seeks to
conquer our world at all costs.”

   “Edik is his stronghold and his doorway to Havilah. We cannot close the door to 
us, but if we can force him out of Edik, we believe we can close the gate there,
which would free not only our world, but Edik as well.”

   “As you know, Illugi is attempting to make headway into Havilah via the 
Himrock orcs who have taken to his worship with a vengeance, and we believe that
he has taken many of them to Edik to further expand his troops. We have,
unfortunately, allowed him years of Edik time to prepare, and we can only conclude
that his army of yuan-ti, driders and Himrocks must number in the tens of 
thousands. Once he masters the art of shipping them here en mass, we may be
looking at a force that will make Melesandre’s army look small by comparison, and 
without the weak spot that her undead minions possessed.”

   Yigil paused to let all of this sink in. “Haven’t you got any good news?” Happy
quipped. 

   “A bit,” Yigil said with a thin smile, “But first I’m afraid there is still more bad
news.”

  Happy groaned. 

   “For one thing,” Yigil continued, “He knows we’re coming. Keeping our plans
from him has always been difficult, and we have always been proactive in dealing
with him. He may not know exactly when, where and how we will strike, but rest 
assured that he expects us.”

   “On yet another sour note, he is not without allies. We have great reason to
suspect that Scylla has thrown her lot in with him.”  

   “I knew it!” Griff spat, “I knew we should have done that wench in when we had
the chance!”

   “Damn right!” Happy agreed with a frown.  

   “Be that as it may,” Yigil said, “After her split with the Band of the Broken
Blade, she rejected the Academy entirely and began to forge many unsavory
contacts in the court of the Himrock orcs. One guess is that she desires to rule them 
after they sweep over Havilah. This is, of course, only a hypothesis, but whatever
the case may be, we have to assume that she means none of us any good and that
you may encounter her.” 

   “It’ll be the last time we encounter her, I can tell you that!” Griff muttered.

   “There is also the matter of Sensesi.” Yigil said.

   “Oh no! Not her as well!” moaned Hap. 

   “I’m afraid so,” Yigil replied, “Though perhaps not in the capacity you might
think. I’m afraid Nivin and I have a small confession to make. We haven’t told you
this yet, given your prejudice against her, but after you freed her she contacted 
Nivin and expressed a desire for revenge against Illugi for his having controlled not
only her, but a nation of yuan-ti as well. She claims to blame him for the deaths of
her family and friends, and wishes to see him fall. To that end, it was she who told 
us of Melesandre’s book and where we could find it. She also revealed many of the
steps and components we must accomplish to defeat the deity.”

   Taklinn frowned. “What makes you think she can be trusted?” 

   Nivin answered this question. “I fear we have little choice, Taklinn.” He said,
“Thus far her information has been sound, and though this could all be an elaborate
trap, we have nothing else to go on. Our only alternative is to wait for Illugi to come 
to us, and though Havilah is well on its way to recovery, we are far from being
strong enough to withstand a force that has had years to prepare. I believe Major
Throst would agree with me on that.” 

   The Major slowly nodded his head. “Our military is well trained and armed,” he
said, “But it’s in no condition to take on an army like the one you’re talking about.”

   “Yes,” Yigil said, “We have decided to chance the sincerity of Sensesi, with 
plenty of caution, of course. We feel that Havilah has not much choice but to do
so.”

   “And where is the snake now?” I asked. 

   “Ah, that is a good question.” Yigil replied. “She has disappeared some time ago.
All attempts to scry her or otherwise contact her have failed. We fear that she may
have been taken by agents of Illugi back to Edik, beyond the scope of our 
divinations. “

   “Humph,” I muttered, crossing my arms, “I truly do not like acting on information
provided by that creature. I just don’t trust her.”

   “You can say that again!” Hap added.  

   “Be that as it may, our alternatives are few.” Yigil said. “And she, as well as the
book, have provided us with a strategy which we deem sound. We would not send 
you on a suicide mission, my friends. We believe that this can be done.”

   “So what is it then?” Griff asked, getting to the point, “What do we have to do?”

   Yigil picked up the book, flipping through several pages until he came to a crude 
drawing of the temple in which we had recovered the orb that allowed mass transit
between the Edik and Havilah. “The secret lies in his temple,” he said, “He gathers
much of his power from the tortured souls imprisoned there, and it must be 
destroyed from the inside out. The souls, including those of several Havilah crew
members, are held there via the effects of a powerful ‘soul bind’. We believe, and
the book seems to verify this, that the strategic placement of a few ‘Mordenkainen’s 
disjunctions’ will dispel the powerful magic’s that harness these souls, though it
will also unleash a guardian the likes of which you have not faced before.”

   “Oh yeah,” Griff said, “Like what?” 

   “Like Illugi’s avatar.” Yigil answered somberly.

   “Great cats!” Taklinn exclaimed. “You can’t be serious!”

  “I’m afraid I am. Illugi’s presence on Edik is represented by his avatar, and the 
freeing of the souls bound within his temple will surely draw his ire and summon
that avatar to halt such an incursion.”

   “Whatever,” Griff said, “If it bleeds, I’ll kill it.” 

   “Well,” Yigil chuckled, “It certainly bleeds. His avatar is the physical
manifestation of Illugi on Edik, and like any avatar, it is subject to most physical
laws, including those of the blade. However, I cannot stress enough how dangerous 
this fight will be!”

   “Wait a minute,” I interrupted, “You said we need to cast a ‘disjunction’ in the
temple?” 

   “Yes,” Yigil replied, “Probably more than one.”

   “How do you intend for us to do that?” I asked. “I have yet to master ninth circle
spells, even though its one that I’ve been studying.” 

   “True,” Yigil smiled, “But I believe that your breakthrough is closer than you
think, Doorag. You are one of the most able wizards Havilah has ever known, and it
is my belief that you will soon master the most powerful of dweomers, including 
the ‘disjunction’. But even if you do not by the time you gain access to the inner
temple, I believe that you will still have a fair chance to cast the spell from my own
scrolls which I will provide you with.” 

   I looked at him doubtfully. “You think so?”

   “I do.” He said.  

   “For all our sakes, I hope you’re right.” I mumbled, not at all pleased to have had
the cornerstone of this operation placed on my shoulders. 

   “Don’t worry about it, lad!” Taklinn said with a wink, “You’ll do fine. You’ve 
never let us down yet, have you?”

   “Well, there was that one time…” Happy started, but she thought better of
continuing her tale as Taklinn shot her a withering glare.  

   Griff got us back on track. “Okay, so we get Doorag into the temple and he casts
the discombobulate or whatever the hell it is and then we kill the avatar. That’ll seal
off Illugi from Edik?” 

  “Theoretically, yes.” Yigil nodded. “Without the power of the trapped souls in the
temple to draw from, we believe that he will be unable to re insinuate himself into
Edik. Once that has been accomplished I highly doubt that the current alliance 
among drider, yuan-ti and Himrock orc will stand. Even if it does, they will have no
way to reach Havilah without the power of Illugi behind them. Either way, our job
will have been done.” 

   “So what’s the plan then?” Griff asked, “What? We blip over there, teleport into
the temple, cast and kill? Is that it?” 

   “Not quite, Griffin, my friend,” Nivin answered for Yigil. “The course of time on
Edik, coupled with the contamination of Illugi, has drastically altered much of the
architecture of Anvie city. You will see for yourselves when you get there, but 
believe me when I say that it is highly unlikely that the temple you remember has
not undergone a dramatic change. Everything from the floor plan to the exact
location has shifted considerably. Not only that, but Illugi will have certainly taken 
precautions against such intrusions. It is simply too easy to seal off an area, what
with ‘dimensional locks’ and so forth. No, I fear that a more direct assault must be
applied.” 

   “To that end,” Yigil continued, “We have devised a plan. It is dangerous, but we
believe it will give us the best chance of success.”

   Griff looked at the pair doubtfully, unwilling to put his trust in sages and mages, 
especially concerning a military endeavor. “I’m listening.” He said.

   Yigil poured himself a glass of wine. “Before I speak of this plan, let it be
understood that talk of this goes no further than this room. I have used many 
magic’s to ensure the security of this office, but I must caution against any loose
talk outside these walls. Our only hope is to hit hard and fast and to take their forces
by as much surprise as we can. If word of our plan reaches the ears of Illugi’s 
informants, we will likely be doomed before we can even start. Is that clear?”

   “Of course.” The Major answered for all of us, though there was nodding of heads
all around.  

   Yigil looked at each of us in turn until he seemed satisfied. “Nivin,” he said,
turning to the sage, “I’ll turn it over to you since you have been most in contact 
with the military on this thing.”

   “Thank you,” Nivin said, standing up and polishing his spectacles. He walked
around to our side of the desk. “Now then,” He began, “You are somewhat familiar 
with the layout of the temple courtyard in Anvie city. While it is true that we dare
not try to port directly into the temple, we have been able to scry the courtyard
enough to know that we can attempt to insert a sizable force there. Our plan is to 
have Yigil create a series of ‘gates’ that will lead from the Academy arena directly
to the courtyard. A hand picked troop of soldiers, both crew members and Havilah
soldiers, will enter first to gain a foothold in the courtyard and clear a path for you. 
We expect some resistance, as the courtyard is guarded, but we think that our men
should be able to handle the bulk of it. You will follow them through and make for
the temple itself while they secure the courtyard and fend off further attackers. Your 
job will be to gain entry into the temple and find the chamber containing the souls.
You know the rest.”

   We looked at Nivin, and then one another for a long moment as we considered the 
plan. 

   “Do these hand picked guys know where they’re going?” Griff asked. “Sounds
like it might be a suicide mission for a lot of them.” 

   “As Yigil has already said, security is paramount. We have told none of them
their true destination, only that it is an extremely dangerous mission of utmost
importance.” 

   “That stinks.” Griff growled, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. “I
don’t like sending men in ahead of us that don’t even know what they’re getting
themselves into.” 

   Major Throst answered for Nivin. “They are soldiers.” He said simply. “Theirs is
not to know or reason why. It is enough to serve for the honor of the kingdom.
Besides, this is what soldiers do. They know the risks when they enter the service.”

   “Whatever.” Griff replied evenly.  

   “I have a question.” I cut in. “What happens to them when the rest of Illugi’s
troops get wind of what’s going on and rally a huge force? Won’t they be crushed?” 

   “Not necessarily,” Nivin said, “For one thing not all of Illugi’s forces are
contained in Anvie. Indeed, much of his army is spread out over his empire to keep
order, though we believe he can mobilize them for an assault on Havilah fairly 
quickly when he deems the time right. Also, we know that, while they are allies, the
chain of command among Illugi’s forces will not always agree with one another.
We have seen examples of infighting between drider troops and Himrocks, and that 
sort of thing. We have good reason to hope that their diversity and chaotic natures
will slow them down a bit. If it looks like a no win situation we will do what we can
to pull them out, just so long as you are able to get into the temple.” 

   Griff frowned. “I dunno. It still sounds half baked to me.”

   Nivin raised an eyebrow toward our warrior. “I am open to suggestions, Griff.”
He said. 

  Griff scowled but said nothing. Truth be told, I was not terribly keen on the plan
either, but I could think of nothing better.

   “What can you tell us about this avatar of Illugi’s?” Taklinn asked. “Know yer 
enemy, and all.”

   Yigil fielded this line of questioning. “This much I can tell you: do not, under any
circumstances, touch him with your bare hand. You can expect your life essence to 
be drained if you do. You can also expect him to be highly resistant to damage and
magic. He is also known for a fondness for summoning dweomers. Beyond that, we
know little.” 

   Happy shifted in her chair, obviously getting antsy and bored with all this talk.
“So when do we go?” She sighed. 

   “In the morning.” Nivin replied. “Get yourselves ready and meet on the Academy 
arena grounds at sun up.”

  “Are there any more questions?” Yigil asked.

   There were more questions, and Yigil and Nivin patiently answered them all as 
best they could. Finally there was nothing to do but depart and gear up for our
mission.


    Rdyr’t 22

   The things I have seen today could fill an entire journal. Where to even begin? 
How to even capture with words the events of the last hours? 

   Imagine a heavy sigh here, gentle reader, for any who have followed my tale from
it’s beginning will certainly wail with grief and cheer with joy, as I did, when I 
relate the ups and downs we have suffered today. 

   ***

   We met on the arena field at sun up, as instructed. Nivin and Yigil were already
there waiting. At first, it was just the seven of us. 

   “So where is this crack team that’s supposed to beat a path for us?” Griff asked. 

   “Soon,” Yigil smiled, “Soon.” He closed his eyes and concentrated, as if feeling
for something with his mind. I saw his lips move and form a single word: “Now.” 

   At his utterance the half dozen doors that lined the arena walls burst open and out
poured a stream of men and women, marching in double time toward the center of
the arena where we stood. I stared in awe at this show of force, for this was truly 
Havilah’s finest. Crew member marched alongside soldier as they formed
formations and joined, lining up in neat rows near us. At a quick count I reckoned
nearly two-hundred fighters, all of them geared up and ready for a fight. Swords,
axes, pole arms, bows and cross bows were all held at the ready, and I could see in 
the face of every warrior there a grim readiness to fight and die in the name of
Havilah. My heart swelled with pride and I vowed to see as many of them as 
possible return to the city they loved. 

   “Quickly!” Nivin commanded, even as officers formed their warriors into groups,
“There is little time! We must give them no chance to prepare! Yigil, now!” 

   But Yigil was already casting. He unrolled a scroll and quickly rattled off its
incantation, and even as the paper burned away, a large extra planar ‘gate opened
quite near me. Looking through, I gasped, for I was able to see the courtyard of the 
temple in Edik!

   “Snake Skinners! White Skulls! Through!” I heard commanders call to their
troops, and immediately an organized charge of warriors made for the ‘gate’. 
Without hesitation, they leapt through and into Edik.

   Yigil was already casting again, and then a third time. Two more ‘gates opened,
and more of Havilah’s finest streamed through, and by now we could already hear 
the sounds of combat issuing forth from the other side. I glanced at Griff and saw
that he already gripped his sword, barely containing himself from jumping through.

   Yigil cast a fourth ‘gate’ and the last of our troops ran into Edik. There would be 
no more holding back for our fighters. Griff, Taklinn and the Major took off at a
dead run, leaping through the gates and into Edik. I took to the air and flew in after
them with Happy hot at my heels.  

   The next thing I knew, I was back on Edik with all hell breaking loose around me.


   Cries, grunts, the clashes of steel on steel, and the screams of the dieing assailed 
me. An arrow flew a little too close overhead as I tried to get my bearings. 

   In front of me stood Taklinn, and I could already hear him chanting the prayer to
his ‘holy word’ spell. His great shout seemed to shake the stone foundations of the 
temple courtyard, and I saw several yuan-ti and a drider freeze in their tracks,
paralyzed.

   I shot into the air to get a better view of what was going on, and soon ascertained 
that our soldiers were entrenched in brutal combat with dozens upon dozens of
yuan-ti, drider, and a squad of himrock orcs. Griff and the Major were already toe
to toe with a pair of driders, and I was more than likely the only one who saw an 
invisible Happy sneaking around for a shot at Griff’s drider. As for me, I quickly
zeroed in on a spot where Illugi’s forces were the most dense, and I hit the lot of
them with a ‘horrid wilting’, wounding several and dropping more outright. I swung 
around, skimming low over the heads of the combatants, seeing Taklinn charge into
a drider, axe swinging even as the drider launched a ‘lightning bolt’ at him. Taklinn
soaked it up and shook off the charge of electricity with a grin, slamming home 
with his axe and bringing the drider to its knees. 

   We were all busy for those first seconds as the crew beat down three drider and
several yuan-ti and himrocks, but finally we regrouped as I pointed at the obsidian 
slate door of the now-oddly shaped temple a few hundred feet away. 

   “There!” I shouted above the chaos of battle, “We have to get to the temple!”

   “I think those guys might have something to say about that.” Griff said evenly, 
nodding at the temple. I looked again and saw them, seven of the nastiest looking
himrock orcs I’d ever seen, coming out of the now open temple door. They stepped
into the courtyard as if they owned it, their course hair bristling. Most of them 
carried evil looking great axes, but it was the three that carried no weapons at all
that I was most worried about, and I could already see the distinctive sheen of
malevolent magic on them.  

   They strided several yards into the courtyard, looking around, but ignoring our
troops for the most part. Then, they spotted us. One of them raised a finger and
roared out a challenge. They began to walk toward us, fanning out as they did so.  

   Suddenly, a streak of lightning leapt at us, striking Taklinn and branching out to at
the rest of us. But Taklinn had already cast a ‘holy aura’ that provided us with 
substantial protections from magic. Ironically, Taklinn was the only one other than
Griff to feel the bite of the spell.

   I answered with a ‘horrid wilting’ upon them all, but knew then the same 
frustration that the enemy spellcaster must have felt, for I could tell that my most
powerful dweomer affected only one of them. The rest ignored it via the resistance
given them by an ‘unholy aura’. Though I felt sure that I had hurt the one I did 
affect, it enraged me to have been unable to penetrate the rest of them. 

   Griff was moving, with Happy, like a shadow, invisible again, keeping pace. She
peeled off at the last second, as Griff met one of the himrocks head on, the Talon 
singing as it sliced through the air and then armor and flesh, knocking the orc off its
feet. 

   Major Throst hit their opposite flank, dodging past two warrior orcs to get at a 
spellcaster, piercing him in the side and quickly setting up for another round of his
dizzying short sword work.

   Taklinn, of course, charged straight down their center, colliding with a massive 
orc. The orcs axe glanced off of Taklinn’s plate, throwing sparks, but Taklinn’s
blade, being made wholly of energy, ignored the orcs armor and cut deep into
muscle and bone.  

   It was a brutal and dirty fight. With each of our two groups being under the
affects of both ‘holy’ and ‘unholy’ auras, each hand to hand attack was a gamble. I
shuddered as I watched Griff or the Major wince as strength drained from them, but 
at the same time, even as an orc slammed Griff with his axe, he immediately fell
blind, and was reduced to swinging wildly. 

   Major Throst came at the sorcerer from every direction at once with his swords, 
and the caster was dead, I’m sure, before he even knew it. But the warriors had
caught up with the Major by this time, and one of them waded in, damaging him,
but being struck blind for his trouble.  

   I was, unfortunately, largely ineffective. A well aimed ‘disintegrate’ was ignored
by one of the casters, and my ‘chain lightning’ was little more than a nuisance to
them. I cursed and swore that I would have a few ‘dispel magic’s’ ready for them 
next time!

   Griff had killed one orc, but the blind one still stood, and despite his inability to
see, he still managed a lucky shot that sent Griff staggering. This, apparently, was 
unacceptable to Hap, and she immediately filled the orc full of daggers.

   Taklinn took a hard axe blow to the thigh, but returned three in return, dropping
the warrior orc, and stepping into a spellcaster, slamming him as well and also 
killing him. 

   Throst parried and thrust, stabbing, slashing, and dancing away from the
maddened and blinded orc. Griff joined him, and cut high as the Major cut low. The 
orc fell dead. 

   A large orc stood back, still protected by warriors. He held aloft the wicked
looking symbol of Illugi as he imbued strength upon his allies. I flew upwards for a 
clear shot, and unleashed a volley of my most powerful ‘scorching rays’, but again,
they were resisted! I was furious at my impotency, and was ready to simply throw
rocks at the priest, but fortunately, that would not be necessary, for Happy was 
already hurling dagger after dagger into one of them while Griff was hard on
another. Throst slipped through to hammer away at the priest. The three orcs were
dead before Taklinn could even reach them to lend his aid.  

   The five of us stood amongst the ruined bodies of the orcs, panting heavily, many
of us deeply wounded. Both Griff and the Major had taken substantial damage, not
only to body, but to their strength via the ‘unholy aura’ that had protected their foes.  

   Around us the battle still raged, though it was apparent that our forces were
gaining a foothold of sorts, driving yuan-ti, drider and orcs toward the enclosed 
courtyards exits, surrounding pockets of resistance and overwhelming them with
sword and arrow. Taklinn did his best to heal those who needed it most, using
‘restoration’ on the Major as well as some of his more powerful healing spells to get us 
all back into fighting shape. Griff took a great swallow from his odd potion bottle
that bore the mark of Clangeden, and seemed immediately not only fully healed, but
positively bursting with energy and vigor. Happy was visible now, and looked 
quizzically at the temples open door, though only until I began to point out various
magical goods possessed by the now dead orcish elite that we had slain. She
grabbed what she could while Taklinn healed, and then the five of us made for the 
door, entering with drawn weapons, ready for anything.

   The antechamber was round, and was similar, though subtly different from how it
had been the first time I had been here some ten Edik years since. A spiral stairwell 
rose up from the center of the room while several doors, some familiar, some not,
studded the curved walls. The things that most caught the attention of first myself
and Taklinn, and then the rest of the crew after we had pointed them out, were the 
malevolent figures that crouched along a ledge that ran around the interior of the
room some fifteen feet above the floor. These creatures, not moving and nearly
statue-like, might have been mistaken for gargoyles by the untrained eye, but I had 
fought gargoyles before, and knew immediately that these were no gargoyles.
Indeed, had they been, it is probable that Griff, single-handedly, could have swept
through the lot of them, but I knew from my studies that such would surly not be 
the case, for I recognized them for what they truly were.

   “Vrock,” I said, letting the word drop slowly as I edged toward a wall near the
door. 

   Taklinn’s eyes narrowed, for he too knew what they were. “Demons,” he spat,
“And nasty buggers at that.”

   “Immune to electricity. Bad bite. Watch the claws, and hit the deck if three of 
them start dancing! They can call up a hell of a magical electrical burst if they get
together on it.” I recited what I knew about vrock in short, clipped, speech,
attempting to succinctly give as much information to the crew as I could before the 
inevitable attack. Indeed, while the demons still had moved not a muscle, while
even their eyes remained fixed straight ahead, we could all feel them watching us,
coiled to spring, as if waiting for us only to take one too many steps into the 
chamber. “Hit them hard, they’ll resist most of your weapon, and darn near any fire
or cold you throw at them.” I said all of this while at the same time taking a mental
inventory of my spell supply and gnashing my teeth inwardly at how many 
electrical, fire and cold based spells I had there. 

   I concentrated, allowing my permanent ‘detect magic’ to scan them, and to my
horror, I saw that they (there were probably fifteen of them in all) were steadily 
charging up with magic. I could see it pulse through them, growing stronger and
stronger. This did not bode well, and I said so. 

   “Now,” I cried, “Take them now!”  

   Before the words were even fully out of my mouth Griff and the Major had raised
and leveled their crossbows at a pair of the vrock and loosed their bolts, both of
which hit home, piercing the mottled flesh of the demons and for the first time, 
eliciting a response from them. Vrock on all sides of us began to move, flaring their
small wings and flexing their claw filled hands, ready to leap down amongst us. 

   I let fly with a fireball from my staff at a group of three of them, and while I knew 
they would shrug off most of the damage, I also knew that every small bit could
help, and the fact was, I simply had no other area spells that would hurt them. Even
as the fireball engulfed them and exploded, I was moving up, flying into the air,
hoping to make myself an unattractive target. Vrock were, I recalled, poor fliers.  

   Then they were amongst the land bound crew, dropping from their perches and
flapping clumsily to land on clawed feet, surrounding my friends. Taklinn 
attempted a spell but four of the vrock fell upon him, clawing and biting, and
snuffing his spell out through sheer weight and damage. He valiantly fought back
with his axe, crushing one of them, but more or less swinging in broad arcs, trying 
to buy himself some breathing room.

   Griff, the Major and Happy could do little to help him, as they all found
themselves with plenty to do. I saw Griff step into a vrock and cut its head from its 
body as two more of them attempted to gnaw on his legs. He swept into a second
vrock, killing it as well, and I marveled at the incredible power behind his swing. 

