Kelfour Edition volume II number X

The official GemStone IV encyclopedia.
Jump to navigation Jump to search

  _______________________________________________________________________
 / \                                                                     \
|   |                                            Special Double Edition   |
 @_/_____________________________________________________________________/
 |                                                                     |
 |                                                                     |
 |    GemStone III's                                March/April 1992   |
 |                                                  Vol.2  Nos.10/11   |
 |               _   _           _    ___                              |
 |              / ) / )         / )  / __)                             |
 |             / /_/ /  ____   / / _/ (   ____   __  __  ____          |
 |            /   __/  / __ ) / / (  __) / _  ) / / / / / ___)         |
 |           / /\ \   / ___/ / /  / /   / (/ / / (_/ / / /             |
 |          (_/  \_) (____) (_(  (_(   (____/ (_____( (_(              |
 |                    _____      _    _    _    _                      |
 |   Graphics!       / ____)    / )  (/  _/ )  (/                      |
 |  Animation!      / (__   ___/ /  _   (  _) _   ____   ____          |
 |    Sound!       / ____) / _  /  / )  / /  / ) / _  ) /    )        _|
 |                / (__   / (/ /  / /  / /  / / / (/ / / /) /         \
 |     IBM       (_____) (____(  (_(  (_(  (_( (____/ (_((_(           |
 |  Front End                                                          |
 |   Program!                                                          |
 |                                          The Kronicles of Kulthea   |
 |_____________________________________________________________________|
 |_____________________________________________________________________|
 |_                                                                    |
  /                                                                    |
 |  Local News ................  1     Hall of Fame ............    9  |
 |  A Quick Look at Stonehold ................ Celestin Drowstar    3  |
 |  Kulthean Word Search ........................ Thantis Azzurn    6  |
 |  Inside the Spider Temple ..................... Isei Ikazuchi    7  |
 |  Iorak's Reach ............................ Belladonna Atropa   10  |
 |  Care of Familiars .................... Elminester Silvanisti   14  |
 |  Why I Will Survive in Kulthea ........... Flavor Da'Fearless   16  |
 |  To BB, or Not to BB ..................... Gallenod Varynesti   17  |
 |  The Last Hurrah ................................. Ise Ikiryo   17  |
 |  Jewelry of Kulthea .............. Library of del|{nightsaber   18  |
 |  Surviving Level One .................... Metaboculous Griden   21  |
 |  Call to Arms ........................... B'HALTHON d'Anathur   23  |
 |  Lords Council of Kelfour's ............. B'halthon d'Anathur   24  |
 |  Farewell, My Friends ..................... Amelda Heronheart   26  |
 |  Kelfour Edition Seeks Editor ...............................   28  |
 |  A Battle for Life ............................. Vaash Majeer   29  |
 |  Responsible Traditions ................. Lightning Blackhawk   30  |
 |  A Tale of Greed ......................... Avarice Valenausan   32  |
 |  GemmerStony ................................... Ringo Hobson   36  |
 |_____________________________________________________________________|
 |                                                                     |
 | Kelfour Edition of the Kronicles of Kulthea is devoted to the multi-|
 | player roleplaying game  GemStone III on the  GEnie online service. |
 | Submissions  may  be edited  for space, accuracy  and  readability. |
 | Contact  Editor Lady Wisraith  Winterwind,  Assistant Editors Lady  |
 | Rune Arundel or Kalagay Halatil, or Publisher Lady Phaedra Bleu by  |
 | GE Mail to P.HERRINGTON for details.       Banner letters by Yonah  |
 |   __________________________________________________________________|___
 |  /                                                                     /
 \_/_____________________________________________________________________/
   
   
   
   
   
      
   
   
   
     ____________          o_______
   //            \        (|       \_____
  ||  LOCAL NEWS  |       (|  Long       \     Bank Robbers Thwarted, Slain
   \\____________/        (|     Live     \    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           |____   Kulthea \ Report by Artuero Bresnahanini
                           |    \___________\
           \/             / \
               \/        /   \      Crime  in  Kelfour's reached a new peak
    _   _   _           /     \     when  a band of thugs robbed the Quell-
   | |_| |_| |         /       \    bourne  National  Bank of over one hun-
   |         |        / Kelfour \   dred  thousand  silvers,  fleeing  town
    \       /        |  Edition  |  before  the  baffled  constable made it
     |     |         |   _   _   |  out from under his desk.  Enraged citi-
  _  |     |  _   _  |  / \ / \  |  zens followed a trail of silver pieces,
 | |_|     |_| |_| | |  | | | |  |  impudent  ESP messages,  and occasional
 |                 |  \ | | | | /   sightings  to  a  dangerous,  concealed
 |                 |   ||_| |_||    hideout in the Coastal Cliffs.
  \          _    /    |       |
   |        / \  |     |       |    Once  inside,  pursuers  contended with
   |        | |  |  _  |       |    hidden  doors  and  secret  passages as
   |        | |  |_| | |       |    they  made  their way through an under-
   |   _    |_|      | |       |    ground maze crawling with orcs, rattle-
   |  / \            |_|       |    snakes and minotaurs.  Many adventurers
   |  | |      _               |    died  before discovering a vault at the
   |  | |     / \____          |    maze's  end,  and  still  more  fell to
   |  | |    |       \    __   |    blows  from  the  vicious  gang who had
   |  | |    |        |  /  \  |    secreted themselves inside it.
   |  |_|    |__      | |    | |
   |            |_    | |    | |    When  confronted  with  adversaries  of
   |              |_  | |   o| |    their  own  abilities, however, the six
   |                |_| |    | |    criminals  soon learned that crime does
   |                    |    | |    not  pay.   Justice won the day as some
   |                    |____| |    of  Kelfour's  Finest conducted a brief
   |___________________________|    but deadly course in melee combat.
     ____________________________
                                    An  enormous  amount  of  treasure  was
        Lockpicking Tweaked         recovered,   much   of  it  split  gra-
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~         ciously  among  all  who partook in the
        Report by Quickpick         deadly pursuit.  Let us hope this stand
                                    against crime frightens those who would
The  gods  of  thievery made some   dare future raids upon our town.
subtle  changes  to the dying art    -------------------------------------
of  lockpicking.   Essentially,  two   on  the simplest of locks with a lot
are  evident.   Firstly,  whenever a   of  (bad) luck.  The latter of these
pick   is  damaged,  it  is  clearly   two events is guaranteed to cause:
visible  to  the  lockpicker.  There
are  various  orders  of  ineptitude   a)  Foul-mouthed   epithets   to  be
ranging   from  lockpicks  stuck  in       hurled at the gods of thieves.
locks to the ever popular *snap*.      b)  The Temple monk to be shocked.
                                       c)  Death of lockpicking as an art.
The  second  change  of  consequence
involves  two  stages  as open-ended   Thieves are unhappy about these new,
rolls   now  exist  in  lockpicking.   subtle changes.  They receive infor-
This means that Fumblefingers Finne-   mation  as  to  why they fail as op-
gan  could  actually  crack  open  a   posed   to   successfully  unlocking
tough  chest  with  a crude lockpick   chests.   A  member  of  the Thief's
and  lots  of  (good) luck.  It also   Union   was   heard  mumbling  about
means  that  highly  skilled pickers   hammers and chisels.  Stay tuned for
could  snap their prized possessions   further developments.
                                    -1-
  
  
    
  
  
  
   Graphics!  Animation!  Sound!          Town Forums Address Hot Issues
    GemStone Graphic Front End            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Beta Version Announced!          Town  Forums are held each Wednesday
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~          at  9:30  PM  Eastern  time  in Moot
An  IBM-compatible graphic front end   Hall's Assembly Room.
program  for  GemStone  III has been
released  by Simutronics.  The soft-   Upcoming  topics  include  Deaths  &
ware  includes  a  terminal program,   Rezzes  (chaired by Reline) on April
and  the  graphical  user  interface   15,  Houses (chaired by Elvanion) on
itself   containing   vital   stats,   April  22, and the IBM Graphic Front
graphics and animations illustrating   End  program  (chaired by Bardon) on
the world and its denizens.            April 29.

The Beta 1.0 release of this program   Citizens are urged to participate in
is  currently available from the NEW   these   forums   and  contribute  to
GemStone  III Software Library, menu   issues  of  vital  importance to the
item  #8  on  GEnie page 930.  It is   future  of  Kulthea  and our booming
self-extracting,  entitled  GS3B.EXE   town of Kelfour's Landing.
(File  #3)  for IBM compatibles with
hard drive/VGA.
                      WISHING YOU A BREW IN ONE HAND
                      AND A SHILLELAGH IN THE OTHER!        Kelfour Edition
Runes Discovered!          .____________________.             Congratulates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~          |||| | :             |
A rush on rune           ||||| | :              |         *****************
training of late         |||||_|_:______________|         * Anuiel Teleri *
was precipitated        |  ::    <>     <>  :||: |        *****************
by the exciting         |  ::    <>     <>  :||: |
discovery of           /   ::    <>     <>  :||:  \                   Thief
papers encoded    [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]    Extraordinaire!
with the power       OOO /////////      \\\\\\\\\ OOO
of spells!          OOOO   /_<O>          <O>_\   OOOO      for finding the
                   OOOOO                          OOOOO
Now all           OOOOOOO          (o_o)         OOOOOOO        MAGNIFICENT
adventurers     OOOOOOOOO                      OOOOOOOOO         BLUE TOPAZ
(with a little   OOOOOOOOO    ///////^\\\\\\\   OOOOOOOOO
rune training)    OOOOOOOOO     / /\___/       OOOOOOOOO      From clues in
can dazzle their    OOOOOOOO   / /            OOOOOOOO       stories in its
friends and           _____ \ / /\       /   /                     last two
opponents with        \    \_/ /XXXX\ /XXXXXXX                    Editions!
fire or water...       \      /               \
Your choice. :-)        \____/      (:)  art by Cornelius             Great
                                                                 Sleuthing!
                    HAPPY (belated) ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
  
 Creature Enhancements on the Way!     when  stunning  is  the  result of a
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      hit;  creatures  that  used  to just
As  part  of their ongoing policy of   wear   shields  will  now  have  the
game enhancement, and thanks to many   ability   to  decide  to  use  them;
valuable player suggestions from the   creatures  that wield or snatch up a
Town  Forum, Feedback, and the MPGRT   two-handed  weapon  will not be able
BB,  Simutronics  has  begun  imple-   to  use  shields; creatures that are
menting  a series of creature fixes,   disabled  by  a limb loss will still
including  more  powerful  "AI-type"   try  and  fight to the best of their
logic.                                 ability  or  flee  if  the situation
                                       seems  hopeless;  and  several other
You'll notice some differences right   changes.   If  you  notice  anything
away:   Creatures  will no longer be   unusual about creatures' behavior in
able  to  change  their parry to 100   these regards, please notify a GM.
                                   -2-
  
  
    
  
  
