Tales Of The "stella De Ora" Party, The blunderings of a group in Enroth

Precious says not enough people guess at the questions~ Precious says read the forbidden books on rings~ Golem, golem, brass golem~ The quiz will end July 9th.

Chapter 10 Zombies, I have the emergency coke!

Beyond the great gates of Fountain Head, the heroes found themselves under the gaze of a dragon.....and a big one at that.

"Holy crap", shouted Grom.

Robin starts at the commotion and said, "Lizard! Coactoal...Coacotal....Cockatoo?"

Sara, who's attention was fixed on the goblin infested woods exclaimed, "What? I don't see anyth...and...wha!"

The dragon, covered in feathers and looking molty, said, "Fear not people, I mean you no harm. I was wondering if you would tell me the directions to the Salishe-Salide Council." When no-one said anything it added, "North-east of Seattle? No? Hmmm, wrong world then. Sorry to trouble you. I'm going to pay Canegm a friendly visit for his directions." The dragon then flew off towards the sun and vanished from sight.

"And that accomplished what", asked a sarcastic, but puzzled Manny.

"I don't know", said Sara half-laughing hysterically. She seemed to be the only phased by meeting a dragon.

They continued on down the road for thirty or fourty minutes, but it looked like 3 or 4 steps. Grom commented on the outer worlds depth perception. Then from out of the forest to the west came a haunting melody and a creepy voice that said, "Hey hey~ Do the Zombie Stomp~ Hey Hey~ Do the Xombie Stomp~"

"Zombies", asked Grom.

"I bet their first names are Rob", added Robin helpfully.

They went through the forest and say a strange building. It was yay high and doh wide. It looked old, but there were fresh footprints leading into, but not out of.

"Should we investigate", asked Sara, putting the question on the foresty floor.

Grom glowered at this and said, "Oh. Yeah. Sure. Let's go into another dark dank place and fight giant beasts. No thanks. No one else got killed in the cavern under Fountain Head. Only me. Shows you what the gods think of us. I bet its a great laugh to them."

Even as he said this, the great god of chronicalling, Demosthene, was writing down what was happening in the world. It was quite a task, seeing as how so many strange things were happening, like metal birds falling from the sky or acting legends getting arrested for strange powders.

Robin was trying to read some of the runes and said in a very excited tone, "We don't have to worry! They are followers of Moo! We should visit them and get information on how to get back home."

They then opened the poorly oiled door and with a grating noise closed the door behind them.

The inside of the place seemed a bit dusky, so Grom wooped out a torch light spell and its light revealed a room. Ta da! Yes? Well, it was old brown stone with a few dirty wooden planks that stood as pillars. Manny, being a dwarf and as such, knew about construction and thought they couldn't even hold up a bookshelf let alone a cracked ceiling.

They moved forward with Sara and Manny in the front when all of a sudden they fell. About 3 feet and suffered minor damage.

"My ankle....my shoes", said Sara who had climbed out of the pit in the middle of the floor and was looking at her shoes covered in dead bugs.

Manny had gotten the worse bit and had dead bugs up to his beard. "Damn all bugs and Jadames", he swore along with a few bits of blasphemous curses. The gods weren't listening, nor would they care. They were busy wishing the great goddess Ribannah good luck on her sabbatical.

They continued on with a smirking Grom, a giggling Robin, a less fashionable Sara, and a buggy Manny, till they came to a split in the route.

"I think we should split up gang", said Sara who suddenly realized this didn't sound like her and omitted with a, "actually, lets stick together and watch for more pits." She then headed to the right.

The group graciously let her stay a few feet ahead to clear out pits and other traps. They reached a room that had a few bumbling men and a few skeletons.

Robin perked up at the sight of other Mooists, and stepped forward and said, "Toridas, fellow Children of Moo! Where can I find the head Cow or Bull?"

The bumblers took one look at each other, whipped out rods, and started to fling devotion fueled lightning bolts at the party.

Sara took a bolt to the chest and stumbled. Robins hair went frizzy as a bolt zapped her coral shield. Grom miraculously dodged a bolt completely and got off a Shrapmetal Cloud to maximum effect. Two of the few bumblers were flayed alive by the cloud of metal shards. The other two freaked as a hostile dwarf shot one in the chest with a crossbow and knocked off the others kneecap with a hungry axe.

The skeletons didn't attack. They stood there wide-eyed, as most skeletons, when one wearing a crown approached and said, "The order of Moo welcomes you friend. You are a Traveler. Are you not?"

This seemed to be directed at Robin who said, "We, um, come from a place called Enroth. We didn't mean to come here...it was an accident."

The skeleton seemed confused and asked, "Then you are not the Traveler who will bring bliss to this land?"

"No...maybe...do you need help?"

The skeleton lets out a breatheless sigh and said, "We need to find a way to return to our land. We come from a land of green and plenty. We were made by a witch to serve her desires. Cauldron born, we were called. And feared rightly. For we could not control our actions. Then one day a blizzard hit and we wandered trying to find our mistress. As the days past our flesh disintegrated and we became as you see now."

Robin looks at the rest of the party, who either shrugs or is still coughing from being chest shot, so she agrees.

The skeletons seem happy and the party continues down through a hallway. They come to an even bigger room with a few bumbling men and a pompous man. Robin tries to greet them also, but the bumblers run away leaving the pompous man to fend for himself.

"You will not take me alive rebel scum", he shouted to the oblivious party and wove a particularly deadly spell.

The party seeing this dove for cover. There was no great explosion, but a small crab did appear near the man. The man's face reddened admist the following laughter, but he became triumphant when the crab grew to almost bust the ceiling.

Robin I.D. the monster and said, "It says Kudo Crab, 3000hp, Level 80, 8 attacks, high resistance to all, Armor Class 80, oh-crap-run-run-run-run-run!....I think we should run."

The party dashed into the previous room and the poor kudo crab couldn't follow. The pompous man kicked the crab for its inadequecy and was answered with a stomp and smush. It then disappeared leaving the party to loot the room.

Four explosions and a few near deaths, the party aquired a tidy sum of money, a bone dagger, a Celestial Tear that no-one could use, a bronze sphere that smelled like rotting eggs, and a Tatoo that was couldn't be identified.

They backtracked to the first split and took the left path. Down a winding corridor and into a small 9x9 cell.

"Hey cowgirl, why do these people of Moo attack", asked a dwarf with a good question.

Robin didn't have a good answer so she replied, "They're not happy, maybe?" She then let out a little laugh and they had to catch up with Sara and Grom who had taken a right.

They bypass a bolted door on the right-hand wall and come to another intersection. Sara asks Manny for a coin and he gives it to her with a look only a dwarven miser can get. She flips and...it lands sideways and wedges itself between the bricks in the floor. Manny breaks some floor to get the coin and is about to have some words with her. Suddenly there is a loud groaning noise and followed by a crashing. Large bricks and supports fall from the ceiling to the right way. After clearing dust from their eyes, and Grom bemoaning his less than grand appearance, they go to the left corridor.

Quite a ways down the corridor they come to a heavy oak door with cold iron bindings.

Grom gives a nod to the pirating Manny and said, "This is one lock you won't be needing my magic for."

Muttering a rude reply, Manny sets about picking the lock. After 4 rounds of failed attempts and somehow getting blasted by a cold burst, the door opens. The newly revealed room is fairly large and contains three alcoves. After a quick look they find 2 chests occupying these alcoves. These are easily opened, but contain only 2000 gold, 3 various decrepit swords, 1 Steel Helmet (+6), and a Crimson dagger (2d2+2). Sara equips the steel helmet and Grom replaces his worn out iron dagger with the Crimson dagger.

Inside one of the chests is also a well-concealed compartment with a little lever. It gets pulled by an exuberant Robin and a secret wall in one of the alcoves falls apart. They cautiously go through the new path and wind up in a small room with some skeletons and two more chests. Grom sets about searching the skeletons, mostly because he has no qualms with feeling up the undead, and finds two pieces of ancient jewelry. One is a rather fancy, if not Gaudy, piece that contains a few sapphires, a few emeralds, a ruby, and a central diamond. The other is obviously magic to Grom's trained eye, its radiance is audible by even the dwarf. It is a somewhat simple amulet made of bronze and etched with a rune that means 'Knowledge is Power'. After reviewing it, he puts it on and makes a mental note to have it identified at a shop. His skill at the identification of obscura isn't high enough.

Manny opened a half-rotting chest and finds nothing but old clothes with cow pictures and a lot of blood stains.

Sara looked over at Robin who was white as a sheet. Meaning even whiter than normal, not an easy feat. "Are you okay", she asked.

Robin's voice quavered more than a bit as she said, "These bones...the shirt....*sniff* They were the priests here. Not those people."

The second chest was composed of a heavy silver metal and had runes carved this way and that accross its wide surface. It was unlocked by Manny with some magical assistance by Grom. The runes flared as the lid was lifted, but no explosions or gas emitted from it, so it was presumed disarmed. "Whats with chests and traps", said Sara.

Inside was a pouch of bottle caps, a bottle of blue liquid, a tin box with a man riding a horse on its lid, and several yellow cake things that felt rock hard.

"Oh! Nuka-Cola!", said Robin, finally half-cheery.

"What is nuka-cola", asked the sorceror.

"Its a drink that we import for some priest of Moo. I think it comes from a place called the Los Angeles Fallout Vault."

"Does it...taste good", asked Grom who was staring at bits of something floating on the liquids surface.

"Of course", she opens the bottle. "Have some."

Grom takes a small sip, but waits untill the rest have had some before spitting it out.

"Oww, my head hurts", said Sara holding her head to keep it from spinning off.

Dwarvish constitution couldn't even handle this potent elixer and Manny coughed out, "Holy bunson burners....*cough* Thats sweet. *hack gag crag hack*"

Robin crooks her head and replied, "I think it tastes good." She then drinks the last bit in front of a horrified audience.

"Out drunk by a waif", said a depressed dwarf.

After a few minutes to feel less like their stomaches were like mount Vesuvious, they looked inside the tin box. Inside was a sandwich and a key ring with some odd shaped keys. They take the box and all the goods in the room, minus bones and cleric clothes.

The very air grew cold instantly and a booming voice yelled, "How dare you defile my home!"

"Who are you, sir", asked a sneering Grom.

"I AM THANATOS! GOD OF THE DEAD!"

"Oh..*$*#)(#@*(@*", said a chorus of voices. Even the bones chimed in.

Thanatos was big. And he had horns and seemed to have a yellow, green, and black color scheme going on. He exuded power and wore a large sword that was sheathed in a scabard made of what seemed(was) uncleaned human skin. It then unsheathed its sword, revealing it to be 7 feet long, pure black, and had a fitting name of 'Black Blade of Disaster'.

"You killed the believers of Moo", said an accusatorial Robin.

"Damn straight. Now I will kill you too."

"Just try it drama queen", said the maniacle dwarf.

Manny then unsheathed his axe and went for the demon. He came right back a second later worse for wear. Robin casts the light bolt spell with all her might, but a bracelet on the creatures right arm flahes red and the bolt is absorbed by an invisible shield.

Sara took one look at how things were going and at Grom who was casting a minimally effective energy blast, and said, "We're going to die."

Thanatos bellowed a chilling laugh as its sword pierced Robin's heart. "...no...", she whispered as she hit the floor.

Manny rushed the demon again and scored a solid hit to the demon's side. Unfortunately, its skin was harder than rock and the axe shattered. Thanatos grinned and broke the dwarf with a mighty strike of its sword.

Sara changed her opinion to, "We're so gonna die."

Grom cast a dark spell called Rend, and great talons appeared and ripped both air and demon flesh. Strangely, it did seem to hurt the demongod as it stopped its grinning and felt where acidic smelling blood flowed. This might have signalled a change in the way the battle was fought, but Grom's powers were nearly exhausted from casting such a spell. No one had paid attention when the amulet had emitted a ghostly glow when he had cast the spell.

"So, the mage-thing has some bite to it", it snarled and added, "I'll show you true magic. Adehora Mecoras Desura Doitkra Onos!"

A blast of greenish vile energy flowed from Thanatos's out-stretched claws and struck Grom full center. He barely had time to feel the mind shattering pain before he fell to the ground with large portions of his body disintegrated or warped.

"Well, crap", said Sara who decided to go out with a bang. She cast shrapmetal cloud against it, but it was absorbed in a similar fashion as the light bolt. Thanatos advanced slowly, savoring the victory even as several arrows scratched it. It loomed over her and grabbed her with one massive hand. She tried to struggle, but couldn' free her arms. Thanatos slammed her body against the wall and all became dark.

Suddenly she could see again. There was a lake of brackish water, a cloaked figure in a small rowboat, and a few people in line in front of the rowboat. The sky was gloomy as well. She moved towards the line and saw several rich looking people and her late companions.

"Hi Sara! We died!", said Robin remaining cheerful even in death.

Manny looked over at Robin, "We'll go visit her friends of Moo, huh? Yeah. And meet a god of Destruction. Next time I choose the blasted vacation."

Grom nods at Sara and looks a bit relieved. "Those two have been like this for a while now." He gestures at the surrounding area and adds, "This place is a bit dull, no live theater unless you like to see the Death of Macbeth a hundred times."

Figuring that time moved differently here, Sara said, "Its good to see you guys ali~ uhm, dead. Who's that cloaked man?"

"Aesgith, he rows us to the place where we get tortured for our misdeeds", answered Manny.

Robin looked horrified. Grom sighed and said, "He is there to row the dead (us), to the land of the dead for judgement and busing. They used to use carriages, but people tended to get upset over the horse-liches."

Finally it was their turn and the figure, who it could now be seen was a skeleton with glowing eyes under his tattered cloak, said, "Though eternity lies before you, thy work in the land of the living is not yet done, return great ones, I am certain we will meet again. Mwahahaha~"

"Excuse me, but what do you mean 'return'", asked Sara.

Aesgith, or whatever his name was, seemed puzzled and answered, "You go back to the land where you belong."

"But we were killed in a land which wasn't the land where we belong."

The figure asked for their names and, putting on some octagonal spectacles, looked at a very long list. "Ah, I see, well, it looks like you will have to return to Fountain Head, in the land of Terra. Sorry for the inconveniance, but we are having all sorts of management and office issues right now. There's also a backup in the waiting lines for the House of Judgement and the Halls of Valhalla. Also the Halls of Van Hallen are booked beyond the fire capacity."

