urious goods. It didn't look like much, a simple weather-beaten storefront with faded lettering on the door. It had not been there a moment before, but when Fry looked again there it was. He thought that somewhat peculiar, and called the rest of the party over. Edwin's shop had moved again and was now in Bazilar.
 

The Narrator
  The party had only just gathered in front of the door to Edwin's shop when a strange man dressed in a concealing hat and overcoat strode up, looking steadily at some device on his wrist as he walked. He did not notice the group until he was almost in their midst. Startled, he stopped looking at his wrist and continued on to the next shop as though window browsing. Blackhawk, Armsman extraordinaire that he is, impressed the stranger by fumbling his Quickdraw maneuver and sending his shotgun crashing through the plate glass window of Edwin's shop. Attempting to dive after his gun he hit his head and fell to the street. The rest of the party used the door like normal people, with Blackhawk stumbling through after.
  Inside was the familiar extradimensional shop filled with books and lore. From the inside there were no plate glass windows, though there was a potted plant to one side holding Blackhawk's shotgun. Blackhawk thanked Mathilda and retrieved the gun. Mathilda is Edwin's assistant, whose physical form is constantly changing. Mathilda went from being a potted plant to bread mold to an orangutan to a teenaged boy in the span of about five minutes. He is able to move and function regardless of his form, but can only speak while human. Mathilda said he has no control over this change.
  Edwin's pointy hat jutted above the desk in the rear of the room. Edwin said he had been expecting someone else, "Black Cross's friend with a message for our guest". Sasfiry opened the front door and motioned to the strange man to come in.
 

Prophet's account book
  Stardate 2476.5: completed delivery of message as contracted. Subject located in Bazilar, establishment named "curious goods". As suspected, subject is a Demon of Perdition, standard classification Demonicus Annoyus Rex. Perdition natives are not targeted for immediate termination. Subject name is Pyreforge, Thane of Perdition and Lord Bishop of the Third Carnal Pit. Message delivered without incident. Pyreforge swallowed message crystal for playback. Payment promised through normal means. Subject left the establishment. Sensors detected formation of a gateway to Perdition. End of entry.
 

Edwin's notes
  The conflict with the Unlife is intensifying. Rifts on other planes are opening up, and Kulthea is being used as a dumping ground. Old Masters long thought lost are being heard from again. There are indications that Andraax himself is again active on Kulthea.
  The situation in Zor is still dangerous. The Unlife has obtained an amulet which will protect them from the Heart of the World. This amulet would allow a powerful minion of the Unlife to penetrate the great Earthnode at Zor and tap into its power. There is a stronghold of the Unlife on a the first Pale where the amulet is probably hidden. I can think of no better group to retrieve the amulet than these adventurers. They will need assistance, which would best be recruited at the Gathering of the Ascension.
 

Frisbee's report to her monastery
  It would be three weeks before the gathering of the Ascension, during which time Edwin instructed us to keep our heads down and leave the shop only when necessary. We had been traveling constantly for several months, and all welcomed the break. I spent the time in meditation on my Path and in study in Edwin's extensive library.
  Chantille and Fry were rarely seen during this time without a book in their hands.
  The strange little goblin Shizlink finished the enchantment of the armor worn by the various party members. I can discern no difference in my leather coat since before Shizlink began, but Chantille tells me that it does radiate a slight magic now. Shizlink claims that the technomagical enchantment will make the coat more resistant to the firearms of the Unlife.
  Blackhawk and Sigmund located a firing range deep within the shop for target practice. Sigmund asked me to demonstrate basic martial striking technique. He is quite strong, but lacks form and subtlety.
  Sasfiry sat in intensive study of the medical database and instructional materials the Coalition commander in Mopheus had given us. She said she finds the Coalition medical practices stuffy and overblown but sometimes effective, though she cannot understand their complete ignorance of the benefits of magical healing.
  I described in a previous report the tear in space which Edwin had shown us, through which the Unlife is able to enter our plane. Edwin said that he cannot remember exactly when the tear opened, nor can any of the Loremasters. He believes it was no more than 10 years ago, and that the tear must have some time-warping effect such that no-one remembers precisely when it opened. There may be a connection between the tear in space and the Sickness in Bazilar, which also became much worse approximately ten years ago. I urge you to scour the records of the Golden Path for the past decade to look for additional correlations.
 

The Narrator
  Prophet, an old friend of Black Cross, introduced himself to the group. He had been an armored trooper in the Coalition strike forces, but became disillusioned some years ago and went AWOL. He has been working as a demon hunter since then, aided by a demon tracking scanner on his wrist and his suit of powered armor (which was hidden in the forest outside of Bazilar). Fry later helped repair some minor systems failures which had developed in the armor.
  The party had three weeks in Edwin's shop in which to train and prepare. During this time Edwin taught Chantille a ritual which would transport the group to southern Emer to join the Gathering of the Ascension. Prophet and Fry went through the initiation ritual as the rest of the party had done, emerging with the mark of Ascension burned into their forearms.
  At the end of the three weeks, the party gathered most of the equipment which had been stored in Edwin's shop. The first Pale is a dangerous place, and all of the heavy firepower was packed including the Plasma Repeater Rifle and the Horn of Siege. The party left Bazilar without incident and gathered at the clearing where Prophet had concealed his armor.
  After several tries, Chantille was able to invoke the ritual Edwin had taught her which opened a shimmering gateway at the far side of the clearing. One by one the party entered the gate, finding themselves still in forest but a distinctly sub-tropical one unlike the temperate clime around Bazilar.
  The sounds of feasting and celebration made the location of the Gathering obvious. There was a shimmering, translucent wall surrounding the Gathering which was a powerful spell to repel evil. Passing through it revealed a large clearing with three large bonfires, around which several hundred mannish beings drank and talked. There were also a large number of fairies flitting about. The tremors created by Prophet's powered armor marching into the clearing attracted some attention, but once it was parked and idling people returned to their conversations.
 

Shizlink's hidden computer file
  Me sit around campfire, work maintain powered armor. Me hear Merlogi voices behind! Me banished from Merlogi, not hear Merlogi many years. Me point gun, order come out! Three goblins come from forest, Twek, Mop, and Bop. Them say trouble underground, Grey Orcs taking over. Want me return, help fight. Me want know how them get Emer, them say follow me through gate from Bazilar. Me no can go back now, me must go First Pale recover amulet.
 

The Narrator
  The goblins were unclear on exactly what was going on underground, but these three were not exactly the best and brightest of the Merlogi race. They did know that the Grey Orcs had become very aggressive, and were obviously being backed by some outside power. The other Orcish races had declared war on the Greys. Twek, Mop, and Bop were also not sure what they wanted Shizlink to do, they just remembered he was very smart and probably would have made powerful friends in the time since his banishment. Shizlink decided the Merlogi would have to wait until their business on the first Pale was finished.
  Many of the persons at the Gathering mentioned the coming of the High King. No-one knew exactly who the king was, though many had their theories. Some said he was a powerful Loremaster returning to Kulthea, others that he was an ancient Elvish king. The High King would arrive at the Gathering in three days.
  The party split up to learn as much as they could in that time. Sigmund went to a tent where the clans of the High Men had gathered. He found little news save that the Midnight Brotherhood, the Magent group with which he had served his apprenticeship, had disbanded. He was also able to trade a blaster and an emerald for an enchanted chain hauberk. Chantille flitted about with the Fey-folk, though given the attention span of the average fairy she got little information from them. She did find a brownie willing to sell her a magical belt of protection.
  Sasfiry located an encampment of the followers of Kieron. The sect had faltered in the five hundred years she had been imprisoned, and was considerably less numerous and less joyous than she remembered. The priests said that with the coming of the dark times thirty years ago their numbers had begun to dwindle, as it became more difficult to bring out the joy in people's hearts. Sasfiry led them in song and dance, inspiring the followers of Kieron with songs thought lost centuries before. One of the priests was particularly attractive and attempted to seduce her. In response she led _all_ of the priests and priestesses into the tent. Three days later Sasfiry emerged feeling energized and refreshed, and looking for a cup of morning brew. Those in the tent with her would be sore for at least a week; obviously the followers of Kieron had slacked off in their physical fitness in the last 500 years.
  Frisbee found four monks of the Golden Path in an encampment. She approached the senior monk to report her travels over the past few months. Frisbee also obtained ten doses of mandrake root from the senior monk, useful for fighting demons of the Pales. When she was finished, one of the junior monks approached her. He had been given a small round crystal some time ago, and had been instructed by his master to meditate on its purpose. His meditations had been inconclusive, but he was certain that his Path crossed Frisbee's and he was to give the crystal to her.
  Fry marched into the forest surrounding the clearing in search of the dwarven encampment. He was not really welcome, but his presence was tolerated by the dwarves. They had been laboring to produce weapons and armor for the "lesser races" to use in the coming battles with the Unlife. "Lesser races" of course refers to everyone who is not a dwarf. Fry's attempts to engage the dwarves in further conversation were rather unsuccessful, and he staggered out after sharing only seven mugs of ale with them.
 

The Narrator
  The morning of the third day was filled with apprehension. The arrival of the High King was expected at any time. Several hours after dawn a flying ship was spotted, similar to the one the party had hired to cross the Sea of Fire (in a previous adventure) but larger and equipped with gold and silver fittings. The ship was accompanied by winged humanoids who were easily identified as Amarrishi as they drew closer. The ship held position above the clearing as six Amarrishi bore the High King and Queen down on a platform. The King was an impossibly old High Elf. The elves at the Gathering fell in line to pay homage, including Frisbee and Sasfiry. All others were blocked by the guards. Later the King addressed the Gathering, thanking them for their continued efforts and warning of the dangers to come.
  Frisbee noted that many of the Amarrishi stared openly at the lance she carried, which had been recovered from the body of one of their brethren in Terek'Knev. She approached one of the guards, who told her that the lances were held in reverence and carried markings of the clan which bore them. Frisbee returned the lance to the guard for conveyance to its rightful owners. She told him that its wielder had died in the assault on Terek'Knev many centuries before. It is difficult to read the facial expressions of the Amarrishi, but this one seemed pleased and honored by Frisbee's actions.
 

Prophet's account book
  Stardate 2479.3: There has been a security breach in the powered armor. The fairies managed to get inside and clean it. The whole thing smells of flowers now. The external plating has been scrubbed and brightly painted and draped with floral garlands. Blackhawk calls it "the Technicolor Dream Armor". End of entry.
 

