StormNexus

*Ailis browsed through the Darkhaven library once again, searching for any mention of the Maker or his golems in the histories. Not finding anything in the volumes on the shelves, she turned to leave but the book donation chest caught her eye. She cracked open the lid, reached in, and took out a lone volume. It was a simple brown book, with a bronze colored buckle to hold it closed and metal pieces protecting the corners. The pages were empty. She grinned a little, then her expression became thoughtful. Reaching into her pack she drew out a pouch of coins and placed them in the chest where the blank book had been before closing down the lid of the chest. She stowed the book carefully away, then set out for Westport. Upon reaching the inn, she drew out the book, some ink and a quill, opened to the second page, then began to write.*

One of the Maker's golems captured Spearspoint Keep today. Upon hearing this news, I decided to go and investigate with my friend Gedil. By the time we arrived, a few had already gathered at the start of the bridge to the keep - an oaken named Twitch and a fellow with a bloody beard who looked by his clothes to be aligned with the daemons but failed to introduce himself. A machine unit was there, standing in the middle of the bridge blocking the path.



"This area has been taken as part of the digsite." it said.

I asked if there were any other areas we should avoid that were part of the digsite, hoping to learn what the creatures were about, and it said that we should also avoid the dry riverbed to the east. We asked if it knew what they were digging for, and if it was dangerous. Its only reply was "not to the diggers". For the rest of us, though, I fear that is of little comfort.

"Perhaps we could help dig, if you told us what you were looking for?" I asked in an attempt to get it to divulge more information. It did little good, though. The golem indicated that the material had already been found, and was currently being loaded up for transport. Knowing what these...things...had already done to the Sylvan, I did not feel I could allow that to happen. Besides, if these materials were being harvested from Spearspoint they should rightly belong to the people of Darkhaven.

"I do not think we should let you do that." I said quietly.

"You have no say in the matter." it replied.

This whole time the daemon thing was spewing insults at it. The golem surveyed us, and said, "Empty threats will not earn you respect, organic."

I retreated slightly then, and quietly asked Twitch if he had attempted to survey the keep and get a look at what was inside. He shook his head no. The machine had seen him, and followed his movements to block him. I took a look around at the group assembled. We were indeed too few to fight them effectively, but I did not feel we could simply allow it to proceed unchallenged. Indeed, the machine itself pointed this out to the daemon thing, who was still shouting threats and insults. We lacked the numbers to be a true threat, and were likely to be overwhelmed. It then promised the area would be evacuated after the dig was done.

"I will not let you just take something you will use to harm our friends." I said, "Not without a fight. I think that what you take from here belongs to the people of Darkhaven, and you need to leave right now."

"You may try and fail," it said, "as you have many times before." And with that it turned around with a clank and walked back towards the gate. We attacked. My thinking in this was, the more of its forces we force it to spend the more we weaken it, and perhaps the easier it will be the next time we find them attacking our home. I did not really expect that we would win, but we had to try.

Once we broke open the doors, the found the keep filled with members of the machine army. There were units of all different sorts that came pouring out of the gates.



They quickly overwhelmed us, and we were forced to fall back. Several fell to the golems along the way, and for quite a while we were occupied with attempting to resurrect folks and retreating to safety. A few others arrived to help along the way - Twilik, Awatum, Surqquss, a vulpe called Moongazer, and a lady that Twitch seemed to know very well and called "Naka". The battle raged fierce around us, with the machines sliging spells, bashing as they walked past, and even attempting to crush Twilik with their giant metallic feet.

Together, we managed to destroy several of the machine creations. They fell to the ground with a sizzle and quite a satisfying thud, turned into useless pieces of scrap. Alas, though, our efforts were mostly in vain. As we were finally gaining the upper hand, the Captain called out, "The miners are done, all units we are leaving." And with that, the remaining units quickly retreated, though some trailed bits and pieces behind them as they went.



I slumped down against the walls of the gate, exhausted. The machines had gotten what they wanted, but maybe... maybe we could figure out what they got. We quickly filled in those who had arrived late to our gathering, and as we are talking Twilik pressed something into my hand. It was a small pile of crystal shards, that had been found on one of the pulverized machines. Several who had aided in the battle had drifted off, but I offered a look to those who remained. I remembered seeing a small white stone, glowing on the back of the little mechanical bat that visited us that day at Bloodstone. And now that I thought about it, there had been glowing stones on the chests of several of the machines as well. Twilik suggested that perhaps the stones were a power source for the the golems, and I agree with his reasoning.

Once we had all rested, we settled down to explore the keep for any signs of what the machines had been mining. Inside the keep, all appeared normal aside from a few more smoldering piles of rubble than usual. Heading back outside, we took the path to the dry riverbed. It did indeed appear to have been the object of a large mining operation. There was one machine unit slumped on the ground right as we entered from the keep, and upon further investigation we found another deep in the pits, tinkering with a cart full of strange looking crystals and minerals.



When asked it's purpose, the machine replied, "Digging. Loading." We also asked what it dug for, but it simply said "Anything needed." then continued tinkering with the configurations on a device attached to the cart. Twilik asked it about the shiny gems on the "big tall ones", but it said that it did not know, and turned back to its work on the cart. Twilik tried to climb up into the cart to get a better look at the gems, and I started to say, "I'm sorry, but we cannot let you take those."

The machine, however, had other ideas. Before I could even finish my words, It stood up from where it had been leaning over the cart and said, "It is done." It pressed a button, and the cart emitted a soft whirring sound. Suddenly the cart full of crystals was just gone, and the machine along with it! Looking around, I spotted a familiar creature peering at us from between the rocks. It was the little mechanical bat, the Maker's messenger. I will recount this conversation as closely as I can remember, for I feel it may be important later.



It asked us why we attacked, and I told it that we attacked because its allies had attacked us. They had come into our lands uninvited and killed our friends, so this is what it would receive in return, now. The mechanical wings whirred, and the bat seemed almost annoyed with us. "You were given a choice, face the consequences of that choice."

"And you face the consequences of yours." I quickly fired back. "If the Maker meant us well, we could have talked. We could have tried to figure this out."

"Your kind were approached," it said, "several times."

I shook my head, "Approached with tests and threats, but very few explanations."

"Even before the attack, you were given a choice." it said. "You chose, wrongly, but you chose. The human organics were given the same choice, they did not outright refuse it, thus they still stand."

I shrugged. "I can only answer for my own actions. And until I am convinced your Master means well for our world, I will do all I can to thwart him."

"And how will you be convinced of anything if you have already made up your mind?" it asked.

I had to laugh a little at that. "If my mind was completely made up on the subject, we would not be standing there talking." In truth, I am fairly certain that what the Maker envisions for Mellus is not what I would consider a good thing, but I am willing to listen to discussions held reasonably.

