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Vincent's Laboratory Notes and Footnotes (Updated December 30, 2007)
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<blockquote data-quote="Altalazar" data-source="post: 3279981" data-attributes="member: 939"><p>Notes – Chapter Thirty-Three – Weak Flesh, but Strong Metal</p><p></p><p> Belor quickly moved to the door, his ear pressed to it. “The hammering is coming from behind here,” he announced. My alabaster friends moved to flank him by the door and we all prepared to enter the room. </p><p> Belor opened the door. We saw a huge room filled with anvils, split by a fast river, spanned by two stone bridges, and three gray dwarves stood pounding metal on metal. Then Belor closed the door. </p><p> A few preparations later, the door was again opened, and we “surprised” them, moving in at the Marshall’s direction at a speed unheard of before in my research. We were across the river and slicing into their flesh before they could even stop hammering their anvils. Or rather, my research assistants and alabaster friends were across the river. I stayed where I could get the best vantage point, near the door. After all, one cannot get good research notes from the thick of the action. One needs to be a detached, neutral observer. I pulled out my notebook and began to transcribe. </p><p> Fascinating how angry they were at being interrupted. They began to hammer at my lab assistants in protest. Their protests were in vain. Even more fascinating were the three more grey dwarves, these ones as large as giants, that appeared from the ether and attacked us. Two were on this side of the river, one of them swinging at me, nearly disrupting my note taking. The third send a spray of colors toward Willow, but they did not affect her. </p><p> The Marshall, still outside the room, moved in to engage the large dwarf on myself, allowing me to properly record what occurred. For instance, were it not for his move, I would never have had such a good vantage point to see and record the rat that jumped out of the shadows at the Marshall and sunk its teeth into his boot, sending a discharge of negative energy with its first bite and a large burst of electrical energy with its second. Were it not for my brave note taking and research acumen, I would not have been able to then discern that this rat was the familiar of the color spraying dwarf, nor would I have been able to deduce that its bursts of energy were spells cast through it by its master. Such knowledge would have been forever lost after we had killed its master, which we of course proceeded to do, after a short delay. </p><p> First, we dispatched the anvil workers. Then we dispatched the two fighters on our side of the river, as they were quickly swarmed by research assistants, alabaster friends, and a wolf. Then the wizard vanished from sight, just as Willow’s summoned spider was bearing down on it. Her spider then climbed over the river, via the ceiling, and began to skitter about on the bank on this side of the river. My careful observations had its mandibles snapping at air, which I dutifully recorded as consistent with the position of the dwarf wizard, who then appeared on our side of the river with a burst of energy against the Marshall, just as he was about to sweep the huge room with a rope. The wizard was back to dwarf stature by then, and he did not last long. I had hoped to interrogate him about various matters, to clarify them for my notes, but I forgot to tell the Marshall to stop because I was in the midst of making a sketch of his change in proportions when the final slice of his flesh ended his life in a spurt of blood. The mute bard, dutiful as always, took a sample of each specimen, something I’d seen him do with each freshly generated corpse on our travels, and this without any direction from me whatsoever! Good laboratory assistants are truly hard to find. </p><p></p><p> Notes – Chapter Thirty-Four – Sinkhole, Angle One – More friends for research – Table flesh is splintered</p><p></p><p> We further explored the room and determined that the river we saw had an eastward flow that ended in a giant sinkhole into darkness. We explored its edges, but left the rest for another exploration, which is more fully explained in my laboratory observations in chapter Thirty-Six. </p><p> Our avenues in that direction exhausted, we opened the southwestern door in the throne room, and discovered a kitchen. Upon our entry, the table there animated and attacked. I had first high hopes for the strength of the table as compared to flesh, but we splintered it quickly, leaving not even a corpse behind to study, though the Mute Bard did take a sample nonetheless. In the room beyond was a pantry, where we rested and recouperated. </p><p> I began to cook some meat stew. I happily and generously offered to share it with all of my hardworking assistants. We had gotten a fresh infusion of supplies in the anvil room, and I looked forward to tasting it, fresh as it was. The Marshall was again reluctant to partake, as was Belor and the Mute Bard. The Marshall said he’d eat the dead rat familiar, but Willow was shocked, as was I. And Willow had already seen that