From: corleyj@helium.gas.uug.arizona.edu (Jason D Corley )
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [Pitzar] Central City
Date: 29 Aug 1993 00:41:53 GMT
Message-ID: <25ou0h$154@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu>



When I was a kid, I remember seeing stained glass windows of
Central City above the door of he Trarovian Consulate over on
Seventh Street.  It was a fairy-tale picture of spires, towers,
clean-cut straight buildings outlined in black, all the beautiful
red brick of Trarovian clay, distinctive and maroon.


Central City first appeared as a plume of smoke on the horizon.
It stretched up, blue and black, like a pillar holding up the sky.
Small dots fluttered around the smoke, dodging and diving.  As
I approached, I saw that the outer wall was in ruins, collapsed
rubble strewn across the road which was disused and overgrown.
The buildings inside were blackened and collapsed.  A fire still
burned off to the west.  The brick foundations had been shattered,
smashed by some tremendous force.  The edges of the road were
lined with bodies, their unblinking eyes staring down at the dirt,
across at each other, towards my face, or up into the dark black
smoky sky.

The inner wall was still intact.  Three guards were there, their
armor dented and stained.  "Halt." one said.  "Present your pass."

"I haven't got one," I said.  "I'm from..."

One of the guards swung the butt end of his spear around and sent
me sprawling across the road.  An old woman's head lay next to mine.
I looked into her eyes for just a single second, before the second
blow came and I lapsed into unconsciousness.


--
(1) Ignorance of your profession is best concealed by solemnity and silence,
which pass for profound knowledge upon the generality of mankind.
		-------"Advice to Officers of the British Army", 1783
Jason "corleyj@gas.uug.arizona.edu" Corley is thought to be armed and stupid.