An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Deacon.

A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap is at 65. You change? Off 65 80.'
The gully continues 'Eyes hurt? Turn Color OFF!! (regular story dates)

Astinus says 'Enter the main library here to view only the author list.'
Astinus gently places a small volume on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Deacon' scribed in rich orange ink.

Author:    Deacon         
Date:      Thu Aug 30
23:50:38 2007
Subject     Darkening of a Soul, Part
1

Sodden branches whipped Deacon's face as he ran panting
through the
dismal forest causing him to wince but he kept up his
pace regardless
knowing full well that if he stopped now he was a
dead man.  His only chance
was to get to the cave he knew lay
ahead but in the driving maelstrom he
wasn't sure how far he had
to go .  From behind he heard a loud snarl
followed by a terrible
ripping sound and a howl of pain which slowly failed
to a
gurgling death cry.  

He sped past the blasted stump of a long
dead oak and it was another second
before his exhausted brain
registered the landmark.  He tried to skid to a
halt but too late
and ran headlong into the cliff face which rose suddenly
out of
the rain in front of him.  He managed to throw his arms up
and
slammed into the rock, rebounding from it backwards to lay
sprawled and
stunned for a moment in the mud.  Precious seconds
passed as Deacon lay
there senseless he quickly shook his head
and rose unsteadily to his feet. 
Looking about wildly he
realised where he was and looked up to see the small
ledge some
twenty feet up.  Without waiting to look for his persuers he
ran
at the cliff and jumped, planting one foot on a bulge of rock
and using that
to spring upwards.  Stretching his tall frame
fully he barely managed to get
a solid hold and hauled himself
upwards quickly towards the ledge and
safety.  Suddenly he heard
a roar from below and as he finaly grabbed the
lip of the ledge
he knew at least one of his enemies had seen him. 
Claws
scrabbled on rock a few feet below Deacon and in a panic he
heaved himself
over the edge and into the cave mouth.  Tucking
his shoulder down he tumbled
and rolled to his feet, drawing his
rapiers in one deft motion as he came to
his feet.  He knew he
was going to die, if he was lucky he might take out
one of them,
but there had been too many and he feared that even Sho must
have
been overcome.  The last he had seen his friend was when he
had
vanished beneath a swarm of the fell beasts which had
ambushed them somehow.
Sho had made them pay for a bit, and
Deacon had slain two, but even they had
been overcome at the last
and Deacon had seen no other chaice than to flee. 
It had torn
him to leave his comrade, the only friend he had ever known,
to
die horribly but to stay had meant certain death.  Now it
appeared it had
mattered not for he was to be slain anyway.  He
should have stayed and died
with Sho.  

Suddenly claws appeared
at the ledge and a great head crested it.  A lion's
head, only
large, with row upon row of razor sharp teeth mounted in a
maw
like a hawk dripped a smoking saliva as the beady little
black eyes sighted
their prey.  The obscene roar let loose again
and Deacon braced for it's
rush.  The fetid creature heaved
itself onto the ledge and paused briefly
before it sprang,
seeming to gaze upon the tiny human before it and relish
it's
moment of victory with sadistic glee.  Deacon lept forward with
both
rapiers at the lunge, their serrated dragonmetal edges
gleeming with a
scintillating ebony radiance which seemed to
pulse excitedly as if sensing
the impending bloodletting.  Caught
offguard by the unexpected attack the
beast failed to react
swiftly enough and although it slashed Deacon across
the face
with a clawed paw, sending him flying against rockface, it
failed
to stop the twin thrusts and both of the ranger's damned
blades found their
mark.  One in each lung they quivered
slightly, either from the beast's
movements or of their own
volition wasn't clear, and it clawed at them in a
vain attempt to
dislodge them.  

Deacon's head felt as though it was going to
burst from the impact and as he
slid down the rock to lay in a
crumpled heap on the cave floor he saw a
great white shape fly
through the air to land upon his adversary's back. 
Then
everything went black and Deacon drifted into oblivion
gratefully.  

