-- 11/8/6067 --

     In the day and a half of travel it required to reach the home of Omar
Dalb, the newly met companions related their stories to one another.
Kasendra, the halfling, had early in her life discovered her passion for
adventure which is found in so few of her race, a passion which had
alienated her from her most unadventurous people.  She had left her
homelands and joined a band of adventurers, including the fair-haired
human, Tibulus, a swordsman and balladeer.
     Their group had had many adventures, but of late their luck had
fallen, with two companions dead, a third hopelessly insane, and the last
turned to stone.  With the one who had been slain a few days before, these
two had chosen to seek vengeance but had been foiled by the spells and
wards around the palace grounds.
     Now, however, their reasons for coming on this quest were different.
From Evrin and Graynyr, they had learned that the sorcerer, Omar Dalb, had
recently been slain in a sorcerous duel.  Omar had kept a number of twisted
parodies of animals in the dungeons beneath his palace, monstrosities which
were now escaping since he was not around to control them.  It was these
fleeing monsters which were wreaking havoc upon the countryside.
     These two hardened adventurers now chose to help in this endeavor to
recover the magical Casket of Kartheus and to help in the fight against the
dark elves, glad for once to finally fight for a cause other than mere
avarice, which had cost them so much for mere gold and gems.  Helping
against the dark elves would be no less dangerous than anything else they
had done, and most likely more so, yet at least there was a cause to give
them purpose.
     Thus far in the journey to the palace, the foursome had fought off one
monster and eluded a couple of others.  At last they found themselves
before a thorny and impenetrable hedgerow some thirty yards high, a product
of Omar's fascination with plantlife.  The Seer of Baharri had spoken of
the sorcerer' preference for the vegetable over the animal, of how he had
created as well as procured a large number of exotic, animated plants which
were planted in a garden surrounding his palace, all enclosed by a
phenomenally large hedgerow.  The Seer had also provided means of passage
through these defenses.
     From his pack, Evrin drew a transparent disk of some quartz-like
material, covered with arcane calligraphy.  Following the Seer's
instructions, he held the disk before him and walked towards the hedgerow.
The air in front of him shimmered, motes of light flared into existence and
danced crazily.  The hedgerow vibrated wildly before its thorny branches
were thrust aside as if by invisible hands, forming a pathway through the
thickness of the hedge.
     The others quickly followed the elf through this passage as it began
to close up behind him as he entered.  They sprinted through the opening as
it closed itself up, following closely on their heels.  They barely were on
the other side when it was restored to its solid status, all traces of its
opening now gone.  The four now stood on a strip of grass some ten feet
wide, running for as far as the eye could see in either direction along the
inside of the hedgerow.
     On the other side of the path were the gardens of Omar, a myriad
collection of plants the likes of which the four had never before seen in
any moments of sanity.  Wondrous varieties of the plant kingdom thrived
here: roses on the ends of tendrils undulating rhythmically in the breeze;
chameleon-like leaves changing and mixing their hues; serpentine vines
wrestled and whipped at other plants; air lilies floated on the breeze; a
bush with flaming blossoms set smoking any vine that snaked too close;
large flower pods with interiors like comfortable chairs opened invitingly;
plants with hollow, flute-like stems swayed with the breeze, piping lovely
tunes which carried across the sea of flora; and a host of others with less
describable attributes.
     Evrin stood tossing the disk from hand to hand, looking out over the
sea of plantlife and commenting upon how hot the talisman had become.
     "Then let us follow this pathway," suggested Tibulus.  "There might be
a walkway up to yonder palace," he added, pointed towards the spired
mansion across the gardens.
     Evrin wrapped the disk in a cloth and all followed the words of the
balladeer, walking along the grassy strip between the towering hedge and
the gardens.  They kept to its center to avoid the magicked thorns on one
side and the groping vines on the other.  After a mile or so of walking,
they had found nothing except for a creature -- part owl and part lizard --
not long dead and in the midst of being consumed by a thing that looked to
be a hybrid of a black rose bush and a Venus's flytrap, with flashing,
razor-sharp teeth.
     Not knowing how far it might be to the nearest walkway -- if indeed
there was one -- they decided to call upon the powers of the disk again.
They moved through the garden, the plants being thrust out of their way.
Creepers trying to grasp at them burst into flames with harsh, alien
screams of pain.
