Sapphire:Sessions:20051217

[December 17, 2005]

Long Days 22, mid-afternoon: Jinto, Chalker, and Runis step onto the platform and disappear. Rory goes and retrieves the horses; he checks them for injuries and finds only a few bruises. Seven or eight people, including three human guards, start following him as he checks around the outside of the building for a way to get the horses and wagon inside. Another eight or nine people are roaming around inside the building. Aliana waits in the platform room.

After a moment of disorientation, the three find themselves in pitch darkness. The Diamond lights up and illuminates a 10’x10’ room. They are standing in the exact center. In the middle of each of the four identical stone walls is a closed door that opens outward with a locking mechanism on the handle. As Jinto starts doing some sort of magic thing, Chalker draws a dagger and jabs it into the floor in front of the door they were facing when they arrived. Somehow it is determined that they are facing north, although when they stepped on the platform they had been facing west. Above each door is written in a language that Chalker determines is related to Venettian: The Mage’s Home. To the left of each door it reads: Enter At Your Own Risk. To the right of each door is an odd name: Geriana Newsome.

When Chalker reads the name aloud, Runis says that Geriana Newsome was a human who lived 1500 years ago who was known as both elf-friend and dwarf-friend. Several epic poems were written about her and her deeds. She had negotiated peace between elven and dwarven clans in the mountains west of the Troubled Lands. She had also been involved with merfolk off the coast of what are now the Peninsular Kingdoms. It was rumored that she came from another realm. “You mean like Josh?” asks Chalker. “Possibly,” replies Runis. Chalker wonders to himself why, if she was supposedly a peacemaker, do the signs say Enter At Your Own Risk, but for a change he keeps his musings to himself.

Jinto reports, “There are spells on the doors which I have been unable to dispel or penetrate.” Chalker: “Can we leave the same way we came in when we want to?” Jinto: “Yes.” Chalker: “Is there any other magic besides that on the doors?” Jinto: “I still sense the large platform. We’re less than fifty yards from it in that direction (pointing north). It doesn’t correlate to where I thought it was when we were above. There’s some sort of distortion effect in this room.”

Chalker goes up to the north door and looks through it. It takes a while for his vision to penetrate the door. Then he’s looking into an empty corridor five feet wide. Chalker manipulates the intricate lock with his power over metal and has it open in fifteen seconds. Runis positions himself, shield up, directly in front of the door while Chalker and Jinto stand off to the sides. Chalker uses his power to push the door open. Runis: “If we haven’t announced ourselves yet, we might as well now!” As the door swings open, Chalker hears the very faint whistle of a light breeze whistle past his ear.

Runis proceeds into the hallway, and Chalker motions for Jinto to go ahead of him. (Up above, Aliana shouts down, “Hey, can you hear me?” Chalker hears a voice but can’t make out the words. He asks, “Jinto, did you hear something?” and the elf responds in the negative. Chalker shrugs and continues into the hallway.) The stone walls are unadorned. Ten yards down the hall is a T-intersection. Chalker slips past Jinto, and he and Runis look both ways. This corridor is eight feet wide and has torch brackets and various decorative tapestries. To the left, on the right side of the corridor between two tapestries, Chalker sees a door; to the right there is a door on the left side of the corridor. Despite the Diamond’s strong illumination, Chalker can’t see either end of the corridor from here. Runis goes left, which coincidentally is the same direction Chalker wanted to go anyway.

As Runis approaches the door, Jinto warns that there are several spells on it as well as on the floor beneath it. Chalker tries to look through the door, but something’s blocking his vision. Jinto announces “I’m going to try to dispel some of this” and Chalker steps back behind the elf. After casting his spell, Jinto looks disgusted. “Whoever did this was very well-versed in magic. I was unable to dispel it.” Chalker tries peering through the wall, which turns out to be less warded than the door. He finds he is looking through a framed picture at a table with a water basin atop it. Scanning along the wall he sees an expensive-looking chair of dark wood. Then after about fifteen feet he stops, abruptly sensing that he is about to run into the end of the corridor, even though it still appears to go on. Chalker turns to his left and looks through that wall, beyond which is rock and dirt. With his normal vision, however, the illusion of a continuing corridor persists.

As Chalker reaches out to touch the invisible end wall, Jinto asks sharply, “What are you doing?” Chalker: “There’s a wall here.” Jinto: “Really?” Jinto does some kind of spell then says, “Whoa.” Chalker lowers his hand. Jinto: “There are some nasty spells hung on that wall. If you had touched it, something would have happened. I’ve dispelled it all now. It’s safe.” The wall is now visible.

Chalker: “Okay… this is the end of the hall, Runis.” Runis nods, glancing back toward the door. Chalker: “Well, Jinto, can you do anything about the door? There doesn’t seem to be anybody in there. Do you think you can dispel that, or should I try to open it again?” Jinto: “Let me try to dispel it. That particular magic didn’t have the same feel as what I tried a few minutes ago. It’s as if a different mage cast it.” Jinto is again unsuccessful.

Runis: “Hey, Rock. Since there seem to be a lot of illusions around here, can you reveal to us the truth about this place?” {I’m unable to help. It appears that a disciple of Cor has fortified with his magic this place.} “Is that who that Geriana Newsome used to worship?” {Yes, I believe so.} “So can you tell me if she’s still alive?” {No.} “Does that mean you can’t tell me, or that she’s not still alive?” {Not still alive.} “So someone else has taken over this place, is that it?” {It is possible.} “Could it be a bale?” {No.}

Runis: “Well, the Rock says this Geriana Newsome isn’t alive.” Chalker: “Somebody’s alive.” Chalker manipulates the lock.

Aliana announces to Josh, who is leaning against a door, “I’m going to do something useful. See you.” Josh: “Anything you want help with?” Aliana: “No, somebody needs to wait here. Don’t want this place to get overrun while they’re gone.”

Rory, examining the back of the building, finds no loading dock or any way to get the wagon inside. He notices a dozen or so juveniles gathered back there, watching the building. Rory walks over to them. He recognizes one of them as a stableboy from the stable near the Rusty Hinge Inn. Kid1: “Are you one of the liberators?” Rory: “What do you mean by liberator?” Kid1: “Y-you’re one of th-the ones who k-killed the l-lords in the castle.” Rory: “Well, it was my sword, but I didn’t really do it.” Kid2: “Then who did?” Rory: “I’m not sure. I just asked for help. Maybe it was all of you people praying for us, hoping that we would do it. We don’t have any special abilities.” (John: “I’m going off of what Aliana told me. She doesn’t want to be stuck here for years. They need to take care of themselves.”) Kid3: “So you just helped out the blacksmith and Talina.” Rory: “I guess you could say that, yes.” Kid4: “See, I told ya.” Most of the youths seem satisfied with his answers. Rory: “Two or three months ago I was cleaning out stalls and busing tables in my parents’ inn.” The youths start asking him questions about where he’s from and what his travels have been like. Rory asks them about “a place where people disappear” and Kid5 responds, “The sage says there used to be a very important node here in this town.” Rory: “Does he know where it is?” Kid5: “I don’t know.” Rory: “Is he still alive? How old is this sage?” Kid5: “Oh, if he didn’t get killed in the fighting he’s still alive.” The sage’s name is Pain Stay.

