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      Copyright (c) 1992, 1993 Charles Tryon / All Rights Reserved
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			T h e   T o w e r s

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4:  Into The Desert

   By noon they had passed from the Stonelands into the foothills of the
Deserts Mouth mountains.  The mountains now loomed tall and forbidding
before them, and to the northwest, the Anauroch looked even less
inviting.  It had grown very warm and those in metal armor began to sweat
profusely Those without armor were uncomfortably warm.  During their lunch
break, GreyEagle and Ormec started to feel light headed from the heat, and
Conrad kept shifting his chain mail shirt.
   "That's it!" grumbled Ormec a short while after they had resumed
traveling.  "I can't ride in this heat."  He got off his horse and started
to remove his heavy field plate armor.  "This heat is only going to get
worse.  We have no choice but to travel at night."  When he had removed
the plate armor, he put on his leather armor.  He stood with his feet
firmly planted on the ground and his heavy arms crossed, defying anyone to
make him move.  The silent one leaned forward and watched the dwarf with a
faint grin on his face.
   "Well, I have to admit that Ormec has a point here," Conrad said,
shifting uncomfortably under the weight of his own armor.  "My feet are
killing me.  I'd rather risk getting surprised by goblins traveling at
night than baked like a fat hen here in the day."
   "Well, Sucaba's not here, so what do we do, fearless leader?"  Trouble
sneered at GreyEagle.
   GreyEagle squirmed in her saddle.  She did not like the idea of
traveling at night, but the heat was becoming more than she could stand.
"The moon is nearly full, so we will have light to travel by for a while,
if it stays clear."
   "I don't expect much in the way of clouds here," Trouble said,
squinting up at the sun.
    Conrad squinted up into the hills which rose steeply to their right.
"I don't think the hills will protect us since we probably can't get over
the mountains and would have to come out eventually."  He got down from
his horse and began dig through the camping equipment
   GreyEagle shrugged.  It seemed that Ormec and Conrad had already made
up their minds to travel at night.  She carefully eased herself down from
the back of her horse.  "I suppose that we would probably go through less
water traveling at night," she added.  "If we were able to travel without
additional lights, we would probably attract less attention."  She began
to strip off her own metal armor.  She felt better with her lighter
leather armor on, but she was still uncomfortably warm.  She bound up her
hair into a loose knot and poured a small amount of their precious water
into a scarf to wipe down her sweaty face and neck.  Her head was already
pounding so she tied the scarf over her head in a feeble attempt to keep
the sun off.
   Trouble silently watched the others.  After a while he shrugged.  He
pulled a small, finely crafted pouch out of his pack.  From this he pulled
two tiny glass pieces which he carefully placed into his eyes, and gazed
out over the desert and mountains.  After a time he seemed satisfied, and
returned the eyepieces to their pouch.
   "I do not prefer to travel at night," he said finally, "but it seems we
have no choice."  He glared at Ormec.  "I am particularly eager to get a
sight of the tower, although I doubt that will be possible for days yet."
   Where they had stopped was a small valley with a narrow stream.  They
walked up the stream a short distance and found a hollow with a bit of
grass and a few trees along its banks.  GreyEagle watered the horses at
the stream and picketed them in the grassy area.  Conrad quickly set up a
tent in the shade of one of the trees.
   "Where is that Sucaba when you need him," Conrad said, scanning the sky
above them.
   "You're not likely to see him," Trouble snickered.  "He is invisible,
remember?"
   "He'll find us if he is such a good scout," Ormec interjected.  "There
is not much we can do now."
   GreyEagle moved a short distance away from the others up the stream to
bath the sweat from her face and neck.  Once again she heard the call of a
raven.  Looking around she saw what appeared to be the same bird that she
had seen before, watching her from a short distance away.  She got up and
again tried to slowly creep towards it.  It let her approach a little
closer this time, studying her, but then it took flight again.  This was
no ordinary raven, GreyEagle thought.  Someone was watching them.  It
suddenly dawned on her that Schimray might have sent the raven, and she
wondered if it might have had some connection with the incident of the
spear bouncing off her chest.
