==========oOo========== NEVERWINTER NEWS Issue #72 Week Ending 2-25-95 ==========oOo========== *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* FRONT PAGE *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Congratulations to Starkadh for winning last week's News of the Realm contest. Starkadh has earned choice of 4 Pearls or 2 Free Hours of On-line time to be credited to their account. WTG! <><><><><> <><><><><> I'm pleased to announce that NW Arwen has been promoted to the position of Assistant Coordinator of AOL Games. Mary Ann has done a great job as Coordinator of Neverwinter Nights and I'm looking forward to working more closely with her. NW Snowie has been promoted to the position of Neverwinter Nights Coordinator. Wendy has been closely involved with every aspect of Neverwinter Nights and has been Mary Ann's assistant. NW Essex (Brian), will be taking over the Assistant Neverwinter Nights Coordinator position. Mike DeArruda AOL Games Coordinator <><><><><> <><><><><> Melee booth 22 Feb 95 at 9pm ET. Winners of 8 pearls each! ITB DIABLO. SOL BEAR EVILWARLOC BASHIRO LRD SHADES SASHATAN 2 Congrats all! NW Aerich <><><><><> <><><><><> Results from Poison Mini-Event: Winners of 2 pearls each! ------------------------------------------------------------- ITB DIABLO RALST1NAR FF DEFENDR ZANDRAKKAS XU X1ANG EVILWARLOC NWT Nasti <><><><><> <><><><><> Magic Missle Booth 2/24/ Winner with 71 points of damaage goes to ITB LASHER. He wins 4 pearls and 1 free hour! Congrats! NWA Edge <><><><><> <><><><><> On a cold February night I recieved an important message from Lord Nasher that he had gotten word of an evil magician operating out of Floodblest. He ordered me to assamble a party to search the mage out. Announcing my quest I was soon joined by many brave fighters in Neverwinter Square. Assembaled and armed we headed east. With Dracsbane, Chramon, Machiavell, Gemini 571, Jelek, Logan Tera we march through the Wharfs. Crossing into Floodblest the dreaded Punt Monster struck, devouring 4 of our party. But thanks to the gods all but Chramon returned. Resting at the inn we were joined by Red Falcon. Continuing east we discovered a dry well, thinking it might be a hiding place we ventured down. We soon discovered viscious beasts dwelled down here. A mighty Owl Bear devoured brave Dracsbane. but 2 other fighters joined us in our quest, Tiberius 77 and Earl Bruce. After fighting many monsters Tiberius left our party, it was roumored that he had found some great magic to he wanted to savor. After going through several magical portals a strange malady befell Logan Tera and during a fierce battle Logan walked into a poisonious gas cloud and died! This truely was an evil place. Bursting through a door we discovered the mage who cast a mighty magic at us for great damage. Poor Jelek did not survive and the mage ran away. We chased on and fought many more beasts but alas we could find no more trace of the evil mage. Even though we did not capture this mage we learned vauable information to give to Lord Nasher. NWA Edge <><><><><> <><><><><> Congrats to DARKSINGER, who found the mysterious place where .. "a mage in sparkling clothes speaks to the hobgobloins". He wins 4 pearls, and a free hour of online time. For those who dinna find the place... one further clue.. try south and east. NW Jester <><><><><> <><><><><> *** Saturday, February 25, 1995 *** The Rebels of the Skye, Tour de Llast, was a success! Jelek, Seeck, Thinkert, SturmBrBld, Jason 1100, Malor, and Hirluin all joined me in Neverwinter City Gardens for a tour to Port Llast. On the way we met Thyrien, Sir MDG, RobertF168, and ElricStorm. Elric joined our group in Llast and completed the tour with us :D Special honors to Jason who slept several enemies and finished an Earth Elemental... but fell to an Umber Hulk in an attempt to defend his party ;/ My thanks to everyone who participated ... I enjoyed your company and look forward to seeing you in the realms :D NWA Skye <><><><><> <><><><><> "Once again the call to find out where Willo went came to Neverwinter; I along with Jelek, Mubhcaeb, Renee14452, Tempest56, MasterMojo, Niro, and Chalithra went to find out what happened to him. Jelek was lost among the many trees that led to Vilnask, and his mysterious dissapearance left many of us wondering what this trip had in for us. The rest of us continued onward to investigate Vilnask. The searching found us in some secret passages of the city, that beckoned of Willo's presence. MubhCaeb, sensing strong vibrations of Jelek's whereabouts, went to look for him: the rest of us continued our search for Willo. MasterMojo eventually decided to join MubhCaeb and he too left us. Renee14452, Tempest56, Niro, and Chalithra all descended with me to find Willo. Along our paths we came across Adventurers who aided us in our cause (one even helped Tempest when he was eaten by the punt monster! thanks go out to that adventurer! :). Eventually we came to the door where Willo was held captive. Unfortunately, the Punt Monster would claim Tempest for good this time...that mysterious force putting us with an extra hop in our step. Soon an evil named Voldac challenged us to fight his minions and his slave Mage who had captured Willo...the Mage didnt stand a chance, and Willo was freed, in a furious battle of spells and clashing swords. Voldac who had watched our success from the sidelines muttered about revenge, but Renee14452, Niro, and Chalithra had saved Willo! :D Congrats to all! :) NWA Blade <><><><><> *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* NEVERWINTER CALENDAR *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Be on the look out for those Mini Booths that seem to pop up out of nowhere! Can you be at the right place at the right time when the NW calls for a location? Keep your eyes and ears open for these events! Watch for the banners! New Player Tour: February 28th Tuesday 7:30 PM ET - Join NWA Mystek for a tour of the Realm. Those interested should meet 2 steps east of NW Square. New Player Tour: March 1st, Wednesday 10:30 PM ET - Join NW Jareth for a tour of the Realm. Those interested should meet 2 steps east of NW Square. New Player Tour: March 4th, Saturday 12:00 PM ET - Join NW Kishpa for a tour of the Realm. Those interested should meet 2 steps east of NW Square <><><><><> <><><><><> ANUBISS Gorbon and Taarla were in Neverwinter Square ... When their worst fears came true. Anubiss returned and grabbed Taarla and disappeared as fast as he had appeared. But Gorbon was ready for him this time. Gorbon rushed to the home of the great sage who had been tracking Anubiss since the last time he captured Taarla. Gorbon ran into the sage's home to find a wall of mist and the image of Anubiss in the middle of it. The sage directed Gorbon to prepare himself to be teleported. Gorbon stood with his sword drawn back, prepared to wield a death dealing blow. The sage teleported Gorbon so that he materialized just to Anubiss's right. As soon as Gorbon materialized, he cried out and swung his sword. The disorientation from the teleportation caused his swing not to be as true as it normally would be. Instead of the death dealing blow he had wanted, Gorbon's sword struck Anubiss in the shoulder and knocked him to the floor. Gorbon's vision did not clear in time for him to see Anubiss untie a rope that lie next to him, but he could not miss the scream that came from his beloved Taarla. The rope that Anubiss had untied was racing across the floor, over a pulley and falling into a dark pit with Taarla tied to the other end. With no time to think, Gorbon dropped his sword and grabbed the rope before it plunged into the pit taking Taarla with it. Anubiss took a moment to cure his shoulder then stood up with a hideously evil grin on his face. His despicably clever plan had succeeded. "I was not certain how you would find her paladin, but I knew you would succeed some how. So I prepared this welcome for you." With great pride in his cunningly evil success, Anubiss described his plan to Gorbon. "You see Taarla is suspended over a pit. That pit has a bottom somewhere around 1700 feet down. I have never measured it myself." Anubiss said with an evil smile "but perhaps Taarla can measure it on her way down." Gorbon continued to hold fast to the rope as he found himself suspended opposite of Taarla. Anubiss walked around the suspended couple while he continued to delight in his trap. "You will also notice that Taarla's rope has a counter weight tied to it. Considering it is holding you two in perfect balance, I must say the I guessed your weight very well paladin." Anubiss chuckled then continued, "You now have two choices paladin. You can hang there until your strength finally gives out and watch your lady love fall to her death, or you can place yourself and your soul into my service." Gorbon, his grip on the rope slipping, desperately looked for a way out of the trap. "No deal Anubiss. Neither Taarla nor I fear death. We have an eternity to share our love on the other side." "Those are words easily spoken paladin. Lets see how you feel when you are the cause of her death." With that, Anubiss left the room. The muscles in Gorbon's arms were screaming in pain as he refused to let go of the rope. There had to be some way out Gorbon thought. Though he knew he would never serve Anubiss, he desperately did not want to watch his beloved Taarla fall to her death. As the rope continued to slide through his hands, tears came to Gorbon's eyes as he realized he was powerless to stop what was about to happen. He looked to Taarla knowing that they had only a few moments left in this life together. Taarla spoke softly to Gorbon, "I will always be you my beloved." As Taarla blew a kiss to Gorbon, the last of the rope slid through his fingers. Gorbon landed on the floor in a heap as Taarla fell into the darkness of the pit, completely out of sight. "TAARLA!" Gorbon cried out. His heart had never experienced a pain such as he now felt. He had rushed to rescue Taarla and now he had failed. Anubiss was right, the words were far more easily said then they would be to live with. Gorbon's heart sobbed in great anguish. By the time he noticed the gas that was filling the room, it was too late. Gorbon felt sleep overtake him and he slumped into unconsciousness. When Gorbon regained consciousness, he found himself shackled to a wall, with Anubiss close by. "It's about time you wokeup!" Anubiss laughed as he tormented Gorbon. "You have failed paladin. Asyou failed the first time I took her. But I will give you another chance." With that, Anubiss opened a door and four orcs carried Taarla into the roombound and gagged, but very much alive. "This has been too much fun. I couldn't let it end so quickly." Anubiss broke into a laugh that chilled Gorbon to his very soul. "You will give in to me paladin. Sooner or later, you will beg for me to take you into my service." "Never!" cried Gorbon, "I would die first!" "That may be true paladin, but I am here to teach you that it is far more difficult to live for what