PEREGRINE (a.k.a. K'Thyra)
The Palmdale Chronicles

April 9, 1983
THE BEGINNING
A small group of four adventurers from the town of Glendale in central New Britain, including several clerics and a thief, journey into the hills near their town in search of treasure but are killed on their first outing by a pack of wolves.
A NEW BEGINNING
Kirok, a lawful-good human cleric, and Ator, a lawful-neutral human fighter, are members of another adventuring group starting out from the city of Kingsrest in central New Britain. They round the southern tip of the Kabbarra Desert and discover a failing village named Goldenspur. Despite limited finances, the group bargains with the 28 villagers (mostly poor farmers) to become the town protectors and sponsors if the townspeople will stay. The group unofficially changes the name of the town to Palmdale, catalogs the crops grown by farmers, and begins to explore the surrounding area, clearing out lairs. A headquarters is established in a two-story building, building #6.
Ator, using his special Ring of Invisibility/Inaudibility, spies on certain members of the populace, and at one point a farmer with a pitchfork becomes aware of Ator's presence, thinking he is an invisible demon. Frog, a neutral-evil human assassin/thief, tracks an evil family trying to leave town with treasure, and eliminates them outside of town without Kirok's knowledge. Some of the townspeople leave despite the agreement. Eventually the government sends representatives to Goldenspur to find out what is going on.

April 21, 1983
RIDDLES
The Palmdale group hires Ahlric, a lawful-good human fighter, to lead the town's guards when the group is absent.
While mapping the desert near Palmdale, the group enters a cave complex. Inside, two sphinx-like creatures sitting on ledges ask the group riddles in exchange for opening one of two doors, behind which is either a key or a monster.
Riddle one: "Suppose you and I have the same amount of gold pieces. How much must I give you so that you have ten gold pieces more than I?" (Answer: five gold pieces)
Riddle two: "A bottle of wine costs ten gold pieces. The wine is worth nine gold pieces more than the bottle. How much is the bottle worth?" (Answer: five silver pieces)

The group correctly answers the riddles and chooses the correct door, obtaining the key to a treasure. At a later date, when members of the Palmdale group attempt to locate this mysterious lair, they discover that it has mysteriously disappeared.

April 30, 1983
THE STATUES
Clea, a lawful-neutral human cleric, and Frog, a neutral-evil human assassin/thief, join the group. Continuing to map the area around Palmdale, the group finds a cave complex to the northwest with female statues guarding the entrance. The statues ask members of the party, especially Clea, questions before they are allowed to enter the complex. Inside is found a well containing a blood-red liquid and bags of gold; hooks attached to ropes are used to get the bags, but it is found that the bags must be replaced with an equal weight.

early May 1983
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (Clea saves the day)
While exploring the small graveyard just outside of Palmdale, the group is attacked by ghouls in the ramshackle chapel. After some intense fighting, Clea is left as the only unparalyzed member of the party. Fortunately, she is able to remain unparalyzed, eliminates the last ghoul and brings the others out of their paralyses.
THE ORACLE OF MALVERIA
Clea, Kirok, Ator and Frog travel to Malveria, the regional seat of government for the eastern third of New Britain. They pass a burned out inn along the way. When they reach the town, they learn of the orc war currently raging to the east and far south of Malveria, where orcs, ogres and hill giants are streaming out of the Eastern Korallan Mountains and laying siege to poorly protected human settlements and towns. While in Malveria, the four adventurers visit the Shrine of the Oracle of Malveria, where they are each given the opportunity to ask the Oracle a question regarding their personal future, which is allowed at a special time during each year. There have been instances, however, when the person receiving a hint about their future has managed to change its outcome because of that knowledge. They first learn of the Oracle's protective abilities for the city at this time...during times of great crisis, the Oracle has been known to extend its influence beyond its own shrine to cover the entire city in a protective dome. Within that dome the citizenry are surrounded by a soothing aura-violence is foreign and weapons are not allowed.
THE GRATEFUL DEAD
During this period of time the group sets up a zombie work force, animated by Kirok and Clea, to dig a moat around Palmdale as a protective measure, and to act as guards. This work force is affectionately known as 'The Grateful Dead', and includes humanoid and non-humanoid bodies, ogre skeletons and two gargoyles. As the group passes through towns and villages, they try to obtain freshly killed undesirables to animate and add to the workforce. Although the majority of the gods do not forbid this practice (with the exception of some of the lawful-good pantheon), the governments of New Britain and Bothnia both forbid the use of zombie slaves and 'The Grateful Dead' work force is eventually disbanded.
PALMDALE'S TUNNELS
Exploring the town of Palmdale, Kirok, Ator, Frog and Clea discover a primitive network of tunnels connecting several buildings in the town. The buildings are later revealed to be a former witch's home (Witch Clara), and a pair of connected, run-down, two-story buildings set up as a vampiric refuge containing coffins. The buildings are explored, and traps are found in one of the two-story buildings. The tunnel also runs outside of town to an opening in the wilderness, concealed by a hollow tree stump. Clearing out several menaces who took lodging in the abandoned tunnels, the group sets undead workers to clearing the tunnels out for future use. Kirok places fire glyphs in the tunnels and on the doorways of these buildings; the glyph in the tunnel leading outside the town is set off, and the two-story vampiric refuges soon burn to the ground under mysterious circumstances.

May 14, 1983
THE MAZE
Oidlehere, a chaotic-good elf, joins the group as their first magic-user. Tilbrand ('Tootsie'), a lawful-neutral human fighter originally from the town of East Eden, is hired and begins adventuring with the group.
While mapping the desert northeast of Palmdale, at less than a day's travel, Kirok, Oidlehere, Frog and Clea locate a hidden entrance to an underground maze. Inside the maze are found a cross-shaped treasure room with two columns containing trash and ogre bones, another cross-shaped room with six columns, and storerooms containing electrum, silver, copper, jewelry and weapons. A new rough-hewn coffin is found.
After successfully battling rats, a wererat, a giant spider, ogres and a minotaur, the group clears out the treasure, including a Decanter of Endless Water and +2 dagger; they also find a rusted-out but still intact cannon on wheels. Frog hauls it back to Palmdale, to be placed in the main square.

May 21,1983
THE JUMPING SNAKE (Ator has a bad day)
Ator and Tootsie, en route to the regional capital of Malveria, are camped out by the stream which flows between Ylldana and Malveria. That night a large snake 'jumps' (falls) from a tree above them and fatally wounds Ator. Tootsie, in a greedy panic, strips Ator of all his belongings and disappears into the distance.
Only Ator's invisibility and inaudibility ring is left behind, and it is stolen from his hastily buried body by someone else (probably local lizardmen). Ator is eventually presumed lost by the Palmdale group.

May 28,1983
LACTAR STRIKES IT RICH (and is incredibly lucky, while Grudge isn't)
Lactar, a lawful-neutral human fighter, and Grudge the cleric explore a lizardmen's temple somewhere between Ylldana and Malveria. Entering through an underwater entrance through the use of Water Breathing potion, avoiding a giant octopus near the entrance and killing many lizardmen, Grudge is eventually killed and Lactar, left alone, finds a huge treasure. Scooping up as much jewelry as he can carry, Lactar manages to make it out of the lair alive, dragging large sacks of treasure.
Barely alive, Lactar doesn't stop walking until he reaches the nearest city, Malveria, and recuperates. He soon scouts out local magic shops and buys many wonderful magic items, making him a formidable force. The Palmdale group meets Lactar as they are scouring the towns of Malveria and Zyconia for hirelings, and he is offered and accepts membership with the group.

June-September 1983
THE VERMITHRAX ISLE CAMPAIGN
June 4, 1983
Prince Andrew's aides approach the Palmdale group, offering legitimate title to their town and other beneficial social rewards if the Palmdale adventurers agree to take on a mission. Prince Andrew's wife and daughter have recently been taken from the palace in Malveria; all the royal forces which could have attempted to rescue them from their abductors are engaged in the orc war. The Palmdale organization agrees to take on this quest; they are equipped by the prince, including a box of waxy flares which can be placed on the ends of arrows. The prince hires additional individuals for the team, including Frank Burns.
Lactar, having become accustomed to the greater strength of his magical Girdle of Giant Strength, has weaponsmiths construct special bows requiring giant strenth to pull, and two types of arrows: some tipped with glass bubbles filled with oil, others tipped with armor-piercing heads. A rush is placed on the job.
They quickly set sail in search of the mysterious black ship carrying black-clad kidnappers, journeying south on the River Wyrd, which is suspected of containing the imprisoned royalty. Darkon (chaotic-good half-elf magic user), his friend Jehanna (neutral human magic-user), and Weird, a lawful neutral human cleric, join the group. Frog is killed, but his body is saved for future use in the zombie work force.
June 11, 1983
Bugs (neutral elven fighter) Face (lawful-neutral human cleric) and Shifty (chaotic-neutral human thief) join the group. Oidlethere, a lawful-neutral human cleric and older stepbrother of Oidlehere, also joins the Palmdale group. Rick (chaotic-good human cleric) and Amanda (chaotic neutral human fighter) are hired to join the force against Vermithrax.
June 18, 1983
The Palmdale group, only days behind the black ship, stop at every port to inquire about the ship and also to check if there are any convicted criminals they might purchase to use as zombies. Lactar inquires at magic shops about his silver headband, which he found earlier in a treasure. The headband stretches to just behind both temples, with a small green gem at either temple. There is a medium sized diamond in the center of the forehead, and this diamond can cast a dim light if willed to; the headband also increases the armor class of the wearer's head. Lactar is told there are only about 20 on the continent-an estimate later proven to be far below the actual total. Friwynn is hired, and I Ferget, a neutral elven fighter/magic-user, joins the group.
Continuing past Silvermist (named after a mysterious fog, known to kill people), they reach the delta at the end of the river and continue to the ocean. The mission concludes at Vermithrax Isle, where the kidnappers (ninjas) are revealed to be working for Daltros Vermithrax, an anti-paladin and leader of a band of pirates. Upon reaching the island, they follow rocky inlets along the coast and gain entrance to Vermithrax's hidden port in the cliffs. After brief battles with defenders, the group decides to head in by land from the other side of the island. The ship docks at the only town on the island, Seaman's Quest, population 500, with an equal mix of colonists from the continent and natives. Native guides are available to the group.
The group decides to split into A and B teams in order to advance upon Castle Vermithrax from two directions. I Ferget attempts to fashion flares to allow the two groups to communicate. To communicate between groups, they decide that one flare means we're in trouble and you're on your own; two flares mean come to us, we're starting our attack run; and three flares mean return to the ship. If no flares are seen after three days, the groups have to use their own judgment. Lactar periodically uses his silver headband, which he discovers tingles when within 100' of danger or 50' of treasure.
July 2, 1983
While exploring the island, several members of one team, including Bugs, are killed. Camped one evening near the road to Vermithrax Castle, the B team sentry is surprised by a shambling moss encrusted creature, which begins attacking the magic items of the group. It drains several magic swords and a sword recharge scabbard (a magic item previously found which places a temporary magic charge on normal swords placed in the scabbard overnight). The group outruns the creature, occasionally stopping to fire arrows and distance weapons, until the creature is destroyed. Jehanna, a member of the A team (previously turned into a penanggalan by a hired hand, Friwynn, who had also been a penanggalan, unbeknownst to the group), attempts to kill others of her group...successfully in the case of Darkon. Lactar chases her into the woods. He soon finds it, sitting in its vat of vinegar, and barely survives the sight. He attacks and kills it.
Corbin, a lawful-neutral human magic-user, and Marcos, a neutral human fighter, are hired to assist the Palmdale force.
THE FINAL PROBLEM (Lactar has a bad day)
July 9, 1983
The groups eventually reach the fortress, high on a bluff, by following a path cut into the rock. Inside the castle a shaft is discovered which allows party members to slowly ascend and descend, in a means similar to the Feather Fall spell, merely by thinking which direction they wish to go. The shaft extends all the way down to the hidden cove, where the ships are now missing. Water ghouls are encountered and fought in the cove.
Using descriptions they had heard of Count Vermithrax, Lactar is polymorphed into a rough likeness of him. Scamming their way into the throne room, Lactar walks in on the true count. In the ensuing battle, Lactar uses Vermithrax's cook as a weapon, throwing him. During the battle, the count escapes. The group escapes under cover of night along with rescued prisoners, including the royals. They move down the path, trying to avoid patrols of soldiers hired by Vermithrax. Flares are used to signal meeting at the ship. The group makes its way across land to the port.
Lactar forces one of Vermithrax's henchmen to show him where Vermithrax is. The henchman leads him to a transport door (a non-magical transport device), and they step through, appearing beyond the cliffs, hundreds of feet above the ocean. Lactar, in a desperate bid for life, squeezes the life out of the henchman with the power of his Girdle of Giant Strength at the moment of impact, hoping his Vampiric Regeneration Ring would absorb enough to offset the damage caused by the impact. It doesn't.
Lactar's body is recovered, and out of the generosity of the royal family he is soon raised. The rescued prisoners are sent on their way. While practicing with the non-combat mode of his silver headband, Lactar begins getting strange sensations, becoming aware of something trying to locate him through the head-gems at both temples. Lactar and Vermithrax, without physical contact, wage a mental battle in a misty realm through their magic headbands, one which lasts about an hour to the combatants but only minutes to observers, with Lactar's body twitching in response to mental attacks. Lactar is nearly defeated during this battle, but is able to withdraw before being destroyed.
The group heads out on a frantic overland chase to save their unsuspecting ship from an attack by Vermithrax and his men back at Seaman's Quest. On the way the group detours to a nearly abandoned community, on the shore of a small lake in the northern part of Vermithrax Isle. After the locals inform the adventurers about an ancient temple located on a rocky outcrop in the center of the lake, the group goes to investigate. There they discover that the ruins of an ancient temple are actually the prison of the Ashrin, a group of ancient beings imprisoned eons ago in a long-forgotten war between the Ashrin and the Dor-Ashrin, ages before the current inhabitants of K'Thyra came into existence. In a room beneath the ruins is found a handle stuck in the stone wall, which everyone attempts to remove. Most of the group merely receives shocks except for Kirok, who successfully pulls and removes a mace. He is instructed to use the mace as a key to open a glowing doorway, and frees the Ashrin souls who had been imprisoned by the Dor-Ashrin so long ago. Before disappearing, the departing Ashrin (who have evolved to an energy state) reward Kirok, granting him a Magic Missile Mace, a Limited Wish, and also a Talisman of Pure Good. The group learns about another group of Ashrin imprisoned in the swampy jungle on the island.
Kirok uses his Limited Wish to request a face-to-face battle between his group and Vermithrax and his main lieutenants on the sandy shore of the island's inland lake. The wording of his wish also requests that Vermithrax and his men be unarmed and without armor. Both groups are teleported to the shore near the village of Magurmasa, and a fierce but short-lived battle is begun. The Palmdale group triumphs and Lactar removes Vermithrax's head ('snicker-snack') with his vorpal blade. Vermithrax's body, except for a small portion kept by the group, is taken to the capital for storage and disposal, but the group later learns that it is missing.
July 31, 1983
S. Frog, a neutral elven fighter/magic-user, and another fighter join the group. Meanwhile on the count's ship, the slaves and poorly treated low-level hirelings (who have no idea what has happened to Vermithrax and his main allies) decide to steal the ship and begin sailing west in search of safe haven and a place to sell the vessel. Hoping to claim Vermithrax' ship as booty, the Palmdale group pursues, sailing west until reaching the Sardinian coast, then turning north. After visiting the coastal cities of Bally, Merchant's End and Norringrad (and discovering that they are less than two days behing the pirate vessel the entire time), the Palmdale group heads east from Norringrad to Balthazar Island.
THE FOG
Reaching the island and docking at Port Catherine, they are warned about the fog rolling in that evening. Legend says that anyone outside of buildings at night when the fog rolls in will be killed and turned into zombies. The group spends the evening in the hotel's bar, and hears a knocking at the door. They are warned not to open the door. Kirok casts a Protection from Evil spell on himself and opens the door, finding a recently killed human turned into a zombie, trying to enter the bar. Because of the spell, the zombie cannot enter through the door due to the proximity of Kirok, and the door is shut. The group waits until daylight to leave. On their way out of town they empty the pockets of the unfortunates killed by the mist. On the other side of Balthazar Island, they dock at Kent Harbor, where they finally find the black ship, crewless, having been sold to the harbormaster. Lactar argues with the harbormaster, finally buying it for little more than the harbormaster paid for it. The group renames it Free Enterprise.
Upon the successful completion of this rescue mission, the group sails Free Enterprise due east; they head for the mouth of the River Wyrd and the long journey back to Malveria. Those hired to assist the Palmdale group on this mission return to their previous occupations. Nearly a month later, after the group has returned to Goldenspur, representatives of the New Britain government arrive in town with the official proclamation signed by King Randolff II renaming Goldenspur to Palmdale and acknowledging the members of the Palmdale group as being the town's leaders. The representatives also establish a New Britain taxing office and arrange for the resumption of a military outpost in Palmdale.

