LSD Docs/LSD Docs.iso/FILEZ/lsdspr14.dms/lsdspr14.adf/DragonWarsP.doc.pp/DragonWarsP.doc

Text File | 1978-01-06 | 96KB | 1,736 lines

                             DRAGON WARS PARAGRAPHS

And, kids, please remeber this:

  "Streams, once fresh, were centers of life for so many a creature
  "Beauty without a defense, polluted, never to replenish
  "Smudge as toxic pollutants destroy Gaia's remaining rights
  "The power of corporations, spewing chemicals into the air
  "Fines are imposed to discourage, but what's a dime to a millionaire?
  "The one that gave us life is being burned to the raw
  "Reaping unprotedted riches, human nature's self-destructing flaw
  "It's time to listen, and see the signs
  "It's time to listen and hear her cries!"


  The following are the paragraphs that the game refers to when it says
"read paragraph #". The numbers on the left of each set of the paragraphs
below are the numbers that are refered to as mentioned above.

1) In this dark chamber are warehoused several sculptures of decidedly
inferior quality. Mostly, they are crude attempts at busts, or full-figure
nudes of decidedly pornographic intent. Whoever produced these disasters,
it could not have been the same artist that created the rest of the artwork
that you've seen on the estate.

2) Renewed by the fruit of your sacrifice, the vampire lord emerges from
his tomb. "You have awakened me, and for this I am in your debt," he lisps.
"Do not presume tp cpmmade me, however. You have not obtained the Silver
Wheel, and until you do so, my soul is my own!"

  The Lord of the Undead vainshes, leaving behind only an oily cloud of
smoke, and the bucket of deep-fried jumbo shrimp. Back to the drawing
board.

3) This is a shrine to dark lady Irkalla, queen of Magan, the underworld of
Oceana. Of all the structures in this area this is the best preserved.
Simple offerings of weeds and rocks lay before Irkalla, indicating that
some residents of this world still worship the dark queen.

  Irkalla's image is blasted from bronze. She seems serene and confident,
with a terrible sort of beauty lurking in her fierce countenance. The black
pits of her eyes stare at you without emotion. Here is a deity to be
feared-perhaps even to be loved.

4) You stand before the gate to Purgatoy's great public arena. Bloodthirsty
of the Dilmun interior come here to enjoy the spectacle of outlander scum,
such as yourselves, fighting to the death on the floor of the arena.

  A guard swaggers up to you. He is clad in the trappings of authority--
fine armor, a weather beaten harness, well-oiled weapons. "Oy there, you
filthy street scum," the guard growls. "You look fit enough to hold a
weapon. Why not haul your butt into the arena and make yourself useful?"
Why fight for another man's pleasure when life in Purgatory is a daily
struggle for survival? You're about to turn away when the guard lays a
heavy hand on your shoulders and adds, "You'll get your choice of
arms...and  if you defeat your foe, which I doubt, you might win Papers of
Citizenship. Namtar help me--heathen dogs like you living in Dilmun! I
don't like it, but the law is the law."

5) With distaste you discover the source of the foul odor. Before you is a
low structure, not so much a building as an odd series of stone slabs
leaning against one another. Some ancient stonesman identified this place
with a legend carved into the rock: "Morgue". A more recent hand has added
its own  opinion: "The way out, chumps!"

  The stench of the dead is overpowering, but sensing that there is
something important about this place, you hang around on the fringes and
observe the routine. Sallow work gangs of malnourished slaves, themsleves
more dead than alive, slowly carry corpses from the building and stack them
in sloppy piles. You dimly wonder what crime or heresy landed these poor
souls a job as slaves in a city of criminals.

  From time to time additional corpses are brought here by the more tidy
citizens of Purgatory. These are deposited in the house or stacked in the
piles without seeming purpose. After a time, several of the slaves bundle
one or more corpses into a crude canvas sack and hurl the bundle over the
wall. Distantly, you think that you hear a splash. You judge you're near
the harbour wall--are the dead of Purgatory hurled into the waters of the
city's harbor?

  It occurs to you a living man could lay with the dead, and journey with
them in a sack over the wall and to freedom in the harbour beyond. How far
do the sacks of the corpses fall? Are they really tossed into the harbor,
or do they tumble into a well? Could you escape from a bag of cadavers
before it sank to the bottom of the sea, maybe forever mired in muck and
weeds? Perhaps the overpowering smell of this place is starting to get to
you. Or perhaps this  is your ticket out.

6) Here you find a simple wilderness shrine, tended by a lonely druid. He
welcomes you to his temple, saying the place of worship is open to all.

  The shrine is earthy and natural. The walls seem rooted in the depths of
the earth, the rock seems alive with animal spirit, the very air is crisp
and sweet. You see that the patron deity of this shrine is the man-animal
Enkidu. "He is the god of beast-men and man-beasts," the druid explains.
"He respects only the strong and pure, to whom he will grant a powerful
boon. Before Namtar's purge, the god was in residence in this forest, where
he presided over a vast druid colony. Now Enkidu is gone, the brotherhood
is broken, and knowledge of our magic is lost."

7) You secure yourself in a bag full of only slightly stinking corpses and
wait patiently. Someone sews the bag up as you lie motionless. Alter some
moments, you hear a throaty voice call, "Oy, yew! Run yer sword throo them
bogs, thar! You `membar wot hopp'nd last week! We don't wont any mar
escayps now, do we?" You are bound and helpless!

8) A great cry of joy goes up as you debase yourself. In a city of
criminals, what shame is there in going native? Just to make you feel at
home, the beggars beat you steadily for a week. Properly inttiated into the
world of mendacity, you eventually are set free to wander the streets of
Purgatory, better understanding if not entirely fond of the city's lowest
class of citizens.

9) A statue of Namtar, the Beast From The Pit, dominates this dirty city
square. You carefully examine the statue, trying to memorize the features
of the villain who exiled you to Purgatory. You struggle in vain. The
citizens of Purgatory, themselves no less fond of Namtar, have taken it out
 on his image-the nose is broken, limbs are chipped, and the mouth is
deformed beyond all recognition.

  As you watch, a wild beggar spits on the statue. "Filthy face of stone!,"
she mumbles. "Layed down with lizards he did, that stone face lies as much
as he!" The poor mad creature wanders off, still spitting and mumbling,
leading you to wonder if a similar fate awaits you in the months to come.

10) This back-alley building is in remarkably good repair. Curious, you
enter, and recognize the interior of a modestly-appointed magic shop. A
wizened gnome of a man springs from behind the counter and scurries up to
you. "Mercy, mercy me...customers! Bless me, customers at last!"

  The old man is insane but friendly. He explains all high magic has been
outlawed by order of Namtar, hut instruction in the low arts is still
permitted in isolated regions. He is eager to teach you what he knows,  and
will in fact refuse a fee, preferring to teach for the simple joy of  it.
Unfortunately, the old man knows little useful magic.

11) Try as you might, you just can't get your nose to remain on your face.
That Namtar sure has an odd sense of humor.

12) Just ahead you see a bridge. The bridge is covered and armored doors
bar the way across. The bridge appears to be the only way to cross the
water and reach the land beyond. A pack of guards lounge before the
entrance to the bridge. As you appear, they snap to attention. A guard
with a narrow forehead and small eyes approaches you.

13) You're in the middle of the bridge. Although the bridge is covered,
you can hear water rushing beneath you. It is astonishingly loud.

  The bridge is longer than it appeared from the outside. You recognize now
that even a good swimmer would find it impossible to swim from one island
to the next. This bridge is the only way across.

14) Your knowledge of city lore serves you well. This place isn't so much
a city as a prison. The streets are unpaved and evidently double as an
open-air sewer system. Many of the city's structures are buildings only in
the loosest sense of the word-several have holes in the roof (or no roof
at all), others have been gutted by fire. Everything is damp, showing this
city is little different from any other on Oceana...the rising sea level
is eroding the land upon which the city is located, and it is slowly
sinking. Doubtless those buildings that have basements will be at least
hip-deep in water. Graffiti is scrawled on walls everywhere, generally
curses directed at Namtar and crude pornographic renderings of all the
species of Oceana. In all, Purgatory is an ugly place you would do well  to
leave as soon as possible.

15) The guards retire a few steps and converse in low tones when you show
them the ring. One of them approaches nervously. "We're King's men, you
know. We don't want any trouble." He shuffles his feet and won't look you
in the eye.  `We just went along with...with everyone else. You have seen
the King?" He frowns when you answer. "That ring means you're on King's
business, so you can pass...but if anyone asks, we never saw you.
Understand?"

  You pass into the city. The guards still won't look you in the eye.

16) Before you is a tumble-down collection of huts. A group of ill-clad
unfortunates are gathered around a fire. They see you approach and rush to
your side. "We saw you swim aeross the bay", says a toothless man who seems
to lead the group. "Any enemy of Purgatory is a friend of ours. C'mon in
and sit by the fire."

17) This is the temple of the Yellow Mud Toad, dedicated to the patron
beast of this city. The temple is a run down and depressing as the rest of
the city. The center of the temple is dominated by a huge statue of the
Yellow Mud Toad, sunk fully a third of its height into the muddy floor of
he building. "Iiverything sinks these days," a priest of the temple
complains. "This whole city must he built on a lake. We'll all sink away
to nothing if this keeps up!"

18) The camp is deserted. Apparently everyone who lived here was slain in
your recent battle. You notice signs of habitation, but whoever lived here
was dirt poor. It's unlikely you'll find anything of worth in the camp.
Glancing back at the pile of bodies left in your wake, and then at the
bucolic scene of the camp, you sense there was probably a better way of
handling this situation. The man who confronted you seemed a lot like
yourself. Maybe he mistook you for authority from Purgatory, and only
sought to defend himself. This was probably a time for words, rather than
swords.

19) Alter about an hour, the sick man's fever breaks. He props himself up
on one elbow and smiles. "I was dreaming," he says in a weak voice. "I
imagined I floated on a vast black pool far beneath the earth. I think  it
was in the Underworld. I saw a goddess bound in chains. She was stranded
on an island guarded by monsters." He laughs. "I guess I had a fever."

  The man tries to stand up but finds he's still weak. You help him sit up.
 "My name is Ulm," he says. "I guess I have you to thank for breaking my
fever. The guards at the bridge beat me up, and I just can't seem to
bounce back." Intrigued, you encourage Ulm to continue. "I escaped from
Purgatory through a secret door in the wall. I tried to cross the bridge
north of the city, but I didn't have the right papers, and the guards beat
me. I've been coughing blood ever since."

