muldran

Standing in the cold stone ritual room of the Reliquary, Muldran placed the crystal box on the floor, in the centre of the ritual circle. He opened the box, and carefully reseated the chunk of Blackrock, and the shattered crystal beside each other, then sealed the box once more. Stepping out of the circle, he looked to his audience.

"The original black box," he said out loud, "protected the dagger that was within. The box itself stopped people from sensing the dagger, using properties inherent in Blackrock to effectively block transmission and possession from the dagger."

His audience stared at him, impassively. He coughed slightly.

"That is, the original box blocked Blackrock from affecting people. The box itself may have had other properties, I don't know, but it did seem to exert an influence on its possessor to make them covet the box above all else."

He looked at the audience, wondering to himself what he had to do to get some reaction from them.

"Well, I have solved that problem; I have made multiple boxes, dividing the essence that the original box shared. Well, that is I assume the original is somewhere out there but lost, not that this matters, these boxes are built *my* way, using the knowledge from D... From previously."

Muldran gestured to the crystal box.

"This control box was one I completed before the expedition to the Wisp Dungeon and then the Void Chamber. The control box was the box from which the others came." He shuffled his feet for a brief moment, and looked vaguely embarrassed, "From necessity, it was important that others did not know about this; it was a risk but I did need to make sure that the control box was already growing the hybrid crystal\blackrock, so it could spawn the others. It is also why I was not too... distraught when that demon lord stole the box I held. Of course, I'd prefer one I trusted to hold it, but with the control box I can... Well, at any rate, I should be able to remove boxes from the grasp of those less trustworthy."

The audience still said nothing.

"Anyway, as I was saying, the purpose was to take the aspects of Blackrock - it's control and effects on magic - and the shielding power of the Blackbox to form devices that would protect others from malign influences. You may have heard that people have begun to hear voices from the void? Well, I am aiming to have those totally blocked, when I hatch the hybrid crystals within the control box, and activate the remote boxes."

By now, he had begun to ignore those who watched him.

"This will create five devices that will provide personal protection from Blackrock effects. When combined with the control box, it could protect an area such as a town. So you can see - powerful items indeed. Of course, the boxes needed time to attune to people; as part of the sentient imbument from the Chamber, I needed to ensure that the boxes had time to acclimatise themselves to their users. But now, that process is done."

Muldran held his hand in the air, and six brightly coloured stones started to orbit his hand. He cast the elemental stones forward with a gesture, and they began to orbit the ritual circle, pulsing in time with the control box. The box's crystalline appearance was turning translucent; and inside the blackrock and crystal seemed to flow together and join...

...and then the world seemed to squeeze inside out. An impartial observer might say it felt like the world *sneezed*... And as it took a deep breath to do so, something crept in...

...Muldran looked around. The room was empty. The crystalline control box rested in the centre of the ritual circle. Cracks ran in the floor from the box to the walls. Muldran looked around at the Reliquary, seeing how crystal had infused the building, turning it into something almost sinister.

A nagging feeling of worry filled him, as he catalogued the steps he had taken in his mind. Had he forgotten something vital when creating the boxes? Was there something that he'd missed out? He ran through the steps of construction in his mind, absent-mindedly gesturing to the elemental stones, which flew back to his pocket.

He looked at the box that lay in the centre of the ritual circle, suddenly uneasy. Still, nothing more seemed to have happened. He'd send a letter to those who held the boxes, and just inform them that everything had gone to plan... Yes, that's right. He turned and left the ritual room.

Behind him, the crystalline box shimmered momentarily, and the lid opened. The blackrock\crystal hybrid rock inside seemed to shimmer for a moment - and the box slammed shut with a peal of thunder that could be heard across the valley of Rhovanion.

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muldran

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muldran

Spying is a most dishonourable pastime. However, Snaeval thought to himself, it is a wonderful way to find out how to drip your opponents up. The alchemist checked that his mask was fixed firmly in place, and pressed himself into the corner of the room, as Muldran, Roxanne and Bertrand entered the much changed Reliquary building...

Muldran Skully: *chuckles*
Muldran Skully: Erm... yes...
Muldran Skully: There was a wee accident.
Bertrand: hmm dangerous stairs
Muldran Skully: *points at the box*
Roxanne: *backs into corner*
Muldran Skully: I was doing a ritual..
Muldran Skully: And the box kind of...
Muldran Skully: Affected the rest of the building.
Muldran Skully: And boom!
Muldran Skully: Blackrock infected building.
Bertrand: bit of an understatement
Muldran Skully: Yes...
Roxanne: but this is not THE control box
Muldran Skully: Erm...
Muldran Skully: Ah...
Muldran Skully: It is *my* control box...
Muldran Skully: But it's not the original box.
Roxanne: hmm
Bertrand: who has the control box??
Muldran Skully: Me!
Muldran Skully: *points to it*
Roxanne: so this is a replica?
Roxanne: surely the main one is too dangerous for display
Muldran Skully: The original 'real' box... disappaeared.
Muldran Skully: I merely replicated its qualities.
Muldran Skully: And then made five other minor versions.
Roxanne: ah
Muldran Skully: The main one is lost.
Muldran Skully: I hope.
Muldran Skully: This is my attempt to make one.
Muldran Skully: And I then made 5 other ones.
Muldran Skully: Those are the ones I shared with some other people.
Bertrand: the one the Dark Lord has ?
Roxanne: *makes notes*
Bertrand: his minion Lurtz has it
Muldran Skully: Well, you see, I did this ritual to try and charge up the boxes.
Muldran Skully: Erm, yes.,
Muldran Skully: *looks worried*
Muldran Skully: So..
Muldran Skully: .I'm thinking..
Muldran Skully: .That the boxes...
Roxanne: Ohh my
Roxanne: I just looked inside
Roxanne: bad move
Muldran Skully: Ah.
Muldran Skully: Erm, yes.
Roxanne: *waits for something bad to happen*
Roxanne: hmm
Roxanne: is it inactive?
Muldran Skully: Well, it's not... that bad.
Muldran Skully: But as a side effect...
Muldran Skully: This place seems quite open.
Muldran Skully: All my wards have fallen.
Muldran Skully: Look, I'll show you the hidden chamber
Muldran Skully: Some powerful and dangerous items up here...
Muldran Skully: I've sealed them away...

The footsteps faded away, and doors banged as the Courtiers went to explore the rest of the Reliquary. Powerful items on show for all and sundry? Snaeval shook his head. Muldran's really out-done himself this time. And that explanation to his so called 'friends'? Perhaps Muldran is a better actor than people give him credit for...

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muldran

A few hours later, Snaeval was still tucked in his hiding place. Muldran had made it ridiculously easy to hide in this new place. A few strange whispering noises, and the creaking of the crystals as they expanded and contracted (almost like they were breathing) but it really wasn't so bad a place.

And that's when Snaeval listened in on another conversation...

