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Holmes: IT's only recently that Alquas has discovered that the life he's thinking he's been living for two weeks is actually simply a projection of Agnes' mind...
Holmes: Certain tell-tale signs kept popping up, however, that didn't match reality.
Holmes: Eventually Alquas discovered that he had not escaped Agnes' mind, due to certain psychological quirks of the world that could only match Agnes' psyche.
Holmes: Alquas recalls the event that had made him sure...
Holmes: *
Holmes: *
Alquas: It had been a few days now since the ritual had failed, and Alquas was sulking. Chimrea and the others were absent, Kani had left him, and the lady Salya was keeing to her room and refusing to talk to him. He'd tried going out and flirting with girls to cheer himself up, but they'd all been strangely cold with him. Everyone was cold with him, but especially the women.
Alquas: He sat by the bar at the inn, trying to attract the attentions of the barmaid.
Alquas: "Fine lady! Some brandy, if you please."
Alquas winks at the barmaid.
barmaid tips her head to the side, thinking about the request for just a moment too long before bringing the jug of brandy to Alquas and pouring a glass.
Alquas: "Thank you, my dear."
Alquas: Well, the usual charm offensive had failed him so many times already today... it was time to shoot for pity.
Alquas: "Do you know, my lover has left me?"
barmaid: "Is that good or bad?"
Alquas perks up. This was promising...
Alquas: "That depends, my dear. It was bad for her, but perhaps it could be good for you?"
Alquas raises an eyebrow in what he hopes is a rakish fashion.
barmaid: "Why, maybe it is..." the barmaid says coyly, topping off Alquas' glass and noting it as a whole new drink in her mental running tab.
barmaid: "Tell me, why did the crazy child leave? Was she..?"
Alquas waves a hand. "It is in the past, now. We should look to the future, no?" He raises his glass. "To the future!"
barmaid smiles.
barmaid: As Alquas waves his glass around, it knocks accidentally into the barmaid's wrist as she pulls down a bottle of the good stuff. Sadly, his glass sloshes over and the entire contents spill into his lap.
barmaid: Peeking down over the bar, "Oh, I'm so sorry -- you're all wet."
Alquas: "No matter, my dear, no matter!"
barmaid comes out from around the bar with a rag in hand and helps to dry his lap. Looking up from below she remarks "Wow, these are nice pants."
Alquas: Alquas is slightly taken aback, but hey, this is the most action he's had in a week. "Um... thank you, my dear."
Alquas: What had gotten in to the women of Green Lake? They all seemed so much more... assertive...
barmaid: "Oh, I think you're going to have to take those off." She doesn't wait for his assent but begins to deftly open his complex closures.
Alquas bulges at the eyes. He wasn't ready for this.
Alquas stands up hurriedly.
Alquas: As if on cue, his pants fall down.
barmaid: "Oh, good thinking!" She slides the pants down his now-straightened legs. "Step out."
Alquas: "I.... I don't understand..." he gibbers.
Alquas: "I must be dreaming.... I must.."
Alquas stares wildly all about him.
Alquas: "Something is very, very wrong!"
barmaid doesn't seem to be bothered by or even aware of the crowded venue, but Alquas sure is. He thinks his eyes must be bulging even more as the barmaid's slight hand find it's way between his legs.
Alquas positively leaps into the air, springing away from the crazed woman.
barmaid: But he doesn't go far because her grip is firm and true.
Alquas: His mind races. All the women over the last week... some laughed at him, some had witty comebacks or sneering putdowns, all had had a certain glint in their eye... a spikiness, an edge Alquas wasn't used to seeing.
barmaid: "I'm sure glad you came in today." The barmaid backs him against a table and pushes him down onto his back.
Alquas: "Who ARE you?" he says, his voice climbing an octave or so.
barmaid: "You know, silly, I'm Chimanya...the barmaid. You came to see me." She climbs atop him, stradling his waist, making it hard to think -- even to fear.
Alquas: "No... yes, but... in your eyes... your eyes..." He struggles, limply, as she pins him down with suprising force.
barmaid: The position works out and the fucking begins in earnest. The barmaid ignores Alquas' obvious discomfort, taking what she needs.
