--Missing beginning post--

• Smerf: Beliria smiles and stretches subtly, "Ah, yes. It is good to meet you. I want you to know that I... appreciate your help and presence."
• Egani: "Uh, OK."
• Egani: "Anyway, I hear that you know the ancient runes. Is that right?"
• Egani opens a large leather-clad volume.
• Egani: "Look at this?" Egani can barely contain his excitement.
• Smerf: Beliria reaches out and takes the book from Egani's hand, her fingers to linger on his longer than necessary.
• Smerf: "Hmm..."
• Egani: Egani doesn't react to her touch -- allowing her her games. "I reckon that this was written about 1500 years ago by an elvish follower of A'kesh. But he was an outsider -- not central to the Academy. I'm wondering what his connection is to the ancients who lived here."
• Smerf: Beliria frowns slightly, part in concentration and part in frustration with Egani's lack of resopnse, "Interesting. It is a very old dialect. It might take some time to decipher, but I think I could do it..."
• Egani: "Let's work on it together. I have actual walls and lighting and stuff, want to do it at my house?"
• Smerf: Beliria smiles, "I would love to work with you, but you caught me on the way to wash up... Perhaps I could meet you there for dinner?"
• Egani: "Sure, it's a big table! We can always add another plate."
• Egani: "You know where I live?"
• Smerf: Beliria nods, "In the house, yes?"
• Egani: "Right. OK. See you in a while."
• Smerf: *
• Egani sets another place at the table while explaining to Marcia that one of the Tethite refugees is coming over to help with some translation.
• Egani: "I think Arblak will be here for dinner again too, actually."
• Smerf: Beliria knocks at the door.
• Egani: Marcia, being closer, answers the door while Egani fetches water from the new well.
• Smerf: Beliria offers a tight smile, she has changed into a rather nice silk dress, "Good evening, I'm here to see Egani." She puts an odd emphasis on the word "see".
• Egani: "Please come in. Are you the Tethite translator he's been telling me about?"
• Smerf: "Is that what he told you? Well, I suppose that's mostly true."
• Egani: Marcia, full of grace, ignores Beliria's course behavior. "Won't you have a seat? Dinner will be ready in a while. Would you care for some tea?"
• Smerf: "I would, thank you."
• Egani can be heard banging around in the kitchen. He comes into the parlor wearing his leather apron over dirty short pants and a slightly torn shirt. "The barrel's full of water again, hon. May I have a cup too? Thanks."
• Egani: He sits as his wife moves to serve tea. "I'm sure glad you were available on such short notice."
• Egani: "I've set up a place for us to work, where we won't be interrupted."
• Smerf: "Excellent." She sips at her tea, "And this is excellent too."
• Egani: "Yeah, our stores from home are getting low, but remarkably, when the ship crashed, I found a great tin of tea from home. What luck!"
• Smerf: Beliria arches an eyebrow, "Good luck indeed."
• Egani: "Well, you know, silver lining and all that..."
• Egani: "Ah, Arblak, come in! Dinner's almost ready."
• Egani: The smell of roast suckling pig fills the house. "It's funny how many surprise dinner guests we get on a night like this...."
• Smerf: Beliria takes a long, somewhat uncomfortable look at Arblak. "I am not very comfortable around goblins..."
• Egani: Oh, he's not a goblin.
• Egani: He's a...Arblak, what kind of creature was your father? I forget.
• Smerf: Arblak mumbles to himself, "Lurgo."
• Egani: "Oh, that's right, some Lugro had his way with poor Arblak's mother. But it just goes to show what I was talking about earlier. Arblak is the silver lining that came from an unfortunate affair."
• Smerf: Beliria shrugs, "If you say so..."
• Egani: "Ah, it sounds like dinner is ready. I'm hungry." With that, Egani rises and gestures toward the dining room doorway."
• Smerf: Beliria rises and follows, walking gracefully. Arblak also shambles along.
• Egani: *
• Egani: "That sure was a fine pig, Marcia. Excellent as usual! Beliria and I have some work to do in the shop. We'll probably be up late." Egani kisses his wife and nods to Arblak before leading the visitor down the three steps to the shop door.
• Smerf: Beliria rises and turns to Marcia, "Yes, thank you. I quite enjoyed it."
• Egani: As they enter the shop, a large bench has been cleared of the normal equipment and doodads that reside there. Now, it is half clear and half covered in sheets of velum and writing tools.
• Egani: "Here's the source that I was showing you earlier. I'm ready to write as you dictate the sense of the original."
• Smerf: Beliria sits down and begins looking over the manuscript.
• Egani: "From the diagrams it seems to be a magical forging process. This is right up my area of expertice, so you can see why I'm eager to unravel it."
