Newsgroups: rec.games.moria
Subject: REPOST: Exploits II: Part 2
From: mneylon@jupiter.cse.utoledo.edu (Michael Neylon)
Date: 6 Jan 93 19:46:55 EST


Nivolis woke to the hand of Masem on his shoulder.  'Time to begin your
quest, Nivolis.'  Nivolis sat up, still a bit confused about the
events of the the last day.  The room was unlit, but he felt Masem's 
presence near him.  The old man handed Nivolis a bowl of soup, which
he quickly consumed; his first meal for a day and a half.  While
he finished that, Masem has gone into another room, closing the door 
behind him.  Nivolis saw a bit of light appear from under the door, and
heard the klink of metal.  Masem soon returned, flooding the room with light.
Nivolis blinked, then adjusted his eyes to the room.  Masem carried a
few items with him.

Dropping the pile on the floor, Masem bent down and began to search through
it.  Suddenly, he withdrew a box, and handed it to Nivolis.  'My only
token from the Thieves guild.  The dagger that they gave me.  I have 
determined that it carries no special abilities, but I have had the gem
in the hilt enchanted for this mission.'

Nivolis opened the box; a simple dagger rested on the velvet lining.  A
bright diamond rested in the gold hilt.  Nivolis picked up the dagger, and
suddenly the diamond glowed a bit.  The old man nodded.  'Good, it does 
work.  By holding the dagger and concentrating, you should be able to
contact me.  I will be able to offer you helpful information, and update
you on the activities of the bandits.'  He then continued rumaging through
the pile.

Much later, he pulled out a cloak and a book.  'The cloak is, unfortunately,
common, but it should provide you some extra protection.  This book contains
several spells.  Here, turn to the first one.'  Masem and Nivolis spent
the next 1/2 hour studying the simple magic missile spell.

* * * 

The bandits woke up the next morning.  The one who had lost the boy in town
was taken care for the previous night, but he still had no vision in
one eye, and half of his face would be in bandages for a while.  While the
others ate stale bread and cheese, the leader was brought well cooked
game, and a large bowl of fruit.  Although several of the bandits resented
this, no one knew better to distrub him, expecially after last night.  

The morning passed uneventually.  The leader had sent a couple of the bandits
to town along with the short fellow to try to find the boy.  Meanwhile, he
ask for the most skilled tracker to find the cave enterances.  The time of
Raising was soon approaching, within 2 new moons, and he must be well 
within the dungeon by then to have any chance of controlling the beast.
The spell cast long ago had definitely woken the being; he could feel
its evil power growing as they approached the pitiful town.  However, without
his control, the beast would undoubtedly kill him and any other living being.

Fortunately, he had read Masem's book as well.  He knew the troubles that he
would face as a small band of his bandit force made its way into the 
earth.  More than a month ago, he had aquired an object that would definitely
make his life much easier....

* * *

The group of bandits rode into town, and as before, the townsfolk ran
for the doors.  The short one grinned beneath his bandages; this was 
definitely one reason he became a bandit.  One of the younger ones
motioned to him, and pointed at an inn.  The short one thought; this was
not one of the inns that he searched yesterday.  Quickly dismounting and
handing the reins to the other, he barged in on the inn door.  No one was
inside, except a plump woman, who was a bit upset at the destruction of the
door.  Ignoring the protests of the woman, he nodded to the others, who came
in and began making a mess of things.

'Nae, now you be stopping that, you thugs!' she wailed.
The short one had just slashed a picture over the fireplace into shreds. 
'And what if we dont,' he spoke in a raspy voice.
'I'd be tearing you limb from limb, that's what!'
'Are you sure about that,' the short one asked, thrusting the sword 
into her chest.

The innkeeper let a scream, then fell silent, eyes rolling to the back
of her head.  The other two bandits look shocked at him.

'What are you staring at?!  Check the rooms upstairs.  If you see anyone,
kill them.  I want that boy unharmed!'

The other two obeyed.  Soon, shouts could be heard upstairs, but quickly
fell silent.  Soon the bandits returned, arms full of trinkets and gold.
'No boy, sir.  Just adults.'
The short one swore under his breath.  'Damn!  Pack those things up, lets
get back to the master.'  The three left the inn in shambles, and the
poor innkeeper's blood staining the floor.

* * *

The room where Masem and Nivolis had occupided was now empty of life.  The
othe bandits had glanced in the room, but the light provided by the candle
proffed that no one was in it.  Now, piles of discarded equipment cluttered the
room, the candlelight glancing off metallic items.  

Moments later, a slight breeze stirred the dust near the door, then caused
the candlelight to flicker a bit.  A few seconds later, a strong gust of 
wind caused the candle to tip, falling in piles of dicarded cloth.  
Flames quickly grew and spread, engulfing all the room and the equipment
within.  Potions bubbled and burst, scrolls and books turned to ashes
very shortly, and metal fused and melted together.  Soon the floor wore out
and it crashed through to the bottom floor, causing the broken furniture
to light.  Soon the entire inn was engulfed, and the townsfolks ran to put
an end to the black smoke that it was producing.

* * *

The hooded one suddenly sat up, pain gripping his chest.  Not that he
was hurt physical, but that he was so in tune with magic that he felt
the destruction of some powerful item in the area.  Gaining his stance, he
walked outside the tent and looked towards the town.  Black clouds were
billowing up from it, and through magical eyesight, he could see large
releases of magical energies throughout it.

'Damn! DAMN!  I knew he would foul up!  I must now hurry and escape 
underground before I have the law on my hands.'

Collecting the bandits up, he was surprise to see the tracker back.  HE
had found the entrance, and reported that no one had been near it for
several months now.  

'Very good, very good.  Ok, you ramble-rousers! Get the equipment packed
up.  Those of you going with me into the caves, drop all but your minimal
equipment with the others.  The rest of you, return to the village 
back east until I send you a message.  Lets hurry before ...

'Sir, the others are returning' the scout called from a nearby tree.

'Oh, they are, are they?'  There was a bit of a smile e under his face.  It
quickly disappeared as he began to encant spell.

The short one, from afar. saw the familar hand motions of his master.  HE
knew that he had done nothing to attrack attention, and he turned to look
back at the other bandits behind him.  Suddenly, his jaw dropped; the 
town was on fire!  He definitely didnt to it this time, but his master
didnt know that.  Quickly, he spurred his horse well off the path, while
the other two just stopped and stared at him.

The hooded-one had gone too far into the spell to change his aim.  A
large ball of lightning suddenly released from his hands, and striked the
two unsuspecting bandits.  Much of the rest of the party turned their heads
as they heard the flesh crackle in the massive amounts of electricity.
Once the power wore down, some turned to look, but only saw a few bones
and shards of fabric on fire.  The master looked on, no emotion in his
eyes, then began searching for the intended target.  He didnt have to
look far, for the short one walked out of a dense part of the forest, looking
both awed and scared.  His hands were held up in a gesture of peace.

The hooded one walked over to him, grabbed him by the rough of the neck , and
picked him up a good 3 feet off the ground.

'I THOUGHT I SAID NO FOUL-UPS!' he bellowed.
The short one cringed.  'I didnt do it! Honest! I learned my lesson in
that one other town!'
The leader breathed in his face, then signed deeply.  Suddenly, he turned
around and threw the small one at the others, causing a large mass to
tumble.  Pointing at the short one, stuck on the bottom of the pile, he 
said 'Forget it...You're coming with me, to the caves.  Prepare yourself.'
He then turned and headed for his cave.

The short bandit had scrambled from the bottom of the mess and raced to
his master, pleeding for his life.  'NO! They are too dangerous!  Im not
a fighter.  Please, let me return to the village!'

The hooded one looked down, then continued to the tent without a word.

 * * *

 'So, this is it?' Nivolis asked.
 Masem looked around, shading his eyes from the afternoon light.  'Yes, this
 is the enterance.  Are you ready?'
 Nivolis looked very calm. 'I really dont see anything ..different.. about
 this caves then others that I had explored in my childhood wanderings.'
 'Beward, take much caution.  They are easy at first, but remember, this is
 Evil's domain.'

 Nivolis sat there, staring at the black hole in the hillside.  
 Masem got up, walked to an overhang and looked down at the town.  The
 fire had been put out by now, and there didnt seem to be much damage besides
 to the inn.  But his supply of magic and equipment...destroyed.  Very
 little could be done now.  The fate of the country side laid on Nivolis'
 shoulders.
 Masem continued to scan the rest of the countryside.  He noticed a small
 amount of smoke rising from within the forest, as if there was a fire there
 earlier.  He also noticed a few black figures racing about near the forests
 edge.
 Turn to Nivolis, he saw that he hadnt moved.  'Well, are you going? The 
 bandits are beginning to move.'
 Nivolis sighed.  'Masem, why did my parents send me west? Its like they
 knew I would meet you...'
 Masem took a seat near him.  'I knew your parents during the 3-month 
 journey back to the capitol.  I meet them both in a inn along the way
 somewhere.'
 'Oh, Im sure you've meet many people.  What made mine special?'
 'Well, ...er...  Well, Nivolis, they had both explored the Moira caves
 before, well before I got here.'
 'They did!?  So that explains why they were surprised to see your book.'
 'Yes, most likely.  You see, they tried to accomplish the same task that
 I did, but were mortally wounded.  After several years of habilitation, then
 returned to the capitol to be married.  I meet the newlyweds in the inn, and
 we were all surprised that we had this common bond.  I promised them that 
 I would attempt to find them and recount my quest with them.  Once I 
 became king, I continued to invite them to the palace, and we spoke on 
 many issues.  I've meet you several times before, but you have been too
 young to notice.  Then the troubled happened.  I told your parents that
 I was leaving.  I told them also to raise that boy of theirs well, 
 concentrating on exploration and magic.  I told them that they should send
 you to me once you became of age.  Obviously, you're here a little
 earlier than I expected, but I think you will do fine.'
 Nivolis stared into space for a longer time then, seeming to mature on
 the spot.  'So you are the uncle that I have never meet?'
 Masem thought a bit, then answered 'Yes, I believed your parents said they
 would tell you that I was your uncle, but without revealing my indentity.
 I was there when you were born; your parents couldnt afford a nursemaid, so
 I asked the palace maid to attend to your birth.  Your father even fainted
 during the process.'
 Nivolis looked attentive. 'Really?! Tell me more about my parents, about 
 there adventures in the cave, and...'
 'Not now.  Even as we speak, the Evil has climb up a few more levels, and
 the neuromancer approaches.  You must go.  Now.'

Nivolis stood up, and hugged Masem.  'I will never forget you.'
Masem returned the hug. 'And same with you, my son.'

Nivolis grabbed one of the torches, lit it, and walked into the cave, his
light dimming quickly as he entered further into the cave.  Masem waited
a few minutes, then returned to town, ready to explain the inn fire to 
whoever asked.



-- 
Michael Neylon   aka Masem the Great and Almighty Thermodynamics GOD!
      //         | Senior, Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Toledo
  \\ // Only the |   Summer Intern, NASA Lewis Research Center
\  \X/   AMIGA!  |         mneylon@jupiter.cse.utoledo.edu           /