View source for Pasifika in Peril

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[[Category:Keith Smith]][[Category:Scribe Notes]][[Scribe_Notes#Winter_800_WK|Scribe Notes]]<br>
== Summary ==
'''Adventure''': Pasifika in Peril<br>
'''GM''': Keith Smith<br>
'''Season''': [[Winter]] 800 WK<br>
; Party
*[[Flamis]] - I am a Fire Mage of some repute, most noted for blasting the enemy with DragonFlames. I am the party scribe. Oh, and I’m definitely a blonde. (Jacqui S)
*[[Sven]] - Male Human Water Mage. Comes from Svenway. Likes to bog down opponents, or failing that, hit them lots. He’s also bossy and rude! Party Leader. (William D)
*[[Silverfoam]] - Elven Namer. Really experienced. Party Military Scientist. (Michael P)
*[[Viola]] - Female Human Illusionist. Likes to flash the bad guys. (Bridget) 
*[[Thorn]] - Female Human Fighter. Icky-thump! (Helen S)
*[[Grif]] - Male (I think) Dwarven Air Mage. Into lightning and hammering. (Zane) 
*[[Caine]] - Male Monk and Martial Artist. Throws his weapons away and hits things with bare hands. (Scott R)
;Time on adventure
:1 Frost 800 WK to end of Snow 800 WK
;Original Scribe Notes
:[[Media:Snwi0002.zip]]

==Scribe Notes==

===1 Frost 800===
(''Session 1'')

There were any number of interesting adventures
going out this time, though not many seemed to
have much to do with this Dark Circle business. I
decided that I might instead try for some midwinter
sunshine, and chose an adventure out to Aqualina’s
homeland, Pasifika. I did have some misgivings
when they told us the meeting room would be in the
Water College. There was something fishy about
this, and it turned out to be our employers. They
were themselves a team of adventurers, merfolk and
aquatic elves, from the Pasifikan Guild. I didn’t even
know they had a Guild. Aqualina never said
anything.

They were:
:Lethe - Male aquatic elf Mind Mage
:Urewa - Merman Namer
:Aquana - Mermaid Bard
:Kaoh - Female Aquatic Elf E&E
:Mizuno - Mermaid water mage/healer

Urewa, their party leader, explained that the islands
of Pasifika were in peril - the ancient city was
threatening to rise from the depths, causing
eruptions, earthquakes and tidal waves, which would
surely drown the islands and destroy the mer city.
They had found some legends which suggested
methods of restricting the damage which had been
used once before. We would need to find the Fire
stones, now scattered and lost. They didn’t even
know how many were needed. Just that one of them
was said to be somewhere in the Seventh City, the
Hidden City of Phila Delphia in Terranova. Another
had been stolen and taken somewhere, possibly
offplane.

It had become apparent to the aquatic adventurers
that this would involve some travel in places far from
the ocean, places they couldn’t go. So they came to
hire us. In return we would each receive an item
from their vaults, something they couldn’t use, and
we could. Sounded like a pretty good deal to me.

Meanwhile they would go hunt down some special
oils and rocks, which could be used in a ritual to
prevent the earthquake and retrieve other firestones.
We rapidly came to the conclusion that these guys
didn’t know anywhere near enough about what we
had to do, so we set about doing some astrology and
such like. I did a flamesight ritual using the firestone
they had brought, and performed a ritual of
Conversing with Other Selves to find out if one of my
alter-egos knew anything. We also got an astrology
reading to find out the fastest way to get to Phila
Delphia. Here’s what we got:

;1) What is the quickest and fastest way to Philedelphia
 Take a mad dash across plains of peril
 Will you need a thing of beryl?
 Beware the creatures that sap your will
 Reach the gate where all is still
 
 Even though you have the key
 The first portal, the right one may not be
 Follow the thread to where it leads
 Until a connection can be made to succeed
;2) Reading on a firestone
 It was there but now it's not
 To find it go south a lot
 Find the land of the long white cloud
 Where the Gate Keeper can be found
 
 Journey back to its current place
 Remove it carefully, leave no trace
 Destiny says this must be done
 So past and future can be one
;3) Reading on another firestone
 My first is in ocean but is not in the sea page 1
 My second is the sea that follows the bee
 My third is a drink that is made from a leaf
 My fourth appears twice in a Pasifikan drink
 My fifth is an old measurement useful for length
 My whole is the place where the object now lies octal?
 It can't be reached by conventional means
 Instead travel through the stuff of dreams
 Emerge in a land similar to this
 But do not assume or your target you'll miss
 
 Wait for the person who can weave
 The way that the tentacled ones can
 This person can send you but there is a price
 The name must be known to do this plan
;4) Reading on the ritual
 Take two stones from each side of the fault
 Find the oil that'll make anything slip
 Coat each end and then sit and wait
 For the earth to move, shake and flip
 
 Go to the spot where the epicentre be
 With arcane words slide one on the other
 If all done right there should be sympathy
 And the fault will slide, not stick together
;5) How should the firestones be arranged?
 Vision of geometric shape with epicentre in the middle.
;6) What happened when they were used once before?
 Waves bouncing off a wall of fire getting slower and smaller with each bounce. The wall flared as each wave hit.
;7) Where can the firestones be found?
 'Beauty - in the night'

We spent the rest of that day getting ourselves
organised. Kaoh did Greater Enchantments on those
of us who could afford it, and there were Lesser
Enchantments all round. We choose our party
leader, military scientist and scribe, and made plans
for the following day.

It was pretty obvious that the quickest way to Phila
Delphia was to use the Beth Salem portals, but
they’re on the Plain of Grass, which meant travelling
through a fair chunk of the Dark Circle. We’d been
given a portal key for Phila Delphia, but told that the
Pasifika portals were misbehaving, fading in and out,
which meant we had to find another Gate. I thought
of the Pellucidar Gate, but that was away to the
north. Too far. I figured that with an Enchanter to
boost the duration on Wildfires, and a carefully
chosen route, we could get to the Beth Salem
portals in one run. And it would be a lot safer than
flying. Flying over the Dark Circle is BAD. Walking is
worse. Running at 40 miles an hour, we’d only be
likely to come under attack at the Portals themselves.