     As they pressed onwards, Evrin had to put on a glove and wrap a cloth
around his hand to protect it from the radiating heat of the disk.  At one
point, the disk slipped from his grasp to land on a stone, chipping off a
small shard which detonated with a painful burst of heat and light.
Fortunately, the quartz disk still retained its powers, protecting them
from the foul garden.
     They moved as fast as they dared, for they could not stop to let the
disk cool here in the middle of this perilous garden.  They finally broke
out of a grove of weeping willows -- whose tears and mournful wails seemed
to bode ill for them -- to find themselves confronted by a most mortal
danger: they stood at the edge of a courtyard before the palace...  A
courtyard with nearly a dozen hulking humanoid monstrosities.
     The monsters, on seeing these puny beings, grabbed their clubs -- or
at least those amongst them who had need of weapons -- and began advancing
upon the adventurers.
     With the gardens at their backs and the disk beginning to glow from
the heat it was emitting, death seemed assured.  Evrin, however,
remembering when he had dropped the disk before, lobbed the piece of quartz
at the monsters, ordering his companions to take cover as he himself
dropped flat.  There was a tremendous explosion and numerous, yet brief
animalistic ululations of agony and death.
     When the four looked up, they saw that the parodies and cross-breeds
had been scattered about the courtyard, their corpses charred and smoking.
The aroma of burnt flesh, fur, and feathers hung thick in the air.  A
massive crater was torn in the flagstones, the only sign of where the disk
had landed.
     Kasendra immediately turned on the elf, shouting, "You imbecile!  That
was our only way out of these grounds!"
     "Calm yourself," soothed Evrin.  "I should not think that we would
have had need of the disk again had those abominations overpowered us.  And
as for a means of egress, remember that these beings must have some means
of leaving this place to commit the deeds they have done to those nearby."
     "He's right," confirmed Graynyr, pointing towards another side of the
courtyard.  "There is a path smashed through the trees over there."
     The halfling grumbled under her breath, but paid the elf an apology
anyway.  As one given to thiefly pursuits, she hated not having an escape
route at her back, should one become needed as had happened several times
in her career.
     A howl of fury split the air of the courtyard turned battlefield as a
humanoid creature barreled from the portal which had once contained the
front door of the palace which had long ago been torn from its hinges.
Nearly twelve feet tall, the lupine beast was on top of them almost before
they could react, smashing Evrin to the ground with a large tree branch.
     The halfling drew a pair of daggers and hurled them a the furry
creature, having the satisfaction of seeing one plunge into its leg.
Graynyr had stepped behind the monster when it had clubbed Evrin, and now
delivered it a savage gash in the lower back.  The beast howled its pain
and fury, swinging its club blindly behind it, catching the half-elf on the
arm and knocking him for a spin.
     Tibulus slashed the beast on the leg, drawing its attention and its
next blow to him.  He hurled himself to the scorched ground, rolling with
the blow but getting bruised and battered in any case.
     With the beast's attention otherwise occupied, Graynyr took advantage
of this opening to deliver it a wicked sword wound in the leg, hamstringing
it.  The beast fell to its knees, emitting an ear-splitting howl.  The
half-elf moved in and rammed his longsword into its back, angling it
upwards into the heart, or at least where he hoped its heart would be.  The
lupine creature slumped over, dying with a pitiful whimper.
     They took stock of themselves: Graynyr and Tibulus were not badly
wounded.  However, Evrin had trouble keeping his feet firmly under him and
several of his ribs were cracked.  Knowing that they dare not leave one of
their number behind, they continued onwards as a group, lending the elf
what support he required.
     The Seer's powers of seeing over great distances had been unable to
penetrate the wards surrounding the sorcerer's palace, and had therefore
been unable to tell them much of the palace's layout or what might guard
it.  All he had told them was that the Casket lay in the tallest spire.
The foursome wandered through the upper levels of the palace.  They fended
off a couple of the lesser monstrosities and passed many more which were
long dead and decaying, most apparently having served as meals for their
fellows.
     Finally, they came across a large door with a grotesque gargoyle face
carved into it, leering out into the room.  When Tibulus made to open the
door, the gargoyle's wooden features animated and it shouted, "Die, Thief!"
