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Flynn had checked that his bedroll would fit in the library, then rolled it up into the corner out of the way; there was no need to make obstructions during the day, when he didn't need it.

He looked around the shelves, seeing several titles that he'd like to read - it seemed likely that he'd have plenty of time, with a crew as large as Talm's quest had attracted. Some time alone with a good book was just what he felt like right now.

Except - alone?

His mind wandered back to his proposed journey to Land's End Volcano, to retrieve his swords. Why had he asked Moonshadow if she wanted to come along, if he really wanted to be alone?

"It was logical," he decided. "She's the only one, besides Desert Fox and me, that can enter that cave; she might just find something useful amongst all its varied contents."

Satisfied enough to dismiss the problem - for now - Flynn climbed back down from the library and returned to the main living area.

------------------
The only substitute for good manners, is fast reflexes.

[This message has been edited by Flynn (edited 12-03-2001).]

Darken Rahl jumped off the lader about 7 rungs from the floor and landed with a thud in the forge. Velcarn smiled and continued to examine the equipmentRahl rushed forward to Velcarn, a smile broad on his face.
"I happen to be a crytograph!!" Velcarn looked up. "And I happen to know who you are! You are-" Velcarn silenced Rahl with a glare.
"We'll let the others find out later" Rahl glided off happy with himself.
Velcarn went back to examining the small blacksmithers shop.

------------------
"This one must meditate ones failure"
Famous words, strange button No. 4

Moonshadow leaned back against the wall, trying to ignore Leandra's soundful unpacking of her stuff on the top bunk. Oh well... she'd get it next, and it was no use sulking over it. With a sigh, she got up. Leandra looked at her questioningly. "Where are you going?" It almost sounded suspicious.
"Dunno... I think I'll have a look around the balloon." She left the room, a little puzzled by Leandra's behavior.
Now where would she go first? She looked up the ladder well, and decided she'd have a look at the Solar Shard. When she had reached the top level, she found it surprisingly uninteresting. There was really not much to see, except for the Solar Shard. She walked a little closer, eyeing it carefully. It was so obviously a concentration of the fiery element that it made her feel uncomfortable, just as in the Volcano. Though, of course, that had also had three other dangerous reasons. She quickly decided she had seen enough of it, and left down the ladder well. What next? The balcony, maybe. The view must be breathtaking from so high above. She took a quick look at the kitchen on her way, and carefully avoided the many things lying around in Talm's room as she made her way towards the ladder. From above, she could hear the clanking of weapons on armor, as somebody made himself comfortable there. She didn't have to look at the person to know it could only be Dell. Shaking her head, she 'waded' back to the door, seeing a small, green creature disappear under the bed. She quickly made up her mind, returned to the bed, and knelt down in front of it. She fished an apple out of her bag, and held out her hand, wondering if wolflizards liked apples. Or maybe the liked sweeties? Well, it was worth a try. It seemed to work, since the little pet crept out from under the bed, approaching her curiously. It sniffed her hand, and decided to take a careful bit of apple. Moonshadow smiled happily, lifting the wolflizard up. It squealed a little at first, but gave up protest as she carried it to the main living area, where she put it down on the table. She winked at Flynn, who had looked up from his book as she had sat down at the table. "I wonder if it can do any tricks or stunts?" she mused, not really directing the question at anyone.

------------------
As l lay in my bed staring at the sky I asked myself:
Where the hell did the roof go?


[This message has been edited by Moonshadow (edited 11-25-2001).]

Brink looked around the forge, but not knowing anything about smithing could not judge it. Not, much he thought to himself, but warm. He then pulled out his sword. Ugh, where did those bloodstains come from? he thought. He touched it. It was still wet……
Brink asked around. "Er, did anyone use my sword?" Dell spoke up "Yes, I did. I,um, couldn't find mine in all the mess and borrowed yours. We have, er, had a rat infestation. Sorry about the blood"
(Yes, I'm bored)

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How do men that have beards play the flute?

[This message has been edited by idiotSavant (edited 11-25-2001).]

*OoC*
Thanks for including the Wolflizard, Moonshadow.
*BiC*

Talm stood on the balcony, holding some kind of pole. Attached to the pole was a small brass instrument, about two inches wide. Talm was having a bit of trouble with the unweidly fiveteen foot pole in the wind, and Velcarn, who had returned to the balcony, grasped the end of the pole.

"Thanks" Talm said to Velcarn, and they hauled the pole in.

A few minutes later, Talm was in the main room, and sat at the table.

Wolmark and Moonshadow were also there, Flynn reading and Moonshadow playing with the Wolflizard.

