Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: hibschmn@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Johann Allen Hibschman)
Subject: [JOI] Visions and forboding
Message-ID: <1993Apr16.174709.24600@Princeton.EDU>
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1993 17:47:09 GMT

	On the third day after the encounter with the undeath ship,
Quaeros emerged from his cabin and sought out the others.  He had spent the
past days in contemplation and prayer, offering no more than monosyllabic
replies to any inquiries.  He found his companions discussing their plans
around a low wooden table.  Their voices sounded strange after his seclusion,
but it was good to be with others once again.

	"Good day, all," he offered, "Anything of world-shaking importance
happen while I was indisposed?"

	"Well, look who's finally bothered to get out of bed!  Have a good
rest?" scowled Darkin sarcastically.

	Quaeros smirked at Darkin and continued, "I've been thinking.
If that little encounter was specifically directed against us, I think it
revealed something about the nature of at least some of our foes.  That
figure who was commanding the undead was some kind of demon or magical
being or something.  When I tried to drain some of its energy, as I had
drained the wraiths, the spell went out of control and ended up sucking all
of its energy away.  But, once that was done, there was _nothing left_. 
It was all magical/spiritual energy, not a normal mortal being at all. 
I'm not sure what that means, but someone with rather unusual resources
is opposing us."
	"There's more.  At the very beginning of the fight, I
experienced ... a vision.  I felt another mind speaking within my own.
It was somehow involved with the storm and the ship, I don't know
exactly how.  But it _knew_ me.  Not just as someone on this ship, but
from sometime before.  I kept feeling flashes of suprised recognition,
bemusement, and familiarity."
	"I've been contemplating that mental voice for a few days now,
and I think I might know it as well.  Over the years I think I've felt
its touch a few times, but nothing this concrete.  I have no idea why it
could be interested in me, but I suspect it had something to do with the
apparently magical plague which devastated my home town.  Admittedly,
I'm a slightly unusual elf, but I fear there could be more.  I don't get
sick.  Poison doesn't affect me.  I heal unnaturally quickly.  I don't
know why any of these things are, but I'm beginning to fear that I've
been somehow blessed, cursed, or manipulated by something else."
	"The worst part is that I somehow got the impression that this
thing _liked_ me.  It tried to convince me to stand back and let the
wraiths overrun the ship.  It promised I wouldn't be harmed and would be
granted much power if I would only do as it asked.  But I refused it."

	Quaeros turned to face Alarond.  "Alarond, I fear that this
being or demon was one of the evils in your dream.  Perhaps the storm
itself was the other.  The storm was obviously extremely magical, and,
although I don't know much about this, it seems logical that the fury of
a magical storm building could scramble messages sent from the other
side.  Perhaps you saw the true face of this creature in your dream, or
perhaps it was a deliberate sending to frighten us away.  I do not
know.  I've had a slightly forboding feeling over the past few days, as
if something were watching me and waiting.  I hope it's just nerves."

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Johann Hibschman                 |  My brain hurts!  Sorry!  Shut up!
hibschmn@phoenix.princeton.edu   |  Sorry!  My brain hurts!  Shut up!
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