PaxLair Times

An Unknown Location, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – December 6, 1998 – by Atlan – Since he first introduced himself in the player-city of PaxLair, the mysterious character only known as “N.” never showed, but instead used his minions and crystals of communication to plot and scheme and manipulate.

Letter from Atlan -I-

A flash of light – pain – darkness.

When i realized that these people where minions of N. it was too late already. They magically blinded me and then i felt the well known sensation of a moongate. But this time it was different. Normally, you feel like entering a tunnel and leaving it again. But this time, just when i felt about to leave the tunnel, i entered it again.

An endless row of tunnels opened up on me, taking forever to cross. And suddenly, the end. I stood blind and shaking in some vast room, as a voice spoke to me:

“Ah, welcome Atlan, you are a bit late for dinner. *cackles* But i guess you aren’t hungry. Anyway, let me introduce myself. I am the one you refer to as N.”

Atlan: “N… what did you do to mine eyes? I cannot see anymore.”

N.: “Ah, this a question we will analyse to some extent. For now, take it as a precaution from me, for you are not yet allowed to see me.”

Atlan: “Is… will this be permanent? Will i ever be able to see again?”

N.: “This your own choice completely, seer. Learn and grow, or perish and stay blind. It is a disciplinary measure… but i am impolite. Melina, take our guest to his seat.”

Melina: “Yes, master.” I felt her guiding hand and heard her hissed whisper: “Remember all you hear, we will talk later.”

N.: “What are you talking, Melina?”

Melina: “I was just warning him not to slip, master. The floor is rough.”

N.: “Ah, well. First, we need to clear your mind of the unnecessary ballast. You came a bit to close with your research. Maybe others will proceed to do so, but for our task, i want your mind to be unburdened with suspicions.”

The seat was cold metal, and when i sat, shackles snapped around my ankles and my head.

Atlan: “Ah. What is this? There is no need to chain me. You blinded me, isn’t that enough?”

N.: “Be still, it won’t hurt you, Atlan…Vas An Wis, An Ex Wis!”

And again, darkness engulfed me… When i woke, i was dizzy and tired. Someone seemed to have carried me into some sort of cell, for this room felt much smaler than N.s hall.

Melina: “Atlan, i cannot speak too long. Here is pen and paper. Record all you hear and feel, for your memory may play tricks on you. I will try to send the papers to your friends. I must go now.”

Atlan: “Wait! Why don’t you just write it yourself and tell them where to find us? Or, as you are at it, why not help me to escape?”

Melina: “I…i can’t. He put a spell on me. I cannot act against his will openly, or talk about anything. You will have to do it. I need to go, or he might grow suspicious. Your friend Alanna pledged for your release, and his… N. is willing to grant her an audience.”

“Alanna! Will he blind her as well?” i asked bitterly.

Melina: “Not the same way you were blinded. A magical fold will do. Hurry, he will call for you again soon.”

With these words, she closed a door and was gone. Luckily, i was used to scribble in the dark from my long nights of research. I only hope these notes reach you somehow, my friends. Winfield, Mystarr, Green Dragon, Katelynn and all the others. I do not know where i am, nor what N. wants from me, but beside my blindness, i am well.

Please, hinder Alanna from putting herself into grave danger. I will somehow find a way to escape, or at least tell you how to find me. I hope Melina can send this to you soon, before Alanna can do anything foolish…

Atlan

Letter from Atlan -2-

Sweet Alanna, foolish Alanna.

The next time N. called for me, she was there. The Dark Omen had taken her too now. But although my feelings -a mixture of anger, because of her foolishness and pride for her courage and care- clouded my perceptions, i noticed much more of my surrounding. Seemingly, the human mind can adjust to about anything.

N.: “Atlan, welcome your disciple Alanna. She pledged for your freedom, and i granted her the chance to speak.”

Atlan: “Alanna! Why did you do this? This is madness, now he has us both in his grip.”

Alanna: “I had to do something. I couldn’t let you take this burden alone and stand back.”