Aliana finds a well and gets a drink of ‘pretty clean’ water. Armed groups of villagers are moving about, mainly searching for zombies, but there’s no fighting going on. Accosting a group of ten, Aliana orders them to start gathering up dead bodies for burial or burning. They immediately go to do her bidding without any backtalk. Then she goes looking for Rory.

The mechanism clicks and the lock opens. Runis: “Any more spells?” Jinto: “They’re still there. I didn’t sense anything activate yet.” Chalker: “I suggest that we all get on this side of the door, away from the wall, and see what happens when I open it.” Runis positions himself in front of the other two, shield raised. Chalker swings the door into the room. The air shimmers briefly and returns to normal. Chalker: “Okay, Jinto, what just happened?” Jinto: “Some spell went off. I couldn’t quite identify it. It appears to be active now.” Chalker: “You know, you’re not helping my confidence any by telling me what I already know. I know it went off!” Jinto: “And it’s still active.” Runis: “So is it an attack spell, or a warning spell, or…?” Chalker: “Will it hurt us if we go in there?” Jinto: “It’s an area spell that encompasses the doorway and about a yard into the room. It doesn’t extend into the corridor as far as I can tell.” Runis: “Chalker, let me borrow a copper.” Chalker: “That’s what I was gonna do. Here.” Runis raises his shield (Chalker steps behind it and peers over it) and tosses the copper through the doorway. The coin strikes the floor and then is gone. Jinto: “I don’t think it disintegrated. It’s some type of transport spell.” Runis: “I don’t hear the coin bouncing somewhere else.” Chalker: “Okay. Now that it’s active, would it be easier for you to dispel?” Runis: “I could try going through it, see where it takes me.” Chalker: “That sounds dumb.” Runis: “Hey, I think it’s dumb to put a transport spell in a doorway near the end of a dead-end corridor where no one ever goes.” Chalker: “That’s obviously wrong, because we’re here.” Runis: “Well, who are we?” Chalker: “Nobody.” Runis: “See?” Jinto touches Chalker lightly on the back and utters a word, then does something similar to Runis, then to himself. Runis: “What are you doing, elf?” Jinto: “I cast Walk On Air on each of us. The spell on the doorway will only activate if you touch the floor, so step above it and walk over it.” Runis: “Okay, how long does it last?” Jinto: “A minute.” Runis: “Well, let’s get going.” Chalker steps up and then through the doorway (“Do I have any brains? Nope.”) and when he gets about four steps in, Jinto announces “You’re past it. You can go down now if you want.” Chalker descends. Runis: “Hey, this walk on air stuff is kinda fun. Look, I’m taller than Chalker.”

As they enter, this appears to be a waiting room. Behind them they see the table, basin, picture (a painting of a forest glade, signed with a stylized S), and chair as previously described. Against the left wall is a padded bench, and to their right is a desk and some bookshelves. Across the room off to one side is another door. Everything is covered with long-undisturbed dust. Jinto detects no magic on the desk, so Chalker opens the drawers. In one drawer are some rolls of parchment, so old they crumble to the touch. Another drawer contains a small daggerlike object probably used as a letter opener. After checking with Jinto that it’s not magic, Chalker calls dibs on the letter opener. Runis examines the few books on the shelves; they appear to be tax ledgers, listing people’s names, occupations, and the amount owed, from about 2300 years ago, in a human kingdom south of the elf lands, some distance from Yavalin. Chalker carefully tries to open one of the scrolls, but it turns to dust. Runis: “Hey, Jinto, why is somebody putting heavy-duty magic to block access to an auditor’s room?” As Jinto thinks about that, Chalker finds a couple of hidden compartments in the desk, one of which contains a small bar of gold stamped with a seal he doesn’t recognize. Jinto remarks that while the gold bar isn’t magic, there’s something odd about it. Chalker: “Blessed? Cursed?” Jinto: “That could be what it is. I haven’t seen that type of thing very much.” Chalker: “This marking… is it the seal of one of the First Chosen?” Runis: “It could be an abstract version of a symbol used for Cor.” Jinto: “Yes, I can see how that could be.” Chalker: “So far I have no quarrel with Cor, so…” he pockets the gold bar.

Chalker: “Back to Runis’ question, why would they put such heavy magic to block us from getting in here?” Jinto: “It’s the first room into their complex.” Runis: “Why would there be tax rolls for kingdoms way to the east of here? Does that mean we’ve teleported way to the east of here?” Jinto: “No, we’re definitely still below the city.” Chalker: “How far are we from the platform? Have we moved closer?” Jinto (after a brief pause): “This is weird. We’re only about four yards from it, through that door. And there’s no magic on that door.”

Chalker checks the door, which has a simple latch. He pushes the door, which opens into a corridor that runs at a 45-degree angle. The corridor is hung with tapestries and there are several more doors along it. Some of the tapestries depict scenes of diplomacy or informal gatherings, while others are abstract designs. The first few doors lead to small meeting rooms.

Runis thinks over what he has heard of Geriana Newsome. She never ruled anywhere, nor was she a power behind the throne. There is neither record of her descendants, nor of her having a husband or lover.

As they move along the corridor, Jinto affirms that they are moving toward the platform. Runis asks Jinto if they’re being watched, and Jinto says “Not that I’ve detected.” Chalker: “You know, when we first walked in at the very first door, something went by me…” Runis: “Like you let something loose?” Chalker: “Well, it was like the whisper of a wind. I didn’t think about it until you said that. It struck me as odd. But it went past me, which meant that it had to go around Runis – or maybe even through – and he didn’t seem affected.” Runis: “I didn’t notice.” When Jinto says he didn’t notice it either, Runis remarks, “Maybe it only affected humans. Maybe it was a human ghost. Did it say anything?” Chalker: “No, it was like a breeze.” In response to Runis’ questions, Chalker says there was no smell associated with the breeze, and it did not feel warm. Runis observes that while the air in this subterranean building is rather musty, it’s gotten fresher during the time they’ve been down here. Runis: “Either we’re getting closer to some ventilation, or we brought a breath of fresh air with us.”