   The Major wounded one, though his light swings were having typical difficulty 
penetrating the inborn damage resistance possessed by these demons, while I rained
another fireball from above, catching two of them in its midst. 

   The vrock seemed to be everywhere. They moved too fast to keep track of, 
clawing, biting, and releasing small, airborne, pockets of spoors that we all inhaled.
I prayed that Taklinn would have the cure for whatever hellish disease they surely
carried.  

   But disease was the least of my worries, for as I scanned the floor below and
wondered if ‘magic missile’ might not be more effective, I noticed three of the
vrock standing in a circle near a set of double doors on the west side of the room. 
Hands clasped, they began to caper and prance, jumping about in a manner befitting
the insane, and I watched in awestruck horror as electricity began to crackle around
them. 

   Slow seconds passed. Taklinn killed a vrock. Griff killed two. The Major pressed
his attack. Happy killed one with a flurry of dagger attacks from the shadows of a
room built into the circle of the antechamber. Still the three vrock danced, even as 
their numbers dwindled. I sought to stop them, to interrupt their vile ritual, and cast
a ‘finger of death’ at one of them, but my bad luck held, and the demon merely
looked pained, but never missed a step in it’s ghastly dance.  

   Happy, quite near the trio, must have realized that they were up to no good, and
she too attempted to remove a link from their chain. She hurled dagger after dagger
into one of them, yet it survived! Barely standing, yet sneering it’s hideous grin, it 
howled and danced, and great bolts of electricity seemed to shed off of the three,
sparking and crackling, building up to something very bad indeed. The smell of
ozone was suddenly sharp in my nostrils.  

   Just then, one of the vrock let out an inhumane screech that jangled my nerves to
the core. For a brief instant, I could do nothing. My mind was a mass of twisted
thought, and I could not bring any one of them to bear. I watched numbly as Griff 
slew two more vrock, trying to get to the dancing trio. I watched as Major Throst
reeled backward, his sword points dipping as he was overcome by the screech as I
was. I watched Happy draw back her arm for another dagger throw, but the steel 
would never have a chance to leave her hand. 

   As if in slow motion, I saw the room spark and fill with electricity. It emanated
from the three dancing vrock and mushroomed out to fill every nook of the room, 
clear to its seventy foot ceiling. The bolts of lightning sought to engulf us, and we
dodged this way and that for a single, desperate, second that seemed to go on
forever. 

   Then, as suddenly as it had been unleashed, it was gone, and though all of the hair
upon my body now stood at attention, I was still alive, and indeed, unscathed,
thanks in no small amount to the ring of ‘evasion’ I wear at all times. But the bolt 
had been massive, and so too was the damage inflicted by it. I scanned quickly
for my friends.  

   Hap, of course, had danced with the electricity as if it were an old and familiar
partner, and showed not a sign of damage. Griff, however, and Major Throst, had 
not been so lucky, and both of them now nearly sagged to the floor. 

   But it was Taklinn that my eyes came to rest upon. Our dwarf, our sturdy dwarf,
the pillar that could not fall, lay blackened and charred upon the stone floor. His 
flesh was charred to the color of burnt coal and was stretched across his bones far
too tightly. What was left of his beard and hair smoldered. His axe lay unattended at
his side, seeming to flicker and pulse uncertainly. I was forty feet in the air, but 
even from that distance, I knew. I knew that Taklinn was dead.

   “TAKLINN!” Griff’s voice filled the room much as the massive burst of 
electricity had done just an instant before, only there could be no dodging the
anguish it contained. It numbed my bones.

   A surge of blind and single minded rage seemed to sweep over all of us then; a 
thirst for vengeance and the right to kneel at the side of our fallen comrade without
fear of attack. It gripped us like a madness, as if we were animals caught in traps,
lashing out to deal pain that might somehow equal our own.  

   Griff, wounded as he was, crossed the room in three long strides and crashed into
the trio of vrock that now howled in victory. He cut them short, catching one of
them with a great cleave of steel that sent the demon flying in two separate 
directions. 

   Hap, all of the usual humor in her eyes long gone, had only pure murder on her
mind, and her daggers flew with enough force to pierce stone. Both of the 
remaining vrock were wounded, and neither of them could stand up to her barrage.
Down they went. 

  From the corner of my eye I saw a vrock that had taken to the air. The demon was 
no more than twenty feet from me, and as if from outside myself I heard my own
scream of rage and sorrow as I unleashed a maximized and empowered ‘scorching
ray’ that struck him thrice, burning him to the core, yet not killing him. Not caring 
if the thing lived or died, I dove toward the floor, to where Taklinn lay, hoping
against hope that some small spark of life remained within that charred husk. I
landed next to his body, and the memory that keeps coming back to me again and 
again even as I write this is the image of tiny wisps and tendrils of smoke that still
escaped from between his blackened lips. My heart howled and thrashed within my
chest, unable to accept what was so clear.  

   Through a mist of tears I found another vrock in the room and cast a ‘hold
monster’ on him. The spell held him long enough for Happy to puncture it several
times and for Throst to finish it off. In the meantime, still in the grips of his frenzy, 
Griff was cutting a swath through the last of the demons, taking hits, bleeding from
a dozen gashes and cuts, but making them pay, yes, pay dearly for the life of our
cleric, and when he was through not one vrock stood alive. Their twisted and torn 
bodies littered the floor of the chamber.

   I stood in shock over Taklinn’s body, staring, unable to accept his stillness.
The Major walked near in silence, sheathing his blades and bowing his head in 
respect. I heard him whisper a soldiers prayer to a dead comrade and I think I nearly
fainted from the purity of sorrow that hit me like an ocean wave. 

   Happy stood near Taklinn’s head, her mouth open, in much the same shock as I. 
Tears welled in her eyes, and though I knew that she and Taklinn had often had
their differences, I also knew that a small part of her lay there on the floor as well,
burnt and dead.  

   But it was Griff whose eyes met mine as he stumbled to Taklinn’s side, his sword
dropped and forgotten behind him. He fell to his knees, reaching to touch the dwarf,
but drawing his hand back as if from a viper. He shook his head, then looked at me,
and the way that his face twisted caused my throat to close. 

   “Do something!” He demanded, holding my eyes with his own. 

   “Griff, I…I can’t.” I whispered.  
   “What the hell do you mean, you can’t?” He shouted, all logic driven away by his
pain. “All your magic’s can’t bring him back? I don’t believe that! You bring him
back right NOW!” 

   I hung my head. “Griff,” I said softly, “My magic and Taklinn’s are quite
different. I have no direct connection to the gods. I have no spell that will do what
you’re asking.” 

   “You’re lying!” Griff cried, though I knew that he knew that I was not. His rage
was without direction, his words, products of a broken heart. 

   “I am not.” I said, and a tear rolled down my cheek. “But more than that, even if I 
could, do you not remember all the times that Taklinn swore that he would not
return from the dead? It was his wish to fall in battle. He said time and again that
we were not to attempt to bring him back.” I choked on the words and pressed my 
palms into my eyes until I saw only bright red.

   “Then I’ll do it myself!” Griff hissed through clenched teeth, and he reached to
Taklinn’s side and gripped Clangeden’s axe in both fists! 

   Clangeden’s axe was imbued with enough holy power to flat out kill a Yugoloth
that had once dared to touch it, and now it seemed to radiate heat that I could feel
from several feet away. Griff’s face sagged in pain as the handle, engraved with 
runes and symbols, seared into his hands. The high, sickly sweet odor of burning
flesh filled my nostrils and I watched in awe and fascinated horror as smoke began
to erupt from Griff’s fists. I could hear the sizzling of his flesh, but he would not let 
go his hold on the axe. Happy seemed frozen in place, and the Major’s eyes went
wide.

   “CLANGEDEN!” Griff screamed through the pain of his wounds, the pain of his 
burning hands, the pain of his loss. “Clangeden, hear me! Taklinn is your servant
and my friend and I…want…him…BACK! Hear me and grant him his life! Return
him now, and I swear by all that I hold true that from this day forward I will serve 
you! Bring him back and you will forevermore count the sword of Griffin Dorjan
amongst your own! Clangeden, HEAR ME!”

   And apparently, Clangeden did.  

   ***

   With Taklinn’s death and Griff’s subsequent and jaw droppingly dramatic plea
and vow to Clangeden, I thought I had seen it all. What could possibly shock me
after the events of the last few moments? 

   But my stomach twisted into an even more complex knot at the sound of a
familiar voice belting out rhyme with cheerful gusto, and I’m certain that my mouth
hung with dumbfounded slack as I turned to see Caribdis march through the front 
doors, his beaming smile lighting up the room. 

   Happy rubbed her eyes, as if to make sure that what she was seeing was real, and
even Griff seemed to forget that his hands were cooking at high temperature when 
he saw our long lost bard stroll through in. But as Caribdis came toward us as if it
were the most natural thing in the world, Griff must have caught wind of his own
flesh, for he dropped the axe to the stone floor. The clatter seemed to break the spell 
of shock we were under, and I was dimly aware of Major Throst looking on in
confusion as Griff, Happy and I drew back from Taklinn’s body and let Caribdis
into our circle.  

   Hands on hips, Caribdis was the very picture of hale and hearty health. “Looks
like the old boy bit off more than he could chew this time, eh?” he grinned, nodding 
at Taklinn’s body. “Never fear, I’ve got just the thing! If you’ll allow me a bit of
room…”

   Caribdis knelt next to Taklinn and laid a gentle hand upon the dwarf’s brow. In 
his low sing-song voice, he began to chant, and my hackles rose as I felt the
powerful magic emanate from him. 

   Neither Hap, nor Griff, nor myself had yet said a word, and we remained in dumb 
silence throughout the minute long casting of the spell. We watched as Taklinn’s
burnt flesh healed and became its normal leather-like complexion. We watched as
his fingers, fused together by the intense electrical heat, came apart. We watched as 
life flowed back into him with every word that Caribdis spoke, and when his eyes
fluttered, then opened, I realized that I had completely forgotten to breath. 

   Caribdis sat back on his haunches as Taklinn came to, blinking and sitting up. He 
looked about himself, and his eyes came to rest on the smiling Caribdis. “It’s good
to see you, my friend.” He said.

   “Likewise.” Caribdis replied. “It looked like you’d gotten yourself into a spot of 
trouble, so I figured I’d better lend a hand.”

   Taklinn took a deep breath and gathered himself. “Yes,” he agreed, “I suppose
you’re right. The last thing I remember is lightning. Lots of it. The next thing I 
know I was in the halls of Clangeden. Funny though, even as I realized where I was,
I knew it wasn’t my time yet. Clangeden was there and he just shook his head and
smiled, as if to say that I was right, that I had too much left to do in the land of the 
living.”

   It was a surreal moment, watching one newly dead comrade pick himself up off
the floor while another, long dead, friend helped him to his feet. Happy went to 
Griff’s side but he seemed not to notice her. His eyes went again and again from
Caribdis to Taklinn to his seared hands, and I could tell that much was going on in
his head. 

   I came to my senses at last and found my voice. “Caribdis! What on earth are you
doing here?”

   “I’d have thought that was obvious.” He smirked. “Just bringing back the dead, 
singing a few songs, you know, the usual.”

   “Don’t be flip!” I said, crossly. I had not yet had time to let the joy of his return
wash over me, and already he was pushing my buttons. “Why now? Is this just 
coincidence?”

   “Well, no, not exactly.” He said with that old mischievousness in his eyes.”

   “What then?” Taklinn asked, all ears.  

   “Let’s just say I’m doing a favor for a couple of higher ups from the other side.”
He said.

   “Who?” Griff asked. We all turned to look at him, for the tone of his voice gave 
no room for oblique answers. 

   Caribdis blinked. “Fharlanghan and Clangeden.” He said, simply.

   “They asked you to come back?” I pressed him, “Why?” 

   “Yeah,” Happy demanded, “And why would you come back for them when you
wouldn’t come back for us?”

   “Jeese! What’s with the Q and A?” Caribdis said, defensively, “I thought you’d 
be happy to see me.”

   “Of course we’re happy to see you back,” I replied, “It’s just quite a shock!”

   “Well, if you must know, the two gods figured you might need all the help you 
can get on this mission. According to them, if you get killed while taking on Illugi’s
avatar there will be no coming back.”

   “Ever?” asked Hap, wide eyed.  

   “Ever.” Caribdis nodded solemnly. “I was on the fence about it, but then this
thing with Taklinn happened, and well, what could I do?” 

   “Well, whatever the case, I’m glad ye did come back!” Taklinn laughed, clapping
Caribdis on the shoulder, “It would have been a sore ending to have the final pages
of my life read that I was done in for good by a bunch of scurrilous vrock!” Taklinn 
bent and retrieved his axe, and I saw Griff follow that motion as if entranced.
Something was up with our warrior friend. Hap could sense it and so could I. Even
Major Throst looked warily at Griff, but none of us said a word.  

   “So what now?” Caribdis asked, “I’ve been brought up to date on the mission, and
truth be told, it feels kind of good to be back in my skin. I’m ready for some
action!” 

   I eyed Caribdis, noticing a few things about him for the first time. “Speaking of
your skin, Caribdis, what’s with you’re new color? And how about that mark on
your forehead?” Indeed, upon closer examination, Caribdis’ skin contained an odd, 
golden, hue, as if he almost seemed to glow. And upon his forehead was a symbol,
a circle with a line slashed through it and a crescent moon shape. I recognized it as
the symbol of Fharlanghan. 

   Caribdis shrugged. “Not sure,” He replied, touching his forehead, “Fharlanghan
touched my head before they sent me back. Maybe it’s a brand.”

   “Well, a pair of axes would look better, but I suppose it’ll do.” Taklinn grinned. 
“Now what say we heal up and get on with this? Illugi awaits!”

   There was no denying that Illugi did indeed await, and though I had many
questions for both of them, not to mention Griff, I decided to wait until a more 
opportune time. As it happened, we still a bit more drama to endure before we
would be on our way.

   Caribdis and Taklinn fell into their old ways immediately, looking for wounds on 
us and laying hands on to quell bleeding and pain. Caribdis was all smiles as he
sang his healing song, but suddenly it died in his throat. His grin faded and a far
away look came into his eyes. He took a step back, and I saw something new, 
something different flood into him, and his eyes became quite sharp, and quite
malevolent!

   “So, the gang’s all here!” He said with a humorless smile. 

   I sucked in my breath in horror as a bell seemed to chime in my head. The voice
was Caribdis’, but I recognized the tone, the intonation, the hint of sarcasm. I
struggled to place it, but it was Happy who realized first who it was. 

   “Scylla!” She gasped. 

   “Nice to see you, Hap.” Caribdis said, with no sincerity at all. 

   It hit me like a ton of bricks as I recalled Scylla’s love of the ‘Magic Jar’ spell, 
and I understood that the witch had taken over our bard!

   Taklinn and Griff understood it too, and their weapons came up in a flash. “What
do you want?” Griff demanded.  

   “Oh, I just couldn’t resist taking a jaunt in your weak minded friend here,”
Scylla/Caribdis replied, “And maybe to warn you to turn back now. You’re in way
over your heads here. You can’t possibly win.” 

   “Get out of him!” Was Griff’s only answer as he took a menacing step toward
Caribdis. 

   “What, you’re going to cut down your old friend?” Scylla laughed, “What sort of 
homecoming would that be? Besides, you know it wouldn’t hurt me.”

   “I’ll see him dead before I let you toy with him you twisted…” And Griff drew
back his blade with a look that said that this was no threat, it was a promise.” 

   Scylla/Caribdis took a step back. “I should let you kill him!” She hissed. “But no,
Illugi has plans for you all! I came here to warn you, but I know you won’t listen.
You’re all fools! Come ahead then! Come ahead and feel the wrath of true power!
Feel the might of a god who will soon trample your precious Havilah to dust!” 

   Griff took another step forward and I flinched, sure that he was going to take
Caribdis’ head off. But suddenly our bard blinked and looked around. “Well that 
was odd.” He said, a bit puzzled. 

   Griff’s blade lowered as we realized that Scylla had fled Caribdis’ body. 

   “Here!” I heard Taklinn cry. I turned to see that he had found a gem, cleverly 
mounted into a door on the east wall. It had to be the component for the ‘Magic Jar’
spell, and Taklinn wasted no time in shattering it to a thousand pieces with his axe. 


   Caribdis looked puzzled at Taklinn, obviously having no recollection of the
events of the last few minutes. We were left to tell him, but upon hearing that he
had so recently been used as a vessel for Scylla, he shrugged with maddeningly 
Caribdis-like aplomb and grinned. 

  “Well, we’d best get looking for her then, hadn’t we?” And with that, he headed
for an unchecked door, and before anyone could stop him, flung it wide! Whatever 
he saw beyond that door set his hackles up and the next thing I knew he was firing
arrows through the doorway and then giving chase with a hoot!

   We were all too stunned to react at first. The shock of Taklinn’s death and 
resurrection, a seemingly profound occurrence in Griff, and the sudden
reappearance of Caribdis, not to mention the fright from Scylla, had set us on our
heels. But it looked as if Caribdis was not going to give us time to acclimate, and as 
soon as we’d gathered our bearings we charged after him.

   The door led into a long hallway, at the end of which, on the right hand wall, was
another door. Caribdis was down there, shooting another volley of arrows even as 
he recited a verse that was new to me, though I did catch its discordant message and
sensed the inherent magic within it. I soon heard the clang and smash of weapons
on armor from beyond Caribdis’ doorway and our bard chuckled at whatever chaos 
he had caused as he let off still more arrows. 

   We reached the doorway and jockeyed for position. I flew overhead and
witnessed several himrock orcs in a room, several of them fighting with each other, 
a product, I assumed, of Caribdis’ verse. Still more himrocks were charging for
Caribdis, but Griff and Taklinn were already inside. They went to work.

   It was nasty. There was a cleric among them who hit Griff with a ‘harm’ spell that 
nearly brought him down, but fortunately Caribdis still knows a healing verse or
two and managed to bring Griff back from the brink before another enemy could
finish the job.  

   Taklinn and Griff bore the brunt of the attack, as they always do, while Hap did
what Hap does best. Caribdis healed, fired arrows, and aided us all with his verses,
and I could not help but grin inwardly at how good it felt, even in the midst of a 
fight, to hear his silly lyrics laced with magic. 

   Major Throst waded in as well, and I cast what I could, but, to my disgust, these
orcs were also under the effects of an ‘unholy aura’ spell, and I had a devil of a time 
with the resistance it afforded them. 

   At one point two of the orcs fled for a door on the far side and we gave chase,
only to find still more orcs on the opposite side, waiting to pounce. Even I was 
struck once or twice, but Taklinn and Hap managed to take my enemy down, thank
goodness! Those himrocks hit hard!

   We cleared them out at last, and I looked around at the dead orcs and my 
wounded friends, knowing that we were not up for another fight like that. 

   “Caribdis, do you suppose we could call it a day?” I asked him.

   “But I just got here!” He protested.  

   I gave him a withering glare and nodded at Griff, who Taklinn was even now
using the last of his healing on.

   “Oh, okay.” Caribdis sighed. I created a mansion. 

   There were several matters to think about before we just turned in. For one thing,
we were in the belly of Illugi’s temple, not a good place to camp, even within the 
extra dimensional mansion. Also, there was the matter of the remaining Havilah
soldiers. I returned to the main entrance to find them there, perhaps thirty in all,
many of them badly wounded. They had barricaded the door to the courtyard. The 
men were bloody and without leadership, their commander having been slain in the
attack. I heard a sigh beside me and looked to see Major Throst there. Without a
word to me, he began barking orders at the soldiers, forming them into ranks and 
issuing commands, pointing and getting them organized for a siege. Throst was a
natural leader to these men and he was in his element. A moment later, he
approached me.  

   “The men need a commander,” He stated simply, “I am the obvious choice by
way of my rank. I think it would be wise for me to remain with them, both for their
sakes and for the sake of your crew. It would appear that one of your original 
members has returned. I understand the balance of these things, and while I know
that my swords would aid you, I fear that I would do more harm than good. Call it
superstition, but the balance of a crew should not be tried, especially in such dire 
times.”

   I could tell that it pained him to say it, that he wanted nothing more than to carry
on with us, to confront Illugi for the honor of his name and for Havilah. But I also 
know that what he said had merit, and I merely shook his hand. “It has been a
pleasure, Major Throst.” I said, and then I took a step back and saluted smartly. He
nodded and saluted back, then turned on his heel to rejoin his men. 

   I offered and even tried to insist that the Major and his men stay in the safety of
the mansion, but he declined, stating that it was their job to secure the entry way, to
make sure no more orcs and yuan-ti entered to come after us. He would have it no 
other way, but I at least would not yield on the issue of food. The mansion creates
more than enough food to feed twice as many of us as there were, so it was agreed
that the men would enter in shifts and dine as heroes of their caliber should before 
hunkering down for the day.

   When those arrangements had been made, I headed straight for my chambers. I
could see Taklinn and Caribdis deep in conversation in the den, so I let them be, 
preferring seclusion. I had much to think about, and I would have liked nothing
more than to grill Caribdis about what exactly it was he was doing here, but I knew
that there would be no getting any straight answers out of him for at least a little 
while. He was obviously still enjoying the drama of his return too much to let all the
cats out of the bag and I didn’t feel like playing that game. As much as I love the
boy, I was less than ready to listen to his esoteric replies to anything I might ask 
him. 

   And I needed the rest. The sooner we were all at full capacity, the sooner we
would take the fight to Illugi and Scylla, and I had a powerful thirst to see an end to 
those two, especially the latter. It made me nervous to be here, resting within the
temple, and I feared for Major Throst and the soldiers, wishing again that they had
acquiesced to stay in the mansion. The sooner we got moving again, the better. I 
wrote for an hour and then doused the lights.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 11, 2015)

Rdyr’t 23

   Today began innocuously enough. Surprisingly we were not attacked during our 
rest and neither were the soldiers barricaded in the front entrance. It remained quiet.
Too quiet, but given the situation there was no winning. I slept hard, determined not
to wonder why our enemy would not try to take back the temple’s lower level. 

   We set out again this morning with the intention to check the few doors left on
this level that we had left last night. All went relatively well, though our search was 
not without its hiccups. For one thing, Caribdis’ stay in the realms beyond has done
nothing to temper his impulsiveness, and we are having to work hard to acclimate
ourselves once again to his nature. For the last several months we have become 
something of a well oiled machine, at least when it comes to checking strange doors
for potential traps in dangerous lairs. Generally Happy will scour them for suspect
traps while Griff watches her back. Taklinn will watch from a short distance, ready 
to heal or fight as the case may be, and I do my best to stay well clear of any blast
radius’ that might occur. 

   All of that is fine, and we began in just that manner this morning, with Griff 
opening a couple of doors after Hap’s announcement of safety. We found a room
that had obviously once belonged to a cleric of Illugi, and Hap began to
meticulously search it out. A bit too meticulously for Caribdis’ taste, apparently, for 
no sooner had she begun to go to work on a chest that had turned up than Caribdis
began opening more doors with no thought given to safety or strategy. Anything
could have been protecting those doors, and anything could have lurked behind 
them. Only his good fortune kept him from yet another untimely demise before we
could stop him. I had a brief but stern conversation with him concerning letting
each of us do our jobs where applicable, particularly in the case of unchecked 
doors. The common sense of letting her check them is so cut and dry, so obvious,
that I could hold my tongue no longer and I made my point as succinctly as I could.
Caribdis, of course, rolled his eyes, but I think the look on my face gave him an 
idea of my seriousness, and he backed off from the doors, waiting impatiently. 

   In the meantime Griff was fast learning what it meant to be in the service of
Clangeden, for in the god’s service he was. Earlier in the morning, over breakfast, 
we had all caught a glimpse of his hands; they were branded now with the runes
that grace the haft of Taklinn’s axe, burnt forever there as he had sworn his fealty to
Clangeden in exchange for Taklinn’s life. I do not know if it was that oath that 
brought Taklinn back, or simple coincidence on the part of Caribdis’ timing.
Perhaps it is a bit of both. I must believe now that Griff’s words played a part, for I
do not think that Clangeden would hold him accountable for a gift he did not 
provide. 

