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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 7244252" data-attributes="member: 9546">10 Gozran, 4718 - 8 Desnus, 4718 - Cracks In The Facade“Who…what are you?” Roger asked the disembodied skull“I no longer remember who I was once was,” the skull hissed. “For as long as I can remember I have been called by others The Nameless Tyrant.”“Never heard of you,” Kelvin said in a bored tone. “So what is it exactly that you are offering in exchange for your freedom?”“The secret to life eternal,” the Tyrant repeated.“That’s very vague,” Kelvin said. “I and my two sisters have already discovered that secret. What more is there to know?”“Vampires,” the Tyrant hissed derisively. “Bloodsuckers. You are weak. You cannot walk in the light of day. You fear the trappings of the holy, smelly herbs and shiny trinkets. You do not know true freedom. The secrets that I hold are so much more.”“Yeah, I don’t believe you,” Kelvin said. “We’ll think about it. Tardaesha, put him in the hole.”As the skull protested, Tardaesha unfolded a black cloth on the floor, revealing an extra- dimensional pit. He tossed the jar in and then refolded the hole.Once they’d gathered up the remainder of Eiramanthus’s horde, the companions set about exploring the rest of the tower. The floor above the chess board was filled with a library beyond imagining. An inscription over the lintel read: “Touching a dragon's library without permission is HARMFUL to your health.”“That could be just a general statement,” Kelvin mused, “or it could be an actual warning.”He extended one hand and closed his eyes for a moment.“I sense necromantic energy here,” he said. “Kat, see what you can find.”Katarina rolled her eyes, but slipped into the chamber, muttering under her breath.“Seems to me like the people who are already dead should be the ones testing out the necromancy theory.”She moved among the books for several minutes until at last she found what she was looking for. “There,” she said, turning to Kelvin. “There’s some sort of magical ward centered there.”“I’ve got it from here,” Kelvin said as he entered the room. “Time for the living to make themselves scarce.”As Kat walked out, Kelvin reached out and pulled a book from one of the shelves. Instantly he felt himself blasted by necromantic energy…a blast that would have certainly killed him if he’d not already been dead. Instead he just felt invigorated.“Lovely,” he smiled. The library would take time to catalog, and the others wanted to make sure there were no more of the dragon’s minions around waiting to ambush them, so Kelvin accompanied them further up the tower. The next level was given over to a musty, cramped archive filled almost beyond reason with countless strange texts and tomes. Standing amongst the stacks was an individual draped in a great robe and hood made of some otherworldly fabric. What was immediately apparent was that the creature was not any familiar race, featuring four arms and translucent grey skin. “Ah…hello there,” Tardaesha called out. The creature did not look up from the tome it held in its hands, but did reply in an unintelligible language. Tardaesha looked at Knick-Knack“See if you communicate telepathically,” she said. The little cacodaemon closed his eyes and concentrated for a few moments.“It say it does research,” Knick-Knack said when he opened his eyes again.“I think I recognize its race,” Kelvin said. “It looks like a witchwyrd, though I’ve never heard of one having four arms. Let me give this a try.”He cleared his throat, and then spoke in a soothing, sing-song language.“Who are you?” Kelvin asked. “Why are you here?”The creature answered with a noise like a whistle, followed by many clicks.“But you can just call me the Visitor,” it chuckled. “I was given permission by the dragon to come here and peruse his books. I believe at last I have found a solution to Vargat (more whistling)'s conundrum. The transpositioning of irradiant vectors is transcendentally possible! You see, its been here right before us all along. Consider the Halooth and Vandrissial Vorniths. Child's play I know. But when considered in the light of this text by (much throating clearing) then see, it is possible to conceptualize the fundamental axes of eternity. You need only frombotz the kintoozler.”“I see,” Kelvin nodded, not understanding a word. “Well, Eiramanthus was called away unexpectedly and may not return for a couple of centuries. He left the library in our keeping. Would you be interested in purchasing it?”At this the Visitor did look up. “Purchase?” it asked. “Would Eiramanthus approve of such a thing?”“Oh he’s read all of these hundreds of times,” Kelvin waved dismissively. “He’s grown bored with them. I’m sure he’ll accumulate many more on his travels. So what would you say to…50,000?”“A bargain,” the Visitor smiled. “A pleasure doing business with you.”