From alt.pub.dragons-inn Wed Jan 19 17:11:27 1994 Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Path: netcom.com!netcomsv!amd!decwrl!uunet!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!news.ysu.edu!malgudi.oar.net!sun!vax.cns.muskingum.edu!hsexauer From: hsexauer@vax.cns.muskingum.edu (Rapunzel) Subject: [Legacy] Anybody know where I can buy a clue? Message-ID: <1994Jan18.223222.1@vax.cns.muskingum.edu> Lines: 145 Sender: root@sun.cns.muskingum.edu (Operator) Organization: Muskingum College Date: Wed, 19 Jan 1994 03:32:22 GMT [ADMIN] Well, this group is starting to look more like the playground for the administrators. Where are the rest of the posts? Anyway, to explain my actions --I got bored while in Spain so decided to create a side line to the JOI to occupy my attention. For the most part this is strictly my own descent into madness, and because of my prolonged absence a few of the details may be a little inaccurate. But since it really has nothing to do with JOI I'm not going to worry about it. So please bear with me, and all explanations as to the supposed appearance of Aleric in two places will be explained. (This starts just before the JOI group gets moving again and the appearance of any new personages. Sorry Peregrine!) Aleric woke to the touch of the predawn chill. Icy fingers stole across the shoulder that lay uncovered by the blanket. Years of dangerous living had hones his skills and sharpened his senses. He woke clear-eyed and alert, automatically searching out signs of distrubance. He heard nothing in the velvet darkness surrounding him. A faint lightening in the eastern sky heralded the coming of the sun. The area around him was unbroken by intruders and devoid of life. While ordinarily a safe result, this time it meant something was definitely amiss. Rolling quickly out of his blanket, Aleric instinctively caught up Xel'ha and buckled it across his back. The only things to be seen anywhere nearby were Aleric's roan mare placidly munching the grass, and his small pack of belongings. Of his companions there was no sign. Not a trace of the fire he himself had built the night before. No broken or trampled groundcover to show the presence of eight other wayfarers who so recently had been camped for the duration. For that matter, not even the clearing in which he stood bore any resemblance to the campsite of the previous night. The tall warrior shivered slightly and pulled his green hunting cloak around his shoulders. Aleric frowned as he considered his situation. Somehow he must have been spirited away from his company and abandoned... where? He had no idea where he was, only that he wasn't where he should be. He wondered if his disappearance had been discovered during the night or if no one noticed until morning. He'd already taken his turn at sentry, waking Ildamar a few hours after midnight to relieve him. Surely his absence hadn't been missed by the keen eyes of the Irda. Fumbling in the pocket of his vest, Aleric withdrew the small pouch that held his starstone. Kyar had once shown him how it could be used to focus his minimal telepathic ability and amplify it. Aleric pulled the blue stone free and gripped it tightly. It warmed in his hand and emitted a soft blue radiance when Aleric began to pull in his power. he sent, casting about for some trace of his friend. he repeated with more force. No response. Nor could he sense any of the reds and golds that he usually associated with Kyar's presence. Even his own forest green and indigo were muted. Tawny brows drew together in frustration. Aleric pocketed the stone once more and set about gathering his possessins. One thing was certain, if he were to rejoin his companions he would first have to discover where he was. Assembling his supplies was accomplished with his usual efficiency. His weapons were all present, never being far from his body. Plus his usual kit of wood gear was in place strapped to his saddle which lay next to the hobbled mare. The horse, still obliviously grazing, fell under his scrutiny. Why should his horse be there if he had been spirited away from his friends? Presumably, it would have been left behind to hinder his progress. Unless his abductor was not in fact a hostile force. He had been left with almost everything he would need to provide for himself for a long journey. Things did not seem to fit any sort of pattern. Deep in thought, the Lyorn removed the mare's hobble and saddled her in preparation for departure. He felt a need to put some distance between himself and that area. With a last quick look around his new locale, Aleric mounted and nudged the mare southward, arbitrarily deciding to go in the direction the company had been travelling. Without an inkling of his location, he would have to continue in one direction until he reached some place where he could find information. With luck, he could rejoin his friends in short order and be on his way once again. Aleric kept to the ground covering canter until the sun rose an hour later. As yet there were no signs of human habitation, or even a trail to indicate their passing. He was riding through very rough terrain where the trees clung to steep slopes and sudden cliffs and gullies dotted the landscape. The air itself was colder and drier than the company's previous location. That had been in the coastal lowlands where the terrain was gentle and the climate humid. Here in the foothills of a mountain range, the weather echoed the landscape: dry, cold, and unyielding. Wind whipped through the branches of the trees causing them to creak and bend. The mountains loomed close over Aleric's left shoulder, peering down like a foreboding presence. He travelled for three days always heading south. Ideally, he would find a way to the ocean and try to track his friends that way. He knew where they were headed, he could conceivably meet them in Quar'Tima. If they had left, they would leave a trail which would be easy enough for him to follow. Aleric snorted softly, thinking of his friend. A good companion, but the flambouyant Phadran had little woodcraft. Lost in thoughts of his missing companions, Aleric almost missed the first sign of human inhabitation. The wind had carried the acrid scent of smoke past Aleric's nose and disappeared again before he realized what he smelled. A hearthfire. The combination of woodsmoke and peat moss generally signified a hearth. No one wasted peat for an ordinary campfire. Aleric lifted his head and searched for the source, nostrils flaring. It was hard to be sure with the wind constantly changing direction, but.... ah-ha. A gust of wind brought another whiff of smoke and now Aleric could see the thin trail of smoke to his right. He turned his mare westward. After half an hour's ride Aleric could see the faint outline of a small structure through the trees. He cautiously dismounted and tied the mare some sidtance from the dwelling, carrying only his weapons to investigate. The young warrior glided close on silent feet that belied his great height and large frame. If it weren't for the smoke drifting lazily up from the ramshackle old cabin, one might doubt the presence of occupants. The outside gave every evidence of being deserted. No piles of fuel wood lay stacked in neat rows ready for use, not even an axe and wood chips to suggest recent use. No lights showed from within the windows framed by sagging shutters, although as the sun was just now at the tops of the trees there would be enough light to see by for a couple more hours. The giant Lyorn hesitated only a moment before he stealthily approached the abode. He had planned to observe the occupants before announcing his presence, but was brought up short a few feet from the cabin by a querrulous old voice. "Stop sneaking about, boy. I know you're there," a crotchety voice demanded. "Get in here. I have some information you my be interested in..." * * * Meanwhile, Aleric's lost companions regroup and prepare to move on.* * * Segoi looked around the camp trying to estimate how long they would need to complete their preparations. Everyone seemed to be occupied doing something, and yet something didn't feel the same. His eyes fell upon Aleric. He hadn't said anything at all since awakening that morning. In fact, he hadn't really interacted with anyone in any way today. Segoi wondered if there were something bothering the man. Studying the tall Lyorn, he considered approaching him and striking up a conversation. There was just something that didn't seem quite right with the silent warrior. But the longer he looked at Aleric the more his attention was diverted. At last his eyes slid from Aleric's form and came to rest on the little elf. Segoi smiled privately as he watched the Alarond. He just never seemed to be able to take care of himself. At the moment he was pondering the mechanics of a saddle. Segoi returned his attention to his own work and quickly forgot about Aleric. [NOTE] As I said, this will diverge from JOI. I just needed a little bit of a relation point. So ignore the vagueness of the relation point. It doesn't really matter. --- Heather