Orhan 2 Day 48 TE 6065

Oathar is at the palace discussing the war. Kyrik is at the library discussing digs.

Back at the villa, both Imre and Alynna get minion summonses. Cay says bring help! Eissa says that too.

Imre can't teleport to Kyrik because he's in a temple of Valris, so Imre rushes to the temple district, and Alynna rushes to Eidolon.

Alynna has to fight her way upstream through the palace, but finally finds Oathar. "Cay asked for me by name?" "Er... *yes* come along!"

Meanwhile, Imre finds Kyrik, "Eissa needs us! Bring help!" "Er should I get some scholars."

Alynna and Oathar take Cay's summons and find themselves standing inside a temple with a body sprawled across it. Before the altar is a figure in robes who karate chops the altar. It breaks in half. Alynna takes damage from the altar of Cay getting chopped. The figure glows with a reddish aura. He calls out, "It is done master!"

Kyrik and Imre take Eissa's summons and find themselves standing inside a temple with a body sprawled across it. Before the altar is a figure in robes who casts at the altar. It breaks in half. Imre takes damage from the altar of Eissa getting destroyed. The figure glows with a reddish aura. He calls out, "It is done master!"

Alynna misses hers and he looks up and says, "Ah, another victim, Nynaku will be pleased."

At both temples, we hear screams outside and several people getting chopped.

Imre and Kyrik's opponent is a Dyar sorceror. Alynna and Oathar's is a monk.

Battle commences in earnest on both sides. Kyrik chops his dyar's face off. He collapses and bursts into flame, a smoldering piles is left on the ground. Imre retreats them (long door) towards the screams outside. But the smoldering body gets up and turns to Imre: "Fools! You can not kill me!" He then bursts into flame.

On the otherside, the bad monk decides that Oathar is the student and tries to kill him before Alynna's eyes. Pesky.

A little guy asks Kyrik if he'd like to know what's really going on... If Kyrik would like to know, the little guy can show him. Just go with him and he will see what "they" have never told you. Kyrik and the little guy teleport out, leaving Imre to fight his side alone.

As the fights go on, Kyrik realizes he's under Votania in the Jerek Arenreth base.

Alynna and Oathar continue to fight the monk. Mostly Oathar annoys him into keeping on Oathar giving Alynna chances to wear him down.

Elsewhere, Kyrik is in a big room with crystal pillars. One of them is pulsing. The pillars have various things and people. They pass through the room and keep going. He passes through another room with a giant red chamber in the middle glowing with power. Kyrik casts an Analysis spell on the giant crystal and the backlash hurls him across the room for 65 points of damage and a corruption point. The smiling little guy says, "Excellent. Would you like another taste?" Kyrik responds "Maybe later." He does notice blood though.

Imre kills his for the third time and prepares for his inevitable rise.

Oathar mind reams one for the plan: "Come here, Destroy the temples of Eissa and Cay to get sacrifices to bring back to the island to give to Nynaku and Zanar. If minions show up, so much the better."

Back in evil-ville, Kyrik is brought before the JA, and a bunch of hooded figures say, "Yes, this one." "He will turn to us or die." "Perhaps that will not be necessary." "So, you seek knowledge do you?" Kyrik responds, "Indeed." "Excellent, you know the others, Andraax, the Loremasters, they've only lied to you. They've only told you the truth they want you to know. Listen and listen well. We will tel you what's really going on. " Kyrik casts photographic memory and receives another corruption point. "Do you know why the great barrier exists." Kyrik has heard speculation. "What do the so-called Loremasters say?" Kyrik says its a side-effect of the eyes. "What did Andraax tell you?" Kyrik lies badly saying "Andraax? Who me?" They laugh at him. "You've been told to deny it, don't worry, we'll deny ever asking you the question." Kyrik admits it's a prison. "But for whom?" The bad guys Kyrik responds. "Yes, yes, all the bad guys. Notice how the world is alway filled with bad guys. This one is a bad guy, and that ones a bad guy. We're all bad guys. Wouldn't you say that's a little narrowminded?" "We know. You want to see what's out there don't you? Among the stars? What if you could say, have your own starship and the ability to go among the stars as you wish. The freedom to fly... To walk among the ruins of lost civilizations... There is an old planet near the center of the galaxy that once housed the great library." Kyrik asks greater even than Nomikos? "The Library of the Althan Galactic Empire." Kyrik drools. "It still stands long abandoned, but the Althans built well." "Yes, perhaps too well." "Do you wish to see this library? To peruse its infinite contents?" Kyrik hedges madly allowing that he's interested, but he's pretty busy as it turns out to go anywhere in particular? "You understand that if the shield stays up you will never leave?" Kyrik protests the Terrans come and go? "How do you expect to get their technology without getting off this planet? If we throw off the shackles of the shield we can reach up to their bases." Kyrik allows that he might just teleport up there some day and kill them all and steal their stuff... "Maybe this one has promise?" "Yes, this one is particularly blood thirsty. He like drowning them en masse." Kyrik protests that pirates don't count. "Oh yes, we forgot... They were bad guys..."

Alynna and Oathar are madly fighting their monk, while Imre starts Imre-ing his guy. His Dyar is dead but keeps getting up.

Elsewhere: "So, you do not sound interested in joining us then?" Kyrik is not sure he meets their recruiting standards. "Pity. We were so hoping." "Since you seem so intent on disqualifying yourself..." Kyrik asks for time to think about their generous offer. "Perhaps. If you wish some time to think, we can provide it." He casts at Kyrik. Kyrik forgets the last ten minutes.... Another points at Kyrik. "Remember, if you fail to come to our side, there is only one fate for you..." Kyrik is teleported out.

Imre's guy says, "Bah, we will meet again." Alynna and Oathar's guy says, "Bah, I am summoned. We will meet again." They both teleport out. Imre determines his teleported southeast.

When he gets home, Kyrik finds a note in his pocket: "Remember, if you wish to discover the secrets of the universe, you have one month to decide. Meet us at the edge of the docks in Selkai at sunset one month from today. If you fail to show, we will assume you have refused."

Oathar determines his distance and direction from Selkai. East northeast. We're in Jorndale, a stone's throw north of Zinvar.

Imre, Oathar, and Alynna regroup on the street outside the temples. Turns out they are in the same place. But we don't know where Kyrik is. Kyrik goes to Danarchis and can't find. Imre gets an image of a grape vine, then a seashell, then a porpoise. Kyrik is just teleporting around randomly looking for us. Alynna, Oathar, and Imre start cleaning up the temples. After a while, all the kids in town start showing up.

Oathar transports them to the luxury Orphanarium he and Haeraan run, until we can rescue their parents. The orders of Cay and Eissa don't want to reestablish the temples until we see if the town needs to be abandoned.

That night Kyrik has a dream in which he remembers everything. He walks the halls of the Grand Library of the Althan Imperium. A voice comes out of the darkness and says, "Choose." There are data terminals, with a login of "KYRIK", "Choose! the password is "yes". He struggles with himself and then clicks "y". He struggles some more and clicks the "e" and then the "s". He hovers of the enter key... and presses it!!! The voice says, "Excellent. The bargain will be fulfilled." In his mind, he sees a starmap, with one point in the center blinking.

He gets another corruption point and we rush to his room at night.

Imre interrogates him about the Althan Galactic Imperial Library and why he seems to know about it. Haeraan is going to have to be informed of these doings.

Orhan 2 Day 49 TE 6065

We shop.