   As she watched the raven fly off, GreyEagle wondered if she should try
and speak to it if she had a chance, but then she stopped suddenly.  It
could be someone else following them.  A sudden chill went through her
body.  It would be comforting if she knew it was sent by Schimray, but if
someone else was spying on them, then they could be in much deeper trouble
than they imagined!  She could be revealing who they were sent by, and
what their mission was, perhaps even putting Schimray in danger.  She
thought about their conversations around the fire, what kind of loose
tongues they might have had, and who might have overheard them.  She
thought about telling the others about it, warning them to consider
carefully what they were saying in their idle talk, but she didn't want to
seem like she was being overly nervous.  She would have to keep a careful
watch on the skies herself.  Others might have eyes in the sky, following
their movements.  Certainly this would be true when they came to the tower
of the dark creature.  While the tower they were headed towards would
likely not be as well guarded, they were all connected in their power.  In
any event, she was too hot and tired to think much about it right now.
She returned to the group and flopped down in the shade of a small tree,
facing away from the desert and shutting her eyes to try and block out the
glare.
   After a while Sucaba returned to see why they aren't following.  "Fine,
we shall travel at night," he said once Trouble had described their
earlier conversation.  "Horton can see as well at night as in the day.  We
shall continue to scout.  We must fill all our flasks and skins with water
here, as sightings of water grow scarce.  I also grow tired of dry
rations.  I will bring back some game as the opportunity arises while
scouting."
   They settled down in the shade of the trees to wait out the heat of the
afternoon, figuring that they would probably head out before dark.  The
heat, coupled with the strain of several days riding made them drowsy and
lethargic.  They set watches, and those not on watch quickly fell asleep.
   Sucaba woke them about six hours later.  The sun had almost sunk behind
the yellow sands of the desert, but the air was still hot and muggy.  By
the time they had eaten dinner and broken camp though, it was cool enough
to travel.
   They traveled quietly, with no more than the occasional howl of a wolf
or cry of a bird.  As dawn broke over the eastern hills Sucaba swooped
down and shouted directions to a small valley just to the east which
seemed to be deserted and had water.  Even traveling at night, they were
grateful for the water, as the further they went along the edge of the
desert, the fewer streams they found.  They quickly set up camp under a
couple of isolated trees and settled in to wait out the heat of the day.
   When the sun finally sank towards the western horizon, they set out
once again.  They continued to wind their way up higher and higher into
the mountains.  The air was somewhat cooler as they headed away from the
desert, but the trail was now rougher and more difficult to travel, and
GreyEagle became concerned for the horses, lest one of them slip and fall
in the dark.  As they climbed, GreyEagle could feel a change in the air,
one which was due to more than just the change in altitude.  The winds
were starting to shift, and she pulled to one side to try to feel the
breeze.  It was a storm brewing.
   As dawn finally broke over the horizon they could see the hills behind
and below them, while in front of them, the mountains climbed ever
higher.  To the west Anauroch glimmered in the pale light.  They finally
stopped and began to set up camp in the shelter of some large boulders.
   "A storm is coming," GreyEagle said, looking towards the clouds already
gathering in the south west.  "It will be here by early afternoon."
   Trouble looked up at the boulders and frowned.  "These may provide
protection from the wind, but not from the rain I am afraid."
   "What's the matter?  You don't want to get wet?"  Conrad snickered.
   "Not exactly," Trouble muttered.  "I have spell books to keep dry."
   "I can stand a little water," Ormec said, following GreyEagle's gaze
towards the gathering clouds, "but I would prefer a dry spot if we could
find one."
   "I am not sure about this area," GreyEagle added hesitantly, "but
storms in the mountains are likely to be sudden and violent."
   "Fine!"  Sucaba's voice suddenly broke in.  He was still invisible, so
they had almost forgotten that he was there.  "I will find a better place
to camp.  Horton and I will return shortly."
   After waiting about an hour, they heard the whoosh of dragon wings
announcing their return.  Sucaba shouted directions to a cave he had found
that was big enough for both man and beast.  Following his directions,
they quickly found the cave entrance located not far from where they had
stopped.  Sucaba told them that he and Horton had already taken a look
inside and that nobody was home.