September-December 1983
THE ORC WAR
September 17, 1983
Sailing Free Enterprise upriver on the Wyrd from Delta Vale to Malveria, the Palmdale group discovers that the forces of invading orcs, ogres and hill giants have reached west as far as the river-at several points. Still two days' journey south of Farhaven, the ship encounters a group of the invaders attempting to construct a crude wood and rope bridge across a narrow section of the river. Using the ship as a battering ram, they ram through and destroy the bridge.
A boulder thrown from shore during an orc, ogre and giant attack hits the ship at the waterline, the crew is forced to abandon Free Enterprise, and it sinks; Shifty is killed. Happy, a neutral dwarven fighter, joins the group.
KIROK CHEATS DEATH
October 15, 1983
Concealed in the forest after the destruction of their ship in order to avoid the enemy army, the members of the Palmdale group each draw from a recently acquired Deck of Many Things in an attempt to boost their fighting capabilities. As is standard practice, Kirok gives all worldly possessions to the group before drawing. Among the cards he draws: defeat the next monster you encounter and go up one level, and defeat a minor death or forever die. Thinking quickly, Kirok grabs his Magic Missile Mace and a Potion of Flying. He begins fighting a low-level death while grabbing it and flying straight up. Lactar and Clea attempt to help, receiving their own deaths to fight, as does S. Frog, who polymorphs into a flying creature and bombards them from the air. Once a sufficient altitude is reached, Kirok breaks death's grip and death plummets to the ground, destroyed on impact. The other minor deaths are destroyed as well. Kirok goes up in level to fifth.
Face draws from the deck as well, and draws the imprisonment card. He finds himself shackled in a dungeon cell without any equipment. He makes a valiant effort to escape, but is killed by the guards. Lactar is granted a keep and an increased charisma by the deck.
Fighter X (N human fighter), Morey Arty (N-E human magic-user) and an elf assassin begin adventuring.
LACTAR DIES...AGAIN (Lactar has another bad day)
Lactar, Clea and Quid (a neutral human fighter), following the river Wyrd towards Malveria, fight many orcs and hill giants. Lactar becomes separated from the rest of the group in a thinly wooded area, with ogres and hill giants streaming out of the hills. Lactar begins throwing rocks, but he is victim to a well-placed basketball-sized boulder thrown at his head by a hill giant, which causes a critical wound. The boulder also destroys his silver headband.
Bringing the shattered husk of Lactar's body back to Malveria, the surviving members of the Palmdale group have him revived. Baron, a lawful neutral human fighter, is hired to assist the group.
Upon recovering sufficiently to travel, Lactar gathers his magical belongings and leaves northward in an effort to find the keep he had been granted from a lucky draw from the Deck of Many Things.
THE COUNTER-CLOCK INCIDENT (S. Frog has a bad day)
October 15, 1983
As the rest of the group heads north, Kirok and S. Frog fly to Farhaven on S. Frog's Figurine of Wonderous Power (a nightmare) in order to help the human army turn back the orc invasion. The nightmare is uneasy about having Kirok flying on it, and the feeling is mutual.
Kirok and S. Frog join forces with the army, led by General Patton, which has been fighting the orc and ogre invasion. Flying near Farhaven, a town deserted and nearly destroyed by the orc war that has been raging in its vicinity, Kirok and S. Frog discover 12 evil clerics in the process of summoning a devil. While S. Frog fires wildly into the midst of the clerics, Kirok uses a Talisman of Pure Good to send them to their doom, but not before they accomplish their task. S. Frog then pushes Kirok off the nightmare they were riding and Kirok lands on an orc, killing it. Hutijin, the summoned devil, goes after S. Frog as his nightmare shifts to another plane. S. Frog fumbles badly and loses control of his hands in the process. He dies before Hutijin can reach him.
Hutijin's attention turns to Kirok and the human army, and he begins summoning lesser evil beings to wipe out the human forces. Kirok desperately outruns Hutijin and the other summoned beings with his Boots of Speed. He is able to survive long enough to successfully light his Candle of Invocation and gate in Bahamut, who then destroys Hutijin and his summoned beings on this plane. Upon seeing Hutijin destroyed and the Platinum Dragon overhead, the human army rallies and the orcs and their allies begin to flee.
October 22, 1983
Leaving the army to finish off resistance in the ongoing war, Kirok and Bahamut discover a seemingly endless vertical shaft in the fields of the orc wars battles. Descending into it, they reach a shimmering bottom and continue through, finding themselves plunging through the skies of a primitive past version of K'Thyra, where time runs backward at an accelerated rate.
While exploring this land they encounter Izekiel, an old man from Peregrine Prime who came here to recapture his youth. He takes them to his home and offers to show them the way back to their world if they will destroy a gang of criminals who use this place to store their ill-gotten gain.
THE ORC WAR (continued)
November 5, 1983
Morey Arty, the elf assassin and a fighter are killed. Quid (N human fighter) briefly joins the group, dying quickly.
Treasure, a C-N human thief, joins the group. His fondest wish is to find a great treasure just lying around. He soon dies horribly, and it can be said that there is Treasure lying around. Zulu Warrior, a lawful-neutral human fighter, and Akharin, a neutral human fighter, join the group, as does Lucky (N-G human fighter), Tim the Enchanter (L-N human cleric) and Wisar (N human magic-user).
November 12, 1983
The remainder of the group (minus Kirok) returns to Palmdale. A traveling magic shop, operated by a magic-user named Parsel, soon arrives in Palmdale for a week, giving the town its first magic shop and an opportunity for group members to buy magic items.
December 3, 1983
Erztin-1 (N human fighter), Fighter X and Tim the Enchanter are killed north of Malveria by a band of theives. The human fighter Badsadmo joins the group, as does Erztin-2 (N human fighter) and Noah (L-G human cleric). Akharin, Badsadmo and Lucky fight and kill 16 orcs, a hill giant and four lizard men. They, along with Zulu, recover 2 Heal potions and five +2 black arrows; Zulu also gets a Ring of Dexterity within a black box.
December 10, 1983
Lucky is killed. Zulu's group acquires a gem and two bags of platinum coins totaling 100 pp. Seven orcs are fought and killed; 500 electrum pieces are gathered from their bodies, along with a scroll.
KIROK DINOSAUR HUNTER
December 17, 1983
While approaching the criminals' location, Kirok and Bahamut encounter a dinosaur, invisibly evade it, and subsequently find the domed building the criminals are using to store their loot. Bahamut uses a breath weapon to destroy six thieves inside the dome, also unfortunately destroying most but not all of the magic items inside. After recovering the remaining valuables, including 7800 in gold pieces and gems, Izekiel gives Kirok several magic items in gratitude.
While heading towards the exit home, they are attacked by a pterydactal, which Kirok destroys. Izekiel takes Kirok and Bahamut to a cave, which is the exit from this world. Bahamut decides to stay behind for awhile to continue exploring this world. Kirok advances further into the cave, where it branches into two tunnels. He chooses the correct branch and arrives near Malveria, only about a week after Kirok had left, with Kirok now several years younger. He crosses the nearby lake using his Ring of Water Walking.
Kirok, using information provided by Izekiel, takes his gems to a gem changing shop in Zyconia, which gives him a special rate - no gem-changing fee is charged.
Meanwhile, Joe (L-G human cleric) joins the group. Erztin-2 is killed. Lactar kills a bat while on the quest for his keep.

December 31, 1983
DRAGYNSLAYERS
Following a treasure map, Akharin, Badsadmo, Clea and Zulu find and explore a Dragyn (multi-headed, hydra-like dragon variety) lair southwest of Palmdale, encountering a number of the Dragyn's host of zombie slaves and ogre guardians. At the top of a slope, two paths are found. One contains screaming mushrooms and the other contains a mimic in the shape of a treasure chest. Amazingly, the group convinces the mimic to accompany them as a guard for their headquarters, in exchange for food. The group names the mimic 'Spot'.
After the rest of the group is incapacitated, Clea shows particular bravery in defeating several ogres single-handedly. The group together defeats the one Dragyn. Clea then destroys four zombies. Further exploration of the Dragyn's caves results in a battle with a roper, which is killed by Akharin and Zulu. They discover a small fortune in gems and jewelry, as well as magic armor, a Rod of Cancellation, a Tome of Clear Thought, a Carpet of Flying and a Bag of Holding. The coinage, gems and jewelry are worth a total of 169,269 gold pieces.
On the way out of the lair, nine ogres and two wights are killed; Clea and Zulu kill two ogres; Zulu and Akharin destroy an otyugh; four shriekers are destroyed and Zulu kills a large spider. In the aftermath, the group has acquired a Superheroism potion, a Stone of Good Luck, a Dagger of Venom, a Periapt of Proof against Poison, a Ring of Contrariness (Levitation), Bracers of Defense and clerical scrolls.
January 1984
LACTAR'S KEEP
January 6-7, 1984
Having journeyed north along the eastern border of the Kabbarra Desert for several days, Lactar cuts directly west across the desert, in search of the keep he is to receive as a result of a lucky deck draw. After seemingly weeks of searching, he finally locates the keep and discovers that it is his family keep-Keep Anak, which is found a short distance from the village of Greyhaven in northcentral New Britain. The keep was mysteriously abandoned some years ago by the members and retainers of House Anak, after the family was dishonored and its lands reduced. Making his way inside, Lactar finds activity in the keep and its environs...strange metallic men move behind its walls and in the surrounding forests. As Lactar moves through the abandoned but solidly built ancestral home he battles giant rats. He burns a giant spider's web out of one parapet.
His most persistent foes are the legions of coinheads roaming the corridors. The coinheads, metallic golems created from base metal coins and valuable gems, are slow moving creatures, seemingly left with instructions by their mysterious and unidentified creator to attack anyone who enters the building. Firing a Wand of Wonder and staying outside their reach, Lactar patiently uses lightning bolts to slag the numerous metal men, who explode in bursts of molten metal as they die.
Having cleared the keep of its intruders, Lactar explores his former home, memories flooding back to him as he does so. Lactar finds papers in a second-floor study formerly used by his father. These papers concern his family, and he learns of the sister he never knew he had (Alinea), his mother who was said to have died giving birth to him, and of his father, Jarus, who became possessed of some strange madness and vanished into the countryside years ago. Lactar also discovers a treasure map and learns of the family fortune, hidden in the wilderness by Jarus before he disappeared. As Lactar vows to locate his inheritance before returning to Palmdale, he vaguely recalls having been forced to leave Keep Anak as little more than an infant, in the care of family servants.
THE LIZARDMAN TEMPLE (many people have bad days)
Akharin, Badsadmo, Noah and Joe help kill a giant octopus and five lizardmen, but are eventually killed while infiltrating a lizardman temple east of Ylldana; the same one Lactar had earlier pillaged. Only Zulu Warrior and Zentar (lawful-neutral halfling thief) survive.
The two survivors proceed to kill three more lizardmen, and discover a Lesser Deck of Many Things, a +2 bastard sword, six +1 daggers (if one hits, they all hit), two Water Breathing potions and gems worth 2500 gold pieces.
Meanwhile, Argamas (N-G human magic-user) and his partner, the fighter Flint, leave the New Britain army to try adventuring. They successfully raid the stash of a group of thieves, battling five humans, including a magic-user; they acquire 4690 gold pieces' worth of coinage and gems, along with a Cloak of Displacement and a Potion of Climbing.

