We are brought now to a a small room, deep below the wine cellars of Lord Gordon's keep. It is a small, bare room, there are no chairs or windows, save a door with the customary iron and steel trappings to make it look all the more formidable and sinister a barrier. In the centre of the room is a a circular pool of a strange, misty green substance, surrounded on the borders by red pebbles of varying size. A prosperous, slightly balding man stands facing the pool, surrounded by two handfuls of dark hooded monks. They mumble below their breaths in archaic tones, while Lord Gordon's hands are raised upward, and he is mumbling something under his breath. For the interprid, brave reader's information, this is the room of summons, no, not a storage facility for writs from His Majesty's Trusted Judicial Legal Advocate Service, nor is it a filing room little notes served by His Majesty's Trusted Royal Highway Cavalry Patrol Horsemen to riders who ride too quickly. No, for fear, for doom, it is a room of more sinister and wicked purposes. Lord Gordon. Mulka Takis Muldis Mul Muldis Haka Mulka Mul Mulka Takis Muldis Mul Muldis Haka Mulka Mul Takis Haka Takis Mul [The rest of the ancient phrase is muttered here. For purposes of security of the realm and good taste, it is left out. A black cloaked figure towering close to 10 feet hovers out of the green pool. Not totally flesh or of any substance, it hands in the air like a malicious spectre, a vicious evil wraith, a poorly built scarecrow, an unpleasant tree] Lord Gordon. Hail to Thee the Lord of Rats and Fiends Your humble servants bows their serviced knee You Slayer of the warrior and the fowl most brave The Keeper of the Gem of Sorrowful Doom The Master of the Poor constructed Rhyme You who inspire all Novellic Crime Hail Almighty Sword of Hopeless Cause Master of the Fat Widow's Tears Ye who doth Smite the Jester's Smile All Hail, Great Lord! Amalkon. I am pleased. Report the progress of the preparations for the Red Moon. Lord Gordon. Our assassins and agents and clerics dark Ranging far across the realm on horse and magick force Have sought the last of the Cursed Elven Circle Those meddling fools who seek to thwart our motions Hanthalas the Grey with morning crumpets and tea Artful fed the cursed brumblewood herb The cursed plant of the shores of Lombardee. He lies a sickened four and fourteen days Moaned cries and warts and blisters large caress his face and arms with ungentle closeness Awashed in fever of a purple tinge! Glory! Cronies in Monk Garb [muttering]. Inmo dias Grindis Tel Glory to Gordon of the Gandered Geshaults. Amalkon Come to us. Lord Gordon. Jerenthin the Wizard and Grindilis the Bold one Autumn's morning in their Sylvan glade Were beset by two score of man at arms A handpicked grouped from my finest blades And fought they did, those cursed Elves of high and laid low many of our loyal friends But overcome they were by yells and shouts and sword 'Hurrah Amalkon! Die for the foul one!" 'Be of Bad cheer, and awash thy smiles with grimaces!' And captured now they lie in Dungeon deep strung like ducks await the farmer's feast Glory! Cronies in Monk Garb [muttering]. Jerenthin and Grindilis fall Glory to Amalkon And Gordon of the Geshaults. Lord Gordon. And last but far the worst of all the four Dairiana the Fair, That witch of damning meddle I myself have sent my own blood, Geoffrey He of stout heart, muscled arm and famed for his Archery To win the scallywag and occupy her time To woo her with kisses and flowers and Frendish sweets with treats of a many and smiles of insincerity that hide the poisoned blade of Hamagush To pierce her when the chance and trade arises And then my pained vengeance will be complete She who doth refuse my deep and running passions Who did pierce my heart with thorn and barbed spear Returned my scented letters and my gifts of Turkey-ham... Glory! Cronies in Monk Garb [muttering softly]. Glory to Amalkon, Glory Glory. Terror to his enemies. Lord Gordon. While our agents seek the final item of our scheme To break the ancient wards that hold this gate To harness the darkness of the Red and Coming Moon We prepare the devices of the sacrifice According to the ritual scroll of the Way Gathered thus are the score of twenty virgins true The Unicorn's horn and Manticore's tongue And the other common objects of the lore the dogs and cats and bat wings all a stored In cellars deep and cabinets magicked locked Snakes and gold bracelets and rusty nails all carefully gathered in the finest detail... and.. Amalkon. You have not secured the Blue Lotus Flower. [Cronies in Monk Garb shiver uneasily] Lord Gordon. We have not, Great One But my agents assure us it will not elude for long And in swift and present time we will.. Amalkon. Find the Flower and destroy it with the vial of Hamagush's Sweat I gave you. It is my command. [ The dark mist slowly descends into the pool, disappearing under the misty green haze. Lord Gordon of the Gandered Geshaults stands shaking in his own fear and trepidation while..] Cronies in Monk's Garb. Glory to Amalkon! Glory.. Glory... dias mul... dias mul.. [Again, words have power. We have left out the remainder of the chants and in fact have edited the actual phrases. Power in words can be unleashed even by the most cheerful of thoughts and the keenest of minds, which we assume the reader possesses. However, one can still get the feel of the dark and wicked evilness that Lord Gordon, the self-made High Priest Absolute of Amalkon-the-Thrice-named-Way-maker-and-Slayer-and-suitor-of Hamagush, and his evil monk band have in store for the realm. No doubt they seek to harnass the power of the Red Moon, and have already eliminated four of the five members of the High Elven Circle, that small band of dedicated individuals formed of old to thwart the very plans that Lord Gordon has in motion, and other such nastiness. What will become of the realms? And what of the mysteries of the Blue Lotus Flower? Ancient histories and chronicles can be so tediously boring at times, to the point that even the most avid of historical scholars find difficult to continue. We trust however that we continue to hold your interest. The Blue Lotus Flower, and its role in these dark and shadowy times, will reveal itself in a moment. But now, on to the next scene..] copyright 1997 Gerald Tan & Nigel Poh Click on the dragon to proceed with the tale... ... the dagger to go to the previous page ... and the snoozing gnome to return to the Home Page. Currently playing "The Emperor's Theme".