___________________________________________________________________While Kelvin remained behind to help the Visitor catalog his new library, Grumblejack, Roger and Lemmy set off to search the rest of the island for any survivors. As they flew over one of the crystalline gardens, six winged figures rose up from below to intercept them. The creatures were larger than a man, and their bodies seemed to made of the same crystal that formed the garden. They had four arms and sported a pair of curving horns upon their brows. Immediately the trio wheeled about and flew quickly back towards the dragon’s dome, the gargoyles in close pursuit behind them. Grumblejack reached the dome first.“We’ve got company,” he said when he found Dakota and Tardaesha.“Leave them to me,” Tardaesha smiled.Tardaesha exited the dome disguised as a nun of Iomedae, thanks to the circlet Thorn had given her.“Greetings travelers,” she called to the gargoyles as they circled above her. “How can we be of service?”“You trespass here,” one of the gargoyles rumbled. “You must leave now!”“We are on official business for the Church,” Tardaesha replied, spreading her hands innocently. “Eiramanthus requested our presence here.”“The Master introduces all of his guest to us,” the gargoyle growled. “We are the caretakers. We will take you before him now to confirm your tale.”“Of course,” Tardaesha grinned. As the gargoyles prepared to land, Lemmy sent a blast of rock, soil and mud at the nearest one, entangling it in the debris. Grumblejack stepped in front of another and swung his sword with all of his prodigious strength. The thing shattered like a glass window beneath the impact. From a high window above, Kelvin hurled lightning down upon the guardians. As they tried to leap away from the bolts, Tardaesha seized one of them by the throat and began draining the life out of it through her undead touch. Just before it expired, she plunged her sword through its heart. The remaining gargoyles charged, and one managed to rip into Roger with it’s crystal claws, while another lowered its head and gored Grumblejack in the belly. That was their last gambit. Roger, Lemmy and Grumblejack closed in on them in a killing circle and made short work of them._____________________________________________________________As the companions swept the remainder of the island, Lemmy came upon a strange, trisymmetrical creature calmly munching on crystal in one of the gardens. As the dwarf approached, prepared to dispatch the odd little monster, it surprised him by speaking.“Ah,” it said in a deep, gravelly growl, “have you come to fetch me for my audience with Eiramanthus?”“Er…,” Lemmy stammered, “remind me what you were here fer again?”“Of course,” the creature said politely. “I am Xkr'Xkz'Xko, but you may call me Xekar. I am ambassador for King Bokkakamandu CXLVII Hide-Red-As-Rubies, of the Xorn. I have come here to find out if it is true, that within the hoard of Eiramanthus is to be found the fabled Jundarian Stone, and if so what can be done to acquire the treasure.”“Huh,” Lemmy grunted. “Might be. What’s it look like?”“To your eyes, not like much,” Xekar admitted. “Not much more than a large piece of obsidian.”“What’s it do?” Lemmy pressed.“The Jundarian Stone is a religious artifact of the Xorn,” Xekar explained. “It is a chip of the original great world-mountain from which the elemental plane of earth was born. The Xorn believe that if all the lost stones of the Earth-Mountain can be reassembled, a new golden age of xornic glory will begin. The stone was stolen from us by the Shai-tan, wicked free-willed spirits of the earth. Eiramanthus supposedly won it in a game of riddles with a particularly ingratious Shaitan Noble whom the dragon later ended up having to slay in self-defense to claim this isle.”“Fascinating,” Lemmy said sarcastically. “So how much is it worth to you?”Xekar produced a pouch of flawless rubies.“Is this enough?”“I think that’ll just about do it,” Lemmy grinned._________________________________________________________________As the Ninth Knot made one last sweep through the dragon’s dome before departing, they were surprised to hear the sound of a single pair of hands clapping, the noise echoing and resounding through the great hall.“My lords, ‘tis well done,” a voice called out. “You are once more victorious. It is a shame that your victory will be so short lived.”The companions turned, tensing for another battle, only to see the contract devil Dessiter emerge from the shadows.“We have no time for your riddles, barrister,” Kelvin grumbled. “What are you going on about?”“It is my sad and unwelcome duty to report that you are betrayed,” Dessiter replied, shaking his head in mock-sorrow. “When this mission is complete, I know for certain that you will receive an invitation to visit Cardinal Thorn in his secret fortress far to the north. He named it the Agathium, the place of agony, in parody of the great palace of the House of Darius – the Adarium. He will summon you to his throne and there he will destroy you.”