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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1823997" data-attributes="member: 1210">The Baron of Var9/18/96 O.L.G., 10 p.m., in the city of Fuzia, capitol of the Kingdom of Thule, DorhausRajah’s eyes flickered open.  He felt strange, languid, weak; like he hadn’t eaten or drank in months, yet had not suffered for it.  Now, though, he was ravenous- and could barely move.  He groaned.“He’s awake,” came a voice, and Rajah glanced in its direction.  There was an acolyte of Galador, dressed in clean white raiment, hurrying towards him.  “Water,” croaked Rajah.  Where am I? he thought, disoriented.  The last thing he remembered was... the dryad?  He had spent the night with her... “What happened?” he gasped, as the lad brought him a clay cup of water.  Gratefully, Rajah took it and drank deeply, draining it.  He was dizzy...“Someone found you in a fairy circle,” the young priest explained.  “Rest easy.  You’ll need a night to recover- we’ve seen these things before.  Here, have some food.”  The acolyte offered a tray of biscuits, fruit and cheese to Rajah.“Where am I?”  Rajah started devouring biscuits immediately.“You are in Fuzia.”“Fuzia... this was my destination!”“You were waylaid by the fae folk?”“I... don’t remember what happened.”  Rajah was growing very tired, very rapidly.  He lay back.  “I think I need to sleep.”“Of course.  You will be recovered soon.”But Rajah was already asleep.***9/19/96 O.L.G., 11 a.m.It was satisfying work, helping the beggars and the destitute.  Charlotte smiled to herself.  She had just spent all morning helping to distribute some food and meager aid to the poor.  Her next stop was back at the church, where she reported her deeds and tithed.  Rajah, by this point, was prowling about, eager to get his strength back and already much of the way there.  He overheard part of Lady Charlotte’s conversation, and the name ‘Dexter’ floated to his ear.  After that he watched and waited until Charlotte was leaving, and intercepted her at the edge of the temple’s nave, where he could speak to her without being overheard.  He told her he was an old friend of Dexter’s and Malford’s- correctly guessing that the two would still be together- and once he told her his name (which she had heard Dexter and Malford relate in their stories of their earlier adventures), she scanned him for evil and then took him to them.“Rajah!” exclaimed Malford.  Lochenvare looked at the man who would become known as the Tiger Prince warily.  Dexter grinned and turned his head.  He wore a blindfold, covering the terrible gash that had replaced his eyes and the upper part of his nose.  The old friends embraced and told their tales, and Rajah was introduced to the other members of the party.  His thoughts turned briefly to Lyr and her crew; he wondered how they were.“I have an audience with the King tomorrow,” Malford told Rajah proudly.  “He doesn’t have an heir, and I have these coconuts from this magical tree of fertility in the Parrot Isles... heh heh heh.  I bet I can brew up a potion that will give him an heir, and maybe I can get a position at court as his wizard or something!”  The gnome was plainly very excited by the prospects.  He went on to say that “a king’s gratitude is more wealth than ten thousand gold pieces,” and Dexter smiled wanly.  The thought crossed his mind that his sixty-six coins were probably worth more still.***9/20/96 O.L.G., 1 p.m.King Verrion was very interested in Malford’s proposal.  He was getting old; as a warrior king, he knew that there were inherent dangers in his position.  He needed an heir.  “If your potions work,” he declared, “I will reward you greatly.”So Malford set to work.  Over the few weeks, he clarified, rarified, distilled, reduced, combined, congealed, baked, powdered, scraped and reliquified until he had accomplished his goal: two potions of fertility, that hopefully would overcome whatever >ahem< issues there were that were preventing the King and Queen from producing an heir. Six weeks later, Malford was summoned to a private audience with King Verrion and Queen Ahlissa.  They were sure by now; she was pregnant.  It had worked.  And King Verrion’s court mage (damn, thought Malford, he’s already got one) had indicated through his divinations that it would be a boy.“In thanks,” the King told Malford, “I am going to award you the Barony of Var.”And Malford was speechless.***The Barony of Var was a small area, mostly composed of the plains and valley in the middle northern reaches of the Kingdom of Thule.  It butted up against the Ketzian Mountains.  The largest town, and capitol, was the city of Var.  Malford briefly considered re-naming it after himself, but wisely decided against it. In their first couple of months in Var, the new Baron and his companions began setting up shop in the old, decrepit castle that the last Baron (however long ago) had used.  It needed repairs, for which Malford- sorry, Baron Malford- would need funding.  The adventurers made a foray into the Ketzian Mountains, where they fought and killed a foul, super-quick faerie (Malford defeated it with a color spray).  They also met some ugly blue-skinned creatures that called themselves xvarts.  “These are our mountains!” the little leader of the blue things squeaked.  “And by ours, I mean the Fae Folk!  Believe me, you don’t want to be on bad terms with the Elf-King of Ketzia!”  After a considerable show of force by the xvarts, our heroes retreated, returning to Var, with Malford demanding loudly that the xvarts send this elf-king to speak to him.By this time it was two months into the new year.  And it was only four days after they retreated to Var that the Elf-King arrived.Next Time: The Elf-King of Ketzia!  Is the new Baron of Var in big trouble?  Will all be peaceful?  Is there a problem in Faerieland?  Stay tuned and find out!</blockquote>

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