  Ulm's eyelids begin to droop, and in minutes he's asleep again. A moment
later his body stiffens, and Ulm dies. At least his final moments were
pleasant ones.

20) In the center of the ruined tower that occupies the heart of this city,
you find a dais and what's left of a statue. The dais stands about four
feet high, and, from the looks of things, appears to have been placed  here
since the tower was destroyed. A plaque on the dais reads, `This  plaque
marks the original location of Lanac'toor's Tower and Magic Academy. This
statue commemorates his feats." There used to be a statue atop the  dais,
but it has been removed, leaving only Lanac'toor's swollen feet  behind.
The statue appears to have broken off clean at the ankles.

21) You pick your way through the ruins and come upon a spy post maintained
by the defenders of Byzanople. Several soldiers are gathered here. They
are gaunt from months of isolation~ou surmise that if the city does not
fall by assault, it will soon succumb from hunger. The soldiers are led by
a woman warrior dressed in white and red. As yet, you remain unobserved.

22) This shack has been set up as a universal shrine for Dilmun's many
religions. A priest welcomes you and escorts you around the shrine. The
majority of the shrine is devoted to Irkalla, the Queen of the Underworld,
and her consort Nergal. The priest explains worsbip of Underworld gods
always spreads during times of strife, perhaps because people come to  view
their own world as an extension of hell. Also represented is the
man-animal Enkidu, patron of the Druids, and the obscene Refeek, god of
things better left unsaid.

  The priest lets you worship or observe as you see fit, neither condemning
nor encouraging your actions. "These are hard times," he says, "you had
better pray to them all. We can use all the help we can get."

23) You intently scrutinize the murals for several minutes, and are able
to arrive at a few broad conclusions. It seems this city square was used
to confine a dragon. You remember a legend of the cities of Dilmun holding
dragons captive as defense against their neighbors. The murals depict
blood sacrifice and obtuse ceremony being used to pacify the dragon. In
one of the ceremonies, a priest is depicted aiming a short metal rod at  a
dragon, seemingly holding the beast under his sway. There is no  rendering
of the dragon in action. It seems the dragon demanded a terrible  price for
a purely defensive weapon. Furthermore, the ruins surrounding  this square
offer mute testimony to the effectiveness of a dragon for city defense.

24) You board the ship as soon as the last of the pirates drops dead, eager
to see what it was the thieves were so determined to defend. You see the
ship's name is the PRAIRIE MADNESS, and that it seems to be fitted out for
fast raiding missions. There isn't much of a cargo hold, so the ship won't
serve for long journeys, but it looks very fast and dangerous.

25) "Welcome to Phoebus, City of the Sun!" chirps an odd mechanical voice.
You stop in your tracks, trying to identify the source of the voice. Alter
a few moments, you hear the message again, and determine it is coming from
a raised stone dais and plaque directly in your path. Evidently the message
 is activated by your presence. "Welcome to Phoebus, City of the Sun!" the
voice says again, this time a little slower than before. You examine the
plaque and see it is a a map of the city. "Welllcoooome tooo
Phoeeeeebussss,  Ciiiityyy offff theeeee Sunnnnnnnn..." the voice intones,
now perilously  slow. Something's wrong with the device. A mechanical hand
protrudes from  the dais, frantically trying to shake your hand, but
there's no way you're  getting near it. Two stern looking gentlemen dressed
all in black stare at  you, making you nervous. Committing the details of
the map to memory, you  hurry away from the silly device.

  "Wellllllllllllllcooooooooooommmmmeeeeee...!"

26) The walls of this city are of bright marble that seem to glow with an
inner light. The streets are paved and clean, and there is no sign of
poverty or disorder. The horse carts run on time. You can't shake the
feeling something is about to go tragically wrong.

27) You at last stand before the Sword of Freedom. The hilt of the fabled
blade is just inches from your grasp. A hush comes over the city of
Freeport. The furiously boiling waters previously surrounding this isle
have subsided. You look up and see the citizens of Freeport have gathered
all around the harbor, waiting to see what you will do next. Some of the
citizens appear happy, others are proud, many just wear blank stares. One
large man stands silent, but tears roll down his cheeks.

  You smell a faint scent of ozone. Somewhere, a baby cries.

28) Two officers occupy this building, evidently associated with the
military force drilling on the parade grounds outside. The officers
quickly shuffle aside the dice game they were playing when you entered,
and snap to attention. They relax when they see who you are, and you  sense
a change in their attitude.

  The elder of the two officers gives you a close inspection. "Such a fine
lot of patriotic types," he says. "It's about time someone from this feeble
little burg enlisted in the army! Welcome to the service of King Drake.
Hail Namtar!"

29) Perilously weakened from your long journey through the swamp, you at
last enter the City of the Yellow Mud Toad. The walls here are sagging  and
brown with grime. The city smells almost as bad as the swamp that
surrounds it. Still pools of foul water and puddles of bubbling mud clog
the streets. The people of this city shuffle about on their tasks,  letting
your greetings go unheeded and refusing to look you in the eye.

30) Sheltered at the base of the ruined city wall you find a funky little
souvenir shop. A sign in the window identifies the place as "Your
Lanac'toor memorabilia shop!" Intrigued, you enter. An unseen bell chimes
an offensively sour note as you swing open the door to the shop. Inside you
find a remarkable selection of Lanac'toor souvenirs. Images of the mad
sorcerer are inscribed on mugs, bowls, plates, bookends, trophies, boxes,
candles, and lanterns. Lanac'toor grinning face or family crest is
embroidered on hats, ties, underwear, capes, and belts...a store clerk
even offers to personalize any item you select, sewing or engraving your
name on your purchase. A very small portion of the shop is given over to
items nrelated to Lanac'toor. Most of it seems like junkbits of masonry
from the city wall, tiny images of the Yellow Mud Toad, and odd scraps  of
metal. You are amazed by the single-minded devotion this shop shows  to an
historical figure so insignificant outside the walls of the City  of the
Yellow Mud Toad.

31) On the far distant horizon you spot the menacing shape of a black sail.
It seems these sea lanes are patrolled by pirates and other scurvy beasts.
The enemy ship is down-wind from yoult is only a matter of time before you
are caught!

32) Huddled in the shelter of the city's ill-repaired wall you find a
militia of wild-eyed men. "Is the war over?" one of them asks. "Does
Lanac'toor live?" wonders another.

  You are able to piece together something of the history of this place.
The patron of the City of the Yellow Mud Toad was a wizard named
Lanac'toor.  He occupied a tower that formerly stood in the center of town.
Lanac'toor  quarreled with Namtar when a general ban on magic was
announced, and war  broke out between the City of the Yellow Mud Toad and
Namtar's city of  Kingshome. As soon as the war began it was over.
Kingshome legions summoned  a dragon from the swamp to shatter the walls of
the City of the Yellow Mud  Toad. Lanac'toor's tower was destroyed and the
wizard himself was turned to  stone.

  After Lanac'toor was killed, the enemy army withdrew, apparently
unconcerned with the fate of the City of the Yellow Mud Toad. The citizens
of the city are convinced the worst is yet to come, and thus maintain a
feeble city militia as defense. It seems unlikely the city has anything
worth defending. The men of the militia mutter to themselves as you leave.

33) Ahead you see the walled city of Byzanople. The tattered banner of
Byzanople still flies above the city's unbreached walls. The approaches to
the city are occupied by the army of Kingshome. The besieging army is
spread across the countryside, indicating it has been several months since
Byzanople was invaded.

  As you approach, several heavily armored soldiers launch an assault on
the city. They scramble over rubble and rush the city's gate, waving their
weapons and shouting war cries. A hail of arrows, stones, and boiling oil
descends upon the attackers wherever they stray too near the wall. The
defenders make short work of the Kingshomer assault, and fewer than one in
ten of the soldiers launching the assault make it back to their camp.

34) A rough pile of rubble marks the perimeter of the Kingshome advance
siege camp. The cyclopean walls of Byzanople are just a few yards away. A
twisted path leads through the rubble toward the gates of the city. The
path passes beneath the walls of the city, forming a savage killing ground.
The path is littered with broken arrow shafts, debris, and the bodies of
others who have tried to take this city by storm.

35) This massive central structure dominates the city of Lansk. Unlike the
walls that surround this city, this structure is fortified and prepared for
war. Armed Lansk guards patrol the battlements, looking stem and ill
humored. Written wamings in a variety of languages advise passers-by to
keep their distance. And not without reason, for within the structure,
visible through a thick glass panel, you see a dragon. The beast is huge,
completely filling the fortress that is its home. It must weigh at least
eighty tons. The dragon is asleep, but no less fearsome for all of that.

  A plaque explains the dragon is maintained by the city as its primary
means of defense. Should disaster ever threaten the city, you read, the
dragon will be set free, destroying both the city and the army that would
conquer it. The dragon is maintained by expensive blood
sacrifice--primarily by hurling criminals into the dragonbunker.

  The dragon is impressive, but you feel vaguely disappointed. This isn't
a fearsome flying saurian; it's an overfed monster sitting in a cage.

36) You alert the warriors to your presence. The soldiers are startled when
you speak, and when they turn you see they are pale with fright. They
realize you could have killed them before they knew you were there. The
soldiers regard you nervously as the woman in red and white approaches.

  "You're the infiltrators the Kingshomers sent from their camp," she says.
"I see you are surprised-my city might be losing this war, but we're not
without our resources."

  The woman shakes your hand as she introduces herself. "My name is
Princess Myrilla," she says. "If you meant us harm you would have attacked
us from behind. You don't look like Kingshomers; I choose to trust you."
Myrilla barks some orders to her men in a language you don't understand.
Turning back to you, she continues, "Follow me. My brother will want to
speak with you."

  Myrilla leads you through a secret passage into the heart of Byzanople.
It's odd this girl has so abruptly taken you into her confidence. You
decide to play along...if she can't make you a better offer than the
Kingshomers, this is certainly an easier way into the city than storming
the gate.

37) Several squat figures surround the entrance to a tunnel leading under
the walls of Byzanople. A wooden palisade shields the tunnel entrance from
the eyes and weapons of the city's defenders. You recognize the figures as
siege engineers, and surmise they are attempting to undermine Byzanople's
walls.

