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From: [e-mail] (Lance Dooly)
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Subject: STORY: The Tales of Dark Haven (Chapter 30)
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Date: 14 Nov 1995 09:45:10 -0500
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------- The Tales of Dark Haven ---------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-                                                                            -
- These stories are from an on-going E-mail campaign, and are currently      -
- maintained by Lance Dooly ([e-mail]).  New stories will be  -
- posted in rec.games.frp.archives and are available for anonymous FTP       -
- at tfnet.ils.unc.edu in /pub/dark.                                         -
-                                                                            -
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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---------------------- Chapter 30: The Eidolon Protect -----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saicha has left the party alone to discuss what they must do. Tatiana
is still outside the temple, attempting contact with the natives. For
the ones left below, it is not such an easy decision to make ...

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana stood stunned with surprise at the hateful behaviour of the
natives.  Nothing she did could convince them she wanted to talk.

Information was all she wanted.  She caught sight of the drow talking
to the head priest that Tuft had talked about.  But this creature was
purely hateful.  The stories she had heard of them all seemed true as
she looked upon his awful face.  The desire to kill her was clearly
evident on his face.  If not for Shade's gentle demeanor she would
have accepted that all were evil.

She headed back into the temple.

*Let me know if anything eventful happens out here.  I'm going back
inside to find out how to survive this day.  I hope I'm not the only
one still alive.*

She was growing more depressed.  There was no way out.  The natives
would kill them all.  There was no way they could make it back to
Dark Haven alive -  let alone find the Darkhaven Dozen's stuff.

What a strange thought, still thinking of duty even when her life was
as good as gone.



Meanwhile, the rest of the party are within the temple, each with
their own thoughts, having watched Saicha disappear. Keilan expresses
the choice facing them ...

(Keilan:)
"Our choices are few.  We must decide if her words are truth or the
lies spoken by demons.  I doubt we can muster the strength to resist
her.  We face her wrath or the wrath of the natives.  I'm not certain
we will live the day without aiding this Saicha."

"Let's at least see what it is we have forgotten.  Open the book.
Break it if you have to, we only have one hour.  Saicha will likely
not be more patient after that hour, I think."

(Dithion:)
Dithion suddenly stands up straight.  "Why did she give us an hour? Why
did she leave?  Why did she attack the natives above and then come back
here only to be trapped?  Methinks she is weakened and even now collects
her strength again.  I realize her dire threats about entrance into that
room, but why would such a being restrict us so?  Unless there is
something hidden there."  He pauses for a moment "Something unknown."

(Falrun:)
If necessary, Falrun will attempt to open the lock on the book, he too
is eager to find out what information lies between the bindings of the
ancient book.

(DM:)
As the consensus seems to read the book, Falrun takes it from Shade,
and inspects the lock. He first shakes his head, never having seen
such a nice yet small lock. Even so, he sets to prying at it, and with
a sudden exclamation you hear a soft 'click' as the lock opens. Inside
is a book written with beautiful sweeping handwriting in the ancient
common:


                         Journal of Zhiagh'Thon

                 Events following the landings in the

                            Shining Lands

                  In the year 2538 After Sundering

                             Third Moon


There is a sigil below the title - obviously that of the author of
this exquisite book - Zhiagh'Thon.

(Silver:)
>From where Silver is sitting, trying to regain some measure of calm,
she looks over to the others and notices the first page, on which is
an intricate design. Frowning, she moves closer to look at it more
clearly, then says softly "That reminds me of ..." then slaps her head
in exasperation.

"Honestly, to forget something like that ... stupid, stupid, stupid"
Reaching into a pocket at her belt, she pulls out a small object, then
leans over and drops it on the open first page. It is a small ring,
the sigil of which matches that of the mage whose name appears on the
first page.

"I believe I have found the author of this book ... or what is left of
him after so many years ..." and she nods back up the corridor towards
the statue room.

(Arlon:)
Reading in measured tones from the book for the benefit of those who
could not read this ancient script, he shakes his head a lot:

"We who had fled the destruction that followed the Unhuman Wars
instigated by the Great Mage Azith Dengg, have finally sighted land.
It is a reflection of our plight that we travel by the simple means of
the Flying Ships. Our spells were depleted, somehow the Mage Azith
Dengg succeeded in having the very Gods of Magic side with him. We
fled from the southern port city of Karach'Tchakh just in time. The
God-King Khaled was amassing his forces to meet those of Azith Dengg
on the Golden Plains, together with those of the other God-Kings. They
hope to catch the Renegade ere he can reach Shar'Tek, and destroy him
and his allies as punishment for the destruction of the Central
Imperial Brigades and Regiments by these unhuman degenerates.