• Smerf: "As I mentioned before, this is a very old dialect, I'm not sure I can translate it at all, but I know I can not without some reference texts. Do you happen to have any?"
• Egani: "Not really. I have rubbings of all the runes in the dome in the swamp. But not on Tethite history..."
• Egani: "I figured you'd bring such along, I guess."
• Smerf: Beliria smiles, "Unfortunately we don't have any books of this age. The only references this old are carved in the city."
• Egani: "Drat! Well, let's see how much of it you can get. Maybe we can intuit the gaps."
• Smerf: She nods, "Very well..."
• Smerf: Hours go by with little progress made. Bits and pieces are translated, but Beliria translates none of the key terms. Egani, engrossed in his work, and in trying to puzzle out the missing pieces, fails to notice that she is doing it intentionally.
• Egani: "Gah! You were my last, best hope." Egani stand behind Beliria and rubs her shoulders. "It's late. We should call it a night. Perhaps I can consult the spirits of the island. May I drive you home, or would you rather stay in our guest room?"
• Smerf: Beliria smiles coyly, "I really should get back. I have been away from the city for a long time today, and doubtless something has come up that demands my attention. Thank you for you offer though... Perhaps another time?"
• Egani: "Oh, of course." Egani leads Beliria out to his wagon and helps her aboard.
• Egani: As they travel to the Tethite refugee camp, Egani shares stories of his life in Sel-kai, explains the Brotherhood of knowledge, and talks about teaching Beliria magic. "You know, if you were to join us in the Brotherhood, we might be able to work more closely -- tackle this problem again. You would have a kind of intuitive access to our fields of study, too."
• Egani: "I've had bad luck getting members, I think Okhfels is intimidated by the group and others have picked up on it."
• Smerf: Beliria looks at Egani, "I am willing to entertain the idea, but it is late and I am tired. I have found I often make... unwise decisions when I am tired. Perhaps we could speak on this again later?"

• Isadora is gnawing a piece of bread and looking thoughtfully at Okhfels' bent sword sticking out of the ground, just turning away as he and Lana approach.
• Smerf: Lana follows stiffly behind Okhfels, her expensively tailored clothes look distinctly out of place in the camp.
• Okhfels: Okhfels gives Isadora a little kiss and indicates Lana. "We have another one."
• Smerf: Lana looks Isadora up and down critically, "You normally bear a sword."
• Isadora, whose wardrobe has become gradually more rustic over the last several months, raises an eyebrow at their approach. She smiles at Okhfels, then turns her eyes back to Lana and nods to her. "Welcome to Green Lake," she says, drily.
• Smerf: Lana stands silently, clearly impatient for an answer.
• Isadora: After a moment, Isadora adds, "It's the customary use of a scabbard, yes. I assume they have such devices where you come from?"
• Smerf: Lana stands silent for another long minute, then shakes herself, "Where is yours?"
• Isadora: "Mystically entangled at the moment, I'm told. It seems to be going around this morning." Gesturing behind her to Okhfels' old sword, she says, "Archelaus' bird brought yours back. Please don't touch it right now, as it seems to be possessed."
• Okhfels: Okhfels pulls his hand back. "Oh, joy."
• Smerf: "Did you know a man named Sebastian?"
• Okhfels: "i think I'm going to go back to carrying a hammer," mutters Okhfels, "Whoever heard of a posessed hammer?"
• Isadora: "We were quite acquainted, yes," says Isadora, looking at Lana. "Now, I'm Isadora, and I know why I might be wandering around asking questions. Who are you?"
• Smerf: "My name is Lana, and I'm looking for Sebastian."
• Isadora: "I'm terribly sorry, you haven't heard? He's dead," Isadora says quietly. She shoots a very brief, inquiring look at Okhfels.
• Smerf: "I had heard that, but I found it hard to believe. He was a very canny man, none of his enemies ever caught him unaware."
• Okhfels: Okhfels gives Isadora a curt nod that says, "Yes, of course, she knows."
• Isadora: "Ah," she says. "If it's verification you're seeking, I can provide it. Is there anything else you need?"
• Smerf: Lana seems to think for a moment, "Is it true you killed him, then?"
• Isadora nods. "I did."
• Smerf: "And you are currently without a blade. I assume you know how to use one?"
• Okhfels: Okhfels doesn't like the turn this conversation is taking. He unlimbers his arms and flexes his hands.
• Smerf: Lana flicks a glance in Okhfels' direction, "Stand down, big man."
• Okhfels: Okhfels cocks an eyebrow. "Oh?"
• Smerf: "This is not your concern."
• Isadora: "It's all right," Isadora says to Okhfels. To Lana, she says, "Indeed. Are you approaching your point?"