  
                       A Quick Look at Stonehold
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 ____________             by Celestin Drowstar
/ \      __  \
\@|     / "| |
  |    //|"| |ll I  wanted  was  to    "My maps!" he roared.  "My maps are
 _|   //=|"| | sit back at Helga's,    my  own,  and the last thing I want
/@|  //  |"| | relax  and  enjoy an    is to let everybody... every hobbit
\_/ ~~   ~~~ / ale.  The last thing    too, to be coming down there.  It's
  ~~~~~~~~~~~  I  expected  was  to    bad  enough  with  the gnolls there
have  to sit with a talkative dwarf    already!"
who  couldn't  understand  why  any
creature  would want to live in the    He  fell silent, and scratching his
woods   when  there  were  so  many    long braided beard he thought about
places  underground where one could    the wager.
dwell.   Of  course,  being  a wood
elf,  I didn't see why anyone would    "What  will  you give me if you can
want  to  live  in  a  hole  in the    not make it in?" he asked.
ground.  I didn't express that view
to  him  though, since I was hoping    I  shrugged,  "How about a thousand
my  silence would make him go away,    silver and a gold ring?".
but he continued on and on...
                                       "You're  on,"  he  said as he stood
"Take Stonehold,  for instance.  If    and gathered up his maps.  "Walking
it  wasn't  for those pesky gnolls,    there  will  take too long, so I'll
the place would be a paradise!" he     set  your  ring  for the pool right
said, a distant gleam in his eyes.     outside of Stonehold."
  
It  seemed there was no way to shut    "Fine," I replied, and after awhile
him   up,  short  of  slitting  his    we  found ourselves outside a large
throat.   I'd  think  of some other    stone door that was the entrance to
less drastic way sooner or later.      Stonehold.   The  door  was locked,
                                       and  after  fumbling  around in his
"Sounds  nice," I said.  "Maybe one    backpack awhile, the dwarf produced
day you can show me Stonehold."        a lockpick and opened the lock that
                                       sealed  the door.  I could feel the
To this he laughed.  "You!  An elf?    floor  sway  slightly  as we headed
Only  dwarves  and  hobbits are the    through  the  entrance  corridor to
right  size  to get into the place.    the main hall.
You  may  be  small for an elf," he
continued,  looking  me  over, "but    "Oh  yeah... there's  a  trap  back
you'd never get far into it."          there  that'll  drop  most big folk
                                       down  into  a  dungeon on the lower
"Never   say   never,"  I  replied,    level,"  he said with a mischievous
taking a sip of my ale.                smile.   I  nodded and we continued
                                       north until we reached the northern
"Hmmph!   I'll  tell  ya  what," he    part of the main hall.
said,   pulling   maps   from   his
backpack  and spreading them on the    "This is as far as you go... unless
table.  "In this room..." he jabbed    you  can squeeze through there," he
a  pudgy  finger  at  a mark on his    said, indicating  a small key hole-
maps,  "there's  a map on the wall.    shaped opening in the wall.
If  you  can  get in there and read
what it says, I'll..." he paused to    After  I  examined  the  opening  I
think of something to wager.           asked  to  see  his  maps again.  I
                                       studied  them  quickly, then handed
"Give  me the maps," I finished, as    them back.  I stepped back from the
I looked over them more closely.       opening and took a deep breath.
                                    -3-                            More...
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
   ___________________________________________________________________
  / \                                                                 \
  |@/                   Stonehold - Upper Level                       /
  |------------------------------------------------------------------'
  |                                                                 |
  |        O               __                              _        |
  |       / \___          |_       |_|        |\/|        |         |
  |      /      \         | ROLKRM | |IRILDAT |  |USLUBRI |_ORUM    |
  |     O  a..B  c...c                                              |
  |    /   :  :  :                                                  |
  |   /    d  e  :                                O O               |
  |  O     :     f                                 \|               |
  |   \    G    /       O                           S               |
  |    \       /        |                            \              |
  |     O--O--O         O--O--O          O            O             |
  |     |\/|\/|        /|      \         |            |             |
  |     |/\|/\|       | |       O        O-O          O             |
  |     O--O--O       | |        \      /   \       _/|             |
  |      \ | /        | |         O    O    |      /  |             |
  |        h         /  O--O       \_ /     |   O-O   |             |
  |        :        |      |         O       \ /      |             |
  |        h   O    |      |        /         O       O             |
  |         \ / \   |  O   O-O     O         /       /              |
  |          O   \ /    \ /   \    |        O       O               |
  |         /|    O      O     O   O        |      /                |
  |        O O     \     | O    \ /         O O   O                 |
  |       /  |      O    |/      O         /   \ /                  |
  |      O   O      |    O     _/         O--O--O                   |
  |       \  |      O    |    O       ___/       \                  |
  |        O O       \   |   /       /            O                 |
  |         \|        O  O  O       O                               |
  |          j         \ | /       / \                              |
  |          :           k--------O   O--O                          |
  |          :           :                     More info on         |
  |          j           k                    Lower Level Map       |
  |           \         /|\                                         |
  |            O-------O R O                   a - B: 'go trail'    |
  |           /         \|/ \                  B - e: 'go hut'      |
  |          O           O   O          c - c, L - L: 'go door'     |
  |         /            |    \         c - f, f - c: 'go stone'    |
  |     x..Y         T-O L     m..n     d - G, G - d,               |
  |                  |  \:        :     n - U, U - n: 'go stair'    |
  |                  |   L        U            h - h: 'go arch'     |
  |                   \ /|\                    j - j: 'go crevice'  |
  |                    O | O                   k - k: 'go open'     |
  |                     \|/             m - n, n - m,               |
  |                      P              x - Y, Y - x: 'go bridge'   |
  |   ______________________________________________________________|__
   \_/________________________________________________________________/
  
"No way in for ya, elf...  Pay up!"    around  my throbbing eyeball.  With
he said with a smile.                  a  little leverage I popped the eye
                                       from  my  skull  and  watched as it
That  smile  quickly faded as I in-    sprouted  little  batlike wings and
cantated a spell.  I could hear him    began  to  hover  before  us.   The
mumble something about hating magic    dwarf   standing  next  to  me  was
but  it was too late.  My spell was    starting  to look ill, but I didn't
ready.  Casually I pushed my finger    have time to enjoy that as I had to
into  my  eye  socket and cupped it    concentrate on moving the eye.
                                    -4-                            More...
  
  
    
  
  
  
The  eye  sped through the opening,    soft   hiss  as  my  wandering  eye
through  a glowing intersection, up    rushed  towards  me.  I reached out
a  corridor  into  a  long passage.    and  caught  the  squishy globe and
This  turned  into  a  bent passage    quickly pressed it back into my eye
before  coming  out  into  a  large    socket.   After  a  few  blinks  it
muster  hall.   North  from there I    seemed  to seat itself properly.  I
moved the eye into what looked like    wiped  off  some  gooey red residue
a  living chamber and quickly found    with  my  sleeve,  and  felt myself
the   map  on  the  wall.   I  con-    once again presentable.
centrated  on the eye and read what
was on the map.                        That  seemed  to  be  more than the
                                       dwarf  could  stand.   He  promptly
"Frolkrm  Hirildat Muslubri Corum,"    fainted  at my feet.  I chuckled as
I said to the dwarf who was looking    I  removed  the maps from his back-
pale.                                  pack.   I then drug him outside and
                                       set him down by the pool.  Deciding
I concentrated again on the eye and    he  was safe there I ringed back to
had  it return the way it had came.    town...   back   to  what would  be
The   disembodied,   floating   eye    hopefully a quieter Helga's.
entered  the  room,  and we heard a
   ___________________________________________________________________
  / \                                                                 \
  |@/                   Stonehold - Lower Level                       /
  |------------------------------------------------------------------'
  |                                                                 |
  |             G            Points of Interest (Both Levels):      |
  |             :                                                   |
  |             j              B - 'go ferry' will go to shore.     |
  |            /                    Don't hurt old gnoll :)         |
  |           O                c - 'push stone' from outside,       |
  |           |                    'turn lock' from inside.         |
  |           O                f - Round time when going to c       |
  |            \                   and back.                        |
  |             O              G - Is G on upper level map.         |
  |             |           j, k - Lil folks only thru here         |
  |             O              L - Main Entrance. Big folks         |
  |            /                   may drop to w on lower level     |
  |       v...v                    Lock on door is -35 to pick?     |
  |           |          x, m, n - Crossbow Snipers! Go Quick!      |
  |           O                P - Pool. Stops Bleeding.            |
  |           |             R, Y - +20 to everyone's DB here.       |
  |           O                S - Round time incurred if you       |
  |           |                    'look at ore'. Try it! :)        |
  |           O                T - Way back to Threks and Gorcs     |
  |          /                 U - Is U on upper level map.         |
  |         O                                                       |
  |         |                      v - v: 'go recess' then          |
  |         O                             'look stream'             |
  |         |                      w - w: 'go door' NOTE: this door |
  |     w...w                             can ONLY be opened from   |
  |          \_________________           outside. If you can't get |
  |                            \          anyone to let you out you |
  |                             O---z     can swim to the pool, but |
  |  j - G: 'go crevice'            :     you have to leave your    |
  |  z - z: 'go door'               z     belongings here.          |
  |         'turn lock' if locked    \    Be Careful :)             |
  |                                   U                             |
  |   ______________________________________________________________|__
   \_/________________________________________________________________/
                                    -5-                            More...
  
  
     
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  The maps of Stonehold on the preceding pages  do no justice
to the wonderful descriptions there. If you are a dwarf or halfling I recom-
mend visiting  it.  If not, don't bother...  it CAN be frustrating.  Most of
it  is reasonably safe with care.  Main dangers are gnolls (described below)
and  crossbow  bolts  that  inflict  (possibly  fatal)  criticals.  Crossbow
snipers  are  marked on the map, and most of the valley outside.  Run if you
hear a bolt zip by. The pool is a safe area. The gnolls may be found inside:
  
       Gnoll, cave: 3rd level, very slow speed
          Short sword or spear (35), shield, chain mail, DB 35
       Gnoll, ranger: 5th level, medium speed
          Hand axe (60), light hide, DB 40
       Gnoll, thief: 7th level, medium speed
          Dagger (80), light hide, DB 30
  
The  best  way  to  get there is to have someone set a ring for you.  If you
walk you must go through several rooms between the crevice in Threks and the
valley outside Stonehold where you will get long round times like the swamps
in Gorcs.  To ring out, you have to be outside.  Enjoy!
    _____________________________________________________________________
  
                   Kulthean Word Search
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                   DWARF
                    by Thantis Azzurn                     EISSA
                                                          ELF
      Find the words listed separately on the scroll.     EOG
      They may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal.       ESSENCE
   ________________________________________________       FALCHION
  / \                                               \     FIGHTER
 |  _\                                               \    GOLEM
  \@__|                                               |   HALFLING
      |  C B R F H A X N Q R G T R V R A N G E R B C  |   HEALER
      |  U K D E C N E S S E Y L E O E N A E J V N O  |   HEAVY HIDE
      |  U W P I V Y C Y H T U O L U T Q H O J P T R  |   HOBGOBLIN
      |  U D R H D L L L A H I B A N S A Z G R G T J  |   IORAKS REACH
      |  G X U T E R I K A G R K E M A M G D P W G A  |   KARNELIN
      |  R W W K V D A S L I M C H D M N I I X A E N  |   KELFOUR EDITION
      |  R F I Y D R I G K F D O V E E O Q T V Q N X  |   KELFOURS LANDING
      |  F H Q O N A S H O G S H I B R I D K H A F D  |   KOBOLD
      |  R G O E W B N D Y N T S M A O T U W T R N Y  |   KULTHEA
      |  X N L B N O T G W V S N K O L I N G Q D I F  |   LAEN
      |  E I W M G O N K I A A S R C R D L O E F P L  |   LOREMASTER
      |  N L C C R O O D U R R E X C I E I P B E T J  |   MAGE
      |  L F Z K S B B D K E L F H Q R R F N E R R C  |   MITHRIL
      |  Q L A S O T W L A P N A U I F U E A O Y E N  |   NAVIGATOR
      |  A A P L M Z O C I R N E N C R O V L P R N M  |   ORC
      |  N H D C C B H N E N L W J D X F L L C E F M  |   ORHAN
      |  N V B E T H I K E L F O U R S L A N D I N G  |   QUELLBORNE
      |  V A B N A F I L B H C L A E D E S B R I M Y  |   RANGER
      |  K X Z T M J I O Q J O X E T N K Z A Z Q E C  |   SHAALK
      |  Q M M A V N R U N K U L T H E A K T H O L B  |   SHOCKBOLT
      |  Y I X U G N A H R O F F D N T N Z V G H O R  |   SILVER
     _|  R Q J R E R E C R O S P I D E R H M M A G E  |   SORCERER
    /@|                                               |   SPIDER
   |  |                                               |   STONEHOLD
    \/_______________________________________________/    THIEF
                                                          TORKAAN
     BARD      CHANNELING    CLAIDHMORE   DANGIRLAND      TROLL
     CENTAUR   CLAEDESBRIM   CLERIC       DRAGONS         UNLIFE
                                   -6-
  
  
    
  
  
  
                   Inside the Spider Temple of Hrassk
 ____________      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/ \ ________ \              by Isei Ikazuchi
\@| ~|_|~~|| |
  |  |~|_|~~ |
 _|  |~|-|__ |ver wanted to experience  the inside of the Spider Temple but
/@|  |~|__|| | fear you have  only enough DB to last 10 seconds?  Well, now
\_/ ~~~~~~~~ / you can see what it's like without danger. Read on!
  ~~~~~~~~~~~
Sights inside the Spider Temple you have always wanted to see but were
afraid to enter.  The fun starts here!
  
[Lower Kaldsfang, Forest]
Murky shapes, indistinct in the primeval forest gloom, filter through the
swaying pine boughs of the woods surrounding you.  Suspended between two
ancient and venerable pines is a large, intricate spider web.  Tattered to
shreds and fluttering in the breeze, it appears to have been spun to trap
man-sized prey.  You also see a rough path.
Obvious paths: east.
>
After some walking....
>
[Spider Temple, Entrance]
You come upon the entrance to the Great Temple of Hrassk, the Spider
Goddess, whose fearsome likeness provides the plan for the layout of the
temple.  Set above the ironbound oaken doors leading into the forbidding
black basalt structure are eight moonstones arrayed in dual rows of four.
Representing eyes, they seem to glare down at you with evil intent and a
peculiar, insatiable greed.
Obvious paths: southeast.
>
go door
>
[Spider Temple, Entry Hall]
The only light in the entrance hall comes from two marvellously crafted
candelabra, which from certain angles reflects back at you from the polished
black basalt walls.  The shuffle of your feet against the teak floor
produces scuffling sounds.  Large oaken doors lead in and out of this temple
of Hrassk, the spider goddess.  You also see a black basalt arch.
Obvious exits: none.
>
go arch
>
[Spider Temple, Central Chamber]
The flickering, shifting light of candles fills this imposing central
chamber with moving shadows.  Overhead a web-patterned tracery of red laen
supports the high domed ceiling, which rises tens of feet over the altar
that lies at the center of the chamber.  Candle sconces flank each of the
doors that lead to the "legs" of this shrine to the spider goddess.  Your
eyes are drawn to the grotesque arrangement of inlaid floor tiles which
depict scenes of death by poison. You also see a windak door, a bejeweled
door and a black basalt arch.
Obvious exits: northwest, southwest.
>
Light from the candle sconces along the wall flickers slowly, casting
living shadows through a black central chamber.
>
go altar                            -7-                              More...
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
>
[Spider Temple, Near Altar]
You are standing before the spiritual center of the shrine--a massive black
marble altar that rises several feet from the floor.  Its sides are adorned
with images of various spiders.
Obvious exits: north, south, east, west.
>
You hear a malevolent rustling in the tracery overhead.
>
The High Priest Askylor just arrived at the altar.
>
Askylor kneels before the altar and begins to pray.
>
You see before you Askylor, the High Priest of Hrassk. His thin, spindle-
like arms and legs remind you greatly of the deity he has choosen to serve.
He wears a long, flowing robe, embroidered in silver with arachnids and
their webs.
>
Askylor raises his arms and continues murmuring prayers.
>
A curl of smoke from the incense on the altar rises up into webwork of
arches overhead.
>
A spider priest just arrived at the altar.
>
Askylor stands as he finishes his prayers.
>
Askylor walks around the altar, refreshing the incense and candles.
>
You hear a malevolent rustling in the tracery overhead.
>
A spider priest chants briefly, then utters a prayer.
>
A spider priest swings a rapier at you!
  OB: 221 vs DB: 278 = -107
  THT 61, d100 roll: 31, modified: -76
  A clean miss.
>
A spider priest gestures mystically!
An invisible force guides a spider priest.
>
You exclaim, "Ack!"
>
A spider priest swings a rapier at you!
  OB: 296 vs DB: 278 = +18
  THT 61, d100 roll: 6, modified: 24
  A clean miss.
  
The guiding force leaves a spider priest.
>
You exclaim, "Whew! Close one!"
>
Askylor kneels before the altar and begins to pray.
>
A curl of smoke from the incense on the altar rises up into webwork of
arches overhead.
>
You hear a malevolent rustling in the tracery overhead.
>
                                   -8-                               More...
  
  
    
  
  
  
[Spider Temple, Near Altar]
You are standing before the spiritual center of the shrine--a massive black
marble altar that rises several feet from the floor.  Its sides are adorned
with images of various spiders. You also see a spider priest and the High
Priest Askylor who is kneeling.
Obvious exits: north, south, east, west.
>
A spider priest chants briefly, then utters a prayer.
>
A spider priest gestures fiercely about, chanting loudly as great arcs of
blinding light flash behind him!  You see a shadow obscure the light as it
moves forward.  Its bulk steps gingerly over the priest and advances towards
you.  The mammoth spider lurches to attack!
  
A mammoth arachnid spins a web at you!
Suddenly you are engulfed in thick strands of webbing!
>
W>You can't do that while entangled in a web.
  
W>A mammoth arachnid stabs at you with its stinger!
  OB: 245 vs DB: 53 = +192
  THT 76, d100 roll: 89, modified: 281
   ...and hits for 96 concussion points of damage!
  Grazing shot.
  An extra 5 concussion points of damage.
  
 * Isei just bit the dust!
  
DEAD>quit
  
You retire to call a cleric for a resurrection...
  
Bummer! That cuts our tour short! Must be nice to have pets like that.
  
  
  
   ________________________________________________________________________
  / \                           HALL OF FAME                               \
  |@/______________________________________________________________________/
  |                                                                      |
  | Congratulations to Lord Artuero Bresnahanini, Lord Enigma Sirillian, |
  | Lord Mmorfo Chumpster, Lord Rhone Yarrl,  Lord Joqain Denark,  Lord  |
  | Arborius Dragonson,  Lord Redeye Kielson,  Lord Airioch Ramthanodox, |
  | Lord Delvian Kel'Bathian and Lord Lohann McCloud for...              |
  |                         Achieving Noble Rank!                        |
  |----------------------------------------------------------------------|
  |  Bard     Enegue LionHeart    20 | High Man   Corwin D'AMBER      11 |
  |  Ranger   Fxg Lyon            26 | Common Man Beolost Lamontt     19 |
  |  Mage     Odds Bodkins        28 | Dwarf      Vshaal hiJneksha'a  16 |
  |  Fighter  Ise Ikiryo          22 | Halfling   Odds Bodkins        27 |
  |  Thief    Moonpie Legend      23 | Wood Elf   Baram Lightclad     22 |
  |  Cleric   Taarna Wayfinder    26 | High Elf   Strom O'BERIN       34 |
  |  Sorceror Xura Viikort        21 | Half Elf   Fxg Lyon            26 |
  |  Healer   Strom O'Berin       34 | Fair Elf   Lose Soulblaster    25 |
  |----------------------------------------------------------------------|
/@|  Current GSIII Fame Rankings by Profession and Race - March 30, 1992 |
\_/______________________________________________________________________/
  
  
                                   -9-
  
  
    
  
  