Author:    Deacon         
Date:  
   Fri Aug 31 00:32:55 2007
Subject     Darkening of a Soul,
Part 2

Eventually Deacon awoke and, although even the
bleak grey light which
filtered through the rain caused him to
wince in pain, he carefuly moved his
battered head and gazed
about the cave.  A few feet away lay the corpse of
his foe, it's
great beaked maw agape, the ridges of razor sharp teeth
glinting
evily in the dim light.  Moving his head a bit more he caught
sight
of white fur only a foot away and as he moved to crawl
towards it he almost
yelled aloud as new pain made him suddenly
aware that his arm was broken and
possibly a leg as well. 
Gritting his teeth against it he pulled himself
with his good arm
towards the mound of white fur.  Almost passing out from
the pain
he kep going until he reached the huge head and looked at
the
monstrous wolf's face.  Slowly the eyes opened to gaze upon
him and the huge
ice blue eyes were full of agony and the
knowledge that death was near.  

"Sho ...  " whispered
Deacon.  He reached up and scratched the wolf around
the ear and
feelingsomething wet pulled his hand away and looked at it. 
His
fingers were covered in blood, but not his own.  Peering
carefully at his
old friend he saw at last the cause of Sho's
suffering.  A huge gash ran
down the back of the wolf's head,
deep enough to almost sever the spine and
over two feet long. 
How it had ever managed to jump up the cliff and still
be able to
kill the last of the enemies was something Deacon would
never
know.  Sho nuzzled him one last time with his nose, lay his
head back down
slowly, and while looking into the battered
ranger's eyes his life fled his
body and the wondrous blue eyes
faded to grey.  

Deacon couldn't move.  He stared into the
lifeless eyes of his friend, his
only friend and companion, the
only creature in the world he had ever
trusted or cared about. 
For a time he felt nothing then a wave of grief
washed over him
and he wept bitterly until his eyes ran dry.  Then came the
rage,
beginning as an ember and as the memories flooded him it
roared,
becoming incandescent and focused like nothing he had
ever felt before. 
Somewhere deep inside himself, at a level
where he was barely aware of, part
of Deacon raged against the
universe and begged the gods, any god, to aid
him this one time. 
He had never been reilgious or pious, he worshipped none
and
asked no god for anything, ever.  He had lived his life by his
own
rules, made his way in the world with beholden to none.  The
only creature
who had ever helped him now lay dead before him. 
Sho had saved his life
more times that Deacon could count and now
that small part of him offered a
bargain to any god who listened.
 He would give his life if only they would
restore Sho, let him
roam free again and live a long happy span.  Indeed, he
would
give his soul to have the great wolf at his side again. 


Nothing happened of course and Deacon lay his head beside his
dead friend's,
resting forehead to forehead, and decided that it
would end here for the
both of them then.  Time vanished and he
knew not if any had gone by at all
when he became aware of
something in the cave with them.  It was a feeling
of some sort,
a dark feeling, at once vile and repulsive and yet comforting
and
seductive.  The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and Deacon
opened
his eyes to peer abouth the gloom, angry that someone
dared to interrupt his
death.  Not seeing anyone at first he
decided he was just going mad as he
slowly died but as he closed
his eyes he caught a glimpse of a shadow at the
cave mouth. 


Then the shadow came closer and Deacon's eyes widened in wonder
and awe as a
female figure clad in transparent black robes
approached.  He moved his good
arm toward his rapier and she
laughed, a sound like the music of the spheres
which for some
reason also sent a shiver down his spine.  He let the
blade
alone.  

She nodded and, smiling, said "Very wise
Deacon.  Not that it would anger me
really if you did strike.  As
powerful as those blades are they are not up
to the task of
harming me".  Again she laughed that melodic note. 


Author:    Deacon         
Date:      Sat Sep 
1 00:13:05 2007
Subject     Darkening of a Soul, Part
3

Deacon tried to rise but failed patheticly and lay
there staring at her. 
She had long black hair which flowed as if
in a breeze, though no breeze
wafted into the cave.  Her eyes
were darker than her hair but lit with an
evil light, malicious
and mischevious with the glint of a vast intellect. 
Through her
transparent robes her very curvacious figure was easily
visible
and as she approached him and knelt at his side he had
difficultty tearing
his eyes from her body to gaze into her
abyssal eyes.  

Reaching out she cupped his chin in her palm and
lifted slightly, turning
his head to either side, and gazed
deeply into his eyes as if reading his
soul.  After a moment she
nodded as if to herself, satisfied with what she
had found. 


"Who are you ?  ", Deacon asked weakly, his voice rasping
from his parched
throat.  "What do want ?  Leave us please, let
me die in peace and join my
friend again ...  ".  His voice
failed him at the end of even that simple
request and his head
slumped to the ground again as darkness encroached upon
his
vision.  

"Oh, no you don't, not now.  It cost me much to come
here and I will not be
denied.  " she replied and touched his
chest with a finger.  Instantly pain
seared through his body and
Deacon's back arched as he screamed in agony. 
As intense as it
was the pain vanished almost instantly, leaving him
utterly
exhausted but in no pain whatsoever.  His body felt whole
and healthy again,
albeit drained of all energy.  

With a
stronger but tired voice he asked her again, "Who are you ? 
".  

She smiled darkly, her exotic countenace clouding
slightly with malevolent
mystery.  "Guess.  I'll give you a
clue.  Your request for a divine baragin
a moment ago ?  I heard
it.  I came to see if you were what I thought.  It
looks like you
might be usefull, and you companion also.  I am willing to
strike
that bargain with you if you still desire to have your
lupine
companion restored to you.  "

For a moment fear rose in
Deacon as he realised this was no simple
enchantress.  He thought
and, as the probable truth dawned on him, his fear
was replaced
by awe and his eyes widened in amazement.  "No....  It
cannot
be....  Gods don't listen to the wishes of men...  You
cannot be her...  "
he stuttered.  

"Oh, we do, when it
suits us, which is rarely.  And yes, I can be and am
'her'.  ",
she replied and stood up.  Raising her arms out wide she held
her
head high and her melodic laughter filled the cave and his
mind.  She began
to glow with an unearthly blackness, profound
and absolute yet brilliant and
unending.  Deacon lowered his head
and bowed as best he could from where he
lay, acknowledging her
obvious status.  

"Who am I Deacon Vargas of Haligoth ?  Can
you speak my name ?  "

"Takhisis, Dark Lady, Queen of
Dragonkind, Mistress of the Night.  I know
you now and beg your
forgiveness for my rashness in doubting you at all.  ",
he
answered.  

She smiled at him and nodded.  "So Master Vargas,
what will it be ?  Death
for you and your companion, eternal and
unending ?  Or will you strike the
deal you begged for only a
short time ago ?  Your soul, and hence your
loyalty, in exchange
for that magnificent creature you call Sho being made
whole and
hale again to roam at your side until the end of your days ? 
". 



Deacon didn't hesitate.  "Aye, my Queen, and with
enthusiasm.  Sho is all I
care about, the only thing in this life
which means anything to me.  Without
him I am lost and my life is
pointless.  Aye, I'll strike the deal. 
Whatever you want,
command me and it shall be so.  Just grant me this boon,
I beg
thee.  " he replied earnestly.  

"I like that in a man,
decisive and true.  Let it be so then.  You shall
serve me until
the end, and Sho will serve thee as he always has.  ". 
She
looked then to the giant wolf and walked over to his head. 
Kneeling she
place her hand on his forehead and whispered
something in a language unknown
to Deacon but which nevertheless
made his spine tingle apprehensively.  

Author:   
Deacon         
Date:      Sat Sep  1 00:46:00
2007
Subject     Darkening of a Soul, Finis

Deacon held
his breath as Sho's eyes regained their ice blue colour and
his
great head turned slightly to gaze first at the Queen of Darkness
who
knelt beside him and then at his mortal friend.  Instantly
Deacon knew she
had made good her word.  This was his comrade,
his friend without whom he
knew not how to live, brought back
from oblivion to walk again in the world
of men.  Deacon reached
out and caressed the wolf's cheek.  Sho nuzzled his
hand and lay
his head down.  His eyes closed and his chest gently rose
and
fell in a regular rhythm.  