“Sit? Do you know Sit? she asked the placid, green critter.
The Wolflizard sat.
“Good uh...Lizard” She said.

“Talm, is it a boy or a girl?” She asked.

“It’s a male. I used to have a female as well, but I lost her.” Talm replied.

“Oh, sorry..” Moonshadow said, then turned her attention back to the lizard.

Talm looked into a glass, filled with amber liquid and graduated with black markings.
“Air pressure down 3 1/2 notches...” he mumbled, and wrote something down in his log.
“Wind speed up 13.8...” He continued, writing in his journal, all the time.

“Storm’s coming” Was his final, unpleasant conclusion.
Talm Walked to the forge and looked out the window. Sure enough, huge gray clouds were in there future, weather* they liked it or not.

*Ha ha.

------------------
I saw board **... and it was good!
(SOMEONE ATTACHED MEANING TO THIS!)

[This message has been edited by Talm (edited 11-25-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Talm (edited 11-25-2001).]

*** OoC ***
Um, Bryce? That was Flynn. Wolmark's on his way up now.
*** BiC ***

Wolmark stowed his bedroll on the sternward side of the lab, then began to take a more leisurely inspection of the facilities than he'd had time for on his previous visits. It was certainly well stocked; the chemical supplies and devices were very complete, and the forge upstairs could probably fabricate anything extra that was required. The only thing it really lacked was space; but there was more than enough room for anything they were likely to need to make while in flight.

Ferazel jumped down the last few steps of the ladder, carrying a bedroll, and joined Wolmark in staring around the room. "Wow, I bet you could have some fun in here!"

Wolmark laughed. "I've taken the stern; you'll have to sleep in the bow."

"Right," Ferazel replied, stowing his gear in a forward corner.

Wolmark climbed back up to the main level, and walked past the table into the forge. Moonshadow watched him go, but Flynn barely glanced up from his book; he was familiar with Wolmark's habits. Talm got up and followed him into the forge.

Wolmark was inspecting the canvas walls; he noticed they were coated with a variation of the same heat suppressant that they'd used on the crystal. "Impressive! Really brilliant!" Looking up, he noticed Talm in the doorway, smiling in satisfaction.

"You really thought this out thoroughly, didn't you!" Wolmark commented.

"I tried," Talm replied.

"So what do you do about the heat buildup in here?"

Talm pointed to a coil of pipes just beneath the ceiling. "Where do you think the hot water for the kitchen and shower comes from?"

"Ah, of course! You have to keep the forge going permanently, since you might need it in a hurry, and they take so long to get up to temperature from a cold start; so you might as well make use of the heat! Brilliant!"

When they returned to the table, Trinias had also returned; he, Flynn and Moonshadow all had cups of tea. Talm wondered where the tea came from, then noticed Leandra working in the kitchen on the other side of the cabin. She seemed to have made herself right at home.

------------------
There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.

Hmm, thought Brink, noting the amount of people coming in and out of the forge. Maybe I shouldn't have picked such a hot spot Brink thought ruefully. Still, a good time to test my new product mumbled Brink on his way to the lab. "What was that"asked Talm who was passing by. "Oh, nothing, just testing my new product in the lab" said Brink. "A storm is coming"warned Talm "I won't be long" said Brink As he went into the lab, he found Flynn dumping something into the sink. They both regarded each other with some surprise. Brink grinned. "Water not good enough for you?" he asked noting Flynn dumping it in the sink. "Its fine but sadly lacking" "hmm, you seem the perfect judge of my new drink, something I named "Coffee"" Brink held out a bottle. Flynn accepted it reluctantly, but tried some, immediately gagging and spitting it out. "What is that?" he demaned. Brink sighed sadly. "Well, its made out of ground up of seeds that are dried, roasted, and ground to make a stimulating, aromatic drink. However, its not a stimulating, aromatic drink yet " "Maybe if you add some sugar...." said Flynn as they worked together adding different things to the drink.

------------------
How do men that have beards play the flute?

Talm was walking around the balcony. The air was frigid, and huge gray clouds obstructed the brilliant blue of the Cytherian sky. Talm turned to view the Solar Shard. Glowing dimly red in the cradle of iron and the tubing of the heat-control system, it’s fire was unhindered by the cool air that blew over it’s surface.

Talm gave the Shard one last look, and walked into the ladder well.

Talm entered into the gentle warmth of the balloon’s interior. Helping himself to some tea, he headed for the library. Removing a small blue book, he started to read.

----------

As he read, Talm was distracted by a drop of water on his forehead. Looking up, he saw a small leak had formed above his head. Talm sat his empty teacup to catch the water and went into the main room, where the others had gathered.

“Seems to be raining...” Talm said.
“I guess those sleeping in there bunks will have to migrate inside or pitch a small tent!” Talm continued, unaware he was stating the obvious.

The rain wasn’t too hard yet, but the travelers feared it would get worse.

------------------
I saw board **... and it was good!
(SOMEONE ATTACHED MEANING TO THIS!)

Flynn had just added two spoons of sugar and a little milk, to a mug of Brink's latest brew.

"Ah, that's better," he sighed. "Best coffee I've tasted in... oh... several thousand years!"

Brink blinked; he'd totally missed the twinkle in Flynn's eye.

-------------------------

Wolmark felt the balloon give a small lurch. He glanced over at Talm, then hurriedly climbed the ladder to the balcony. Talm followed, with Trinias close on his heels.

Talm found Wolmark at the stern, looking back - or rather, looking down at the zeppelin. He looked up as Talm approached.

"We forgot the differences in buoyancy; the zeppelin still only has as much lift as it did on takeoff."

"Right! What can we do about it?" Talm asked.

Wolmark thought a moment. "Do you have any more heat-exchange drives, like you developed to run your compressor? And how much more power can we draw from the shard?"

"Yes, I have two spares, and there's more than enough power. You need one?"

"Yes; and we'll need insulated tubing, enough to reach the zeppelin."

"No problem. Uh, who's going to get all of that over there?"

"That's my job," Trinias broke in with a smile. "I was getting bored, anyway."

-------------------------

"Right, you know what to do?" Wolmark asked Trinias, as he was preparing to go.

"Yes; the drive is attached to the compressor, just like you showed me; the control device gets attached to the towing rope, to sense if it needs to go up or down. Nothing to it."

"OK then. I want you to wear this, though, just in case." Wolmark handed Trinias a familiar backpack.

"Oh, one of your 'silk umbrella' things? Fine, but I hope I won't need it."

"Me too. Now, be careful!"

Trinias nodded, and hitched himself onto the tow rope. He wrapped both legs over the rope, fastened a belt around both himself and the rope, and began to lower himself hand-over-hand towards the zeppelin.

There were a few heart-stopping moments when the rope swayed alarmingly - but each time, after a pause, Trinias carried on. The trip took him five minutes; but he arrived safely at the basket, and climbed in.

Trinias stood up and waved, and Talm held up a wooden board he'd collected from somewhere; Trinias set an arrow to the string of the Opal Sting, and fired. As before, the arrow trailed a light line; and also as before, it stuck fast in the centre of the board. The line was detached, and tied to a bundle that contained the sensing device that Wolmark had cobbled together, as well as Talm's compressor drive. another line was already attached at their end.

The bundle was tied loosely to the tow rope, and at a signal, Trinias began to reel it over. The second light line was payed out as the bundle went. Finally, the package reached the zeppelin.

A few minutes later, Trinias stood up and waved - the devices were attached. On the balloon, the end of the tubing was fastened to the end of the second line, and Trinias began to pull it over as well. It could be seen that the tubing was loosely attached, at regular intervals, to a second tow rope - Wolmark was taking no chances.

A few seconds were all that Trinias required to anchor the second rope and attach the tube to the drive; he signalled that he'd completed the job, then everyone waited to see if it would work. In a very short time, the zeppelin was plainly beginning to rise to the same level as the balloon.

Trinias thought about the return trip to the balloon. The trip over had been hard enough, and that had been downhill all the way; he knew an uphill climb in these winds would be nearly impossible. He flicked the manual override on the compressor drive, causing the zeppelin to climb well above the balloon, then set it back to automatic. Before the zeppelin could drop too far, he quickly climbed back down onto the balloon.

"Mission accomplished," he reported. "Now, I'm freezing; get me to some tea!"

------------------
There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.


[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 11-25-2001).]

Darken Rahl was not exactly comfortable on the ballon. Where ever he went in the strange, cramped inviroment people avoided him and gave him bad looks. They obvioulsy didn't all trust Lindus's judgement about him. Rahl approached Trinias with a smile. Trinias pulled his blanket over him and turned away.
Despite this Rahl spoke "Trinias tell me" Rahl slid off his armoured helmet. The face underneath was a gruff one covered with stubble. "How hard is it to climb across to the air ship?"

Trinias angered and grabbed Rahl by the throat "It's a ZEPPLIN!! Not an AIRSHIP!"
(sorry! Really I am but I couldn't help but quote Monty Python there )

Trinias calmed and released Rahl "It's pretty hard, if its down hill of course it's easier. Why do you ask?" Darken Rahl waved his hand
"Nevermind" Trinias went back to sipping his tea.