January 13, 1984
DUEL (Lactar has a great day)
Lactar
Continuing his search of his ancestral home, Lactar discovers an unfinished tunnel leading from the basement of the keep into the surrounding forest, and seals it from use. In his search of the basement level, he pulls back a curtain and mistakenly uncovers a Mirror of Opposition. He suddenly finds himself facing an evil duplicate of himself, down to the last magic item, intent on his destruction. Following a brief battle, Lactar attempts a desperate move to kill his foe, throwing his vorpal blade sword at his double's chest, where it miraculously strikes a lethal blow-destroying the doppleganger and causing it to disappear.
Palmdale Group
Back in the Palmdale area, Ahlric, Clea, the recently returned Kirok and four guards fight a large group of orcs; one of the guards is killed during the battle. 425 gold pieces and Sands of Shrinking and Enlarging are acquired. Kirok claims the magical sands.
Quietus, a human fighter/magic-user from the region of the twin cities of East and West Eden, and Neon (C-N human magic-user) join the group; Neon is soon killed. Kri (L-E human assassin) is soon associated with the group.
OUR MAN FLINT
Flint and Argamas are killed by the vengeful thieves they had previously robbed.

February-March 1984
SPLIT HEIRS
February 25, 1984
Lactar
Using the maps discovered among his father's papers, Lactar begins searching for the family fortune, hidden in the forest north and east of Keep Anak. After several days' searching, he finds a clearing, which matches the instructions on the map...only to discover a band of drow elves attempting to raid the site. Observing their activities, Lactar sees that the drow are using some sort of 'living manhole cover' to conceal the entrance to the underground chamber where his father hid the family fortune. The drow are also carrying "black fire", an unusual weapon which seems to attack and destroy living tissue but does not harm non-living material.
When it appears the drow will make off with his inheritance, Lactar attacks, using the drows' own black fire against the 'living manhole cover', which is quickly consumed. Lactar's superior strength and skills allow him to kill several drow; finally one drow with the ability to create magical portals uses his power to allow his compatriots to escape. Lactar sees what appears to be an underground drow city through the portal, and throws a large vial of the black fire through the portal just before it closes.
Palmdale Group
Zithaz-Fraguad, a neutral human fighter, joins the group. Zithaz-Fraguad and Kirok kill five thieves, acquiring 10,200 g.p. and potions of Growth and Levitation. Zulu and Zentar kill two giant cockroaches. The group of Clea, Kirok, Oidlethere, Zulu and Zentar destroy four gargoyles and six orcs. They acquire 7920 g.p., a Wand of Polymorphing, several potions, a scroll, Horseshoes of a Zephyr and 16 +2 arrows.
March 3, 1984
Lactar
Lactar recovers part of his family fortune after killing 14 drow: 70,000 gold pieces and a number of magic items including magic swords, potions, rods, staves and wands. His sister had taken the remainder of the fortune.
After clearing out his keep, Lactar travels to Greyhaven and tries to make a deal with the mayor to become lord of the area around his keep, unsuccessfully. It is here that he hires Higgins to manage his keep, "Lactar's Nest". Higgins' two patrol dogs, "the lads", are later given to him by Q from a Robe of Useful Items.
Palmdale Group
Oidlethere retires from the Palmdale group, and is given a respectable financial gift in parting. He settles in Silvermist, where he works with Rick and Amanda.
Clea, Kirok, Kri, Zulu and Zentar follow a treasure map belonging to Zentar. They destroy a drelb, acquiring a Cloak of Protection, Plate Mail of Etherealness, a Ring of Feather Falling, potions of Healing and Invisibility, a magical short sword, a scroll and 18,040 g.p. Kirok, Zulu and Clea kill two giant spiders.
March 10, 1984
Clea, Kirok, Kri, Zentar, Zithaz-Fraguad, Zulu and a recently joined member, Jest, battle and kill ten ogres and five trolls. 1,335 g.p. are recovered from the ogres.
The human fighter Clod is killed on his first adventure. Meanwhile, Lactar kills two perytons.

March 1984
OUR DINNER WITH ANDREAS (Zentar and Zithaz-Fraguad have a bad day)
March 17, 1984
Eight rats and six wolves are fought in the woods the group is traversing through. The group is invited to a nearby castle for dinner, not realizing the true identities of Andreas and Marina, their hosts. Kirok soon learns that the wealthy couple is evil. The group makes a point of drinking from the same pitcher as their hosts, for fear of being poisoned. Zulu Warrior, activating his Plate Mail of Etherealness, follows their servant from the dining room and sees Andreas, a vampire, exhibit superhuman strength, nearly killing the servant.
A battle ensues and several members of the party, including Kirok, are drained levels; Zithaz-Fraguad and Zentar are permanently killed; Kri is also killed. Clea valiantly fights the vampires in physical battle. Other undead are fought as well. Andreas is badly disabled during the fighting.
March 30, 1984
Zulu slips through the walls of the vampire's castle to its lowest level, discovering the bloodsucker's deepest hiding hole, complete with coffin. Waiting ethereally, Zulu is present when Andreas' gaseous form returns to the coffin and regains its physical form. Zulu then positions a stake through its heart and returns to material form, instantly striking a fatal blow. He then cuts the vampire's head off and burns the body and head separately.
The group destroys Marina and four fighters. A third vampire uses a mirror-like communication device in an attempt to summon help from a demon. While the vampire is pleading with the demon, Kirok uses his Rod of Cancellation to destroy the device. Zulu joins the rest of the group and helps destroy the remaining vampire. Clea and Kirok turn 30 skeletons during the conflict. Among the items found in the castle are a Ring of Keys, a Horn of Valhalla, a Rod of Clerical Enhancement, a Wand of Metal & Mineral Detection, Horseshoes of Speed, magical weaponry and armor, a scroll, potions and 48,290 g.p.
Meanwhile, Howard, a neutral human fighter, Ugely, a chaotic-neutral half-elf magic-user/cleric, and WKRP begin adventuring. They kill 25 orcs; Howard gets 19,567 g.p., a scroll and two potions; Ugely gets 7,079 g.p. and a potion; WKRP gets 4,436 g.p., a potion and a ring. WKRP dies soon afterwards. Saurin, a neutral human magic-user, joins this group.
HOW SHARPER THAN A SILVER DRAGON'S SCALES
Lactar participates in a contest involving the finding of silver dragon scales in the desert. The winner will be given a noble title. He roams the countryside by flying carpet for weeks and weeks, but never finds any.

April 1984
ADVENTURING
April 7, 1984
Howard, Ugely and Saurin fight and destroy six wardogs and 9 orcs. They acquire 4,684 g.p., including gems and jewelry; five potions, a Trident of Warning, a +4 mace and a scroll.
April 14, 1984
Kirok tests an Ioun Stone found in a treasure. Upon activating it, he becomes possessed by the stone, and attacks and kills four fighters. He subsequently becomes immobile. Zulu and Jest subdue Kirok and destroy the stone, removing the possession.
April 21, 1984
A lock and key for the transport door system are found by Jest, Kirok, Clea and Zulu.
April 28, 1984
Howard, Ugely and Saurin battle four men; acquired from them are a +2 shield, Bracers of Defense and a scroll. Ugely and Saurin get 13,107 g.p., while Howard gets a separate share of 3,026 g.p.

May 5, 1984
THE COMPETITION (Kirok has a particularly nice day)
In the annual physical Competition in 2172 (held in Malveria that year), Kirok, Clea and Zulu each compete. People are allowed to bet on the contestants, including the contestants, and the Palmdale group places many bets on their people. Clea and Zulu are each eliminated in their second round, but Kirok, in six rounds, becomes one of the top two finishers, losing the final round. As a reward, he is knighted Sir Kirok, Knight-Errant of New Britain by King Randolff II, and is given a purple cloak and insignia ring as badges of his office. His rank equivalence in situations where he has opportunity to command the king's soldiers is that of lieutenant. He is also given a prize of 50,000 gold pieces.
One of the Competition contestants turns out to be Tilbrand, who shows up at their hotel room after the event, congratulates Kirok, and confesses to him what transpired with Ator. She gives the group the equivalent of what she took from Ator. The king accompanies the Palmdale group on their return trip.
Passing through Ylldana while returning home from the competition, Quietus buys a hot-air balloon from a traveling vendor.
May 12, 1984
THE MISSION
Clea is assigned by her church to deliver a packet of important papers. In route, she kills two lizardmen and successfully delivers the packet to another church.
Kirok kills one fighter and captures two more, obtaining 5200 gold pieces from them.

May 29, 1984
BATTLE BEYOND THE UNIVERSE (Tom Jones has a bad day)
The Palmdale group is mysteriously transported to another universe and given greater powers by a mysterious force in order to destroy a powerful, ancient adamantine dragon residing in a tower, and recover a powerful artifact. Ugely is given a +5 hammer and a wand that creates skeletons. The group is attacked by pesky orcs, which are quickly taken care of. The group immunizes itself to a Mirror of Opposition by killing the magically created opponent of each member of the party, one at a time. Before moving around corners, the Mirror of Opposition is placed to the front of the group. Saurin is attacked by an invisible magic-user stalking the group, but since he has a Shield spell in effect the attack bounces off him and the attacker is killed.
Following a Find the Path spell cast by Kirok, the group avoids many elaborate traps. These include: bypassing a thin wall with acid on one side and lizardmen on the other; a mimic, which was shot full of arrows from a safe distance; and a moving floor which shunts Zulu away from the rest. Zulu is quickly reunited with the group through disintegration of the floor, using a henchman shape-changed into a beholder. To quickly obtain important artifacts, everything within a treasure room is disintegrated, leaving behind artifacts immune to the effect. Gnolls who automatically hit their targets attack the group, and are dealt with. The group reaches the dragon in relatively little time. Zulu is transformed by Quietus, using a Shape Change spell from a scroll, into a powerful magical sword, Stormbringer, which is wielded by Lactar. He kills the creature with his second blow. "She isn't awake." The group is returned to their own world with enough experience to attain another level. Clea, Kirok and Lactar become 8th level, Zulu 6th level, Saurin 4th level, Howard 3rd level, Quietus 3rd level fighter/3rd level magic-user and Ugely 3rd level magic-user/4th level cleric.

June 2, 1984
STIRGES (Zulu has a bad day)
Returning back to Palmdale from the annual Competition in Malveria (for 2172), the group is riding between Ylldana and Palmdale when it is attacked by a flock of blood-sucking stirges. Traveling ahead of the rest of the group, Zulu is brought near death in their attack, and is actually killed when his fellow group members use a fire attack against the hideous flying creatures and envelop Zulu as well. Upon being revived, Zulu has gained a lifelong fear of stirges and distaste for both the smell and taste of cooked fowl.
Saurin and Ugely kill three trolls.