Aliana finds Rory talking to a group of about a dozen youths, with several adults appearing to be guarding him. (“How cute. Rory has a fan club.”) She climbs up on the wagon and rummages through the provisions. Rory: “How far does this sage live from here?” Kid: “Not far. We could get there in five or ten minutes.” Rory: “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” As Rory (followed by his guards and a couple of kids) comes up to the wagon, Aliana executes an elaborate bow, then offers him a carrot. Rory: “They’re telling me that there’s a sage near here that knows of the node…” Aliana: “Knows of the what?” Rory: “The node, the power point, the platform, the thing we’re looking for.” Aliana: “I thought Jinto already found it.” Rory: “We know where it is, but they’ve been gone for a while. I wonder if there’s a different way down there.” Aliana: “Sage, huh? Where’s he live?” Rory: “They say not far.” Aliana: “Anywhere in the town’s ‘not far’. The other side of orc town’s ‘not far’.” One of the kids pipes up with specific directions, naming streets that Rory is familiar with from the maps. The kid adds, “I could take you right now if he’s there. I don’t know if he’d be with the fighting…” Another kid says, “Aw, I don’t think he’d fight.” Aliana to Rory: “Would he be in favor of the liberation, or has he been in cahoots with the bales?” One of Rory’s entourage speaks up, “He has not been known to say anything bad about the lords.” Aliana: “Well, neither has anyone else in this city, not if they wanted to keep their souls attached to their bodies.” Another guard: “He wouldn’t even talk to Talina, though. I’m not sure exactly where he stands.” Rory: “What’s this sage known as?” Guard: “His name is Pain Stay.” Rory: “Oh, I’ve heard it.” Aliana: “You have?” Rory: “When we were talking to the village elders, in the stables.” Aliana: “What happened to them?” Rory: “They left.” Aliana: “Left the city?” Rory: “I don’t know where they are now. But they avoided saying anything about him.” Another man grunts and says, “Well, he never really did that much. He healed some people, treated some sicknesses and such. He never did anything very impressive.” Aliana: “Why does he get the title ‘sage’?” Man: “He can heal some people. Does some light and fire stuff. More than any of us can do.” Aliana: “Any run-of-the-mill hedge wizard can do that, and they don’t call them sages. A sage is supposedly somebody who is wise, who dispenses wisdom.” Another man, sarcastically: “Oh, he’s definitely full of that.” Aliana: “Doesn’t sound like he’s going to be worth much, Rory.” Rory: “No. Think he’d cause more trouble than he’s worth.” Kid: “Well, he’s pretty good, he knows a bunch of stuff.” Aliana: “Doesn’t sound like he shares it.” One of the guards looks at the kid and shakes his head. Rory: “I guess if he was interested, he’d be here now. I guess it’s not worth the trouble.” Aliana: “He might be interested in taking over the place once the bales are out of the way. He may finally find some reason to talk to Talina.”

Aliana notices that the kid who had just spoken up is fidgety, like he’s doing something he shouldn’t. He’s too intent on what she and Rory are saying, and it strikes her as not right. Aliana crooks her finger at the kid. “Y-yes?” he says, sidling toward Rory. This is the stableboy Rory had recognized earlier. Rory steps aside, and the stableboy moves hesitantly to just outside arm’s reach of Aliana. Aliana lunges, grabs the boy and jerks him toward her, demanding, “Who are you spying for?” The boy stammers, “I’m not spying for anybody.” “Who are you working for?” “N-n-no one! M-my parents give me stuff to do…” Under her breath Aliana mutters arcane words (casting Foolishness), and the boy turns pale. “Would you like to tell me the truth, now?” [“No.” “Not you, Rory!”] “I’m really not working for anybody. Really! I’m not really working for him. I just talk to him.” “Who is ‘him’?” “Pain Stay, the one you were just talking about.” “What kind of information is he paying you for?” “I just talked to him, and he asked me when y’all came in and that type of stuff, and I just told him, a-and the fighting had already broken out, and a lot of chaos, and the fighting and all that, and he was just there, and he asked me some questions, and touched me on the shoulder like you did, you grabbed me though, but he just sort of touched me on the shoulder, and he-he-he muttered something like you just did.” Looking closely, Aliana thinks there is another spell on the boy besides hers. “Something that allows him to hear what you hear?” “I don’t know, he just told me to stay… when I found y’all to just sort of stay near you, just to keep a watch on you, he didn’t say why, he just told me to do that, he said it was important for the city…” Aliana growls, “Let me tell you, Mister Pain Stay, if you want to talk to us you’re going to have to come see us yourself, not send children to do your work for you. You go back and tell him that. Okay?” “Yes, ma’m.” “Run along.” As soon as Aliana releases him the stableboy runs off.

“Rory?” “Yes?” “Who ran things in human town before we came here? Which humans were collaborating with the bales?” “They had the town council.” “You said you talked to the elders. Were they in collaboration?” “Hmm… they didn’t seem like they were.” “But they weren’t really running things, were they.” “No. There was a guy, they said, named Boss Craven.” “I don’t know a whole lot about running a kingdom, but I do know we haven’t found as many administrators as there ought to be in a place this size. So if they’re not dead, I guess they’re all in hiding… On the maps you studied, Rory, were there town halls? Was there an administrative building, a government building? Tax collector building?” Rory knows of one such place about a quarter-mile away. “This liberation movement’s going to need some funds,” says Aliana, “and last I knew nobody was moving anything out of the castle treasury. I think I’ll go over there and have a look.” “Okay. Any word from the people that left, yet?” “Josh is still in there.” “Want to tell him where we went?” “You don’t have to go. You can stay here and amuse the kids some more. You seem to have a penchant for that.” “I’ll go with you. I’ll just tell Josh where we’re going.” “Are you going to leave the wagon here?” “We should take horses in case we need to move fast, but yeah, I’m going to leave the wagon here.” A couple of kids immediately chime in, “We’ll watch ‘em!” and one of the guards nods at Rory. One kid even volunteers to tell “the one with the funny hat” and Rory tosses him a copper. Rory hands out coppers to some of the kids to watch the horses, then gives coppers to the other kids to watch the first bunch.

Chalker, Runis, and Jinto come to another T-intersection. From off to the left about forty yards they hear growling and animal noises, but no smells come from that direction. Down the left branch are three ornate doors, while at the end of the right branch is a plain door. Runis and Chalker express interest in investigating the animals. Jinto casts a spell, then points to the nondescript door. “The platform’s that way.” Chalker: “But don’t you want to go see what’s down here?” Jinto repeats, “The platform is that way. I want to go see it.” Runis: “How far away is it?” Jinto: “About thirty yards.” Runis: “It was forty yards away last time, and we’ve walked a lot further than ten yards.” Jinto: “This complex is fogging the distances. I’ve already noticed that.” Chalker: “Okay… to the right.” Jinto strides off in that direction, and Runis mutters, “Yeah, let the elf-bait go first.” Chalker: “I’m thinking this is a good trick. They growl to make you go this way.”