Talm was watching the approaching weather when Rahl found him. "The storm is going to be pretty bad!" Talm yelled above the wind. Darken Rahl nodded and yelled back
"Would you come inside for a sec?" Talm turned his back to the wind and they both slid down the ladder from the observation desk into one of the bedrooms.
"Yes Rahl? What is it?" Rahl examined the ground
"Well, I was wondering if the Zepplin is big enough to fit a passenger or two in?" Talm nodded "Or two?" he asked.
Darken Rahl answered quickly "Just a thought. I was wondering if I woulld be allowed to set up my bed over there" Talm looked a little doubtful.
"We could set up a pully system and if one of you would be kind enough to send me over some food then I would be fine" Talm was still not sure.
"Why do you want to go over there?" Talm turned his glaze upon Rahls face.
Rahl shuffled his feet. "I don't feel I really fit in. People are stil giving me bad looks"
"I will think about it" Talm said.
Rahl yelled back over the rising wind "Get back to me if you decide to let me go!"


------------------
"This one must meditate ones failure"
Famous words, strange button No. 4

*** OoC ***
Well, since it was Monty Python..
*** BiC ***

Talm found Wolmark, and presented Rahl's request. "After all," he said, "it's your zeppelin."

Wolmark frowned in thought. He wasn't very willing to risk the zeppelin; but on the other hand, Rahl still wasn't a comfortable person to be around. "OK, I'll go talk to him."

It didn't take too long to find Rahl, the balloon wasn't that big. "Rahl, Talm told me of your request. Look, there's some things I should make clear. The zeppelin is totally open; anyone over there would be completely exposed to the weather, and I suspect it's going to get extremely cold. On top of that, If the tow ropes break, you'll be totally on your own; we won't be able to help you at all. Do you still want to go over?"

------------------
Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool.

Rahl nodded. "No worry about the weather" Rahl pulled off one of his spiked guantlets to reveal a fur lined innard. "All my armour is like this" Woolmark asked in wonder "Don't you get really hot?" Darken Rahl shook his head
"A friend of mine had imbued the armour with a speel that keeps it at a constant tempreature. I am never too hot or too cold" Woolmark inspected the guantlet with interest.
"And what about the ropes breaking?" Woolmark notioned in the zepplins general direction "Surely you don't want to be stuck out there on your own?" Woolmark almost wished that the ropes would break, but reminded himself to be careful what you wish for.
"I think I will take my chances. Surely some one knows a strengthening spell for ropes?" Woolmark nodded
"I'll see what I can do"

------------------
"This one must meditate ones failure"
Famous words, strange button No. 4

Dell jumped into the forge again. He beamed at the anvil and hammer.
"Just need ta sharpen these a little. Sure Talm won't mind" He hummed to himself as Dell pulled one of his three swords from their scabbard on his back. It was a huge sword. A strong warrior would have had difficulty lifting it, let alone fighting with it. But Dell was not a strong warrior. He was a boundary warden.
With one hand Dell swung the massive sword into position over the anvil. From his back pack he pulled a sheet of some strange blue metal.
'DoomBringer'
Dell smiled at the words carved into the enourmus blade. Dell foraged around in the cubboards near by untill he found what he was looking for.
A crucible. Dell folded the thick metal sheets effortlessy into small squares and placed them into the fire pit. He hummed to himself and produced his other bladed weapons, a hundred at the very least. He laid them all down carefully on the wooden side bench.
After about 15 minutes later, when the blue metal had melted into a shimmering blue liqued, dell removed the tried to grab the crucible with his hands, but withdrew quickly enough. He searched around for some tongs but couldn't locate any.
At that moment Rahl stomped in, looking for Talm, who might know some rope spells.
"Ahh! Just the man I was looking for!" Dell explained his situation to Rahl. Rahl grinned, and with his guantlets, removed the glowing red hot cruible and placed it into the pourer for Dell "Only to happy to help" Rahl bowed and continued his search.
Dell carefully poured the shimmering blue substance onto DoomBringer. The metal set instantly with a crack. Dell repaeted the process with all of his weapons, leaving his favorite for last.
A moan filled the forge, and Plauge bearer emerged from its sheath. Dell grinned at the words and placed it to on the forge. He melted and left it sitting.

------------------
Some people say that journalists don't write in diaries, and other people say they don't. But this reasonaing makes no sense.

