A quiet night at the Keg and Anchor wasn't on the cards for the Shadow Court. First, Mul turned up and was immediately pounced on by gypsy-wanderer Summer and the ever-present Alraune and asked what particular talents he had to contribute. Not wanting to cause any more magical disasters, Muldran treated them to a rendition of 'Stones', played on two spoons.

As he finished, he turned to the sound of a familiar voice... Tim Hunter! Muldran was gobsmacked, and overjoyed to see the young man again - but there was something vaguely unsettling about him; Tim looked pale and drawn, hardly as if he was there at all, when viewed out the corner of your eye...

Soon, Gorthyn, Cherry, Decardo and Bertrand turned up, and the group were happily chatting and discussing matters - from the Reliquary through to Tim. Summer sat down and, for some reason, kept on flinching. Observing them, the Court noticed that Tim's manners seemed lacking. Getting worried that he knew what was going on, Mul tried to 'see' inside Tim, but found his magic being shuffled to one side... And with a brief stab of surprise Muldran realised that the magic defending Tim was from a ritual Muldran himself had performed a long time back!

A brief interrupteion ensured as guardsman Orm entered the tavern, and greeted Tim. Orm then proceeded to kick the bench Muldran was sitting on, raising the ire of several members of the Shadow Court. Muldran refused to loose his calm, saying that he'd come to expect this behaviour from Orm, since he had managed to have the dubious honour of being the first authority figure that Muldran had ever rendered unconcious... After a brief bit of unpleasant banter (with even Alraune nearly losing her temper) Orm moved on.

As Summer restrained herself from casting a curse on the Tim as he smirked as he 'accidently' kicked her again, Muldran had had enough. Grabbing Tim by the ear, he dragged him outside, and levitated him over the river. Tim broke down, sobbing, and Muldran spoke quietly with him - but most of the Shadow Court had moved outside to watch what Mul was up to.

Tim revealed that the presence locked away inside him - a twisted Elf, by the name of Tom - had been growing stronger and stronger. The Shadow Court group moved on to another part of the city (the run down Tinker's Guild building, which Gorthyn and Decardo suggested for use as an embassy) where Tim told new member Palirond, as well as the others, about the mystic quiver that he'd touched in the Elven City, and the horrible posession he had gone through.

Muldran chimed in, telling people that the more magic was used from this stage, the more Tom would try and emerge, since Muldran had hoped to 'cure' Tim by using a ritual from the Elemental Stones of Water and Air, combined with a type of meditation. It was the meditation that was keeping Tom at bay, but poor Tim was nearly worn out at the effort. Indeed, Muldran even believes he say Tim fade out before his eyes. Even more worrying, Tom didn't fade back in, in his place - what this indicated, Muldran was too scared to contemplate.

Tim reminded them that the Elves had said the only way to banish the soul was to 'change' - become an elf, and shed the tainted part of his soul. But Tim had become scared, and hadn't completed the transformation.

Palirond requested a quiet talk with Tim, so Muldran and the others left them to it... only to return a few moments later as Tim let out a shriek. Palirond looked up, and told Mul that Tom was approaching, and revealed that he'd tried to draw the spirit out, so he could trap it inside himself, and deal with it, since Tim could not.

Muldran thanked Palirond, but told him that he was not sure how well that would work. Decardo mentioned that Palirond was stronger, so should be able to cope better. Muldran agreed with the thought, but suggested that if Tom had access to a stronger host - then Tom himself would become stronger... Cherry was aghast at this; was Muldran suggesting that Tim should retain this infestation?


After Tim had calmed down, they took him to the Inn, where Palirond would stand guard - and Muldran confided in the others that he thought Tom might actually be back, and that he might be shamming. The best thing they could do would be to keep an eye on him... and make sure that Tom was gone for good before Tim completed the final ritual...

Tim should be back on Wednesday to continue his quest to become an elf - welcome back, Tim Hunter!