"You attacked without knowing what you attack, without a reason, there is little room for doubt about your opinions." it said.

Though I had already stated my position, I did once more to make it as clear as possible. I told it that we attacked because it was mining materials to aid its cause, and denying them would weaken it.

"Yet you do not know the cause you seek to deny." it said. Well, that is rather not our fault. We have attempted in vain to ascertain the Maker's motives several times, and I told it as much. "We rarely deny to answer a question." it replied. "You only need to ask the correct question from the correct unit."

And so, we simply asked it. What was its master's motive? Why had it sought the item it did from our realm? The machine explained that the machine army was for protection, as we had seen this day. The item was needed for a powercell, to power a machine. When we asked the purpose of the machine, it replied "outer-planetary transport". That was certainly not the answer I was expecting to hear. The Maker does not intend to leave with his space ship, but rather intends to send miners off-world to harvest off-world materials.

When asked, it claimed not to know about the future of this world, but said that the Maker planned for it a better future, if such could be paid for. A better future through technology. That rather gave me pause. I asked what the maker planned for the organic structures that lived here, and it said, "Organics will continue to kill each other, they might do it more effectively or less effectively depending on the opposing technology."

It asked if we had any more questions, and while I did have a few I rather thought they might bring down the wrath of the machines so I decided to hold my peace a while and told it no. It said, scanning the area slowly, "Very well, next time think more carefully before denying a request from the gods." And with that, it was gone.

We went back to the mining machine slumped on the ground near the entrance. Its power crystal appeared to be intact, but the machine showed no evidence of movement.



We discussed what to do with it for a time. Should we try to take it back with us to the Sylvan lands and study it? Should we attempt to bash it into tiny pieces so it would never be of use to the Maker again? Or should we perhaps try to steal its crystal, and take it back with us? Gedil suggested that it might be simply recharging. If that was indeed the case, taking it back to the Sylvan lands as it was would be most dangerous. So, we decided to attempt to separate the crystal from the machine without damaging either. I reached down and attempted to pry the crystal from its chest. My first attempt proved futile, but I tried again with a bit more force. The crystal would not budge, but I felt a jolt of electricity surging up my arm, and I sat down heavily on the ground, drained of energy. The crystal itself started glowing faintly. I inched away from the machine, and it slowly and jerkily raised itself to its feet.

"No miners in range. Organics in the mine. Lifecrystal low. Teleport imminent." It said.

I asked if it was malfunctioning, and what was its designation. It said no, but it was in dire need of recharge. Its designation was M:645. With that, it touched the crystal on it's chest, and it vanished just like the one with the mine cart. With the area clear, and in dire need of a rest, we turned and began to walk back towards Darkhaven.

*Once she was finished, Ailis copied out the tale on a separate piece of paper, then slipped both the paper and her journal in her pack before setting off for the Grove, planning to share the tale with her Sylvan friends.*

*Ailis settles into a familiar chair in the Westport inn and begins to write.*

I encountered the Maker's machines again today, this time at White Falls. I spotted it immediately after I stepped off of the ferry, guarding the path up the the lake and the dig site. Machine Army Captain Commander Unit - CC:0159 was already engaged n a discussion with some daemons when I arrived. It ordered us to leave, as there was an excavation under way that "did not concern us". Upon further conversation, it revealed that they were excavating more building materials. They were not looking for power stones this time, but a large vein of some other sort of material they were ordered to gather.



During the conversation several attempts were made to sneak up the hill past the machine unit and get a glimpse of the actual site. I myself managed to grab a small peek while he was distracted, but all I could see was a vast army of machine army units, waiting to defend the site against outside attack.

While we were talking, one of the mining units came up to report to the Captain that the excavation would be complete on schedule, in about 30 minutes. If we were to stop them, there was not much time. We were quite a small gathering, though, to take on the army awaiting us at the top of that hill. I confronted the machine, stating that it was indeed our concern as they were a threat to all of us. The machine seemed to take offense at that, swiveling its head to stare at me directly. I offered as evidence the power that was drained from me by mining units at the dry riverbed. To that it replied, "The Maker threatens no one who does not bring it upon themselves. We are powered by many different forms of energy, and unless damaged will not run out of power." I will admit I was rather at a loss for words at that statement. Refusing to give something to someone when "ordered" to do so... that is a very loose interpretation of bringing it upon oneself. The daemons talked to the machine army unit, while Twilik and I bided our time looking for an opportunity to attempt something that would thwart the machines.

Phyrex held out a shard of a power crystal, and asked the machine how many shards it would take to make a whole crystal. According to the machine, the individual shards maintain the same properties as the larger crystals, but are simply limited in the amount of energy that they can store. "The crystal transmutes energy and stores it. A machine such as myself can use the stored power, you lack the knowledge to activate it. You are a source, not a user." He asked various other questions about how to charge the crystals using the daemons stored magic and their slaves, which were met with vague replies.

The miners came back then, reporting that the materials were ready and they would begin the process of moving out. We struck then, all of us. Though we did not stand long against the machine army, I did manage to catch a glimpse of one of their containers over the edge of the cliff.



The was struck down by one of them, unconscious. I eventually awoke to the machine captain unit standing over me, staring down. "You may enter the site now." It said. The remaining army units were teleporting out around us, and the captain unit went back down the hill to speak to the larger crowd that had assembled. "There is nothing there of interest now." spat out Phyrex, as he walked off down the hill. More daemons had come, and some tried to attack the Captain for the power source in his chest. But they were too late. The machines had what they had come for, and rather than stay when there was nothing left to fight for it placed its hand on the crystal in its chest and teleported itself home.

As the daemons gathered up to leave, cursing the machine for leaving without the battle done, Pedro joined Twilik and I as we headed up to explore the remains of the dig site. We were soon joined as we carefully examined the area by several of the North and others of the Sylvan. There was not much left, other than a few footprints and some mud which had been stirred up in the pond. We carefully searched each of the large rocks, and in one of them we found a small remaining mineral deposit. The Maker's eye had made an appearance at that point, its mechanical wings whirring and it watched us examine the crystal. "Odds are, it's similar in structure to the gems of Helon." said Leigh, fitting an arrow into her bow and raising it at the approach of the Maker's creation.



Pedro extended a finger and carefully touched the mineral, before placing his whole hand over it. He was not able to determine anything about the energies it stored, though. Then he tentatively fired a ray of negative energy into the mineral. It proved to be too much, and the mineral shattered into dust. Pedro carefully gathered up some of the dust, and I surreptitiously took a small pinch as well.

When asked the purpose of the material being mined, the Ocular said "It is a mineral needed for the rift generator." Apparently, this material is needed for interplanetary travel and not just for ordinary teleportation functions. It confirmed that the stone on its back was a Lumcastia, and was similar to the ones used by the vishlum. But the crystals do not just collect negative energy, as is traditionally associated with the vishlum. They can store all types of energy. We did attempt to ask if the Maker was a vishlum, but the Ocular simply continued to insist that the Maker was a god.