N.: “Heartbreaking. But now on to the more important things. You asked me why i had you blinded. Well, the reason is simple. You were blind from the beginning. You call yourself the seer of PaxLair, but you failed your city, your friends and your land!”

Atlan: “But..”

N.: “Silence! Yes you failed them. You were hunting shadows. My identity is not the problem you face in PaxLair. It will eventually become known, not just yet, but soon. You heard the messages of the Great Earth Serpent, but did you understand them? No! You bother the people around you with your little essays on Balance, praising it! With that, you seal their doom, for Balance will be burned out of your heads soon.”

Alanna: “Atlan taught me the ways of Balance, thus saving my soul from certain death. How can you speak that way of Balance?”

N.: “How i can? Because i KNOW and because i SEE, other than your famous seer here! Did he tell you of his visions of apocalypse? The burning of worlds and death-cry of millions he hears each night? No! Because he is not sure what they mean, although it is obvious!”

Atlan: “How can you know that, i never…”

N.: “Ha! I told you i know and see. But i told you enough. It is time you learn your lesson the hard way, Atlan. You will stay blind until you see the truth. It is up to you to cure yourself and help your people. Do not waste time on my plans and don’t bother in stopping me, for you have bigger problems at hand.”

Alanna: “At least tell him how to see again!”

N.: “How can i tell the blind how to see, child? It is impossible if they do not learn themself. I thought you would understand me, understand my motifes. You are the only one to avert Gehenna. Let me take a look into your eyes, i must know if you have got what it takes. Melina, lift her veil!”

Melina: “Yes, master”

At this moment, Alanna screamed and then sobbed. I nearly went mad and began to shout, until i heard those words again:

“Yes…i see hope in your eyes, and even understanding, if only sparse. It is hard for me to walk in the kingdom of the blind and see alone… I will ease your memory now, but never forget what you learned. Vas An Wis, An Ex Wis!”

When i woke again, paralysed, i heard N. talk to Alanna again.

N.: ” It took you Compassion, and Valor to dare this Sacrifice for Atlan. *sighs* Now you glimpsed the true nature of these so called ‘Virtues’. They are your harsh masters and will lead your way to damnation. Learn this, Alanna, child of prophesy, last daughter of eve. Gehenna is a symptome but not the cause. If you can overcome it, you will face a peril that is beyond anything you can imagine. This is a war won with faith alone, a battle for your very essence and souls.”

Alanna: “We can overcome Gehenna? How?”

N.: “Ahh, children, they never listen and never learn. Yes, there might be a way, but are you strong enought to take it? And even if you succeeded, would you not perish in the times to come? Anyway, i can’t tell you anymore. Know that i will fight you, for you are your own enemy. But for now, you are free to leave. Take this wreckage of a seer back to his beloved town and help him to learn.”

Alanna: “We may go now?”

N.: “Soon, Alanna. I will have to do some additional adjustments to your friends memory yet. In a few days, you are free to go.”

Alanna: “What are you doing to him?”

N.: “The same i did to you, my child. I wiped unwanted memories from his brain and cleansed his thinking. He will be alright soon. Take them away, i don’t want too see them anymore.”

They took us to seperate cells and i had the chance to write this report before they take me away again. I am not sure what i have forgotten, but i hope i could help you with what i can recall. Hopefully, N. will honor his word and release us unblemished.

NOTE: This is part of a continuing PaxLair Player Quest, not a Seer Quest.

PaxLair, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – December 5, 1998 – by Atlan – Many people gathered in the Court of Truth for a town-meeting. Besides the common topics that are discussed at every meeting of such kind, there where some incidents that made this gathering very special… Not only did Darius disembowel himself and took his first step on the raod to become a Death Knight, but Atlan meet his fate too. As his turn came, he gathered his notes and stepped up in front for a speech:

Greetings, lords and commons, mages and warriors, good and evil people of Britannia.I am Atlan, called sage by some, seer by others, member of the council of PaxLair.

Of late, our fair city was a board of chess to a certain person, as we were his pawns. Many of you know of whom i speak: the mysterious “N.” He never showed himself, and nothing else is known about him except his initial.

First, he practically commanded mayor Winfield to get him some blackrock from the FoA-chests. As this did not work, he got angry and unleashed hordes of monsters upon our city.

Next, he teamed up with the orcs and recruited some unnatural beings to do his bidding. As i have just learned, N. even planted at least one spy in our ranks, the Lady M. aka Melina the thief. This poor lady was forced to steal a precious Device from me by holding her daughter captive.

And now, Arik Lor the master-smith, brother of Father Time, is crafting something…some jewels out of blackrock, which might be used in combination with the stolen Device. Although i am not sure WHAT N. is up to, it is clear it involves the Device, blackrock and the Principles.

My visions have blurred since he first showed up in PaxLair, so i do not know what the futur holds. The light is dwindeling fast, yet i feel N. must be stopped. And now we may have the vital clue that can tell us who and what N. is!

Lady Melina has broken her silence and the spell of binding, put at her by N.! She told me to research “an old heritage of nobless”, and gave me some hints on where to look. I will search through the libraries soon, but maybe she will be able to tell us his true name…for she will be with us tonight… I….

What is this?

Who are you?”

Out of nowhere, three figures appaered, circeling the confused sage. Although the citizenry cried out warnings, he was unable to retreat.

The strangers gave their answers their own way:

“We are the Omen to preceed His coming. We are the Darkness that has come for you, seer. You know too much already, you will have to stop. The Lady will not come, and you will not stay. See your futur, sage… *throws glitting powder in Atlan’s eyes* Take him away, master!”

A gate opened up on Atlan and swallowed the blinded sage along with his captors. Some brave soul managed to follow them through, but only found himself in the middle of a dungeon, a glittering “N” laid out on the floor…

The citizens began to search far and wide for Atlan, alas to no avail. The reason became appearand when N. sent a message to them:

“Dear citizens of PaxLair, do not waste your time by trying to find Atlan, for he… enjoys my hospitality for the time being. Fear not, for although i did warn him, i will treat him well and even show him a tip of the Truth behind all that is going on. N.”

NOTE: This is part of a continuing PaxLair Player Quest, not a Seer Quest.

PaxLair, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – October 30, 1998 – by Atlan – Hail fellow citzens, I have disturbing news for you. Some may remember how i held the seance by the fountain which lead to the contact with the three Serpents. After this seance i used the experience i recieved from the Void to craft a Device. This Device resembled a normal crystal of communication in appearance and usage, but had the ability to breach the borders between our mundane world and the Void. With this Device, some of you were able to actually speak to the Shrines of Virtue! And each shrine revealed its alternative Principle of Chaos, Order and Balance, along with some prophecy of an “Evil that was, Evil that is and Evil that will be again”.

Now, my friends, somebody (or something?) seems to have stolen this powerful Device… In the wrong hands, it can be an instrument to wreak havoc to our world! For, you see, it is in fact not a simple communication-device. The Device can be opened to place a focus inside the Core of Power (which enables normal communication crystals to contact each other). To contact the Shrines of Virtue, i enchanted a special gem and placed it at each Shrine for one day and one night for it to develop an affinity to the Virtue of this Shrine. What happened when you actually established contact to the Shrines through the Device, was that it drew a tiny portion of the power of its Virtue.

I am sure the mages amongst you can imagine the danger of this Device, as i used a mundane gem and adjusted the Device to minimal amounts of mystical energy. But whoever stole the Device might not be that gentle… with the right focus, there is no limit to the amount of power that the Device can draw.

Oh why have i crafted such a dangerous machine and then let it fall into unknown hands? I left it at the table where i did my research while i retired to sleep. Old fool, that i am! I had studied hour by hour the possibiltys to redeem the poor Alanna from her vile curse, and over that forgot about the Evil that lurks the lands nowadays! Someone must have sneaked in and simply taken it.