  A short and powerful man covered with mud and sweat emerges from the
tunnel. "I think we're through," he says. We had to find our way through a
patch of granite, but I think we've come up against a cistern or basement
wall." He looks at you expectantly. "All we need now is a pack of brave
idiots to try the tunnel, find their way into the city, and open the gate
for us."

38) Using your magic spell, you watch in wonder as color flows back into
the  frozen dwarves. The chamber is filled with a noise uncomfortably like
the  popping of popcorn as the dwarves return to life, their joints made
stiff  from ages of disuse. Before long, the entire clan is restored to
life.  The dwarves give you the once-over.

39) You find a hidden cove. There's a dock house by the water, and beside
it you can see several small ships tied up to the dock. You must pass
through the dock house to get to the boats. To your right is a small
wayside shrine to some divinity or another. The cove is very quiet, aside
from the lapping of the waves and the rhythmic creaking of the boats
tugging  at their ropes. It's hard to tell if this place is inhabited or
not.

40) A wave of fetid humidity strikes you like a slap in the face when you
open the door to this room. This place must be under an enchantment.
Within the room is exactly reproduced a hot and swampy environment not
unlike the Isle of Quag. The floor is a deep and bubbling mud bog,
wide-leaf palms grow here and there, and in the underbrush you think you
see small reptiles warming themselves on hot rocks. A most unusual sight
to find in a dungeon....all the comforts of home (if you're a reptile).

41) The pirates are friendly enough when you pay them their gold. They
offer you a seat and serve you a brutal meal of calamari and grog. "My
name's Long John Ugly," the leader identifies himself. "And this here is
my gal, Peg." Ugly's girl has two peg legs and no teeth, but she's by far
the most presentable member of this motley crew.

  You converse with Ugly and his band for several hours. Ugly used to be a
sailor in the Tarsian navy. He explains Tars was a minor city on the isle
of Forlorn, and that it was reduced to ruins in the early days of the war
with Kingshome. "These ain't good times to be a sailor, me bucko," Ugly
growls, becoming increasingly maudlin as the grog does its work. "Namtar
don't want folks sailing about from one island to the other. Too hard to
keep people in their place that way!".

  You learn Ugly's band has scratched out a living raiding along the coast,
 but pickings are slim. You also guess they do a bit of smuggling. Ugly is
hesitant to take you out in his boat, saying the weather is wrong and the
seas are too dangerous lately. When you remind him of the gold you paid,
Ugly smiles and Peg shrieks with laughter.

  "I didn't figure that gold covered the cost of a passage, mate!" Ugly
laughs. "That was just a fee for this fine repast and for not gettin' yer
throats slit." Peg whispers something in Ugly's ear. "But Peg likes ya,
and I'm in a charitable mood, so I'll do ya a favor. Seein' as how ya
should be dead anyway, I'm willin' to ferry ya over to the Necropolis.
There's plenty of loot to be had in that place, which should suit you folks
just fine." Ugly gestures over his shoulder and points toward the south
wall. "The dock's on the other side of the south door. I'll meet ya out
there in a minute." Ugly looks you straight in the eye as he concludes,
"And  I do mean the south door. You'll do as yer told if you've got any
sense."

42) In this dusty and disused chamber you find what was formerly the throne
of King Drake of Kingshome, the mightiest ruler of Dilmun. The throne is
heaped in the corner and in poor repair. Carelessly tossed behind the
throne  you find Drake's ceremonial crown. Maybe it will be worth
something, if  there is ever a true king in Kingshome.

43) You sail through most of a day and night through thick fog. There is no
moon, and the going is slow and treacherous. Several times you think you
glimpse phantoms in the fog, or hear strange beasts bumping against the
hull of your vessel. Just when you think you may never reach your
destination, an island looms out of the murk.

  The island is an irregular mass of black stone, covered in moss and green
slime. Ruins of impossibly ancient design are just visible in the center of
the island. Luminous eyes peer at you from dark hollows and forbidding bogs
nestled along the coastline.

44) The magic paint works as advertised. Now covered with the mystic
colors,  the formerly ruined walls of the City of the Yellow Mud Toad stand
tall and  strong. You hope strong walls will be enough to hold off the
growing terror  you know lurks in the swamps, just a few feet away.

45) The sail to Freeport is a long one, and your supplies are barely enough
to last the voyage. You sail east and away from the majority of the Dilmun
islands, headed into previously unknown waters. Once free from the war-torn
islands of the Dilmun interior, you are able to enjoy the natural beauty of
the maritime world of Oceana.

  Presently you come in sight of a glistening modem harbor sheltered in a
strange coast. Your charts indicate this is Freeport, and anchor your ship
at a dock.

46) Your journey takes you to the frontier known as the ll?astern Isles.
This area is unclaimed by any nation, and you experience no encounters with
hostile maritime forces.

  The Iiastern Isles have a rustic quality lacking in the Dilmun Interior.
Here things are unfinished and wild, and seem untouched by the corruption
of the Interior. This region is the closest thing you've seen to the
paradise you expected to find when you arrived in Purgatory, many months
ago.

  Presently you spot what seems to be a ruined city, half-submerged in the
sea. You find a place to land your craft on a stretch of sand southeast of
the ruins.

47) Near the bridge you find a run-down building. A sign above the door
identifies the place as the `Official Quag Visitors Information Bureau'.
The building is every bit as run-down on the inside as out.

  An ugly little woman with a cluster of purple-eyes enthusiastically
greets you. "Welcome to Quag, Isle of Luxury!" she says.  `I'm so glad
you're here. We don't get so much business since the war." You learn that
Quag's only city-the City of the Yellow Mud Toad-is sinking into the swamp
and the priests of the Yellow Mud Toad are powerless to stop it. "But it's
really quite safe for travellers," the woman is hasty to add. "Quag remains
an isle of wonders, and many still dream of taking the vapors!"

  You judge the woman quite mad. Saying goodbye, you depart.

48) A wall of rock stands athwart your path. Massive bronze doors guard a
way through the rock; fearsome beasts guard the way to the door.

  Two creatures guard the way through the rock. They are half scorpion  and
half dragon, but in some ways they look like men. Their eyes glow with
balesome fury. They glow with an inner light, bathing the ground at their
feet in glory. They appear to be a man and a woman, and thus doubly
dangerous for the bond they must share.

49) Alter a few hours of cautious work, you're able to lash an appropriate
rock to the broken pick handle with the laces you received from the dying
man. Tlie result is a serviceable if makeshift hammer. The hammer probably
isn't worth much as a weapon, but it might hold up long enough to break the
chains that bind you.

50) The door closed behind you with an ominous sound evoking the finality
of the tomb. The door and wall from the bridge must have been sound
proofed,  for no sooner do you emerge from the bridge than a mad chorus of
howls  assails your ears. Insane screaming seems to spring from every
direction,  although you cannot see the source of the noise. It's enough to
drive a  person mad!

51) You walk beside a clean and stylish harbor. Although you are near the
sea, this place has none of the stink associated with Oceana's coastal
places...either Freeport is not sinking, or the port is engineered such
that seepage is not the problem here that it is elsewhere in the world.

  The construction here is simple but attractive. There's rustic feeling
associated with the unfinished wood railings, foliage, and crisp scent to
the air. The people of this place are dressed in effective leather and
cloth, and seem healthy and energetic. Everyone is armed, and you judge
the citizens of this place know how to defend themselves. You are greeted
warmly as you approach, but the citizens of Freeport do not tarry to speak.
Everyone seems engaged in a mission of great industry.

52) To the south is a little island in the harbor. Standing in the center
of the island is an anvil; plunged to the hilt within the anvil is a
brilliantly gleaming magic sword. There seems no way to the island...the
water here seethes and boils with magical energy. It doesn't take much
imagination to surmise a swim to the island would be fatal.

  A Freeport citizen notices your interest in the island. "That is the
Sword of Freedom," he says. "Many years ago, the great hero Roba delivered
it from the Underworld. Alter many years of adventuring, Roba retired here
and founded our city. Shortly before his death, Roba built this magical
island to protect his sword."

  The citizen is silent for a moment before continuing. "Legend says that
so  long as the sword remains in the anvil, no harm can come to Freeport,
"he says. "At the same time, Roba warned a time would come of great strife
on Oceana. He said a champion would appear one day to claim the sword. He
who wields the Sword of Freedom will quell the strife in Oceana, but at the
same time will doom our city. Such is the sacrifice we must someday make."

  The citizen wishes you well and leaves. The Sword of Freedom is just out
of your reach. It seems to taunt you. How to get it? How to get it...?

53) In this cell you find a weak young man dressed in soiled motley. "Good
evening ladies and germs, it's good to be back at the palace," he says as
you enter his cell. "A funny thing happened to me on the way to the
dungeon." The poor man was obviously a court jester. "I ran into Sir Loin
of Pork this afternoon-he said he was about to become Baron of Greymatter."
This guy really stinks. If wiser men than you consigned this man to the
dungeons, who are you to set him free. "I got a million of `em," the jester
says, seeming to notice you for the first time and perking up considerably.
This confirms your worst fears, and you slam and lock the cell door.
"Cancel the Renaissance-it looks like a reign of terror!" comes the muffled
voice from behind the door.

  Even Namtar has a good idea now and then.

54) "Thanks for putting me back together-I feel swell!" Lanac'toor grins.
"I was a little nervous when you put my arms on backwards, but I guess
I'll get used to it. Having my elbows bend the wrong way will make it
easier for me to scratch my back!"

55) A yawning chasm stretches before you. A violent gust of hot wind  rises
from the chasm...the void must reach to the very roots of the world,  below
even the Underworld. Out of the chasm, starting an unknowable  distance
beneath you and stretching as far as the eye can see, you view a  vomitous
mass of irregular black stone. The tower stands piled atop itself  and is
at once designed and chaotic...from one angle it looks like a  sorcerer's
stronghold, while from another it seems like the exposed spine  of a
fantastic beast. Perhaps it is not really there at all. More likely it
exists in more than one dimension at the same time, and is thus difficult
to see in its entirety.

  One thing is certain...this tower has nothing to do with god, or
salvation,  or pilgrims. This is a tower of Evil. This is the Tower of
Namtar!

56) A tall and powerfully built man with a greeiiish complexion greets you
when you enter the building. "I am Tarkas, first citizen of Tars," he says.
You learn that he and his fellow officers fled here to Freeport when their
home city of Tars was destroyed by the legions of Kingshome. Tars was
previously the foremost city of the Isle of Forelorn. Now Tars is a sad
ruin,  while Purgatory passes for the isle's only city. If you explore the
ruins of  Tars, Tarkas says, be sure to seek the hidden chambers beneath
the city-they  might still contain fabulous treasures.

