From: foleye@storm.CS.ORST.EDU (Stilt Man)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: The Shrouded One's table . . .
Date: 28 Sep 92 20:47:26 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Oregon State University
Originator: foleye@storm.CS.ORST.EDU

Characters involved:  Kryalla, Farnham, unnamed Thri-Kreen

Seeing an illusionist and a thri-kreen sit at her table after she invited
them, Kryalla glances at the former and hopes that there will not be a problem
with him being an elf.  She'd just as soon not be in the middle of attempts
by one guest to eat the other.

She answers the thri-kreen's remarks:

"No, in general we do not eat other people, though I have heard of a race of
degenerate hobbits on a parched world demolished by magic that do so during
my travels.  Please do not eat my illusionist friend, here, for I prefer not
to have my guests fight one another."

And then, turning to Farnham the illusionist:

"What brings me to the inn?  Well, that's an interesting story, my friend.  You
see, most of my time in life is spent travelling the worlds around, in order to
see what is about.  Each time, I take care not to interfere with the world in
which I find myself, with the exception of the world of Arghan, where I am from.

"In my world, I am known as the Shrouded One, and many have heard the name.
Those who look a little further can link me in repute to the Fellowship of
Wizards in the forest nation of Philinost, populated by elves and men.  However,
I am older than I may appear, as many wizards are.  For the last several decades
I have been bringing about resistance to the excursions of the Dark One,
Arcania Dorval."

ADMIN:  If anyone really wants to watch these things too closely, Arcania Dorval
the Dark One can be considered a new NPC.

"I walk the lands, bringing up the resistance to the Dark One's schemes, but
my ways are subtle and indirect.  The Dark One does not act overtly, choosing
to take the long view and let time destroy her enemies rather than her own
mystical might.  She has many daemonic servants (ADMIN:  the "a" in "daemon" is
a necessity to correctly identify them) that watch and manipulate the lands
about her Empire of Thyaris, and her design, as I recognize it now, is to
ensure that the alliances that have fought her in the past drift apart and
become distant from one another, so that none will fight her with any cohesive
effort when she decides to strike.

"The Dark One's creatures are everywhere, and my Shroud," she gestures to her
cloak, "enables me to hide from them when I wander the lands stirring up the
peoples to resist her subtle encroachment.  But in this place, I know not of
any of her minions that have shown themselves.  Thus, I may remove my Shroud
and perhaps enjoy some real interaction with others.  The last time I was here,
several moons ago, I could not place that much faith in others that I removed
it, and as such I wound up setting off a chain reaction of others who hover in
corners watching the others in the inn."

+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+
+	Kryalla Simuel the Shrouded One			  +
+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+
+	foleye@storm.cs.orst.edu			  +
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Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn