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Adventures in the Eastern Provinces
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<blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 5187123" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p>There is a story that some of the Double Javelins tell at times- a story about the time that a captured brigand outrider tried not to tell the warriors that caught him where his fellow brigands were.</p><p></p><p>The story relates some of the brutal techniques that the team of Double Javelins, led by a young, proud, violent man named Kane used. By the time their captive gave up the information that they wanted, it was too late for him to ever recover without supernatural help. The grim enthusiasm that young Kane had shown had gone a long way towards establishing his reputation as a man that should not be crossed. Later indiscretions in the local taverns had further cemented that reputation with a thick mortar of blood and gore.</p><p></p><p>Is it any wonder, then, that when he sees Kane cracking his knuckles and smiling darkly, the Double Javelin prisoner that our heroes have obtained doesn't even try to hold out? </p><p></p><p>After all, why wait until he doesn't have any fingers left?</p><p></p><p>He tells the party everything that they want to hear- or rather, what they <em>need</em> to hear.</p><p></p><p>“Thannix sent us to find something,” he explains. “A... a weapon.”</p><p></p><p>“What kind of weapon?” demands Kane. </p><p></p><p>“I don't exactly know. He said we would know it when we see it. We were to look for crystals on it. But it's... ancient.” </p><p></p><p><em>Crystals,</em> thinks Shifty. <em>Those damn crystals again.</em></p><p></p><p>“What do you mean, ancient?” asks Karl.</p><p></p><p>The Double Javelins shrugs helplessly, then blanches as Kane starts to move towards him. “I can show you as far as we got looking for it,” he says quickly. “We- we had directions. There's a... a metal road. Underground.”</p><p></p><p>Our heroes exchange glances.</p><p></p><p>“I can take you there. We hadn't found the weapon yet... but it's down that roadway somewhere, off a side passage. Are... are you going to let me go?”</p><p></p><p>“If you are cooperative enough,” says Shar, “we'll spare you.”</p><p></p><p>“But you aren't going back to the Double Javelins,” adds Shifty. “Try that, and we'll kill you for sure.”</p><p></p><p>The heroes draw off to the side to talk about this new intelligence. It is plain that the weapon, whatever it may be, is a direct danger to their dominion. Thannix has already proven that his intentions are hostile by seizing Woodcut; with an ancient weapon powered by those strange crystals, who knows what kind of danger he would present? Clearly, the party must stop him from obtaining it.</p><p></p><p>“And what about you?” Shar asks their newest companion, Lithieln. “If you'd care to join us on this mission, we'd be happy to have you, continuing our arrangement.”</p><p></p><p>“I have to admit, you have aroused my curiosity with all this talk of metal roads and ancient weapons,” the assassin responds. “I'll come, at least for the moment.”</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Their captive, true to his word, leads them through the ruins until they reach a passage from an old basement that descends into the earth. Clearly artificial, it is supported by rotting timbers. It is just wide enough for two of them to walk abreast. Karl and one of Shar's sunrods light their way. After less than an eighth of a mile, the passage abruptly spills into a much wider, perpendicular passage, also clearly artificial. And, yes, the ground is lined in metal.</p><p></p><p>Shifty turns to the Double Javelin. “All right, you've played it straight so far,” he says. “Which way is the weapon?”</p><p></p><p>“We were told to head to the right once we reached it. But the side passage is some ways distant, and the tunnel may be stalked by monsters.”</p><p></p><p>Shar nods. “Very well. You have done all that we asked, and so we will honor our words as well. You may go. But if you return to the Double Javelins, we will show you no mercy.”</p><p></p><p>“Neither will Thannix,” adds Kane with a smirk, “since you have failed him.”</p><p></p><p>The mercenary's face goes pale. “As you say,” he mumbles at last, and then turns and hurries away, back towards the surface.</p><p></p><p>“All right,” says Shar then, “everyone be on guard. Let's go.”</p><p></p><p>They begin to progress down the metal roadway. It is clearly a roadway, with strange tracks in the ground in places. The sides have raised railings, although in places falling rocks or other events over the millenia have knocked parts of the railing away. Nonetheless, in many area near the railing there are series of hieroglyphics or pictographs of some kind. They seem to depict a society run by cat-folk of some kind.