  Tarkas is bitter when he recalls the ruin of his city. "We were
betrayed,"  he says. "We relied on our dragon to defend us. We didn't dream
Kingshome  would be so bold to assault us when our dragon was healthy and
awake. When  they lay siege to our city, we released our dragon...and the
beast did  nothing! A hundred years of blood sacrifice to that terrible
dragon, and  what good did it do us in our hour of need?"

  Tarkas grows animated as he speaks, accidentally smashing a table as he
excitedly flails his arms. "I tell you, Namtar found a way to usurp control
of our dragon! Since Namtar rose Kingshome against all of Dilmun, dragons
have all but vanished! Namtar controls them somehow...but no man can
control the saurians without paying a terrible price. If someone could
learn what he's done with the dragons-and learn how to wrest their control
from Namtar...then Kingshome would learn a thing or two!!"

57) This simple hall serves as the community meeting place for the citizens
of Freeport. You are greeted by minor city officials who welcome you to
their town and eagerly ask you for information of the war in Dilmun.
"These are dark days," the official says. "Soon Kingshome will control all
of Dilmun, then Namtar will cast his evil gaze toward the Eastern Isle and
our fair city."

  The official scratches his head. "It's odd," he says. "My father was an
advisor to the court of King Drake at Kingshome. He said Drake was a
peaceful old man. His son, Jordan of Byzanople, was a regular firebrand...
but not Drake. Why suddenly make war on his neighbors? It doesn't make any
sense...Namtar must have poisoned him." The official shrugs. "I wonder if
something's happened to him. King Drake hadn't been seen in public for
over a year when I was last in Phoebus, and that was some time ago. Maybe
something happened to him."

58) Alter a long wait, you shuffle onto the block with a host of other
unfortunates. You are in better shape than the poor wretches that surround
you, and your group is instantly the subject of spirited bidding. You
shudder as you are sold to a man with a fat neck for more gold than you are
likely to see in a lifetime.

  You are led away from the slave auction and linked one to another by a
continuous sequence of chains and collars. Presently your new master
appears and introduces himself. "I am Master Mog," he says. "From this
moment on, I am your mother, I am your father, I am your God, I am your
world. I am Mog-Mog is All. Abandon all hope of freedom. You are my
property, to do with as I please."

  Mog leaves you to the hands of his slave bosses, who spend the next
several weeks attempting to break your spirit. During this time you are
loaded aboard a painfully slow cog and sail to Master Mog's estate. You
are afforded a brief glimpse of Mog's luxurious palace before you are  led
beneath the earth and introduced to Mog's salt mines.

  Then begins a mind-numbing series of repetitious chores. You are not
permitted to leave the mines. You work, sleep, and eat in the same series
of identical tunnels, never permitted to see the sun.

59) You are admitted to the camp and immediately pressed into service. The
army makes no attempt to provision or train yoult's evident they consider
you a band of cutthroats, and that they like you just the way you are.

  You are billeted in a siege camp located a few miles south of the walled
city of Byzanople, which for months has stubbornly resisted the
enlightenment of joining the unified Kingshomer Empire under Namtar and
King  Drake. The besieging Kingshomer army is preparing to take the city by
storm.  You are to be among the waves of unfortunates they wish to send
over the wall. You may not take kindly to this idea, but there are many
more of them  than there are of you, and this is no opportunity to desert.

60) These cramped quarters serve as home for Mog's unfortunate slaves. Men
sleep fitfully on the cold rock floor, encumbered by the stout chains that
bind them one to another. An examination of your companions proves your
chains will never be removed-some of the sleeping men are still chained to
companions who have long since passed away.

61) The dying man gratefully gulps water from your cup. "You are angels,"
he  says. "I want to die, but not alone, and certainly not thirsty!" The
man  wipes his mouth with his wrist. His parched lips crack and smear his
wrist  with blood. "Not much longer," he says with a wan smile. "When I'm
gone, I  want you to have these." The dying man shows you his boots. The
soles are  entirely worn away, but the tops are still secured by stout
leather laces.  "The boots aren't much good, but the laces are strong-maybe
you can do  something with them." The old man is abruptly seized with a
coughing fit.  You know the end is near. "I hope you fare better then me,"
he croaks.

62) The last of the guards drops dead and silence claims the mines.  A
ladder leads up out of the salt mines. In the dim distance you can see
sunlight for the first time in uncountable hours, days, or months.  Freedom
is at hand. But what awaits you at the top of the shaft?

63) Several people are huddled around a fire. One of them offers you some
stew which you eagerly accept-it's bland and watery, but it's the first
hot food you've had in days and you eat every drop. Alter your meal you
doze off by the fire, grateful to at last be in the company of charity and
good will. When you awaken, you feel as if you've been reborn.

64) You stand before the gleaming city of Lansk. The streets are clean, the
people are orderly, and while the city is walled, there is no gate. None of
the busy citizens you spy carries a weapon. The city shows no sign of war
or occupation. However, it does seem like a very rich place, and you can
detect a faint smell of dragon in the air....

65) This guard room is occupied by several menacing men who stand when you
enter. "Well... look at this," one of them sneers. "Our prisoners have
`escaped'. We have to `recapture' them~erhaps several times." The guards
begin to close in. "Remember, men, these prisoners were trying to
escape...we won't be accused of beating prisoners in their cells again!"

66) This is Phoebus' incredible Temple of the Sun, renown all across the
world of Oceana. The sun's warm rays shine into an open atrium, bathing
the broad leaves of a variety of exotic heliotropic plants. Acolytes of
the temple are busy about on mysterious tasks. The floor is inscribed with
a gold design depicting the motion of Oceana and her sister planets. From
some unseen chamber you hear the soothing sound of running water.

  A gold curtain swings aside and a short, swarthy man enters the chamber.
He is dressed in blue robes inscribed with stars and moons, and wears a
pointed cap. It seems the man very much wants to look like a wizard, but
has no idea of what wizards actually look like.

  "I am Mystalvision, High Priest of the Temple of the Sun," says the
wizard  in a comically high and wet voice. "You are to be commended for
making it  this far. I don't care that you cracked out of Purgatory, but
your behavior  since entering my city has been intolerable." Mystalvision
snaps his fingers,  and several cruel gentlemen dressed all in black appear
out of nowhere.  "Namtar's Stosstrupen would like to ask you some
questions," Mystalvision  sneers. "I should ask you to come along quietly,
but it will be more fun to  do this the hard way."

67) This is an open-air slave market, filled with the cry of fleshmongers
and the laughter of a perfumed crowd. Here men and women are for
sale-people  such as yourselves-to the jaded residents of the Dilmun
interior.

  From the gate of the slave market you watch as several young men are
auctioned off. They seem less healthy than yourselves-maybe they've been in
the city longer than you. It seems a sad way out of this place, to make
yourself a slave...but isn't anything better than a life of misery and slow
death in the streets of Purgatory?

  You scan the crowd, anxious to measure the character of citizens of the
Dilmun interior. Their faces seem cruel and aristocratic, with a faint hint
of the more-than-human. Here and there you spot a face that seems kinder
than most, but if you were on the block, what yuarantee would you have of
receiving a kind master? Could you truly live with yourself as a slave?

  There is a long line of lost souls waiting for the auction block. Nothing
will stop you should you decide to join them.

68) The door to this hut is open, and from within you hear someone singing.
Entering the hut, you see a simple room...a pile of straw serves as a bed,
while a candle bums on a large rock that passes as a table. Behind the rock
you see a sad man who seems very old. His eyes are empty sockets and both
his hands have been amputated at the wrist. You wonder why a blind man
burns  candles when he's alone.

  The man stops singing and swings his head in your direction when you
enter. "You must be the outsiders everyone's so excited about," he says
with a firm  voice. "I can smell Purgatory on you. Please come in. I'd like
to see some  new faces...provided I could see."

  You learn the man's name is Carson. He was a sorcerer at the Temple of
the  Sun, in Phoebus. "That was before Namtar rose from the Pit," says
Carson,  pausing to spit. "Damn Underworld types should stay in their own
world."

  You talk with Carson well into the evening, pumping him for information.
You learn that Namtar is either a demon or a man-Carson seems to use the
terms interchangeably. About a year ago Namtar appeared at the court of
King Drake in Kingshome, and was welcomed as the court magician. Within  a
year, Kingshome had mobilized and began making war on its neighbors. At
the same time, Namtar announced a general ban on magic, using his secret
police-the Stosstrupen-to enforce the ban. A great magical war ensued,
which Namtar and the Stosstrupen won handily.

  "Now sorcery is all but dead in Dilmun," Carson continues. "Take a look
at me. Ten years learning Sun Magic and it leads to this! All the old
Masters  are gone...Lanac'toor was finally driven over the edge and
shattered into a  score of pieces; Zaton exiled to the deep wilderness; and
Mystalvision..." Carson is silent for a long time, then says, "I can't
prove it, but I always  thought Mystalvision was wrapped up with Namtar.
He's the High Priest at  the Temple of the Sun. Our Order fell to Namtar so
quickly...we must have  been betrayed. Beware of Mystalvision!"

  You talk with Carson late into the night, but learn little else of value.
He is either unwilling or unable to teach you any magic. Heeding his
advice,  you take your leave of the old man.

69) When no one is looking, you crawl into an open sack filled with
disgustingly fresh corpses. You lay still as the sack is crudely sewed
shut.  The darkness of the tomb descends upon you as the bag is closed.

  None too gently, the entire sack is heaved onto the backs of the slaves.
Dead arms embrace you, long fingernails claw at your hair, rotting grave
mould seems to penetrate your body. There is a lurch and a rasp as the bag
clears the wall, and then you fall.

  Your flesh crawls with anticipation. Will you meet your end, smashed to
death with a host of corpses on some unseen rocky spire? Or will you
splash into the warm waters of Oceana, at long last free from the stinking
hell of Purgatory?

  You splash. You sink. You struggle. At last you win free of the sack, and
the dead hands that drag at you seemingly resentful of the life you
display.  Lungs bursting, you break from the water at the base of the
harbor wall, and  quickly clamber aboard some debris you find floating
close by and strike out  for shore.