  
 _______________              Iorak's Reach
/ \ ____    ____\             """""""""""""
\@| +|~| __ |~|+|         by Belladonna Atropa
  |  |~|/~~\|~| |
 _|  |~/~/\~\~| |hen I first came to   we're  standing  right now, you used
/@| _|__/  \__|_| this  city, every-   to be standing on the ground in this
\_/_____________/ thing  I saw was a   mountain's   shadow.   There  was  a
marvel to me.  I recognized nothing;   mountain, all right, but as far back
I was awed by everything.  One place   as anybody can remember, it was just
to which I was introduced soon after   floating  along, way up there in the
my  arrival  was  a  mountain just a   sky."
short  hike  outside the town gates.
Iorak's  Reach,  they called it, and   "Up there?" I asked, pointing up.
as  we  made  the long journey up to
the mist-shrouded peak of this moun-   "That's  right," he answered, with a
tain,  my  guide  passed the time by   smile.
telling me something of its history.
                                       "In  the  sky?"  I asked, looking at
"I can remember a time," he began as   him doubtfully until a small boulder
we  clambered  across the drawbridge   bouncing  just  over  my  head  dis-
over  a  stream  at  the  mountain's   tracted me.
foot, "that there wasn't no mountain
here at all."                          "Right  up  there," he replied, nod-
                                       ding calmly.
"I see," I said agreeably. "You woke
up one morning and there it was?"      I  started  to  say something, but I
                                       wasn't sure what it was going to be,
"Oh,  no," he said, shaking his head   so  I just sort of cleared my throat
solemnly as we began picking our way   and  let  it  go.   Evidently,  this
along a narrow and rather unsettling   offended  my  guide,  whose word was
path.  "It wasn't nothing to do with   not  to  be  questioned.   Dodging a
waking  up in the morning, that much   hail  of  fist  sized rocks, he con-
I  remember for certain." He paused,   tinued  testily,  "If you weren't so
waiting  until the roar of the small   new  around  here, you'd know all of
avalanche  I'd  set off with a care-   this already."
less  step had faded somewhat.  "No,
I  went  to  bed one night and there   By now we had come to what looked to
was  no  mountain.   But  it was the   me like a test.  There was a ledge a
middle  of the night that I felt, or   ways  over our heads, and between us
anyway,  I  guess  most everybody in   and   the  ledge  were  four  steps.
town  felt  it,  it  was  a huge, an   Unfortunately,  all  four steps were
enormous  earthquake.  Felt like the   the same height.  I couldn't see how
entire  city was going to slide into   this  was  of any help to us until I
the Bay, and all of us with it."       noticed that my guide was staring at
                                       a  number  of  small  buttons to the
I  nodded  politely -- cheerfully, I   side of the staircase.  Each button,
hoped  --  but  his  mention  of  an   I   realized,  had  writing  on  it.
earthquake  combined  with the sight   "Maybe  if you push those letters in
of  a mountain goat rolling down the   the  right  order,  the  steps  will
slope  and across the trail in front   change places," I suggested.
of  us  had  made quite a dent in my
confidence.   "And  that's  when you   He  seemed  unimpressed.  "Any ideas
saw   the  mountain  for  the  first   for which one to punch first?"
time?" I asked.
                                       I   hadn't   really  given  it  much
"No,"  he  answered.   "The mountain   thought.  I tried to remember all my
had  been  there  for  a  long time.   old spelling rules, but they  didn't
Where  we're  standing right now, or   didn't help much. "Was it R before S
anyway  on  the  ground  below where   except after E?  No, S before O, and
                                   -10-                             More...
  
  
    
  
  
  
Z...   Well, just Z, I guess.  And O   on.   My curiosity got the better of
before R unless there's a full moon?   me. I looked down. I gulped. I tried
Hmmm." I wasn't getting anywhere, so   to  get my mind off the abyssal drop
I  decided to keep quiet and let him   that awaited my next inevitable mis-
solve the problem.  He managed it in   step.   I  looked back at the ledge.
just  under half an hour, though his   My  guide  stood,  grinning, on what
methods he would never divulge.        looked  from  my  position like very
                                       solid  ground.  I clenched my teeth,
"So  if  this  mountain was floating   then tried to relax.  I tried to get
along  so happily for all that time,   him talking again.
why  the  earthquake?   How'd it get
down here?"                            "Wouldn't  they  have  to  wait till
                                       whenever  Orhan  was  supposed to be
My   guide  paused  while  two  hill   above it, and look at it then?"
trolls,  apparently too caught up in
their  mating  ritual to notice they   "Oh, what do you know? They're gods.
were  moving, careened down the face   They  know the moon moves.  Not only
of  the  mountain  just ahead of us,   that, they even know why.  They know
then answered, "It was the gods." He   how to make it move where they want,
was  edging  steadily west along the   and when, too."
ledge  as  he grunted this, though I
could  hardly  see where he hoped we   I  supposed  that made sense.  For a
were  going.  As I made my way along   brief  moment,  I fought the urge to
the same ledge, he continued.  "They   beg  the  gods  who could move moons
weren't  quite  sure what that moun-   where they willed to come get me off
tain was doing up there, either.  So   this  ledge, but I was almost to the
they decided to come take a look."     safety  of  the  platform.  "So what
                                       did  they  do?   They  just  brought
"They  just  flew down from Orhan to   Orhan around and had a look?"
check  out  some  mountain  that was
minding  its  own business, floating   "Exactly  that." He took my hand and
around in midair?"                     led  me  towards  a  trellis where a
                                       small  cab  was waiting.  I'd barely
"Well,   no,   not  exactly."  Small   had  time  to  notice  a  small pool
plants  were  ripping  free from the   along side of a stream that had been
mountainside in his hands, and for a   dammed,  sending the water away from
moment  or  two  he was silent as he   the  pool  and  over a paddle wheel,
worked  his  way around a final bend   when  he  nudged me into the cab.  A
in  the  ledge.   Though  I could no   moment  later he was in the cab too,
longer   see  him,  I  guessed  he'd   and  with  a lurch we were moving up
reached the end of the ledge, as his   the  side  of  the  mountain.   As I
voice   didn't  sound  as  strained.   looked out the windows of the wooden
"You  know how lazy they'd gotten in   cab  we  rode  in,  I  couldn't help
the  last  few centuries.  They hate   noticing that the trellis beneath us
leaving  their  home at all, if they   didn't look terribly sturdy.
don't have to." I followed his voice
as  I clung to the mountain, inching   "And   they   decided  the  mountain
my  way along this slender ledge and   belonged  on the ground, instead?" I
praying I wouldn't be curious enough   asked, finding myself with something
to  look  down.   "And," he went on,   new to need distracting from.
"as  you know, they only chose Orhan
for  their  home  because  it  moves   "Well, no," he said, smiling cruelly
across the entire world, every day."   as  a  rock  bouncing off the top of
                                       the   cab   knocked  us  partly  off
"Well, how would that help them come   balance  and  partly off the trellis
take  a  look  at  our  mountain?" I   as  well.  "Here, just lean this way
asked,  finally  clearing  the  last   for a while, till another rock comes
curve  of  the  ledge and seeing the   along.   They  almost  always strike
wider platform my guide was standing   each   side   in  turns."  The  word
                                   -11-                               More.
  
  
    
  
  
  
"almost"   brought   a  lump  to  my   from somewhere above and very nearly
throat.   "No,  the gods were rather   knocked  the  cab  entirely  off the
busy  admiring  the  view.   It's  a   track.   With  a  shudder,  I turned
lovely  mountain, really, especially   towards  the wall of fog ahead of me
if  you're  not trying to climb it."   and   took   a  few  hesitant  steps
With  a  loud boom, a second boulder   forward.  When I could no longer see
struck the top of the cab and, as my   my hands, I came to a halt.
guide had predicted, we were knocked
back  into  a more balanced position   "Where  are  you?"  my  guide called
over  the  trellis.   I  immediately   from somewhere in front of me.
tried  to throw myself to the center
of  the  cab  for fear I would over-   "Here!" I called back.
balance us to the other side.
                                       "Don't move." I was quite content to
"Anyway,"  he  continued,  seemingly   follow  this  instruction.  The next
indifferent  to  our  recent  escape   minute,  a  hand flapped once, twice
from  certain  death, "the gods were   across  my  face  and  settled on my
admiring the view, and one or two of   nose.   From  just  in front of me I
them  had  begun  arguing about what   heard  his  voice.  "Belladonna?  Is
should  be  done  with the mountain.   that  you?"  For  answer  I  bit his
One  said,  'Bring  it  up to Orhan.   finger.   "Here,"  he said, pressing
It's too nice a mountain to leave it   some  kind  of  rope  into my hands.
here  on Kulthea.' Another wanted to   "These  just  sort of grow along the
just  leave  it where it was, 'since   wall  up  ahead.  This is how we get
the  mortals  probably think we have   up the rest of the way."
something to do with its being there
in  the  first  place,  and  they're   Figuring out what he wanted me to do
likely  all the more awed because of   with  the  rope  took even less time
it.' Well, pretty soon they were all   than  doing it, and in minutes I was
talking at once, each trying to con-   at the top of Iorak's Reach, or so I
vince the others simultaneously that   supposed.    He   wasted   no   time
their idea was the best."              admiring  the  view.   "We're  going
                                       through  here," he said, pointing to
The  cab  had reached the top of the   a  small  opening  in  a nearby rock
trellis  now,  and  we got out, he a   wall.    I  felt  somewhat  cheated.
little  more  steadily  than  I, I'm   Looking  up, I saw Orhan so close it
afraid.   We  were  on  another wide   seemed  like  I  could touch it, but
platform,  but  the far side of this   obviously  the mountain went up even
one  was  entirely  lost in fog.  My   farther.   Tlilok was in clear view.
guide  began  walking  into the fog.   I  suddenly began to wonder how long
Before  he'd taken two steps, I lost   we'd been climbing.  It was no later
sight of him.                          than  noon  when we'd started up the
                                       hill, yet here it was clearly night.
"We  can't  be  going in there.  How   My  guide  had  disappeared already,
will we know when to duck?"            though, so without further thought I
                                       went  through  the  opening  he  had
"Relax," he answered. "We're practi-   pointed out to me.
cally at the top of the mountain, or
this part anyway. There's hardly any   I  found  him waiting for me, seated
thing left to fall on us from here."   on  the floor of a chamber with just
                                       a single onyx altar for furnishings.
That  didn't  reassure me as much as   He  pointed  up.   I  could see many
he might have hoped. If we were that   small holes in the ceiling above us,
close  to  the top, then we had that   but before I could begin to make out
much  farther  to  fall if we walked   what  pattern  they  might  form,  a
the  wrong way in the fog.  I looked   shaft  of  moonlight  broke  through
back  almost fondly at the cab as it   several of the tiny openings.  I was
rested  wearily  at  the  top of the   hardly  surprised  to note the light
trellis but just then a boulder fell   fell  on the altar, making a kind of
                                   -12-                             More...
  
  
    
  
  
