Eowyna watched Albert as he stood before her in the Zento house, his spine stiff, his nose pointed decidedly in the direction of the ceiling. "Albert," she began, "I can't believe you let Amar make off with the fireworks wand! We've lost our opportunity to trap the succubus and find out what is going on there!"

"I am sorry, Madam. But at least Maddux didn't enter the city unprepared...he isn't in danger..."

"Well, not that we KNOW of, Albert! The Bandit King is ALWAYS in danger..." Eowyna trailed off in exasperation.

"Yes, Madam. That is to say....well the problem with young Master Alistor was solved by the Ancient Order, was it not? All will be well with him now that he has been taken to the Holy Paladins. And we can continue on with business."

Eowyna glanced up at her butler. She certainly hoped that Alistor was safe now. Well, the succubus had escaped them again. So be it. Nothing could be done for now except wait for Alistor to heal and take better advantage of the next opportunity.

"Business...yes, Albert. Speaking of business, Albert, Bob is due to sail the next shipment into Vend 'en She Sul within the next few weeks. I want you to close the Zento house for a while. We'll be residing in Eldador for a time. Pack the most valuable of the merchandise and anything else you deem necessary for the household. I want to travel within two days--the sooner the better. Maddux will find us there when his current business, whatever that might be, is concluded. Post messages directing clients to Eldador."

"Two days?!!? Madam..there is so much to be packed and organized...what about the blight and quagmire?? What about..."

Eowyna grinned at her butler. "I'm sure you will find a way, Albert. See to it."

"Yes, Madam." Albert left the room mumbling vaguely about having roast parrot for dinner after all.

Two days later found Eowyna busily unpacking at Vend 'en She Sul in Eldador. A scratching sound caused her to open a pantry door, and she stepped back with a start as a large and quite fat rat ran out. "Corp Por!" The rat squeaked, its tail smoking at the tip, but it scurried away. "Vermin!" said Eowyna to herself. "It could have at least dropped a gold soverign or two. Albert will have to see to that."

About that time Albert himself appeared in the doorway. "Madam, ummm THE Dread Pirate, Bob is here. He wishes to see you. But I must say, his Boots of Really Fast Running are quite muddy and I hesitate to bring him into the parlor....."

"Nonsense!" said Eowyna and ran out onto the balcony. Sure enough, The Duchess had slid silently into the small cove and was beginning to unload her cargo. And, she was EARLY! "Albert, open the secure doors to the cellar so that the men can store the goods." She smiled and made her way downstairs.

THE Dread Pirate Bob was waiting for her on the small unloading dock by the house. "Greetin's, Lady!" Bob's old eyes sparkled excitedly as he directed the men to carry the cargo down the cleverly concealed recessed steps into the cellar under Vend 'en She Sul. "If you'll just show me where you want this lot stowed?" He followed Eowyna down the steps and into the dim cellar. The cellar was fairly large and equipped with many heartwood storage chests. The air was a little stale from infrequent entry, but it was quite clean and smelled pleasantly of casks of elven wine. Eowyna indicated an area for the temporary storage of the cargo.

"What have you brought us this time?" Eowyna asked conversationally as they watched the men bring in load after load of goods.

Bob chuckled raspily. "Well, the usual gewgaw's" he waived his hand dismissively. "Like some nice plate of honor, and a little rare black and orange statuary...should bring a good price. And of course the regular tribute of power scrolls--a few more this time. I'd say Maddux and DiP have been real busy spreadin' a little 'fear of the Valar' here and there!" he laughed again and spat upon the floor. "Oh, and a pretty good Orcish Longbow! And then there's a load of real good rum from Serpent's Hold AND a few bolts of right nice turquoise silk for yourself."

He watched as a large wrapped, irregular parcel was carried in. It was apparently quite heavy for it took several of the men to bring it in. They dropped it on the floor, and it made an odd ringing thud on the stone surface. Immediately, Eowyna felt a strange disorientation and slight nausea assail her. It felt almost like.... She took a step backwards and leaned against some shelving to steady herself.

