The
Encyclopedia Lorica
6th Edition Revisions
Page 1, A-D

Abraxian Shrine.

Late 10040 - The Sword Group: Upon arriving at the Abraxian shrine the group came in contact with the overseer of the place "the resident drow asshole" who tried to violently deny them access to the portal with the help of several of the shades. They were dispatched, but when the overseer was slain a fearsome fiery tarred balrog-shaped demon-thing rose up and began assaulting them. The battle was immense and, as the portal warmed up, Richard Folger was taken down. Others lives were taken by this creature, but the remaining crew managed to make it into the portal with the Captain. ECKS IN THE CONFEDERACY? Well, they're knocking hard at the front door, in any case. One of the many things that we *didn't* know is that the "bridge" we were blowing up [see Bridge Missions] wasn't necessarily just a conventional bridge; it looks in some respects like there may be a new portal; or else the Enemy have taken the Abraxian Shrine Portal and put it to use. Pity we didn't destroy it.
Juho, an Abraxian, thinks that the portal rings would allow one to change the destination.

Abraxis - Worshippers believe in proper flow/balance between life & death and a proper, expected death.

If Abraxis and the Belryg are 'in cahoots', why haven't we seen more Eckybreck troops and ships pouring out of that portal in the shrine? Apart from the forces that took over Iceland, there does not seem to have been much troop movement through that portal, compared to the flood of foulness pouring out of the Arboreal Portal and now from Persand. From the Abraxian Shrine, it seems like they could have swept right down through Ilico, using [magic-antimagic] tricks to wipe straight through the Confederacy...
Known Abraxians: Juho, Juho P., Marduk Uranti.

Adam-Ondhi-Amon

Where Marduk Died. The liches of the Abraxian Shrine would like his stuff back.

Adventurer's Guild

- Paid us [GG and Co?] to go Grendling. Member: Falstaff. See Greymar Grendling Group.

Adventuring groups - small, usually disorganized groups of misfits that go about sowing mayhem while often claiming to "serve a cause greater than themselves." Their methods tend to the chaotic and their ethics vary widely. Some emulate the virtues of the ancient orcs while others are murdering bandits.
Adventuring groups referenced in this volume include:

Adventurer's Guild, Aleph Group, Boner Adventures, Burly Strong, Delmarintha Dig, Drow Spell Component Hunters, Dukas Drow Group, Dukas Puzzle Group, Forsythia Cemetery Exploration, Grotto, Ilico Trading Co., Lumbermen, Marduk Group, Mock Turtle, Mystic Gnomes, Omnico, Order of the Ring, Pike Group, The Pirates, Portal Destruction Group, Rupin Dolasia, Sankwich Explorations, Shield Group, SOAK, Sword Group, Tim and Werner, Time Warp, Vyrican Reclamation Expedition, Woodrosin Group.

Agee, James (NPC?) - a SOAK guard.

Alliance Grand Council - the Alliance governing body on Vorn. Its members are called "Wizard General" and represent the various racial and national members of the Alliance.

As of 3206, the Grand Council had 30 seats. Seven Wizards General were absolutely opposed to peace (Saul the Branded spokesman), twelve wanted to sue for peace (Cionon spokesman; Saul says there is at least one who would be swayed with a decisive Alliance victory) and ten were undecided. The Chairman, Alotar, who is retiring in November, does not vote.
Wizard General Gunthor asks: What is our position with the alliance council? We have with us Kiphlem Thorne, an impeached (?) councilman. W-G Guaneri and myself have been acting in direct contradiction to council dictates. However this may not be common knowledge. Allying oursleves with the council is, in my opinion too limiting on our actions. However, angering the council is not wise. Keep in mind Magos now has a council seat representing EOW. In country votes, Guanerius could nullify him (in the absence of Mailog) as long as he is in attendence. Input? Johnathan Humperdinck responds to above: It was my understanding that Wizard General Guaneri had resigned from the council momentarily following his defenestration of the Colonies representative so that his returning to their meetings would be ineffective and possibly dangerous.
October 2, 3207 - Statement to the Alliance Council of Vorn by the Sword Group - Most Esteemed Wizard Generals of the Alliance, we are extremely pleased to be finally be standing before you. Our trip has been perilous, and it relieves our hearts to know that we once again stand amongst friends and compatriots... As you already know, a good number of us have traveled from another world to be here... I will start at the beginning of the journey... In Arboria a group of explorers traveling on a boat came in contact with an elf named Keiko... (Speech given by Milius.)