===2 Frost 800 - Seagate to Beth Salem to Pellucidar===
(''Session 2'')

I was right. The undead couldn’t touch us as we ran
like fire across the treetops. And the portal circle was
easy to spot on a low grassy mound above the ruined
city. The weird thing was the perfectly circular lake
right in the centre of the ruins. We didn’t stop to
investigate, but ran straight for the portals.

Silverfoam checked the auras of the six trilithon
portals. One was flickering intermittently - that had to
be the Pasifika gate. Another, marked with a square,
had a constantly bright aura, indicating a
functionally portal. We tried our diamond key in the
trilithon for Phila Delphia. No change in the aura.

The key at the other end had to be out. And that
wasn’t the only problem. Sven spotted movement in
the ruins. And a black cloud headed our way. The
Dark Circle had noticed us.

The movement resolved itself into a small army of
skeletons heading up the hill. I prepared
Dragonflames, ready to blast them if they got close.
Sven was ahead of me, and the ground below the
undead turned to bog. “That should hold them...” he
called. But still more came out of the ruins. He cast
again, and the whole hillside started to give way.
“Mudslide! Time we’re out of here!”

Giff grabbed our portal key, as we ran for the active
gate, the one with the square. Through the portal we
stepped....

....into sudden damp heat, and the noise of
thousands of insects.

We were standing in another
square, trilithon portals on three sides, a great ruined
city on the fourth side. Above us was not the sky but
the distant roof of a tremendous cavern. I knew at
once where we were. Pellucidar, the City Below.

Behind the portals was jungle as far as the eye could
see. A huge pyramid rose beyond the city, on its
summit, tiny black winged shapes lifted into the air.

‘Pterries,” I called aloud and pointed, much to the
consternation of the party. I explained where we
were, and that the only thing to worry about here was
the wildlife, no problem to experienced adventurers
like us. There was good eating here too, I recalled
from Phaeton’s stories. Down by the lake, there
should be mud dwelling critters called “Lunchus
Valliumus” after the adventurer who first found them
- or trilobites for their three bite snackability.

They made an excellent dinner, and we settled
down for a relatively peaceful night, only interrupted
by a visit from a snake, which became breakfast, and
by the purring of a small cat which found its way into
my sleeping bag.

===3 Frost 800 - Pellucidar to Malacandra===
(''Session 3'')

We purified, cast defence spells, had breakfast,
packed up and headed for the portals. Our Phila
Dephia key still wouldn’t work, leaving us with the
choice of going back the way we came, or trying the
other active gate, one marked with a triangle.

We stepped through the portal....

..... and shivered. It was cold, and the air was dry.

We stood in on a vast barren plain, near a walled city. It
was near sunrise, the first light of dawn touching the
top of the pyramid which dominated the city. A
gigantic volcano rose from the plain to the southwest
of the city. But we had little time to study the
landscape. This city was not uninhabited, and its
portals were guarded. We were challenged by two
humans in a language none of us understood. Then
horns blared from the city walls. It didn’t take much
to recognise the sound of an alarm. The guards
turned to the east and drew their weapons. More
guards came running from the city gates. We looked
and saw a swarm of four-armed goblinoids
approaching rapidly on six-legged riding beasts.
“Thark,” said a guard, looking at us. We got the drift,
and prepared our weapons.

As we moved into fighting order, I prepared and cast
Weapon of Flames on my staff and Thorn’s sword. By
then one group of the foe were in bow and spell
range. Viola let loose a flash of light. Caine shot
arrow after arrow into the enemy spell-caster, while I
sent him a bolt of fire. He still got his spell off and
my guts told me what it was. “Necrosis! Get the
damned Necromancer!”

Thorn, Sven, Caine, and Grif formed a fighting V in
front of me, with Silverfoam and Viola behind. They
readied melee weapons while I blasted the
oncoming foe with Dragonflames, flash-frying the
Necromancer and scorching others of his company.

One of the enemy charged, and I was grateful for
Grif’s defence spell as he just missed me. Then it
was all a melee. I think I slew two more Thark with
my flaming staff, as Caine fought bravely at my side.
Thorn accounted for another, as did Grif. Then the
battle was over. The horns blared in victory.

We found that some of our companions in arms
spoke a form of Elvish. The Thark attacked here
rarely, and there must be an encampment nearby.

They would take the bodies for food, and captives to
be eaten later. We spent the day healing our
wounds, and planning a raid on the encampment. It
was easy enough to see which when the Thark had
fled. Then it was a matter of guessing the distance.
Our hosts were impressed when I pulled a large
Crystal of Vision out of my pack (along with a small
cat, and several somewhat damaged ration bars). I
was lucky and managed to sight on the Thark
encampment first shot. They were roasting the
corpses of brave human warriors for their feast!

Others were being kept captive behind the camp in a
shallow cave in the face of the escarpment rearing
up there. We had to rescue them!

===4 Frost 800 - Malacandra===
(''Session 4'')

We formulated a plan (actually it was mostly
Silverfoam’s plan). It got much easier when I told
them about the extra-spicy fire elementals I was able
to summon with the aid of my Rod of Fires. Then we
waited until the height of the feast, and flew for the
escarpment - aided by some of the city’s finest
warriors, mages and healers. I spent the next hour
hidden from view, summoning the fire elemental. It
came and bent readily to my control. Then Viola
cast an illusory wall to protect the captives, while
Silverfoam rendered the elemental indetectable.

Then I sent the elemental out to lay waste to the
camp. Confusion reigned among the horrified
Tharks, then death, as their tents burst into flame.

They ran, only to find themselves confronted by
Walls of Fire and Smoke. Some fell on their own
spears, crying out to Ares, their heathen god. Their
Shaman, whom we suspect might have been a
Wiccan, tried to cast at the elemental, but collapsed,
half a dozen arrows piercing his corpse.

When all was still, I had the elemental extinguish
the remaining fires, at then sent it back to its home
with thanks. I got the vague impression that it had
enjoyed itself. We rounded up the remaining
terrified mounts - the natives called them Thoats.
Then we released the captives, ensured ourselves
that all the Tharks were truly dead, and rested until
dawn, while the camp cooled.