   Once their eyes had grown accustomed to the dim light, they found a
roomy cavern, about twenty paces across, with a second smaller room
connected by a low tunnel at the back.  The smaller cave was tall enough
to stand in, so they left the animals and provisions in the larger cavern
and set up to eat dinner and rest in the smaller one.  GreyEagle made sure
that the horses were settled and tied their harnesses to a couple of large
boulders which lay in one corner.
   Having left his dragon to rest in the large area, Sucaba was now
visible.  GreyEagle thought that perhaps she would be able to talk to him
now.
   "How far ahead have you been, Sucaba?" she asked, relieved to be able
to talk to someone she could see rather than just a point in space.
   "I have scouted about a half day's journey ahead of us."
   "Have you seen any sign of the tower yet?"
   "I have not spotted the tower yet."  He turned away, cutting off the
conversation.  GreyEagle had wanted to discuss more, but Sucaba was not
one for long conversations when he didn't have something to gain.  She
glared at his back for a moment before she turned to help in the
preparation of the meal.
   As they ate, GreyEagle thought about the coming conflict.  She had
collected a few magical items in her past travels which she was not able
to use, and she wondered if she would be able to make a trade with someone
else who would be able to make use of them.
   "Is there anyone here who might be interested in a couple of magical
items which I have collected?"  The mages all quickly perked up their
ears.  "I was wondering if anyone might be interested in a trade."
   Trouble jumped at the opportunity.  "I don't suppose you could describe
these magic items?"  Sucaba began to fidget nervously, but did not say
anything yet.
   "There is a Wand of Illumination, a magic scroll, and a magically
trapped lock and key."  She looked over at Sucaba and saw that his eyes
glowed with desire.
   Trouble's eyes shone for a brief moment before he masked it.  "I have
just the thing for you, GreyEagle!  They are called `Eyes of the Eagle',
and they give you the vision of one of your beloved eagles.  You can see
at two thousand feet what others can see at twenty feet.  I am willing to
trade them to you for the three items which you described.  That is two
temporary items, one of which you can't use, plus one icky poisonous item
which you probably don't want anyway, in exchange for one permanent item
which you can use.  Surely you must agree that this is a good deal!"  At
first Sucaba scowled angrily at Trouble, but then he sat back thinking.
   "Are these the curious eye pieces that I have seen you often looking
through?"  GreyEagle asked.
   "Yes.  They are special crystal lenses that fit over the wearer's
eyes." He continued earnestly.  "Don't you think that we would be a more
effective party if I was able to use the wand to blind creatures from a
distance?  Isn't this trade the best thing to do for the party?"
   "How would you be able to do this in a way that I could not?" she
asked, somewhat puzzled.
   "No, but you cannot use the wand at the same time as you are fighting.
If I have the wand, then I can use it to aid you while you use your
sword.  Thus, we are more effective all around."
   "I will think about it."  GreyEagle got up from the fire and walked
around.  Sucaba quickly got up to follow her.  When they were a short
distance from the others, he spoke quietly.
   "Surely the `Eyes of the Eagle' are worthy," he whispered, his eyes
glowing, "but do not be fooled into thinking that they are worth all your
magic!  Surely this is not the case.  Give Trouble the wand, as this would
aid the party.  Throw in the trapped lock if you must.  But deal with me
for the Scroll.  I can give you two spell books for the one scroll.  My
written magic is limited.  With your scroll I would be able to help the
party much more than I can now.  Be smart, GreyEagle, and we all benefit.
Trade me the scroll, and force Trouble to settle for the wand.  He is far
less of a mage than I, and cannot make use of the scroll as I can.  I may
need this magic to defeat the dark creature."
   GreyEagle considered carefully.  Which one did she trust less?
Schimray had warned her about Trouble, and she had seen some of what
Sucaba was like.  The spells contained in the scroll seemed like they
could do much damage if in the hands of the wrong person.  Yet, they were
useless to her, and the Eyes would be of great use.  In addition, if
Trouble could be dangerous, then she would rather be on his good side than
have him angry at her.  But, if she could hold on to the scroll, then she
could bargain with Sucaba.  She didn't think it would work, but it was
worth a try.  She returned to the fire and sat down.