you believe than to die for it" Gorbon looked on in horror as Taarla was tied to a torture rack. With a wavefrom Anubiss's hand, the orcs tightened the rack 'till the ropes on Taarla'sarms and legs were tight. "From this point on paladin, every turn of thecrank causes her incredible pain and eventually the muscles in her legs andarms will be torn apart. You have the power to stop this. All you need todo is swear to serve me." Gorbon pulled on his shackles with all hisstrength but the chains held fast. Anubiss looked towards Taarla, "The same holds for you Taarla. Pledge yourservice to me and I will spare you the agony of the rack, and you will spareGorbon the pain of watching you be tortured to death." Taarla spat herdefiance at Anubiss, "You will pay for this one day Anubiss!" Furious,Anubiss ordered the orcs to turn the crank. Taarla tried not to cry out, butthe pain was too much. Gorbon pulled on the shackles 'till they cut throughto the bone in his arms, but still they held him tight. "This is absurd!" Anubiss yelled. Either one of you can stop this! Justtell me what I want to here! Anubiss ordered the crank turned again. "I love you my beloved" Taarla cried out. Suddenly a great crash of lightning shattered the ceiling, and the voice of Set called out. "Enough of this! Your feeble attempts to break these two are embarrassing me!" Anubiss dropped to his knees. "Mighty Set, I am just about to succeed. Give me just a few more minutes." Anubiss suddenly disappeared and Gorbon and Taarla found themselves standing in the middle of the lost hills. Set addressed the two of them, "I will not stand by and watch a servant of mine make such a fool out of himself. Your love for each other has proven too strong to be broken by such feeble attempts. Anubiss will not bother you again. Though some day I may send a far more crafty and subtle servant." Set's voice faded into an evil laugh. Gorbon and Taarla embraced, relieved that their ordeal was over. They were safe ..................... for now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We are like kin As we toast our gin Thinken I'd sin For your heart to win You are so fine Like smooth elven wine I wish you were mine All of the time Being as one We kiss under the sun Having such fun I hope we're never done The sky is so blue Your lips moist as dew For thee I'd be true It's you I want to woe Oh how I love thee As we embrace under a tree I get down on my knee I hope you'll marry me MadogMclur ;) <><><><><> Love for my Elven Blade Oh How I love thee... My fine elven blade Pulsating with magic Long ago made You slice through anything Easily with flesh Nothing holds you back Not even armor mesh I cannot believe How durable you are And how I cannot resist Your temptations thus far You call to me Night and day Pressuring me always To constantly slay Giving in I must Or insane shall I go How I fear thee One will never know But when you're readied My fears go away Having tempted me To fight another day And as I triumph Once again I can see There's always more out there To give unto thee Oh how I love thee My fine elven blade Pulsating with magic Long ago made -ElStinger the Elf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hellgate Keep - Chapter 2 The brothers of COR ... awaken late the next afternoon to Jakwar's voice. He stands by his cabin talking to a large brown bear. "Kallen, haven't you gone home yet? A little to much fun last night, eh."Before their eyes the bear stands upright. The fury coat receeds. "Man I must still be sleeping." Doekiller rubs his eyes. Looking again he focuses on Kallen conversing with Jakwar. JJ, Silvir, and Doe stumble into the cabin. There they find WJP sitting at the table behind a steaming bowl of stew. "There's more on the fire." notes WJP, "help yourselves." Jakwar steps into the cabin to find the four have finished the entire pot of stew. "Glad I ate before you woke up." He retrieves a wooden scroll tube from a nearby shelf. "Four days ago Kallen and I happened upon a party of clerics. We'd never seen their sect before, hesitation almost killed us both. When they attacked we figured it was safe to assume they were evil. This message was taken off the body of one of the slain clerics." ::Lord Gargauth, Your orders have been delivered to our allies. The good guilds of Neverwinter will pose no obstacle to your plans. They will be kept busy with their own problems. YOUR FAITHFUL SERVANT BAELER:: "Remember the ring we found in Westbridge, WJP. Each cleric wore an exact copy. I think the riddle has been solved for us. I didn't recognize the name Gargauth. Talther, the High Druid, knew it right away. A god of evil, so foul the others cast him out. He's now a quasi-power that roams the realms trying to recover his home. Our first stop is Silverymoon, the Lady Alustriel. Traveling hard it'll take a tenday to reach her. After an audience, if we can get one, we'll make further plans." Night falls, supplies are packed and repacked. Armor is shined, repaired and weapons sharpened. The next morning the Faithful members of COR leave the valley. In Neverwinter Jakwar's hawk, Jhassel, lands outside the dining room window of the COR guildhouse. A loud shriek draws the attention of Sir Mage from his breakfast. He opens the window allowing Jhassel inside. The large bird perches on the back of his chair. The assembled members watch with interest. "I don't see a message." observes Sir Mage "The gold band on her leg." remarks another He reaches out and touches the inscribed band of gold. A picture