Alquas has never enjoyed sex less in his life. He feels, not terrified, but just utterly without will, as if dominated by a force...
Alquas: "What... are... you?" he manages..
barmaid: Leaning down and whispering in his ear, the barmaid tells him. "Love...hope...sex...dreams...Woman!"
Alquas: It is, literally, Alquas' worst nightmare.
Alquas: A name floats to the top of his battered consciousness.
Alquas: "Agnes?"
barmaid: The barmaid kisses Alquas for the first time at that. "I'm just the barmaid..."
barmaid silences Alquas with actions, gestures and even a hand clapped over his mouth when necessary.
barmaid: Alquas never finishes but eventually the barmaid is exhausted and climbs off.
barmaid: "Thank you."
Alquas remains speechless.
barmaid polishes glasses at the bar as if nothing were amiss.

Holmes: Chimrea becomes aware that Ohidnar seems to be crawling with spirits beholden to Old Man Spider.
Holmes: It seems odd, because the magical traditions involved here seem to have nothing to do with such spirits.
Holmes: Not Egani's, not the religion of the High King, or even the Old Goblin Gods... yet there they are
Chimrea has been apparently zoned out while Tez and Agnes interrogated the goblin and Kerem disappeared. In fact, she's been trying to puzzle out the spirit situation. Finally, she goes off to the side a bit and hunches down near one. "Excuse me," she says politely to it.
Holmes: The spirit in question seems to inhabit a shadow that's formed by the torchlight of the cavern, but to Chimrea, she can clearly see that it's some sort of chitinous cave creature, spiritually.
Tez wanders over to Chimrea and stares at her.
Chimrea: "Look at the shadow..." Chimrea murmurs to Tez in a very distracted voice. She can feel her awareness attuning.
Tez transfers her gaze to the shadow skeptically. "It's.. dark."
Holmes: "What can I do for a servant of Old Man Spider," the thing chitters to Chimrea in it's own way.
Chimrea: "Tell me about this place," she says to the jointed thing. "Tell me what you hear in the dark corners of this earth."
Tez turns to Cassio, "See, on adventures, we look at shadows."
Tez: "And sometimes we talk to them."
Cassio nods to Tez, "Ok..."
Tez: "Sometimes they're not really shadows, and they talk back. I think."
Cassio: "I'd hope so. Wandering around having one-sided conversations with shadows does not sound particularly exciting, or sane."
Cassio smirks
Holmes: "The story of this place is old, and one of the trade of ten thousand souls for the life of one great power," it replies as it derives sustenance from the trade of light and shadow on the stone.
Tez laughs, the humor in it slightly off by a tone or a heartbeat. "Depends on who you ask."
Chimrea leans closer, finding it easier to hear the spirit when her own face is cast in the same shadows. "The High King?" she asks.
Holmes: Things begin to swim into focus... Alquas can see that he's in a large cavern. He looks about, but he can't seem to move.
Holmes: Cassio sees Alquas forming, as a faint image that seems to be attached to a strange bit of rock on Egani's workbench.
Cassio: "Uh, what is that? ... *points*"
Alquas: "AGNES!"
Alquas: "I know that was you! Where are you, damnable woman?"
Alquas: ~~What have you done to me?~~
Tez looks where he's pointing. She tilts her head to the side and blinks as he yells through her brain. "Alquas is a shadow now?"
Holmes: The spirit speaking to Chimrea seems to be distracted somewhat by Alquas' appearance (as are most), but manages to communicate, "Yes, the one who titles himself High King. The sacrifices were meant for the Old Goblin Gods. But a deal was made. This is why we are so many here... it was a good deal."
Chimrea: "Tell me about the deal," Chimrea says. The familiar voice shouting for Agnes nags at her, but she's so focused on the spirit right now that she hasn't really processed it.
Tez walks over to Alquas and attempts to poke him with an outstretched finger
Alquas looks about him. "Tez? And you I don't know..." he says, indicating Cassio. "Where are we?"
Cassio: "Yes, uh, hi."
Holmes: Tez's finger passes into Alquas.