"And then there's THIS!" Bob continued, apparently unaffected. "We managed to acquire THIS!" He stepped over and unwrapped the parcel, revealing an enormous piece of rock, so densely black that it had the appearance of void.

"Bob," Eowyna said faintly, eyeing the stone, "It's extremely large... Is it..???"

"Yep, blackrock!" Bob finished for her. "Just a right grand size, wouldn't you say? An I know just where this piece come from, but the edan scum won't be tellin' no one else!" Bob grinned from pointy ear to pointy ear. "I figured Maddux would want to put that knowledge to good use. Corner the market, so to speak."

"I daresay you are right about that," said Eowyna faintly. "I'll just leave the stowing of the cargo under your supervision and send word to him right away. Well done, Bob!" She steadied herself and made her way up the stone stairs clinging tightly to the rail.

High upstairs in the bedroom of the house, she felt somewhat recovered and grabbed quill and parchment and wrote a quick note:

Maddux, a'maelamin.
There is something very important here that you must see. Tula sinome! Asca! And have Feanor hire additional miners right away. You will understand when you arrive.
Cormamin lindua ele lle, Eowyna

She hastily placed the parchment in a message tube and fastened it to the parrot, Amar's leg. "Amar, you silly bird," she said sternly to the red parrot, "Find His Awesomeness! And deliver this message to him. Asca!" and she cast the bird into the air.

"*hic* His Awesomeness, His Awesomeness!!" squawked Amar as he launched himself unsteadily into flight. "*hic, hic*"

Eowyna frowned and sniffed the bird's water container. Ale..... "BOB!!!!"

It had been a long time since DiP had set out with his friends. Long battles with ophidians, the berserkers, and even the Grim Reaper himself were a thing of the past. Notice of a new menace came swiftly, and word was the former pale in comparison.

The moongate appeared before him, once on the other side he was greeted by Eowyna, Honor Frost, and Adri. The look on Adri's face showed terror and grief, after a brief description of what befell her comrades explained it all. And the 4 were determined to do what her friends could not. Honor took point and charged forward, DiP gripped his double axe and followed suit. Eowyna and Adri were better suited for the support role, so followed behind leaving enough space between so as not to get caught in battle.

The site was grim, unknown beasts were everywhere. Honor Frost was first attacked by a toxic ooze; by appearance alone this should have been nothing but a brief encounter. Appearances can be deceiving, Honor took a flurry of spells from the once thought mild irritant turned massive menace. Taken aback, Honor stood his ground and let loose his first arrow, striking the ooze with a metallic thud; but the ooze kept coming, as it neared Honor felt an unknown presence, and it hurt.

DiP started bandaging some of Honor's wounds, Adri and Eowyna had taken up a supportive position and began their encantations. The pain from being near the ooze was tolerable, yet unsettling. DiP took a quick glance at the ooze and wondered how Honor hadn't killed it yet, one quick swing from his axe should have done it; it didn't. Suprised his attack was in vain, he prepared for a double strike and connected, no use. The arrows were beginning to desintegrate to nothing, the once large gashes in the ooze were filled with an black inky substance as quick as it was made. Slash after slash, arrow after arrow, nothing could stop this thing, and behind it came an imposing figure; the elementals known before had been admirable at best, but this one, made of the very material known to be tied with the Armeggedon spell, gave anyone who saw it the urge to flee. The 4 had no choice, if they could not take on a simple ooze made of the hideous substance, how could they stand a chance against a beast such as that?

Retreating to an opening they figured they would have to clear the area, but the toxic ooze and blackrock elemental seemed content to stay where they were. Dumbfounded, but thankful, they binded their wounds in the clearing and decided it would be best to do as much research before attempting such a foolish task again.

Honor and Eowyna had other business to attend to, Adri had to find her fallen friends and aid them, DiP decided it was time to get his old friend Griswold back to work.

"You want me to do what?!" asked Griswold.