"Is there some way we can assist you", asked Grom, being curious of the dead.

"Well, you can limit the amount of people being killed", the skeleton looks up from his page hopefully, "No? We also need some more Mystical Paper for the fax machine. Delivery man is two millenia overdue."

The party agrees (Bring Mystical Paper to Hammon, quest accepted) and the rower in an exuberant tone said, "Excellent, now, since it is your first time, as a party, being dead, you can take advantage of a 20% off on the return fee. And since you are helping us out, we'll add the 'Friends of Hammon' title and take another 30% off, for a total of half off the sticker price!"

Hammon then takes half the parties gold and they find themselves back in Fountain head. It is odd, but they still have all their equipment and goods on their person. They plot to track down Falagar after they kill off some goblins and orcs and, if they find it, deliver some Mystical Paper to Hammon the rower of the Pretty Albatross Rowboat.

Are you a Fan of Tales Of The Stella de Ora? Have any opinions or thoughts that you think may enlighten other fans or the Author on his crystal throne? Have any questions or comments on how freaked you were when you thought the party dead for good? Then leave a post in this topic and the Author will do his best to respond. Need a new weapon?!

This post has been edited by Demosthene on Jul 10 2007, 09:15 AM

could you possibly do some quizes for mm6-9? a select few of us haven't played the golden oldies

Ah, of course. The answer to the previous quiz is 'no', Ninjas in MM3 did not have assassinate and were pretty worthless as a bunch. Interesting to try once, but only if you are experienced with the game. They did give an opportunity for a player to kill a goblin and yell "Ninjer'd!".


Ok, new Quiz! "Who is the proprieter of the Howling Moon in MM6?" The quiz will end Tuesday the 17.

*edit- I've extended the quiz to Tuesday the 24*


Chapter 11 This parties just gettin' started~

Their decision to kill off the local goblinkin is delayed by a visit to the local business' for the repair of armor (being utterly shredded by the demongod Thanatos, who they have Enemied, added to Autonotes), some supplies (goblin gruel, less said about it the better) and the identifying of the new tatoo. Robin wondered why she was the only person in the party who did not have a special item. The tatoo, as the shopkeeper put it, was the 'by golly ink o' weepin' stones'. Sara equiped the tatoo and felt her skin harden and the cold of the night seemed lessened. (+10 ac, +10 cold resistance, +10 dark resistance)

Out of the walled city they go, travelling down the well-worn road. Fires could be seen in the distance, small ones and most likely camp fires, so the group went through the trees and viewed quite a sight. Dozens of fires burned a dull red and formed a circle around a black tower in a field of grass. Goblins of various colors, most being of yellow skin, and Orks resplendant in their heavy metal plate went about sharpening weapons, eating furry bits of meat, and plotting their schemes. Little did the party know that the schemes involved a goat and a lot of Gravy.

"We are suppossed to exterminate all of these", asked Grom in a rhetorical manner.

Sara shruged and suggested, "I don't know, maybe you can use that Rend spell and even the odds."

Grom's face went through a few looks and he said despondantly, "Sorry, I...don't have the power to cast Rend more than once or twice. And afterwards I would be rather worthless as a sorceror."

"Yer already pretty worthless as a sorceror", chided Manny.

"Don't you have a cool fireball spell", asked Robin with her usual enthusiasm.

"Yes. But, I would need time to cast several and I doubt that barbaric one over there can give me the time I need before he gets killed", as he said this he gave a cold stare at the "barbaric one".

"Quiet! Look! Up on the towers low balcony", Sara said in a hushed yell to get the rest of the parties attention.

A figure had stepped out of the shadows created by the doors alcove onto the balcony. The balcony had a mismatched set of rusty patio furniture and a pedestal with an orb seated on it. The orb seemed comfortable. The figure drew back the hood of his robe and raised his arms in a fashion to silence the noisy creatures.

"I bet this is where he makes a speech", guessed Sara.

Her guess was proved correct when the man started on a speech in a semi-feeble old man tone. It started as, "My warriors! The Force is with us this day, for nigh unto tomarrow we shall bring Order to the galaxy! Like a great wave we shall crash onto the Oppressors and~". His speech went on like this in typical fashion for a good hour. The party waited, not listening closely (most bad-guy speeches are photocopied right out of the book), but took notice when another figure appeared on the balcony and conversed with the Speaker of the Force.

The new figure wore robes of very white, had white hair, a gnarly stick, and a fancy ring. Leaning in close to the Speaker, he said, "So... Darth Kenobi, when can I have my tower back? I'm having a Take-Over-Middle-Earth thing going on and I need a place to sow fear from. The top of a Judy Dench's Fish and Chips just doesn't cut it."

Darth Kenobi frowned and said, "You said I could use it till Thursday, and its only Tuesday. I will return it after I conquer Whiteshield."

Their conversation was interupted by a goblin scout, the only way you could tell it apart is that it was wearing a red bandana and had a camo-loincloth (which brought shudders from our heroes), who ran up to the tower and yelled, "Sir! Uh, sirs! We have found a human in the tall grass near the golden pyramid! He appears to be a wizard! He isn't concious!"

Darth Kenobi nodded and said, "Bring him to the tower. We shall bind him to our will and he will serve me! ...and Sauron, the big guy in the armor." He points in the general direction of Varn's Mt. Doom.

Sauron sensed what was going on and commented, "No way, I've had enough of trying to conquer Middle Earth. Just no fun when those little furry hobits steal your jewelry and armies come and bust up your to-scale model cities. Not to mention they killed my gardners and released my little flying lizards with their cute wings and pleasant odor. I am content to just stay in my new-ish castle and reap rewards from my investments. Ah, Love, glad to see you could join me for this special ocassion."

A very regal looking elf, whos name was Galadrial, said, "Of course, it is our first aniversary, my cutesy wutesy Lord of Mordor."

The scene became even more sickeningly sweet as time went on, so we will turn our attention back to Terra and Darth Kenobi. The party was a bit surprised, but not that much considering how their adventures turn out, at seeing Falagar being dragged by several goblins. He was looking a bit disheveled and worse for wear. He was now awake and yakking about space goats named Hillary and aliens with an obsession on probing. Minds.

"What is you name?!", asked Kenobi moving his hand.

"Whatsit, Carl, you're white!", was the reply.

"I said, what is your name", asked Kenobi waving his hand again.

"Whyd you wanna know....Its..oh ho! I see now! Freedom from the Oppressors! Don't bogart my lifespan, Lee Harvey Oswald! Chicken is the secret weapon against the Finnish!"

Kenobi felt anger rise in the pit of his bowels, partly due to his poor diet of womp rats, and partly due to his laughing "warriors" and a snickering Sa Ru Man! . He decided to take action, so he ordered some orks to tie delirious Falagar up and put him over a fire. Sa Ru Man! asked, "How are you going to find out who he is if you toast him?"

"I won't allow anyone to screw me over! Not since some young punk left me to die in an enemy space station! I even gave him his father's sword that I got after I killed him!"

While this was going on the party made preperations to attack. Sara spoke first, "You know, I think we could take this army on without any preperation or plan....or weapons."

"Hack and slash, loot and kill, sounds like a plan", said a very enthusiastic Manny who patted his axe.