the dead rat would meet a natural end as a meal of natural carrion. Belor and the Marshall then both said they’d eat any ANIMAL flesh that we cooked for them. This was too much and I threw up all over myself and the floor. Animal flesh? How barbaric and disgusting! How could they possibly eat the flesh of animals? “More meat stew anyone?” I asked as I continued to cook, trying to keep the horrid thoughts created by the Marshall out of my mind. Again, they refused, leaving Willow and I the only to partake of my cooking. They really will need to keep their strength up. Flesh is weak. Though it can be tasty. </p><p> The northwestern door from the throne room was next. And inside, to my delight, were corpses and bones! </p><p> Two large pile of bones lay to either side of an altar. A dessicated orc corpse stood before a prostrate dwarven corpse, each in half-plate armor. The Marshall directed my alabaster friends to scout it out, but they found nothing. Then we all entered, and we found something wonderful! The orc stood and attacked, as did two large alabaster beauties! I could hardly contain my excitement, and I almost dropped my skull before I held it forward to them and spoke my calming words. The large skeletons both immediately bowed down to my command, and the orc cowered in the corner. I was so upset that he did not take my commands, but I did keep my researcher’s objectivity as I studied him carefully. From my research, I was able to determine that he was a wight, a rare specimen, that up until now I’d only read about. Such dark, ugly flesh, yet so beautiful. I could feel its beautiful ebony energy flowing from its fingertips as it stood there prostrate before me. Such strong fingers, so dangerous, able to drain the life force of anything living with but a touch. I burned with the desire to have it follow me and obey my every whim, but it just was not to be. With great reluctance, before it could recover from my rebuke, my research assistants slashed its leathery flesh to ribbons, ending its unlife forever. </p><p> And though I could command the two large alabaster beauties, I had to surrender control of two of my less imposing friends. I left them here in this room, this forgotten shrine, to keep the dead dwarf, the great Durgeddin, according to the scribblings of the mute bard, to keep him company. His bones, at least. The Marshall was quickly looting his corpse of his half-plate. </p><p></p><p> Notes – Chapter Thirty-Five – Allip makes my heart flutter, rugs smother me</p><p></p><p> We then went to the last door unopened from the throne room, the northeast door. There we saw a room with two halls leading off of it, and a dark pool in the center of it. And most exciting of all, we saw a floating apparition, dark and misty, like black smoke, that was jabbering and gibbering unintelligibly, moving ever closer. Before it could overtake us, Belor closed the door yet again. </p><p> “An Allip,” I breathed excitedly. “I’ve never seen one in the flesh!” I said, and then corrected myself. “Of course, I meant that literally, since they have no flesh at all and are entirely incorporeal.” I further explained, “They are creatures born of those driven to suicide by madness. And trying to listen to them breeds more madness, for they say nothing but the unintelligible.” What I did not say was that I wondered if there really was something they said, and that researchers had just not figured it out yet. If only I had more time to study it! I hoped I could command it, but from my fleeting feel of it through the open door, it felt very strong, probably too strong for me to control. But I knew I could rebuke it, for nothing I had faced, no matter how strong, could ever stand up to me in all of my travels. I readied my skull and Belor opened the door for me. </p><p> I held aloft the skull and channeled the ebon flow through me as I had done so many times before. The Allip immediately stopped its babble and hovered in the air, rebuked and forlorn. I wished I could study it further, but I knew it would take some time for my alabaster friends to end it. We gave them our two enchanted weapons (which I explained would be necessary to harm it) and then left them to slowly wear it down while I scribbled down notes as fast as my fingers could write them. When it at last faded away to nothing, I felt very sad, and ran forward and tried to get some fleeing feel of its cold form before it vanished entirely. I felt a brief chill, and then nothing at all. </p><p> With a sigh, I returned to my place of good observation from the rear, and we explored the many rooms along the two halls to the east and west. We found nothing of interest in most, though Willow did find a scimitar of exceptional quality in the bony grip of a long-dead explorer (as evidenced by his non-orc and non-dwarf status). We also found a room full of a half dozen alabaster beauties of normal size, which I rebuked and then left in their place for our possible return. And finally, we found a room of some wealth, which included a desk and many papers. I went in at once to collect them, and was nearly enveloped by the large rug that covered the floor. At the Marshall’s urging, I ran out of that room