  
star  pattern.  What did surprise me   Stranger  advice  I never heard, but
was  the noise it made.  I had never   for  whatever reason, I took it.  In
heard noisy moonlight before.          the room below there was a pool, and
                                       I  tried  to  sit in it.  As soon as
"What  in  Kulthea and Orhan is that   I'd  put  my right foot in the pool,
noise?" I asked, imaginatively.        and  then  put my weight on my right
                                       foot,  however,  I realized the time
"They're  trying again," he grinned.   for  thinking  was past.  I slipped,
"See,  while  they were having their   ending  up  in  the sitting position
little  conference  about  what they   I'd  intended  all  along,  but in a
should  do  with  the mountain, they   stream  of water that flowed through
all  got too busy to think about the   an  opening  in the west wall of the
fact  that  they  were  still moving   room.
toward  the mountain the whole time.
Next  thing  they  know,  bump  goes   Before I could even try to regain my
Orhan  into the top of the mountain,   feet,  the water had carried me with
and then bump goes the mountain onto   it.   Soon  I  was  sliding  through
the  ground  it's  been  shading for   tunnels,  mostly underwater, gasping
centuries."                            at  pockets of air, and always going
                                       downhill,  moving  faster  than I've
"The  gods crashed their moon into a   ever moved before or since.
mountain?"
                                       You  may think it's hard to get lost
"Been  stuck  there  for  the better   going downhill but there were water-
part  of my life," he replied with a   ways  branching  off  to both sides.
smile. "Stuck pretty good, too. What   As  it happened, I had my coin purse
you're seeing here is them trying to   on my left side, so I was leaning to
get  their  moon moving again.  They   my  left almost the entire ride down
cast  all their magic into trying to   the   mountain.    By   the  time  I
push  the thing off of the mountain,   arrived,   utterly  drenched,  half-
so naturally when the moon stays put   drowned  and  airborne at the water-
the  magic  all comes flying back at   fall  spilling  out near the base of
the   mountain  instead.   But  they   the  mountain,  the  sun was shining
can't  just cast all that magic for-   again.   It slowly dawned on me that
ever or they might blow up the whole   I  was by the same lake that fed the
moon so they only go at it by whiles   stream we'd passed over on the draw-
at a time. Every so often they start   bridge in the start of our journey.
up again, though. And if you're here
when  it  happens," he winked, flip-   To this day I haven't figured out if
ping a wand onto the moonlit star on   I  was  just lying there by the lake
the  altar,  "there's  enough  magic   dreaming  the  whole  time, but if I
coming  back  down from that moon to   was,  it  must have been a prophetic
refill  as  many wands as you've got   dream.   Though I never saw my guide
the patience to sit still for."        again,  I've  been  up  the mountain
                                       many times since, and following that
That  was  enough  for  me.  How I'd   path  he  showed  me  has brought me
managed  to  get  all the way to the   through every time.
top   of   Iorak's   Reach   without      _______________________________
realizing  my  guide  was  insane  I    //                               \
didn't  know,  but  it was obviously   ||          Kelfour Edition        |
time  to  leave.  "How do I get down   ||  Rewards its contributors with  |
from here," I asked.                   ||                                 |
                                       ||         FREE WEEKENDS           |
With   an  even  broader  smile,  he   ||        In GemStone III          |
pointed  through a hole in the floor   ||                                 |
of the room with one thumb.  "Go sit   ||   Ask a GameMaster or KE Staff  |
in  the  pool,"  he  suggested.  "An   ||       Member for details        |
idea might come to you."                \\_______________________________/
                                   -13-
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
                         The Care of Familiars
 _________               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/ \ _____ \             by Elminester Silvanisti
\@| ~|_|~ |
  |  | |  |
 _|  |~|  |t had  been a  long road    can  get  into  the room where that
/@| _|~|_ | to achieve mastery over    person is.  The familiar is limited
\_/ ~~~~~ / the  small creatures of    in the same ways as a normal cat or
  ~~~~~~~~ the wood.  I had finish-    animal.   They can't find hidden or
ed  the  last stages of my research    invisible people.
toward  obtaining the spell to call
a creature to serve me.  I remember    Familiars  are  powerful  creatures
the first time that I called one of    which  can't be hurt by anything in
these  creatures.   It was a calico    our  lands.   They  are  immune  to
cat that approached me from nowhere    physical and magical attacks either
and looked at me with intelligence.    from  channeling essence or unlife.
                                       The   energy   needed   to  call  a
"What is  your command  master?" it    familiar from the pale of existence
asked.                                 they  come  from  is enormous. This
                                       explains why  they  are  immune  to
I had, so far, no  experience  com-    attacks  from  the  physical realm.
manding these creatures. Familiars,    Limited in the same way, they can't
as lore tells, are nature's spirits    attack other creatures.
(good ones) that when summoned take
over the body of a living creature.    When  a  familiar's master dies, it
They are then under the will of the    will  go to the temple of Eissa and
person who summoned it.                ask  for  help.  I have not had the
                                       privilege  (or  misfortune) of wit-
I tried to communicate with my  new    nessing this with my own familiars.
familiar.  "What  can  you  do?"  I
asked  the cat.  It looked at me as    Four  varieties  of  familiar  have
if it didn't understand, so I tried    appeared to  serve me so far.  They
a  different  approach.   I sent my    are cat,  hawk,  falcon,  and wolf.
thought to it:  "SIT."                 The most common is  the cat,  which
                                       comes  in  four  color  variations:
The  cat  answered "YES, MASTER." I    white,  black,  calico, and  tabby.
tried  several commands.  Sometimes    Cats can  go  anywhere and they are
it obeyed; others it ignored me.       quick.   The wolf comes in only one
                                       variety: grey.  A wolf familiar can
After some study, I could direct my    carry heavier  burdens  than a cat,
familiar to go in  any  direction I    and  it is very fast.  The hawk and
wanted it to.  It  would go through    the  falcon  are  the fastest; but,
doors and  climb  paths.  It  could    unlike  the  land  familiars,  they
take small objects in its mouth and    cannot carry much nor go indoors.
carry them for long distances.  The
familiar  could  send images of its    Familiars need to be  cared for and
surroundings when asked, or I could    respected.  They  have feelings the
command it to watch  the  events in    same as you do. Merely because they
its location.                          take the body of an animal  doesn't
                                       mean that they are not intelligent.
Two  attributes   make  a  familiar    Familiars cannot act for themselves
particularly useful. A familiar can    because  they   are  bound  by  the
speak  to  others  for you when you    spell that called  them  and opened
are somewhere else.  This is useful    the gate from their home. The spell
for sending  a  message  to someone    that calls a familiar forth is  one
who  is  far from  you and yet keep    of the most powerful spells, second
the message private. A familiar can    to  the  Enchant True  spell.  This
find  any  person as long as the it    spell is in the mage base list.
                                   -14-                            More...
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
It appears that a familiar  absorbs    frustration  whenever  my  familiar
its host's memories so that it  can    has an "accident" on him ;).
behave  as  normally  as  possible.
Though  a  familiar  does not  need    I have found when I call a familiar
physical sustenance, the host still    I  get  the  same "spirit" although
needs food and  water  to  survive.    the  host  may  change  each  time.
The  purpose of  feeding a familiar    Whenever I cast the spell, the gate
is primarily to allow its host body    to  the  realm  where  my  familiar
to  survive   after   the  familiar    lives  opens.  Upon arriving in our
leaves  it.  As  the  master  of  a    plane  the spirit immediately takes
familiar, I must hunt for it, since    over  the first available host.  If
it  cannot  harm  anything  in  our    I  am  indoors,  the  familiar will
plane. Cats are the easiest to care    take   over  the  body  of  a  cat.
for.   If  I bring a giant rat from    Outdoors,  you  never know what you
the  catacombs,  the  cat  will eat    will get.
about  half  of it and be satisfied
for the duration of the spell.         Each time I call my familiar I find
                                       out more about it and its home.  As
Wolves are more selective and won't    I  said, familiars come from one of
eat rats. Their preferred morsel is    many  pales, mostly from the higher
torkaans, but  they will  also  eat    pales  which are closer to our dim-
wolverines,  karnelins, and threks.    ension.   You could call them Imps,
Wolves won't  touch  anything  that    a  lower  form  of  demonic  being.
isn't fresh or anything killed with    Higher   forms   are   only  to  be
a spell. This forces me to kill the    commanded   by  the  most  powerful
food   animal  with   my  sword.  I    sorcerers.
usually kill just  torkaans  but it
takes about four to satisfy a wolf.    The familiar which I call forth has
One threk  would  be  enough, but I    led  me  to see  that its home is a
only  hunt  them  when  I feel like    violent one.  Spirits are hunted as
giving the familiar a treat.           food  by the most powerful denizens
                                       of   the   lower   pales:   djinni,
Hawks and falcons  prefer  eels and    devils,  and demons.  This explains
worms from the  coast. These  foods    why their life span is so short.
are hard to obtain, however, so  if
I happen to call  a hawk or falcon,    Familiars  welcome  being called to
I dismiss it almost at once.           our  world  because the few minutes
                                       of  existence  here  is an eternity
Another  thing to take into account    for  them.   The next time that you
is that whenever you walk with your    see  a  familiar,  pet it; it might
familiar   around   town,  you  are    end  in  the jaws of a mighty djinn
responsible for any "accident" that    when it returns home.  And don't be
the host may have.  More  than once    mad if you step on an "accident" or
the constable has had a little talk    something drops on you.
with me about "accidents" that  one
of my cats had. I usually walk with             /\           /\
a  small  bag and hope that nothing            /. \         / .\
happens.                                      /. . \_______/ . .\
                                             /                   \
I  make  wolves  stay  out  of town         (                     )
because  with  them  I would need a         (   (___       ___)   )
wagon  to  clean  up  one  of their         (   /()\       /()\   )
"accidents."  Hawks and falcons are         (    ~~         ~~    )
more fun in this respect.  Whenever          (   .    ) (     .  )
the constable  gives  me  too  much           (   ..  ___   ..  )
trouble  (I still haven't forgotten            (    . \_/   .  )
the time  that  he  arrested  me) I             (      |_     )
call  a hawk or falcon and  make it                \_______/
follow him. I enjoy the constable's
                                   -15-
  
  
    
  
  
  
                       Why I Will Survive In Kulthea
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 _____________             by Flavor Da'Fearless
/ \ _________ \
\@| ||=|=|=|| |his is everyone's fav-  climbing skill so I could get up the
  | ~~ |_| ~~ | orite Flavor, Flavor   trail in lessor orc/cockatrice land.
 _|    |_|    | Da'Fearless Fighter.
/@|   _|_|_   | And it is  because I   Secondly,  people  have  critized me
\_/___________/ am a  fighter that I   because  I  have learned how to pick
ask  you  not  to  be to judgemental   locks.   Not  that I'm any threat to
about  my advice.  I feel that there   Lord  Moonpie, Lord of All That Goes
are   three  kinds  of  fighters  in   Click,  but knowing how to pick does
Kulthea. First, there are the Lords,   help.   There have been times when I
such as my big brother Lord Gilthor.   have  dumped metal breastplates so I
These   types  are  called  superior   could  carry a chest, only to find a
fighters.   They  can do practically   bunch  of  agates  in it later.  Not
anything  they desire to practically   good.  Picking chests is good and is
anything  they  desire  to do it to.   not  a skill that should belong only
Next  there are the medial fighters.   to thieves!
These  fighters  are  in  the middle
levels, six to nineteen, with decent   Thirdly,  many  of  the  weapons  in
training.                              Kulthea  are  one  handed:  daggers,
                                       falchions,  broadswords  and others.
Then,  of course, there are the new-   However, don't let this convince you
bies -- those who achieve great hits   to  train  in  one-handed edged.  By
on  hobs for their level.  As I have   all  means,  buy a weapon that suits
classified  three  levels, there are   your  training.   I  just ask you to
also   sublevels:   The  eager,  who   remember  this:   It  is  true  that
train  in  everything  -- one-handed   someone  who  has split his training
edged,   one-handed  crushing,  two-   between  three  weapons will be able
handed   edged,  staffs/bow  weapons   to attack with multiple weapons, but
amongst others; the average fighter,   in  the  long  run,  I  will  have a
who  splits  his  development points   higher  bonus by specializing in one
evenly  amongst weapon training; and   weapon.   I  will  also  have  other
types  like  me, the specialist, who   skills  such  as  lock  picking that
concentrate training in one area.      they  won't  have -- which is why I,
                                       Flavor   Da'Fearless  Fighter,  will
In  defense  of  specialists, I have   survive in Kulthea.
often  been  asked, "Flavor, can you
use   two-handed   swords?"  When  I   Peace.
reply, "No," I hear remarks such as,
"We  need  to  talk  about  being  a
fighter."  This  is  nonsense.  Now,      _______________________________
wait...   I'm  not  writing  another     |\_____________________________/|
Guide  to Building a Better Fighter,     | |                           | |
I'm  just  attempting to highlight a     | |                           | |
few  of  the  advantages  of being a     | |      HELGA'S TAVERN       | |
specialist.    For   example,   when     | |                           | |
starting  out,  I found that I had a     | |                           | |
small  number of development points.     | |         BE THERE          | |
And  since  I  had played before and     | |                           | |
had a drake falchion waiting for me,     | |___________________________| |
which  is a one-handed edged weapon,     |/_____________________________\|
I  trained  in  that  skill.  Then I
studied  picking locks and disarming
chests  after  I'd  fully trained in       Is there REALLY a place called
body  development  and  other essen-       the Thingful Mansion in town??
tials.   I also made sure I got some
                                   -16-
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
                         To BB, or Not to BB...
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by Gallenod Varynesti
 ______________       GemStone III Category Leader
/ \ ____  ____ \
\@| ~| |  | |~ |
  |  |~|--|~|  |i!   Instead  of in-   attacks  or  obscene language; GEnie
 _|  |~|--|~|  | flicting another of   is a family network, after all.  You
/@| _|~|  |~|_ | my stories  on you,   can  post  an  insulting  message in
\_/ ~~~~  ~~~~ /  I   thought   this   character  to another GemStone char-
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ would be a good time   acter  as  long  as you keep this in
to  toss  out some information about   mind.    We  encourage  roleplaying.
what's  going on in our areas of the   However,   anyone  who  exceeds  the
GEnie Multi-Player  Games RoundTable   bounds of good taste will be advised
(MPGRT) and what you can get into if   of that, and if they persist in vio-
you're not already active there.  If   lating  these rules their privileges
you're  an  experienced  RT customer   in the bulletin board can be revoked
you  may  want  to skip past all the   based  on  the  procedures setout in
basic info and just head straight to   the  RoundTable policy and the GEnie
the  description of what Gira looked   *POLICY.
like  after  she drank a Purple Haze
in  the  Drooping Dragon Pub and her   That's   not   normally  a  problem.
armor  melted  off.  (If you have no   People   participate  here  for  any
idea what I'm referring to, then you   number  of legitimate reasons.  Some
may  wish to read the entire text so   have  questions  they want answered,
you'll  be  able  to  deal  with  it   and  some  have  the answer.  Others
rationally when we get there.)         come  to  participate in discussions
                                       of   technical  points  of  GemStone
There  are  three  areas  in the RT,   rules and game mechanics.  Many have
located  on  GEnie  page  1045:  The   suggestions  for improvements to the
Bulletin  Boards (BB), the Real-Time   game  and  post  them  here  so  the
Conference  area (RTC), and the Lib-   Simutronics  staff  can see not only
raries.  All are valuable sources of   their  suggestions,  but  the  other
information.                           players' reactions to them.  We also
                                       have  some talented story-tellers in
Most  of  the  action happens in the   the  group,  as well as our cloud of
BB.   Our  CATegories are numbers 17   resident gadflies.
through  20.  We have technical dis-
cussions  about  spells  and combat,   Good posters do one of three things:
stories   of  heroes  and  villains,   ask, inform, or entertain. All three
pleas for help, and even our own pub   if they're really talented.  We have
to  hang  out  in.   The  number  of   a  variety  of topics that cover al-
messages  that show up in those four   most  everything  you'd ever want to
CATegories  is quite amazing; I went   talk   about.   Unfortunately,  dis-
away  for two weeks at Christmas and   cussion  in  some  topics  tends  to
found  over  2800  new  messages  in   "drift" every once in a while.  This
there when I got back -- both infor-   can  be  confusing  to  someone  who
mative and entertaining.               opens a  topic  on  weapons, only to
                                       find a spirited discussion of spells
Our primary purpose is simple:  bul-   in  progress.  Please try to stay on
letin  boards  are a way for players   topic.   If  you  drift, we'll even-
and  staff  to communicate with each   tually  get  around  to giving you a
other  in a public forum.  Just like   nudge   in   the   right  direction.
a  real  bulletin  board,  you  post   (Which  may  involve  moving  a  few
notes  for  others to read, and they   messages,  too.) Please bear in mind
post notes for you.  Because this is   that  your  Cat  Leaders are here to
a  public  forum,  however,  we have   try  and  keep  things organized for
some  restrictions  on  what you can   your benefit.
post.    We   don't  allow  personal                                More...
                                   -17-
  
  
    
  
  
  
Every   Thursday  night  we  have  a   perfect  gentleman,  and  hopes that
GemStone discussion in Room 9 of the   this  positive  endorsement will not
RTC.  Topics  range from clinics for   cause  irreparable   damage  to Lord
new  players  to guest speakers.  In   Moonpie's reputation.]
January, for instance, we had a dis-
cussion  of Gladitorial Game tactics   ...and  it's  a  good thing we found
in  the RTC  right before the Games.   that block and tackle.  See what fun
Last month, Kygar came and talked to   we have in there?
a  small  but  spirited (many of our
visitors  were actually just waiting   If  you  have questions, catch me in
to be ressed:) discussion of quests,   the game or send GE Mail to Fnord at
mini-events  and  GM  NPCS.   On the   E.ARCHIBALD or Gallenod at D.LONG23.
19th  of  March at 10:00 PM ET, Lord   If   you  think  we're  the  problem
Elvanion  Darkbolt  was  the  guest.   rather  than  the  cure, our Boss is
(By the way, no weapons or offensive   Carrie  Washburn  (and her staff) at
spells  were  allowed in the RTC for   MPGAMES.   Write her if you like us,
that  one.:)  On March 26th, I did a   too,  but  we won't hold our breath.
clinic  on  combat math.  Aside from
the RTC with Elvanion (he apparently
wanted to make sure the sun would be
all  the  way  down before he logged    ____________     The Last Hurrah
on) our RTCS start at 9:30 EST.        / \ _________\    """""""""""""""
                                       \@| ||=|=|=|| |    by Ise Ikiryo
Our  most underused area is probably     | ~~ |_| ~~ |
the  library.   Yes,  you have down-    _|    |_|    |he night was unusual-
loaded this fine newsletter from it,   /@|   _|_|_   | ly cold.  Pulling my
but  do  you also know about all the   \_/__________/  cloak tightly around
maps,  hints,  and other interesting   my  body,  and I was walking towards
bits that live there?  And uploading   the  town  gates  when  I sensed his
is  free!   Just  found a new way to   presence.   I  had not seen him in a
get  out  of  the  second  level  of   long time and went looking for him.
Claedesbrim Dungeon that no one else
knows  about?   Earn  the thanks and   I  found him in the Hall of Lords in
admiration  of  your  fellow  adven-   the House of Arcane Masters.  He was
turers  by loading it in the library   just standing, unmoving, in complete
for all to see.                        silence, gazing at the mural.  There
                                       were  tears  in  his  eyes.   I  ap-
What's that, you ask?  What did Gira   proached  him  silently  and waited.
look  like  after  her  armor melted   He  turned  around  to  face  me and
off?   It was in the Drooping Dragon   began to talk about days long past.
Pub in Cat 20.  She had the nerve to
call my pub "dimly lit," so I wanted   I  looked at him with a sudden real-
to  show  her  we  had  some serious   ization,  shocking  and painful.  My
brew.  I served her a Purple Haze, a   heart sank as my fears came true. He
drink  so  strong  that if you drink   was leaving the lands.  Forever.  We
one,  the  person  next  to you gets   looked  at  each  other  for a time,
double-vision.   When that drink hit   then we embraced.
her    Godlike   constitution,   the
resulting heat melted her adamantine   I  watched  with great sadness and a
armor  to  slag.   Well, let me tell   heavy  heart as he walked slowly out
you, it wasn't....                     of  the  hall  and  into  the night.
                                       Words  cannot  express  the  grief I
[We interrupt this discussion for an   felt  for  the  passing  of  an  old
important  announcement:   Lady Gira   friend,  a  friend  made a long time
Gavilan wishes to thank Lord Moonpie   ago,  when  the  world was young and
Legend for helping her out while she   beautiful.
was under the foul influence of some
evil brew called a Purple Haze.  She   Farewell, Dagmar, you will be dearly
wishes  to  point  out that he was a   missed.
                                   -18-
  
  
    
  
  
  
                           Jewelry in Kulthea
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                   From the Libraries of House |{nightsaber
  
  
A Delicate Platinum Ring               A coral necklace
  This fine ring made of platinum is     A necklace made from the skeletons
  known   to  possess  some  magical     of tiny sea animals.
  properties.
                                       A moss covered ring
A Silver Earcuff                         This  strange  looking  ring casts
  This   exquisite  example  of  the     the level 3 spell airwall from the
  jeweler's art is suitable for both     Open  Channeling list when rubbed.
  ladies  and  gentlemen.   Made  of     Covered  with  moss,  it  seems to
  fine  silver,  it  is  reported to     make its owner itch.
  give  its  wielder  the ability to
  have  ESP  powers similar to those   An onyx wristlet
  found in crystal amulets.              A  deathly  black wristlet rumored
                                         to offer some magical properties.
A White Gold Band
  This band is of finest white gold,   A gold earring in shape of a skull
  an  heirloom  of  gnollish crafts-     This  earring,  most  likely found
  manship.  The satiny sheen of this     from  some  dead  sea  pirate goes
  bracelet  has been caused by years     well with any thieves ensemble.
  of  rubbing.  With a rub, the user
  is  able  to casts the spell Haste   A wrist sundial
  II giving him lightning speed.         Worn  on the wrist.  This lets the
                                         owner tell time by calculating the
A Crystal Earring                        position  of  the sun with respect
  Beautiful  item,  made from finest     to the horizon and season.
  water crystal. Expertly faceted to
  catch  the  light and sparkle with   A glowing steel lockpick
  all the colors of the rainbow.         A  small lockpick made of hardened
                                         steel;  also  possessing  a strong
A Silver Pentagram                       inner glow.
  This  little  gem was found near a
  wizard's  grave.  Lets the wielder   A pair of rose colored spectacles
  casts Wizard's Shield.                 These  spectacles make an ignorant
                                         fighter  look  like  an  ingenious
A Silver Bracelet                        mage  when  worn.   Seems  to give
  This  fine silver bracelet is made     it's owner a intellectual look.
  of  the  purest sterling, polished
  to  a  flawless  shine  and etched   A large gold earring
  with  a runic design.  Matches any     A smooth earring of solid gold.
  outfit and enhances any ensemble.
                                       A black opal ring
A braided grass band                     A  black  translucent inlaid stone
  A  simple, plain looking band made     fit into  a ring.  This ring gives
  from a special pouch in the lands.     its  owner  the  ability to create
                                         powerful magical firestorms.
A litch bone ring
  This  ring  is  made  from  a dead   A braided silver wire wristlet
  litches  bones, however no magical     A small wire wristlet made of fine
  properties has yet been found.         silver.

A sapphire ring
  A  clear  blue  ring  inlaid  with
  bright sapphires.                                                 More...
                                   -19-
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
An ominous skull ring                    allows  the  wielder to remove the
  Who  knows  what  sort  of secrets     deadly poisons in someone's blood.
  could  be hidden in this artifact?
  At   the   very  least,  it  looks   A magical diamond ring
  frightening  and has scared many a     A  ring  made from a fine diamond,
  child away from its sight.             allowed  the  wielder  to cast the
                                         spell  Wizard's  Shield.   After 4
A pair of pearl earrings                 rubs, it shattered on its own.
  Made  of ivory white pearls, these
  earrings look fit for a princess.    A large pear shaped diamond pendant
                                         This  powerful pendant is known to
A delicate ankle bracelet                cast powerful magics.
  This delicate item fits around the
  ankle  of its owner.  A fine addi-   A moonstone necklace
  tion to any outfit.                    A necklace made from a moonstone.
  
A titanium ring                        A silvery wristband
  This   powerful   ring   made   of     There  are  rumors of other wrist-
  hardened titanium gives it's owner     bands  similar  to this one in the
  some minor protection(+15) against     lands.   It  allows  the  user  to
  physical and elemental attacks.        magically  clean  his  armor  to a
                                         shiny  glimmer  with a mere rub.
A mother of pearl necklace
  This  valuable strand of pearls is   An aquamarine earcuff
  seen  in  the  olden  days worn by     An   earcuff  made  of  aquamarine
  many  healers.   It  is  known  to     being  a transparent blue-green in
  cast the spell Heal II.                color.
  
A malachite pendant                    A delicate silver ankle bracelet
  Another   healing  artifact,  this     A  small  ankle  bracelet  in  the
  pendant  casts  the  spell  Heal I     shape of a chain of flowers.
  when rubbed.
                                       A crown of gaily colored ribbons
A silver medal of Heroism              that trail down in long, wavy plaits
  A  medal showing everyone that you     Ribbons worn that gives its  owner
  have done a Heroic deed.               an  exotic look.  Matches any gown
                                         and great for causing quite a stir
A White Eog Ring                         in local taverns.
  This   powerful   ring  gives  its
  wielder godlike abilities that are   Black pearl necklaces
  known  only  to  a few people.  It     This  powerful necklace is made of
  seems  not to surface in the lands     deep black pearls which allows the
  often  and  is  known  that no one     owner to cast Heal II when rubbed.
  belonging  to  any society may use
  it.                                  Healing bracelets
                                         Another  healing  item, this casts
A Black Eog Ring                         one   of   the   spells  from  the
  Another  powerful  ring, the oppo-     healer's base spell list.
  site  to the white eog ring, it is
  used  by  those  in the Council of   Dragon brooches
  Light   and   gives   its  wielder     A decorative pin in the shape of a
  immense abilities.                     dragon.
  
A shimmering neckchain                 A golden dragon ring
  A  shiny  neckchain which seems to     Acquiring  this ring was a story in
 shimmer uncontrolably.                  itself   and  its  properties  are
                                         still  not  widely spread.  Inlaid
An emerald ring                          with  gold,  this  ring  is etched
  This old artifact is made from the     with the shape of a dragon.
  finest emeralds in the lands and -20-              [Continued on Page 36]
  
  
    
  
  
  
 ____________               Surviving Level One
/ \   ____   \              """""""""""""""""""
\@| /~/~~\\  |             by Metaboculous Griden
  ||~|    ~~ |
 _||~|  |==| |ood  day,  my   fellow   Another thing: Don't put your weapon
/@| \~\__//  | warriors. I'd like to   on   the  ground;  put  it  in  your
\_/  ~~~~~   / take a moment to talk   backpack.   I  watched  a  manticore
  ~~~~~~~~~~~  to the  new people in   pick up a special weapon one day and
Kelfour's  Landing and say, "Hello."   run off with it.
My  subject is setting your parry so
that  you  can  live  long enough to   If  you  don't have a weapon in your
really  enjoy  this  game.   I would   right  hand,  you  lose  its  OB for
also  like  to thank Thantis for his   defensive  purposes.   Then the only
article    in   February's   Kelfour   OB  that  you  can add to your DB is
Edition.   I  recommend that article   your  brawling  skill.   A  note  on
to  all  newcomers.  Thantis offered   brawling,  for  those  fighters  and
some very good advice.                 thieves  who  will be picking chests
                                       out  in the wilds:  it would be wise
So   you've   rolled   a  character,   to  train at least once per level in
equipped  him,  and  someone who has   brawling.   When you are picking you
told  you  how  to get to the kobold   have  to  wear  your  shield and put
forest.  Great!  You're ready go get   your  weapon away, only leaving your
waxed!  And you will be if you don't   lockpick   in   your   right   hand.
understand how to set your parry.      Without  brawling,  your  DB even at
                                       full  parry might not be high enough
The  first  tactic  I see some first   to keep you from getting killed if a
level players use is to try to match   critter walks in.
their  DB  to  their  attacker's OB.
Below  is  an example of when not to   For  those who don't know, THT is To
do this.  (Of course, I couldn't get   Hit  Threshold.  Modified, it is the
a  critter  to  roll  a  100  for my   final result of the attacker's roll.
examples  when I had the capture on,   If the modified value is higher than
but  they  rolled  'em  as soon as I   the  THT,  then  the  attacker makes
turned  it off.  Yes, I bit the dust   contact.   At  this  point there are
trying to get examples for this <g>.   other  things that happen, depending
Lesson  1:  Critters will roll a 100   on  the  weapon  and  the amount the
as soon as you don't want them to!)    roll is over the THT.
  
