While the other members of the party chatted genially and welcomed the
newcomers, Karl's mind was set on a grimmer task.  Perhaps "set" is an
inappropriate choice of words in this matter, for he was acting under
the influence of a powerful hallucinogen administered by blowgun dart
only a few minutes before...

By this time Karl has brandished the Sword of Kosdol, an ancient ceremonial
blade of greater utility when poking logs in a fireplace than cleaving
human flesh, and sought to slay the mage Amaan.  His face was a most
unusual shade of magenta and veins stood out on his forehead like a poor
map of the courses of the Ceruputhon.  Disregarding or shoving aside persons
or objects in his path, he stormed to the top passenger deck of the _Arcas_
and shoved the door open with his shoulder...

...Now, by a curious circumstance, Amaan expected Karl to arrive in exactly
this manner and to attempt to chop him up.  Indeed, he himself had
collaborated with the Shaheran of Rameshan to produce this "assassination
attempt" upon his person and thus give Rameshan an excuse to attack
the city of Generica.  As it had been arranged, Amaan would go through the
motions of surprise and alarm, call for assistance, and "fortunately" survive
the "treacherous" attack by the Generican Envoy (Karl).  Thus the perpetrator
could be punished and the Shaheran would have a free hand to sail on
Generica.

However, Amaan did _not_ expect Karl to come barging in at _this_ particular
juncture in time.  He was deeply engrossed in magical research- attempting
to harness the power of a being which he had imprisoned within a silver
sphere.  The table on which this object rested lay in the most direct
path between Amaan's writing desk and the doorway.  Naturally, Karl
blundered right into the table in his mad delirium, spilling its precious
and volitale contents helter-skelter.
  The silvery sphere rolled off the table.  Amaan yelped and grabbed for it,
missing as he jerked back to avoid Karl's wild swing.  The sphere bounced once
when it struck the floor, then shattered.  Amaan's face twisted through
expressions of confusion, despair, rage, and fear.
     A young man dressed in white robes stood on the exact spot where the
sphere had broken.  Without hesitation, the newcomer faced the exit of the
cabin and disappeared, only to reappear framed in the doorway momentarily
before ducking out of sight again.
     "You fool!" Amaan wailed, "you've ruined EVERYTHING!"
     Karl blinked, then continued his attack, dismissing the sudden apparition
as an unsuccessful distraction.  He rose the sword over his head and with
a swing clove one of the legs off of the overturned table.  Stunned, Amaan
threw a 'Magic Shield' between himself and the invader, then cast 'hold
person' on Karl.  Paralyzed by the spell, Karl froze in place while Amaan
deliberated on what to do next.  As much as he would have preferred, he
could not simply kill Karl.  Then it might appear that Amaan had initiated
the attack rather than the intended opposite.  And now there was the matter
of Dariel... he was loose... Another imprisoning spell would have to be
prepared.  For the time being, then, Amaan stowed Karl's paralyzed body
(though conscious and recovering from the drugs) in a chest near the foot
of his bed.  This done, Amaan made wards and glyphs to protect himself
from the possibility of Dariel's return.  He resumed his place at his
desk after writing his laboratory table and began the incantations to
re-imprison Dariel...

In the larder of the _Arcas_, the hold rats scurried away from a bag
marked "Grain".  This sack quivered, then was slit from within by a
short, sharp blade.  A humanoid head emerged from the sack, disembodied
but held aloft by a similarly disembodied arm.  The arm turned the head
back and forth, allowing the eyes and ears to scan for observers.  Finding
none, the arm which was attached to the torso placed the head on the neck
and swivel-locked it into place.  After re-assembling all of the limbs,
Artifice stood and surveyed the room for an exit.  Finding a porthole
that had been covered by a dropcloth, Artifice opened it and climbed outside
of the ship.  He hung onto the wooden side of the vessel by gripping the
timber with retractable talons.  It was late evening and would soon be dark
outside.  Artifice remained on the side of the _Arcas_ and waited until
nightfall to commence his next objective...

db

--
Dennis Brennan
d...@midway.uchicago.edu