June 1984
WAR OF THE SAINTS (Kirok has a bad day)
June 16, 1984
Saurin and Ugely battle ten orcs and two ogres; they acquire a Rod of Resurrection, a Wand of Fire, potions and 40,440 g.p.
Palmdale plays host to King Randolff II and his large entourage, which has stopped to visit the renamed city-and to thank the Palmdale group for having saved Randolff's daughter-in-law and grandchild in the Vermithrax campaign-while traveling by land from Malveria to Prestana. While the dignitaries are being entertained, chaos ensues as a magical sword, known to teleport to various places on the planet at various times, appears in Palmdale's central courtyard; it is held by a vaguely humanoid statue, containing an unknown item within its base. A death knight arrives to claim the sword, and the Palmdale group, accompanied by King Randolff and his men, initiate battle with the evil force. During the battle, the death knight casts a fireball that hits the headquarters of the Palmdale group, destroying it and everything inside, including the mimic named Spot.
Despite the assistance from Randolff, who is wearing special armor that allows him to go ethereal at will, the battle goes poorly, and Kirok attempts to gate in a powerful entity to assist their cause. What arrives, suddenly, is Lactar-gated in from his own adventures near his keep. Lactar helps by destroying two lesser demons, which were gated in by the death knight. Kirok asks for and receives a blessing from the god Tyche, allowing him to defeat his next opponent. Kirok destroys the death knight with Randolff's assistance. This causes Lactar to be pulled back to where he had been before being gated. The death knight's riderless nightmare then retaliates; Kirok, Clea, Saurin, Jest, Randolff and several fighters battle the nightmare. Kirok is killed during the battle. A saint soon arrives to claim the sword, riding a flying chariot; but before the saint can do so, the sword has teleported again and the saint and all the remaining lesser demons rapidly depart.
June 23, 1984
During the battle for the sword, the small balloon (nicknamed "Free Enterprise"), which the Palmdale group (through Quietus) had bought in Ylldana, comes out of hibernation and transforms into one of the living airships, complete with built-in distance weapons. During the confusion of the battle, Zulu (aboard the ship) takes it upon himself to attempt to assassinate King Randolff, firing the ship's energy weapons at the monarch following the death knight's demise. The ill-conceived attempt fails, as Randolff uses his ethereal armor to allow the blasts to pass right through him.
Kirok is raised. Due to goodwill generated by the group through the rescuing of the king's granddaughter, and pleading by Kirok on Zulu's behalf, Zulu is not killed or imprisoned. He is, however, persona non grata as far as the king and government are concerned. The group choses a new headquarters in building #18.

July 1984-fall 1984
DAMIEN
Following Zulu's ill-conceived and poorly executed coup attempt against King Randolff II with the weapons of the Palmdale group's youthful airship, Damien, a very old human in a mechanical wheelchair, calls together a meeting of the continent's leading rulers and military and magical minds. No references to Damien exist in written records. While studying at a desk in the Palmdale group's headquarters, Kirok is transported to this meeting on board Damien's airship, the Megalodan. It is decided not to leave a fully powered airship in the hands of such a reckless group. The group's airship (with the assistance of the airships Megalodan and Excalibur) is put through a forced evolution...in which it grows considerably in size but all of its weapons systems are bred out of it. It is then left with the Palmdale group.
This is Kirok's first meeting with Damien and his giant servant Igor, and his first visit to the mighty airship Megalodan, the largest of the dozen or more airships currently in existance-and with a very different internal structure than the others. Kirok is taken to the Megalodan's "strategy room", where a map of the entire continent is located, with "trouble spots" marked in various areas of Bothnia, New Britain and Sandria. During their conversations, Damien explains to Kirok who he is, and in the process explains the origins of humanity on K'Thyra. It is revealed that Damien is a native of the planet Earth, where over two thousand years ago a massive space-going vessel, the Cygnus, was constructed in Earth orbit in order to allow 10,000 pacifistic scientists and intellectuals to escape a coming world war. The starship, which encountered some difficulties in its trip, journeyed across space before locating K'Thyra, where it split into ten component parts and descended to the surface...depositing its human cargo on their new colony in various areas across the globe. Damien also explains that he is one of the original 10,000, and has used both equipment from (or based upon) the starships and K'Thyra's magical field to extend his life to over 2200 years. He believes he is the last surviving colonist, although he knew of at least two or three others who had used magic to maintain their existance until the last decade or so. Now, however, Damien senses that he is close to dying, and wants to bring order to the continent before his death.
Damien offers the Palmdale group benefits if they will go on a mission to prevent the detonation of an anti-magic bomb in the north-central portion of the continent, placed there by a previous group in an attempt to stop an influx of parademons. They are told that the bomb is not needed now and will cause more harm than good. Kirok informs Damien of the land of Izekiel, where time runs backwards, as a way to increase his life span. Because of this information, Damien allows Kirok to draw from a special Deck of Many Things, containing no bad cards. Kirok receives five wishes. They are: a cloaking device similar to the one on the Megalodan for Free Enterprise, the location of the Cygnus 10, engineering knowledge, a Book of Exalted Deeds, and a Mirror of Mental Prowess. When Kirok concludes his wish requests, he has immediately gained all of the items except for the cloaking device, which Damien and Igor begin constructing after they return Kirok to Palmdale. Kirok informs the group of Damien's offer, and they accept.

late 1984
ORPHANS OF THE SKY
Free Enterprise begins heading towards the location of the anti-magic bomb. While in route, Kirok, Lactar and Clea take the opportunity to scry on people and places of importance with the newly acquired small Mirror of Mental Prowess. Ator's body is scryed on and retrieved; it is missing its ring finger. The body is placed in a stasis chamber on board Free Enterprise. Ator's invisibility and inaudibility ring is scryed on as well, and is seen being thrown into a volcano, the Shrine of Fire, in the Mountains of Ending, by a group of dwarves as part of an ongoing effort by certain conservative religious dwarven groups to destroy magic.
When attempting to scry on the starship Cygnus 10, which he learned about from Damien, Kirok instead scrys into what he later learns is a submerged portion of the ill-fated Cygnus 9, which he begins to explore. While opening a door leading out of one of the lab areas, a hideous menagerie of undead farm animals including cattle, pigs and chickens, covered with yellow powder and mucus-like material, move towards him to attack. He turns them easily, but there are too many of them for him to handle at one time. He quickly shuts the door, and makes a mental note not to open it again. Continuing to explore, he encounters several ghouls dressed in medical uniforms, wandering the ship's lab, searching for living creatures to kill; he destroys the undead.
Kirok discovers that some of the passengers are still alive in functioning cryogenic sleep chambers. Before his scry runs out, he places four glowing sling bullets in the lab and seven in the suspended animation chambers as sources of light, and to increase his scrying potential. Kirok creates a doorway in the back of a suspended animation chamber and brings a woman from the chamber through the mirror to the airship. He doesn't have the serum necessary to revive her properly, and she rapidly ages and dies. Later, Kirok picks another sleeping crewmember, brings him back through the mirror and successfully revives him. Kirok also brings as many of the medical kits containing vials of serum as he can find, found in a locker, a total of eight. The revived man's name is Steve, an engineer. Kirok teaches him about the new world he finds himself on.
PLAGUE
When Kirok later returns to the Megalodan, both Damien and Igor begin exhibiting strange behavior, trying to attack Kirok; Kirok cures them. On his next visit to the Megalodan, Kirok is apprehended and placed in a chamber with a strange gas. Damien subsequently tells him that he had been infected with a disease from the starship, the same disease that had affected Damien and Igor, and that he was placed in the chamber to remove the disease. Kirok then alerts authorities in Malveria, which he had visited since exploring the Cygnus 9, and helps cure those who are identified as being infected, conveniently failing to mention how the plague began.
Damien sets up a decontamination chamber on the Megalodan and the Mirror of Mental Prowess is placed inside when scrys are attempted on the Cygnus 9. Damien gives Kirok a portable tank of chemicals for decontamination as well, and a decontamination chamber is established on board Free Enterprise. Returning to the Cygnus 9 later, Kirok continues exploring the remains.
While moving along a service tunnel, he happens upon a metal plate welded to block the tunnel. Using his Girdle of Cloud Giant Strength, he kicks open the metal plate and water begins rushing in. He tells Damien what happened, and learns that portions of the Cygnus 9 had been submerged to contain the plague. Kirok returns to the Cygnus 9, accompanied by primitive work robots constructed by Damien, where they are eventually able to seal the breach. Kirok later scrys on them and returns them to Damien. Personnel in the functioning sleep chambers are eventually revived and relocated.

January 1985
ON HIS MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
After signing a peace treaty with his brother King Randolff II of New Britain in the winter of 2172, Richard I of Bothnia plans to invade New Britain. This will be a diversionary tactic to cover an invasion of minor devils from the lower planes, Richard having been promised power upon the success of his invasion. Richard heads the main thrust of his army himself, and is currently staying in the commandeered castle of Lord Artis Boronnen, which is unprotected by magical screens.
Kirok offers the use of the group's magic mirror to scry on Richard I. Randolff gathers elite members of his army and Kirok successfully opens a door on Richard, who is in bed with a wench. Randolff defeats and kills his brother and prevents his body from being recovered for possible raising from the dead.
January 10, 1985
Corbin and Marcos, former hirelings of the Palmdale group, are killed while defending a village from invasion during the orc war.

January-February 1985
DEMON WITH A GLASS JAW
Kirok continues in his exuberance to attempt scrying on everything of possible importance. He successfully scrys on the den of Lord Malikot, a former associate of King Randolff I. The doorway appears along a wall covered with trophies; Kirok sticks his head out through the mirror to get a better view of the room. As Malikot enters the room, his face hideously scarred, he doesn't notice Kirok, who has blended in with the trophies. Malikot moves to a communications device and makes contact with Lucifer, Kirok's evil half-demon grandfather. Lucifer soon notices Kirok's presence, and Kirok quickly withdraws, shutting down the doorway.
February 4, 1985
While Kirok is in the sickbay area of Free Enterprise, he is teleported away to a misty realm and forced into mental battle with a statue of Lucifer containing glowing eyes. Kirok is victorious and the statue is shattered. The head and eyes are taken by Kirok and placed in a bag. When the rest of the group realizes he is missing, they scry him back aboard.

February 1985
THE HOPE DIAMOND
Kirok examines items he recovered from the Cygnus 9 (contaminated, sealed and sunk in the frozen arctic waters of northern K'Thyra). While looking through a locker, he discovers a magnificent diamond hidden in a former passenger's belongings. A journal within the locker reveals the diamond to be the Hope Diamond, a cursed stone from Earth's past, thought to be lost at the time of the Cygnus ship's launch. The journal seems to suggest that the Hope Diamond might have had something to do with the crash landing of the ship, and the leakage and mutation of the plague which killed so many of the Cygnus 9's passengers.
Kirok senses within the gem the souls of many beings who had met misfortune as a result of possessing the gem. The souls include many people from the planet Earth including a king of France, as well as the gem's last owner. Kirok, intent on helping the trapped souls, uses his Magic Missile Mace to crush the gem, freeing all those who were cursed by it from their eternal torment.

February-April 1985
A TASTE OF ARMAGEDDON (many people have several bad days)
February 17, 1985
PROLOG
Acting on Damien's request for help in dismantling an anti-magic bomb in northeastern New Britain, the Palmdale group contacts several people they had previously worked with on the mission to Vermithrax Isle. Kirok scrys on Rick and Amanda in Silvermist, inviting them along; Amanda stays behind, as she is pregnant ­ Kirok congratulates them. Kirok also gives his regards to Oidlethere. The group hires several new mercenaries as well. Aboard the newly renamed airship Enterprise, the group reaches the site of the bomb.
March 1, 1985
ACT ONE
As the group enters a massive underground cavern complex, they encounter and kill five lizard demons ('parademons') that had been released from their own dimension before Damien's previous strike force managed to close down the gateway between dimensions. The group also encounters a large number of young dwarves, driven insane and horribly mutated into mindless killing devices-they nickname these hideously altered creatures "death dwarves". In an attack on the group by death dwarves, Zulu and Clea kill six of the dwarves. Saurin creates a fireball that destroys eight more death dwarves.
The Palmdale group and their allies split up in the caverns in order to seek the anti-magic bomb. While investigating the caverns, Quietus finds a fountain that is the source of the catalyst water that can activate his unique magical ability. When the group is badly hurt while fighting the lizard demons, he attempts to use his new power to help. Activating his new ability, he proceeds to explode into a fireball, killing Zulu, Lactar, Kirok, Ugely, Howard, Baron and Rick.
March 24, 1985
ACT TWO
Clea raises Kirok, and Kirok raises the rest. Zulu is raised but has become incurably insane; he is killed again and raised once more by Kirok, free of madness. Later, Kirok fires a fireball from Lactar's helm in an attempt to destroy a group of lizard demons; he doesn't realize how large the blast radius is, and accidentally kills Clea and Zulu along with the lizard demons. He proceeds to raise Clea and Zulu.
Five more lizard demons are destroyed, and Saurin destroys 37 death dwarves. As the group enters a 30' x 30' cavern six gargoyles near the ceiling attack but are defeated. Quietus keeps the gargoyle horns. An altar in the cavern is found to open a door when blood is poured on it. Five people are discovered, turned to stone. Apparently they are the remains of the first team.
A barrel-shaped Apparatus of Kwalish is discovered buried under a pile of silver and copper pieces. A spider tank emerges from a well, which extends down into a bubbling pool of lava; the tank begins attacking the group. The attacking tank is dented and shaken enough during attacks by Kirok, Rick, Steve and Q to kill the death dwarf operator, but it still works. The spider tank is exceptionally small. Janice is the only group member small enough to fit in, so she is assigned to operate the tank.
April 12, 1985
ACT THREE
One more lizard demon is killed. At the bottom of a series of stairs is discovered a bridge, originally 110' long, but now only 30' is left attached. An anti-magic field exists in this area, disrupting spells and magic items from working. Thirty feet beneath the landing is found a five-foot ledge, 35'-40' in length, with a sheer drop of over 500'. Thirty feet from the ledge on the same level is a ten-foot wide plateau, which somehow survived a previous bomb blast. Clea discovers an invisible bridge, crosses over to the plateau and takes the artifact Horn of Jericho.
Giant centipedes and rot grubs are battled. A treasure is claimed including 32,250 gold pieces and 7000 gold pieces' worth of gems.
April 21, 1985
ACT FOUR
The group finds a 50' x 50' room containing many stalactites and stalagmites, some of them broken; in the center is a ten-foot wide pit. On a ledge 50' down is found a sword. Quietus claims the sword, named Darkwing [+2/+4 vs. flying creatures while flying, with the power of flight, 12" per turn, one hour/day, non-intelligent, with a good relationship with non-evils].
The group finds another Ring of Keys and a dagger effective against undead. Lactar finds fire stones. Saurin is disguised as a death dwarf to observe the enemy.
Once the group realizes there is not enough time to reach the bomb and prevent it from detonating, they flee to Enterprise. Along the way they encounter a dwarven force camped outside, which was there to investigate what had happened to their young (who had been turned into death dwarves). The dwarves are quickly loaded onto the ship. Upon reaching the ship, Kirok demands "Zulu, I need warp speed in three minutes or we're all dead!" and Enterprise warps out of the area as the bomb detonates. A wave of anti-magic is created by the explosion, which Enterprise barely escapes. One of the dwarves, Stott, wishes to join the Palmdale group.
The people who assisted the Palmdale group with the mission are released. Baron shows his respect for the group by giving them the seal of his noble house, House Callan, which is good for discounts when trading with establishments associated with his house.
EPILOG
Later explorations by members of New Britain's Magical Institute reveal that the physical force of the explosion completely destroyed the cavern complex south of Van Rhysedale where the bomb had been located-including all living creatures within the caverns. Of more devastating impact, however, is the discovery that the bomb had been located on one of the magic-energy nodes of the planet. The force of the anti-magic energy release had traveled along the planet's magical energy lines to a point some 350-400 miles north-northwest of Van Rhysedale, in the mountains between New Britain and Bothnia, north of the town of Oasis. There, the magic and anti-magic energy were released in a cataclysmic blast which obliterated hundreds of cubic miles of mountains, and which opened a great gash which extended some 400 miles both to the north and south of the blast's epicenter. That gash has continued to widen, with crumbling erosion, to this day. Although the northern part of the chasm extended directly to the ocean through Bothnia, the damage was not extensive enough to cause the ocean to flood until several months later, during an invasion by darkling forces. The epicenter of the explosion and the chasm formed a massive canyon, which radiated anti-magic energy. Within the hexes included in the canyon, magic is destroyed; within one hex outside the canyon, magic no longer works. It has also been discovered that devices which use straight-line aiming (such as Mirrors of Mental Prowess) are unable to scry through the interference caused by such a field effect.
The New Britain Magical Institute now has a department specially set up to study both the short and long-term effects of this anti-magic crack, and any possible additional threat it may pose to the Aegican continent. As it is, communication, transportation and trade have been dealt a near-lethal blow, especially in Bothnia, which has essentially been torn into two separate countries. The Bothnian communities of Kastidian and Newhaven and New Britain's Markoven now find themselves too close to the crack for magic to work, and the New Britain community of Oasis was entirely swallowed up by the crack.

April 28, 1985
BRIDGE OF THE ANCIENTS
The group recuperates from their disastrous mission to try to prevent the detonation of a powerful anti-magic bomb in northeastern New Britain, and the ship heads towards Palmdale at normal speed. Kirok, Clea and Lactar daily scry on objects and places of importance, including Vermithrax (alive and dead), Earth (once a week), Kirok's mother, Lactar's keep, the starships and Prestana. They also scry on each other to improve their scrying potential. Kirok and Saurin, having studied the Aegican Encyclopedia during visits to the library and the Magical Institute in Prestana, help the Palmdale group members continue in their efforts to scry on odd and unusual locations and persons throughout Aegica.
An ancient bridge connecting two islands off the western coast of Aegica is scryed on by Kirok on the 7th day of their return voyage. The bridge floats 10'-15' above the ocean, is about 15' wide and has no supports. It was apparently created long before humans arrived on the planet. People are seen traveling on it in both directions, but always within groups, since legend says the bridge is rumored to 'eat' people who travel alone. Slavers herding groups of slaves are seen on one scry (the three main governments on the Aegican continent have outlawed slavery). Kirok opens a doorway, staves are pushed through the door to touch the surface of the bridge and Q takes several steps on it. It is debated whether the bridge might be a living being. An item is placed on the bridge and slowly sinks through it. Q flies beneath the bridge to see if the item falls through. It doesn't. Q returns through the portal before it closes.
LACTAR'S SISTER
Having learned of the existance of his older sister Alinea, from the papers he recovered from Keep Anak, Lactar continues to search for his missing sibling. He eventually discovers that she is serving aboard the pirate vessel Black Hand. The group monitors the ship's progress by scrying on a crewmember of the Black Hand whom Saurin had seen, and by scrying on Alinea herself. On the 9th day of the return trip, the crewmember is scryed on while the Black Hand is in the town of Za-thenan.

May 12, 1985
CITY OF DOMES
On the 10th day of the return voyage, Clea scrys on Palmdale. Kirok, Clea, Zulu and Saurin return to the town and check on its status. While investigating the surrounding countryside, the Palmdalians, along with Ahlric, discover a mysterious storage dome in the nearby desert. They are set upon by a moderately large group of sandmen. Kirok, Ahlric, Clea, Zulu and Saurin battle 18 of the deadly creatures.
Kirok and Ahlric together kill eight of the sandmen, Clea four more and Zulu three; rats controlled by Saurin kill one more; the remaining sandmen flee. The group gathers up the treasures of the dome, including a technological aircar, a treasure map, 19,900 gold pieces, 13,500 gold pieces' worth of jewelry, two Extra-Heal potions, a Bag of Blackmagiks and a cursed Ring of Cockroaches. After Enterprise returns to Palmdale, a rope is attached to the dome and it is moved to town with the help of the ship.
DAMNATION ALLEY
Experimenting with the treasures they found in a sandman-guarded desert treasure dome outside of Palmdale, Zulu places a ring upon his finger and activates it mentally. Although the results are slow to begin, Palmdale is soon subjected to an immense invasion of cockroaches, both large and small (from the surrounding fields and woods).
Kirok and Zulu soon find themselves leading the townspeople, their own town guards and the local army outpost in a desperate defense against the cockroach invasion. A firebreak is set up in the area around the town, taking advantage of the protective moat under construction for some time, and the hoard of insects is eventually brought under control.
MY MOTHER, THE BARD
Also on the 10th day of the return trip, a lucky scry puts Kirok in contact with his mother, Alanna, missing since Kirok was a child. His scry opens up on a mountainous plateau retreat in southern Sandria that lies beneath the magic line. Kirok steps out of the doorway, inadvertently frightening someone walking by, who then falls off the cliff and is killed. Kirok retrieves the body and returns it to a somewhat angry populace, offering to raise the person.
In order to meet his mother, who is above the magic line, Kirok has to remove his magic items and climb up a mountain path. Kirok briefly meets his mother, and learns more details about his origins and her present status as a bard, an acolyte of a peaceful non-magic-using order settled in the mountains beyond the realm of magic. Kirok fills her in on his recent adventures and current status. A peace is established between mother and son, with the potential for future meetings more likely.

late May 1985
THE END OF VERMITHRAX
The crewmember on the Black Hand is scryed upon on the 15th, 19th, 30th and 34th days of the return voyage. Saurin is scryed to Prestana several times in order to continue his research. Palmdale is checked several times during this period, and Lactar monitors the mayor of the nearby town of Greyhaven.
The group continues voyaging across the continent towards Palmdale in Enterprise. Lactar, Clea and Kirok attempt to scry on Vermithrax as both a living and dead being, and eventually determine he is still alive, but scry protected. Kirok is finally able to break through Vermithrax's anti-scrying device on the 37th day of their return trip, and successfully opens a door on Vermithrax's location, high in the mountains. The group takes on his henchmen, then bring Vermithrax aboard the ship, tying him down to a sick bay bed. Kirok then destroys him, his father, permanently.
On the 43rd day of the return trip, Lactar scrys on Alinea and finds her buried up to her neck in sand on a beach, the tide rising towards her. He is unable to open a doorway.

June-July 1985
THE DERELICT
On the 45th day of the return voyage to Palmdale, the library of the Cygnus 10 is scryed on by Kirok. It is learned that the Cygnus 10 is partially buried on an island between the Aegican and Corellan continents. The ship, a hollow metal cylinder 100 yards long, is damaged but relatively intact. Kirok, Lactar, Clea and the hirelings take all the removable information discs and tapes (including 15 library cassettes), along with the reader for accessing the storage forms (a CD ROM system). Two glowing sling stones are left in this section. The system is later transferred to the basement storage rooms of Lactar's keep, in preparation for setting up a technological library in the keep for future studies. Also transferred to the keep are a bomb and an all-terrain vehicle, capable of carrying 2-4 passengers for two hours. A technician team including revived starship personnel is left at the keep to assemble the system.
Later that day, Kirok scrys onto the engineering section of the starship. A collection of artifacts from the ship is gathered for study in Palmdale. These include survival kits, as well as eight rods found to give off a numbing shock, along with a device to recharge them. The rods, nicknamed "cattle prods", are issued to the senior members of the group. Three glowing sling stones are left in this section. These scrys also increase Kirok's later scrying potential on the Cygnus 10 and other remains of such starships that might be found in pieces across K'Thyra's surface.
Lactar scrys on Kirok to increase his scrying potential on him: he also scrys on his keep and on Greyhaven. Clea scrys on the crewmember of the Black Hand; later she scrys on Prestana.
THE MECHANICAL DRAGON
June 22, 1985
The next day (day 46), Kirok once again scrys on the Cygnus 10. Kirok discovers a group of military adventurer types exploring the ship, having gained entrance through a service hatch (opened inward) on the internal core. This group is monitored using the Mirror of Mental Prowess as a window. Before any confrontation can occur, a shifting, phasing doorway moves down the entire length of the ship's central core, cutting off the mirror and apparently killing and/or transporting the other adventuring party.
Further attempts to scry on any of the other adventurers are blocked by an unknown form of static. The Palmdale group soon returns via scry to the Cygnus 10. A dragon is battled and destroyed, and is found to be some kind of mechanical dragon-like defense mechanism guarding the starship. The brain of the mechanical guard is saved for further study.
The ship continues to be explored. Six safes on the starship are found to contain a personal computer with a personalized account by the second-in-command of events leading up to the launch, ten data discs containing two hours each of information about Earth, a holographic projection device containing a record of the Sol system (and can focus on any one planet), a focused light beam weapon with holster and 50 rounds, a star crystal (used to channel energy through the ship), and an envelope containing last orders to the captain. A motorcycle is found in a crate, as are digging implements and other equipment to help a colony get started.
A radio found on the ship, containing ten bands, one for each of the starships, is monitored. Most of the bands have only static, but band six has a fragmented message and band seven has unusual static. Six walkie-talkies are also found.
On the 47th day Lactar is able to scry on Alinea's body with a doorway, and recovers her. She is resurrected but inflicted with a form of insanity, becoming a nymphomaniac. Lactar also scrys on his keep. Clea scrys on Saurin and the crewmember of the Black Hand. Kirok scrys on Prestana. On the 48th day, Lactar scrys on Zulu, and Clea, using the treasure map found in the dome near Palmdale, scrys near the location of the treasure but is unable to reach it before the window closes.

July 14, 1985
THE MULTI-PLANE AFFAIR
Enterprise nears Palmdale, 49 days into its return trip. Clea manages to scry on former Palmdale member S. Frog, learning the body is on another plane. Clea, Kirok, Lactar, Saurin, and Quietus go in search of S. Frog's body in hopes of recovering his magic items and learning his fate, and the group travels across many planes. The body is discovered on one of the levels of hades; it has been stripped of magic items and turned into a minor demon. Saurin destroys five spine devils, and also fights four ermyes. Quietus, on another plane, bides his time in a deistic 'lobby' while muzak is played, hoping to pal around with Odin and gain a one-of-a-kind hammer as a boon. He doesn't. He considers taking items from the lobby but thinks better of it.
Lactar scrys on Saurin. He later scrys on Keep Anak and finds evidence of intruders at the keep; a team is sent to investigate. An intruder is discovered there and questioned, then placed inside a wall of the keep using a Passwall spell. The group returns to Enterprise.

late July 1985
THE PIRATES OF AEGICA (just about everyone has a bad day)
The next day (day 50), Kirok manages to scry on the location indicated by the dome treasure map. Lactar, Kirok, Saurin, Janice and others investigate the treasure-filled cavern, which they soon find is guarded by a red dragon. Bahamut is called up by Kirok to help defeat the red dragon, but the battle goes badly, Bahamut gets a critical hit and is destroyed on this plane. The red dragon is finally killed by the Palmdalians, and they begin gathering up the treasure. Lactar collects 'dragon juice' from the red dragon for future use, and becomes fond of the smell. In a surprise move, a similarly powerful party from a pirate airship, the Dragonspawn, attacks the group members in the cave. Lactar observes, "10 to 1, that's OK, 100 to 1, that's a different story!" Saurin is quickly killed with a soul-stealing blade by a pirate who teleports behind him. Pirates wielding soul-stealing blades also kill Lactar and Janice; the remaining group members in the cave are also killed, except for Kirok. Kirok is presumed killed when a Talisman of Ultimate Evil is used against him by an evil cleric. The talisman creates a rip in the fabric of space. The pirates strip the magic and money carried by the Palmdale group from their bodies, and Lactar's body is taken.
Clea soon scrys on the cavern, seeing the results of the battle. She attacks the pirates with her magic weapons as well as thrown rocks. Using the Horn of Jericho, she manages to blast the pirate airship as it is leaving, causing major damage. The pirate ship uses its jump warp to escape total destruction. Clea then gathers the remaining treasure and the bodies of her comrades aboard Enterprise. The rip in space is patched using the Lyre of Building. Clea raises the group members. Saurin and Janice are raised, but remain blank, expressionless. Lactar's body is eventually found on a bluff, all his possessions stripped from him, with an anti-scry device placed on his body to prevent direct scrying, perhaps to cause annoyance to the Palmdale group. Lactar is raised, but also remains blank, expressionless.

July 31, 1985
FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND I HAVE TOUCHED THE SKY
During the battle with the crew of the Dragonspawn, a Talisman of Ultimate Evil is used against Kirok by an evil cleric. Kirok is cast down through a rip in reality and through sheer luck ends up splashing into a freshwater lake. Kirok is in danger of drowning from his equipment, which has become heavier than normal; a nearby fishing boat subsequently rescues him. He finds himself in a subterranean pocket beneath K'Thyra's surface, inhabited by humans and other races, where magic does not exist. Transportation networks involving ropes, pullies and hanging gondolas criss-cross the ceiling, and several villages are contained within the pocket.
Kirok befriends Erik, a chaotic-good human cavalier and native of the land. He searches in libraries for information on passages back to the surface, and learns of a possible passage on the lake bottom. Both of them hire a boat to take them to this area of the lake. Taking a non-magical equivalent of the Water Breathing potion, they dive to the lake bottom and find a multi-branched passage, choose one branch and reach the surface world, half-a-continent away from where Kirok disappeared, surfacing in the lake near Malveria.

August 10, 1985
THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (Kirok has yet another bad day)
Kirok returns to Palmdale, and joins other members of the group in once again exploring the lizardmen temple east of Ylldana. Kirok is killed for a third time by two critical hits in a row while battling lizardmen. Clea later raises him.

fall 1985
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
Q, Erik, Zulu and Kirok enter a mountainous maze where they battle drow elves, seven of which are killed by Zulu; also encountered are tanks with treads, armed with nuclear energy cannons powered by special coins. At the center of the maze is a powerful sentient being who gives each of them their choice of a magical item or a limited wish. Kirok wishes himself to Earth, while the other three each choose differently colored, specially powered swords. Q's sword has the abilities [Invisibility 3 times/day, Animate Dead, one figure 7 times/week, Tongues, Cause Serious Wounds, X-Ray Vision, and causes weight loss 5-30 pounds, small wood items to rot, and a chance that Q's soul would be destroyed]. Erik's sword has the abilities [Find Traps 3 times/day, Levitate 3 times/day, Stone to Flesh once/day, Teleport in sight twice/day, and Shape Change with potential problems of sex change, loss of interest in sex, and lycanthropy]. One of the cannons on tank treads is brought back to Enterprise by Zulu and fastened in the shuttlecraft bay.
Kirok appears next to a road, the surrounding countryside composed of a red soil, with bluffs in the distance. Kirok is unable to cast magic on Earth, but magic already cast on him continues to operate, and he remains invisible. He follows the road, his footsteps kicking up puffs of red dust; the road leads to some sort of launch facility. Avoiding guards and slipping into the operations complex, he eventually finds those in charge of the base and uses the rudimentary English he learned from Damien to communicate with them. He becomes visible in order to calm them and to find out where he is and what is going on. He learns he is on the Australian continent on Earth in the early 21st century, mere days before the Cygnus starship is forced to leave orbit in a rushed Operation: Phoenix. This is a secret project to evacuate a group of pacifistic humans from Earth before the next and possibly last World War breaks out. Apparently, while in route to Peregrine, the starships somehow traveled not only through space but also time, moving backwards in time several thousand Earth years, so Kirok is contemporary with these people. Kirok convinces those in charge of the starship project that he is from their future, sort of, and must accompany them in order to return home. They agree to bring him along.
ISLAND IN THE SKY
As the Cygnus prepares to depart, orbiting strategic defense satellites fire on it. The drive system and computer of the vessel are damaged. The Cygnus was originally expected to make a series of pre-programmed "jumps" to known solar systems to seek an uninhabited planet, which could sustain the lives of the human colonists. However, with both the drive system and the on-board computer badly compromised, the ship begins making a series of uncontrolled "jumps" to random solar systems in order to locate a habitable planet for the humans to settle on. The ship's computer catalogs solar systems it encounters using the names of birds as an identifier. A habitable planet is eventually located (code-named 'Peregrine' by the ship's computer, known as K'Thyra in the native elven tongue) and the Cygnus breaks up into 10 parts in preparation for landing. Kirok discovers that he is aboard the Cygnus 6--a dangerous situation, since he knows from his discussions with Damien that the Cygnus 6 crash-landed on the western coastline of the Aegican continent with much loss of life.
Awakened from his undamaged hypersleep chamber by the surviving members of the Cygnus 6's crew, Kirok is witness to the deadly toll the ship has taken in its barely controlled plunge to the surface. Over a third of the 1000 colonists and crew have perished, including the pilot (Bob), and chief medical officer. Kirok helps the survivors get started in their new life, and helps them bury their dead. After informing the colonists that they have apparently been thrown backwards in their own timeline over 2000 years, but that he is now 2000 years behind where he should be himself, Kirok asks to be placed in suspended animation in order to return to his own time. The colonists move equipment to a small offshore island (visible from the shore of the mainland) and build a small, protected shrine, with a single hypersleep chamber at the center of it. Not wanting to endanger his own future by providing the colonists with too much information about K'Thyra, Kirok blesses their efforts to resettle, and warns them to use caution and respect in dealing with the planet's native races. Kirok is then placed into the sleep chamber, which is activated (using solar energy cells rigged from material on the Cygnus 6). Over 2000 years later, the members of the Palmdale group attempt one of their regular scrys on Kirok and successfully reach him in the shrine, where they find him weak but otherwise healthy-having aged approximately six years during his lengthy hibernation.

November 1985
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
Following the battle with the pirate airship Dragonspawn, a magical ark was discovered in the cavern amongst the red dragon's treasure. This ark has the ability to trap the souls of some types of creatures who are nearby and at the point of death. Experimenting with the box aboard Enterprise, a number of different souls are discovered trapped within the box, including Dylan (an illusionist-fighter), Bruce (a fighter), Lactar, Saurin, Janice, a null setting containing death, Bob (the pilot from the Cygnus 6), a storm giant, and a lizard-like creature. As each soul is uncovered, it is interrogated using the Helm of Telepathy to learn who it was and how it died. The pilot recounts his last memories of the starship nearing the ground and the cockpit being crushed, killing the flight crew. It is learned that if the storage limit of the box is reached, one of the souls will pop out into the nearest abandoned body.
Contact is made with the Isle of Life through associates on the mainland, in an effort to return the souls to bodies. The community on the island is made up of both clerics and magic-users of various racial types. The group is taken by boat to the island. Before the group members are allowed onto the island they are required to remove their weaponry. The souls (katras) of Lactar, Saurin and Janice are returned to their bodies. The pilot's soul is placed within the body of a half-elf and is nicknamed "Spock" by the group. Bruce's katra is placed in Howard's body. The lizard-like creature (one of the "old ones") is placed in the body of a lizardman. The storm giant is placed into a large human body. The null setting contains a minor death, which disintegrates its prepared body. The box is loaned to academicians on the Isle of Life for study. Having tired of the adventuring life, Saurin petitions the academy of renowned scholars on the island to accept him as an acolyte. He stays behind to live in Sardinia, awaiting his acceptance to the Isle of Life's student staff.

fall 1985-summer 1986
THE INCREDIBLY HUGE CLERICAL INSTALLATION
Having learned of a mysterious anomaly in the Kabbarra Desert from the Encyclopedia Aegica in the library at Prestana, Kirok attempts to scry on the anomaly, and after going through the doorway finds himself in the desert facing a small stone structure. Inside the structure, Kirok discovers a deep shaft plunging vertically beneath the ground, containing shimmering doorways (similar to the transport doors located above ground) at various levels. He also finds evidence of recent passage by humanoid beings through this area. He enters one of the doorways and finds himself transported to a large complex, consisting of many levels, and peopled by a large number of robed and armored men. Determining that a passing guard is evil, Kirok dispatches him, taking from the dead man a ring which controls the use of a system of shimmering transport doors throughout the complex-except for those requiring a higher level of security than the guard apparently had. Attempting to remain out of sight, Kirok continues to explore various rooms on various levels of the complex. He eventually finds a room containing approximately 50 translucent pods with humans and elves in suspended animation, floating within a green liquid. After detecting for evil, Kirok frees and revives one of the humans, who has a glazed look in his eyes and tries to attack Kirok; Kirok subdues him and discovers the Dispel Magic spell removes the mind-control spell from him. Kirok removes the mind-control from the rest, and frees and revives the remaining non-evils. Leading the former prisoners, Kirok soon finds a room (on level 84 _) containing a large reflective pool on the floor and a control panel attached to it. Activating the controls, the pool begins to show images of other places, and Kirok adjusts the monitoring controls, seeing a variety of locales appear. One of the images he sees is of the inside of a bar, with someone wearing a symbol from an entertainment video (The Greatest American Hero) from old Earth. It is later learned that this bar is Sandy's Sin & Suds Emporium, located in the town of Castoria. Kirok finally locates an open field and sends the released prisoners, along with him, through the one-way mirror to escape the complex.
Having successfully scryed Kirok back aboard, the group takes Enterprise to the location of the anomaly, and finds it is now protected with a force field. The group has Enterprise send physical probes towards the field to learn more about it. Breaking through, the group encounters demonic flying creatures, 'The Children of Hastur', guarding the doorways in the shaft. Fighting their way past the creatures, the Palmdale group enters a shimmering doorway, and finds itself on one of the main levels of the complex. Exploring that level and trying to remain hidden, the group discovers a chasm with numerous evil priests on the other side performing a ceremony, chanting about "The one who shall not be named." The Palmdale group disrupts the spell, and the priests call out the name 'Hastur'. The group makes a hasty retreat as Hastur suddenly appears and begins killing all the priests.
The group members continue to infiltrate the complex, in part to gather whatever treasures they can lay their hands on, and in part to discover the purposes for the facility. In the process, Quietus obtains another transport ring, and Stotty obtains two. Seven mysterious full-body coverings (later revealed to be radiation suits) are recovered and later sold. A bird cloak discovered by Q is later destroyed in battle while someone else is wearing it. Four quaffs of a blue liquid contained in a fancy beaker, later revealed to be a teleportation potion, are also acquired.
The group attempts to use the transport-door rings to travel within the complex, with only limited success; they are able to move from place to place, but are unable to control what their destination will be, and randomly move from one level of the complex to another. On a lower level, an evil priest's quarters are searched, and an ancient gun is found hidden within a book. On another level, Lactar finds a series of imprisonment cells and proceeds to free the prisoners, including the insane Princess Lisa of Sardinia. On level 88, the lowest level the group reaches, a mining operation is discovered where humans are harvesting large chunks of crystal. The miners are eliminated. A Detect Magic spell reveals that the rocks are crystallized magic in solid form.
In the end, by putting together the bits and pieces of evidence they've found, and by interrogating a group of technicians, the Palmdale group learns that this complex is an evil high priests' refuge on the Corellan continent. A cabal of evil priests is preparing an invasion of some sort-possibly on the Aegican continent-using soldiers of various races who have had their minds wiped and reformed by the clerics. The Palmdale explorers discover a massive amphitheater filled with more of the hanging fluid bags, each containing a "processed" human or elf. Fighting their way into the room's control chamber, the group begins a release sequence prematurely, and the pods start falling from their ceiling ropes ("like bags of wet cement"), causing some damage to Zulu. Zulu and Erik end up combating a squadron of enemy soldiers among the falling bags before being forced to retreat.
Several of the high priests, realizing their operation has been discovered, and fearing possible defeat or capture, activate a self-destruct mechanism, which begins to destroy the entire multi-level complex. The Palmdale group makes it to the surface by climbing a steep ventilation shaft, emerging on the beach just in time, along with 14 released prisoners. Of the prisoners, one knows of a minor treasure, one is distantly related to Stott, and one is a thief who had tried to rob the clerics.
DIVORCE PALMDALIAN STYLE
July 6, 1986
Clea scrys on the group, and they return home. The Palmdale group takes on three new associates: Einur, a neutral elven fighter/thief, Inebrius, a chaotic-neutral human cleric, and Mud-Lin the Independent, a chaotic-neutral human thief. After their ordeal in the clerical installation, the Palmdale group takes it easy for a while, and the three new members decide to form their own independent team, leaving Palmdale in anger.