"However, some of us had sought council with the Blind Seeress
Cesshahl, and she spoke to us of the future. The magic arts would all
but disappear from the lands, and nearly all mages murdered. We chose
to flee that dire news. We amassed our henchmen and followers, sold
our holdings to those eager to enlarge their own without realizing
what the future held.  One warning did she give us. There would be
destruction following our footsteps, and only the most powerful side
would survive when destiny caught up with us. The Real Gods themselves
had been affronted by the hubris of the human race, and would not rest
till all the Sons of the Empire of Man were killed or defeated.

"Through our divinations done during the three week voyage it is now
known to us that the fierce armies of the United Imperial Provinces
with all their great magics and puissant powers arrived too late. The
Great City of the Nations had fallen after a vicious siege, and
finally Azith Dengg and his inhuman allies murdered the God-Emperor
Eteocles the Magnificent, and plunged the Nations into civil war. As
foreseen by the blind seeress Cesshahl, our fair nation is no more.
But enough tears have been shed. There is no going back. Our plans
must be set in motion, this new continent must be subjugated and our
control in place before our doom arrives. For we must be strong to
cheat the Fates. Stronger than ever the Empire was, for it did not
survive the Wrath of the Gods at the very height of its might and
splendor.

"The ships bustled with activity, us mages had regained our spells
from the moment Eteocles fell dead, and were preparing for a New Dawn,
and all our great champions and warriors, those we had rescued from
the utter destruction of the Empire, were checking their gears, while
some of us mages touched up on their items enchantments. Upon setting
foot, we dragged a white marble castle from the bones of the earth,
right at the water's edge. Inside we stored our riches, the vast
magical stores and hoards of gold and jewelry we had amassed by the
sale of our Fiefs, as well as some of the summoned demons we had
caged, and we set forth to explore this strange new continent.
Although having sighted it before, it had been deemed uneconomical to
send large expeditions here in the past. Now we had to. The utter
destruction of all mages had been foreseen by the Lady Cesshahl in the
old continent, and we would have to adapt here lest we perished
elsewhere.

"First contact with the little natives was friendly enough, but then
we heard about the local 'Gods'. Knowing that we had a way to gain
control of the continent, we devised a method to take over this land,
as befitted our station. We would engage these so called 'gods' in
combat, and kill them in front of the small native people. This would
show the simpletons that we deserved their worship better than their
current gods. We would have to establish our overlordship fast, so
that we might grow many again, and rise to our destiny. The plan was
simple and straightforward.

"The natives were easily tricked into leading us to their gods, and
there we set upon them, unleashing all our magics. They all fell
before our onslaught. The defeat of these false gods was so easy! They
had no concept of battle and death. The natives however did not all
react as we hoped. Our acts instigated civil war, as some switched
allegiance to us, and others fled to bring the news of our coming and
deeds to other members of their god-race.  We amassed as many
converts as we could, and prepared for a longer lasting fight. We sent
magical scouts to the corners of this continent, and espied the hiding
places of these false gods, most importantly their great Crystal
Citadel, the place from whence they traveled the Planes themselves.

"A vicious war ensued between us with our tribes and the gods and
their followers. We slaughtered many of them, as they were weak in the
ways of combat. However, they had some form of control over elemental
forces, and one day disaster struck. While all of us were on our way
to attack the citadel of the gods, they struck at our castle. The
guardians left behind contacted us mentally. The Grand Mage who had
stayed behind had been killed, and he had been unable to break the
crystal wall caging our most powerful of Grand Demon-Lord guardians.

"The castle had been melted into a slag rock, and our magical stores
and riches had been destroyed and corrupted by the element controlling
powers of these savage gods. Our guardians then fled, and left us on
our own. Then all of a sudden the very ground beneath our feet turned
to swamp by the doings of the local gods, and the foul creatures
caused all manners of cataclysms to rain down upon the areas around
us. While we fled the powerful destruction all around us, the very air
around us crackled and spoke.

    "Flee now ye foul mortals. Ye shall be doomed by your own kind.
     Flee while you can. This land is not for us anymore. We shall
     return on the day of your doom, and the very continent shall be
     rocked by war. Know that we retreat from these lands now, and
     leave you to tremble in fear through the centuries. When you
     least expect it, we will return and destroy you all. Most
     punished will be those Gur Rakhar who betrayed us."

"The natives, who were apparently called Gur Rakhar by the savage gods
fled in terror. At first some of us laughed hard. Those who had fought
on the side of the emperor at the battle of Thon'Farr, and fled with
only their very lives intact, shouted back that there was no greater
destruction possible than the one they had fled from. When the rain of
death around us continued however, we ourselves were forced to flee
from the scene also, this area had become uninhabitable, and some of
our protective magics were beginning to end. We had to find new lands
where to establish a new kingdom.  We would have to be strong to defy
the curse of these savage gods. The lady Cesshahl was right. There was
doom following our very footfalls. The first months were hard, but our
now unrivaled magical prowess ensured a secure kingdom. This time we
were quick to make allies, and did so with the Snake-People Empire, as
well as the Ant-Men Kingdoms. We would need allies now more than ever,
not only to cheat the fates, but to deny the curse of the false gods
on top of that. Many of us did not take the curse seriously, doubting
that the alien race, unable to stand us in battle, would be able to
hurt us in any other way either. Many divinations were cast, and it
seemed as though these creatures might have the power indeed to cause
us much harm.