</p><p></p><p>“This might be a relic of the Miloxi Empire,” Karl says. “A very old empire of a race called the tabaxi- basically cat people. The crystals imply that, too.”</p><p></p><p>The move along for hours. The roadway does indeed prove to have creatures haunting it; at one point, the party is attacked by a diseased, garotte-wielding humanoid. As they battle, a collection of weird, incorporeal things that look like floating, tentacled pancakes moves in to feed off of the energy of the fight, attempting to eat the thoughts of our heroes as well. But the party has learned to work together by now; they quickly cut their enemies down and move on, although Shar comes down with a mild case of the meazels from the fight. </p><p></p><p>Finally, after another hour and a half, they come to a metal door to the side.</p><p></p><p>“This is probably it,” says Shar. </p><p></p><p>“Let's find out,” says Kane, pushing the door open. It swings open soundlessly, and the ceiling of the dark chamber before them starts to glow, dimly at first and then brightening. </p><p></p><p>The room revealed has two doors leading from it; but far more interesting, there is a panel covered with switches, buttons and levers. Little lights on it are flickering to life. Unfortunately our heroes have no time to take the scene in- for a pair of mechanical beasts, shaped like pumas, rush forward to attack. </p><p></p><p>Immediately, Kane strides to meet them, his axe whistling as he swings it into one of the leaping clockwork constructs with a metallic clang, knocking it back. Then he advances towards the other while the first scrambles back to its feet. </p><p></p><p>Karl zaps both of the cat-things with a <em>scorching burst</em> while Shar, Lithieln and Shifty follow hot on Kane's heels. A sudden racheting sound catches Shar's ears, and she watches in horror as four hatches in the ceiling sphincter open, releasing long metal tentacles crackling with electricity. “Look out!” she cries.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>WHAM!</strong></em> Shifty is smacked hard and flies back into the wall with a yelp. He struggles back to his feet even as the cat-constructs bound towards him. Fortunately, Kane is there, and he swings his axe at the already wounded thing, dealing severe damage to it. Shifty follows this up with an expert thrust that transfixes the machine. Oil and smoke pour out of it and a strange burning smell* wafts up.</p><p></p><p>The other clockwork puma gathers itself to spring, but Lithieln grabs its shadow and jerks it off its feet. It struggles to right itself, but Karl blasts it with a <em>magic missile</em> and Shar hacks at it, denting and finally shearing through its metal plating. The cat-thing spasms and goes still, sending up a cloud of blue sparks. </p><p></p><p>Then a metal tentacle wraps around her feet and yanks her up, dangling her above the ground. Shar gives a startled cry that quickly turns into an agonized howl as electricity courses through the tentacle, delivering a punishing jolt to her.</p><p></p><p>“Husband!” she cries. “Help me!”</p><p></p><p>Shifty and Kane both spring to her aid, cutting at the tentacle gripping her; but before they can make much progress, another of the metal limbs smashes into Kane, knocking him away. He falls to the ground with a crash, then springs right back up and wrestles with the tentacle holding him. He grunts as the cords of his muscles go taut, standing out like steel cables as he struggles with the inhuman strength of the defensive trap.</p><p></p><p>Lithieln hurls <em>shadow darts</em> at the tentacle holding Shar, and they impact just like they were made of metal or wood, leaving small smoking dimples in the tentacle. With a grunt, Shar hews the tentacle holding her with her sword, and Karl goes into a <em>wizard's fury,</em> firing multiple <em>magic missiles</em> at it in a volley. The little darts of force blast the tentacle in the spot where Lithieln has already weakened it, and the first tentacle is blasted free of the ceiling. Shar throws herself free of it and comes up on her feet in time to take a blow to the head from another of the tentacles. She staggers back, groaning in pain, and pronounces a <em>healing word</em> on herself.</p><p></p><p>The tentacle holding Kane thrashes around as he goes into a rage and breaks free of its grip, then aims a mighty swing of his greataxe at it. It comes in, snake-like, for another strike at him, but he bats it away- and Shifty springs in, thrusting his <em>subtle shortsword</em> in through a rent in its metal housing. Sparks rise up and the strange burning smell comes again as the second tentacle goes limp.</p><p></p><p>Now there are only two. Karl keeps up a steady barrage of <em>magic missiles</em> while the others engage at closer range. Kane and Shifty beat at one of them while Shar and Lithieln fend off the other. Soon only the last tentacle remains, and although it manages to send another jolt of electricity through Kane before the battle is won, won it is. </p><p></p><p>A quick fight- but an intense one. Our heroes are worn and wounded. They take a few moments to rest, then examine their surroundings more thoroughly. There are two doors out of the chamber. The control panel proves to have a bewildering array of buttons, levers and switches on it, as well as several dials and indicators. For now, the party decides to leave it alone. </p><p></p><p>The two doors, then. The first one- the one in the back left corner of the chamber- leads to a short, metal-lined hallway that extends about 20' before ending in another metal door. Behind this are more controls. The other door out of the first room is locked, and for the moment, the party decides to leave it that way. </p><p></p><p>“Let's camp here,” suggests Karl. “I've expended a number of my big spells, and I'd like to recover them before we fight anything else.”</p><p></p><p>“Sure,” agrees Shar. “Sounds good.”</p><p></p><p>However, there is one small complication: they cannot figure out how to close the outer door to the metal roadway. They debate messing around with the controls, but decide against it for now. Instead, they set their camp up in the inner chamber, since they are able to open and close the door to the entry chamber with ease. Then they set up camp and watches and settle in for the night.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Grouff poured over the sheet of crystal, carefully translating it a word at a time. She was transcribing it into the thick tome next to her. Carefully scriven in the ink of a kraken, sealed in scent and blood, the meaning of the ancient Miloxi words would be taken from the degenerate tabaxi that survived and given to the Great Pack.</p><p></p><p>Had she had lips, Grouff might have smiled at the irony. She was damn sure that the ancient Miloxi had smiled when they had made dog-folk to serve them- raising up the canus from common dogs, manipulating the formerly far more lizard-like kobolds, discarding the gnolls as failed experiments. <em>Who knows how many other cousin species we have?</em> the canus thought bitterly. <em>How many went extinct because the Miloxi Empire considered them unfit? Oh, it was hubris that led you to attempt to twist the natural order by turning your predators into servants. And how did that work out for you in the end? Nobody remembers what really destroyed your empire, do they? But I'll bet we had a hand in it- just as we have a hand, now, in ensuring that your kind remains hunted and driven. The day will come when the last tabaxi lies before us, and we tear out its throat; I only hope that day comes in my lifetime.</em></p><p></p><p>Grouff became aware of the technician nearby fidgeting. She smiled mentally, but outwardly she merely fixed him with a hard stare. He quelled immediately. While she couldn't help but applaud his eagerness to get started, she still had to ensure that he knew who the alpha bitch was. So she rose and stalked towards him. His ears flattened against his skull and he lowered his head. His tail tucked between his legs. His manner told her all that she needed to know: he knew his place. She need do nothing more; she returned to her work. </p><p></p><p>After a few more moments, she said, “I have nearly completed your copy of the ritual.”</p><p></p><p>“Thank you, Alpha,” he whined. He was still afraid; good. </p><p></p><p>“You will leave immediately when it is ready,” she continued. “It is possible that the weapon cannot be moved; you may need to master the ritual and perform it there. If so, you will need to send one of the omegas back for components. If the weapon can be moved back here first, that is preferable and will allow us to check it for traps laid against our kind.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, Alpha.”</p><p></p><p>“Under no circumstances are you to bind the weapon to any non-canus.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, Alpha.” </p><p></p><p>Grouff nodded. “The final characters,” she pronounced with satisfaction as she carefully transcribed the last of the ancient ritual. Then she sprinkled fine black sand on the ink to help it set. Together, she and the technician waited patiently as the ink dried. He could hardly contain himself again; his tail was wagging spastically back and forth.</p><p></p><p>Finally she closed the book and handed it to him. “Go,” she said. “Do not fail.”</p><p></p><p>“Of course,” the technician replied.</p><p></p><p>“Take Lur, his dog and several lackeys. Leave immediately. Waste no time. Go!” she barked.