Gorthyn: By the Virtues what is going on ?
Muldran Skully: Well..
Muldran Skully: I tried to craft a new Black Box...
Muldran Skully: To steal its properties to deaden the effects of blackrock.
Gorthyn: *shoots Mul a disbelieving glance*
Muldran Skully: Since people were being greatly affected by the voices and everything...
Muldran Skully: The original is... who knows where.
Muldran Skully: But!
Muldran Skully: I created this control box...
Gorthyn: Hmm
Gorthyn: *looks worryingly at the box*
Gorthyn: That one there ?
Muldran Skully: *nods*
Muldran Skully: I then thought that creating one box that mimics would be daft.
Muldran Skully: So, I split its power into five others.
Muldran Skully: A month or so ago, we went and I charged them with exotic energy.
Muldran Skully: And then some people decided to look after them.
Muldran Skully: So...
Muldran Skully: I was hoping those boxes would protect people individually...
Muldran Skully: And I could then combine the fields to protect *everyone* from blackrock!
Muldran Skully: *looks enthusastic*
Gorthyn: *clenches his jaw as he listens*
Muldran Skully: So I activated the control box last night.
Muldran Skully: But...
Muldran Skully: Don't worry.
Muldran Skully: Nothing happened.
Muldran Skully: Well, apart from this.
Muldran Skully: I must have made a flaw in the boxes.
Muldran Skully: *shrugs*
Gorthyn: Nothing ? You call this nothing
Gorthyn: *looks around himself, at the strangely altered building, aghast*
Muldran Skully: Well, this is a manifestation of the energy that got out of control.
Muldran Skully: But it didn't get any further than here.
Muldran Skully: With the wards and all..
Gorthyn: The wards are intact ?
Muldran Skully: Well, that is, I suppose the wards held when this happened...
Muldran Skully: Well.. Not any more.
Muldran Skully: The elemental stones need time to recharge before I raise the wards once more.
Muldran Skully: But if this effect had reached much further...
Muldran Skully: There would have been repercussions by now, surely.
Gorthyn: And you are confident that you would have noticed any such repercussions no doubt ?
Gorthyn: *snorts angrily*
Muldran Skully: Well..
Muldran Skully: I'm sure someone would have noticed.
Muldran Skully: *crosses fingers*
Muldran Skully: I should track down the people who took the boxes.
Muldran Skully: tell them that they don't work.
Muldran Skully: At least the one the Dark Lord stole won't trouble us anymore!
Gorthyn: *glowers*
Gorthyn: Ye think so eh ?
Muldran Skully: Ahem.
Muldran Skully: Well, I was worried a little bit by that...
Muldran Skully: But he's crawled off to his lair, and we have seen hide nor hair of it.
Muldran Skully: *looks back to the control box*
Gorthyn: *rubs his temples trying to remain calm*
Gorthyn: When ...exactly was the decision taken to undertake this...folly ?
Muldran Skully: Oh!
Muldran Skully: *beams*
Muldran Skully: I've been working on it for ages!
Muldran Skully: Let me see.
Muldran Skully: *thinks back*
Muldran Skully: A couple of months back was when I build the control box...
Muldran Skully: And then a week after that, we gathered the five minor boxes...
Muldran Skully: I needed to give them time to acclimatise, so it was always my plan to activate them around now!
Gorthyn: *Goes pale*
Gorthyn: Ye didnt see fit to consult with the Cardianls on such an undertaking ?
Muldran Skully: Eh?
Muldran Skully: Oh no, it was a personal project!
Muldran Skully: It wouldn't have affected the Corut!
Muldran Skully: Well.
Muldran Skully: it did this building.
Muldran Skully: But I'm sure there's been no harm done!
Muldran Skully: Back to the drawing board!
Muldran Skully: I'll have to find some other wya to help people
Muldran Skully: avoid the effects of blackrock
Gorthyn: *looks at Mul in stunned disbelief*
Gorthyn: I can think of plenty of effects this may have on the Court
Muldran Skully: Really?
Muldran Skully: *looks curious*
Muldran Skully: I can't think of any way this has affected us...
Muldran Skully: *frowns*
Gorthyn: Starting at the very least with the breach of security in this building
Gorthyn: Could bring the virtues know what to Rhovanion
Muldran Skully: Oh.
Muldran Skully: Oh yes.
Muldran Skully: Well...
Muldran Skully: *ponders*
Muldran Skully: Well, I'm fairly sure that...
Muldran Skully: I see your point.
Gorthyn: *fairly* sure ?
Muldran Skully: I didn't consider it would shatter the wards.
Muldran Skully: *nods*
Muldran Skully: With all due haste I'll work at repairing them.
Muldran Skully: It would be easier if Samba wasn't possessed by evil, but...
Muldran Skully: I can manage it in a few days.
Muldran Skully: We'll just have to... keep an eye on the place.
Gorthyn: Aye that we will.....
Muldran Skully: But yes, no other effects , though, you must agree.
Muldran Skully: But I'm just so confused as to why it hasn't made the voices stop!
Gorthyn: Erm Voices ?
Muldran Skully: Yes, you know.
Muldran Skully: The voices!
Muldran Skully: The ones that say "Hello Muldran!"
Muldran Skully: And "Kill them all."
Muldran Skully: *looks back at the box again*
Gorthyn: *nods slightly*
Gorthyn: Right....
Muldran Skully: But that's just the blackrock talking.
Gorthyn: *stares at the box*
Muldran Skully: *sighs*
Muldran Skully: Us mages...
Muldran Skully: Who grabbed blackrock when it began appearing...
Muldran Skully: Many of us are... affected.
Muldran Skully: Roxanne hears the voices to.
Muldran Skully: As do many others.
Muldran Skully: *sighs*
Muldran Skully: I've got to stop them, gorthyn.
Muldran Skully: They'll drive others mad.
Gorthyn: That I can believe
Gorthyn: *looks askance at you*
Gorthyn: These voices...affects only mages ye say ?
Muldran Skully: Yes, I beleive.
Muldran Skully: Although.. people who have handled blackrock may be at risk...
Gorthyn: Risk ?
Muldran Skully: *nods*
Gorthyn: *looks thoughtfully at the box*

