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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kidjake" data-source="post: 6773226" data-attributes="member: 6776876">Kavos drags Farakim's body into the monster's own fire pit and Eadric uses the last of his Fire Breath to set it aflame. The two of them spend the next hour gathering sticks and fallen branches to stoke the flames higher and eventually a roaring fire sits atop their fallen enemy.They wait until the fire goes out and they can be sure that he's nothing more than scattered ashes before they wearily board Ro'than'dur and return to the Keep.Their new home is bristling with activity when they land in the courtyard around midday. All three of them look as though they've been put through a meat grinder and they wave off their worried townspeople and look for a place to settle down and rest. Kavos retires to his spacious chambers while Eadric and Ro'than'dur pass out in a stable to sleep off their respective beatings.It's just over a day later that they begin stumbling out of their respective holes, cursing their bruised muscles and torn ligaments.Eadric makes his way to Rambalt's lab and turns in the remainder of his 'smart potions' in case he needs them in the future. Explaining that his 'little problem' has resolved itself. He barely hears what Rambalt says in return however because he's too busy ogling the massive, reptilian skull hanging from the mage's ceiling, connected through a series of pipes to a 50 gallon tank.Eadric wordlessly runs a hand over the meticulous workmanship and shakes his head incredulously. Judging from the dimensions, this artificial beast will be almost as large as a house and capable of delivering a breath weapon similar to Ro'than'dur when it's finished."This is..incredible." Eadric murmurs. "You do good work Rambalt. An army of these things will make us invincible!"Rambalt grins appreciatively at the praise. "That actually reminds me, I have a proposition to run by Kavos. Do you know where he's at?"Eadric shrugs and waves upstairs. "Out there, somewhere."Kavos is handling the day to day affairs of the Keep while subtly asking about artists for an upcoming project. While several people know which end of the brush goes against the canvas, only two really stand out for his purposes. An elderly man named Geoff who once worked as a portrait artist before retiring to West Bank and the dwarf known as Blasphemer who dabbled in sculpture in his youth.From Geoff, Kavos commissions a stern portrait of himself to hang in the hallway outside his chambers. Blasphemer is asked to carve Kavos's likeness into the outer walls of the Keep. Neither demands payment for their services hoping to get into the aspiring lord's good graces. Nor does either artist ask what purpose their work could possibly serve, figuring it's none of their business.Before Kavos has a chance to see to the rest of the duties he'd been neglecting during his recovery Rambalt and Eadric approach him, Rambalt glancing around nervously to make sure nobody else is within earshot."I need to speak with you Kavos... It's about Dolph." Rambalt begins.It's Kavos's turn to glance around as he half drags Rambalt to a corner of the courtyard and away from potential eavesdroppers. "What about him?""I've been giving some thought to our...erm, package, and I assume we're not keeping him as a trophy...right?" Rambalt asks.Kavos shakes his head. "Of course not, I'm just waiting for an opportunity to present itself. You may perform any experiments you wish in the meantime.""Actually...I believe the experiment I have in mind may be beyond me." Rambalt admits. "I've examined the body, but what I've got in mind? I can think of less than half a dozen men in the known world that are theoretically capable of pulling it off...and only one that actually has."This catches both Kavos and Eadric's attention. "You'd say that Dolph was a competent opponent, correct?" Rambalt asks the two of them. "That he could potentially be a useful ally if he weren't so...dead."Kavos nods. "Of course. You want to attempt to reanimate him?""That's certainly one way of going about it, though rather wasteful in the long term. What's more useful than a powerful martial artist?" Rambalt asks.Both Kavos and Eadric look at each other and shrug."Five martial artists. Ten. Twenty...a hundred." Rambalt replies."You're talking about making more golems?" Eadric asks in confusion. "Like that lumbering oaf you keep around