"We pulled more citadels from the earth's core, and magicked them with
the most powerful of enchantments available to us, to prevent the
Savage-Gods from tampering with them. We were lucky to find mines from
which we could extract the rare Conduit Gems. Another luck found us
close to large deposits of the rare ore of adamantium. A few decades
from now, and we will have an airborne army unrivaled even in the Old
Empire of the Human Nations, and our foot soldiers will trample all
before them, each and every one of them garbed in magical armors and
equipped with arcane weapons. The darkness provided by thick jungle
serves us well, and we keep frequent contact between our various
Citadels. Our Genengineers tell us that in some ten more generations,
our race will be the most powerful of all humanoids in the
multiverses.

"Preparations to find out more about the Savage Gods as well as the
Arts of War from all over the planes are underway. When they come
back, we will be ready. Death to all who oppose us! We will live and
defy the very Gods themselves! Let all beware the wrath of the Sons of
the Empire of Man, for the forces of magic cannot be denied. We have
found the means to ensure even the Gods of Magic cannot deny us our
access to the magical energies we so richly deserve.

"On the Day of Awakening, we shall stand at the ready. Our many allies
will rise to our call, and we will fight the very Gods themselves if
they dare interfere. We will mine the very Pits of Time for knowledge
and magic, and delve upon the artifacts lost in the Great Godswar.
None will stand against us and live! None!

(Arlon:)
"As so often is the case with the power hungry, they seek to destroy
instead of to build.  Well, now we know why that Demon Lord was put
there.  Much of this is extremely disturbing.  But we have more
immediate matters to attend to.  This book has only re-enforced my
decision to help."

(Shade:)
The drow shivers at what he reads "Such a hubris... The Gods
themselves wanted them destroyed!"




At the point Arlon was finishing the last few passages, Tatiana was
approaching the party ...

(Tatiana:)
She entered the temple leaving the screaming natives behind.  But the
vision of the one that dared to cross the pole's perimeter was still
strong in her mind's eye.  Never before had she seen a man melting
like that.

(Silver:)
OOC: Eeeuch !

(Tatiana:)
She walked directly across the statue room, to where she had left her
friends. She was surprised to find them still alive, and still outside
of the alien woman's door.  Many of them were huddled over the book
they had retrieved from the library earlier.

(Silver:)
Looking round, she sees Tatiana approaching. She holds her hand up to
her in greeting, but frowns when she sees Tatiana's expression. Silver
frowns a little, then asks Tatiana "You don't look too good, 'Ana.  Is
it something you've seen ? Is Tuft safe ?"

(Tatiana:)
"We got trouble folks!"

(Shade:)
Shade grins "More than we already have? I didn't consider it
possible..."

(Tatiana:)
"There is no way we are getting out of here alive without help.  I was
just up top and the natives are preparing for war."

(Arlon:)
Arlon looks up at Tatiana with a shocked expression.

(Tatiana:)
Noticing Arlon's shocked look, she adds "Don't worry dear, I cast a
protection from missile spell like you taught me.  And I wore my
gloves that let me snatch them from the air."

Looking at the opened book in Arlon's lap, she asks "What's the book
say?"

(Silver:)
Silver will move out of the way to allow Tatiana to get a closer look
at the book. "Here, have a closer look. Look at the ring as well,
'Ana."

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana leans in and picks up the ring to examine it.  "Wow, this looks
pre core-war!  Like the ring I wear from the champion of old."

(Shade:)
Shades summarizes the book to 'Ana, underlining the dreadful hubris
that the story implies.

(Silver:)
While Shade talks to Tatiana, Silver says "Dithion, Falrun, do you
want to see if we can clear some of the rubble off from the mage who
wrote that ..." she nods toward the book.  She will then stand, ready
to take them along to the last corridor from the statue room, which
has caved in where a skeletal hand sticks out from the rubble.

Silver will notice that Dithion looks badly hurt, but says nothing.

(Tatiana:)
"Hmm. There's a drow up there with them as well.  And the looks I got
meant he wanted me dead."

(Silver:)
Silver glances over at Shade to see his reaction to this.

(Shade:)
The bard tenses "A Drow? Can you describe his house insignia to me?"

(Tatiana:)
"A moment." Tatiana concentrated.

