ven heroes need their downtime. Whether to recover from wounds, train in new skills, or, in Prophet's case, mount the teeth of the Ordainer demon destroyed on the Pale in a suitable setting, even heroes need their downtime. The party spent a day and a night at Edwin's shop in Bazilar.
 

Blackhawk's log, stardate 2493.2
  Ever since I was affected by some kind of energy transfer from a dead Progenitor in the tomb beneath the mansion, I've felt... different. I've noticed that psychokinetic delving since then has resulted in stronger and sharper visions. Its as if my psionics have gained in power. The teachers on Altha say that is not possible, a P5 will always be a P5. He can learn to make the most of his talent and can use certain drugs for a temporary boost, but will always be a P5. Yet I feel different...
  I decided to put it to the test. The Progenitor artifacts are incredibly advanced tech, and the bowl has a psionic control mechanism. I started with it. I controlled my breathing and went into deep trance, pushing down until I was in danger of becoming lost within my own mind. Then my thoughts extended outwards. Probed psionically the bowl was a smooth sphere which resisted attempts to reach inside. I backed away from it and tried to make the tendrils of thought merge with the sphere instead of penetrate it. I don't know how long I was in the fugue before I felt a warmth and the opening of a vista in my mind as the sphere dissipated and spread throughout.
  When I emerged from the trance the bowl had morphed into a skullcap. It fit perfectly.
 

The Narrator
  Blackhawk had psionically attuned to the bowl. Worn as a skullcap he felt it amplifying his abilities [Editor's note: +30 to all Psionics]. With the bowl as a focus he was able to psionically attune to the Progenitor Holy Symbol recovered from the mansion on the First Pale. He felt the presence of many minds in the symbol, minds very much like his own. He also felt that in certain circumstances he could call upon those minds for aid, though exactly how or for what aid was not clear.
  Finally, Blackhawk turned his attention to the 14" crystal rod recovered from the Progenitor tomb. He was able to psionically attune to it and fortunately was holding it correctly when he did so. It is a weapon. The rod uses the mental energy of its wielder to create a semi-corporeal sword blade. To Blackhawk the blade appears as a shimmering white light while to everyone else it is merely a distortion in the air.
 

Rolfo's commonplace traveling book
  'aving a destiny is a such a wonderful thing. The big human, Sigmunk, asked the lit'le gnome Edwin where 'e could buy a magic sword. Edwin led 'im to a back room of 'is shop. 'ere was a statue of a toad-faced demon with 'is mouth open wide 'olding a large bowl. Even with 'is mouth open wide 'e still looked unhappy, demons are like that I suppose even if they're statues.
  Edwin said the statue was Bollinger's Everfull Bowl. You put gold or jewels in 'is mouth and think about something magic you want, and an item 'ill appear in the bowl. It might not be what you want'd, but demons are like that I suppose.
  This got everyone a bit excit'd. The tall funny-looking one, Blackbird I think 'is name is, carried a 'eavy canvas bag into the room and untied the drawstring. Inside was such a beautiful sight I felt a bit light 'ead'd. It was full of emeralds! There must 'ave been fifty pounds of emerald shards in the bag. The others start'd talkin then about what to do, but I was so stunned by the sight I didn't go over to inspect it.

  The auburn-haired elfin woman, Sasaphras I think 'er name is, gather'd up three quart'r pound of emeralds. Three quart'rs of a pound! That's more money than I've ever seen in one place. I think its more money than I've seen in a lot of lit'le places put together. She wanted something to 'elp with 'ealing, and poured the emerald into the toad's mouth. I sidl'd around behind it looking for the access door, purely for the curiosity of it of course, but there wasn't one. It must empty into a room underneath. Sasaphras reached in the bowl and pulled out a branch about as long as me arm with ten berries on it. I've never seen the like of it, and I've tended me herb garden for too many years to count. The lit'le gnome said it was a mythical herb called Menalar, an antidote for any poison. Sasaphras picked the berries and took the branch out back to plant.
  I'm certa'nly not one to begrudge a tasty berry, but I think she paid a bit too much for 'em. But its not mine to say, I suppose.

  The lit'le fairy Shanty spent a long time shovelling emerald shards inna tiny lit'le bag of holding she 'ad. Then she flew up to th' mouth and poured 'em in. I think 'twas about a pound of emeralds but it looks so strange to see so much pouring out of such a lit'le bag I can't be sure. She wan'ed something to protect her from harm, and pulled out a tiny cloak. The cloak made her invisible. I could've used a cloak like that when I set up me little joke on Bill to make 'im think 'is burrow-pup 'ad chewed off me leg, that cloak is just big enough to turn me leg invisible. Then I wouldn't 've had to dig a hole in me yard to hide me leg and saved a lot of bother.
  I stood for a moment with me mouth open wide but nobody poured emeralds in 't.

  Sigmunk poured another pound of emeralds into the toad's mouth. It brought a tear to me eye. In me next life I hope to be born a toad. 'e pulled out a sword that's taller than me. 'e seemed pleased.
  I've ne'er understood the fascination big humans 'ave for even bigg'r swords. Personally I think they should find a 'obby, like blowing smoke rings or something. But its not mine to say, I suppose.

  The wide human, Lurk I think 'is name is, grabbed a handful of emeralds. 'e was blubberin something about 'is frisbee. Seemed a bit upset. 'e pulled a clear crystal out of the bowl. I couldn't get a good look at it, Lurk ran out of the room right away, but I think it was a diamond big enough to be worth a good bushel more than what 'e poured in. He got a good shake, he did.

  Then somethin unexpect'd happen'd. Sasaphras told me to grab some emerald shards to put in the toad's mouth. I'd almost gotten used to the idea of throwin vast amounts of wealth into a statue until I got me hands on some meself. They were all looking at me and expecting the gems t' go t' the toad, so I could only palm three shards to admire lat'r. A bag of holding would be keen, I could store a bushel each of me favorite pipeweeds in'it and have room for me gear besides, so I thought on it really hard. Sigmunk lifted me a bit to reach in th' bowl to pull out a flask. The flask holds ten times what it looks to hold, which will be good for get'tin refills in taverns I suppose.
 