Jinto: “Ah, another bespelled door.” Runis: “Well, do the hocus-pocus thing, then.” After a few moments, Jinto says, “All the magic has been removed, so you can go ahead and open the door.” Chalker manipulates the door’s lock, which is more complex than it appears to be, and has it open in ten seconds. The door leads into a corridor that is 5’ wide and 10’ high with smooth earthen walls (which Runis judges to have been excavated by magic). It ends twenty yards away in another door. Jinto again moves into the lead. He barely breaks stride as he approaches the door, casts a spell, opens the door, and continues on through. Chalker and Runis pause to see whether the elf comes flying back out, and when he doesn’t, they follow.

They enter a very large room, the size of a gymnasium. In the center is a platform that looks very much like the one near the destroyed temple. Runis: “How in the world are we going to get the wagon down here?” Chalker pulls a torch out of a nearby bucket, has Jinto light it, then starts walking along the perimeter of the room, lighting the torches in wall sconces. Runis goes around the room in the other direction. Looking up at the ceiling, Chalker notices several markings there, some kind of runes that he can’t read. “How are you at magical runes?” he asks Jinto. Jinto says he has studied runic magic a little, but he can’t make out the markings on the ceiling. Runis calls, “Why don’t you walk on air up there so you can see ‘em better?” Jinto lights a torch and walks up to the ceiling, and quickly becomes absorbed in studying the runes.

After his first circuit Chalker goes around the room again, specifically searching for secret doors with his clairvoyance. Runis walks along thumping the wall with the flat of his axe. “So what’s it say?” Runis yells up at the elf, who waves him off. Runis comments, “If there’s no ventilation here, these torches are going to take the air out pretty quick.” The flickering of the torches, though, indicates there’s some kind of ventilation high up in the room. “Never mind, there are vents in here.”

Runis taps a part of the wall that isn’t solid. “Hey, Chalker, I might have found something.” He makes marks on the wall where the hollow sound begins and ends, and those marks are five feet apart. Directly across the room Chalker has also found a door with a pressure latch. Runis continues searching along the wall while Chalker figures out the latch.

The door opens into a richly appointed master bedroom. Chalker calls up, “Master Jinto.” Jinto shouts back, “I’ve almost got it.” Runis hollers, “What does it almost say?” Jinto: “Something to do with the movement and the sinking of this place.” Runis: “They wrote about it on the ceiling?” Jinto: “No, no… it’s how to do it… or reverse it… I think. I’ll know more later.” Runis: “Now he’s starting to talk like the cowboy.” Chalker: “Yeah, I know. I’m going to have to shoot him.”

Chalker follows Runis into the bedroom. The room smells musty, but it’s not as dusty as the other rooms have been. Off to one side is a writing desk, softly illuminated by a glowstone. Runis: “Hey, Rock, there’s a friend of yours over there.” Runis opens a journal lying atop the desk. “Hey, Chalker, I found Geriana Newsome’s diary.” Inside the desk Chalker sees more books, paper, and inkwells, but no secret compartments. Everything is neatly in place.

Chalker crosses the room and looks through one of the two other doors; this one leads into a large closet/dressing room containing female clothing and footwear, both of a style he doesn’t recognize. Near the door is a dressing table with a mirror.

Using the amulet, Runis is able to read the journal. The underlying language is alphabetic, but unlike any Runis has ever seen (“The lady was a mage; she could have made up her own,” he thinks). The first page begins, “The transition was abrupt. It took me completely by surprise. But in retrospect, I see all the signs were there that I should have expected it the moment I stepped into the old house.” The writer goes on to relate that she found herself in a forest glade, confronted by ellyllons. The journal is written in a small, fine hand, in a storytelling style that Runis can appreciate. Runis turns to the back of the journal, the last lines of which read, “So as you can see, it was definitely a harrowing year. But the hope that this will succeed in taking me back home is a mixed blessing. I’m not sure if I really want to go. There’s so much work and people and things that need me here. More work to be done. But I’ve got to take this chance. It might even be a two-way door. Maybe I can swing it both ways.” The dating methodology is sloppy, but Runis figures this journal volume covers about five years. He also figures there’s no way Geriana Newsome could have accomplished in only five years all the things the legends say she had done. He’s puzzled, however, as to why Volume One was lying atop the desk, rather than the most recent journal. He pulls several more books out of the desk, looking for a journal with blank pages at the end. When he finds it, Runis muses, “She knew she was leaving, so she tidied up her room and left her latest journal on the bottom of the stack. She had to be a mage.” The date at the beginning of this volume is 30 years after the date at the end of the first volume, and the date of the last entry is two years later.

Chalker looks through the other door. It leads to a small room containing an oddly shaped washbasin. The door could be locked from inside by a slide bolt. He opens the door and steps back, but nothing happens. He tosses a copper inside and it bounces across a slick floor made up of square tiles. Across the room is a painted window with a forest scene. When he steps inside and retrieves his copper, he hears the sound of running water from a strange-looking chair. Above the washbasin is a mirror. There’s a bathtub that can be curtained off. Various pipes lead from the tub and basin.

Runis reads the last entry in Geriana Newsome’s journal. “Cor says I need to leave. And I discussed it with him at length, but he was adamant. It seems very important to him. I can’t argue with him too much. I guess I should take it as good news – I get to go home – but my heart is here as much as anywhere. This place has so much trouble, and so much that needs to be done. It’s hard not to try to spread a little more technology here.” (Here the ink is blurred a bit, as if the page had gotten damp in spots.) “I have family that depends on me back home. I guess they’d miss me if I never came back to Carrollton, but… I don’t know; I wonder sometimes. I’m sure Becky Ann will be glad that her grandmother’s going to come and stay for awhile. So whoever reads this, I hope you can take something from my story. I just don’t know how much I really impacted this world. I’m not really sure what brought me here. Cor has tried to explain it to me at times, but to be honest, I’m pretty sure Cor’s not telling me everything. If you found this, I know you found the platform. Be careful! It was old even when I was dealing with it. Cor told me to leave it as a mystery, let you have to figure out how to get it raised and re-linked. He said that when the time comes, the appropriate people would come here. I don’t know. Roo talked to me also, and assures me that this is my fate. Roo’s always big on that type of thing. Well, good fortune to whoever’s reading this… and remember me.”

“Hey, Rock. Did you ever know this lady?” {I may have had occasion to run into her a couple of times. Or I know of ones who ran into her.} “What’s she talking about, ‘bringing technology to this world’? From where?” {Cor, according to Solash, has always been into all types of different arts. Technology, I guess, is a type of art. It’s just how you do things.} “Where’s she bringing it from? She talks about ‘going home’. I guess it’s that other realm she supposedly came from. Guess it’s called Carrollton.” {I really couldn’t say.} “But you knew her.” {Knew of her.}

Runis: “Hey, Chalker. From what’s written in here, it sounds like that platform’s going to have to be… well, the term here is ‘re-linked’.” Chalker: “Well…” Runis: “Hey, the acoustics in that little room you’re in are great!” Chalker: “This seems like some kind of privy. It looks kind of comfortable in here.” Runis: “Maybe she invented the privy council.” Runis wanders over, and he and Chalker comment on various odd things about the small room.

Runis: “These journals are bound to be fascinating! I wish I had time to read them right now.” Chalker: “Should we take them?” Runis: “I think so.” Chalker: “Well, that solves that.” Runis: “I think she left them for somebody to find and take. In fact, according to this, she anticipated that somebody would eventually come and find this place again.” Chalker: “Before we leave this place, you found another door, right?” Runis: “Yeah, on the other side of the big room, where no doubt the elf is either still studying the ceiling or has fallen on his @$$ because he forgot to maintain his flying spell.” Chalker: “I haven’t heard a thump, but let’s go out and see.” Runis: “He’s got bird bones; he wouldn’t thump anyway.” Chalker: “Let’s go look at the other room, because if this is her room, then whose room is on the other side?” Runis: “And how does somebody live here when the only way in and out is…” Chalker: “Well, she has a device of travel. She was probably the safest person in the world. The only way to get here is that platform.” Runis: “All the stories about her say she was a pretty gregarious sort. This isn’t the kind of place where you could entertain very many people.” Chalker: “Maybe it’s her fortress of solitude.” Runis: “I can’t believe there’s actually running water in this place.” Chalker twists a silver knob (marked with the rune for ‘hot’), and water pours into the basin through a silver spigot. Runis: “Whoa.” Chalker: “She must have been a powerful mage.” Runis: “Hmm, some kind of valve…”

Returning to the big room, they look up and see that Jinto has drifted across almost to the other end of the inscription. Runis glances at the platform as he and Chalker skirt around it, and it does look quite similar to the other one he’s seen. They cross the room. Chalker examines the other door, which has a similar mechanism to the one that led into Geriana Newsome’s suite. The room is about the same size as the mage’s bedroom, and within are shrines to Cor, Roo, and Sooth. “Interesting that she worshipped Sooth,” comments Runis. “The stories do not say that she had any great love affairs.” Runis goes to each shrine and makes the proper observances. Chalker follows and does the same, and feels the gold bar he had picked up earlier vibrate and become warm, and when he takes it out the bar is glowing slightly. Rather than lay it on Cor’s altar, Chalker returns the bar to his pouch.

As Aliana and Rory ride toward the administrative center, Aliana instructs various people to “stop holding up the walls” and assist in the body detail and general cleanup. There are five people outside the center – two older men, a teenage boy, and two teenage girls. One of the older men steps forward and says they’d been instructed not to let anyone in, by order of Blacksmith and Talina. Aliana asks slyly, “Since when do they run things?” “Since about noon.” “On whose authority?” “Theirs, and the dwarf and elf that led the party to free the town.” “And what about the human that talks all the time?” “Is that you? My apologies…” “No. It’s not him, either.” “That’s the one that the Calventine Empire sent to provide arms and help free us. That’s what I heard. You’re with that group?” “Did I say that?” “I know there were six that came in.” “Now that we have that straight, let us in for our tour of inspection.” The man orders one of the girls, Anna, to accompany Rory and Aliana. There are signs that some fighting had occurred, but no bodies. Finding several ledgers open on the clerk’s desks, Aliana tells Anna that they are to be closed and locked up. The vault door has magic on it, and Anna says that Old Ned (the man they’d first talked with) has one key and the other was supposed to have taken to Blacksmith, but in the chaos Anna doesn’t know if it ever reached him. Aliana shakes her head. “It’s all uphill, Rory. Both ways.” After Anna is sent off to get the key from Old Ned, Aliana quietly asks Rory, “What are these people going to do?” “I don’t know. They have some council left to run things.” “The council’s been keeping their heads down because of the bales. And they have a sage that’s accounted a wise man because he’s been able to stay beneath the bales’ notice. For all we know, he’s been collaborating with them.” Anna returns and unlocks the vault. There are a few small locked chests, another that’s open and empty, and some ledgers; no sign of looting.

“Rory, did you get any lunch?” “Nope.” “I shouldn’t have reminded you, huh?” “I’ll get some when we get back, I guess.” “I’m about half-inclined to go over to goblin town and see if I can… do something.” “Don’t you think we should go back and see if they found anything?” “And if they haven’t?” “Can’t do anything.” “Right.” Rory and Aliana ride back to the building containing the platform. As they dismount near the wagon, the stableboy runs up to them.

“Where’s the rest of her house?” Runis wonders aloud. “Where’s her library? Where’s her sitting room? Where’s her kitchen?” Chalker: “She has a fancy privy.” As he and Chalker emerge from the shrine room, Runis shouts, “Hey, Jinto, ya done yet?” Jinto begins his descent, saying, “I think so, but there appear to be a couple of pieces missing. What did you find?” Runis: “Geriana Newsome’s journal.” Jinto: “Did you find her grimoire?” Other than the journals, Runis had found a book of history and a couple of books of bardic songs. “Unless she was hiding it in her closet, no, I didn’t see any grimoires.” Chalker turns and heads toward Geriana’s suite. Runis: “Now where are you going?” Chalker: “I’m going to look in the closet.” Runis: “I thought you said there was nothing there but clothes.” Chalker: “I was thinking… did you see anything that would say that a mage lived in that room?” Runis: “Yeah – books. They love books. Books and books and books. They love to write about themselves, too. They love big fancy bedrooms…” Chalker: “I love big fancy bedrooms, too.” Runis: “Well then, you must be a mage!” Chalker: “No, I’m not! You know that!” Runis: “They love to dress up in fancy clothes.” Chalker: “I like that, too.” Runis: “Hah, you must be a girl.” Chalker: “You’re not going to be able to check, Mister Dwarf, so you just take my word I’m not.” Runis: “Jus’ funnin’ ya, Chalker.”

Runis: “So what did you read up there, O elf?” Jinto: “Apparently a major spell was done to sink the platform to this depth below the city of that time, to hide it until…” Runis: “Until some adventurers would come along and raise it back up.” Jinto: “That’s not quite the way it said it, but that’s the gist of it, yes.” Runis: “Well, it says that in Geriana’s book here.” Chalker: “Who did the spell?” Jinto: “At least three mages were involved, but they did not name themselves. It involved a human mage, an elven mage, and a dwarven mage. I could determine that from the context of some of the runes.” Chalker to Runis: “Y’all have mages?” Runis: “Yeah, we do. Pretty rare.” Runis to Jinto: “Does it give any conditions for when it would be safe to raise it back up?” Jinto: “No. There’s at least one or two pieces missing.” Runis: “What do you mean, ‘missing’? Like the writing’s been obliterated, or they left that part out?” Jinto: “They left part of it out, like you’re supposed to get that from another place and plug it in.” Runis: “Why don’t you go search Geriana’s room? Maybe the piece is there. Or it could be in the shrine.” Chalker: “Or it could be down where the animal sounds are coming from.” Jinto heads for the shrine. Runis goes over and examines the platform, thinking, “maybe they wrote the last piece there.” He notes several subtle differences from the previous platform. Something reminds him of the control room back in the hidden keep.