A  Hill  Troll  swings  a  twohanded   There  are several very good and in-
sword at you!                          depth  articles  in  past KE'S about
                                       armor  and weapons.  Many hard hours
     OB: 90 vs DB: 91 = -1             and real dollars were put into these
THT 79, d100 roll: 45, modified: 44    articles  so  other  people wouldn't
        Weapon clash!                  have  to  spend  the  time or money.
  [STR/BF:  75/200  vs.  90/200,       Take  a  little time to browse these
      (open)D100 = -41]                files   and   download   them.   The
                                       articles  include  tables on THT for
I  got lucky here.  Forgot to remove   each  weapon  against  each  type of
my  shield which would have added 20   armor  and  tables  for  monster hit
to my DB.  You can see that any roll   points, just as an example.  So take
of  80  or  more  could have hit for   a few minutes and go through some of
some  damage,  and  a roll of 95-100   the past editions.
might  have stunned me.  When you're
stunned, your DB is lowered.  If the   All  right,  so  now you know how to
hit  knocks  you  to the ground, you   keep  from  getting killed.  Next is
better  hope  the monster rolls real   what  to  hunt,  so let's talk about
low,  because  your DB is reduced by   some  critters.   First,  there  are
50 points.                             kobolds.   Little wimpy critters for
                                   -21-                             More...
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
level one players, these carry short   Now   on  to  hobgoblins.   This  is
swords  worth 23 at pawn.  They also   probably  the  most popular area for
carry   various  items  and  chests.   younger levels to hunt, but you have
Their  OB  is  10,  which means they   to  watch  out for lesser orcs.  For
will   probably  have  a  hard  time   fighter  types these aren't too hard
hitting  you.   The  dangerous  part   to  hit,  but if you are a mage it's
about   hunting   kobolds   is  that   not likely you can fight them.
karnelin and wolverines frequent the
area.   These  will  kill  ya pretty   Forest   trolls  also  frequent  the
quick  if  they  walk  in while your   area.   These are level six critters
parried down fighting a kob.           and  hard  to  hit.   However,  they
                                       carry  cudgels which they can hardly
If you have a good OB and decent DB,   use, so their THT against your heavy
you   can  fight  sea  nymphs.   Sea   hide  is  99.   You  can  parry down
nymphs  are  nice  because  the only   against these.
other  critters  that  roam  the top
path  in the Coastal Cliffs area are   Warning!   If  you  break  a troll's
carrion  worms.   Once  I  did see a   weapon, it can claw and bite you and
bounder   wander  in  there,  but  I   its THT against you drops to 66.  It
believe  it  might have been chased.   can  wax  ya  in  a  heartbeat then!
Carrion  worms  are a little feisty,   Another thing about claws--if a claw
and  they do bite, but they don't go   attack  hits,  even  for just 2 cps,
to  the  west  side  of  the  Cliffs   there is an automatic critical roll.
unless chased.                         If  you  fail this by enough you can
                                       die  instantly,  no matter how well-
Here's  a sea nymph swinging at some   armored you are.
heavy hide.  Notice its THT:
                                       Now  a  word on parry tagging.  It's
A sea  nymph swings a dagger at you!   totally  up  to you.  "Parry tag" is
                                       to  be  at parry 100, wait until the
    OB: 41 vs DB: 166 = -125           critter  swings  at  you, then parry
THT 94, d100 roll: 89, modified: -36   down to 0 and swing, then parry back
        A clean miss.                  up to 100 as soon as possible.  Some
                                       critters  have  a  longer round time
You swing a  midnight black falchion   than  you  do,  so  this not so dan-
at a sea nymph!                        gerous...  well maybe!
  
    OB: 32 vs DB: 35 = -3              Say you mistype and don't realize it
THT 66, d100 roll: 65,  modified: 66   in  time.   Or while you're in round
        A clean miss.                  time  at  parry  0,  another critter
                                       walks  in  and swings at you.  Well,
If you are a fighter type you should   you   just  might  be  reading  that
have the OB to hit these. If you are   scrolling  page  of  the things that
a mage, fear not.  They are decently   are said when you die, especially if
easy  to  sleep.   Once they hit the   you're  in  kobolds  and  a karnelin
ground  their DB drops to -15, and a   walks in on your fight.
rapier  has  a  THT  of  56  against
nymphs.   With minimum patience, you   I  learned  this  the  hard  way and
can  fight  these  with little worry   personally don't parry tag.  The few
about  getting  killed.   Sea nymphs   times  I've tried I have been burned
also carry chests and other items.     by   it.   However,  several  people
                                       swear  by  it,  so it's your choice.
The  next  area is the old mine road   Clerics need EXP too!  Good luck and
on  the  way to the Graveyard.  Here   good hunting!
you  can  find  kobolds  and  lesser
orcs.   These are easier to hit than       =============\\=============
lesser  orcs  in  hobland,  which is
good  for  experience.  However, you
won't make any money here.
                                   -22-
  
  
    
  
  
