You feel strange. Not at all like you expect. No strange dreams attend you. Instead...

Your bones are being clothed with muscle. Now hair sprouts. Eyeballs click into place. You're clothed.

You're laying on soft black dirt, and a lovely elven necromancer is kneeling beside you with an expression of concern on her face.

"Speak to me, Thomas. Let me know you are whole of mind and soul. I have powerful magics to aid you. And someone pursued you into the ether. What shall I do with him?"

She points a long, graceful arm with an accusing finger at Oak who is waking up less gently as two skeletons have his arms gripped so he is stretched out cruciform.

Oak, bony hands hold you. A beautiful dark-haired elf is staring at you with cold judgement....

Day is, to say the least, shocked.  He had expected to awaken on the other side of the door, having failed in his quest, but determine to destroy that which had brought them here.

Now there was hope.  This was a different ball game entirely.

And he was very glad she was his ally and not his enemy.....

"This man is a friend, and a compatriot in both arms and philosophy.  Broadly speaking any way.  He is one of those which your ring allowed me to summon from the worlds beyond....indeed there are three more back in the temple...." He thinks, "The gem!  We have lost it...."  He turns back to the moment at hand and her questions, "I am indeed whole of mind and soul......I must say that I am indeed much more whole than I would have been without your intervention....Thank you.  Very very much." though he worried now that this had somehow disconnected him from the Door.....

He could count on no easy pass back to the world beyond....Death was death to this world a second time...of that he was sure.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:40, Fri 03 Apr 2009.

Day isn't immediately visible from my constrained position, but I am reassured upon hearing his voice.  I momentarily lift my head enough to verify that he is indeed nearby, before letting my head rest once again.

I return the elf woman's stare with a gentle nod and a benevolent expression.

"I am John Oakmaster, a servant of the LORD, and a friend of Thomas Day.  'Peace be unto you.'"

I lie quietly and peacefully, content to wait until she is reassured as to my presence and intentions...

In that moment, Tom realizes he might have the gem after all.  After all, they had already loaded the books into the tapestry, and were then looking for a way out, he knew the Door was likely to bring him back if he were killed...no, logically, Oak would be the one to carry it because if he were killed, Oak would be the next best qualified one to bring aid.

"Oak...do you still have the tapestry?"

OOC: Good question.  PT, do I have the tapestry?  :o

"Oh, I feared I would lose your mission so I had a spell laid into your ring in case something happened to you. It caught you before your body and mind fled to another world. But I have to admit, this is the first time I've tried something like that." Something in her phrasing doesn't make sense, but you sense no ill intent.

She turns to Oak.

"Peace be unto you, Friend of Thomas. Please, sit." She gestures an a silver chair appears next to you, and the two skeletons relax their grip and begin to slip into the soil. "I am sorry for being so suspicious."

She waves her hand again, and a pair of silver chairs next to each other appear across from Oak. Another gesture and a silver table with a glimmering blue drink in a crystal jug with sapphire studded silver goblets appears as well.

"Welcome to my garden to you both, and you again." She gives Day a smile.

Oak,
The tapestry is about twenty feet away, and two other skeletons are toting it slowly over to you.

PT

The Tapestry changes everything.  The mission, somehow, against all odds, had been successful.  He did not want to leave his companions behind, but neither could he stop in his efforts to bring aid the Conjunction.  He would have to arrange to have them indirectly sent aid instead.

Most of what she said made perfect sense except for the "I was afraid I would lose your mission."  It was the I that confused him, and almost sounded a little ominous, but he was willing to extend great trust to her.  The bar was very high to show duplicity and so far she had shown exactly none.

"We have four companions still in the temple.  Since we have the Tapestry, I do not believe that we can risk return.  Four versers vs all the lives at risk in the conjunction and their representative worlds beyond is simply not a comparison.  Having said that, do either of you know a way to summon them aid?"

"I understand Thomas." And she points at the chairs and the drink. "But you, and your friend, have had a wearisome journey. Can you not stay a few days to recover your strength?"

She sits in her own chair, and considers, her eyes growing distant.

"It would be easy enough for me to send a couple dozen skeletons to their aid. I do not know how they would react. There is also your adventuring company. We could also hire other companies. As you know, I have little connection with the Elves of this Wood so I cannot call an Elven Knight and his Captain of Fifty to my aid. If we have time, we could bring aid simply by spreading the word of a dungeon, but such things would take a couple weeks which is why I mention hiring a company."

PT

"If we send a message with the skeletons then they'll probably pick up on it, especially if we do something like paint a cross on their skulls.  I wouldn't want to send living people in there so easily, because I'm not 100% certain they'll be able to get out again. Having said that, I am not averse to hiring a company that is willing to take substantial risks for potentially little gain....time is somewhat of the essence in their case.  And yes, I believe we can rest a few days.  Although, in the interest of saving time, if you don't mind potentially sending a message to the Duke that I could compose, that would save more time I think."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:36, Fri 03 Apr 2009.

I rise with a friendly smile, and nod thankfully as I see the tapestry bring brought toward me, and the offered chair.

"Well met, Lady Morrigan.  No apology is necessary.  The multiverse is all too filled with those who serve evil, and you had no way of knowing if I had ill intent.  I am thankful for your kind hospitality, and for your aid and goodwill toward this worthy quest."

I take the offered chair, looking about at the garden and at our hostess while she discusses options with Day.

"I could attempt to teleport back to the others with the tapestry, and use it to bring them back here.  However, given how needful that tapestry is to the quest, that would probably be too much of a risk.  As it was, my last attempt at teleporting in that place brought me to that strange scene of our last battle."

I quietly give the drink an experimental sip to see if it is alcoholic, and study our hostess with interest.

"I have traveled many worlds, but you are the first elf I have met.  If we are to rest for a time here, I would be honored to get to know you.  The memories, experiences, stories, and songs of you and your people would interest me greatly..."

"As you say, Thomas." She points a finger at the two skeletons and they shuffle off.  She stands and walks over to a plowed bit of bare earth in the midst of the roses, and climbing vines and the brooding violets that mark the clear lawn that is her garden.  It is sheltered about by trees of middling height, and beyond them you can see the great giants of the elvenwood.

She begins to speak calmly, and one by one skeletons arise from the ground until she has twenty-four of them. She then hands Day a black chalk and asks him to put 'this mark of yours? A deity?' on their foreheads.

"Thomas, I've heard of the Black Thumb Order, a party of adventurers that is in the elvenwood seeking information. I could send them a message."

With that, her skeletons come back with a large 'bird bath', and place it by her chair.  She stirs it with her right hand, and a gloriously beautiful face appears.  And then a frown appears on the face.

"Ah, Morrigan."
"I need you to send one of your messengers to the Duke after it comes to my garden to take on teh message."
"Not plotting treason with humans are we, Morrigan?" The following laugh does not sound quite sincere.
"Thats for tommorrow." Morrigan replies too sweetly.

Later,
As Oak sips the delightful fruit mixture which includes several tastes he's not familar with, the Lady Morrigan begins to sing some of the songs of the Greenwood.  At times, she uses her voice, and at other times a mandolin as accompaniment.

As you study here, and listen to her voice, a couple things become apparent Oak. One, is that that she is bitter from some wound given her by the other elves even though she loves them. And the second is that she looks at Day with way more than casual interest.

The mission interests her, and she supports it, but you get the feeling she'd support whatever Day wanted to do.

Tom thanks Morrigan for her help.

Regarding the Adventurer's, assuming she can scry/contact them, he will explain the situation and and offer to pay them to go to the tomb.  He will explain that he's moderately certain the treasure is high there, but he can also reward them with more than that if they are successful, including the use of his services as a Sage.  He'll also offer up to 20 gold for them to seek it out.  If they agree, he'll also give them an extensive map, with detailed descriptions of the area, including what he knows about the three versers remaining and Radian.  He'll specificly explain that though Radian seems to be taken care of, they are to get the three Versers out and to help the villagers if another threat is deemed something that they can handle.

His message to the Duke,

"Your Grace,

Thanks to the timely aid of numerous and suprisingly generous allies, including fellow Versers, the Lady Morrigan and others, I have successfully entreated to gain the ability of your crusade transport through the door via the key.  I will head your way from the Elven lands in seven days time.  If you will call for volunteers, we can begin training them for what to expect on the other side upon my arrival.  It should take about a fortnight, possibly a month.  Please entreaty them, my lord, that though the cause is noble, the odds are long and even if we succeed I am none too sure about the ability to return them to their homes.  This may be a one way trip."

Tom then briefly lists his encounters hitherto this point, and thanks the Duke, signing it Thomas Day.

Tom will spend the next seven days relaxing with the Lady Morrigan. He will be friendly, courteously flirtacious even, for she is beautiful and a good friend, though she would know from his story that his heart belongs to another, so he will not encourage anything more than that.  She is obviously in need of company, and he will do his best to cheer her up; for without her this quest would have failed beyond imagining, and she's also gotten a really raw deal from her fellow elves.

When (if) she is busy with other duties, he will learn what skills he can from Oak (if he's willing to teach them) and teach what he can to Oak in turn, including the 'keep awake' spell which he will use to good purpose, spending an hour or two a day to examine the Alchemy book of Radians, and comparing it to the one he currently has; using to enhance his treatise on Alchemistry.

I observe the subtle dynamics of the situation, both from my own eyes now, and from the previous memories that I downloaded from Tom.  As I am primarily the friend of a friend, I defer somewhat to Tom and Lady Morrigan, so as not to be an irritating third wheel.  However, I also subtly stay near enough to the others that Tom isn't left in an uncomfortable position alone for an extended period of time, unless I pick up any vibes that he wishes privacy with her.

I thoroughly enjoy whatever songs, stories, etc. that she is willing to share, committing them to memory (and very thankful I am for photographic memory).  If she is willing to allow me to examine and/or play the mandolin and/or any other musical instruments she may have, I gladly do so.  If she is inclined to give lessons, even more so.  And if she has skill in making musical instruments, and is able to teach me, still more so.

If she is interested, I gladly share stories and songs in exchange, particularly Bible stories and hymns.  If she is interested in the details or hymn lyrics, I gladly explain the Christian faith, drawing upon stories and parables of interest, hoping if possible to create interest in her rather than being pushy or confrontational.

If she is so inclined, I also gladly glean whatever knowledge, stories, songs, etc. she has of other races here.  I myself have seen a hobbit, and Tom's memories included a brownie and a pixie, perhaps not far from here.  Perhaps they are neighbors?  OOC: I'd love to visit with them, but I suspect we lack the time... don't we?...

I ask about the power of the ring that summoned me here, and ask how it was that it found me, and if she has any insights as to how I might ever be able to return to my original universe.

I am quite happy to share knowledge with Tom.  I don't do spells, but suitable prayers or psi powers are certainly of interest to me.

And at some point during our stay, I regard them both...

"It occurs to me that there are still foes among us that must be vanquished."

"Tom, we have brought the tapestry with us, on which so much depends, and even put things into it for safekeeping.  But is not a black knight still within it?  We have seen their power, and therefore we still must face a significant foe, before the tapestry can be used.  Furthermore, we know not where Strife went after leaving us.  He could also still be within the tapestry."

"Lady Morrigan, what do you know of such foes?  Do you have any suggestions for how best to rid ourselves, as well as the tapestry, of them?"

OOC: I'll answer one question real quickly, and leave the rest for the next...

"Oh, yes, we fought the Black Knights, or my ancestors did. They were a scourge on the land, and at first no one knew of their origin. But eventually it was determined that the black knight was the ultimate form of an extremely dedicated worshipper of Radian. If they followed Radian long enough, and with a pure enough heart, some ritual would be performed. It was a foul thing that bonded the man's spirit to armor.  And he would take his new-made sword and quench it in the belly of a servant."

She pauses.

"I am a necromancer so I know the spells of binding, but even willingly they are not to be done except perhaps in the most pecular cases. What this yielded, and I do not wholly know how was an undead haunted armor, a ghost, very powerful, and nearly indestructible. They had an array of powers, but preferred to rely on their swords."

She thinks and consults a large book.

"As to whether I could control such a one with my powers, I do not know."

And yet you sense in her a willingness, indeed a desire to try, to match her power against one of the most unconquerable of the undead.

PT

Tom says, "We have every reason to believe that the Black Knight inside will follow his orders and remain inside the tapestry.  As such, while I favor taking him on, it should be done with such overwhelming and controlled circumstances that victory is essentially entirely assured on our side.  Also, one thing that disturbs me is that the tapestry itself seems to be in another universe, which means that we have no idea of knowing what magic or psionic powers do or do not work therein.  We don't know if technology works even.

I mean, if technology works, I have a plasma rifle that will make short work of him.  This is not a situation in which I want to fight fairly by any means.  I've already been killed by one of these things before, and I do not intend to let it happen a second time."

I consider.

"As for psionics, I have successfully used telepathy, clairvoyance, and telekinesis while inside the tapestry."

"However, in our last battle with those four black knights, I found telekinesis to be of limited usefulness directly.  The only way I defeated the two black knights I fought was by TKing the Entropy tapestry onto them from behind.  It is a pity we were versed out before I could take any of those other tapestries..."

"As for technology within the tapestry, I attempted to use both nanite tech and computer tech, and neither one functioned."

"As for divine power within the tapestry, you successfully destroyed Radian with the LORD's power, which is the same power you successfully used to destroy a black knight during our last battle with them."

"I agree that we need to be thoroughly prepared, and have overwhelming force to ensure the black knight's destruction."

"We also have to remember that Strife could be hiding within the tapestry.  We have already seen that Strife is capable of warping the perspectives of even experienced versers, and is able to operate while invisible.  That is not a danger to be overlooked, particularly if we are already engaged in battling a black knight at the same time."

"We could solve the problem by burning the tapestry, but we need it.  We could solve the problem by retrieving the Entropy tapestry, but the odds of being able to successfully return to where -- and when! -- we saw it are rather slim."

"Lady Morrigan, you have considered whether or not you have the capability to control such a creature.  But do you have any capability to utterly destroy such a creature?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:32, Tue 07 Apr 2009.

"If Strife shows up, I am entirely confident that the power The Lord gave me will obliterate him. I doubt he will return.  The Lord was merciful the first time, I rather doubt anything will constrain me the second.  If there is even so much as a hint of him in the tapestry I will not hesitate to use that which the Lord has taught me.

And as for the power of the Divine, remember that the inside of the tapestry was actually a separate universe than the inside of the Hall of Mirrors, so we need to carefully distinguish between the two.  The divine power The Lord gave me might take care of Strife but the armor of the knights protects them.  I have a spell to deal with metal but their armor seems rather shielded.  I think that your thinking on indirect methods is right though.

A grease spell followed by a translocation spell might be ideal."

"You might easily deal with Strife... unless he strikes at the moment we are engaged with the black knight.  And since he can remain invisible, it might not be easy to detect him."

"Yes, there were two separate universes within the tapestry.  As for psionics, I attempted telepathy, clairvoyance, and telekinesis successfully in both universes.  As for technology, nanite tech and computer tech were both unsuccessful in both universes.  As for divine power, I felt the LORD's presence in response to a prayer for protection and guidance in both universes."

"As for translocation, I have not yet attempted to teleport anyone besides myself.  But even if we are able to, we must ensure that the destination is one where it cannot ever harm anyone else.  That wasn't a problem with the Entropy tapestry, but I don't think we have an option like that one now... do we?"

Tom thinks a great deal, and finally says, "We are gathering an army to fight against the Catipillar Ants.  Why should just the three of us fight this thing when we can fight him at a hundred to one odds?  I don't fight fair unless I must.  It would certainly not return the favor to us if things were the other way around."

I consider.

"A conventional army would simply be slaughtered by an opponent that is essentially invulnerable to conventional attack, would it not?  I suspect that we will need less conventional means of defeating this foe..."

"If magic works on him, then I would potentially suggest gathering the largest gathering of mages we can find.  One of these things killed me last time, and I'm not risking our lives on that thing, not when there is so much at stake.  A conventional army might be killed but at the least I want to fight it with the rest of the adventuring company I was working with in the duke's realm plus Morrigan's help (if she is willing.)  Its just too much of a risk with just the three of us."

"Other than the Entropy tapestry, the only thing I have seen that successfully defeated a black knight was the wrath of the LORD God Almighty, called down by you in a Word of Power.  We will require His aid once again, certainly indirectly, and perhaps directly as well."

I consider quietly, before turning again to our hostess.

"Lady Morrigan, you said that these black knights were previously a scourge upon the land.  How were they defeated?"

"I have a Greater Spell of Unworking which supposedly can uncreate nearly any magical object, but casting it would put me out of the fight for a week.  As to how they were dealt with in the last war, there were three methods. One is massive brute force. Enough damage and they do go down, but only the greatest heroes or a large battalion would want to do this to one of them. And the large battalion must be composed of death-sworn heroes because surely very many of them will die, and only if they attack relentlessly with no thought to their own safety will it have a chance of working."

You get an image from her words of a couple hundred men insanely charging a single black knight, of men leaping on to the sword of the knight so to slow him down so that one of their friends can get a few hammer strokes on the knight's back before he gets his sword free and cuts them down...

She smiles a rictus smile.

"Of course, Terracuyl is said to have killed one of them with a single blast of fire when it annoyed her by refusing to bow."

She raises another finger for two.

"And that is the next method. Enough fire, or metal destroying power, and the metal itself will be destroyed. Great wizards cast their strongest fire spells in concert and destroyed many."

She raises a third finger.

"Finally toward the end, the current archmage devised a Mirror of Truth which would show them what they really were. It showed them as the twisted monsters they are, instead of the pure, sinless paladins they think themselves to be.  This unmade them."

A fourth finger goes up.

"The spirit fire you speak of is a new technique. You are causing enough damage to the ghost to disconnect it from reality. This is..." She gives you a considering glance. "Your god is very powerful and kind to give you such power."

A fifth finger goes up.

"Feeding him to Lord Entropy. Although this was well done, Master Oak, I hasten to say that you cannot release this entity. Shielded, in his own reality with a peephole into ours he is a terrible danger. Unshielded and present, he could eventually kill everything on this world merely by breathing. Lord Entropy is far worse than Radian."

Tom smiles a bit and then stops smiling, "My God is the God other gods worship or fear.  He is the creator of all things and the underlying force that allows every particle of reality to retain animate motion.  He is literally beyond power and comprehension and yet yes, He is very kind.  Often amazingly personally so."  He drifts off in thought a moment and then returns to the conversation, "I am not going to raise an army, only to have it killed by this thing.  I don't know that many fire mages.  I don't have a tac nuke, though ironically it would be easier to destroy this thing on the other side of the door where I could have my friends build us one with relative ease...and as grateful as I am to My Lord for the ability He gave me, I used it four times on the last one before it killed me.  I'm a firm believer in Abraham Lincoln's maxim 'Pray as if Everything depends on the Lord, Act as if everything depends on You.'  Obviously that's not true all of the time, but the Lord hath no time for a slothful servant.

No...the Mirror is the only acceptable path...but that means visiting the archmage...again...before I have the army ready, which also means yet another quest to pay for the favor..."  He sighs.

"Though....I wonder..."  He looks at Oak, "could we make such a mirror ourselves?  For is not God a God of Truth?

I consider.

"I prayed for the LORD's blessing upon this quarterstaff, and He graciously answered.  Certainly, He is more than capable of creating such an item, if that is His will.  Although I observe that He could just as easily enable us to make another tapestry, so that we could burn this one with the black knight within.  Or He could enable you, or me, with another Word of Power."

"Or... it is also true that I am able to make telepathic contact with a black knight... and the LORD has blessed me with the gift of Sight here.  If I beheld the black knight as it truly is, and shared that vision with the black knight telepathically, would it be enough to slay it, I wonder?"

As I say this, I attempt to look upon the current scene through my Sight...
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:54, Wed 08 Apr 2009.

Tom ponders and closely examines the tapestry for anything resembling a gem.  If the tapestry is merely a manifestation of the actual city in a gem, then it might indeed be possible to simply burn the tapestry with the knight in it.