In the cruel light of sunrise, the Thark encampment
was a less gruesome sight than many battlefields I
have seen. The fire had seen to that. But it was still
a depressing job, sifting through the remains for
valuables, looking at the destruction I had wrought
here. It was the pervasive stink of burned flesh that
got me the most. Still, we found a number of
amulets, most of Luck, but some others. I claimed an
Amulet of Carbuncle for myself.

We returned to the city, the once captives helping us
to herd the Thoats. We sold them in the city, and
then reported to the Generals, who were well
pleased with us. We were gifted with native clothing,
light but warm, and invited to bathe and rest before
the feast that evening. There we were presented with
tokens of honour and gratitude; silver armbands
engraved with laurel leaves. Of course, all Sven
wanted to know was how many silver pennies it was
worth. Talk about mercenary!

===5 Frost 800 Malacandra to Perelandra to Phila Delphia===
Next morning we woke refreshed and ready to
continue our adventures. Taking our leave of the
people of Malacandra, we returned to the portals,
and Silverfoam tested the aura of each gate. We
found that the Phila Delphia key was not working
here either, but the gate marked with a cross was
active. Silverfoam divinated that portal and
concluded that it went to Perelandra - on the wet
planet. Ugh!

We prepared ourselves and stepped through the
portal...

....onto warm sand under a bright white clouded sky.
Waves washed up the beach not far away, almost
touching the trilithons.

A trench had been dug to
one portal so that the water swirled around its base.
This proved to be the gate to Pasifika. The city itself
was underwater nearby. We experimented with our
gate key, and were greatly pleased to find that it
worked! The way to Phila Delphia was open at last.

Silverfoam prepared to divinate the gate, while I got
lunch and fed the cat. There were trilobites in the
sand here - and spiral shaped shellfish which
Silverfoam named ammonites, and tasted of squid.
They made a rather tasty seafood chowder.

After lunch, and after Silverfoam confirmed that the
portal with the diamond key did indeed lead to Phila
Delphia, we packed our gear, readied our weapons,
and walked through the gate...

... onto a wide windswept circular stone plaza.

A chest-high wall ran around its edge, and at its centre
was a stone ziggurat, surmounted by a block-shaped
temple. Grey clouds swept above us, and below as
well, as we saw when we looked over the wall. It
seemed that this city floated among the clouds.
“Seemed” because the clouds below were purely
illusory. The Air mage was ecstatic, saying that the
whole place felt like a mountain top. That was until
he spotted the two stationary tornados which
appeared near the base of the pyramid. Air
elementals, and really big ones. “Who are you?” said
one. “What do you want?” said the other. We
answered with our names, and then Sven said we’d
come for the Fire Stone to save Pasifika. That
seemed to satisfy them, because they went away.

The only way in appeared to be the doors to the
temple at the summit of the pyramid, so we climbed
all the way up the steps, our dwarf friend becoming
more and more excited. The golden doors were
closed, but were not warded or trapped. Sven
opened the doors, revealing the hall beyond,
dominated by a giant-sized throne. The dwarf could
barely be restrained from running forward into the
room, so Caine cast slept on him, while we checked
for more auras. The throne glowed intensely of air
magic, the doorway of something else. Silverfoam
and Caine checked the doorway, to see it passing it
would kill or have any detrimental effect. Suddenly I
realised that that was the wrong question, and read
the aura myself, learning that the effect would be
“cleansing”, and that the nature of the cleansing
would be to remove all magics in effect. I most
certainly did not want to go that way.

Silverfoam divinated the doorway, guarded by
Thorn, Viola and the sleeping Grif, while Sven,
Caine and I explored the top of the pyramid. Around
the back, we found another set of doors, this time of
silver, and not inclined to cleansing people of their
magic stuff. Not warded at all it appeared, so we
woke Grif and let him through. He had only taken a
step or two past the door when he vanished. Then
reappeared some moments later. It proved to be a
teleportation ward.

We explored the top floor of the temple and found
no more hazards. Hidden doors led into the back of
the main hall. Finally we let Grif at the big chair. He
looked so happy I began to wonder if we’d ever get
him down again.

===6 Frost 800 - Phila Delphia===
(''Session 5'')

Grif had gone to sleep in the throne, and I was just
about to start getting dinner ready, when there was a
shout from the rear. Sven had spotted a stranger, a
person in blue robes, poking his head around the
door. Of course he gave chase and we all had to
follow. I threw the cooking things back into my pack,
much to the consternation of a certain feline, while
Caine prodded Grif awake. Then we all headed off
after Sven, who’d dissappeared through the
teleporter ward by then.

We caught up with him some levels down, where
he’d stopped for a very obvious reason. Sven was
confronting a whole platoon of what were plainly
temple guards, all in blue leathers. It didn’t help that
none of them spoke Common. It was a stand-off until
one of them was dispatched, and returned with a
young man in deep blue robes. He cast a spell, and
then he could talk to us. Must be a Bard, like
Aqualina’s friend with the funny accent.

Sven again explained our mission and the Head
Priest was sent for. After some more discussion it was
all sorted out. The people in the floating city were
keen to help their compatriots in Pasifika. They
would give us the Fire Stone. They’d also help by
loaning us a device which would stabilise the portal
from Perelandra to Pasifika. It would help them as
well, by allowing them to set up trade with the
Pasifikans. Turned out that this city was actually
floating above one of the mountain ranges in Terra
Nova and was hidden to protect it from the Spawn.

Some of their adventurers would sometimes go
below to explore, and they were able to show us
some maps. I made copies for the Guild library.
We were told that these cities had been established
soon after the War of Tears as some of the elves had
feared that the humans may become extinct.

However, after many centuries, they lost contact with
each other for various reasons such as Serendip
being invaded by giant insects and having to be
abandoned. So we told them of what our Guild
adventurers had found out.

Finally we got dinner and some sleep.

===7 Frost 800 Phila Delphia to Perelandra to Pasifika===
Next morning, we said farewell to the nice
Philadelphians and left through the portal to
Perelandra. One of their number was coming with
us, a non-mage Ranger called Iolaus, who was going
to try to find out more about the current state of the
other cities from our Guild library.