The light was fading and panic rose in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him. He tried to scream out but there was silence. No sound could he make. The darkness closed in around him and a damp chill began to creep into his bones. He screamed silently again but the darkness swallowed any sound he made. An intense cold began to numb his limbs.Doggedly bracing his body as best he could against the cold sleek walls that surrounded him, he slowly halted his descent into...nothingness. Looking up he could see a small pin point of light..so far away. Sobbing with exhaustion he slowly inched his way up towards the light, refusing to give in...

A scream tore from his mouth and he awoke bathed in sweat. Shivering uncontrollably he sat in the bed and stared around the room, fear in his eyes.

Yes... you should be afraid. You weaken. Soon I will ensnare you once more and this time you will NOT escape.

Breathing deeply, Tim performed the meditation exercises Muldran had taught him. Ice... cool... river flowing fast...a raging whirlpool sucking all down into its depths... calmness... His thoughts faltered as an evil laugh floated through his consciousness.

Not so easy now is it? Give in Tim. You are tired.. I WILL win.. save yourself the agony. You know I can hurt you.

Tom's laughter suddenly filled his head and shattered his meditation. He screamed out in pain as his head began to throb. "No.. you WILL not win Tom!". With a supreme effort of will Tim mentally pushed Tom out of his mind and back deep into the quiver. With a snap... Tom left his mind and Tim sank down onto the bed in relief. Sleep was now a luxury he dare not afford. He sat cross-legged on the bed and began to fill his mind with his own thoughts to allow no room for Tom to creep in.

He was afraid of becoming an elf. He was afraid of what he would become. Would Tim cease to exist? He had not really believed the elves when they said he would eventually fade out of existance if he did not complete the change that Tom had begun, but lately he had begun to believe it may hold some truth. A few times now he had felt as if he had faded but it never lasted long. Perhaps he should just fade away... but then, there would be no one to restrain Tom. He would be free. Tim had awoken Tom's spirit so it was his responsibility to put an end to it. He just hoped he had not left it too late.

Tom's thoughts battered at the edge of Tim's consciousness, searching, always searching for a small crack to slip in. He had managed it before..he could do it again. Insiduosly, sliding inbetween Tim's thoughts and slowly influencing his decisions. He nearly succeeded last night.. he would not give up. He would live again in Tim's body. He would be the one completing the change to an elf. Tom laughed and made his plans.

The night started off with Cherry, Decardo, Palirond and Muldran meeting Tim at the Inn. Setting off from there, the group aimed to complete three of the remaining tasks for Tim's transformation.


Before they left, Cherry handed Mul a note that Tim had made in his lucid moments, explaining that he dare not sleep, and that he felt Tom sweeping over him. He begged Muldran and the others to watch carefully, since he believed Tom has managed to overwhelm him at certain points and 'pretend' to be Tim. He let them know that Tom made mistakes, and that they should be watchful...

As the left Trinsic, Cherry summoned a doorway to a distant part of the land, and the group set off to locate a bear called 'Maul' who somehow held the next part of the learning that Tim had to achieve. After a long walk (and noticing that Tim's frequent 'fadeouts' were happening more often and for longer periods of time) the Courtiers located the bear, who proceeded to complain about being terribly hungry for fish steaks. Tim's hungry days as a young'un in Trinsic paid off; he'd managed to capture some fish from a nearby stream, which he proceeded to through at the hungry bear, until it smiled (a bear-like-smile) and advised Tim that he'd learnt more about the animals... and should seek a Centaur, found near the Shrine of Chaos.

Another long journey followed (with Palirond getting tired out due to his heavy armour) but the group eventually found themselves face to face with the centaur - not without Muldran being attacked by various critters along the way, then getting lost, and finally reuniting.

During these events, Decardo and Gorthyn discussed that Tim may be more trouble than he was worth. Muldran reacted... well, if not angrily, then loudly, letting loose with a piercing whistle, and telling them that they were helping a lost member of the Court, and that was all there was to it. He wasn't quite sure if they took him seriously...