*Tuft?*

*Yes?*

*Can you still see the dark elf?  If you can, see if he has any
pattern on his clothing someplace.  Concentrate and send me an image
of it so I can describe it to Shade.*

(Arlon:)
"A Drow!  Here! And talking with the Gur Rakhar, eh savages.  That
settles it for me.  I will do as she asks.  The drow are a most vile
and ruthless race and teaming with the savages, who knows what evil
they can accomplish.

(Shade:)
Shade smiles sadly "Yes, Arlon - he sighs - we are, indeed."

(Arlon:)
"Oh my lost brother, I do not even consider you a Drow.  I speak in
generalities; but as with so many other things, there are exceptions -
like you and Daermon.  You have reversed from the dark path back to
the light."

Arlon is really fired up right now.  "Who is with me?"

(Shade:)
"I'm with you. Be careful, I DO NOT trust Saicha, but my opinion is
that helping her is, at the moment, the only choice for us and Dark
Haven."

(Silver:)
"There is always another path to take, Ebu. If you have the eyes to
see it, and the strength to walk it ..."

(Tatiana:)
"I see little choice in the matter.  But from what I could tell from
Shade's retelling, We are the enemy as well."

(Arlon:)
"Tatiana, you have all the choice you want.  If you don't feel right
about helping Saicha then you shouldn't. The ones that came before us
were the enemy, that does not mean that we have to be as well."

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana paused and gave the comment some thought.  "I guess you're
right." she said a little impressed.  "I would be perpetuating the
sins of our ancestors if I choose Saicha as my enemy before giving
her a chance.  After all maybe we can correct the wrong our
ancestors did."

"Yes. I'll help you uproot on of the poles.  That is if the natives
will let us."



Keilan has been quiet for a while, in thought ...

(Keilan:)
"If Saicha is from as powerful a heritage as the book suggests, it
will not matter whether we stand with or against her.  But it seems
the only chance to survive is to ally ourselves with her.  I know
little of the natives and less of the dark elves, but they would
certainly kill me.  Perhaps Saicha will not...though I hate to bet my
life on it."

(Falrun:)
"True, we do not know what Saicha is truly up to, nor do we know much
about her demeanor.  However, we do know that the natives seem to be
endless in number and that no matter how many of them we try to
eliminate, there are always many more to replace them.  With every
attack on Dark Haven becoming more and more severe, I think it a good
idea to have as many allies as possible to deal with the situation.  If
Saicha turns out to be malevolent, it will not matter whether we die
at her hands or the hands of the natives.  At least she offers
help, the natives don't."

"Any other ideas?"

(Dithion:)
Dithion speaks up at Keilan's words. "One thing we should consider is
the consequences of freeing this demonness.  We may die either way, but
the natives will not easily level Dark Haven....as this she-devil may be
able to do."

(Keilan:)
"They came closer than I would like the last time.  And their numbers
do seem endless.  And now they may have the aid of the drow.  Remember
how close the Lady Shilara came to dying?  If they come in greater
numbers or with more power, I fear we will need a strong ally.  Even a
controller of demons.  The sad truth is that we are the descendants of
a lost heritage of power while Saicha and the natives still remember
enough magic to make our movements seem like a stone cast in the
ocean."

(Dithion:)
Dithion says, "Aye, they did come closer, but they are humans with magic,
that is all...they do not have the power of gods.  She does, don't you see
the threat in that?  Our lives don't matter, we must think of who will
suffer from our actions.  As for us being descendants from a lost
heritage...maybe, maybe not, but who cares?  We are who we are, and we
must not give up hope because we are 'less' than our forefathers.  Let us
not make the same mistakes they did and we will be more."

(Arlon:)
"Yes Dithion, let us not make the same mistake as they.  For they tried to
impose their will and conquer this land by force.  They did not respect
those that they encountered; but made themselves to be 'gods'.  They wanted
everything and were willing to give nothing except death.  Let us not
be like them and respect Saicha's wishes.  We can show we are not 'less';
but indeed may be more."

(Silver:)
"So Dithion. Are you saying that we should not free her ? If that is
what you mean, then I am with you on that. But I wonder if we really
share the same reasons for wanting it ..." Silver's voice trails off.
She looks with narrowed eyes at the big man. She is obviously thinking
of something, but it is difficult to say what.

(Dithion:)
Dithion says, "Aye, that is what I am saying."  He seems to squirm under
Silver's gaze and says, "You don't know."  He shakes his head, and says
to Falrun, "I would not want to be lost either."  He gives a slight smile.

(Keilan:)
Regarding Silver and Dithion planning not to help, he says "Then what
is it you intend to do?  I see only two options left for you: To fight
against Saicha or to hide from both sides."

(Dithion:)
Dithion says to Keilan, "I do not know, but there must be another
option not obvious to us yet....she gains nothing by killing us for then
she will be trapped.  I suggest we look around this place some more."

(Silver:)
"So strange I find myself in agreement with you" Silver says to
Dithion.

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana nods her head reflectively as everyone talks about whether
they should help or not.