“And why would he do that?” Tardaesha asked skeptically.“Paranoia has seized his mind and driven the Cardinal to madness,” the devil said. “He has grown to fear you. He is terrified that you rise too quickly and someday soon you will supplant him. With every victory, with every deed, he sees the future more and more clearly. It is a future where he is no longer master of the Knot of Thorns.”“How did you come by this information?” Kelvin asked, his eyes narrowed.“I have heard it from the lips of the master himself,” Dessiter shrugged. “Even now, he sets the trap. If you go to the Agathium at my dear sister's invitation, you will die.”“Your sister?” Tardaesha asked. “Tiadora,” Dessiter smiled. “We share a bond ... uncommon amongst devils.”“So she has turned against us as well?” Tardaesha snapped.“Tiadora is bound by spell and oath to the master,” Dessiter said matter-of-factly. “As long as he lives and possesses control of her, she will do his bidding. I doubt she bears you any true malice. She is simply following orders. But if you could free her from Thorn, she would be a useful ally.”“You’ll forgive me,” Kelvin interjected, “but you must admit that this ‘revelation’ is awfully specific and convenient. Why should we trust you?”“A just question, my lords,” Dessiter bowed. “In this time of treachery and dark maneuvering, you should trust no one. I come to you with counsel and a warning. Tiadora has already given you the clay seal. When you break it, she will visit you once more and when she does she will offer to take you to the Agathium. If you do not believe me, then by all means, go. In a way, though you do not trust me, I am trusting you. There is nothing stopping you from betraying me to Cardinal Thorn besides the truth of my warning. No, if I wanted you dead, far easier to do nothing. But you know my warning is true, don't you? You can sense your master's growing distrust of you. Once he appeared to you in person, did he not?. Now he sends only proxies. Why would he do this unless fear of your magnificent power builds up within him? The truth is that he was worried about you since you held the Horn for seven months. That worry turned into genuine fear when you slew Ara-Mathra. And now you are poised to gain the service of Chargammon the Black. Who can blame him for being a little nervous.”“Even so,” Kelvin said. “What’s in it for you to aid us?”“I care not one wit which of you rules Talingarde,” Dessiter laughed. “I would see my infernal master restored to the prominence he deserves and I fear that the Cardinal Thorn is no longer capable of the deed. He is beset by doubts and gripped by fears. This is not the manner of an Asmodean conqueror. In you, I see an alternative. In you, my lords, I see a band far stronger than Cardinal Thorn ever was. You will complete Thorn's plan and return Talingarde to the hands of my master. You will be lords of a new realm where my master is honored above all other gods.”“If you truly think he’s so unworthy,” Tardaesha sneered, “why don’t you just kill him yourself?”“I am but a lowly servant of my dark master, my lords,” the fiend bowed again. “He has given me much, but he has not seen fit to make me powerful enough to deal with one as mighty as the great Cardinal Adrastus Thorn.”“You mentioned that Thorn had doubts and fears,” Kelvin said. “About what, exactly?”“Bronwyn of Balentyne was truly a beauty without compare,” Dessiter replied. “She was so beautiful, she captured the heart of a Cardinal of the Church of Iomedae named Samuel Havelyn. Samuel became obsessed with her and she, alas, fell in love with Samuel's brother, Lord Thomas of Havelyn. Such a tragedy. They had one child before Bronwyn died in child-birth – a son named Richard. That child has now grown to manhood and become a paladin. Cardinal Thorn should be hunting this paladin to the ends of the earth. But he cannot bear to murder his nephew, the last remaining vestige of his beloved Bronwyn's blood. Yes, Cardinal Adrastus Thorn is Samuel Havelyn, and though he never forgave his brother Thomas (even sending you to kill him), he has also never stopped loving Bronwyn. Love clouds his judgment. Love has made him weak. The Paladin threatens our plans. He has left the side of the king and quests to destroy the Tears of Achlys. He rebuilds his band and hunts my master's followers from one end of Talingarde to the other. And yet, Thorn does nothing.”“So what would you have us do?” Tardaesha asked.“You honor me, O great lords, by asking my counsel,” Dessiter demurred. “Complete your mission. Slay the King. But refuse the summons. Instead, you must find the Cardinal's heart. Perhaps you have guessed by now, that the Cardinal is not a living man. By the might of my master, he is reborn – a lich. Like all liches, he is bound to a phylactery. While that survives, Thorn is undefeatable. Find it and you will be able to finally defeat the Cardinal. And then you shall be the master.”