The Narrator
  The crystal Urk had received from Bollinger's bowl was clear and tapered to smooth conical points on opposite sides. Edwin would not reveal what the crystal was, saying only "Sometimes you receive more than you ask for. You should feel blessed. It would be best if she figure it out on her own." Placed on Frisbee's forehead the crystal glowed brightly and began to sink into her skull though there was no break in the skin. After several minutes Frisbee's eyes fluttered open. She was very weak and disoriented. Half of the crystal still protruded from her forehead.
  As if on cue a courier arrived at Edwin's shop, informing all present they had been summoned for an immediate audience with his lordship Enkin, ruler of Bazilar. Walking through the city on the way to the palace signs of change were everywhere. When the party had last been in Bazilar it had been a police state, with secret police enforcing order and burning entire city blocks to punish the actions of a single dissident. Now the streets were clean, the Coalition news kiosks were active, shops had reopened, and the walls of the palace had been repaired. The palace guards ushered the party through to the central meeting hall. Enkin sat at one end of the great hall flanked by Ranix and Leneth. A group of senior advisors and Coalition officers stood around a large central table pointing to a map and discussing strategy.
  Approaching the dais the party was greeted warmly by Enkin. He thanked them for freeing him from the dungeon where he was being held by his uncle, the usurper. Enkin's release had rallied and inspired the resistance movement, leading them to retake Bazilar. Enkin said that although his uncle had instigated the takeover he had been pushed out of power by renegade elements of the Coalition working behind the scenes. Merely a figurehead for the last few years, his uncle had been killed two weeks before. Enkin and Ranix are still trying to unravel the details of the conspiracy.
  Enkin also announced his marriage to Leneth, Princess of Darakon. Darakon is a planet outside of Coalition space at least four jump points from Kulthea. Leneth had been held in the same dungeon as Enkin and was freed at the same time. She had provisioned ID cards for each member of the party showing them as citizens of Darakon with permission to travel in Coalition space. These would be very helpful if they ran into trouble with Coalition authorities.
  Blackhawk spoke to Leneth telepathically, a medium which allows far greater exchange of information than speech. He relayed the details of the parties' mission on the First Pale including what had been discovered about the Progenitors and the sighting of the Mendaline sorcerer. Leneth knew of the Progenitors, who were revered in the ancient myths of her people. The Progenitors had spread through much of the galaxy eons ago and were remembered as benevolent rulers who maintained balance and protected the younger races so they could evolve undisturbed. The Progenitors had disappeared suddenly thousands of years ago. No-one knows exactly what happened to them. Scholars on her world believe the Progenitors ascended and no longer require a physical form, though Leneth doesn't believe it. She also knew of the Mendaline, a savage race which conquers and enslaves every species they encounter. Her planet does not know the origin of the Mendaline though she believes they are actually extra-dimensional, a fact previously confirmed by Edwin. She thought the human in Blackhawk's psychokinetic vision and the Mendaline sorcerer (who wore the same tattered robes) were the same being with an illusion to look human.

  Enkin knew of their coming trip to Zor and offered to help. He provided provisions, a guide familiar with the area, and Striders (large, running lizards) as mounts. Enkin told of the history of Zor, which had once been a rich and fertile land. It is said that the wizards of Zor dabbled in forbidden powers and caused their own undoing. The site of Berzor, the capital city, is now an immense crater surrounded by smooth glass. Those who manage to make it that far into the wasteland face a slow death from an incurable sickness. The party will be traveling to meet the Sword Sisters, who live in the wasteland. To reach Zor they must travel five hundred miles through Rhakaan, perhaps the richest kingdom in Jaiman. Enkin is attempting to establish an alliance with Jerrian, the young emperor of Rhakaan, and asked the party to keep a low profile while traveling through the kingdom. How a heavily armed party accompanied by an eleven foot powered armor trooper could maintain a low profile was not Enkin's problem.
  Marleth, commander of the Coalition garrison in Mopheus who had sent the party to Bazilar to free Enkin was present in the room. He was gratified the renegade Coalition faction in Bazilar was driven out so quickly by Enkin's forces. He gave the location of a Coalition supply depot called Gateway Station, located at the southern mouth of the valley which leads to the wasteland of Zor. Marleth provided a Coalition military quartermaster card which would allow the requisition of any supplies needed. The garrisons at Mopheus and Bazilar had very little equipment to spare, though Marleth did provide 18 molec boards in exchange for three necroborg autoshotguns recovered on the Pale for intensive study. Marleth also gave Shizlink an access code for guest read-only access to the Coalition technical library. ("Heh heh... guest... long not..." -- Shizlink).
  A banquet was served, and the group was offered rooms in the palace for the night. Their guide would be waiting in the morning to begin the journey to Zor.
 [Editor's note: At this point during the gaming session Shizlink went back to Edwin's shop to retrieve the three goblins and head for the underground realm on his own. Due to the participant's crowded schedules this is logistically impossible to run. Therefore revisionist history is being invoked: Shizlink never left and went to Zor with the rest of the party. During the journey he enchanted a great deal of ammunition for future use.]
 

Frisbee's report to her monastery
  Esteemed masters, I most humbly beg apology for the time which has passed since my last report. I was gravely injured on the First Pale and have been in a coma for a period of two weeks on this plane, though but a single day passed on the Pale. I was saved from death by the quick action of my companions and by a strange clear crystal which fused into my forehead to bring me back to consciousness. I am unable to describe the crystal in this report as I am unsure of its nature myself. I will describe it fully in a future report.
  My companions and I are to travel to Zor to return the crystal recovered from the Pale to the Heart of the World. We were directed to the forests north of Bazilar to meet our guide, who is named Al-Cur. His accent is completely unfamiliar to me. He was raised in the wasteland of Zor. During my studies at the monastery I believed nothing could live in the Zorian Wasteland. I understood in theory that Life manages to overcome any hardship, but I now see it in practice. From his manner and actions on our journey I believe Al-Cur is an Animist. He is accompanied by a creature named Mengk which he calls a "chote", whom I believe is attuned to him in some way.
  We set off immediately. It would take fifteen days to reach the Gateway Station at the edge of the Wasteland, and several more days journey through the Wasteland to meet the Sword Sisters. I look forward to meeting Ninghal Agorawa again, whom I described in a previous report.
  I was still weak from the aftereffects of my injuries when we began our journey. Six hours of kata each night improved my condition quickly. When I had recovered fully I retrieved the meditation crystal received at the Gathering of the Ascension. I am deeply honored to be tutored by Grand Master Po in the inner mysteries of the Golden Path. I will strive in all things to be worthy of it.
 

The Narrator
  The trip was eventful but not dangerous. Frisbee trained strenuously each evening. The meditation crystal is a magical device of her order. By meditating deeply the student is mentally transported to a dojo for training by a Master in techniques forbidden to acolytes. Frisbee would perform incredibly intricate kata, diving and striking and never dropping the crystal. While in the meditation she was able to strike with such speed as to leave the crystal hanging in midair, recovering it in a blur of motion. Were an observer knowledgeable in the technique of the Golden Path they would recognize the basic exercises designed to awaken Chi power. Since nobody had a clue of this they made up explanations ("She's been possessed by a Solid Gold Dancer!" -- Rolfo).
  Early in the first evening of the trip the tactical scanner picked out 42 man-sized targets flying overhead. Three of them broke away from the main group and flew over the campsite, where they were identified as Carnivorous Flying Monkeys. The three scouts apparently decided to find easier prey and flew away without incident. Chantille noted that their species is often used as messengers and scouts by evil spellcasters, though there was no indication of it from this pack.
  Late during the fourth night while Urk stood watch a cloaked figure appeared out of the shadows at the edge of the campfire. The figure did not react to Urk's call, and faded back into the shadows and away when Urk approached. There were no further incidents that night.
  In the middle of the sixth day an extremely large rabbit in the middle of the road brought travel to a halt. Al-Cur dismounted and crept up to it, casting a spell which allowed him to communicate. Chantille noted that the rabbit glowed brightly of Essence and was possibly a Pooka. Al-Cur announced that "The Spirits of Nature are with us". How he deduced that from talking to a mutant rabbit was not clear.
  Early in the morning of the eleventh day a humanoid creature with large leathery wings was spotted overhead. From a distance it looked very much like the one spotted above the coalition base in the group's first adventure. It moved closer, and apparently attracted by the multitude of shiny objects dove towards Blackhawk with claws extended. Unfortunately for it, many of those shiny objects were weapons and it flew away with an arrow buried deep in its arm. Close up it looked rather like a gargoyle.
  The midday sun of the fifteenth day found the party at Gateway Station, a tiny outpost carved into the rock of the pass leading to the Wasteland of Zor. Opposite the Coalition Garrison lay a small trading post which was locked up tight.
 

