"I am Laca, Mara's dog, here to protect her resting place. The wards allow me to enter and leave at will but I had thought no other. There has to be something about you that lets you in. I will give you time to answer. If you are not sure, ask your fellow travellers. Perhaps I will not need to kill you."

After a silence the voice continues: "Perhaps I will soon be able to rest." There is a powerful sense of longing in the words.

"E-er, no need to kill me don't worry about that!"

Ford grins nervously at the dog and backs off through the barrier. He turns to the others.

"Well I'm stumped. I've always liked animals, what farmer wouldn't, but... apart from that..."

He sighs.

"Any ideas?"

"Ford!" Lurel says urgently. "Remember what Anima told us about Laca - Laca was unjustly imprisoned ... remember, a fox killed the chickens but Laca got the blame. Perhaps that's the link between you - both of you have suffered the same injustice."

OOC> going early today, back tomorrow.

"Why does Laca think he(?) might need to kill you? " Lisette asks. "He seems willing enough to talk, perhaps he wiill explain what he's guarding and why?"

Although Lisette couldn't understand the dog, she was able to tell that there was some dialog, rather than simple slavering and growling.

OOC: Hall of Storms? Injustice done to Ford? Was there a thread before this one that I haven't seen?

(OOC: There is a back story in a PM that Malchik sent to all the original posters of the thread... maybe he still needs to send it to you?)

"That's true, Lurel... hmm..."

Ford looks at Lisette.

"He'd probably kill me because I'm the only one who can get through his barrier. If I'm gone then there's no longer a threat to whatever it is he's guarding."

He turns to look at Laca and then heads back through the barrier. Once there, he explains the injustice he suffered at the hands of his father and the Dayone justice system.

"It has to be something to do with that. Anima told us that you were once wrongly imprisoned as well. Maybe that formed some kind of connection between us that makes me impervious to your barrier?"

He sighs.

"Anyway, what is it that you guard?"

OOC> I have sent the papers to Lisette this morning, they are not relevant to Siffli.

The dog looks at you long and hard. "I am here to protect Mara until those come who will put right the injustice done to her tomb. It is not this desecration. When she was interred someone used the ceremony for a purpose of their own. I do not know what. Strigid knew something was wrong. He built the ward. He said that only a very unique combination of people could get through to the tomb and I must judge. To have got so far you will have needed an Avelyssian key and I see an Avelyssian, one who knows about armour and I see a warrior, one who understands injustice and that is you. Is there one among you can remember the way back and one who can enter the tomb without disturbing the stone?"

Before you can reply the dog continues "You need not answer. I can tell. You may pass. I can return to my resting place at last. The ward will vanish now and I will leave."

The dog raises a paw. "Always remember, whatever the injustice, there has to be a point where punishment itself becomes injustice. I have little time. If there is something very urgent you would ask there may just be enough for me to answer. It has been so long..."

The magic dissolves. You all have access to the tomb and the area around it.

Is there a particular question you would put the the spirit dog?

Lurel sighs audibly with relief, before addressing the dog.

"The ones who carried out this desecration - were they Avelyssian? Do you know who it was?"

"It was not a person. This was caused by strange forces. Even I felt them. I have never been inside the tomb. Suddenly contents are floating through the walls. I do not think the foreign object..."

The dog slowly fades from view.

Now you can see more clearly there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the items on the ground. They could be the contents of any normal house except for hundreds of small v-shaped silver straws.

The tomb itself appears untouched. The sealing stone is in place. There are no bones, they must still be inside.

Lurel bends to pick up one of the straws.

"Hmm.... does that remind anyone else of the stuff we found on the beach in Levdia?"


He then turns to examine the tomb, and cautiously pokes at the sealing stone, looking for an entrance to the tomb. Though, having heard the dog's remark about entering without disturbing the stone, Lurel suspects that this may be the point where his special ability comes into play.

"Princess, how are these tombs constructed? What kind of foundations and floorings would there be?"

The necropolis of Xetcherin is so secret that no one knows anything much about it. But you have been into several empty tombs on the way. They are each carved from one piece of rock with only the sealing stone being moveable. The sealing stone is closed with formal sealing devices that would be irreparable if broken. The only place a breach would be unnoticeable to someone outside the tomb would be in the floor of the tomb.