"Do not worry Deacon, your
friend sleeps a natural sleep.  His injuries were
far worse than
yours and he is exhausted beyond compare.  He will sleep for
at
least a day or two I would think.  If I were you I would get
him
something to eat and drink for he will be ravenous when he
awakes.  You may
be friends but, in the end, he is still a wolf
....  " she said and laughed
again.  

She stood and looked
upon the battered ranger.  "The first thing I need you
to do is
to get healthy.  Rest here until you can move again, then make
your
way to Tarsis.  There is no hurry.  The task I have in mind
for you is one I
have been working on for ages, quite litteraly. 
I don't expect it completed
anytime soon, but it has been
millenia since any progress was made.  I am
hoping you might be
able to get things moving again.  When you get there,
look for a
man called Drimian.  He is a servant of mine and a powerful
mage.
He will fill you in on the details and give you some
pointers on how to
begin.  You will report to him as you work but
remember, you serve me not my
pet mage.  "

Gathering every bit
of energy he could summon he rose and knelt before her
with head
bowed respectfully.  "As you wish my Queen, so shall it be. 
I
thank you for this gift of life.  I can never repay it fully,
but I shall
endeavour to do so nonetheless.  " he answered. 


"Well, decisive, true and well spoken.  You are indeed the
kind of servant I
seek and yet so rarely find.  I think ours will
be a fruitful relationship. 
Now, heal and make your way to
Tarsis.  There might not be any particular
hurry, but time is
finite - even for a god !  " she said and one final time
her
laughter rang through the cave.  This time however as the sound
faded so
did she, leaving him laying in the shadows beside the
gently sleeping wolf. 


Staggering over to Sho he lay himself
down beside his friend and in seconds
was fast asleep, his
breathing quickly becoming the match for the wolf's,
their chests
rising and falling at precisely the same rate.  

Peacfully they
slept, odd companions to be sure, but none more true could
be
found anywhere on Krynn.  Each would die for the other without
thought - and
each had, only to be reborn by the darkest of oaths
sworn for the purest of
reasons.  Their future together proved a
long and dark tale, full of
adventure and battle, victory and
loss.  That story shall also be told ...  

Author:   
Deacon         
Date:      Mon Sep  3 14:10:21
2007
Subject     A Hunt Revealed, Part 1

Looking up at
the brilliant blue, cloudless sky Deacon judged it to be
almost
noon by the track of the sun.  Looking again at the city in
the
distance he figured they still had another hour or so before
they reached
the gates.  Reaching out he ruffled Sho's fur as the
great wolf sat
patiently beside him watching a squirrel scamper
through the underbrush as
Deacon watched the city for a while,
trying to determine whether it was safe
to bring his companion
into the place.  Not all cities welcomed such
creatures, however
well behaved they were, and Tarsis was one of the grand
dames of
Ansalon's cities - one which was ancient long before the
Cataclysm.



Traffic to and from the city seemed heavy and the
ranger noticed many large
war animals being led into and out of
the city, great cats (he'd have to
stear Sho clear of them), war
dogs and even a few massive oliphants with
towers perched on
their backs.  Before the Cataclysm had reshaped Krynn this
city
had been one of the largest trading centers with all the
world's
merchandise passing through her port.  Now the port was
dry, the coast now
sitting some hundred miles to the south, but
Tarsis was again a city of
trade.  Only now her stock was war and
her commodity was death.  Mercenaries
controlled and patrolled
her streets and it was they, not the merchant
class, which
breathed life into the old worn former capital of Kharolis. 


Eventually Deacon began to trek the final few miles, Sho moving
at an easy
pace beside him, and within the hour they arrived at
the great southern
gate, it's ancient stonework reaching high
into the air above them.  The
guards querried them on their
business and Deacon saw no reason to lie so he
told them he
sought a mage called Drimian and was informed that the mage
owned
a tower in the north end of town, near the main plaza, but that
he
would likely be at the Screaming Quasit - an inn favoured by
the mages and
intellectuals of Tarsis.  He thanked them and
entered the city, finding the
streets wide and well maintained
with public gardens visible and large shade
trees along each side
of the boulevards.  

