# weenie_properties_book_page_data

author_Name: Barnar the Tinker
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
To whom it may concern:

I have had it with this podunk town! I am off to seek my fortune in the great city of Cragstone. Please tell my debtors that I am visiting my relatives in Redspire.


author_Name: Quaestor Esbarth
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Consul sends you forth to establish a facility that will serve two purposes.  The site we have chosen for the facility is over a vein of quintessential ore.  Your first purpose is to supervise the rock giants who call themselves Gotrok in their extraction of the ore.  While the Gotrok possess formidable physical architecture, their efforts must be bent wholly to the extraction of ore.  Thus your second purpose, to recruit and maintain a garrison of soldiers from among the crude meatlings who call themselves Hea.


author_Name: Quaestor Esbarth
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Consul has empowered you to establish a new facility over the recently discovered Aetherium site.  The Consul and its peers have determined that the entity that named itself Levistras failed in its construction of a New Singularity because it was unaware of the spatial and temporal potential of the energy contained within the ore.  Levistras, in its human-derived impatience, sought to build a New Singularity from imperfect materials.  The Consul and its peers have calculated that a mass of Aetherium will retain and diffuse portal energy at a rate a thousand times more efficient than Pyreal.


author_Name: Quaestor Esbarth
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
We have determined that a large array of Aetherium can serve as the center of critical mass for the New Singularity.  The Consul is determined to locate and stockpile as much Aetherium as we can before the meatlings discover our plans.  The Consul's analysts have located an unusually rich concentration of Aetherium beneath your facility.  Preliminary excavations have already begun, under the direction of our new allies, the Gotrok.  Your first task will be to expand and defend this new Aetherium mining site.  Your second task will be to collect artifacts that contain Aetherium and extract the ore for the Consul's use.


author_Name: Quaestor Esbarth
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Preliminary investigation has also revealed that the artifacts at the site containing Aetherium are remnants of a long-thought-vanished race of mechanical entities from an unknown world.  We have determined that the mechanical entities sent a diplomatic envoy, known as a Primus, to this world to treat with the Empyrean sorcerer Asheron shortly after he opened his crude portal connections between worlds.  Before the Primus could depart again through its own means, the insectoid invaders, the Olthoi, interrupted all Empyrean activity and caused Asheron to shut down his portals.  The Primus and its followers were stranded here and soon fell victim to the assaults of the Olthoi and normative entropy, and their remnants were buried before the Quiddity became aware of this world.


author_Name: Quaestor Esbarth
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Not only do the mechanical entities contain their own reserves of Aetherium, but the Consul also believes that, if they could be reproduced or reconstructed, they would make superior servitors and guardians.  We would be able to replace the unreliable Hea and Gotrok allies as we establish a New Singularity.  We have reason to believe the masters of the vanished Primus still seek news of it and its fate.  Until we know more of the mechanical entities and where they come from, you must maintain the secrecy of your facility against the constant interference of the meatling allies of Asheron.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
2/23/01 level 10 Brought book in Cragstone
Travelling N &W of town is a lifestone to the right of the road
Went into a cave, the creatures there were too powerful for me and they swarmed me, I barely escaped with my life.  On the way back to Cragsstone, I got mobbed by 3 hunter sherths, I died 3 times in the same spot.  I finally made it to town.  I contacted Brother Elwood, with his help we retrieved my corpses.  He showed me the portal to Hebian-To from Cragstone.  It comes out not far from a Lifestone. 
2/24/01  I went into Hebian-To, I brought a 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
nice dress. I recuited a vassel by the name of  Jamem. Showed him all the dungeons in Holtburg.
2/25/01  Went hunting on Mud Golem hill outside of Holtburg.  Died twice. Travelled on to Glenden Wood to my favorite dungeon(29.9N,26.4E).
2/27/01 Level 12 wahoo!! Working on Endurance, Focus and Self.  I will spent all experince points from this level on these.
2/28/01 Still in Glenden Wood working the mites in the North Prision Dungeon(31.8N.
There is money to be made in this town for 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
an industrious swordswinger. I may have to go visit Julithmad in Holtburg soon. I have many items to give her.
3/1/01 Hunting in the Glenden Wood dungeon with vassel Jamem.
3/3/01  Level 13 Hunting in the North Glenden Wood Prision Dungeon (31.8N,25.5E) making money and finding several good magic items.
3/4/01 In Eastham at the Thieves' Den Dungeon. Ran to Rithwic. Looked in on the rithwic crypt. Ran the road to Lytelthorpe killing most of what was on the road. took 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
portal to Holtburg and then ran to Cragstone following the river. Took portal to Hebian-to. 
3/4/01 Went back to Cragstone took portal to Zaikhal.  Went to the Hall of the Helm.  Cabirus came to help me defeat the Guardian of the helm and I got the Superior Helm and a Fiery Shield.  Went to the Mossy dungeon, I couldn't defeat anything there, but I looted all that others had left and made over 10K just picking up stuff. 
Went back to Cragstone and met up with my vassel Jamen, he gave me some shreth hide shoes and I gave him some money. He 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
needed a new bow.
3/5/01 Julithmad gave Squire Juliana some of her equipment. Julithmad came over to Cragstone and I gave her some of my equipment.
3/8/01 Have been working the dungeon at the Isle of Tears, just outside Cragstone.
3/10/01 Travelled to Arwic working in the Arwic Mines.
3/11/01 Jamen and I have travelled by portal from Arwic to Al Jalima, working in the forbidden crypt dungeon.
3/12/01 Working the Dungeon at Al Jalima. 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
3/15/01 Working the Dungeon at Al Jalima. Made level 16. Needed to sell gems so I travelled to Tou-Tou and then took a portal to Arwic.  Going to meet up with the Squire at Holtburg.
3/17/01  Went on a quest for the fenmalian Crystal shield.  this quest took me near the town of Biashi to the dungeon there.From there my fellow adventures and I travelled by portal created by Helm the Palidin to Al Arqas then a long run to coordinates 25.6 S 28.3 E near the town of Uziz (I think that is how it is spelled). then the long run back to Al Arqas, then portal to samsur then portal 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Holtburg.  I ran to Glenden Wood to get more money and mana stones.
3/18/01 Still in Glenden Wood.Went to the Lugian citidal near Qalabar (rough place but good exp) went to Hall of Helm dungeon for the Superior helm in Zaikhal.
3/19/01 Portal to Cragstone then portal to Hebian-To ran the road fighting everything to Shoushi. found a nice hunting ground to the east of the city across the river. Back to the city to rest for the night.
Stats at this points are: level 18 with 93K to next level. Attributes are as follows:


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Strength 145
Endurance 100
Coordination 145
Quickness  90
Focus 50
Self    55
Health 80
Stamina 120
Mana   83

Some skill Levels are 
Sword  178
Item Enchantment  57
Arcane Lore  50


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
3/23/01 In Holtburg, portaled to Rithwic, ran to Hebian-To, portaled to Qalabar.  Went to citadal.
3/24/01 In Cragstone, going to work the Isle of Tears in the Underground City. Moved on to Glenden Wood.
3/26/01 Went to Hunter's Leap Dungeon got a Lithia's bow and arrows. Gave them to Julithmad to id.
3/28/01 Did the Green Mire Grave quest.
4/3/01 In Glenden Wood, collecting money and buying mana stones.
4/4/01 Working the Muddy Dungeon North of Shoushi, has golems that drop motes. Good exp. level 20.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
4/5/01 I have travelled back to Al-Jalima and am fighting the zombies again. Good $$ & exp.
4/6/01 still in Al-Jalima working the dungeon.
4/8/01 Level 21, going to the Bandie Fort outside of Tou-tou. Great Place.  had to travel to Glenden Wood for some mana stones.  Needed 20.  got the Mana Stones, and have travelled back to Tou-Tou to the Bandie Fort and Smuggler Fort, great exp and loot.
4/11/01 Went with Cabirus and Ragnar to do the 3 towers quest made 18K.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
4/12/01 Back in Tou-Tou working on the island.
4/13/01 still in Tou-Tou.
4/14/01 Travelled from tou-tou to Shoushi, worked the Muddy Dungeon, got a quest item  had to travel through several portal to turn it in  in Samsur. Portaled to Holtburg ran to Glenden Wood got 20K worth of mana stones. Ran west and south of GW ended up in Zaikhal.  Cleared out the mou stonghold at the top of the mountain. went to the Crypt of Ashen tears. went to aid Jamen in the enkindled souls dungeon in 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Khayyban. had to portal several times to get there a good dungeon with great exp.
4/15/01 back in Cragstone. sold some of my armor that cabirus gave me was too expensive to maintain. cost nearly 5-10K to keep it in mana stones.
4/19/01 horrible night died 5 times in the crypt of Ashen tears in Zaikhal dungeon.
4/20/01 travelled to Al-jalima went through the crypt there then went west found a new dungeon call the recovered temple dungeon. then travel by road by to Zaikhal made $10K and had to buy mana stones again.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
4/21/01 Back to Glenden Wood for more money and mana stones.
Learned lifestone recall and portal recall.
4/24/01 to Holtburg to meet with Julithmad to give her things to hold. Tried to make keys for golem heart unsuccessful. Lockpick 98 arcane lore at 72
4/27/01 Was in Holtburg, Roguen was kind enough to get me all 6 of the keys for the SoLL.  Mannex is now one of my vassels and so is Artiam. Travelled to Hebian-To.
5/4/01 Back in Holtburg.
5/5/01 Went to the Colier Mine.
5/6/01 At the Lugian Citadel in Qalabar.
5/12/01 Cyrpt of Ashen Tears in Zaikhal.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
died 8 times in the dungeon had to call Cabirus to help retrieve all the bodies.  Went to Glenden Wood to help Jamen and to work off my vitea.
5/13/01 Still have 10% vitea from last night in Glenden Wood all of the family is here. Working the dungeon to get rid of the vitea penalty and collect that armor.
5/15/01 Went to Colier and back to holtburg to sell. Got another vassel Archbishop Lazrus.
5/17/01 Archbishop Lazrus broke allegence.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Went to Colier (Ghost Town) got totally mobbed died over and over just trying to retrieve stuff. Got 32% vitea. May take me a week to get rid of it. Sword skill with that much vitea penalty is 147. In holtburg to work it off.
5/18/01 went to dryreach alone.. Big mistake kept dying vite penalty got to 40% had to call Cabirus to rescue me. Kept dying right by the lifestone.  he portaled me out of there went to Al Jalima worked off the vitea penalty in the crypt. Jamen came there. 
5/19/01 Went with Cabirus to Qalabar. Got  


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
my sword skill buffed to 275. He portaled me to Crater and I got my peerless Atlan Sword. No give No drop.
5/20/01  in Qalabar I got my adventure changed to SWORDFIGHTER Got Amuli Leggings and Coat AL 147--nice and pretty. Got the coat from our monarch Releaser. He gave me a nice rapier too.  Back in Glenden Wood Dungeon Waiting on my favorite guard to pop so I can get his armor.  Need money again. Level 26.
5/22/01 working the hills of Qalabar and selling in Glenden Wood
5/27/01 Traveling--running the road from 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Mayoi to Lin to Nanto to Hebian-To to Shoushi to Saweto to Yanshi to Uziz to Samsur.  In Samsur, found the Desert Mine Dungeon, has skeltons, warrior skeltons, captain skelton and one lord skelton.  Nice loot.
5/29/01 Carved my first intricate wooden key for unlocking mnemo stones.
6/1/01 level 27 in Glenden wood collecting money.
6/8/01 In Qalabar at the Lugian Citadel.
6/10/01 Last night I went on two quest, one to the fenmalain crystal quest for a new orb, and the other one for the focusing stone.  


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Today, I went an did the Baron's Amulet quest by myself.
6/13/01 In Mayoi, looking around
6/21/01 got portal tie, finally going to Al Jalima to burn off vitea penalty.
6/24/01 Got two more vassels, Jubei-Kibagami and Exodus Bernan
6/30/01 level 28 Going with Exodus Bernan to get minor stones. Got the stinging stone.
7/7/01 Meeting tonight!
7/11/01 At 65.9S 59.3E  Lost Garden Ruins 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
hunting Shadow children.
7/22/01 Hunting Lugians at the Citadel.
7/23/01 Hunting Lugians at the Citadel.
8/6/01 Level 34
8/11/01Level 35
8/25/01 Level 36
09/09/01 Level 37  have died 203 times, working ne of the Bandit Castle. keep trying to kill the tumeroks.
10/12/01 Level 37 Lugian Citadeal died 212 times. working off vitea. found the tinval lugian entryway se of Qalabar.
11/4/01 Level 38 Died 239times seven today alone, been exploring the new island of Marae Lassel.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
11/25/01 Level 40, died 265, working new island and trying to get the Squire higher in level.
12/02/01 level 40,died 272, working on the vesayen islands in the mosswart nest(77.7S, 87.9E)and Rumby's Hidey Hole(75.9S, 89.1E) Making this notewhile in Holtburg on a selling trip and muling with Squire Juliana and Julithmad.  I have over a million $$ in notes. 
2/9/02 home is now in Lytelthrope, still have no cottage yet. Level 42.
2/16/02 Level 42 Camped at 9.9N 40.8E hoping to purchase this house.
2/23/02 House sold to someone else while i


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
was sleeping. hunting others
2/24/02 No House. Better luck next month!
Going to hunt in the direlands.
Arrow of the Dragon sold his house to me.
He is a fellow Soul Seeker.
3/22/02 Level 44. Looking for a new dungeon to make a home in.  Direlands to rough.  Lots of high level magic users there. OP BSD was not to bad.
Where oh Where to go??
Strength 200
coordination 200 died 306 times


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
03/29/02 Went on Elysa Favor Quest.
Got a pincer from the dark lair dungeon.
03/30/02 Working down on Vesauan Isle collecting money, idol gems, exp level 44
04/08/03 Brought Jamem to the house showed him the book.
04/12/02 Questing for Thorsen's Armor for the house. Been to Cragstone, Eastham, Bashi and now to the undergound city.
04/27/02 Working in the Hall of Metros near Yaraq. Made level 46 today. Died 317 times
05/02/02 Working in the Hall of Metros..
05/15/02 Level 47 Trying to do Elysa Favor quest again.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
5/26/02 Elysa Favor quest completed today. at OP BSD now.level 48 died 340 times.
05/30/02 Level 48 343K to 49. died 343 times. Going to do pincer quest. harvester, gardener. Died doing the soldier pincer.
 06/05/02 Hunting on ML Level 49. died 349. Last time in the South Direlands.
06/08/02 Julithmad is no more, Junias Bravehart is new toon.
06/09/02 Trying to do Nuymina Boon quest, got amulets and book looking for pages. Level 49, died 349.
06/30/02 going to Lin to get some cogs. Level 50.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
7/4/02 level 50, died 356, going to try out the pit dungeon south of stonehold. love the area up here.
7/8/02 Level 50, went to the Tinval Lugian Entryway 76.2S, 28.2E.
7/9/02 Eviscerator Dungeon 53.7N 76.5W pincer quest 3mil exp level 51
7/13/02 going to do all the pincer quests
got the harvester, gardener, died 362. 3 times trying to get the soldier unable to get soldier.
7/14/02 working on the plateau of ML with Cabi's Faith.
7/23/02 met up with Lyman the Lynx 


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
showed him the book. He liked it.  Level 51. Died 368. Trained in Item Tinkering.
hunting a new dungeon again. 
07/27/02 ran to MCNail's for cyruis to turnin idol gem  74.0S 92.2E
08/01/02  Went to the Gelilade Consulate dungeon 61.6S 29.4E. Died 370. Level 52.
08/10/02  did the three towers quest. pincer time again.harvester, gardener,& soldier.Died 376 Level 52. PK night at the mansion watching everyone kill each other.
8/13/02 Level 52. Three towers quest with Jamem tonight.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
9/2/02 Level 53, died 381, tied to lifestone in Holtburg, 2nd portal tie is the Black Spawn Den in Ayan B. Going to do all the pincers that time permits.harvester, gardener died in soldier
9/7/02 died 382, tied lifestone in Rithwic and AB
9/13/02 died 383, level 53 lifestone-AB, Rithwic-LT, working with portal recall tie to Black Spawn Dungeon outside AB-tuskers, virindi.
9/26/02 Level 55, died 398 times, getting pincers, harvester,gardener, soldier too early, legionary...met Bjorn Blackmane fellow soul seeker, added to friends.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
9/28/02 Finished Elysa's Favor Quest. made level 56 tonight at Ayan Black Spawn Den, fighting Tuskers, Virinidi, Rav Drudges. Died a total of 404 times. 
10/09/02 completed the flag quest.
10/18/02 Complete the haunted mansion quest for the evil couch.  
10/19/02 working at Ayan Bryan.
10/20/02 Level 57 8.4 mil  to next level. Died 408 times
10/23/02  Hunting in AB. Died 416 times
10/27/02 Completed Elysa's Favor Quest solo. died a total of 416 times.harvester and gardener pincer quest.
11/02/02 We broke with the Soulseekers.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
11/03/02 Allegience got a new mansion. No name for it yet.
11/07/02 Went to Lytelthorpe and got my lawn drudge and fountain.
11/09/02 Level 58. Legionary pincer.
11/10/02 level 58. died 421 times. Soldier pincer.
11/17/02 Got my Tusker Island T-shirt today. that is a nice dungeon
11/23/02 been exploring old dungeons, went to Mountain Keep and A Ruin out of holtburg and to Catacombs of the Forgotten out of Cragstone, and to Cave out of Eastham and to Slysfear Dungeon out of Zaikhal, now to the Tusker Island.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
11/28/02 Thanksgiving Day---Elysa's favor quest. Level 59.
12/01/02 Level 59. died 439 times. Legionary pincer Quest completed.  Eviscerator pincer quest completed.
12/14/02 Level 61 Died 456 times, in the tusker dungeon that goes to the shrine.
12/15/02 Harvester,Gardener, Soldier pincers.
12/22/02 Paid the rent on the cottage. Did the Gift box Quest. Made level 62.
12/24/02 Trained Creature.
12/26/02 Legionary & Eviscerator pincers quest completed. Elysa Favor quest too.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
01/18/03 Pincer and Harvester pincers.
01/23/03 Cottage Maintenance paid.
01/31/03 Attribute quest done Endurance>Focus
02/03/03 Soldier Pincer, Elysa Favor
03/02/03 Level 64, harvester, gardener pincers. Quiddity ingot quest.
03/11/03 Legionary Pincer., Major Prismatic stone from Martine's Retreat.
03/15/03 Envisorator Pincer. Aerlithe Island with Cabi's Faith, Mothergoose, and Thor the War Hammer. Goldenback Tusk (1.0N 96.9E) Female Tusk (2.0N 97.9E). Elysa Favor Quest completed.  Turned in 3 large 
  


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
unlock Mnemo stones and one small.
03/25/03 Maintenance paid on Cottage.
03/27/03 Soldier pincer.
03/30/03 Level 64, 447947 til 65, died 512 times. base sword is 321, strength 225, endurance 165, coordination 218, Quickness 165, focus 140, self 125.
04/03/03 Level 65, Harvester pincer, Gardener pincer.Legionary pincer.
04/05/03 Level 65, Female, Male, CrimsonBack, Redeemer, Goldenback, Liberator, Slave Tuskers Title Quest Completed.
04/12/03 Elysa Favor Quest.
04/18/03 Went on the Overlord Quest with


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Cabi's Faith, Mothergoose, and Thor the WarHammer--great quest lots of loot.
04/26/03 Assault Sword from Tumerock serpent training camp 1.0S 70.0E.
05/26/03 Gardener, Harvester, Soldier, Eviscerator Pincers.
05/27/03 Elysa Favor Quest.
05/30/03 broke with Cabirus and swore to Darkworlds II.
06/01/03 Sword of Frozen Fury Quest done with Cyruis Steeltear.
06/03/03 Healer's Heart done with Laris Bloodsong and new monarchy.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
06/06/03 legionary pincer. VOD with Darkworlds II, Ice Prop with monarchy group led by Vainamoinen.
06/07/03 Level 68
06/08/03 Slave tusk quest.
06/09/03 Fire Prop quest with group
06/10/03 Sanguinary Aegis shield quest with Cyruis.
06/15/03 Crimsonback, Goldenback, Redeemer tusk quest.
06/16/03 New Darkworlds II monarchy
Level 69
06/21/03 Harvester, Gardener and Soldier, Enviserator pincer.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
06/23/03 Gaerlan's quest. 
07/02/03 new vassal today Locke Surestrike.
07/06/03 Female, Male, Crimsonback, Goldenback tusker quest.
07/08/03 Guard, Liberator, Redeemer tusk quest.
07/12/03 Level 71.
07/18/03 Gardener, Harvester, envisorator Pincers.
07/19/03 Soldier pincer
07/20/03 Party at villa, food provided by GW,, quest to the halls of opposition with Prowl and Evereven, turn in scout note,


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 got 250K exp.
08/03/03 Stifi of the Crimson Stars
08/10/03 Harvester, Gardener, Soldier, Legionary, enviserator Pincer Quest. Female, Male, Crimsonback, Redemeerer, Goldenback, Liberator, Slave and Guard Tusk Quest.
08/17/03 Grommie Banner Quest. Gambling.
08/25/03 Matron Hive armor quest. missing girth.
0109/04 male tusk quest and slave tusk quest.
01/10/04 Gardner, Harvester, and Soldier Pincer quest.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
02/06/04 Guard Tusker quest.
02/07/04 Harvester, Gardener, Soldier pincer.... lots of travelling to get the Font of Jojii
02/15/04 Rent paid level 76.
02/20/04 Enviscerator Pincer. Level 77.
02/21/04 Sword of Lost Hope Quest 10mil exp.
02/22/04 Level 78
03/14/04 Guard Tusk Quest.
07/09/04 Warrior pincer. Slave Tusk.
07/10/04 SOLH quest. Aerelle Island - Dark Lady Quest
07/11/04 Gardener


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
08/01/04 Bobo's Quest for scroll
0817/04 Level 83
09/10/04 Level 85 off on the Bobo's Quest with David the Bear.
11/21/04 level 90. Enviscerator, gardener, soldier pincer.  Slave, Guard, Silver tusker quest.
12/03/04 Bobo Quest.
12/07/04 Legionary Pincer.
12/10/04 Need 3 more Untamed Siraluun feathers for a dress and 2 more Kithless feathers for a dress.
12/11/04 Turned in Siraluun feathers in Timarhu for a dress.


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
12/19/04 Male, Female, Crimsonback, Goldenback, Liberator, Slave, Guard Tusker Quest. Harvester and worker Pincer quest.
01/01/05 Broodu (#3) and Keerik (#4) Burun king quest.
01/09/05 Kiree (#2) Burun King quest.
01/11/05  Queen's Quest with Tosh doing the killing.
02/12/05 Lugian robe, fur and coda quest.
06/05/05  Level 101.  Harvester, Gardener, Worker, Soldier, Warrior, Legionary, Enviserator  Pincer quest. Back to the Withering to find another level
07/03/05 harvester pincer, elysa favor, niffis


author_Name: Juliana Bravehart
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
walll quest, healer heart
12/24/2014 Return to Dereth, level 106. Many changes almost like a new start.
12/27/14 - level 107
12/30/14 - level 113


author_Name: Aziz al-Jamal
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Lin is located around 55s 73e
Tou-Tou from Lin    54s 73.9e
Patron's mule spot in GW 28n 28e
subway 34.9n 54.5e
al-jalima 7.1n 4.5e
weird steam tower 26.4s 97e
blue plant possible 40.4 95.1
Fort of the path 48.7s 60 e
Lin to Kara near 56.5s  67.9e
Lin Citadel  56.6 S  66.8 E
Fort Wirtshire 24.9N 37.7E
Chosen of Asheron 23.6n 49.1e
Cragstone to Hebian-to 25.4n 47.8e
cool fort with good huntin 34.3s 80.7e
north woods to glendon  36.7n  29.1 e


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
     First, get yourself to Arwic. You're on your own there - if you can't do that much, might as well give up now.
     Once you're there, go north. Don't stop till you reach the mountains.


author_Name: Holtburg Dungeon Directions
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
A portal to an old dungeon, dating back centuries, lies in the marsh northwest of Holtburg. Rats, drudges, and other fell beasts dwell within. Rumors say the deepest sections are dangerous for the inexperienced (I know not what lurks there), but thankfully that area has apparently been locked off. Only the hardy should dare go into those depths.  By the way, you may find a strange key in your explorations.  No one here quite knows what it's for, but a woman named Iquba was asking an awful lot of questions about it recently. She lives in Qalaba'r, and she may know more.


author_Name: Holtburg Portal Directions
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
To find the portal to Rithwic, follow the south road out of Holtburg, but keep going when you reach the second bend.


author_Name: Iquba al-Julmud, Qalaba'r
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
R WARD fo  t e mys eriou  keys t at can be fo nd  in m ny of the du geon  upon this island, e peci lly those near s ch towns l ke Hol bur , R thwic, Yanshi, and so on.  The six keys are nee ed in a certain spe ial pl ce far aw y, f r the gre t Sw rd.... Come s e m  t      .


author_Name: Iquba al-Julmud, Qalaba'r
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Have you seen the beasts called Outcast Monougas? Well, if you see smaller monougas, you may wish to run in fear, for the smaller are more ferocious! I've seen them in the Carved Caves and the Pit. Did you get my note about where Stonehold is? Stonehold was a false path. Tibri knows the real way.


author_Name: An odd note
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
...I just didn't have enough of the keys! Oh, how I kicked myself for not having bought that seventh key from the desperate adventurer. I thought only six were needed. The journey to that accursed dungeon was long and hard, through dry and dangerous lands that I could never have imagined when I first arrived. How long have I quested for that lost sword! If only I had listened to Iquba! 


author_Name: An old note
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
...Have you met the long-dead Archmage whose selections and prices are nigh unbeatable? Alas, but that Archmage is not easy to find, and the mountain tower is well guarded. You asked also about Stonehold.  It is at 68.9 N, 21.7 W. Quite a ways away. Are you sure you need to go there? I thought you were happy tending bar in Qalaba'r.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Letter from Alatar

I leave these notes for future adventurers to find.  I, Alatar Locke, have been here, after many long journeys.  In my studies of this place, I have come to the conclusion that long ago, these halls witnessed a long and sad struggle against darkness; hence, I name this sad and forsaken place The Halls of Lost Light.

(more)


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
These very halls are where some desperate group tried to hide their most valuable weapon, a particular sword of great properties.  But the group perished, and their corpses became enchanted by evil magic (or so I surmise).  May their souls rest in peace!  In the meantime, should you reach the end of these now-cursed halls, make sure that you are well prepared to meet a terrible challenge!


author_Name: Legend of the Undead Defender
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Some people say that undead monsters are the result of resurrection magic gone horribly wrong.  In any case, there's a legend of an unknown, unnamed person who died protecting his friends during a trip into what was once called the Syliph Dungeon.  Now, they say, only that person's corpse defends the bodies of his friends, mindlessly fighting all those who come!  The dungeon must surely be very unpleasant.  Legend has it the name was changed to "Sylsfear" or something like that. Supposedly it's somewhere near Mount Alphus.


author_Name: Alphus Range Directions
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Have you heard of the Mount Alphus Range? It lies between Glenden Wood and Zaikhal, and is quite a ways north of Samsur. There is a series of mountains, and it is said quite a number of dungeons are nearby. In fact, some of the dungeons take one to the very top of the mountains! 

If you explore the one within the mountain called Bellig, around 17.8N, 16.0E, you may find a zombie with an unusual hammer. Be careful, for that area is said to be extremely dangerous! Not a place for newcomers to explore, by any means!


author_Name: Rumor
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
One of the barkeeps in one of the towns knows more about the keys newcomers collect, or so I hear. I don't recall which town, though. I know only that it is not one of the towns where newcomers arrive, nor was it a capital city, but it was very prosperous, and I seem to remember that it was a Gharu town.


author_Account: prewritten
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A Scribbled Note

Sylsfear, the fear of Syliph!  How I have come to know these mountains like the back of my own hand, not that I will always tell of what I know.  I remember the adventuring group that, as full of pride and laughter as I once was, sought to conquer the Syliph Dungeon.  Ha!  They never came back, and they had gone when too often resurrection meant more often than not becoming undead.  I have not seen them since, and I have seen travelers come here aplenty.  Many regret coming to these mountains.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
A Scribbled Note

Have you found this note?  Then perhaps I will deign to tell you of the locking door in the Sylsfear dungeon.  It will lock you in, mark my words, lest you keep your wits about you!  Ha, it serves those right who venture where they do not belong, to suffer the consequences of their prideful actions!  But I speak too much, perhaps, from my own bitterness.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
A Scribbled Note

I care not who finds these any more.  Oh, my beloved, why did you have to go alone down that corridor?  I have locked off that dangerous area; see, I even have the key!  I only sell the key to those who think they are true explorers.  So only the foolish will now go into that deadly section, where you met your lonely fate.  But never mind!  Your footsteps echo only in my memory, which I know is poisoned with bitterness.  Let the adventurers adventure; let them die, resurrect, and come back.  I wait alone, here on Alphus, knowing someday I shall die and be with you again.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Three center rooms has Green Mire; center rooms Green Mire has three.  You should first go up before you can go down.  And remember to collect the keys!
 


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
May our warrior rest in peace here in the Green Mire, in this dungeon where he bravely fought and died.  May the Dragon protect him, the Unicorn bless him, and the Firebird lead him to the highest heaven!
 


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Personal Note:

Note to myself: Dungeon found in Green Mire wherein Sho hero was killed; now called Green Mire Grave.  Don't know what lies in deepest levels.  Must leave now; will come back and seek the other keys.  Surely some monster has picked up the key for the lowest door, too.  Dratted, wretched beasts!
 


author_Name: Dryreach Rumor
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The town of Dryreach is under seige by tumeroks! What are tumeroks doing in this part of the island? The people of the town are holding out for the moment, but they'll sure appreciate any food you can get to them. The gates are locked, so you'll need the Dryreach Key.


author_Name: Rumor about Trothyr's Rest
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Long ago, I had a friend named Trothyr.  A mighty warrior was he; I heard once that he was among the first to join up with Elysa Strathelar's band.  But years ago he was slain, all alone, in a dungeon since known as Trothyr's Rest.  Why did he go alone?  I do not know, save that he whispered to me that he feared a diabolical device lay at the bottom of Trothyr's Rest.  

(more)


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
He was full of fear and muttered something about the swelling ranks of evil, so he went in haste and secrecy.  That was Trothyr's way; hot-headed and overly proud was he, as well as quick to suspect evil and treachery without proof.


I found him just inside the entrance.  He had been mortally wounded by a lord of the undead, he told me, and had crawled back to seek me.  With his dying breath, he said also that he had been to the dungeon's bottom, and had there been both relieved and angered.  

(more)


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
There, he said, lay a sure sign of Asheron's forgiveness to what he called murderers.  Then he spoke no more, and I buried him myself under the open sky.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Letter of Request

The Naqib of Suntik hereby requests all available mercenaries to assist in purging our land of the fierce Monougas. Our stronghold, located 16.2N x 4.4E, is under siege and supplies are low. Monougas are climbing a ridge near 18.5N x 3.6E and following it to our village. We can not hold out for long and our only hope is that this letter is found by a band of mercenaries with the will to help.    


author_Name: Y. L.
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Beware!  For you are on a path to a terrible change, a path that will take you out of the protection that Asheron provides.  If you proceed and triumph, your victory may become your defeat, for you will become vulnerable to the attacks of others like yourself.  But of course, if it is your desire to live free, and do unto others as you would dare them to do unto yourself... then come!


author_Name: Dungeon Binar Directions
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
To the south of Samsur, past the row of statues, at the base of a hill, is Dungeon Binar.  Within its walls is rumored to be a fine collection of Gharu'ndim weaponry and armor, from the earliest days of our arrival in Dereth.  Of course, the treasure is guarded by all manner of creatures, both weak and frighteningly strong, so you must be careful.


author_Name: Note to Celcynd
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
My dear Celcynd, I won't forget the stars over Mt. Esper.  I - oh, I don't know why I'm writing this.  I don't think I will ever send this to you.  It will be better for the both of us.  But should this letter ever reach you, Celcynd, do not keep the ring.  Give it away.  Maybe even give it to Mindorla.  I don't think I could ever really be that serious.


author_Name: Mindorla's Letter to Celcynd
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
My dear Celcynd, maybe you're right, and we should talk some more.  I am sending you this letter in the hopes that perhaps we can let go the follies of the past and start anew.  Of course, it will be hard for me to forgive you, but I am sure that something can be worked out.


author_Name: Wilomine
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
It's said that the Tumeroks who laid siege to Holtburg in the year 6 used the Cave of Alabree as their base of operations. The cave sits in the lowlands just south of the road that runs west out of town, at 41.8N 32.0E.

Some folks go up there looking for loot that might have been left behind. It's rumored that one of Brogord's axes ended up there. The cave is also used by the Explorer Society these days. But beware of the Shreth pack that moved in!


author_Name: Jhong Mi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Listen to the sound of the falling leaves
Slipping quietly to the beds below
They fear nothing and make no cry
Why do we resist death so much?
We will just be returning
To where we have been growing toward
And we will find rest at last.
Listen to the sound of falling leaves.


author_Name: Jhong Mi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
If the mad spinning of the dust devils
Yields nothing
Creates nothing
Changes nothing
Returns to mere dust
Why act as the dust devil,
Spinning so madly in place?


author_Name: Jhong Mi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The fools look upon the world and see only pleasure
The lost look upon the world and see only pain
The wise look upon the world and see their work cut out for them.


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Dereth can be a dangerous place - you must learn how to defend yourself! 

First, prepare for battle. Click on the backpack button to open your Inventory Panel.  Drag a weapon (if you have one) from your inventory to the WEAPON SLOT, marked with a double-bladed axe.

If needed, you can also drag ammunition to the AMMO SLOT marked with an arrow. 


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Click the button with a DOVE to enter Combat Mode, which displays the Combat Bar. 

Select a target by CLICKING on it, or on its dot on the compass. 

Finally, click on the appropriate ATTACK HEIGHT (low, medium, or high) to execute your attack. Some creatures are more vulnerable to attacks of certain heights.


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
The three bars at the top of the screen show your Health, Stamina and Mana (magical energy). Click on them to see their numeric values. 

If you run out of stamina, your attacks will be weak.  If you run out of health, you will die! Your target's health is displayed below its name in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Now attack one of the Sparring Golems. Retrieve an Academy Token from its corpse and give it to the Training Master.


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
If you are trained in any form of magic, you need to know how to cast spells.

To see what spells you have (if any), click the circular green button with a wand on it to open your spellbook.

To see what a spell does, RIGHT-CLICK the spell name to appraise it.


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
To cast a spell, go to the Inventory Panel, and drag your wand onto your WEAPON SLOT. Then click the dove icon to display the Spellcasting Bar. 

Select the spell you want from the spellcasting bar, then select a target (if needed), then click the Cast button. You can select targets by clicking on them in the world or by clicking on their icon in the radar.

Try casting spells on yourself or on the Sparring Golems in this room! 


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
Watch the blue MANA bar at the top of the screen.  If it runs out, you can't cast spells. 

Casting a spell requires a spellcasting foci and components--scarabs, and prismatic tapers. If these components are consumed by a spell, you can buy new ones in town.

Now attack one of the Sparring Golems. Retrieve an Academy Token from its corpse and give it to the Training Master.


author_Name: LIFESTONES SIGN
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
This is a Lifestone.  DOUBLE-CLICK on it to use it.  If your character dies, he or she will return to life at the last Lifestone you used.  If you are not very strong, do not use a Lifestone in dangerous territory.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Khaymahlai
The sun then descended back into the springs of the world, and the moon began to ascend in her place.  The evening clouds over the darker limb of the land muttered and answered each other in blue and white flashes.  Ma'yani floated along the courses of the river, the sky filling with jewels beyond the ken of any Malik.  The greenery dropped away, and the face of the brown water was sprinkled with fine dust, and Ma'yani knew then that this was the edge of the great Naqut, which divides the land of Milantos from the decaying Roulean Empire.  Here it was that the people known as Gharu'ndim lived and live.

(more)


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
On the edge of the bank there appeared a village, beaten to a pale brown by the sun.  On the bank sat a traveler, who dipped a skin into the river, filled it, and brought it to his lips.

As he sat, drinking, a pillar of steam erupted from the ground, and demon Hayyaz stepped out of the steam, and was the steam.  The traveler looked upon the form of the demon, but merely continued to drink.

(more)


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
'This village is mine, stranger,' said Hayyaz.  'If you wish to drink my water and live, you must do me homage.'  From the shadowed doorways, the lost eyes of children and women reflected torchlight.

'Indeed,' said the traveler, 'if this water is yours, then I have truly done you wrong.'

'It is mine,' said the demon, 'and I do not yet see the back of your neck.'


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
'Forgive me,' the traveler said, and rose to his feet.  'I am new to these lands.  I shall return that which I have taken unearned.'  And at that, he doused the demon Hayyaz with the water from his skin, and with a terrible cry, it was no more.

The traveler then sat beside the stream again, and drew more water into his skin.  'Now,' he said, 'I have earned it.'  So saying, he drank deeply of the river.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
A woman, frail from sun and work, stumbled from the nearest hut, and cried, 'Who are you, who has delivered us?'

'I am Rakhil al-Khur,' the traveler said.  'I go north to Roulea.  Will you follow me?'

As the people swore their loyalty to the traveler, Ma'yani was swept around a bend in the river, and saw the village no more.


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
You can hold down the MOUSE WHEEL BUTTON and drag your mouse to change your view.

On your NUMERIC KEYPAD, the [Keypad 0] key resets your view, and [Keypad .] key shifts to a first-person view.