"Shouldn't we save Mr. Falagar before they roast him", asked Robin with eyebrows clear up to there.

"The old man will be fine, he seems to be the sort who the gods won't kill off because he's a charity case. That or he's a chimney sweep and they're supposed to be lucky", Grom answered haphazardly.

Cutting through the air came the sounds of horns, horns, horns! Terrible horns. And all the noise, noise, noise!

-Meanwhile, back in Castle Gobs in the Heavens, the chronicaller Demosthene was sitting and writing furiously with a quill on the verge of molting. "And then people from Who-ville came and slaughtered the goblins and orks, Sa Ru Man! called forth great darkness and slew them all and feasted on Who pudding and...", he wrote.

"Ahem", came a voice from behind him.

"Eh, whadya wa---... Supervisor Xenofex XVIII! I swear, I'm working...the chip bags came from the person in the next cubicle!", squealed Dem, the also Lord of Slackers.

"And when do you plan to finish this chapter and free Falagar", asked the Supervisor. "Also, Who-people? Really, Demosthene, I think you can do better."

"Soon soon! I'll...Whats wrong with the Whos? Okay, I'll put in something that goes with the story", Demosthene conceded and muttered murder most foul under his breath.

-Back on Terra-

Following the sound came figures covered in black armor. Not many, probably a few dozen, but their visage bespoke chilling terror. After a few tries, the party of the Stella de Ora party identified them and found them to be Cuisinart and similar kin.

The goblins and orks hastily grabbed their weapons and fired both bow and shootas into the advancing legion. No Cuisinart fell under the onslaught and when they got close enough, goblins and orks fell in droves. Even the heavy metal plates of the orks could not stop the devilish blade of the fallen ones. Sa Ru Man! bid Darth Kenobi farewell and got off planet as quickly as his palantir could take him.

Darth Kenobi hopped off his balcony and fell amidst the dark knights. He whipped a seemingly bare handle and with a fluid motion, a blade of red light appeared. Engaging the closest, he cut off the knights arm and knocked another over with a wall of force.

"...We should rescue old fogey now", said Robin to which the rest of the party hastily agreed.

Not bothering to untie the delusional Falagar, the party carried him by his spit pole and ran off, but attracted the attention of a lesser Dark Knight.

They lured him into the trees and attacked. Robin cast a highly effective light bolt spell that blasted a tiny hole in its chest plate. Sara fired volleys (more likely 3) arrows and all hit. Manny was on the defensive and managed to avoid a death stroke by the Dark Knights blade. (He had tried attacking, but its armor was too good and held no discernable weak points) Grom gathered energy from the local surroundings and weaved it into a pretty formidable Energy Blast which took out another section of the knight.

The fight went on slowly and Manny took the brunt of the attacks. Luckily for him (and the party), Robin quickly cast cure wounds whenever he was injured. So he could have his bones shattered again and again.

Finally the knight fell to the ground and its armor fell apart. It was hollow inside. Manny moved to pick up a piece when Grom yelled, "Stop! We don't know what curses it has on it! Even after the death of the user it is bound to, some armors carry potent spells to kill the unaware." So the party had to leave a pretty decent suit of dark plate armor lying in the forest.

They headed back to Fountain Head and to the tavern to collect on the quest that had been finished for them. Perhaps they could ally the knights? They could come in handy. They also planned on getting Falagar to a healer so they could get off this rock and head back home.


Are you a Fan of Tales Of The Stella de Ora? Have any opinions or thoughts that you think may enlighten other fans or the Author on his crystal throne? Have any questions or comments on how cool Cuisinarts are? Then leave a post in this topic and the Author will do his best to respond. Beware the Mega Dragon!

This post has been edited by Demosthene on Aug 1 2007, 07:06 AM

Ok...not a single guess. It was fairly easy to. The answer to the previous quiz is "George Caniss". He's the proprieter of the Howling Moon and you can find the answer in New Sorpigal's tavern, A Lonely Knight. Just talk to Maria the Gypsy.

NEW QUIZ~! "In MM6 what is the name of the dragon that Wilbert Humphrey sends you to kill as part of the Paladins second upgrade quest? (Crusader-to-Hero-quest)" Bonus points for mentioning what the region is called, such as Sweet Water or New Sorpigal. The Quiz will end Tuesday, August the 14th. So enter by posting a reply or sending a PM. Reply is prefered, makes it look like higher readership.

Chapter 12 The journey home, if the gods don't intervene

Ten minutes. Exactly the amount of time it took for the residential healer to proclaim Falagar a lost cause. "His spirit has as much link to his body as a hobbit on hobbit weed."

The party left Falagar in a room at the local inn, strapped to the bed nonetheless, and visited the tavern. The reasons were varied for the visit, Grom wanted some spicy roc wings (when asked by Sara, he swore he didn't have a problem), Manny threw back a few laggers (too much bark), Robin tried to convert some no-good teens (and got 15 new converts to the Happy Moo Moos), and Sara was stuck with the task of cashing in on the 'Kill the Goblins and Orcs quest" (there not actually being any orcs, only orks with battle armor/nearly killa' kans).

Leaving the party to their various recreations, Sara approached the minstrel who was fine-tuning his lute, the Wylde Stallion. He caught a glimpse of her as she wove her way around patrons and greeted her languidly and a short bow.

"Greetings maiden of swords and beauty, to what fate am I blessed to be in such presence", he asked with his charm scale into the overload zone.

Sara felt the effects, but fought it off. Here was the man who had caused her to agree to the inane quest in the first place. "We completed your quest. We killed all the goblins and orcs and the highway is now safe."

"Ah~, such valor as betaken by you and your band has not been seen since Michael and the Jackson Five knights who slew....something...ah! They slew the Cornugon of the south", exclaimed the string plucker.

Frowning slightly she asked, "Can we get our reward now?"

The minstrel nodded and proclaimed, "You and your friends are now Crusaders and will be remembered for years to come."

(Defeat Goblin and Orc Horde Quest Completed)

"....Thanks", she said hesitantly and left the minstrel to strum away on his decrepit lute. Local girls flocked to him as he started his round of tales.

When she got back to the party's table, all was not well.

"Damn all bards! A title! What kind of reward is that!?", howled Manny, who was a bit green around the gills.

"Uhm, that kinda sucks", mentioned a less-smiley Robin.

Grom just sighed, made a slight waving motion with his hand, and said, "Well, at least that is done." Glancing over at the bard he added, "He probably couldn't pay us what our effort was worth."

"You're being rather nice Grom, I thought you'd blast him as being a leech on society or something. Oh no, you're becoming a friendly necromancer", said Sara making a friendly jab.

"Haha, she got ya there", said Manny in a tone less joking than Sara used.

"I think its good that he's becoming a nice person, now all he has to do is become a cleric of Moo and forsake his dark magic!", Robin said quickly right before Grom had a chance to say anything.

Grom glowered at the rest of the group and muttered something about yokels, hicks, un-educated rabble, and why should he carry the team with his magic.

The usual din of the tavern was interupted by a crackling sound and a small flare of bluish light coming from the bare wall. Blue sparks traced the outling of a door and the section disappeared. Some of the older regulars muttered about the good old days when wizards used to use floo powder. The near-giant Jogen and the ever-celestial Beru walked through the portal and into the, on par with the term, tavern. The portal closed, but no-one paid it much heed. It was used to being lonely, it was a wall.

Jogen spotted the party's table, spoke a few words of the strange language to his companion, and they headed towards the table. Grom choked on his roc wings as he saw Beru walking over and tried to hide his couging with the dwarfs heavy spirits. It didn't turn out to well and he passed out all over the table. "Lightweight", muttered Manny who in turn swigged the drink like it was water.

"Gim pani bangeru, nod", questioned Beru with a nod towards Grom.

"Jif, tek anu", answered Jogen chuckling. Towards the party he said, "Greetings once again world-walkers. I trust you are in good health?"

"Hi Mr. Jogen and Ms. Beru, we're doing very well. Except Grom who seems to have been poisoned", said the semi-innocent Robin, who was the one who had taken Grom's water.

"Have you found Crodo", asked Sara.

"No. It is most peculiar, we could not find him at any of his hideouts, or even any trace of him at all. Beru thinks that something foul may have befallen him", said Jogen for Beru. "Have you found Falagar?"

A grinning dwarf answered, "We found him toasted."

Jogen needlessly translated for Beru who gave a wry grin and said, "Gom jabbar, do undest uruth."

"Er, she says just like in his youth. From prior experience, he should be fine in a few days. Just keep him away from mushrooms, plumbers, flowers, roots, poppysnaps, poppys, pecca plant, alcohol, orc gruel, goblin gruel, chocolate frogs, and anything with sugar."

"Sure", Sara said with a kind smile. "So, where are you headed to?" She had noted their sacks of provisions and miscleaneous goods.

"Dune of Arrakis. The spices there trade for a very high amount in Krynn. We will also look for Crodo."

"I see, good luck."

The the party, Grom was a bit groggy but awake, bid their farewells and Jogen and Beru walked out the door. The normal door with its sqeaky hinges.

"That was exciting", exclaimed Robin, "now we know how to cure Falagar."

Grom looked at his previous headrest and noted his glass of water was back. His mind did a set of sommersaults and he left it at his haste being the excuse.

The door to the dusky tavern opened with a violent burst of wind, seemingly, and a heavily armored figure strode inward. Most patrons did little more than glance at the newcommer, when you are in a world of dragons and big swords its best not to get involved, but a few of the naive younger swordsmen stared.

The rest of the party glanced at the figure, when Sara, looking quite pale and/or sick, said, "Oh tardus...."

There standing admidst tables and patrons was none other than a Death Knight looking rather menacing in his black armor with its friendly spikes. It was pointing at the party's table, people nearby ducked for cover (This wasn't Lord Soth, but Death Knights tend to point at things that then explode or die rather quickly), but instead of saying 'DIE!', it said, "Warriors who stand the twilight, never before have I fallen in battle since my body turned to dust, may I sit in your presence?"

Being the only one with knowledge on undead and undead accessories, Grom said, "You may sit here if it is your wish. Mayhaps you come upon a twixt or nigh?"

"What are you talking about", asked the Knight as it sat in a heavily fortified chair at their table.

"Why are ya here then", inquired Manny with a piratish tone, as only a dwarf can do.

It bowed its helmet slightly and said in its whisper-in-a-hollow voice, "I offer you my services so I may fight worthy foes beside worthy allies."

"Aren't Cuisinart-kin supposed to be evil, Mr. Death Knight", asked Robin.

"Most are, but others are driven by our need to kill a worthy foe. Dragons or creature that burn with ancient magic are most usual in our quest. I desire to fulfill this condition so I may pass the mortal coil", it said in a strangely tired tone.

"We are not from this world and will be leaving as soon as our gatemaster's mind heals. Will you travel with us", asked Sara.

"I am unable to remain in lands far from this one, however, I will give you the magic required to summon my shell from the Black Sky. If you should fight a beast of great power, then I would be honored to aid you in its slaying", it said, stood up, and headed for the door. It didn't quite make it to the door as it slowly vanished from sight with each step.

"He doesn't seem like such a bad guy, too into killing happy dragons and fuzzy behemoths though", concluded the Moo-ist.

Excitement over, the party decided to retire for the night. Grom stayed in the tavern the longest, mulling over his new spell. (a variation on the powerful dark magic spell called "Summon Cuisinart") It would be a great asset should they fight a powerful beast.

The next few days went by relatively quick, the townpeople talked wonders about the heroes, and Falagar grew more coherent with each day. ("I can now recognize simple shapes and patterns", he said. "He's said that eight times", grumbled Manny."

On the fourth day of the fourth hour of who-knows-when, Falagar was competent enough to attempt the ritual to get them home. (Competence is not its own virtue commented a local adventurer at hearing this)

"First we need six strands of fate....already have that. Tonsils of...no, thats for conjuring Gerudo women...*cough* Where's my space goat Hillary? Ah, so much left to prepare....", said Falagar as he bumbled around a large flat area that was home to his magic circle.

Grom shook his head at the inaccuracies of his ritual and stated, "If his gate gets us to Enroth, then it would have to be the intervention of the gods themselves. Ah!" He quickly grabbed a jar of Combustable, now with more horses, before it hit the floor.

"How much longer should it be Falagar", asked the team leader, who immediately regretted it.

"Oh, I see...maybe about 30 months...wait, uh I mean, what day is it Sally with the seashells?", was his response.

Amazingly the whole process only took half the night. The party gathered within the circle and Falagar began his reciting of the spell. "Oh great powers, we are gathered here to pay homage to Fallout and its Half-Life of 2...uhm so in conclusion, Rock on!~"

The scene would have been humourous to the pary, it actually was but the Chronicaller isn't paying attention, but it involved life, death, and some other things from Philosophy 101 1/2. Suddenly, great rays of light shot towards the heavens from the intersections of chalk lines on the circle. The sky that was black yet full of stars seemed to epand to cover everything in sight.

Things then started to get weird. A disembodied voice floated through the eternal stretch and sang a song that started with, "Sweet child in time~ You'll see the light~"

Manny, not accustomed to being in a void, said, "Starting to feel...$tr@ng3...."

Robin, not smiling, piped in with, "I don't fee1 50 good 31th3r..."

Sara groaned and held her head to keep it halfway on.

Grom glared at Falagar, who was wide-eyed and euphoric looking, and said(yelled), "Falagar! Pay attention and g3t us 0ut of h3re.....|\| 0 \/\/!!!11!"

Falagar broke out of his stupor and said, "We're getting creamed! We need Voltron! VOLTRON~! Super Metamorphic Space Warp Here Thing!"

A huge robot (human shaped with legs and arms the shape of lions) appeared above and below the party, its a big robot, and said, "Ha! You're on your own! Transformers, roll out!" It then turned into a giant bird of metal and sped off into the darkness.

"Ah crap....", said Falagar, who upon seeing death threats, added, "Right, Hillary, come forth!"

A large, white, and short-horned space goat appeared in front of them, "baa'd" or whatever space goats do, and the party was wisked away to a distant land.

They found themselves in front of a great wall. They all breathed a sigh of relief, that was lost all too sudden. The wall broke apart and a massive EYE OF TERROR gazed upon the adventurers. Huge disembodied claws with talons the size of mountains shifted towards them.

"Holy Hyrule, get us out of here", yelled Sara.

Falagar was all too happy to oblige and made a lazy-quick motion with his hands and beard. A powerful Herbert-Asimov surge tossed them from that dimension.

They found themselves spawled out accross the grass not ten feet away from Falagar's house.

"Ah, home sweet home. So, wasn't that fun team", asked a rejuvenated Falagar.

The party didn't look too happy. -The Gods have edited this section due to extreme violence and the over-use of the word Sweet-Crappinfilth-

"I don't know, did he really deserve that", asked Robin hesitantly.

"Yes, yes he did. We do have some new baubles and treasure though", said a reassuring Sara.

"Hehe, that was sweet", grinned a magnanimous Manny who was eyeing a 50-carat diamond.

"Where to next? The Isles of Mist?", asked Grom, who now felt fully compensated for his troubles on Terra.

"Yeah", agreed Sara, she was team leader and thus Manny and Robin had to agree.

They then boarded the Odyssey, captained by Homer.

Are you a Fan of Tales Of The Stella de Ora? Have any opinions or thoughts that you think may enlighten other fans or the Author on his crystal throne? Have any questions or comments on how freaky\bizarre this chapter was? Then leave a post in this topic and the Author will do his best to respond. Does anyone actually read this part? The Order of Baa welcomes you friend!

This post has been edited by Demosthene on Aug 14 2007, 09:26 AM

Well, we have a winner to the Quiz! The winner is....*drumroll+1*...dadadadum! SINBAD! Woot, goes the crowd. He got the bonus part of the question correct as well, double woot! (He was the only one who entered an answer. More people need to participate! Tell your friends....and family or nearest sanitarium)

New QUIZ! "What is the name of the last Governor, before the Silence, of the world that contains Enroth, Erathia, Jadame, and Karigor ? (Hint its MM6-8)
The QUIZ will end Tuesday, August the 28th. Enter as much as you like.

Authors sidenote- Wasn't the last chapter pretty freaky? ^^ It was very fun to write.


Chapter 13 In the Navy, we can sail the seven seas~ In the Navy~

Ages ago, our heroes had just started on their High C adventure to Mist. For some reason, all of the islands in that group are collectively known as Mist. The trip started out slow-ish... The party got the gold package tour, which involved seeing where the loo is, where the hot plate is (their kitchen was being remodelled), and where the finest fish this side of Regna could be found. In a pickle jar.

The ship started to sail, and the party had some free roaming time so they chatted with other patrons or the colorful crew. Blue blue! . The ship was rocking back and forth when Sara walked up to check on how Manny was doing.

"Hey Manny, how come you aren't seasick? Aren't dwarves supposed to hate water", she asked.

"Bah! Stereotypes portray us as living in Mountains under the King, having a great stone as a sign of kingship, and fearing puddles. I'm from the Red Dwarf Mines, and I also be a fine Pirate\Knight....argh!", added Manny, who then added, "damn, every time I say pirate...argh matey..."

"Ah, okay, but what about those dwarves over there", she said as she pointed to a group of heavy-set dwarves huddled near the door.

Manny looked hard at the dwarves, spit a few times, because the air was salty, and remarked, "They're Boulder dwarves. Come from far south, maybe Dunlan. They sink faster than the tubs you call ships and affiliate themselves with elves, Arwen, goblins, ninjas, and the occasional Pink Floyd."

The only occasional Pink Floyd jumped ship when he heard a Red Dwarf. He was later eaten by an elemental, despite only having to swim 30 feet to shore. The winds weren't blowing the right way.

-Meanwhile, back in New Sorpigal-
A rather worse for wear Falagar was alive! Possibly. A gang of imps were poking and prodding the wizard as he regained consciousness/life. Feeling rather non-impish, he chased them away with Samantha's Broomstick and a couple of Dragon Breaths. No imps were harmed....well, okay, many were maimed in the making of this side-track.

-Back on the Boat, the Odyssey-
Grom was trying to figure out some new spell by combining the fire spell, Firebolt, with a burst of the Dark Magic. He was interupted by Sara who was looking for Robin.

"No I haven't seen the Love-Freak. Damn angel-trainee...", he responded frustration audible.

Sara "hmmm'd" to herself, then she asked, "Are you ok? Since we got back you seem in a foul mood."

"Besides having died twice, not knowing when to summon the Death Knight properly, and being with a bunch of freaks on a freak-boat, my research into a Dark Firebolt is not working...at all!", at which he threw his failed research notes into the sea.

"Right...okay, have fun", she promptly got out of there before he roasted something.

Below deck there was the usual hussle and bussle of running a ship. Robin was having a fun time chatting with the resident goats, good for milk on those long voyages, about what grass is really greener. By 3:30 or so Sara walked in.

"Hiya Sara, Mr. Goat likes your boots", said the merry goat-whisperer.

"Thanks...Mr. Goat", said Sara, not overly freaked out by Robin's escapades anymore.

"Thats Mrs. Goat, Mr. Goat is right over there", she corrected, pointing to the right.

"Right, sorry. Ehm, Robin, do you know how long it will take for us to get to Mist?"

"Nope! Why ask me though, Wizard of Oz or Mr. Happy Hobbit might know."

"Yeah they're not taking this voyage too well...at all. I need to check a Wizbox and see if anything has happened in my village since I've been gone", she added answering a question that wasn't even thought.

"Oh okay.... Wanna sing with the goats?"

Sara excused herself from the lower deck and amused herself by checking her little black book of spells (Now with more than 3 rings in a binder) and sharpening her sword and arrows that she never ran out of. Legolas syndrome.

Day two of voyage. We found some local Indians who we traded with. Mary fell ill. Jeb shot 300 lbs worth of meat, but we could only carry like 50. Jean fell off the wagon and went feral. Traded feral Jean to Indians for 3 bison.

The third day was even more dull, the winds were average, the food was semi-edible, the sea-chanty's were stale, and Sara had a cold. Grom had a tiff with a merchant. The merchant was declared buried at sea at 11' o' clock' .'

The fourth day was the worst of the bunch so far. There were muppets, singing, and a rather bizarre case of cabin fever. Things transpired that will never be told, unless someone sends Captain Homer a check to cash. Or a pretty lass asks the Cap when he's had a few too many Romulan Ales. Blame the Romans.

The fifth day the winds were strong. Everyone was envigorated by this and the tour guide pointed out some nifty things.

"And over to your left is a grey whale who is looking for a mate and... no! Not the ship!", the guide whacked the whale with an oar and the whale almost drowned. A few minutes later he said, "To your right is the infamous pirate, Pinochet, who is said to have 35 wives and more gold than the crown ruler of Regna." The crowd oohed and ahhed.

Pinochet's flagship, the S.S. Golden Snitch, was surprising fast and agile. It closed a few hundred furry-longs and collided with Homer's Odyssey. Pirates of all shapes and sizes started boarding the ship with murderous, or at least vandelous, intent gleaming in their eyes\eye patches.

