Down the Spider Hole – Part 1

At their tiny size the ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ stood barely tall enough to climb onto the back of an aphid. Having captured the Red Locust Ambassador, one of the human-ish Princes of the Locusts, and carried him down from the Temple of the Aphids into the towering grass blade forest at the base of the ruined Tower on Black Hill, the tiny adventurers found themselves suddenly beset by a new threat. Onto one of the grass blades high over their heads leapt another brawny Locust-Prince, this one of silver hue, wearing silver armor, and with the same strange oblong locust eyes and antennae.

In his anger at being told by the Red Ambassador that they had been betrayed by the High Holy Aphid, the newly arrived Silver Locust Prince began to transform from his Grasshopper form into the dread Locust form entirely. His muscles began to bulge and glisten, his features sharpen and glint in the bright sun, and his face began to take on an ominous hostility toward the band of tiny heroes. Though he was the same size as they, if the great difficulties in capturing the Red Locust Ambassador were any indication, the Silver Prince would be a formidable foe, one not to be taken at all lightly.

“The boat appears to have sailed on being able to handle this diplomatically,” said Storm Wizard to his friends. “Though I suppose it would not do any harm to give it one final try before we gear up for what will prove to be a hard battle, I think we best prepare ourselves for the worst,” he concluded grimly.

“I agree,” said Juliette, girding herself up for combat.

“The Wise Aphid did not betray you,” Storm Wizard shouted up to the Silver Prince high above. “We were merely bringing this individual in as a witness in an important matter.”

“It’s a lie!” shouted the Red Ambassador.

“He would not come with us, so we had no choice but to attack him,” concluded Storm Wizard curtly. His friends all stood behind him nodding affirmatively.

The Silver Prince was getting more irate by the second. He leapt from the grass blade he was on, to a closer one, towering directly overhead.

“A little help?” said Storm Wizard to Juliette.

“A little help with what? What am I supposed to do?” she asked in return, entirely perplexed as to what might sooth the savage heart of the Silver Locust Prince.

“I don’t know,” replied Storm Wizard. “Help me convince him that he doesn’t have to fight us.”

“This man here (who we’ve tied up) has some serious issues going on right now. He’s very angry, and people when they’re angry don’t always say exactly what they mean, and can have altered perceptions of a situation. So please hear what my brother has to say!” yelled Juliette up to the Silver Locust-man, who appeared to be restraining himself in order to listen to her.

“I am … listening,” he said through grit teeth.

“We have no intention of harming this individual. We merely need him to testify for us,” shouted Storm Wizard upward, “as to a matter that is entirely true.”

The Silver Prince cocked his head to the side.

“If you were willing to testify in place of him, we would be able to let him go,” offered Juliette.

“What testimony are you looking for?” asked the Silver Prince.

“That the locusts are coming,” said Storm Wizard.

“Ah. I see,” replied the Silver Locust Prince, seeming somewhat amused by this. “But truth be known, that question is undecided.”

“So you say,” said Storm Wizard. “But isn’t it the case that you have come as Ambassadors to warn us that if we do not help you to take all of the food from the kingdom of the Ants, allowing them to perish by starvation, that you will come with your Grand United Army and destroy us all?”

“Aha! So that is what you’ve been up to Emmanuel,” the Silver Prince said to the Red Ambassador.

“It is for the good of the people, and to save the land!’ shouted the Red Locust up to the Silver Prince.

“Good for which people? Do not the people of this land have an equal right to live?” asked Storm Wizard of the Red Ambassador. But he retreated into a stormy silence, brooding and hostile.

“Grasshoppers are known as heroes of the Insect Kingdom. Are you going to aid in an untimely destruction, or are you going to stand for Justice?”

The Silver Locust Prince looked down. “You must free my brother, the Red Ambassador.”

“Will you help us bring him to where we need to take him?”

“No.”

“Will you bring yourself?” asked Juliette.

“Perhaps.”

“I will lay our cards on the table. We need to convince our countrymen that the locusts are coming. Will you help us?” asked Storm Wizard.

“You have no choice,” said the Silver Prince. “You will release my brother.”

“Does this mean you will not help us?” asked Storm Wizard.

“It does not mean that. It means that you will release my brother now.”

“If we release him now will you help us?” asked Juliette.

“Maybe.”

“I think we better do it,” whispered Juliette to Storm Wizard.

“We will release him because we know Grasshoppers such as yourself are honorable creatures. And I know that since we are being cooperative, you will return the favor,” said Storm Wizard trying to sound convinced by his own logic.

Laraby untied the first of the knots, and suddenly Emanuel burst out his bonds and leapt high into the air onto the grass blade where his brother was situated. The two whispered with each other. The Red Ambassador was ranting about something to his brother. The Silver Locust Prince again began to grow irate.

Then, the Silver Prince leapt down to where the adventurers stood, while Emanuel leapt onto the top a nearby twig.

“Might I ask your name, sir?” asked Isabella after a moment of silence.

“I am Rohar, The Silver Prince,” said he. “And you, I understand from my spies, are Isabella of the Ladybug People.”

“You are well informed,” she replied.

“I hope you will consider assisting us,” said Juiliette.

“Explain to me what you are doing,” said he.

“We need to convince… “, began Storm Wizard, but then changed the course of his speech. “Essentially your brother asked the aphids to tell the king a lie, to say that the ants had stolen the locust’s food, and that they should return it. The holy aphid of course refused to tell a lie. And so according to your bother the locusts are going to come here and kill everyone. We do not want this to happen, and so we want to gain the help of the humans to help us avert the situation.”

“What can the humans do to avert this situation?” asked the Silver Prince with a scoffing laugh.

“Well, perhaps the humans can obtain some food of their own to help the locusts. We haven’t thought that far ahead yet. But at the very least we can make the humans aware and perhaps their council will aid us.”

“But they will not believe us unless we have some proof.”

“And so the locust man would serve as our proof.”

“Well, I have to say, I understand your desire. I also have to say that you are in great danger here. I would leave here if I were you.”

“Danger from what?”

“From Emanuel.”

“Perhaps we could leave together," suggested Juliette hopefully.

“We can not leave without our proof,” pointed out Storm Wizard.

“Then I will leave with you,” agreed the Silver Prince. He then put his hands to cup his mouth and made a strange sounding whistle-hum, which was rather loud and made the grass blades around them vibrate. “I have bought you a little bit of time. But we must move quickly.”

As the adventurers began to turn to leave the area, Emanuel also cupped his mouth and made another sound, which was higher pitched, and equally loud.

“What is he doing?” asked Juliette.

“I suspect he is calling allies,” said Storm Wizard nervously.

“Indeed, so he is," said the Silver Prince.

And at that moment the adventurers began to hear a distant hum which grew louder and louder.

“Lets get out of here – right now!” said Juliette, fear suddenly coursing through her.

It was too late. Isabella pointed upward into the sky and shouted, “Oh no! Look!”

Over the tops of the towering emerald grass blades they beheld a frightening site. It was a mosquito, who compared with them was the size of a horse. It had great huge wings, long dangling black legs, and a terrifying proboscis that ended in a sharp serrated barb. Most terrible of all were its glowing eyes, which pulsated red, then green, then red, then green in a steady rhythm, which they all found difficult to look away from.

The ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ desperately yanked their eyes away and looked around for a place to hide. Not in the far distance there was a gray stone lying on the ground. It was gigantic compared with them, though if you found it you’d have thought it no larger than an almond. They made a mad dash for the stone, hoping to be able to hide behind it. As they ran, Isabella commanded the the ladybug that they had flown down on with the captured Red Locust Ambassador, to flee, and so the huge creature lofted clumsily into the air and fled away into the distance. Isabella and her blue-black warrior, Ferdinando, lead the way, followed by everyone else in the party.

When they arrived on the other side of the stone Morgana found a cave entrance leading into a tunnel, which vanished away into darkness beneath the stone. It was large enough for each of them to walk into, and formed a corridor that was one person wide, and tall enough for them to stand upright in. And so they ran into the tunnel, following downward into the darkness. Behind them at the entrance stood the Silver Prince, his huge oblong eyes shining, his two antennae twitching. He had drawn his sword and was looking into the sky behind them. The terrible drone of the mosquito could be heard as it approached the tunnel entrance. But the Silver Prince stood his ground and the horrific creature approached no further.

Into the darkness they ran. It became pitch dark. Only Juliette could see by virtue of her mystic eye-stone. But even her vision was thwarted in this dim place. So they stopped when they came to a small circular cave, and Brian took out a torch and lit it. The walls of the cave were covered in a thin shimmering sheen of spider webs. Moss dangled from the ceiling and the air was chill. Out of the cave they saw another tunnel leading further downward. They followed that tunnel until they came to another much broader cave that opened into a small cavern. This cavern was covered with a thick sheen of spider webs, through which there formed a single narrow tunnel. It was quite terrifying to behold.

“I think that fighting a spider is probably better than taking on the mosquitoes,” said Juliette, as the others began to look longingly behind them. She noticed that she could not see very far though the spider webs, even with the light of the torch and the power of her mystical eye. The webs must be magical, she thought to herself.

Since Juliette was not in the front of the group, she could still just barely see upward through the ground to the air outside, and saw that there were several mosquitoes aloft above them. She called upon Minvar, the Divine Elkron of the Earth, to strike down one of the Mosquitoes outside of the cave entrance. Minvar heard her plea, and so the mosquito suddenly felt the heavy hand of Minvar upon his wings, and he fell to the ground, and his wings broke, and his neck snapped, and so Minvar slew him.

The rest of the adventurers forged ahead, having surmised that Juliette’s powers were not unlimited, and that there were too many mosquitoes above for them to tackle with any hope of victory. Into the webs they cautiously proceeded. Laraby picked his way through the white tangle, and used some oil to try to burn the webs. However, they resisted the fire since they were fresh, and not dry. He then tried to cut the webs with his dagger, but the result was less than encouraging. After some effort he managed to cut through one thick strand of webbing. They then heard a chitterling sound coming from within the dark cavern. It was a horrifying sound. Laraby began to feel a great dread. He could not see anything in the flickering torchlight, but he thought he saw shadows moving within the veils of web all around him. The short hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He felt as if he were standing ankle deep in freezing black water.

“I think I see something!” called Laraby to his friends behind him. Storm Wizard came up from behind to back Laraby up. Putting a hand on his shoulder he noticed that Laraby was shaking. Isabella commanded her warrior Ferdinando to go ahead and help the man make his way through the webs.

“Yes, my lady,” said the blue-black clad warrior, and he went forward with his steel bladed rapier held at the ready before him. He too approached the danger with some trepidation. Morgana hid behind Brian, and Daniel unsheathed his sword and put a protective arm over Isabella who was cowering next to him. The chiterling sounds echoed throughout the cavern.

“I’m stuck in the web!” shouted Laraby as his arm became ensnared in the sticky white threads. Ferdnando came to his side and cut through the webbing, but in the process his rapier became stuck in the webs. Laraby then withdrew the fine silver sword that he had taken from the Red Locust Ambassador after they had knocked him unconscious in the battle of the Aphid Temple. It was a fine sharp sword, longer than most, and in the torchlight he could see that it had an inlay of silver script along the blade. Even he, however, could not recognize the letters of that dazzling weapon. Yet with it in his hand he felt a renewed courage, and so he forged ahead, the party of adventurer’s following close behind him in a line through the tunnel that was formed by the sticky cloud of ghostly white webs.

