Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Subject: Alfvaen[Somewhere in Generica]: There Are Gods Here, After All
Message-ID: <1992Aug7.160101.28140@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca>
Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1992 16:01:01 GMT

The directions to Cor Caroli lane were certainly not as straightforward as
Littlefair had made them sound, Alfvaen thought as he turned into yet another
cul-de-sac.  He had turned off of the Arcade of Unforgotten Heroes at least
half an hour ago, and he'd yet to see Cor Caroli Lane marked anywhere.  The
residents of this area were a bit standoffish--scared, more like--of strangers,
and the only people who had been willing to give him directions had merely
ended up confusing him even more.

Alfvaen sighed.  His legs were getting very tired, and he hadn't seen any signs
of public parks or other places to rest.  Right now he'd settle for an inn or
a good restaurant...

He turned back the way he had come and saw a building he was >extremely< sure
he hadn't seen before.

It looked like most of it was made of the same stuff as the Plaza of Glittering
Steel, or at least a framework of that material.  The framework was filled with
glass, and Alfvaen was impressed.  >That< must have been expensive...  Inside,
it seemed to have chairs and tables, but of a strange kind, painted colorfully.
The most striking thing about the place was the large golden arches above the
door.  And on the door itself was another sigil, that looked vaguely familiar.

<I'll give you a hint, halfbreed,> Lassiviren said.  <It's the same sigil as
on the amulet.>

Alfvaen looked down at the amulet in shock.  Lassiviren was right.  <So whoever
or whatever is in there has something to do with this amulet, or will at the
very least know something about it.>  He paused.  <Have you ever seen this kind
of structure before?>

<Never.  You?>

<Bahamut showed me a picture of another world one time.  I saw many strange
buildings there, and that golden arches symbol looks familiar.  And the metal
and glass architecture.  I think that this thing is not of this world.>

<Neither are we.  Your point?>

Alfvaen sighed.  <Never mind.>  He walked up the doors and, after a bit of
experimentation, discovered that they pulled open rather than pushing.  He
walked into a small anteroom, with another set of doors that pushed open
rather than pulling.  And inside...

He saw something that had been hidden from view before.  First, an altar, or
something similar, coloured in red and yellow.  Above that, some kind of red
material with strange script written in yellow inlay.  And in a darkened corner
were a number of motionless forms...

Alfvaen walked over the investigate these further.  They all seemed vaguely
humanoid, but with bizarre, misshapen heads or headwear...some small ones, with
no arms...and one with red hair, bone-white skin, a red nose, and colourful red
and yellow garb.  "Bizarre," Alfvaen whispered.

The white-skinned one turned to look at him, and Alfvaen jumped back.  The
figure grinned.  "Welcome to my temple," he said.  "I am Azpiazu.  I have many
other names.  Some call me Loki, some call me Kibo, some, of your ilk, call me
Erevan Ilesere.  But to the world you currently reside on, I am known as
Azpiazu."

<Shit, another god,> Alfvaen thought.  <Littlefair said they were rarer on this
plane, didn't he?>

<Maybe it's just you,> Lassiviren responded.

Azpiazu nodded.  He was now in the form of a tall figure with a pointed head
that rose two feet above his eyes.  "A very good guess, my little drow spirit.
Yes, I can hear you.  This >is< my temple, as I said.  And yes, there is
something about Alfvaen that leads him into these kind of situations.  Mostly
the company he keeps...and that amulet is indeed of my creation.  I left it
on your respective planes for my own purposes.  Just let me say that there will
be more than two of you in time."

<"Great>" Lassiviren and Alfvaen said at once.

"Anything more than that, you must find out for yourselves," Azpiazu said, this
time in the form of a large flower with shimmering blue petals and tentacles
waving about his base.  "Oh--a few things.  Lassiviren, your service to the
Demon Queen ended with your death.  Your incarceration in the amulet makes you
both de facto my servants.  Perhaps your purpose will become clear in time.
Perhaps not.  Perhaps what I tell you will be misinformation designed to push
you the way I really want you to go.  Don't worry about it.  You'll do fine.
That's why I picked you."

A small metal object twisted into a spiral said from the floor, in Azpiazu's
voice, "Alfvaen--there >is< somebody in Generica that you know, although you
are not destined to meet him or her just yet.  In fact, he or she will soon
be in danger, and you'll be required to do something about that."

A disembodied hand holding a green pen said, "That's all for now.  You can go
now.  Any other questions you may have will wait for a later time.  Leave the
same way you came in.  Cor Caroli Lane will be on your left--turn in just past
the building with the golden spiral on the door."

Alfvaen was about to ask a question anyway, but Lassiviren said, <Don't bother.
Let's just leave.>  So they did.  And Cor Caroli Lane was just where Azpiazu
said it would be.

"Now which one's 15A-Gamma?" Alfvaen wondered.

--
---Alfvaen(a.k.a. Aaron V. Humphrey, Page of Newts)
Canadian Network For Space Research, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
"I got transferred to the Moon--worse pay, better hours." Was(Not Was)
Current Album--Billy Joel:Storm Front
Current Read--John Varley:Millennium