Bagath and Cherry rested in the thicket for a while, looking at the colors of high summer. Bagath was tired from creating the plane gate, and Cherry was still suffering from the blow to her head.
Cherry reached into a magical sack she kept within her robes and withdrew an ivory box. In it were three segments of Darran Koor's legendary key.
"Do you think the others found the other segments?" Bagath asked quietly.
"I hope so," Cherry answered. "Of course, if Darran Koor doesn't show up, then it won't..."
"That isn't something you need worry about, child," a voice said.
Bagath and Cherry turned around fast to see a man—whose age could have been anywhere from twenty to sixty—dressed in simple, grey cloths and wearing a matching cape. Cherry looked at him for a moment.
"Where in the universe did you go?" she finally asked.
"To visit an old friend," Darran Koor answered, "and examine the situation. Montrazar's forces are everywhere in the sphere, but they are not yet organized enough to carry out his plans of conquest. We still have time."
"Nimar," Bagath whispered, "what of Omnispace?"
Darran Koor looked away for a few moments, then sat on a rock.
"Gone," he finally said. "A few survived, but the sphere itself will soon burn itself out of existence."
"What about the Eternal Wanderer." Cherry asked.
Darran Koor smiled.
"They escaped, with a little help."
"Monitor?" Cherry asked.
"No," the Nimar answered, "Creannon."
Cherry and Bagath looked at each other with utter surprise.
"She... has returned?" Bagath asked, becoming excited.
"Yes," Darran Koor answered. "While setting up his trap for Omnispace, Te-Ess'Arr created numerous pockets and gates to parallel planes, and other points on this plane, to facilitate his foul plan. He opened one gate too many."
"I don't understand," Bagath said.
"When Sphereworld vanished from this plane, all evidence suggested that it was taken into an alternate prime material plane, though we may never know for certain. When the arcane began to set his trap, he took advantage of the remaining rupture to set up some of his transfer gates. As his network of gates in Omnispace grew, so did the rupture in the former vicinity of Sphereworld. It was through this growing rupture that the Spelljammer was able to escape from it's prison and return to our plane."
"Where was it?" Cherry asked. "Someone claimed seeing it in Heardspace just last year," Cherry pointed out.
"The citing in Heardspace was just an image," Darran Koor explained.
"The ship was attempting to enter our plane again, and while it could enter the ethereal and astral planes at will, just as it has always done, it could not materialize on our plane, except in what was once the Broken Sphere."
"So the people in Heardspace saw only a ghost image of the ship trying to enter our plane," Bagath said.
"Correct. Te-Ess'Arr used various forms of planer magic on the Broken Sphere shortly after it re-sealed itself. Anything that was inside the sphere at that time, could never leave, either by spelljamming or by planer travel."
Bagath and Cherry were horrified to learn that Te-Ess'Arr could seal an entire sphere like that.
"How did you learn this?" Cherry asked.
"The Spelljammer told me," Darran Koor answered with a smile.
"Naturally," Bagath said sarcastically, "why didn't I think of that?"
"You said you went to visit an old friend..." Cherry started.
"Yes," the Nimar answered, as he withdrew three books from a fold in his cape. "I went to get these." At that he held the books out and placed them on the grass before Cherry.
"Most of what you need to know about becoming a Nimar is within these books," he said, his voice very serious. "It will be some time before you must use this knowledge, but there is much to learn. You must begin immediately."
At that the Nimar stood up. His features began to melt into those of a large, glowing, vaguely reptilian humanoid with large, gossamer wings.
"Darran Koor," Cherry cried, "wait!"
"Most of what you need to know," the avangion said, "is within those books. Watch the skies. I will return soon."
Before either the wizard or the druid could say another word, the avangion vanished into the afternoon sun, leaving them in the peaceful forrest above Maplegrove.
The Phlogiston, somewhere near the sphere of Refuge...
Alone in the flow, a single ship travelled in a wide, corkscrew motion toward a spot in the distance. The dreadnought Eternal Wanderer had left New Glorin two days earlier and was en route to Solaris. During their journey they would travel through Refuge, a sphere known for being an arcane haven. At first the crew was nervous about taking this route, considering that it was an arcane that was the root of so many of their current problems. However, Blaise had seen to it that a Conorg escort would meet them upon their entry into the sphere. While the Conorg certainly had reasons of their own for protecting the Wanderer, those reasons didn't matter.
From the bridge of the ship, a large, dark skinned man looked through a telescope into the flotsam ahead. A black spot appeared, no larger than the head of a large nail. The man looked down at a chart, as two other people walked onto the bridge.
