2022 NaNoQWriMo

Name of the book: 2022 NWNM ruff draft
          Author: MB
    Type of book: Fantasy

---

Very Olden Times

Millions of Eons before, a God of immense power had created the entire universe. Somehow, this God was aware of everything and able to see the results of future actions. This God was beyond the comprehension of uncounted trillions and trillions and trillions of sentient beings on untold trillions of worlds lucky enough to have been granted life and among these life forms intelligent - perhaps better said what could pass as intelligent life - enough to try comprehending "God".

God was alien enough that its reactions were beyond the comprehension of its creations and yet some of these comprehended minute aspects of the "Nature of God". God decided to delegate aspects of existence to "local" Gods. Different Gods controlled "their" own areas of Earth.

Sadly, they grew bored and began to interfere with other's territory. The three "controlling” Earth fought a very bloody fight. Severe damage occurred with massive releases of energy. The uber God had to interfere and he removed the excess heat, changed the climate of a large section around the Great Central Sea and did so by changing the meteorological conditions made sense to future generations of humans (i.e., "Humans", Neanderthals’, Denisovans, Orc, Hobbits, Elves, "Big Feet" and other who remained in either the far north or on isolated islands.

Deep in the South, groups of different humans worked together and with some help, evolved different ways of seeing the world. The various groups needed help to maintain good order and good relations. Thus, was born the Royal Families.

From them came small Armies and the House of Assassins and from the House of Assassins came the House of Thieves. The Houses of Religion and Business and Industry rose on their own. Eventually, matters and the various Houses moved to the North and established what became known as "The Central City". Satellite towns spread out around Central City and in time, five cities developed to the west.

===

In the 44th Year of the Death and Resurrection of the Holy Nazarene and in the 177rh Year of the Birth of the Devine Gaius Julius Caesar a child was born to the Orc Wife Emerald and her husband Platt - then known as Plait of the Fifth Mine. The first child was named Crystal.

Crystal was born in the Year 44 of the Death and Resurrection of the Nazarene and the 177 Year of the Birth of the Devine Gaius Julian Caesar, to the Orc Wife Emerald and her husband Plait of the Fifth Mine was born their first child: Crystal.

The Midwife/ Medical Doctor, a Half Elven named Ayah Ghanem gave the child a quick physical and said “he is a perfectly formed boy child but I am going to give him a more in-depth examination. “Eventually, she completed her exam, made some notes on a sheet of populous (Egyptian paper) and smiled at the young couple. "You have a very healthy child. I could hear nothing wrong with his heart or lungs. He is a well-formed child and I think I can safely say he is healthy baby."

"That is very good, " his Mother said.

"That is very good " his Father agreed, "and also very bad. I don't want my son to go into the mines. We both agree our child should be physically fit but should be a warrior of the mind. We would like him to be the deadliest of mind warriors: a lawyer!"

Their Clan Leader, Thunder on the Crags and his wife, Snow on the Peaks, nodded to each other and Thunder said “I think he can have his way.”

“The nearest Monastery with teachings in Law is the Temple of the New Way. I will write Brother Stegg about arranging tutors for Crystal’s Legal Training should it come to that, “Snow on the Peaks replied.

This led to an exchange of letters which lasted decades...

===

Year 3 asthma attack

Crystal was a happy 3-year-old. His daily routine was rigid. He awoke about the time his Father left for the Fifth Mine. He thought his Father was well dressed in a Robe over short legged trousers. He had a breathing mask hanging around his neck.

His Mother was dressed in a Roman style tunic with trousers cut in the fashion "Barbarians of the Far North" and the leggings and boots worn by the Legions of the Devine Gaius Julius Caesar. (He would probably be appalled to be remembered for this!)

Crystal left his house. The winds were calm, the hay fever alert status was "RELAXED".

A gust of wind danced across the distant mountains, dipping up and down. The damned gust went over a dried settling pond near " Deep Mine Two" dragging up wisps of material suitable to do harm to people. Crystal breathed deep the gathering wisps and began gasping for breath. He dragged in little sips of air, gasped them out and repeated this cycle.

A passing External Guard alerted Emerald who grabbed the rescue equipment and raced to her son ahead of half the medical clinic personnel. (One does not ignore a ghost!)

They held the mask to Crystals face. The poor child gasped in breath, bent over at the waist and watched phlegm drool out. He continued to gasp for breaths

Several minutes later Crystal was breathing normally... He was stripped and bathed in the medical clinic. He was physically exhausted and put to bed in the Medical Clinic. Hours later, he was dressed and carried in protective clothing to his home. There, he sat by one of his Aunts who sang songs to him.

When Plait returned home, he was horrified and very worried. Their evening was a somber one...

Over the next week, Crystal's family, the local medical people and the medical clinic in the Home of the Fish turned the attention away from dealing with Sailors and asked the Main Hospital in City Five for advice.

A ===

A month later, a weekly Courier Boat arrived from City Five. On board, along with routine written material, was a Junior Guard Sergeant, named Eric Poindexter Roque. His appearance was still human and his eyes had not changed.

He was the personal Guard for a four-month-old Golden Retriever named Caleb. Eric had personally accepted custody of the puppy when he had been weaned. However, he had held the puppy many times before this and Eric Poindexter Roque's smell and heart rhythm were a natural part of Caleb's environment...

A week later, Crystal and his Mother and an Aunt came to visit and to trade sweet melons for rare Tuna. This was a happy tradition. Eric was seated outdoors with Forrest, the titular head of the City of the Fish. (His Aunt remained in the background.)

The two were talking about subjects of mutual interest when they heard the scream of a small child and a somewhat talk and thin Half-Orc child rain toward them. The boy's Father shook his head and walked briskly towards his son and the two men he had known for years.

Crystal began to hug the puppy, talk to it in a mixture of Common, Orc and the particular unique baby language spoken in Sanctuary but later forgotten. The Puppy, who was much more intelligent than people realized quickly replied in puppy talk: the mixture of barking, growling and sighing endemic to the dogs of his part of City Five. Caleb had been told he would one day meet a small child meant for him. This smelly Half-Orc small child was clearly meant for Caleb!

"He likes me", Crystal bellowed to his kin and to the relieved Eric. The whole point of this visit was for one of the "Cute Little Farts" to adopt the other. It would be years before Crystal learned he was the one adopted...

This was also when Crystal met Eric Poindexter Roque, a Junior Guard NCO with a nice future, who was a scion of an important family.

Crystal and his puppy or perhaps it was Caleb and his boy played together, napped together and that night Caleb snuck from his "Doggy Bed" onto the Boy's Bed. This was a predictable event the adults were relieved to see happen!

The return to Sanctuary was uneventful. Guards sworn to secrecy patrolled the path to Sanctuary ensuring no outsiders were near this route!

This unexpected measure led to possible highwaymen speculating in their "private" Club House about what was really happening in what much have been an isolated town south of where they found they were physically able to go before a sense of intense dread forced them away.

This dread was another source of conversation among the "evil doers". ===

When Crystal neared the age of four, a group of people arrived in the town of Sanctuary. He met all 25 of them and loved to be with them. It took several weeks but Crystal stopped smelling the "Stinky Ones".

His family, the folks who did not look like his relatives (but were) greeted the "Stinky Ones" as family. Regardless, Crystal accepted them as family.

Besides, these new relatives were fun to play with!

They had a comfort level Crystal found reassuring although he did not think in such terms. Crystal and Caleb could play with, run with and do some of the exercises they seemed to love. (Crystal could do more pushups, sit-ups and full-length pullups than most soldiers by the time he was five.) He was also becoming proficient in several different martial arts although actually using them against anyone did not occur to Crystal for years.

Then they had a large dance called "A Group Wedding" which featured Crystal, his little sister, a little girl his own age and Uncle Forrest's oldest Daughter. (An elderly 14-year-old!)

Thet walked around carrying stuff on their hands and giving these pretty things to old "Stinky Ones".

It was fun and years later he wished he had been older so that he could have experienced the "Group Wedding" more intimately!

These were fun people. It was years before he remembered their actions, their facial expressions and nuances of their speech and recalled what had to be pain beneath their happiness and he felt pity for "The Stinky Ones".

Crystal was enraged and was motivated to seek revenge. This revenue was something Dent and others, especially Aunt KG advised him against. === Crystal and ===

Year Five Plait becomes sick and needs intensive treatment.

Later that year, there are mass educations of people needed to deliver Dent’s grandchildren.

When Crystal was five, his family life became disturbed by mysteries beyond his understanding. He had at least one serious asthma attack which lead to him getting intensive medical treatment.

The Medical Personnel from the "Big Hospital" came to his home.

The entire family was moved to an emergency shelter while Medical Doctors, Nurse Specialists and Biological and Chemical Analysts of the [Assassin] Guild dressed in odd clothing and took samples from everywhere in their house. Crystal, Caleb and their little sister (a Half Orc child of 3 years age) were horribly confused. Several of their no longer new relatives - the Dent Folks having assimilated well in Sanctuary - were able to calm the three "little ones". This allowed Plait and Emerald to give full reign to their fears.

They both knew something was not right with Plait. They prayed to the Nazarene, to the Budda and to an Ancient and almost forgotten Pharoh 'v clan had prayed to for centuries. Then they waited.

The Elders called on them.

The Old Chef and his wife brought their Triple Medication. Neither Plait or Emerald could bring themselves to drink it. Caleb took a deep breath of the Triple Medication and ran off howling. Crystal followed and joined in the loud howling.

The adults laughed and the aura of death and destruction was broken.

"I have faith the medical personnel you've visited can help you. I know the one who truly rules the medical people. He is speaking to me in the back of my mind and telling me to 'be at ease'".

"Oldest brother," KG said, “has this person ever mislead you, ever misdirected you, ever lied to you to 'set your mind at ease'?"

"No, he never has my dear", Ten replied for the silent Dent. "He simply will not mislead any of us. This was a factor in His departure from the House and Central City. Believe in Him and what he says!"

Emerald sighed and said "bring on the Triple Medicine. I need to fend off 'scourge of sobriety' tonight!"

Mrs. Old Chef began slicing limes, the Old Chef found clinically pure chunks of ice in an insulated box and made glasses of Triple Medicine for the adults. Forrest's eldest child - his first-born daughter - was not turned down when she held out her hand for a glass. Her parents thought her mature enough and both "Old Chefs" clearly did and made weak drinks for the girl. She did not know this...

Medical meeting has already been written. After the meeting:

Plaitt, his wife and family were invited to a formal meeting of the entire village and many from the House of the Fish. The Half Orc leader, Thunder On The Craigs called the meeting to order and spoke first:

"Tonight, we have major problems to deal with. First, our brother Plaitt of the Fifth mine is being treated for cancer. He is at risk of asthma worse than his first born suffers. There is a chance that his daughter could develop asthma herself. We fear he is not the only one who will need to leave Mother Earth and find other ways to contribute to our societies."

There was dead silence.

Emerald spoke: "Plaitt has spent several days studying the farming his parents did and has decided he will try to work a farm. I think his new name will be 'Plaitt of the Three Crop Farm'. As much as he would like to handle everything, his health simply will not let him. He will have to work light days and peruse his 'true work’ when out of the farm. He is going to spend his time raising our children and writing about being in the mines."

"There are likely to be many more," Thunder On The Craigs added.

There were many more remarks made but the heart of the matter was finished. The last thing Plaitt said "I've been told the land I've now got is made for melons, cabbage and limes. My cousin Éndore is planning on becoming Endore of the Two Potatoe Fields'. Old Chef decided on that because he likes baked potatoes and something called ‘Rus Vod-kah’”. ===

When he was four, he become aware of a major change in Sanctuary.

Many women, including this Mother, began gaining weight, a lot of weight.

Crystal went to his favourite Grandmother, Old Chef Grandmother.

She looked at Crystal, decided he looked fine physically, and offered him a cookie and Caleb a piece of dried fish. Both boys immediately engaged in a "who can eat fastest" contest and Caleb once again won. Crystal beamed in pride.

"How are you boys doing today? Caleb, has Crystal been behaving? Has he been breathing normally?"

Caleb looked at Crystal and said "tell the old one you have been behaving and are breathing normally. Tell her I am a dog and always behave good."

"Caleb said I am behaving and breathing well. He has behaved himself. He is a dog..."

"You looked like you had something to talk about Grandson." She could have been talking to either boy.

"Why are so many Ladies getting fat? Will we get fat too?"

Old Chef Grandmother laughed and said "neither of you are going to get fat; just the Ladies. I will explain later when both of you are older."

To Caleb, this was unimportant, to Crystal, this fatness became almost as unimportant.

Old Chef Grandmother decided it was time to distract the two Cute Little Farts and began to read to them. Both had heard these stories many times and would hear them many more times. ===

Crystal began his formal schooling at age 5 and worked on learning languages and self-control.

The Sanctuary School System did not have a true starting and stopping time. Their school year was built around the season of the crops and even the mining schedule was adjusted for farming needs. The Northern Barbarians who traded interesting foods and even more interesting information respected this.

Around the time Crystal turned six, women who had huge bellies and often thin necks began looking thinner and the cries of babies were heard. Crystal and Caleb were not the only ones to be puzzled.

Plaitt continued to improve physically. He was able to spent more time in his fields. He was fortunate in his choice of crops. The melons could be harvested at night and somehow, they seemed to get gathered in very quickly then. The same was true of cabbage. Of course, the Ghosts working the very deepest areas in the mine, who liked the dark and liked those who escaped from the mines, helped take in the crops. It made them feel human again...

At age six, Crystal began more focused studies of Martial Arts and simply exercising. Crystal was one of many students; the other student included Half-Orc, Half-Elven, Denisovans and Hobbits. It took a lot of dedicated leadership to maintain the peace.

At age 7, Caleb told Crystal "the Ladies smell strange".

Then, Crystal noticed bulging bellies and he had the feeling he could be seeing a repeat of earlier events.

Crystal's Mother had not gained weight. It was time to speak with his parents and since his Father was harvesting Limes he simply walked up to his Mother.

"Mother, I have noticed Ladies getting fat. The last time they got real fat then babies appeared and the Ladies lot weight. Is there another crop of babies coming. Are they being found in the mines or are they coming from the foreign devils Uncle Forrest trades with?""

"No dear, the Ladies are growing babies inside them."

"Oh," and paused "how do they get started? Are they like the cancer that was growing in Father?"

"No, dear" thinking "well yes, in a manner of speaking. God makes it happen. Ask your Father. Now, who wants to play catch?"

Both boys did of course, just like Emerald thought they would. Her daughter Sprout was finally sleeping and she did not want to wake her. She felt sorry for each of the Dent Clan Mothers who were dealing with twins. She actually felt sorry for the four Dent Fathers who were dealing with four wives and eight children. It was no wonder all four men were willing to work in the mines (Thunder On The Craigs would not let them) or work in the fields (Plaitt was quite happy to have them...) === "

Plaitt went to Hospital when Crystal was seven.

"Mother, how is my Father?"

"He needs to see his doctors, dear."

"Is that why he walks bent over? Is that why he gasps for breath? Will he die?"

"Yes, yes and no he is not expected to die! Your Father is expected to become much better!"

"Maybe Doctor Dog can lick him and Cabel's Magic saliva will cure him?""

"I don't know dear."

Plaitt had walked in and decided to let himself be known.

"I am not going to die soon my Sons! If you think it will help, I will happily let Caleb slobber on me."

Plaitt laid down on a bed/couch in the informal Parlor and submitted to Caleb lying down on his chest, sniffing his breath and finally drenching his face with cooked meat scented saliva."

He would endure jokes about this slobber bath for decades.

After Emerald took both boys outside and looked away as Crystal joined Caleb in urinating on the commons ground near their house. She knew that some things just changed with maturity. She feared Caleb would be the first to decide Crystal should not urinate in public... ===

The trip ended in the Medical Clinic in Home of the Fish. Since Plaitt could not safely take a sea voyage to City Five and its hospital and a road trip could bring too much attention to the town called Town of the Fish.

The Mountain came to Mohammad. Two heavy cargo boats brought the needed medical equipment and supplies to the Medical Clinic/small hospital in the little fishing village.

In the Clinic, Plait’s body was examined from the skin inwards and then back out. His consciousness was suspended - this was too profound to be called rendered unconscious - and corrupt tissue was removed and replaced with "good" tissue and in many ways his body was improved. His wife was treated in the same fashion without realizing the events had happened.

She simply felt better. Later she remembered that Caleb had licked her on the nose in the carriage on their ride to the hospital. Caleb remembered this! He made sure that Cristal told everyone about this "tongue magic"... ===

Pilatt's recovery was very smooth and he bulked out again. He was able to tend his fields and care for his three children (he simply considered Caleb to be one of his sons). He returned to school and turned out to have a gift for writing. (He later helped teach his eldest son in the writing he would need as a Mind Warrior - a Lawyer!)

When Crystal was still seven, the Dent folks were overwhelmed, especially since they had just had their second set of twins. Other parents, other different human variants, were feeling overwhelmed. They simply needed someone to watch over their kids. Some kids had bloomed and were apparently suitable as babysitters.

The top five candidates included Crystal, son of Plaitt and his Mother Emerald!

The Old Chef was the chosen speaker for the Leadership.

"Grandson, we need you to care for five children. This would just be part of each day and for perhaps 4 or 5 days a week. Would you like to do this?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Feed them their snacks, talk to the little ones in Common and give them their baths. We would like you and Caleb to play with them. Simply be their sitter."

Crystal looked at Caleb. "What do you think" he asked in common.

"It sounds like fun. Can I help?" Caleb replied in the complex series of barks, whines, sighs and silences people were beginning to call "doggie".

"Yes!" Crystal reply

"We will be happy to help."

Crystal repeated this last in Common. The answer was acceptable.

Both boys already knew "their" children. They were:

2 of Dent's little ones: Angus and Juin

1 modified Hobbit Emma (She was almost 2½ feet tall)

2 Half-Orc: Sprout (his actual sister) and a second cousin Yttrium (another girl)

Crystal and Caleb were "introduced" to these five who were almost 4 years old. They saw Crystal as "Elderly" (he was 8 and believed to be wise) but they did not see him as an authority figure. They saw him as an older brother who was fun to play with.

The afternoon was spent in games with the children being delivered to their parents for their evening meals. After their dinners, the five were delivered to the Medical Center. There, Crystal had drawn a tub of soapy water and a second tub of clean rinsing water. (Actually, one of the Nurses had drawn the water.)

Crystal disrobed his five and dropped them into their new playground, the soapy water tub. There they played.

Eventually, the RN cleared her throat and Crystal grabbed the child closest to him and gave this child a quick wash before putting said child in the rinse water. This was done without fuss and took perhaps 5 minutes.

The RN helped Crystal dry the five and dress them into their night dresses and slippers. Crystal and Caleb walked the children back to their parents. Everyone was pleased, the little ones had a fun game until they turned 5 and the parents had some precious time to themselves.

Crystal also had his first shot at leadership. ===

The Paladins Tale (Part I)

At age nine, Crystal was beginning to believe his own myth. He would later be amused at remembering. his naive attitudes.

Crystal and Caleb were in the House of the Fish because their parents decided they needed to get away from home for a couple of days and because they thought some sea breeze might help Crystal's lungs. It did...

One of the boy's favourite cousins (cousins by community custom), a Denisovan Sailor-man, was sparing with Crystal. This Denisovan Sailor had studied the Martial Art Crystal and the other young ones were learning. He had been a Sensi for years although Crystal did not know this...

This Sensi allowed Crystal to make full power punches and replied with delicate taps. Crystal would later learn the difference...

The two continued to dance across the deck with both the Sensi and one of the RNs watching Crystal; they were ever mindful of his health.

While this was happening, a large Courier Boat made port and tied up. A pair of very tall Paladins in traveling attire - a married couple with their four young children - left the Courier Boat and observed the "fight".

"Does the child know just how staged this fight is" the Female Paladin asked?

"No," replied their escort, "the poor boy has been sick and the Elders believe that visiting his kin in our little town will help his morale as well as that of his...ah, 'dog'."

"His dog", the Male Paladin asked?

"Caleb looks like a dog and acts like one. We don't know what he is but he is Crystal's best minder. Have you heard the phrase 'a boy and his dog'? Well, there is a 'dog and his boy'!"

The Denisovan saw the visitors and saw the escort who made a subtle 'end it signal'. This Sensi nodded and said to Crystal "I need to recover from this bout so I am going to take my leave of you." He then kissed Crystal on the forehead and also kissed Caleb who clearly wanted his forehead kissed as well...

Crystal looked at the newcomers and bellowed "Kids! He ran over to them. "I am Crystal and he is Caleb. Welcome to the House of the Cousins! When was the last time they ate? When was the last time 'they offloaded'?"

"Several hours Crystal," the escort said, "perhaps their parents would like you two to look after them while I introduce them to Uncle Forrest and his Aunt?"

"Let me introduce you. This is Crystal and Caleb. Boys, these are Mark, he is 8, Luke, he is 6, Mary the Younger, she is 4 and Little To-mass who is 3. They have not eaten lately and they were just a bit seasick. Children, Crystal and Caleb will take care of you."

Crystal said "come with us". They went into the first floor of the Village Office building. There Crystal took the four to the first "bathroom" and said "you know what to do" to Mark.

Mark nodded and took his siblings into the "bathroom". After a while, all four came out looking relieved.

"Are you hungry? Do you want some snacks? We're hungry!"

With that, Crystal and Caleb lead their four new relatives to the Crew dining room and told the amused cook "we're hungry!"

This cook fed the six, who then went to a lounge where several mattrasses and pillows were put on the floor and Crystal "said 'nap time'." The four new comers immediately took their shoes off and laid down to nap. Demonstrating their leadership ability, both Crystal and Caleb joined them. One of the Clerks watching over them said "we'll give them an hour. Crystal needs his nap as much as those younger children."

The two Paladins were relieved...

The Paladins' Tale part 2

"We gotta get out of this place

If it's the last thing we ever do

We gotta get out of this place

'Cause girl, there's a better life for me and you" "We have to get out of this place" Eric Burton

In his conference room, the town's leader, Forrest, and his Aunt introduced themselves to the male Paladin, Gaius Caesar Augustus (named in honor of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus who had in expectably died at age 2 and the female Paladin, Mary Magdalene Augustus.

Forrest's Second quickly wrote a note about these visitors and sent it by a very fast horse to Sanctuary where Dent and Regina mounted very fast horses and galloped back to Forrest's Offices. Forrest’s helper discretely gave Forrest a note and Forrest said: "Why don't we get you something to eat and drink. I'm sure you might want to relax a few minutes before we discuss what we can do for you.”

Gaius and Mary exchanged knowing glances and he said that would be fine. Where can we refresh ourselves?"

In the lounge between both toilets, Mary said "who do you suppose they summoned?"

"Hopefully Dent."

Forrest was finishing up a little speech as his guests, his Aunt, wife and daughter finished a snack of pan-fried tuna, a side dish of one variety of potatoe fried in Cow butter and a slice of melon. By tradition, meals were served with coffee and post dinner they were given a sweet red wine.

"...and that is why we are called the 'House of the Fish'. Is anyone still hungry? I think we will have a nice dinner this evening."

The assistant stuck his head into the lounge, nodded at Forrest, who said "why don't we go to the Conference Room and you can tell us what you would about why you are here and how we can help you."

The Conference Room was lit by natural lighting through large open windows, with a deep space from the table to the wall. This area was dark, a dark that probably owed more to a subtle Illusionist spell than it did to physics.

"Where do we begin," Gaius began. "Perhaps we should start at the time of Mark's birth eight years ago. My Lady wife was indisposed (she snorted) and I was in a torture chamber called 'the delivery waiting room'. I know Mary would have traded places with me and that she was in more distress than me but she faced threats I knew nothing about and which I could not help her with."

He sipped some red wine.

"I was a Combined Arms Battalion Commander and part if a professional duty rotation. I had come from Combat Patrols in the frontier zone between the Empire and Israel several months before. My wife's fetus was the result of some unplanned and unexpected conferences with the Regimental and Division staffs. I was a Senior Colonel and my Brigadier and the Major General wanted to brief me on various things. They could have sent a courier."

Listening to this, Dent knew the real reason was this good Colonel and Lady Wife needed time together. These Conferences were the solution the Generals and the Army Deputy Under-Pharaoh for Personnel matters came up with. (Deep in the Southeast, the actual Pharaoh in Hiding, loved to joke with her extended family about this and other Army titles.)

"After the briefings which were quite informative and the personal sequences of my 'family time', I was sent on my way to a training exercise. My Lady Wife, who then commanded a Calvery training Command, went back to overseeing the training. She was very demanding and this protected her students in the coming wars. After Mary was half way through her pregnancy, orders came through moving me into the non-combat portion of my duty rotation. Dent was my immediate Commanding Officer as he held the rank of Brigadier General and didn't know he had the rank of "Grandson" in the White side of the House of Assassins."

"So, this...Dent...was a Grandson in the White Side of the House of Assassins?"

"Yes, indeed, Forrest," Mary replied. "He was one of the finest officers I have ever known. He was also one of the busiest with the size of his extended family."

"I was given command of a planning cell in Imperial Intelligence. My first duty was to learn the various polities making up our Empire. The truth is our Empire is a Hegemony ruled by the Empire in the Central City with Grand Princes ruling in the Emperor's name and Grand Dukes as Majordomos. These six main cities lord over a number of smaller cities and a great number of towns, villages and hamlets. There are a number of tribal groupings which simply exist outside the boundaries and which have so little economic impact they are ignored."

"Do you doubt this, Forrest? Do you have auditors coming to count your fish and the commerce flowing to and from the 'barbarians to the north' and little villages between you and City Five? I think I can tell you the answer. The answer is probably no."

"That is really not true," Forrest's Aunt replied with some heat. "I have to produce reports for the auditors who come every year from City Five and present them to those damned auditors!"

"They ask some easily answered questions, drink some of my beer, leave with a keg of my beer and you have the feeling these auditors were never interested in finding anything out." Forrest grinned at his Aunt who refused to dignify this rebuttal with anything more.

"Just as I expected! The House of the Fish is listed as a 'Closed City' and cannot be trifled with! This was ordered by the Sheriff Foulston who is also an MD, a very Senior Mage and someone of immense importance in other ways. I cannot say what!"

"Ah, where was I? My relationship with Dent and his wife? When I hovered in Limbo between thinking all would go well with the birthing of our first child and fearing all manner of bad outcomes, Dent came in with a dusty bottle of a hundred-year-old Brandy. He blew it off and we sampled a glass or three. I later found out my Battalion Sergeant Major, who was a minor Prince in the Royal House, had gotten this bottle from a Royal storeroom. It helped distract us and I hope my Mary did not find out Dent had relayed a gift from my Senior NCOs."

"Did you Mary," Forrest's Aunt asked?

"Certainly," she replied. "I told Dent's wife to have him take the bottle of Brandy to Gaius. Dent was trying to take over supervision of my delivery and it was bothering me!"

In the secluded room, Dent murmured an indignant "indeed?"

Regina chocked back a snort.

"So, with Dent finally out of the way, the delivery proceeded with its usual bloody, screaming, angry fashion."

Now, both Mary and Regina (second wife of Dent) were amused by this description of a "normal" delivery...

"In the years that followed, I spent a great deal of time taking my Battalion between various outposts of Imperial units and of different religions. You might be surprised at how many times different sects of the Nazarene religion and the parent religion Judaism and even older faiths helped me and my soldiers. We even had at least one church which we were not sure was either a joke or a very obscure branch of a larger Mother Church. It is not the job of the Armed Forces to rule on the legitimacy of any given religion. That is a task between a person, their Priest and their God. There were times when nervous guards would put the whole Battalion to fifty percent alert because something did not feel right. I never gave any of my troopers’ grief for alerts; there were a couple of times when what appeared to be evil spirits attempted to engage me and mine!"

The look on the face of the Paladin, Gaius, rendered mute his audience. He believed he had seen what he had seen!

"Eventually, Dent and his wife had four kids. Our children played together, there was a demure Assistant Coke who supposedly did minor tasks in the kitchen and some minor cooking. She made some great and decadent snacks and the children loved her. Later, I heard she earned the title 'Aunt Cleaver' during the Great, Horrible, Killings in the House. After that, many decided she could do no wrong. I was one of them..."

"So was I", Dent muttered.