  
                              A Call to Arms
  ____________                """"""""""""""
 / \  ______  \             B'halthon d'Anathur
\@| /~/~~\~\ |
  ||~|    |~|| n  a  night  not too   the  streets   unhindered  by   the
 _||~|    |~|| long  ago,  an  evil   forces of law.
/@| \~\__/~/ | black chalice  found
\_/  ~~~~~~  / its way to our  town   To whom,  then, the  credit for the
  ~~~~~~~~~~~  well and  minions of   survival of  our town?    While  it
the  unLife found their way  beyond   would be impossible in a day's time
the gates. Summoned by the  chalice   or less  to recount the innumerable
or  drawn by  some nameless  power,   instances of  heroism and  selfless
this unimpeded arrival in our midst   sacrifice offered  up by the town's
raises questions about the  ability   doughty  warriors,  healers,  mages
and dedication of our gate  guards,   and  thieves,   no  small   mention
although the  subsequent battles on   should be made of the contributions
the  streets  of  our  home,  often   of one Taarna, cleric.  Putting her
raging  in  the  square,  sometimes   favored status  with  the  gods  in
pressing against  the very walls of   considerable jeopardy,  she  called
Eissa's temple, proved beyond doubt   on  the  powers  of  Orhan  for  an
the  valor   and  determination  of   accounting of the sudden appearance
Kelfour's clerics and other staunch   of the  unLife  and  the  likeliest
defenders.                            means of  its correction.   Without
                                      the  aid   of  perhaps   the   most
One   of    the   more   surprising   dedicated cleric  of Kulthea in the
contributions to the night's action   struggle against  the  unLife,  the
was that  of  the  town  constable.   riddle  might   never   have   been
Hired to  protect the  city against   solved, and  the town,  despite the
acts of  violence  and  theft,  the   tireless   efforts    of   rangers,
constable's  only  contribution  to   clerics, sorcerors  and more, would
the city's defence was to  hurt the   have   been    entirely,    utterly
morale of the fighters, thieves and   destroyed.
others struggling to save the town.
                                      Ah, but  even the  beloved  of  the
Smiling affably, the constable with   gods  may   be  despised  in  other
the  suspicious  eyes  saw  exactly   corners,  and   no  less  could  be
nothing of  concern in  the actions   expected for  Taarna.   A  powerful
of the  spectres, wraiths, spectral   force for good, she had the undying
hounds and  other  unliving  trash.   enmity of  evil as  one portion  of
As harmless recreation he dismissed   her reward.  And if there exists in
their destruction  of all life that   Kelfour a  greater  evil  than  the
came within  their grasp. The utter   maleficent  mage,   Mallenon,   its
riot of  the citizenry in their mad   identity is unknown to this writer.
haste  to   escape  the   seemingly   Purporting  to  act  on  behalf  of
inevitable ruin  of our  good  town   Kelfour's   most    secret   shadow
was of  only slight concern to him;   society, itself loudly whispered to
he noted only that it afforded some   owe  allegiance   to  the   unLife,
opportunities to reckless looters.    Mallenon spoke of unheeded warnings
                                      as  he   murdered  Taarna  in  cold
Those that  tarried to redistribute   blood, and  in the  cleric's weapon
unguarded wealth typically paid the   stores, no less.
price, being swiftly  incarcerated,
equally swiftly  dispatched by  the   Then, oh, truly then, was the worth
ghoul  pack  that  started  oh,  so   of our good constable shown for all
small but by the bloody night's end   to see.    Swiftly  was  the  fiend
was    doing    a    heart-stopping   Mallenon   brought    to   justice!
rendition of  the Jail  House Rock,   Imprisoned, as was his onerous due!
or   falling    victim    to    the   And then, at the behest of our good
implacable, inhuman  hordes roaming   constable, released with no charges
                                   -23-       [Continued on Page 25]
  
  
    
  
  
  
  __________          The Lords Council of Kelfour
/ \      __  \        """"""""""""""""""""""""""""
\@|     / "| |            B'halthon d'Anathur
  |    //|"| |
 _|   //=|"| | ll   sentients   are    which could  save our  friend  from
/@|  //  |"| | created with certain    the treachery of this false other?
\_/ ~~   ~~~ / inalienable  rights.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Among   these   are,    No, in  none of  these cases  would
presumably,  the  right  to  choose    the councils  of the  wise have  us
ones  own path, to  face dangers of    permit the  slaughter of  those who
ones  own  free  will,  and  to  be    do not  understand their peril, and
protected  so  far  as is  possible    who   do    not   see   an   enemy.
from such  dangers as  threaten but
are   beyond   ones    ability   to    Similarly, in  a society  where the
control.   And  yet  for  those  of    unLife  is   only   feared   during
Kelfour's citizens more experienced    outright  assault,   it  cannot  be
in the  ways of  the greater  world    argued that  the populace generally
that  exists  beyond  these  walls,    sees  at  all.    Whether  dormant,
this presents a terrible choice.       active or  aggressively seeking the
                                       death of  all that lives, unLife is
If  the  citizenry  understand  the    and always  shall be  a threat.  If
peril presented by the unLife, then    there be  people who see no danger,
they  must   recognize   that   the    still  we   must  act   for   their
constable is no fit guardian of the    protection.   We have seen, we have
public   well-being.       If   the    experienced    first    hand    the
citizenry fail  to  understand  the    devastation of  the assault  of the
grave  threat  represented  by  the    unLife.
unLife, is  it our  duty to respect
their ignorance and do nothing?        It falls  to us  to choose the best
                                       course.   Let us, then, choose from
Consider the  example  of  a  world    ourselves those  most able  to see.
where blindness  is the  norm.   Is    Let  us   choose  those   who  have
it, then, the right of the populace    longest endured  the malice  of the
to choose  their own  leaders?   To    unLife, and  let our  course be set
seal their  own dooms?  Are we, the    according to the teachings of their
sighted,  in  this  case  bound  to    long experience.
honor their choices?
                                       Resolved, then, that  as this  city
Consider the  example of  a  friend    would best be governed by those who
whose back  is turned  to a  malign    best  understand  its danger, let a
foe.  As   we  stand   facing  this    Council be formed among the learned
friend, and  therefore with a clear    Lords and Ladies of the city.
view  of   the  adversary,  are  we
obligated out  of a respect for the    Let there be chosen, among the most
right of  our friend  to choose his    devoted of  the  city's  guardians,
own path,  to watch our friend die,    three clerics, Lords and Ladies all
destroyed by a foe whose successful    if such  be possible, for among the
attack   we   might   easily   have    clerics   will    be   found    the
prevented?                             staunchest enemies of the unLife.
  
Consider the  example of  a  friend    Let there be chosen two healers, of
who faces another, known to us as a    similar  station,   for  among  the
false murderer,  but still  in  the    healers will  be  found  those  who
eyes of  our friend a trusted ally.    best   understand   the   suffering
Shall  a   rigid  respect  for  the    brought by the work of the  unLife.
rights of  others to  choose  their
own  way   compel   us   to   watch    Let  these five  hold  council, and
silently,  withholding   a  warning    from  among  the  other  Lords  and
                                   -24-                            More...
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
Ladies  of the city let them choose    A Call to Arms       [From page 23]
such  as  they  deem most fit to be    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
added  to  the  Lords'  Council  of    filed, without  even  the  slimmest
Kelfour,  always  adding by twos so    requirement of the posting of bail.
it may never be deadlocked.
                                       No lasting  result could attend the
Let this  council  maintain  itself    efforts of this fiend, as the whole
perpetually,  removing   from   the    of the  city  was  roused  for  his
ranks of  the Council  any who fall    blood. For  fear  of  his  life  he
short of  their calling, or who are    dared not  show himself outside the
unable to continue to represent the    protective influence  of his  close
city, and  adding  those  who  show    friend,  Kelfour's   tireless   and
themselves able  to  replace  these    vigilant constable.   By  the  good
absent or unfit Lords or Ladies.       graces of  Kelfour's other clerics,
                                       Taarna  was  raised  and  lives  to
Let this  Council pass  such  laws,    speak  of   the  evils   which   so
and  appoint   such  officers   and    personally challenge  her. Mallenon
stewards as it deems appropriate in    was exposed for the coward he truly
the administering of these laws:       is,  refusing   even  to  speak  in
                                       defence of his own foul deeds.
First, to maintain the readiness of
the city  at all  times against the    Still, how  long  can  we  hope  to
coming of  enemies and  against the    protect  the  citizens  of  Kelfour
coming  of  such  natural  plagues,    when the  constable himself acts in
famines and  disasters as  may fall    league   with    the   forces    of
upon us at unawares.                   annihilation?   Can we truly oppose
                                       Kelfour's forces  of law?  And yet,
Second, to organize the  protectors    Kelfour's    duly    elected    law
and citizens of this  city in times    enforcers  choose   a  standard  of
of  peril, always  mindful  of  the    justice that  views all  actions of
wandering  paths  of  the  best and    the unLife,  in pursuit of its goal
bravest  in   these  lands,  always    of the  destruction  of  all  life,
cautious to provide against absence    with less  prejudice than  is  bent
of those most earnestly desired.       towards those  who would reduce the
                                       lining  in   the  pockets   of  the
Third, to further the work  of  the    wealthy.
city's temple  and great  Houses in
the  battle   against  the  unLife,    The time  has come.   This  town is
providing where needs allow for the    under siege,  and the  gate  guards
ordering of  expeditions to destroy    have  proved  inadequate  to  their
the nests of unLife now identified,    duties.   The constable  has proved
and ordering  smaller forays to the    unworthy of his hire.  The time has
wilds at  times to  explore any new    come for  Kelfour's true guardians,
regions suspected  of harboring the    for  those   who  strive  eternally
malicious creatures.                   against the creatures that threaten
                                       its trade,  and against  the unLife
Fourth,  to  support  the  work  of    that threatens  its  existence,  to
Kelfour's clerics  and  healers  in    throw off  the shackles  of  a  law
keeping the battle-trained among us    imposed to ensure the rights of the
well and fit.                          most evasive, the most insincere.
  
That the city may ever prosper, let    The time  has come  for a  new law.
this be  done, and  quickly.  Until    The time  has come  for the  Lord's
such  time  as  we set ourselves to    Council of Kelfour.
it, Kelfour's only lawful protector
shall be the  constable.  To such a        ===========\\============
fate let  us not  abandon  those we
have always sought to defend.
                                   -25-
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
                            Farewell, My Friends
                            """"""""""""""""""""
 _________                  by Amelda Heronheart
/ \ _____ \
\@| ~|_|~ | wanted  to   invite   you   lady shall have the torkaan."
  |  |~|  | all  to  my  wedding - it
 _|  |~|  | would have been  spectac-   After that  glorious evening, we lost
/@| _|~|_ | lar. There  were  lots of   touch until again our paths did cross
\_/ ~~~~~ / things I wanted but  such   by accident  or  by  design,  and  we
  ~~~~~~~~ is the way of life.          hunted the  night  away  chasing  the
                                        greater orc,  the forest  troll,  the
I wanted  to invite  you  all  to  my   nimble   threk.   Naxxixx   was   all
wedding  -   it   would   have   been   politeness  to  me  and  filled  with
spectacular.  There   were  lots   of   respect, and  yet maintained a boyish
things I wanted, but such, my friends   sense of  fun. My  heart was  lost to
is  life.  Oh  yes,  I  have  learned   him, as his was to me. He chided me -
bitter lessons,  and I  will speak of   a bard  who never  sang, and  was  so
them. Naxxixx is no more with me, and   clumsy  she   always  had   scars  or
I cry  tears of  loss and  sorrow.  I   missing eyes,  being  too  long  from
have sung  no song  since the  eve we   town and in want of a healer.
parted.
                                        ____________________________________
My belongings  are cleared  from  the  / \                                  \
House of  the Argent Aspis and I have  \@|  Song For Naxxixx                |
taken up meager lodgings (if they can    |                                  |
be called that) in a grey stone tower    |  I thought to hunt one evening   |
-  abandoned   as  I   found   it   -    |  Early in the Spring             |
overlooking the scene of my Beloved's    |  And Fortune smiled upon me      |
fatal encounter  in the country where    |  And the very gods did sing.     |
the   werebear    stalks   and    the    |                                  |
treacherous grey  orc  plots  endless    |  For I met upon the lonely path  |
methods for  the  demise  of  hapless    |  A man whose eyes did shine      |
travellers.  Morbid,   you  may  say.    |  And twinkle forth a radiance    |
Well, it suits my mood.                  |  Reflected back in mine.         |
                                         |                                  |
I sing  no happy  songs but  my  mind    |  His courtly manners charmed me, |
does drift,  despite my  anguish,  to    |  His hunting skill was art,      |
the glad  times, before  my Dear  One    |  But 'twas in the playful way    |
was called  away...but I  shall  tell   _|  He watched o'er me,             |
that later.  It was  not so  far from  /@|  This man-elf won my heart.      |
this very  tower that  we met for the  \_/                                 /
very first  time. I  was young then -     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
but a few months in Kelfour's Landing   He  loved   me  as  I  was,  with  my
- and  was teaching  myself  to  hunt   clumsiness and  scars, but in knowing
torkaan so I would not go hungry. Our   him I  began  to  care  more  for  my
paths crossed by accident - or was it   person and,  in my wish to please him
by a  higher design? I am inclined to   I overcame my fear of self-expression
think the  latter. He  was  returning   and  began  composing  songs  for  my
home from the pursuit of larger game,   Beloved. Oh  yes, I  was  a  bard  by
and there  he found  me, still poorly   profession, and  training,  but  only
armed and  somewhat clumsy.  He bowed   because my family schooled me for it.
politely,  and  I  beheld  the  merry   Until I met my Love, I had no will to
twinkle in  his eye.  He smiled a bit   sing. He  admired my  words  and  the
indulgently, suggesting  that such  a   pure clarity of my voice, and I began
"mighty warrioress"  as myself  might   to delight  not only  Naxxixx with my
seek  better  sport  than  the  lowly   songs, but found occasion to sing for
sheep,    but    I    explained    my   others, too,  until I  had some small
circumstances, and he bowed again and   reputation in  the land.  Those  were
smiling, said,  "In  that  case,  the   happy times, indeed.
                                   -26-                               More...
  
  
      
  
  
  
One  day   my  Love proposed  to  me.   temple for our friends. Our merriment
Kyanna, my  dear,  dear  friend,  was   was such  that we  broke more glasses
there   to    witness   it.   Naxxixx   than we  removed from  there, and  on
presented me  with one  red rose, and   our  return   to  the  temple,  Melda
proposed to  me in  song.  Our  lives   embraced us  warmly  and  thought  to
were  filled   with  music  in  those   everyone in  Kelfour's to  gather  at
                                        the House  of Paupers for a party. It
  ________________________________________  was lovely.
 / \                                      \
 \@| Song For Amelda                      | There were impromptu  toasts  and
   |                                      | gifts - the overflowings  of warm
   | The tale I tell is godsworn true     | hearts.  We  drank  and  splashed
   | Of chance's role in love.            | about, vying for  points as  each
   | Yes, all our lives are etched in time| tried  to out-do  the  others  in
   | By the mighty gods above.            | flopping  into  the pool  in  the
   |                                      | most entertaining dives of  every
   | I'd never known a love before...     | kind and level of perfection.  We
   | I'd never meant to start.            | played like otters late into  the
   | Then I saw the world as it should be | blissful night.
   | In Amelda Heronheart.                |
   |                                      | The blissful night... of these we
   | To walk along the city streets       | had many,  my Love  and  I.  Then
   | Alone was once my place.             | came the  day he  told me he must
   | But I knew I'd never walk again      | leave. We had not  set our  hands
   | Without her smiling face...          | in marriage yet, and he  said  it
   |                                      | must  be  thus,  and  was for the
   | Close by to show me things           | best, because I must now act  the
   | I'd never seen, I'd never learned.   | part of a widow, bravely,  though
   | And to grace me with that tender kiss| he still  lived.  You can imagine
   | For which My heart had yearned.      | my torment. At first he could not
   |                                      | openly even to me,  of the reason
   | Her beauty reaches past my words,    | for his departure.  That  it  was
   | Her mind beyond my dreams.           | dangerous  I  could  see  in  his
   | To snatch me from her loving side    | elven eyes.  That  our separation
   | Would take the fiercest teams...     | grieved him  was  only  too,  too
   |                                      | clear.
   | Of mages wise and fighters bold,     |
   | And monsters of all breeds           | It was a duty he was  honor-bound
   | Because the words she speaks so soft | to perform in the farther reaches
   | Take root in me like seeds.          | of  the  country  of his  birth -
   |                                      | in the hazardous marshes of  Mor-
   | And when the seeds will sprout and   | va. This is  all he  was able  to
   |  grow,                               | relate.  He  sent a messenger  to
   | There'll be no hurt, no crime        | the House of Aspis, at great dan-
   | For then we two shall be as one      | ger  to  himself  and  messenger,
   | Until the end of time.               | informing   us  of   his   quests
   |                                      | through Morva.   He  exhorted  my
   | To all who listen to my tale,        | friends to  watch  over  me,  and
   | It makes no matter who...            | they have done this. An elf could
  _| Believe in fate and some one day,    | not  have better  friends than  I
 /@| Your love will come to you.          | have had...
 \_/                                     /
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In his  travels,  Naxxixx  bartered
                                        for  a   magical  pendant  and  could
bright days.  We  wanted  to  include   return him  to  Kelfour's Landing for
everyone  in  the  happiness  of  our   short periods,  but  it proved to  be
engagement, and  ran hand  in hand to   erratic, and its unpredictability was
Helga's to  induce that  lady to sell   a danger to his life. I saw him  only
us ale  and wine to bring back to the   once, and  then too  briefly.   I  am
                                   -27-                               More...
  