“Wait! We signed a contract!” Dakota burst out. “We can't kill Thorn, can we?”“Ah, yes,” Dessiter frowned. “Now we come to the crux of the matter. It is true that you are bound by the Pact of Thorns. To break an oath to my dark master is a serious matter. Even if there are no repercussions while you live, when you eventually die, well what did the contract say? ‘Let they who violate this compact suffer all the wrath of Hell unending?’ Not pleasant to be sure. But fear not. I have found a loophole.”“I can’t wait to hear this,” Kelvin rolled his eyes.““My lords, know that if it were up to me, I would tell you immediately,” Dessiter grinned evilly. “However, I am bound by my dark lord to first demand a task of you. Within the Adarium is a powerful enemy of my lord – Brigit of the Brijidine. She moves against us. Slay her and then I shall rid you of your burden. When the king and Brigit are dead, we shall speak again. Now, if there is nothing else…?”“Wait,” Roger spoke for the first time. “There is one more thing…,”______________________________________________________________________“So we are in accord then?” Roger asked.“I have sworn an oath to the terms of your...contract,” the Nameless Tyrant whispered from inside his crystalline prison. “I will tell you the secrets to immortality, and you will release me.”“Correct,” Roger nodded. “You must first retrieve an item of great power,” the demi-liche said. “It is called the Onyx Chalice. It will greatly decrease the time it will take to craft your phylactery.”“And where, exactly, can I find this chalice?” Roger asked“In the Tomb of the Iron Medusa,” the Tyrant intoned._____________________________________________________________________Chargammon the Black actually laughed...a dark brooding hissing laugh to be sure...but a laugh nonetheless when he looked upon the head of Eiramanthus. Finally, he relented.“It has been a long time since I have feasted upon the flesh of a princess,” the great wyrm growled. “So be it. Tonight is the new moon. One month hence, at the moonless midnight – I will gorge upon the  flesh of House Darius.”Kelvin bowed. “We are grateful for your assistance, Mighty Chargammon.”Chargammon turned then to his son, who was still hiding in the shadows. “Weak and wretched thing, come forth,” he hissed at Jeratheon. For a moment, the son actually hesitated, standing up to his sire, but then Chargammon growled and bit Jeratheon upon the raw spot on the neck where he had been chained. Jeratheon yelped in pain and recoiled. Chargammon seized the moment and pounced, pinning his son against the grotto wall. It seemed for a moment that Chargammon might rip his own son's throat out but instead he spoke again.“You are my greatest failure, my greatest shame. To be captured by filthy birds and rescued by men. I should snap your neck and eat your wretched heart! Death is better than you deserve and it is a mercy I deny you. Instead, I sentence you to a century of servitude. For one hundred years, you shall be slave to the sub-creatures who saved your worthless hide. Obey their every word or I shall see you suffer as you deserve. Get your carcass from my sight!”Jeratheon finally spoke up,“Father, please!  No!”“You dare speak to me!” Chargammon lunged at his son and the terrified Jeratheon broke and fled.Chargammon settled his gaze on the companions. “He's yours now. Treat him as he deserves and return him to me in a hundred years. Now leave, sub-creatures. Return not to my dominion. I will not spare your lives a third time.”_______________________________________________________________Matharyn, the City of Light, was spread across seven hills that overlooked the Danyth River. It was the spiritual heart of all of Talingarde. Over one-hundred thousand souls called it home, and it was this peaceful, thriving, idyllic city that the Nessian Knot sought to destroy and replace with something they insisted could be better.They had left Jeratheon with their other minions in Davaryn on the way, and entered Matharyn at sunset. Kelvin, Dakota and Tardaesha had disguised themselves so as to appear as ‘alive’ as possible. Baroness Vanya, true to her word, had provided them with a serviceable map of the Adarium, the private sanctum of House Markadian. Katarina was to take the map and scout out the place, then return for her companions, hopefully with a reasonable infiltration plan. The Adarium wasn’t even in Matharyn proper, but instead lay on the other side of Cambrian Bay. It wasn’t the only thing there, however, so a ferry ran regularly across the bay, and it was upon this that Kat began her journey. It was no problem for her to get to the Adarium, but the security was tight and its walls high. Kat watched and waited. Eventually her patience was rewarded when she saw a supply wagon arrive. She quickly climbed aboard and concealed herself amidst the wares, and then was simply carried through the gates.Kat leaped from the back of the wagon as it passed the grand entrance to the