The first day for their voyage across the sea, though
dawning clear, quickly turned out to be a stormy one indeed. 
Didymus had rolled out of bed to look out the fogging, rain-
splattered window.  "It would seem that everytime we stop
somewhere for the night, a storm quickly brews up," he off-
handedly remarked to Pen, who had just laid out a fresh set
of clothes for him.  He quickly dressed, and looked about
for his boots.  Pen was there with them in an instant.
---je
     Slipping into his readied boots, which had been cleaned
and warmed by the fire moments early by a sprite young
squire - eager to please as always - he strutted towards the
bassinet. His shaving kit and other toiletries where laid
out neatly at his disposal. He couldn't help but be slightly
impressed. The boy was certainly a quick learner. We will
see if his making of coffee has improved. It had not.
---ds
     Didymus handed Pen three gold pieces, with the
instructions that it was to be given to Monsieur LeBold for
the groups breakfast, to be served in the same banquet room
used in last night's revelry.  Pen quickly headed downstairs
to secure the group's breakfast.  Didymus completed shaving
and waxed his long moustache.  He combed his hair, brushed
his teeth, and once satisfied, rolled up his shaving kit and
completed packing away his things.  Pen returned as he was
finishing.  "Mr. LeBold says that everything will be made
ready.  He also said that you should think twice about
travelling in such weather, 'specially since this be the
storm season and all."
     Didymus nodded at Pen's word.  "Yes, unfortunately we
*must* be off.  Now begins the hardest part of our quest, so
steel yourself well, young Pen.  Come, let us take our packs
down to the banquet room."
---je
     When morning prep work was all but done, the two made
for the common room.  A time for breakfast was at hand.
---ds
     The two quickly walked down the stairs to the banquet
room to find Monsieur LeBold's people setting up a breakfast
buffet.---je  Regardless of the feast the previous morning,
both found themselves oddly famished.---ds  Moved off to one
corner was the chair containing a table cloth draped snoring
dwarven mage.  "'Tis good to see some consistency in the
world, eh Pen?"  Didymus said, nodding at the loud rumbling
Karaz-Gorm.  Pen smiled.  "Yes sir.  Perhaps we should hit
the buffet before he awakes?"
     Didymus smiled at the cleverness of his young squire.
---je
     For once, Tan and Liess showed up before the last
possible second (perhaps the frantic experiences the
previous times had taught them a lesson, but more likely it
was because Tan had taken it upon himself to determine the
wakeup since Liess had concluded the previous evening
exhausted).  Already, when Didymus and Pen arrived, they had
grazed through the buffet and found platefuls (appropriately
sized for each) of delectable comestibles.
     Seeing the arrival of the others, Liess picked up a
final muffin (in both her shaking hands) and went to a
window to finish eating and contemplate the lovely weather.
     "We're going to leave today?" Tan asked, following her
gaze.
---al
     It did not take long, nor did it generate a great deal
of surprise, that the smell from the buffet quickly awakened
the slumbering dwarf.  As he made the slow journey from the
dream-world to the real-world (or at least a small portion
of that journey), Karaz clumsily pushed the
tablecloth/blanket from him and stumbled over to the source
of breakfast fare.
     He was not discriminatory in the foodstuffs he chose
for the first meal of the day.  In other words, he sampled
everything.  It did not take long, however, for his stomach
to remind him of the gorging he had committed the night
before, and, this time generating quite a bit of surprise,
he finished less than half of what he had taken.  Staring
aimlessly out the nearest window, having eaten what he felt
he could convinve his stomach to digest, Karaz noticed the
inclement weather.
     "Sir Didymus!  I hate to break the news to you, but it
would appear that we will have to delay our departure!  The
weather is terrible!"
     The Knight replied calmly, knowing that the answer
would not sit well with the fabulous mage, "We are not going
to delay, Karaz.  We are leaving today."
     Karaz-Gorm, who had turned back to look at the rain
after informing Sir Didymus of the meteorological
conditions, snapped his head back to the Knight in
disbelief.  He was about to protest vehemently when he
noticed the stern look on the man's face.  There would be no
protesting this time.  Karaz slumped in his chair.  It was
bad enough that he was asked to journey over sea to this
island, then he was told that the ship would be flying, and
*now* they'd be doing it in a storm!  The mage was not
happy.  His stomach echoed the sentiment.  It was going to
be a long day.
---med
     Niki awoke and stretched lazily, then slid out of bed.
She clearly heard the pattering of rain on the roof of the
Broadmoor Inn and regretted having not brought a cloak with
her. She was going to get soaked going back to the ship and
was probably going to catch a cold by the time they left
port for the Dragon's Isle.
     She combed out her hair with her fingers and did what
she could for the rest of her appearance. The leather of her
outfit was going to shrink from the rain if she wore it
outside, so she rolled up her vest and tied it with the
laces that went with it.
     Within a short amount of time Niki emerged and followed
the sounds of breakfast chatter to the common room.
     Sir Didymus and Pen had arrived with their packs and
were digging in. Taliessin Major was eating a muffin and
looking out the window while Taliessin Minor was asking
Didymus a question.
     Niki took a roundabout course so as not to wake him and
snatched an orange as she went past the buffet table,
pulling one of her wrist daggers surreptitiously from its
hiding place.
     "Good morning Sir Didymus, Pen. I see you're ready to
go.  What time were you planning on leaving?"
     Niki started to peel the orange while looking out the
window for another weather report. The rain seemed to have
increased since she had awakened.
     "I think I should point out that we'll be the only ship
leaving harbor today Sir Didymus. Storms like this can be
dangerous, and passengers can get seasick, even if we're
flying." She didn't so much as look at Karaz-Gorm but
assumed they'd realize who she meant.  "Once we get above
the clouds we should be alright, unless someone falls
overboard."
---pw
     "I am sure that if someone were to plummet from the
ship, the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm would need only the wave of
his hand to save the day.  As long as they aren't rapped
around a bucket for throwing up," Rorandair said, clapping
Karaz-Gorm on the back lightly.  "Don't worry - it took me
quite a while to get my ship legs.  We'll soon see if they
carry over to the air.  By the way, I wrote some letters
last night.  Official business and all of that.  Anyway, I
was wondering if there was anywhere I could send them off by
messenger here, or if I will have to use my own resources. 
Sir Didymus?  Anyone?"
---mp
     Valkyr, sitting over a few chairs to the left of the
man, overheard the exchange and cut in.
     "In that case, I suggest you go into the common room
and say out loud: =E6I need a message delievered.=C6  The
Messengers Guild extend throughout Ifreann, and it would not
surprise me if at least one runner was here in this inn. 
You need but to say the words out loud, and have a rather
comfortable sum of money."
---avc
     Niki looked from Valkyr to her ex-dance partner. "I was
about to suggest you talk to the innkeeper about a
messenger. I've never been here before but surely they have
something of the sort."
     Niki stood in the door of the Broadmoor Inn looking up
at the sky, about as far out the door as she could be
without being Outside Where It Was Raining.
     Sir Didymus didn't seem to mind the rain. Niki sighed
when he turned to make a comment to her about her shopping.
     Moving out into the rain she winced at the drops
soaking her shirt.
     "Actually Sir Didymus, I did most of my shopping
yesterday, but it probably wouldn't hurt to stock up some
more before we go."
     "How far away *is* the Dragon's Isle Kaega?"
     Niki agreed wholeheartedly with Sir Didymus' idea of
buying waterproofed slickers, and suggested heavy gloves as
well.
     Now that she was thoroughly soaked, her spirits had
improved, there being nowhere to go but up from here. Thus
when they set off she was quite happy to play with the
raindrops still falling, and to listen to the others.
---pw
     With a final farewell to their host, the group made
their way into the cold drizzle outside.  All save
Rorandair, who stayed behind to post a letter, and who
promised to catch up with them shortly.
     Didymus suddenly had a thought, and turned to Niki. 
"My lady, I forgot to ask, but we have a wagon we would like
to bring with us.  Would there be room to lash it on the
deck of your ship?"  At her affirmation, Didymus smiled and
nodded to Pen and Tan.  "Would the two of you be so kind as
to ready the wagon?  It seems we will be able to take it
afterall.  With a smile from Pen and some underbreath
grumbling from Tan, the two quickly dashed into the nearby
stables to ready the wagon and the horses. 
     Seeing the great sense of getting out of the rain,
Karaz tugged on Sir Didymus' cloak and said "I do believe
I'll go and help them..." and quickly followed after the two
into the stable, where he conveniently quickly forgot about
helping Pen and Tan and instead ended in a prone position on
a large, dry pile of hay.
