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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BoldItalic" data-source="post: 6790628" data-attributes="member: 6777052">The landscape was desolate beyond belief. Not a living thing was to be seen. No grass grew upon the featureless grey boulders that lay tumbled all around and no footprints had ever trod the dust. It had been so for aeons and the air that blew past their faces was not just dead, it had never been alive."What is this place?" cried BoldItalic, "Is this truly where you wished to go? Has that dwarf tricked us?""I think," began Rylnethaz, "that this place is a blank slate. It will become what I truly want it to be, but not until I make it so." He let his imagination wander and announced, with great certainty, "Atop that escarpment yonder, there is a grassy plain where herds of wild horses roam. No more than a mile hence across the plain, lies a small castle atop a hill. The gate lies open to us, and a banquet awaits us in the hall.""Sounds good, but how do you know? Have you been here before?" asked Fingers."No, but I have now wished it," declared Sir Rylnethaz, "and thus it is so. Shall we investigate the castle?"An hour later, they had climbed the escarpment by a sloping path that Sir Rylnethaz spoke into existance and the towers of a castle could indeed be seen across verdant pasturelands. A red banner flew from one of the turrets. Clotbert was troubled and Rylnethaz asked him what was wrong."If that castle is there merely because you wished it to be, then you are become as a god in this place, able to shape reality to your will, and being in the presence of that amount of power is terrifying," he said.Rylnethaz turned to the wizard. "How say you, vizier? he asked. "I imagined a castle, and there is a castle. There is no other explanation, is there?""Well," began BoldItalic, "Theoretically, it is possible that the castle was already there, that you somehow sensed its presence and, that thought having come into your mind, you supposed it to be a wish on your part."Clotbert seized upon this line, which he found much more comforting than the alternative. "That's right," he agreed, nodding his head vigorously, "You wouldn't know. It would just seem as though it was your idea.""Begging your pardon," interrupted Fingers, scuffing his feet on the ground, "But there wouldn't happen to be a small pile of diamonds right here would there?"Rylnethaz turned to him. "I think that's fairly unlikely. But let's try something. I want you to imagine an emerald necklace, like the one the princess was wearing when she died. Close your eyes and think about it very hard."Fingers closed his eyes but didn't have think very hard at all, being acutely aware of what was in his pocket and suddenly realising that Rylnethaz must have known about it all along. He thought very hard about a ruby necklace instead."Now look in your pocket.""Well, that's just amazing. An emerald necklace. And you just conjurered it into existance, just like that! Do you realise just how rich this could make us?" Fingers was cornered. Rylnethaz knew that he knew that Rylnethaz knew and Fingers couldn't very well admit it. Or could he? "Nice try, but it was there in my pocket all along. I stole it from her corpse when no-one was looking. Anyway, she promised it to me.""I know. Now look in your other pocket."Fingers pulled out a ruby necklace that he was quite certain hadn't been there two minutes earlier. Then he fainted as the enormity of it all hit him. Luckily, he was only short so he didn't have far to fall. Clotbert caught him and splashed water over his face to bring him round.Meanwhile, the two elven swordsmen had glanced at each other with 'are you thinking what I'm thinking?' expressions on their faces. They were, and they instantaneously made an unspoken agreement to abandon their plan to report back to the citadel of Gil-Galad when they got the chance and now to side, instead, with Rylnethaz. "We might even get paid," said Heian. "That would make a change," agreed Tharivol.Rylnethaz turned to the two. "I have it in mind to use the castle as a base of operations for a while. I will be putting you two in charge of the castle defences. If you need anything, just ask. Oh, and by the way, in case you are wondering, no, I'm not like Gil-Galad; I can't read your minds. But I am good at guessing.""Very good, sir," replied Tharivol, saluting smartly.</blockquote>

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