  Griff had shrugged off our comments about his branded hands, but later, there in
the orcish cleric’s room, while Hap disabled a trap on the chest and while I shook a 
disapproving finger at Caribdis, Griff caught his first glimpse of evil.

   There was a statue in the room of Illugi, grim and horrible as any other we have
seen, but when Hap announced that the trap was disarmed and looked up at her 
husband she saw him standing there, stock still, staring at the statue with wide eyes,
utterly frozen to the spot with a look of terrible awe on his face. We all noticed it as
Hap ran to his side and shook his arm, which seemed to break the spell that had 
come over our warrior. 

   “Griff, what is it?” She asked. “What’s wrong? What do you see?”

   Griff stared at her for long seconds until he seemed to return to himself again. 
“Nothing!” he gruffed. 

   Happy was not buying it and would not let the matter drop, but Griff turned and
stomped away, refusing to discus the matter further, which, of course, put Happy 
quite beside herself! Oh, was she angry! But nothing she could say would make
Griff admit that he had seen something out of the ordinary. 

   I didn’t believe him either, but thought better of saying anything. Griff, I have 
found, will tell you his secretes when he is good and ready and not a moment
before. Asking him only guarantees you more of a wait.  Besides, it was time to
move on.  

   There was a fine find in the chest. A book concerning Illugi, much of it esoteric
rituals for his worship, but I caught glimpses within it that might reveal more to us 
about the nature of our enemy should I have a chance to study it later. I wrapped it
up and secured it away.

   Hap finally gave up on Griff and stormed back to an unchecked door in a huff. 
She checked it a little too quickly for my taste, but she was right in saying that it
was not trapped. We checked the room beyond and then repeated the procedure
until we had cleared out the lower level. Only one way to go: Up.  

   Or so I thought.

   We made our way back to the main entry hall and the spiral staircase that rose up
into darkness there. Standing at the bottom, looking up, one could almost smell the 
evil that drifted down from above. With weapons drawn, we began our climb as
Major Throst and the Havilah soldiers watched us. 

   Round and round we climbed, into a stone shaft lined with steps that circled ever 
upward. We climbed for what seemed a long time through a mist that tumbled like
smoky water down and around our feet, until Taklinn suddenly stopped. 

   “What is it?” Griff hissed. 

  “Shh!” Taklinn held up his hand for silence, his head cocked, straining to hear
some sound that only he could. Slowly he reached out and touched the stone wall,
closing his eyes, listening. And then his eyes snapped open. 

   “She’s gonna give!” he managed to cry before the crack appeared, racing down
the stairs between our feet. Then another and another, spiderwebbing their way
down the walls as a tremendous rumble began and the earth began to shake. We 
struggled to keep our feet as a chunk of stone gave way and fell from the wall above
us. We dodged as it tumbled down and around the stairs, narrowly missing
Caribdis.  

   “Back!” Taklinn yelled above the din, but there was to be no turning back, for
when we turned it was just in time to see the lower stairs crumble and fall away.
And the steps continued to break apart one by one, chasing us as we turned and fled 
upwards. But it was a race we could not win, and I at last felt the stone fall from
beneath my feet. 

  I was, of course, under the effects of an ‘overland flight’ spell, so I was able to 
keep from falling. Hap, too, used her armor to fly. But the rest of the crew had no
such means and we could only watch helplessly as Caribdis, Griff and Taklinn fell
with the rubble, down to the temples first floor and beyond, for the floor had given 
way as well and the staircase, along with our crew, fell through the gaping maw
below. 

   Without thought, without warning, Happy flew down after them. With a curse, I 
was hot on her heels, flying into inky blackness. 

   For a moment I lost sight of Hap, and there was the sensation of floating instead
of flying. I lost sight of which way was up or down, and I let myself fall, but still 
there was the sensation of drifting, and I no longer saw the exit through which we
had fallen. All was darkness and silence.

   Until I felt gravity grab me again! I had to do a quick pull up, kicking in my flight 
again just in time to slow my descent even as I heard the splashes of rubble and
crew into water below. I looked about wildly, and was relieved to see Happy. She
was still flying straight down, toward the sounds of splashing, calling out Griff’s 
name.

   I came in low and fast, skimming the black water, my eyes wide open for any 
signs of trouble. Happy circled anxiously around the spot where our friends had hit
and finally we saw them. First Caribdis, then Griff and Taklinn rose from the water
with gasps, staggering and sputtering, obviously all a bit the worse for wear from
the fall. The water appeared to be only three feet deep or so, and the three of them 
had no trouble standing in it. Taklinn waded to Griff and laid his hands on him
while Caribdis healed himself.  

   “What the hell was that all about?” Hap demanded, a little too loudly. Her voice
echoed off the water and seemed to carry a long way. 

   “It was an ‘earthquake’ spell.” Taklinn answered grimly. “And I’d bet my beard 
that I know who was behind it!”

   “You think it was Scylla?” I asked.

   “Aye! It has her grubby hand prints all over it. Only a powerful caster could have 
done it, and she’s obviously wanting to toy with us, otherwise she’d have tried to
kill us out right. Instead, she’s dumped us here.”

   “So where do you suppose ‘here’ is?” Caribdis wondered aloud.  

   It was a good question. We had to assume that if Scylla had indeed dropped us
into this pit that there would be no easy way out. I flew upwards to have a look
around, but all was such blackness that my darkvision could not penetrate far 
enough to tell me much, at least until I reached the roof of the cavern. Many feet
above the water I found a roof of glistening stone, yet I found no shaft, no hole
through which we had fallen. It was as if the earth had spat us out and then closed 
up behind. There would be no flying back out of this prison.

   I flew back to the crew and gave them my report. 

   “That’s just great!” Griff said, spitting into the water. “What about one of your 
teleports, Doorag?”

   “I don’t know,” I said slowly, rubbing my chin, “I have to think that Scylla would
have thought of that too and would put us out of teleport range. I have the sneaking 
suspicion that we have fallen through a gate of some kind. We may be on another
planet or another plane. I’ve a feeling that a teleport won’t do us much good.
Besides, I don’t have it memorized today.” 

   “So what do we do?” Hap asked, still flying in circles around us.

   “Well, the first order of business is to get out of this water!” I said, nervously
looking at the dark surface of the underground lake, knowing that anything could be 
lurking below. All heads nodded in agreement, though there was no telling which
way might lead to dry land. I had found no walls in this chamber, and for all we
knew this shallow lake might go on for a very long time indeed! There was not 
much else to do but pick a direction and begin wading.

   Hap’s fly spell wore off quickly and she was soon riding Griff’s shoulders. She
renewed her inquisition as to what he had seen earlier, but he refused to even 
acknowledge her questions, which, of course, made her all the more angry. We had
to shush her several times. 

   Hours passed as the crew sloshed through the water. Fortunately it got no deeper, 
though Caribdis did manage to find a hole at one point, dropping below the surface.
We had a bad moment trying to find him, but he finally popped back up, thrashing
and sputtering.  Still we trod on, led unerringly straight due in no small part to the 
uncanny directional senses of Griff and Taklinn, until at last, the water began to get
lower and lower as the ground beneath began a gentle rise that gave way to dry land
within our sight.  

   All this time I had been nervously scanning, always on guard for some unseen
menace gliding below the surface of those black waters to attack and pull one of us
under. But now that land was in view, I breathed a sigh of relief.  

   Too quickly.

   A sudden splash and a flash of movement followed by a fast moving ripple in the
water, then a hiss and the echo of wicked laughter from another side. Something 
was out there, skimming below the surface. 

   Griff and Taklinn took stances, weapons up. Caribdis drew back his bow and I
could see his lips moving in verse. Hap drew her feet beneath her, ready to spring 
from Griff’s back in a flash, and I flew tight circles overhead, straining to catch a
glimpse of this new danger.  

   I banked tightly to the left, keeping myself no more than twenty or thirty feet from
the rest of the crew as they stood, waist deep in water, in a tight, defensive, knot. It 
was then that I saw it, a nasty head protruding from the water attached to a
serpentine body that roiled beneath the surface. It was only a glimpse, but what I
saw was enough to send a chill down my spine, for I recognized it immediately as a 
naga. In a flash, the abomination sank back beneath the oily water and was gone,
though I was certain that it hadn’t gone far. 

   Naga’s, I thought. Of all things! I became suddenly quite cross, angry at Scylla 
for dumping us into such a pit, and put out that these beasts should give us a scare.
We had come too far and through too much to let them slow us down. If it was a
fight they wanted, they would have it, but I decided to give them fair warning first.  

   I flew back to the crew and circled above them, clearing my throat and putting as
much force into my voice as I could as I shouted, “Hear me, you pond scum! We
are the band of the Broken Blade, and we eat the likes of you for breakfast! If 
you’re that eager to die, then come get some! Otherwise, move on and let us pass!”

   The crew looked up at me, eyebrows raised, but they said nothing. We waited in
silence for several moments, poised for a fight, but it never came. The last sound we 
heard from the Naga’s was a subdued splash in the distance. After that, all was
clam. I looked back down at the crew and shrugged. “Shall we?” I said.

  When we were sure that the silence was no ruse, we continued toward the bank of 
the lake, the water growing steadily more shallow until we at last stood on dry land.
I used a ‘prestidigitation’ to dry my friends out as we surveyed the area. What we
saw was not promising, though our vision was severely limited. What we could see 
was nothing but black, unforgiving, volcanic, stone. A plane of it that stretched far
beyond our straining eyes. 

   “Well,” Hap sighed, “What now? Which way do we go?” 

   I scratched my head. “I have no idea.” I admitted.

  “I do!” The voice cackled out of the darkness and we all whirled, swords drawn,
spells at the ready, once again falling into defensive postures against unseen 
dangers. We strained our ears to hear, and then the voice came again.

   “I know the way! Ah yes, Neekesh knows the way home, he does!”

   It was the voice of an old man, though there are plenty of creatures that can 
imitate such things, and we let our guard down not a minute. 

   “Show yourself!” Griff growled. 

   We held our breaths, waiting for what seemed like many moments, before a timid 
figure appeared at the edge of our vision. He was, in fact, an old man. Dressed in
rags, his beard well down to his chest, a wary grin containing only a handful of
teeth plastered across his face. He stopped, poised like a rabbit, ready to run.  

   “Don’t kill Neekesh!” He pleaded. “Been here long time! So long. Don’t kill me,
I know the way… home!”

   Thus began our acquaintance with Neekesh. When we had at last convinced him 
that we meant him no harm, he approached and we were able to get his story from
him. He was an Edik native who had, apparently, displeased a higher up in the
Illugi clergy and had been exiled to this terrible place. He had no idea how long he 
had been here, but guessed that it must be years. He had survived by hiding for
most of his days and scavenging for what small bits of food the predators that
roamed these rocky planes left behind. He was in sore shape, painfully thin and 
perhaps a bit mad from darkness and seclusion. But he claimed to know the passage
back to Edik, though when we asked why he had not left he shuddered and nearly
came to tears.  

   He told us that the way off of these planes was guarded by three terrible beasts.
He called them dragons, though I could hardly believe that such was the case. It 
would be unlike three dragons to remain in one spot to guard something other than
their own treasure. Perhaps this is another case of mistaken wyvern identity. 

   We set out at once, picking our way across the rock, following Neekesh’s 
directions after we had vowed that we would take care of the “dragons” and bring
him back to Edik with us.

   Neekesh assured us that the gate to Edik was only a days march away, but he 
warned us of the dangers of this place, glancing nervously about as he did so. His
warning was not without merit, for we had walked for no more than an hour when
we were besieged by monsters.  

   I figured later that they were barbed devils, a very nasty sort of underworld
denizen. They came at us out of the darkness without warning and it was all we
could do to meet them even as Neekesh howled in terror and curled up on the 
ground in the fetal position. 

   I took a claw to the face and Griff got hit pretty hard as well, but in the end they
were no match for us, and within less than a minute, nine of them lay scattered 
across the black rock, sliced and scorched and pierced with arrows. These devils
had had the misfortune to tangle with us while we were at our full compliment of
powers and spells and were in no mood to be detained. We slaughtered them. 

   Neekesh rose from ground with a grin spread from ear to ear, cackling with glee
as he surveyed our handiwork. We got the idea that he had been living in abject fear
of such creatures for some time and was delighted to see them suffer for a 
change. 

   We pressed on across the porous rock, and as we did so, Griff fell into step next to
me. He glanced quickly over his shoulder to make sure that no one would over hear 
him and seemed satisfied to see Happy involved with a conversation between
Taklinn, Caribdis, and herself. 

   “Doorag,” He muttered, “Can I, uh, can I talk to you for a minute?” 

   I looked up at him, eyebrows raised in curiosity, “Sure Griff, of course. What’s on
your mind?”

   Griff took another furtive look at his wife to make sure she was still out of 
earshot, and lowered his voice. “Back in the cleric’s quarters yesterday, that statue,
you remember it?”

   “Yes,” I nodded, “The one of Illugi. You seemed a little freaked out by it.” 

   “Yeah, well, I could… see it.”

   “Right,” I said slowly, “We could all see it. It looked like all the others we’ve
seen.” 

   “No,” Griff whispered urgently, “I could see IT! I could SEE it!” I could tell he
was struggling for the words.

   “See what?” I asked. “I’m not following you.” 

   Griff sighed, frustrated. “I could see… evil.” He said at last. 

   I looked up at him and blinked, and I could tell that he was deadly serious, and
quite uncomfortable with this revelation. He had obviously come to me as a last 
resort. “Describe to me exactly what you saw, Griff.” I prompted him.

   Griff took a deep breath. “I looked at the statue and just sort of… concentrated. I
don’t know exactly why. But the point is, after I’d stared at it for a few seconds, I 
started to see this black cloud thing hanging all over it-“

   “Like an aura?” I interrupted him.

   “Yeah, whatever.” He said. “An aura. Anyway, it was strong! I couldn’t take my 
eyes off of it! It chilled me worse than almost anything I’ve ever seen! Made my
stomach flip!”

   “Hmmm,” I mused, “Interesting. It almost sounds as though you were seeing the
statues evil aura. I don’t have that power myself, but I understand that its quite 
similar to the ability to see detect magical auras. But that would mean…” I stopped
in mid sentence, looking at Griff with wide eyes.  

   “What? What does it mean?” Griff demanded. 

   I blinked. “Well, generally speaking, the power to see evil and/or good auras is
restricted to those who have chosen a divine path. Taklinn, for example, has 
probably been able to do it since he was able to hold an axe. It’s usually a spell or
an innate ability granted by…”

   “Granted by what?” Griff asked urgently.  

   “A deity.” I finished. 

   Griff moaned and rolled his eyes, pressing his hand to his forehead as if trying to
digest that. “What have I gotten myself into?” He asked himself. 

   “This may have something to do with your promise to Clangeden.” I said.
“Though it would be strange for a dwarven god to grant such powers to a human.
Tell me, do you feel any different otherwise?” 

   “Actually I do,” He admitted. “I feel… I don’t know how to describe it.” He
struggled for the word, and finally settled on one. “Pure?”

   “Really? How fascinating!” 

   “What? Why is that fascinating?”

   “Well, and please bare in mind that I’m just guessing here, but it almost sounds as
if you have been accepted into the role of a holy warrior. Generally speaking, the 
power to detect evil is limited to priests, druids, and…” I trailed off.

   “And what?” Griff hissed. 

   “Paladins.” 

   Griff groaned again, but I continued quickly. “I have to doubt that you have
suddenly shifted from fighter to priest. That sort of thing is usually a conscious
decision and requires much forethought and dedication, and I just don’t see you 
filling that role, not to mention that it would be patently unheard of for a dwarven
god to accept a human as one of his clerics, especially a god like Clangeden.
However, the idea that you may now be a paladin is not so farfetched. Its unlikely, 
but I suppose its not out of the realm of possibilities. Tell me, have you felt
anything else strange or odd?”

   Griff was silent for a long time, but finally he sighed and nodded. “I can heal 
myself.” He admitted. “Just a little while ago, after that battle with those, what did
you call them, barbed devils, I still had a few cuts after Taklinn healed me, and… I
don’t know, I just kind of knew I could take care of them. I put my hand on my 
wound and concentrated. When I took my hand away, the wound had closed.” Griff
looked at me with a discomfort I had rarely seen on his face. “What does it mean?”

   I chuckled, but quickly hushed myself when I saw just how upset he was by his 
admission. “I think it means that I’m right, Griff. The abilities to fight well, see evil,
and perform minor acts of healing are all earmarks of a paladin, which, by the way,
is almost entirely unique. I would be interested to know when the last time a 
dwarven god accepted a human to carry his standard was. Still, you're hardly the
average human, and you did make quite a promise to Clangeden while holding that
axe. Stranger things have happened.” 

   “Well that’s just great!” He said, sourly. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?
I don’t know how to be a paladin!”

   “I’m sure you’ll work it out, Griff.” I said, shrugging. “The fact is, I’m hardly the best 
person to ask. We have with us one who is far better suited to answering questions
about Clangeden.”

   Griff glanced over to Taklinn and sighed. “You’re probably right. I just wanted to 
get your take on this. I just know that Taklinn is going to see this as some kind of
victory for his god or something. He has a tendency to gloat about these kinds of
things.” 

   I shrugged. “Well, you can’t really blame him. His life is devoted to Clangeden,
so the fact that you may now serve Him will probably grease Taklinn’s wheels to no 
end. Though I will add that your motivations are nothing to be ashamed of, Griff.
What you did was one of the purest examples of friendship I have ever seen. You
can be proud of that, and no matter how Taklinn reacts to your news, you can know 
that he is forever in your debt.” I looked over my shoulder to where Taklinn was
deep in heated debate with Happy and Caribdis. “The real question,” I said, “Is how
will Happy deal with this?” 

   I saw Griff shudder, and he refused to even look toward his wife. “Yeah,” He
nodded. “That is the real question.” He sighed heavily. “Thanks, Doorag. Can we,
you know, keep this between ourselves for the time being?” 

   “Of course.” I said, “And you're welcome. Anytime, my friend. Anytime.”

   On we trekked across the black rock with only ourselves and the occasional whiff 
of sulfur to keep us company. With no sun or moon in the sky to denote the passage
of time we soon lost track of how long we had traveled, though I began to measure
our progress by the amount of times Neekesh repeated that we were “almost there!” 
   Neekesh was obviously half mad and not an entirely pleasant guide, but he proved
to be true to his word, for after what seemed like many hours of walking we at last
spotted a faint glow in the distance, at which point Neekesh began to jump up and 
down excitedly and proclaim that our destination was at hand. Cheered at the
prospect of leaving this dark place, we pushed on with renewed vigor, the glow
becoming steadily brighter the closer we got.  

   We would not reach the glow without some conflict, of course, but the attack,
such as it was, highlighted just how far we have come since our early days. 

   We had walked for perhaps another hour (Neekesh had exclaimed that we were 
“almost there!” six more times, which seemed to equal about an hour) when
suddenly the rock beneath our feet began to shudder with what felt like heavy and
fast footfalls. We all felt it at the same time, and there was no doubt that it was 
growing rapidly stronger, as if something large was charging straight for us, which,
in fact, proved to be the case. 

   I shot into the air, straining my eyes, while the rest of the crew drew weapons and 
assumed a now familiar defensive posture. Mere seconds passed before it
materialized from the darkness, a hulking brute of a beast bearing down upon us at
a dead run.  

   It was a bulette, and a big one at that. Its stubby legs bore its massive bulk across
the rock at surprising speed, and I suppose most creatures that got in the things way
were made short work of. Bulette’s are feared across every land that I have ever 
heard of, for they are fearsome and savage predators with a seemingly endless
appetite for meat and a penchant for burrowing underground only to surface
beneath the feet of their prey. Fortunately the hard rock surface of this place did not 
allow such a maneuver, but even without that element of surprise, the sight of it
charging full speed, its maw lined with hundreds of jagged teeth, would have turned
the knees of most men to jelly. 

   Not only are bulette’s feared for their ferocity, but also for the difficulty one has
in fighting them, for their protective carapace can withstand the mightiest of sword
blows. Many have died while trying in vain to penetrate that thick shell. All of these 
thoughts flashed through my mind as it closed the distance, and I hurriedly called
up a spell.

   But I would never cast it.  

   Griff, almost serene in his economy of movement, stepped forward to meet the
beast head on. He set his back foot, held his sword aloft, and at the last possible
second, brought it down with enough force to cleave through an oak in one swing.
His blade struck the bulette between its beady eyes and carved through that 
legendary carapace like butter, shearing through brain and lower jaw, splitting that
mighty head with almost casual ease. Griff stepped nimbly aside as the bulette’s 
knees suddenly buckled and it plowed into the ground, skidding to a shuddering
stop, dead before it had even stopped moving. 

   I remembered the way the crew had looked at me the day I had ‘disintegrated’ the 
armorer on the shadow plane. Now it was Griff’s turn to be stared at in awe as he
wiped his blade clean and slid it into his scabbard as if nothing out of the ordinary
had happened. He nudged the bulette once with the toe of his boot and then turned 
without a word to keep walking toward the glow.

   We followed and the glow got brighter and brighter until it seemed that it must
now be no more than a mile or two away. I decided that now might be a good time 
to see if we could get a look at it, and to that end I borrowed Taklinn’s telescope
and flew high into the air, pressing the eye piece to my eye and focusing in on the
glow.  

   As the image sharpened, I let out a gasp! Neekesh had not been telling tall tales at
all, for there, surrounding what had to be an interplanar gate, squatted not one, not
two, but three dragons! Two blacks and a red! 

   I blinked with disbelief and pressed the telescope to my eye again to make sure I
had seen correctly, and to my dismay, saw that my eyes had not deceived me. The
three great reptiles, large even at this distance, paced in a tight circle around the 
gate, seemingly at ease with one another and their task of guarding the exit. 

   As I continued to watch them and study their movements, it became clear to me
that these were not normal dragons. Though it was difficult to see from this 
distance, I began to catch flashes of things that betrayed their true nature. I saw
ragged holes in wings and missing scales. I saw long swaths of bone, and patches
where flesh hung in flaps and strips. In a flash I understood. These were dragons, 
yes, but they were no longer alive by normal standards. These dragons were
undead, which explained how they could remain in place for so long and not turn on
each other. I shuddered. What sort of power must it have taken to raise such 
creatures from their eternal slumber for such a purpose? I almost felt sad for them,
for though they were evil in life, at least they controlled their own destinies, and for
all their wicked ways, one cannot deny the majesty of even an evil dragon. These 
things I saw in the telescope were perverse parodies of true dragons, and I resolved
to free them of such a humiliating end. 

   I flew back to earth and related what I had seen. Much discussion followed as to 
what strategy we should take, and though Caribdis was all for taking them on right
then and there, we decided to take a day to prepare. Undead of any sort have certain
weaknesses that we could exploit, given time, and we knew that to go after them 
half cocked would be a fools errand. I cast a mansion and we entered, gathering
around the massive dining room table as we usually do, to formulate our strategy
while Neekesh wandered the halls, head tilted in unrestrained awe.  



   Rdyr’t 24

   I wish that my writing skills could convey my agitation! We should be well past 
those undead dragons and through the gate back to (hopefully) Edik even now, yet
due to miss-communication and utter ineptitude, we are forced to remain in this god
forsaken hell hole yet another day!  

   This is such an amateur mistake that I can barely bring myself to relate it here, but
for the sake of continuity I will at least give the bare bones of our problem.