Tim was surprised at the look of the centaur; he'd never encountered one before, but he quickly got involved with his next task - a spot of wolf slaying. In fact, he was so involved that when one of the wolves jumped Muldran, his aim was slightly off, and managed to pierce Muldran's arm. Tim made short work of the creatures, and suddenly a strange look came over him. This time, with deliberate malice, he took aim at Muldran.

Muldran got the hint, and vanished, while Gorthryn, Palirond and Decardo rushed at Tim to disarm him. Before blood was spilt, Muldran materialised and cast a field of energy towards the group, freezing them in place. He then calmed Tim down, and slowly, Tim backed away from his Tom persona.


With only one more task left, the group returned to Trinsic, with Muldran standing watch over Tim.

Tim feverishly built up mental walls to keep Tom's thoughts from entering his mind.. but as fast as he built the "walls", Tom battered them down. Tim tried many ways to block Tom and eventually found a solution.. a void... a gulf of mental nothingness which Tom seemed unable to breach.. for now. Within the void, memories swirled around and around.

The knock on the door jolted Tim back to the present and his thoughts scattered. Outside Muldran, Decardo, Cherry and Palirond were waiting to assist him with the tasks set by Darius. Each task brought him nearer to becoming an elf.

Nearer to ME being free you mean!
You will never be free. You will be destroyed when I become an elf! Your soul is tainted with part of my humanity the same as my soul is tainted with your elfishness. These taints are eating away at our souls and will ultimately destroy them. I can embrace the elfish heritage and purge out the tainted part.
..and if it is me inside your body Tim Hunter... what then? I will be the one surviving..not you!
I will not let you push me out again.. I will not let it happen!
I have already begun... *the voice slowly fades as Tim manages to cut off Tom's voice in his mind*

Tim was only vaguely aware of those around him and of the task to appease Maul the bear. The effort of maintaining the "wall" in his mind was taking its toll. A few times already he had found himself doing or saying things out of character and he suspected it was Tom's influence. Fear began to creep into his mind. What if....? Tim hurriedly banished the thought before it was fully formed. However, his fears came to fruition as he completed the next task...

Killing the wolves had been easy as he was an accomplished archer. After killing the last one he remembered turning to Muldran and then.... nothing.... until he became aware of Decardo's voice telling him to drop his bow. In shock he realised he had tried to kill Muldran. Hastily he dropped his bow and mentally searched his mind for evidence that Tom was there. There was nothing... was he there? or was Tim no longer able to detect him?

Muldran assured Tim that he would watch over him as he rested at the Trinsic Inn, but Tim was too scared to sleep. Sitting at the foot of the bed he began to meditate and to reinforce the mental wall in his mind. A nagging doubt crept into his mind... what if he was walling Tom in?

He was cold... so cold. A chill, numbing cold. His eyes were open but he could see nothing but blackness. A blackness so dark that he felt smothered, unable to breath... Fear welled up inside of him as he tried to stand... but he couldn't... he could not feel his limbs... an intense cold pressed in on his consciousness.

I told you I would succeed.

Tom's laughter echo'd in his thoughts.

Time passed. The cold made his thoughts sluggish, but he refused to give up hope. Muldran, Decardo, Cherry and Palirond would find a way to defeat Tom....

He could hear voices, but they were distant and muffled. He strained to hear what was being said, but it was impossible. A dangerous lethargy came over him and he allowed the darkness to thicken around himself.. the voices faded away.

Time passed....

Something, a feeling of sorts, softly touched his consciousness and lifted him from his lethargy. It was faint, akin to a fly creeping over his skin. ...such anger.... impatience... Curiosity drove Tim to hang onto the feelings. It was better than..nothingness. Slowly his sluggish thoughts began to stir. He realised he was picking up Tom's emotions! A flicker of hope flashed through him..

Time passed and Tim clung desperately to the feelings that had touched him. He allowed his thoughts to follow them back to their source...Tom. A small glimmer of light impinged on his consciousness.

"Water! The answer is water".