Snaeval moved back against the wall and could barely cover his smile. Muldran had told two distinct versions of the story - and his fears - two different people. All it would take is a hint here and there to splinter the Court. And perhaps he could get a word to those who held the Boxes - and tell them that they were not all they appeared to be?

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muldran

Muldran raised his hands in the air, and the six elemental stones danced around the ritual circle. He concentrated on expanding the field of power to seal the Reliquary once more - after enduring the harsh words from Gorthyn and the inevitable letter of disquiet from Cherry. Flinging his left hand towards the North, Muldran sent the stones flying through the wall to describe a path around the building.

The meeting in Trinsic had not gone as well as planned. Muldran had hoped to quickly let those who held the boxes know that his ritual had failed, and the boxes were not active, and could not protect against Blackrock.

Taggart had not turned up - there was no sign of him.
Lann'al said that she had let someone else examine her box, and didn't have it with her.
Lady Flame had the box under guard in her home.
The Dark Lord obviously wasn't a fan of Lola's issue of the Poste and had not seen the meeting notice - fortunately.
Kaelyn had disturbing news; she had let John examine the box, and believed he was going to carry out some experiments on it - and then vanished.

Irvyn immediately suggested that the two events were linked, which Muldran disagreed with. If something had happened to one, it would happen to all - and no one had noticed anything odd, or strange happenings since Muldran had activated the boxes. Lann'al did state that the person who was looking after her box (and she'd not reveal the name) was seeming a bit more clumsy...

Muldran frowned, and cast his arm to the right, moving the elemental stones around the outside of the building, carefully casting for any imperfections in the stones that signalled any damage to the building.

Of course, accusations about Muldran's magic and 'yet another failure' persisted. Garrison Darker and a strange man in black also arrived. Cherry and Taliesin alternatively stuck up for and berated Muldran as he either gave 'too much away' or too little.

Flame persisted in questioning Muldran about his failure to activate the boxes, drawing another truth out of him - he had a sixth box; a control box that he had created some time before, from which he divided the essence to create the five other boxes that he had hoped to link together to totally protect the entire land from Blackrock infection. Flame wondered if Muldran had accidentally activated that box.

From Mul's initial denials, the group decided it would be best to travel to Rhovanion so Muldran could enact a ritual to 'deactivate' the boxes. Muldran assured them it was not necessary, but they insisted.

The stones moved round the building another circuit. Muldran's nose itched, but he refused to scratch it. One doesn't get to become a powerful mage by being distracted by such transitory effects. Gesturing with his left hand again, the stones continued weaving the wards around the Reliquary.

Rhovanion was more snow-swept than usual. Muldran ushered the visitors into the Reliquary, through to the ritual room, where the crystal box lay. Several of the visitors expressed their worry at the crystal-encrusted walls. Muldran revealed that the reason why everyone could enter at the moment was that the wards had fallen when the ritual to activate the boxes was cast.

Once more a bit of unease flickered through those present, although Muldran still went ahead with the deactivation ritual. A simple gesture, using two of the elemental stones and...

...the control box seemed to writhe and a wave of energy swept forward, through everyone in the room, searching further and further away to see if it could find the... ah... got them...

...Flame staggered, a chilly feeling rushing through her. Irvyn asked if she was all right; but none of the others had seen or felt anything odd. Deciding that it must be lack of food, over excitement, or the fact that the black-clad-mage next to her might have had a few too many chunks of blackrock on him, the group slowly peeled away, their job done.

Gorthyn and Salazar from the Court were waiting downstairs, Gorthyn surprised to see 'outsiders' in the secure Reliquary. When Muldran mentioned that the wards were not intact, Gorthyn icily asked him to put that right. It was then that Garrison and Irvyn informed Muldran of an odd finding; a chunk of Blackrock sitting outside the Reliquary that had not been there before... A mild panic ensued as Muldran asked Gorthyn (as perhaps the least magically active) to lift it to the steps.