"After this, I was transferred to a different branch of Military Intelligence where we studied movements of people who could be described as agents of a secret polity originating in the Turkish Royalty. Technically, these 'people' operated out of a base in a small town on the eastern side of the Sea of Marmara. This organization was made of people from Istanbul, two other unidentified Turkish cities, and at least one city in a polity called 'Rus'. They were monsters and I say this with an implicit apology to 'monsters'. No one expected the violence that was to come!"

"Should we consider ourselves to be at liberty to give you the last information we had regarding who was responsible for the attacks in the House?"

"Perhaps," Forrest said.

There was a pause while Dent wrote a brief note and quietly left Regina to sneak out of this office and give his note to one of Forrest's assistants who delivered said note to Forrest. Forrest read the note, frowned and said "please continue with as much information as you feel comfortable sharing."

His Aunt was surprised at this formality; the Paladins had the feeling something very covert had happened. They were right...

"The boiled down analysis of a number of sources - something called 'fusion analysis' - was a group of Specists - people who would permit only so called 'natural species to exist. They seem to not understand that all current 'human' species are composite species to some extent. Paladins are supposedly 'common men' who are superbly trained. We are a species Variant which might become a different species someday. Only God knows! For all we know, your form if human - Denisovan is it? - is a genetically modified human species?"

"Denosvan people are a form of human distinct from 'common man'. We are a form of genetically modified Denisovan in our village and may be unique. These Marmara people could regard us as enemies..."

Mary paused, gathering herself and her thoughts before continuing.

"After word of the pointless murders spread, the Combined Intelligence Agencies began to receive help from outsiders. One would think the murders in the House of Assassins would be suppressed but quite the opposite happened. The Grandfather of Assassins gave complete reports to the Intelligence Agencies and that included the Diplomatic Corps. Word spread outside channels and the Emperor received Ambassadors from different Polities among the 'Northern Barbarians' including the Vatican, the reformed Roman Empire, the Priests of Israel and a completely unknown nation calling itself 'the Aztec and Inlands Nations of the Hidden Continent'. We still do not know who they are but they said they knew nothing of these murders but would investigate any untoward activities as far east as the Azores. We know nothing of these nations and do not know where the Azores are."

Gaius began to speak.

"Other forces were in motion and one group of people called the 'Lost Children of Dent' moved from hiding east of Berit into the Deep South where they began training with the forces of the Hidden Empire. The Hidden Pharoah became very interested in perusing this investigation. The problem is in finding traces of who could have done these deeds. Fortunately, people being people that could not keep their fucking mouths closed. One person, a mercenary who was well paid and was expected to keep his mouth shut, just had to brag in City 2 and this got them noted by Border Guards. I saw a report on this, gained permission to act and sent an arrest warrant through the Justice Ministry and the babbling idiot was arrested. This was a fine deed that reminds me of the adage 'no good deed every goes unpunished'. My setting into action the arrest of this babbling bungling killer was just such a 'good deed'!

There was a pause.

"I did not initially interrogate this man. That was done by torture experts lead by a true foreign devil who came from a land north of the Straits of Hercules. His name is Jesus Bonifacio Tupaz ."

Dent made a disgusted grunt and a subtle scent meaning anger came from him. Regina noted this smell but did not know what it meant; both Paladins recognized this brief odor and who had emitted it. They chuckled and Dent knew what that meant. Dent barely kept a sigh in and Regina knew what that meant! of the Sea of Marmara. There, they began collecting information from different Research Mages and Medical Doctors. They learned a Master Mage Medical Doctor had been in contact with many worthy Masters and they had worked with a bored God who helped them create changes to the genetic material of groups of people. They had the goal of blending different types of humans to create a superior variety of human. There was a great disconnect between their conjectures and hypothesis and the reality of what resulted. A very great disconnect!

He sipped some red wine.

"All of these bioengineered (he had to explain what "bioengineered" meant) fetuses died horribly or were given merciful quick deaths. Finally, this Master Mage, Foulston, was able to figure out how to create stable and very healthy organisms. One was called Dent" and the other, his future wife, 'Lorainne".' A total of 60 'Experimental Life Forms' were created. No one dared call them children. These little ones were enplaned in women who carried them. Then, in time, and over a period of years, these little ones were born."

"There is more to the story isn't there?" Forrest's Aunt knew there was!

"Indeed! Sixty quote Experimental Life Forms” unquote lived in the House of. Sixty exact copies were created and sent to live in the Temple of the New Way {get real name!} in Central City; a second group was allowed to be born and was intended to go to live with the Hidden Pharoah in the Deep South. Someone intercepted this movement of people and sent them elsewhere. We never found out where. A third group was sent into the far west and exactly where we do not know. Dent’s group fled west after the murders in their home. We hope they are well."

Dent made another involuntary grunt. Regina squeezed his hand hard.

"Back to our story. Apparently arresting this man compromised a secure investigation or so we were told. Personally, I think someone was pissed and an intel officer 'made the kill' in a manner of speaking. I was given orders to report to an officer I had never met before and was sworn to secrecy. Then, I was ordered to a post in City Three. These were verbal orders and while I got written transfer orders, advance pay and travel pay, I got orders to an undisclosed location. These orders were written for an unaccompanied transfer. By this time, Mary and I had four children. We went to our Priest, who was a retired Naval Captain and he obtained documents transferring Mary to City Three as well."

Mary continued the story: "We were given a nice transfer party, a nice ‘Dining In' actually with a lot of guests. Then, we were told that we would be departing Central City four days later. We moved into the Temple after the party and after the noon meal the next day, a 'routine patrol' left Central City to the south. When were well south we turned west along the road to City Four. Our Priest, the retired Naval Captain, met us on the road and told us a secret 'KOS ‘Oder - Kill On Sight - had been issued against us. The Grandfather of Assassins was not told of this order because those issuing said order feared the Grandfather would go to the Emperor and that would lead to a civil war in the beau racy. Grandfather found out later when some amateurs in an Infantry Scout Company were sent to the House of Assassins to make selected kills." Both Paladins sighed, sounding so much like Dent that he had to suppress another chuckle. "They apparently didn't realize security at the House had been increased greatly. The parents of the missing children' were ready to destroy any future invaders. As furious as Aunt Cleaver was, she was still a short elderly Lady who had not trained in Martial Arts for several decades. She was assigned body guards."

"We'll have to tell you the story of Aunt Cleaver!" Gaius was amused.

"Orders sending Gaius on an expedition into the deep south to a rebellious town made their way into the active files. Gaius supposedly was murdered by Rebels. Mary and their kids were killed by suffocation in a major dust storm or maybe it was a chorea outbreak. Our Priest did not know. In the meanwhile, our escort had broken off to return home and we had a rather peaceful time, a road trip, to south of City Three. We presented ourselves as two Mages going on a trip with our children to a found a new school. We met a great many of the 'very dangerous savages' who were quite friendly. That were just folks! We did find two struggling schools of Clerics we were able to help. We helped them with the proper formulations of their spells and used a 'make copies' spell to provide them with advanced texts. These books were classified military documents but by this time we had decided we could declassify them. We taught these poorly trained Mages the proper ways to make spells. The way they were doing a number of spells simply killed some Mages!"

"No good will come from this", Dent thought. He was right but the advanced spells these schools would develop would not be used against he and his; they would be used against greedy governments in medium cities who thought they could dominate the small towns and villages south of the big cities. These efforts did not go as well as the invaders hoped for! 8 November 2022. 11/7/2022

"There is more to be said about our trip through the southern villages. We dressed as travelling Monks with our uniforms buried in a flat case at the bottom of the wagon bed. We had food and trade goods and water on the outside. We had barely broken contact with our escort when we were met by several dark workers. They greeted us:

"Welcome! What can we do for you?"

"We have found it needful to leave Central City." Gaius had replied.

"Retired soldiers?"

"Yes, sir, we are," Mary replied. "We are going to have to learn new ways."

"Come with us. We can give you comfortable beds and not in your wagon." Another of the farmers had looked over the uncovered bed of their wagon.

"It will be much better than a manger" the first replied.

They entertained us, fed us, made us feel comfortable and an elderly grandmother sang our children to sleep. The next morning, they sent a runner ahead to the next village and they had a village fiesta for us. We taught their Village Priest some useful spells and copied his spell book."

Gaius concluded his paean of praise "this is not what we thought visiting High Elves would be like!"

Mary took up the thread with "we spent time in two different schools of magic and taught them what we knew. We taught Illusion Magic to one school - we learned this from visiting officers of a 'Northern Barbarian Army' and some destructive spells to folks in a village overrun by possibly living corpses. We taught them the ‘scientific method’ and experimental spell creation. I wonder what they will eventually learn?"

They learned a great deal and eventually became dreaded Necromancers!

"We eventually hit a dry well and had a long stretch between villages. This was not a problem as the last village we were in was home to very nice Orcs. They worshipped the Redeemed Judas and believed they must display the Mercy of the Christ to all they came in contact with. They had a very large interesting Theology. We were given the text of their Religion, a text translating their written language to both Latin and High Greek. It seems Missionaries of the Bene Gesserite had visited..."

We eventually reached our rendezvous place south of City Three. A farmer working at the main Temple of City Three met us there and took us quote 'by routes subtle and secret' unquote to a safe house in a suburb of City Three. We were there several days before a Courier Boat of the Special Boat Service arrived to deliver packages. Since no one dared to ask what their business was, we had no problem boarding. Inspectors were deaf to the sounds of our children somehow..."

"The trip took about four and a half days. It was not too rough. We passed two other Courier boats and exchanged honours. That is, we and the other boats dipped their 'colors' or flags when passing. I suspect they eventually reported our children as they stood at the hand rail. Yes, they were tied to the boat and had sailors near them. Our Captain and his crew wrote detailed contact reports. The second Courier Boat flew the Colors of a Corsican nation state. I wonder what business they had with the Empire?" Mary paused.

"It might be more accurate to say business with the government of City Three as I sometimes think the western cities run their state business apart from the central city Government. In some ways, I think the notion of the Empire being a Hegemony is inaccurate."

"They all must use the same currency, don't they", Mary asked.

"They should because the Empire's currency is backed by the sheer size of the Empire. When they hit hard times and they will - those holding alternate currency will lose fortunes..."

Dent made a mental note to start tracking such currencies and their health. If nothing else, it would give his fledgling intelligence analyses something to obsess over. Dent saw this as educational as well as something to study along with the apparent Zombie outbreak. He did not see "Zombies" as a threat per say but rather as disease vectors.

"It was a nice and actually relaxing voyage. The food was plain and the Boat's crew boasted a professionally trained Chef. Our children were always closely supervised on deck...as were Gaius and I! The Boat's sail maker had cloth he used to make Sailors Tunics for our children.

"Speaking of your children," Forrest remarked, "where are they?"

"Still sleeping I suspect", Forrest's daughter commented.

There was a long burst of barks and whimpers outside this office and Forest’s eldest daughter opened the door to let Caleb and Crystal in. Both began sniffing the air and Crystal bellowed "Grandmother! Grandfather!" and ran headlong into the darkened space.

There to no one's surprise both boys greeted Dent and Regina.

The reunion between Dent, Gaius and Mary was intense and very emotional.

Soon enough, the hugs and tears ended and Regina was introduced.

"What happened, Dent?"

"That is a sad and long story and I would rather we wait until we're home with our survivors and our new kinfolk. Now, please introduce us to your new children!"

Crystal was happy to make introductions. Dent was called "Grandfather Dent and Regina Grandmother Regina. The youngest three would later be confused by them as well as their parents being referred to as " Elder".

Dent sent a brief note to the Western Grandfather of Assassins - Sheriff Foulstan - with the promise the two Paladins would give longer reports after they recovered further.

The next morning, with the return of Forrest's Courier Boat came an old friend: Guard Junior Eric Poindexter Roque. Eric had hit another growth spurt and his torso was spreading out and the edges of his eyes were beginning to turn orange/yellow.

Roque was, after all a Dragon Fledgling in change...

The next morning, before the Courier Boat left for City Five and Eric Poindexter Rogue was eating his second large donut and a large mug of coffee, Forrest said to the two Paladins: "If you consider human to mean just the common human species, then there are no 'humans' in our little town and Sanctuary. This is the secret we preserve. We also protect our own from pandemics endemic to our continent. We don't know yet what will kill Dent and his species..."

"Perhaps intelligence collection regarding pandemics is even more important that we thought?" They were sobered by the thought of something so small as bacteria that could defy this most ancient of humanities' Gods... ===

The Paladins' Story: Homecoming

The newcomers slept badly.

The four children because they were in a new place and did not have the comfort of predictability.

The parents because they were in a new place and did not have the comfort of predictability and had to provide stability for their children as well as to Crystal and Caleb. This was not an obvious truth. Fortunately, others were very familiar with these problems.

"We don't talk about the hidden places even in a place as safe as The House. We save that for our other place. You'll find it different." Dent looked around. "Speaking of different, here is Crystal and Caleb's Father."

A gaunt Orc, who looked like he was recovering from an ancient illness, moved smoothly towards them. He knelt to embrace both boy and dog and then picked the boy up. The three walked to where the small group was waiting. He put his son down and both his boys immediately went to the Paladins' four children.

"This is Plaitt of the Three Crop Farm and father of both Crystal and Caleb. His wife remained home with their daughter, Sprout. Plaitt, this is the Paladin Gaius and the Paladin Mary. Your boys are playing with their children; we'll introduce later. The little ones are feeling a bit lost."

"I am very unused to uncertainly so they have my sympathy. We appreciate new people. Aren't Paladins members of a splinter group?"

"To a certain extent. Hundreds of us live in two different cities and our population is growing slowly. I don't think we are close to being a separate species but we have distinctive features. Why this is true, we do not know."

"We think you'll fit right in. Welcome home Mary and Gaius!"

A sincere welcome from an Orc who still look sick was a welcome surprise. Plaitt was introduced to the four new comer children. Then, the Paladins and their children, Forrest and his wife, Aunt and children, Plaitt and his Boys and finally Dent and Ragina boarded several two wheeled carriages called "Traps". The trip to Sanctuary took about two hours.

The group went over a hill and paused to look over the Village of Sanctuary. There were a number of building and in different sections small single-family housing. There were four larger buildings that reminded both Paladins of Long Houses they had learned of in their training.

The most interesting aspect were several cone shaped rock structures which everyone wondered "how could these have come into exitance?" No one knew and not even the External Guard had a clue.

"We don't know how or why those cones are there but we are going to create housing in four of them. After you get the welcome a number of farmers are going to take you around and show you are crops! I am the Old Chef's newest hero!"

The Paladins was puzzled but the laughter this caused!

"Plaitt grows lime trees and the Old Chef uses his limes in his 'Triple Medicine'."

"We are going to have a special welcome for you tonight. The Old Chef, who loves to write and recite poetry will be having a special presentation tonight. A major feature is people who write and recite amusing poetry attacking the Old Chef and he has come up with stinging rebuttals! Just watch and you won't learn the rules, er, you will learn the rules."

They were put into a nice apartment and had a lunch. The entire mess knew who was missing among those who had originally fled the House of the Assassins and both Paladins had no appetite. They were given stiff drinks and then lead to a group meeting with the surviving members of Dent's Tribe. They knew every one of them and just as important, knew the missing who had died along their escape route. When Gaius and Mary entered a room filled with the 25 survivors of Dent's Clan, Regina, the Old Chef and his wife, Thunder On The Craigs and his wife and a number of others close to Dent's Clan entered, the Paladins knew pain awaited all of them. They had no realization of just how wrenching it would be... "The cruelty of this...beggars’ description. Tongue cannot describe not pen portray its horrors." J.D. Albright, MD ===

The Paladins' Story: Emotional Recovery

The Paladins spoke of investigations into the murders at the House.

They talked about the Grandfather of Assassins going in a "towering rage" to see the Emperor and finding the Emperor far more furious than even the Grandfather. That was when a stark truth was revealed. Both Palladian flipped a coin and Mary cleared her throat before speaking.

"You know the Dent folks were created by your genetic material being crested artificially. I know there was more than human intelligence involved. A so called 'Minor God' was required to create the hard core. Dr. Foulston oversaw the creation of the remainder of you. That leads to the reason Dr. Foulston fled west; he did not want to design that which would harm or kill you!"

"He 'cut his teeth', in a manner of speaking, with modification a to two of the chromosomes that make up our variety of Paladin. There are some 8,000 of us born with these changes who received the changes post-delivery. Changes to some fetus resulted in monsters who miscarried. Then, shall I continue with His Majesties’' rage?"

One person, Ten, said in a hoarse voice, "we can figure this out!"

Dent was emitting a combination of rage, comprehension and sadness. He knew now!

"Must we say why," Gaius asked?

"Yes! We need certainty and not just deductions and inferences!" Dent had spoken in his "iron willed voice of command".

" The Grandfather swore us to secrecy before revealing the following: Palladian were given two modified chromosomes the same as those of the Dent Folks. You also received the ninth Chromosome from His Majesty and his miteochronia. You are 'blood of his blood' and His Maternity was horribly angry that someone killed his children!"

"How did he react?" KG spoke in a subdued voice.

"Different intelligence agencies obtained proof those responsible operated from a little town on the Eastern Shore of the Sea of Marmara. Three Battalions attacked, took prisoners, physical evidence and left. The Leader of the Rogue - an old friend of Dent and Ten and most of you - torched the site. The Construction Brigade Commander hired villagers to salt the ground where the village stood!"

"Now, tell us the bad news you are hiding!" Dent commanded.

"The primary, secondary and some of the tertiary members of their command staff escaped. We learned they are aware that 'history is the story of pandemics'. We are fortunate our populations are still separate and isolated so that pandemics die out quickly. Since many older pandemics were spread in water, water purification spells are always being developed. They were planning on airborne pandemics. But these can be turned against the primaries of said plagues. It turned against the creators of the plagues. Wind changes direction sometimes against what the Mages predict."

Gaius' smile was not a kind one and neither were the matching ones in his audience!

Eventually, the emotional storm subsided and everyone had another drink or two of the "Triple Medicine “and various adults and some in their late teens wondered out. Groups of friends, of different human variants wondered off. Crystal had joined others of his age who had baby-sat different groups of little ones. They got their little ones together and groups began to play together. Decades later, these groups would confuse the few outsiders to visit Sanctuary by their ease with each other.

Outsiders did not think this was natural...

The village gradually settled down as the evening wound down... ===

Now what?

The Dent Folk and others run, done heavy exercise, trained in several Martial Arts and showered. The Paladins had some suggestions that would weave in the training Paladins endured.

"We need to define our problem," Dent the Senior Intelligence Officer began. "We know there are a number of possible disease vectors. Outsiders could wipe common surfaces with infected cloths or gloves. Bacteria could be put into water supplies or food supplies. These strike me as the safest for assassins but perhaps the least effective."

"I remember the 'bar beer strategy'", once of Dent's sisters said. They laughed.

"What does this mean?" Mary asked?

"If you are in a Tavern and have a drink on the table then finish the drink before you go to the Jakes. Look at your table before returning to it. If no one is sitting across from your beer glass and you had actually left beer in it, feel free to return to your table but do not drink from that glass. If there is an outsider sitting at your table, do not return to your table. Study the outsider, and escape by the shortest covert route. Report this event to your command intelligence or internal police."

"This seems a bit excessive Dent," Gaius commented.

"It probably is. Unfortunately, experience has shown such encounters can have negative results."

"That means covert agents have been found this way", Ten commented.

"This technique is taught to low level Paladin trainees and routinely tested," Gaius remarked.

"This would defend against poison or disease spread by contact with the glass. A hand wave over the top of a glass could put a poison or bacteria onto the drink. This technique could be effective.""

"What if the person dropping poison onto the beer or wine or touching the glass with a poisoned glove is a waiter or waitress? Might that be a presumed safe person?"

"What if the waiter put a customer's drink in a poisoned glass? On a busy night, no one would be watching their actions closely. They would just be watching how fast they get the drinks out and if they are making true change!"

All agreed.

"What of lung spread disease or poison?"

"I cannot think of any poisons that would be spread by lung without killing the disease vector. It seems like an immune person would have to inhale a lung full of poison or disease to spread it by breathing out. This would be rather obvious."

"I suspect a natural if slightly labored breathing style might be effective. However, and unless everyone else in a tavern were immune to a given disease, you could have a plague outbreak. This would get noticed!" KG smirked after completing her statement.

"So true, so true," Dent agreed. "Spreading disease by lung is not a covert action. So, what is the consensus so far?

"Not by lung but by physical contact with contaminated objects," Gaius said. "This sounds like a low-speed method and would be limited to villages. The attackers might spread their poison or bacteria by traders going between towns?" Gaius was an experienced warrior but still a bit naive in the ways of trading."

"What about people going to stores and touching items there?"

"That would be one transmission method Mary but would really spread poison or disease to the general customers: the locals?"

"We need to find out who the locals are and if death is being spread through their stores?"

"How can we find out," Ten asked?

"We can ask," Regina replied.

"But that would be...that would be brilliant," Dent answered. "How do we ask?"

"What is one of Crystal and his sister's and Forrest's daughters’ favourite activities? Listening to sailor stories and listening to ancient stories of the Ghosts."

"Children are not supposed to be talking to the Ghosts who lurk in the deepest reaches of the Mines," Ten replied while rolling his eyes.

He had seen too many times when his children - 8 sons and 8 daughters - were giggling and listening to Ghosts. He wondered; did he actually agree to this fucking scheme of required fucking needed to perpetuate their genetic line. Ten did not realize every other one of his people, including Dent, wondered the same thing at times. Continuing a species sounded like a great idea but changing the diapers and burping fussy children who were the future of his species had become a patience straining pain in the ass!

Dent was very familiar with this; he and his first wife had been raising four children when the Gates of Hell opened and Dent found himself deep in a wilderness. Fortunately, this was not a biblical episode out of the Jewish History and they had found very friendly natives.

Dent passed sheets of paper around the various tables. Reed pens and small bowls for black ink were on the tables. Dent came right to business.

"We need information about poisoning, illness, and movements. The real questions include everything else. So, what could we look for? That is why I invited so many different people!"

"I thought you would invite us without hesitation", Biden of the Middle Depth of Mine Three stated.

Dent, his people, both Paladins, the fishing folks of the Home of the Fish (all trained Coast Guard Personnel) and Elders all laughed! Biden leaned back in surprise!

Dent's eyes went slightly out of focus as he contemplated his answer.

"We face the reality Biden that we live in the same world but we see a very different reality. The basic difference is secrecy. We all deal with it. The people in Sanctuary working fields, mines, fishing and trading. Those in Sanctuary live in Sanctuary, with those in the House of Fish u88888and sometimes visit Forrest and his people. Secrecy in Sanctuary is nearly invisible. Who are you going to talk to outside?"

Enerald replied: "I take my husband and son to the Doctors in Dr. Foulston's Hospital. What secret matters are we in danger of revealing?"

"The Old One knows a great deal about my people, your people and the House of the Fish. But there is a lot they don't know. Based on what we think the House of Assassins, the House of Thieves and Imperial Secretary of State Office knows, we don't think they have true picture of Sanctuary. The Old One, also known as Dr. Foulson, knows a great deal he does not dare tell anyone!"

"So said Professor Dent", KG said in a dry tone. "My brother tends to go from the specific to the general. To answer your question, Emerald, you are in little danger of telling anything new to our friends in the Hospital. They worry about what they could reveal to you!"

"What could that be?", Emerald responded.

” We don't know and that is what keeps Intel officers waking in the middle of the night!"

"Don't forget fussy little kids", I her husband said in a droll tone...

"Who can tell us routine information? Forrest?"

"Officially, each of the six cities, Central City, and Cities one through five are the only ones who can receive Naval vessels of the Empire and Other Nations. They have the government agencies to deal with commercial shipping and to impose tariffs. However, sometimes low paid clerks seem to be able to have nicer homes and servants. These clerks should be living in government owned apartments with each person their own servant."

"What?" T'Rump of the Mule Barns asked.

"It means they don't have servants", Forrest's daughter replied.

"Sometimes", Forrest continued, "the more outrageous are tried for corruption but this only makes the others sneaker. The smart crooks live quietly."

"Is that why you won't let me go on trading trips with you, Dad? You think, I'll make bad bargains?"

"No, my daughter, it is because I want you to have a clean record and good reputation for when you could be accused of corruption later!"

"Oh", and Forests daughter resumed her silence.

"Why not just ask people - the City Guard, the City Police - about suspicious deaths?"

"Because they could think the Assassins' Guild has resumed their old way? More likely, they would think romantic young fools thinking they could go into business for themselves might be asking for their quality control."

"Cynical but true, Gaius", KG said. ,"The true Professionals have their own quality control. So, who could ask about strange deaths?"

"City Police, Sheriffs, Prosecution and Defense Lawyers, Judges, Medical Personnel, well Pathologists and Coroners, those who write histories and local news items. They would at least know how to phrase their questions. Farmers and Miners probably not. Farmers can use mules to dig graves or drop naked corpses into dry wells and Miners can put them into unused mine shafts and fill them in."

"Do you really think that Dent?"

"About farmers, yes. I'm not so sure about Miners. Yes, I did hear 'the Old Palestine' snort when I said that about Miners."

'What about deaths or illness not reported to Priests or Medics or their local bar tender?"

"We need a different way to get them to talk."

Crystal was listening and softly talking with Caleb. He was talking in Orc and Caleb in Dog-Talk.

"Caleb and I think people like to tell stories. Caleb says cats tell him stories but they are not nice people, Cats are violent, and talk violent. Get people to tell stories!" (Later, Crystal would adopt a small Bobcat who would prove very interesting!)

"Would you like to write down some of their stories," KG asked?

Crystal took some sheets of paper, sat down next to his Father and began talking silently with Caleb. Later, these stories would make their way to the Mind Doctors in the City Five Hospital who developed insane ideas of how Dogs thought.

"We need to figure ways to collect stories, invent our own stories and see what reactions we can get from our readers. Sometimes thinking someone else knows of your stories can get folks to 'open the vault of memory' and reveal interesting things."

Those who truly knew Dent knew he had just revealed interesting facts. Those who didn't know him well were puzzled!

'That is several items on our 'to do' list," Ten said.

'Rain and moisture," Plait said. "We need to know about rain amounts and how much moisture is in our soil. We have to be careful about who learns this since they can try figuring out what our crop yields could be. We can do the same about them..."

"There must be some way to measure the depths of streams, lakes and water reservoirs. I know this sounds silly since we don't have much water falling from the sky or sitting on the ground."

Those from outside of Sanctuary knew Biden was way too sheltered. They decided Biden would be the best person to evaluate the impact of their stories on...

"Old Chefs, we wonder if you can tell us how realistic the next idea is. What if we asked for recipes that newcomers to different places ask for? This would be requests for food their kin cooked or folks who did not like what locals like. They may sound like locals but they do not eat like locals.

Both the Old Chef and Mrs. Old Chef (sometimes called Madam Old Chef or Mother Old Chef) conferred in an odd language no one else could understand.

"It could work but it will be difficult to tell precisely where these visitations occurred." Mother Old Chef was a noted intellectual to the shock of many...

"I am a Monk of the Church of the New Way. We worship the Nazarene, also called Jesus the Christ. There are a number of Sister Religions such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Cathars, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Buddhism and the Mother Religion. The Mother Church came close to be killed by the Romans by most of the Priests were saved before the Romans were convinced to withdraw from the East. We need a Priest, who is well established in the outside world to work with outside Churches. Brother Luther Stegg and his ancient Private Jonathan sound ideal. ===

Dent knew when to back off and wait. His audience wandered about the room talking and finally collecting in different groups. Dent smiled, knowing his groups would produce very interesting results. He went off to work on codifying their Martial Arts, the Magic known to the members and adding more medical training.

There was that recipe for a rice delicacy called "Sake" he was sure the Old Chef love. ===

Later that day and in the House of the Fish, Forrest had hundreds of pounds of pure copper to trade for 20 pounds of silver. (The silver vein in Sanctuary apparently was worked out.) He knew the Northerners he traded with at the Trading Raft often had interesting items for trade.

He grabbed enough crew for a medium boat and sent his First Officer to file a sail plan. When his Aunt learned of the unscheduled trip, she knew something interesting could be coming. She decided to wait...

He knew his crew had given the boat a close inspection, his First Officer had given the boat excellent inspection marks and smiled. Forrest gave the boat his own Command Inspection and this was the boost in their pride.