He says, "I can't tell you why, but my suspicion is that if he is slippery to your TK, he'll be slippery to the telepathy as well.  However, I think that your plan might be a good one if we mix telepathy showing him what he really is, with magic to pierce and bypass his defenses."

Oak,You look with your Sight.  The garden is filled with deep shadows, cool, peaceful, and yet with lightning coiled in them waiting.  And then another layer beyond this you see, and the trees, the position of the plots of grass, the flowers...all conspire to feed and reflect power back to the woman who owns this garden.It is her place of power.Upon looking at her you see she is sheathed in cool lightning that flares up into the clouds, and at the same time deep roots sink into the soil from her legs.  Off her arms grow saplings, and then beyond her you can see the Elvenwood with its hundreds and thousands of trees, and a vast network...Your Sight stops. Its not that it was overwhelming seeing the patterns of power that leapt from centuries old tree to another tree, although that it was. It was that something casually reached into your head, and turned off the ability.The Lady Morrigan is smiling gently at you.  She looks amused."We do not give our secrets readily to outsiders."Day,You find a red gem, about the size of an apple 'hanging' from a tree on the outer frame of the tapestry. You touch it, and the tapestry rapidly folds itself up, and sucks itself into the gem which now rests, cool and hard, a ruby about the size of an apple, in your hand.The Lady Morrigan claps in delight.

Day is ...cautious.  "I don't know anything about this artifact.  I mean, I imagined that it could hold a vast amount more than what we saw in the tapestry, ergo the term City after all....but does that mean that the Black Knight is gone or that we can simply work around him.....a user manual or a tome of some kind that described how to use one in detail would be helpful..."

He ponders a moment and then asks, "Lady Morrigan, do you know someone who might have a tome on this subject, who would be willing to lend it to us?  I might be able to make an exchange that such a person would find quite equitable."

I ponder what I have seen, and what I have not, as I return her gentle smile with a good-natured one of my own.  I then listen to Day's query, and Morrigan's eventual reply.

"I have glimpsed something of your power, Lady Morrigan.  And I have seen the LORD's power, manifested through Thomas, smite a black knight.  And I myself have reached out telepathically to contact a black knight's mind, and have successfully used Sight here.  But are these forces enough to face yonder foe safely, and defeat it?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:22, Fri 10 Apr 2009.

"Terracuyl might. I believe there is a scholar by the name of Biran in Auriador, but that is fifteen hundred miles south of here. And I am not certain he would, but he is known as a great collector. There once were more gems, but now there are very few."  She turns to Oak. "You both ask me for certainties. I have none to give. Perhaps you will defeat this Black Knight with a piercing to his mind, and all our labor will seem laughable. Perhaps that will not work, and I will not be able to cast it under my control, but the Greater Spell will undo it. Perhaps instead, it will lay you low with its horror, and me by exhaustion, and Day will fire it with his god's gift. Or perhaps we are all doomed, and the Elvenwood will ring for   years with the sound of black sword striking fair elven flesh. But I think we have a good chance, but still I yield to the leader in this decision. It is not mine to make, although I would chance it, but then I am a woman given to daring risks and challenging uncertain powers."

This rocks you back a bit. The Lady Morrigan has presence and charisma, and she has walked into many a dark cave in search of the secrets the dead keep closely. In another land, she might be a queen. Here she holds a small garden full of skeletons.

PT

Tom ponders and finally says, "Alright.  Here then, is what I think we should do.  I don't KNOW how this device works, but I'd be willing to bet that if I tried I could get it to spit out the Black Knight.  Since you are willing to take a chance on this thing, and this location is the center of your power, I think that this is going to be the best place to fight it, but I'd still like to make whatever preparations we can, both in terms of defensive spells or prayers on our selves as well as tactical spells to make the area favorable to our cause."

At that point, Tom will begin prayers for an Armor spell similar to the ones he used before in the temple, taking an hour to do so.  He will then begin a prayer (with Oak if possible) to further consecrate the ground to the destruction of evil and the enhancement of good.  Something tells me that it might not take much encouragement here since she's good and a necromancer.

He will also initiate a prayer of generic blessing for their cause, and a curse against any evil that might enter the area.

He will also initiate a prayer to protect the three of them from hostile magic.  He will carefully examine his relationship with The Lord after each prayer to ensure that it has gone right and hasn't been intercepted by evil.

Once this is done and any preparations that Oak and the Lady can manage, he will use the device to either 1) Spit out the Knight or 2) Spit out the tapestry, but preferably the first.  If there is more than one knight, he will ask the device to spit them out one at a time as they are dealt with.

Once it appears he will use the Power Word Nuke Spirit spell on it.

I consider quietly, and nod.

"Lady Morrigan, can anything be done to turn some portion of the ground into a large, deep pit of mud, or something similar?  If we could eject the black knight out of the gem and into the midst of such a pit, it might hinder the black knight's movements while we attack it..."

I join in the prayers and preparations...

Day and Oak you share prayers, and this binds you closer as friends and you can feel the shielding presence of the Divine.  The Lady Morrigan participates in some of this, and then she creates a black pit full of sticky mud.

Day draws the black knight forth into the pit where it flounders, and then it...

Gets attacked by the Lady Morrigan who commands it in a stern voice to lay down its sword. It doesn't listen, and so its sword intercepts some of the Spirit Fire. It screams in raw agony, and then levitates from the pit, but the Morrigan's magic is not so easily foiled, and the mud clings to the creature, like rubber bands, striving to draw it back to the earth.

Oak lances out with a thought, and you see the full hideousness of the creature, but its shield pushes your attack aside.

It strikes, and one, then two of the mud strands evaporate. Soon it will be free.

Morrigan again commands it to lower its sword.

"I am the Queen of the Dead, now hear me, creature...."

Its sword lowers...

Day reaches for more fire, but he feels a gentle 'no', and Oak's 'mirror' shows the beast what it really is.  It disintegrates in the spot, and a vast tide of noxious air roars out from it, and knocks against the armor and other protections and then green bolts of lightning fall from the sky, and its gone.

PT
+@1 for Day's Willpower upon completing this part of the Quest.
+@1 Religion skill for the shared prayers.
+@1 for Oak's Telepathic 'Mirror' usage.

I bow my head to give thanks to the LORD for His deliverance, and then regard my companions.

"Thanks be to the LORD for His deliverance.  You fought valiantly, my friends."

I take a breath, letting the victory sink in.

"Have we succeeded then, friend Thomas?  What remains to be done to complete our quest?"

Tom also thanks the Lord for His help in this matter.

"Yes and no.  We have the City.  I know how to use it.  We will need to work with the Duke to train any who want to aid in this endeavor as a force that stands even a chance against the Caterpillar ants, and that mainly means about a month long effort to get them used to the idea of using technology and the like, so that once we go through, we can arm them with modern weapons and put them through boot camp immediately.

They are vitally important, not only for the numbers and boost in morale, but for the infusion of honor and values that the people from Earth of that world need to relearn.  They need to go back to their roots as it were.

It may also give the others a chance to catch up with us.  I can reward them much easier on the other side of the Door.  But first, I think we should spend another six days here resting.  We owe Lady Morrigan a great deal."

OOC: OK, I guess we insert this stuff here, right?  Any time for me to visit with some pixies?  :)

Tom does the following:

*Spend time with the Lady Morrigan, both relaxing and in a social situation.  He finds her company enjoyable.

*Teach Oak anything he's interested in, though Tom is most willing to show him the Armor Prayer and the Dispel Evil prayer.  It isn't that he's NOT willing to show Oak the Power Word Nuke Spirit prayer, and will calmly do so if asked, but recommends to Oak that he ask permission before doing so, since it was taught to him directly by the almighty.  He's a bit non plussed by the whole experience, since he could understand sharing a spell, but a prayer is a rather personal thing to him, but he has already resigned himself to expect the unexpected.

*He will VERY cautiously learn the mildest TK that he can, just to break the ice so he can practice it later on on his own.  He is avoiding hostile feedback loops.

*He compares the Alchemistry notes to the newly acquired Alchemy book.  At this point he's focusing on useful formulas, and converting them to Alchemistry.  He spends at least half his time working on theory in the hour a day he works on this.

*He makes sure he casts the sleep rejuvenation spell.

*He negotiates as previously mentioned to send the adventuring company to the temple to help the others.

If the Lady Morrigan can send skeletons great, though he makes sure they have a note, or better yet go with the adventuring party so they can provide explanation.  He also makes sure they won't use the skeletons badly, since they're probably the bones of elven heroes.

*He sends the message to the duke, informing him of what has happened, and that he will be arriving in around ten days time, leaving in seven, and requesting the gathering of troops, who will train for a month and then go through the door. Only those who are willing to risk never returning should be willing to volunteer since he doesn't know if the Door will work again.

You visit with pixies, brownies, and sylphs. Pixies are small, flying creatures with a tendency to offer gifts and receive gifts.  Brownies...well, you find your shoes one morning are more than perfectly repaired, and a cute fellow about the size of a basketball darts out from under your bed, and is out the door in a jif. Sylphs are creatures of wind and dust. Their darker half who chose to follow the evil gods with eagerness are the dust devils.

You learn that you're in a democratic overlordship with a council and a king with certain powers.  For races other than elves do not get a vote in how the Greenwood is ran.  The elves treat the other races as children who need guidance, and thats the overlordship.  The fact that elves get the franchise makes it democratic. The actual government is a High Council led by a King with certain enumerated powers.

One of those powers is to delegate the 'watch over' of certain persons of interest to other elves.  The 'watched' person often has considerably less privacy, and may have little rights in theory. In practise...

The Lady Morrigan, being a necromancer, is a person of interest, and the Archmage of the Elves is her watcher and occasional dictator. He drops in on her about four times a year.

You spend the six days with Morrigan, and receive on the third day a note back from the Duke.

"Sir,
This news is excellent indeed. I have made ample use of your printing press to put up posters, and to send messengers with them to nearby kingdoms.  Do you have any objections to non-human warriors as I have already had several requests, one from a hill giant?