  
    
  
  
  
telling   you   these   things,   my   to  return  to  a village of friends
friends,  because you have been dear   for  the delivery, was caught out of
to  me  and  I know my interests and   time.   She was born in the hut of a
those  of Naxxixx are safe with you.   stranger,  and  as  I travelled with
No  one  must know where he has gone   her  soon  after, we were beset by a
and  why,  or even that he lives and   dark  brigands  and  she  was stolen
so he has asked me to behave as if I   from   my   grasp.    Tales  in  the
knew  him  not,  as  if he had never   neighborhood  years  after led me to
been in this world, and that is more   believe  she  had  been made against
than  I  can  bear  as  I  tread the   her  will  to  serve  the  dark gods
streets  of Kelfour's where we lived   through association with the Unlife.
and  loved  and  sang.  The respons-   If  there  is  any truth to this, my
ibility  of my calling and my bardly   blood  runs  cold  as flowing ice in
nature  would  have me chronicle the   terror for my child.
lives  of those  I've  known  -- the
tales  of  deeds  --  the stories of   The  second  baby was a boy.  He was
persons  and of battles and of times   conceived  in  indiscretion  due  to
of  fun  and times of danger.  It is   revelry  and  drinking, though I can
my  way:  to see beyond the everyday   tell  you that his father is a noble
and   elevate  our  lives  in  song.   elf,  and  good.  It seems that foul
Perhaps  someday  I shall find it in   Louvella  was right for once, though
my  heart  to  sing  again...someday   I  denied  it at the time, because I
when  the sun shines brightly on the   did  not  believe the rumors myself,
wings  of  a  butterfly  outside the   having  had  little  memory  of  the
window  of  my  stony  keep.   Until   evening.    When   my   mistake  was
then,  I  sit  sadly  beside a small   evident,  I  went again to a town of
fire  listening to the mournful wind   friends,  this time arriving in time
and the low moaning of the werebear,   for  the  birth, and leaving the boy
and    the   crunching   of   orcish   with  a worthy nurse and family.  In
footsteps in the tinder.               my  youth  and shame, I lost contact
                                       with  those  good  people  in  whose
I  have  two children.  Did you know   keeping I had left him.
it?  I suppose I can tell it now.  I
have  seen  neither  since they have   But  my  story  grows long, and I am
grown  beyond  the  size  of newborn   tired.    Perhaps  someday  I  shall
babies.  Rumor says they are both in   cross the fields for a skin of water
Kelfour's  Landing  - or they were -   from the river, and shall notice the
and I have searched for them.  Alas,   sun shining brightly on the wings of
they  may  have  passed  beyond this   a  butterfly.   Until  that  time, I
place  and  I  not  even  seen their   scratch  away my sad story with this
faces  once.   The  first,  a  girl,   old  quill  and  watch the rain beat
belongs to Naxxixx.  She was born in   patterns  in  the earth.  My love to
a  time  he  was away from the land,   you all.
and  I, still young and having tried
   ______________________________________________________________________
  //                                                                     \
 ||                      Kelfour Edition Seeks Editor                     |
 ||                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                     |
 ||   The services of an experienced wordsmith are being sought by the    |
 ||   leading newsletter in the lands of Kulthea, Kelfour Edition.        |
 ||                                                                       |
 ||   Applicants must be have a mastery of the common language spoken in  |
 ||   the lands,  and a  working  knowledge of  the  elven tongues  will  |
 ||   be a plus.  Salary will be  commensurate  with skills,  although a  |
 ||   love of publishing  will oftimes be the reward.  Private office is  |
 ||   available in the Kelfour Building just south of the General Store.  |
 ||   Send resume to Lady Phaedra Blue at GE Mail address P.HERRINGTON.   |
  \\_____________________________________________________________________/
  
                                   -28-
  
  
    
  
  