At Perelandra, we placed the device around the
portal key to Pasifika. I wasn’t so keen on this idea. I
know I was about to get very very wet - a state I
detest! Sven kindly cast water breathing on us, and
water proofing on our gear. Without telling us, so I
didn’t get a chance to take the soap out first! Sven
didn’t seem to even know what soap is!

Of course I did get wet. The Pasifikan gates are
submerged fifty feet beneath the surface. They were
guarded too, by some very well-armed and wary
merfolk. We told them who we were, and asked
where the Pasifikan Guild was to be found, so they
gave us directions.

Fortunately, Aqualina had managed to teach me to
dog-paddle, so I made it to the surface easy enough.

Sven conjured up a boat thingy out of coral and
stuff, which was good, but I had to get wet again to
visit the Pasifikan Guild, where we handed over our
Fire Stone, and got some maps of the islands to the
south of here. You see, we’d figured out that the next
stone to look for would best be the one lost to the
south of here - in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

===8 Frost 800 Pasifika and Parts Southward===
In the morning, we set sail for parts due southward.
Or more literally, set mage current by day, and mage
wind by night. Silverfoam’s skill as a navigator
helped us keep on course, as did the glow on the
northern horizon. What was going on up there, I
hated to think, although my children were staying
safe with their grandparents in Ranke - with
instructions to get them off plane to Lyonesse if the
Dark Circle started expanding towards Silverstream.

It was a long journey, some thousands of miles
across mostly empty ocean once we got past the
southernmost island of Pasifika. I amused myself
practicing short bow, casting my Flame Sniper
variant of Weapon of Flame and shooting seagulls.

They told me to be careful and not fire at an
albatross. I suppose that was that really big bird I
didn’t target. Hey, I might not know what an albatross
is, but I know what a seagull isn’t. And that wasn’t!
I also spent time learning basic elvish from
Silverfoam.

===20 Frost 800 Stratosland (aka Zeyland)===
Land at last! Grif spotted it first, so he got naming
rights, but Sven insisted it be called Svenburg. Boy,
has he got an ego problem! I’m not calling it that
and I’m the official scribe and mapmaker. Our
astrology reading said it was the Land of the Long
White Cloud - so maybe we should call it
Stratosland.

There was a tall conical mountain
which I think must be a volcano. Nestling at its base
was a village with a wooden palisade beside a sandy
beach. They can’t have any Fire mages here if they
think a wooden palisade is any defence.

We guessed that we’d need some help in
understanding the local language so Swen
summoned a dolphin. Fom it, we discovered that a
merfolk adventurer was in the vicinity who had been
studying the locals. So we went and found her. Her
name was Neri and she agreed to help translate.

When we approached the village, several groups of
natives in linen kilts and feathered cloaks
approached us in canoes, waving clubs and wooden
spears at us. They obviously thought they were scary,
but I’ve seen much scarier things. Neri knew that they
were speaking a form of Pasifikan, and that’s how we
managed to establish communication.

After we
convinced them that we weren’t hostile, they let us
ashore, and took us into the largest of the wooden
buildings in the village. I asked them their name for
this land. They called it ‘Zeyland’ so that’s what we
will call it. Neri had to be carried in a tub of water as
she did not have the ability to change her tail to
legs. I had to admire the skill in the carvings on the
centrepost and the beams inside, but they sure were
ugly. Like gargoyles on churches I suppose.

Inside there was a group of elderly natives,
presumably the Village Chief and his advisors. After
they greeted us, one of the warriors indicated that we
should sit in front of the chief, and they brought food
for all of us, mostly steamed roots and fowl.

Following the meal we got to explain our mission to
the elders, but we didn’t get far, because they knew
nothing of the Fire Stone we were seeking. That was,
before I remembered the astrology reading had
mentioned something about a “Gatekeeper”. Then
they spoke animatedly and pointed in the direction
of the mountain. Obviously we would have some
climbing to look forward to. However, they also
warned us that the mountain was “tapu” which meant
something like sacred, because of the monster, the
taniwha which lived there.

===20 Frost 800 - Zeyland===
(''Session 6'')

There wasn’t so much climbing after all - Silverfoam
suggested we explore the mountain by flying, and
there didn’t seem to any good reason not to. We took
the mermaid back to the beach, considering that she
wasn’t exactly built for mountaineering - by flight or
otherwise.

We left the native village the same day, there being
some hours remaining before dark, and surveyed the
mountain, employing a spiral search pattern for
efficiency. As we passed over the forest I thought I
might have spotted one of the large flightless birds
we had been served for lunch, and with which Viola
had become fascinated. She had wanted to take one
back to Seagate to train as a riding beast, until the
rest of the party pointed out that it would be much
more practical to take an egg - or several. I had other
ideas, such as the possibility of domesticating them
for culinary purposes. I could just see Basalic’s
reaction to drumsticks the size of his arm - and as for
the omelette potential... But we didn’t stop.

The other interesting feature that Silverfoam and I
both noted was a flat area on the side of the
mountain about a third of the way from the summit
to the tree line. Something about it seemed
unnatural somehow. We noted it for future reference
and looked for a camp site. I found a good spot, a
crevice near a stream, with a fine view. Silverfoam
and I were just checking out the cleft when there was
a whoomp of displaced air behind us. I turned, and
there was a large grey object which looked
remarkably like Sven’s battle barge we had travelled
south in. Now I know were all those legends of ships
found on mountain tops come from - water mages
with instant boat spells. But it made adequate
enough hostelry, especially when warmed by my
increase temperature spell.

===21 Frost 800 - Zeyland===
The night passed uneventfully. After breakfast Grif
started casting flight spells, but back-fired on the first
attempt, wiping the spell from his mind. That meant
we had little choice but to divide the party, if we
wished to accomplish anything useful that morning.

Silverfoam remained with Grif to perform a remove
curse ritual, while Sven and Caine stood guard.

The rest of us had the task of scouting ahead. I cast
Wildfires on Thorn, Viola, Iolaus and myself, and we
went for a run. We spiralled up, following the
contours of the mountain. After a hour or so of
nothing but rock and snow, we came upon a cave
and slowed to examine it. Suddenly, a hairy
humanoid figure leapt down in front of us. I had no
idea what it was, just that it wanted us for lunch, and
leapt aside, then broke into a dead run. It was more
that a little surprised by the speed with which we
fled, and missed completely.