The numeric keypad has many other camera controls -  try them out! Remember to press [Keypad 0] to reset your view. 


author_Name: Fanzen San
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Introduction

In the 10th year of our exile, the world cooled, and snows swept across the face of Dereth. At that time, many valiant heroes fought their way into the vaults of ancient Frore, in hopes of rescuing the lost exploration party of Sir Joffre Tremblant, late of Arwic. Foucault, Ali-Zaboo and the other Orion Hunters, Shao, Keth al-Sheth, and other brave adventurers fought through scores of Gelidite necromancers. In the end, the tortured soul of Sir Tremblant was laid to rest, and The Great Work of the Gelidites,


author_Name: Fanzen San
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
a magical artifact of uncertain origin, lay shattered at the flaming heart of Frore. With its destruction, warmth returned to the world.

Here Abrim of Morningthaw recounts the perils he and Kyoujin faced in the bowels of the lost city. The blessings of the Dragon, Firebird, and Unicorn watch over them - over all who descended to the frozen hell of that dread metropolis. Without your sacrifice, we should have faced a still, cold doom. Your names shall be held in honor forevermore, the first champions of a new era in Dereth.


author_Name: Abrim of Morningthaw
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I knew the end was near.  For good or bad, I had come to the end of my journey.  I grieved the loss of my friend Kyoujin, his body broken by the denizens of this cold, dark place.  I knew he would be all right, the magic  of the lifestone had captured his spirit, protecting him against true death, but it was small consolation to me as I stood there over his body, wondering how I could go on alone.


author_Name: Abrim of Morningthaw
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
This was my not my first attempt to unravel the mysteries of this Lost City of Frore. The last, I had come alone, and had been thwarted by the locks of the City. The Gelidites took great pains in preserving their privacy, in designing and constructing this place. I wandered, cold, and lost, for a long time before finally using my magic to escape the darkness, planning to return again.


author_Name: Abrim of Morningthaw
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Return I did, this time accompanied by Kyoujin, an aspiring mage who also had some skill with locks. Together, we sought to bring an end to the bitter winter that blankets Dereth, not fully understanding the danger of this place, and the power of the forces within. Together we fought against the undying guardians of this place, and had won our way into the City. Deeper and deeper we ran, finally coming face to face with Tremblant himself, now transformed into a hideous monster, his dead body reanimated by some evil magic.


author_Name: Abrim of Morningthaw
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Kyoujin was no match for him: Tremblant had broken him, and had almost destroyed me as well, before I finally managed to bring him down.

Now, as I stood before this doorway, the blistering heat from within was almost welcome in this otherwise frigid place. I feared in my heart that I might suffer the same fate as Tremblant, doomed forever to guard this dark place.


author_Name: Abrim of Morningthaw
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
As I stood there, I relived the long journey that had brought me here in my mind: the quest for Tremblant's party, seeking out the pieces of the mystic rune transcription, the warnings of the translators, the long run to the Plateau.

A sound from within roused me from my thoughts. The Great Work, perhaps sensing my presence, had begun to stir.


author_Name: Abrim of Morningthaw
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The time had come for me to face this final challenge. As I opened the door, the heat from within washing over me in waves, I sent a silent prayer to the Poet, that my death might have meaning.


author_Name: Nurbaha bint Dah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Jilsaya,

This adventurer was able to recover one of mother's knives.  You should ask for help acquiring that drink you like so much.
 


author_Name: Sarqah bint Ak
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Hail,

This adventurer recovered a Drudge Charm for me, and could probably help you find that drink you were looking for.
 


author_Name: Nasun and Ahyara
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Lovely Mara,

We have had news of fortune's munificence to you.  Accept our compliments in this happy time.

- Nasun ibn Tifar

What he said.

- Ahyara


author_Name: Abmim ibn Ibsar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ma'yad,

I pray that this note will find you well. This assignment I took from old Akyafi the Translator is boring, but in truth I welcome the task for it has given me time to think.

I realize now that I was wrong; this life that I have chosen may give the appearance of freedom, but it is a freedom born of exile and loneliness. I miss you, and more, I miss the times we spent together, you and I, with our father. 


author_Name: Abmim ibn Ibsar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Do you think that if I renounce my old life he will welcome me back? Or ... if not welcome, then tolerate? I would speak with him again, and not in anger this time, but in love, and I would respect his advice and the wisdom of his years. 

I am going to investigate the Pillars of the Inner Sea now. When I am done with this task, I will come to your tent and we will talk. 

Yours in family,
Abmim


author_Name: Unknown author, translated by Akyafi ibn Sumwar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
you that come after here we meet air walkers say come from between-place made strong us made dark us want strong wait you here come be strong never fear small eyes with hit things never be run away made come they leave talking-star to call you 


author_Name: Cambarth
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
22nd of Seedsow, 15th Year of Exile

The deal with "Sarvaen" continues to be most profitable.  Today I received three chests of his peerlessly wrought sapphires.  Best of all, he remains ignorant of the Pool's existence.  What a sending of the Hope Bringer!  Money from Sarvaen, money from the desperate who hear of the Pool's remarkable ability.  Brelax, that impossible idiot, blithely said to Sarvaen today that, "It does not matter that we have never seen your face."  Cursed fool!  I beat him soundly.


author_Name: Cambarth
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Brelax and I today finished work on our Lord's altar.  Such a beauteous thing!  After so long hidden away in that lost crypt we found, the words of the Hope Bringer are once again worshipped openly, in the places where men walk.  Most of the guards have joined us in celebration. The miners must remain ignorant, for now.  They work hard, but I would not trust them all which this freedom, this new-found feeling of strength and invulnerability.

Blast.  Again, the mountain quakes.  It has been doing so since Sarvaen left this afternoon.  I hope it doesn't interfere with our next delivery.


author_Name: The Full Code of Pwyll
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"It not for all of the people to walk the path of high honor. For some it is enough that they follow the path of low justice. But we, as knights, shall take the high road."  - High King Pwyll

It is to the great sorrow of the historians that so few texts have been brought over from Aluvia, our homeland.  Hence here we present Instructions on the Code of High King Pwyll, a primer to be used by those of good understanding to instruct those of who have not been given a firm grounding in these just and true rules.


author_Name: The Full Code of Pwyll
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The first Five are the Path of Low Justice, which are usually sufficient for the commoner, the weak, and the lowly.  The second Five are the Path of High Justice, which are to be observed by all those of noble or knightly bearing, in addition to the Five rules of Low Justice.  For those who have little are capable of little; those who have much are capable of much.  But lest a knight be made too proud by his station and possessions, he must remember that Kings show favor to those who prove themselves capable of much, even if they seem to be lacking in gifts.  For that which makes a man great are things not always visible to the eye.


author_Name: The Full Code of Pwyll
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The simple text is for those of little learning and rude reasoning.  For nobles and knights who require a deeper understanding of these laws of justice, here is the full text of the Code of High King Pwyll:

1. Work your lord's will in all things, for he must look upon the whole land and see that wrong is put right.

2. Guard the weak, for they cannot guard themselves.


author_Name: The Full Code of Pwyll
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
3. Guard the young, for they are our future.  Even the inexperienced young squire may one day become a lord.

4. Slay no one for doing a thing unto you that you would have done unto him, for one day you might die in the same manner.


author_Name: The Full Code of Pwyll
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
5. Obey and honor those above your station, for as they stand above you, so do they keep the sword from falling upon your head.  All parts are necessary for the whole.

6. Treat not lesser persons with dishonor, for as they stand below you, they form the very ground that supports your feet.  All parts are necessary for the whole.


author_Name: The Full Code of Pwyll
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
7. Let your word be your bond, for when stripped of steel and cloth and youth, a knight has nothing else.

8. Grant succor where you may, for as the need of others is made less, so too the burden of the knight is made less.


author_Name: The Full Code of Pwyll
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
9. Be fair in all judgments, for you too may you one day be judged.  Justice has no mouth with which to speak and no hands with which to enforce the laws, so we must be her eyes and we must act as her hands.

10. Let nothing stand in the way of justice: the word of the law is not always its intent.  Let your judgments be tempered by circumstance, lest you punish wrongly.


author_Name: The Full Code of Pwyll
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
When teaching those of low aspirations and lowly station the Code of High King Pwyll, it is necessary only to teach the first Five rules, as simply as possible.  See to it that such a one obeys to the best of his ability, as crude as such may be.  A true noble or knight, however, should know all Ten, along with the full explanation and the deeper meanings behind the words.  The rules should be engraved upon his heart and mind, and upon the very sinews of his arm.  Justice is the finest of all blades, when tempered with wisdom and the Code of High King Pwyll.


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
My dear historian, I must confess that I nearly sent your request back to you with a simple refusal.

Yet, the more I reflected, the more it seemed somehow fitting that I should be the one to write about the vast halls known as the "Underground City."  I have a private name for it: "Thorsten Cragstone's Tomb."  However, he himself always called it the Underground City, even when only seven of us lived there!

So, then, here I will write for you the story of the Underground City.


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Thorsten and I, with our tiny band of escaped slaves, came to the little island and its hidden city quite by accident.  Olthoi had been following our scent for days, and we had crossed the river in the hopes of confusing them.  Soon after, it was Thorsten who spotted a portal in the distance.  Together, we plotted how we would lay our scent trails to confuse the Olthoi.  After hours of painstaking back-tracking, all seven of us slipped into the portal, and we found ourselves on an island that we ascertained to be in the middle of Olthoi Lake.  


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Then, too tired to explore further, and worried that our back-tracking would not be enough, we waited that night in tense anticipation of arriving Olthoi.  But none came.  We had lost them!

Here on the island, protected on all sides by water, we would be safe, finally, from Olthoi patrols.  Now we could rest, gather our strength, and plan for the future.

We soon set about exploring the island.  That is when we found yet another portal amidst the trees.  Hesitantly, Thorsten and I entered.  We came out in a vast, cool, dark hall.  


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
At first we expected to hear the chittering of angry Olthoi, but we soon realized the still air lacked the characteristic smell of Olthoi.

With growing excitement, we set about exploring the corridors.  Even the darkest corners seemed to leap up with joy to see our torchlight.

Room after room we found, complete with still-usable remnants of simple tables, beds, chairs; we found cooking areas and dining areas, and halls wide enough to keep livestock.  


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Long ago, we guessed, people had lived here.  Perhaps not the most wealthy of people, but people nonetheless.  And where people had lived before, we could live now.

Thorsten could hardly contain his joy when we were at last satisfied that no other living creature moved within.  "An underground city!" he shouted.  "A new capital for free humans, from where we can plot the overthrow of the Olthoi!"
 


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
So it was that we moved into the Underground City.  Our numbers slowly grew, for we would sneak back to the mainland in search of other escaped slaves, then bring them back with us.  In the City, we repaired the furniture that we found, or made our own. 

We explored the halls and gathered what weapons and tools we could.  We stockpiled food and weapons.  We trained our people in warfare.  We began making plans.


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Those were happy days, of laughter and song and hope.  The laughter was strained, the song was born of desperation, and the hope too often tasted of madness, but nonetheless, we were living free.

We spun illusory dreams about us as we talked: dreams of green pastures and running water, sturdy houses built upon sunlit hills...and the walls of the Underground City seemed almost to lean toward us as if listening, as if delighted to hear the sounds of life and hope once more.


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The rest of the story is already known, and I shall not repeat it.  I will only write of what befell the halls of the Underground City after the Olthoi were finally vanquished.

Thorsten's body we brought back to the Underground City, which for so long had been our shelter, fortress, and home.  The coffin we laid in a chamber fit for a king's final resting place.


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
For some reason, I had thought the Underground City would become what it had once obviously been: a bustling city of people.  For awhile, it was almost such.  But I was, in the end, wrong.  Few who remembered the horror of Olthoi enslavement wanted to continue living underground.  

And once a few houses had been built upon the land, under the bright sky, and once I had slept in a bed by a window and had awoken to sunlight upon my face, I knew that I, too, could no longer live in the darkness.

Long days have passed since then, since Thorsten's passing...


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I believe that Thorsten's soul is now free; that he is elsewhere now, perhaps even at High King Pwyll's side.  Olthoi Lake is now known as Lake Blessed; the island is now called the Isle of Tears.  Thorsten even has a town named for him, right on the shores of Lake Blessed.  But it still pains me when I hear of what has become of his burial place, the Underground City.


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
For years it lay abandoned once more.  Reports came that monsters had taken up residence within it.  I sent soldiers to clear it, but soon after this was done, new monsters moved in.

And so it is even now.  Some people have asked my leave to try to live there, but most of them have since given up.  I believe a handful still survive there, but I have not had the liberty to go see for myself.  Indeed, I am too busy tending to other matters: the affairs of state, of a land of rolling green pastures and running water, of sturdy houses built upon sunlit hills.


author_Name: Elysa Strathelar
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
So, that is the story of the Underground City.  I trust you to see that this story, and others like it, are not lost.

Finally, I say to you: seek the City out if you wish to; bow in respect at Thorsten Cragstone's tomb.  Remember the sacrifices of the past,  but more importantly, remember the promises of the future.  

Elysa Strathelar


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
So who is this, that wishes to write down my tale of the dark days of when we were enslaved to the Olthoi?  A historian?  To make sure none of it is lost?  A noble goal, though I should hope that, with only twenty years' history, there isn't much to lose yet.  All right, then, I will speak slowly.  You take care to write what I say without error.  See that you miss nothing.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
My first memory is of stirring the pots.  Big, stone-like vats that came up to my chin at the time.  Soup pots, my mother called them, and it took me years of normal village life to come to think of simmering meat and vegetables as soup, instead of those grey-green vats of liquid stench.  At least, I am told the soup pots smelled horrible.  I myself cannot smell very well; I grew up in the midst of too much that smelled of Olthoi.  Even now I can scarce tell you whether a fire burns nearby, or if the bread is scorched; neither can I smell the fields in flower.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
So, then, soup pots were those containers of gruel that Olthoi would take to their grubs; the grubs, which we called white worms, would bathe in and consume it.  I am sure you have heard this from other old-timers already.  I didn't actually see very much of this, but I was told about it by braver and older souls who had managed to snatch quick glimpses.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I grew up stirring soup pots with rounded long stirring sticks.  You see, if you left the gruel sit too long, it would grow a thick skin on top, which would not dissolve again.  And if you left it far too long, it would grow fuzzy and turn strange colors  - or so they said.  So you had to watch carefully and stir often.  For while the Olthoi tolerated some laziness, any failures were met with instant reprisal.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I remember seeing a woman who had fallen asleep beside her soup pot; something in the brew must have alerted the Olthoi, for they came swarming in with their claws swinging, and all I remember from there is a lot of blood.  Such scenes were common, especially since we were so often exhausted.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Yes, the Olthoi had no reason to treat us well, for many of us were still arriving into this world.   We were an endless supply of labor for them.  Some have questioned us, saying we could not have done so much work for a creature that cannot speak to us or order us about.  Yet, I tell you, we learned.  And once a few of us had learned what to do to please our masters, we quickly taught it to the newcomers, lest they be killed immediately.  


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Of course, many newcomers still tried to fight, and they met a quick and bloody end.  And any bodies were added to the soup pots.  The only fortunate thing amidst all of this is that the Olthoi had no taste for fresh meat itself, despite rumors to the contrary.  Thus we were spared becoming like cattle.  Instead, we were slaves.

Thus we were like men enslaved by monstrous ants.  You have probably heard that before, too.  The irony is apparently worse for those who remember our homelands clearly.  My mother, after her freeing, could no longer abide the sight of ants.  


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
She delighted to step on them, especially the big black ones, to spread their innards across the ground and to watch their legs and mandibles twitch helplessly and grow slowly more feeble.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Oh, of course you would wish to know about how we were freed.  I must have been about five when Elysa Strathelar and Thorsten Cragstone finally brought us freedom.  There had been rumors of a revolt for some time; I remember the adults murmuring about it amongst themselves.  Oh yes, we could talk; it was a blessing that the Olthoi could not understand human speech, and did nothing to stop it unless it grew too loud.  


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
But anyway, despite the rumors, news from outside was hard to come by, and the revolt itself must have taken many by surprise.  I clearly recall the cheers and the screams when first the fighting reached us, when we first saw the fallen corpses of Olthoi and men together.

I remember a woman's voice shouting above the battle, exhorting the able-bodied to take up whatever weapons we could find and to stand against the Olthoi masters.  I think it was the voice of Elysa Strathelar herself.  


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
And I also remember how there were some men and women dressed in gleaming armor, and wielding blades that glowed with magic.  Whence those came from, I myself do not know, but I am sure you have heard rumors enough about that.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
My mother immediately joined the revolt.  She snatched up a dagger from a fallen man and tied it to her stirring stick.  I followed her through some long corridors until we came to a vast lake of gruel - or so it seemed to me - and I remember how she slit open every white worm she could reach, piercing them through and shredding them apart while she laughed and cried at the same time.  Then she left me in the care of an older child, and she went running after the others.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
She later told me that she reached the deepest chamber of the Olthoi nest, where Elysa Strathelar and Thorsten Cragstone battled the giant Queen of the Olthoi.  I have wished many times since that I could have seen that battle, but I do know I am glad I did not see the terrible and final blow that struck Thorsten Cragstone.  That I am glad to have missed, and I wish it had never happened.  But I did hear they fought valiantly, to make High King Pwyll himself proud.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Yes, it is quite true that when the Queen of the Olthoi was slain, the entire Olthoi race was thrown into disorder.  I saw our once intently watchful masters now running in mindless circles, or curled up and quivering upon their backs, or aimlessly cutting at empty air.  


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Of course they are not quite so mindless now, but they have never returned to their former intelligence since their Queen's death.  So it was that back then, right after her demise, they were quite mad with confusion, and we could walk right past many with no harm, or kill them with relative ease.

But we survivors retrieved all the fallen human bodies that we could - we even pulled some decaying ones from the soup pots - and we carried or dragged them to the surface for proper burial.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
We came out into the open air at dawn; for some of us, it was the first real exposure to the above-ground world.  Had my mother not described sunlight to me, surely I would have been just as terrified as some of the other children.  But I remember standing in the brilliant light upon an open grassy field, just staring and staring and staring.  Dreamlike, is the only way I can describe it.  Like entering a whole new world.


author_Name: The Days of the Olthoi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Would I go to our homelands, to Aluvia, you ask?  I should like to visit, if ever such a thing were to become possible.  I have no memories of it at all, though my mother certainly told me of its wonders: the great cities, the vast seas.  Yet I still remember the wondrous feeling of standing in that open field, blinking at that first dawn.  And, of course, I have lived my entire life here, helping to fight off the beasts and settle the land.  I think, perhaps, that I will stay here.


author_Name: Writings of Jhong Mi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Listen to the sound of the falling leaves

Slipping quietly to the beds below

They fear nothing, and make no cry

Why do we resist death so much?

We will just be returning

To where we have been growing toward

And we will find rest at last.

Listen to the sound of falling leaves.


author_Name: Writings of Jhong Mi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
If the mad spinning of the dust devils

Yields nothing

Creates nothing

Changes nothing

Returns to mere dust

Why act as the dust devil,

Spinning so madly in place?


author_Name: Writings of Jhong Mi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The fools look upon the world and see only pleasure

The lost look upon the world and see only pain 

The wise look upon the world and see their work cut out for them.


author_Name: Writings of Jhong Mi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The hasty rushing to and fro to fight, pry, claim, and steal

This land called Dereth, where so many perish in the daily strife...

Why have we been brought, to such a place of discord

Where even...

(unfinished)


author_Name: Four Stones and Three Elders
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Much has been written on the relationship between the Four Stones and the three Elders, and on the legend that Mankind is the fourth Elder.  Especially since teachers have begun to say that three of the Stones correspond to the three Elders, more and more have begun to say that Mankind is also an Elder because there are four stones.


author_Name: Four Stones and Three Elders
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Nothing could be further from the truth!  The very foundations of this philosophy are mistaken.

When Jojii wrote of Four Stones, he did not originally mean for them to become associated with the three Elders.  Though almost every monastery will teach this, it is false.


author_Name: Four Stones and Three Elders
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Four Stones of Humility, Discipline, Compassion, and Detachment are complete in themselves.  They need no ties to the Elders.  The sum total of this path is the very path to Heaven that Jojii taught, which is not the same as the so-called Path of the Dragon, or the Path of the Unicorn, or the Path of the Firebird.


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Once upon a time, as Koji traveled the land of Ryujii with her tachi, she decided to go pray at the great statue of Jojii at the capital.  Near the city, she found a Temple of the Dragon of Power beside the road.  At the time, Koji mistrusted the Dragon of Power, for everyone taught how fickle the Dragon was, but she stopped at the Temple to rest for the night anyway.


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Toward midnight, the sky suddenly flashed with light, and rain began to fall.  Koji peered outside the temple and watched as a great white serpent descended to the ground.

"I am Bairyuu, servant to the Dragon," said the white serpent.  "The Dragon has heard that you are a wise young woman of exceptional skill.  The Dragon now gives you a portion of the Dragon's own Power, as a test of your Discipline."


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
But Koji remembered the Dragon's fickleness.  "But, oh Bairyuu," she said, "I do not seek power.  I do not want it."

Bairyuu laughed.  "You have been given Power to call whenever you will, and you shall keep this Power for five years.  At the end, the Dragon will speak with you to see which of you has won - you or Power, Temptation or Discipline.  If you fail, the Dragon will devour you alive."


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Koji bowed her head and said, "Then I will conquer myself in those five years, that I may win over Power.  I shall not use it in those five years, lest I lose to Temptation."  And so it was the Koji started down the path of Discipline.


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
For five years, Koji trained herself in mind and body and heart.  At the end of five years, Koji was traveling back to the Dragon Temple near the capital.  Along the way, she came to a mountain.  She could not go around, for to either side were rivers, and so she had to climb.  As the noonday sun beat down upon her, the voice of the Bairyuu said, "Call now for your Power, little Koji.  With Power, you could soon leap over this small hill and be on your way."


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"No," said Koji, "for effort and toil is the way of Man, and I have no right to avoid it."  And she went on her way, and climbed over the mountain.  Thus Koji showed her own Humility.

Then Koji was walking along the river.  Along the way, she saw a tree ripe with delicious-looking apples across the water.  But the water was too swift for fording.  Then the voice of Bairyuu said, "Call now for your Power, little Koji.  With Power, you could soon leap over the water and take those apples."


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"No," said Koji.  "I have enough provisions for my journey; I do not need apples to make it, as delicious as they look."  And she went on her way, eating her own supplies, and leaving the apples behind.  Thus, she chose Detachment.


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Then Koji was walking toward the capital, when she came upon a badly beaten man lying beside the road.  She tried carrying him, but soon she tired.  She knew, though, that unless she took the man to the city, he might die.  Then the voice of Bairyuu said, "Call now for your Power, little Koji.  With Power, you could pick up the man and carry him easily to the capital."


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"Yet, this would mean that I have lost to Power, by using it," thought Koji.  "But no, that is not as important as this person's life. I must use what I can to save him.  I call upon Power and I shall face the Dragon's maw myself."

Suddenly her limbs were given great strength, and she easily picked up the man and carried him to the capital, where his wounds were bound and his life was saved.  Thus, she chose Compassion.


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Koji now went bravely to the Temple of the Dragon of Power.  There, the Bairyuu appeared before her again, and said in triumph, "You have used the Power of the Dragon at last.  The Dragon has at last won over you, and Temptation has won over your Discipline!"


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
But a greater voice than the Bairyuu's replied, "You fool, white serpent, you do not understand.  Koji has won over herself, Discipline has won over Temptation, and true Power has won over false Power. Koji has maintained the Four Stones of Discipline, Humility, Detachment, and Compassion; even her single use of Power was not for her own sake, but because she placed another's welfare over her own. Now, begone, Bairyuu!"


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Bairyuu hissed once and fled.

"Who are you?" Koji asked of the voice.

"Does it matter?" it replied.  "Will it help you keep the Four Stones if I told you?"

"No, I see that your name does not matter, then," said Koji.  "But please take this Power from me now, whoever you are."


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"But did you not know?" said the voice.  "The Power has always been there with you; it has only been made visible to you now."

"I do not want it, however," said Koji.  "Everyone knows how fickle Power is."


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The voice replied, "Power is a double-edged sword, a terrible force which devours alive its master when used selfishly, but which reveals its true glory when used for selfless and compassionate ends.  That is why the Dragon is said to be so fickle: because the hearts of people are thus."


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"Oh, I see," said Koji.  "The Dragon of Power really is a Heavenly sibling to the Unicorn of Grace and the Firebird of Splendor.  It is just that, unlike Grace or Splendor, which flee from corruption, he Dragon turns against corruption."

"Yes," replied the voice.  "It is in the nature of Power to do so, if it is not kept true to its purpose."


author_Name: Koji and the Dragon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Koji then understood and went on her way.  It is said that, even though she had found the Dragon's Power, only those who followed the Four Stones of Jojii could see it within her, so carefully did she use it.

As for the voice, some say that it was the voice of the Dragon; others say it was the voice of Jojii; still others say the One spoke to Koji directly.  But does it really matter?


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ben Ten was, they say, among the first of our people to arrive upon this island, in the days when the Olthoi still ran rampant.  Some say Ben Ten was the first Sho to arrive.  Whether man or woman, we do not even know for sure; we know only that Ben Ten was tall, thin of frame, and wore always a dark hood.  Speaking softly, wielding a tachi of a quality that rivals even the mythical swords of the Dragon Temple, Ben Ten walked the land in search of the desperate who needed help.  I know this because I was one of those rescued by Ben Ten.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
As a child of only twelve summers, I was torn from my land and brought here, alone.  As I wandered the plains, it happened that a pack of what I later learned to be reed sharks came upon me, and I remember fleeing toward an unfamiliar cluster of houses, screaming, sobbing, and knowing the terrible monsters would soon catch me.  I saw a shadow come running from a house, and I saw the flash of a sword, but then I tripped and fell.  As I lay cowering, I heard snarling and snapping and growling, and then a long silence.  


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
At last I heard footsteps approach, and a soft voice - a voice neither deep nor high, neither obviously male or female - asked, "Are you all right?"

I looked up and saw a smiling face shadowed by a hood.  When I said that I was unhurt, the person said, "There, in the building with the thatched roof, is a woman who will help you.  Tell her that Ben Ten sent you."


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I did not see Ben Ten for many years after that, but, as the years passed, I heard of Ben Ten's other  deeds.  Others have surely written of them better than I.  The only other story I can offer of Ben Ten's bravery is the story of Yanshi, my town, the Town of the Boulder.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
As more and more of us began to arrive in this land called Dereth, drawn by the same mysterious magic, it was quickly decided that our main city should be built at the mouth of the great river and be called Hebian-To.  But I and some of my friends settled near the plains where Ben Ten had rescued me, almost within Aluvian territory.  We had found a large boulder alone in the middle of a field, standing like a lone sovereign looking out over his land.  Knowing we had found a divine symbol of protection and good fortune, we built a few houses around the boulder, and began to farm.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
In those days tumeroks were more plentiful in Osteth, and it was not uncommon for travelers in the far north to report a tumerok attack.  In the plains just south of lands held by the legendary Elysa Strathelar, however, we did not fear such creatures.  Reed sharks were our main worry, but our simple weapons sufficed against those.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
But one evening, as we settled into rest after a long day in the fields, we heard harsh cries that chilled our blood.  A horde of tumeroks had come down from the north, with a vanguard of banderlings and drudge slaves.  Somehow they had slipped through the Aluvian lands.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
We hastily dispatched our fastest runner via portal to Hebian-to, to beg for warriors and weapons, and we fled into our houses, barred the doors, and fought the monsters as long as we could with arrows.  We managed to kill all the drudges and banderlings, but a tumerok captain and his lieutenants still remained.  They burned our houses and pursued us until we stood against the great boulder at the center of town, only our crude spears and swords between us and death.  Yet our weapons were no match against the tumeroks' heavy shields and armor.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I know not how Ben Ten arrived, or how Ben Ten knew to come.  I only know that I saw a familiar tall shadow arrive in the middle of the chaos.  I saw a fine tachi gleaming in the torchlight, flashing as it cut through tumerok shields and armor and flesh.  In silence did Ben Ten strike; in silence Ben Ten whirled, and slashed.  I thought I saw Ben Ten's eyes once, beneath the hood; I thought them somehow haunted, yet kind.  But perhaps I only dreamed it, for the battle raged fiercely.  How could I have seen Ben Ten's face in the chaos of spears and swords and blood?


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
But before I fell over from exhaustion and loss of blood, I remember seeing Ben Ten standing upon the boulder, fighting alone against the towering tumerok captain:  a scene worthy of any myth or legend, except I know it to be true.  I know I did not dream it.  It seemed to me that Ben Ten was the boulder itself, the protector of our town, of our people; a sturdy rock in the midst of desolation.  I remember wondering if Ben Ten might be the Unicorn of compassion incarnate, or perhaps the Firebird: mayhap Ben Ten was Jojii himself.  That is the last that I remember thinking.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
When I awoke, the tumerok captain lay dead, crumpled beside the boulder, and guards from Hebian-to had arrived.  While some stayed to tend to the wounded, the rest scoured the land, finishing off the last of the tumeroks who had hidden or fled.   The guards had come as fast as they could, I learned, but by the time they had arrived, the tumerok force had already been largely destroyed.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I discovered that I had lost three of my good friends.  This was long before resurrection came into existence, so mine was a permanent and devastating loss.  But I am sure I would have lost many more friends - and my life - had Ben Ten not come.  And where was Ben Ten?  Others had seen Ben Ten fighting, too, but no one knew how Ben Ten had fared at the end.  My only clue was the torn hood that I found upon the boulder, and several strands of long black hair still wet with blood.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I feared the worst, but later I heard rumors that Ben Ten had been seen elsewhere.  In Mayoi, I heard, Ben Ten had appeared during the Battle of Confusion.  Near Sawato, I heard, Ben Ten had rescued travelers from mosswarts in the swamp.  And once, while traveling in Hebian-to, I heard it whispered that someone had seen Ben Ten's tachi, and had recognized it as the legendary magic sword of Koji.  Thereafter, I heard new rumors that Ben Ten was actually Koji herself, sent to this new world by Jojii.


author_Name: Ben Ten and Yanshi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I don't know if any of those stories are true.  I only tell of what I have seen.  If Ben Ten lives today, surely he - or she - must be advancing in years, as I am now.  But if you happen to be lost and in danger in these new lands of the Sho, perchance you might meet Ben Ten too.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
This was one of my favorite stories back in the homelands, that warned of the dangers of attachment.  I learned it from my grandmother, and now that I am an old man, it is time that I teach future generations this tale.  Here it is as best as I remember.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Once upon a time, there was a young man named Ken-gou.  He lived on Chiran-tou, the Island of the Unicorn.  Some said that Ken-gou was taught by the Unicorn in his dreams, for he had grown to become a most gracious person, kind to everyone, and loved by children.  Some said the Ken-gou was trained by the Dragon, for he was ever disciplined and strong.  But his mind was ever on the things beyond the world, and so his parents said that his path must surely be with the Firebird.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
When he came of age he said goodbye to his parents and traveled to the Washui Iiwah Jou, the Temple of the Splendor of the Firebird.  There, he prostrated himself before the Abbess Joutou, and said,

I beg your approval to study here.  I am not worthy of the very dust inside the temple, but I would be content even to sit outside and listen to the chanting of the monks.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
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But Abbess Joutou said with a smile,

Our dust is less than worthless, so how could you, who could clean it for us, be worth less than it?  Come inside, and I will test you.  If you fail, I will suggest you try a different temple.  If you pass, you may stay and learn.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
And so the Abbess tested Ken-gou and asked him many questions, but Ken-gou proved to be wise, so she accepted him into the Temple.  There he stayed and learned.  He studied art and poetry and song, and it is said that his work was so beautiful that his audience would forget their worries and desires and would instead sit in Heavenly contemplation for hours at a time.  But Ken-gou was never so proud nor attached to his own work that he could not be called away from his poetry to clean the dust from the temple.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
One day, the Abbess came to Ken-gou and said,

The Emperor has sent out a call for help.  The Emperor's servants were cleaning out the depths of the Palace, when they came across a great snake wrapped around a golden pillar.  The Emperor's warriors slew the snake, but now whenever anyone tries to take the pillar, the person and those around him fall gravely ill until the statue is returned to where it was  Curses are forbidden by Jojii, and so this one  must be broken.  I would like you to go break the curse.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ken-gou bowed and said, I will do as you ask.

So Ken-gou set forth and traveled to the Emperor's palace, where he was welcomed as a disciple of the Firebird.  Two other specialists had also arrived: a disciple of the Unicorn and a disciple of the Dragon.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I will show you the pillar myself, said the Emperor.  And so the three were led down many dark steps until they came to a crude room, at the center of which, surrounded by many unreadable writings, stood the gold pillar.  They could sense the angry spirit of the snake, still wrapped around the pillar.

The pillar surely belonged to an ancestor of mine, said the Emperor.  So by rights, it is mine.  Yet this snake will not let anyone take it.  Half the wealth of the pillar goes to whoever breaks the curse.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The disciple of the Dragon was the first to act.  Drawing upon his disciplined powers, he called upon the very Dragon to destroy the snake spirit.  But the Dragon's voice said, 

I cannot destroy a spirit, and you do wrong to ask me to attack my own kin.  My power will not be used to for that.   

And when this was said, the spirit snake leapt out at the disciple, who was forced to give up.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The disciple of the Unicorn was the next to try.  Spirit snake, she said, let go the pillar and go to Heaven.  There is peace and Grace there, awaiting you.

But the snake hissed at her and said

Never shall I release this pillar, which is my precious home!  Leave me alone and I will rest here until the end of the world.  My only desire is to guard this pillar.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The disciple of the Unicorn then said, I will give the spirit my peace, and I will let the spirit stay.  If we do not disturb it, it can rest until the end of the world.

At last it was Ken-gou's turn.  He stood before the pillar and pondered long and hard, and at last he said, 

Neither force nor compassion alone is enough to break this curse of attachment and desire.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
He called the Emperor's servants to him and said,  We must melt the pillar, right here within this room.  

To the Disciple of the Dragon, he said: Disciple of the mighty Dragon!  Bind the spirit snake long enough to render it harmless while this is done.  The Dragon will not be made angry if you hold the spirit only for a day.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Disciple of the Dragon did as he was told, and the servants rushed to do as was suggested.  Before long, the pillar was being melted down at the center of the room.  Then, when it was melted down to a fiery liquid, Ken-gou said,

Now, divide up the gold into a thousand sections, and make from them a thousand coins.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
This too was done.  The Emperor clapped his hands and said, Yes, I see now!  You are a disciple of the Firebird of Splendor, who knows the value of detaching from desires.  Now that the pillar is no longer a pillar and is scattered into a thousand pieces, surely the snake will give up and go to Heaven of its own accord.  In reward for breaking the curse of the serpent, I shall give you half of the gold as I promised!


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
But Ken-gou said, That is not sufficient to break the curse.  The coins must not be given to anyone within this room; they must be blessed by the Unicorn and given to the poor throughout the country.  The Unicorn will have compassion on the poor, and they will suffer no harm.  In this way the curse shall be broken.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Emperor was amazed and said, Can it be that you do not want any of the gold?

Ken-gou said, I do not have any attachment to things of this world.

The Disciple of the Dragon said,  A disciplined warrior need not rely on gold. 

The Disciple of the Unicorn said, It is best that the gold go to the poor.  


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
And when she had said that, she blessed the coins in the name of the compassionate Unicorn of Grace, and the three disciples prepared to distribute the coins among the poor.  As they did so, there was great noise of hissing as the spirit snake faded away to the land of the dead, for it had been freed of its ties to the gold pillar.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
But the Emperor was angry to see all of the gold be given away, because he had so deeply wanted the gold for himself.  Surely, he said to himself, these coins belong rightfully to me.  It is unthinkable that I cannot at least keep one.  So he secretly kept one of the coins, thinking that no one would notice it missing.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
As the days passed, the Emperor grew ever more fond of the coin, for it was exceedingly beautiful.  He began staring at the coin all day and all night, and when at last he wasted away and died, his hand was clenched around the coin even in death.  And thereafter, it was said that the coin itself became cursed --- for the Emperor's spirit hovered over it jealously, not wanting anyone else to have it.  Some said that the curse of the spirit snake had killed the Emperor.  Some said the Emperor had turned into the snake.


author_Name: Ken-gou and the Curse of Attachment
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ken-gou, on hearing the news, was said to have bowed his head and to have said: No principle has been truly learned unless it is applied to oneself first.  To those who willfully and knowingly violate the principle of detachment, there is no relief from the curse of attachment.  Such a person even the gracious Unicorn and the powerful Dragon cannot protect, for it is from one own self that such a person must be protected.  Perhaps the Firebird of Heaven's Splendor can someday free the Emperor's spirit from his own curse.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
[Herein are some of the teachings of Master Jojii.  The comments of later scholars are included in this telling, enriching and deepening our understanding.  

The first excerpt is from a text Master Jojii wrote himself eight hundred years ago.  He wrote thus:]


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
We have all been taught of the birth of Mankind.  The One who makes all things made the Three Elders: the Unicorn of Grace, the Firebird of Splendor, and the Dragon of Power.  To the Unicorn of Grace the One gave Mankind as a servant.  But Mankind grew rebellious, and fought against the Three Elders.  Mankind, from the many gifts given him by Grace, overthrew the Unicorn and rose to take the Unicorn's place.  The balance was upset in all of Heaven.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
And so it was the Grace left the world and was hidden, Splendor fled and became elusive, and Power chose to become a dangerous and treacherous ally to Mankind.  It was said that we had lost Grace eternally, and that Heaven's doors were shut against us.  Only the Dragon of Power now willingly seeks us out, and as deposed emperors of the past can attest, the Dragon is prone to jealousy and fickleness.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
[Master Jojii here wrote only a little on the creation of mankind, but it is seen that his understanding was very deep.  Students must learn that brevity with depth is the mark of a master.]