I can only hope it was just a common rogue who will think it is a simple crystal of communication… but why did he then took nothing else? And why are my visions of the futur suddenly so blurred? No, i think…i FEEL something has got hold of the Device and will use it for its own plans, which are, no doubt sinister. Why else steal it and not ask me?

I just hope you can forgive my lazyness and weakness to loose the Device… and keep an eye open if you can learn more about it. Maybe someone knows what it will be used for? But i fear we will all learn soon enough…

Atlan, broken and sad, seer and sage of PaxLair

NOTE: This is part of a continuing PaxLair Player Quest, not a Seer Quest.

PaxLair, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – October 30, 1998 – by Arik – After a hard day of mining in the mountains of Shame, i returned home with a good load of ore. As i neared my smithy, i noticed a dark clad figure at my door-step. Setting the heavy sack of ore to the ground to free my hands, i approached the suspicious being:”Hail, what may i do for you in the mioddle of the night? I am the owner of this fine shop, ’tis opened from dawn till sunset….”. A dark voice answered me:”Arik Lor, the smith?”. After the shivering of my body ceased, i simply nodded; what is in this voice that can frighten a hard man so much, i asked myself. But before i could say any more, the figure produced a small, artfully crafted box from the depths of its robes and vanished without a trace.

Pulling myself together, i first ignored the box that i set onto the table while depositing the ore for smelting. I worked hard, avoiding to think about the strange incident, but then all ore is smelted into fine ingots an after cleaning the floor of the smithy, all i could do is done… Slowly i sat down in front of the box, examining it closely. It seemed very old, with strange runes and ornaments all over the lid and the sides. What seems to be the locking-mechanism was crafted in the likeness of an old seal, but i could not distinct the shapes and forms on it, as they shifted every time i looked at them…

Entranced by the play of lights upon the seal i reached out to touch it. With a sound like a moaning of many voices, the lid was suddenly open, and the spell i seemed under gone. Curious, i examine the contens of the box. The first thing i noticed was a good amount of gold, then next to it an old scroll and finally a crystal of communication. I am no greedy man, but not dumb either, so i reached out to get the gold and concern myself with the rest of this mysterious things later, when the gold would rest safe in my bank. But as i touched the gold, the crystal seemed to explode with a bright light, levelling itself above the box!

 A voice:”Ah, Mr.Lor. So you seem to agree to my little proposal? At least, you like the gold.” *cackles*

Arik Lor:”Errr, what proposal?”

A voice:”I want your skill to craft something very special for me, master Arik. It is somewhat delicate work, so must insist on total discretion on your part. I hope the gold will ease it to you?”

Arik Lor:”’tis a nice sum of gold,indeed, sire. In fact enough to staff out a little army with the finest of my armor. What shall i craft for you?”

A voice:”Hmm, let’s say it is a bit of jewelery in the broader sense of the word. All instructions on how to craft them and how to smith the special ore needed are contained within these scrolls. I know you also mined near the excavations in the Minoc mountains where the earthquake struck. And i learned you found somewhat contaminated ore there?”

Arik Lor:”Aye, after smelting this ore, there where strange beads of a black material left. I collected this strange material, asi wanted to study it. Ne’er seen such before.”

A voice:”Exellent! *coughs* That is exactly the material needed… how much of it is in your possesion?”

Arik Lor:”’tis not very much, just a handfull of splinters.”

A voice:”It will suffice, as long as your skill is good enough. Don’t waste anything, prepare by trying the technique on mundane…errr normal ore. *coughs*” And stick exactly to the plans! After you finished, put the “jewels” into the chest, along with the scrolls. If you succeed, you will be paid the same amount of gold again…”

Arik Lor:”That is indeed splendid…i hope…i hope this is nothing against the law or something?”

A voice:”Ah, not at all! How can it be against any law to craft something out of ore? After all it is your job!” *cackles*

Arik Lor:” *ponders over the gold* Aye, that is true…well, then, i guess we have a deal, mister…?”

A voice:”Just call me N.. I will know when you are done with your work, master Lor. One last thing: no word to anybody about our little agreement, it is a…surprise. Yes, i think you can put it this way. *cackles* Farewell, and work fast!”

