Stone 2

**Chapter 2**

The Critter bursts the doors open, Zedd dives for cover, and we finally learn what to call it. It's a “screeling.” Well, at least it's not the name of a fish. We learn that the screeling is battered, with torn skin and bone sticking through, but *“that didn't seem to bother the creature; it was a thing of the underworld, and not hindered by all the frailties of life.”* So...it's undead, I guess.

We also learn that, since it has Subtractive Magic, Zedd's magic (which is only Additive) can't hurt it much. *“Maybe it could be harmed with Subtractive Magic, but Zedd had nothing of that half of the gift. No wizard in the last few thousand years did. Some might have the calling for the Subtractive – Darken Rahl was proof of that – but none had had the gift for it.”* So, I guess Rahl could only use Subtractive doe to his ill-defined deals with the underworld beasties? We'll go with that until this is explained better.

Zedd tries to squash the screeling with one of the doors it just tore through, but this doesn't work (amazingly, Zedd doesn't try it again two or three times, just to be sure). He recites his personal philosophy, *“nothing is ever easy,”* which seems awfully grim for a Zany Wizard.

We learn that the screeling *“was starting to learn that the people who walked were the same ones who ran or stood still.”* Why Zedd knows this is not explained.

Zedd walks quickly after Chase and Rachel, rationalizing that he doesn't know who the screeling is after and doesn't want Chase to have to fight it alone. They encounter two nameless white-robed people, and Zedd warns them to walk, not run. The screeling appears and the two Nameless NPCs run (of course) and are slaughtered off-screen.

The screeling chases Zedd, Chase and Rachel, running along the walls and ceiling. Zedd blasts fire at it for some insane reason, \~/ and Chase miraculously manages to cut one of its arms off.

Just then, a horde of D'Haran soldiers come storming in, apparently alerted by the GM. Simultaneously, Zedd realizes they're in a devotion square and bunches of people are coming in for their pointless chanting. Zedd tries to get the soldiers to chase the civilians out. They argue for a bit, then obey him, and I find myself wondering why. What authority does Zedd have over the D'Harans? It's implied that they're loyal to Richard as the new Lord Rahl, but Richard himself doesn't know that yet, and couldn't have left orders to obey Zedd in his absence. So it's a mystery.

The screeling, being genre savvy, starts tearing up the NPC guards and ignoring Zedd, Chase and Rachel. Zedd tells Chase they need to get it into the devotion pool, and after a fight I don't feel like describing, they do. Zedd then freezes the pool solid, entombing the screeling in ice.

Zedd then talks with the head of the D'Haran soldiers, whose name proves to be Commander General Trimack of the First File. There's a conversation about the First File dying to a man to protect the Lord Rahl, and being the steel against steel so he can be the magic against magic. Trimack is apparently going to become a significant character, judging by the amount of attention he gets. We find out that the screeling is still alive, and Zedd orders Trimack to have it hacked to bits while still a screeling-sicle.

Drinks: 1

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