"This is how I see it.  The natives outside will kill us if they
can.  We would have to stay in this temple until an opportune time
arrived for us to make our way out through the anti magic ring.
Then we would have to flee like bats out of hell for our lives and
pray we make it back to Dark Haven safely.  Saicha did say a major
force was going to attach Dark Haven and raze it to the ground and
she could help us to avert that event.  So, if she tells the truth
we run to another death trap."

"On the other hand if we don't remove a pole and free Saicha then I
don't think we can stay here much longer, 'cause she'll destroy us.

"Either way I see us dead if we refuse to help Saicha.

"If we choose to help her, then I believe the natives will scatter
as she vents her fury upon them.  We can make our escape then.  And
if we are foolish, we might search for the Darkhaven Dozen's lost
goods as well so we may return with them to aid us in the future."

"By helping her, we can save our lives for the moment and choose a
better path in the future.  She may turn out to be a valid ally or
our worst nightmare."

"So the choice is: do we resign our lives and fight Saicha in the
hopes we may defeat her.  This is in the attempt to wait it out in
here, until we can escape."

"Or do we help her and remove a pole, freeing her.  I think we could
make our escape but the path is uncertain, if we chose wrongly and
released a crafty demoness."

She shrugged and then said.  "I choose to help her."

"This is why.  When I left few moments ago, I went outside of the
temple and tried to talk to the natives. Unfortunately my presence
enraged them, and when I tried to advance towards the ring of poles to
convince them that I meant no harm, one of them lunged across the pole
barrier to get at me.  He melted into a pool of burning flesh as soon
as he crossed the barrier."

She looked very ill as she talked of the event, but continued.

"The fact that we do not die such horrible deaths when we cross the
barrier indicates to me that we are kin to what protects this
place.  I will trust in that and help Saicha."

(Silver:)
Silver moves over to Tatiana after she states her case, and whispers
something in her ear, then looks at her face to gauge her reaction.

Whispering to Tatiana alone, Silver says "'Ana, that must have been so
horrible, seeing the native die like that" Silver touches her arm in
friendship and consolation.

"You have thought out our situation here and have decided to help her.
I don't believe that's right - Arlon is arguing most passionately for
her release, but what if he has been charmed by her ? And Dithion of
all people arguing that she should stay - is that because he fears she
might destroy the demon lord in Dark Haven, or release it ?"

"'Ana, I know that my will could be broken, but never bent. It seems
as though Keilan is overawed, but Arlon ... his eagerness to appease
her is consuming him ..."

Silver moves away from Tatiana's ear to gauge the reaction her words
have had, then adds "You said that either way you see us dead if we
refuse to help Saicha. Some things are worth that price ..."

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana nodded her head slowly in contemplation

"Yes, some things are worth dying for", she looked to Arlon and
smiled.

"But I believe that you should leave your options open as long as
you can.  And right now I don't see any options for us."

(Silver:)
"What would have happened if the Demon Lord behind the strange wall
had spoken to us in the same way ? Would we have been swayed by his
words as easily ?"

(Tatiana:)
"No not at all, I arrived at my decision not by her words at all, in
fact I don't trust her at all.  But I have chosen because of the
response the natives have had, despite all my efforts to talk to them
in a civilized manner.  They are willing to die to stop us.  Then
there is the Drow and the look that he gave me."

"No her words didn't sway me, other things did."

She paused for a moment. "I would ask her for a favour for our efforts
to release her.  By no means should it be any condition though.  Since
we were sent her to accomplish two things: One; find out about what
this temple holds, and Two; recover the Darkhaven Dozen's missing
equipment."

"We succeeded at one, and hopefully we will return to spread the
information. As for the other, she herself said we will be needed to
protect the walls of Dark Haven again.

(Silver:)
"Yes" muses Silver "but against who, I wonder ..."

(Tatiana:)
"Can we try to have an optimistic outlook.  I really believe we are
doing the right thing here.  I'd rather not be remembered as a
reluctant hero."

"As to protecting the walls of Dark Haven, we can better do that with
the equipment the Dozen lost.  If she could recover it for us and
return it to us?  or tell us where it is so we can recover it, then we
will have accomplished both our tasks."

(Silver:)
"What say you, Falrun ?"

(Falrun:)
"I agree with helping Saicha, if for no other reason, because the
natives have chosen to ally themselves with evil."

Falrun will follow Silver to the area that she mentioned to see what
may be done to help.



Dithion and Falrun follow Silver back through the statue-room to where
the skeletal arm is sticking out of the rockfall ...

(DM:)
Those who have a look at the rubble covering the skeleton from the
wizard who you think wrote the book, see that the task is fairly
hopeless as far as truly clearing the corridor, it seems that
something (or someone?) collapsed it on purpose, burying the wizard
and filling the entire corridor with rubble.