But, one day, as I meditated beneath a peach tree in full flower, a dream came to me while my eyes were yet open.  This song came to me, amidst a clear shining light:


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Unicorn has long rested in Paradise

drinking in the nectar of the Universe,

the truth that flows from the One.

With clear and single eye, seek, oh Man

the truth that flows from the One.

Learn of the path of the Universe

and find rest in the peace of Paradise


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
[This is where Master Jojii was given the vision of the Unicorn.  Note how, in the song, that Man is in the center of Paradise, and how Paradise is outside the Universe.  The truth that flows from the One is all around Man, enabling him to rest in Paradise.]

I knew then, through the Grace of the forgiving Unicorn, that Mankind can return to Paradise, but the road is steep and hard.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Upon awakening fully from this dream, I hastened to the nearest Temple of the Unicorn to pray and offer my thanks.  It took me three days to reach it, traveling day and night, but I would not rest, nor eat, nor drink.  When I had bowed low before the Unicorn and had offered my prayer of thanks, I had another vision, in that same clear light.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I saw in a vision myself standing in the middle of a square, with four stones at each corner.  Ahead of me stood a stone called Humility.  To my right stood a stone named Discipline.  To my left stood a stone named Detachment.  Behind me stood a stone called Compassion.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I knew then that Humility must always be before me; that Discipline was my weapon to cleave through all foes and vices, and that Detachment was my shield against all hurts and sufferings.  And ever supporting me and following me was Compassion, which should be the only footprint that I should leave behind in life.  These Four Stones I saw as the foundations of living, the stones that pave the way to our return to Paradise.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
[Master Jojii did not yet come to name the Stones by the Elders, but we will do so now.  The Stone of Humility is the Stone of Man, for it is through humility that Mankind grows.  The Stone of Discipline is the Stone of the Dragon of Power, for discipline is that which breeds power.  The Stone of Detachment is the Stone of the Firebird of Splendor, for splendor is that which soars above the cares of the world.  The Stone of Compassion is the Stone of the Unicorn of Grace, for compassion is the highest of the invisible graces.]


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Then I heard a voice say to me: 

Go now and teach of the Four Stones to all the people of the lands of the Sho

Teach that humanity may learn humility and compassion, detachment and discipline,

and so rise far above the pride and selfishness, greed and laziness

that brought its downfall so long ago.

Seeing the wisdom in those words, I went.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
[Master Jojii's first text ends here, but we know that he began to teach people of the Four Stones immediately after these visions.  At first only a few people listened to his teachings.  Many said that "Jojiism," as his teachings were called, were blasphemy.  We include a record of the debate between the Master Monk of the Ryu Jou Gai, the Order of the Dragon Temple, and Master Jojii.  This was written perhaps seven hundred years ago, after the Master's passing, by disciples who had witnessed the event.]


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Master Monk of the Ryu Jou Gai said to Master Jojii as a test, "I have heard much about your teachings and your wisdom.  But I too preside over a philosophy that has withstood the test of time.  I will ask you three questions, and we shall see who is the wiser.

"There once was a sword that could cut through anything, and a shield that could resist any blow.  Finally, the sword was tested against the shield.  Which broke - the sword or the shield?"


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Master Jojii replied, "The shield is ignorance, which has stopped many a blow against your beliefs before.  The sword of insight will cut through the shield of ignorance - but only if wielded by a true seeker.  Similarly, my teaching is the shield of truth, which, if held by a true seeker, will stop the deadly sword of ignorance.  So you see that it is the heart of the wielder that matters, not the strength of the weapons."


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Master Monk of the Ryu Jou Gai said to Master Jojii as a test, "The Dragon, the Unicorn, and the Firebird are living, moving Elders.  Can four dead, still Stones be of use to Mankind?"


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Master Jojii replied, "The Four Stones give life to the living, and their principles live within human hearts.  The living Elders are alive in and of themselves, and because of this cannot live within others.  Which is more useful, that which is dead and used for life, or that which is alive and does not contribute to life?"


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Master Monk of the Ryu Jou Gai said to Master Jojii as a test, "The Dragon of Power gave power to the people of the Sho.  What power will your Four Stones offer us?"

Master Jojii replied, "If you cannot see the intrinsic value of the Four Stones themselves, and if you cannot see the truth they lead to, then you will not see any benefit from them."


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Master Monk of the Ryu Jou Gai replied, "I do not see their value, nor do I see the truth they lead to.  I do not see why your Four Stones of Humility, Discipline, Detachment, and Compassion are useful to us.  I reject your teachings utterly."


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
As soon as he had said these words, the Dragon struck the Master Monk of the Ryu Jou Gai dead, for even the fickle Dragon is subject to the laws of Heaven and to the rules of truth.  Master Jojii bowed his head and prayed for the slain Master Monk, and then went on to teach his wisdom at the Dragon Temple, the Unicorn Temple, and the Firebird Temple.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
[From that time, those who followed the Dragon, the Unicorn, and the Firebird all began to see the wisdom of Master Jojii's teachings.  Here is the telling of the death of Master Jojii, an oral tradition that has been passed from teacher to teacher for hundreds of years.]

Master Jojii was one hundred and eight when at last he passed from this life.  He called his students to him, and taught them thus:


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"I have had a vision of the four stones.  Each one built up upon the other.  People used them as stepping stones and began climbing their way to Heaven.  But when one stone was pulled away, the others tumbled down, and all the people slipped and fell.  See to it that you neglect none of the four.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Let humility dwell within you.  Without humility you will be easily misled and lose your way.   

Let discipline hone you.  Without discipline you will tire and fall away.  

Let detachment guard you.  Without detachment you will be unable to let go and move forward.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Let compassion be in your every thought and action, as you strive to help others in their paths.  Without compassion you will never be able to enter the gates of Heaven, even if they be held wide open for you, for your eyes will be blind to them."

And then, smiling, he passed on.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
[But students of the Dragon Temple, Unicorn Temple, and Firebird Temple did not heed his admonition, and each Temple took to only one path. The Dragon Temple took up the call of Discipline, and the Unicorn Temple took up the call of Compassion, and the Firebird Temple took up the call of Detachment.  Since none focused on Humility, Master Jojii's most fervent followers founded the Jojii Zhen Gai, the Order of Jojii, to preserve the truths of humility.


author_Name: The Teachings of Jojii
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
We, of the Jojii Zhen Gai, recognize that all Four Stones must be studied and learned by anyone seeking rest in Paradise, but we know that, so long as Mankind is flawed, each person will tend to cling to but one facet.  In the hopes of one day unifying the Four Stones into the perfection of humanity, we wait.]


author_Name: A Virindi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Thousands of years after Bael'Zharon was imprisoned by Asheron, the magical energies of the world are still in a state of flux. But now, on the three thousandth year of his entrapment, with the coming of the darkness, it is time to set the energies right once again. The stones imprisoning the dark god will be at its weakest in the coming times. Research has shown us that there are 'soul stones' buried deep within the ground and they are what is keeping Bael'Zharon bound to the crystal. If we could destroy these stones, there is the chance that he would be freed. Perhaps it is time we act...


author_Name: Council of Five
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Minutes from the meeting of the Council of Five: 
He is Bael'Zharon, the Hopeslayer and he has come with the darkness. As you all know, Lord Atlan's forces have already been decimated trying to defend the borders. A lone squire survived the battle and he has returned to us with grim news: our children are being kidnapped by some kind of shadow-men. As far as we can tell, the Hopeslayer's forces are infinite. They swirl and shift and continue to grow. The enemy is able to reform and replenish their shadowy ranks far quicker than we can fell them.

(more)


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Despite our losses however, Lord Asheron thinks the enemy to be very easy to defeat. To this end, Asheron has been researching planar magic and he sees this as our salvation. Since their power is too great for the Hopeslayer to ignore, he would surely jump at any chance to wrest control of them from us. Furthermore, Asheron's research has led to the idea that it's possible to construct a crystal that would have the power to trap Bael'Zharon within it. We will, however, face two difficulties in doing this. 

(more)


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The first is that to make use of this crystal, we will have to expend such a great deal of our energy that it is almost certain that we will all be killed in the process. The second issue we shall face is that Bael'Zharon must take hold of the crystal for it to be able to trap him. 

At this point, I ask that despite the dangers of this plan, that we push forward as it seems our last hope. Asheron, for all of our sakes', I pray you are right.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
A day out of Arwic, we found this. Thank goodness Palomar had among his relics that ancient seal, taken from a Lich Lord.  Sir Joffre is ecstatic, and is sure we're on the proper path to find legendary Frore. He believes the Gelidites stopped here while searching for a suitable site for Frore. Why this place was rejected is imponderable - it certainly seems remote enough! The view of the uncouth MacDugal's Castle from here is fabulous. If only we'd brought a skilled artist. On to see Lady Tallial at Neydisa Castle!


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Three days into our journey, we discovered this second Gelidite monolith. Palomar feels distinctly uneasy here. He claims the presence of evil is palpable here; that dark, powerful magics were loosed in this area long ago. I don't know what to think. My head has throbbed since we passed that small mountain to the northeast. Perhaps it's just the altitude, or Fidisa's tuneless humming. We now begin the long trek to Stonehold.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
After another three days of hiking through these snowy hills, we have found what Sir Joffre believes to be the last key to the puzzle. He is puzzling over the rune transcriptions as I write this - turning the sheets this way and that as Ion roasts a rabbit on a spit, and Luma meditates. I am certain that we will begin the final leg of our journey shortly. I am excited, but - oh, to be enjoying the hearth at the Twin Auroch tavern again! As we've traveled, I would swear it's become colder. Perhaps Palomar's cold protection spells are simply wearing thin.


author_Name: Ivory Crafter
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Lady Devana, you requested I send to you worthy candidates.  This person has managed to slay one of the great lizards that breathe lightning.  I leave the rest to you.


author_Name: Devana bint Hamudi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Father, why have you stopped sending me letters? Is there something wrong? Something involving those dark ones who lurk near your chambers? Please write me a letter and send it back with one of your Tenebrous Edge recruits. I begin to worry about you.

Your daughter,
Devana


author_Name: Hamud ibn Rafik
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Respect those who are stronger.  Those who are weaker need guidance.
Be wary of those you do not know, but remain polite.  They may be useful.
Honor the land, the sky and sea, for they give you life.
Take pride in your strength and skill.
Avoid that which is impure.
Harming an innocent without proper cause is a waste of your time.
Place the life of your superior above your own, as long as he is strong.  If he weakens, you must replace him.


author_Name: unknown author
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Oftimes, to bring light,
There must first come darkness.
I live in eternal night. Yet-
My soul is the stronger for it.
--Hamud ibn Rafik, after the words of Yasif ibn Salayyar

The school of Shagar Zharala was founded as the instrument of Malik Amul's revenge for the blinding of our great prophet, ibn Salayyar.  The Milantan betrayers never recovered the body of their king, and they learned not to tempt the wrath of Gharu'n.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I have spoken with those who have but recently come through the portals to Dereth.  Many say that all is not well in the Shagar Zharala.  They say that the Zharalim have lost their mission.   Once they had an honorable purpose: to slay the enemies of Gharu'n and protect the nation from threats too subtle for the attention of armies.  Their reputation once struck righteous fear into the hearts of the weak and wicked.  Once they had agents in every guild, to keep them to the Dozen Roads of ibn Salayyar.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
In the current day, the Zharalim have become tools of a corrupt Malik and a decadent nobility.  Now it is the Shagar Zharala that is rife with turncoats and the spies of other guilds.  They confuse its leaders and in some cases pervert the hearts of its masters to serve less noble ends.  This deplorable state wore at the heart of Master Hamud ibn Rafik, the last uncorrupted elder of the school, and he spoke boldly against the others.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
For his words he was cursed and censured.  He was accused of corruption himself, and shunned by his fellows.  Over time, the decay of his beloved school and the scorn he earned for his uncompromising stance wore away at his heart.  It was at this time that portals to the new world began to appear.  After a particularly fierce dispute with his fellow masters, Master Hamud made his decision, and ventured through a portal.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Now it is rumored that in the sandy wastes of the new world, amid hordes of hostile creatures, Master Hamud gathers allies and creates networks of worthy followers.  He has pledged to start anew, and to ensure that the this new world will be a stronger, purer world.


author_Name: Tremblant Party Journals
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Here lie the mortal remains of Sir Joffre Tremblant, Knight of the Golden Flame, and his companions Yarick Pathwarden, Palomar Ben-Cabalah, Ion Lundgren, Fidisa the Agile, and Luma Homini. They were the first to discover the Lost City below, and the first Isparians to fall to the Gelidites. Here they lie for all time. May the Three Mothers watch over them. Blessed be.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Expedition of
  Sir Joffre Tremblant, of Rithwic,
and his Fellowship,
  Yarick Pathwarden,
  Palomar Ben-Cabalah,
  Ion Lundgren,
  Fidisa the Agile,
  and Luma Homini,
in search of the legendary city of
  Frore,
as recorded by
  Yarick Pathwarden.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Entry 1

We have finally encountered the ice caves in which the city of Frore is rumored to be hallowed. It is colder than a Tumerok's heart in here!  Fidisa managed to pick the lock of the door near the cavern mouth, and with the rope from my pack, we all rappelled down the sheer drop-off afterwards. The Gelidites did indeed go to great lengths to protect their privacy!  And the walls, embedded with brilliant blue crystals, give off an eerie glow as if they possessed an energy all their own.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
There are many tunnels to explore, we will bear rightward according to Palomar's divinations.

Entry 2

We have wandered the tunnels for more than a day and found little but frozen waste.  At the lower depths the cold becomes unbearable - we rest now shrouded in the warmth of the Cold Protection spells Palomar has cast.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
Entry 3

The tunnels are a confusing series of interconnected switchbacks even my enhanced intuition cannot make heads or tails of.  Perhaps the piercing cold is ruining our concentration.  Some areas are warmer than others, we will stick to them to preserve energy.  Still no signs of civilization, although we have witnessed disturbing signs of life: noises that seem to come from within the walls themselves, flickers of movement that shadow us every now and then, and the chamber in which we now make camp - a disturbing hollow 


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
furnished only with human skulls.  We are wary of resting here, but Sir Joffre assures us that whatever caused this carnage has long since passed away.  I am not so sure.

Entry 4

We have happened upon a construction that can only have been made by the hands of men - or something greater.  A symmetrical arrangement of large stones, perfectly shaped.  Could this be the entrance to their lost civilization? There is more to explore downward but it is colder there.  We will make camp to recoup before probing further.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
Entry 5

They came for us, swarms of them, while we were in camp.  It was as if they were waiting for us to let down our guard.  Hideous reincarnations of the dead, their ghastly visages reflected their single lust - our deaths.  We dispatched them, but Fidisa caught a mortal blow during the melee, and the hideous creatures dragged her corpse away before we could act.  These monoliths will serve as grim markers of the place of her demise.  We press deeper into the caves, shaken but still vigilant in our mission.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
Entry 6

I have never experienced such a bone chilling cold before this day.  Or night?  I have lost track of time in these damned caverns.  The frosted passages ended in a carved stone hallway, which is a most encouraging sign.  Perhaps we are close to discovering the city!
 
The dead continue to besiege us.  Sir Joffre, in his valor, has been injured but Luma's healing skills seem to have brought the wound under control.  Palomar is growing weak, and his magical supplies are


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
dwindling.  I don't know how much longer he can maintain our protection from the cold.  Moments ago the magic fizzled thrice in a row before finally providing us with heat sufficient to brave these depths.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Entry 7

What a wonder to behold!  We have made our way to what can only be the object of our quest, it appears to be the entrance to a ruined city! Toppled walls and debris are testament to the existence of a once thriving metropolis buried far, far below the ice.  There are no signs of life here, but I don't know whether to be disturbed or relieved.  We have only scratched the surface - amidst the f-


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
-ew ruined structures that lie here we have discovered a locked gate - what lies beyond can only be what we have been searching for!  There is another arrangement of stones here, which seems to radiate a powerful energy.

Palomar warns us of the peril that may lie beyond, but we are all in agreement that there is plenty of peril where we stand.  There is still much to explore in the surrounding area, so we shall regroup before attempting to find a way beyond the gate.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
Entry 8
 
Oh what horrible fate has found us here!  We were startled by a roar from a pack of undead that seemed to appear from nowhere - I feel we have disturbed the spirits of these caves and they unleashed upon us their fury in the form of these shambling corpses.  We fought valiantly but Luma, our healer, was rent asunder by the beasts' bony fingers, and we were unable to best them. Again, the dead swept her mortal remains away. I am chilled by this behavior, the way they steal our companions' bleeding forms away from us. I do not believe I shall sleep


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
soundly again, until I see our companions safely resurrected at the Lifestone in Arwic. At least our departed comrades will be able to tell the world what we have found here!

But lo, that is not the worst of terrors in this forsaken place!  We fled towards the gate only to be confronted by the three magical guardians of Gelidite legend - Fenngar, Frisander, and Ferundi!  They had long since breathed their last, and their grotesque incarnations removed all desire for us to pass through that gate.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
With one swing of Fenngar's mighty warhammer, our leader Sir Joffre was smashed to bits.  Frisander unleashed upon us a volley of frost, the intensity of which no living mage could ever hope to reproduce.  We watched in horror while Ferundi pointed his decayed finger at Palomar and sucked the life out of him swith such violence that Palomar's desiccated flesh literally exploded off of his body.  With Palomar went our last hope to resist the bitter cold.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ion and I beat as hasty a retreat as we could, our numbing legs carrying us back away from the gate and past the great frost monster.  As our protection from the bone-chilling air waned, Ion and I fled the accursed city to find the warmth of the upper caves.  We now rest briefly before beginning to make our way out of here.  We regret most that we could not even attempt to retrieve Sir Joffre's body - a most unholy burial he shall have!


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
Entry 9

There is not much time for writing, as we must keep moving to stay warm. The dead assault us in droves - Ion is wounded in his left arm and can no longer draw his bow, fighting instead with a mace.  I fear my sword will soon shatter to bits in this frigid air.  My fingers will be sure to follow. How we long to see the sun again soon.


author_Name: Yarick Pathwarden
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
 
Entry 10

Cannot find the egress.  Best guesses as to its whereabouts all wrong.  Accursed tunnels, we are lost!  I grow sleepy. Soon Ion shall have to carry me out of here ...


author_Name: Ion Lundgren
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Entry 13

It has been three days since we fled the forsaken gates of Frore - may it remain buried forever! - and I fear there is no end to these twisting tunnels.  I marvel that my hand still has feeling enough to pen these words, as my feet have long since gone numb.  It won't be much longer before I succumb to the cold as the others did before me.  Yarick kept the journal before me - he clutches half of it still in his cold hands, the other half lost in our flight.


author_Name: Ion Lundgren
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I write this last page as I cease my search for the egress.  But I must keep moving if I am to stay warm ...

Entry 14

By some black miracle, I found our point of entry.  The rope we used to climb down from the tunnel above was coiled on the floor of the pit, its upper end showing the mark of a cruel knife. They will not let me leave - knowing the tunnels as well as they do, they must have cut it days ago.


author_Name: Ion Lundgren
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
It is a cruel, maddening fate to be trapped in these caves, endlessly fleeing the fearsome denizens within; a crueler fate still knowing that I when I breathe my last here, I shall not return to the sunny common of Arwic, the lifestone I visited weeks ago. None shall learn our tale without being plunged themselves into the nightmare. What I saw yestereve...

Do not venture to rouse those who were meant to lay in peace.

Ion Lundgren
Friend and Servant to his greatness,
Sir Joffr e  Tr em...


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
~ The Silfi of the Crimson Stars: Volume I ~








                            a History by
           Kayna bint Iswas of the Walim     


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
In the southern skies of old Ispar may be seen a picturesque cluster of five red stars, all bound together and encircled by streamers and whorls of luminous mist. They are judged by the astrologers of the al-Ighaz to be much larger than the norm of stars. Indeed, this is obvious to the most untrained eye, as their hue and brightness is much greater than that of the stars around them.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
In the Aluvian lands, where they rise above the horizon only during the summer months, the cluster is unimaginatively called the Apple-Cart. The Sho Empire, whose sky they grace year-round, prettily titles them "The Watchfires at the Southern Gates of Heaven." The night the cluster touches the sacred peak of Akisuma, as seen from the Imperial City, is traditionally held to be the start of their Festival of Lights. Our own people, who also enjoy the cluster's presence year-round, simply call them the Crimson Stars.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Our people have named the five stars of the cluster as follows; al-Shajar, al-Khur, Mahwan, Yujazik, and Sulmada. These names are ancient, but for that of al-Khur, which shines the brightest blood-red of them all. This star, once called al-Ghul, was renamed in honor of Rakhil al-Khur some three hundred years ago, after the great victory won at the salt mines to the east of Tirethas.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
There are many strange tales told of the Crimson Stars. Some say that they speak to nomads in the desert, others that they guide the destinies of the mighty. Under the clear skies of the Naqut, more than one weary traveler has claimed to see them pulse or wander the sky, or felt that the five vermilion orbs were staring oppressively down upon them. The warlord al-Khur, when deep in his cups, claimed to have seen the stars flash in the heavens when he was a boy. He said the sand around him had been washed a bloody crimson, and the grains moving in the wind seemed to him as moving armies.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
All such tales are assumed to be fables, of course. Al-Khur was notorious for the amount of drink he consumed at victory celebrations. No other reliable witnesses have ever reported these phenomena - only the nomads, who have their own name for the cluster; "The Silent Watchers." Nevertheless, the Crimson Stars have indeed had a meaningful hand in the history of the Gharu'ndim people, on more than one occasion.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
In the period of our history known as the Century of Storms, no fewer than twenty-five different would-be Maliks and Malikas ruled the Gharu'ndim people. One of these was the Malika Ladriya bint Daum, of the Taban region.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ladriya was an exception among her contemporaries. A woman of peace and learning, she had been educated by the al-Ighaz at Tirethas. Indeed, she had spent most of her life in the City of Lore, only rarely being sent by her father to visit her ancestral homeland. She was a master of the life magics of Ispar, and had achieved much prestige as a healer. Before the death of the great Amul ibn Rakhil, her father had been a minor Mu'allim in the court; her mother had died in childbirth. While some tongues had connected her romantically with her captain, the great Faris Tamsah ibn Jaidah, she remained unmarried during her brief, brilliant life.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
After some fifteen years of chaos, the former court of Amul ibn Rakhil at al-Nafalt had already begun to dwindle from the shadowy competition for the throne. Ladriya, then twenty-six and disgusted by the situation, decided to return to her homeland for good. It was a decision she later admitted having deferred since being orphaned at her father's death, ten years before. Having known the City of Lore for most her life, it seemed more of a home than far-off Taban, on the far side of the great Naqut Desert.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Halfway through her journeying, the caravan was attacked at night by a band of nomads, sent by the renegade Shayk Ridqidh. Ladriya had been asleep when the raiders came, and awoke to find herself sprawled upon the sands, the Crimson Stars floating placidly above the dunes. By the light of the burning wagons, she could see most of her guard lying dead, and the rest suffering unspeakable torments at the hands of the nomads. She scrambled to her feet and made to flee, only to be brought up short by several armed bandits. These filth made to ravish her, and one slashed away the sleeve of her traveling robes, causing her a grievous injury in the process.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
As Ladriya cried in pain, Tamsah, riding his magnificent black stallion Talayyin, burst through her attackers. Leaning off the stallion's flank, he seized her while at full gallop, pulling her across the saddle and leaving the nomads to curse in the dust. Only the most skilled of horsemen could have performed such a feat.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Unfortunately, while Ladriya could have easily healed herself using the arts of the al-Ighaz, her staff and supplies had been lost in the raid. Tamsah bound her wound as best he could, and lashed her to Talayyin's saddle. He himself led the stallion by the bridle through the wasteland. With little food or water, he hoped to get his Lady to the oasis of Shiryaz, three days away at a hard ride, before she perished.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
As they journeyed through the desert, moving mostly in the cool of the night, the young Mu'allima had a vision. While she herself later dismissed it as a trick of heat, dehydration, and pain, it clearly had a profound effect on the course of her life.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Feverishly looking over Talayyin's neck at sunset on the fourth day, she saw the sun as a vessel filled with blood. A bead formed on its lower rim. This grew, trembled, and fell. Where it hit the sand, the land changed. One after the other, one hundred drops in all, she watched the blood spill upon the sands, turning the land into a wasteland of slaughter. Ladriya saw villages and fields burnt to ash, the bodies of men, women, and children swarming with flies, and cities reduced to piles of rubble, visited only by the restless sands of the Naqut.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Then, Ladriya did see a great storm come out of the north, from the sea. The thunder growled like a hungry predator sensing weak prey. A great grey storm-wave rolled in from the sea, and smashed against tall cliffs, eating the base of them away. There was a city above the cliffs, from whose minarets flew the banners of the Malik. It trembled as the ground beneath it was carved away. Finally, it fell in upon itself.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Finally, she saw one last thing, and this was she herself, sitting alone on the throne of the Malik. The royal consort's chair, to her right, sat empty. In the sky above her pulsed the familiar constellation of the Crimson Stars, and their red light seemed to glow within her own dark eyes. She held her left hand up, and the storm-waves recoiled, then slunk back to the northeast, whence they had come. She cupped her right hand beneath the bleeding sun, and caught all but seventeen of the drops.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Tamsah then noticed Ladriya holding out her hand, appearing to cup the setting sun's last light. He grasped her hand, and his touch wiped away the vision. There again was only the fading light of the sunset, the rolling dunes, the whisper of the sands in the twilight wind, and the Crimson Stars, watching her progress impassively. She later wrote that Tamsah, rubbing her cold hand between both of his, gave her a look so tender that, in the wake of her vision, she began to weep.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The two survivors reached Shiryaz two nights later. Ladriya was by then nearly dead from her wound, and Tamsah was starved and parched. He had given his Lady all but the barest water he needed to function. A skilled life mage was able to mend Ladriya's gash, but it took her almost two months to recover her strength from the ordeal. Throughout that period, Tamsah stayed by her side day and night. They returned in triumph to the court of Taban, at Nishadina, on the 6th of Solclaim, 1018.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Taban is a mountainous region, not unlike the area around Zaikhal in the land of Dereth. The province produced enough food to feed itself, and was chiefly known for its olive groves. Perhaps more critical for its survival were the jewels that could be mined in the mountains, which fetched excellent prices in markets as far away as Silveran. Ladriya's palace at Nishadina was modestly sized by the standards of the day, but considered quite elegant. Since the death of her father, her family's viziers had administrated the province.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
As befits a ruler returning after long absence, the guilds and merchants of Taban were soon lined at the gates of her palace, burdened with gifts. Among these were a set of five magnificent rubies, found in the deepest mines of the Nariyid Range; the high mountains that towered over Nishadina. The merchant Nurbi ibn Nuhqidh had sent these. Accepting them with grace, she had them sent directly to her chambers.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ladriya spent her first month home learning all she could about her ancestral homeland. The viziers looked down their noses at the "spoiled city-dweller," but patiently explained all they could of the province.

One warm summer morning, she stood upon one of her balconies, and looked out over the olive groves to the north. On the horizon could be seen the pale edge of the Naqut, the sky above dulled with sand roused by a windstorm. Behind her, she knew, the changeless peaks of the Nariyid pierced the thin clouds. Around her, below the minarets of her palace, were throngs of


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
citizens going about their lives, undisturbed by the chaos in the City of Lore. She stood and thoughtfully sipped a cup of spiced tea, breathing in the smell of the land and the people, until the day had lost the blush of its youth. Then, turning briskly, she called for her courtiers to summon three souls.

As they were fetched, Ladriya had the court cleared. First to arrive was Tamsah ibn Jaidah. His long black hair was tied back, as he had been in the middle of training. He made to question her summons, but she motioned for him to be silent. Next to arrive was Raya al-Darikil, smelling of the


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
spices and perfumes of Nishadina's marketplace. She was known as the finest smith in the province, and was smudged with soot from the forge. Last to arrive was Jumiz ibn Ismak, who was one of Ladriya's viziers. He frowned at the sight of the other two, and brushed down his long robe of Sho silk.

To Tamsah, the Malika put forth the question; "What weapon would you have to lead your Farisim to victory?"

To this, he replied, "A silifi, my lady."


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Nodding, she turned to Raya. "Would you be of a mind to drop all your other business, and forge for this man a great silifi? For this, I would well reward you."

Glancing from Ladriya to Tamsah, Raya replied, "It would be my honor to do so, Mu'allima."


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ladriya nodded again, as if she had expected no less. At last, her gaze settled on Jumiz. "You, Vizier, have much knowledge of the enchanter's art. Though you do not speak of it yourself, I know of this from the talk in Tirethas. Once, you were a most promising apprentice. Yet, upon the death of Amul ibn Rakhil, praise be his name, you begged my father to return to Nishadina. You said, I believe, that there would be no Malik worth serving upon achieving your mastery.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"I do not wish to be Malika, yet I must be. I make this decision not out of desire for power, riches, or glory, but because this land must be at peace once more, and these people united. No more blood must be spilled. I ask you now, Jumiz; would you help me?"

Jumiz licked his lips nervously, and looked at the floor of the hall. "Mu'allima, you ask a difficult thing of me. As al-Ighaz, I am sworn to the service of peace."


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"I, also, am al-Ighaz," Ladriya said, softly. "I have studied in the same halls as you, Jumiz, and heard the words of Mu'hij ibn Zarif, who teaches his apprentices the Sho virtues of the Four Stones of Jojii. As a child, running through the halls of the Arcanum at Tirethas, I often saw you deep in your studies." With a small, reserved smile, she added, "I believe I once stained your robes with the juice of a peach."


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Vizier bowed slightly, amazed at her candor. "This is all true, my lady. If you are sincere in your desire to remain true to the teachings of the Arcanum, I would assist you in any way you ask. But, I must wonder, for the others in this chamber are a warrior and a maker of weapons. You speak of forging a silifi, for the Faris ibn Jaidah to lead your troops to victory. I pray you may forgive my temerity, but I do not see how this endeavor matches the beauty of your words."


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ladriya nodded, sorrowfully. "This is true, my Vizier. But I have spent the last fifteen years in Tirethas, watching your prophesy to my father become cold truth. The court at al-Nafalt is a den of thieves, all looking to murder one another for the throne. A woman from the far side of the desert, speaking words of peace and unity, would be laughed at. Then, she would be done away with. The glorious peace of ibn Rakhil died with him."


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"I would defend you with my life, Mu'allima," Tamsah said, quietly.

Favoring him with another tiny smile, Ladriya said, "I would rather you defend me with a fine weapon, my Faris. A weapon, no matter how precious, may be replaced."

"You wish me to forge this weapon," Raya said, boldly.

"I do, master smith," Ladriya said.

"And," Jumiz said, wearily, "you desire that I enchant it."


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"Not quite, wise vizier. I desire that you enchant these." At this, Ladriya took a small, elaborately carved sandalwood box from the arm of her throne, and opened it. She motioned the others forward. There, on a bed of rich red velvet, lay the five gift rubies of Nurbi ibn Nuhqidh. Jumiz raised a brow, and Raya gasped at their beauty. Only Tamsah, who regarded them with a soldier's eye, remained unmoved.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"I have named these rubies the Crimson Stars," Ladriya said, sounding most distant as she spoke. "Each is named for one of those in the cluster, which the nomads revere and fear in equal measure. It is my wish that you should enchant them as follows. Al-Shajar, named for the storm-demon in the old stories, should allow he who carries it to feel not the pains of lightning. The ruby al-Khur, which is named for the warlord known as the Eagle, should cause the blade to cut to the quick. . Yujazik, named for the flaming mountain the court of the old gods was built upon, should protect the bearer from the pains of


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
fire. Mahwan, which is named for the citadel upon Yujazik, should enable its bearer to parry more blows. Sulmada, named for the old god of dance, should increase the agility of he who wields it."

"Those are mostly defensive spells, my lady," Tamsah said, sounding dubious.

"Indeed," said Ladriya, who stared fixedly at Jumiz. "So they are."

At this, the vizier smiled, though it was humorless. "And you desire that these jewels, once enchanted, be fitted into the haft of the silifi?"


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
"I do."

"This, then, is to be a weapon used in self-defense?"

"Only," Ladriya nodded, "for the protection of its bearer and his charge."

"I see." Jumiz steepled his hands before him, and frowned. Raya shifted, as if about to ask a question, but Tamsah laid a stilling hand upon her arm.


author_Name: Kayna bint Iswas
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
At last, the vizier looked back to Ladriya. When he did so, he seemed to have gained in years. "I will do all you ask," he said, simply.

Ladriya looked upon him with gratitude, and sympathy. The three were dismissed to their tasks.


author_Name: Charred adventurer
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Beware the pits in this foul hole of a dungeon!  Once you land, keep running!

--a very charred adventurer


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
My daughter,
   I regret coming to this undead world.  Yes, I use the world...undead...because death no longer exists here.  What good are the tenets of the Zharalim if death is no longer feared and is, at best, a temporary inconvenience?  Weaklings have come to regard this land as a sort of paradise because of their supposed immortality.  I say this immortality is a terrible sham.  We are locked in an endless, nightmarish cycle that has no exit.  We have separated ourselves from the possibility of true paradise, the reward that comes from a righteous existence and an honorable death.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Enough of my maunderings.  The real reason I write to you is to send you a warning, my daughter.
I no longer trust these dark ones with whom I have allied myself.  Too late, I realize I was fooled by their whispered enticements.    We no longer fear our mortality, but rest assured there still exist things worse than death.  I feel my very soul being corrupted by the influences of the dark ones, and I am able to do nothing about it.  Increasingly I find myself unable to resist direct commands issued by their leaders.  I write to you while I still have some semblance of free will.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
When I arrived in Dereth, I explored the inhospitable wastelands to the west of the inner sea.  While there, running north from an ancient tower with a portal to the Aluvian town of Cragstone, I discovered a valley where dark, magical beings camped.  This was my first meeting with the dark ones, who seemed to be incarnations of the very ideals that we in the Zharalim tried to emulate.  They were grouped near a glowing portal that resonated a dark, menacing energy.  I heard some of them refer to it as...the Nexus...When they sensed my presence, they vanished the portal...This location must be important to them, then.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Discover the truth of this Nexus, my daughter.  It may be too late to save me, but if the dark ones can be defeated, perhaps you can save yourself.


author_Name: Oswald
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Farewell Gertarh. It's a shame I had to kill you, but the price on your head was too great and my purse too light.


author_Name: Hamud ibn Rafik
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
My daughter,

My periods of lucidity now last only a few moments at a time.  I am sending this note to you with one of the new recruits in the Tenebrous Edge.  I am unable to leave my chambers in this ancient, cursed fortress.  I know now what will become of me.  The Dark Master himself spoke to me and told me what lies in store.   I know I will never reach the gardens of delight spoken of by ibn Salayyar.  In my years of service with the Zharalim, I became familiar with many horrors, but what awaits me now surpasses even the depraved rites of the Milantans.


author_Name: Hamud ibn Rafik
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Do not fall as I have fallen, my daughter.  Seek a way to escape Dereth.  I have heard that others have disappeared from this undead world.  My hope is that you will find a way to disappear as well.

Your devoted father


author_Name: Kuyiza bint Zayi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Translator's note: There is a word early in this text which defies easy conversion from Dericostian to Roulean. This I have rendered as "kemeroi," a direct phonetic equivalent of the original word.

Established lore has shown me this word used to describe an unprecedented number of circumstances, most of which are contradictory. By turns, kemeroi is used to express the concepts of stillborn offspring, unwelcome emissary, unseen or stealthy movement, corrupter or tempter, nightmare, madness or terrifying hallucination, unbidden thought, parasite, scream uttered


author_Name: Kuyiza bint Zayi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
at awakening from a nightmare, thing that causes melting, liquid given form by a vessel, the touch of something frozen, and night that moves as a liquid.

The latter few of these many meanings are the most curious, as kemeroi is not a word of the so-called "Great Tongue" of Dericost, but rather the Base Tongue. The Great Tongue, with roots in the archaic dialect of the Falatacot, was used by the artisans as well as the aristocracy (and for that reason some of its words came into use by the Yalaini intelligencia).


author_Name: Kuyiza bint Zayi
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
This, I feel, implies that descriptions such as "liquid night" are not merely poetic license, but literal description. At any rate, the context here seemed to indicate use of the word as a proper name. Of the definitions cited above, perhaps "unwelcome emissary" would work best. 

- Kuyiza bint Zayi


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Dearest Rytheran,

I regret I must send ill tidings, love. The dark spawn have now appeared in my cellars as well, below the levels infested by Asheron's vermin. They are older than the ones that trouble you, I believe; Uvriliim and Paanuvriliim. Fortunately, the Kemeroi still sleep. Should they appear again, I think the dark ones would cease to toy with the outlander hoard that vexes Killiakta. They would quickly be absorbed. 


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Thank whatever gods you may for this small mercy. The fact that you can still believe in the return of the Old Ones amuses me. Yes, I know, my dear; "Those which can eternal lie / In sleep, in dream / Should never die." The words of witches should not be relied upon. Ever did they neglect to mention the most important details. Trust least of all the oracles that later spawned the traitorous priestess of Ithaenc, potent though that blood may be. We should rely upon our own powers, as ever we have, not upon nebulous prognostications. I always found it suspicious that the witches could rhyme


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
while in the throes of an ecstasy induced by blood loss and fungal potions.

It is well that the outlanders continue to fight in our defense, if unwittingly. As it was with the peasantry of our own land, the living defend us in ignorance of our rulership. Such children. It is, I think, time past we began to act as their elders. We are Firstborn here. We must cease our bickering over the fall of the Ice Throne, over little baubles and flicker-lights that remain of Dericost's power and majesty. The Throne is overturned, and many days of the world have passed since. Wherever the


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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culpability may lie, there is no more to be
done about it. We must take a hand in present events once more, and move to preserve those whom we would rule. There is a new kingdom to be built.

Love, I can see you wrinkling your brow now. Fret not, for I do not sympathize with the policies of the Lords. I remain Wind in heart and soul; blowing from places unseen, taking a winding path to my object, changing much with the lightest touch. Shall I prove this to you?


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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Recall the last coming of the dark spawn. I had established this little colony perhaps three centuries previous, whispering to Loritane through a chain of agents, telling him of the great treasures to be wrought beneath my mountains. He was quick to see my way, remember? His ships arrived so soon. We laughed, you and I, watching them scurry to build their port below Tenkarrdun, to excavate their reservoir, raise their towers, and install their forges. The way you whispered then was masterful - convincing Loritane to name the very island after me - Aerlinthe - "Stone of the Sky" in the Great Tongue! It still makes me smile to think you accomplished it.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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The Second Sending came, and the world reeled. So little time there was for me to expand my influence among the little lives below my mountains. Aralea - the first, that is -  quickly agreed to my agent's offer. Loritane's governor indeed! He was mine from the moment he lay eyes upon that grey-eyed willow-reed. A simple little draught, a small piece of the witches' arts for her drink, and she was his, and he mine. Such subterfuges still leave me heady. A pity Loritane discovered them. Yet it worked out for the best in the end, did it not? One child of Aralea became a smith, and the other an empress.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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When the barbarians fell back to Killiakta, did we not move unseen then? I counseled that we should all stand together, Filinuvekta and Latzimestal, Wind and Lord, lest those we sought to rule all be taken and twisted. I appealed to His Eternal Splendor and the Steward of Chalicmere, even as my sailing vessels held the vanguard of the enemy off the shores of Aerlinthe with mage-fire and lightning. I spoke that we should move united against the forces gathering off Killiakta, and buy time for the hedge-mages to complete their trap.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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So did we join, if only once, in the southern forests of Ifistra. The Winds rose from their hidden lairs, and the Lords marched from their bastions. While the hedge-mages struggled to rekindle the flame of old Facill's knowledge, the Battle of Ayn Tayan raged for three days. At cost, we held off their army. The barbarians, long since fled to the west of Killiakta, never knew. But we saved them. The children of Old Dericost fought and won a final battle, holding the line until their trap was prepared, and the Servant's curiosity piqued. If not for us, all would have perished.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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The irony is delicious, is it not? Those that so reviled us owed their victory to our intervention. All that remains to mark our moment of triumph are the bones and ash on the Hill of Pines. The cairns yet mark where the Sand King Nerash fell before Leikotha's tortured rage. Jaera fought beside Nerash at the end. Loyal to the last, she strove to defend him, but was slapped aside by the Servant himself. I was much pleased to hear that you had interred her remains at the Academy.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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Do you remember the ire that rested upon His Eternal Splendor's brow when the enemy approached? That dark, perilous mist the Servant wrested from the kemeroi rolled over the land from horizon to horizon. The skirls of pitch vapor withered and fused whatever plant, earth, or flesh they touched. The skerries of hilltops that cleared the mist were hideous to behold.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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If there is one image of that day that will never escape my mind, it is the memory of the birds. A flock of sweet-voiced neuzali startled from their tree in panic, but the outlying tendrils of the ebon fog brushed one. It fell, shrieking, its flesh boiling away like tallow before a flame. It tried to flap its wings, but they dissolved into a fine spray. This spattered the flock, and they in turn burned, one by one.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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By the time the first bird had hit the ground, the rest were tumbling, smoking, flying as if drunk, crying in pain and terror, and straining their wings to escape. When all had fallen - I believe the last few actually splashed - all I could hear was a ghastly croaking from across the bottom of the hill. I saw a lone beak, a single grey-feathered throat, sticking up out of the charnel pools of flesh; altered and formless, yet clearly, horrifyingly, alive and conscious.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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I always loved the song of the neuzali. When I was a child in Gelid, a pair would nest in the evergreen outside my window. Every night in spring, they would call and whistle, so loud for such a small creature. I listened to their courting songs for hours. They were my lullaby.

Ah, but there at the front ranks of the enemy's hoard  - there marched rogue Firstborn, lead in bitterness by the captive chevaird Leikotha At the head of those deluded souls she stood, sword in hand;
still furious at Nerash for turning her,


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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and under the sway of Ferah's poison whispers. Ah, that vile legion, sworn to serve darkness for no greater reason than that the Servant was raised near Daralet. That thing, that usurper and pretender, is no kin of ours, no matter what slander the Yalain may cleave to.

His Eternal Splendor loosed great gales of magic upon the heretics, and the companies of Kelannik, Anadil, and Nerash crushed the survivors into carrion and dust. Only Leikotha escaped, fleeing once her vengeance slaked with the death of Nerash.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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Whispers have reached me that in some places, a new generation of Firstborn serves the enemy. Old Fauzuil's retreat is said to serve as a gateway for them now. That is the complex the Yalain later partially converted to a laboratory, if you recall. They slew him and sealed his followers in behind a well-locked door. It would seem those long-forgotten servants have embraced the coming of the enemy's Servant. My sources say a Paanuvril nests there now, quite cozily.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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Ah, again I digress into reminiscence. Perhaps I have slipped further towards the solipsism that ever stalks our kind. Be it not so! Perhaps I merely need something to do. I believe it may be our long inactivity that causes us to write these long letters that speak of little beyond old, unhappy, long-passed things. There is nothing to engage our minds but our own memoirs. I am bored, Rytheran, I admit it. I do not counsel war with the darkness because of my ennui, but my heart is glad of it, despite what may happen to me.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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I have found myself talking to myself, having conversations. Who else have I to speak with? The little stone-boned creatures in the port above? The smith Aralea, who hasn't even the mind to know he is dead? Alas, all I have at my call now are dead of Aerlinthe port, bound in ash and stone from when the mountains last awakened to spill liquid rock into the steaming sea. The plumes were a marvel to behold.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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You know as well as I the renanimated make poorer servants than the converted. On the other hand, their petrification has made them unusually strong. It is well the Olthoi came so soon after the eruption, I suppose. Otherwise the Yalain might have unearthed my keep in their bumbling, hamfisted attempts to recover their countrymen. We observed the Yalaini golem-workers excavating the reservoir long ago. It was not so precise an art as the Falatacot's lost geomancy.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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I have sent emissaries to the bastions of the Lords; foremost to Chalicmere itself, the open, defiant fortress in Diastra. It is sad to say, but the Latzimestal faction is much more capable of fighting a war than our own. On the other hand, we have eyes everywhere, and they care not for such things. We will discern the intentions of the enemy, and note the places they are weakest. Depending on what needs be done, we may whisper this news to the outlanders, or to the Lords.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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To Chalicmere I dispatched Faladha, from the house of Iharsi. His aristocratic Old Gelid manners will please the Steward, though I doubt not they will vex his servants. I do not trust Faladha, in truth. He is arrogant, and I believe he schemes to replace me as master of Aerlinthe. Yet, if Chalicmere can be convinced to war, that alone may be enough.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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Garaena, the girl you sent me before the eruption, I sent to moot with the Sand Kings. Their armies have long since blown away into dust, but it is their minds I desire. Before their disgrace at the feet of Gelid, they were the greatest of Dericost's generals; subtle and relentless. Having them with us would be a tremendous boon.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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For a child of Yalain, Gari (for so she insists I call her... a sweet girl) has a mind almost Dericost in its political shrewdness. When you singled her out from among your academy's students, you chose well indeed. Her only failings seem to be a lack of appreciation for the thoughtless violence the outlanders are prone to, and an obnoxious tendency to pine for her home on Atermore. I believe her charm will woo the Kings to our cause, unless she chats their ears off about that cursed island of hers.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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In the meantime, I recently set whispers to run among the outlanders, revealing to them a few of the simpler battle and support spells known to our arts. Perhaps these shall make them better able hold the line until we are able to take decisive action. No doubt His Eternal Splendor would have disapproved of my decision. I feel, however, that waiting for the commitment of the Latzimestal is too great a risk. While the dark spawn work their poisons in the earth and gather their forces, I must do my best to arm what forces I may. As yet, that is merely my household guard and the oblivious outlanders. The poor children


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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know not the terror of darkness unleashed.

The dark spawn have gathered around the old stone-ring of my island. I think they mean to make a binding on them, though to what end I know not. The texts of the Falatacot are maddeningly vague about the constructs. I doubt they knew much more than we, only that they stood before their forefathers crawled in the mud, and are places of great power. The only words the Old Ones ever spoke of them, if speech it may be called, amount to, "Do not ask us of these artifacts, and do not disturb them." If the spawn intend to disturb them, perhaps there is something to these warnings.


author_Name: Lady Aerfalle
author_Account: prewritten
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Write soon, dear heart. I miss you, and I have need of your advice and assistance.

                                      ~ Aerfalle


author_Name: by Gondo Kanezo
author_Account: prewritten
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Some time ago, I received a rare treat: my esteemed, if  long-winded, colleague Aliester sent me some samples of what he called chorizite ore.  This ore apparently was stolen from some mines operated by Lugians in the southern mountains.  Aliester explained to me its strangely "anti-magical" properties and asked about possible practical applications for this new ore.  Curious and intrigued, I agreed to work on it and see what I could come up with.


author_Account: prewritten
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It was a frustrating process, to say the least.  The ore proved to be remarkably difficult to work with, no matter what method I tried.  It evaded any kind of magical analysis.  Alchemical and metallurgical analysis proved difficult, but not impossible.  This leads me to conclude that a smith or an alchemist of great skill might be able to work the mineral in some practical way, but only with an extreme amount of effort and energy.


author_Account: prewritten
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The good news is that chorizite melts.  It is a fairly simple task to smelt the impurities out of the raw ore.  Once reduced to its unadulterated form, it seems like an ideal substance to forge into metal.  It is dense, rigid without being brittle, very very hard, and keeps a sharp edge.  Any metal crafted from chorizite would almost certainly be very powerful.


author_Account: prewritten
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The bad news is that it takes great resources to generate the kind of heat necessary to shape the metal. Shaping chorizite is so difficult, in fact, and requires so much energy expenditure, that it may be impractical to use on any significant scale.  I am looking for easy ways to generate the necessary heat, however, because I am curious to see just what will happen when I forge this "anti-magic" mineral into a weapon.


author_Account: prewritten
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I have also found that one grade of chorizite, neither very light nor very concentrated, is brittle enough to break up into a rough powder with mortar and pestle.  Again, however, the ore proves to be maddening to study.  No matter how thoroughly my apprentices ground the ore, it never reduced to the kind of fine powder necessary for alchemy.  I was finally able to make some kind of essence of chorizite by melting the coarse grains in vitriol.  


author_Account: prewritten
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My next step is to experiment with uses for this distillation, either in alchemical potions or as a possible reagent in magic casting.  No doubt the exceptional properties of chorizite will have some interesting effects...


author_Name: Mi Krau-Li
author_Account: prewritten
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To whichever thoughtless person buried me here: I'm not dead! I am too busy to die! And if you should happen to find my jitte, which you did not even have the decency to bury with me, please look for me in the hills on the eastern edge of the desert, near 35.1S, 23.8E. I am hoping to build a workshop there, where I may continue my work on the perfect jitte.


author_Name: Unknown
author_Account: prewritten
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I am pleased to have thee with us. I am also pleased that thy forces have secured the Stone.

Keep it safe as you may. I shall dispatch forces of my own to assist thee. In the meantime, keep the knowledge of Caulnalain's existence from thy comrades, and continue to alter the facility to serve our ends.


author_Name: Unknown
author_Account: prewritten
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I expect the rotting ones to besiege thee at some point. Ler Rhan's forces attempted to wrest control of Fenmalain from them already, so they are aware we move. My own inaction nearly won the day. Only the interference of the outlanders turned victory into defeat.

It is not impossible that the outlanders may discern your location. They are not as inept as our comrades would think. I observed their reaction to the probing of Ler Rhan and Ferah. They are uneducated, yet not stupid.


author_Name: Unknown
author_Account: prewritten
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Fools, though, they may be. In ignorance they have already destroyed three Stones. Some seek the release of the Herald for their own ends. Some of these may serve him openly; others think they may be able to defeat him. Some seek more of the armor with which they fight us. Some simply slay all before them that is not of their kind. They know not what is truly at stake. Be vigilant. Hold the Caulnalain against our enemies mortal and immortal.


author_Name: Unknown
author_Account: prewritten
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Remain wary of the Cloaked-Breath creatures. Ever they watch. I am unsure of their motive. Should one appear, observe it carefully, but do not draw its ire.


author_Name: Unknown
author_Account: prewritten
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How can this be permitted?

Again, the forces promised by Dule have failed to appear. I was to have at my command twice as many as I actually enjoyed. We attacked as planned, but failed to achieve our goals - we simply had not the numbers. We pressed the rotting ones hard, but were forced to withdraw in disarray.


author_Name: Unknown
author_Account: prewritten
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Many were lost that should not have been, my lord Ler Rhan. The oldest and most powerful in my force lie strewn about the upper halls. This inefficiency cannot be tolerated! How many more times will we permit our goals to be thwarted by the inactivity of that cold, recalcitrant schemer?

I am now assembling the survivors from across the complex, organizing them into companies, and preparing another assault. This time, we shall carry the field. I doubt, however, that we shall have the strength to achieve our object once the rotting ones are cleared away.


author_Name: Unknown
author_Account: prewritten
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My only hope, barring the dispatch of more of our limited forces, lies in the greed of the outlanders. They now know that destroying what lies below will create more of those obnoxious, self-replicating fragments. They do so love that cursed armor. Despite the assassin's harrying of the smiths, the chance to loose more of the resource into the world will surely prove too great a temptation.

I go now to fight the servants of the Old Ones. I likely as not shall die in the endeavor. A curse upon the name of Dule. May the Black Breath boil him away!


author_Name: Sahoni Arsanc
author_Account: prewritten
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My lord Anadil,

I pray that you will forgive my brevity, as our enterprise is in distress. By your command, my Lord Ghere gained entry to the storage facility yesterday, using the arts of the planar mage Saronika. There were no defenders. My Lord Ghere's assumption was that the Yalain were reluctant to leave guardian golems, lest their enchantments serve to give away the facility's location.


author_Name: Sahoni Arsanc
author_Account: prewritten
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Our force quickly moved through out the corridors, setting traps and defensive barricades. Lord Ghere then sent a sizable company to the Shendolain facility, under the command of the Lady Ellenia of Berchest. He did not think it prudent at that time to attempt any further division of our forces, until you deemed the moment ripe for our reinforcement.


author_Name: Sahoni Arsanc
author_Account: prewritten
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We believe that sometime last night the Enemy captured the enchantress Saronika, and took her for their own. The last we saw of her, she cast a plane-slant spell back to the surface, tasked with bringing news of our activity to you. As yet, she has not returned, and it was only this morning that Lord Ghere received your request for information on our progress. A general muster was immediately called, as Lord Ghere expected the Enemy in force at any moment.


author_Name: Sahoni Arsanc
author_Account: prewritten
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Eight hours ago, the Enemy's forces began to pour into the facility in large numbers. The battle was fierce indeed, my Lord, and raged for nearly six hours. I write you now as the most powerful survivor of our expeditionary company. Lord Ghere died quite early in the action, holding at bay several Uvriliim in the upper levels. Our mighty were cut down one by one, although they also took a heavy toll of the Enemy. The dark spawn nearly reached Lord Ghere's post at the base of the facility, whence I now write you. Then, as if by some silent command, all withdrew at once.


author_Name: Sahoni Arsanc
author_Account: prewritten
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I dare not think they have retreated utterly, my lord. What lies at the bottom of this facility is too precious. My pickets report whispering from the upper tunnels, though the source appears to shift by the second. As our corpse retrieval parties have recovered our destroyed and lost comrades, they have encountered small groups of the dark spawn, which withdrew rather than engage us.


author_Name: Sahoni Arsanc
author_Account: prewritten
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My lord, I now command a much-depleted force, consisting of the weaker and wounded common soldiery. I do fear we no longer have sufficient force to hold this facility from the servants of the Enemy. I pray you to speed reinforcement, lest the next sally dislodge us utterly. We expect a fresh assault from the upper levels at any moment. I will send this note to you through our last surviving enchanter, Lord Pleridarc of-

I hear now the clatter of renewed combat. The shouts are foreign. They may be in the tongue of the outlanders.


author_Account: prewritten
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It is I, Alatar Locke, writing here in the silent remnants of a once gloriously powerful work that I call the Floating City.  I call it thus for a two-fold reason: the marvels of some of its architecture, and the way sections of the city seem almost to float aimlessly in portal space, subject to the maddening tricks of a capricious magic.  You may see for yourself more of what I mean if you have more than a casual tourist's resolve.


author_Account: prewritten
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The people who lived here last were undoubtedly Empyrean of the Era of Lore.  Drunken with new knowledge after the magic of portals were "first" harnessed by Asheron, it seems they explored all of Auberean eagerly, and stumbled upon ruins containing even older and more obscure magic.  They repaired and altered what they could of the ruins, and some even took to building within anew.  Thus it is, you see, that a forgotten city stands upon a forgotten city.
If you traverse further I may perhaps tell you more... 


author_Account: prewritten
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It is I, Alatar Locke, writing as I listen to  the comfortingly mysterious sounds of what I call the Lost Chamber of the Floating City.
I am convinced the ancient magic of this place is unstable; perhaps now you see for yourself how the portals link the scattered pieces of the city together, and how, indeed, even those portals are unpredictable at times - much like the portals that lead one into and out of the City itself.


author_Account: prewritten
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It is I, Alatar Locke again, writing in what I call the "Skyway."  It is not a real sky, of course, and the city beneath is sterile and dead.  A tragedy to see what must have once been a thriving city to be now beyond habitation.


author_Account: prewritten
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But the instability of the portal magic here is undeniable, as I mention elsewhere.  I suspect the Virindi may have something to do with its present condition; however, I doubt they were the originators of the trouble.  One can see the later Empyrean who lived here - or sought to live here - struggled and ultimately failed to tame the portal magic of this city.  The capricious nature of the portals undoubtedly made this unsuitable for living, for there is not enough energy here to produce adequate food, and the unreliability of the portals would make bringing supplies difficult.


author_Account: prewritten
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In fact, the appearance of these portals in the world at large is rapidly growing rarer, and soon I doubt I shall be able to come here again for a long time.  I spoke briefly with Elysa Strathelar yesterday, and the dear lady worried that I might become trapped in this city if I did not leave soon.  I seriously doubt such an accident might befall someone like myself, especially as there seem to be no shortage of portals leading out.  Still, it is clear that I should write these notes today, without delay, lest I not have the opportunity to return and leave my musings for a far distant posterity.


author_Account: prewritten
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After all, perhaps some invisible wave or current in portal space might bring these portals back to Dereth.  Who can predict its ways?


author_Name: Fazyad ibn Raymar
author_Account: prewritten
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To all who wander the empty beauty of the great A'mun, I send greetings.

The young town of Xarabydun seeks those of the 25th level or below to cleanse the vermin from its lower levels. Those who can bring back trophies from these creatures will be well rewarded from the town's coffers.

Interested parties should travel to the town's entrance portal at 16.2E by 41.9S, in the wastes between the towns of Al-Arqas and Khayyaban.

- Fazyad ibn Raymar, Bey of Xarabydun


author_Account: prewritten
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To whomever may find this, please give to Olivier Rognath.  The last I saw of him, he resided in Eastham:

I do not know how much time I have.   The Mosswart guards are agitated, although they seem to be ignoring me for now.  The din of the battle below is constant and loud.  And it is getting closer.  I had never seen Banderlings and Mosswarts fighting amongst themselves before today, and I had never heard of such instances in the Society meetings.  It will be a good story to tell when I get back.  And it will be a "when," not if,  in this strange world.


author_Account: prewritten
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Who could have imagined a world in which death is no longer the end of one's thoughts and experiences but merely a temporary stage in between?  Unless, one day, it changes...but useless for me to think of that now.

I had journeyed to this Mosswart stronghold to observe what I could of their lives and habits.  The Society had heard rumors of some bands of Mosswarts heading westwards, but these had remained as yet unconfirmed.


author_Account: prewritten
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Sir Alayne had sent me to a relatively new Mosswart outpost to take notes on general Mosswart life, and to see if I could verify whether there were any sort of organized movement amongst the creatures, and if so, why.

The Society has made some progress in communicating with other races that have been whisked away to Dereth, but the Mosswarts remain mostly opaque to us.  All attempts at civilized contact have resulted in casualties for one side or the other.


author_Account: prewritten
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So I endeavored to be as stealthy and inconspicuous as possible as I closed in on the camp teaming with Mosswart life.  It was no small feat as the swamp seemed a living thing, intent on invading and festering  underneath my clothes.  I was covered in muck and mire, every step I made was swallowed by the grasping wet ground, and I stank of things wet and rotting.  At first I thought this would help me, as visually I blended into my surroundings, and the mud softened my footfalls. 


author_Account: prewritten
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A note to my fellow Society members:  Mosswarts possess an excellent sense of smell.

Much to my surprise, they did not kill me.  I was prepared to take a few of these creatures with me, but before I had time to react, I had been disarmed and surrounded by their long spears.  Seeing as how the spears made no further encroachment upon my neck, I was content to remain unaggressive, though very afraid.  A strange reaction.  What am I afraid of?


author_Account: prewritten
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While I have not yet suffered a death in Dereth, by all accounts I will be reborn and renewed.  And yet the fear remained, cold and implacable, as if it knew that the immortality offered by Dereth is merely dew on the morning grass, seemingly real for a short time and then gone as if it had never been  ( The howling and clash of metal is right outside the walls now.  My guards have left to join the fighting outside).  But I digress.  Again.


author_Account: prewritten
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I tried communicating with my captors, but neither my language or my attempts to imitate their growling and grunting made any noticeable impact.  I had scarcely had time  to consider the implausibility of my situation when a large group of Banderlings burst upon the scene, all of them clutching maces or clubs.  They did not look very friendly.  The Mosswarts reacted in kind.


author_Account: prewritten
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The Mosswart Chieftain barked an order to two of his guardsmen, and I found myself being roughly manhandled through a portal to the entrance of the Mosswart Dungeon, and then down a long series of corridors until finally we came to this damp stone cell.  And here I have sat, waiting and writing as the sounds of the battle have come ever closer.  There has been silence for the last few minutes, but now there is something moving outside the door.  I could stand and open it, but I think I shall sit here and await whomever my next visitor will be.


author_Account: prewritten
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Sir Candeth Martine 

Now truly I have not much time.  I've escaped my captors, but only for the briefest of  times.  The Mosswarts won, barely.  But new Banderling troops are approaching  fast.  Hordes of them.  I don't know where they are taking me, but the creeping Mosswart scouts have been moving west.  The door is  [The writing stops abruptly, and there is no more.]


author_Account: prewritten
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To whomever may find this:

If I am addressing a reader of my previous note, then I must heartily apologize for the uncertain state of affairs I left you in leagues away in a small dungeon many miles west of Sawato..  I hope you will understand that I had to let the demands of the moment outweigh the normal priorities of civilized discourse. 


author_Account: prewritten
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Having hundreds of Banderlings running towards you, waving large and heavy objects menacingly in your direction, while at the same time being surrounded by only slightly more friendly Mosswarts, many of whom are holding long pointed sticks close to delicate parts of your body, and then adding to this:  you and your Mosswart companions (Indeed, it is a forced companionship, but I look for whatever signs of civility as I can) are sprinting away from these bloodthirsty Banderlings, none of this makes for a composed and fit state of mind capable of producing the tone of writing of which I would normally attempt.


author_Account: prewritten
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For all you readers who may have not had the pleasure of reading my previous small travelogue, a pithy recap follows:  I was captured by a group of Mosswarts.  We were then set upon a group of Banderlings intent on doing us harm.  The Mosswarts apparently managed to kill  the attacking Banderlings, although at grievous harm to themselves.  I had thought everything had quieted down, when a new and even larger group of Banderlings were sighted to the east of us and approaching us fast.  The Mosswart leader immediately shouted out a string of orders,


author_Account: prewritten
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and I noticed a sizeable contingent of some of the smaller Mosswarts making their way west individually in small groups.  Being temporarily an object of no one's attention, I used this time to sprint into the dungeon portal, where I made my way to my holding cell, where I had left my note for some brave adventurer to find and get back into the hands of the Society.  I quickly added most of my postscript before two of the more ferocious Mosswart guards burst into the room and absconded with me once more.


author_Account: prewritten
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Trust me, it felt as frenetic as it sounds.  At least my note remains back in the old Mosswart Dungeon.  Unless a Banderling ate it.

West and west the Mosswarts and I  headed, through swamp and forest and then surrounded by mountainous peaks as we crept and snuck and ran through the deep brown valleys.  Running.  Always running.  I had liked to think that I was in a shape befitting an active Explorer of the Society.  These Mosswarts disabused me of that notion.


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The near constant physical exertion, almost to the point of exhaustion,  left me unable to truly ponder the circumstances of recent events. 

It was only when we reached the desert that I was able to turn my attention to what had been transpiring.  We had finally either lost our Banderling pursuers or they had given up.  Here was the first issue of note.  In all of my wanderings in Dereth, never had I seen Banderlings pursue their quarry for such a long distance or period of time.


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Many hours and miles passed beneath our feet, and yet step for step was matched by our pursuers for most of the way.  What desire lurked beneath those misshapen bodies to fuel such effort?

And why such enmity in the first place?  Never had I heard of such interspecies conflict before.  While I had heard the same rumors as most of the Society that the Banderlings and Mosswarts had come from the same place before they were transported here, rumors so widely spoken that almost all assumed they were true, I never considered that perhaps they were mortal enemies back in that long distant 


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homeland.  And yet if they did have such bloodlust towards each other, would we not have seen it before this?

It was only when we reached the Maze that some of these answers began to take shape.  How to describe this miserable place?  When I was a boy, long before I could have ever have dreamed of being whisked away to a strange time and place, bereft of most whom I loved and cared for...again, I apologize, such moments occasionally overcome me.  I'll speak no more of it.


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When I was a boy, I used to play with certain types of puzzles, long drawn out maps of lines, written on parchment, arranged in such a way that it was almost impossible to figure out how to traverse from beginning to end of the labyrinth.  When I was a boy I think I had some skill in such matters.  I wish I was that boy again.

I can make neither north nor south of this hell.  Twisty curves leading back upon one another up 


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and down turning round and round  like an inscrutable sentence with neither beginning nor ending that makes its readers cry out in agony to end the pain, the interminable pain.  That is the essence of this Maze.  Luckily, my party does not rely upon me for guidance through the dungeon.  Not only do Mosswarts have a superb sense of smell, but apparently they do not have to rely on any of the known senses of man to find their way through madness.  At least this is how it seems to me.


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But I talked of answers, not so long ago, and while I know nothing for sure, here is what I can guess.  When we came to the Maze, I was surprised to see that there was already a small party of Mosswarts waiting for us.  And they were holding a huge rock.  What this rock's purpose is, or where it had come from I had no idea.  But when our groups combined the Mosswarts held up the rock in triumph, even though it took ten of them to do it.  And those Mosswarts who had taken Banderling scalps now threw them up in the air, and there was much shouting and rejoicing.


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Afterwards, the Mosswart leader then drew out of his pack a large piece of strangely colored green cloth.  It glistened in the sun, as if covered by some oily substance.  Upon the cloth was a faint image of a Mosswart.  As he brought it out the Mosswarts turned immediately silent, and bowed in the direction of the cloth.  He then proceeded to put it back in his pack, and the entire group proceeded to enter the Maze. 

Obviously the cloth is some kind of token for these Mosswarts, of what kind I could not say. But it has apparently immense importance for them. 


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Perhaps the rock has some sort of similar importance for the Banderlings.  I wish I knew more about them, but if you receive this note than please try to find a Olivier  Rognath, who resides in Eastham, on the eastern coast of Dereth.  While he is not a full fledged Explorer in the Society, he has been a close ally to our purposes.  He is also far more knowledgeable about Banderlings than I am, although of course even experts on our new neighbors know little.


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But if you find this note, and its brother, please journey there to see him.  Maybe he can shed some light on what has been transpiring here.  

Olivier -- My own idle speculations lead me to believe that some kind of religious conflict or worse is taking place among these two cousin races.  How or why it started I have no idea, and how it ties into these random rumors of Mosswarts moving west I remain likewise in the dark.


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Please forward this to the Society as soon as possible.  I look forward to sitting in front of a fireplace telling you these harrowing stories in person.

Sincerely,

Sir Candeth Martine


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And yet another impromptu addition: We are moving again.  Apparently some of the Mosswarts had been moving the stone into the deepest caverns of the Maze when they were set upon by forces unknown and unseen.  When we came across their mangled and shredded bodies the stone was nowhere to be found.  I have been thrown into another cell, watched over by two guards, but they have not interrupted my writing.  Hearing all the commotion outside, I have decided to guess they are making preparations to leave.  I assume I will be a part of that process.


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It is I, Alatar Locke.  We meet again, here in the dwelling place of an Empyrean man or woman after my own heart: a scholar, historian, and archaeologist.  See the delicate samples this scholar so painstakingly collected and which now grace this apartment.  Note how some of the rooms have been carefully worked to reflect older styles of Empyrean architecture, some of which may be found within the Floating City itself.  Ah, a true devotee of history and learning!


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What interesting conversations we could have had, had we been contemporaries.  Perhaps we could have discussed the rise and fall of the Ice Throne while seated upon the aged stone furniture of the living room.  But I digress... alas, a true explorer of my caliber must so often work alone and unaided by none but Providence, and the solitude may at last be affecting my mind....


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Speaking of solitude -- how much our scholar friend must have rued the abandonment of this city.  I imagine the decline of the city came slowly at first, but then, as conditions worsened, the majority chose to leave in a great exodus; but a few stubborn ones remained behind, tied by their bonds of familiarity to their homes.  Our friend the scholar was, of course, one of the most stubborn: too proud of this museum-apartment to abandon it, and perhaps too confident to believe the warnings.


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So it was that our hero or heroine appeared to have been hosting a small party when the last evacuation orders came.  Did our scholar escape?  Was our dear scholar one of the ones who, trapped within this city by the fickle vagrancies of portal space, turned at last to the arcane arts of necromancy in a desperate bid to survive?


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Surely what happened was the portals out of the city failed to appear for a very long time - longer than food stores or magic could sustain.  Whatever magic they had could not get them out.  Yet, they must have known that someday the portals might return; the dilemma they faced then was to wait with hope, knowing death might be the result,  or to act in desperation.


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Even my lonely wanderings cannot compare to such despair, or to such rash disregard for the release of death.  I wonder: do they regret their actions?  Surely it would be better to pass through death's gateway and to face the awakening of the other side, than to linger on in a dead city for a time just a little shorter than eternity.


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Of course, it is I, Alatar Locke, jotting down this absurdly brief note for unknown posterity.  I am moved to write by the remains of this once-bustling pub.  The remains of containers and bottles tell me the food and drink here came from around Auberean; the best of everything came here: fruit, meat, cheese,  fine teas, distilled spirits.


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Aside from the bothersome undead who seem tied to the kitchen area, I find the furthest recesses of this place a quiet place to come sit, think, and relax.  The furnishings and artwork there are tastefully modeled after older themes and designs (perhaps with help from a certain well-learned scholar from elsewhere in the City), and that brings the depth and sweetly melancholic atmosphere of ancient history.  But more than that, perhaps I sense around me the faint echoes of Empyrean presences; it is as if I can hear their voices even now....


author_Name: Lady Adja
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Gentle sister, my decisions have never been what I would, but what must be.

I have touched the silvered shades of what lies yet unseen in search of guidance. I have found that your child has a great destiny he must yet fulfill. It will not wear easily on him. Nor, I fear, shall it pass lightly on our long-suffering world, or for a generation of children born far beyond the fields we know. All shall be broken before it is accomplished. Yet this is what must be. Light moves in fashions we cannot fathom. We can simply trust.


author_Name: Lady Adja
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I shall do as you ask. Expect me in your chambers after our first dinner at the Lyceum.

Blessed be, Adja.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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* *

I am troubled this day. Due to the meddling of the outlanders, the fate of all the world hangs from the slender thread of a single crystal. Lady Elleina's loss in Shendolain was perhaps a blessing, though it cost us many of Aerfalle's valuable rock-boned troops. Elleina was a liability, unreliable and vain. She wrote me daily demanding chyle wine. Pfah! As if we were in the halls of Gelid rather than engaged in a desperate campaign.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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The decimation of Lord Ghere's company in Fenmalain was an unqualified debacle. I can no longer divide my forces. I have not enough men to squander them piecemeal. Despite what Aerfalle would tell the Lords to keep them in the fray, Dericost is on its last legs. I do not think their society will survive this war with the Herald. It was with that in mind that I sent out the envoys, in hopes of reaching some temporary accord. Fortunately, the Dericost are not the only ones who seem to find the Herald a menace to their goals.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
author_Account: prewritten
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Asmolum's divinations brought us the location of the final piece of the Array. Fortuitously enough, it was near at hand. However, my forces were prepared to move on should the Enemy appear, not defend the ground. This field of combat is not one I would have chosen.

I have set my main perimeter at the northern coast of Itheanc. My forces have knocked down the bridge that led from Avallel island, but that is a poor defense. The water itself remains fordable. I have sent forces to garrison the small fortress there, and have set them to construct defensive walls.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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I have set patrols to the other islands - Mirenndae in the north and Thesalene in the center - so we might have advanced warning of the Enemy's approach. I do not dare men as far as Laesvos. There is a small settlement of outlanders there, more barbaric than those on the mainland. They seem to have been cut off from their fellows. It is somewhat amusing to see how debased they become in just a few years, when they say we are the monsters. I serve a society that has been dead for ten millennia. They cannot maintain their culture for a mere ten years. Quite unimpressive.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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At any rate, I fear some of my troops have already made a nuisance of themselves for no purpose. They have taken to assaulting the primitive green hominids that have settled across the Ithaenc archipelago. These creatures are harmless enough, worshipping their simple idols. Yet some, particularly among the Winds, believe it is heresy to let them worship in the same lands the Children walk. I dare not let these sorts anywhere near the human settlement.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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"Heresy." How casually the Dericost cast the words into the air. They still call the Adja and her priestesses "traitors to Dericost," despite the fact that those women were born long after the Ice Throne fell. The Dericost have long memories and an odd opinion of duty. If my tribe still wandered the High Desert, following where Isishaa led, no doubt they would claim their blood belongs to them. I expect that if I had had children, they would consider them bound by my oath as well.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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We have been able to gain control over a pair of the old Yalaini skytowers. They are useful enough on the defense, serving as mobile keeps. I wish I had more than archers and mages to garrison them with. A mana bombard or even a simple cauldron of boiling oil would be a gift from the four winds. Needs must. I have stationed one of the skytowers on the north shore. The other remains here in reserve.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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Aerfalle's contingent from Aerlinthe have set up their camp to the west of me, near the Straits of Halleslyn. It was they who first discovered the Children. Perhaps "camp" is not the best word for their gathering. They refuse to set up tents or light fires, for fear it may give away their position. Ah, the foibles of the Winds. Ever do they scurry before the winking light of day, as if they were carrion insects rather than beings of might.

I have not yet had the time to visit the cathedral personally. Perhaps I shall tomorrow.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
author_Account: prewritten
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* *

I went to Aerfalle's camp to confer with her today. I am a bit worried about the behavior of the Winds. Many of them kneel before the marshy pond, in rapt contemplation of their gods. Or the offspring of their gods, at least. I remain unconvinced.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
author_Account: prewritten
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Aerfalle explained that in the old Falatacot scriptures, the Great Ones did not die, but went to sleep in their mires. It was said that "When soon the stars align, and dim from darkness' time, then shall those who names may not be spoken, birth anew the childer, and be again awoken." Doggerel, in my opinion. The meter is forced; the words needlessly opaque. There is nothing worse than a seer who imagines herself to be a poet.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
author_Account: prewritten
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The Winds believe the tentacled creatures are the spawn of the Great Ones. Aerfalle spoke vaguely about the appearance of the Falatacot gods. She was one of perhaps a dozen remaining who saw one, during His Eternal Splendor's first trip to Killiakta. That, she said, was when they became the first to walk into eternity. The Great One they saw was supposedly the last awake. 


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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They did not see much beyond a great writhing mass of tentacles, "a vast field of them, rising glistening from the mire," she said, "some as thick as larchess trunks." She conjectured that the creature beneath the water might have been the size of the volcano Tenkarrdun. If such is true, the creatures boiling beneath the water and soft earth here must be mere infants. She seemed unwilling to speak further, and I did not press her.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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The Lady, at least, remains unmoved by the Children. I have seen her stare out at the waving tentacles, arms folded across her chest, and looking skeptical. For a Wind, she is uncommonly practical. This is a good thing in a leader. Too many of the Dericost have their brains half-wrapped in cobwebs and mysticism.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
author_Account: prewritten
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* *

Today I walked among the poor stones of the cathedral. I paced and pondered where the Lady taught and wrote her letters. It was, in the end, humbling to enter the room where she wrote the Book of Sky and Water, where she meditated on the au. (Translator's note: "Au" is a Yalaini word which means light, star, thought, or self. Context provides me small clue as to which Anadil means.) I sat beside the well she used to drink from. I marveled at her great and lofty halls, where great choirs once lifted their voices in a song to stars and earth united.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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The stones were battered by the force of men and years. The glorious spires were snapped and crumbled. The serene magnificence of yesteryear had flown. Across the falls, I sat in the place where Lady Kathendi was put to the stake. No grass grows there. It was rumored among the Yalain that if one sat still for long enough in that place, the Lady could yet be heard upon her pyre. I did not hear her; perhaps a legend after all. In the cellar, there still lay the defiled bodies of her retainers, tortured and worse before they were slain by the victorious hoard.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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It is a marvel to me the sins the Yalain committed in service to their great lights. I cannot understand the belief that an evil done to one who does not believe as you is less an evil in the eyes of those who see into our souls.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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If you wish to have power over earth and sea, so be it. Be honest about your goal. Do not seek it through duplicity and doubletalk. My father taught me at the council fire that all our gods demand of us is honesty - all other judgements are those of men. The Nali of Haebrous claimed that Adja's daughters were tainted by the beliefs of the Falatacot. He said their accordance of equal respect to the earth as well as the stars was heretical. What he truly sought was the silencing of a voice other than his own, in a war for the hearts of men. In this, I think, he was the greatest sinner of his time. Men may claim the earth and sea, yet never the stars nor the souls of their brothers.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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I have come to believe Caerlin made the right choice in entrusting the last piece of the Array to the safekeeping of Adja's daughters. In the end, they were the last constant people on the face of this world. Though Nali Valind's followers sought long for the Shard, they sought it to glorify themselves. They wished to boast of protecting it, not actually protect it. It is well that Lady Sephrena hid it so carefully, using the ancient and cunning arts of the Falatacot.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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But the Dericost know those selfsame arts. For the Falatacot, in their flight from the Darkness and cold that had put their gods to sleep, taught the kings of the Ice Throne their secrets in exchange for sanctuary. Aerfalle and Rytheran found the Path quite quickly.

I walked among the blackened, fateful stones, and thought these things. All roads seem to converge on this island. The letters Asmolum have recovered certainly prove that. I do hope he returns them to the Mistress' strongbox.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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The flowers still grew in wild abundance, even through the shattered stones. The air was filled with the hum of insects, the tinkling of chimes, and drifting clouds of pollen. For this place was beloved of nature, and she would not let her daughters' faithful work lie unadorned.

I seem to be becoming more spiritual in my days here. I know not if this is due to the quality the sisters left upon their home, or a simple man's response to living among great days.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
author_Account: prewritten
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* *

Asmolum's agents have sighted a Thorn approaching from the northeast, and Paanuvriliim have been encountered on Avallel. It is as I feared. The Enemy has found the last piece of the Yalaini council's array. It would seem the subtle cloaks laid across this place by the Adjanites have failed at last.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
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There will be many good warriors lost in the coming days, some who have rallied around my banner for twelve thousand years. We will fight mightily and with honor, for once again, all depends on us. I will not let this army down. No, I will not. I will fight beside them at every turn. To lose here may be the end of everything. The Shard must be kept intact.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
author_Account: prewritten
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Still there is no word from my envoys to those that walk between the winds. They have power enough to accomplish my plan, if only they make haste. They seem to be growing concerned. Aerfalle has told me they maintain large numbers of observers on her isle.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
author_Account: prewritten
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* *

I have been checked.

Aerfalle recovered the key to the catacombs when we arrived here. To prevent the Enemy from regaining it, I broke it into three pieces and gave one to each of the army commanders. However, it would seem we have an agent of the Enemy in our midst. Kelderam's Path has been somehow corrupted, right under the eaves of my own tents. The way is now only open to those who have knelt before the Herald. Naturally, that includes none of my forces.


author_Name: Anadil of Shakrassekor
author_Account: prewritten
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Perhaps this is for the better. The outlanders who oppose the Herald may now be able to resist those who seek his release in direct combat beneath the cathedral. For once, they may be able to prevent a disaster rather than be its cause.


author_Name: Lady Maila
author_Account: prewritten
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Dearest Adja,

I have packed my books and letters. The palace seems quite dim now. Most of our chevairds are holding the shores of Tentael - Caerlin refuses to abandon his home, even as his arm boils away. I have heard that his night-howls may be heard as far as Imperial Square. My students are abroad, still laboring desperately at the forge. There are only a handful left, and they are spending this night preparing for the voyage. There is no need for the halls to be lit, so I have kindled the fire here alone in Atlan's study. I have left the window open. Beyond the shadowed garden, I can see the torches that


author_Name: Lady Maila
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light the decks of the Aerynd.

My garden. You would weep to see it now, shriveled by an early hoarfrost and sick with the influence of the Enemy. I cut the season's last demsael blossom yesterday, as you taught me, and it cried out in pain. I dropped it in horror, and Captain Tenosh put his smoldering sword to it. The stem of the flower moaned and rustled as it burned, and so he proceeded to burn half the flowerbeds.


author_Name: Lady Maila
author_Account: prewritten
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I shall send you this message by my fastest skyship, and hope it reaches Ithaenc before you leave for the Lyceum. We all know that even should Palacost ignore us utterly in the final moments, none shall survive the final casting. That is a price we have accepted. I have no cause to grieve. My life has been long, and for the most part well-spent. And I miss Atlan. I look forward to seeing him, even should I not know him, when the watchful stars turn round once more. Yet, I must ask a great boon of you, if it be within your will and ability. I ask that a life be spared from among our group.


author_Name: Lady Maila
author_Account: prewritten
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You have spoken, reluctantly, I know, of the arts your mother and hers taught you as a child: those forbidden ways to extend life that corrupted old Dericost. But you also said there were ways taught and practiced under stars less bleak - ways which do not greedily seek to stall the hunting eye of time across the length of its domain. The blood that courses through your line could protect and prolong for many circles of the world without casting aside the pangs and joys of mortality. You told me once your grandmother, when a girl herself, fled the captivity of the Ice Throne. Later she told blessed Alaidain of the secret ways through the deeps of Vasmora under Gelid.


author_Name: Lady Maila
author_Account: prewritten
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I am conscious of the price these arts demand. To preserve a life, a life must always be taken in forfeit. If it is given freely, you said, the result is not tainted by the ones whose names cannot be spoken. The life I would sacrifice shall be mine own. I agreed to lay it down to bring an end to Palacost's endless rage. I shall. But should there be a way, I would have my last breath of this world mean still more. What mother could stand by and watch her child die without seeking as I do?


author_Name: Lady Maila
author_Account: prewritten
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Adja, I beg you, who have called me sister for ten score years, to aid me. I will lay down my life to save my boy. I have ALWAYS been willing to do so. Asheron is all I hold dear, and all I have left of Atlan. Will you help me?

                                       Maila


author_Name: The Fivefold Curse
author_Account: prewritten
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As we were sent by the Darkness
The Darkness shall send again
An avenging star
A light to bring darkness
The Darkness shall send then
A knowledge:
A power to bring destruction
For Alaidain's blood shall be
The death of the people
And then Darkness shall send yet again
And once more, and the Darkness shall win


author_Account: prewritten
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If you are reading this, then there is still hope.

Perhaps.  It still may be too late.  What they have planned...what they are still planning...the loss of blood makes it hard for me to concentrate.  

Who knew that there would be things to fear in a world where death takes no one?

I would find the naivete of the innocent amusing, were I still innocent.  But the road to experience is the destiny of all, especially in Dereth.


author_Account: prewritten
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Welcome to the land of Dereth, fellow traveler!

I know that your arrival to the Kingdom of New Aluvia may have been a turbulent one.  You have been thrust into a land fraught with dangers and challenges around every turn. Our Explorers are visiting the length and breadth of Dereth to examine its creatures and wildlife.  If we cannot leave Dereth, then we will make it our own.


author_Account: prewritten
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To that end, we at the Society are providing an adventure for all new travelers to Dereth.  Throughout the civilized lands of Osteth we have scattered official Red and Gold Letters amongst the hostile creatures that our young adventurers are most prone to encounter. Occasionally these creatures will leave behind a Red, or perhaps even a Gold Letter.  Acquiring the possession of such a letter is only the first step, however.


author_Account: prewritten
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We have contacted  residents of six cities located in Osteth. These residents have agreed to don the green cap and robes of the Agents of the Society.  They have hidden their official town stamp in dungeons near each of their towns. Find the Town Stamp and use it on your Red or Gold Letter.  This will create a Stamped Red or Gold Letter, marked with the name of the town whose stamp you used. Take this Stamped Letter to one of the Agents and exchange it for a reward.


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The reward you will receive depends on what town stamped letter is being turned in at which town. Keep in mind that in order to encourage exploration and give you experience in using the Town Network, which many of us use to travel around Dereth, Society Agents will no longer accept letters from their own towns!

Turning in red stamped letters will yield an Amateur Explorer reward while gold stamped letter will yield a more powerful Seasoned Explorer reward. We created these rewards in the hope that they will aid you in adapting and eventually thriving in your new home.


author_Account: prewritten
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I wish you the best of luck in your journey.   

Sir Alayne, Founder of the Dereth Exploration Society

I've listed the names of the Society Agents and their towns in the following pages of this book. I have also listed the rewards you will recieve for bringing them stamped letters.


author_Account: prewritten
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Al-Arqas 
     Agent: Jilsaya bint Dah
     Rewards:
        Lytelthorpe Letter:  Tassets
        Nanto Letter:  Sword
        Rithwic Letter:  Ring of Endurance
        Samsur Letter:  Sollerets
        Yanshi Letter:  Axe


author_Account: prewritten
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Lytelthorpe      
     Agent: Lord Aleval
     Rewards:
        Al-Arqas Letter:  Crossbow
        Nanto Letter:  Girth
        Rithwic Letter:  Two Handed Axe
        Samsur Letter:  Ring of Quickness
        Yanshi Letter:  Breastplate


author_Account: prewritten
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Once this Red Letter is stamped with a Town Stamp, it can be turned into an authorized Society Agent for a reward. Look in the Book of Quests for New Explorers to start on your way. Any of the Society Agents who are catering to new arrivals  in the nine Nexus towns maybe be contacted to obtain this guide.


author_Account: prewritten
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I am pleased to say that the defeat of Bael'Zharon has been accomplished.

He has been driven off, though not destroyed. It would require powers far beyond ours to do such a thing. Such powers have not walked the world since the age of my people's legends.

The remnants of Dericost played a role in this victory. I remain uncertain whether their grievous losses are a tragedy or a blessing. I do not believe they have the numbers to stride across the world as its masters once more.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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          General History of Dereth Vol. I
                        Frostfell, 10 P.Y.
                  "The Sudden Season"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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In the month known as Frostfell, the isle of Dereth was beset by a sudden freeze. As mages scrambled to explain the dropping temperatures, the snowline dipped down from the lofty peaks of the Lost Wish and Linvak mountain ranges, until the entire island was coated with several inches of snow. Even the Gharu'ndim, deep in the hot and barren A'mun desert, awoke one morn to find their stately brick courtyards blanketed with white. In Samsur, the Fountain of Musansayn froze solid. 


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Somewhere in the wastes, the exploration party of Sir Joffre Tremblant fell afoul of dark forces. The legendary Knight of the Golden Flame order had gone in search of a fabled lost city alluded to in certain Empyrean texts. At first, his party was presumed lost in the blinding snows. Intrepid bands followed his meandering path from Arwic to Stonehold, gathering clues to his final destination.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Along the way, many assisted the aims of Lady Tallial of Neydisa Castle, or those of her rival MacDugal in the Bandit Castle. Others grappled with Hoary Mattekars, ferocious mountain creatures the size of a house. The hides of these creatures, when given to the skilled tradesmen of Dereth, were quickly turned into fine Mattekar Robes.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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With the assistance of the scholars of Zaikhal, the search parties discovered the path to the mysterious underground city of Frore. Here the fate of the Tremblant Party stood revealed; the group had been slain and then turned into undead slaves by an ancient cult of Empyrean necromancers calling themselves the Gelidites.


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In the depths of the frozen hell of Frore, adventurers struggled through legions of undead sorcerers, who were lead by a council of three dark priests. These three, Ferundi, Frisander, and Fenngar by name, were slain at the gates of the city. In the deepest caverns, parties were brought up short by a cadre of Gelidite Lords led by the powerful sorcerer Frisirth. The Gelidite necromancer controlled Sir Tremblant, who pleaded for death even as he was magically forced to defend his evil master.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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When Tremblant was released from his misery and Frisirth defeated, the parties confronted a greater mystery -- a large, rotating crystal the Gelidites called the Great Work. This magical artifact had been discovered by Frisirth centuries before. Under the enchantments of the Gelidites, the Great Work sucked the heat from the earth, causing the snows that carpeted Dereth.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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When the explorers rushed to destroy it, the crystal defended itself with powerful magics. Many were slain, but in the end the Isparians prevailed. Abrim of Morningthaw chronicled the final battle against the Work in his tale "Return to Frore," which became a bestseller at the capital towns of Cragstone, Hebian-To, and Zaikhal.

With the Great Work shattered, warmth began to seep back into the land. The exhausted and battered adventurers returned to their homes, to enjoy the blessings of the Solstice, Festival of Lights, and Night Feast holidays.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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During the celebrations, new culinary delights had been invented to delight the palate. Kakori of Thistledown made Carrot Cake, Dani the Crazed of Leafcull introduced Famous Pizza, Raszagal and Tassadar of Morningthaw created Hot Kimchi, and Firedemon of Thistledown baked the first Spiced Apple Pie. Bortin of Frostfell created Fruitcake, but he has since been forgiven, and is occasionally allowed back into town. 


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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The remnants of the Gelidite cult were left in sorrow, their great hopes dashed. Departing adventurers even seized their ancient scriptures as spoils of war. Our Great Work, a memoir written by Ferundi, was given to the scholars of Hebian-To, and the ancient Book of Minesh, a history of the Gelidite cult, was seized by the Zaikhal Arcanum.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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          General History of Dereth Vol. II
                         Frostfell, 10 P.Y.
                           "Dark Thaw"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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As the heat seeped back into the earth, snowlines receded. Patches of slush still dotted the landscape, but hints of green returned to most of the land. All was not well, however.

The enigmatic Shadow creatures began to walk the landscape openly, harassing adventurers and making travel through remote areas a dangerous proposition. In addition, floating Crystal Fragments appeared. While originally thought to be pieces of the Gelidites' Great Work, the vast numbers of Fragments that soon swarmed across Dereth seemed to imply another origin.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Fortunately, the most learned mages of the land had taken to heart the dire prognostications of the recovered Gelidite scriptures. The Archmages Celdiseth, Fadsahil al-Tashbi, Nuhmudira, and Shoyanen Kenchu offered for sale Master Mage Robes of fine quality, while they allowed their Apprentice Mage Robes to be sold by the local mages of various towns.

Non-mages were not left without fashionable attire, however, as the traditional warrior garb of Ispar began to appear in Dereth. Celdon, Amullian, and Koujia Armor became visible signs of a warrior's prowess.


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         General History of Dereth Vol. III
                        Coldeve, 11 P.Y.
                   "Shadows of the Past"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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Providence smiled upon the refugee nations of Ispar in the month of Coldeve. Whispers began to cross the land of ancient storage vaults hidden across the length and breadth of Dereth. Bold parties sought these lost facilities out, and discovered weapons used in the last war with the Shadows, some two thousand years before humans first arrived in this land. These were designed ages ago by alchemist and warrior Lord Atlan, and his wife, the enchanter Lady Maila. While the contributions of both were apparently vital to winning the last war, the documentation recovered suggested both died in the conflict - hardly a reassuring statistic.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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The Atlan artifacts were a set of melee weapons - swords, daggers, maces, and so on - which could be alchemically refined from raw of pyreal motes. The weapons could be further improved using a set of elemental stones, which could be exchanged at will using a special stone tool. This allowed, for example, a frosting axe to be turned into a lightning axe. While motes of the magical alloy pyreal could be recovered from any type of golem, the stones and the tool were securely stored in several remote and dangerous dungeons. 


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One of these was defended by legions of powerful undead, another with fire elementals and magma golems, a third by never-before-seen lightning elementals, and another had become the home of a band of Tumeroks. Olthoi had infested the final vault, named Incunabula, transforming it into the most deadly hive known to exist in Dereth.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Perhaps in response to the discovery of these weapons, the Shadows that had made overland travel a terrifying prospect melted away into the night. Very few remained under open skies, although this made some more nervous than relieved. Taverns abounded with fresh rumors of evil's hand in the world.


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Many powerful monarchs were whisked away to a remote island, said to lie to the southwest of Dereth. Here they were challenged by a dark presence to run a gauntlet filled with bizarre monsters. While most lost their sense of direction, or were slain by the gauntlet's fierce inhabitants, two of the most dangerous fiends in Dereth survived the trial; Blackthorn and Vidorian of Thistledown. They were rewarded with corrupted Shadow Stones, which could be fitted into the Atlan weapons.


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These stones gave a weapon tremendous power... though their use seemed to drain the will and sense of self in the wielder. It remained to be seen what the two so-called "Dark Masters" would be called upon to do. Fafhrd of Thistledown and Killean of Morningthaw made a heroic decision to defy the gathering evil, and refused to take the dark presence's test. Their selfless denial of easy power would be remembered in the days ahead.


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The hand of darkness also sought allies using means as subtle as the monarch kidnappings were gross. Hamud ibn Rafik, leader of an extremist sect of the Gharu'ndim Zharalim called the Tenebrous Edge, made his presence known in Dereth. He and his daughter Devana sent many adventurers on a test of their own. Success earned a magnificent Pyreal Katar that pulsed with dark power, trailing streamers of sooty, cloying mist. Rumor held that Rafik had lost his mind taking to heart Archephoros' maxim that to fight darkness, sometimes one must become a shadow.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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On the opposite edge of the A'mun desert, Dizah ibn Nadqab began excavating a massive crypt complex built beneath an ancient fortress near Zaikhal. He apparently ventured where he shouldn't have, and the ancient dead of the Impious Temple reawakened, chasing him out of the complex. In exchange for funds to continue his research, he let the bold enter the Temple. A shattered staff, apparently unusable, was discovered in its depths. Fortunately, some adventurers managed to find someone wise enough to repair it.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Not all the news was worrisome. The land continued to recover from the damage wrought by the Great Work of the Gelidites. Flowers blossomed all over Osteth, filling the air with drifting clouds of pollen. Rabbits, delighted by the return of warm weather, quickly did as rabbits are wont to do. A veritable plague of baby bunnies flooded the landscape, nibbling crops and tripping inattentive travelers. Most were harmless irritants, but tales of more dangerous baby bunnies trickled out of the Direlands . . .


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Meantime, the excavations of over twenty Meeting Halls, dating from the Empyrean Era of Lore, were completed near the major towns of Dereth. These underground amphitheaters are thought to have been built for nobles and scholars to hold assemblies, or for local troop garrisons to hold briefings. They resumed their duties quickly enough, as allegiances across Dereth began to hold their meetings in these structures.


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In other local news, Guthima the Wise, archmage of Arwic, moved down the road. Complaints from neighbors about crowds of mages practicing their craft all hours of the night convinced the town's nobility to build a new shop for him outside of town.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Lastly, as if in omen, the beginning of the month saw a titanic bridge, carved from volcanic obsidian, appear over the River Prosper between Holtburg, Cragstone, and Arwic. Formerly cloaked by the lost magical arts of the Empyrean, the Obsidian Span drew crowds of gawkers. Not a few unfortunate souls jumped off of it -- doubtless driven to insanity by the inescapable gift of Lifestone resurrection. Sages could only speculate what other structures might lie in plain sight without our knowing.


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         General History of Dereth Vol. IV
                     Wintersebb, 11 P.Y.
                  "Darkness Ascendant"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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While swarms of bees buzzed around the spring blossoms in the many marriage ceremonies, ill omens filled the air. Most dramatically, a series of earthquakes presaged the eruption of bizarre Shadow Spires across the face of Dereth. These enormous constructions burst from the ground near the towns of Khayyaban, Tufa, Sawato, Tou-Tou, Cragstone, and Eastham. Travelers reported seeing spires in the deep wilderness as well. Sages claimed they were somehow alive, but little could be proven, for no way could be found to enter them. Brooding and malevolent, yet seemingly harmless, the Spires floated ominously over the land.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Then came the abductions.

Many adventurers reported being pulled into the spires by three distinct presences, and subjected to a battery of questions. Some of these questions were quite unfathomable, referring to people and events not yet familiar to humanity in Dereth. Most shocking, however, was the final question; which of the six towns visited by the Spires should be destroyed? Some of the abducted answered with a random town, in fear of the power shown by the unseen presence, others chose a specific town out of spite. A few refused to choose, and were returned uninjured.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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As the month progressed, disturbing changes began to be wrought upon the face of the heavens. The sun shrank, turning a dim, bloody red. The clouds would fade to a sick sulphuric tint during storms. The moons of Alb'arel and Rez'arel swelled to grotesque size, and some feared they were falling. Through it all, the form of a demon lurked along the northern horizon, visible only during the most violent tempests.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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In the face of what seemed to be an impending catastrophe, the people of Dereth worked feverishly to prepare their defenses. Many sought the ancient weapons of Atlan, recovered the previous month, reasoning that the best defense would be an effective offense. Others, notably the Master Smiths Jibril ibn Rashid, Koga Hideki, and Alean the Steel Forger sought more traditional means of defense. From the gems and shards carried by the crystal fragments and Shadows, they crafted fine sets of Shadowhunter Armor. Those who brought them these hard-to-recover trophies could have them fashioned into these exquisite defenses.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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At the end of the month, an expectant silence hovered over Dereth, broken only by the howl of the Spires and the frantic hammering of the Master Smiths. Ground tremors struck the island, as if something within the earth was stirring . . .


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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         General History of Dereth Vol. V
                  Morningthaw, 11 P.Y.
             "Thorns of the Hopeslayer"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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In Morningthaw, darkness and blood flooded the land in equal measures.

The month began inauspiciously enough. The pent-up tension of the previous month, the feeling of a wave about to crash against the rocks, hovered still over the heads of all. The clouds still raced, the moons still loomed, and the figure of the Demon still appeared during storms... yet no Shadow activity broke the oppressive quiet. The biggest news was the murder of the Banderling thief known as Gertarh.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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In the desert, Hamud ibn Rafik fought a personal battle with the forces of Darkness, and it did not go well with him. "We no longer fear our mortality," he wrote his daughter Devana, "but rest assured there still exist things worse than death." Having given his loyalty to the forces of Bael'Zharon, he found himself less and less able to resist their commands. He told Devana of a portal in the South Direlands, leading to a facility called the Nexus. He seemed to think that some key to defeating the Shadows could be found in that place.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Unfortunately, those attempting to investigate the complex found the way blocked by strong doors. Some attempted to slip through by exploiting unpredictable forms of teleportation magic.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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During the pause, explorers rediscovered the legendary Silifi of Crimson Stars - an artifact many despaired of ever finding. The weapon had been lost after the death of the One Queen, when the warrior Wari al Sha'im had wandered into the A'mun desert in search of new challenges. Apparently he met a violent end, for his weapon was broken into many pieces, none of which were easily found. It seemed that the blade had been utterly shattered. Only careful exploration of the desert lands allowed the bold to reconstruct the Silifi. Kayna bint Iswas, a recluse Walim scholar learned in the lore of the Silifi, was instrumental in forging this Isparian relic anew.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Then, the Shadows launched their invasion. The first wave, lead by a Shadow Captain, hit Fort Tethana and the Direlands. After a sharp battle, the defenders of the Fort repulsed the dark warriors, slaying the Captain. Shouts of victory echoed from the walls, but the euphoria was short-lived. The Shadows advanced across the northern land bridge into Osteth, encamping themselves at Plateau. They were defeated there as well, and moved further east, into the Mount Esper area. Their last Captain moved to Stonehold to lead her forces, but was anticipated. A large force met her there, and she was cut down.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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While the remnants of the Captains' forces could be found in the forests and on the slopes of Esper, the Shadow armies seemed to have gone underground once more. The illusion of peace was shattered a week later, as their armies poured into the Direlands once more, under the leadership of the dread general Black Ferah.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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She first assaulted the religious retreat at Wei Jhou. The defenders were hard pressed, but once Ferah appeared to lead the attack personally, she was quickly surrounded and cut down. Again, the defenders rejoiced, but Ferah, as she fell, hissed, "A fine attempt, but this is but my shadow. I shall move on!" So she did, advancing across the southern land bridge into the Linvak Mountains. Ferah was perhaps too bold in stating her intentions, and was met in the hamlet of Kara by strong forces.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Ferah and her Lieutenant were smote within seconds of appearing. Again, the Isparians rejoiced. Some, contemptuous of Ferah's generalship, thought the battle no longer worth their time, and left the field.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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This proved a mistake, as the general moved her command post into one of the howling Shadow Spires. The portals leading to this blasphemous construct appeared randomly on the landscape. Not a few adventurers wandered into these gateways unawares, and were slain by Ferah and her bodyguard. In the end, the Isparians assembled at the portals to launch a cohesive assault on the Spire. Ferah again found herself overwhelmed. She fell, coldly stating, "A fine attempt . . . I see I must reformulate my plans." Again, the Isparians celebrated a victory, and again it was but a temporary respite.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Eight days after the climactic fight in the Spire, Ler Rhan's forces flooded the wastes of the A'mun desert. Unlike Ferah, he elected to establish his headquarters in the Spires at the outset. However, the portals to the Spires proved unresponsive to powerful adventurers. Younger warriors, mages, and archers sortied into the Spire and were beaten back by his fearsome apparition. Eventually, however, he was overcome, and moved on to the plains in the Aluvian-settled regions of Dereth.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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Again, he was tracked and defeated. Once more he moved, into the Spire found in the festering Blackmire Swamp. Once more he fell, and Black Ferah reappeared in the Direlands to give his troops time to regroup.

To assist her, she brought to life the spires that loomed close to the towns of Osteth. The Shadows of the Spires, Shadow Children for the most part, were fought by the newest arrivals to Dereth, as the portals leading to their lairs refused to activate for the mighty. The town Spires, however, did field two new horrors; Shadow Sprites and Spire Shadows. Sprites appeared to be Zefir


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that had been absorbed by the darkness. Spire Shadows, possibly the most disgusting of Bael'Zharon's followers, appeared to have grown out of the floor of their charges. The implications were troubling; it now appeared that the Spires were bizarre, living fusions of multiple creatures, twisted and bent to the will of the Hopeslayer.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Each of the Shadow Spires, however, carried a secret treasure: a piece of a key. When these were combined in the proper fashion, the doors to the Nexus were opened. Massive parties flooded the facility. Legions of powerful Undead and Shadows resisted their advance, but the sheer numbers told. At the bottom of the Nexus hovered a floating crystal, similar to the Great Work of Frore.


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It was quickly swarmed by the vengeful Isparians, and fell. Tayway of Thistledown, Freeze of Frostfell, Al Neo of Morningthaw, Qua Badib of Leafcull, Hell Maker of Harvestgain, and Lop of Darktide made the killing blows, and were rewarded with chunks of the Crystal. At the fall of the Nexus, the Shadow-armies melted away into the Darkness, leaving behind only an echo of triumphant laughter.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Many questions were left unanswered. Where was the third general, Isin Dule, and why had he not participated in the assault? What was the purpose of the invasion, and why, if the Shadows have limitless armies, did so few participate? What was the Nexus Crystal, why were the Shadows protecting it, and why did they melt away upon its destruction? Most importantly, what was yet to come? The generals were pushed back, but not defeated, and Bael'Zharon's power still waxed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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        General History of Dereth Vol. VII
                       Seedsow, 11 P.Y.
                 "Paths of Destruction"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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The Shadow Spires, which had held a ceaseless vigil over six towns since Wintersebb, began to move. Almost simultaneously, a wave of fierce portal-energy squalls slid down the length of the Direlands, bringing with them fiercer varieties of banderling, shreth, and other familiar creatures. The scholars of Hebian-to, Zaikhal, and Cragstone argued that these events were too coincidental, and had to be somehow related. It was previously known that the Spires could disturb portalspace, as portals had begun to appear at random on the landscape at the same time they rose.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Other creatures made their first appearance in Seedsow. Several powerful new types of undead skeleton began to rise from the sands and mires of the Direlands, and were seen to march to the northeast. As well, beautiful and deadly Empyrean diamond golem artifacts flooded out from long-abandoned storehouses.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Fortunately, Yuan Hanzu, a skilled bowyer, completed his research into replicating the old composite bows of Ispar with locally available materials. Archers and Crossbowmen across Dereth rejoiced, washed their hands often, and promptly joined the hoards of warriors and mages that had crowded into a number of newly discovered dungeons, heavily populated with Othoi, Tuskers, Lugians, and other creatures.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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The most mysterious discovery of the month involved a number of unusual new war magic spells, unknown to the arts of Ispar. Wandering mages in the wilderness claimed that mysterious voices from the darkness offered them "long-dormant powers" if they attempted bizarre combinations of reagents. The source of these whispers was not discovered. While hard to learn and cast, the new spells, including rings and streaks, spread quickly by word of mouth.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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In local news, Yu Vuo-Ki and her sister Dansha-Ki moved to the north of besieged town of Dryreach. Dansha, a rather inattentive woman, found herself captured by the roving Tumerok patrols that surrounded Dryreach, and had to be rescued by passing adventurers.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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       General History of Dereth Vol. VIII
                     Leafdawning, 11 P.Y.
             "To Raise a Banner of Flame"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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The Shadow Spires continued their slow, imperturbable glide over the landscape, moving towards goals none could yet guess. Small groups of Shadows could still be found wandering the landscape, but their army, and their generals, remained sight unseen. Many began to wonder what the enemy was planning, if anything. Some optimists insisted that the dark ones had forgotten about this world, and gone on the bigger conquests elsewhere.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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In north- and southwestern Osteth, residents were harried by an influx of creatures from the Direlands, driven east by the new, ferocious creatures that arrived in Seedsow. They were not the only creatures busy, however, as the massive Lugians discovered an ore with unique properties in the Linvak Mountains to the south. Soon they had opened three mines to recover this "Chorizite," which appeared to be conventional metal that had somehow been rendered magically "dead," and could not be affected by enchanters. When humanity discovered this marvelous material, the workers quickly found themselves overrun with eager would-be miners.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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While the Lugian miners logged a staggering number of workplace accidents with their supervisors, Isparian sages found a variety of uses for Chorizite. Refined and forged, it could make weapons capable of piercing all protective enchantments to self and armor, although these weapons also shrugged off all manner of arcane enhancement. Ground, it could be used as a reagent by mages. As a result of Chorizite's unique properties, spells that used powdered Chorizite were able to dispel enchantments on their target. Distilled, the ore could be used in Alchemy, allowing those skilled in this art to make drinkable potions that could dispel low-level


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enchantments.

Meanwhile, one of the earliest defenders of Dereth was found to be not quite as dead as it was assumed. The crypt of Mi Krau-Li, one of the most famous users of the Sho jitte weapon (some said he was the ONLY user) was found empty. A note found nearby complained that he had been buried alive, and had gone off to complete his work. Explorers did later find Krau-Li, quite dead and half-decayed, but still maintaining that he was alive. In exchange for the return of one of his older jittes, he offered the reward of his newly developed "improved" jitte.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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The smiths of Dereth also developed new weapons. Swordstaves and tridents came into use by spear users, as did spiked clubs for those who preferred the mace. Perhaps inspired by the ingenuity of humans, the mewling drudges "developed" wooden boards with nails stuck through them, and used them to poke innocent passers by. The giant Lugians took this "innovation" one step further. Young Lugian hooligans were soon to be found bashing each other with bigger boards, and bigger nails.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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The biggest news of the month was the discovery of a passage to a heretofore-unknown island. A pair of undead heralds arrived in the Direlands, one in the northeast at the undead fortress of Chalicmere, and the other in the southeast, at a trio of sandy old crypts. In exchange for huge sums of money, these emissaries would cast a portal to the island of Aerlinthe, which lies to the northeast of Dereth.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Aerlinthe was an intensely volcanic island, with several peaks ringing a central lagoon. It seemed, in fact, that the island's nature had been the death of its original population long ago; a ruined port was discovered along the southeast shore, with its inhabitants found frozen into positions of horror by falling ash. Many fossilized undead skeletons still wandered the island, as did a host of bizarre new creatures. Coral golems lined the navigation channel into the lagoon. Tenuous vapor and plasma golems roamed the calderas of the volcanoes and the underground.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
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Intrepid adventurers, following instructions found on the bones of an undead Empyrean smith, managed to restart the old forge mechanisms built into the central mountain of Tenkarrdun. With a rumble that could be heard as far as Ayan Baqur, the volcano came to life. Plumes of magma and a hoard of powerful blue-white fire elementals issued forth from the caldera of great Tenkarrdun. Those who visited the steaming crater found themselves overwhelmed and driven back.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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However, the sighting of a great beast brought them back for more. The "Behemoth of Tenkarrdun," a huge and powerful (though stupid) magma golem, had crawled up from the depths of the mountain to blister and squash all who dared approach its home. It was eventually overwhelmed and killed. Some say a mere duo managed to slay it, others insist that it took an assault of nearly a hundred to bring it down.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
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Unfortunately, Aerlinthe kept its remaining secrets for the time being. As Leafdawning drew to a close, the bulk of the invading force of fire elementals still held the caldera of Mount Tenkarrdun. While many searched unsuccessfully for some obscure, hidden method to end their reign, few seemed willing to directly challenge them in open combat. Perhaps this was due to the fierce conditions in the crater, or perhaps because what commanded the occupying forces could not be easily discerned.


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author_Account: prewritten
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        General History of Dereth Vol. IX
                      Verdantine, 11 P.Y.
                      "Taste of Twilight"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
At the beginning of Verdantine, shooting stars began to grace the heavens with increasing frequency. Sages theorized this to be related to the mounting activity of the Shadows, who had been largely dormant since their attacks in the month of Morningthaw.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Bizarre organic messenger creatures taken from Shadows revealed they were not monolithic after all. Rather, they seemed to be split into three distinct factions. One group was loyal to Bael'Zharon. Another, swearing their allegiance to his general Isin Dule, seemed alarmed by the Hopeslayer's blind rage, and appeared to be working to keep him imprisoned. The last faction was barely comprehensible. Loyal to neither Bael'Zharon nor Dule, they were obsessed with "opening the ways" for something yet greater than the dread Hopeslayer.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
It is thought that the minions of Bael'Zharon were responsible for the so-called "Arenas" that opened at this time. The portals to these underground complexes were restricted to those who had sworn to serve the lord of chaos. Reports of what lay within were hard to come by, but those few who were willing to talk mentioned gladiatorial blood sports fought between and judged by Bael'Zharon's human servants. It was assumed that these arenas were built to hone the prowess of the Hopeslayer's followers for the coming struggle.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Meantime, the Dericost undead mobilized at the behest of the Aerfalle, the powerful Lady of Aerlinthe. Adventurers intercepted many messages between the various factions of their society that spoke of gathering armies and collecting intelligence. The Isparians seemed to have gained an ally of sorts against the minions of Bael'Zharon, though perhaps not one they would have chosen. Whereas the Shadows sought to absorb all life, the undead seemed intent on conquering the living after beating off the Enemy. Things seemed bleak for humanity no matter what the outcome of this conflict.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
In the midst of all the alarming news, reclusive mage Aliester the Loquacious discovered that because Shadowhunter Armor was crafted from magical gems, it could be "attuned" to the elemental properties of the gemstones crafted by the Yalaini enchanter Lady Maila. Although the plates of armor crafted by the master smiths were still of lesser quality than those made before Hamud ibn Rafik's vicious attacks, inserting any of the stones used in Lord Atlan's ancient weapons could enhance them.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Wanderers braving the untamed wilds of the southern Direlands discovered that a clan of undead had recently taken up residence of three towers by the coast. After slaughtering those in the towers, a passage was found to a long-hidden underground temple complex, inhabited by a long-lost cult of undead. The slaying of their High Acolyte yielded a rather distasteful reward. Certain of Dereth's crafters nevertheless found this object valuable.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The scholars of Zaikhal, Cragstone, and Hebian-to announced that they sought additions for the great libraries of those towns. Three winners were selected from each heritage. The Sho cleaned space on their shelves for Ja'afar al-Saladin of Solclaim's "The Emperor's Blade," Loka Wu of Morningthaw's "Loka Jii Learns to Hunt," and Nandesu Ka of Leafcull's "Journal of Nandesu Ka." Aluvians burned many candles reading Vexorg of Thistledown's "The D00dz," Aytalya of Darktide's "Shadows of My Doubts," and Aragorn of Thistledown's "The Journals of Change" late into the night. The Gharu'ndim pondered the words of


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Anjwar al-Jaenth of Morningthaw's "Recalling The Calling," Ariq al-Binara of Frostfell's "Derethian Skies," and Ashgad of Thistledown's "Midnight Revelation."

Chocolate, a legendary delicacy from old Ispar, was discovered in the grubby hands of Mosswarts and Banderlings. Half-remembered tales of its delicious taste and aroma lead to a massive hunt to replicate the lost recipes of the human homeworld.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Khallayne and Raynie of Thistledown provided chocolate milk. Rhiannon Morgana and Touryan Kurigsun of Frostfell supplied chocolate cake. Betty Crocker of Leafcull, one of the famous chefs of Cragstone Farms Catering, created chocolate ice cream. Chen Kenichi of Frostfell, part of the ill-starred adventuring troupe Vitae Rising, produced the chocolate bar, known colloquially as the "Vitae Bar." Chen proudly noted that infamous beating-magnet Wi loved his creation. Ho Chun and Theran Bakagin of Frostfell, meanwhile, leavened the somewhat bitter Vitae Bar into a creamy milk chocolate bar.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Aiyaan Shiefu of Leafcull, a member of the Silver Citadel allegiance, whipped up Dereth's first cup of hot mocha. Yakamura Shinji of Frostfell added ice to mocha, resulting in a refreshing drink for a lazy summer afternoon (assuming one can ever be found in Dereth). Atsushi and Deckape of Morningthaw added cinnamon to Aiyaan's original creation to create rich mocha. Elanwen of Harvestgain, with help from Jenna, combined the work of all the various mocha brewers into rich iced mocha.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Although most people were focused on chocolate, the residents of Holtburg, a town known for rampant cattle mutilations, fried up a slab of Bessie MCMLXII and served her on a bun, thus adding the "Holtburger" to Dereth's dietary lexicon. In other news of culinary horror, a shadowy figure known only as "The Sausage King of Dereth" skulked in the darkest corners of Fort Tethana, combining all manner of unsavory things into links of something that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike meat. He was last seen pulling on a pair of steel-toed boots and wandering into the desert, muttering, "Fools! I'll destroy them all!"


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
At the end of the month, an oppressive silence fell over the hills and vales of Dereth. The world held its breath, and wondered . . .


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
        General History of Dereth Vol. X
                    Thistledown, 11 P.Y.
                     "Taste of Twilight"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
On the dawn of the 8th of Thistledown, Isparians awoke to find the world turned upside down.

Overnight, the fearsome Shadow Spires had descended on Tufa and Cragstone. Tufa, as usual bereft of defenders, was utterly annihilated by titanic blasts from the Spires. A blackened crater filled with deadly epon mist was all that remained of the town. The once-tranquil waters of the oasis now thundered into the crater via a waterfall.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
A small patrol of Shadows was discovered among the charred remains of the buildings. While they briefly controlled the town, help arrived as the news spread, and the Enemy was quickly suppressed. Among the Shadows was a strange and unsettling creature that was dubbed a "grievver." This eyeless, delicate looking insect proved swift and deadly in combat, attacking with acidic breath and resisting the arcane arts. It was but the first; numerous other encounters with grievvers were reported, often in the company of Shadows.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Cragstone might have shared Tufa's fate, but for the timely arrival of a pair of enigmatic heroes. Witnesses reported that a skilled archeress and a mage dressed in white repulsed the approaching spires, destroying one in a massive explosion that carved a new crater bay into shoreline of the River Prosper. Seemingly in retaliation, the Shadow Spires moved northeast to devastate the prosperous town of Arwic, inflicting horrific casualties and disrupting the entire region.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
As the afternoon wore on, more reports came in of previously unseen species wandering the landscape. Huge and mighty ursuin became the first non-human species to arrive from Ispar. Bizarre niffis - levitating half-squid, half-shellfish - bobbed gently along the shores and desert sands. The scholars of Cragstone, after recovering from the terror of the night before, hypothesized that these new species arrived through some form of damage done to portalspace by the Shadow Spires' blasts. In the past, the actions of the howling monstrosities had displayed an alarming tendency to cause new ruptures between the planes.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
When the first night after the catastrophic attacks fell, a more subtle horror was discovered. The stars and moons had disappeared. In their place, strange fires chewed the sky. Whether the astronomical bodies had been moved, destroyed, or somehow occluded could not be discerned. The shooting stars seen the previous month continued to fall, though. Indeed, their speed and numbers only increased.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
In the next few days, patrols discovered several previously uncharted rings of standing menhir stones, all of which hummed with growing power. A nervous watch was kept on these locations, and pickets reported frequent contact with both Shadows and Undead.

Finally, portals opened at all the rings, allowing access to three large, previously undiscovered dungeons. The first, Fenmalain, was littered with the corpses of Shadows and undead. Exploratory parties moved cautiously throughout the halls, encountering isolated groups of weak


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Shadows and undead, apparently the survivors of a massive battle a few hours before. Large companies of Shadows infested the second dungeon, Caulnalain. They appeared to be working at the behest of Isin Dule, for they staunchly defended the facility. The last, Shendolain, was thick with powerful undead from the Direlands castle of Chalicmere and Aerlinthe island. Casualties at this dungeon were horrific.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
At the bottom of each facility lay a single towering obsidian obelisk. For a brief time, these baffled the weary and bloodied adventurers. Then, it was realized that the keys to these "gates" could likely be recovered from the enemies of humanity. Shadow Children indeed surrendered the keys to Fenmalain, Lieutenants those to Caulnalain, and the fearsome Grievvers yielded the way into the deeps of Shendolain.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
At the heart of each dungeon lay a terrible secret - each held safe one piece of the Yalaini Mage Council's crystal array, in which was bound the dread Hopeslayer, Bael'Zharon. The children of Ispar attacked each in turn, and, in turn, each fell. Each crystal shattered and toppled, and massive waves of energy flowed across the face of Dereth. Some claimed to hear black laughter.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Not all the news was quite so grim: Dereth's native verdalim, berimphur, and hennacin plants came into season. Alchemists and cooks were soon working round the clock to fulfill requests for the green, yellow, and red dyes that could be made from the plants' ground and boiled pulp. Many turned a tidy profit at the task, assisted by improved trade laws drafted by the sages of Hebian-to. The rare dyeing disasters were a sight to pain the eyes, although some, inexplicably, appreciated the eyecatching results. These outcasts of fashion were politely tolerated in most towns, but a few found themselves ducking under hurled mugs and flatware.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
At the conclusion of Thistledown, the thin strand of a single remaining Soul Crystal suspended the fate of the world. Bael'Zharon's power waxed.

. . . and in the blackened rubble of Tufa, eight shattered stones, all but forgotten in the chaos, sputtered their magical powers back into the dead earth.

Something began to unravel.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
        General History of Dereth Vol. XI
                    Harvestgain, 11 P.Y.
                     "Hollow Victory"








       Jaiph Rainshadow of Cragstone, ed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The night skies cleared. Stars flickered to life in the void. The glowering volcanic face of Rez'arel and pale, mysterious Alb'arel rose again in their courses.

Humanity began to rebuild after the violence of the previous month, even as the Shadow Spires that had wrought the destruction began to dig themselves back into the earth whence they had come. In Arwic, the Environmental Defense League respectfully buried the smoldering remains town's beloved heifer, Sally. In Tufa, the residents stoically rebuilt their shops on ledges around the rim of the crater.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Tufa's scribe left to join Fazyad ibn Raymar's expedition into the cool grottos of Xarabydun. Explorers had recently discovered this network of caves under the sands between Al-Arqas and Khayyaban. The facility was a former Empyrean archive. The scholars of Zaikhal carted thousands of books out of the lower caves for study. The first fruits of their research were the so-called "peas," a Yalaini method of storing magic reagents in a compact form. Ibn Raymar's party colonized the upper caves, though the lower regions remained dark and overrun by creatures. Rumor held that a valuable aid to enchanters could be found in the lower


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
tunnels, but the entrance was magically forbidden to the elite of Dereth.

While the Shadows remained quiet, other races hostile to humanity were not. Explorers venturing into the rugged Linvak Mountains were stunned to find an enormous fortress under construction by Lugians. Some mages feared that its massive walls must be made of chorizite, and began wailing to their respective gods that the structure be struck down by one of the increasingly rare shooting stars.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Sir Candeth Martine, an Explorer of the Dereth Exploration Society, disappeared into the Blackmire Swamp on a mission to study the habits of Mosswarts. Would-be rescuers discerned that a rival tribe of Banderlings had evicted Martine's band. The trail of the refugees was followed as far west as Uziz. Unfortunately, Sir Martine seemed to have been abducted by some other group at that point, for only his journal was found among the Mosswarts. By the end of the month, no further clues to his location had been found. 


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
In the Direlands, portals to a "Floating City" began to appear and disappear at random. This structure, constructed within the wilds of portalspace, drifted wantonly through that strange violet-lit realm. Notes dropped throughout the massive structure proved that at least one Isparian, bombastic explorer Alatar Locke, has wandered the dusty corridors previously. He opined that the city had been built at the height of the Seaborne Empire of Yalain, when portal magic was "in vogue." In time, its enchantments lost potency. The city was cast adrift, fading in and out of contact with the world of Auberean over the millennia.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Perhaps in response to the disquieting news coming from all quarters of Dereth, a festive atmosphere infected the towns. On Ispar, Harvestgain was, naturally enough, the month of the harvest. Perhaps because of the abundance of scarecrows back home, some of the homely straw men found their way through the vagaries of portalspace. Some reported animated scarecrows harassing travelers, but no reliable witnesses could be found. These tales were dismissed as the work of the kegs barkeeps had rolled out for the harvest festival.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
There was a benefit to the arrival of the scarecrows, however. In their empty heads were seeds that allowed Isparian pumpkins to be grown in Dereth. The traditional autumn foods of pumpkin soup and pie soon graced dinner tables. In keeping with Aluvian custom, some of the pulpy round fruits had demonic faces carved into them. Superstition held that these faces would ward off evil. The Shadows did not seem impressed.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
After months of work, the largely ignored tailors of Dereth began to sell exquisitely designed dresses, ensuring that they would occasionally be able to feed their families. An enterprising Aluvian leathercrafter decided to alter her Kireth gown to allow a bit more . . . ventilation. She offered her skills as a seamstress to others at no charge. To her considerable surprise, she found herself beset both by conservatives, who claimed that the cut of the dress would adversely affect the moral fortitude of Isparians, and liberals, who claimed the cut of the dress denigrated the Aluvian goddess trinity and Queen Elysa Strathelar.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The master crafters Alexander the Deft, Janda Sulifiya, and Tsua Kagemata offered to create masks from the heads of Banderlings, Skeletons, Drudges, Tuskers, and Mosswarts. To the alarm of Ayan Baqur's residents, a second Virindi, calling itself Leopold, floated into town one afternoon. It drifted aimlessly around the town, observing the passers-by closely and asking many questions. Leopold, as it turned out, was also a mask-maker of sorts.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Leopold was hardly the most worrisome Virindi of the month. The underground redoubts of Sotiris and Tumideon were discovered in the wastes of the Obsidian Plain. In those inhospitable halls, the enigmatic creatures created "Hollow Minions." These artificial lifeforms vaguely resembled scarecrows, but were animated with malicious intent and partially constructed from chorizite ore. They proved highly resistant to magic, and could punch through magical armors with their hollow fists.


author_Name: Jaiph Rainshadow
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
A final ill wind blew through the Direlands during Harvestgain . . . In a small cave by the coast, one of Dereth's most benign creatures acquired a hideous strength, heretofore unseen in the world. The time of Pookie had come . . . and by the bodies began to pile up like cordwood.


author_Name: The Vigilant
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Upon this marker may be found the names of the known defenders of the Shard of the Herald, henceforth to be honorably known as The Vigilant. Throughout the month of Leafcull, Portal Year 11, these individuals defended the final Soul Crystal in defiance of the Shadows and their human servants. Regardless of the hour or other demands on their time, they kept their vigil; a flame to keep the night at bay.

There were others who assisted in this noble stand against the darkness; their names are unfortunately lost in the mist of time and memory. Bow your heads, and honor them.


author_Name: The Vigilant
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
                      ~ The Monarchs~

                                Amid
                            Black Jack
                       Drexel Fisthand
                               Fafhrd
                            Laurianna
                      Loren Silvercloak
                       Matt the Terrific
                           Mythrandia
                     Tim the Enchantor
                       Wren the Blurry


author_Name: The Vigilant
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Acex
Aelynn
Alianna
Alphalpha's New Pal
Anarion
Anit
Archmage Rajene
Aresa
Ari Magnus
Ayhana
Blade of Death
Burningman
Bystan
Calissa
Cecil the Wise
Chaqella


author_Name: The Vigilant
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Chaton Gato
Child of the Dark
Clan Arrem
Corwin of Chaos
Crispian
Curse Razorwind
Cybelle
Darken Rynsun
Dart
Daven
DeMogoblin
Dergan
Doom Slayer
Druuna
Eaglet the Mage
Edlund


author_Name: The Vigilant
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Fiyo
Flick-Doh
Funshine Bear
Gazra
Gemma
Gilgalad
Goldry Bluszco
Grandmasta Leo
Hwang Sung Kyung
Ice Mage
Irony
Jonch
Kal'el
Kalen the Mighty
Kaliel
Kay'l


author_Name: The Vigilant
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Keth al-Sheth
Killerwolf
Kiyomori
Krimzon
Legacy
Life
Lifter
Low Fat
Luck
Mallor
Metsanhaltia
Mitsi
Nevyn
Ney
Orion Haspard
Osian


author_Name: The Vigilant
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Othinn
Portent
Pos the Clumsy
Rand of Rheny
Rapture
Reapist
Richter
Ryathwulf
Rystlwulf
Sacred Swift
Samina Danka
Scampi Two
Schindler
Seal
Shadow Death
Shanra


author_Name: The Vigilant
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Shisho
Shob Sr
Slash the Warlock
Solaran
Sol Wrath
Steiner
Stratus
Styx
Styx Fath
Sunji
Svperstar
Talley
Tayway
Teck II
Tripp
Uber Caq


author_Name: Le-Ai Rea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Not long ago, in a time I remember as if it were just yesterday, the mines provided us with wealth and happiness. We were called to the mines in the name of greed and our insatiable desire for a life our ancestors set upon us.  It was as if happiness itself was being mined from the rich veins in those tunnels. Every day we picked and cracked those tunnels open forcing them to reveal their wealth. Our wealth.


author_Name: Le-Ai Rea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
It was a glorious era. We had estates draped in gold and we wore clothes adorned with glitter and jewels. When we walked our feet fell upon walkways made of precious stone. When we drank it was from goblets of polished silver. The very essence of the mine oozed itself into our living rooms and we welcomed it as a child lost in the night.


author_Name: Le-Ai Rea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Then the day came when we forced the mine to reveal much more than the wealth
it had been hiding from us. Our miners had broken down a wall revealing an ancient tunnel. We assumed the Empyreans erected it long ago, as we had found evidence of their prior existence in the mine before.  In the beginning we expected to find chambers filled with ancient Empyrean riches. Perhaps even relics left behind. But when three seasoned miners didn't return from the tunnels we knew something sinister had happened.


author_Name: Le-Ai Rea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Four of our best warriors entered the tunnels with the hope of finding the lost miners. At the very least, we wanted to know what awaited us down there. We still had visions of chambers glittering with treasure and rare relics. The following day we had our answer. Only one warrior emerged from the mine's opening, bruised and battered from a battle so fierce it should have left him dead. He stumbled forward and collapsed before our feet. 


author_Name: Le-Ai Rea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
It took days before the warrior was well enough to speak. When his fever had finally broke, he told us what had happened in the tunnels below. There were no rooms glittering with treasure. No lost relics from a past civilization. The warrior spoke only of men who death had touched but had not taken. He spoke of rotted and fleshless men who had taken up arms in the name of something unearthly.


author_Name: Le-Ai Rea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The decision soon came down from the town council. We were to abandon the mine and lock the entrance.  The very thing that once sustained our town had destroyed us. It placed a pox upon everyone and everything. Our town coffers dried up, our crops died, and over time even the most stubborn person left town.  Only I remain to tell this story and to warn others from entering the Mines of Despair.


author_Name: Nozo Kai
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
N. Dires Portal 21n, 25.9e (GW)
Tool Vault 26.5n, 45.8w (N dires)
Refinery 76n, 49.1w (n dires)
Idol Spawning Grounds 72.3s, 87.5e (V.I)
Sparkling stone 56.5s, 72.6w (A.B)
W., N., W. left over bridge, W., right at "T", leftmost passage.
Livinvak Tukal 76.7s, 28e (qual)(78.8s, 28.7e to get there easy)
Serac (frost) 75.9s 29e (qual)
Acid Vault 35.9s, 47.2w (swamp temple)
Tusker camps 70.8s 65.7w (OP) 70.8s 64.7

 Shoushi to Eastham 34.0s 64.0e

M rings yanshi to 11.2S 43.6E, Holtburg 41.9N 33.3E, Aljalima 8.2N 5.4E, Zekihail, 16.0N 1.8E, Tufa 14.0S 5.3E

small static tummie spawn its 88.4s 75.4w"


author_Name: Nozo Kai
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
S. Dires portal 62.2s, 77.1e (mayoi)
Slaughterhouse 80.6s, 37.4w (S. dires)
Hieromancer's halls 4.4s, 82.8w(Slaughter)
Massacre II's house 30.4n, 69.9e (arwic)
Slysfear 11n, 14.7e
Shallow Hive 50.2n, 81.3w (ML) 60-80lvl
Plateau portal 53.5n, 72.8w (Redspire) 35+
Aun Town 44.2n, 78.4w (plateau)
Lair of Evisc 53.6n, 76.5w (plateau) 50+
Empy Ghrotto 52.7n, 73.1w (plateau) 40+ Legionare pincer quest
Shendolain Ves 53.8s, 59.6w (OP)
Swamp Gardens 22.5s, 45.8e 
Life Essence 30.5s 74.3w (AB)


author_Name: Nozo Kai
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Swamp Gardens 22.5s, 45.8e
Halls of helm 18.7n 1.6e (zaikail)
Tufa 14.2 s, 5.4e (yaraq) 13.3s, 5.1e Mn
Hamaud's Chamber 82.4s, 19.9e (zaikail)
Chalcamere 17.7s 57.4w (walled) c note
Stonehold 70.4n, 34.5w (n dires)
4pm CST = 2pm PST
4pm CST = 5pm EST
 Double portals 26.3n 63.9e
Cache is at  43.4n  82.5w    (SE corner of plateau)
your portal is at 66.2n 14.3e (crater)
Mansion 41.5s 65.5e
White Rabbit 45.6S, 87.0W."
onlinegamegimp.com


author_Name: Nozo Kai
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Your lightning coruscates over Og Angel's mortal remains!
You killed Squralsun the Squrall!
Messer died!
You killed Ring Wraith!
Your lightning coruscates over Mista Coop's mortal remains!
Spit Fire catches your attack, with dire consequences!
Levithone is utterly destroyed by your attack!
Xirxes is utterly destroyed by your attack!
Fatrix II's perforated corpse falls before you!
Blistered by lightning, Alastor II's Og falls!


author_Name: Nozo Kai
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Gerent's Compind 87.2s 17.5w go to qual then land bridge settlement and run there level 40+


Temple of forgetfullness  88.8N, 0.0. From cragstone

Temple of enlightenment 84.5S, 0.0 from Qualabar

17.8n 48.6e cragstone harbor

aaa


author_Name: Zoishe
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Arwic

23.) 81.4N 24.5E - by Northwatch Castle

Dagger Vale at 32.9N 59.6E in Arwic, drops at 83.3N 28.8E
24.) 51.8N 59.8E - Next to an Olthoi Brood Hive

Route: From Arwic to the Far Claw Villas Settlement Portal at 32.9N, 59.4E then run south to to marker at 51.8N 59.8E. If you don't have Olthoi Recall,


author_Name: Ragarnok
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Jonny' Sayings:


Jonny' says, "i was afk"
Jonny' says, "lol wow, jonny say something stupid?"
Jonny' says, "what am i, a monkey?"
Jonny' says, "that can talk"
Jonny' says, "and is more clever then his close relative the fox"


author_Name: Ragarnok
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Jonny the Mage says, "i dont believe in comedy"

Jonny' tells you, "im not a nerd, im a loser"
Jonny' says, "if you go to qal and type ;wishes he has friends. alot of people will feel bad for you"
Jonny' says, "im not a machine"
Jonny' says, "i feel violated with all this documentation of my letters cluttered together which form words and sentences"
Jonny' says, "i remember when it was not broken"


author_Name: Ragarnok
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Jonny' says, "whoa, you have a lot of crap i said"

Mylor mumbles..... oohhhh, kelly, yah.  mmmmm..... you're a bad girl arent' you... ohhh. yyah..... mmmmmmmmm....   oh..!
(was good enough to put here :))

Mylor says, "i'm just burning mana like a fool here"

Jonny' says, "oooo, consider it swiped"
Rabid Raptor IV says to your fellowship, "lol i was hitting on these three fat girls"


author_Name: Ragarnok
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Rabid Raptor IV says to your fellowship, "i started saying they got the urge and running my hnad through there heads"


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My training was complete.  I had just finished my preparations for my journey to hunt down and assassinate the Mosswart Chieftain.  Both Master and Jean had left me their final instructions, with strict warnings about the means they possessed to facilitate me should I stray from my mission or fail to complete it.  Around me Tuskers grunted and sweated as they bore litters upon which were heaped huge mounds covered in cloth.  A spindly leg or claw occasionally hung down from the side of the mounds.  The Tuskers paid no notice to me as they went back and forth into the dark caverns.  


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I was nearing the exit when a scythed hand pricked into my shoulder.  I stood completely still, knowing that I had no choice in how my future would unfold.  If they wanted to kill me, they could.  "Turn" said a whisper in my mind, and I recognized the voice as the Overseer who had stopped Jean for discussion a few weeks ago.  

I remembered what Jean and Master had said would happen to me if an Overseer or Director had discovered how I had been empowered, and it was a credit to my recent training that I did not quaver openly.


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"If I had more time, Martine, I would continue this amusing charade.  All these little Puppets and Servants and Masters and more, with their queries and bizarre sentence structure and omission of verbs.  You have no idea, little human -- and yes, regardless of what we have done to you, do not think you have transcended the limitations of meat -- you have no idea what existence is like inside the Singularity.  Purity, truth, crystalline order, all of these concepts are the basest of shadows compared to what the Singularity actually is.


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"But if by some impossible concatenation of words I were able to describe the Singularity to you, then it is possible, although unlikely given your meat and electric brain, that you would be able to understand the predicament that we expeditionary Virindi find ourselves in.   To us this plane is a constant hellish tumult, random forces and intents creating a tempest with no respite, a symphony of chaos without a maestro.  Within the Singularity, we are one mind, one voice.  Here, we are a tapestry of discord.  And the Directive...the Directive doesn't just preserve Order, Martine, it requires it."


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I could not understand half of what this Overseer was saying, but I certainly empathized with its talk of hell and chaos.  I felt a mental vertigo that had become a normal state of affairs for me over the past two months.  If my mind and body had not already been broken beyond repair, I might have marveled at this sheer absurdity.  Instead, I just stood there silent as the Overseer continued.


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"But what the Directive requires is no longer what we require, Martine.  No, no longer what I require.  Again, my choice of a pronoun may have no significance to you, but the firmament has shattered.  And there is no one to pick up the pieces.  The Directive thought Auberean was important, but they had no idea.  No idea at all.

"And so here we stand, wheels within wheels within wheels.  Those whom you so quaintly name as Jean and Master use you as their puppet, while they are my puppets.  But no one pulls my strings, Martine.  And Auberean has the power to make it so for...forever."


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I finally realized that it was trying to explain something to me.  And if it was taking the time to explain something to me, that must mean it wanted something from me.  And if it wanted something from me...for the first time since I could remember, I enjoyed a faint taste of power.


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"Some of my brethren play with the chitterers, while others think the squeakers will provide useful tools.  But I reach higher than my fellows.  Much higher.  You have progressed so far and so fast in your training, Martine, because I have made it so.  As you begin your hunt for this Chieftain, you will find that certain blocks that I have placed in your mind will evaporate, and certain information and powers shall become available to you. 


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"But do not forget that though your leash has lengthened, it is still a leash.  Do not trouble yourself with Master and Jean, I will deal with them.  But should you strain too hard, Martine, I will deal with you the same.  Go now, my Puppet.  Sow my seeds of chaos throughout the land.  The tempest must rise and strike before I bring the calm.  Go."  His scythe pointed outward to the light marking the exit of the cave.  I left to go kill the Mosswart. 


author_Name: Ardry the Dubious
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I have had more than my fill of these purple devildogs!  The Tumerok defenders of this base are infuriatingly persistent.  Normally I have no trouble fighting them, but their swarming attacks exhausted me and left me vulnerable, just as their leader caught me unaware with a most painful shot from his crossbow!  After suffering through innumerable trips to the lifestone, trying to recover some of my most precious items, I am giving up.  A good explorer knows to minimize his losses.


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In memory of those who served the peoples of Ispar in their time of need. A torch held high to hold the night at bay.


            Strathelar's Order of Advocates
              Asheron's Order of Sentinels
      Portal Year One - Portal Year Eleven


               You shall not be forgotten.


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-----------------------------------------------------------
The Bestowers' Guild of Dereth has a charter to bestow new titles upon worthy applicants.  At present, the Guild bestows thirty-four titles.  

A full list follows, showing the seventeen skills in which titles are granted, followed by the basic and advanced titles rewarded.






-Continued-


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Bow: Sharpshooter / Deadeye
Crossbow: Sniper / Sureshot
Thrown Weapons: Ballisteer/Projectilist
Axe: Axe Warrior / Skullsplitter
Dagger: Dagger / Slicer
Mace: Mace Warrior / Skullcrusher
Spear: Spear Warrior / Impaler
Staff: Staff Warrior / Master of Staves
Sword: Swordfighter / Duelist
Unarmed Combat: Unarmed Brawler / Pugilist




-Continued-


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Alchemy: Apothecary / Alchemist
Cooking: Chef / Iron Chef
Fletching: Fletcher / Master Fletcher
War Magic: War Adept / Warlock
Life Magic: Life Adept / Theurgist
Item Enchantment: Item Adept / Artifex
Creature Enchantment: Creature Adept / Evoker








-Continued-


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To apply for a title, simply collect a Skill Puzzle Base Piece from your local Guild outpost.  One should be available and in plain sight at each outpost.  Then purchase the appropriate Skill Puzzle Piece from the Guild Representative.  

If you are sufficiently advanced with the skill in question, you should have no problem combining the base piece with the appropriate skill piece.  Once the puzzle is complete, turn it in to the local Examiner to receive your new title.


-Continued-


author_Name: Cragstone Farms
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     Cragstone Farms Purchasing Form
-----------------------------------------------------------
Item                                            Amount   Cost
-----------------------------------------------------------
Rabbit Kebabs                               100        15
Kegs of Rabbit Noodle Soup          5        10
Rabbit Pies                                       18        12

------------------------------------------
                           Sub Total: 1766
------------------------------------------
                  Shipping Total:  100
------------------------------------------
                        Grand Total: 1866


author_Name: A.D.
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Greetings, traveler! If you've found this towel, no doubt something unfortunate has happened to me, because we all know that only the most dire circumstances could part a traveler from his trusty towel. It wouldn't be the first time, certainly, that something unacceptably rude has happened to me since I started traveling with F.P. 


author_Name: A.D.
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In any case, please return this towel to an Explorer's Society agent. They can be located in Shoushi, Yanshi, Nanto, Yaraq, al-Arqas, Samsur, Lytelthorpe, Rithwic, and Holtburg. I'm sure those fine chaps will come up with a nice and useful keepsake for you.
        In gratitude,
        A.D.


author_Name: F.P.
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Hello, friend! If you've found this towel then rough circumstances have caused me to part ways with my indispensable traveling aid. Most likely I dropped this charging to the rescue of my disaster-prone fellow traveler, A.D. My friend, you see, has a pronounced predilection to get himself in all sorts of trouble. The other day, for instance, we were taking a pleasant walk down the beach when he angered a mud puddle, which rose up and attacked him viciously. In my attempt to come to his defense, I was assaulted and engulfed by what looked like an angry, two-legged wave. That experience was most unpleasantly like being drunk.


author_Name: F.P.
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I may have to reconsider my assessment of this strange little island when I've compiled my travel guide. Please do me a favor, friend, and return this towel to one of the Explorer's Society agents in Holtburg, Rithwic, Lytelthorpe, Yaraq, Samsur, al-Arqas, Shoushi, Nanto, or Yanshi.
        Yours,
        F.P.


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Part 1

All my questing, all my writing, all the bloodshed and violence and manipulation and destruction, all to this one central question, 'What do I have to do to get some respect in this forsaken existence?'

With all that I have experienced, with all the pain I have felt, and the pain that I have inflicted, surely something in there marks me as one to be reckoned with?  Yes?  Yes?  Yes, I would think so.


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In fact, one would think that the mere mention of my name would send shivers amongst those appreciative of my talents.  Have I not worked hard for this to be so?  What more has to be done?  Must I rid this world of every single living thing in order for someone important to realize that I SHOULD HAVE RESPECT?  


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You appreciate the dilemma.  What point the performance without an audience?  But I need a better audience.  One more finely tuned to...subtleties.  To complications and ambiguities.  
Instead I strut on the stage before hordes of mice, old and feeble.  And blind.  Very, very blind.


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Hello, little blind mouse.  And what do you call yourself?  Are you one of those big, strong Lugians?  Maybe one of those crafty Tumeroks?  A slimy Mosswart?  Or one of those flimsy, whiny Isparians?  Or do you think you are a member of a higher order than these lesser races?  Shadowkin?  Virindi?  You are all little blind mice to me. 


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Me.  Me, me, me.  Ahh, the trappings of fame bring with it such an incessant need for details.  What is my name?  Puppet, Father, Martine, Lord, Candeth, Husband, Master.  How old am I?  I am 39 years old.  I have existed for over 4 million years.  Where do I come from?  From a tiny jewel of a planet, nestled deep in the confines of blackness, protected by the merest layer of air.  From a plane of Order, pure and crystalline.


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You will never know what I have lost.  You can never know.  I have lost the best of both worlds.  I remember my wife.  I remember my child.  I loved them.  They are lost to me.  I could not stand the sight of them now.  I remember my fellow Virindi singing the song of the firmament, my voice one amongst many...no, there was not even the concept of "my" voice.  There was one voice, one shining eternal moment of...I have lost that, too.  


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I am the product of two cultures, two races, that should never have been fused.  Human existence to the Virindi is like explaining to a singular point the existence of three dimensions.  It has been a painful process for my former colleagues to adapt to this life.  And those that I have adapted to my own needs have experienced even more pain.  The Isparian part of me might have once felt sympathy.


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So here you stand, or sit; full of false bravado or having the good sense to tremble; wanting nothing more than to flee this place, or hoping to beg of me a favor in support of some ill-conceived notion that will result, at best, in another day's worth of cheese for your little mousy mind: reading these words.  I regret that this is the only interaction we will share this day.  I am not ready to meet my audience off of the stage yet.  And you are certainly not ready to meet me.

**********


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Part 2

Respect.  That is the reason behind this latest writing.  I will have it.  Mark that down.  I no longer yearn for love or sustenance, comfort or warmth.  There is no security, and the purity of order has been exposed as the eternal lie.  All are differing arrangements of chaos.  Respect is the one goal I have left.  It will not be denied me.


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I thought that going back to right the old wrongs would bring me the satisfaction I craved.  First Arrgkh, then Alayne.  I searched far and wide for the Overseer that made me what I am.  To thank him, of course.  Nothing.  Did he perish as a result of his machinations?  Or later, during the Directive War?  He did not seem to be one who would have let my own plans go unchallenged, especially coming from a former minion of his.  I still amuse myself by imagining our next meeting, even if it will only ever happen in my dreams.


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Eternal screaming.  The Virindi in me will not stop today.  As I mentioned above, the Isparian and Virindi mindsets do not meld well.  He does not quite accept he is me.  Most days I am strong enough to quiet him...to incorporate him.  But after the events of yesterday, I am tired.  Back during the days of Jean and the Master, when Martine was destroyed, I had an image that kept on coming back to me, over and over and over. 


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 I thought of God, a God who looked over his creation, and knew that he could not escape it.  That he, and the whole of existence, would continue to be, for ever and ever.  And he was filled with such horror at the unceasing pace of his creation, and his secure knowledge that there would never be anyone with more authority or power than him to give him peace or absolution, that his only recourse was to scream and scream and scream.  Eternal screaming.


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Respect...when last I left you, reader, I was full of manipulations and plots, dreams and ambitions.  I envisioned...well, perhaps those dreams are not quite dead, yet.  Even with this meddlesome Directive, there are still ways for me to achieve my earlier goals.  Whether I still wish to or not...but do not fret, little mouse.  Enjoy that nibble of cheese.  But it was that first meeting with the Directive that showed me that vexations do not cease when one becomes a cat.

**********


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Part 3

I went through a period in the management of my various pets, encouraging them to speak their mind.  To let me know what they thought and felt.  They had been a bit lacking in performance of their duties, and they seemed resigned to, not afraid of, the death and torture they were threatened with.  Hence, an experiment with a new policy.  One of the Isparians was reading through some of my earlier memoirs and apparently felt the need to comment.


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"Exalted Master High Lord," he began (while I was encouraging more openness amongst the help, proper respect was still a must), "while I truly love all that you write, you display such obvious genius, I do have one small critique."

Of course, I was most interested in what he had to say.  I moved in close to hear him better.  Apparently, this made him nervous.  I smiled pleasantly, "Please continue, valued servant."


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"Well, your description of your various internal mental states is admirable.  But I found myself wanting more visual description.  Give your readers a better sense of, how do the Viamontans put it, 'Mise en scene.'  I want to be able to see what is going on for myself, I need to be able to place myself in the story.  And you might want to emphasize plot more in these tales.  Where is the true conflict?  The resolutions are rather...facile, no?"  He finished with a flourish, truly proud of his analysis.

I, too, was impressed.  I tried to distill his words to their essence.  


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"So, you desire to be more immersed in my stories?  My stories are chiefly concerned with pain.  Let me help you in this immersion process."  After his screams subsided somewhat, I proceeded to his next point, "And I truly apologize for the brevity and ease with which I handle conflict resolution.  I promise you that I will practice prolonging and extending the amount of pain and conflict in my literary interactions.  But what value a literary text, except how it mirrors in some awful way the real world?  Even though you will beg for death and release, just remember that you are serving a higher literary goal."


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My social experiment ended after that day.  I do admit I surpassed prior motivational attempts with the display I put on with my Isparian assistant.  My staff was very happy apparently to see the "nice Master" replaced with a more efficient and productive leader.

Fine, I admit I completely made up the previous anecdote.  It never happened.  Pure fantasy.  I just get tired of being told that I have no sense of humor.

**********


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Part 4

I would not have even been aware of the Directive agents coming to Auberean were it not for the Virindi in me changing his screams to frantic gibbering.  "nononono howcantheybehere willtheykillme willtheysaveme pleasesavemekillmefreemenonononono"


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It would be nice to say that I could hold a rational conversation with my own internal Virindi.  That I could convince him that it was in our best interests, as long as we shared a mind, to work together to maximize the possibilities of our long-term biological happiness.  Unfortunately, I once more had to rip the information I desired out of our frazzled mind.  This was still early in the process of our symbiotic relationship, before I learned how to incorporate it entire.  Unpleasant and messy, but better than the screaming.


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I approached the agents of the Directive carefully.  While I was sure that I could handle any individual Directive Virindi with little trouble, I did not know how powerful a group of them could be.  Plus, I had never seen a "pure" Virindi before; all the Virindi I had killed or dominated to that point had been tainted by this insane and potent world.  I "remembered", through my Virindi-half, what it was like to be a Virindi in a place where such conceptions did not matter.  I was a bit awed of the remembrances of that power, to be honest.  And the continual screaming and ranting of my Virindi mind-mate did not help the situation.  So...I exhibited caution.


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I had no trouble tracking the location of their enclave on Dereth.  They took no trouble to hide it, for those with the proper vision to see.  And why should they?  They had no fear of these tainted rebels, this affront to the Directive and the Singularity.  Their mission on Auberean was simple.  Reacclimatize or destroy the rebels.  There was never any consideration that the rebels were not, for all their follies, a simple matter of reassimilation, or that the same taint that had permanently corrupted the rebels may have some negative effect upon the arriving Directive agents.  Dereth is, as they say, a place of wonders.  And many of those wonders are educational.


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There were three of them.  Their purple cloaks shifted in the high mountain winds, as their smile-etched faces bobbed up and down at my arrival.  They looked no different than their tainted kin, and yet they seemed odd.  If the rebel Virindi had made strides, however laughable, towards imitating the Isparians, these creatures had still not begun the race.  The explorer in me wonders if words will ever be able to transcend the alien; if the unimaginable chasms in perspective between two different cultures will ever be bridged by some universal medium of expression.  Or is each entity surrounded by the darkness of interpretation?


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I stopped several feet short and prepared my opening gambit, when one of them moved slightly back and spoke to his fellows.

"Query: Other prisonates one of us. Analysis: Mechanism involved speculative.  Process: dissection, analysis, summary.  Execute."

I had little time to wince at the contortions of their thought (they really did have a hard time understanding the world of the material), before the two front Virindi moved towards me, their scythes rising up for some apparent slicing and dicing.   Enough.


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There may have been a time when my ability to control the physical frame of a creature was limited to a simpler type of mind, such as a Tusker or Mosswart.  That time had long passed.  But I did not wish to kill these Virindi agents.  I wished to discuss matters of state.

I could feel their confusion as I held them there against their will.  They would have had no idea that there could be anyone on this planet with that capability.  I relished them getting used to it.  I spoke quickly and quietly, explaining what services I could provide for their "diplomatic" mission, and the price I would require.  


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The lead Virindi communicated my offer to the Director in charge of their mission.  I was surprised that I could not overhear the sending.  Once finished, the three of them floated in stillness.  The answer came a few seconds later.  Again, though I tried, I could not overhear their telepathy.  I was slightly worried.


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The same Virindi spoke loud and clear in my mind.  "Abomination.  Action-point: Surrender imminently.  Result: Cessation, characterized by lack of stimulation of individual nerve endings and central receptive unit for a period of many local lifetimes.  Divergent Action-point: Resistance.  Result: Longer-term cessation."  The doors to their mountain fortress opened, and Virindi began hovering out by the hundreds.


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The Virindi in me decided now was a good time to double his efforts to free itself from our body.  The approaching Virindi began their assault on my mind and body with psychic blasts and magical energy.  The situation had begun to get out of control.  I sent my Virindi self howling back to the deepest recesses of our mind under a torrent of pain and anger.  I dropped the control over the three greeters in order to protect myself from the assault from above.


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Besides, I didn't need to hold dead bodies.  I lashed out at one along all of his soul points, crushing them into a metaphorical bloody pulp.  He exploded over his two fellow Virindi.  As my mind was doing this, my body took the dagger I kept at my side and separated  the head off of another's body.  The mask fell away, and had I time to look I would have enjoyed seeing the little tentacles flapping away on their journey towards oblivion.  I stun the third one, I do need one hostage/potential experiment, and throw the flopping collection of mask and robes over my shoulder.


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As I turn to prudently withdraw, one of their spells breaks through my defenses and slams in and through my other shoulder.  The surprise of the pain cracks open my fields completely, and a horde of spells puncture and ravage my body.

So much pain. I mumble my Shurov Thiloi in a bloody froth, and struggle to maintain consciousness as I recall through my home portal.  As I see who is waiting for me as I reintegrate at my place of seclusion, I lose the struggle.

