Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn From: arsmith@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Alan Smith) Subject: [NTY] Return to Far Away. Message-ID: Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 04:22:28 GMT Excerpts from the travellog of the Ambassador to the East (then Palandun Lintesul) Took Quarry onto Rameshander ship _Alrusa_, used to transport Rameshander ambassador to summit in Parahan. Quarry still unconscious, as yet no progress with his recovery. ... Pashar. Dropped off Rameshander Ambasador to make his report. Formal greetings with Shaheran. Shaheran tried to gift me with free passage back but managed to talk him up to 40 gp for me and my gear. (Personal note: this was a very odd experience.) Retrieved gear stored at the court, thanked master of spies for his help. Sailed on _Alrusa_ ... Generica. Met at dock by prosecutor of Quarry, who was dissapointed about Quarry's medical condition." "He can't wake up, let alone speak or stand trial." Palandun explained. "WHAT?!" The tall, well-groomed prosecutor asked, suddenly turning into a tall, enraged, well-groomed prosecutor. "We'll see about that." They saw. Specifically, they saw Gunther Toodie covered in bandages and sores, growing thinner with each day. The place didn't smell too good, but nothing affected Gunther, who hadn't voluntarily moved since the ceremony in Pashar. At All. Not once. Palandun explained this, but the prosecutor was unaffected. "He can still stand trial." "He can lie down trial, if that's what you mean. You may as well be prosecuting a rock." "Do you have any idea how many people I have besieging my office to this day because of him? Heck, he enslaved you, you would just see him let go?" "This isn't him. You'd be bullying someone who couldn't help themselves." Palandun had lost his fervor for revenge in Parahan, speaking to the widow of a soldier he killed when the Il-Shar tried to repeat Gunther's deed. "Besides, what could you do?" "Kill him." Came the candid reply. "Oh, for cryin' out loud, what for?" "As an example-" "What, hanging a man who can't even stand up? Yeah, that'll set a great example all right." "Then as a lesson to him." "Dead people don't learn much, in my expirence." "All right then, for revenge." "Get real. Revenge is an invention by people who wanted an excuse to vent rage. Nobody feels better." "Wait a minute, why am I justifying this to you. I'm his prosecutor, and I decide-" "Oh, you want a *legal* reason," Palandun had been thinking of this over the trip. "Well, He's in *my* custody, and I'm giving him assylum. Then he's going to the Temple of Ilmater, where I'd like to see you *try* to get him." "You can't do this!" The prosecutor finally fumed. "Watch carefully." Palandun replied, going over to the bed, lifting Gunther over his shoulder, and walking out the door. The Ilmatrans agreed to take care of him, and not release him until he himself requested it. Palandun found Ja'nis, apologized for what happened between them, and told her his story over dinner. "So you just let him go, didn't you want revenge?" "What good would it have done?" Palandun asked, "It just would hurt him, and it couldn't warn anybody off of my people because none of my people are here. I'm a long way from home." He says, taking a comforting pull on his beer. That night he got another one of his recurring dreams. Not the one with the three selves, but one with a donkey that talked. "So, carrot," it said, (this was what had made him nervous about the Oracle's prophesy) "you gain yet another bit of tastiness for me, eh?" "I'm not a carrot." Palandun said, his stock reply to this speech. "Revenge is a bitter taste, eh, carrot?" The donkey never listened to Palandun, "none of *that* for us. Very good, Carrot." ADMIN: Dennis, if you're out there, where the snark are you?