As Chalker enters the closet, several glowstones light up. Atop the dressing table are two jewel boxes, one of which contains a couple of pendants bearing the symbol of Cor. On the back of one of the pendants are the words Zales Jewelers 18K. He dumps the contents of each jewel box into separate bags. A hidden niche that could have contained books is empty. He notices subtle runes above the door, something to do with light, and after looking for and finding similar runes over the main door, concludes that the magic in the runes sensed motion and activated the glowstones.

Chalker goes back to the shrine. Jinto turns as he enters. “I’ve got it, I’ve figured out the last pieces. It’s tied into the theology of Cor.” Chalker has him examine the two bags of jewelry; Jinto says that there are several magic pieces, and the two pendants are blessed.

Runis wanders back into Geriana’s room, picks up the last journal, and reads where she had written about several battles. She was definitely a mage, and apparently at times an avatar of Cor (her style of writing changes).

The stableboy skids to a halt (outside what he thinks is Aliana’s grab range) and says, “The sage wants to know if you want to come to his place, or does he need to meet you somewhere?” Aliana: “Which ‘you’ are we talking about?” The boy points a finger apiece at Aliana and Rory. Aliana: “He doesn’t mean the elf, the dwarf, and the human from the Calventine Empire?” Stableboy: “They seem to be busy, I guess. He was talking about you, since you sent the message. He figured you were the one that really wanted to talk to him. The other ones haven’t shown any interest in him.” Aliana: “About what? I can’t offer him anything. He either cooperates or doesn’t cooperate.” Stableboy: “He said he wishes to cooperate.” Aliana: “Did he say that, or are you making that up?” Stableboy: “He said something to the effect…” Aliana, impatiently: “What did he say exactly? I already know the effect. What were his exact words?” Stableboy: “Ask them… tell them where do you wish us to meet, for I would desire to come to an accommodation beneficial to us all.” Aliana: “In that case he can wait. The message is received.” Stableboy: “Do you want me to tell him you’ll come to him if and when it ever becomes important to talk to him?” Aliana: “I didn’t say that.” Stableboy: “Oh. Just tell him the message was delivered, huh.” Aliana: “If that’s what he told you to do.” Rory: “Tell him we’ll meet him at the transport node.” The stableboy replies “Okay,” turns and trots away. (The stableboy’s name, which will be learned later, is Stan.)

Inside the building, Josh is alone in the room with the platform. Rory has brought him some food. Josh says the others have been gone for an hour and twenty minutes. Aliana: “Well, I guess we have our own lives to live now. Oh, and the sage of human town is offering to come to an accommodation with us. Isn’t that nice of him?” Josh: “Very kind of him. In other words, he’s trying to figure out a way to save his butt.” Aliana: “No, actually, he’s trying to find a way to come out on top of all this.” Josh: “Ooh, ambitious.” Aliana: “Don’t you think? Word is, he would never talk to Talina or Blacksmith before all this came down.” Josh: “Which means he could also be looking to come out on top by selling us out to the bales.” Aliana: “Which is probably how he got by all this time. Everybody accords him to be such a great sage, but when you ask what kind of works he’s done… ‘oh, well, he’s healed some people… and given a little advice…’”

Josh: “Do we have any idea how the fight’s going down in goblin town?” Aliana: “No, and that’s going to be my next destination, since the others haven’t come back.” Josh: “What do you plan on doing, Rory?” Rory: “I guess I need to stick with Aliana. There’s nothing we can do unless we go after them, and I don’t know how to get down there. Start digging?” Josh: “I’ll stay here and make sure nothing messes with this place.”

Jinto: “This room that contains the platform is the only part that will be raised. The other parts were carved by the dwarven mage, and he linked it to an existing complex that was down here from some other event.” Chalker: “Does he say what’s down the other hallway?” Jinto: “No, but from certain things I saw, I’d say it’s a containment area.” Chalker: “Will we injure our comrades if we raise this?” Jinto: “We probably need to clear out the area above us before we do it, because there will be some amount of displacement. Runis: “Do we know how to get back to the surface?” Jinto: “I’ll have to do a ritual, use these runes, and channel some magic at dawn tomorrow. Well, any dawn will do.” Runis: “Not to get that to the surface, to get us to the surface.” Jinto: “Oh… for that, we can go back the way we came.” Chalker: “When we go back, I’m sure we’ll see a rune that turned on everything in here.” Jinto: “Oh, I didn’t notice those.” Chalker: “They’re above the doors. They turn on the lights and all that.” Jinto: “I know a trick that might keep everything open. I’ll try it before we depart.”

Runis gathers up all of Geriana Newsome’s journals. Chalker even offers to carry a couple of volumes. Runis, Chalker, and Jinto backtrack to the first room and stand on the transport rectangle.

Aliana and Rory ride to the bridge that spans the river from Human Town to Goblin Town. As they approach, the ten human guards evidently recognize them, and Rory remembers seeing some of them in the fighting at the castle. They report that the bales and their supporters are retreating toward the southern gates. Casualties have been heavy on both sides. No orcs have entered Goblin Town or Human Town in force yet. Three bales are still alive and have consolidated their forces; the fourth is either dead or has escaped. The guard thinks the three bales, unable to join with those to the north in Orc Town, are simply trying to escape the city. Aliana figures that on horseback she may have time to go out through the south gate of Human Town, cross the river, and come up through the south gate of Goblin Town to cut off the bales’ escape. Aliana: “I’m inclined to try to come up at them from the south, Rory.” She turns her horse and heads for the south gate.

Runis, Chalker, and Jinto materialize on the small platform. “Took you a while,” Josh drawls. He relates that Rory and Aliana left about ten minutes ago to join the fighting in Goblin Town. Chalker: “Well, to make a long story longer… the platform’s down there, and Jinto knows how to raise it up, but he has to wait until dawn.” Chalker asks Josh if the name Geriana Newsome is familiar; Josh said he knew some Newsomes, and it’s not an uncommon name where he’s from. Chalker asks, “What’s ‘Zales Jewelers’?” “What?!” Josh exclaims. He says it’s a chain of jewelry stores that he’s familiar with. Chalker describes the privy, and Josh admits it could have come from his realm. Chalker: “So you’re from the same realm as this legend.” Josh: “Or a similar realm. There are a lot of realms that are similar in nature, but they’re not the same place. One might say there’s an infinite number of them.” Chalker eyes Josh. “You know I’m pretty skilled with words, and I know when someone’s talking around me.” Runis: “Well, we always knew he wasn’t from around here.” Josh: “It’s a hard concept to explain. I’m not intentionally talking around you. There are a lot of similar realms, and I don’t know if she comes from the one I’m from.” Chalker: “Do you know of Carrollton?” Josh hesitates momentarily, then says, “Naw, couldn’t be. There’s a Carrollton in the… province that I come from.”