   "To be able to see as an eagle does -- now that would be useful!
Still, exchanging three items of great magic, for one item, even if it
will last forever, doesn't that seem a bit much?  Would you consider
trading for the wand and lock?"
   Trouble snorted, "No.  For the wand and scroll, perhaps.      Even
though they are both items that will be used up, and the scroll spells are
too high-level for me to put in my spell book right now.  In fact, you
haven't mentioned how many charges the wand has, if you know.  It might
not last the rest of the day.  Come," he continued, speaking with even
more intensity, "think of the last time that you used any of the three
items.  Ever?  This is your chance to put your items somewhere where they
will be useful, and receive something which you will use in return.
Unfortunately the Eyes are the only thing that I have to offer."
   GreyEagle thought for a while.  Finally, she made up her mind.  "I will
trade the three items for the Eyes.  I think that is fair enough."
   Trouble pulled out a small, carefully crafted pouch, the same one which
GreyEagle had seen him pull out a number of times before.  He emptied the
contents out into his hand.  She saw there two small lenses, made of
bright crystal, which fitted over the eyes of the wearer.  GreyEagle took
them, carefully returned them to their pouch and tucking them in a safe
place.  Then she went to her things and pulled out the three magic items.
She looked at them for a moment, and then quickly handed them over to
Trouble.  It was done now, and she hoped that she had done the best
thing.  Time would tell, she was sure.


   After the meal, Sucaba got up to examine the interior of both of the
caves.  GreyEagle watched him with great curiosity as he mixed talc and
water in a small bowl.  He placed small drops of this liquid into his eyes
and glanced about a bit, blinking.
   "May I ask what you are doing?"  GreyEagle asked hesitantly.  "Is this
some kind of magic to help you see better?"
   "Yes, it is magic to help me search for hidden things around the
cave."  He wandered around the caves, from place to place sprinkling
powdered silver all about as he went.  GreyEagle watched carefully for a
while, being very careful not to disturb what he was doing.  After a while
she shrugged and went off to look around the cave on her own.  After
looking around for a while, she stumbled upon a small round hole hidden
behind a boulder, just large enough to fit her shoulders into.  She gave a
shout for the others to come as she stooped down to look into it.
   "Excitable aren't we?"  Sucaba sneered as the others gathered around.
   "I thought you would be happy I found something."  She wondered if he
was just jealous that she had found the opening first.
   "Hey Gnome!"  Sucaba called out after he had peered into the opening.
"How about climbing down this tunnel and seeing what's up.  I can't see a
thing in here without a light."  GreyEagle shoved the light she was
carrying in his direction, thinking that perhaps it would shut him up for
a moment, but Sucaba was too busy to notice.
   "Yes, Conrad would be an ideal scout in this situation."  Trouble added
as he wandered over to look.  Conrad was still sitting by the small fire
they had built for their meal, and didn't look like he wanted to move.  He
frowned as Sucaba and Trouble volunteered him to do the exploring.
   "In my opinion," Ormec muttered, "we have no business poking around in
this tunnel.  It has nothing to do with our mission.  I say we should pile
as many rocks into the opening as it takes to seal it off so that nothing
sneaks up on us and be done with it."
   "Aw, let the gnome check it out Ormec," Sucaba said, slapping Ormec on
the back.  "We've got nothing better to do while we are in here.  I want
to know what's down there."
   GreyEagle was not sure about going into the hole either.  It seemed
like the others wanted to, but she thought that she would rather sleep for
a while and get moving on.  It was still early morning, and they'd had a
long, hard night of travel, so she was tired by now.  On the other hand
she thought, they might be stuck in the cave for a while, depending on how
long it took the storm to pass.  She glanced over at the silent one and
saw that he seemed to want nothing to do with the opening, as if he almost
expected something to jump out at them.
   Conrad finally got up from where he was sitting and came over,
muttering all the time.  "Well first off, let me see how safe this cave
looks."  He crossed back and forth a few times, tapping at seemingly
random places, and examining the ceiling and floor.  "Seems fine from
here.  I think though that we need to shed some light on the subject
before I'll climb anywhere."  He looked about for an available lantern.
