-- 1/10/6068 --

     The rough wintery seas tossed the small skiff about as if it were a
toy, making it very difficult to easily lash her to the narrow wharf
alongside the two well-kept sloops already there.
     Dwarkin led the group up the path to the Skellig Keep, noting as he
did so that where once the path had been narrow and treacherous, it was now
wide and steps had been cut into it at the steeper portions, with low stone
walls having been erected along either side of the path.
     The keep itself was looking remarkably better, its weathered and
crumbling stonework having been chiseled smooth and in some places even
replaced entirely.  But the work was as yet incomplete, with the upper
portions of the keep still untouched, giving clear testimony to just how
great a difference the dwarfs were making in their work at restoring
Skellig Keep.
     The interior of the keep was also looking significantly different.
The crazed artwork of Onas Skel -- the insane dwarf who had built Skellig
Keep -- had been removed.  However, the dwarfs were still in the initial
stages of their work, and nothing had as yet been put in place of the
removed artwork, but one got the impression that whatever was to be put
there would be fitting as well as aesthetically pleasing.
     Oron Darg met them in the great hall of the keep, looking in vastly
improved spirits than they had ever seen him.  The opportunity for him to
restore this ill-designed keep was precisely the thing the outcast dwarf
had needed to give back vigor to his life.  And Oron was not alone in this,
for he had known of several other dwarfs who had been cast out of dwarven
society for mistakes that had been made in their work, mistakes which had
resulted in accidental destruction or even death -- for dwarfs were not
forgiving to their own kind who made such grievous mistakes.
     Though there were only a handful of dwarfs helping Oron in his work,
they were putting their hearts into their efforts, and for this they worked
fast and flawlessly, as was evidenced in the sheer amount of labor
accomplished in the short time they had been at the keep.
     When the travellers met Oron in the great hall, they were quick to
compliment him upon that which he and the other dwarfs had done, perhaps
too quick.  But if Oron noticed, he took no offense, since he was more than
elated -- in the restrained dwarven fashion -- at having the chance to
complete the restoration of Skellig Keep.  In doing so, he would have the
chance to be accepted back into dwarven society -- if not forgiven for the
deaths he had caused -- which was more than he had ever hoped for.
     Coming to the main reason the group had stopped at Skellig Keep,
Dwarkin inquired, "Has Hawn Ambrosius been here recently?"
     "About a month ago, I saw him a couple times, but he went up into that
one tower, so I dared not approach him there."  When they had first left
Skellig Keep, Hawn had magically sealed the tower containing Roarshahk's
study and workroom.  Therefore, Oron had been warned to not go into that
portion of the keep so he would not risk triggering the wards Hawn had
placed there.
     "But I am here now."  Everyone turned to find Hawn standing next to
one of the doors leading off from the great hall, rubbing soot from his
face with a cloth.  "I believe you came looking for me that we might have a
war council of sorts and discuss our options and consider what little we
have learned."
     "Just so," agreed Tibulus.  "But we had expected to hear from you
sooner."  He was referring to Hawn's promise to join them on their journey
to the Yurndale forest.
     "I have been detained by business.  But come, let us hold our
discussion in my study, where I have materials of interest to us all."
With that, Hawn turned his back and retreated down the hallway.
     "Am I to be included in this council of yours?" inquired Oron, curious
not only to see the interior of that tower, but also as to the nature of
the demonic invasion he had heard references to.
     "I see no reason to object," offered Dwarkin.  "You and your fellows
may join us.  Indeed, you might even provide us with some needed insight on
demons."
     When all of them had gathered in the study, they found it to be much
different from when Roarshahk had nearly destroyed it in their battle with
him.  The study had been cleaned and completely rearranged.  Gone were the
evil sorcerer's grisly trinkets, replaced by only a few items retrieved
from the ruins of House Ambrosius, including the chest, desk, and
astronomical equipment Hawn had retrieved from his father's workroom.
However, since none of the others knew the origin of these things, they did
not think to inquire as to the manner by which Hawn had brought them here.
     "What have you been up to since you left Baharri?" Tibulus inquired of
Hawn.
     Saying nothing, Hawn reached into his pack and from a felt-lined case
he produced a gold pendant with a large ruby set in it.  Instantly
recognizing the pendant, Evrin, Dwarkin, and Torina started to bow to Hawn,
while Graynyr turned away in disgust.
     But Hawn railed at them, "Do not bow to me, I am Elflord of a House
that does not exist!"
     Not catching on to what was happening, Gael asked what was going on,
voicing the confusion of the other non-elves present.
     "That is a Lifestone," Dwarkin informed them in a reverent voice.
"Only Elflords may carry them, and that he holds it proves Hawn is Elflord
of House Ambrosius."
     "And as the only living member of House Ambrosius, that means
nothing," Hawn hissed at no one in particular.  However, Graynyr gritted
his teeth, choosing to remain silent.
     Arahna put to Hawn, "Does being an Elflord give you much influence
with the other Elflords?"
     "You mean will they consent to do something should I ask it of them?
Ordinarily, they would do so only when they cared to.  But Frey has
personally selected me as general of all the elven forces, so in this
instance the other Elflords have no choice but to bow to my will."  He said
this with the distaste of one who no longer cared for elven society, having
seen first hand how reticent they were in pursuing the drow after the
destruction of House Ambrosius.
     "So it would seem that all of the gods have indeed chosen us as their
champions."  Graynyr did not sound as if he were certain that any of their
number were worthy of so exalted an honor, nor if they were actually
capable of succeeding.
     "Then let us not fail them," intoned Gael with obvious reverence.	She
was still excited that she had been selected by Poseidon for this task,
even if she did share Graynyr's uncertainty about their being able to be
successful against an entire army of demons.
     "When we know so little about the demons' army, I do not see how we
could possibly succeed."  Years of adventuring had made Kasendra a
pessimist at heart, and for an adventurer, pessimism tended to lengthen the
life-span.
     "We are not so ignorant of the demons as you think," commented Hawn.
"From my personal wanderings, I have faced down several mages who were
working for the demons.  From them I have learned some of the plans of the
demons, and taken steps to ruin some of those plans.
     "For one thing, the brunt of the demonic forces will appear in the
remote regions of the world, although they have plans to place small
numbers of their kind in the middle of cities where they will destroy as
much of the cities' defenses as possible.  However, I have slain some of
those mages who have sworn allegiance to the demons and destroyed the
warehouses containing their stocks of supplies and housing the mercenaries
they have hired."
     "So that is why you look like you took a stroll through a bonfire,"
quipped Kasendra, referring to Hawn's scorched clothing and the soot he had
wiped from his face with the cloth he had since tossed onto one work table.
     "Wait," uttered Gael, her mind making the connection.  "When we were
in Arinius, several warehouses were burned to the ground, and they
discovered a number of bodies in the rubble.  You were responsible for
that?"
     Hawn nodded.  "I could not allow the mercenaries and the other
servants of the demons in those warehouses to escape.  Alive they would
still be a threat, so killing them was the only choice open to me."
     That much she could accept, and was not what she had had in mind.
"You must have been in Arinius at the same time as we were.  Why did you
not join us, or send us a message?"
     "Since the beginning of this month, I have been in five different
cities and destroyed more than a dozen warehouses filled with supplies and
those who have sworn their loyalty to the demons.  I have not had the
chance for the simple amenities in life.  Besides I have been keeping
periodic checks on your whereabouts, and I knew of your plans to stop here,
so I transported myself to the keep in time to meet you."
     "Then you are still using that cursed knife to teleport yourself?"
Arahna still remembered when they had discovered that knife and how it had
nearly compelled Hawn to slay her and Gael.
     "It is a tool I find useful."  Hawn displayed no regret in using the
powers of the knife.  Besides, he found it a fitting irony to use something
the demons created against them.
     "It might be wise to destroy that knife," said Dwarkin to his young
friend.  "There is no telling how it could be used to serve their purposes.
You yourself admitted that when you found it, it almost took control of
you.  Because of that, it might still have some influence over your
actions."
     "I am in complete control of the knife's awareness.  It has no
influence over me."  It irritated Hawn that Dwarkin would even suggest it.
     Tibulus looked at Hawn slyly.  He had had plenty of experience with
cursed items in his time.  "How can you be certain of that?  If it does
have influence over you, it could even convince you that you are in
complete control of it."
     Hawn bit back the first response which came to his mind, saying
instead, "That is a chance I will have to take.  This knife has the power
to instantly transport me anywhere I wish.  The risk is well worth that
power."
     "But you are a mage," argued Gael.  "Is there not a spell that would
serve you just as well, and without the risk?"
     Hawn let out something part sigh, part growl.  "There is, but I
neither know the spell nor believe I am strong enough to cast it if I did.
Teleportation is not a simple trick, and by using this knife I can avoid
the dangers inherent in using the spell.  Now be so kind as to drop the
subject.  There are more pressing matters than minor dangers and
insignificant fears."
     Gael said nothing more.  But why was he being so defensive of his
using the knife?  Perchance Tibulus was right, and the demonic knife was
having some manner of influence over Hawn.