"I knew our boat is in perfect shape. I am hoping to get a standard trade for the copper and something special. It will be a surprise!

11/9/2022

Forrest knew there were certain days the Northern Visitors might be at the Trading Raft; there simply wasn't a schedule as both groups had to be somewhat covert about their trading.

A medium boat had two masts with a lateen rig on both and up to two jibs between the bow spit and the forward mast. This was a distinctive rig and fast. To let people watching them approach they flew the Home of the Fish flag atop the aft mast. This was an elegant picture of a baby "God Fish" or "Prince Among the Fishes" as the Northern Visitors called them.

It was a pleasant day for a sail and the boat's actual Captain conducted maneuvers to display their ability to exploit the wind. In the distance, Northern Visitors watching made comments: "Looks like they are having fun...that was showy...five Dracma says the one going by the name Forrest is getting a visit here and his Captain is trying to impress him...why would a Captain want to impress this Forrest...He is the ``` Captain and probably the Captain's Uncle or older cousin."

"I greet you, Senior Ambassador d'Amberton. I trust you were not waiting here long?"

"We weren't Harbour Captain Forrest. We have the usual items to possibly trade and perhaps something more?"

"WE brought 300 pounds of pure copper and we are hoping for the usual trade items of information of your lands, and any interesting food or crops you might have. We are a mixing bowl of different peoples and sometimes it can be hard to find new stuff...especially for the children."

"We have the same problem I fear."

They decided on what Forrest would take for his copper and what d'Amberton was willing to part with.

Finally, d'Amberton said "tell me what you really want, Friend Forrest!"

Forrest nodded at a crewman who brought over a case Forrest had taken aboard his boat.

"Let's go to the oh-so-Great Table to talk." They went to this table where Forrest opened his case. He took our what looked (and was) a disk-shaped box. Forrest opened the disk and spoke: "This is a mold for casting coins. These coins are unique to our town. Here is a drawing of what the coins will look like."

"Both are lovely, especially the girl child. I believe she is a Hobbit?"

"She is. The boy is an Orc variant. Before you ask, both are variants of their ancestral species."

"She looks very healthy but the boy looks ill. I hope he is not."

"The poor boy has been treated for lung problems most of his lift. We question if he can ever leave home but that is not for a Naval Officer to pass judgement upon. We would like to obtain a nice metal to create coins of each of their faces."

"You have coins from different peoples?"

"We do. We have the coinage of the Empire, the Jewish Nation so far to the East, your coins from Rome and some place called Gaul. There was an arrogant bunch of morans who insisted in giving us their nations' coinage in return for stolen fish. I sent a Courier Boat to bring in an Infantry Company to dissuade these people from robbing us again. These troops tracked down the fish thieves and it turned out they were from City Two. They had explored the warehouses of a Nation we knew had died perhaps a thousand years ago. We took half their stollen coinage and sent them to a museum in City Four."

D'Amberton nodded.

"What we plan on producing will have the picture on the front and a number and currency name. She will have a numerical value of '5'and he will have '10'. We have not spent any time on coming up with a name for this currency because we do not intend to trade it as currency. Time for a joke: Have you heard the phrase 'a boy and his dog'? How about 'a dog and his boy'"?

Forrest showed d'Amberton a painting of Crystal and Caleb.

"Is this painting accurate?"

” Yes”.

"The boy looks like one with a long-term illness and the dog looks...unusual."

"His Father still suffers from lung illness; he should never have been allowed into the mines. The dog is not quite a dog or so we're told."

"I grieve with you for this young one, his Father and especially his long-suffering Mother. I know this grief..."

"Here is a happier picture. The three children with a police sergeant who likes to visit from City Five."

The picture showed Eric Poindexter Roque seated on a nice chair with Caleb directly in front of him, Crystal to one side, and Emma and Telerate to the other. It was a nice picture and d'Amberton said so.

What d'Amberton noticed was that the man was a "Roque" or Dragon still in the pulpal stage, both Crystal and Telerate were of a Half-Orc variant, Emma was blatantly different from the so-called standard Hobbit and Caleb could have been a Norse Thor Hound but how could such a creature have come to the House of the Fish. Life was full of mysteries and he had only to think of Anoarch herds that were not supposed to be living in a secluded valley in the Swiss Alps. Such is life!

"I am honoured that you have shown me these family pictures, friend Forrest. We do have something we can gift you with your coins: White Platinum! We came with 25 pounds to gift a minor Lord living in southern Gaul. We will give him five pounds and I know he will be happy with this!

The visitors carried the copper to their two masts boat which featured what looked like jib sails on both masts and a huge sail which was attached to the point of the forward mast and attached by a line from both bottom corners of the triangle sail to their boat. It looked like a very fast sailing rig. It was...

Forrest never learned that d'Alberton was a Jew living in a part of Gaul between the Spanish speakers and was familiar with harassing raiders. They had formed an alliance with the Cathars and were able to stand off the Roman Catholics physically and have the impression of being more numerous than they were. Appointed to Ambassador, Jacques d'Amberton had been able to go to the Jewish State and obtain their help.

Their freedom came when they moved north of Rome into an ancient Jewish enclave in a small river valley. ===

All good things must come to an end if they are to become considered as good things.

Forrest and his people as well as the folks who maintained the Raft watched in awe as the foreign vessel tacked into the wind before putting their stern into the wind.

Then, they raised the enormous sale hanging off their bow and their boat surged forward!

The winds seemed to have increased enormously and this meant the Foreign Devils were using some wind speed increasing magic! Figuring out how this worked became the goal of a number of Mages across the north of the continent!

Eventually, they realized Forrest was meant to spread this knowledge so the Northern people's Mages could learn more and improve their spells. This worked quite well! ===

Forrest gave his treasure of Platinum to the Clan Chief of the Hobbits who was a very gifted artist. He was also being sought by the Central City Government for knowing too much about how the Imperial Currency was created. (For a time, forged money was a problem...)

This Clan Chief promised Forrest he could coat coins with Platinum and have them look pure. Both were happy. Both bragged about this at the next time they had Triple Medicine at the Old Chef's favourite bar!

Crystal wanted his children to be happy and physically fit. (He had listened to too many of Dent's "be fit" lectures!)

After breakfast, he took the Paladins' older two children and combined them with Tellurite and his 5 kids and lead then in morning exercise. He and Tellurite had their 12 little ones chase either of the two older kids. This was later called "forced running" but they liked running down either "older" child. They did pushups while resting on their knees. They also did reverse sit-up or slow lying down. They also did hold yourself up while slowly dropping away from a bar.

It was all quite innocent and later their physical education would be more rigorous. Crystal should have known he had been set up when his students suddenly included all the Dent grandchildren. They told Crystal he was a 'school teacher' and he fell fully into this trap and very sincerely and seriously got his "students" to do increasingly rigorous workouts. is

Eventually, his students "graduated" (in a manner of speaking) to Dent's classes. They had a graduation ceremony complete with certificates and a cake made with something from the "Hidden Continent" called "chocolate".

Decades later, Crystal was horrified to learn his students considered him both their First and Hardest Drill Instructor.

The adults who had endured their own Drill Instructors roared with laughter. Ng Mui (t 伍枚) was delighted!

===

.

A week after his first meeting, Dent invited everyone to the next meeting. The same guests and some extras arrived.

"Welcome all! Who has anything to report?"

"The day after your meeting, we sent a letter to Brother Luther Stagg describing our desire to find out about illness spreading across the northern third of the continent and wondered if he would like to visit. I gave him today's date as the meeting time. I just got a note from him saying he was in Forrest's office and would be visiting today. Sorry about the surprise." The speaker was a farmer who had gone from the underground world of the mines to the underground world of "mushroom farming".

Dent remembered a criticism of experts written by a Philosopher called Robert A. Heinlein. The Sage Heinlein wrote:

"Expertise in one field does not carry over into other fields. But experts often think so.

The narrower their field of knowledge the more likely they are to think so."

Robert A. Heinlein

This farmer clearly had never heard 'don't surprise your boss, especially in public’ and this meeting was definitely 'public'.

"Thank you for this information, Homer of the First Mushroom Farm. Does anyone else have anything to report?"

"Be advised," Ten stated, "Brother Luther and his wife and Brother Jonathan and his wife have arrived and are waiting to be invited in. I will go get them."

The four entered, were introduced and seated.

The two Priests and wives were old friends and the meeting disintegrated into a mass greeting. Dent could hardly call them back into order when he and Regina lead the way to hugging these four.

After the greetings began to die down, coffee and Mrs. Old Chef's hoppy IPAs were brought in. The joke was which of the two were the chasers. Some of the Half-Orc mixed beer and coffee, drank this wretched drink and chased it with a slightly less wretched tipple, Cherry Wine!

"Back to work!" There was a pause while everyone refilled their glasses and finally sat down to work.

"We were talking of ways to find out where plagues or killings were happening. One notion was to ask various religious places for this information. Yes, Brother Stegg?"

"Various churches could collect this information but who are they, where are they and how can we talk to them. There are no registries of Places of Worship. This is for a sad but good reason. I believe Brother Johathan has some thoughts on this. John..." Brother Luther looked at his old friend.

"There are no agencies deciding who can be a Preacher or Church official, what a Preacher can say and what a Church even is! I know of Monasteries - we live in one - which has church services. I also know of Churches near us that are simply buildings with a Preacher and a Congregation. One place is in a barn that has to be cleaned out before Church. I've heard of another place which has Cathar Services on Fridays, Jewish on Saturday and Nazarene services Sunday mornings and Roman services in the early afternoon. Then, people from all four groups and even some non-believers like to have lunch together. I've heard of ideas merging and small groups of these meeting on weekdays.

He took a sip of his beer.

"There is massive resistance to a church registry because no one actually wants church beliefs and practices to be handed down from politicians. They especially do not want some outsider dictating who can serve as Preachers or administrative people. Having said that, the Roman Church is heading toward a top-down command structure. My Grandson, Ford, has a small congregation a version of our Nazarene believes mixed with some Cathar notions. While I don't agree with some of what he says, I strongly defend his God given right to say them."

"How can we get their help," Dent said in a very calm voice.

"We contact the Preachers we know of and explain what we need to learn and ask them to contact other Preachers. I do know there are groups of Preachers, Ministers, Teachers and Prayer Group Leaders and many other faithful with different titles who get together to speak of common problems.

"How effective could this dispersion method be Brother Jonathan?" Forrest could revert to the Naval Officer he still was without warning.

"Very effective in places where Preachers talk with each other. There could be places where congregations split off from their parent Church and broke contact. There are other places where one or more churches simply do not have contact with outsiders. I know of one hamlet whose Church titles itself as quote the One True Church Of The Nazarene unquote. There simply is no one to disagree."

"I could suggest asking the Imperial Postal Service if they would mind distributing pamphlets to churches and town leaders in every town, they provide service to. They would do this because postage would have been paid. Of course, this would not work if there were hidden cities they did not know about. Could there possibly be any hidden cities in a well-organized Empire?"

Many times, people did not know when Dent was joking but this was not one of those times! His audience roared with laughter.

"We need an outside organization which could open communications with any churches helping us. Who else could help us with knowledge of illness, and true death counts?"

Various ideas included Mayors, Military or Naval Posts, different organizations and simply interested citizens. Then, one of these ideas came from Mark, the Paladin's son.

"When we lived in Base Nine, which was a day's ride on a good mule from a city almost 2 days south of City two, we were able to get story books which had letters from readers, exciting stories and people writing about politics and violence. Some of these stories were about magic and strange new ideas. I think they were called 'magazines'. We liked them. There were a number of other kids who read them and we know soldiers read them. Soldiers sometimes talked with us kids at the canteen. I liked them. They did not talk down to us like they thought we were stupid dogs!"

"They respected you."

"Telling stories similar to what we want to learn about could get readers to send letters talking about what we want to learn. I like Mark's idea!" Dent's Sister Erica often held subtle ideas."

"Excellent idea and I suppose we could ask the people who have records on Churches: the tax ministry!"

"Excellent idea, I think, Ten. How does that work?" Regina had lived in Sanctuary her whole life and taxes meant nothing to her.

"Any place used as a place of worship pays lower property taxes than other building owners. Anyone working as a Preacher or Minister pays lower income taxes. They can be contacted and our material sent to them. Then, we had to hope they will send our material to other religious groups. The problem is varied religious groups are in their beliefs and practices. Some of them want their privacy. The Old Gods still have followers..."

As Leader of a Monastery with paid people, Brother Luther Stegg had spent too much time on tax matters!

"We are overlooking the obvious. None of this can happen without the approval of the Western Grandfather."

Many knew Dent meant Dr. Foulston, the "Western Grandfather of Assassins". He could arrange matters.

" I will visit with him. This is a subject dear to him!"

"Speaking for all of us, we are awaiting the outcome! Time to change the subject. What about water reports?"

"Follow the water, Brother Dent”, his Sister Rochelle said. "Water falls and either runs off or sinks into the ground. The ground retains moisture but how far down it goes we really don't know. We can attempt to measure the cross-section of water in flowing streams but figuring the volume depends on very accurate telling time. We don't have any reliable way to measure time. Good luck with that! Then, streams may go into lakes or catchments. All along this route, evaporation could put water back up into the air! But there is still hope!"

"How so, Sister?"

"We can only do what we can do Dent! Different governments will have to survey their locations and simple rain gages can be made cheaply and spread. This information would be collected and sent to analysis centers. How they will work and how this information will be stumbled into and future people will be pissed off that problems were not thought of. Can't be helped but we can try thinking of future problems. This sounds like a fine game for school children to play!"

Dent and his kin chuckled for this was how they had been taught.

"We need easy ways to read rain collection buckets and that means uniform pieces of equipment and rulers. Who can we ask?"

"I live with large machinery made with great depict to high standards. We can make very precise metal or glass tubes and reproduced by Mages. Mages can only do small amounts of work each day. Many Mages would be needed..."

The two Priests and their wives looked at each other. Brother Jonathan raised his eyebrows and the other three nodded. Dent noted and his deep and broad knowledge of the world nodded towards the Priests and wives. Others in the audience acted as if they had had the same revelation.

"Shall we ask Master Rogue if he can provide help?"

"Why him?" T'Rump asked.

"He leads a clan of very powerful beings with strange and strong magic. By tradition all his people have the family name of Roque." Dent pronounced it Row-Kay.

"Our Uncle Eric is Eric Poindexter Roque", Crystal. "Caleb says he smells and his stink has been getting stronger."

"Does he care for you child", Mrs. Old Chef asked intently.

"Uncle Eric told Caleb that the two of us are beloved members of his family and his clan."

"This puts my mind at ease."

Dent sat with his face in the look of frozen stillness that told his family he was deeply upset about something: he had just learned his clan was joined with the most powerful clan known!

Dent was still for a handful of minutes and realized there were good aspects to this allegiance.

"We'll need someone to speak with them."

"I will visit with the Leader of the Roque, Albertus Tiberius Roque. He and his family have been members of my Congregation for at least 70 years. Al loves to solve puzzles. If you let Crystal leave our town and go to City Five or my Temple, be sure to send me a message ahead of time and I should be able to have Al's great grandson, Eric Poindexter Roque be at the Government Docks."

Brother Luthur gave a gentle smile after making this statement.

"Won't there be problems with Eric attending Crystal and anyone with him?" Emerald was mildly concerned.

"Eric is going through a major change and is expanding into his final form. He is getting much broader across the torso, his head is expanding and intelligence increasing and he feels like he is remembering foreign languages. He is. There are several fields of Mathematics that he will obsess over and something called 'mathematical meteorology ‘and elements of flight. His Mother is a fine teacher and remembers her problems with learning to fly."

The visiting Priests and their wives smiled and chuckled.

"If our Eric is a typical Dragon learning to fly - and he is expected to be such - his virgin flights should be funny!"

Brother Luther was grinning. The wives did not think it would be so funny...

"On that happy note, what items are going to be reported and how will the messages be formatted. Remember, we are going to have possibly illiterate people taking these reports. It will take workers, ah, Clerks with a minimum level of education to write reports and cover letters. I wonder how many there will be?"

"A great many Dent. People away from the cities believe in educating their young ones. Educated adults and young ones can know their rights, can learn magic, can learn history and religion and Natural Philosophy as well as being able to read and understand magazines." Part 2

Much of the rest of the meeting had to do with deciding how to format messages. Dent declared the time of meeting was over and the time of taking Triple Medicine was at hand. He was loudly cheered and with Regina lead the way to the Old Chef’s expanded “meeting hall” (bar).

Crystal’s “Exercise Class Students” met the next morning and were in fine shape. Somehow the alcohol had gone missing from the beverages they had drank from. Dent was overseeing the group that morning and made sure none of the kids overstressed themselves. He and some of his regular students fell into place and Crystal said “today Grandfather Dent is going to show us how to fight!”

Before beginning, Dent said “you are going to start learning some elementary techniques. I do not want to see anyone hitting someone else!”

The entire group including the adults nodded in agreement. The children were lined us, taught to get their feet into the correct positions, hands and arms in the correct positions and were told “look fierce”!

Dent’s workout class stood in front of individual children, sank to their knees and coached through the steps of making a fist and taking their first punches. They did as well as complete beginners can be expected to do. Then, after a while, the coaches placed their hands in front of the children and had their little one’s punch at each of the coaches’ palms. The hand were moved around until the coach decided enough punching training had happened. It would be a week before they learned to block punches and a week after that before they were taught simple two-person punch-block routines. The kids loved it!

It was months before any started learning to kick…

The Priests returned home the next day and had an uneventful trip home. The Monastery had survived their absence and Albertus Tiberius Roque, who had visited the day before, left a note that he could be found at a Tavern he allegedly operated in a town perhaps ten miles east of the Temple. This town, known as Ingalls, somehow never made it into the Empire’s records; they paid no property taxes, their two churches and one Sikhi Temple were in no one Religious Registary and they had been there for centuries.

The people of Ingalls asked for no help from the Empire or any of the local towns which presumed themselves worthy of collecting taxes and enforcing “laws” that were often nothing more than personal whims of “law officers”. None the less, the People of Ingalls had coins and currencies of many “governments” which had come and gone. Showing these collections to “tax collectors” coming into their town and saying “they came, they left and left their money. We keep it to remember their existence." Harass us and we will add your currency to collection of coins and pretty paper. Then, somehow, Dragon teeth would flash in open mouths and the “tax collectors” would have to leave!

Somehow, the sight of Dragons flying in formation intimidated outsiders. They were especially intimidated by group landings of Dragons. Dragons turning into apparent humans wearing coveralls with 10 to 12 pockets and dark goggles bothered folks. The dark orange-yellow of their eyes and slit pupils immediately after landing appeared to frighten!

It was a quiet day when Eric Poindexter Roque returned home with him wife and family of four. Women of the Roque developed perhaps 2 years sooner and she had reached junior flight status already. Their children were worried about their future as “flying monsters”. They did not need to do so.

Eric had finished preliminary ground school and he was about to learn survival skills. That is, what to do if they had a bad landing and went into a forward roll or other movement. There were other problems such as perceptions that could kill fliers. By long tradition, Senior Ground Controllers were Paladins of the Lillian Clan.

Early one afternoon, the day after a large meeting in Sanctuary, an elderly Paladin called Luther Stagg drove his “trap” (1 horse pulling a 2 wheeled carriage) into Ingalls. He had an unusually placid mule who simply was not disturbed by the smell of the “Roques”. His arrival was greeted by members of the Sikhi Faith who rang chimes.

Brother Luther sighed and slowly his mule plodded toward the Town Hall. The Mule knew he would be given excellent food and a nice wipe down. Brother Luther would be given a choice of either a strong Coffee called “Mort’s Delight” (“Death’s Delight”) or a rather hoppy IPA (Dragons needed strong drinks and Luther’s ability to drink them lead many Dragons to think Luther was part Dragon). Brother Luther tied up at the front of the City Hall and was greeted by one of the Old Aunts, Robecca.

” Brother Luther! It has been too long! Where have you been!”

” I keep busy my dear. Weren’t you at the second service this past Sunday?”

” Yes, Luther I was; it has just been too long since you were here! Come in! Come in!”

” Coffee or beer dear?”

” A small coffee and a large beer please, Aunt Roberta.”

This told her his was a very serious purpose and needed the boost of the coffee and the calming effect of the beer.

” Our Albertus is busy encouraging one of the young ones, Eric Poindexter, who is going to have his virgin flight soon. He fears his reflexes are not good enough. They will be!”

” Excellent! I brought some of the Old Chef’s Triple Medicine and excellent Limes grown by Crystal’s Father. Of course, I cannot tell you where his farm is for its location is a secret!”

They both laughed. “The Old Dragon’s Wild Ride! The last time Aunt Roberta had taken an unplanned flight she had lifted off heading east and then zipped around through the south and in a westerly direction to where Brother Luther was.

Luther was in Sanctuary and in the Commons talking to a group of people.

Aunt Roberta hovered while finding Brother Luther and made a somewhat clumsy landing, She fell in a tangle of her wings. Brother Luther helped her upright and got her wings untangled before she shifted back.

” Roberta! Are you hurt? Do you need Village Nurses to help you?”

” No, Luther, I am just fine!”

” Someone get the Surgeon and the House Nurses. Aunt Roberta needs medical care!”

” I am fine!” as she sat down on a wheel chair brought to her. “I just wanted to see you.”

The Old Chef’s Wife charged up and handed her a large glass of Triple Medicine. Roberta drank about half of this.

” I’ve missed this,” she said. “Did you get new limes?”

” Yes, we did. Plaitt of the Three Crop Farm has been growing them. Would you like a Mort’s Delight as a chaser?”

” Yes.”

” Roberta? Be honest my dear. How do you feel?” Luther had known Roberta for a long time.

” Fine, Luther.”

” That was a clumsy landing. Did you midjudge the winds?”

” No, yes, yes, I did.”

” Are you sure it isn’t time for you to get ground landing support?”

” Well, the Medical personnel are coming and I’ll ask them to check you left ankle. At your age, you need to worry about your bones.”

” When 3,000 years age you are, judgement made of Moi make you may!”

Dent arrived and spoke to Luthur “is there a problem with Aunt Rebecca?”

” Just a touch of ‘the bug’, I think. Ah, here comes Medical!”

The medical results were her ankles were fine as were her knees. She seemed to display symptoms of depression and that concerned the Medics.

” We don’t know how to deal with a clinically depressed Dragon and especially not a very old one.

The puzzle was solved when Albertus Tiberius Roque, with a two Warrior escort, skimmed over the Commons of Sanctuary, did sharp turns and slammed into hovers. Then the three made textbook landings.

” Aunt Robecca, Brother Luthur, Brother Dent, it is good to see you again! The peoples of your Village smell healthy and I think I can hear your Grandson and his Dog. Perhaps you can go see what trouble the two have gotten in lately, Aunt Robecca?”

She smiled and charged off on her wheel chair to see if she could help both boys get into more trouble!

” What is wrong with my Aunt.””

” She flew in, made a horrible landing and we have our doctors examining her. They say her left ankle was unharmed but she seems to have clinical depression. How bad is this?”

” At her age, not too bad for others but could be bad for her. She feels old and unnecessary. It is a major problem for us.”

” We might be able to help,” Brother Luther Stagg, Retired Paladin Colonel of Mounted Infantry (Dragons). “Is she a Woman Of Faith?”

” Yes, she is”, the King of the Dragons replied.

” We can get her involved in our services. Would she like that?”

” She might, I would have to ask.”

” It has been a long time since Crystal has had an asthma attack. Aunt Rececca could escort Crystal to Central Hospital. His intended, Telerate, could go with him. You might ask Aunt Rebecca to escort them and have her taken off to see a friendly General Practionerr. Perhaps you could ask Dr. Foulston for advice before continuing with this plan?”

” I will do so.”

” On that note, I suppose I can leave to get my chores done. I can have Eric meet them at the Government Dock. You get to talk their parents into agreeing to send him to the Doctors and get Tellura to hold his hand.”

” You do know he will think her ‘holding his hand’ will be a boyfriend girlfriend thing and not comforting a friend?”

The sound of a Dragon laughing, even in ‘human’ form was distinctive.

” It is always a boyfriend girlfriend thing among many and you know that you old Romantic”, Albertus said.

Brother Luther went to the parents of both Crystal and Telerate and asked their permission; then he had to ask their Doctor for a referral which she wrote on a sheet of paper bearing her name. Finally, he bearded Aunt Robecca and told her that would like her to escort Crystal to Hospital with both her and Telerate to hold his hand.

She laughed and said “of course I will!” Then, she leaned over and whispered to Luther “do you suppose I will be accidentally talking with a cute Medical Doctor?”

They had forgotten how good a Dragon’s hearing was.

After Albertus and his two escorts made showy launches, followed by a brief air show, ending with them dropping candy over the children and adult age children, before they went to an Army Post southwest of City Five. There they landed, resumed human form and a guard drove them to the City Government House.

Doctor Fourston met them outside the building and escorted them to his office.

There, his “Son” James Four, a member of the “Stinky People”. He was also the Grandfather of Thieves and basically regulated crime in the Western Cities and ensured criminals paid their taxes. He was also the Head of Intelligence and knew a great deal of supposedly secret information. He was subtle, controlled and could be violent if needed. No one willingly crossed James Four!

He was called “James Four” as he was the third surviving clone of the “James “prototype.

After their office secretary/body guard brought them coffee and cakes, and they had caught up with family news, Dr. Foulstone (the Western Grandfather of Assassins) stated “Albertus, what can we do for you?”

” Officially, we are going to send Crystal to Hospital for a general checkup. His asthma has not bothered him lately so I don’t have to worry about this.” Outsiders would have been puzzled that a Dragon Lord would express worry over a Half Orc to a person with the power of a minor God.

Family is family and not necessarily what you think it should be!’

” Then, there is Aunt Reberta. She made as covert run to Sanctuary where we’re told her landing was worse than anything a Fledge would make. She got the full attention of the entire medical establishment of the town. They said her left ankle was not hurt much and that she had bruises. She overheard me being told the medical establishment diagnoses her with clinical depression and that a Medical Doctor would talk with her. When we left, she was gossiping about meeting this young Doctor with Mrs. Old Chef and a couple of other ladies. She was having fun!”

” There was another matter, another concern, they had. This has much more to do with you James. They have stewed in the fear of the unknown and want to try predicting further probes to see if they can unearth hidden Dent Folks. They are also mindful of the reality of plagues. So, Dent being a Priest as well as an old Intelligence Officer, and his people have worked on ways to learn of such attacks. They would like to create a central clearing house which could contact various religious organizations, medical people and police regarding disease outbreaks and strange deaths. They can do little as they are hiding and fearing for their own.”

James replied: “We are not sure there are active enemies of blended species such as the Dent Folk, my folk. Experience shows me this is an incorrect assumption. Dent group two lives in the Temple of the New Way in Central City. At least one attempt was made on them but the Monks living there are Warrior Monks and defeated the attackers. There were a number of locals who seem indifferent but who are an effective external Guard! Group three were being raised east of Lebanon by five elderly men. The ‘death masters’ on the Eastern edge of the Marmara Sea tried to get these old men to allow themselves and their children to be hurt. This ended very badly for the ‘death masters. This group of Dent Folk went to sanctuary in the deep southeast and are living in the Palace of the Hidden Pharos Group four is in the vicinity of our City and in deep hiding as well.”

The Dragons knew exactly where the Dent Group Four people were but saw no need to admit this.

” I look forward to reading Dent’s proposal. After that, Father and I can review it and if worthy assign tasking to various work groups.”

James Four wrote for several minutes on a very nice sheet of paper.

After that, Albertus and one of his body guards gave an interested discussion of the plan of reporting rain totals, river heights and catchment basins (lakes) depths. This was something that had been done on the Nile for centuries.

After the Dragons left in a Trap (2 wheeled buggy), James Four said softly “they know exactly where we are hiding”.

The next morning, Crystal and Telerate were allowed to skip their morning exercise and Martial Arts training. They needed the break, KG said. Perhaps KG needed the break from teaching.

After breakfast, Grandmother Mrs. Old Chef (known to some as Catherine) ate breakfast with Aunt Rebecca and joined Crystal and Telerate who had eaten with their families. Plaitt gave the adults several ripe melons. Then, the two old ones, the two young ones and Caleb climbed on a fancy carriage and they went off on the “arduous” 20-mile ride to the Home of the Fish. They arrived before lunch and found Uncle Eric practicing falling drills with a grappling Master.