And so, this confirms what many have suspected about these crystals but perhaps raises more questions than answers regarding the nature of the Maker.

*Closing her journal, she goes off to discuss these observations with the Sylvan.*

*Ailis curls up in a chair at the inn in Westport and begins writing in her journal.*

I was browsing the shops in Darkhaven, today, when rumors spread of some strange machines guarding the entrance to the botanical gardens and spider-people who had been seen in the vicinity of Darkhaven south. By the time I arrived, several others had stopped to stare as well. The machine guarding the gate looked like a commander unit, but was one I do not recall encountering before. I believe later I heard it referred to as "LC:274". Behind the barricades, two low, muffled voices could be heard coming from the garden. We inched a bit closer to try and make out what they were saying. One had the whirring mechanical tones of a machine, while the other had the distinct, clipped tones of one of the Katarious.

"I am not sure the payment is enough, you'll need to make me a better offer." said the voice of the Katarious.

Then there were some indistinct words I could not make out from the machine, before the Katarious began speaking again. "...That is more like it, we can work with that..."

"...So it is agreed?" asked the machine.

The voices were clearer now, as if they were moving towards the gate.

"...I will send some troops to pick up the materials form your gates immediately...After that, they will travel the dry riverbed, we should expect that by the time they are spotted, it will be too late...." said the machine.

The voice of the Katarious was very close, now, his words very clear. "...as always, it's great doing business with your kind..."



While the conversation had been going on inside, a bit of a stir had been created outside. The presence of the Katarious had made everyone uneasy, and a few had resorted to hurling threats while ineffectively slapping at the machine in an effort to get close enough to separate the Katarious from its head. It simply stood there and stared down at them, as if they were no more nuisance than a pebble on the street. It told them to quiet down, that they were welcome to kill whoever they liked afterwards, but they were not going to interrupt the meeting.

After that, the machine at the gate shouted for us to clear the way, they were coming out. The machine emerged first, the Alpha:4 unit which I recognized from previous encounters. It asked if the "fleshies" were there for him, or if he should tell the Katarious that he had guests. The machine outside explained the situation, but the Alpha unit appeared unconcerned. "You have guests, it seems." he said, as the Katar stepped out from behind the barricades.

"I guess I should be leaving then... your shipment should already be underway, machine. We are done here." it said, turning to leave. As it walked past someone threw a small spell at it, and it turned back, eyeing them contemptuously. "Hmph... slaves..." but it did pick up its pace, vanishing quickly from sight.



By this time, many had gathered here. There were several of the Free, a few elves and some Viitasaari. We decided that we would go to the dry riverbed and attempt to stall the shipment there. It did seem a bit too convenient, but there was nothing else we could really do, so...

As we where huddled talking the machines continued to converse among themselves. The one standing in front of the gate asked if the meeting went well, and the alpha unit replied, "As always, the Maker is never wrong when it comes to dealing with fleshies, just need to make sure we follow his commands. We should return to the halls and monitor the progress of the shipment from there. Say farewell to the fleshies 274." And with that, he raised his arm to his chest and teleported away.

"Farewell, fleshies." said the other unit, quickly following.

We arrived in the dry riverbed, and made our way to the pits. Heading towards the area they were seen the last time, we were stopped in our tracks by a large force blocking the entrance to the area. We attacked, and the battle raged on for quite some time, with assault units, captains and machines of all sorts pouring into the area. Finally we were able to make our way though the blockade to a covered cart, loaded with boxes and barrels. We set up camp around the cart, determined that the machines would not manage to reclaim it.



Finally we were able to make our way though the blockade to a covered cart, loaded with boxes and barrels. We set up camp around the cart, determined that the machines would not manage to reclaim it. More aid arrived, as word spread of the battle raging, and it was welcome. When the machines returned they came in force. The area around the cart soon became a death trap, bombarded with storms of fire and ice.



Eventually, the first wave was defeated. Its captain was the last to fall, surviving long past the smaller machines.



There was a period of quiet, then, where we tended the wounded and prepared for what might be coming. Would it be more machines? Machines and the Katarious? We did not know.

Another wave came then, followed by another and another. Finally, the flow of machines seemed to stop with the death of one of a fourth Captain unit.



We waited there, vigilant. A few scouted the area for signs of more machines, while the majority of us protected the cart. When it seemed safe enough, we decided it was time to peek inside. The lid was pried off the first box, and slowly lifted. It simply contained rocks, much like the rocks from the ground beneath us. We searched through the crate for anything hiding beneath the rocks, but there was nothing. The second crate held some small red rocks, glowing with magic. There were enough rocks for each of us to take one home. The third crate was opened to reveal bottles of fine wine, carefully nested in straw.

When we pulled back the cloth covering the back half of the wagon, some writing was revealed on the side of the cart. It read, "A well fought battle, fleshies, consider this as a reward. We could not allow you to take the real shipment, and so you were lead astray. Better luck next time. *signed Alpha:4*"

We each collected what we wanted from the items that remained, before pushing the cart down into the depths of one of the pits.

To me, there were several important lessons from this.
(1) The machines and the Katarious are doing business. In fact, appear to have been doing business for quite some time.
(2) The Commander of these machines appears skilled in deception, as was argued in the trial with the Illidians.
(3) The machines seem willing to trade with anyone indiscriminately, even if such trade is likely to cause ill will among the others with whom they trade.

We split up, then, with most of the crowd wandering back towards Darkhaven to find a pub and enjoy the wine while Aneathwyn, Contessa, Valler, and I remained there, discussing the machines and their motives.

As we were talking, the ground began to shake and Alpha:4 materialized on top of one of the cliffs behind us. Contessa, who had spoken with him before, asked if he would answer a few questions she had about the machines and their culture. He agreed. We discussed the battle briefly, and confirmed that the purpose was to divert us from movements the Maker was engaged in elsewhere, that he did not want interrupted.

I asked if they had told the Illidians of their dealings with the Katarious, but he indicated that they had not and seemed to think it was a bit of an odd question. Valler pointed out what we had been discussing earlier, that by dealing with the Katarious they would effectively alienate most of the rest of the residents of Mellus. "All are offered a chance to deal with the Maker," it replied, "the spiderlings are no different. If we deny one race trade, we should deny all. Your hands are not clean of blood either. You hate the daemons, maybe a little less, but you still hate them. Yet you stand with them when needed. You were given a chance. We cannot give more than that."



Contessa asked if they had any books about their culture, so we might learn about them. Alpha:4 replied that they did not. Their memory structures are mechanical, the memories stored within them able to pass from unit to unit with ease. They have no need of books. It began to seem a little agitated, then. "You were already given the option of a single test... Once you have proven trust worthy, we might consider it. You were already given more information than most, at a lowered price than any. You can not complain."