GreyEagle volunteered her lantern, figuring that she could use the light
from her sword easier than the lamp anyway, since they would have to be on
hands and knees in the tunnel.
   "Conrad, I thought you sub-, er, non-humans could see in the dark,"
Trouble said with a smirk.  "Why do you need a light?  Are you afraid?"
Conrad didn't dignify the taunt with an answer.
   The tunnel was mostly horizontal, seeming to slope gently down.  Conrad
poked his head down the tunnel and could see that it ran further than his
line of vision.  It curved to the right but he couldn't see where it went
after that.
   "Well, it doesn't look very natural to me." he muttered.  "I'll check
it out.  Just be quiet back here or I won't have any chance of hearing
what's on the other side of this.  Don't worry about me getting too eager,
I'll be back out the first sign of trouble."  He removed his chain mail
mumbling something about "clanking like a cavalier in his undergarments."
He paused outside the hole and motioned for everyone to be quiet.  He
stood and listened for a long time before he finally started down the
tunnel.  The others could hear occasional scuffs as he proceeded, pausing
now and then to listen.  Sucaba scampered to gather something from a far
corner of the cave and Trouble grabbed a lit lantern to bring along just
in case.
   Soon, Conrad passed around the bend, beyond their sight.  They could
hear his muffled grunts and scrapes, then suddenly, nothing.  Sucaba
hovered poised over GreyEagle's shoulder as she looked down the tunnel
after Conrad.  They waited for several minutes with only the drip of the
stalagmites making any sound.  Then suddenly there was a thud, followed by
a cry of pain, and then faintly, a cry of "Help!"
   Ormec was the first to dive in, followed quickly by GreyEagle, holding
out her sword for light.  Sucaba, Trouble, and then the silent one
followed in turn.  They headed through the tight space as quickly as they
could.
   Rounding the bend they came upon a sight more comical than critical.
Conrad was surrounded by a horde of tiny creatures a little more than a
foot tall, pointing their tiny spears at him.  Occasionally one would
prick him and chitter angrily.  The crawl way had opened up a little and
to Conrad's left there was a gaping hole where he had apparently broken
through to the creatures living area.  They seemed quite upset with him,
but the angry chittering quickly died as they saw the rest of the party
towering over them.  The group of them fell back in confusion except for
one which bravely stepped forward, chittering at Ormec and then stood,
apparently waiting for a response.  Seeing Conrad surrounded by the
creatures, GreyEagle suppressed a giggle.
   Ormec, sensing that they were not likely to immediately attack, tried
to put on a friendly smile and put his battle axe away.  Franticly trying
to think of a way to communicate, he reached into his pocket and pulled
out about ten coins.  He tried all the languages he knew, saying, "Sorry,"
in Dwarfish, Common and Goblin, and offering the coins to the little
creatures.  Then he tried saying "Friend." in the same three languages,
all the time watching for a glimmer of recognition.  The creature made no
indication of understanding the words, but he did seem to understand
Ormec's tone of voice, and he was obviously interested in the coins.  The
leader tilted his head to the side for a moment, as if trying to decide
what to do.  Finally, the temptation of the shiny coins was too much, and
he put his spear down and carefully reached out for the coins, quickly
jumping back once he had them.
   GreyEagle wanted to see what was going on, so she pushed her way into
the open area with Conrad and Ormec.  The leader caught sight of her and
her bright sword and leapt back, grabbing his spear, and chittering in a
aggravated tone.
   "What are you doing?! Can't you see that I am trying to talk to them?"
Ormec whispered angrily.  "You're going to confuse them.  Just wait a
minute!"  GreyEagle quickly put her sword away.  After a moment, the
creature once again put his spear down and approached Ormec, though he
continued to eye her warily.
   Ormec started to pile some of the rubble back onto the broken wall
saying: "Fix, Fix." in all the languages he knew.  The creature quickly
caught on and began to excitedly jump up and down, waving his hands.  The
others put away their spears and helped Conrad to his feet.  They showed a
great deal of interest in his gnomish armor, poking into the pockets and
such.  With much excitement, they invited the entire group into the large
cavern which opened out from the opening which Conrad had broken through.