” We can leave after I have eaten lunch,” Eric said. “They say I am suffering through a growth spurt and need additional protein.”

Forrest’s Aunt Florence came to the General Mess Hall and helped herself to a pastry, Sitting with the other two elderly ladies, she said “I understand you are escorting our Crystal to another Hospital visit?”

” That is the official reason and hopefully is not needed. My cunning ‘Clan Chief’ had to come up on the fly with an excuse to get me to see a Medical Doctor at Central Hospital. Something to do with depression.”

” Well, cooperate with them Rebacca because they mean well. May I join you?”

” Yes, of course you must,” Catherine said. “It will do us good!”

Neither Catherine or Florence commented they had heard Rebecca had hit the ground like a sack of laundry and rolled like one of those damned “tumble weeds” from Rus that were mysteriously infecting parts of both their little towns. And so, the legend of Great Aunt Rebecca’s poor fall continued to grow.

Forrest assigned his best Commanding Officer and crew to take the three old ladies, the young Sergeant (Dragon), two children and the “Dog” by Courier Boat to the Naval Harbour of City Five.

When they arrived, a Harbour Worker, who had come to the Docks from a small town in an apparently barren area known only to the House of Assassins data collectors, noted an interesting group leave a large boat. They were three old Ladies (Half Orc, Denavsian and a human variety), a Police Sergeant of some human variety, two Half-Orc children and a cute dog.

He mentally shrugged. Although a new hire, he had known for years when to “see” but not “notice”. Those watching him noticed this about him and began considering him for more delicate work…

At the Central Hospital, Mrs. Old Chef, calling herself “Catherine of the House of the Fish” announced herself to the Receiving Nurse.

” I believe we may be expected. My young one, Crystal, has a history of Asthma and we need to see a specialist about this. My other young one, Telerate, probably does not have asthma but it would be a good idea to have someone give her a quick check.”

If a Denovssian calling two Half-Orc Children her young one was a surprise, the surprise was wasted on the Receiving Nurse and the Medical Doctor who examined both. They were both declared in fine health but don’t believe Crystal’s Asthma will not come out of remission.

A young Medical Student, doing a work assignment at the hospital, walked the two children to the Canteen. It had been several hours since they had eaten and they were hungry. Finally, along, the MD said to Catherine: “the children will spend some time eating. Please tell me the real reason you are here and why is a Half-Orc Lady escorting an Elderly Dragon in human form to a Psychologist?”

” You may have heard she went on an unplanned flight yesterday and decided to land at the House of the Fish. She had an accident on landing. She tumbled, might have damaged her left wing trying to keep from ground rolling and damaged her left ankle. She also had some bruising, Our medical personnel decided she was not physically damaged but might have quote clinical depression unquote. This is not a good thing!”

” I agree, a depressed old Dragon could be very dangerous to herself and others. I don’t know what we could do though. I did notice you were brought in by a young Police Sergeant. From his appearance and that he was wearing a very tight suit coat, I am wondering if he is going through the final pre-flight growth spurt?”

” Is it that obvious? He is going to try transforming for the first time in about a month. His Aunt is worried. I don’t know enough about Dragons going through second puberty to know if I should be worried.”

” Do not be worried. Young Dragons have been going through this transition for many, many years and the species has survived just fine. Would you like me to talk with him?”

” Yes.”

The two went to the Canteen where the Doctor was introduced to Sergeant Eric Poindexter Roque. They went to a seceded spot and talked briefly.

Caleb began making a series of barks and whines, which Crystal listened to before saying to the two Aunts: “Caleb is wondering if this trip was really about me?”

” Your doctors have worried about your asthma for several months and had been thinking of when to send you for an exam. When Aunt Rebecca fell yesterday, they decided it was time for her to see a doctor. You were added to the list of patients because of your history of asthma. Telerate, you were added to the list because you have not had a young teen exam. Eric was a target of opportunity. We are two old ladies who get regular checkups and did not need to come to the hospital ourselves.”

Both children were satisfied with this answer.

When the group was together again, they decided to go the Brother Stagg’s Temple. This was expected by their parents who had packed overnight bags for both; the three Aunts always went to trips with overnight bags. All enjoyed their visit as this was a family visit for them; they returned to House of the Fish the following morning.

Aunt Florence began getting much more attention than she had been getting. She was much cheerful and turned down a couple of opportunities to go flying… ---

Year 16 Crystal begins spending carefully controlled time with Tellurate: Her Father, Gaius Abdue Raman, also "Gaius of the Home of Coffee" (A farm devoted to coffee trees and Goats raised for their milk and cheese). His Elder daughter was named Tellurate and she had been a close friend of Crystal since they were four.

Her Father had been known as Gaius of the Second Deep Mine until he had been stricken with health issues had banned him from ever getting within breathing range of the mines let alone onto the mines. He took theme "Abdue Raman" to honor the Medical Doctor who had saved his life at the main hospital in City Five. ---

year17 Crystal went to Luther Stagg's Temple to begin their Law program with minor in intelligence work. When he proved capable, he added work towards a minor in a developing Sect of Magic Users.

He learns that writing Wills is a minor sideline that his relatives expect to be done free.

One afternoon, between classes, and while taking on minor "pro bono" or free work, Crystal got accosted by outsiders - Orcs - who mockingly say "We want him to write our Wills" after a very large and broad torso Guard had asked "Why are you bothering him?"

Crystal does good work on the Wills (uses several templates) and when he delivers the wills scares these three when they realize Crystal is on familiar terms with the Guard known to be A Sergeant of the House of Assassins. They had heard of hidden figures called "Grandson of Assassins" or the grandson of the Western Grandfather of Assassins. They realized the guard could be one of the dreaded Uncles of the House of Assassins. He wasn't but he would be and he would have the carefully hidden and controlled rage of his people.

Crystal has known the Guard since he was four.

Eric Poindexter Rogue was scheduled for his first flight.

Eric had studied the theory of flight and was told what he needed to do. He was told the maneuvers he had to accomplish and that they would be conscious decisions at first, His teachers had given him excessively simple tasks to do in launching, flying in a circle and landing. He would go up on a quiet day with two Instructors; one would be on each side of him. He was told they would be clearly audible to Eric.

He had done the warmup exercises stopping just short of lifting off. He was scared; they told him he was ready; he wanted to go.

Both his teachers were on either side of him and gave the command to lift off. They did smooth take offs, where as his was not; his wings partially deployed, he panicked and thumped onto the ground from an altitude of 2 feet!

His lead teacher said “trust your instinct. Don’t try to consciously lift off. Distract yourself if you have to. The next two attempts failed. A signal was given and the Paladin Germanicus suddenly charged toward Eric at a full gallop and bellowed in rage.

” Damnation!” Eric thought as he thought “lift off now!” and his body shape shifted into a Dragon and he lurched upwards. It took several seconds before he could comprehend the order “hover, damn it, hover!” He did so.

When given the order to land, he eased down slowly enough to concern his teachers. The Paladin was both amused and impressed.

” Nicely done, Eric! We’ll make a Knight of you yet!””

Eric was told he had “soloed” or had his Maiden flight, his Virgin Flight. He got quite the party that night with the whole Village of Ingalls trekking to Brother Stagg’s Temple where it was tradition to Fete the newly created “Junior Dragon”.

The next day, the hard work of learning controlled flight, hovering, maneuvers, formation flying and hauling cargos through the sky began. That was when Eric really developed the strength of his final form.

His wife began her training several months later…

Tellurate had begun studying Intelligence work with Dent and three of his people in her mid-teens. Interestingly, Crystal was in the same studies groups until he went to Law School at Brother Stagg's Temple at 17.

She studies medicine when she went to the Medical School houses in Central Medicine in City 5.; he studies military matters and Analytical history as well as Law. She travels monthly to the Temple to visit Crystal.

Several times he was rushed to the main hospital when his asthma kicks up. The main guard - Eric Poindexter Roque - thinks of Ternate as a daughter and she stays with his family when Crystal is ill.

The sight of a tall Half-Orc young woman carrying on her shoulders a young human of apparent foreign ancestors got double takes...

Year 20 of Crystal: Tellurate moves to Hospital in City Five to begin advanced medical training to become a Family Practitioner. Crystal begins making visits to City Five to visit with Lawyers in the Hospital. Somehow, these visits turned into dates, to the vast amusement of all who knew of them... In the Year of Crystal 20

The one-time Pier Guard had risen to Sergeant of the Guard and often wondered if he really knew what he was doing, His Sergeant Major recognized this.

” What is bothering you, Eric?”

” I thought everything would be fine once I had my ‘Virgin Flight’. Then, I had to learn what I was doing and I realized my ‘Virgin Flight’ was just the beginning. Flight school was harder than I thought but I’ve got the fear I’m a long way from being a competent flier.”

” I’m told you are right where you are expected to be. Now, tell me what you’re really bothered by!”

” I don’t think I know what I am doing as a Sergeant. It seems simple but I keep wondering what I could be doing better?”

” How well do you know your men?”

” Not as good as I would like.”

” Does your number two know them?”

” Yes, she does. She has a way of getting my people to talk with her.”

” Then, talk with her about your men! Your job is leadership, her job is to know the troops better than you do, to run the Administrative affairs of your section with the help of your Clerk and to help you train them. You let them do their jobs which is good. You have the training and education and experience so ‘go forth and kick ass’ as those humans say!”

The Sergeant Major was a blend of Neanthadral and Dennisolvan and could not have been thought of a ‘classic human’. Eric was not the only Dragon he had helped train and had to lead.

” Very well Eric Poindexter, now tell me what you are really bothered by? Is it a family problem?”

” Yes, Sir, it is. My wife is going to have her ‘Virgin Flight’ sometime this week. I’d like to be there to encourage her but the Old Ones forbid it.”

The Wise Old Sergeant Major had been told a Senior Paladin, possibly even Colonel Stagg himself, would be in attendance that day. Eric Poindexter was just one of many Fledges who had needed the shock of a charging Paladin to startle them into involuntary flight. That was one of the reasons they were considered vital training staff.

” I’m told a spouse simply distracts a student at a very delicate time. Did you tell your wife about the Senior Paladin who charged you?”

” No, I did not tell her. It was too embarrassing and besides, I was afraid it might be a necessary part of training.”

” It is.”

” Oh”, was Eric Poindexter’s reply.

A clerk stuck his head in the door and said “it is the bottom of the expected time, Sar Major! May I join you?”

” Bring the clerks in Rafael Guzman! Join us on the balcony, Eric!”

The entire office including officers who had no real business being there crowded onto the baloney. One Police Officer with very sharp eyers bellowed “to the right, our bloody right!”

As they watched, a Dragon came charging in a somewhat clumsy flight. The Dragon was being ordered “land damn it”. This Dragon lurched into an ill-advised hard right turn and tumbled in midair before gaining control and going south at what could only be described as a lurching rush. Watchers swore they heard this Dragon panting.

One of the escorts smoothly braked to a halt and hung motionless in front of the group on the balcony.

” It was your wife’s ‘Virgin Flight Day’ and yes, Eric, she took off. Then, she landed and took off again. She took off on a cross country fight”

” Is she all, right?” Eric asked.

” That was your wife, Eric Poindexter, your wife. Now, let us see if we can get her to land.”

This senior dragon smoothly did a back summersault in midair and smoothly surged south after the flying circus. He found the newly fledged Dragon on the ground getting a medical examination. He landed and was told all was in order. Debra Marie Roque, wife of Eric Poindexter Roque, had completed her ‘Virgin Flight’ and done a cross country she had somehow survived. Her training would be adjusted to account for this.

On the other hand, all Dragon flight training was highly individual… • Reply • Reply all • Forward • • Delete • Print • Spam • • Mark • More • • Previous • Next Late afternoon 14 NOV 2022 From mikebell on 2022-11-14 8:33 pm Details

Year 11:

Dent was reading a history of Sanctuary when ten walked into Dent's Parlor (A baren cave like place with stone benches and a wooden table. Ten walked in, helped himself to some White wine and one of centre stone glasses. He took a long sip and refilled the glass.

"Would you like some wine," Dent asked with irony.

"I thought you would never ask", Ten replied with his own irony.

"I believe our teams have identified the elements of our water reporting scheme. We need the date, time of the day, location and what is being reported. We can give the date in terms of year from the death of the Nazarene, the date since the birth of Julius Caesar or the Yes of Crystal. We much want to keep that one secret. Shall I continue?"

Dent put his book down and took the sheets of paper Ten held out. "This is very nice when can we get everyone together?"

"Why not immediately after lunch?"

Dent went to Raguna, kissed her and said "we need to get our teams together to see what they have come up with. Any ideas?"

"Both Eric and Her name have passed their flight training and are considered 'safe'. They are coming with the Priests and their wives tonight. We also asked Albertus and his wife and Aunt Florence to attend. Now, I hope they fly well! We don't want one who has literally rolled into turns or one who putts the 'crash' into crash landing so one who can't take off to reenact these events. I am told they are beyond doing this but I wonder about Florence." "So do I", Dent replied. ___

Before dinner Dent was invited to lead his committee. He and Regina entered and took their seats.

" Ten told me he had good news. I like hearing good news."

Ten stood and said "We have some good news! We have identified what needs to go into the water reporting missives. These include the date in either years from the death of the Nazarene or years since the birth of Julius Caesar. We could offer the 'Years of Crystal' but it is too soon for that. There would also be too many questions asked. After that, the time of day. To keep it simple we plan on dawn, high noon or sunset. We recommend dawn."

"Why, Ten", T'Rump wanted to know.

"Water falling during the day is more likely to last all night than all day. Best to get the rain total before the captured rain can escape."

He paused.

"Next we have the location. There are many ways to report locations. Possibly the best would be distance and direction from a city or town. To find this we would need intelligent, trained, people to chart from towns or cities. I suspect we will be getting the help of Priests, Teachers, some Police and Government Officials. It could be possible for illiterate people to take rain reports to reporting officials. We also need to report the size of streams, creeks and rivers. It might be possible to determine how much water is flowing in them.

Ten paused to let his words imitate water and sink in...

"Finally", Ten said, "the Big Water Buffalo in the pasture. How do we guess, ah, estimate, the amount of water in ponds, lakes or water retaining structures. (Some of his listener’s eyes were beginning to glaze over.) We don't know! We know that rulers built into the walls along the Nile are thousands of years old. We have no idea of what happened to these records!" He sat down.

Forrest stood up and said "we may have the answer. We need long narrow pipes for water to enter and measuring rods, very thin measuring rods, to find the water depth. We have several."

He took out some strange devices.

"

"This one is a finely made copper pipe. If we put a funnel in the pipes opening, we can increase the amount of water going into the tube. This is expensive to make and might be worth stealing. This was made by highly skilled glass workers and is nearly impossible to duplicate. Also, it is not all that accurate. It might be best in a museum! This last one was made by a very skilled clay potter. It takes years to train a potter to the skill needed and can crack in the baking process."

"What if you take a wooden rod and build a little wooden house around it, then pull the rod out and fire the clay."

"It could work", one Dragon said. "We have access to some Elder Magic. We could take very precise baked clay pipes and change them to transparent metal and make many copies of these pipes. Few of us can do this so it would take years to make significant amounts." Everyone noted the ambiguity in his words.

"Don't you have hordes of gold?" Telerate was quite curious.

"Only in our dreams, dear," Aunt Florence replied. "Many Gold thieves have lost or hidden Gold and hoped to blame it on us. In fact, some young ones (she looked at two teen aged Dragon kittens) have gone looking for gold hoards to claim as their own. A generation or two ago, didn't some young ones start digging into a rock face hoping that making a Dragon's Laire could attract gold to it? Would you know about that Eric?"

"It has attracted Red Wine from Central City and White Wine from back east. I know you have drunk some of the Red Wine for quality control reasons Aunt Florence."

"yes, yes, I have and it was for the good of all!"

Dent was not sure what was going on so he changed the subject: "Has anyone considered which languages we should write our instructions in? Latin is popular as is Egyptian. Some people write in hieroglyphs. I don't know how common this language we call 'Common' is? How knows, if he write in Common, we might stabilize it?"

Then Dent noticed KG suddenly looked pensive. This mood change in a happy time bothered Dent.

"What is it, KG?"

"Just a premonition. I have the sudden feeling there is a wall of death rising in the east and hanging unseen in the sky. What is it I don't know."

"I am feeling this too," Eric said. ---

Far to the east, A Pilgrim seeking to see the Holy Nile, was a couple of hours out from a hamlet whose only virtue was a clean Roadhouse with good food and wine safe to drink. He broached a water bag he had filled in a turgid (look up meaning) stream earlier that day. The water tasted safe to drink; it was not.

He arrived at this Roadhouse, had a light meal and some wine. He thought of taking a nap before the evening meal but found himself lunging up the hill above the Roadhouse to the common toilet. He vomited, he had bloody diarrhea and went back to the Roadhouse. He was not a practicing Jew, was a member of a much older religion actually, but embraced the cleanliness standards of the Jewish.

He felt a sudden surge of health, false health and went to his last supper: He had smashed chick peas, unleavened bread, a stew of beans and dried fish and a rich Red Wine that whispered the lie "everything is fine". His last supper ended with honey on a slice of melon imported from far far to the west. The melon had glyphs that meant "Platt of the Three Crop Farm" in the melons' skin. The glyphs meant nothing to those reading them; they had been meant for a much different audience!

He went to his bed in the 8 man luxury suite he was in and went to sleep hearing at least 2 other men being violently ill.

After he fell asleep, he was restless and when he awoke he was surrounded by his loved ones and the Nazarene and David, his one-time king... ---

Before it was over, most of the people living in this village and two hamlets closer to the Holy Nile told the survivors in the Village the Cholera had come from the toilets. They would have to relocate the toilets in the valley below the Roadhouse and wait until God, in his own good time, cleaned the Cholera from the water."

The survivors screamed "you Jews claim to know how this death happened. You started it! Die murdering Jews!"

The survivors attacked, the Jewish Investigators, all Army trained, fought back and the survivors left for the afterlife. It was quite a shock for them. Suffered serious loses. A Rabbi learning of this sent a group of Medical Personnel to investigate.

They learned these people died of Cholera that had spread from the latrines situated above the Roadhouse. "It was a death trap waiting to activate" one Investigator said.

The investigator

The Village was burnt to the ground. For centuries people passing by said "something awful happened here" and made sure to be deeper in the valley! ---

This brief epidemic was mentioned in passing to people who reported it to a rare Catholic Priest who then told his Bishop. The Bishop had to contact the Main Temple in Jerusalem whose people found the complete report. With starts and stops at different postal locations, the reports of this Cholera outbreak were some years in reaching City Three. ---

On a Saturday after the usual workouts and Martial Arts training, the Paladins announced they had some special training to offer. This got attention!

"As you know", Mary started, "Paladins are Clerics. This means we are capable of seeing the energy of the Universe. Once we do that, we can decide if any spells we cast will work. Sometimes, certain spells work too well and we don't dare use them. However, we simply need to see if we are in a dead zone. Then we use basic formulas."

"We were taught that we could only learn 3 spells from the most basic list and move onto additional spells from the more advanced lists as we gain training and experience. However, you are not Paladin Candidates and we will not be running a Paladin Selection Program. You could become Clerics if you wish to do so. We believe all of you have the aptitude. A very advanced and that means very powerful, Cleric taught us a Sensi or Teacher spell. Students can learn any given spell in the lists of spells available to them. Try them and see what you think of them!"

"What does that mean", Crystal asked.

"It means you decide in the morning what spell or spells you need that day. Choose wisely! There are no Magic Spells to teach you all of the spells you might need. The rules do not permit it!"

One after another the two Paladins went to each person, touched a palm to the side of their face and whispered the words of their spell. The spell opened the student's mind to the hidden reality around them.

Once each student had looked through their Inner Eyes and closed them, they were given several minutes to recover. Then they were told the list of spells they would learn. These spells were

Bless

Command

Create Water

Cure Light Wounds

Detect Evil

Detect Magic

Light

Protection From Evil

Purify Food & Drink

Remove Fear

Resist Cold

Sanctuary

The most important things they learned were opening their Inner Eye to this and closing their inner eye. Each student was asked if they wanted an automatic shutdown that would close their inner eye and all demanded it!

That first day they learned the "Bless" spell and that was engraved in the spell book each was given. Each spell was written in glyphs that suddenly made sense. They were shown more advanced spells and these simply gibberish. (They would not remain gibberish!)

After that, their regular Saturday resumed itself... --- - Dent holding a meeting about newspapers etc. Crystal goes to 1 month training “Be afraid of an old man in a field where most die young.”

” So, you’re the Crystal, Son of Plait and Emerald that I have heard so much about.”

” Yes, Elder Phoebus, I am.”

” We are going to see what you can do. Come with me. You can train with your Companion part of the time but must train separately the rest of the time.”

” Why would that matter, sir?”

” A person with a dog as big as Caleb would be noticed and remembered but you alone would be simply described as ‘young and slender’ and not described as dangerous. Enjoy this luxury as long as you can young one.”

” I’m told you have some training. Could you walk over to that man and pick his pocket?”

” I’d like to say I could but I expect he is waiting for my attempt.”

Crystal wandered close to Elder Phoebus and smoothly attempted to pick his pocket. He got the Elder’s pocket knife and eased away. He turned to look at the Elder. Elder Phoebus was smiling and wolf laughing silently.

” That was a nice attempt young one but I have had my pocket picked for decades. I simply know when it is happening. Now, try on that woman with the cloak.”

Crystal remembered being taught “work with what you have not what you wish you had!” Crystal used his mind talking to ask Caleb to walk in front of that Lady and act cute, Caleb was all too eager to do so!

Crystal wondered past the woman and took a bag of coins from her cloak’s pocket. She honestly did not notice the theft.

” Now, put it back,” Elder Phoebus ordered.

Crystal simply could not make the approach. So, he back tracked behind her and dropped the bag on the ground, Then he went past her and asked Caleb to bark.

She asked Crystal “why is your puppy barking?”

” He thinks there are Squirrels everywhere. He hates Squirrels for some reason. Well?”

Caleb came back with her bag in his mouth.

” That is not a squirrel!”

She took her bag and said “I don’t know how this fell out of my pocket, Thank you little fellow!” She kissed Caleb on the forehead and left.

Elder Phoebus said “you clearly could tell returning the bag was impossible and used your dog to affect the return. Well done!”

Crystal beamed and Caleb wagged his tail. Later the Lady told Elder Phoebus “he made a smooth pocket pick when he dog distracted me. I did not expect his dog to bring back the bag. He is a poor excuse for a thief, He was wide open to losing whatever he was carrying.”

” I know,” Elder Phoebus said. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ “Be afraid of an old man in a field where most die young." LD

” So, you’re the Crystal, Son of Plait and Emerald that I have heard so much about.”

” Yes, Elder Phoebus, I am.”

” We are going to see what you can do. Come with me. You can train with your Companion part of the time but must train separately the rest of the time.”

” Why would there be a difference in training?”

” A person with a dog as big as Caleb would be noticed and remembered but you alone would be simply described as ‘young and slender’ and not described as dangerous. Enjoy this luxury as long as you can young one.

” I’m told you have some training. Could you walk over to that man and pick his pocket?”

” I’d like to say I could but I expect he is waiting for my attempt.”

Crystal wandered close to Elder Phoebus and smoothly attempted to pick his pocket. He got the Elder’s pocket knife and eased away. He turned to look at the Elder. Elder Phoebus was smiling and wolf laughing silently.

” That was a nice attempt young one but I have had my pocket picked for decades. I simply know when it is happening. Now, try on that woman with the cloak.”

Crystal remembered being taught “work with what you have not what you wish you had!” Crystal used his mind talking to ask Caleb to walk in front of that Lady and act cute, Caleb was all too eager to do so!

Crystal wondered past the woman and took a bag of coins from her cloak’s pocket. She honestly did not notice the theft.

” Now, put it back,” Elder Phoebus ordered.

Crystal simply could not make the approach. So, he back tracked behind her and dropped the bag on the ground, Then he went past her and asked Caleb to bark.

She asked Crystal “why is your puppy barking?”

” He thinks there are Squirrels everywhere. He hates Squirrels for some reason.”

Caleb came back with her bag in his mouth.

” That is not a squirrel!”

She took her bag and said “I don’t know how this fell out of my pocket, Thank you little fellow!” She kissed Caleb on the forehead and left.

Elder Phoebus said “you clearly could tell returning the bag was impossible and used your dog to affect the return. Well done!”

Crystal beamed and Caleb wagged his tail.

Later the Lady told Elder Phoebus “he made a smooth pocket pick when his dog distracted me. I did not expect his dog to bring back the bag. He is a poor excuse for a thief. He was wide open to losing whatever he was carrying.”

” I know,” Elder Phoebus said.

Crystal spent two seeks proving to every one's satisfied that as thieves went, he stunk at it. Finally, his teachers decided they needed a break and assigned him to study the Lute for a couple of days.

Crystal was not expected to learn much but to the horror and fascination of his teacher, he learned to read music and to play the notes. He was at the last level of a gifted novice and would require years more training but he could entertain his dog at least!

Caleb did fine accompaniment with barks and howls...

Caleb was invited to a table covered with pad locks. This was just after breakfast and Caleb was rolled in a heap dreaming whatever dogs dreamed.

"This is a lock meant to hold both ends of a chain. We have specimens of these going back to the Babylonians. I would not be surprised if they did horrible things to people breaking into them".

Crystal was then taught the parts of a pad lock, the tools used to break into them and began to learn. It took three days before his teacher said Crystal was competent to "crash through the walls defending the pad lock". Thus was a major achievement.

The next phase was much harder. He had to learn ways of breaking into safes. It was obvious he could hear the clicking g of internal parts and that defeated the purpose of training.

"If you depend on hearing the machinery then what will you do if you are in high noise room? What if your hearing is plugged; you could have sinus problems and plugged ears. What if you just want to crack a safe like everyone else¬?"

Crystal nodded.

Telerate came to visit. It was fun!

"Near the end of his training, Crystal cracked a supposedly totally secure safe.

The darker side involved slipping liquids and powders into glasses or cups of liquids. He had spent years helping the Old Chef's cook and was notorious for adding spices in the goal of "making them taste better".

Crystal did not realize that " taste better" was subjective and what was "Orc Good" might not have been "good" to anyone else. He was dissuaded from this after a stern talking to by the Old Chef... 14 November 2022 After portion where the Head Hobbit has talked about the back of the coins. This can be displayed simply as glyphs. That might make people viewing them wonder what they mean?"

"Only those who can read these glyphs would understand. By themselves, they don't reveal much", James responded.

James had been a specialist in arcane languages and knew how annoying the disinterest of many of his students had been.

"Perhaps an embellished version?" The second version was the words surrounded by wreaths.

"Personably", Regina said, "I prefer clarity over busy and crowded. Do you have something in between?"

The wise old artist had used what he knew was a working strategy. He brought out the drawing he really wanted. It was more elegant than either and he was avoiding the quibbling of amateurs! He had designed coins and commentative plaques for decades...

"Now, for example the fronts. First, we have pictures of the children: Crystal, Sprout, Caleb, Dent's young ones and a number more. We also have pictures of adults."

This was followed by a numbing number of drawings. Each of the Four Men were centered with each of their five wives around them. All noted the ghost of fatigue on the faces. The pictures were more realistic than anyone expected.

The old artist made the pessimistic comment it would take several months for his audience to decide what faces they would have on the coins. It was somewhat longer! ---

Crystal was happy to return home. He had made friends and had learned from Masters. One thing he had learned was he was a poor excuse for a thief. He had learned he had a gift for mechanical work such as lock picking, safe cracking and helping in the kitchen. His ability to poison people was something he did not, would not, tell his parents, bis sister or anyone else.

This resolve lasted until he sat down with Dent, KG and Ten after a run.

” How was the training, Crystal?” Dent sounded relaxed.

” I learned a lot about being a thief and faced a unanimous opinion!” Crystal was proud.

"That was,” KG asked?

” They all said I was so bad that everyone I tried to rob would think I was a distraction. They would see me coming and simply avoid me. There was a comparison to a sloppy dog.” He was very upset.

His audience was silent.

” They said I have a natural gift at cracking safes and opening locks. Elder Phoebus said this could come in handy. He didn’t say why and just said ‘come in handy’”.

” Was there anything else you were told, Crystal?” Ten spoke in a calm voice.

” Nope, Uncle Ten…” Not even a 3-year-old would believe Crystal when he was lying about something that really bothered him. His audience were experienced intelligence officers and knew what he was hiding.

” I remember being told I’d have to lie to some of the Senior Officials to protect sources. Fortunately, there were officials who ruthlessly intervened to stop questions when I could not answer them.” Ten sounded pensive.

” I was good at some things I could not tell my kin about. They would have been upset. You know what I mean, Crystal?”

” Yes! Ah, no, no, I do not know. Sorry Ten.”

” Did they tell you that you are a natural killer of men, Crystal?”

” Yes, yes, yes, they did. I am so ashamed.”

” Don’t be Crystal! They simply meant you could, potentially, kill with poison in drink or food or poured into someone’s mouth, a sleeper’s mouth. That does not mean you will ever actually poison a fellow human!” Dent was adamant.

” We have taught you killing and maiming methods Crystal. You know how to use different weapons and how to use your body as a weapon. Elder Phoebus and his entire staff told me you are not an Assassin. Do you worry about using this knowledge to kill?”

” No, Grandfather Dent, I do not.”

” Well, you should,” KG said. “We are serious about the trained always being aware of what they could do. You have been allowed to progress in your training because you are trusted, Have courage and faith. We have faith in you, young one!”

” For what it is worth, Crystal, both you and Caleb were evaluated by the mental staff. Caleb, you can chase all the Squirrels you want but no one thinks you are interested in harming Squirrels. Crystal, relax and quit squirming. You have the technical ability to poison people in food or drink but you are not a killer. I can see you giving a target a knockout drug or a vomit agent but nothing that would harm your soul”

” Thank you, KG!”

Later that day, Dent took Crystal and Caleb back to his house and said “shall I discuss the results of Crystal and Caleb schooling?”

” Yes,” Emerald, their Mother said.

” Crystal learned a number of thieving techniques. Unfortunately, he totally failed the practical tests. The only successful act of theft happened because Caleb distracted his target. The universal belief would be Crystal would be seen as too obvious to be true.”

” Next, in the area of technical work, Crystal displayed a genius at cracking safes, opening pad locks and finding hidden material in rooms. He would be a great spy or crime scene investigator. His leanings are definitely in the area of crime scene investigation.”

” Could my son kill, Elder Dent?” Plaitt of the Three Crop Farm was grim and distant.

” No, Plait and no Emerald, Crystal cannot and will not kill humans with poison or from behind with the garrot or other weapons. He probably could kill to protect but that is self-defense or defense of one’s group. Crystal is not an Assassin!”

” Caleb can chase all the Squirrels he wants. The same committee declared that Caleb will not kill Squirrels or other ‘little critters.” KG laughed. “He can chase Squirrels as long as they want to play that game!”

Crystal’s parents called in his sister and they gave him a great welcome home! ”

Forrest Martin, Lieutenant Commander in the Imperial Coast Guard (who occasionally stepped over the line in the pursuit of Intelligence and profit from “Foreign Devils”) came to Sanctuary to meet with the families of both Crystal and Telerate. He was quite aware the Bene Gesserite had decreed their marriage but could not tell this to them; it simply was not a matter of choice for him.)

The occasion was the advanced training in Home of the Fish. (The name of his town seemed to change with each speaker. The Roque simply did not seem to leave home.)

” I greet your young ones. One of my daughters is in the audience. I think she is planning on going to school in City Five.” (“Yes, Father, I am”, came from the audience.)

” My suggestion is simple: pretend you are on a ‘fast cruise’. That is, made your preparations and take what you need to a prearranged spot in town and act like you have no contact with your family. You will be amazed at what you have forgotten.”

Amplify this …

After the month after in training in the School of Thieves, Crystal is back home and glad to be there! He decided to walk around with Caleb. It was a nice day with a mild wind blowing towards the mines. For that, he was grateful. He would not need to wear a breathing mask or have to carry a tank of the two mixed gasses "he-lee-um and oxe-oh-gin". It always seemed strange the gin the Old Ones drank had a smell different from what he was breathing.

In the distance, he could see young Half-Elves walking or running on errands. He did not see the violent outbursts of massive rage older relatives told him about.

Elder Dent was looking at a large conical spire which was in the final stages of construction.

" It looks messy now Crystal", Elder Dent said without looking back, "and it should look very nice when it is completed. Would you like to see it?"

"Yes, Elder Dent!"

"You will have to wear your mask and tanks even if your Asthma probably won't be triggered by that type of rock."

"The smell of cut rock on me might upset Father. He misses his mine even if it was killing him. My Mother told her friend it was killing Father; I don't think she knew I was listening."

"We'll wait until the rooms are cleaned out."

They looked at the Spires, not feeling the need to talk.

"I heard that Telerate has changed her plans for going to school?"

"YYes, she did, Elder Dent. She will be taking history classes Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at Grandfather Luther's Temple and Medical classes the rest of the morning. She will then go back to the Teaching Hospital in City Five for medical classes. They tell me we will be in study season after our classes. It will be fun!"

It amused Dent that the planners at both educational facilities had worked miracles to arrange these classes together. They had accommodated students who worked in Brother Jonathan's horse and mule pastures in the morning and Novices who sang in the evening services. Crystal would learn of this problem when he became a Father himself.

Thinking of Crystal and Telerate made him think of his own children, both lost to time and yet probably living well in Central City (they were).

"Is it true your people's stench calms Elves down?"

"Yes."

"I don't smell you. I just thought that if Elf kids stop 'losing their minds' then enemies might know Dent Folks were really close to those kids. Maybe an enemy could be baited into a trap?"

"I like this idea. I will have to tell others your idea."

Dent was thinking that if their scent could be copied then they might have lures or be able to make it seem like there were far more of his people than an enemy knew! ---

Africa was an enormous continent. There was the habitable zone by the "Great Central Sea and what had been a desert slowly showing signs of plant live. A vast in land sea was under the desert, both the seminaries north and the true desert south of there. Then, a land of Forrest and tundra moved south to the tip. A truly secret trading nation was on the Southern end. The people there had come from the Hidden Nation and still claimed fealty to the Hidden Pharaohs of Southern Egypt.

One thing they did was send deep water boats to a vast island where relatives of the Denies vines lived. They liked to trade Buloke Wood for exotic plants and animals from Africa. The Dragons had a colony there and took Buloke Wood as their share. It was rare, horribly expensive and virtually unknown to anyone in what Northern Barbarians called Europe, Asia and Africa.

But it was real and had more than trading value. It was a sign of great prestige.

The Dragons of Ingalls had received 15 Quarterstaffs in the 6-to-8-foot range. They remained in deep and very secure storage! ---

They held a pack your clothing bags and stuff and be ready to leave drill. This turned into a camping out trip combined with picnics. Dozens of children - including many who were not going to actually leave Sanctuary - packed their belongings, put on their packs, kissed relatives good bye and hiked about 10 miles outside of town.

Once this short trip was done, they had picnic lunches and played sports that afternoon. Then their relatives arrived and there was a mass picnic/party. Even the Dent Folk felt safe enough.

The next day, the swarm of future college kids and those along for the walk arrived in House of the Fish. The party continued.

The next day, this kid swarm went halfway home. There were no parties but there was survival training. Their parents decided they would like some time away from their children.

These kids would brag about "roughing it"' for years... ---

Forrest Martin thought he had a fine assortment of items for the visiting " Northern Barbarians: copper, iron, melons, limes and two varieties of potatoes and three varieties of Vodka. He really looked forward to offering 'Saki".

There visitors had different sizes of plates, bowls and metal cooking ware.

It look ed to be a fine trading session and was until they were given a stunning offer. Forrest could a stunningly large amount of Platinum - 25 pounds - if they could come up with an equal counter-offer.

"What could you want worth that much?" 'Forrest Martin was simply stunned.

Later, the Northern Barbarian negotiator said Forrest Martin's shock was the most human expression he had seen on a Denovisan's face.

"We have some ideas, make us an offer."

"What do you need for your ships? What about what your leaders want? What about gifts for your families? Your Master's families? Your personal family?"

"Our Political Leader who is a practicing Artist in combat skills. She would like a very nice quarterstaff."

"By 'very nice' do you mean a staff that looks very nice or is very strong or both. Does she plan to use this tool in drills or in actual combat?

"She wants a very nice-looking weapon she can use and then display. Can you do this?"

"What about those Buloke Wood staffs? Will the Roques agree?"

"They might."

They went back to their visitors and realized these humans were displaying anxiety. These quarter staffs meant a great deal to them.

"There is a possibility...ah, we might be able to...er, some sweet talking..." And Forrest Martin sputtered to a halt.

"Uncle Forrest, tell him there is hope...the possibility of hope...we need to talk with the Old One. You know how he is..." This crewman sputtered to a halt.

"How big a quarter staff are thinking of?"

"About six feet, three or so more inches greater than that..." Forrest Martin's expression clearly said 'you can do better than that!'

"Do you have any of her staffs?"

They were given a staff, which the Southern Visitors carefully measured. "This tells us how big your staff is. We will take this to...A Great Elder. If and I make no promises, this Great Elder agrees, you must never tell anyone where you got this. The person we are thinking of is very private. We would need the approval of two other Senior Elder, both of whom are very private. I'll take this staff to my rack and wrap it in my blankets."

Forrest Martin left and one of the visitors asked Forrest Martin's Second: "Between you and me, is your leader a third Senior Elder?"

"Yes!"

"It might be possible to get a staff very close to this design but trying to adjust the size could harm the material. Will you agree to this caveat."

"Yes!"

"We'll leave now and get the boulder rolling down the hill! If all goes well, I expect the staff would be delivered by a Security Officer. I suggest you have someone of similar position to receive the staff. We will try to be here in three days’ time."

"Agreed."

Forrest Martin and crew left for home. There Forrest took his wife and Aunt to visit Dent, Reginna, Thunder on the Craigs and his wife. He briefed them on the Plan time and the Bloch Quarterstaffs. He asked if they should approach the King of the Dragons. They all approved.

Forrest Martin took his Courier Boat to the Government Dock in City Five and talked to Guard Sergeant Eric Poindexter Roque and asked if he have the Elder come visit. Eric said yes and told his Corporal he had a message to deliver. His Corporal pretended not to notice his Sergeant turn into a Monster and make a low altitude speed run to the south.

"Never gets old, does it Corporal?"

"No, Sir, always scares me weak kneeled."

"Me too."

Almost two hours later, a pair of Dragons were spotted making a high-altitude flight across City Five and moments later a very low approach from the north. They changed into the Eldest Rogue and the very junior Eric Poindexter Roque.

"Gentlemen, what is so urgent?"

"We have the opportunity to obtain 25 pounds of Platinum in return for a hard wood Quarter Staff. The Hobbits would like to make coins but are willing to put a gloss of Platinum on the coins. I have the feeling it could be used for bribery."

"That is a bad idea, Forrest. If someone being bribed thinks you can get Platinum, they will demand it. Platinum is simply unavailable in your mines. You invite massive future problems. Don't do this!"

"Here is the staff they would like duplicated." They handed the staff to the senior Roque.

"It looks like what we have in storage. I suggest we offer a copy of our number 12 to them and give them number 12 if they are agreeable. I take it there will be promises of secrecy?"

"Yes Sire", Forrest Martin replied. "Here is my report."

"Well written and I agree about needing a Guard to protect this. Eric?"

"I foresee no problem with my Guard Officer giving me a couple of days off."

"Good!"

Then to Forrest Martin: "I will take this staff back home with me and compare it to number 12. We made 2 copies of each of the originals - the first in Balsa Wood and the second in Ebony. We can put now number twelve in a padded presentation box. I can carry their staff while I am in flight. Three staffs are a bit heavy and I don't want to destroy our security by sending out a flight of three. Can you have a Courier Boat available to take my Eric and this cargo to your House and then to these, what do you call them, 'Northern Barbarians'?"

Forrest Martin took his Courier Boat back and posted that he needed a Courier Boat and crew for the next night and a "Special Trip" the following day. Then, we got with his wife and Aunt and had drinks and conversation in his Parlour. it was relaxing...

The next day, Forrest rode his Courier Boat to the Government Dock in City Five. The Eldest Roque, his great-grandson Eric and a bundle was there. The original was impressive, both the Dragon's copies more impressive and the Australian Bulock Quarter Staff in its case was stunning.

Forrest knew this Bulock Quarter Staff would never see combat! ---

Forrest and Telerate and their families were in House of the Fish when Forrest invited them to early lunch. Over lunch, he explained the significance of the quarter staff and the Platinum.

"This is very interesting, Forrest, Plait admitted.

"I'd like Crystal and Telerate to come with us when we do the exchange tomorrow. It will be a good example of practical politics."

"Will it be safe", Telerate's Mother wanted to know?

"It will be perfectly safe", Forrest said.

"The rest of the was spent visiting friends and reading in the evening. The next day, after Eric Poindexter Roque arrived, everyone gazed in admiration at the beauty of the quarterstaffs. No one disagreed at Forests suggestion they make a batch of "Chilled Melon Soup" to celebrate the transfer.

It was a short wait to make this soup and put it and bowls and spoons aboard their Courier Boat.

Chilled Melon Soup

Melon

Grape Juice (Old Chef used White Wine)

Lime Juice

Mint

Fennel Seeds

Grated rind of Lime

Curd

Mix it, strain it and drink it!

While they waited till the normal departure time, another young Dragon changed form and made a Recon Flight over the Trading Raft. She landed and reported there was just the visitors' boat there.

No one had expected the Visitors to be watching the sky.

"Why are you unsurprised by a Dragon flying around?"

"That Dragon was on an assigned over flight to see if we had brought friends. I would have done the same."

"Do we have our own Dragon, Sir?"

"Us? Dragons? Perish the thought!"

The Visitor's Second realized his boss commanded Dragons and what else...

Forrest Martin commanded his Courier Boat but his Sailing Master had daily sailing experience at docking at various piers. Forrest let him make the landing.

"Good afternoon! We have Guarded objects to exchange with you. I brought visitors to watch practical diplomacy and celebratory foods!

"I'm happy to hear this, Forrest."

"My guests are Eric Poindexter, a Guard Sergeant." The old visitor knew a Dragon in human form when he saw one.

"These are Telerate (pointing at her) and Crystal (pointing at him). Their Fathers are farmers and their Mothers are Civil Servants. We made a nice Cold Melon Soup using some of the Melons and Lines his Father grows and some White Wine from the grapes her Father grows. She is going to start Medical and Magical training at the Great Hospital. He will be the most dreaded of Mind Warriors and whispered a lawyer." The two adults laughed.

Our guests are and his Second yyy. Please introduce yourselves."

"We saw something interesting this morning. (Looking at Eric Poindexter Roque...) We saw what looked like a Dragon in flight."

"Really? What was it doing?"

"Making a recon flight. Might I ask what you were doing?"

"Uncle Eric was chatting with us and drank coffee and ate a pastry." Crystal was very definite!

"It was a nice pastry Forrest's wife made. It made up for a breakfast at sea!" Eric was clearly amused. The idea that two children who were Orc Variants considered a Dragon an Uncle bothered him. These were clearly not Southern Barbarians...

"Enough chatting! Time for gifts!"

"Here is the Quarter Staff you gave us! It was polished a bit."

it looked very nice.

"Here is a Balsa Wood copy of the true quarterstaff.". It was very nice.

"Here is an Oak copy and was polished" It was magnificent.

"Finally, we have the truly nice Quarter Staff and is made from Bulock Wood. It is extremely hard and does not grow on this Continent!"

A long box wrapped in Black Velvet was placed on a table Forrest's sailors had put in front or the Visitors. Forrest unwrapped the box. It was of a Red Wood.

"Please open the box" Forrest said to the Foreign Ambassador. He did so.

Inside was something wrapped in Red Silk.

"Please unwrap the Quarter Staff."

The Quarter Staff was made of Bulock Wood and incredible!

"I'm afraid to touch it!"

A Sailor helped him put on linen gloves. The Ambassador picked up the Quarter Staff, wiggled it and put it back in the case. Wearing linen gloves, Eric wrapped up the quarterstaff again.

"We hope the future owner treats this as the treasure it is and stores it in a protected place!"

"Is it worth as much as Gold?"

"It is worth far more than gold and jewels and other things of tinsel worth!"

The two Visitors went into their boat. The older said "you thought we cheated ourselves by offering 25 pounds of Platinum? We clearly cheated them by only offering 25 pounds of Plantiniuum. Bring out those Illusionist, Mage Magic and Necromance manuals the people in the Hidden Convenient told us to keep until we found worthy people to give them books to!"

"They were speaking softly but were clearly heard by those from the south. They were not human... Northern Ambassador talks about happy response to the Quarter Staff

At the next trading session at the Trading Dock, Forrest took a colour picture of Eric Poindexter Rogue standing. In front of him was Caleb, sitting tall and looking a happy dog. To one side was seated Telerate and on the other side of Calab was seated Crystal. The picture was labeled "FAMILY".

" These people and their kin are very secretive and we would appreciate this nor being publicly displayed."

"You have my word this picture will be in a prominent place in the private quarters of my Great House; only my family will see it!"

"Then I give you this letters with their names."

"Who are in the gifted picture:"

"Eric Poindexter Rogue (Dragon)"

"Crystal, first born of Father Plait and Mother Emerald" (Orc ancestry)"

"Caleb, Crystals Dog, Thor Hound"

"Telerate, first born of Father name and Mother name" (Orc ancestor)

"The Northern Ambassador was stunned at the level of trust it took for such a secretive people to reveal even this amount of information. He wondered what else they were hiding and did not want to learn!

"I am being pressured to tell where I got that Quarter Staff. I just tell them it was a gift of the Gods and they stop asking. Our Baroness we gave it to has put the Quarter staff in a guarded display area near her Grandfather's Bastard Sword. It is safe!"

"We don't have any more gifts from the Gods unfortunately. We have not seen any 'Baby God Fish' or we would be Guarding them in anticipation of you being here to take them. We do hope you take good care of the little fellows."

"We do Forrest, we do!" The Northern Ambassador thought you have your Dragons, genetically modified Orc and Elves and Denisovans and Hobbits and probably modified Humans. That "dog" certainly is not really a "dog". We have Baby God Fish we raise..."

The next meeting involved trading a large cargo of fresh fish for cloth and straight razors made for Heroes who like clean shaves while risking their faces. Forrest thought such men to be out of their silly minds... ---

Just before leaving for Legal school, Crystal had a flash of genius. He barged into a meeting of clan heads where Thunder On The Craigs was talking about developing the three rock cones that would remain after Dent's People used the Four developed for them. He realized his bad manners after he was in the meeting room:"

"Sorry, I got carried away. I can come back later." and turned to leave. His clan Elder, Thunder, said "Stay and talk Crystal, Son of Plaitt."

"I think we can solve the problems of getting spies into communities, finding out what people are thinking, finding out how a town functions and who is whom by a simple method. We build stores!"

"Stores" was the muttered response of a cousin who was listening to the Elders drone on and on and on...

"We can find items villagers want and provide them. We make sure we don't sell what stores – if there are any in a village - are selling. We can sell them what they need to import to make things to sell or give away. We look good and they don't think we are there to hurt anyone."

"Have the workers be locally hired. They will learn how we work and how we supply the store. They won't learn any 'secrets' because there will not be any secrets to be found!" Ten could also come up with good ideas!

"What would this place look like?"

"Telerate thinks the stores should be long and about half the width as the length. I think there should be a counter down each side. Shelves with locally made or imported items could be nailed to the walls. Containers of stuff would be on the shelves."

Crystal knew he was describing typical stores and "tell the audience what I know they are thinking and go on.

"I know this sounds like the stores I saw in City Five. What is different is we will build a little parlor in the back of the stores on one side. Put a little stove there for heat or just to make it look friendly. Put in comfortable chairs, a few little tables and serve free coffee or small glasses of low-priced beer or wine from the local area. Don't give the beer or wine away; that would just take customers away from the taverns and we don't want the back of the store somehow catching fire in the early morning.

"Listen to hear stories. Hearing about cattle dying might mean they were owned by a bad farmer. It could also mean someone is trying to drive neighbors out of business. The Father of the House of Thieves might see that as unregulated theft! People getting sick could mean a plague or unclean practices leading to illness. It seems to me that cleanliness is the key to healthy living."

Later, Ten told Dent "it seems like he listened to our stories of keeping the House sanitary, after all."

"I don't know if people read much but if we had any way of spreading news, we could ask people to throw in their own stories. If the store owner were one if us, one with wonderful memory, they could write down stories and forward them for analysis."

"That is as far as I got. Got to go, Telerate wants to go look at the fishing pond to see if there any baby fish there."

He left.

When she was certain Crystal was well out of hearing range, Regina said softly: "they just discovered she has breasts and Telerate loves letting Crystal explore them and kiss them as she told her older cousin. This cousin told her to ask why she has had occasional coughing fits while alone with her boyfriend when Telerate grows up more." She figured this out herself and never told her cousin...

The topic of conversation changed drastically after that! ---

Year 17'of Crystal

Fir three days before he kept, Crystal and his family acted like he was going away for a kind sea cruise. They partied. They packed his clothing twice. They set aside food in case they did not feed hum at the Temple. (They should have remembered the kitchen staff believed half the old adage about the making of a 'Happy Marriage: Keep his stomach full.'."

The sea trip by Courier Boat seemed to take forever. Upon arrival, he was taken to the Main Hospital in City Five and given a complete physical. He was told his asthma was in remission and as long as he obeyed the rules and took his drugs, he would be fine. The Resident Assistant or 20-year-old baby sitter was a student in the Hospital's Internal Medicine Programme and he was taught how to deal with Crystal's Asthma. Crystal took a bit of comfort from learning he was nor the only one on the "Respiratory Watch List".

Crystal enjoyed learning the theory and practice of law. He found he really did 'have the killer instinct' when working cases in Moot Court. (He later found this was harder in "real" court.)

Hia favourite Professor taught writing. Crystal became this one's student after this Professor Rupert Bell Garrett (Garrett's parents were Northern Barbarians from a part of an island called "Wales".) Much of what could have been Crystals "free time" was taken by working for this demanding professor. Crystal later learned this Professor Bell-Garrett had honored him by making time in his busy schedule. This Professor was notorious about his time.

His last six months in Law School Crystal did work study as this Professor's Clerk (supervised by the full time Legal Clerk). Crystal graduated and was told he had passed the Bar Exam - local and Empire - easily.

For the rest of his life, Crystal lived to brag about having "Clerked for the Notorious RBG!"

Year 22 of Crystal

Brother Luther Stagg was the guest speaker at a very well attended meeting in the guest hall of the "new" meeting hall in Sanctuary. He said simply:

We are about to have a day long awaited by the Elders and more recently the young of Dent' family. We have a Marriage Storm Front coming. Let me explain:

Dent was the first survivor of the work that led to him and a female. Nearly all of the 24 surviving Dent folks have enough genetic difference to effectively be 24 unrelated individuals. The genetic wizards of the Bene Gesserite would find only one solution to the problem of 'what if too many of a projected mating's genetics came from one man. So, they devised a plan called the 4 and 20. This meant 4 men each with 5 wives. God only knows how they survives thus!”

"Each man fathered a set of twins with each wife. Two years later, there was a repeat and each wife got her second and final set of twins. Now, it is decades later and part two is about to begin. For the sake of less emotion, we will divide the offspring into four groups. That is, the offspring of Man A, man B, man C and man D. Now, the marriages will be between man A' kid and man B's kids. There will be marriages between man C's kids and man D's kids.

Did I forget to mention that each set of twins was 1 male and 1 female. Each man will marry 1 female and in the fullness of time have two set of twins; each set of twins will be 1 male and 1 female. Twenty years from down will see the offspring of A and B will mate with the offspring of man C and man D.

"I have questions: Elder Dent, have your children paired off with comparable life partners?"

"Yes, Brother Luther."

"Sister Rewena, does each love their future partner?"

"Yes, Brother Luther."

"Shall we meet the young ones?"

All 20 sets of nervous groom and bride were introduced, questioned and blessed. They left and all had cases of nerves.

It took several weeks to make the arrangements. The food was arranged; the entertainment arranged, the gifts selected.

Forrest went to the Trading Dock and to the Northern ambassador's amazement, Forrest Martin was early and nervous.

"What troubles you, Forrest?"

"Do you remember when we had a mass marriage 20 years ago? Their children are planning a mass wedding. I am at a loss as to what I can trade for with you!"

The idea that a man who dealt with Dragons and other unknown monsters being upset brought a feeling of pity to the Ambassador.

"I will take care of all details! Shall we plan on 40 sets of brides and grooms, 10 relatives or friends to each set to cover family and friends or be generous, 500 hundred people?"

'That is more than we expect!"

"I will provide food and drink and what my Sept will consider good gifts! Oh, a Sept is a collection of Clans. Don't worry, all will be taken care of!"

"Why?"

"Strangers saved my people a very long time ago and we long for the chance to pay our debt with interest. We are human in the sense you are human but not human as the bony people who think themselves the only true humans are. We face the same existential fears all intelligent creatures do. We can have lovely gifts in 10 days."

Forrest went home and reported all this. It led to fear and apprenhsion. ---

Ten days later, 3 cargo ships came to port at the House of Fish. Their personnel unloaded the three ships and all three ships left port. Something appeared to be towing the boats. The deck crew had the feeling there might be a reason the Northern Bargains needed Baby God Fish. They also got the idea the Northern Barbarians were hiding as much as Dent and the others were.

Thw marriages were arranged in public but were in two groups of 20 couples each. Each group of 20 couples was randomly picked. It was a very emotional experience.

Thw Ghosts of the External Guard were no longer hiding and observed. It was bizarre to have the "Ghosts Under The Bed" present as their children were given away...

"BoCrystal had babysat two of Ten's children and they insisted that Crystal walk one down the aisle and Telerate walk the other. This happened. Later, when Tell write and Crystal married, the same ones walked both to the marriage altar.

Crystal and Telerate were chosen to walk Forrest's Niece down the Aisle and the two Elder of the Paladins children walked the Groom down the Aisle. Year 22 Crystal finishes his schooling, passes the Examinations to practice Law and begins his true education: practicing law. Tellerate graduates from her medical training and begins a very intense internship. To no one's surprise, Crystal proposes marriage to Temmerite after discussing this with Brother Steve and Brother Jonathan and their wives. They visit Sanctuary to seek permission to wed from her parents, his parents and Dent and his wife... All this was predicted. They would never know there were bets riding on top which would propose to whom and when…

Forrest was on a trading trip to the Trading Raft and had traded a tonne of several species of fish, a hundred pounds of one variety of potatoes and 30 pounds of a very strong coffee. In return he had gotten cases of aged wines and several bottles of something called Dom Perion (which Old Chef, his wife and Forrest’s' number two daughter loved).

"Do you remember the two young Orcs and their Uncle who came out here?"

"Yes, it was a lovely picture."

"They are finally getting married. Now I have to come up with an unusual wedding gift. Maybe you can give me some suggestions?"

"You have shown us the flying monsters in human form; yes, I mean your Dragons. My people are God Fish in human form and you have brought stray little ones to us for generations. Your great great grandfather brought me from Mother Ocean to the Trading Dock; my relatives took me to our hidden City in Central Italy. For that we have an unusual gift: a statue of a Baby God Fish hunting through the vast waters looming for its home. We hope you like this gift."

'I'm sure they will."

On that note, Forrest took custody of a grant crate and they left.

The Foreign Ambassador asked his number two, "were your analysts able to take traces from the items we were given?"

"Yes, Sire, his hidden city has genetically modified Orc, Elves, Hobbits and. Densavans. The truly horrifying result has taken us three samples and much courage to accept the result. His secret city shelters humans so highly genetically modified that they are almost a synthetic species. We are in awe of the One who created them!"