Homer, not to be outdone, summoned his crew and the battle began. The heroes joined the battle when a rather salty dog stole a plate of food off the parties patio furniture. A few strokes of axe and mace reduced the dog to a...dog. Sara sniped the more able looking with her bow while chatting about the weather. Grom staved off his fireball( fire doesn't work well when ships are locked) and just cast Toxic Cloud a few times. Robin was busy healing the defending privateers and knocking out pirates that tried to pinch her. Manny was looking rather buoyant, he had fallen off the ship, but he was now on the Golden Snitch and hacking anything withing reach. The ships decorator fainted when the designer masts were chopped. The heroes were a big help, but even they could not stem the tide of pirates coming out of every cranny of the ship. Must be a clown ship.

But fear not, for who is that on the horizon?! None other than Sinbad! Great pirate and good person of the seas. With more girls on his arms than he knows what to do with, and a metal parrot, he sails the seas in search of treasure and adventure. Being a good captain, he sails his ship right into Pinochets.

Grom listened to the narrator and then asked the question, "Wasn't Sinbad mentioned back on Terra?"

Yes he was! Said the Narrator, he is a trans-dimensional pirate! The narrator was cut off as Pinochet was locked into a duel with Sinbad.

---Grudge Match---
Pinochet VS Sinbad

Pinochet throws rocks at Sinbad! Ouch, Sinbad has a headache!

Sinbad whips out his sword and cuts off one of pinochets peg-legs! Ouch, Pinochet has been logged!

Pinochet cries for mercy! It is ineffective!

Sinbad does fancy pirate-karate and gets a critical hit! Pinochet is hurting!

Pinochet confesses his sins and joins the priesthood! Sinbad grimaces!

Sinbad uses the Chains of Promethia and binds Pinochet! It is super-effective!

BATTLE WON!!!

Sinbad is victorious and now has a prisoner to haul to Ironfist for a very generous reward. The party and Homer's crew get a fourth of Pinochets stash (The party gets 25,000 gold) and they bid each other fair well and sail in different directions.

The Odyssey has a rather big hole from being hit by the Snitch, but Mist is only a few furry-longs away. They make it safe and sound and rather richer. The captain is very grateful and added that he will recomend them at the ports he visits. (Big fame increase)(New title, "Avast ye Heroes!" added)

The party walks the docks to Mist, which is a medium sized island and they make reservations at a moderately priced tavern.

(Shout out to Sinbad who is featured here. Also, I completed a chapter in 2 weeks! Woohoo!)

Are you a Fan of Tales Of The Stella de Ora? Have any opinions or thoughts that you think may enlighten other fans or the Author on his crystal throne? Have any questions or comments on the sea voyage? Then leave a post in this topic and the Author will do his best to respond. What would you do for a Klondike bar? The Order of Baa welcomes you friend!

This post has been edited by Demosthene on Aug 28 2007, 08:45 AM

Wow, that took a while to finish. I blame health, poor sleep, and full moon. >.> Moon.... Moon.....Blue moon... (Lunar Eclipse tonight...Moon) Oh and theres still like 23 hours to submit your answer to the last quiz! So~ yeah...post or something even if its not the right answer... It just might be.

Ok, so no entries into the quiz. The answer to "What is the name of the last Governor, before the Silence, of the world that contains Enroth, Erathia, Jadame, and Karigor?" is, to the best of my knowledge, Padish. Though he technically is Colonial Governor during the early years of the Silence, so.... yeah."

Also, thanks for the posts. Hearing from people is nice. Fans rock. Or whatever their prefered musical style.

NEW QUIZ! This quiz will end two weeks from now, Wednesday September 12 (I think). The Question is "In Might and Magic 6, how did you acquire the Ultimate Light and Dark spells, Divine Intervention and Dark Containment?"

Chapter 14 Silver Mists

It was dark, really dark, like chocolate caught from a pool of shadows. Sara found herself seeing a dragon of red breathing flames at a party who jumped down a well. Then the dragon had some crumpets and ate a few of her fellow companions. And then her Wizbox crashed into millions of frumpy pieces and she lost all kinds of things and her mouse bit her. Worst of all, she learned she was adopted and her parents were really.... Madonna and Donald Trump!

Sara awoke with a start and had some rather painful heart palpatations. Thank goodness it was only a nightmare, she thought. Did this dream have profetic fortellings? Will she be bitten by her pink tufted mouse??? No, no its a dream. A normal one. She had slept in rather late and, now possessing a headache, ran/tripped down the decrepit stairs. Note to adventurers, always sleep in your clothes and armor, especially plate armor.

Downstairs, the tavern was as delapidated as it was last night. Some of the clientel had been brushed away, but there seemed to be more dirt and a sickly smell of old beer and various fluids. She couldn't find her companions here, so she headed back up the stairs and checked their rooms. Nothin'. So with nothing better to do, she left the pub in search of breakfast/lunch/heft brunch. No way was she eating anything from the tavern. Even the biscuits had beards.

Across the street was a small cafe-eatery (an obvious tourist trap), so she walked over. "Hi Sara!" Sara looked over to one of the tables outside the building and saw the rest of the Stella de Ora party having various foods. Manny was eating a protesting slab of meat, some spam, ham, non-green eggs, a piece of dwarf bread, and washed it down with a gallon-mug of brew. Robin caught Sara's gaze and frowned at the meat. Spam was okay though. Robin had a plate of collard green, a bowl of raspberries and widowsweep berries in heavy cream, and a cup of sparkly water. The great poshness that was Grom, had a motley meal of shrimp scampi, spicy roc wings, and a glass of the finest elven wine this side of Erathia. "The roc wings were better on Terra, but the wine is better here", critiqued the Sorceror.

"Why didn't you guys wake me up", asked Sara after she ordered a bowl of weavil-free wheat squares and a glass of sparkling orange juice. (Authors note: This is partially based on my breakfast today, except I DID find a weavil in my cereal.)

"We didn't want to wake you", answered a super-cheerful Robin, obviously the work of blue sky, the sun, and a good meal.

"Walking into a ladies room gets you....arrested", added Grom.

"Know where we can get any work", asked Manny, bits of spam dribbling onto the table to the dismay of other high-brow customers and the owner.

Eww, Sara thought as she said, "Well, we can check the town hall. And Lord Newton is in the castle over there." The castle in question had a pinkish glow around some of the stones and a magical dragon of smoke....I mean puff, floated around and through its spires.

There was a slight pause in the discussion as a wave of space-time continuom seemed to fold, bend, hit L-space, get bounced back by an irate orangutang librarian from a World of a Disc, and wobble back.

"Wow...is it just me or did it feel like an awful lot of time pass", asked Sara.

"The gods are playing bowling!", said the sunny gal.

Manny looked at his spam for a moment then shrugged. Spam shouldn't make people sick or there'd be a warning label on the tin, right beside the 'do not ingest' label written in dark elven for liabilility purposes.

Grom swore at Newton and his magical laws, and remarked, "Sir Albert Newton probably dropped and broke the Hourglass of Time."

Sara looked down at her bowl of cereal somehow eaten in a few bites, and tread the perilous steps towards the town hall. Robin went collecting water flowers, Manny did dwarf stuff, and Grom set about cleaning roc wing sauce off his robe with some success.

The town hall was built almost exactly like the one in New Sorpigal. Inside said building was a firestorm of controversy. Soon to be a hit show on FOX.

"And I say that the Silver Helms are righteous and just and will clean up the place! Plus Mr. Silverhelm is a good golfer, golfer's can't be misguided", yelled a man with a sash that had governor crossed out with mayor scribbled under it in crayon.

"Mr. Scrivner, by now you must see some connection between the missing persons and the Silver Helms", pleaded a man of Sorpigal.

"I'm not listening", shouted Scrivner, who proceeded to munch a choux creme baked in a danish.

The man of Sorpigal took notice of Sara's entrance and walked over. "Greeting Ma'am, I am Charles D'Sorpigal, arms master and 5 year elected guidance councilor to the mayor (Heaven knows mayor's need councilors). I was wondering if you would like a job."

"Sure, its what I came here for", responded a confident and curious Sara.

"The Mayor", Charles pointed at the mayor with his thumb, "does not see how dangerous the Silver Helms actually are. I believe that the missing persons, totalling 51 by last nights count, are connected to their overzelous and misguided crusade. I need someone to storm the Outpost up the hill, beat down the guards, gather incriminating evidence, and bring back my Paddington E. Bear teddy bear. *sniff* Would you mind bumping off the mayor also?"

"Uh.... I don't think we should kill him", Sara looks at the mayor playing with a cup and ball and almost thinks twice about her decision, "...but we could help out with the Silver Helm problem."

"Thank you. I will expect to hear from you soon and... ah, &$&($, put down the crossbow!" This was said to the mayor who was fiddling with a trollish siege weapon.

Sara didn't bother talking with the clerk, who looked like she wasn't hired for her typography or grammatorical skills, and left the office. Hurrying back to the food court she almost tripped over a random object in the middle of the street.

"Hi Sara", Robin shouted from all of 10 feet away.

Grom, who had been dosing off, woke and added, "'Bout time, its what?,,,,Februrary 8...."

Manny was on his 32 black forest ale and was in no condition to say anything except, "Agh! Dwarvishhhh Shteriotips!"

Sara explained the quest to the company and since it was money, consented to her arrangement. They paid the hefty tab (black forest ales will cost you a bob for one and bob's uncle for 6) and meandered up the street to the outpost.

The first thing most people will think when they see the Silver Helm Outpost is "I wish my boots didn't have holes in them". The second is on how much of a fortress it is. On an island with like 50 people, a mini-fortress seems to be a bit over done. It also had 2 guards stationed outside, but they weren't paid well so they shirked their jobs a bit. The guard inside was more dilligent and viewed and questioned people through a slidable slot on the door. The reason the party knew this was that it was Halloween, despite it now being Februrary (word doesn't get around to well these days), and several trick or treaters had to answer a few questions to get some candy from the guy inside. The guys outside were busy eating candied apples.

Seeing an opportunity to get inside with little fuss, the party walked up to the door and Grom said half jokingly, "Trick or treat." The slot opened and a man peered through it while saying, "You aren't wearing a costume! Halloween needs costumes!" Where-upon he slammed the slot shut.

"We need to get some costumes", said a cheerful Robin, who had already thought of one she wanted.

A short while later the group had their costumes and returned. They knocked and yelled trick or treat, rather an odd sight among adults, and the slot opened. "Har, what are ye suppossed to be", asked the doorman.

"What", asked Manny who thought his costume should be obvious.

" You need to explain them to me and tell me what ya'll are"

Manny grumbled a bit then said, "I am the great fairy pirate....Amy Poehler.... and I got this because its... it was the last one ok!" He then started to sob uncontrollably. Being in a strange lace and skin tight leather outfit will do that to you.

"Ah", nodded the doorman who seemed to like the revealing suit. "And what are you", he said towards Grom.

"I am Elminster's necromancer twin brother, Aerocern! Fear my dark arts and ultimate power!" Grom seemed to be enjoying this a bit more than was healthy for himself.

"Ok", said the doorman haphazardly. He repeated the question for Robin.

Robin curtseyed and said, "I am Robin-chan! One of the edible girls from Mino in the mystical land of Japan! I clean up people with bleach! I can't read!" For those not familiar with her outfit, not surprising as how non can see her, she was the epitome of Ganguro and excess.

The guard looked at her fake-tanned face and guady apparel and looked on the verge of tears. He half-sobbed his question to Sara, who did look a bit embarrased to be with this group.

"Uh, I really am not sure what it is. I think the tag said something like "Armored Knuckle, amaze your friends, slaughter your enemies". I got it because, uh, it was the least revealing or weird *glancing over at Amy Poehler and Robin-chan*. And it has this pretty cool double bladed axe, heavy though", she added as she almost dropped it on a local. The armor was very heavy plate with a full helmet and was stylized in gold. It cost a pretty penny, but was worth it. She was planning on learning plate if she could get a writ of cheat from the gods.

The man was appreciative of the fine armor with how he stared at it, especially the axe, and stated, "Ok, just give me a minute to get this door open."

The door opened slowly and the man hobbled out a couple feet with four treat bags. Thinking fast Sara kicked him down South *hard* and rushed through the passageway. Those plated boots sure do a lot of damage. Guy should have been wearing a protector.

Robin-chan grabbed some candy and skipped inside. Manny slunk inside admidst a few stares and creepy looks from the locals. Grom waited a few seconds after the others were inside and cast a few painful looking spells into the doorman. The guard wouldn't pose a threat for many hours and many first aids and Grom walked calmly inside and shut the door. Some may wonder what the guards outside were doing. Well, they thought seeing their supperior getting zapped was a hoot, so they allowed it. And they were half basted off of candy corn and candy apples.


Little author's side note: Sara's costume is from Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask. Robins costume is from "Mid Night Cooking" from the strange Japanese late-night tv show "Vermillion Pleasure Night", or VPN, look all 3 up on Youtube! And yes this is a short chapter.

Are you a Fan of Tales Of The Stella de Ora? Have any opinions or thoughts that you think may enlighten other fans or the Author on his crystal throne? Have any questions or comments on this strange multi-season episode? Then leave a post in this topic and the Author will do his best to respond. How many people does it take for a rug to be hugged? You don't have enough gold!

This post has been edited by Demosthene on Feb 8 2008, 12:42 PM

Hey there, again I did not find the time to read through this, I hope I will find it later on ... at the moment I am EXTREMELY busy and tired because I have a lot of work and besides that I still do time-affording hobbies so well I have very little time left, unfortunately. I will, however, post a comment once I read this new passage.

Excellent work. I don't remember enough of the individuals you meet along the way, but you brought back fond memories of Isles of Terra.

Somehow you need to work the phrase "You want a piece of me, punk!" into a story. I always like characters that talk some smack.

Hey ya'll! Sorry about the lack of updates, but life has been interfering. Bouts of sickness, old computer dying-ish, new computer, getting new computer to work, getting new internet provider, even more bouts of various disease, and also feeling very run-down. Damn chariot races. Anyway, I plan to finish the last chapter and start the next as soon as I am feeling better. (looking forward to doc appointment in a week or two, so yay!) Cheers!

Heh I am ill too, annoying thing those diseases, huh?! Though it's only a cold for me.

Zoot! Completed previous chapter! Check above for it! Its chapter 14 Silver Mists. Wow, its been almost 3 1/2 months since I last wrote anything in it. Not bad considering all the things going on, but still feeling a bit guilty. Not so much now though. Hehe. Stay tuned for more flowery goodness complete with uni cookies!