     Taking advantage of the suggestion to change the subject, Graynyr set
his hatred of Hawn's attitude aside and said, "Earlier you said that the
majority of the demons will appear in remote areas of the world, while only
a small number will appear in inhabited ares.  Why so?"
     Tibulus uttered a few if his own thoughts in response to that
question.  "It is probably most convenient for them due to the nature of
the planar conjunction which will allow them access to our world.  They
would have little or no control over where the dimensional gateways open
into our world.  Besides, recall that most demons are able to instantly
teleport themselves at will, so were they appear is not altogether
important."
     "And that will make it even more difficult to fight them," sighed
Graynyr.  Things kept looking dimmer all the time.
     "That is why we must reach Tanalore and learn all we can about planar
conjunctions.  With luck, there will be something we can do to prevent the
demons from even appearing in our world, and thereby avert this war
completely."
     "Why not have Hawn use the knife to go to Tanalore?  That way we can
dispense with the journey by ship, and save six weeks."  Kasendra had never
cared for ships.  She preferred to keep her hairy little feet on solid
ground.
     "Because I had planned on going to Tiresk," supplied Hawn.  "I have
learned of a cult of devil worshippers, and had planned on dealing with
them."  With the last of the warehouses in smoldering ruins, he could now
go and tend to those fools who dared truck with the denizens of the
underworld.
     "We could travel to Tiresk and attend to them," suggested Dwarkin,
"while you go to Tanalore."
     However, their discussion was interrupted by a chorus of scratchy
voices.  "Hail, Elflord Ambrosius.  And hail to your army of heros."  In an
empty space along one curved wall there were three indistinct, wraith-like
figures.
     Everyone was immediately on his guard, lest this projection prove
dangerous.  But Hawn commented darkly, "Put down your weapons.  These are
but three incompetent witches I know."
     "Incompetent?" echoed the first witch.  "Did we not lead you to
Kaalatar?"
     "And yet you were frightened off by a simple illusion."  Hawn's voice
dripped with sarcasm.  "Or did you realize it was an illusion?  Or
perchance you created the illusion to end our discussion."  For all Hawn
knew, the illusory monster could well have been the work of these three
witches.
     "Nay, Elflord.  The illusion was the work of one who means you great
harm, one who will dog your steps until his vengeance is complete."
     Hawn's eyes narrowed angrily as he stared at the wavering images of
the hags.  "And who might that be?"
     They did not respond.  Instead, the third changed the topic, saying,
"We told you that there was more information for which you were not ready.
Now the time has come for you to hear.	At the ruins of Bahketh Tor you
will find a demon.  Capture him and you will learn much of the plans of
those whom you fight against."
     "Fail to take him, and you will surely die," added the second witch.
Then in chorus with her revolting sisters, "Farewell, Elflord Ambrosius."
As their voices faded, so did their images, those unpleasant reflections of
their true selves.
     "What was that all about?"  Dwarkin's question echoed the one on
everyone else's lips.
     Hawn was silent a time before responding.	"They are three witches I
met, and of whom I asked for knowledge about the demons.  They pointed me
towards the mages who were preparing those warehouses I destroyed.  They
claimed there was more information for me, but would not divulge it.  Now
they say there is a demon in the world, and that I should capture him.
This time I will gladly take their advice."
     "Do you think there is any truth to your warning that if you fail to
capture him, you will die?"  Kasendra dislike ominous warnings.
     "The only way for me to fail to take him will be for me to die,"
returned Hawn fiercely.
     "Surely you do not plan to try and capture a demon single-handedly?"
Dwarkin hoped that Hawn was not so foolhardy.  "Do you still have that
broach we took from Roarshahk?"
     Hawn had no wish to endanger their lives, but knew he would not be
able to get away from them if he objected.  "Yes, I do.  However, I could
transport three, perhaps four other people with me at the most, and I can
not say that the broach would be transport all of us again."
     "Then who would go and who would stay?" inquired Torina.  "I do not
think my skills are so great as to be able to go up against a demon."
     "The witches say that if we fail to take the demon, we will die,"
Tibulus recounted morosely.  He had heard warnings like that before, and
more often than not they came true, if only through chance and ill luck
rather than any prophecy.  "Perhaps those who do not go should sail for
Tanalore, if only to be safe.  That way, if the witches' threat does not
come true, Hawn could use his knife to teleport to the ship and tell the
others they do not need to go on."
     The wisdom of this suggestion was generally accepted.  But there was
still the question of who would go with Hawn, and who would sail on the
ship.