The kids guarding the wagon tell them that their companions rode off toward Goblin Town. Chalker gives each kid two coppers apiece to guard the remaining horse and watch the building. One of them asks, “Want us to do anything when Stan comes back? She seemed upset with him.” Chalker: “Have him deliver his message, and tell him to stay here until we get back.”

The Human Town south gate is surrounded by two guards and about forty armed townsfolk. One guard says there’s a narrow bridge across the river about a quarter-mile further south. If they listen, they can hear sounds of fighting coming from Goblin Town to the west.

About the same time, Runis, Chalker, Rory, Jinto, and Josh reach the west gate. Runis looks toward the far end of the bridge and sees a squad of goblins standing guard there. The human guard leader addresses them respectfully and asks, “Are you going to aid in the battle?” Chalker: “Yes, indeed. How far is the battle from us?” The leader relates that the bales are being pushed toward the south. “By the way, your two companions were here about fifteen minutes ago.” Chalker: “Let me guess. They went around the other way, didn’t they.” Leader: “How’d you know?” Chalker: “My friends are very direct. So since they’re going that way, we’re going to push the bales faster toward the south.”

They cross the bridge. The goblin leader says, “The General said you might be coming. What may we do for you?” Chalker: “We need directions to the battle.” The leader gestures to another goblin. “Jerandin, show them.” Jerandin swings himself up into the wagon and starts giving directions to Josh.

There has been heavy fighting here. Many dead fighters (mostly goblins and a few orcs) and inanimate zombies lie strewn about. (Runis notes that all the dead orcs are wearing guard uniforms.)

Aliana and Rory turn their horses onto the narrow bridge. Blocking the far end are five orcs. As they ride forward, two orcs move to block the bridge, two more bring up crossbows, and from the rear the fifth orc calls out, “Halt!” In response, Aliana urges her horse to greater speed, stands up in the stirrups, and draws her sword. One of the crossbowmen fires and misses her by a wide margin. The blocking orcs draw their swords. Aliana slashes one as she rides by, and Rory’s horse knocks another one over. A crossbow bolt sprouts from Rory’s saddle but doesn’t harm him or his horse.

Not stopping to engage the orcs, Aliana and Rory continue to the south gate, which is wide open. From the sounds of battle, they are less than a hundred yards away from the main fighting. At the gate, several orcs and zombies are overwhelming a small group of goblins. Aliana and Rory take the pressure off the two remaining goblins, then make short work of the orcs and zombies.

…

As they near the fighting, Chalker rides out ahead of the wagon. Sixty yards ahead he spies a magic-throwing bale with four zombies and ten orcs holding their own against three times their number. The bale is bleeding, however. A human, seeing Chalker bring out his crossbow, says, “Sir, no one can seem to hit him.” Chalker closes to thirty yards and checks the bale for metal – sword, jewelry, belt buckle, chainmail. He takes hold of the belt buckle. “I know they said he couldn’t be hit,” thinks Chalker, “but I’m going to test that.” He raises his crossbow, aims, and fires; he knows his aim was true, but somehow the bolt misses the bale to the right.

Rory, Aliana, and the sole surviving goblin control the south gate. The sounds of fighting to the north, while still some ways off, are gradually growing louder. Aliana tries to send the goblin away to get himself some medical attention, but he insists he must stay to help shut and guard the gate. Aliana says, “All right, Rory, let’s get this gate closed.”

The wagon nears the back of the battle line. Runis sees Chalker among others engaging one bale. In another direction there are two bales, one badly injured, and a force of about fifty orcs and zombies retreating slowly before a line of about 150 fighters, including Blacksmith and Talina. Josh glances back at Runis, who points toward the uninjured one of the two bales. Jinto prepares a spell. The wagon barrels into the crowd, and people rush to get out of the way.

The south gate closes. Rory binds the goblin’s wounds. Surveying the battle, Aliana can see one bale being hard pressed by humans and goblins, and another bale and his forces (both containing and being opposed by goblins) collapsing toward the gate. Rory gathers up all the crossbows and bolts he can find. He figures if the goblin won’t leave the gate, at least he can attack from relative safety. Quickly understanding Rory’s intent, the goblin climbs to the top of the wall and helps load the crossbows. Meanwhile, Aliana charges toward the fray. (“Dangit!” thinks Rory, “How am I gonna save her if she keeps doing that?”)

Using his power, Chalker grabs hold of an empty helmet and jams it onto the bale’s head, backward. The bale panics. Chalker spurs his horse forward, raising his sword. His heroic pose [Statue Moment #1] elicits glad shouts of “Follow him! At ‘em, boys! Go get ‘em!”

Josh drives straight ahead, then abruptly slews to the right, sending Runis sailing out the back of the wagon, shield raised. He slams solidly into the bale [Statue Moment #2], driving them both back three yards. Runis regains his feet quickly.

To her left, Aliana sees a panicking bale with his helmet on backwards. Off to her right, another bale flies abruptly into her line of sight with a chainmailed boulder on top of him. Straight ahead is a wounded bale and a dozen supporters successfully fighting off a force of goblins and humans.

Aliana, inspiring her steed to great effort, gallops toward the wounded bale. Chalker charges toward the bale blinded by the reversed helmet. Runis gets up. Josh, who has jumped off the wagon and drawn his sword, beheads an orc guard. Rory mounts his horse and starts toward the battle.

Aliana continues toward the bale. Swinging his sword as he rushes past, Chalker slices off one of the bale’s ears and part of the scalp, pushing the helmet off. Josh wounds an opponent goblin. Runis shouts, “Yield!” but the bale begins making a mystic gesture, so Runis swings and cuts deeply into the bale’s chest. Jinto throws a lightning bolt, frying a zombie that had been charging Runis. Rory continues to ride.

Josh finishes off the goblin. Aliana chops down on the bale’s shoulder as she passes, then brilliantly wheels her horse about [Statue Moment #3]. Runis tries to bash the bale, but doesn’t quite get the range. Chalker turns his horse tightly, putting himself about four yards behind the bale. Jinto hits that bale with a lightning bolt. Rory continues forward.

Runis swings his axe, killing the bale. The bale had snatched up a sword and now attempts to parry, but Aliana hits him in the other shoulder. Rory can see all three bales now, and heads for Aliana. Josh slices an orc’s throat, sending it staggering back. Chalker slaps the helmet back on the bale’s head.

Aliana slashes the bale across the throat, and he drops toward the ground. Josh cuts down another opponent. From behind Chalker swings and hits the back of the bale’s neck, and the bale falls. Runis looks around, steps toward a couple of orcs, and taunts them. Rory snatches the falling bale by the hair, and to the wondering multitudes it appears that he somersaults off his saddle and lands on his feet as the bale’s head pops off [Statue Moment #4].