your lab?"Rambalt shakes his head. "I'm talking about making more DOLPHs.""How?" Kavos asks suspiciously."A former teacher of mine, a brilliant man by the name of Arvyle Vestarn is an alchemist of no small renown. He's mostly disappeared from academic circles in recent years, but I know where he lives." Rambalt explains.Kavos raises an eyebrow. "He can make PEOPLE?"Rambalt nods. "I've personally seen him take a drop of a man's blood and grow an almost exact copy. If we could get him a sample from Dolph...""Then we'd have an army of him..." Eadric finishes the mage's thought.Kavos shakes his head. "I believe you're missing a fatal flaw in this plan Rambalt: Dolph left this world an enemy. Dealing with one was more than difficult, dealing with an army... I don't relish the thought of what they'd do to us.""We replicate the body and the mind, not the will." Rambalt explains. "We'd be creating tools, not allies and certainly not enemies. As strong, fast and hearty as Dolph but completely obedient..."Kavos and Eadric glance at each other again, interest plainly scrawled across their faces.Rambalt quickly scribbles a map onto a piece of parchment and hands it to Kavos. "If you'd like to speak with Arvyle, perhaps have him explain the process, you can find him here. Tell him that I sent you."They prepare horses and supplies for their journey beyond the mountain and Eadric explains the situation to Ro'than'dur, asking the dragon to stay behind to manage the kobolds and to generally keep an eye on things here while they're gone. Ro'than'dur isn't particularly happy about allowing the accident prone kobold to go off on his own, but also knows that if he abandons his followers for too long the littles beasts will start worshipping a rock or bear or something and forget about him.The trek takes almost a week and the pair take the time to fill each other in on their various situations...or at least their own heavily edited versions. Kavos explains to the still confused Eadric about the bandit attack on West Bank that forced the town to relocate and Eadric mentioned that the Unicorn had somehow got possession of a demonic statue which made wishes come true and was using it to continue its bloodline.Neither are happier at the end of the trip than they were at the beginning.Eventually the town of Banner's Pass comes into view and Eadric spurs his horse ahead in a mad dash to be the first to find Arvyle and get this over with. Kavos sighs and continues along at a more leisurely pace.The alchemist Arvyle lives beyond the small town of Banner's Pass, in a home nestled in the woods beyond where most men care to tread any longer. His home is a small one story cottage with a crumbling porch. All of the windows are boarded over, the walls are peeling and the porch appears to be rotting; save for a well used rocking chair by the front door.Eadric sneaks around the cottage but finds more of the same on all sides. The back door is overgrown with bushes and bramles to the point where the plants have literally fused with the wood of the home. Eadric quaffs an invisibility potion and decides to hang around the front door in case an opportunity presents itself to get a better look at their potential ally.Of course the kobold doesn't wait long, as Kavos was only a short ways behind him.As Kavos knocks on the old, decrepit door Eadric sneaks close enough to hear a rustling from inside. After several minutes there's the sound of several locks being undone and the door opens the slightest crack as a bloodshot eye sporting large, very noticeable cataract appears."Hmph?" a creaky voice demands wordlessly.Kavos glances around irritably and leans in towards the door. "Hello, my name is Kavos Dasgrograv and an associate of yours told me that you may be able to offer a very unique service.""I don't sell blueberries anymore!" the wheezing voice nearly shouts. "Those damned gnomes ate them all!"Kavos blinks in surprise. "Ummm, that IS a shame sir, but I didn't come for blueberries. My associate mentioned certain alchemical services that you-""I don't do alchemy anymore!" the wheezing voice shouts again. "Damned gnomes stole all my reagents! They use them to get high you know...right THERE on my front porch!"Kavos starts to say something, but just looks around in confusion. "You...are Arvyle right? The master alchemist that Rambalt told me about?""Rambalt...?" the voice asks softly.The door slams shut for a moment and the sound of a chain being removed is audible, the door starts to inch open once more when it suddenly tries to close once more and the voice begins shouting "No, no, no! Azrael! No!" and with a victorious meow a severely underfed yellow tomcat rushes out of the crack and bolts into the nearby woods.The door swings open and a similarly malnourished, nearly skeletal, old man dressed in filthy rags and sporting broken yellow teeth and a balding head of dark gray hair stands there, a look of absolute betrayal etched on his face."Well..." the elderly alchemist sighs in defeat. "The cat's got out."As Kavos steps into the old man's home and Eadric rushes in, still invisible, they're both hit with the overwhelmingly pungent smell, sound and sight of two dozen completely identical tomcats prowling the darkened interior. The floor is littered with countless forgotten pages which serve as carpet/haphazard litter box for the inhabitants within. Both Kavos and Eadric cover their faces in disgust."So," Kavos begins. "How is it that blueberries assist in alchemy?"The alchemist shakes his head. "Unrelated! Filthy, thieving gnomes. They steal anything not nailed down!"Kavos distastefully steps around as much of the mess as he can while replying "No...not a fan of them myself. Always laughing...plotting... Not that I'm opposed to laughing on principle, just that where I come from they have a saying 'laughter without reason is a sign of stupidity' and gnomes are the epitome of that idiom.""Exactly, exactly!" Arvyle shouts in agreement. "The only thing stupider than a gnome is a mangy, ungrateful CAT." he growls, punting one of the toms across the room and out of his way with a hiss.Arvyle immediately begins panting from the minor exertion as he says "So...Rambalt believes I can help you with something?"Kavos watches the cat bounce off a wall before rejoining its loudly whining brothers once more. "Well...cloning to put it simply. He claimed you could clone a human...though I'm not so sure myself. I've come to hear the workings behind the process before I commit to anything.""Process is simple." Arvyle says dismissively. "Take a little bit of the creature you want more of, remove a piece of its essence a cultivate a new one."The senile alchemist snatches one of the cats by the scruff of the neck and waves it in front of Kavos's face. "See this! Indistinguishable from the real thing, right?"Kavos has to admit that it is indeed impressive. "What determines the actions of these creatures then? Are they automatons? Do they think or feel?"Snorting unpleasantly, Arvyle explains "You bind the creature to its owner's will before you even start. They give the illusion of thought and will, but that's all it is. An illusion.""So...they're just imitations?" Kavos asks. "Just soulless husks without emotion? How far from the real thing are they?"Arvyle draws a knife and with a terrifyingly practiced motion severs the cloned cat's leg. The cat hisses in pain and anger, but when Arvyle drops it it neither seems to bleed or notice its missing extremity."They act like they're supposed to act...but I decide how they're supposed to act." Arvyle says.Kavos suddenly has realization that this could help him with an unrelated issue as well. "Clone me!" the cleric barks out."What's in it for me?" Arvyle barks back, glaring suspiciously."Well...what do you want?" Kavos asks.Arvyle glances around conspiringly. "Kill those f***ing gnomes! They've pestered me for years...but now it's my chance. My turn for justice... Bring me their leader, their father, so that he can answer for his crimes and I'll do anything you want.""These aren't your run of the mill gnomes I'd assume?" Kavos asks a little irritably at the old man's ravings.Arvyle violently shakes his head. "They're organized! Crafty! I've often sought them out, but I'm an old man and unable to keep up with them... I've been copying Azrael for months now in hopes of sending HIM against them but....""It didn't work?" Kavos offers."It was a poorly conceived plan." Arvyle agrees with a nod.Now during all of this, Eadric had been snooping around Arvyle's home; hoping to get a better sense of their prospective ally. However all he'd discovered was cat droppings, soggy papers and a magically locked door that he couldn't seem to get open without alerting everyone to his presence.As Arvyle mentions wanting to kill the gnomes however, Eadric has a theatric idea and downs an Alter Self extract to assume the form of a short, fat gnome himself. He steps