When we reported back to camp Sven was most
critical, wanting to know why we didn’t kill it. I
pointed out that it was not the job of scouts to
engage in combat, and was most gratified when
both Silverfoam and Caine backed me up.

After lunch, I cast Wildfires on the rest of the party
and Immolate on me (Viola had a triple, and didn’t
need redoing), we went back. There was no sign of
the hairy humanoid - which we later discovered was
a yeti, just its tracks. So Sven approached the cave.

A winged beast emerged, tail dripping venom. A
wyvern! So this was the taniwha. Battle ensued.
Sven got in some hefty blows, while Thorn slipped
around to its rear and I cast weapon of flames on my
staff. It was a swift, but bloody fight, Thorn dealing
the final blow, just ahead of me.

Then we checked out the cave, and found what
appeared to have once been the equipment of an
adventuring party, including a huge sword which
took Thorn’s fancy, a set of vambraces which looked
very much like they might suit me, and some
coinage engraved with the name “Lord Gilead”.

We explored further, and found the remains of the
yeti. Apparently it hadn’t exactly missed lunch after
all. It had been lunch for the wyvern. A little further
on, and we realised that we were approaching the
area we had spotted yesterday. We slowed our pace,
and advanced cautiously. Suddenly a tall female
figure bearing a huge key, surmounted with a
spherical red gem, appeared in front of us.

“You must be the Gatekeeper,” I said. She asserted
that she was, and that we were expected. She went
on to tell us that her name was Sesuna, and that she
was a chronomancer, and the Guardian of the
Timegate that stood behind her. What had appeared
to be an ordinary, if unusually shaped, boulder was
abruptly revealed to be a circular portal. Through it
we could see the streets of a city, similar to
Malachandra save that the light was different. The
people were dressed in Ellenic style, most in robes,
though some wore leather armour. Sesuna
explained that the city was some thousands of years
in the past, and that the Firestone we sought had
disappeared from a museum there at that time.

Presumably because we had taken it... would take
it... whatever. Time travel makes my head ache. The
good news was that the magic of the portal was such
that we should be able to speak and read the
language used at our destination.

===21 Frost 800 - Zeyland - Late Spring to Mid-Autumn ??? Ancient Pasifika===
(''Session 7'')

We made the usual preparations, including disguise
illusions to make us look like natives, and then
stepped through the portal...

.... and found ourselves in a sunny meadow.

In the near distance we could see a great city surmounted
by a pyramid like those we had seen before. The
City nestled beside the shore of a great ocean, but if
we were on an island it was a very large one.

Silverfoam checked the aura of the grass and
established that we were still on Alusia. That was all
we had time to take in before the local constabulary
arrived - on a flying raft. This was novel, especially
since none of the guards appeared to be a mage.

The captain announced that they were aware that
we had arrived from elsewhere by portal and
demanded that we come quietly. Since it would
have been counterproductive to do otherwise we
boarded the raft and they took us to a stone building
labeled “Pasifika Customs”.

They checked us over throughly, made us fill out
customs declarations forms, and then had us hand
over all our weapons, armour, drugs and magical
items. The arm bands we had been awarded in
Malachandra caused some raised eyebrows, but
noone commented. Most of our gear was returned,
but some items, my Rod of Fires, my Amulet of
Delahn, the vambraces and the big sword we found,
Grif’s hammer, Silverfoam’s staff and Sven’s armour
they kept. 

They told us that some of these items
would be impounded for the duration of our stay,
being weaponry and armour they did not want loose
in their city. Other items, like my Amulet were
required for further study, but would also be returned
when we left. Assuming we would be staying for
more than a few days, which we assured them would
be the case.

We found a decent Inn, one not too fancy, but
comfortable enough, and settled in. Later we rented
a house obtained work permits and set up shop, but
for the first few days we played tourist. Viola and I
bought toys for the children, Silverfoam purchased
fabric, Caine checked out the herb shops, and we all
got new sets of native clothing, and maps of the city.

Viola began ingratiating herself with the city guard,
going to the tavern they frequented, and making
friends with various constables and sergeants.
Then we amused ourselves visiting temples, the
arena, the city museum and various other sites. The
fact they we may have spent longer than most
looking at the display of gems in the museum was
covered by the long and technical conversation
Caine and I were having on the subject. While this
was in progress the room was thoroughly examined.

We found the Fire Stone itself displayed on a plinth
in the centre of the room, covered by a glass box.
The plinth was warded and trapped to set off alarms.
There were invisible eyes in the corners of the room,
which proved to be linked to crystals in the central
museum guard room. A set of circular patches
arranged in a square around the plinth matched
another set in the ceiling above. We discovered that
these could generate a series of beams of light,
which, if broken would set off alarms and wards. That
could make matters difficult, especially since we
didn’t have a Celestial mage, but they weren’t active
during the day. Which led to us planning daylight
robbery!

I had already suggested that we substitute a clever
fake for the Firestone - a red gem similar to a fire
opal, perhaps a garnet or a red spinel, with a
firelight cast at the centre to imitate the flickering
flame at the centre of the stone. Shaping the gem
would be easy, given my Gloves of Shaping and
some skill in sculpture, followed by a polish cantrip
or two. But first the gem must be obtained. Towards
the end of the second week in the city, I began
visiting the gem shops and found a specialist in
semi-precious and uncut stones, where I purchased a
few examples for Basalic. I asked about the
availability of red stones which would be of suitable
size and quality for manufacturing a crystal of vision
for a fire mage such as myself, and the proprietor
was happy to order one for me. However, it would
take some weeks to arrive.

We spent the intervening time fine-tuning the plan,
and using our skills to get us enough silver to ensure
that we at least broke even. Viola managed to form
a relationship with one of the museum guards and
got a look inside the museum security office, by
taking him his lunch. We discovered that they’d let us
have our weapons and other toys if we were
venturing forth from the city to explore the
surrounding countryside. So this we did, at regular
intervals. Sven created a pleasure barge which we
parked off shore around a headland. This would
become our remote base of operations, where I
would be sitting on overwatch using my crystal ball
to watch the guards in the office.

Finally the appointed day came, ten days after the
gem was delivered. The shaping had gone well, and
the result would need a well-trained eye to identify
as a fake. I lent my Necklace of Misdirection to Sven,
and cast firelight on the gem until I got a multiple
effect. Grif cast flight on Sven who would be official
gem carrier. Then I collected our things from the
customs officers, and with Iolaus and Grif, who had
no role to play in Operation Daylight Robbery,
headed for the barge. The plan went off without a
hitch. The others went to the museum and wandered
around for a while, finally gravitating to the gem
room. Caine lurked in the hallway until it was empty,
and cast the spells he would need, Quicken, Blur,
and most importantly, the Passing spell, which would
enable him to pass through solid objects.

Viola headed for the guardroom taking lunch to her
boyfriend, and ensuring that the guards would not be
watching their crystals. That was my job. I was using
our crystal ball to watch the guards. Silverfoam was
coordinating the operation using a series of sticks
which if broken would signal him via locate spells
when to tell the others to move. I broke the first stick
to indicate the guards were distracted. Silverfoam
gestured to Caine, and Caine moved, so quickly that
even I could hardly see it. The gem was quietly
passed from Caine to Silverfoam and thence to
Sven. And he simply walked out with it.

We all met back at the boat, and activated the key
Sesuna had given us to take us back to our own time.
Mission accomplished.

===21 Frost 800 - Zeyland - Modern Pasifika===
(''Session 8'')

We asked Sesuna to sent us through the Time Gate
to Pasifika just one second in the past. This, she
warned us, would lead to a short period of nausea
resulting from doubling up in the same time. So we
were ready for the odd sensations which hit us as we
stepped through...

... onto a large deserted raft, after nightfall. I cast a
firelight, and soon after the adventurer Kaoh popped
up at the edge of the raft. She explained that the
Pasifikans were evacuating which explained why
noone was here. We delivered the Firestone we had
just retrieved to their Guild, had our enchantments
renewed, and got some rest. They had some of the
items from their vault we’d asked for, including a belt
which would allow me to enter the aquatic
environment without actually getting wet.

I took the opportunity to speak with my other selves
in an attempt to find out more about our destination.
I asked these questions: 
;Where on the plane of Octal is the Firestone we seek?
 Answer: This is my island in the sun,
 There you will your treasure find.
;What should we do when we arrive on Octal to help us find the Firestone?
 Answer: Seek the log beneath the waves,
 There you’ll find the chart you crave.
;How is the Firestone protected?
 Answer: It is, but it isn’t; it was, but it mightn’t.

A message arrived from Aquana, their Bard,
explaining that she had recieved a message from
our Guild saying that we should report back
immediately. Aqualina had had a visitor who wished
to see us. Now I knew who it was who would be
taking us. Aqualina’s new boyfriend from off plane...

Lord Shaggy? Something like that. She’d told me
that he had some dimensional weaving abilities,
allowing him to planewalk and such.

So, next morning, we started for the Guild. We would
fly most of the way, using Sven’s instant boat spell to
provide us with a place to rest. It took four days.

===26 Frost - Seagate to Octal===
Grif found an urgent letter waiting for him from his
relatives. They were fighting an invasion of kobolds
fleeing the Dark Circle, and needed his help. We
said farewell, and went looking for lunch. Caine and
I refused to eat the slop the Guild cafeteria provides,
so we ran down to the farm. It also gave me the
chance to check that everything was under control.
The farm workers assured me that none of the wards
had been triggered, so the undead weren’t roaming
this far west. We had an excellent lunch of fresh
bread and butter, cheese and pickles, with fresh milk
on the side. I filled my pack with more rations,
pickles and cheeses, and set off back to the Guild.
We found the rest of the party at the Water College
talking to Aqualina and her friend whose name
turned out to be Lord Shaygin. She had told him
about our problem, and he had agreed to help us
get there. He would lead us to the plane of Octal,
and he lent us an item in the form of a doorknob,
which would enable us to get back.
We made ourselves ready, and held hands with Lord
Shaygin. He them activated the magic and we
followed him, slowly gathering speed, stepping from
plane to plane. We marched past ever-changing
vistas, some familiar, some very alien, as if in a
dream. After some intermediate time the shifting
landscapes started to slow down, and eventually
stabilised. We were standing on rough ground
between a scraggy forest and sand dunes. Lord
Shaygin left us, wishing us well, and we headed for
the dunes, reasoning that the “waves” would be
beyond the sands.
All went well until I had the misfortune to loose my
footing on the side of a dune. This would not have
been much of a problem save that Sven, in some
attempt to break my fall, cast a spell on the sand.
This only succeeded in turning the side of the dune
to quicksand. I found myself sinking and was
fortunately able to turn on the belt the Pasifikans
had given me before I drowned in wet sand.
This did not improve my temper, so I was very
relieved to see the dunes ending at a sandy beach.
Some distance off shore we could see signs of a reef,
and the mast of a ship protruding from below the
crashing waves. Sven created a boat, and we
headed out to the sunken ship. As we drew near, I
could see that the vessel’s back was broken, but she
was still in one piece. Sven cast Ship Strength on
the wreck, and then attempted a vertical Wave
Current to try to raise her, but she stubbornly stayed
put. This was annoying, but far more of a problem
was the water spout which sprouted from nowhere
and headed for us. Looking down at the wreck we
could see the caster. A nixie!
Silverfoam quickly cast Water College counterspells
on our boat and on the area she was swimming in,
while Sven cast Summon Aquatics to cause her to
come to the surface. I was waiting, my staff alight,
and preparing Dragonflames. The Nixie’s head
crested the waves just as the waterspout crashed into
our boat. I got off one breath of flame before the
boat fell apart under my feet, and I found myself
treading water, again grateful for the Pasifikan’s gift.
Next thing I knew, the Nixie was unconscious and our
captive. We thought we might interrogate her, but
there was little point. Caine swiftly and competently
executed her.
The sunken vessel surfaced, now more or less intact,
and was beached. Exploring her, we found
numerous skeletons, and two small chests full of
bottles of rum. On finding the Captain’s cabin, we
discovered the ship’s instruments, charts and log.
Tucked inside the spine of the log was a map
depicting a river. On its reverse was the verse:
I cleaned and examined the astrolabe, noting the
strange star patterns depicted on its reverse. Then I
realised something even more odd. The numbers
were in the common form, but there was no numeral
8 or 9. Then it clicked. The skeletons had only four
digits on each hand. To these people two hands
made eight, not ten. Fascinating.
We finished our excavation of the ship, and then
planned to follow the course indicated by the map.
Sven generated a viking longship, and we made our
way up the coast. There was a fishing village by the
rivermouth, where the boats were heading out for the
evening’s trawl. We hailed one, and learned that we
should beware of bandits if we planned to head up
the river. Since evening was near, we decided to
anchor the longship there for the night.