The Quasit was easy enough to find and,
after telling Sho to stay put out
front, upon entering made his
way to the bespectacled barkeep to enquire
after Drimian.  The
old man looked him up and down disdainfully but nodded
towards a
table in the corner where a lone figure sat with flagon on
the
table and his nose burried in some huge tome.  Deacon thanked
the man,
walked over to the table, and sat down opposite it's
occupant.  The book
lowered slightly and brown eyes peered
quizzicly at the ranger from beneath
great bushy eyebrows. 


"Yes ?  Can I help you young man ?  ", he asked in a voice
at once soft but
with an edge of hardness to it.  

"Drimian
the mage ?  I was sent to find you and have traveled many miles
to
come here.  Is there someplace we can talk in private ?  "
Deacon asked.  

"Yes, I am Drimian and no, I will not go
anywhere with you until I know who
you are, who sent you, and
why.  ".  

"Forgive me, my social skills are rusty.  I don't
spend much time amongst
other people.  I am Deacon Vargas and I
was sent by our Dark Queen to find
you.  She said you would have
information for me regarding some task she
required me to
undertake.  "

Drimian looked around quickly, then looked at
Deacon again and whispered,
"Do not make referance to Her in
public in Tarsis.  The city may be
accomodating for the most
part, but our Queen is poorly understood and most
do not
appreciate her gifts.  Come, let us be off to my tower where we
may
speak freely.  ".  

He closed his tome, picked up his
flagon and rose from his seat.  Leading
the way he walked to the
front door, Deacon following, and stepped outside
only to stop
abruptly at the sight Sho patiently waiting out front. 
Deacon
smiled slightly at the mage's obvious surprise and stepped
around him to pet
his companion.  

Author:    Deacon  
      
Date:      Mon Sep  3 14:58:22 2007
Subject     A
Hunt Revealed, Part 2

"Don't fret about Sho Drimian,
unless I order it or if I am in danger he
won't attack.  He's
actually very friendly and loves attention.  ".  

The mage
didn't look particualarly reassured but nodded and,
stepping
carefuly around the wolf without taking his eyes off
him, walked to the west
down a wide street.  The ranger and his
friend followed and quickly they
reached a gate set into a high
wall, a squat round tower visible on the
other side.  The mage
mumbled something and waved his hand in front of the
gate, then
motioned for Deacon to do the same.  He did as instructed
and
felt a slight tingling on his palm.  

"The enchantment
which seals this portal now recognises you.  In future you
may
pass freely for our Queen has instructed me that you will reside
here
when your duties bring you to Tarsis.  I generaly live alone
but your
company will be welcomed for I do like to talk to those
who are not mages. 
People who are not intellectuals as such have
a different perspective on
things which can be refreshing.  Your
friend will have to stay outside the
tower however in the
courtyard.  Don't worry for him though, it is safe with
shade and
a small pond from which he may drink.  "

Deacon nodded his
understanding and the three passed into the courtyard
before the
tower.  It was a pleasant setting with the ivy covered tower
in
the backround and large olive and fruit trees growing randomly
about the
space.  Sho began to explore the yard as the two men
entered the tower and
once inside they made their way to a small
but comfortable sitting room on
the ground floor.  Taking two
glasses from a shelf Drimian poured them each
some of the golden
mead from his flagon and they sat themselves on the plush
leather
highbacked chairs to conduct their business.  

"Now we may
speak openly of our affairs.  ", said the mage in a
relaxed
tone.  "The Dark Queen informed me of you imminent
arrival and of the
mission she wishes you to undertake.  She also
mentioned your friend but I
must admit, I had no idea he would be
so ...  Big.  " he said with a slight
chuckle.  

Deacon
laughed saoftly.  "Yes, he does tend to surprise people.  He is
by
far the largest wolf I have ever seen, and I have seen many in
my travels. 
But have no fear, he is as tame as a household dog
really, although when
aroused he is as dangerous as a dragon. 
".  

"I can well imagine it.  Tell me, where did you find
him ?  Surely, he must
be magical ?  I mean to be so much larger,
and apparently highly
intelligent, is not natural to the species
I am certain.  " Drimian asked. 