The group then went their separate ways, and everything was done. Boxes deactivated. Threat over. Not that there was a threat at all.

Muldran's nose was itching mightily by the time the stones conducted their third circuit of the Reliquary. He wiggled his nose trying hard to ignore the itching. Moving his head to one side, he tried to scratch his nose with the lapel of his shirt. With a sigh, he gestured with his right hand, suspending one of the stones, and scratched his nose.

He sighed in pleasure and... in the corner of his eye he saw it. A small, shining gap in the Reliquary wall. Right where Flame had been standing. All the time.

The elemental stones dropped to the floor, two sonorous 'gongs' sounding as they struck the stone floor. A gap. In the walls. And in the wards.

Something had got out when Muldran activated the boxes. And now he'd deactivated the boxes, he had no way to see what had moved from the control box to the others. Muldran swallowed guiltily. Well, how bad could it be?

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muldran

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muldran

The four figures sat around the table, each making sure they met the eyes of the other. This was quite a feat - but then again, people like this could do that. They had to. It was how they made sure that the others knew they were serious.

The masked one leant forward, and in his reedy, thin voice said, "Of course, you realise - this is the perfect opportunity?"

The tall one threw back his head and laughed, "Oh, you *are* a one, aren't you. Always stating the obvious, making it seem like you know and see all thank to your ridiculous little potion. This is an opportunity. We realised it. We will act on it. That's why we're here, worm."

A loud bang made the masked one twitch. The tall one merely looked to one side. The bang sounded again, and the old one, clutching his staff sat back down. "Regardless of how our masked friend sees things, and your constant posturing, the situation has been set in play. Each of us have things to gain, and some of us... Some of us have already set the pawns out there."

The fourth one spoke directly into the heads of the others:

*Muldranhasletithappenandtheboxeswillmutateagainso onandthenitwillbetoolatebutweshouldletthosewhohold theboxesbetheoneswhobearthebruntofthefirstwavethey willweakenothersfurtherthanthecourtandwillletussee whatistruelywithouttheboxesasevenicannotpiercethev oid*

The other three winced slightly - not that you'd see it on their faces, especially the masked one - as they translated the strange thoughts from the fourth.

The masked one stood up, "It will be soon. Soon that the boxes will change - and then they will see what the Shadow Court has wrought. Things will move much quicker - in only two moons time..."

"Again you state the obvious, masked one," murmured the tall one. "But it will be fun to watch..."

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muldran

"I'm getting too old for this," gasped Muldran, as he ran down the main thoroughfare of Trinsic.

Passing by the Keg and Anchor, he looked ahead; there was his quarry; heading to the north, towards the bank and armourer's building. Muldran skidded to a halt, and gestured to his companion. "Go find a guard. Get them to meet us on the other side of the park." Eleanor sighed, trying to catch her breath. "I don't know why you didn't involve the others in the Court in tracking Snaeval down..." she started.

Muldran wrung his hands in the air, "I'd only just completed the location spell. I can't find John - but I did find the box. Gorthyn will kill me if this gets out of control, and I'm barely keeping it together! And now - well, Snaeval's managed to get his hands on the box John borrowed from Kaelyn. Speaking of that, did you notice anything odd about his hands..."

"No, Muldran." Eleanor huffed, "It's all I can do to catch my breath rather than deal with your hand fetish." She hitched up her skirt, and took off towards the jail. "Shouldn't you catch up with your demented alchemist?" she yelled as she pounded for the West Gate. Muldran took another breath, and ran North, past the Meeting Hall, catching sight of Snaeval as he rounded the corner by the bank. Muldran cleared the corner, and threw a fireball towards Snaeval, which impacted against one of the ramparts, damaging a part of the stone structure. Dodging the falling masonry, Muldran quickly totted up the damages, and resolved to not tell anyone about it.

As he drew into the next street, he pressed himself to the wall. Edging around the side of the Tinker's Guild building, he saw Snaeval standing in an alcove. He seemed to be examining the strange reddish-brown box that he held in his hands. Muldran squinted slightly. There... what *was* it that was wrong with his... The noise of running footsteps ahead alerted him. He saw a guard in the distinctive uniform of the Duchy running towards him. Good old Eleanor - she'd managed to send someone along. Muldran held up his hands, in a stop motion, and shook his head. The Guard drew to a halt.