Adarium. A set of broad marble stairs was flanked on each side by rows of columns supporting a great stone roof. Every conceivable surface was covered by carvings showing both the glory of Iomedae and the great military victories of Markadian I called the Victor.Massive bronze double-doors more than twelve feet high controlled the entrance to the hall. They were flanked by two everburning torches permanently ensconced that burned a royal blue. The portals were not locked and were perfectly balanced. Kat pushed gently on them and they opened silently. As she crossed the threshold, however, she was seized by a searing pain that ran through her body like an electric current. It passed quickly, but left her shaken. Some sort of warding she guessed. She would have to make sure to warn the others about it. The massive front hall, appointed in regal marble and beautiful bronze fixtures, could have held a great number of guests and entertainers, but sat silent and empty. Two side chambers were both large cloak rooms clearly meant to be have been staffed by a pair of servants. In this time of crisis and royal absence, they were empty. Two elegant spiral staircases lead upstairs to the great dome.Kat ignored the stairs for the moment, and instead slipped quietly through an archway on the far side of the hall. The large open chamber beyond was accessed by four more beautiful archways that widened it into almost a courthouse. The walls were adorned in stunning blue marble and in the center of the room was a magnificent fountain. Submerged glowing stones radiated subtle shades of pale light that rippled through the flowing water and illuminated the entire chamber in a rainbow of dancing light. Even Kat had to admire its ethereal beauty. A shame they would have to blow it up. Through one archway, Kat could see a guard post manned for four armored knights. They did not see her and she made her way across the chamber and through one of the other arches. She passed through a large side gallery no doubt intended to entertain guests, which was empty and unused. Still, it remained impressive with beautiful friezes carved in Ansgarian marble depicting the faith, wealth and power of the people of Talingarde. The gallery gave onto a room intended for servants to work preparing food and drink for guests. It was largely packed up and empty, but a stout wooden door on the far side led outside. A servants’ entrance. Kat made a mental note.Beyond the work room was a kitchen and a door from there led Kat straight back into the guard post. The knights never felt so much as a whisper of a breeze as she slipped past them and through the door they were positioned in front of. She found herself in a wide, long passage. The hallway was adorned with countless portraits of members of the House of Darius through the years. There was a painting of the beautiful Princess Bellinda, who looked to Kat to be nothing more than a pretty blonde teenage girl. There were also portraits of the Victor, Markadian II, Markadian IV and the current king. There were a few other pictures that Kat recognized from her knowledge of the local nobility, such as Sir Valin Darian of Farholde, Duke Martin of Daveryn and Bronwyn of Balentyne.  Conspicuously absent was any picture of the late queen, Bellinda’s mother. Many doors opened off of the passage, and behind most of them Kat simply found empty guest rooms. However, at the far end, as she listened at one door she could hear the sound of a quill scribbling and pages turning. On a whim, she knocked. “Yes?” came a voice from the other side.Kat placed her gloved hands against the door, using their magic to peer beyond it. She saw a middle-aged man dressed in courtier’s finery seated at a writing desk. A thin rapier hung from his hip. She removed her hands and knocked once more.“If you knock again,” the man called, “I shall blow that door off its hinges!”To punctuate that, Kat heard the distinct sound of spellcasting, followed by determined footsteps approaching. The door opened abruptly and the man stood there, arcane energy crackling around his fingers. Kat quickly withdrew into the shadows. She waited several minutes until the man retreated back into his quarters. She crept from her hiding place and moved on down the hall. A bit further, she found an alcove with a small spiral stair leading up to the second floor. She marked it but decided to continue her explorations of the ground level. At the end of the hall, beyond a T-junction, she came to a pair of locked double doors. The lock, though superior, proved little challenge for her. She slipped inside and found herself in an antechamber. On either side were two small guard rooms, both empty. At the opposite end was a fine, brocade curtain. She parted it slightly and peered around. The room beyond was what could only be described as opulent.The main bedchamber was ludicrously gigantic, being larger than many nice homes. There was a personal bathing chamber that  included a tub that was big enough to seat four comfortably. Across the chamber stood a locked, sturdy door. Carved above the lintel was a warning:“He that violates this shrine shall gain nothing but ashes, nothing but death.”