up behind Arvyle, tapping the alchemist on the back as his invisibility fades.Arvyle turns around, a look of absolute horror suddenly appearing on his face."Tadaa-" Eadric starts, apparently intending to showcase his powers of disguise and stealth; only to be cut off by the screaming alchemist. "Gnooooome!" Arvyle shouts, and as one all 24 starving cats begin growling and surrounding the now nervously chuckling Eadric.Before Eadric can even twitch he's buried under a veritable tide of hissing cats. They claws and bite with an overwhelming sense of rage, but at the end of the day they're still just a bunch of half-starved cats and a single burst of Eadric's acid breath turns them all into a distasteful goop."My cats!" Arvyle wails, fumbling in his rags for a potion and downs it in a single drink...before passing out.Eadric stands there in silent confusion for a brief moment before it suddenly strikes him just what's going on and he rushes towards Arvyle's unconscious form in a blind panic. Eadric falls to his knees beside Arvyle and quickly rifles through the alchemists clothes until he finds what he's looking for and tears a dark crystal from around Arvyle's neck, holding it in the air triumphantly.Or at least he does until a manic grin splits his features and the kobold/gnome leaps to his feet to do an excited little dance."Ahahahaha!" Eadric's possessed body shouts, waving the gem over his head as he dances wildly around the room. "I got it! I got one! They'll never see me coming looking like this!"Kavos starts to say something but is cut off by Eadric/Arvyle twirling around him."See? I told you those damned gnomes do nothing but torment me! Ohhhh, but I've got one of them now! I'm gonna sneak in there and burn the whole damned village down, then I'm going to show this one what happens when you melt a man's cats!" Arvyle shouts through Eadric's voice. With a frown, Arvyle adds "Is a tad strange though. Most of them don't vomit acid when you confront them... Most peculiar...."Kavos snatches Arvyle by the shoulders and looks him in the eye. "Arvyle...Arvyle, calm down. I'm sorry, but this isn't a gnome. It's my partner. He has a flair for the dramatic and it often turns against him...like it has now."Arvyle stops in his tracks. "Your partner's a GNOME!?""No!" Kavos quickly responds. "He's just a master of disguise. He's actually a kobold and a very clever one at that.""Oh..." Arvyle says, disappointment on his face. "Wait...but your partner killed my cats!"Kavos stammers for a moment. "Ah...well...yeah, he did do that. But..he uh...probably didn't mean to....? Look, I'm not asking you to forgive him; but I could really use his assistance against the gnomes."With an angry grumble, Arvyle asks "So if I let him go, you'll keep him under control? And get rid of the gnomes for real!?""I'm not going to lie...I have no control over him." Kavos admits. "But if you let him go I'll do everything in my power to dissolve this situation."Arvyle begins grumbling angrily once again and Kavos subtly casts Sanctuary on the alchemist's unconscious body...just in case."I'll let him go as a sign of good faith, I mean I can always make more cats...but not before-" Arvyle starts, but interrupts himself by shoveling handfuls of the 'well used' paper from the floor into his/Eadric's mouth and swallowing between pained gags.Suddenly Arvyle's body sits up and Eadric is himself once more, dry-heaving on the floor and drinking every extract on his person in an attempt to get rid of the horrible taste."I'll kill you!" Eadric manages to shout between gags."One of them had worms!" Arvyle shouts as a bizarre/horrible threat in response.Kavos moves between the two of them and hisses at Eadric to calm down."No!" Eadric shouts, downing a Firebreath extract just to try to burn the taste away. "He put cat poop in my mouth Kavos! Do you have ANY idea what that tastes like?""So you beat an old man to death over a misunderstanding?" Kavos whispers back."No...I'm just going to rough him up some and drag him back to the Keep myself. He can work on our army there whether he wants to or not." Eadric angrily whispers back."You...want to force a man that you beat up, after killing his cats mind you, to create an army of super warriors?" Kavos asks in response. "Repeat that a few times Eadric, how does that sound?""That's...not the point!" Eadric shouts, vaulting over Kavos and towards Arvyle; leaping into the air with a spinning kick towards the alchemist's