   They followed the little creatures into the large cavern.  What
probably seemed very spacious to them was barely high enough to allow the
taller members of the group to stand erect.  It was, however, very large
in diameter, extending beyond the range of their lights on the far side.
Once inside, the creatures quickly produced a great number of torches with
which they lined the walls.  They also produced a great number of strange
looking instruments from somewhere and began to play music.  Though the
room had been almost bare when they entered, food quickly began to appear
and it was soon evident that they were presenting a generous feast for
their new found friends.
   Ormec tried for a while to introduce himself, pointing to himself and
saying "Ormec."  While the leader seemed to understand and reciprocate by
pointing to himself and speaking a word, it become apparent very quickly
that he couldn't make the proper sounds to say "Ormec" nor could Ormec
repeat his name.  However, he seemed very happy with Ormec for trying and
quickly seated him in a place of honor.  Since their furniture was much
too small for the party, the little creatures seated them on the floor and
began to serve them from tables that were small enough to be used as
plates.  GreyEagle was delighted.  She had grown a little tired of travel
rations, occasionally interspersed with game which Sucaba and Horton had
brought down.
   They had hardly started eating when the little creatures began to dance
wildly about the room, laughing and chattering at each other.  Once she
had eaten some, GreyEagle gladly joined in, though she was significantly
taller than the little creatures, laughing and having a grand time.  It
felt good to leave the weight of their task behind for a short time.
   Conrad joined in on the party for a while, but was annoyed by the
little folks poking and prodding into his pockets.  He remained in good
humor but kept gently brushing them aside, continually closing and
rebuttoning his pockets.  After a while, they took the hint, and gave up,
though it was evident that they were sorely disappointed.  After a while
he sat down a short distance from the others and began working with some
material which he pulled out of his pack.  When they caught on to what he
was doing, they quickly brought him some unusually soft and pliable
leather.  In a very short time he had made a shirt for the leader, who
chittered in delight and promptly put it on and danced around showing it
off.  Conrad quickly found himself besieged with requests as the tiny
creatures hurried to bring him more of the fine soft leather.  One also
brought him a tiny crystal, offering it in exchange for more shirts.
Conrad accepted the gift, and subsequently ended up working for most of
the rest of the evening producing the leather vests.
   Sucaba was evidently annoyed by the creatures' fascination with
Conrad.  Going off a short distance from the crowd gathering around
Conrad, he sat down and took out a small block of soft wood and began to
carve.  Trouble looked too looked bored with the party, and would have no
part in the dancing, though he did eat heartily.  Then, a mischievous look
came into his eyes.  He walked over to one of the cooking fires at one
side of the chamber and lifted his wand which he had just received from
GreyEagle.  Out of the fire, a small tongue of flame jumped out and began
to dance about.  A number of the little creatures (they were everywhere)
had gathered around Trouble as he was doing this, and they chittered in
delight and began to dance around it.  Once or twice it seemed to turn
threateningly and chase them.  They would scream in fear, run away and
hide behind anything convenient, especially one of the group.  When the
fire creature returned to dancing, they hesitantly returned and joined in,
quickly laughing again.  Sucaba looked up briefly from his work to smirk
at Trouble as he teased their hosts.
   When he had finished eating, Ormec got up and went to the hole in the
wall through which they had come.  He had figured out while they had been
eating, after a long string of hand waving and pantomime, frequently
interspersed with excited chitterings, that the leader wanted him to form
the hole into an archway.  He picked up one of the loose stones there,
turning it over carefully in his hands.  A transformation seemed take
place as he felt the stone, tugging at roots deep within.  Soon he was
deeply engrossed in working the rough hole into a stone archway.
   The food and drink were excellent, and the merrymaking continued for
hours.  As GreyEagle danced with the creatures, she began to look around
the chamber.  She could see two normal exits and more than a dozen tiny
ones exiting this main chamber.  The creatures came and went in a constant
swirl of motion and color.  There seemed to be no end to the supply of
food and drink and music.  Though she was having a wonderful time dancing
with the creatures, after a while even she began to wear out.  The
creatures seemed to show no signs of slowing though.  They continued to
stream in and out of the room, a never ending flow of color and noise.