"I feel fear as well," the Ambassadore, who had lived in the Hell of the Open Ocean and did not downplay his fear... --- Source of pseudo-morphine source of pseudo-heroin source of really strong stuff meetings leading to Intel value of magazines potatoes as crop People Of The Valley /People in the cities 5 and 4  

"The first principle of intrigue is never to be seen doing anything unusual, no matter how harmless it may seem. You wouldn’t believe how small a deviation from pattern looks significant to a trained analyst." "If This Goes On” Robert A. Heinlein Distilling Year of Crystal 24 Coming of Ng Mui China

In the Middle Kingdom, the Myth of the kung Fu Lady would grow over the centuries. She Wing Chung. After surviving the destruction of the Monastery she lived in, she fled to the southwest. There she married and they fled to a city deeper in the far southwest of the Middle Kingdom. There a Merchant - actually an Intelligence Collector from the Central City who had contacts with the House of Assassins in the City of Last Refuse (i.e., City Five) - put them on a Courier Boat to City Four.

They were met by a gigantic Paladin who took them by Courier Boat to an unregistered and therefore illegal port between City Five and the House of the Fish. An entertaining altercation happened before Muh Mg and family proceeded by fishing boat to the House of the Fish. The actually illegality of this little port was called into question by the presence of two Coast Guard Cutters and a Port Office. Only legal ports had these amenities.

Ng Mui and her husband and both kids were in a large buggy the Paladin was using to drive the family to a fishing boat. A Clan of standard sized Hobbits were being taken to a cargo boat which would take them to a large island in the North, in the Great Central Sea.

An angry Hobbit was offended by size of Emma. He declared "she is unnatural and too big."

"How is she so relaxed looking", his wife replied.

" She is heavily guarded and feels safe."

"Who is protecting her? I see two Orcs, 3 fish mongers bickering, a mutant giant with black slitted eyes, a large dog, a very big man in that odd buggy with a family of strange looking humans."

"Just watch", he replied and roared in rage and started towards Emma.

The young Hobbit "giantess" fell into a defensive stance.

In the buggy, Ng Mue said "She is too short for that stance".

" It is her favourite Aunt's preferred style." the Paladin replied.

"Is this Aunt a Hobbit?"

"No, what she is somewhat human and about my height. On that note, it is time for me to 'meddle in their affairs'. Think of me as a Rabbi. We Rabbis meddle."

The Paladin stepped lightly from the buggy and unsheathed his very large Bastard Sword which rested on the shelf behind the driver's bench. Carrying it as if the Bastard Sword was as light as a fencing foil, he moved towards the unprotected back of the angry foreign Hobbit.

Crystal, the male Half-Orc, moved away from the table and walked toward the developing scene.

Telerate, his wife took a crossbow from an open case. She cocked the weapon and put an odd looking quarrel with a heavily padded head on the crossbow and took a firing position.

The three quarreling sailors, who had been screaming at each other, immediately broke apart and moved easily towards the remaining foreign Hobbits.

The Guard Sergeant Eric Poindexter Roque reached into a pocket, pulled out a blow pipe and put a feathered dart in the pipe. He watched the show unfolding in front of him with amusement.

He glanced at Tellurate, the female Half-Orc and having gotten her attention, rolled his eyes. She snorted in amusement and turned her attention back to the unfolding farce. The Guard had been a personal friend and family friend since she and Crystal were four.

Her husband, Crystal, beginning to feel worried for his Hobbit, was beginning to get...angry. He snarled loudly.3

All those in movement, save for the Angry foreign Hobbit, moved with the grace of the highly trained martial artists and Soldiers. That in itself was frightening and said to the fearful Hobbits "Monsters" or perhaps "Trained Monsters".

The angry foreign Hobbit immediately stopped, glared around and shouted "this strange Hobbit is a monster guarded by monsters!". He glared at the Paladin and said " You look like a human but you are probably a monster as well!"

The Paladin gave the non-answer of "I am what I am", wagged bis eyebrows and smiled.

For some reason the foreign Hobbit seemed to find this answer terrifying!

The Hobbits' escort gently nudged their charges onto the boat which would take them to Palma de Majorca.

The Paladin walked alongside the buggy taking the Han Refugees to The Home Of Fish. They boarded the Courier boat they found. The two Half-Orcs and their " dog" (a Thor Hound) joined them and they went below deck for the fairly short trip.

The boat's Captain joined them and said "we are taking you to a place of safety where you will meet some unusual people. Crystal and Telerate were born and raised in this, ah, Hidden City."

"Does this Sanctuary City have a name?"

"Yes and you might find it an amusing name." They would.

After arriving at the "Home Of The Fish", the Paladin looked at his charges and said in Latin " you will have to learn a common language as many speak Latin and none speak Mandarin. The teachers are very good at teaching languages as they have a number of young students." ---

Later, Mui Ng and her husband went to buy a house in the country near the military section of a town south of City Five. She and her husband arrived on a mild day when the owner - a Dragoon Officer - was on an exercise. The owner's wife was in the City. The Real Estate Agent was impressed by this so-called Oriental Couple and showed them around the house. He did them the honour of telling them what was wrong with the house. There were no deal killers.

They agreed on the price and how to close the sale.

They agreed to send their lawyer to actually close on the sale.

In mid-morning on the agreed upon date, Crystal arrived. He carried Silent Death and Caleb walked by his side. Crystal carried his papers in his shoulder pack. He knocked on the door.

"Greetings! I am Crystal, the Lawyer hired to review the sale of your house to my client. Are you sub-Major Quantum of the 19th Infantry Battalion?"

"Yes, and you are an Orc."

"An accident of birth as me Father has said on occasion."

Crystal clearly thought this amusing. The human equally clearly did not.

"What do you want?"

How about some courtesy and good manners?

"My client was shown about your house by your sales agent and they agreed on the price. I brought A Power of Attorney to allow me to serve in their stead. Shall we look around?"

"Why should I take you around?"

"I will be blunt! Your bad manners to other potential buyers may have destroyed your chance to sell this house. Why?"

"I don't want to sell to anyone who would give my neighbors - my friends - grief."

"I know a number of folks who feel the same way. The people interested in buying are humans. They have expressed an interest in early closing as they are now living with relatives."

He got a nod.

"I have your description. Shall we look over your home?"

They carefully looked over the house.

"I have others interested in buying!"

Crystal could tell this human was telling the truth as he knew it. Crystal was not in mood to quibble.

"Perhaps a buyer's bonus would sweeten the pot?"

"How much?"

"I'm thinking fifty."

Crystal meant 50% of the selling price. The seller thought he meant 50 gold pieces. A knock on the door lead to the entrance of another couple, who had come with their own lawyer. They did not recognize Crystal but were polite anyway. Their lawyer was polite because he did recognize Crystal! He wondered who was the other potential buyers could be if Crystal was representing them and decided he did need to know!

Discussion lead to the new folks offering to go 100 above the asking price. Crystal finally said "I'll go 125 percent of the asking price but no more!"

"The other buyers said 'the house is yours" and they left.

"Their lawyer seemed fearful."

"Perhaps he realized the significance of dealing with Company grade Infantry Officer?"

"We are not that impressive. It is only in a few companies that officers are all that respected." He sighed.

"Edicute requires the visible payments be via a banker’s cheque. The signing bonus is always paid in coin."

"We can close first thing tomorrow if that is convenient? "

"Yes, it is!"

The next morning, the home owner was charmed by Ng Mui and her family. The bribe actually paid turned out to be 150% of the asking price.

He was surprised when the two older kids hugged Caleb and Silent Death brushed up against all of them. It seemed like a family reunion.

When this officer told his Commanding Officer and the bribe and the name of the lawyer, his CO turned white in shock.

"Did this lawyer have a very big dog and was he carrying a cat which seemed to be having a conversation with orc and dog?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Who have you told about this lawyer and this bribe. You say this Orc Lawyer seemed amused?"

"You had best not one! Quantum’s Colonel said.

"You must tell no one about the Orc Lawyer or the bribe! Is that clear? You have no idea who he is! Did you tell anyone?"

"No, Sir, I did not! I formally take a vow of silence! "

"Takin& a bribe from that one will be horribly confused with criminal actions. Tell your wife you won a lottery or whatever..."

About 15 years later, sub-Commander Quantum was a Colonel in Command of the 19th Brigade.

Ng Mui and her husband want to buy a house in the country near the military section of a town south of City Five. She and her husband arrive on a mild day when the owner - a Dragoon Officer - is on an exercise. The owner's wife is in the City. The Real Estate Agent was impressed by this so-called Oriental Couple and showed them around the house. He did them the honour of telling them what was wrong with the house. There were no deal killers.

They agreed on the price and how to close the sale.

They agreed to send their lawyer to actually close on the sale.

In mid-morning on the agreed upon date, Crystal arrived. He carried Silent Death and Caleb walked by his side. Crystal carried his papers in his shoulder pack. He knocked on the door.

"ggreetings! I am Crystal, the Lawyer hired to review the sale of your house to my client. Are you sub-Captain Quantum of the 19th Infantry Battalion?"

"Yes, and you are an Orc."

"An accident of birth as me Father has said on occasion."

Crystal clearly thought this amusing. The human equally clearly did not.

"What do you want?"

How about some courtesy and good manners?

"My client was shown about your house by your sales agent and they agreed on the price. I brought A Power of Attorney to allow me to serve in their stead. Shall we look around?"

"Why should I take you around?"

"I will be blunt! Your bad manners to other potential buyers may have destroyed your chance to sell this house. Why?"

"I don't want to sell to anyone who would give my neighbors - my friends - grief."

"I know a number of folks who feel the same way. The people interested in buying are humans. They have expressed an interest in early closing as they are now living with relatives."

He got a nod.

” Some advice then. You are at the mercy of your officers, senior enlisted and soldiers. They can hurt you by claiming they misunderstood your orders or by saying you did not give selected orders. I suggest you visit your Company First Sergeant and tell him you need the benefit of his wisdom.”

Dead silence.

"I have your description. Shall we look over your home?"

They carefully looked over the house.

"I have others interested in buying!"

Crystal could tell this human was telling the truth as he knew it. Crystal was not in mood to quibble.

"Perhaps a buyer's bonus would sweeten the pot?"

"How much?"

"I'm thinking fifty."

Crystal meant 50% of the selling price. The seller thought he meant 50 gold pieces. A knock on the door lead to the entrance of another couple, who had come with their own lawyer. They did not recognize Crystal but were polite anyway. Their lawyer was polite because he did recognize Crystal! He wondered who was the other potential buyers could be if Crystal was representing them and decided he did need to know!

Discussion lead to the new folks offering to go 100 above the asking price. Crystal finally said "I'll go 125 percent of the asking price but no more!"

"The other buyers said 'the house is yours" and they left.

"Their lawyer seemed fearful."

"Perhaps he realized the signifance of dealing with Company grade Infantry Officer?"

"We are not that impressive. It is only in a few companies that officers are all that respected." He sighed.

"Ediquiet requires the visible payments be via a banker’s cheque. The signing bonus is always paid in coin."

"We can close first thing tomorrow if that is convenient? "

"Yes, it is!"

The next morning, the home owner was charmed by Ng Mui and her family. The bribe actually paid turned out to be 150% of the asking price.

He was surprised when the two older kids hugged Caleb and Silent Death brushed up against all of them. It seemed like a family reunion.

When this officer told his Commanding Officer and the bribe and the name of the lawyer, his CO turned white in shock.

"Did this lawyer have a very big dog and was he carrying a cat which seemed to be having a conversation with orc and dog?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Who have you told about this lawyer and this bribe. You say this orc Lawyer seemed amused?"

"You are the only one I have told Colonel!”

"You must tell no one about the Orc Lawyer or the bribe! Is that clear? You have no idea who he is! Did you tell anyone?"

"No, Sir, I did not! I formally take a vow of silence! "

"Takin& a bribe from that one will be horribly confused with criminal actions. Tell your wife you won a lottery or whatever..."

Quantum realized a power play had made a pawn of him. Actually, this had just been 'the cost of doing business' in some parts of the Hegemony. -

Quantum realized a power play had made a pawn of him. Actually, this had just been 'the cost of doing business' in some parts of the Hegemony.

Fifteen years later sub-Commander Quantum was a Colonel and Commanded the 19th Brigade. On a whim, he asked the Police Brigade Command Sergeant Major “do you know a Lawyer named Crystal, Son Of Plaitt?”

” Yes, Sir, I do. He was my first, hardest and best Drill Instructor. Do you know him?"

” Yes, I do Command Sergeant Major. He sold my house when I was a sub Commander. He gave me an attitude adjustment in several minutes and greatly improved my Leadership. His few minutes did more for me than all the Leadership Classes I have attended. Thank you for this information and please carry one!” Crystal helping set up distillery story done Coming of Mg Menu Set up of battle to defend Emma Year 25

With their "Village Stores" being constructed in small cities and some towns, Crystal and Telerate were happy to visit the first three. The people running them were from City Five but the workers were all local hires. Nothing apparently was hidden from them. The story they were told about the founding of the stores was true - from the correct point of view - and left out who was really running the stores and why they had been created. None of these people had the "Need To Know!"

"I saw people reading letters from relatives and biased sounding 'news’ from questionable sources. We need to provide a range of honest news."

Crystal considered what Telerate wrote had just said before replying.

"We can ask our priests to create newsletters and to ask others for stories. We Ned to have stories of happy people, sick people, criminals getting caught, criminals committing crimes and not getting caught."

"How about people helping others but don't make them sound too much like sermons. Police crime reports would be great. What do they call Police Crime reports?"

"'Police Blotter Reports" is what our Aunt calls them. I wonder if we could seed the honest stories with created stories?'

"Why not true stories that the Army or Police did not tell anyone about. In Medical School, we heard about a Cholera outbreak east of the Great River several years. The owners of a Roadhouse put their out houses on a hill above their water supply. Many died. The Roadhouse burned to the ground and many died is what we were told. I wonder how many other stories like this are happening?"

"What about people drinking distilled alcohol", Crystal asked. "Is this a problem?"

"Most distilled alcohol is imported and not many people are thought to drink a lot of it. We were told it is not a Medical Problem. There are other problems we might learn about if local information became better known. We could ask Mui Ng if this is a problem in the Middle Kingdom." ---

Crystal began making a name for himself by defending the accused. Somehow, everyone was surprised by an Orc who was intelligent and argued law logically. He did not hear of anyone speaking badly of distilled alcohol. This lead him to making a proposal that would change his society.

Crystal proposed the Houses of thieves and Assassins begin distilling alcohol.

Crystal was told his ideas were percolating through various layers of industry and the "major safety regulatory system". As a Graduate Lawyer, Crystal knew that safety was a myth meant to sooth a small number of highly placed persons. The vast mass of people either did not know or care. The majority of people lived in small towns and dealt out “private justice" if they thought any one was harming them.

Crystal began writing Wills, Contracts and reading other lawyer's work. He was invited to Clerk for his old professor RBG and not only improved his image but took home a nice salary. Make up fable of the Hays...could be a medium city hit with an open cholera outbreak. ---

Crystal is invited to the first distillery being opened.

"This is nice but why do you need a Lawyer here?"

The new President/Head Distiller (a fine fellow from Central Italy who spoke with a pleasing accent) was patient in replying:

"This place was your idea so you deserve to see it. You're not an employee or director but you be well paid! This is going to be a monument to people's dreams!"

The distillery had modern pot stills, copper thump tanks, copper heat exchange coils and Mages who not only could regulate the temperatures in the equipment but could magically remove Methanol and Fussel Oils. Compared to older shops, this place cheated. It also had the highest safety records in the North Lands of Africa!

The product ended up going to many highly placed people; people who simply did not let themselves get out of control. Thus, Distilleries 2 and 3 were authorized!

The ease of this operation should have warned those in the Houses.

Things were going too smoothly! ---

Poking the Stick In the Wasp Nest

A Senior Agent of the cabal which had initiated the war against Dent's People received various reports of economic activity in the Northwest Section of the Great Continent. The various plans for making distilleries sounded too good!

If they were being made to finance the "mutants" then disrupting them was a worthy goal. His people would look for results.

If they were not then the response would be informative. At least, they would provide entertainment. That would be a good outcome!

His problem would be selecting the correct target. He examined the lists of people who had attended the openings of these Distilleries One and Two. With one exception, everyone was well known in the business and intelligence communities. One could propose a situation and how each would react was fairly well known.

He would never know that each of these persons was very complicated and their actions planned out and practiced. They were actors whose public image was a well-rehearsed play!

The one apparent weak point was an apparent Orc called Crystal, Son of Plaitt. This Crystal was thin to the point of being almost gaunt. His early health issues were not spoken of outside his extended family or medical facilities. He displayed high intelligence in his published Legal Writings, graduating First in his Legal School Class and Clerking for the pickiest of the Judges in Cities 5 and 4.

Crystal, Son of Plait must be a mutated menace like the (hopefully) deceased refugees from that damned House in Center City. (This agent, who pretended to be a social affairs analyst, had not gotten full briefings from Istanbul. They might have helped him...)

He called in his Chief of Covert Operations to discuss what could be done. His Chief then went to where his individual section leaders were and briefed them. His primary and backup squads did recons of Distillery Three. They were delighted to find minimum security.

Massive Security would come later after the House Agents had sanitized the Distillery and after Guards began living there. ---

Moving Right Along...

The Distillery was near the most recent store. The invited guests were visited when one worker, looking disturbed and angry, came up from the storage area.

"We're missing A case of glasses I know we had last night. I'll have to get some from the distill art store Room."

Predictably, Crystal said "I'll go get a case." Then, he ran to the Distillery. The door had been opened earlier. He poured himself a glass of flavoured water and went to the storage room. He picked up a case of glasses, put it on a table while he filled out a "product transfer Form", drank some of his coffee and then dropped to the floor unconscious.

While Crystal was picking out his case of glasses, an Assassin had poured A colorless, tasteless, knock out drug in his water. They discarded his emergency Asthma breathing gear since they just saw it as useless weight and waited for the next act in their little drama.

Obe of them went to a window and signaled to a person in the crowd of on lookers. (The store openings were promised to be the start of a great party. They charged towards both buildings.

Caleb, realizing that his Crystal must have become sick, began whining and then barking. Tose in the store began to run to the Distillery. They were blocked by the crowd of angry people.

They were attacked.

They fought back.

The rioters realized they were over matched and retreated into the arms, swung by the arms, of members of the Special Police!

All they know was these people may be blocking those h n the distillery with Crystal, the Drill Instructor they most respected and admired. When they found Crystals Emergency Breathing Gear, their fear and rage exploded. Trackers in the group began chasing after the kidnappers.

When Dr Foulston heard of the kidnapping, he ordered out all Five of the Uncles with their Companies and two hidden Uncles.

He sent a message via some form of voice communications to Ingalls and asked their help. He thought 3 Dragons could scan the ground in an expanding area around the Distillery. He got his three but it was not three Dragons, it was three Squadrons!

The manner in which the kidnappers eluded the Dragons was studied for decades and made coordination terrifying. This was discussed as both "Karma" and the "Law Of Unintended Consequences" coming to fruition...

All Satraps of the House were sent Combat Alerts. This included the leader of the kidnappers, a low-level thief. He said:

Somehow, this Orc was missed in spite of the riot and the telepathic method of emergency communications just told me who is being sought by the Grandfather... ---

Escape...in a manner of speaking...

Crystal awoke feeling disorientation, groaned and said loudly "Shit! There must have been a type 2 drug in my water." He then cursed in what sounded like 7 languages and some barking or growling.

Crystal was at his most terrifying when he was not trying to be.

The Leader of this group of kidnappers had to know what they had taken.

"What is your name?"

"Crystal."

"What is your Father's name"

"Plaitt of the Three Crop Farm".

"Oh, shit!"

"We're dead! This is a Grandson of the Western Grandfather and they have sent out all five Uncles and I'd bet our lives some of the Hidden Uncles!"

"We're so dead!"

"Release him and we run for our lives."

"This was nothing personal Crystal Son of Plaitt. Please don't kill us! The ropes on your wrists will fall apart in an hour."

In the distance Crystal could hear Caleb calling for him. He was in seasonably appropriate clothing, with a pack with sealed water and food containers. It amused Crystal to realize these items had been bought from one of "his" stores. He could tell the security barriers were intact; the food and drink were safe!"

Crystal looked around outside and realized he was on top of a hill. There was an unusual feature, a seasonal stream. This meant rain had been falling and that could tell people where he was. He left a note saying he was going to follow the stream until he came to a village. His kidnappers learned of the APB and this meant one or more of them were of the House. He did not recognize them so none of them could have been Assassins.

This information lead James Four to investigate his house and purge several members.

Crystal begins to walk downhill. Fear of asthma based on lacking his breathing gear began giving him the illusion of symptoms This was not a happy time.

A mewing kitten was screaming for help. Crystal picked up the little ball of fur and clearly heard pleas for Mother and food and water. He chewed up some beef jerky and put it onto his palm. The kitten ate it and started calling Crystal "Mama".

One of the kidnappers had been carrying his breathing gear and dropped it outside a small town’s Tavern. This was picked up by a curious person who brought it into the Tavern and asked “what is this?”

Crystal had an asthma attack as he approaches a tavern. There he entered and leaned against the bar gasping for breath. He was recognized by three Orcs at a table. They walked Crystal and his kitten to their table, seated him and asked for the Head of the Village Medical Center. They had found Crystal’s breathing gear in a bedroll and began trying to figure out how to work it.

The MD arrives and asked what they are doing?

The leader of the three says "we know he has a severe case of the 'Greek Disease' and here is his survival gear. It was found abandoned near here. These machines were brought here as this was deemed the most likely place, he might head for.”

His kitten was not mentioned.

The MD used the He/O2 mix on Crystal and his breathing began to ease. They walked him to a private room where Crystal was examined.

A waitress brought warmed milk over for the kitten and asked the kitten’s name.

One of the three Orc said “he is silent so call him ‘Silent’.

The waitress said “silent what’?

They all had watched Crytal’s wretched gasping and one of the Orcs in the spirit of Graveyard Humour said “Silent Death”.

The kitten was anything but dangerous…

The sound of hard ridden horses was heard outside and two very large men in the Uniforms of Guard enter the Tavern. By this time, Crystal was seated with the three Orcs, Silent Death and both were was being fed a thick soup.

The Senior walked to Crystal and barked in his ear "You have some explaining to do Lad!"

"I was drugged and kidnapped."

"What?" Eric roared in rage. His eyes went Dragon and he glared around the room.

The Tavern owner snapped "Eyes young man!"

Eric took a deep breath and his eyes reverted to human. "My apologies, he is family."

The Other Dragon said “Please excuse my young friend; he and his family have been closely associated with Crystal and his family since Crystal was four."

The people in the Tavern suddenly realized just how much danger they were in. There were two confirmed monsters in the room and possibly the one with the "Greek Disease" was one and they went very quiet. The three Orcs had originally been seen as dangerous before, now, did not seem so much…

The local Medical Doctor took Crystal back into the back room. Eric followed them in and said "I have known him since he was four and I was a Guard Corporal. He and his wife are officially members of my family by adoption. I do not know what I would have said to his parents and grandparents if he had died. How is he?"

She briefs Eric. "Take him to Central Hospital and have his mediation adjusted." --- "There is no statute of limitations on revenge." Noh Fan Yat

The Dragon King orbited above where the Paladin has gone to interview people who might have seen anything. He learned nothing.

The King hovered above while the Paladin used his hands to signal his findings. The King used wingtip signaling to respond. Paladin dropped handful of dirt to determine wind direction and then made arm gestures to signal the safe landing direction. (It looked like the Paladin raised his hands above his head and dropped them directly in front of him.)

The King landed.

They clasp arms in the tradition Dragon gesture of a greeting between two equals. In the storehouse, A very intelligent thief recognized this and thought "so one of the Hidden Uncles is a Dragon and another is a Paladin. I would never have thought this. What others Uncles could there be? Ghosts?" He would never learn how accurate his guess was!

They enter, look around and the King said "our missing man has been found. My great-grandson is taking him to hospital. What would have you done if he had died?"

"You know the words of Master Yat?" and left.

The thief behind the counter asks the Dragon King “what are those words?"

"To quote the philosopher Noh Fan Yat, 'there is no statute of limitations on revenge’. My friend is very loyal to those he regards as family, especially the young of his family. So am I..." and he left….

After the Dragon left, the thief was left thinking "so this is the fist in the proverbial "Velvet glove".

Crystal returned home after recovering in Hospital. Dre. Fourlston decided “enough is enough” and set his Mages on a final solution to Crystal’s Asmptha… --- ear 28

Eric Poindexter Roque, newly made Ensign of the Guard, was sent out to sea on orders to relax. He was wearing his flight suit with 8 pockets filled with survival gear and carried a blow gun with heavy darts foe protection. He had no faith in this weapon.

In the distance "flying rats" (Seagulls) were circling a moving spot on the long broad smooth waves. He decided it was time for some flying practice and using the "silent voice" of his ```, he sent a mental message home. One of his third cousins took the message, wrote it down and would give it no further thought for a couple of hours. That is, until she was about to be relieved. Then she would "mind speak" to Eric and hope he had not drowned.

Eric changed form and hovered above the deck before flying slowly out across the water. By now, changing form was as simple and natural as walking.

The flying rats were cavorting above a pod of killer whales who were clearly "playing” ‘with something. The something Turner into three Baby God Fish who were clearly fleeing. Who they were fleeing was obvious when Eric watched the three disappear into the depths while the pod went motionless and hung quiet at the top of the water column.

Then the three Babies returned to shallow water running and the pod began harassing them again. Eric shrieked in rage. The pod decided they were needed elsewhere and fled. The irony was that Eric was not a major threat to the pod.

His variety of Dragon could dive into deep water, surface and regain the air. (This depended on Dragon Magic.)

His variety of Dragon could not blast flame from their mouths although their Dragon Magic allowed them to present the illusion of blasting flame from their mouths.

The simplest explanation is his variety of Dragons were Warriors who wore the bodies of flying monsters when serving as flying Dragoons or monsters wearing the bodies of humans when serving as human shaped monsters. Eric favoured the "man to monster" conjecture.

Eric made several low-level flights across the 3 infants before returning to the Fishing Dock.

His landing was so smooth and easy he wondered if his Aunt has always had trouble flying. Eric did not know his Aunt had been considered one of the Great flying artists but and that husbands an old age would find Eric practically confined to his quarters.

The three must have felt Eric's presence because v they changed their courses to a heading towards the Trading Post.

Eric returned to the Trading Post and wrote a short report about his encounters with the Killer Whales and the three Baby God Fish. He figured this was worth a beer at the weekly brag session at the Junior Officer Club. He as right...

First Eric felt subtle pitches superimposed on the wave motions. Then he heard little gasps and charged over to the main ladder. Three creatures between human and fish were trying to climb the ladder. One made it up and Eric had to hold a second out of the water while the third came aboard. Hoping for the best, Eric pulled the third aboard.

Ocean water was pouring from gills that were changing to Hunan bodies. The three we're coughing and gagging. Eric resorted to back thumping and flunking the now frail human like bodies. Not expecting good results, Eric resorted to uttering encouragement. It seems to work!

Eric sent a nonverbal message to his third cousin who did not believe Eric had caught three fish who changed into people. (She would when she eventually had Trading Dock duty and had a changing fish come aboard...)

The confused creatures wandered over to Eric. Their human like skins were drying and they were human in appearance but androgens with heavy skin flaps where their genitals should be. One asked in a hesitant voice "Mother"?

Eric replied “Yes child" and the three were relaxed and looked at each other. Eric could hear high frequency sounds that had to be them talking.

"We are hungry."

"Food is coming. Lie down and rest."

"Send mice, send squirrels" did not seem like practical suggestions.

Eventually, a Courier Boat arrived. Tellurate, Crystal, two old long service fishermen and both Caleb and Silent Death came aboard.

Tellarate said "we were taught about creatures like these three in an exotic creature class. I didn't think them real."

Crystal replied "creatures like these were given as examples in our class on Minority Legal Rights."

"I do not know about any of that" one of the sailors said. "I do know what they need now is..." and he talked about their various needs.

The three were dried off and covered with a skin lotion. Then they were fed a meal of fish, some vegetables and minerals. They ate and slept. When they awoke, the two sailors hustled and them to the "Head" where they deposited organic material into Mother Ocean...

Telerate gave them physicals and wrote down the results. She sighed and said "I don't know what these results mean. We have three young appearing creatures who are somewhere between mammal and fish."

"Just give the Ambassador what you learn and he - I think the ambassador is a 'he' - will thank you for what we have done. Now, I need to create birth certificates."