of a small cabin seen from high above fills his mind. He flies lower, in through the open door and lands on a perch in the corner. JJ, Doekiller and Silvir Fox enter to join WJP. Jakwar comes in minutes later. Each word of the conversation is heard with perfect clarity. Jakwar takes him from the perch. Walking outside he gives orders to fly to the COR guildhouse. Then to find them on the trail to Silverymoon. Sir Mage withdraws his hand stumbling as his normal vision returns. He sends a serving lady to find Volant. Jhassel hops to the window ledge and flies to the east. That evening Sir Mage tells the assembled officers of his experience. Volant sends messengers to the other guilds. He then posts a message of caution to all COR members. Volant growls "Well lets just see how busy this Gargauth can keep us." With that the meeting is adjourned. Four days after leaving Neverwinter Jhassel sails high above the road between Yartar and Everlund. She glides effortlessly among the shifting thermal. Sharp eyes scour the lengthening shadows of evening looking for the group. Movement within the Trollmoors catches her attention. A shifting of feathers changes her direction to the north. Soaring over the blighted land she spies small groups of trolls joining together. They move northeast, parallel to the road. Jhassel catches a down draft and quickly dives towards the road. Minutes later she shoots past Jakwar's head. Turning in a long graceful arch she lands on his outstretched arm. Her information is quickly passed throughout the group. Doekiller turns his head, "We could just keep moving, try to outrun them." "No, we'd be tired, in the open and in the dark." Answers Silvir shaking his head, "All the bonuses would be on their side. We need to find someplace we can defend." The group contiues down the road scanning the countryside. A thick stand of trees in the shape of a horseshoe is found to the south of the road. WJP walks among the close knit trees. "Theres no way for a troll to fit through here. They'll have to come in by the front door." "I'd swear by Mielikki that these trees were intentionally planted like this." Jakwar runs his hand along the truck of a tree. "Look at how they grow, in perfect rows." WJP and Jakwar move back to the other three. Jhassel sits in a tall tree looking out across the landscape. No fire is kindled, the group eats a cold meal. Flasks of oil are set out beside bedrolls. A pile of deadwood is laid out, ready to light. Weapons are kept close at hand. The first watch is drawn by JJ. The other four crawl into their blankets sleeping lightly. In the light of the quarter moon JJ unseals fireball scrolls. 2 hours later he awakens Doekiller for his watch. The moon shines from directly overhead when the first shuffling steps are heard. Doekiller notices the other four warriors awaken. All remain in their places as the first trolls enter the meadow. Seeing a sleeping camp, they charge. Jhassel unleashes a shrill cry. She dives from her perch like a falling rock, leveling off just out of reach. Each claw releases a length of cord which is tied to a thin skinned flask of oil. Her wings pound against the air as she climbs skyward. Jakwar and WJP roll from their blankets. Both snatch a mighty two handed sword from their bedroll. They sprint into the thick trees. One to the left the other to the right. Flasks of oil, hurled by JJ and Silvir, begin landing within the troll ranks. The flasks shred on impact. A cascade of oil drenches the attackers just as Doe finishes reading the first scroll. An orange glow flies from his hand. The fireball grows as it speeds across the meadow, finally erupting among the trolls. It quickly triples in volume consuming the flammable enemy. Confusion and their fear of fire overcomes them. The remaining trolls try to flee. With a mighty battle cry WJP charges from the left. When the they turn to defend themselves Jakwar charges. His sword begins cleaving trolls from behind. JJ and Silvir grab pieces of deadwood lighting the torches with burning hands spells. They move cautiously around the severed limbs. All body parts are drenched with oil and ignited. A light breeze pulls the smoke and stench of burning trolls from the clearing. When the flames die, there is nothing but silence. By the moonlight each warrior takes a head count, wide grins crease their faces. The silence is broken by a cheer of COOORRRR! that rings through the meadow. It takes nearly an hour for the adrenalin within them to run its course. Exhaustion overtakes the warriors one at a time. The remainder of the nights watches are split between WJP, Jakwar and Silvir. They awake to a hot cup of tea, fruit and cheese. Silvir points at Jhassel's perch. "She left about a half hour ago." "Speaking of your friends," says Doe, seating himself next to Jakwar. "Is Kellan a Lycanthrope?"Jakwar sips his tea. "They prefer to be called Children of Selune, at least the good ones." "That's good to hear. I was wondering what I drank back in the valley." chuckles Doe JJ wanders around the clearing. He stops to touch the grass. Next he moves to the trees, examining several. "I know that fireball burst right in this area. Theres not a single burn mark anywhere."All wander the clearing finding nothing but green grass and healthy trees. Each gives a prayer of thanks. Extra care is taken while breaking camp. The meadow is left looking untouched by human hands. Late in the morning they once again stand on the road. Everlund is over 10 hours away. They decide to alternate their