Brink meanwhile had finished with his "coffee". Not half bad, he thought to himself. Flynn was right, milk did help the taste. Brink then went to sit at the table, bringing a batch of coffee with him to share. Just then the balloon lurched. "Damn!"shouted Brink "My coffee!" just then Talm came rushing in "I think your coffee's the least of our problems! The solar shard has fallen out!"Brink felt the slow falling sensation of the balloon. "Damn it! Don't you have some back up?"Well, balloons normally stay up on hot air or gas, but I don't have a back up generator. Even if I did it wouldn't be any use because this balloon is too heavy.All we have is the forge and the kitchen fire."said Talm "How long do we have before the balloon crash?"asked Brink "At most 5 minutes" said Talm, worry on his face. "I got an idea" said Brink "The Ronin, Leandra and me can keep the balloon afloat for a while with fire magic. However, we can only do that for a limited time" "Okay" answered Talm "You get them while I go ask Wolmark and MoonShadow if they can do make something and find a more permanent solution ""Right "Said Brink rushing to get the Ronin and Leandra....

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How do men that have beards play the flute?

[This message has been edited by idiotSavant (edited 11-26-2001).]

Moonshadow followed Talm down to the lab. "What's happened?" Wolmark shouted, as Talm came into view.

"The Solar Shard, it fell out!"

"What? How? That cradle looked pretty secure, to me!"

"Worry about that later, right now we have to find a way to stay in the air!"

Wolmark thought long and hard - then suddenly looked over at one of the large water tanks. "I have an idea."

--------------------

Back upstairs, Leandra ran to the kitchen and returned with a cast iron skillet. Flynn fetched a tube of steel from the forge; Leandra inserted the handle of the skillet into the end of the tube and swept a red-glowing hand around the join, welding it in place.

They carefully raised the device upward, until the skillet was well inside the mouth of the balloon, and secured the pole. Leandra raised her arms and closed her eyes in concentration; a pale red beam stretched out from her hands to the skillet, which began to glow.

The heat given off by the skillet couldn't compare to the solar shard, however; their best efforts could only slow the descent.

--------------------

Wolmark quickly rigged a couple of electrodes in one of the water tanks, with improvised gas-collectors above them; the electrodes were connected by a length of cable. From the collectors, tubes ran up through the ladder well to the cradle where the shard had been, ending in metal nozzles.

"Right, Moonshadow," he said, finally. "Can you make an electric current pass through that cable? Doesn't matter which way, as long as it's constant."

Moonshadow nodded, and closed her eyes in concentration. Wolmark ran up the ladder. Leandra was exhausted by this time, and Flynn had taken over; when he saw Wolmark coming, he moved aside.

Wolmark passed a hand over the ends of the tubes, feeling the gas flow. He made a spark, and the hydrogen and oxygen streams ignited into an intensely hot flame.

The balloon's descent slowed even further, but they were still going down.

--------------------

Rahl looked up in surprise, as the zeppelin lurched and started to descend. Looking over at the balloon, he saw it was going down - and something that intermittently flashed red was falling far below.

He quickly studied the various mechanisms, working out what they all did - it was pretty simple, really. He climbed onto the cycle and began to pedal, until the zeppelin had drawn close enough to the balloon to get some slack on the ropes. Rahl detached first one, then the other, reattaching them at the rear of the zeppelin.

He began to pedal again, following the blinking red light downward, towing the stricken balloon behind him.

------------------
There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.


[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 11-26-2001).]

*** OoC ***
Uh, cache, I really would have apprecated it if you had consulted me before
doing that... It's okay, though. Very cleaver, with the Hydrogen-Oxygen thing.
*** BiC ***

Talm, feeling quite useless, paced around the ballcony. It was still raining... a bit lighter, though. Talm was baffled... the Shard, if if fell, should have landed on the ballcony... and how it managed to get off the balloon without catching somthing on fire astounded him. Talm looked up at the hydrogen fire. He'd have to ask Wolmark about that - the concept of burning water interested him a great deal.

------------------
I saw board **... and it was good!
(SOMEONE ATTACHED MEANING TO THIS!)

***OoC***
Talm, if you want to blame someone, blame me. Its my fault and I'm sorry, I should have e-mailed you first. Sorry Talm
***BiC***
Brink explained to Talm his theory about how the Shard fell out. "I think something hit it, and it went over. What hit it I don't know, maybe a bird, but perhaps someone else has another idea?"said Brink
------------------
How do men that have beards play the flute?

[This message has been edited by idiotSavant (edited 11-26-2001).]

[This message has been edited by idiotSavant (edited 11-26-2001).]