I myself am of mixed opinions on this. Perhaps seeking their trust would grant us access to more information about them, which could be used against them later on, but it also grants them access to more information about us as well. *shakes head* The idea of being indebted to those machines makes my skin crawl. My inclination is to take what information we can, without offering in return.

After some more questioning, Alpha:4 indicated that the rift generator was progressing on schedule, with only a few parts remaining to be collected before construction was complete. His responses grew clipped when we touched on their current actions, so we moved back to questions about their past.

I mentioned it was a pity there were no books written on the Maker, as most gods needed tomes to teach their worshippers. I asked if this was an indication that the Maker sought no followers other than his creations. The reply I got was more than a little alarming.

"Yes, there are a few organic agents, they are from Delta's regiment... I do not know them, you might be them." Contessa asked if she would know, if she was in Delta's regiment. "You might." he replied, "I understand some of them were approached by the Oculars, others are sleepers."

They have a command structure, with different regiments. Delta's units are the intelligence gatherers. Beta's units are the miners. Gamma oversees the engineers. Alpha:4 is the Grand Commander of the sentry regiment, and as such is in charge of dealing with outsiders. Beta, Gamma, and Delta are other Grand Commanders. There are others with individual functions as well, but those are the main branches.

The Maker and his machines are not new to Mellus. They have been around for quite some time, but hidden. He would not go into the exact time frame, but did say that the Maker began his work on them after the fall of the Katarious. Mor and Gor were a model released in the first deal with the daemons, but they were not the first of the Maker's creations.

"First deal with the daemons..." this makes me wonder.

We also asked specifically about the Wyrrem. Alpha:4 stated that they Wyrrem had indicated they had no desire to trade, and so had been attacked like others who had refused so that the necessary materials could be obtained. It is good to know that someone else is opposing them in this, but I hate to think that we were pawns used against them...

We must find out how to take the fight to these machines, and destroy that rift generator. Before it is too late.

*Ailis carefully copies out the pages, minus a few personal comments, and goes to distribute them among the Sylvan.*

*Ailis settles down in her favorite chair at the Westport Inn and begins to write*

Today, a friend alerted me to some unusual movements of the Darkhaven guard in the vicinity of Arch-Mage Kloen's tower. When I arrived, the Arch-Mage was making preparations for an expedition to the Carror region. He had sent scouts all over Mellus in search of news of the Maker's activities. A small group of them ventured deep into Carror, and found the tracks of machine soldiers in the snow. The scouts followed the tracks to a lair. They snuck inside, and caught just a brief glimpse of a new type of machine soldier before they were forced to retreat. The lair they discovered appeared to be some sort of laboratory, and it was guarded by scores of machine assault units.



The testing appeared to be in the final stages, so there was no time to lose. The Arch-Mage was preparing for a full out assault. Those of us assembled immediately offered our assistance. We were a small group, but this threat could not be allowed to go unchecked. We set out for Carror, along with a detachment of soldiers from the Darkhaven guard. We made our way past the ogre mages, and to the lands occupied by the ice golems. We stepped into a portal, and were transported into a swarm of machine soldiers. We fought our way though the area, noting many strange orbs and devices tucked away there. Transports carrying components, similar to those seen at the various digs around Mellus, were plentiful as well.




We fought our way through the laboratory and eventually uncovered the new prototype, next to a large equipment panel. This new type of machine was much stronger than the previous machines. It had spells to harm, and spells to heal. Most weapons seemed to do little damage, but with time and persistence it was eventually defeated.




As the sounds of the battle waned, a low humming could be heard coming from the next room. Zeke went over to investigate, and called back to us that some sort of glowing orb appeared to have activated. A blur appeared inside of the orb, then the intensity of the glow increased and a metallic voice filled the room.



"Greetings, vermin." it said.

Well, that was a refreshing change. It's always nice to know where you stand.

"Let me guess. Another of your tests?" I said, admittedly a bit impatiently. If he was going to call us vermin, well... I was making sure he knew exactly where he stood as well. "Is this what you have been collecting items to complete?"

"True, while more powerful than previous units, he was still no match when it came to sheer numbers." The voice said. "But no, that was not the reason. You know the reason for the golems' activities. You always knew."

One of the daemons laughed at that. "The reason? You want a reason? ok then, Your a coward. Even now, you hide, you cower behind your machines, you hide behind your orb. You hide in your little realm thinking your safe. You are wrong, you will fall one day Maker, you are nothing."

Well, I had to admire the sentiment. The Maker just makes me angry. People who take without asking and are rude without cause make me angry. The voice started gloating about how well the machine did, and how many of us puny vermin it took to take it down. I might have threatened it a little, then. I told it I would not rest until it was unmasked for the cowardly failure that it was. I stood up and looked right into the orb, and told it we would win.

Our apparent lack of respect had the voice fuming, as I had hoped. The voice coming from the orb grew louder. "You are vermin, a blight upon this world, you do not deserve to roam the land of the ancients! Once completed, I shall use the rift to leave this world, and from the outside I shall cleanse this world of all the vermin. Then this land shall be free once more, and the ancients shall reclaim it."

And so, it finally admitted what we have suspected for so long. Foolish are those who have allied themselves with him. He appears to have everything that he needs now, and just lacks time for the final completion of his machine. The Illidian, the Wyrrem - it considers them vermin as well. I suspect it considers all organics to be "vermin".

Astarte mentioned that she had heard something once, about a race that was here before all of us. They made some sort of device as well, a frightful weapon. It supposedly killed thousands. Perhaps that is even another function of this rift generator he speaks of?

I'd had enough. There was nothing further to be gained from conversation with that.. thing. I asked Zeke to see if he could find a way to turn it off using the controls, but the Maker seemed finished with us as well and the orb grew silent.

We rested a bit, then examined the lab closely. We were soon joined by the Arch-Mage, who brought a team of instructors and students from the College to study the remains of the laboratory. Hopefully they find something useful... but in the mean time, I'm going search the library and any other sources I can find for information about these "ancients". It is not much, but at the moment it is the only clue we have.


*Ailis dashes off a short summary, and posts it in the Grove for the other Sylvan to see.*

*Ailis writes in her journal*

With our discussion with the Free at a conclusion, at least for now, Contessa, Faryn and I retreated to the Eledhwen grove. Contessa had some news that she wished to share with us. I will not recount those discussions here, but a conclusion was reached and a plan of action agreed upon. Faryn was called away, but Contessa and I remained there talking for quite some time. The conversation turned to our researches regarding the Maker. Both of us have been scouring the libraries for any information we can find. Contessa suggested we renew our efforts to contact the Illidian, to see if they might have any information of value. Our conversation was interrupted then by a guard who came to tell us that Arch-Mage Kloen was waiting for us outside of the gates. We walked to meet him, just outside the gates of Westport.

Arch-Mage Kloen was interested in what progress had been made between the realms. The news I had to report was not as good as I would have liked. I recounted the events and the uneasy agreement that had been reached, but we did not really know much more about the Maker now than we had before the conversation. And given how poorly it had gone with those we thought most likely to aid us, well, it is not encouraging. An agreement for them not to actively aid the Maker was a start though. He asked if we had spoken with any other realms, and we indicated that at this time we had not. Those matters were still under discussion.

During our conversation, I noticed a shadowy figure appear on the docks. At first I thought it was Merc, come to guard us in stealth, and I smiled quietly to slightly to myself without giving any indication I had spotted him. As the figure approached and came to stand behind the Arch-Mage, I realized it was not Mercendrial after all. I did, however recognize him from the meeting earlier. I frowned slightly. "Do stop skulking around." I said.

"But it's my job..." said Rico, giving up the shadows with a bow. "I get payed, by me."



I can only assume he followed Arch-Mage Kloen from Darkhaven to our doorstep. Suddenly, I was very glad we had decided to hold this conversation outside of the gates. We introduced Rico to the Arch-Mage, and continued the conversation. The Arch-Mage broached the topic of the alliance forming against the Maker, "I understand you decided to side with us... although not all your allies agree."

Rico seemed to wave the statement off. "Helon will sit back and wait until the river is in danger. Mal'Grey had no true representatives available..."

Conversation then turned to the Arch-Mage's most recent discoveries from the laboratory we had taken over. While our assault on the laboratory in Carror was successful, it was not the only laboratory, and not the only prototype. It was the only one of its kind, but not the only new machine. Contessa and I looked at each other. This was pretty much what we had expected, but it was still not good news to hear.

"We also learned more about the rift generator." said the Arch-Mage. It seems that the machines did not lie about the use of the relics... yet they did not tell all the truth either."

Well, that was typical. Those things lie with the truth quite effectively.

"All the energy harvested from the relics is going to be used in the rift generator, simply because unlike the nexus, the rift is not a two way gate." he continued, " A one way ticket off the planet... There is no gate on the target side of the rift, the Maker's rift will build a tunnel, not a gate. This tunnel will not last long, however, the Maker is not really leaving... only relocating. A target gateway had been built, according to the records, where I do not know... but it will be the Maker's way back. Building a second doorway on the other side of his tunnel will allow him to come and go as he wishes, while having a planetwide resources to inforce his armies."

Contessa wondered if the Maker planned to tie into the Nexus network.

Arch-Mage Kloen nodded. "Tapping onto the nexus is a possibily. At this point it seems the Maker wishes to get out of our reach and launch his attacks via this new pathway. With unlimited resources, and nothing to fight him over it, the Maker's army will have nothing stopping it's grouth, that is something we shall not allow."

It seems he will use the tunnel to establish a permanent gate.

Rico seemed a bit dubious. "And if it doesn't work and the Maker is stranded here..?"

"Then at least we can fight it." replied the Arch-Mage. "Out there, nothing will stop it from just delaying his attacks to build new, stronger units. Here, at least his labs are within our reach."

Contessa and I agreed entirely with the Arch-Mage. As long as the Maker was here, we could do something. Once he left...

"This shall not be an easy battle, but the Darkhaven guard will join with those who wish to fight it." said Arch-Mage Kloen. " That is all the new information I currently have... we have taken all the machines in the captured lab to the study... we believe finding out who the ancients are, and where is their current location might be the key to who the Maker is. It was what we were researching when my students were attacked. "

We thanked him for his support, and for the information he has so willingly shared with us. Rico, Contessa and I each pledged our support in his quest for information in return. We suggested a few courses of research for him to pursue, and he took his leave to return to his research.

The three of us stayed there for a time, speaking of the barriers to this uneasy agreement we find ourselves in. Before very long we heard a disturbance in the waters. A large head raised up out of the waters, and with a giant splash, something lifted itself out of them and up onto the bank.

It appeared to be one of the Makers new golem creations. A Machine Army Colossus Unit - Omega1. It is apparently one of the new class of units Arch-Mage Kloen was discussing.



It really appeared to be there to talk to Rico, and viewed Contessa and I as nothing more than annoyances. I believe it wished to speak with Rico about their current diplomatic status. After a brief discussion, the two agreed to meet elsewhere. A message came for Contessa and she was called away. I went looking for Mercendrial to see if he had some advice on a certain matter, but he was not in any of the usual places. A quick look in the Eledwhen Grove showed it to be empty as well, so I came here to the inn for a time. Hopefully, I will catch up with the others soon. The Arch-Mage seemes to want us to participate more actively in researching solutions, and I do want to spread the word.

*Ailis sits down and begins to write in her journal. When she finishes, she carefully copies out the pages and delivers a copy to each of the leader of each of the realms present at the meeting, a copy to each of the Berian, a copy to the Sis Ralar council, a copy to Arch Mage Kloen, and a copy to Rorry of the Marchane. Along with each copy is a note. I hope that you find this useful, as a record of the efforts of the war council. *signed* Ailis*


A sequence of fireballs was launched from Arch-Mage Kloen's tower, a signal that the first War Council meeting was about to begin.

We gathered first at Kloen's tower, to go over the ground rules of the meeting. He thanked us all for coming, and reminded us that it was critical we appear to get along if we were to convince Grand Master Nog to work against the Maker and his machines.



Then we walked together to the council chamber Kloen had arranged to have set up in Darkhaven College. One of the classrooms had been set up with three tables, several chairs and what appeared to be a blackboard. Soon after we were all seated, Grand Master Nog arrived. He was accompanied by Merin, the senior scientist of the Marchane, and Rorry, the general who leads his military forces.



The meeting began with Uaueb'et Allora giving an brief update from Horus. Before she began, she handed Arch Mage Kloen an encrypted letter from Akar. Her update did not reveal anything that was particularly new information to us, but the Marchane leaned forward and looked interested at several points. During the attacks by the Maker's golems, the Dark Alliance was able to recover some crystals from the machines. Their experts studied the crystals for quite some time, and determined that the crystals were some sort of energy storage device that allows the machines to regenerate. When full of energy, the machines regenerate quickly and efficiently. So after the fight they were able to recharge quickly and be used again. They believe that a battle against the Maker's units on an open field is as such unlikely to ultimately succeed, especially against the more complex units, as we will only use up our magics and energy for no visible results. They believe we should focus on a way to deprive the machines of their energy crystals.

There was a general murmur of agreement heard from around the room. Finding some way to weaken the machines before any kind of an outright assault is key.

Allora sat down, and then I stood up to speak for the Sylvan. I summarized what we know thus far, that the machines use crystals as their primary power sources. They have been gathering the crystals from all over Mellus, in particular the dry riverbeds and the area around White Falls. I spoke a bit of the command structure of the Machines - the command units, the miners, and the "Deltas", who are responsible for gathering information for the Maker. I spoke about the rift generator, that the Maker is attempting to construct. I told them the story of the crystal I attempted to pry from a depleted machine, only to find my own energy drained and the machine standing up and teleporting away. Then I told them of our experience with the Colossus unit, which appears to be able to travel large distances underwater and seems mostly impervious to our weapons.

I told them that we believed the Maker was in fact the servant of a group called the "Council of Ancients", and that his current stated purpose was to cleanse Mellus, and prepare it for their return. Awatum spoke up then, and asked me to tell them of the dittos. The dittos serve under Delta's command. The Maker has long warned that he had eyes among us, and the dittos are one aspect of this. They appear to be people that we know vaguely - someone we are sure we have seen in our lands or at meetings of our realm - but thus far no one that we know well. These dittos appear to in fact be some sort of extremely advanced machine, capable of mimicing organic life. They first known sighting of these was during a meeting with the Illidians. The Illidian prince had agreed to meet with various members of the realms to discuss what they had been unable to uncover regarding the Maker. The prince was just telling the assembled group about the Council of Ancients, and that the Maker was in fact better known as the "Fist of the Ancients", when the dittos sprang forth from the assembled crowd and attacked. They were quickly dispatched, but the damage was done. Their surprise attack allowed them to kill the Illidian prince, preventing him from revealing further information.

Merin, the Marchane scientist, seemed very interested in the dittos, commenting that it was a rare and lucky thing to know of the existence of such a weapon.

Next, it was Lord Rico's turn to speak for the Free on the information they had gathered. He had several quite interesting insights to share. I will use his words exactly, as I feel the exact shades of meaning may be important.

Rico began his account by referencing our previous conversations regarding the dittos and their possible constructions, then said, "Back before the Maker made himself known, my leg was removed rather forcifully, and cursed so a healer was unable to regrow one. To make up for this disability, I made to purchase an artificial leg which would work. This leg I still have, is possibly a precursor to the dittos. It acts as if it were alive itself. Now, I can move on to other things... Thanks to Ailis' report, I have actually very little to say myself. We of the Free Alliance have a Maker Golem of our own, which we have disabled for safety reasons. I will need to speak with others before we can agree to disasemble it and determine some kind of weakness in the power supply."



He spoke then of the Maker, and the distinction he makes between organics and vermin. When the Free still had an agreement with the Maker, they were referred to as organics. The Sylvan, who have long opposed him, were referred to as vermin. He believes that the distinction indicate that those who ally with the Maker will survive, if he succeeds in his plans.

"I attempted a trade with the Maker, when we were still in his favor but readily betraying him. This trade was Blueprints for a life. We would gift him with one of our own, in exchange for the blueprints of numerous machines. Unfortunately the trade was unable to be complete before our treachery was discovered." he said. "More recently, the Maker sent his Colossus to the Free Alliance. We fought it fiercely for some time, keeping it from enterring the Forsaken Forest when it announced its intent. It had come for the very same person I had offered as a trade. I am unsure exactly why the Maker requires an organic being, but he seemed intent to claim one. The one he has claimed is called Miyako, and she is Forsaken to the core. As we speak, she is hopefully obtaining some information from within the Maker's walls."

Awatum raised the concern that perhaps the Maker wished this individual as a mold for a ditto. I personally share his concern. Ash asked if he allowed her to go with the Maker. Rico hedged a bit regarding our expressed concerns, but indicated there had been little choice about allowing her to go. "At least he took someone who will remain loyal and report information from the inside when a chance is given." he said.

I pointed out that when she returned, caution might be in order. With long term access to a person, it is quite possible the Maker could build a much more sophisticated replica. Rico indicated that he believed their mystic, Jeris, would be able to determine if anything was wrong. "We have many resources to our advantage that not even our closest allies know about, never you fear." he said. I also later raised the question of where he procured that leg. He indicated that it had not been any sort of direct procurement, but perhaps the route could be traced back. He indicated that he was unaware it was a Maker device until recently, when he sought to upgrade it.

Finally, he broached the subject of the Mog.

"Finally, the Mog approached all of the realms quite recently to request our assistance in disabling a machine. When we reached the location, only two machines remained and they were destroyed. If there were others, they had already dispersed... I took one of the Mog's soldiers to be examined by our own Marchane Scientist, and left the machine that was in the least pieces for Contessa of the Sylvans. The Mog's soldiers are strange creatures, and I suspect this may be important. As to what the Mog actually are... my best guess is they are those wizards normally enslaved by the greatest magics of Mellus. Except these seem to be free. It is impossible to truly tell though." he said.

Rorry of the Marchane asked if the Mog were friends or enemies. Rico replied that it was difficult to tell these days They present themselves as friends, but he suspects that is merely to further their own goals.

"That's what friendship is all about..." replied Rorry, grinning at Merin.

I added that while the Mog sought information, they were not particularly picky about how it was obtained. Rico indicated that he had finished, and so I spoke then a bit about our experiences with the Mog, as they attempted to collect samples of the materials the Maker had procured from the realms. The Mog did ask at first, but then resorted to simply taking when a sample was not immediately supplied. The other realms present indicated that they had similar experiences with the Mog. I summed it up thusly, "Well, I think it is safe to say that Mog serves themselves. Whether they appear to be on our side at the moment or not, I would not count on that." I confirmed Rico's statement, that Berian Contessa had brought a golem back to our lands, but indicated that I was unaware of any further analysis that may have occurred. Merin, of the Marchane, asked if they might examine the golem. I promised to relay the request back to the Sylvan.

Klaive of the Forsaken also asked to speak for a moment. He looked directly at Grand Master Nog as he offered his comments. He said that while we had all been enemies at one time or another, the enemy of his enemy was a friend, and we could all count the Maker as an enemy. And while we had all had our differences, there was no one in the room he would not fight against the Maker beside.

Arch Mage Kloen looked around at the group again, suggesting that perhaps it was time to move on to the next order of business. Pedro stood up, then, with a few questions regarding the meeting with the Illidian prince where he described the Maker as the Fist of the Ancients. Pedro wanted to know more about the council, and if it was made up of only the Wyrrem and the Illidians. The Arch-Mage indicated that very little was known of the council, though he hoped we would be able to gather more information soon.

"The council seems to simply call its members ancients," he said, "those members being of various races, even those who are not Wyrrem or Illidian. I believe the Illidian said any of the wise races, which would include elves, orcs and dwarves as well."

Rico gave the crowd a half smile. "Behold... the New Council, ensuring war is held in only a way the major groups of Mellus agree to."