pace, jogging every other mile. Jakwar COR HERALD AND EXPLORER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Me Drunken Tale As I Made me way back to Neverwinter, thoughts of ... Me thoughts at Strider's Inn, all shall receive a round But as me luck would have it, an adventurer bumped into me He looked me in the eyes and said, "may I adventure with thee?" I grumbled to meself but said, "sure, no sweat :)" Thoughts of ale began to diminish, I said "cloud giants be np I bet :)" On our way to Floodblest, me had another thought I'd forgotten the mug o ale from Striders I had previously bought A swig here, a swig there...I was feelen fine And me looked at the time, it wasn't even half past nine! As I made me way to the area, where cloud giants tend to await I rushed in and yelled, 'CCCOOORRR!!!' , but found I was too late :( Cloud Giants were no longer there, and I was getten mad I asked Reharachty if bugbears would be fine.He needed exp real bad He smiled a wicked smile and said, "that would be just fine" As we headed to the well, I had gone to manya time Bugbears here, bugbears there, they seemed to be everywhere The passion o COR burning (or was it me ale?), I didnt seem to care And as soon as we had begun, it had all come to an end For we parted and I made me way back to an inn to remem 'Ahhhhhh,' I groaned, as I thought of the ales to test Striders Inn shall I go, to have a drink and a little rest Unfortunatly luck would have it, Striders had already closed But me thoughts, 'Maybe there is a party at Nasher's...who knows?' The last thing I remember, is waking up not knowing where I was at Or was it that sharp sword poking into my back "Get up you bum!," a guard of Lrd Nasher's ordered "What is it you're doing, in Nasher's wife's quarters?!" I stumbled to me feet, and put me hand to me head 'Ohhhhh, ' I said, with the ache in my head and thoughts of bein dead But a feeling of relief overwhelmed me right there and then As I noticed it was just Strider, talken to me in his den It had all been a dream, and I told Strider "It's time for me to go" When Mrs. Nasher walked in and kissed me on the cheek. "NOOO!" COR EXPLORER AND DUNKEN POET MADOGMCLUR <><><><><> Ode to the One I Love A Match made in heaven I think when I'm with thee Being around you Fills me with glee When I partake of thee I always want more And when we're on a roll I never know whats in store You never complain When I go out And when I come home You never shout Being around you Makes me feel good You are so bubbly Yet too misunderstood When others are near You have the same effect And sometimes I wonder How you're so perfect And if not for you I'd lose meaning in me tales You're the one who calls for me "Drink! Drink!" You are me ale :) COR'S DRUNKEN POET MadogMclur ;) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Story of the Bracelet Chapter 7: Time to Burn (By Vallus) "I've torched your kind before and I can do it again!" said Crystal as she raised her arm to fire a energy blast from her bracelet. The neogi just laughed. "Fool you are. Doka fool was for wasting power his lordservants protecting. You I will now destroy." The Neogi narrowed it's eyes and it's emerald amulet glowed with green light. Simultaneously, both the amulet and the bracelet glowed at the same time and green and red energy rays shot out from their respective sources. The two rays collided and the boundary between them moved back and forth. The Disc of Guardianship glowed and Leoster opened it, a figure appeared with it's feet on the large ruby. "Leoster" it said " know now that the Bracelet of Power and Disc of Guardianship are most powerful when their energies are linked. Close the Disc and then place it so that the Bracelet's beam passes through the large ruby on the Disc and the power of Crystal's energy ray will be doubled. I can say no more." The figure disappeared and Leoster closed the Disc. Sweat was beginning to show on Crystal's forehead while no discernable difference showed on her opponent. "Time to bring this game of Dualing Death Rays to a close!" said Leoster as he placed the Disc within Crystal's ruby beam as directed. As he did so, the beam seemed to grow brighter and it quickly gained ground on it's emerald opponent. Panic showed in the Neogi's face as it's energy ray was pushed closer and closer to it. The crimson beam drove drove through the Neogi's emerald amulet, disintegrating the gem within and then disintegrated the Neogi leaving nothing but dust. "Thanks for the assist." said Crystal "Anytime" said Leoster "might as well get into the habit since it looks like we'll be working together for a while." Just then, a bell sounded, it seemed to come from everywhere. "Oh no!" exclaimed Crystal "We've got to get out of here! The tower's about to explode!" "But how? We're too far from the teleport doorway!" said Leoster "I've got an idea! C'mon!" With that Crystal grabbed Leoster by his robe and pulled him out the window. As they cleared the tower, it exploded, leaving Leoster and Crystal falling with an uncertain fate. <><><><><><> Talorin the Rogue (by Mabster3) As the man hid. in the secret passageway behind a large painting that was located in the hallway leading to the Kings throne room, he heard to men talking. He assumed they were guards protecting the throne room from unwanted intruders. He leaned closer to the back of the painting to get a better earful of what the two men were saying. "Have you heard of the man that escaped from the King's dungeon last week?" asked a deep voiced man. "I