Rahl kept pedalling. It helped that the balloon had stopped dropping so fast, it meant that the descent controls on the zeppelin could keep up; but in order to stay close to the path of the flashing red light, he had to steer a course straight into the wind, pedalling just fast enough to keep them in the same spot.

At last the airships broke through the cloud base. Below, Rahl saw a small, tropical island - "What are the odds?" he thought to himself, as he saw a small fire raging on one side of the island. This group he found himself with certainly had more than their share of good luck; all this expanse of ocean, and the crystal landed on that tiny speck of land. It was almost as if some outside force was manipulating events, but pulling in all sorts of sometimes contradictory directions.

He began to circle wider, looking for a space large enough for the balloon to set down safely. Eventually he saw a wide expanse of beach, and manouvered the zeppelin-balloon combination to a halt over it; the balloon settled gently to the ground.

--------------------

Wolmark felt the bump as the balloon landed. "Moonshadow," he called, "you can stop now!"

"Thanks," came the weak reply from the lower deck.

Flynn hurried down the ladder, arriving just as Moonshadow started to collapse from the strain of her sustained effort. He caught her as she sagged, and she stood there a moment, leaning back against him.

"Thanks, I'm OK now," she said, straightening up and turning around. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. Flynn's face turned red.

As soon as they were down, Wolmark went to look at Leandra, who'd been placed on the lower bunk in her quarters to recover. He looked at her unnaturally pale face for a moment, then cast a few basic healing spells (all he knew of healing). The colour started to return to her cheeks, and Wolmark went to look for a healing potion.

--------------------

Talm wasted little time; he retrieved the discs from his room, then ran outside to take stock of their situation, and locate the Solar Shard.


------------------
There are three kinds of computer users: those that use Macintoshes, those that wish they used Macintoshes, and those that don't know any better.

[This message has been edited by Ronin (edited 11-27-2001).]

Brink got up the the now damaged balloon."I'm going for a walk" said Brink, ready for a stretch. "I don't know how good an idea that is"answed Talm. "We don't know the island well. "I can take care of myself" replied Brink, with a touch of a growl. Talm murmmured something about sea monsters "I'll come with you, to keep an eye out for the Shard!" said Talm. Brink and Talm slowly walked down the island taking in the sights. It wasn't lush like cythera, but had some trees and there were lots of native birds. Hmm, Brink thought, there's an awful lot of birds there, by that tree. Brink walked to investigate. "What the....?!" said Brink, seeing a mans body in the clearing with something glittering some feet away "Talm, come here!". "The solar Shard!" cried Talm. As he got closer, he saw that the man was just knocked out, as though the shard had hit him on the head, but had not caused any other damage. "Odd" thought Brink. "We got to get this man back to the balloon, where MoonShadow can heal him."said Brink. "Right" said Talm "I'll take the shard back. You go get Moonshadow!"Brink rushed off, coming back 10 minutes with a panting Moonshadow. "That man is lucky. The shard hit him alright but the the top of it was facing up, bounced off of the head and landed there. He's not bad"Moonshadow then cast Healing. "Look, he's coming around!" said Brink

------------------
How do men that have beards play the flute?

[This message has been edited by idiotSavant (edited 11-27-2001).]

"Ohh...my head hurts..." says the man, as he wakes up.

He suddenly looks around, seeing a number of unfamiliar faces. He begins to panic, but sees that they are friendly.

"Who are you?" he asks, puzzled, as anyone would be if they were suddenly struck on the head by a flaming object and awakened in a balloon stuffed full of unfamiliar people.

"We found you lying on the ground with this object, the solar shard which powered our balloon, unconscious. You were a bit burned up -- but I fixed that soon...but who are -YOU-?" said Moonshadow.

The man turns his head and says, "My name is Gwydion. I am a mage on this island -- probably the most devoted one on this island. I was practising creating large, menacing fireballs and moving them about, when suddenly it seemed as though one of them turned on me. And here I am now..."

"What were you doing in a balloon," he continued, "above this island when the fuel for it fell, anyways?"


------------------
YakKa Foob MoG. GRuG
PubbuWuP ZiNk WattooM
GaZoRK. CHuMBLE SpuZz.

"Here" said Brink "Drink this" The mage gulped it down, suddenly feeling more alert and awake. "What sort of potion is that?"he said "It tastes great!" Brink chuckled ."No magic potion, just my new product, coffee" Moonshadow gave him a dirty glare. "I'm not having that filth on this balloon" she huffed.

------------------
How do men that have beards play the flute?

[This message has been edited by idiotSavant (edited 11-27-2002).]

[This message has been edited by idiotSavant (edited 11-27-2001).]

Velcarn walked out the balloon's side hatch* and into the clearing. He carried some of his tools and a Heat Supressent for the crystal. A few birds, recently rendered homeless by the fire, twittered unhapply as Velcarn trodded towards the are where the Solar Shard had landed.

* I'm adding that because the ladder well would be pressed against the ground.

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Ec, y'r Bmiih
Any Cryptographers out there?

Talm stood in the clearing, keeping a distance from the hot end of the shard. When it landed, it must have sparked quite a fire storm - most vegetable life in a forty-foot radius was fried to a carbonized crisp. Talm, ever curious, noted that the inferno had stopped quite suddenly - the "Almost burned" area covered only about two feet, then faded into the forest. Suddenly, Talm heard a noise in the bushes. He drew his sword, and waited. Out of the bushes popped Velcarn, fallowed by Talm's Wolflizard*.

"Oh, Velcarn! It's you." Talm said.

"What were you expecting?" Velcarn replied.

Velcarn handed Talm the heat-supresent, and Talm poured it onto the crystal. It's fire trapped temporary, Talm picked it up wearing his Heat-resistant gloves.

"Well, let's head to the balloon. The Others are probably waiting for us." Talm said.

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Talm, Velcarn and the Lizard approached the balloon. Wolmark, Moonshadow and Frezel were outside, talking to some islanders, who were none to happy about there arrival and razing of the forest.

As Talm approached, holding the crystal, Moonshadow pointed to him.

"Ah, there's Talm. I'm sure he'l be happy to talk to you." She told the islander's leader.

The burly man turned to Talm and Velcarn.

"What right have you to come here?" The islander asked.

"We didn't mean to - our heat source for our airship fell out and landed..."

Talm was interrupted by the leader. "Forget reason, your heat-crystal set fire to Hel-Tath's family's forest. Our law demands you replace it." The leader demanded.

"I assure you, we had no intent of even coming here, much less setting fire to what's-his-name's forest. But we have no way to replace it, seeing as we have none of whatever you use for currency." Talm finished, and crossed his arms.

"That heat-crystal will be enough payment!" the leader declared.

"Well, that's quite impossible, considering we'd be stranded here. If you want, we could provide you with, say, some medicine, or tools, perhaps?" Talm offered.

The dominant islander considered the value for a moment then declared, resolutely:
"No. We want the Crystal."

Talm, rather put off, began, in an annoyed tone:
"NO - we can't give it up. I told you once and I'll tell you a hundred times, we're not giving up the Solar Shard!"

Velcarn interrupted. "You heard him, rat. Now leave us alone!"

The leader gave a signal and thirty armed islanders came out of the bush.

"The Crystal, or you lives!" The leader said, his voice having more fire than the Shard he sought.

Suddenly, Velcarn did something quite foolish. He drew his sword, and proclaimed:
"RUN FOR IT TALM!"

Talm bolted from in front of the chief and rushed the Solar Shard into the balloon.
Velcarn almost got the leader's spear though his chest, but dodged and headed for the balloon, fallowed by the Wolflizard.

The Mob of islanders charged towards the balloon, there spears at ready.


*** OoC ***
* Any suggestions for a name? e-mail me.
BTW, what happened to Frezel?

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I saw board **... and it was good!
(SOMEONE ATTACHED MEANING TO THIS!)

*Uhm, Talm... Moonshadow is inside the balloon, together with Brink and Gwydion, at least. I'll continue where idiotSavant left off, and join it with your post then.*