We are laying out training fields as I write this, and the town is most excited at the prospect of this noble quest.

There is the City of Parasols on the Pirate Gulf, exiles from overseas, who follow the Code of the 'Samurai' and are noted warriors. I wonder if I should send messengers to them as well."

PT

Tom writes back to the Duke, "Excellent indeed.  You may certainly gather troops or make inquiries from any who you think will answer.  However, you should be sure to include the following caveats:

1) All candidates will be interviewed by myself and my Chaplain Marshal.  Skill is welcome but not a requirement.  Honor is welcome but not an overwhelming requirement.  Basic moral standards are an absolute must and any man who considers another man his plaything would be fair warned to find another outfit to join.

2) Non humans are not only welcome, they are encouraged.  The army marches not only to aid humans, but humans who have chosen to live in peace with creatures who are different than anything anyone in this world has heard or understood.  Thus, those who are prejudiced against Elves, Humans, Dwarves, Giants or the like should be forewarned that they are in for even greater shocks stepping through the doorway.

But the humans are also in need of lessons from those in times of high honor and courage such as these, so the bold and courageous are still encouraged to join.

3) Mages are welcome, indeed vitally needed, but be forewarned that magic both divine and arcane will be muted (but not entirely gone) on the other side.  Their effectiveness might be somewhat muted.

4) But for those still willing to make the journey, there are treasures in technology, power, potentially lands, and knowledge beyond your wildest imagination, for these humans shall, once their own quest is completed, be able to sail between the stars themselves!"

OOC: Anything from the above?  I'm interested in hearing the answers to those questions, when you have the time and strength, but it doesn't have to be today... :)

Since I know your time and energy are limited, my top updating priority for the day is my interactions with the pixies, brownies, and sylphs.  I'd love a chance to be able to play out getting to know them a bit (both with some individuals, and with the cultures as a whole).  But I know we only have a month in RL, so I'll take whatever I can get...  :D


I learn what Tom willingly teaches, and pray together with him regarding the Power Word Nuke Spirit.  If we both feel led by the LORD for him to share his knowledge about that, we proceed, otherwise we don't.  I also see if the sleep rejuvenation can be done as a prayer, and get patterns for his psi skills, including the shield.

I teach whatever Tom feels comfortable learning.  I well understand his caution with potential psi botches, so I let him decide how far to go, and start him on simple TK.


From Tom's memories, I recall that the language barrier was a challenge, at least with the pixie he conversed with.  I use my telepathy, along with tapping into their language centers, to converse as necessary.  And even for those without a language barrier, I use telepathy to ask :: 'Peace be unto you', friend.  Do you prefer to converse by thought, or by speech? ::, and use telepathy to hear their replies.  (That way, I get to experience, at least briefly, touching minds with these creatures. :)

Do I recognize any of the creatures from Tom's memories?  Do I meet with the pixie Tom met, who needed a particular gem to wed his dearest heart?  Do I meet Stefan, or any of the other brownies Tom met?  If so, I tell them I am a friend of his.  I don't recall Tom meeting any sylphs, so I get to know them from scratch.

Are there any in need of any type of aid or gift?

I gladly exchange songs and/or stories and/or speech and/or thoughts with any of goodwill who are interested, and would be most happy to make some new friends.

If there are items available for sale or barter (or as gifts :), I am particularly interested in:

(*) a water container that can supply its own water
(*) a food container that can supply its own food
(*) musical instruments (such as a celtic harp which always stays in tune, with strings that never break :)
(*) items that enable the user to shapeshift
(*) a container (backpack?) that has any/all of the following properties
(**) externally small, but large internal space/capacity
(**) externally light, even if full of heavy items
(**) able to stow or retrieve objects instantly by thought, somewhat like Tom's scabbard

And for all the different groups I meet, I share the tale of Tom's Quest, using the same parameters that I have understood from Tom regarding the need, the risks, the potential, and the requirements, and see if there are any who wish to join...
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:24, Thu 16 Apr 2009.

Once the seven days are up, Tom sets out, though he invites the Lady Morrigan to come with them.  He understands that she might not be able to do so because of her duties, but he would enjoy having her along.

He will inquire with the elves at the border crossing if there has been any unusual activity or anything to watch out for, and hire 10 body guards this time for the return trip if they are to be had.  He wants to take no chances.

Oak,

She's interested in trading stories, and she has a good deal of skill with a lap harp made of silver.

"I am merely beginning my study of alternate realities. Give me a century, and I may have something useful to tell you."

Day,

She comes, and you get the feeling she considers this a sort of consolation prize.  However, she does seem eager to see other worlds.

Your trip back is without serious incident with the ten guards, and the way others treat Morrigan in the inns with a great deal of polite fear probably has something to do with the lack of problems.

PT

OOC: What happened during my time with the pixies, brownies, and sylphs?

Did I meet anyone interesting?

Did anyone need aid or gifts?

Did I find anything interesting to buy/barter/receive?

Did any of them decide to go on Tom's Quest?

Oak,You may wish to check out your 'Digression' thread entitled 'Oak's Seven Days.'PT

OOC: Woo Hoo!  Many thanks!  :D

Tom is glad that she's along and that things went well upon returning.

Tom's agenda upon returning:

*Immediately begin interviewing the troops one on one.  He interviews them and then he has Oak interview them.  The interviews are kept to a minute.  Each time a prayer is said to determine if they are someone the Lord thinks is someone that should not be brought.

The questions are kept simple.  "What is your greatest weakness?" "What is your greatest strength?" "What do you think of other races?"

If the answer to the last is, "All but humans suck."  They're gonna be out unless Tom and Oak both get a positive ping on them.

He starts with the officers and works his way down.  For command structure, he starts with nobles who have demonstratable combat compotence, and then sets up officers beneath them with competence.

He spends more time determining the effectiveness of Non Coms and gives them great latitude to assemble their units from the motley band.  Purely noble companies such as knights will be given noble command structures, but any non nobles or nobles intelligent to accept a more radical command structure will be organized by Tom, with Oak and the Lady's help.

*He will make sure his financial affairs are in order and that those of the Company are also in order.  He leaves his shares to Rickard as well as his possessions in this world.

*He will spend 8 hours a day training; 2 hours on magic (he risks the passwall spell with Morrigan, a Cleric and Rolibard present) and continues practicing, 2 hours on Alchemy, 2 hours on Healing the sick and afflicted, and 2 hours practicing his sword play.

*He spends 8 hours a day organizing and training the men.  2 Weeks to assemble the companies in working order.  4 Weeks to train them.   1 Day explaining modern concepts then 1 day of combat drills on a mass scale with one against the other.  If there are wizards avail he has them use illusions to simulate what the troops can face.

*He spends 4 hours a day relaxing and 'fraternizing' with the officers to get to know them better.

*He spends at least 3 hours a day with the Lady Morrigan.

I use telepathy to monitor their thoughts and emotions for each interview, both when Tom is speaking and when I am.  I also independently pray each time, and compare my impressions with Tom's.

I also ask simple questions.  "Why do you seek to join this quest?"  "What are you happy to leave behind in this universe?"  "What are you sad to leave behind in this universe?"  "What is important to you?"

OOC: I'll give further details of my activities after more of the Digression thread is played out...  :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:14, Wed 22 Apr 2009.

PM

After the interviews, I examine those with knowledge of magic, attempting to assess whether or not they might have psionic potential.

I pray, and discuss with Tom.

If we feel led to proceed, then I brief those who seem like they might have potential, explaining the possibilities and the risks.  And for those willing to proceed, I attempt to teach some very low level psi skills.  If successful, I gradually proceed to higher skills.

For those strong in magic may be less so at our destination, and yet won't be physical warriors either.  But with intelligence, mental discipline, and training, perhaps they could make the beginnings of a force of psi warriors...

As Chaplain Marshal, I spend time getting to know our forces, as a group and as individuals, their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes and fears.  And I get to understand their beliefs, and to share mine with them.

I try my newly learned sleep prayer, to see if I am able to be refreshed with significantly less time spent sleeping, as Tom is.

OOC: And more details to come, after the Digression thread, when I know if any pixies, brownies, and/or sylphs have joined the quest...  :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:53, Wed 22 Apr 2009.

You both spend the month busy with interviews which raises both of your Intuition and Charisma by @1.

Day's learned a bit of Telekinetic Impulse. 1@1.  He's also advanced in his study of Alchemist arts.

There are no 'non-coms' quite in this area. Its nobles, knights, and men-at-arms, and captains...which don't fit together all that well.

You've gotten about ten percent non-human. This includes eight elves with two Captains of Fifty Bodyguards.  The elves demonstrate their bow skills which are up to the task of splitting an arrow in a bullseye at a hundred yards, or hitting a target twenty times in less than a minute at the same distance, or hitting a target at five hundred yards.

They only want 1)Their chief reports directly to you or Oak. 2)Right to colonize in the new world. 3)Keep Morrigan away from them.

There are twenty samurai (five samurai, and fifteen ronin.) from the City of Parasols.

Three hill giants. One a married young couple looking for 'new caves so they can have younglings' and the other an old bull looking for 'some peace and quiet and who do I have to kill to get it?'  They seem to be very territorial.

Somewhere around two hundred sand lizardmen. Its impossible to get them to stand still long enough to be counted.  They also have a positive gift for hiding which they use when 1)Nervous. 2)Avoiding hard labor. 3)Sneaking up on someone to cut his throat which they think is tremendously funny.

There is a company of Dwarf Axemen from UnderSeaUnderStone, twenty total. Heavily armored. Highly disciplined.

There is a Grey Elven Researcher Scribe In Training. "My master wishes a full account of the doings of the primitive races. I am prepared to offer my considerable magic skills, or a substantial sum of money to be allowed to observe fully."  At one time the Grey Elven Empire ruled this section of the world. They tolerated the Elves like Morrigan and the Archmage as backwood hicks. Humans were ranked with Orcs and considered 'cockroaches'. Regardless of their arrogance, you can feel the sheer brilliance and precise perception in the Scribe's gaze. You're quite sure that he could describe in detail every one of teh five hundred people standing around him and their various tasks at your army camp.

