# Barsoom Tales II: Romance, Revolution and BLOODY REVENGE!!! -- COMPLETE



## barsoomcore

*Big trouble. Little heroes. Welcome to Barsoom.*

It's not my style to offer long-winded introductions to a story, but for those of you who can't bring yourselves to read Season One of Barsoom, here's a quick round-up of pertinent facts. If you're joining us for the first time, that's fine; I'm going to make this Story Hour as self-contained as possible. While I hope you DO take the time to read the original "Barsoom Tales" story hour, I will try to assume you haven't. While not pissing off anyone who has with excess exposition.

Our heroes, in the employ of the _del Maraviez family_, sail across the Inner Sea towards the desert nation of _The Narid_, where they plan to sell a cargo of rifles and ammunition to Naridic warriors resisting the invasion of _The Kishak empire_. They are:

*Isaac del Valencia*, the _Saijadani_ swordsman, revealed as a disgraced son of a disgraced (and executed) noble, has embarked on a mission of revenge against the powerful _del Orofin family_, blaming them for the disgrace of his own.
*Elena de los Santos*, a Saijadani woman with a dour temperament, has discovered mental powers she never knew she possessed. She can affect the minds of others and even move objects around, with mysterious abilities she does not yet fully understand.
*Nevid*, the enigmatic representative of the del Maraviez family, hasn't always exhibited what might be called heroic courage, but his quick wits and natural caution have gotten the group out of trouble more than once.
*Etienne*, the half-Kishak street kid from the great city of _Pavairelle_, is nimble and reckless and full of bravado. He's had to be rescued by the others a couple of times already, a pattern that looks to be establishing itself.
*Arrafin al-Fasir beni Hassan* is a young scholar from the Narid who has uncovered a tome of arcane formulae that apparently provides the secrets of sorcery, a science unheard of amongst the civilized nations of Barsoom.

This crew was wonderfully illustrated by our very own Claudio Pozas:








A few things have become clear: 

Although scoffed at by most Barsoomians, sorcery clearly DOES exist. Not only have spells been discovered, recorded in mathematical formulae, but strange creatures have emerged, unnatural and twisted. Sorcery is also clearly very very BAD. Death and madness seem to follow in its wake.
Barsoom's history is a murky and confusing tale, one that differs wildly depending on who's doing the telling. This lack of reliable narrators will come to concern our heroes in the tale that follows.
There's no shortage of unpleasant, self-centered, completely mad and incredibly powerful individuals lurking about in the shadows of Barsoom. That trouble lies ahead seems certain.

I will be posting once a week with new episodes, probably on Wednesdays. I expect the entire tale to take about a year to tell. In deference to Eric's Grandma, some language will be replaced here and there with asterixes. I will be collating the episodes into downloadable text files -- note that those files will NOT include the asterixes, so if you are offended by foul language, stick to the online posts.


More info on the setting.

Note that this story veers even more drastically from the actual events of the game than most of my Story Hours have. The games were played six to seven years ago, and the campaign itself was much broader, more confusing and complicated than I could possibly set down here. Many events that proved to be pivotal in the actual campaign have been left out here in the hopes of creating a more coherent story, and other events and characters have been combined, altered or shifted around freely in this narrative. This story bears the same sort of relationship to the original campaign that Oliver Stone's movies have to history.

I like to say: "Inspired by actual imaginary events" 

That said, none of this would have been possible without the tremendous creativity and effort shown by my players, who created such wonderful characters and took all my goofy ideas with just the right amount of seriousness. Everything cool that came out of this campaign came out of our interactions, and I most certainly couldn't have done it without them. They rule.

I do hope you enjoy it, and that you'll post your comments here. I'm honest enough to admit that positive feedback is a reason for doing this at all, so it means a lot to me to have folks tell me they're enjoying it. Thanks!

The whole thing is attached as RTF files to this post, if you don't want to page through the thread. Read Canto 01, then Interlude 01, then Canto 02, then Interlude 02, then Canto 03.


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## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 1*

Arrafin held her breath.

Her huge round eyes widened even more than usual as she concentrated. She knew she had to relax, to open some non-existent portal inside herself. She didn't know exactly what would happen, but she'd prepared.

She'd studied. She'd read the translation provided by Blood Sister Kimiko Torokan, read and re-read and made notes on and sat up late nights as the ship heaved around her, ignoring her sea-sickness as she puzzled at the devious passages and strange mathematical formulae that filled page after page in the Blood Sister's neat handwriting.

She'd made the figure. Bound of twigs and twine, it was a crude humanoid form, only a couple of handspans from head to toe, lying on the floor in the middle of her tiny cabin. 

She'd investigated. Although Arrafin's specialities at university had been history and language, all students at the University of Al-Tizim were expected to excel in all subjects, and mathematics had come easily to the quick-witted girl. Her skills were stretched to the limits as she tried to comprehend the complex notation and strange equations in the ancient text, but in the end she was pretty sure she'd gotten it figured out.

She hoped. All indications were that whatever she was about to attempt, it was deadly. The text was filled with dire imprecations and warnings of terror and horror and madness and pain and death.

She tried to relax.

Inside her, outside her, something opened. Something emerged. Something _leaked_ into existence.

For less than a heartbeat, Arrafin felt panic. Her spine shuddered with cold darkness and an empty, gaping hunger that roared to life inside her. Her wide eyes crawled with blackness and shadowy tendrils roiled outward from where she sat on her narrow cot. They licked at the floor and spread in a circle around her, drifting right through the partition walls of her cabin.

For less than a heartbeat, panic pushed into Arrafin's brain. She began turning the complex equations over, solving them for the values that rose up, unbidden, in her mind. The concentration required, the intricate patterns that appeared within her consciousness, consumed her utterly and panic slid aside, driven out by the cold perfection of mathematics.

Outside, the night-time darkness hid the strange shadows, and the crew went about their business unaware of the supernatural events taking place below.

*****

Isaac leaned on the stern rail, staring off into the dusk. Next to him, Elena did the same. Around and above them, the crew of _Thuria's Dream_ bustled about making the ship ready for the coming night.

Elena voiced her troubled thoughts.

"Why are we working for these people?"

"Who? The del Maraviez family? You mean besides the fact that they're rich, powerful, well-connected and completely ruthless?"

"Yeah. Besides all that."

Isaac turned around and leaned back against the rail. Elena looked up at her friend, curious at his sudden silence.

Isaac was not the most handsome man she'd ever seen. His face was blocky and his nose appeared to have been broken at some point in the past. He scowled constantly, usually chewing on the dog-end of an old cigar. He was powerfully built with broad shoulders and large hands, but Elena knew he was capable of moving with stealth and silence.

He looked across the ship to the far horizon where the setting sun blazed in its final, bloody fury of the day.

"I owe them a lot, Elena."

He chewed his cigar.

"My family was destroyed by the del Orofin family. My father was convicted of treason and executed. I was sent to prison. Even that wasn't enough for them. They sent a man into the mines to kill me. I got away.

"When I got back to my family's estate, the house had been looted, and the property was tied up in some sort of legal mess. I was still a fugitive, an escaped prisoner, so I couldn't even look into it. My mother was gone. I never found out what happened to her.

"Isabella contacted me in Mataleo. She knew the whole story, she knew the del Orofin had managed the whole thing so they could get their hands on Father's trade concessions in Caedmon. She kept the law off my back, put money in my purse."

Isaac shrugged.

"So I work for her now."

Elena studied him for a second, then turned back to the water. She was a solidly-built young woman, with the same Saijadani darkness to her features and skin as Isaac, and like him, tended to scowl most of the time. Around her eyes she appeared to have a delicate tattoo filigreed into her skin.

They stood in scowl-faced silence for a while as the ship heaved and creaked around them.

"Do you trust her?"

Isaac considered.

"I don't know if I think she's always honest, but I don't think she would betray us. I definitely don't think she'd betray us to the Kishaks."

"Lying is a form of betrayal, Isaac. Or Philip. Or Dominic."

"Dominic, if you please. We might as well try to maintain the fiction. The del Maraviez went to a lot of trouble to set it up."

"But who knows what they're really up to?"

"Ah, you're too suspicious. Why wouldn't the del Maraviez want to help Naridic rebels against the Kishaks? We've fought those red bastards before, you know. If we don't stop them in the Narid, who's to say they won't invade Saijadan again?"

Elena's scowl deepened.

"I don't trust them."

"I don't trust anybody."

Elena's eyes flicked over to Isaac, or Dominic as he was now called, then returned to studying the red-flecked waves around them.

"I don't trust them."

*****

"The coastline all along the nor' coast of the desert 'tis nothing but shoals and sandbars, me lad. We'll no get this deep-bellied lass within two miles o' the shore, I'm telling ye."

The captain of _Thuria's Dream_, O'Shannon, was a Shaeric ex-mercenary whose past had proved every bit as ill-starred and chequered as Nevid had expected of a gun-running smuggler willing to dodge Kishak galleys for a promise of gold. He and Nevid studied a hand-drawn chart of the southern coast of the Inner Sea, where the calm green waters met the endless sand dunes of the great desert of the Narid.

Nevid shrugged. Nautical details were of no interest to the small, serious-looking Saijadani youth.

"Yes, well, you have a rowboat or something to take us ashore? With the rifles?"

"Aye, that we have, lad. But should ye find trouble, we'll no be able to provide assistance, that's what I'm saying."

"I don't anticipate any trouble, sir."

Captain O'Shannon considered the confident young man.

"Ye've not done this afore, have ye?"

Nevid was about to respond when a shriek came from out on the deck. Nevid moved faster than the captain and saw the source of the trouble right away.

A small figure was walking across the deck with stiff, awkward movements, like an ill-handled puppet. Apparently formed of twigs or sticks the figure made its unsteady way towards Nevid.

Mastering his astonishment, Nevid looked down the length of the ship to where Arrafin stood, eyes wide, watching the figure with obvious awe and delight.

The figure reached Nevid. Sailors all around withdrew, muttering dark curses and dire warnings. The crudely-fashioned head tilted up at him and one arm lifted to wave, back and forth. The twigs rustled and snapped as it moved.

Nevid looked around at the fearful faces and groaned inwardly. The sailors were horrified at the sight. They'd never seen anything like it before. 

The young Saijadani raised a foot and brought it down on the little waving figure, stomping it savagely until the bundles came untied and fell apart, leaving just inert sticks scattered across the deck boards.

Arrafin cried out in hurt anger.

"Nevid!"

The Saijdani stormed over to her and took her thin arm.

"Arrafin, what are you thinking? These sailors will think you're a witch or worse! Think for once, why don't you!"

Arrafin glared at her colleague for a second and then shook herself free of his hand and raced into her cabin, slamming the door behind her. Nevid shook his head as Isaac and Elena joined him.

"Honestly, she's got to think. She can't just be... casting spells."

Isaac took the cigar out of his mouth.

"On the other hand, she's casting spells."

"Yeah, well, that frightens me, too."

Etienne had been in the rigging, trying to learn how to navigate by the Sentinels, and arrived with a thump.

"What's all the fuss? Hey, who dumped those sticks all over the deck?"

*****

In her cabin, curled up on her narrow cot, Arrafin hugged herself, outrage and hurt feelings quickly replaced with a fierce, exultant joy. It worked. Sorcery worked. And she could do it. She could learn this wild physics. And while animating tiny figures might seem a small accomplishment, Arrafin's quick mind raced into the future, seeing possibilities opening up before her.

Her homeland need not suffer for all time under the yoke of Kishak oppression. Her people could rise up and take back their freedom, no matter how many legions the Tyrant's Shade threw into the desert. They could win.

If someone would lead them. Someone with power.


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## shilsen

*pulls up a seat and pops some popcorn*

I'm in. And all I can say is, if there ain't any stewardesses, there damn well better be some dinosaurs!


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## Avarice

As good as ever, barsoomcore.  Tell me, though, just how often is that artwork going to need to be modified over the coming weeks?


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## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 2*

In Nevid's mind, ten thousand doomed souls wailed. Smoke and flame rose, taller than city towers, taller than the mountains in the distance, stretching up to reach the clouds, swirling upwards in a great pillar of horror and destruction.

The city tore itself into scraps and fragments, whirling and shrieking with the force of a hurricane. Centered around a tiny speck of crimson, a figure that stood with arms outstretched, black hair towering above a dazzling gown of red and gold.

It turned to face him. Reaching. Beautiful. Laughing.

Nevid awoke, sitting upright on his bunk. Beneath him, Isaac snored his deafening rumble. Their tiny cabin, grey with half-dawn light, echoed with unfamiliar noise and activity. Wiping strange images and unnameable fears from his mind, he lowered himself to the deck and made his way outside, where the crew rushed about.

He spoke to a nearby sailor.

"What's happened?"

The sailor pointed across the waves to the shore.

"We've arrived."

*****

Of all the sights beneath the pink sky of Barsoom, the northern shore of the Narid was not, decided Elena, among the most picturesque.

She'd been expecting majestic sand dunes, palm trees clustered around oases, everything golden and beautiful.

Instead, she found herself considering a seemingly endless straight muddy beach behind which lurked grey gravelly plains, pale and indistinct and featureless. Clouds hung low and gloomy over the scene, as long rollers broke in dull, monotonous thunder across miles of mud flats. Seabirds and dactyls keened overhead.

The only note of interest in sight was the flat-topped rise a mile or so inland, upon which lay (so they were told) the home of the man they sought.

_Thuria's Dream_ could not come too close to the shore, unable to press very far into the gently shelving shallows. She lowered anchor and swung to, rolling in the gentle surf. Sailors bustled about lowering the ship's boat and swaying up the massive crates holding the rifles and ammunition.

Elena watched the proceedings with interest but not much comprehension. Some of her comrades, especially Etienne, had spent the last few weeks learning seamanship, but she'd been content to sit out of the way and discuss the many strange things she and her friends had experienced in the past months.

She and Arrafin had speculated a great deal on the nature of some of those events. They carried a marble skull that Arrafin believed had once belonged to the great Naridic king, Sulekar ben Azan, and that held remarkable properties, able to heal injuries and detect the presence of undead creatures. Undead creatures such as Laughter of Stones, a sad but noble dark-skinned warrior doomed to spend eternity hunting down and destroying some near-extinct enemy race, and Mara, a terrible vampire child who'd seemed unstoppable until Elena had struck her with an ancient black blade taken from the tomb of the legendary Essermane Varag, terror of ancient Al-Tizim. Elena rested a hand on the guard of that sword, which was too big to carry in a scabbard and instead leaned against the rail next to her, wrapped in a nondescript rug pinched from Marques' storeroom in Pavairelle. Arrafin had been so excited to find the tomb of Essermane Varag.

Arrafin. Elena shook her head to herself as she watched the skinny girl with the massive tangle of curls on her head describe the history of this particular stretch of Naridic coastline to Isaac and Etienne. She gesticulated as she spoke, slender fingers dancing in the air as her soft Naridic accent rose and fell. Neither of the two young men displayed much real interest in her tale, but they listened and nodded politely as she carried on most of the conversation by herself.

Nearer the stern, Nevid stood with the captain, finalizing details for this trip ashore. Their companion Nevid (Elena couldn't bring herself to call the incommunicative young man a friend) was certainly resourceful, and clever enough, but Elena often wondered where his true loyalties lay. His ties to the del Maraviez family were much tighter than the rest of them, and sometimes Elena got the sense that he was watching them, filing reports for his Familias bosses. She scowled as his slender form, elegantly fitted in a fine dark suit, leaned out over the rail to call out some instructions to the sailors in the boat below.

Soon the heavy crates lay secured in the boat. Elena nodded at a gesture from Isaac and came forward as he and Etienne clambered down to where sailors held the boat steady. Nevid followed them and then it was she and Arrafin. The Naridic girl considered the climb down with discomfort.

"Gee, Elena, that's, um, that's a long way down. When you really look at it. Isn't it?"

The rail of _Thuria's Dream_ was a spear's length or so above the gunwales of the boat.

"Isaac will help you down. Won't you, Isaac?"

"What? Oh, of course. Here, Arrafin."

Isaac reached up and Arrafin swung herself gingerly over the rail. She gulped as Isaac's big hands took hold of her, nearly encircling her about the waist. He chuckled, swinging her easily down into the boat.

"Good grief, girl, you weigh less than my cigar case. We're lucky you didn't blow overboard on the trip."

"I hung on tight. Thank you."

With laborious strokes the sailors heaved the little boat through the rollers towards shore. Waves that had barely rocked _Thuria's Dream_ sent the longboat pitching and heaving, and whitecaps cresting over the stern showered all the passengers with salty spray. The sailors pulled on their oars and soon the boat's hull scraped on wet gravel. Everyone except Arrafin and Nevid jumped out and began running the boat further up into the shallows.

Elena, pushing at the gunwale, frowned at Nevid. The young man was studying the seat in front of him with furious concentration.

"You okay, Nevid?"

"Strange dreams. Strange dreams."

*****

"You're going to get us all killed, Tariq."

"Nonsense. God is with us, you coward. We are working in the service of faith, Israhel. No harm can come to us."

"We're all going to die."

"Another word, Israhel, and you will die here and now, I swear so upon the hilt of my saber. Another word, and I strike, and may God have mercy upon you. If you will have no faith in me, have faith in God who watches over us. But know that I have planned for these dogs. They will not return home."

Fayeeda watched Israhel subside. The beni Rifaa were not famous for their courage, but she couldn't blame the young man for backing down in the face of her uncle's blustering menace. Tariq al-Musharran beni Howetait carried all the wild violence of the Howetait tribe, mixed with a crazed sense of self-confidence that indeed got people around him killed as often as not.

Tariq chuckled as he watched the rowboat come towards the beach, weathering end-to-end sprays as waves rushed past it. Armed men jumped out and ran the boat up as far as it would go, and Tariq started forward. He waved his crew to come with him.

"Help these lazy northern dogs unload, you useless banth droppings."

He spread his arms as a big Saijadani man, cigar clenched in his teeth, approached. Tariq laughed and called out in Imperial Kishak.

"My very good friends! How delighted I am to see you! God smiles upon us today!"

The Saijadani man grimaced. He and Tariq were well-matched both in size and evident menace.

"I'm sure. You Achmed?"

Fayeeda startled at the mention of her father. The man with the cigar took no notice, but the broad-shouldered Saijadani woman behind him narrowed her eyes at the girl. Fayeeda looked away, surprised to note a Naridic girl among the strangers, peering past the frowning Saijadani woman. Beni Howetait, to judge by her dark skin and wild curls.

Tariq laughed more.

"Not I. Achmed, that shiftless vulture? Ha. No, I am Tariq al-Musharran beni Howetait, Achmed's brother, and you are my guests and business partners. You bring the guns from Pavairelle, yes?"

"Where's Achmed?"

"Tragically captured by a Kishak patrol only days ago. I have taken over in his absence, with God's blessing."

The Saijadani man looked back at the rowboat with a frown, noticing how Tariq's gang were unloading the heavy crates there.

"You owe us some gold before you can take those guns, you know."

"Of course, my friend. But first, why not take some refreshment in our village atop the hill you see just behind me? Surely we can discuss business there? Why all this seriousness, my friend? This is an occasion for joy! Together we shall smash the Kishak bastards and drive their red filth from the desert, God willing."

"You do have the gold, yes?"

"Of course! As God is my witness."

"Perhaps you could show it to us?"

Tariq scoffed, pretending insult. He reached into a shoulder bag and displayed a thick golden ingot.

Another Saijadani man, much smaller than the first and with the appearance of a clerk or a scholar, stepped forward.

"May I have a look?"

Tariq tossed the bar into the air. The young Saijadani stepped back to let it fall into the wet sand, then crouched to study the gleaming bar. Fayeeda considered the young man. He was handsome, in a delicate way. He straightened and nodded to the larger man. 

"It's Kishak. Looks genuine."

The big Saijadani man turned back to Tariq.

"So where's the rest? You've got the guns."

Tariq grinned as his men staggered past, carting the heavy crates of weapons. The boat was already empty and the guns well on their way.

"Yes, thank God. We have the guns. And I'm afraid, my northern friend, that you now have all the gold that we possess. I thank you for your generosity. You are beloved of God."

To Fayeeda's surprise, the Saijadani man just nodded. He didn't seem angry or even surprised. He stepped forward. With a gesture, Tariq called up his three bodyguards, savage Howetait warriors who spoke to no one save their employer. These men raised their rifles to their shoulders, all three weapon barrels trained on the big Saijadani man.

He made no move for the pistols at his belt. He just shrugged. His casual lack of concern impressed Fayeeda. She hadn't thought northerners could possess that sort of courage.

"We didn't come here to fight you. But we aren't leaving without that gold. That would irritate our employers. And trust me, you don't want to irritate them."

Tariq bowed.

"I have no wish to irritate anyone beyond the Kishaks and their seething lapdogs. Come. Come join us in our humble village, and we will tell you the tale."

"This had better be good."

The Saijadani woman stepped up to her friend and spoke quietly, but Fayeeda could just hear her.

"You're going to get us all killed, Isaac."

"Didn't you hear? I am beloved of God. You lot can look out for yourselves."


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## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 3*

"The truth is, my friends, that only my brother Achmed knows where the gold is."

Tariq beamed around at his guests as the setting sun emblazoned his tent. Outside, riding gallos rasped at each other, rattling their hobbles as they shifted, restless and surly. Some group of herders were sharing songs off at the edge of the camp, their ululating voices lending a quiet undercurrent to the conversation.

Out beyond the tent flap, the flat surface of the tall mesa they sat atop lay steady beneath a whirling flow of dust devils, shimmering like a curtain before the vista of the endless desert far beyond.

Etienne leaned forward, his brow knotted in cautious suspicion. Sand crusted on his dark leather garb. He toyed restless with the hilt of a dagger at his belt.

"Your brother Achmed who was captured by the Kishaks only days ago."

Elena sniffed.

"Tragically captured, I think he said."

She had to give it to Tariq; the man was utterly without scruples. There was no chance of them getting those guns back now. They sat surrounded by his warriors, and Elena knew that it was only their tenuous connection to the infamous del Maraviez family that had kept them alive thus far. One false move could doom them all.

"And you're afraid to go rescue him?"

To Elena's surprise, it was Nevid who had spoken. He studied Tariq with the same intensity he'd been studying the rowboat seat earlier, and Elena wondered just what the dreams he'd had were about.

Tariq simply stared in disbelief at the slim young man. Then he threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"I, Tariq al-Musharran beni Howetait, afraid? Impossible! Afraid. You do not understand the insult, civilized fool, and so I forgive you this once. God wishes us to be generous to our guests."

Arrafin scowled.

"God also wishes us to sacrifice our own lives for our brother's. Do you forget the passage from the Sayings: 'For he who gives up all that God has given to him for the sake of another is redeemed by God and made a prince in His grace'?"

It had been over a year since Arrafin had studied scripture, but her mind was not one to let quotations or facts drop aside. Her anger at Tariq's theft and his carefree manner with religious dogma made her smoulder with suppressed fury as she glared at the man.

At last Tariq betrayed a flash of irritation. He scowled at Arrafin.

"Do not trouble me with scholar's jibes, girl. I have the scars of seventeen Kishak sabres on my body. God has granted me strength to slay eighty-one of those red bastards, and I pray he will send more my way!"

He raised his hand in a devout gesture and the warriors around him cried out in joyous uplift.

"Then why not rescue your brother?"

Tariq spat and stood, towering over Arrafin and her friends where they sat on the rug. He shook his fist at them.

"Why not? You ask me why not? The Kishak lapdogs are fortified behind tall walls, foolish girl, with guns and towers. We will not throw our lives away so uselessly. No, if God wants Achmed out of there, he will send us a sign. We are well enough without him."

Elena looked over at Fayeeda, who sat with them as well. The younger girl shrank back from her uncle's rage.

"How was your father captured, Fayeeda?"

Tariq sat down in a pout as the beni Howetait girl found her voice and spoke.

"The mercenaries. They patrol on armoured beasts, with many guns. They. We could see them riding around the hudra here, we shouted to warn them, but they couldn't hear. They ran into the mercenaries. We could hear the guns. Many fell. Father."

She drew a breath.

"He was alive, pinned beneath his gallo. They dragged him out and they took him."

Isaac took the cigar from his mouth and picked at a bit of leaf that had come loose. He spoke without looking up.

"Who are these mercenaries? Naridic?"

Every Naridic person in the tent, including Arrafin, gasped. Tariq grabbed a knife and stabbed it into the rug, cursing.

"I would gut you for that, Saijadani, were you not my guest."

The many warriors around them pressed in, murmuring among themselves. Elena shot Isaac a look of exasperation. He returned it, then turned back to Tariq.

"So, they're not Naridic. Who are they?"

Tariq snarled at Arrafin.

"You are beni Howetait. Why do you travel with these dogs?"

"I am beni Hassan. Who are the mercenaries?"

Tariq blinked in surprise.

"You look beni Howetait. Truly, you are beni Hassan?"

"Truly."

Arrafin relented to Tariq's curiousity, sensing that this conversation was serving to relax the tension in the tent.

"My mother was beni Howetait. Of al-Hourani's tribe, west of Tallal. My father was beni Hassan from Al-Tizim."

"Of course you are from Al-Tizim, your voice tells me so. But you are still of the desert, yes, child?"

Arrafin nodded carefully.

"I love God."

Fayeeda mustered the courage to speak.

"I have never been to Al-Tizim. Is it very beautiful?"

Elena settled back on her pillow as Arrafin began describing the endless marvels of her ancient city. She leaned over to Isaac and Nevid.

"We still don't know who these mercenaries are."

"Shaeric. They're with Laird Connaught's army, probably either the Fourth or the Sixteenth company. Musketeers and lancers, mostly, hired by the Kishaks to pacify the northern marches. Savage and merciless, but not very well-disciplined."

Elena blinked at Nevid.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know that."

"Arrafin's not the only one who studies, you know."

Isaac leaned back, his voice a dark rumble.

"What I'm more interested in is how the mercenaries knew to put together that ambush. Certainly seems like our friend Tariq has benefited from the event."

Etienne listened with half an ear to both conversations. Arrafin's descriptions of Al-Tizim's vast markets and great avenues filled him with homesickness for his own Pavairelle, now far behind them across the Inner Sea. He thought of their last sight of the Free City, burning in the fires of revolution as the citzenry at last overthrew their Kishak overlords.

He thought of his last visit to the Blood Council's sanctuary, and of Blood Sister Torokan's forbidding seriousness.

_"Etienne. Thank you for coming. I know that you and your friends are busy in these days, but there are words I must speak to you."

The half-Kishak nodded, trying to give off an air of nonchalance.

"I know. Arrafin. And sorcery. And that Laughter of Stones guy. What was he? Some kind of immortal warrior, right? Does he hunt down sorcerers? I should try and protect Arrafin. I need to be watchful."

Torokan's severe expression softened.

"Etienne, listen to me. You must be cautious of your friends. Sorcery is very dangerous. Arrafin may lose control at any moment. I wish for you to help me. To be my eyes and ears among your friends."

"You want me to spy on them?"

Torokan pursed her lips and straightened just a bit. She was about to speak when Etienne shrugged.

"Sure. What do I have to do?"_

Etienne recalled Torokan's instructions as he watched Arrafin describe the Plaza of Kings before the great Palace in the heart of Al-Tizim.

"That pool is supposedly the pool where Suelekar Ben Azan was annointed King, you know. Some scholars think it's been rebuilt many times since then, but the legend is that not a stone has been replaced."

The thin Naridic girl touched the strange amulet at her neck. She started as Tariq shouted.

"Suelekar Ben Azan! The King of Kings! Praise God!"

All around them warriors echoed Tariq's cry. Arrafin blinked.

"Yes. Praise God."

*****

Fayeeda had never known an evening like this one. There had been guests in the camp before, of course, even foreigners, but always Father had controlled every gesture, every nuance of conversation. Fayeeda would never  have dared to speak in front of Father, and any guest would have sat in polite humility before the great chieftan that Achmed al-Musharran beni Howetait was.

Or had been. Fayeeda scarcely knew what to think. But these foreigners were not swayed by Tariq's bluster. The big one with the guns stood up.

"Fine. Achmed knows where the gold is, Achmed's in the fort, let's go to the fort."

Fayeeda clapped a hand to her mouth to prevent herself from crying out. The others simply shrugged, even Arrafin, and rose. Tariq laughed in disbelief.

"You are fools, and you should thank God that when he made you fools he made you unmanly, so that you would not beget more fools."

Fayeeda couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"But you'll die! How can you possibly get in to the fort?"

Isaac gestured.

"If Nevid there can't talk us in, well..."

Arrafin giggled.

"Maybe Elena can... attract one of the guards."

Elena scowled ferociously at her friend, but Arrafin only snickered louder.

The five were heading for the tent flap, stepping over incredulous warriors, when a sudden cry from outside stopped them. Four turned to Arrafin.

"What was that?"

She frowned.

"Somebody's coming. Foreigners."

Her eyes widened and she whirled on Tariq.

"You told them we were here! You betrayed us!"

Tariq laughed.

"Of course. I have invited our Shaeric neighbors to join us. They were most anxious to meet you, and God wishes us to be hospitable to our neighbors. It seems that you, my friends, are captured."

Etienne sighed.

"Tragically captured, I think you called it."


----------



## Desdichado

Sweet!  I've been looking for this to launch for... what, three years now?  I'm glad it's finally here!


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 4*

Captain Fintan Garrickson looked up at the uproar near the gate. Patrol returning, he decided, and settled back to his study of the latest Naridic prisoners as they hauled wood into the center of the camp.

Two of the younger women were worth his time. He pointed them out to his aide and turned to the gate as the armoured parasaurs came in, the immense beasts as large as houses, plated howdahs hanging off either side to shield musketeers. Flags fluttering from the beasts' crests indicated prisoners, and further, the need for a Nevakada interrogation.

Garrickson cursed. While Kishak coin paid as well as any other, working alongside those cold-hearted Nevakada bastards would curl the spine of any man. The agent assigned to their operation, Kan Koshar, had a superficial politeness and civility that only made his cruel sadism even worse. Garrickson preferred a more straightforward approach. Some were strong, and some were weak. Those who lacked the wit to understand when they were outmatched, well, the world wouldn't miss them at all. No reason to go around poking at people just for the fun of it.

The Shaeric captain grinned as he saw one of the Naridic women he'd picked screaming, trying to fight off the soldiers who'd grabbed her. Some older man tried to interfere and took a pike haft to the face for his trouble. The woman didn't stop screaming or thrashing as they dragged her across the compound. A firey one for tonight would be just the thing.

"Ye'll want ta watch yerself with that one, Cap'n. Sahra's a real she-banth, she is."

Garrickson laughed and clapped his aide on the shoulder.

"Ah, ye know the lasses always calm down when I've explained the manner o' things ta them. Sahra'll be no trouble, for all her caterwauling."

"Aye, sir."

The two men, comfortable in their mail and open-faced helms, strolled towards where their soldiers were disembarking from the parasaurs.  When the flags called for Nevakada investigation, it always profited to be present to see the wares before they were investigated.

Garrickson's eyebrows rose as the prisoners were filed out.

Only six. But of the six only two were Naridic, both of them young women trying not to look frightened. Garrickson felt a broad smile spread across his face, and did nothing to hide its predatory smugness.

The others included three Saijadani and one Kishak, to Garrickson's astonishment. He stopped where he stood and stared at the strange crew.

These were not the usual prisoners brought in around here. Not only in their nationality, but in their insouciant stance as they looked around, taking in the layout of the fort.

"Never ye mind them Saijadani fools. Have the skinny brown lass brought to me room. Tell Sahra it seems her lucky night."

"Aye."

*****

It was only once they'd reached the crucifixes surrounding the fort that Isaac stopped cursing Tariq's name. There had been no point to resisting; the Shaeric numbered some thirty or forty, riding in the strange howdahs they hung off the sides of the parasaur's high ridged backs. Snug behind armour plate they'd be near-impossible to hurt, and with their long-barrelled muskets it would only be matter of time before Isaac and his friends lay bleeding on the ground.

Tariq's smugness did nothing to ease the pain of capture. The gloating beni Howetait chieftan called out insult after insult as the Shaeric mercenaries deposited Isaac and his friends into tight cells aboard the beasts, taking their weapons and sparing no thought for their prisoner's comfort.

The only surprise, once he'd understood Tariq's betrayal, was Fayeeda's angry repudiation of her uncle's arrangement. For her righteous fury she was scooped up by the mercenaries, and had only her uncle's mocking laughter for a farewell.

They could smell the fort even before the first of the crucifixes came into view, but then they passed between dozens of tall poles from which hung horrid corpses, pecked and torn, some rotted, some still with the evidence of their tremendous suffering still visible on their hollow faces. The reek of blood and bile and rot filled the air.

The Kishak Empire sought control through terror and domination. The Tyrant's Shade, the undead creature who sat upon the Iron Throne of Kish, understood no other language.

They passed through the terrible forest and entered the gates of the fort.

The cell he crouched in was flipped open and, stretching strained legs, Isaac emerged into a dirt courtyard. Behind him the gates swung shut, pushed by a line of mail-clad soldiers. Before him the courtyard spanned a hundred paces; to his left a two-story building of dark cedar planks rose up, surrounded by a wide verandah; straight ahead in the open courtyard sullen Naridic people he assumed must be prisoners piled cordwood up in a tall cone, presumably in preparation for some large bonfire; and on his right a series of low, long huts lay in rows.

His attention turned to a heavy-set man whose more elaborate helmet and shoulder sash suggested a rank above the majority of the soldiers around them. Their guards saluted him as he approached. He sneered at the new prisoners.

"Ye're a sorry lot, aren't ye? Well, look to find no mercy here, I can tell ye that. If ye've got some fool to ransom ye, perhaps there's hope, or if ye know something and have the wit to conduct yerself well, perhaps ye'll do well enough. But I'll not hold my breath to it, I can tell ye that."

His gaze came to rest on Arrafin with a lasciviousness that enraged Isaac immediately. The burly Saijadani stepped forward with a snarl, but a pike head pressed against his chest stopped him. He glared in furious impotence.

Garrickson enjoyed the thin girl's expression of horror as she watched him approach.

"Sir. There must be a mistake. We are not -- "

She cut off as he pulled her against him and ground his mouth against hers. She tried to scream and push him away, but he paid no attention to her efforts. His hands slid down her robes, rough and grasping.

Elena watched in stunned horror as the soldier molested Arrafin right in front of them all. Isaac was about to impale himself on Shaeric pikes if something wasn't done, and to tell the truth, Elena was no less enraged than he.

Arrafin's delicate build and her ever-cheerful nature had endeared her greatly to Elena, whose own nature was sour and cynical, and who knew she brooded too much on things past. Her friendship with Arrafin had given her a great deal of solace over the weeks of their journey, and she cherished the younger girl like a little sister, one who was still a child. To see a girl she considered so innocent treated in such a violent manner infuriated Elena.

She reached out with her mind, trying to distract the soldier with her mental powers, but before she could make contact with him, another figure strode up to join them.

"Garrickson. Cease at once."

The Shaeric man turned to glare at the newcomer. This man was a Kishak, darker red in skin than Etienne, and dressed in a formal-looking harness of leather straps and jewels. He bore a slim rapier at his side. Elena couldn't help but admire his well-muscled torso, well-displayed in the Kishak traditional lack of dress. He turned grey eyes on them all.

"Interesting. Sent by the del Maraviez, isn't that right?"

Etienne started to speak. Isaac smacked him.

"We're not saying nothing to no one."

The Kishak smiled.

"You already have."

*****

"That bastard. How does he know everything? And if he knows everything, why is he asking us?"

Isaac scowled and picked splinters out of the floorboards of the narrow hut they'd been sealed up in after their harrowing interviews with the Nevakada agent. Kan Koshar had proven a skilled interrogator and had drawn out every detail of their mission. Isaac glowered. 

Missing shingles overhead left the night sky visible to their view. He sat with Elena, Etienne and Nevid around a cold fire-pit. Arrafin sat at the far end of the hut, arm around a shivering Fayeeda.

While the Nevakada agent had interfered in Garrickson's assault on Arrafin, he'd done nothing when the Shaeric general had taken Fayeeda to his office. Arrafin listened to the younger girl sobbing with a sick helplessness in her heart.

Nevid looked up at Isaac.

"Because he's trying to determine how valuable we are to him. What we need to worry about is how we're going to find Achmed. He must be somewhere in this camp."

All four sat in silence, remembering glumly how poorly they'd managed to avoid the issues Kan Koshar had been interested in. Etienne turned to stare worriedly at Arrafin and Fayeeda.

"Are they alright, do you think? That bastard."

Elena nodded.

"Yeah. Hey, Arrafin."

The girl did not respond. Elena, frowning, got to her feet and crossed the room to her friend.

"Arrafin?"

Elena stepped back instinctively as a nimbus of black writhing tendrils suddenly erupted around her friend. They disappeared as quick as they had come, and Arrafin raised a tear-streaked face.

"I'm okay."

"What. What are you doing?"

There was a sudden flapping at the roof and a tiny bundle of fluff swept past Elena to land in front of Arrafin. The Saijadani woman stared.

A miniature owl sat there, appearing to study Arrafin. With its puffy feathers and wide eyes, it looked not entirely unlike the Naridic girl. The girl and the owl stared at each other.

"Arrafin? What is that?"

Arrafin's held a flat, hollow tone Elena had never heard before.

"His name is Gral. He's going to help me."

*****

Lying on his back, hands clasped behind his head, Captain Garrickson recalled the skinny frame of the Naridic girl he'd held earlier, the one Kan Koshar had forbidden him to have contact with. The local girl had been satisfyingly terrified, but he still longed for that slender girl with the Al-Tizim accent.

The Nevakada carried the authority of the Tyrant's Shade with them wherever they went.

But it was a long way from Hudra Keffil to the Iron Throne. Garrickson rolled up and called for his aide.

"Aye, sir?"

"Get that Achmed. Time he made his self useful. Tell him ta bring that skinny lass to us. And no need fer much fuss, is there?"

"Nay, sir. Aye, sir."


----------



## Desdichado

Just a quick question.  I realized suddenly that you were typing parasaurs not parasaurolophuses, and I guess I was somehow mentally filling in the rest of the syllables without realizing it.  What is a parasaur?


----------



## barsoomcore

If you had to work with them all day, I figure you'd get pretty tired of saying "parasaurolophus," too. They're mostly just called "paras", just as gallimimus is shortened to "gallo".

It doesn't REALLY make sense that they would use the Latin species names anyway, but what the heck. It doesn't make sense that they're speaking English, so you gotta draw the line somewhere...


----------



## Desdichado

No, I'm with you there; I just wanted to make sure that I was picturing the right dinosaur in my head when I was reading there.  Because y'know---having the wrong dinosaur in mind would be really really bad.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 5*

Love.

Love was all Gral knew. Love for HER.

The awakening that had come upon the tiny owl held nothing of surprise for the creature; he was incapable of questioning what had just happened to him. Or even consciously understanding that anything had happened to him. He knew only that he loved HER and that he would reflect HER voice back to HER.

When SHE held him, peace overcame everything, even hunger. Cupped in HER warm hands, Gral did nothing but look upon HER face, content to know that SHE was with him, that SHE needed him, and that he could be of use to HER.

*****

"So you have a pet owl now. What's that all about, exactly, Arrafin?"

Etienne listened to Elena and then chimed in with his own question.

"Yeah, does he have any friends? Maybe a bit bigger than him? More useful? We could get them to attack the guards."

"He's not a pet. He's a familiar. He's mine."

The others looked blankly at each other, shrugging in confusion.

"Okay. Does that help us? Somehow?"

Arrafin held the little grey-brown puffball to her face, kissing the tiny bird tenderly. She did not reply to Etienne's questions. The half-Kishak shrugged again.

"Well, we have to get out this hut, first of all. There's no way we're going to find Achmed stuck in this rat-trap."

There was a knocking at the door.

"My friends? It is Achmed al-Musharran beni Howetait. May I come in?"

Elena scowled at Etienne.

"Anything comes that easy, you know we're going to pay for it."

Etienne glided over to the door and pointed at Isaac. The big Saijadani grimaced, but called out, "The door's locked, Senor. We can't open it."

"Please do not worry. I have the key. Just a moment."

Rusty iron rattled and the door swung open, Etienne drifting back to take up a position behind it.

Standing in the doorway, silhouetted by an immense bonfire behind him, stood a lean, weathered Naridic man of middle age, with narrow eyes and a suspicous expression on his face.

Fayeeda stood up.

"Father?"

Achmed shook his head, startled. He stepped forward, into the hut.

"Fayeeda? How are you here?"

"Tariq. He made a deal with the mercenaries -- "

Fayeeda cut off as her father stepped up to her and backhanded her savagely across the face.

The cigar dropped from Isaac's mouth and he lunged forward, wrapping his powerful arms around Achmed.

"Steady there, Senor. None of that."

Elena knelt beside Fayeeda as Achmed spewed invective at his daughter.

"Whore! Did you spread your legs for him, you slut? Did you lie beneath him? My brother?"

Fayeeda cried out in desperate denial, but Achmed was clearly having none of it. His arms pinioned by Isaac, he kicked out at the girl, his cursing and anger overflowing him. Isaac lifted the smaller man from the floor and flung him aside.

"Enough. We're here for the gold. Tell us where it is."

"You'll never get it. The captain has it in his chamber. It's guarded around the clock."

Isaac grinned.

"Finally, we get to the killing."

Behind him, Arrafin got to her feet. The little owl sat perched on her shoulder.

"Yes. Time for killing."

The slender young woman, her eyes burning with certainty, walked out the door of the hut.

*****

The Shaeric soldiers not on duty lounged around the edges of the bonfire, laughing at the flames and the occasional collapse of burning wood. Many had a Naridic woman or boy beside them. None took any notice of Arrafin's slight figure as she strode across the dark compound, the massive fire reflecting crazy and brilliant in her eyes.

Behind her Isaac, Elena, Etienne and Fayeeda followed with less assurance, keeping to the shadows as much as they could. Nevid had simply walked off into the darkness without a word and the others, used to their friend's occasional disappearing acts, made no effort to follow him.

Achmed lay half-conscious on the floor of the hut, knocked senseless by a grimly enthusiastic Isaac.

Arrafin made for the large two-story building where the unit had their headquarters. She was thirty paces from the steps to the verandah when two soldiers emerged from the gloom beside her.

"Here now, lass. Where ye think ye be heading, now?"

She kept walking and one put a hand on her narrow shoulder.

"Here, now. Ye'll do best to stay with us, lass."

Arrafin turned to him and threw up a hand. Gral flew up into the night as a sudden eruption of darkness billowed up around her. The two soldiers, feeling their muscles weaken and their blood chill, stumbled back.

"What is -- "

Their words were torn from their throats as their very bodies seemed to stretch and rip, releasing howling sheets of gore that whirled up into the air, becoming a massive whirlwind of dark mist that towered up into the night air. With a shriek Arrafin gestured and the pillar of swirling blood roared overhead. 

The two soldiers dropped to the ground, bleeding and dazed.

Her friends behind her just stared. What they were seeing was impossible, beyond any imagining. A few days ago Arrafin had animated a little stick figure, but this. This was something else.

Etienne recovered first, turning as he saw a pair of Shaeric soldiers rushing forward. He had no weapons but by the time the soldiers knew he was there, he had one's belt knife in his hand and plunged it into the man's side. Then Isaac was there with a heavy log and the second soldier lay on the ground.

Swords were grabbed and the next soldiers coming forward were met by better-armed resistance. Elena and Isaac fought with Kishak sabres, but Etienne had a knife in each hand and twisted and spun on the edge of the fight, somehow staying clear of the melee even as he darted in and out, his edges licking along throats and wrists, leaving long gashes. The fight was his kind of fight, half-lit in the red flames of the bonfire, confused and misdirected, enabling him to step up to his enemies before they knew he was there.

Elena and Isaac stood side-by-side and, heavy sabres held before them, kept the soldiers from Arrafin with desperate parries. Unskilled with these weapons, they could only defend themselves as Etienne, a whirling dark ghost, emerged from the shadows again and again to cut and stab.

Each wound he opened revealed a new horror; the blood shed by his victims came rippling up into the air to join swirling into the wild hurricane of bloody mist above them.

The house was almost completely obscured by the howling storm Arrafin had conjured. Voices came shrieking out from that cruel whirlwind, terrified and pleading. Arrafin stood with her feet widely planted, hands held up before her, her robes flying in the wind generated by the vortex. Her eyes were glassy black orbs.

Fayeeda had fallen to her knees, praying incoherently.

Prisoners and soldiers ran in all directions; screaming and shouting orders or panicky questions. Beneath all that noise the howling of Arrafin's storm grew steady and terrible. A sudden crunching told of the whirlwind reaching the house and tearing at the cedar planks.

Figures came stumbling out of the wall of blood, clutching at their eyes and staggering, falling to their knees.

Elena fought, keeping her focus on the next swordblow, deliberately ignoring the hellish sounds behind her. Suddenly there was no next swordblow. The remaining soldiers ran for the house, reaching for their blinded friends. Panting, she turned to Isaac.

"Now what?"

They both looked at Arrafin. The house, engulfed in her gory whirlwind, shuddered as though in an earthquake. Shingles tore from the roof and spun up into the dark sky. The stink of blood filled the air.

Arrafin turned to her friends. They stepped back at the sight of her eyes, and the thin dark veins crawling over her face. Gral dropped out of the air and settled on her shoulder.

"He's around the back. Trying to sneak away. Get him. He's blind."

She turned back to the storm.

Elena and Isaac looked at each other. Another squadron of soldiers approached, cautiously but with clear intent.

"Now what?"

And the gatehouse exploded.

*****

"He had a knife, Arrafin. We didn't have a choice."

Arrafin glared at Isaac. Her eyes had returned to their normal brown, but the strength and power in them still caught him off-guard.

"I wanted him alive."

They stood next to the body of Captain Garrickson, his throat a dark ragged grin.

"Well, he's dead."

Beyond them soldiers screamed. The Naridic prisoners had broken into the fort armoury and fallen upon their captors. Crucifixes were being assembled and retribution taken. Young boys hefted hammers and drove spikes into Shaeric wrists and ankles. Mothers shrieked encouragement and threw stones. Some cried out for the Kishak, seeking the most hated enemy of them all.

Arrafin's storm had spun itself out, but the fort still stank of blood and terror.

Nevid emerged from the darkness with a blanket-draped figure in tow. The young Saijadani's clothes still bore the burns and stains from the explosion he'd triggered at the gatehouse, hurling a torch into the magazine when the guards rushed off to save their captain. He pursed his lips and made a tiny gesture of his head.

"Who's that?"

Nevid grimaced at Arrafin's loud tone.

"It's Kan Koshar. He was injured by your storm. We need to get him out of here."

The others studied him for a few seconds. None of their faces showed the slightest concern for the Kishak's fate.

"Right. Get him out. Or, bonfire."

Nevid sighed at Elena's angry reaction.

"He's Nevakada. He knows valuable information. We need to send him back to Saijadan. The del Maraviez can take him."

Arrafin scowled but nodded.

"Nevid's right."

She looked down at Garrickson's corpse.

"I wanted him alive."

She choked and nearly sobbed. Elena put an arm around her friend's shoulder, sparing a glance for Isaac as she did so.

"Come on, Arrafin. Let's get out of here. There's enough blood in this sand for one night."

Arrafin turned a tear-streaked face to her friend.

"In the Narid we say, 'The thirst of the desert is never satisfied.'"

Her little owl fluttered its soft wings and pressed against her throat. Arrafin pulled herself from Elena to fuss quietly over the bird. Fayeeda whispered a prayer as she watched.

The bonfire painted them all with its lurid gleam. Isaac watched Arrafin for a second, then shook his head.

"No offense, Arrafin, but your country is full of crazy people."


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 6*

The sun rose over a ruined fort. Dying soldiers, hung from tall posts, begged weakly for death, their voices a terrible dirge hanging over the smoking ruins.

Arrafin seemed to have recovered somewhat from the night's trauma, and chatted quietly with Elena as they rode away, through the rocky valleys of this part of the Narid. They'd acquired two paras from the mercenaries' stables, and shared this one with Nevid and his sullen prisoner, as well as several cases of gold ingots. On the other para rode Isaac, Etienne and Fayeeda.

The latter had scarcely spoke since her encounter with her father in the camp. He had ridden off on some of the mercenaries' gallos with a number of savage-looking men, swearing vengeance against his treacherous brother, without a single glance for his daughter.

By mid-morning the little group had reached the stretch of beach where they'd first landed. There was no sign of Tariq or his camp. Flags waved aboard the _Thuria's Dream_, far out to sea, and a longboat put off from the merchant ship.

The riders dismounted, huddling close together in the chilly, spray-filled wind off the breakers.

Elena sighed and broke the silence.

"So we got the gold. That's good. And a prisoner."

Others mumbled agreement.

The longboat drew nearer.

Arrafin squared her shoulders and lifted her head.

"I don't want to go back. I want to go to Al-Tizim."

Nevid frowned.

"What? But we have to return the gold, take this Nevakada back..."

"No. The captain can do all that. I want to go to Al-Tizim. I want. I want to help."

Elena put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Arrafin, you can't fight the Kishak Empire by yourself."

Isaac nodded.

"Let's go home, Arrafin, and figure out our next move there."

"Go home? Al-Tizim IS my home, Isaac. Or Philip. Or Dominic, or whatever your name is. I am home. How can I leave? Look at what's happening here. We could make a difference. A big difference. For a lot of people. We could help."

Etienne chimed in, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Arrafin, it's not that simple. I lived under the Kishaks all my life. But revolution takes time and sacrifice -- "

"You think I don't know that? Do you think I'm not ready to sacrifice? You don't know anything. You don't know anything about me, so shut up."

The young woman's uncharacteristic outburst startled the others. Etienne shook his head and walked away, muttering.

The longboat was now passing through the high rollers that endlessly roared up the beach.

Nevid drew a breath.

"I think Arrafin's right. I think we should be in the middle of things."

He turned to Arrafin, ignoring Isaac and Elena's startled looks.

"But we can't be a revolution ourselves, Arrafin. We all want the Kishaks out of the Narid, but we have to be smart. We have to wait until we have enough power and support to act."

The Naridic girl nodded.

"Power. Yes."

She turned her head to study her little owl, and it almost seemed that the two of them were having some sort of conversation. She nodded to the bird and then to Nevid.

"Let's go. It's at least a week's ride from here."

The longboat scraped on the beach nearby and sailors came running up through the shallow water. Nevid met the first mate.

"We're not coming aboard. But here's a Nevakada agent for Isabella del Maraviez. And the gold."

The first mate took the news very well. Elena wondered if maybe they were just as glad not to have Arrafin the Sorceress on their ship again. She sighed inwardly, recalling that impossible whirlwind of blood the girl had summouned last night.

And the way Arrafin had said, "Power," to Nevid just now did nothing to ease her concern.

Fayeeda stepped forward, staring at Arrafin.

"Take me with you. Take me to Al-Tizim."

"It'll be dangerous. The Kishaks are coming there."

"I want to fight. I want to fight the Kishaks."

Fayeeda's quiet voice rose up in a sudden snarl.

"Don't you understand? My father was working with them. So was Tariq. They're traitors to our people. They. They don't care. They just want to kill. I can't not do something. Please. Let me come with you."

Bewildered, Arrafin turned to the others. Isaac shrugged. Nevid appeared to be studying the waves. Elena nodded, and answered the girl.

"Of course, Fayeeda. You can come with us."

*****

They were not alone in the desert. As dusk settled over the dunes, they heard the rattle and clang of riding gear and a small caravan of two paras and a dozen gallos came around the heel of a dune and into the hollow where they'd made their camp.

Hands went to swordhilts, but Arrafin rose and went forward.

"They're merchants, don't worry. Maybe they have news of Al-Tizim."

They did.

The leader of the caravan was named Serrus al-Farani beni Rifaa, and turned out to be a good-humoured middle-aged man who travelled with his entire extended family. Children, wives, sisters, brothers, and one elderly aunt all rode along, and their presence enlived the little camp as the sun set.

Serrus settled himself at the fire with Isaac and the others.

"Tell me, my friends, what brings four foreigners into the desert?"

Nevid spoke.

"We are travelling to Al-Tizim."

Serrus made a gesture of warding.

"Do not, as God is my witness! Things are terrible in Al-Tizim at this time. Terrible. No, turn around my friends, and go back."

Arrafin pressed forward.

"What do you mean? What's happening?"

"The Kishaks are in the city. The Emir is executed. Sharina al-Sharina's army is nowhere to be found. No, Al-Tizim is no place to be right now. May God have mercy on the City of Kings."

Serrus shook his head sadly.

"This is why I am here, now, with my family. Thanks be to God, we escaped just ahead of the Kishaks. I only hope that God will see us safely out of this country."

"The Kishaks are in Al-Tizim?"

Arrafin's voice was a whisper.

"Was there a battle?"

Serrus chuckled.

"In the streets, there was slaughter, child. We met some who had escaped after the Kishaks came. All who resisted have been killed. The university has been turned into a barracks, professors strung from the rooftops."

Arrafin gasped and Elena took hold of the girl.

"My father. My father."

She burst into terrified sobs. Elena addressed Serrus.

"Her father is a professor at the university."

"Oh, child, I am sorry. Many escaped, dear girl. God has not abandoned us. He may have preserved your father. We will endure this test if we have faith."

"Faith."

*****

Etienne ignored the sudden crowd. He'd found a position dug into the crest of a dune where he could survey the camp and watch the surrounding desert. The stars shone with enough brilliance that he could see the grains of sand around him.

He'd never seen anything like this in all his years on the streets of Pavairelle, he had to admit that much. The open desert was beautiful in its spare purity. That terrible whirlwind of blood last night still burned in his memory, but staring up at the stars helped to ease his mind.

And he felt a deep sense of security at the thought that he would see anyone coming from miles away. Nobody could possibly surprise them out here.

*****

Arrafin had at last fallen asleep, exhausted by the last day and a half of terror and death. Elena sat by the dying campfire with Isaac. Neither Nevid nor Etienne were anywhere to be seen. Fayeeda was talking with one of Serrus' daughters.

"What do you think, Isaac? I mean, Dominic."

"What do I think? I think we're missing every other word in this sentence."

"Yeah."

Elena looked over where that little owl sat next to Arrafin's sleeping form.

"I've decided I don't like sorcery."

"At last, we agree on something."

"But it does seem effective."

Isaac poked at the dying fire.

"Yeah, but what's the cost? Arrafin's changing."

Elena nodded in silent agreement, unable to put her fears into words.

"I'm not crazy about walking into a war zone, either."

Isaac grunted.

"On the list of stupid things we've done, it doesn't really rate."

Elena chuckled at that, and was about to reply when the night tore apart around them. The sputtering light of the fire revealed dark forms suddenly emerging from the night, shadows boiling and hissing up around them. Immense, hulking forms with axes. Surrounding a scowling Lohanese woman in some sort of weird whore's outfit, showing off her legs and cleavage.

The woman laughed.

"We have come for the Talon of the Raven. Surrender it at once, or die."

She considered that, surveyed the waking camp, and laughed again.

"To hell with it. We're just going to kill you all anyway."

Isaac got to his feet.

"Great. I prefer things straightforward."


----------



## barsoomcore

Early post this week since tomorrow: GenCon!

Two posts in a row without adoring commentary? People, you're making me feel unloved!


----------



## Mahtave

Fear not Barsoom, here is a comment! 

This is a great read, I am especially interested to see where Arrafin and her quest for more "power" leads these group.  That is assuming they survive their night time surprise!


----------



## shilsen

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Early post this week since tomorrow: GenCon!
> 
> Two posts in a row without adoring commentary? People, you're making me feel unloved!




*smacks barsoomcore*

Stop being a prima donna! You know we love your stuff! And you know it's your own fault anyway. Two updates without dinosaurs? Come on!



> And he felt a deep sense of security at the thought that he would see anyone coming from miles away. Nobody could possibly surprise them out here.








> Isaac got to his feet.
> 
> "Great. I prefer things straightforward."




Man, you just described most of my PCs!


----------



## barsoomcore

There may be a bit of a dinosaur hiatus. But I promise to supply plenty of horrible potential death (and worse) in future updates. Things on Barsoom are about to go very, very twisted.

And it's important you remember: NOTHING of what is about to happen is my fault.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 7*

In the midst of battle, of wild desperate combat, there are occasional moments of lucidity and calmness that startle the one who experiences them.

It seemed to Elena that for just a heartbeat, the world slowed down and she had time to look around at the pandemonium that had engulfed their campsite, see the defenceless merchants and children cut down, hear their screams, and think very clearly to herself that she had more than heard enough of innocent people dying.

Blood splashed on the sand in thick cascades. Blades bit into bodies, cracked on bone, and tore leather and fabric.

Guns went off, Isaac cursing and scrambling backwards from a massive heavy-muscled figure with a two-headed axe. Elena caught a glimpse of Nevid holding the staff he'd taken from Essermane Varag's tomb, fending off another one of their attackers while an old woman wailed behind him.

Elena had a chance to reload her crossbow and she put a quarrel into the man attacking Nevid. He dropped, kicking and spasming, and she saw another collapse to the sand in front of Isaac. She set about reloading, steadying her nervous hands.

Children were still screaming.

*****

Fayeeda shot to her feet at the voices. Shadows swirled and somebody laughed. She heard the butcher shock of steel on flesh. Naridic people were dying.

Her father, knocking her down and calling her names. Her uncle Tariq's foul cruelty. Crucified children crying helplessly. The Shaeric captain and his laughing assault.

Fayeeda had had enough. She grabbed a stick of firewood and charged.

"God is great!"

She never saw the axe. The first thing Arrafin saw upon waking was Fayeeda's head tumbling to the sand.

_Of course, Fayeeda. You can come with us._

*****

Etienne woke up to the sudden shrieks. Down below him, he could make out swarming chaos in the camp. Furious that enemies had somehow got past him, the half-Kishak drew both knives and plunged down the side of the dune, silent in the soft sand.

He saw the woman standing with her arms held out, watching the battle with satisfaction, and rushed towards her, ready to take her unawares, plant his blades in her kidneys. He wasn't sure what she was doing, exactly, but she looked just like an evil sorceress ought to look.

He might possibly have been distracted by the provocative getup. Or it might have just been the wild swirl of the melee, Isaac's guns going off, or the darkness. Whatever the cause, he almost completely failed to notice the large Hinsuan man with his equally large polearm. Only a last-minute flash of steel saved Etienne's life, and even as he dodged aside, he felt a banging impact and hit the ground heavily, his knives falling from his hands.

The woman turned and saw him for the first time.

"Well done, Deepek. Now find the Talon."

She laughed and held up what to Etienne's dazed eyes looked like sewing needles.

"Embroidery?"

*****

Isaac held his sword out, staring down the other guy and trying not to shake. Killing the first one had cost him and he knew he was bleeding badly. Elena was somewhere behind him.

"What the hell is the Talon of the Raven?"

"How should I know?"

He took a second to consider their situation. Not great. But they'd been in worse spots, he decided, remembering the horror of their flight from the town of Chimney. At least these guys COULD be killed.

Two of the bad guys were down, leaving two still standing, as well as the slutty-looking Lohanese woman who seemed to be boss. 

Nevid was alive, having suffered one of his rare bouts of courage. He crouched behind a dead gallo, with some survivors huddled beside him. Bodies lay strewn around the campfire. Isaac couldn't see Etienne anywhere.

"Three against three, lady. You still like your odds?"

Arrafin stood up. Her eyes burned.

"Four against three."

The Lohanese woman smiled. Isaac just had time to note the flash of metal in her hand before she gestured at him. Searing bolts of pain tore through him as tiny wounds opened in his arms and torso. He fell to his knees, unable to remain standing. Teeth gritted, he groaned against the agony stabbing into him.

Elena's crossbow went off and suddenly there was a quarrel sticking out of the woman's side. She gasped and fell back, caught by one of her guards. Her hand flew out in a gesture and dark shadows coiled around her. Elena heard Arrafin cry out in warning but then the sand erupted at the woman's feet. Like the bow wave of an invisible ship the explosion tore through the desert floor straight at Elena.

She felt the ground beneath her ripple and fling her into the air, her arms pinwheeling in helpless circles. Her impact with the ground knocked the wind out of her.

*****

Sorcery. The woman was a sorceress.

A sorceress of power. Arrafin stared as the Lohanese sorceress cast some kind of spell that sent Elena flying, her concern for her friend lost to her excitement at the thought of new spells.

She faced the sorceress, who was sagging now from Elena's crossbow quarrel.

"You want the Talon? What is it? Why do we need to fight?"

The woman laughed again, but a little less smugly this time. She pointed.

"That. My mistress demands it."

Arrafin turned to see the nine-foot-long, cloth-wrapped sword that Elena had been carrying since Chimney. It lay propped against a pile of firewood.

"How many spells do you have?"

The woman stared.

"You know sorcery, child? Who taught you?"

"I taught myself."

"You taught yourself? Interesting."

"Hold a minute. Maybe we can reach an agreement."

Elena had gotten shakily to her feet and turned in astonishment at Arrafin's suggestion.

"First, release our friend."

The woman waved a hand and Isaac collapsed, moaning. Arrafin watched for a second as her friend pushed himself up. He stumbled to where Arrafin and Elena stood, the three of them opposite the campfire from the woman and her guards.

"Arrafin, what are you doing?"

"We don't have to fight. We could give it to them."

Isaac groaned.

"But they're bad guys, Arrafin. We don't give ancient magic weapons to bad guys."

"How do we know they're bad guys?"

"'We're going to kill you all' was the first thing they said."

"But they didn't know us."

"I think that strengthens my argument, not yours."

Arrafin sulked.

Nevid stood up from behind the dead gallo and stepped forward.

"Madam, is it necessary that more people die?"

The woman stared at him for a second. A look of shock came over her face and she burst into laughter.

Elena's eyebrows rose.

"Maybe she does know us. At least, Nevid."

The woman pointed at Nevid and said something incomprehensible. She turned to her guards and exchanged quick words.

"You will surrender the Talon to us? There need be no more fighting."

Elena shrugged.

"Arrafin, you really want to just give it to her?"

"No," Arrafin shook her head, "I don't."

She turned to the Lohanese woman.

"We won't give the sword to you."

The woman frowned.

"We'll trade it to you. We'll trade it for spells."

Elena nudged her friend.

"Uh. What did you just say?"

Arrafin ignored her. She kept her eyes on the woman, ignoring the corpses and groaning injured around them. Ignoring Fayeeda's severed head. This was about power. The power to resist the Tyrant's Shade.

"Is it a deal?"

Elena tried again.

"Look, ask her what's up with Nevid."

"You ask her."

"Hey. What's up with Nevid? Why did you laugh at him? I mean, besides the obvious."

"He is. He possesses something I recognize."

"A ring? A hairstyle? A certain stylish charm?"

The woman chuckled.

"Nothing like that. It's hard to explain."

"Oh."

"So will you trade? Spells for the sword?"

The woman nodded at Arrafin's insistent questions.

"I think so. But I must speak with my mistress first."

She looked over Nevid once more, then turned her attention back to Arrafin.

"But perhaps she will find you interesting."

Something made her smile, a wild and savage smile that raised the hairs on the back on Isaac's neck.

"Yes. I'm sure she will."

For a second Arrafin's certainty foundered.

"Oh. Uh. Who is your mistress? Is she a sorceress, too?"

The woman laughed.

"She is Madame Yuek Man Chong. She is alabaster death. Come. I will take you to her."

"Okay."

Etienne lifted his head.

"Gonna need a little help here. Axe. Or something."

Isaac watched Nevid, Arrafin and Elena step forward and took one last stab on the part of sanity.

"Arrafin. Bad guys. Bad idea."

"No, Isaac. This is important."

Arrafin turned back to Isaac, her eyes pleading. She ignored Fayeeda's body still oozing blood into the sand. The desert had soaked up far more in its ages.