Uaueb Phyrex spoke up, then. "After speaking with Allora here, we have recalled previous encoutners with the Maker that had been overlooked. We had a golem for years by the name of Mor Gor whom served the Maker. This golem spoke about it frequently, but it was very simple minded. Maybe this was his very first prototye machine. This golem has disappeared into nothing since the rise of the maker. But I do remember another golem of similar design to him as well. Perhaps if we can get our hands on it we can learn of the Maker's original prototype robots and find a weakness. The mor gor unit was simple minded, but it was always gathering. Maybe it was an unknown unit. It had been in every part of our realm and others."

Pedro, Nica and several others remembered the Mor Gor unit. Pedro said that it had come looking for the daemons, because it had been asked to fight for them by the Maker. It was the first time he had heard the name "Maker." He also indicated that the Maker's golems had been asked about Mor Gor, and indicated that they were told it was part of an agreement made with the daemons, nothing more.

Rico spoke up as well. "If the Maker has been around since this Ancient Council, it is quite likely he has been making machines since before Humans and Daemons arrived. Let us not forget, the Marchane have had this technology for many years."

Phryex seemed confused at the notion of an agreement, but then Allora spoke up. "It was given to the realm by the maker during the first contact with us, with the Prince himself when the maker requested a vial of his blood." We asked when the Mor Gor unit had appeared, and Allora indicated that it was some months before the current troubles with the Maker and his golems had began. "It makes sense after all. Mog came to our lands to get a vial of Esheri's blood. And the Mog has come to try and copy what the Maker has done."

"Regardless," added Phryrex, "if we capture it, the mor gor was simple and easily tricked. We could get it to give us everything it knows. Perhaps even in front of this council."

Pedro then asked Grand Master Nog of the agreement that his people had reached with the Maker. Nog indicated that they had traded rare metals for advanced tools for use in crafting machines.




Discussion then turned to the war council. He asked us to nominate representatives from each war party, as a council of that size would be difficult to assemble on such sort notice. He suggested two members from each alliance, if that was agreeable. Rico and Fenimore were nominate for the Free, though that choice will be confirmed later. Phyrex and Allora will represent the Dark Alliance. After some discussion among ourselves, it was decided that Awatum and I would serve for the Sylvan Alliance.

Then Grand Master Nog spoke up. He indicated that Rorry and Merin would sit on the council for him. I could not help but grin at that. It seems as though his participation has been secured.

Arch Mage Kloen then revealed the most recent information he had discovered. "It seems a meeting place of the ancients was found in the Carror mountains. It seems that while the hall is no longer used, it does contains some information that will be useful to us. The hall is located deep within the cave of the ice queen. The entrance to the hall is the same teleport pad used to reach the lair of the queen. At the back of it, there should be a switch that changes it. The switch can only be activated by the combined presence of six different races." He indicated that he believed any six races would do, when asked, and that we best make haste getting there as he doubted the Maker would want us to see the room should we learn of his plans. He warned us to expect heavy resistance, as the ice queen was unlikely to take well to such a large party invading her lands.

And he was right. We left then, with Rorry of the Marchane and promises from Kloen of a detachment of the Darkhaven guards to assist. We were met in the cave by several large groups of Carror giants - clerics, mages, warriors of all sorts.

[I

It was a fierce battle, but eventually we prevailed. We worked our way through the caves to the teleporter leading to the Ice Queen's lair. We had six races present - elf, human, daemon, goblin, sis harrani, and marchane. We stood together, and activated the switch. When we exited the portal, we were greeted by a chamber made entirely of ice. A frozen waterfall cascaded down directly in front of the portal. There was a battered table in the center of the room, surrounded by the remains of six broken chairs. And off to the rear of the chamber there was a figure, surrounded by lights and standing in front of a device. The figure was not moving, but it appeared to be an elf. As we moved closer, we also realized that it was strangely transparent.




We walked over to the figure, and Rorry started fiddling with the device. At first we thought perhaps it was a prison, but as Rory studied it he indicated that did not appear to be the case. He indicated that Merin would perhaps have been better with the device than he, but he would see what he could do.

Alf came running in at this point, and in his excitement tripped on the some of the frozen water from the waterfall and went tumbling over the cliff. I ran to assist him, but when I reached him he was clutching his leg and moaning in pain. For some reason my spells seemed to do little good on his injury. He was unable to stand, so Pedro gently assisted him over to where Rory was examining the device. I applied some bandages, and glanced back down at him worriedly.

After some study, Rory indicated that this was a memory device. He had seen similar devices, but never one so advanced. The writing on it read "The last testimony of Aneranan". It recorded the elf's memories. We asked if there was any way to activate it, and he said that there appeared to be a playback mode and a question mode. We asked him to activate the playback mode first.

The balls of light surrounding him disappeared, and the figure began speaking.

"I am Aneranan, the last elf in the council of ancients. This is my last testimony, I'm leaving it here so that all councils will forever remember my mistakes. And never repeat them.

My plan was so simple, and yet so dangerous, to unite the elves against a common enemy. The Katarian were chosen by the council, as they were divided into clans as well, we thought the elves could win against a single clan.

But we didn't see the dark cloud that was looming in the distance. By the time the Katarian clan attacked it was an empire, the other clans joined to the promise of riches, power and slaves. Even the Katarian in the council could no longer stop the rolling boulder, they had no power to undermine the emperor nor the will. In the last council I attended it was agreed that the Katarian Empire would rule the elves and when it is over the race would have a fresh start. I did not agree, but I no longer had any power in the council.

We thought we could see everything, control everything... we were wrong. We were blinded by our power, by our success. All I hope now is that this will serve as a reminder to future councils, to always read the signs looming in the distance, to leave nothing to chance, or more races will fall as my own."

The recording fell silent, and the elf once again was frozen and unmoving. That was all that was contained in the playback mode of the recording.



Rorry switched the device over to question mode, then. The figure relaxed its stance slightly, saying, "I, Aneranan, the last elf in the council of ancients give you greetings."

I asked him to tell us more of his council, and the races that comprised it.

"The council of ancients was compiled of those who could influence the course of time, any race member was welcome." he said. "In the last council I attended we were myself, two Katarian, a wyrrem, an Illiadian, a daemon and 3 dwarfs."

We asked the purpose of the council.

Aneranan stated, "The purpose of the council meetings was to plan the fate of our races, to choose who would prosper and who would not."

We then asked him to tell us of one called the "Fist of the Ancients" or the "First of the Ancients".

"The fist was our guard and our weapon." he replied. "It was built to protect the members of the council and remove threats to our power."

We asked who built it, and he replied that the members of the council and their loyal men had built it. There was some discussion then among ourselves of the Maker, and he appeared confused. He did not recognize that name. When asked for more details on the other council members - names, specifically - he said that they had no names in the council as it was safer that way.

