Aravis Telmir
Dranko Blackhope
Ernest Wilburforce Roundhill
Flicker Proudfoot (NPC)
Grey Wolf 
Kay "Windstorm" Olafsen
Kibilhathur Bimson
Makel Troutman (NPC)
Morningstar, Shield of Ell
One Certain Step (NPC)

Runs 1-10
Runs 11-20
Runs 21-30
Runs 31-40
Runs 41-50
Runs 51-60
Runs 61-70
Runs 71-80
Runs 81-90
Runs 91-100
Runs 101-110
Runs 111-120
Runs 121-130
Runs 131-140
Runs 141-150
Runs 151-160
Runs 161-170
Runs 171-180
Runs 181-190
Runs 191-200
 
 

(1831)

(run 121 begins) The Company does not waste any time.   With One Certain Step carrying Makel’s body and Skorg carrying Tribbin, they head immediately to one of the two exit tunnels on the other side of the cavern.  It’s blocked off by a Wall of Stone, but a one-person-wide tunnel has been dug under it, specifically for this eventuality.  As quickly as they can, they crawl one at a time through the tunnel, dragging and pushing the bodies of Makel and Tribbin.   No one remembers until it’s too late that the tunnel was trapped by a Glyph of Warding, set to be triggered by a full-blooded orc.   Skorg sets it off as he starts through the tunnel, and finds himself face-to-face with a Celestial Badger.  Fortunately he’s not an enemy, so the badger runs off in the general direction of the increasingly loud orc voices.

Once they’re all on the other side of the tunnel beneath the wall, the party takes off into the darkness, Continual Flame torches lighting the way.  Only a few seconds later they hear the sound of the orcish hordes (at least a couple hundred, it sounds like to Kay and Kibi) as they pile into the cavern where the battle with Restimar took place.  Then there are the satisfying sounds of the five or six other Glyphs of Warding going off; some of them Summon more Celestial Badgers, and the others fire off Searing Darkness spells.  There are many shouts of dismay from the orcs, and sounds of combat.  But the party doesn’t stay to enjoy the sounds; they’re tearing off down the tunnel, as fast as they can while carrying two corpses.

Ernie in his Plate Mail is still the slowest party member, so they pause briefly while Kibi casts Fly on him.  A hundred feet farther on the tunnel forks, and Kibi makes a quick guess as to which way will take them more directly back to Dwarven territory.   They continue fleeing.   Behind them they can hear the dimly echoing sounds of orc voices, indicating that while the pursuit may be greatly slowed by the Wall of Stone, it has not ceased.

Grey Wolf notices that the churning in his stomach, a feeling that’s been steady for some days now, has not abated.  If anything it has grown stronger.  But there’s nothing to be done about it now; on they all go. 

After another few minutes and several turnings and branchings of tunnels and caverns, the party hears the sound of running water ahead of them.  They emerge into a large cavern that’s bisected by a wide and swift underground river.  Over the sound of the water the Company can hear the sound of orcs from several directions.  The net is closing.

Aravis suddenly feels something strange in his head.  It feels like something in the Crosser’s Maze is trying to tell him something… or maybe it’s his own subconscious playing tricks on him.  It almost sounds like his own voice – his own thoughts.  He concentrates on it, but senses nothing more, and ignores it for the moment.  There are more immediate concerns!

Grey Wolf uses a Fly Scroll on One Certain Step, and Kay uses the Fly ability of Oa Lyanna.  Together they ferry the rest of the party across the river.  While the others are being so transported,  Morningstar casts a Sending spell to General Rockbreath: 

Good news: killed Chun Aggrat.  Bad news: orcs pissed.  200 chasing us.  We’re heading out through uncharted territory to north.  Anything we need to know?

The reply: 

Yes!!!  Okhot & Chun Aggrat?  North area’s old contested ground, lots of traps.  Will send scouts to find you and bring you in.  Anything else?

They continue to flee through the darkness.  Kibi, with a bit more time to sense his surroundings, realizes that he was off in his initial guess about direction.  The party has come too far north, and now needs to head both south and east to reach safety. 

A few minutes beyond the river, the party finds itself in a large cluster of interconnected natural caverns, with no obvious exit to the south or east.  Kibi guesses they could find a good escape tunnel with a few minutes of searching, but the sounds of approaching orcs are getting louder and louder.  All the party are tired, and it seems that they won’t be able to flee much longer before hundreds of orcs are upon them. 

So Aravis casts a pair of Rope Trick spells, enough for all of the party to climb up into them.  With the orcs only minutes away, they clamber up into the extradimensional spaces, but not before Dranko scatters his Dust of Tracelessness all over the cavern floor.  The ropes are pulled up after them, and less than a minute later the group in one of the Rope Trick "rooms" can see orcs moving around in the cavern below.  (Skorg, Kibi and Dranko are the only party members with true darkvision, and all of them are in the same space.)

Aravis, panting in the other Rope Trick space, suddenly becomes aware that the Crosser’s Maze – or something in it – is trying to contact him again, using his own voice and thoughts.  He concentrates, and this time he clearly hears a message:  "A powerful wizard is coming."

Huh.  What the heck does that mean?  An evil wizard?  A good wizard?  They think that the dwarven Archmage Cranchus lives in the mountains in this general area.  But it might mean Octesian, the red-armored compatriot of the recently-departed Restimar.  Worst of all (but highly unlikely) it could mean "P" himself – Parthol Runecarver.   Whichever it is, Aravis goes to sleep.

Back in the other "room," Dranko, Kibi and Skorg watch the orcs mill around in the cavern beneath them.   They recognize that the uniforms are of the Red Fang tribe – not orcs under the control of the Bloodseer.  It seems that the manhunt has spread to other tribes!  Then Dranko and Kibi see something else move into view beneath the Rope Trick.  It’s not an orc, and it’s not human.   It’s generally humanoid, and very tall – perhaps 7 feet, but bent over such that it would probably be closer to 9 or 10 feet tall if it stood up straight.  Its skin is of a stone-like color and texture, and its whole body seems to be vibrating, making it hard to focus upon.  The top of its head is long and flat, and its feet are large and also flat.  Stranger, it has many long arms.  Two seem to be its primary arms, long and thick with sharp claws on the ends.  Below each main arm are a half-dozen smaller arms, each with its own complement of claws.   The watchers guess what they’re seeing – the Digger, the creature that the orcs have been using to dig pits and tunnels so quickly.  It looks dangerous, but is fortunately confounded by the Dust of Tracelessness.  After a few seconds,  the Digger moves out of sight, and after a few more minutes, there ceases to be any signs of orcs. 

For a few minutes after that, Kay engages Skorg in a conversation about orcish morality and Skorg’s way of life.   Skorg himself, while a bit in the cowardly side, doesn’t seem like that bad a fellow, a fact which Kay finds fascinating.   Kibi rolls his eyes continuously; it’s not bad enough that they’ve taken this orc under their protection, but now Kay, who’s supposed to hate orcs, seems to sympathizing with one.  Oa Lyanna is also frustrated with Kay’s acceptance of this Kesh, but Kay forces herself to keep an open mind, and seems to regard herself as responsible for Skorg.

The party sleeps uncomfortably in the small extradimensional pockets.

Friday, June 27th

The next "morning," with spells and muscles refreshed, the party heads out again.  There is no sign of orcs or the Digger, though they can still hear dim voices of orcs coming from many directions.   With some time to search, they find a tunnel leading out of the cave cluster in the general direction they want to go.  They are no longer slowed by the corpses of Tribbin and Makel – Kibi has cast Shrink Item on both of them.

Morningstar and Dranko are out in front, keeping both eyes open for traps as best they can while still maintaining a good pace.   But they miss a slender trip-wire, and suddenly there is a roaring noise as the ceiling caves in!  Everyone jumps back, but the two in front are partially buried under several tons of rubble.  Dranko’s leg is broken, and Morningstar can feel a splinter of stone sticking through her shoulder.  Kibi casts Soften Earth and Stone to help with moving the heavy stone blocks off the pile,  and the two injured party members are soon healed. 

And about this time, the party becomes aware of a strange sound.  It sounds like the faint grinding of stone on stone, and it’s coming not from the tunnel itself, but from off to the side, on the other side of the stone tunnel wall.  Not wanting to wait around, and having to get past the collapse (which has choked the entire passage), Aravis expends a charge from his Staff of Earth and Stone and casts Passwall.  He casts it to create a clear passage across the top of the rubble where the length of the blockage is shorter, and the party crawls up and over the pile.  And as they clamber down the other side of the debris, they hear a horrible sound, the sound of stone being torn like bread crust.  And behind that sound can now be heard the voices of dozens, perhaps hundreds of orcs!  The Digger has found them, and carved out a tunnel straight to their current location.  Aravis drops the Passwall spell, effectively resealing the passage, and the party retreats 30 feet down the corridor before turning to set against the oncoming foe.   Ernie and Kay ready bows, set to fire at the first thing that shows itself.

That would be the Digger.  It comes straight through the pile of debris, and the party can see it scooping the last of the rubble into a large black mouth.  Behind it almost the entire pile of broken stone is… gone.  And the party realizes with horror that the Digger doesn’t just clear away stone – it consumes it.  They watch as it uses its array of arms to scoop the last of the stone into a black maw like a void. 

Ernie and Kay fire their bows, but the arrows shatter against its stony hide.  Behind it the orcs cheer, waiting for the Digger to lay waste to these hapless and outnumbered surface dwellers.  The Digger starts forward – and Morningstar nails it in the face with a Searing Darkness. 

Make that a critical hit with Searing Darkness.  In fact, make that a maximized critical hit, since this particular spell was still in Morningstar’s head from two nights ago when they burned their block of Incense of Meditation.  And it gets past the Digger’s spell resistance. 

With a sizzling hiss, the 80-point Searing Darkness spell hits the black maw of the Digger.  There is a brief pause just long enough for me to roll a "2" on the Massive Damage fortitude save.  And then the Digger shatters, spraying shards of rock-like hide into the walls, the orcs, and Ernie.  In the moment of silence that follows, in which the orcs aren’t cheering so much as gaping, Dranko says in orcish: "Who’s next?"

To the orcs’ credit, they charge down the passage and engage the front-line fighters in the 10’ wide passage.  But these are run-of-the-mill orcish soldiers, and not the elite troops of Okhot One-Eye or the Chun Aggrat.  They don’t stand a chance.  After the front few are dispatched, Grey Wolf and Aravis lob Lightning Bolts and Fireballs back into the tunnel, which has filled with onrushing orcs.  Soon the air is filled with the smell of roasted orc flesh, and the orcs are no longer so eager to rush forward.  Dranko calls out again: "The Bloodseer hired us to kill the Chun Aggrat, and we did.  Why do you think we’d have any problem with you". 