  
                            A Battle for Life
 _____________              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/ \ _______   \             by  Vaash  Majeer
\@| ~|  _ ~\  |
  |  |~|_|~ | | ain   pelted    the    closed  as usual.  We knew we would
  |  |~ _ ~/  | walls of the Temple    need  great  strength  to  open it.
 _|  |~| \~\  | as I  entered  that    Mud  washed  underneath the gate as
/@|  |~|  \~\ | night.  Many adven-    the  rain  continued  to pour down.
\_/ ~~~~   ~~~/ turers  huddled for    Glasya and Snow and I pushed at the
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~  warmth.   The  monk    gate,   though  the  mud  made  the
with  his  cup passed me on his way    footing  treacherous.   We  put our
out to get some rainwater. I shrug-    backs into it.  Silent in the rain,
ged  at  his  strange  ways and sat    we   pushed  with  all  our  might.
down by Glasya and Snow.  They were    After  what  seemed like hours, the
about  to try to resurrect Rory, so    rusty  hinges creaked, and the gate
I offered to help with any monsters    swung  open  enough  for  us to get
that  might  get in the way.  As we    inside.
drew  up  our hoods and stepped out
into the rain, I asked where Rory's    The inside  of  the  Graveyard  was
remains were.                          worse than  the outside.  The whole
                                       scene looked  like a nightmare, but
"The Graveyard," Snow murmured.        this was  no dream.   A foul stench
                                       arose from  the crypt, and we could
Now, a  night like  this is  not  a    make out the shape of undead beings
good time  to visit  the graveyard.    slowly moving  towards us. Rory had
We heard  that the  river up by the    died in the crypt we ducked into to
Greater  Orcs'   territory  was  in    catch our  breath. Inside the crypt
flood as we hurried through the mud    was a  door which opened on an evil
towards the  great iron  gate  that    place where  many monsters  lurked.
led into the evil place. We trudged    That was where we had to go.
through  the  rain  speaking little
and  trying  to stay warm.  I could    We moved a bit closer to each other
see  precious  little  through  the    as water  trickled in  through  the
sheets  of water falling, and I was    cracks,  creating  an  eerie sound.
grateful   for   Glasya's  faithful    Glasya  announced  that she was not
guiding  hand  that  got  us to the    afraid,  and  we prepared ourselves
maze  of trees and bushes which lay    to  enter the danger with spells of
between us and the graveyard.          protection which surrounded each of
                                       us  with  a  soft blue light.  Snow
Underneath the  boughs of the great    prepared  the first of the clerical
forest the  land was  drier.    The    spells  she would cast on Rory when
rain  dripped  gently  through  the    we  found  his  body.   We drew our
trees  and  the  scene  was  almost    weapons,  but  only  to use for our
serene.   We all  knew the  general    defense.
direction we  needed to go in order
to come  out of the woods.  Soon we    "Ready?" asked  Glasya.  Snow and I
were  moving   among   the   trees,    nodded, and  we  stepped  into  the
straining our  eyes for any sign of    dank pit of evil.
the other  side.  More than once, I
thought I  would never  escape  the    A scene of horror awaited us. Seven
clutch of  the forest's  trees  and    lesser mummies  moaned  and  wailed
bushes, but finally we all emerged.    for their lost souls.  But the real
We  were  greeted by the pelting of    threat  was  a  huge  creature  who
rain   once  again  on  our  soaked    stood over  Rory's fallen  body  as
cloaks  as  we continued toward the    though  it  was  a prize.  It was a
looming gate.                          bone golem.  Snow and Glasya sprang
                                       into  action,  shaking me out of my
Soon we  confronted the  huge gate,    trance.  Glasya dragged Rory's body
                                   -29-             [Continued on Page 31]
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
                           Responsible Traditions
                           """"""""""""""""""""""
 _________                 by Lightning Blackhawk
/ \ _____ \
\@| ~|_|~ | tell this  tale for  the   thought  I  had seen him before.  He
  |  |~|  | benefit  of  all  so  we   told  me  I had probably seen him in
 _|  |~|  | will  not  become  some-   the  hands  of  Eissa,  for  she had
/@| _|~|_ | thing we would look back   taken  care  of  him  in  some  dire
\_/ ~~~~~ / upon with regret, and so   moments.   I  was  surprised that no
  ~~~~~~~~ we may be what we should.   one had welcomed this youngster when
   I met a fellow one day on the way   he  arrived.   I told him that if he
back to town after I had reduced the   wanted,  I could show him around and
cave  troll  population to my satis-   answer  any questions to the best of
faction.   His name was Birch and he   my  abilities.   He was most pleased
was  hunting  kobolds alone; I could   with that and thanked me again.
tell by his demeanor that he was new      He  knew  a bit about our part of
to  our fair lands.  As I passed by,   the world, just enough to get him in
he was battling with a kobold, and I   all sorts of trouble.  I asked if he
killed  a  karnelin  that could have   had gotten any deeds.  He in return,
taken  his life with an angry stomp.   asked  me  what  deeds were.  We sat
I checked to confirm that there were   and  talked awhile about them, until
no  more creatures nearby that could   I  saw  a  spark of understanding in
easily  kill him.  Having found none   his  eyes.  It just so happened that
and  knowing  that  he  would have a   I  had a chest with me that had some
fair  chance  now,  I headed back to   agates.
town for I was weary.                     We went to the Temple of Eissa so
   I passed him by once more; he was   he  could  offer  the  agates in the
still  battling the kobold, but just   hopes  that she would look favorably
before  I  was  out  of  earshot, he   upon him and present him with deeds,
cried,  "Help me!" I went back for I   which  she  did.   We went exploring
thought  mayhaps  something else had   around  town  and  then  out to do a
attacked  him that I had overlooked.   little  hunting.  While at the gates
There  was nothing about except that   talking  about  some of the do's and
kobold  so  I  settled down to watch   dont's  of  the wilds, we met others
him  end its life with a well placed   who  were  coming  or going.  One of
thrust  from  his falchion.  He told   them  gave him a drake falchion.  (I
me  he was lost and did not know the   offer  this person my apologies, for
way  back  to  town.   I  smiled and   his  name  escapes  me  or  I  would
proceeded to escort him.               mention  it  here.)  I told Birch of
   When  we  were safely outside the   the different wilderness areas while
gates  of Kelfour's Landing, a place   we  were  hunting,  what to hunt and
where we could both catch our breath   most of all, what to avoid.
--  his  for being safe and mine for      He  made  some  mistakes,  but  I
seeing  to  his safety -- he told me   still  remember  those I made when I
he   had  arrived  only  five  hours   was  young,  and  I know that we all
thence.   He  also  said  he  was  a   have  made  our  share of them, so I
fighter  by  trade  and  gave me his   know  this  is not surprising to any
thanks  for helping him.  I asked if   of us.  As it turned out, he  almost
he knew his way around town yet, and   made  a  fatal  error  while we were
if  he wanted to pawn the goods that   exploring  hobland,  and  was griev-
he had won from his battles.           ously  injured.   Our  luck held for
   We went to the furrier first, for   Gardner  and  Kimber were nearby and
we were practically at its doorstep.   came  to our aid.  Kimber tended and
I  took out a troll skin and sold it   healed  him  as  best she could, but
to  Jarik.  Birch was puzzled for he   his  wounds were severe and required
knew naught of this. I asked if any-   medicinal herbs she had in town.  We
one  had  shown  him  around, and he   joined  up  and  went  there,  where
shook  his  head,  no.  I told him I   Kimber  healed him.  We thanked them
                                   -30-                             More...
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
both  and  went  on our way.  It was   A Battle for Life      From Page 29
now  very  late  and  we  decided we   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
should  get  some  rest, for we were   eastward.     Before   Snow   could
tired  and  tired  people  make more   follow,  the bone golem pounded her
mistakes.   We  said  good night and   with  its  fist, driving her to the
went our separate ways.                floor,  stunned.  My faltering mind
   This  story might end here except   contained only one thought:  to get
that  I  have  heard  through bard's   Snow  out  of  the  golem's way.  I
tales and from stories told of elden   dragged her to the other room where
days  when all the people helped one   Glasya waited by Rory's corpse.
another  for  if  they did not, they
would   all   perish.    I  remember   While   Snow   quickly   recovered,
ballads of hunting parties that were   mummies  began   pouring  into  the
made up of fighters, thieves, mages,   room.  Glasya and I formed a shield
clerics,  and  healers,  stories  of   for Snow  as  she  cast  the  first
strategies  in  hunting that insured   spells to  reunite Rory's  body and
all  reaped the fruits of victory in   spirit.   The lesser mummies stayed
battle,  epics  of  times when there   back, not trusting the shine in our
were  no  clerics  that  had Eissa's   swords.   Then  we  heard  pounding
blessing  and  death  lurked  around   feet, and  the dreaded  bone  golem
every    corner,    and   songs   of   flew into  the room.    It  knocked
camaraderie  and  companionship were   Glasya and  me down  just  as  Snow
the norm, and treasures were divided   brought Rory  back  to  life.    We
so that all might benefit from them.   watched in horror as the bone golem
   Of  these  things I have read and   smashed Rory back into death again.
heard  but I cannot tell you a story   Vulnerable Snow was pounded too and
of  elden days first hand, for all I   had to  teleport to safety.  In the
know  comes  from  bard's  tales and   mayhem,  I  stood  confused and mo-
books,   as   I  have  said.   I  am   tionless.   A  mummy  lunged at me,
unworthy to be telling tales of old,   and   I  barely  escaped  its  out-
when  I  was not there to live them;   stretched fingers.
those  tales will have to be told by
another and I will sit and listen in   "Vaash!" screamed Glasya,  battling
awe  with  the rest of you, drinking   back a mummy herself.  "Run!"
in  every  word.   I hope for one of
our  Lords  or  Ladies to grant us a   In  a   daze,  I   fumbled  for  my
telling  of  the elden days, of what   teleporting ring  just as  the Bone
they  were  like,  so  we may better   Golem pounded  my leg,  smashing it
appreciate what we have today.         and ripping  it open. I fell to the
   I  leave  you  with  thoughts  to   floor of  the crypt  but managed to
ponder:   Have we become so unappre-   use my  ring, instantly  completing
ciative  that  we  take  things  for   my  fall   within  Eissa's  temple.
granted?   Have we forgotten what it   Luke, waiting  to heal  Rory, cared
was  like  when  we  were new to the   for my  leg wound, and soon I could
lands,  and have we become so caught   move again. In a few seconds Glasya
up  in ourselves that we do not have   appeared and he healed her also.
the  time  for  the young?  If we do
not pass to the next generation what   We survived,  but what  good did we
we  know  -- such as the lost art of   do? Rory's  remains still rested in
dragging  someone  out  of the melee   the crypt; we were no further along
when  they  are  stunned -- then who   in his rescue than before.
will?
  _______________________________      Later,  with   help  from   another
 /                               \     cleric, the mummies were calmed and
|    Bonus Paid for TECHNICAL     |    we managed  to save  Rory. I  never
| Submissions to KE. Send GE Mail |    forgot, though,  how  powerful  the
| to Publisher Lady Phaedra Blue  |    forces of Unlife are. To this day I
|    at P.HERRINGTON address.     |    have not returned to the graveyard,
 \_______________________________/     nor do I venture out in storms.
                                   -31-
  
  
    
  
  
  
                              A Tale of Greed
 _____________                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/ \ _________ \            by Avarice Valenausan
\@| ||=|=|=|| |
  | ~~ |_| ~~ |he  elf  made his way   All was well.  His future secure, he
 _|    |_|    | up the narrow spiral   snuggled  down  into  the complacent
/@|   _|_|_   | stairwell  from  the   slumber of gentility.  But his time-
\_/__________/  hold  to   the  main   honored  attention  to  planning and
             deck. Icy wind streamed   detail  began  to atrophy.  He found
through  gaps  between the trap door   his  stomach filled and his clothing
and  its  frame allowing a thin mist   fashionable,  but  he  began to miss
of  snow to drizzle down from above.   the  passions of his "youth." It was
A  shimmer  caught  his  eye  and he   true,  the  elf had only seen thirty
noticed that the planks near the top   winters  or  so, but considered him-
of  the stairs had become iced over.   self  aged  beyond his years and, he
He  realized he should have expected   would  dare say, somewhat wise.  Yet
this;  the  temperature  had dropped   he  felt  the  stagnation of courtly
significantly  during  the  night, a   love  settling  in.   His life-to-be
fact  his  quaking  arms  vigorously   seemed  dullness incarnate.  But, in
confirmed.   He hated ships to begin   his opulent prison he was determined
with,  but  he hated cold even more.   to  make the best of it...  he WOULD
If it hadn't been for the brat up in   find  entertainment.   His  mounting
the  nest  shouting  something  that   frustration   vented   itself   most
vaguely   sounded  like  "land,"  he   notably   through   his  chronically
would  certainly have remained below   active libido.  As was the case with
deck  for  the  rest of the journey.   all  great men, he was sure, a cheap
And as if the bite in the air wasn't   thrill had been his undoing.
enough,  the  gods  had  seen fit to      When  the  heiress discovered her
endow  the  hold with a most notable   love and one of the serving girls in
stench  -- most annoying to his sen-   flagrante  delicto  on the centuries
sitive  nose.   But the tall, white-   old   bearskin   rug  of  her  royal
haired  wood  elf  knew  he couldn't   chambers,  she  ordered him beheaded
complain.   The  gods  had also seen   (and  worse)  on  the  spot.  Caught
fit to make possible his escape from   with his pants down and his hands in
a fate worse than death.               the  cookie  jar,  so  to speak, the
   It  seemed a certain heiress from   dilemma  seemed  hopeless.  Luckily,
a  certain noble family in a certain   the  vivacious  young  serving  girl
city now across the sea hadn't taken   hadn't   done   away  with  ALL  his
well  to  the  workings of the elf's   articles:   A  golden  ring remained
petty  deceits.   The  elf  surmised   firmly  planted  on  his  left hand.
that  the  beautifully  elegant  and   With  a  quick  manipulation  of his
obscenely   wealthy   Lady   Cathyrn   nimble  fingers,  the  simple golden
Dhursomn  of  House  Hyr was blessed   band was removed and replaced before
with neither a strong sense of humor   the  froth  from  the guards' mouths
nor an open mind.  It was now appar-   hit the floor.
ent  that  she  wasn't  particularly      He  paused  briefly  to  consider
fond of "open relationships" either.   what  would  happen  to the servant.
   He  remembered  having considered   Very  briefly,  then  it was back to
the scheme his crowning achievement,   business.   As in the past, the ring
an  extraordinary  means  of capping   again transported him to the narrow,
off  the  extraordinary career of an   secluded  alley  near  the  wharves.
extraordinary  criminal.   He  would   However,  not as in the past, he had
retire into luxury and inherit legi-   been transported without clothing or
timacy.   The  elf  wove  his web of   equipment.   He  still  clutched two
deceit  and delusion into the strata   things: a small cushion and a jar of
of  the  city's power elite and into   molasses.   (He hoped he wouldn't be
the  more-than-receptive arms of the   asked to explain the circumstances.)
lovely,  but  aging  Lady  Dhursomn.   Outside  the  alley  it seemed to be
                                   -32-                             More...
  
  
  
     
  
  
  
spitting  snow.   He realized it had   (Gods   understood  him,  they  just
truly  been  some  time since he had   didn't  like him.) Knees quaking, he
experienced  the  city's  icy  night   ventured onward.
air.  No longer basking in the warm-      After  moving  through  two  even
th of his chambers, and unaccustomed   dimmer  chambers,  he sneezed.  That
to   such  dilemmas,  he  eventually   damn smell again -- must be herbs...
decided  he  was,  indeed, freezing.   or something rotting.  Down and into
That  was  not good.  He knew he had   the shadows.  Silence.  The area was
to find some sort of protection from   essentially  full  of  crates and he
the elements, and soon.  The thought   breathed  a  sigh of relief, assumed
of   a   salaried  constable  coming   the  workers  were  now loading some
across  his frozen carcass was still   other portion of the hold.  Entering
better  than  what  would  happen if   another,  smaller  chamber, he real-
agents  from House Hyr came upon him   ized that the air grew warmer and he
before  he could think of something.   could  see  better.   This  area was
No,  he  had  to get out of town and   slightly illuminated by oil lanterns
get warm...  in that order.            on  support posts.  Instead of being
   On   the  pier  a  clipper  stood   at  most  twenty  degrees,  like the
ready, a myriad of sailors and dock-   rest  of the hold, it must have been
workers  readying  her for a voyage.   at  least,  oh,  say  forty.  Fruit.
The  Moira would probably be leaving   The  crates  must  have had fruit in
port the next morning, but hopefully   them.   It  would  be  here he would
with    an   unexpected   passenger.   make his camp and defy the fates (or
Almost instinctively, he shot across   walk  into  their  trap).   He  only
the   loading   dock  and  into  the   wished  something could be done with
shadows  of the crates waiting to be   the herbs.
loaded.   What  a rush.  From across      Between  dodging  dockworkers and
the pier, a workman appeared to have   warrant  officers  he  found time to
seen  something,  then  went back to   rethink  his strategy concerning the
his  work.   The  elf's acute senses   Lady    Dhursomn.    He   concluded,
detected  an  aroma  coming from the   incorrectly, that it had broken down
crates  and he nearly sneezed.  Some   at  its most essential spot:  He had
kind  of  flowers  or herbs.  Up the   failed  to  make  the  heiress truly
mooring  rope  and  onto  the  deck;   love him.  But as was his usual line
through  the  shadows  and  into the   of  rationalization,  this  was  not
hold.   God, he loved this cloak and   entirely his fault.  If Dhursomn had
dagger  stuff.  He could only assume   been  so  taken  with  him  to begin
that the ship's silence conveyed its   with,  he  mused, why would she have
consent.                               ordered his disembowelment on such a
   A  tarpaulin;  some  string; some   whimsy?   No,  it was now obvious at
quick   rips  and  scurrying  again.   least  to  him  that the heiress was
Cold.   Damn  cold.   That's fine if   definitely  incapable of compassion:
you're  with a lady, but it ain't no   A  cold product of royal inbreeding,
good   if  you're  in  the  hold  of   destined  to  be  lonely and unloved
freighter  in  the  dead  of winter.   throughout  her  miserable,  opulent
Where was the ship headed?  How long   life-- NOT.  So, he now saw that the
the  journey?  If it were extensive,   fault   apparently   lay   with  the
he  might  freeze  down in here.  He   heiress.  Fine.  That's just the way
sank   into   the   bowels   of  the   his  luck  seemed  to go:  Find what
freighter,  hoping the gods wouldn't   appears to be a perfectly good mark,
allow  such  a  distinguished career   only  to  discover  too  late in the
criminal  as  himself  to  perish in   game  that the mark had deceived him
such  an unceremonious and anonymous   from  the  start.   The  gods  truly
manner.   It  then  occurred  to him   hated  him.   Maybe they were trying
that  the  gods  just  might  indeed   to  tell him something.  He resolved
think  such  an  ending humorous, if   to  drop  the  cushion  and molasses
not  deserved...   he  didn't parti-   routine in the future.
cularly  like  or  understand  gods.      He  shivered  at the injustice to
                                   -33-                             More...
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
humanity   that  the  heiress'  life   and then justified it in his mind by
would   be.    By  all  rights,  her   thinking  how  the  gods  had  truly
opulent  wealth  should  be his own.   shown  him a rough time for the past
But  all  that  was now moot (unless   few  days; he deserved this respite.
all  this,  as he prayed, was a bad,   Lying down upon the straw he quickly
bad dream).  Dhursomn was fabulously   found relief from life's trials.  He
wealthy  and  would  remain so until   dreamt of sheep.
her   comfortable,  pampered,  dying      Gentle,  billowing fleece bounded
days.   And  even  then  there was a   over   seemingly   endless   rolling
good  chance  her  wealth could have   hills,  all to the south of a large,
her  brought  back  from  the  grave   walled   city.    Beautiful  maidens
fresh  and  anew.  He painfully knew   stood watch over the flocks, and all
he couldn't say as much for himself.   was   bliss  (especially  since  the
At his age, or lack there of, he had   maidens seemed to be wearing nothing
nothing to show for himself, nothing   at all). Aside from this, he noticed
to  leave behind.  There was nothing   that  none of the sheep seemed to be
that  people,  years from now, would   paying  attention  to him, something
look  back  on and say "what a guy."   he  considered  rude,  at the least.
It  was  then that the name he would   He  called  out to them, waving, but
use in whatever port the ship docked   none  seemed  to  hear him.  He then
in came to him.                        became   aware  of  their  incessant
   Footsteps  from above.  Dart back   "baa-ing."  The  sheep were not only
down  the  stairs.   Slip!  Recover.   rude,   but   obnoxious   as   well.
Hide.   Listen.   Someone talking on   Something had to be done.
deck.  They move on.  It occurred to      Looking at the sheep, he realized
him  that he just might have to wait   their  fleece  was  made  of silver.
until nightfall to get off the ship.   The  silver called to him and he was
Great.   That  meant the shops would   drawn  closer.  In his right hand he
be  closed.   He  was really getting   carried   a   massive  weapon...   a
tired of eating fruit, and (although   broadsword.   He  found this strange
he  would never admit it to himself)   since normally his weapons of choice
the  past  few  days  had  made  him   were those of a more gentile nature.
something  of  a  claustrophobe.  He   He  started  upon discovering a cum-
also  had  sworn  never  to seek the   bersome  shield  in  his  left hand.
services of an herbalist-- ever.       Looking  down  at  his  dress (which
                                       until   this   point   he  had  been
                                       unconcerned  with)  he found himself
   The  Moira was docked and emptied   to  be  outfitted  in  some  sort of
of  cargo  and  crew  before the elf   heavy,   animal  skin  armor.   Most
managed  to  slip  off  and into the   disgusting.   Furthermore,  he  wore
alleyways  that  populate  all  dock   arm   and  leg  greaves,  and  there
areas.   The  day was colder than he   seemed  to be a pack of some kind on
had  expected and even though he had   his back (it was, no doubt, empty).
come  this  far  on  his exodus from      The  sound  of the "baa-ing" died
Dhursomn  it might have been all for   down  somewhat as he became aware of
nothing  if  he  was  unable to find   the   helmet   he  was  wearing.   A
shelter   again.   An  open  doorway   visored  helmet no doubt.  There was
presented itself and he accepted the   an  aventail  around his neck.  This
offer  with gratitude.  Once inside,   was  indeed  strange, but he had had
the   temperature   seemed  to  rise   stranger  dreams  than  this...   in
twenty degrees.  The door had led to   particular  one  involving  a  small
an  abandoned  warehouse.   Perfect!   cushion  and  a  jar  of molasses...
He could hide inside until something   but they all seemed so vague now.
better came along.                        He  began  to  move closer to the
   Exploration   of   the   premises   oblivious  sheep,  vile  notions  of
revealed   a   loft   covered   with   what  to  do  with the silver fleece
straw...   someone had been sleeping   floating  through his muddled brain.
there  until  recently.  He pondered   He raised his sword effortlessly and
at how convenient the setup appeared   let  it  cleave  into and through at
                                   -34-                             More...
  
  
    
  
  
  
least   ten  sheep  with  one  blow.      With   that,   the  unlife  began
There was no blood, no agony for the   pouring molasses over the wood elf's
sheep.  Their fleece simply deflated   head.  He sank to his knees, then to
as  if  they were balloons.  He then   the ground -- his strength sapped by
realized  he  didn't know what ball-   the  substance.  Screaming, he tried
oons were but that didn't matter. As   to wipe the sticky substance off his
the  fleece  sank to the ground, the   face  and  armor,  but  realized  he
pelts   became  coins.   He  quickly   actually   liked  the  sweet,  brown
scooped up the coins and put them in   substance.   He became aware that he
his  backpack.  Up  went  his sword.   was now without clothing or possess-
Down  went  the  sheep, oblivious to   ions  of any sort when the dead-cold
their backs turned to the elf.         bodies of the unlife began squirming
   He  couldn't  help but laugh with   around  him  like maggots in rotting
glee.   Soon  the hills were covered   meat.   That particular metaphor was
with  silver, and the only task left   especially  unsettling.  He screamed
was   to  gather  it --  a  task  he   the   scream   of   the  damned  and
finished, he was sure, in what would   suddenly  jerked  himself up to find
have  been  record  time.   Then the   that  he was back in the loft of the
maidens  turned  to  face him, their   warehouse...   cold  and  hungry but
beautiful   faces  now  scarred  and   clothed and alive.  He wept.
maligned.   Their  eyes  were  aglow
with a fiery radiance and somehow he
considered  them  evil...   although      "You  are  new to Kelfour's Land-
that  was  a concept he seldom dealt   ing?"  The  First Quellbourne teller
with  and rarely recognized as truly   didn't  recognize  the  tall,  well-
existing.    As  they  moved  slowly   dressed  elf.   She  did know how to
toward   him,   their  nubile  forms   suck up.
turned  to  hollow  husks  of  their      "Yes.   Just  arrived  a few days
former  selves  and when they walked   ago.   What  is the depository limit
there was a nauseating sucking sound   at your bank, Ms....  ?"
with each footfall.  Unlife.              "Ausyr.  Evelyn Ausyr.  The limit
   Unlife:  That which even the most   is  5,000,  I'm  afraid.  Of course,
strong  of  heart and spirit shudder   accommodations  can  be made for our
at  its  name.   Strangely, he found   more...   prestigious  clients, like
himself  unable  to  move, and there   yourself."  She  gave the elf a look
was  an unusual tugging sensation at   insinuating  a  sort of kinship.  An
his   back...   the  weight  of  the   insinuation  he  thought  rude, con-
silver  in  his  pack.  He heard the   sidering  her  position  in the bank
ex-maidens  begin  to  giggle, their   and  station  in  life.   He put the
bodies  now  quivering  with nervous   sack  on the counter and noticed the
twitches and spasms.  Something must   crow's feet around the teller's eyes
be funny, he thought.                  as her gaze followed the silver.
   "What  seems  to be the trouble?"      The  bank  officer  asked him his
he asked politely.                     name, for official purposes.
   They   each   produced   a  small      "My name?"
cushion  and  a  jar  of molasses as      "Eh, yes sir. Your name." She let
their   rotting   tongues  slithered   a   breathy,   almost  condescending
forth from between rotting teeth and   laugh  escape  her  lips  (to anyone
proceeded  to  swath  their lips and   else  it  would  have  been strictly
chins with a sickly brown ichor.       condescending).   "Surely  you  must
   "Come PLAY with us.  Mallenon has   realize I require your name in order
so many things to show you."           to open an account for you?" puzzled
  "Melon   Man?    Would   you  mind   the teller.  She grinned.
repeating    your   last   sentence,      "Oh, of course." He grinned back.
please?"  the elf stalled.  He found   Valenausan, Avarice Valenausan."
his phrasing to be most childish and      The  teller's eyes looked up from
beneath  him,  but somehow he wasn't   her writing.
in control of his actions.               "A-V-A-R-I-C-E V-A-L-E-N-A-U-S-A-N
                                   -35-                             More...
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
he spelled outloud.                        GemmerStony
   "It  will  be  a pleasure               ~~~~~~~~~~~
doing business with you, Mr.             by Ringo Hobson
Valenausan," the teller said      With apologies to Lewis Carroll
with  certainty.  She passed
his    receipt   under   the
window.                         'Twas Blototh and the rabid torks
   "Yes.   Most  assuredly,"      Did snarl and scamper in the plain:
he  mused,  barely  able  to    All turtl'd were the greater orcs,
contain  his grin.  The bank        And the wraiths moan'd in vain.
had  virtually  no security.
It  would be the first stage    "Beware the GemmerStone, my dear!
of his newest crowning achi-      Those costly calls, that venal vice!
evement.  Stepping through a    Beware the Dragon's fang, and fear
low  arch  into  the  square        The hissing Cockatrice!"66
outside,  he stopped to view
the position of the sun.        She dipp'd her mithril pen in ink:
   "First Quellbourne on one      For hours thru Quellbourne she search'd--
end  of  town...   Kelfour's    But paused she 'neath a Windak tree,
Secure on the other.  And me        Her amulet besmirch'd.
in   the   middle.   There's
money  to be made." He shook    And, as in roundish time she thought,
his  head  with satisfaction      The GemmerStone, its bill aflame,
and  swaggered  north to his    Came ambling toward that very spot,
room at the Raging Threk.           Yet charging all the same!
  
Jewelry in Kulthea   Page 20    Par' 0! Par' 0! At' Tro' At Tro'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      The mithril pen lash'd up and down!
A  gold pendant in the shape    And once it died, she skinn'd its hide
of a cat.                         And macro'd back to town.
  This pendant allows its
  owner to cast the spell       "And hast thou writ off GemmerStone?
  Call Familiar.                  Come here, thrice-blessed one!
                                Then run and play! All night! All day!
A diamond solitaire ring          'Til Monday's early sun."
  This ring is  set  with  a
  single valuable diamond in    'Twas Blototh, and the rabid torks
  its  center.  Has not been       Did snarl and scamper in the plain:
  known to offer any magical     All turtl'd were the greater orcs,
  it's center.  Has not been       And the wraiths moan'd in vain.
  properties.
                                                           _   _   _   _
A shield ring - +20db shield   \/       /\                | |_| |_| |_| |
  The ring creates an invis-           /  \         )     |             |
  ible  sheild   around  the          /    \       (      |             |
  wearer's  body  giving  an         /      \       )      \  /\   /\  /
  increased defense (+20).           \ ____ /      (        | ||   || |
                                 __   | || |          /\    | ||   || |
                                |  |__| || |  _   _  /  \   | ||   || |
    /                           |          | | |_| |_|   \  |         | \
   /                       _____|          |_|            |_|         |  \
  /                       /     |                           |         |   \
 |^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|
 |  #                                                                      |
 |                                                                         |
 |                                                                         |
 |        #                                                                |
 |                                                           KEV2N10-11    |
 |                                                                [end]    |
 |_________________________________________________________________________|
  
  

See Also: