Organization: Penn State University
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 19:46:04 EDT
From: <ASG102@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [L] E'Karam's Confusion

E'Karam was having the time of his life.  He was surrounded by some very nice
people...er...um...things and one of them was actually interested in HIM!
What was his name?  Fergum...something like that.

"I really like this place.  The people are pleasant and the service is quick.
If I ever open 'Under the Hill', I want it to be just like this.  Is the
owner of this place a Half....."  He trailed off and his eyes unfocused.  There
was a commotion outside.  Without a word, he rose, left the table, crossed
the room, and went out the door.

E'Karam walked out into the plaza where two men were preparing to fight.
For a moment, psionic energy crackled around them, zipping back and forth
until they were both exhausted.  At that instant, some deeply burried memories
floated to the surface.....

-------
The MIND decided that it was time for E'Karam to go on the hunting party.
He was nervous.  He had heard about the thrill of the hunt and the joy of
ripping the mind out of the kill, but he had his doubts.  The MIND told him
that he would enjoy it, so he went.

The group was lead by T'Chepja, one of the best hunters.  She took them to her
favorite hunting grounds.  It was what the beasts called a 'village'.  Through
the darkness, they moved quietly, aided by their natural instincts and magic
of no minor power.

They approached a nest of the creatures and T'Chepja motioned for E'Karam to
go inside.  He obeyed, wanting to get this over with and join the ranks of the
MIND's servants.  He snuck into the house using his natural gifts.  He could
hear the things making sleeping noises.  He could feel their minds in their
vulnerable state.

He froze.  From up the hallway, he heard approaching footsteps.  He took to
the shadows and waited for it to come close...then he would attack.

He had never seen a beast before and he was suprised at its size.  He had been
told that they range from three to three and a half feet, but this one was
about half that size.  As he was taught, he saught the creature's mind and
wrapped his will around it.

'Don'thurtme.Don'thurtme.Idon'twannadie.Thepain.Thepain,' the beast thought.

E'Karam released his hold on the child and it fell to the ground unconscious.
'T'Chepja, these beasts are sentient,' he thought back to his leader.

'Of course they are you idiot.  Kill the beast and be done with it,' she
thought back, 'Kill the beast or I will kill you.'

E'Karam, knowing that he couldn't kill the child, prepared to attack first.
Sensing what he was preparing, T'Chepja also hurried to attack.  The mind
energy crackled between them and E'Karam fell unconscious.

When he awoke, E'Karam was looking into a pair of kindly blue eyes.
"Gently son, you have had a rough time," a voice said.
"Son?  Are you my father?" E'Karam asked.
"Um...yes, I am your father.  You are a Halfling, and you are my son," the
voice continued.
"Father, what is your name?  I cannot remember."
"I am Thostur Applebottom," said the stout Halfling proudly.
"Then I must be E'Karam Applebottom." E'Karam sat up and looked around the
room.  He saw a headless corpse of a purple creature.  From the pattern of
blood on the walls, E'Karam guessed that its head had exploded.  For some
reason, E'Karam knew that he hated this creature.  "Father, what is that
thing?"

"That E'Karam, is a purple monster.  We Applebottoms are cursed and purple
monsters follow us around.  They are invisible to us when they are alive, so
if someone screams about a purple monster, you just run away, ok?"  Thostur
would be proud of this quick thinking in the years to come.

E'Karam's mind, weakened by the psionic combat and shocked by the horrors of
his race, easily took to the idea that he was a Halfling...Thostur raised him
as a son, and together, they stopped the midnight raids by the Illithids on
the Halfling village.....

--------
E'Karam saw the two unconscious people lying in the street and he felt sorry
for them.  They must have slipped, or maybe they were sick, or maybe they had
drunk too much.  In any event, he decided to help.  He walked over to the
closect one, a grey-green scaly woman, and picked her up.  She groaned weakly.
He took her inside, past the gawking Rabble, and up to his room.  There, he
put her on the bed and wrote a note:

     "Dear lady,
      I fear that you have had some sort of accident.
      You are welcome to stay in this room as long
      as you wish.  If you are in need of anything,
      seek out E'Karam the Halfling (ask Serene).

                               Beware the Big Folk,
                               E'Karam Applebottom"

He pinned the note beside her head on the pillow, and returned to Firgun.

     Love and Peace and Insanity,
            -The Dreamer-