face. However at the last second he's struck by the effects of Sanctuary and has to pull back; finding himself unable to strike the man no matter how badly he'd like too.Arvyle has already fallen onto the ground and assumed the fetal position and Kavos breathes an inward sigh of relief that Eadric didn't see him casting his protection on the old man.Eadric storms out of the house cursing and heading back towards town."I apologize Arvyle, I have no idea what would make my companion behave so irrationally." Kavos says, bowing low."I thought he was here to steal my heart medicine!" Arvyles shouts in response. "That's what gnomes do you know...they steal your heart medicine when you're not looking..."Closing his eyes to ward off a headache Kavos nods in agreement. "Yes...they love that heart medication. That's just how my father died."Kavos returned to the small town of Banner's Pass to discover that Eadric had already left town, leaving the cleric to deal with the matter of the alchemist and the gnomes by himself.Approaching the only inn/tavern in town, Kavos introduces himself as 'Larnie' to the portly innkeeper and inquires about a room for the night. The inn only has four in all, but since the trading season's passed they're all still available.As the innkeeper prepares the room Kavos tags along probing about the gnomes. "I don't recall if I told you this, but I represent a traveling circus and what brought me out here today was a rumor I heard. I'm looking for some new hands to run the place...small, gnome sized hands to be precise; but they're hard to find. Damned hard to find." Kavos says. "But I heard that there might be some 'round here. You ever hear such a thing?"The innkeeper nods with a laugh. "Most folks around here'll tell you that you're chasing your tail, but I've heard too many strange tales of the little folk in the forest to ignore them. I get travelers from all over through here and almost all the regulars say that they've seen something out there.""Like what?" Kavos asks, his curiosity piqued."Shadows in the brush, giggling and whispers, merchandise disappearing right off the wagon. That forest ain't fit to travel for decent folk and I reckon that's just where a gnome would want to live." the innkeeper says with a shrug."But other people here don't believe in them?" Kavos asks suspiciously."Oh, I reckon everybody knows that gnomes are a thing. They just don't believe we've got any 'round here." the innkeeper explains. "Gnomes might be crazy, but they ain't necessarily stupid. They aren't going to just march into town.""No, I suppose they wouldn't..." Kavos muses, Arvyle's ramblings suddenly seeming slightly less far-fetched. "I'll be heading out in the morning but I'll need some 'supplies'," Kavos says with a wink. "Fetch me up a keg for the road?"The innkeeper laughs and says that he'll have it secured to Kavos's horse by morning.Kavos starts to walk off but then stops, "I don't suppose there's an apothecary in town is there? I've been having trouble sleeping lately and would like a little something to make the night go by easier."The innkeeper shakes his head. "We used to use old Arvyle but...well, he's been slipping in recent years. I'm afraid you won't get much out of him anymore. Miss Edna down th street there has a similar problem though, she always keeps a healthy supply of herbs on hand for emergencies. You could probably buy some off of her if you're desperate."Kavos smiles. "Oh, I'd say desperate is the right word alright."************************************************Kavos wakes up bright and early to discover the keg already loaded onto his horse, true to the innkeeper's word. With a conspiring glance around he stuffs the sleeping herbs he'd purchased off the aging spinster into the keg of ale and corks it back up with a grin.The forest 'path' that the innkeeper spoke of is dense and mostly untrodden, having been abandoned years ago for the Duke's highway, however it's still passable by horse; even if it is slow going.It's almost an hour before Kavos notices figures flitting about in the foliage out of the corner of his eye and another twenty minutes before he notices the faint sound of whispers just up ahead.Kavos continues acting as nonchalant as possible, while following the sounds and shadows as best he can. The sounds grow louder and softer, the shapes closer and further away, as the day goes on.It's almost evening time by the time Kavos hears the steady roar of hushed voices