Last Episode: Battle of the Aphids - Part 2
Next Episode: Down the Spider Hole - Part 2

Back Story vs. Players

There is an old military adage by Carl von Clausewitz that states "No plan survives contact with the enemy". Gamesmasters the world over know that this principal is also true for back story development of RPG Worlds, and can be stated as follows: "No back story survives contact with the Players". This is particularly true when you are playing in "Sandbox" mode, which means the Gamesmaster endeavours to provide the Players with the ability to go anywhere in the world and do anything they can think of. The ideal often turns out to be shockingly unlike the reality. What happens? Well, Players do the damnedest things.

A typical (albeit hypothetical) example is when the Gamesmaster has created a trap in a dungeon complex designed by the Antagonist NPC that the Player Characters encounter. The Players have Characters who have sufficient skill to discover and disarm the trap. The back story has it that the villainous dungeon maker intends to keep people out of his precious dungeon and safeguard its treasures. So he devises a trap that makes sense for that purpose. The Players, however, don't quite catch on to the fact that the dungeon before them could be trapped. They trot in like a troop of prancing ponies ready to conquer and loot. They forget that the thief character is there for a reason because they're so excited about getting at the monsters and the loot. So they dance into the corridors and lo - the trap is sprung and someone 'gets it'. Maybe even the whole group 'gets it'. Well, at least according to the dratted trap design which made so much sense in the back story.

And that's the rub. The Gamesmaster was expecting the Players to remember that they have a thief for a reason, but they forgot. Woopsie. And so what happens? Instead of a minor event where the thief was sent ahead and smartly found and removed the trap, gaining experience and saving the party from disaster, the Players forgot, and suddenly the trap is sprung. Dice are rolled, the damage is bad. If the trap was deadly, as logically, given the back story, it should be, then the damage is very bad. And moreover the story, instead of being fun and exciting, becomes a dead end of hopeless carnage.

The problem of course is that the Gamesmaster is in a bad spot. The choices are as follows:

1) the villains never come up with particularly deadly traps.
2) the particularly deadly trap doesn't quite work as designed when sprung.
3) the Gamesmaster hints to the Players until someone remembers to send the thief in first.
4) the Gamesmaster fudges the roll so the damage isn't too bad and the story isn't ruined.
5) the Gamesmaster lets the Players forget the thief, spring the trap and allows the story to end in tragedy.

None of these options is very great. What is greater, from a Story perspective, is when the Players play smart, and remember the thief, and save their party from disaster. However, one could argue that in the real world people are not that smart and a lot of expeditions have ended in tragedy because someone forgot something important like sending the thief forward to search for traps. And thus, it's ok for the story to end tragically because - well, sh*t happens, and a sudden horrible end can be amusing in it's own right. Some Players however may disagree. Of course.

It should also be noted that in this example the thief not being sent forward might have not been an oversight or forgetfulness at all. It could be because in a previous encounter they were attacked from the rear, for example, and so they decided very deliberately to avoid this by having the thief stationed at the back where he can listen for encroaching enemies. One thief, they point out, can not be on guard in two places at the same time.

The Gamesmaster is in a bad spot anyway. When you create a World you want to design it in such a way so that the back story makes sense. You don't want to be constrained to saying "My villains are universally idiots who can not plan a decent trap". You don't want to fake-out that the trap is broken because it doesn't make sense for the back story either - what is the point of having clever villains who parenthetically can't implement a trap correctly so that the Player Characters can still win when they went ahead and made a bad decision (in the context of this particular scene), or worse, forgot. You also during play don't want to give the Players 'hints' about what they *should* be doing because in some sense it ruins the fun. The reason being that it is a lot more fun when the Players make smart moves that save themselves from disaster, than being hinted at, cajoled, and otherwise pampered into making the "better choice". Of course the Gamesmaster could fudge the roll. And this, I think, is the most common response to the situation. If the roll doesn't "feel right", the Gamesmaster hides the roll, and decides against it. Or rolls again without explaination taking the second roll. For some, however, this won't work because in many games the Gamesmaster rolls everything above the table, with the odds sited before each roll. I play that way in my game because it's more fair, and lets the Players know I'm not cheating. Some Gamesmasters, though, have no problem with the idea that cheating is not a vice in RPGs. No problem, but that doesn't work for everyone.

The last option is for the Gamesmaster to let the Players fail. Ouch. That, from a Story perspective can be the worst option. But from a Game perspective it can be the correct and best option. Later, with their next Characters the Players will play better, and smarter, having learned their lesson. Presumably.

So this leaves the question: what takes precidence, good story, or good gaming, in an RPG? Well, the answer to that can be either, depending on what the group values most. It can be that both are equally weighted. And one can not but notice that in some sense the gaming aspect can reflect upon the story aspect. This happens when the Players pay careful attention, think through what they are doing before they do it, maximize their chances of success to the degree their Characters would, and then act.

All in all, it comes down to the fact that Gamesmastering is a challenging art, and so is Playing. To wind up with a good Game AND a good Story is the challenge, and it requires smarts on everyone's part. Even the villain's.

Mr. Dwimbles, The Psychadelic Froggie

Once upon a time on a lilly-pad not far from The Great Ivy Way there lived a wondrous magical frog named Mr. Dwimbles.   He could see through into other dimensions, hop from plane to plane, and had lots of magical powers.  He was a very nice little frog and delighted in helping those in distress, or just to pass the time telling tall tales and drinking magical teas in Weeleena's lovely Tea House.  His best friend was Miss Banishaw, a very special little duck who lived in a little pond just around the bend.  She often made her way to the side of Black Hill tower to munch on the succulent grasses that happened to grow there.  And to visit with Mr. Dwimbles, of course.  Many a sunny afternoon was spent passing idle hours trading stories, and picking through the yummy tidbits they often found there.

Mr. Dwimbles, it should be said, was an adventurous frog and liked to wander far and wide to see whatever in the world he might.  And he saw many a strange thing on his journeys, indeed.  Once he came upon a tall mountain that sat on a dark old thunder cloud, upon which he found a great stone fortress in which lived a wicked old witch named Watho, the Storm Queen.   But that's a story for another day.

Fantastic Imagination

This article was written by George MacDonald, a member of the Inklings.

The natural world has its laws, and no man must interfere with them in the way of presentment any more than in the way of use; but they themselves may suggest laws of other kinds, and man may, if he pleases, invent a little world of his own, with its own laws; for there is that in him which delights in calling up new forms--which is the nearest, perhaps, he can come to creation. When such forms are new embodiments of old truths, we call them products of the Imagination; when they are mere inventions, however lovely, I should call them the work of the Fancy: in either case, Law has been diligently at work...

His world once invented, the highest law that comes next into play is, that there shall be harmony between the laws by which the new world has begun to exist; and in the process of his creation, the inventor must hold by those laws. The moment he forgets one of them, he makes the story, by its own postulates, incredible. To be able to live a moment in an imagined world, we must see the laws of its existence obeyed...

Link to The Fantastic Imagination:
http://george-macdonald.com/fantastic_imagination.htm

George MacDonald in this article is talking about the creation of Imaginary Worlds, though in reference to the creation of Fairytales, of which he wrote some wonderful examples. I highly recommend reading the article as it provides some very good advice for Gamesmasters who might want to create Worlds that are works of Art. I also even more highly recommend reading George MacDonald's works, as he was a fantastic writer!

The Battle of Aphid Temple – Part 2

“Wise Aphid, before you leave… do you know what that tremendous booming sound would be?”, asked Storm Wizard as the old Holy Aphid-man was hobbling out of the Great Hall.

Pausing, he turned around and looking back, said dismally, “That would be the sound of the Locust Ambassador’s Horn.” He then turned about and continued out of the Hall, vanishing from view as the giant doors swung closed behind him.  He was now safe in the Sacred Precinct of the Aphid Temple.

Last minute arrangements were being made by the adventurous heroes as the Locust Ambassador approached the Great Hall through the Temple corridors. Should Storm Wizard pretend to drink out of the doctored Chalice before handing it to the Ambassador? It was decided not to risk any complications. The Chalice was a half globe made of translucent white stone, filled with a greenish liquid, and was carried by three sturdy aphids into the hall and placed on the table closest to where the Ambassador would enter. All of the adventurers quickly ran to their assigned places around the Holy Aphid's stone dias in the middle of the hall, even though the Holy Aphid was not present anymore. There had been no time to discuss the change of plans, and so everyone quickly prepared themselves, and began to pretend to be feasting.  Well, the aphids did not pretend.  A simple folk, when food was before them, they feasted, as they and their kind had done for many millions of years.

A crowd of aphids began pouring into the Great Hall from the main corridor, clicking and whirling as they were wont to do when excited.  Behind them came the Locust Ambassador, his red metallic skin glinting dully in the dim green light, his enormous muscles bulging, antenae swaying, and oblong eyes steadily searching.  Once he entered the Great Hall and stood before the congregation of feasters, his fierce eyes darted around the chamber.  He immediately demanded to know in a booming voice, “Where is the Holy Aphid?!”

He was angry. His antennae flicked around his head searching for a scent.

“Oh you are here! You are early!", said Juliette placatingly.  "The wise Aphid is old and is slow, but he will be here shortly!”, she said from her place at the lead table.

“I am not early! He is late!” shouted the Locust Ambassador vehemently into the hall.  He snaped his red cape around him and stomped his right leg on the ground.  All of the aphids began to make louder clicking whirling noises and some began to skitter around the tables nervously.

“Oh, we’re terribly sorry about this inconvenience,” said Storm Wizard standing up, and holding up the Chalice toward their unwelcome guest.

“This is unacceptable!”, yelled the Locust Ambassador fiercely at him.

“Here! While you wait, please accept this drink!”, said Storm Wizard, offering him the Chalice filled with the Elixir of Dreamless Sleep. Although Storm Wizard was a practiced liar, his effort was wasted as the Locust Ambassador ignored the Chalice.

“This is a DISGRACE!”, shouted the Locust Ambassador in a thunderous voice that echoed throughout the hall. Everyone stood motionless as the Ambassador, his shiny red skin began to drip with beads of sweat, and his right hand began fingering the hilt of his sword. There was a dreadful silence as the Ambassador looked around with his menacing glare.

“You’re absolutely right, it is a terrible disgrace,” said Storm Wizard. The aphids all began to chitter incoherently with a strange warbling sound. “You know how Aphids are, disgraceful creatures after all. Please, have some food, have some drink. It won’t be but a minute.”

The ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ were very lucky at that moment.

The Locust Ambassador, at the mention of food, suddenly burst out in a ravenous shout, “I AM FAMISHED!”, and with that he leapt across the open space onto a table top, and with his body hunched over he began ravenously devouring every dish of food within his grasp. Plates and bowls went flying as he disgorged their contents and hurled the empty containers to the ground.  At one point he actually bit into the wood of the table itself, leaving a large gash in the table’s edge. The aphids fled before him and scurried away in a chaotic jumble.

Meanwhile, behind the Locust Ambassador, not far down the long winding corridor, Ben and the aphid wokers were furiously building the barricade, and piling high all of the materials the aphids had gathered into the Library shortly before.

Elsewhere, the Holy Aphid was in deep meditation deep within the Sacred Precinct.

In the Great Hall, there was a cacophony of noise as the Locust Ambassador leapt ten feet onto the next table, crashing it to the ground and devouring everything in sight. When he ran out of food there he grabbed a chair leg and furiously devoured it, splintering it into pieces with his massive yellow teeth, to the utter shock of everyone. He took no time for breathing between bites, and within moments every dish on a table was empty and shattered.

However, the one thing the Locust Ambassador seemed to have no interest in were the drinks. Those pitchers and flaggons went flying to the ground as soon as he leapt onto a table, and he ignored them completely, whatever succulent liquids they might have contained. And so, Storm Wizard, at Juliette’s behest, "accidently" tripped as he approached and so tossed the Chalice directly onto the next table that the Locust Ambassador descended upon, splashing the Elixir all over the food there. The Ambassador in his fury took no notice whatsoever, and devoured all the food there before leaping to the next table, crashing it into a wall with a shuddering thud, and began to devour everything there, too. It was at this point that he stopped for a moment to stand up and shake his head.  But then, without further interruption, he hoisted a huge piece of broiled bark into his ravening maw and devoured it, making a sound like a buzz saw. Everything else on the table followed, until there was nothing left, not even the table legs, which he’d also broken off and eaten. He leapt to the next table and made short work of it. Meanwhile the aphids had fled from the Great Hall and were so panic struck they could not even speak. They simply ran as fast as their little legs could carry them as far away as possile. As they did the heroic adventurer’s watched the Ambassador with anxious eyes.

Finally, all of the food was gone, and no table or chair in the hall stood intact.  It looked as though the hall had been hit by a tornado, the chamber filled with shattered splinters of furniture and broken pottery.  The Ambassador began to wobble on his stout legs. His red metallic skin was covered in a sheen of shining sweat. His antennae waved in the air frantically, his eyes rolled in his head. He picked up a chair, took a bite out of the side, and ate he entire bottom of the chair when he fell to one knee, and then collapsed onto the remains of the table before him.

Looking around frantically, his eyes rolling wildly, he screamed, “You have poisoned me!”

Reaching into his copper vest he pulled out a small metal rod, and aimed it directly at Storm Wizard who was standing close by watching intently. The rod had a small blue gem on the end of it, and when he pointed it at Storm Wizard, he uttered a strange word, and a flash a blue lightning shot out of the gem, which shattered with the execution of the magical blast.

It was fortunate that the Locust Ambassador was so drugged that he could no longer focus, and so the bright blue bolt went astray, blazing past Storm Wizard’s shoulder, singing his hair, and hitting the wall behind him, blasting a small hole through the stone. Had it hit him, Storm Wizard felt reasonably certain, that would have been the end for him.

Juliette took that moment to call upon Holy Minvar, Elkron of the Golden Grain, to Divinely Strike the Ambassador down. When she utters her prayer the Locust Ambassador happen to slip on some of the liquid that had spilled on the ground, and so slipping he fell hitting his head rather hard against the stone. Morgana took the opportunity to give him a whack with her staff, but it bounced off his copper vest and so did not harm him. Brian took a swing with his trusty sword from the side, cutting through the Ambassador’s defenses, but not by much. Laraby also struck with his sword, and also did additional damage, though a great deal of any damage was being absorbed by the Ambassador’s armor, and his metallic skin. Storm Wizard cast his own mystic Stun Beam, which hit the enraged Ambassador on the side of his head with a dim ray of blue light.  Just beyond the Ambassador, Brian, who had accidently maneuvered into the line of the Stun Beam, instantly fell down unconscious.

Meanwhile, the Locust Ambassador, still heaving with rage, managed to pull out a small glass globule from the inside of his vest. Storm Wizard’s Mystic Stun Beam put the already flailing warrior out of consciousness, but not before he dropped the globule on the ground. When it hit the stone floor it exploded with a loud 'Pop', and from it there emerged a cloud of blue gas which immediately began to fill the Hall. And so it was that the Locust Ambassador fell to the ground unconscious directly in the center of the blue cloud.

“Tie him up now!”, yelled Juliette, knowing that the Mystical Stun would only last for a minute or two. However, no one wished to enter the blue gas cloud to do so, and so everyone danced around the edges of the swirling vapors, until Laraby, holding his breath, jumped into the cloud with rope in hand and began to tie the unconscious Ambassador’s arms and legs. Daniel tried to help him, but caught a lung full of blue vapors and instantly fell back reeling, his lungs burning with a wicked searing pain.

“Wind Shield!”, yelled Storm Wizard summoning another of his Mystic Powers. The spell created a vortex of wind like a shield before him, and wedging himself between the floor and the gaseous cloud, he used the utmost of his mystic ability to thin the shield out and turn into a bowl-like shape. With all of his might and skill he lifted the bowl of blue vapors upward. And there Storm Wizard stood, his right arm raised high, a funnel of wind holding the swirling blue cloud against the ceiling.

With that Laraby quickly tied the ropes around the Locust Ambassador and tied a dozen solid knots. Everyone stood back and looked down at the unconscious Locust-man. His huge muscles were evident even through the rope bindings. Storm Wizard had wished they’d had time to remove the mystical copper vest that had undoubtedly been protecting the Ambassador from both weapons and magic. Nevertheless, he reached down and withdrew the black scabbard that held a long silver sword that was still sheathed at the Ambassador’s side. Looking it over, he recognized the excellence and quality of the weapon, noting briefly to himself that they were fortunate he had not had the wherewithal to withdraw it during the brief battle. He handed the fine silver weapon to Laraby, who wielded it appreciatively for a few moments before sheathing it in the polished black scabbard. A superior weapon, he thought.

Tinkin, who had been standing in the corner terrified, then came forward and chanted a mystical healing over Daniel who was curled up on the floor gasping for air, his face turning a vivid blue. By the time Tinkin’s chanting was finished Daniel stopped gasping and sat up. His color returned to normal, and with a few final coughs thanked the young Aphid Prince and got to his feet. He looked nervously at the ceiling where Storm Wizard was holding up the blue vapors in a bowl of wind.

Then, on the other side of the room behind them, everyone turned to see a large crowd of hideous looking creatures clambering along the sides of the corridor wall that lead into the Great Hall. These creatures, they realized immediately, were the same creatures that the 'Steel Wool Sheeps' had passed on their first journey down the Greaty Ivy Highway, and had their own tiny city of brown mud on a leaf. It seemed like years ago that they had passed by it. They were mites. Tiny, grapefruit sized creatures with sharp pointy fangs, bulging eyes, long bristles and stubby spring-like legs which they used to loft themselves into the air. The defenders ran forward to block the corridor, but it was useless. The mites lofted themselves high overhead with “beeyooing” sounds and landed in large numbers all around the Locust Ambassador, savagely biting everyone who stood near him. Though the adventurer’s were able to easy kill each one they hit, being as they are rather small, there were very many of them, and their savage fangs began to take a bloody toll. Juliette, more than the others, was surrounded by the horrid little monsters, and so wound up covered with lacerations that bled profusely.

Moreover, four of the mites landed on the Ambassador himself as they were all fighting, and began gnawing through his ropes. One, before he could be dispatched by a well aimed blow of Morgana’s staff, had bitten through the ropes, and now the Ambassador lay free on the ground. Fortunately the mystic Stun had not quite yet worn off.

“On the positive side, we can take his vest off,” thought Storm Wizard to himself with a wry smile. However, as it happened they never did have time for that. Everyone was engaged in fighting the horde of mites, while Tinkin kept busy healing people of their wounds as they fought. While he did so, Juliette was casting an invocation known among the Minvarians as 'The Hands of Awakening' on her brother, Brian, who was still unconscious from Storm Wizard’s Stun Beam which he had accidently intercepted earlier in the battle. He awoke with a start, and jumped to his feet. Morgana was still smashing mites with her staff, and the others were also swatting, smashing, slashing, and otherwise trying to kill the hideous creatures, all of whom had blood dripping from their vicious little fangs.

As it happens, it was a desperate battle, and mites, though tiny, turned out to be dangerous opponents en mass. It occurred to Storm Wizard that it was possible that the nasty creatures might even carry diseases, but he put that out of his mind and concentrated on the battle at hand. All the while holding the swirling blue cloud on the ceiling with his magical right arm. With his free hand Storm Wizard chanted off a series of Lightning Arrows, each one blasting a mite or two to sizzling charred cinders. Juliette swiped at them with her staff, smashing all those that came within reach. Morgana wearily smacked them with her staff, as Laraby pierced others with his shining silver sword. He was smiling all the while. The sword was very well balanced, and he was pleased to have such a rare weapon in his hands. Finally, the battle was over, and everyone heaved a huge sigh of relief. None of the heroes was dead, though everyone's cloths were in tatters and bespeckled with blood.

Morgana could not discern how to remove the copper vest from the Locust Ambassador, which had a confusing set of mechanisms that seemed to lock it into place. And so, Laraby tied up the Ambassador again as firmly as possible with their remaining rope. Just as he finished furiously tying the last knot the Ambassador awoke with a wild roar, and began to attempt to burst his bonds with the sheer force of his magnificent strength. Fortunately, the bonds were strong enough, and held.

And so Brian and Daniel Bellowick lifted the Ambassador on their shoulders carried him forth from the hall. As they left that august chamber Storm Wizard's spell was broken and the blue vapors drifted down along the sides of the walls and began to fill the enormous, ransacked, disheveled feasting hall. Ben looked over his shoulder at the blue vapors as they left, wondering how the aphids would be able to rid themselves of the menace.

“How dare you kidnap an Ambassador! It is an OUTRAGE!” shouted the Locust Ambassador with his thunderous voice. He was difficult to carry as he managed to use his strength and dexterity to wriggle and sway his body around, writhing in ways that made him very difficult to transport. Several times Brian or Daniel almost lost their footing.

“The Holy Aphid is a treasonous wretch! He is a betrayer!” yelled the Locust Ambassador at all the aphids as they carried him down the long dark corridor that led to the Grand Promonade, where the archways openned into the air overlooking the Black Forest far below.

Isabella was waiting for them as they exited the Promanade and clammered onto a leaf along the edge of the Great Ivy Highway. She made a strange whistling hum and a huge bright red ladybug came flying over the tops of the leaves and landed nearby. Everyone was positioned on the ladybug’s huge black legs, two people per leg which they held onto by hairy spurs. The Ambassador, still struggling, was positioned between two of the legs, his ropes threaded with a long pole that the aphids had provided for this purpose. The Ambassador maintained a steady stream of outraged denunciations of the Holy Aphid as they flew away downward along the side of the tower. The poor aphids looked unusually downcast. And eventually they turned and went back into the Temple slowly vanishing from view, anxiety and despair showing on their little faces. Last to be seen was Holy Aphid, who looked as sad and distressed as the rest. But he turned and speaking in low tones to his congregation gathered them together, and they entered the Temple in silence.

Down, down, down the ladybug flew until finally she landed in a huge forest of grass blades that towered over head like sky scrapers. She alighted on a small open patch of mossy dirt between the towering green blades and everyone disembarked. The Ambassador was unrelenting in his condemnation and threats.

As soon as he was placed on the ground the Locust Ambassador let out a massive blasting shout that was so great that it knocked everyone off their feet and made the grasses shiver.

A droning sound was then heard high above, and then one of the grass blades suddenly bent and snapped back into place. High above them the adventures could see that on the grass blade had landed a handsome and swarthy man with silver skin, large oblong eyes, silver antennae, and he was wearing a silver vest and a silver cape fringed with gold. He looked rather a great deal like the Locust Ambassador, except for the color of his skin and clothing. Down from above he shouted with a loud booming voice, “Unhand that man!”

“A grasshopper, or another locust?” asked Storm Wizard of Lady Isabella calmly.

“He is one of the High Royalty of the Princes of the Grasshoppers who transform into Locusts,” she answered with a bit of awe in her voice.

“What is the grasshopper opinion of the locusts?”, asked Juliette.

“When they are grasshoppers they are friendly, adventurous, and independent-minded poets. When they become Locusts they transform completely into the implacable foes of all the living. It is as if the grasshoppers do not know that the locusts even exist,” she answered gravely.

“I see,” said Storm Wizard.

The Locust Ambassador then shouted upward to his silver sibling, “Great Rohar! It was treachery! It was treason! The Holy Aphid has betrayed us!”

When he heard this the silver-man high above became very angry, and yelled, “It is impossible!” And with this the adventure’s could see him begin to transform, growing angrier every moment, his muscles growing larger, his silver skin shining brightly in the sun.

“It is impossible! The Holy Aphid can not lie!”, yelled down Rohar.

“He was not there!”, yelled up the Locust Ambassador. “We were BETRAYED!”

Juliette wished that she could somehow turn the heart of the silver grasshopper from his great and growing wrath, but she could think of nothing to say. No one could think of anything to say. And everyone became filled with anxiety.

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Last Episode: Battle of Aphid Temple - Part 1
Next Episode: Down the Spider Hole - Part 1

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The Battle of Aphid Temple – Part 1

And so it was that our courageous heroes had arrived at the Great Hall deep in the heart of the Temple of the Aphids and found there the Old Wise Aphid in deep meditation. He looked untroubled, though the weariness of ages had clearly descended upon his hoary head. He was in humanish form at this time, sitting silently on his stone chair in the middle of the Hall. All was shrouded in silence and gloom.

Storm Wizard (also known as John Bellowick), Juliette, Morgana, Laraby, Brian and Daniel entered the Hall lead by Ben who quietly lead the way. When they got within speaking range of the Old Wise Aphid Storm Wizard cleared his throat, and the ancient white haired priest opened his strange insectilian eyes.

Having explained that they'd returned on urgent errand, intending to capture the Locust Ambassador and bring him back to human lands that they might convince their fellow countrymen that the threat of a Great Swarm was real, and that they must all work together to prepare for it, the parties continued their discussion over a feast that had been summoned into the Great Hall.

“I see,” said the old Aphid. “Well, before we discuss it, I will remind you that I’ve seen the King of the Insects, and told him all that has transpired. He was very wroth, and agrees to our plan, and agreed to send help as soon as possible.”

“That is fine and well,” relied Storm Wizard, “but we have no time to wait for the King’s forces. We must act quickly while we have a chance. We wish to put up barricades within the Temple so that we can block all of the exists once the Locust Ambassador enters the Hall to speak with you. We intend to give him a draught of strong drink that will cause him to fall unconscious that we may bind him with ropes and bear him away. Thus he will be no threat to you ever more, and we may continue with the preparations of our Great Plan to burn the Locust’s Grand United Army in the Western Desert before they descend on the farms, pastures and forests of Glendale.”

“It is well,” said the old Aphid, “but what if he shall not drink?”

“We will overcome him in the Hall, whether he drinks or not,” replied Storm Wizard, grimly, and all of his companions stood firm beside him.

“He will not be easy to overwhelm, I think,” pointed out the old Aphid. “However, it is your will to do so, and you are our best defense against the oncoming disaster. The King has approved your plan to build a Great Fire in the mountains, and will send an army of Ants to help move the kindling from Glendale into the valley of Zin which is far to the North and East of here, between the Mountain of Zin and the edge of the Western Desert. To that place your people will carry the great lumber, which the Insects, though powerful in and vast in numbers would not be able to move all in a hundred years on their own.”

“It is well,” concluded Storm Wizard.

“There is one thing I must tell you before the Locust Ambassador arrives. I can not in any way lie on behalf of the plan. It would run against my priestly calling and Holy Office to do so, and so you can not rely on me for that.”

“Would you be willing to simply not speak out the truth if we lie to him in your stead?” asked Storm Wizard.

“No, that would also be a forfeit of my Holy Office. It can not be,” answered the old wise Aphid.

As this conversation was being had Morgana, Brian, Daniel and Laraby were inspecting the corridors that lead out of the Great Hall, and looked diligently for locations where the barricades could be set up, and how they might be hidden from view. They used for this a map that Morgana had made of the Temple Complex. She intended to sell the map one day to the Librarian at the Adventurer’s Guild in Hamfest, and thought she had outdone herself on detail and the quality of the map, which was quite precise, although not every area in the Temple was known to her. Therefore some areas of the map were left blank. The team quickly went to work with the help of thousands of aphids who assisted them.

The library along the corridor into the Great Hall was selected as the first barricade point. The second was the exit to the Western doorway, through which they were informed was the Sacred Precinct, and could not be entered by any save the Holy Aphid himself. A third exit from the Western wall of the Great Hall was also blocked as it too lead into the Sacred Precinct. What lay beyond those doors only the Aphids knew. It was decided that from within they could be blocked by whatever mysterious force controlled the Sacred Precinct and it was left at that. Hopefully, they thought, it would not come about that the Locust Ambassador would attempt to break through into the Sacred Precinct, as everyone was fairly sure that if he put his mind to it, the mighty Locust Ambassador could force his way through almost any barricade. It was hoped, further, that he would agree to drink the Elixir of Dreamless Sleep, and render himself unconscious without a fight. Certain of the aphids had already been ordered to work on this by the Old Wise Aphid, and so were already about the business of concocting the magical drink as the rest of the adventurers continued their discussion.

The barricade, the work crew quickly realized, needed to be piled from the floor to the ceiling and be sturdy enough to resist the powerful arms of the Locust Ambassador, and contain the far leaping warrior by baring any gap over the top of the barricade. It would be a lot of work that had to be done quickly, and quietly. Many hundreds of aphids would be required. Their plan was to wait for the Locust Ambassador to pass by and turn the two corners into the Great Hall before Brian and his crew leapt to work outside of the Library door, dragging their barricade materials from the Library into the corridor and piling it high to the ceiling as quickly possible. The aphids were already working furiously to gather massive amounts of bracken into the Library for this purpose.

“Ben will guard the corridor on the far side of the barrier, in case the Locust Ambassador should manage to break through,” said Juliette, as they all discussed this part of the plan.

“Me?” asked Ben incredulously, gasping. "... Stop the Ambassador?"

“Yes, it is very important that you prevent him from escaping if he breaks through. We don’t expect him to, of course, but just in case, you should be there to stop him. Don’t worry Ben, I have confidence in you. I know you can do it,” said Juliette firmly.

Taking inordinate encouragement from her strong words, Ben held up his staff and said, “I will do my very best!”, and walked off toward the Library with a determined glint in his eyes. After all, he thought, he had killed a wild wolf with one blow of his staff before! He could to this, he said to himself with conviction, and went into the Library to arrange things with the aphid workers.

A battle formation was planned, and the protection of the Holy Aphid was discussed amongst the planners. He would sit on his high stone chair and offer the Locust Ambassador a drink of Elixir to cement their deal. It was agreed that all of the members of the ‘Steel Wool Sheeps’ would stand in a circle around the old Aphid and protect him, as it seemed to everyone that he would be the most likely target of the Locust Ambassadors rage, should things go otherwise than planned. It was also decided that Morgana could cast a mystical power of 'Iron Skin' on the wise Aphid if any battle should commence, in which case it was decided that she should stand next to the wise old Aphid. They then positioned all of the fighters around the High Aphid in a circle, and Tinkin, who had the power of healing, was to remain in a corner, near the door to the Sacred Precinct. They also noted that the Great Hall had a very high ceiling which formed a dome overhead, which could give the far leaping Ambassador a distinct tactical advantage should he wish to leap onto the old Aphid. As they discussed their plans it became more and more evident that the old Aphid would be, in any event, in danger should anything go wrong. He became more nervous as the discussion went on.

“What shall I say to the Locust Ambassador when he enters and demands before anything else whether or not I agree to side with him before the King of the Insects against the Ants?” asked the Old Wise Aphid tentatively with raised eyebrows.

“Wise Aphid, we are here to protect you and make sure you are safe,” replied Juliette.

“Would it be possible for you … to omit the truth? Would you be willing to say, ‘I shall answer that question after we drink to our agreement.’?”, asked Storm Wizard.

“I think the Locust Ambassador has no sense of decorum. He may not respond to that request,” replied the old Aphid. “It would be better, I think, if you said these things on my behalf, as my representative,” he continued nervously.

“But I have no stake in this discussion, since it is between you and the Locusts,” responded Storm Wizard surprised by the suggestion.

“You were here before," reasoned the old Aphid, "and he will assume that you do, I think. Especially if you speak up. I’m quite certain that you will be more believable than I should be, if I might say so,” said the old Aphid, now openly jittering with a nervous twitch in his antennae.

“I see. I’m guessing that the Locust Ambassador shall enter the Hall as he did before, and demand an answer without equivocation or delay,” said Storm Wizard to himself.

“Indeed,” replied the old Aphid.

“We could tell him that he is interrupting our feast, and that he could at least have a drink with us, and that we would not speak a word to him until we finish eating. How do you think he would respond to that more forceful approach?” inquired Storm Wizard.

“It would seem to me that he may not respond well to that, and instead will get very angry,” replied the old Aphid.

“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? I’m not exactly sure,” said Storm Wizard still thinking hard.

At that moment there was a loud boom that seemed to come from outside the Temple, and echoed loudly through the corridors into the Great Hall. Everyone stopped speaking and looked around pensively.

“Wise Aphid,” continued Juliette trying to come to a solution as time was pressing on them, “Would you be willing to hold your tongue if I were to lie to the Locust Ambassador on your behalf?”

“I can honestly say that I could not support your lying, my dear. It very much runs against my inclination. I understand that we may not always tell the complete truth in every situation, but any outright lie is wrong. I am certain of that. I could not condone it, nor support it, nor sit idly by if done in my presence. I’m sorry,” replied the Aphid.

“I think what we should do is when the Ambassador comes in, we should offer him the drink in a kind of servile way, to offer him food and drink as if we already agreed with his proposal. And that is all. When he enters I will do only that. Perhaps he will respond favorably and take the drink,” said Juliette.

“I could sit by in silence for that, since you will not be lying. Conversely, it occurs to me, that if John will speak on my behalf, and you follow the plan you just said, then perhaps I need not be here in the room at all. After all, it would be safer for your plan if I am not present, I suspect,” said the old Aphid, eyeing the door nervously. “After all, if your plan is to capture the Locust Ambassador, and take him away to the human lands… what has that to do with the Aphid’s in particular? That you may use the Temple to trap him within… shouldn’t that suffice your purpose?” asked the wise old Aphid finally.

“On the one hand, it would make the Locust Ambassador that much more suspicious if the Wise Aphid is not there. On the other hand, if the wise Aphid is sitting there behaving nervously, that would make him even more suspicious. What if when the Ambassador arrives we tell him he is early, and that the Wise Aphid is not here, yet, and then say, ‘Why not have a drink while you are waiting?’”

“It is plausible,” said everyone.

Another boom was then heard, closer in the distance than the last one. Everyone was silent as the sound echoed through the Great Hall ominously.

“You should go and hide, Holy One. We shall take care of the matter,” said Juliette. And the old wise Aphid hobbled off his stone chair and down a corridor and through a large solid doorway, and vanished from view with a number of his retainers. The room was filled with the silence of deep foreboding.

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Previous Episode: Escape from Death - Part 4
Next Episode: The Battle of Aphid Temple - Part 2

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Tarot at the River of Death

The River of Death scene contained a good deal of symbolism associated to the correspondences of the Elthosian Tarot, so I thought I would post the reading as it was played here. A picture is worth a thousand words, and my feeling is that this one may be worth even more than that to those who take an interest in such things. Note that the cards displayed are from the Tavaglioni set, and therefore are not representative of the Elthosian Correspondences directly. They do, however suffice for the purposes of demonstration.