• Smerf: Lana smiles slightly, "I suppose I am... One last question: why did you kill Sebastian?"
• Okhfels: Okhfels clamps his mouth shut, and hooks his thumbs in his belt. That's his "I want to look like I'm not ready to fight, but I am really" stance.
• Isadora, who has seen this sequence before, shoots Okhfels a brief warning look. To Lana: "The usual reason friends kill one another--he offered insult beyond my tolerance to bear."
• Smerf: Lana stares at Isadora in disbelief, "You killed a... "friend" over an insult? What did he say to you?"
• Okhfels: Okhfels looks around. Anyone nearby could turn out to be aid, assassin... or witness.
• Isadora returns the stare with a faintly incredulous look of her own. "What *do* the aristocrats do where you come from?"
• Smerf: Lana nods suddenly, "Ah, that explains it. You killed him over something insignificant."
• Isadora: "You seem to have missed my meaning entirely, but you also indicated you planned to make your own meaning clear. If you've reconsidered the latter, please say so--my day is rather busy."
• Smerf: Lana nods sharply, "Very well. Since you are without your own blade, you may borrow one of mine." She slings the bundle from her back and unwraps a pair of exquisitely made matching swords. She extends them hilt-first to Isadora, "Choose."
• Okhfels: Okhfels takes one of the blades.
• Isadora says, "Ah, good, a challenge. I will require a few moments to fetch my spare blade, as yours are of a different style." She adds to Okhfels, "I trust you are hefting that only out of curiosity, as I will be attending to this matter myself."
• Smerf: Lana nods, "I will await you here."
• Okhfels: "Isadora..."
• Okhfels: Okhfels slips the blade back where it belongs and follows Isadora.
• Okhfels: "You can't accept this challenge."
• Isadora: As Isadora and Okhfels go back to her tent, Isadora says to him, "My authority is absolutely hollow if I cannot offer satisfaction on the field of honor." She looks at him almost pleadingly. "I know they may not do things this way in Teth, but you need to let me do this."
• Okhfels: "You don't know if you can win, Isadora. At least let me test her out. Tell her I'm your champion."
• Okhfels: "I promise I'll yield before she kills me."
• Isadora: In the tent, Isadora locates another rapier and makes a few lunges with it, then nods and belts it on. To Okhfels, she says quietly, "In many other affairs, I have allowed you to assume risks that should be mine. For this--for a friend I killed with my own hand--I can't."
• Okhfels: "Stop me."
• Okhfels: Okhfels turns on his heels and strides purposefully out of the tent.
• Isadora strides after him, heading back to Lana.
• Smerf: Lana stands precisely where she was when they left. In fact, it looks as if she hasn't even shifted her weight.
• Smerf: "Are you prepared?"
• Isadora: "I accept your challenge," Isadora says as she approaches.
• Okhfels: Okhfels stands in front of Lana, between her and Isadora
• Smerf: Lana waits patiently for Okhfels to move.
• Okhfels: Okhfels says, quietly, "If you kill her... you better be ready to kill again."
• Okhfels: Okhfels stands off to the side, thumbs in his belt.
• Smerf: Lana addressed Isadora, "It is your custom to permit a second to threaten a primary?"
• Isadora, who was opening her mouth to say something terrible to Okhfels, stops with great relief. To Lana, she says as she takes off her jacket, "As one who is here for a revenge duel, your question pushes the bounds of credulity."
• Smerf: Lana shakes her head slowly, "Not revenge. Justice. I offer you a final chance to explain yourself, though based on your actions and those of your second, I find I have little hope that you have an honorable explanation."
• Okhfels: Okhfels grits his teeth and bites back a sharp retort.
• Isadora: "Out here we have the custom of not bandying words," Isadora says, rolling her shoulders to loosen them. "You have discounted my words and insulted my people; I fear that these things quite masked your no-doubt earnest quest for justice. Fortunately, we seem to speak at least one common tongue." She draws her rapier and salutes Lana.
• Smerf: Lana offers a deep, stylized bow and draws her blade.
• Okhfels: Okhfels spots one of his men. He gives the hand signals "assemble the troop" and "await further orders"
• Smerf: Both women stand watching each other for a long moment, then seemingly simultaneously both move. Isadora's proud eyes watch every movement, seeking to identify Lana's school. Lana moves gracefully, almost dancing, and their blades ring throughout the camp.
• Smerf: As the duel wears on, Lana becomes visibly frustrated, and her movements become stiffer, her strikes more angry, any observer can tell that Isadora has the upper hand. Lana seems to gather herself and launches a vicious series of attacks, relying on ferocity to prevent Isadora from counter-attacking. Suddenly she freezes, her eyes flashing distractedly, and she stumbles ever so slightly. Isadora responds immediately with an econom
• Smerf: Lana drops her sword with a cry and a look of confusion as she slips to one knee in front of Isadora, unarmed.