"That's right, as long as you stay hidden you should be ok, just don't let them get close to you" replied DiP.

*sigh* "Are you sure you just don't want your weapons repaired?"

"Well, that too, the ooze did more damage to my weapons than I did to it. But it is imperative we get some of that rock and run some tests on it."

"You are going to owe me."

"I know, I know, I'll buy you some nice barbed kits to make up for it. Just go get us some blackrock already."

Once in the Lost Lands Griswold felt uneasy. This was not a crafters environment, not in the least. There were hideous things everywhere, and getting near any of them was dangerous. Hiding along the rockwalls where the blackrock towered above, Griswold began picking away. Nothing but iron ore, more iron ore, and to no suprise more iron ore. His pick broke, using the supply of shovels he had left would have to do it. Time went on, muscles were getting sore, and when desperation kicked in, so did his shovel. An unknown sound came from the tip of his shovel, unlike any other metal he had struck before, after clearing some debris, there it was. It was large, huge, compared to any of it he'd heard of before. Carefully, Griswold place the inky black rock in his pack, and noticed a few more underneath where he had found the first. In all, after digging more, Griswold had filled his pack with the cursed rock. Carefully he made his way back to safety.

DiP wasn't around, the only one home was Thorin Verite, and him being of the same trade as Griswold wouldn't help much. He would have to wait until someone could help, but he was still curious... he had heard of tests done on blackrock before. Heard the tales of a wisp appearing, after using the Armeggedon spell. What were the words of power again? *mumbles*

I better put this stuff away. He placed all but one piece carefully in chests. His curiosity got the best of him though, holding the last piece in his hand he couldn't resist. "Kal Vas In Mani An Corp Tym Hur." Nothing happend. Something didn't sound right, he had went through the words in his head, but it didn't sound right coming out his mouth. "Kal... Corp... Tym..." it seemed right, then it hit him, he used the wrong order.

"Vas Kal An Mani In Corp Hur Tym." He stood still holding the rock, nothing happend. He began to think he didn't have it in him, Legendary mages they said. Grandmasters didn't have the necessary skill to do it, as he was placing the last rock in the chest, he heard something. A voice, what did it say? "Hrmph. Well maybe another time then." What could it mean?

He didn't know what he did, but he knew something happend. Griswold tried again, but nothing. He picked up 2 more pieces of the rock, and tried yet again. Still, nothing. He decided it would be best left for someone more skilled in the art and placed the rocks in the chest, quietly waiting for someone to come home.

The dark necromancer, whose name was Gaiges, summoned to him the demon Ba'al. "Ba'al, my friend, we have work to do! The Gread Lord Almonjin is displeased with me. He wants Maddux, and commanded me to find the woman Maddux keeps...some Elf woman of the Rohanna line. I didn't deem it important enough it seems. Now Maddux has taken the ring and seal of the city, which Almonjin coveted for himself, and he's in a towering rage over it. I need to make haste in locating this woman."

They sat in the ravaged remains of a once grand mansion on the north side of Magencia. The wall hangings were ripped and tattered, furniture broken, and coffers looted. Who knew what had happened to the former occupants.
The demon's low voice rumbled through the room. "What does Almonjin hold over you that you serve him so menially? Or are the rewards he grants so generous that you would waste your time with elves?"

Gaiges sent a hard stare toward the demon. "He has power enough to command you as well, Ba'al. And you know it well. If he wants Maddux, he shall have him. Have we not held this city these many months? No one, human or elf, has been able to take it from us. Under his leadership, we could aspire to control Sosaria! Sosaria and all its....newly discovered resources. Just think what we could do with this substance, blackrock!" He paused to let that information sink in. "So, I need your assistance to do his bidding."

The demon raised his hand and a ragged tapestry went up in flames. "So we simply track Maddux until he returns to this woman. She is only an elven female, we should have no problem taking her."

