TLDunn213

???? Like...Dude What are you smoking?

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. I was asking the other day; why we don't have water fueled cars, if everything needed to make them is off the shelf technology ? And then I went looking for an answer. And I found one. Which begs the question of why we don't hear this tidbit of information trotted out whenever the topic of water fueled cars comes up ? Oh, the answer; Disappointing really; Which may be why it's not brought up. The energy needed to break water into Hydrogen and oxygen is the same as the energy you get when you burn that Hydrogen as fuel. A bit more actually as no system is perfect and some energy gets lost along the way. So, yep, Thermodynamics strikes again. But...We see these water fueled cars driving around? We do. But there is always another source of power in play one way or another. Extra batteries, gasoline being mixed with the Hydrogen, or stuff added to the water that reacts to give off extra hydrogen. Sorry, but you can't get around thermodynamics. Spread the word, so we can stop wasting time on this a focus on options that do work.

While I don't have the D&D books for this class I've heard enough to see them as being more or less the same as the Dracons that I already have in the Shardscape. With the only real difference between the two being what they are bonded to. Or are drawing their Essence from, in the case of Ronini Warlocks. Now D&D doesn't have Ronini Warlocks, at least as far as I know. But I see no reason to not include them in the Shardscape. As well as "Blood" types; which D&D does have; sort of. In so far as they have Plane Touched, Tieflings, Azamars, etc. They don't really seem to have anything for those descended from The Great Old Ones, But the Thulians here in the Shardscape could cover that fairly well. And with the Ronini option also comes the Mongrel Warlock. Someone who, in their quest for power has been grabbing whatever supernatural essence they can get, and so are now well on their way to becoming...? If you are having trouble following what I'm talking about here, Check out my Dragons and Dracons post. And if you have questions after that, Please ask. And I will try to explain.

So, I've been doing some research and; Vibro-blades are a real thing, Go figure. Not a huge surprise but still cool to know. And there's some evidence that a sort of tuningfork sonic drill was used to cut and carve stone back in ancient times. And that the stones used to build the Great Pyramid are a type of geo-polymer cement/concert. Which in a way could also explain things like the London hammer and other stuff found in ancient stones. Bad part about that idea is that "natural " geo-polymer processes are a thing geologists should already know about. And if they somehow didn't That would put the age of a LOT of stuff into question. Unless we just have really bad geology work on these few "out of place" artifacts. Any thoughts, anyone ?

Interesting thought about the great pirmaid. There is the idea that it was some sort of power generation system. Which has left me with the question of Where was the control room? And now they are talking about finding a big empty space above the grand gallery. If it is the missing control room then there should be a connecting passageway starting not too far from the front door. But haven't we already looked for hidden doors and passages all along the way there ? Mostly just thinking out loud here, But if anyone reading this knows anything or has any thoughts on this...

*#Note: the events in this post happen somewhat before the events in Regel's post Wanderer returns. #* "Zatar, Yo, Z, are you down here ?" Qwerty calls looking around. "He said that, that new project of his was down here, ' just a bit past the Vaults of Time. ' " "Well, there's the Vaults of Time. Now, which way along this creepy dark coridoor to reach 'just a bit past' ?" Poundfoolish couldn't believe it. What luck. Someone Zatar knew looking for the Wabe. Shifting into his evil clown form, Poundfoolish sent streams of cotton candy cocoon at the unsuspecting zeta. Just as he was finished wrapping up his prey and stuffing him into a forgotten broom closet Poundfoolish felt a wave of arcane energy surging through the Keep of the Mighty Pen. Energy specifically tuned to drive out evil clowns. How ? How, can this be ? How can anyone even know he is here? He'd been so careful. Quickly shifting to his new form, the false Qwerty slammed the closet door and placed Wards to protect the cotton candy cocoon. Now, to find the source of this unexpected attack... *#cut to Regel's post: Wanderer returns #*

One of the noteable counter arguments to the idea of a precursor high tech civilisation is the lack of secondary evidence. There is primary evidence, all the buildings made from huge blocks of stone. But where is the rest of it ? The pot shards, and art work, tombs and trash ? Did they burn their dead ? Were they super eco-friendly? Is this lost civilisation being actively hidden ? And if so, why ? And by whom?

Noting that Snypiuer's yelling sounds a bit like screams of terror, Zatar finishes his Saurian brandy and heads out the door. "What's his problem, anyway. It's just a clown suit." "Maybe he's afraid of clowns" Qwerty said shimmering into existence next to Zatar. "*Sigh*" "Could be, I guess. Easy enough to check." And with a snap of his fingers and a flick of magic the clown suit is transformed into a more normal outfit. Zatar and Qwerty continue down the hallway listening to see if the screaming stops. #*Note: See my post: on Nerfs and Gribbles, for related events.*#

Zatar glances at the open door, lets out a soft sigh and with a quick flick of magic clothes Snypiuer in a clown suit. "If you're going to act like a fool; you should at least dress the part." He muttered. Then raising his voice slightly, "Another Saurian brandy over here; and a round for Peredhil and his friend over there, whatever they're drinking."

Aara-Illith A rare sub type of Illith that arise from using a Dracon as a form doner. The failure rate for this is naturally quite high and there is the risk of pissing off a Dragon if the Dracon isn't a Ronan. The few recorded cases of Aara-Illith mention two noteable details that set them apart from other Illith. The first and most easily noticed is the wings. All Aara-Illith develop them regardless of whether or not the Dracon had them before the morphoses and unlike other draconic traits they may have or develop; the wings are permanent. No one has any ideas as to why the other draconic traits can be called and dismissed as with normal Dracons and the wings cannot. There are those that say this isn't the case and that all traits become locked once the morphoses is complete. This is possible given that the other notable feature of Aara-Illith is the hybrid mind. While Shuls and Kuls have remnants of the other mind it is only in the Aara-Illith that a true fusion occurres. It is also worth noting that the morphoses process is slower and less painful for those Dracons who chose to embrace the change. While all Draconswho resisted the process either succeeded totally or died trying.

While the term is often used to refer to the victims of the spell it is more correct to list the victims as Nocs and the spellcaster gaining benifets as Mal. But I should start at the top for those of you who don't know about this particular bit of dark magic. There are in fact two forms of the spell, but for now I will focus on the more common one. Which sets up a lifelink between the Mal and the Noc or Nocs as there are normally several. After all that is rather the point. Having many people to do stuff for you like bleeding and dying, healing from wounds, and just plain old aging, and even eating and sleeping if you want to take it that far. The spell is set up using Runes which can be inscribed on shackles, amulets, and the like; or directly onto the people involved by way of brands or tattoos. If the Mal is a spellcaster and the Nocs are as well, then it is possible for the Mal to use their spell energies as well. This is the darkest from of the MalNoc spell in which the Mal is a master parasite feeding on many victims at once. There are in fact two less vile applications for the MalNoc spell. The first is the creation of a Champion to deal with a crisis. Here everyone volunteers to support the Hero; Who then goes out with the power of the whole town behind him, very literally. And once the crisis is over the spell is broken and everyone goes back to their normal lives. The second is a true variant of the spell creating a band of MalNocs rather than a Mal and Nocs. In a Band everyone is linked to everyone else with a two-way connection. So no one dies until everyone does. But if one of the members is caught in something that keeps hurting them everyone is getting hurt until the link is broken. So think very carefully about what you're getting into before using magic like this.

Adding to this mostly to pull it out of the pile and put it on top again. If there's anyone, Guest or Member who'd like to comment on stuff like this... Well, it's sort of dead around here lately. I'm not sure what all a Guest can and can't do here But becoming a member isn't all that hard. Just a few clicks and simple questions, if I remember right. Guest can use the chatbox I believe, so if you need help just ask there and someone will get back to you.

Later at Lady Fantasia's "So, how did the Scorps manage to take over so quickly and completely?" Stephen ask as they sat around the kitchen table having a much needed meal. "It started with the riots in Over Louis about a month or so ago." Fantasia explained. "A lot of street people were coming down to the Gobblin Quarter and the Council didn't like it. And there was this Group of Scorpanocs in town...Next thing you know there's a whole Company of them here, the regular Watch can't be found, the Council's declared Martial law and haven't been seen since." "If Melkior's right, and there are Varna involved, it all makes sense. "Except for the Scorps working for them in the first place." Pheron cut in, "After all they were made during the Gith Rebellion to help fight the Thulians; so them working for them..." "Well, they are Mercenaries and the War was a rather long time ago." Fantasia said, refilling her coffee. "And with Varna involved they might not know who/what they are really working for." Stephen offered. Pheron's brow wrinkled in thought, "Maybe; But I just don't see them not checking out their employers well enough to find out. But I can't see them working for them if they knew..."

Once we had Kabaru pulled up onto the beach Latara put the Tome down on an empty rowing bench; and opening to a marked page said "Here, this branch of the Styx will take us in to this swampy reagon; With this spot marked 'Lair' right in the middle of it. There are passages in here that talk about meeting with the Dracolich in her Lair..." "...and you think this is a map to that Lair?" Yerico cut in. "Yes" "And are you thinking we can take out a Dracolich, or are we assuming it was destroyed during the War ?" "I'm assuming that we're stealthy enough to scout the place and find out, without getting spotted doing it." Yerico gave Latara a searching look then nodded. "A bold plan; But not a reckless one. Do the rest of you agree?" I gave the map another look, tracing pathways through the swampy region, "If there is a Dracolich in there, it's something we'll have to deal with sooner or later." Targon ran a finger along the edge of his axe and smiled. Hawk matched the smile, and gave a short nod, resting his hand on the top of his quiver. "We'll have to scout carefully and likely make our own map; places like this tend to shift around." Kain said, also tracing pathways on the map. "There's a spell on the map to keep it up to date; it's a bit degraded, but I think I can get it working again once we get there." Latara said. "That should help." "So, we are all agreed then?" *nods and grim smiles all around* "Good. Then let us do this."

Meanwhile: "*I hate running from these guys. Fighting them is what I was born to do.*" "*Maybe. You haven't come into your powers yet. And given that you are the only Wylding Wyrdling hybrid we know of; We don't even know for sure what your powers are, or if you'll even have any.*" "*Angmar sure seems to think I'm fated to be his downfall.*" "*I hope you are. The world would be much better off with him gone. But the first step in making that happen is keeping you alive long enough to come into your powers and learn how to use them.*" They ran on for a while after that as Anna though about what Garm had said. "*So, where are you taking me anyway ?*" "Ultimately to Melkior's Keep. He'll be able to figure out what your powers are and train you in how to use them to best effect. Short term; We're going to Bristol. It's big enough to hide us from the Naazz and it's where Tanis will most likely head for once she's done leading them in circles. And it gives us the best range of options for our next move no matter which way things go. And with a Mage School there we might even get a chance at figuring out what your powers are and start training you in how to use them. *" "*Really?!*" "*Why not. Melkior's good, but if we can get started without him; I don't think he'll mind too much.*"

The ground began to rise as they ran and soon they were leaping over gullies and fallen trees. After twenty minutes of this they came to a fallen tree bridging a deep ravine. "*do you think they would try to lead their horses across this ?*" "*Maybe; Depends on how well trained the horses are and if they have any levation magic strong enough to try jumping it.*" They padded across and jumped to the ground on the far side, where Tanis resumed human form. "If we've got enough of a lead on them I might be able to make a trap out of this." Tanis said drawing the Rune Dagger she had used before. Holding it blade up in her left hand with her right palm facing the dagger and the way they had come she began chanting softly. After a minute or so a faint glow formed in the air between the dagger and her palm. "Good, they're just now reaching the edge of the broken ground. That should give me just enough time." Tanis climbed back onto the fallen tree and began carving Runes into it with the dagger and whispering Words of Power. After about five minutes she plunged the dagger into the tree in the middle of the spell speaking a final Word of Power. Causing the whole thing to glow brightly for a moment before fading from view. "I'll miss that dagger, we've been through a lot together. But with a little luck I'll be able too make a new one in Bristol." Tanis jumped down from the fallen tree and resumed her cat form "* let's go, we will want to be well away from that when it goes off. *" "*won't they know that you did a spell, because of the tracking spell they're using ?*" "*They will know that I did a spell, but they won't know what I did. If they slow down enough to find my trap and avoid or disarm it...Well, it's not as good as a kill; But it will give us a heck of a lead on them.*"

I finished just before sunset, well pleased with the results. Once the basic spell was in place on the orb in was really a rather simple matter to reverse the basic light spell already on the crystals and link it to the Orb. A small tweek and the Light crystals were also absorbing a bit of ambiaent Magic to keep the whole thing going. I was a bit surprised at how easily I was able to do this. Mage work was not part of my basic Grendel programming nor did it feel like a part of my former life as a Ranger. And yet here I was planning to add all sorts of tweeks and extras to the Spell Web I was weaving. This was a thing to Meditate on at length once I could find the time. I was just settling down to test out the quality of my work when I saw the wagon coming up the road. It seems I had finished just in time. Ishmael was driving with Elizabeth sitting next to him. Isaac was in the back talking to an older woman who I later learned was Helga, Elizabeth's "nanny/chaperone/traveling companion/servant and dear friend" as Elizabeth put it while explaining things over dinner. It was my great good fortune that the Wave Runner had been late in arriving so that introductions and so on had had to be rushed and the wagon driven fast enough to greatly limit conversation along the way. If whatever god of luck was responsible made his/her/its self known to me I'd've become a worshiper on the spot. But no supernatural beings appeared to take me up on the offer. So, either no god was involved, or my gratitude was worship enough.

It has been said that I should have made note of the Wylding's Cloak at some point in these writings. And this is quite true, given that the Cloak is part of the Wylding's innate magic and an iconic tool. The Cloak is a part of the Wylding and takes effort to separate from themselves. So they are careful about who they loan them to. And only under extreme conditions will they bestow one. Of course during a war extreme conditions happen rather a bit more often than otherwise. Which is where the common misconception that Wyldings need the Cloak in order to transform. They don't. But the loss is still an inconvenience and creating a new Cloak takes quite a bit of time and effort. Now one upon whom a Cloak has been bestowed is dependent on the Cloak in order to transform. At least until they can find a Druid or Shaman to preform the Wylding Ritual. Assuming that they want to become a true Wylding of course. Once a Cloak has been bestowed it is linked to the new owner and what happens to the Wylding who gave it no longer matters. This is of course not the case with a Cloak that has only been loaned. If the link is broken the Cloak will lose its powers. Although a Shaman or Druid of sufficient skill can restore the Magic; at least in most cases. Assuming that not too much time has passed. And there have been reports of Loaned Cloaks becoming Bestowed upon the death of the Wylding; a dying wish effect as it were. It likely goes without saying that Cloaks of this sort can't be stolen. At least not stolen for use. They can be stolen and destroyed or magically bound. Assuming such action is taken quickly. As a Wylding can call the Cloak to themselves by a simple act of will as long as the Cloak is within a few miles.

The thunder of galloping hooves cut off further conversation as Tanis draped her cloak over Tom and spoke a Word. A second harsher Word sent the bespelled horses galloping off to the North. And a moment later Tanis was dropping to all fours next to Tom. "* We'll wait until they've passed, then head southwest*" Before Tom could reply one of the pursuing Naazz raised his arm and spoke a Word. A bolt of dark energy shot skyward bursting into a rain of smoking arrows forming a net in front of the bespelled horses. "*Run!*" Tom didn't waste any time on questions he ran, and soon found that his new form was in far better shape than his old one. "*Speed and distance will buy us some time. But we need a place to hide and work. Are there any towns big enough to fend off this many Naazz ?*" Tanis ask after they'd been running for about 10 minutes. Tom thought for a bit, "*Maybe Bristol, if we can reach it. It's most of a day's travel from here even at this pace. Assuming we can keep this pace for that long.*" "*Bristol, sea port, shipyard, Magus training school. Yes; that should be enough to give them pause. And give us the time and cover I'll need to turn this mess around.*" "*I'm a bit slow at the magic game; what have we stepped in, and how deep is it ?*" "*Not sure. They caught the horses while my spells were still fresh. They can use that to track me. Any magic I do now will be like sending up a firearrow. We can use that to lead them into a trap, if we can get enough of a lead on them to have time to set one.*" "*Head a bit more south then. And we'll reach a stretch of ground that'll slow them up quite a bit. Slow us a bit too, but a cat will still make better time than a horse and rider. Couple of places they'll have to get off and lead the horses or risk losing them.*" "*purr-fect.*"

It was a crisp autumn night with a hint of frost in the air and an almost full moon to light my way. I would have been happier with less light as I didn't need it and would have been better hidden by more darkness. Even so, I made the trip quickly and without incident. The hints of coming Winter in the air also gave me the beginnings of an idea for how to befriended my hosts before fully revealing myself. Sooner or later they were going to notice that someone or something was lurking about better therefore if that unseen presence proved to be helpful and protective. And the spy eyes and ears I was planning to setup would give me an easy way to know of things they were needing or otherwise concerned about. Now I just need to find a crystal of the right size and shape. This proved to be more of a challenge than I had expected. Which lead me to wonder just how the Yuun-Xi had guarded the complex back in the day. I wondered, but no answers came, and it wasn't worth taking the time to meditate on just now. My searching did lead me to the discovery of a small but well equipped workshop that I had overlooked before. And that solved my crystal problem quite nicely. Glass while not exactly a crystal is close enough for quite a few things, including the spell I was planning to setup. The spellbook had even mentioned it as an option. Crafting the glass ball I needed, along with a few other items that could prove useful later, took longer than I had expected and it was almost sunrise as I headed back to the cabin. My hosts would be back before the end of the day. So, like it or not I was going to have to setup my spy net during the day and just hope no one was around to notice.

Tanis looked down at the Naazz, whose throat she had just cut, and then at the blood on her dagger as it flowed into the Runes. They started to glow. A quick look to see if Tom had lead the horse far enough away. He had. Pointing the dagger at the fallen Naazz she spoke a harsh guttural Word of Power. Greenish Flames leapt from the dagger to the fallen Naazz. Engulfing the body in an instant and racing outward along the lines of magic leading to the other Naazz and their master. "That should get their attention." She said with grim satisfaction. "What did you do?" Tom ask as Tanis walked over. "Psi-poisson. They'll likely see it coming and block it, but it should still get them riled up. And, an angry foe is a stupid one." "Aye. And I'll gladly take any advantage we can get. Now, what's yer, plan for these horses ?" "Decoys. The more we can split them up, the better our chances of getting away." And with that said Tanis walked slowly around the first horse chanting words of Power and tracing Arcane symbols in the air with her dagger. After the first circuit there was a hazy form taking shape in the saddle. By the end of the second, it was recognizable as the fallen Naazz. And by the end of the third, Tom was forcing his hand to let go of his swordhilt. Tanis took a small vile from her cloak and poured the contents over her dagger as she headed to the second horse. Tom opened his mouth, then closed it again. Tanis gave a small nod."Blood Magic. Nasty; but effective." Tom waited for her to finish with the horses, keeping a close eye on their back trail. When she was finished "And while they're chasing the horses we'll be...?" "Sneaking away through the underbrush in cat form." She said taking off her enchanted pantherskin cloak. "We've been lucky to take down three of them. I'm not going to push it by trying for four; at least not today."

Garm lay under the enchanted wolfskin cloak with the stones of the not quite dry streambed pressing into his belly. Which helped distract him from the feel of Anna's body pressing into his back and side. Now was not the time for that sort of thing. Not with a Naazz, cloaked and mounted, scanning the landscape for you less than fifty yards away. Taking out the one at Old Tom's cabin had been a mistake. But how was he to know that there was a whole Fist of them out there. Only eight of them left now; and he longed to make it seven. But that was Tom and Tanis' job; leading the Naazz away. As if in answer to his thoughts, the Naazz jerked in his saddle and galoped of to the northeast. "Now's our chance." He said scrambling out from under the cloak and quickly settling it on Anna's shoulders. A Word of Power, and she was dropping to the ground on all fours. A moment later and a pair of gray wolves were bounding away to the South.