"To be honest, I don't
know when we first met.  I remember none of my youth
at all.  My
earliest memories start when I was maybe 15 I guess, and Sho
has
always been there.  That was twenty years ago now maybe and
Sho hasn't aged
a day as far as I can tell.  I guess there must
be some sort of magic
involved because, as you guessed, he is far
more intelligent than a normal
wolf, not to mention his
prodigious size.  " replied Deacon.  

Drimian pursed his lips
and thought for a moment.  "With your permission,
and Sho's
also of course, I would like to examine him.  No magic, just
a
straightforward physical exam.  I am something of a naturalist
you see.  If
I had not pursued pure magical research I would have
become a ranger such as
you.  As it is I try to focus my work on
animals...  Identifying, training,
breeding, anatomy and such.  I
find them fascinating creatures, with pure
motives and desires
not confounded by greed and other more human qualities.

"

"Well, I have no problem with a simple examination.  It
is up to Sho really,
but I don't think he will mind.  ". 


Drimian clapped his hands together in satisfaction. 
"Excellent !  As much
as I'd like to deal with Sho immediately,
our duties require we attend to
our Queen's affairs first.  I'll
start by asking you this, how is your
knowledge of history ? 
Specificly, the origins of the races ?  ", he
asked.

Author:    Deacon         
Date:      Mon
Sep  3 15:29:09 2007
Subject     A Hunt Revealed, Part
3

Now it was Deacon's turn to purse his lips as he
thought for a moment. 
"My knowledge in that area is pretty
basic I'm affraid.  ", he replied. 
"That the Elves were the
Firstborn and ...  ", he began but stopped as
Drimian raised
his hand.  Deacon raised an eyebrow and looked at the
mage
questioningly.  

"That is a common misunderstanding,
intentionaly perpetuated by the Elven
rulers.  They know the
truth but for some reason feel a certain prestige
associated with
the honourific 'Firstborn'.  " Drimian said with a chuckle.

"In truth it was not the Elves who were created first, but the
Ogres.  By
the time the Elves awoke the Ogres already had a
large, unified presence
upon Krynn.  ", he said.  Deacon looked
at him with astonishment and the
mage continued, nodding to his
erstwhile pupil.  "It is true Deacon. 
Although physicly
different than the Ogres we know now, it was indeed the
Ogre race
which our Queen created before any others walked upon Krynn.

Those we see today are dull witted, savage brutes but at first
they were not
so.  Once their race was highly intelligent and
physicly gracefull,
beautiful to behold and their knowledge of
magic was unmatched by any save
the gods themselves.  To make a
long story short, their empire eventualy
collapsed under the
weight of civil war and most of the species degenrated
into the
brainless brutes we know and love today.  But not all Deacon. 
Some
of the original line survived, their intellect and beauty
unmarred.  These
were the traitors, the ones who caused the
schism and strife.  They in turn
went into hiding for our Queen
was wrathful at the havoc they had wrought
amongst her children. 
She began to hunt them and at first was very
successful in this,
but then they learned how to disguise their form and
began to
live in secret among the other races.  Eventualy the trail
grew
cold and as time marched on they became no more than a
mythical people who
we have come to call the Irda.  ". 


Deacon took this in and blinked a few times as the truth sank
home.  "But
the Irda are a myth Drimian.  Maybe they existed at
one time, but no more. 
None have ever been seen by men.  " he
said.  

Drimian smiled mysteriously.  "You think so do you ? 
Please Deacon, follow
me.  There is something you must see. 
Proof that the Irda do indeed still
exist.  ".  The mage stood
and led the way toward the back of the tower and
a stairwell
which wrapped around and down into the structure's bowels. 


They descended for maybe thirty feet and stepped into a wide
corridor which
progressed into the distance, lit at intervals by
magical smokeless torches.
Doors could be seen along each wall
and it was to one of these that the mage
made his way.  He
touched the lock on the door and mumbled a word causing it
to
glow and then vanish.  He pushed the door open and Deacon
followed him
into a dimly lit cell to where a figure, tall and
emaciated, hung in glowing
chains upon the wall.  