70) Mighty oaks intertwine above your head to form a living gateway to this
enchanted forest. A fresh coat of sparking dew lays over everything,
lending  a fantastic quality to the scene. The ground is covered with an
inviting  blanket of green moss. Faerie lights glimmer from within the
boles of dark  yet pleasant trees. This is a magical place.

71) Much to the garrison's dismay, the gates of Byzanople prove little
obstacle for you. The Kingshomer army streams through the open gate and
makes short work of the outnumbered city garrison. Byzanople has fallen.

  After putting the garrison to the sword, the victorious Kingshomer
soldiers  gleefully get down to some serious pillaging. Buck Ironhead, the
commander  of the Kingshomer siege camp, appears from the chaos. "I've got
to hand it  to you," he says, "you really did a job on these Byzanople
jerks! Now  Namtar's control of Dilmun is complete. I'm sure the Beast From
The Pit will  want to thank you personally." Ironhead smiles when you
remind him of your  bargain. "I haven't forgotten, I assure you...but
seeing as how you threw in  with me so easily, I doubt you have any real
sense of honor. I wouldn't trust you clowns as far as I could throw you!"
Buck stands back as several  of his soldiers gather around. "Put these
traitors in irons!" he snarls.

  The guards close in. It's an epic fight, but no heroes can long withstand
sheer weight of numbers. Everything goes black as the last of your party
falls to the dust.

72) This shrine is formed from rocks and wood and mossit seems a profoundly
natural thing, more an outgrowth of this enchanted wood than a thing built
by man. The divinity worshiped here is none you recognize, but the feeling
of the place is one of harmony with nature.

  Upon closer inspection, you see dried bloodstains on the rock. The stains
are not large-this shrine is not used for sacrifice-but perhaps its
resident  god is awakened by a token gift of life.

73) This hidden glade is charged with magical energy. The rocks marking
this  clearing form a ring of deliberately-placed standing stones, the
focus of  which is upon the earth where you now stand. You feel power
rushing from the  roots of the earth and into your soul. Enkidu himself
stands and regards you.

(74) Old Jack's eyes grow bright when you show him the signet ring. "His
majesty...?" Jack whispers. You sadly shake your head, indicating Drake is
dead. Tears form in Jack's eyes as he sighs. "Me poor, poor king...I knew
ye'd come to no good with that demon Namtar!"

  After showing him your ring, Jack treats you like an honored guest,
forgiving all your misdeeds in the forest. "I'm a King's man, ye got ta
believe that," he says. "I love me King an' I never disobeyed him. But I
never like the looks o' that Namtar-he's a very devil, he is! It must have
been `im wot killed old Drake." Old Jack pauses to spit. "Someone's got to
bring Namtar down, and clear the way for young Prince Jordan to take the
throne. You've got the ring, so you're it!"

  Old Jack solemnly hands you his bow. "This here's me bow, I call her
Nevermiss! Drake gave her to me when we were both boys, and she's never
failed me. Now I give her to you, to shoot down that foul Namtar!" Jack  is
hesitant to release the bow, and even as you hold it his eyes linger  on
the weapon. "She's like a lady, she is...you treat her kind. You treat  her
kind."

  Jack is abruptly eager to leave. He refuses to leave the forest, saying
it's his only home. He wishes you all good luck and melts into the woods.

  He will never be seen again.

75) Alter what seems an eternity, you locate the source of the screaming.
Nearly mad yourselves, you find a city of the mad squatting on a desolate
shore. Feeble huts made of driftwood and debris huddle together in a feeble
pile. White-haired loons with wild eyes stumble to and fro, mumbling to
themselves or shrieking like cats. Crazed citizens of the place wrestle
with  one another, seeming like writhing human serpents. It's a madhouse,
and the  inmates are running the asylum.

76) A mad artist inscribes designs on the sandy floor of his hut. "I don't
have to do this, you know," he says as you enter. It's uncertain if he's
talking to you, or if you walk in on him while he was talking to himself.
"I can make a good living as a tattoo artist!" he continues. "But I will
draw on you, mother earth, because everyone else draws from you. You. Who.
Moo. Moo?"

  The artist jumps up and bounds about the hut. "Moo! Moo!" he howls.
"Don't  you see? It's all so clear. At last! At last!" The poor man rushes
past you  and is quickly lost in the village of the lost.

77) Amid the ruins you come upon a remarkable sight. A bonfire illuminates
a shattered city square. Scores of people cavort about the fire this is the
greatest gathering of people you've seen since arriving in Purgatory.

  The occupants of the square constitute a cross-section of Purgatory's
citizenry. Blind beggars, mad poets, dog-faced children, and drunken
priests  swarm about the fire like moths to a flame; drinking, singing,
loving,  bleeding, brawling. Above them all, seated on a rude throne of
stacked  masonry, you see the man you surmise to be the king of this place.
If he is a  king, he is a king of thieves.

  Astounded by this strange sight, you do not notice until it is too late a
score of scoundrels sneaking up on you. Surrounded by rogues, you are urged
toward the fire, where you come under the gaze of the figure on the throne.
"Outlanders!," the king roars, teetering atop his perilous perch. "You've
strayed far from your homes, little does and kittens. This is the Court of
Miracles, gathered to pay homage to the King of Purgatory..." the king
pauses, awaiting the proper moment before continuing, "me, Clopin
Trouillefou!

78) A group of ragged unfortunates sun themselves on this dismal coastline.
They sit in folding beach chairs, some beneath the shade of colorful beach
parasols. All the men and women are dressed in rags. Few have teeth; fewer
still have a proper tan. The day is cold and grey.

  "Hail Namtar!" a woman cries. "Great is he to take such care of us! What
have we to want for?" A one-armed young man elbows you in the ribs, and
says  with a sidelong wink, "Quite a little resort we got here, wouldn't
you say?  Boy, that Namtar sure is a swell egg!" "This is a ritzy
place-nothing less  than a king retired here!" cackles another. Similar
comments come at every  turn. You find this place is called Toxic Beach,
and these poor lunatics  think it's some sort of beach resort to which
they've been sent as reward  for faithful service to Namtar.

  A few bloated dead rats have washed up on the bleached coastline. An odd
tumble of rocks marks the north end of the shore. The rocks are covered
with debris, as if the remains of a shipwreck have washed up here.

79) There is a deep rumbling as storm clouds gather Abruptly rain begins to
fall in relentless sheets, threatening to flood the stone, the forest, the
entire world.

  A supernatural hush falls over the glade. Even the pelting rain seems to
fall silent. Suddenly you are surrounded by animals-bears, dogs, deer,
ducks, and even a penguin. You turn and see still more animals crowding
outside the door to the shrine. You see a lion lay down beside a lamb. The
animals are waiting for something.

  Above the stone appears the ghost of Zaton. The ghost speaks. "My
friends,  I am forever in your debt for liberating my soul. By restoring me
to the  world, the world restores itself. The natural order is
reestablished. Man  and beast may again live in harmony."

  The animals begin to excitedly roar, bark, and bray. "My time in this
world is done," Zaton says. "But for you brave adventurers the task is just
beginning. Namtar is evil! He must be destroyed! To you I grant the boon of
knowledge...use it well!"

80) The center post of these communal huts shelters a secret chamber. A
skeleton dressed in the royal colors of Kingshome sits on a makeshift
throne.  Whoever this was, he's been dead a long time. A royal signet ring
gleams on  one skeletal finger. The ring seems both valuable and important.

81) A dwarf springs up as you enter the room. He eagerly scans your party,
then collapses in disappointment. "No dwarves," he weeps. "Never are there
any dwarves. Poor Josephina is all alone." The dwarf has a woman's name,
but it's bearded and it smells and...well, no matter, Josephina is probably
just as crazy as everyone else in this silly town.

  "The kingdom is broken," cries Josephina. "The great clanhall is sealed,
and all the dwarves slumber in the vaults. Namtar stole the eyes from our
icon and hurled them into the sea. Every day I search the coast, but never
do I find the eyes." Josephina continues to weep, hardly aware of your
presence.

82) Nisir, the Mountain of Salvation, rises above you to an impossibly
great height, seeming to rip the sky. Although it is daytime, when you look
up you can see stars near where you guess the summit of the mighty mountain
must be. It seems to you the mountain must push through the very atmosphere
of Oceana to produce such a sight.

  Ahead of you, a long line of pilgrims slowly files past the sole gate
leading from the harbor.

83) A prisoner lies babbling in the corner. "A secret tunnel connects this
prison to the Nisir", he says. "When you find the swamp within the
mountain, know you are near Namtar!"

84) The pilgrims stop one-by-one to kneel before this elaborate shrine
before continuing. The shrine depicts the image of the Universal God, a
faceless deity that looks in all directions at once, and raises its arms
to encompass both earth heaven, and underworld. You note with relief that
not even Namtar has dared to undermine the basic faith of Oceana.

  The pilgrims evidently expect enlightenment and salvation to result from
their visit to Nisir. You expect salvation of a different kind-the sort
that can come only from sending Namtar to his doom.

85) It is several days' sail to Nisir, the Mountain of Salvation, but the
route is easy to follow. The great mountain Nisir seems to rise from the
roots of Oceana and reach to the heavens-it is easily the tallest mountain
on the planet, and you are in sight of your destination for most of the
journey.

  The harbor at Nisir is clogged with pilgrim's vessels. Several hundred
robed figures crowd the docks, slowly passing through the harbor's only
exit into the interior. The great mountain of Nisir looms above you, stern
and forbidding. You sense a moment of destiny is at hand.

86) You are pressed into service and sent directly to the front. The army
makes no attempt to provision or train you-it's evident they consider you
a band of cutthroats, and that they like you just the way you are.

  A troop ship conveys you to King's Island, where the walled city of
Byzanople stubbornly resists the enlightenment of joining the unified
Kingshomer Empire under Namtar and King Drake. Byzanople has been under
siege for several months, and the besieging Kingshomer army is preparing
to take the city by storm. You are to be among the waves of unfortunates
they wish to send over the wall. You may not take kindly to this idea, but
there are many more of them than there are of you, and this is no
opportunity  to desert.

  You are billeted in a siege camp located a few miles south of the actual
siege.

87) Directly ahead you see the semi-permanent camp of the Kingshomer
campaign army. The army occupies a valley between two mountain peaks. A
wooden palisade has been erected across the mouth of the valley, providing
the camp with a measure of protection against raiders from the south.