</p><p></p><p>The technician hurried off to gather his allies. Lur would ensure there were no mistakes, Grouff knew; that technician was too weak to lead. He belonged in the third rank, but there weren't enough of the Pack present to spare a better second for Lur. </p><p></p><p>Well, it shouldn't take more than a few hours for the team to reach the weapon. It would be long before dawn.</p><p></p><p>Time to play with the tabaxi some more. Grouff smiled viciously.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Next Time:</strong></em> Ambushed by canus! What is the weapon?</p><p></p><p></p><p>*Most pcs in my world are unfamiliar with the smell of an electrical fire. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 5187123, member: 1210"] There is a story that some of the Double Javelins tell at times- a story about the time that a captured brigand outrider tried not to tell the warriors that caught him where his fellow brigands were. The story relates some of the brutal techniques that the team of Double Javelins, led by a young, proud, violent man named Kane used. By the time their captive gave up the information that they wanted, it was too late for him to ever recover without supernatural help. The grim enthusiasm that young Kane had shown had gone a long way towards establishing his reputation as a man that should not be crossed. Later indiscretions in the local taverns had further cemented that reputation with a thick mortar of blood and gore. Is it any wonder, then, that when he sees Kane cracking his knuckles and smiling darkly, the Double Javelin prisoner that our heroes have obtained doesn't even try to hold out? After all, why wait until he doesn't have any fingers left? He tells the party everything that they want to hear- or rather, what they [i]need[/i] to hear. “Thannix sent us to find something,” he explains. “A... a weapon.” “What kind of weapon?” demands Kane. “I don't exactly know. He said we would know it when we see it. We were to look for crystals on it. But it's... ancient.” [i]Crystals,[/i] thinks Shifty. [i]Those damn crystals again.[/i] “What do you mean, ancient?” asks Karl. The Double Javelins shrugs helplessly, then blanches as Kane starts to move towards him. “I can show you as far as we got looking for it,” he says quickly. “We- we had directions. There's a... a metal road. Underground.” Our heroes exchange glances. “I can take you there. We hadn't found the weapon yet... but it's down that roadway somewhere, off a side passage. Are... are you going to let me go?” “If you are cooperative enough,” says Shar, “we'll spare you.” “But you aren't going back to the Double Javelins,” adds Shifty. “Try that, and we'll kill you for sure.” The heroes draw off to the side to talk about this new intelligence. It is plain that the weapon, whatever it may be, is a direct danger to their dominion. Thannix has already proven that his intentions are hostile by seizing Woodcut; with an ancient weapon powered by those strange crystals, who knows what kind of danger he would present? Clearly, the party must stop him from obtaining it. “And what about you?” Shar asks their newest companion, Lithieln. “If you'd care to join us on this mission, we'd be happy to have you, continuing our arrangement.” “I have to admit, you have aroused my curiosity with all this talk of metal roads and ancient weapons,” the assassin responds. “I'll come, at least for the moment.” *** Their captive, true to his word, leads them through the ruins until they reach a passage from an old basement that descends into the earth. Clearly artificial, it is supported by rotting timbers. It is just wide enough for two of them to walk abreast. Karl and one of Shar's sunrods light their way. After less than an eighth of a mile, the passage abruptly spills into a much wider, perpendicular passage, also clearly artificial. And, yes, the ground is lined in metal. Shifty turns to the Double Javelin. “All right, you've played it straight so far,” he says. “Which way is the weapon?” “We were told to head to the right once we reached it. But the side passage is some ways distant, and the tunnel may be stalked by monsters.” Shar nods. “Very well. You have done all that we asked, and so we will honor our words as well. You may go. But if you return to the Double Javelins, we will show you no mercy.” “Neither will Thannix,” adds Kane with a smirk, “since you have failed him.” The mercenary's face goes pale. “As you say,” he mumbles at last, and then turns and hurries away, back towards the surface. “All right,” says Shar then, “everyone be on guard. Let's go.” They begin to progress down the metal roadway. It is clearly a roadway, with strange tracks in the ground in places. The sides have raised railings, although in places falling rocks or other events over the millenia have knocked parts of the railing away. Nonetheless, in many area near the railing there are series of hieroglyphics or pictographs of some kind. They seem to depict a society run by cat-folk of some kind. “This might be a relic of the Miloxi Empire,” Karl says. “A very old empire of a race called the tabaxi- basically cat people. The crystals imply that, too.” The move along for hours. The roadway does indeed prove to have creatures haunting it; at one point, the party is attacked by a diseased, garotte-wielding humanoid. As they battle, a collection of weird, incorporeal things that look like floating, tentacled pancakes moves in to feed off of the energy of the fight, attempting to eat the thoughts of our heroes as well. But the party has learned to work together by now; they quickly cut their enemies down and move on, although Shar comes down with a mild case of the meazels from the fight. Finally, after another hour and a half, they come to a metal door to the side. “This is probably it,” says Shar. “Let's find out,” says Kane, pushing the door open. It swings open soundlessly, and the ceiling of the dark chamber before them starts to glow, dimly at first and then brightening. The room revealed has two doors leading from it; but far more interesting, there is a panel covered with switches, buttons and levers. Little lights on it are flickering to life. Unfortunately our heroes have no time to take the scene in- for a pair of mechanical beasts, shaped like pumas, rush forward to attack. Immediately, Kane strides to meet them, his axe whistling as he swings it into one of the leaping clockwork constructs with a metallic clang, knocking it back. Then he advances towards the other while the first scrambles back to its feet. Karl zaps both of the cat-things with a [i]scorching burst[/i] while Shar, Lithieln and Shifty follow hot on Kane's heels. A sudden racheting sound catches Shar's ears, and she watches in horror as four hatches in the ceiling sphincter open, releasing long metal tentacles crackling with electricity. “Look out!” she cries. [I][b]WHAM![/b][/I][b][/B] Shifty is smacked hard and flies back into the wall with a yelp. He struggles back to his feet even as the cat-constructs bound towards him. Fortunately, Kane is there, and he swings his axe at the already wounded thing, dealing severe damage to it. Shifty follows this up with an expert thrust that transfixes the machine. Oil and smoke pour out of it and a strange burning smell* wafts up. The other clockwork puma gathers itself to spring, but Lithieln grabs its shadow and jerks it off its feet. It struggles to right itself, but Karl blasts it with a [i]magic missile[/i] and Shar hacks at it, denting and finally shearing through its metal plating. The cat-thing spasms and goes still, sending up a cloud of blue sparks. Then a metal tentacle wraps around her feet and yanks her up, dangling her above the ground. Shar gives a startled cry that quickly turns into an agonized howl as electricity courses through the tentacle, delivering a punishing jolt to her. “Husband!” she cries. “Help me!” Shifty and Kane both spring to her aid, cutting at the tentacle gripping her; but before they can make much progress, another of the metal limbs smashes into Kane, knocking him away. He falls to the ground with a crash, then springs right back up and wrestles with the tentacle holding him. He grunts as the cords of his muscles go taut, standing out like steel cables as he struggles with the inhuman strength of the defensive trap. Lithieln hurls [i]shadow darts[/i] at the tentacle holding Shar, and they impact just like they were made of metal or wood, leaving small smoking dimples in the tentacle. With a grunt, Shar hews the tentacle holding her with her sword, and Karl goes into a [i]wizard's fury,[/i] firing multiple [i]magic missiles[/i] at it in a volley. The little darts of force blast the tentacle in the spot where Lithieln has already weakened it, and the first tentacle is blasted free of the ceiling. Shar throws herself free of it and comes up on her feet in time to take a blow to the head from another of the tentacles. She staggers back, groaning in pain, and pronounces a [i]healing word[/i] on herself. The tentacle holding Kane thrashes around as he goes into a rage and breaks free of its grip, then aims a mighty swing of his greataxe at it. It comes in, snake-like, for another strike at him, but he bats it away- and Shifty springs in, thrusting his [i]subtle shortsword[/i] in through a rent in its metal housing. Sparks rise up and the strange burning smell comes again as the second tentacle goes limp. Now there are only two. Karl keeps up a steady barrage of [i]magic missiles[/i] while the others engage at closer range. Kane and Shifty beat at one of them while Shar and Lithieln fend off the other. Soon only the last tentacle remains, and although it manages to send another jolt of electricity through Kane before the battle