     "I have no doubts that there will be much fighting, so I will need
warriors with me," said Hawn.  "Tibulus, your experience will make your
presence much welcome, and Evrin, too, your skill with the sword will be of
much use to me.  And Gael's powers will be useful in dealing with the
demon, and of course tending the wounds which will surely be received in
battle.  And for the forth, another sword I will need with me, so I think
Arahna should also come."
     This last choice of Arahna surprised nearly everyone, for they had
seen that next to Tibulus, Graynyr was the second best warrior in their
number, especially due to the enchanted sword he carried.  But those
knowing Hawn well understood this choice of Arahna over Graynyr.  Hawn was
obviously still trying to keep his distance from his sister's illegitimate
half-human son.
     Before anyone could argue with Hawn, Graynyr surprised few by saying,
"Agreed.  So Dwarkin, Torina, Kasendra, and myself will set sail for
Tanalore, and await Hawn's message that we may turn back."
     Everyone was silent for a time, then Dwarkin said, "I am unfamiliar
with Bahketh Tor.  Has anyone heard of this place?"  The druid hated to go
along with Hawn's manipulations, but he realized it would be futile to try
and force Hawn to accept his relationship with Graynyr.  Hawn would have to
do so of his own accord.
     "A large castle which was destroyed in a boarder skirmish a couple of
centuries ago, I believe," offered Tibulus, calling upon his bard's
knowledge of the trivial and insignificant.  "It's about seventy leagues to
the north-northwest of Yurndale."
     "Thank you," said Hawn.  "With that I should be able to locate it with
my crystal ball.  Then I could transport us about a day's travel away from
there with Roarshahk's magic broach."
     "And afterwards?  Then what?" inquired Torina, showing optimism no one
else really felt.  "What do we do when Hawn tells us to turn the ship
around?  Are there any more of those wizards around who were assisting the
demons?  Or do we sail to Tiresk?"
     "I tended to all the cursed wizards I could discover," said Hawn, glad
to go along with inane plans that would help them to avoid topics he felt
were better left avoided.  "But I have no doubts as to there being more of
them."
     Dwarkin nodded, knowing this to be true.  "Had we known to look at the
time, we would have realized that Roarshahk was involved in the
preparations for the coming Demon War, as we have since realized by his
summoning of that demoness.  Perhaps such is why Poseidon's servants
brought us here when that ogre ship attacked our vessel."
     "Indeed," agreed Tibulus, recognizing that that god had had a great
deal of influence in these matters.  He commented on this before adding
another thought: "Perhaps whomever it was that those hags said is pursuing
you is another one of the mages employed by the demons."
     Considering that, Arahna added a thought of her own.  "Or not.  It
might well have been that one dark elf.  The one who played the part of the
Seer of Baharri."
     Hawn's upper lip curled in rage at the memory of that drow.  The next
time they met, one of them would end up dead, he vowed to himself.  This
new task of theirs to battle against demons was not overly to his likings.
He still craved to personally hunt down and slay every drow involved in the
destruction of House Ambrosius.  And the sooner he could deal with these
bloody damned demons, the sooner the drow would pay for their evil ways.
     "I still do not believe that the Seer could have been one of the
drow," spoke up Oron, breaking the silence the dwarfs had thus far
maintained.  They were but common people, and not heroes such as those
whose company they now kept.
     "The Seer was never known to have performed any evil deed.  Many a
time those who asked for his wisdom were set to pay strange and oft times
costly prices for that wisdom.	But I know of no tales of evil from him."
The dwarf had been surprised to hear that the renown Seer of Baharri had
been an evil dark elf.
     "I doubt he would have lived long had it been common knowledge," Hawn
growled half under his breath.
     "Some will pay any price for wisdom, no matter how good or evil the
giver is."  Tibulus had himself dealt with evil mages before, trading with
them for information or spells.  When an evil mage was the only mage
around, it left little in the way of alternative choices.
     Hawn had a few choice opinions of his own on the point of the Seer, be
chose to keep them to himself for the moment.
     Turning the direction of the conversation, Graynyr sought to bring an
end to this meeting that he might be away from Hawn as soon as possible.
"When do we depart for Tanalore?  It is a long voyage, and we had best
start on it as soon as possible.  And that demon you are so eager to
capture may not stay at Bahketh Tor for long."
     "Then leave now," Hawn encouraged the half-elf.  "I have preparations
to make, and the rest of us will go to Bahketh Tor in the morning."
     When no objections were raised, the conversation drifted on to less
relevant matters as everyone in the group tried to avoid talking about less
pleasant topics, like death or Hawn's relationship with Graynyr.