heard a couple of the guards in the barracks saying something about that, but I thought it was all just some rumor." replied a younger sounding voice. Nay, nay. That was no rumor you were hearing. I caught it straight from the captain's mouth." "What was the man doing in the dungeon anyway? And how did he escape? I thought that dungeon was the tightest dungeon in all the land!" "The captain said he had been seen, dressed all in black, leaving the King's very own vault room hefting a large bag of gold coins. The captain and four other sentries gave chase. The captain said he ran like the wind, fast and silent, even though he was carrying the sack of coins. Finally, they cornered him. Dropping the bag, he pulled a gleaming scimitar out from beneath his cloak. He took two guards lives before the remaining three brought him down!" The man behind the painting smiled widely when he relized they were speaking of him. "Now about his escape, not a person knows how the man fled from the prison. One night he was there for his dinner, the next morning there wasn't a trace of him. It was just like he had never been there at all. Some are speaking of sorcery, but I don't believe in the stuff." The captain said this man was strange looking indeed. He stood no greater than a ten year old lad, but had the wrinkled skin of a man that had seen many, many winters. He had a topknot of chestnut brown hair, but not a sign of facial hair appeared on his face in the fortnight that he spent in his cell. The captain said his muscles appeared as if they were chiseled out of stone. He was small but he was as strong as the granite walls this castle is build from." "By god, that man seems like rouge from the Pits of Satan themselves. If he ever comes around again, I bet I could show him a thing or two about sword play that he would never forget." At these words, the small man named Talorin, stepped out from behind the painting. He drew not one scimitar, but two, the one in his right hand started glowing with a fierce purple light. As he started toward the two dumbfounded guardsmen, his coat of black chainmail not making even the slightest sound, he said, "Well then how 'bout I take you up on that little bet then. I always like learning new routines I can use to kill my next adversary..." <><><><><><> The Great Purge Part Three (Submitted by Simarin) I awoke at the cock's crow and climbed out of bed, ready to start what was sure to be a long day. I quickly bathed and dressed before sitting down to polish my armor and check my supplies. Soon I was fully suited and striding out the door and down the stairs into the common room for a hearty breakfast. Halfway through my bacon Ardrim arrived, but it wasn't until we were both nearly through with our meal that LTT staggered down the stairs. He appeared to be fighting a mild headache (Ardrim and I had warned him about the Frenzy, but does he ever listen?) and appeared less then fresh, but he seemed just as ready as we to begin our quest. Almost as ready, anyway. By the time he had received his meal both Ardrim and I were completely finished with ours. "Just what kind of ogre-brained idea is that?!" exploded LTT. "Without a good breakfast I won't be able to go on! I'll be too weak to fight and'll end with a sword in me belly, and you'll be less one bloody cleric!" I winked at Ardrim. "Do you think that the thieves will just sit on their thumbs until you're finished eating? They might very well decide to storm Lord Nasher's castle within the next half hour! Then they'de have control of the largest city on the Sword Coast north of Waterdeep. Innocents would die in troves, and all because we had to wait for you to eat breakfast!" Ardrim was shaking wit silent laughter by now, and LTT was racking his brain for a good reason for us to stay here so he could have his breakfast, which was growing colder every second we argued. Then he smiled. "What good will it do if we charge in there screaming with our weapons in our hands and not one single idea in our heads? It won't do any good at all. We need to stay here and form our strategy." He smiled triumphantly. "So be it, let us plan," I replied, beaten. Soon the mood turned serious, however, as we sat and disscused our plans. We now knew that the thieves' hideout lay in the western section of Southwall, but it was undoubtedly extremely well-hidden. "We can't hope to stumble upon it by chance, and if we spend the time needed to search for it, then the thieves shall know us to be the ones who destroyed their brethen yesterday. If they don't attack us in scores, then I have no doubt they'll lay some nasty traps for us, should we come anywhere near discovering their lair." Ardrim spoke sense, and truth. We all sat pondering his words for long moments before LTT suddenly spoke up. "Then the hunters become the hunted, the trackers become the tracked, and the watchers become the watched. We'll hide all throughout the western portion of Southwall until one of us sees them, and then we'll let them lead us directly to their lair." "Agreed," I said. "But what should happen if they see us go into hiding? They'll not make a move to give away their position, and the whole day shall go to waste, unless we can find some way to be sure there are none about when we take up our posts." Suddenly Ardrim's lavender eyes lit up. "I think I have an idea..." Before another hour had passed I was trudging through the north-western portion of Southwall carrying a food cart behind me, and casting nervous glances about that were not