===27 Frost 800 - Octal===
Truly the villagers gave us fair warning. We had
gone less than a score of miles upriver when we were
were set upon without warning by huge river beasts.
They were most like huge grey pigs, with leathery
skin, tiny eyes and ears and enormous pink mouths
with large blunt teeth. We had never seen their kind
before, but from their aura we learned that they were
called hippopotamus. There were four of them, and
they seemed to want to snack on boat. I cast flame
sniper, and proceeded to fire fire at them, while the
others shot at them with more mundane arrows.
Silverfoam put one hippo to sleep before another bit
a chunk out of the boat and dumped me in the
water. I was furious, but there wasn’t much I could
do. Soon the others finished off the beasts.
Checking their auras confirmed that the behaviour of
the hippopotami was indeed not natural. The
obvious explanation was that the bandits were not
far away and we prepared for a fight. Soon after we
rounded a bend, and there ahead of us the river
narrowed and was spanned by a bridge. Something
odd about the jungle on either side alerted me.
“Ambush,” I called and we all ducked for cover. Sure
enough, a flight of arrows thunked indeed the sides
of the longship, followed by a trio of diamond-tipped
javelins from the starboard bank. I repeatedly blasted
the trees on that side with Dragonflames, and almost
killed the Earth mage along with his cronies. He
slipped away behind the bridge, while combat
continued on the port side. We soon realised that
there was a necromancer over there, when we felt
the pain of Rigor Mortis spells locking up our
muscles. Sven created a raft between the longship
and the river bank, and our fighters ran across to
engage the enemy, starting with the necromancer.
Once I’d finished clearing my side of the river, I cast
flame sniper, and started firing at those of the enemy
whom I could target in the melee. Eventually, all the
enemy were down, though Thorn was sorely
wounded. The enemy Earth mage tried to sneak
away downstream, until Silverfoam took him with a
Compel Obedience spell.
From the now very cooperative Earth mage we
learned that the bandits had a hideout not far away,
where they had treasure hidden. Six guarded the
encampment together with a wizard. Which
accounted for the wizard eye Caine had spotted
earlier.

===28 Frost 800 - Octal===
(''Session 9'')

Two can play at that game. Having ascertained the
direction and range of the hidden camp, I pulled out
a crystal ball and had a look. To our dismay we saw
that they had four hostages tied to stakes in front of
one building. Silverfoam and I checked out a couple
of the buildings where the Earth Mage said that
there might be bandits waiting, but found no
persons, invisible or otherwise. We interrogated the
Earth Mage as to the activities of the bandits and
discovered that their crimes were several, including
piracy, slaving, the murder of innocents and rape.
For this, we had Caine execute their Captain, the
Necromancer, and cremated the bodies.
We agreed early on in our planning that an extra
large Fire Elemental would be useful in numerous
ways, so I set about performing the ritual. I need no
fire for the summoning, and one of the items we had
captured was placed in front of me so that it would
seem that I was divinating it to anyone watching.
The summoning worked and I cast Immolate on
myself and had the elemental place on its shoulder.
The continuous fire armour granted by the Rod
meant that I could sit there concealed in the flames
during the fight. The Earth Mage cast Strength of
Stone and Armour of Earth on those who needed it.
Silverfoam put a Counter E&E General on me so I
would not be slept and so loose control, and
Indetectability on Sven, Caine and Thorn. I cast
Wildfires on Sven and Thorn who would carry
Silverfoam and Viola, and Caine performed a spell
of his own which enabled him to run across the
canopy.
We timed it so that the elemental, with me on its
shoulders arrived first at the clearing. I switched on
my witchsight and spotted the bandits hiding in the
trees. Immediately I had the elemental drop a wall
of smoke over the captives. That stopped the pirates
from threatening to shoot them. Next I had the
elemental go hug the nearest bandit-occupied tree.
The bandits, all except for the one in the tree on the
extreme left of the horseshoe, dropped out of the
trees. One took a pot-shot at the captives first which
went wild, and another tried to shoot the elemental
forgetting that he’d need magical arrows to damage
it. The one on the extreme left was soon occupied
by a martial artist dropping on him from the trees. He
shot up into the air, only to fall seconds later and hit
the ground with a sickening thump, as Caine leapt
for the cliff.
Meanwhile I had the elemental immolate the
nearest bandit, who didn’t seem to realise that he
might have survived if he’d removed the armour
which was doing most of the damage, and
simultaneously drop a Fire Wall to deter some of the
others. Two of them wisely decided to be thoroughly
detered and ran off into the forest, hopefully
sufficiently frightened to mend their ways. The third
went for the captives but learn that that wasn’t so
healthy as he charged straight into the moving Fire
Wall. A fourth was the second to get the immolation
treatment. Then the bandit who was trying to
threaten one of the captives changed his mind, and
ran for the broken body of his leader, and grabbed a
belt. Then he too, shot into the air, heading for the
cliff. Now, it was Sven’s turn. The entire cliff-face fell
away, stone turned to mud, leaving the bandit with
no landing place. Into the air again he leapt and
landed further back. Not far enough as Thorn, still
under the effect of Wildfires, ran up the cliff and
tackled him, knocking him unconscious with a single
blow. And that, as they say was that. Caine untied
the hostages. I had the elemental cremate the
bodies, then had it put me down, thanked it, and
dismissed it. Sven cast a second spell to wash away
the rubble, and together we retrieved the pirate’s
treasure from its hiding hole inside the cliff, behind
one of the huts.

===29 Frost 800 - Octal - Norden - Lorgos - Alusia===
(''Session 10'')

We spent the night camped behind the cliff-top
while Silverfoam took the opportunity to divinate
some of the Bandits’ treasure. In the morning Sven
created another boat, and we headed upriver,
following the treasure map we had found.
We came to a fork in the river, and took the channel
shown on the map. Soon after we spotted the
distinctive finger-shaped rock we were looking for.
We began exploring that part of the island, following
the instructions, which said we should go 30 paces
towards the sunrise from the finger rock, and then
turn left and go 10. Problem was there was no sign
of any stump to dig under - until Caine remembered
that they counted in eights, not tens in this place.
I let Thorn my gloves because she would be better at
digging than me, and she almost dug through the
top of the oak chest we found there. Inside was some
jewellery, and the Firestone we were looking for!
Hurrah! We collected it up, and Thorn activated the
doorknob. It took us to an unusual hourglass-shaped
plane which Thorn said was called Norden. She was
recognised by the locals - apparently a Guild party
had done something good here. They took us to the
centre of the city, and a permanent portal to another
plane called Lorgos, which Thorn said was ruled by
Lord Shaygin.
Lorgos smelt of damp seaweed. It had recently been
completely inundated, but thanks to another Guild
Party, the waters had receded. We found Lord
Shaygin in his office. He had told his guards to
expect us, and he was pleased to see that we had
been successful. He led us back to Alusia across the
planes again, and left us on the great raft above
Pasifika. It was deserted.
Sven cast waterbreathing on us all, and we went
down to Pasifika. There we found the bedraggled
members of the other party, just three adventurers,
and they were far from hale. They had lost Mizuno
in a raid on a Sahuagin outpost, attempting to
capture another Firestone. We had not heard of
Sahuagin, but were told that they were belligerent
sea-dwelling reptilian humanoids, somewhat akin to
lizardmen, having large bulbous eyes and bad
attitudes. As a captive in their city, Mizuno might be
enslaved, or even killed and eaten. Urewa was
hiding near the outpost keeping a watch.
They took the Firestone, and showed us where they
were kept. In a sack in a cupboard. Not guarded, and
not even trapped or warded. Caine and Silverfoam
were livid at this lack of security. We decided we’d
better take them with us or find a more secure hiding
place. Buried inside the rock walls and warded
seemed like a good start. Then we started scheming.
How were we going to rescue Mizuno, and get back
the other Firestone?

===29 Frost 800 - Alusia===
Before it got dark, I got out the crystal ball, and we
had a look over the sahuagin outpost. I was lucky
had got the targeting right first go. We saw a group
of seven cylinders, arranged in a roughly circular
clump. There was a larger central cylinder, five in a
circle around it, and one cylinder, off at the end,
connecting only to one other cylinder which looked
most likely to be a prison. So I had a peek inside that
one, and the big centre cylinder. The big one had a
dome on top, and several circular exits. Ugly fishy
things with spears and crossbows occasionally swam
past. I immediately decided that I wanted to capture
at least one of those crossbows. The small one at the
end had only one of the fish men inside, and he
seemed to be watching someone behind my point of
view - probably a prisoner. Gotchya!
We discussed several ways of assaulting the place.
Most of my spells would not work, but with the life
support belt I would be able to cast. It was likely that
spells like Flash of Light and Pyrotechnics would be
very effective on Sahuagin, with their big bulbous
light-sensitive eyes. Then Sven had a great idea.
Why don’t we wake up the Earth Mage, get him to
summon up an Earth Elemental and have that dig
us a passage underneath the seabed to the outpost.
With a locate on the missing merperson we could be
pretty sure of coming up directly below her prison.
This we did. It was extraordinarily effective. The Sea
Devils had no idea what hit them. We came up
through the prison, rescued the mermaid, while the
Earth Elemental punched the guard into the middle
of next year, and then learned that the stone had
been taken from her. So we went looking, across the
big cylinder, to another room on the opposite side,
where Misuno had seen the gem with her Waters of
Vision. There was a Sahuagin priest there,
performing some kind of ritual. The Firestone was
sitting there on a shelf, making like some kind of
ornament. The priestly ritual came to an abrupt end
as the Elemental pounded the priest into a pulp. We
snatched up the Firestone, and then after
ascertaining that it was safe, commanded the
Elemental to trash the place, starting with the
demonic altar in front of the now-deceased priest.
Which it did. We snagged a little treasure, including
three intact underwater crossbows. I intended to
examine this, analyse their workings and learn to
replicate them, and present the result as my first
masterwork in Weaponsmithing. We returned to
Pasifika and prepared for the grand finale.
===16 Snow 800===
There was a huge flash of light on the northern
horizon. After that we saw the glow no more.
===26 Snow 800===
Finally, the appointed date came about. Finally. I
was getting bored. And tired of fish. But I was
needed. I was the only one able to cast the Wall of
Fire spell needed to trigger the stones.
First we laid out the stones in a roughly regular
shape. They hovered above the surface, obviously
unkeen to enter their opposite element, and
organised themselves into a perfect shape. Then I
cast Wall of Fire on the nearest, and quickly, using
the Belt of Flying we had found, took off. The Wall
of Fire sprang up and out across the water surface,
propagating in quite unheard fashion, leaping from
one stone to the next, until a circle was completed.
Then the wall grew upwards, forming a dome of
flame. And then it came. There was a rumbling from
the depths, and a great rush of water outwards as the
ancient rose. The wave crashed against the wall of
Fire, evaporated into steam, and rippled away,
almost completely dissapated. The islands were
safe, and in their midst was a new island, which
Silverfoam insisted be called Gwylion’s island. He
owed him one, he said.
At Sven’s insistance, we spent a few days on the new
island. After all, we’d been there before - a few
thousand years ago, or just over a month in our past.
I’m not sure whose idea it was to carve our likenesses
into the face of a rocky outcrop, but between the
Earth Elemental, my Gloves of Shaping, and my
sculpting skills, we achieved a fairly dignified result.
At last, a quick boat-ride later, we returned to
Seagate, to find a town in chaos. Too many
refugees, and barely enough to feed them. I had a
proper mess to sort out on the farm, half the beasts
dead, and the place full of squatters. They got put to
work, and things were set to rights soon enough.