August-November 1986
THE ENEMY WITHIN
August 9, 1986
Kirok acquires a coupon within a treasure, allowing admittance to a health spa on Vermithrax Isle. The coupon is good for a quaff of the special catalyst water, which will activate his innate magical ability, if any. He is scryed to the island, and on arrival at the health spa is given the water and drinks it. Immediately, armed men emerge from behind a curtain, surrounding Kirok. He tries to fight them off using his new ability, melting some of their faces, but is finally forced to surrender.
A man named Meynick, one of Count Daltros Vermithrax' former underlings, is found to be behind the abduction, employing other former Vermithrax men. Meynick's body has been destroyed, and only his mind remains. He promises he will only use Kirok's body until he is able to fashion a mechanical body for himself. Kirok's mind and awareness are imprisoned in a specially prepared canister, with the personality and awareness of the unscrupulous magician placed into Kirok's body.
Kirok-two rejoins the Palmdale group, where he attempts to learn as much as possible about the group as quickly as possible. Kirok-two rigs a self-destruct circuit into the engines of Enterprise, set to engage if Kirok-two's true identity is ever discovered. He begins building a mechanical body.
September 6, 1986
THE CANYON LAIR
While heading from Prestana to Palmdale, Kirok-two, Q, Zulu and Erik skirt the edge of a massive canyon west of Kingsrest, following a map to an underground canyon lair. Along the way they investigate a giant eagle lair, where Erik kills a giant eagle.
The lair is eventually reached. It contains two black dragons and a nearby ogre lair. Many of the ogres are fought and killed, and treasures are gathered, including a Ring of Telekinesis, Rod of Cancellation, +1 hammer, two quaffs of Potion of Levitation, a golden chalice, jewelry, lockets and rings. While in the underground lair, Zulu makes friends with a young miniature dragon, which he gives the name Lockheed. Following this adventure, Lockheed accompanies Zulu off-and-on for the rest of his days with the Palmdale group.
late September-October 1986
DAY OF THE DARKLINGS
While on the western side of the great anti-magic chasm, Enterprise receives a distress call from the Megalodan, informing them that creatures called darklings have begun streaming out of the chasm formed by the anti-magic bomb, and threaten all life on the planet. The communication is quickly cut off as the Megalodan is attacked by airborne darklings, as is the Antigone on another continent. Kirok-two, using Kirok's abilities, prays to Tyche in an attempt to stem this disaster. Tyche will stop the flow of darklings from the trench, but those already on the surface will have to be dealt with by the Palmdale group. To close the breach, Tyche demands the yet-unborn child of Ahlric and Kirok, the result of a previous night of passion. This birth will claim the life of Ahlric. Meynick, as Kirok-two, agrees to this condition-knowing, in part, that it will be Kirok that will have to live up to the agreement several months later.
Enterprise hovers over the darkling hoard, its crew trying numerous weapons with little effect, since the darklings number in the hundreds of thousands. Through experimentation by pouring various types of liquids onto the hoard from the shuttlecraft bay, it is discovered that salt water destroys the creatures; every Decanter of Endless Water is switched to produce salt water, and the other airships are alerted to this fact, although the task seems hopeless.
October 1986
THE PALMDALIAN EXPERIMENT
During the darkling invasion, Quietus hooks up the brain of the mechanical dragon (recovered from the area of the Cygnus 10) into Enterprise's organic computer in an attempt to access the origin and mission of the creature and possibly assist in the current struggle with the darklings. Instead, the ship warps into a closed 'pocket' universe. There they find the airship Bree, second largest of the airships (after the Megalodan) and crewed entirely by elves, which had been missing for several days. In order to return to normal space they find they must join the two ships together so that enough power is generated to breech the barrier. While preparing for the trip back, Steve is apparently disintegrated in an explosion on the shuttlecraft deck while trying to toss an explosive device overboard. A marker is left behind in his memory.
Lactar flies outside Enterprise in an environmental suit, attempting to contact an intelligence existing in this universe. He soon finds it to be hostile to the intruders. Landing parties from both ships explore the nearby land. The joined ships eventually return to their universe, with Enterprise appearing on the Corellan continent, but the Bree is nowhere to be seen...and seems to be out of communications range for the airships' comm systems. A little over a week has passed. All traces of the darklings have vanished. Later investigation reveals that, on the Aegican continent at least, the human forces released the last of the earthen dams holding back the ocean water from filling the massive anti-magic chasm, and allowed the ocean salt water to fill the crack. Despite the ecological devastation this caused, it was the simplest solution to the darkling problem, as the humans merely needed to drive the darkling hordes into the crack, now filled with the salt water which would destroy the creatures.
THE DARKLING AFTERMATH
During attempts to find out what happened to the Megalodan and her crew, the body of Igor, Damien's servant, is found by scry. No trace of the Megalodan is found, since it went down in salt water, which quickly decays the flesh of the living airships. Bob/'Spock', who had been on loan to Damien, is later found in a field hospital, appearing to have been tortured. He is later brought out of his fear trance by Q, but has amnesia about the events after the Darkling attack. Damien is nowhere to be found, although he is known to wear an anti-scrying device. An attempt is made to scry on Damien, but there is only static.
A 'shuttlecraft' of the airship Dragonspawn is later found on a hillside, beginning to break down. Quietus connects with the shuttle's log and discovers a way to access the log entries. The Dragonspawn is discovered submerged nearby in a large lake in central Bothnia (not far from the shrine of Eliasa-Ras), partially disintegrated and its crew dead, all magic and treasure stripped from it; it was apparently attacked and forced to crash during the recent darkling invasion. The shuttlecraft, born prematurely and away from the airship breeding grounds, can't survive alone. Now that its 'mother' is dead, it is also deteriorating. Soon after, the shuttle disintegrates.
November 1986
TURNABOUT INTRUDER
Lactar becomes suspicious about recent happenings on Enterprise. He searches the crew personnel logs in their quarters and discovers that the ones belonging to Clea, Kirok, Quietus and Zulu have been erased. He discovers that a lab on the ship is locked, with access allowed to Kirok only, and becomes more suspicious. Lactar overrides the security codes and gains entrance to the lab, finding a partially formed mechanical body. Steve is found in a stasis chamber and released. Steve had discovered something wasn't right with Kirok, and Kirok-two knocked Steve out and placed him in stasis, subsequently fabricating his death on the shuttlecraft deck.
Lactar hunts down Kirok-two while Stotty and a henchman try to remove a bomb placed in the ship's self-destruct tunnel ('Jeffries Tube') while a technician monitors the ship's computer system. Kirok-two is subdued, but only after he nearly sets off the self-destruct mechanism. Kirok's mind is scryed on, the group enters the magician's lab, and after the magician's assistant is subdued, technicians are forced to return Kirok's mind to his body.
The self-destruct bomb is taken to the surface in an attempt by Lactar and Q to disable it. The attempt fails and the bomb is activated. Thinking quickly, Q slaps Lactar with a Sepia Snake Sigil, placing a force field around Lactar, and uses him as a blast shield, sustaining only minimal injury to himself. Meanwhile, the airship Enterprise suffers severe scorching but no lasting damage.
Once Kirok has recovered, he molds Q's features at his request to appear as a half-elf ("Ears by Kirok").

November 28, 1986
ANOTHER DOME
Lactar teleports to the desert and finds a dome similar to the one found near Palmdale, which contains two technological landspeeders. Also in the dome are 17,000 g.p., 5,000 e.p., 4,000 s.p., 18 gems, 18 pieces of jewelry, a ring, a map, a scroll tube and an Extra-Heal potion. Lactar drives one of the aircars to the nearby town of Alberstam and stores it in a stable at an inn. Ahlric is later sent to retrieve it and takes it to Palmdale. At this point, the group has 643,782.86 gold pieces.
Continuing to scry on anything and everything of potential importance to the group, one of the members successfully scrys on a large underground drow city on the Corellan continent. The group attempts to infiltrate the city and learn the secret of the black fire. Q and Erik kill six drow during an underground battle. It is learned that the drow are beginning preparations for an invasion of the surface.

December 1986-January 1987
THE DROW CAVERNS
It is decided that the group must stop the imminent invasion of the surface by the drow. Before leaving, Lactar gathers the airship troopers onto the shuttlecraft deck and gives them a stirring speech, based on records found in the Cygnus 10 of a speech given by an ancient Earth general:
"Be seated. I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his kingdom. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his kingdom. People, all this stuff you've heard about Palmdale not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Palmdalians traditionally love to fight. All real Palmdalians love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the best jouster, the toughest boxers. Palmdalians love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Palmdalians play to win all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for someone who lost and laughed. That's why Palmdalians have never lost and will never lose a war, because the very thought of losing is hateful to Palmdalians."
"An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap. The billious bastards who wrote that stuff about individuality in the weekly parchments don't know anything more about real battle than they do about fornicating. Now we have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit and the best people in the world. You know, by the gods, I actually pity those poor bastards we're up against. By the gods, I do! We're not just going to kill the bastards, we're going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease our armor! We're going to murder those lousy drow bastards by the bushel!"
"Some of you, I know, are wondering whether or not you'll chicken out under battle. Don't worry about it. I can assure you that you will all do your duty. The drow are the enemy. Wade into them, spill their blood, stab them in the belly! When you put your hand into a bunch of goo, that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do."
"There's another thing I want you to remember. I don't want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position. We're not holding anything ­ let the drow do that! We are advancing constantly and we're not interested in holding anything except the enemy. We're going to hold onto him by the nose and we're going to kick him in the ass! We're going to kick the hell out of him all the time and we're going to go through him like crap through a goose!"
"There's one thing that you will be able to say when you get back home, and you may thank the gods for it. Thirty years from now, when you're sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee, and he asks you what you did in the great drow war, you won't have to say, well, I shoveled shit in Malveria. Alright now you offspring of bitches, you know how I feel. I will be proud to lead you wonderful people into battle anytime, anywhere. That's all."
Using an elaborate system of underground canals, the group (Lactar, Kirok, Q, Zulu ­ without Lockheed, Erik, Steve and a group of Palmdale fighters) gains access to the heart of the drow city. They infiltrate a prison complex and kill over 80 drow. Many prisoners are freed by them, including three from the Corellan continent: Lenard, a 70 year old neutral-good human cleric, Mallory MacGyver, a 39 year old expert on the use of magic crystals within airships ­ disbarred from a magical academy for his reckless testing methods, and another man who owns an airship station, who offers free refueling for Enterprise; and one from Aegica ­ Cassie, the daughter of one of Sandria's most prominent warlords. The group also causes general havoc. A drow torture disk is found. Lenard is found to have maps showing the secret entrances to the Hannai leader's castle. A shield is left hidden within the network of canals outside the city to facilitate future scrying.
In an attempt to increase their chances of surviving in the drow city, the group decides to draw from a magical deck. Q is granted a drow henchman who becomes the group's guide. This drow is later separated from the group. Kirok also draws from the deck; he obtains a Ring of Sustenance and the ability to be raised in level after defeating the next creature encountered. Another draw causes his god to refuse him; a wish is used to negate his draws and prevent this from happening.
While in the caverns, Zulu Warrior is separated from the group and presumed dead. He is later scryed on and his body is found, stripped of armor and equipment and floating in a boat in the canal system outside the drow city, and is recovered. An attempt is made to raise him but it is learned that he was killed with a soul-stealing blade, making the attempt futile. He is buried with full honors in the Palmdale graveyard.
LACTAR'S SPY NETWORK
Lactar, as leader of the Palmdale group, arranges to have a regional spying network in north-central New Britain and central Bothnia placed on his payroll, with instructions to pass any occasional information they may uncover to Keep Anak, in the care of the keep's caretaker, Higgins. For a nominal fee, this will keep the group up-to-date on rumors being spread about them as well as giving them some inside information about political and social maneuvering going on in the local government scene.
Shortly after this, the Palmdale group hires a gypsy troupe to spread stories about the great adventures the group has been involved in. Later, the group passes through a town that already knew of the group through these stories.

spring-September 1987
RETURN TO THE INCREDIBLY HUGE CLERICAL INSTALLATION
Returning to the huge clerical installation on the Corellan continent, Lactar uses a wish (granted from a draw from a Deck of Many Things) to request that the facility be reactivated so that the group can explore and claim salvage. Shortly after the Palmdale group begins exploring, systems begin failing throughout the complex due to the lack of skilled operators. Kirok, Lactar, Q, Erik, Stotty and a group of henchmen gather as much miscellaneous magic and technology items as they can in the limited time available to them. A chunk of the teleportation mirror is obtained.
At the lowest level of the complex on level 88 is found a cave containing crystallized magic, the 'Crystal Palace', later discovered to be the bodies of creatures, the Silliasthra ('old ones'), who inhabited the planet long ago. The group operates the conveyor belt mining operation awhile. Several large crystals and many smaller chips are brought back to Enterprise, and MacGyver, recently rescued from a drow prison and knowledgeable about the use of magic crystals, is allowed to experiment with some small chips. He becomes quite excited when he learns of the larger chunks. Dirt from the mining operation is fed to the ship as magical fuel. Necklaces containing a shard of crystalline magic are fashioned for members of the group, including Lactar, Kirok, Clea, Q and Erik. A spacial storage closet, the 'tardis', is found here and claimed by Q.
Lactar briefly makes contact with one of the Silliasthra, or 'slugs', using the Helm of Telepathy. The creature brings itself down to the group's level, and he learns that it had been hunting the group, until Lactar convinces it otherwise.
Lactar attempts to disarm a wish-restored self-destruct bomb containing an anti-tamper device. He flies along the ceiling of that level, following wires leading to the bomb. He accidentally activates the bomb and is scryed out before it explodes. The group abandons the installation as it collapses completely this time.