There are nine adventuring companies including one, the Company of the Rusted Axes which is all orc.

There are three hundred knights with matched squires from the various Human Kingdoms.  These knights are plate armor or half plate, normally charge with lance, and then lay on with heavy sword and shield.  A typical knight is considered the easy equal of twenty farmers.  This is skill plus weapons plus horse plus being in excellent condition plus aggressive tactics.  They do tend to be high-strung, and to not respond well to 'insults to honor'. Squires generally do little fighting.

There are five hundred men-at-arms.

There are fifteen hundred 'solid militia' and five hundred 'skirmish militia' and five hundred 'oddments'.  Solid militia have sword or spear and they have a shield and must practise weekly.  Skirmish must have a bow or spear and demonstrate their hunting skills. Oddments frequently have a club.

There are fifty magicians, and nearly two hundred priests.

The Duke is also willing to supply a Prisoner's Battallion of up to five hundred convicted for various crimes from all over the Kingdoms. Some are murderers, others are thieves.  Each man has an individual sentence with thieves having to work for three days, and murderers for two weeks before being exiled with death if they return.

*First order of business.  Chain of Command.

The Company of the Door

Rank 1: *Tom, Lord Marshal (why not add another title.  It sounds spiffy)

Rank 2:

Oak (Chaplain Marshal)
Lady Morrigan (Chief Adviser)
Head Samurai (Head of Elite Forces)
Head Dwarf (Head of Engineering and Reconciliations)
Grey Elf Snob (Head Scholar)
Most Competent Adventurer (Head of Irregular and Unorthydox Tactics)
Head Knight (Head of Calvary)
Head Logistics Guy (Chief of Logistics)
(if they show up)
Krillis, Hadrian and Lucas.  Their official title will be "Senior Advisor" and they will be in tangental command under me alone.  Officers of Rank 4 or above are given descriptions so they know to tell them to report to me.  They are not to be commanded but are outside of the chain of command (ie they don't just show up and start commanding people.)

Rank 3:

Under Oak
The Elven Archer Snobs.
Volunteer Priests
Any other Fae volunteers we get.
The human militia members (regular, skirmisher and Oddments)

Under Morrigan
All Mages.  If they throw a hissy fit, they can go under Oak.

Under Head Samurai
Themselves.  If the Samurai have issues working with one another via a ronin/non ronin thing, I'll swear the Ronin to me via Fealty.  If a commander is not obvious, I will quiz them on Samurai tactics and lore to find the one I feel is the most competent commander.  If I can't tell that, I'll have them tourney via matrix with each leading a squad, and just the competency of that squad based on their own actions.

Grey Elf Snob
Nobody.  He's valuable to have a long but I'm not putting anyone under the command of someone who thinks that humans are cockroaches.

Head Dwarf
If they've selected their own, use that.  Otherwise, by my judgment.  I'm looking for solid moral character and an understanding of engineering doesn't hurt.  An open mind is necessary because when we get through, they're going to be my primary facet taking advanced tech and upgrading our forces with that tech.
Themselves + (See special point below)

Adventuring Company - I find the guy who knows his stuff.  And by that I mean a guy I'd respect as both competent, tolerant of non humans, and able to adjust to alien view points.   But I also want an out of the box thinker.  If the company I trained is going (one of the 9) then I appoint them special liasons for training.  (See below).

I also appoint the Sand Lizards to a company via command and the Giants to a company to command, whichever seems to be the best fit.

Each company must have a leader.  The leaders will be on a council which consists of myself and the 'senior' company head who enacts my commands when I'm not present.  It is far looser than the other organizations.

Head Knight
Tom handles these guys with two councils, the war council and the noble's council.  The war council is made up of the people who are actually most competent and not jerks.  He'll build that by asking around and finding out who knows what they're doing.  The noble council will be a political animal consisting of a hodge podge of who he needs to assemble in the fashion least likely to cause friction.

The noble council is largely responsible for all matters involving honor, pageantry, disputes etc.  They are to come up with the rules that apply to the knights, subject to Tom's approval (primarily to veto absolute stupidity that threatens the mission)

The war council will follow the closest to a conventional calvary/military formation that I can manage and still think that they'll obey orders.  When we actually go into battle, it is the war council that will have the final say in terms of who does what, when and how it is done...among the knights.

*The prisoner's battalion is a special case, because after the traitorous humans in the last world, Tom is very reluctant to trust people who have shady pasts again.  He's almost going to say no, when he feels a heavenly tap on his shoulder and instead approaches the Head Dwarf saying

"My God feels that there are some humans in the prisoner's battalion being offered by the Duke who deserve a second chance even though I initially wasn't going to give me one.  He said that I should approach you and give you a free hand as to who is accepted and who isn't, as well as command of the battalion.  Are you interested?"

If they take him up on the offer, great.  If they don't he picks five people at random as inspired and sends the rest back.  He'll let Oak take them if he wants after that, but that's the order he felt inspired to make the selection in.  Oak has his plate full after all.

*There will be at least four weeks of solid training once the force is assembled.  Tom is in a hurry but not suicidal.  He gives a detailed account of his adventures to date, and encounters with the catipillar Ants to the Grey Snob, and has the mages via illusion create weapons used by the Ants (using his knowledge of chemistry and alchemistry to simulate stuff they might think up) and has war games every other day.

He uses the RPG technique with the adventurers.  They're going to have to adapt to the new tech and tactics most quickly.

He suggests to Oak that the human militia be put through human style boot camp in preparations of hopefully getting manufactured rifles on the other side.  Otherwise, he has them simply train as a modern military force.  Tom will teach them Legion tactics if it seems feasible.

Tom ensures that the mages teach each other the following spells that he wants all of them to know

*Light
*Sleep (an offensive spell most likely to work on the other side)
*Shield
*Communications/Message
*Fireball (in case it works)

To the head logistics guy, he makes sure the company brings enough food and has enough gear to feed an army of this side for at least three months entirely on its own.  He makes sure they use accounting to keep a close eye on all supplies, and makes sure that there is a proper inspection to ensure that all of this goes as it should.  He has Gray Elf Snob look over the books for anomolies.  On this side of the portal, he also ensures that Rickard looks all of this over (If Rickard wants to come, he won't forbid it, but he'd also like at least one positive thing to be left in this world after he's gone.)

*He creates a legal document outlining the Protectorate of Tomistan, fully a legal realm within the Conjunction of Tomistan, to which anyone wanting to stay on the other side will belong.  They will be a full voting and functional entity under him.  As citizens, he lists the rights that they will have and the basic structures of governance that will be set up after the battle is over.  It is, essentially, a small mirror of the Conjunction document.

It does mention that of course there are lands beyond the Conjunction where there might be room for them, this merely applies to those living within the Conjunction.  There are also other 'areas' within the Conjunction they can join (theoretically) but admission or citizenship will be entirely up to the individual member states as to their policy towards admission from this side of the Door.

Since some of the knights and nobles will potentially want to be citizens, he includes a clause in there allowing for Feudal dominions to be given under him, with the clause that others can join these lands as feudal citizens, swearing to a particular lord, but that any children born to their lands are free, though they may swear fealty upon reaching their majority.  He has this document printed and distributed to those in the company who can read.  He also has copies of a military field guide with the basics of what the world is like on the other side, complete with things NOT to do (ie, the Threet might seem harmless but they are not to be trifled with, disrespect them at your peril; The Rejj are honorable and honest folk.  They do not handle abstract concepts well.  Lie to them at your peril.  The Walrus Folk insult as a matter of common courtesy.  Do not take it personally even though it will seem personal.  The Blikten are to be heeded as wise and powerful.  Ignore them at your peril. etc etc.)  He will also organize the basic military rules and techniques from his Legion training and incorporate that into the Field Manual which is printed, which also includes basic first aid, sanitary conditions etc.

*When all is done and ready....he has everyone enter the Gem save himself, Oak, Morrigan and contacts Warreth.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:48, Thu 23 Apr 2009.

I confer with the Lord Marshal, and request a briefing on his plans.

When discussing the prisoners, I request that we interview them according to the previously established brief interview protocols, including telepathic monitoring and independent prayers, and accept or decline their individual services as the LORD leads us.

OOC: PT, does the list of forces you gave us take into account our interview protocols, and only include those the LORD has confirmed to both of us?  If not, which were confirmed, and which were not?  I recommend to the Lord Marshal that we reject those the LORD did not confirm.

I request that the Lord Marshal specify that the Chaplain Marshal have the explicitly granted privilege of telepathically monitoring the Scholar as part of our agreement with him, so that I can record his observations of our forces and his insights, and benefit thereby.  What other abilities does the Scholar have, since he offered his services in exchange?

I consult with the Lord Marshal concerning mage preparation, and query whether or not the mages should also prepare some type of Stinking Cloud (since the ants may be chemically sensitive), and/or Air Purification capabilities.

I also query whether or not Teleportation should be prepared, including Teleport Other.  It would be convenient if we could gain possession of their Queen, and negotiate and/or battle from a position of strength.  I already have possible plans in mind about locating and controlling her via psi, but it might be good to have the option of taking physical possession of her.

Healing, Create Food, and Create Water may also be handy.  Do mages or priests have any particular advantage when attempting these manifestations of power?

I am not a soldier, nor a trainer of soldiers.  I recommend to the Lord Marshal that such training be conducted by an expert, and that I monitor and supervise as needed.

I consult with the Lord Marshal as to whether he prefers I join the Protectorate, or create my own entity as an ally within the Conjunction.  Since he has established the precedent of a Verser being a Nation of One, I could conceivably join the Conjunction as an independent entity, and get an extra vote for us.

I continue making the rounds to get to know and understand our forces, their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes and fears, their cultures and worldviews, both individually and as groups.

I heal their sick and wounded as I encounter them.  I share their songs and stories around the campfires at night.  And I also share the Gospel with them through story and song.

Ayup. :)



"I don't understand why I'm supposed to do it this way but I'm not questioning why.  But I have no problem with you doing the telepathic monitoring or independent prayers as the Dwarves handle it." IF the Dwarves handle it, otherwise it falls to Oak.