From somewhere in the back, a voice calls out: "He’s lying!  We must avenge the Chun Aggrat!  Attack!"

Without much enthusiasm, more orcs start slowly forward, but Kibi stops them by casting Spike Stones far down the tunnel where the orcs are lined up.   For a few seconds there are dozens of screams as the orcs try moving through the area and impale themselves.   After a hapless round or two of this, an orc in the back shouts "Don’t move!  We have to wait for the spikes to vanish."  "Are you $#@! nuts?" comes another voice.  "What about the %$#@! Lightning Bolts?"  There’s more milling around, more screaming, and soon the orcs are all engaging in a slow, bloody retreat.  Satisfied, the Company turns and continues to head in the direction of the dwarf-controlled territory.

Before they make it that far, they encounter a couple more traps.  The first misfires; a hinged trap-door partially opens beneath Morningstar’s feet,  but gets stuck before it can tip her in.  The party passes it safely.

The second trap is more insidious, but also avoided.  The tunnel by this time has gone from being rough natural stone to a straight, well-made corridor decorated with orcish carvings.   Kibi suddenly senses that something is wrong with the patterns of the stone on the floor ahead, and the party pulls up short.  Careful searching reveals that there are holes in some of the carved faces that go deep into the walls.  More examination shows that some of the stones in floor ahead of them are very slightly raised.  The party backs down the hallway, and Aravis presses down one of the stones with a Mage Hand. 

Immediately the stretch of hallway ahead of them is filled with a storm of small metal needles.  The clinking of metal on stone continues for almost ten seconds before stopping.  Dranko starts hopping from stone to stone, but Kay does it the easy way, casting Fly, and shuttling the party across the trapped stretch of hallway without incident.

After a couple of uneventful hours, the hallway ends in a blockage, but off to the side it opens into another natural cavern.  There are still sounds of orcs, but they are far off and well behind them now.   And after another hour or two of navigating more natural tunnels and caves, the party is stopped by a voice from the darkness in front of them.

"Stop and declare yourself!" it shouts.  It’s a dwarfish voice!  "We’re General Windstorm’s Company," Dranko says.  "Do you have the password?"

"Good.  I was hoping it was you," says the Dwarf.  "The password is ‘Kai-Kin.’"  A second dwarf steps out of the darkness as well,  where he was perfectly hidden in the shadows.  "My name is Zarim," says the first dwarf.   "General Rockbreath sent messages yesterday that scouts should be sent out northward to look for you.  There are fifty teams of dwarfs searching; it’s an honor to be the one to find you."

Kay has taken Tribbin’s tiny body out of sight of these dwarfs, and Kibi removes the Shrink Item spell.  (They don’t want to dishonor the dead by having other dwarfs see him in his shrunken state.)  They tell Zarim that Tribbin is a hero, who died in the battle in which the Chun Aggrat was killed.

"We should get him back to Eggemoggin for a proper burial then," Zarim says.  "And we need to get you back for a proper debriefing… and celebration.  Come on!"

And the Company heads back, following the dwarf Zarim and bearing the body of Tribbin. 

Only one thing interferes with the great relief they all feel at finally heading out to the surface.  Aravis feels another stirring in the Crosser’s Maze, and the message is again spoken to him from within his own mind.  But this time it’s a bit more urgent, and there’s an additional piece of information that comes with it.

"A powerful wizard is coming," its says.  "To kill you all."

(run 122 begins) Despite the dire warning, the Company is in good spirits as they follow Zarim and Fulgin, the two dwarves, back towards Eggemoggin. An hour into this march, Zarim instructs the party to hug the right-hand wall, to avoid a pit in the center of the tunnel. Against the better judgment of the rest of the group, Flicker decides to show off using his Ring of Jumping, and leaps across. Zarim (jokingly) shouts across to Flicker that he shouldn’t move; he’s still in the middle of a heavily trapped stretch of tunnel. Flicker stands stock still while the others cross. 

Dranko (who wanted to try Flicker’s jumping trick himself) slips on the ledge, but catches himself on the lip as he falls, and Kay (who’s flying beside the group in case of this sort of emergency), grabs his arm and helps him up. They all make it across without further incident, and Flicker grumbles when everyone else unconcernedly walks past him.

Zarim finally leads them into a large dry cavern where they should be able to sleep undisturbed. But as the party gets out the bedrolls and prepares to rest, they start to notice an unexpected smell in the cavern. It’s the scent of a pine forest! Grey Wolf’s guts, which have no been churning for almost a week straight, are even more agitated than usual. Kibi feels something tap him on the shoulder from behind, and finds himself leaning against a pine tree. Pine needles and cones crunch beneath the Company’s feet. 

Fearing that this may be a prelude to an attack, the party forms up around Grey Wolf. But the only living creature to appear is a chipmunk, who fades in among the pine trees, scurries around, fades out, and fades back in again. Kay casts Speak with Animals and learns that there are no humans in the forest near where the chipmunk lives. Eventually the trees and the chipmunk fade away, leaving only the spicy pine aroma of the forest, and an acorn that had fallen into Dranko’s boot. 

Aravis takes this opportunity to examine the Crosser’s Maze again. He has been spending much of his free time mentally testing and observing the Crosser’s Maze, hoping to learn more about what it really is, and how it works. It is mentally draining work, but he keeps at it doggedly. He has come to the conclusion that there are definitely minds – or souls – still trapped in the Maze. 

He sees that while the Maze itself projects outward through the multiverse, it also projects inward, containing depths itself that are like a second multiverse. Lapis is still in there, somewhere, as is Byrmyn, the big fighter left in the pit back in Zhamir. And there is at least one other, both familiar and unfamiliar to Aravis. How one might communicate with them, let alone help them, is still unknown.

Aravis also takes a closer look at the Maze’s "visual" translation of the two converging Prime Material Planes. For the first time he sees that there are two pulsing lights in the center of the energies passing between the two worlds. One is in the dead center, and the other is slightly off from the center. What they are, or represent, he cannot figure out.

Zarim and Skorg are both mightily disturbed by the whole pine forest scene, but there’s nothing to be done about it, and all are soon sleeping. That night, Morningstar has a dream in which Previa appears; she wants to meet with Morningstar the next evening in Ava Dormo. 

Saturday, June 28 - After a happily uneventful day of marching through the tunnels, the Company arrives at the northernmost of the four guarded bridges in the dwarven territory. After Zarim gives the passwords, the party walks out into the large well-guarded cavern, crosses the narrow bridge, and is greeted enthusiastically by some 200 dwarves cheering those who slew both the Chun Aggrat and Okhot One-eye. There’s congratulations all around, and good dwarven ale for everyone. Kibi especially is the object of great attention and admiration. It was general knowledge that no dwarves had set out with the team, and the party explains that he was a "special agent," which only increases the regard in which Kibi is held. Many Dwarves cast ugly looks toward the orc Skorg, but General Windstorm has the word spread that Skorg is her own personal prisoner and is absolutely not to be harmed. Kibi spends the rest of the evening drawing maps for the dwarves, of the orcish tunnels he’s recently been through.

That night Morningstar meets Previa in Ava Dormo, at the temple of Ell in Tal Hae. Previa gives Morningstar a status report. There are now almost 70 Ellish "dream-warriors" whom she believes could hold their own in a Dreamscape battle, even in bright light. June, the talented but aggressive Dreamwalker, has made remarkable strides, directing her energy into training the troops. All told there are about 15 Ellish Dreamwalkers who are the leader-types, led by June, Previa, Swan, Opaline, and of course Morningstar herself. They train at different times and at different places; Swan fears that large congregations of Ellish Dreamwalkers will draw unwanted attention from enemy spies. 

Amber, leader of the Illuminated Sisters of Ell, has taken the high ground in the recent contention with the Mother Church. She has issued an official edict to comply with the Mother Church’s prohibition against spell-casting on Ellish holy ground. Meanwhile there are now about 130 Illuminated Sisters in Tal Hae, and at least as many elsewhere around the Kingdom. 

Previa has one last interesting bit of news, and which is the main reason she wanted to speak with Morningstar. A Dreamwalker named Maltha, exploring the Kingdom of Charagan in the Dreamscape, found a large stone tower in the dream-equivalent of Oasis. She brought a half-dozen Ellish Dreamwalkers to help investigate, but could not penetrate the tower or divine anything about it. The very next day Amber issued an order that no Dreamwalker should come within 50 miles of Ava Dormo Oasis without explicit instructions from her or the High Priestess Rhiavonne; no explanation was given. 

Morningstar warns Previa that any further exploration should be done in groups, since Octesian may be looking for revenge following the death of Restimar. Also, she requests that some Dreamwalkers be sent to help explore the tunnels in the mountains near the dwarven villages. (Since only the recently-excavated tunnels exist in Ava Dormo following the strange "cleansing" of the Dreamscape, it should be a fast way to identify where all the tunnels are that were created by the orcs’ "Digger.")

Lastly, Morningstar dictates a letter for Previa to deliver to Ozilinsh via Eddings: 

"We’re two days from Eggemoggin. Bad news: "C" had been dead for weeks. We have his head; it was nailed to the Chun Aggrat’s tent. We had to kill the Chun Aggrat to get it. Ernie got a Sending from Embree. He wants us to go to Sand’s Edge to get the Wilburforce bracelet. The Sharshun are closing in.

The Maze spoke (?) to Aravis two days ago, and says "A powerful wizard is coming to kill us all."

Makel is dead.

We had a pine forest phase in with us. Aravis says the two Primes are close together."

Sunday, June 29 - Monday, June 30 - The Company travels back to Eggemoggin. They emerge into the failing sunlight of late afternoon. Kibi is amazed at the change that has come over Eggemoggin since he last visited; the small village has become a major base of military operations for the dwarves. The party is immediately escorted to the tent of General Rockbreath for a debriefing, though even during that short walk various dwarves are looking at them, waving and shouting.

Rockbreath is extremely pleased at the party’s successful return, though saddened by the deaths of Tribbin and Makel. Tribbin is taken away to be prepared for a proper burial ceremony that evening. Rockbreath reports that while there have been no serious incursions by orcish forces in the past two weeks, there have been constant reports of orcish troop movements through the mountains, and the dwarvish forces are on high alert. Rockbreath is slightly disappointed that the party was unable to bring back proof of the death of the Chun Aggrat, and suggests that perhaps Skorg’s head can be used in lieu of the real thing. But General Windstorm refuses, again claiming Skorg as a personal prisoner. There is brief General-a-General flare-up at this, which Kay wins by dint of having been made a general by King Crunard himself. But Rockbreath doesn’t press the matter, and simply warns the party to keep Skorg as low-profile as possible. 