She began to get dizzy from the constant motion.
   Sucaba finally finished with his piece of wood.  With a satisfied smirk
he passed it around.  It turned out to be an amazing likeness of Conrad
cowering from the needles being jabbed at him by the creatures.
Immediately Sucaba was surrounded by a dozen or so chittering creatures
all holding out pieces of wood to have their likeness carved.  Sucaba held
up his hands and shook his head no.  Although disappointed, the creatures
slowly moved away but kept one eye on him in case he should change his
mind.
   When she had rested for a while, GreyEagle became curious about the
other entrances.  After looking to see what the others were doing, she
wandered over to one of them and looked through.  She wandered in a short
distance, looking around.  She was immediately surrounded by a cloud of
happy guides tugging her this way and that.  She followed them as they
insisted on excitedly explained in great detail every nook and cranny of
their wonderful home.  Of course, she couldn't understand any of their
talk, a fact which never seemed to dawn on her chattering guides, but she
could follow some of their gestures and guess as what they were saying.
The entire complex was clean and neat.  There were plenty of little
passageways, some of which were too small for her to crawl through, no
matter how much her little guides encouraged her.
   She had kept her shortsword with her, not wanting to let it out of her
sight, even though it had made things a bit difficult getting around.  The
little creatures had been afraid of it at first, but soon their curiosity
overcame their fear of it.  GreyEagle carefully pulled it out to show to
them.  As the light from it filled the small room they had lead her to,
the creatures fell back at first.  Then, a few brave ones slowly came
forward to look at it and touch it.  They quickly offered her piles of the
pretty stoned for it, but GreyEagle sadly shook her head.  They were sad
when she returned the sword to its sheath, but they quickly forgot as
their enthusiasm to show her around returned.  She returned to the main
cavern after about an hour and a half with them and was very glad to sit
down.
   Through the night the creatures generally swarmed over everyone except
the silent one, who stayed in the background.  They seemed a little in awe
of him and didn't get near him except to offer him food and drink.  He sat
with his back to the cavern wall, being careful not to cover any openings,
and watched the goings on of both the party members and the little
people.  He accepted both food and drink but waited for quite some time
before partaking of them.  He seemed somewhat annoyed with the more
frivolous members drinking and dancing the night away.
   The little creatures seemed to be easily excited by glittery, shinny
things which upon examination proved to be no more than a pretty stone or
a bit of colored glass.  These they freely traded amongst themselves for
other pretty stones and such.  The coins Ormec had given to the leader had
become a great prize to them.


   By the end of the evening Conrad had made a great many vests and
collected a great many pretty stones.  At some point during the party he
had obviously sat in something as his rear end was covered with some dark
liquid.  Sucaba and Trouble were obviously very amused by this and Ormec
gave a hearty laugh when he saw it.  After some time though, the two mages
retreated off into a corner together.  Some of the little creatures
followed them, curious as to what they were doing, but Trouble waved them
off, giving then a sour scowl, and they scattered in fright.  GreyEagle
saw them intently studying some sort of papers, but she was having too
good of a time to be bothered with wondering what they might be doing.
   Ormec, after eating and drinking unbelievable amounts and having
transformed the hole they had broken through into an archway, sat down
heavily.  His eyes began to close, his head to nod, and soon great snores
were rolling from his mouth.  GreyEagle tried to fight off sleep for a
while, not wanting to seem impolite, but soon the food and drink, combined
with the long night of travel and the steady hum of color and sound
overtook her, and her eyes closed in sleep.  They had traveled long and
hard the night before, and had been ready to sleep many hours ago when
they had discovered the cave.  She was followed shortly by Conrad, and
eventually, even the mages could no longer keep their eyes open.
   As she slept, GreyEagle dreamed of tiny creatures dancing around her,
spinning faster and faster until they faded into a blur.


--
Chuck Tryon
    work: bilbo@kodak.com                                Your Servant,
    home: bilbo@Bah.Rochester.NY.US                      B. Baggins
 ______________________________________________________________________
   Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else.