"What do you mean by 'birth certificates'?" One of the two Sailors wanted to know?

"They are no longer fish and appear to becoming human like which makes them mammals. Hence, birth into a different physical organization." Crystal was quite definite.

Crystal assigned the "names" of Alpha, Beta and Gamma in arbitrary fashion and gave their birth date as month 3, day 14'and had to break off his work to keep Alpha from going into the waters of the Middle Sea.

Telerate gave the year as "Year Of Crystal 28" and listed their sex as unknown and parents unknown. It would be one of Crystals easiest set of birth certificates. The three forms would be unique in that the Ambassador's people did not bother with birth certificates...

Eric left late in Day 1'to take Telerate’s and his reports to Dr Foulson's "Exotic Beings Office" and to spend time with his family before coming back mid-day on day two. The three had been learning common at an incredible rate. The two sailors bet it was telepathy. It may have been.

The three were calling Eric "Monster Mother" when the medium-sized cargo boat of the "Northern Barbarians"' arrived. the Ambassadore looked around confused.

" Where is the boat of the City of the Fish? Why are you here in Military Dress Uniform?"

"Forrest Martin will lead his crew here in a couple of hours. First, I must tell you of an interesting occurrence, give several presents and explain a most interesting day. I was here when we got visitors. I will explain. Ah, where are my good manners?"

The Ambassadors thought he knew what was coming but was still shocked when he saw the three young ones of his species.

"I present unto you, from the left, Alpha, Gamma and Beta. Our Medical Doctor, Tellurate, took non-invasive physical readings and I will give them to you. She did not understand their signifance. Our Lawyer, Crystal, made Birth Certificates. He listed their births as happening on month 3 day 14 and was called away. Someone listed the year as 'Year of Crystal 28’ rather than the other two standard calendars."

In unison, all three said "Mother". Eric replied "yes children".

The Ambassador experienced a mixture of amusement, horror and surprise.

"You do know you can nor keep them," he said in a gentle voice. "I must take them with us."

"Thank you. Now, speaking as a Mother about to lose three little ones, will they become mammals or are they a blend? What is their sex?"

"They will become mammals and what sex they eventually evolve into depends upon a number of factors and cannot` be predicted."

"If they ask about Crystal, Telerate, the two Sailors, Caleb the modified Dog, Silent Death the modified Cat or me, then please say nice things. Here is a complete report of our contact with Alpha, Beta and Gamma."

Decades later, the three would laugh and say their Mother did not what else to call them.” “Really,” one said, “what do you expect from a Dragon? ---

Year 30

By now, the Distilleries were producing varieties of Vodka, Gin, distilled Honey Mead and Brandy. Wine was being imported from Gaul in bottles with local labels There were three major distilleries in fierce completion who were having sales, slow price hikes, and scandals. It was quite entertaining especially considering they were all run by the same cartel. The Father of Thieves smiled!

The stores were embedded in little cities and towns to such an extent they had become essential. They supported local stores and helped people. They acquired a massive amount of intelligence, some of it actionable.

The Hobbits had made coins with the images of a number of folks in Sanctuary. The first were images of Emma as a 3-year-old and then adult, Crystal at both ages, both Caleb and Silent Death on the same coin. ("This should confuse then", Tow-Mass, one of Dents folks said. The images charmed many.) There were also come mages of other people in the twin towns of home of the fish and Sanctuary. The back side read "People of Dent, Grandson of Penak" but was written in an obscure dialect of the Assassins Cant. None of the people looking at this understood this; centuries later, the very senior and very old children of Penak understood these notes, understood these had been created by Dent or his Clan and grieved for their lost family.

A history of the Exodus of Dent and his family after leaving the People of the Valley was made. It made very grim reading. However, there were many amusing stories. Still, only none or two of the Dent Folk living in the Valley could bear to read the first section.

When Dent and his kin had left the People of the Valley they had not hurried. The little family and escorts leaving from the Home of the Fish heading for City Four would be moving faster by high-speed Courier Boat.

The little family heading towards the Hidden Valley were escorted by Eric Poindexter Roque and his wife Juniper Sinai Roque joined the party; their four children were left at home to be spoiled by Great Aunt Roberta. She accomplished this mission with great efficiency…

In the trip through memory, the first stop was at the remnants of an ancient and forgotten empire. They built a little hut and put a poster board outside saying this was all that was left of a long forgotten ancient empire. They left flowers. Over the centuries, various scholars took their best attempts at determining who these ancient peoples were and put up their own story boards. Eventually, studying these works became an academic cottage industry and one of the first jobs the newly created Caste called “Graduate Student” began to be saddled with.

The next stop was a deserted farm where Dent and his surviving family had stopped. There, they had planted crops left in storage. (They had a list of what was planted.)

The deserted farm looked much better than they had expected. It was obvious someone had replaced decaying wood and brought in barrels of different seeds. There were new crops alongside those Dent and family had planted. Several people moseyed along on horses and greeted them.

” We live near here and like to meet folks visiting this old farm. Did you know about it?

” Yes, we did”, Crystal replied, “friends in our village told us they had come by this farm decades ago. They say they found seeds in kegs, then they burnt down old stubble and planted some of the seeds they found. They took some of the seeds but I think they have long since used them. If any are left, they would like some more.”

” Who would you give the seeds to?”

Tellerate replied:” His Father is a farmer and would love to grow new and different crops. It would give his grandchildren – our children - something to play with when they dig in the dirt”, Telerate sighed.

” We will provide these seeds for his grandchildren’s pleasure.”

” Thank you, we brought baby potatoes plants. These have to be buried a hand length in turned soil and watered. When harvested, they will sprout on their skins. Cut off the sprouts with some meat of the potatoe and plant this. This way you expand the number of potatoes grown.” There were times Crystal loved to lecture,

The people who had talked with this little party took the “baby potatoes” and brought over seeds which were put in their wagon.

” We hope your parents like these.”

” I know they will,” Eric interjected. “We have some seeds we were hoping to plant. This is an unusual variety of coffee called by some “Mort Delight’. I’m told it is quite popular among some.”

He handed a small bag of the seeds to this local couple and with an exchange of well wishes, Crystal and his relatives moseyed off themselves.

After they were well out of sight, one of their visitors said “two Orcs escorted by two Dragons, who act like an Aunt and Uncle out for a drive with a Niece and Nephew. What do you think?”

” The other replied “I think you are correct and I wonder how such a village came to be? What else is in their home besides Orcs and Dragons? I suspect that all four drank the Devil’s drink with their morning meals. They have the slightly excited heart rates our old medical texts say to expect.”

They found the place of memories where people left coins - some from actual recognized governments and many locally issued in towns - and coins pretending to be money. Many had currency values that could only have been jokes. One example they found had a picture of a “duck” on one side and the Latin words for “Two ducks”. They thought it the funniest coin and yet it represented real currency from a small city many leagues to the east. Why visitors from this town came through there would remain a mystery…

They left thick bundles of letters to relatives at the Temple in the Central City. The original letters from Dent and family were buried under stacks of letters and statements. All those letters and missives were treated ae artifacts and would remain there for a very long time. It was only when a Scholar found them decades later and presumed to forward these letters that the Letters to the descendants of Dent’s family members were delivered to the Temple in the Central City.

There they were studied, copied and the originals placed in deep storage archives.

Coming of the Outsiders

There was reason why folks remembered the ditty:

” Dragons in Flight,”

” Danger there be tonight!”

When they estimated their location to be a day’s travel from the hidden “People of the Valley”, Eric put on his survival gear and made a high-altitude flight down their projected path and back.

His wife, Juniper Sinai Roque, listened to her husband’s report and put on her own fight suit. Then she flew to the “Hidden Village” (as she called it) and made oblique observations while not over flying. She then flew east and made a low altitude return to where her family was.

They did not know the People of the Valley depended on many things for their independence and survival and one of these was the ability to far see out to quite a distance. They were aware of the anomaly of two modified Orcs and two type 2 subtype M Dragons, a dog and a cat slowly approaching.

They had a fine breakfast of Melons, Lime seasoned water, small cups of “Mort Delight” coffee and large helpings of dried meat. (They were Dragons and Orcs and a dog and a cat and were not Vegan or Vegetarians).

They arrived at what could have been the entrance to the Valley of the “People of the Valley” before their lunch. It was a fine day and they had taken turns running. An observation post on an unusually tall tree stood up above the rock of the valley,

One of the surviving Dent Folks said “that is the style of running Dent taught us. Who are these people?”

Later that day, six strange visitors arrived to the usual greetings. No one met them at what must have been a logical meeting place. They had a plan in mind:

Crystal stood on the wagon seat and yelled in Common “hello! Can anyone hear me?”

There was no response.

” I know you can hear me! I know you are there! Please talk with us. We have come a long way!”

Dead silence.

Speaking in the Private Language of the Dent Folk and in a good imitation of Dent, Crystal bellowed “Can you hear me now? Have you forgotten your language?”

” What did you say” was the reply in this language.

Then, speaking in the Private Language, Tellurate said “my husband asked you to talk with us. If you don’t understand us then perhaps Uncle Eric can try. But he has a terrible accent!”

” I do not!” was Eric’s indignant reply in the Dent language.

A female voice replied “yes, he does have appalling accent but it is charming and I did understand what he said. Who are you?”

” We know you are within 30 feet and behind that oversized tree. Do you speak the so-called common language?” Crystal had gone back to talking.

The person who came out was clearly one of Dent’s Folks.

” It would be easier to talk more directly and not at a distance. You probably know what we are but you don’t know who we are. We know you by your smell. Besides, we brought you gifts!”

” What could you bring us?”

” Grandfather Dent told us of a delicacy you seem to relish. Perhaps if we could have a table with chairs we could continue?”

” Perhaps if we introduce ourselves, we could be more comfortable?”

The table and chairs were brought forth and groups were seated on both sides.

” Let us speak in common if we could,” Crystal said.

” At the end is Juniper Sinai Roque, she is a type of Dragon. She teaches school in her village. Next to her is her husband, Eric Poindexter Roque. He is a Police Lieutenant in City Five. Next to me is my wife Tellurate. She is a Medical Doctor and specialized in Emergency Medical Care. In front of us are our Companions Caleb, he is a Thor Dog and Silent Death, who is a cat of unknown genetic origin. Both are not true dog or true cat since they are of human intelligence and can speak.”

Silent Death made a series of cat sounds that were clearly a language and the dog responded in a series of growls, whines and silences.

” Our kitty boy does not like being told his origin is unknown. He knows who his Mother was.” Crystal translated.

” What did Caleb say?”

” Caleb told Silent Death ‘the two legs would explain this’.”

There was a pause.

” I am Crystal and ‘for my sins’ am a graduate Lawyer. I am also Dent’s main disciple although I think some of his Grandkids are in competition for that Honour. I hope they win.”

The people of the Valley spoke next: “My husband was known as the ‘Talkative One’ back when Dent and his blood kin visited. He now calls himself Patience. I don’t know if this is meant as his name or an admonishment to people listening to him. (This was clearly an old joke.) I am called Tersia. Next to me is one of Dent’s Sisters, Arne.”

” In her time of intoxication, Tersia was known as ‘Beautiful Babbler’”.”

” Since we came as unexpected guests, we brought a present that Dent said would make you laugh. Oddly the Elders were laughing when he said this.”

Crystal took a box from the wagon bed and handed it to Patience.

” We hope you like it!”

Opening the box revealed the look and stench of Casu Marzu.

” Get that out of here!”

The box was closed, Eric made an intricate hand gesture and the stench was gone.

” It was meant as a mild joke; would you have offered this delight to us?”

” Yes,” Arne said.

” Shall we give you our gifts now or later?”

” Later, if you would. Important visitors like you six are too rare to deny our people the pleasure. Can you wait?”

” Yes, we will!”

They had a fine meal that might have been purely vegetarian but the visitors could not tell. `

The after-dinner entertainment was stories of personal mistakes told in a humourous fashion. The first was Babbling Boy (now known by a different name). “I was stoned out of my mind on mushrooms. For some reason, my people traditionally go through a phase where we eat massive doses of certain mushrooms and our minds are expanded. When we lose the desire, we totally stop eating the mushrooms. I would rather eat horse feed, which is some perversion of oats, than eat mushrooms again. His wife laughed silently without his knowing. Later she told the foreign women “he eats oats every breakfast; they are what keep him from the mushroom. Later the foreign men were told his wife hated wheat cakes and that was what she ate every morning to keep her from eating the mushrooms.

” I was four and my Father’s health was getting worst. My parents took Caleb and me to the Home of the Fish. There, Uncle Eric was in Uncle Forrest’s Office talking about something they thought mattered when Caleb and I decided that what really mattered what paying attention to us!

” We went into Uncle Forest’s office doing our “pay attention to us and talking to each other. It worked; they paid attention to us. I think Uncle Forrest’s old lady daughter came in and walked us off to find mischief elsewhere…. The audience was amused. Then Eric spoke:”

” Let me tell you my number two story. I have gotten some help from my wife and the critters, Ready dear?” (His wife was.) “Ready my boys?” (Both Dog and Cat were.) “I was convinced I was ready for my First Flight, my Virgin Flight I had done the preliminary preparations, the falling from low heights and safe falling in human form. There is no such thing as a safe fall really, Just ask Great Aunt Robecca! I had been doing short jumps. This means I jumped into the air and tried to change to Dragon form. It did not work. I moved up jumping on a trampoline and this did not work either.” A child interrupted him. “What, ah, a trampoline is a toy and I can tell you about it in a little while. Acceptable?”

Eric paused and took a sip of a local Lager. “I was on my way to never being able to launch into the sky. Sometimes, the old ones have to use shock therapy. Yes,” to a child who looked to have a question, “it means shock someone, scare the yellow water out of them!”

” The scene was this. I was standing in a circle. In the distance, was a visiting Paladin on his horse. I knew he was a ground activities instructor but I did not realize how dedicated he was. OK, boys, go to Orion” (a local girl) “Caleb and Silent Death stood in front of her,

” So, I am thinking I will never succeed when our Paladin screamed in rage and charged at me! (The Dog, the Cat and the girl charged toward Eric while screaming loudly!)

Eric lurched into the air in a horrible imitation of a lift off, with wings going in every possible direction before clawing his way up into the sky.

” Stand down, damn it, stand down” Crystal bellowed and Eric hovered in the air before falling. It was a horrifying display of what a Dragon should not do! Then Erik continued “when they told me to try again, I climbed into the sky!”

Eric hung in the air several dozen feet up. the Valley.

” I really don’t have any stories to tell,” Telerate said. “Perhaps I could mention that when Sanctuary had that recent bout of child births, I was the attendant in the birth of two Dent Children, one Orc and one Denisovan child. It was quite stressful. They sent me to help Forrest Martin, the Port Master of Home of the Fish. Forrest is a board-certified Mid Wife so when I arrived, he decided I was stressed out. He summoned his Aunt so I confessed my actions and my fears to people I have regarded as family elders for most of my life. I had a couple of quote stiff drinks unquote, got a good night sleep and went home to the Clinic. I delivered five more infants. I told the Fathers of these infants my price was simple: they have to make me a stiff drink! The Dent Folk can consume vast amounts of beer and one woman – called KG – easily drank me into flopping face first on the table and babbling. She sat with me until she was convinced, I would wake up the next morning. I did…”

She laughed.

” There is more. My last delivery. My Crystal helped and is listed as Assistant Midwife and I the Midwife. The child’s Father talked with his wife in an obscure dialect and she agreed to what he said and then she said: ‘We will name our daughter Tellurate Crystal as it is both your names’. I can see her inheriting her parent’s expertise in mining and minerals and going to university. Ahh, poor child! She had just been washed and presented to Kith and Kin and already her future was planned out!” Where the fuck did what I just wrote go to??? RBG summons him to his court and introduces him as "Crystal, Son of Plaitt and Emerald", he is the presiding judge today. Turns out to be a Judge training session and part of Crystal’s continuing education. He was surprised and not particularly pleased. RBG sat in Judge's Chambers on break and laughed about what Crystal had done... Year 30 - Polio outbreak south of City 3. Dr Foulson and team come up with vaccination but the epeiric had been going for years before anyone knew. Tellurate is forbidden to go; she is still too necessary in Sanctuary, Home of the Fish and in City Five Main Hospital. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"We brought gifts and want to know if you prefer to receive them now or later? We hope these will not bring up bad memories."

Some of the surviving Dent Kin had married in their group and several of their children were there. Others had married within the People of the Valley community and while they could not produce offspring, they were emotionally and sexually compatible. They had been recovering from their trauma and had remarkably little PTSD.

"Perhaps you would like to write letters home and we can place them in the letter cairn? We were there on our way here and it looks like none of the letters were missing. The table you left them on is overflowing with letters, hand written books, paintings and flowers, ah, so many dead flowers." Crystal sighed.

"Over the entrance we saw a sign ‘Place of Sacred Memories' in Common, Latin, what we think could have been Greek and Hebrew, Thieves Cant and a Cant we did not recognize. I remember all of this and will write it down later." Crystal wrote this material down and later sent it to the House Intelligence Section which claimed they had never been able to determine who had written it or been able to translate this unknown Cant.

Patience, demonstrating Patience, then said "we are curious about other people's security concerns and how they deal with it. We appear to be a poor community with little to offer to plunder. We have a habit of offering an assortment of coins to visitors, especially those thieves called 'tax collectors'. We had one such come here a couple of years ago and demand coin. We offered some that we knew was too little."

This foreign thief er tax collector laughed! Then he said 'I truly like you people! I come to you claiming to be a tax collector from a polity you have never heard of and demand money for services you will never receive. So, we will leave and come back with some boxes of coins that look real but are dead polities and therefore cannot be exchanged for anything. We will give you coins that could be real but were created by students in my child’s art class. Their Rabbi was amused by their attempts at coin making and has improved their skill massively. We will gift you with coins found in the camp site of someone who apparently felt the need to flee with only their tent and boxes of supplies. They left behind coins but not food or weapons. My First Sergeant tells me we can have a turnaround time of one week. Until then 'live long and prosper'. He made a strange hand salute and stood to leave." Patience looked bemused.

"Then he turned and said 'we loved that rotten cheese joke by the way. Have you heard to something called Ballutes? They are developing eggs that are allowed to grown for set periods of time before being either eaten raw or boiled and eaten. They are also called 'eggs with pin feathers'. They really bother people. Then they left. After we left, some of our little farts, er, lovely children started taking fertilized eggs of chicken and duck and started boiling them after different period of time. It was considered a test of stomach strength to eat them!"

"How strong is your stomach, Patience?" Crystal wanted to know?

"Weak, too weak to eat them," Patience replied with a laugh.

Silent Death, listening to and understanding what the two-legged cats were saying, began talking loudly and in long bursts.

"What is he saying?" one of the children of the Valley people wanted to know?"

"Silent Death is demanding to eat one of these growing eggs".

Silent Death was immediately given one and he sniffed, said in Cat Language, "that should be in a litter box!"

His remark, when repeated caused his audience to explode in laughter'.

"To get serious, we have laced our land with verities of traps and if pressed for food, there are always the mushrooms.

"Did the 'tax collector' with the sense of humour come back?"

"Yes, he did and he brough boxes of coins. They were labeled as 'real', looks real, and jokes. He said his name was 2 of 5, collective 904, whatever this means."

"I studied arcane and little-known history at the Temple before I entered Medical School in Main Medical in City Five. There were five groups who came together to form what became the House of Thieves and the House of Assassins. It was felt they would regulate both sets of activities and provide 'order'. A third group was called the 'House of Business' but failed to regulate anything. There are also the Houses of Religion and Military. The House of the military has been able to regulate the violence from outright violent to gentile outright violence." Time for lunch and to dress to go to work...

"Would you mind if we look at your coins? I know the Intelligence Bureau likes to insert a number of coins with flaws at different places to see where they end up. If one of these coins is spent at a bar in city 115 and ends up a hundred miles away at a Bodega then they knew either someone went between the two or a chain of people using this coin exists. By itself it may not mean much." Crystal liked these kinds of discussions.

"A Dragon could make such a trip in an evening" said .

"Some Dragons don't fly that fast or long", Eric replied.

"This makes time a variable. This does not sound like an efficient system. We identified some coins - 3 I think it was - with the same flaws about 25 years ago. Where is a convenient place to leave these coins?" Patience was actually curious but had no desire to ever leave his Valley.

"Does someone collect these coins? Could they possibly learn who used them? Are there coins too valuable to use? Are some coins so unusual they end up in collections? Like our coin museum section." This came from one of the children.

Crystal pondered for several seconds. "I suspect that bar owners could be going through their coins and paper bills looking for unusual coins or bills. This leads to coins migrating by different routes to a collector and maybe it is never collected. What phrase do you use to indicate you have given someone a coin?"

"We use the word pass or passed."

"Do people 'pass' coins they made?" Another question from the same child.

"Yes, yes, they do and it is a serious crime. However, A good defending Lawyer, that is me, can usually get people 'off' due to difficulty in proving they knew they had passed a counterfeit coin. The City Guard can get quite angry having to go to court and end up losing. Sometimes they get violent..." For an instant Crystal looked like he was seeing a bar memory.

"What bothers you, Crystal?"

"There was a case several years ago in City Four where the Guard got tired of the same man being caught passing bad coins. We don't know if he was set up or he was simply unlucky. A Guard shouted 'weapon' and a Guard Private smashed this man's skull. They had to release these Guards because they could not find enough tax payers who willing to say they would be unfearful in order to panel A jury. Very sad", Crystal sighed.

"What did he say," said another child.

"Cousin Crystal said no one was willing to be fair to the ghost of the dead criminal." was the reply from one of the adults of the Valley.

"Did you say you had presents", A slightly older child said.

"We do", Tellurak said. "First are the gifts for Dent's kin. We have to warn you that some did not survive the journey. An odd matter is they all say they don't understand their urge to head in the direction they did. Now, they cannot imagine returning back home and say they not think of those back home. Dent thinks of his wife Lorainne, who remained in the Temple of Central City, `` as his widow."

"I didn't know that!"

"Of course, not Crystal. He told Rewena, and she told the Elders and they drank a lot of the Old Chef’s Triple Medicine."

"I always thought Dent missed his children and his dead wife and their parents. I said 'his dead wife' because he could never get back to them. We are some of his children."

"True", Tellurate said.

"Would you prefer to read this material later. We could look at the coins."

"This first one features our modest boys, Caleb and Silent Death. The big image is of Caleb and front of him is Silent Death. The caption around the outside reads 'A Dog and his Cat". After the name ‘Caleb’ is the universal glyph for 'Dog' and the universal glyph that 'Silent Death' is Cat. The phrase '100 Pentak" is meant to suggest a currency called 'Pentac'. The back has the words "Dent, Grandson of the House of Pentak". It is written in the Assassin Cant. The date is given in the Nazarene system of dating."

There was a brief pause while the coin was passed around. "It is made of pure Platinum; this is the most valuable piece of metal you are likely to ever see. We left one with a box of coins in the coin collection. We would like you to keep this as a symbol of thanks from so many."

Tellurak was chocking up and had to stop talking.

They looked at the other coins and plaques.

"You have some uniquely skilled artists", one of the People of the Valley said.

"Drink some Triple Medicine ', a glass or two and Crystal, Galloping Boy and Sister Sit Ups will entertain us. I think they practiced for nearly an hour this afternoon. They quit when the Companions began howling."

"It was not that bad," Crystal responded.

The three played for nearly an hour and were quite good. It is easy to be number one of one someone grumbled...

Crystal played on the Lute, Galloping Boy the Greek Pipes and Sister Sit Ups the drum. The written music slid off into implication as the Triple Medicaid got to Crystal and mushrooms to the other two. A music lover with fantastic ear for music wrote down the impromptu music and later wrote that sheet music did not do justice to the music...

The evening ended with the Orcs and their campions being given quarters and the Dragons quarters.

At lunch, day two, was asked by a teen aged girl: "What is the strangest thing you ever did?"

Debra laughed and said "it would be my 'Virgin Flight'. Dragons are taught 'trust your reflexes! Relax and everything will flow naturally and it will be no big matter! Well, tell them about Aunt Roberta’s last known flight!"

"Rumour is her flight to visit Brother Luther was not her last flight. Word is the Great Aunts in Sanctuary and the Hone of the Fish encouraged Aunt Roberta to take a flight. Word, is she launched, flew around the Home of the Fish and finally made a classic landing. Just saying..."

"Did she have any safety monitors?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'safety monitor'?"

"Uncle Eric, weren't you in the Fish House the day I was told your Great Aunt went into the sky?"

"Could be? Could be?" Eric was clearly dissembling."

"Uncle Eric, did you see Aunt Roberta fly that day?"

"You talk like a lawyer, child. What if my great Aunt swore me to secrecy?"

"A direct question from your wife supersedes your Aunt in this matter."

"Well in that case and I will deny my answer but she flew beatifically and the answer is 'yes'".

"Since you got the secret of Roberta's flight from me, would you like to tell everyone about your 'Virgin Flight'?

"Eric, should you pester your wife like this?"

"Certainly! She told her story twice over drinks at our favourite bar in Sanctuary. The Old Chef has written poems about your flight and some of his Grand Children have written poems insulting The Old Chef and praising you. You were not subtle. I was not subtle on my Virgin Flight either..."

"I was very happy and thought I was ready. I knew I would lift off, make a short flight and then land. Habe any of you seen a terrified dog running for her life. The movement of the shoulder and the panting...the gasping doggie like panting.

She looked at Eric "you will have to buy me a beer! I will fly overhead from south to north. Is everyone ready?"

She made swimming motions that ended in her changing to a Dragon and she swam into a tight turn. Moments later, the sound of panting was heard and a Dragon gasping for breath and making exaggerated upper body motions. She passed out of view to the north where she turned and charged back.

As a finale, she turned horribly sharply to left and spun on the length of her body.

Her husband launched into the sky in full Dragon form as his wife went into human form. The rest of the action as fast. Eric caught her with a combination of fantastic skill and magic.

They landed safely.

We need beer!" Bellowed Patience and Beautiful Babbler.

The ensuing party lasted the rest of the afternoon and killed any plans of the visitors leaving that afternoon...

When they finally left, they had left behind what they brought as well as something more important: the knowledge they were not alone and that others of their kind still exists. The looks of relief on the stranded Dent Folk was priceless. The knowledge they were deeply embedded in their new homes was burned into them.

No one bothered them as they retraced their path. They had coins made up years before in the hope of giving them away. They also had stories and histories they wanted their kin to read.

They put coins from the Valley onto the collections and over the generations, people looked at them and wondered if they were real. They were. They just did not seem too real! Coins with Asian Dragons who had visited Eric’s people centuries before and left the coins near the People of the Valley showed the tentacled faces of Oriental Dragons.

They did add a crop the People of the Valley had developed over the generations from something they had gotten from visitor’s centuries before. It was called popping corn and the instructions left behind at the farm house lead to bizarre attempts to popping the corn. There were no crops ready to be harvested which was good since some of these crops could not be consumed by Orcs or Dragons. Such is life!

There were predators who thought Silent Death would be an easy meal until they found who protected this snack. The idea that a noisy little creature could be treated like a beloved young child confused them into retreat…

They finally made it to harbour and found their boat waiting for them. They went home and after arriving in Home of the Fish, all of them went back to Sanctuary. The Dragons were very happy to find their children had survived being watched over by their Grand Aunt.

She insured they would have fun. Unfortunately, fun is subjective and it would take time to change the kids back.

The return to Sanctuary was fun. They met at the Old Chef’s Bar where they figured to give the nice news with the less good news. It was a plan and like many plans, did not survive contact with enemy: reality!

” We made contact with the folks in the People of the Valley. Do you remember, what was the name, ‘Babbling Boy’? Anyway, he is very sober but is a good conversationist. His wife did the Mushroom gorging business and was called ‘Babbling Beauty’ for some time. We’re rather fond of them!”

” And you are doing the Babbling Boy routine Crystal so tell us what you’re hoping to avoid.” Dent saw right through Crystal.\

” Your brothers and sisters back there recovered from the mushrooms. All your brothers and sisters married in the Clan and those without potential spouses wed with locals. They knew they’d not have offspring but did not care. They were comfortable with being ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles. They wonder what life out here could be like but cannot leave.” “Are they healthy? Are they happy? What is their lives like?” Dent’s questions were very urgent. For a while, Dent’s Kin asked similar questions and then others asked. The Old Chef had some of the most intellectually penetrating questions.