The words, although faint were distinct. Tim mentally held his breath, afraid that his presence would be discovered. The small flicker of hope blossomed as he heard voices he recognised... Decardo, Cherry, Palirond... They must be helping him, or rather Tom, to complete the trials.

Weapons clashing... Decardos challenging voice as he fought.. the tingle of magic.. Cherry's calm voice casting spells... Bertram, Gorthyn and Muldran's voices mingled in amongst the rest. Tim fought to keep his emotions in check. Tom MUST not become aware of him.. not now. Not now!

As Tim listened to the voices, he honed in on Muldrans. What was Muldran doing? A moment of panic stabbed through him! Surely muldran knew it was not Tim.... Muldran would know. Muldran knew Tom. Muldran had defeated Tom once already. He would know... he would not fail Tim... he would not... Tim abruptly put an end to that line of thought and turned his attention back to what was happening. Fortunately, Tom was so intent on the final stage of the transformation., that he had not detected Tim's presence.

"Where's Darius?" demanded Tom

"oh over there somewhere" Muldran calmly replied "but first I must give you this paper. It is very important!"

"Give it to me now then!"

... frustration... irritation... anger... impatience... a cocktail of Tom's emotions washed through Tim's consciousness.

"What IS this?" Tom began to read parts of the paper out loud sounding more incredulous the more he read.

"...given permission! ....to become Tim Hunters guardian! ..Muldran Skully to become his legal guardian... adoption!"

Tim was momentarily stunned but not as stunned as Tom. Muldran was willing to adopt him. Him ... Tim... Tim was truely wanted! He must not let Muldran down! With a rush, Tim mentally bowled Tom over and regained control of his own body.

Muldran was adopting him! To call him his own son. Tim would let nothing prevent that from happening. With a few more fast mental kicks he forced Tom's soul back into the quiver and quickly thrust it towards Muldran.

"Take it quick. I gotta get this finished afore 'e escapes!"

Tim raced over to Darius and in no time the transformation, for better or worse, was completed. Tim felt a "SNAP" in his mind and he realised that for the first time in ages he was truely free of Tom. Tim's mind was whirling and only when he passed through the magic portal did he return to earth with a bump...by promptly being sick!

It was late, in the Library. Muldran looked over the snowy valley of Rhovanion and smiled. Sitting in the garden, the temperate area atop the Library, Mul was content. He expected the enormity of what he'd done would come back to haunt him very soon.

Muldran had woken early, an alarm spell shattered, and observed Tim creeping out of the Inn. Although, of course, it wasn't Tim. Muldran could tell this by the way the boy moved; much more confident than he had in days previous.

Muldran knew there wasn't much time. He made it across town to the records and census building, then on to the orphanage to collect something before heading back to the Inn. He knew this was a big step - but perhaps it wouldn't come to it, in order to deal with Tom once and for all. If it did, things wouldn't be the same again... Tucking the document into his belt, he headed back to the Inn.

When Tim returned to the Inn, Muldran tried to act surprised, but Tom was having none of it, and told Muldran that Tim was gone. Muldran tried to bluff Tom, saying he'd rather have Tom than pathetic Tim, but that backfired too! Muldran hid himself with a spell while Tim threatened him with the bow... And when Palirond, Bertrand and Gorthyn arrived, Tom pretended to be Tim again.


As the group headed towards Trinsic gates, Muldran tried to tell Gorthyn that Tim 'wasn't himself' without giving the game away - but it didn't seem like Gorthyn understood what Mul was saying, or that he had dismissed it as Mul being manic, as usual. Outside the gate, the group met up - so Cherry, Decardo, Gorthyn, Palirond, Tim and Muldran were ready to set forth, with Bertrand in tow.

As Decardo arrived, Tim stepped into Cherry's gate. Sensing an opportunity, Muldran immediately used a spell to collapse the gate, and then said urgently, "That's not Tim, that's Tom. Don't let on that I've told you. Act normal." Again, the Court seemed sceptical, and inside Mul was screaming - had he really lost that much credibility with his own people. Cherry then reopened the gate, and Tim came back through, none the wiser.