   One of the cornerstones of our plan in dealing with these dragons is a clerical
spell called ‘heroes feast’. Now ordinarily such a spell falls under Taklinn’s 
domain, and ever since our fight with Acessiwall he had pretty much been casting it
regularly each morning. It is a nifty spell to say the least, with a multitude of 
effects, not the least of which is that it conveys immunity to magical fear effects, an
invaluable asset when dealing with dragons, since even being near one can cause
grown men to flee in panic. We had to assume that these dragons, even undead 
though they may be, still had the power to cause fear in even the staunchest of
hearts, and therefore it was standard operating procedure that we would, of course,
partake in a ‘heroes feast’ this morning to ward off such a thing.  

   Well, this was discussed last night, along with what other spells might come in
handy, several of which would be cast by Taklinn, his divine powers being
particularly effective against undead. The problem lay in the fact that the ‘heroes 
feast’ would take up what could potentially be another effective spell to use against
the dragons, and to that end Caribdis revealed that HE could cast ‘heroes feast’, and
volunteered to do so, thereby freeing Taklinn to cast another spell.  

  So this morning we gathered at the table, fully expecting Caribdis to cast the feast
for us, only to find out that he had used that slot up to cast some other damnedable
spell that I can’t even remember now! Of course Taklinn had already prayed for his 
spells earlier, which meant that we would have no ‘feast’, and that we were now
quite unprepared to face even one dragon, let alone three! 

   I was beside myself! Not only had Caribdis set us back a day, he acted as if he 
had done nothing wrong, and could not understand why we all looked at him and
shook our heads. I was disgusted, and stormed out of the room, going back to my
own chambers where I stew even now. There is nothing for it but to wait until 
Taklinn can prepare a ‘feast’ of his own, which means another twenty-four hours
here. 

   Oh, but that boy is infuriating!  


   Rdyr’t 25 

   We gathered this morning almost exactly twenty-four hours after finding out that
Caribdis had neglected his ‘heroes feast’ duties. As is typical for our crew, the day 
started with confusion and consternation. Last night, after Caribdis’ failure to cast the
‘feast’ Taklinn announced that he would not leave that spell to chance again and
would cast it today. Of course that meant that this morning Caribdis DID have the 
spell prepared and ready to cast, as did Taklinn, which defeated the purpose of
allowing Taklinn an extra spell entirely, but at this point we were all too tired of the
argument to flog it further. Taklinn cast the feast and we ate it in silence, eager to 
finally be on with the day. 

   Neekesh joined us at the table, and if there is any among us who hasn’t minded
the additional day here it is him, for he has been enjoying the mansion immensely, 
wandering its halls, eating its food and getting good and drunk on its wine. I take it
it has been some time since he has had access to alcohol and he has been enjoying it
with a vengeance. Last night I was roused by a clamoring and stepped from my 
room to see a naked and drunk Neekesh dancing down the hall.

  One thing he has not taken advantage of, however, is the mansions bathing
facilities. He is as dirty and ripe as the day we met him, and several times I have 
thought to tactfully ask him if the bath in his room is in working order. Taklinn has
wondered if he might not cast a cleaning spell on the old man, but Neekesh still
seems a little distrustful, especially of we spell casters, so Taklinn decided against 
it. 

   We finished the ‘feast’, feeling the now familiar properties of its magic wash over
us, and discussed our plan, which more or less consisted of a hard and fast attack 
led by the most powerful spells we could muster, followed by a physical assault by
Taklinn and Griff. Not pretty, but its worked for us in the past.  

   Had there been a sun, its rising would have seen us leaving the mansion and
heading toward the glow that still shone less than a mile away. I cast my longer
lasting preparatory spells like ‘mind blank’ and ‘overland flight’ on the way. 

   As we drew near enough to actually catch sight of the dragons we bid Neekesh to
stay behind and await our return. We had to promise him several times that we
would return for him, but he relented at last, anxiously pacing back and forth and 
watching us as we walked on.

  Undead or not, a dragon is a fearsome creature, and the prospect of facing three of
them didn’t do much for my confidence. Still, I was heartened by the knowledge 
that we’d had ample time to prepare and were well geared to take them on. 

   We made it to within several hundred feet of them before they took notice. They
stopped their incessant circling of the gate to swing their great heads around as one 
to search us out with dead eyes. For a moment we braced to receive a charge, fully
expecting them to attack us on sight, but luck was with us. These dragons were truly
guardians, and it appeared that they would not leave their post. The three merely 
placed themselves between us and the gate, snorting and scratching at the rock as if
in warning. I’m sure that whatever residual draconic instinct still remained in those
dead brains was screaming at them to attack us, but the magic’s that held them in 
place was too strong, and they held their posts.

   This gave us a golden opportunity and we took it. We were still well out of range
of their breath weapons, but quite within range of some of the key spells we’d 
decided to use. Taklinn and I both unloaded. I cast my first ‘sunburst’, illuminating
the dragons area and catching the red and one of the blacks in the burst. That spell
is doom for undead, and these fellows were no exception. I could tell it hurt them, 
and quickly cast a second ‘sunburst’ to catch the same pair. Taklinn was also
casting even as he and Griff ran forward. Caribdis launched arrow after arrow as he
too closed the distance. Unfortunately for Hap, she could do little in this fight since 
undead have no vital areas in which to strike. Her particular style of fighting
would mean little against these foes. 

   We walked forward at a determined pace, pounding them with spells which took a 
terrible toll on the dragons. When Taklinn was within range he unleashed
‘sunbeams’ upon them while I rained fireballs onto the blacks from my position in
the air. Just as Taklinn and Griff came within range of their breath weapons, the 
pair charged, Griff wielding his blade in two hands and Taklinn now twice his size
and glowing with divine power, his axe held high. 

   All three dragons immediately unleashed their breath at our warriors and they 
were both caught in blasts of fire and acid, but we had prepared for just that event
with ‘protection from energy’ spells, and they were able to withstand much of the
damage.  

   Griff reached them first, colliding with the red, bringing his sword around in
wicked arcs again and again, faster than the eye could follow. Taklinn reached a
black and buried his holy axe to the haft in the creatures neck.  

   Below me Caribdis sang his verse, imbuing Taklinn and Griff with heightened
combat prowess even as he sent his arrows into the fray. His shafts left his bow in
rapid succession, and I swear that I counted three of them in the air at one time, 
following each other in a straight line until they thunked home in the flank of a
black dragon only a hand span apart. 

   Happy, unwilling to let Griff face such danger without her at his side, raced across 
the rocks and nimbly danced around the perimeter of the fight, hurling dagger after
dagger. 

   I flew in a wide circle, my staff at the ready, eating up its charges with one
fireball after another, knowing that the beasts were highly resistant to such magic’s, 
but also knowing from long experience that every little bit helps. I also worked a
‘disintegrate’ into the mix in the hopes that it might take. It didn’t, but one never 
knows unless one tries. 

   The red dragon clawed at Griff and bit several times, but our warrior retreated not
a step, standing his ground and hacking away with his blade. Taklinn, like a turtle in 
a shell, was so very hard to hit, and the black dragons attacks had a very hard time
finding their marks. Taklinn stood back to back with Griff, swinging with both
hands, reciting prayers and bellowing praises to Clangeden. 

   Taklinn’s black, already weakened by our spells, was the first to go down,
followed swiftly by the red that Griff had been working on. Our spells had done
their work, and the trio of beasts were severely wounded. The last black dragon, 
scorched by fire and light and pierced by nearly two dozen of Caribdis’ arrows, not
to mention Hap’s daggers, was little match for Griff and Taklinn by the time the
two of them turned their full attention on him. It got in one good bite before Griff 
rammed his blade home, twisting it in to the hilt and ripping it free. The wurm
sagged back, stumbled and finally fell, heaving its last gasp before sinking into real
death. 

   The entire fight had taken less than a minute, but we had taken our lumps. Griff
leaned against the carcass of the black, breathing heavily, and Taklinn bled from
several nasty bite wounds. He quickly began his healing, as did Caribdis when he 
reached them.

   I landed near them. “Nice work.” I complimented. 

   Griff stretched as Caribdis healed yet another wound on him. “They were no 
Acessiwall.” Was all he said.

   A moment later a very excited Neekesh came scampering over the rocks, crowing
with glee at the sight of the three dead guardians. When we had finished healing we 
all stopped and regarded the glowing circle that lay on the ground amongst the
carcasses. It was indeed a gate, though we now had to face the very real knowledge
that we had no idea where it led.  

   “Well,” said Taklinn, “Shall we?” 

   When we had properly prepared, we stepped through, Taklinn leading the way.

   ***

   I followed Taklinn through the gate, stepping into its luminescent glow and
feeling myself fade swiftly from the underground land of rock and darkness, only to
wind up in another place of stone and gloom. 

   As I appeared in a small, man made, stone chamber, Taklinn was already in
pitched battle with what I quickly pegged as a wraith; a nasty undead to be sure, but
no match for Taklinn, who raised his axe and invoked the name of Clangeden, 
turning the wraith away easily. The horrid thing sank into the stone walls, wailing
and hissing. It would not be the last we’d see of him.

   Just as the wraith disappeared, Griff and Happy, then Caribdis, then Neekesh 
stepped into the room, seemingly from thin air. No trace of the gate was to be found
on this side, and it was obvious that there would be no returning even if we’d
wished to. 

  The room we found ourselves in bore a faint familiarity. We had not actually
been there before, but the architecture and feel of its stone was deeply reminiscent of
Illugi’s temple on Edik, and we hoped against hope that that was where we were.  

   It struck us then that no doors were in this room, only bare walls, and for a bad
moment I wondered if we’d stepped into some sort of trap from which we would
have to extract ourselves. Fortunately I had prepared a ‘detect secret doors’ spell 
and now seemed a fine time to cast it. 

   Sure enough, the moment I concentrated on the far wall I could see the reddish
outline of a door crafted to look just like the stone. I pointed it out to Hap and she
immediately saw it too. She swiftly began checking it and soon announced that it 
was safe. Taklinn was in a mood to take the fight to the enemy and threw the door
open with no fanfare. He stepped into the revealed room, axe at the ready, but I 
don’t believe he was quite prepared for the stone golem that waited there to greet
him. 

   The guardian, a hulking man crafted of earth and rock, took a heavy step toward 
Taklinn and swung, catching him off balance. The massive rock fists pummeled our
dwarf, slamming him into the wall. Griff stepped in, placing himself between the
golem and Taklinn, slamming the thing with well placed sword blows.  

   Against such a construct there was little Hap, Caribdis or I could do. This was yet
another foe without vital organs for which Hap might aim. It was also immune to
nearly all magic’s, though I did have a trick or two up my sleeve for it. Caribdis 
began his verse and did his best to distract it with arrows, though it seemed not to
even notice them, instead concentrating on our fighters. Even as it waded in,
hammering at Taklinn again, I demonstrated how even lowly spells can hamper 
dangerous foes. My ‘grease’ slicked a sizable area beneath the golems feet and
down it went with a heavy thud, allowing Taklinn to gather himself, and for Griff to
get into a better position and even strike it as it tried to get up.  

   The golem was not without its attacks though, and it used innate magic to cast a
‘slow’. Suddenly Griff, Hap and myself seemed to move as if through mire.
Frustrated, I cast a second ‘grease’, keeping it trapped in one area, barely able to 
stand. 

  As it crawled to the edge of the ‘greased’ area Taklinn and Griff fell upon it,
slamming and hacking with their magical blades, chipping great chunks of stone 
from its body. It got in one more good hit on Taklinn before Caribdis stepped
forward and fired three arrows into it at point blank range. It had been on the verge
of death, and finally it crashed to the ground, nothing more than an inert statue.  

   Taklinn winced and worked his arm inside his armor where he had been hardest
hit. He tended to his own wounds while I used my spell to continue to scan the
walls, for there were no visible doors in this room either.  

   But there were secret doors, and my spell sniffed them out. As before, I let Hap
check it. This time we opened it and entered the room beyond more carefully. 

   The room was empty and nearly identical to the last two rooms we’d been in. 
Bare, no doors, dry and more or less sterile. We entered, again looking for the way
out. Just as I spied yet another secret door, the wraith that Taklinn had turned when
we’d first arrived, appeared again, cackling as it rose through the floor and trying to 
hit any of us it could. Griff was quick to slash at it, but the incorporeal abomination
was difficult to hit and he missed. Taklinn cast a ‘sunbeam’ and attempted to put it
down, but he missed as well. Before any of the rest of us could attack it, it had 
glided through the floor again. 

   This happened twice more! The wraith had an amazing string of luck for as long
as it lasted. Twice more we located secret doors; twice more we entered cautiously 
only to have the wraith appear from the stone and attack one of us, and twice more
did all of us fail to hit it at all! Fortunately it was as poor a shot as we seemed to be
and it was more of an annoyance than anything. In the end its luck ran dry and 
Taklinn’s ‘sunbeam’ found its mark, burning the thing out of existence. 

   All of these secret doors had finally led us to a spacious room with a few normal
doors, and we could now tell by the architecture and the very feel of the place that 
we were indeed back in Illugi’s temple. I would never have thought that being back
in such a place would be a relief. 

   Hap diligently went about the task of checking a door, but in the meantime 
Caribdis had wandered. He’d found his way to an unchecked door to the west, and
opened it right up, sauntering through it as though we were out on holiday. Most of
us were concentrating on Hap and we did not at first notice that Caribdis had gone
until Hap’s head suddenly jerked around.  

   “Shhhh!” She hushed us. We all fell silent, straining our ears. “There!” She
shouted, pointing at the door through which Caribdis had gone. We now saw that it 
was ajar and that our bard was nowhere to be seen. Hap bolted for the door, Taklinn
hot on her heels. Before she could reach it though, Caribdis reappeared, running
back into our room, his face as white as a sheet, obviously scared witless. He 
slammed the door shut behind him and looked at us wide eyed. 

   “What is it?” Taklinn demanded.

   “Very bad!” Caribdis babbled. “Very bad, very, very, very bad! Demons! Devils! 
Not sure which, but oh so bad!”

   I saw Taklinn’s eyes narrow at the mention of demons and devils. I knew we were
in for it now. With set jaw set, already casting, Taklinn stepped forward and put his 
boot to the door, kicking it wide. He stepped in, beginning to swell and grow from
the ‘righteous might’ and other divine spells he was casting on himself. 

  “Neekesh will wait right here!” The old man yelped, sinking back into one of the 
rooms we had left behind. As for Griff, Hap, and myself, we followed Taklinn.
Even Caribdis overcame his fear, and with a gulp, he followed us in as well.

   We found ourselves at one end of a mighty hall adorned with carvings and 
tapestries depicting every evil and perverse deed imaginable. It positively made the
stomach roil to see such things, and I could see the effect it had on Griff. At the far
end of the hall stood a massive set of double doors, black as onyx and already 
opening. Taklinn set his feet and faced the doors, ready for whatever came through. 

   But not all of our attackers would enter through those doors. As quick as thought,
the hall began to fill with vrock, teleporting in. The evil things hopped and flapped 
their pathetic wings, clamoring and cawing for our blood even as the double doors
swept open to reveal their masters. 

   The Hezrou entered first, all teeth, spines and claws, it was a true demon, a walker 
of the abyss, leagues more dangerous than any batch of vrock. But it was the thing
that followed that gave me serious pause. 

   It was a Nalfeshnee. Like some hideous cross between a bore and a bear, the thing 
shambled into the room. Though it looked like a simple monster, all tusks and teeth,
I knew full well that, of those of us in the hall, its intellect was probably inferior
only to mine. Not only was it incredibly strong and could rip any one of us limb 
from limb, it also possessed a host of magical attacks, not the least of which was an
unholy smite that could have us all wandering, dazed and unable to act for whole
minutes.  

   To make matters worse, I could see that the vrock all bore the now familiar black
sheen that could only mean that they were under the effects of an ‘unholy aura’
spell. 

   The vrock closed in as the Hezrou bellowed its challenge which Griff was happy
to accept. The two charged at each other, meeting in a clash of claws and steel. 

   Hap had blinked out and was invisibly circling to get into position to help Griff. 
Caribdis, his voice quavering but holding fast, sang his verse and let fly a half
dozen arrows at a vrock. I, of course, took to the air, casting furiously. I let fly a
‘greater dispel’ into the midst of the vrock, knowing that the ‘unholy aura’ they 
possessed was almost more dangerous than they were. I had a bit of luck and the
‘dispel’ shed the dark sheen from three of the five vrock. 

   At least two vrock were pressing in at Taklinn, keeping him from charging the 
Nalfeshnee or aiding Griff with the Hezrou. Not to be denied the opportunity to
stand toe to toe with such evil, Taklinn bellowed a ‘banishment’ spell, sending three
of the vrock immediately back to their infernal homes.  

   From my position in the air I could see Caribdis duck the claw of a vrock. He
came up dancing away, smoothly dodging the little demons attack even as he
pumped a volley of arrows into the Hezrou, which was giving Griff a hard time
indeed. Griff was holding his own, but the demons thick hide resisted his blows 
time and again, and Griff was already bleeding from several places where the
Hezrou had made contact. I wanted to help, but I kept my eye on the danger at the 
end of the hall. The Nalfeshnee was casting. I could see its hairy arms waving, its
piggish face contorting as it summoned dark magic. The demon began to pulse with
an inner glow, and I feared that it was preparing to ‘smite’ us. Knowing how deadly 
such a thing might be, I focused my attention on the beast, waiting until the last
possible second to cast the most powerful spell at my disposal. Just as the last
utterance left the demons mouth, I unleashed my own dweomer: ‘Mordenkainen’s 
Disjunction’. Fortunately none of the crew were near the Nalfeshnee at the time,
and even then I had to center the spell well behind the demon, such is the radius of
the effect. I laughed triumphantly as I watched every bit of magic be stripped from 
the beast, including the build up of magic that was leading to its ‘smite’. The
Nalfeshnee screamed in fury while I laughed triumphantly. It’s hellish eyes found me
and burned with hate, but it would have no chance to seek revenge, for Taklinn had 
finally arrived to deal with it. The Nalfeshnee roared in pain and surprise as our
cleric slammed his axe across its belly, opening a gory wound. The demon
responded with a flurry of claws and snapping teeth, but Taklinn just sneered and 
took the pounding on his armor and came back with still more swings of his axe. 

   I glanced down to see how the rest of the crew were faring. Griff was holding his
own, dodging and slashing, keeping the Hezrou at bay. Caribdis got off arrow shots 
between leaping away from the claws of a vrock. The final vrock had somehow
found Happy, invisible though she was, and was pressing her, gibbering and
rending with wicked claws.  

   Caribdis must have caught wind that Hap was in trouble, for he swiftly turned his
bow from the Hezrou to Hap’s vrock, ignoring his own. He let fly with too many
arrows to follow with the naked eye, and the vrock, already wounded, shrieked and 
fell. This gave Caribdis’ vrock an opportunity and it seized it, slashing at our bard,
but Happy was quick to return the favor, taking a quick step forward and hurling
daggers that caught the vrock three swift times in the throat. It gurgled oily blood 
and tried in vain to free the daggers from its throat with weakening hands. It loosed
only one of them before it died. 

   I swooped around, searching for a target, only to see the Nalfeshnee fall first 
under the fury of Taklinn’s axe. The demon was no match for the holy might
infused in the axe. Its knees buckled and it fell, face first, screaming its defiance
even as it died.  

  Griff had also finally gotten the best of the Hezrou. Now filled with at least a
dozen of Caribdis’ arrows and half as many sword cuts, the demon fell back, doing
its best to defend itself. But Griff pressed on grimly, uppercutting with his Talon, 
shearing through muscle and bone, bringing the Hezrou to its knees and then
running it through the eye with a yard of steel. 

   They were gone. Dead or banished, the demons no longer howled, and all was 
silent except for our labored breathing. 

   At the far end of the hall the double doors yawned open, beckoning. 

   I set down on the stone near where Taklinn and Caribdis were already laying their
hands on the wounded. I stared toward the doors. All beyond was shrouded in
shadow. 

   “So you suppose that’s it?” I asked, referring to the inner temple where we were
supposed to defeat Illugi’s avatar. 

   “If it isn’t I’m not sure I want to know what’s guarding the real thing!” Caribdis 
said, and for once I could not agree with him more. 

   “One way to find out.” Taklinn said as he finished a final healing spell on Griff.
He hefted his axe. “Shall we?” 

   I withdrew the pair of ‘Mordenkainen’s disjunction’ scrolls from my haversack,
wanting to be ready to cast them as soon as possible. I hoped that the ‘disjunction I 
had already cast had hit not only the Nalfeshnee but the walls of the temple as well.
Whatever the case, I wanted those spells near at hand.

   The five of us staggered ourselves in an uneven line and walked slowly toward 
the doors, ready for the final conflict. I quickly cast what protective spells I had left,
but was disheartened to have so few. Still, we could ill afford to bypass this chance
to finish our mission here. The possibility of Illugi further fortifying this temple was 
too great. 

   We stopped in the shadow of the doorway, peering in. Our hunch had been
correct. This was indeed the temple where we had battled demons so long ago for 
Melesandre’s orb. The coal-black statue of Illugi still stood in the chambers center
and a palpable malevolence hung in the very air of the room. 

   Yet, something was different. Something was amiss. The walls that had once 
shrieked and boiled with the trapped souls of the dead now showed only empty,
smooth, blackness. Not a sign was left to suggest that this room once contained
score upon score of tormented souls, harnessed by the evil god for his own designs. 
Indeed, except for the statue of Illugi, the room was empty. 

   Or so we thought. 

   “I assume that was your disjunction, Doorag?” The voice came from the deep 
shadow of the chambers far end, and was strangely familiar in its sibilance. She
stepped from the shadows, scimitar hanging at her waist. 

   Sensesi! 

   “You’ve come a long way, my wizardly friend.” she said, walking toward us,
“And I thought that polymorph you hit me with was inconvenient! You’ve just
managed to strip me of nearly my entire collection of magical items!” 

   “Not another step!” Griff shouted, his sword raised. Indeed, at her appearance a
small armory worth of steel was aimed in her direction. Arrows, daggers, sword and
axe were all pointed her way, not to mention the spell I was making ready.  

   She stopped. “Calm down.” She said. “I’m on your side, though you probably
won’t believe me this time either. For your own sakes though, I hope you at least
hear me out.” 

   “What are you doing here, Sensesi?” I asked, getting straight to the point. 

   “What I do best.” she smiled. “Infiltrating, spying, keeping track of Illugi and his
little game. I had a feeling that you would come and I wanted to be part of it when 
you did.”

   Griff’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

   “Take a look at my world, Dorjan.” She said. “Edik is a wasteland and my people 
are a brainwashed army. I realized it when Melesandre held power here and I
realize it now that Illugi has taken center stage. That and I have an even more
personal fight here. My daughter has been corrupted. I will see her dead before I 
watch her become the next Melesandre.”

   “Scylla?” Happy asked. 

   Sensesi nodded.  

  “Why should we trust you?” I demanded, still ready to cast at the first sign of
deceit. 

   “Well,” she laughed without humor, “I can think of several reasons, but foremost 
among them is that the inner temple you seek, the nexus of Illugi’s power here,
along with the trapped souls, has been moved, and I know where.”

   “And you’re willing to take us there?” Griff asked.  

   “Smart and good looking.” She quipped dryly. 

   “How do we know we can trust you?” I said. 

   Sensesi shrugged. “Take me prisoner, cast truth spells, detect for evil or lies or
whatever you want. You can have my weapons and whatever items might have 
escaped your blasted disjunction. Polymorph me again if you have to, but just leave
me a way to point the direction you need to go. Doorag, I’ve been slithering through 
this temple for years spying on Illugi’s minions. I’ve watched Anvie sink into a
wickedness unworthy of yuan-ti honor, and I’ve had to witness my Scylla let herself
be infected with a lust for power and a depravity the likes of which you’ve never 
seen. How do you know you can trust me? You don’t. You have only my word. But
the fact is, you also have no idea where Illugi’s inner temple is, but I do. So you can
either kill me and take up wandering these halls full time or let me come with you.” 