As the ranger
looked at the figure his eyes widened and he caught his
breath. 
The person was very tall, over eight feet for certain, with
azure
skin, white hair and indigo hued eyes which looked at them
in misery. 
Drimian watched Deacon carefuly for his reaction but
the ranger didn't
notice, so startled was he by the prisoner. 


"The Dark Lady thought you might need proof of their
existance so she had
this one delivered.  She's been playing with
him for a few centuries I
gather, trying to eek out information
about his brethren, but his mind has
held and he has yet to be
broken.  They are a tough breed.  Even now to my
eyes he appears
to be no more than an average man, their skill at
shapechange is
so good, but you see something else don't you Deacon ",
he
querried.  

"You see a man ?  " Deacon asked
incredulously.  "How can that be ?  I see a
creature out of
myth, blue skin, white hair ...  The eyes...  " he said. 



Author:    Deacon         
Date:      Mon Sep 
3 16:06:14 2007
Subject     A Hunt Revealed,
Finis

Drimian nodded.  "It is as our Queen thought
then.  You have some strange
form of magesight it seems.  Not
like mine and other mages, but more than
human sight for you can
see through their charade and view them for what
they truly are. 
"

Deacon tore his gaze from the prisoner and looked at
Drimian.  "How can that
be ?  I am just a man like any other. 
How can I possibly have the ability
to see them ?  " he asked. 


The mage shrugged.  "I know not but I suspect the answer lies
in your past,
probably something to do with your parents.  You
said yourself you don't
recal your youth.  Do you remember
anything about your parents Deacon ?  ". 


Shaking his head
the ranger replied, "No, nothing.  I think I found my
childhood
home once.  Sho led me there.  It was an old fallen down house
in
the forest outside of Haligoth.  It was there I found these
blades, ", he
said, indicating the twin rapiers resting in
their sheaths.  "They were in a
heavy ebony box, hidden beneath
the floor.  I assumed they were my father's.
I can't explain how
I know this, it's just a feeling I guess.  ".  

Drimian
stroked his chin thoughtfully and looked at Deacon.  "A fine
mystery
you represent my friend.  Between your past and Sho's
nature I will be a
very curious mage for a very long time I
think.  I love a good mystery I
must admit.  ", he said
happily.  "Come, let us return to the main floor.  I
will
outline exactly what it is our Queen requires of you.  I spend
as
little time as possible down here.  I find it too damp and
musty for my
taste down here.  " he said and began to lead the
way back out.  As he left
the cell Deacon looked again at the
Irda hanging on the wall.  Just as he
was about to look away the
creature looked up sharply at him and caught his
gaze with those
deep indigo eyes, freezing Deacon in his tracks for an
instant. 
The ranger felt something familliar in that gaze, and somewhere
in
the core of his being he felt recognition stir.  

The Irda
opened his mouth slightly and whispered one word, so quietly
that
Deacon almost didn't hear it at all.  "Thellerian ...  "
the Irda whispered,
then Deacon was in the hall and following the
mage back upstairs.  

Upon reseating themselves in the small
study Drimian outlined what the Queen
of Darkness required of
Deacon.  With his skills as a ranger and his unique
vision his
new task was to renew the age old hunt for the Irda and to
slay
them once found.  Sho was to be his aid and protection for
Takhisis had
sensed the the wolf too had unusual characteristics
that even Deacon knew
naught of but which would be of great
value.  Drimian informed the ranger
that information gleaned from
the prisoner and other sources indicated that
at least one, and
maybe more, Irda lived in or near Palanthas and that city
was to
be his first destination.  They continued to talk of the details
for
his trip and eventualy they went outside where Drimian gave
Sho a thorough
physical, measuring his paws, jaws, teeth and such
while also making record
of the wolf's weight and height.  As
night fell and the two men parted for
some sleep, Deacon stayed
in the courtyard with Sho, petting him
absentmindedly and gazing
at the two bright moons overhead.  

"Thellerian ...  "
Deacon whispered to himself.  He wondered what it meant,
and as
he drifted off to sleep he had a strange feeling in the pit of
his
stomach.  

The Storytellers of Ansalon, The DragonLance MUD

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