is won, won it is. A quick fight- but an intense one. Our heroes are worn and wounded. They take a few moments to rest, then examine their surroundings more thoroughly. There are two doors out of the chamber. The control panel proves to have a bewildering array of buttons, levers and switches on it, as well as several dials and indicators. For now, the party decides to leave it alone. The two doors, then. The first one- the one in the back left corner of the chamber- leads to a short, metal-lined hallway that extends about 20' before ending in another metal door. Behind this are more controls. The other door out of the first room is locked, and for the moment, the party decides to leave it that way. “Let's camp here,” suggests Karl. “I've expended a number of my big spells, and I'd like to recover them before we fight anything else.” “Sure,” agrees Shar. “Sounds good.” However, there is one small complication: they cannot figure out how to close the outer door to the metal roadway. They debate messing around with the controls, but decide against it for now. Instead, they set their camp up in the inner chamber, since they are able to open and close the door to the entry chamber with ease. Then they set up camp and watches and settle in for the night. *** Grouff poured over the sheet of crystal, carefully translating it a word at a time. She was transcribing it into the thick tome next to her. Carefully scriven in the ink of a kraken, sealed in scent and blood, the meaning of the ancient Miloxi words would be taken from the degenerate tabaxi that survived and given to the Great Pack. Had she had lips, Grouff might have smiled at the irony. She was damn sure that the ancient Miloxi had smiled when they had made dog-folk to serve them- raising up the canus from common dogs, manipulating the formerly far more lizard-like kobolds, discarding the gnolls as failed experiments. [i]Who knows how many other cousin species we have?[/i] the canus thought bitterly. [i]How many went extinct because the Miloxi Empire considered them unfit? Oh, it was hubris that led you to attempt to twist the natural order by turning your predators into servants. And how did that work out for you in the end? Nobody remembers what really destroyed your empire, do they? But I'll bet we had a hand in it- just as we have a hand, now, in ensuring that your kind remains hunted and driven. The day will come when the last tabaxi lies before us, and we tear out its throat; I only hope that day comes in my lifetime.[/i] Grouff became aware of the technician nearby fidgeting. She smiled mentally, but outwardly she merely fixed him with a hard stare. He quelled immediately. While she couldn't help but applaud his eagerness to get started, she still had to ensure that he knew who the alpha bitch was. So she rose and stalked towards him. His ears flattened against his skull and he lowered his head. His tail tucked between his legs. His manner told her all that she needed to know: he knew his place. She need do nothing more; she returned to her work. After a few more moments, she said, “I have nearly completed your copy of the ritual.” “Thank you, Alpha,” he whined. He was still afraid; good. “You will leave immediately when it is ready,” she continued. “It is possible that the weapon cannot be moved; you may need to master the ritual and perform it there. If so, you will need to send one of the omegas back for components. If the weapon can be moved back here first, that is preferable and will allow us to check it for traps laid against our kind.” “Yes, Alpha.” “Under no circumstances are you to bind the weapon to any non-canus.” “Yes, Alpha.” Grouff nodded. “The final characters,” she pronounced with satisfaction as she carefully transcribed the last of the ancient ritual. Then she sprinkled fine black sand on the ink to help it set. Together, she and the technician waited patiently as the ink dried. He could hardly contain himself again; his tail was wagging spastically back and forth. Finally she closed the book and handed it to him. “Go,” she said. “Do not fail.” “Of course,” the technician replied. “Take Lur, his dog and several lackeys. Leave immediately. Waste no time. Go!” she barked. The technician hurried off to gather his allies. Lur would ensure there were no mistakes, Grouff knew; that technician was too weak to lead. He belonged in the third rank, but there weren't enough of the Pack present to spare a better second for Lur. Well, it shouldn't take more than a few hours for the team to reach the weapon. It would be long before dawn. Time to play with the tabaxi some more. Grouff smiled viciously. [i][b]Next Time:[/b][/i][b][/b] Ambushed by canus! What is the weapon? *Most pcs in my world are unfamiliar with the smell of an electrical fire. :) [/QUOTE]
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