With these last words from N. the crystal flashed in a bright light again. After my eyes had recovered, the box was closed again; but the scrolls and the gold lie open on the table… Although this whole affaire reeked a little fishy, i started to examine the scrolls. After all, i had customers with stranger wishes already, and this new smelting-technique seemed really interesting…maybe i can even use it to craft better armor!

After working all night, i crafted three strangely shaped coins, which seem to slip from my eyes touch and a similar pyramid that never stopped spinning since i put a finishing touch to it…there are symbols on each of the coins which resemble the symbols on one side each of the pyramid. A rectangle, a circle and a triangle, while one side of the pyramid was left blank…

At last my rudimentary knowledge of alchemy and magic came in handy, or else i would never have been able to finish the work. I will not reveal what strange magics i used to forge these things. Only to hint on it, there was an altered version of the telekinesis-spell which took me as much efort to cast as it were a fifth circle one… and something that enchanted the flames in my forge which i could just cast with the power of the scroll.

As my strange customer ordered me to, i took the tablet with the coins and touched the seal of the box again. As before, it seemed to pop from closed to opened with no delay, and again, there was a pilke of gold and the crystal in it. As i set down the coins and the scrolls into the box and grabbed the money, the crystal came to life again.

A voice:”Ah, excellent! They are perfect, my regards to you, master Lor!”

Arik:”Thank you, but i have my doubt as to what you will use these things to.”

A voice:”That is not of your concern, Arik. You have been paid well, and are not responsible for this any longer. But if it really interests you, these “coins” and the focus will end the tyranny of those that follow Truth, Love and Courage. And your work will play a vital part in these plans. *cackles madly* Fare thee well.”

While the laughter died away, the box closed shut and vanished along with the crystal. I still shudder when i think that the honest work of my trade will be put to evil uses. Therefor i wrote the whole story up for you brave men and women of Britannia as a warning. I will not rest until i can recover these coins and destroy them, hopefully before they can do the Principles any harm.

Arik, Grandmaster Smith

NOTE: This is part of a continuing PaxLair Player Quest, not a Seer Quest.

PaxLair, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – October 20, 1998 – by Atlan – Hail fellow citizens, lately, i am very concerned by the actions of the mysterious person (?) that goes by the initial of “N”.  He made his first “appearance” by contacting mayor Winfield and proposing a seemingly one-sided deal to him and to PaxLair. With the chests of the Followers of Armageddon abound, he wanted to get hold of the powerful mineral known as blackrock.  This material has many magical properties, most of which are yet completly unknown. On one hand, it is said to block etheral waves if positioned right, on the other hand you can transform and recieve the same waves if used differently. Yet other rumors say that it can provide direct passage into the Void and other dimensions.  Whatever is truth about these rumors, it certainly is quite a unique matter with the potential to great good or even greater evil. Up to now, it is a secret, what N. wants it for, but as you can tell by what happenend at his second “meeting” with PaxLairs officials and citizens, it can hardly be something benevolent.

I hesitated to speak of “appearances” and “meetings”, as in fact N. never really showed himself in person. He has the habit to send messengers and use crystals of communication to contact us. As he said at the second meeting: “I am somewhat…restricted in my freedom of movement right now”.  I know not what this means, but i know he was quite angered by the fact that the PaxLairians could not present him a piece of the blackrock he wanted. With the same breath he used to claim to be a teacher to us, he summoned a horde of vile monsters to punish us.  On this occasion, we learned his fearsome power and his wrath at first hand, as well as one of his minions name: Drinrick, the demon. But all this seems to be just a prelude of things to come…

As i am still in shock from the loss of the Device , i retreated into the safety of my laboratory to research further on various subjects. Yet, one of these subjects lead me to other grave news concerning N.  With awe, i listened to what the adventurers brought back from the shrines while learning about a cure for Alanna. The last shrine, Spirituality, which is also the shrine to the Balance-Principle of Harmony, warned the seekers of things to come:

Shrine: An ancient foe is afoot, threatening the Principles of Truth, Love and Courage.

Shrine: He, who never shows will turn the Principles down.

Party: N.?

Shrine: That is the one. He is unclear to us. He will turn them down.

Shrine: If it is to your salvation or your doom, is yours to decide.

Shrine: Before this world can be saved, the embodiment of the Principles need to walk the lands.

The shrine made it clear that this means not the Avatar. But i think you can imagine my surprise, that even the shrines speak of this strange N.. As i expected, he can be our downfall, but there seems to be hope. Yet, i fear he may be ahead of all our attempts again.  Because the second bit of news i received deems no good. N. has allied himself with the orcs of the Olog-Hai clan, as he sent some of his minions to back them up, along with a note of warning:

“Hail great Gorbag, leader of the Olog-Hai orcs, due to a lucky incident, it came to my knowledge that you intent to march on the city of Britain. At the same time, i learned that one of your old enemys might take advantage of this situation. While your proud clan is away, the elves will try to invade your homes. I advise you to quickly return to your fort and thwart their attack, or else you might loose your marvelous strong-hold to them. Also, i ask you to stand back from any further attacks until we had time to plan and coordinate them. We need to gather our forces and there are things to attend to in the meanwhile… In the spirit of our possible future cooperation, i hereby send you a small troop of men and women dedicated to my plans. They will act as a backup and heal you when need arises. Please await further notice of me before you attempt anything.

Your ally,

N.”

Whatever his plans might be, he has found yet another force to throw at his target: the orcs. Although they shy magics and are looked upon by us humans, they are a force to be reckoned with and this alliance not to be taken lightly.  Therefore, stay alert to any bit of information, be it tiny or big, or else we might loose our last chance to twarth his plans.

Atlan, seer and sage of PaxLair.

NOTE: This is part of a continuing PaxLair Player Quest, not a Seer Quest.

PaxLair, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – October 17, 1998 – by Gwendelyn Stacy – Twas a fine gathering if i may say. Many people were there to hear the words of the mysterious Mr. N. And as the crystal turned red I should have seen it as an omen. the conversation between the people and Mr. N. was not vary long. for the most part Mystarr spoke to the crystal. They spoke of the black rock that the FoA was seeking to control.

“Greetings. I am N…i hope you excuse my lack of politeness, but it is not yet time to reveal my true name.

Also, i am somewhat…restricted in my freedom of movement right now.

The reasons i asked for this meeting are manyfold.

First and foremost, i want to teach you, be your mentor and your master.

By “you”, i mean the people of so called “Britannia” in general and the citizens of

Secondly, i wanted to ask how you performed in the task i gave to you through the old man, Winfield.

I..asked you to recover a bit of blackrock for me from the chests of the Followers of Armageddon.

All i wanted were some mere splinters, a handfull of stone…is this too much to ask from you?

Ah, but the question was rather rhetorical, as i know perfectly well you failed!

But maybe you can surprise me after all and show some creativitiy? Maybe you were able to find another source?

This really saddens me, i expected more from you…at least some good excuse…

*sigh*

As i already stated, i see me as a kind of teacher and as such, i have to be hard to unruly students…

You insist on your “freedom” and have no blackrock for me?

Well, then: LET THE DESTRUCTION BEGIN!”

The crystal grew a deep blood red as the words from Mr. N. became angry. And with that the crystal vanished from sight and the attack began. At first there was the appearence of a few skeletons but that was only the beginning. As i hide beneath the tree I saw with my own Eyes A DEAMON!!

It appeared out of nowhere. No Gates to enter from nothing. Then the Deamon summoned liches and wraith’s . Magick filled the air as lightning fell from the sky like rain. The air crackeled with the sound of energy bolts! It looked blek for the defenders of Pax Lair.