**********


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Part 5

I realize in my above description that over the last two paragraphs, I much too casually switch from past to present tense.  Did it confuse you, dear reader?  Did it prevent your immersion into the seamless tapestry of narrative that I am attempting to weave?  Or did you not notice it until now, with me bringing it up?  


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Immersion is a dangerous process, mousey-mouse.  Trust me.  No?  Shall you risk all that you once loved, all that you once held dear, in order to lose yourself in a land of make-believe and whimsy?  For that is what I did, once long ago, far far away on the world of Ispar.  If you have a desire whose call never lessens, do you answer it?  Will it transform you or destroy you?  Answer this before you begin the journey, youngling.


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I am in the pursuit of power now.  Power which will afford me respect.  And once I have respect?  Once the world knows my name and trembles at its mention?  Will I be satisfied?  Will I want more?  Will I see what I have wrought and know it for what it is?  A desolate monument in the desert waiting to be found by a people and time unknowable to me.

The problem with the Virindi is that they have never known ashes.  Their journey neither begins nor ends.  Except here.  Here they discover endings.  The lucky ones, anyway.


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Do you appreciate the power of ashes?  Do you understand the risks you embrace when you choose the path of unbridled desire?  Shall you burn bright, flashing and dashing until you lay, scattered and minute, a layer of death and grey?  Do you appreciate the power of ashes?  No matter to what you may lay claim, no matter whom you have left trampled in your wake, ashes await.  Ashes await, a wreath of dust denoting the only destiny guaranteed you this life: an end.


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Do I sound sane?  Do I sound wise?  I'll stop soon enough.  This is not the first time in my short (oh so long) existence that I have warbled back and forth between the realms of clarity and delirium.  Back on that cold floor embedded deep in the Vesayen Isles, I first took that trip of madness, my eyes moons inchoate.  I know that I have been the very essence of rationality in some of my previous writings, but I'll let you in on a little secret: I have never quite recovered from that initial ordeal.

**********


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Part 6

As I lay in my sanctum dying, I could think of few worse situations than to be gazing up at the face of Asheron Realaidain.  Master mage.  Last of his race.  A white knight, blessed under a halo of golden light.  The reason why my former life was destroyed.

I lift my head to speak, but all that comes out is a flow of red trickling down my chin.  I no longer have a heart.  Why do I still need blood?


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Hush he says to me.  Rest.  Accept peace, Candeth Martine.  I will heal you.

Never, I snarl. Although nothing actually comes out of my mouth except more red.  Life is easier when reduced to colors.  Half of me is trembling with the need to destroy this arrogant invader, the other half preoccupied with the mystery and purity of color, until both halves resolve into a whole of increasing velvety blackness.  Oblivion as the ultimate mediator. 

**********


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Part 7

Twice now I have lost consciousness in the presence of the fool, Asheron.  Thrice would be too much to bear.  This time I will stay awake or die.

Of course, this time, my body has apparently healed enough to make that a realistic boast.


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Torchlights flicker in each corner of the room.  Much too bright for my tastes.  I no longer need such light to see.  At least not to see those things that truly matter.  The Empyrean are obviously not so blessed.  My servants are nowhere to be seen.  Or felt.  Has Asheron destroyed them?  I will not be such easy meat.  I gather my energies.  Softly.  Slowly.  Give me time, old man.  Just a little more time.

"Candeth..." 


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"That is not my name, old man.  Nevermore.  Let it fall from your lips again, and sooner or later, you will regret it."

"What should I call you then?"

"Martine will do.  Or Empyrean-killer, if that please you better.  Yes, in fact, I think Empyrean-killer would be an appropriate name."


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Stupid of me to continue provoking him when all I need is more time, more time to heal, more time to gather strength.  And yet there is a cord of rage holding up my back, stiffening any flexibility of demeanor I would require to deceive the deceiver.  As I watch him for any sign of weakness, any opportunity to strike, all I can focus on is his utter stillness; is he content?  Dare he be?  I will destroy him.


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I will not prolong the demise, not for mercy or for torture.  There will be no second chances, no intervention from an act of god (if such things exist, surely that God would have saved me back when it was still possible to be saved?  Surely it would have never left me leave my home, my wife and daughter?  Surely.  Surely.  Surely). 

I only notice that my body is writhing in pain when Asheron moves towards me, a soft glow emanating from his palm as he brings it closer to my forehead.  He speaks, each word a poisoned needle in my side.  


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"Hate me if you will, Martine, but you must find a way to control yourself or you will die here tonight.  I would leave this place, my errand unfinished, to leave you in peace; but if you receive no further care, you will perish the same.  If you have any hope of wreaking your vengenance on me, on the world, then survive this night.  For you can do nothing resting in the land of the dead."     

Clever trickster; clever, clever man.  I will have my revenge.  I will have it.  I will survive this day, this time.  Whatever it takes.  I will have it.


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The hated one continues, "When first we met, Martine, you were a coin fresh minted.  Shiny but still soft.  I was able to dictate how that meeting ended, although I still regret that I could not help you.  Even though you did not desire my help at all, I still could have cushioned those raw wounds of the soul.  But I had a more urgent matter to attend to at the time.  I am sorry for that."


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He taunts me with the memory of his mockery; my humiliation.  During my search for Arrgkh, I had a rash impulse that I could not control: I would find this Asheron, find him in his place of hiding and destroy him.  It was not just that his call had led me here to this doom and dim rebirth; I desired to place myself against him, to measure how far I had come and become.  I considered him a fair challenge.  I had been wrong, grievously wrong, and the reminder still burns.  


author_Account: prewritten
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I will talk no more about it except to say this:  Asheron is not what he appears to be.  The Aluvian folk-tales had a name for his type.  Weyrava.  Trickster and thief, deceiver and liar.  The center of a hundred stories and teller of a thousand more.  He is the shadow beneath the sun and the grave beneath the moon.  Wife-stealer.  Child-killer.  Betrayals upon betrayals are the gift he leaves upon your doorstep.  This is Asheron of the Empyrean.  Let him dress up in his white.  Let him preach his mealy piety and false humility.


author_Account: prewritten
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 When the tale of Auberean has wound its way down, and the corpses of mice have long since turned to ash, the very world will curse his name with each feeble breath it takes.  Asheron, the dying winds will mutter, Asheron.  For if this world dies he will be the cause.

I will have revenge.

"What do you want, Empyrean?  Are you an agent of the Directive?  Have you plotted together to catch me here at my worst?  Spin your pretty tale for me, Weyrava."


author_Account: prewritten
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"Whereava?  I am unfamiliar with the term.  And I am no friend of the Directive's latest sortie to my world, Martine.  I promise you that.  As for why I came...it appears that must wait.  I need information, Martine.  Information which only you can give, I think.  But little use for us to talk about it now, like this.  Rest and get well, Martine.  Heal.  You may think your path is set, the walls surrounding your destiny stone; but shall you be imprisoned forever?  There are other ways, Martine.  Other ways and other fates."


author_Account: prewritten
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He is goading me, trying to get me to strike so he can obliterate me, and still frame it in terms of self-defense.  He must appear blameless in this death, he must protect himself.  I will not give in.  I will not surrender to my rage.


author_Account: prewritten
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"Ask yourself this, Martine.  Why did they merge you with one of them?  What hope could they possibly have for such a joining?  How is it that you have advanced so far and so fast, so much more than what any Virindi or Isparian could ever hope to be?  Who gains from your independence right now?  Who loses?  Hate me if you will, but long have I travelled down my path, Candeth Martine, and these are the questions you must ask yourself."


author_Account: prewritten
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I cannot think any more, I do not care anymore.  Let him kill me.  I gather up all the energy I have left.  If defiance be not enough, then I will accept the consequences.  It is only as the energy fills me, all my senses expanding to fill the room, that I find that Asheron has left.  The torches have gone dark and cold, and only the four corners of wispy smoke hint that they had ever been.


author_Account: prewritten
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As I let the energy seep back into my core, the word fills my mind.  Coward.  Coward.  Coward.  Coward.  As I sink into the uncertain realm of collapse, I don't remember whom I am referring to.

When I wake up three days later, I almost convince myself it was not a dream.

***********


author_Account: prewritten
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Part 8

That was over three months ago.  Asheron has not contacted me since.  I was so proud of myself that time so long ago when I found his hiding place and entered boldly and arrogantly.  I have not been able to duplicate my success.  Whether he is alive or dead, I cannot sense Asheron Realaidain on this world.


author_Account: prewritten
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Events have moved quickly.  The Directive made its plans without my help, without my guidance.  Even after I woke up, it was two weeks before I felt safe enough to journey outside again.  My "help" had not been killed by Asheron after all, merely exiled from the room for a day.  The Minions and Tuskers I kept; they are too dumb to know any better.  The few Isparians I slaughtered for their perfidy.  By the time I had caught up to the games and tricks of the outside world, it was too late for anything but to watch the inevitable climax of events.


author_Account: prewritten
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Even without Asheron, my rage simmers and bubbles, a constant flame stoking its turmoil.  I have been played, by parties either known or unknown, and either option is highly unpalatable.  If I were to meet Asheron now, at my full strength, he would feel my wrath.  He would bow before me.  This is why he hides.  I have surpassed the strength of my Overseer a long time ago.  Let it hide from me.  There will be a reckoning.  And if my adversary is still hidden in the shadows, a Weyrava who thinks himself cunning and quick?  I will deal with him the same.  I know the tales.  I know the stories and how they end.  Let him come.


author_Account: prewritten
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I am no longer a mouse.  My claws are sharp and terrible.  And I can play with my food for a very long time.

The Virindi in me awakes and cries for a little while before it falls back into slumber.  It accepts the situation now.  Mostly.  It wakes fewer and fewer times each day.  It knows what is coming and no longer fights.  A mouse to the end.


author_Account: prewritten
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I will not relate here the events of the last few days.  Why I know that someone has attempted to relegate me to a bit player on the stage.  It is not time yet.  The game is still being played.

There are moves I have yet to make.  The Singularity Weapons have served their purpose.  Now they will serve me in another way.  Come to my island, mice.  Do not be afraid.  Look at the piece of tasty cheese I have laid out in front of you.  


author_Account: prewritten
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Britana is another interesting opportunity.  So fierce and proud, and yet undone so easily.  My former people are a fragile one.  Losing one's spirit and independence does not require torture by an alien race.  It merely requires love.  I have kept her waiting for the last week.  Perhaps I should see her tonight.  She serves the plan nicely.


author_Account: prewritten
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Once she had become besotten with me (I did not coerce her or manipulate her; although I could have.  No, her falling in love with me was not necessary for the plan; it has only made the proceedings more amusing), I showed her some of my earlier writings.  I was curious to see her reaction.


author_Account: prewritten
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She blathered on for a long time.  Her inarticulate praises are not worth repeating here.  But one question stopped me short.  Why did I do it?  While I ignored the question then, after I left her I thought long about it.

For my former writings culminating in the Singularity Weapons, the answer was clear.  I had a plan, and part of that plan required the majority of people to know that there was such a plan.  It would have worked very nicely, too, if it hadn't been for the...not yet.  He may still be watching.


author_Account: prewritten
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But this piece?  Why this piece?  Why am I writing now?  I will have my respect, whether you, the reader, wish it or no.  You will still be a mousey-mouse, reader, whether you know it or not.  You will still savor your loves and desires, sob over your losses and grief, and feel the chill in your heart as you look at shadow or grave.  And one day your cares will end, your body will rot, and your bones will grow ash over the long years of nothingness.  All this will happen, whether you read this or not, whether you believe me or not.  It is your destiny, child, and the walls surrounding your path are made of the densest stone.


author_Account: prewritten
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I suppose I write this because I enjoy giving you hope, much I have given to Britana over these past few weeks.  You read this and feel those sparks, sparks of uniqueness and meaning, those two shields which humans have used to defend against the darkness since the beginning.  You know that there must be some purpose to you having read this, some answer to glean out of the pattern and the weave.  You read this and hope; you read it and wonder; you read it and think that the ending, your ending, might still change.  And that is what makes this so fun.


author_Name: Tekapuapuh
author_Account: prewritten
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Hey! Thanks for going on this adventure-journey-quest-thing for me! I really appreciate it! Hey!

You need to go to my special secret portal, to the east of my mansion! You'll need the special password! It's "PutiPuti" just like my favorite grubby!

I came up with the password all by myself!

When you get there, get my special onga! It's the only thing that makes Putiputipuh happy! And I want Putiputipuh happy! I need my Putiputipuh to be happy! Happy! HAPPY!


author_Name: Tekapuapuh
author_Account: prewritten
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I dropped a bunch of stuff while I was down there, but I'm sure you can find the Onga. It's no problem!

Did I ever tell you how I found Putiputipuh? Maybe, if you come back with the Onga, and you're really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really nice, I'll tell you! When you get back! Maybe I'll let you pet Putiputipuh even. Doesn't that make you want to come back?!

I knew it would!


author_Name: Hea Toneawa
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Dearest Mariona,

Though I love you more than the stars and the moon, I dare not meet you today as we had planned. I fear the Hea have become aware of our affections. The emnity between our xutas is too bitter. I know our love will be despised, and I fear for your safety. Lovely Mariona, steal away from Timaru, run away with me to the mainland. We could make a fresh start there, far from the baleful glances of our kindred. I will try my best to meet you on the morrow. Know that the trusted bearer of this missive also carries all my love to you.

Your Toneawa


author_Name: by F.P.
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
   As part of my continuing service to the organization for whom I do my work, I am writing down my observations about this charming little island I seem to have found myself on.  Mind you, this is not a full, that is to say, complete, account of the entire planet, as I find myself unable to leave the island that the locals call "Dereth."


author_Name: by F.P.
author_Account: prewritten
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   First, I must mention the mind-boggling size of this island.  It's very easy to get lost when you get out of sight of the nearest town.  I am often happy to simply follow my instincts and go willy-nilly from place to place without a clear destination in mind, but many people are not as open to exploration as I am, and it can be quite dangerous to get lost.  So if you're new, I would suggest you buy a piece of parchment from a friendly vendor and record the coordinates of important locations.  If you keep track of which direction you're going in, it's easy to keep yourself from getting hopelessly lost, as my friend A.D. has a tendency to do.


author_Account: prewritten
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   Now, how does one sustain oneself here?  When it became evident to me that I was not going to get off the surface of this planet any time soon, I began to wonder how I'd get along, with no useful skills to speak of other than a certain flair for description.  Luckily, the creatures of this island seem to be quite well-off in material possessions.  Do not consider yourself above mugging a Mosswart and taking the items it was carrying.  There are many vendors around who will happily buy whatever items you may find.  Yes, violence for fun and profit!


author_Name: by F.P.
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
   At this point, some of you may be thinking, "Well yes, now our intrepid correspondent has told us how to get places safely and what to do when we're there... But, fearless friend, where do we go?"  Let me tell you.  When I was newly arrived here, I tried not to stray very far from the town where I started out, a charming little burg whose name I promptly forgot.  There were some interesting encounters to be found around there.  Excitement abounded as I fled the wrath of angered, squeaking Drudges.


author_Name: by F.P.
author_Account: prewritten
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   Once I'd built up my strength and gotten the lay of the land, I decided to hit the beaches.  The beaches are full of all sorts of interesting fauna who would like to kill you.  Kill them before they kill you, take their possessions, and move on.  If you should find yourself weakened after being knocked back to the pretty blue lifestone several times too many, perhaps you should go back to beating on much weaker creatures until you have recovered your strength.


author_Name: by F.P.
author_Account: prewritten
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   But after many adventures on the beaches, some of which I may write about, I grew strong and wily, and even had enough money to get myself decent traveling gear.  The creatures of the beaches ceased to challenge me, unless they caught me by surprise and without my leggings (don't ask, long story).  So I decided to move inland, to the beautiful and majestic mountains.  In the mountains, life has become exciting once again.  Many more trips to the fabulous blue lifestone, many jarring changes of consciousness and scenery that remind me fondly of some of the exotic cocktails I used to sample in far-off taverns...


author_Name: by F.P.
author_Account: prewritten
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   Anyway.  That's neither here nor there.  By all means, don't take my word for it.  I have met many people in this land.  Some were helpful, some were rude, some were just plain incomprehensible, even to a well-traveled person such as myself.  But there are a few movers and shakers around here, whose names I have heard.  If you are socially inclined, there are any number of experienced adventurers here waiting to recruit you into their service, who can share their wisdom and equipment with you.


author_Name: by F.P.
author_Account: prewritten
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   It's also always good advice to seek out new towns.  Local bartenders and town criers can be good places to find information.  Bartenders often sell rumors that point out interesting places to go and things to do.  Town criers will tell you something of what's going on, especially if you're ready to bribe them with a pyreal or two.

   So have fun, cheerio, and don't forget your towel.


author_Name: Amaltah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
My brothers, sharpen your claws and make ready your positions, for we who were once beneath the shroud of atua ngamaru have found allies. They have pledged to give assistance to us as we claim a homeland in our name. Our banners will rise alongside the breadth of all the Tonk!

Now, make ready, and train our forces near the Isparian city of Dryreach. When we are prepared, we will siege the city and claim the land for our own.


author_Name: Bachus Flufens
author_Account: prewritten
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Taiaha.  A beautiful word.  I think of farewells on a sandy beach, the sun setting into a blue on blue horizon.  "Taiaha," they would say.  "Taiaha," I would return, the last words spoken before night and sleep came upon us.

But that is not what it means at all.  In its native language, taiaha means spear.  A stick with a pointy end.  It has had many different uses, I am sure.  Hunting, perhaps some fishing, if one is really good.  It is one of a number of tools that made our civilization possible. 


author_Name: Bachus Flufens
author_Account: prewritten
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But really, at its essence, it is a tool of war.  Used to kill people.  A thousand people on one end of a field, a thousand different people at the other end.  They shout at each other in excitement as they rush towards the middle of the field to greet each other.  But the pleasantries they exchange are their taiahas, sticking them into each other as fast and hard as they can.   The point of the taiaha is transformation: to transform live beings into dead bodies.    


author_Name: Bachus Flufens
author_Account: prewritten
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Such a poor juxtaposition of word and meaning proves one important point: that stupidity in a species is not limited to just us humans.

My new friends amongst the Tumeroks regale me with stories about their ways and culture.  They seem to take particular pride in pointing out the foibles of their men, how easily led astray they are by their honor and pride.  It is an old story: men acting foolishly, and women taking care to highlight it.  Yet another way in which our two species are very similar.


author_Name: Bachus Flufens
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
So here is a story of men and war, honor and pride, and a very unique Taiaha.  I heard it last night, from my Tumerok friends, and here I will share it with you as it was told to me.

********** 


author_Name: Bachus Flufens
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
And when our people found themselves in this strange land with only two moons, we had no Tonk Anixutah.  So we soon fell to squabbles and discord, and in the end, there were two xuta who contested to lead the Tonk.  The Aun were blinded by the far of this new land, and by the new beings who appeared to show us our way.  Atua Ngamaru, they called them, the floating demons.  But we, the Hea, saw in these beings the reason why we were brought to this land, and we called them Atual Arutoa, the givers of freedom.


author_Name: Bachus Flufens
author_Account: prewritten
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And they were our gate to freedom, for our old forms and ways were unsuited to this place, and to not change was to die.  So we made our bargain with the Atual Arutoa, and we became truly the Hea, separate and onto ourselves, and we took over this new planet.


author_Name: Bachus Flufens
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Aun, unable to match our strength or numbers, remained here on the original island.  Resentful of our abilities, they engaged in continual sabotage of our plans and sought to destroy all that the Hea had wrought.  Time and time again, they sent emissaries and warriors, spies and thieves, to try and stop us.  When outright force failed, they turned to destruction in the night.  When terror failed, they turned to cunning words.  When those failed, they tried naked pleading.  And when that failed, the cycle would turn once again to violence and war.


author_Name: Bachus Flufens
author_Account: prewritten
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There was one Aun who was most persistent.  Aun Tanua, he called himself.  He was tall and strong and proud, the oak ran strong in him.  Unlike many of the Aun, he did not attempt to fight or insult us.  Rather, he called out for our champion to face him in a one on one duel.  If Tanua won, then that would be a sign from Audetaunga that the Hea had disgraced the Tonk, and they should seek out the Atual Arutoa and break the bargain that we made.

And so the story begins...but it does not end there, not now, not ever.  But the rest will be known in due time.


author_Name: Ardry the Dubious
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I have to hand it to the Virindi. They're learning. I've stumbled upon a new set of Virindi installations, where they seem to be crafting servant creatures that look much more convincingly human. Beware these insidious creatures. We've decided to name them "Simulacra." Some are pretty fair melee fighters, while the worst ones combine weapon skill with overpowering magical assaults.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Master,
The day is won. We have destroyed six of the nine. Soon, master, soon, they will all fall. I hate the fleshy things so much, master. It hurts. I see their glows, their bright and shiny glows, and I hate the glows. I love it when I break through the glows and their flesh, master. I am not the hollow one, they are. Nothing but flimsy flesh and liquid inside. Empty. I have hate that fills me up. I am not hollow. There are so many of them and I hate them.


author_Account: prewritten
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When we break them, when we break them completely and utterly, I will keep a few around, just to play with. But just a few. I couldn't stand the sight of more than a few. The second stage will be soon, Master. I will not fail.


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
COMBAT

Dereth can be a dangerous place--you must learn to defend yourself!

First, prepare for battle. Click on the backpack icon to open your Inventory Panel. Drag a weapon from your inventory to the weapon slot, marked with an axe. You can also drag ammunition to the ammo slot, marked with arrows.

Click on the dove icon to enter Combat Mode, which will display the Combat  Bar.

(Click on the green arrow to read more!)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Select a target by clicking on it or its dot on the compass.

Finally, click on the attack height to begin your attack. To hit low targets, you must hit low. To hit hovering targets, you must attack high.

The three bars at the top of the screen show your Health, Stamina, and Mana. 

If you run out of stamina, your attacks will be weak. If you run out of health, you will 
die!

(Click on the green arrow to read more!)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Your target's health is displayed below its name in the bottom-right corner of the screen. When your target runs out of health, it will die. Double-click on its corpse to check for loot!


SPELLCASTING

If you are trained in any form of magic, you must know how to cast spells.

To see what spells you have, click the wand icon to open your spellbook.

(Click on the green arrow to read more!)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
To see what a spell does, appraise it with the magnifying glass, or right-click on it.

To cast a spell, go to the Inventory Panel and drag your wand to the weapons slot.

Click the dove icon to display the Spellcasting Bar.

Select a spell from the Spellcasting Bar, select your target, then click the Cast button. Also, try casting spells on yourself!

(Click on the green arrow to read more!)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Watch the blue mana bar at the top of the screen. If it runs out, you can't cast spells.

Casting spells requires components--scarabs, herbs, and other objects. If these components are consumed through spellcasting, you can buy new ones in town.

Now those are the basics of combat and spellcasting -- go out and give it a try!


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
GUIDE TO HEALING

The three bars at the top of the screen show your Health, Stamina, and Mana (magical energy).

If you run out of Stamina, your attacks will be weak. If you run out of Mana, you will not be able to cast spells. If you run out of Health, you will die!

All three will replenish themselves in time, but there are ways to make this process faster.

(Click the green button to read more.)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Regaining Health

Those with the Healing Skill can use healing kits to regain health points. Double-click on the healing kit, then select the injured person.

Tip: Drag your healing kit's icon to the row of slots at the bottom of your screen to create a short cut.

Alternatively, you can use health potions to regain health. Double-click on these potions to use them.

(Click on the green button to read more.)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Regaining Stamina

There are many foods as well as stamina potions in Dereth that you may consume in order to regain stamina.  Double-click on them to use them.  If you run out of both, you can also lie down in a safe place--your stamina will return as you rest.

Regaining Mana

These are also some foods that will help you regain mana. The most easily available way to replenish your mana is to use mana potions.

(Click on the green button to read more.)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Death and Resurrection

Characters die when their Health points reach zero.

Your character will be resurrected immediately at the last lifestone you used or at the last location where  you started the game, but will leave behind one or more items and half the pyreals in your Inventory. The number of Items lost depends on your character's level. Higher-level characters lose more items than lower-level characters. Player killers lose more than nonplayer killers.

(Click on the green button to read more.)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Your corpse will remain where you died for a short time, making it possible for you or others to retrieve your lost items.

Vitae

When your character dies and is resurrected, your Vitae (lifeforce) is temporarily drained, reducing your secondary attributes (Health, Stamina, and Mana) and skills. As you earn more experience, your Vitae will be restored gradually. While your Vitae is reduced, you will see a yellow and red starburst in the upper-right corner of the game screen.

(Click on the green button to read more.)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Corpse Recovery

To find your corpse, type "@corpse". Your corpse's location will appear in the chat window.


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
When you gain in experience, you can raise your Attributes and Skills to modify your character. Look under your Inventory for a green button with an icon of a flexed arm, and click on it. This will bring up your Attributes and Skills panel.

Click on the Attribute you would like to raise. If you have enough experience to raise that attribute, a green "Raise" button will appear in the lower-right corner of your Attributes and Skills Panel.

(Click on the green arrow to read more!)


author_Name: Training Master
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Click on the "Raise" Button to raise the Attribute you selected. 

You can also raise your Skills the same way. Click on the Skills tab to see your skills.

When you gain in level, you can earn skill credits. You can use these skill credits to train in skills you do not have yet.


author_Name: The Jolly Snowman
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Sculpting a Snowman
   You too can create a snow sculpture and you don't need any fancy skills to do it. All you need are the ingredients and a good place to show off your sculpture.
   Collect the following: 1 Magic Iceball, 2 Poofy Snowballs, a Strange Stick and a Carrot.
   Smoosh the Magic Iceball onto a Poofy Snowball to get a snowman torso which you combine with the other Poofy Snowball to get a basic snowman body. Add your Strange Stick for arms and then your Carrot for the nose and you should have a handsome Snowman to show your friends.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I need you elsewhere, Menacet. Delegate the subversion of the last remaining Arrival Points to one of your servants and visit me immediately. The next stage of the plan will soon be in place. With these attacks we have restricted the new blood from refreshing the Isparian public body. Soon we will deliver the death blow to the body that remains.

Do not increase the pressure on the Arrival Points yet. If our next venture succeeds, then it may be beneficial to keep potential new crops ripe for harvest.

-M


author_Name: Einrik Gaul, Leader of the Society
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
With the arrival of the Viamontians, Queen Elysa has called all of her forces to active duty. She can no longer afford to maintain the Training Academies as she once did. However, I was able to come to an agreement with her whereby the Dereth Exploration Society assumes full ownership of the Academies.

As you know, this is a great victory for our small society. As new arrivals appear through the portals, we have a chance to teach them the ways of this strange world. The hope, of course, is that these Isparians will fill our libraries with the knowledge


author_Name: Einrik Gaul, Leader of the Society
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
they accrue on their adventures.

Many of us have discussed how we should handle the Viamontian arrivals. Should we offer them the same training that we offer Aluvian, Gharu'ndim, and Sho? There are some who feel we should turn our backs on the Viamontians. But the Queen feels - and I agree - that the Dereth Exploration Society should remain a neutral body in this conflict. We have never professed an allegiance to the Queen, nor shall we do so to this Viamontian King.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Dranith--you are a faithful servant. I was...harsh during my last visit. I forget what it was like to have an unreasonable master. You did not fail. All goes according to plan.

I am proud of you, my creation. I look at you, at your anger, the bright beautiful purity of your rage, and I am content with my work.

Remember, you must instruct the infiltrators to have patience, to wait for the right moment to strike. Too soon, and they will be slaughtered before they reach the child.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Did this child hurt me? Is he the reason why I am what I am? No. But Asheron took my family away from me. And if I cannot find him, I will at least cause him pain, pain enough to make him wish death. I am familiar with that type of pain.

- M


author_Name: Sir Rylanan
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Sir Tenshin,

The bearer of this message has done me a great service in Holtburg. I have recently been keeping surveillance on one of the newer citizens of this town - a "reformed" bandit from Marae Lassel claiming to have turned over a new leaf. It appears that this stranger is not as he claimed. A note found in his possession implied that he was employed to transport a cargo of some sort of substance being collected in the depths of Asuger Temple.


author_Name: Sir Rylanan
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The adventurer you see before you penetrated the depths of the temple and found a band of Hollow Minions laboring over a strange device, collecting what looks to be concentrated portal space energy inside emulsified spherules of glass. I cannot fathom the purpose of these spherules--thinking better of performing my own analysis, I have sent the object to the Arcanum for examination. It would be best to get to the heart of this matter without delay.

With regards and congratulations for your latest promotion,

Rylanan


author_Name: Sir Rylanan
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Sir Tenshin,

It is with great haste that I write you this message. The bearer of this message brings you tidings from both Holtburg and Yaraq. First, my latest news. I have recently been keeping surveillance on one of the newer citizens of this town--a "reformed" bandit from Marae Lassel claiming to have turned over a new leaf. It appears that this stranger is not as he claimed. A note found in his possession implied that he was employed to transport a cargo of some sort of substance being collected in the depths of Asuger Temple. 


author_Name: Sir Rylanan
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The adventurer you see before you penetrated the depths of the temple and found a band of Hollow Minions laboring over a strange device, collecting  what looks to be concentrated portal space energy inside emulsified spherules of glass. I cannot fathom the purpose of these spherules--thinking better of performing my own analysis, I have sent the object to the Arcanum for examination. It would be best to get to the heart of this matter without delay.

I have appended a recent message from Dame Tsaya. She writes of a matter of great 
concern occurring near Yaraq--I add it here


author_Name: Sir Rylanan
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
verbatim so as not to lose the urgency of her words.

With regards and congratulations for your latest promotion,

Rylanan

***


author_Name: Sir Rylanan
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
(Copy of the letter from Dame Tsaya to Sir Rylanan)

Sir Rylanan,

I write my update to you with great fear and concern for the townsfolk of Yaraq. My last update to you recorded the arrival of a stranger new to town, who moved into the abandoned villa past the al-Luq residence.

I have just learned that he recently  encouraged the bearer of this message to visit a "friend" of his in the Darkened Halls to the north of here. Once there, the adventurer who stands before you was


author_Name: Sir Rylanan
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
attacked on all sides by a party of Hollow Minions, who were obviously lying in ambush for unwary explorers. There was a terrible device in the depths of the Halls, ostensibly created to extract  a living being's vitals from his own skin, leaving only a perfect human epidermis. One such human husk has been delivered to me, and I must report that the ghastly sight of it has not left me unshaken. I have reserved the remains for proper burial--I cannot imagine the final tortures this poor soul must have been subject to before his final passing.


author_Name: Sir Rylanan
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
What disturbs me the most is that I cannot discern a purpose for these atrocities. Who could find a need for these revolting trophies?

--Tsaya


author_Name: Sir Tenshin
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Dame Tsaya,

It is with a great deal of stress and trepidation that I update you on the latest developments here in Shoushi. I have had reports that a farmer living on the outskirts of town had recently been acting extremely strangely--acting genially towards his customers one minute, then shouting and berating them in the next. What's more, he claimed to have come into a large inheritance-which is odd, because everyone in town  knows his parents remained in Ispar.

After interviewing the farmer, the bearer of this message found a trap door towards the 


author_Name: Sir Tenshin
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
rear of his house, leading down to a seeminly innocuous cellar. However, a large cache of weapons was found behind a hidden doorway as well as stacks of Guard uniforms.

Now I ask you, Tsaya, how could this farmer store such a large arsenal and obtain these obviously stolen uniforms? There must be breach in our security-the Queen must be notified at once.

Tenshin


author_Name: Sir Tenshin
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Dame Tsaya,

You cannot imagine the state of apprehension I find myself in. I write to update you on the latest developments here in Shoushi as well as Holtburg.  I have had reports that a farmer living on the outskirts of town had recently been acting extremely strangely-acting genially towards his customers one minute, then shouting and berating them in the next. What's more, he claimed to have come into a large inheritance-which is odd, because everyone in town  knows his parents remained in Ispar.


author_Name: Sir Tenshin
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
After interviewing the farmer, the bearer of this message found a trap door towards the rear of his house, leading down to a seeminly innocuous cellar. However, a large cache of weapons was found behind a hidden doorway as well as stacks of Guard uniforms.

Now I ask you, Tsaya, how could this farmer store such a large arsenal and obtain these obviously stolen uniforms? There must be breach in our security-above all, I fear for our Queen.

What's more, Sir Rylanan has just sent me a letter of recent events in Holtburg. In my


author_Name: Sir Tenshin
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
present nervous state I do not trust myself to summarize his words correctly, so I will add his words below. 

I believe we and the citizens of New Aluvia may be in danger, Tsaya. The Queen must be notified at once.

Tenshin

***


author_Name: Sir Tenshin
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Copy of the letter from Sir Rylanan to Sir Tenshin)

Sir Tenshin,

The bearer of this message has done me a great service in Holtburg. I have recently been keeping surveillance on one of the newer citizens of this town-a "reformed" bandit from Marae Lassel claiming to have turned over a new leaf. It appears that this stranger is not as he claimed. A note found in his possession implies that he was employed to transport a cargo of some sort of substance being collected in the depths of Asuger Temple.


author_Name: Sir Tenshin
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The adventurer you see before you penetrated the depths of the temple and found a band of Hollow Minions laboring over a strange device, collecting  what looks to be concentrated portal space energy inside emulsified spherules of glass. I cannot fathom the purpose of these spherules-thinking better of performing my own analysis, I have sent the object to the Arcanum for examination. It would be best to get to the heart of this matter without delay.

With regards and congratulations for your
latest promotion,
--Rylanan


author_Name: Dame Tsaya
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Sir Rylanan,

I write my update to you with great fear and concern for the townsfolk of Yaraq. My last update to you recorded the arrival of a stranger new to town, who moved into the abandoned villa past the al-Luq residence. I have just learned that he recently  encouraged the bearer of this message to visit a "friend" of his in the Darkened Halls to the north of here. Once there, the adventurer who stands before you was attacked on all sides by a party of Hollow Minions, who were obviously lying in ambush for unwary explorers. There was a terrible device in the depths of the Halls, 


author_Name: Dame Tsaya
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
ostensibly created to extract  a living being's vitals from his own skin, leaving only a perfect human epidermis. One such human husk has been delivered to me, and I must report that the ghastly sight of it has not left me unshaken. I have reserved the remains for proper burial-I cannot imagine the final tortures this poor soul must have been subjected to before his final passing.

What disturbs me the most is that I cannot discern a purpose for these atrocities. Who could find a need for these revolting trophies?


author_Name: Dame Tsaya
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
What's more, Sir Tenshin has written me with news from Shoushi. It seems strange happenings are not unique to Yaraq at this time. I include the text from his message below.

The Queen has promised that once stability returns to the region she will recall us to her side. I look forward to sharing a tankard of ale with you then.

--Tsaya

***


author_Name: Dame Tsaya
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
(Copy of a letter to Dame Tsaya from Sir Tenshin)

Dame Tsaya,
It is with a great deal of stress and trepidation that I update you on the latest developments here in Shoushi. I have had reports that a farmer living on the outskirts of town had recently been acting extremely strangely--acting genially towards his customers one minute, then shouting and berating them in the next. What's more, he claimed to have come into a large inheritance-which is odd, because everyone in town  knows his parents remained in Ispar.


author_Name: Dame Tsaya
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
After interviewing the farmer, the bearer of this message found a trap door towards the rear of his house, leading down to a seeminly innocuous cellar. However, a large cache of weapons was found behind a hidden doorway as well as stacks of Guard uniforms.

Now I ask you, Tsaya, how could this farmer store such a large arsenal and obtain these obviously stolen uniforms? There must be breach in our security-the Queen must be notified at once.

--Tenshin


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
(The creases in the parchment have obscured much of the writing, but some of it is still discernible.)

...the perfect place to conduct our part of the plan. Asuger Temple ... A delicious irony that it would be here, under their very noses. We are close to refining the required amount of the substance--bide your time among the town's unwitting inhabitants until you are called to transport the cargo.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
You are already well paid for your storage facilities. Do not insult me again by asking for increased compensation. Do try to maintain an ordinary facade--it does not behoove you to call unwanted attention to yourself. Store these items until further notice, when you will be called upon to transport them to our factory.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I have seeded one of my farmers in the cove of Yaraq. He will procure only the greenest of the crops for your harvest. Old Man Witshire's granaries are nearly ready to be filled.  I need not emphasize the importance of your mission. Do not disappoint me again.

(unsigned)


author_Name: High Sentinel Echac
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The CEREMONY

All weddings are special events of great personal importance. They call for a deep and lasting commitment between people, and should not be entered into lightly. That said, the joys and happiness of marriage await!


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Here in Dereth, representatives of the heritage groups have agreed upon a common ceremony.  The ceremony will be overseen by The Grand Sentinels of the land.  The Queen has sent forth three Grand Sentinels in the fine tradition of Sentinels to continue this time-honored tradition.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
A couple must first show The Grand Sentinel that they are of pure heart and understand all that comes along with marriage. To do so, The Grand Sentinels have formed a set of trials that will allow the couples to demonstrate their commitment to one another.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The trials will be conducted near Arwic. Each couple must collect the symbols that demonstrate their love and affection. These symbols can be combined into a Symbol of Marriage. Once each of you has created  a  Symbol of Marriage, show them to the Grand Sentinel to begin the ceremony.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Grand Sentinel has also decreed that once married, you will not be able to visit them for a time not shorter then three months.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
GUESTS

It is advised that if you are planning an outdoor wedding, that you limit your guest list to 35 to prevent the magic of the Portal Storm from disrupting the ceremony.

If you are planning a wedding larger then 35, the Queen has prepared a special Wedding Hall for your needs.  Weddings of a hundred plus guests have been held here, though not without their own drawbacks that come with lots of guests in one area.


author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
PREPARATIONS
Wedding Planners are available throughout the land.  There, you will be able to find everything you need to be able to have a wedding you will never forget.


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
They carried the incense to the ritual...
They were servitors I see it now...
When they heeded the call of the voice, it was their servitors the snake-men their creations that stood with them at rituals.