Setting off for the Compassion shrine, Muldran's nerves must have been a bit off, since the Gate he summoned also dragged in a young lady advertising 'Bath Night' in Buccaneer's Den. Louisiana fell unconscious after being cornered by a vortex of energy summoned by Cherry. After helping her up, and promising to return her to Trinsic as soon they had finished their mission to locate the 'Enigma' that Tim had been asked to find. Unfortunately the poor girl was nearly decapitated as Decardo charged in to a pack of Scorpions, catching her on the upswing! She quickly used a scroll and rune, and took herself away, no doubt wondering who on earth these oddities were...


In the desert, the group found a Sphinx, who posed a riddle:
While fighting off the hordes of creatures attacking the area, Tim puzzled out the answer - it was Water. Quite a coincidence, considering the meditation that Muldran had been using along with the Water stone.

It was at this point that Tom revealed himself, saying that he didn't need Muldran and the Court any more; all he needed to do now was to was speak to Darius in Moonglow, and he'd be able to cast off Tim totally. Tom then turned on Muldran, and started loosing off arrows. Mul quickly called for the Court who surrounded and incapacitated the lad. Mudlran called for Cherry to open a Gate to Serpents' Hold.


Muldran outlined that Tom would win, unless they could bring Tom forth; if it was Tom who spoke to Tim, then surely it would be Tim who'd inherit the elven body. Palirond again offered to take on Tom's spirit, but Muldran was adamant that he shouldn't do that - Tom *wanted* a stronger body, so they stood their best chance of defeating Tom, if it came down to it. As Tim woke, he cried out for Muldran to help him, before being submerged under Tom's presence again.

Tom goaded Muldran; they must take him to Moonglow; it was all over and Tim had lost. But Muldran stated that he still had one plan left, and held a piece of paper out in front of him. Tom demanded the paper, and Muldran said that nothing could persuade him to hand it over. Except for a command from the Lords Cardinal, Cherry and Gorthyn. He looked towards the two of them smiling, but his face fell as Cherry commanded that he must NOT give the paper to Tom. With shock, Muldran realised that they thought it was some sort of magic, and that Muldran was planning some badly thought out magical plan.

Muldran panicked, and summoned a gate, jumping through to the centre of Moonglow. He couldn't close the gate in time, and a few of the Court followed him through. Piece of paper in hand, Muldran ran through the streets, trying to dodge out the way of the Courtiers. He leapt over a hedge, and dived through into the teleporter leading to the Lycaeum. When there, he persuaded Darius to wait outside.

Muldran leant nervously against the fountain, and looked at the piece of paper in his hand. Would he have the courage to do this? Would it even work on Tom? What would he do after? And with the Court unable to trust him, thinking that - once more - he was hatching a huge master plan...

The Court arrived in short order, with Cherry, Decardo and Gorthyn demanding that Mul turned over the spell and his reagents, that they would not permit him to do something to Tim. Tom, meanwhile, stood there gloating. Muldran's heart sank - he now knew what he'd have to do, in order to seal the power of the first part of his actions. He let the piece of paper fall to the floor, and Tom eagerly grabbed it.

He read it out loud as the Shadow Court argued about Muldran's actions, but not even Mul heard many of the words. He was too busy watching Tom. Suddenly a struggle seemed to erupt behind Tim's eyes as he read the words on the paper.
Muldran spoke to Tim quietly, as the rest of the Court looked on in shock. Muldran encouraged Tim, telling him that he could rely on Muldran to look after him after the change; that both of them would grow up - and grow stronger.

With a gasp, Tim thrust the Quiver at Muldran, who deftly caught it. Tom was ousted from Tim's mind as the offer of friendship - of finally having a family - was perhaps the only thing that could have shaken the evil presence loose. Tom quickly shed his clothes, and ran towards Darius, who noted that Tim's quest was complete... and Tim *changed*.