conspiring in the distance and kicks his horse into motion, emerging from the forest and into a clearing that briefly makes him question if he'd already been in the drugged ale without remembering it.In the clearing is a sizable structure roughly 3 stories tall and garishly painted, surrounded by close to 30 patchwork mud huts built in its shadow. Before the great structure is a pair of haphazardly built sculptures which seem to present the image of a wise and powerful gnome in heavy armor, holding a sickle in one hand and a book in the other. The statues are uneven and of questionable quality.Hanging off of every hut, as well as a dozen hastily assembled flag poles are stolen sheets inscribed with 'inspirational' messages such as "Obey!" and "Give what you can, receive what you need."A number of people barely 3ft tall all spin around as one, panic etched on their faces. They're primarily male and each wears a thick white beard, red pointed hat and ragged clothing with a name tag permanently sewed onto their chests.Only a single gnome isn't dressed in rags, instead he wears a rich; silken robe engraved with similar sayings as the flags. The richly dressed gnome glances around like a child caught doing something he isn't supposed to and then slowly converts his sheepish smile into one of bravado and confidence."Welcome human...to the Glorious Gnomish Republic!" the gnome shouts enthusiastically.Kavos glances around at the squalid buildings and the starving gnomes, several of which are simply collapsed face down in the dirt, and attempts a smile. "I wasn't expecting such a....beautiful town." he says pleasantly.A nearby gnome with the word Intellectual stitched into his shirt raises a finger dramatically. "Of course not human. Unlike your people we don't live in the hollowed remains of our own dead."Kavos blinks in confusion. "What...?"The richly dressed gnome steps forward and motions for the 'Intellectual' to shut up. "He only means that the Glorious Gnomish Republic is a fully realized utopia whose majesty can be matched by few."Kavos glances around at the starving citizens, half-finished homes and filth. "I must admit that I have never met gnomes before. Do all of your people like like this?"The richly dressed gnome laughs. "Of course not. Most of them live in the woods like dirty savages."Kavos starts to respond to that and simply shakes his head. "How rude of me to appear unannounced. My name is Kavos Dasgrograv...and you are?"The 'Intellectual' gnome leaps up once again. "This is the Wise and Benevolent Papa Gnome, leader and founder of the Glorious Gnomish Republic!"Kavos nods slowly. "I have been traveling for many days, I went to forage some...uh...blueberries in the woods, but lost my way until I spotted your people among the trees. I would be happy to share my drink with you if I may be permitted to stay for the night."Papa Gnome nods and claps his hands. "We are a hospitable people human, stay as long as you like."Several bulky looking gnomes with Laborer stitched onto their shirts appear and Papa Gnome whispers a few words to them before they run off."We will have a feast in your honor human!" Papa Gnome proclaims loudly. "This should really be a treat!" the Intellectual gnome says, sidling up to Kavos. "Unlike humans we don't eat our guests for their precious protein." Kavos jerks his head towards Intellectual again "What?" he asks, growing a little offended with the gnome's strange generalizations.Several tables are dragged from the large structure and quickly lay it out with a variety of dishes and delicacies of the gnomish people...which is to say it's filled with random mushrooms, berries and dead animals that they found in the woods.Several unhealthily thin gnomes try to crawl towards the feasting area, but receive the butt of a spear slammed into their nose by a pair of gnomes labeled 'Soldier', along with a variety of colorful curses.Papa Gnome smiles and explains "They forget their manners. Guests are served first!""You are truly a hospitable people. I'll tell stories of your generosity and taste for the remainder of my days." Kavos replies with mock sincerity.A handful of gnomes take a seat along with Kavos, Intellectual and Papa Gnome; the clan's patriarch immediately taps into Kavos's keg while the others try not to look directly at it.With a smile, Kavos begins filling mugs and passing them around; though each gnome excuses themself as not being thirsty and passes their drink back up