"Normakon?" Belieth asked.
The dark-skinned man turned around and smiled.
"Do you think this is convincing?" he asked with a smile.
"Why the disguise?" Hall asked.
"In truth, I'm just practicing," the disguised beholder said. "I haven't worked in human form for quite some time, so I've decided to brush up a bit."
"What's our location?" Hall asked, looking at the chart.
"I just spotted Refuge, about eight days away."
"Very good," Hall said. "That put's us right on schedule."
Belieth was looking out the window at the phlogiston. Somewhere out there was a crystal sphere called Solaris. Hall walked up beside her.
"What do you think it's like now?" Belieth asked quietly.
"Probably much the same, at least on the surface," Hall answered. "It's the stuff that's below the surface that will be different."
It had been nearly twelve years since Hall and Belieth had left the sphere of their birth. In that time, they had explored over a dozen different spheres, seen many places, and met many people. They had also been forcibly separated by an old enemy, and later re-united. Even after all of this, they were apprehensive about returning home. Indeed, their home may have become something else. In those twelve years, Solaris had indeed become something totally different.
Elsewhere, in the recreation room, several members of the crew were attempting to relax. Doing so was very difficult, however. The destruction of Omnispace, and the violent deaths of two well-liked members of the crew had left everyone somewhat nervous. There were other things making people nervous.
Phantom positioned his pool cue on the table, and prepared to sink a shot. He moved the cue wrong, causing the cue ball to fall into one of the side pockets.
"Scratch," he said quietly.
"Let's hear it, Phantom," Onestar said as he prepared his cue. "I'm winning this game hands down and I'm lousy at it!" Onestar sank one ball, but he too scratched.
Phantom prepared to try another shot, but instead put his cue down and leaned against the bar, where he had a half filled glass of ale.
"It's Ville," he said quietly.
Onestar nodded and perched on one of the chairs. He was again wearing a kimono around the ship, as opposed to the loose shirt and trouser outfit he had started wearing. Apparently, Crystal Ravenheart liked seeing the samurai in a kimono. That was reason enough for Onestar to wear one from time to time.
"Ville spends all his time in the lower decks," Phantom said. "Whenever he has bridge duty he only stops in for a few minutes at a time. He claims it's because he want's to take a more 'hands on' approach to managing ships operations."
Onestar nodded. He had noticed this change in Ville as well. Ever since he received Colicor's curse he had become very different.
"He may be attempting to come to terms with this," Onestar offered.
"Perhaps," Phantom answered, "but he seems more like he's sulking to me. Colicor preyed on his xenophobia." Phantom said the word with utter contempt. "Instead of trying to overcome that, he appears to be wallowing in it. It's as if he's saying 'I'm a human. Why did this happen to me?'"
"Have you talked to Hall or Crystal about this?" Onestar asked. "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not very good at helping people sort out their problems. I have too many of my own." At that the samurai laughed. Phantom smiled.
"I don't know what Ville has become," Phantom said. "I can't speak to him any more. In fact, he's beginning to frighten me."
Onestar thought for a moment.
"I wish we knew what Colicor had done to him," he said finally. "Monitor said that his abilities had been enhanced, and that he now possessed some skills that resembled those of a vampire."
"Do you think he could be some kind of undead?" Phantom asked.
"It's possible, but I doubt it. If he were, then..."
[Captain!] Damian's voice rang from the pool table. [Zebart is about to try another one of his new gadgets!]
Onestar snorted and put down his cue.
"Get Karramon," he said as he started out the door. "I'll be back shortly," he said as he left the room.
The rest of the people in the room looked around for a few minutes, then resumed what they were doing. Illeria, however, did not. She just looked at Phantom for a moment, and saw that he was upset about something. Perhaps, she thought, if I can get him to talk with me...
She slowly walked over to the bar, where Phantom was working on his ale.
"Phantom?" she asked, "is something bothering you? Something you want to talk about?"
Phantom didn't realize she had asked him anything for a few moments. When he did, he just looked at her and said "no," shaking his head. He then went back to staring into his glass.
Illeria slowly walked back to where she had been sitting. She felt dejected, but not overly discouraged. She could try again.
Quan Dien was a humanoid. That was about all anyone could be sure about. No one knew where he came from, how old he was, or even what he looked like. Only one thing was certain: he was not a man.
The strange humanoid sat quietly his personal quarters on his whale ship. He loved to ply the space lanes, and he loved the art of piracy. Ships from all over Solaris fled at the mention of his name. At least that was so until the lich began to take control of things. Montrazar, that other worldly tyrant, had slowly by surely gathered up the various pirate factions of Solaris to work of him. Quan Dien had to play along or risk death at the hands of his former colleagues. Dien didn't trust the lich at all, and knew that he had other plans.