Moonshadow frowned at Brink, annoyed. Who did that guy think he was, undermining her healing methods like that? Furthermore, his stuff smelled... somehow unpleasant. She shook her head slightly, turning to the stranger again. "That's a rather long story, but I'll shorten it for you." She smiled. "The Solar Shard - which accidentally bumped onto your head - is but one out of five Elemental Crystals. We crossed this island on our journey to look for one of the other Shards, the Air Shard."
Gwydion nodded, yet doubt was showing on his face.
"That's *really* short." Brink commented.
Moonshadow ignored him. "You know, we'll best wait for Talm - that's the owner of the balloon - to return. And -" As if on cue, Talm came running in, clasping the Solar Shard, and apparently out of breath. "- there he is!" Moonshadow finished gracefully, pointing at Talm, as if pointing were necessary. "He can explain this - what the -?" Ferazel ran in after Talm, closely followed by Wolmark. "Islanders -" he panted. "- following - want... the Shard..."
"What? Why?"
"No time." Wolmark was starting to sound rather like Ulf. "They're... attacking." That was an unnecessary thing to point out, since just at that moment, the first villager stumbled in. He was knocked out by Velcarn shortly after, who looked somewhat annoyed that somebody had managed to slip by. The sudden action brought movement into the group. Flynn leapt up from the chair he'd been sitting on, drawing all attention towards him. "Dell, Darken! Help Velcarn." He looked around. "Where is Darken? ... Oh heck!" He grabbed one of Dell's many swords, figuring there was no time to lose. "Talm, Wolmark, go fix the balloon! Gwydion... find a way to talk to those people, you're one of them, aren't you? We don't want a massacer. Whatever problem they have, it sure won't be fixed that way! Leandra, Moonshadow -" he paused, wondering "- do whatever magesses do when they're in a balloon under attack." He turned, following Dell out of the door, leaving nobody a chance to object. Gwydion, after a short pause, ran after them. Talm hurried up the ladder towards the top, followed by Wolmark. Leandra and Moonshadow stared at each other, Leandra raising an eyebrow, half amused, then both rushed off towards their room, getting whatever tools they thought were necessary. Ferazel just looked around, not having received any order.
Moonshadow hurriedly unwrapped her crystal harp, noticing Leandra's questioning look. "A song of peace..." she explained, and hurried out of the room towards the balcony, already pondering which Theme would be best to use. Sedation? Friendship? Peace? Or Insecurity? Fear? She shook her head decidedly, dismissing those two possiblities. They involved Drak Magic. She did not trust Dark Magic. So it was either Sedation, Friendship, or Peace? But which one? She reached the balcony and surveyed the sstting below, where the two parties were confronting each other. No battle, yet. She sat down, cross-legged, on the edge of the balcony, and tested the sound of strings, playing a few notes.

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As l lay in my bed staring at the sky I asked myself:
Where the hell did the roof go?

"Sedation," she thought. "They're too hostile for friendship or peace." All the natives looked up, as Moonshadow began to play - the rest of the balloon crew didn't dare turn and take their eyes off the primitives.

The silver coloured strings sang out their soft notes, as she began to croon a lullaby she remembered from her childhood on Fir'dha.

Flynn caught glimpses of the imagery the song projected, although he didn't get the full effects. He saw the sky darken to a soft, dark grey, and a bright moon rise over the horizen. He saw fluffy grey clouds drifting lazily across the face of the moon, and heard the sound of the wind, gently blowing through the trees - that must have been new, from her time in Cythera. Through it all he heard the same strange duet that they'd heard, the last time Moonshadow played. Even when the magic wasn't focused on him, he could feel the soothing effects of that gentle singing.

Looking around at the natives, he saw their eyes begin to droop; then one by one, they sat down and went to sleep. Flynn returned the sword to Dell, waved up at Moonshadow with a smile, and entered the balloon to find Talm.

At the top of the ladder well, Talm and Wolmark were just replacing the shard in the cradle, having removed all of the new obstructions.

"Talm, what started all that fuss?" Flynn asked.

"Well," Talm replied after a moment, "they claimed we'd destroyed part of someone's forest, and demanded that it be replaced - specifying the Solar Shard as payment!"

"Ah, I see." Flynn pondered for a moment. "Wolmark, when you're done, will you join us outside?"

"Sure, should only be a couple of minutes now."

Flynn collected Leandra and Trinias, and went to wait outside. Moonshadow climbed down and joined them, just before Wolmark arrived; Flynn related Talm's explanation for the attack.

"So, do you think we can do anything about it?" he asked when he was done.

"Of course!" Leandra exclaimed. "Let's go!"

The Ronin started to move off; but Moonshadow, having an inkling of what they planned, tapped Flynn's arm. "Would you mind if I came and watched?"

"Not at all," he smiled.

It didn't take them long to find the scorched area. "I think we'd better combine our strength, this time," Leandra commented.

The four Ronin joined hands, and closed their eyes in concentration. "I remember how it goes," Flynn thought to himself. He felt around with a different, mental sense, feeling small sparks of life in the area in front of him. "Seeds," he thought. He took hold of a seed with his mind, and pushed, imparting his lifeforce to the seed. The sense of life grew stronger, and continued to grow; he released it, and felt around for another seed to nourish.

Moonshadow watched, as the blackened area began to turn green before her eyes. Plants sprang up in seconds, that should have required lifetimes to grow; but having seen this before, she'd been expecting it.

In a few minutes, the area was filled with young, strong new growth. The Ronin stopped.

"There, that should keep them happy," Flynn commented weakly.

Moonshadow quickly inspected the Ronin, determining that none of them had been drained too much; she gave them each a small top-up healing, anyway.

The weary five turned and trudged back to the balloon.

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