   Five sets of eyes glanced at each other as we tried to gauge her sincerity. Caribdis
lowered the arrow in his bow and let the string straighten. “She makes a pretty good
point.” He said.  

   “Humph.” Griff muttered, but sheathed his sword. “I said it before and I’ll say it
again. Screw us and I’ll cut you down.”

   “Duly noted.” Sensesi said with a slight nod. 

   “What say you, Doorag?” Taklinn asked, looking at me. 

   I narrowed my eyes at Sensesi, not wanting to trust her in the slightest. But
Caribdis was right. Her points were valid. We could not afford to blindly search this 
temple and hope we found Illugi’s chamber. For all we knew, the chamber was not
even in this building anymore. “Very well,” I sighed, “We have to take a chance on
her. Hap, what do you think?” 

   Happy screwed up her mouth with distaste, the memory of Sensesi’s attempt to
kill her obviously still fresh in her mind. “Whatever,” She spat, “Just remember:
take another poke at me and Griff will be the least of your worries. Got it?” 

   “Got it.” Sensesi said quietly. 

   Taklinn chuckled. “It would seem we are in agreement then. Sensesi, consider
yourself under an uneasy truce. Let us put the past behind us and form an alliance 
against the real enemy. I only hope, for your sake, that you are telling the truth.”

   Sensesi gave us her best serpentine gaze, level, cold, and very hard to read. “You 
will know this much soon, with or without me: the path to the inner temple is
constantly in shift. It changes from hour to hour. I, however, have found a way that
always leads true. Unfortunately it is… problematic.” 

   “How so?” I asked.

   Sensesi was silent for a moment, then said, “The way I know is no more than a
rift in the structure of the temple, a mere rat hole, or… snake, if you will. It is no 
more than inches in diameter.”

   “Humph,” I sniffed, “Leave that to me. For now we need to hole up. We’ve got a
new ally with new information, and we’re already beat up and low on spells. 
Another handful of demons could come around here at any minute.” I headed out of
the deserted temple to find a suitably out of the way anti-chamber. “You’re
welcome to bunk with us, Neekesh.” I said to our nervous guide. The old man had 
crept to within the doorway of the temple and now hunkered in the shadow of the
place, wide eyed with awe and barely constrained terror. 

   “Nay, Master Doorag!” Neekesh whispered hoarsely, “I’ve done found the stairs 
down to the lower levels and the sweet outsides! I’ll be off now if you’re all up with
old Neekesh!”

   The old man was already backing up toward the door, ready to break into a dead 
run in his haste to get out of the temple, and before Happy had even finished asking
him if he’d like us to escort him out, he was off, legs driven by even the suggestion
that his obligations to us were at an end. In a flash, he was gone. 

   “I suppose he’ll be back if he runs into trouble.” Taklinn sighed. 

   “It is a short distance to the outside,” Sensesi said, “And you have already killed
most everything down there already. He will be fine.”  

   “But if we’re on the upper level, won’t he be stopped by the destroyed staircase?”
Caribdis pointed out.  

   Sensesi smiled. “The temple, Caribdis, the temple. You forget, it is alive with
Illugi’s energy. The temple heals itself.”

   I raised an eyebrow at the thought, “Must admit, that’s a pretty fine domicile! 
Speaking of domiciles…” I cast a mansion and opened the door. In we walked,
disappearing into thin air and appearing into a beautifully arched entryway with
gleaming marble floors. We continued our discussions as we stepped into the ankle 
deep carpet of the sitting room, a fire already burning merrily, glasses already being
filled at the bar. Within seconds we had gone from blood-freezing evil to sinking
into luxurious leather chairs. I kicked off my boots and curled my toes into the 
carpet for the sheer delight of it, as I do every time. It never gets old.

   Taklinn took his usual seat by the fire in the overstuffed lounger I always make
sure to provide for him. There was also Happy’s couch that she landed in to lay 
back, feet up, hands behind head, stretching like a cat. 

   And of course, Griff stood at the bar, leaning against it, one hand going to the
drink waiting for him there. Griff would sometimes sit, but he rarely chose the same 
chair twice. I had taken to simply peppering the room with three or four different
seats, from day couches to milking stools, though in general Griff was a hard chair
man. 

   I was acutely aware that this was only Caribdis’ second time in the mansion, and
had yet to find a seat that he liked. He was another stander, though he would rather
pace or stroll around the room as he conversed, ever on stage.  

   Sensesi took a leather chair similar to mine near the fire and crossed her legs
demurely. 

   “So what’s the plan?” Griff got straight to the point, taking a drink from his cup. 
“It sounds like we’ve got a drain pipe to squeeze through. Sounds like your
territory, Doorag.”

   I nodded. “There are a number of options,” I said, “Some of which are even at my 
disposal, though some of them involve form shifting, which I know you’re just
crazy about, Griff.” 

   Griff smirked at me as I continued. “There are alternatives, like the gaseous form 
route, but anything like that is going to be costly in spells to get us all there.” I
thought for a moment. “I may have another way. Sensesi, you’ve been to the inner
temple?” 

   “No,” She admitted, “But I have gotten as far as its antechambers and I am
positive that the temple lies beyond.”

   “Good enough.” I said, “Can you describe the place for me? In detail?” 

   “Of course,” She laughed, “I was spy, remember? My memory is impeccable.”

   I took a sip of woodberry wine. “Well then, we may be able to circumvent the
small passage entirely. I would need you to draw me a detailed map of the area 
we’re going to, but if planar travel is possible here then ‘greater teleport’ should
take us right there for the price of only one spell.”

   “What about the temple and the way it shifts around?” asked Happy, “Will that 
throw off your spell?”

   I frowned. I had not thought of that.
   “It might be okay.” Sensesi said, thoughtfully, “The temple seems to solidify as one 
nears the inner chambers. The room that I can describe to you has remained largely
unchanged in months.”

   “It’s worth a try.” Taklinn said, gesturing with his tankard. “But you might want 
to have a plan B, lad.” He winked at me.

   “True,” I said. Then, I mused to myself and started an odd ball rolling. “If only I
had that blasted spell component!”

   “What component?” Caribdis asked, his interest piqued.  

   “Oh, it’s a circlet. I have to wear it for the ‘shape change’ spell. To be honest, I
hadn’t thought that I would have mastered such a dweomer before we faced Illugi, 
but here I am, the spell learned, in my book, and ready to go, and me without the
focus!”

   “What sort of a circlet is it?” Happy asked, sitting up and crossing her legs under 
her.

   “Jade.” I replied. “About 1500 gold worth of it.

   “And what if you had it?” Hap said, her curiosity always getting the better of her 
when it came to magic. “What could you do if you had that spell?”

   “Oh, I don’t know,” I said, “Morph from an ancient white dragon to a ferret to a
solar to whatever I choose. It would at least enable me to get through the hole, and, 
well, its just a spell that I’ve been wanting to cast for a very long time, and now that
I actually can, I’m flummoxed that a simple piece of jewelry stands between me and
it.” 

   “I’ll get it for you!” Caribdis suddenly said, excitedly. 

   We all looked at him. “What are you talking about, Caribdis” I asked, warily.

   “Simple!” He grinned, “I’ll ‘plane shift’ back to Havilah and get you a circlet! I 
need to go there anyway!”

   I looked at him askance. “Caribdis, you can’t just zap off to Havilah!”

   “Why not?” he asked. 

   “Well, for one thing, a ‘plane shift’ will get you close, but you’ll still more than
likely end up a fair distance from the city, and that’s where you would need to be to
obtain the sort of thing I’m looking for. There are specialty shops that sell precisely 
the thing I need there. The point is, you would only have a matter of hours to
accomplish your task, since time here moves so much faster than it does on
Havilah. For every hour you spend there, some ten fly by here on Edik. We can’t 
afford to stay here longer than a couple of days. That’s hardly time enough for you
to find transport to Havilah, then find the sources I know of, and still accomplish
whatever you need to go to Havilah for, and…” I paused, catching myself. “Say, 
Caribdis, what exactly do you suddenly have to go to Havilah for?”

   Caribdis’ eyes rolled toward the ceiling as if in deep thought. He seemed to
ponder the question for some time before slowly replying, “Something…?” 

   “It’s a bad idea, Caribdis.”

   But he was not ready to let go of the plan. “Wait a minute,” He said, “It could still
work. All I need is a way to teleport to Havilah! I can’t cast it, but I can read it off a 
scroll! You have to have an extra teleport scroll laying around, don’t you?”

   “As a matter of fact I do,” I said, “But what about the return trip?”

   “Another ‘plane shift!’” 

  “You have a key for Edik?” I asked.

   “A what?”

   “A key! The little fork you use to focus on when casting the dweomer! You must 
have a key, tuned to the plane to which you are traveling!”

   “Oh, well, no.” Caribdis admitted. “But I can get one in Havilah!” 

   “It took myself and Yigil nearly a month to craft a key to Edik.” I said, dryly. 

   “Well then! Fantastic!” Caribdis crowed, “You have one, let me borrow it!”

   “And what about when you get back to Edik, miles from us?”

   “Another teleport scroll! I’ll get one in Havilah while I get your circlet! I’ll even 
get you a replacement for the one you give me!” Caribdis grasped at straws,
suddenly desperate to get to Havilah.

   “Caribdis,” I said, “Why wouldn’t I just go myself? I can cast all these spell. I 
have the key, and I know where to go to find the circlet. Why would I send you?”

   “Aw, come on, Doorag!” Caribdis fairly pleaded, “Let me go! I really, really need
to get back to Havilah. I need to see Nivin.”

   “Nivin?” Taklinn broke in, “Whatever for?” 

   Caribdis clammed up. “Its private.” He said, crossing his arms. 

   “Caribdis, it’s just not worth it. Time is too short. Even a few hours in Havilah 
could mean days on Edik. We just don’t have the time.”

   “But it’s a good spell, right? You need it! Look, you’re right, you should be the
one to go. Just take me with you, just for the time it takes you to get the circlet!” 

   “And leave the rest of the crew here?” I asked.

   “They’re in the mansion…”  He began.

   “-Which won’t last forever, and which could potentially be dispelled.” I finished 
for him. “No, Caribdis, it’s too risky.”

   “But!”

   “No, Caribdis!” 

   “If I may interject,” Sensesi’s voice purred between Caribdis and I, “I have many
contacts in the cities underground. Given an afternoon I might be able to find what
you’re looking for.” 

   “I don’t know…” I said.

   “Suit yourself,” She shrugged, “I can guarantee nothing, but I have been able to 
find nearly anything I need in Anvie, even in these troubled times.”

  Happy was suddenly even more interested. “Hey, I could probably help out! Let
me come with you!” 

   “Oh sure!” Caribdis cried, looking incredulous and hurt, “Let them go out into the
dangers of a war torn city crawling with monsters, but heaven forbid if I want to
take a nice, safe, trip to Havilah!” 

   “Oh Caribdis, calm down.” Hap chided, “We’ll just be gone for a few hours. In
and out, no big deal!”

   “I haven’t even said that you could accompany me.” Sensesi said archly.  

   “Try and stop me!” Happy answered, taking Sensesi’s words as a challenge.

   “I work better alone.” The yuan-ti stated flatly.

  “Oh ho!” Hap replied, “Just try and keep up with me!” 

   “This is just unfair!” Caribdis wailed. “How come they get to go and I don’t?”

  Griff was now ready to put in his two coppers as well. “I don’t know if I like the
idea of you traipsing around this city, Happy.” 

   By now everyone was talking at once, including me.

   “I haven’t even said that you should go!” I shouted above the din, “It’s not that
important! Caribdis, you’re not going to Havilah, and Sensesi and Hap, neither of 
you should be wandering around Anvie right now!”

   Despite my words, the argument continued for another twenty minutes, and in the
end only Happy was happy with the outcome. Sensesi was bound and determined to 
seek out the circlet for me, and there would be no dissuading Happy from
accompanying her. Caribdis’ feelings were hurt, but I refused to provide him with
the teleport scroll he needed, or the plane shift key for Edik. Griff frowned and tried 
to talk Hap out of going into the city, but she would hear none of it. 

   Finally I simply washed my hands of the whole thing and retired to my bedroom
where I now sit, contemplating the scope of the personalities I travel with.


----------



## cthulhu42 (Apr 11, 2015)

Rdyr’t 26 

   This has been a busy, yet productive day. We have also managed to tidy up a few
loose ends and even get some real rest. 

  This morning Sensesi and Happy slipped out of the mansion, despite Griff’s
frowns and Caribdis’ pouts. Griff could, of course, keep some track of his wife with
the amulets that bind them together, and he did just that, pacing the mansions dining 
room for the several hours that they the pair were gone, ready to dash out the door
at any moment. 

  In the end, his fears were unfounded, and by late afternoon they had returned,
flush with victory. Happy was positively giddy  and she grinned from ear to ear
when she handed me a very fine circlet of jade that was just what I needed. But 
when I asked her where and how they had gotten such a thing, she would only grin
wider and wink at me while Sensesi just shrugged. I did, however, notice a few
fresh splatters of blood on Happy’s sleeve, and when Sensesi said simply that I 
probably wouldn’t want to know all of the details, I could but sigh and agree. I only
hope that no innocent blood was shed in securing my focus.

   From there I teleported the lot of us to the spot where we had left Major Throst 
and the Havilah soldiers. We were heartened to find them still there, in good health,
apparently unmolested. It took a little doing, but between Taklinn and I we
convinced them, at last, that it was time for them to return home. I had just come 
into understanding the ‘gate’ spell and was able to open a portal back to Havilah for
them. With a salute, they stepped through and I dismissed the ‘gate’ behind them.
We are now truly alone in this place. 

   Finally we used the rest of the day to ‘analyze dweomer’ on several items that we
have been carrying around for some time now in the hopes that some of them may
come in handy against Illugi and his minions.  

   Sensesi and I have been going over the map she has drawn me of the inner temples
antechambers. I have had her describe it to me until I can picture it clearly in my
mind. With any luck we will be able to teleport there tomorrow. If such is the case, 
then I suppose that this could well be my final journal entry, for we may encounter
Illugi, and if I am struck down…

   But no, I will not entertain the notion of defeat. If it happens, so be it, but I won’t 
burden this journal with worrisome lines and pre-emptive goodbyes. We shall
overcome this monster as we have all others!


   Rdyr’t 27

   It has been a bloody week up to this point, but the carnage I have witnessed today
puts the past several days to shame! If not for cleaning spells and the washing
facilities of the mansion I fear most of us would be covered head to toe in gore. 
Today has been an inch by inch crawl through a sea of enemies, and we have left a
trail of bodies to rival a small army, one of which was almost a comrade!

   We awoke early and consumed our ‘heroes feast’ in near silence, quite sure that 
today would be the day that we faced the terrible avatar of Illugi. I had studied the
Sensesi’s map for much of the night and felt confident that my ‘greater teleport’
would take us there, providing she was right in her theory that the temple solidified 
near its inner chambers. 

   When we were properly fed and girded, we left the mansion and stood in a tight
circle, each one of us touching another. Taklinn and I cast spells to aid ourselves 
and our companions, and as a final touch I cast an ‘invisibility’ on each of us.
Sensesi had warned us that resistance would be fierce and was of the opinion that
stealth would be key to our success. I would have liked to agree with her, but with 
Taklinn’s clanking armor and Caribdis’ general pell-mell attitude, I had my doubts
that we would go unnoticed for long.

    I gave each of my friends a last look to make sure they were ready and was 
answered with nods. I took a breath and cast my spell, holding the image of
Sensesi’s map in my mind.

   And then we were there. Our tight circle stood in one corner of a non-descript
room that held four doors, one of which was a double set. With my permanent ‘see 
invisibility’ I could see my comrades standing stalk still, trying to be as quiet as
possible, for even they were immediately aware of the danger that lurked in this 
room.

   The beast that stood guard here was unlike any that I had ever seen before, though
I quickly pinpointed what it was. A Slaad!  

   The creature was utterly alien, huge, and held a bluish tinge. I marveled at such an
atrocity, at the notion that Illugi had such creatures in his service. 

   A long second passed in which none of us moved. I quickly realized that the thing 
should be taken out as swiftly and as silently as possible so as not to alert anything
waiting behind all those doors. There was only one of us that I trusted for a job like
that. I leaned toward Happy and, with barely a breath, whispered in her ear. “He’s 
all yours. Take him now.”

   I saw her face break into a grin and she quickly let go of Griff’s hand and moved
toward the unsuspecting Slaad on cat-like feet, making not a single sound. Griff 
reached for her, unable to see her and worried for his wife, but I grabbed his arm
and held a hand to his chest, bidding him wait. 

   I watched as Hap slid close enough to the Slaad to climb into the things hip 
pocket. I saw the length of steel in her hand as she withdrew a dagger. She paused
for a split second, gauging her aim, and then, with the speed of an asp, she struck,
once, twice, three times, and then a fourth from a second dagger! Hap had used her 
dust of disappearance so as to remain invisible even after attacking, and the Slaad
never saw its killer as her blades bit again and again. She pierced the Slaad in all the
right places, her daggers thrusting upwards to puncture vital organs. The Slaad, 
three times Happy’s size, gasped, open mouthed, tried to call out a warning, but had
not the strength to utter even a whisper. It was dead before its knees even buckled
and it slumped to the floor in a heap. 

   There was no time to congratulate our friend on her fine kill, for the invisibility
spells would not last long, and more monsters could open any of those doors at any
time. 

   “Positions!” I hissed, “By the doors!”

   Taklinn moved to cover the far door while Griff took the middle. Caribdis and
Sensesi stood near the final single door. I stayed where I was, keeping an eye on the 
set of double doors while Hap remained near the dead Slaad, ready with her
daggers, scanning the entire room. 

   I whispered to the crew, “OK, Taklinn, you and Griff…” But that was all I got out 
before Caribdis unplugged the cork and let hell loose.

   With a look of undeniable curiosity, he reached out and pulled the handle to his
door. The words, ‘Caribdis, no!’ never made it past my lips, for he had already 
thrown the door wide. But what he saw in there gave him pause, and he slammed
the door shut just as quickly. I groaned in frustration that was mirrored in Sensesi’s
eyes. Though she could not see Caribdis, it was obvious that she knew that it had to 
have been him. Not wanting to give whatever was in the room time to prepare, she
flung the door back open, the magical scimitar we had given her to replace the one I
had destroyed with my ‘Mordenkainen’s Disjunction’ held at the ready. 

   I had not been able to see what was in the room when Caribdis had opened it, and
I quickly shifted to better my angle, but before I could, whatever was in there
struck. It must have had enough time to cast an invisibility seeing dweomer upon 
itself, for it had no trouble targeting Sensesi. I saw her take a step toward the room
and then stop in her tracks, her face twisted in unbelievable pain as a spell gripped
her. Her body twisted and jerked, seeming to fold in upon itself. She tried to 
scream, but it was as her very throat had shut. Her scimitar clattered to the stone
floor and she slumped next to it, a pitiful pile of arms and legs, far too thin, twisted
at terrible angles. I recognized the results of the ‘implode’ spell. And just like that,
Sensesi was dead. 

   None of the rest of the crew could see what had happened, and they stood there
for a long second, wondering what had happened. I thought fast and acted, drawing 
my back up staff and casting quickly. My ‘wall of  force’ went up only a half inch
from the wall, effectively blocking off two of the three walls, leaving only the one
from which the ‘implode’ spell had come from uncovered. Taklinn had been 
reaching for his own doors handle when he was suddenly blocked by the wall. 

   “Doorag!” he demanded, “What are you doing?”

   “Sensesi is dead!” I called out, no longer bothering with stealth, “Get to the open 
door!”

   Griff was already moving, passing Caribdis and entering to deal with what waited
inside. Taklinn soon understood my words and charged in as well. Hap leapt over 
her dead Slaad and slipped in behind them while Caribdis stepped back and raised
his bow, already letting fly with a steady stream of arrows. 

   I edged around to finally be able to see into the room and confirmed my worst 
fears. It was a Death Slaad, the most dangerous of all Slaad, and it was again
attempting to cast one of its deadly dweomers. But it was surrounded on all sides,
and as terrible as it was, the thing was no match for four determined crew members 
eager to avenge the death of even one such as Sensesi. Griff and Taklinn double
teamed the thing, slamming it with steel while Hap maneuvered into position.
Caribdis’ arrows found their target over and over, and by the time Happy struck 
from behind, the Slaad was nearly dead. She finished the job, and down it went.

   The alarm had been raised. I could see the other two doors banging against my
‘wall of force’ as whatever was behind them attempted to force them open. I 
whistled quickly and the rest of the crew came out to deal with this new danger, all
of them now visible except for Happy.

   Taklinn returned to the far door while Hap and Griff took the middle. Caribdis 
stepped back, bow at the ready. When they were ready, I dismissed the wall.

   The second that Taklinn and Griff could reach their door handles they hauled
them open. I caught a flash of steel gripped in a bluish arm as the Slaad in Taklinn’s 
room lashed out at our dwarf, its sword clanging off of his armor. Taklinn
responded with a flurry of axe blows that sent the Blue Slaad reeling back into the
room. Taklinn pressed his attack, keeping the Slaad off balance and drawing a gout 
of blood, but behind the Blue Slaad stood another Death Slaad, already casting. The
‘implode’ seemed to wash over Taklinn and I saw him shudder, as if fighting the
magic, before throwing it off and bellowing a laugh at the Slaad’s failed spell.  

   Meanwhile, Griff was facing nearly the same challenge, for behind his door there
also lurked a Blue and a Death Slaad. The Blue blocked the doorway, guarding the
Death Slaad, forcing Griff to cut and thrust in an attempt to force the brute back. I 
saw Hap give a short skip, tuck her body into a tight ball, and roll between the
Slaad’s legs to come up on his opposite side. She was still invisible, and fortunately
her invisibility was the result of dust of disappearance, for I could tell that the Death 
Slaad’s had cast ‘see invisibility’ on themselves. Dust of disappearance hides one
from even that powerful dweomer.

   I cast quickly, placing a ‘Bigby’s Crushing Hand’ behind Griff’s Death Slaad and 
began to slam at the thing, hampering it’s attempts to cast spells.

   Caribdis was doing his part, his arrows finding their way around Taklinn to strike
the Slaad’s beyond. Taklinn, twice his size and glowing with divine energy, made 
short work of even the monstrous Blue Slaad and dropped the creature with a final
axe swing that sent a spray of blood splashing from one end of the room to the
other. The Death Slaad, now without its guardian, hissed and cast another deadly 
spell, ‘finger of death’, but again Taklinn merely sneered at the attempt and closed
with the creature. 

   In Griff’s room they were gaining ground. Hap had struck the Blue from behind
several times and Griff finished it off with a mighty cleave. He climbed over the 
body to face the Death Slaad who was busy dodging my Bigby’s hand. In a desperate
attempt to escape, the Death Slaad cast an ‘invisibility’ on itself and winked out of 
view, but I could still see him and I pressed the attack with the Hand, beating again
and again at him. 

   Caribdis rushed into Griff’s room and I saw Hap edge along the wall, looking for 
where the Bigby’s hand was striking in an attempt to figure out where the Death
Slaad had got to. Griff did the same, though he had a fine answer for the Slaad’s
invisibility. Long ago we had come across a pouch of dust of appearance and 
Griff’s had been packing it around for months for just such an occasion. With a
flick of his wrist, he tossed the contents of the pouch into the room and a very
surprised Death Slaad was revealed.  

   The Death Slaad’s, as fearsome as they are, were no match. Taklinn backed his
against the wall and pounded through its defenses until his axe bit deep and split the
Slaad’s skull. In the next room the final Slaad was surrounded by magical fist, 
Happy, Griff and Caribdis. No matter where it turned it faced doom, and in mere
seconds it lay dead, festooned with arrows and blade wounds. 

   Taklinn stepped from his room with a grin, wiping the gore from his axe, but his 
grin quickly faded as I dismissed the ‘invisibility’ from Sensesi’s body. The
implosion had reduced her to half her normal size, and her body was pathetic to
behold.  

   “Can you do anything for her?” I asked Taklinn as Griff, Hap and Caribdis also
exited their room. 

   “Aye,” Taklinn nodded, “I can. We’ve got to her quick enough. Give me a 
minute.” Taklinn knelt next to the twisted husk of Sensesi’s form and began to
pray.

   As magic’s go, the power to bring the dead back to life must rank up with the very
best of dweomers. How can I be but envious of Taklinn, for if I live to be one
thousand, I will never be able to cast such a spell. It is unfortunate that so much of 
arcane magic is devoted to extinguishing life. 

   And so it was that I watched with fascination as power flowed visibly from
Taklinn’s hands and into Sensesi’s mangled body. As divinity coursed through that 
broken shell, it was as if watching a water skin being filled. Her arms and legs
straitened and took shape. Her face and head reformed and her chest heaved with a
gasp of breath as her eyes flickered and opened She looked around, at first, 
disoriented, then a bit sheepishly as memory flooded her face and she realized what
must have happened. I shuddered, wondering if it would one day be me laying there
with the knowledge that I had just been dead and brought back to life. 

   Sensesi got unsteadily to her feet with Taklinn’s help while Hap and Griff made a
quick search of the rooms.

   “How do you feel?” Taklinn asked Sensesi. 

   She stood on her own and tested her muscles. “I’ll be fine.” She said.

   I looked at her uncertainly. “Are you sure? Maybe we should wait another day, or
at least a few hours.” 

   “I said I’d be fine,” She replied, curtly, “Besides, now that we’re this close we
mustn’t turn back or give them any more time to prepare. We must press on.”

   I nodded. I could not but agree with her.  

   “Not much here.” Hap announced as she and Griff came back into the main
chambers. “We must be getting close to the big guy though, ‘cause this place is
lousy with Illugi statues. There’s one in every room.” 

   “I can feel him.” Griff added, thoughtfully, “It stinks of evil here. Its like the devil
farted.”

   “Well then lets go!” Caribdis beamed, heading for the only door left. It was a
large double set, and a path of blood red carpet led from our room and under them.  

   “Caribdis, “I said, “I don’t know how many more times Taklinn can resurrect
someone today. Maybe you want to let Hap do her job?” 

   He stopped short, giving me a pained look. But then his eyes landed on Sensesi
and he relented. “Oh, okay.” He said with a half hearted roll of his eyes.

   Pleased to have the opportunity to show off her skills, Happy set to work on the 
double doors and soon pronounced them clean. Griff shoved them open to reveal a
malevolent antechamber. Three passageways led off into their own separate
darkness, and in each corner of the chamber stood yet another statue of the 
tentacled Illugi. The thick red carpet beckoned us down each hallway, and the air
was thick with the feel and stench of evil. 

   “Say,” pondered Caribdis out loud as we wondered which hallway to take, “What 
about this Scylla character? What are we planning to do with her once we find her?”

   Griff looked at the boy with barely feigned amusement. “I don’t know, Caribdis,”
he said, “Maybe we’ll ask her to share tea and crumpets with us. I’m sure she’ll be 
only too willing to give up her plans for world domination once we explain the error
of her ways to her.”

   “We’ll likely have to kill her.” Taklinn said, a bit more gently.  

   “Do you think that’s really necessary?” Caribdis asked, and I moaned inwardly,
already able to tell that our bard was beginning to get ideas in his head. 

   “She hasn’t left us much choice, Caribdis.” I said. “She’s gone too far. She’s 
willing to bring the wrath of Illugi down upon the heads of who knows how many
thousands of innocents. She’s already conquered Edik, and she won’t rest until
Havilah, at the very least, bends it’s knee to her.” 

   “Yes, but,” Caribdis argued, “It sounds to me like she got kind of a raw deal.”

   Griff looked at Caribdis askance. “Raw deal? What the hell are you talking
about?” 

   “Well, from the way you’ve told the story all she really wanted was to join the
crew. You all rejected her. It sounds to me like you’ve brought all this upon
yourselves.” Caribdis stated this with such irritating simplicity that it was all I could 
do to hold my tongue. Griff, however, was not so politic. 

   “Caribdis, you weren’t there! You have no clue what you’re talking about!”

   “He’s right, lad.” Taklinn interjected, “We gave her every chance. We were 
willing to back her to the Academy, and we were being generous at that. To let her
have a place as a full member of the Broken Blade, especially after all that she’d
done, it just wasn’t going to happen.” 

   “Not while I still drew breath!” I added.

   “That crazy wench nearly killed me!” Griff spat. “She fireballed me right off the
back of Acessiwall! She damn near killed Hap a few times when she missed with 
her spells. She was a bull in a china shop, and no way was she joining this crew!”

   “Why do you care anyway, Caribdis?” Happy asked.

   “Maybe I’ve learned something about the value of life while I was dead.” He said 
with a shrug.

   I laughed sharply. “Save your pity for someone who deserves it. Like maybe
anybody that used to call Anvie home. Caribdis, Scylla never learned the value of 
life while she was with us. She didn’t give two hoots for our lives or the lives of any
innocents that we came across. She always had her own reasons for doing things,
and we never could figure out half of them. She was so twisted she had to screw 
herself into her robe in the morning! She left us to rot in  cave while she ported
back to a nice warm bed! What kind of comrade does such a thing?”

   But Caribdis would not be moved and he clung stubbornly to his misguided 
notion that Scylla was simply misunderstood.

   “All I’m saying,” He said, “Is that maybe there’s some good in her somewhere.
She did fight on your side against the dragon-“ 

   “Nearly killed me in the process.” Griff interrupted with a mutter.

   “-So who knows what would have happened had you let her join the crew?” 
Caribdis went on. 

   “Are you seriously saying that we are the ones to blame for all of this?” I asked.

   “Well, if you look at it in a certain light…”He replied. 

  Taklinn’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe you’d best look at this thing in the light that
shines brightest. Don’t try to lay this at the feet of your friends, lad. It’s a fools
tongue in your head if you do!” 

   Caribdis opened his mouth, I’m sure to obstinately reply with more inanities.
Fortunately he was interrupted. 

   We had been having this conversation while on the move, having chosen a 
hallway at random and followed it. The hall led into a maze of carpeted halls and
small intersection chambers, all adorned with still more statues of the dark god, and
all branching off to other passages. We wandered for many minutes while trying to 
talk some sense into Caribdis, and it was while we did that we passed yet another
intersection. We had stopped as the conversation grew more animated. I believe that
Happy must have heard a noise, for she had slipped down a hallway to investigate, 
with Griff at her heels. The pair found a stout door and Griff pulled it open just as
the Himrock orc on the other side was reaching for the handle on the opposite side.
Behind him stood nine more orcs, and behind them slithered a Maralith! 

  It was at this point that the rest of us became aware of what was going on, and we
just had time to hear Griff ask, in a most nonchalant manner, “Excuse me, do any of
you know the way to Illugi’s temple?” 

   The moment would have been hilarious, had the orc not immediately drawn steel
and tried to run Griff through. Griff nimbly side stepped the sword thrust and took a
step back, drawing his Talon, and the fight was on! 

   Caribdis may have been deep into the most foolhardy conversation he’d ever
initiated with us, but that did nothing to slow his reflexes. In mid-sentence he went
from defending Scylla to a quick song of discord which he planted right in the midst 
of the orcs as they piled into the hallway. Immediately there was chaos as several of
them lost their senses and turned on their allies. 

   Seeing his opportunity, Griff went from a defensive to an offensive posture and 
brought the lead orc down with a swift sword thrust.

   It was a scene of pandemonium. The orcs were bottled up in the hallway, shored
up on one end by Griff and Taklinn, and urged on by the Maralith behind, while a 
third of them hacked away at their own brethren. Crossbow bolts flew from the
crowd and slammed home in the stone walls or in tough orc flesh. Griff, Taklinn
and Happy plied the mass of orcs with steel while I sent a ‘fireball’ over their heads 
to explode in the orc’s midst. Sensesi loaded and fired a crossbow wherever she
found a target, and Caribdis did likewise with his bow, calmly picking off one after
another. 

   The Maralith did not remain idle. She cast one of our most hated spells, ‘unholy
aura’, on several of the orcs, but Caribdis was quick with a ‘dispel magic’ and
stripped the dweomer away from most of them. Taklinn took a step back and 
attempted to ‘banish’ the Maralith, but she resisted his spell. I had the same luck
with my ‘disintegrate’.

   But the demon was fighting a losing battle. Orc after orc fell to steel, either ours 
or their own, and Griff and Taklinn pressed forward, eager to lay their blades on
her. With a look of hate, she disappeared, teleporting away to safety. 

   The rest of the fight was a mop up operation. With the orcs in such disarray it was 
simple work for our fighters to lay them low, and within thirty seconds it was over.
The thick carpet soaked up blood, becoming an even deeper crimson than before. 

  There were a few wounds on our side and Taklinn set to them immediately. As he
laid his hands on Griff, Griff seemed to smell the air and grimaced.  

   “I can sense her trail.” He said. “I think I can follow it to where she came from.”

   It was as good a plan as any, so we stepped over the fallen orc bodies and 
followed Griff as he tracked the Maralith’s scent of evil.

   We hurried down still more carpeted halls, turning this way and that, taking odd
lefts and rights, jogging down long stretches of darkness, until we suddenly turned a 
corned and stopped in our tracks. There, at the end of this fresh hall, we could all
see the tell-tale glow of firelight. 

   Hap held up a hand for silence. “I’ll check it out.” She whispered, gripping her 
dagger and going invisible before Griff had a chance to argue with her. We could
see her light footsteps in the carpet as she crept toward the firelight.

   “I’ll go with her!” Caribdis announced, also turning invisible. 

   “Caribdis, no!” I hissed. But it was too late. He was gone, hot on Hap’s heels.

   The rest of us waited for what seemed like long, tense, minutes before Happy
returned.  

   “It’s an octagonal room,” She reported, “And they’re ready for us. Four orcs,
positioned at the entryway, ready to ambush.”

   “Well then,” I said, “Lets not keep them waiting.” I looked at Taklinn, Griff and 
Sensesi. “Ready?” 

   They nodded, drawing steel and readying themselves for a charge. I could see
Caribdis making his way back to us so I had no worries of catching him in my spell. 
As he rejoined us and opened his mouth to say something, I raised my staff and
hurled a ‘fireball’ down the hall, setting it off in the middle of the room, enveloping
it in magical flames. I heard the howls of pain and grinned to myself even as 
Caribdis moaned.

   “No!” He cried, “I was going to charm them!”

  “Little late for that now,” I said by way of curt reply, and flung a second ‘fireball’ 
over the heads of Taklinn and Griff as they sprinted down the hall. 

   The ‘fireball’ exploded a split second before they made the room, but the orcs
were not through. Two of them, at least, had held their ground, and slammed Griff 
with their swords as he charged in. He shuddered in pain and I head Happy gasp
beside me. She raced forward, diving between Taklinn and Griff, hitting the floor in
a somersault to come up on one of the orcs flanks and drive a dagger home in his 
side. 

   Taklinn and Griff hacked away grimly, beating back the orcs until two of them
went down. A third broke and ran and Taklinn gave chase as Sensesi stepped up to 
take his place and aid Griff against the fourth orc. I slid into the room and trotted
after Taklinn to provide backup should he need it. And a good thing I did!

   The octagonal room fed into a short hall that emptied into a massive, round 
chamber. A twenty foot wide hall exited from its far side, and two more hallways
flanked it. Taklinn had chased his orc into this room and I arrived just in time to see
them reach the center of the chamber. I skidded to a stop, and I’m sure my eyes 
grew as big around as dinner plates, for from the two flanking halls were pouring a
stream of orcs the likes of which I’d never seen. They charged from the halls in
their dozens, screaming their war cries and brandishing axes and swords. At a 
glance I could estimate at least forty of them with still more coming! I swallowed
hard, knowing that we were badly outnumbered and Taklinn was about to be
completely overwhelmed. 

   I glanced over my shoulder. Caribdis was healing Griff even as Sensesi and Hap
took the last orc in the octagonal room down. My mind raced furiously and I prayed
that we might have a chance if we could bottle the orcs up in the hallways. I never 
dreamed that we could take them in the open.

   “Taklinn!” I screamed, “Get out! Run! Come on!”

   But Taklinn wasn’t going anywhere. With a grin flashed at me over his shoulder,
he set his feet and hefted his axe.  

   “Come on then, you sad sacks of pus!” He bellowed over the orcish din, “Come
and have a taste of the power of Clangeden!” And then he began to cast. 

   Himrock orcs, as I have inferred before, are not your average, everyday orc. They
are as well seasoned knights to a shopkeeper. I would not put it past Taklinn to be 
able to take care of two score of regular orcs with nothing but harsh language and a
sharp stick. But these were Himrock’s, and Himrock elite at that. What other kind
of orc but the toughest and most dangerous would be this close to Illugi’s heart? As 
they swarmed into the room and spread out, making for Taklinn, I wondered if we
had not bitten off more than we could chew.

   But Taklinn would no sooner run than use his holy symbol as a toothpick. He 
stood firm, axe raised, and shouted his ‘holy word’!

   The spell boomed from his throat, filling the room and coming down on the heads
of the orcs like Clangeden’s own hammer! I gasped at the effectiveness of the 
powerful spell when I saw how many of them simply stopped in their tracks, wilted,
and died on the spot. He must have slain over twenty of them with that single spell!

   I set my jaw and did a quick mental inventory of my spell repertoire. It was clear 
that we were going to stand our ground so I’d best get involved, and now that I took
stock of my weaponry, I thought I might have a trick or two to give even these
powerful foes pause.  

   “Have a little of this!” I shouted at a knot of Himrock’s coming from the left hall.
It is a rare occasion to have so many enemies conveniently grouped together and I
took full advantage, dropping a ‘horrid wilting’ into them. 

   ‘Horrid wilting’ is a terrible spell to be on the receiving end of and fully fourteen
Himrock’s were suddenly sucked dry of all fluids and died shrieking in agony. Half
again that many felt the spell’s touch and halted their charge, yowling in pain and 
anger. 

   There were still plenty of orcs, upwards of three dozen of them, and Griff
whooped in delight as he charged past me.  

   “Now this is more like it!” He hollered, smashing into an orc and cutting it down
with a clean slash of his blade. 

   Caribdis was not so exuberant as he entered the room to stand near me.  

   “Holy smokes!” He uttered, gaping at the orcish horde before remembering that
he could help. He raised his bow and unleashed a volley into an orc as he voiced a
poem to ‘inspire courage’ in Taklinn and Griff. 

   On his side of the room, the orcs had nearly reached Taklinn, but he was not out
of tricks yet. From the depths of his chest rumbled a second ‘holy word’, and this
one was even more devastating than the first! The power of the spell swept through 
the horde with awe inspiring effect, dropping them like so many flies. In the space
of a heartbeat, over twenty Himrock’s dropped in mid charge, dyeing before their
battle cries had even ceased. 

   Not to be outdone, I used another of my most powerful dweomers on the mass of
orcs on the rooms left side. My ‘mass hold monster’ stopped another fourteen of them
in their tracks to stand as still as statues. The one lone orc that had managed to resist 
my spell suddenly found himself the only voice raised in challenge, and he stopped,
looking about at his still comrades, trying to figure out why they all stood so stock
still. But he soon had other worries, for Griff had targeted him as the only real 
threat on the rooms left side now, and was heading straight for him.

   The huge hall in the middle of the rooms far end was a short one, and ended in a
set of massive double doors. These doors were now flung open to reveal a threat 
even more sinister than the small army of orcs we had so quickly dispatched. It was
the Maralith, the one who had fled from the hall. Only now she was accompanied
by a second Maralith! 

   Griff spied them and veered away from his orc, wanting even bigger prey. He ran
straight for them, but never made it, for one of the demoness threw up a ‘blade 
barrier’ across the entrance to the hall, catching Griff within it’s whirling blades. He
was flung back, grunting in pain as blood splattered from his wounds. He stumbled
back, fumbling in his pouch for the potion flask that Clangeden had given him. 

   On the rooms right side still more orcs were appearing from the passage, though
their numbers were certainly more manageable now. Still, Taklinn must have been
out of house cleaning spells, so he was forced to make do with something more 
oblique. Taking a cue from the Maralith, Taklinn cast a ‘blade barrier’ of his own
which effectively cut the fresh orcs off from the rest of the room. 

   This was quite a gory site, as it turned out, given the fact that so many dead orcs 
were strewn about right in the ‘blade barrier’s’ path. The whirling blades appeared
directly in the midst of a long line of orcish bodies and immediately began to grind
them to bits, flinging blood and bone and limbs in all directions! It was an awful 
site as we were all splattered with gore! Heads, arms, legs, and torsos went flying,
and blood rained down upon us. I dodged an orcish head but still got smacked in the
face by an ownerless boot that still contained a foot. Soon the walls, floor and 
ceiling were splattered and strewn with blood and entrails! Even Taklinn seemed a
bit taken aback at what he had rendered.

   I wiped blood from my eyes and took quick stock of our situation. Two ‘blade 
barrier’s’ whirred in the room, one of them cutting us off from the Maralith’s, and it
made me uneasy wondering what they were getting up to back there. Griff
positioned himself beside the wide hall as he took a swig of his potion and healed 
his wounds. Nearby over a dozen orcs still remained in stasis under the sway of my
‘hold’ spell. I knew that they would not stay immobile forever so I made a tough
decision. I withdrew my staff and cast a ‘wall of fire’, encircling the hapless orcs. 
Within seconds the stench of charred hair and burning flesh began to rise from the
orcs as they slowly cooked. It would be a cruel and painful death for them, made all
the more so by the fact that they would be unable to even scream, but I steeled 
myself against pity, reminding myself that the fate of worlds was a stake. Besides,
we would certainly be able to expect no less were we to fall into their clutches. 

   From behind me I heard the sound of running boots. Caribdis and I spun around to 
see several orcs charging from the octagonal room! I swore under my breath. The
orcs that Taklinn had cut off with his barrier must have doubled back and taken a
hall that put them behind us. They would not catch us flat footed though, for Happy 
and Sensesi were ready for them. As the first orc entered our room he was
immediately brought down by the two of them. I just had time to fling a ‘fireball’
into the hall and scorch the orcs as Caribdis’ arrows found their mark time and 
again. The orcs pulled up short, no longer superior in numbers and unsure of their
dedication to Illugi after all.

   Caribdis ran to Taklinn. Our cleric had not managed to kill so many orcs 
unscathed and had had to slay a few of them the old fashioned way, with axe and
arm. He’d been hit in many places and now staggered, weak with blood loss.
Caribdis laid his hands on Taklinn, healing him as best he could before dashing 
over to join Griff, who seemed to have formulated a plan. 

   Griff invoked the power of his anti-magic vest and tested it against the Maralith’s
‘bladed barrier’. His hunch was right, and a path opened up in the seething mass of 
blades to reveal the two demons lurking in the hall. 

   Taklinn spied the Maralith’s and took the opportunity to attempt to ‘banish’ one
of them, but the vile creature cackled a cruel laugh as she resisted his spell. 

   Then Caribdis was there, beside Griff, raising his bow for a shot at the demons,
but he never got an arrow off. Both of them rushed forward, their swords flashing,
and hit Caribdis hard. Caribdis was standing in Griff’s anti-magic field, and so did 
not even have the benefits of magical protection. He came very close to being
killed, but Griff managed to grab him by the collar and drag him back. 

   The orcs behind us, seeing the Maralith’s, must have decided that the fight could
still be won, for they rallied and charged, though not before I hit them with a second
‘fireball’. Hap killed another one of them as they cleared the door. My magic’s had 
wounded them to the point where they were easy prey for her if she could catch
them unaware. I followed my ‘fireball’ up with a ‘persistent missile’ spell and was
able to take down another with relative ease.  

   Then the Maralith’s were upon us! The pair of them ‘dimension doored’ into the
room, already swinging their swords. But Taklinn and Griff were ready for them,
and immediately closed in with their own steel. Both of our fighters made solid 
contact and even managed to avoid paying the price of the ‘unholy aura’s’ that the
demons had on them. Caribdis finally got to get his shots off and soon Griff’s
Maralith looked like a pin cushion, so festooned with arrows was she.  

  Sensesi and Hap appeared to have the orcs well in hand so I turned and dropped a
‘greater dispel magic’ on Taklinn’s Maralith, getting rid of her cursed ‘unholy
aura’. 

   For long seconds the only sound in the room was the clash of steel and the grunts
of the combatants as they traded blows back and forth. Griff stepped in and round
housed his Maralith with a blow that could have felled a tree. The Maralith 
responded in kind, catching Griff with two devastating blows. Griff staggered and
nearly fell, but with inhuman resolve he stood his ground and swung back,
unloading with everything he had. When his sword finally stopped swinging, the 
Maralith lay dead at his feet.

   Caribdis turned his attention to Taklinn’s Maralith, his arm working like a piston
as he unleashed a solid line of arrows at her. His aim was true and he hit with five 
arrows in a spread no larger than a fist. Taklinn waded in with his axe, cleaving into
demonic flesh. For my part, I hit her with a ‘disintegrate’, and though she was able
to resist its true effect, it still damaged her.  

   The Maralith refused to flee. This was her last stand and she made it a good one,
hacking away again and again at Taklinn. But our dwarf backed down not an inch.
He let her blows rain down on his armor, gritting his teeth against the ones that 
broke through, and responded with his axe. 

   Griff joined Taklinn, adding his sword to the fight. Caribdis pumped another five
arrows into her. By this time the Maralith was beginning to flag, reeling from the 
onslaught. She vainly tried to raise her swords again, but it was not to be. Taklinn
stepped in and brought his axe around in a low, vicious, arc, cutting deep into her
side. With a shriek of pain, rage and defeat, she fell.  

   And then it was over. We looked around, guard up, ready to take on still more of
the enemy, but there were none. Hap and Sensesi had finished off the last of their
orcs, and the ones within my wall of fire were beginning to expire. 

   We rest now in the mansion. We would liked to have pressed on, but it simply
couldn’t be. We are too wounded, too low on spells and resources. But we are very
close. We took two orcish prisoners that we found still alive in the carnage of the 
round room and, under the effects of ‘charm’ spells, they have told us that Illugi’s
temple is only moments from where we are now. There is no doubt in my mind that
tomorrow will see our final confrontation between the Band of the Broken Blade 
and the dark god, Illugi.


   Rdyr’t 28

   There would be little sleep for me last night. In bed, I just tossed and turned,
going over and over again in my mind my battle plan when we again face Scylla. 
The fact that we would also be facing Illugi’s avatar actually didn’t concern me as
much as the prospect of dealing with Scylla again. I was certainly not complacent at 
the prospect of Illugi, but familiarity with Scylla gave me intimate knowledge of
just how dangerous she could be, and I have spent many nights staring at the
ceiling, going over and over again what spells she must have by this time in her 
arsenal, and which spell I have in mine to counter her. 

   I wrote in my journal for many pages, but much of it was just busy work, jotting
down notes for spells and magic items.  

   I took a walk through the mansion and found that I was not the only insomniac.
Griff and Happy were playing tiles in the den, having a drink and talking quietly
with each other.  

   I found Sensesi in the kitchen with Taklinn, discussing religion. 

   And of course, I found Caribdis, fast asleep on a sofa in the hall, smiling in his
slumber as if he had not a care in the world. I suppose being dead for an extended 
period of time, as he was, would allow you to face the prospect again with a certain
verve.

   In the end, I forced myself to meditate for the required amount of time. When I 
was refreshed, I sat down at my desk, already fairly sure of what spells to prepare.
Ambros slept late, still curled in a ball as I was finishing my preparations. 