"Please. This is power, Isaac. Don't you understand?"

"Nope. I don't."

The big Saijadani sighed as he helped Etienne to his feet.

"But that's never stopped us before."


----------



## Avarice

Oh boy.  Bad career move there, Arrafin.  I'm guessing that's not quite the way you envisioned that encounter playing out, barsoomcore?


----------



## barsoomcore

Avarice said:
			
		

> I'm guessing that's not quite the way you envisioned that encounter playing out, barsoomcore?



That's putting it mildly. This moment is where everything started going completely off the rails. Everything I had planned for Barsoom fell apart right here.

At this point in the gaming, the real plan was for the party to get involved in dealing with the Tyrant's Shade. Kani the Cranky Sorceress was just invented on the fly to give a quick encounter during an otherwise uneventful trip to Al-Tizim, where the "real plot" would begin to develop. Two things happened during this session:

First off, Nevid's player played the swashbuckling card "We Meet Again!" -- and so I had to invent some reason for Kani to recognize him. At the close of the session I still hadn't figured out what that was, exactly, but I decided it was some mystical hoobajoob to do with, maybe, a ressurrected soul or something.

Second of all, Arrafin's player decided to make a deal with Kani, which completely threw me off. See, when I was planning this session, I made up Kani's statblock with no real notion of who she was -- I just wanted someone to show up and try to steal the Talon. I realised that if I made the NPC powerful enough to find the Talon in the first place, they'd be powerful enough to smear the party around (these guys were about fourth level at this point), so I made the encounter be a minion, forgetting that minions must have overlords.

When somebody asked Kani who she worked for, I had no idea. I quickly took the name of my favourite Hong Kong actress, Cheung Man-Yuek, and flipped it around and just said, "Yuek Man Chong." I then hurriedly jotted that down next to Kani's statblock so I wouldn't forget, in case it became important later.

Hoo boy.

In future episodes we will see one other critical swashbuckling card played and the final piece of set up for Season Two will be in place. Barsoom will never be the same again.


----------



## shilsen

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> That's putting it mildly. This moment is where everything started going completely off the rails. Everything *I had planned* for Barsoom fell apart right here.
> 
> ...
> 
> Second of all, Arrafin's player decided to make a deal with Kani, which completely threw me off. See, when *I was planning* this session...




See, there's your mistake right there 



> In future episodes we will see one other critical swashbuckling card played and the final piece of set up for Season Two will be in place. Barsoom will never be the same again.




Nothing ever survives contact with the players, does it?

Damn good update, by the way, and it's always nice to see a DM rolling with the wierd stuff the PCs put out there and running with it. Nicely done.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 8*

"Hold hands. It is very important that you hang on during the travel."

Nevid shook, paler than Isaac even. He hadn't been wounded but clearly the notion of sorcerous travel terrified him.

"I don't want to do this."

Arrafin grabbed his hand.

"Come on, Nevid. This is important."

Isaac took Nevid's other hand. Next to him, Elena, with that immense sword slung over her back, closed the circle with Etienne. The Lohanese woman and her guards faced them, showing no inclination to take their fallen comrades with them.

Serrus stumbled out of the darkness towards them.

"But where are you going? We. What do we do now?"

Isaac turned to him.

"Don't know. And, don't know. Sorry."

Arrafin's face softened.

"Go with God, sir. I'm sorry we brought this upon you. You. You'll be safer without us around, I think."

Serrus just stared, the shock and terror of the last few minutes plain on his lined face.

And shadowy tendrils coiled up out of the ground around the group and swallowed them up. When he looked again, they were gone. Only footprints in the sand showed where they had once stood. Around him lay dead bodies and the remains of his terrified family.

"God, what have you done?"

*****

Like standing in the midst of a dark hurricane.

Like a howling tornado of shadow.

Like waves, black waves pounding down into rock.

Arrafin understood they must be travelling along the "edge", as it were, of the Shadow Realm, able to move at great speed, propelled by the sorceress' will. There was a vague sense of landscapes hurtling by, half-glimpsed through the blinding whirl of shadowy chaos on all sides. Her owl clung to her shoulder, and she felt its strength helping her to understand what she was seeing.

The others had no such context and just tried to hang on to whoever they were clutching, their clothes and gear whipped around them in the hellish gale.

Except Nevid. After a few seconds of the freakish storm, the Saijadani youth had had enough. He yanked his hand free of Arrafin's grip and, as the wind sucked at him, dragging him outwards, tried to free himself from Isaac's much stronger hold.

"Nevid! Hang on!"

Isaac cursed as suddenly Nevid's entire weight seemed to drag at his shoulder. The screaming wind grew even louder, and he could hear other voices crying out, telling him to hang on, but Nevid was slipping.

"Nevid!"

Arrafin shrieked at the Lohanese woman.

"Stop! Nevid's falling!"

The woman made no reaction. Arrafin wondered if shaking the woman out of her trance-like concentration was maybe not the best idea.

"Isaac!"

Now Elena could feel Isaac being pulled out of the circle. She groaned and tried to heave her friend backwards.

"Nevid!"

Pulled in two directions, Isaac swore creatively. He had a sure grip still on Nevid, but now the strain on Elena was growing.

"Elena! Let go!"

"No! Isaac! Hang on!"

"Send her to find us!"

Isaac wrenched his wrist free from Elena's grasp, and then the shadows took hold of him and Nevid.

"Isaac!"

Elena screamed, her voice barely registering above the howling wind. But Isaac and Nevid were gone.

The circle was broken now, and Arrafin was grateful for the powerful grip of the guard beside her. Gral's talons dug into her shoulder. Elena clung to Etienne and the two of them hung on for dear life to the heavy-set guard on the other side of the Lohanese woman. Shadows whipped between them all, wild ribbons and banners of insubstantial darkness flailing in shrieking tides.

There was a sudden sense of masses moving past them, mountains or great buildings, flashing past, and then the terrible gale receded on all sides and they stood in a great half-ruined hall of ancient stone.

High overhead the arches were broken and crumbling. Early-morning sunlight emblazoned the stones with gold.

The distant cries of seabirds seemed like silence after the dark storm they'd passed through. But as their hearing recovered, other sounds rose up.

Faint voices hissed and echoed on all sides. Things rustled and chattered, just out of sight in the gloom. Something laughed, chuckling low and full of menace. On all sides Elena felt the sudden weight of thousands of unseen eyes.

The Lohanese woman bowed with a mocking smile.

"Welcome to Castle Dannockshire."

*****

Shadows howled and bit and snarled at them. Isaac felt as if he were tumbling, unable to find anything to stand on, or cling to, flung back and forth in shrieking currents of dark hunger. The only solid, real thing in existence was Nevid's wrist and he clung to that with all his strength.

The shock of the sudden brightness made him cry out and shield his eyes, and then he realised he was lying on his back on a solid surface.

Sand.

Isaac sat up.

"Oh, that's just great."

He and Nevid sat side-by-side in the middle of a featureless expanse of sand. The sun was not quite over the horizon yet, and now that his eyes were adjusting he could see that it wasn't all that bright after all. Just that where they had been was very, very dark.

They sat in the middle of the desert. No water. No food. Not a sign of civilization or even shade in any direction.

He scowled at Nevid.

"I hope you're happy with yourself."

*****

"You know, as scary and horrible as that whole trip was, I think this place is actually creepier."

Elena and Arrafin helped Etienne follow their hostess. Arrafin nodded at Elena's comment.

"I know. I feel like. Like."

"Like a million evil, hungry spirits are watching you from every corner?"

"About a million, yes. Maybe two."

"Yeah."

Elena raised her voice to reach the woman ahead of them.

"Uh. Excuse me. What about our friends?"

The woman giggled.

"What about them? They're probably dead already."

"What? No. We have to help them. You have to go get them."

Their hostess whirled on them.

"Enough. I don't have to do a single thing you say. One more word, and I'll peel the skin off your t*ts."

Arrafin and Elena just stared. The woman giggled again.

"But he did have that thing in his head, didn't he? Maybe I should. Maybe. Spells. You wanted spells."

Arrafin hadn't quite kept up with the one-sided conversation.

"What?"

"You said you wanted spells. You'll need to copy them down. The formula. They're probably dead already. And that's a shame. She would be interested in his soul, I think. And your t*ts."

The bizarre woman turned around and continued walking. Elena and Arrafin shared a confused glance. Etienne coughed and lolled his head at their hostess.

"I like her. She's got... pershonalini."

"Put your friend in here."

The woman gestured to a doorway. Inside, the three saw a dust-covered bedroom, crowded with rotting furniture and mouldy curtains.

"Uh."

"Then I can teach you to find your friends yourself."

"Elena, you can take Etienne, right? Here's the skull for him to drink from. Okay? Bye."

Elena watched Arrafin's thin form, her tiny owl still clinging to her shoulder, disappear down the hall with the Lohanese woman and her hulking guards. Leaving her and Etienne alone in the gloomy hallway.

Something chuckled. Elena dragged Etienne into the room and heaved him onto the bed. Clouds of dust rose up and bed half-collapsed with a series of grumbling cracks.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll get better here."

"Why do you always get yourself killed? Seems like I'm always dragging your sorry butt somewhere."

"Yeah. Me and my sorry butt."

*****

"Memorize this. This is a basic spell. It lets you see people at a distance."

Arrafin nodded, already absorbed in the complicated text. Her little owl gave every appearance of reading along with her. The Lohanese woman watched for a few seconds, then spoke quietly to her guards. They nodded and left.

Arrafin ignored them utterly. The math spoke to her. The rest of the world faded into insignificance as she sank into the forumla of the spell, folding it into her mind like a delicate paper flower.

Power.

*****

Footsteps passed in the hall, but from where she sat, Elena could tell nobody had gone by. Voices called out overhead, louder then softer. At one point it sounded like a party going on next door, laughter and music, and then a shrill scream cut it all off.

Elena sat perfectly still beside the bed. She couldn't even bring herself to get up and close the door.

Something breathed heavily out in the hall, panting like an immense hound, its breath wet and fetid. Claws scrabbled on stone. Again that mocking chuckle she'd heard earlier.

"I've got an idea."

Etienne croaked weakly from the bed.

"Next time Arrafin says, 'Let's go off with this total stranger who wants to kill us,' let's you and me hit her on the head until she shuts up."

Elena swallowed. She realised she was clutching the marble skull in her lap and filled it from her waterskin. Her hands shook as she passed the skull to Etienne.

"That's a good plan. You can count on my support."

"Although I guess if that crazy girl wanted to kill us, she'd have already done so."

Etienne winced as his wounds knitted themselves closed.

"Well. Maybe. On the other hand, she's a lot of crazy in a small slutty package."

A woman screamed nearby. Elena had just recovered from the shock when that woman, or possibly some other woman, appeared in the doorway.

This woman was Shaeric, with long dark curls and green eyes. Her skin was pale and her heavy velvet dress looked as dusty as the bedspread Etienne lay sprawled on. The half-Kishak looked over at her.

"Hey. Elena."

"What?"

The woman drifted forward.

"You notice how her feet aren't touching the floor? That's weird."

"Etienne, if she doesn't kill us, I'm going to beat your sorry butt."


----------



## Desdichado

Hah!  So this is how the defining NPC of the entire campaign got introduced?  As a throwaway name you needed to come up with when a throwaway encounter suddenly turned into a negotiation instead of just a straight-up fight?

I find that highly amusing.  I may need to have another look at the swashbuckling cards again, now that I may be running again soon.  I could use that kind of spontaneity.  It'd be fun.


----------



## barsoomcore

Hobo said:
			
		

> Hah!  So this is how the defining NPC of the entire campaign got introduced?  As a throwaway name you needed to come up with when a throwaway encounter suddenly turned into a negotiation instead of just a straight-up fight?



Yup.

This is why the Swashbuckling Cards come with a warning on the label:



			
				Scratch Factory said:
			
		

> DMs: be warned that some of these cards can seriously impact your campaign. We have grouped the most potentially disruptive cards in the final three pages of this document. If you’d rather limit the impact of  these cards, do not use those pages’ worth and stick to the first seven pages of cards. The cards in the  latter three pages are not only potentially disruptive, they can also require a fair amount of on-your-feet creative thinking on your part. Read them over and make sure you’re comfortable trying to handle those -- inventing a love affair for a key NPC on the spot can be nerve-wracking. Take it from me.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 9*

"No doubt you've got some clever plan up your sleeve to get us out of this?"

Isaac scowled at Nevid. The two men walked side-by-side across a vast dusty plain.  Gentle dunes rose up a few hundred paces away, seeming to get no nearer as they walked. The sun was steadily climbing above the horizon now, and the heat was growing.

"Or even just a waterskin?"

Nevid made no response.

They walked on in silence for a while, dust rising in billowy plumes around their feet. Isaac winced as his foot came down on a stone and the resulting unbalance set off needles of pain throughout his injuries. He snarled.

"Maybe your precious Isabella can help us. Why don't you send her a report, filed and stamped and sealed, detailing all the relevant points. Like how you pulled me out here. So I can die. In the desert. Of thirst. I hear it's just about the most painful way to die there is, you know. Thanks for that. That's what shows you really care."

Nevid, at last goaded to reaction, turned to retort angrily, but stopped, mouth open and finger held up, staring at something beyond Isaac's shoulder. His shoulders slumped and he sighed.

"Hi, Arrafin."

*****

"We're fine."

Nevid had managed to control his terror this time and stared at the flagstones in the bedroom with Elena, Etienne and Arrafin. Isaac still glowered.

Arrafin was giddy with success.

"I did it! Kani taught me. I found you. It worked."

"How did -- ? No, that's okay. I see Kani had to do the travelling. Any chance you'll pick that up, too?"

"No, that's too complicated for me still. But I did the scrying. I found you."

"Great."

Isaac, passing the marble skull back to Arrafin, lost a bit of his glower as he noticed the expressions on Etienne's and Elena's faces.

"Are you two okay?"

Elena smiled thinly.

"Fine. When are we leaving this place?"

"Leaving?"

Arrafin's crestfallen reaction made no impact on Elena.

"But we just got here. I've only learned the one spell. I need to spend more time, I have to copy out the formula and practice."

"No."

"Elena?"

"No. We have to go. Soon. Now."

Isaac frowned.

"What's -- ?"

"There are THINGS in this place. Bad things. I want to go."

Etienne stood beside her and nodded.

"Yes. Go. Soon. Now."

The other three looked round at each other, confused by the sudden determination of their friends.

"What kind of things?"

"Things that remind me of that little girl in Chimney."

Isaac, Arrafin and Nevid all paled. The room lay in dusty silence for heartbeats. Isaac coughed at last.

"That's a relief. I thought you were going to say things like Collette."

They all chuckled a little bit at that. Isaac looked around. Sunlight angled in between the drapes, highlighting the thick cobwebs everywhere.

"What are they? Ghosts?"

"Something like that, I guess."

"Well, they'll probably stay hidden until nightfall, wouldn't you think?"

Etienne nodded.

"Well, I would. But I think she'd disagree with you."

Isaac turned to find a green-eyed Shaeric woman right behind him. He leapt back with a surprised cry, knocking over a sidetable. The woman stared at him for a second, then turned to study Arrafin. The Naridic girl crept backwards to the wall, trying very hard to smile in a friendly sort of fashion. And failing.

"Hi. I'm. I'm Arrafin."

"Me name is Kaley. Are ye here ta take me away?"

Her soft, singsong accent somehow made her less frightening. Arrafin got her smile going finally.

"No. I don't think so."

The Shaeric woman rotated smoothly in place, and noticed Nevid. She immediately drifted towards him.

Nevid held his hands up.

"No. No. I don't. Wait."

He closed his eyes as she approached. Her strange means of locomotion had not been lost on Nevid, and he fully expected to feel an eldritch chill as her insubstantial fingers passed right through him. Instead, warm hands clasped his.

"I like ye, lad."

Elena managed a grin.

"Great. You can have him. Cheap."

Nevid went very still as the woman pushed forward and sighed against him.

"I like ye. Ye'll help me."

"Oh, no."

Isaac stepped forward.

"Uh. Miss. Miss Kaley. Maybe you can help us. Can you tell us what's going on in this place?"

She turned and stared at him, her emerald eyes wide.

And kept staring.

And kept staring.

Isaac coughed.

"Uh. Miss?"

She smiled and turned back to Nevid.

"Nay. I like this one, sir."

Isaac found a cigar end and shoved it in his mouth, chewing furiously. Arrafin edged forward.

"Kaley, you said you wanted us to help you? Help you do what? Do you want to leave this place?"

"Oh, aye. Aye, I'd love ta go wid ye all. Would ye no take me? Take me out of this place? Take -- ?"

The Shaeric woman's face suddenly distorted as she shrieked, her mouth opening in an impossible gaping circle, and then she plunged straight down through the floor, leaving no mark on the flagstones whatsoever.

Kani stood in the doorway.

"Madame Yuek will see you now."

Arrafin pointed at the floor.

"What was that?"

"A ghost. This castle is greatly haunted."

"Oh. Uh, why does, uh, Madame Yuek live in a haunted castle?"

"She likes the attention."

*****

Everyone's eyes were nearly as wide as Arrafin's as they followed Kani through the crumbling halls of the ancient castle. Every corner seemed to hide some scrabbling figure, every half-open door hid some terrible scene that their imaginations told them was repeated day after day.

"Don't ghosts, you know, sleep during the day?"

Kani laughed her mad giggle.

"Technically, most of these are not ghosts. They are spirits."

Elena tried to keep the conversation going. Anything was better than listening to those chittering voices everywhere.

"The difference being?"

"A ghost is a human soul that is unable or unwilling to cross the Buried Sea and be consumed. A spirit is a denizen of the Dream Worlds who is able to maintain its identity here in the Living World. These spirits are called the Tuthean Tarn. They are found throughout the islands of Shaer."

"I'm a little hazy on my Dream Worlds."

"Perhaps you can ask Madame Yuek about it."

Arrafin jumped into the discussion.

"Is she well-informed on this sort of thing? She's a very skilled sorcerer, right? She's. Who is she?"

"She is my mistress. She is eternal. There are no secrets she does not possess."

Kani gestured to the decrepit iron doors at the end of the hallway.

"And she awaits."

Isaac winced against his injuries.

"Arrafin, if you get us killed by yet another cranky Lohanese bitch, I'm going to be very annoyed."

*****

The doors opened, iron hinges squealing, to reveal a great vaulted chamber that stretched away a hundred paces to a tall dias lit by high windows on all sides. The floor of the hall lay strewn with broken benches and scraps of masonry fallen from the ceiling more than a stone's cast overhead.

Pigeons rustled and murmured to each other on all sides. A gallery encircled three sides of the room, giving the space the air of a theatre or a great king's throne room.

And indeed a great throne stood upon the dias at the far end of the hall. The five friends made their cautious way down a wide aisle towards the throne.

To either side of the throne Kani's hulking guards stood. With them, also one on each side, stood other figures, nearly as large but with a strangely feminine build to their massive bodies. They were dressed in thick black leather drawn taut over their muscles. Strange stitchery wound all over their bodies.

But the figure seated on the throne drew all attention towards her.

At first Arrafin thought it was some kind of doll, a giant porcelain doll. The skin was as white as any marble, the pouting red lips painted on. The black black eyes stared liquid but still, without blinking. The perfect face held still in utter rigidity, not swaying or moving in the slightest.

Arrafin stared. It was beautiful.

It was hard to make out what was person (or doll) and what was throne. The figure's robe was so ornate and massive that it spilled over the arms of the immense seat and flowed down the steps of the dias. Above the head, an immensely elaborate structure of black twists and gold bands rose several feet high.

There was no sign of life or movement in the figure.

Kani stepped forward and knelt. She spoke in some language none of the others understood.

And the thing on the throne smiled.

Etienne's jaw dropped.

"Wow."

All five of them stared as the strange being rose up, still smiling. That perfect face now animated with friendly pleasure stunned them all.

Arrafin realised the woman, or whatever it was, was quite tall. If she stood next to it, her nose would be just above its shoulder.

It came down the first step of the dias.

"Welcome. I am Madame Yuek."

Elena composed herself enough to nudge Arrafin. Her friend turned to her, startled and annoyed but Elena gestured with her hand at Arrafin's shoulder bag. The Naridic girl understood and nodded. She reached into the bag.

Inside her bag Arrafin carried a marble skull that had proven an ability to detect undead creatures. She managed to point it at Madame Yuek without removing it from the bag and concentrated for a second.

Elena watched with alarm as Arrafin fainted and collapsed next to her, and knelt immediately to help her friend. The little owl flapped about her head. As Arrafin stirred and blinked, the Saijadani woman looked up to find Madame Yuek staring. Elena managed somehow to smile.

"So. You're not. Exactly. What you'd call. You know. Alive. Quite."

The woman laughed.

"Oh no. I've been dead a very long time. You would call me a vampire."

Elena, her mouth still hanging open, managed to look over at Isaac. He leaned over to whisper to her.

"Still better than Collette."


----------



## shilsen

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> "Arrafin, if you get us killed by yet another cranky Lohanese bitch, I'm going to be very annoyed."




Now those are words to live by! Or at least try to.

Nice, very nice.


----------



## barsoomcore

shilsen said:
			
		

> Now those are words to live by! Or at least try to.
> 
> Nice, very nice.



Isaac was very rarely killed by cranky Lohanese chicks.

It has to be said though that had there been less cranky women around, Isaac's life would have been a LOT more peaceful.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 10*

Nevid stared.

The woman from his dreams. Laughing in the midst of unthinkable destruction. Corpses as far as the horizon in all directions. Flames, blackened shells of buildings. Rivers boiled in their beds. A city aflame. Laughter, sweet and beautiful.

Madame Yuek Man Chong stood in perfect immobile stillness, looking down at where Arrafin tried to get to her feet. The vampire made no unconscious moves, did not breathe or blink or shift her feet. She was a statue, posed and draped in outrageous brilliant silks. Nevid realised that the towering structure above her head, loops and towers bedecked with golden bells and gems and pins, was in fact the vampire's hair. He wondered at the strength it must take to keep her head upright with all that weight upon it, but Madame Yuek showed no sign of strain.

Or indeed, life.

Arrafin stood, and the vampire's eyes, dark liquid orbs, tracked the girl's movement. Madame Yuek smiled and Nevid's mouth opened silently.

If it had been a woman, it would have been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But there was no mistaking this alabaster creature for a woman. Nevid had the impression that bullets fired at her would simply crush themselves against her skin. There was no sense of softness to her; she seemed impossibly hard and indestructible.

She spoke. Her voice was low, rich and amused, her Imperial Kishak accented with long vowels.

"You must be the girl Kani has been talking about."

Her long-fingered hand reached forward.

"So lovely."

Arrafin stared just as Nevid did. She made no reaction as those long, ebony-tipped fingers drifted towards her. Gral fluffed his feathers up on her shoulder, and that seemed to shake Arrafin out of her distraction.

The Naridic girl straightened up and managed to inhale.

"Yes. I mean. I'm Arrafin. I. I want some spells."

She pointed at Elena, who carried a long bundle strapped over her back.

"We brought this. For spells."

Arrafin's initial shock was fading, and Nevid saw her expression transform into her typical curiousity as she took in more details about the creature in front of her.

"What are you? You're a sorceress, right? You must have all sorts of spells. Is there a way to create new spells? How did you learn sorcery?"

Madame Yuek smiled again and rose to survey the entire group. Nevid felt his body recoil, a sudden nausea strike him, and he realised it was the intense sorcerous energy radiating out from the creature. He stepped back at the same time as everyone else, still stunned from her presence.

"You may call us Madame Yuek. Show us the Talon."

Nobody moved. Madame Yuek smiled at Elena, who started, leapt back another step, and then unshouldered her burden. The rug-wrapped bundle crashed to the floor. Madame Yuek snapped her fingers and Kani rushed forward to unwrap it. Inside lay a mammoth black-bladed sword.

"How delightful."

Isaac coughed.

"Uh, Madame, uh, You-Ek. We were -- "

"Silence."

Smile gone, the vampire looked them over. It struck Nevid that if she decided to kill them all, there was not a thing they could do about it. He considered the massive, bizarre figures standing behind the throne. They were female, unquestionably, but their flat, empty eyes and weirdly humped muscles hinted at dark sorceries in their creation. He realised, with a sudden, skin-crawling revelation, that their leather garments were actually stitched right to their skin. Nevid saw Madame Yuek's eyes come back to Arrafin, and her smile return.

"You had some questions."

Elena found some portion of her usual sarcasm to respond before Arrafin.

"She usually does."

Madame Yuek looked Elena over very carefully, without losing her smile. Elena wished very much she'd kept her mouth shut, and only relaxed once that predatory gaze had returned to Arrafin.

"Very well."

The vampire turned her back on them and ascended to her throne. Her costume rippled in the air around her, tendrils waving out an armspan or more, forming a scintillating halo of crimson and gold that framed her perfect face. She reached the throne and turned to sit. Nevid watched in fascination at the perfection of her movements. Everything was conscious in this creature, everything was planned and coordinated.

He noticed for the first time a young girl curled up at the foot of the throne, a Lohanese child of perhaps twelve years old. Her beautiful face was vacant of expression, staring without comprehension. Nevid found her creepier than the freakish bodyguards.

"You may each ask of us one question. We will answer, honestly and as completely as we can. You have brought us the Talon, and this shall be your reward."

Those ancient dark eyes drifted back to Arrafin once more.

"And you interest us."

The hall was quiet for a few heartbeats. Nevid managed to tear his eyes from their vampire hostess and her entourage to look around. The high windows behind the throne opened onto empty air. Far below the surface of the sea churned and frothed in a narrow channel. Beyond steep cliffs rose up and a range of mountains continued on, their lower slopes darkly wooded.

Above the five friends Madame Yuek sat, now perfectly still on her throne. If he hadn't seen her move Nevid would have assumed it was a graven statue.

He tried to speak, managed only a cough, but stepped forward.

"Madame Yuek. I. I have a question."

"No, wait."

Everyone turned at Arrafin's outburst. She wilted a little under the attention but rallied as soon as she recalled her thinking. She rushed forward to her friends and they huddled around, trying to ignore the curious yet amused study of their hostess.

"Okay, we need to plan this. We need to have a plan."

"For the questions?"

"Yes. This is our chance to find out what's really going on. She knows everything. She's probably a thousand years old. And she's going to tell us whatever we want to know."

Isaac grimaced.

"I pretty much just want to know how we're getting the hell out of here."

Etienne nodded his agreeement.

"No. We have to plan this out, and ask the really important questions. We can't waste this opportunity."

"Getting out of here alive is really important to me. How do we know she's not going to answer our questions and then just eat us?"

Nevid answered Isaac's question.

"What could we do about it anyway?"

The five looked around at each other. Isaac sighed.

"Okay, nothing. Fine. Let's talk questions."

Etienne spoke up.

"I still want to ask if she's going to eat us."

"That's a reasonable question," Elena agreed.

Arrafin groaned.

"Come on, you guys. We need to get some information. We can ask about this amulet we got from Adil. And the skull. And what the Tyrant's Shade is. And the Blood Council. And that Matai Shang character."

Getting into the flow of Arrafin's enthusiasm, Etienne nodded.

"Yeah. And Elena's brain."

Elena glowered, but Etienne was unfazed.

"Maybe you can kill things with your brain. That would come in handy."

Nevid sighed and turned away from his friends to face Madame Yuek.

"Madame Yuek. Can you explain why your, uh, associate, was laughing at me? She said she recognized something in me."

The other four stopped arguing and stared at their friend in varying degrees of consternation.

The vampire considered, tilting her head. That slight motion caused a cascade of tinkling bells in her towering hairdo.

"Your soul is not entirely your own. An aspect of what you carry within you bears a certain nostalgic value to us.

"The human soul is real and its structure is knowable. And considerably more complex than most people imagine. The employ of sorcery requires one to risk one's own soul to the hunger of Shadow, and the affects of that use are unpredictable and usually deadly."

She smiled brightly.

"Unless of course one is already dead. All great sorcerers are undead. It's the only way to be safe."

"I see. Uh. Thank you, Madame Yuek."

As Nevid bowed, Isaac stepped forward with a glare at Arrafin.

"Madame, uh, whatever. This sword. We know it kills, uh, vampires. Which you say you are. So why should we give it you?"

One eyebrow cocked upward.

"You have already given it to us. If you think you can take it back, you are welcome to try."

"Well. But."

She chuckled.

"It is an item of great power. We are by no means the only one interested in it. And we promise you, we are far from the least pleasant.

"We have taken it from you and you cannot retrieve it. And yet we are willing to pay you for it, when we do not have to. We are not simply killing you as we assure you we could."

A very intimidating air of menace built up around her, but Isaac managed to maintain his composure enough to point at the other Lohanese woman.

"She was going to simply kill us."

"Kani is a dear girl, but you mustn't think her rational. She's quite insane, you know. We've been torturing her since she was born."

Madame Yuek smiled brightly around at the group.

"Next question?"

"Who are the Blood Council and what are they trying to do? And why has Matai Shang tried to take them over?"

Arrafin was going to protest that Elena had just asked two questions, maybe even three, but decided to keep her mouth shut at the sudden fury that erupted on Madame Yuek's perfect face.

"Those f**king c**ts think they're so smart."

With obvious effort the vampire controlled her anger.

"The Blood Council are nothing anymore. They have been crushed from the outside, and now infiltrated from within."

She fumed, drumming her fingers on the arm of her throne. The laquered nails rattled like a military drum corps.

"They once had a great purpose. To protect humanity from itself. But they are nothing now. Only a shell of what they once were. Shang."

Nevid saw the greater fire that burned in her dark eyes at the name. Obviously Matai Shang and Madame Yuek had some sort of history.

"Shang seeks power, like all sorcerers. And power cannot abide rivals. The possession of power generates paranoia, for power held must be defended. And the greater your power, the more dangerous your rivals become.

"Most sorcerers kill themselves attempting spells they are not capable of. Those who survive are almost always killed by more powerful sorcerers."

Arrafin spoke without thinking.

"But you haven't killed me."

The vampire smiled, a wicked smile full of promise that knocked the breath from Arrafin's lungs.

"Not yet."


----------



## shilsen

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Nevid realised that the towering structure above her head, loops and towers bedecked with golden bells and gems and pins, was in fact the vampire's hair. He wondered at the strength it must take to keep her head upright with all that weight upon it, but Madame Yuek showed no sign of strain.




OMG - Madame Yuek is Padme Amidala!



> He noticed for the first time a young girl curled up at the foot of the throne, a Lohanese child of perhaps twelve years old. Her beautiful face was vacant of expression, staring without comprehension. Nevid found her creepier than the freakish bodyguards.




Rule 3 of horror gaming: Little girls are the creepiest thing in existence. 

There's a reason why 50% of the stories on the Creepiest Gaming Tales (or something approximating to that) involve kids of some kind.



> She smiled brightly.




Nice. In my experience, powerful villains who smile a lot are way scarier than the raving, ranting, monologuing ones.

Very nice, as usual.


----------



## Desdichado

Brilliant as always.


----------



## barsoomcore

shilsen said:
			
		

> Madame Yuek is Padme Amidala!



Exactly. If Natalie Portman was a six-foot-tall Chinese sex bomb made out of alabaster.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 11*

Only Etienne and Arrafin had not yet asked their questions. Arrafin was still reeling from Madame Yuek's sinister grin, so the half-Kishak stepped forward.

"Madame Yuek. My question is not very clever, I'm afraid, but I'm not much for strategy or grand schemes. Why are you helping us?"

An alabaster hand drooped to stroke the hair of the young girl by the throne. Isaac fumed with unformed anger as the girl sighed in pleasure and arced up to meet the petting hand like a dog enthralled with its master.

The vampire shrugged.

"We could make a lot pretty speeches about what a great lady we are, but why should we? You know something of what we are, but allow us to be perfectly clear. We are a monster. We devour the living."

Her dark eyes blazed with angry power as her voice echoed and grew heavy in the air around them.

"We make no apologies for this fact. We offer no justifications. But we promise you this: we will never lie to you.

"Why are we helping you? First, because we said we would. We keep our word. Second, because we believe you might be useful to us."

Isaac spat in righteous anger. Something about this smug creature sitting in glamour and perfection amongst the collapsed stones of this ruined castle infuriated him.

"So you're just using us?"

A perfectly etched eyebrow rose minutely.

"Of course. Aren't you just using us?"

"No."

"Well then, it seems the difference between us is immense."

"You got that right."

"We do not lie to ourself about our own motives."

As Isaac sputtered, Madame Yuek, smirking, turned back to Arrafin.

"Now, my dear. You have not yet asked us a question."

She spread her hands.

"You may ask anything of us, Arrafin. Anything at all."

Arrafin considered, her sharp mind racing. Before her sat unthinkable opportunity. An immortal being who had seen who knew how many thousands of years. A sorceress of unimaginable power. The most beautiful woman Arrafin had ever seen.

"First of all, spells. I have one new spell, but -- "

A gesture from Madame Yuek silenced the Naridic girl. Kani shuffled forward and dropped a set of scrolls on the dusty flagstones at Arrafin's feet. Arrafin frowned at the Lohanese girl's dramatic sulk, but forgot about that as Madame Yuek explained the gift.

"Upon these papers we have provided you with the formulae for a number of spells you may find useful. And, we dare to hope, not too dangerous."

Arrafin squatted and scrabbled up the scrolls, Gral teetering dangerously on her shoulder. The parchment rolls stuck awkwardly from her arms as she straightened up.

She stared at the beautiful creature smiling down from her throne. For long, long seconds she just stared. Madame Yuek seemed like some kind of bizarre eldritch queen, unearthly in her perfection. Like how some ancient stories described angels. Arrafin realised, with a shock, that this creature must have once been a woman.

"Who are you, Madame Yuek? Who did you use to be and how did you become this?"

The back wall of the throne room exploded.

*****

The staring between Arrafin and Madame Yuek unnerved Isaac greatly. The last thing he wanted to deal with was some sort of showdown between this immensely powerful witch-vampire-thing and a young girl he'd grown fond of. He was about to speak, to try and distract Arrafin from whatever unwise direction her thoughts were heading, when she spoke and then everything disappeared in a deafening blast of stone and flame.

The ground shook as massive blocks of granite crashed into the debris-strewn floor. Dust and chunks of rock blew into the air on all sides. Isaac fell to his knees, certain that the world had just come to a spectacular end.

More flashes of flame and distant shrieks brought his attention up again.

The back wall of the throne room had disappeared, leaving the entire hall open to the chill mountain air. Upon the dais now exposed to the elements a wild battle raged.

Madame Yuek stood with her arms outstretched, black fire pouring from her in rippling waves. Two of her guardians were gone, torn apart by some force Isaac could not imagine. The other two fought in a tremendous melee against a small host of black-clad figures who surrounded the most bizarre character Isaac had yet seen.

An immense mechanical array of clacking limbs, cables and claws now stood next to where the ruined chunks of Madame Yuek's throne lay. Isaac stood, amazed to see what appeared to be an elderly Lohanese man seated in the middle of this incredible contraption.

Flames of all colours roared across the dais, searing stone, tearing minions to gory shreds and thickening the air itself with foulness. Madame Yuek and this interloper hurled freaks of supernatural fury at each other. As Isaac watched, Madame Yuek's baroque robe unfolded itself, reaching out like a living thing with crimson tentacles.

More creatures poured into the room, some simply erupting from the floor, clawing through solid stone.

A hand grabbed Isaac's arm. He turned to find that Lohanese woman, Kani.

"You must leave now! All of you! She asked me to take you to safety! Come!"

She tried to drag Isaac. He saw Elena helping Arrafin, and Etienne getting to his feet further back in the room. Nevid was nowhere to be seen.

"Wait, wait. Where's Nevid?"

Elena whirled and pointed back where the battle continued to tear apart the room.

"He's gotten brave again."

*****

They needed allies. The del Maraviez had nothing in this strange dreamlike world of sorcery. Nevid hated it, hated its irrationality and hated how it mocked his understanding of the world, but it existed. Sorcery was real. It was a world of its own.

And they needed allies in this world.

Nevid wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing. But he'd heard rumours Matai Shang was some sort of machine/man construct. And whoever this newcomer was, he was clearly an enemy of Madame Yuek.

Who at the least had kept her word to them. And not killed them.

Nevid was never quite sure what he was thinking at times like these. He hefted the staff in his hand. Nobody was paying any attention to him as he got to his feet at the base of the dais steps. Directly above him, wild sorcery exploded in violent waves around mechanical arms and legs.

He charged into the midst of those arms and legs. The elderly man sitting amongst them paid him no attention. Nevid raised his staff high over his head and, teetering in the midst of rattling mechanisms and concussing sorceries, brought the weapon down with all his strength.

The staff bounced back, nearly coming free from his hands with its unexpected reversal. The elderly man didn't appear to even know Nevid was there.

Unhappily Nevid tried again and again, bashing his weapon furiously against the old man, but some invisible field seemed to hold him back.

A heavy arm wrapped around him and dragged him backwards. Nevid struggled for a second but then Isaac howled in his ear.

"What do you think you're doing, Nevid? We have to go!"

"He's got some kind of magic protection."

"You think?"

Etienne and Elena had their weapons out and were duelling madly with a pair of Shang's black-clad minions. Arrafin pulled the trigger on her pistol and staggered backwards from the recoil.

Screams tore the air. The entire room shook and thick cracks began expanding across the floor. The world tilted, crazy and deafening. Elena saw Isaac coming with Nevid and grabbed Etienne.

"Let's go. This whole place is going to collapse!"

Still arcane explosions and shrieking walls of flame erupted behind them as they scrambled up the now-tilting floor. Etienne helped Isaac with Nevid as they rushed from the room. Isaac saw the massive black sword they'd brought begin to slid across the flagstones and snagged it with one hand.

The entire castle shook. A huge cloud of dust billowed out from the archway behind them. Kani rushed forward, but Elena caught her. The Lohanese woman shrieked incomprehensibly. For a second she sagged against Elena and then turned to face Arrafin. Her dark eyes blazed.

"She asked me to take you and your friends to safety. She wants you to be safe."

Etienne tried a wink. Her cranky countenance did not warm. Not even when she took the great sword from Isaac's hand.

"Where should I take you?"

Arrafin looked back at this woman's unreadable face.

_We've torturing her since she was born._

"Al-Tizim? Can you take us to Al-Tizim?"

"First, take this. She wanted you to have it."

Kani held up a slender rod, no more than a handspan in length, made of some clear crystal.

"Break it, and she will come to you. Make sure you have good cause."

Arrafin reached out very carefully and took the rod from Kani's fingers.

"Al-Tizim. Take my hands."

Etienne pushed forward to take the young woman's right hand. Nevid came with him, then Elena and then Arrafin and finally Isaac, taking Kani's left hand. The Lohanese woman sneered at them all.

As the roaring fury of Shadow erupted around them, Arrafin thought about that sneer and some of the girl's earlier behaviour.

_Kani is a dear girl, but you mustn't think her rational._

Screaming blackness enveloped them all.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 12*

Isaac had already once experienced the dangers of letting go while travelling the terrifying reaches of the Shadow Realm. He determined to hang on tightly to his partners, Arrafin and Kani, as they rocketed through the howling shadowscape under the sorceress' guidance.

He was not prepared, however, for the sorceress simply letting go of him deliberately.

Suddenly his left hand flailed in wild helplessness. He felt his weight immediately pulling on Arrafin and tore his right hand free from her weak grasp. Better he should fall alone into darkness, or the ocean, than that he pull that girl with him into death.

Arrafin, for her part, suddenly realised Isaac was gone and, shrieking pointlessly into the howling gale of Shadow's edge, clung even more tightly to Elena. Elena hung on to Nevid who hung on to Etienne.

Who hung on to nothing. Seconds after shaking Isaac free, Kani had done the same to Etienne. The four friends had a few screaming seconds of plunging through a hurricane of blackness, and then brilliant sunlight stabbed into their eyes.

The four lay sprawled in variously awkward poses on a rough shelf of wind-stippled rock, listening to tiny rivulets of sand hiss through the thin stone channels beneath them.

The heat broiled them.

Elena sat up.

"What the hell?"

Etienne groaned.

"I always knew all that nonsense about Al-Tizim being a great city was crap. Look at this place. Not even a wall."

They looked around. Rocky cliffs rose up high in eroded canyons, their floors dusted with shifting layers of sand. The pink sky overhead revealed no clouds, no relief from the sun.

Arrafin stood up and smacked Etienne.

"Obviously this isn't Al-Tizim. And where's Kani?"

"And Isaac."

More looking. No sign of the burly Saijadan.

"Do you think? Maybe Kani? Did something?"

Nevid began walking across the canyon floor, away from the others. They watched him as he marched across the uneven sands until reaching the shadow of the high cliff wall. He stopped.

The other three at first waited for him to do something. Once they realised he was just standing in the shade, they joined him. Elena considered Arrafin's questions.

"She was looking at us kind of cranky-like. Well, at you, anyway. I think she was jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Well, her boss sure had a thing for you."

"What?"

"I said, her boss--"

"Whatever. The question is, where are we and what are we going to do?"

The desert offered no answers.

Etienne spoke up.

"Well, we must be somewhere between, uh, wherever we were and Al-Tizim, right? So we just keep going in whatever direction we were going in at first, and we'll reach Al-Tizim, right? That'll work."

Arrafin rolled her eyes.

"Sure. And what direction would that be?"

"Well."

Elena joined the debate while Etienne was formulating more of a comeback.

"I don't like to say this, as a rule, but maybe Etienne's got a point. We were in Shaer, right? So we must have been going west. Pretty much, right? Shaer's out at the east end of the Inner Sea, And Al-Tizim's about halfway along the south coast. So it must be somewhere to the west of us. We keep heading west, we'll find it."

Nevid did not look at the others as he spoke.

"Shaer is about two thousand miles from Al-Tizim. We might be months away. And I don't know about the rest of you, but I haven't got any water or food with me just now."

As the import of his words sank in to the others, he turned around to face them.

"We're all going to be dead in a few days."

Elena managed a shrug.

"Isaac's probably glad he's not with us, then."

_Etienne_

"What?"

"What?"

Etienne's confused expression only raised his friends' eyebrows. The halfbreed looked around slowly, but there was no obvious source for the voice that had so familiarly whispered his name.

_Etienne, listen to me._

Elena frowned as Etienne raised a finger.

"Could you guys excuse me for a second?"

He walked a few paces away and stared down at the sand. After two or three breaths he raised his head and returned. He pointed.

"This way."

Nobody moved. Not even Gral.

"There's water this way. About eight hours' walk from here."

Still no movement.

"Come on."

Arrafin turned her head and regarded the little owl on her shoulder. The tiny bird launched itself into the air, spiraling upwards towards the pale pink sky high above.

The others watched it go in still silence. The bird flapped energetically, rising up and up until it was nearly lost from sight.

Arrafin nodded, then shook her head in amazement.

"There's a valley that way. He might be right."

Elena and Nevid both frowned. They turned to Etienne.

"Don't ask."

Elena considered that, then shook her head.

"Nuh-uh. What the hell, Etienne? What is this? How are you suddenly an expert on desert survival? You told us you'd never left Pavairelle before."

"I, uh. I. Look, let's just go. We need the water, right? Not dying, that's good, right? Right?"

Elena walked up to the half-Kishak and shoved him back.

"Who are you working for? Who's in that half-empty head of yours?"

Etienne stumbled back but made no answer. He and Elena stared at each other, and then the slender Pavairellean youth shrugged.

"Fine. Stay here and die of thirst. Me, I'm going where the water is. Any of you want to come, you're welcome."

Anger set in his broad shoulders, the young man strode off up the canyon. The others watched him go.

Arrafin clucked at Gral as the little owl returned to her, then looked over at Elena.

"Why would you think he'd be the only one of us without a bunch of ugly secrets? Anyway, I'm thirsty."

She followed Etienne. Elena glared at Nevid but the Saijadani youth had no response. He lowered his head and set out after Arrafin and Etienne. Elena watched them go, fighting back anger. At length, as her friends rounded a shoulder of towering, wind-scoured rock, she marched forward, the same direction they had gone.

*****

Zuleika tried not to be happy the soldiers had started on her sister. Shalia hadn't stopped weeping since they'd gotten away, but Zuleika knew that if Hamman hadn't pulled his trick when he did, those soldiers would have turned on her next.

And now it looked like it was only a matter of time. Hamman was bleeding badly and no matter what Shalia said, her husband wasn't going to make it another day. The little boys, clinging to one another on their gallo behind the adults, hadn't spoken since yesterday morning.

Since the Crimson Host had descended on their farm and slaughtered the hands, fired the buildings and butchered poor, beautiful, courageous Maheem. Her young husband. Zuleika couldn't let herself think about him. She could recall Shalia's screams, but her mind skipped around Maheem's last moments.

For about an hour Zuleika had been hopeful those beni Howetait bastards had decided not to follow them, but she'd seen their figures silhouetted against the setting sun last night, and she was sure they were still back there. Probably closing fast and preparing a morning ambush as the sun came up today.

The lean Naridic woman checked the scimitar at her belt. Hamman was in no shape to fight, and Shalia had never held a sword in her life, but Zuleika had served two tours in the Sultan's army and could hold her own. Not that it would make any difference against the four or five beni Howetait warriors she knew where getting ready to sweep down on their little band.

She would not suffer the fate Shalia had. Those bastards would have to kill her.

The sun was rising straight ahead. The ridges of the river valley to either side of the shone with lurid radiance. Zuleika began a prayer to Mullah but halted half-way through, frowning. Her keen eyes caught a set of figures upon the northern ridge, four standing figures that even at this distance were clearly not beni Howetait warriors.

Before she could consider that mystery, sudden uluations erupted all around their little party as the beni Howetait came rushing up behind them. Shalia screamed as Zuleika wheeled her mount and charged their attackers. She plowed through their midst, swinging wildly and howling as her blade connected solidly against one rider's midsection. Her exultation dropped away as she felt hot wetness against her arm and knew she'd been hit as well. She tried to turn her gallo but her left arm fell senseless and all she could do was turn in her seat, swearing as she watched the savage desert madmen descend on her family.

Hamman revived enough to lash the boys' gallo, and the startled beast lunged forward, passing he and Shalia just as the raiders arrived.

It took a second. Not even a heartbeat.

Hamman threw up an arm. A sabre flashed, cutting straight through. Another and Zuleika's brother-in-law convulsed, toppling from his saddle in a spray of blood and organs. Shalia shrieked as a hand grabbed her hair and yanked her from her mount.

And then the children began screaming.

Zuleika screamed as well and kicked her beast, urging it into the fray, unable to stand aside, when a series of gunshots rang out over the screams and triumphant yells. Zuleika looked up from her mad charge and saw to her astonishment a group of total strangers come running down the hillside to the slaughter. She reached the melee and screamed, waving her scimitar and riding for the one still dragging her little sister. A heavy blow caught her in the side, but Zuleika lashed out, nearly decapitating one of the warriors as she fell from her saddle. She could hear her own blood splashing onto the sand.

Shalia fell to the ground not far away, limp and with her head twisted unnaturally. Zuleika managed a moment of clarity to ask God to forgive her for being happy that her poor sister had suffered rather than she, and then darkness took her.

*****

"Now what? God, what a mess."

"This one's still alive. Get the skull, hurry."

"God. God. How can people do this to each other? They were children."

"The skull, Arrafin. Now."

"Yes, yes. Here. God."

Nevid squatted on a flat rock by the creek, watching blood swirl past in the clear water. His young face reflected back at him, set with tension and repressed emotion. He couldn't look back. He just stared at the blood of children floating past.

He was nineteen years old. He'd negotiated difficult contracts all across Saijadan. He'd witnessed duels and slaughter before. This was no worse.

He closed his eyes. A hand came down on his shoulder.

Of course it was Elena. Her dark eyes shone in the surface of the creek, rich with sympathy.

"Take this comfort, Nevid. We got them. We got all of them."

Nevid stood up, stepping away.

"We should have kept one alive. For questions. We don't know who they were, where they were from."

From behind him a quiet voice with a Naridic accent answered.

"They are from the Crimson Host. An army raised to fight the Kishaks."

He turned to find a striking Naridic woman, the lone survivor of the battle, sitting amidst slain bodies, with Etienne kneeling beside her.

Arrafin, packing the marble skull back into her bag, frowned.

"But you people aren't Kishaks."

"True. I guess there aren't any Kishaks around, so they have to kill somebody."

"But you're Naridic. You're the same people."

The woman's smile, when she turned it on Arrafin, was somehow the most horrible thing Nevid had seen all day.

"I guess I should have pointed that out to them. My fault."

"That's not what I -- "

Etienne stepped in to cut off Arrafin.

"That's enough, Arrafin. Let her rest."

He led the shattered woman towards the creek. She followed without words. Nevid cleared his throat as they approached.

"Where is the nearest town?"

"Tallal. It's a few days' ride. That way. Through the Crimson Host."

She smiled again at Arrafin.

"No doubt once you explain how we're all together there won't be any trouble."


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 13*

"Not again."

Isaac raised his head wearily. None of his friends were anywhere in sight. This he expected.

What he had not expected was the towering ruin that surrounded him. Half-crumbled walls and leaning spires, scoured by the sand-thick wind, emerged from the dunes as mute, tragic evidence of the passage of time.

No sign of that traitorous minx Kani, of course. Isaac swore a very specific and descriptive oath to himself concerning what he would do to that crazy sorceress if he ever encountered her again.

Frustrated, Isaac shuffled through the nameless ruins, kicking at toppled blocks and weaving ever-more elaborate curses over not just Kani but that del Orofin bootlicker, Collette de Maynard, who'd made a fool of him again and again. Somehow, he was sure, this was all that bitch's fault.

He rounded the corner of some broken-down tower and stopped, staring down at a wooden plank set very deliberately out of the way of the wind and drifting sand. All thoughts of unpleasant women left his mind as he read the writing carved into the wood.

_Dominic. Wait here._

"That's new."

*****

Aran pulled hard to the left, signalling to Harim to follow.

Just where she said he would be. Aran recited a quiet prayer of thanksgiving that he was honoured to serve the Khadisan, she who foresaw the future and embodied the living will of God. She who had dispatched he and Harim to this ancient ruin to meet the foreigner.

They circled the ruin once, the buzzing wings of the kithrak stirring up loose sand below. The foreigner watched them descend, his arms crossed over his burly chest. He made no move to shield himself from the sudden sandstorm kicked up by the kithraks' descent.

Aran wondered how he'd gotten here. He had no visible supplies and was not dressed for travel across the desert. Perhaps he was a djinn, compelled to serve the Khadisan. Aran resolved to be polite.

He dismounted and approached the foreigner. Both he and Harim bowed.

"Honoured guest. The Khadisan, the Glorious Beloved of God, has sent us here to find you and deliver you into Her holy presence. Before Her you will know the grace of God and be fulfilled in your sacred duty. We humbly offer you our service in this voyage, and pledge ourselves to your safe delivery. Blessed be the Khadisan. Glory to God."

The foreigner stared at them. And then spoke in what Aran assumed was Imperial Kishak, the language of all the nations around the Inner Sea.

Except the Narid. Aran had no idea what the big stranger was saying.

"This could be difficult."

*****

"There's thousands of them."

Etienne came scrambling down the ridge towards his friends. Even sheltered as they were, they could hear and smell the massive camp of the Crimson Host. Thousands of warriors appeared to have joined the Host's banner, eager for the opportunity to plunder and kill.

Zuleika shuddered at the sound of the warriors' triumphant cries. Etienne put an arm around her shoulders.

"We'll have to go around. I can see Tallal, it's just a few miles, but I don't think we should go any further until dark. If they see us..."

Nobody needed that sentence finished. Images of what had happened to Zuleika's family a few days ago were still vivid in everyone's mind. Silence and secrecy were the only defense the small band had against such a massive gathering of savage desert pirates only a bowshot away. Everyone stayed huddled against the lee of the dune, hoping that if they could only remain completely silent, they would avoid detection.

Nevid began screaming and thrashing.

*****

Children shrieked on all sides. High pillars of gold-veined marble rose up in the morning sunshine, still and unmoved by the unending screams of anguish and terror.

The air stank, thick with blood. Meat slapped down on the steps, splashing gore. One scream rose up suddenly, as a guttural roar broke across the immense hall. Flesh tore and bones snapped and something hungry tore and grunted and snarled as it fed.

Nevid stared upwards through eyes not his own. He could see sprays of blood painting the walls, hear the screams and hopeless wailing cries. Other voices sang in angelic counterpoint to the hellish scene around him. Torn bodies of young girls sprawled everywhere.

Suddenly SHE leaned over him. Madame Yuek, her perfect face covered in blood, dripping. She sneered and reached down with taloned fingers and the pain as his sight went red then black was more than Nevid had ever known.

*****

Isaac tried to show no discomfort as, encouraged by the Naridic fellows, he climbed up into the saddle of the gigantic beetle. His enormous insect was tethered to that of Aran (learning each other's names had stretched everyone's linguistic talents), so he was at least comforted by the hope that he wasn't expected to know how to guide the creature.

He settled himself into the stiff, cracking leather of the saddle, and grabbed the horn as all three creatures leapt into the air.

There didn't seem to be any straps, he noted. No doubt these mad desert warriors thought any concern with safety showed moral weakness.

Isaac hung on, letting his pulse settle enough that he could afford to peer over the side of the flying insect beneath him.

The desert rolled by underneath, the dunes undulating so smoothly it seemed as though it was the waves of sand rolling by while he remained motionless.  The occasional dry bone finger of scrub reached up from the valley floors between the dunes, and here and there unseen beasts had left their tracks, but otherwise there was no sign of life below.

The dunes stretched out to the horizon in all directions. Isaac twisted in his seat and swore in surprise at how far they had travelled --- the ruins were far behind them already, nearly lost to sight. Even the steady wind in his face had not prepared him for the speed of their flight.

When he turned to face forward, he saw the dunes ahead beginning to lessen, giving way to a vast rocky plain that baked in the sun, sending up wavering mirages of heat. Dust devils rose up higher than the travellers flew, twisting pillars of whirling sand seeming to walk across the horizon. Isaac wondered if the locals considered such things supernatural.

He squinted. Far off, what he had taken for just another dust devil had become to appear too regular, too steady. He realised the tower of dust was much farther away than he'd assumed, and swore again upon understanding the true scale of what he was witnessing.

At the base of the rising sail of dust a dark shadow moved across the desert, spreading slowly. Isaac and his guides headed straight for it. The shadow was miles in length.

A column. An army, marching across the desert. Isaac had done little study of political events but he knew the name: Sharina al-Sharina beni Howetait, the Banthspeaker. The Khadisan. The holy woman who led the great hope of the Narid against the armies of Kish. Her great army moved across the sea of sand, travelling where the Kishaks could not, and beyond the range of the Tyrant's Shades power.

Arrafin had mentioned the hope that the Banthspeaker would lead her army against the Kishaks before the gates of Al-Tizim, but apparently that had not happened.

Perhaps Isaac would get a chance to ask why. Their mounts tilted and began to descend, and Isaac swore yet again.

The advancing column was not made of men. It was made of banths. Isaac had heard stories of the impossible desert beasts of the Narid, cats the size of houses, but he'd not quite understood that the tales were in no way exaggerated. The mammoth creatures stood thirty feet high at the shoulder, striding along with vast paws spreading out on the rock.

What they might eat out here Isaac couldn't imagine. But each carried a sort of platform on its back, and these were packed with soldiers and tents and crates.

The scene was as though an immense armada of galleys had been transformed into titanic lions and deposited in the middle of the desert. It was impossible. 

Isaac shook his head in wonder as they descended to the lead beast and landed. His guides helped him to dismount and gestured.

"I hope no one's offended if I say I've never really liked cats."

*****

"Shut him up."

"I'm trying."

Elena grappled with Nevid's twitching form and got a hand planted firmly over the young man's mouth, at last silencing his groans. She held him down as Etienne scrambled to the top of the ridge, then came hurtling down again.

"We have to leave. Now."

Zuleika helped Elena drag the now-unconscious Nevid as Arrafin gathered up her papers and hurried in their wake. The group scrambled down a rocky gully, Etienne watching behind them.

Voices rose up, distant but threatening. Nevid moaned.

Etienne, watching backwards, stumbled into Arrafin.

"Watch it, Arrafin. If we--"

Where'd he come from?"

Etienne turned around to find his friends stopped, facing a large Naridic man with his arms crossed over his broad chest. The Naridic man smiled.

"Come with me."

As they stood staring, a Kishak man, much shorter and tubbier than the Naridic fellow, peered around from behind the first. He pointed to a cave opening in the side of the gully.

"This way, this way."

Hooting Naridic voices from behind made their decision easy. The friends scrambled to follow the Kishak man. Etienne frowned and looked back. The Naridic man had completely disappeared. He turned to mention this to his friends, but they were already hurrying into the narrow cave. Etienne shook his head and followed.

Inside, he once again ran into Arrafin. She'd stopped just at the entrance, as had the others, staring in surprise at a crowd of Kishaks suddenly surrounding them.

"I'm having a lot of trouble keeping track. Who are the bad guys again?"


----------



## barsoomcore

I forgot to note that the second campaign-altering Swashbuckling Card was played a few episodes ago. Episode 9, actually.

The card? "Ah, Love: An NPC falls in love with one of the PCs. The love may be just a physical attraction or something deeper."

My choices were limited and I went with what I thought would be most dramatically appropriate. And never really thought it would turn into much.

Hoo boy.


----------



## Desdichado

You should have called it "Twoo Wuvv."


----------



## Avarice

Wow, that's just all kinds of wrong.  Then again, I guess ancient undead monstrosities need love too, right?


----------



## barsoomcore

What's funny is that the players at this point assumed that the card had applied to Kaley and her sudden interest in Nevid, but that had already been planned into the adventure, so when the card was played, I had to come up with something else.

Good times. Good times.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 14*

"Where did that big Naridic guy go?"

Etienne scanned the crowd of Kishaks but failed to find a single Naridic face.

The narrow cave opening gave onto a wide cavern dimly lit from evident cracks in the ceiling overhead. Twenty or so Kishak folks gathered around the entrance.

As his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness, he realised that these people were not soldiers. Dressed in travel-worn rags, with hollow faces and unkempt beards and hair, these folks looked like an especially ill-fortuned group of merchants.

Elena dropped Nevid and scowled around at their new friends. She nodded in support of Etienne's question.

"Yeah. What's going on here?"

Etienne recalled that they were, in theory at least, being pursued by savage Naridic warriors. He peered out the cave entrance and saw several mounted men ride by. None of them appeared to notice the cave.

The somewhat chubby Kishak who'd met them in the gully stepped forward, wringing his hands.

"Well, my friends. Uh. We, that is, my associates and I, are hoping for a little help."

"You don't say."

"My name is Guvan Thar, and we are... well, we're what's left of a caravan from Al-Tizim."

Arrafin stepped forward and snarled at the heavy-set man.

"Looting our cities and fattening yourselves on the suffering of the Naridic people!"

Thar stepped back, startled. He shook his head.

"No, no. We aren't..."

"Why didn't you stay in your own country, you red bastards?"

"I was born in Al-Tizim."

"What? Oh."

Arrafin's fire went out as quickly as it had come. Shamefacedly she bit her lower lip and bowed her head. Elena came forward to comfort her friend.

"Tell us what happened."

Thar sighed.

"As I say, we were part of a caravan heading south from Al-Tizim. This was... I don't know. Maybe a month ago? Everyone said the Kishak armies were coming across the desert and things were getting sort of... uncomfortable in the city."

He looked over at Arrafin.

"You're not the only Naridic person who feels that way, I can assure you. As we neared Tallal, we were set upon by those... that army out there. We managed to escape, but we had to leave all our supplies behind and hid in here."

Elena's dark eyes narrowed.

"And the thousands of Naridic soldiers just over there have somehow never looked inside this cave? There's something you're not telling us."

Thar drew himself up.

"This will seem very strange to you."

"Try us."

He reached for a small ceramic jug at his waist and pulled the stopper out. Elena was expecting him to pour something out of the jug but was distracted by the sudden return of the large Naridic man. He was extremely handsome, but something besides that compelled her attention. She wasn't sure just what it was, though. Besides his impressive handsomeness.

"This is Nusair. He, uh. works for us."

"What did you want to show us that was strange?"

Thar frowned. He held up the jug.

"Nusair lives in here."

Elena was still trying to process that when Arrafin gasped.

"He's a djinn?"

Thar sighed and nodded. Nusair simply stood with his arms crossed, imposing and beautiful. He paid no attention as Arrafin approached him, her eyes wide, and put a hand on his arm, her skin just slightly darker than his. She leapt back to stand beside Elena.

"He's warm."

The djinn turned to the two women and smiled. An answering smile lit up Elena's face before she knew what she was doing. Thar coughed.

"Nusair has, uh, looked after us."

"Has he now?"

Arrafin grinned at her friend.

"Elena, I've never seen you smile for so long before."

"What? What? I'm not. Okay. Okay. So you have a, whatchamacallit. A genie. In a jug. What do you need us for?"

As quick as he had appeared, Nusair was gone. Elena blinked. She'd had a quick impression of swirling colour and noise, and he vanished. There was a pungent sweetness to the air suddenly, and Elena felt her senses heighten somehow, her heart rate accelerate. She realised she'd felt the same sensations when he'd disappeared outside.

Thar shifted nervously as Elena, Arrafin and Zuleika all gathered around him. Etienne remained by the exit, watchful as always.

"So. You need our help, you said."

"Yes. Exactly. We. You see, Nusair is adept at some things. He can hide the entrance to this cave, for example. He can supply us with food and water. He could even keep us hidden from that army long enough to reach the gates of Tallal."

"Yes?"

"But we fear that the city gates will not be opened to such as us. That we will be caught outside the city wall and eventually the horde will find us. Perhaps with such as yourselves among us, we can more easily convince the guards to open the gates."

Arrafin frowned.

"But why are the gates closed? The Kishaks can't have come this far yet."

Thar stared at the girl, obviously confused for a few seconds.

"But you... Didn't you see that huge army out there? They would loot the town and burn it if they could get in."

"But they're Naridic. Aren't they here to fight the Kishaks?"

Zuleika laughed.

"Arrafin, can't you get it through your head? Nobody really cares about that stuff. These people are just criminals looking to profit off other people's misfortune."

"You'd rather the Kishaks rule the desert?"

"If it meant my family was still alive, yes."

The two Naridic women glared at one another. Etienne came over and put a hand on Zuleika's shoulder.

"Let's all calm down. These people don't seem to mean any harm. And they have a genie. That might come in handy."

"Yeah."

Elena addressed Thar.

"Bring him back. Let's talk to him."

And suddenly Nusair was standing there again, and again Elena felt that strange sensation. Thar spoke to him in a language Elena didn't understand and the big Naridic man bowed to them all.

"My master has instructed me to answer your questions."

Arrafin spread out her arms.

"Okay. This time, I mean it. We need to plan our questions. We need to think this through."

Elena and Etienne rolled their eyes.

"Guys. We blew it with Madame Yuek, let's not blow it again."

"How did we blow it?"

"We didn't even ask her what a vampire is, or how you kill one."

"Like she's going to--"

"She said she'd answer anything. Anyway, my point is, let's be careful. Let's think about this."

Nusair had stood impassive during this exchange. He smiled as Elena turned to him.

"Hi. Nusair. I'm Elena. How do you kill a vampire?"

He bowed again.

"Mistress, I regret I am unable to tell you."

"Mistress? Okay. Unable, huh? That's too bad."

Arrafin was still glaring at Elena when Zuleika leaned forward to address the genie.

"Can you get us past the Crimson Host without them seeing?"

"Mistress, yes I can."

"Wait, wait," Etienne now joined in, "Why can't you just fly these folks over the wall or something?"