His plan was to wait until the lich played his hand. He would then leave the sphere loaded with bounty, or seize Montrazar's power, whichever was easier. Time means nothing to one who can't be killed. If he can't conquer this sphere today, there would always be tomorrow. Always.
One thing he didn't like, however, were his new associates: the Neogi. Whatever Montrazar offered them it must have been good. However, Quan Dien was allowed to command the neogi under him as if they were his own men.
"Enter," he said in a hollow voice.
An ogre entered carrying a neogi. The neogi was struggling and was obviously fearing for its life.
"You failed," Quan Dien said to the neogi as the ogre stood by the door.
"Warhawk unexpected it was!" the neogi pleaded. "Destroyed Calla Maraine we did..."
"I know," Dien said, "and that's why I'm going to allow your group a second chance. Apparently you can do good work, but only in small quantities."
"Not true!" the neogi protested. "Copper Whale also damaged, many dead, as ordered."
"But what of Hypathia the arcane?"
"...I know not."
"You see, she was carrying information that could put Master Torell in great danger. Now I will have to send a messenger to him, explaining your incompetence."
"NO! Please!" the neogi shrieked. "Another chance give me! Destroy the arcane cow we can!"
"I'm sure your unit can do the work," Dien said in mock sympathy. "But, I would prefer if the work were directed by a more qualified commander."
The neogi tried to run away, but Quan Dien was on him in seconds. The humanoid flipped the neogi on its back, and tore into its chest with his bare hands. The neogi shrieked in agony as Quan Dien extracted its still-beating heart. When the neogi was finally still, Dien put the bloodied heart into its mouth and slammed it shut.
"Take this to the new neogi commander," Dien said to the ogre.
"Have message for commander?" the ogre rumbled.
"No," Dien said. "He should get the point just by looking at this."
At that the ogre bowed and removed the slaughtered neogi.
Quan Dien looked over at a cage where a hideous, alien bird was caged. He lifted some meat scraps and started feeding them to the bird.
"This is that traitor Cohmot's fault," he said to the bird. "And were it not for that damn arcane Hypathia we would have found him and silenced him long ago. But, now, the Muldravians will know all about the neogi base and where they get their supplies. And that," he paused, "will be the end of the neogi, at least in this sphere."
Dien was not bothered by the absence of the neogi. It would be one less competitor to deal with. He was more concerned about this new threat, the elves.
Granted the elves had been in Solaris for quite some time, it was only within the past two months that they had been making themselves visible. The navy had withdrawn their standard forces to a safe location somewhere in the sphere, and allowed the dreaded "Green Sash" take to the space lanes. Dien spat on the ground in contempt. The Green Sash were the criminals of the elven nations, gathered together into one large flotilla, and allowed to raid the space of Solaris at will.
This practice struck Quan Dien as being akin to allowing a halfling to manage an account book, but no matter. The Green Sash would ensure the hatred of the elves, and this would eliminate another rival in Solaris. As it is, private groups all over the sphere were violently acting against the elves. Dien hated the elves as much as the neogi, but he had to admit that he had a certain repore with one of the new elven commanders; a extremely ruthless commander named...
"Blackleaf?" a voice called. "Captain Jamian Blackleaf?"
The one-handed elf rose from the command chair of his man-o-war, the "Impaler", and walked to the hailing crystal. In it was the image of admiral Falconbaine, the commander of the Green Sash.
"Yes, admiral?" Jamian said.
"I thought you would like to know that they are ready to proceed at the Playards. It should be quite a show," the admiral said.
"I'm not sure I can make it in time," Jamian said, "but I'll try. And sir, has there been any report of an illithid dreadnought entering the sphere?"
The admiral spoke to someone who was just outside the image on the crystal. After a few minutes he turned back to Jamian.
"Not yet," he said. "Should we be looking for any ship in particular?"
"Yes," Jamian hissed: "The Eternal Wanderer II."
The admiral smiled and made a note on his pad.
"I would like a piece of that one myself," he added with a sickly grin.
Jamian nodded. "Impaler out," he said.
Jamian Blackleaf looked out at the stars for several long minutes.
"Are you coming home, Bard of Wildspace?" he asked the night sky. "Remember what I said? The next time we meet I wouldn't play fair? Well, I'm ready for a re-match. Are you?"
The insane elf then looked as what had once been his right hand. In it's place was a brass hook. With a furious hiss, Jamian drove the hook into the wall near the portal, leaving a huge scratch on the wall.