If that is a possibilty care would need to be taken as no one can tell you what else might be inside the tomb.

At least it doesn't have any hidden rooms or tunnels to worry about.

Lurel gnaws his lip, then he walks up to the rock wall at the back of the tomb. He places both hands against it, and leans his head forward so it touches the rock. He is hesitant to use his earth magic to break open the tomb, and wants to see first if perhaps he can sense something through the rock.

He clears his mind, and waits. Perhaps he can find out if anything is inside the tomb. Perhaps he can sense weak spots within the rock, where access would be easiest.

He tries to get a feel for the rock.

"Thank you."

Ford waves a farewell to Laca before proceeding into the tomb. He looks down at all the straws.

"Well... this is bizarre."

He looks over to Lurel.

"Any luck?"

Lisette tries to sense whether there is any sort of fire burning inside the tomb. Likely the rock would block it, but no reason not to try. If she CAN sense that there is none, she suggests torches.

Lisette gets a vague confirmatory feeling that there is a flame inside the tomb. It is not very big. Perhaps a permanent flame burning for respect?

Lurel finds the wall thick and unyielding. As he probes more he senses that there is a tiny fissure leading into the floor of the tomb. The floor is much thinner and will not be hard to open if he can find a safe spot.

Ford notices that although there are household objects all around the tomb, there are no weapons, nor is there sign of a shield, boots, helmet and the like.

Siffli can offer no special help at this point but she will be able to if they can get inside. The small v-shaped metal is from Mara's upper body armour. Only she can put it back together as it should be.

Midge has no sense of there being anything dangerous anywhere near them.

"It might be an idea to pick up the stuff lying around here, in case we need to put it back," Lurel suggests, and starts collecting some of the silver amour bits.

As he does so, he explains his plan to the others.

"The easiest way to get into the tomb is from underneath - that way we won't cause any visible damage either. I just hope that my earth magic will succeed here - and that I don't lose my way underground."


Having collected a few handfuls of the silver v-shapes, Lurel tries to work out the best approach to tunnelling into tomb. He walks a short distance away from the tomb, so that he can create a sloping tunnel without risking having the tomb collapse.


Taking a deep breath, he concentrates, and lets the earth magic flow through him. He pictures in his mind what he wants to do - open a tunnel in the earth which will lead into the tomb through the fissure in the floor he has sensed.

The earth behaves exactly as Lurel wishes.

Lisette starts collecting and sorting the clutter around the tomb.

P.S. I feel the Earth - move - under my feet! (Sorry, couldn't resist)

Lurel looks at Lisette.

" I can't ask you to go first, Lisette - we don't know what awaits us in the tomb, and it would not be right to ask you to expose yourself to danger. But I'd appreciate it if you followed close behind me, in case there is something in the tomb. And although I can try to cast a basic light spell, I have no idea if it will work - magic has been behaving strangely, here. But if earth magic works, then there's no reason why your fire magic shouldn't work, and you could light the way for us."


He climbs into the tunnel.

Ford grins.

"Aha, nice work Lurel."

He stuffs any remaining silver v-shapes into his backpack and follows through behind Lisette.

OOC> Last post before the weekend. I'll do Lurel's next move for him as you might want to consider between you what best to do next.

Lurel leads the party under the tomb. The floor is thin enough to break into easily. There is a small fissure through which a small pipe enters the tomb. The other end disappears into the ground but from the sounds above it, the pipe links into a gas field. This is the flame Lisette has sensed.

You are fortunate that the fissure is enough to see through to the immediately surrounding area. There are only a few more bits of armour. Lurel opens the ground and the party struggles inside.

The flame gives adequate light.

You see that the building had once been set out as a room in a house, possibly Mara's. All the furniture is tumbled about. At one side of the room is a catafalque on which Mara's bones appear untouched. Her other armour and weapons are lying in a heap at the bottom of the catafalque.

It is certainly a question of dividing up the tasks between you - reassembling the body armour, checking out the weapons and armour, trying to right the furniture and remembering it for future discussion and trying to work out what the dog's incomplete final remark might mean.

OOC> See you all on Monday!

Lisette, glad to see *something* besides undecorated walls, begins to inspect and arrange the furniture.

(Can we tell where it's supposed to go?)

"Hmm..."

Ford walks over to the pile of weapons and armour and takes a look. He looks over to Lisette.

"Hey, Lisette, I don't suppose you'd know what some of this stuff is? I'm hardly a weapons or armour expert, heh."

"Hang on a second," Lurel calls out. "Before we start, we should probably find out about any special burial customs. Princess Siffli, perhaps you know how things should look? Are you familiar with the arrangement of the furniture, the weapons and armour?"

He grins at the others. "For all we know, it might be an Avelyssian custom to pile all the deceased's weapons at the foot of the bier."

He looks around the tomb.

"I wonder what the dog meant by 'foreign object'? Princess, can you see anything that looks as though it should not be here? And could this -" he pulls out the bits of metal they found on the shore in Levdia - "have anything to do with whatever happened here?"

"Well", Siffli answer, "usually we recreate a room in which the person lived. Mara was a warrior, so she was probably not so much different from other warriors. As long as I know, correct me if I'm wrong Lisette, warriors like to have everything in order, so that they fast can reach theyr belongings in case of danger".

"I have never seen these metal pieces before, and I don't really know what the dog was talking about".

"Organized, yes, but also close at hand. Weapons and armor would likey be next to Mara's body, perhaps on a table or chest."

OOC> Edited out gender reference. Mara is female.

As you stand there looking at the weapons and the furniture and bits of armour it occurs to you that if there is a 'foreign' object in the room it won't be obvious until everything is put back where it should be. There is the furniture, the metal armour in tiny pieces and the heaped up weapons and other armour. Ideas, brawn and brain all needed. Time to start putting the jigsaw together.

Lurel looks at Ford. "How about we make a start on the furniture, and leave the weapons and armour to the experts?" He grins at Lisette.

"Weapons are weapons, but I'm hardly an expert on Avelyssian armor. Siffli, do you know anything about how these pieces go together?"

Lisette begins collecting the metal bits, and *attempts* to figure out how they were put together. "Did anyone notice how the armor on those beach-bums was put together?"

"This is how it shall look like", Siffli explains to Lisette, "this part here... this part there..."

Succes: "There, the last pice, now it shall be allright"

Faikure: "Hmm, this dosn't look allright, I wonder what I've maid wrong..."

"This is how it shall look like", Siffli explains to Lisette, "this part here... this part there..."

Succes: "There, the last piece, now it shall be allright"

Failure: "Hmm, this dosn't look allright, I wonder what I've maid wrong..."

Lurel and Ford make a passable attempt to assemble all the furniture, including that outside, into the shape of a room. It is possible to see odd marks on the stone floor that help. Their design shows a semicircle of chairs, small tables, cupboards and ornaments. At the centre a large high backed chair, a little like a throne, faces a large table. All the items are marked with a shield shaped device; a black dog, with one paw raised, on a gold background. The catafalque with Mara's bones is opposite the throne with the table between them.

Once all the disturbed furniture has been replaced it becomes clear where everything else must go. The only place where the upper body armour could have been laid out was on the table. Siffli pieces it together.

On the sides and front of the catafalque Lisette makes out the outlines of various objects. Crossed swords at either side, and crossed swords with a shield at the front. And five slots around the bones, one at the back and two each on the sides.

The armour and weapons is as follows: four shortswords of tooled gold and black metal, two long swords, one black the other gold. A shield, black and gold as per the device on all the items in the tomb, with a silvery white ring in the centre, a gold and black closed helm, two black 'arm' pieces, two gold 'arm' pieces. You put them all back.

Siffli discovers that one small v-shaped piece of armour is missing.

"I't looks like a piece is missing here", Siffli says, "have anyone found something that looks like it could be a part of an armor?"

Lurel offers the metal objects they found on the beach in Levdia to Siffli.

"Are these what you are looking for?"

He looks around the room. "I wonder.. does anything here look obviously foreign? What did Laca mean?"

"Hmm... just one piece?"

Ford rummages about in his backpack to see if he left any in there.

A thorough search reveals no small metal v-shaped piece anywhere in or around the tomb.

Searching for the foreign object is not easy when no one has any idea of what should be there. The larger objects like table and chairs have been positioned because of marks on the floor, like the marks of where the armour should go on the catafalque. There are no pieces left over. All the furniture is wooden and any cupboards and drawers are empty. Every ornamant bears the same emblem suggesting that they are not 'foreign'.