‘And on that note,’ Kat thought to herself, ‘I think we’re done here.’__________________________________________________________________Kat returned to the main corridor and then slipped up the spiral stair to the second floor. She found herself in another wide corridor, this one L-shaped and lit at intervals by more magical everburning torches. She paused outside a set of wide double-doors and pressed an ear against one of them. She heard a heavy clanking noise from through, like ponderous footsteps. She placed her gloves upon the door and peered beyond. Inside was what looked to be a spacious council chamber. Patrolling the room were four large creatures that resembled walking pot-bellied stoves, belching smoke and fire. “None for me, thanks,” Kat muttered.Most of the other rooms off the hall were unoccupied guest rooms. Behind one door, however, she heard the sound of raucous laughter and heavily accented voices.“Iraens,” she mused. “Now isn’t that interesting? What strange bedfellows war makes.”At the end of the hall was another spiral staircase. Kat ascended and found herself in yet another long corridor. The large empty hall connected all the rooms of the third level of the Adarium. Beautifully constructed, the hallway had arched ceilings and murals upon every wall that displayed the glorious history of the rise of the House of Darius. At the far end of the easternmost part of the ‘T' of the hall sat a single suit of what appeared to be massive, empty suit of mithral armor.“Nope,” Kat whispered. “Not falling for that one.”She moved quietly into a few of the side rooms, again finding mostly unoccupied guest quarters. At one door she heard laughter again, and language that she did not understand. She peered through it with her gloves and saw a unit of dwarven guardsmen drinking and carousing.“Hmmm,” she mused. “Lemmy will interested in that.”At the last door on the hall she bent to listen again. She heard the sounds of whispered prayers. Pressing her gloves against the wood, she saw an elderly man kneeling before a small shrine. Not wanting to draw the attention of the brooding suit of armor, assuming that’s all that it was, Kat wrapped her cloak around her body and instantly transformed into a gray mist that flowed quickly beneath the door. Once on the far side she materialized again, directly behind the old priest. Using the small touch of magic that she knew, she caused the torch in the room to flicker and die. She saw the old man reach for a flask at his belt, but before his feeble hands could grasp it, Kat struck him across the back of the head with a weighty sap. He collapsed in a heap. Kat pulled a heavy sack from her pack and stuffed the priest inside. She knew he would not suffocate, as the extra-dimensional space inside the sack held plenty of air. She secured her prize and then vanished into smoke once more.__________________________________________________________________“I’ll tell you nothing, heathen swine!” The old man spat at Tardaesha from where sat bound and naked on a wooden chair.“Shhhh,” Tardaesha placed a finger to his lips, smiling sweetly. “Just look into my eyes.”The priest tried to turn his head away, but the petite woman before him had a grip like iron. When he then tried to squeeze his eyes shut, Dakota stood behind them and pried his lids open. He couldn’t resist. He gazed into Tardaesha’s red eyes, and then he was hers.“Now,” Tardaesha said, drawing back. “Let’s start with your name.”“Father Isaiah O’Toole,” the priest replied in a monotone, “spiritual advisor to Princess Belinda.”“Is that so?” Tardaesha grinned. “And where is the dear girl?”“In her chambers in the Adarium,” Father O’Toole said. “Who guards her?” Tardaesha asked.“She has a dwarven honor guard,” O’Toole answered, “and the Sleepless Knight, who stands vigil outside her door.”“That’s the suit of armor I was telling you about,” Kat said.“Sir Richard Thomasson, Lord of Havelyn is also her guest,” the priest continued.“Havelyn?” Dakota asked. “Thorn’s nephew? Didn’t we kill him once?”“Yes,” Tardaesha said, her eyes cold. “Then his body mysteriously vanished.”“Ask him about the wizard,” Kat insisted.“Tell us about the wizard in the Adarium,” Tardaesha commanded. “Lord Heironymus Thatch,” O’Toole replied. “The court wizard. Very powerful.”“Is there any way to get past the Sleepless Knight?” Tardaesha asked.“It will not attack the King, the Princess, myself, Lord Heironymus, nor any of the household guard,” said O’Toole.“Interesting,” Tardaesha mused. “Well then. I think it’s time we return to the Adarium. You will accompany us, my good priest. After all, it would be rude to enter the King’s home uninvited.”</blockquote>

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