Muldran looked around the side of the Tinker's Guild building. Looking back and catching the guard's eye, he gestured with his hand and flicked his eyes to the right. The guard looked at him laconically, and shrugged. Muldran gestured again, adding an empathic twitch of his head to indicate the target. The guard sighed, and rolled his eyes. "What..." he started to say.

Then, the guard's eyes widened suddenly, as a small puff of smoke came from his ears. A trickle of blood ran out form his nose, and he slumped to the ground. Muldran stumbled forward in time to see Snaeval slip the wand back into his blue armour.

"Now, now, Muldran..." the muffled voice came from under the mask, "You should know better than to distract the Duchy's finest. Especially when someone still has a little gift from his time in Havoc..."

"There was no need to kill him!" Muldran shouted.

"Oh, but there was. Damage to Trinsic. Damage to the Guards in Trinsic. And look what I've got here..." Snaeval chuckled, holding the box up.

Muldran saw the box writhe in Snaeval's hands for a moment - and then he realised what was the matter. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Snaeval's hands and the lower part of his arms had turned a twisted combination of black and red, and seemed to be covered with some kind of etheric version of blackrock.

Snaeval had said something else, but Muldran ignored it, staring at Snaeval's hands. The masked alchemist looked down at his hands, and seeing nothing wrong, frowned. Looking back to Muldran he stifled a gasp as he realised that the green-maned mage had started to run towards him. Muldran barrelled into Snaeval before he'd reacted, and the two crashed against the wall, and rolled into a ditch.

The box fell from Snaeval's hands, and Snaeval shrieked - and it almost seemed like that shriek was echoed by the box. Snaeval pushed Muldran away from him, and scrambled for the box. "Mine!" he screamed. "Mine, mine, My pr..."

Before he completed the cliche, Muldran spun around and pointed at the box intoning a transportation spell.

And then he remembered about the wards and protections on Trinsic.

There was a brief flash of crystal light that propelled Snaeval and Muldran in opposite directions.... and a smoking patch of grass from where the box had been transported, propelled somewhere by the energy of Mul's spell. Of Snaeval, there was no sign.

Muldran tried to pull himself out of the ditch opposite the Tinker's Guild. He saw a small circle of stones, and a tree... and then slumped back down unconscious.

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muldran

(From 5th February)

Looking at the walls of the armoury, Muldran tried to throw another crust of bread into the cup that sat against the door. Sighing, he tried to remember how he'd manage to get in this state.

He woke up in the street - head sore, and bleeding - and had immediately been found by a guard. Brynhild, was it? Anyway, he'd started to explain the problem when a nearby witness started chiming in. His head was still a bit fuzzy... and as the man's words started to point out flaws in the story, Muldran realised that he knew the man - Vygorn!

Vygorn calmly pointed out that Muldran's story - magical boxes and blackrock infected people - was complete fantasy... and when Muldran lost his temper and threw a bolt of light at Vygorn, Brynhild had the nerve to arrest Mul!

She said that he'd need to cool off for a couple of days - but she had no key to get into the Jail cells - so the armory, just outside Trinsic was where Mul was now resting his heels...

And somewhere outthere, the box that he'd separated from Snaeval was lying waiting to be found... and the strange disease from within the box slowly grasped its victims tighter...

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muldran

(From 6th of February, Vygorn's perspective)

Vygorn allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. It had all been too easy.

He had been searching for Snaeval for some time and when he sensed his presence in Trinsic he had made his way straight there - just in time to witness the conclusion of the wayward alchemists struggle with Skully. Finding the erstwhile leader of that ridiculous Court in such a predicament had been a true bonus.

As ever Vygorn had not wasted the chance to undermine the endeavours of the Shadow King. The guard had been young and naive and Skully as muddle headed as ever - a few easy lies and he was shut away behind lock and key.

The Havoc Lord knew that it wouldn't be long until Muldran re-gained his freedom - so he did'nt have long to find out what it was about these strange boxes that was getting folk so agitated.....

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