He knew of no way to deactivate the Fist. He said that the Fist was created as a machine to create machines, and it did its job well. There was never a reason to consider deactivating it. He did not know of a copy of its original design, and could tell us no way to summon it.

When asked if there was any way to command the Fist, he replied, "The Fist is programmed to follow the orders of the council, any member can command the Fist."

We asked what would happen if there were no longer a council, but Aneranan seemed unable to contemplate such a situation. "That will never happen." he stated flatly. "The council was formed at the dawn of time. It will stay forever."

We asked then how new members were selected, and how the Fist identified the members of the council. He indicated that there was a guideline programmed into the Fist. They ruled over all the races, and they had no need to order it around as well. The purpose of the Fist was to create an environment that would allow the council to function, and to keep the council members from losing their power. It will remove those it perceives as a threat to the power of the council members. The Fist has eyes everywhere, and when new council members are selected it is aware. There is no set process for notifying it. The council members do not reveal themselves to others outside of the council. "Outside, they are just another lord or lady or prince."

I asked then if he would have the power to appoint new members. He indicated that all that remained of Aneranan was memories, and this reminder for council members not to be blinded by their power.

We asked then about the meeting room. Must the council meet here? The answer was no. When asked if they had ever returned here, he stated that he had no knowledge of events past his recording.

Pedro asked what the last recorded location was of the Fist.

"Its main factory was deep within the firecrag mountains, guarded by beasts living there." said Aneranan. He was unable to supply any kind of map, but indicated that it was in a ravine, with most of it underground.

We discussed possible locations for quite some time. Some unknown valley within the firecrags? Or perhaps an ancient mine? The marchane bristled at the mention of the mines, saying they controlled them, though he indicated that perhaps there could be a lair somewhere deeper that had not been discovered. The mines are automated and taken care of by their creations, the marchane themselves do not go there anymore. They have seen nothing suspicious, but that does not mean it is not there. Rorry vowed to send a party out to investigate the mines in search of anything suspicious.

We also asked about weaknesses of the Fist, and its power supply. "It was created by the council, based on the Illidain energy crystals. It gives the fist the power to build it's children and keep them functioning." he replied.

This touched off a round of discussion about these crystals, and potential methods of disabling them. It was universally agreed that further study in this area is needed. Eventually, discussion came back to Aneranan and the council.

Snargax asked him how many council members died in the ware against the Katar. "I do not know, at least one." he replied. He then asked if any other races had been bound to be slaves by the council. "Yes, everytime a race became a slave, it was by the order of the council." was the reply.

"You said that it was agreed the elves would become slaves of the Katar. But not agreed by you. So, not all have equal voices on the council?" we asked.

"They were not allies outside, many of us were enemies outside. I was a minority, and my house was lossing power, I could no longer justify my seat." replied Aneranan.

The questions we had for him seemed to be winding down, but I wanted to ask one thing.

"You wish us not to repeat your mistakes." I said, " So I ask, in hindsight, what would you have dons instead?"

"I would have been more aware of the change that the Katarian were going through," he said, "not just the change I wanted them to have.

"If were were to try to avoid your mistakes, but we needed to fight the council to do so, would you have any suggestions for us?" I asked.

"No one ever fought the council." he replied. "The council is Mellus, it is it's races, to fight the council is to fight yourselves."

I pointed out that he did not seem to think the council made a wise decision. And that any government, given too much power for too long, could become corrupt.

This seemed to open up the discussion again.

Aneranan shook his head. " No, the decision was correct for the time, it was the blindness that was the mistake. We each had our men, my house was one of the largest of the elven houses. The fist was designed to deal with threats we could not personaly deal with. I used the fist to quitely remove a lord of a rival house, Eluldor was his name, he was in a position to take the title from my house, I could not let it happen."

As to the council itself, Aneranan indicated that the council had no enemies, as every race was part of the council.

Pedro asked why no Sis Ralar were present on the council. "The council members change, those with power to inforce the council's decisions are invited to the council. " replied Aneranan. "With time some lose this power, others gain, races change, modified by the council's decision. The number is not set either, it may change with need."

We asked if the council had any other weapons at their disposal. He did not indicate any, besides the Maker and the resources of their people.

We had no more questions at the moment, so Rorry turned the device off.

Discussion once again turned to the crystal power supplies. Rorry indicated that Merin would be setting up a lab somewhere in Darkhaven for the duration of this exercise, though he knew not where as yet. It seemed such a shame to leave the memory crystal there, where it might be taken... we asked Rorry if there was a way to bring it back to Arch-Mage Kloen. He seemed dubious at first, but after a little work was able to separate the device storing the memories from the projector. A new projector would have to be constructed before the crystal could be used again, but at least we would have the option.

With that, Rorry left for Darkhaven with the crystal and the rest of us slowly made our way home after examining the chamber.

I am worried, about Alf's leg. It does not seem to be healing well, no matter what spells I use. Pedro lifted him up on his back to carry him home. I looked behind us, running my hand over the wood of the table one final time before hurrying through the portal to join them.

*Ailis sits down to pen a quick draft of a letter in her journal.*

The raid on the caves met with heavy resistance from the machines. Our allied forces fought their way through the caves to the lower crypt. There, we found many chambers containing partially assembled machine units - a lord unit, a an alpha unit, several dittos... and even an unfinished colossus unit. We destroyed what we found, fearing that perhaps they were close enough to completion to be activated and attack our rear. In the very bottom level, we found more machines. An army, stretching as far across the crypt as we could see. And then, in the crypt of Lord Anebriolas himself, we found what I have come to believe were dittos, in the likeness of our realm champions. They were defeated.

Then behind the tomb, in a small alcove, was another of those projector consoles, and what seemed to be an image of the Maker. It looked like a machine, though I am doubting he would show us his real face. We talked for a while, but there was little of significance said. The rift generator is completed. Phyrex strapped a pack of explosives to the console, to destroy the cavern. We called for Rorry to come and see if perhaps we could discover where the signal originated. The best he could do to pinpoint it was "somewhere in the mountains to the south".

The firecrags.

The Maker taunted us, then. He said that offensively we as a group are strong, but when attacked we each scurry back into our own little holes to be destroyed. He said that would be our downfall. I reminded him that the same could be said of himself, as he had not be successful at repelling any of our raids.

I think that we all need to be watchful, of more attacks on our homes. He sees that he is weak against our combined strength, so he will hit what he perceives as weakest. This may be something we can attempt to turn to our advantage, but only time will tell I suppose.

The Maker tinkered with the time or the bomb Phyrex planted, sending us all scurrying out of the crypts. The bomb laid waste to all of the workings of the machines inside, but the caverns themselves remain intact.

Outside, we met with Arch Mage Kloen. Our next target: the firecrags. Scouts will search for the entrance to his base there, and hopefully it will be destroyed.