As the debriefing comes to an end, the party notices that a guard at the tent door has been keeping a constant watch outside. He turns toward Rockbreath, nods, and smiles. Rockbreath then declares the interview to be over. The party’s tents at the edge of the camp have been kept vacant, and are still at the party’s disposal. The Company exits… to find a crowd of almost 700 dwarves standing on the gentle hill below the command tent! A huge cheer erupts from the crowd, accompanied by some dwarven fireworks shot into the air. Some dwarves start up joyous war chants, and someone shouts out "The Heroes of the Kalkas Peaks!" which is immediately picked up and repeated loudly and often. Kegs of good dwarvish ale are cracked, and soon almost the whole encampment is engaged in enthusiastic (if generally cautious) celebration. Kibi is especially lionized, and when pressed gives a halting and awkward speech that is extremely well received. An old friend of his named Glower comes up and pats Kibi on the back –the two worked together as stonemasons in Eggemoggin years ago, and Glower constantly teased his friend about and interest in magic "that was only getting in the way of his real work." Hah!

Kibi’s next priority is to visit his parents. There is a crowd outside of his home, and his parents are standing in the doorway. Kibi’s mom is trying to deflect the attention and shoo away the mob, but his dad is drinking in the second-hand fame of being the father of one of the Heroes of the Kalkas Peaks. Kibi’s parents are glad to see their son, and obviously very proud of him. When asked by Kay, they also agree to keep Skorg in their house, out of sight and out of trouble. Kibi’s father is skeptical and unhappy with the arrangement, but when Skorg offers to let them tie him up and lock him in a room of their choice, he agrees. (Kibi’s mom assures Kay that Skorg will not be mistreated.)

Morningstar receives a Sending from Ozilinsh: Got your message. No news about powerful wizard. Am concerned about Mokad and converging Primes – don’t delay too long! Good luck.

That evening, after the sun has set, there is a long procession out of the village to a nearby hill where the honored dead of Eggemoggin are buried. There Tribbin’s body is laid to rest in the presence of 200 dwarven soldiers, while a Priest of Moradin reads off the names of Tribbin’s family from many generations back. Following more formal ceremony, the priest finishes the service, saying: "Tribbin, son of Tarbin, has died in a battle with one of our people’s greatest foes. Indeed, it was in this battle that the tide was turned in one of the great struggles of our time. In the face of a powerful enemy he did not shirk his duty as a defender of his people, and we will not forget him. We commend the soul of this warrior to the arms of Moradin; may he take up arms again in the vanguard of the Hammer, and guard forever the gates of the Heavenly Forge."

Tuesday, July 1 - Just after midnight, while all the party sleeps, Aravis is woken suddenly by the voice in his head, his own voice, again conveying a warning from somewhere inside the Crosser’s Maze. It says: He is on his way, and he knows where to look for you. (This at least answers the question of the "powerful wizard’s" gender.)

That morning there is brief discussion of how best to fight a powerful wizard.

Kibi, however, decides that he wants to call a Familiar, from the very earth of his home village. He wanders off to a cave that he often explored as a child, sits down, and begins the ritual. Around him the cave becomes one with his bones. He can feel the power inherent in his home soil, suffusing his being with elemental energy. 

A small rock cracks away from a wall of the cavern, drops to the ground, and rolls its way to Kibi’s feet before coming to rest. A few minutes later another piece of rock snaps off from the top of a small stalagmite and rolls over to join the first rock. As the minutes and hours pass, more and more bits of rock break away from walls, ceiling and floor of the cave, and meander to a growing pile in front of Kibi. A blue light forms deep in the pile of stone, and one fist-sized stone suddenly becomes a bright sapphire. An hour and several stones later, a second sapphire forms beside the first. The pile is now clearly a humanoid shape, and the sapphires are in the place of eyes. But the pile does not move.

Finally, with the sun setting behind the mountains to the west, Kibi sees a brief glint somewhere in the town below. He catches several glimpses of movement as something approaches up the hill, and eventually he realizes that one final rock is rolling its way up from the town to his cave. It hops up onto the forehead of the small stone figure, and the figure’s sapphire eyes blaze. It shifts its body around, moves its arms, and address Kibi in a deep voice that comes from its stony head.

"Hello, Kibi. It’s nice to be here."

Kibi is overjoyed, having succeeded in calling to himself a small earth elemental as a Familiar. "Hello," he says back. "Do you have a name?"

"I have no name," the elemental replies. "You should give me one."

"Then I’ll call you ‘Scree,’" Kibi says. "And Scree, I’d like to take you to meet my friends."

Kibi walks out of the cave, and Scree falls apart, becoming a loose pile of stones on the ground. But all is well – Scree travels as a rolling pile of stones, bumping and skipping along behind Kibi in a loose jumble.

Back in Eggemoggin, the others are astonished at Kibi’s new Familiar. Edghar and Pewter are both suspicious of this new "unnatural" addition to the party, but are satisfied with their masters’ reassurances. Skorg has been kept comfortable (but locked up) at the Bimson residence, though Kibi’s mom has a strange tale. "Kibi," she says, "about an hour ago a piece of rock broke away from the wall above your bed while I was dusting. It landed on the floor, rolled out the door, down the hall, and out the front door! I suppose this is part of your wizarding business?" 

And Kibi realizes that as long as Scree is with him, a piece of his home will be with him as well.

Wednesday, July 2 - Thursday, July 3 - The Heroes of the Kalkas Peaks descend from the mountains to the city of Hae Kalkas. They have decided that the next order of business will be to investigate the Sending from Embree that Ernie received two weeks earlier. Fortunately the city of Sand’s Edge (where Embree is presumably hiding from the Sharhsun) is only a hundred miles south of Hae Kalkas, on the southern shore of Nahalm. The river that flows between the two cities is too small and rapid for boat travel, but there is a road that runs beside the river for its whole length, passing to the east of the great desert, the Mouth of Nahalm.

In Hae Kalkas the party buys horses (ponies for the dwarf and halfling) – two for each person in order to get to Sand’s Edge as fast as possible. They also stock up on diamond dust, spending the 4,000 g.p. necessary for 16 castings of the Stoneskin spell. 

Thursday, July 4 - With the extra mounts, they estimate it will take them about two and a half days to reach Sand’s Edge, the city where the Ventifact Colossus was slain by Faskel Giantbane, Stormknight of Werthis. Several hours into the journey, Grey Wolf’s constant gut-churning picks up again, and the party begins to hear sounds around them. They are the noises of many men performing combat drills. Soon the sounds are all around them, but the men themselves are only misty shadows, and none of them become solid. After only a minute, the scene fades away, but on the dirt ground there are dozens of booted footprints. 

(As of this point, due to the churning in Grey Wolf’s viscera, all of his Concentration checks he makes will now be at -1 until further notice.)

Friday, July 5 - Early in the afternoon of the second day, Aravis gets a another urgent-feeling message from the Crosser’s Maze: He is only a day away, and he will be well-prepared. You must protect yourselves! (This answers the question of whether the "powerful wizard" was coming only for Aravis, or for the whole party.) For the rest of the day, the Company discusses battle tactics and spell selection for fighting against a single powerful arcane spellcaster. 

Later in the afternoon, Aravis gets a flash in his head – no words, but the image of a face. It’s an old face, with a forked gray beard and a receding hairline. He has a prominent scar above his right eye that cuts down across the bridge of his nose and his left cheek.

Aravis has seen that face before. It was drawn in portrait, in a large frame, on a wall in the Spire’s Meeting Tree before it (the Tree) was destroyed by unknown assailants. But why would a painting of an evil wizard have been displayed in the former Spire headquarters? …

Ye Gods! It must be Parthol Runecarver himself! The Company flies into a panic at the very thought. Parthol was a powerful archmage of the Spire a thousand years ago. How can they possibly defeat him? Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!

Morningstar conveys a frantic message to Ozilinsh via Previa and Eddings, asking for advice and help if possible. But hours pass and night has fallen before the following unhelpful Sending comes back from Ozilinsh: Can’t be Parthol. We’ve been watching, and will know if he emerges. Someone tricking you? Am quite busy at present. Must go.

Some party members have less-than-kind words for Ozilinsh at this point.

Saturday, July 6 - The Company wakes, expecting an attack sometime in the late morning or early afternoon. (They hope that the message from the Crosser’s Maze the day before was literal when it said "only a day away.") There is no cover to be found anywhere in the vicinity, as they are traveling through grasslands devoid of trees. They find some smallish boulders, and decide to make their stand near them, for want of a better place. They hand the snake-figurine Thriss to Skorg, with orders to activate it and then tell it to attack any likely enemies. 

"And then, how about I just run away?" Skorg asks. "This wizard won’t be after me, so it’s probably my only chance."

The party agrees. Morningstar casts Dark Seeds (Ellish version of Fire Seeds featuring cold damage and dark flames) and gives the acorn to Flicker to use as a missile weapon. After casting a number of protection spells all around, the party arranges themselves in a wide circle, far apart from each other to avoid presenting obvious group-targets for area-of-effect spells. They keep a constant watch all around, waiting for the enemy wizard to arrive and (presumably) attack.

Time passes. The party stands ready. It’s a gray, overcast day with a slight breeze stirring the grass. Nothing happens. Nothing…

Something appears to the north, and begins charging toward the party! It doesn’t look like a wizard, though. It’s a huge bear, several times larger than a normal bear, and wreathed in dark red flames. With its long strides, it is upon the party in a matter of seconds. There is no sign of its summoner.

Flicker lobs his Fire Seed acorn at the bear, despite his skepticism that fire can hurt it. The fiery beast is injured, but not as much as he would have liked. Dranko casts Divine Raiment, hoping that the bear will ignore him, and moves in to attack with his whip. 

Aravis activates his Boots of Speed, while Kibi and Grey Wolf both cast Haste on themselves. Kay fires an arrow at the bear, but it bounces harmlessly off the creature’s hide. Ernie calls upon the Strength of Yondalla, and Step casts Resist Fire on himself, but both of them do not charge. The party has decided not to fall for the trap of clustering around the bear, and thus getting in "Fireball formation." Morningstar, who still has two Maximized Searing Darkness spells remaining from the Incense of Meditation, decides to use one on the infernal beast; flesh is torn from its bones by the dark ray of energy, but it doesn’t stop its advance. It slams Morningstar her with a huge fiery paw, pulls her in, and savages her in its slavering jaws. The party cringes.

Flicker tumbles up to the bear, dexterously enough to avoid attacks, and zaps it with his low-damage Staff of Shocking. Dranko moves in to flank, and cracks his whip – the well-aimed sneak attack damage is enough to penetrate the creature’s natural resistance to damage, and it roars in further pain. Kibi, Hasted, casts Fly on Ernie and Enlarge (via Scree) on Kay. Ernie moves over to Kibi, and then fires his bow at the bear, but the evil creature ignores the arrow.