before it could move again and we dispatched it with arrows and fire from the safety of the hall. Then we found the last rooms of all, and met a woman of unearthly beauty, in the literal sense. </p><p></p><p> Notes – Chapter Thirty-Six – The Wizard’s Library and Guest – And Sinkhole, Perspective Two</p><p></p><p> We opened the door to a library, a door left unlocked, but no less a prison. Inside we saw a form quickly resolve itself into a woman of some beauty. But there was something somewhat off about her. Looking closely at her, and remembering what I saw when the door opened, I realized that she was not of this plane. Her name was Idalla, which she quickly told us. What she had failed to tell us, but which the Marshall confronted her with at my urging, was that she was a demon known as a “suck-yoo-buss.” I was unsure exactly what that meant, but knew enough that one should never kiss such a beast unless one was already in the ebon flow. </p><p> Before confronted by the Marshall, she said, “A vile wizard has imprisoned me in this library. Please, tell me I can go free!” At the same time, she worked some magic, which I discerned to be an enchantment to detect those of good hearts. I assumed she found we all met the description, which is why it puzzled me when she later said that her curse “only allows her to leave if one of a good heart gives permission” but that none of our party would be able to help her. Strange, indeed. This curse must also have made her lose her mind. </p><p> The Marshall did convince her with some well-spoken words that, despite our knowledge that she was a demon, “hey, we can work with you” and he promised her that “we will return with someone more suitable for granting your freedom as soon as we are able.” </p><p> She explained that she did not know where the vile wizard was, and when the Marshall asked her how we could trust her if not to attack us if we freed her, she replied, “I have a date with a wizard.” </p><p> After looting the adjoining bedroom, we returned to the hall, where the Marshall decided that if we could not free her one way, another way is just as well, and we fired arrows at her from the safety of the hall outside the library. She shrieked, and then she laughed as all of the arrows bounced harmlessly off of her demon-flesh. I took a great many notes. Perhaps demon flesh is flesh that is not so weak. </p><p> We searched the adjoining hall and found a secret passageway that led to a sinkhole, which by the sound of rushing water beyond our vision, seemed to be another angle on the one we saw before in the forge. And this one had a chain ladder leading down along the side into darkness. We rested again in the kitchen, were I again offered to share my somewhat less-fresh meat, but got no takers but Willow. Then we returned to the sinkhole and descended into darkness. </p><p></p><p> Notes – Chapter Thirty-Seven – The Black Lake </p><p></p><p> At the bottom of the ladder we found a pool of water that collected the flow of the water from above. The water was frothing from the great waterfall from the sinkhole. There was a ledge for us to stand on and a stone bridge leading to the waterfall to the south and then another stone bridge to the east that led to another ledge around the outside of a great, dark, black subterranean lake. </p><p> We first checked the bridge in front of us for safety, and then crossed it, to explore the base of the waterfall. Willow noticed tracks leading in the mud from the water up to the rocky ledge. She said it looked like the tracks of a four legged reptile with a long tail. We all figured she had discovered another reptile like the long-tongued beast we had seen above. We were wrong. </p><p> The Marshall suggested sending my alabaster beauties, particularly the two large ones, to dredge the bottom of the falls to see what they could find that was shiny and valuable. It seemed dubious, at best, but search they did, and one did eventually return to the surface clutching a shiny longsword, glowing with enchantment and stamped with the mark of Durgeddin. </p><p> We then returned to the rocky path and headed toward the second bridge. This bridge was pitted and frail-looking, but still seemed strong enough to hold at least one of us at a time. We carefully crossed over it one by one until we were on the other side, by the lake. Balor saw it first. </p><p> A black reptilian head appeared out of the water in front of us. It took a quick breath and then exhaled a long stream of acid right between our ranks, melting away to nothing one of my poor, large alabaster beauties, right before my eyes! Through my tears, I saw that the Marshall, the Mute Bard, and Willow were also hurt by the acid. Before we could react, the head then disappeared back into the dark, murky water. </p><p> The Marshall ran back across the bridge and back to the ladder, where I joined him with some healing from my wand. He did not look in great shape, though I was still weeping over my alabaster loss. The tears did not prevent me from seeing what happened next. </p><p> Suddenly, bursting forth from the water came the reptile, colored black, standing on the bank and slashing at the Marshall. This was no lizard. This was a black dragon! </p><p> At the Marshall’s direction, my alabaster friends and laboratory assistants all ran back to the Marshall and nearly surrounded the beast, slashing away at its thick hide. I stepped back and let them work. The dragon then slipped back into the water and disappeared. </p><p> Willow send into the water an alligator, summoned from the ether, and I sent in an ether-zombie of my own, to chase it beneath the surface. They were nowhere near it, as it turned out, until it swam back toward the lake, when they both took swipes at its scaled hide. By the time we all returned to where it lay beneath the water, it was ready to spray us with its acid breath again, nearly dissolving away another one of my alabaster beauties! It then turned to flee, cowardly beast, and so I threw into the water every one of my beauties to surround it, and then the Mute Bard screamed a voiceless scream and charged, jumping from the shore and landing upon it, his magical touch changing its skin from black to bright white, making it stand out as a target in the darkness. My alabaster beauties then combined with Willow’s crocodile to tear its flesh to ribbons until it slowly sank down toward the bottom. </p><p> My large alabaster beauty helped us pull the carcass out of the water. We then went to its small island in the lake and recovered its treasure, which included many coins and our last great find, a dwarven waraxe, magical, and stamped with the mark of Durgeddin. Such a find was surely to gather us even more coin from the dwarven collector. </p><p> The Marshall set about carving up the carcass of the dragon for trophies, but I stayed his hand. “I have a much better idea.” </p><p></p><p> Notes – Chapter Thirty-Eight – A Better Idea</p><p></p><p> The complex thus cleared, we packed our finds and I finalized my notes for the journey back. But first I, I sprinkled out on the ground a large circle of silver dust, intoning the words of darkness as I did so. The air grew noticibly colder and I felt the ebon energy flow outwards from the circle to all of my alabaster friends standing nearby. It was a warm, good feeling, one which I felt a fleeting presence from within me fuel before the spell took over and then filled the entire area. </p><p> The ritual thus complete, I sat down on the ground, my legs crossed, and began to play. The tune was melancholy and dark, but it had a beauty to it that I always enjoyed on the few occasions I’d had thus far to play it. The tune on the whistle thus complete, I felt the freshly dug ground beneath me stir. First a claw, then another claw, then a wing appeared, until standing before me was the unliving corpse of the dragon, its flesh only just starting to rot. And its undead flesh awaiting my first command. Yes, a much better idea.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Altalazar, post: 3279981, member: 939"] Notes – Chapter Thirty-Three – Weak Flesh, but Strong Metal Belor quickly moved to the door, his ear pressed to it. “The hammering is coming from behind here,” he announced. My alabaster friends moved to flank him by the door and we all prepared to enter the room. Belor opened the door. We saw a huge room filled with anvils, split by a fast river, spanned by two stone bridges, and three gray dwarves stood pounding metal on metal. Then Belor closed the door. A few preparations later, the door was again opened, and we “surprised” them, moving in at the Marshall’s direction at a speed unheard of before in my research. We were across the river and slicing into their flesh before they could even stop hammering their anvils. Or rather, my research assistants and alabaster friends were across the river. I stayed where I could get the best vantage point, near the door. After all, one cannot get good research notes from the thick of the action. One needs to be a detached, neutral observer. I pulled out my notebook and began to transcribe. Fascinating how angry they were at being interrupted. They began to hammer at my lab assistants in protest. Their protests were in vain. Even more fascinating were the three more grey dwarves, these ones as large as giants, that appeared from the ether and attacked us. Two were on this side of the river, one of them swinging at me, nearly disrupting my note taking. The third send a spray of colors toward Willow, but they did not affect her. The Marshall, still outside the room, moved in to engage the large dwarf on myself, allowing me to properly record what occurred. For instance, were it not for his move, I would never have had such a good vantage point to see and record the rat that jumped out of the shadows at the Marshall and sunk its teeth into his boot, sending a discharge of negative energy with its first bite and a large burst of electrical energy with its second. Were it not for my brave note taking and research acumen, I would not have been able to then discern that this rat was the familiar of the color spraying dwarf, nor would I have been able to deduce that its bursts of energy were spells cast through it by its master. Such knowledge would have been forever lost after we had killed its master, which we of course proceeded to do, after a short delay. First, we dispatched the anvil workers. Then we dispatched the two fighters on our side of the river, as they were quickly swarmed by research assistants, alabaster friends, and a wolf. Then the wizard vanished from sight, just as Willow’s summoned spider was bearing down on it. Her spider then climbed over the river, via the ceiling, and began to skitter about on the bank on this side of the river. My careful observations had its mandibles snapping at air, which I dutifully recorded as consistent with the position of the dwarf wizard, who then appeared on our side of the river with a burst of energy against the Marshall, just as he was about to sweep the huge room with a rope. The wizard was back to dwarf stature by then, and he did not last long. I had hoped to interrogate him about various matters, to clarify them for my notes, but I forgot to tell the Marshall to stop because I was in the midst of making a sketch of his change in proportions when the final slice of his flesh ended his life in a spurt of blood. The mute bard, dutiful as always, took a sample of each specimen, something I’d seen him do with each freshly generated corpse on our travels, and this without any direction from me whatsoever! Good laboratory assistants are truly hard to find. Notes – Chapter Thirty-Four – Sinkhole, Angle One – More friends for research – Table flesh is splintered We further explored the room and determined that the river we saw had an eastward flow that ended in a giant sinkhole into darkness. We explored its edges, but left the rest for another exploration, which is more fully explained in my laboratory observations in chapter Thirty-Six. Our avenues in that direction exhausted, we opened the southwestern door in the throne room, and discovered a kitchen. Upon our entry, the table there animated and attacked. I had first high hopes for the strength of the table as compared to flesh, but we splintered it quickly, leaving not even a corpse behind to study, though the Mute Bard did take a sample nonetheless. In the room beyond was a pantry, where we rested and recouperated. I began to cook some meat stew. I happily and generously offered to share it with all of my hardworking assistants. We had gotten a fresh infusion of supplies in the anvil room, and I looked forward to tasting it, fresh as it was. The Marshall was again reluctant to partake, as was Belor and the Mute Bard. The Marshall said he’d eat the dead rat familiar, but Willow was shocked, as was I. And Willow had already seen that the dead rat would meet a natural end as a meal of natural carrion. Belor and the Marshall then both said they’d eat any ANIMAL flesh that we cooked for them. This was too much and I threw up all over myself and the floor. Animal flesh? How barbaric and disgusting! How could they possibly eat the flesh of animals? “More meat stew anyone?” I asked as I continued to cook, trying to keep the horrid thoughts created by the Marshall out of my mind. Again, they refused, leaving Willow and I the only to partake of my cooking. They really will need to keep their strength up. Flesh is weak. Though it can be tasty. The northwestern door from the throne room was next. And inside, to my delight, were corpses and bones! Two large pile of bones lay to either side of an altar. A dessicated orc corpse stood before a prostrate dwarven corpse, each in half-plate armor. The Marshall directed my alabaster friends to scout it out, but they found nothing. Then we all entered, and we found something wonderful! The orc stood and attacked, as did two large alabaster beauties! I could hardly contain my excitement, and I almost dropped my skull before I held it forward to them and spoke my calming words. The large skeletons both immediately bowed down to my command, and the orc cowered in the corner. I was so upset that he did not take my commands, but I did keep my researcher’s objectivity as I studied him carefully. From my research, I was able to determine that he was a wight, a rare specimen, that up until now I’d only read about. Such dark, ugly flesh, yet so beautiful. I could feel its beautiful ebony energy flowing from its fingertips as it stood there prostrate before me. Such strong fingers, so dangerous, able to drain the life force of anything living with but a touch. I burned with the desire to have it follow me and obey my every whim, but it just was not to be. With great reluctance, before it could recover from my rebuke, my research assistants slashed its leathery flesh to ribbons, ending its unlife forever. And though I could command the two large alabaster beauties, I had to surrender control of two of my less imposing friends. I left them here in this room, this forgotten shrine, to keep the dead dwarf, the great Durgeddin, according to the scribblings of the mute bard, to keep him company. His bones, at least. The Marshall was quickly looting his corpse of his half-plate. Notes – Chapter Thirty-Five – Allip makes my heart flutter, rugs smother me We then went to the last door unopened from the throne room, the northeast door. There we saw a room with two halls leading off of it, and a dark pool in the center of it. And most exciting of all, we saw a floating