Gaiges frowned. "I do not understand all that Lord Almonjin has planned. Maddux is clever and has been ever an irritant to Almonjin, but sheer numbers have been unable to capture him because he becomes one with the forest creatures and slips away, only to strike again elsewhere. He reveals those who try to track him. If we could track him we could simply take him, idiot! But I think the Lord wants more than just to capture Maddux...he wants some hold over him, I think. And he believes this woman to present a weakness he can exploit. So, he commands us to find and take this woman. And I know nothing of her whereabouts...not even her name, other than she descends form the House of Rohanna! Very little to go on and the Lord is impatient. I haven't much time."

Ba'al pointed his claw in the direction of the necromancer, whose robes began to smoulder. "Do not slander me with small names, keeper of the dead! It is you who lack intelligence if you cannot see a way!"

Gaiges quickly stamped out the small flames beginning to scorch his garments. The demon had made his point. "Just tell me how it can be done, if you know! Your reward will be a double share of blackrock!"

Ba'al snorted a little puff of smoke, and grinned. "Now you speak of currency I understand. Take note, I am a creature of the air and understand others who travel the skies by wing. Maddux is a creature of the land, he understands the land, so we do not go that route. He is a wanderer, besides, and who knows when he will return to the woman. But, if they are close, they communicate. By pidgeon, would be my guess." The demon emited a shrill whistle and almost instantly a large, inky black crow landed on his shoulder. "My friend of the air," instructed Ba'al, "keep a close watch on Maddux. He will not notice one more bird. Note when one of your kind brings a message to him, or he decides to send one. Follow the messenger bird, and bring to me the location to which it flies." The crow gave a harsh caw and flapped away. "See, quite simple...."

It was a beautiful morning in Eldador, and Eowyna sat on the balcony of the cottage by the sea, slowly sipping a tea she had brewed from healing herbs. She was feeling much better, having asked Albert to obtain an ashen chest in which to store the blackrock. Ash was particularly good at shielding from the energy the blackrock seemed to emit.

For some reason, blackrock made her ill. She'd known it since Maddux had handed her that first piece and she had cast the Armageddon spell with it. It had taken so long to recover. And the other evening when they had attempted to defeat the blackrock guardians...it was so odd--she hadn't been able to cast any spells effectively. Most had done no damage whatsoever to the blackrock elemental and toxic ooze. All she'd been able to do was stand back and heal Lord DiP and Honor Frost as they did battle. It didn't seem to have that effect on everyone; she didn't understand its properties well enough. Was is blackrock itself, or the result of having used it that affected her so? She was anxious for Maddux to return and see the exceptionally large nugget that Bob had "acquired". Then she would have the stuff out of the house. Amar hadn't returned yet, but not much time had passed, so she wasn't worried. It remained only to wait.

A knock at the door brought her out of her reverie. She looked down from the balcony and saw there and recognized the Edan miner friend of Lord DiP, Griswold. Normally Eowyna had no use for Edan, but she had met this one before, and Lord DiP trusted him, so he must be superior to most of that race.
She opened the door and invited him in, but immediately faintness and nausea overwhelmed her, and she stumbled backwards toward a chair. "Forgive me," she said faintly to the miner, whose clothing was permeated with fine, very black dust. There was little doubt in her mind that he had been mining blackrock. "I am not well. Is there something I can do for you?"

He hesitated. "Well, I brought you this." He opened a small folded cloth revealing several very small samples of blackrock. "Lord Dip asked me to mine this stuff, but I can't make it work. I thought maybe you would know someone who could study it...an elven alchemist or somebody. Let me know how it works. Lord DiP hasn't come home, and Thorin Verite knows no more than I. He suggested I bring it to you, since nobody else is about......"

Eownya blanched slightly at the sight of the bits of blackrock. "I think you are right, Griswold. We need to understand this better. But perhaps you would just give that to Albert for the time being? I will find someone with the expertise to examine it. I will send word to you and Lord DiP as soon as I know anything." Griswold nodded and left.

Eowyna hoped he hadn't thought her rude, but she just couldn't touch the substance anymore.........