to Papa Gnome who downs it happily.Kavos subtly casts Purify Food and Water on everything that he eats or drinks. Not only to negate the effects of the sleeping herb, but to keep from poisoning himself with the clearly toxic mushrooms the gnomes seem to find so delicious.Kavos barely picks at his food, however the gnomes fall into their meal with reckless abandon; stuffing their faces as though they're starving...except for Papa Gnome who eats like a a-hole trying to hoard food from starving people. It doesn't take long before the pint sized dictator's passed out, face down in his own plate.Kavos chuckles. "I guess he had a little too much to drink."The gnomes look like they've been slapped in the face."Oh, no. Definitely not!" Intellectual pipes in, causing Kavos to groan. "It's highly unlikely that someone as intelligent and farsighted as the Wise and Benevolent Papa Gnome would drink himself into a stupor. No, it's far more likely that being the beacon of effeciency and work ethic that he is, he anticipated a long night of important work ahead of him and as such chose to prepare now with a nap."Kavos is astonished by the sheer volume of the little gnome's BS, but the other gnomes nod approvingly.Intellectual sighs in admiration. "Foresightful as always!"Kavos nods slowly before suggesting that the other gnomes should partake of some ale since it'd be a shame to see it go to waste and they quickly decide that they are in fact thirsty after all. Within only a few moments all of them save for Intellectual have passed out and the annoying little propagandist is all but nodding off in his seat.Smiling, Kavos casts Bestow Curse onto the sleeping form of Papa Gnome; lowering the gnomish leader's Strength score to 0 as he slumbers. He follows it up with a Blind."Perhaps it was a bad idea to share my ale after all." Kavos says with a smile. "Gnomes don't seem to be able to hold their alcohol very well."Intellectual shakes his head slowly. "Nonsense, we simply see the wisdom in the Wise and Benevolent Papa Gnome's actions. How better to improve our own lives than by emulating his?""Then why aren't you asleep?" Kavos asks accusingly. "Is Papa Gnome's example not good enough for you?"Intellectual fights the urge to pass out and shakes his head indignantly. "I know what you humans do to each other when you fall asleep. I'm not going to have ANY of that!"Kavos nods slowly and then smiles broadly. "You know Intellectual...they're true. ALL of the stories are true."Intellectual suddenly sits up in shock, his face going white.Kavos quickly snatches Papa Gnome by the beard and hauls the little gnome up roughly so that he can position him between himself and the other gnomes."Oh my gods!" shouts Intellectual gnome. "Stay out of his ear! Guards, guards!"Once again Kavos just shakes his head in disbelief and wonders where the gnomes get their information. However his amusement is shortlived as the mudhuts very nearly explode with activity, each of them belching out around half a dozen gnomes. Within seconds there literally a hundred or more gnomes storming the street."The Glorious Leader!" a female gnome wails."Somebody save him!"a panicked male answers."He can save himself!" yet another gnome shouts out."He's helpless!" another voice shouts over the rabble."That's no god! He's just a gnome!" an angry soldier shouts accusingly."Blasphemy!" several more voices ring out."Kill him." a bored voice responds."F*** it, revolution!" yet more voices shriek.Kavos holds up his hands in an attempt to keep the crowd calm. "My gnomish friends, please hear my words and hear them well, Papa Gnome was a thief and a liar who sought to lead your community into poverty and servitude! But I[/i} have liberated you!""REVOLUTION!" several more gnomes shout and strike the gnome standing next to them with rocks or fists whether they agree or not."No!" Kavos shouts over the din. "Revolution isn't necessary! Your society can rebuild, you can look towards your leaders for a fresh start! You can-"Suddenly a muscular, barechested gnome with 'Stabby' bloodily carved across his chest bursts out of a nearby mudhut; a full throated scream drowning everybody else out as he stabs Intellectual directly in the head with what appears to be a homemade shiv.Everybody, Kavos included, stands there in shocked silence for almost a minute while Intellectual convulses and dies in front of them..."REVOLUTION!" pretty much every gnome shouts at once, pouncing upon their neighbors