The Naazz are the latest weapon/agent to be added to the Necromancer side of the Necromancer/Druid Wars. I say Wars rather than just War due to the common view that the war was won when the Yun-Xi were defeated with the help of the Wyrdlings. Which is true, as far as it goes. Necromancy became a hidden secret branch of Magic after that. Until the rise of the Litch Lords and the other free undead. Along with their newest servants, the Naazz. So, what are they already, you ask ? Well, they are to Litch Lords what Dracons are to Dragons. More or less. That is to say they are living beings bound to a powerful undead Necromancer able to partake of their master's undead nature and powers without the related weaknesses of being undead. Spells and Wards that work on Evil effect them normally, but Spells that target Undead specifically have little or no effect. At best their Naazz powers are suppressed and the mindlink to their master and fellow Naazz is blocked. Which is better than nothing but given that most Naazz are powerful spell casters and warriors even without the added benefit of their Naazz powers... As they have been compared to Dracons the question of whether they can go Ronan has naturally been raised. And so far there is no clear answer. There are no reports of Ronan Naazz and Undead Essence is not the same as Dragon Essence. But given that most Naazz are powerful Necromancers in their own right it is likely that they would be able to keep most of their Naazz powers even if their Master were destroyed or the Naazz Bond were broken in some other way. So far only the Litch Lord Angmar has produced Naazz in noteable numbers. The Bone Troopers of the Dread Emporior being a different sort of half-undead and so not useful for this line of speculation. We are left waiting for more information to become available.

It has been said that Wyrdlings were created as a counter measure to the Grendels; but this isn't really the case. Wyrdlings are reported in several places months before the first recorded encounter with a Grendel. This is not to say that Wyrdlings were not effective against Grendels; they were Very effective. And not just against Grendels. They were, arguably, the most effective countermeasure to the Yun-Xi weapons program as a whole. And one of the key factors in winning the war as well. For those of you who are not up to speed on all this. I'll cover Wyrdlings here, and you can learn about Grendels and the War as a whole from my other writings. The main reason for Wyrdlings was as a way to counter the Yun-Xi practice of making weapons out of our troops without having to take the time to train Spellcasters up to the levels needed for the most effective countermeasure spells. And yes creating Artifacts is one way to deal with that problem. And it was tried. But, Artifacts have to be recharged and repaired by trained Wizards; of a higher level of skill, than what is needed to just cast the spells in the first place. Living Artifacts; and that is what Wyrdlings are (as are Wyldings, Lycains, Grendels, and so on for that matter.) have several advantages over the regular sort. Being alive, their Energies renew over time. And if they fall into enemy hands they can attempt to escape before they can be studied or corrupted. And, given their powers it would be quite hard for the Yun-Xi to take a Wyrdling captive in the first place. First of all there is their Disruption ability. Which not only cuts off Undead from their environment but also blocks the Yun-Xi from using their Mind Web abilities. So the Yun-Xi troops have no way to get power or orders. This was totally devastating to the early types of Undead, which would collapse on the spot. Of course this lead to the Yun-Xi placing Rune Stones into their later types of Undead and Corrupting living beings. Of course this lead to the next Wyrdling ability, Restoration. Which does basically what it sounds like. Restoring the mind of a Corrupted being to it's former state. Of course this didn't always work on the Undead, as there wasn't enough mind left to be restored. And this lead to the Third Ability, Supplant Control. Which is exactly what it sounds like. And that is where the problems started, Wyrdlings ordering about enemy troops, both Undead and living including some lower rank Yun-Xi; lead some people to wonder if the Wyrdlings wouldn't become corrupted by the lure of Dark Magic. And, Sadly, some did. What most people don't seem to want to understand is that usurping control of someone or something that is already being controlled is much simpler than taking control of a free mind in the first place. Very few Wyrdlings were ever able to do that. And several of those that did played a key role in the winning of the War, by taking control of key members of the Yun-Xi Highcomand.

The gargoyle flew away before I could bind it again. As I was watching it fly away I spotted two Styx Gollums taking up position on the other bank. I put up a shield, for the little good it would likely be. I didn't think they could reach us with their spray at this range, but better not to take chances. The real question was; how to cross with them there. The Styx is tricky enough without being shot at while trying to cross it. Yerico looked like she was getting ready to try it anyway; as she already had Kabaru in the water and was calling for the rest of us to get on board. "What about the Golems?" I ask as I ran up the gangplank. "You'll see." She said pointing to a high window in the Fortress, as we shoved off into the current. It took me a moment, but then I saw her. Just as she let loose with a blast of draconic ice-fire turning one of the Styx's Gollums into an ice sculpture. I took out the other one with a blasting spell as it was turning around. And Latara launched herself out of the window. A large Tome clutched to her chest. Moments later, she was on the deck and we were heading back to shore.