All you could hope for is to clear a bit around the skeletal remains,
and uncover maybe a bit more of the arm. Clearing the corridor would
take many hours of heavy work, and probably the use of picks etc. When
you muck about, moving away rocks around the buried arm, a bit more is
uncovered, including a sparkling golden bracer, inset with rubies. The
bracer also has the sigil engraved. The sigil is a strange symbol of
swirls, contained inside a magic circle.

(Silver:)
After moving rocks which seem much larger than she would be able to
manage to lift, Silver stands and says to Dithion and Falrun "Ok,
stand back. To find out more of his secrets will take us too long, and
I don't think that Saicha will be patient with us for much longer ..."
At that, she intones

    "Mielikki, if You see fit to help Your humble servant,
     then I beg You to reveal what was hidden,
     show what remains when mere flesh departs.
     Display before us whatever You would have us see."

Silver then steps back from the mud which slops down, and limits the
effect to just what's required to uncover the skeleton (and anything
else revealed during the spell) ...

OOC: Rock to Mud limited to the area covering the skeleton

(DM:)
Some of you are around the remains of the purported wizard of eld, and
Silver uses a 'Rock to Mud' to clear away more of his remains, and to
look for a second bracer. It will take some sifting through the mud,
but yes, a second bracer will be found, identical to the first. As you
(whoever is doing the dirty work) work your hands through the mud,
your hand touches another hard object, and you pull out a bemudded
ring. It is made from some golden coloured metal, and has two stones
inset, one black and one red.

(Silver:)
"Well, I think that these are the only secrets he is willing to give
us for the moment." Silver will try to clean the other bracers, then
see how they both fit on her own arms.

OOC: Just temporary for the moment guys    ;-)

(DM:)
Silver, putting on the bracers, will feel a soft tingling and warm
feeling all over her body. The feeling remains, and tho a bit
disconcerting, is not unpleasant.

(Silver:)
Silver walks with her arms held slightly out from her sides while
wearing them. When she finds the ring with black and red stones, she
will hold it out towards Falrun. "The colours of this ring at least do
not comfort me, as to it's purpose if it has one ... well ... who can
guess ?"

OOC: Boy, am I tempted to put on the ring ! But I don't think Silver
     would do that. She offers it to Falrun.

(Falrun:)
Falrun accepts the ring and examines it closely.



The party are now rejoined as Silver, Falrun and Dithion walk back to
the others ....

(Silver:)
Returning to the others discussing the book, and their course of
action, she shows the others what has been discovered on the skeleton.
She is especially interested in Tatiana's reaction to the sigil on the
bracers, ring and book.

(Arlon:)
"He had bracers eh, hopefully they will be helpful later."

(Falrun:)
"I don't know if they will be much help, they didn't help him very much."

(Silver:)
Silver giggles a little, then stops herself. "Thanks, Falrun" she
says, smiling a little, showing less tension than before.

(Falrun:)
After seeing what he may with the diamond and ruby ring, he will hand
it to Arlon, "I believe that the previous owner of this item was
skilled in magic.  I would conclude that it will most help another who
is likewise skilled."

(Arlon:)
Arlon will accept the ring but will not put it on for the moment.
"That may be true; but there are items that will carry a curse.  If I
get opportunity I may ask Saicha about it."




The discussion continues ....

(Silver:)
Turning to Arlon, Silver asks, with a touch of curiosity - though some
may view it as suspicion, "Why have you referred to Saicha as 'she',
even before we knew that our ... all powerful goddess here ... was
female ?"

(Arlon:)
"That is how the remainder of the Darkhaven Dozen referred to her.
They said when the mages came back they said 'she was alive'." He will
say this with a little disbelief, he thinks that everyone knew that.

(Silver:)
Silver blushes at this, and then says quite strongly "Sorry, Arlon. I
_had_ forgotten that. What _is_ it about this place ? My memory seems
to be going to pieces ..." and she looks about the place, concerned.

Silver sighs, having listened to a lot of determined talk of action,
especially from Arlon. Even Keilan believed helping Saicha is the way
forward. Yes, Shade too ...

With a resigned sigh, Silver walked slowly back to the room with the
statue in it.

(Shade:)
Shade will follow Silver.

(Silver:)
Looking up at the forlorn statue, Silver says "And what secrets could
you tell us, my sad friend ?" Sitting on the edge of the statue's
pedestal, she will remove her green gloves, bring out her ivory
figurines, moving them in intricate patterns, murmuring

    "Sweet goddess, whose ocean of knowledge spans time itself,
     whose awesome expanse of wisdom we stand at the shores of,
     I ask You humbly to spare one drop for me.
     I ask what course would be the best for Your servants here"

OOC: Augury about helping Saicha

Overall, Silver is very resigned about this issue. She will vote
against helping her in any way, but will not stand in the way of the
others.

