Eowyna stood on the balcony outside her room above the Nesting Crane Tavern watching the most bizarre little creatrue she'd ever beheld. It was female, that much could be discerned, but she couldn't be an elf--too short, wizened, and deformed. A dwarf female, perhaps?--there was a mustache, but no dwarf would be so pathetically skinny. She was dressed in dirty, tattered robes, long stringy grey locks escaping from beneath the hood.

But even more bizarre than her appearance was her behavior. She was dropping fish bones all around the buildings of the Enclave, all the while chanting and alternately hopping about on one foot then the other. Eowyna listened intently to the chant. There seemed to be a phrase in old dwarvish that went along the lines of "Granny Is a VooDoo queen"--what in the world was VooDoo--some kind of arcane magic? The rest of the words were totally unintelligible, but it did appear that the grotesque little creature was performing some kind of ritual--perhaps she thought to effect some sort of curse upon the Elven people here in Zento.

Eowyna smiled to herself. If it was an attempt to bring harm or ill-luck, it was certainly a pathetic one. The Enclave was well-protected from such feeble attempts at harm--their mages had seen to that with powerful protection spells. But a little extra effort never hurt; besides it would be interesting to see the crone's reaction. Retrieving a talisman of curse removal, Eowyna returned to the balcony, waved her hand, and whispered, "Be Gone!" The odd little woman jerked her head around toward the balcony, and upon seeing the elf woman, uttered a terrified screech and scurried off.

Eowyna chuckled, and took stock of the litter of dead fish around the Enclave. Ah, well, she'd have to go down and tidy up! But then she remembered a comment from Skatha, the Commander of the Justicars. Skatha had once heard from the soil nurturers in Heartwood that ground fish bones made excellent fertilizer, and had mentioned this to Eowyna in a conversation concerning Yew Ficus. Hmmm...perhaps the silly old creature had done them a favor. Nurturance for the gardens of the Temple! Who knew what strange sources would provide strength for the people of the Enclave. Eowyna smiled and called the chief gardener.

There she was again! Voodoo Granny! Now, Eowyna thought to herself, am I loosing my mind? Why has no one else seen this odd little creature! Eowyna had just emerged from the Temple gardens when she spied Granny, and she quickly stepped back into the shadows of the trees to avoid detection. If anything, Granny was even more pitifully garbed than before. The ragged robes might once have been pink--but were now the color of dust, and she wore some sort of yellow vest or shawl, but it too was in tatters and drug through the dirt of the road as Granny proceeded along through the Enclave. And on her head she wore--a dead chicken!!!

"Vas Flam" croaked Granny, and another chicken perished at the whim of the crone. Well, then, there was a rudimentary knowledge of magic here. Eowyna watched as Granny picked up the dead fowl and tied it to a string of odd body parts which she wore around her neck. It was then that Granny began dropping oddly-colored little runes all along the roadway through the Elven Enclave of Zento. She proceeded north and disappeared from sight.

Eowyna emerged from the garden and examined one of the runes. There was no indication on the markings of the destination, but surely there could be no good awaiting the user at the other end--probably some temple of bizarre magic or a purveyor of tainted ingredients awaiting the unwary traveller. There was no possiblity that Eowyna would allow such a thing to fall into the hands of the Elven people of the Enclave, so she gathered up the runes and cast them away. Far in the distance, she heard a croaked incantation of "Vas Flam", a squawk, and knew that yet another poor chicken had met its fate at the hands of Voodoo Granny.

I knew it! And you all thought I was just a batty elf woman! So there, I am a true seer after all! At the Brit bank and then seen at Luna--Inu the crone!
She's frightening children, transforming into chickens and goats and is quite a fright! VooDoo, I tell you! Just check the latest news of the realm and you will see that I was right all along. *nods in self-satisfaction*

I never doubted you Eowyna, in fact, I am working on a method to rid our lands of such a menace. I am still no where near completion, but I will inform you of the progress.

We never doubted you. Sort of wished you would cast a spell and be rid of such an abomination.

*raises her eyebrows in surprise* What wonerful news, Izual !! And here I was thinking of you as a war mage alone, when your accomplishments extend to magical research as well. I hope you will share your results with the Temple when you have perfected the method.

Dont let him fool you, he is not working to rid the lands of that menance. Izual is planning on having an uninterrupted honeymoon somewhere, and doesn't wish for us to crash it.

*taps chin* Hmm, an alternate use for my work...

Eowyna was busy talking to the Luna stablemaster about the care and feeding of a brand new doggie she was about to leave in his care, when out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of VooDoo Granny shuffling past in her stiff old gait! She seemed to be headed toward the bank. Rushing out of the stableyard, Eo sought to follow the crone. But in spite of Granny's slow progress, she didn't seem to be anywhere in sight at the bank....more evil magic! She'd simply disappeared.

"And just when I'd thought we'd not see her again, she appears out of nowhere and vanishes in plain sight!" fumed Eowyna to herself. "I wonder if anyone else saw her? All that time consulting with Caelas in Heartwood, and it still appears I'm loosing my mind!!!" She frowned and headed back to the stableyard.