Date: Wednesday, 27 May 1992 18:20:59 PST From: Message-ID: <92148.182059JLM@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU> Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: Karmak: thawing out THK (includes all near THK) References: <1992May27.085204.28797@news.Hawaii.Edu> Caracters: Karmak and his pet Thrasha To: Thk, Lady Azzar, Colin Silvertree, Innkeeper and anybody else near Thk >........... as you touch the body you realize that it is ice cold and >stiff. It is frozen in an 'action' pose, with the hands locked on the >trident in a white-knuckled grip, but the many-lidded eyes are tightly >shut as though the lizard man were caught in the act of ducking away >as a defensive reflex. The silver trident will not pry loose easily >yet (unless you wish to shatter the fingers). You see tiny runes carved >on the trident and a faint tingle runs up your arm as you touch it. >Then you notice that the three prongs of the trident are bloodstained, >and that one of the prongs is spearing a large white-colored scale (6x6"). As Thrasha sniffs the air around Thk's body, the stench disappears. Karmak observes Azzar's arduos attempts to remove the weapons from the solid body. Then reaching into one of the numerous little pouches hanging from his waist he pulls out something that looks like a very thin, transparent skin. Kneeling next to Thk's body, he tells Azzar... "My dear lady, you might be able to remove those nasty weapons with ease if we first thaw him out a bit. If you allow me." He wraps Thk's body with the see-through skin (up to Thk's neck, that is). There are two skinny dead snakes hanging from one corner of the strange skin: one is red, one is black. Karmak takes their tails and sticks them into a small box he's holding in his left hand; then looking at it pensively he touches several colored stones on the top of the box... "Let's see ... if I remember correctly a setting of 4 should be enough to do the trick. After all, we don't want him fully thawed until you've taken all his toys away." Karmak then preens his feathers as he waits a couple of minutes. "Ahh, that should do it !" He removes the transparent skin and the small box and returns them to the little pouch. Thk's body is now more pliable and the weapons can be removed without damaging the body. -- Out of the Darkness, two came back alive -- The river of fire was approaching quickly, consuming everything in its path. Karmak turned to his comrades: "Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't we get the hell out of here ?"