(DM:)
An augury is cast. Silver is taken aback when for the first time in
her life, the augury does NOT give an ambiguous/hazy answer. She is
filled with the wisdom of her Goddess, and the words ring clearly in
her head.

    "Help the wronged!"

Meta: well.... not too ambiguous that is, at least not hazy ;^)

(Silver:)
OOC: After Silver does her augury and gets the definite response, does
she think that odd ? Is it possible that the answer was somehow not
from her Goddess at all, but from Saicha in some way ?

(DM:)
Yes, she does think it strange, but you definitely felt the presence
of your goddess. Even more so than normal. You feel as tho normally
only a small part of the awareness of your goddess is devoted to
answering your augury queries, but in response to this matter, your
goddess is a lot more interested, and seems to devote a (relatively)
large part of her awareness on the matters at hand...  You are SURE it
could not have been Saicha interfering.

(Shade:)
"Why are you so sad, dear? We, I mean the settlers on this continent,
are in deep trouble, but we have to strive for a solution to our
problems." - he shrugs - "As I said before, I do not trust Saicha's
good intentions, and she is greatly on the road of hubris too, but my
opinion is that with the awful card destiny has dealt to us our best
chance are momentarily with Saicha."  An anguished look passes on his
face for a moment "What am I not able to see, Silver ? Please explain
it to me!"

(Silver:)
After Silver casts her Augury, Shade asks her question as they both
walk back to the others.

Silver breathes deeply, then sighs sadly and shrugs helplessly. "I
can't really explain, Ebu" she smiles sadly. "I fear that Saicha may
be right - that she is our only hope against what she says is coming"

"But what happens when she is successful ? She regards us as less than
insects. Her arrogance is that great. She says that she transcends our
conceptions of good and evil."

Silver starts to talk more forcefully now as her thoughts come
together.

"But that is my point exactly ! Good and evil balance each other, as
do power and humility. Without the realization that all things must be
held in balance - that the small things are as important as the big -
then you become not more than human, but so much _less_ than human.
Saicha thinks herself in the realms of beings so powerful we might
view them as gods. But I view her as a spoilt child holding a wand of
fireballs."

Since Shade and Silver have arrived back with the others now, Silver
will look at Arlon specifically to judge his reaction to what she just
said.

(Arlon:)
Arlon would have been partially listening to them as they came back,
as Silver finishes he will turn his head toward her quickly with a
penetrating gaze that quickly fades to a half smile.

He begins to respond as Keilan breaks in.

(Keilan:)
Petulantly, he says "How is it you speak of the balance of opposites
and still see only one side of this thing?  To Saicha we are children.
Her power, at least according to the book, is beyond that of any
mortal.  When you wield that power then perhaps you will understand
her motives.  Until then she is just as a mother saying 'because I say
so' and we have no choice in the matter.  When you were young how many
times did someone say 'You'll understand when you are older'?"

(Silver:)
Silver had been listening to Keilan, trying to understand his argument
that we were but children to Saicha, but when he said that about her
childhood, she visibly tensed, her eyes narrowed and she stood ready
to respond when he finished.

(Keilan:)
"It is the same ignorance and arrogance of a spoilt child that you
show in judging Saicha's acts."

(Arlon:)
Arlon gives a frown as he listens to Keilan and thinks *why should now
be any different*

(Keilan:)
Keilan stops, finished with his admonishment of Silver, and then his
face softens, "I'm sorry, Silver.  I didn't mean to jump on your back
about it."

(Silver:)
Silver breathes out slowly, still tense. Slowly, she relaxes and
eventually says "That's ok, Keilan. I understand what you mean."

(Arlon:)
Arlon responds to Silver's views. "It seems we see things in a similar
fashion; except for me it is not a child.  And Keilan, perhaps you
should listen to your own words.  Her power doesn't necessarily make
her 'better' than any of us.  And if a child wielded great power, it
would still be a child.

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana spoke up.  "We are like children to her.  She knows much more
than we do and has much more power.  That does not mean she is good
or right.  Not all adults are kind and gentle, nor does it mean she
is spoiled.  When you get frustrated with a child, you too lose your
temper."

(Silver:)
"So you think I am the spoiled child for questioning Saicha's wishes ?"
Silver asks, half-joking.

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana smiled, thankful that her message was received as intended.

(Arlon:)
"All we really have to go on is the limited encounter we have had with
her.  We don't have much information and I think most if not all of us
have some doubts about helping; but I will give her the benefit.

"I do not believe in a balance between good and evil - it is a war.  A
war that one side will win and I will do everything in my power to
battle evil.  The ones outside are surely evil so that's who I will go
against."

(Silver:)
Silver also listens to what Arlon has to say, shakes her head in
disagreement at some points, but says only "A discussion we must have
more fully at some time. Just remember that all things run in cycles.
Evil can never be destroyed fully, just as shadows exist wherever
there is light."