with the unbridled conviction of the mad. Without the ever judgmental glare of Papa Gnome watching over them they give into their natural, chaotic impulses and they seemingly couldn't be happier.Kavos breathes a sigh of relief, tosses Papa Gnome over his shoulder and keeps his head down as he makes a beeline for his horse."Well that couldn't have gone better." he mutters happily, sidestepping a pair of gnomes strangling each other with their own belts.One week later.....Eadric arrives at the unicorn's lair and finds the Fire Idol relatively unattended. The kobold approaches the statue and loudly states "Idol, I come to you with a request!""Naturally..." the Idol's voice replies smugly. "But what do I get out of it?""I can grant you freedom. A body to inhabit." Eadric replies coldly.The Fire Idol takes a moment to respond. "A generous proposal. What would you ask in return?"Eadric smiles to himself. "I'm too often plagued by magic. I want that to stop... Permanently.""A mighty request." the Idol replies. "Which I believe deserves a mighty payment. Give me your beast, the dragon Ro'than'dur to be my host."Eadric's eyes shoot open wide. "Idol...you can take my arm if you're in one of those moods, but there's no way in Hell I'm giving you my dragon."The Idol laughs. "No, I've tasted your flesh. It bores me. But perhaps a favor?"Eadric raises an eyebrow."Travel to the Plane of Fire, find the Azer which trapped me within this accursed prison and find a way to set me free. Do this and magic will flow off you like water off a duck." the Idol promises."How?" Eadric asks, his interest secured."Find the Architect, the one which built The Bastille. Only he would know." the Idol explains.Eadric is almost drooling as he says. "You have a deal."Back in present time....Kavos returns to Arvyle's home with Papa Gnome still unconscious in his arms to discover the elderly alchemist's door wide open and Arvyle himself unmoving on his disgusting floor.With a start, Kavos tosses Papa Gnome unceremoniously into a corner and rushes to Arvyle's side; placing a hand on the old man's chest and shouting in surprise as Arvyle sits bolt upright and glances around groggily."Has the cat came back?" Arvyle asks before yawning loudly.Kavos sighs in relief and shakes his head. "Not that I've seen."Arvyle frowns in disappointment until he notices Papa Gnome laying in the corner; at which point he leaps to his feet like a man a quarter of his age and whoops excitedly. "You got him? You got him!" the old man shouts, licking his lips in unsettling anticipation."Yes." Kavos replies, snapping his fingers to return Arvyle's attention to himself. "Now that I've upheld my side of the bargain, I expect you to get to work."Arvyle stares at him in confusion until Kavos mentions the clones.With a surprising amount of skip in his step Arvyle approaches the locked door in his home and knocks a simple melody against it, causing the door to swing open and reveal a set of stairs.Kavos follows the old man down to discover a lab which reminds him considerably of Rambalt's. There are 10 man sized glass tubes evenly arranged around the lab."What exactly would it take to recreate this?" Kavos asks. "Could you, for example, teach me? Or perhaps Rambalt?"Arvyle shakes his head vehemently. "No, no, no, no. I studied for 60 years to get the understanding I needed to make my process work. I doubt you have the time my friend. Perhaps my apprentice could puzzle out my formula, but...well he always preferred other pursuits.""Understandable." Kavos says with a nod, drawing a small box from his pocket which he opens to reveal a perfectly preserved finger from Dolph's corpse. "I need five of this guy." Kavos says, waving around the finger. "And five of me, though only the heads are necessary in my case."Arvyle raises an eyebrow. "Can you do both at once? Or...?" Kavos asks."Yes, yes...I can do it." Arvyle replies, drawing his knife and picking up a nearby bowl. "Though I'll need your blood for the process."Kavos nods, holding out his arm for Arvyle to slice open. The alchemist collects a bowl full before splitting the contents between five glass beakers and settling in to examine them carefully."How long until-" Kavos starts."Shhh!" Arvyle snaps, not even looking up."Sorry, I just-" Kavos begins again."Shh!" Arvyle replies.Irritably, Kavos barks "How long will this take?"Arvyle glances over his shoulder with a frown. "Hrm...I'll let you know in a month."</blockquote>

Verification