"Master, I cannot enter the cities of Suelekar Ben Azan."

Arrafin started.

"What? What do you have to do with Suelekar Ben Azan?"

"Mistress, it was he who bound me as he bound Farouk ibn Zaoud."

When Arrafin showed no sign of closing her mouth after a few seconds, Elena shook her by the shoulder.

"Arrafin. What is it? Who's that?"

The slender Naridic girl turned to her friend, her eyes glassy with thought.

"Farouk ibn Zaoud. The great hero. He's buried in Al-Tizim. Or..."

Her big eyes swivelled to study Nusair again.

"Something is."

*****

The city of Tallal crouched tense and terrified. The streets rattled with furtive steps and uneasily-set latches.

Arrafin, Elena, Zuleika, Nevid and Etienne had left Thar and his companions at their caravanserai, and found themselves a quiet inn further into the city. Elena and Arrafin sat in their room after dinner, exchanging worries about Isaac but reassuring each other that their burly friend would be fine. They'd left Etienne and Zuleika exchanging anecdotes in the parlour below.

"I want to go to Al-Tizim, Elena. Legend says Farouk ibn Zaoud is buried beneath one of the stones in the Fountain of Kings. But if he's a djinn, maybe it's his... thing. You know, like Nusair's jug. We could have our own djinn."

Elena nodded to Arrafin's excited planning for the future. Eventually the Naridic girl ran out of steam and crawled into bed. Elena sat quietly for a while but then went out onto the rooftop garden to watch the stars.

Off to the east, the sprawling camp of the Crimson Host littered fires all across the landscape. Sparks of gunfire shot up from the darkness here and there. Elena switched her gaze to the immense walls of the city, taking comfort in the thought that the desert madmen would soon have to move on to find water and food. They couldn't stay out there forever.

The air was hot but a hesitant breeze kept her cool. Elena stretched and leaned out over the edge to look down into the street below.

"I should just push you. You stupid bitch."

Kani stood just behind her, her foreign face twisted in an angry sneer. Elena swallowed and tried to keep her fear from her voice.

"Maybe your mistress wouldn't like that so much."

"Maybe I don't give a f**k."

The Lohanese girl stepped even closer. She shook with fury.

"Maybe your scrawny little friend won't like Mother's attention so much once she's screaming and having her skin peeled off and her tongue cut out and she's getting raped by a dozen saw blades. Do you think she'd like that? Do you?"

"What do you want?"

Without any apparent transition Kani was suddenly a smiling, rather pretty young woman. She bowed.

"I just wanted to warn you. The next time we meet, I might not be on the side you think I'm on. I might make a change."

"Okay. What side are you on now?"

Kani hissed and clawed her hands at Elena's face, then leapt back.

"To hell with you, then. I'll tell Shang to take extra time with you."

"Shang?"

It was too late. Shadows swirled up around Kani and she disappeared. Elena shook her head.

"What a bitch."


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 15*

"The Khadisan awaits you."

At least somebody here spoke Imperial Kishak, mused Isaac as he advanced through billowing lines of curtains. Whoever this Khadisan was, she seemed to live at the center of a vast maze of hanging draperies. Everywhere thronged dangerous-looking men, most of whom sneered at the Saijadani and fingered the hilts of their scimitars invitingly.

Isaac tried not to let it bother him. He did as he was told, stepping through one curtain after another. He'd begun to suspect he was just being led around some four or five of these curtains, back and forth, when he found himself in an open space, without any sort of canvas over top of him for once.

High above, formations of those gigantic beetles drew his eye westward. There must be dozens of them, he realised. Entire squadrons droned along, their heavy buzzing just audible.

"I will call you Dominic."

Isaac brought his gaze down and found himself facing a rather plain Naridic woman with a weatherbeaten face and white robes. She sat on a low couch and all around her Naridic folks knelt with their faces to the floor.

Isaac wasn't sure how to greet her. He bowed.

"Uh. Ms. Al-Sharina, I presume?"

"I am the Khadisan."

That word set off an excited murmur all through the room. Some kind of ritual prayer, Isaac decided.

"Very well, Khadisan. You brought me --  waitaminute. How did you know I would be at that ruin? I didn't even know I'd be there."

The Khadisan smiled.

"Many things are revealed to the daughter of God. You are familiar with the production of gunpowder, and so you will serve in my alchemical factory."

"I have some friends that --"

"We are on our way to where your friends await. Worry not, Dominic."

"Okay. And you want me to make gunpowder for you? I'm not really--"

She laughed.

"My senior engineer requires an assistant. You will help him. He will be pleased to have you around. I'm sure you'll have much to talk about."

Isaac considered all this.

"I don't really feel like I'm getting a lot of choice here."

"That's good. I wouldn't want to give any false impressions."

She warbled something in Naridic and an unsmiling guard gestured back the way Isaac had come. The Khadisan had already turned away and was in discussion with someone else. Isaac considered asking for a little more respect.

The unsmiling guard smiled even less. His gesture took on a certain urgency.

Isaac sighed.

"Fine. But don't blame me if I blow something up."

*****

Reyhan squinted and tapped another tiny pinch of powder into the flask. Satisfied, he turned to the workbench, where rested what appeared to be a stone about two hand-spans across, with a hole drilled into its center. The aging professor upended the flask into the hole and watched as the dark powder poured into the stone.

He was just setting the flask down when the curtained door pulled aside and two guards pushed a broad-shouldered Saijadani man into his workshop.

"The Khadisan, Blessed Be Her Name, sends you this foreigner as an assistant. He does not speak Naridic but the Khadisan, Blessed Be Her Name, says that he understands your work."

"Ah. Well, thank her for me."

Reyhan paid no attention to the sour looks of the guards, but instead turned to study the Saijadani man, noticing the heavy sword at his belt, the finely-made double-barreled pistols, the travel-stained garments and the angry set to his jaw.

Reyhan smiled and held out his hand in the Northern style. He spoke in Imperial Kishak.

"Greetings, sir. I am Reyhan al-Fasir beni Hassan. Welcome."

The Saijadani's relief at being addressed in his native language was obvious. He shook Reyhan's hand with a grin.

"Thank you, sir. Honestly, I don't know how much help I'll be. It's been a while since I was an apprentice..."

"I'm sure we'll find a use for you. You can grind powder for blasting? Excellent. First, let's put your weapons and other metal accoutrements away. No sparks, of course."

He put the Saijadani to work and they traded some pleasantries, but there was much to do and Reyhan wanted to first observe this fellow to ensure he wasn't going to be a danger in the lab.

It quickly became clear that Dominic had more than passing skill at this work. Reyhan brought him over to the main workbench.

"Now observe. This appears to be stone, but it is in fact carefully-crafted ceramic. We fill it with powder, so. Careful now. This wax is for sealing."

Reyhan always held his breath as he poured the melted wax over the volatile powder. There really wasn't much danger, but one couldn't be too careful.

Dominic studied the ceramic "stone" and then frowned at the immense store of similar stones beyond the bench.

"They look like cobblestones."

Reyhan smiled. He passed Dominic one from the empty pile.

"Look inside."

The Saijadani's brown eyes narrowed.

"It's scored. This is a. What? A grenade? It's too big. What are you doing?"

"We are going to Tallal."

"Good for us. But I'm thinking maybe bad for Tallal."

"The Tyrant's Shade has dispatched an army to Tallal. We will arrive ahead of them. In Tallal, there is a large open square in front of the Sharif's palace."

Dominic frowned.

"A square, my Saijadani friend, paved with large cobblestones. The Kishak army will assemble there."

"You can't be serious."

Reyhan's pleasant smile became murderous.

"They killed my son. They have taken my friends away, never to be seen again. My city bleeds under the Tyrant's Shade. The Narid will be free, my friend."

"You're going to set off --" Dominic's eyes went to the pile, "A few thousand bombs directly under the Kishak army?"

"Oh, no. Most of the mines have already been flown into the city. The total will be more like twenty thousand."

Dominic stared.

"You know, I told Arrafin her country was full of crazy people."

"Arrafin?"

Now it was Reyhan's turn to stare.

"Yeah, Arrafin al-Fasir... wait a minute."

Both men stared, motionless.

*****

The Sharif's palace was humbler than Isaac had expected. He studied its domes and minarets as the workcrew laboured, levering up cobblestone after cobblestone and replacing them with the ceramic fakes he and Reyhan had filled with gunpowder. A question drew his attention back to the work. The work demanded a great deal of his attention.

Fuses had to be set with painstaking care to ensure that the explosions would be timed correctly. Isaac was impressed with Reyhan's careful precision.

But then, he should have expected that Arrafin's father would be every bit as brilliant as his daughter.

And every bit as crazy.

Reyhan was a history professor, not a chemist. Not an engineer. He'd taught himself the secrets of powder manufacturing (and developed a number of improvements Isaac had never seen before) in a matter of weeks, and overseen the development of effective anti-personnel mines, and been crazy enough to even think of this infernal scheme in the first place.

He was a charming enough man, with Arrafin's propensity with long, vocabulary-enriched stories that occasionally left Isaac scratching his head, but they got along well. Isaac's blunt pragmatism made for a useful contrast and they worked well together in the lab.

And of course he pressed Isaac for stories of his daughter, fascinated by the news that she had uncovered the secrets of sorcery, and equally by the strange and ancient characters they'd encountered in their travels. His questions and muttered commentary reminded Isaac powerfully of the young girl he'd been travelling with.

The Khadisan had told Isaac he'd meet his friends in Tallal, and he told himself that must mean they were all okay. He told Reyhan that she'd said he'd meet ALL his friends there.

He looked up again at the palace, and then around at the rest of the city. The great towering structure opposite the palace was the _Mullaham_ -- the temple where Naridic people prayed to their desert god, Mullah. Isaac didn't really understand the religion but he assumed it had a great deal to do with the general craziness of everyone in this part of the world.

The Kishak army was only a few days away. Isaac encouraged the workers to go a little faster.


----------



## shilsen

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> "You're going to set off --" Dominic's eyes went to the pile, "A few thousand bombs directly under the Kishak army?"
> 
> "Oh, no. Most of the mines have already been flown into the city. The total will be more like twenty thousand."




Reyhan wasn't a PC, was he? That sounds just like the kind of thing you'd expect a player to come up with.


----------



## barsoomcore

No, Reyhan was me.

As a DM, I'm generally FAR harder on my NPCs than I am on my PCs. My players may not see it that way, I guess, but being an NPC in one of my campaigns is never a ticket to the easy life.

Being a Kishak soldier is ESPECIALLY not a ticket to the easy life, by the way.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 16*

_Survey of Ornamental Details Found in the Fountain of Kings_

_The Impact of Kishak Hegemony on Calégrian Monumental Traditions_

_The Fountain of Kings: A Mythological Architecture_

Nevid rubbed at his eyes and pulled the next book off the stack next to him. Across the table sat Arrafin, looking nearly as exhausted and red-eyed as he, poring through an immense tome bound in iron strips. Around them rose stacks of volumes and scrolls that they had been perusing all day, seeking hints to the mystery of Farouk ibn Zaoud, the legendary Naridic warrior and constant companion to the great king Suelekar Ben Azan.

Any literature that referenced his death mentioned that he was buried beneath the stones of the Fountain of Kings, the great public square in front of the Emir's palace in Al-Tizim.

Nevid pushed his chair back and stretched. He and Arrafin had arrived at the Tallal University Reading Room early in the morning and it was now well past noon. The great high vaults of the library, carved with representations of Naridic scholars and artists, drew his tired eyes upwards. Quiet conversation rumbled in from the courtyard where students, young and intent and serious, gathered to debate the news that the Kishak army was only a day or so away.

Arrafin noted Nevid's lack of attention. She took the opportunity to slip another of Madame Yuek's scrolls into the pages of the huge history volume she was pretending to read. The spell formulas tantalized her with promises of power and domination.

"We should track down those merchants. Their good word will be crucial."

Arrafin blinked.

"What?"

"When the Kishak army takes the city, if we have Kishak friends we might stand a chance. They'll probably execute half the city."

Arrafin's mouth dropped open. She stared past Nevid's shoulder.

"I think we have bigger problems, Nevid."

"Bigger than execution?"

"Turn around."

"No."

As Arrafin's attention seemed fixed on a point just behind him, Nevid sighed, braced himself and turned around.

"I found ye, lad. Ye brought me out o' there and I thank ye. Thank ye, lad. I like ye."

Nevid's mouth dropped open as Kaley, the ghost woman from Castle Dannockshire, drifted forward and pressed up against him.

"Ye'll no leave me again, will ye now?"

"Oh, no."

*****

"A spike. In his head."

"Yes. Apparently it's blue."

"The spike in Nevid's head is blue?"

"So she says."

Arrafin shrugged and Elena shook her head, looking around at the rest of the group.

It was good to have Isaac back, his solid presence somehow reassuring. Especially since Arrafin seemed obsessed with finding a dead man, Etienne had disappeared and Nevid could no longer be separated from his new insane girlfriend.

"She seems nice enough. Crazy, but nice crazy."

Elena frowned at Isaac's comment and leaned forward, lowering voice, even though Kaley never seemed to pay any attention to their conversations.

"Isaac, she's dead. She's, I don't know, a ghost."

"Kani said she was a spirit."

"Speaking of crazy and not so nice."

"Okay, spirit. Anyway, she's not, you know, normal. A lot. She says Nevid has a blue spike in his head. She followed it."

Arrafin, Isaac and Elena all studied their friend carefully. Nevid sat, looking very uncomfortable, on a cot with the Shaeric girl Kaley pressed up against him. She had her eyes closed and rested her head on his shoulder, apparently oblivious to all else.

"Nevid? Any theories?"

The young Saijadani just shook his head at Elena's angry question. Elena scowled and was about to ask another question when Arrafin spoke up.

"Maybe it had something to do with whatever Kani was laughing about. Remember?"

"Yeah, Madame Who-In-The-Heck said something about a soul, right? Complicated souls?"

"Right. She said Nevid's soul was not entirely his own. She said... an aspect of what he carried had nostalgic value for her."

"Which means what?"

"I don't know. But maybe next time we see her we can ask."

Elena and Isaac stared at Arrafin. Even Nevid managed a quizzical expression.

"What? Kani gave us this rod, right? So we could call on her if we wanted."

Arrafin's friends continued to stare. The Naridic girl held up the crystal rod Kani had given her.

"What?"

Isaac recovered first.

"Arrafin, if things ever get so bad that we think having the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life show up is a GOOD idea, I hope I'm already dead. I don't ever want to see Madame Yuek again. Ever."

"She was nice to us. She kept her word."

"Arrafin. Vampire. Eats people. Did you see that little girl she had? She is evil. Evil evil evil evil evil. Evil."

"Is everything just black and white for you? Evil this, good that? Look at what's going on right here in this city. We've got an army outside that's slaughtering innocent people but fighting the invaders. You, Isaac, you just spent two days building a trap to slaughter a bunch of Kishak kids who probably just want to go home. How many people are going to die because of you?"

"I thought you wanted to fight the Kishaks?"

"I do. I just. Maybe everything isn't as simple as we sometimes make it out to be. People are complicated."

The door to the inn room opened and Etienne and Zuleika stood there.

"Hey guys. The Kishaks have been sighted on the North road."

Arrafin jumped up.

"Are the Crimson Host attacking?"

Zuleika spat and laughed harshly.

"Those bastards ran for it as soon as they saw the reds coming. They're long gone."

Etienne interfered before Arrafin could get her outrage voiced.

"And Sharina al-Sharina beni Howetait wants to see us."

Elena chuckled sourly.

"Now who's complicated?"

*****

Even Elena smiled at the spectacle of Arrafin and her father exchanging obscure historical references, completely ignoring the fact that the most powerful woman in the Narid was waiting to see them.

The Khadisan had taken up court in the Mullaham and a steady stream of visitors filed in up the front steps and into the great domed hall, tiled in white and blue, where she sat.

The guards, visored and stern, waved them forward and Elena and Isaac just pushed gently on the chattering historians, guiding Arrafin and Reyhan forward without disturbing their conversation. Zuleika, Etienne, Nevid and Kaley followed.

"Out! Abomination! Send it out!"

The Khadisan's sudden shriek startled all of them, even Arrafin and Reyhan looking up at where the woman stood, pointing at their approaching group. Heads turned to see Kaley standing, pale and frightened, shaking under the sudden scrutiny. The Shaeric girl clutched at Nevid's arm, terror on her face.

"What's wrong?"

Arrafin turned to the Khadisan.

"What is it? She's. She's harmless."

The stern woman warrior's glower never softened.

"It may not approach. It defiles this place with its unclean presence."

Nevid nodded to his friends and guided Kaley back the way they'd come, ignoring angry stares and mutters.

The Khadisan settled back on her throne.

"This time tomorrow, the Kishak army will be destroyed. I will take my army into the desert and await the final confrontation with the Tyrant's Shade. I understand that you people intend to travel to Al-Tizim."

"Khadisan, what just happened? Why did you send Kaley away? What is she?"

The older woman regarded Arrafin balefully, but relented enough to answer.

"The Voice of the Wind has spoken to me, Arrafin al-Fasir beni Hassan, and it tells me that I am to deliver the desert from its oppressors. It has shown me the many paths of the future, and in all paths the treachery of the spirits is constant."

"What are spirits, exactly?"

"They are deceivers. No spirit may enter my presence, lest they desecrate my sacred communion with the Voice of the Wind."

Eager to end the conversation, Isaac stepped forward.

"Was there something you wanted us to do while we're in Al-Tizim, ma'am? A message or something you wanted delivered?"

"We have supporters in the great city, of course. We have a list of names you may contact upon your arrival there. Destroy this list before you leave here."

"Okay."

"I will face the Tyrant's Shade, and I will destroy him, and drive his armies from the desert. The thirst of the desert is never satisfied."

Even Arrafin and Reyhan joined with every other Naridic person in the vast chamber in repeating the Khadisan's last sentence. It seemed only Isaac, Elena and Etienne were silent.

"The thirst of the desert is never satisfied."

Isaac and Elena shared a sour look.

"This is not going to end well."


----------



## barsoomcore

I had an entire folder on my Mac that was descriptions of reference books in Barsoom the players might come across. It got a lot of use, at least while Arrafin was with the party.


----------



## shilsen

_While_ Arrafin was with the party? That sounds intriguingly ominous.


----------



## barsoomcore

Well, it was meant to.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Another Fine Mess: 17*

"I don't want to die."

"Nobody wants to die, Etienne."

"Not everyone has as much to lose, you know. Look at me."

Elena sighed and ignored her smirking half-Kishak friend. From the rooftop where they lay they could see the tail of the Kishak army slowly disappearing into the city gates. Within the city, buildings obscured the army's progress, but occasionally they could make out the high maroon standards as they passed through intersections.

Isaac had told them all to keep well clear of the palace square, though he would not say why. Elena assumed an ambush was being prepared. The Khadisan's army had arrived on those giant flying bugs, and so there was no evidence to tell the Kishaks they were walking into an immense trap.

Considering Isaac's confidence, Elena was sure that the only danger she would face this day would be heatstroke from lying in the sun with the others.

That, and possibly listening to Etienne boast.

"Och, she's a wild lass, isn't she just?"

Kaley's uncharacteristic outburst brought Elena's head around. The Shaeric woman sat next to Nevid, who was studying a text he'd apparently "retrieved" from the Tallal university library. Arrafin sat cross-legged near them, likewise absorbed in studying parchment, occasionally feeding bits of flatbread to her tiny owl. Etienne and Zuleika lay on the roof beside Elena.

Kaley was for once not looking at Nevid. She had turned and stared, wide-eyed, at the bloody, wild-haired mess that fumed and glared straight at Elena.

Kani.

The Lohanese sorceress' hands came up like claws and she lunged at Elena, shrieking.

"What was that thing?"

She plowed right into the just-standing Saijadani woman. They grappled for a second, and then toppled off the roof.

*****

It was really going to work. Isaac sat, his hat pulled down low over his eyes, trying to look as nonchalant as any tired Naridic beggar might, in a narrow alley leading to the Palace Square.

Not fifty feet from him, thousands of Kishak warriors lined up to cheer their general who would soon emerge on the high balcony above. They stood in precise ranks, their leather harnesses and gilded ornaments making a barbaric spectacle to Isaac's Saijadani eyes.

Sandalled feet rested on the multitude of powder-filled ceramic blocks his crews had replaced the cobblestones with. The work had been completed only hours ago, and in some places the stones were thrown together shabbily, with too many gaps, uneven placing and awkward angles. Isaac hoped that Kishaks were just as contemptuous of other nations as every other nation was, and would not consider the shoddy workmanship suspicious.

So far it seemed they had not noticed anything untoward about the plaza's cobblestones. Isaac turned away from the enemy and, shielding their view with his body, set fire to an entire forest of fuzes.

These cables had been designed by Arrafin's father Reyhan and would burn at a precise rate, even underground without air. They led all around underneath the plaza, carefully measured to arrive at their destinations at particular intervals.

_"It is critical that the explosions begin at the outside. Only that will ensure total destruction. Only that will avenge my son."_

Both Reyhan and Arrafin had that trick of turning from charming and sweet and sort of half-focused to intense and furious and remorseless in a heartbeat. The old man's fierce eyes burned in Isaac's memory.

Isaac remained where he was until the burning ends of the fuzes had disappeared beneath the paving stones. Then he got wearily to his feet and shambled off down the alley.

He did not see the officer of the nearest Kishak file peer curiously at his departure and make his way down the alley after the untidy beggar.

*****

"What was that thing?"

Kani shrieked and tore at Elena as they plunged into the street below. They crashed into an awning and right through, melons suddenly flying up around them as the cart beneath shattered on their impact.

Elena got a hand on the smaller woman's collar and hurled Kani bodily into the wall beside them. She slammed the sorceress again and again into the adobe, shaking loose flakes of dried mud as shoppers shouted around them, stumbling over shattered cart pieces and tumbling melons.

"What are you talking about, you insane bitch? What thing?"

Arrafin and Etienne plunged out of a doorway and hurtled up the street to where the two women struggled.

Etienne saw Kani produce a knife. He leapt forward and grabbed her wrist before she could stab Elena with it.

Kani screamed.

"What was that thing?"

Elena braced herself as Arrafin joined them.

"Etienne, can you hold her for a second?"

The half-Kishak nodded. Elena let go, leaned back, and with all her strength punched Kani right in the face.

The Lohanese woman reeled, bleeding from a torn lip but still hissing and snarling. She sprayed blood on Etienne. She saw Arrafin and sneered.

"That thing? Did you send it? How did you control it?"

Arrafin shook her head.

"What thing? What are you--"

"The little girl! The little Kishak girl!"

"Oh, God. Not her. We killed her."

Elena stared in horror at Kani.

"Mara? The vampire girl? But. We killed her. With the sword. We killed her. She's gone."

"Ha! That creature just attacked my master's fortress. Dozens are dead. Hundreds! What is that thing?"

Arrafin, despite her terror, frowned.

"What do you mean, your master?"

Kani spat.

"SHE has no more power over me. I am free to choose who I serve. And I choose the greatest sorcerer in all Barsoom. I now serve Matai Shang. He who will destroy you for sending that thing to him."

"Oh, that's just great."

*****

Jaddikathar Yithak Kin considered the strange formation in the alley floor. It appeared that a few paving stones had been removed and dozens of small holes drilled in the rock beneath.

Curious, he pried up a neighboring stone. Underneath the holes continued on like the paths of large earthworms. One was blocked by some sort of cable or thick thread, the end of which appeared burned. He picked it up, but it extended further under the next stone, back towards the plaza. As did all the other, hollow trails.

He frowned.

As things he'd heard about modern weapons began to fall into place in his head, Jaddikathar Yithak Kin dropped the thread and ran back towards the plaza.

He was screaming at the top of his lungs when a gunshot behind him announced a blasting pain in his back, and suddenly he was writhing on the stones, still screaming.

Isaac lowered his pistol and saw the nearest hundred or so Kishak soldiers turn in his direction.

"Crap."

*****

"So you've gone and joined Madame Yuek's biggest enemy. Don't you think she'll be kind of annoyed with you?"

Kani shrieked and again tried to free her knife hand from Etienne's grip. Blood from her cut lip had poured all down her chin, giving her such a frightful appearance that not even the fruit merchant whose cart had just been totalled dared interfere in the struggle.

"Shang will destroy you all! You have brought your own deaths upon you!"

"We didn't send that thing. Tell him we had nothing to do with it."

Kani threw back her head and laughed. She dropped the knife and Etienne kicked it away, then stepped back, still watchful.

Even so, it was Arrafin who first realised what was happening. Her owl flapped in alarm.

"She's casting a--"

The street erupted beneath them all, knocking Elena and Arrafin flying.

Etienne retained his balance, however. He was just preparing to lunge when another explosion sent everyone, even Kani herself, to their knees.

A much, much larger explosion.

*****

The blast was visible from every part of the city. Near the palace, the cloud of dust thrown up was so thick Isaac was nearly mistaken for a Kishak by the inrushing surge of eager Naridic warriors. He stumbled aside and waved his allies into the dust cloud.

Fortunately, the first Kishaks to make their way out of the disaster zone were even more disoriented, and by the time they noticed they were no longer alone, they were subjected to fatal chopping blows from the furious Naridic soldiers. These men and women had seen their families killed, their homes burned. They wanted revenge.

Kishaks screamed and pleaded and bled as the people of Tallal got their revenge.

Within the dust cloud, even more piteous screams rang out. The rest of the city seemed hushed, listening to the slaughter as though it were a sacred ritual.

Isaac watched blood sluicing between the cobblestones of the street and remembered Juan Antonio del Orofin's headless body. Isaac understood revenge.

He hoped his friends had enjoyed their afternoon.

*****

Arrafin had been studying all day. Studying a spell formula from the scrolls Madame Yuek had given her. She got to her feet and without thinking of what she was doing, opened herself up to darkness. Black electricity arced up her spine and a shadowy nimbus erupted around her. The dark tendrils grazed spilled melons and the fruit rotted at the touch, falling apart into thick slime. One middle-aged woman, sprawling on the ground, managed a thin wavering scream as she felt Shadow touch her, and pulled herself away from the cold blackness around Arrafin.

Arrafin's mind knew nothing but precise calculation. Matrices of wild energy blossomed in her awareness as she sent her will down pathways of perfect geometry, bending the foul power of sorcery to her desire.

Kani managed a shocked gasp as Arrafin's eyes snapped open and a blast of thick blackness thunderbolted across the street, slamming the Lohanese woman backward into the wall Elena had been pounding her against only moments before. Arrafin smiled.

More sorcery erupted in the chaotic street. Elena fell back, groaning, her eyes streaming blood, and Etienne was sent flying with another explosion of cobblestones. Cobblestones exploded at Arrafin's feet. Zuleika charged and caught a flying knife in her stomach.

Arrafin tried to summoun up more Shadow, but she was exhausted. Gral huddled close to her, only able to supply the blind love that consumed his little form. Kani laughed and made her way across the torn stones and terrified bodies towards the Naridic girl. She held a knife in her hand and chuckled as she gestured violently.

Her grin disappeared as Arrafin fumbled in her bag and pulled out a slender crystal rod.

Arrafin managed a sneer.

"Remember this?"

Kani reached out a hand.

"Don't. Don't break that. Don't call her. She'll."

"She'll what? Hurt you?"

Arrafin glared.

"Maybe you better save your breath and focus on running for your life."

She snapped the crystal rod. Shadowy darkness spilled forth.

Kani shrieked in utter terror and ran off down the street. Arrafin fell backwards and watched, numb, as the Shadow coiling and writhing in the street surged upwards and suddenly there stood Madame Yuek.

Six feet tall. White as any alabaster. Eyes like liquid onyx. Hair and golden ornaments towering high above her. A crimson and gold gown that shimmered and rippled like a living thing.

The beautiful vampire smiled down at Arrafin.

"Hello, Arrafin. What a pleasure to see you."

Arrafin tried to speak, and failed. She tried to stand, and failed. She managed to point off down the street where Kani was rapidly disappearing.

"Oh. Her."

The long rippling tendrils of Madame Yuek's gown suddenly took on purposeful energy, and shot down the street like the grasping tentacles of a hungry squid. Kani screamed as they remorselessly dragged her down the street back towards Madame Yuek.

Madame Yuek appeared to pay no attention. She continued to smile fixedly at Arrafin. The Naridic girl got her pointing hand to move again. She waved.

"Hi."

"Are you well, my dear? Has something happened?"

Madame Yuek's features took on a sudden darkness and she turned to watch Kani's slow, desperately contested, approach.

"Kani didn't hurt you, did she? Oh, my."

She shook her head.

"I'm so disappointed in that girl."

Kani saw Arrafin and her shrieking turned anguished, pleading.

"Arrafin! Please don't let her take me. Please kill me. Please, please kill me. Kill me, Arrafin, please, oh god don't let her take me please please please please please..."

Arrafin could only stare in horror. Madame Yuek smiled fondly.

"You really are a dear girl. Thank you so much. One day I promise I'll repay you."

The two Lohanese women disappeared in a puff of blackness.

Arrafin collapsed. Etienne got to his feet and staggered over to where Zuleika lay curled up around the knife in her stomach, groaning and swearing.

Elena sat up.

"Did she call you dear?"

*****

Isaac made his way through the disordered cobblestones and confused folks, wondering if somehow one of their explosives had been mistakenly placed here. He saw Arrafin shaking her head, Elena looking like she'd been crying tears of blood, and Etienne and Zuleika huddled next to a destroyed fruit cart.

Nevid and that Kaley girl looked down from a rooftop above.

"I go away for an afternoon and you people fall apart. Honestly."


----------



## barsoomcore

And that, folks, is the end of Part One: "Another Fine Mess". Part Two, "Frying Pan, Fire" will kick off in a couple of weeks. Next week we'll be dropping in on a few old friends here and there, just to see how everyone's getting along...


----------



## Desdichado

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Next week we'll be dropping in on a few old friends here and there, just to see how everyone's getting along...



Summary version:  They're either 1) dead.  2) Dying.  Or 3) Plotting to kill you.


----------



## barsoomcore

Hobo said:
			
		

> Summary version:  They're either 1) dead.  2) Dying.  Or 3) Plotting to kill you.



Actually, in this context, "either" is incorrect. On Barsoom, none of those states are mutually exclusive.


----------



## Avarice

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Actually, in this context, "either" is incorrect. On Barsoom, none of those states are mutually exclusive.




Yeah, I was thinking it was more likely to be: 4) Undead, and plotting to kill you.  I guess we'll see soon enough.

Wonderful stuff as always, barsoomcore.  I've been wondering, though, how exactly were you handling XP for these guys?  It seems like they've been dodging death for a very long time, now, and yet they're still fairly low level.


----------



## barsoomcore

Avarice said:
			
		

> How exactly were you handling XP for these guys?  It seems like they've been dodging death for a very long time, now, and yet they're still fairly low level.



They're about 5th level at this point in the story. I eschewed XP entirely for this campaign and just told them when they were levelling up.

By the end of Season Two they're about 8th level, I think.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Interlude I*

The battleaxe cut off his arm, but the grim black warrior scarcely seemed to notice. He leaned into the descending weapon, ignoring his own sudden dismemberment, and his great scimitar flashed upwards.

As the pale-skinned, bearded man he was fighting collapsed, clutching at his entrails, Laughter of Stones turned.

Before him stood an enormous reptilian creature, rearing up on two legs and with great leathery wings stretching out overhead. Golden scales shimmered in the torchlight. Hissing, it stepped towards the one-armed undead swordsman.

"Fool. No one left alive remembers you. Even your kind embraces us now, and forms alliances with us. For every one of us you kill, you slay dozens of your own."

Laughter held his ground.

"There is nothing but the Oath of Kabbar. You will die, Keyadar. All your kind will die."

"For a thousand years you have hunted us. Put down your sword."

"You know it is impossible. I am 34th of the Scarith Tushan. I swore the Oath and I must maintain its sanctity."

"I am not alone, man of Tushan."

The Keyadar reached out to either side, gesturing, and two Lohanese men stepped forward. They raised their hands and Laughter watched as dark coils of Shadow swirled up around them. He grinned mirthlessly at the Keyadar he had come to kill.

"Nor am I, Keyadar."

The Lohanese men never saw the black-skinned warriors materialize behind them. They were dead without ever realising that they were in danger. The three Scarith Tushan turned on the now-much-less-confident Keyadar.

"My brothers are with me, monster. And we will fulfill the Oath of our king. Tushan Kal Kabbar still rules our fate. And yours."

Deep beneath the surface of Barsoom, an ancient monster died.

*****

"I want the woman."

The dark-haired Gap woman stared hard at her Saijadani host. He leaned back and interlocked his fingers over his broad belly.

"The woman is gone. I have told you. She escaped. She left. Nobody knows where she is."

"You are lying to me, Rodrig."

"What makes you say that?"

"If you had truly lost a prisoner of Pilar del Orofin, you would be dead. Now where is she?"

"If I had truly not lost a prisoner of Pilar del Orofin, and I told you, what makes you think I would be any less dead?"

"I can protect you from Pilar."

The man snorted. Collette de Maynard, once an accountant, leaned forward. She yanked a ring off her finger and threw it at her host. Startled, he caught it and studied it.

"del Maraviez?"

"The woman is a friend of the family's. Tell me now, and I'll pay you handsomely. Tell them later, and the exchange might not be so profitable."

"Who is she?"

"Emmanuelle del Valencia. I've been asked to find her. I'm a friend of her son's."

Rodrig's panic at the thought of being caught in a feud between two of the rival family syndicates that ran Saijadan kept him from noticing the amused smirk with which Collette made that last declaration.

"A good friend."

*****

Kimiko Torokan studied a sheet of parchment and shook her severely-coiffed head.

"Are we sure there's been contact?"

The tubby Hinsuan man seated on the floor before her bowed.

"Most definitely, Blood Mother. One of our agents was in Tallal. There can be no doubt -- it was the Demon Goddess. She appeared friendly with Arrafin."

"We must proceed cautiously."

"Yes, Blood Mother."

"The girl must be made to understand what she is dealing with."

"Yes, Blood Mother."

"Prepare some of the more horrifying stories and have them sent to me. Strictly those that can be verified, mind you. The last thing we want is to send her looking to investigate rumours."

"Yes, Blood Mother."

"And stop calling me that. There hasn't been a Blood Mother in a hundred years. The Demon Goddess saw to that."

"Yes. Madam."

*****

A sloop named _Wavereaver_ swung at anchor in the deep harbour of Pavairelle. Captain Mateo, a young man with a tired face, dangled his legs over the side, staring yearningly at the docks. He looked down as the tender pulled up alongside.

"Ahoy! Anyone going ashore?"

"No. No one's going ashore. No one ever goes ashore."

The tender handler frowned, but turned to his crew and got them to work heaving the ship's cargo into his boat.

Even over the rattle and thump and cursing of the crew as they unloaded, Mateo could clearly hear Natacha's heavy tread as she clomped across the deck to where her captain sat.

He spoke before she could ask.

"Cadençia. Isabella wants us to go to Cadençia. Passengers. Probably in trouble."

Natacha sighed and leaned on the rail next to Mateo. She plucked at a sliver of wood and tugged it free, threw it overboard.

"You know, Captain, if I'd known it was going to work out like this..."

"Don't say it. We have to do what she says, don't we?"

"Isn't thirty years of service enough?"

"You got plans, I'm all ears."

They both sighed.

"I just wish I could go ashore for a day."

"Yeah."

*****

Her name was Rhaeillian. Wherever she walked, flowers bloomed. Birds sang. Children danced.

Eternal Princess of the Tuthean Tarn. Beautiful beyond mortal comprehension. Laughing. Delicate. Surrounded by a riotous court of her subjects, the Tuthean Tarn, freakish creatures of all descriptions and sizes, flying, scampering, hopping and squealing wherever she went.

She accepted their endless grovelling as the natural way of things. Their voices were as the voices of waves on rocks to one who lives by the sea.

Even Ugwyrdin bowed to her. He raised his antlered head.

_"SHE has gone. The Beauteous One has left Dannockshire. The little ones are distraught."_

Rhaeillian felt a sudden stabbing agony of betrayal. She was not wounded by physical weapons or needs, but by emotions. Their newest love had disappeared. All around her the Court gasped and cried out their dismay. Even those who had never beheld the Beauteous One were in pain.

_"Find HER. SHE will return to Shaer one day and when SHE does, we must convince HER to stay."_

*****

"Speak once more and I'll do more than... I'll do more."

Madame Yuek studied the remains of her daughter with a deep sort of satisfaction. The girl clearly understood the error of her ways, that much was certain. An elegant ivory finger traced a line up the girl's exposed spinal column, lingering over the long needles that emerged from the bone. Madame Yuek flicked a few of the needles and chuckled as Kani jerked and screamed.

"So lovely."

Her beautiful face glowed with contentment.

The vampire convulsed suddenly, and her happy expression twisted into something akin to horror and rage. She shrieked and hurled a table across the room, storming about in a sudden fury. An assistant failed to dodge from her deranged path and was torn apart by her bare hands. She made a circle around the room and came back to where Kani was bound. Madame Yuek staggered back from her hideously maimed daughter, screaming in terror and clawing at her own face.

Blood sprayed everywhere. Madame Yuek stumbled into a workbench and started as the immense black sword she'd acquired recently fell to the floor. Immediately calm again, she knelt and lifted the weapon. The rends in her face knitted themselves back together, restoring her perfect features in moments.

_"It destroys and commands the undead."_

_"Destroys."_

The statuesque woman rammed the hilt of the sword into the stone wall beside her. Stone shattered upon the impact and the hilt drilled inwards, leaving the enormous blade protruding. Without a pause she stepped back and then hurled herself onto the blade.

Madame Yuek screamed. Those servants still in the room collapsed, blood pouring from their ears. Stone walls cracked and shook.

She screamed and screamed and screamed, impaled on the blade. Her blood cascaded onto the stone floor. Black energy firehosed out of her torso, spraying in all directions as she heaved and flailed. Her adopted daughter, immobilized only a few feet away, screamed along with her.

Kani's voice gave out after only half an hour. Madame Yuek went on screaming for much longer, but at long last even she collapsed, motionless, hanging from the blade. The black steel extended from her back a good three feet. The pool of blood at her feet spread across the room.

For long hours Kani hung helpless in her bonds, the intricate tortures of her insane mother still working their agonizing arabesques on her body. What little sanity the girl had left disappeared. In her mind, she saw herself surrounded by endless faces of her gorgeous mother, smiling at her. Loving her.

Kani was finally at peace.

Silence descended over the demolished laboratory.

At last Madame Yuek raised her head. She studied the blade rammed right through her body.

"Well. THAT'S disappointing."


----------



## Joshua Randall

Bump for Blackdirge's latest "pimp a story hour" thread.

And because this story rules.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 1*

The long road to Al-Tizim, across leagues of heat-seared, featureless desert, wound at last through green fields and under spreading fruit trees, filling the air with exotic spices and the promise of cool water. Through gaps in the rows of trees the shining white walls of the ancient city hid its wonders from sight, excepting the highest domes and minarets that sparkled in the afternoon sunshine.

Traffic, for weeks non-existent on the long road from Tallal, now choked the high road with wagons, carts, lowing beasts and chattering merchants.

To say nothing of chattering local guides.

Arrafin had brightened up immeasurably since they'd arrived in the environs of Al-Tizim. She'd been uncharacteristically quiet ever since leaving Tallal, and brushed off her friends' concerns by saying it was just sadness at missing her father, who'd been required to return to the Khadisan's army after the victory in the palace square.

But as they entered the irrigated farmlands surrounding her hometown, the Naridic girl's voice rose up again, detailing histories of the ancient buildings and occasional ruins that lined the road.

"These pillars used to form a great colonnade that stretched all the way to the city gates."

She gestured to indicate the spread of the ancient roof.

"They were raised by Caliph Hidash in 5th Era after the Five Brothers returned to Al-Tizim, to welcome home his son, Hussein the Tall, after the Wars of the Eastern Sudul."

"Fascinating."

Only Isaac bothered to respond to Arrafin's enthusiastic comentary. Zuleika and Etienne had dropped back to walk on their own, apart from the others, just as Nevid and Kaley had pulled away in front of them. Nevid seemed almost eager to get to Al-Tizim before the others.

Elena walked along with Isaac and Arrafin, but she kept her mouth shut and spoke only in quiet grunts. Isaac really wished she'd contribute more to the conversation, but in all honesty he couldn't blame her.

Their trip north had not been a convivial one. The notion that they had sent their enemy Kani to a fate truly worse than death at the well-manicured hands of the vampire Madame Yuek had not sat easily with anyone, and the group formerly of five friends had become instead a group of two couples, a Naridic patriot and two Saijadani who, more and more, were wondering just what the heck they were doing, caught in a war of liberation for a land that wasn't theirs. Splintered, all that seemed to be holding the group together was the narrow road to Al-Tizim.

Isaac wondered what might happen to this group once they reached their destination.

"Oh! And see, that bit of wall emerging from that reservoir? That was destroyed in the assault of the first Khadisan against Caliph Reharr el-Habib."

He hoped it would involve less history.

*****

The gates of Al-Tizim impressed even Etienne.

"Holy big."

The true scale of the gleaming white walls of the city could only be appreciated by understanding that the tiny specks moving along its upper edge were guardsmen, peering down at the road far below. A vast gap in the wall yawned open to admit the hundreds of travellers pouring along the roadway both in and out of the greatest city in the Narid.

Horns skirled, announcing some potentates' passage through the throng. Thousands of voices rose in a helter-skelter babble of pleading, arguing, bargaining, accusing -- a great whirlwind of human activity that swept travellers up and swallowed them without a ripple.

Isaac felt plenty swallowed as they passed through the immense city wall. It was more like a lengthy tunnel, arched high overhead and the stones black with smoke, sweat and dust from centuries of travellers' passage. Kishak guards, tall spears in their left hands and their right hands resting on the hilts of their slim longswords, stood watching the endless stream of humanity pass by.

It was a good reminder that they were not safe here. Al-Tizim was now a Kishak stronghold, under the fist of the Tyrant's Shade, and any attention they attracted to themselves now was sure to cause them trouble down the line.

But they were nearly out of the gate tunnel and soon to disappear into the great faceless mass of the city.

"Why's Nevid going to talk to those guards? Isn't the idea to lie low?"

Isaac watched with a growing sense of doom as Nevid and Kaley came to a stop in front of last guard at the gate, whose shinier accoutrements than the others meant he was more important, Isaac assumed.

The guard listened to Nevid's speech and seemed to take little note, gesturing the Saijadani youth on, but Isaac saw the captain's eyes follow their friend into the crowd. Nevid twisted, looking for the others behind them, and Isaac took hold of Elena and Arrafin to guide them behind a passing cart.

"What? Isaac, what are you doing?"

"We don't want to be Nevid's friends just now. Trust me. Ow. And tell your owl to stop dive-bombing me."

Not until they'd passed out into the vast market that swarmed around the inside of the gate did Isaac allow the cart to rumble by and allow Elena and Arrafin to scan the crowd. They reunited with Etienne and Zuleika first, and Isaac related what he'd seen Nevid doing.

Etienne cursed.

"That dumb kid!"

"Etienne, how old are you?"

"What? I'm just saying."

Zuleika chuckled sourly but pointed down one aisle of stalls and hysterical merchants, all shrieking at passers-by to stop and sample their one-of-a-kind bargains.

"There's Nevid."

Reunited, the seven weary travellers made their way through the thronging streets, following Arrafin's eager directions.

"Here we are. My house."

Arrafin gestured proudly to a two-story house of whitewashed stone and plaster, nestled in a quiet street along with innumerable other identical houses.

Etienne expressed surprise that the door was unlocked, but Arrafin assured him that was the norm around here. Inside the house was surprisingly cool and well-kept, if a bit over-stuffed with books and papers. Every piece of furniture appeared to have been turned over to the job of holding masses of written material.

Many of the documents looked ancient and fragile to Isaac's eye, but Arrafin unconcernedly brushed papers to the floor to find seating for her friends.

"Okay, so here we are. My home."

Etienne nodded.

"It's great. But we should be looking for a way out of town. There's Kishaks everywhere here and it's only a matter of time before they figure out we're around."

"Or maybe they already know. Nevid, what exactly did you tell that gate captain?"

Nevid raised his eyebrows at Isaac's growling question.

"I told them I was a representative of the del Maraviez, and that I would be obliged if I could discuss some matters of great relevance to their commander."

Six pairs of eyes stared at Nevid. Five blinked.

"Why?"

Elena's tone made it clear she doubted there was a reasonable explanation.

Nevid shrugged.

"It might be interesting to find out who's in charge here and what they think of the del Maraviez family. That information could be very useful."

"It could also get us all killed, you little prat."

"Oh, I doubt that."

Only Kaley was still watching Nevid with the same expression she'd started the conversation. The others had all expanded on their facial vocabulary of shock and dismay.

"Did you tell them where we were staying?"

"Of course not. I also told them I was alone."

Elena sighed.

"Well, what's done is done. Hopefully this won't come back to trouble us in the future."

She looked over wryly as Isaac snorted.

"Because when have we ever been troubled by somebody else's bad decision?"

Everyone except Kaley turned to look at Arrafin. The Naridic girl held up her hands.

"I just wanted some more spells. I didn't know crazy vampire women would be involved."

"Hey, I wanted to ask something about that chick. The big Lohanese one."

Zuleika pursed her lips as she considered her question.

"Is she? I mean. She kinda seems. You know. Into you. Kind of beyond friendly, if you know what I mean."

Arrafin frowned.

"No. What? What's so funny, Elena?"

Elena and Zuleika were chuckling at each other while Isaac looked quite horrified at what was being suggested. Etienne stared at Zuleika in confusion, then suddenly his expression cleared.

"You mean Madame Yuek thinks..?"

He snorted. And then his expression cleared for a second time.

"That's kind of hot. I mean."

Elena and Zuleika laughed all the harder.

Arrafin glared at them all, indignant.

"What is so funny?"

*****

The ancient Grand Library of Emir Guran faced onto the plaza of the Fountain of Kings, looking out between the two immense stone banths and across the fountain itself at the Caliph's Palace.

The fountain wasn't all that impressive, actually; a circular pool a hundred paces or so across, with a small pillar in the center from which four jets of water rose up in arcs that met the pool halfway to the edge.

But the age of the entire plaza was obvious. The stones were weathered and incised with runes and iconographs no one any longer knew how to read. The lip of the pool was set with six hundred and twenty-three pink granite blocks, each an armspan across and numbered in seemingly random order, using the ancient numerals of the Karidish language.

Arrafin and Nevid sat at a table in the high-vaulted Reading Room of the Library, pouring over a diagram of the fountain and its outer blocks. They bickered over translation but, Elena assumed, they made progress.

Etienne and Zuleika had gone off to explore the city together, and, presumably, to find a little alone time. Elena didn't begrudge them their romance, though she wondered how long it could last. Zuleika was clearly looking for a replacement husband and somehow Elena didn't think Etienne was the marrying kind.

Isaac was prowling the stacks, to Elena's surprise. Her burly friend harboured a sharper mind than she'd thought way back when they first met, but she was still surprised to find him interested in old books.

Not her. Elena stifled a yawn and managed a smile at an excited explanation from Arrafin about something completely nonsensical.

She thought again of Zuleika and Etienne off having a little romance and wondered ruefully when it might be her turn.

Her thoughts shifted abruptly as she felt her entire body recoil with sudden horror. Shadow. Sorcery. And lots of it. There was a sudden screech from Arrafin's owl and the little bird leapt into the air.

Elena found herself suddenly on her feet, backing away from the swirling darkness that erupted in the midst of the library.

Out of the shadowy cyclone stepped a towering figure of crimson, gold and white white skin. Smiling.

"Oh, no."

"Arrafin, darling. Aren't you pleased to see me?"

"Uh. Yes?"


----------



## barsoomcore

Joshua Randall said:
			
		

> This story rules.



Thanks, man. I'm worried it lacks for action. Insufficient action, I worry.

Worry worry worry.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 2*

"Darling."

"Why are you calling me that? Wait. What are you doing here?"

Elena listened to the exchange between Arrafin and the vampire woman with only half her brain. The other half of her brain was curled up gibbering with fear in some dark corner of her skull.

Madame Yuek radiated power and death. She smiled charmingly, but there was nothing but terror in her presence.

Dimly Elena realised people were screaming and running in all directions away from where she stood.

Nevid crouched behind the table, Kaley huddling beside her.

Arrafin stood facing the statuesque vampire, a single scrawny little figure standing in front of beautiful, sweet-smiling death.

"I've brought you a gift, Arrafin."

"A. Gift?"

"To help you with your magic. I know how it is for mortals -- you're always running out of Shadow to power your spells."

"Yes! Yes, that happened to me in Tallal. Fighting Kani. She. She had too much power."

"Mm. She can carry a good deal of Shadow within her, that one."

"Is she. Okay?"

Madame Yuek laughed delightedly, covering her mouth with one hand.

"Oh, you are a dear thing. Of course. She's fine, Arrafin. In fact, she's my gift."

The half of Elena's brain still listening began to consider joining the other half back in that dark corner.

"What?"

Madame Yuek gestured to the still-swirling Shadow at her back and a figure emerged.

Pale, distended. Stiff. Eyes of dead black. Skin peeled up from flesh and held with long rods and pins.

The thing lurched forward on unsteady legs. Arrafin gasped and stepped back. The little owl on her shoulder squawked and flapped to keep its balance. Horrified eyes widened as Arrafin realised she recognized this thing.

"Kani?"

"Mm, yes. She's much more... tractable this way, isn't she? She was always such a willful girl. Now, observe these pins, Arrafin here, down the spine. Stretch out with your sorcery, girl, and you'll feel it."

Unable to resist the silky voice, so low and rich with amusement and seductive promise, Arrafin studied the exposed bone of Kani's spine, noting how the skin had been peeled away and arranged in delicate, artful patterns, lending an savage, terrifying elegance to the long pins emerging from the unfortunate girl's spinal column.

Arrafin flinched as her sorcerous senses made contact.

Shadow. Oily and black and deadly. Infusing Kani's body.

"What?"

"Think of her as a walking storehouse of Shadow energy, there for you to call on when you need it."

"What?"

"My dear, I believe you're in danger of fainting. Are you quite alright?"

Shaking, Arrafin could only nod.

"Well, I'll leave you then. Can't stay in an undefended place like this for too long, you know."

The vampire sighed, heaving her marble-white bosom dramatically.

"There's always something."

And then Shadow swirled and she was gone.

Leaving Arrafin still shaking, staring at the glorious ruin that had once been Kani.

Elena managed to get to her feet. She approached her friend, trying to keep a healthy distance from the bizarre figure standing nearby.

"Arrafin? Sweetie? Are you okay?"

Big round Naridic eyes turned to Elena. Arrafin pointed.

"That's the most f**ked-up thing I've ever seen."

They both considered Kani. The creature was no longer a woman, no longer resembled a human being. It was a nightmare illustration of agony and terror, rendered all the more horrible by how it just stood there without any indication of life.

Nevid stood abruptly.

"We're leaving."

He and Kaley scrambled out of the room.

Elena and Arrafin were still staring at Kani when Isaac joined them.

"So she's... like a freaky walking Shadow battery?"

"Yeah. Guess so."

"Well, she's been prettier."

*****

The Diamond Spider was, as dangerous and filthy wharfside joints went, both more dangerous and filthier than most. Nevid pushed his way past brooding Naridic soldiers, drowning their shame, boastful Kishaks always clustered together in large groups, Shaeric mercenaries confident and full of boisterous laughter and even sour Saijadani looking out of place and world-weary even here. Many of the patrons eyed Kaley as she clung close to Nevid.

The hulking giant at the bar ignored Nevid's first three attempts to get his attention. The Saijadani glowered and flashed the blue and gold badge on the inside of his cloak. That got the bartender's attention, and they entered into a brief conversation that concluded with the giant jerking his head upwards, indicating a table on the upper level.

Sitting at the table Nevid could see a thin Naridic man in dark leather, drinking alone, watching the crowd. He nodded to the bartender and headed for the stairs.

Over the noise of the crowd, he didn't pick up on the yelling and pushing until the Kishak patrol was right on top of him.

The captain grabbed him and without a word, dragged the young man from the bar.

"We understand you know things of great relevance to our commander. He mentioned your name to the Tyrant's Shade. Guess who's coming to talk to you tonight?"

Nobody thought to look for Kaley. She was nowhere to be seen.

*****

"She's coming. She's coming at last."

Nevid heard a voice not his own emerge from his throat.

"This is madness. She's too powerful, Keiko. Don't attempt this."

A Lohanese woman sneered at him.

"You've grown soft, old woman. We know what's really been happening. She has no idea what to expect."

"Don't. Don't do it."

Nevid realised he had no idea what language he was speaking.

"There. She comes."

Keiko wore the crimson robes of the Blood Council. She pointed and Nevid felt himself turn to look.

He stood on a tower, he realised. Below him spread a vast city, completely unfamiliar to him. Beyond the city walls, across a wide, slow-moving river, rose a range of hills divided into narrow plots. Atop the nearest hill he could just make out a distant figure of red and gold.

"No."

"We have the Imperial Army, Kwan. And the might of the entire Blood Council. Your own silence has seen to our involvement."

"It won't be enough. We're all going to die."

"The Council always survives, Kwan."

"No, I mean we're ALL going to die. The world is going to end, Keiko. You don't understand what she is."

The distant figure approached, sailing directly through the air towards the city. Nevid saw ranks of soldiers arrayed outside the city walls.

Some command must have been given. From the army, a cloud rose, thousands of arrows converging on that single figure. And these arrows had been enchanted by the most powerful magic of the Blood Council. The arrows met and the air tore itself apart in fire and fury, engulfing that distant figure in a mid-air cataclysm.

And again.

The sound of the explosions reached Nevid. He felt heat ripple on his face. The army was falling back now, unable to withstand the intensity of the sorcerous destruction overhead.

The explosions roiled on, still nearing the city, still hammering that figure, tearing it to shreds. Shreds that burned and flew apart and began to float to the ground, where dark circles told of the potency of the Blood Council's sorcery.

The air was still.

Nevid felt his head shake from side to side, even as Keiko laughed in triumph.

"You don't understand."

"What? She is destroyed, Kwan. You were wrong. Shang was wrong."

"No, Keiko."

The motion caught his eye, and Nevid turned back to where the figure had been destroyed. An enormous blast of earth and rock knocked Nevid flat.

He staggered to his feet and peered back at where a vast, smoking crater told of the enormity of the explosion they'd just witnessed. Vast sprays of earth disappeared beyond the hills, launched upwards hundreds if not thousands of feet into the air. Faintly he heard the impacts as boulders the size of houses plunged into the city.

At first he thought the wave of twisting smoke radiating out from the crater's edge was flame. He realised, without knowing how he realised it, that he was watching the souls of the people of Zuyang, torn from their bodies by the pure rage of unchecked Shadow. A great dark cloud began to form overhead.

"You haven't destroyed her."

Thousands died as he spoke. The wave of death expanded outwards. Behind it, buildings exploded into dust, paving stones blasted up hundreds of feet into the air, walls blew apart, and behind it all, the terrible terrible screaming of a young girl's tantrum.

"You've just made her angry."

*****

"They've taken him away. Me lad. They've taken him. I canna follow. Ye've got ta help."

Isaac tried to guide the frantic, shaking Kaley to one of the chairs in Arrafin's living room. The girl had appeared before them, materializing in a bizarre shower of brilliant, multi-coloured sparks, and she hadn't stopped begging them to help Nevid since.

Elena sneered.

"Dumb kid has no one to blame but himself. Let him rot overnight."

"Oh, no, ye must help the poor lad. I'm begging ye."

Arrafin raised a hand.

"Should we be, you know, moving? Nevid knows where we are."

Isaac shook his head. He turned to Kaley.

"Do you know where they took him?"

"Aye. The big place with the golden domes. Yonder the plaza ye were at today."

"Right. Of course."

Everyone sighed in unison.

"So we'll just break into the Caliph's Palace and spring him from the royal dungeons, then, shall we? Excellent."

"Oh, thank ye. Ye're ever so kind."

"Right. Of course."


----------



## barsoomcore

For those who are curious, Zuleika looks like this:


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 3*

"So, here we are..."

"Here we are..."

"...breaking into the Caliph's Palace..."

"...breaking into the Caliph's Palace..."

"...to rescue the dumb-ass who gave his name to the Kishaks so they could come and arrest him."

Elena did not repeat Isaac's whispered words this time. She pointed silently down into the garden where a pair of guards patrolled. The Kishak warriors disappeared behind a tall fern and the two Saijadani dropped down from the top of the wall.

Not in total silence. Elena's foot crunched on some twigs and the guards whirled, spears at the ready, and closed in on where she and Isaac crouched.

"Come on out of there. We know you're in there. We won't hurt you."

"We will."

The guards turned in surprise as Etienne emerged from a rhododendron behind  them. One collapsed, clutching at his throat, and the other drew breath to scream.

Zuleika's scimitar lashed out and his head rolled down the garden path to where Elena and Isaac straightened up. They watched as Zuleika, her face twisted with anger, delivered another two-handed blow to the corpse of the Kishak guard at her feet.

Etienne touched the woman's arm and they stared at each other for a second. Zuleika nodded.

"Clear."

Isaac ran back to the garden wall and tossed one end of a rope over. He felt it tug and began hauling.

Kani's creepy weird body/corpse/thing appeared at the top of the wall and, mastering his disgust, Isaac lowered it to the garden path. He tossed the rope back and soon Arrafin stood next to the nasty "gift" she'd received from Madame Yuek.

"You know, Arrafin, I'm not so sure studying sorcery is a great idea."

Arrafin scowled, one hand stroking the soft feathers of her owl familiar.

"Let's find him and get out of here. Gral is sure something bad is coming. Come on, Kani. Come with me."

Watching that thing obey Arrafin's instructions and walk along behind her was by far the creepiest thing Isaac had seen in.

He shook his head sourly.

In hours, at least.

"So, here we are..."

"Here we are..."

"...letting one friend lose her own soul in order to rescue another."

"Yeah."

Elena managed a grin at her old friend.

"We can't let her go alone, now can we?"

"Oh, no. Can't have that."

*****

To everyone's surprise, Arrafin knew the layout of the Caliph's palace rather well. She had picked the Lesser Fern Garden as their point of entry as it led into the Old Wing, where the Kishaks had situated their City Barracks, and where rumour had it most "political prisoners" were held.

Gral swooped down the dark hall ahead of the little band of rescuers, and the others watched Arrafin for indication as to which way to go. The slender Naridic girl pointed.

"There's two guards just around that corner."

Etienne nodded and he and Isaac drifted forward in silence. They stepped around the corner and after a moment, Etienne leaned back and waved them forward.

They moved down the narrow hallway, careful to step lightly on the polished flagstones. Two Kishaks sprawled on the floor in spreading pools of blood. Arrafin considered for a second, then pointed again.

"This way. There's a locked door and a room full of guards."

"How many?"

"More than two. Gral can't count very high."

Zuleika snickered.

"That's okay, neither can Etienne."

"Hey!"

"Shush. The guards we've already killed will be found soon enough. Let's move."

The group followed Isaac's advice. They burst into a guardroom of dark stone, low ceilings and rough wooden furniture. Kishak soldiers leapt to their feet and drew steel.

Isaac, Zuleika and Etienne were first in. Isaac spun off to the left and feinted high at the guard still getting up, and when he raised his longsword to block, the Saijadani's heavy blade came swooping down to slam into his stomach. The Kishak groaned and collapsed across a table. Zuleika whirled her scimitar overhead and kicked out, knocking a chair at one guard while she chopped down right through the parry of another, her weapon shearing through collarbone and shoulder in a spray of blood.

Etienne took advantage of flying furniture to thrust one of his longknives into the distracted guard's kidney, and as that soldier dropped to his knees, screaming and clutching at his side, the half-breed spun low, ducking a wild strike and coming up underneath, planting his other blade up into the ribcage of his second opponent.

Elena fired her crossbow down the length of the room, catching the guard nearest the far door in the face with an explosive burst of bone fragments and blood.

Still, another six or seven guards filled half the room, no longer off guard but forming up into a tightly coordinated group. Isaac pushed forward but one effective parry and another dangerous counter-thrust sent him stumbling back just barely staying clear. Zuleika showed even less caution and took a deep cut to her leg before breaking off.

Elena yanked at her crossbow to reload it but looked up as two figures strolled past her. Arrafin led Kani into the room.

The Naridic girl ran a hand up the forest of pins that emerged from Kani's flayed back. Arrafin shuddered with easy flow of Shadow energy that came spilling out of Madame Yuek's gift, but she began her spell and all else passed from her mind.

Flagstones at her feet erupted in a deafening explosion of dust and stone, which then ripped forward, hurling furniture and bodies aside and blasting right through the iron door where the Kishak guards had taken their stand.

Zuleika reeled from the sudden thunder, but both Isaac and Etienne plunged forward to take advantage of the stupefied guards. Elena just stared at Arrafin. Her friend was grinning with delighted glee at the aftermath of her spell. She turned to Elena.

"It worked! Wow, that was really something, wasn't it? Did you see that?"

"Yeah. Saw it. Heard it, too. And so did the whole palace, I'm sure. Zuleika, wait. I want to try something."

Elena put her hand on Zuleika's leg and concentrated. She grunted as a wound on her own leg suddenly opened, even as Zuleika's leg healed. She recalled seeing this happen on the body of that ancient undead warrior, Laughter of Stones.

As Zuleika stood up, shocked, Elena turned her attention to herself, and _willed_ her body to repair itself. Flesh knitted and skin sealed itself and, with only a certain fatigue to tell her anything had happened, Elena got to her feet.

"That'll come in handy with you lot, I'm sure."

The group scrambled past bleeding and torn bodies and into the dark hall beyond.

*****

Nevid had always assumed that his imaginative pictures of dungeon cells would turn out to be wrong, but no. The Caliph of Al-Tizim, at any rate, went in for the standard stone walls and single iron-clad door with a small barred window at face height.

He sat on the bench and sighed. Isabella would be so disappointed with him.

A blue, flickering light shone through the barred window. Whatever it was, it moved, sending rectangles of light sweeping across the cell walls. Nevid got to his feet and was about to rush to the window when a sudden mechanical clattering stopped him.

He'd heard that sound before. It sounded like nothing so much as an enormous metallic spider.

A harsh, grating voice snarled something in no language Nevid had ever heard. Cringing replies and slapping footsteps told of a good-sized group outside. Echoing bangs and clangs reverberated down the hall outside.

They were banging on the doors of the cells.

Looking for someone.

A sudden memory of an elderly Lohanese man sitting in the midst of articulated metal arms came to Nevid. He shuddered and with a quick motion, ran to the wall where the door stood, crouching down so he could not be seen from the window.

The clanging grew louder. Somebody screamed in Naridic, and there was a sudden eruption of voices and struggle. The screaming rose up higher, frantic. Butcher shop noises filled the hallway and the screaming cut off. Laughter, and then that harsher voice, snarling out commands.

With a distant rumble dust drifted down from the ceiling. Nevid looked up with a frown. It seemed the noise had startled the interlopers outside as they paused in their searching. It was only a matter of moments before they came to Nevid's cell. They would see it was locked and they would know somebody was in there.

Nevid ran over his options. They were few enough.

The cell next door was thrown open, the iron door banging against the wall. Somebody heaved against Nevid's door. Voices chattering. That strange blue light shone more brightly through the window and Nevid could hear breathing, angry voices. The Saijadani youth huddled down against the wall, willing the searchers to move on to the next cell, to assume somebody accidentally locked an empty cell, to leave and not notice him.

But no.

Some terrific force thundered against the door and it tore open with a spray of rock and dust. Nevid choked and then struggled as cold hands grasped his arms. Despite his heaving and wrenching, he was dragged out into the hall.