Flames shot from its mouth, burning the man's arm.  He leaped back,
smacking at the smoldering remains of his shirt, burnt away to reveal the
brightly shining sleeve of light, finely interwoven chainmail beneath.
     Any further attempts to near the door brought similar results.  They
were trying to decide how to get passed this barrier when Kasendra produced
a metal vial from her belt pouch -- spoils from a previous adventure.  She
popped off its lid and down its contents, wrinkling her nose at its foul
taste.
     The halfling stepped towards the door, opening her mouth and exhaling
as the leerd, reptilian creature descended upon them.  Tibulus's
enchanted blade was out in a flash, hacking off one of the creature's
leathery black wings.  The demonic creature grabbed at the staircase,
breaking its fall.  Kasendra slashed the side of its face and Evrin
contributed what he could, carving off its taloned fingers with a charmed
dagger he had discovered in the workroom of Roarshahk some weeks back.  The
creature lost its grip and fell, dashing its brains out on the stone floor
below.
     They reached the chamber above unaccosted any further, and found
themselves in a large magical laboratory with all of the necessary
implements, and many unnecessary ones as well.  But most important of all
was the pedestal on the far side of the chamber, upon which sat a small box
made of a black substance which looked to absorb all light, with hinges and
latch made of brightly polished silver.
     Graynyr started towards the box, but Tibulus stopped him, pointing
towards the pair of burly stone statues reached the chamber above unaccosted any further, and found
themselves in a large magical laboratory with all of the necessary
implements, and many unnecessary ones as well.  But most important of all
was the pedestal on the far side of the chamber, upon which sat a small box
made of a black substance which looked to absorb all light, with hinges and
latch made of brightly polished silver.
     Graynyr started towards the box, but Tibulus stopped him, pointing
towards the pair of burly stone statues flanking the pedestal.  "Those are
animated statues, lest I miss my mark.  Most unpleasant guardians, and I
doubt they will be easy to destroy.  Let Kasendra take the case and you and
I will have to hold them off, since the elf is in no condition to fight."
     Following the human's guidance, the halfling snatched the box from its
resting place and ran for the far side of the chamber.  The two statues
immediately began to pursue her, but the two warriors closed and attacked,
trying to force the animated statues back.  Both fighters took painful
blows from the guardian's stone fists, and while Tibulus was chipping off
pieces of his opponent with his enchanted longsword, Graynyr achieved
little more than dulling the edge of his own blade.
     Evading his opponent, Graynyr leapt over a table.  The stone creation
smashed its way through the table, crushing some alchemical apparatus
containing some viscus, bubbling fluid.  The resulting explosion blew the
statue to flinders, raining shrapnel throughout the laboratory.  Several
more minor explosions detonated, causing fires to spread rapidly across the
tables laden with volatile alchemical concoctions.
     Tibulus took another chunk out of his opponent, then turned and fled
with Graynyr after their companions.  As they were descending the stairs,
another, larger explosion went off, shaking the tower.  They moved faster,
catching up with Evrin and the halfling in the courtyard.
     Together, they charged down the path that had been crushed through the
gardens, darting past animated plants before they could react.  When the
four broke out of the garden, a tremendous explosion shattered the palace,
the shock wave knocking them flat on the ground.  They looked back at where
the palace had stood, seeing nothing but a towering pyre of flames, spheres
of light dancing and bouncing around the flames or shooting up into the
evening sky.  Secondary explosions kept going off, heralding the detonation
of some powerfully enchanted item or other.
     The fires were visible all night, and by morning they could still hear
the occasional detonation break the dawn silence.

                              -- 11/10/6067 --

     "Then its true, Omar Dalb's dead!"
     A cheer arose from the gathering crowd.
     "Yes," proclaimed Tibulus from where he stood in front of the tavern,
using his skills to play up to the crowd, "you need never again worry about
that evil sorcerer.  However, you must not forget that those of this
minions who were free when we destroyed his palace remain alive.  Many will
flee, but others will remain.  Of these you must still beware."
     "But you can hunt them down," called out a voice.
     "Alas, but we cannot," admitted the minstrel.  "On the morrow we must
leave to take away an item of great evil that it may never harm the
innocent again.  However, there are other hunters here who can band
together to track down those which remain.  But allow that to await the
coming of a new day.  Tonight, let us celebrate!"
     Another cheer broke from the crowd.