Rory hands the bale’s head up to Aliana. “Why’d you jump off your horse?” she asks.

With the bales eliminated, the rebel forces surge forward with renewed morale. Within five minutes the fighting is over. Some of the opponent goblins offer to surrender, but all but one are slain. Not even attempting to ask for quarter, all the orcs are killed.

…

Blacksmith chops off the head of the bale Runis indicates. Talina, covered with cuts and blood, makes her way over to Chalker and Aliana. “Thank you,” Talina says. “If you had not come when you did, they would have gotten away. We couldn’t seem to get through and touch those lords anymore. There may be a few pockets of zombies and such, but now we have control of Goblin Town.” Chalker is busily stripping valuables from a bale’s corpse. Rory heads off to collect the horses; a few have cuts and scratches.

“I see you made it back from your platform adventure,” says Aliana to Chalker. “Oh, yes. I think a hero of old is from the same realm as Josh. I’ll tell you about it at a more opportune time. But we found the platform, and he can raise it up at dawn.”

Blacksmith speaks to Runis. “We hold our quarter and the goblin quarter; what’s your recommendation?” Runis replies promptly, “Kill more orcs.” Blacksmith: “I have a feeling we’ll be doing that quite soon. Do you think the orcs and bales will give us some breathing space?” Runis: “They haven’t attacked yet.” Blacksmith: “They haven’t, which surprises me. Your thoughts?” Runis figures there are six bales left in Orc Town. One of them can teleport, so she might have gone to try to find Lord Barshar (“Or she might be afraid to talk to Barshar,” comments Runis, “since he may kill the messenger.”).

Runis asks Jinto, “When you raise the platform, does it stay there or go back down after a period of time?” Jinto: “It will not automatically go back down. It has to be up here before I can link it to the network. I thought I could find a way to get the wagon down there, but it’s not possible.” (Runis: “Boy, I got way more answer than I meant to get.”)

Aliana: “If Talina doesn’t get some rest, she’s going to fall over.” Runis: “We’re actually going to need some rest, too.” Chalker: “Yes, I’m sure.” Aliana: “Runis, what do you think the odds are that the orcs will hold off for a night attack? Can they see in the dark?” Runis: “Not especially. I think the orcs are going to hold off as long as the bales don’t tell them to go.” Josh: “Bales aren’t known to be the bravest.” Runis: “Neither are orcs.” Aliana: “So maybe they do get a respite.” Runis: “Maybe.” Aliana: “Get some rest, put up fortifications.” Josh: “It might be best, if they can, to collapse the goblins into the human part of the city so they won’t have as much to defend.” Aliana: “You’re not just talking goblin soldiers, you’re talking their women and children.” Josh: “Move them all across. It would make it very crowded there…” Chalker: “I don’t think that’s reasonable.” Runis: “I don’t think that they’d do it. I wouldn’t do it.” Josh: “You mean leaving their homes?” Runis: “Because then they’d get the idea we’re making them second-class citizens by moving them out of their area.” Josh: “I’m thinking in terms that the size of the area is smaller, more concentrated. Militarily it makes sense, but emotionally, you’re right, it wouldn’t work.”

Chalker: “They have to believe they can win against the bales.” Runis: “We have to do something to break the spirit of the orcs and make them run, so that the bales don’t have any more army.” Aliana: “Would it gain us anything to blow up the bridges leading into Orc Town? Or would they just ford the river?” Josh: “They’d have to come a longer way around, so it would buy time for us if we did that.” Runis: “It also cuts off an avenue for our own attack.” Aliana: “That depends on what we intend to do. Are we going to stay here until we wipe out every last bale?” Chalker: “That seems too long.” Josh: “Or until we do something that gives them a fighting chance. They seem willing to fight, themselves.” Aliana: “I don’t think they have a fighting chance without us. Three bales were holding off every soldier in Goblin Town.” Runis: “With the two heads of the Resistance on the spot.”

Josh: “Did you find anything else down there that might help these people, other than the platform?” Chalker: “Nothing that I know of. I collected some magic items I’ll have to have Jinto look at. I have some blessed items from Cor by Zales Jewelers. But I don’t know if any of it will help.” Aliana: “Jinto needs to investigate that. If that magic can help these people, I suppose we should share it with them.” Runis: “Well, he also needs to rest so he’ll have enough strength so he can at dawn do the raising of the platform.”

“Diamond,” says Chalker. {Yes, Chalker.} “Do we need to defeat all the bales in town before we can leave?” {No.} “What do these people need so we can leave?” {A powerful mage, and a military force.} Runis: “We can leave whenever we want.” Chalker: “The Diamond said ‘a powerful mage and a military force.’ Isn’t Talina a powerful mage?” Aliana: “Or is it saying we have to leave Jinto with them?” {She has possibilities, under the right circumstances.} Chalker repeats this for Aliana, who responds, “She’s had no training at all. Do you know how long it takes to train a mage? Years.” Chalker: “Is Pain Stay a powerful mage?” Aliana: “You know, Mister Stay wants to ‘come to an accomodation’ with you, the envoy from the Calventine Empire. He is a jerk.” Chalker repeats, “Is Pain Stay a powerful mage?” Aliana: “More like a hedge wizard, from what I hear.” {I’ve no way to determine that.} Chalker: “Do you know a powerful wizard when you sense one?” {Yes.} Chalker: “Have you sensed Pain Stay?” {No.} Aliana: “Seriously. The man even influenced some poor little stableboy to be his eyes and ears. He’s worried about you.” Chalker: “And he should be. I am friends with a Bradley tank. He should be worried about me.” Aliana: “Bradley? I thought his name was Runis.” Chalker: “Same difference.”

Chalker: “Is there a powerful mage besides Jinto in this town?” (Aliana mutters, “Because they sure don’t have a military force.”) {Yes. The components for one are here.} Chalker: “Do you know the name of this powerful mage component?” {Talina.} Chalker: “Talina. That’s what I thought.” Runis: “What?” Chalker: “She is a component for a powerful mage.” Runis concentrates on the Diamond. “Can you teach her to be a mage?” {No, but Chalker can.} At Runis’s strange expression, Aliana asks, “What did it say?” Runis: “Chalker?” Chalker: “What?” Runis: “You need to teach Talina to be a powerful mage.” Aliana: “Chalker? Have you been holding out?” Chalker: “Not that, I’m not a mage.” Runis: “It didn’t say you were. It said you needed to teach her to be one.” Aliana: “Ah, the art of BS.” Runis: “Isn’t that what a powerful mage is?”

• Strike the Flame I
• Strike the Flame II
• Strike the Flame III
• Strike the Flame IV
• Strike the Flame V
• Strike the Flame VI

• Strike the Flame VIII
• Strike the Flame IX