September 6, 1987
OPERATION: ANNIHILATE!
Kirok draws the wrong card from a Deck of Many Things, and finds himself imprisoned in a sealed room containing garbage. He eventually manages to escape through a chute, and finds that he is inside the Danley airship station on the Corellan continent. Kirok is then captured and tied up in the isolation ward of the station's medical lab, with the medical personnel claiming that a disease has affected him; his personal items are taken from him and sterilized. When alone, his former mentor Jurgen, long dead, appears and shows Kirok how to free himself. He informs Kirok that the station crew is possessed by creatures called mindworms, brought to the station by the infected crew of the airship M'Jarrin, which is currently docked to the station. They plan to spread the mindworms using the recently arrived airship. Kirok is told that cold is detrimental to the mindworms.
Kirok puts together a team of non-possessed personnel by capturing them and using Dispel Evil to remove the creatures, and uses Detect Evil to determine who is and isn't possessed. Kirok and his allies, including Lt. Simonson, 'Doc' Brown, Tara and Mark, make it to the station controls and begin sealing sections off, turning down thermostats to cool the station down. Infected personnel on the M'Jarrin set the ship to self-destruct, setting off alarms, but Kirok rushes to the airship and aborts the self-destruct. The mindworms are finally destroyed by the cold. Kirok is eventually scryed on and returns to Enterprise.

September-October 1987
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
New Britain's King Randolff II, wishing to help war-ravaged Bothnia recover from the economic hardships and deprivations of his brother Richard's corrupt reign but not wanting to allow another despot to come to power, offers to install Lactar of the House of Anak as the new king of Bothnia. Though the House of Anak had come into disgrace and had recently been forgiven by the New Britain government, Lactar's father Jarus had had many influential contacts among the powerful families of Bothnia, and most of them agree to have a Lord of New Britain installed as their new ruler.
Not wanting to simply attempt to take over as sovereign of Bothnia (and risk continued civil war), Randolff II offers the kingship of Bothnia to Lactar, as a reward for his and the Palmdale group's help and past valor. He also wishes to place someone on the throne with experience, but who is also young enough to be controlled, or at least strongly influenced into positive dealings with New Britain. Randolff's two requirements are that Lactar accept several of Randolff's trusted aides as part of his initial "inner circle" of staff members, and that the Palmdale group member Zulu not be given any position in the Bothnian power structure ­ Randolff is informed of Zulu's recent demise. Lactar agrees to this arrangement, and visits Cass Majoris, the Bothnian capital, in preparation for his coronation.
October 26, 1987
Kirok and Erik go through training to be raised a level in ability.

November-December 1987
ENCOUNTER AT DRA-BENORA
November 1, 1987
Lactar
In an elegant but somewhat subdued coronation ceremony, presided over by Randolff II of New Britain and the head of Bothnia's lawful-neutral church, Lactar, of the House of Anak, son of Jarus, is installed as the eighth king of Bothnia. Lactar begins setting up his personal staff and is given a run-down on the power structure within the Bothnian political and economic world.
King Lactar's initial staff includes: Baker, the Chief of Staff (a 4th level administrator); Haden, a personal aide (on loan from Randolff); Lt. Calypso is Army Military Aide (also from New Britain, replacing a corrupt military officer from Richard's reign); Admiral Cartwright, the Naval Military Aide, and a long-standing head of Bothnia's navy; Arkham, a commerce and economics advisor; Daniel (an 11th level L-N cleric as personal spiritual advisor); Matthew (a 6th level magic-user as magical advisor [Lactar requests an advisor of higher level eventually]). Additional aides include the head of the Cass Majoris magic-users guild, representatives of all the local alignment churches, and an espionage advisor. Several key positions remain unfilled; several others are filled, as part of the conditions of Lactar's ascendancy, with men from Randolff's staff.
Lactar is informed of the seven dukedoms that comprise Bothnia. Their leaders include: Martin, who comes from a military background and who was very loyal to Richard; Carver, who has a strong economics background and can easily be swayed to Lactar's side; William, a somewhat weak-willed man who will go with whatever political faction seems most powerful-he was related to the king who reigned prior to Richard, and was a popular figurehead in Richard's reign; Brendon, a strong-willed leader who was unhappy with Richard and will side with Lactar depending on Lactar's policy decisions regarding the treatment of the populace; Christa, whose primary concern is commerce-as long as taxes and tariffs aren't increased much, she's agreeable...she has many strong contacts through the business community; Justin, whose loyalty is questionable-he has a small territory, but will do whatever it takes to stay in power; and Robert, who is openly hostile to the new regime, but who has powerful friends in Bothnia's military and ties to the independent island states off the western coasts of Bothnia and New Britain.
Lactar also learns that the current treasury (in cash and valuables) of Bothnia is 332,960,850 g.p. The costs of the recent war have yet to be paid, and are estimated at more than 15 million g.p. Artifacts in the Bothnian treasury include the Empress Diadem, the Gems of the Nallareen and Salir's Silver Teardrop.
Lactar's sister Alinea agrees to captain a ship in his Bothnian navy, battling pirates along Bothnia's northwestern coast beginning in 2173.
Palmdale Group
Having continued to scry on locations learned of in the Encyclopedia Aegica, the Palmdale group sends a team through the mirror to explore the ancient ruins of Dra-Benora, in central Bothnia. The pair of massive abandoned towers, connected by a bridge over the swiftly flowing Eastern Carvas River, emits an eerie sense of forboding, which drives most humans and other humanoids away. However, Q, Kirok, Erik and several henchmen set out to explore the towers and the vicinity.
The initial exploration of the towers reveals the presence of unfriendly creatures. Erik and a henchman assist in the removal of a number of werewolves and zombies, and begin to scout the surrounding terrain. They acquire two sets of magical plate mail, a Medallion of Thought Projection, a Bag of Tricks, a +1 short sword, three quaffs of Speed potion, 1,040 g.p. and 68,300 g.p. worth of jewelry. Five advanced zombies are fought and defeated.
Hoping to transform the ancient Dra-Benora towers into a functional airbase station, Q, Kirok and two henchmen proceed to explore the two towers. Quietus later journeys to the nearest town containing a magical scholarly library (Castedan, on the northern Bothnian coast) and begins researching his spell, Magical Mechanics.
Clea, still aboard Enterprise on the eastern coast of the Corellan continent, scrys Kirok back to the ship. Together, they go to Cutter's Quay, where they purchase supplies and hire new crew and personnel to man the Dra-Benora airship station on the Aegican continent. Kirok raises several dead crewmembers. In all, 20 new technicians are hired and sent through the next scry to Dra-Benora (now nicknamed Farpoint by the Palmdale group) to make it operational. This includes six hired from Danley Station, where Kirok fought the mindworms.
November 15, 1987
Erik
While Erik and his assistant are hunting werewolves, they begin finding werewolf statues, and realize something is turning them to stone. Erik later finds the bones of a basilisk, apparently torn to pieces by werewolves.
Despite weeks of research and assistance from local mages, as well as a small fortune paid for supplies and boarding, the precise elements of the complicated Magical Mechanics spell elude Quietus, until over a month later when he smoothes it out to a working incantation.
November 29, 1987
Erik begins exploring a wilderness cave. He finds a treasure including a Bag of Holding, a Ring of Human Influence, potions of ESP, Levitation and Invulnerability, and a Quall's Feather Token: Whip.
December 13, 1987
Lactar
Lactar studies the taxation methods of Richard I, which included 40% of all income, of which _ went to the dukedoms. He restructures the tax codes to give the populace a break. His new taxation rates: 25% of all income, of which 1/5 goes to the dukedoms. His advisors warn him that the dukes will be less than happy at this, but Lactar's main concern is saving his new country's populace from starvation. By Royal Proclamation, Lactar announces the formation of a Bothnian Royal Magical Institute, patterned after New Britain's similar organization-and to which he suggest establishing ties. Lactar also requests the formation of a Royal Scientific Reasearch department as well, a new institution for any of the human governments of this continent. Following these proclamations, Lactar begins a journey down the eastern coast of Bothnia to meet his people and see what shape his kingdom is in. He travels by sea, stopping at every town with a seaport.
Palmdale Group
Having finished his business on the Corellan continent, and having built up a reserve of magical energy in the ship's drive system, Kirok jumps Enterprise from near Cutter's Quay to the island chain between the Corellan and Aegican continents. The ship's energy readings drop dramatically but it is not in any danger. The ship slowly moves to near the coastal city of Destry (trying to remain hidden), where Kirok seeks information on their whereabouts. Kirok begins searching the island for the location of the Cygnus 10, visiting the cities of Talisman and Corona, before eventually locating the Cygnus 10 partially buried within unstable swampland, in the center of the largest of the islands in the chain.
Erik
Erik continues to explore a wilderness cave. He fights off were-creatures and werewolves, destroying 21 of them.

December 20, 1987
SPACE SEED
Kirok explores the Cygnus 10 in depth. From a total of 1000 occupied sleep chambers, 717 still operate. A total of 687 humans have been successfully revived from suspended animation on this ship. Quietus uses a wish to activate the Cygnus 10's power supply and make all of the ship's minimal systems operational, despite the great rend in the ship's side, which it received on landing. The ship, though shaky, is raised to a floating height of about 35 feet and is prepared for its journey off of the island and across the ocean to Aegica. Stotty and a team of his techies are on board to monitor the ship's functions and begin cleaning up damaged and/or destroyed portions of the ship's internal workings.
The passengers and crew of the Cygnus 10 are given several options for their future. They decide to place their people on Vermithrax Isle, in the nearly abandoned village of Magurmasa (where the climactic battle between the Palmdale group and Vermithrax' forces originally took place), under the leadership of Captain Danielle. They request and are given some of the equipment from the starship to help them get started, including the motorcycle.

February 6, 1988
A PRIVATE LITTLE WAR
During the process of making the Cygnus 10 operational, Kirok discovers a furtive little rat-faced git snooping around the interior corridors of the ship. Capturing the intruder, Kirok interrogates him using the Helm of Telepathy. Kirok eventually discovers that the man is a spy, sent by the rulers of the kingdom to the east. A military group representing the kingdom in which the Cygnus is currently located is soon discovered approaching the vessel. Kirok meets with them, reading in their minds that the two kingdoms are preparing to go to war with each other, and that the local king's forces had just recently discovered the Cygnus 10 and were preparing to lay claim to it.
A tactical neutron bomb, placed aboard the starship in its overgrown greenhouse, is set by another spy to detonate very soon in order to keep the vessel and its technology out of the hands of the ruler of this country. Kirok, using a Helm of Teleportation, transports with the bomb high above the local kingdom's capital city of Latham, then teleports away just before it detonates...destroying the city and killing thousands of people.
Meanwhile, Lactar continues his tour of Bothnia.

spring 1988
ENTERPRISE: THE VOYAGE HOME
With Stott and his team of technicians piloting the massive starship around the island's mountain ranges and then across the ocean towards Aegica, Kirok leaves the decimated city of Latham in his wake, taking Enterprise to the easternmost coast of the small island continent. With her energy stores as high as they can be, the ship's warp engines are put to the most extreme test, as she is pointed toward Aegica herself and Kirok issues the command to "engage".
The crew feels the incredibly distorting effects (blurred visual images, slurred speech, etc.) of incredibly high-speed transport, as the ship is pushed to its ultimate limits; communications are cut off from the outside world. After an uncertain amount of time has passed, Enterprise achieves landfall on the western coast of Aegica, just south of Massadania. Emergency claxons begin blaring, and the crew discovers that the ship has burned nearly all of its magical energies to get them home. A series of spells and small magic items fed to the ship's power grid are enough to bring it out of danger.
CLEA'S QUEST
While Enterprise recuperates from her recent journey, recharging its energy systems, Clea, having previously learned of the location of her catalyst water through a draw from a Deck of Many Things, goes in search of the water, which lies within a mountain pool in the mountains of Bothnia. She brings along a force of four henchmen, all females. Once she reaches her water and drinks it, she is ambushed and abducted, awaking in a strange facility with no sign of the henchwomen.
After several days, Kirok and the crew decide to attempt to have Enterprise use its randomizing jump drive to bring them closer to Palmdale. They activate the jump drive, unaware that the ship is still too weak to withstand this use of its systems; it has begun to feel the breeding call of its species.

(June 12-October 2, 1988: Pre-Gen group [to be posted later])
(The PreGen group is an earlier generation of adventurers on the Corellan continent, whose adventures take place approximately 80 years before the Palmdale group, who are on the Aegican continent. A record of these adventures will be posted to the site at a future date.)

October 9, 1988
THE ENTERPRISE IS A HARSH MISTRESS
In the middle of the New Britain night, the airship warps back into