OOC: I worked under the assumption that they all already passed the muster except the prisoners....if they don't, they don't come.  I'm willing to accept less than sterling people, but if I get a negative ping and Oak gets a negative ping, they don't come.



"That sets a dangerous precedent Oak.  There is no greater sanctuary than a Man's mind.  Remember that I am acting in the capacity as head of state.  Do you really want to set the pattern of a state where it is acceptable for the State to randomly telepathically monitor people?"



Agreed.  And a good idea.



"If you mean Psi, I think you should select a cadre of those you feel are the most trainable, but no more than 10-20.  But I think it is a good idea.  If you mean magic, I don't think the local laws will work, but I'm game to try."



"That's part of delegation.  I trust you to find someone competent to do this, but if you want help, I am more than willing to do so."



"The choice is entirely your own.  I would welcome either eventuality.  I would prefer you to do what you want, rather than make the choice for political reasons."

OOC: I'm not sure I understand -- are you saying the LORD directed you to choose prisoners via either Dwarves or randomly?

I thought we were choosing everyone via the interview/prayer protocols, without exception?...  :o




"This Scribe desires to negotiate for the privilege of fully observing us.  Therefore, I propose that telepathic access to his observations and findings be made a part of the terms.  This means that he would be explicitly giving his permission for me to telepathically access him for that information, and so would be neither involuntary nor random."

"With that in mind, what are your thoughts, Tom?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:53, Fri 24 Apr 2009.

OOC: I understand the confusion.  I shall be specific.  My initial thoughts and feelings did not include the potential for prisoner soldiers.  My initial impression was to prevent them from going, but the balance in this case is important, which means giving them a chance.  I knew it involves the Dwarves, and I know that I shouldn't be involved with selecting any of them unless a last resort.  Tom has had to do enough judging lately, and enough is enough.  He'll have to do more later.  There is nothing that stops Oak from being involved in this, but since Tom and Oak are the only two priests of The Lord in this situation, using other means seems...not as efficient as the main interview method.  So I'm inclined to use Oak and the Dwarves or just the Dwarves and then Oak, but Tom should not be the one to make this call or decision on his own.  Or even be involved in it.  The dwarves themselves must pass the interview just like anyone else.  I'm just assuming that PT only posted the ones that passed the muster in the first place, since he did said before that that we'd interviewed them.

Re: GES.

"Hmm...good point.  In that vein, it is a perfectly reasonable request.  I think your way of phrasing it is a good one."

You've turned aside seven hundred people for various reasons. Some were bloodthirsty Elf haters, and others were all around misanthrops. Some few looked just fine but you got a definite and very loud 'bzzzz' when you prayed over them along with a suggestion that you leave their presence immediately.  A few looked to be interested in adventure but frankly just not up to the job.  That hurt having to tell the obvious klutz that he can't be a hero because you're afraid he's going to cut off his own feet.

The priests have the edge on all three areas of food, water...

Rickard is planning on staying here as he has plans for a commercial empire, to make his mark in this world.

The knights accept the two councils.

The dwarves don't want anything to do with the Prisoner's Battallion.
"The only dwarf that fights in the Outside Companies like ours is the one that begs to fight, that dreams of fighting.  We trust each other with our lives. Toss in a bunch of, I hate to say it, but human scum, and you break that bond. We gotta start doublechecking everything we do."  This is the Dwarf Captain who you've accepted as their leader. He turns to his men, and shouts something in Dwarfish, and then another command.

All the dwarves form up in a box, and then close their eyes. He puts them through a few simple moves with their eyes closed. No one does more than slightly bump the next guy in the rapid fire movements. Its like watching a world class high school band.

Oak,
The GES is appalled at the suggestion, but after fussing and fuming (and casually and not so casually insulting you in about a half-dozen different ways in less than a minute) he agrees.

You slip into his mind.

Its powerful, well-organized, very perceptive, terrifically ambitious, ethically limited in the extreme, totally racist, and filled to the brim with libraries full of data.

Tom is pleased that Rickard is staying, but tells him stories of the Robber Barons of his own homeworld. "In the end, they achieved all they set out to do, only to realize that they could not cheat death.  Now, in this world, there are magical means to extend one's life, but they too will fail in the end.  So guilty at the end of all things, they spent their money on great public works so that their names would be remembered not for villainy but for philanthropy.  How much better though, would it have been, to instead donate anonymously and to build their fortune honorably."   He shrugs and smiles, "I am sure you will do fine.  You've been an excellent apprentice."

Regarding the Dwarves, Tom says, "I am impressed by your martial skill.  I accept and understand your answer."

He comes to Oak afterwards and says, "I do not feel I can act in judgment of these prisoners.  The blood in the coming war reigns to heavily on me already.  I strongly feel the Lord wanted someone else to handle this, so I leave it to you to find a second witness.  Indeed, now that I think about might, might I recommend the lady Morrigan?"

(Assuming Oak tells Tom about what's inside GES's mind) "Right.  That's more or less what I expected.  This is one of those scenarios where you can use someone using you and maybe get something useful out of it, and potentially regret it later, or just never deal with the problem in the first place.  I'm kind of inclined towards the former, but what do you think?"

OOC: I was assuming that either of us (rather than both) getting a negative ping would be sufficient to reject an applicant.  What are your thoughts?


I nod.

"Good suggestion."

If she is willing, I proceed to interview them, with telepathic monitoring, and prayer, and consult her for her impressions as well.  If not, I interview them by myself.

BTW, I'm also using my Sight for all the interviews, including the prisoners, and as I move about the camps supervising, interacting, and mingling.  Do I see anything of interest?


"Great minds think alike..."


I avoid the Scribe's own personal thoughts, but download and examine the libraries full of data, in order for me to be able to properly contextualize and make sense of his observations of us.


I ask them to create supplies to bring with us, since we are many, and food and water may be scarce, and we do not know how much more difficult it may be to create it there.  I also ask what other capabilities they have that could be useful in the coming battle.

I ask the mages as well regarding what other capabilities they have that could be useful in the coming battle, since they know their own powers better than we, and may have some ideas we haven't yet thought of.

I also visit with the various companies, seeking their advise on our current preparations, and for the coming battle.

I protect time for daily prayer, and pray for wisdom and insight for our preparations, and our coming battle.  And I petition the LORD for guidance as to what else we should be doing or thinking of, or what things we should be doing differently.

And before sleeping one night, I pray, for my telepathic interactions with the Scholar remind me faintly of the superintelligence I once was.  And I open my mind, and focus intently, seeking once again to invoke what little is left of those dormant superintelligent powers, to gain insight into what else should be done in our preparations, and what strategies we should employ when we arrive there for battle, and even beyond the battle to what courses of action we should take if and when we are victorious...

Oak,
You see a spell along with many others in the Grey Elven Scribe's mind. He has whole catalogues of spells, all neatly arranged, and cross-indexed.

It does remind you of being a super-intelligence. No, it reminds you of what a super-intelligence should be like. Under the influence of that power, you were terrifically bright, but there had been an overwhelming amount of illogic and error in your thoughts at the same time.

Still, he's not as smart as you were. Unfortunatly, the flicker of insight does not surface now.

Instead you read the name of the spell he's seeming to show you.

"Soul Thief."

And you hear mocking laughter in your mind as you feel your body and soul start to rip apart.

"Human, I'm going to be an immortal verser." He whispers in your ear. "Much better than being a clerk for the next two centuries. I will stride over worlds, and make the silly peasants worship me like a god."

You see his plans in your head. He intends to be a new Sauron, and use his considerable magic, and your psionic powers to wreak havoc across the Multiverse.

Day,
You're in council with several knights and the samurai leader. And then an urbane and utterly chilling voice sounds from the door of the tent and floats across the map table to you.

"Did someone summon the undead?"  A man with a pale face smiles at you. "Ancient treaties between the City of the Dead and the Grey Elven Empire have been invoked. I come as called. Which one of you is Tom Day."

"I am." Says the knight to your right.

A flicker, and the vampire's rapier is in his heart.  The vampire is incredibly fast.

"Lying is a sin." He laughs lightly. "But I forgive you."

I meant to read data rather than spells, since the latter aren't of interest to me.  But I realize with a shock that I was lured into a trap with the promise of data relevant to the advertised observations.  And I also realize with a shock that though we prayed over all those aspiring to join us, we didn't pray over this observer.

I fervently pray now...

:: Dearest LORD, please protect me from this attack and attacker, and guard my body and soul in this time of trial, and cast this evildoer out, and break his power, and show him Your Power.  I pray in the Name and Power of Jesus Christ... Amen. ::
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:04, Tue 28 Apr 2009.

This being has initiated combat in the middle of his tent.  Under normal circumstances he would have stood and identified himself, but it seemed their Gray elven friend has betrayed them.

At this point, his only hope is to invoke the Prayers that have protected him so well in the past.  He stands and presents his holy symbol, pouring forth the Power of God and turning this creature before him.

"I am."

Oak,==You are of a young Kind, and an infant nation, and you yourself are but new found to great powers. To call you inexperienced and naive is to flatter you. I am the childe of the ancient Grey Elves, and their Empire, and I have seen five hundred winters.==

His points are well made. You are Human. He is Elf. America is barely two hundred  years old, and his land is thousands of years old. He's got dozens of spells all lined up, neatly categorized and professionally arranged. Obviously, he's the trained result of skilled teachers in the Arts Magical. And you feel doubt that you could stand against such a one, but then you pray and the words come to you that tell how God has set the weak to confound the mighty, and fear passes.

==You thought to find me with a simple request. But I have plugged your ears to your God.== He holds up an amulet, and it shines, and suddenly you feel alone. ==He was shouting at you to be wary of me, but your ears were full of wax.==

Still you pray for protection from his soul-ripping spell, and perhaps it comes.

You ask for him to be cast out, and he grits his teeth in defiance.

Black claws, gangrenous, glowing, ghastly, and grim sprout from his fingers, and rip into you. You are like John, not sure if  you're in your body or out of it. The fact that  you're still standing after he ripped you suggests vision.

You ask for his spell to be broken, and for a second your mind convulses and you see clearly.  His spell is a monstrous cruel thing, gouging, tearing, mangling.  Lightning and waves of force flow through your mind, trying to repel it, but your body is not accustomed to such power, and for a second your soul and body disconnect in the strain of the flashing powers. You were very nearly broken. It did nothing to his spell.

He staggers back.

==Well, I am aware of your God's might, but I do not face your God directly. I stand in front of you.==

He bends his wrists toward you, and you feel a tearing through every part of your body.

==Just a little more, and we'll have you evicted.==

==================

Day,

You pull out the holy symbol even as the samurai quick draws his katana. Whether he cuts off the vampire's head or not, you cannot see for Light surrounds you.

The Power you call is God's attention to the unclean and to His eye there is little difference between you and an undead. You find yourself surrounded by the Glory that Moses saw. The Glory that a man may not see and live. Feeling your body fray under the strain of Infinity, you understand far more intimately than you had Isaiah's lament that he was a man of unclean lips. From the perspective of Absolute Right, there really is little difference between you and a Prince of the Vampires.

OOC: Yes, thats a botch.

As my soul and body threaten to disconnect, a part of me wonders if it would not be a mercy.  'To live is Christ, and to die is gain.'  To leave this Multiverse, and be with the LORD.  And to eventually be with my family again, once the LORD calls them home... for I've been recently shown the utter improbability of my finding my way back to them, at least in this Multiverse.

But does not the LORD still have work for me here?  Such as the billions that the Quest seeks to save?

'To live is Christ'.  He is still with me, despite the illusions and visions and torments of my attacker.  'If God be for us, who can be against us?'

I pray again, with renewed vigor and fervency, and then address my attacker.

:: I am weak... but He is strong, stronger than you, wiser than you, older than you, and He is everywhere.  You stand before Him, now and always, though you seek to flee to darkness, or the uttermost parts of the sea. ::

And as I feel the next wave of agony, I channel it into fervent prayer... and into a powerful, high-velocity telekinetic thrust into his body.

Perhaps the LORD wishes me to live... or perhaps He wishes to call me home now at last.  But if I go, before I go... this evil being must be removed from existence.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:30, Tue 28 Apr 2009.

Tom *

*Immediately offers Demonslayer to the Lord as a Sacrifice for the Prayer he is about to ask.

*Promises to maintain a vow of silence for a week thereafter.

*Recalls with great detail that which was taught him by the Lord in another instance of a Word of Power, and thus knows that such words exist and has had the Lord himself as a Teacher.

*Has complete faith that while he is an unworthy creature in all ways, also knows beyond doubt that he has been Redeemed as is any being that accepts that Redemption, so he could be and is the lowest worm in all creation, but so long as he accepts that Light, he is exalted above ALL things save the Lord himself, simply because of the Glory of the Sacrifice paid for him.  He himself is worth nothing, but the net sum of his worth is infinite.  There is no higher worth.  He does not take pride in this because he has no pride to maintain.  But he believes it utterly and does not doubt it, no matter what the circumstances may say, nor does he waiver.

*He nevertheless takes this as instruction as is all instruction from the divine, and lifts the Sword as part of the prayer and sacrifice, drawing ALL of the prayers he has previously invoked hithertonow to maintain a blessing of skill and tosses the Sword in the manner that the Black Knight tossed a sword when it slew him.

*At the same time, he says the Name of the Lord as Written but of unknown pronunciation such that the vowels are known only by spirit and the words hidden between the worlds.

*The final part of this prayer, is that if he is somehow mistaken and that the vampire is here for the right reasons or desired to be such by the Lord, that the sword will miss and have no effect, though the sacrifices will still apply.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:47, Wed 29 Apr 2009.

Oak,
Your rebuke catches him, and your prayer is heard, and the TK Impact slams into his left shoulder, and tosses him bodily through the wall of the tent to crash land fifty feet away.

You think you heard the sound of shattering bones.

He's half-covered in tent, and he makes a single gesture.

The remnants of your tent collapses on you, and burst into blue flames.

The army camp is stunned, but even now you can see an elflord reacting on the far side of the camp, reaching for a bow. A human knight forty feet beyond him dropping his block of cheese, and reaching for a sword....

Day,

*I will give Demonslayer to one I desire to have it. Uphold this your vow.*

The sword disappears from your hands, and the light vanishes. You see the sword appear in the vampire's heart.  He tries to block with his rapier, but the samurai fouls his blade for one critical quarter-second before a backhand claw rips out his throat.

The sword begins to glow brighter and brighter, and the vampire begins to scream. And then there is no noise.  The sword is gone. There are drifting ashes, and a rapier of dark metal with a melted hilt sits smoking on your map table.

OOC: Not sure what to call this miracle. 1@1 skill in it.

:: Thank you, dearest LORD. ::

As the tent collapses and bursts into flame, I attempt an immediate teleport to just outside the tent, perhaps ten feet away.

IF not successful, then I pray fervently once again...

:: Dearest LORD, please protect me from the flames, as you delivered Daniel's friends from the fiery furnace.  I pray in the Power and Name of Jesus Christ...  Amen. ::

Either way, I extract myself from the tent as quickly as possible, and then look to see what is happening with the evil Scholar...

Tom takes out a pad of paper and his pen from his pack and immediately writes, "Find and kill the Grey Elf at all costs.  Protect the Chaplain Marshal."

He chooses the most trust worthy knight he has and stops him, writing, "I have taken a vow of silence for a week to aid in my prayer to kill the Vampire.  You are to instruct any who ask and stay with me at all times for now to reduce any temptation to need to use my voice and to inform others of the situation as needed.  Come with me so we can find and kill the elf."

Tom then proceeds, pistol drawn, to try and find elf boy.

Oak,
You try to teleport, but nothing comes of it. The flame lands on you, and sears you before you half get your prayer out. You start again, and the pain ceases. Clothed in smoking rags, and trailing fire, you shred the tent and push your way out.

The fire on you still hurts, and you realize that you're being protected against flames of yellow intensity, but this is blue flames. The Scholar is really trying to kill you.

An arrow whipcracks across the compound, and a glimmering field springs into existence around the Grey Elf at the last moment possible to shield him.  Behind him, the Knight is shouting...

"For the Lord of Justice!" And a echo is heard in the ground as his charging footsteps bring him toward the Scholar who pays him no mind.  Another arrow flies.

The Scholar reaches a hand skyward, and the sky turns grey, and then green, and the air feels like soup.

Tom and Oak both feel the world go away for a second. Coming back, Day, you and the three knights with you see the Scholar outlined in a thousand shifting shadows, and he looks like glass you can see through.

Around him, dozens of skeletons are rising out of the ground to attack him. Arrows patter off his shield.

*He means Magewar. He will destroy the Human Kingdoms unless you kill him for he seeks to unbind the continental shelf from its moorings and let in the ocean.* Oak and Day both hear Morrigan's voice in their head. *I come quickly, but, if I must best him, the Questing Army will die in the unleashed forces.*

And you both suddenly realize why the Pirate Gulf is not a happy land of farmers.

For a brief moment, Tom is very weary, but he does not let that stop him.  He has come this far, he is not going to give up now.

The first thing he does is repeat something he has done at least three or four times in his life, which is pray that this was all a dream.  This is not as insane as it sounds because the first rule of reality is deal with reality as you perceive it unless there is compelling evidence otherwise and the second rule is that reality or time is not as coherent as people like to think it is.  Undoing reality in the form of a prophetic dream is far easier than reversing the actual course of time.  Of course, the price of such is that the original time is simply perceived as a realistic dream, but as a dream important details fade, but Tom has been able to change things about his future several times as a result.  Of course a cynic could dismiss them as mere dreams, but such is often the price of Miracles.  Tom, in his quick flash of prayer indicates that, so long as the Lord lets him remember it, Tom will retain his vow of Silence.

If the Lord rejects this prayer, Tom opens his mind to perception by Oak with the following plans

1) Oak telepathically sending all of the force toward Tom so that he could place them in the Gem save the mages who could

2) The mages form a circle around the elf attempting to initiate an anti magic shell which the grey elf has probably encountered before so

3) Tom pictures the one thing that the Elf, as intelligent as he is, might not know about, were advanced technological societies, so he pictures a concept that occurred in the Glen Cook book Wizard's bane in which Bacteria are raised from the dead and given a magical nature, told to duplicate and suck up magic.  They are given a life span of no more than a day, but within a local sphere, they simply exist and suck up the magic around them.

The elf probably has dealt with Anti Magic Sphere, he probably hasn't dealt with that.

4) Tom and Oak initiate a joint assault on the Elf with Oak telekinetically fracking him up (magic might not protect from Psi) and Tom moving in toward him as fast as he could with his knife, shooting his pistol the whole time.

After painfully emerging from the tent, I pray for healing, then watch as the sky turns color, and as Lady Morrigan contacts us.

:: Lady Morrigan.  How can he be killed?  What do you advise? ::

Then I reach out telepathically to Tom to appraise him of the situation if necessary, and to coordinate a response, quickly finding that he already has a keen awareness of the threat.

:: Forces of the Quest.  This is the Chaplain Marshal.  The Lord Marshal directs you to move toward him immediately.  Mages, please form a circle around the grey elf, and attempt to initiate an anti-magic shell.  The Lord Marshal shall direct the rest of you himself, though he cannot speak, having just undertaken a week's vow of silence after the LORD's gracious and merciful slaying of an attacking vampire. ::

And then I contact Tom once again.

:: Tom, you cannot assault this grey elf directly.  Billions depend upon your survival.  Even I don't dare a direct mental assault upon him, for it was only the LORD's intervention that protected me from his attempt to possess me.  I can try telekinetics, but don't attempt anything hand-to-hand.  If a physical assault is the solution, leave it to the skeletons, or my telekinesis, or the knights. ::

I then relate Lady Morrigan's suggested strategy on how to kill him...

:: Do you want me to suggest your anti-magic bacteria idea to Lady Morrigan, or go with her plan? ::

OOC: Whatever her suggested plan, if she has one, might be...  :o

Tom doesn't directly assault the Grey Elf yet, but he is hardly going to let the guy blow up the continent, and he knows time is of the essence.  Skeletons are not going to be enough to get the job done, and the greater powers probably cannot get here in time.  The ideas he has are a cavocade of longshots....