apparition, dark and misty, like black smoke, that was jabbering and gibbering unintelligibly, moving ever closer. Before it could overtake us, Belor closed the door yet again. “An Allip,” I breathed excitedly. “I’ve never seen one in the flesh!” I said, and then corrected myself. “Of course, I meant that literally, since they have no flesh at all and are entirely incorporeal.” I further explained, “They are creatures born of those driven to suicide by madness. And trying to listen to them breeds more madness, for they say nothing but the unintelligible.” What I did not say was that I wondered if there really was something they said, and that researchers had just not figured it out yet. If only I had more time to study it! I hoped I could command it, but from my fleeting feel of it through the open door, it felt very strong, probably too strong for me to control. But I knew I could rebuke it, for nothing I had faced, no matter how strong, could ever stand up to me in all of my travels. I readied my skull and Belor opened the door for me. I held aloft the skull and channeled the ebon flow through me as I had done so many times before. The Allip immediately stopped its babble and hovered in the air, rebuked and forlorn. I wished I could study it further, but I knew it would take some time for my alabaster friends to end it. We gave them our two enchanted weapons (which I explained would be necessary to harm it) and then left them to slowly wear it down while I scribbled down notes as fast as my fingers could write them. When it at last faded away to nothing, I felt very sad, and ran forward and tried to get some fleeing feel of its cold form before it vanished entirely. I felt a brief chill, and then nothing at all. With a sigh, I returned to my place of good observation from the rear, and we explored the many rooms along the two halls to the east and west. We found nothing of interest in most, though Willow did find a scimitar of exceptional quality in the bony grip of a long-dead explorer (as evidenced by his non-orc and non-dwarf status). We also found a room full of a half dozen alabaster beauties of normal size, which I rebuked and then left in their place for our possible return. And finally, we found a room of some wealth, which included a desk and many papers. I went in at once to collect them, and was nearly enveloped by the large rug that covered the floor. At the Marshall’s urging, I ran out of that room before it could move again and we dispatched it with arrows and fire from the safety of the hall. Then we found the last rooms of all, and met a woman of unearthly beauty, in the literal sense. Notes – Chapter Thirty-Six – The Wizard’s Library and Guest – And Sinkhole, Perspective Two We opened the door to a library, a door left unlocked, but no less a prison. Inside we saw a form quickly resolve itself into a woman of some beauty. But there was something somewhat off about her. Looking closely at her, and remembering what I saw when the door opened, I realized that she was not of this plane. Her name was Idalla, which she quickly told us. What she had failed to tell us, but which the Marshall confronted her with at my urging, was that she was a demon known as a “suck-yoo-buss.” I was unsure exactly what that meant, but knew enough that one should never kiss such a beast unless one was already in the ebon flow. Before confronted by the Marshall, she said, “A vile wizard has imprisoned me in this library. Please, tell me I can go free!” At the same time, she worked some magic, which I discerned to be an enchantment to detect those of good hearts. I assumed she found we all met the description, which is why it puzzled me when she later said that her curse “only allows her to leave if one of a good heart gives permission” but that none of our party would be able to help her. Strange, indeed. This curse must also have made her lose her mind. The Marshall did convince her with some well-spoken words that, despite our knowledge that she was a demon, “hey, we can work with you” and he promised her that “we will return with someone more suitable for granting your freedom as soon as we are able.” She explained that she did not know where the vile wizard was, and when the Marshall asked her how we could trust her if not to attack us if we freed her, she replied, “I have a date with a wizard.” After looting the adjoining bedroom, we returned to the hall, where the Marshall decided that if we could not free her one way, another way is just as well, and we fired arrows at her from the safety of the hall outside the library. She shrieked, and then she laughed as all of the arrows bounced harmlessly off of her demon-flesh. I took a great many notes. Perhaps demon flesh is flesh that is not so weak. We searched the adjoining hall and found a secret passageway that led to a sinkhole, which by the sound of rushing water beyond our vision, seemed to be another angle on the one we saw before in the forge. And this one had a chain ladder leading down along the side into darkness. We rested again in the kitchen, were I again offered to share my somewhat less-fresh meat, but got no takers but Willow. Then we returned to the sinkhole and descended into