The permanent flame is just in front of the catafalque. The weapons and armour gleam in its light.

"Wait," Lurel says thoughtfully.... "I just remembered something.... I've been so focussed on getting out of that maze that I've lost sight of what our real purpose is. You know, the gates to contact the farseers, and counteracting the alien magic... and what else has been causing this if not alien magic? Even the dog said something like it. I think the piece we're looking for might be in the Castle of Storms."

He hesitates. "I think I could get there... on own, at least... to retrieve the armour piece. But.. it would mean leaving you on your own here.. and we don't know yet what that foreign object is. Maybe we need to have the armour completed, and then it will be obvious. Maybe they've switched one of Mara's bones. Maybe there's something under the catafalque. Maybe we can only see it in the dark, or under a different light."

He sighs. "If I go now, and use the magic I have, I should be able to get to the Castle of Storms and back in a short time. But I want to know what you think - should we look for the foreign object first?"

"There seems to be no danger here. I would not be surprised if it is a matter of getting everything in order, and then seeing the obvious. At the worst, we lose a little time."

Lisette attempts to first dim, and then brighten the flame. Perhaps it IS simply a matter of lighting.

OOC> As nothing will happen to the party while you are away Lurel, and there is no difficulty in the Castle, let us assume you take Lisette'sadvice and go and come back. With the return of the final piece, Princess Siffli will be engrossed in getting the armour absolutely accurate.

The rest of you watch Lisette. Her experiment with flame reveals that gold and black armour and weapons do not reflect particularly well. With only one piece is there a noticeable difference between her highest and lowest levels of brightness.

Nothing else in the room appears unusual in any light.

Lisette examines the piece which has abnormal albedo. "Siffli, does this look unusual to you?"

OOC> You may not escape so lightly! Which piece is it?

Errr....the shield. Lisette lightly probes the center ring on the shield. "This doesn't fit with the color scheme. Is this normal, Siffli?"

As Lisette prods the silver item it falls off the shield and hits the floor with a clunk. Everyone turns to look at it.

Siffli stares in disbelife, "...what? The whole...???", she says to herself...

Siffli quickly takes the piece before anyone else dose.

<Out of story> I'm going on vacation for a week now, so Malchik, you have to play Siffli when I'm away skiing in the mountains =) Bye all, see you in a week </Out of story>

(OOC: Have fun Gabbe. ^^)

Ford turns to Lurel.

"I don't know. I think we should wait and see how things turn out here first. Then, if we're stumped, you could go to the castle."

He looks over to Lisette and grins.

"Nice going Lisette!"

/// Lurel's already been to the castle///


"What is that?" Lurel asks. "Princess, do you recognize it? I'd like to have a closer look at it..."

OOC> By request I am playing Siffli until Gabbe is back.

Siffli stares at you all with a mixture of suspicion and anger.

"I shall say nothing until you have faced the Council."

She mutters something under her breath and you are suddenly in something that resembles a cage and back in one of the colonies of Avelyssia. The bars are unbreakable and Lurel can tell no magic will work.

Siffli looks at you from the other side of the bars.

"You will not be kept more waiting very long. Make sure your explanation is a good one."

She flies off.

(OOC: Huh? I'm confused... we found the foreign object on that shield, why did Lurel go to the castle?)

Ford blinks as he gathers his bearings. He looks to Siffli as she flies off.

"Hey! Wait!"

He looks at the others.

"What the hell!? We do all this back-breaking work for these Avelyssians then we get dumped in a cage and treated like we did something wrong!? Where do these guys get off!?!?"

He fumes.

"Boy, do I ever have a feeling of deja vu..."

(OOC: Yeah I know deja vu wouldn't be a term that the people of this world would use so... replace it with whatever term they would use. :P)

"The bars look sturdy...but are they designed to keep a child in? Midge, is it possible that you could squeeze through?"

Lurel curses softly.

"I knew those Avelyssians were just using us to do their dirty work. Do you remember the reaction when I asked about the Keeper? Did any one of them actually ever answer a question we had for them?"

He resists the temptation to kick one of the bars of this cage.

"We're meant to have an explanation? After we've risked our lives for them in that maze? When she probably could have teleported us in? I can only hope this is all part of the greater plan."