And as we thought the worst had arrived. Three Ogres arrived on the sceen. I yelled a warning to the warriors but it was not heard. Only to late did the warriors see them. And the blood flooded as water turning the ground red. And the laughter of Mr. N. could be heard by all. As I began to cover my eyes and pray for hope I saw them , the people of PaxLair, forming ranks! First the Deamon was delt with. Then with the help of the wizards the liches were destroyed as well. The ogres broke their lines and fell into disarray with there leaders killed. The skeletons were smashed and the wraiths were disolved in a volley of bolts and an ocean of swords that cut them down as if the finger of a GOD had moved through a forrest! When a silence finally fell over the ground ’twas a horrid sight to be seen by any. The ground was covered with the broken bodys of heros and the invaders alike. There was a calm. The crystal was gone. And now only questions remain. What will come?

Gwendelyn Stacy

NOTE: This is part of a continuing PaxLair Player Quest, not a Seer Quest.

PaxLair, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – September 21, 1998 – by Winfield — Late last night, I stirred restlessly in my sleep. Strange nightmares haunted my dreams. Darkness, cold darkness surrounded me. The only thing I heard was a heavy breathing sound, drawing closer…a claw reached out for me! I awoke with a scream, that almost overlaid the slow knocking on the door. Shuddering from the cold, I wrapped the blanket around me, as I opened the door. There was no one at the door, but only an inactive communication crystal on the steps.

“Hmmm. What might this mean?” I thought to myself. I picked it up, set it on the table, and activated it. I jumped away from it as it radiated a bright light and started to rise into the air! I was shocked, as I never witnessed such magic before. Then a strange voice called out to me.

Voice: “Ah, Mayor Winfield. A pleasure meeting you at last. *coughs* I just wanted to make my aquintance to you.”

Winfield: “Who are you?”

Voice: “Lets just say, i am a…friend?-Yes, i guess you could say that. You may call me N. *evil laughter* It is popular of late to use one’s initials…”

Winfield: “And…what is it that you want from me, Sir N.?”

Voice: “I have heard much of your fine city, and I have developed a certain… interest in it. There are many interesting things to learn from you and your sages. *cackles* Let me assure you, that the safety of you and your city is in my deepest interest…for now. Therefore, I will command my…helpers not to …errr… hinder you *cackles madly*”

Winfield: “That is most welcome, as we are a city of peace. Who are your ‘helpers’?”

Voice: “All and none. I have many with similar interests that obey me. *heavy sigh* Good servants are so hard to come by nowadays…just muscles and no brain. They don’t understand the finer arts of diplomacy. Just kill, kill, kill. Not that I am against it *cackles* but there is a time for everything, don’t you agree?”

Winfield: “What should I say to this? As I told you, we believe in peace and neutrality and Balance.”

Voice: “*mumbles: Balance…* Anyway. I am a man of peace too, mind you. I like it when all is well structured and peaceful. And I like life…I love it. That is where we should work together, as we share the same opinion on this, I hope?”

Winfield: “*looks unsure* Aye, life is very nice…”

Voice: “Ah, you see, we have many things in common! And that is why I contact you, to offer my help and to request yours. You are aware that the Followers of Armageddon try to cast the spell of the same name? To “cleanse” the world…well, I don’t like it to be cleansed for my part! That is why I ask you to guard the chests. And, maybe you could get hold of the blackrock… I need it for…err… experiments. So here is the deal: for helping you in your struggle to survive, you get me at least one of these stones. Agreed?”

Winfield: “Well, I cannot promise you anything. But we wanted to protect those chests anyway, as they truly threaten our very existence.”

Voice: “Ha, you see. So think about it. A little piece of rock for the life of your people… a good deal in my eyes. *coughs* I have taken enough of your time for now. Farewell, Mayor. We will meet again. And remember that stone, old man!”

Suddenly, they crystal was consumed in cold fires, as his laughter faded away.

“…a new player has entered the game, it seems…”

Feeling mysterious nature of this contact, I immediately wrote down everything the crystal said and sent the message out on the ether for all of PaxLair to read. What is going to happen? Can we get the blackrock or will we perish?

NOTE: This is part of a continuing PaxLair Player Quest, not a Seer Quest.