Even if he doesn't directly assault...wait...that's an insane plan....

But it can hold a city....

There is no way...

If the lord does not grant his first plan of a prophetic dream....

Then Tom points the City in a Gem at the Grey Elf....and commands it to start sucking in everything before it.

Hearing Tom's thoughts and seeing his action with the Gem, I watch to see if it is able to capture the grey elf.

If not, I attempt to TK the elf into the Tapestry...

Day,

You wake having had a prophetic dream. You look outside, and the man-at-arms who is the guard, and secretary gives you a list of notes you had received while you slept.

Sorting through it, you find about twenty decisions that should be made by the people asking you. Three decisions you need to hand off to the Duke, and two you need to give the Chaplain Marshall, and a dozen you need to deal with yourself. One involves a meeting with several of the leadership of the knights, and the samurai, and some questions they had.

You can see choosing this as your first problem to deal with. And you can rememember doing so in the dream.

And the vampire that interrupted that meeting.

Oak,
You're trying to track down the Grey Elven Scribe. He's somewhere around the camp. You want to do your peek inside his head thing.  He's probably avoiding you because he is not eager for the experience.

OOC: 1@1 Prophetic Dream for Day.  This is a 15@something ability possibly. Perhaps its less. That means for difficulty it ranks pretty close to Wish.

I visually scan the camp, including Sight, trying to locate the missing Scribe.

Instead, I see Day as he pokes his head out of his tent to look at the camp.

:: Good morning, Lord Marshal.  Our Scribe seems to prefer playing hide-and-seek this morning, rather than submitting to telepathic contact with me.  Have you seen him about? ::

Tom immediately notified Oak via telepathic transmission everything he saw and experienced in the dream including his vow.

He desires to remain low key, so Oak needs to seem 'lost' but immediately contact Morrigan to contact the greater Powers like Teracycul and others who can deal with the Gray Elf who may have sensed the prophetic dream somehow.  If he has not, he must not be alerted.

If he has, he must be stopped as quickly as possible.

:: Understood.  I realize now that though we prayed over all of those joining our forces, we never did pray over this observer.  Praise the LORD for his gracious warning.  I'll contact Lady Morrigan, and then get back to you.::

I contact Lady Morrigan telepathically, replaying Tom's transmission and instructions to me, and taking note of her responses, and of any instructions she has for me to relay back to Tom.

Then I contact Tom again, and relay the information I received from Lady Morrigan.

:: Tom, do you need me to relay any instructions to anyone, since you are currently unable to give verbal instructions? ::

Tom thinks that telepathy is a loop hole, and while the Lord might allow pragmatism if the Ox is in the mire, unless there is an immediate need, he'll write it down, the old fashioned way.

The goal here is to keep low key, so the less people act weird or different, the better.  Unless the Grey elf becomes wise to the situation, in which case the same previous instructions apply.

But once the elf is taken care of, we immediately depart.  We have been given a second chance...it shall not be wasted.

Oak,

You can't See the Scribe.

Panic seizes up Lady Morrigan's thoughts for several seconds, but she masters herself.

*Oak, pray to your God for all of us. But make no show of it. We all stand in the most dire danger. I will contact the Overlady.*

Day,
Terracuyl appears in front of you silently. She looks at you, and you feel your brain turned inside out as she absorbs every bit of information you had about the situation including information you didn't realize you had.

Her head snaps around, and fire blooms from her mouth.

Oak,
Fire lances past, races twenty feet over your head the length of the camp, setting fire to tents underneath it, blinding you with its refulgent fury, crackling like a wildfire, singeing your hair. A point of blackness you see with your mind at the edge of the camp stands against it for a second, and then vanishes with a shriek.

*LET ME BE CLEAR TO ALL MY SUBJECTS, I DISAPROVE OF MAGEWAR. COURT MY DISPLEASURE AT YOUR PERIL.*

The words echo in your mind, and Day's and your're soon aware in the minds of everyone in the camp, and in the whole of the Dragonhunt.

Rain begins to pour from the clouds.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:17, Wed 06 May 2009.

I indeed pray silently and subtly, yet fervently, to the LORD for aid and protection against the Scribe as Lady Morrigan calls for help, and as the dragon appears to absorb the facts from Tom.

Then I throw myself to the ground as the flames roar overhead.

:: Dearest LORD, please protect us from the flames, as you protected Daniel's friends from the sevenfold heated fiery furnace.  I pray in the Name and Power of Jesus Christ...  Amen. ::

And then the Scribe is slain, and the warning echos within my mind, and the cooling rain comes.

:: Thank you, dearest LORD... ::

I wearily approach Tom, and give a very respectful nod to his companion.

:: 'Peace be unto you', Queen Terracuyl.  I am John Oakmaster, verser kinsman to Thomas Day.  Thank you very much for your timely aid and deliverance. ::

:: I believe that you know of Tom's Quest, and that you are mighty not only in battle, but in knowledge.  Please, do you have any advice for us, as we prepare to depart this universe, and face the foes that await us? ::

Tom radiates polite, graceful and deferring gratitude toward the dragon for her actions.  She knows why he can't speak, so he bows instead.

Inwardly, he also gives thanks to his Lord for the prophetic dream that has saved them all, and is determined to do something of a proper magnitude of a ruler on the other side of the Door should the opportunity present itself.

Unless the advice from Teracule is such that it demands a radical change of action, Tom writes for Oak, "I will take no more chances.  Please ensure that we have the supplies we need, at least three months for all we take with us and then instruct those in the camp to be ready to march immediately.  I will not waste one second beyond that which is absolutely necessary."

He leaves the determination of the prisoner's brigade to Morrigan and Oak, which are decided last while he marshals the already chosen forces into the City within a Gem.

Nobody seems to be hurt by Terracuyl's lance of flame, well, no one that wasn't supposed to be reduced to subatomic particles that is.  A number of folk mention that they thought that tents had fallen on them, but somehow they weren't burned.

Terracuyl speaks to you Day.

"Keep a reserve hidden, either in the Gem, or invisible for you know not what tricks this enemy may possess. Make sure that when you attack, you launch all your forces at the same time. It seems trivial, but I have seen many armies that threw their men into battle piecemeal, and were thus swallowed bit by bit. If they are ants, they can walk on ceilings, and burrow in the ground. Thus think three-dimensionally. However, you should be able to fly, and thus command the high ground. Find their advantages, and neutralize them. Find their weaknesses that correspond to your strengths, and magnify them. Go with your God, Thomas Day, it has been a pleasure to meet you."

PT

And the forces are gathered in front of the gem, ready to leave with food and supplies. The Duke speaks to them, and blesses them, and ....

PT

Tom thanks the Dragon for her excellent advice and thanks the Duke as well.

When the time is right, he signals Warreth to summon the door.  He makes sure that the area around the Door is secure so that those leaving it cannot try to steal the key or harm Warreth.

Morrigan, Oak and himself are the only ones outside of the Gem when they move to meet the Archmage.

And then he goes to meet the Catipillar Ants.

Warreth comes, and the walls of reality peel back as the Key is drawn forth, and the Door is opened.  The Lady Morrigan turns to you Day, and speaks softly.

"I hope you are not mad, but I cannot go with you. There is no hope for me with you, so I have fashioned my own hope."

She turns and walks away, and about a hundred yards away in the direction she is going you see yourself. Oh, he's different. He's not been through the Ascension process, and he seems to be wearing cowboy chaps, and have a laser pistol hung on his waist. He's not a verser.

He looks at you with curiousity, and a small smile which broadens as Morrigan comes closer, and he turns to her to take her arm.

"You didn't dream, Master Oak. I sought and found in the wilderness." Oak hears this whisper in his ear. "For not betraying me, I grant you the grace of the raven, my chosen ones."

You step through the Door, and arrive in the School of a Dozen Doors.  There are many wounded, many more dazed and defeated, and a faint unpleasant reek of war gas is in the air.

PT

I set my jaw, quietly praying for strength as the Key is drawn forth.

: Could not this Key open the door back to my home, and my family? :

: But even if it could, I am needed elsewhere. :

:: Dearest LORD, please help me to trust you, and give me strength.  Please watch over my family, wherever they are, and please watch over our Quest, and grant us success.  I pray in the Power and Name of Jesus Christ...  Amen. ::

And as grief and peace mix together and subside in my heart, I watch Lady Morrigan bid her loved one farewell, and join with her new companion to find comfort with.  And when the whisper in my ear subsides, I gaze at her in understanding and in shared grief, and quietly nod.

And so I walk through the Door...

-=-

The scene before me is familiar from Tom's memories, but the reality hits me with jarring force.  The battlefield is no longer far away, in another universe.  The battlefield is here and now before me.

I glance grimly at Tom.

:: What now, Tom?  Would you have us open the Gem immediately, or should I do some clairvoyant and telepathic reconnaissance first?  Or should I tend the wounded first, without knowing what the enemy is up to? ::

:: Terracuyl did advise us to 'keep a reserve hidden', 'find their advantages', and 'find their weaknesses'.  But how long can they stay in the Gem safely? ::

:: Go ahead and think your responses, in case the enemy is able to overhear us... ::
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:27, Wed 13 May 2009.

The outer doors that lead to the battlefield are bubbling. And there is a continual sound like shih-shih that is quite loud, and comes from all along the front wall of the School.

"Who are you?" One of the students asks Oak.

PT

:: Dearest LORD, please guide and guard us now, I pray. ::

:: Ring, CU2, are you online?  Please acknowledge.  If so, begin monitoring and recording.  Summarize contents of any available transmissions. ::

My eyes move from the scene as a whole to the student that approaches and queries me.

"I am John Oakmaster, a friend of Tom Day.  'Peace be unto you.'"

"Tom has traveled far to seek aid for you all in this time of peril.  How much time has passed here since Tom departed, and what is the current situation, relative to when he departed?"

While listening to the responses, I experimentally stretch out my clairvoyant and telepathic senses outward in general, and then move them toward the front wall of the School...