Alquas: "Is this still Agnes' mind?"
Alquas watches the fingers pass through him. "Oh."
Cassio looks more than a little taken aback with all this mental/spirit/insanity he has been dragged into
Tez waves her hand around in what would be Alquas' midsection with a bit of glee.
Alquas sighs. "Or am I dead again?"
Tez: "Um no, Agnes's mind is..." she gestures upward vaguely, then towards the new man. "I think you might be dead, but this is Cassio. He's nice."
Alquas is in no mood for introductions.
Cassio smiles, forced but pleasant enough
Tez: "Cassio you remember I told you about Alquas?" she asks brightly.
Alquas: "If this is not Agnes' mind, then where is she?" He casts about him, and his eyes finally fall on the body.
Alquas: "Oh."
Cassio: "Yes, I do. Also, do members of this group often die and come back as spirits?"
Tez: "Kinda. Sometimes they just die though."
Cassio: "Oh. *pause* The coming back is creepy, but better I wager."
Tez: "Hey can you still do magic?"
Tez swishes her hand through Alquas some more
Alquas: Alquas sighs, again.
Alquas: "Is there anyone in here," he says, evenly, "who can tell me what in the name of Z'tarr is going on?"
Tez: "I don't like Z'tarr, you'll have to ask someone else."
Egani leads four goblins carying sacks leaking ruddy-colored dust into the room and over to Agnes' copper tub.
Holmes: The spirit speaking to Chimrea finally comes around to answering her question, "The deal was that the High King would get to be summoned instead of the God that was meant to be. In return, Old Man Spider got to have us here. So we can live off the deals the the goblins cut between themselves and the earth."
Alquas: "How long have I been away? Did you know where I was?"
Alquas: "You! With the goblins! Are you in charge here? Where are we, man?"
Alquas: "I can't get a straight answer out of this lot."
Chimrea: Chimrea's next question is obvious: "Who made the deal?"
Egani: After being sure that the clay is being mixed properly by his Murlogi assistants, he comes over to see Alquas, a curious hunger evident on his face. "So, what's this?"
Tez suddenly realizes with slight dismay that she can no longer punch Alquas.
Holmes: The spirit replies to Chimrea, "The Taker himself, of course. And the earth elemental."
Holmes: "The priests were all fooled."
Alquas: "My name is Alquas ei-Qeddim. I have... materialised here in some ethereal form after being... absent, and I seem unable to move. And no-one will even tell me where we are!"
Egani: "Ohindar."
Alquas: "There was a ritual, with Agnes... and I went.. somewhere... and then I turned up here, but without my body, it appears."
Cassio makes a mental note to avoid participation in any 'rituals' as they are 'conceived' by this 'group'
Chimrea: Thinking fast, but trying not to think too hard about what she's saying at the same time, Chimrea says, "Who is the greatest of Old Man Spider's children in this place? I bring serious news."
Alquas: "Ohindar? The name means nothing to me, friend.
Tez: "Goblin city" she adds helpfully.
Alquas: "I see."
Alquas: "Is Agnes... indisposed? I would speak with her."
Alquas: "In addition, I would be grateful for information on the whereabouts of my body. What became of it after the ritual?"
Tez shrugs eloquently.
Egani: "She's around sometimes but I haven't spoken to her in a couple hours."
Egani: Um, I can set you up with a body if you want.
Tez: "I t hought you left when we were in there."
Holmes: A goblin peeks into the cavern. It peers around a bit, apparently trying to assess those inside. It seems to settle upon Cassio, who notes him. Taking the opportunity, the goblin's face lights up, and it gestures for Cassio to come over.
Cassio casually strolls over to the goblin
Tez did not particularly notice the goblin, but notes Cassio's departure.
Cassio just looks at it curiously once there, hand quite close to his weapon
Alquas takes no notice of Cassio.
Alquas: "You can set me up with a body? Temporarily?"
Egani leaves for a few minutes and returns pushing an elaborate brass(?) blimp through the air. Below the blimp hangs a small contraption -- half bicycle, half spider-monkey. Looking at Alquas, "Since you seem to be a friend of Agnes, I'd be willing to place you in this baby -- she's pretty neat!"
Holmes: The goblin tries (somewhat unsuccessfully) to make human faces of supplication as it appeals to Cassio. "The master surely wants to impress the females, no? I have a way. The one you call Kerem? He was trying to do something and got caught. You could impress them with your bravery, and free him."
Egani: The monkey is chewing on a six-inch slab of cave lichen.
Cassio kind of frowns, "Kerem got caught? Doing what?"
Tez is torn between staring at the spider-monkey blimp and eavesdropping on Cassio
Cassio kind of shoots Chimrea a glance while he thinks over the idea of impressing the women
Alquas: "What... is it, friend?"
Cassio looks back to the goblin, "So why help me? What is in it for you?"
Egani blinks, trying to figure out what the ghostly man means. "...It can fly around -- no longer limited to the two dimensions that we normally think in. It's just waiting for a real driver."
Holmes: The goblin explains to Cassio, "I think he was valiantly trying to free the slaves. I am a slave, but am allowed out. If he were to open the pits there would be a chance for us all to run to the goblin freeholds. I... I will only show him to you if you promise to make sure he gets his key, and does free us."
Alquas weighs his options.
Alquas: "Friend, can you assure me that you can take me into this contraption and back out of it again, and unharmed?"
Egani: "Well...probably."
Cassio perks up, thinking how heroic this sounds, "Ok, lead the way my newfound height challenged friend."
Chimrea: Chimrea, nervously waiting for an answer from the spirit, looks over at Cassio. She has the impression he's talking about something she should worry about, but her head's still too much in the spirit world to quite track it down.
Egani tugs the mechanism back away from Alquas and company. "You know, if you wanted a more traditional body, we could do that too. I was just giving you an option on the coolest new thing that I had available."
Tez feels like she really ought to follow Cassio, but... the spider monkey thing... ALQUAS in the brass monkey blimp...
Holmes: The goblin tries to translate the phrase "height challenged" from Rhiani to goblin, his brow furrowed, but after a moment fails. He shrugs and says, "You promise, hooman?"
Alquas: "Probably?"
Egani nods. And drags the blimp away, behind some partitions. "It's OK, there's other stuff here, more suited to your...comprehension." As Egani returns he gestures across the room to five tables bearing unconcious goblins. "Those guys for instance."
Alquas reflects that his choices are limited.
Tez looks a bit disappointed and saunters after Cassio, pausing at the doorway to take one last look
Cassio: "Yes, I swear upon my honor and such. I will make sure he gets the key and frees you."
Alquas: "Very well then, friend. You may move me into whatever... form.. you consider safest."
Egani selects the freshest of the incapacitated murlogi patients and rolls the wheeled table close to where Alquas appeared."
Holmes: Chimrea becomes aware that this spirit's name is Cavelight Crawler. It responds to her query about who Old Man Spider's biggest representative in the area is saying, "That would be Salamander. He lives deep below."
Chimrea: "I would very much like to speak with him. Could you arrange an audience?"
Holmes: "I can announce your coming, but you would have to make your way down to him in the firey depths," it replies.
Chimrea is thinking hard, because this might be an insurmountable barrier. Frowning, she finally takes her eyes from the blurring play of half-light and chitin and looks around the room--and her eyes widen as she sees Alquas' image.
Chimrea: Turning back to the spirit, she says, "I will prepare for the journey. Thank you for your help."
Chimrea: Then stepping back toward Alquas and Egani, far too late to affect what's going on, Chimrea says, "What's happening? Alquas, is that you?"
Alquas: "Chimreah!"
Holmes: The goblin with Cassio leads him out of the door, looking back to see if anyone is noticing them leaving.
Alquas: "It is good to see your face again. This man here intends to install me in a new body for the time being.
Cassio follows close behind
Alquas: "I understand we are in a goblin city? I think perhaps somethign went wrong with Agnes' ritual, and I became stuck. I hope my absence did not worry you unduly?"
Egani is humming loudly as he sprinkles stuff on the fallen Murlogi.
Chimrea steps closer, reaching out tentatively towards Alquas' arm, but her fingertips sink in. "We're in the goblin city, yes--we came here to bring Agnes' body. I had no idea you were trapped, or we would have tried to free you sooner." She looks stricken at the oversight.
Alquas: "Oh. You did not note my absence? How long have I been away?"
Chimrea: "It's been..." she thinks, and blushes deeply. "It's been a couple of weeks. I thought you were... I thought you were avoiding us. Sulking. Oh, Alquas, I'm sorry."
Egani: Suddenly, Egani stops the humming and reaches out with both hands -- one to the goblin's brow and one to the apparition of Alquas. The ghostly form of Alquas seems to collapse in on itself, centered on Egani's hand and a moment later the goblin corpse gasps as the yellow eyes shoot open, looking around wildly.
Holmes: Tez manages to follow at enough of a distance to Cassio and his goblin partner that they don't notice her there. They pass through a maze of tunnels, and soon it becomes a challenge to keep track of where they've gone.
Alquas: "..."
Alquas: "That was.. unpleasant."
Chimrea: Not an idiot, Chimrea looks from the empty space to the now-awake goblin. "Alquas?"
Alquas: "It feels so... leathery..."
Alquas smacks his lips and makes a face.
Alquas: "The taste is... unusual."
Alquas presses hands gingerly to his new face.
Alquas: "Hmm. It will do. Yes, Chimrea, for the moment this is me."
Alquas notes a certain heaviness where there was no heaviness before, and, perhaps more urgently, a certain lack of heaviness.
Alquas: "..."
Chimrea: "Um. You're a girl." Though it's not phrased as a question, there's a certain incredulity in Chimrea's voice as she looks to Egani.
Alquas: "Friend.. Goblin anatomy is not my specialism, but...."
Alquas: "Ah. thank you, Chimrea. I was beginning to suspect as much."
Egani nods. "Yeah, she was the most fresh in my stock and if this Alquas is a friend of Agnes, I didn't want to short change her."
Alquas is speaking in a bright but oddly brittle tone.
Alquas: "Ah. Of course. Very good, then."
Chimrea: "Him," Chimrea corrects automatically, then looks bemused.
Alquas: "Yes. Well."
Egani shrugs.
Holmes: Alquas notes now that Tez and the one he was just introduced to, seem to have left during the process.
Alquas: "Haaanrgh... strange teeth.. this will take some getting used to. Chimrea, why are we here please?"
Chimrea: "Thank you, Egani," Chimrea says before answering Alquas. "We needed to bring Agnes' body here. All of us came because... well, it was one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time, you know how it is?"
Egani: "I thought you wanted to investigate the High King."
Chimrea: "Yes, that's me, and it's my fault that Kerem and Cassio are along."
Chimrea: "When we get back to Alquas' body, will it be hard to put him back?" It seems like a reasonably important question.
Egani reaches out and ruffles Chimrea's hair. "Fault...you're silly, like your mom."
Alquas is interested in this answer also.
Chimrea beams at Egani--she can't help it, he hit a soft spot.
Egani shurgs noncomittally. "I guess it depends on the circumstances. He felt pretty easy to get in there."
Chimrea: "Could Agnes do it, in her current condition?"
Egani: "Dunno. I'd guess not, but I wouldn't have guessed that what she's done would happen either." Egani grins.
Chimrea rubs her forehead with one hand, unconsciously looking very much like her mother back in the governing days. "This is complicated. I want to ask you for your magical expertise, Alquas, but I understand that being away from your body may need to take priority."
Alquas: "Hmm. Since I am here, Chimrea, I can help you. My body is probably still in Green Lake in any case."
Alquas: "However, I am now seperated from my materials, so I can only aid you in a theoretical manner."
Egani: "I wonder if your two bodies were to breed, what the outcome would be."
Alquas gives Egani a Look.
Chimrea takes a deep breath and explains. "There's a spirit here, loyal to Old Man Spider, who I might be able to talk into helping with the High King. But he's down deep, in a fiery place. I'm not sure I could go there, but your magic is all elemental. Is there any chance you could help?"
Egani listens with interest.

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