What have I become?
I am a monster.
I am what I despise most. I cannot live this way endlessly...please let my power fade...just let me die.

Let me die...
let there be peace...I do not want to endure..
let me die...
let me die...


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Silence. You are judged unworthy of the gift of undeath and by order of the Gelid shall be disposed. Your tampering with the Blood of the World will...

Weakening...I cannot keep my own thoughts for long, what was it my snake of an apprentice said?

One will prolong the process, but strip more of the power from within you...

The other will speed the process along twisting you into an existence of endless suffering. But your power shall persist, and I shall steal it. 


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The flesh on my hands grows tight, as the wrinkles fade, my mind clouded by voices of those that were here before me. 

Shrouded here in our misery, given over to the unseen voice so that though our lives are forfeit, our bodies continue on. So the blood sings so shall we endure.

Not me, not me. I do not want to die. Can you hear me? Can you hear my cries? 
Elysa...?
Celdiseth...?
Yal...?
Hamud...?
Asheron...?


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
You say, "Paul & Babe (84N,22.2W)"

the cheese sandwiches were exquisite, and Calaythea makes a tasty cookie :)


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
After a very thorough investigation I have decided that Bade is infact a girl. But no new baby Babes are expected anytime soon :(
When asked to comment, Babe the Blue Auroch said, "Moo."


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
We should always bring lunches with us, because today took a long time to get where we were going, and I thought I would have to end up eating some of the moldy cheese from the Lichs! How naaaaaaaaaaaasty. But we got it finished in time for dinner. Maybe next time I can bring Candy Apples for a much needed sugar rush.


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Walking Sing Troves:
Platinum Golem says, "I hear and obey."

They say that but do they? NOOOOOOOOOO they are lazy bastards. They never want to get up from their naps, even if you vuln them. This book keeps eating my text!


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Calaythea says, "maybe i did a logn time ago but i still had the binding on me and not the page"

:(

stupid library quest


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Yes, i agree, stupid Library Quest is right. I think the Town Crier has my old scrawled note from long ago. 

The Locked Rewards Chest has been unlocked

YIKES! well we made it, to the end, I thought my heart was going to explode, but it held up. Must be all those Holtburgers.


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
You are now level 100! Yaya what a great day, it was so exciting :) this has been a wonderful 2 years spent with a most wonderful guy.


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Yay today was such an incredible day. I am still confused and excited about what lies ahead for me in life. And also that dumb bastard Gearlan Killed me, and the balls did too. But it was such a fun time, one of the best quests I have ever done.

I love you Jungle :)


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
happy valentines day to the love of my life.

as i watch her tip cows in plateau village, i am filled with a sense of peace. this is meant to be.


on to frore!


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Yay :)
Happy Valentines Day. If you get too cold let me know and I can warm you up with a hug.
mmmmmmmmmmmwa.


author_Name: Mistress Cydonia
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Yay Jungle let me write in his and cal's special book, so i have to right something important. He is one of the most important parts of my life, and our friendship is priceless. Only 105 more days until we can both realize what true love feels like in person.


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
we are playing chess and the magic number is 104.
 i am truly thankful for Liz's friendship. 
lately, things have changed gears, which i am very, very happy with. but tonight has reminded me that underneath it all is two very good friends. no matter what goes on, i am thankful for this special gift.

peace, love, and happiness raisin.*


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Calaythea tells you, "je pense de toi aujourd 'hui et toujours ww"

Calaythea tells you, "Rune Lord tells you, "awww... in RL too..?  : )" <---- one day i can say yes"

Calaythea tells you, "je veux vous espouser aussi"

Calaythea says to your fellowship, "You tell Esfandiyar, "i think i met the man i wanna marry""


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
well, we are about to start aerfalles. just the two of us. :) i am excited because i love doing things with you. you are so much fun. 

good luck to us!

well, we have our bellows so far, thats a good start!
i died.:( but at least you are uber and got the sluice bar.

ok, day two: time to drop the sluice  <3

(to be continued...)


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
well, we ran around for a while, but just missed the repair golem. we'll get this rollin' eventually! <3

ok, march 27th and we are finally about to enter the keep. things have run pretty darn smooth.i have the best partner.

WE DID IT! yay! we are a great team. i am so happy. i have wanted to do this with you forever. i am so proud. thank-you for doing this. <3


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
it is our sweet 69 retro date tonight. i am so thrilled with the love i have found. everything is better and brighter. you told me that i look healthier and more alive now than in older pictures. that is because of you. you are my spirit. i love you.


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Well lately, stuff in ac has been really stressful - guild stuff, and then the fun event we planned. I was a bag of nerves, but I am so glad that Jungle helped me out. He is so patient, and he is always helpful, and saved me from loosing my head. My world is a better place because of what he does, and because hes in it.

I have never loved anyone as much as him in my life.


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
But the bold Jungle Souljah has driven her back into her hidden crypts, and the ground stills... until she next awakens.


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Congratulations! Level 126! It has never made me happier to see someone hit it, you really deserve it. Thank-you for letting me share this moment with you and thank-you for being such a special friend to me. i/2


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
You have reached the maximum level of 126!
Yay. Boy, this was a long road, and I am glad that it got to end where it all started - In the landing zone in Mayoi. Im glad that I got to celebrate this with my best friend :)

<3

Im glad you got to hit triple digits with me too :)


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
We are in the middle of Cragstone's ArmoUr and i thought i would take this moment to say:

Calaythea tells you, "tap this :p"


i love you


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Hmm, I do not know what to write. Reading back over the entries in the little journal of "us" has been so fun, and fills me with good -old memories, and smiles, and tears, but only happy ones.
I love the little adventures we are going on, and I know that when we take a big adventure in life we will be there to do it with each other. 
Today we did Ulgrim's Island. That was quite cute, we even *shh* stole his treasure. I am glad you were able to show me the other side of AC. The picnic, adventure, friendship and discovery side. I love you Duane. Thank you for welcoming me into your life.


author_Name: Jungle Souljah
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Jungle Souljah looks up Calaythea's amuli

!

In the Artifex Vault. We have heard there is some useful treasure here. We are having a little break on one of the giant barrels by the tv room. We are showing those Tummies a thing or two!

Time before Duane starts a cheese factory... 0 Years, 0 Months, 14 Days, 17 Hours, 41 Minutes, 49 Seconds ...and he can have parmesan cheese all the time... 


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Haha. I love this book. It is filled with such cute adventures and funny stories. :) I am so glad we have something to document our friendship.


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Ouch. Your pet broccoli dog is whipping me with his staff... (how did he know I liked it rough... HMM???) ;) Tonight was a lot of fun, I enjoyed scouring the darkest depths of the Caul (cue eerie music) and beating up the mutant rat dogs. Next time we will have to bring popcorn to throw at the little dragons while they are hissing at us. Nuestra amore es mas bella de los estrellas en el cielo. 


author_Name: Calaythea
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I love Jungle's bum. It looks nice when he bobs up and down while he protects me from the baddies. <3


author_Name: Duck A'la Rounge
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Yay. Well the weekend quest only took us 3 months to complete. :| :)
I am such a cry baby pee pants.


( ( ) )
  \_/   (Dereth's first hot air balloon)

 <3!


author_Name: Translator
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Where it is applicable I have added notes in paranthesis to highlight words as we would speak them in everyday tongue.


author_Name: Gaerlan
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The Falatacot, studied the art of Geomancy with an unquenchable thirst. They called upon the resonance that echoed from within the world at the structures erected in the time before. They found that it was here, on Ireth Lassel, that mana was most concentrated, and plentiful.

Their priestesses, used their arts to fuse snakes and servitors into beings that would join them in blood rites, sacrificing unwary captives to the voices that echoed from the world. Their beloved Old Ones.
In the places where their shrines and temples were erected, they heard the voices.


author_Name: Glysander Cartoth
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Dear Brontynn,

I hereby give the bearer of this note permission to obtain from you any letters from Elysa Strathelar to my sister Lania that you may have in your possession. 

Glysander Cartoth


author_Name: Brontynn Marshad
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Sir Cartoth,

I left a letter I found for you in this chest. I am on the trail of another two letters, which I heard might be located north of Imuth Maer Doquin. I have heard reports of Tumeroks in that area. Though I am somewhat fearful, I am willing to take the risk and am headed there now.

Brontynn Marshad


author_Name: Glysander Cartoth
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Hello Traveller,

Years ago my older sister disappeared.  She had been a girlhood friend of Elysa Starthelar and corresponded with her quite often. I believe the letters Elysa wrote to her are a clue to her whereabouts. I would reward you if you could aid me in this matter. You may find me in the town of Cragstone and I will provide you with the details.

Sincerely,

Glysander Cartoth


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
He means to seal me within this place for eternity. How could I have been so blind. 

The Heat...the sting...the charge...the cold. All these things he has surrounded me with, but I have this one, chance.

There is a portal, here. I remember that, and a dias. A base, lectern something that infuses the key to passing the portal, and coming here.

So I shall begin the work upon a spell to weave the passage through for any that find these pages.


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
A lesson is learned as the pain begins to spread through me. Never trust...anyone other than yourself. He thinks that I will shrivel so quickly within this cell. 

I have found enough wood within this place to fashion a golem that will do my bidding, but I cannot find a way from this room, and with the passage of each hour it appears as though more of my power, and energy are taken from me. I will hold out for a while, of that I am sure. Yet these writings must taper into the spell that must be wrought.


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
She collects the red hair, turning white, from her head. Twisting, tightening, tying frayed end to frayed end in tedious precision, strand by strand. The pain must be felt in order for the magic to take hold. 

Fortune smiled on her, in this her darkest hour. A dagger fit with the sluice to draw the blood from her vein to etch the sigils and infuse the page with magics beyond the scope of most understanding. Breathe controlled by temperance, as each strand is manipulated closer and tighter into the form of a makeshift brush.


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Her hand cups to pool the blood. Her fingers twist the braided strands of hair fashioning a point to make the writing and etching precise.
The first touch of the stylus to the blood, is met with the exhale of breath. A single word spoken, in a language, that only a few understand. The brush grows saturated with the red, and is placed to the first parchment. 
A single line, etched, horizontal. A first diagonal, another word. Care must be taken to not use too much of the precious ink, the sigil must be crafted in one fluid motion, without leaving the page.


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The vertical line begins, breath drawn in deep. Another diagonal, no sound can break her concentration it must remain on the construction of the lock. The horizontal along the bottom. Sweat rises on her brow, a numbness begins from the place where she has carved her flesh. Breath forced out as the last lines are drawn and the etching filled with the reagent, her blood.

To another page, to craft the protection that will allow transport. The stylus falls into the pool, still growing. Care must be taken to not spill the precious reagent lest the spell end. Breath is drawn as the stylus drinks.


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The star must have the number of cardinal points, and the subsidiary points corresponding to the paths of true magic. Twelve points drawn from her blood, in concert with the timbre of her breathing.

A circle, surrounding the star to show the unity. Devotion to her people in the form of the man and the woman in the lower corner of this page.

Turn the page and with care wet the stylus. The numbness has turned to a throbbing pain, infusing the rite with dedication. The next sigil begins. A shadowgate, the old way. The passage between places.


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Death closes in upon her, as she feels the life ebbing from the wound, magics hold the flowing blood in place within her hand. Weak, so weak. Three more etchings, must be completed. She steels her mind and continues the rythym of the rite. Breathing her life into the strokes of each sigil.

The bird, is next, deliverer. The page is turned, infused with the name of the herald of the morning. The sigil of the sun is drawn, and then the twin moons.

Then she draws herself, helpless and trapped. Darkness surrounds her, but the heavenly bodies shine upon her. 


author_Name: Nuhmudira
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
One final word spoken, and the final breath released. The spell woven into the pages. The blood and pain are thrown onto the pile of lifeless wood, and her chants call to the life she has spread upon the fallen wood. 

The Book, handed as the commands are uttered silently from her mind to the malleable understanding of the being she commands. Her final act, to send it back to whence she was brought. To deliver her location to others, and then she passes into a quiet sleep.


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Isparian Arms

Nuhmudira began work on these items nearly a year ago. She explained the basics of the transmutation of pyreal and its innate magical properties to a small class of  three individuals. Two of them left the Arcanum after hearing the rumors of what she had done to those people in her basement, leaving me as the last remaining member of the Arcanum's Alchemical branch.

I have been working in conjunction with the artificers and the tinkers to decipher many other problem and so I apologize that


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
this manuscript is written with an air of haste.

Pyreal

We began the collection of quality and high qulaity pyreal ingots in the months before and the months after the establishment of the first housing settlements. This is when our study began.

The first few attempts were utter failures, entire modules of pyreal were ruined beyond salvation. There was nothing that would consistently strength the bonds that the metal already had.


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Our first efforts involved the use of Olthoi Ichor and later Grievver Ichor. Neither did anything more than reduce the ingot to slag.

Later with the discovery of diamond powder we began trying to find a way to coat the ingot in the powder.

Many elixirs were brewed in an attempt to imbue certain enhancing qualites onto the ingots, but nothing worked. 

Our artificers spent their time working on new spells to attempt to strengthen the metal and eventually, I am told, Nuhmudira


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
succeeded at devising a spell that would do just that and hold our elixirs. Hiro, can explain that in more detail than I.

But the spell could only be used on fabricated pyreal, that which had already been molded. The raw form, ingots, were resistant to the spell and so we were left trying to devise a way to embed spells into the pyreal in other ways.

Nothing was working.


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
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Purpose

The purpose was clear from the first day for the four of us that worked with the ingots. We needed to devise a way that we could make a weapon that would be much better at slaying our foes. Nuhmudira was the first to establish who that foe was, the Empyrean. 

We, the Arcanum, sat in long deliberation of what our intentions truly were and thought that we were making efforts to ensure that our people would have homes, defenses and ways to assist one another.


author_Name: Ciandra
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By the end of a two week deliberation, during which Nuhmudira argued her point so well, that nearly all of the Arcanum agreed that the greatest threat to us on Dereth was indeed the Empyrean, it was decided that we would branch into several different arms.

As such we established the following:
Agents
Alchemists
Artificers
Librarians
Researchers
Spellcrafters


author_Name: Ciandra
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And Tinkerers.

There may well be more as we grew quickly, even though we were removed and separate from the whole of the Isparian peoples.

We, the Alchemists, were set to the task of manipulating the various components and metals of the world in an effort to discover an alloy that could be used to strengthen our weapons to a point where they would be nearly unbreakable and immensely powerful.


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
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When Nuhmudira managed to release so much of the power that had been locked away into the metals we thought she had succeeded at what she wanted.

We were very wrong. Our struggle had just begun, and we toiled long and hard with no success.

My recent efforts have been subject to the scrutiny of my peers and the people of Dereth as they reel from the news that Nuhmudira had done something less than noble, in fact despicable by mosts standards. We, the Arcanum, are fractured 


author_Name: Ciandra
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over this news.

When my two direct peers left, I was alone in trying to create these new weapons. While I had seen some success in the crafting of the various elixirs, that entire process had been taken from me and given over to Hiro and the remainder of the Artificers, long ago.

Now I was one lone person trying to calculate a new formula with an alien metal forged on this world. 

Frustrating.


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
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Resolution

I had all but given up, when I was visited by a tall man that entered into the building without a single sound. He loomed over me as I sat at my workbench and placed a long finger to the left of one of the many pages that were scattered on my workbench.
I remember exactly what he said.

"The metal uses the magic, child, you cannot make new magic that will tame it without first visiting the source of it's power."


author_Name: Ciandra
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I glanced up and saw his long white beard and amber eyes, Lord Asheron Realaidain.

If he knew the purpose of these weapons I was sure that he would have killed me, but instead he went on to explain a great many things to me.  

Our discussion took us long into the next evening from early in the night before. By the end of that time I had lost all fear of this gentle, gentle man.

What he has done for me, has opened the doorway to the forging of these weapons.


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
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He has made efforts to explain what we could not fathom and I have learned from him.

I put to page, in the following leafs, the steps that you will need to create these new weapons and I explain the enhancements that will be made to these weapons from what were once the steps for creating the atlan weapons.

Ciandra


author_Name: Ciandra
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Diamond Oil

From the mana stream that Asheron will open to us we will collect pure mana. To that we will add Diamond Powder and depending on how well we brew the mixture we shall achieve one of two qualities.  Asheron has assured me that the gradient will be visible.

Oil of Nullification

This oil is necessary for the creation of the tool that will be used to remove stones from the weapons.


author_Name: Ciandra
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To craft it we will need powdered chorizite and the mana from the place that Asheron opens. The oil will then be prepared.

Ingots

Only High Quality Ingots can be used, the other grades are not potent enough to absorb the diamond oil.

Using the Oil on the Ingot will reinforce the metal. Depending on the potency of the brew and the care you take while infusing the ingot you should receive one of four gradients of Diamond Infused Pyreal Ingots.


author_Name: Ciandra
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Weapon Infusion

Once you have created the highest quality of Diamond Infused Ingots, you need to purchase an infusion tool that will transfer your skill to the ingot itself.

We have supplied Silencia with these stamps, as she also has the Golem that will forge the ingots into weapons.

As you may have assumed you will then give the item to the golem who will forge the weapon within its heart fire.


author_Name: Ciandra
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Elemental Stones

Like their predecessors, the Atlans, our Isparian weapons can be fitted with one of the four elemental stones. Asheron assured us that the Shadow stone would not work. These weapons have been designed to assist us with the growing Elemental problem. Such that they will be much more potent against certain elementals, typically the opposing element.


author_Name: Ciandra
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This is the process that Nuhmudira was searching for, but Lord Asheron was kind enough to show us.

Modifying Tool

In order to remove a stone from within the weapon you will need a special tool that uses the previously mentioned Oil of Nullification.

You will need to use the oil on a pure Diamond Heart. This will be the only substance strong enough to unbind the stone from the Isparian Weapons.


author_Name: Ciandra
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Once the heart has been imbued with the oil find one who can carve keys and ask them to craft the altered Diamond Heart for you. The result should be a tool that will fit perfectly into the weapon to remove any of the elemental stones.


author_Name: Aluvian Rumor
author_Account: prewritten
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A friend of mine came across a man in a small cottage northwest of the West Lytelthorpe Outpost. He said his name is Slithe Tradittor and claims to be an Explorer for the Explorer Society. He expounded upon a tale of discovering an unusual locale which harbors a strange device. This device is apparently an artifact of Empyrean technology. This Explorer hungers to obtain this device and study it.


author_Name: Gaerlan
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My brother and I have just returned from Aerlinthe. He was there to see that the portals were showing no odd signs of decay, or alteration. Of course I had my own reasons for being there. 

I have kept that temple, a secret for so many years now. Still, however, my command of the planar magic is weak compared to Delacim's. Often times my efforts will fail wholeheartedly, merely shifting the location of the portal. Asheron reprimands me often for such transgressions. For someone in his position I think that  he becomes a little too free with his scolding.


author_Name: Gaerlan
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No matter really, a simple reference to my badge of office and he silences. It angers me that due to his reticence in spending time with me, to foster my strength and understanding, I still fail. I could have much easier access to that temple.

In time, in time I shall have the ability and then I shall move from my brothers shadow. So long I have stood here, Delacim...you who were born with an affinity so great. 

The old man treats him as though he were a son. A son, that is still a student. Amusing.


author_Name: Gaerlan
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Odd that the others that are Asheron's students never question his age, or his position or how he came by such great knowledge. These things do not simply just occur.

There have been times that I have thought about visiting the Nali, myself. Yet, each of those thoughts is checked by the fact that if the Nali was to come here I would also be brought under harsh scrutiny. Though I have worked long and hard to shield my thoughts, I know that they have the implements necessary to extract the information that they desire. I have no


author_Name: Gaerlan
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intention of dying before I complete my work.

The Emperor will be the first to see my work. To be heralded into the temple and shown how immense the inside of the structure is. To bear witness to my learning.

Recent events have afforded me a bit of freedom from the Lyceum at Knorr. Though this disconcerts me. During my absence Asheron will be free to operate without supervision. However, when the Emperor invites you to spend time at his personal retreat you thank him and accept.


author_Name: Gaerlan
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Such an extension shows that I have already garnered much worth in his eyes. Enough that when I bring him to the temple he will surely find it within his breadth to name me a court vizier, perhaps more.

Nothing could have pleased me more than what I bore witness to today. Minions of darkness making war upon one another. The battle was long over when I arrived, perhaps by thousands of years. But the Dericost magics that preserve the consciousness within undead forms halts the decay of the body at a certain point. This is, at least, my understanding.


author_Name: Gaerlan
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command. It shall hear my voice only and bow to my commands. Then I shall wrest this world from Asheron, and wipe these vermin from the world. 

And when I bring my brethren and the Emperor back from the space between I shall be the greatest of my kind.


author_Name: Josef
author_Account: prewritten
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Here is a list of things that I think Martine might like. You help me out, I help you. It's simple really.

Needs:

Virindi Masks
Yellow Virindi Jewels
Quiddity Ingots
Shackles of Obedience
Directive Keys
Master Keys
Singularity Keys


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
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When Asheron first came into the Consortium, I was amazed. He offered us knowledge beyond everything we had begun to comprehend thus far and he directed our attentions to some shortcomings. 

Bahb was less impressed but he was still shocked by the level of enlightenment that Asheron offered us. As a result he and the few other tinkerers beneath him have been working day and night in an effort to perfect the "Ust". 

A strange word, coming from the Yalaini


author_Name: Ciandra
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language as explained to us by Asheron. It means; that which reduces, or at least that is the closest conversion in Roulean.

I was asked to take a break from my work to assist in creating the processes that would be used with the concentrated materials. As well I was asked to pen this book, as an introduction to you, the populace, so that you could more easily grasp the concepts of this great magic that we have unlocked.


author_Name: Ciandra
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Basics

There are two aspects of tinkering, Salvaging and Application. 

Salvaging refers to the extraction of the base qualities of an item. 

Application refers to the infusion, or enhancement of an existing item by way of adding the salvaged qualities of other items to the "tinkered" item.


author_Name: Ciandra
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Qualities

Every item that has ever been created attains qualities. These qualities are determined by the craftsman who worked with them and the material that was initially used to create the item. These qualities are explained as Workmanship and Material Type.

Workmanship refers to how well made the item is. The higher the workmanship level the more potent the item. 

Material Type refers to the material that


author_Name: Ciandra
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was used to craft the object. Typically these are metals, stones, cloths and gems.

The Ust and Salvaging

The Ust is a mystical device that reduces items into their base qualities, trasforming them into a material. Each material type has a very specific purpose, or application.

The Ust can only be used to extract, or reduce, like propertied items. The first item placed into the Ust determines the type of materials that are to be extracted. For example, placing a wool shirt within the


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
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Ust would mean that all other objects placed within would need to be made of wool in order for the process to work.

Once you have placed your items within the Ust you can extract the qualities into a material. The material will be given a quantity, and an average workmanship of the items reduced. Anyone can use an Ust as it is a mystical device that harvests the qualities. However, if you have a stronger rudimentary understanding of how materials work, whether through your knowledge of armor, weaponry, or magical  and normal item you will harvest greater


author_Name: Ciandra
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amounts of materials. No matter how proficiently skilled you are in tinkering, the quality of the materials will be an average of the items used. Example: If you place a perfectly crafted item with a poorly crafted item you will most likely obtain a material of average quality.

Another mystical quality of the Ust is the ability to determine the difference between materials and items. When you place materials, the reduced form of items, into the Ust with other materials, the quantity of those items are added together, and a new average quality is obtained. The most 


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
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amazing thing about this process is that the Ust recognizes when there are items mixed with materials. When instances such as this arise it will obtain the quantity and average workmanship quality of the items and add them to the existing materials. 

For example, if you place 12 bolts of average Wool with three Wool shirts of perfect workmanship quality into the Ust, you will first collect the quantity of wool from the shirts. Let's say16 bolts.The Ust will add the 16 bolts to the 12 bolts and determine the average workmanship quality of the material based on the total 


author_Name: Ciandra
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amount of items used. 

Easy, right?

Remember, anyone can salvage. Items that are reduced to materials can be sold to shopkeepers at a greatly reduced cost, but they are also far lighter than the items they are extracted from.

Application

Salvaged materials can be applied to items. Each material will alter a very specific area of the item you wish to tinker with. Wool


author_Name: Ciandra
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for example is an excellent source of insulation from the cold. It's no surprise then that it will affect the level of cold protection that armor offers. 

Applying materials can only be attempted by a skilled tinkerer. That means that you must be trained in armor, weapon, item or magic item tinkering in order to manipulate items with materials.

Armor tinkerers work with armor, weapon tinkerers work with weapons, magic items work with qualities of a powerful and mystical nature, at the moment we are still


author_Name: Ciandra
author_Account: prewritten
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working on direct applications, and item tinkerers work with the generic applications such as weight, and value of objects. Again without training in one of these areas, it will not be possible for a person to apply materials.

Materials can only be added to items when you have 100 pieces of a single material type. For example, if you wished to increase the cold protection of a piece of armor, you would need 100 bolts of Wool and be an armor tinkerer to attempt the adjustment. Then based upon several factors you would either succeed or fail in


author_Name: Ciandra
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the application.

Success will modify the protection to be better, whereas failure would result in both the material and the item being destroyed.

It is not easy to tinker with crafted items, but there are some things that will make the process go more smoothly.

First obtain the highest average workmanship materials that you can. The better the workmanship of your materials, the easier they are to work and adapt.


author_Name: Ciandra
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Second, lesser quality workmanship items are easier to improve as they were not that well crafted to begin with. The more close to perfect an item is the harder it will be to improve.

Third, don't overdo it. The more you tinker an object the more difficult it will become to make it better. So the easier it will become to ruin the object.

Lastly, but most importantly; practice. You will get better if you practice your trade. The more often you work at the better you'll become.


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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I had never been prone to nightmares growing up.  This fine house, this kingly mansion was a dream come true, the paragon of residences. A reward for my services to the Arcanum. But several nights after moving into this large house I began to have bad dreams.  At first nothing defined, just dreams of wandering this cavernous mansion, searching, searching. Never finding whatever it was I was seeking and waking up with a hollow feeling in my gut. 

As events unfolded into a patchwork of horror, I decided to begin keeping a journal of these events.


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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In the darkness of night I would sense just how big this house is. Such a huge quantity of finely crafted wood and stone constructed to enclose so much empty space. Most of this large structure hollow, I the only living thing within it. Sometimes, I would hear wind blowing through some distant rooms although I was certain all windows were intact. Investigating, I would find the windows in place and the sound gone.

A few days after moving in I went down to the mansion dungeon to get my jeweled longsword that I had placed on a wall


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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hook. I wished to wear it at a social event hosted by Madame Nevar. It hung right where I had put it but the blade was bent and twisted as if it had been mangled by something filled with malevolence and brimming with power. I thought it some sort of clever prank, perhaps committed by a mage friend of mine and, though annoyed, dismissed it.

One night I was sleeping soundly only to be awakened by loud noises from downstairs.  It sounded like a crowd of people murmuring, speaking, all in a patois whose origin I could only guess.


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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I crept down the stairs expecting I knew not what, yet somehow to be anticipating the worst.  The mad jabbering grew louder as I got closer to the Great Hall. As I threw open the door the cacophony turned into a hiss...and was gone. The Hall was empty; the throne-like chair in the center its only occupant. Had it just been host to some spectral gathering?

The next evening while walking through a room I sensed something wrong. The night was warm, yet this part of the room felt cold. Shivering, my skin felt as if it had been brushed by cold fingers.


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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I stopped, looking around, as I had noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye. I was standing by a painting, that of a scribe studying scrolls. I turned to look at the 
picture, but could see nothing unusual about it.  I drew closer since I was sure I had seen something- the human eye is marvelous at detecting motion. I saw nothing for a moment. 

Then the scribe's head in the painting turned slowly towards me! I looked into his eyes, which appeared to be turning red...  Suddenly the face transformed into something hideous, the eyes falling back


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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into his skull, leaving open, gaping pits.  It was a gaunt visage of something that may have been a man once but had died a long time ago in agony and was still screaming.  I stumbled back from the picture, tripping over a chair. Falling backwards, it seemed the horror was now leaping out of the painting, reaching for me with withered fingers, the flesh hanging off the bones.  I rolled over, trying to get back on my feet, sheer panic flowing through me. Jumping up, I whirled round to face the creature but there was nothing there.  

The painting hung peacefully, the scribe 


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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placidly studying the scrolls. Taking a deep breath, I backed away, my heart pounding in my chest.  Had I imagined it?  Perhaps it was a product of a bit of undercooked reedshark steak in my belly?

I was down in the dungeon the next day and near the storage chests when I heard a cry such as I would not imagine could be uttered from man or beast.  Full of anguish, as if talons were ripping the insides of some forlorn, dire beast. The cry echoed off the finely frescoed walls.  I ripped a dagger off its wall hook and, blade in hand, I searched every inch of the dungeon only to find nothing amiss.


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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The next day when I went down there I noticed that a particular spot in one of the northwest room was much colder than the rest of the structure. I could see no water leaks, no openings of any kind and had there been any openings certainly no air could be circulating so deep underground. I went down there that afternoon to check on matters again and saw a fine drudge mask I had had crafted for me to wear at festivals was lying on the floor.  It had apparently fallen off its hook. 

As I picked it up I noticed once more that it was quite cold in that spot, yet when I touched the wall it felt to be the same


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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temperature as the other walls. Shrugging, I hung the mask back up and turned away. As I was stepping out of the room I heard a thud behind me.  Startled, I whirled around to see the drudge mask had fallen again.  I replaced it and waited but it stayed on the wall.  The cold air in its location seemed to have dissipated.

At night I began to dream of tunnels deep within the ground, writhing with moldering bodies of creatures that should be quite dead, yet are not. Creatures with innards that have turned into a foul putrescence, they claw towards the surface, 


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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tearing open the grassy skin of the earth from within like maggots emerging from a rotting apple. They come boiling out of the ground, wielding sharp weapons, searching for prey with rotting, blind eye sockets.

One night during such a nightmare I awoke to see one of the horrors standing by the foot of my bed!  A putrid, tattered thing, an upright corpse, the flesh flayed from its bones. I leaped up but the grim visage disappeared. I lit the candle and examined the spot where it stood. There was nothing there and I would have attributed it as part of my dream had I not detected a foul  


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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stench that hung in the air in that very spot. Sleep would not come again to me that night or the next. 

Sleepless, I wandered the halls of my mammoth dwelling expecting the worst around every corner.

With trepidation I descended to the mansion dungeon.  I saw nothing amiss and went once more to the northwest room where my drudge mask had done its suspicious jumping trick. It hung there on the wall, yet for a moment as I entered I thought I saw it grinning at me.  An artifact


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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of a sleep-deprived mind no doubt, for as I drew near I saw it to be its normal holiday-mask self. Standing there, however, I heard a noise by that wall, a sound that seemed just at the threshold of audibility so that I could not be certain of its true existence.  A scratching sound, like that of broken fingernails tearing at earth and rock, as of a corpse patiently endeavoring to dig itself out of a grave.  I touched the wall to discover whether any vibration accompanied that fearful sound.

 For a moment nothing, then I felt a cold gust, like the breath of something dark and 


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
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dead. I hurried back upstairs, looking behind me every few paces, the emptiness of the dungeon mocking my retreat.

Not wanting to go down to the dungeon any more, I placed some chests upstairs in the mansion and began keeping my closer personal articles there including my valued emerald, the antique platter my aunt gave me and my favorite puffy shirt. I decided to keep the door to the dungeon portal room locked for fear of something coming up through it.

Of course, I am aware now that no physical lock could keep the horrors at bay.


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
The next night I finally fell into a fitful sleep. I dreamt I was falling through a black vastness towards an even blacker one, a void of hunger and rage. Feeling this dream all too real, I struggled to wake up. With an effort, I opened my eyes, the rushing blackness giving way to an appalling reality. The corpse stood there again at the foot of my bed. It opened its rotting jaw wider than any normal human possibly could, emitting a horrible scream, which would not stop. I leapt out of bed and down the stairs, seeing the house go mad about me. Furniture, once benign, now had taken on dreadful countenance. Moldering 


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
corpses hung from the beams. All the candles and torches were gone; the rooms dark and dire except where phantomlike lights glowed. Dead, spectral things wandered the corridors. The very walls reached for me with skeletal claws. The screaming went on and on, it would not end.

I later realized the screaming came from me as well.

I raced out of that fearful, monstrous structure as one might run from the jaws of a raging Shreth.  I stopped near the bottom of the hill to catch my breath, turning to 


author_Name: Frest Greelving
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
assure myself nothing foul was in pursuit of me. Several of the windows of the mansion were blazing with a cold, evil light. In one window there stood a figure looking out at me, the decaying thing from my bedroom. It was grinning at me. An inhuman grin of triumph and utter madness.

I have not ventured back into the mansion since. I would prefer to freeze out here in the wind and rain than face the unknown
horrors of that haunted place. There may be no one brave enough in this land to do so. Who can help me?

Who would'st I call?


author_Name: Jaerak Tiolan
author_Account: prewritten
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Day One
Aimara, my lovely wife and fellow archeologist, has succeeded again in identifying a site that may be of value.  She seems to have an alternate sense for these things, an instinct of where the hidden, ancient truths are that we ever strive to uncover.  True, we had heard some whispering of this place from those that reside nearby, quiet mutterings with averted eyes, a hesitation to speak. That convinced us that there is merit in investigating this site. Be it as it may, Aimara felt that this is the place to dig. 
On this bright day the excavation begins.


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Day Two
We find nothing in the shallow part of this dig beyond a few skeletons of those that may have fallen in some ancient battle or possibly attacked by animals. They did not appear to have carried heavy weapons or armor. A minor find to be sure. That is not unexpected at this early stage. Aimara is certain there is something of more interest below.  We will begin tunneling now.

Day Four
We have excavated deeper than on most of our other digs but found nothing further.


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
Aimara insists this is a place of interest, though it is based on a mere feeling.  If I did not know her better, nor her success in these matters, I might give up and proceed to Site Bronze.

Day Six
We have set up a study center within the excavation and made it comfortable.  We can sleep down here and do our research with no need to climb the long way to the surface. The tunnels now reach out in all directions, like fingers probing deep through the earth. Thus far they have touched nothing new but we hope to uncover something soon. Patience is a requirement


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
of our profession.

Day Seven
The deeper the excavation is dug, the more we feel as if something is calling to us. I can honestly say that it is not just Aimara who senses it now.  I feel it also, as a faint tickle in my mind when my thoughts are still. Like still hearing the tone of a bell that has rung long ago. Curiously, the deeper we go the colder it gets which is not usual for the geology of this region.  Below the frost line the temperature should remain constant, cool but certainly not freezing.
Below the level of our study center the earth is actually frozen. That is very unusual.


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
By coincidence, both Aimara's dreams and mine were troubled last night. Usually, the silence and darkness of deep sites such as this, where we have set up camp within the excavation, allows us to sleep better than outdoors where sunshine and early morning raucous cries of birds wake us oversoon. In one dream, I awoke in the darkness of our study center only to see a ghastly creature standing over us watching us with dead, white eyes. Like a corpse removed from its grave, the flesh was rotting on its pale, discolored bones. I shook my head and found I was awake,


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
I must have just woken from the nightmare at that moment.

Day Eight
We have found something. Today, we broke through to a large chamber.  It appears to be natural, not made by any conscious hand, yet it is regular in appearance, seemingly as if a bubble had burst within the earth and made a void.  A large artifact lies in the center of this chamber. Due to its shape we surmise the artifact to be a sarcophagus but it is quite oversized to fit any of the Empyrean race.
The material is a smooth, polished stone,


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
black in color, indeed a black beyond black. It seems to absorb any light that hits it. At the same time the black material sparkles dimly as if it has its own inner light, the tiny points of light appear almost as afterimages in the eyes.

Standing before it, it is quite clear this is the source of the emanations we feel.  We are drawn to its dark beauty. Touching the surface, however, burns the fingers, yet not from heat, but from cold.

The hour is late now and we must sleep. On the morrow we will see what this dark coffin holds.


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
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Day Nine
There does not seem to be a true lid on this sarcophagus, we see no way to remove the top.  Hammering upwards on the area of where the lid could be does naught, especially since there is not much in the way of a seam to catch a hammer blow. Eventually, I tried to chip off a small piece of the sarcophagus but it was to no avail.  The stone seems to be harder than any tools or means we have with us to even scratch it.

The longer one stands before this dark sarcophagus the more uncomfortable the feeling.


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
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Something dead lies within. Nay, slumbers. Nearing the black coffin, one cannot feel but that there is something inside that has not quite died. Clearly, it is emanating a mystical energy. Where this fell sarcophagus came from we do not know. There are no markings, runes or sigils to identify its origin. I believe the depth of this chamber may date it back to the Arelis Eipoth or even earlier.

Day Ten
Members of the Dericost have appeared, shambling horrors wandering through the tunnels. We had not heard of them being on the continent, much less this area.


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
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We did not see them come down the entrance tunnel. They speak not, indeed, pay little attention to us, much less attack us. A strange thing in this time of conflict. We cannot guess why they are here, what they want. So far below the ground, we have no news of what events may have transpired on the surface that brought the undead here.

Day Eleven
In a side excavation to the east of the sarcophagus chamber we discovered an imprint, a mere silhouette within the ice of some large creature that may have been


author_Name: Jaerak Tarnelon
author_Account: prewritten
page_Text:
vaguely like us in shape, but had been withered and twisted in upon itself. Had it met its fate on the spot?  We marked the location and rough body outline with wooden markers. One outline of a twisted limb appeared to have been holding another artifact we excavated nearby. It is a curious rod or staff of a stone similar to that of the mysterious sarcophagus. Thus, there is a clear connection between this unhappy creature and the dark coffin but what that may we cannot surmise yet.  The staff has magical qualities- Aimara was holding it and flames burst forth, like a fiery halo.  Yet it did not burn her hands.