Before him sneered Matai Shang, the wizened sorcerer who sat in a bizarre array of mechanical limbs. He who had fought the dread vampire Madame Yuek toe-to-toe and not been immediately turned into a pile of dust. He looked five thousand years old. And very, very unhappy.

That ancient face leaned forward. He spoke in halting Imperial Kishak.

"I need your brain."

Nevid couldn't think of a thing to say. To his surprise, however, somebody else answered.

"I wouldn't bother. It doesn't seem to work very well."

Cringing minions turned to gape down the hall behind their master. Shang himself levered himself around to look at who had spoken. At last Nevid, realising he was unattended to, leaned to his right to see past Shang.

At the far end of the hall stood Isaac, fists on his hips, and with him Arrafin, Etienne, Zuleika and Elena, with varying degrees of confidence on their faces.

Arrafin waved.

"Hi, Nevid. We're here to rescue you."

Shang gestured. His impatience sent minions scuttling forward.

"I will attend to you once I have what I came for."

Shang turned back to Nevid.

But Nevid had gone.

Isaac and Elena sighed.

"So, here we are..."

"Here we are..."


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 4*

Arrafin didn't wait for Shang's minions to reach her; she closed her eyes and with her sorcerous senses took hold of Kani, shuddering as Shadow's dark power flooded into her, kissing up her spine with its cold fury. It was so easy, now, with Madame Yuek's bizarre "gift" of her former apprentice to provide her with the energy her spell needed.

Her eyes snapped open and she pointed. Flagstones ripped upwards in deafening explosions and minions pinwheeled into the walls.

"I guess we're fighting this guy."

Isaac sighed as he drew his heavy blade. Etienne tumbled by, knives flashing, with Zuleika charging behind him. Elena's crossbow went off and he heard a sharp twang as the bolt deflected away from Matai Shang's head.

The ancient sorcerer didn't seem to notice; he was too engrossed in demolishing walls back there. Isaac shrugged and moved forward.

*****

Nevid huddled against a cell wall, once again hoping with little hope that he would not be found. He heard explosions and screams from out in the hall, and a hideous snarling that had to be Shang himself.

Searching for him.

For his brain.

Nevid shook with terror and hugged himself, leaning against stone and trying to keep his breathing quiet, even though the cellblock echoed with screams and the ring of steel. He heard Isaac cursing the way he always did in battle, and a shrieking warcry he had come to recognize as Zuleika's, and he knew his friends were out there fighting a sorcerer who could at least hold his own against the vampire Madame Yuek.

They weren't going to last twelve seconds. They were his friends.

Nevid took a deep breath and stepped out into the hall.

*****

At first Isaac figured they had a chance. Guys in funny robes and funny hats came at them with a lot of enthusiasm, but not much skill and two were writhing at his feet before he'd even had time to get worried.

Matai Shang, his sprawling mechanical legs clattering, seemed engrossed in whatever he was up to back there, and unconcerned with his servants' inability to fight. Isaac stepped around twitching bodies and confronted yet another minion.

This fellow stood notably taller than the others, nearly as tall as Isaac himself, and he sneered as the Saijadani approached.

Isaac saw Etienne leaping in from behind and raised his sword.

"I don't know if you understand me, but you better get going if you don't want to end up like your friends."

The minion laughed. Isaac frowned.

Etienne saw his opening and darted forward, reaching in with one of his long knives for the kidney.

Isaac was watching carefully and he still had trouble seeing it happen. Etienne, overconfident and already thinking about the kill after this one, never saw it coming.

Feet planted, the Lohanese man twisted with one arm outstretched and backhanded Etienne across the face. The half-Kishak's legs flew out from under him and he sailed backwards. Before he'd struck the flagstones, the Lohanese man thrust a hand out palmfirst and caught Zuleika as she was charging from the other side and she, too, sprawled back. A knife, curved and nasty, appeared in the man's hand and Isaac had to stumble backwards from a sudden thrust.

"Whoa."

The knife came at him, above, below, looping around his guard, and Isaac scrambled to defend himself. He managed a parry on the outside edge of his sword and quickly reversed his blade, slamming the big hilt into his opponent's face. Blood sprayed and the man snarled.

And _changed_. Isaac leapt back as the man's snarl dropped an octave and became the bestial roar of an angry beast. Skin darkened, toughened and fingers lengthened into talons. A Lohanese face distorted, fangs and horns and long, reptilian jaws thrusting out. And he got bigger. A lot bigger, especially when leathery wings burst from his shoulders.

Etienne stumbled over to where Isaac was still staring.

"It's possible we underestimated this one."

*****

Elena growled with frustration at her own uselessness as she watched her friends struggle against the sudden appearance of some sort of dragon.

"Great."

She gritted her teeth against the sudden surge of stabbing pain in her skull and _pushed_ her will at the creature now looming over Isaac. Something inside her bowed and gave way and she reeled as a wave of formless energy leapt at the draconic figure, lighting the entire prison hall in sudden cold illumination.

It roared and gave back a step or two. Isaac, Etienne and Zuleika scrambled back to where Arrafin and Elena stood, all of them wide-eyed with restrained panic. Arrafin hurled her arms outwards and another blast of stone and dust exploded the length of the hall. She sagged and only Isaac's strong arm kept her from collapsing to the floor.

"I'm real sorry about Nevid, but we have to get out of here. Oh, look, there's another one turning into a monster."

Zuleika tugged at Etienne, trying to convince the half-Kishak to leave. Etienne pointed.

"Look. It's Nevid."

At the far end of the hall a solitary figure stood in slumped surrender.

They heard Shang laugh, a brutal, mocking sound, as his mechanical legs skittered and clanked and carried him towards the Saijadani youth. The two dragon-things faced the small group at the opposite end of the hall, taloned feet thumping heavily on the torn flagstones.

Arrafin drew more power from Kani, this time channelling it into a spell that threw flashes of black energy at their foes. To no effect. She tried again. Still they came forward.

Once more Arrafin drew on the store of Shadow in Kani's mutilated body, but to her surprise there was no more. Frowning, the Naridic girl turned to look at Kani.

Where the bizarre undead-or-whatever-it-was version of Kani had stood there was only a smouldering pile of ashes. Horror filled Arrafin's wide eyes as she realised she'd killed the girl. Or whatever it was.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. What have I done?"

"Put an end to her suffering, most like," growled Isaac, "which puts her ahead of us, it would seem."

Arrafin shook her head, fluffy curls bouncing, and fell to her knees.

"Oh, God."

She twitched as sudden explosions told of Isaac abandoning the need to be quiet and firing his pistols at their approaching foes. His curses made it clear they'd had little effect.

"Damnit. Elena, can you help Nevid?"

"I'll try. I'm going to need. Some time."

Arrafin looked up to see Isaac nod, grim and resolute. The big Saijadani chewed at his cigar and turned to face the draconic monsters with his sword held low at one side.

"We'll do what we can."

*****

Nevid looked up as Shang neared him. The ancient figure in the midst of the bizarre apparatus sneered and cackled and spoke in some language Nevid didn't understand.

The Saijadani held up his hands.

"Please don't hurt my friends."

The hall filled with black swirling tendrils that he recognized as sorcery unleashed. At first he thought Shang had begun whatever terrible spell was going to devour his brain, but the look of shock and dismay on the wizened Tianese man's face made him reconsider.

*****

"Keyad'ar. Now we see you."

Elena, Isaac, Etienne and Zuleika all stepped back as black forms rose out of the blasted floor. Tall black-skinned men of immense physiques, with equally huge scimitars in their hands.

The dragons reacted with confusion and dismay, rearing back and snarling at the three newcomers. Who wasted no time but raised their weapons and walked forward.

Talons and blades met and flesh tore. Blood hissed on the shattered stones of the hall's floor.

Isaac spoke for the rest.

"Huh?"

*****

Nevid stared as Shang whirled and shrieked at the sight of the three black men attacking his dragon-people. Another wave of sorcerous energy erupted and Shang disappeared even as his monstrous minions fell back, their bodies torn and hacked to pieces by their implacable enemies.

For a moment the hall shook with screams and terrible butcher noises as those heavy blades sank again and again into draconic flesh. At last those came to an end.

Elena gestured and scowled and Nevid scrambled past the end of the slaughter to where his friends stood.

They remained standing as those dark figures turned. All three seemed identical. Elena coughed.

"Laughter of Stones? Is that you?"

One of the figures bowed. Zuleika frowned at her friends. Etienne whispered a quick explanation.

"We met him earlier. He's an undead warrior who kills dragons."

"Oh, well, that explains everything."

The man who had bowed stepped forward. Elena was surprised to see him smile.

"I am pleased to see you again, friends. It seems we share an enemy."

"Yeah. What?"

"Matai Shang hides the Keyad'ar from us. Until they leave his fortresses we cannot sense them."

"Oh."

In the silence that had suddenly fallen across the hall, distant alarms became audible.

Elena smiled back at Laughter.

"Do you think you could, uh, get us out of here? Like last time?"

He bowed again.

"It would be my honour. Where do you wish to go?"

Arrafin came forward and waved.

"Hi, Laughter. Can you take us to my house? It's not far."

"Of course. Step nearer."

*****

Dark swirling tendrils filled the empty parlour for a moment, and then figures emerged from the floor. One bowed and disappeared. The others looked around, and started at the sight of a tall Lohanese woman in a forbidding crimson gown.

"Sister Torokan. Hi."

The Lohanese woman bowed.

"We have to talk."


----------



## shilsen

So Kani's gone? Pity. I was quite enjoying the visual of Arrafin moving around with the mannequin from hell in tow. I'm tempted to throw something like that into my game, but the PCs already have a plethora of gifts/benefits that have all sorts of ick associated with them, so it would be more of the usual.

By the way, how much of Arrafin's reaction to Kani was actually from the player and how much was artistic license? I find that many players are happy to suck it up and accept a 'gift', however horrible, as long as it leads to increased power.

On that note, how many of the funny quips are actually delivered at the table?


----------



## barsoomcore

shilsen said:
			
		

> So Kani's gone? Pity.



Hers is a sad story.



			
				shilsen said:
			
		

> How much of Arrafin's reaction to Kani was actually from the player and how much was artistic license?



Oh, there was a great deal of "Ew!!!!" from the players. They were really good at freaking themselves out.

It was a really great moment when Arrafin took the last bit of Shadow from Kani and killed her. I guess they thought she was an inexhaustible resource, and when she just poofed out of existence they were quite shocked.

When the "Ah Love" card was played, it notes that the love can be either a physical infatuation or a full-blown life-changing true love thingie. Obviously I decided life would be most interesting if an insane, all-powerful vampire fell deeply and truly in love with one of the PCs. Deciding on ways in which Madame Yuek would express her love was a lot of fun.

She means well. Sort of. She just doesn't have a lot of practice at this. And she's completely insane.



			
				shilsen said:
			
		

> On that note, how many of the funny quips are actually delivered at the table?



Well, it's been quite a few years, so I'm taking a fair amount of license. But they ARE funny people, my old gang.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 5*

"I have received some distressing news. I hope it is not true."

Etienne cleared his throat, looking worriedly between Zuleika and Blood Sister Torokan.

"If this is about..."

"It is not."

"Oh. Okay."

Torokan gestured.

"Please, have a seat."

It did not occur to Arrafin that being invited to sit in her own home was strange. She sat on the edge of the sofa.

All of them were still recovering from the battle so recently fought, panting and covered in dust, sweat and blood. Isaac sank to the floor, leaning back with a groan to prop himself against the wall.

Torokan remained standing. Her severe crimson robe made her look perfectly cylindrical. It looked very uncomfortable to Elena, but she had to admit there was a certain grace to the ensemble. She leaned back on the sofa next to Arrafin and sniffed.

"So, what's this news?"

Torokan looked around at them all.

"I have a report from Tellal that you people were seen talking with a certain vampire. One that appears to be a tall Tianese woman."

Isaac frowned.

"Tianese? What's that? Only vampire we know looks Lohanese."

Arrafin shook her head.

"And that Kishak one. Don't forget her."

"Right, Mara. And is Shang a vampire?"

Etienne leaned against the doorframe, cocky and smug.

"Nah. Shang's just some old guy. That Madame Yuek bitch is a vampire. She's all... hard. And stuff."

Torokan rolled her eyes.

"Please. I refer to... did you say Madame Yuek?"

"Yeah. That's the name she gave us, anyway."

"I see. We haven't heard of her name before. You people are the first to meet her and tell the tale. And she does not give her name to her victims."

Arrafin frowned.

"Waitaminute. If nobody's ever lived, how do you even know she exists?"

"First, there are ways to get answers from those who no longer live. Second, well, there are stories."

"Stories."

"Stories."

Arrafin crossed her arms and looked skeptical.

"Okay, tell us a story."

Torokan bowed.

"Sixty years ago, the Nahanese court began to hear rumours of a ghost haunting a forest in a distant province. The tales said it appeared as a woman, pale and feral, that ran from anyone who approached it. Corpses of wild animals were found, terribly disembowelled and their hearts taken. Trappers complained that their livelihood was imperiled.

"It was not until farm animals began dying that the governor of the province acted. He sent a message to the Silk Court informing the Emperor that a detachment of soldiers had been dispatched to find and deal with the ghost, or whatever it was.

"No further word came. No traffic descended from the mountain passes. A year passed without word. The Emperor sent an army up to see what had happened.

"They found desolation. A vast wasteland. What had once been a thriving forest valley with farms and towns was now a desert of ash, as though a great fire had consumed the entire district. Hundreds of square miles were devastated. There was not a single living thing in the province."

Torokan turned to Arrafin.

"You are familiar with the effect of Shadow's touch on living things, yes? How it turns them to ash? Imagine an entity capable of summouning enough Shadow to exterminate everything for leagues upon leagues."

Arrafin, eyes wide with horror, nodded. Torokan sighed.

"It can only have been one thing: the Demon Goddess."

"Oh, that's encouraging."

Torokan paid no attention to Isaac's snarl.

"The Demon Goddess ruled the nation of Tianguo for a hundred years, subjecting the people of that once-proud nation to such horrors that if I describe them you will not believe me. Her reign was literally hell on earth.

"My order believed she had been destroyed. It cost us greatly to do so. But if this is she, risen..."

Elena stretched out.

"Great. So what, we have to choose between she and Matai Shang? Some choice."

"Shang is a sorcerer and a very powerful one. But the Demon Goddess is the most potent entity upon Barsoom. Her power eclipses that of the god-sorcerers of long ago."

Torokan swallowed, shaking.

"You must understand. She possesses the power to destroy all life on Barsoom. She can reduce the entire world to a cinder, merely by wishing it to be so. She must be destroyed."

The Blood Sister recovered her poise. She smiled.

"Now. You folks have a sword, I believe, that has proven efficacious against vampires?"

There was an uncomfortable silence. Elena lowered her face to her hands and groaned.

"Oh, I knew we'd regret that move."

*****

Kishak soldiers in the street. Ranks of them, kicking down doors and dragging hapless civilians into the streets.

An uncharacteristic anger darkened Arrafin's delicate face. She'd hidden with her friends in a cellar and the soldiers, after destroying nearly everything in her house, had moved on.

Outside, still screaming and angry shouting. The seven (now that Kaley had re-appeared) friends gathered in a room full of shattered furniture and considered each other.

Elena shrugged.

"I still think we should go get that Farouk guy. Can we figure out how to find him?"

Nevid coughed and replied.

"I think I know which block it is. In the fountain. Arrafin, do you think you could use that spell of yours to break the block open? I think he's inside the block, somehow."

"Sure. Sure."

Zuleika put a hand on Arrafin's shoulder.

"Arrafin. You can't do anything for your father right now. I know how you feel, but you can't help him."

"I know that!"

Arrafin shook off Zuleika's touch and stomped across the room. Just ahead of the Kishak soldiers had come the news, shouted by panic-stricken citizens.

The Khadisan's army annihilated a few miles south of Al-Tizim. Kishak legions triumphant, backed up with gunpowder and sorcery. And now Al-Tizim bled in a massive purge as Kishak soldiers took out months of frustration and anger.

No word of Arrafin's father, who had ridden with the Khadisan.

"I know. I just. Maybe I can see him. Wait. Wait here. I want to see him."

She rushed out of the room, down the hall to the springhouse. She'd grown up here. In this house. Her father. Her brother.

Arrafin reached out and Shadow's darkness swirled into being around her, but she couldn't focus and lost the spell, only just able to release the deadly energy without killing herself. Heedless of the risk, she tried again, and then again, each time a wider circle of black tendrils growing around her. The circle expanded beyond the edges of the room she knelt in.

Next door, two children stopped breathing. A man collapsed, half his body turned to ash.

Arrafin cast her spell. The water in the springhouse shivered, then cleared. The Naridic girl gasped and ran from the room.

Isaac caught her before she could throw herself into the street.

"Arrafin, no. What happened? What is it?"

Zuleika cursed and turned away. Elena spared her an angry glance and joined Isaac with Arrafin.

The slender girl couldn't speak. She shook her head, sobbing.

"Oh, no."

Zuleika slammed a fist into the wall, then jumped back as a woman screamed from just next door. She and Etienne looked at each other, nodded and ran out the back of the house.

Isaac and Elena guided Arrafin to what remained of the sofa.

"It's okay, sweetie. It'll be okay."

Nevid remained standing where he was, trying to ignore everything. Especially Kaley, who stood staring at him.

"Do you want some water? It'll be okay, Arrafin."

"No, it damn well won't."

Isaac looked up at Zuleika's angry tone. She and Etienne had returned and glared down at Arrafin.

"You did that, didn't you?"

The younger girl frowned, confused.

"Did what? What do you mean?"

"It was that sorcery of yours."

Zuleika pointed next door as she shouted.

"You killed them! Children! You killed them with that stupid spell of yours."

"What?"

Everyone turned to Arrafin, horrified.

"No. What are you talking about? I didn't kill anyone. I wouldn't."

"That black stuff you use for those spells of yours. I've seen what it does to people. It went right through the wall of the house."

"What? No."

Arrafin shook her head.

"There were children hiding there, Arrafin. You killed them."

"Oh, god. No. No."

Then Elena was grabbing Arrafin and shaking her.

"What did you do? What did you do?"

The Naridic girl tore herself free.

"Nothing! I didn't do anything. I just. I wanted to see my father. And he's dead. They stuck him up on a tree. Nailed him up there. He. No. Leave me alone!"

She rushed from the room and they could hear her footsteps racing upstairs. Elena started to follow but Isaac grabbed her.

"Let her go. Give her some time."

"She killed those children."

"It was an accident, Zuleika. You think she doesn't feel terrible about it?"

"She killed them."

*****

Arrafin threw herself down on the fragments of her old bed. The door to her bedroom had been knocked to pieces. She sobbed and cursed and beat her fist against the wall.

The strain of the last few days collapsed upon her and she fell asleep.

What woke her up she couldn't say. Nothing stirred in the house. She was alone in her room but she could hear Isaac snoring below.

Arrafin sat up.

Standing in the doorway she saw a tall figure in a simple black gown. Long dark hair falling to the floor in an gleaming ebony cascade. Black eyes staring at her. White white skin.

"Arrafin."


----------



## kelson

more?  please?  you cant leave me here like this...


----------



## Avarice

I just hope Arrafin doesn't go off and find someone new.  Hell hath no fury like an insane vampire goddess scorned.


----------



## kelson

at least shes not a redhead?


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 6*

Arrafin stared into the flames, her big eyes swimming with tears. Skin and flesh blackened and peeled away from her father's body in the heart of the pyre, rising up into the night sky. Her owl, perched on her thin shoulder, watched along with her.

The light from the city was only a glow on the horizon, out here beyond the irrigated orchards, at the edge of the desert. Stars twinkled overhead, unmoved by the funerary bonfire below.

She watched in silence as the fire consumed her father. Her thin body swayed with exhaustion and grief, but only once the flames had begun to lower did she turn to face the statuesque figure behind her.

"The Blood Council are afraid of you."

"They should be."

Arrafin stared. Madame Yuek stood perfectly still, dressed in a simple black robe and with her long shiny hair hanging down to the ground in a straight black cascade. Even without her usual finery, she was beautiful. She stood in perfect stillness. Arrafin wondered at her refusal to defend herself, or explain anything. Not for the first time, Arrafin felt the desire to ask more, to try and see the woman that existed within the monster. If indeed one did.

"Teach me. Teach me sorcery."

Madame Yuek regarded the young girl seriously.

"Are you sure you want this, Arrafin? There is no turning back from this path."

"Somebody has to fight the people who do this. The Tyrant's Shade. Matai Shang. I don't care. Somebody has to fight them."

The tall vampire bowed her head without taking her gaze away from Arrafin's.

"I will teach you."

Arrafin burst into tears then. As she fell to her knees, she barely noticed strong arms coming to support her.

*****

"You must have missed her, Etienne. Arrafin couldn't have climbed out the window."

"I didn't miss her. Nobody came downstairs, I'm telling you. I was on the job. I was right here the whole time."

Elena crossed her arms and glowered at the half-Kishak.

"Well, you explain it then. Where is she?"

"She's back."

Everyone turned at the low, amused voice from within Arrafin's room. They started at the sight of Madame Yuek standing there with Arrafin limp in her arms. Isaac's eyes widened and he pushed forward, nearly drawing his sword.

Madame Yuek smiled.

"She has just cremated her father. She is exhausted."

Stunned, the others could only watch as the unearthly vampire turned to set Arrafin on her bed and stopped, noticing the demolished furniture. She tilted her head slightly and the bed re-assembled itself, sheets drawing into perfect arrangements.

Arrafin murmured something incomprehensible as Madame Yuek laid her down on the restored mattress.

Everyone stared as the vampire knelt beside the bed and pressed her lips to Arrafin's forehead.

Isaac found his voice.

"Get away from her."

He managed to remain where he was as Madame Yuek stood to face him. Death rolled off her undead presence. For a second she glared at the Saijadani with unrestrained fury, but her gaze turned to regard Arrafin once more, and she seemed to calm down. She was smiling when she looked back at Isaac.

"I understand you've spoken to the Blood Council about me. Don't think they aren't pursuing their own agenda. Don't think they aren't trying to use you."

"At least they don't eat people."

"Yes. Well."

Nevid took a breath and stepped up beside Isaac.

"Madame Yuek. What does Matai Shang want with me? Does it have to do with what you mentioned before? My soul?"

The vampire frowned.

"Shang came after you? Interesting. I advise you to stay close to her."

She pointed at Elena.

"My dear, you wear some item that makes you hard to locate, don't you? Its protection extends to those near you, as well. Although it does not prevent me from finding you, as you see."

With a mocking smile, the Lohanese beauty bowed.

"Good evening to you all."

In a swirl of darkness, she was gone.

Everyone inhaled. And then looked over to where Arrafin lay curled up on her restored bed. Her little owl sat on a bedpost, watching them all balefully.

"I don't really love how all this is going."

*****

Arrafin awoke to sounds of conversation downstairs. For long moments she lay still, recalling the flames that consumed her father's body.

Her father.

Her brother.

The Tyrant's Shade had done this.

Arrafin's mouth set in a grim line as she rose from bed and shuffled downstairs. Gral circled over her head.

Conversation came to a halt as she entered the front parlour. Her friends sat on assorted pieces of broken furniture, sharing some food Zuleika had brought from the market. Cautious stares watched Arrafin walk forward.

Isaac stood up and took the young girl's hand.

"Arrafin, before anything else, I'm sorry about your father. We all are."

She looked up at him, pain erupting within those wide round eyes of hers.

"I lost my father, too, years ago. I know how you feel."

Arrafin managed to nod. She turned to Zuleika.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone, Zuleika. It was an accident."

"You have to think things through, Arrafin. This isn't a game. People are dying."

Arrafin replied in a hollow voice Elena had never heard her friend use before.

"People die no matter what I do."

The ensuing silence was broken by Etienne's cough.

"Well? It's obvious we should try and get this Farouk spirit-thing. Once we have that, we can... whatever."

"Whatever?"

"Well, whatever we're going to do next."

Another silence settled over the room as they all looked at each other.

Outside, a child called out. Arrafin flinched.

At last Elena spoke up.

"Well, do we want to... fight somebody? Stop somebody? There doesn't seem to be a shortage of bad guys around."

"Well, yeah, but..."

Isaac looked for the right words.

"Aren't we a little outmatched? What are we supposed to do against guys like Shang or the Shade or Madame Yuek? They can squish our heads any time."

Nevid drew in a breath.

"I'd like to find out why Shang is after me. And -- "

He glanced over at Kaley, who smiled brightly.

"-- I'd like to know what's going on with her. Why is she here?"

"I like ye."

"I know."

Zuleika shrugged.

"Whatever. Yeah, maybe Farouk ibn Zaoud the legendary warrior of Naridic epics can help you with your girlfriend."

"You know, Zuleika, sometimes your attitude could maybe be a little nicer."

"Yeah, you're a real ray of sunshine, Elena."

"That's enough, you two. Arrafin."

Isaac turned to address the Naridic girl.

"What's going on with Madame Yuek and you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean? You disappear in the middle of the night without a word and then she brings you back and tucks you all into bed like some kind of freaky undead nanny. Don't you remember what the Blood Council told us? She's dangerous. You shouldn't be hanging around with her."

Arrafin shot to her feet, eyes blazing.

"I wasn't hanging around with her. She found my father's body and helped me. She helped me. She's not."

She looked around at the others.

"You all think. Just what that Blood Council bitch said. Maybe SHE'S lying, did you think of that? Why should we trust her?"

"Well, for one, she's not a vampire."

Elena had gotten to her feet as well and she stomped over to Arrafin.

"Arrafin, you need to think about things. You killed some innocent people yesterday. Now you're, what? Defending a vampire against us? Whose side are you on?"

"Side? What are you talking about? What sides?"

Zuleika sneered from where she sat.

"For one, there's side of people who don't kill innocents."

"F**k you, Zuleika. Who saved your life back in the desert?"

Everyone stood and the shouting rose up. Arrafin's owl dive-bombed Zuleika. Etienne tried to grab Elena and got an elbow in the gut. Elena shook Arrafin.

"Arrafin, get a hold of yourself! This. Look. We're just. Damn it."

The Naridic girl was crying. Everyone stared away from everyone else. Elena wiped furiously at tears on her cheeks. She turned to face the group.

"Let's get this Farouk guy. We can worry about the rest later. Arrafin, will you help?"

"Of course. Of course I'll help."

"Alright. Let's try not to kill anybody."


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 7*

The hardest part, for Arrafin, was convincing herself that what they were doing was worth destroying an ancient remnant of a vanished civilization.

The Fountain of Kings had stood in Al-Tizim for millenia. It was ancient in the time Suelekar Ben Azan, the king who had commanded the spirit they were trying to awaken. The Fountain pre-dated Naridic civilization, and while no one could say for certain, it was thought to be a relic of the barely-known Karidish kingdom that once ruled these lands.

Arrafin thought of what little she knew of the Karidish people while she waited for Nevid to give her the signal to proceed. Darker-skinned than the Naridic people, they had left behind great monuments across the desert and only a few names to mark their presence. Their great king, Tushan Kal Kabbar.

Her brow furrowed as she considered that strange black warrior who had crossed their path twice previously. Laughter of Stones. 34th of the Scar'ith Tushan.

_"Once we were men. We loved our king, Tushan Kal Kabbar. The sacrifice was his, and still we fight our ancient war. We are the Scar'ith Tushan, the Three Hundred Forsaken. Through the centuries we have hunted the great enemy. The Keyad'ar. We are the darkness that carries through to light. We are glory out of death."_

She had sought further references to his strange pronouncement, but information was scarce and poorly-understood. Arrafin tsk-ed to herself when she recalled the state of literature on the subject, and resolved to put together a paper on Karidish kings as soon as she had a chance.

Rummaging around in her bag for a scrap of paper to note her new resolution, Arrafin entirely missed Nevid's signal.

Nevid stood as nonchanlantly as he could near the great stone circle that marked the Fountain. Uncertain what to do now that Arrafin wasn't watching, he shrugged. Kaley smiled at him. Across the square from Arrafin Elena leaned against an oak tree, trying not to look ready to run. She rolled her eyes at Nevid's hesitancy, and signalled to Isaac, Etienne and Zuleika, all positioned around the square to watch for trouble, that they should hold position.

Elena sighed. She drew in a breath and yelled out at the top of her lungs.

"Arrafin! Now!"

Arrafin dropped her bag, suddenly remembering where she was and what she was doing. She sucked in and blackness erupted all around her, swirling up in wild tendrils and bizarre sprays as she bent that dark power to her will, her mind cold and utterly rational.

_Earthbolt_

The spell cracked the flagstones at her feet, stone chips and dust flying everywhere, and sent a roaring explosion speeding away from her straight at the Fountain, at the particular stone she and Nevid had agreed most likely contained the resting place of Farouk Ibn Zaoud, fairytale hero of Arrafin's childhood.

The immense slab of rock that formed one portion of the Fountain shuddered and split with an explosive crack. Water shot into the air.

Elena was already running. They didn't know how Kishak authorities would react but it was safe to assume that sorcerous property damage in one of the largest public spaces in Al-Tizim would be noticed and acted upon.

She vaulted one stone wall and jumped down beside the newly formed fissure in the rock. Isaac meanwhile ran and grabbed Arrafin and dragged the girl into the crowd.

Looking down, Elena saw a glint of crystal and reached in. Something small came away in her hand and she clutched it tight and ran for it with all her strength.

Guards yelled and something thundered, but distantly. Elena ran, streets opening before her as her feet pounded on the cobblestones. Merchants and robed women scrambled from her path and now she heard the sound of pursuit, voices calling for her to stop. She ran on.

Around a corner, awnings fluttering, one fat man twisting aside as she careened by. The street narrowed suddenly and she vaulted a low railing, pelting through crowded tables and crashing past a waiter in a sidewalk cafe, a woman yelling angry behind her as she hurtled around another corner, wrong way wrong way, too late now, noise behind her still of yelling soldiers in pursuit.

Her breath tore at her chest, sharp and hard but she couldn't slow down, even as she flew out into a busy street and bounced off a wagon, spun and kept her momentum forward, knocked aside a couple of young kids and tore down a dark alley.

She lurched, reaching out to grab the nearby wall and maintain her balance as she had to stop, reeling backwards, at the sight of red-skinned soldiers ahead of her. One pointed.

"Oh, no."

*****

"She went left. She was supposed to go right. Why did she go left?"

Etienne and Zuleika, torn with indecision, trotted along a main thoroughfare, hoping for a sight of their friend. Nevid had confirmed there was nothing in the broken stone after Elena ran, so they presumed she'd gotten it. Whatever it was.

But she was supposed to go right, and they'd lost her.

"Wait. That's Kishak I hear."

Etienne listened, and nodded.

"This way."

He and Zuleika crossed the street and turned into a lane, the foreign shouting louder here and easier to follow.

Somebody screamed. Etienne started running.

"She was supposed to go right."

*****

"Arrafin, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

The Naridic girl looked a question at Isaac. He sighed and put a cigar in his mouth.

"With. With her. Madame Yuek."

"I. I think so."

"I don't mean to. You know, I'm not trying to say anything. But you have to be careful. She scares me. A lot."

"Yeah."

They sat side-by-side at a neighborhood well, waiting for their friends to arrive. Arrafin tried to explain, gesticulating as she spoke.

"She says she'll help me learn sorcery. It's dangerous. But. But, Isaac, I'm good at it. And I can help."

They sat in silence for a little while, the sounds of Naridic conversation and neighborhood life all around them. Arrafin turned to her Saijadani friend.

"She scares me, too. But if she wanted me dead, I'd be dead already, right? I don't know. But, just trust me, okay?"

"You're not a child, Arrafin. I know we treat you like you were one. And I guess maybe we think of you as one. It's only because we care."

"I know."

Arrafin looked back down at the stones at her feet.

"I know."

*****

The soldiers approached. Elena was spent, leaning against the wall, just watching them come.

She remembered what this was all about and looked down at her hand. Clutched there lay an amber ball set in tarnished silver, a little smaller than her palm.

Nothing worth dying for.

Elena looked up at the soldiers and shrugged.

"What the hell. Farouk ibn Zaoud, if you're around, kill these bastards for me."

She stared at the unbelievably handsome man in front of her. He was a little taller than her, with powerful arms folded across his bare chest. His eyes shone gold and his thick dark hair fell across his forehead in an unruly tangle of curls.

Her mouth watered.

"Hi."

He bowed.

"As my mistress commands."

The soldiers had stopped in some confusion and stood, staring just like Elena at the sudden apparition.

The apparition drew an immense scimitar and started towards them. Two were dead before the rest thought to try and flee. It was a futile effort.

Etienne and Zuleika came around the corner and blinked at the carnage before them. Elena waved and pointed to the beautiful Naridic man beside her.

"Look what I have."


----------



## barsoomcore

kelson said:
			
		

> at least shes not a redhead?



Psychologically speaking, on Barsoom, they're ALL redheads.


----------



## kelson

yeah, they're screwed all right...


----------



## barsoomcore

My apologies, Loyal Readers, but this week's episode is going to be a day late. Try to hang on for 24 hours without.


----------



## Desdichado

So?  Where is it then?


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 8*

"Let's just say we'd like to avoid any Imperial entanglements."

The goatee-d proprietor of the dingy tavern regarded Nevid with a grin.

"Well, that's no trick at all."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we do it all the time. How many of you?"

Nevid peered through the smoke and haze of the interior of the Diamond Spider. Isaac sat at the next table with Arrafin, Kaley, and Etienne. Elena and Zuleika had gone back down to the main floor, ostensibly to procure drinks, but he could see them down there, lounging against the bar and talking, making no apparent effort to complete their mission.

Isaac and Arrafin sat with their heads close together, talking quietly. Both Kaley and Etienne ignored their conversation, both of them staring -- Kaley at Nevid, and Etienne over the railing and at the young woman dancing on stage. Nevid sighed.

At least his del Maraviez connections were paying off, if what this greasy man was telling him turned out to be true.

"There's seven of us. To Cadençia."

"Give me a few hours to see who's in harbour and has room for you. We'll stuff you lot in crates and sway you aboard, but it shouldn't be a big deal."

He nodded and grinned again.

"Always happy to help a friend of Isabella's. You folks just sit tight and I'll get back to you. Have a drink. Enjoy the floor show."

*****

"Some show."

Elena shrugged at Zuleika's sour comment.

"At least she can dance. It's when you're in these places and the girl can't even dance that it really sucks."

She followed the Naridic woman's gaze to the upper balcony where Etienne smirked at the dancer on stage.

"Look. Maybe it's none of my business but, uh."

"What am I doing with a kid like Etienne?"

"Yeah."

Zuleika sighed and finished her drink, signaled the bartender for another.

"Don't get me wrong, I like Etienne, pretty much, but..."

"I know. I just."

A faint smile pasted itself onto Zuleika's face.

"Back when you... found me? With my sister and her husband and their kids?"

Memories of shrieking and blood made Elena swallow.

"You missed the earlier. Those bandits, they came to our farm. My. It wasn't just my sister and her husband. I."

Another toss of a glass poured another shot of liquor into Zuleika's mouth. She swallowed and took a deep breath.

"My husband died there so we could get away. We'd been married six months."

"Oh, Zuleika."

"So I guess I'm. You know. Hiding."

"You don't have to explain."

The two women stared at each other. Elena's serious face broke into a sudden grin.

"Well, except for your taste. Seriously. Etienne?"

Both burst into laughter. Zuleika shrugged.

"Well, who else? Nevid? No Saijadani pretty-boys for me, thank you."

"Fair enough."

"And I thought Isaac was with you."

Elena's laughter died in a sudden choking frenzy.

"What?"

"Well, I know now, but you guys are pretty close."

"I guess. We've been through some s**t."

Elena looked consideringly up at her friend who sat talking with Arrafin.

"I had two older brothers, growing up. I guess I think of him the same way I do them."

"So no guy for you?"

"Not these days."

Zuleika smirked.

"But then there is Mr. Farouk Ibn Zaoud. Holy hubba."

Elena blushed.

"I know. Wow. I could eat him with a spoon."

"He'll do whatever you tell him to, won't he?"

"I think so."

*****

Upstairs, Isaac and Arrafin both turned at the sudden eruption of high-pitched hilarity down at the bar, to see Elena and Zuleika leaning against each other, crying with laughter.

Arrafin smiled.

"I'm glad they're getting along. Zuleika can sure be a sour one, can't she?"

"Yeah."

Isaac had another sip, wincing against the sourness of the wine. He was very glad they were returning to Saijadan.

"Do you have any thoughts about our new genie friend, Arrafin?"

"I've been wondering about what. Kani. Said about spirits as opposed to ghosts. I wonder if there isn't two kinds of these things, sort of like there's two kinds of magic; sorcery and then the stuff Elena can do with her brain."

"So you think this genie is something like that? Something... brain-related?"

"Well, you see, sorcery is essentially a way of isolating certain resonant frequencies between one elevation and another. When those align and are combined with the right sort of recursive process, a self-reinforcing cycle develops that..."

"Uh-huh."

Isaac kept his listening face on and considered the first drink he was going to have when he got back to civilization. He looked up as a hand descended on Nevid's shoulder.

A mustachioed fellow with his blond hair pulled back in a braid grinned at them all.

"I understand you are a group of del Maraviez patsies."

Isaac noted the red and gold badge on the bravo's cloak and shoved backwards, knocking Arrafin around the far end of the table as his chair slid across greasy floorboards. He stood up, well clear of the stranger.

"And you are a del Orofin lapdog."

The blond man sneered.

"At least I don't buy the loyalty of the first whore who comes past. If you care to trust that de Maynard bitch, that's your business, but we at least have standards."

Nevid, Arrafin and Isaac all frowned. Isaac was the first to be able to put their thoughts into words.

"What?"

"Collette de Maynard. Everyone's talking about how she actually works for Isabella del Maraviez."

Isaac glowered at Nevid.

"We're going to have to have a little talk with your boss when we get back to Saijadan."

*****

Zuleika looked up at a sudden crashing and banging from the balcony above.

"What's that?"

"Isaac, killing someone. Come on, let's have another drink. That big guy down the other end of the bar is checking you out."


----------



## barsoomcore

Hobo said:
			
		

> So?  Where is it then?



Ta da!


----------



## Desdichado

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Ta da!


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 9*

The Inner Sea sparkled as the sun rose above the eastern horizon. Isaac shielded his eyes. Somewhere past that horizon lay the ancient land of Lohan-El, where creatures like Matai Shang and Madame Yuek came from. Were they somehow searching for he and his friends? Would they return yet again with their weird pronouncements and superhuman powers?

Isaac hoped not.

Their ship travelled almost due north, so off the other side he could see the early stars twinkling in the growing gloom. Elena came up beside him. They leaned against the stern rail in silence for a while, listening to the masts and cables creak overhead.

"So."

Elena turned to her old friend.

"Old Collette's on the payroll, huh? You know what they say about office romances."

Isaac growled. His hand tightened on the hilt of his father's sword.

Collette de Maynard had manipulated him more than once, made a fool of him and nearly gotten him killed. He thought about her mocking, sharp-featured face nearly every day.

"That's not funny."

"What do you think it means? I warned you we shouldn't trust those del Maraviez bastards."

"Well, now we know."

Isaac watched Nevid sitting with Etienne and Zuleika nearer the bow of the ship. Getting aboard had been as straightforward as the del Maraviez youth's contact had promised, and they were now half-way into their two-week voyage north across the Inner Sea to Saijadan.

Saijadan. Home to him and Elena and Nevid. At last. But also home to the del Maraviez family, at whose bidding they had first travelled to the Narid.

He sighed.

"There must be an explanation. Or else it was a mistake."

"Didn't sound like a mistake."

"Yeah, well, at least we don't have to worry about it for another week. Nothing much can happen out here, right? It's kind of nice, actually. A couple of weeks without prison breaks or armies or sorcery or vampires all over the place."

The deck erupted in a sudden fountain of black shadowy tendrils and Madame Yuek seemed to rise up from the planks themselves. Tall and forbidding and seemingly amused by the panic her appearance caused in the crew.

"Well, one week at least."

*****

Madame Yuek's new spells had engrossed Arrafin during the trip. She spent almost all her time in her tiny cabin, reading and reviewing the documents she'd received from the vampire sorceress.

Certain principles of sorcery were becoming clearer to her, but it was still mostly memorization and repetition. The girl's quick brain understood that there were broader truths behind these examples, though, and she longed for more knowledge.

At times she collapsed, snoring in the midst of papers and notes, only to thrash awake in strange dreams. She grabbed brief meals on deck, retreating to her cabin with only the barest conversations with her comrades. Days flew by.

Gral sat on a lantern hook in her room and watched, going out at night to search for mice and other tiny vermin on board the ship. She could speak with him now, actual sentences, and she understood how his presence made her abilities safer, more predictable. They worked together to hold on to Shadow's dark power and to shape it to Arrafin's will.

The girl lay sprawled on her cot, scroll tube clutched to her thin chest, twitching faintly in her sleep.

Her big eyes popped open and she shot up, scattering papers on the floor. Gral flapped and leapt from his perch, zooming tight circles around the room.

Sorcery. Here.

She ran from the room onto the main deck of the ship, nearly colliding with Isaac and he and Elena descended the companionway from the stern.

In front of them Madame Yuek stood, looking freakish and crazy and very pleased with herself. Her hair stood up in an elaborate tower of arches and gold bands, laden with tiny gold bells that rang in a constant shimmering drone. White as purest marble, her smiling face topped a gown of crimson and gold that glowed in the dawn.

"I hope I didn't wake anyone."

Isaac pushed Arrafin behind him. The Naridic girl frowned and strained to see around her burly friend.

"What do you want? Madame."

The towering vampire gestured and a low table appeared, strewn with cups and bowls and plates. Sizzling sounds and warm smells reached everyone.

"I wish only to talk. I brought breakfast."

To everyone's amazement, Madame Yuek gracefully lowered herself and knelt beside the table. She gestured for them to join her.

Nobody moved.

Madame Yuek grinned at Arrafin. She held up a gold carafe.

"Coffee?"

"Ooh. Coffee."

Slowly, the group converged on the table and seated themselves around it. Cushions appeared beneath them as they sat.

Isaac prevented Arrafin from moving past him and made sure to sit between her and Madame Yuek. To his discomfort, this put him right next to the bizarre creature.

The food did smell good, though. Zuleika shrugged and filled a plate. She held out a cup and Madame Yuek, with a smirk, poured coffee. The others followed suit, trying to act as though being served by an insane vampire goddess was normal.

Arrafin appeared unperturbed, at least. She sipped at her coffee and smiled at their hostess.

"So. You wanted to talk?"

The answering smile raised hairs on the backs of many necks around the table.

"Yes, my dear. I have been investigating Matai Shang's interest in your friend, and I think there are some things you should know."

Madame Yuek lifted a hand in Nevid's direction.

"Your friend carries within him a fragment of the soul of Tsing Kwan, the last Blood Mother."

Confused looks passed around the table.

"I will explain for you some history. First, you must understand that there is always a Blood Mother. At least, there was until a century ago. Until Matai Shang figured out how to remove her without spawning a new one."

Isaac frowned, intrigued despite himself.

"What do you mean, 'a new one'?"

"When the Blood Mother dies, a new one always emerges. Shang realised it had to do with the soul of the Blood Mother. When the Blood Mother dies, her soul passes to the new Blood Mother, and the tradition is passed on."

"So... he kept her alive?"

"No. He destroyed her soul. Shang is an expert in working with the human soul. He understands it as well as anyone alive or dead. He was able to blast the Blood Mother's soul into pieces."

Silence greeted this information. Arrafin had grabbed a napkin and was making hurried notes.

"Magic designed to work upon a complete soul has... unpredictable effects on partial souls. A new Blood Mother did not emerge. The Blood Council has been without guidance for a hundred years now."

Zuleika sniffed. She took a pastry and scowled.

"So what does that have to do with Nevid? This Shaeric girl says he has a spike in his head."

Madame Yuek studied Kaley. The Shaeric girl seemed unaware of the scrutiny.

"That is not a girl. I'll warn you not to treat spirit creatures as though they were human. They are not."

Her gaze turned to Nevid.

"A partial soul must find a complete soul to act as its... host, if you will. It cannot maintain itself and so is drawn to a complete soul. Perhaps you have dreams you don't recognize?"

Nevid nodded. The vampire stared at him.

"Yes. Those are Tsing Kwan's memories."

Arrafin put up her hand, realised she wasn't in a classroom, and cleared her throat.

"Um. Madame. Yuek."

The vampire smiled warmly.

"You may call us Man Chong, my dear. Our full name is Yuek Man Chong."

"Okay. Oh. So. Uh. Madame. Man Chong. Does this mean there must be more people like Nevid? With, uh, chunks of this woman's soul in their heads?"

"Exactly, Arrafin. How clever of you."

"Oh, it just. I thought."

Arrafin busied herself with her notes. Elena came to her friend's rescue.

"What does Shang care, though? He's destroyed the Blood Mother, and now she's gone. Why's he chasing after Nevid?"

"This I do not know. Not yet. It confuses me, and that frightens me. Shang only exposes himself to risk when the need is very great."

"Why's he so paranoid? Isn't he, like, head-crushingly powerful?"

Madame Yuek smiled at Etienne's scorn.

"You don't understand what the power of sorcery means. No matter how much power one holds, one can always overlook something. Something vital. Only the most paranoid, the most suspicious, the most fiendishly devious ever survive."

Isaac scowled.

"Except you, of course. You're a paragon."

The smile disappeared.

"I crack open ribcages and eat people's hearts while they still beat.

"But I will not ignore something Shang has been willing to risk himself so greatly for. He must be trying to save the world."

"What?"

The smile returned.

"Of course. What else could convince him to go up against me directly? He knows better than anyone what I am. He must think the world is at stake."

"But... if he's trying to save the world, what are you doing? What are we doing?"

Madame Yuek sighed and gestured airily.

"Everyone is trying to save the world. I. Shang. The Tyrant's Shade. The Blood Council. We're all trying to save the world from each other."

"Oh."

"Now, you folks were really quite reckless in Al-Tizim, weren't you? Don't you know the Tyrant's Shade has been tearing apart the city looking for you? You realise that if he finds somebody who knows who you are, or even who met or spoke with you, he can track you down?"

Worried glances hadn't even begun to go around the table when Madame Yuek spoke again.

"But not too worry. I killed everyone you spoke to in the city and made sure no sorcerer can question them."

Her smile was bright and charming.

"But honestly, you people just don't think these things through. I won't always be able to clean up after you, you know. Now I hope you enjoyed breakfast. I know I greatly enjoyed our little chat. Arrafin, my dear, I hope you've been studying. Another time."

Blackness yawned up all around them and she, and the table, were gone.

And the cushions. Etienne rubbed at his tailbone.

"Ow."

The others looked around at each other. Elena shrugged.

"Great. So I guess we're saving the world, then."


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 10*

"Isabella del Maraviez will see you now."

Isaac tried to look unimpressed with the del Maraviez offices in Cadençia. Arched halls of marble and pink sandstone, golden and bejewelled treasures from around the world displayed in niches along the corridors, uniformed guards everywhere in the family's blue and silver, everything combining to make him feel decidedly inadequate. Or at least, unkempt.

The city itself had soothed his need for familiarity, at least. Cadencia rose up around a steep promontory, stone-paved streets criss-crossing the slopes and everywhere the comforting accents of home. The colours of Las Familias toughs, swaggering in front of each other, always itching for an excuse to fight. Markets full of goods from all around the Inner Sea, junior merchants trying to convince passers-by to stop and compare the workmanship, the price, the quality. Guitars and the clack of castanets from a saloon, dark-eyed women with their challenging smoulders, immense wagons pulled by braying trikes, their graceful horns festooned with ribbons and blossoms, all of it breathed of Saijadan.

Home.

He and his friends had sat waiting in a parlour for a few minutes. Kaley remained close to Nevid, as she always did, looking around uncertainly. Isaac studied the strange woman as they all rose in response to the page's summouns.

She spoke only to Nevid, even when directly addressed by others. At times she'd just not be around, even though no one had seen her leave, and then they'd turn around and she'd be back, with no explanation as to her absence. Isaac recalled Madame Yuek's words.

_"I'll warn you not to treat spirit creatures as though they were human. They are not."_

That thought led him to Elena, who strode ahead of him into Isabella's office. They'd investigated her new "friend" a bit on the voyage, though not enough to satisfy Isaac's suspicion. He seemed perfectly willing to do whatever Elena asked him to do, and disappeared on command. But if there were any limits to his abilities or their control over him, they hadn't discovered.

"My friends. I am so glad to see you all again."

Isabella del Maraviez was no beauty. She stood tall and rail-thin, her face pinched and almost craggy in its features. With her hair pulled back severely she seemed permanently squinting. She gestured them to the chairs arranged around her desk.

"I am so thrilled by your safe return to Saijadan. Please, tell me of your trip. I have had some news but there is no substitute for first-hand accounts."

Nevid started in with a cursory accounting of their efforts to smuggle guns to Naridic rebels, but within a few sentences Arrafin had jumped in to correct him, and then Etienne contradicted Arrafin, and the telling got substantially confused.

Isabella didn't seem to have much trouble following the threads of the story, Isaac noticed, and with perceptive questions and summations she kept the recitation rolling forwards. She nodded as they described their encounter with the Nevakada agent Kan Koshar, and noted calmly that the Kishak agent had expired under interrogation. Isaac was surprised to see how casually Isabella took the tale of their trip to Madame Yuek's castle and the revelations of sorcery, vampires and so on involved in that.

"She's clearly a force of great evil. But I don't know how we're going to be able to fight her."

Arrafin turned on Nevid's comment.

"Why should we fight her? She's on our side."

Zuleika scoffed.

"Our side? What side is our side? We don't even know what we're doing."

Isabella held up her hands to forestall more angry outbursts.

"My friends. Perhaps you could just carry on with the story and we'll talk about what needs to be done afterwards?"

The Naridic women subsided and Elena picked up the thread of the narrative.

"So then we ended up in Tallal."

Isaac had to speak up then, and explain his part in the trap laid for the Kishak soldiers. Isabella's questions were precise and penetrating, and he had to admit she was one sharp customer. She didn't seem to be taking any notes but she referred easily to things they'd mentioned earlier. Isaac had the sense that she already knew most of what they were telling her, and was confirming what she knew rather than learning new facts.

This was clearly not a woman to underestimate.

Their story moved on to Al-Tizim, and another confused session of conflicting memories as they tried to reconstruct the rescue of Nevid, the battle with Shang and their various encounters with Madame Yuek.

"And then she said she'd killed everyone. In Al-Tizim."

"Everyone?"

Arrafin frowned.

"Well. Everyone we'd talked to. In case, you know, the Shade and."

She wiggled her fingers. Isabella took her turn frowning.

"Sorcery?"

"Yes."

"Ah. Well, yes, I have heard that there was a sudden series of deaths in the city. Library workers and a number of people at a tavern."

The friends all looked at each other, then all looked at Arrafin.

"What? I didn't tell her to do anything. I didn't do this."

"No, your girlfriend did."

Arrafin's glare at Zuleika was even more incendiary than usual. Etienne broke in.

"Whatever. Now we know what kind of. Uh. Person. She is."

When Arrafin snapped her glare over to him, the half-Kishak put up his hands.

"The kind who kills innocent people, that's what kind. Arrafin, she's a bad guy. She's evil. Come on, you heard the Blood Mother's story."

"Everyone's got a story. It's what people do that counts, not what others say about them."

"I'm cool with that criteria. According to her actions, she's a murdering immortal psychopath."

Isabella smiled.

"Well. Fascinating. Now. We've arranged accomodations for you folks at a nearby hotel. Why don't you get yourselves settled and we can reconvene later? Perhaps dinner? There's a very fine restaurant here; the Furnace Club. The hotel clerks will be able to direct you. At sundown? Excellent."

And they were ushered out of her office, back out through a maze of corridors and into the street. Cadencia rose up all around them, noisy and outrageous and frenetic.

Isaac sighed.

"I need a drink."

*****

"I'll no leave ye. I can't."

"That's not what I'm asking, Kaley. I mean, where do you go when you disappear?"

"I'll no leave ye."

Nevid sighed in frustration. Elena came over and smiled at the Shaeric girl.

"Hi Kaley."

Kaley managed a quick smile before burying her face in Nevid's neck. This made walking awkward for the Saijadani youth, but he managed not to stumble.

"Listen, sweetie, it's just that sometimes you're not around. We just wonder where you go."

The Shaeric girl's voice dropped to a whisper so low Elena had lean in to hear her.

"The King takes me."

"The... King? The King of where now?"

"The King of the Tuthean Tarn."

A sudden look of horror flashed across Kaley's face, and she disappeared in a shower of colour and light. Elena reeled.

"Way to go, Elena. You sure have a great touch with people."

"Shut up, Zuleika. Anyone got any notion what she was talking about?"

Shrugs and headshakes greeted Elena's question. Isaac pointed up ahead.

"There's the place. The Furnace Club."

Along the street, storefronts and awnings gave way to a high, carefully-trimmed hedge, with a single narrow opening. Two broad-shouldered men in dark uniforms stood at the entrance, watching the street traffic carefully.

They turned their attention back inside the establishment as screams and crashes erupted from within.

Isaac's face set in a grim expression.

"I have a feeling I'm not going to have that simple, quiet drink I was hoping to have."

Guns went off and the two doormen rushed inside. The friends looked at each other.

"Yeah, yeah, alright."

The Furnace Room was obviously a dignified, expensive sort of place for business dinners and fancy occasions, which made it a spectacular sort of setting for a massive brawl.

Silver place setting tumbled across the tiles, ringing and clattering, as beautiful dishes fell and exploded amidst the chaos. Steel clashed, screams, and another gun went off as Isaac and Elena led the way into the dining room.

Half-a-dozen red-skinned warriors stood against the assembled flower of Saijadani wealth and privilege, sabres red with blood as they fought for their lives. Enraged at the sight of Kishak swordsmen, Isaac scarcely noticed anyone else in the room as he leapt over a banquet table straight into their midst.

His heavy sword beat down a surprised parry and he cut his man high on the shoulder. Etienne flashed by, rolling under a table and coming up with his knives out, followed by Zuleika, shrieking a Naridic oath as she cannoned into another Kishak. Elena stretched out a hand and one of the swordsmen convulsed, limbs jerked outwards by some unseen force.

Only Arrafin saw Isabella.

Face-down in a booth. Head caved in by numerous sword-blows.

"Nevakada vengeance."


----------



## barsoomcore

Sorry for the very late episode, Loyal Readers.


----------



## Desdichado

Ah, death of the Patron.  Nice touch.

Yeah; this was late, wasn't it?  Come of think of it your next one is _already due!_

Slacker.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 11*

"Sorry, ma'am. Only those on del Maraviez business. Move along."

Elena growled.

"But we ARE on del Maraviez business. We were here just earlier, with Isabella del Maraviez. We need to see somebody."

"I'm sorry. I can take your name and see if anyone will meet with you."

"Marques knows us. Ask him."

"I'll be happy to send him a message with our next courier to Pavairelle, ma'am."

Etienne scoffed.

"Yeah, that'll take weeks. The Nevakada are after us right now."

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir. Please, move along."

Defeated by the guard's unflappable demeanour, the uneasy group moved along. Since Isabella's murder at the Furnace Club (and the deaths of the Kishak assassins responsible), they'd come straight back to the del Maraviez offices to see what their next steps should be.

Only nobody seemed to know who they were. Or care. Obviously Isabella hadn't told anyone to look out for a crew of weather-beaten mercenary-looking trouble-makers. Nevid spoke up.

"Well, let's head back to our hotel and make some plans there."

*****

"Sorry, ma'am. Your group has been checked out. We no longer have any rooms for you."

"But. What? We didn't check out. We're. We haven't even stayed one night yet."

"I'm very sorry ma'am. The reservation has been cancelled. Perhaps I can recommend another establishment?"

Elena turned back to her friends in disbelief.

"They've cut us off. They've cut us off."

She grabbed Nevid and slammed him against a pillar. Hotel guests passing through the lobby pretended not to notice.

"What is going on, Nevid? What's happening?"

For once the Saijadani youth seemed shaken and uncertain.

"I don't know. It doesn't make any sense."

Isaac took Elena's arm and the woman calmed down. She checked her purse.

"Unless somebody here's been holding out, I think our lifestyle just got a little less fancy."

"What are we going to do? If the Nevakada are after us, and the del Maraviez aren't going to protect us, then..."

Etienne shrugged at Arrafin's question. He spoke as they all moved outside into the evening darkness. The street rumbled around them, full of activity.

"They didn't do such a great job of protecting Isabella, now did they? I say we turn this game around and track down the Nevakada sources ourselves. Somebody brought those assassins into town and pointed them at Isabella. Let's find that somebody and get some answers."

Isaac nodded.

"That sounds like a good plan. There's a much cheaper hotel down at the bottom of this hill, the Bayview. We can stay there at least tonight. Tomorrow let's start asking around and see who might have been able to bring those Kishaks into town. What is it, Arrafin?"

"I want to talk to the Blood Council. I've got some questions for them."

"Great idea. Great."

*****

"Terrible idea. Terrible."

Isaac shook his head as Arrafin pounded on the door of the Blood Council Sanctuary. The others stayed behind at the hotel, where they nearly disappeared in the crush of drunken soldiers. Evidently the Bayview was housing an entire mercenary company, all of whom seemed determined to consume the establishment's entire supply of liquor.

Both Elena and Zuleika had seemed happy enough to join the celebration. For a second Isaac wondered if something had happened between Zuleika and Etienne, but he looked up as the door finally opened.

A dark-eyed girl in a crimson robe stared out dispassionately at them. Arrafin drew herself up.

"I am Arrafin al-"

"Yes. High Blood Sister Torokan will see you. Come in."

"Oh."

Inside, the Sanctuary looked exactly like the one in Pavairelle; wide gravel yards separating low buildings half-hidden behind hedges and groves. The sounds of the city seemed to recede, and only the quiet drip and burble of water disturbed the tranquility of the setting.

The girl led them across the courtyard to the largest of the buildings. Inside a bare room, kneeling on the floor, they found Kimiko Torokan, looking as severe and formal as ever. She nodded.

Excited, Arrafin scrambled forward, rummaging in her notes.

"Blood Sister. I need you to explain something. Look. Our friend, Nevid? He's got, in his head, a part of, of a soul."

One eyebrow rose.

"The soul of the Blood Mother. It was destroyed, right? Bits of it all over the world. Shang destroyed it, we know. She told us. Madame Yuek. But what does it mean? What's the purpose of the Blood Mother and why would Shang be trying to get her soul back?"

Torokan looked over at Isaac, studied him briefly, then returned her gaze to Arrafin.

"Shang didn't destroy the Blood Mother, Arrafin. That was the Demon Goddess."

"What? But she said--"

"Arrafin. She is a monster. She is evil. She destroyed the Blood Mother in a cataclysm so horrifying that a million people died in a heartbeat, in such agonizing pain that their souls were torn from their bodies and still now, even today, hover over the site of their torture and blight the landscape for leagues around. A million people, Arrafin. Extinguished. Like nothing."

"But--"

"She exists to kill and to terrify. If she is acting kindly towards you now, it is only so that her betrayal of you will be all the more savage when it happens.

"Tsing Kwan was not the first Blood Mother she killed, you know. She hates us. She always has."

To Isaac's astonishment, the Blood Sister was breathing heavily, her teeth gritted. She struggled with intense emotion.

"I have warned you. Do not trust her."

Isaac watched as the two women stared at each other. Arrafin, normally so diffident and reserved, returned Torokan's angry gaze steadily and with the same intensity as the Blood Sister. The Naridic girl spoke quietly.

"Would it be good to restore the Blood Mother's soul, if it is possible?"

"It is not."

"If it is, should we do it?"

They stared some more. Arrafin reached into her bag, without looking down, and heaved the mammoth volume she'd been studying from onto the floor between them.

"You gave this to me. You started this."

Her voice rose, angry and tense.

"You didn't tell me what it would do to me. You didn't care. So tell me this: should we try to restore the soul of the Blood Mother?"

The Blood Sister relented.

"Yes. If you can. Barsoom needs her. Now, more than ever."

Isaac leaned forward. When Torokan turned to him, he narrowed his eyes.

"What do you do? What's the point of you ladies?"

"We slay gods. That is the purpose of the Blood Council. We identify and destroy those who attain godhood. There must be no gods on Barsoom. Religion consumes and enslaves."

"Always?"

Her composure back, Torokan drove Isaac back with a glare.

"Always. No being that desires worship can be allowed to exist. No being that seeks dominion over the will of others can be tolerated.

"Barsoom is a more fragile place than you know. A power like the Demon Goddess threatens the existence of all mankind."

"You're wrong about her. You'll see. She isn't evil."

"It doesn't matter, Arrafin. She possesses power no mortal may possess. We will destroy her, eventually. There can be no truce, no stalemate. Only survival or destruction."

Isaac shrugged.

"You ladies must be lots of fun to party with."

*****

Elena howled with laughter as Zuleika made her unsteady way up the stairs, leaning drunkenly against the Saijadani soldier who'd first caught her eye earlier in the evening. The laughing woman nearly fell off her bench, and only the steadying hand of the burly, mustachioed fellow beside her prevented a sudden disaster.

"Whoa, there, senorita. Your friend seems to have left you alone."

Elena grinned full-bore into the man's eyes. She noticed he was pretty handsome. She recalled that she was very drunk, and that maybe her judgement as to handsomeness wasn't to be trusted.

As she was recalling that, she found herself kissing the man with abandon, still laughing as their lips pressed together.

Etienne sat with Nevid and Kaley, avoiding the crush of revelry elsewhere in the tavern. He watched Zuleika leaving, moodily scowling into his drink. Nevid looked back and forth between his surly drinking companion and the Naridic woman making her unsteady way up the stairs, but said nothing. Kaley just stared at Nevid.

All three looked up as a serious young woman sat down at their table. Her blonde hair pulled back tight gave an angry cast to her broad features, and her rough-tanned leather cloak told of a lower-class background. Or at least, mused Etienne, the appearance of one.

"Where is your companion, Dominic?"

Nevid recalled that Isaac was supposed to be using that name these days.

"He's not around. Why?"

"Tell him the del Maraviez may have had ulterior motives in keeping him under cover. Tell him to look this over and see what he thinks."

She pulled an envelope, straining with a thick sheaf of paper, from her purse and dropped it on the table.

"Don't follow me."

They watched her leave. Nevid pulled the papers free and squinted at the careful writing within.




		Code:
	

[center]IN THE

GRAND COUNCIL COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE CUSTOMS HOUSE

Court of Appeals Nos. 57-35220; 57- 35221

____________________________________________[/center]

RODRIG & ISABELLA DEL MARAVIEZ, in their official capacities as
OFFICERS OF THE DEL MARAVIEZ FAMILIA

Appellees,

v.

THE GRAND DUCHY OF PETRAHEGNA,
THE COURT OF PETRAHEGNA, and
AUGUSTIN DEL OROFIN, in his official capacity as
SURINTENDANT OF THE CUSTOMS HOUSE
 
Appellants.

_________________________________________________

On Appeal from the The Court of Petrahegna


Nevid read further. He looked over at Etienne, confused.

"I think somebody's trying to swindle Isaac. Only, I don't know if it's the del Maraviez or the del Orofin."

"Or whoever brought us that document."

"Yeah."


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 12*

"'..without exception the factual matters which appellants belatedly claims require development, are either irrelevant or are matters regarding which appellants...'"

Arrafin shook her head and passed the document back to Nevid.

"I can't figure it out. It's a bunch of legal gobbledegook."

Nevid flipped through the document, frowning. He and Arrafin and Isaac and Etienne sat alone in the hotel's restaurant, which last night had been so crowded. There was no sign of Elena or Zuleika.

Etienne sighed and helped himself to a pear.

"Where's your girlfriend, Nevid? Disappear again? So what, is somebody trying to take Isaac's rightful property or something?"

"I don't have any rightful property. It was all confiscated when -- "

Arrafin and Nevid both looked up.

"Yes? When...?"

"I don't want to talk -- "

"Treason? Was your father accused of treason?"

"Watch it."

Isaac's hand went to his swordhilt as anger flashed in his eyes. For a second the fury in his face blazed out, but the moment his friends shrank back, the burly warrior relaxed and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry. It still... Yes. Why?"

Nevid flipped pages.

"'Security and treason laws which prevent release of del Valençia holdings, capital, lands and chattels do not supersede del Maraviez property rights.' And this: 'The Appellants' argument that granting del Maraviez an exemption from the relevant requirements of the local security and treason laws violates the Establishment Clause, is substantially incorrect.' Blah, blah, blah, and then: 'For all of the above reasons this Court should reverse the judgment of the Court of Petrahegna.'"

Isaac blinked.

"What?"

"Your father, and you yourself, it seems, were found guilty of treason. Apparently, the Court of Petrahegna decided that the property of traitors does not pass to the Familias that the traitors were working for. This document is an appeal of that judgement by the del Maraviez, arguing that they should be given all of the traitors' possessions."

"Maybe you shouldn't call me a traitor quite so much."

"Sorry. But I think that's what this is. They're saying that you ARE guilty, but that your guilt shouldn't interfere with their right to your property."

"But Isabella said..."

Isaac's face darkened.

"Her name's on that document, isn't it?"

"She signed it. And her father, Rodrig."

"And now she's dead, so we can't ask her."

"And we'll never get in to see Rodrig. Nobody sees Rodrig del Maraviez."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine. It's over. They can have the property if they want it so bad. It didn't do my father any good. Or my mother. Both of them are dead now because of their wealth. I'd rather live in some kind of peace and quiet than try and fight all that, anyway."

A woman screamed upstairs. Etienne leapt to his feet and hurtled up the stairway.

"Zuleika."

*****

"Murderess! She killed him! She killed Alejandro! Kill her!"

Etienne pushed through the crowd, elbowing and kicking his way through the thronging mercenaries to the hotel room door. Once he saw what lay within the room, however, he recoiled back so strongly the heavy-set mercenaries yelling behind him nearly toppled backward.

Zuleika sat, no longer screaming but staring, wrapped in a bedsheet, at a gory display across the other side of the room. What had once been a man had been dismembered and strewn like banners and decorations across the walls, his face peeled and grinning horribly from the window-sill.

Etienne recovered and ran to Zuleika. Usually so sarcastic and confident, the Naridic woman collapsed against Etienne, weeping uncontrollably and begging him to help.

"Kill her!"

One of the mercenaries stepped into the room, and stopped dead, with the point of Etienne's long-knife under his jaw.

"Think carefully about what you do with the rest of your life. There might not be very much of it."

As the soldier stepped back, Etienne brandished his knife at the rest of them.

"No more warnings. If you want in here, I'm waiting."

He addressed Zuleika over his shoulder.

"You didn't kill the guy, did you?"

At her glower he shrugged and turned back to the angry mob.

"I guess you're feeling a little better."

Elena shoved through the crowd into the room.

"What the hell? Z, what happened here? Who did this?"

Zuleika shuddered and drew the blanket more tightly around her.

"Kaley. It was Kaley."

*****

Isaac returned from the huddle around the watch captain. Convincing him not to just drag Zuleika off had not been easy.

"I think we need to move to a different hotel. Those mercenaries aren't happy with us."

"Kind of tough to blame them. What the hell happened in there?"

Elena and Isaac both sighed at the same time, studying their friends across the restaurant. Kaley had not re-appeared yet, but Zuleika was still watching Nevid with an slow-burning anger. Arrafin detached herself from the group and came over to where Isaac and Elena leaned against the bar.

"So... Kaley."

"Yeah. That's weird."

"Yeah. Um. Do you think your. Um. Friend? Would know anything about it?"

Elena stared at Arrafin. Fixedly.

"My friend?"

"You know. Farouk ibn Zaoud. He's a spirit. Like her, right? So maybe he'd know something."

Isaac nodded.

"I'm worried by how much sense that makes."

With another sigh, Elena led the others past Zuleika, Nevid and Etienne, and the whole group trudged up the stairs to the room the women shared. Elena closed the door behind them and raised a hand to the amulet at her throat.

She blinked. In a shower of spraying colour, he appeared. Farouk ibn Zaoud, dressed in a few scraps of silk, his broad chest gleaming with manly appeal. Elena swallowed.

"Hi."

He bowed.

"Mistress. I am yours to command."

"Cool. I have a question for you. Can you answer questions?"

"All my knowledge is at my mistress' feet."

"Okay. So, you remember Kaley? The spirit girl? She killed somebody. Cut them all up and stuff. Why would a spirit do that?"

"Mistress, may I correct you?"

"Okay. Sure."

"The woman you call Kaley is not a spirit. She is a mortal whose soul has been stripped from her and who has been made a servant of the Tuthean Tarn."

"Who are they?"

"Great spirits who dwell among the islands of Shaer. Their court is a mighty one and their bindings are among the oldest of all spirits in Barsoom."

"So they made her do it?"

"She has no soul. No will of her own. All her actions are at the will of the Tuthean Tarn. But I cannot guess at their motives. If you wish to know why they have done this, you must journey to Shaer and ask them. It is possible they will answer."

Zuleika stepped forward.

"They'll answer."

She looked around at the others.

"So Kaley was a spy all along. These Tarn guys sent her to us. I knew we shouldn't have trusted her."

Nevid stared down at the floor, frustration darkening his face.

Arrafin shook her head.

"She seemed like such a confused girl."

"She's not a girl! Don't you remember your precious Madame Lick My Thong telling us that? She's not a girl. She's not even human."

Elena snickered at Zuleika's crassness, but her amusement died at Arrafin's earnest concern.

"She used to be. Think of what it must be like. A slave..."

Arrafin's voice trailed off as she looked over at Farouk ibn Zaoud.

"Do you mind being a slave?"

Farouk made no answer. Elena drew a breath in, studying the amulet in her hand.

Nevid raised his head. He spoke with uncharacteristic certainty.

"We have to free her. Kaley. I don't know why they sent her to us or what they want, but I don't think it's right to leave her enslaved like that. I want to go to Shaer and make them release her."

Zuleika snorted.

"You want to help HER? She tore a man to shreds. I watched."

"You heard him. They made her do it. She must be suffering, Zuleika. And how many more times will they make her do something like this? We have to free her. Somehow."

Isaac nodded.

"I like it. Seems doable. As long as we're not, you know, wanted for murder and likely to be arrested at any moment. Oh, darn."

Elena joined in.

"Or as long as the most powerful families in Saijadan aren't after us. Oops."

Arrafin chuckled.

"Yeah, and as long as the Kishak Empire isn't hunting us down. Oh, dear."

"As long as no insane vampire goddess freaks aren't sniffing after Arrafin's virginity. Damn."

Etienne shook his head at his friends' merriment.

"At least we're all agreeing on something."


----------



## TwinBahamut

Okay, I finally caught up.

I can empathize with what it feels like to have pretty much every major power in the world, including the nasty supernatural ones, out to get you. What next, the Tyrant's Shade shows up and threatens the player personally?

This is a fun story hour, if a bit gloomy and gory...


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 13*

"I guess those mercenaries are better at bribing officials than we are."

Arrafin shook her head at Saijadani corruption.

"Is everything in this country about money?"

"It's a more predictable motivator than crazy desert religion."

"Or icky vampire lust."

"Hey!"

Chuckling at the Naridic girl's suddenly red face, Elena leaned out around the corner to peer again at the wharf.

The soldiers they'd shared the hotel with last night had gathered here, joined by a detachment of city guardsmen, all of them looking alert and angry. She sighed.

"It's not going to be easy to get a ship out of here. And we're sure not walking to Shaer."

The group retreated back down the street and ducked into a small shop. Ignoring the merchant's greeting, they crowded around the window, staring out into the street.

Etienne had a suggestion. 

"We could wait for nightfall and try to steal a boat."

"And until then?"

"Weren't we going to try and figure out how those Nevakada guys got into town? Why not carry on with that plan?"

Isaac nodded thoughtfully.

"Killing a basketful of Kishaks would really improve my mood, actually."

*****

"Well, Isaac, there's your basketful, right there."

"Maybe a bigger basket than I had in mind."

Isaac and Etienne perched on a rooftop, looking down through broken tiles into the office below. Beneath them lounged at least a dozen red-skinned warriors, obviously killing time without much enthusiasm.

The office belonged to del Corazor Shipping, and a variety of clues had brought the Saijadani pair here, most notably the drunken ramblings of a recently-dismissed warehouse guard. Elena, Zuleika, Arrafin and Nevid waited in the alley behind the office building.

"They do seem pretty calm, considering they're in the midst of an enemy city."

"Calm. Stupid. It's hard to tell with Kishaks."

*****

"I like ye, lad."

"Oh, no."

Zuleika recoiled as Kaley suddenly appeared on Nevid's arm, smiling at the Saijadani youth. Nevid's reaction was nearly as violent, but the dreamy Shaeric woman drifted along with him as he tried to retreat.

Elena tried a smile.

"Hi, Kaley. How are you?"

The girl kept staring at Nevid's face. She showed no sign of having heard Elena.

"Where have you been? Nevid, ask her where she's been."

Nevid's terrified gaze rolled over to Elena, then back to the smiling young girl clutching at his arm.

"Uh. Ka. Kaley. Kaley."

"I like ye, lad."

"Yes. Yes. That's good. I. I like you, too."

She sighed and gripped him tighter.

"Listen. Kaley. Where did you go? Where have you been?"

"Been? I've been with ye, lad. I've no hope to go elsewhere, have I?"

"But."

Nevid ran out of conversational steam. Arrafin tried a smile and tapped the girl on her shoulder.

"Hi, Kaley."

Without losing her dreamy smile, the girl turned to look at Arrafin.

"Ye're a nice lass. Ye'll no make me go, will ye?"

"No, Kaley. We don't want you to go. But we're wondering if you've seen. Um. The King. Recently."

Panic erupted in the girl's face and Arrafin put up her hands to try and reassure her.

"No, no, sweetie, it's okay. Nobody's going to hurt you."

Zuleika snorted but did not challenge the assertion.

"Does he make you do things? The King? Are you afraid of him?"

Kaley's nod was that of an unhappy child.

"He hurts me. But he can no find me here, ye see. Not with me lad by me side."

"He can't?"

"Only sometimes."

Nevid got some of his aplomb back and put an arm around the girl's slender shoulders. She smiled up at him with sudden joy.

"It'll be okay, Kaley. We'll help you."

"I know ye will."

Crashing, swearing and the sudden clang of steel exploded from inside. Zuleika swore.

"Those bastards started without us."

Charging inside, they found Isaac holding off most of the Kishak soldiers, swearing at the top of his lungs at Etienne, who was nowhere to be seen, although a few soldiers were aiming heavy blows at a desk nearby.

Overhead, a broken beam and a gaping hole in the roof told of what must have been a precipitate entrance.

The Kishaks turned as Zuleika waded into their midst, her sword flashing. Elena stretched out a hand and purple light flared as two soldiers convulsed, shuddering with unseen vibrations that seemed to nearly tear them to pieces.

Arrafin stepped away from her friends and drew on her dark power. Shadowy tendrils rose up around her, but suddenly collapsed back into the ground. The Naridic girl stamped her foot and tried to compose herself, her little owl fluttering over her wild curls.

Again her sorcerous skills failed her and she reeled, nearly overcome by the cold fury of Shadow she'd called upon.

Most of the soldiers were down, clutching at wounds or lying still, when the last pair dropped their swords and fell to their knees, pleading in their harsh tongues for mercy.

"To hell with every last f**king one of you."

Zuleika thrust her sword into the first one's abdomen, and as he keeled forward, she whirled the blade over her head and decapitated the other. Still in her battle fury, she kicked at the one she'd stabbed, shrieking with hideous laughter as he scrabbled for his entrails.

Elena grabbed the Naridic woman and shoved her back.

"That's enough, Z. That's enough."

They stared at each other, and Zuleika burst into tears.

Etienne crawled out from under the desk.

"Are any of them left alive?"

Isaac looked around with a grim look.

"Not 'alive', as such. Not as could answer a few questions, anyway."

Arrafin came forward. She bent down and heaved up the severed head of the last soldier.

"The one doesn't necessarily mean the other."

Everyone watched in a horrified daze as Arrafin settled the head on top of the desk Etienne had been under. She had to twist it a bit to get it to sit upright, but once the grisly task was done, she stepped back.

"Uh. Arrafin?"

"Just a minute."

The Naridic girl closed her eyes and the others pulled away as dark shadows swirled up around her. One of the gasping Kishak soldiers stopped gasping as the tendrils drifted over him.

The shadowy whorls and streams gathered in front of Arrafin and then surged into the severed head on the desk, which heaved and twitched.

"It worked. Great. Now we can ask it questions. Let's think carefully about this."

Arrafin turned with a happy smile to her friends, pleased with herself. Her smile faded at the varying looks of discomfort on the others' faces.

"What?"

*****

"Well, that was a waste of time."

"If you hadn't asked the same question twice..."

"I didn't know we had a time limit, Zuleika. Arrafin never said--"

"Don't you blame me, Etienne. I told you to think carefully."

"Thinking. Not exactly his strong suit."

"Well, at least we know the Tyrant's Shade doesn't know where we are. That's good."

The bickering party carried on down the dark street, making their way back towards the wharfs. As they neared where earlier in the day they'd seen the mercenaries and the guardsmen, they slowed.

"Etienne, go and look. See if they're still there."

The half-Kishak slipped into the shadows and disappeared. Elena shrugged.

"He is light on his feet."

Isaac's growl was an unhappy one.

"Not always."

The burly Saijadani still favoured his left arm after the battle in the office building. He started as Etienne re-emerged.

"No good. The wharfs are crawling with soldiers. We'll never get out of here."

Another figure detached from the shadows beyond Etienne. The entire group stepped back and readied their weapons. The voice was a woman's, but low and husky.

"Relax. I'm a friend. I can get you out of here."

Isaac's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I don't think you're my friend."

"Oh, Isaac, I'm _especially_ your friend."

Collette de Maynard stepped forward, smirking just a little.

"In fact, I just might be your only friend right now."

Her smirk disappeared.

"I know where they took your mother, Isaac. She's not dead. The del Orofin are holding her prisoner in Salejo. Do you want to see her?"

Isaac sheathed his sword.

"None of your tricks, b***h. And keep your hands where we can see them."

"I'll consider that a 'yes,' shall I?"


----------



## Desdichado

TwinBahamut said:
			
		

> This is a fun story hour, if a bit gloomy and gory...



That's exactly _*why*_ it's so fun.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 14*

Isaac squinted in the sunshine.

"You know, this is all just a little weird."

"I agree," said Elena. "And I say with the caveat that for us, 'a little weird' is a lot weirder than it is for most people."

"Yeah."

The two sat on the deck of the _Wavereaver_, the ship Collette had brought them to a couple of nights ago, and on which they'd managed to escape Cadençia. They watched as their captain, a roguish-looking fellow named Mateo, strode past, calling out an order of some kind to his first mate, Natacha.

"How does he remember the battle for Pavairelle? I mean, that was thirty years ago."

"He looks like he's thirty himself."

"Exactly."

"And I don't like how they just laugh whenever we mention sorcery, like they know all about it."

"And I especially don't like that Collette put us on this boat. She's up to something, I know it."

"Maybe she just wants to help. Maybe she wants you."

"That's not funny."

Arrafin came over, unsteady against the motion of the boat, and lowered herself to the deck beside her friends.

"So, this boat is kind of weird."

"We were just discussing that. What's got your weird alert notioning?"

The Naridic girl looked around, then leaned towards Elena.

"Can you do your thing?"

"Which thing? I have such a plethora of options."

"The thing with your brain."

"Oh. That thing. No."

"You can't?"

"No. My brain doesn't work."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I just found out right now, when I tried."

"Oh. Well, my thing doesn't work either."

Isaac stared at the two women. Etienne walked up just as the Saijadani burst out, "What is wrong with your things?"

Etienne blinked.

"Whoa. This conversation is more interesting than I thought."

Arrafin looked up as Zuleika and Nevid joined them.

"Neither sorcery nor psionics seem to work on this boat. I can't grasp any Shadow at all. And Elena's brain doesn't work."

"How can you tell? Ouch. Sorry."

Isaac saw Mateo watching them from the other side of the main mast and waved the man over.

"Look, enough with the knowing smirks. Why doesn't sorcery work on this ship?"

"Oh, that. Well, sir, I gotta tell you, I don't really know."

The steady gaze of the assembled friends didn't seem to faze him at all.

"What I can tell you, sir, is that at the battle of Pavairelle we were caught in a blast of flame hundreds of feet high. Wiped out our entire squadron. Except us. Ever since then, we've had the feeling that maybe there's something weird about this ship."

"Excuse me, are you saying there was sorcery at the battle of Pavairelle? I've read seven different eye-witness accounts of that battle and nobody ever mentioned sorcery."

"Oh well, then, I must be mistaken, missie. Pay no mind."

"Wait. Are you saying this ship is impervious to sorcery?"

"Yep. Even had the Blood Council check the whole thing out. They confirmed it. There is no power on Barsoom capable of using sorcery against this ship in any way whatsoever. We are invulnerable."

With a quiet rushing sound, dark shadowy tendrils erupted from the deck behind Mateo, and coalesced into the stately, smiling form of the Demon Goddess, Yuek Man Chong. She bowed, her immense headdress toppling forward and then teetering back upright as she did so. Her eyes were only for Arrafin.

"Hello, darling. Did you think I wouldn't find you? You're not playing hard to get, now, are you?"

Isaac was sufficiently startled that he failed to prevent Arrafin scurrying forward to address her.

"Madame Yuek. But. How did you come here? I thought--"

Dark eyes darkened further.

"You mean you WERE avoiding me? Arrafin."

"No! Well. No. It's just. We. Um."

Arrafin retreated with a worried headshake, then stopped as curiousity overcame her fear.

"Try to do something. Something. Sorcerous."

She waved her hands in front of her face to demonstrate.

Madame Yuek frowned, then shrugged.

"Whatever will please you, dar--"

An expression none of them had ever witnessed took hold of the undead sorceress' face, and with hideous snarl she slapped Arrafin backhanded across the face, sending the girl sprawling backwards. Madame Yuek shrieked.

"What have you done!?"

Her hand reached out in a savage claw, fingernails stretching outwards into long talons, when she froze in place. Again her expression transformed in a heartbeat, into that terrible sadness Elena had witnessed long ago, in her castle in Shaer.

"Oh, Arrafin. Arrafin. Forgive me."

The Naridic girl got to her feet, sobbing, and ran to the rear of the ship and through a cabin door. Madame Yuek set after her, only to come up short as Isaac stepped in front of her.

"If you think I'll let you harm her, you're not so smart after all."

The vampire stared at him, her face now expressionless.

"Your concern for your friend is noted. I swear to you, if I intend to harm her, I will tear you to pieces first. Now step aside."

"What are you going to do?"

"Something I don't do very often, and something I don't chose to share with you."

One long-fingered, elegant hand gripped his shoulder. Isaac had just enough time to be surprised at the warmth and softness of that hand when he found himself lifted in to the air and placed to the side.

She'd lifted him off the ground. By the shoulder. With one hand. Isaac watched her pass him and go to the door Arrafin had fled through.

And kneel. She began speaking quietly.

The others looked each other over. Isaac glowered.

"She hit Arrafin."

Zuleika shrugged.

"I bet she's grovelling about that right now. Maybe Arrafin can get something out of her."

"Arrafin's not going let that bitch get away with something like that. She hit Arrafin. Hard."

Just as Isaac spoke, the door opened, and Arrafin, wiping at her nose and eyes, came out to look down at Madame Yuek. They stared at each other and the vampire bowed. Arrafin nodded.

The pair returned to where the others stood. The crew of the _Wavereaver_ stood around staring. Arrafin drew in a shaky breath and spoke.

"Madame Yuek has a theory. About Shang and Nevid's head."

Elena crossed her arms.

"Does she? How nice for her."

"Elena. She said she was sorry. It's okay now."

"Sure. Everything's fine."

"Anyway. She thinks Shang wants to collect the fragment of the Blood Mother's soul so that nobody can restore it. There's a way to put her back together. To restore the Blood Council."

The others looked back and forth between Arrafin's intense face and the tall vampire standing beside her, staring off across the waves as though none of this had anything to do with her.

"Great. So how do we put her back together?"

Madame Yuek turned from her study of the sea to regard Elena with a cold gaze.

"You don't. I do. You help."

"Why would we help you? You're evil."

"I've never lied to you."

Etienne coughed.

"That's not exactly true, now, is it?"

A large number of eyes turned to him.

"You told us Shang destroyed the Blood Mother. But the Blood Council say you did it."

"That's right. So. Now what do you have to say for yourself, evil undead evil bad... person."

Madame Yuek smiled with what appeared to be actual good humour.

"Careful who you trust. But it's true, I may not have been completely forthcoming. Still, what I said was true. Shang did it.

"To understand my involvement, you have to understand my origin. Matai Shang made me."

She gestured to the deck and seated herself in a graceful motion. The others followed suit, with varying degrees less of grace, and arranged themselves in a sort of half-circle, facing where Madame Yuek knelt.

"I am perhaps his greatest achievement. He unlocked the secrets that had been hidden since the days of ancient horrors, and rediscovered the sorceries that created the vampires of old. And he saw me as a mortal woman, and he turned me into this."

With a sweeping gesture she indicated herself. Elena studied the white marble of what was once flesh and now seemed like a sort of liquid stone, and the horror of it struck her again.

"But why?"

"Why? Why would he turn a beautiful young woman into an indestructible engine of terror and death?"

She laughed and clapped her hands together as though relating a saucy joke.

"He did it so that I would stay pretty, no matter what he did to me."

Open-mouthed stares greeted this announcement, and the vampire laughed even harder.

"You see, when he created me, I was his slave. I was bound through his sorcery to do whatever he wished. Which was mostly suffer horrible tortures and be torn to pieces, screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming AND SCREAMING--"

Her laughter sank beneath a fiery glare and one of her hands punched through the decking beside her. With evident effort, Madame Yuek regained her composure.

"He sent me to gather the Blood Mother. Against the ancient might of the entire Blood Council, the most powerful cabal of sorcery the world has ever seen, he sent his favourite plaything. And I consumed them. I destroyed the entire city Zuyang in one breath. A million souls ravaged. And I took the Blood Mother to him.

"And then I played a little trick on him. As he was absorbed in the rituals required to perform his spell on the Blood Mother's soul, I performed a spell of my own. One I'd been preparing for over a century. I freed myself from his control in a sorcerous explosion so violent I was sure, for many years, that I'd killed him."

Her gaze settled, unseeing, on the deck before her. Arrafin coughed.

"But now you want to fix it, right? Fix the Blood Mother? Put her soul back together? Make things better?"

"I don't think I'd put it quite so strongly. But anything Shang doesn't want to happen strikes me as a good thing to do."

Her dark eyes drifted to Nevid.

"You have Tsing Kwan's memories, yes? What do you recall?"

"Destruction. Torture. You, killing people."

"Hm. Well, we all have our skills. Now, we need to bring this ship to the shore, so that I can disembark. If Shang realizes I'm here, and without sorcery..."

The deck tilted, timbers splintered and creaked, and the whole ship shook.

Giant figures stood fore and aft, glittering in the sunshine, translucent and deep ruby red, carved with facets as though formed from enormous gemstones.

"...it's possible he'll take the opportunity to cause trouble. This should be interesting."


----------



## barsoomcore

With apologies to our loyal readers, this week's episode of _Barsoom Tales_ will be one day late.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 15*

The ruby giant punched Madame Yuek in the face hard enough to blast her backwards right through the mainmast of the _Wavereaver_. The thick timber splintered with a deafening thunder, and sails began to topple all across the deck.

Isaac could only stare, openmouthed.

"Holy crap."

Zuleika wasted less time. The ship pitching and wallowing under the sudden weight of the two bizarre crystalline figures standing fore and aft, she scrambled along the heaving deck and launched herself at the after creature, standing astride the tiller.

Her scimitar clanged off the ruby facets of its body without leaving so much as a scratch.

More gemstone-like fists punched. A crew member flew screaming into the waves.

Isaac saw Madame Yuek get to her feet, a simmering fury burning on her face that made him glad she couldn't use any sorcery just then.

She stalked out of torn timbers towards the bow, hissing in savage anger.

Elena grabbed Arrafin and yanked on Isaac's collar.

"We have to get out of here! This whole ship is going to go down!"

The deck was awash, the ship unable to maintain herself as the enormous figures staggered towards their very angry target. A massive faceted foot stomped down near Elena and she, Isaac and Arrafin all scrambled aside, nearly pitching over the gunwales as the _Wavereaver_ tilted again.

Arrafin struggled to free herself.

"We have to help! She'll die!"

"You've got no sorcery, I've got no powers. Weapons look useless. We can't help."

Etienne was busy tying off a stay for the forward mast.

"Speak for yourself. There's always room for us bold and dashing types."

Zuleika came stumbling to where they huddled.

"What are you going to do, kid? Charm them to death?"

"I don't think we want to be in the middle of this. Look at that."

Isaac pointed just as one of the fifteen-foot-tall crystal figures aimed another punch at the opulently-dressed Madame Yuek. This time she saw the attack coming, and met it with both fists.

It cracked.

Not completely, and Madame Yuek still plunged backwards, plowing a hole in the deck, but the immense fist showed clear fractures all the way up to the elbow.

"These things can be hurt."

A gun carriage creaked beside him. Isaac grinned.

"I want to blow something up."

"Make it snappy. Those things are going to punch her right through the hull one of these times."

Another walloping punch descended on Madame Yuek. She stepped aside and delivered one of her own, knocking one of the creatures backwards.

Elena stared. It was a bizarre spectacle, this opulently dressed lady spinning and lashing out with her long sleeves, versus immense automatons that should have been able to pulverise her with one blow. And yet she showed no signs of injury, and her blows rocked creatures that must have weighed several tons.

More deck timbers splintered. Mateo came scrambling past, clutching for balance.

"The longboat! Lower the boat!"

Isaac grabbed him.

"Look, get your crew and help me with these cannon. If we can point them at those bastards..."

Mateo shook himself free and kept on scrambling. Isaac swore in frustration.

Zuleika and Etienne had been comparing thoughts and turned to the others.

"The kid's got a good idea. Those things don't look too stable. Maybe we can get a couple of lines around one, yank it overboard. Etienne's taking the high road, I'm taking the low road."

Her dark eyes flashed at Arrafin.

"Pray to the Wind for us, sister."

She took off across the deck, dragging one of the cables that had come down with the mast. Elena looked back and forth between her and Etienne, who was now clambering up the forward stays, likewise dragging a cable.

"This is madness."

Madame Yuek screamed. They saw her lift off the ground, one hand clutched in the fist of one creature, the other hand held tight in the fist of the other. The creatures stepped back and her right arm came tearing free of her shoulder.

"Oh, we're dead."

Arrafin shrieked and ran forward.

Zuleika had reached the far side of the deck. She rushed along the gunwales there, snugging her cable up behind the nearest creature's heels. Etienne saw her and leapt straight out past the forward mast. He sailed upwards until his cable paid out, at which point it tightened against the mast and yanked him backwards.

"That kid's going to get himself killed one of these days."

Elena watched as the half-Kishak youth executed a perfect mid-air sumersault and slammed feet-first into the creature's face. It tried to step back and found its foot tangled in Zuleika's cable.

Fifteen feet of faceted ruby giant fell backwards, thumping down onto the deck and off into the water. It sank as though sucked downwards, and the cable entangled in its feet began uncoiling in a wild frenzy as tons of animate gemstone plunged towards the sea floor.

Zuleika looked to the other end of the cable. It was lashed around the stump of the main mast.

"Oh, God."

Arrafin scarcely noticed the toppling giant. She pushed through splintered timbers and flapping canvas to find the remains of Madame Yuek, strewn with blood, laying limp amid the ruins of the forward cabin.

Her dark eyes opened and she grinned with manic energy.

"Wow. It's been ages since anyone pulled my arm off. Help me up."

"What? Are you okay?"

"It'll be a while before I'm signing autographs, but otherwise, I'm fine."

A huge ruby fist plunged down beside them in an explosion of wood and sea spray. Arrafin tugged a timber off Madame Yuek's left arm and the vampire lifted her up and then they leapt free of the ruins.

Isaac had gotten Elena to help him, but they were unable to shift the _Wavereaver_'s cannon. Madame Yuek took in the situation.

"Not bad. Is it loaded?"

Isaac nodded.

"That much, I've done. But we'll never get it turned around in--"

Madame Yuek lifted the gun, hoisted it on her left hip and turned to face the remaining gigantic figure.

"Light it."

Zuleika ran to the mast stump, raising her scimitar to chop at the cable as it thrashed and writhed like a live thing. The deck pitched as she prepared her strike, and she set her foot in a loop of the rapidly-disappearing cable.

Etienne got to his feet, triumphant and smug, only to see Zuleika suddenly vanish overboard, yanked into the water.

"What the?"

He ran to the edge of the deck where the cable sawed wildly at the rail, and just caught a glimpse of her bright jerkin as she was hauled downward into the gloom.

"Zuleika!"

Etienne dove overboard, swimming straight down alongside the still-rushing cable.

Isaac scrabbled in his pouch for a flint. The ruby giant saw them and stomped across the deck.

"You do know how to make fire, right? That secret hasn't been lost with the ages, even among you barbarians, has it? Or is it a mystery only to you?"

"You're not helping!"

"'You're not helping, Demon Goddess,' I think you mean."

The creature raised one foot, ready to stomp them all through the deck, but then the ship tilted sharply, beams groaning as if with sudden agony.

The cable had run out. The rail snapped, and the whole ship began to heave up on the side where Arrafin, Elena, Isaac and Madame Yuek stood.

"We're going down."

Etienne kicked and clawed at the water. The cable alongside him thrummed to a sudden halt, and he could hear the ship overhead groaning with strain. Zuleika was just below him, staring up at him in terror. She was too far down.

Steel flashed and he saw her scimitar in her hand.

She hung vertical along the rope, her foot extended down beneath her. He saw her flail, trying to cut the rope beneath her, but she couldn't reach. Her face turned up to him.

"Zuleika."

Her scimitar flashed once more; then she was gone, yanked downward faster than he could see.

The ship righted itself just as Isaac produced the flint from his pouch. The giant regained its balance and stepped towards them again.

"Arrafin, can you show the barbarian how to use it?"

"Shut up, Demon Goddess."

"Perhaps you'd like to take a turn holding this f**ker?"

Isaac gritted his teeth and remained silent as he struck a spark at the touchhole.

The creature was in mid-step when the cannonball caught it in its left shoulder, shattering half its torso and knocking it back right off the ship.

Madame Yuek was hurled backwards by the recoil, embedding herself in the deck with a groan.

"There's nothing like a peaceful cruise, is there?"

Some planking shifted and Nevid's head appeared.

"Are we sinking?"

*****

Gravel crunched under the longboat's hull as they rowed ashore. Madame Yuek stood amidships, her right arm still just a bloody stump. She watched with interest as the crew scrambled out and ran them up, then turned to Isaac.

"Help me out."

"You can't walk?"

"It will be undignified. Lift me out and set me on the beach."

She smiled. It was a very beautiful smile.

"Don't make me insist."

Isaac scowled but bent to lift the Tianese beauty. She laid her left arm along his shoulders, and Isaac was startled to find her warm and light in his arms. He lurched awkwardly out of the longboat and set her on the gravel.

She curtseyed.

"Well, I should leave before Shang gets all reckless again. And I need to heal and that's... well, you don't want to be around for that."

Shadow's dark tendrils rose up around her. She turned her smile once more on all of them.

"I am sorry for your friend. She was very brave. I promise you Shang will pay for her death."

She was gone.

Nearly everyone sighed. They turned to look at the hulk of the _Wavereaver_, wallowing in the shallows a hundred yards off shore. Elena grunted and suddenly Farouk ibn Zaoud was there.

"What is my mistress' command?"

"Can you fix our ship?"

"Of course, if my mistress wills it."

"I will it. Fix our ship."

"Have you any tools?"

"Tools? Oh. No."

"It may take quite a while, mistress."

"I'll watch."

Arrafin crossed to where Etienne had thumped down on the beach. He stared out at the dark water.

"I'm sorry about--"

"Don't. Don't say anything. Don't say anything at all."


----------



## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 16*

"That was anticlimactic."

Isaac looked over at Elena. The two Saijadani stood in the entry hall of a large country mansion, ready to fight whatever defenders the del Orofin family might have placed here, only to find the place empty.

Isaac stuffed one of his pistols back into his belt, still looking around cautiously.

"Let's just see what we find."

They edged forward, their boots silent in the thick carpet of the hall. Isaac stopped as something squished beneath his tread. He looked down.

"I think that's blood."

"Yeah, there's a couple of bodies over here. del Orofin soldiers, it looks like. I don't know what got to them, but these don't look like sword cuts."

Isaac joined Elena and they poked at the dead men.

"Holy. Those look like. Claw marks. Or bites. Or something."

"Something big."

Above a great chandelier and curving staircase told of wealth and elegance.

Elena gestured to the staircase.

"Upstairs? Think maybe they kept her in some locked guest room?"

Isaac shrugged.

"If that de Maynard bitch was even telling the truth about this place."

They made their way up the wide stairs. The house was silent around them, only the wind outside telling them that anything was moving in the world.

At the second floor they halted, peering down gloomy corridors. Many doors provided nothing but mute opportunity.

"I guess we start opening doors."

Twenty minutes they were back at the stairs, the hallways behind them full of open doors.

"Okay, so maybe the basement."

"Maybe we're being made fools of."

Isaac glowered further and the pair made their way downstairs, passing through several salons and the kitchen before finding a servant's hall from which a narrow stairway descended. They paused.

"That's quite a stink. I hope that's not, you know. Your mom."

"Thanks, Elena. Very sensitive."

They peered into darkness. Elena left her friend standing there for a few minutes, and returned with a lamp. Together they descended, stairs creaking beneath them.

The basement beneath the house seemed a single large room, supported by many pillars with ancient stone arches crossing between them. The air hung dank and thick with the stench of rot and decay. Piles of misshapen forms lay heaped up around many of the pillars. Elena leaned towards the nearest one and jerked back.

"Those are bones. Human bones. And. Flesh, too."

"What the hell? What happened here?"

Isaac peered into the shadows beyond where their lamp cast its glow. A regular set of lines and shapes hinted at some structure.

"Is that a cage?"

Picking their way carefully among the bodies and the noisome pools of fluid, they approached the six-foot-high object. It was indeed a cage, big enough for a man, with its door hanging open and twisted, the hinges nearly torn off.

Another body lay here with one arm reaching in through the bars of the cage. That arm was torn and flayed, and the man's head had been torn completely off.

"This door. It looks like..."

"Yeah. From the inside."

"Do you think one of these bodies is maybe..?"

Isaac stood very still. He drew a breath and looked around at the scattered bones and rotting entrails.

"I don't know what to think. But. It seems likely."

He took his cigar out of his mouth and flung it to the floor.

"Fine. I thought she was dead for the last year, now I know she's dead. Fine. Let's go."

"But, what happened here? Should we investigate maybe? Some kind of creature must have escaped, or something."

"Hell with that. Let the del Orofin clean up their own f**king mess."

Isaac stomped back to the stairs. Elena watched her friend, his agony so plain in his stiff posture, and she followed him in silence.

*****

The Blood Council Sanctuary in Salejo sat in the middle of the city's busy commercial district, an unassuming walled compound with a a single gate.

Inside, graceful buildings arranged across a gravel yard sat in a quiet that seemed miles away from the bustling streets outside.

Etienne sat uncomfortable on the floor of a small, featureless room. Sunlight slanted in through narrow latticework. He looked up as the door slid open and Kimiko Torokan entered.

"Etienne."

She knelt before him and bowed.

"Blood Sister. It's, uh, good to see you."

Her enigmatic face warmed with an enigmatic smile.

"There's no need to be anxious, Etienne. Please. I'm not jealous about Zuleika."

"You knew?"

The smile broadened.

"I assume you have something to discuss other than your romantic infidelities?"

"No."

The smile disappeared. Torokan raised her eyebrows. Etienne stared down at the floor.

"That is, I don't really have anything to discuss. I just wanted to see you, Kimiko."

"You... I see."

Torokan sat in stillness for a few heartbeats. She reached out and touched Etienne's arm.

"Are we still on the same side, Etienne? Are you still with us?"

"What side is our side?"

"She is dangerous. She is not to be trusted."

"Are you?"

They stared at each other. Distant rumbles and voices came through the lattice windows. At last Torokan spoke.

"You didn't come here for this conversation, did you?"

"No."

"Come here."

*****

Arrafin and Nevid sat side-by-side, frowning intently at a faded page of crabbed handwriting. Arrafin pointed.

"That's 'Dannockshire', right?"

"I think so. That's where Madame Yuek's castle was."

"That's where we found Kaley."

"I think we have to go back. Whoever these Tuthean Tarn are, that seems to be where they hold their court."

"Do you want to ask her or should I?"

Nevid turned around in his chair to address Kaley. The Shaeric girl brightened at the attention.

"Hello, lad. I like ye."

"Thank you, Kaley. I like you, too. Can I ask you a question?"

She nodded.

"What do you think about going back to Castle Dannockshire? Do you remember that place?"

"It was long ago I went up to the castle, it was. So long ago I went up there."

"Is that where you met the King?"

"Aye. And her. His Queen. Rhiaellian. She did no like me."

"Okay, thanks. We were thinking of going back there and asking them to free you. What do you think about that?"

Kaley stared at Nevid, motionless for long breaths. Then she smiled.

"I like ye."

Arrafin grinned.

"She is consistent, I have to give her that."


----------



## barsoomcore

Sorry, folks, no update this week. Holiday! Woo!


----------



## barsoomcore

Two weeks in a row without an update, sorry. Life has just bludgeoned me into the soft, sproingy turf.

Also, nobody posts nice compliments about how much they love my writing.


----------



## William Ager

barsoomcore said:
			
		

> Two weeks in a row without an update, sorry. Life has just bludgeoned me into the soft, sproingy turf.
> 
> Also, nobody posts nice compliments about how much they love my writing.




Perhaps, upon reading it, we are left unable to contrive any compliments that could sufficiently describe the excellence and originality of such writing? 

We are, after all, your loyal readers; yours is the only story hour I continue to read regularly.


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## barsoomcore

*Frying Pan, Fire: 17*

"It's quiet. I like that."

Isaac grimaced sourly at Elena's comment and poked a stick in the fire. Embers brightened and heat swirled back at him.

Etienne inspected the cuts of meat sizzling over the flames, shaking his fingers as hot fat dripped.

"Ouch. These are almost ready."

Arrafin sat turning pages in a massive black volume, its covers detailed with eldritch sigils. She had to turn a little to let the light from the fire fall more directly on the pages as the sun reached the western horizon, off down at the end of the beach. The sky blazed with its last glory.

Elena studied the girl for a moment, then frowned at the book.

"What is that, Arrafin?"

"My spellbook."

"Since when do you have a spellbook?"

"Um. Since I got it. Um. I needed one. For my spells. So I got one."

Arrafin flashed a quick grin at Etienne as she stuffed the book into her knapsack.

"Yum. That smells good. Yum, food. Don't you like food, Elena?"

"Yeah, food is--"

Elena wasn't the only one of the group to turn as a figure came walking down the beach towards them. A slim figure in dark expensive silk, with a mocking smile on her sardonic face.

"Collette."

Elena spoke before Isaac could say anything.

"We went to the del Orofin house. Everyone's dead."

"Did you set us up, bitch? Are the del Orofin after us now?"

The young woman chuckled.

"The del Orofin were already after you, Isaac. If they weren't before, you killing Pilar's son back in Bayonne certainly made sure of that. And no, I didn't set you up. But I gather she wasn't there?"

"There were a lot of corpses. We didn't search too carefully."

"Well, I did. And she wasn't among them."

Isaac frowned and watched Etienne begin snatching the now-cooked strips of meat off the skewers and onto a platter. He turned to Collette, anger fading away.

"What do you care? What do you want from me?"

Arrafin and Elena both put a lot of energy into looking like they weren't interested. Nevid and Etienne put much less effort in, but looked much less interested anyway.

Collette watched the waves rolling up the beach.

"I think something terrible was done to your mother. Did you know she's from Avernay? Same as me. Anyway, I just want to find out what happened. It was Isabella asked me to track her down. Now I'm obsessed, I guess. I just want to know what happened."

She turned and she and Isaac stared at each other for a long time. Nobody else spoke.

"Maybe I think I owe you one. Or at least her. I helped set up your father, you know."

"I know."

"He WAS a traitor. He sold slaves to Caedmonish traders. You never knew. Your mother never knew. But it was true."

Etienne growled.

"Why does everyone try to convince us that their version of what happened is what REALLY happened?"

Everyone studied the half-Kishak with grease dripping down his chin. He shrugged.

"It's true. The Demon Goddess says Shang killed the Blood Mother, and the Blood Council say the Demon Goddess killed the Blood Mother, and the Demon Goddess says she's going to fix that and we should trust her and the Blood Council say don't trust her and Sharina says Kaley's an abomination and Farouk says Kaley's just a girl and the Tyrant's Shade... well, he's bad."

Elena laughed at Etienne's faltering finish.

"You know, we can't even agree on what happened last week. Why should these people be any more consistent than us?"

"Exactly. And some of them are plenty crazy."

Collette put up a hand.

"What's a Demon Goddess?"

*****

Arrafin upended the bottle and held it above her mouth, waiting for the last drops of wine. Just as the drop hung from the bottle's lip, ready to fall, Elena gave the Naridic girl a shove and it fell on her robes.

Elena snickered. She'd had a couple of bottles herself already.

Etienne had passed out and lay flat on his back in the sand, snoring peacefully. Isaac sat gloomily staring into the fire, incommunicative since Collette's departure, and Nevid and Kaley had wandered off.

"So... heard from your girlfriend lately?"

"My what? Heard from who? What do you mean? I don't have a girlfriend. What would I? A girlfriend? No. No."

"You know. Madame You-Ack. She lurvs you. She does. She thinks you're neat."

Elena pushed her finger into Arrafin's cheek. Arrafin pushed back, suddenly irritable.

"Stop it. I. I don't know what you're talking about. Elena. She's not li-- She's not liking me like that. I don't think. Not that I would know. I wouldn't. But she doesn't. I'm sure."

Arrafin swallowed.

"Wow, it sure gets warm at night around here, doesn't it? What's wrong with Isaac?"

"I think he just had his world turned inside-out."

"Yeah. What?"

"He's been hating Collette all this time and now she's doing him a favour."

"Why doesn't he go look for his mom himself? He's weird."

"Yeah. Hey, Isaac, Arrafin thinks you're weird."

"Is that so?"

Over Arrafin's jumbled protestations, Isaac turned to face his friend.

"Well, at least I'm not making time with some vampire goddess insane-o chick."

"Yeah, that's what I said. Madame You-Ack."

"Remember what Zuleika called her? Madame Lick My Thong."

"Zuleika."

The three sat staring at the dwindling coals. Overhead stars rolled in slow brilliant circles.

"So, uh, Isaac. Why aren't you? How come you didn't go with Collette? To find your mother."

"She's probably just setting me up for something even worse."

"Your mother?"

"No, Arrafin. Collette."

"Oh. I don't think so. I think she likes you."

Isaac barked a harsh laugh.

"That's a good one. The cold-blooded del Orofin bitch with a heart of gold. Right."

"Do you think she likes him, Elena?"

"Enough. I don't want to talk about that bitch any more. Hey, Elena, get Farouk out here. Let's see what he can do."

Elena and Isaac got into an argument over the proper use of ancient warrior spirits, and Arrafin shuffled back to where her knapsack lay. A half-empty bottle sat in the sand beside it. The Naridic girl looked up and down the beach, the long white lines of the incoming rollers stretching out as far as the eye could see, glowing under the starlight.

She looked back over her shoulder at her friends. Farouk now stood in front of them, answering their questions in his grave voice.

Arrafin chewed her lower lip. She snatched up her knapsack and looked again to see if Elena or Isaac were paying any attention. They weren't.

She set off along the beach, soon lost in the darkness as she strode away from her friends and the light.


----------



## barsoomcore

*Interlude II*

Everything here cried out for release. Even the paving stones seemed to shriek in endless, hopeless agony. The crumbled walls of palaces and towers shuddered under the unrelenting wail of the wind. This place shook with despair.

Overhead, the sky twisted in a dark cyclone, but not of cloud or rain. The dark streaks wound around each other, falling and rising in tumultous discord, and here and there revealing faces, or at least half-visioned features, torn away before they could register any expressions beyond terror and pain.

Corpses shook in the wind, bones held together with horrid bits of sinew and dried flesh. So many corpses. So many had died here.

And none of them had died well.

A dark archway led down into a dark, dank basement. Oiled steel surfaces gleamed with unsavoury cleanliness. The wind was not so loud down here, where heavy stone arches thick with dust and soot hung over the cracked floor. Not so loud to drown out the stuttering rhythm of the young girl gasping once every twenty heartbeats, her thin body twitching on the steel slab. Pipes and tubes ran from needles driven into her limbs. A dial registered some flow of current or fluid.

She stared up at the ceiling, not dying well at all.

*****

"Why should we trust you? You're responsible for this situation in the first place."

Metallic limbs clicked and cables wound in steady, quiet whines. Matai Shang drew nearer. Kimiko Torokan tried very hard not to look frightened.

"You have no need of trust. Logic demands this course. My own self-interest requires it. What more surety can you find?"

Torokan swallowed and looked around at the ice-streaked walls. They stood in a great towering chamber, light dropping from high above, reflecting brilliantly all down the immense frozen cascade that hung, as though struck to ice in the midst of plunging down to where they stood, Matai Shang and the Blood Mother.

Between them an obsidian staff stood in a curious harness, its upper end tipped with the largest emerald Torokan had ever seen.

"We'll need some evidence that this thing actually works."

"Oh, but of course, Kimiko Torokan. I have arranged a demonstration. Please, take up the weapon."

Torokan stared. The greatest enemy the Blood Council had ever faced. The man who had destroyed the last true Blood Mother. She had killed her own friends for associating with this foul creature.

She picked up the staff.

Shang gestured with a bony hand and cringing minions unsnapped the latches on a huge iron box, far taller than a man. A door on the side flew open and a wild-eyed figure leapt out, skin as white as the ice on all sides.

It shrieked and lunged for one of the minions. Blood exploded across the snowy floor.

"After it kills the second one it will come after us, Kimiko Torokan. Move quickly, I beg you."

Torokan, startled out of her sudden terror, grasped hold of the staff more firmly, and the darkness of Shadow rose up all around her, the inky tendrils writhing and seeping into the staff as though drawn against their will.

The creature turned towards her and she thrust the staff in its direction. A vivid green line burst from the emerald, striking the blood-covered monster in the chest.

It shrieked again, but this time in terror. It clawed at itself, tearing skin in great flaps. Jerking and convulsing, it fell to its knees, begging for mercy.

Torokan held on, grimly controlling a rush of sorcery more intense than she'd ever felt. The staff helped her maintain her focus but it was a desperate effort to hang on as she felt the device tearing at the vampire's soul.

A sudden blast of Shadow erupted from the creature, exploding away in a dizzying explosion of sorcerous power, and there was nothing. It was gone.

Torokan stared. Where the vampire had once been, knelt a man. Weeping. Bleeding from the terrible wounds he'd inflicted on himself. Looking about himself in new amazement.

A mortal man.

"It worked."

"Indeed."

Shang gestured again and his surviving minion thrust a sword into the man's back. He collapsed with a groan.

"Of course, he was just formed. The Demon Goddess will require considerably more time. I shall endeavour to keep her busy."

"You promised me the Blood Mother."

"Indeed. And she shall be restored, Kimiko Torokan. The Demon Goddess is the key."

"Will she come? Are you sure she will come?"

"Did I not create her myself? Of course she will come, Kimiko Torokan. Her pride alone will compel her. And she will be ours."

*****

Everywhere, the same face. Beautiful.

Carved into every surface.

Painted across every wall.

Her perfect face.

Madame Yuek's knees cracked as she collapsed on the mirror-smooth marble tiles of her castle's entry hall. Girl's voices rose high and excited as two young women came tearing down the wide staircase to greet her. She shuddered, and looked down to see dark flesh still gripped in her hand. Something bestial happened inside her eyes and she stuffed the chunk of meat into her mouth, grunting as she bolted it down.

"Goddess, Goddess, Goddess, You're back. We love You so much, Goddess, we love You so much. Thank You. Thank You. We love You."

Madame Yuek raised her head to regard the girls bowing and praying before her.

"Stand up, Yuri-chan."

The girl addressed leapt to her feet, her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her. Yuek ran a hand through the girl's long hair and then seized her by the throat. Yuri's gaze never wavered.

"Answer this question: Are you afraid?"

"No, Goddess."

Yuek released her.

"Down."

Yuri collapsed to her knees and folded her upper body down to again press her face against the polished black marble. Yuek studied her, thoughtful.

"You are not afraid that I will kill you, Yuri-chan?"

Without looking up the girl answered.

"It is my most fervent desire that you will kill me, Goddess."

Yuek nodded.

"I will, Yuri-chan. I promise. I."

The vampire shook, released the girl and then threw herself down, slamming her face into the marble tiles beneath. Bones snapped and skin tore. Teeth clattered across the floor.

"Goddess!"

She did it again. And again. And again.

*****

Something like a great cat passed through the field. Black gleaming pelt and a sinuous padding stride, yellow flash of burning eyes.

Perez was dead the same moment he realised what he saw. The beast tore him in two with a casual sweep of its talons. Diego had a second to run, but not enough time to scream. He felt a weight on his back; then he felt no more.

It was much later and some distance away that Emmanuelle del Valenzia awoke. She found herself naked in a sunny cornfield, a middle-aged woman with deep lines of worry and suffering in her face, but clearly not a woman who'd lived a life of hard labour. She scrambled to her feet, trying instinctively to cover herself. Dust rose up and clung to her bare skin.

She looked down at herself and saw blood. Her gaze lifted and she saw the torn bodies.

"Not again."


----------



## barsoomcore

Two updates in one week!

Who loves ya, baby?

This brings to a close Act Two, "Frying Pan, Fire" of Barsoom Tales Season II. We move into the final act of this breathless drama, "What A Woman's Got To Do", and let me tell you, bad as things have gotten, they are about to get much, much worse.

And much, much weirder.


----------



## SonofaKyuss

*Feeling the luv*

The epic scope of this story never ceases to amaze me.

Poor little players in a big, evil, gotta-be-kiddin'-me world....

At least they know when to run...which is most of the time!

Good form!


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 1*

"Is that what it looks like?"

"What do you think it looks like?"

"Half-a-dozen flying demon-things attacking an ironclad steamship. A few hundred feet above the surface of the Inner Sea."

"Then yes, that is exactly what it looks like. Any other questions?"

Elena glared at Isaac, who was obviously enjoying teasing his old friend.

"I don't really know where to start."

"You could ask, 'Isaac, what are those flying demon-things?' Or, 'Isaac, why are those demon things attacking that ship?' Or... well, there's a lot of options."

"And yet, you left out maybe the biggest one of all."

Isaac's raised eyebrow and smirk drew an explosion out of Elena.

"The ship is FLYING. Look at it. It's in the air. It's a flying ship. This is new to me."

Nevid joined his fellow Saijadani.

"Shaer has had flying ships for a while now. They were first revealed on the mainland during the siege of Fort Burnoll. Mostly they're owned by mercenary companies, which are sort of government bodies in Shaer. Judging from the insignia on the stern, that's one of the Dark Horse Regiment's ships. Probably the Indomitable, Cutter-class. Twenty-four guns."

"Uh-huh. It FLIES."

"Yes, I can see that, Elena."

"Your problem, Nevid, is that you have no sense of wonder. And you're weird."

Nevid just stared at Elena for a few heartbeats, then turned to consider the distant battle.

Smoke erupted from the side of the vessel and moments later they heard the rumbling of cannon fire.

"Somebody's still fighting."

"On the FLYING ship."

"We get it, Elena. It flies."

"How close do we want to get to this battle? Because we appear to be sailing directly towards it."

Another rumbling drew their attention. Dark shapes fell from the airborne craft, tumbling down to the waves below. Elena gasped upon realising some of the shapes were people, figures twisting desperately in their deadly plunge.

"We have to help them!"

Isaac shrugged.

"We don't even know who the good guys are."

"I'm willing to take a chance on the ones who aren't flying demons."

"I don't see how we can help anyone up there."

Their ship continued to plow through the gentle seas, eastward with the late afternoon sun behind their right shoulders. The entire crew of the ship had forgotten their duties, absorbed in the drama taking place high above.

"They may not be up there too long. That ship looks like she's starting to descend."

Isaac was right. The great smoke-belching vehicle tilted and began to sink downwards, lurching as more debris fell from its decks. They were close enough now that small-arms fire could be heard, and voice rising in battle-frenzied shrieks.

"All right. Let's get in this."

Isaac strung his hunting bow and strode up to the prow of their ship, bracing himself against the light swell. As he took aim, Arrafin came out of her cabin and gasped at the sight now looming a hundred feet above them. The flying contraption was half the size of their merchant ship, hanging in mid-air at a steep angle, wreathed now in smoke and dangling cables.

"That ship is FLYING."

"Never mind, Arrafin. These guys have no sense of wonder."

"That's very true."

Isaac let fly. His arrow arced upwards, spiralling tightly as it sailed onto a perfect collision with a white-skinned creature clinging to a railing on the beleaguered ship.

The arrow bounced off. The creature, twice the size of a man and with a long armoured tail that they could see ended in a terrible stinger, turned and snarled at them with a skull face. It let go of its perch and spread leathery wings to charge down at them.

"What's funny," said Isaac, "Is that this is just all too predictable."

Arrafin stretched out a hand and shut her eyes. Her owl huddled down on her shoulder as dark radiance billowed around her and then gathered up into a solid mass and leapt at the oncoming beast like a black fist.

The demon screeched and fell back from the blow, dazed and furious.

Elena took a pose similar to her friend's, one hand outstretched, and she snarled as a low roar rumbled through the air. The injured demon convulsed like a rag doll in an angry child's grip, skin tearing and alien ichor spewing from its sudden wounds.

As that beast crashed into the sea to flail and shriek, its five fellows turned from savaging the crew of the flying ironclad and swooped down towards the ship below.

Arrafin spread her arms and again the dark tendrils rose up around her. This time, however, her owl leapt into the air in confusion as she lost control of the energy. The slender girl shrieked and swayed where she stood, darkness clawing at her. She crashed down to her knees, strain knotted on her wide-eyed face as she fought the soul-devouring power of Shadow.

Elena saw Arrafin's distress and gritted her teeth as she again unleashed the strange power of her mind. This time, while one of the creatures lashed and shrieked, none were disabled by her effort. All five plunged into the rigging and in moments the entire deck was caught up in a wild melee.

Isaac's heavy sword did a little better than his arrow had, and he had one of the demons retreating from his furious blows. Elena switched to another power and sent one creature crashing backwards, breaking its spine on the mainmast.

A crew member screamed and gurgled as talons sank into his throat. Guns went off with a quick drumroll of bangs. Etienne came up from below decks and rolled, drawing his knives and sinking them hilt-deep into a demon's side.

Blood and vile fluids sprayed across the deck. Elena, drained of psychic energy, staggered to where Arrafin got wearily to her feet. The thin Naridic girl pointed at one of the demons, her big round eyes dark with Shadow's power.

"Stop."

Again the darkness swirled up around her, and for a second Elena thought she'd succeeded, but Arrafin cried out again and collapsed, twitching and screaming in agony as she fought for her life.

Elena ran to where her friend lay on the deck.

"Arrafin!"

Trying to hold the girl still, Elena looked up at a sudden shadow.

A demon stood over them both, sneering and drooling. It opened its mouth like a snake's, its jaws unhinging and fangs lengthening as she watched in horror.

Isaac swore and fought more furiously, as did Etienne, but they were too far away. Nevid had disappeared entirely. Elena closed her eyes.

"Farouk."

Arrafin's voice shook her out of her fear. The two women grinned at each other and even as the demon raised its gleaming talons to strike, Elena called up the ancient servant of Suleikar ben Azan.

"Destroy this demon."

The snarling creature somehow gaped in shock. Farouk ibn Zaoud bowed.

"As my mistress commands."

The imposing Naridic warrior hefted his immense scimitar and laid into the startled demon. Blood flew and screams rose. Elena turned to Arrafin.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. This sorcery is stupid. It never works when we really need it."

"Maybe you just need to lay off a little bit."

Arrafin's eyes flashed with anger and a hint of the darkness that consumed them when she used her sorcery.

"I'm fine! I can do this, I just need to practice. You all think I'm so useless, stupid Arrafin with her stupid books."

Stunned, Elena shook her head.

"Arrafin. I don't know what you're talking about."

Farouk bowed.

"The demon is destroyed, mistress."

"Yeah, yeah. Go get the rest of them."

"As my mistress commands."

Elena turned back to Arrafin but the girl had gotten to her feet and was storming angrily back to her cabin, her little owl swooping about her tangled curls.

The last of the demons, caught between Isaac and Farouk, died noisily. Their ship lurched suddenly and they saw the ironclad, now drifting just above the water, bumping against their hull. A weary but cheerful face appeared at a hatch.

"Ahoy, me friend. Timely yer arrival was, and no mistake. Could we trouble ye kind folks for a tow?"

Etienne stared in wonder.

"Is that ship flying?"

*****

"Phelan O'Breen, first lieutenant o' tha Cloud Bandit, just a day out o' Farroway."

"Your captain?"

The blue-haired young man twinkled a sad grin at Elena.

"'Twas a better death than some, lass."

The Saijadani woman watched his gaze turn to Arrafin and his grin widen. She kept her smirk from showing.

The Shaeric crew of the stricken airship crowded their deck, their ship uninhabitable without repairs. Its ironclad bulk dragged along behind them, lashed to their ship's stern with a complex assembly of cables.

Phelan explained to a curious Arrafin how the lifting force operated that allowed the ship to fly. He was a charming little fellow with electric blue hair. Bright coloured hair seemed an affectation amongst Shaeric airship crew, as these fellows had wild colours and cuts amongst them all, making the deck feel like a festive occasion, or a strange collection of exotically crested birds.

They sang like birds, too, constantly and with melodic voices. A group were dancing up at the prow, cheered on by their comrades.

Elena had to admit these Shaeric fellows were changing her opinion of their country. She remembered the cruel mercenaries in the desert with their leers and their casual butchery. But this airship crew were charming and polite with a constant hint of amused teasing all through their jokes and laughter.

Phelan leaned closer to Arrafin and Elena listened in, curious to hear his pitch.

"Yon owl's a lovely little thing, is he not? Yer pet, is he?"

"He's not a pet. He's a familiar."

Arrafin resettled herself uncomfortably. Elena grinned to see her studious friend beseiged.

"Oh, aye. And what's a lovely lass like yerself on her way to our beautiful country for? Chasing after your man, are ye?"

"What? No. I don't have a man. I'm not--"

"Oh, ye've not? Ye've no special one in yer heart, then? Ah, that's a shame, a pretty lass like yerself. Is it true? You've no love to call yer own?"

Screams overwhelmed the music and laughter and sudden commotion of folks scrambling over each other. Backing away in terror and amazement at the tall figure standing in the center of the deck, her gold and crimson gown towering up above her alabaster face, her great hairdo rising up like some mad architect's tower, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

Madame Yuek bowed to the assembly. She saw Arrafin and a wide smile brightened her countenance.

"Darling."


----------



## barsoomcore

Sorry about the delay, folks. Updates will likely be a little more sporadic than usual. Only another 20 or so episodes until we're wrapped up!


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 2*

"I have learned many things since we last saw each other."

"Feel free to keep them to yourself."

Madame Yuek ignored Isaac's mumbled comment as she swept her unearthly gaze across the staring audience upon the Wavereaver's deck.

The Shaeric sailors sheltering there gaped. Those that had been nearest the towering vampire when she appeared threw themselves backwards, creating an empty circle around her. She smiled when she saw Arrafin hovering near the stern with Elena, but recovered a bit of enigmatic poise and gestured the length of the ship.

"I have learned the secret of this vessel and I will not be trapped here again."

Mateo, the captain, coughed and managed to squeak out a question.

"What is that secret?"

He sat down abruptly as she turned to him.

"This vessel is Shaeric in make. It is sacred to a race of creatures who make their home in those islands."

Phelan, the Shaeric sailor who'd been so taken with Arrafin, spoke up.

"Oh, aye. Ye must be meanin' the Tuthean Tarn."

"Indeed. And they are tied to many of our interests just now. I fear we will be forced to confront these creatures."

"_Our_ interests?"

Once again the vampire ignored Isaac's outburst.

"Matai Shang is cooperating with these things. They must be providing him with assistance in his efforts to locate the shards of the Blood Mother's soul. Should he find so much as one, our efforts will become much more difficult."

"_Our_ efforts?"

Madame Yuek's calm assurance cracked and she whirled on Isaac.

"This thing must be done. Barsoom needs the Blood Council and there is only us to do it. If you do not wish to help, say so but until then I will tell you how you may be useful."

Unfazed, Isaac sneered.

"You're a vampire. You eat people, right? You're evil. Why would we believe anything you say?"

Arrafin stepped between the two.

"We're going to Shaer to talk to these Tarn folks, anyway, aren't we? To try and help Kaley? Why don't we listen to what Man -- Madame Yuek has to say?"

"Thank you, darling. Now. Shang has acquired an entity known as the Sleeping King. My investigation has revealed that he will be able to use this creature to find the remaining shards of the Blood Mother's soul. Perhaps when you meet with these Tuthean Tarn, they can give you some information regarding this Sleeping King."

Isaac shrugged.

"Why don't you go talk to them yourself?"

"They are not helpful towards me."

"Not helpful."

"Correct."

Elena, Etienne and Isaac all shared a look. Elena pursed her lips and spoke carefully.

"What does that mean, exactly?"

Madame Yuek's expression darkened ever so slightly. Those nearest her drew back in alarm.

"Your spirit creature. Bring it forth."

Elena put a hand to the amulet at her throat.

"Why? What are you going to do to him?"

"Nothing. Much. Don't worry, it won't hurt him any."

Elena glowered. Madame Yuek sighed in exasperation.

"Look, it's not a man. I know you think it's a man, and maybe you want to believe it's a man, but it's not. It's a bundle of will and impulses bound up to look like a man. I've told you people this before; if you insist on treating these creatures as though they were human, you only make it harder for yourselves."

"I'm not going to treat anyone as though they were an animal. Farouk deserves respect, just like anyone. He's not a slave."

"Oh, for f**k's sake, will you just bring him out? I'm not going to ask again."

Making no attempt to hide her suspicion, Elena clutched the amulet. In a swirling flash of multi-coloured light so brief that most folks failed to even notice it, he appeared before her, tall and stern and ridiculously good-looking.

"What is my mistress' command?"

"Look."

Farouk ibn Zaoud turned around to face Madame Yuek, and stopped, motionless, staring at her.

To Elena's great horror, he sank to his knees.

"What are you doing?"

"I am looking."

Elena fumed with jealous rage. She pointed at Madame Yuek.

"What are you doing to him? Stop it!"

"I told you, I'm not doing anything to him. But do you see what I mean? Not helpful. Now. Put him away, please."

Farouk vanished. Elena's rage did not subside. Madame Yuek shrugged.

"Spirits like me. I don't really know why. But I salute their impeccable taste."

She drew herself up with a sprightly smile.

"Well, that concludes our business, I think. When you confront the Tuthean Tarn, ask them about the Sleeping King and if there is any way to prevent Shang from using it. We will decide what to do then."

She waved daintily and disappeared in a cloud of black vapours.

Isaac walked over to Elena and Arrafin.

"Get Farouk back out. Let's see what he thinks about that."

Arrafin scowled.

"Who cares what some dumb spirit thinks?"

"He's not a dumb spirit."

"Sure, Elena. You just like him cause he's all... manly."

"Ladies. Please. Can we just see what happened to him?"

"Fine."

Farouk appeared again. He bowed.

"What is my mistress' command?"

"What just happened here?"

"My mistress asked me to look upon the Beauteous One. I did, and I knew desire for the first time."

"You what?"

"I love her."

"What? You love a vampire?"

"She is no vampire."

Arrafin frowned.

"What is she, then? What did you see?"

"I saw a gate. A great pillar of Shadow, a raging wind of darkness, a hollow hunger wide enough to swallow all of Barsoom."

"Yeah, I can see how that would spark true love."

"She is Shadow. I am Dream. She is, literally, everything I am not. And everything I am not is everything I desire."

"Huh."

Farouk disappeared.

Elena turned to Arrafin.

"I hate her."

Phelan O'Breen, the young Shaeric fellow, came over.

"Ye folk keep strange company, and no mistake. Did I hear yon magical queen speak of the Tuthean Tarn? Ye'll not be having dealings with the likes of them, will ye?"

"Magical queen? Never mind. What are they? The Tuthean Tarn?"

Phelan's green eyes went wide.

"Why, they're the dark court of the highlands. Of the forest and the valleys. Some say as they're no so malicious as others tell, but all dealings wi'them are perilious, and no mistake. Take me advice and no seek them out. They'll twist ye all around and leave ye no room for escape."

"Well. This should be a piece of cake."


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 3*

Viewed from the outside, the castle was even more forbidding than it had been on the inside.

Perched on a high narrow span of rock that jutted out into the wind-whipped straight between the two islands of Shaer, Castle Dannockshire stood high, proud and arrogant, unfazed by the damage of time and sorcery. Even the collapse of one of the outer wings did nothing to diminish the impact of the castle's decaying splendour.

The _Wavereaver_ swung wild at anchor, white-capped waves slapping her again and again where she waited. The longboat rolled through the swells to a half-collapsed jetty that clung to the foot of the cliff. A narrow path wound up from the jetty towards the castle high above.

It was raining.

"Bad weather. Everything bad happens during bad weather, ever notice that? Remember Chimney? Rained the whole time in Chimney."

Isaac grumbled as the longboat pulled gingerly in towards the jetty. He timed the rise and fall and leapt adroitly onto the wave-washed stone.

"And it was raining at Hudra Keffil, remember? I hate the rain."

Elena, Nevid and Etienne joined him. Kaley seemed to materialize next to Nevid and the couple watched as the others applied themselves to the problem of getting Arrafin from the boat to the jetty.

Arrafin's negligible weight made the operation easier than it might have been, and with the thin Naridic girl clinging to Isaac, the little group made their way to the path and began climbing.

And climbing.

The path lay slick and treacherous in the rain, constant rivulets brimming over the steps and rushing down the slope, slippery and disguising cracks and loose stones. After a few near-misses even Etienne crept cautiously upwards, one hand gripping the cliff face beside him and the other stretched out to catch himself before a fatal slip took him over the edge and down the dizzying fall into the storm-churned waters far below.

Isaac caught Arrafin for the third time. He sighed.

"You know, I could just carry you."

"No, no. I'm fine. Just. Tired."

"Tired? You've been in your cabin since yesterday afternoon."

"Studying. Spells. I've been studying -- whoops -- thanks -- spells."

"Well, try getting some sleep from time to time, girl."

"Yes. I'll try."

They continued scrambling upwards.

Elena watched Kaley drifting along with Nevid, showing no signs of discomfort or unease at their awkward climb. She barely seemed wet. Nor had she shown any sign of understanding where they were or that this entire effort was being undertaken for her benefit.

The Saijadani woman gritted her teeth and continued to climb, cursing under her breath.

Etienne was in the lead and so first to reach the courtyard of Castle Dannockshire. The gatehouse had long ago collapsed and so the group picked their way through rubble and piles of overgrown blocks, following their half-Kishak friend into the open flagstone expanse. To either side the curtain walls held back the worst of the storm's fury, and before them the shattered keep rose up, its windows blank and dead.

"Okay, we're here. Now what? Kaley?"

The Shaeric girl shook her head, her eyes locked on the keep's craggy battlements.

"No. Oh, no. He'll see me here. I've nowhere ta hide. He'll see me, he will. No."

Elena looked around at her friends.

"I missed the planning session, right? I mean, we didn't just climb three hundred miles straight up without a plan, did we?"

"We thought it a shame to waste such a nice day sitting inside, planning."

Elena cast a sour look over at Isaac.

"And we never actually follow through on any of the plans we do come up with, so why bother? Let's cut straight to the chaos, panic and death."

"I like it."

Elena was still nodding as she saw her friends' faces suddenly gape in astonishment. She turned and stepped back in alarm.

The courtyard, which only a second ago had been so empty, windswept, and cold, now whirled with colour and sunshine as dancing figures leapt and capered about, wild costumes festooned with feathers and plumes and high headdresses. Elena gaped at the hundreds of dancers and musicians, many so strangely proportioned she wondered if they were even human. Their shrill voices rang and echoed from the stones on all sides, and as their front ranks pushed forwards, the friends slowly withdrew.

"Holy crap," said Etienne, "These must be those Tarn folks. I hadn't thought there'd be so many of them."

"Now what do we do?"

Elena turned to Kaley, who was hiding behind Nevid. Nevid looked like he'd rather be hiding behind her.

"Nevid. Ask her what to do."

"What?"

"Kaley. Ask her what we need to do."

"Oh. Right."

The youth turned to Kaley and tried a smile. It didn't come out very well, but the Shaeric girl smiled back.

"Kaley."

"Yes, lad?"

"What do we do now? Do we talk to that King? You said there was King here?"

"Aye. Ugwyrdin. Ye may call for him, and he'll come."

"Ugwyrdin."

Elena, Arrafin, Isaac and Etienne all retreated from the massive figure that stepped forward. His shoulders were level with the top of Isaac's head, but his actual height was considerably more than this implied, for from the top of his head extended a breath-taking array of antlers, rising up another four or five feet above the giant's head.

He wore nothing at all, and as he smiled at Kaley, Elena was alarmed to see that his sudden arousal was as obvious as it was large.

"Arrafin, don't look."

"Oh, my God."

"What did I just say?"

A prancing creature came up in front of the great antlered man and bowed. It had taloned feet like a raptor, but was human from the waist up.

"Welcome, travellers, all of you remembered and one of you never released. Welcome to the Court of the King of the Tuthean Tarn, Lord of the Hyvar Peaks and Environs, Bound of Tugh Mac Kebar, Protector of the Rocks and the Waves, His Majesty King Ugwrydin. Please him, travellers and know his gracious generosity."

The King's rampant state had rendered both Elena and Arrafin speechless. Isaac tried to speak in a level tone.

"Is there any way he could put some royal pants on?"

The prancing creature laughed and bowed again.

"Come and dance. Dance with us."

Etienne broke in before Isaac could reply.

"We don't dance."

Isaac nodded emphatically.

"We never dance. So anyway, we want to, uh, do something with this girl here. Free her."

The King snorted and turned away, striding back into the midst of his wild followers. Elena exhaled at last.

The half-raptor fellow sneered at them.

"You have no manners, mortal fools. Why should we release yon child? She belongs to us, now and forever."

"Well, maybe we could do a deal or something. There must be something you want."

The creature smiled.

"You offer us a service? Let me bring our Queen forth."

And a woman joined them. Every bit as naked as Ugwyrdin, but rather than antlers she had the curled horns of a ram. She was slightly shorter than Isaac and walked with a torrid sway to her hips.

It was Isaac and Etienne's turn to be rendered speechless.

"A service? You will promise to undertake a service for us? We are the Tuthean Tarn and we adhere to all bargains made, all promises affirmed."

"Wait a minute."

Arrafin turned to her friends, saw Isaac and Etienne staring, and sighed. Nevid hadn't even so much as looked at their hosts yet. Arrafin turned back to the Queen.

"Could you people please put some pants on?"

Elena sniffed.

"I don't think pants are going to do the trick here."

The Queen chuckled and suddenly a fantastic gown erupted around her, flowers and feathers and jewels sparkling all around her. She gestured and a table appeared, set with overflowing dishes and brim-full goblets.

Nevid shook his head.

"Don't eat their food. Don't drink their wine. Nobody touch anything."

Cautiously, the group sat. The Queen turned her little-girl smile on Arrafin.

"Beloved."

"What? What?"

"You are she. Beloved of the Beauteous One. Will she come to us? Will she return?"

"Uh. I don't know. If she did, would you... help us?"

Alien eyes lit up with incandescent desire.

"We would do anything to bring her back. She is the Beauteous One."

"Mm."

Arrafin and her friends leaned together.

"What did that vampire bitch tell us to ask about? The Sleeping King?"

"She's not a bitch."

"Arrafin, focus. Yeah, Sleeping King. Okay. Is that a plan? Do we have a plan now?"

Elena straightened up.

"Uh. Queen. Your Majesty. Can you tell us about the Sleeping King?"

"Will you bring the Beauteous One back to us?"

"Sure, sure. What about this King guy? Why's he sleeping?"

"Agreed. I will tell you. The Sleeping King was betrayed by his daughter, Magreb, and is kept asleep by the singing of Barselid Hyvar."

"How long has this Barselid guy been singing?"

"Four thousand years."

"Huh." Elena considered. "How would we stop somebody from, uh, using the Sleeping King?"

For the first time, the Queen showed a trace of concern.

"Who? Who does this?"

"A sorcerer named Matai Shang."

The entire party shut down at that name, and the group found their table suddenly surrounded with angry faces.

"Shang."

"Hey, we don't like him, either."

"He hurt _HER_."

"Yeah."

The Queen studied them all, and then stood. The table disappeared.

"Go to Hyvar. He still waits within his castle near Farroway. Find the daughter, Magreb. Only she may finish her betrayal and slay her father."

"Okay. Find this Magreb girl, and bring her to the Sleeping King, and problem solved. Got it."

Isaac raised a hand.

"Where is the Sleeping King?"

"We have not seen him in four thousand years. He is in Shaer, but his location is no longer something we may know. It is against the rules."

The mention of rules attracted Arrafin's interest.

"The rules?"

"When Tugh Mac Kebar bound us to his oath, he laid down the rules by which we must operate."

Before Arrafin could launch into a detailed exploration of this tidbit, Elena gestured to Kaley.

"Uh, Your Majesty, we were hoping we could, uh, free this child. From you."

The Queen smiled. She laughed and danced in place for a while. Isaac and Etienne went back to gaping.

"Of course you may have her. But you must fulfill your promise to us. You must bring the Beauteous One here."

Before Arrafin could object, Elena nodded.

"No problem. You got it. And is that it? Is she free now?"

The Queen gestured and Kaley fell to her knees, shrieking and clutching at her head.

"One of you must be willing to sacrifice. One of you mortals must give up a portion of your soul for her sake. The balance must be restored."

The storm returned, wind and rain washing down on top of them all. Nevid knelt beside Kaley and looked up at the beautiful, hysterical Queen. He shouted through the howling storm.

"Me! I will sacrifice! I will do it!"

The Queen shrugged, and in that moment she and her entire court disappeared.

As did Kaley. Nevid pitched face-forward onto the flagstones. The others rushed to help. The young Saijadani got to his feet, dazed and reeling. He stared around at the others.

"She's inside me. Kaley. F**k, she's inside me. Like that damn Blood Mother."

Nevid twitched, groaned, and then seemed to collect himself. Without another word he turned back to the gatehouse and began picking his way back down the cliffside path.

Isaac sighed.

"I do not understand any of this."

He looked over at Arrafin, simmering with anger at Elena, and Elena, determinedly ignoring her friend's fury, and Etienne, who seemed lost, staring at the abandoned keep. The burly Saijadani stood next to his half-Kishak friend.

"It's a strange world, isn't it? All this suffering and anger."

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about that Queen. That was a great set on her, wasn't it?"


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 4*

"Isn't there anything to do in this town besides drink and get into fights?"

"Ye're a strange one, Isaac me lad."

Isaac growled and clutched at his beer as yet another scuffle broke out in their corner of the crowded public house, rocking their table with yells and cheers.

Shaeric folk appeared even more boisterous and quick-tempered when assembled in numbers, he noted. Phelan had led them down streets that seemed lined with nothing but more public houses identical to this one, brawls spilling out in the cobblestone streets and toasts sung or chanted from tabletops.

Farroway clung to the coast of a barren spit of land, with just enough of a breakwater to reduce the constant pounding of the ocean sufficiently to allow anchorage. Thatch roofs climbed up steep rocky hillsides, huddled together along winding roadways, and ringing much larger structures from which black smoke and an endless ringing came, as of a thousand tireless blacksmiths.

All Isaac had managed to glean was that these factories produced the many araments that Shaer was noted for, and he had to admit that the locals carried firearms of a quality to even rival his cherished double-barred flintlocks. But for all the loquaciousness of his hosts, nobody would say a word about what went on in those factories.

The big Saijadani grunted as one of the brawlers fell against him. He shrugged one shoulder and slammed an elbow backwards. His sour expression warmed only slightly at the solid sound of contact.

Elena watched the drunken Shaeric fellow reel from Isaac blow, and collapse to the floor. The stunned fellow's friend watched and laughed, one of them clapping Isaac on the shoulder and waving for another drink for their new hero.

She leaned across the table to get Phelan's interest, nudging Arrafin beside her as she did so.

"So, Phelan, Arrafin was wondering what you'd found out about that Hyvar guy?"

"I was?"

"You were?"

Phelan brightened up as he smiled at the confused Naridic girl. Elena nodded encouragingly.

"Sure you were. So, anyway, Phelan, you got anything for us?"

"Oh, aye. Barselid Hyvar, he's your lad. His castle's up yonder, near Sword-daughter Mountain. Are ye enjoying yerself, Arrafin? Nice spot of Shaeric hospitality, aye?"

"Oh. Yes. Uh. Oh!"

Arrafin's eyes lit up and she leaned forward, suddenly animated. Phelan matched her enthusiasm with his own.

"I hear that Shaeric guns are really good. I wonder if you could help me get one? Because sometimes my spells don't work so good. And I can't really handle big ones like Isaac's."

Elena snickered, but waved for the conversation to carry on. Phelan nodded at Arrafin's request.

"Say no more, sweet lass. Phelan O'Breen will see it done, and no mistake. But-- "

His eyes flicked from side to side.

"Take care ye no tell anyone. The Laird of Farroway, he's ever so particular about the distribution of his resources, if ye take me meaning. I'm no supposed to be handing them off to ye foreign types, is what I'm saying."

"We'll no say a word. Not. Not say a word."

Elena rejoined the conversation.

"So the castle's not far? Could we walk there?"

"Oh, aye. 'Tis no so far. Come daylight, ye'll ken the path right quick. No more than a day, I hear. And stout folks as ye are, ye'll take no care for the tales the castle be haunted, now will ye?"

"A castle's got to be pretty darn haunted before it'll give us the willies."

*****

The eastern horizon blushed with a hint of pink as they stumbled from the public house. Etienne swayed up ahead, certain of the direction back to the docks and their boat, while the others followed without paying much attention. Elena had an arm around Isaac's waist and the two Saijadani leaned on each other companionably. Nevid had disappeared entirely and so Arrafin brought up the rear, talking to herself and digging in her knapsack for notes.

The uneven cobblestones of the street interfered with their passage, however, and Etienne sprawled face-first with a sharp crack.

"Ow. That sounded like it hurt."

"Yeah. That sounded like a gunshot."

Arrafin grunted and papers flew in all directions as she collapsed just as Etienne had.

"Wait."

Elena ignored Isaac's command and threw her friend to the ground, rolling in the opposite direction, cursing loudly. Another gun went off and then she heard shouts and running feet.

Her head was spinning. Or possibly the street.

Arrafin's voice, crying out in pain, came up over other shouting, and Elena recognized Isaac's angry battle yell. She grabbed a nearby wall and staggered to her feet.

Two Kishak soldiers, sabres out and cold looks on their faces, approached her. Elena swayed, then leaned to one side and vomited. Unsteadily she turned back to the implacable swordsmen.

"All right then. Let's do this."

*****

Etienne groaned, but drunk as he was, his instincts remained well-honed and he rolled sideways into a dark alley and had a couple of breaths to figure out what was going on.

Red-skinned figures came charging down the street. Etienne checked the wound in his shoulder and shrugged. That should have been a lot worse.

"Kishak marksmen."

The soldiers rushed past him, intent on where Isaac was getting to his feet. Etienne smirked and stepped from the alley, drawing his knives.

He tripped on a cobblestone and fell, again, flat on his face. Looking up, he saw three soldiers turn to him. He realised he'd dropped his knives.

Etienne took stock of his options. It didn't take long.

Unsure if he'd even be able to stand, Etienne log-rolled away. And right into a pair of red legs.

*****

Isaac waved his sword and yelled, knowing he was outmatched but hoping a wild display would allow his friends a chance to do something.

Maybe even something that would save him, but he tried not to get his hopes up. A step or two backwards got him next to Arrafin, who was making enough noise that he felt hopeful she wasn't in mortal danger. Four Kishak soldiers flanked him, keeping clear of his flourishing blade but ready for his guard to slip.

"Arrafin, some sorcery right now would be great."

"Are you f**king kidding me?"

"You're drunk."

"F**king right."

"Great."

The Kishak closed in. Isaac switched tactics and brought his blade in close, ready to slash outwards at the first opportunity. But the Kishaks maneuvered around him and he couldn't keep them all in view.

One slipped behind him and yelled. Isaac whirled to face him, but frowned at the sight of an unarmed Lohanese man with a fist at the Kishak's throat. The red-skinned soldier dropped to the cobblestones.

Eyes wide, Isaac turned back to the other soldiers.

One was already dead, with a massive wound in his shoulder and neck. Another stood stock-still, eyes bulging, clutching at his throat for no reason. The third dueled for only a couple of passes with another Lohanese man before dying with a gaping wound at the latter's strangely curved greatsword.

The Lohanese killers paid no attention to Isaac, instead rushing across the street. To the Saijadani's amazement, they cut down the soldiers closing in on Elena. He turned to check on Etienne just in time to see the three soldiers in front of his friend suddenly fly backwards as though hurled by a giant -- and beyond them he saw a slender Lohanese woman in a grey robe with one hand outstretched.

"What the f**k?"

"Arrafin, maybe you shouldn't do the talking here."

The three Lohanese people gathered in the middle of the street and faced Isaac. Elena and Etienne joined him and the four friends faced their mysterious benefactors.

The mysterious benefactors bowed.

"Yeah. Hi. Thanks for that. We're. Not at our best."

"We are the Eighty-Third Dagger of the Seven Orders. We have sought you, Isaac, Elena, Arrafin and Etienne. Also we seek your companion, Nevid."

"Yeah, so do we. Have you seen him?"

Isaac gestured in what he hoped was a dismissive way at Elena's question. He tried a bow.

"Well. You have found us. Here we are. How can we help you?"

"We are the Eighty-Third Dagger."

"Mm. Gonna need more to work on."

"Eighty-two times before us, the Seven Orders have sent forth a Dagger such as us. We are the Eighty-Third, and we have found you."

"I drunk I'm thinker than I drunk I am."

The big unarmed guy smiled just a little bit, but neither of his companions showed any emotion other than faint frustration at dealing with Isaac's efforts at communication. The woman scowled and stepped forward.

"We are the Dagger of the Seven Orders! We kill you! You help us!"

"What?"

The big guy smiled again. Without losing his serene expression, he snarled at the woman and she slunk back to the others. He bowed.

"Apologies. Zhing is eager to fulfill our mission. But we do not seek to harm you."

"Okay. Neither do we. Great."

Elena snorted.

"What's your mission?"

"We have been sent to slay the Demon Goddess."

The street lay silent until Arrafin laughed.

"F**k me."


----------



## frostrune

I don't pay much attention to story hours but this one has got me hooked.  The various countries seem well defined and I love the inter-party banter.

Is this purely fiction or representative of an actual game you are running?

Good stuff barsoomcore.  Please keep up the good work.


----------



## barsoomcore

frostrune said:
			
		

> Is this purely fiction or representative of an actual game you are running?



This is a part of a campaign I ran from 1999-2005ish. The opening post in this thread has a lot of details -- unfortunately the original campaign website has now disappeared (darn Linux upgrades) but yeah, this was a homebrew d20 campaign. But as I say in the original post, the story you're reading is sort of "based upon" rather than a faithful representation of what happened.

Good times.


----------



## Desdichado

:fist:  When did that website disappear?  I used to still browse over there on occasion just for fun.


----------



## barsoomcore

Hobo said:
			
		

> :fist:  When did that website disappear?  I used to still browse over there on occasion just for fun.



It's never a good day when your hosting provider calls and asks, "Do you have a backup of your website anywhere?"


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 5*

"I think you're going to have to start again from the beginning."

Kho smiled, his eyes crinkling up like a friendly grandfather's. Elena couldn't help but smile back at him, despite the queasiness in her stomach and the pounding in her head. Arrafin lay sprawled beside her on a bench, groaning in Naridic.

"The Seven Orders have sent us to find and destroy the Demon Goddess of our homeland."

Etienne scoffed.

"And what makes them think you're up to the job?"

"It matters not. She must be slain or our lands will never again be green."

Arrafin forced herself upright.

"What are you talking about?"

Elena was watching carefully, and she saw the faintest hint of sadness on Kho's face, quickly hidden behind another grandfatherly smile. He bowed to Arrafin.

"She is queen of all evil. Our people suffer, our children are born deformed, and our crops barely grow, because of her. Unless we slay her, our country is doomed."

"I'm not listening to this. You people are nuts. Kill her? With what, that big sharp sword of yours? You don't know what you're talking about."

Kho drew in a slow breath and exhaled.

"You have not seen what has become of Tianguo in her wake. Our land groans under her madness. She has corrupted everything that we rely on. She must die, or our people will perish."

Arrafin stared, angry at first, but something in Kho's quiet expression melted her and she leaned forward, her big eyes blinking back sympathy.

"But you know she didn't have a choice. She didn't ask to be... that. Shang did it to her."

Kho shook his head.

"She must die. We will slay her. And you will bring us to her."

"That won't be a good day for you, I promise."

Elena grabbed at her friend before Arrafin could rush off.

"I think we need to talk. Just us."

The two women locked gazes for a moment, and Arrafin nodded.

"But not these guys. They creep me out."

*****

Isaac looked up from his cot as the inn room door opened and Nevid came in, pushed by Elena and Arrafin. Etienne sauntered in after them, closing the door behind him.

"Well."

Elena sat on the floor across from Isaac and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"I think we have a problem."

Isaac sighed.

"That's understating the situation considerably."

"Okay, but in specific, I'm worried we're on the wrong side."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Arrafin, but you heard Kho. I don't think he's lying. I'm worried that Madame Yuek's the bad guy in all this. Maybe we should be helping Shang, not her."

Etienne put up a hand.

"Hasn't Shang pretty much tried to kill us everytime we've seen him?"

"Has he? We've only got Madame Yuek's word for what he's up to."

Arrafin crossed her arms over her chest.

"What are you suggesting? We go work for him?"

"No, Arrafin. I'm suggesting we go talk to him. I've been, uh, talking to Farouk, and he can travel across distances. Sort of like that Shadow walking trick that Kani did. If you know where somebody is, he can take us there."

"But we don't know where Shang is. And seriously? Talk to Matai Shang, the insane sorcerer who wants Nevid's head? How is this a good idea?"

"Shang's at the Sleeping King. And Farouk can find the Sleeping King."

Everyone considered the news.

Etienne put his hand up again.

"So we show up in front of him. Then what?"

"Then we ask him what he wants."

"Oh, great idea, Elena. Why don't we just cut our own throats and save him the cleaning bill?"

"Arrafin, we don't know what he wants."

"Yes, we do. He wants to destroy the Blood Council forever."

"That's what your girlfriend wants us to believe, you mean."

"Would you drop it, Elena? That's not funny. Shang is dangerous. We can't stop him if he tries to take Nevid's head."

"Let's ask Nevid."

"Sure. Nevid?"

The entire room turned to the young Saijadani fellow. Nevid swallowed.

_I need your brain._

"I think it's a good idea. We should see what he wants."

Isaac looked around at his friends. He got to his feet.

"Sure. Why not? What could possibly go wrong?"

*****

Farouk's impossible handsomeness and regal bearing helped calm Elena down. Despite her determination in the Isaac's cabin, she harboured deep reservations about this plan.

Matai Shang scared her. If he decided to take action against him, they'd have only Farouk to help them escape. Their plan hinged on the notion that he wouldn't be expecting them, and that he wouldn't have any way of dealing with Farouk.

But Madame Yuek scared her, too. Whereas Shang seemed almost like some kind of monster, Yuek acted like a person at times. Which made her savagery and bizarre conduct all the more terrifying.

Yuek and Shang. Elena felt that she and her friends had become caught in what would just be a petty game of rivalry, were it not for the unthinkable power of the rivals in question.

She looked over where Arrafin stood, asking Farouk questions about his role in historical events. The Naridic girl was changing, all of them could see it. Secretive and so quick to anger whenever Madame Yuek's agenda was questioned. Elena's reservations grew as she considered her friend.

It would be the two of them who would go, along with Etienne. Isaac would stay here to bodyguard Nevid, just in case Shang was suddenly able to track the young man down. What exactly Isaac would be able to do if Shang showed up nobody thought too much about.

"Do we need to hold hands?"

Farouk shook his head to Elena's question.

"No, mistress. Simply stand near me."

"Okay."

The rough furnishings of Isaac's room faded around them in a swirl of wild colour and starbursts. And they passed through the Dream Worlds.

Faces, laughing or shrieking or crying. Hands clutching at her, melting away even as she pulled herself free. It was like slipping through a crowd that wavered, a mirage that pressed against her on all sides, only to give way whenever she tried to focus on it.

There was no sensation of time passing, but Elena felt her equilibrium slipping from her. Her heart accelerated and she felt as though she were trembling, and just as she was about to cry out, the colours and figures retreated on all sides, like water racing off a hot pan, and she stood with Farouk and her friends in a dark cavern, a high arched ceiling overhead held up by heavy pillars.

A spear's cast or so away, in the middle of the hall, stood a tall table upon which lay a massive figure, hands clutched on its chest, motionless even as the familiar and frightening shape of Matai Shang bent over it.

Mechanical legs skittered and scattered as the ancient sorcerer turned to face them, astonished.

He smiled suddenly and waved a hand.

Farouk disappeared.

"Oh, great."

Shang rushed towards them, shrieking like some wild beast.

Etienne threw Arrafin behind him and drew his knives.

"Elena, hit him with something."

Purple light flared and something inhuman roared, but Shang continued towards them, now snarling with fury. Etienne backed up as quickly as he could.

"Fools! I will gut you all and leave you for ravens to pick over!"

"Well, I think this answers our questions."

"Oh."

"What is it, Arrafin?"

"It's. Never mind."

"Now is no time to--"

Etienne broke off as he turned around and found himself facing a wall of crimson silk. He looked up.

Madame Yuek smiled down at him. She winked.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."

Shang screeched to a sudden halt. He stared in horror. His mechanical carriage lurched, and legs splintered. The remaining limbs scurried backwards.

Madame Yuek began laughing at the same moment Shang began screaming. The tall vampire walked forward, past Arrafin and her friends.

"You run along home now. I'm going to play for a while."

The room shook with a sudden explosion. Farouk appeared and bowed to Elena.

"Mistress, I am able to return now. I am at your service."

"Get us out of here!"

"Yes, mistress."


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 6*

Nevid was dancing. With the handsomest man he'd ever seen.

Tall and dark-haired with glittering green eyes. Stern but how he warmed when he smiled. Nevid's heart pounded as strong arms came around him and they stepped across the dance floor, all the court clapping and beaming with delight.

Kaley. This was Kaley.

Nevid tried to keep it all straight. But everything got mixed up in his head.

He lay, bound in tight ropes, listening to the screams outside. The walls shook with a sudden explosion. The door slid open. The most beautiful face in history smiled at him.

"Hello, darling. I'm so sorry about this."

Nevid shook, struggling to keep his mind clear.

The handsome man leered and antlers sprang from his forehead and the court all around turned into gibbering, capering creatures and he screamed and screamed and screamed.

"Somebody pick up Nevid. This is going to be a problem, I think."

Elena leaned on her walking-stick and watched as Etienne and Isaac bent to lift their unconscious companion and began dragging him along the path.

The highlands of Shaer had little to recommend them. Isaac scowled and chewed more ferociously on his cigar as he leant into the wind. Just up ahead a moss-covered outcropping of grey stone promised some relief from the howling gale, and he led his friends that way, stepping carefully over the loose shale that covered the hillside.

The castle they sought lay upon a hilltop just ahead, a winding path still visible through the shale up to its dark gate. Much less impressive a pile than Dannockshire, this castle looked considerably more weather-beaten. The walls lay half-covered in creepers and tufted shrubs clung to the battlements, betraying the place's abandonment.

"Let's go. It'll be nicer in there than anywhere else."

"Except for the being haunted bit. Does anyone hear singing?"

"That's just the wind, Elena."

"I don't think that's the wind."

As they crossed the last valley and began heading up the path, Etienne nodded.

"I can hear it, too."

Arrafin scowled impatiently.

"I don't hear a thing. What are you-- Oh. Singing."

They stopped for a second and listened.

_"Fame has its fosterlings, free of the limits

Boxing all others, and Barselid was one of them."_

The words grew clearer as they continued to scramble up the path; a bloody tale of vengeance and slaughter. The voice sounded distinctly Shearic and carried the same self-amused smirk that Elena had always heard in the Shaeric men they'd been drinking with last night. They arrived at the gate and the wind seemed to fade away, the voice growing ever-stronger.

_"Ten lives for one was the tariff for entry;

And no man got credit. Crushed and split skulls,

Blasted off limbs and lathers of blood

Were the money they soughted and minted themselves --

Worth every ounce of the weregild they asked."_

The friends looked at each other and shrugged. Isaac began to call out, but stopped at Arrafin's hand on his arm.

"Wait. That's Barselid Hyvar, right? Singing to keep the Sleeping King asleep, right?"

"Right."

"How's he going to talk to us? If he stops singing then the Sleeping King awakes. Isn't that bad?"

"Maybe he can, you know, sing his side of the conversation. He's been going for four thousand years, you gotta imagine he's looking for some material."

"Right."

Arrafin shrugged and released Isaac's arm. The burly Saijadani called out, "Barselid Hyvar! We have come to find Magreb and bring her to her father!"

The singing stopped in mid-sentence. The wind stopped at the same moment. The sudden silence shocked them all, and lent a sinister air to the crumbling walls all around them.

"Barselid Hyvar! We mean no harm; we just want to take Magreb to her father. The Sleeping King."

At first Elena thought it was the wind starting up again but she realised the thin whispering was a voice, speaking with a Shaeric accent.

"Yon lass' no so able to make such a trip, I tell ye."

They all spun around, but there was no sign of anyone to speak the words they all heard, faintly but with perfect clarity.

"Mr. Hyvar? May we enter your home? Sir?"

"Aye, and be welcome."

Shuffling, pressing close together, the five friends made their way across the dirt-packed courtyard and into the keep's great hall, where a pair of long tables and overturned chairs lay under a thick pelt of dust. Cobwebs rose up like tents around the candelabra on the tables. As the five walked, their footsteps lifted clouds of dust into the still air.

"Isn't he supposed to be singing? What happens if he stops singing? I told you not to talk to him, Isaac."

"I am singing, lass. Fear not. That ye can no hear it, dinna mean there's no singing to be heard now."

He sat in a throne at the far end of the hall, covered in just as much dust as everything else. His lips did not move as he spoke, but somehow they all knew that this shrouded figure, lifeless and still, was their host. They drew nearer, staring.

He sat in a casual pose, hands on the armrests of his chair, head erect, eyes still open and still gleaming with life. As they approached, Elena saw the eyes flick from one side to the other.

"What are you? Are you a spirit?"

"Aye. As ye call me, mortal lass. So I am."

"Are you one of the Tuthean Tarn?"

"I was, I was. But they no remember as they should. The Oath weakens with time, ye see. And as it weakens, so do they."

"Will they be set free when it breaks?"

"Set free?"

Strange psychic laughter danced in their brains.

"No lass, there is no freedom for such as we. Our bindings are our definition, ye see. Wi'out ta binding, we've no rock to cling to. We slip away. But those of the Tuthean Tarn don't think about such matters. They rush towards a fate they no can imagine.

"But ye've no come to talk to me about them. Ye speak of dear Magreb. Me love. Me true lassie. What do you offer in exchange for her?"

The friends looked from one to the other.

"What do we have that you might want?"

"I've no idea, lass. I know not what ye are."

Nevid shook his head.

"You can speak inside my head. Can you see my memories, too? If I let you?"

"Aye."

"Look."

Nevid concentrated on the memories he carried within him of the Blood Mother. Her memories of facing Yuek Man Chong.

"Oh, aye. Isn't she something."

To the others, it seemed that Nevid shook again, and nearly collapsed, and then the figure on the throne did likewise. Dust flew from its ancient body. The head bowed, thick slabs of congealed detrius sliding from its black hair.

"Ne'er ha I seen such a beauty. Aye, for her I'd grant ye more than ye ask for. But ye'll find Magreb where she lies, at the top of yon tower. Seek her and bring her to her father, if ye be so lucky."

He pointed, raising his head. An intensely handsome face looked up at them, craggy and weathered but with a calm assurance that immediately soothed them.

"Perhaps and she can convince t'old man to go back where he come from. Perhaps me days o' singing are coming to an end."

"Thank you. Sir."

*****

The tower steps wound up and up. As they climbed, the wind rose up again and magnified within the confines of the tower, seemed strong enough to rip the castle down around them. At last they emerged on what was left of the roof.

"I don't see anyone. I think maybe the Singing Fairy has led us astray."

Isaac turned as Etienne pointed.

"Is that a sword over there?"

The big Saijadani stepped over to the rusted blade and inspected it.

"Yeah, that's a sword. Well-made, too."

He hefted it and blinked, startled at the weapon's uncommonly good balance and light weight. It was a nimble and deft weapon, but seemed to carry the same sort of heft that his father's sword did. Certainly it wasn't a modern smallsword.

He held it up and then swept it down, clanging it against the stones of the tower battlements. Rust flew from the blade, revealing gleaming steel beneath. He noticed some engraving and peered closer.

_Magreb_

"Hm. This may not be as simple as we thought."


----------



## barsoomcore

I just have to give props to Nevid's player. He did a great job with a character who was basically an MBA student thrown into horror/fantasy, and then assaulted with freaky memories and dreams that were not his own.

I was sending him emails semi-regularly, dumping bizarre visions into Nevid's head, and he totally rolled with it and created this very memorable character who was, by any normal assessment of a character's effectiveness, completely useless. Nevid sucked at combat, had no magic skills, and was basically incapable of doing anything. And yet he turned into one of the core members of the party, and I couldn't imagine the story without him.

It's hard finding ways to give all the characters enough "screen time". I hope something of their very distinct personalities is coming through.


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## barsoomcore

Sorry folks, no update this week.


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## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 7*

"What are you doing with that child?"

Elena stormed up to the Lohanese trio who held a sniffling Shaeric boy between them. Kho held up his gnarled old hands in a placating gesture.

The others crowded behind Elena, pushing into the Saijadani woman's room. Kho and his two compatriots stood there, impassive, with a red-haired boy who seemed unaware of anything happening around him.

"What have you done to him? What is this?"

Kho stepped forward.

"We have done nothing. But you must hear him. You must hear from his mouth what he has seen."

"What has he seen?"

Isaac knelt down in front of the child.

"Here, son. It's okay. You're safe with us. You're safe here."

The little boy shook his head sadly.

"Not safe. Not safe anywhere."

"What happened?"

His eyes rose and met Isaac's and the Saijadani drew in a sharp breath at the horror so plain in those blue eyes. The boy swallowed, trembling.

"It were dark. Late. Father. We never heard the like, I tell ye."

Kho interrupted in his gentle fashion.

"This boy comes from a tiny village up in the mountains. He came into town last night. Hsiao found him and we have kept him here to speak with you."

"What is this about?"

"Listen."

All eyes turned back to the boy. He gathered his courage and continued.

"Father. I follows him, y'see, down to town. I hide near to the tanner's. I dinna see anything like to that before.

"Like a queen. A queen. And the blood everywhere. Everyone, everyone dead. Just a-lying there. Dead. Everyone."

The boy began to shake. One of the Lohanese women put a hand on his shoulder, and he calmed down enough to continue.

"She seen me father, and quick as anything she. And father. He no even. She. And up to the house. I just hides. I just hides. Little Siobhan. I hear her scream. I run."

The boy burst into shrieking sobs.

Elena stared. She turned to Arrafin.

"You know what this is."

"We don't know anything."

Sneering at her friend, Elena knelt in front of the boy.

"This woman, was she wearing red and gold? Tall, white skin, black hair?"

"Aye, that were her."

Elena stood and grabbed Arrafin, hurled the slender girl against a wall.

"Now do you see? You see? She's a killer, Arrafin. She is a monster."

"It's not her fault! She didn't ask to be this. Shang did it to her. She was his prisoner."

"No."

The two women turned at Kho's quiet denial.

"No, she was not his prisoner. She was his lover."

"That's not true! That's a lie!"

"What, are you jealous? Maybe she doesn't love you like she says she does?"

Elena recoiled back when she saw the dark tendrils rise up around where Arrafin stood. Her friend's eyes glazed over with inky blackness and Elena wondered if she'd really done it, really pushed the Naridic girl past the point of no return.

Arrafin's owl flapped around the girl's mass of unkempt curls, and the three Lohanese warriors pushed the boy behind them, facing Arrafin with determined expressions.

But darkness receded. As Elena watched, the dark masses of Shadow sank back where they'd come from, and the black fury that had transformed Arrafin's face trickled away, leaving a thin, unsteady girl who looked ready to cry. Miserably Arrafin turned to the Lohanese.

"Tell me what you know. Tell me your stories."

*****

In the end, Isaac reflected, the more they learned, the less certain they became of anything. Everyone except Yuek Man Chong agreed that she was the epitome of evil. She killed, she tortured, she destroyed.

But these Lohanese people claimed that Matai Shang was a source of good. That he'd helped them, driven back the influence of the Demon Goddess, and fought her wherever she stood.

Isaac couldn't reconcile that with their experiences of the ancient sorcerer, who seemed so sinister and blood-thirsty. And he knew he didn't trust the Blood Council, whatever they were up to.

He and his friends had no business meddling in these kinds of things. And yet, here they were, with half the Blood Mother's soul in Nevid's head, or something, and all-powerful sorcerers breathing down their necks.

Especially Arrafin's neck. Isaac didn't like to think about what Yuek Man Chong wanted from the innocent, coltish Naridic girl, but it turned his stomach. Arrafin was still a nice girl, a little addled at times but a good girl. Sweet and guileless.

And possessed of truly frightening powers. And so very determined that this Yuek Man Chong everyone else was so afraid of was in fact the only hero in all this mess.

Even after talking with Kho and the others, she refused to consider the idea that perhaps the statuesque vampire might be manipulating them, using them. She never quite got angry enough to storm out, and always calmed down to listen again, but it was obviously hard for her to hear their stories.

Their stories were hard for anyone. The empire of Tianguo had suffered a thousand years of torment under the Demon Goddess' rule. Human sacrifice on a tremendous scale; entire cities depopulated to feed her lusts. Murderous orgies and terrifying magics that tore apart the land. The very fabric of nature rent and twisted into cruel mockeries. Children born deformed, monstrous. Great expanses of land where nothing would grow. And everywhere the souls of those she'd butchered clung to the land, haunting the living with their dire need for revenge.

With every word they told of suffering and desperation. And the boy they'd found, his halting tale of how Yuek Man Chong had slaughtered his entire village only days ago, made their versions of events impossible to dismiss.

At last it was just them. Elena and Arrafin sat side-by-side on the bed, while Isaac and Etienne sprawled on the floor and Nevid leaned against the door.

"What are we supposed to do with all this?"

Etienne gestured as he spoke.

"I mean, why are we even involved here? This has nothing to do with us."

Elena grimaced and looked pointedly over at Nevid. The Saijadani youth sighed.

"It's in Nevid's head. What are we supposed to do, let Shang have him? We have to do something."

Arrafin nodded and joined in.

"That's right. And the best thing to do is to find the rest of the Blood Mother's soul and try to restore her. Like Madame Yuek wants to do."

"So she says."

"Has she ever led us the wrong way before? Has she ever tried to force us to do anything? No. She's not the one telling us scary stories. She just helps us. She's the only one helping Nevid. Everyone else either wants him dead or doesn't care."

"But you know what she's done. Everyone says so."

"People say this, people say that. It's what you do that matters, not what people say."

The room was silent. Isaac stretched.

"I wonder what people say about us."


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 8*

"I say ye're a pack o' thieving villains."

"Well, yes. Isn't that the whole point, here?"

Isaac sighed. Shaeric ideas of negotiation frustrated him, and this pirate captain with guns for sale seemed determined to waste every possible second with pointless insults. Isaac decided to remain peaceable and teach this half-witted foreigner how civilized people handled business deals.

He looked over at the captain's surly, snarling crew of hard-bitten warriors and allowed to himself that there might be other motivations for remaining peaceable.

"So! Ye admit it, ye no-good miscreant!"

Isaac groaned.

"Yes. I'm a thief. I'm a pirate. I'm a criminal. Untrustworthy and short-tempered and violent and cruel. That's me."

"Well, why did ye no say so afore? Welcome aboard!"

"I hate this country."

Although Isaac had muttered the last quietly, Elena heard and stepped forward quickly to distract the pirate captain with one of her rare smiles.

"How kind, sir. Our mutual friend Phelan O'Breen has told us you may have some guns that would be suitable for our ship."

"Aye, I may, I may, lassie. Aye."

The captain, with a lecherous grin, wrapped a wiry arm around Elena's waist and guided the Saijadani woman across his deck. The rest of the visiting group, Isaac, Nevid and Etienne, followed warily, surrounded by the pirate crew.

Arrafin sat on the deck of the Wavereaver alongside, reviewing notes in her spellbook, tapping idly at pages as the sea breeze tugged at their corners. Gral sat on her shoulder, looking around in wide-eyed curiousity as the crew carried on with their duties.

The Naridic girl looked up as Hsiao, the Lohanese woman who had joined them in Farroway, sat on the deck beside her, arranging grey robes carefully. Hsiao bowed.

"Arrafin. May I ask what you are reading?"

"It's my book. Spellbook. I'm just checking some formulas and things."

"It's beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"It was a. A gift."

"You taught yourself sorcery, I understand. That must have been very difficult."

"Well. A little. I've made some. Mistakes."

"Of course. Sorcery is very dangerous."

Arrafin forgot about her journal and leaned forward.

"You do sorcery? But I never see any Shadow around you."

Hsiao bowed again.

"There is a technique. It is not fool-proof, and it is very dangerous, but it allows one to reduce the spread of Shadow when drawing energy for a spell."

"Really? Show me."

Hsiao smiled as she bowed yet again.

*****

"Well, ye've got money enough, I can tell ye that. And O'Breen speaks for ye, and he's an old mate of my own. So let's close this deal, d'ye no think?"

Captain Hollirihan's syntax confused Isaac but Nevid just nodded calmly.

"Yes, sir. Will your crew assist in swaying the guns aboard? My associates and I will ensure the coin is delivered to your stateroom."

"Aye, the lads will see to it."

The captain waved to one of his mates and the crew erupted in activity around their table on the stern deck. Elena looked over where Arrafin and Hsiao seemed to be intense conversation, and considered if she had enough of a run to make the jump over to the other ship.

She looked up as Hollirihan's hand took hold of her arm again.

"Now lass, d'ye sing? Or is it dancing for ye?"

Elena looked over at Isaac, horrified.

"Save me."

*****

In the hold of the Wavereaver, darkness vomited forth yet more darkness, black tendrils spilling outwards. From the shadows emerged three figures swathed entirely in black, only their hard eyes glinting with any sort of colour. The figures gripped tiny vials in their hands and without any sign to each other, all three split up and headed for different companionways to the decks above.

*****

"See? You store the value here, and then to retrieve it you call this..."

"Oh, my God. You could use this in so many other ways."

Arrafin stared at the notes Hsiao had made in her journal, mind racing. The Lohanese woman blinked.

"Well. I suppose. In any event, for our purposes, you can use this to restrict the Gudhalajaray Field Expansion."

"Of course! You just pass that value in each time, and the Gudhalajaray Field Expansion becomes arithmetic rather than logarithmic. That's amazing!"

Arrafin snatched the pencil from Hsiao's hand and started making notes.

"But look, couldn't you iterate HERE instead? The Chuon Limit won't change with each pass, so why not drop it from the loop? Look, look. That's easier."

Hsiao stared.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Just. Some ideas. Notes. That would work, wouldn't it?"

"You can't just invent the rules of magic, Arrafin."

"I'm not inventing anything. This is according to the rules. Look at it."

"No. This is heresy."

"Heresy? Huh?"

Hsiao stood and stalked away. Arrafin frowned, chewing on her pencil as she watched the woman leave. Then she shrugged and looked back down at the equations in her journal. Her curls fell around her as she leaned forward to make an adjustment.

Gral gave every sign of reading along with her.

*****

"Oi. Who's that?"

Mercado called out, then gurgled and pitched forward down the steep stairs, clutching at the gaping wound across his throat.

Before his body had reached the steps below, the blackclad figure responsible for his sudden death leapt out of the hatchway and huddled on the deck.

Another figure popped out of a sternward hatchway, and then another appeared up by the bow. They glanced at each other, then nodded and hurled their vials to the deck. The glass shattered, and ill-looking smoke began immediately to boil up from the shards.

"What the hell?"

Everyone on both ships turned in confusion as smoke billowed up from the deck of the Wavereaver. Only Phelan, chatting with Natacha at the bow of the ship, understood what the smoke meant. He leapt to his feet, hollering.

"Demons! Demons! Grab yer weapons and make ready to fight!"

An entire pirate crew drew their swords, pistols, axes and whatever assorted weaponry they preferred. Those that doubted Phelan's sudden cry were convinced as towering, skeletal figures leered out of the smoke and launched into their midst.

Talons lashed and spat blood. Men died.

"Elena," shouted Isaac as he fired both his pistols at the nearest monster, "Get Farouk on the job!"

Even before he'd finished his sentence the handsome Naridic warrior had appeared and leapt gracefully towards the same demon Isaac had just shot. Claws met blade and mortals scattered out of the way.

Elena stared.

"What the hell is going on? What are those things?"

One of the creatures leapt onto the pirate ship and tore wildly into the crew. Men screamed and scrambled away.

Isaac dropped his pistols and drew his sword. He saw Etienne high up in the rigging already.

"How does he do that? He's like a little pink monkey."

The third demon came straight for them. Elena sent powerful blasts at it, shaking apart planks beneath its feet, staggering it but not stopping it. The thing came on.

"I don't know but they obviously don't like us."

Isaac shoved Elena behind him, but froze as a slight, curly-haired figure scrambled up behind the monster.

"Arrafin, get out of here! Don't!"

The Naridic girl threw both hands at the demon and darkness swirled up around her. The creature lurched, turned and then convulsed as its chest exploded outwards in a gory spray. Its heart (or some nondescript chunk of flesh, Isaac mused, uncertain if these things even had hearts) sailed through the air like a ruby comet, slapping into Arrafin's hands.

"Holy crap."

Arrafin swayed, nearly collapsing to the deck of the Wavereaver. The beast she'd just killed pitched over the side and collided with the surface of the sea in a flat smacking splash.

Then Isaac noticed the three dark figures back on the other ship, where Arrafin was. Drawing knives and closing in on the Naridic girl.

"No!"

He sprang forward, only to find himself confronted with the angry pirate crew. In the confusion, they'd started attacking anyone unfamiliar, and he had defend himself against multiple opponents.

"Arrafin! Nevid, help Arrafin!"

The half-Kishak heard Isaac's cry, took in the situation, and nodded. He leapt from the rigging of the pirate ship across to a hanging rope on the Wavereaver, swinging down towards where Arrafin staggered backwards from the dark assassins. He landed nearly on top of one, rolled and drew his knives.

Etienne was used to surprise and sneak attacks, and mainly to fighting people who weren't. He immediately realised that wasn't the case here, and his knives flashed in quick patterns as the assassin struck at him with blinding speed. Etienne had to retreat, fending off one deadly blow after another.

Arrafin reached the edge of the Wavereaver's deck, still half-dazed from the powerful spell she'd just cast. All around the world seemed full of shrieks and violence. Blades clashed, creatures roared and wooden timbers thundered at sudden impacts.

The two figures closing in on her moved in silence, however, knives held out. She frowned, realising something.

"You're Kishaks. What do you want with us?"

She had nowhere to go. The assassins came forward. She could hear Isaac and Elena yelling, and beyond these killers she could see Etienne fighting for his life against a third. Her back to the rail, she risked a look over the side.

The water looked like a long way down. And she couldn't swim.

Looking back up, she saw Hsiao, Kho and the third Lohanese warrior, the one with the big sword, standing and watching. Watching her last moments with great interest, though making no move to defend her.

Maybe Nevid would help her? Arrafin snorted at the idea. Wherever Nevid was, he was no hero.

She tried to draw on Shadow but she had nothing left. She'd prepared so little and was already exhausting from slaying the first creature.

"Alright."

She'd have to jump. They were closing in but still too far to be able to stop her. Arrafin hefted her bag on her shoulder, then realised that if she jumped with the bag, her notes and books would be ruined.

"Oh, crap."

She dropped the bag, closed her eyes and turned to leap over the deck. And found something tall and utterly unyeilding in her way. Arrafin opened her eyes and found Yuek Man Chong standing beside her.

"Darling. Just a moment."

An elegant hand gestured and both assassins blew apart, spraying blood and flesh everywhere. Madame Yuek took Arrafin's hands.

"Darling, I'm so sorry. I came as soon as I realised you were in danger."

"You. What?"

Arrafin pointed.

"You killed them."

"Yes, darling."

"My friends are still fighting. We have to help."

"I see. Which ones are your friends?"

"The ones that aren't eight feet tall and looking like vulture skeletons with claws and stingers."

"Very well."

The other demons died as messily as the assassins had. Madame Yuek smiled brightly.

"There we are. All better."

The last assassin, the one dueling with Etienne, suddenly realised he was alone and broke for the deck rail. Etienne tackled him.

The pirate crew gave up fighting altogether in the wake of the sudden sorcery. Isaac and Elena scrambled for their ship.

"Get away from her."

Madame Yuek's smile transformed into a glowering scowl.

"I saved your lives. I don't expect gratitude but let's have a little less of the idiotic attempts to order me around, shall we? We both know how that power struggle will end."

Arrafin saw the sudden intention on their faces, but the 83rd Dagger was faster than she could speak. All three of the Lohanese warriors were leaping at Madame Yuek before Arrafin could form a single syllable.

They died exactly as the other assassins had. Gore spattered over all the Wavereaver and its passengers.

Arrafin turned on the tall vampire.

"What are you doing?"

Madame Yuek frowned, rearing back in confusion.

"Saving your life."

"They weren't after me, they were after you. Because they think you're a murdering monster who slaughters entire villages. Who kills children that never hurt a soul. Who tortures and terrorizes an entire country so that nothing grows and nobody can live their anymore."

"Darling -- "

"Don't call me that! Just don't."

Arrafin stomped away and down the deck. Madame Yuek stood watching her go, then turned to the others. Elena held her sneer in check, but only just barely.

"You're very welcome. All of you."

Shadow erupted around her and Madame Yuek disappeared. Isaac and Elena studied the spot where she'd vanished for a few seconds, and then Isaac turned to his friend.

"What do you call that? Killing one bird with a couple dozen stones?"


----------



## barsoomcore

Hey folks

Sorry for the long silence. I'm working on an update now, but my life got very interesting over the past month. Hopefully some tedium lies in store for me now...


----------



## Avarice

Glad to know you haven't given up on the story hour, barsoomcore.  I just recently got caught up after a bit of a hiatus, and I really, really want to know how this all ends up.  My guess is that our heroes will all be vampire chow sooner or later, but I'm still holding out hope that one or two might survive long enough to become an evil minion in a future campaign.  Which leads me to wonder, are you still running games set in Barsoom, or have you moved on to something new?


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## barsoomcore

Avarice said:


> My guess is that our heroes will all be vampire chow sooner or later



Where the term "chow" has a couple of possible interpretations, of course...



			
				Avarice said:
			
		

> Are you still running games set in Barsoom, or have you moved on to something new?



Barsoom carried on for another two seasons after this one, but for reasons that will become apparent, it was never the same again.

I am planning a "reunion" game to bring this crew back together -- set thousands of years in the future, our heroes are summouned from the paths of the dead to save the world again... But they return as über-powered Exalted-style characters.

Since we are now spread across two continents, there are some logistical challenges to overcome...


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 9*

"We could torture him."

Etienne, Elena, Arrafin and Isaac considered the Kishak assassin Etienne had captured. He lay unmoving, bound enthusiastically if not efficiently in masses of rope.

"Have you ever tortured anyone before?"

Etienne shrugged at Elena's sour question.

"How hard could it be? Break a finger or something, ask a few questions."

"Somehow I don't love the idea of just breaking a helpless man's fingers."

They all stared down at the assassin. He didn't offer to break his own fingers for them.

Arrafin squatted down and studied the man more closely.

"Hi. My name's Arrafin. Why were you trying to kill me?"

He made no response.

Everyone started when Arrafin drew a knife. She turned the blade over in her hand, watching the light of the lantern flash around the dark hold.

"I don't really know how to use this. But I'm pretty sure I can cut your throat with it. Are you sure you don't want to talk to me?"

The assassin remained mute, staring into the darkness.

Arrafin shrugged.

"Fine."

She drew the blade across his throat and stepped back as he thrashed and convulsed, breath hissing out of the terrible crimson slash.

"Arrafin! What the hell? Arrafin?"

The Naridic girl watched her victim die then wiped her knife clean on a bit of sacking in the hold. She pointed at the body.

"Cut his head off and bring it up on the deck."

She left, her little owl riding carefully on her shoulder. The others looked at each other.

"Great," said Etienne, "Now we've got our own insane sorceress."

*****

"Nevakada..."

"We probably could have figured that out on our own. Kishak assassins? Probably Nevakada."

"You're so smart, Etienne, you ask the next question."

"Guys, we need to focus."

"Shut up, Arrafin. This is all your fault, anyway. What were you thinking?"

"Look, they're trying to kill me, so I get to ask. Also it's my spell. Now hang on."

"Ask him why they're trying to kill you."

"He'll just say because he was told to. Severed heads are very literal."

At last Arrafin stepped over to the deck rail where Isaac had affixed the Kishak's decapitated head. Captain Mateo and his crew tried not to notice the gruesome scene.

"Why does the Nevakada want me dead?"

"All unauthorized sorcerers must die."

"They must have picked you up in Al-Tizim."

"Great. So not only is the entire Kishak empire is after us, they can somehow send assassins after us in the middle of the frigging ocean. Fantastic."

"I take it back, Arrafin. It's all Nevid's fault."

Arrafin only rolled her eyes at Elena and addressed the head once more.

"What were those demon creatures?"

"Spirits bound to whoever cracks the vial."

"Spirits?"

"Yes."

"Wait, that wasn't a question. Oh, damn..."

Arrafin slumped as the head lost all animation and keeled over. She swore emphatically enough to raise Isaac's eyebrows.

"I'm always doing that."

Elena got a thoughtful look on her face, and then Farouk appeared next to her.

"What does my mistress command?"

"Do you recall the beasts you fought here earlier today?"

"Yes, mistress."

"Were they spirits like you?"

"Less powerful, but yes, mistress. They are the same form of sentience."

Arrafin came forward.

"Why less powerful?"

Farouk bowed to her.

"To bind a spirit requires a great will. Great wisdom, to not be fooled or distracted. Great focus. Great strength. The greater the mortal will, the more powerful the spirit that can be bound."

"You were bound by Suelekar ben Azan, right?"

"He was very powerful, and so he was able to bind me. A lesser man would have failed and I would have consumed him."

Elena and Arrafin exchanged a look.

"Is the Sleeping King more powerful than you?"

"In a sense, yes, mistress. But the Sleeping King is not entity of himself. He is part of a larger entity, that collection you refer to as the Tarn. Their binding is the most powerful I have ever seen. Truly, I cannot imagine the mortal soul great enough to bind them to the rocks of this land."

"The Tarn are a single entity? But there's thousands of them."

"Mistress, the statement is irrelevant."

"What?"

"I cannot explain it any further to you, mistress. I have no gift to explain. But what you experience as a multitude is in fact a single entity, yes."

Isaac shook his head.

"Has anyone noticed that the more powerful anyone is, the crazier they are?"

Farouk bowed to the Saijadani.

"The correlation is not coincidental. As an entity's power grows, its relationship with the world around it changes. A sufficient power disparity between entities renders their worldviews so different no common basis for understanding exists, and the decision-making of one becomes opaque to the other."

"Huh."

Elena interrupted Isaac's thoughtful response.

"Speaking of which, we need to visit those guys. We've got their Magreb now, weren't they going to tell us how to get her to the Sleeping King? Farouk, can you take us to the Tarn?"

"My assistance is unnecessary, mistress. They have arrived."

"Oh, look at them. They brought pants this time, at least."

"You should hide me, mistress. They will find me interesting."

"Yeah."

Alongside the ship a strange island rose from the dark waves. No broader than their ship was long, it was neatly covered in perfect lawn of close-cropped grass, with a single oak tree rising in the middle. All across the island capered strange creatures of all size, some no bigger than infants, others towering twice the height of a man. They were either bestial and misshapen, or unearthly in alluring slender forms, and all of them seemed very happy to see the ship arriving.

Isaac turned to Captain Mateo.

"What is this island?"

The captain shook his head.

"You folks are the ones who handle the weird stuff. I just sail."

"I think we need to go ashore."

"Better you than me."

*****

"Welcome. Welcome. You are most welcome, Beloved."

Arrafin stepped sideways to avoid what appeared to be a number of child-size insects dancing on their hind legs. She frowned at her hostess, a young woman who would have been lovelier if she were not apparently formed out of the bark of cedar tress.

"Why do you call me that? Beloved?"

"Because you are the Beloved of the Beauteous One. We honour--"

The bark-woman stopped speaking when Arrafin gestured violently. The Naridic girl attempted to laugh.

"Ha. Ha ha. Well. Isn't that amusing. Yes. Let's not mention that anymore, okay? Bad idea. Just don't bring it up."

"As you wish."

"Thank you."

"Beloved."

Arrafin ground her teeth and marched over to where her friends were being seated. The island appeared a great deal bigger once you were on it, she noted. They now found themselves in a sort of great cathedral formed of living trees, their boughs high over head forming thick arches between which spreads of green leaves filtered the sunlight dappling through.

Horns sounded. Excited weird folks began scattering as through their capering midst came the tall figures of Ugwyrdin, the antlered king, and his horned-but-somehow-still-gorgeous queen. The pair strode arm-in-arm up to the table. Isaac stood and bowed, doing his best to feel not at all ridiculous. He couldn't look at the woman.

"You have not brought HER. Will you not fulfill your part of the bargain?"

Elena managed to speak first. At least they were wearing clothes this time.

"Oh no, we'll bring her. We just. Well. We've got Magreb, but she's not what we were expecting."

She gestured to Isaac, who stared for a second then yanked out the sword that hung at his belt.

The creatures all around burst into song, waving happily as if to an old friend reunited. The Queen smiled.

"That is she. Now you may bring her to her father, and deliver them both to peace. He is seeking her always, but once he has found her, his will to seek shall ebb."

"Oh. Great. That makes perfect sense. So we need to take this sword to the Sleeping King?"

"And plunge it into his breast."

Etienne continued gaping at the Queen as he sniffed.

"Remember the days when we sold guns to back-stabbing traitors? I miss those days."

The Queen's smile faded.

"Now. Where is SHE? You must bring her to us."

"Well, we..."

Elena trailed off as Arrafin gestured urgently. The mortal friends put their heads together and the Naridic girl hissed.

"Should we bring her? I think she can handle them."

"Handle them? What are you talking about?"

"In case this is a trap. I think she'll be okay, don't you? She's more powerful than them."

"Oh yeah, that's what we're really worried about here, Arrafin. Whether or not the ten-thousand-year-old vampire who slaughters innocents for fun will be okay."

"Isaac..."

Elena broke in.

"Arrafin, how would we bring her here, anyway? We don't have any more of those crystal rods like the one Kani gave us."

"Yeah, I have a couple. But do we think we should?"

"Where did you--"

"Do you think we should?"

Elena smiled over at the Queen. The entire court was watching them carefully, and it seemed that some of the good will they'd arrived with had maybe begun to evaporate. The Queen spoke.

"Bring HER."

"Yes. Do it."

Arrafin rummaged in her bag and withdrew a slim rod about a handspan in length of transparent crystal.

"This will bring the Beauteous One to you. Shall I bring her now?"

"Yes. Yes. Bring HER. Bring HER to us. Let us see HER again."

Arrafin snapped the rod. Dark shadows whirled out of the broken ends, and with a dramatic flourish, the towering figure of Yuek Man Chong appeared.

The bizarre horde on all sides gasped and fell to their names, crying out in rapture.

The Queen and King bowed.

Arrafin cried out. At first Elena didn't understand what had startled her friend but then Madame Yuek gave a similar cry, one of shock and disbelief and Elena looked up to see her clutching at her own face.

A face of warm skin the colour of almonds, that gave softly to the pressure of her fingers. Madame Yuek fell to her knees.

Alive.


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 10*

"Alive?"

Madame Yuek looked up at Arrafin's astonished cry.

"Darling, look at me."

She stared at her hands and shrieked.

"I'm human!"

The mortal friends exchanged confused glances. Elena kept an eye on the advancing hordes of the Tarn, who seemed far more pleased with the sudden turn of events that she was comfortable with.

"So... about Magreb? We just take her to the Sleeping King and stick him with her? Yeah? So we can go now?"

"You have brought HER to us. You are blessed. Eat with us. Dance with us."

Nevid shot to his feet, his head shaking violently.

"No. Never eat. Never dance. We should go. We should go now."

Isaac nodded, very carefully not looking at the Tarn Queen. He grabbed Etienne's shoulder and, catching Elena's eye, began moving the whole group back towards the lane of arcing rowan trees they'd entered by.

Arrafin, paying no attention to her friends, rushed to where Madame Yuek knelt in stunned stillness. The suddenly-former vampire raised her eyes, and then her face contorted in a terrible expression of fury. She rose and faced the approaching Tarn, pulling Arrafin up beside her. The lacy tendrils of her elaborate costume waved around them both.

"What have you done? What have you done to me?"

They smiled and laughed, dancing ever closer.

Nearly at the rowan trees, Isaac looked back and saw Arrafin's slight figure standing beside the statuesque form of Madame Yuek. He groaned, pushed a still-dazed Etienne into Elena's hands and rushed back into the grove.

"Come. Come dance with us."

Madame Yuek took in her surroundings for the first time.

"There's no connection to Shadow here. We must be in the Dream Worlds. We have to leave."

"No, no. You must stay. You shall stay with us."

The King laughed.

Isaac tried to sidle inconspicuously up to his friend, brushing at various ribbons and silks of Madame Yuek's outfit.

"You are bereft of sorcery and all the invulnerability it brings you. You are powerless here, Beauteous One, and you shall remain among us."

"Powerless? Me? Oh dear me, no. Allow me to illustrate how mistaken you are."

Isaac had just reached out to clasp Arrafin's shoulder when Madame Yuek raised her arms. Her gown's uncountable tendrils shot outwards in all directions, tearing creatures apart. The sorceress laughed in a wild frenzy as the Tarn fled into the trees, and she gestured to where the King and Queen stood. Rippling hungry tentacles shot towards them.

"Arrafin, let's go."

Isaac paid no attention to the skinny girl's protests as the royal couple began to shriek and thunderous blasts of prismatic energy hurtled across the grove. He threw her over his shoulder and ran for it. Etienne had stopped staring at the Queen and he and Elena waited only for Isaac to get clear of the sudden explosions of mystical violence before turning and fleeing themselves. Nevid of course was already far up the lane and emerging into the sunlight back on the island.

"We have to help her!"

"Arrafin, there is nobody back there who needs our help."

"No!"

Unable to actually wrench herself free, Arrafin at least managed to put up enough of a fight that Isaac had to stop. He found himself at the edge of the forest, looking across the green sward of the island at the _Wavereaver_ swaying at its anchor. Elena and Etienne and Nevid all stood a short distance away, eyes wide.

Behind him, the dreadful noise of sorcery seemed to have stopped. He hung on to Arrafin to prevent her from dashing back into the grove.

"Arrafin -- "

"No, look. She's coming."

Dread in his heart, Isaac turned and saw the tall figure of Madame Yuek emerging from the darkness of the grove. She moved without her usual stately elegance, obviously struggling with the weight of her outrageous gown and hairdo. To his dismay, she appeared uninjured.

"It's okay, darling. I'm. I'm alright."

The former vampire stopped just inside the last ring of trees, facing Isaac and Arrafin. Isaac was startled to realise she was a young woman, younger than him, not much older than Arrafin. Her skin had a similar warm cast to it as the Blood Sisters they'd met, though her face seemed less exotic to his eyes. She was stunningly beautiful.

Arrafin found her voice.

"What's happened? I thought you couldn't..."

Madame Yuek drew a breath.

"I believe this grove exists in the Dream Worlds, where there is no connection to Shadow. All my sorcery is gone, everything that holds me to Shadow's power. I. I'm human. Again."

A terrible sadness clouded her eyes.

"But only as long as I stay here, I suspect. If I step to join you, Shang's work will once again take hold of me. And I don't believe I can stay here without ending up as a slave to those creatures. I've driven them off, but this is their world and they will eventually have their way."

"What are the Dream Worlds, Madame Yuek?"

"They are where your spirit, and your powers, come from, Elena. They are a riot of creation, all possibilities expressed simultaneously. The opposite of Shadow, which is the denial of all possibility. Both are equally fatal to mortals."

She drew herself up.

"Well, you have your sword and your instructions. We have work to do."

Arrafin rushed forward as the tall woman began to step from the grove.

"No, don't. You're human. You're free. You can't go back to being... that thing. It's wrong."

Isaac tensed as Madame Yuek lifted a hand to touch Arrafin's cheek.

"Yes. But there is no one else. And I will not be a slave to those things. Besides, my hair is getting heavy."

She pushed Arrafin aside and stepped across the threshold.

The change was immediate, and Isaac nearly leapt backwards in terror as the dark whispers of sorcery immediately erupted in the vampire's presence. Once again, Madame Yuek was the alabaster figure they'd known her as, still and perfect and beyond human.

Elena recalled the young girl she'd just seen and though she watched carefully, she saw no sign of emotion on that perfect face as the transformation took hold.

"You will take the sword to the Sleeping King. I will distract Matai Shang. With luck, I'll kill him, but don't bet on it. He's got more ways to cheat death than anyone can imagine."

"And you don't?"

She laughed at Etienne's brash question.

"Cheat death? I've been dead for centuries. There doesn't exist any force on Barsoom that can kill me. Get going, mortals."

"Yes, ma'am."

*****

The immense hall was empty this time. Whatever Madame Yuek was doing to distract Matai Shang, it appeared to be working.

"Let's get this over with."

The five rushed across the stone floor, feeling very insignificant beneath the immense arches of the ceiling high above, and gathered around the prone body of the Sleeping King.

"Well, he definitely looks like he's sleeping."

"And a king. Crown, see? On his head."

Elena groaned.

"Farouk brought us here, we KNOW that's the Sleeping King. Isaac, do your thing."

The big Saijadani drew the sword Magreb from his belt. He reversed the heavy weapon in his hand and held it over the Sleeping King's chest.

"Wait."

Everyone turned at Nevid's quiet interruption and found the young man pointing at a young woman standing next to him. Her shining blonde hair glittered in the glow of the lanterns all around and as she smiled, it seemed that all the lanterns suddenly burned a little brighter.

Nevid shook.

"I think that's Magreb."

"Aye, and the lad speaks truth. Me name is Magreb and yon's me father. What are ye about, then?"

Isaac looked at the sword in his hand.

"You're Magreb?"

"Aye."

He pointed at the sword.

"I thought this was Magreb."

"Aye, I've said so."

"I don't like spirits."

Elena picked up the conversational thread from where Isaac had left it.

"Miss, do you know what we're here to do?"

"It seems plain enough. Ye wish me ta kill me father. I've no doubt ye're righteous folk and all, but it's a lot to ask. He is me father."

Arrafin pointed, angry in a sudden rush that startled her friends.

"He is NOT your father. You're a spirit; you don't have fathers. Farouk told us you were all one thing anyway, so what difference does it make? Isaac, kill him. Do it."

Elena turned.

"Arrafin, what's with the blood lust? This girl is asking us to spare her father."

"Haven't you listened to anything Man Chong says? That's not a girl. This isn't a father. They're just--"

"What makes her the damn expert on everything?"

"Isaac, kill him."

"No, don't."

Isaac growled.

"For crying out loud, you two. I thought we came here to kill him. Look, Magreb, answer me this: what is Matai Shang doing with your... with the Sleeping King?"

"Oh, he's been looking for those folks as is carrying around similar to yon lad. The spike, you see. He's got ever so much interest in the spike."

"The spike."

Etienne brightened up and jumped into the conversation.

"Nevid. The spike in Nevid's head. Spirits can see it. Shang's looking for other people with spikes in their heads. The old Blood Mother's soul, or whatever."

The others all stared at Etienne for a long series of breaths. Isaac squinted, looked up at the ceiling, and then shook his head.

"I don't understand. That actually made sense."

"Kill him, Isaac. If Shang does find another shard of her soul, we can never restore her."

"I think Arrafin's right."

Elena waved her hands and turned back to Magreb.

"What happens to you, Magreb, if we kill him?"

"Oh, it's the end for me. Nowt but yon sword to carry me name."

Isaac closed his eyes.

"She's not a girl. She's not a girl. She's not a girl."

"Isaac, she IS a girl. Or at least, she's a person. Of some kind. This is murder. This is wrong."

Shoulders tensed as Isaac raised the blade and then slammed it down, plunging the blade deep into the Sleeping King's chest. The girl let out a terrible shriek that echoed all through the high vault, but the Sleeping King himself never awoke. His body trembled, and then suddenly collapsed in a swirl of colour, just as the girl did. The five friends stood arrayed around an empty stone bier.

Isaac looked at the sword still in his hand. His eyes met Elena's and the two stared at each other a long while until he turned away and slammed the weapon back into its sheath.

"We're done. Call up Farouk and get us out of here."


----------



## barsoomcore

Just a note: in the campaign journals I made at the time (which are basically incomprehensible to anyone who wasn't there, being mostly me making snarky comments about the PC's decisions and screw-ups), I started tagging any mention of Madame Yuek with some sort of kooky title. Reading them in order is kind of instructive in watching the character evolve:

The Groove-Tastic Madame Yuek
The Funky-As-Your-Bad-Self Madame Yuek
The Give-Me-A-Taste-Of-THAT Madame Yuek
The Whoa-Baby-Get-A-Load-Of-THAT Madame Yuek
The Hotter-Than-Thou Madame Yuek
The Smokin' Madame Yuek
The Droolworthy Madame Yuek
The Sleek and Slinky Madame Yuek
The Damn-She-Got-It-Going-On Madame Yuek
The Good-Lord-She's-Fine Madame Yuek
The Don't-Look-Or-You'll-Go-Blind Madame Yuek
The If-She-Were-Any-Hotter-She'd-Burn-Right-Through-The-Deck Madame Yuek
The Ai-Carumba! Madame Yuek
The Boy-Howdy! Madame Yuek
The I've-Been-Down-With-My-Bad-Self-For-Centuries Madame Yuek
The Look-Out-Here-She-Comes Madame Yuek
The Hit-Ya-Like-A-Ton-Of-Bricks Madame Yuek
The Born-Born-Born-Born-Born-Born-To-Be-Alive Madame Yuek
The Take-It-Like-A-Man Madame Yuek
The Tempting-And-Tasty Madame Yuek
The All-This-And-Brains-Too Madame Yuek
The I-Can-See-Clearly-Now Madame Yuek
The Just-Wanna-Touch-Her Madame Yuek
The Hey-You-Get-Offa-My-Cloud Madame Yuek
The Searchin-Fer-A-Heart-Of-Gold Madame Yuek

For reference, the previous episode featured the Born-Born-Born-Born-Born-Born-To-Be-Alive Madame Yuek. Next up is the Take-It-Like-A-Man Madame Yuek.


----------



## Avarice

So we get to witness her evolution into a more touchy-feely sort of vampire, do we?  Poor Arrafin...


----------



## barsoomcore

Oh she's plenty touchy-feely already.


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 11*

"He's got her! He's got her!"

Arrafin burst from her cabin and, shrieking, charged across the deck to where the others sat enjoying the sunshine.

The _Wavereaver_ plowed through gentle swells, heading north between the mountain-topped islands of Shaer. Other sails dotted the grey seas, and smoke rising from the shore off to the west revealed a settlement of some kind.

Moments previously, Isaac had been defending his decision to not pursue the clues about his mother.

"What about the monster? Or the beast, or whatever? Just what WAS caged up down there? And where is it now?"

"Who knows? This is all coming from Collette, you guys. When has that bitch ever been straight with us?"

"But, Isaac, your mother..."

"Is almost certainly dead. And Collette is more likely trying to tie up a loose end -- that's me -- than suddenly suffering a change of heart and turning all noble."

"Nah. She's into you."

"That's not funny, Elena."

Elena was chuckling and preparing a retort when Arrafin's cabin door banged open and their Naridic friend, looking even more disheveled than usual, her owl flapping about her head agitatedly, came lurching across the deck at them, gesticulating madly.

"He's got her! He's f**king her up! We have to help, Elena, get Farouk, we have to help!"

Isaac stood up and tried to calm the young girl down.

"What are you talking about, Arrafin? Who's got... Oh, no."

"No. No way are we _saving_ the Demon Goddess. Arrafin, you have got to be kidding."

Arrafin whirled on Elena, and the Saijadan woman drew back from her friend's ire.

"She saved us! All of us! She is the only person who's never lied to us about anything, who's been at all straight with us. We owe her."

"A terrible monster has been chained up, Arrafin, by the guy who created it. She's his problem, now, and I say all the better. Yay less dead innocent people."

"I believe Arrafin is right. If Madame Yuek is in trouble, we should help if we can."

Nevid weathered Elena's glare without apparent concern. She snorted.

"Oh, sure. Anything to loose a heart-eating monster on the world. Are you people unclear on what she is?"

"What she is, I believe, is the only power capable of protecting us from Matai Shang. Who, if you recall, wants my brain."

"Whereas _she_ wants Arrafin's--"

"Thank you, Nevid, yes. Exactly. Elena, it's in our interest to help her. He's. He's doing terrible things to her. He wants to control her and use her. Elena. Please."

Etienne and Isaac watched in silence as Arrafin pleaded with the surly Saijadani woman. At last Elena sighed.

"I don't care about her. Understand? I think she should be destroyed. But I guess Nevid's right."

Arrafin sagged in relief, nearly bursting into tears. Her frenzied explanations only redoubled, however.

"Oh thank you, thank you. She's in so much pain. He's hurting her. We have to go. We have to go now. He's hurting her."

Isaac stepped in and put a hand on Arrafin's thin shoulder.

"It'll be alright, Arrafin. She claims to be impossible to kill so I'm sure she'll be there. We need to make sure we have a plan before we head in."

"Farouk."

Elena flopped backward on the deck.

"Of course. Of course you want him."

"Elena. He's the only way. He can take us to her, no matter where she is. And he can get us out again."

"So the all-powerful Demon Goddess needs my help. Isn't that just grand?"

Isaac, sensing that perhaps the decision had been made, stepped in.

"So, Arrafin, I assume you have a plan?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, excellent."

***

Dangling amidst rusted and gore-streaked chains high above Matai Shang and his horribly misshapen servants, Isaac dared a whisper.

"I still think we should have had a plan."

Arrafin hadn't spoken since she, Isaac and Etienne had arrived along with Farouk. All four of them clung to the chains in which were suspended the torn remains of Madame Yuek.

The statuesque beauty had been dismembered and hung in bloody gobbets, each moving with a terrible animation that turned Isaac's stomach.

This immortality he did not envy the vampire. He watched in disbelief as Arrafin began gathering the stumps and pieces, plucking them from the chains and cradling them in her slim arms. Blood stained the front of her robes.

Etienne watched below them as Shang bellowed at his servants in some incomprehensible tongue. He hissed at the others as the foul sorcerer reached for a lever surrounded by heavy gears.

"We have to go."

"Not yet."

Arrafin plucked a length of long midnight hair from a chain. Her breath came in short sobs as she wept. She whispered to the trembling remains in her arms.

Shang grasped the lever and pulled. The gears began turning. The chains shook, and began to descend with a deafening clatter.

"We have to go now."

"Wait, wait."

A portion of Madame Yuek's skull lay just out of Arrafin's reach.

"Wait."

"Arrafin. Now."

They continued to descend. Shang was going to look up at any second.

"Arrafin."

"Just a second."

Etienne saw the girl still reaching and swore. He reached into Isaac's ammunition pouch and flipped out a lead bullet. With a quick motion, he hurled the projectile straight into the gears turning alongside the lever. They halted and terrible grinding sounds attracted Shang's attention. He and his minions turned to investigate the mechanism.

The sudden stop of the chains set them all swinging, and Arrafin was able to snatch free the last strip of Madame Yuek's undead flesh. A crushed face looked up at her from the crook of her elbow, and Arrafin smiled down at it.

"It's okay."

Isaac saw further motion in Arrafin's gory bundle, and realised the vampire's body was knitting itself back together.

"Farouk, we're going."

"As my master commands. Where?"

Arrafin grabbed the spirit's shoulder.

"Remember those Kishak sorcerers? The Nevakada? With the demons?"

"Yes, mistress."

"Take us where they came from."

Isaac frowned.

"Arrafin, what are you--"

"She's going to have to feed. Let's take her somewhere we don't care who she kills."

The minions had wrenched free the jammed gear and the chains rattled again. Etienne turned to his friends.

"Now. Go."

"Go."

"As my mistress commands."

The riot of the Dream Worlds swallowed them up and Etienne saw Matai Shang just turning his face upwards as the room dissolved around them.

Colours, deafening shrieks, laughter, music, dazzling brilliance and inky blackness. Buffeting winds and sweet perfumes and the burning sear of acid. Chaos.

Receding.

Well-polished wood. Small windows and an open-beamed ceiling. Dust in the air, dancing in the shafts of angled light.

Arrafin collapsed, dropping a ghastly mess on the floor. Distantly, a bell began ringing.

"You guys should go."

"Us guys?"

Arrafin turned, her expression serene and certain.

"Yes. She'll kill you before she knows who you are. And besides -- "

The bell continued. Now voices could be heard, shouting in alarm. Getting closer.

" -- the Nevakada are coming."

Isaac spluttered.

"But what about you?"

"She won't hurt me."

Both men watched in disbelief as the Naridic girl traced a hand along a shattered jaw. The stark white body was pulling itself together, and one eye rolled drunkenly over to where Arrafin knelt. Legs twitched. Wounds began to close, and a dark radiance began to spill from the alabaster body.

"Uh..."

"Go. We'll be alright."

"Uh..."

"We'll be alright."

Etienne tugged at Isaac. The voices were getting louder. It sounded like dozens of people approaching.

"Farouk, take us out of here."

"As my master commands."

The spirit and the two men disappeared in an eruption of colour. Arrafin smiled as the body on the floor became whole again. Dark liquid eyes regained their focus.

"Darling..."

Arrafin gestured as the doors flew open and dozens of Kishak soldiers charged into the room.

"Here they are. You'll be better soon."

***

"What happened? Where the hell is Arrafin?"

"She's. Uh. She's in Kish."

Elena stood perfectly still, mouth hanging open.

"Is she okay?"

"I think so. Yeah. She's fine. Right, Isaac?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Etienne's right. She's fine. No problem. I need a drink."


----------



## Desdichado

Ah... all caught up again.

Although I feel kinda foolish bumping this when it's already almost at the top of the first page.


----------



## Avarice

Hey, they even rang the dinner bell for her!  That was thoughtful.  Once again, we see that it just doesn't pay to be a soldier in the military of Kish.


----------



## barsoomcore

Avarice said:


> Once again, we see that it just doesn't pay to be a soldier in the military of Kish.



Yeah, no kidding.

This was one of those moments where I realised my PCs were capable of exerting an immense influence on the world.

That's Nevakada headquarters they're in the middle of, the heart of the Kishak effort to take over the world. It's about to be annihilated. This is like the Symbionese Liberation Army (or any random tiny group of uncontrolled malcontents) setting off a nuclear bomb inside the Colorado Springs NORAD headquarters.

The bit with bullet, by the way, was actually Etienne's player using the "Gremlins" swashbuckling card (a mechanical device fails to operate) to cause Shang's torture device to malfunction, thus giving them all time to get away. One of the best-played cards of all time.


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 12*

The great city of Luc'Davarionne rose above the headlands like an great mountain of buildings, hanging in mid-air without any sign of support.

It was the most outrageous thing Elena had ever seen.

A cone miles across at its base, rising hundreds of feet into the air, composed of nothing but thousands of buildings, from great palaces to rickety tenements, connected by rope bridges, cables, ladders and in some place stone arches, all of it forming an immense web of overwhelming size.

The _Wavereaver_ was still miles away, but the enormity of the city stunned all aboard. Elena stood at the prow with Isaac and Etienne to gape at the sight. Beneath the fantastic structure they could see the tiny lines of breakers unrolling against the cliffs. The city just hung there, only connected to the land by a thin bridge extending out from its base.

"What's holding it up?"

Mateo joined them with a chuckle.

"The whole thing is built on a huge spiral. It starts right there, where that bridge is, and winds up and up and inwards and inwards until it reaches the top. The whole city is built on or hung off that spiral."

"But what holds that spiral up? What is it?"

"Nobody knows. I heard that it goes right up the Emperor's palace, and even inside, and that right at the very top sits the Peacock Throne itself."

Etienne pointed.

"Looks like it's raining underneath."

"That's not exactly rain."

"Oh. Ew."

Arrafin stepped up to the rail beside Isaac and smiled brightly.

"Hey guys! Wow, look at that."

All three of her companions shouted at the same time.

"Arrafin!"

Elena recovered first and pushed past Isaac to grab her friend's shoulder.

"Where the hell have you been? You've been gone two days, Arrafin. What happened to you?"

"Nothing. Nothing much. So, that's Luc'Davarionne, huh? Wow."

"Don't give me that, Arrafin. What happened?"

The Naridic girl tried to pull away but Elena's grip was far too strong. She struggled angrily.

"Let go of me!"

"What did she do to you? Where have you been?"

"We were-- I was in Kish. They know."

Arrafin pointed at Isaac and Etienne. She quailed a little under the concentrated study of all three of her friends.

"She had to. She had to get better. She. She killed them. The Kishaks. She's better now."

Sudden anger flared up again.

"It was just a bunch of Kishak bastards, anyway. What do you care? They're all trying to kill us. Now they're dead. Whatever. I'm fine. It's over. I'm here."

Mateo spat over the rail.

"Sounds like you folks could use a party."

He nodded at the great city rising up in mid-air before them.

"The Luc's the best place on Barsoom for a party, let me tell you."

Elena sighed.

"I could sure use a drink."

***

The _Wavereaver_ swung at anchor, sheltered from the ocean gales by the high cliffs of the harbour at Luc'Davarionne. Nearly directly overhead, the immensity of the bizarre city covered half the sky.

Clambering down into the tender that had come to take the passengers ashore, Isaac looked around in sudden surprise.

"Anyone seen Nevid? Isn't he coming?"

Etienne shrugged.

"He said he wasn't feeling well."

Isaac settled back into his seat and as the little boat pushed away from their ship, chuckled.

"Last time Nevid had a few drinks he still had a ghost for a girlfriend, didn't he?"

Elena forced a hearty smile at Arrafin.

"Now, Arrafin, I've decided we're going to ditch these guys and have our own kind of fun tonight. Natacha filled me in on all the places in Luc'Davarionne where a couple of girls can have a good time..."

"A couple of girls? I mean, uh, great."

Arrafin stared at the approaching wharf with a set expression. Her owl huddled in amongst the thick curls spilling over her shoulder.

"That sounds great."

***

The door to Arrafin's cabin opened slowly, spreading a lengthening finger of light across the floor.

Nevid peered in. He looked carefully around the room without entering. Still standing at the doorway, he turned and scanned the deck of the _Wavereaver_, empty and lit only by a few lanterns. With a swift motion, he slipped into the narrow cabin and closed the door behind him.

Inside, he lit a candle and crossed to the unsteady trestle Arrafin used as a desk. Her massive spellbook sat amidst scattered papers. Nevid sat on the three-legged stool and studied the black-covered volume.

It was gorgeously detailed, the leather cover tooled and polished and inlaid with silver traceries. Its manufacture was unfamiliar to the young man, but he assumed it was Lohanese in origin.

Opening it, he found assured brushwork in an unfamiliar hand. He ignored the personal declarations and flipped to the meat of the book.

_Grasping Shadow:

It is necessary to open one's soul through the practice of meditation in order to take hold of the power that enables sorcery. This practice is known as "grasping Shadow" and it is the first step in learning sorcery. The novice must be extremely cautious as it is dangerous.._

Nevid set the candle carefully on the desk and began reading in earnest.

***

"You haven't been drinking at all!"

Arrafin protested, indicating the wineglass before her as evidence. Elena was unimpressed.

"You're not drunk even a little bit. Not even a little, little bit."

Music thundered around them, and the heat and the smell and the noise was making the Naridic girl feel ill. Elena had brought them to the most ridiculous place Arrafin had ever heard of, with dancing boys and outrageous costumes, but she took a healthy swallow of her wine to try and placate her friend.

Elena sulked.

"I brought you here. This nize place. And you're. You won't have fun. Just sitting there."

"Elena..."

"Don't! Tell me what's going on with you. I thought we were friends. Everything we've been through. But now you don't tell me anything."

"I... It's hard."

"Is it her?"

"Well."

Arrafin reached out and took her friend's hand. Startled, Elena sobered up for a second and lost her pout.

"Look, I know I've been... not so friendly. I wish I could explain. Sorcery is scary. It's changing me inside. I can feel it."

"Then stop. You don't have to."

"Yes, I do. Who else is going to stand up to the Tyrant's Shade? Elena, my brother is dead. My father is dead. I have to do something."

"I know, sweetie. I just wish it wasn't like this."

"Me, too."

The two women stared at each other for long seconds, and then Arrafin snatched up her glass and drained it.

"Alright, you win. Get me drunk -- if you think you can, Saijadani."

"Was that a challenge?"

The waiter heard the shrieks of laughter and headed that way.

***

"I don't think I've ever seen a woman do that."

Isaac was a quiet drunk, Etienne had realised. That made it his responsibility to ensure a fun night, and he felt he'd done a good job. Isaac was chuckling and watching the dancing girls with more interest than he'd shown in anything since they'd spent an afternoon seeing how much Farouk ibn Zaoud could lift.

The bar was noisy and crowded but expensive enough to retain a sense of class. And the girls were beautiful. Etienne had heard Hinsuan woman were lovely, and certainly the Scarlet Belt was doing nothing to refute that rumour.

He grinned as a dark-skinned beauty slid into Isaac's lap, much to the Saijadani's startlement.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"Huh?"

Etienne's grin vanished as a second girl slipped herself onto his lap, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

"Uh. Uh."

_Etienne._

"What now? No, not you. Oh, never mind."

_Is now a bad time?_

Etienne sighed, watching the confused Hinsuan girl sway off through the crowd.

"It's fine. What?"

_I've lost contact with the Blood Council Sanctuary in Luc'Davarionne. Sister Morikage was supposed to give you some information about the Blood Mother but I can't get a hold of her. I need you and the others to go to the Sanctuary and find out what's happened._

Etienne looked over at his drunk friend, who was happily fondling the half-naked woman in his lap.

"How about tomorrow?"

_Etienne._

"I'll see what I can do. But don't expect too much."


----------



## barsoomcore

Avarice said:


> Tell me, though, just how often is that artwork going to need to be modified over the coming weeks?



I will say this: Not a SINGLE character will survive to be present at the end of the final episode.


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 13*

"Listen, guys, just try to hold it together. Please? We need to check this out. It could be important."

Arrafin and Elena burst out laughing at the pleading look on Etienne's face. Arrafin was particularly unstable and stood slumped against her friend, shaking with laughter.

Elena tried to compose herself. She twisted her neck to look over where Etienne was pointing.

At the gate of the Blood Council sanctuary, two armed Lohanese men stood watchful and alert.

"There're guards. Guards. There."

"Right. Look, there are never guards at a Blood Council sanctuary. Not men, that's for sure."

"Okay."

Isaac blinked a few times, trying to keep up with the conversation.

"What's going on?"

"Shh!"

"But I want to know why we left that place with the girls. What the hell?"

Etienne gritted his teeth and pulled his drunk friends further back into the alley.

"Look, there's something wrong here. We have to find out what's happening inside that place."

Elena giggled and gave Etienne a friendly shove.

"You're into Lohanese chicks, aren't you?"

"Elena. Guys. We need to get inside there. Well, I need to get inside there. Stop laughing, Elena. Once I'm in, I can assess the situation and stop laughing, Elena, and if I need help I'll let you know. But I need someone to distract those guards."

Arrafin pushed past everyone else and staggered towards the sanctuary.

"No problem. I mem'ized a spell. Stand back."

"Uh, Arrafin, maybe that's not such a--"

Etienne jumped back in alarm as Shadow erupted around the Naridic girl, licking outwards in hungry curves before settling back into her slender body.

"It's a dancing spell. Cause 'lena said we were dancing n' I don' know how. To dance. So dancing spell. Watch this."

Arrafin's walk lost all its stumbly gawkiness and with a fluid, sensuous sway, she strode across the street towards the guards.

They stared as she began gyrating and writhing before them, her hips rolling and her back arching as she rode the rhythms of the music coming from distant streets.

Her friends stared in just as much astonishment. Especially when she dropped her outer robes and began to undulate in nothing more than a linen shift.

Elena smacked Etienne.

"Yes, Arrafin's a girl. You wanted a distraction, half-breed, get to work."

"Right. Right."

Etienne shook his head and slipped through the shadows towards the gate. Elena looked over at Isaac who was still staring, mouth agape, as Arrafin continued to writhe and twirl in the street.

"Yeah. She's a girl."

***

Breaking into a Blood Council sanctuary, even on the instructions of a Blood Council sister, was not the sort of thing Etienne really felt confident about. If there was one thing every thief he'd ever met agreed on, it was don't break into Blood Council sanctuaries. Nobody who did so was ever seen again.

Etienne huddled inside the gate, listening carefully and scanning the darkness for any signs of movement. 

Nothing.

He whispered to himself, "Blood Sister, I could use a little help right now."

Still nothing. Etienne rolled his eyes and pressed further into the compound. The low buildings and thick gardens revealed no sign of trouble, but the very lack of activity kept the half-Kishak alert. On his previous visits to such places, there were always servants bustling about, tending the gardens or cleaning or some such servant-like occupation, but here... nothing. Silence.

He reached the main building and crept up onto the wide verandah that stretched around its exterior. The wall panel before him slid aside at his touch and he slipped inside, waiting for a moment to let his eyes adjust.

"Meat. Meat."

"Oh, no."

***

"Should we do something?"

"Huh? Hey. Elena. Hi."

"Stop staring at Arrafin for a second. We could take those guards now. You take the one on the left, and I'll take the one on the other left. Okay?"

"What?"

"I said stop staring. On the left, okay? Get him."

Arrafin threw her hands up in the air and shimmied as best as her physique would allow. She was having a blast, dancing like this and feeling so lovely and hilarious and...

Then there was screaming and blood and Isaac and Elena were grinning at her and she felt very very self-conscious and grabbed at her robes, blushing furiously.

"Let's go."

"Lemme get dressed first."

"It's okay. Isaac doesn't mind."

Still protesting, but too drunk to efficiently clothe herself, Arrafin stumbled after her friends, who pushed open the gate and looked around the empty courtyard beyond.

"The screaming, I guess. That sounds like Etienne."

***

The misshapen, lurching figures could only have come from Shang. Their hissing cries and slashing talons surrounded Etienne in a knot of horror, but they fell apart when Isaac and Elena blundered into the room, laying about them with heavy swords.

One creature staggered backwards, right through a paper wall, furniture crashing aside as the twitching figure clawed at the floor mats. In the room beyond they saw a middle-aged Lohanese woman, bound and gagged.

"Sister Morikage? We're here to help. Sister Torokan sent us."

"She did?"

***

"A magic teacup."

Elena tried not to groan. Her drunk had worn off and her head was beginning to pound. Arrafin had passed out and lay sprawled behind them, snoring quietly.

They sat in a pristine reception hall with Blood Sister Morikage, who had turned out to be a quavery woman without any of the stern uprightness of character Sister Torokan always displayed. The Lohanese woman smiled encouragingly and nodded at Elena's disbelieving comment.

"Exactly. To restore the Sancuary of the Mother, you must pour out white tea on the ground from this cup. It originally belonged to the first Blood Mother, Hsia Lin. Until the First Sanctuary is restored, the Blood Mother cannot be brought back."

Isaac had one hand pressing at his forehead, and scowled at the floor as though it were responsible for his present discomfort. He winced and looked up at the older woman.

"Where is the First Sanctuary?"

"In the midst of the ruins of Zuyang, the city destroyed and cursed to eternal damnation by the Demon Goddess. The souls that died there still hover over the ruins and tear the spirits of any who enter."

"Oh, great. So let me get this straight. We take this... magic teacup... into a ruin haunted by thousands of angry homicidal ghosts, find the one patch of ruins that's your precious First Sanctuary, and then make a cup of tea."

"Exactly."

"I guess we look like suckers."

Arrafin sat up.

"The spikes. Farouk."

"Bad dream, Arrafin? Maybe you should lie down again."

"No, no," the Naridic girl pressed forward, suddenly animated. "Don't you see? Farouk can find the people with the spikes. Spirits can do that. Remember the Tarn? And Kaley? Farouk can find all the other people who have bits of the Blood Mother's soul. So we can bring them all together."

"Yeah, in this First Sanctuary. Then what?"

"Man Chon -- I mean, Madame Yuek -- can do the spell that will bring her back. Her soul."

"That sounds like a plan. At least, I assume it does. I don't think I've ever heard a plan before."

Sister Morikage's face darkened.

"You must not speak of the Demon Goddess so lightly. She has struck again, we know."

"Struck? Again?"

"Thousands are dead in Kish after she destroyed a massive portion of the city. Smouldering ruins and tortured souls are all she leaves in her wake."

Elena looked over at Arrafin as she spoke.

"Thousands, you said? She killed thousands of people? Were they all evil Nevakada agents, by any chance?"

"Of course not. She levelled entire city blocks in her rage. Half the city is still burning."

Elena's eyes drew narrow in anger.

"Interesting we didn't hear anything about this before now."

Arrafin swallowed and forced a yawn.

"Boy, I sure am tired again. I'll be lying down over here."

"You do that, Arrafin. Blood Sister, can you tell us anything about Isaac's mother?"

"What? Hey, Elena, stick your nose in other people's business much?"

"Shut up, Isaac. Blood Sister, we found a room with a cage and carpet of bodies. What the hell is going on with his mother? Is she dead?"

The Blood Sister sighed and bowed her head.

"I am not in possession of all the facts about your family's history, Senor del Valençia, but I can tell you this: your mother is not dead. You will know the moment she dies."

"Great. Thanks. Elena, shut up."


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 14*

"So, this is the home of a crazed vampire goddess. It's, uh, the creepiest place I've ever been."

Isaac, Elena, Nevid and Etienne stood with Farouk and a dozen or so strangers, all of whom stared around themselves in varied mixtures of shock and awe. And terror.

Around them rose an immense hall, tiled in brilliantly polished marble and dominated by a wide curving staircase that rose to a balcony high above.

But even the height of the balcony was dwarfed by the hall itself, a vast cavern of black pillars arching so high overhead they were lost in darkness. Each pillar writhed with detail, exquisite carvings in such profusion they made the stone appear to shift and twist in the candlelight.

Elena inspected the pillar nearest her and drew back.

The same woman, repeated over and over and over again. The same face, the same figure.

The Demon Goddess. Yuek Man Chong.

This great fortress was a temple to her glory. It was the creepiest place Elena had ever been.

"And that's saying something."

She turned back to the crew of strangers huddled together in confusion.

"Look, people, it's going to be okay. Just a few days, and we'll return you to your homes. I promise."

One of them, a heavyset Hinsuan man pulling at his beard, stepped forward belligerently.

"No! Take me home immediately. I don't know who you people are, or what makes you think you can--"

Elena sighed and smiled at the man, _pushing_ a little with her mind. She remembered when this seemed like a difficult thing, a miracle. Now it was just the easiest path.

The man shook his head and subsided, and with him the willingness of the group to speak up.

"I've told you all. You'll be fine, but we need you for just a short period. We wouldn't do this if it wasn't very important. Now, we need to do a few things first, so... uh..."

"I have prepared guest rooms. Junko and Ryo will show them."

Elena and everyone else turned at the rich, amused contralto with the Lohanese accent.

Partway up the staircase stood Madame Yuek in one of her trademark gowns, rippling lace and rich brocade, sparkling with gems and gold and a crimson so intense Elena felt the need to squint as she looked at it. The vampire's hair towered up above her head in an architectural wonder of gold hoops and braids.

By her side stood Arrafin, slight and nondescript in her brown travel robes, her thick curls exploding out from her head in all directions.

"Our new guests will be fine. You, Arrafin's friends, come with us. We have much to discuss."

The statuesque creature turned and made her stately way up the stairs, one hand on Arrafin's arm. The Naridic girl quietly went along with her hostess.

"Arrafin?"

The girl looked back at Elena's question.

"It's okay, Elena. Come on."

The four friends at the base of the stairs looked around them in confusion. Two Lohanese women had appeared and were leading the other folks down a hall.

"What choice do we have, Elena?"

"Yeah, but Arrafin's..."

"Yeah. Looks that way."

Elena could only stare at Etienne for a second, then she blew out a noisy breath and stormed up the stairs after Arrafin and Madame Yuek. 

The vampire led them into a high-ceilinged library framing immense windows that opened onto a breath-taking view down a glacial crevasse. Mountain peaks marched off into the distance, trailing icy plumes.

Madame Yuek settled herself on a divan and smiled as Arrafin sat beside her. She gestured to a semi-circle of chairs.

"Please. We have much to discuss."

Nevid stopped half-way into his chair, rivetted by some sudden understanding of the books lining the walls to a height of a ship's mast.

"Are those-- Forgive me, Madame Yuek, but are all those _spell_books?"

"Of course not! Only this side of the room. The other side is mathematical treatises, mostly, on sorcery."

Each side of the room held thousands of volumes. Nevid completed his sitting action, staring up at the ranks of books in awe.

"Now. First, I thank you for finding all the pieces of Tsin Kwan's soul and bringing them here. Well done. But now I'm afraid the real work begins."

"Just a minute."

Elena pointed at Arrafin.

"First, what the hell is going on with you two?"

"I thought it was obvious. We are lovers. What business is it of yours?"

All four stared in slack-jawed shock. Arrafin looked down at her feet, blushing, but she raised her head and shook her curls back, addressing her friends.

"I love her. You don't understand what she's doing, what she's going thro--"

"Hush, darling. It's okay."

"It's not!"

Indignant, Arrafin jumped to her feet.

"She never asked for this! Shang did this to her and she's just trying to, to, control it. To do as little harm--"

"Oh yeah, like those thousands of people in Kish. Or that village in Shaer. Yeah, no harm done there. Arrafin, listen to yourself. I don't know what she's done to you--"

Etienne snickered, but Elena steam-rollered on.

"-- but she is a monster! A killer! She says so herself."

Isaac stood and stepped between his angry friends.

"Guys. This isn't helpful."

He bowed to their hostess.

"Madame Yuek. Can I ask you a question?"

"I am not in the habit of explaining myself to peasants."

Isaac began to protest, but stopped as Arrafin tugged on Yuek's hand, and the two women exchanged pointed glances. Madame Yuek sighed, and then turned back to Isaac with a warm smile.

"Please, ask anything. We have no secrets."

"Uh. Okay. Look. You're obviously very, uh, powerful."

"You figured this out all by your-- Yes, indeed. I am."

Another scolding look from Arrafin quieted down the haughter in the vampire's countenance. She managed another smile, and Isaac continued.

"Why don't you... Go after bad guys? You know, take out the baddies, and leave the innocents? You have to admit, it's hard to... trust someone who seems content to kill folks who never did anything wrong."

"You have never had absolute power of others. I... "

Terrible sadness filled dark liquid eyes.

"I have learned that I am not capable of sitting in judgement on strangers without corrupting myself and all around me.

"I'm not sane, by any definition of that term. I feed on pain and terror and death, and when I lose control of myself, as I did in Kish recently, thousands pay for my error."

Her smile had faded and Isaac stepped back at the glower that emerged.

"I will not judge. I will not claim power that has not been granted me. I kill because I must, else I lose control of myself. I leave no witnesses, so that nobody knows I exist.

"And I am done explaining. Sit. Down."

Isaac sat.

"Now. Tomorrow we begin our attempt to restore the soul of Tsin Kwan, the last Blood Mother. I expect Matai Shang will attempt to stop us. He may be aware that you folks have gathered up a group of random individuals, and that will probably let him know what you're up to. However, he will not be able to find them here in my home."

Etienne nodded and broke in.

"Right, but we have to perform the ritual in the Blood Council Sanctuary in Zuyang. We have to--"

"I am familiar with the plan. Be silent. Shang will notice when I arrive in Zuyang and he will strike then, so we must wait until all the preparations have been made. Therefore, you will enter Zuyang, find the Sanctuary and consecrate it as the Blood Council instructed.

"At that time I will bring the holders of Tsin Kwan's soul and begin the ritual. Shang will most likely attack at this time so I will require your assistance in holding his forces off until I have completed the ritual."

Elena coughed and shifted in her chair.

"Maybe it's a little late in the game, but honestly, I get confused every time I try to work this all out. Why are we doing this again?"

Arrafin jumped in to answer.

"Shang shattered the soul of the Blood Mother and now the Blood Council has no leader. He's corrupted the Council to his own purposes."

Everyone spoke at once.

"But they say Madame Yuek killed the Blood Mother, don't they?"

"I thought Shang wanted to restore the Blood Mother. Isn't he after Nevid's brain?"

"The Blood Council don't know what's going on."

"I sure don't like that Shang guy. He's creepy."

The babble stopped as Arrafin got to her feet and waved for silence.

"Look. Matai Shang is a horrible monster. He turned a young woman into _that_ for no reason other than it made it easier for him to torture her. He's tried to kill us a couple of times, and he clearly doesn't care who gets killed in his plans. He wants to prevent us from restoring the Blood Mother and honestly, that seems like a pretty good argument for doing it right there."

Elena scoffed.

"And you think if your new girlfriend brings back the Blood Mother, those women will be so grateful they'll let her go?"

Madame Yuek chuckled.

"Oh no. They want me dead, and once the Blood Mother is returned, they'll be much more able to do it."

"But that's crazy! Why would you--"

"I WANT TO DIE."

Isaac was watching Arrafin when Madame Yuek howled out her agonizing declaration, and he saw such a look of anguish on the Naridic girl's face that he reached across to take her hand. She paid no attention, utterly engrossed in her lover's pain.

"Don't you understand? I have been trying to kill myself for a hundred years. NOTHING stops this nightmare."

Madame Yuek shook, clenching her teeth and growling as she stared at the floor, fury radiating off her. After a heartbeat, she leapt to her feet and dashed from the room, her robes trailing behind her.

"Alright."

Elena strode over to Arrafin and yanked the girl up.

"What the f**k is going on, Arrafin? How long have you and-- "

"Over a month. Let go of me."

"You didn't tell us? How could you do this to us? We trust you, Arrafin. I thought we were friends."

"It was-- It just-- How could I tell you? I didn't mean--"

Isaac tried to step between them again. Elena threw Arrafin back and snarled.

"That's the last time I trust you, Arrafin. The last time. I'll do this Blood Mother thing, but then we're finished. You understand? I never want to see you again."

"Elena..."

"F**k you, Arrafin. Go play with your murdering vampire girlfriend."

Isaac grabbed Elena's shoulders as Arrafin ran from the room.

"Let her go, Elena. It's done. We--"

"You're okay with this?"

"I'm not! But what can we do at this point? We have to go along with them now."

"I know that! I'm just angry."

"No, really? Hey Nevid, maybe you shouldn't be reading Madame Yuek's books."


----------



## barsoomcore

Note that I've uploaded the first two parts of the story (Another Fine Mess and Frying Pan Fire) along with the Interludes as RTF files to the original post in this thread.

This was the moment that nearly broke the game. I'd been carrying on extensive extra-game activity with most of the players, with email conversations between sessions. So things like Etienne's connections with the Blood Council, some of the story around Isaac's mother, and other things, happened outside the game session and without the knowledge of all the players.

When people found out that Arrafin was having an affair with the Demon Goddess, they kind of freaked out. This is leading into the grand finale of the season, and the emotion levels were running really high. And as you'll see, there's more emotional shocks in store...

I'm wondering if it was over-telegraphed in this telling. I tried to include signs that something was going on, but I hope there was still a sense of surprise when the truth came out. I'd like to hear what people thought.


----------



## Avarice

Was I surprised by the revelation of the affair?  Somewhat, but not too much.  Arrafin has shown herself to be nothing if not morally flexible.  I was a bit surprised at the strength of the others' reaction, though.  They really didn't see this coming?  Given some of the other horrible things that Arrafin has had a hand in, a little freaky vampire sex seems pretty tame by comparison.  That naive young scholar we met way back in Chimney seems to be long gone.

Great stuff as always, barsoomcore.  Thanks for sharing it with us!


----------



## barsoomcore

Avarice said:


> They really didn't see this coming?  Given some of the other horrible things that Arrafin has had a hand in, a little freaky vampire sex seems pretty tame by comparison.



It's interesting to see how different one's frame of reference is for a game than for a story (or for real life). Killing innocent people, destroying property, risking one's soul -- all those things that in real life would be far far worse, are understood within the context of the game as acceptable, whereas leaving fellow gamers out of part of the story was very disruptive.

But it made for a helluva a great story. Even if I'm not telling it as such, you gotta believe me, it was gripping.


----------



## Desdichado

barsoomcore said:


> It's interesting to see how different one's frame of reference is for a game than for a story (or for real life). Killing innocent people, destroying property, risking one's soul -- all those things that in real life would be far far worse, are understood within the context of the game as acceptable, whereas leaving fellow gamers out of part of the story was very disruptive.



Yeah, well, those aren't real people.  Their sacrifice doesn't have the emotional resonance of stuff that happens with more immediacy directly around the PCs.

Oddly enough, this kind of PC skullduggery is not unusual at all in games I'm in.  The game I recently ran had a PC who snuck off in the middle of the night to buy a slave to sacrifice so he could get some divination done, for instance.  Another one tried to steal his spellbook later so he could rip out the page with the ritual for summoning Dagon.  He was too afraid that he'd actually do it sometime.  Two PC's who decided that the Duskblade was a pompous ass stole most of his flasks of Holy Water and replaced them with Regular Water, hoping they'd get a chance to watch him throw them at undead in the future and laugh as he got ripped to shreds.

I agree; it does make for extremely fun sessions, though.


----------



## frostrune

I can't say that I was shocked by the revelation but I commend you and your players for allowing that situation to develop.  I would expect it takes a very mature group.

I am however curious as to what this does to the party dynamic.  Elena has said very clearly that she doesn't trust Arrafin and never wants to see her again.  It would seem the party is headed for a split which, from a metagame perspective, means someone will be rolling up a new character.  

Any hard feeling among your players?  

This was certainly cool for the story but I wonder if it had a RL effects on your game.


----------



## barsoomcore

No enduring hard feelings. We were all going through some kind of crazy times -- this was the fall of 2001, so if you recall, a few things were going on then and we'd all lost our jobs (except for Etienne's player) so we were basically camping at each others' houses and playing Barsoom twice a week. It got kind of intense, I think partly just because everyone was really stressed out and needing some serious escapage.


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 15*

A great dark tower rose over the ruins of Zuyang, a whirling column of blackness miles across and reaching up into the sky, far out of sight. The city lay spread around the blackened remains of what must have once been a pleasant river valley. Trees grew on the hillside where Elena, Arrafin, Nevid, Isaac and Etienne stood, but they were withered, stunted things twisted and gnarled with sickness.

What grass grew here was yellow and thin, and cobwebs hung from every branch, as though no animals ever passed beneath. The whole place stank of decay and disuse. Down below, along the cracked and smoking ravine that had once been the bed of a great river, stones lay jumbled upon each other, only occasionally arranged in any sort of order that might suggest actual construction.

"I saw this..."

"What? Nevid? You saw this? Where?"

The slight Saijadani youth turned to Elena.

"In my dreams. Tsin Kwan's memories. I saw... her. The Demon Goddess. She did this."

_He staggered to his feet and peered back at where a vast, smoking crater told of the enormity of the explosion they'd just witnessed. Vast sprays of earth disappeared beyond the hills, launched upwards hundreds if not thousands of feet into the air. Faintly he heard the impacts as boulders the size of houses plunged into the city.

At first he thought the wave of twisting smoke radiating out from the crater's edge was flame. He realised, without knowing how he realised it, that he was watching the souls of the people of Zuyang, torn from their bodies by the pure rage of unchecked Shadow. A great dark cloud began to form overhead.

"You haven't destroyed her."

Thousands died as he spoke. The wave of death expanded outwards. Behind it, buildings exploded into dust, paving stones blasted up hundreds of feet into the air, walls blew apart, and behind it all, the terrible terrible screaming of a young girl's tantrum.

"You've just made her angry."_

Nevid looked up at that freakish tower of darkness.

"Those are... souls. Souls torn from their bodies by the Demon Goddess, and never able to pass on to the Shadow Realm. They're stuck here forever."

The group stood silently, staring down at the scene of long-ago horror and death. Over the groaning wind, another fainter, more unsettling sound became audible, as of millions of distant voices moaning and crying out, indistinct, but agonizing in need.

"And they're hungry."

"Oh, good," muttered Isaac, "That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say."

*****

Within the ruins it was much, much worse. The whirling vortex of dead souls howled in a continuous painful screech that dragged at their eardrums, making it almost impossible to communicate. The group staggered down ruined streets, clambering over ripped-up paving stones and collapsed walls, trying to ignore the terror and anxiety that built up as they pressed further into the devastated city.

"What was that? What was that?"

"What, Elena? What did you see?"

"No. Nothing. Never mind."

Isaac chewed ferociously at his cigar as he followed his friends. The undead voices moaning all around them set his nerves on edge, and he himself was seeing odd shapes in the shadows, menacing apparitions that disappeared when he looked at them, movement just out of the corner of his eye.

They moved on, finding themselves on a long boulevard that stretched straight into the heart of the ruins, deeper into the darkness beneath the great towering whirlwind of horror above them. Further in, the devastation was not as complete, and here and there walls still stood, mute witnesses to a century of suffering.

Etienne kept his focus on the next unsteady paving stone, refusing to look anywhere around him, no matter how many bizarre shadows tugged at his attention. Arrafin staggered on with her eyes closed, clinging to Isaac's belt and fighting to maintain her feet in the raging gale.

Voices muttered and groaned. Shapes danced and threatened.

Elena tried to keep her wits in order, but distractions bore down on her. Every time she turned to see what was hovering off to one side, cackling or shivering, it vanished. Only to reappear on the other side of her vision. She was sweating heavily, despite the shrieking wind.

Nevid recited recently-learned formulae in his head, clinging to sanity through the cold rationality of mathematics.

"Let's make for that building! The big one on the right!"

Isaac grabbed Elena's shoulder and pointed towards a low complex of buildings that seemed less damaged than others and might provide some shelter from the ever-increasing winds. They staggered in that direction, passing through a crumbling gateway and on into a high hall that still had most of its ceiling intact. The sudden decrease in noise from the wind and the voices startled them all so much that for a second they didn't realise what surrounded them.

"I guess this is your girlfriend's old place."

Skulls. Thousands upon thousands of skulls lay arranged in tidy piles, their empty grinning faces speaking of slaughter. Slaughter on a scale so vast as to be unimaginable. The pyramids of skulls stretched across the immense hall, seeming to shrink as they receded into the distance.

But they didn't recede that far. The smaller skulls were... smaller.

"Oh,  me. Those are children's skulls. Little babies. Oh, you're kidding me. This... this..."

Elena broke off as her attention was drawn upwards, up the far wall, to where the group of them realised a massive fresco was just visible beneath decades of dust and decay.

Looking down on them all was an immense portrait of Madame Yuek, a seductive smile touching her perfect lips.

Elena pointed, turning to Arrafin.

"Is that what you like? Huh? LOOK at this place! This is her palace, or whatever. LOOK at what she is!"

Arrafin glowered, but made no response. Elena rushed over and grabbed her.

"What's wrong with you, Arrafin? What the hell are you thinking?"

"Whoa, whoa, Elena, calm down. Not now."

Isaac took a smack across the jaw for his efforts. Elena glared at him, and then swayed, putting a hand to her head.

"Guys. I'm not... I don't feel so good. I think we need to... hurry up."

"Yeah, okay. Come on."

Isaac kept a close eye on Elena as they went back outside, once again braving the voices and wind as they made their way deeper in towards where their maps told them the Sanctuary would be.

All of them struggled as they made their way up the ruined boulevard. Isaac found his hand straying again and again to his swordhilt, and only by shaking himself mentally could he restrain the desire to draw it and attack the endless shapes around him.

"There it is!"

Etienne saw it first; a cluster of collapsed buildings just beyond a stretch of rubble and deep yawning pits. They had to work their way around the worst of the destruction before they could approach the ancient compound.

"Careful, Etienne, don't-- oh, there he goes."

The normally nimble half-Kishak had been making his way over an unsteady block the size of a house when it tilted and he slid from sight. Isaac sighed.

"Here we go again."

The others scrambled over to where their friend had disappeared, to find a inclined block leading down into darkness, where Etienne could just be seen, waving at them.

"Guys, come down here! I found something weird!"

"That's tempting."

They struggled down the slope and into the space beyond. It turned out to be a dank chamber, lined with strange machines hissing and bubbling. Wires and tubes ran in confused patterns all over, fluids pumping and dripping as unseen vents hissed and sighed. The noise from outside faded away.

"There's no dust here. This hasn't. This is new."

Arrafin studied one of the great banks of dials, coils and switches.

"Shang. This is Matai Shang's work. It's all bound up in sorcery."

Etienne called from around a corner.

"Uh, guys? It gets worse over here."

The others joined him, and drew back in horror at the sight: a young pre-pubescent girl lay on a steel slab, unmoving and rigid, with dozens of tubes and hoses emerging from her body. Her forehead, arms, thighs and sex all dripped blood and other fluids where these mechanical insertions had been made. Unidentifiable fluids pumped in and out of the girl's body.

"She's alive. What the hell is he doing?"

Arrafin pointed at a nearby rack, where a number of identically-shaped crystals sat. The first was dark, but the others were clear, like massive diamonds. Arrafin approached them more closely, but jumped back in alarm.

"It moved. It's..."

Both she and Nevid peered at the darker crystal.

"There's something inside..."

"A soul. A human soul."

Isaac nodded, chewing on his cigar.

"Alright. Let's get out of here. We've still got to get to that Sanctuary, no matter what Shang is up to in here. Somebody help Elena."

The Saijadani woman had started weeping uncontrollably. At Etienne's urging she roused herself and followed the others unsteadily back out into Zuyang's hideous streets.

"I can't. I can't."

"Come on, Elena, we're almost there. Just a little further. You can do it."

"Please. I."

Etienne put an arm around his friend and helped her over the last pile of rubble. They caught up with others on the edge of the courtyard that had once been a Blood Council Sanctuary. Not much was left, but there was enough to indicate the typical outline of buildings in a Sanctuary.

"Okay, so. Tea."

Isaac looked around expectantly. Etienne shook his head.

"I don't think we need tea, actually."

"The Blood Sister said tea."

"Any liquid will do."

"No, we need tea."

"Look, just give me the cup and I'll show you."

"No!"

"Give it here!"

BANG

The argument between Isaac and Etienne ended at the gunshot. They turned in shock to see Arrafin and Nevid turning likewise, all of them facing Elena.

Who collapsed to the ground, pistol falling from her hand.

And half her head blown off.


----------



## Desdichado

You still on a Wednesday update schedule?


----------



## barsoomcore

Yup. Next update coming tonight.


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 16*

Collette stared long and hard at the dead woman in the cage.

"Are you sure she's dead?"

The enormous man beside her shrugged.

"She ain't moved in more'n a day, boss. She ain't breathing, far as we can tell."

"Give her a couple more days. We'll know when she starts to decompose."

The slender, dark-haired woman turned and walked down the stone hallway. She climbed the steps and stood for a second in the half-ruined dining hall of some grand house. One side of the room had been taken up with a sort of camp: cots and trestle tables arranged, around which sat or leaned a near-dozen heavily armed mercenaries.

"So? Is she dead?"

Collette strode to a table on which was spread a detailed map of the Barony of Lasseux. Various arrows and lines denoted what appeared to be troop movements or battle sites. She studied the map for a second, then slammed her hand down.

"Very close. Starvation seems to be working. Once we're sure she's gone, we'll put her in the ground."

"Cut her head off first. Cut the heart out and burn it."

"Yeah, good ideas, Matthias. We should do that."

"Seemed like a nice lady. It's a shame."

With a sigh, Collette turned around and leaned back against the table. She was an incongruous sight, a slight figure amongst these burly fighting men, but she obviously commanded their respect.

"Yeah, it's a real shame. But it had to be done."

"Is she the last?"

"Nope."

"She had a kid?"

"A son."

Matthias' face darkened considerably at the news, as though a sudden sadness had struck him.

"Damn. We got to find him."

Collette shook her head.

"I don't think so. Isaac will find us. Let's make sure the cages are good and strong. He's no old woman."

*****

The Tarn mourned. Of course, in the bizarre world they formed and inhabited, mourning required dance and song and capering insanity.

Usually they danced around their beloved King and his beautiful Queen, but today they danced around a new, unfamiliar figure, dark and somber and very, very handsome.

Farouk ibn Zaoud stood unsmiling in the midst of frivolity. He did not smile as the Queen of the Tarn approached him, the very picture of seductive glamour and fey passion.

"You... come on your mistress' behalf?"

The stoic warrior shook his head.

"No. I come on no cause but my own. I have no mistress now."

The Queen's green eyes widened. They widened still further when Farouk held up his right hand, in which he clutched the amulet that Elena had once used to control him.

"I am free."

"FREE..."

Voices on all sides erupted in thunderous fascination. Farouk nodded.

"I hold my binding. None holds me. And I wish a boon of the Tarn."

"Indeed? What do you offer? What do you seek?"

"I seek the wisdom of transforming my binding, to render myself safe from mortal control forever. You have such wisdom. No mortal control you, despite your binding. Give me that knowledge."

He paused and studied the Queen before him.

"As for what I offer... I shall bring to you... HER."

The Queen laughed.

"To this we agree. The Tarn will share its wisdom with you, free one. Once you have brought HER to us."

There was more dancing.

*****

"I'm not doing this, Torokan. This is wrong."

"It's the Demon Goddess, Morisawa. Are we ever going to get another shot at her like this?"

The two Nahanese women, nearly identical with their pinned-up hair and crimson kimono, sat staring angrily at each other. The younger one shook her head.

"No. Not with Shang. He will betray us, Torokan. You are putting the whole order at risk."

"Order? What order? There's nothing left, Kari. You're practically the only one left I can trust."

"Because Shang has corrupted the rest! And now you're giving him the perfect opportunity to clean up and take over completely. The Blood Council will cease to exist."

"I am decided, Morisawa. And I need you there."

Morisawa sighed and looked down at her knees, the kimono tucked carefully around them. The room was lit through paper panels on one wall. Outside, cicadas buzzed and the steady crop-crop-crop of a gardener's shears told of quiet labour. It was all very steady and soothing.

"F**k, Kimiko, I can't. He's going to betray you. All of us."

They locked eyes.

"Is it mutiny if I don't go?"

Torokan shook her head.

"No, Kari-chan. No. I won't do that. I'll take Morikage."

They were young women. Perhaps twenty years old. Morisawa wiped at tears on her cheeks.

"I will kill the Demon Goddess, Kari. She must be destroyed."

*****

Water tumbled from a tiny laquered teacup. It spiralled down, breaking up into droplets and dancing tendrils, and splashed into the dusty earth.

Etienne sobbed as he poured the water. Arrafin was still screaming, clutching at Elena's body. Isaac stood dazed, his cigar fallen from his mouth. Nevid stared hard and angry at the ground.

The ground where suddenly green verdant grass bloomed. Stately walls rose up around them, a well-tended courtyard, low elegant buildings and beyond, a high open pagoda with a raised flagstone floor.

Black tendrils drifted past them all and they turned. There stood Yuek Man Chong, the Demon Goddess, in all her unholy glory, and the confused civilians who bore the soul of Tsin Kwan, the last Blood Mother.

"So. The b***h didn't make it. We don't have time to grieve, people. Shang is coming."


----------



## barsoomcore

So we are about to begin the third-last game session of the season. What follows is a two-session long combat that has to rank as my greatest achievement as a GM. I am trying to give a sense of what those sessions were like: the party was INSANELY engrossed at this point. Elena's player will be handling the Blood Council for these two sessions, and that turned out AWESOME. These two sessions will be spread over three episodes (assuming my planning turns into actual writing as I expect it to).

There are five more episodes in this Story Hour (I think), and then my telling of the Barsoom Tales is done. Really, everything I have written about this campaign is in order to write this next bit. THIS is the bit that made me want to share this story. I literally needed 120,000 words to get all the necessary pieces into place. I sure hope it's worth it.


----------



## frostrune

WHOA!  Didn't see that one coming.  I guess my earlier comment about the party breaking up and someone rolling up a new character were taken care of in-game.

Great story hour Barsoomcore.  Can't wait to see how it ends.


----------



## barsoomcore

frostrune said:


> I guess my earlier comment about the party breaking up and someone rolling up a new character were taken care of in-game.



True, but not at all in the way you're thinking. Hang on...


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 17*

"What's going to happen?"

Isaac spoke with a degree of nervousness he was unable to conceal. Madame Yuek's offhand response did little to comfort him.

"I'm not sure, actually. I've never tried this before."

The Saijadani and Etienne stood before the statuesque vampire beneath the great open pagoda of the Blood Council sanctuary. The polished marble floor stretched away on all sides, forming a great square a spearcast or more across, raised up a man's height from the lawn of the Sanctuary. Two opposite sides of the square were open, vast arches that gave on to the rest of the grounds and the ruined city beyond. The other two sides were long arched porticos between rows of sturdy oak pillars. Overhead, the pagoda rose up as a hollow tower, open on the sides and echoing with the moans of the great cloud of souls that whirled over the ruins of Zuyang.

Arrafin, her hands drenched in Elena's blood, her face numb with shock, stood next to her lover, barely visible against the Lohanese vampire's outrageous garb. Nevid stood in the shadows of the pillars, still staring down at the ground.

Madame Yuek smiled at the two men before her.

"But we can assume Shang will come equipped to annhiliate you, so that he will have a clear shot at me."

"Do we have to assume that?"

"Silence. I'm intoning your doom melodramatically. Now. Hold still."

She appeared to do nothing at all, just stand very still. Her hands rose slightly at her sides, and then a nimbus of black energy surged out from her body and slammed into Etienne. It looked to Isaac as though Etienne had suddenly drawn a cloud of black steam into his body. The half-Kishak reeled, fell to his knees and vomited on the marble.

"Uh, maybe I don't--"

Isaac choked as a black radiance surrounded him and then _penetrated_ his body, sending violent convulsions through him and he found himself on his kness as well, shaking and retching.

Energy surged through his limbs. His heart thundered in his chest.

"Oh f**k. What have you done to us?"

"Interesting. You're not dead. Well, it should still work. I have transferred a portion of my power into your bodies. That should tie your souls more tightly to your bodies, making you harder to kill. There may be some other side effects, as well."

"You were willing to kill us?"

Madame Yuek laughed, clapping her hands together in girlish delight.

"Of course I'm willing to kill you. I'd _enjoy_ killing you. Enough with such foolish questions. You are not invulnerable, but you should be able to withstand a great deal of punishment. Arrafin, darling. We must begin the ritual."

Staggering, Isaac and Etienne stepped away from the two women as they joined hands. From behind them the dozen individuals (the "civilians" as Isaac thought of them) who carried the Blood Mother's soul came forward and, together with Nevid, formed a circle around Madame Yuek and Arrafin.

After a few steps, Etienne stopped and stared at himself.

"I feel good suddenly. Kind of..."

"Invincible."

"Yeah. I think I can see better. Or react faster. Everything seems to be happening more slowly."

"Yeah. I feel..."

"Bad-ass."

"Absolutely."

"Cool. What are we supposed to do?"

Isaac shrugged in response to Etienne's question, and turned in a circle, looking for evidence of Shang's impending wrath, almost hoping for something to fight with this new-found power. At first he saw nothing, then stopped.

"Maybe you should ask your girlfriend."

"Which-- oh. Hi, Sister Torokan."

The Blood Sister stood among the pillars alongside the elderly Sister they'd rescued in Luc'Davarionne. Isaac kept his mouth shut as Kimiko and Etienne stared at each other.

She spoke first.

"You're really going through with this."

"Well, yeah. You want the Blood Mother back, right?"

Isaac let Etienne and Kimiko talk as his eye was caught by a curious staff in the hands of the older Sister, Morikage. It was an ornate ebony artifact tipped with an enormous emerald.

Something about that staff twigged at his memory. Isaac shook his head, unable to place it.

"Etienne. Whatever happens, please, stay out of the way. There's nothing you can do here. This is too big."

"Boy am I getting tired of hearing that. You know, Matai Shang shows up, I'm going to kick his ass just because everyone's told me how I can't possibly hurt him."

"I'm sure your bravado will render you immune to searing flame and acid. Not to mention a vampire's hunger."

Etienne snapped just a little.

"At least she's trying to do something. As long as I've known you you've skulked around in the shadows. Now this person, who has every reason in the world to be hopeless and insane and just destroy everything, and SHE'S trying to help. Maybe you should stay out of the way, Kimiko. It seems to be all you're good at."

The Lohanese woman stared long and hard at Etienne.

"I asked you to stay out of the way, Etienne, because of what we once had. But this is bigger than any of us, and what must be done must be done. If you get in the way, I'll cut you down as surely as anyone else."

"What the hell does that mean?"

The Blood Sisters strode back to the pillars, watching the ritual taking place in the middle of the pagoda floor.

Long tendrils of shadowy essence drifted around the circle, filaments reaching into the heads of the assembled civilians. Arrafin and Madame Yuek stared at each other, the still center around which a burgeoning wheel of Shadow began to revolve. At times Isaac thought he could see patterns forming in the inky traceries, but the organizational structures evaporated before he could fully grasp them.

Something tremendous was taking place. His body began to shiver, and all his hair rose up from his skin as the Shadow began to concentrate, take form. Now from within Madame Yuek a great black flower opened up, complex petals scintillating with dark radiance, intersecting with the spinning wheel and writhing, twisting, undulating in some unfathomable rhythm Isaac couldn't begin to comprehend.

The civilians all stood, shaking, their eyes rolled back in their heads, seemingly supported by shadowy tendrils slipping up and down their bodies and drawing now from their heads a glitter of colour, sapphire gleams in the midst of blackness. Like thousands of gems the sparkling blue nuggets whirled inwards with the motion of the still-spinning wheel, aligning themselves with the flower that now become as sort of web hovering above Madame Yuek.

"What. The."

Isaac looked on the vampire's face and saw total focus, utter concentration, and he realised she was doing this consciously, manipulating the tremendous network of Shadow and whatever those blue things were, the connections to each of the civilians and the slowly-contracting web of shimmering blue above her.

He'd never seen her work hard before, he mused. He wondered how often she ever had to.

Slowly the sapphires came together and their brilliance grew as the Shadow began to recede. There was a flash, and suddenly an elderly Lohanese woman was standing beside Madame Yuek and Arrafin.

She reached up with a gnarled old hand and stroked the vampire's cheek. She whispered something in Lohanese and Madame Yuek smiled sadly, fondly.

And then all hell broke loose.

From within the pillars a savage blast of green energy tore across the pagoda, blasting two of the civilians to bloody pieces and slamming into Madame Yuek's chest. The vampire screamed as she was hurled backwards, knocking aside the heavy Hinsuan man who'd tried to stand up to Elena the other night. He crashed face-first into the marble and lay still in a sudden pool of blood. Madame Yuek flew back across the pagoda and slammed into a pillar on the far side, splintering the heavy oak.

Like a hose with too much water, the green arc of energy stayed pinned to her torso, writhing and snapping across the breadth of the pagoda to where Kimiko Torokan stood, both feet braced, holding the emerald-tipped staff in front of her. The magic gave off a hideous shrieking, almost drowning out the screams of everyone else in the place.

At the same time, at the very moment the strange green power struck the vampire, Isaac reeled as suddenly all the sorcerous power he'd been filled with evaporated, drawn out from him faster than an exhaled breath. His sudden return to his normal state left him feeling weakened, vulnerable. Afraid.

And also at the same moment, even as Madame Yuek's invulnerable body pulverised three feet of solid oak, even as that Hinsuan guy whose name only Elena had known died in some foreign place he'd never heard of, even as Arrafin began screaming for the second time in twenty minutes, over all the noise and chaos and terror, Isaac heard laughter.

Mocking, savage laughter.

Right behind him.

He spun to find himself staring up through the arachnid limbs of a mechanical nightmare. In the midst of which sat a hideous laughing madman.

Matai Shang had arrived.


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 18*

Arrafin screamed for the second time in twenty minutes.

Elena's death had stunned the young Naridic girl and she'd had no time to process the terrible demise of her best friend when they began the tremendous ritual of restoring the soul of the Blood Mother.

She watched in renewed awe as Yuek Man Chong, the Demon Goddess, the most powerful being in Barsoom, her lover, worked the raw deadliness of Shadow with an ease and strength Arrafin knew no mortal could possess. Even the explanations of the ritual had left Arrafin uncomprehending. Madame Yuek's mind was capable of operations Arrafin could not conceive of, and worked with a will and an unyeilding rigidity that frankly terrified the girl. As Shadow's relentless power fountained out of the goddess (no other word could describe what she was seeing) standing before her, Arrafin scrambled to recall her tiny part in the whole affair.

_"We have to drop the Thadorik points in a staggered sequence, hold them temporarily while we assign the link to the next shard, then restore the points and make sure the link's embedded. It may take a couple of tries, but I think it's the best way. Finally we have to generate a matrix into which we can insert the linked shards. Collapse the matrix and we'll have a soul."_

It was impossible, but Arrafin managed to find the portion of the swirling, roiling sorcery that required her attention and began the calculations that would bend that energy to her will. Working within the mammoth power of her lover was like standing beneath a dark and threatening sky, but a sky she knew would never allow any harm to come to her.

The shards drifted together, nudged in a metaphysical matrix by the currents of Shadow until they began to align, revealing patterns and complexities Arrafin had no sight of before as they began to arrange themselves in shifting arrays. Arrafin tried not to be awed by the experience, tried to keep her focus on the job at hand.

Gral helped, as terrified as the little owl was at the earth-shattering energies whirling around them. He pulled her back on task whenever her concentration threatened to waver, and his love and constant devotion beside her kept her from getting so scared she couldn't function.

It was like designing and assembling a great temple, watching all the blocks fit together and the craftsmen labour in their thousands, but this temple was a living person, a soul with all the infinite richness and complexity of a real person, and changing, fluctuating all the time. As Arrafin got more used to what was happened, she became fascinated by the process and lost her fear. She realised she could FEEL the soul, as though she had met this person before. The sensation was so strong she laughed, delighted as though greeting an old friend.

And then the Shadow pulled away, sucked back into the towering potency of the Demon Goddess, and Arrafin had just a sense of how Farouk had described her.

_"A gate. A great pillar of Shadow, a raging wind of darkness, a hollow hunger wide enough to swallow all of Barsoom."_

But there was an old woman standing there, a Tianese woman who face Madame Yuek with a look so fond and loving Arrafin was startled by a rush of jealousy, especially when the elderly lady put her hand on Yuek's cheek and spoke in Tianese.

"My love. I knew you would bring me back. And I am sorry."

Arrafin wanted to speak then, she wanted to scream as a sudden realisation struck her -- that this had all been planned, planned by the Blood Council. Planned somehow to destroy the woman she loved.

But she had no chance to speak. The world exploded around her in a sudden blast of electric green flame and her lover snapped backwards across the pagoda's floor, slamming into a pillar hard enough to shake the entire structure around them. The bizarre green tongue of flame buzzed and crackled beside her and with stunned eyes she watched the old Tianese woman produce a knife and advance on where Madame Yuek lay pinned and writhing in agony.

Arrafin screamed and started after the old woman, no idea what she was going to do, just be there and stop it stop it stop--

Shang appeared in an explosion of Shadow, cackling and pointing and at that moment Arrafin understood everything that had just happened. The depth of the trap and the betrayal that the Demon Goddess had just fallen into.

And it was all Matai Shang's fault.

Isaac stood just in front of the old bastard's bizarre arachnid construction, still stunned and unable to process what was happening. Arrafin shrieked over the deafening cacophony already filling the air inside the pagoda.

"Isaac! Stop him!"

She hurled her newly heavy satchel towards her friend. It didn't fly very far, but on the polished marble of the pagoda floor it slid effortlessly across to crash right into the myriad legs of Shang's weird contraption. The Naridic girl pointed and Shadow erupted around her, twisting into wild arabesques for a second before sucking back into the ground.

And the bag heaved, twitched and erupted.

Isaac backed away from Shang, stumbling in his haste to get out of the range of those metal legs, but he stopped suddenly in confusion as Arrafin's satchel ripped open.

And out came dozens of tiny figures made up out of bundles of twigs. Moving quickly, if stiffly, the figures immediately began clambering into Shang's mechanism, stuffing themselves into gears and hinges and pulleys. Twigs snapped and metal squealed, and suddenly Matai Shang looked a lot less happy.

"I don't believe it."

Without wasting any more time, Isaac leaped at the ancient sorcerer and aimed as heavy a blow as he could muster with his enchanted blade, Magreb.

*****

Etienne rushed over to the two Blood Council women. Kimiko Torokan stood braced, the emerald-tipped staff in her hands, her face tense with concentration as she did whatever she was doing to keep the Demon Goddess screaming like that.

The other, older woman, the one they'd rescued in Luc'Davarionne, stepped up to block the Kishak youth.

"Don't, boy. Don't even think about it or I will turn you inside out."

Etienne swore.

"Do you not see MATAI SHANG standing right there? He's going to kill every last one of us. You have to do something!"

"This is bigger than you. Keep out of it."

"Okay, that's it."

Etienne punched the elderly Lohanese woman in the face.

*****

Nevid drew back behind a pillar, his mind numb with terror, when Shang appeared. He tried to remember the calculations in the spellbook that he'd borrowed from the Demon Goddess' bookshelf, but his mind stammered and shook and he knew it needed to be precise. Relaxed.

With a gasp, Nevid drew a deep breath into his lungs, and stepped out onto the pagoda floor. Matai Shang's contraption appeared to be spasming and jerking and Isaac stood amidst the steel limbs, just winding up for a heavy wood-cutting stroke on the ugly man seated before him.

Somehow, the sight settled Nevid's mind and he stared as everything seemed to slow down. His heartbeat stilled and between one contraction and the next, something inside him _opened_ and to his horror, Nevid felt the dark terrifying kiss of Shadow rise up inside himself. Tendrils of inky blackness spun out around the Saijadani youth as he attempted the most complex calculations he'd ever come across.

*****

The bag cast at Shang, the spell cast, Arrafin forgot all about him and her friends. She threw herself after the old Tianese woman, pushing aside screaming civilians as she tried frantically to interrupt the Blood Mother's murderous advance on the Demon Goddess. As she slowly gained ground on the old woman, Arrafin realised her quarry was singing.

_"Exalted! Exalted in Bliss!
Ye who know the Goddess,
the Supremely Blissful One."_

"What is wrong with you?"

At last Arrafin managed to grab hold of Tsin Kwan's robe and yanked the old woman backwards. The Blood Mother looked around in shocked dismay.

Arrafin managed to position herself between her still-screaming, writhing lover and the knife-weilding Blood Mother.

"No. No. She's changed. She's. No!"

The old woman smiled with crinkly eyes and a kindly grandmother's air.

"So thought I, once. But she cannot change, child. I love her, too, and this I do out of love. It is for the best. The Goddess must die."

"No!"

Arrafin lunged forward and the two women struggled, even as just behind them, the object of their dispute thrashed and shrieked, helpless as the emerald flame poured into her. Shadow rippled off her in all directions, slashing great gouges in the stone and blowing apart pillars. The whole structure began to shiver above everyone, adding its shrill tearing noises over the ongoing screams and terror filling the air.

*****

Kimiko Torokan hung on. This moment. This was all that mattered. Delivering the world from the greatest terror it had ever faced. The Demon Goddess fought and screamed, but Shang's weapon worked as he promised it would, tearing away at the layers of sorcery that had bound the insane young girl for so many centuries, ripping at the very fabric of her existence.

She was unaware of Shang's presence, unaware that Etienne stood pleading only a few steps away, aware of nothing but the titanic forces battling over the Demon Goddess.

More came away. Enormous tracts of the vampire's power ripped from her, until there was almost nothing left. The gate within her narrowed, collapsing in on itself. The hollow shrank to a point, impossibly small, only just barely holding itself in existence. Torokan poured on the power, determined.

This moment.

*****

Isaac lifted Magreb up high. She seemed eager, hungry in his hands, and with the loudest, bravest yell he could manage, Isaac whirled the blade downwards, fully expecting the weapon to simply bounce of some sorcerous protection.

But instead, the steel slammed into the old man's chest like a cleaver into a joint of beef, snapping bone and and spraying blood with a hiss of gore.

Matai Shang screamed, and only then did Isaac realise the Lohanese sorcerer had brought an entourage; half-a-dozen yammering sycophants scrambled towards him from all sides. Isaac made no effort to flee. Instead he wrenched on the sword, roaring in triumph as the blade tore and ripped deeper wounds in his ancient foe's body. Blood and organs spilled across the polished metal of the spidery chariot.

Shang was dying. A twisted arm reached up and the old man snarled, blood frothing on his lips, and Isaac felt that hair-raising sense of Shadow erupting around him. A very great deal of Shadow.

"Oh, right. Sorcerer. Crap."

*****

Nevid took one more breath. He'd raised both hands in front of himself, reaching towards Matai Shang, but without conscious intent. Only his will acted of its own accord, compelling his mind to run in exact and sophisticated patterns that conducted the Shadow around him in just the right structures.

What had not been became. What was evaporated. And Nevid's will ruled all.

He reached out towards Matai Shang with his will, found the great burgeoning eruption of Shadow the Lohanese sorcerer had pulled into existence, and _yanked_ on it.

It came.

*****

Isaac didn't worry about why nothing had happened. He just swung again. And again and again and again, chopping Matai Shang into grotesque pieces as he hacked in a wild frenzy.

*****

To Arrafin's surprise, Tsin Kwan fell backwards. There was a nasty crack as she hit the floor, and the old woman arched in pain, slashing out wildly with her knife.

"You don't understand! There is no other way!"

Arrafin jumped backwards, ignoring the frenzied woman and turning to face her screaming, convulsing lover.

Who collapsed as the emerald power suddenly winked out. Arrafin ran towards the slumping figure.

"Man Chong!"

She ran right into somebody who hadn't been there a second ago. Someone tall and dark and... very very handsome.

"Farouk! You have to help us! Elena's dead! Help us!"

"No."

"What?"

The impossibly heroic man backhanded Arrafin across the face and the girl sprawled backwards to crash down next to Tsin Kwan. Both women stared as Farouk tenderly lifted the stunned and helpless Yuek Man Chong.

Without a word or backward glance, he set out for the exit to the city. With a Demon Goddess over his shoulder.

*****

For just a second, not even a heartbeat, Nevid understood power. He held within him not only the reckless amount of Shadow that he himself had called up, but all that Matai Shang had just planned to make use of.

For the briefest moment, Nevid's soul soared on a column of dark energy so vast he could see all of Barsooom spread out beneath him.

And then something slipped. His mind lost track of a value, he forgot the next step in the iteration, he stuttered.

Where Nevid had once been, there only dust.


----------



## Desdichado

Nevid blowed up, huh.

There's a lesson for us all, boys and girls.  Don't go playing with fire.


----------



## barsoomcore

Hobo said:


> Don't go playing with fire math.



Fixed for truth. On Barsoom, math is much much more dangerous than fire.


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 19*

The old woman was tougher than she looked.

Blood Sister Morikage reeled back from Etienne's punch, but one elderly hand shot out and a nimbus of dark power erupted around her fist, blasting forward at the half-Kishak just as he was wincing at having punched a sweet little old lady.

The sweet little old lady's sorcery knocked the young man backwards, tearing a gaping wound in his side and knocking him flat. Etienne bellowed obscenities and clutched at the blood gushing from him. He tried to get to his knees, gritting his teeth at the pain and swearing constantly.

"You f**king bitch. I'll f**king kill you."

Torokan looked back and forth between Etienne and the rapidly-getting-away form of Farouk ibn Zaoud, running out of the pagoda with Madame Yuek over one shoulder. She yelled at the OTHER old woman, Blood Mother Tsin Kwan, who was just getting to her feet in the middle of the pagoda.

Etienne slipped in the pool of blood at his feet, but he managed to stand up. Morikage shook her head.

"You're tough, young man. I'll give you that."

She held up both hands, and this time black radiance surrounded both of them.

*****

"Hey! I killed him! Matai Shang! I just killed Matai Shang! Guys! Guys?"

Nobody appeared at all interested in Isaac's triumph over their hated enemy. He frowned at the chaotic scene before him.

To his left, Etienne appeared badly injured, and about to be killed by Blood Council magic. Directly in front of him, Arrafin and another Blood Council woman were scrambling to their feet in the midst of still-screaming civilians, both staring after a tall, dark, handsome form running away with what appeared to be a woman slung over his shoulder. There was no sign of Nevid, but that didn't really surprise Isaac.

He shrugged.

"Alright, new plan. Kill every Lohanese bitch in the room."

He drew both of his pistols and fired one at the sweet little old lady in front of Etienne, and the other at the old woman standing over Arrafin. Neither appeared at all disquieted by pistol balls blasting by their heads.

Isaac scowled. 

"Alright, new new plan."

Shang's minions clambered around him, reaching out for the torn and bloody corpse of their beloved master, paying no attention to Isaac. He drew the sword Magreb and jumped down from Shang's mechanical chariot-thing and stood looking back and forth between the old women, trying to decide which needed killing first.

"That's enough planning for one s**tstorm."

*****

"No! Leave her alone!"

Arrafin ignored Tsin Kwan and scrambled to her feet. Tears poured down the young girl's cheeks as she cried out for her stunned and suddenly kidnapped lover.

Her cries rose in volume, become a guttural roar, and the Blood Council woman beside her leapt back as waves of black radiance exploded around the Naridic girl. Arrafin's eyes went black and inky threads wound through her hair and her skin as she screamed and thrust a hand out at the retreating genie.

The marble floor at Arrafin's feet shattered and blasted upwards in a shower of chunks, fragments and dust, and like the sudden furrow of a massive plow, the explosion raced across the pagoda floor straight at Farouk, knocking him into the air. The spirit struggled to stay upright but stumbled and the beautiful woman sprawled from his grasp.

Madame Yuek sat up, dazed.

"What the f**k is going on?"

Arrafin shrieked and ran, but before she could get there, Faruok had recovered and snatched the woman's hand, yanking her towards him. She saw Arrafin and clawed, reaching out, screaming the girl's name, but Farouk crushed her in his arms and, limping now, dragged her from the pagoda.

*****

Kimiko Torokan halted in mid-yell. The pagoda overhead was beginning the groan and shiver, and the whole place was obviously about to come down around them all. The Demon Goddess was not yet dead, their primary benefactor had against all odds been taken out of the fight, and her ex-boyfriend was looking really pissed off.

Really pissed off and really close to death. Torokan turned as Morikage began the spell that would tear his heart from his chest.

"Wait!"

The old woman paused, confused, and then jerked, coughed and fell to her knees, with both of Etienne's knives hilt-deep in her torso, blades angled up under her ribs.

Blood Sister Morikage stared up at the younger woman, her eyes fading as she tried to speak. A fleck of blood appeared on her lips and Torokan was suddenly nauseous.

"She was eighty f**king years old, you son-of-a-bitch! What have you done?"

Etienne snarled and yanked his knives free.

"Don't you tell me to stay out of the way again. I'll decide what's too big for me, you conniving bitch."

Torokan swore. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This was a mess. Morikage died, convulsing. Arrafin unleashed an earthbolt of staggering power, but that spirit was still dragging the Demon Goddess somewhere.

"You don't understand a f**king thing, you dumb street punk."

Etienne didn't even give her a look as he ran straight for Farouk. Torokan staggered, trying to catch her breath. The Blood Mother was closing in on the spirit and the Demon Goddess. This would be over soon.

She hoped.

*****

Uncertain as to exactly what was happening, Isaac trotted to Arrafin, who was reeling from the spell she'd just cast. He took her around the shoulders.

"Arrafin? What's going on? Shang is dead, what are you doing?"

"Isaac!"

"And what the heck is Farouk doing-- hey! Isn't that whatsernuts? Madame--"

Arrafin pulled herself from him and pointed at the old woman with a knife, who was just catching up with Farouk.

"Isaac! She's going to kill her! Stop her!"

It all came together for Isaac at that moment. The Blood Council were trying to kill the Demon Goddess. That old woman evidently had a plan, and if he stood by, the ancient insane evil that had bewitched his dear friend would come to an end. Arrafin would be like she used to be, sweet and thoughtful and kind. Right from the start she'd been the nice one, the one everyone liked. She'd been the reason the whole group had stuck together. Because of Arrafin they'd gone to Al-Tizim. Because of Arrafin they'd gone to Shaer. He remembered when she learned of her brother's death.

He remembered that night on the beach in Salejo, when she'd walked off alone into the darkness and none of them had thought to stop her. Maybe it had started then. Maybe she'd gone to meet her new love further down the sands.

He looked down at the distraught, tear-streaked face pleading with him and he knew the Arrafin he remembered was never coming back. Whatever had happened to her, whatever that vampire had done to her, it was done now. And she loved Madame Yuek.

Isaac took his cigar out of his belt and stuck it in his mouth. He chewed grimly and drew his sword.

"Alright. I'll stop her."

*****

Had Etienne been paying more attention, he might have noticed ribbons of blackness looping around the Blood Mother, sinking into her crimson kimono as she strode towards Farouk and the Demon Goddess. But had he been paying more attention, he might have wondered just how many old women he was going to kill today.

His blades dripped blood as he ran in a half-crouch, cutting diagonally across the pagoda floor to intercept the Blood Mother before she reached Farouk and his struggling, shrieking burden. He lifted one knife high over his head, the other at his waist, and spun, kicking out low as both weapons licked across the woman's body.

Both weapons bounced off her thick brocade kimono and she slashed at him as she passed by. Only Etienne' quick reflexes and well-honed sense of self-preservation kept the woman's blade from slicing open his throat, and even as it was he took a deep cut in his shoulder.

The half-Kishak swore and dropped both knives, fell to his knees and clutched at the two wounds he now bore. He looked up as both Isaac and Arrafin rushed past him.

"Go get her. I'll be fine here."

*****

The old woman was tougher than she looked.

As Tsin Kwan caught up with the limping, stumbling, struggling Farouk ibn Zaoud (who was actually starting to show some annoyance at the furious, obscenity-laden struggles of his kidnappee), just as he was leaping down to the grassy lawn in front of the pagoda, she ducked under his wild, half-blinded swing, and slammed her little knife into his side.

Colour and shrieking madness erupted around them, and Farouk seemed to suddenly transform into a thousand shapes at once, twisting and dissolving in front of them all as the old woman howled and kept both hands on the hilt of her blade, shouting in Tianese. Arrafin recognized some of the words as a sort of incantation, a command upon the spirit. Isaac and Arrafin halted, stunned by the frenzied spectacle in front of them.

As Tsin Kwan finished her incantation, the wild prismatic fury around her sucked in on itself and what had been Farouk seemed to suddenly slurp up into the knife she held, and Madame Yuek fell to the grass, still cursing and struggling.

She got to her knees, her hair wild and unkempt, her outfit torn to shreds and her now-mortal skin bruised and bleeding all over. The Demon Goddess looked like hell.

Tsin Kwan smiled down at the disheveled, but still beautiful young woman before her and raised her knife. She spoke, slowly enough for Arrafin to understand.

"I love you, Goddess. Now our souls are joined. Now I can sever you from the Living World, Goddess. Be at peace."

The knife plunged downwards. Arrafin's scream was not enough to stop it.

But Isaac's sword was. He leapt down at the two women and wound up over his head, swinging the blade in a flat descending circle to hammer into Tsin Kwan's side at waist level.

He cut her in half. There was a flash that Arrafin recognized as sorcerous protections getting blown away, and then the magical blade ripped through crimson silk and flesh, snapping her spine with an audible crack before bursting out the other side. The Blood Mother sprayed organs and gore in all directions as her bisected corpse collapsed.

Madame Yuek wiped unidentifiable gobbets of flesh from her face and looked up at the Saijadani.

"Even for me that was kind of f**ked up. But I thank you."

Isaac found he was panting, exhausted. Wild-eyed, he watched as Arrafin leapt to the grass and threw herself at the blood-covered Madame Yuek. The two women embraced tearfully. Isaac staggered over to Etienne and helped the younger man stand up.

"Well, that's over, I guess."

"Guess again."

They turned to see Kimiko Torokan standing in the middle of the pagoda floor. The high structure was swaying noticeably, and a constant rain of debris and beams told of impending collapse. The civilians and Shang's minions had all run from the building, leaving her alone, surrounded by half-a-dozen corpses. She held the emerald-tipped staff in one hand.

"The Demon Goddess must die. Stand aside, Arrafin, or share her fate."

"No!"

Arrafin stood up, fists balled at her side. Righteous fury galvanized her.

"Look at her, Torokan. She's mortal now. She's not a goddess. She's not a vampire. You don't have to do this."

"It must be done. Stand aside, Arrafin."

"Never!"

The emerald began to pulse with a malign gleam, and both Etienne and Isaac rushed forward.

Arrafin reached out with one slender hand, and with no sign off effort, called up a wild storm of Shadow around herself. As before, the ground before her erupted and shot forward, blasting into the marble floor of the pagoda, blowing apart a dozen pillars before hurling Blood Sister Torokan into the air.

The kimono-clad body slammed into a massive chunk of marble, twisting sickeningly and then getting hammered back into the ground.

"I think you got h--"

Isaac paused. The entire pagoda collapsed, sending up a massive choking cloud of dust and splinters. The four survivors staggered backwards, watching in horror as where the pagoda had once risen now lay only a disordered heap of stone and timber as high as a two-story building. Somewhere underneath all that lay Blood Sister Torokan.

"Okay, I'm pretty sure you got her."


----------



## barsoomcore

Two more episodes to go. Lots more death.


----------



## frostrune

No offense to the other characters but I'm glad Isaac is still kickin.  Surprised but glad.  

Very dramatic fight.  In my experience very seldom does the climatic encounter live up to its billing.  If this played out at the table even half as awesome as the text then I am sure the players loved it.

Excitred and sad that the ending is near.  Well written Barsoom.

Frostrune


----------



## barsoomcore

That battle (which was actually MORE complex in real life than I was able to present here) is one of my shining moments as a GM. It took two full sessions to play out and everyone was utterly gripped throughout.

Elena's player was actually playing Kimiko Torokan, so I didn't know how that was going to go. I was running Shang and Madame Yuek and Farouk (and there were a couple of other parties that I've left out of this telling). The statblock for the Demon Goddess at the start of the battle was massively intimidating, but to my surprise the Blood Council took her out of the fight immediately (I actually expected them to go after Shang first, but Elena's player had a real hate on for Madame Yuek by this point), so she never got to use any of her earth-shattering abilities (like, for example, the ability to deal 40 points of Constitution damage to everything within 800' as a free action). The emerald staff acted like a Mordenkainen's Disjunction, severing her connection to the Shadow Realm so she A) couldn't use any sorcery, and B) gradually had all her necromantic power stripped away from her until all that was left was her original mortal self.

She's now basically like a 10th-level aristocrat (with perhaps another 10 levels of the Unbelievable Bitch prestige class, but those don't count).


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 20*

The dazed little group of survivors -- Etienne, Isaac, Arrafin and Madame Yuek -- staggered away from the ruins of the pagoda, dust still billowing about them in choking clouds. They crossed the well-kept lawn but came to a stumbling halt as Arrafin teetered, pointing.

"Oh, god. Elena."

Their friend's body lay where it had fallen, the back of her head a shattered ruin. Isaac tried not to cough as clouds of dust continued to roll past them. There was nothing to say. Arrafin had turned to bury her face in Madame Yuek's shoulder.

"Oh, Elena."

Etienne cleared his throat.

"Do you think the skull...?"

"No, Etienne, she's dead. It can't bring her soul back. That's gone for-- what is it?"

Arrafin's question was addressed to her lover, who was staring upwards in consideration. Overhead the endless swirling nightmare of souls continued howling and writhing, their remorseless sorrow only held off by the magic of the Blood Council Sanctuary.

"Her soul, darling. It hasn't gone far. It's up there. It's in there somewhere."

The two women exchanged a look.

"That laboratory of Shang's. How far is it?"

Isaac shrugged.

"A few hundred yards, I guess."

Madame Yuek was barely listening. She snapped her fingers at Etienne.

"You. Fill the skull and apply it to her wound. Then bring her with us."

Arrafin tossed the half-Kishak youth the marble skull of Suelekar ben Azan and, grateful for something to do, he rushed over to the nearby pool and filled it.

"Pour it on her. On her head."

Skin knitted together and bone regrew as the back of Elena's head restored itself. Madame Yuek nodded in satisfaction.

"Bring her."

Exchanging an uncertain look, Isaac and Etienne picked up Elena's already-cooling body and followed the two women out into the blasted ruins of Zuyang.

The anguish of the disembodied souls pressed upon them immediately and all of them struggled to keep their minds focused. Isaac stared down at the bare rock swirling with dust before him as he dragged the weight of Elena's body with him. They made their way, leaning against the wind, to the upturned blocks that led down into the relative quiet and calm of Shang's strange laboratory.

The girl still lay there, strange tubes pumping in and out of her body. Madame Yuek took in the scene, quickly appraising the array of technology. The tall woman leaned over the table and tugged experimentally at one of the tubes that fed into the girl's mouth.

Her thin body arced as she screamed and gibbered in agony, frothing and convulsing. Madame Yuek released the tube and the girl collapsed, gasping for breath. Her limbs were skeletal, skin just hanging off her. A fetid smell came from her body and Madame Yuek turned her over to examine the horrid sores that infested her back. Flesh had begun to rot and the stink was horrific.

"That's gangrene. She's only got days to live."

"Should we --"

Isaac couldn't finish the sentence. After all they'd been through, coldly taking this poor girl's life seemed too heartless.

Madame Yuek clamped a hand over the girl's face, braced her other hand on a scrawny shoulder, and twisted.

SNAP

"There."

She set about yanking the tubes free, and shoved the corpse off the table to sprawl on the flagstones.

"What the hell are you--"

"Shut up. Put your friend here."

Arrafin was examining the crystal spheres on the wall. Isaac tried to object, but then Madame Yuek simply grabbed Elena's body and dragged it up onto the table. She ripped the dead woman's clothes off and stabbed the tubes into her skin.

Isaac and Etienne both just stared, but the real grotesqueness had only begun.

Madame Yuek climbed up on the table beside Elena's body, spread her legs and with an expression of concentration, began pushing another set of tubes up into her own crotch. She winced once, then lay back on the table. Catching Isaac's horrified look, she offered a sneer.

"Only a live soul can power the operation. And of course Shang would engineer this to use a woman's. Darling, do you know what to do? I can't do any sorcery now, since those Blood Council bitches..."

Arrafin came over, worried.

"Well, it's a Kereseemar search algorithm, right? I thought I would be able to limit the depth with a Kau Lang assessment, since we know she died today. So the Kau Lang pass first, then for each vertex remaining I can..."

The two women's conversation became immediately incomprehensible to Isaac and Etienne, but quickly enough Arrafin stepped back to the spheres and Madame Yuek lay down on the table and began inserting more tubes into various parts of her face.

Arrafin concentrated. This was much harder than the spells she'd been using earlier, as she was having to make up much of the actual computation on the fly. She drew on Shadow, wobbling a bit as the relentless driving horror of Zuyang pressed in on her, but the cold purity of sorcery allowed her to focus and she sent her senses whirling upwards into the terrible whirlwind of dead souls above them.

Pain.

Unending.

Unceasing.

Pain. So much pain.

Arrafin was unaware of falling to her knees, unaware of Isaac grabbing her and holding her steady, as she filtered through the madness of unliving souls. All doomed by the Demon Goddess, her lover, to an eternal torment here above the city where once she'd ruled as a mad goddess on earth. She could not hear herself groaning as she struggled to proceed with the search for Elena's soul, trapped here with all the others.

Fragments of personality and memory tore at her, terrible visions and horrors pressing upon her as she considered and discarded one after another. Souls. Human souls, once vibrant and alive but now husks of pain and terror. She felt them grasping at her, envious of her life, pulling each one like a little bit more weight on her shoulders as she struggled through the wild maelstrom.

At last. Elena. Her friend, not so overwhelmed as the other souls. Not lost. Still with hope. Arrafin somehow grabbed, or pulled, or implored, or bullied her friend downwards. Down to life. Down. Into a place of safety. A shelter. A prison.

Isaac held his young friend as she reeled and collapsed, and then Arrafin was back and standing, wobbly on her long thin legs but reaching up for one of the spheres, which had gone dark in its core. Something swirled.

Arrafin lifted the sphere and turned, placing it into a depression on Shang's machine. A sudden rattling shriek filled the room and the mechanism began to shudder and give off sparks. Dials whirled. Vents hissed.

And Madame Yuek screamed as the tubes in her body drew out SOMETHING. Arrafin pointed and yelled over the noise, "Hold her down! Don't let her hurt herself!"

Isaac grabbed the Lohanese woman's shoulders and Etienne took her ankles and between the two of them they were able to keep her in place, but the woman was strong and certainly kept them engaged with her wild thrashing. Arrafin watched, trying to sense the flows of Shadow's dark energy, leading them in the right direction here and slowing them down just a little there. She was so engrossed in what she was doing she never noticed the desperate struggles of her beloved.

Nor did she notice when Elena started breathing.

But everyone noticed when the Saijadani woman sat up and screamed.

Even Madame Yuek went quiet for a second.

"Holy crap."

"turnitoffturnitoffturnitoffARRAFINTURNITOFF!"

At Madame Yuek's shriek, Arrafin jumped and turned back to Shang's machine, willing the sorcerous flows to halt. She snatched the now-clear crystal out of the depression it sat in and Madame Yuek collapsed, sobbing.

Elena sat there looking around at everyone.

"What?"

*****

Hours later, they stumbled up a steep hillside road past land that had once been cultivated -- the flat, regular divisions showed that -- but was now simply a mass of tall unkempt grass and the occasional spindly tree.

The road itself wasn't much, either; cobblestones remained in sufficient number to show where the road had been, but it was well-overgrown with weeds and tangled vines.

They had climbed several hundred feet since leaving Zuyang behind them, and were slowly feeling some relief from the ominous pressure of the undead souls. That terrible tower of death still hung in the air behind them, rising far above them still.

Ahead, a low stone wall and tidy-looking red tile roofs told of some habitation.

The group was somewhat larger. After leaving Shang's laboratory the five encountered the surviving civilians and managed to get them out of Zuyang before that place's terrible power claimed another life. Elena, ignoring her friends, chatted with these folks, comforting the most stunned and shocked among them and reassuring them they'd get home safely. She stayed with them as the whole group passed through an open gate and into a wide yard where a few goats nibbled at shrubs and chickens bobbled about as though only miles away a great and terrible evil didn't sit rumbling into the sky.

At their arrival, two bald men emerged from one of the low buildings and stared in surprise. They came forward and bowed and spoke in a language none of the four spoke.

Madame Yuek did, and after a quick negotiation, the men smiled and ushered the group through the yard and up a few steps into a wide hall lit by hanging lamps.

"They're monks. They'll feed us and maybe allow us to stay a few days."

Elena sneered.

"Who put you in charge, you evil bitch? I wish you'd been killed along with Shang."

"Elena!"

"Shut up, Arrafin. This is all her fault in the first place. People are dead, Arrafin! Thousands of people are dead because of her!"

Arrafin ran to confront her friend, but Elena pushed her aside easily. The big Saijadani woman yanked a pistol from her belt and levelled it at Madame Yuek.

"She deserves to die."

Madame Yuek stared.

"Well?"

Elena's voice rose up in an unsteady shriek.

"Well? You killed them! All those people! YOU killed them!"

Arrafin tried again to get at Elena, but this time Isaac held her back. More roughly than his usual self, he shoved Arrafin back and joined Elena. Etienne grabbed the angry Naridic girl.

"You're evil. We all know it. I don't know if you turned good or something because of Arrafin but--"

Isaac broke off as Madame Yuek burst into delighted laughter. She covered her mouth and controlled herself, but could not keep an amused smile off her face.

"Forgive me. You were saying?"

Elena broke in.

"Are you sorry?"

"Am I WHAT?"

"Are you sorry for what you did?"

Madame Yuek's smile disappeared and her dark eyes narrowed.

"Sorry? You ask me-- F**k you. You want to kill me, little bitch, go ahead. Shoot me. I'm right f**king here. But don't think you can sit in judgement on me. I am the f**king Demon Goddess and I am not to be judged by some f**king PEASANT girl."

She spread her hands.

"So shoot me."

Arrafin broke free of Etienne and ran in front of her statuesque lover. She stood right in front of Elena's pistol.

"Please. Please. I love her."

Elena scowled and lowered her gun.

"Fine. You win. I can't shoot you. But I can watch--"

The whole conversation halted as more of the bald men came in.

Carrying swords. They yelled, and Madame Yuek sighed.

"Oh dear. It seems they've figured out who I am. They're going to kill us all."

"Oh, thank heavens," said Isaac as he drew his sword, "That was getting scary."

Etienne slipped past the first rank of swordsmen and found himself amongst their leaders. He chuckled confidently and spun low, lining up the first one for a--

They were better than he'd expected. Etienne had three blades in his stomach before he reached his target. He groaned and collapsed.

Isaac laid into the nearest group, and this time the underestimating was on the other side as the big Saijadani broke through parries and avoided cuts easily, leaving stricken men in his wake.

Elena stretched out a hand and sent a purple glow blasting into the midst of the onrushing swordsmen, knocking men flying and blowing apart the rough chairs and tables behind them. She realised her outstretched hand contained a pistol and fired it into the face of the nearest attacker. He fell back, kicking and screaming.

Arrafin tried, without noticeable success, to push Madame Yuek behind her and unleashed one of her earthbolt spells, sending more warriors blasting in all directions.

*****

In a cell on the other side of the world, watched by Collette de Maynard, an old woman died.

*****

"Isaac? What's wrong?"

Isaac dropped his sword and swayed in place, though no one had struck him that Elena had seen. Their attackers had retreated in confusion, their numbers decimated, and both Elena and Arrafin ran over to their friend.

They leapt back as he turned with a terrible snarl, then leapt back further as he fell to his hands and knees and then, right before their eyes, turned into an enormous black panther.

"Uh. Isaac?"

The panther snarled once more, then leapt out the high windows of the hall and disappeared.

"Uh. What?"

"Your friend."

Elena and Arrafin, both in identical states of shock, turned to see Madame Yuek holding up Etienne's body.

"He's dead."


----------



## barsoomcore

Apologies everyone about the delays for this last episode. It's not going to go up this week, either, but next week for sure. Sorry!


----------



## Desdichado

I got back online after the holidays execting to have lots of stuff to read here.  Now I'm sad.


----------



## barsoomcore

*What A Woman's Got To Do: 21*

Three angry women stood around the limp body of Etienne.

Arrafin glared at Elena. Elena glared at Yuek. Yuek yawned elaborately, one slender hand in front of her mouth.

"Do you have a better idea? Or are you just going to stare at me until your friend starts to decay?"

Elena's scowl took on an even angrier twist. Behind her, the remaining civilians waited silently, watching the bitter exchange with worried, uncertain eyes.

"Do you have to be such a bitch all the time? Our friends are dead, you evil c**t!"

Yuek smirked, but Arrafin spoke before Elena lost her temper entirely.

"Elena, she's going to help bring Etienne back. Please."

"It's okay, darling. She'd like to forget that I already helped bring _her_ back."

"F**k you! I wish you'd left me dead! You think this erases the millions you've killed?"

"Pull your gun out again, Elena. I bet that makes you feel better."

"What is WRONG with you? Don't you have any--"

"Didn't you hear Isaac? I turned good. I'm all better now."

The three women went back to glaring at each other. Etienne's body lay on a hastily-assembled travois, wrapped in torn robes. His injuries appeared to have healed, but he lay lifeless and empty. The travois sat cross-wise in the ancient road, with Arrafin and Yuek standing on the side back towards Zuyang, the terrible whirlwind of souls still visible rising up behind them, while Elena stood on the opposite side, with the civilians behind her.

Arrafin's mouth twisted as she considered Yuek's words.

"Speaking of Isaac..."

Elena sighed.

"You mean, our friend who used to be Isaac until he turned into an enormous panther and ran away? Yeah, well, if I run into him -- and he's not a cat -- I'll tell him you're... what? Coming along a little later? With Etienne?"

"Yeah. We'll be along."

"Fine. Then I'll see you soon."

"Yeah."

"Great."

"Okay."

"See you."

"Yeah. See you."

Arrafin and Elena stared at each other. Elena thought back to how her friend had been at first, shy and lost in books and so unaware of the world around her. A girl, coltish and hesitant. They'd all felt so protective towards her. And now. Standing beside a former monster who'd lost all her supernatural powers, but who stood no less striking with her exotic beauty.

Still. A monster.

"How long were you lying to us, Arrafin? Did you laugh at us? Did you think you were better than us?"

"Elena. It doesn't matter now."

"It matters. It matters that you went behind our backs when we trusted you."

Arrafin shook her head.

"I love her."

Elena turned her glare on Yuek.

"I will always hate you for taking her away from us. You'll always be a monster in my eyes."

For just a moment, there was a sympathetic sadness in the Lohanese woman's slanted eyes.

"We have that much in common, then. Come on, Arrafin."

Yuek hoisted up the travois with an easy shrug of her shoulders and without looking back began dragging Etienne's body back down the pitted cobblestones. Arrafin brooded at Elena but just as the Saijadani woman turned away, the Naridic girl rushed at her and threw her thin arms around broad shoulders.

"Elena. I'm so sorry. About. About everything. I didn't mean. I just."

She pulled back, tears in her eyes.

"I do love her, Elena. I can't explain it. Maybe after we've got Etienne back we could. Maybe talk about it. If you."

Elena's scowl twisted even further.

"Yeah. Of course. After you get Etienne. You better go."

They stared at each other, neither quite able to find the words to express what they both feared. The ending of a friendship. Arrafin had a terrible premonition she would never see Elena again, but she couldn't follow her friend.

Not when her lover was headed in the other direction, grimly dragging Etienne's corpse behind her.

"Be safe."

The two women turned away from each other. Elena strode further up the inclined roadway and gathered the civilians around her.

"Alright, everyone. We're going to get out of this. The coast is a few days' journey from here, and from there we can find a port city if we just keep heading south. From there I'm sure we can find transport home."

They had a thousand questions, all of which were variations on "Are we going to survive?" Elena could only offer reassurances she didn't feel herself, but she got them moving and that was enough for now. The little band made its way up the switchback road leading over the ridge that overlooked the city.

At the top of the ridge Elena looked back.

Zuyang lay spread out across a broad valley beneath them, black ruins in a blasted landscape. It looked like some sort of angry god had punched the earth here, pounding the city flat and spraying death in all directions.

Far below, just where the road entered the crumbling remains of the city wall, she could make out two figures making their way into the heart of the metropolis.

Elena scowled and turned away. She concentrated, seeking for some sign of her friend Isaac. To her surprise, he was nearby and asleep. She crossed over to Hauthar, the burly Naridic soldier.

"One of my friends is down in that ravine. He's asleep, but we should be cautious. He--"

"Yeah. He turned into a cat."

"That's the one."

"Let me load my musket."

*****

Two women staggered into Shang's laboratory, both wide-eyed and panting. Arrafin leaned against a wall, trying to catch her breath.

"Did you? Did you see? Shang? And. Collette?"

Yuek let Etienne's body crash to the flagstones.

"Shang? No. I just heard. So much screaming. Ancestors."

Arrafin put her hands to her head. She concentrated hard, trying to drive out the visions and terrors that had filled her vision.

"Okay. We have to do this. Do this now."

Yuek was already unstrapping Etienne's corpse from the travois. With an unladylike grunt she heaved the half-Kishak onto the first table, and stabbed tubes into him. She reeled backwards but managed to pull herself up onto the second table. Her grunts of pain were more ladylike as she inserted unsavoury tubes into her own body.

"I hate this bastard. Arrafin. Tie me down. So I don't thrash."

"Right, right."

It seemed like their breathing was somehow amplified, echoing in this terrible gleaming chamber until it was even louder than the hurricane outside. Arrafin fumbled with straps and then found one of the remaining crystal spheres. She cast her mind upwards.

_oh my god what's baby the baby she the whole wall i never fire god my arm how my arm where the noise fire what help me help me help help help help help_

Arrafin collapsed to the floor, drooling as her mind continued to sort through a frantic mass of shrieking memories, seeking those ones that belonged to her young friend.

And at last. Brash and reckless and brave. Etienne.

She yanked, no cajoling this time no time she just pulled and pulled and slammed Etienne into the sphere. She had just enough strength to drop the sphere into the mechanism.

Yuek, as dazed as she was, lay crying in anticipation of the agony about to strike her. She heard the sphere drop into place and for a second thought that maybe it wouldn't work this time.

And then her body heaved, arcing up as she screamed, tearing out the back of her throat with her terror and her pain. She felt Shang's legacy reaching into her, torturing her one more time and an endless parade of the tortures she'd suffered and inflicted over centuries hammered through her now-mortal mind.

Yuek Man Chong screamed and screamed and screamed. Her soul was partially drawn out of her, bound into Etienne was a sort of stitching for his own soul. She was weakened and torn and the pain went on and on and on and she screamed and screamed and screamed.

Arrafin put her hands over her ears. She couldn't watch her lover suffering so she watched Etienne, watching his eyes and his chest, waiting for the sudden inhalation there it is and she leapt for the controls, shutting the infernal machine down immediately.

Yuek wept, moaning with sobs as Arrafin untied her. Her dark eyes rolled alarmingly but she managed to focus on Arrafin at last.

"Ara-chan. I don't feel so good."

Untied, she crashed to the floor in a tangle of long limbs. Her head flopped to one side and she lost track of Arrafin until the Naridic girl grabbed hold of her.

"Okay. It's okay. Etienne? Can you walk?"

"Eerg. Afl."

Arrafin took a deep breath and tried not to cry. She could feel her sanity slipping away, and memories of what Elena had done to herself here kept coming back to her. She had a pistol in her bag...

With a shudder, Arrafin drew the gun from her bag and hurled it off down the length of the lab. It clattered and slid under some mechanical apparatus.

"Okay. Man Chong? Can you stand? Come on, I'll help you to the Sanctuary. Come on, my love. I'll help you."

Leaning on the skinny Naridic girl, Yuek managed to get to her feet and they made their unsteady way out of the lab.

"Etienne? Just wait here. I'll be right back, okay? Don't move."

"Blbbgfm."

"Good. I'll be right back."

Gral fluttered over their heads as they climbed the stairs, but zipped down to tuck himself into Arrafin's shoulder as they emerged into the insane fury of Zuyang. Arrafin yelled over the shrieking winds.

"Come on. Come on, just a little more. Come on."

Slowly, staggering from one foot to the next, the two women made their way around splintered blocks of granite, past the mute foundations of what were once houses or business or something, across a dust-strewn street full of holes and irregular lumps where cobbles had come loose. Yuek fell to her knees, and Arrafin, unable to support the weight of the larger woman, collapsed with her.

"Ara-chan. I can't. Just leave me. Let me die, Arrafin. Please. I hurt so much. Please. I'm so tired, Ara-chan."

Arrafin burst into tears, but she turned her sadness into rage and heaved on her lover's arms.

"Come on, damn you! I have been through too much to give up on you now. Please, Man Chong, please. I need you. Please. Come on. Just a little further. You can see the gate, right there. Come on. Please."

She pulled and pulled, and at last, the bone-weary Lohanese woman struggled to her feet and they limped the last hundred yards to the Sanctuary gate.

Inside, the terrors subsided. The grass was green and thick and Yuek crashed down, fainting. Arrafin knelt beside her, still manic with fear and stress, stroking black hair from a still-perfect face.

"Safe now. Safe and perfect always now. Always love. Always."

Her head came up, lolled side to side, and focused on the gate.

"Etienne. Yes. You stay. I get. Him. Back soon. Love. Love. Always."

Arrafin pushed herself up and staggered back into the ruins. She had to get Etienne. The slight figure, bent sideways against the howling wind, reeled drunkenly along the devastated street.

In the wrong direction. Arrafin was lost.

She saw Matai Shang suddenly before her, laughing as he tore her father to pieces.

No. Vision. Not real. No.

Stones melted and ran, laughing at her, making faces. Her lover's face, laughing and sneering.

No.

Something shrieked, sobbed and a child ran in front of her, laughing and spurting blood from its mouth. Arrafin leapt back, tripped and fell.

Her head struck an upthrust stone. Bone cracked and splintered. Blood erupted from a terrible gaping hole in the back of her head. Her eyes stared upwards, empty, dust starting to gather on the still-wet corneas.

Gral shrieked inside. His tiny body clung to her as he keened a grief no creature so small had ever felt. All his world died before him and he had only suffering to replace it.

*****

In the relative calm of the Sanctuary, a beautiful if somewhat bedraggled Lohanese woman opened her eyes.

"Arrafin?"

Yuek Man Chong sat up, looking around her.

Looking around at all the dancing, capering, giggling figures around her. Looking up at the couple standing there. The woman smiled and made a gesture of introduction to the antlered man beside her.

"The King desires you. You shall be his slave now. And you shall please him, Beauteous One."

Overhead, thousands of dead souls, unaware of anything around them, unaware even of the new soul that had joined them, just kept screaming and screaming and screaming.

*THE END*


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## frostrune

AHHHHHHH!!!!  They're all dying.  I have a feeling Madam Yuek will sacrifice herself to bring Arafin back.  

My man Isaac is still kickin though.

This is a rough end game for the heroes.  Good story though.

Frostrune


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## Desdichado

I like this extended ending.  Wrap-ups are always the most difficult part of a campaign for me; mine always seem to fizzle.


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## barsoomcore

Sorry, I forgot to type the last two words of that last update. Sorry about that.

Not so much of an extended ending, you see. That was the end of the last session.

So I know, I know, you want to know what happened to everyone.

Arrafin does NOT come back. She stays dead. Etienne, Elena and Isaac all receive boons from the Tarn -- there's actually a bit of story missing around them, as Nevid had forged a bit of a relationship with them.

And uh, Nevid didn't die here in the actual campaign. He survived this and JOINED the Tarn (that was the boon he asked for).

So Season Three started with Isaac, Etienne, Aubrey (remember Aubrey) and two strangers suddenly finding themselves in a bizarre jungle. The strangers included the Old Kook (who turned out to be a member of the Tarn who was sort of "riding" Nevid around) and a Kishak woman who turned out to be the Nevakada officer responsible for the party's case file. She'd been blamed for the disaster on board the party's ship (where the Nevakada totally failed to kill the party with a bunch of demons) and had been sent here.

"Here" turned out to be a wacky "dimension" called Kiriku, which had been created ages past by the goddess Ky'in when she needed somewhere to put a vast army of draconic sorcerer-soldiers that just wouldn't die. Kiriku wasn't as stable as Barsoom and it appeared that folks who hung around here started to change into awfully weird forms.

Like Spider Women. And Ghouls. And Yang Fei, the giant centipede with a cheerful fellow's head, who joined up with the group and followed them around.

Elena showed up as well, and it turned out the Nevakada had acquired all these "demons" that they could control but that they didn't really know very much about. What they did know was that if they commanded a demon to take someone away, that someone was never seen again. Because they brought the someones to Kiriku. And it was impossible to get from Kiriku back to Barsoom.

Of course, PCs being PCs, they found a way, but they inadvertently made it possible for Gedak Gan, the Tyrant's Shade and ruler of Kish, to return as well.

If you've been paying attention, that will surprise you, since the Tyrant's Shade was already ruling Kish. It turned out there'd been a switcheroo, and so our heroes found themselves having to fight not one but TWO mad undead emperors with legions at their disposal.

It also turned out that Barsoom wasn't TOTALLY stable itself, and that in fact it was beginning to unravel. Mechanisms had been put in place long ago, but the knowledge of how they worked had been lost and the mechanisms were starting to fail.

Season Three ended with the fights against the Shades (and this is where Nevid actually died, in exactly the manner described in this Story Hour).

With respect to the fate of Arrafin and Madame Yuek, the ex-vampire was returned to the mortal world after a year and day as the brutalized slave of the Tarn, and immediately set about trying to recover her beloved. By the time the PCs made it back to Barsoom, she had gathered an army and collected a bunch of sorcerers and was trying to get someone to retrieve Arrafin's soul.

Unfortunately, Matai Shang wasn't quite as dead as everyone had hoped.

Season Four started with the Blood Council coming to discuss some things with the party.

First off, the BC admitted that they'd been running a sort of breeding program a la the Bene Gesserit, to produce a sort of super-psion that could resist the goddess Ky'in who was making her big comeback play (this had actually started in Season One, but things were finally coming to a head). Thing is, the BC were basically decent folks and never "bred" people forcibly. They just tried to encourage the right strains to cross paths, and threw obstacles in the way of undesirable matches.

But once the Blood Mother had her mojo back, she realised WHY Shang had destroyed the BM's soul in the first place. He'd taken control of the BC for a century, and had "accelerated" their program with forced breeding of prisoners, and had produced their Kwisatz Haderach well ahead of schedule. The child was born the same year Matai Shang died. The child had been prepared with special rituals and so now, the one hope of humanity to resist the encroachments of an insane, all-powerful goddess, was a baby... 

...with the soul of Matai Shang in its chubby little body.

Our heroes set about trying to assemble a "dream team" of powers to face up to Ky'in, but things went from bad to worse: the great warrior king of the draconic Keyadar managed to follow them from Kiriku and began laying waste, Barsoom was struck by dozens of bizarre asteroids that brought with them the intelligences of the ancient foul evils that originally created the entire world, which set about dominating religious practices across Barsoom so as to allow themselves to manifest fully in the world.

Things went very poorly indeed. But it turned out that the TARN were in fact one of these alien entities -- one that had been bound to Barsoom as a spirit and now manifested itself as this bizarre court of creatures -- and with its help they learned of the Ghostwalk -- a half-dimension leading to Omean, the Buried Sea (where human souls go when they die), and where Ky'in, in the midst of a desperate battle, had hidden the Seven Thrones, which were the control systems for Barsoom itself.

On the Ghostwalk they met the soul of Madame Yuek -- she had been killed when warlords directed by the infant Matai Shang defeated her army and she was impaled in front of the great palace that had been (unknown to her killers) her family's ancestral home. She never did manage to retrieve Arrafin's soul, which remained trapped in the whirlwind over Zuyang.

Isaac's curse was part of the Ghostwalk -- Ky'in had created three potent guardians for this place but a curse upon them made them into uncontrollable beasts. All Ky'in could do to limit their savagery was to bind them to mortal bloodlines. But that meant Isaac could traverse the Ghostwalk and restore the Thrones.

But the Thrones were damaged because the "maintenance system" for Barsoom required human souls. It turned out that humans had been CREATED by the ancient evils as "walking batteries" -- unlike the evils or the Keyadar, humans could carry within them BOTH Shadow and Dream, and as such they were very useful for managing and directing supernatural energy. So thousands of souls were needed to restore the systems of Barsoom and somehow reverse the damage being done by the returning ancient evil. Temperatures were dropping and the atmosphere was thinning all over the world. It was only a matter of time before everyone in the world died.

Shang got on board with the Save Barsoom program but Ky'in had to be destroyed first. That accomplished (and one of my great regrets as a DM is that the battle against Ky'in was TOTALLY ING LAME), our heroes settled into the Seven Thrones and did battle against the ancient evils, and triumphed. They found a way to release the souls over Zuyang and channel most of them into the maintenance systems so that Barsoom could survive -- in the process Arrafin's soul was released so she and Madame Yuek got to go into eternity together. I was glad they got a sort of happy ending, as Madame Yuek is easily my favourite character ever. I killed her off because I knew I was having way more fun telling her story than the PCs, and that's never good for a game. But I love her to pieces still. 

Really, I wrote this Story Hour so I could tell HER story. Or at least part of it.

Etienne, Aubrey and Nevid all died along the way (well, technically, Aubrey was sold to some Spider Women as breeding stock...), but Elena and Isaac both survived the entire campaign run.

Whew.

There were pretty lengthy breaks between seasons -- nearly a year passed between Two and Three, and it was at least six months between Three and Four. By then I was hitting my limits as a 3rd edition DM and found creating and running high-level opponents more tedious than fun. The party finished the campaign at around fifteenth level, I think.

Good times all around. Season Four wasn't as good as I was pretty fatigued, and got a lot more busy with jobs and stuff, so I just couldn't put the prep time in to really nail the details right. I still feel bad about it to this day.

But my players were awesome all the way through, and making up that story with them was never anything less than inspiring. I had no idea what was going to happen when I started the campaign, and it far exceeded my expectations.


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## Desdichado

Oh.  Well, that was still an extended ending.  After the "bad guys" were all beat you still had characters die, even.  

Anyway, pretty sweet setting.  I've said it before and I'll say it again; it's amazing how many of the same kinds of themes and stuff that I really like this setting ended up hitting as well.

Coupla quick questions.  The Goddess of the stewardesses game; was that Ky'in, then?  Or someone else?  How did that "mini-campaign" relate or fit in with the main Barsoom action?

I totally agree on the limitations of higher level third edition play, sadly.  Although I really like d20---enough so that I struggle to seriously consider moving on, that's one of it's big bugaboos for me as well.  I just can't run it effectively at high levels, and as a player, I find it somewhat unsatisfying as well.  I greatly prefer single digit levels.  Mostly I just find ways to end campaigns before it becomes an issue, but if I didn't want to do that for some reason, I'd seriously consider adopting E6 or something like that to prolong the sweet spot indefinitely.

What happened in the earlier sessions that you never wrote up?  You've mentioned them a few times, but nothing substantial.  I presume that's because it stands alone, apart from the main action, but I'm curious anyway.

And are you ready to get cracking on your next story hour now?


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## barsoomcore

Right, the Angels. Ha, ha. 

That set of games took place in Tianguo during the terrible hellish regime of the Demon Goddess. 

Yep, our brave and good-hearted heroines were, unbeknownst to them, serving the whims and savage appetites of an insane vampire who was torturing and slaughtering millions in her palace. They never knew, and I just figured that folks out on the fringes of the Empire wouldn't really have any idea what was going on in the center. 

Would have been fun to get to that reveal with the flight attendants, but never quite got there.


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## Desdichado

So, who exactly was Ky'in then?  And was she in some way related to Yuek and Shang by any kind of association?


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## barsoomcore

Actually, no, not at all.

The prehistory of Barsoom goes like this: first there's chaos, opposed by nothingness. Out of the boundary there, consciousness forms. Multiple consciousnesses form. Consciousness desires to sustain itself rather than be consumed by either chaos or nothingness, and so creates a "place" -- the first place that ever existed.

(all this is largely lifted from Brust's _To Reign In Hell_, actually)

These consciousnesses were not human in any way shape or especially form. They don't even have "form" as we would think of it. They are what on Barsoom are known as spirits -- random spontaneous generations of consciousness within the chaos.

So "place" exists, and quite possibly numerous "places". It probably takes a number of tries to figure out how to make "place" exist for a period of "time" -- which is pretty much the beginning of the idea of "time".

In some of these places consciousnesses experienced the desire to get  done and created various forms of life. One form was a draconic humanoid known to humans as Keyadar -- very powerful in many ways (especially sorcery (also they're just really big bastards)) but limited. They can only draw on Shadow (nothingness), and have no way to connect to Dream (chaos). But they're useful, it appears.

Consciousness (whatever these things are) creates more life, and eventually comes up with the idea of humans -- creatures that can embody BOTH Shadow and Dream. Very exciting.

With these new toys, Barsoom becomes a feasible project, using human souls to keep the whole thing stable.

However, the Keyadar grow restive and with all the power they've been amassing, manage to drive most of the consciousnesses right out of Barsoom. Many are destroyed, and those that remained were forced to accept bizarre or limited forms. One such was the Tarn, which become a bound spirit that manifested as a whole host of individual creatures. Another (not seen in this telling) was Mullah, the spirit of the wind that served as the holy voice of the Naridic religion. Another was known as the Green Serpent, and sought sacrifices in dark jungles.

So then the Keyadar were in charge, and they liked that. But now it was the humans getting uppity. One great sorcerer-king named Kushan Kal Kabbar tried to fight them, and gathered together his best warriors, and made them in to undead monsters who could hunt and destroy Keyadar, and who would never truly die. But that was not enough to bring them down.

But in the end it was the sorceress Ky'in who overthrew the Keyadar regime, by suborning one of the key Keyadar generals, Essermane Varag, who she rewarded by trapping forever behind a faceless black slab. Much of the Keyadar population were tricked into an alternate dimension that they could not get out of, and then Ky'in was in charge. And she was, of course, completely insane. And things were bad.

So eventually folks got together to do something about her. About two thousand years before the campaign began, a Naridic king named Suelekar ben Azan and his Lohanese wife, Bai Xue (or something) cooked up a plan and trapped Ky'in in an alternate dimension (you're seeing the pattern now, aren't you?). At the same time, Bai Xue founded the Blood Council to A. make sure such powerful figures never arose again, and B. to create a human being who could truly stand against something like Ky'in without risking the destruction of the world.

Ky'in was still worshipped in Kish as a goddess, along with a few other legendary figures, but to no avail as she had no access to Barsoom.

Matai Shang comes much after that, although exactly when is unclear. But about two hundred years ago he sees the infamous beauty Yuek Man Chong and spirits her away to his little theme park of torture and terror, turns her into a vampire, then turns her into a goddess, and sets her on the Blood Council (after she's had a century of ruling Tianguo with real fun and games). To his surprise she breaks free of his control and runs away, tries a variety of means to put an end to first her condition and later her existence, and is really in a not very good place when our heroes come stumbling along into the mix.

Whew! Now most of this I didn't have in mind when I started. I knew there was a crazy goddess named Ky'in who had been kicked out and was trying to get back, I knew there was a bad sorcerer named Matai Shang, and I knew there were dragon-people called Keyadar that had been mostly wiped out long ago. None of the rest of this (including the ideas of "Shadow" and "Dream") existed when the campaign started. I just randomly gave Elena psionics in Season Two and had hinted at magic, especially of the necromantic variety, but it wasn't until Arrafin got that book that I even started to worry about metaphysics and magic and all that. And at first all I had was Shadow -- it wasn't until the first genie appeared that I started trying to fit psionics and spirits into the cosmology.

So the whole thing emerged organically out of the actual playing of the game -- I had no idea the Tarn weren't just a bunch of fey when they first appeared. It was only later I realised that they were actually one of the Old Ones that had been kind of messed up. 

And yet it always seemed like I knew what was happening, and looking back, it all fit together so very well that it's hard to believe I made it up as I went along. I really regret not doing a better job running Season Four, because the connections that pulled everything together were really blowing my mind, but it became hard to share them with the players via the game.


----------



## Desdichado

That's always the way it works for me; I start with pretty darn vague ideas about big things like, say, cosmology and the whole secret history of the world.  Which is kinda funny, because all my games end up being about the secret history of the world, but I end up making half of it up as I go.

I wonder if Chris Carter ever had that thought when he was making up his secret history of _our_ world in _The X-files_.  Somehow all my games gravitate towards fantasy X-files.  Oh, well.

So, how _does_ psionics fit into the grand scheme of things, then?  A kind of Blood Council invention?

Also: Ky'in.  I like that name.


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## barsoomcore

No, psionics is the ability to manipulate the Dream Worlds, in the same manner that sorcery is the ability to manipulate the Shadow Realm. Dream energy is chaotic and wild, and sorcerous energy is consuming and nullifying.

There were also characters who could summoun temporary entities out of the Dream Worlds to serve them in some fashion or other (Elena eventually acquired this ability).

The thing that Barsoom was most missing was any sense of religion. It's very tough to build what feels like a consistent society if there isn't some sort of religious practice and discussion going on. This Kishaks had some sort of worship, but other than that there wasn't much, and it started to feel artificial. There weren't any holidays, for example. Or temples or things like that. It's a problem.


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## barsoomcore

FYI: I've just updated the original post with the last RTF of the final Canto.

Over 150,000 words. That's about 600 pages, which is a good-sized book by anyone's standards, I reckon.


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## barsoomcore

I have no idea if anyone here would ever be interested in a print copy of an elderly Story Hour, but I created a version on Lulu.com as a keepsake for my players. You can have one for the low low price of $25, if you like.


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