Prophet's account book
  Stardate 2508.5: Destination Gateway Station achieved. Contact established with Lieutenant T'Salini, Garrison Quartermaster and sole occupant. Conversation with Lieutenant T'Salini reveals he is an addlebrained twit. Presented requisition orders signed by Commander Marleth. Storage facility of Gateway Station is nearly empty though inventory logs indicate it should be fully stocked. Lieutenant T'Salini is a very addlebrained twit. End of entry.
 

The Narrator
  It was all gone. The repair supplies, the ammunition, the tracked vehicles, the medicines, all gone. All that remained were four crates of A-rad 9, needed to cross the radioactive Zorian wasteland. There were gouges in the floor where heavy crates had been dragged out and a thin layer of dust over everything. Al-Cur estimated the dust had been collecting for at least two months.
  Lieutenant T'Salini did not seem perturbed by this. In fact he did not seem perturbed by anything at all, showing no reaction when Sasfiry put the Silver Comb in her hair. A mental probe by Blackhawk confirmed that T'Salini had suffered some sort of brain damage. Chantille guessed it was from a Mind Destruction spell, the sort of thing a Sorcerer could inflict.
  Blackhawk's psychometric probe of the storeroom showed a vision of black-robed figures, some with runic filigrees, filing in and out removing gear while T'Salini stood in the background with a stupid grin on his face. The Lieutenant remembered none of this and did not let it bother him though he mentioned that the nomads of the desert, called the Al-Haddin, wore black robes like that.
  Lieutenant T'Salini was happy to provide his access code to the Coalition computer net, the security implications did not bother him in the slightest. Skimming his station log showed that he had been a competent if unimaginative officer until two months before. His last lucid log entry mentions that he had seen the Al-Haddin more frequently, and often saw them sitting on a dune staring at him. The log entries became scattered after that.
  While in the computer system Prophet contacted Marleth to tell him that Gateway Station had been cleaned out. Prophet also downloaded information about other Coalition supply depots into the computer system of his powered armor. After all, they still had Marleth's requisition order. Prophet attempted to signal the Coalition orbital station which had been out of contact with civilian transmitters for two months since the battle on the far side of the third moon of Orhan. The orbital station did not respond to the transmission.
 

Sigmund's Journal
  The blumid sand gets into everything. I spent an hour cleanin' it out of me teeth. Me clothes 'll need a good washin' if we get out of the blasted desert.
  Rolfo and me went to th' tradin' post across the way. The damned fool T'Salini hadn't the faintest clue when th' merchants might return. The lock on the door were easily picked. Inside were the usual supplies and tradestuffs, and a metal box with a Coalition lock. I've been studyin' the damned Coalition locks but I still dinnae how to open 'em. Blackhawk cast his magic on the lock [Editor's note: psychometry] and said the combination were 456.
  Inside the box were three crystal shards like the one Ninghal give us, some volcanic glass, the 'ead of an amulet without the bloody chain, and a deep purple headband with silver thread and a moon emblem on front. The headband were magical, Mentalism or I'll be a bastard.
  We took the interesting stuff and lef' a few shards of emerald in the box. The merchants weren't me enemy, and I had no cause to steal from 'em. Then I locked the box and the shop.
 

The Narrator
  Chantille attuned to the headband and found that it might help cast Mentalism spells and aid in casting spells from the Seer base lists. Blackhawk used psychometry on the shards of the Heart of the World: they had simply been lying on the sand and were picked up by the traders. The largest of the three crystals in the box was infused with the same chaotic Arcane energy as the crystal Ninghal had given the party. The other two crystals were small and not magical.
  Al-Cur said the Sword Sisters only made contact with outsiders for two days each month, shunning contact the rest of the time. The time of trading had just begun, and the group would have to hurry if they were to make it in time. The party loaded two of the cases of A-rad 9 onto their striders, each containing one hundred vials, and set off.
  The Zorian Wasteland is cloaked in constant sandstorm which stings the eyes and blots out the sun. Visibility is poor and water is scarce unless, of course, one possesses an Everfull Flask. Then one can go inscribing one's name in huge letters of wet sand with nary a thought of dehydration.
  The party would have to travel all night and the next day to reach the Sword Sisters in time. At several places they crossed large expanses of volcanic glass, which had apparently been fused from the sand by the cataclysm which destroyed Berzor. Faint traces of chaotic Arcane energy could be perceived in the glass.
  In the dead of night a cloaked figure was detected standing just at the edge of visibility in the sandstorm. The party spread out and drew weapons, while Rolfo crept forward stealthily. When Rolfo got within five feet of the figure it dissolved back into sand with an evil cackling. Al-Cur said it was an alarm sentinel of the Al-Haddin and they should hurry.
  The party traveled all night and all day taking only brief rest breaks. At dusk they were six miles away from the territory of the Sword Sisters. Al-Cur noticed a large track in the sand and identified it as a Sand Dragon. The dragon had to be close or the sandstorm would have filled its tracks. Blackhawk used psionic detection to locate it sixty meters away. Al-Cur said Sand Dragons are very dangerous and that they should run, and set the example by driving his Strider in a fast sprint away.
  Chaos had her way with the party and didn't even say thank you. Al-Cur, Frisbee, and Sasfiry turned their mounts and made a break for it. Sigmund nearly fell off of his and lost all control of its direction. Urk and Blackhawk fell off as their striders bolted. Prophet headed away at a trot, with Rolfo clinging desperately to the back of the powered armor. Chantille cast a Fly spell on Urk and Blackhawk so they would be able to escape, but neither had any experience flying and mostly drifted about. Meanwhile the dragon covered the sixty meter distance at incredible speed under the sand and popped up near where Urk had fallen.
  At this point the group collectively remembered that they had the firepower to level a small city and that perhaps an offensive stance would be best. Urk and Blackhawk drifted to the ground. Blackhawk readied the Plasma Repeater Rifle and Prophet began slowing his momentum to turn around and face the dragon (Rolfo miraculously avoided being flung off of the braking powered armor).

  Chantille loosed the Mother of all Shock Bolts. It flew directly into the dragon's ear and pulped its brain. The wyrm was dead before it hit the ground. Blackhawk took his shot anyway and sent a ball of super-heated plasma into the thing's gut, ripping a huge hole in it.

  Al-Cur, hearing the thing's death scream, rode back awe-struck at the sight. He cast a spell to calm and regroup all of the striders. There was no time to spare. The claws and a hunk of meat from the dragon were quickly packed on one of the striders and the group set off toward to territory of the Sword Sisters. They had six miles to cross in four hours, in a sandstorm.
 

Sasfiry
  So, like, the Pale was dreary and boring and gray and all but this desert place really bites! There's sand in my hair, and my shoes, and my pack, and my panties, and its really harshing my mellow.
  So we'd been riding for waaay too long, my saddle sores were getting saddle sore, when Blackhawk's scanner box thing just like totally lost it. It was beeping and wailing like a prom queen on a bad hair day. It said the radiation level had jumped to like twenty millirads, which is just so totally bogus I can't believe it. So, like, something had to be done, 'cause rads like really roast you, eww Gross! So then like everybody took a dose of A-rad 9. After I took it I had to totally yak, eww, grody to the max. Frisbee was doin like the technicolor yawn thing too. So like, A-rad 9 must be way bogus for elves, even half-elves. Like, maybe a gnarly elf poison, oh my gawd. So Frisbee dug out the Menalar berries and I almost yakked again like gag me with a spoon. Once we both felt better I totally swore I would never take the A-rad stuff again.
 

The Narrator
  The landscape gradually changed from pure desert to tundra, with more rocky outcroppings and the occasional hardy bush clinging to a boulder. As they rode down a shallow ravine ten shadowy figures suddenly appeared on the ridges above. Frisbee called out that they sought Ninghal Agorawa, and the figures faded back into the sandstorm.
  A single gaunt female, covered head to toe in dried mud, marched down the ravine. Shown the crystal given to them by Ninghal she said "come" and wheeled about. Roughly one mile down the ravine opened up to make room for a small camp. Mud huts were scattered about, and blue-white fires burned in stone cauldrons. The mud woman escorted them to the largest hut and bade them go in. A tunnel led down twenty five feet to a large underground chamber. The chamber was filled with several dozen people, roughly 80% of them female. All of them were covered to various degrees in dried mud caked over their clothing. The females were definately in charge, all of the males were busy cleaning and fetching things.
  Ninghal sat at a table in the back of the room with a few other Sisters. She welcomed the group but seemed highly distracted. Something terrible had happened. The Sword Sisters, charged with protecting the Heart of the World, had as a group forgotten where it was. One day they awoke and the knowledge was gone, from everyone. Trying to compare notes with what had happened to Lieutenant T'Salini at Gateway Station, Rolfo asked if the Al-Haddin had been seen more often lately. Ninghal had never heard of the Al-Haddin. Then she began to shake and rub her head as the memory returned [Editor's note: she got another RR]. Ninghal became very animated then, making plans and giving orders. The other clans had to be contacted, a search organized, and would someone bring her a hunk of that dragon meat she smelled roasting upstairs?
  Sigmund showed her the headband from the lockbox at the trading station. It had belonged to one of Ninghal's hunters, one of six who had not returned recently. Ninghal's clan is called the Sisters of the Sacred Moon, thus the moon emblem on the headband.
  The next day Ninghal and a small group of her Sisters, plus the party, would meet with her allies the Mothers of the Sacred Spring. In the meantime the group could slather on some mud on which has a high lead concentration and serves to protect against the background radiation, and get some much-needed rest after a two day forced march.
 

Fry's notebook
  This is bad, very bad. Although I find it intellectually stimulating to remain in Edwin's shop having him assist me in the translation of the Progenitor writings, I find that I miss being out in the thick of things. Darn the luck that moved my player to Carbondale. [Editor's note: hi Eric we miss you!]
 

Chapter 2: A Toll Booth in the Sand "What's the point blank bonus for a thrown amulet?" -- Sigmund

The Narrator
  Lieutenant T'Salini, Ninghal Agorawa, and the Sword Sisters had been affected by what Chantille determined to be a Forget spell of unprecedented strength which would have required a powerful Sorcerer to cast. Unable to think of a defense against this sort of magical attack the party determined to post guards during the night. This worked as well as one might expect: upon being affected by the spell Urk forgot why he was awake and went to sleep. The next morning only Rolfo and Chantille remembered the details of the mission to Zor (being the only two to make the RR vs Essence). Everyone else had forgotten where they were, why they were there, and how they came to be there. After a well timed Tale Telling roll by Rolfo everyone had shaken off the effect save Prophet, who was still unclear why he was in a desert and not a holosuite on Cestus 3.
  Sigmund located fresh tracks of striders near the edges of the Sword Sister encampment, though the swirling sand obliterated them before they could be followed any distance. Ninghal emerged from the largest hut and explained that although she and a few others still remembered the existence of the Heart of the World, a number of the Sisters had again lost their memory during the night. Ninghal felt it imperative to reach the Mothers of the Sacred Spring as quickly as possible. Her best tracker, Banesh, and an old woman who appeared to be an advisor would accompany them. The old woman never spoke to anyone save Ninghal, and never made eye contact.
  They set out immediately.
 

Frisbee's report to her monastery
  The journey to the Sacred Spring took nearly a day. The sandstorm had abated somewhat though visibility was still poor. During the journey I was able to ask Ninghal about the old woman who accompanied us. She is the Speaker, a trusted advisor who accompanies the leader of the clan wherever she goes. The Speaker does not interact with the other members of the tribe and so cannot be subject to their influence.
  Along the way we passed a pack of wild chotes similar to Mengk, the creature which accompanies Al-Cur. The chotes were tearing into the carcass of a sand dragon, a different dragon than the one we had been forced to destroy the previous day. This indicates a relatively large population of such dragons in the wasteland.
  At dusk we arrived at our destination. Banesh stopped in a valley between two sand dunes, and stood silently for several minutes. She then raised her hand and pushed aside an invisible membrane which had appeared to be only air. She motioned Ninghal to pass through the membrane, and the rest of our party followed. The barrier felt like walking through water when I passed through it.
  Within the barrier was a lush garden with tall trees and plant life everywhere. A stream meandered through the oasis, issuing from and returning to a spring-fed pool at its center. Most of the vegetation was unfamiliar. I learned later that it is the native plant life of Zor, which has not been seen outside of the grotto since the cataclysm millennia ago. The Mothers of the Sacred Spring are tasked with the preservation of this garden until such time as Zor is restored to its former beauty. I was given a few sprigs of herbs unique to Zor with minor healing properties.
 

/home/shizlink/encrypted/poetry.txt
Some say you should comment your code
    while others insist on a spec.
But Shizlink would rather be tortured by Orcs
    than put up with all of that drek.

The Narrator
  The multiscanner read zero radiation inside the membrane. Everyone washed up save Shizlink, who likes the feel of dried mud. There were two rock-lined pits of fresh mud near the entrance to the grotto, presumably for those preparing to leave.
  A Sister approached from the center of the oasis. She said her name was Leneya, and bade them all welcome. She led them to a group of huts near the center of the oasis, the largest of which held an older woman and her advisors. This was Nadala, leader of the Mothers of the Sacred Spring. A brief conversation showed that Nadala and her clan had been affected by the evil magic and had forgotten of the existence of the Heart of the World. Then Nadala felt a great pain in her head as the memory returned. "How could we have forgotten?", she said. Runners were dispatched to gather the clan so that everyone could shake off the effects of the spell.
  After their memories were restored the Mothers of the Sacred Spring were still unable to recall the location of the Heart of the World. However, they knew legends of Krenic, a being who travels the wastes tracking magical energy. Krenic follows ley lines, which are paths of power leading from one earth node to another. Krenic would know the location of the Heart. There were three Dream Walkers (Seers) in Nadala's clan who would use their magic that night to dream of how to find Krenic.
  Leneya accompanied Sigmund and Chantille to meet Tanada, the bard of the clan. Tanada was unable to identify the amulet which had been found at Gateway station, but was certain that it was from a place very far from Zor. It is not magical per se, but is enchanted somehow and is very special and sacred. Never having seen a fairy before, Tanada was eager to speak with Chantille. Chantille sang many songs of the Emerald Forest which Tanada quickly memorized.
  The Sacred Spring maintains the barrier which protects the oasis, and is obviously a source of great power. Thinking its power might flow from the earth node Blackhawk used the multiscanner to follow it back to its source. The scanner detected the spring flowing straight upwards from a point 500 meters below the surface. Below that point the scanner registered nothing: not rock, not water, just a void which it could not identify. Chantille's Liquid Analysis spell showed a mighty ocean flowing into a bay, which led to a river, which flowed over a massive waterfall in a lush forest. The Sacred Spring was fed from the pool at the base of the waterfall. The spell conveyed a sense of disconnect between the waterfall and the spring, the nature of which was completely unknown.
 

SVCS (Shizlink Version Control System): EEGalarm.j delta 1.4

    while (1) {
        if (blackhawk.EEGdiff())        (void) this.alarm();
        if (urk.EEGdiff())              (void) this.alarm();
        if (prophet.EEGdiff())          (void) this.alarm();
/* no worky on elves   XXX fix this
        if (sasfiry.EEGdiff())          (void) this.alarm();
        if (frisbee.EEGdiff())          (void) this.alarm();
*/
    }
protected boolean alarm() throws Exception {
    System.out.println("You forgot something");

The Narrator
  Given the near disaster of the previous night when most of the party had fallen under the effect of the Forget spell, developing a defense was critical. Prophet had not recovered from the spell, and so was still unsure of what he was doing in a desert. Shizlink used technomagic spells to interface with the control computer in Prophet's armor and extract all data regarding his brain wave patterns. He ran the information through a data sieve along with a current brain scan, and detected a pattern from the effect of the spell. He then wrote a program for the medical scanner to sound an alarm when it detected the spell's signature in the brain waves of any party member. The alarm message explained the party's mission to Zor in case everyone fell victim to it. The medical scanner's range for an EEG is quite limited, so everyone slept close together in a circle. Chantille, Urk, and Shizlink, who require less sleep than the others, stood watch all night. If the alarm sounded Blackhawk would use a psionic detection while everyone else rushed outside to look for the intruder. Anyone affected by the spell would have the situation explained to them quickly.

  The night passed uneventfully.

  The next morning the dream walkers emerged from their trance. They had dreamt of a man who walks the mystical line between this world and the next, and that they had met this man in the wasteland. They dreamt that he had asked a boon of them, and granted one in return. They dreamt of the number seven and of mystical places, and of the Heart of the World being one of the seven. They dreamt of the pall which hangs over the land, an evil which comes from far outside.
  This was considered a very specific dream (begging the question of what a vague dream would be). Ninghal, Leneya, Banesh the tracker, the Speaker, Al-Cur, and the party gathered their equipment, applied fresh mud, and set off into the wasteland to find the line walker as the dream had foretold. Leneya led the way, her eyes glazed over in concentration, following a path the dream had shown her.
  Al-Cur sensed something off to the right of the path, though nothing could be seen. Whatever it was, it was mirroring their movements by keeping up with them but maintaining its distance. Blackhawk's psionic detection located a presence fifty meters away. Al-Cur cast a spell to make himself and Mengk invisible, and bounded off to flush out the intruder. Rolfo cast a similar spell and followed Al-Cur.
  Al-Cur and Mengk triangulated the intruder's position by following its tracks. The intruder kept its distance until it was obvious it had been discovered, then turned to attack Al-Cur. As it did so the invisibility dropped away: it was an enormous black gelatinous creature with a single circular maw edged with five concentric rings of teeth. Al-Cur drew his scimitar, then thought better of it and ran back towards the party.
 

Banesh's recount of the tale two months later
  The one known as Al-Cur, on seeing the true nature of the abomination, did not attempt to fight it alone but drew it back towards the group of outsiders. The one of their number named Rolfo who had followed Al-Cur used a spell to leap out of the way of its charge. The sandstorm raged but lightly, making it possible to see the shadowy bulk of the beast when it approached to fifty and five feet. As soon as it could be seen the metal giant loosed an energy spell, striking it alongside [Editor's note: Prophet fired the Pit Bull blaster]. The surge of energy must have distracted Al-Cur, for he slipped on a patch of glass in the sand and fell. The tall one sent another energy spell at the creature but it flew wide over its bulk [Editor's note: Blackhawk used the Plasma Repeater Rifle]. Steel missile weapons, even enchanted, had little effect on the creature.
  Al-Cur stood and faced the evil thing. His scimitar fell to dust trying to block its strike, which then hit his left arm. The arm disintegrated and Al-Cur fell to the sand in a torrent of blood. He died.
  I had cast a spell of invisibility and moved behind the creature, thinking to attack it from surprise. When I saw that only the most powerful of spells were able to affect it, I stayed my sword. This battle would have to be won by the outsiders.
 

The Narrator
  The creature appeared to be made of necroplasm, and could extrude pseudopods to attack targets up to ten feet away. Bullets and enchanted arrows evaporated against its hide in a flash of blue light. Non-magical weapons did not affect it at all. Chantille, hanging onto the shoulder of Prophet's armor, hit it with a Shock Bolt that made it stagger back.
  The thing turned to attack Prophet. Prophet fired as it charged, vaporizing a chunk of it. The thing reached out a pseudopod, striking Prophet's armor in the chest. The necroplasm burned straight through the Duranium plating, singing the combat vest Prophet wore underneath. The system status panel lit up yellow and red.
  Mengk had outrun the creature easily. On seeing Al-Cur die, Mengk charged at it and bit deeply. Another pseudopod lashed out, evaporating the top half of the chote's head. Blackhawk rushed forward and sprayed the creature with a burst of superheated plasma, which vaporized more chunks of necroplasm from its side.
  Sigmund had struck with several magic arrows, which had no effect beyond a flash of blue light when they hit. He noticed the amulet which had been found at Gateway station was radiating heat from his belt pouch. Grabbing the amulet as he ran Sigmund charged, throwing it into one of the rents torn in the thing's side by the Plasma Repeater Rifle. The amulet began to smoke where it hit and started to burn its way deeper into the creature.
  Until this point the thing had been regenerating damage as quickly as the party could dish it out, but 265 points in a round was more than it could quickly recover from. Prophet hit it again with the Pit Bull, making it stagger back. It extended another pseudopod to attack Prophet, damaging the armor control system. The motive unit of the armor failed.
  Urk landed a solid hit with an arrow from the basilisk bow. The magic took effect, and the thing was turned to stone. Blackhawk with great restraint held fire on the statue.
 

Prophet's account book
  Stardate 2512.6: Damage control system registers multiple severe system failures. Puncture in right chest plating, pressure integrity compromised. Motive system nonfunctional, armor can no longer move under its own power.
  Shizlink effected repair to motor control systems using an optical harness salvaged from a multiscanner, the power coupling from the vibroblade slagged on the First Pale, and a hairpin borrowed from Sasfiry. Environmental pressure integrity restored via epoxy patch. Restoration of full armor plating will require plasma forge or replacement duranium plating.
  Shizlink began design work on new resonator to reduce velocity shield startup latency. Note for future reference: make sure velocity shield is active before entering combat. End of entry.
 

The Narrator
  The firefight had lasted less than a minute. Banesh placed a lifekeeping herb under the tongue of Al-Cur and Mengk. Loading the two bodies onto a strider she headed back to the Sacred Spring where the damage could be healed and their souls restored to the body. She promised to return the following morning. Repairs to the powered armor took several hours, though the damaged plating could not be repaired.
  The amulet which Sigmund had thrown at the creature had not turned to stone, instead falling to the ground after the battle. As it cooled Sasfiry picked it up. Previously Sigmund and Chantille had not been able to attune to the amulet, but as it was obviously magical Sasfiry attempted it. Her eyes glazed over and she toppled to the ground unconscious.
  Sasfiry found herself flying amongst the clouds in an open, sunlit sky. She was being carried by two warrior women flying on either side of her. Both wore ornate armor and had eyes glowing with an inner light, and both flew magically without aid of wing or device. The warrior on the left had bright red hair, while the one on the right had hair black as night. Suddenly they arrived at an enormous crystalline city, standing in a massive entry hall. The hall was lined on both sides by statues of warrior women similar to the two who had carried her. There was some significance to the designs on the armor and dress of the statues, though Sasfiry was not sure what. She herself wore a simple white gown similar to that worn by an acolyte of her order. She and the two warrior women walked down the hall and up the steps at the end to stand before two massive bronze doors.
  As the doors opened a blinding white light spilled forth and a different vision slammed into her, disorienting in its force. This new vision was of a battlefield, with thousands of warrior women in formation with other creatures of the Light. Overhead flew squadrons of Amarrishi. On the other side of the battlefield were arrayed a vast army of the minions of the Unlife, necroplasm in forms which baffled the imagination. Overhead flew leather winged creatures of darkness. The vision pulled back to show the extent of the battle raging as far as the eye could see. Far overhead even more powerful forces battled, visible only by the massive bursts of energy they exchanged. The vision switched rapidly to other worlds being swept over by darkness and still more worlds resisting the darkness and fighting for the light. The battlefield faded, and Sasfiry found herself standing before the open bronze doors staring into the intense white light.
  A booming baritone voice said, "Choose."
  Sasfiry said, "Light."
  The light coalesced into a beam which struck her in the chest. She passed out.
 

Blackhawk's log, stardate 2512.7
  The amulet had exerted some sort of psionic influence on Sasfiry. Frisbee checked her vital signs and said she was unconscious but stable. I focused on the amulet while drawing on the Progenitor artifact to amplify a psychokinetic delving. I didn't get much: a blond, heavily muscled humanoid female stood in a crystalline room in front of a forge. She was pouring molten metal into a mold. It looked like a regular operation, so there may be more amulets like this one.
  The thing we fought had been turned to stone, some sort of matter transmutation effect. Must be part of Urk's cybernetics. Nobody could identify it, though it didn't look like any demon Prophet was familiar with. The multiscanner could detect no internal organs or structure in the stone, but Urk didn't know if his weapon system turned it into a uniform block or if the creature started out that way.
 

The Narrator
  Sasfiry awoke a short time later. She remembered the vision clearly and relayed it in every detail. She felt empowered, and somehow knew that the warrior women in the vision called themselves the Angelus. A mark was forming in the skin of her chest, where the beam had struck her in the vision. By the following morning the mark had fully formed, a golden brown callus in the flesh itself. The symbol was completely unfamiliar.

• Rolfo offered that which he held most dear: his tobacco pipe, and the magic flask. Krenic said, "Accepted.", and the items disappeared in a flash of energy. Rolfo hadn't even had a chance to refill the flask in a tavern.
• Blackhawk offered his ticket off this mudball: the pound of emerald shards in his possession, part of the horde recovered from Aranmor with which he planned to purchase a spaceship. This was insufficient, but would he offer all of it? "Accepted." All of the emeralds, even those in Edwin's shop, disappeared.
• Sasfiry offered her mandolin, the symbol of her deity Kieron given to her as an acolyte. This was insufficient, but would she also offer her song? "Accepted." Sasfiry was from that moment forward unable to sing. [Editor's note: ouch!]
• Sigmund offered his magic Claymore. "Accepted." It disappeared.
• Frisbee offered the book of herb lore presented by her master when she began the journey on her Golden Path. "Accepted."
• Shizlink offered the repair scanner given him by Tolkemak, his master. "Accepted." Shizlink's scanner and the repair scanner in Blackhawk's possession both disappeared.
• Chantille offered the silver ring recovered from the First Pale (which would have eventually turned her into a shadowy horseman). "Accepted."
• Urk considered his love for Frisbee to be that which he held most dear, but the line walker was not interested in that. Urk then offered his morningstar, the weapon he had carried throughout his career as a warrior, but this was also not acceptable. The Basilisk bow was another matter altogether. "Accepted"
• Prophet struggled mightily to find something other than the powered armor which Krenic would find acceptable. In the end the rift detector he wore on his wrist (which pointed to the closest interdimensional gate) was acceptable.
• Leneya offered her dream stone, which was her focus as a Dream Walker. "Accepted."

The Narrator
  Krenic's price for information had been steep. As he resumed his journey tracing the ley lines his back presented an inviting target. This temptation was with great effort resisted.
  Prophet's armor had been damaged during the battle with the Unlife. Shizlink patched it back together as best he could, but a long berth in a maintenance depot would be needed to fully restore it. Shizlink etched several technomagical runes on the armor plating to provide some level of protection against such creatures in the future. Later he placed similar runes on everyone's armor.
  As they travelled the group noted a change in the structure of the ground. Where before it had been packed sand with sections of volcanic glass the ground now became more dominated by rocky outcroppings dotted with long, shallow fissures. At dusk they stopped and set up camp. Guards were posted, two at a time in case the Al-Haddin attempted another Forget spell. No attack came that night.
 

Blackhawk's log, stardate 2515.0
  Bastard! Those emeralds were my ticket off this mudball. Someday there will be a reckoning.
  We had travelled all day. I stood second watch with Sigmund. There had been no wildlife in the wastes during the day, and not a peep during the first watch. Still, with the psionic attack the Al-Haddin had launched at the Sacred Spring it was best to be prepared. I kept my senses tuned to the psychic realm. That is how I noticed them. They were out of phase from the physical world, and very weak. The Progenitor artifact was able to amplify my senses to see them clearly: disembodied minds. There were hundreds of them moving about in the wasteland. They took no notice of us and appeared to be moving about at random.
 

The Narrator
  After observing the spirits for a while it became clear that their movements were not entirely random. They were gradually moving toward or away from the Heart of the World, keeping generally to the same track the party was following. Blackhawk attempted to communicate telepathically or at least probe the spirits but was unable to make contact. They had been there a long, long time, and most were mere fragments of consciousness. Blackhawk was able to determine that all had once been warriors, and that they had been summoned to this place to protect something very important. He also determined that they had failed in their mission. The sense of loss was overwhelming.
  A few of the spirits were of stronger will than the rest. These had fragments of an aura left, an aura which looked very much like that which Sasfiry had begun to radiate since attuning to the amulet the previous day. One of these spirits wandered closer to Blackhawk and he attempted another psionic probe. He got a very strong sense of duty, and a mission which had been left undone. He also got a jumble of visual images: the spirit had been a female warrior wearing golden chainmail and carrying a long trident. The symbol of the Angelus adorned her helm and armor. The spirit stopped moving about when Blackhawk probed it, and stayed where it was.
  Sigmund woke everyone, and Sasfiry joined them. Standing in the spot Blackhawk indicated she opened her mind to the spirit. She got a similar vision to what Blackhawk had seen, and more: there had been a great battle in this place, where many of the Angelus warriors and others fighting for the Light had died in a sudden flash of light and pain. Maintaining her concentration, Sasfiry held up the amulet of the Angelus. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief, and the spirit dissipated.
  There were other spirits of the Angelus in the throng, thirty two altogether. Apparently sensing that redemption was at hand they congregated around Sasfiry. She was granted visions of whom each had been in life as each spirit was released. Piecing the visions together it was clear that the Angelus and the forces of Light had been summoned here long ago to defend the Heart of the World from the Unlife. They had failed, with their spirits trapped in the wastes by the suddenness of their death and importance of their cause. Blackhawk noted that many of the other spirits also blinked out of existence, as though they needed only an example to follow to find their own release.
  The rest of the night passed uneventfully.
 

Sigmund's Journal
  Bastard! That were a fine Claymore indeed, too fine to be a damned barterin' chit for directions.
  We walked all th' next day, and camped that night agin' a large stone. We could see th' glow over th' horizon, where th' Node must be. We kept two guards all night, but dinnae see nothin. Blackhawk said there be fewer spirits wanderin' th' wastes that night. Gives me th' chills, it does.
  Th' next day th' rock underfoot began to change. It looked damned well melted, with bits of met'l and bone embedded in't. Chantille cast Stone Lore to say th' rock were melted two thousand years ago when th' Cataclysm created th' Wasteland of Zor.
 

Shizlink's hidden computer file
  Orc-lover! Repair scanner gone now, grrrr!
  Bones, metal melted in rock. Bad, bad, rock melt 1175 degrees steel 1535 degrees very hot. Long, long time ago. Me check metal with multiscanner, most steel and iron. Then multiscanner detect Eog! Me run over, metal fragment stick out of rock. Look like Eog, taste like Eog, must be Eog! Me pull and pull but no worky. Me ask friend fairy, Chantille cast spell make rock crack and break. Prophet use powered armor break three chunks Eog loose. Happy happy, lots of Eog.
 

The Narrator
  Nearly thirty pounds of Eog had been recovered. Shizlink's mind reeled with the possibilities.
  Continuing their trek, the terrain flattened out into a slight valley. Five miles away a glow could be seen emanating from a nearly hemispherical outcropping of pearly white crystal. Due to the ever present sandstorm no details were visible until the party had travelled several miles closer. Then, at extreme magnification a metallic structure of some sort was visible to one side, and movement could be discerned around the base of the crystal.
  The flows of Essaence had grown more chaotic as they approached, making Arcane and Essence magic unpredictable. Sigmund began casting Unseen spells on everyone as the Mentalism realm seemed unaffected. Unfortunately he could not complete the task quickly enough. Sasfiry detected two minions of the Unlife approaching, a power granted her by the Angelus. The first was a shadowy bulk, the same sort of creature which attacked the party in the desert several days before. The second creature was invisible.
  The battle was quickly joined. Remembering well the strength of the first pseudopod days before, massive firepower was brought to bear on this new one as soon as it came within range. Of course, this quickly cancelled the invisibility spells. The creature closed rapidly with Frisbee, who had landed several arrows at long range. The pseudopod reached toward her right shoulder, though her skillful dodging prevented solid contact. Frisbee backed quickly away from the creature, allowing everyone else a clear shot. Energy weapons, bullets, and spells rained down upon it. Non-enchanted weapons passed through the pseudopod without damage, making it doubly lucky that Shizlink had inscribed bladerunes on all the ammunition.
  Rolfo had moved around behind both minions of the Unlife. The second attacker had magically created a wall of stone to provide cover, but remained invisible. Rolfo hesitated, not knowing exactly where the second opponent was.
  Banesh retained her invisibility until she had crept up close behind the pseudopod, where she announced her presence with a deep scimitar slash to its backside. The pseudopod could attack in any direction and extended a black limb towards Banesh, but amazingly she parried it aside and attacked again. Her weapon began to smoke from the corrosive effect of the necroplasm, but she kept hacking at it. Finally, a pseudopod got past her guard and struck a solid blow. Banesh died, much of her torso disintegrated.
  The second minion of the Unlife had remained quiet while everyone concentrated their attentions on the pseudopod. Now a black robed figure peeked out from around the stone wall and blasted Sigmund with a Mana Bolt. Sigmund was knocked down, but regained his feet quickly and ran towards the stone wall. A second Mana Bolt mangled his hand and stunned him.
  Rolfo moved about behind the second attacker, trying to determine the best course of action.
  Sasfiry ran to the base of the stone wall, thinking to attack the black robed sorcerer. At that moment the pseudopod shuddered its last, finally succumbing to a hail of gunfire. Prophet ran at full speed around the stone wall, activating the laser knuckle blades of his powered armor as he ran. The evil spellcaster was sheared nearly in two and slumped messily against the wall. After the battle Blackhawk peppered him with superheated plasma for good measure.
  Rolfo was still trying to decide his best course of action when Prophet sliced the spellcaster in two.
  Sasfiry called out that a third opponent was approaching, another black robed one. Chantille sent a powerfully cast firebolt at him, but amazingly the fire was parried aside by the dark sword he carried. This third opponent found Urk's rifle bullet much more difficult to parry and crumpled heavily to the ground.
 

Banesh's recount of the tale two months later
  From this point I know the tale only because it was told to me. I am indebted to the one called Frisbee, who rushed to place an herb of Lifekeeping under my tongue so that the Sacred Spring could restore me to life.
  The group of outsiders had dispatched the three evil ones and moved in close to the Heart of the World. The (spits) Al-Haddin had constructed a metal tower next to the sacred crystal of the Heart, and there placed their crystal of darkness. They were tapping the very energy of the Earthnode, corrupting and twisting it to subvert the whole. Seven of the (spits) Al-Haddin stood in a circle about the Heart, chanting a foul ritual.
  The outsiders possessed many powerful magics, especially the metal giant. That one cast a powerful spell, sending it in an arc towards the tower of the (spits) Al-Haddin. The spell flew true until it came within twenty and ten feet, when it slowed. At twenty feet it dipped and hit the sands, neutralized. The (spits) Al-Haddin took no notice and continued their evil spellcasting.
  [Editor's note: Prophet fired a rocket propelled magnetic pulse grenade at the tower. The grenade flew true until it hit some sort of field which slowed it, and then hit a second shield with an audible thunk.]
 

Prophet's account book
  Stardate 2515.4: Bastard! That Rift Detector was one of a kind. It cannot be replaced.
  Powered armor systems still partially compromised from battle with first pseudopod stardate 2512.6. Temporary repairs affected by Shizlink holding up well. Weapons systems fully operational and effective against second pseudopod. Velocity shield fully effective against necroplasm.
  Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher is past scheduled maintenance but all system diagnostics show green. Failure of grenade is unexplained. End of entry.
 

The Narrator
  The Unlife had erected defensive magics around their ritual, tapping the energy of the Earthnode itself to power them. Chantille determined that the outer field was a magical inhibition zone, while the inner field was obviously some sort of barrier. A frontal assault seemed impossible. Complicating matters, the unexploded grenade now lay twenty feet from the Heart of World. If the inhibition field were brought down it might detonate, vaporizing everyone nearby.
  Blackhawk moved slowly towards the barrier, while the rest of the party concealed themselves in the shadows as best they could. Choosing the (spit) Al-Haddin closest to the tower, he focused his psionics and called on the Progenitor bowl for assistance. Framing a mental command, "Knock over the apparatus", Blackhawk imposed his will on the other. The (spit) Al-Haddin paused in his chants and lowered his arms slightly, then thought better of it and resumed the ritual. A subsequent mental command to "Knock over the apparatus immediately!" drew better results. The (spit) Al-Haddin withdrew from the ritual and walked over to the tower. Hesitating only briefly, the black robed sorcerer placed both hands on the metal bracing of the tower and was immediately run through with massive bolts of purple energy arcing downwards from the dark crystal. The sorcerer spasmed violently, then went still. His body slumped to the ground and lay, smoldering.
  As entertaining as that was, imposing his will on others was extremely draining and Blackhawk would be unable to duplicate the feat six more times. Said six immediately spread themselves out so that they were evenly spaced about the Heart of the World. The ritual continued. Chantille noted that the power level of the magical shell around the Unlife dropped when the seventh spellcaster ceased the ritual, but was still quite formidable.
 

Rolfo's commonplace traveling book
  I pondered, and pondered, and pondered. I wished I still 'ad me pipe, 'twas perfect for pondering. In me experience as a Dabbler, I 'ad found that magic didn't affect the Coalition weapons very much. Its just the nature of magic, I suppose. But this one had, I'd seen it bounce off the shield with me own eyes, I 'ad. It could just be a different kind of magic, I suppose, like the technomagic the little goblin uses, that just didn't seem right. So I pondered some more, and missed me pipe some more, and then I 'membered something: I'd seen runes on the cylinder the golem launched at the tower. The little goblin had enchanted it, and that was why it had been affected by the magic.
 

The Narrator
  A simple arrow shot confirmed it: the arrow flew straight and true, and clanged off of the apparatus. The next grenade sent whizzing in towards the Unlife had been wiped clean of runes. It hit the tower dead on and detonated, blowing the apparatus and the dark crystal into zillions of tiny pieces. The shrapnel vivisected two of the Al-Haddin, and severely wounded the rest. Only one of the evil spellcasters remained standing, and that one was stunned and bleeding from the ears. They were easily dispatched.
  Sasfiry and Frisbee had neglected to look away from the blast, and were temporarily blinded. The bright flash also attracted the attention of the final guardian posted by the Unlife. A huge, black armored carapace scurried across the desert on eight metallic legs. It appeared to be a cybernetic necroplasm hybrid, similar to the more commonly encountered Troopers. Being so heavy the creature could move only at a fast walking pace, but ranged attacks seemed to bounce off its armored hide. As it approached three hatches opened on its top, disgorging three whirling blades which shot forth at incredible speed. The first hit Urk, severing tendons in his foot. The second missed Chantille. The third struck Blackhawk and would have severed his leg had he not dodged aside at the last possible instant. [Editor's note: he used a Fate point].
  Sasfiry, blinded though she was, could sense the approach of the Unlife. She timed her Repel Undead spell until it was within optimum range. The insectoid creature stopped, and its armored shell collapsed to the sand. Wisps of vaporized necroplasm were borne away by the winds. There was much rejoicing.
  Leneya had sensed a shift in the Essaence. Time was running out. The Unlife had been prevented from subverting the earthnode, but there was one task left to perform: the Heart of the World had to be healed. Chantille spotted the damage, a small fissure on top of the crystal. She used a telekinesis spell to lower the crystal amulet recovered from the First Pale into the fissure. It fit perfectly. The crystal of the Heart flowed smoothly together and sealed all signs of the crack.
  Instantly, the bright light emanating from the Heart went out, swathing the scene in darkness. A strange smell was in the air, as though something were building. It came, slowly at first, then with increasing tempo and power: rain. There had been no rain in the Wasteland of Zor for two thousand years, since the destruction of Berzor and the fracture of the Heart of the World. Now it came, beating down onto the sand and running into rivulets. The Heart lay at the bottom of a wide, shallow trench. Indeed, two thousand years before the Heart had been at the bottom of an inland lake, a lake which was now being recreated before their eyes. The bodies of the Unlife were left where they lay and the party made their way quickly to higher ground. The corpse of Banesh was picked up along the way.
  It rained continuously for the next three days as the group travelled back to the Sacred Spring. The invisible barrier which had concealed the Spring was gone, having fallen the instant the Heart of the World was healed. The Sword Sisters wandered about as if in a daze: none of them had experienced rain before, nor had they seen a clear sky unobscured by sandstorm. This would take some getting used to. The Sacred Spring had begun the process of restoring Zor: fast growing grasses had already begun to sprout outwards from the oasis, reclaiming the desert. Leneya explained that the Guardian of the Heart of the World was the paradise of the Sacred Spring itself. Now that the Heart had been restored, the paradise would also.
 
  Nadala was waiting for their arrival, the Dream Walkers having seen the successful conclusion of the mission. A banquet had been prepared. During the banquet the seers related the other dreams they had had. They had seen a vast number of foreign places, and were given to know that each of these places was an earthnode of lesser or greater power. Some of the earthnodes had been subverted by the Unlife, while others were guarded and still others had not been noticed. Their dreams lingered on two earthnodes in particular.
  The first node lay deep underground in a twisty maze of passages, all alike. A small earthnode lay in a shallow puddle; Shizlink recognized the place as his home. The Dream Walkers saw a brief flash of grey Orcs attempting to subvert the Earthnode. They also saw glimpses of Shizlink, Frisbee, Urk, Rolfo, and others they did not recognize creeping through the tunnels.
  The second node lay in the center of a ruined city. The city was surrounded by coniferous forest, and there were only two moons in the sky. The Dream Walkers believe it is another world. A barrier surrounds the ruined city; the seers saw minions of the Unlife erecting an apparatus, similar to the one destroyed near the Heart of the World. They also saw a glimpse of Blackhawk, Prophet, Chantille, Sasfiry, and Sigmund strapped into chairs in a small, metal chamber.
 
  The party would begin the return trip to Bazilar the following day. Leneya was to accompany them, having seen such in a dream. Al-Cur and Mengk, healing well after being restored to life by the Sacred Spring, would also accompany them. Ninghal presented each person with a small sun-shaped medallion, set with a crystal in the center. The medallion is referred to as a Heart, and is suffused with Arcane energy. The Sisters give their Heart to each other; it is useful for various magic rituals as well as empathic communication in times of great emotion.
 
TO BE CONTINUED... SOMEDAY. UNTIL THEN, GOOD LUCK AND GODSPEED.