PARTY VISIONS

From the 6/27/98 Session

ALIOU

Pole looks around in a bit of confusion before popping the unfortunate creature into his mouth. Bones splinter and pop as his face goes placid and his eyes seemingly turn inward.

Wretched table manners but what can you do. You sigh sadly at your companions table manners. Then with an amused shake of your head you lean back against the low earthmound and push the frog against your chest.

Initially the only sensation is one of disgust as the mucousy stuff spreads and fills in behind your clean scales. This stuff is going to take forever to get cleaned out. Great, your going to be smelling like frog goo for weeks....BATH!!!!!!!!!!!! IMMEDIATETLY!

Then you notice the odd tingling sensation which grows from a small spot of initial contact to a deep inner...filling...glow. The room seems to slowly pull away, disappearing moment by moment until it is but a pinpoint of light on some far off horizon.

And then there is nothing......but you and the darkness.

You stand around waiting for somehting to happen but anti-climactically nothing does.

You are sighing for about the tenth time when a surpisingly deep voice from just behind you says, "You carry your heart's desire like the glow of the sun." You see several ghostly figures standing before you. Some lean on staffs or spears, other carry bows. All are dressed in buskins and furs but each carries within his face a calm. And in each ones eyes there is a flicker of something more....something special....something different.

Then another voice adds, "Avarice and greed....these are not the way of the plains." A third voice adds, "But base human emotions none the less." The second replies, "I don't know...." The third voice replies again, "Still, he is not inherently evil, so....."

You clear your throat...."Uh excuse me, I'd love to stand here debating my relative merits as compared to the plains people but I've seem to have lost my earthly body and when I last saw it, it was marinating in frog goo. So could we move this along just a bit before someone decides to can me."

They fall silent and you regard each other. A moment passes and then another. Finally you break the silence.

Your mind fills with the dreadful network of horrors on this land. You wonder if that big hunk of orichalcum that served as a capstone for the Emperor's auditorium might also be a capstone for some kind of shield that keeps all of the horrors except for Verjigorm and his minions off this continent. What would happen if you stole it? For a terrible, insanely dangerous plan has taken shape inside your head...

The men stare at you for a moment an then stare at each other. "I knew it," says the third voice, "I knew it and look what the fool asks...." The second chuckles, "Avarice and greed indeed." The third thumps his staff against the darkness and the other two fall silent. Their faces grow calm and there appears to be a definite conversation going on that you are not privy to.

And then they are staring at you......and a voice rings from the group,

"Hear us lizard man.......the cap stone serves many purposes, none of which involve a shield. It is a beacon to horrors telling all who is in charge. It is a source of power to the empire and to the emperor specifically. Though he appears untrained to knowing eyes he is significantly more....how much more we cannot, dare not say. Reach for that stone at your own peril but if the yellow metal is what drives you then the true trove lies in other directions. Look you West to the worlds edge mountain. There you will find what you seek."

A second voice adds, "And death you will find without guidance. Only one has been beyond the worlds edge and only he knows truely what lies beyond, seek him if your quest be for the metal and beyond. Find him....at the flat top mountain."

The third voice returns for only a moment as they fade from view...."I still think we should have charged him something........"

You shrug and push the frog against your chest. Initially the only sensation is one of disgust as the mucous stuff spreads across your chest. But it is quickly replaced by a odd tingling sensation which grows from a small spot of initial contact to a deep inner...filling...glow. The room seems to slowly pull away, disappearing moment by moment until it is but a pinpoint of light on some for off horizon. And then there is nothing......but you and the darkness.

You look around and there continues to be nothing. You wish you had your axe about now or better yet something to do. Then you think you'd better start getting a really good question ready. You pause and consider, questions flitting in and out of your mind.

"What the hell are we doing here?

"Hey, are these guys are for real?

"Do they really mean that they can answer questions by rubbing frogs on their skin? Heh, yeah, it's gotta be the pipe. That smoking must be part of it too.

"Well, what if this is real magic? Each discipline channels the magic differently... is this just another way to channel the magic?

"Hmm... What question would I ask if this all were serious? How about... when the hell do we get to go home?

"No, even better... What else needs to be done before we go home?

"No, they'll just say find a ship. Heh. Hmm, what about...