It was a long evening, punctured by jokes and refills of drinks before Crystal admitted “I played the Lyre and one of their Lads played the Greek Pipes and one of your ladies pounded on a drum. I think if I have another hangover, it will be pound like that drum!”

Then Crystal began playing his Lute and members of the audience played other instruments. Thus passed an evening in the ‘culturally deprived village of Sanctuary’…

Caleb and Silent Death joined in the vocals and among the two legs much more “local lagers” were consumed. There different varieties of ‘human; knew how to party! The next morning, breakfast was replaced by an early lunch…

The hard part started the next morning: A Dent’s Folks about what their abandoned kin were thinking.

” We’re not sure how to say this. Your kin who stayed with the People of the Valley want to stay there and do not want to rejoin you. Some of them have married other Dent Kin and some have married People of the Valley. As far as we can tell, they are happy.

They don't have Existential fears and know that death comes like it or no and we don't learn of after life until we are afterlife... Dent ways his folks are a bit concerned about their 11 they left but know they are in good hands. Dent: This is a conversation for a late evening with Triple Medicine and good friends...

Folks decide Dent and some others are getting morose. Decide to cheer then up. Asks the Ambassador for advice on what a ruler needs. Is one of your Elders a ruler? No but it amuses some of our young to say he is. Get him a throne. Make it well padded and in Purple! (Ambassadore has access to 30 yards of Royal Purple cloth to make covering with. Stuffing - they got this from the Ambassadore. Curtain off part of permanent meeting hall. Miners bring up lovely granite for frame of Throne. Thick cushions on Throne.

Hanging from ceiling is cord labeled "Send glass of triple medicine NOW!"

Dent is shown it, gasps, laughed a shocked laugh and said "I am amazed! Who is this really for?" "You Dent!"

Dent gently picks up Silent Death and puts him on the Throne. He Bowles and jumps off. Dent asks Crystal "what is he saying?"

"He is cussing and you really don't v want to know what he is saying", said Crystal.

Crystal sat serenely on the throne with Caleb next to him. Silent Death starts cussing some more and hoped on the throne sits on other side of Crystal. He talks.

Crystal said " I finally have a chair meant for me!"

Pulls chord. Old Chef's Granddaughter, Young Chef, brought in a glass of Triple Medicine they had prepared as part of the joke.

Silent Death sniffed it and "I will not drink this!"

Crystal sighed loudly and said “I guess I will simply have Folks decide Dent and some others ate getting morose. Decide to cheer then up. Asks the Ambassador for advice on what a ruler needs. Is one of your Elders a ruler? No but it amuses some of our young to say he is. Get him a throne. Make it well padded and in Purple! (Ambassadore has access to 30 yards of Royal Purple cloth to make covering with. Stuffing - they got this from the Ambassadore. Curtain off part of permanent meeting hall. Miners bring up lovely granite for frame of Throne. Thick cushions on Throne. Hanging from ceiling is cord labeled "Send glass of triple medicine NOW!" Dent is shown it, gasps, laughed a shocked laugh and said "I am amazed! Who is this really for?" "You Dent!" Dent gently picks up Silent Death and puts him on the Throne. He Bowles and jumps off. Dent asks Crystal "what is he saying?"

"He is cussing and you really don't want to know what he is saying", said Crystal.

Crystal sat serenely on the throne with Caleb next to him. Silent Death starts cussing some more and hoping on the throne sits on other side of Crystal. He talks.

Crystal said Silent Death just said "I finally have a chair meant for me!” and Crystal pulled chord.

Old Chef's Granddaughter, Young Chef, brought in a glass of Triple Medicine they had prepared as part of the joke. Silent Death sniffed and "I will not drink this!"

Crystal said “I guess I simply will have to drink it for you” and chugged the Triple Medicine. Over time, this becomes a place for kids to play.

Crystal and Tellura have returned home but got there late. They had several drinks with for rest Martin and family before finding their bed.

They remember how they liked to "fool around" before they married. (It was considered essential that the changes in his penis caused by sexual intercourse not be there before their deflowering on the wedding afternoon!) So, they went it! Sadly, they had forgotten to take precautions! The next morning, they tried to convince each other that nothing they would regret had happened. Biology had other ideas... Crystal had to go to his office in a building known to be a covert headquarters of one of the Houses. There, Crystal found it easy to concentrate on cases that seemed to come to him. He had been taught how rare this was but thought having an Orc for an attorney was a novelty. It was a novelty as were his associates... On his weekends home, he noticed that Tellure had started vomiting at odd times.

One evening, she seemed upset.

"Is something wrong, my dear?"

"No," she snarled in a break between throwing breakable objects at a brick wall in their house. "Everything is fine!"

Now Crystal. understood why his relatives had given Tellure and he several cases of breakable dishes on their wedding day and said "for her!"

The dish breaking stopped and an odd smell started. It smelled like Replies had opened a wine bottle of a horribly smelly fish sauce made of fermented fish. Look this Viet dish up.

She Came In with this sauce on melons.

"Would you like some, dear? This tastes so good!

"I won't deprive you of any of that delacy, dear." It smelt bad enough to make his stomach almost empty.

She finished it and drank some Cherry Juice Mrs. Old Chef had brought to them and left with a smile on her face after saying nothing.

After that, she had curled up next to him and gone to sleep. In the early morning hours, she had woken with a scream and yelled "my knees are killing me!" before running off to vomit. Then she went to bed and moaned and said "come to bed".

Crystal came to bed, she hugged him and she fell asleep. Caleb was softly talking to Silent Death who was laughing in a style of Cat sounds. An indeterminate time later, Crystal woke with Tellure sobbing on his shoulder. He refrained from reacting which was well.

She got off the bed, went to the toilet and vomited...vomited and vomited some more. Crystal went after her to try to comfort her. He watched as she went and threw some bowls at the brick wall before turning to him and screaming " hold me, just hold me" before sobbing on Crystals shoulder.

The neighbors, knowing exactly what was happening, waited for the show to settle down.

Then it was time for them to return by Courier Boat to their jobs. A cold front had swept across the Middle Sea leaving choppy and high seas in its wake. There were divided responses to this:

Crystal was very seasick!

Tellure was "the very image of radiant health", Crystal thought between bouts of drinking weak tea and vomiting. "Bitch!"

At his office, Crystal sat in his chair as his Clerk set up full coffee mugs for both of them and brought over pastries. Crystal pushed his chair back, then his head fell forward and he began to snore. His Clerk ate her pastry and drank her coffee and much of his. As he started to wake up, she replaced the coffee in his large mug.

"What is your problem?" She was not sounding patient and then she suspected the truth. She got him a pastry and said "drink your coffee and I will replace it!"

He did and she did, then she said "what happened on your weekend trip home Crystal, Son of Emerald?"

"Something is strange with Tellure. She has outbursts of rage followed by weeping and wanting odd foods like Melons covered by Fish Sauce. She complained of back pain, says her knees hurt and then says she is fine. She takes old dishes we were given at our wedding and throws them at the brick wall the homes of new married all seem to have. She sends notes to Dr. Martin telling him by him she will need him and later sends notes that basically say never mind! (She remembers he is a board-certified Midwife and wants him!) Tells me "I don't want to say why."

"Is there anything else, dear?"

"I...I..."

"You can tell me, Crystal! I'm human and what else does not bother me."

"She is incredibly horny sometimes. There are limits to what even an Orc can do! Sometimes she tell some to drink a bitter coffee and sometimes I realize she is listening to my heart and lungs immediately after I quote finish both of us unquote. It is strange!"

"Do you know what is going on?"

"I keep getting told quote you'll know when the time comes unquote. Oh, no, you don't mean?"

"Yes, Crystal, I do mean!"

Oh, hell, damnation; we're too young for this his to happen!"

"No, Crystal, you two are actually a bit old..." Find the section where they were in the People of the valley andvetc...

The next weekend, Forrest and his wife and Eldest Daughter come to visit and asked to see her parents, his parents and both Old Chef and Mrs. Old Chef at their bar. Forrest describes what the letters say and ask "Does anyone have an opinion what this means?"

Everyone laughs. Eldest Daughter is married with two kids herself.

Eldest Daughter says "Can anyone tell me what is the Ancient Orc for 'Tellure is knocked up"? Again all, including Tellure, laughed...

Eventually, Crystal was summoned to the hospital and told his wife was going to deliver in 4 days to 7 days. Take her home and into the care of her family doctor. His co-workers were warned that sometimes an Orc husband could get hurt badly from his wife's delivery rages.

Crystal was puzzles by handshakes and shoulder pats from everyone; he was especially puzzled by their holding Lilacs! (Crystal had enjoyed a shelter existence most of his life. He did not know the significance of Lilacs...)

The main thing he remembered was Tellure squeezed his right hand hard enough to break bones. The surgeon repaired them easily.

When he returned to work two weeks later, his right hand was still in wrappings and his right arm in a sling.

He told his curious friends and other co-workers "my wife squeezed my hand during delivery. I am not ready to repeat the experience any time soon!" Neither was she! ---

Before the "Blessed Event", Forrest Martin had visited the Trading Dock where Alpha and Gamma had been waiting. They asked about " that little family of Crystal, Tellure, Caleb and Silent Death."

Forreet thought then said "just as female God Fish produce young, female Orc produce young. We are waiting for Tempura to produce a young Orc."

The two God Fish in their final form as land dwelling by pseudo humans talked together and one suggested "we recommend calling it 'Crystalline Entity'".

Forrest Martin replied " I will tell them!"

Their daughter became known as "Immaculate Crystal Entity, daughter of Crystal, a Grandson of the House of Assassins and Tellure of the Central Hospital of City Five. She would later call herself "Emma the Younger". Year 31

When is a basement a basement and when is it a dungeon?

Crystal, Eric Poindexter Rogue, Eric's Aunt Willamette Louise Roque and a gentleman introduced as Zevon Tempest LeMay of the Orange Circle, a Wizard and Vice Admiral Zumwalt of the Western Composite Intelligence Agency stood as his guests arrived and said:

"We have a possible problem and need an eclectic group to study this problem. Some of you are here both as yourselves and as proxy for another." He looked hard at Crystal, Eric and Willamette Louise Roque. "Surveys have been conducted at different altitudes by members of House Roque as well as surveys by members of different Sects or schools of magic users. There are anomalies in the maps these people have created of the open areas south of the cities and east of the Temple of the Nazarene. We need to evaluate what we know and decide what to do next."

"Zevon, report please."

"I have ridden a straight line 10 miles east of a south to north line parallel to Colonel Stagg’s Temple. There are fluctuations in the energy given out along this line. I do not know what this means. I have done a second survey from north to south and had different results. Willamette Louise flew above me at 1000 foot and got different energy measurements. This suggested a form of magic which expressed itself differently at different altitudes and ranges from different sources. I suppose we could have these surveys from different altitudes and different locations but if there are hostiles operating out in the 'wilderness' we do not want then alerted to our intelligence surveys."

"I ran a similar survey at a height of 1000 foot and found energy signatures which changed depending on the angle I was looking at them from. It felt like someone was trying to mask these signatures. The signatures should indicate what materials are emitting different energy signatures. This has to do with how Dragons and Wizards perceive the world."

"Crystal, Eric, Willamette Louise and Zevon, I would like you to work out a mission plan. Take what information you have and construct both a battle plan and explore various contingencies. Y9u know the old adage of 'plans are useless but planning is essential'. We need a detailed report on both in order to brief Command and the Patrol Troop. I will leave you `to this and expect an update before the evening meal."

Then the Vice Admiral stood and left the room. One of his Aides said "I have all current information. If you desire food or drink, please tell me. We plan on serving your noon and evening meals when you desire."

A survey crew made up of three Soldiers of the Special Police and 12 Worker Bees of the House of Thieves Support Infantry were mustered at Luther Stagg’s And add ' Temple, given Mules to ride, Mules to carry their supplies and their little band sent due east on a routine survey. Their orders had been simple:

"Command suspects unknowns are active in some of the isolated hamlets and possibly isolated structures. Survey and report back anything you find. Remember! This is a recon mission, not a combat mission. We need you to report back whatever you find!"

There were no questions, so their Commander said "proceed!" and they road slowly to the east.

One of the Special Police asked another: "Did you see who was watching?" ```

All of them had seen Crystal and his companions and began to wonder just how high up the Chain of Command this mission had originated!

They rode across unoccupied land the first two days, not finding anyone. Late on TBE second day, they came across a two cabin and pole barn encampment. There were several people there who did not seem concerned by a group of riders this size.

"Who are you and why are you out in the ass end of the Empire? Is the Empire still out there or is someone else collecting taxes?" The question asker was a prematurely old woman in her late 30s. An equally worn yet also likely to be her age man stood with a rack near her and just nodded.

"We are a Survey Crew from Citizen's Support Bureau of City Five. We're out to see who lives here and if they might need medical or dental help."

"No", she said, "we are healthy. WE farm!"

The troupe wandered about the apparent separation of this woman and her probable husband from whatever else might be there. Yet they were not acting furtive...

"We have some fairly fresh meat and fruit we would like to give you. These are good for your health."

"We don't have any of this Empire's pretty little coins."

"That is fine", the Troop Commander replied. "We are not tax collectors."

"I can ask my Man if he'll make coffee.". She looked at him, he nodded and drew up a large bucket of water which he poured to a large pot, which he put on the fire.

He had another large pot of water he put on the fire and put metal cups on a string into the water when it boiled.

"He likes to boil coffee cups, tells me this kill 'little demons' on them cups.

She put a large bag, on a string, into the pot of boiling water. Eventually the cups were pulled from the boiling water, coffee was poured in and the Troop enjoyed babysitting coffee she called "Turkish Delight". The Troop were puzzled by this little family having such coffee because that implied trade but not concerned. Later, they would be more suspicious...

They were told there was an old building to the east perhaps the length of a brisk morning walk. They thanked her and rode off to the east.

They made a covert camp with a small fire in a hole and slept in their bedrolls under the sky. It was a clear night, visibility excellent and so quiet they almost dispensed with night guards. Well, it was they didn't since nervous predators had moved up into the area and retreated southward back into triple canopy many days to the south.

Breakfast was dried meat, hard tack they soaked in their coffee and dried fruit. A common belief regarding the food was "it may not be good but it is good for me! This was often more a prayer than a reality!

By noon, they had moved from open savanna to grasslands with clusters of trees. In the distance, unknown animals bowled randomly. At length, they found the "old building". It was a mixture of sturdy wood walls with some fired brick walls. They did a slow walk around the building and found nothing.

That night, they a cold camp, with no evening and were on fifty percent watch all night. Feeling a Bit foolish, they boiled coffee, each fried eggs to go with their hard tack and then waited to what they might have stirred up.

They had been alone near this building and still were. They broke camp and did a closer recon. They found nothing like traps or alarms around the door. What must have been windows and side doors were boarded over with heavy boards. The amount of material involved puzzled them given how far it would have needed to be transported. They floated the idea this building had been constructed by one of the ancient city states which had been formed by survivors of the wars between Rome and Carthage and others long forgotten...

They opened the main door and found crates of dry torches. They lit several from the remnants of their camp fire and patrolled inside.

Inside, to their right was a large opening with stairs leading downward. Since they could see nothing, they decided to wait on visiting there. To their left was a long table with cups, plates and silverware in need of cleaning and most interesting, a barred room. This room had a sturdy cell door with a large keyhole. Built into the wall was a metal case with a modern, small, keyhole.

One of the Support Soldiers walked into the cell and noted on the far wall a discrete combination dial. Clearly there was a safe installed into the wall. He left the cell to report his findings...

"There might be nothing dangerous in that safe, but there could be the Gate To Hell inside. There is no way to determine what could be in there. We'll report this safe as soon as we return to the Temple. Now, let’s see what else is in this building.

They lit several more of the torches and went slowly down the stairs.

There was a kiln, cold now, that could have been used for making small pottery. There were also sinks connected to a cistern they had not seen. There must have been a fortune tied up in the copper pipes they could see going into holes in the wall. One Soldier touched a pipe, cussed and said "this pipe is hot". Another Soldier touched another pipe and said " cold! This pipe is cold!"

The Commander bowled "Draw arms! Combat exfiltration!"

They woke up lying on the floor of the jail cell! ---

Shutters had been removed and the cell illuminated by the bright light of an early afternoon sun. There was also several light sources that somehow gave off the feel of eldritch magics. The Commander asked "is everyone here"?

He then rattled off the names of everyone in his Troop and gave his name last. This got a laugh. Calling his own name had been a reminder to everyone that he was still healthy and was not a joke!

" Yes! You are there. Where the would you be?" No one knew what the obscenity meant but knew this word had to have been obscene. It just felt obscene!

"see would be on our mules continuing our assigned survey!"

"Really? What about your 'combat exfiltration'?"

"Who are you? Why are we in this cell?"

"You are no more than looters out to rob old tombs and abandoned buildings. I know your kind."

"Fine! Then you know what little we travel with and know there is little to gain by keeping us. Release us and we will enjoy a nice dinner of dry food, boiled water and we can be on our way tomorrow. I'm sure there are interesting places you can tell us about further to the east?"

"You are not asking the correct questions. I expected you to demand to know who I am?"

"You are the owner of this abandoned building. We are not intentionally trespassing."

"You lie! I will get help and then we see who is the stronger one!"

Their captor, who might have been a member of the ancient Cro-Magnum species or just an unattractive human, left the building.

"Abdul Nehum, look out the window, be ready to throw the red powder out when he comes back."

Abdul Nehum took his position by the window with a pressurized cylinder in hand. When his Commander said "now", Abdul Nehum pushed the release device and tossed the cylinder out. It left a vivid red streak.

Deep in the sky, the eyes of a Dragon locked onto the motion a mile below him and Uncle Eric knew he was seeing a distress signal. He curved into a gentle turn and went back to where Crystal and the second Troop waited. --- The Dragon Eric Poindexter Rogue slid to a hover and hovered 3 inches above the ground before changing into human form. He was tired; it had been a long flight for him. He was given a Lager he gulped down. “I tracked Troop A to a house surrounded with their debris. The man and woman plus their two children had been terrorized by a human variant who ordered them to tell our Soldiers about an old building a day's walk east of their home. They tried dropping subtle essay away' signals but this apparently did not work. I did an orbit over the top of this building and saw a remarkably odd human outside this building. As he returned into the house, the emergency signal erupted outside a window. I interpret this as a distress signal!"

"Then we have a troop in a building with one outsider. This suggests our people are being held against their will as they would have left the building if they could have. I suggest an unexpected approach, with heavy backup. Are there any Dragons who can run very fast?"

"Is there a human who can run every fast for short periods for time and rest while being carried on a Dragon's back, Nephew?"

"I can still do long, fast, Uncle Eric but can you carry me in a cocoon while I rest?"

"Yes. How do you want to do this?"

"A traveling Minstrel will knock on the door and panhandle for a meal. I will need costume with a lot of kerchiefs attached. My Lute and music sheets. Several vials of agents - make them knock out drugs - and those strange and bad military shoes my little Sisters both like so much." He sighed. "I can put not hope this will get me into the building."

"I put the distance to the building at 47 miles. Eat, get rest, create your outfit and we'll see how you feel."

Crystal went to put his bag together. Eric looked at the personnel around him, people who were family first and fellow soldiers a distant second.

"I will let him run 10 miles because his pride demands it. Then, I will carry him between 25 and 30 miles because my pride demands it. I am going for a total of 40 miles for me. Then we both just rest!"

Crystal came out in his running gear and handed a large bundle to Eric, who attached this to his harness. As Crystal streaked off at a pace his Dent Folk relatives would have been proud of.

Different predators thought Crystal was a possible meal but the immense presence of the Dragon drifting above the running Orc sent predators to ground. The slow flapping of the great wings, the breathing, the subsonic vocal actions and subtle magic worked their magic. Like a great bow wave in front of a fast-moving vessel, the "stay away" warning was widely understood.

After his 10-mile run and given it had been a kind of a day, Crystal was fully prepared to fall asleep in a rigid sleeping bag and be carried through the sky for an hour. The Dragon landed and returned to a human man form and ensured predators would vacate the area (more dragon magic) before sleeping.

After sunrise, when Crystal awoke, they had a cold meal before a fast walk to just outside the structure.

Both knew dawn was the traditional time for ambush and so they waited a brim almost boon before Crystal dressed in his Wandering Bard outfit. It was layers of robes with cloth ties attached. The many pockets could not be seen. They waited until the odd captor had gone back into his building before Uncle Eric said "I believe our men are unharmed. I detected no poisons on this captor’s body." rf6

"Type 2 poison then”, Crystal said.

Uncle Eric nodded in agreement. Crystal stood, adjusted his robes, picked up his Lute and walked - not marched - to the door into the building. He played an obscene song softly.

The door slammed open and the Jailor gapped at Crystal!

"Who, what, who are you and why are you here?"

"I am called Maker of Pleasing Sounds. I, ah I, got parted from my musical company somehow and now I must sing for my meal. May I come in? May I play pleasing music for a slice of of bread...perhaps some burnt bacon, some strong coffee, good and merciful Sir?"

"Get in here!" The Cro-Magon stomped into the room. Crystal observed where everything was including watching the jailor take a gulp from a glass. Crystal waved his hand over the top of the Jailor's glass when he looked away.

"They sent a Grandson", the Troop Commander said in shock.

"And?" One of the Soldiers muttered.

"Where he goes, one of the Uncle's often appears.

"Oh!"

Crystal began singing a lovely little song, in common, about a Shop Foreman "chewing a worker's ass"'. But everyone knew this song had nothing to do with verbal violence.

The Jailor finally drank most of his drink in one gulp and had time to turn about before passing out. Crystal put the Jailor on his stomach, moved the man's hands behind his back and tied him.

"Did you kill him?" one Soldier called out.

"Certainly not! Dead men cannot provide actionable intelligence. This is fortunate for him..." Briefly, Crystals face was covered with rage and he snarled “no one threatens to harm or kill ours” and then looked calm again. It was one of the most frightening things the Soldiers had seen! They truly believed he was a Grandson of the Grandfather of Assassins!

"Stagall,"Crystal called out to the Troop Commander, "how are you and your men?"

"We are fine, Sir. We entered this place, realized it was an operational facility when one of my men realized a water pipe was hot and another found a cold-water pipe. I ordered the retreat and we woke here."

"We'll have you out of there quickly. That lock takes a huge key, do you know where it is?"

"In that box on the wall, Sir", one Soldier said.

With casual ease, Crystal picked the lock on the box, took the large key out and let troop out.

'Any idea what happened to you?

"We drank some coffee at an isolated farm house. When we were escaping, I recall a strange odor."

Uncle Eric had come in and was listening.

"This sounds like a binary poison. The alpha component was in the coffee and the beta component was what you breathed. Well, He Whose Name Is Not Spoken will find this out." He sounded a bit scared. A known Dragon being afraid put fear into the Soldiers...

Eric looked around, made a gesture and said "we leave now! Drink nothing, eat nothing. I will bring him."

Theybleft. Eric spoke:

"You were sent on what was supposed to be a simple socialbsurvey. You found a place with dark magic. I do not know what is in that safe. I do know we need a Wizard to survey this place. Did any of you beat or drink anything outside of the iron cage?"

No one responded.

"I've summoned a Wizard and one of the Old Ones will bring him here. While we wait, I surveyed to the East of here and found nothing strange. Command still would like you to survey the route and each of you write what you see. This is the best way to find what is out here. We can eat once the Wizard says it is safe."

They began waiting. Eventually, a large Dragon pulling a cylinder arrived and the cylinder was lowered to the ground. The Dragon turned into what appeared to be a middle-aged human. She smiled at the group and said "time to let Wizard Grumpy out of his doggie cage."

Wizard Grumpy, who appeared to be a human in his middle age (but was not) said "thank you for the ride my dear! I owe you a bottle of that bubbly wine the Frogs make."

"Yes, you do!"

The Wizard was dressed in the field uniform of a long defunct foreign Army. He took his hat off and displayed short hair; he did not look like the common image of a Wizard. His next gestures and strange words and sounds destroyed that notion.

"Did any of you eat or drink in that House From Hell?"

"Only inside the jail area, with the door shut and locked, Sir." the commander spoke for his Troop.

"Nor did I", said Crystal.

"Good! That is not a jail, it is a cold iron safety cage. If you had done either act outside that cold iron cage then you would be changing into what this man is changing for into. Let’s see if the food and drink you left outside is safe." He paused and said "it should be safe to eat."

"I will bring better, safer, food and your brother (she was looking at Crystal)"

The Wizard went to the Dragon, kissed her on the forehead and said "you look extra beautiful this morning, my dear!"

"Thank you." and the female Dragon walked backward and leapt into the sky changing at the peak of her jump. She took the cage with her.

"Flattery", Eric said?

"Sincere belief young man. In the words of an old Mage and I quote 'Where vanity is concerned, honesty is overrated. Remember that, and you’ll live a longer life.' Unquote. Besides, I mean that! Remember that Crystal and she might not break your hand again. It did heal fully, did it young man?"

Everyone knew how violent an Orc delivery could be for the husband...

"More about that building. Normally, there is a spell that keeps everyone away. It is a shrine to an Elder God who might be considered to be evil. Someone found it and appears to be about to use it. We will put a watching post near here. The strange thing is we did not know about but based on Dragon over flights and remote viewing. We need you lads out looking!"

The Dragon returned with supplies, food and Caleb. He bounded out and knocked Crystal over. Brunch was eaten, Caleb got the attention that was his due and the Soldiers debriefed. Crystal told the Commander "you did very well! I am quite proud of you and yours and Uncle Eric is as well!"

The Dragon was praising the beaming Wizard. They walked off together and examined something outside the building.

Eric smirked and said "I think there will some magic made tonight, if you catch my meaning. Both of them are fully human in these forms and they have been married some decades."

The Troop went on to explore a hundred-mile line and found three major threat centres. One was in a hidden city no one had known of. There were two schools of magic, where members of the Troop learned strange forms of magic. They took this knowledge back to the House where a young Orc Lawyer and his equally young wife, a Medical Doctor, and a young Hobbit called Emma learned the magic as well Great Hunter

It was a fine morning and Caleb was chasing a squirrel. He could easily have caught it but then what? Caleb figured he have to let the little monster go and then chase it again.

The squirrel was running in the direction of an old tree which he knew held a "dray" or nest of squirrels. Why his human called a nest a dray was humans being human. When he got close enough, he saw a flock of Squirrels at the base of the tree. They glanced casually at Caleb and did not seem concerned. Caleb laid down and studied this flock. Caleb knew his boy like to call them a "scurry" but they were not scurrying about. They were just sitting there.

Caleb did not bark because he did not want to scare the Squirrels. (So much for his self-image as being a violent killer of little critters.) No one had hunted Squirrels in Sanctuary for uncounted centuries. Squirrels had simply grown up surrounded by large clumsy harmless creatures.

They too had found Sanctuary in this hidden village...

He felt something small - it was very light - walking up the length of his spine and knowing what it had to be, waited patiently as a small - young - Squirrel walked daintily across his head and down his muzzle. There this baby squirrel turned its head and blinked at Caleb's calm doggie face.

The baby hopped lightly to the ground and went in search of its Mother.

Caleb had not gone unnoticed. There were those who were simply amused by Caleb.

One dog watcher, a Hobbit, made a painting of Caleb with the Baby Squirrel on his muzzle and the swarm of Squirrels looking at them. It was called "Prey Captures Hunter".

Later, Forrest Martin gave a copy to the Northern Ambassadore and said " life is peaceful in our hidden town".

The visitors from the north were used to thinking of those living on the south side of the great sea as being the "Southern Barbarians". This painting made them uncomfortably aware of their prejudge.  

When I Die

by Jimmy Osborne

When I’m finally laid to rest,

Pleaser don't put me in a wooden casket;

Or leave flowers at my grave,

In a pretty little basket.

Don't pump me full of chemicals

Just bury me beneath the earth,

And plant a seed upon my grave.

And as my body rots below,

My atoms, reassimilat4ed;

In my place a tree will grow

from the place that I originat

ed.

Preciious minerals, returned to earth,

Little molecules of me---

The fuel for yet another life,

As I become the tree. ` Dent folks have tech and calm teen age Elves. .