entirely faked. The poor farmer's clothes on my back had cost little, and the cost of the cart and all the food inside hadn't been anything unreasonable. At two different points in western Southwall, LTT and Ardrim appeared likewise. The plan was simple: with nothing left in Southwall but adventurers, guards, and extremely large and rare parties of farmers, a lone farmer would bring a thieves as surely as honey brought flies. If there were any to see that lone farmer, that is. If no one attacked, then no one was around, meaning it was safe to take up our positions. I meandered around a bit more just to be sure no one was about before suddenly taking a running leap towards the wall of a nearby building. My hands grasped a window sill, and I hauled myself up. I reached upwards again, and this time my hands siezed the edge of the top of the building. I climbed up quickly, and as soon as I was up I flattened myself before running my gaze along the street below. I breathed a sigh of relief. No one had seen. I quickly found a depression which I could lie in and be able to see anyone on the street without them being able to see me. Then I watched and waited as the sun climbed the sky. I saw very little during this time, only a few parties of adventurers and patrols of Royal Guards. Twice I was sure I saw shadows that seemed to move, and I watched the thieves closely both times, but they merely passed on to another street. * * * * * * * * * Lacam sat in the shadows, watching my barely visible form from the safety of the shadows. He was a senior guild member, and so had been immeadiatly suspicious of a single farmer treading where only a score of his brethen would do likewise. So the thief waited, and was there to see my climb to the roof. This spectacle of mine proved his suspisions, and led him to wait and watch to see what I would do next. Despite the fact that he was a major crimp in our plans, he provided us with help that far outweighed any problems he might have caused. For he was a senior guild member, and so his absence from the guild was noticed. Large groups of thieves were sent forth by the guild to search for him, and the fact did not go unoticed by Ardrim, who was in a perfect position to watch their comings and goings and to take note of the building they came from. * * * * * * * * Ardrim had been watching the building constantly since he had first discovered it was at least connected to the thieves' hideout. His drow eyesight found penetrating the darkness no problem at all, and within an hour he had figured out the routine by which the thieves were sent out. Then he made his move. His inborn agility and stealth allowed him to drop silently from the building he had been watching from and to make his way over to the building. The next pack of scum would be coming in in about two minutes, and he had to move quickly. The building was directly west of the Farmer's Well, and inside was a door to the north and south in addition to the one the dark elf had entered. Once inside, Ard quickly discovered the darkest corner and crept into it. He didn't have to wait long, for it was only minute later that half a dozen thieves slipped in through a secret passage in the wall to the north. They quickly searched the room for intruders and of course completely missed the well-hidden elf. Satisfied that they were alone, they entered the door to the south and were followed by Ardrim. Inside here they turned to the west side of the room and the leader made his way to the wall. A second later a trap door opened up and the thieves all climbed in. To Ardrim's great delight, the last one dropped a dagger on the way down, and searched a bit before finding it and hurrying to catch up with the group. In his haste, he had left the trap door open. The dark elf quickly descended into the lower room, and stood in shadows, waiting to see what the thieves would do next. The leader approached what appeared to be an opening in the wall without a door, but it needed no door, since Ardrim's inborn magical abilities told him the door was protected by a powerful spell. The leader approached a foggy spot in the air, and inscribed something on it. The barrier lifted, the band entered, and the barrier returned, with the foggy part now clear. But Ardrim had had enough time to see what it was and was all ready hurrying out of the building. * * * * * * * I sat under the blistering sun, the street still calm, with no life stirring. Or so I thought. A moment later I heard a loud cracking sound, and a moment later Ardrim emerged from the shadows. "Sim, you were supposed to be watching for thieves, not letting one watch you," said the elf as he displayed the body of a dead thief, his head cracked open and oozing blood. Then I heard a click, and I leapt off the building as crossbow bolt grazed my arm. I came down in a forward roll, taking away much of the force of the impact before leaping to my feet and drawing my blade. Three thieves rushed me and two rushed Ardrim, another holding back to reload his crossbow. "Maybe you should watch your own back, ye lazy drow!" I called as my blades clashed with those of the thieves. My friend, however, was too busy to answer. It didn't take me long to take out two thieves, but the third proved to be of tougher stuff than the other two, and quicker as well. He held two daggers and deflected a thrust of mine and while my sword arm was still being thrown outward by the force, he leapt in with one dagger aimed at my head, the other at my stomach. My shield