  There is no evidence of an enemy army anywhere in the area. From the
looks of the camp, it seems likely this is a base from which the Kingshomer
army is besieging an enemy fortress or city.

  Several guards lounge before the entrance to the camp. They eye you with
suspicion.

88) Within this building you find a group of old men gathered around a
table.  They're playing dice and speaking rapidly to each other in a
dialect you  can barely understand. You are noticed and welcomed into the
game.

  The men play for the joy of it. There's a complicated wagering scheme
involved, but no money ever changes hands, and the men don't seem to care
if you're rich or destitute. Alter a while, you begin to make sense of
their speech.

  It seems these men are residents of the Dilmun interior, displaced to
this  island of outlanders by war and oppression. From them you learn a
little of  recent events in Dilmun. The Dilmun interior consists of several
large  islands, each of which is dominated by an autonomous city-state.
Warfare has  been frequent between the rival cities, but no single nation
has ever been  able to rule all the others. Each city keeps a dragon
captive somewhere  within its walls-if total disaster ever threatens, the
dragon will be let  loose. This would almost certainly lead to the
destruction of both sides,  but it serves as a deterrent to conquest.

  Recently, the city of Kingshome launched a bid for empire. Kingshome's
imperialism was aided by a sorcerer--Namtar, the Beast From the Pit. Thanks
to Namtar, all magical opposition was quickly overwhelmed, and Kingshome
made rapid gains. For some unknown reason, the conquered cities never
launched their dragons against Kingshome.

  The youngest of the men arrived at the camp just a few months ago. So far
 as he knows, nearly all of Dilmun's cities have been conquered or lay in
ruins. The city of Byzanople on the King's Isle remains free, although it
has been under siege for several months. He also mentions a city called
Freeport in the Eastern Isles, but his companions scoff when he does,
saying  Freeport is more myth than reality. Nevertheless, the young man
asserts he'll find Freeport someday-as soon as he can find a ship bound for
the  Eastern Isles. Since the war, very few ships travel the interior
waterways,  and it has become increasingly difficult to use Dilmun's many
bridges.

89) You restrain the hunchback and prevent him from hurling the prisoner
into the pit. Tears flow from the hunchback's already swollen eyes. "Buth
Gethtrude must eat!" he mumbles. The dragon's thrashing intensifies, and
the great beast begins beating its head against the side of its pit,
setting up a great rumbling through the dungeon. "Now thuh manue hath hit
thuth windmill!" the hunchback howls, trying to flee down the narrow
causeway to the edge of the pit. He doesn't make it...with a great booming,
the dragon lurches from from his chains, bumping against the platform on
which you stand. The hunchback is hurled screaming into the maw of the
dragon...but now that that beast is free of its chains, no mere morsel can
satisfy it!

  You flee the scene as the dragon smashes at the supports of the dungeon,
and in so doing at the foundation of the entire city of Phoebus. You find
a crazy path to the surface uncovered by the dragon's rage. You flee the
vicinity of the city and watch from a nearby hill as the dragon claws its
way to the surface. Before long, Phoebus is a flaming ruin as the dragon
takes its terrible toll. The city destroyed, the dragon slowly rises into
the sky, and flaps off to the east.

90) This is the office of the supreme commander of the campaign army of
Kingshome. General Buck Ironhead regards you from behind his desk. Ironhead
is a frightening sight. His arms are a mass of scar tissue from a sequence
of wounds too tedious to list. His face shows no mirth. His hands
continually  clench and unclench. Kis head is completely flat-you could
balance an egg on  it.

  "It's about time ya goldbricks showed up!" Buck snarls. "What do ya think
 this is-a soggin' country club?? Ain't ya ever heard of reporting to yer
commandin' officer??" Buck doesn't wait for a reply. "Now, I know you
clowns are a pack of liberal adventurers. You don't like Namtar, you don't
like the army-kid's today!! Ungrateful whelps! Well, I don't care about any
of that. I'm here to give you a second chance."

  Buck comes out from behind his desk and hobbles around his office as he
continues. "You're in the army whether you like it or not, so you might as
well do this the easy way. You may think you've got this thing licked, but
I know damn well you can't tell your elbow from a dragon's blowhole. You
keep your nose clean and serve with some distinction at the front, and
I'll do what I can about gettin' you a full pardon. Namtar's a
megalomaniac, but he's also a businessman, and he needs creeps like you!"

  Buck dismisses you. "This is yer only chance. Namtar's gonna control
everything sooner or later, so you might as well join the winning side.
Namtar's promised a kinder and gentler Oceana, but he can't get on with  it
until guys like you toe the line.

  "Get outta here!!"

91) Some bandits were evidently holed up here. Their campfire is still
warm.  Evidently they were eating a meal when you showed up, as
half-finished  bowls of gruel stand all around the fire.

  They weren't very good bandits, or maybe they hadn't been at it for long.
There isn't much loot to be had in this camp. Maybe they were adventurers
such as yourselves, turned to crime in these hard times.

92) The magnificent stag lays dead. As you kneel beside your kill, the
shaft of an arrow buries itself to the feathers in the sod between your
feet. You look up and see an old but very dangerous-looking man aiming  yet
another arrow at you.

  "This is the private preserve of King Drake," the old man says. "An' you
have been poachin'." He glances over your party before continuing.  "These
bein' hard times, I imagine ye gots to eat...but that was a prize  animal
ye just killed, and I've gots to do me job."

  The man keeps his bow half-cocked and watches you closely. He seems to
be waiting for you to make the first move. Maybe it would be worth  winning
his trust.

93) "BRAAAAAP!" Nergal is crude. "That was delicious...I will hallucinate
later, and imagine Irkalla working for a living." Nergal shifts his
ponderous mass on his throne, leans forward, and leers. "And now you  will
serve Nergal!"

  With impossible speed, Nergal grabs the volunteer with both slimy hands.
His jaw seems to drop down to his belt as the black maw of his mouth is
exposed. He quickly slips the volunteer's head into his mouth, and clenches
his jaw with a sickening crunch. The volunteer's body stiffens,  then goes
limp, collapsing to the ground without a head.

  All is silent. Nergal smiles.

94) You recall learning of waters like this during your mystic studies.
The pool of water ahead fits the description of Apsu Waters...waters of
the world ocean that underlies the surface of Oceana. Apsu Waters are
coterminous with the world of Oceana, the mystical Magan Underworld, and
dark dimensions where gods and devils reside.

95) The slave boss is relentless. He offers you not a moment's rest, nor  a
drop of water, or even a scrap of bread. All that matters is that the
tunnel be completed. No single man or beast may stand in the way of the
project. Night and day you are driven to finish your task, with the sharp
lash of the whip on your back, and the laughter of the cruel slave boss
ringing in your ears.

96) An old man leaps to his feet and Iunges for his bow when you enter the
shack. "Glory be-ye got past me snare!!", he exclaims. "That's quite a
feat, but it still don't do to go bargin' in on honest folks without so
much as a knock!"

  "Me name is Old Jack," he continues. "I'm the gamewarden hereabouts."
Jack keeps his bow half-cocked and watches you closely. He seems to be
waiting for you to make the first move. Maybe it would be worth winning
his trust.

97) The long line of white-robed pilgrims ends at this rocky shrine.  One
by one the pilgrims pass before a huge and powerful image of the  Universal
God. There are no guards here. None are required. The God keeps  its own
order beneath its own roof.

  Looking up into the faceless face of the god, you feel the hand of
destiny upon you. Namtar has not yet attempted to supplant Oceana's primary
religion...but can that day be far away? The gods risk disaster when they
come to the world in person-they must work through champions to see their
will is done. The Universal God seems to need a champion, a legendary hero
to serve the cause of Freedom. Roba of Freeport was such a hero. Will you
be another?

  The God requires a sign.

98) You climb the Mountain of Salvation for several hours, but the summit
seems to draw no closer. Several pilgrims drop from exhaustion along the
path...the road to salvation is not for the weak of heart.

  But a fraction of the way up the mountain, the path abruptly cuts into
the rock. A level plain has been cleared in the side of the mountain.  This
is evidently the place to which the pilgrims travel. Turning around,  you
look out at the world of Oceana from your lofty perch on the world's
highest mountain. To your alarm, you see you have long since risen above
even the highest clouds. The sky is purple and strange stars twinkle-the
huge bloated mass of the sun fully fills half the sky. Truly, this place
is close to God.

99) In this stuffy bedroom you find a journal. From it you determine the
master of this house was a man named Mog, a rich aristocrat who made his
fortune in the mining business. By all accounts he was a crude man-wealthy
but uncultured-who fancied himself an artist. The journal is largely given
over to a remarkably frank account of Mog's failure as an artist.

  Mog admits to experimenting with alchemy in pursuit of his art. At one
point he confesses using a potion to transform living flesh into stone,
but the artistic results were not satisfactory.

  Near the end of the journal Mog mentions "acquiring an apprentice" by
supernatural means. It seems this apprentice was originally supposed to
assist Mog in his art. Toward the end of the joumal, Mog admits the
apprentice has begun producing incredible works of art which Mog displays
in his garden and calls his own. Mog hints that the apprentice demands a
terrible price for his art, and that he fears him. It is possible the
apprentice might not be human.

100) Off the beaten path you find this is a temple to the Magan Underworld.
This seems a considerably older place than the other structures on this
plateau. The Underworld was before there was a was, and doubtless it will
still thrive when all of Oceana has long since burned off into the void.

101) You receive a note with your feeble meal for the day:

   'I am Berengaria, Acolyte of the Temple of the Sun. Mystalvision has
gone mad. He punishes me and the others for no reason. He has been
corrupted by Namtar.

  `We of the Sun serve justice; you must believe that. Mystalvision has
brought dishonor to our Order. These are dark times. You have been unfairly
imprisoned.

    `I have unlocked your door, and made certain the jailor is drunk. If
you  are cautious, you should be able to sneak past him and escape. The
jailor's  room adjoins the cell block. Look for the secret door in the
south wall of  the jailor's room-beyond is a passage that leads to people
who will help  you. I regret I cannot give you a weapon...just doing this
much has placed  me in great jeopardy.

    `Should you escape, meet me at the Icarian Triumph tavern in the
northeast quarter of the city. I'll have something for you.

     'For justice and the Sun, I remain your friend-
                                                      -Berengia'
                                                                                  Berengaria'102) This is the jailor's room. The fat jailor snores in a drunken slumber.
He's slumped over his table, but there is a rope tied to his hand, and a
bell tied to his rope. Should he stir, the bell will ring, possibly
summoning guards. The jailor is asleep, and doubtless very drunk, but
turn-keys are notoriously light sleepers.