"How can we defeat the horrors on this continent?

"That's a pretty good question. Of course it assumes that's what we really want to do, and that it's possible for us to defeat them. Bah, that sounds like a question Oxander or Aliou would ask. Well, maybe not Aliou, since the question's not convoluted enough.

"Heh. Maybe I should just let them ask all the 'saving the world' type questions and stick to something simple, basic and verifiable, like... Where will I find a good, strong, attractive, and passionate orc woman that I can settle down with?

"Heh, I like that. Wait, what if she's not that attractive?

"Bah, if she's an ork, passionate, strong, and likes me... that IS attractive. Heh. Especially if she has really big..."

From out of the void and voice says, "Enough all ready! What the hell is your problem? I can see you are not the brains of this outfit....oh well here we go.

"Only your group can know that. Yes and no, we are ghosts after all. Yes they do, it amuses us. Yes it's real and yes it's channeled. Only you can know that. When you find a way off this continent. Exactly what you desire. Ask Oxander. The pinnacle city. She will be.

"Now go away and shut the hell up."

With a sigh you pick up a frog and slowly begin to push it against your chest. Initially the only sensation is one of disgust as the mucous stuff spreads across your chest. But it is quickly replaced by an odd tingling sensation which grows from a small spot of initial contact to a deep inner...filling...glow. The room seems to slowly pull away, disappearing moment by moment until it is but a pinpoint of light on some far off horizon.

And then there is nothing......but you and the darkness.

You look around and whirl suddenly convinced you've heard something. Off in the distance you see a point of light that quickly grows. Ghostly figures are moving towards you. After a moment they stand before you. Some lean on staffs or spears other carry bows. All are dressed in buskins and furs but each carries within his face a calm. And in each ones eyes there is a flicker of something more....something special....something different.

You silently regard each other. A moment passes and then another. Finally you break the silence. "Will I get back to Barsaive alive and untainted from this damned continent?"

The men stare at you for a moment and then stare at each other. There is a definite conversation going on between them. But it seems it is one you are not privy to.

And then they are staring at you......and a voice rings from the group, "A question of the future he asks.....not of the present and not of the past. We spirits are ancestors of the people you now travel with. We know most of the past, and much of the present. The future is far from clear but time does move differently in the lands of the dead. We see glimpses and images, fragments of what may be, could be and will be. Forks in the road, and paths to take and not to take."

"We look at you and we see a man on a path....a path which will lead to blackness and despair. Hope is lost, friends taken, pain and injury....we believe you will be tainted at some point in the future before you can leave this land. But know this, taint like mud and despair can be washed away. The question is, always, when."

With an amused shake of your head you sit back against the low earth mound and exhale slowly, with control, willing your body to relax. It's not easy; the tension of these last few months has become and old friend and is reluctant to release its hold on you. But you know this meeting could be important, perhaps the most important thing the group has done so far. But first, it seems you must master the tension in your body to accept this gift. Time passes slowly but ultimately you come to terms with your tension and push it off into a temporary home.

Then and only then do you slowly begin to push the frog against your chest. Initially the only sensation is one of disgust as the mucousy stuff spreads across your chest. But that is quickly replaced by an odd tingling sensation which grows from the small spot of initial contact to a deep inner...filling...glow. The room seems to slowly pull away, disappearing moment by moment until it is but a pinpoint of light on some far off horizon.

And then there is nothing......but you and the darkness.

The tension in your mind hammers on the door, expecting trouble; you firmly push it back. Your mind drifts back over earlier thoughts. You hope the ancestors will know of the evil that infested this land, and more importantly that they would hate it, perhaps even more than you do yourself. Its possible that from their own astral existence that they could have a perspective to see your Enemies' weakness and the links of their strategy to hold their dominion over this land.

Suprisingly, though these are not your own people, you nevertheless share an affinity for them. They are a strong people, many of them noble and brave and good. Surely the spirits will provide the answer you desperately want. Surely they must see how helping you will ultimately help their children.

"And we do" comes a surpisingly deep voice from just in front of you. Distantly you feel your body lurch in surpise. Looking up you see several ghostly figures standing before you. Some lean on staffs or spears, other carry bows. All are dressed in buskins and furs, but each carries within his face a calm. An in each one's eyes there is a flicker of something more... something special... something different.