Morningstar manages a prodigious burst of strength, and breaks free of the grappling dire bear. Aravis casts Stoneskin on Kay (via Pewter to avoid clumping), and Haste on the now-free Morningstar. Kay launches another arrow – one of her Arrows of Slowness, but this one too is foiled by the tough hide of the bear.

And then the Chain Lightning strikes from somewhere high above. Because the party has stayed scattered, it only gets four party members – Morningstar at the center, and Flicker, Dranko and Aravis around her. But while Morningstar is badly seared, Aravis manages to partially avoid the crackling energy, and Flicker and Dranko both evade the damage entirely. Everyone quickly scans the sky, but there is no sign of the attacker, and the party realizes that the wizard is both Flying and Invisible.

And Hasted himself – immediately following the Chain Lightning, Ernie suddenly feels his muscles tightening, and realizes that he has been magically Held. There is still no sign of the wizard.

Meanwhile, the dire bear has turned on Dranko, and it’s his turn to be clawed and bitten and grappled. Step casts Protection from Evil on himself and starts to move toward the bear to save Dranko. Grey Wolf fires his crossbow at the bear, and his shaft actually pierces the hide of the beast. At last! Flicker zaps it again with his Staff. And Morningstar finishes it off with a second Searing Light. (Not Maximized – she has one more of those left, and she’s saving it in case she gets a shot at the wizard.) She also casts Cure Serious Wounds on herself, to heal some of the lightning and bear damage. Kibi, wanting to deny targets to their unseen assailant, casts his newly-learned Improved Invisibility on Aravis, and a normal Invisibility (via Scree) on Flicker.

Dranko, with no enemy to target, uses his Protection Sphere ability to give Aravis a better chance to resist the next spell that affects him. Kay, in a similar situation, has an idea. She runs over to the Held Ernie and starts rummaging through the Bag of Holding, looking for the halfling cook’s sacks of flour.

That puts Ernie, Kay and Kibi in a direct line for an out-of-nowhere Empowered Lightning Bolt. Kazzam! All three are badly wounded, and Kibi is near death. Step immediately runs over and heals Kibi with a Wand of Cure Light Wounds. Kibi casts one more Scree-delivered Invisibility on Dranko, and then casts See Invisibility. A ha!

Grey Wolf also finally gets around to casting See Invisibility, and spots the enemy wizard, some forty feet in the air not far from where the Lightning Bolt was cast. He then casts Ice Knife at the floating wizard, but the shard flies wide. Aravis sees where Grey Wolf is targeting, and casts a Fireball, but the blast falls just short of the flying foe. "Right height, but short!" cries Grey Wolf. Morningstar then drops a Flame Strike a bit beyond where the Fireball went off, and to Grey Wolf it looks like a hit. Still, the wizard (who does look like Aravis’ description of the face shown by the Maze) does not look too badly off.

Dranko uses one of his distance-healing spells on Kibi, who is still in dire need of it. Kay has finally found and pulled two large sacks of flour out of the Bag of Holding. She and Oa Lyanna cast Control Winds to generate a strong wind headed from her to where Grey Wolf is pointing, and then she rips open the bags of flour. A cloud of fine white powder is swept into the air, and a few party members think they can just spot the faint outline of flour on a humanoid form hovering in the air. 

That dusty form then sweeps down and casts Cone of Cold. The Company has stayed spread out enough that the wizard can only catch three of them in the freezing blast – Step, Ernie and Grey Wolf. Ernie is damaged enough that he should be unconscious, but his Headband of Ferocity is keeping him alert (albeit still Held). Step, though hurt, lays on hands to heal Ernie. Kibi casts a Coldfire at the enemy wizard, and then Fly on himself. Grey Wolf casts two more Ice Knives at the wizard, hitting with both spells. 

Morningstar decides that the time has come to use her last Maximized Searing Darkness. She can just make out the flour-dusted form of the attacking wizard, hovering in the air, getting ready to cast more spells. She takes careful aim, and the bolt of darkness springs from her fingertips. It flies true, and the wizard is struck in the stomach by the powerful spell. Kibi and Grey Wolf watch as the wizard’s body becomes rigid – and then turns into a mannequin of dirty snow which quickly melts away into vapors. Victory!

But Kibi has read about that odd melting-snow effect. It means that the wizard was only a Simulacrum – a powerful but artificial servant of an even more powerful wizard who must have created it. In fact, in order to produce a Simulacrum so potent, the creating wizard must be…

Gulp.

Saturday, July 6 -(run 123 begins) Somewhat shaken, the clerics make sure that everyone in the party is healed up.   Ernie, still flying, carries Morningstar up to where the Simulacrum was last seen, and casts a pair of Thought Captures.  The first thought is from Ernie: "I mustn't think, I mustn't think, it will mess up Morningstar’s spell."   The second one is more useful, and more disturbing.  It’s from a calm, calculating mind, analyzing the recent battle:  "Able to Hold the small fighting man.  Cleric cast Flame Strike, and wizards cast Fireballs. Some were able to SeeInvisibility.  Short woman can control the winds…"  and so on.

Grey Wolf’s stomach is still churning away like crazy.  Ernie mixes a potent herbal remedy for him, but it does no good.  This is no ordinary ailment.  As they prepare to continue their journey to Sand’s Edge, they realize that there is no sign of their horses, or of Skorg.  But a few minutes later Skorg appears in the distance, leading the small herd of horses back to where the party awaits.   They are all very pleased, both at having the horses back, and at the responsibility of Skorg, who fled from danger as instructed.    Ernie does a quick flying re-con of the immediate surroundings, and sees that no one is approaching from any direction.

Dranko makes a flippant remark about Scree, which prompts Grey Wolf, in the name of sticking up for Familiars, to tell Edghar to go – um – make a mess on Dranko’s head.  Which he does, much to Dranko’s disgust.  Once that is cleared up – and cleaned up – the Company spends a few minutes reviewing their long to-do list.   Happily they can finally cross "Kill Restimar" off the list, but there are still many items still to be done.    Among them are:

· Get the third Eye of Moirel in Het Branoi
· free the dwarves of Kivia from the Guild of Chains
· Kick Farazil’s butt.
· Learn the truth about the Oasis Mages’ Guild
· Kill Meledien, Octesian, Shreen the Fair, the notorious "P," Hasek, Mokad, the Council of Nine Rats, and Qalonno.  (Lapis, Gowl and Restimar are now crossed off this last list.)

The most immediate list item, however, is their current mission, to find Embree in Sand’s Edge and receive the Wilburforce bracelet/ring/belt before the Sharshun.   The last thing the Company does before continuing is to cast Detect Evil on the Grey Wolf’s magic sword Bostock.  Bostock has been whispering more and more often to Grey Wolf that it wants to be used, which is making everyone else nervous.  But much to their surprise, it doesn’t detect as evil in the slightest.

Enough dawdling.  The party spends the rest of the day riding south along the river road to Sand’s Edge.

Sunday, July 7 - Before the party sets out again the next day, they divide into two groups that will arrive at the city gates a few minutes apart.  The first consists of Kibi, Aravis, Step, Grey Wolf and Skorg.   Aravis, Grey Wolf and Step have never been in the city before, and so won’t be recognized.  Kibi Polymorphs himself into a human as a disguise, and Aravis does likewise to Skorg, who fears for his safety in a human city.  Aravis Polymorphs himself to create a disguise, but his new form still has the same tracery of silver filigree along his skin, and eyes that are windows into star-filled space.  In other words, not much of a disguise.

The first group arrives at the gated wall of Sand’s Edge in mid-morning.  The guards at the gate are either conspicuously young or past retirement age.  Conscription and the attack of the Ventifact Colossus two years earlier have combined to rob the city of most young adult and middle-aged males.   The party is not searched, and asked only token questions about their business in the city.  They are not told to hide or even peace-bond their weapons, but are merely instructed by the fifteen-year-old guard not to get in any trouble.  Then the kid goes back to playing cards.

There are other city guard to be seen; one stands just inside the gate, watching the well-armed party as they head to the Rusty Mug.   Some party members realize that a couple guards are always shadowing them, and these guards are older.  So it seems that at least someone in the city is being responsible.

The walk to the inn (the same that they stayed at two years ago when the Turtle attacked) takes them through the recently-complete Turtle Market.   After 18 months, all of the rotting turtle carcass had been hauled away, but the shell, head, and four great legs were left intact.  Somehow the enormous shell, 90 yards across, has been lifted up onto the massive leg bones which are themselves over 5 yards in diameter.   Beneath this canopy is a large open-air market, full of stalls and small shops.   Holes have been cut into the shell to make sky-lights, and shafts of sunlight strike down into the market, giving it some needed illumination.  The legs are anchored in huge cut piles of stone, and the head and neck are supported by a large stone arch that forms a formal entrance into the marketplace.

Still, for all the magnificence of the new market, there’s no hiding the smell.  Although the locals no longer notice it, there is a lingering odor of rotting turtle flesh that permeates the city.

The two groups of the divided party meet up at the Rusty Mug, and after securing rooms for the night and a good meal, they discuss their strategy.  Embree’s Sending instructed them to leave a note under the "front left post," which was a mystery at the time, but now seems to clearly indicate the front left leg of the giant turtle.  Ernie writes on a scrap of parchment:  "To the man we met in Murgy’s basement:  we are here.  I will be near the head from noon to 3 every afternoon.  You won’t see me, but I’ll be there.  – EWR"

 Invisible and Flying, Dranko takes the note over to the marketplace.  A close examination of the stone base around the front left turtle leg shows a small carved out divot near the bottom, and Dranko slides the folded note into it.

Back at the Rusty Mug, the party is deep in conversation when a female Stormknight of Werthis comes striding in.  Although Ernie tries to be unobtrusive, the woman spots him and walks right up to the table.

"Ernest Roundhill!  I though it was you!  Welcome back to Sand’s Edge.  It’s an honor too see you again…"  She continues on like this for a few more seconds before Ernie can stop her.   The Stormknights of Sand’s Edge hold the party – and especially Ernie – in high esteem after their invaluable aid in the slaying of the Colossus.  After Ernie conveys to the woman (named Taria) that they’re trying to keep a low profile, she invites the lot of them to dinner at the Church of Werthis later that evening.   It will be a small, informal affair, since most of the Stormknights are off on the Balani Peninsula fighting the Delfirians.   The party agrees, and Taria leaves to make the arrangements.

When Dranko returns from his outing, he sees that a city guardsman has taken up watch across the street from the Rusty Mug.  He takes a beer out the man, and strikes up a conversation about how he understands why he needs to keep the party under careful eye.  "Just doing my job, sir," says the bemused guard.  But he takes the beer.