darkness. Notes – Chapter Thirty-Seven – The Black Lake At the bottom of the ladder we found a pool of water that collected the flow of the water from above. The water was frothing from the great waterfall from the sinkhole. There was a ledge for us to stand on and a stone bridge leading to the waterfall to the south and then another stone bridge to the east that led to another ledge around the outside of a great, dark, black subterranean lake. We first checked the bridge in front of us for safety, and then crossed it, to explore the base of the waterfall. Willow noticed tracks leading in the mud from the water up to the rocky ledge. She said it looked like the tracks of a four legged reptile with a long tail. We all figured she had discovered another reptile like the long-tongued beast we had seen above. We were wrong. The Marshall suggested sending my alabaster beauties, particularly the two large ones, to dredge the bottom of the falls to see what they could find that was shiny and valuable. It seemed dubious, at best, but search they did, and one did eventually return to the surface clutching a shiny longsword, glowing with enchantment and stamped with the mark of Durgeddin. We then returned to the rocky path and headed toward the second bridge. This bridge was pitted and frail-looking, but still seemed strong enough to hold at least one of us at a time. We carefully crossed over it one by one until we were on the other side, by the lake. Balor saw it first. A black reptilian head appeared out of the water in front of us. It took a quick breath and then exhaled a long stream of acid right between our ranks, melting away to nothing one of my poor, large alabaster beauties, right before my eyes! Through my tears, I saw that the Marshall, the Mute Bard, and Willow were also hurt by the acid. Before we could react, the head then disappeared back into the dark, murky water. The Marshall ran back across the bridge and back to the ladder, where I joined him with some healing from my wand. He did not look in great shape, though I was still weeping over my alabaster loss. The tears did not prevent me from seeing what happened next. Suddenly, bursting forth from the water came the reptile, colored black, standing on the bank and slashing at the Marshall. This was no lizard. This was a black dragon! At the Marshall’s direction, my alabaster friends and laboratory assistants all ran back to the Marshall and nearly surrounded the beast, slashing away at its thick hide. I stepped back and let them work. The dragon then slipped back into the water and disappeared. Willow send into the water an alligator, summoned from the ether, and I sent in an ether-zombie of my own, to chase it beneath the surface. They were nowhere near it, as it turned out, until it swam back toward the lake, when they both took swipes at its scaled hide. By the time we all returned to where it lay beneath the water, it was ready to spray us with its acid breath again, nearly dissolving away another one of my alabaster beauties! It then turned to flee, cowardly beast, and so I threw into the water every one of my beauties to surround it, and then the Mute Bard screamed a voiceless scream and charged, jumping from the shore and landing upon it, his magical touch changing its skin from black to bright white, making it stand out as a target in the darkness. My alabaster beauties then combined with Willow’s crocodile to tear its flesh to ribbons until it slowly sank down toward the bottom. My large alabaster beauty helped us pull the carcass out of the water. We then went to its small island in the lake and recovered its treasure, which included many coins and our last great find, a dwarven waraxe, magical, and stamped with the mark of Durgeddin. Such a find was surely to gather us even more coin from the dwarven collector. The Marshall set about carving up the carcass of the dragon for trophies, but I stayed his hand. “I have a much better idea.” Notes – Chapter Thirty-Eight – A Better Idea The complex thus cleared, we packed our finds and I finalized my notes for the journey back. But first I, I sprinkled out on the ground a large circle of silver dust, intoning the words of darkness as I did so. The air grew noticibly colder and I felt the ebon energy flow outwards from the circle to all of my alabaster friends standing nearby. It was a warm, good feeling, one which I felt a fleeting presence from within me fuel before the spell took over and then filled the entire area. The ritual thus complete, I sat down on the ground, my legs crossed, and began to play. The tune was melancholy and dark, but it had a beauty to it that I always enjoyed on the few occasions I’d had thus far to play it. The tune on the whistle thus complete, I felt the freshly dug ground beneath me stir. First a claw, then another claw, then a wing appeared, until standing before me was the unliving corpse of the dragon, its flesh only just starting to rot. And its undead flesh awaiting my first command. Yes, a much better idea. [/QUOTE]
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Vincent's Laboratory Notes and Footnotes (Updated December 30, 2007)
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