You silently regard each other. A moment passes, and then another. Finally you break the silence. "Tell me how," you say, "tell me where to apply my efforts to break the hold of Horrors over this land. Help me find and break the center of Their power, the means of Their control, and I will dedicate my life to that task!"

You stand, though you are vaguely aware that your body - wherever it is - has not. A spear is in your hands, though it wasn't a moment ago. Your callused fingers gently caress the filigree of your spear-haft, as you absent-mindedly toy with the wood and metal that will one day become your Master's Work. Interesting that even here you feel the pull to complete it, to create it.

"I know there are no simple answers, but by all the Passions, teach me the steps that mortals can take to defeat these Horrors, and I will gather the men, build the tools, hone my skills and dedicate my future to that one cause."

"Perhaps there is no simple action or plan that will effect my Enemy's defeat; no special ritual or conjuror's spell. Perhaps Their dominion is more like a suit of armor, with individual links supporting each other to make an inpregnable whole. Yet I know in every armor there are weak links that may be exploited, and when those links have failed the rest is also weakened. Yes, if there is no single key to the Horror's rule, knowing those weak links could still lead to their undoing..."

The men stare at you for a moment an then stare at each other. There is a definite conversation going on between them. But it seems it is one you are no privy too.

And then they are staring at you......and a voice rings from the group:

"Mortal, there is no way one man could rid this land of the blight that holds it." Your disappointment blossoms even as the voice continues, "But... one man in company with those he could trust might!" The ghostly figures move in around you. "Know this and remember it well -- you spoke of a weak link, a point by which you can drive home the attack. We give you two."

"The first is a warning. The terror around you which grips this land is a large hand indeed. Its breadth is the entire continent, but it does not cover the continent. Just as a man can hold sand in his hand he cannot prevent individual grains from slipping through his fingers. Become the rock and that hand will grab hold and never release you. Remain the sand and there will always be cracks to slip through.

And here, mortal, is second. There is a place which we cannot name for it will draw attention to us on the spirit plane. This place is the source...a spring by which this land now is flooded by. Go to that spring... and plug it; then and only then can this land be free. Though we cannot name this place and though we do not know were it is, we do know where to find out... Seek the mountain gold.

Heathens you think to yourself and you pop the unfortunate creature into your mouth. Bones splinter and pop and the mucous from the frog makes the thing hard to keep down. But a good couple of hard swallows and it's gone.

You lean back against a wall which creaks ominously with your weight. At first there is only a disturbing sensation in the pit of your stomach. A deep belch alleviates that problem.

But it is quickly replaced by an odd tingling sensation which grows from a small spot in your stomach to some kind of inner...filling...glow. The room seems to slowly pull away, disappearing moment by moment until it is but a pinpoint of light on some far off horizon.

And then there is nothing......but you and the darkness.

You stand there surrounded by darkness wondering what the hell is going to happen next. Then the bristles you call hair rise on the back of your neck and you spin quickly around. Distantly you here a snap of wood. You see several ghostly figures standing before you. Some lean on staffs or spears other carry bows. All are dressed in buskins and furs but each carries within his face a calm. And in each ones eyes there is a flicker of something more....something special....something different.

You silently regard each other. A moment passes and then another. Finally you break the silence.

"What is the fate of the Dragon Energiya?"

The men stare at you for a moment an then stare at each other. There is a definite conversation going on between them. But it seems it is one you are not privy to.

And then they are staring at you......and a voice rings from the group.

"What happened to the dragon? Why the same thing that a happens to all bullies in the end. It ran into something bigger than itself......twice. The life it knew as a servant of an evil empire was ended by the first and then ended permanently by the second. We do not know the how of it or the why of it, nor do we care. We only know that it is true and he is gone....and for that there is great celebration for the creature took much from us long ago, took our greatness and splintered us into many tribes. If you must know the answer, the specifics, then there are three places........The first is Drazah Mountain at the worlds edge, the second is the Armory of the Empire hidden within the capitol and the third is pinnacle city.

Then they are silent. Your initial thought is "THAT'S IT?" Probably should have had two frogs. The ghosts before you slowly begin to fade away but just before you are gone a voice quietly says, "The pieces of the dragon you seek can be had at the first two of the three places."