(Arlon:)
"Yes, a discussion we should have later.  Of course there would be no
shadows if light came from everywhere."

(Keilan:)
To Arlon, "You're an idiot."

(Arlon:)
He is not surprised or anything. He just gives a half-smile.  "I would
not expect everyone to understand, and some less than others."

(Silver:)
Silver raises an eyebrow at Keilan, turns back to Arlon and replies
"But if light shone from everywhere around a man, there would still be
shadows inside him. But no matter, let us discuss it later ... if we
still can ..."

(Keilan:)
"TWO idiots."

(Silver:)
Silver frowns in annoyance, but shakes her head slightly at Arlon as
if to say "drop it, not now"

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana looked back and forth between Arlon, Silver and Keilan with
dismay.  "I shall try to forget that this is happening when I write
the ballad"

(Silver:)
Silver looks round at Tatiana, looks with a half-apologetic and
half-sympathetic expression and moves away from Arlon and Keilan, glad
of the excuse to break away from this discussion at this important
moment.



There is a pause in the discussion for a moment ....


(Tatiana:)
As Arlon idly studies the ruby and diamond ring recovered from the
skeleton in the rubble filled corridor, Tatiana looks at it with
interest. "May I see that?"

OOC: She will compare it to the ring she wears, and even try it on with
no fear. (call it stupidity)

Tatiana put on the ring with little concern.  Her eyes went wide and
she took a small gasp.  "Oh dear, this is a powerful device and not
ornamental at all."

"I believe it will enable you to see through magical darkness with
concentration.  I think it also can deliver a bolt of blue energy
which will harm who ever it hits."

"I don't think I'm the proper person to be wearing this thing.
Perhaps Keilan, or Falrun should wear it?"

(Silver:)
Thinking of the wishes of her Goddess expressed in the Augury, Silver
says "On the contrary, 'Ana. It might prove very useful to distract
the natives above - either of us could disguise ourselves as Saicha
and appear before the natives firing off bolts of blue. They would
surely scatter before that, and then we could flee this place."

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana looks to Silver with an impressed expression.  "Now that is a good
idea!  It is a shame you don't look like Saicha any more ..."




Dithion, fairly silent up till now, speaks up ...

(Dithion:)
He turns to the group and says, "I should like to enter into yon
chamber and see what is about.  Do any of you feel strongly that I
should not?  I would not want to endanger any others life."

(Falrun:)
"I do not think that would be such a good idea.  First of all, she may
be simply trying to communicate or locate some of the others of her
kind.  Secondly, we can't afford to lose her as an ally even if she is
in a weakened state and there is no guarantee that any of us would be
able to use anything that Saicha can.  Thirdly, we can't afford to
lose you if you're wrong."  Falrun gives a kind of half crooked smile
as he says the last point.

"If Saicha is a member of the original race and the temple was made
for or by the original race of this land, I would think that they are
better than we are first led to believe.  After all, the temple with
the merfolk in it did have a test against greed set up in it and I do
think that discipline against such actions as greed is considered by
most to be a noble and 'good' thing.  I also suppose that any one of
us would be rather cranky after a couple millennia of sleep."

(Silver:)
Silver smiles at the elf's comment, and nods. "I have thought hard, and
have sought knowledge from one far greater than any mortal ... or
indeed any self-appointed god ... and have been clearly told that we
must aid those who have wrong perpetrated against them."

"Arlon, tell me once more from your reading of the book - is there any
doubt in your mind that it was Saicha that was wronged ? Could the
book be a rewriting of what truly happened ?"

(Arlon:)
"I believe it is.  There is always the possibility that he could have been
forced to write it in that manner.  But as I have told you, that type of
attitude is a real possibility."

OOC: remember Silver & Arlon's dinner.

(Falrun:)
After making his statements, Falrun will walk back to the double doors and,
if they are still open, he will stand and observe the other room while
waiting for Saicha's return.

(Silver:)
OOC: Silver will also decide that we must help Saicha. She too moves next
     to Falrun before the doors. She moves next to Shade (when he joins them)
     to await Saicha.

(Arlon:)
As we gather back at the used to be double doors.
"Is your conviction still the same Dithion, you will not help Saicha?"

(Dithion:)
Dithion says to Arlon, "I do not know.  If Silver's god speaks of
this, then perhaps it is for the best.  I am leery of tampering with
unknown powers....it is a dangerous path to walk down."  He doesn't
say anymore.



And so the party gather outside the double doors once more, some more
definite in their decision to aid the enigmatic Saicha S'Zigodd than
others ....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ End of Chapter 30 -----------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--
*'``'*,..,*'``'*,..,*'``'*,..,*'``'*,..,*'``'*,..,*'``'*,..,*'``'*,..,*'``'*
Lance Dooly
[e-mail]                               "Not I," said the cat.