103) These are the private chambers of the master of the house. The
curtains are drawn across the windows permitting little light to enter  the
room. In the murk, you can see that this room, like the others in  the
house, is strangely devoid of wall hangings...and that no mirrors  are
present.

  The Master is in, sitting in his favorite chair. He wears the garb of an
artist-specifically of a sculptor...and he wants you to be his next
masterpiece!

104) In the dark shadows of the dungeon you find a pit, at the bottom of
which is a frothing dragon. The beast is constrained by a series of
chains, but it seems to you the saurian could hardly be bound by such  puny
restraints.

  Suspended above the center of the pit is a wooden platform, on which a
demented hunchback struggles with a bound prisoner. The hunchback is about
to push the prisoner into the pit, evidently intending him as a sacrifice
to the dragon. The prisoner struggles as best as he is able, but his hands
are tied behind his back, and he is weakened from long captivity. The
dragon thrashes back and forth, impatient to receive its meal.

105) There are evident signs this chamber was formerly the lair of a beast
or large animal. A pile of straw in the corner indicates where a large
creature could have slept. The walls scraped with claw marks, and the  room
is pervaded by an unpleasant odor. The room makes you feel  instinctively
uneasy.

106) This torture chamber is a vision of misery. The walls are lined with
chains for securing prisoners in place; the center of the room is occupied
by racks, iron maidens, a fire pit, and other horrible instruments. In the
corner is a hole into which are hurled the grisly remains of stubborn
heretics.

  A dying druid is stretched on the rack. You have rescued him from his
torture...at the same time, it is evident he will soon die. There is
nothing  you can do to save his life, but perhaps you can ease his final
moments?

107) This tower chamber is in very ill repair. The supports are sinking,
and  half the floor is flooded with inky black water. The contents of
innumerable  vials and potions are emptied on the floor alongside the
smashed vials that  formerly contained them. What was once a great magical
library has been  destroyed by fire and water damage.

  Amid a pile of debris you find the fragments of a journal. Much of it is
in some magic language you can't understand, but a small part is legible.
The journal is dated prior to the destruction of the City of the Yellow Mud
Toad. You surmise the journal was maintained by Lanac'toor.

  `The chicken remains animate, not that it matters any longer. That
pinhead Mystalvision has changed the rules again. Where will I find a vole
in this weather?...Have resumed expansion of my tower's basement, using
Soften Stone and Create Wall spells to clear rock, but this whole damn
building is sinking. I keep running into pockets of water. Furthermore, I
uncovered an entrance to Magan, and all manner of berserk Underworld
denizens are running amok in my tunnels...The hell of it is that I've lost
my spectacles that Utnapishtim the Faraway gave me. I'll never see the
entrance to the College of Magic without them. They're buried somewhere in
the rock. I don't know if I can locate them at this late date, with
Namtar's  thugs loose and my name on the hit list. I should prepare the
city for  defense, but I haven't done my laundry in weeks, and it's
beginning to  smell.'

  Such are the concerns of sorcerers.

108) You are led to a secret throne room beneath the city of Byzanople.
There Prince Jordan and several advisors huddle around a map in a council
of war. Jordan is stunned when he sees his sister has brought you into the
heart of his defenses. Jordan's private guards tense as they lock eyes
with you.

  Prince Jordan recovers his composure and listens with interest to his
sister's story. He is very interested to learn you are infiltrators
recently  pressed into service with the Kingshomer army. "You are not
native to  Dilrnun, I can see that," Jordan says. "This isn't your war. No
Outlander  reaches the interior without going through Purgatory...and
Purgatory is  administered by Kingshome. I know because my sister was
formerly Governor  of Purgatory."

  Jordan invites you to sit and offers you wine. "My father is King Drake
of Kingshome," Jordan says. "I haven't seen my father in over a yearnot
since Namtar rose from the Pit. My father is a peaceful man, and he loves
his children...but he has recently dismissed my sister from her post at
Purgatory, and then layed siege to me here at Byzanople. My father loves
me and the succession is not disputed. I want to see my father die in
bed-I do not covet his throne. There is no reason for the King to make war
on me. It must he Namtar's doing.

  "My father is not perfect, but it was never his way to imprison
Outlanders  for no reason. Namtar has stolen my father from me; he has
robbed you of  your dignity. He is our common enemy. I make you an
offer-reject Kingshome  and join me in my struggle against Namtar. When my
father is restored to  the throne, I will see you are richly rewarded."

109) Jordan smiles. He leads you to the map he and his men were examining.
You recognize it as a plan of the Kingshomer siege camp. Jordan pumps you
for information concerning the camp and the size of the force stationed
there.

  "We'll attack them tonight," Jordan decides. "There is a secret way from
the citadel to the enemy camp-we will take them by surprise." Jordan  looks
at you as he continues, "Feel free to explore the city until we  are ready
to leave."

110) "The time has come," Prince Jordan says as he meets you on the stairs.
Together with several of Prince Jordan's best fighters, you sneak away
from Byzanople through a secret passage. Only a skeleton garrison is left
behind-you realize Jordan is throwing everything into this attack.

  Using a local guide, you pick your way through the mountains surrounding
the Kingshomer siege camp. The guide seems to lead you through solid rock
at times, and you soon have little idea of where you are. Suddenly, from
ahead, you hear Buck Ironhead bellow orders to a pack of new "recruits".
The battle is about to begin!

111) You enter the dusty and perhaps forgotten ancestral crypt of
Byzanople.  The murky vault stretches off into the darkness, harboring the
remains of  several generations of royalty. Perhaps they were buried with
treasure...?

  If you listen, you think you can hear a faint rattle of chains, and the
raspy sound of a corpse drawing breath.

112) Deep beneath the live volcano, you find the dragon hatchery. Here
fantastic riches are free for the taking. Your perilous journey across the
northern desert, so terrible in its undertaking, at last seems worthwhile.

113) The priests gratefully accept your knowledge and help in restoring
the temple. "Truly you are people of the Toad," says a priest. "Please
accept these boots as our gift." You are provided with several sets of
oversized golden boots. The boots are fashioned so as to resemble the
flipper feet of a toad. It will be difficult to walk wearing such thing.
"The owner of Magic Golden Toad Boots can leap great distances!" the
priest says with pride.

114) In the darkest heart of this palace of the dead you find an incredible
sight...the court of Nergal, consort to Irkalla and King of the Underworld.
 The bloated white mass of Nergal slouches on a throne of skulls, attended
by a score of pallid goblins. Worms squirm in his hair, bats nestle in his
loins, and rodents peer at you from within Nergal's mouth. About his neck,
on a silver chain, you see a large and ornate key.

  "Topsiders...in my Court!" Nergal roars. "Bad enough I am in exile
without  fool clodhoppers barging in on me. Goblins! Ghoulies! Bring them
here!!"

115) "Haw! Most entertaining," Nergal laughs. The hideous god raises one
fist and his court of freaks-though you just hacked them to pieces-lurch
to their feet like puppets on invisible strings. The goblins and ghoulies
look ready to fight again...it's evident the undead monsters will
eventually  wear you down. "You have entertained me...but you must also
feed Nergal  and serve Nergal before you can ask a boon of Nergal. That is
the law!"

  Negal looks at you expectantly. A ghoul titters.

116) Just as advertised by the blind juggler, there was indeed a secret
tunnel out of Purgatory. Beneath the rock marked with the secret sign you
find fresh armor and weapons...thus armed, you are ready to seek revenge
for your imprisonment.

117) Here in the open garden you find an unusual statue. It is of an
apparently wealthy man, if the quality of his garments is any clue. He is
in poor shape, and appears to be afraid of something. The quality of the
work is excellent, but the statue is very unflattering.

118) A massive mechanical brass automaton stands at silent attention in
this chamber. It is a flawless piece of engineering, massive yet agile,
and heavily armed and armored from head to toe. It would not do to run
into this thing in a dark hallway.

119)  This vault is filled with slumbering dwarves...but it they sleep, it
is the sleep of the dead, for the dwarves have been turned to stone. The
dwarves are frozen in all variety of poses-sleeping, eating, working, and
just a few while fighting. It seems the dwarves were surprised by something
terrible that turned them to stone.

120) The Dragon Queen recoils when you show the DragonGem. "Curse you!" she
hisses. "The DragonGem marks you as friend of dragons, and binds me to your
will." The Dragon Queen looms above you, seeming impossibly large. "I grant
you your life, and I dismiss you from my presence. When next you use the
DragonGem, I will respond...but the sacrifice you offer must be sweet, or
I will turn on you, and the DragonGem be damned!!"

  With a beat of her wings the Dragon Queen is gone.

121) Peals of hysterical laughter assail your ears. You've discovered the
secret undercity of Lansk, and where the city above is staid and
conservative, this place is a true party town. Citizens stagger about in
drunken stupors, angry soldiers wrestle with one another, women and
animals run through the streets.

122) This statue represents Irkalla, the reigning deity of the Magan
Underworld. It is to her you must appeal if you will long survive in the
Underworld. She frequently wars with her consort Nergal, sometime King of
the Underworld.

123) Here is a statue of Nergal, the cowardly King of the Underworld. When
he is not getting along with Irkalla, Nergal is exiled to his palace in
the Necropolis, a city of the dead hidden on one of Dilmun's many isles.
Nergal is a bloated and ridiculous creature, but from the look in his eye
you surmise he might have a sense of humor.

124) This statue honors the Universal God, the most popular deity of the
surface realm of Oceana. The Universal God is a faceless deity with
multiple  arms and hands. Each hand is posed in a different signal, sending
messages  of hope and fear to the faithful. The Universal God is said to
offer power  to those who serve Freedom-it was a patron of the legendary
Roba of Freeport.  An ancient shrine to the Universal God on the mountain
of Nisir attracts  millions of pilgrims annually.

125) Here you find an image of Enkidu the beastman, patron deity of animals
and Druids. His worship is strong in the wild places, but has declined in
cities with the rise of Namtar and the destruction of the Druid sect.

126) Here you find Lansk's dragon, perhaps first glimpsed from the city
square above. Up close the dragon is not nearly so impressive. It is an old
dragonlts fire has gone out, and its teeth have been pulled. It is still a
powerful beast, but age or drugs seem to have robbed the beast of its
fighting spirit. The animal looks at you with something close to sadness
in its eyes.

127) The cave is much larger on the inside than without. The interior of
the cave is lined with thousands of natural crystals that crazily reflect
the light. Alter your long dark journey through the Underworld, you are
dazzled by the sudden light, and become disoriented.

  A voice rings in your ears. "You are the heroes of Oceana, and to you
has fallen the burden of this adventure. Listen closely, for this is what
you must do...

  "The fair world of Oceana is sinking as the seas swell ever larger-there
is little to be done for this. The world has its span of life like any man
or beast. The pilgrim Isles of Dilmun have been usurped by Namtar, a
renegade demon from the realm of this Underworld. He has disposed of King
Drake of Kingshome and rules in the late King's name, using the King's
legions to pursue his path of conquest.

  "Namtar must be destroyed. He has isolated his enemies, dispersed the
magical brotherhood of the world and taken control of the dragons.

  "The Sword of Freedom must be found and reborn in its forge. A
reconciliation of sorts must be set between Irkalla and Nergal, for without
accord in the Underworld, there can be no peace on the surface.  When all
is ready, seek the Mountain of Salvation-Namtar must be returned to the pit
of hell from which he came."

  The voice fades...

128) You sprinkle the ashes on the dark waters of the well, which abruptly
begin to swirl. Although the night of the Underworld is absolute, you
think you see a reflection of stars in the swirling black waters. The
motion of the water intensifies and the ashes are sucked into the depths.

  You stand back as a ghostly apparition rises from the well. At first the
form is a shade, then a ghost, then a spectre, then a living corpse.
Gradually the shape takes corporeal form...blood, bone, muscle, teeth,
hair is restored.

  The ashes are restored to life!

129) The meeting of the Dilmun Underground is called to order. All those
in attendance at the meeting are cloaked in dark robes, and although you
recognize a few voices, no faces are visible.

130) Formerly the imperial court of King Drake, this hall retains none of
the splendor of ages past. Where once hung brilliant tapestries, the  walls
are now bare. Empty pedestals mark where renowned sculptures formerly
stood. Blocks of marble are missing in several places where materials have
been removed to construct fortresses for Kingsbome's campaign army. This is
not the court of a king in residence.

131) This is a private bedchamber. A man wearing a simple robe lays on a
divan. He seems neither old nor young. He has no distinguishing marks or
characteristics...there is no evil air to him, his eyes do not piece to
your soul, his brow has no spark of mad genius. He sits up lazily as you
enter, swings his feet to the floor, walks across the room, and shakes your
hand.

  "I'm Namtar," he says. "I suppose you guessed that. You've given me quite
a lot of trouble." Namtar smiles. "Disappointed? Expecting something more?
Later-I promise you. Won't you sit down?" Namtar offers you a chair.

  Namtar looks sleepy. He keeps rubbing his eyes. "Administering the
conquest  of the world is a bitch," he says. "If I'd know how much work
this was going  to take, I doubt I ever would have started. Or maybe I
never had a choice.  No matter. We need to talk.

  "I am the son of gods. It is my destiny to rule men such as yourselves.
You don't have to like it-I sense you do not-but that is the way of things.
I have some grand plans, but I can't begin until this futile resistance is
quelled. It's just a matter of time. You know that as well as I. Why don't
you pack it off to the Isle of the Damned-it worked for old Drake. You're
not even native to Dilmun...there's little reason for you to oppose me.
Granted, that episode in Purgatory was nasty, but into everyone's life a
little reign must fall. Ha ha. That was a pun.

  No one laughs. Namtar sighs. "Ah well, I suppose we'll have to do this
the hard way. I'll be leaving now. If you're very dedicated, and very
lucky,  we may meet again within the Mountain of Salvation. I will kill you
then.  In the meantime, consider yourselves to be living on borrowed time.
It's the  least I can give you in gratitude for the entertainment you've
provided thus  far.

  "Oh...by the way. You can move again." Namtar's sorcery was so complete,
you did not notice you were under his compulsion until he brought it up.
"I wish you the worst of luck, my friends." Suddenly Namtar is gone - no
flash of light, no peal of thunder - just gone.

132) Aradrax screams as the first pint of blood is pumped from his body.
This is going to be a long night-a single pint will never satisfy the
Vampire Lord, but it seems none of the blood is going to come easy. You
check the machines and see they function as advertised, but it still seems
your volunteer is experiencing needless pain.

133) "You're all right," the troll laughs, wiping the froth from his lips.
"We have many other strange and wonderful customs of which you should
partake. Meet me at the crossed oaks when the moon is full, and you will
have your promised meeting with the king."

134) In the very heart of the valley you find the sacred hive of the Dragon
Queen. The Queen sits atop a mountain of eggs, some of which hatch young
saurians even as you watch. The Dragon Queen is colossal-easily ten times
the size of any beast you've confronted thus far. She fixes you with a
fierce glare.

  "You carve your way through my valley," she hisses, "destroying my
creatures, and now enter the presence of the Mother Dragon. You will die
for what you have done, but you will die slowly...as food for my brood.

  The Dragon Queen rears up and prepares to breathe a blast of poisonous
fire.

135) "I trust you have read Poe," Namtar laughs. "The best place to hide
something is in plain sight. You paranoid dolts would never consider that,
would you?" Namtar slides another rod into his arcane box. "Soon my work
will be complete...soon I will fulfill my destiny-and then you will rue
the day you laughed at me!!"

136) The galleries are crammed with fools, each exiled here for their
inability to follow directions. The fantasy is only so real as you allow
it to be, and while at times life may seem a fool's errand, it is only
what you make of it. There is little sense in cheating yourself at
solitaire.

137) Bound in chains upon this lonely Isle of Woe you find the dark queen
Irkalla, Mistress of Magan. The chains are made of enchanted silver, and
she is unable to move. "Topsiders!" she snarls when she sees you "It's
always the same. The water level rises, your toilets back up, and everyone
rushes to the Underworld for help! Well, I have problems of my own, as you
can see. That filthy halfbreed Namtar chained me here, and gave the key to
the one creature who owes me no favors."

  Irkalla regards you. "Perhaps you could be of some use," she says, her
tone suddenly becoming incredibly seductive. "Find the Silver Key and set
me free...you will be richly rewarded. Namtar is our mutual enemy. Serve
me, and I shall serve you to defeat him!"

138) You stand at the edge of the Isle of Woe, looking out across the dark
waters, and are convinced nothing is going to happen when a sudden flight
of bats overhead heralds the arrival of momentous events. An ominous
ringing fills the air. A few yards offshore the dark waters part, and
offered up from the depths you see the legendary Sword of Freedom. Forged
from dwarven steel in the fires of hell, powered by the essence of the
legendary hero Roba, and tempered in the Apsu waters that underlie
creation,  the most powerful artifact Oceana has ever known has been
reborn!

139) The dwarf has the engine running in no time. With a shudder and a
cough, the ancient airship lumbers aloft, and for the first time in
centuries something other than a dragon plies the airways of Oceana.

  Alter several days journey to the west, you spot an uncharted island. At
the center of the island is an odd ring of standing stones, and in the
center of the ring you see...

140) You are up to see the dawn as the sun's rays brilliantly spread across
the waters of Oceana. Nights on the trail have their own sort of beauty,
but you can't hope helping it won't always be like this. Someday you will
no longer be an outlaw. Someday you will sleep beneath a roof like other
people, and at last be considered a true citizen of Dilmun. You won't
always  be poor-this is just a phase.

141) In the next chamber, you see fires identical to the first. "Very
good,"  the voice intones. "You have potential, but I detected a flaw in
your form.  Please negotiate this wall of fire for me, that I might study
your finer  points."

142) "Now you are learning. Not everything is as it seems," says the voice.
You enter a chamber occupied by a stone gargoyle. The gargoyle's gaze is
fixed on the door through which you must exit the room. "To be seen by the
gargoyle is to know death," says the voice. "Yet the gargoyle sees the
exit. What to do, what to do...?"

143) "Now you have learned to listen. Excellent...you are half-way home,"
says the voice. You detect genuine admiration in its tone. "This college
exists in the rarified atmosphere of the true academic, but not everyone
you will encounter appreciates the Art. You must learn to deal with such
ruffians." Out of thin air, a huge warrior appears, wielding a sword in
both hands. "I'm gonna split yer lobe, highbrow!" he snarls.

144) "I'm sorry that was so brutal, but I had to prove a point," the voice
explains. "Some people can't appreciate Art...in such times, you must rely
on more direct measures." You find yourself in a chamber over which is
suspended a huge block of granite. The block is hung by a cable...the cable
trails to a wall and down to the floor, where it stretches across the floor
as a trip-wire. It doesn't take much intelligence to figure it would be
unhealthful to trip on the wire. The voice is strangely silent.

145) "That was novel. I don't think I've seen that solution before."
Across the room you see your mysterious host. "I am Utnapishtim, also
called  the Faraway. I have been your teacher, now you must teach me
something.  I want to see something novel and new. Give me your best
shot...you go  first." The wizard waits for you to act.

146) This time it is Utnapishtim in the flesh who greets you. "Well done!"
he says. "Having learned to listen to me, you've learned you don't have to
listen to me. Lanac'toor could not have done better." The old wizard shows
no concern when you tell him Lanac'toor is dead. "There's death, and then
there's death. I wouldn't worry about Toor."

  Utnapishtim shows you to a cabinet, within which are three magic items.
"For completing my gauntlet, you may select one item. I offer the Soul
Bowl,  the Laugh Staff, or the Sing Ring. Which will it be, my friends?"
The wizard  looks at you with a hint of impatience. From the way he
introduced the items,  you judge he does not want you to select the Soul
Bowl.

147) You emerge from a narrow pass and look out on a hidden valley. The
valley is narrow and wet and confined on three sides by mountains and by
the  sea on the fourth. The swampy mass of the valley floor at first
appears to  be moving...until you look closer, when you realize the valley
floor is  covered with a mass of living creatures, crawling one atop
another as far  as the eye can see.

  To venture into the Dragon Valley is to invite certain death.

Well, pirates, I scanned these docs and did not proofread them. The scanner
made a feeeeew mistakes so don't blame me! I did find all of the major
mistakes (where the scanner missed a few lines) but there are some places
where it mistook an "i" for an "l" or something like that. However, the
overall quality of the scanner was quite good.

                            Typed by Mictlantecuhtli