slammed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him, and my sword quickly finished him. I suppose it was lucky for me that he lasted as long as he did, for a crossbow bolt intended for me flew straight into the death thief's skull. I quickly threw myself down and glanced up to assess the current situation. Ardrim was lying slumped against the wall with a quarrel in his chest, and the crossbowman was currently reloading. Suddenly a blast of magic sent him flying through the air to land at my feet, quite dead. LTT walked up, a grin on his face. "Got tired of waiting. Where's Ardrim?" I gestured towards the drow's prone form, and LTT grew serious when he saw how badly our comrade was injured. "We must get him back to Neverwinter quickly Sim, for I don't possess the power to heal a wound as bad as this." Back in Neverwinter we took Ard to the Red Mage Inn and found a cleric to tend him. For a price, of course. "We can't stop now, LTT. They know we're on to them, and we have to move quickly." I paced Ardrim's room while LTT sat on the bend, checking on the drow. "Aye, but he must know something, for he wouldn't have left his post if he didn't. What good is it if we go back without the knowledge he has? It'll waste even more time." Suddenly Ardrim's eyes fluttered open, and he began to speak in a weak, soft voice. "Mansion.... across from..... the Well..... south door, then west wall.... look for trap door, password," he gasped as a spasm of pain hit him. "passwerd," he continued even more weakly. "Beholder beckerds..." he fell unconscious. LTT and I both agreed that we must leave now, for time might run out at anytime. Determinedly, we marched forth from the Inn and back into Southwall to storm the thieves' lair and make Southwall safe once more ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three renegade KAAOS members... were caught by local gaurds in the Triboar Arena trying to disrupt a guild battle between the Undead and Bright Blades guilds. The offenders, Doomers, Lasc1via and P1rate, were taken to gaurd headquarters, but the charges were dropped because of lack of evidence. Nashers guard advise citizens to keep carraige doors locked and to travel in large groups in the triboar area for safety. Witnesses said that Doomers entered first, and was nice for one battle. He sat back and watched the battle; exactly what you might expect a little green guy would do. Little did they all know that he had P1rate and Lasc1via en-route to help him bring havoc to the battles. That fight ended without incident. The score is now tied between UDL and BB, and the final match begins. Before you know it, ol' Doomers jumps in and starts letting holds fly like hungry harpys. P1rate, Lasc1via and a "hanger-on" person soon followed, and it's suddenly a "do-over". Many of the UDL warriors were there, however, to hammer the intruders into dust, until they re-entered anyway. Personally, I was glad to see that KAAOS still had some members who knew where to find a good party to crash. ;> The final match was moved to another square in the arena and went on without any more trouble. The Bright Blades won in a humm-dinger of a battle. SLAYER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While adventuring throughout the realms, I've come across curious spell effect. I've noticed, that when I have mirror images, and someone casts upon me (say a lightning bolt, magic missle or fireball) occasionally it will hit my images and do no damage to me. Now, they effect that is curious to me is.if I cast upon myself, I've never hit an image. Is this because, I know my which me is real? Since we are on the topic of mirror images, I'll go further. Say I cast mirror image AND minor globe. Once again I am beseiged by PC's. They cast numerous LB's and FB's my way. Again, occasionally they hit an image. Wouldn't the minor globe (on me) negate that? Shouldn't my image 'know' I have a globe, and in effect act like the real me and get an 'unaffected'? Or is any 'attack' on an image cause enough to erase it? Signed, Which Me Is Me? <><><><><><> Dear Which Me Is Me, I'm glad you brought this subject up. It's one that has many people baffled and we should drag it into the light for examination. To answer your spoken questions: The Mirror Image will cast illusions to befuddle your enemies. When you're casting upon yourself, you already know where you are, so the images aren't affected. When you cast a Minor Globe, specifically, it will affect only your person. If an enemy casts at you, there is a chance that it will be casted at an image instead.. no, the images aren't affected by your Globe because they're only illusions. To answer your unspoken questions: I realize that it may be difficult to repeatedly see yourself be blown out of existance. The question of how this affects your psyche is a metaphysical one, and deserves to be studied. Perhaps we can make an appointment and you can lay down and discuss it with me. Though my calendar is fairly full, you can make an appointment with my secretary. NW Abby <><><><><> <><><><><> Gimme a Scoop! Enter the weekly News of the Realm contest by submitting text for publishing. If your Announcement, Article, Helpful Hint, NW Abby Question, Poem, Fiction, or Tidbit wins, you'll have won your choice of 4 Pearls or 2 Free Hours of Online time to be credited to your account! Submit all text to screenname: NW NEWS. Sanctioned Guilds who send the most "news worthy" articles in each month will earn 3 Pearls to be credited to their Guild Account! <><><><><> <><><><><>