     Watching the dwarf disappear into the stable, Didymus
turned back to Niki.  "You mentioned needing more supplies? 
The rest of us can help you with that task.  The shopping
district is just up the street."  Liess suddenly tugged on
his sleeve, and pointed to herself, then the stable.  "Very
well, lady Liess.  We will meet the four of you in the
shopping district, where we'll probably end up needing the
wagon at any rate.  Come my friends!"
     Didymus, Niki, Valkyr and Kaega made their way through
the cold drizzle and into the shopping district of Varna. 
"My first purchase will be for all-weather oil-skin cloaks
for everybody.  Warm ones!  What size do you suppose Tan and
the great Karaz-Gorm take?"  He asked his companions.
---je
     In response to Sir Didymus's query about the
Magnificent Moron's (er, Mage's) cloak size, Kaega shrugged. 
"I don't know about him, but I don't need a cloak."  As she
spoke Sir Didymus noticed a glowing aura around her through
which no rain penetrated.  Noting his glance she grinned. 
"It's fun being a dragon, Sir Didymus.  It gets rid of many
of life's little annoyances."
---at
     Niki drank a handul of rainwater and looked wistfully
at Kaega.
     "You're not wet.  How did you do that?" And now that
she was actually talking to the dragon, Niki threw in a few
more random questions.
     "Did you come with Rorandair?  What type of dragon are
you?  Why did you have to come here to find out?  What do
you eat?  Do you have wings?"
     Niki stopped talking and hoped Kaega wasn't offended.
     The woman seemed so quiet. Niki'd never seen eyes like
Kaega's.
---pw
     Kaega grinned at the storm of questions, and after some
running through the streets and Sir Didymus's fall in the
mud, she had the time to answer them. "As to why I'm not
wet, that's simple enough. This staff of mine," she said,
guesturing with the seldom-noticed item, "is capable of many
things, one of those being to keep me dry in the rain.
---at
     Niki dutifully examined the staff, and decided that it
looked like a staff. Like all magical items, it did not come
with handy labels or scroll manuals. "What else does it do?"
---pw
     Kaega shrugged. "I'm not sure about the extent of its
abilities, but it gets me in more trouble than you would
believe!  I will ride some on the ship, and sing you that
song - and tell you some of the many stories I've lived."
     "No, I did not come with Rorandir, I met him at the
Dragon's Inn shortly after I arrived there. My kind of
dragon have many names the humans call us, one of those
being Rainbow Dragon. We prefer to call ourselves Watchers.
As for why I'm here, that is a long story, one which is
better left in its full telling for another time. The short
of it is, more than five thousand years ago, my kind were in
a long and bloody war with an ancient enemy. This war is
still going on, but that is yet another story. It enters
this story in that time more than five thousand years ago,
on a world named Hath."
     Her face grew sad.  "There is a song about the battle
which I may sing for you sometime.  The Watchers won, but at
great cost.  Many dragons lost their lives.  Among those
were my parents.  A magical bolt was aimed at me and the
other hatchlings - forgive me, my memory grows clouded here
- and my parents took the brunt of it, and it killed them. 
The fringe of it caught me, though, and I was flung far out
into the multiverse.  Since then, I have wandered searching
for my people.
     She shook off the haze of memory.  "What I am here for
is to ask the dragons on the Isle if they have news of my
fellow Watchers.
     "Yes, I do have wings, which you will see when I unfold
them to fly near the airship.  As for what I eat, well, that
depends on what is at hand. I have eaten many things which
would doubtless disgust you, but normally I just have meat,
preferably raw.
     Kaega wound down from her string of answers.  "I hope
you have learned what you wanted to know, and if you ever
need a favor or a story, don't hesitate to ask."
---at
     Niki brightened. "I'd like to hear your song, and I
love stories. If you get tired of flying I'll be piloting
the ship pretty much until we get to the Island."
     "By the way, you don't breathe fire or anything do
you?"
---pw
     Kaega answered, "Yes, I do breathe fire, and many other
things, but I have not yet used any of these on a human of
your planet - though I came close to singeing Karaz-Gorm!
---at
     Didymus was amused by the plethora of questions asked
of Kaega by Niki.   Each time the dragon (in human form)
attempted to answer, she was cut off  by another question. 
Ah, the inquisitiveness of youth, thought Didymus. His
thoughts of younger days were interrupted when he realized
that Niki was now speaking to him.  "Excuse me, my dear?"
---je
     "Sir Didymus, I'm not sure you'll be able to find a
slicker big enough for Rorandair, or small enough for Tan
and Karaz-Gorm. I've never seen a dwarven sailor, or a
Taliessin."  She cocked her head in thought as she had an
idea.
     Sure enough, there was a silver line stretching to
their left.  "On the other hand, Sir Didymus, maybe they
*do* make them small.  That way," she said, pointing.
---pw
     Niki grabbed Didymus' hand, and pulled him through the
mud covered streets, until suddenly (and with a crash) the
knight lost his footing, slipped in the mud, and ended up on
his back in the street.  "Gaaa...." said Didymus, who opened
his eyes and looked up to the concerned faces of Niki,
Kaega, and Valkyr.  Once he had regained his breath, and
assured them he was uninjured, their looks of concern turned
to ones of amusement as he attempted to work the mud out of
his armour.  The way he shook and moved, it looked like the
knight was doing an impromptu dance in the middle of the
rainy street.
---je
     Niki tried hard not to laugh, she wanted very much to
go to the Dragons Island and see a dragon-mage.
     "Oh! I'm sorry Sir Didymus, I didn't mean to go so
fast."
     She braced herself with one hand on a nearby cart and
helped the old knight to his feet. "I'm really sorry about
this. Maybe it'd help if you took off your armor. Then the
rain'll get everything soaked, I mean clean, in no time!"
     Looking past Didymus, Niki spied a wagon racing through
the intersection four blocks back with Pen and Liess on
board. She started to wave but they were gone before she
could lift a hand.
     She shrugged. They obviously knew where they were going
to be in such a hurry.
     "Maybe we should go back to the ship and get you into
some cleaner clothes Sir Didymus.
     Niki was about to say more, but behind Didymus the
wagon, Pen, and Liess shot back through the intersection,
heading back the way they'd come.
     Niki blinked, shrugged and closed her mouth, looking at
Sir Didymus.
     "Good thing you've got all your stuff with you instead
of keeping it in the wagon."
---pw

     Rorandair finished posting his letters, and walked
briskly outside into the cold drizzle.  Unfortunately, all
of his companions had left without him.  He sighed and sat
down under a nearby tree in his (fortunately) waterproof
armor.  Hopefully they would be back before he started to
get really hungry...
---mp
     Pen led Tan into the stables and the pair soon found
their loyal wagon (and somewhat more indifferent
horses).  This was mostly due to Pen's good efforts, since
Tan was more interested in looking around for some form of
taliessin-sized, water-resistant covering.
     "'Tisn't a fit morning out for man nor taliessin," Tan
said, tugging on a tarp that for some, no doubt hostile,
reason, had been nailed down.
     "Here's the tack," Pen said, summoning Tan to the task
that Sir Didymus had set.
     Tan sighed and came over to the wagon.  "Let me just
check the undercarriage for dry spots -- I mean dry rot," he
suggested.
     The Magnificent Karaz-Gorm, already yawning due to
having taken a ten percent reduction on his daily forty
thousand winks of late, came into the stable and promptly
set himself to testing the restful qualities of a dry pile
of straw.
     Liess, having spent a minute more out in the rain and
therefore correspondingly more damp, squelched in after him
and stopped, glaring at the already snoozing wizard.  After
a moment, she walked quietly over to the wagon where Pen was
busily rigging the harnessing between horses and wagon. 
After a quick walk around the wagon, she kicked the front
axle on the right side.
     "Ow!"  Tan exclaimed.  He dropped out from under the
wagon and stood glaring at Liess.  "What do you want?" he
asked.  Liess motioned him over to the pile of straw and his
Sleeping Magnificence.
     "Looks very peaceful," Tan agreed.  "And in this
weather, we can't allow that to persist."  He prepared for a
standing broad jump, his target apparently the wizard's nose
(precision jumping not being his specialty), but Liess
caught him up before he could execute the maneuver.
     "You don't want me to wake him?"  Liess nodded.  "But
you do want to do something."  Liess nodded.  "Give me a
hint."  Liess gestured at the size of the haystack and then
at the size of the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm.  "Big haystack,
not so big wizard.  There's room for more...what kind of
company did you have in mind?"  Liess wiggled her nose and
cupped her ears with her hands.  "Uh huh.  Yeah, we got
that."
     Shortly thereafter, the obedient Pen having been sworn
to secrecy (and having been given permission to look the
other way so that he hadn't *seen* that the wizard was
getting "accidentally" left behind), the wagon very
*quietly* rolled out of the stable.  The Magnificent Karaz-
Gorm continued to snooze in his haystack nest, accompanied
(very intimately, it should be pointed out) by a swarm of
equally somnolent mice.
     Back out in the rain, the wagonmasters rolled by
Rorandair, who no doubt recognized *somebody* and joined
them.
     "Where're we going?" Tan asked.
     "Nikki's ship, of course," Pen said.
     Liess shook her head vigorously, the early raindrops
flying off her hair.
     "I think she differs with you," Tan said to Pen.  "Then
where should we go?" he asked Liess.  She thought for a
moment and then pointed.  Tan shrugged.
     "We go -- that way!" he explained to Pen.  "At least,
traffic should be light," he added.
---al
     "Aye!" the boy answered.  "Not much traffic at all." 
In fact the streets remained abandoned during the early
morning down-pour.  "Some people have more sense than
others," he thought as he guaged the weather in silence.
     Pen did as he was asked and led the cart in the
direction pointed out to him.  He had left the barn
apprehensively.  Not due souly for the rain that would soak
his curls but rather for the disapproving look he would
catch from Sir Didymus when they returned without one Karaz-
Gorm.
     Within minutes another form of dread grasped its sticky
fingers around poor Pen's neck.  Out on the unfamiliar
streets with poor visibility, Pen was sure he was once again
lost.  He began to feel uncomfortably warm despite the
frigid and damp air.
     "Ahhh...d-does anybody know where we go from here?"
---ds
     "We go ... that way!" Tan exclaimed pointing in a
direction that would not have been Pen's first choice. 
Liess grabbed the taliessin and spun him around so that he
was facing her.
     "We don't go that way?" Tan asked.
     Liess shook her head.
     "Hokay.  Then we go that way!"  Tan picked another low-
percentage direction.  Liess shook her head again.
     "Uh, that way?" Tan asked.
     "That's where we just came from," Pen grumbled.
     "Well then, that leaves -- hey!"
     Liess picked Tan up and used him to point back the way 
they'd come.
     "You want us to go back?" Tan asked.  Liess nodded.
     "Boring!" Tan shouted.  "Been there.  Seen that.  It
ain't worth a second visit."  Still holding Tan, Liess 
gestured back that way again anyway.
     "I wish you'd stop doing that," Tan remarked.  Liess
ignored him.
---al
     Indeed, Pen had managed, with some help from Tan, to
get himself lost again. "Damn...will I never learn my way,"
he feuded with himself.
---ds
     Pen sighed and got the wagon turned around.  He was
cold, wet and miserable, and on top of that, he was with a
couple of wackoes who thought this was a joy ride.  He drove
back.  He drove all the way back.  The wagon roared by the
barn where Karaz-Gorm was probably still sleeping.  At
least, he was probably a lot more comfortable than Pen felt.
     Liess stared in the barn.  (Inside, a well-bewhiskered
mouse considered whether Karaz-Gorm's nostrils were a good
site for a nest.) 
---al
     Then it was someone else's turn to use Tan as a
pointer. First slowing the cart to a crawl, Pen tugged Tan
as gently as possible to achieve the desired result.  He
rotated Liess in such a way that she no longer stared at the
snoring dwarf/mouse-house, but rather, with Tan pointing,
she now saw the familiar and patient face of the large
warrior, Rorandair.  She managed a smile despite her earlier
vision: that of a swarm of rodents maneuvering in and about
Karaz-Gorm as if he were part of the natural landscape of
the barn.
     "Ahhh...need a lift?" a slightly red-faced young lad
asked.
     Suddenly, Karaz-Gorm was right behind Rorandair and
roughly made his way by the big dude.
---ds
     The Magnificent Karaz-Gorm was outraged.  He had never
been so affronted in all his illustrious existence.  How
*dare* this little pip-squeek make off without his Greatness
on board?!  How *dare* this barely-a-squire leave the
Fabulous Karaz-Gorm behind?!
     The little dwarf steamed up to the back of the wagon
and jumped aboard.  He then huffed his way to the front,
where Pen and Liess were sitting (and Tan was being held). 
Pointing a gnarled and stubby finger right in Pen's face,
barely a hair's width from his nose, Karaz growled, "Sir
Didymus will hear about this, you little whippersnapper! 
Why, you're lucky I don't turn you into a toad right here
and now!"  His shoulders were rising and falling at the
fierceness of his breathing.  "Somewhat ticked off" was a
bit of an understatement.
     As Pen cowered beneath the enraged dwarf, and before
Rorandair could pull him away from the frightened lad, Tan
spoke up.  "Relax," the tiny taliessin said.  "It wasn't his
idea.  It was Liess's."
     To say that Liess was shocked would also be an
understatement.  Her eyes hadwidened to the point of
rivalling the wagon wheels in diameter.  Her mouth had
dropped open, and was gaping at the audacity of Tan.
     "Well it was...HEY!"  Tan's last words were cut off as
Liess shoved him none-to-gently into a burlap sack.  She
glanced up at Karaz sheepishly, an apologetic look in her
eyes.
     Karaz was mirroring her initial look of shock.  He
opened his mouth, and closed it again, repeatedly, never
quite finding the words to express his surprise.  Liess just
grinned disarmingly and spun around to face forward.  She
elbowed Pen and made a "shoo-ing" gesture in an effort to
get underway.  Pen conspiritorially responded with a loud
"Hiyaaa!" and the wagon lurched forward.  Karaz lost his
balance and rolled onto his backside.
     Rorandair then said to Karaz, "Better hope that wasn't
the sack that Liess put Tan in, or there'll be hell to pay!"
---med
     Then they were off once more.  Now Pen took directions
from three passengers.  Within minutes it became obvious to
the young squire that two heads were obviously not always
better than one and three made no better than two.  His one
head began to ache.
     A little ways passed and Tan was out of the sack and
adding his opinions again.
---ds
     Liess pointed in a new direction.
     "Now we go that way!" Tan shouted.
     They went that way.
     "Now we go that way!" as they reached the next
intersection.  They went that way.
     The performance repeated for a couple more
intersections as Liess demonstrated that she'd learned
something from all the wandering around town that she and
Tan had done the previous day. 
     "Now we run over our friends!" Tan shouted, as the
wagon turned a corner.
---al
     With the accompanying rumble and racket of a swiftly
moving cart (which Sir Didymus, Niki, Kaega and Valkyr just
barely had time to see bearing down on them), a mortified
Pen yanked on all the reins as hard as he could.  All the
while his mind played with the riddle without answer: where
did these animals get such spunk all of a sudden?
---ds
     The abrupt stop of the wagon was the last act in an
entire series of rough turns and sudden starts and stops. 
The "discomfort" that the Magnifcent Karaz-Gorm was feeling
rivalled the sickness that he had experienced on the docks
the day before.  Karaz rolled forward and struck the front
sideboard of the wagon when Pen had finally brought it to a
standstill.  Noticing that the jostling the mage had endured
had suddenly come to a merciful end, Karaz climbed to his
feet and proceeded to the rear of the wagon to disembark.
     Once he had again placed his feet on terra firma, Karaz
quickly located Sir Didymus and marched right up to the man,
still shaking a leg (so to speak) in an effort to dislodge
another piece of the road that had lodged itself in his
armor.
     "MISTER Didymus," began the dwarf, "I must register a
complaint against two members of this crazed party of yours. 
The first would be against Liess," and he cast a sidelong
glance at her as he said her name, "for trying to leave me
behind at the stables you assigned me to!  The second would
be against that child you insist on calling your squire,
being Pen, for being a willing and eager accomplice in such
criminal activity, and for an incredible *lack* of wagon
pilotage know-how.  How *is* the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm
supposed to grant his limitless knowledge and assistance to
this otherwise doomed endeavor with such maltreatment at
every turn?"
     Noticing the dance that Didymus appeared to be doing,
despite a semi-sincere effort to listen to the dwarf, Karaz
blurted, "Good god, man!  What has gotten into you?  Or your
armor, as the case may be?"
     Then, in a hushed voice to Niki, he said, "You have to
let them know who's boss, you know.  Say, you don't happen
to have any more of those wonderful pastries, do you?"
---med
     As the Magnificent Karaz-Gorm filed his charges against
her, Liess leaned against the evil wagon and gazed at him. 
She did not affect hostility, nor any show of innocence. 
Instead, since he'd mentioned her name, she gave his words a
cool interest.  She stared at him patiently until he ran out
of words to include in his brief (she was very patient),
then stared at him a while longer.
     Tan, as was sometimes his wont, had made himself
scarce.
     When His Magnificence had finally wound down, Liess
looked at Sir Didymus for his reaction.
---al
     Sir Didymus felt quite icky.  He continued to slough
off the mud from his armour as he turned to Karaz.  "I had a
bit of an accident.  This blasted mud seems to have an
affinity for my backside."  he grumbled.  "As for Pen and
Liess, I'm sure it was just an accident her leaving you
behind. How *did* that happen, by the way?  What with you in
the thick of things helping out, I cannot fathom how they
could have missed you.  Or you, their leaving," he
commented, with a suspicious look upon his face.
---je
     "Err...uh.." Karaz stammered, having been skillfully
maneuvered into as icky a situation as the Knight found his
armor to be in.  "Well, you see, uh, I was busy doing some
work, and, er, well, I had my back turned.  Yes, that's it! 
I had my back turned, and, uh, didn't see them leaving the
stables.  Of course!  That's exactly what happened!  And
they failed to alert me to their departure!"
---med
     Pen was about to protest, but held his tongue.  He
decided to make himself small.  Go on the lamb so-to-speak. 
He had left one of their crew behind - although it was not
by his design - and nearly ran his master down.
---ds
     Now, to have filed a complaint with Sir Didymus was one
thing, but to back it up with a bold-faced, out and out lie
was entirely different.  Liess would have said something in
protest (had she been able to speak), but instead she gazed
at Karaz with big soulful brown eyes (the ones she kept for
just such occasions as this), disappointed with his cavalier
mangling of the truth.  Just then, Tan's head poked out of
wherever he was hiding.  "You know, actually, they way we
saw it..." were the only words he could say before Karaz
interrupted him.
     Speaking very quickly so as no one could get a word in
edgewise, the great mage blurted, "You know, Sir Didymus,
now that I think about it, there really wasn't that much
harm done, and since I'm here now I think I can be generous
and forgiving and all that and out of the goodness of my
heart (which, as you know, comes naturally to me) I think I
can safely withdraw my complaint and pretend that nothing
ever really happened.  Agreed?  Agreed!  Well, very good
then, I guess I'll just make my way around and see what
other goodness I can do around here, as you all know I just
work myself just too hard for you people and sometimes I
don't even get any respect for it but do I complain?  Oh,
no, I just go about and keep doing it because that's the
kind of person I am..."  His words trailed off as he slinked
in amongst the others and away from Sir Didymus.  He cast a
glance towards Liess, who merely beamed a triumphant smile
at the intolerable dwarf.  Well, not exactly triumphant.  It
was more like a "Next time, if you're going to try to make
trouble for other people, you should learn to plan better"
advisory kind of smile as she switched off the big, soulful,
brown eyes.
---med&al
     Pen struggled to keep what breakfast he had down.  This
was too much; even for someone with a stomach of steel.
---ds
     Sir Didymus spoke up again, saying, "But come, we have
found a store which specializes in all-weather gear!  I for
one, have found a rather distinct need for such gear.  Glad
to see you could rejoin us, Rorandair.  Did you get your
letter posted?"  Didymus asked the large knight.
---je
     "Indeed, I did," Rorandair replied, "but while I was
gone things seem to have been a little chaotic.  I hope this
doesn't bode poorly for the journey, especially since the
weather we are in right now is crappy.  Don't worry about
rain gear for me, though.  My armor is waterproof and if
truth be told I could probably really use a bath anyway."
---mp
     When the scene between the dwarf and the knight had
ended, the group moved for the store that housed travel
gear.
     Once within the store, the crew shook off the wet.  It
was if a pack of wet sheep dogs had entered a barn to dry
off.  The store keeper quickly objected with a cry.
     Begging his forgiveness, the small crowd promised to
make restitution by making handsome contributions to the
shop-keeper via purchases of his stores.
     "I'll be over 'ere if ya be needen any 'alp," the shop
keeper stated with a greedy smile that cracked his weather-
beaten face.
---ds
     Didymus did so enjoy shopping!  He moved from aisle to
aisle of the Outdoorsman store, picking up things he thought
would be useful for their voyage to the Dragon's Isle.  Pen
followed close behind, some what staggering under the load
of goods placed in his arms by Sir Didymus.  He selected
several oilskin cloaks, as well as a can of fresh weathering
oil to apply to the tarps already in the wagon.  Two crates
of field rations were also placed in Pen's able hands.  When
Pen could carry no more, he quickly went over to the
shopkeeper, a Mr. Jasper, and dumped the purchases there for
the man to tally.  Then he would quickly get back to Sir
Didymus' side. 
     The two saw the others move from aisle to aisle as
well.  Valkyr and Rorandair were examining some type of
three pronged spear, for use at sea.  Rorandair was
explaining the usefulness of such weapons, as well as nets,
in ship to ship fighting.  Pen was so engrossed by
Rorandair's tale that he almost missed Didymus moving on. 
When he caught up to the knight, he saw that he was
examining a rusty shirt of mail ringlets.  Sir Didymus
placed the shirt to Pen's front, and said "Mmmm, yes...I do
believe this should fit.  Take this to the proprietor and
make sure he understands that I know about its condition. 
We'll clean it up for you once we board Niki's ship." 
     Pen took the mail shirt to Mr. Jasper, passing a
grumbling Karaz-Gorm along the way.  Shrugging, Pen
continued on and dropped off the shirt.  Once that was
completed, he spied Niki, Tan and Liess examining something
in a glass counter.  Kaega soon joined them, and Pen decided
he would see what they were looking at.  Inside the case was
a rolled leather map, unrolled enough to partially show an
island.  The little card next to the map read:


	Only known map of the Dragon's Isle in existence!
=09
		Know where the Friendly Dragons Live
					(also, the Dangerous Ones)!
			=09
			Possible Abandoned Treasure Hordes Marked!
		=09
				Accuracy of Map Guaranteed!
			=09
					Only 500 GM (Gold Marks)!

---je
     Rorandair looked up from his description of the
trident's uses in war to see his companions huddled around a
glass counter.  Motioning Valkyr to come along, he walked
over to the counter and took a look at the map over Kaega's
shoulder.
     "Hey!  Wait a minute.  I might have been there once,
but it was called something else..." he muttered to himself
as the others peered at it.
---mp
     Squeezing by and nearly smothering Tan (quite
unintentionally mind you), the squire made for better
viewing.  He spied the map intently.  Pen so did love maps! 
Especially maps that divulged secret treasures and
adventure.  "Oh joy...oh glee!" he exclaimed, clasping his
hands in a fit of joy.  "Let's buy it!"  He looked at his
companions expectantly like a child does when shopping with
parents for presents, prior to its birthday.
---ds
     "Absolutely!" Tan agreed, his attention more on trying
to unsquash himself than on the prospective purchase.  "I'm
sure someone around here has 500 marks they don't need."  He
tested his left arm for broken bones.  "And when we identify
said person," he muttered in an afterthought, "I shall cling
therein, the most leechlike taliessin as has ever been heard
of -- at least since my Uncle Tobias had that amazing run of
luck at Dalmatia's tables..."
---al
     Kaega grinned at Pen's enthusiasm for the map. "I don't
know about the money standards of this world, but this
should cover it."  She reached into a pouch and pulled out a
huge ruby, as big around as Pen's fist. She tossed it to the
storekeeper, who caught it, stunned.  "Keep the change." She
returned to examining the map. In response to Pen's amazed
look, she said, "surely you know that dragons have hoards?
Actually, that is just a trinket from mine. I carry several
like that to cover expenses."
---at
     It did not take long for Karaz to notice that the rest
of the group had congregated about one point in the store. 
Feeling distinctly left out, he made his way towards, and
eventually through the crowd, to see what was so
interesting.
     Elbowing Pen out of the way, the great mage exclaimed,
"Okay, what's all this?  What's all the hubbub?"
     Pen reciprocated by elbowing back at Karaz.  However,
the dwarf's large weight-to-stature ratio gave him the low
center-of-gravity necessary to resist the gesture from Sir
Didymus's young squire.  Seeing the immobility of the
Magnificent Karaz-Gorm, Pen remarked angrily, "There's a map
of the Isle, in case you must know!"
     Karaz looked at the boy, and then at the map.  After a
moment, he remarked, "Oh, *that*?  DON'T insult my
intelligence!  That's merely a fake designed to get suckers
like you to buy it!  All the information you need on the
Dragon's Isle is safely stowed right here."  Karaz began to
tap his temple with his right hand, but noticed in time that
it was clutching his magic stick.  "Ooops!  Better use the
other hand," he said with a smile, and tapped his temple
with the index finger of his left hand instead.
     He turned to make his way back out of the crowd, when
Pen told him, "But we've already paid for it."
     Karaz spun about to face the squire.  Pen looked up at
Kaega.  Kaega smiled and looked over to Jasper.  Jasper
beamed a wide smile and held up the ruby Kaega had tossed
him.  The Magnificent Karaz-Gorm slapped his forehead with
his hand and sighed, "Oh, what can you expect from dragons?" 
Then he murmured, "Well, at least they have a backup in case
I'm captured.  As important as I am, I'm sure that'll happen
more than once."  He walked away from the group.
     As he passed Mr. Jasper, the shopkeeper leaned out from
behind his counter and whispered threateningly, "A fake, eh? 
I don't appreciate customers questioning my products,
mister!  As I understand it, you are at odds with a certain
innkeeper in town?  Oh, yes, I'm fully aware of the trouble
you can cause.  You just watch yourself while you're in my
store!  I won't be as 'understanding' as Mr. LeBold!"
     Karaz swallowed hard, and then turned to yell back to
Sir Didymus.  "Sir Didymus!  Maybe I should go check on the
horses and wagon.  Shall I do so?  Thank you, sir!"  The
Knight had never said a word, and the Great Karaz-Gorm was
out the door in a flash.
---med
     Didymus turned upon hearing his name called out, and
saw Karaz-Gorm across the store standing next to the
proprietor.  "Mumble, mumble -horses- mumble -Thank-
mumble!"  The dwarven mage called out to him.  Sir Didymus
didn't catch what the dwarf was saying, and was about to say
so, when Karaz turned towards the door and marched out into
the rain.  Must've had a mouth full of pastry again, the
knight thought to himself.
     Satisfied that he had everything he wanted, he walked
over to pay his account with Mr. Jasper.  The proprietor was
waiting with a tallied bill.  "For your purchases, and the
few your friends made, the total comes to 649 gold marks." 
Didymus' eyes widened at the total, but he pulled out the
large money pouch from his backpack and paid the man. 
Things were *definitely* getting tight, monetarily.  The
purchases had all been wrapped in a weather resistant paper
by Mr. Jasper and his assistant.  All save the all-weather
oilskin cloaks.  Taking off his pack, Didymus placed his new
cloak over his armour, and checked the straps.  "Yes, this
will do nicely!" he remarked to Mr. Jasper, with a smile. 
"You know, Mr. Jasper, I can't shake this feeling that I
have met you before..."  Mr. Jasper simply smiled and said,
"Yes, I get that a lot.  I guess I just have one of those
average faces."
     Didymus nodded, and began filling his arms with the
packages.  He was soon joined by all of his companions, who
all wore smiles like the cat that got the canary.  Didymus
smiled back, not knowing what was going on, and his friends
also began to pick up the packages and took them out to the
wagon.  Those of his companions who needed the all-weather
cloaks were now well protected from the rain, and quite
warm.
     Everyone boarded the wagon, and Didymus remarked off-
handedly, "Oh, by the way, I paid the stablehand to take
Ambrosious, as well as Valkyr and Rorandair's mounts, to
Niki's ship.  They should be waiting for us right about
now."
     Valkyr took the reins, and started the wagonload full
of supplies and  companions moving towards the waterfront. 
Everyone was silent and grinning at each other.  Finally,
Didymus broke the silence  "I say, what *are* you all
grinning about?"
     Pen smiled and elbowed Niki, who smiled and elbowed
Tan, who fell off the bench, climbed back up, and smiled and
elbowed Liess, etc. etc.  Karaz-Gorm was the only one not
smiling, and seemed to take offense and grumbled at Kaega's
elbowing of him.  Finally, Pen spoke up and answered for the
group.  "Well sir, we have a gift for you!
---je
     "Oh, is *that* what we're smiling about?" Tan
exclaimed.  "I thought it was -- hey!"  Liess knocked him
off the bench.
---al
     What would you say if you heard about a map of the
place where we are going...the Dragon's Isle?
---je
     Tan, climbing up on the bench, started to ask, "Hey! 
You mean somebody put up the -- Hey!" but Liess knocked him
off again.
---al
     Would you be interested?"  Pen turned to the others
and smiled again, and Tan began to giggle in anticipation.
---je
     "Stop tickling me!" he yelled at Liess.
---al
     Didymus thought for a moment, then snapped his finger
and said  "*That's* where I remember Mr. Jasper from!  On my
initial way to Montfort, I of course had to pass through
Varna, and I must have stopped at his store then.  I thought
both he and the store seemed familiar!  Anyways, on my prior
visit, he had a great treasure indeed!"  Didymus rummaged in
his back pack and pulled out a map case.  He opened it, and
unrolled the map with a flourish.  It was an identical copy
to the one in Kaega's possession.  "I purchased this map
from Mr. Jasper on my last trip through Varna.  It is the
only known, accurate map of the Dragon's Isle.  It's
accuracy is guaranteed, and it cost me 300 gold marks. 
Expensive, I know, but it was one of a kind, and I think it
will prove...worth..." Sir Didymus stopped speaking when he
saw that everyone was staring at him with open mouths. 
"What the devil is going on here?" he asked.
     Wide eyed, Pen turned towards Niki, who turned to Tan,
who turned to Liess, etc. etc.
---je
     "*Somebody* paid for it, right?" the rather confused
Tan asked Liess very softly.
---al
     Finally, the silence was broken when Kaega started
laughing.  "How about that!  For once the little nuisance
was right!" she said, looking at Karaz.
     Karaz-Gorm leaned forward and whispered to Tan, "You
know, you really should speak to her about calling you
names.  It *is* somewhat undignified!"
---je
     "Liess has never called me any names," Tan said stiffly
to Karaz.
---al
     Kaega moved to the back of the wagon.  "Excuse me, but
I have a purchase I will need to return.  I'll meet you all
at the ship."  So saying, she lept from the back of the
moving wagon, but instead of falling to the ground, she
soared into the rain filled sky.
     Didymus watched her go, then looked back at Pen and
smiled.  "Now then, lad!  You spoke of a gift?"  he said,
rubbing his hands together and with a look of glee in his
eyes.
---je
     Quickly, Liess swatted Tan into the pile of well-
wrapped packages.
     "Owww!" Tan yelped as he flew into the collection. 
"There are times, however," he called to Karaz-Gorm, "when a
few well-chosen epithets might be preferable to the mode of
communication she does resort to."  He started to stagger
forward to the bench, but Liess stared at him and shook her
head.
     "What do *you* want?" Tan asked.  Liess nodded at the
packages.
     "What about them?"  Liess nodded at Sir Didymus.
     "Yeah, so what's that got to do with me?"  Liess stared
at Tan and then shifted her gaze slowly to Sir Didymus.
     "Oh no!" Tan suddenly exclaimed.  "Those were for me." 
Liess gazed at him.  "Come on Liess!  You don't -- I mean,
he may not even like them."  Liess's stare was implacable. 
Tan sighed and turned back to the pile.  "You fight dirty,
Liess," he called over his shoulder.  "That silent treatment
is really low."  Sniffing once or twice he found the package
he wanted, pulled it out of the pile, and carried it over to
Sir Didymus.
     "Here," he muttered.  "It's a token of appreciation
from all of us."  Dejectedly, he made his way back to his
spot on the bench. 
     "Hope you're satisfied," he hissed at Liess.  "Making
me give away my candied gingers like that.  And it's not
even much of a gift -- considering he paid for them."
     "What did I pay for?" Sir Didymus, choosing (as the
hard of hearing often do) an especially awkward moment to
show total acuity.
     "Everything we need to be properly outfitted for the
journey," Tan said quickly, snatching back the parcel. 
"Including that.  Silly me!  Wrong package.  Now where did
we put your present?"
     Liess glared at the taliessin.  The taliessin decided
the pile of parcels actually looked pretty comfortable for
staying in.
---al
     The boy could barely umm and ahh.  It would seem as
though the joke was on them.  Pen desperately looked at his
fellow companions for aid.
---ds
     Niki looked at Pen, abashed, and thought quickly.
     "We had a surprise for you Sir Didymus, but we can't
give it to you yet. Its, uh, back at the ship. With the
horses. And if we told you it wouldn't be much of a
surprise."
---pw
     "Yeah, that's it.  We left it with the horses!" Tan
shouted.  "(Where'd we leave the horses?)"
---al
     Pen sighed with the force of a balloon releasing its
gas.  It did not go unnoticed.  His ribs (the ones nearest
Niki's elbow) would ache for some time.
     In an awkward attempt to recover from his fumble, the
squire smiled and nodded, "Yes...yes, we have something for
you...on Niki's ship!"  That said, Pen grew silent with his
white lie which weighed on him heavier than it should have,
for Niki surely had something aboard her ship that would
more than suffice as a pleasant surprise for his master.
---ds
     Furiously Niki considered the contents of Hold C, and
what there might be of interest to a paladin.
     Most of the treasure horde [the King's Ransom which the
ship was named after] had never been catalogued, let alone
looked at since the ship had set sail from the King's Dock
in Pharod.
     Upon reflection, Niki had to admit she really had no
idea what was in Hold C.
     When they got to the ship the paladins would be busy
loading their steeds [particularly if Rorandair and Valkyr
helped matters a bit], and that would give the rest of them
a little time to look.
     Niki whispered her plan in Pen's ear, then turned
around and whispered it to Tan who sat nearest, and told him
to pass it along.
---pw
     Tan ambled along the wagon toward Liess, looked up at
her, ambled along back toward the pile of packages, looked
up at Niki, noticed that she was still watching him, and
turned around again, muttering "This is going to hurt me
more than it does you."
     Approaching the woman, who sat with arms folded
forbiddingly, he said, "Time out.  Got a message for you." 
He passed along the details of the plan (as best he
understood them), concluding with a furtive "Pass it along."
     Liess raised an eyebrow.
     "Never mind," Tan said.  He started ambling toward
Karaz and then decided the heck with it.
---al
     Kaega soared, still laughing about the map.  "Ah, well,
if ever I need a map of the Isle and the one belonging to
Sir Didymus is unavailable, I have one!  Besides, I've never
needed a reason  to buy a map before."  She turned back to
her companions.
     Landing back in the wagon, she said, "I decided not to
return that purchase of mine - it might come in handy
someday.  A thought came to her, and she said, "I know! 
It's been fifty years since I made a good counting of my
maps."  So saying, she opened a pouch on her belt and begun
pulling from it various maps.  "Does anybody need a map?  I
have thousands to spare."
---at
     Niki's eyes grew round.  Need maps?  Didn't everyone? 
Her talent only told her how to get someplace, not where she
was going or what might lie in store along the way. Maps
were almost a necessity.
---pw
     Pen's fascination with maps was less tactical.  He
simply admired them much like an art lover may adore a
masterpiece.
---ds
     She leaned closer and started to examine the nearest of
the maps emerging from Kaega's pouch.
---pw
     Pen, despite his sore rib, edged closer to Niki and
read the maps along with her as they bobbed along in the
wagon.  Before they had a chance to examine even half of the
maps kaega had, they had reached the docks.
---ds
     Niki hopped out of the wagon and jogged up to the
King's Ransom, letting loose a piercing whistle as she did.
The gangplank lowered on its own and she and Pen hurried on
board. She pointed Pen belowdecks and turned back to wave at
Rorandair, pointing at the other end of the ship where the
horses could be made secure.
---pw
     "Oh, so that's where we left the horses," Tan said, a
little too loudly.  "(Why're we going the other way?)" 
Liess slapped a hand over his face, easily covering it
completely.
---al
     Once they had reached the floating galleon, Pen
followed Niki towards the hold while the others (excluding
Tan and Liess) busied themselves with the ship=C6s prep and
loading.
---ds
     Waiting to see who else might be coming, she then ran
after Pen and caught up with him one floor down opening
doors at random.
     "This way," she said as she squeezed past him. "Those
are the cabins for Kaega and Valkyr and Tan and Liess, or
maybe Sir Didymus and Karaz-Gorm and Rorandair. Whoever
wants whichever I guess. First come I always say. The murals
change in all the rooms depending who uses it, so it doesn't
really matter who picks which one."
---pw
     Liess quickly slipped in through a random doorway.
     "Dibs on the bunk with a window!" Tan shouted, leaping
off Liess's shoulder.  Landing on a bunk, he looked around
in consternation.  "They both have a window!" he exclaimed,
gazing out the great bay windows that adorned both sides of
the room.  He stared at the marvelous views of rainswept
harbor.  "How do they do that?" he wondered.  "Looks like
tardisian architecture.  All right, then," he decided, "dibs
on -- "  He shrugged.  Liess had already dumped her backpack
(new, courtesy of the generosity of her patron, Sir Didymus)
on one of the bunks and was emptying out a bunch of useful
travelling gear (new, courtesy of the generosity of her
patron, Sir Didymus).
     " -- That one."  Tan pointed at the other bunk.  "What
are you doing?"
     Liess was already stripping off her soaked and
travelworn dress.
     "Now?"
     Liess nodded, picking up another dress from off the
bunk.  It was new and quite attractive (and courtesy of the
generosity of ... you get the idea).
     "Well, can you hurry up?"
     Liess gave him a look.  The look was centuries old and
at the same time very current.  Tan sighed. 
     "But there's stuff going on right now -- I'm sure of
it.  And I don't want to miss it.  We're supposed to be
finding a present for Sir Didymus right now, aren't we?"
     Liess nodded, pulled the dress over her head quickly
and opened the door.  She gave Tan her "Are you coming?"
look.
     "That's it?"
     Liess shrugged.
     "Well, OK.  He took a running broad jump from his bunk
to hers and then continued with a leap to her shoulder. 
Standing up on that rather bony platform, he cried the
heroic cry of the taliessin:  "We go:  That way!"  (And this
time, he got it right!)
---al
     Niki climbed down a ladder at the far end and stopped
to catch her breath before an unremarkable looking door
exhibiting a nondescript lock and a plain iron handle.
---pw
     Kaega followed the others to Cargo Hold C and then
paused.  "Hmm." She thought for a moment, then said, "if you
can't find anything in there, go ahead and look through my
hoard.  I'm sure there's something suitable there."  So
saying, she picked out a good spot, and opened a door to her
treasure hoard.
     This was actually a fairly intricate process.  First
her staff began to glow brightly, suddenly becoming much
more impressive.  She traced a circle in midair with one end
of the staff, and a glow filled the inside of the circle. 
She spoke a sharp word, and the glowing center vanished to
be replaced by a portal to some kind of vast room piled with
treasure which seemed to stretch on forever.  She stepped
through, and faced them from the other side.
     "Feel free to come in and look around, but be careful. 
And for the Ancestors sake, please don't try to use anything
you don't understand!  The last time someone did that, I
lost almost half my hoard."  She walked off through the
mountains of treasure, muttering to herself as she went. 
"Orb of Aldur, Potion of Immortality, Sword of Hero
Vanquishing (with a definite smirk), where did I leave that
*map*????"
---at
     Niki watched, dazzled, then shook herself back to
business.
---pw
     The breathless arrival of Tan and Liess at that moment
had nothing to do with it.
---al
     Karaz, having followed everybody to Cargo Hold C,
watched with mild curiosity as Kaega opened the doorway to
her hoarde.  That mild curiosity then increased to rampant
lust when he saw the vast and limitless expanse over which
her treasure was strewn.  He took several steps towards the
doorway, and as he did he could see that the treasure
extended just as far to the sides as it did deep.
     Karaz was in awe!  It was born into every dwarf the
desire to seek and accumulate wealth (as it seemed to be in
dragons...perhaps that's why dwarves and dragons didn't
mix!), and here laid out before him was wealth far beyond
the combined dreams of his entire village!  He looked for
Kaega, but she had disappeared from view.  Occasionally he
would hear some comment that indicated the progress the
dragon was making on her hunt for the elusive map (which was
not great), but by and large she seemed quite absent of the
doorway.
     Greed began to slowly tighten its grip on Karaz-Gorm's
mind.  Surely, with such a vast treasure, Kaega wouldn't
miss one small token.  He was tempted to reach in and grab a
small trinket, worth far more than he had ever won in his
meager effort, and stash it away safely.  But he knew
dragons didn't leave their treasure unguarded, even amongst
the closest of friends.  No, it was a trap!  it had to be! 
Kaega had never liked the Illustrous Karaz-Gorm, she was
certainly trying to trap his Magnificence!  That's it!  It
was her planned revenge for the manacles incident!  Ah, but
the Fabulous Karaz-Gorm was far too clever for the likes of
her!  It was pure folly that she try to engage in a battle
of wits with such a giant of intelligence as was Karaz-Gorm!
     "Oh, no you don't, lassie!  You're not going to lure me
into your little trap!  You're going to have to try much
harder than that if you're going to get the Magnificent
Karaz-Gorm!"  The mage triumphantly marched over to where
the others were preparing to enter the cargo hold.  He paid
no attention to the confused looks upon their faces.  What
trap?
     As he stood next to Niki, Karaz muttered under his
breath to her, "Er, excuse me lassie, but could you direct
me to yer galley, please?  Thank you very much!"
---med
     "Oh, sure," she said distractedly looking at the
recalcitrant door.
     She pointed back the way they'd come.  "That way, up
the ladder, second door on the right."
     Turning back to the door, Niki turned the handle and
pushed.  Nothing happened.  So she kicked it for good
measure and the door flared blue around the edges for a
moment before it opened.
     "Wonder what that was for. I don't *remember* anyone
bespelling the door..."
     She stepped in with a heavy lantern which she used to
prop open the door and let in some light.
     The room was full of *stuff*.  She had no better word
for it, and moved to the right to begin digging. Better
Right than Wrong, she thought to herself as she quickly
hummed her way through a pile of statuary.  A particularly
ugly little silver statue with an enormous diamond in its
stomach winked at her, a trick of the light?
---pw
     Had Tan and Liess arrived more promptly, they doubtless
would have followed Kaega into the nice room with all the
good stuff (and powerful, and knowing Tan, the world might
have turned out a lot worse today than it is already).  But,
instead, Liess was looking better and feeling drier and,
having shown up late, the two followed Niki and Pen into the
spooky darkness of Cargo Hold C.  (So you're going to have
to find someone else to blame for losing that earring last
week.)  Except:  Liess went straight ahead, skirting the
statues.
---al
     Behind the four of them, the door slammed shut with a
flare of blue, smashing the lantern with a loud crash.
---pw
     "I have a bad feeling about this," Tan said ominously. 
Liess grabbed him.  "All right, all right," he said quickly. 
"I know:  Get your own signature line."
---al
     Niki dropped the statue and lunged for the door.  She
missed the handle and then the blue glimmer faded away
completely leaving her in total darkness.
     She cleared her throat to speak, now seemed a good time
to tell Pen she was afraid of the dark.  No need to explain
about the shadows that had killed her last party of friends
in a dark room, lots of people were afraid of the dark.  As
she drew breath something cold and very strong grabbed her
ankles.
     Pen's only warning was a piercing scream from Niki.
---pw
     Pen matched her scream.  They collided in the dark and
held one another as if they were meeting their maker. 
Trembling, Pen too felt the cold surround then tighten its
grip around his ankles.  He yelped once more.
---ds
     "Do you know why they're screaming?" Tan asked Liess,
who'd characteristically refrained from joining in the group
therapy.  Liess nodded and pointed at her feet.  Tan looked
down.  "It's a little foggy down there," he remarked to
Liess.  "Can't see very much.  Maybe if you put me down
there -- " Liess shook her head violently.  "Not a good
idea, huh?"  Liess shook her head again, hoisted herself
onto a packing crate and began rubbing her ankles.
     "I don't think you were supposed to be able to do
that," Tan said, sitting next to her and staring at Pen and
Niki.
     Liess gave him another look, the one that said "I'll
decide what I'm supposed to be able to do, thank you very
much."  Tan looked at her, massaging her bare feet and then
at Pen and Niki.
---al
     Suddenly the shut door bulged inward, allowing a sliver
of golden light to seep in.  In that short time, Pen saw
only wisps of white smoke around his and Niki's lower legs. 
How could that be?  It felt as though the strongest of claws
were trying to crush his bones.  Again the door bulged. 
Someone was trying to break in. Pen and Niki screamed for
their saviour (whoever that might be) to hurry.  All the two
could do was hold onto one another for balance and pray.
     The circulation had now left Pen's ankles and the pain
was becoming quite unbearable.  He imagined his young
princess friend was not faring better.  His mind wondered if
they would be saved in time from the ankle fetish?
---ds
     "Do you suppose," Tan asked Liess conversationally,
"that if they took off their boots, they'd be able to get
away also?  And failing that, can you think of anything else
we might do to help?"  Liess sighed and shook her head. 
"Pessimist."
---al
     It didn't take long for even the Illustrous Karaz-Gorm
to foul up the simple directions that Niki had given him. 
He had just returned to Cargo Hold C when Niki screamed
inside.  Followed shortly by Pen.  Surprised, the great mage
wondered why they simply didn't just open the door and
leave.  He tried the latch, and found that it wouldn't
budge.
     "Oh," he said to himself, "that's why."
     Knowing that his stature did not afford a great
likelihood of forcing open the door (and the fact that he
utterly disdained such lower forms of manual labor), he
thought of who might be more apt at accomplishing the feat. 
Certainly Rorandair came to mind, but the passageways were
tight, and he figured that the time it would take for that
huge man to negotiate his body into this tiny section of the
ship would cause undue panic amongst the screamers.
     To reinforce the notion, a second pair of screams
filtered their way out to the hall.
     Ah!  What about Kaega?!  Dragons were great for that
menial brute strength kind of thing, and Kaega'd be perfect! 
Approaching the magic portal into her treasure room, Karaz
called lightly, "Oh, Ka-a-a-e-g-a-a-a!!  I think that our
host and some of our companions are in need of your service. 
Besides, I need to ask Niki a very important question!  It
seems that...ah...er, she umm...gave me the wrong
directions!  Yes, that's it!  Impossible to find, even for
someone of such greatness as myself!  And, I need for her to
give me the correct directions to the galley so that I
can...well, I need her to give me the correct directions,
let's leave it at that.  So, can you come on out here and
help them get out of the hold?  I don't think they can open
the door, and you know that that kind of physical labor is
grossly beneath me, but I thought it'd be just the kind of
thing that you're good at.  If there are any things that
dragons are good at, that is, of course."
     Karaz stepped back, expecting Kaega to make her
glorious appearance.  Well, as glorious as a dragon could
be, of course.
---med
     Kaega came out of her treasure hoard at a dead run,
sensing the trouble (the loud dwarf helped a bit). Examining
the door, she decided that, while effecient, brute force
might be countered by magic. So - use magic instead of
force. With this in mind, she gave the door a long look,
then said "burst!" in a commanding tone (old, she thought,
but it still works).
---at
     Hallelujah!  They were surely saved now.  Seeing the
door bulge once more, this time to the extent that he feared
it would shatter, Pen managed to muster enough forethought
to cover his young friend so that his back was facing the
door.
---ds 
     After a moment's glowing, the door fragmented and the
splinters sprayed inward. She rushed in quickly.
---at
     "Maybe it's me," Tan remarked to Liess as both held
arms over their faces against the spraying wood, "but I
sometimes think our group lacks subtlety."
---al
     Once the dust had settled, he looked first at Niki to
see if she was alright.  A smile met his.  Then, blinking
the dust out of his eyes, he finally noticed Tan and Liess
sitting on a nearby crate.  "Where did  they come from?" he
mused, thankful to see more friendly faces in light of clear
and present danger.  Then Kaega, followed by none other than
the great Karaz-Gorm, walked into the cluttered hold.
---ds
     "Fog lifted!" Tan shouted joyfully.  "Which is a real
surprise, considering who just walked in," he muttered
quietly to Liess.
---al
     Elated with the rescue, Pen had all but forgotten about
the strange force that had such a hold upon his and Niki's
lower limbs.  Huh, he thought, it, whatever it was, had
disappeared.  Still holding a puzzled look he faced Niki
with a shrug and regrettably retracted his hug from her
person.
     "I guess we're safe now," he said.  "Too bad about your
door, though."
---ds
     Niki looked at the door then at Pen and shrugged.
     "It'll grow a new one eventually. Thank you Pen. That
could have hurt."
     She leaned against the wall and started to massage one
frozen, bruised ankle. "Thanks Kaega. Whatever that was it
seems to have gone. I hope so anyway."
     "And thank you too for coming to rescue us." she said
to the dwarf sauntering in behind Kaega. "I knew you would."
---pw
     "She could thank us for keeping her company while
waiting for the rescue," Tan said to Liess, jumping up on
her shoulder.  "What were we sitting on, anyway?"
---al
     "Just as soon as we find Sir Didymus a present I'll
make you another tray of pastry. Pen, Tan, Liess, Kaega,
would apple or peach tarts suit any of you? Wandering around
town in the rain and being scared half out of my wits gives
me an appetite."
---pw
     "Peach!  You know, this crate's nailed together pretty
tight..."
---al
     Didymus had been busy checking the horses when he
thought he'd heard a muted plea for help.  He ran across the
deck, and down the steps to where the cabins lay.  At the
bottom of the stairs, he pulled out his broadsword from its
scabbard, and began a dead run towards a very load crashing
sound.  Ahead, he could see that one of the doors had been
blown inward, and he charged therein.  "Ha-Haaah!  Have at
you!" he shouted in challenge.  It was right before his
arrival that the illustrious Karaz-Gorm had bent over to
examine some bit of the treasure that Niki had stowed in the
room.   Didymus' legs made contact with the low, immovable
dwarf, and the knight went flying through the room, flipping
over completely, and landed with a loud crash upon his back. 
"Gah...." was all the knight could mange to say, what with
all the wind knocked out of him.
---je
     "Uh, thanks," Tan said, wondering why a bunch of
pillows had been packed up in a deceptively flimsy crate. 
"You didn't have to go to all that trouble to open it."  He
glanced at Liess, who'd leapt out of the flying Didymus's
way onto another crate.  "Hellofa dodge," he said, "but I
don't think I want to ask what's in this crate."
---al
     Didymus sat up, and looked about.  Seeing that there
did *not* appear to be any danger, he fell back down onto
his back to try to recover.  Pen, Niki and Kaega were all
about him, asking him if he was alright, to which he could
only reply "......."  Tan and Liess were attempting to climb
down from some crates upon which they were perched, and
Karaz was *still* crouched examining whatever it was that he
had found upon the deck.  The latest arrivals, Valkyr and
Rorandair, were both standing in the doorway with weapons
drawn.
     Didymus had finally regained enough air to voice a
question "W..What.<wheez>..is...going on in here?"
---je
     Just then the great Karaz-Gorm stood instantly upright,
much like the suddenness of a jack-in-the-box.  "Sir
Didymus!  I thought I heard your voice just now!  You would
not *believe* some of the items that are in this hold!  Why,
I was just examining an ancient....you know, you really
shouldn't just lie there like that.  It sets a very bad
example for the rest of the company.  I mean, if the leader
of this little adventure is just lounging around and not
doing any work, why should any of the rest of us pull your
weight, hmmm?"
     Turning to Niki, he answered her question with, "Cherry
for me lassie.  That was one of the choices, wasn't it?"
     Tan quickly interjected, "No, it wasn't.  She said
peach or apple."
     "Oh, dear.  Oh dear oh dear oh dear."  The dwarf was
shaking his head in obvious dismay.  "That will not do at
all.  You see, peaches are entirely inedible.  I can't see
how anyone could eat those disgusting, vile little things. 
Yiccckkk!  And apples are no good, either.  They disagree
with me something fierce.  Besides the rash..." Karaz began
to glow a distinct shade of crimson.  "...there are
other...ah...unniceties... that I shall have the good taste
not to mention.  Shall we say that it would make the journey
considerably more unpleasant to those possessing functioning
olfactory organs.  Niki dear, please say that you have
cherry available!"
     Tan piped in, "Yes, Niki, *please* say you have cherry
available.  PLEASE!!"
---med
     Pen's expression spoke volumes. He had already been
subjected to Karaz's flatulent behaviour before. He did not
want the same torture to befall his companions.  Besides, he
enjoyed cherry tarts just fine.
---ds
     "I do have cherry yes," Niki added as everyone started
to file out.  If that's what you all really want."
     Everyone seemed quite determined that it was when she
glanced from face to frantic face.  "Cherry it is."
---pw
     Tan jumped off of Liess and the crate.  Advancing to
Sir Didymus, he said, "You got here too soon.  The horses,
with your present, haven't arrived here yet and we haven't
quite finished baking the peach tarts and picking out the
Sauterne.  So how about if you and me go supervise the
pumping out the bilge.  (They've gotta have a bilge around
here somewhere.  Might even need pumping.)  Or, hey! you
want to see the bay windows in your cabin?  Very
splendiforous.  Come on!"  He jumped onto Sir Didymus's
shoulder (not a very effective move since Sir Didymus was
still prone).  "We go -- that way!"
---al
     Ignoring the tiny fella, Pen rushed to Sir Didymus's
side.  "Oh dear," he cried as he bent on one knee. "Are you
all right master?"
     All Didymus had energy for was to stare back into his
young squire's eyes and smile.  Pen smiled back and it
seamed as though that action alone was enough inspiration to
get Didymus back on his feet.
     Answering his master=C6s earlier question Pen spoke,
"It's okay, sir...what ever had us spooked, he looked at
Niki to note who the other in us was, is gone now."  Pen
made his best to belittle his true fears.  He would have
many a future nights rest disturbed by reoccuring nightmares
of a mysterious mist that would always try to snuff his life
out like a boa does its prey.
---ds
     Shaking her head at the mysterious disturbance in Hold
C, Kaega thought for a moment. A horrifying notion came to
her suddenly.  "Oh, no!" she said aloud.  As the others
turned to her, she elaborated. "Whatever that thing was,
there is a small possibility that it is a creature that
escaped from my hoard. Probably not - but it is a disturbing
notion.  There are many things which are locked away in
there for a good reason.  Does anybody know for sure what it
might have been?"
---at
     Niki shook her head no and looked to see if anyone else
had a better idea.
     "Tan?  You and Liess had the best view, sitting up
there.  It looked to me like fog and it was cold.  And it
hurt."
     "Do you really think it's yours Kaega?", she asked.
---pw
     Liess, trying to time this just right through Niki's
stream of rapid-fire questions, shook her head.  She missed.
---al
     Niki realized what she really should have asked first.
     "You have creatures in your horde?  Like genies and
lamps?  Wow!!!"
     "Now *that* would be something to give to Sir Didymus!"
she murmured under her breath.  "He can pick anything he
wants!"
---pw
     Kaega's sensitive hearing picked up Niki's quiet idea. 
"Sir Didymus," she said, "I overheard an exellent idea of
Niki's.  For that gift we have for you - would you like to
select something from my hoard? I'm sure there's something
in there you'd like."
     Turning to Niki, she added, "Yes, I do have creatures
in my hoard - several genies, some djinii, a demon, and
quite a few others.  It is possible that this fog creature
escaped from my hoard.
---at
     Not forgetting his knight's recent discomforting
accident, Pen made his best effort in helping him to the
upper deck where there was more room and thus more air.  The
others followed.
---ds
     After the last person had exited, Niki glanced back at
the little storeroom she called Hold C.
     Beyond the blue magical field in the doorway, a few
tendrils of mist beckoned to her enticingly.
     She shuddered and kept going.
---pw
     Reaching the openness of the galleons' deck, both
knight and squire took in the brisk sea air. The saltyness
of the morning air was heavy but life giving. The rain had
ceased and the sun had managed to win a triumphant battle
over the gloomy clouds.
---ds
     Niki pointed Karaz-Gorm into the galley and stood back
to see if he knew what he was doing or not. She deftly
removed the flour bin, fruit baskets, sugar, eggs and so on
from their respective cupboards and absently asked the low
built dwarf to hand her a large bowl from a lower cupboard.
     Karaz-Gorm hopped into a chair to watch her just as Pen
stuck his head in.
---pw
     "Will we be setting off soon?" asked Pen.
---ds
     "Has it stopped raining then?  I can leave as soon as
the rain stops and everyone is settled in and the horses are
tied down and I've explained about... Ship's regs."
     She didn't want to say Safety in front of Karaz-Gorm
just yet.  "I did promise everyone something to eat, but it
shouldn't take me long if you'll help."
     She threw a smile in his direction and asked about Sir
Didymus' health. He's such a nice old man, she thought
privately.  I probably will let him use my treasure to
bribe the dragon if he needs it, so long as I don't have to
get it for him.
     She shivered slightly.
---pw