Blackhawk's log, stardate 2479.3
  Three groups began forming to one side of the clearing, roughly thirty in each group. We were assigned as a fourth group, and were directed to our guide at the edge of the clearing. He was a werewolf, and not very talkative. A quick mental probe revealed his name was Carlbath.
  My companions gathered about, including the three goblins that had been annoying Shizlink for the past several days. Carlbath led us into the forest at a run. Somehow he opened a dimensional portal, though I didn't see any field generation equipment. The landscape changed as we ran, becoming a desolate plane by the time Carlbath called a halt. He said he would know when our mission was accomplished, and would meet us here to take us back. He then ran back the way we had come and disappeared. The three goblins had not made the transition with us but they were just fodder anyway. I set our current location as (0.0.0) in the tactical scanner and told Prophet and Fry to do the same with their equipment. The scanner in Prophet's armor had the highest power and detected a structure a few kilometers away which must be the objective.
  We set out on foot. Prophet called a halt after a short time. His tactical scanner had detected five targets moving rapidly toward us. We formed a firing line, and waited until the targets came into range of the magnagoggles. They were cat shaped but with enormous fangs, horns, and claws. Prophet said they were Traags, not really demons but often found in their company. Fry and Sigmund opened fire at extreme range. Fry's MLA pistol did some damage to two of them. Sigmund landed a couple arrows with a longbow, but the Traag were not affected by primitive screwhead weaponry. Urk got one with some kind of paralysis arrow [Editor's note: The Traag was turned to stone by the basilisk bow].
  As they came within range the rest of us opened fire. The Plasma Repeater Rifle left satisfyingly large holes in the creatures, as did the blasters and various firearms the rest of the group carried. The creatures must be heavy and strong to build up tremendous inertia, one skidded fifteen feet after its legs were blown off by a plasma bolt. The last Traag was killed as it charged Shizlink, and died just before reaching him.
 

The Narrator
  The first Pale is a dreary place. Quite literally. Everything appears in various shades of grey, there is no hue or brightness. Even the colors of Sasfiry's robe seemed muted and dull while on the Pale. Outside the Pale, her ornate silk robes generally attract attention [Editor's note: and sometimes signal low-flying aircraft]. Visibility was less than five kilometers to the horizon.
  Several of the fighters had noted that their weapons did not seem to pack the same punch against the Traags as they would have expected. The Plasma Repeater Rifle should have incinerated its targets, instead it merely blew large holes in them. The blasters singed and burned their targets but did not stop them. Shizlink used a technomagic bladerune to enchant some of the party's ammunition with a magical charge, in the hopes that an enchanted weapon would be more effective against demons and devilkin.
  Edwin had told the party that the amulet they sought contained a shard of the Heart of the World, but he was unable to describe what it looked like or how to locate it. After a brief discussion, the party arrived at three potential plans for retrieving the amulet. Plan #1 was to sneak into the fortress to retrieve it by stealth. Plan #2 was to barge into the fortress with guns blazing to retrieve it by force. Plan #3 was to use the Horn of Siege to level the place from a distance and dig through the rubble. The party determined that plan #3, though possessing style and panache in droves, was likely to lose or destroy the amulet in the rubble. The choice between stealth and force could be made after assessing the situation at the stronghold of the Unlife.
  At this point Frisbee remembered the crystal shard given her by Ninghal, and upon examination discovered that it was flashing dimly. It flashed more rapidly as they approached the structure pointed out on Prophet's scanner. The shard was another fragment of the Heart of the World, and was reacting to the presence of its twin. Chantille was able to attune to the crystal and felt a mental nudge in the direction of the keep.
  As they approached the outlines of the structure became clear. It was a large manor house with a central domed roof and two wings. It was 250 feet by 100 feet in area, and four stories tall at its highest point [Editor's note: and it eerily resembled Monticello]. Hints of movement above the dome of the manor drew the group's attention. Though the dim gray lighting made it difficult to see it appeared to be a large winged lizard circling. By the time the magnagoggles could be focused on the area it had descended behind the manor, and only the long tail was clearly visible as it dropped from view.
 

Fry's notebook
  This was bad, very bad. The architecture of the mansion was not native to the first Pale, I was sure of it the instant I laid eyes on it. In its general form it was reminiscent of edifices in the southern cities of Emer, though obviously in a state of extreme disrepair. All of the windows were broken out long ago and the exterior fascia was nearly ruined. This of course made it difficult to determine its age as the workmanship of the glass is a prime distinguishing factor, nonetheless I was able to pinpoint its construction as occurring between 1000 and 1020 years ago. How it came to reside on the first Pale is still a mystery, though I have some theories which I will reveal when the time is right.
  The sand of the plains grew suddenly dense and compacted near the manor house, and resembled a dried mud flat more than anything. There was a field of deep refuse strewn all about the house which ended at the same sharp boundary almost exactly one hundred feet from the walls. Close examination of the flotsam and jetsam revealed a jumble of artifacts from vastly different eras, laid out in a pattern which made no archeological sense. The materiel had not been deposited there over time, rather there was a mixture of different ages spread evenly across the plain. I believe this was done in a deliberate attempt to mislead me and hide the true import of the find. However I am not so easily discouraged; the multiscanner picked out a number of items scattered amongst the debris whose material composition made them especially interesting.
  The first interesting item registered as a variant of Duranium, and appeared to be the shoulder piece to a suit of armor. The armor was sized to fit a ten foot tall humanoid, and was inscribed with alien lettering. In another part of the site there was a metal tablet densely inscribed with runes. The language could not immediately be identified, though I'm sure I'll be able to identify it when it can be examined in better light.
  A section of a broken sword blade was unearthed which the multiscanner was unable to analyze for material composition. It is a black metal with flakes of silver. The scanner is 64% certain that the blade is machine made due to the smooth molecular structure though it cannot identify the manufacturing process. I believe the blade was forged of meteoric Eog via magical means.
  The final item identified by the scanner was a portion of a large, handled bowl. The scanner registered it as 99.9% pure gold, but the bowl did not have the crumbly character of gold of that purity. Also the color was wrong, it appeared with an almost rusty hue. There was a decorative band painted around the rim of the bowl, but it was otherwise unadorned.
  I packed away all four of the items for further study. In the future the Unlife would have to try harder to deny me my prize.
 

The Narrator
  Four kilometers to the northwest of the manor house could be discerned some kind of structure. The distance lenses revealed it to be more of a group of ruins, though some of the ruins did look curious. Prophet can run at up to 45 kilometers/hour in the powered armor, and determined to make a brief investigation while the rest of the party examined the manor grounds and field of rubble. Chantille accompanied Prophet, riding along in an aft storage compartment as he ran.
  The ruins consisted of hunks of metal embedded in the ground in a roughly one hundred foot diameter circle. The ground was a rocky amalgam, very different from the native sand of the Pale, and The largest chunk of metal had been painted with runes, though the paint had faded and was peeling away. Chantille was unable to read the runes, though she determined that they were not magical. A Presence spell cast near the largest hulk of metal detected a sentient presence some twenty feet to the north. Moving slowly in that direction Chantille discovered an area of intense cold which radiated an almost palpable aura of sadness. From her knowledge of the nature of the undead Chantille knew that she was standing in the middle of a ghost, though this one seemed unable to move from the spot. Before the spell wore off it detected another presence just like the first about fifteen feet away.
 

Chantille
  I thought it most unusual zat ze spirit was unable to move, and thought zat it might be trapped in zis place somehow. Ze Ghosts are often able to understand ze spoken language of ze living, so I asked aloud if I zere were anything I could do to help it. Ze Ghost responded with a wave of sadness even stronger zan before. I tried a few more questions, but received only feelings of sadness. When I told ze Ghost zat we would leave ze first Pale soon, I nearly fainted from ze overwhelming despair. Nonezeless zere was nothing I could do for it, and we were needed back at ze manor house. Prophet pulled a piece of ze metal out of ze ground so it could be studied, and we returned to ze party.
 

The Narrator
  The rest of the party had circled around to the back of the manor house when Prophet and Chantille returned, exploring the field of rubble. The field extended from the manor to an abrupt boundary all the way around to the back of the structure. Directly behind the manor there was no such sharp boundary as the rubble extended out several hundred feet, thinning out as it trailed away from the house.
  Attempts to look in through the windows were unsuccessful, even using magnagoggles saw only an inky blackness. There was a back door, wooden and apparently undamaged in stark contrast to the rotting window frames seen elsewhere about the house. The door was closed. Blackhawk attempted to open it and felt a wave of fear as his hand easily passed through the illusionary door. The rest of the party saw the door fall to pieces. Chantille dispelled the magic and the entire party was able to enter the structure.
  The entry hall extended up two stories in the central tower. Wrought iron and glass doors blocked the way into the rest of the manor house. Sigmund picked the lock, leading the way into the central hallway. To the right was a large dining hall, where centuries before several tables had been laid out for a feast which had since fallen to dust. Out of the corner of one's eye the outlines of feasting diners could barely be seen, outlines which disappeared when the first person stepped into the room.
  Beyond the feasting hall lay the kitchen, with a fireplace and locked pantry. The lock was easily picked revealing four shelves covered with the dust of whatever had been stored there. A careful search uncovered a hidden compartment in one of the shelves, inside of which was another piece of the rusty-gold bowl dug up from the field of rubble. When the two pieces were lined up and pressed together there was a flash of purple light, rejoining them. Roughly two thirds of the bowl was now whole.
  Continuing deeper into the right wing of the manor, the party explored what appeared to be guest rooms. In the furthest room Sasfiry found a heart shaped silver pendant under a mattress which radiated a slight magic. She attuned to it and found that there was a small compartment inside the pendant which preserved whatever was placed therein. Opening the compartment revealed a small white pill which also radiated magic. No one volunteered to swallow the pill so it was stashed away for later investigation.
  A stairway at the end of the wing led up to the second level. Not wanting to be trapped in the middle if there were troopers of the Unlife present, the party determined to clean out the rest of the first level before heading upstairs.
 

Prophet's account book
  Stardate 2479.6: Armor is too tall for effective indoor operation, crouching down for two hours leads to painful muscle cramping. Powering down motive systems for egress and breaking out Light Body Armor from external storage compartment. Action Item: acquire more effective body armor for backup use in future missions. End of entry.
 

The Narrator
  Returning to the central hallway, the party continued exploring the first floor. The first room entered was a study, filled floor to ceiling with books. To Fry's overwhelming horror some 95% of the volumes were so deteriorated that they fell to dust with the slightest touch. A search of the remaining 5% was quickly accomplished. While searching Sigmund noticed a book bound in red leather on a shelf he had already searched. It had not been there before. He reached over to the book and felt a presence invading his mind the moment he touched the binding. The Will contest was over in just an instant. Sigmund retained enough control over his mind to drop the book on the floor and end the battle.
  The title on the binding indicated that the book was a comprehensive treatise on Demonology. Chantille decided that the importance of the knowledge contained therein outweighed the risk. Steeling herself mentally she opened the book. The contest of Will continued for several seconds, during which time Chantille steadily beat back the spirit inhabiting the tome. In the end the spirit was subdued. Only Prophet was able to read the language of the text though he didn't know how or why. He read the first few pages aloud, finding that the tome was written by Nyon the Mad in stream-of-consciousness style, and that it was supremely detailed and supremely disorganized. Intense study of the book would have to wait until the business on the Pale was complete.
  In an office nook adjacent to the library Sigmund found a quill pen hidden in a compartment under a desk. It was magical, which allowed it to survive unblemished while nearly everything else in the mansion disintegrated. Attunement revealed that it could aid in the inscription of spells on rune paper.
  Chantille had attuned to the shard of the Heart of the World, and attempted to use it as a focus for a Locate spell to find the shard in the amulet. The spell did not detect the amulet within range. Shizlink programmed his repair scanner to be a frequency counter to measure the pulsing of the shard. Unfortunately the frequency of the crystal did not change as the party roamed about the mansion, providing no clue of the exact location of the shard.
 

Urk's letter to his mother
  We had searched most of the first level of the mansion without encountering anything dangerous. It certainly didn't seem like a stronghold of the Unlife, or I suppose more properly it did not seem like what I was expecting a stronghold of the Unlife would be like. The most dangerous thing we'd found was a book. I would have felt pretty funny if I my friends told me to attack the book, but the little fairy Chantille took care of it without combat.
  The furthest room in the wing looked like a storeroom. There was a small room to one side which was very, very cold. It was very strange mother, I could feel it get suddenly cold as I stepped through the doorway and warm as I stepped back. The far wall was almost freezing, chilling the entire room. I concentrated for a moment to make the metal spike pop out from my wrist, and used it to chip away some of the stone along the back wall. There was a metal plate buried behind several inches of stone, and the metal was almost icy. When I had dug out along all of the edges of the metal Blackhawk used his magic rapier [Editor's note: vibroblade] to cut deeply into the wall around the edges. Together we pulled a one foot square metal box out of the wall.
  We dragged the box into the larger room. It was almost glacial, and frost started to form on it. There was a seam running down the center of the box, but the seam was not deep enough for me to use my spike to pry open. Blackhawk tried to use his rapier to cut the box open, but a lightning bolt surged through him, breaking his magic sword and burning his chest. He wasn't hurt badly, and Shizlink fixed the sword later.
  The little fairy dispelled the evil magic which attacked Blackhawk, and Sigmund cast a spell to unlock the box. There was a blinding flash of light when the box opened. The inside of the box was lined with black velvet, and nestled at the bottom was a golden symbol of a deity none of us recognized. Sasfiry could tell that the symbol was very holy, and very powerful as though it were the symbol of an avatar.

The Narrator
  Down the hallway was what appeared to be the master bedroom, draped with what had once been fine tapestries and rugs. In a drawer of the dressing table was a silver comb slightly tarnished with age and which radiated a slight dweomer. Sasfiry attuned to it, and placed in her hair it enhanced her already considerable appearance. Prophet and Fry fell immediately under the spell of her beauty. She resisted the urge to command them to bark like dogs or some such, and removed the comb from her hair. Being the party member most in need of a makeover, Shizlink kept the comb.
  The multiscanner had been employed to map the building as it was explored. Accounting for the size of the rooms thus far explored and the thickness of the walls, there was a four foot by twelve foot space behind the wall of the master bedroom. A quick search located the tell-tale outline of a secret door. Sigmund located the mechanism and pushed the door open, and was rewarded with a Cold Bolt for his trouble (no serious damage, Sigmund is friggin' huge after all).
  The concealed space contained a spiral staircase heading up to the second floor. It was felt that since the Unlife went to some trouble to protect this staircase with magical traps, there must be something interesting above it.
 

/home/shizlink/encrypted/poetry.txt
The Gnomes adore their children
    but if they only knewed,
that Goblins also love them
    as they are quite tasty when stewed.

The Narrator
  A door at the end of the wing was locked, but Prophet took care of it. Prophet's definition of "pick the lock" varies somewhat from the conventional: he blew a large hole in it with a Mk III blaster. Subtlety is obviously not his forte. The door led into a summoning chamber. A ten foot pentagram was inlaid in the floor, and shelving along the walls held various catalysts and corpists used in demonic summoning rituals. Most of the contents of the shelves were unidentifiable, but there were three books in reasonably good condition.
  The first was the "Book of Runes". When Fry reached for it a Cold Ball rained down upon everyone nearby, which nearly killed Chantille [Editor's note; she used a Fate point to re-roll a 00 critical]. After dispelling the trap and invoking quite a bit of healing magic the Book was found to be an instructional tome for two evil spell lists (Dark Contacts and Dark Summons, if it matters).
  The second book was the Tome of Power which, inconceivably, was not trapped, locked, or dangerous in any way. This made the party quite nervous as books had thus far been their most dangerous opponents. Eventually they got over their paranoia long enough to determine that it was an evil spell book containing the entire Entity Summons list.
  The final book's title was written in High Elvish: The Incunabula of Mazarin. According to the spine it was penned during the second age of Eire some 10,000 years ago. Lulled into a false sense of security by the non-threatening Tome of Power, Fry reached for the Incunabula. The Will contest began immediately. Fry felt his mind invaded and overwhelmed. He stood for a moment studying the book, and then felt an imperative urge to find a toilet. He dropped the book and ran into the bathroom placed conveniently nearby by a sympathetic GM. While his bowels merrily purged themselves Fry shouted to the party that the book was possessed, and that it was an Arcane spell book. Mere mention of the words "Arcane spell book" sent Shizlink trundling back into the room. He grabbed the book and won the Will contest handily. The tome contained the Arcane Summons, Ethereal Mastery, Metal Lore, and Stone Lore spell lists to 12th level.
  A hidden compartment was found near the floor which contained a ring and a chalice. Chantille attuned to the ring, which had the power to see hidden things. It also somehow had the power to open a gateway and push or pull entities through, though it was not clear how to activate this function. Finally, it was a simply stunning belt for Chantille. The Chalice was decidedly evil, used somehow in the ritual to summon demons. The Chalice and books of evil spell lists were left in the room for later destruction, the ring and Incunabula were taken.
  Fry's violent purging ended about an hour later.
 

/home/shizlink/encrypted/poetry.txt
A Dwarven beard can be great fun
    especially when shorn from its wearer,
and woven into rope most fine
    to garrote its former bearer.

The Narrator
  Progressing from the left wing of the manor to the central hallway, a glass door was found leading to a library in the central tower. This was quite a shock, as from the first floor the main entryway appeared to extend upwards for two stories yet here was a library. Sigmund was unable to pick the lock, and so cast an Unlock spell. His spell was ineffective and brought down another Cold Bolt which froze his armor for a brief time.
  Twin stairways were spotted across the library which must lead down to concealed chambers behind the main entryway on the first floor. These were presumed to be easier to enter than the magically trapped door, so everyone proceeded downstairs. The secret doorways were easily found. When Urk tried to push one open he was attacked by a particularly unpleasant Cold Bolt which destroyed the flesh on his knees and, perhaps more importantly, caused a systems failure in his cybernetics. Fortunately it was a minor blockage in a hydraulic tube which Shizlink quickly corrected, and Sasfiry was able to heal the frostbite.
 

Prophet's account book
  Stardate 2479.8: Light Body Armor is insufficient for task at hand. Re-activation of powered armor systems completed successfully. All systems are go, all weapon systems report active, chip-lights are green. Cybernetic link active. Maneuvered into position in front of concealed door in main entryway. Attempts to break through masonry were successful. Deflector shield registered slight power surge when hit by subthermal energy attack, no damage registered. End of entry.
 
 

"Ooh, that got to hurt" -- Shizlink

The Narrator
  With the concealed door torn from its frame the way was clear. Calculating the incredible trove of knowledge contained within the library, Fry dashed up the stairs three at a time. The force of the impact when his head hit the invisible barrier at the top knocked him senseless for nearly a minute. The barrier was perfectly smooth and essentially impenetrable. The vibroblade was with considerable effort able to scratch the surface, but the break sealed as soon as the blade was withdrawn. Unlock and Dispel spells had no effect on the barrier.
  Unable to pass the invisible field the party returned to the second floor to complete its exploration. In the southern wing of the manor were two bedrooms and a storeroom. Beneath a flagstone in the floor of the storeroom was a concealed space containing a wooden box inlaid with symbols. The symbols were reminiscent of the ones painted on the golden bowl which Fry had been piecing together. Fry opened the wooden box, and his eyes glazed over briefly as he did so. [Editor's note: he failed a RR vs Essence. There was no immediate effect]. Inside was a silver decanter inscribed with still more symbols similar to the ones on the box and the golden bowl. Sasfiry's Item Analysis spell determined that the decanter had four magical functions. One of the functions was the containment of powerful beings. The other three functions were not revealed by the spell.
  Next to the storeroom was a gaming room filled with deteriorating playing cards, chess boards, and a complete set of moldy RM2 sourcebooks. A set of ebony and ivory chess pieces and a pair of ivory dice were stashed in Sigmund's pack. The moldy RM2 sourcebooks were left, of course, as this gaming group uses the RMSS rules.

 
  Tentative probes at the library doors found them still sealed. Attempts to teleport books out of the library were unsuccessful; it was as if the entire contents of the library were frozen in time and space. Careful chipping of the rounded wall surrounding the library revealed a thin layer of stone covering a metal structure beneath. Fry's multiscanner analysis of the material said it was steel, duranium, and two unknown metallic substances. The metal wall was surrounded by some type of force field which became increasingly slippery as pressure was applied to it. To a soft touch the wall felt smooth, while a heavy push would slide off to one side. Prophet suggested (via radio link from the first floor) that the slipperiness could be from a stasis field, though of course such things were impossible to build and no one had ever accomplished it.
 

Chantille
  In order zat we might find a way into ze library, I cast a Metal Lore spell on ze wall. Zis spell had served me well in ze past before I was trapped in Terek'Knev, as when I cast it on ze codpiece of ze prince of Zathrusta to learn zat he was not actually a he.
  Ze spell showed me a great sailing ship, which moved amongst ze stars in ze heavens. Ze ship foundered and broke apart, with ze pieces falling from ze heavens to ze earth. Ze largest piece lay in ze crater from its landing for many years, until ze manor house was constructed on ze site. Ze spell showed me a strange crane lifting ze section of ze ship, where ze building was constructed underneath it. Ze building in ze spell's vision is ze manor house we have been exploring.
  Ze little goblin Shizlink cast a different spell on ze wall. Ze 'technomagic' he wields is very interesting, it is Arcane magic but is very unlike ze Arcane spells I have learned in my travels. Shizlink said zat zere were small pathways in ze wall where power could flow, but zat zere was no longer any power present. I do not understand what sort of power would require zese small pathways, ze Essaence can easily travel through solid material.
  Sigmund pushed ze crystal from ze Heart of ze World against ze doors of ze library. Zere was a slight rumbling which spread throughout ze mansion, shaking everything back and forth. When it was over, ze doors were still locked.
 

The Narrator
  Having run out of ideas for breaking into the library the party decided to return to the ruins northwest of the manor house (which was referred to as the "crash site"). Urk and Sigmund were hit by Cold Bolts while trying to open the front doors. Prophet ripped the doors from their hinges. Ever the archaeologist, Fry discovered a hollow area under one of the stones of the entrance steps. Prophet and Urk levered the 200 pound stone out of the way, revealing another small wooden box like the one found upstairs. This box was also inscribed with symbols similar to the golden bowl, and Fry's eyes again glazed over when he opened it [Editor's note: he failed another RR vs Essence]. Inside the box was a three inch diameter plate of a gunmetal gray material. The plate was inscribed with similar lettering as the 12 inch tablet found in the rubble field in front of the manor house.
  Chantille cast a Text Analysis spell to allow her to read rudimentary concepts in a language. The newly found plate concerned a dedication of something, and listed a large number of proper names (none of which were familiar). The 12 inch tablet concerned "sailing". The symbols on the golden bowl and wooden boxes were ornamental or hieroglyphic in nature, not a written language.
  The entire party then headed back to the crash site.
 

Shizlink's hidden computer file
  Spaceship crash. Must be. Heavy freighter, ground hit, break up, everywhere scatter. Multiscanner say hull made duranium, steel, lots of stuff, say "crystal structure unlikely to be stable". Stupid scanner, metal here five hundred years. No unstable.
  Fry find gizmo buried. Gizmo dense crystal box, two conduits. Multiscanner say power converter is gizmo. Technomagic spell say gizmo use anti-matter, better Coalition build able. More spell try send power gizmo, no worky. Like pissing in ocean, water no turn green.
 

Blackhawk's log, stardate 2479.9
  Chantille directed me to the grid coordinates where she contacted the "ghost". These primitive screwheads are a superstitious lot, believing in all manner of ghosts, spirits, and magical creatures. It's true that powerful emotions can leave residual traces in an area, but that does not mean they are haunted. Althans are able to pick out these psychic residuals more strongly by employing psionic disciplines. I controlled my breathing in the pattern of deepest meditation and searched for psychometric traces on the hull fragments.
  The change in viewpoint was disorienting at first. I could see the ship as it once was, a light warship about the size of a Coalition-built tramp freighter. The viewpoint swiveled aft, where the rest of a battle squadron cruised. There were at least twelve heavy warships, escorted by an uncountable number of frigates and destroyers. The viewpoint swiveled forward, to the object the fleet was sallying against. It was a tear in space, almost identical to the one in the holographic projection in Edwin's shop, except this one was crackling with purple energy around its edges. Its scale was enormous. The visual image flickered as the ship I was tracing took a hit, and waves of sadness and death crashed over me. The viewpoint changed again, showing the surface of a rocky moon approaching fast. That was where the ship crashed. It had definitely not crashed on the First Pale. How it got here is a mystery.
 

The Narrator
  It became clear that the crashed ship had engaged in combat with a rift to the Unlife, similar to the one which formed in the Kulthean system ten years ago only much larger and stronger. Fry noted that it was very unusual for the Unlife to attack directly, they more commonly infected new planes of existence slowly like a virus.
  The psychometric projection from the crash site had been unusually strong. Blackhawk decided to attempt telepathic contact with the ghost. The answer was immediate, a strong feeling of recognition. Blackhawk framed a question in his mind: who are you? The answer was indecipherable. A simpler question followed: did the entity know anything about the manor house? Blackhawk was answered by a wordless feeling of negation.
  Imagining an image of the Mark of Ascension, which had been burned into the forearm of each member of the party when they formally joined the cause, Blackhawk in turn received an image of the symbol emblazoned on the bow of the flagship of the great fleet. An image of the holy symbol which had been recovered from the mansion elicited an image of the same holy symbol inscribed on the breastplate of the powered armor worn by marine troopers carried aboard the warship. The tablet which had been found the in the field of rubble in front of the mansion resulted in an image of a darkened room with a being in the center totally enmeshed in wires and cables.
  The mental link was becoming stronger and clearer, perhaps as the trapped ghost roused itself from its long slumber. Blackhawk asked if he could provide assistance, and heard a voice clearly in his mind: "Destroy the Invaders". Images of the necroborgs elicited confusion but affirmation from the ghost, as if it had not seen that particular form but could confirm that the Unlife had been the ancient enemy. Some members of the party had suggested euthanizing the ghost using a Repel Undead spell to free it from its long captivity, but it became clear that the ghost was trapped because its mission had not been fulfilled. Destroying its presence on the Pale would not end its suffering.
  Blackhawk next retrieved the shard of the Heart of the World which the party had brought to the Pale with them, and framed an image of the crystal in his mind. The ghost responded with a panoramic vision of a great, ancient city made of golden-red material similar to the bowl partially recovered. The vision moved rapidly to the center of the city, and indicated that there was a large amount of that type of crystal present.
  The ghost had been a member of the crew of the warship which had fought the Unlife a long, long time ago. Its ship had crashed on a desert planet. The ghost did not know how it had come to be on the First Pale.
 

Blackhawk's log addendum, stardate 2479.9
  The entity had identified the holy symbol as having been important to his race. As a result of the contact with the entity I was as deep in the psionic meditative trance as I have ever been. I focussed on the holy symbol, attempting to extract any psychometric energies it contained.
  The imagery was immediate and overwhelmingly powerful. The holy symbol we recovered had been aboard the crashed starship. It was placed in the center of a darkened room, and glowed faintly from within. A dozen tall, dark-skinned humanoids with purple eyes knelt before it. They were Althans.
  The vision shifted forward in time, to a point many years after the ship crashed on the desert world. A human, dressed in primitive screwhead clothing, dug up the symbol and whatever other artifacts he could carry off. Typical behavior for a primitive.
  One more shift found the human standing in the doorway of a manor house, the same manor house we had just finished exploring. It was newly built and stood in a forested area on a world with a bright sun. Definitely not the First Pale.
  The entity I contacted telepathically must be the remnant psionic energy of an ancient Althan. The technology which powered its ship is far beyond what Altha possesses today, beyond the best the Coalition can muster. If Altha possessed that tech today, it could be free of the Coalition occupation in an instant. The entity is a Progenitor. The Progenitors were Althans. I am sure of it.
  I re-established telepathic communication with the entity. It responded more vigorously and with a sense of brotherhood. Obviously it was growing stronger from our interaction. It confirmed that the coordinates of its homeworld matched the coordinates of Altha. I promised to work to destroy the Unlife, the ancient Invader. The entity responded with enormous gratitude. Then it faded away, the unfinished task which held it on the Pale had been resolved.
 

The Narrator
  While exploring the crash site the party had felt two more tremblors in the ground similar to the one felt when the shard of the Heart of the World was pressed against the library doors. It was decided to return to the manor house armed with new information about the nature of the holy symbol. A quick multiscanner analysis showed the symbol to be made of gold and alloys, with a central core of very dense crystal (though not the same crystal as the Heart of the World). The scanner estimated that the symbol was some sort of power storage device, though it could not tell the nature of the power stored.
  Returning to the second floor of the mansion, Sigmund carefully pushed the holy symbol against the doors of the library. There was some resistance, but by pushing harder he touched the symbol to the door. There was an audible click, then nothing. After a moments pause Sigmund pushed on the doors. They no longer felt slippery from the force field, but still they did not budge. He pushed harder but was still unable to move them. Finally he realized they opened outwards.
  The doors swung open to reveal... something which did not even vaguely resemble a library. A corridor, roughly 20 feet wide and 15 feet high, descended at a moderate angle into darkness. The corridor was lined with precisely machined stone, very smooth to the touch. With a bit of maneuvering Prophet got the powered armor up to the second floor, and the party proceeded down the tunnel.
  The corridor descended downwards several hundred feet, where it joined a rough hewn corridor. There were symbols carved into the rock of the rough corridor which looked like approximations of the symbols inscribed on the golden bowl and wooden boxes. The rough corridor extended several hundred feet until it terminated in double doors made of the same material as the ones in the library. These doors opened easily, to reveal a rectangular room with an altar in the middle flanked by stone columns. The far wall housed another set of double doors, while funeral alcoves lined the remaining two walls. Many of the alcoves were inhabited by the skeletal remains of humanoid creatures in rotting wooden caskets.
 

Fry's notebook
  This was bad, very bad. These poor souls had obviously died as a direct result of the efforts by the Unlife to destroy me. However their sacrifice was not in vain, the great cause they died for lives on in me.
  I examined the largest alcove first. The scanner readout confirmed what I already knew: the body inside was human. It had been dead for a very, very long time and was nearly skeletal from the decay. A silver ceremonial dagger was fastened in a rotting sheath on its belt. I stashed it away for further analysis. Of the other alcoves, six contained Althan remains (obvious, due to the presence of six fingers on each hand) and four contained human remains, again confirming my suspicions. The other alcoves also contained various bits of silver jewelry, some inscribed with an image of the holy symbol I recovered from the first floor of the mansion.
  I allowed Sigmund to open the door in the south wall. In the chamber beyond I could see a human corpse in somewhat better condition than the ones in the main chamber, laying on a table. When Sigmund walked through the doorway the corpse sat up, and climbed off the table. It was moving slowly, and was certainly not a threat to Sigmund. I, of course, am invulnerable to the Undead.
  The zombie staggered into the main chamber as we backed away. It was working its jawbone continuously, as if attempting to communicate. It stopped near the center of the room and stood facing Sigmund. It raised its arm to point, at which time Urk very much wanted to bash it. I found its behavior very unusual for the animated dead and ordered Urk to hold his place until we could ascertain the creature's purpose.
 

The Narrator
  After several fruitless attempts to read its lips (it had no lips), the zombie turned and shambled back through the doorway from which it had come. It led Sigmund and Fry into the far chamber, where a Althan corpse lay. The human zombie stood next to the table, working its jaw continuously. Blackhawk was carrying the Holy Symbol. Given its connection with the ancient Althans, it was thought that Blackhawk should present the symbol to the dead Althan.
  When Blackhawk touched the symbol to the body a psychic battle began. Psionic combat is instantaneous. Blackhawk defended himself ably but was overwhelmed. The rest of the party saw a ghostly image extend from the Althan corpse to merge with Blackhawk, then he slumped to the floor. Revived, he was unsure of what had happened and felt no different. Chantille, drawing upon her knowledge of Undead lore, said that the image of the Althan visibly absorbed into Blackhawk was not normal during possession attempts, and was unable to identify what had happened. The human zombie crumbled into a heap as soon as the psychic combat began.
  While the others tended to Blackhawk, Fry examined an obvious concealed space in the far corner. Bashing through the plaster into the small room, he found a table and two chairs sized as if for children. On top of the table was a crystal flask containing a clear liquid, and a silver plate with a loaf of bread. The etching on the plate did not match the cuneiforms on the walls or the wooden boxes. The multiscanner determined that the liquid in the flask was pure spring water. The flask was not sealed and had no stopper, yet none of the liquid had evaporated. Likewise the bread had been preserved as if freshly baked. Both the flask and the platter were determined to be magical.
 

Urk's letter to his mother
  I still have nightmares about it. Oh, my poor Frisbee!
  We hadn't seen much danger on the Pale. There was the occasional Traag and zombie, but nothing like what we had been through in some of our previous adventures. I guess thats why we all let our guard down a little.
  Sigmund had been opening most of the doors (and getting hit by most of the magical frost bolts) thus far in our exploration of the manor house. Frisbee, to my everlasting regret, decided it was time for someone else to do it. She marched up to the door in the north side of the crypt. I was a little nervous, but I think Frisbee gets annoyed at me when I am over-protective though she is too polite to say it. I lined up behind Blackhawk to back her up and let her open the door. Woe, if only it had been me in front!
  I could see over her shoulder as the door swung open. The first thing I noticed was the teeth, made entirely out of metal and looking strangely out of place on the otherwise featureless face. Then the necroborg fired its shotgun point blank at my poor Frisbee! Her Golden Path training was superb, and she tried to dodge out of the way. I wish she had, I would gladly have taken the blast to spare her. But it was not to be. The slug hit her square in the stomach, cutting a deep channel through her innards and severing an artery. Blood poured from her body. She was blown backwards into Blackhawk. It was horrible!
  I grabbed Frisbee instantly and picked her up, while Blackhawk dealt with the Unlife. I carried her to the nearest alcove away from the fighting. I tried to stop the bleeding but there was so much of it I couldn't do it. I started to panic.
  Sasfiry rushed over to help, and somehow I found the healing device Shizlink had made for me. Sasfiry used the Coalition regenergun on the wound, which was still gushing blood. I pumped charge after charge of the device into Frisbee, trying to keep her life's essence from fading.
  I've seen war, and the carnage it inflicts on soldiers. Never have I seen someone spared who was so badly injured. And yet, Frisbee lives. Sasfiry used the regenergun to repair the artery, stanching the bleeding and closing the tissues around it. Then she patched up the organs which had been punctured by shrapnel. She had me help remove some of the twisted pieces of metal before sealing the wound. All the while I used the healing device to keep Frisbee alive while the surgery was performed.
  She lives, mother. She hasn't regained consciousness yet, but the damage to her body was repaired quickly enough that Sasfiry thinks she will recover fully.
 

The Editor
  In game terms, Frisbee had taken 160 points of damage and an 'H' critical. The critical damaged several organs and caused 15 hits/round of bleeding. The damage was enough to exceed her constitution, meaning she was dead and the countdown to soul departure had begun.
  Urk and Shizlink expended continuous charges of the healing wands while Sasfiry went to work. The wands raised her back above her constitution limit before the round ended, and again the next round (after more bleeding damage had been tabulated). Since Frisbee was never dead for an entire round, her stats did not begin to deteriorate. The organ damage was repaired and the bleeding stopped via application of the regenergun. Shizlink had to replace its energy cells twice before all of the damage was repaired.
  Wounds that severe pose quite a shock to the system, and Frisbee was in a coma even after all of the damage was repaired.
 

The Narrator
  While the rest of the party fought to save Frisbee's life, Blackhawk, Fry, Sigmund, Prophet, and Black Cross had to take care of the Troopers of the Unlife. Blackhawk and Fry began firing through the door Frisbee had opened while Prophet maneuvered the powered armor into position on the other side of the room. He broke through the wall into the chamber beyond and called out that there were four more troopers, the one which shot Frisbee having already been obliterated. The troopers, apparently not expecting this intrusion, turned their attention to Prophet and paused before firing. Prophet's deflector shield absorbed most of the damage though he staggered back twice from the impact. The whine of the pit bull blaster served as the borg's epitaph.
 
 

"That was strangely satisfying." -- Blackhawk "Man, I feel like shit." -- Fry

Shizlink's hidden computer file
  New Troopers. Very new, very bad. Bad bad bad. Shotgun have revolving cylinder, auto shells can fire. No column spinal, only wires superconductive plus Arcane. Wires run brain stem to arms to legs to silver pad on palm. New autoshotgun have silver pad too, inductive connection for mechanism firing may be. (Neat! Must figure out). Scanner say wires pads made duranium plus other stuff. Necroplasm disintegrate, all gone bye bye. Gather up duranium wires, in backpack now.
  Armor Prophet take shotgun hits, two dents. One repair with welder laser. Other deeper, need plating no have. Need forge, must wait. Maybe use Eog repair dent.
 

The Narrator
  The rest of the chamber was quickly searched for any additional necroborgs. Two small cairns in the corner each contained an Althan corpse laying on a low table. Under the torso of the first was a metal rod about fourteen inches long, which the multiscanner said was made of the same material as the library wall in the manor house. The second Althan corpse concealed a crystal disk about three inches across with a convex side. It was made of the same crystal as the decanter found in the secret room. When Blackhawk attempted psychokinesis on the rod it seemed to vibrate slightly, though the psychokinesis failed.
  While travelling down the rough hewn hallway the scanner had recorded the exact frequency of the flashing of the shard of the Heart of the World. Shizlink programmed the scanner to interpolate the frequency and predict the distance to the amulet. The scanner determined that the amulet was within 150 feet of the present location.
 

Blackhawk's log, stardate 2479.11
  Nothing is ever simple around here. The mission objective was close, we decided on one final push. Prophet was ready to charge through the door as soon as Sigmund opened it. When Sigmund pulled on the handle he activated some kind of defense grid, and a bolt of energy shot directly into his chest. The bolt nearly fused Sigmund's primitive armor, I'm surprised the armor held up at all. [Editor's note: the armor was magical, but was ruined by the blast].
  It was time to regroup and take stock of the tactical situation. Chantille activated the ring we had found back in the mansion, which allowed her to see into other parts of the spectrum. Must be cybernetic, inductively coupled into the nervous system or something. She could see the outlines of the force field around the door, with tendrils of energy extending out to cover the walls on either side. When Urk activated his digging spike to try to punch through the force field flared up, indicating a sophisticated command and control system.
  That's when Fry's abnormal behavior became obvious. He'd been acting funny ever since he opened the wooden boxes in the mansion. Now he was just plain out of it, clutching the golden bowl tightly and staring at it while mumbling to himself. Usually he jabbers constantly about everything, mumbling to himself is not normal. He had retrieved the crystal disc from the far crypt and was holding it over the bowl and staring. Then he jammed it into the bottom where it fused with a flash of light.
  There were psychic influences all over this place. I had been attacked by one earlier, and it was possible that Fry had been attacked as well. I probed him mentally to find out. What was lurking in Fry's mind was definitely not Fry. It's presence didn't even feel human. It was decidedly cruel and selfish and was focused on finding "the key". It didn't know exactly what the key was, but was dividing its consciousness between trying to puzzle it out and running Fry's body to keep the rest of us fooled.
 

Chantille
  I saw zat Fry had seated himself on ze altar, and sat staring at ze partially completed golden bowl. Knowing what Blackhawk had told me about zomething possessing him, I flew over to ascertain what it might be. I asked to see ze golden bowl, zat I might attune to it to determine ze workings of its magic. Fry set ze bowl down a very short distance in front of him, and looked uncomfortable at my approach. It is very strange, alzough I can sense ze power in ze bowl I cannot contact it or even identify its realm. I have never encountered such a zhing before. Fry snatched ze bowl back as soon as I emerged from my trance.
  I flew around behind Fry, and activated ze ring which allows me to see zhings as zey are on a higher plane of existence. I first looked at Sigmund and Sasfiry, seeing zer auras as a softly glowing orb shaped like ze chicken egg. I next looked at Blackhawk, and for just a moment saw a beacon of very bright light emanating from his aura. Ze beacon was zere for only a moment, zen his aura looked like zat of Black Cross which I take to be ze normal aura for one of his race.
  With zat reference, I turned my attention to Fry. Ze sight was so shocking I nearly flew into ze wall! Fry's aura was still zere, but standing just behind him was a heavily muscled being with pointed ears and teeth. Ze arms of ze muscled demon reached into Fry's aura to manipulate it, and ze demon glanced about constantly as if nervous. Ze being looks like an Ordainer demon, one of ze aristocracy of ze Pales, but ze aura from ze demon was very faint. I would expect an Ordainer to positively radiate power.
 

The Narrator
  While the ring was active Chantille looked at the aura of a few other items in the party's possession. The silver flask found in the wooden box in the mansion had wisps of vapor escaping from around its stopper. The golden bowl Fry was clutching looked complete, there was no piece missing on the alternate plane. The Progenitor holy symbol was so bright as to be blinding, while the face of a demon of Perdition stared back at her from the cover of the Incunabula of Mazarin. Frisbee's aura looked very weak but stable. When Chantille looked at Blackhawk again the "beacon" emanating from his aura was back, this time permanently. Chantille looked at the aura of a number of other items in the party's possession which would be tedious to list here; they are detailed on another page.
  Chantille paged through the Tome of Demonology until she recognized the demon she had seen in Fry's aura. Its name was Kitacti. Kitacti is a minor member of the First Pantheon, the original Ordainers. The book went on to say that Kitacti had a fondness for artifacts of power and that this had been used to bind him into service several times before.
  Blackhawk set the Progenitor holy symbol on the altar. When he did so the columns flanking it turned from stone to translucent crystal. As the altar was obviously the work of the Progenitors, Blackhawk knelt before it and telepathically asked for guidance. He felt a warm hand on his head, and the columns slowly receded into the floor. A bright light shot from the altar to the double doors, and grew in intensity until they were bathed in a blinding light. The runes of the Unlife flared and reacted with the beam, causing the doors to explode outwards. Sigmund was caught in the explosion and suffered two broken ribs.
  Behind the destroyed doors was an archway leading to a hallway beyond. It was obvious that the doors and warding runes had been added later to keep people from crossing through the archway.
 

Prophet's account book
  Stardate 2479.11: Explosion of doorway registered on concussion sensors. No additional damage to armor systems registered, but unrepaired damage from autoshotgun blast is still a concern.
  Blackhawk signalled this was the opportunity to deal with Fry. Armor maneuvered into position blocking exit, advanced on Fry's location near altar. Target absorbed in study of bowl and did not notice approach. Blackhawk advanced from behind, administered blow to back of neck. Target's grip on bowl loosened, Sigmund teleported bowl away. Two more subdual strikes required before target rendered unconscious. No additional damage to armor registered. End of entry.
 

The Narrator
  Fry took quite a bit of punishment before falling unconscious. Blackhawk was careful to avoid serious injury but Fry would have quite a headache when he awoke. After crumpling to the ground streamers of glowing red energy flowed from his eyes, gathering in a blob above him. When all of the energy had withdraw into the blob it shot through the archway and around to the left.
  The party gave chase, running all the way around the hallway until it was clear that Kitacti had escaped. The room beyond the archway consisted of a hall surrounding a central stone structure. In the closest two corners of the hall were a larger version of the Progenitor's holy symbol, standing three feet high and made of a silvery metal. Hanging from the ceiling above each symbol was a metal chain ending in a crystal. A field of purple energy extended from the crystal to the floor, completely surrounding the Progenitor symbol. Even touching the field elicited a painful surge of energy. Later, Blackhawk got the bright idea to try to cut the chain using the vibroblade. What remains of the blade mechanism is probably still bubbling on that floor on the First Pale.
  The stone blocks comprising the walls of the inner structure were made in an odd trapezoidal shape, with the small edge facing the hallway and the larger edge facing the interior. That is, the walls were slightly curved, with the back wall more curved than the rest. The blocks were fitted together without mortar, well beyond the level of stonecraft available on Kulthea (even amongst the Dwarves, though they might contest this). As constructed, the walls would be able to withstand a tremendous pressure from the central chamber of the room pushing outwards.
  In the far wall were five alcoves in the shape of the Progenitor holy symbol, cut slightly larger than the one carried by Blackhawk. There was no reaction when the symbol was inserted into each of the alcoves.
  By this time the healing wands had been used on Fry to restore some of the concussion damage he sustained in the subdual, and he woke up. He did not remember anything from the moment he opened the wooden box in the storeroom of the manor house. Sasfiry filled him in on what had happened, glossing over the part about Blackhawk beating him silly. He of course immediately rejoined the party in exploring the area.
  [Editor's note: a rendered 3-D image of the force field surrounding the Progenitor symbol is available. It is 52 KBytes to download, and it is recommended that you set your monitor to High Color (16 bit) or better for optimal viewing]
 

Fry's notebook
  This was bad, very bad. I had been possessed by a demon of some sort, a Demon Prince of the First Pantheon if Chantille is correct. That would make sense, it would require a demon of enormous power to accomplish such a feat. Even so, had I sensed his effort in time I very much doubt he could have affected the possession. I shall have to be even more vigilant in the future.
  There are obviously some physical aftereffects to demonic possession because I had a severe headache for several hours thereafter and the bruises took weeks to heal.
  Blackhawk had the silver decanter which I had recovered from one of the wooden boxes in the mansion. He noticed that as it was brought near the golden bowl it began to vibrate strongly. I would have noticed this effect earlier had I been in possession of my faculties, I am certain. When the stopper was removed the vibration ceased. Turned upside down, nothing was visible pouring out of the decanter, but the remaining section of the bowl faded into view. The golden bowl was now complete and undamaged.
  Blackhawk then knelt in front of the Progenitor altar once more and re-established telepathic contact. He emerged from his trance some minutes later with one message: Embrace the wisdom of Penderack. Penderack is of course a pivotal figure in Althan history, having been the first to bring the disparate warrior and religious castes under common leadership. He preached a philosophy of non-violence which many Althans still honor today, although the two Althan members of my party are somewhat less fervent followers of this ideal.
 

/home/shizlink/encrypted/poetry.txt
Ode to Monofilament
Monomolecular filament, buckminster fullerene,
    magnetically operated, disinfectantly clean,
monofilament is many things -- to them to you and me,
    but touch it not or you may find yourself an amputee.

The Narrator
  Chantille activated the ring again. As her vision shifted it paused on another plane, showing the dark mouth of a cave with four shadowy, cloaked riders staring at her. Then the vision resumed its shift to the ethereal.
  The purple force fields surrounding the two Progenitor holy symbols appeared to have demonic creatures writhing and swimming through them in the ethereal sight. The creatures swam in and out of the crystal hanging from the ceiling. Looking at the wall, there appeared to be bright energy escaping from between the stones and holding them together like mortar. The energy of the curved wall with the five holy symbols was pulsing like a heartbeat.
  Chantille attempted to cast a Vibrate spell on the purple crystal, hoping to hit its resonant frequency to make it shatter. The resulting Mana Bolt which shot from the field nearly killed her [Editor's note: and would have killed her had she not used a Fate point to reroll the critical].
  After dragging Chantille away from the crystal, Blackhawk used the newly restored golden bowl to catch the edge of the purple field. Everything else touched to the field had gotten a jolt of energy, but the bowl pushed the field aside to reveal the Progenitor symbol behind. Pushing the bowl all the way through the field to cup it and then upwards to touch the crystal caused the crystal to explode, eliminating the force field. This process was repeated at the other symbol.
  With the fields of the Unlife removed the alcoves on the back wall became active. When the Progenitor holy symbol was inserted into one it met the stone at the back, and was slowly pushed out as the alcove filled in leaving a bass relief of the symbol on the wall. When all five alcoves had been filled in this way the central block of stone audibly clicked and began to withdraw into the wall. It receded nearly four feet before toppling backwards and falling, leaving a three foot wide hole in the wall. The party did not hear it hit bottom.
  When the stone withdrew a strong breeze began blowing from the hallway into the hole in the wall. Chantille was with considerable effort able to fly against it, but latched onto one of the party members for safety. The spotlights on Prophet's armor were ineffective as the chamber extended as far as the eye could see. Shizlink tied a rope about his waist and trundled into the hole, calling out that the wall extended away in all directions as far as he could see. The multiscanner showed that it extended five kilometers up and down before gradually curving to the horizontal. The scanner also (finally) detected the crystal of the Heart of the World roughly 7-12 kilometers away. It was unable to get an exact fix on the crystal.
  Chantille activated the ring again. As the vision shifted it paused at the cave with the four shadowed horsemen. One of the horsemen began riding towards her. Then the vision shifted to the ethereal. The ring showed a grey mist filling the hole in the wall and the enormous chamber beyond.
  The last message Blackhawk got from the Progenitor altar was: overcome doubt.
 

Sigmund's Journal
  Blackhawk climbed into the hole and through to the other side. He sent a copper piece sliding down the far wall, and used his demon-fired detector [Editor's note: multiscanner] to see how hot it got. The bend in the wall were very slight, if ye slid down ye'd get a bad burn on yer arse but ye might just survive it with a wee bit of magic to protect ye from the heat.
  Blackhawk grabbed Chantille, who promised to cast a Fly spell on 'im if anythin went wrong. Then he stepped out into the darkness. And just stood there. The bastard were floating in midair, and Chantille hadn't cast her spell! He drifted away from the wall slowly at first, then took off like a bull across the pasture to a cow in heat.
  Before I could stop 'im Fry leaped through the hole. I were damned sure the demon had gotten 'im again and were going to spread 'is brains across the floor ten miles below, but the bastard dropped four feet and then hung floating in midair. 'e called out that it were like 'e expected (I hate the bastard, always says 'e knows whats goin' te happen. I hate it more when he's right) Ye must overcome doubt and trust that ye won't fall, and ye won't, 'e said. Then he started movin away quickly like Blackhawk 'ad done.
  I'll be damned if I'll let a lit'le whelp show me up. I am Sigmund McLeod of the Clan McLeod. The pride runs deep in me clan. I climbed into the hole, banished the doubt from me mind, and stepped out into the darkness.
  And dropped like a stone.
  Blackhawk told me once that it were a sport on 'is planet to jump from one of their flying contraptions, falling thousands of feet, with a magical device 'e called a "parachute" to stop ye fall before the end. Keledon, me mentor in the Midnight Brotherhood, him that taught me me magic, told me to gauge a distance carefully before jumping because the Landing spell were only good for a few hundred feet. I felt the fear well up, like it had before me first battle. The first time I killed a man or he 'ould damned well killed me. The first time me Da threw me in the river to learn to swim or drown tryin. All sorts of thoughts went through me mind in the first few seconds of fallin', mostly concerning me imminent demise.
  If there's anythin the Magent assassin training teaches, its that fear killed many more a man than rage ever will. I recited the Litany Against Fear what Keledon had drilled into me at the start of me training with the Brotherhood. As it finished the calm set'led over me mind.
  I knew I'd already fallen further than me spells could stop. I coulnae see nothin in the darkness, to know where the wall were to slow me fall. Me only chance were to do whatever Blackhawk and Fry had done. I tried agin to banish the doubt from me mind, to will meself to stop fallin. It dinnae work, I kept fallin, but the Litany kept me panic away.
  The Progenitors had built this place. It were their magic that made Fry and Blackhawk fly. I remember'd what Blackhawk had said about th' Progenitor ghost, that it hae failed its mission to destroy the Unlife. I removed all doubt from me mind that the mission would be accomplished. Me fall slowed, and stopped, and I were suspended in air like a puppet on wires.
  The next problem would be cleanin me undergarments.

[Editor's note: Sigmund had fallen nearly five kilometers. Tanking his first roll to overcome doubt, he used Adrenal Concentration to stop panicking and avoid hefty negatives to the successive throws. After a spectacularly bad series of die rolls he would have hit the curve in the wall and probably died. He used a Fate point to re-roll the last chance, and succeeded.]
 

The Narrator
  Sigmund did not have a communicator so as far as the rest of the party knew, he was dead. This rather put a damper on enthusiasm to jump through the hole, especially when Black Cross jumped and dropped like a rock. She fell about 700 meters before coming to a stop.
  Blackhawk, Fry, and Black Cross were able to move at twenty miles per hour via the strange levitation of the chamber. Chantille flew nearly that fast. The four of them converged at a point roughly three kilometers short of where the multiscanner had detected the crystal amulet. Sigmund spent a few minutes cursing whatever gods he reveres for letting him fall so far, then concentrated on rejoining the rest of the party arriving ten minutes later.
  The five heroes began hiking to the location of the crystal. As they approached they could see a bright light in the distance, which was revealed to be a surging pyre of energy in the center of a large circle of stones. Just inside the circle of stones was a ring of twenty metal cages, each holding a Type I demon. The demons looked quite emaciated. There was a cable running from each cage to the pyre in the center, apparently draining their energy bit by bit. Two larger cages lay further inside the circle. One occupant could be seen, and looked very much like the illustration of Kitacti in the Tome of Demonology. Apparently he was trapped in the cage with only a small portion of his consciousness outside, the portion which had possessed Fry. The occupant of the other cage was not visible from where they stood.
  Patrolling the edges of the circle were nine necroborgs. Inside the circle were two large demonic creatures with cybernetic implants and weaponry, and two floating metallic cylinders with a glass dome on top encasing a putrid green brain. Finally, near the energy pyre were two humanoids. The one on the right was wearing a full suit of black plate mail, toting an autoshotgun, with a huge greatsword strapped to his back. It was the same man who had attacked the party at sea on their way to Bazilar. The other humanoid had lizard skin and tentacles extending from its mouth. It was wearing tattered robes which Blackhawk recognized as those worn by the human owner of the mansion in his psychokinetic vision. From the slight gestures of its hands and the extreme concentration it displayed, it was apparently in control of the magic ritual which was draining the demons. There was also a dead, naked humanoid lying behind the two figures.
  At this point Prophet could contain himself no longer. The powered armor would not fit through the hole in the wall so he disengaged from the cybernetics and retrieved the man-mobile recoil harness for his Enforcer (essentially a piece of field artillery mounted on one arm of his armor). He grabbed his flak jacket and dove through the hole. He fell about 200 meters before stopping, and radioed ahead that he was on his way.
  Sigmund cast Unseen spells on everyone, and journeyed back to the landing site to rendezvous with Prophet whom he also turned invisible. While Sigmund and Prophet were returning Black Cross crept into the circle of stones to identify the creature inside the other large cage. She said it looked like a Mowgren warrior. The Mowgren are part of the Alien Legion, a group of worlds at war with the Coalition.
 

Sigmund's Journal
  We spent far too much time decidin' how to get the crystal. One plan were to get Sasfiry to come down with the Horn of Siege. One blast would soften 'em up a wee bit; but she bloody well refused, something about bringing the whole damn cave crashin' down. Another plan were to sneak in, take the crystal and hope we dinnae get noticed. The third plan were to release the demon Kitacti and the Mowgren, and get the crystal while battle raged.
  We decided that freeing the Ordainer be the best plan. I took the golden bowl from Blackhawk and crept into the circle. The spell made me invisible to their sight, but th' Unlife have other ways of seeing so its best to move stealthily. I got up to the first cage, with the damned Kitacti. Bloody hell, I was about to free an Ordainer demon! The lock were simple enough, I could pick it with me tools, but wrapped around the lock were a silvery thread. It looked like the threads the damned goblin had picked out of the necroborgs. I were pretty sure me knife wouldn't cut that thread, and might make me visible if I tried.
  I took out the golden bowl. Invisibility is a strange thing, ye can see yerself with a wee bit of distortion and haze, but no other bastards can see ye. The bowl were a magic item from the Progenitors. Chantille hadnae been able to attune to it. I hoped it dinnae need attunement, and concentrated on a way to remove the silver thread. The bowl shook a bit and began to change. It shaped itself into a pointed dirk about fourteen inches long. I tried to use the point to lift the silver thread from the lock, but when the point touched it the thread disintegrated with a wee puff of smoke.
  I decided to keep usin' the Progenitor magic instead of me lockpicks. I thought about unlocking the lock, and pushed the tip of the dirk into the mechanism. The tip began to change agin, turning into a key, which I twisted and heard the lock click. One of the other bastards must've heard it too. The closest necroborg whipped around in the corner of me eye. I sat still as a rock, sweatin' it out. The borg scanned back and forth, but dinnae notice the damned lock were hanging open. The trooper turned back around to face outwards.
  I moved slowly to the other cage, doin me best to stay quiet. Must not've been quiet enough, one of the flying brain machines jerked about and moved towards me. I stopped and sweated it out agin. This one were different, I felt a presence near me mind. I'd been probed by a Mentalist before, Thelvan of the Midnight Brotherhood had done it, but this were different. Still, I withdrew me mind deep into itself like Thelvan had taught me, hoping the same trick would work against Unlife magic. The hellborn thing spent nearly a minute scannin for me, but I ne'er felt the presence in me mind get closer. Then it turned away and went back to the spot it had come from.
  That one were close. I dinnae hae much time, Kitacti's cage were unlocked already and he'd jump up as soon as he realized it. I moved to the second large cage and did the same thing, cuttin the silver thread and unlockin the lock.
  The plan were for me to wait for the lizard to lose his concentration on the ritual, grab the crystal, and cast Leaping to get out while the Ordainer demon distracted and hopefully destroyed the Unlife. I moved in towards the fire. It weren't hot, but I felt the poe'erful magic interfere with me Unseen spell. I concentrated on the spell to keep it active, and waited.
 

The Narrator
  Three rounds after his cage was unlocked, Kitacti realized he was free. He sat up, held out both arms, and conjured up three balls of fire. One ball raced towards one of the cyberdemons, another towards the man in black plate mail, and the third towards one of the brain-bots. The cyberdemon was knocked off its feet, the man in plate was blown back thirty five feet, and the braincase of the robot exploded sending green icor everywhere. The fireballs were a form of elemental and almost sentient, continuing to attack their target round after round and picking a new target after killing one.
  The Unlife opened fire. The remaining cyberdemon fired its chaingun at Kitacti, tearing chunks out of his back. The other troopers also opened fire. The elemental which had destroyed the first brain-bot chose a new target: the other brain-bot, which imploded.
  With massive amounts of firepower being hurled in his general direction and no sign of the crystal, Sigmund decided to perform the "get the hell out of here" maneuver. His Leaping spell carried him outside the circle, where he moved behind one of the large stones and waited for a chance to teleport the crystal amulet away.
  Black Cross was already involved in the battle, taking out a trooper with her shotgun. At this point the rest of the party began firing. Despite the combat raging nearby the lizard spellcaster had maintained his concentration on the ritual. Blackhawk put a stop to that through the good work of the Plasma Repeater Rifle; all that remained of the lizard was a smoking pair of boots ("I like this gun!" --Blackhawk). Urk used the Mace of Boromar to obliterate one trooper and moved in to melee. Chantille flew in close in her patented "wet willie" maneuver, sending a shockbolt into the ear of a trooper. Prophet unloaded several rounds into the human in black plate, who was still fighting off the elemental. Eventually the man in plate was sent flying by the impact and didn't move again.
  Urk had moved nearer to Chantille, who was having trouble with a necroborg. Prophet turned the Enforcer on the remaining cyberdemon, which was about to blast Urk. The Enforcer shell ripped a huge hole in the thing's belly but it wasn't enough. The demon caught Urk's arm in a massive blast, ripping the flesh away from his cybernetic skeleton. [Editor's note: the first critical would have disemboweled Urk. He used a Fate point to reroll]. Urk fell heavily, stunned. Chantille flew over to help him.
  The Mowgren awoke after the second round, and lept up onto the edge of his cage. Surveying the state of the battle, with most of the major combatants already dead, he chose the nearest trooper as his target. He flipped forward and drove his hand into the necroborg as he landed. There was a flash of blue energy as the punch connected. Necroplasm positively shot out of the trooper's back as it crumpled. The Mowgren kicked and punched at a gaggle of troopers, destroying all of them.
  With all targets in the vicinity removed Fry spotted the crystal amulet on a pedestal just becoming visible as the energy pyre faded away. He made an extremely impressive flip into the circle and lept up onto the pyre. As he reached for the crystal Sigmund's spell went off, teleporting it away. Fry got a precious "wha' happened?" look on his face, as Sigmund yelled at him to get out of there.
  Black Cross was having a bad day. Her gun jammed twice during the combat. She cleared it both times, but the delay cost her her life. One of the troopers got a bead on her and shot, taking a chunk out of her neck. She fell backwards bleeding profusely from the jugular. Sigmund rushed over to try to administer aid but couldn't stop the bleeding.
  As quickly as it began, the combat was over. The remaining troopers didn't last long. Healing wands were used to keep Urk conscious and a tourniquit was used to stop the bleeding. Chantille flew over to sew up the artery in Black Cross's neck, but it was too late. She lost so much blood so quickly that surgery couldn't save her. Black Cross needed blood, and the regenergun was with Sasfiry in the Progenitor tomb. She fell unconscious, and died.
  The Mowgren stood up from where he had killed the last necroborg. He looked warily at the party but did not attack. He moved to the cage where Kitacti had fallen during the battle. They spoke briefly. Fry edged closer to hear what they were saying. Then the Mowgren raised his fist, formed the blue energy about his hand, and drove it through Kitacti's skull. Apparently exhausted by the battle, the Mowgren toppled backwards unconscious.
 
 

"I haven't taken any oath. Check me pockets if you don't believe me." -- Rolfo

The Narrator
  With the smell of plasma still thick in the air Fry ran over to the prone man in black plate. The armor from a distance appeared to be featureless, but up close one could see densely packed etchings and enscriptions. The designs were reminiscent of the Dragon Lords of Emer but the precision of the etching was well beyond what Kulthean metal-craft could produce. The greatsword on his back could be removed from its scabbard only with great difficulty, being extremely heavy for its size. It was covered with similar etchings.
  Several party members began to notice a slight breeze, which seemed to ebb and flow regularly. It was suddenly realized that the undulation of the breeze was that of the wings of a huge flying creature. Everyone dove for cover. Sigmund dragged the unconscious Mowgren out of the center of the circle, and Fry dropped behind the prone man in black plate. Everyone else took cover behind one of the stones.
  Those equipped with nightvision gear saw it first. Sweeping out of the darkness on leathery wings flew an enormous dragon. Its wingspan was at least two hundred feet. Its taloned feet were large enough to pick up a small battlemech. Its eyes glowed with fire, and its breath stank like words could not possibly describe; the very dust in the air was offended at the stench. The dragon was not of Kulthea, it was some sort of extra planar wyrm. Everyone felt a chill down their spine. Fry was unable to move from the fear. Fortunately he had already purged his bowels back in the mansion. [Editor's note: he failed the RR vs fear]
  Given that the thing was the size of a spaceship the plan became "get the dragon to leave without combat". The dragon slowed and descended over the circle of stones. It reached down one taloned foot to scoop out a ten foot radius of dirt and rock around the man in black plate mail. Fry was trying to burrow a safe, comfy hole in the ground at the time; the dragon scooped him up as well.
  The rest of the party decided that the dragon could take Fry away and they would still be able to live with themselves, but Chantille determined to do something about it.
 

Chantille
  I had prepared ze Unseen spell, zat I might not be seen by ze dragon as it approached. When ze creature scooped up Fry I knew zat ze only way to save him would be to reason with ze dragon, to plead with it to release him.
  I flew up to ze same altitude. In my youth I knew a dragonette named Jeewhiz, who lived in ze Emerald Forest with ze fairy folk. When hungry zis dragonette could track a rabbit by ze sound of ze flatulance it emitted in fear. Unfortunately Jeewhiz had to leave ze Emerald Forest when all ze rabbits in ze area evolved better muscular control. All ze dragon species of which I knew had hearing as fine as Jeewhiz, I hoped zat zis dragon did too.
  I told ze dragon zat he had scooped up one of my friends by mistake, and zat I would very much like it if he were let go. Ze dragon turned its head toward me. I could see ze gleam of intelligence in its eyes, but I know not if it understood me. Zen ze dragon belched a foul steam towards me. I tried desperately to avoid it, ze dragons are very susceptible to ze halitosis and I knew from ze experience with Jeewhiz zat ze smell can only be washed from ze clothing by soaking for a week with ze juice of a lemon. Alas, I could not fly out of ze way in time, ze breath weapon hit me. I was not harmed by ze magic of ze attack, but ze smell! Oh, ze smell!
 

The Narrator
  Meanwhile, Fry took matters into his own hands. When the dragon scooped him up he wriggled his way between its claws and dove from its grip, landing lightly on his feet. The dragon continued its climb grasping the armored man until with a flash of purple energy it disappeared.
  A quick check revealed that the twenty cages could be easily opened. The demons inside were barely sentient types, essentially doorstops meant to be directed by a stronger demon. They were left, able to free themselves when they regained their strength. Detailed scans were made of the brain-bots and cyberdemons for later analysis. The humanoid body which had lain behind the lizard sorcerer was found to be a dead Mowgren, presumably drained of all energy by the ritual.
  Black Cross was dead. There was nothing which could be done to save her. The Althan belief is that the body is simply a vessel for the soul. If possible, the body is floated out to sea on a wooden raft and burned along with the person's most prized possessions. If circumstances warrant the body may be burned where it is. Burning her ammunition would be stupid, and her three magic shurikens were inflammable. Her velocity shield was judged to be party equipment. Blackhawk also retrieved the amulet symbolizing her family and her ID card, to return them to her family when he returned to Altha. The rest of her weapons and armor were arrayed about the body, and Urk's flame pistol set it all ablaze.
  The party gathered up their equipment, and Sigmund tossed the unconscious Mowgren over one shoulder. Everyone hiked back to the area where they had landed and together concentrated on returning to the hole in the wall. The strange Progenitor technology activated again, and the party flew back. Once there Prophet re-engaged his cybernetic armor. Shizlink had been poking around the entire time Prophet had been away and had developed a complete schematic of the armor's circuitry to begin making modifications. Unfortunately that meant the armor smelled of goblin sweat (not a pleasant scent at all). The party paused briefly in the Progenitor tomb while Sasfiry used the regenergun on Urk's damaged arm. The arm would be stiff for a few weeks.
  Journeying back through the stone tunnels and out the front door of the mansion, the group gathered close together some one hundred yards in front. Sasfiry sounded the Horn of Siege. There was no effect for several long seconds. Then cracks began to form in the domed roof of the building and ran down the walls to its foundation. The entire structure shuddered and collapsed inwards with a rush. The disc which had been the library was unharmed and stood suspended in midair for a moment, then crashed down onto the rubble beneath.
  Trekking back across the First Pale, Carlbath was waiting to take them back.
 

Sasfiry
  So, like, I'd been on this dreary Pale place for waaay too long, and all I wanted was a hot bath and a cup of coffee. I'd nearly given up on finding coffee 'cause the people of this time had like totally forgotten that it even existed. Whats up with that? So I was starting to get used to this "morning brew" stuff and was way looking forward to having a hot mug of it but noooo, it just wasn't going to happen now was it? The whole Gathering place had been like, totally trashed. It looked like the Temple of Kieron after a really, really good Solstice bash back before I got trapped in Terek'Knev and the priests of Kieron became such lamers. But this was different, it was like, total devastation. There were a few dudes just sitting in front of a campfire staring like total zombies. They had dried blood on them like they hadn't even cleaned up after a battle or something. How gross!
  We split up, 'cause we can do waaay more damage that way. I went to the tent where the priests of Kieron had set up shop. They were like totally exhausted, and the wounded were laid out in triage all around their camp. One of the priests, the cute guy named Teleron, was tending them. He said we'd been gone for two whole weeks, which is like totally wicked 'cause I'd only spent a day on the Pale. He said the other missions had gone really, really totally bogus, and most of them hadn't made it back and the ones that did were like totally out of it and kept mumbling about black demons trying to kill them or something really hideous like that.
 

The Narrator
  Prophet questioned one of the survivors, who sat with a group of humans around a campfire. He had been sent to a swampy, wet Plane to recover a crystal skull. His group of forty warriors was decimated in a few minutes by black skinned humanoid monsters with metal teeth and featureless faces, wielding shotguns like he'd seen in Coalition cities. In other words, necroborgs. His mission had failed.
  Sigmund went to the encampment of the High Men, intending to have a few choice words with the merchant who sold him the armor which had been ruined by a mana bolt on the Pale. The High Man camp was strangely quiet. Inside the tent everyone was dead, cut to ribbons by incredibly sharp bladed weapons of some sort. Sigmund and Prophet buried the bodies from that tent and from the five surrounding tents which had been similarly attacked.
  The party looked for someone with powerful healing magic to help Frisbee, but none were to be found. The camp was nearly deserted compared to the throngs which had been present when they left. Most of those who had gone to other planes had not returned. While they were away the camp was attacked by creatures who moved with incredible speed and mowed down everything in their path. The magical field which had surrounded the Gathering to protect it from the Unlife had been destroyed, somehow, by the creatures which attacked.
 

Rolfo's commonplace travelling book
  Bill was not doing well. Ever since I arrived 'e'd only spoken when I asked 'im a question. 'e didn't eat, 'e didn't even want to smoke 'is pipe. 'e just sat there, staring off into space. Bill was not doing well at all.
  I suppose I have to amend that, Bill had spoken once without prompting right after I arrived. 'e said he'd had a vision while on the other plane, while the black monsters were killing everyone else in 'is squad. 'e saw a spirit, in golden plate mail and a long flowing cape, who told 'im that I have a destiny. Me, Rolfo! I am to join with a group I will meet at the Gathering, and make a friend who would normally be my enemy. I will know them when I see them, according to the spirit. It is my destiny. I've ne'er had a destiny before. I think I rather like it.
  That was four days ago. Since then Bill has not been doing well at all. About an hour ago another group returned from a mission. They were carrying a litter with a wounded half elf woman, but otherwise they looked like the burrow cat that caught the gopher, like they'd been successful in their mission. They had an enormous metal golem marching with them, and I swear one of them looked like a goblin with red hair. I've been studying the smoke rings from me pipe since then to learn if they are the ones.
 

The Narrator
  Sigmund and Fry went to the encampment of the dwarves, carrying the greatsword recovered from the man in black plate. The dwarves were far fewer in number, and those that remained were repairing armor and weapons. As way of introduction Sigmund held the intricate sword under the nose of the one with the longest beard. The dwarven leader was too weary to be interested in the metal-craft which had made the sword. Sigmund bargained for a suit of chain mail to replace the one ruined on the Pale. The dwarf's eyes lit up when a quarter pound raw emerald was laid on the table, and he agreed to the bargain.
  Rolfo, the halfling "Finder" who had decided that the party was indeed the group named in his destiny, approached Shizlink. Shizlink was at the time trying to get Twek, Mop and Bop to come out of hiding, a process which involves threats and a great deal of swearing. Merlogi profanity sounds very much like Merlogi flatulance, which in fact it is. When Shizlink had marched the three out of the forest with their hands in the air he nearly tripped over Rolfo, which is not generally the best way to introduce oneself to a heavily armed goblin. Nonetheless Rolfo accompanied Shizlink back to the party's encampment.
  The next morning two flying ships of Eidolon hovered over the Gathering. One ship was the Neghiri, commanded by Piladon, who had carried the party to Whistler's Island in a previous adventure. Piladon had no information about what had happened to the Gathering, he was merely returning those who remained to their homes. He also had no healing magic.
  The party gathered everything, including Twek, Mop, and Bop, and journeyed into the forest where Chantille cast the ritual taught to her by Edwin. A rift opened which led to the forest outside of Bazilar. A few weeks earlier the party had freed the rightful ruler, Enkin, from the dungeons in Bazilar and therefore did not expect a warm welcome on their return. However there were large crowds of people streaming into and out of the city, and they all seemed in a bright mood. When asked, they said there was a celebration because the city had been liberated by Enkin's forces, and his uncle the usurper was dead. Edwin's shop was easily located.
 

Edwin's notes
  The group of adventurers has returned, bearing the amulet they were sent to retrieve. Their success is the single shining star in an otherwise dark night. The Gathering of the Ascention was disastrous. The Unlife control far more Planes of existance than any had feared. Many good men and women lost their lives in impossible efforts.
  This amulet must be returned to the Heart of the World very soon. The ritual on the Pale was an attempt by the Unlife to modify the resonant frequency of the shard and therefore shift the frequency of the whole. The Unlife still have other shards. This one, one of the largest, will help to stablize the earthnode from their attempts.
  The presence of the Mendaline sorceror controlling the ritual indicates a more active participation on their part than previously known. The Mendaline are from a particularly warlike plane, delighting in conquest and enslavement of their rivals. They do not often practice magic, instead relying on their technology, but there are exceptions.
 

The Narrator
  The party had two days to recuperate before they would have to travel to Zor. Edwin said the creatures which attacked the Gathering were probably Shards, artificial creations which move with incredible speed. Edwin also found the descriptions of the brain-bots and cyberdemons disturbing, as they showed elements of technomagical manufacture. The Unlife was getting help in upgrading their troopers and creating new minions. He pulled out a chart he'd been working on showing the current unlife creations and his suppositions for future development, which included the brain-bots. He sketched in the details from Prophet's description.
  Edwin also mentioned that the cyberdemons were very disturbing. The Thanes of Perdition (masters of the demons from beyond the Pales) were not at all pleased by the actions of the Unlife. The Thanes are split into factions, with one wanting to take action against the Unlife and the other wanting to wait it out until the problem goes away. Pyreforge had returned to Perdition as part of that power struggle. Also, the Ordainer demon Kitacti had not died on the First Pale as the party had assumed. Demons of his power are not easily destroyed, merely banished from the plane they are on. Kitacti's corpse had decomposed rapidly on the Pale, indicating he was very far from his home plane indeed.
  The Mowgren had been in a healing trance since they left the Pale. He looked much better but had not emerged from the trance. He was placed in a room in Edwin's shop to recover. Frisbee was similarly ensconced.

  Edwin was able to identify a number of the items recovered from the Pale. Chantille's ring has four powers, one of which is to see invisible things. The horsemen she had seen were the guardians of the dimension from which the ring draws its power. As long as she does not use it too often the horsemen would not bother her. If she does use it too often she will be taken and will become a horseman herself. The second power is to open a gateway to another dimension, presumably the one with the horsemen. The third power is that the ability to see the unseen can be permanently transferred to the wearer, though this involves bargaining with the horsemen. The fourth power is opening a trap of some kind. If used the wearer will be turned into a horseman.
  The white pill in the silver pendant is a lifekeeping pill. Placing it under the tongue of someone who has died but whose soul has not departed will result in indefinite lifekeeping. The pill dissolves under the tongue and so can be used only once.
  The crystal flask filled with spring water is an everfull flask. Likewise the plate with the loaf of bread will magically create one loaf each day.
  The heavy greatsword removed from the dude in black plate appears to be of Dragon Lord manufacture, though the etchings indicate a previously unknown caste. Edwin determined that the dragon was a Chaos dragon, native to a far plane of existence. This was very strange as the Dragon Lords would generally consider such a wyrm to be an abomination.
  Edwin had less success identifying the Progenitor artifacts. The Golden Bowl is an extremely complex bioelectrical device. It has thousands of functions, and is at least partially intelligent and telepathic as it responds to the thoughts of its user. The Progenitor Holy Symbol is in fact a Holy object, but nothing else could be determined about it. The 14" crystal rod contains tremendous potential energy but Edwin's scans could not determine its nature or how to access it. The runic writings on the 12" tablet, the 3" plate, and the wooden boxes are not any language Edwin was familiar with. Presumably they are the ancient writing form of the Progenitors, but the Althan language has drifted over the millennia so as to be unrecognizable.