   “If I die today,” he yawned, “I don’t want to regret not sleeping in.” 

   I smirked at him. “Ambros,” I said, packing away my journal and spell books,
“This journal would be a hundred pages thicker if I’d bothered to note all the hours
you have slept. I doubt anyone will accuse you of going to your final day unrested.” 

   “I should hope not.” He said, stretching and smacking his lips.

   I washed and went to breakfast. Soon, the others straggled in and Taklinn
prepared his ‘hero’s feast’. When we had had our fill and could feel the magical 
nature of the divine meal coursing through us, providing us with its protection, I
pushed my plate away and wiped my mouth.

   “Well,” I said, “Shall we?” 

   “Aye.” Taklinn nodded. “Let’s be done with this.”
   In a few moments we were once again geared up for anything. We stepped from
the opulence of the mansion back into the hellish scene of the large, round, 
chamber. Each step was into a pool of congealing blood, and had we not become so
accustomed to such carnage over our career I’m sure some of us would have lost
our breakfast. We stepped over the seemingly endless orc bodies, charred and 
dismembered. We were eager to leave this room behind us.

  We made our way down the wide hallway toward the large set of double doors
that still stood open and, passing through them, we found ourselves in an 
antechamber with doors on either side. Fully awake now and prepared for danger,
we took our positions, and Caribdis even let Happy check the doors for traps. 

   Behind each of the stout doors we found rooms that could only have been the 
domains of the Maralith’s, for they still reeked of unspeakable evil, and the statues
of Illugi we found were even more malevolent than the many others we’d seen, if
that’s possible. 

   A quick search turned up some interesting finds. In one of the rooms Happy found
a figurine of an elephant that glowed strongly of magic. I had an idea of what it
might be, but it would have to wait for a more opportune time. In the second room 
Hap also found a carefully hidden sack containing several dozen small vials
containing a strange and smoky substance of varying colors. None of the others
knew quite what they could be, but my studies had informed me of such things, and 
I took the sack from Happy, gingerly placing it in a secure pocket of my haversack.
Unless I am mistake, the vials contain souls! Souls are the currency in the demonic
planes, and it stands to reason that these Maralith would have their treasures hidden
here. Those vials were the equivalent of a sack of gold to us, and I could not help 
but be both fascinated and repulsed at the same time. I resolved to give the vials
further study at the first available opportunity. Perhaps there is a way to free them! 

   We found ourselves a bit stuck then, for no visible exits were in these rooms, and
at first glance we appeared to have arrived at a dead end. That is until Hap’s eyes,
ever sharp, noted an irregularity in one of the walls. Upon closer inspection, she 
found a secret door which opened easily.

  The hallway beyond was rounded and curved, and the feeling of an evil presence
was palpable. All of us felt it: we were getting closer.  

   Griff and Taklinn took the lead and we followed them along the hallways bend.
We began to note the floor beginning to slant downwards, slightly at first, then
more sharply as we descended still further into the earth.  

   The hall spiraled downwards. Around and around, and every yard we covered
seemed to pull us further into an evil that made the air thick, until each step was
heavy. We breathed it in. It filled our lungs and we could taste it on our tongues. It 
was an indescribable aura of hate, terror, pain, and cruelty. Griff seemed
particularly sickened by it, though it did nothing to his resolve, and he pressed on
with even greater urgency. 

   Down and down we went, and I wondered if we would find ourselves in the very
bowels of hell itself! Then, the hall began to widen, and the left wall veered sharply
away. It was clear that, should we continue around the bend, we would find 
ourselves in a chamber of some kind.

   We stopped then, for we had no idea if Illugi and Scylla might be waiting around
this very bend. We took no chances, and Taklinn and I used several protection 
spells in preparation while Caribdis whispered a heartening verse. 

   Even over our quiet words Happy was able to hear something from the chamber. 

   “Shhh!” She hissed, holding up a hand, “I hear… stretching.” 

   Griff looked at her quizzically.

   “Bows.” She explained. “I hear bows being drawn back.”

   I’m sure I looked doubtful. Would Scylla leave it to mere archers to defend the 
heart of Illugi’s temple? 

   Griff shrugged, adjusting his grip on his sword. “I’d hate to keep ‘em waiting.”
He said with a wry smirk. He turned on his heel and walked round the bend with the 
rest of us close behind.

   As the room revealed itself to us I could see that it was a massive natural cavern.
It stretched nearly sixty feet to an imposing flight of shallow stairs carved out of the 
rock. At the top of those stairs, beyond a short landing, we could all see the portal, a
glistening, vertical, pool of blackness that shimmered and seemed to cancel out any
light. 

   The ceiling of the room soared above us, nearly a hundred feet, disappearing into
darkness. 

   But our attention was soon galvanized by a pair of ledges set about fifty feet up on 
the walls flanking the great stairs. Standing in a row on each ledge stood five
creatures that I had a very difficult time placing. 

   They were demons, of that there could be no doubt. But I had to search the 
recesses of my mind to find reference to them. They were tall and gangly, and each
had two pairs of arms, and each pair of arms held a horn bow that I’m sure would
have taken three normal men to bend, though these creatures seemed utterly at ease 
with the tension. Each set of arms appeared to use each bow independently, and I
knew that they would have no trouble with their respective aims. All of this added
up to twenty bows pointed at us, and I just had time to leap back behind the wall as 
the air was suddenly thick with black arrows. 

   Taklinn crouched behind his shield and Griff simply withstood the barrage, his
hand digging in his pouch and coming up with a potion bottle. I reached out and
touched him with a “greater heroism” even as he downed it and began to rise into 
the air, pulling himself rapidly along the wall and upwards in an angle that would
end at the ledge on the right. Still more arrows pounded at him as he went, several 
of them hitting the cave wall hard enough to stick in the hard stone.

   Caribdis, meanwhile, used his favorite trick and sent a verse of discord amongst
the demons on the left. Say what you will about the boy, he has a very effective 
attack in that verse, and the next thing I knew one of the demons had been hit by his
own no less than eight times. He staggered as another one of them heaved him off
of the ledge and sent him crashing to the stone floor where he lay quite still. 

   And then Scylla appeared.

   She came from thin air and stood amongst the demons on the right ledge, her 
purple robes swirling about like her own personal storm. She glared down at us
from her perch and raised her hands, weaving magic from the air.

   I leapt back into the tunnel, bringing my own hands up in a desperate attempt to 
cast. But I hesitated. Something told me to hold off, to wait. An instinct welled up
deep within me, an almost certain knowledge that the Scylla we saw here was not
real. She was trying to draw us out, get us to use our resources. I sat tight, watching 
her intently, straining to see through the illusion and hoping I was right.

   Taklinn sprinted into the room, one eye on Scylla and the other on the south
ledge, still full of demons that sent a merciless rain of arrows down upon him. He 
let them bounce off of his armor as he gave them a little something to think about in
the form of a ‘blade barrier’ that covered the length of the ledge. It whirred to life,
catching one of the demons in its grinder-like blades and spraying a fountain of 
blood and body parts (especially arms) across the room. The surviving demons
hurriedly blinked away, probably ‘dimension dooring’. 

   Griff had attained the opposite ledge and closed with the first in the line of 
demons that stood there. They may have been archers without peer, but they were
within Griff’s range now, and he made them pay for it. His first thrust took a demon
through the breast. Griff hurled him from his blade and the beast hit the floor many 
feet below with a wet smack. 

   Griff was now face to face with Scylla! I watched, eyes narrowed, as she lifted
her arms to cast. I knew it was now or never, and I began a spell of my own, still 
desperately attempting to see her for what I was so sure she was: an illusion. But if I
was wrong, and allowed her to cast against Griff, the consequences could be terrible
indeed.  

   The last word of my spell lay on my tongue, ready to be spoken, when, at last, I
saw it! The wall behind her. My vision suddenly broke through her spell, and I
looked right through her! 

   “She’s not real!” I cried, flush with my small victory, “Scylla’s not real! It’s an
illusion!”

   I continued calling that warning even as I flew into the room to deal with the 
unpleasantness happening on the floor.

   The arrow demons, it seems, were not through being a threat, even in death, for
from the two twisted bodies that lay beneath the ledges, had crawled some small 
abomination! The awful, blob-like creatures tore their way from the carcasses of the
demons and made as if to crawl across the floor, still seeking to attack us. I dropped
two or three fireballs upon them, which was enough to finally kill them for good. 

   Griff heard my words and pulled up short as he readied a swing at Scylla. He
stared hard at her, then shrugged and plunged his blade through her breast. The
illusion shattered, and the spell was broken. Scylla dissipated into magical energy 
once more. 

   Griff carried on, colliding with another demon, hacking it apart and sending it to
the floor to be finished off by myself and Happy, who found good use for her
‘scorching ray’ wand by frying the gross offspring of the demons body. 

   The demons on Griff’s ledge disappeared, winking out, only to show up again at
the top of the wide stairs that led up to the massive portal. They hissed at us, raising 
their bows for a final volley. Caribdis sent another song of discord in amongst them,
and with shrieks of rage, they turned and leapt through the portal, letting themselves
be swallowed up in the inky blackness, but not before Taklinn could slam one of 
them with his axes, killing it outright. 

   We were alone in the cavern. 

   “Ha, I knew it!” I exclaimed. “I knew that succubus wouldn’t show herself just 
like that. Not with only a troop of lousy arrow demons to back her up.”

   “Good call.” Said Griff, settling to the cavern floor. “She had me fooled good. I
thought sure she was gonna hit me with some god-awful spell.” He shuddered at the 
thought.

   “She must be beyond the portal,” Sensesi said, looking thoughtfully at the
obsidian-black expanse that towered over her like a giant mirror made of shadow.  

   “Wouldn’t surprise me,” I said, joining her to stand before the portal, “The heck
with it, I’m getting ready.” With that, I began casting my protective spells. 

   Caribdis cleared his throat, suddenly serious as he addressed us. “Listen,” he said, 
his voice grave, “I just want to say it again: We die here, and we’re utterly dead.
There’s no coming back. I also want to ask a favor. If we can, if it’s possible, I want
the chance to capture Scylla. Please.”  

   I could see the sincerity in his eyes. Why he would take a personal interest in
Scylla was beyond me, and I was in no mood to try to figure it out. 

   “Caribdis, if Scylla gives up, then I will gladly accept her surrender.” That was all 
I had to say on the matter. My decision had been made a long time ago. If she 
didn't give up then one of us would die today, either myself or Scylla. 

   We cast, piling on the spells, instinctively knowing that our quarry was not far, 
perhaps only beyond the veil of the portal. 

   Each of us looked at one another. 
   “It’s been a good ride.” I said, solemnly, “Drinks are on me when we get back to 
Havilah.”

   Taklinn nodded. “Aye. Should the chance to say it not come again, I’ll say it now:
You are all like family to me. That is the greatest honor I can bestow. It has been a 
true pleasure.” The big dwarf grinned then. “Now lets be done with this!”

   We stood shoulder to shoulder. Happy and Griff joined hands. The six of us
stepped into the portal. 

   ***

   I thought I had felt evil. I thought I knew what it felt like to feel my head swim
with it. I thought I knew what it was for my soul to be in jeopardy. 

   I knew nothing.

   The instant my flesh touched the portal I was drawn into the abyss. I felt despair
so deep that I wept with utter hopelessness. Abject terror nearly stopped my heart, 
and mindless rage gnawed at my bones. My body and mind were racked with a pain
so severe that I thought I must certainly go mad. I saw none of my companions.
Even Ambros was lost to me. I fell though the eternity of my own private hell for 
what seemed a very long time.

   And then, there arose within me a spark, a flame, a burst of divine energy so
brilliant that it seemed to blind me from the inside. With the speed of thought it 
coursed through my body, filling my limbs and clearing my mind. It exploded from
me, driving back the darkness, suffusing me in a state of joy, the purity of which I
had never known.  

   It was not a voice that calmed me, but rather a feeling, an unquestionable certainty
that what I was experiencing was the hand of divinity. The gods, whoever they may
have been, were intervening on our behalf. It would be providence that guided us
through this final test. 

   Suddenly, all was gone. All the evil, all the good, and I stood in a massive
chamber, staring at my goal.  

   Beside me I could see my friends. All of them had survived the crossing, though I
had a deep feeling that all of them had undergone the same journey. A certain
brightness still clung to them. 

   The chamber spread out before us, positively crackling with Illugi’s energy. At
the rooms center was laid an intricate magical circle, a pentagram. From each of its
points, spread throughout the room, were poles, long stakes with sharpened ends, 
planted into the floor. Upon each pole was impaled the tortured figure of a being, as
much dead as alive. Energy arced from one body to the next, lighting up the room
with eerie pulses. In that weird light I could make out the twisting shapes that made 
up the very walls of the chamber. Much as it had been in Illugi’s temple so long
ago, the walls of this room were alive with the tormented souls of those Illugi had
trapped. They wailed and moaned; I could see their outlines, as if only a sheet 
separated them from me. 

   In the center of the room, surrounded by the pentagram, stood the biggest statue
of Illugi we had yet seen. It was blacker than any black had a right to be. Flanking it 
were two demons that I could not identify. They were bloated and covered in
oozing sores. Their massive arms hung from hunched shoulders, and their taloned
hands drug on the ground.  

   Between the statue and us stood another line of defense in the form of twelve
himrock orcs bristling with weapons. They were the very finest of Illugi’s orc army,
and they stood ready to protect their lord. 

   But all of that was merely a diversion to what really drew my eye. At the far end
of the room rose a stage some fifteen feet above the floor. Two staircases, one at
either end, ascended to the stage. And at its center glowed a rainbow hued sphere. It 
was a ‘prismatic sphere’, and I knew as well as I knew my own name that Scylla
was in there. 

   They were ready for us. I had only an instant to take stock of the situation and get
my bearings before the himrocks were moving in with drawn blades, and the
demons were casting.  

   Taklinn and I were both hit with targeted ‘dispel magic’s’ flung at us by the
demons flanking Illugi’s statue. Fortunately for me I had cast a ‘spell turning’ on
myself before stepping through the portal, along with ‘stone skin’ and ‘protection 
from energy’. The dispel bounced harmlessly from me and saturated its caster.
Taklinn was not so lucky, and I heard him curse as several dweomers were
stripped away from him. 

   Griff stood in front of me in a protective stance, sword held easily in his right
hand, letting the himrocks close the distance, though the orcs were the last of my
worries. I watched as the fight began to unfold. Sensesi took three quick bounds 
forward and met a himrock full force, her sword a blur as it crashed through armor
and flesh. 

   I took to the air, raising up to get above the weapons below and to get a better 
view of the stage. I saw a burst of conjuration magic emanate from the sphere
before I was able to bring a spell to bear. 

   It was no time for cat and mouse games. I unloaded the first of the two 
‘Mordenkainen’s disjunction’s’ I’d prepared, encompassing the stage, the prismatic
sphere, the back wall and several of the impaling stakes. The result was most
satisfying. 

   The temple wall within the area of the disjunction appeared to heave and writhe
and finally melt away as the magic harnessing the souls contained therein was
quashed. The bodies impaled on sharpened stakes swelled and burst with sickening
pops, and the lines of magical energy snapped, whipping wildly as their anchors 
were destroyed. The prismatic sphere was dispelled as well, winking out. But its
disappearance revealed nothing. I saw no Scylla suddenly revealed and I cursed, 
looking wildly about for her. 

   Below me I kept an eye on Taklinn as he stepped up to the front lines to lend
Sensesi his aid. Between his axe and her sword they brought down a pair of the 
himrocks even as more orcs stepped in to take their fallen comrades places. Several
of them fired heavy crossbows at me, but my stone skin repelled the bolts. 

   Below and to my right, Caribdis loosed arrows at an orc while sending a song of 
discord their way. Only one of them was affected, but, as always, it was gratifying
to watch him turn against his own without warning. 

   Happy had gone invisible. I was able to see her as she maneuvered beneath an 
unsuspecting orcs guard and stabbed him with lightning quick thrusts. 

   The two demons stepped up their offense, blinking from existence, only to
teleport to within a few yards of us. Brutal magic emanated from them and all of us 
were filled with a sense of loss and despair. For a second I felt like just giving up,
but my rational mind saw it for the cheap trick it was and resisted, forcing the
hopelessness away. Fortunately the rest of my crew was just as strong willed, and 
none of us were overcome by the aura. 

   Now that they were close enough, Griff waded into them, Talon at the ready. He
took a brutal hit before he was able to swing, but once he did the sound of his steel 
biting into demonic flesh resounded throughout the room. He hacked into the beast,
forcing it back several steps, and finally knocking it from its feet to sprawl across
the floor, desperately trying to defend itself against Griff’s fury. 

   I was still in the air, holding my spells, looking for Scylla. 

   I saw her! The sorceress stepped out from behind the statue of Illugi, a spell at the
ready. Before I could hit her with a casting of my own, she let her spell fly. I felt the 
terrible magic grip me and I took the full brunt of a spell the likes of which none of
my studies had prepared me for. I felt my blood boil and I was racked with agony
for long seconds before it seemed that my blood burst from every pore in my body, 
twisting me with pain. The blood that shot from me formed a wispy, but strong
web, anchoring to the ceiling and holding me fast within its net, much like a ‘web’
spell, only far stronger and far more gory. I struggled and fought to get an arm free, 
desperately trying to extricate myself. I was badly injured and had no spell readily
available for such a situation. I cursed, knowing I was a sitting duck. But I had a
trick still up my sleeve. I was just able to reach two fingers into my scroll pouch 
and, after tearing my arm free of the bloody webbing, I flipped it open, and was
able to read the ‘greater teleport’. In a flash, I was out of the webbing and had
repositioned myself across the room, looking down on the battle once again. I saw 
Scylla below me, her back now to me. She was franticly trying to find me. My eyes
narrowed and I used a spell that I had prepared specifically for her. It was a
quickened ‘dimensional anchor’, and it struck her squarely. She hissed in rage, 
wheeling to face me as she realized what I had done. My spell would severely limit
her mobility, and I knew that was the first important step in her defeat.

   Scylla raised her hands to cast at me but I was not her only problem. Caribdis had 
spotted her and he crossed the distance at a dead run, casting on the way. He
grabbed her shoulder just as he completed an ‘Otto’s irresistible dance’ spell. She
must have retained some sort of spell resistance, however, despite having been hit 
with my disjunction, for Caribdis’ spell had no effect on her. She slapped his hand
away and leapt back, turning her own magic on our bard.

  We were by no means the only ones locked in combat. Below me the battle raged 
fiercely. Sensesi and Happy were thinning out the orcish ranks slowly but surely.
Hap was particularly effective, still invisible to the himrocks eyes. She danced and
tumbled among them, flinging daggers, stabbing, finding vital organs, and dropping
them one after another. Several yards from her, Griff was still locked in a deadly 
battle with one of the demons. He’d been hit hard, and two orcs had joined the fight,
making the odds three to one. Hap rolled clear of a clutch of orcs and fired off a 
volley of daggers that struck one of Griff’s orcs in a neat line of steel that ran from
the base of his neck to the bottom of his spine. The orc pitched over dead. Hap sent
another set of daggers at Griff’s second orc, wounding the brute badly.  

   Taklinn joined with Sensesi and the pair fought back to back. He brought his axe
around again and again, bringing it away bloody every time. Himrocks fell about
them and began to pile up as he sang a dwarven battle song loud enough that 
Clangeden must surely have heard it. I watched Taklinn closely, for he was the
lynch pin in a plan that I had formulated to defeat Scylla many weeks ago.

   Not far away Griff had finally gotten the upper hand against the demon. He 
ducked a brutal swing, leapt out of the way of another, then came in low and fast,
driving the point of his blade up into the sternum of the unholy beast, pushing with
all his might, driving it to the hilt. A great gout of blood poured from the demon, 
and with a scream of rage and terror at having failed, it died even as Griff used a
foot to kick the creature free of his sword. Griff turned momentum into a swing that
caught the orc that still harried him under the chin. The Himrock’s head tumbled 
end over end, bouncing across the blood slick floor.

   All of this happened in the space of mere seconds. When I turned my eyes back
toward Scylla and Caribdis, I saw her finish her casting. It was another spell that I 
did not recognize. Illugi must certainly have made available to her some truly
unholy and unique spells. I saw Caribdis wince as the spell hit him, but somehow it
seemed to bounce off of him and return to Scylla. I believe his armor must have 
some spell turning properties, though he has never given me more than a wry smile
when I’ve asked him about it. 

   Scylla gnashed her teeth as she was hit by her own spell, but her own resistance 
fended it off. With hate in her eyes, she began to cast again.

   Then the moment I’d been waiting for arrived. I saw Taklinn tear his axe free of
an orc he’d just killed. Our dwarf looked around for another target, and I resolved to 
give him one.

   For a long time I have been turning over strategies in my head. Plans that would
best be used against a foe such as Scylla. This morning, when I’d prepared my 
spells, I had just this situation in mind, and with no hesitation, I cast. 

   My first spell was ‘weaken resistance’. The thin, gray, beam hit her just behind
the ear, and while it did no damage, it stripped away the many layers of protective 
spell resistance that I knew still clung to her. In an instant she was laid bare, and I
knew that she was finished.

   My second spell was a quickened ‘scorching ray’. I knew it wouldn’t kill her, but 
it was key to the plan. All three rays of fire slammed into her, leaving scorch marks
and causing her to whirl and face me. She snarled, raising a finger to point at me. I
am positive that the spell that would have come from that finger may very well have 
been the end of me. But I also knew she would never have the chance to cast it. I
smiled at her.

   “Taklinn! NOW!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. 

   Taklinn turned, his eyes taking in the situation. He saw Scylla, saw that she was
injured, saw that she was open. Our eyes met, and without words, he knew exactly
what I meant for him to do. He took three quick steps toward Scylla and called her 
name.

   “Scylla!” he bellowed, “DIE!”

   It was the single verbal component of one of his most powerful spells, ‘power 
word kill’. 

   Ordinarily she would have been unaffected by the dweomer, but my ‘scorching
ray’ had brought her within striking distance of it. She glanced at Taklinn, then her
eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she realized, too late, the trap she’d fallen 
into. She heard the word, terror swept across her face, she opened her mouth and I
could see her lips trying to form a defiant, “No!” 

   But no sound escaped her throat as Taklinn’s spell gripped her heart, stopping it
in mid-beat. She staggered, fell to her knees, tried one last time to bring her hands
together in a casting, but her fingers went numb. Time seemed to stand still as her 
mouth fell slack, and she fell backwards, slumping onto the floor, staring at the
heavens she had abandoned with lifeless eyes. Scylla was dead.

   I had little time to congratulate myself, for the fight was far from over. Even as 
Scylla died, the remaining orcs and demon renewed their attacks with fresh fury. An
orc leapt at Sensesi, hacking into her with a broad axe. Our yuan-ti ally was looking
quite the worse for wear, for she bled now from a dozen wounds. She reeled under 
the blow, bringing her sword up, desperately parrying another swing. 

   Another orc closed with Griff, hammering at our warrior and making solid contact
twice. Griff returned with a solid slash of the Talon, and Happy punctuated that 
with a handful of daggers that killed the orc outright. 

   Caribdis tore his eyes from the fallen body of Scylla, and I could see deep regret
there. Still, to his credit, he did not let his remorse get in the way of what had to be 
done. With uncanny accuracy he let fly two arrows at Sensesi’s orc, striking first in
the right eye, then in the left. With twin arrows lodged in its brain, the himrock died
instantly. 

   The remaining demon launched itself into the fray, bounding across the floor to
slam into both Taklinn and Sensesi. Sensesi managed to throw herself out of the
way, but Taklinn bore the full brunt of the hit. The demons claw pierced our cleric’s 
protective steel and came away covered in blood. Taklinn stumbled back a step,
grievously wounded, and raised his axe. 

  Then Griff was there. Screaming a challenge, the big warrior sprinted the distance 
and smashed into the demon with everything he had, hacking through hide and
bone. The demon shrieked and turned to face Griff in a rage. Griff hit it again, this
time with enough force to knock the demon to the floor. Howling in anger, it leapt 
to its feet, but not before I flew in low and struck it twice, first with a maximized,
empowered, ‘scorching ray’, and then with a quickened ‘scorching ray’. All six
gouts of flame hit the demon, sending acrid smoke boiling from its matted fur.  

   The few orcs that were left were determined to fight to the very end, and they
closed in around Taklinn and Griff and the demon. Taklinn backhanded one of them
with a massive axe blow, sending its head flying. His axe never slowed as it 
continued its arc, slamming into a second orc. But that second orc refused to die,
and cut Taklinn across the shoulder with a wicked sword strike. 

   Caribdis raised his bow to help, but two more orcs had spotted him. They charged 
and Caribdis grunted in pain as both of them hit home, piercing his armor and
drawing copious amounts of blood. Caribdis, like myself, is far from used to being
injured, but he gritted his teeth against the pain and ignored his attackers. He leapt 
back, briefly getting out of their range just long enough to loose a half-dozen
arrows. Four of them struck the demon just as it was getting to its feet. They
thudded into its forehead in a grouping no bigger than my fist. The demon’s eyes 
crossed stupidly for a second, trying to focus on the shafts that had grown so
suddenly from its face, then it fell like an oak, dead before it hit the ground. A fifth
arrow took Taklinn’s orc neatly in the heart, slipping through a narrow gash it its 
breast plate. Like the demon, the orc died instantly.

   By now the fight was ours. Taklinn and Happy, and even a very wounded Sensesi
waded into the final pair of orcs on their side of the room. The himrocks fell like 
ripe wheat.

   Griff raced across the floor to Caribdis’ aid. Our bard was dancing franticly,
ducking and twisting to avoid sword thrusts. Griff rammed the first orc from
behind, severing its spine with a well aimed slash. Griff turned on the last living 
orc, opening up a long wound down its side. The orc spun to face Griff, but in doing
so he left himself wide open for Caribdis. Our young bard calmly put an arrow in 
the back of the orcs skull from point blank range. The orc was dead before it had a
chance to attack Griff.

   They were all dead. The himrocks, the demons, Scylla, all of them lay at our feet, 
and the only sound in the chamber was our own labored breathing and the crackling
of energy that flailed from broken connections between the impaled bodies. I landed
near Scylla’s body, looking at her still form. I felt quiet satisfaction in the victory. 

   But we were not finished. All six of us turned to regard the massive statue of
Illugi that dominated the room. It seemed to pulse with a dark evil, as if it wanted to
come to life and strike those who had defiled its temple and slain its worshipers. I 
knew that it would soon be granted that opportunity, for all that remained to be
done was a second casting of ‘Mordenkainen’s disjunction’ for Illugi’s avatar to be
set free.  

   Griff wiped sweat and blood from his eyes and flung it away without a thought.
“Damn.” Was all he said. The big warrior limped over to Happy who flung her arms 
around him gingerly. 

   “You’re hurt.” She said, reaching up to smooth Griff’s long hair from his face.

   “What else is new?” He gave Hap his wry grin and bent to kiss her on the head.  

   “I can help with that.” Taklinn announced, walking toward Scylla’s body where
we had all begun to gather. 

   “Good thing,” I observed, glancing at the statue, “That was just round one. We 
still have another to go.”

   When we were all within range Taklinn cast a ‘mass heal’. I never tire of seeing
wounds that would normally take weeks or months to mend be healed within a few 
seconds by clerical magic. Soon we were back in top shape, at least physically. 

   Caribdis stood over Scylla’s limp body, a sad look on his face. She looked terribly
small and frail, laying there on the bloody floor, her eyes still wide and empty. 
Caribdis said nothing as I unfolded my portable hole and rolled Scylla’s body
inside. I was unwilling to leave it behind.

   I folded the hole and tucked it away in a pouch. I turned to stand with the rest of 
my comrades and stare up at the baleful statue of Illugi.

   “It’s pretty big.” Caribdis said, thoughtfully.

   Taklinn nodded. “That it is, lad. That it is.” 

   Griff snorted and stretched his shoulders. He wiped the blood from the Talon with
a rag. “It ain’t that big. Let’s get on with it! Doorag, do what you gotta do.”

   I sighed, knowing that Griff was right. Best to take it on now while our blood was 
up.

   We took our positions. Caribdis stood at the foot of the stage, his bow at the
ready. Hap went invisible again, though she must surely have known that it would 
do nothing to hide her from the gaze of an avatar. Still, it probably made her more
comfortable. Griff and Taklinn took flanking positions. Taklinn used several spells
to strengthen himself, and he was soon twice his size and glowing with divine 
energy. Sensesi stood near Taklinn, her sword at the ready, a determined look on
her face. As for me, I flew up as far as I could to a corner of the rooms ceiling,
wanting as much distance as I could between me and the tentacled horror.  
   “Everyone ready?” I asked. I was answered with five nods. I took a deep breath,
picked out a spot at the far end of the chamber where none of my friends would be
within the area of the spell, and cast my second ‘disjunction’. 

   As before, the wall of the room seemed to bulge and distend. The souls trapped
behind that horrid membrane shrieked with new found anguish. Power lines between
impaled bodies snapped as their supports exploded. They fizzled angrily before
glutting out. Then the wall began to shimmer and fade, melting out of existence to 
reveal bare rock. Only this time the effect spread, drifting left and right and
upwards to slowly encompass the entire room and still the cries of those tortured 
souls forever. All of the impaled bodies swelled and burst, and every single magical
cable disappeared into mist. 

   All was silent for several long seconds. Our eyes were glued to the statue, waiting 
for some sign of life. 
   It moved.

   That one, exploratory stretch of a tentacle was all it took. We were on it with 
everything we had. 

   I went for damage, firing off a ‘polar ray’. My jaw dropped in disbelief as I
missed. I looked at my offending finger, astounded that I could fail to hit something 
that big!

   Taklinn had been standing about fifteen feet from the beast, wanting to get a good
run at it. He charged, his familiar dwarven war howl erupting from his throat. His 
axe came down as he collided with the tree trunk-like body, sinking his steel past its
thick, fibrous hide, and he was rewarded by a gout of thick, black blood that stained
his arms to the shoulders.  

   The avatar seemed to flinch, and spun as if on an axis. Though it had no eyes to
speak of, it was plain to see that its attention was now firmly on Taklinn.

   It moved with an unearthly speed, whipping at least a dozen tentacles toward 
Taklinn. They smashed into him with incredible force. His shield bent and his
armor was crushed. Taklinn flew backwards, driven off his feet. I shuddered as I
saw that his left arm was bent at an un natural angle, and his face contorted in pain. 
His jaw was dislocated, and I saw him clinging stubbornly to consciousness as he
groped for his axe and tried to get to his feet. He was obviously terribly wounded.
The avatar would have killed ten lesser men with such a furious attack. 

   Then Griff and Happy were there, working in tandem. Hap hurled a handful of
daggers, and one of them even bit home. Griff chose his target, seeking some kind
of soft spot. He hacked again and again, finally driving his sword through layers of 
muscle and hide to unleash a second torrent of ichors.

   Sensesi was not far behind. She came in under a flailing tentacle and slashed a
deep wound across the monsters trunk.  

   Wanting to take some of the heat off of Taklinn, knowing he couldn’t take
another hit like that, I summoned the most powerful creature I could, an elder earth
elemental. The stony creature appeared from thin air between Taklinn and the 
avatar, already swinging its bolder-like fists. But even such a behemoth could do
little more than annoy the avatar, for its blows seemed to harm it not at all.

   Below me, seeing that her daggers were doing next to nothing to the beast, Happy 
changed tactics, pulling her wand of ‘scorching ray’ and letting fly with a trio of
fiery beams at the thing. They struck it and sizzled against slime covered flesh. 

   Taklinn had staggered to his feet by now, his axe cradled loosely in his mangled 
arm. With his free hand he gave a hard yank on his beard, popping his jaw back into
place. One of the avatars tentacles snaked around the earth elemental and tried to hit
Taklinn again, and he ducked, stumbling in pain, grimacing at the effort it took just 
to stay on his feet. With his mouth working again, he uttered the words to a spell,
and just like that, he seemed to melt into the very floor! Where is he going, I
wondered, distressed at his disappearance. But I had no time to dwell on it. With 
Taklinn seemingly out of the fight, the odds had fallen even further against us. 

  The avatar had been gashed and burnt and pierced with arrows, but it still
appeared to be going strong. It swiveled with frightening speed and filled the air 
with deadly tentacles. Two of them snapped at Griff and sent him flying backwards
to land heavily on the stone floor. Another slammed into my elemental, chipping off
fragments of rock. Three tentacles lashed at Sensesi, catching her off balance and
wrapping around her waist, pinning her arms to her side. The avatar lifted her easily 
into the air and tightened its grip on our yuan-ti ally. I heard her try to scream in
pain only to have it come out as a whispered gasp. The tentacles dripped with a foul 
looking secretion, and as it came into contact with Sensesi’s flesh she began to
shudder and foam at the mouth. Her sword slipped from her grasp and clattered to
the floor as she went limp. No longer a threat, the avatar flung her away, tossing her 
the length of the room as easily as a child throwing a twig.

   We were now down to five, including the elemental.

   Griff struggled to his feet, holding his side as his cracked ribs caused him great 
pain. With a sneer, he squared himself and lowered his head. He brought the Talon
up to shoulder height, and with the sound of a raging bear, he charged. The avatar
spun to face him, but too late. Griff smashed into the things side with the force of a 
bull, slamming his sword with all his might, slicing through hide and laying a three
foot long section of the avatar open like a jagged mouth. I stopped in mid-cast,
staring in awe as Illugi’s avatar reeled from the power of Griff’s blow. It seemed to 
attempt to scuttle back, but got tangled in its own root-like appendages and fell to
the floor with a wet thud! I couldn’t believe it. Griff had actually knocked the thing
down! 

   It was far from dead though, and we took advantage of it’s being knocked down
as best we could while it struggled to raise it’s bulk up again. Hap fired off another
volley of ‘scorching rays’, but they fizzled upon contact. I knew that it must have 
tremendous protective magic’s on it, so I did my best to strip them away, casting a
‘greater dispel’ that, unfortunately, appeared to do little good. My elemental kicked
the avatar a solid blow as it finally rose to a standing position. 

   The avatar was in a rage. A high, piercing, wail rose from somewhere in its gullet,
and everywhere we looked there were tentacles lashing out at us.

   Taklinn, where are you? I said to myself. 

   Caribdis had been doing his best to help with his verse, inspiring us all while
unleashing a non-stop barrage of arrows. Nearly a dozen of his shafts protruded
from the beast at odd angles, and it seemed he finally got its attention, for a tentacle 
whipped toward him, hitting him in the chest with the force of a battering ram and
slamming him against the wall. 

   A tentacle pounded into the elemental, breaking off still more rock from its stony 
body. 

   Two tentacles snaked toward Griff. He dodged and danced away from them, but
they were too quick, and before he knew it, they had both wrapped themselves 
around his body, coiling about him and squeezing until he writhed in agony. I could
see him shaking his head, fighting the poison as it passed through his skin. Unable
to bring his sword to bare, Griff dropped it and pulled free a dagger with which he 
vainly stabbed and cut at a tentacle. 

   This was bad. The thing was wounded, but with Griff bound up by the avatar,
Sensesi down, and Taklinn nowhere to be found, all of our heavy hitters were gone. 
For the first time I began to wonder if we were doomed to fail. 

   I had no time to ponder such matters though, for even as far from the avatar as I
was, I was not safe from those tentacles. One of them flashed toward me. I saw it 
coming from the corner of my eye too late, and was hit across the shoulder. The
blow sent me flying into the ceiling and pain coursed through my body.

   Seeing her husband being rapidly constricted to death, Happy went at the thing 
with renewed fury. “Let him go, you ugly piece of…” Her ‘scorching ray’s’
pounded the avatar again, this time breaking through its resistance and burning
deeply.  

   Caribdis tried a ‘shout’ spell, but only succeeded in wounding Griff even further.
The avatar seemed to notice it not at all.

   Across the room, I was amazed to see Sensesi haul herself to her feet. She was
pale and obviously near deaths door, but she refused to relent as long as life still 
coursed through her. With tremendous effort, she limped toward the fight, pulling
her back up sword.  

   As for me, the hit I had taken nearly caused me to black out. I blinked my blurred
eyes to restore my vision. I knew that we had reached the point of desperation, but
more than that, I was angry. A hot rage built up within me and I flew forward at a 
fast dive, knowing that distance was no guarantee of safety. Once within range, I let
the beast have it with everything I could muster, targeting it with a maximized
‘scorching ray’. All three rays sizzled into it, bypassing its spell protections and 
melting away dinner plate sized portions of its hide. 

   But it was not enough. The thing had no face, but when it turned to face me I
could almost see an expression of victory in its body language. It continued to 
squeeze the life out of Griff who was weakly trying to cut himself free with failing
strength. I tried to cast, knowing I would never make it, knowing that it was going
to hit me and that I would not survive it. A dozen tentacles seemed to rear back, 
each of them aiming at me like a slave driver hauling back the lash to bring it
cracking down. 

   And then Taklinn was back.  

   Our dwarf rose up from the very stone, now fully healed. He had obviously used
his retreat to mend himself and was now back in the fight. He stepped from the
solid rock, poised and ready, his axe held in a two-fisted death grip. He took a step, 
then another, and a third brought him into range. He roared the name of Clangeden
as he swung.

   Taklinn’s axe bit home, hewing into the avatar as if it were an oak. He swung 
again, drawing forth another geyser of blood. His third swing buried the head of his
axe so deeply into the thing that it was all he could do to pull it free.

   Time seemed to stand still. A keening wail emanated from the avatar as it 
attempted to turn and face this new threat. I was forgotten as its tentacles flailed
about, searching for Taklinn. 

   It staggered, its tentacles loosening from around Griff. Our warrior crashed to the 
floor with a bone jarring thud. 

  Taklinn hauled his axe back for another swing, but let it stay there, watching as
the avatar shuddered and swayed. Finally, its shriek died in its throat, and like the 
massive tree that it resembled, it teetered, lost balance, and toppled to the ground
with a heavy crash.

   I blinked, barely able to believe my eyes. Illugi’s avatar lay still, its tentacles 
splayed limply about the room. It was dead.

   Taklinn stood over the fallen avatar, teeth bared, flush with having delivered the 
killing blow. 

   “About time you showed up.” Griff said with a pained groan as he picked himself
up from the floor and limped over to retrieve his sword. 

   I landed near Caribdis as we all looked at the avatars soggy body. It was already
beginning to decompose before our very eyes. 

   It’s over! I thought to myself. It’s really over. Scylla is dead. Illugi is exiled. Two 
worlds are free of their meddling. We’ve done it!

   I must believe that similar thoughts were passing through the minds of each of my
companions. But we would have no time to voice them. 

   Taklinn, of course, noticed it first. “Uh oh.” He said.

   A slight tremor, barely perceptible, shivered beneath our feet, and a fine shower
of dust settled from the ceiling. I looked up, a bad feeling growing in my gut.  

   Another tremor, this one stronger. A hair-thin crack appeared in the near wall.

   “We need to get out of here,” Taklinn said, flatly, “now!” Another shower of dust
fell from above, this time accompanied by a few errant pebbles. The place was
coming down. 

   The earth seemed to groan and rumble as I had us all grasp hands and cast my
‘teleport’. In the next breath, we stood outside the gates of Anvie where we could 
see the upper floors of Illugi’s temple jutting up like a diseased tooth into the sky.
We watched as it began to tremble. Soon long cracks began to appear. Great chunks
of masonry fell away, and in due time, it collapsed in a mushroom cloud of debris 
that blanketed the city. The six of us watched, and a sense of finality washed over
all. 

  “So can we go home now?” Happy, ever pragmatic, asked.  

   “Aye, girl,” Taklinn nodded, “That we can. Our work is finished here. Now it lies
for the folk of Edik to rebuild.”

   “What about you, Sensesi?” I asked the yuan-ti. Truth be known, I half hoped 
she’d return to Havilah with us. I may have had my doubts about her, but she was
true to the end and fought well.

   “I suppose I shall stay here.” She replied. “Perhaps there is a place for me yet in a 
new Edik.” 

   “I was wrong about you, you know.” I said, matter of factly. “I’m glad now that
Taklinn wouldn’t let us kill you.” 

   She shook her head. “Accepted. Perhaps you can make it up to me by paying me a
visit now and again.”

   I answered with a nod and a small smile. We shook hands with her all round. 
Even Happy begrudgingly extended her hand.

   “Right.” I said, “It’ll be a day before I can cast a ‘gate’, so we’ve got another bit
to go here. I’ll get us a mansion going-“ 

   Caribdis interrupted. “See you later!” And cast a spell. He disappeared.


   Sunsebb 21

   We did not see Caribdis for the rest of that day. We did not see him when we 
finally returned to Havilah. We have not, in fact, seen Caribdis since that moment.
It has been nearly a month, and I can only conclude that he has returned to
Himinborg.  

   I have thought about gating there to find him and call him on the carpet for his
rudeness at leaving us without so much as a final goodbye, but in the end I think I
have finally come to accept that Caribdis will always be an enigma to me, and, I 
believe, to himself as well. Scolding Caribdis would be the equivalent of wagging a
finger in disappointment at a cat. What good would it really do?

   Our month here has been a good one, though I have a feeling that the Band of the
Broken Blade has somehow reached a new plateau. 

   Happy and Griff returned to their home, and then, a week ago, set out on a 
journey. They told no one where they were off to and left no indication of when
they might return. Perhaps this is their honeymoon. I know I could scry them, but it
is obvious that they are seeking privacy. I will not deny them that. 

   Taklinn has returned to his home in the mountains. I have heard from him once,
and he tells me that all is well. He is spending much time with his fiance and his
church, and he is already deep in planning to build his own temple.  

   As for me, barely a week passed before I was back in my lab, hip deep in books
and beakers, Ambros perched on the shelf and offering alchemical advise. I’ve been
here ever since, except for frequent jaunts into the city to see a play or hear an 
orchestra. 

   I have attained a level of power that very few in our worlds history have reached,
not to mention a credibility and reputation that far precedes me. I have been offered
posts within the Academy, from several large merchant houses, and even the throne. 
For now, however, I have left those decisions for a later date. It is time to study, to
read, to craft and to ponder the responsibility of wielding so much power.  

   I have visited my family. I have visited The Old Man In The Pointy Hat. How odd
it seems that I have surpassed my old master ten fold in magical skill. Yet he retains
a wisdom that still leaves me gaping at times, and we have spent several enjoyable 
nights together, talking of everything under the sun. Only now we are no longer
teacher and student. Now, we are colleagues. 

   I am thinking of teaching a class or two. I see now that The Old Man In The 
Pointy Hat taught me more than mere magic. He taught me respect and ethics and a
sense of honor. It would be a fitting tribute to him if I were able to pass those same
qualities along to young wizards attending the Academy. 

   A curious thing happened about a week after we’d returned from Edik. I have
mentioned young Crispin Reis briefly in this journal as the young lad assigned to us 
when we first became a full fledged crew as our errand boy, runner and what have
you. Just a snot of a lad at the time, he has grown into a sturdy boy over this year,
and Griff has taken him under his wing. The boy has no family to speak of, and 
Griff has become a sort of father figure to Crispin, which is all well and fine and
hardly any of my concern. But apparently, seven days after we’d returned from
Edik, Crispin was visited, while doing chores on the Academy grounds, by an old 
crone. From his story, the toothless hag appeared from nowhere and seemed to
know quite a bit about him, not the least of which was his name, which she called
him by straight away.  

   Crispin, of course, got quite a fright out of this, but to his credit, he stood fast and
demanded to know what she wanted. She replied that she had a gift for him, and
produced a linen wrapped object. It was long and slender and heavy, and she laid it 
in his hands with several commands. 

   Griffin Dorjan, she explained with authority, was to teach Crispin how to use this
object, and Doorag Marzipan was to infuse it with magic when the time came. She 
said that I would know when that time was. 

   With a puzzled look, Crispin unwrapped the thing, letting the linen fall to the
grass.  

   It was Everyman’s Blade, the sword that Griff had used to slay Melesandre, the
sword that had shattered. Griff had given it to Caribdis, who had hung it in his
tavern, only to have it stolen some time later. It has been a source of mystery and 
consternation to all of us, especially Taklinn and I. Both of us have used powerful
magic’s to try and locate it, but to no avail. Powerful protections indeed, to ward off
a ‘discern location’ dweomer.  

   And now here was this old woman, handing Everyman’s Blade to Crispin. Crispin
looked up to ask her where she’d gotten it. Who she was. But she was already gone. 

   The sword is now whole and shining, and Crispin practices with it every day. 
Griff took the news with a shrug and said, sure, he’d train the boy when he and
Happy returned.

   There is a feeling of having drifted quickly apart from my friends, as if all of us
are eager to take on new lives and more “mundane’ pursuits. I find myself saddened
by it, but at the same time, I realize it is the natural evolution in our relationship. 
We have been through so much together, have been so close to one another, have
grown so much with each other, perhaps it is time for all of us to grow a little bit on
our own. 

  I don’t doubt that we shall remain friends, and should some evil threat ever raise
its head against Havilah, or any one of us, I know in my heart that I, Taklinn, Happy
and Griff will respond. There are some things one never out grows. But I suspect
that our days of actively seeking out adventures will be fewer and further between.  

   I shall miss those days, but I look forward to the many fine days to come as well.

   Three weeks have passed since our return, and I have kept myself plenty busy,
and have been happier than I have been in a long while. But this coming week shall
be different.  

   While we were in Illugi’s temple, after Caribdis had rejoined us, he pulled me
aside one evening as we rested in the mansion. 

   Doorag,” he began, “I have made a request of each of our friends. A thing that I’d 
like them to do for me when they return home. I’d like to ask you a favor as well.”

   “Like what things did you ask them to do?” I asked, suspicious. 

   “Never mind their tasks,” he said, waving away my question, “It’s you I want to 
talk about. Will you do it?”

   I blinked at him. “Do what?”

   “The favor!” 

   “But you haven’t told me what it is you want me to do!” I said, growing frustrated
at having been caught up in another of Caribdis’ conversational circles. 

   “Just say you’ll do it.” He prodded. 

   “No, Caribdis!” I exclaimed, exasperated, “I’m not going to commit to a favor
when I don’t even know what it is. That’s ridiculous. You might ask me to do
something impossible, and then where would I be?” 

   He sighed. “Okay, look, this is all it is: I want you to relax. You work too hard!
All the time with the studying and the books! You miss out on so much of
everything else life has to offer. I want you to promise me to find yourself a nice 
quiet meadow and lay in the grass. Watch the bees buzz. Smell the flowers. Go
fishing. That sort of thing.”

   I looked at him, appalled. “You can’t be serious.” I said. 

   “I’m deadly serious.” He said, with a deadly serious expression.

   “Well, no!” I huffed. “I’ll have you know that I LIKE spending my time with my
nose in a book! You could do a lot worse than to read a little yourself, you know. I 
don’t care for meadows and I’m a lousy fisherman. No!”

   Caribdis cocked his head and widened his eyes almost imperceptibly. “Please?”

  “Caribdis, no. It’s silly!” I stated flatly.  

   “Please?”

   And on it went, for the next hour, until at last, to simply shut him up, I agreed to
consider it.  

   I purchased my fishing pole yesterday, and there is a fine meadow about one
hundred miles southeast that should do the trick. It has a small stream running
through it, and I am sure that I shall catch no fish at all.


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## cthulhu42 (Apr 11, 2015)

The End.


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