When dinner time rolls around, the party leaves the Rusty Mug and heads over to the Church of Werthis.  It’s only a short walk, but someone shows up during a routine See Invisibility check.  (This is when a party wizard casts See Invisibility while connected via Rary’s Telepathic Bond to someone else.  They compare notes about who the wizard can see, and if he sees someone that Morningstar cannot, voila!)  But when Morningstar starts to cast Detect Thoughts, the man disappears into an abandoned building.  The Detect Thoughts doesn’t pick up anything, so the party (extra careful now) continues to their dinner appointment.

As they reach the steps of the church, and Taria comes out to meet them, they spot the invisible man again, loitering in another doorway of another abandoned building.  Again he slips inside when the party moves to investigate, but this time the Company pursues him inside.  There is a tense few minutes when they think they might have the man trapped inside the house, but even Pewter can’t find him, and they figure he must have bolted out the back door before they could surround the building.   Eventually they give up the search, and join Tiria and a small handful of Stormknights for dinner.

The conversation is light and pleasant.  Tiria tells them about what’s happened in Sand’s Edge since the Colossus was slain a little over two years earlier.  Many people fled the city in the months following the attack.   Some, whose homes had been in the Sand Turtle’s path, had lost everything.  Others feared that more Turtles would attack.  And then there was the terrible Turtle Sickness, spread as the huge carcass had started to rot.   Hundreds died of disease, and yet more people fled, fearing that they too would sicken and die.   Still, those who remained worked long and hard to carve up the corpse and dump the pieces into either the desert or the ocean.  The beaches have become vile and shark-infested, and to this day citizens of the city no longer frequent them.  Dumping in the desert proved more sanitary, as the chunks were often consumed by Flatworms.  With dozens, and sometimes hundreds of workers dismantling the turtle 24 hours a day, along with a few powerful wizards casting Disintegrate a few times, the last chunk of turtle flesh was dumped almost a full year and a half after the beast had expired.

Since then the population of the city has slowly risen, though nowhere near to pre-Turtle levels.   With the city guard consisting of young and unqualified recruits, (with most able-bodied men off fighting in the war), there has been increased crime in the city, and even some of the guards themselves are untrustworthy.

The only other note of interest is the new "Cult of the Turtle" that sprang up following the death of the Colossus.    Members of this new cult meet at the edge of the desert every night, worshipping the turtles in the hope of keeping them from marauding through the city.  They are even encouraged to make sacrifices to help appease the great Turtle Gods.  Taria expects that it’s all a big con-job, but no one’s doing anything about it, and for the most part it’s all harmless.

Not trusting the security of the Rusty Mug, the party takes up the Stormknights offer to let them stay in the Church overnight.  (There are plenty of unused beds.)  Ernie spends some time sparring with the children who run errands, teaching them "how little folk can fight."  Dranko and Flicker spend the evening gathering information about what power groups are at work in the city.  They learn that, back when the turtle was still being dismantled, a pair of powerful wizards named Fulton and Imperia offered to help – for a price.  When it was clear that they were going to be indispensable in the cleanup effort, they started gouging Mayor Correy more and more for their services, and finally got the Mayor to allow them to be semi-official "Ministers of Magic" in the city.  Now they can pretty much do as they please in the city, and have turned an old house into a new unlicensed Wizard’s Guild.

Aravis spends the evening focusing his mind inward, experimenting with the Crosser's Maze.  The two pulsing lights near the convergence of the two Primes are more clear to him.  The one at the center has grown brighter, and the off-center light has itself moved closer to the center.  Aravis is also able to understand more clearly what's going on at the point of convergence, which he's pretty sure is a representation of the Planar Gate at Verdshane.  Except... it's not really a conventional Gate.  It's more that the place is a weak -- stretched? -- spot in the fabric of the multiverse.  The energies coming from the other Prime are trying to further weaken and disrupt that point, while the energies from the Spire are trying to strengthen it.  But Aravis can see that it's a losing proposition, and that ultimately, the very stress of the conflict is going to tear the weakness open.  When that happens, nothing will prevent Naradawk and his forces from coming through the gap.  No, Aravis sees that something more permanent needs to be done -- probably a "patch" for that whole section of space-time fabric that separates the two Primes.  How that might be done, though, is still a mystery.

Monday, July 8 – The party wakes early the next morning.   A surreptitious check of the "front left post" reveals that the note is gone.  Hopefully it was removed by Embree!

By noon, most of the party has congregated in the general area of the giant turtle head, just outside the market.  Dranko is in the market, buying three large creates of turtle jerky from an overstocked merchant.  Ernie is invisible, and standing near the turtle head, dodging townsfolk in his Plate Mail of Silent Strength and looking out for Embree.  A few minutes after noon, a small man – who doesn’t look like Embree – shows up in front of the head.  Instead of going into the market, he just stands there casually, looking around.   Eventually he makes an unobtrusive gesture with his hands around his waist like a belt.  Ernie sidles up to him, and says "Pssst.  I’m here.  Do you have it?"  The man doesn’t startle, but nods his head slowly.  Ernie says: "how do I know it’s you?"  The man pretends to cough, and utters the word "Murgy."  That’s good enough for Ernie.  He says quietly to the man: "Leave here, head down the street across from the head, and take your first left.  I’ll meet you in the first alley on the right."  The man nods again, and then heads into the market.  The party gets ready to move, and Ernie heads over to the alley.  A few minutes later the man emerges from the market and heads toward the rendezvous.    A city guardsman leaves his post by the market and follows, which prompts Dranko to speed ahead and take up position in the alleyway.  He uses the Change Self power of his Robe of Blending, takes a swig of alcohol, and lies in the alleyway, looking like a drunk.

Embree shows up and slips into the alleyway.   The rest of the party is reaching the end of the street.  Ernie speaks again.  "I’m here," he says.  "Good," the man says.  "I can finally give this to you.  It’s important for you to have it, and I’ve managed to keep it out of the hands of the Sharshun.  Please… take it!"  He reaches into the folds of his shirt and pulls out the Wilburforce Ring, taken years ago from the Wilburforce statue buried beneath Ernie’s home town of Dingman’s Ferry.  Ernie takes it.

And then two arrows blossom from Embree, one sticking into his neck.  Two city guardsman standing opposite the alleyway have fired shortbows at him with deadly accuracy!

Well, not quite deadly.  Ernie quickly heals him before he can bleed to death, while Dranko stands up quickly and lashes out with his whip.  Morningstar, seeing the attack from the end of the street, roasts the two of them with a Flame Strike.  Two charred skeletons are all that remain. With his next action, Dranko pumps more healing into Embree.  Then four more city guards approach from the opposite street, and Kibi stops them with an Evard’s Black Tentcales.  Two guards are caught and pummeled by the suddenly-sprouting tentacles, and the other two flee.   Realizing that these guards aren’t posing much of a threat, Morningstar reluctantly Dispels the Tentacles so that the last guard doesn’t get slammed to death.

At this point the party decides that they should simply get out of town as soon as possible.  They race back to the Rusty Mug to get their horses (and the turtle jerky, which has hopefully been delivered by now.)  Kibi flies high above the buildings (no longer disguised or invisible) to act as a scout, and sees that a city guardsman is running at top speed ahead of the group, back to the inn.  In addition, two more guards are running after them, from the direction of the Turtle Market.  Kibi relays this info to Dranko and Morningstar via Rary’s Telepathic Bond, but they’re all already running as fast as they can.

Dranko, Aravis and Kibi arrive first; Dranko runs into the crowded inn to see a panting guardsman talking with the innkeep, while Kibi does a fly-around before swooping down into the doorway to join Aravis.   Dranko wastes no time – he casts Hold Person on the guard, who immediately goes rigid.  Then he runs up and pushes the guard’s body over, and says to the astonished innkeeper: "We need to check out immediately – how much do we owe you?"

The innkeeper doesn’t get the chance to answer.  A man disguised as a city guardsman rises from his chair, holding a large curved blade.  He rushes at Dranko and attacks!  A second man near the back of the common room rises, produces a short bow from beneath his table, and fires wide at Aravis.

More guardsmen have been converging on the outside street from two directions; Kay, Ernie and Flicker move to engage them on one side, while Morningstar, Grey Wolf and Step set against the enemies coming from the other.  Grey Wolf’s attention is grabbed by the sound of Aravis’ head striking the wall; a third assailant from among the ranks of inn patrons has leaped up, somersaulted over the table, and knocked Aravis’ head back with a blow from his nunchaku.

Kibi flies through the inn to Dranko and casts Improved Invisibility on the half-orc.  But the next person to enter the fray – seemingly an enemy cleric – comes down the main stairs, spots Dranko anyway, and strikes him with Searing Light.  Morningstar, with no immediate enemies on her part of the street, uses her Diamond of Recall to fill an empty spell slot with the Wall of Stone spell.

Aravis shakes his head and casts Lightning Bolt zapping the enemy with the falchion and blasting a hole through the back wall into the kitchen.  Grey Wolf follows with another Lightning Bolt, catching both the monk attacking Aravis and the cleric who had attacked Dranko.  It narrowly misses the innkeeper, but shatters dozens of glass bottles behind the bar.  The innkeeper finally has the presence of mind to bolt for an exit.  Other patrons of the Rusty Mug are cowering behind their tables.  A few have even turned over a large table in the back and are using it like a shield.

And then Morningstar is hit.  Hard.  An invisible attacker is revealed as he strikes Morningstar with a longsword crackling with electricity.   Three times the blade strikes, doing tremendous damage.  Morningstar realizes that this man is as skilled with his weapon as anyone she has ever fought.   She doesn’t recognize him, but he knows her.  "Hello, Morningstar," he says in a low, menacing voice.

To make things worse, an invisible enemy spellcaster strikes Morningstar, Step and Grey Wolf with a Lightning Bolt; Morningstar has gone from perfect health to near death in a single round.  One Certain Step rushes to Morningstar’s defense, swinging his greatsword at her assailant.

Kay, Ernie and Flicker have had an easier time polishing off the attacking guardsmen on the other side of the street.  Ernie turns and casts Searing Light across the battlefield and hits the swordsman menacing Morningstar, before moving toward the main knot of the battle.

Kibi, connected via Rary’s Telepathic Bond, flies back out of the inn and positions himself directly above Morningstar’s attacker.  He fires a Lightning Bolt straight down, scorching his target.

Aravis has been trying to get another spell off, but the enemy monk is making that impossible, raining stunning blows down on him with his nunchaku.  Dranko, seeing that Aravis is being badly injured, casts one of his distance healing spells.  Immediately after, the enemy cleric steps up and casts Poison on Dranko.  His body shudders, but the Pin of Protection from Poison that the Werthans had given him so long ago makes the difference, and he fights off the spell’s effect.

Morningstar takes a step back from her attacker and casts Heal on herself.  Her gruesome wounds vanish.  The man says "Ah, you have grown, Morningstar.  But so have I."  He swings his sword and again starts the process of whittling Morningstar down.

Grey Wolf casts his newly learned Ironstorm spell into the common room, catching the enemy cleric, monk and falchion-wielding fighter as well as a few innocent patrons hiding beneath tables.   Morningstar then uses her Rary’s Telepathic Bond to relay a message to Aravis via Dranko that he should fire another Lightning Bolt into the room.  (A Lightning Bolt fired into the area of the Ironstorm will affect everyone within the latter.)  Unfortunately, Aravis is stunned and can’t do anything but vaguely defend himself.

Kibi, who still has See Invisibility up from before the fight, spots the invisible spellcaster hiding at the back of the common room.  He casts Glitterdust, and now the everyone can see the sparkling outline of their enemy.  The falchion-wielder comes charging out of the Ironstorm into the street, engaging Grey Wolf.  Grey Wolf was hoping to cast Lightning Bolt into the Ironstorm, but decides to deal with the new immediate threat instead.

Luckily, the enemy wizard had never seen an Ironstorm.  Seeing an angle to zap Grey Wolf and Kibi, he fires off a Lightning Bolt – which gets sucked into the swirling mass of metal filings.  The center of the common room becomes a raging electrical storm, that damages the enemy cleric, crisps the innocent patrons who were already unconscious, and shatters numerous tables and chairs.

Ernie breaks a window near Aravis, hoping to climb up and help the wizard.   Grey Wolf tries to use his new Channel Spell ability, but to the frustration of both himself and Bostock, the sword misses and the Burning Hands fizzles.

Then, as she did in the fight against the digger, Ell smiles down on her servant Morningstar.  Morningstar takes another step back and lobs a Dark Seed acorn at her foe.  A critical hit and 22d8 points of no-save damage later, her enemy is staring down in horror at a huge hole burned straight through his stomach.  As he dies, the illusion upon him shimmers and fades – revealing that he’s their longtime Sharshun nemesis Hasek!   Then the rest of his body is consumed in flames, leaving only a pile of ash, a ring, and his sword.  Morningstar is also startled by the power of the spell, but still looks down at the ash and says (in response to Hasek’s previous statement) "not that much."

And another name can be crossed off the party’s "to do" list.

The glittering mage, moving unnaturally fast, bolts across the common room and up the stairs.  The archer in the back, who has been ineffective launching arrows, also bolts out the back kitchen door.  Kay has mopped up the last remaining fighter outside and moved closer to the inn, whereupon Kibi Dimension Doors Kay and Morningstar (along with himself) up into the upstairs hallway.   They are immediately struck by the another Lightning Bolt; none of them go down, but Kibi is close to death -- only an Endurance spell cast earlier keeps him up.

The fighter with the falchion takes a vicious hack at Grey Wolf, sending him reeling.  Dranko, getting constant sneak attacks with his whip while invisible, finishes off the monk.  Ernie heals Aravis, who in turn fires a Magic Missile from his wand at the fighter outside.  (Flash!  He goes completely bald.)

Ernie jumps down from the window ledge and swings at the enemy fighter who has nearly killed Grey Wolf.   Finally the pesky falchion-swinging fighter falls!

Upstairs, the speedy mage has reached a window ahead of the party, changed shape into a sparrow, and is taking off into the air around the side of the inn.  Morningstar relays this via Telepathic Bond, and the others move to intercept.  Flicker fires his sling, but the band snaps.  Aravis fires a long-range Lightning Bolt that strikes the bird but doesn’t bring it down.   And then Morningstar leans out the window and tries a last-ditch Hold Person.

And the bird, who’s mind is still very much person, fails his save and drops onto a rooftop a few buildings down. 

(run 124 begins) Kibi flies over the rooftops of the buildings where the sparrow fell, and when he fails to spot the mage-turned-bird after a couple rounds of searching, he just casts Detect Magic.   As he does this, Grey Wolf out on the street sees a dozen more city guard come running down the street, headed toward them.  Dranko casts Detect Magic on them from the roof, and determines that none of them are disguised Sharshun.  He asks Morningstar over the Rary’s Telepathic Bond if she’ll go to his room and rescue his precious turtle jerky.

Some of the party runs to the stables to prepare the horses for an emergency getaway.  Grey Wolf, seeing that these guards have no ranged weapons, flies straight up into the air.    Flicker has been rifling the bodies for valuables, and whispers to Dranko that at least some of the armor the Sharshun were wearing is magical.  These new city guards are mostly fresh-faced teenagers, but their captain is a take-charge middle-aged man, who gives brisk orders to his troupe to secure the exits to the inn.  (Some of them shout at Grey Wolf to come down at once, but he declines.)   The captain (whose name is Stowmire) asks Aravis and Morningstar what’s going on, but before they can get far, two of the younger guards come out of the inn, green-faced.  One of them leans against the wall and vomits.  "Sir, there are three dead bodies in there, badly burned."

At that, Stowmire orders that the party hand over their weapons and assemble inside the inn; most of the party complies with the second part of the order, but not the first.   Stowmire demands an explanation, and Aravis explains that they were attacked by a group of dark elves (disguised as city guards or common humans) and actual city guards.  During the fighting, spells were launched and some innocent bystanders were killed, despite the party’s efforts to minimize civilian casualties.  He and Morningstar show obvious remorse, and offer to pay whatever damages are deemed appropriate.  Stowmire agrees that some damages will be assessed, but as part of whatever official punishment is meted out to them by the courts or the Mayor.  He is unfazed by the party’s obvious might, and by the fact that they were heroes when last in the city.   He’s polite and even-handed and all business.  Morningstar tells him that they will not go with him to the city guard headquarters – since the guard has been compromised, they don’t feel that it’s prudent or safe. 

Meanwhile, Kibi finds the Held bird with Detect Magic, picks it up, and hands it over to Dranko, who knocks its head with the handle of his whip.  He wants it to be unconscious when the Hold Person wears off.  Then he puts the cold-cocked bird into a sack for later interrogation.

Kibi joins the others in the inn, as does Grey Wolf.  Only Dranko stays hidden (and Invisible), though Skorg also is nowhere to be seen.  One of the horses is gone from the stable.

The party comes to an agreement with Stowmire.  If the Church of Werthis agrees, the party will be detained and questioned there.  Soon they are marching along the streets to the church, surrounded by kids in guard uniforms, and accompanied by some Werthans sent as an escort.  When the young guards hear that these are the heroes who helped kill the Ventifact Colossus and start whispering among themselves, Stowmire snaps at them: "It doesn’t matter what these people have done in the past, no matter how heroic.  And it doesn’t matter to us whether they have the favor of the Church of Werthis, however highly regarded.  All that matters today is assessing their role in an incident that took the lives of three innocent townsfolk, several city guards, and a number of… dark elves.  Got it?"

The younger guards look sheepish.

Once the party has been escorted to an empty chamber within the church of Werthis, Stowmire leaves for an hour before coming back and requesting that they "take it from the top."  Figuring that Stowmire has a way to detect lies, they’re forthcoming about the whole affair, though as evasive as they can be concerning Dranko’s whereabouts.  For all his gruff and straightforward nature, Stowmire clearly realizes that the Company was the wronged party, and is as sympathetic to their cause as he can be considering the circumstances.  After hearing the party’s story, he orders them to stay on the church grounds until her returns the next day.  In the meantime, he will be off investigating the details of the battle at the Rusty Mug.  He departs.

Dranko, wanting to get his hands on the magic armor worn by the Sharshun, heads for the city morgue.  He doesn’t know where that is, so he heads invisibly back to the Turtle Market, and the stall of the poor merchant who sold him his turtle jerky.  "Pssst," he says.  "Yeah, you.  Don’t turn around.  I’m the guy who bought those three crates of jerky yesterday."  The merchant goes into a panic.  "They’re not poisoned, I swear!  They might have gone bad… a bit… maybe… but it’s quality jerky.  Or it was when I made it!  It’s just old!  I swear it’s not poisoned!"

"I just want to know where the city morgue is," Dranko hisses. 

"Why do you want to know that?"

"Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"

"No!  No, no, no. No."

The frazzled merchant gives Dranko directions to the morgue. 

It’s a large one story building, with ventilation holes in the roof but no windows.  There are two guards standing at the back entrance, but no good cover in the area.  Dranko finds a trio of street urchins playing nearby, and (still invisible) says: "Hey, you kids."  The kids freeze, looking around.  "Want to make some money, and have fun with the guards over there?" 

The kids scream and run from the disembodied voice.  But one of the three comes back a half-minute later.  "You still there?" the kid asks. 

"Yeah.  Look.  All I want you to do is get those two guards away from the door to that building.   Can you do that?  I’ll give you a gold piece.  Heck, do a good job and I’ll leave you two gold pieces over by that rain barrel tomorrow."

"Tell you what, mister," the kid says.  "Make it three, and you give me one now, and it’s a deal."

"Great," says Dranko.  He hands over a gold coin.  The kid immediately walks right up to the guards, gets their attention, and talks to them for a moment.  They take the gold piece and saunter away.  Dranko is so impressed that he pays the kid the other two gold pieces right then.  And then he sneaks into the morgue.

He discovers one worker examining the bodies of the Sharshun.  The man has discovered the poison sac in the Sharshun’s mouth and is poking it with a stick.  Dranko sneaks around until he finds the room where the recently-deceased possessions are stored; there are the two sets of magical armor (plate mail and scale mail) in a pile of more mundane articles.  Realizing that he has no chance of sneaking out dragging almost 100 pounds of armor, he puts on the plate mail.   But while he’s clanking around, he hears footsteps coming, and just as he gets the armor put on, a man comes into the room.  "Franklin, is that you?  I… Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

The man sees a suit of plate mail with no one in it.  Dranko waves his arms and makes scary noises.  The man flees in terror.  On his way out, Dranko clanks back to the room with the first man, points at the Sharshun’s mouth, and says (in a creepy, ghost-like voice)  "Pooooiiiiissssssooonnn."  Then he bolts for the exit.

One of the two men eventually figures out what’s really going on, and gives chase.  Slowed by plate mail (not to mention the 45 pound scale mail he’s carrying), Dranko gets caught by the morgue worker, who tries to slow him with a sliding tackle.  After a five second scuffle, Dranko knocks him out, becoming visible.

With his unconscious bird prisoner in a sack at his belt, Dranko clanks around to the back of a nearby building and struggles himself and his armor up to a rooftop.  As evening falls, there’s a tearing sound, and Dranko is shoved sideways as the bird turns back into a Sharshun.  Dranko thumps him on the head to make sure he stays out.

Eventually he decides to head back to the Church of Werthis.  He lowers his prisoner and the armors to the ground, and then spends a few minutes getting the Sharshun into the splint mail.  He gets into the plate mail himself, and then staggers along with his captive, keeping him upright as if both are drunk, until a guard becomes suspicious and comes over to investigate.  Dranko finally gives up the game, admits who he is to the guard, and gets an armed escort back to the church of Werthis where he joins the others.

After divesting their prisoner of his standard-Sharshun-issue mind-shielding pendant, Morningstar casts Memory Read on him. She chooses to read the hour in during which the Sharshun was sent to look for Embree and the Wilburforce Ring.  Suddenly she is sharing the memory with him.  He is alone in a small room, scribbling notes into a book.  Then there is a knock on the door, and a voice saying: "Eyol, come.  The time has come.  She wants to talk to you."  The Sharshun, Eyol, gets up and walks down a long and drafty stone hallway.  He comes to a large set of doors, which are opened for him by servants, both of whom are also dark elves.   As he steps into the throne room beyond, he closes his eyes.  A female voice, loud and commanding, speaks to him.

"Eyeol, it is time for you to go.  We have discovered that Embree has fled to Hae Charagan.  You will go with Hasek and a few others, you will find Embree, and you will return the Talisman to me.  Understood?"

"Yes, Darkeye," he answers.  His eyes are still closed.

"Then you are dismissed.  Do not fail me."

Only when the doors have been closed behind him does he open his eyes.  Then he returns to his room to pack for the journey.

The spell ends, and Morningstar relays what she has learned to the others.   "Darkeye" is a name they have heard before in association with the Sharshun. 

All night, someone stays up with Eyol, knocking him out whenever he regains consciousness.  They also have a sock stuffed in his mouth to prevent him from tonguing his poison sac and committing suicide.

Tuesday, July 9- The next morning Morningstar tries a couple more Memory Read spells on Eyol, but the Sharshun resists both of them.  Soon after there is a knock on the door, but it’s not Stowmire (whom they expect).  It’s a tall woman who introduces herself as Imperia.  The party has heard that name: she’s one of the wizards who helped Disintegrate the Ventifact Colossus, and who subsequently used their power to gain much influence with Mayor Correy.    Morningstar tries a Silent, Still Detect Thoughts on her, but doesn’t get through.   Imperia claims just to be visiting on behalf of the mayoral office, to see in person the group who caused all the commotion the previous day.   She also graciously informs them that she has "greased the skids" to ensure that they will not be detained in the city any longer than necessary.  And then she leaves. 

A few minutes later Stowmire shows up, looking like he had swallowed some sour milk.   His investigations turned up nothing surprising, or that conflicted with the party’s version of events.  Also they have made a good start rounding up city guard who had accepted bribes from the Sharshun.  But he was unable to find or apprehend the missing Sharshun attacker, and he also learned that one of the slain townsfolk in the Rusty Mug had been the son of a wealthy and influential merchant, a merchant who was now yammering for justice. 

But to Stowmire’s great disgruntlement, the mayor’s office has officially decreed that the Company is to be released that very afternoon and escorted to the city gates.  Plus, they will pay a hefty fine: 250 gp for repairs to the Rusty Mug, 1000 gp for compensation to the families of the slain, and another 1000 gp for what Stowmire disgustedly refers to as "administrative fees."  It doesn’t take a diviner to realize that this latter sum of gold is likely going to go directly into the pockets of Imperia and her fellow wizard Fulton. 

The party pays all the fines, and then, off the record, gives 1000 more gp to the astonished and grateful Stowmire, to help better recruit and train the guard, and to help roust out the corrupted elements.

As they prepare to leave the church grounds, Ernie comes to the slow realization that he’s having trouble breathing.  A few seconds later the others start to notice it as well; they can still breathe, but they all feel short of breath.  And the air is growing unusually humid. 

Alarmed, and thinking someone is targeting them with a spell, they run out into the center courtyard of the church and spread out.  But they all still find it hard to breath, and it’s getting worse.  They can hear various priests and workers coughing and hacking in other parts of the church.  What’s going on?  Has Imperia come back to kill them?  Grey Wolf grabs the hilt of Bostock (which obviates his need for breathing), but that doesn’t help anyone else.

Droplets of water start to form on their skins, and shadowy forms appear and vanish in front of them.  A strange flock of shadowy birds flies by in slow motion, then darts away and vanishes.  What the… ?

No, they realize.  Not birds.  Fish.  Grey Wolf’s stomach is at it again, and this time they’re going to end up in the middle of an ocean!  Morningstar uses her Diamond of Recall to fill an empty spell slot with the Water Breathing spell, and casts it on the party.  Immediately they can breath easily again.  "Up!" Kibi shouts at Grey Wolf.  "Fly up!  Away from us!" 

Grey Wolf casts Fly on himself and flies straight up.  The feeling of dampness fades from around the others, but Grey Wolf still finds himself in a large area of soaking humidity.  Down below, it starts to rain.  Huge droplets are falling onto the church and the streets around it.  Then fish begin to fall, landing with wet smacks at then flopping around crazily.  After almost a minute of this, the rain has become a torrent, and fish are everywhere. 

And then it stops, as suddenly as it started.  There is one last deluge as a great block of water comes crashing down, and then the air around Grey Wolf becomes clear and dry again.

They collect their horses (who fortunately lived through the ordeal) and make a hasty exit from the city, via streets full of people looking down in wonder at the fish lying on the cobblestones.  Grey Wolf doesn’t ride – he flies, high above the city, scouting ahead.  He sees a lone horseman standing in the road a few hundred yards north of the city wall.  As he flies closer, the horse throws its rider, who has trouble getting back on. 

It’s Skorg!

When the rest of the party catches up, Skorg says simply that, when the fighting started, he fled, just like he’s been told to do.  He grabbed one of the horses from the stable and rode straight out of town.  (The Company feared that he had taken the opportunity to escape from them.)  Dranko is quite pleased with Skorg’s cowardi… er, initiative.

The Sharshun prisoner has been draped over one of the horses, and every time he has shown signs of consciousness, they've knocked him out again.  But suddenly he spits out the sock from his mouth and then starts choking.  Damn!  He had finally managed not to betray the fact that he had come around, worked the gag out of his mouth, and opened his poison sac.  He is dead within seconds.  The party curses; they had been hoping to question him further about a number of topics.

That night they make camp by the side of the road, and Embree tells them his tale.

Back when he first arrived in Oasis with the Wilburforce Ring taken from Dingman’s Ferry, Embree learned that it was an incredibly potent magic device.  At the behest of his group – The Order of Preservation – he fled with the Ring to keep it safe.  And a good thing too.  A week after the first Sharshun attack, they came back in greater force and destroyed the Order.  Larkin and Beltray were killed, and he Embree assumes the rest were too.  Then the Sharshun set themselves up in the Order’s headquarters, and styled themselves the "Oasis Mages Guild," hoping to learn the whereabouts of the Ring. 

Embree fled at first by ship to Hae Charagan, hoping to lose himself there, and find a way to analyze the Ring.  He had no luck in the Vaults, and eventually Sharshun agents found him; he killed one and escaped again, stowing away on another ship bound for Feslin.  Since then he has stayed one step ahead of his pursuers, spending time in Minok, Sentinel and Forquelle before arriving in Sand’s Edge. 

Soon after he arrived there, Embree purchased a rare spell scroll of Improved Analyze Dweomer, and used it on the Wilburforce Ring.  He learned that the Ring is called a Talisman of Stability, and that it belongs by right to the Wilburforce line of Halflings, and that the Kingdom itself is in danger if is not in the possession of the rightful owner.   The main power of the Talisman is to "preserve stability of mind during unusual travel." He thought he was going to learn more, but the Talisman itself prevented it.

That’s when he decided to take the risk and buy a magic item that allowed him to cast a Sending to the party.  The Sharshun, he says, have strange powers of Divination, and he feared they might have been able to pinpoint his location should he try to communicate magically outside the city.   But by moving constantly within the confines of Sand’s Edge, he had been able to stay hidden from the Sharshun.

He is weary from being on the run for so long, but is eager to join in the fight against the Sharshun and whatever other evils are plaguing the kingdom.  And he wants revenge for the slain members of his Order.

Wednesday, July 10 - Aravis has prepared a Teleport spell, and among the three wizards they have enough Reduce spells for everyone.  But they realize that the horses cannot be reduced to a small enough size to allow Aravis to Teleport them as well.  So the party walks down the road to the nearest farm, and the whole troupe – 11 humanoids and 18 horses – marches out to talk to an old farmer in his fields.  The farmer swings his hoe around as the armed group approaches.  "What in heck are you all supposed to be?  And what are you doing on my farm?"

"We want to give you these horses," says Dranko.  "Well, most of them."

"I don’t need that many horses," says the farmer, "and I can’t pay for steeds like this no how."

"You don’t have to buy them," says Dranko.  "We’re giving them to you.  If you don’t want to keep them, you can sell them in the city."

"You didn’t steal ‘em, did ya?  I don’t want to get in no trouble when their owners come lookin’ for them."

Eventually the party manages to give away hundreds of gold pieces in equestrian stock to the poor farmer.  Then the wizards cast Reduce on all party members and a few horses, bringing their total weight within the limits of a single Teleport spell.  He casts the spell, and transports all of them to the stairs of the Greenhouse – 

 -- except that something goes slightly awry, and they end up deep in a forest instead.  Well, Aravis says cheerily, it beats the ocean!  Then he casts a second Teleport and everyone arrives outside the Greenhouse, short but safe. 

The first thing Ernie does is run upstairs to contact Ozilinsh via the crystal ball.  But no one answers for almost ten minutes, after which Mrs. Horn’s face appears in the ball.  She is sweating heavily and gulping for air, as if something is taxing her physically.  "Is it an emergency?" she gasps.  "Er… no," Ernie replies.  "Only use the ball if it is," says Mrs. Horn, and then the ball goes black. 

Huh.

Skorg is looking around the Greenhouse in general awe, but the Icebox – an nearly endless source of food – is a true miracle to him. 

Morningstar goes to the Temple of Ell, to make arrangements for bringing Makel back from the dead the very next day.  Not wanting a circus like last time (when she Raised Snokas), she asks Amber to be discreet.   Amber tells Morningstar that the political climate has grown more chilly in the past few weeks.  Even though she and the Illuminated Sisters of Ell have been following the rules and honoring the ban, the Mother Church in Kallor has been growing more and more hostile and impatient with the new sect.  (The ban is that Illuminated Sisters may not cast spells on Ellish holy ground.)  Amber doesn’t know what to do, but refuses to cave in to pressures to disband and recant.

That night, while Morningstar sleeps and prays for the miracle of RaiseDead, she has this dream, spoken by her old instructor Clariel:

"Morningstar, Makel died in battle, and he might have rested happily on the Endless Shore, content in the manner of his passing.   His body, you may recall,  protested that he wasn’t finished yet; Makel wanted to see things through to the end, with Restimar, and ultimately with Naradawk.  His perspective has changed since his arrival in the Outer Planes.   He does still want to come back, but not for the reasons he had before he died.  He has a different role now; he will not rejoin you and your company.  He will become one of six who will change the world forever, sundering a truth that has held since the Travelers arrived with their flocks millennia ago."

And then she, along with the rest of the Company sleeping in their beds (and Embree, sleeping in Makel’s bed), are woken up by a blood-curdling shriek coming from the kitchen.  They race downstairs to find a horrible but familiar sight.  Skorg is there, his hands held to his face.  He lowers his arms to reveal that his eye sockets, like Eddings’ before him, have been filled with the two Eyes of Moirel.  They have escaped their locked chest in the basement and inhabited the head of the poor orc.

The Eyes alternately glow, and speak slowly to the Company in Skorg’s voice.

Purple Eye: "Such a collection of foci is without precedent.  Abernathy played a dangerous game, bringing so many together.   And now the Light is with you.  Keep him safe, or success sooner will turn to ash later."

Green Eye: "You are nearly ready to make the great journey, to quiet the oscillating threads of fate.  Into this place of refuge you have brought what you will need.  You have the Focus, son of he who stood at the heart of nowhere in ages past.  You have the Opener, without whom the Light will tear your bodies free of all moorings.   You have the Talisman, forged in days forgotten by the Earth Mage, without which the Light will tear your minds free of all moorings.  You have now a source of power, to make up for the lack of four of our brothers.  All we now lack is the third.  He must accompany us.

Purple Eye: "Condor is a name you heard long ago, greatest of Naloric’s inner circle.  He drove a spike through the fabric of all things, and locked the hole with seven keys.  He told Naloric that it would be necessary, to correct future mistakes that could not be corrected.  The Emperor was a skeptic, like all great men.  He demanded that Condor’s daughter, Moirel, be the first to go through, as a test.  Seven keys she held, and she plunged into the hole that her father had made.   She emerged whole in body, but broken in mind.  The keys were scattered, and Moirel wandered far to find them, until she forgot who she was.  She had no Focus.  She had no Opener.  She had no hope.

Green Eye: "But all plans and plots find their way into the great tapestry.  We seven  reached out into the multiverse during that first journey, clutching for life, for Abernia was inaccessible while we traveled.  Volpos was the closest, and from there comes our sentience.  We bound Volpos to Abernia, and Moirel absorbed the essence of both.  Two planes of being locked together, Moirel at their center.  Now her last descendant; he is the center. 

Both Eyes: "Beware, son of Moirel!  When Abernia and Volpos embrace, the center will be burned away, to fuse the two together for a time.  Enough time.  Heed the words of the kyasha.  Heed the words of the numismatist.  Heed the words of the traitor.  Stand in shadow.  Stand ‘twixt the shadows.   When the sky is revealed and the arcs touch your frame, the window will open.  Your flame must be extinguished before the cores converge on your soul."

Then Skorg screams, the Eyes drop from his head onto the floor, and he goes unconscious.  Soon after he comes to, shakes his head, and asks everyone what they’re looking at.  Evidently he can still see, doesn’t remember anything after coming downstairs to sneak some black lizard pie out of the Icebox, and doesn’t realize that his eyes are now missing.  The party puts him to bed.

Thursday, July 11 – In a small ceremony at the Illuminated Sisters’ temple, Morningstar brings Makel back from the dead.   As she casts the spell, the building is filled with the scent of salt sea air, and the cry of gulls can be heard clearly as they wheel about overhead.  Makel takes his first breath and sits up.

"I need a ship," are his first words.

His manner is serene, and he is both confused and focused.  He knows he needs to go on a journey, alone, but to what end he cannot see.   He is tended by the priestesses at the temple while he recovers from the ordeal of being raised. 

Back at the Greenhouse, Aravis is suddenly stunned by a pulse from the Crosser’s Maze.   He plunges his mind into it for a closer examination, and sees that the off-center glow representing Grey Wolf is now accelerating toward the central glow where the two Primes overlap.   After a few minutes of scrutinization and calculation, he reaches the conclusion that the Primes will overlap completely in two weeks.  Maybe three.

There is stunned silence.  Someone utters:  "We’re so screwed."

(Run 125 begins) The Company spends the rest of the day in long discussions about what to make of this new info, and what to do about it.  They make guesses, some educated and some less so.  They consider the consequences of going off after the third Eye in Het Branoi right then.  They consider the consequences of waiting until the matter of the converging planes is resolved.   They wonder about Grey Wolf, and whether they’ll really have to kill him to stop Mokad’s plan to merge the Primes.  And they wonder about the "shadows" that Grey Wolf will have to stand between, or in, or betwixt, or what-have-you.  After hours of review, Morningstar sighs.  "You remember those days when we weren’t allowed to know things because it was too dangerous?  I want those days back."

Morningstar prays that night for the cleric prayer of "Commune," thinking that Ell will perhaps be able to shed some light on The next day the Company haggles over many possible questions to ask, and settles on a good set.

Friday, July 12 - The next morning Morningstar goes to her darkened room to cast the spell.  After ten minutes of casting, she feels that a strong divine presence is with her in the room, and more she can feel its anticipation of her questions.  She asks:

1. Must we kill Grey Wolf at the time of Mokad's ritual in order to prevent Naradawk's army from crossing?
YES.  THIS TIME.

2. Will our location at the time of Mokad's ritual affect the outcome of that ritual?
YES, FOR YOUR DESIRED GOAL

3. Will Mokad try to kidnap Grey Wolf?
I DON’T KNOW

4. Is the shadow that the Eyes say Grey Wolf should stand in the best location for us to be in order to reach our desired goal?
YES

5. Is the shadow that the Eyes say Grey Wolf should stand ‘twixt the best place for us to be in order to reach our desired goal?
NO, NOT ALL OF YOU

6. Is the shadow that the Eyes say Grey Wolf should stand in, in Kallor?
YES

7. Is the shadow that the Eyes say Grey Wolf should stand in, in Ava Dormo?
NO

8. Are Octesian and Meledien allied with "P?"
YES, TO A POINT

9. Is the kyasha alive?
NO

10. Is "P" the traitor mentioned in the Eye’s prophecy?
NO

11. Is the shadow that the eyes say Grey Wolf should stand in located in another place in this plane other than Kallor?
NO

And he divine presence fades from the room, leaving Morningstar exhausted.  Once she has recovered, there is a lively discussion about what it all means.  The news is (obviously) not encouraging for Grey Wolf; the answer to their first question makes it seem clear that he’s going to have to die to stop Mokad and Naradawk.    And going to Het Branoi now seems to be a dicey strategy, if they need to be in Kallor within the next two or three weeks.  They wonder who "the traitor" is, if not Parthol Runecarver.

Morningstar goes to the temple and asks Previa to do some research on the word "kyasha."   Several hours later, the Chronicler comes back with a report: a "kyasha" is either an uncommon name for "kobold," or an unusual sub-species of kobold.  She’s not sure which, but Morningstar is still very pleased with the information – the kyasha must have been the small kobold-like creature that gave up its own life to give Grey Wolf a poison pellet and instructions to swallow it.  And that revelation leads to another – that "the traitor" must mean Califax, who had recently contacted the party with intelligence indicating that Mokad can only be stopped by Grey Wolf’s death.

No, it really doesn’t look good for Grey Wolf.

Aravis, hearing that the party will be heading soon to Kallor, decides to try using the Crosser’s Maze to scout Kallor from a distance.  He is able to focus his vision on the City of Twilight, but can only observe from a great height, so high in fact that all he can really make out are clouds and the slight curve of the world.  Determined, he tries to draw his sight closer in – and suddenly he is there, in Kallor.   The streets are dark, and he moves as if in a dream.  Nothing here seems real…

Back in the Greenhouse, the rest of the party watches as Aravis’ eyes roll back in his head and he drops to the ground, unconscious.  Aravis spends a few minutes wandering the insubstantial streets of Kallor, he realizes that no, in fact, his scouting mission was not a success.  Instead of observing Kallor, he has been drawn into the Maze, and is wandering a version of Kallor drawn partly from his own thoughts.  With a great effort of will, he returns his mind to the reality of the Greenhouse.  The others help him up.  "I can see how this thing can make you go insane," he says woozily.

Ernie goes in search of Makel, and finds him praying at the church of Brechen down by the bay.  Makel is unusually, even disturbingly calm and contemplative.  Ernie tells him about their intent to travel to Kallor, and asks if Makel can recommend any other good navigators.  Makel says he’ll make some inquiries.  The clerics of Brechen are preparing a ship for him; he is going to leave soon, on a solo voyage to he knows not where.   Ernie promises to send word before the party leaves town.

Saturday, July 13 - The party decides that they’ll need to avoid the problem of being so conspicuous, as a group of well-armed able-bodied citizens of Charagan who aren’t (to a typical observer) doing their part in the war.  Their solution is to procure uniforms.  General Kay marches down to the Ducal Palace and asks to speak with "someone  important."  After the baffled guards at the gate confirm that she’s not some crazy townswoman, they escort her to Margol, the Duke’s chamberlain.  He arranges an appointment with the palace tailor the next afternoon.  Given a choice of uniforms – city guard, Ducal Guard, or even the King’s Royals – Kay chooses uniforms of the King’s guard.  Although this is somewhat irregular, Kay’s rank allows her that privilege.

Morningstar casts wind walk on herself, Aravis and Ernie, and the three of them speed over land and sea at 60 miles per hour toward Kallor.  They land a bit outside the city walls, and find a clearing in a nearby wood.  Aravis spends a couple of hours studying every detail of the clearing, making it a relatively safe spot to cast teleport later.  As he starts to cast teleport to take them back to the Greenhouse, Morningstar casts water breathing.  "Just in case," she smirks.

Aravis brings them back to Tal Hae without incident.

Sunday, July 14 - The party marches down to the tailor, where a kindly old woman shows them the materials and measures everyone in numerous dimensions.  It will take a few days, but she promises that well-cut uniforms of the King’s Royals will be delivered to the Greenhouse as soon as possible.  And the party goes back home, to start counting the days before their trip to Kallor and (perhaps) the culmination of a grand evil design.

The churning in Grey Wolf’s innards does not abate. 

(Continue to runs 126-130 =>)