• Isadora: "Yield," Isadora says calmly, with something that might be sympathy in her eyes.
• Smerf: Lana sneers, her voice dripping with contempt, "Yield? I will not yield to someone with no honor." She glances briefly at Okhfels, and then back.
• Okhfels: "Kill her."
• Isadora: "Around here," says Isadora gently, "what you just did is called 'losing'. Move on." She looks at Okhfels, then back to Lana, then turns away.
• Okhfels: Okhfels steps closer just in case Lana tries something rash. He puts his foot on her blade, where it fell.
• Smerf: Lana stands up slowly, stiffly. She pulls the silk scarf from her hair and awkwardly ties it around her shoulder, tying the not with her teeth. "You have your man interfere in the contest, and then want to walk away? No. We finish this."
• Isadora turns with raised brows, pausing in the motion of sheathing her sword. "Interfere? Was he looking at you in an unfriendly fashion, perhaps?"
• Okhfels: Okhfels draws his own sword, thick and ugly, still black from the forge.
• Smerf: Lana groans softly as she cinches the scarf, slowly soaking up her blood. "You disgust me. You know what he did. You did not slap him down when he attempted to intefere before, and now I know why."
• Isadora: "You've mastered the transition from losing to excusing. I applaud your swiftness, but as I noted earlier, my day ahead is busy." Isadora's gaze slips to Okhfels, and she shakes her head. "Don't waste your time."
• Okhfels: "I've got the time."
• Smerf: Lana grimaces and continues stepping awkwardly across the ring. She gingerly recovers her blade. "We are not done here."
• Okhfels: (Lana's blade is under Okhfels' foot)
• Isadora: "Move your foot, Okhfels. I'll finish this."
• Okhfels: Okhfels notices his men gathering, forming a circle around the pair. He steps back and takes his place in the circle.
• Isadora says mildly to Lana, "You are injured. If you wish to wait until your shoulder is recovered to continue, I will resume at your convenience."
• Smerf: Lana gives him a long look as she picks up her blade, then spits at his feet, "You know no honor. I will settle with you when this is done."
• Isadora: "If you're quite ready, then," Isadora says drily.
• Okhfels: Okhfels shrugs. "I'm a commoner and a mercenary. Honor is for rich people."
• Smerf: Lana grips her blade in her injured hand, and then draws her second blade. "Let us finish it," she lunges forward.
• Isadora: As the soldiers gather, watching and murmuring among themselves, Isadora beats back Lana's two-bladed lunge with a blur of motion. Although Lana's skill is evident, her injury slows her arm, and Isadora moves with liquid efficiency. After the initial attack is rebuffed, the two women circle, then Lana comes in again, one sword cutting high and the other cutting low.
• Isadora beats aside the cuts, then lands a perfect stop-thrust on Lana's good shoulder, piercing through out the back and cracking the collarbone. She stands there a moment, then pulls the sword out smoothly as Lana's arm hangs limp.
• Smerf: Lana's eyes roll back and she collapses, unconscious.
• Okhfels: Okhfels steps back up, sword drawn.
• Isadora: "Get the doctor," Isadora calls to the watching soldiers, kneeling beside Lana to staunch the bleeding from her shoulder.
• Okhfels: "She's not going to stop until one of you is dead."
• Okhfels: "You heard her."
• Isadora looks up at Okhfels, and some of her exhaustion shows through in her voice. "She's an impulsive child trying to avenge a friend. She doesn't worry me."
• Okhfels: "I saw her fight. She's good enough to take you, sooner or later."
• Okhfels: Okhfels puts the point of his sword at Lana's neck. "Better to end it now."
• Isadora gently presses her hand against Lana's neck, pushing down just enough to move her hand under the point of Okhfels' sword. "If she tries a third time, you can fight her--but she deserved her chance with me." Her gaze sharpens. "What was she talking about with you interfering, anyway?"
• Okhfels: "I told her that if she killed you, I'd kill her. Didn't work."
• Isadora: Shrugging, Isadora accepts that. "Touchy girl. Maybe I'm going soft because I see a bit of myself in her."
• Okhfels: Okhfels sheaths his sword. "If she makes any trouble... any at all... I'm going to deal with her. We have enough enemies."
• Isadora: "Yes, yes. But at least let her wake up, first." Isadora cleans her sword in a swift motion, then stands and stretches with an explosive breath. "Well, so far this morning I've been offered a kingdom and fought a duel. If the day continues this charmingly, I fully expect armageddon or my mother before nightfall."
• Okhfels: Okhfels turns and tells his men to go back to their posts.