Al’Thor, Leah (Kaz) – killed a lich with a magic cloak. See the Grotto (Lich Monastery Adventure).

Anaphora - (Geoff)

"Anaphora reflects on the state of the world:..Long ago separated from her old adventuring companions, and finding herself deeply embedded in service to Ghenjar, Anaphora spends more and more time reflecting on the state of the world. Not least among her contemplations is the bizarre way in which she became a Gnomish partisan, and the way in which her companions abandoned her at the last minute before journeying to this mysterious new world. But as bitter as these memories become, the larger issues of the world irresistably captivate her attention."

Ankle-sore – raccoon-sized creatures…

Anti-magic

The gnomes who attacked Bysshe in the time of the Bysshe Commandoes had a powder that would destroy any magic in came in contact with in a tremendous fireball.

Armstrong, Grey (Brian) - human male sailor, journalist and longsword-wielder with a taste for gnomish women. Sword-bearer. High ranking member of OMNICo. Party champion on Illum Gamma. Killed trying to leave Illum Alpha. Resurrected. Member of Persand Expeditionary Force. Member of the Sword Group. Last seen on Vorn, still alive and carrying The Captain. Missions: Sprinal Tap (2LT). Illum Gamma (2LT), Illum Alpha, Sword Quest.

Arnsata - mountainous region of Vorn where Grey Dwarves live. The Tim and Werner group planned to find the King led there, via the tribal orc town of Salami on the Riverine coast.

Arr, Tigris (Ben) Gnomish male. Died at the "end of the "world". Carried a magical mace of lightning bolts stolen from Robin Hood's fortress.

Artaxerxes I – 6260-6325. Artaxerxes Hoard – aka Artaxerxes Tomb (Artaxerxes III?) – not actually a tomb. Found by solving the Squiggly Line Puzzle. The treasure was divided with Topelson. Items seemed at first to be war trophies: Abathorean axe, Sudibin katana, etc. but the Delmarintha Dig, the source of the Squiggly Line Puzzle, was uncovering a multi-cultural society. So the items could have been symbols/tools for future alliance. Juho said only the reincarnation of Artaxerxes should have been able to quickly solve the puzzle.

Arthur (?) - Person joking referred to in GG's summary of the escape from the Persand Portal Mission using the black box:"...A death's head amulet was around my neck. It hadn't been there before we left Persand..." What is this "death's head amulet"? Did any of the others notice any gain/loss of possessions? Could something be "inside" the box? Could it be from Arthur?

Astro - psionic bio/physo/sorceror. Has a water elemental named Euclid. A man with the intellect and wisdom of, perhaps, more than one lifetime. Kendra - "When he used to be a woman, he would have killed you for that." Member of Order of the Ring. He stayed with the ship when the Sword Group disembarked in Ilico in order to fight off pursuers since he was apparently their most powerful wizard. Missions: Sword Quest.

Astronomy of EOW - The seasonal year does not match the calendar year. (How exactly does it work? How do the seasons work on Vorn?)

A day is 23:18 hours +/- 5min, a month is 30 days, and a year (calendar? solar?) is 365 days. (Compare with Vorn.) What does this data tell us about the possible orbits of these worlds? [Editor's Warning: My notes were messed up on these items.]
Four moons.
1) Sun spends most of its time in the WESTERN sky. 2) Around Dun Cess, the sun averages about 60 to 61 degrees from the horizon at the noon hour. This varies by +- 11 degrees over a year. 3) The sun rises about 89.3 mins off between Parapanisades and the Southern Glacial Wall. (Sun goes from N to S?)
From this I (Brian) have made some rough calculations (don't assume these are correct, it's late and I'm not at 100%): 1) EOW has a radius of about 5,039 miles. 2) EOW has a circumference of about 31,700 miles at the equator. 3) DunCess has a latitude of about 29.5 degrees. 4) The planet's tilt is about 11 degrees off the solar plane. 5) If there's other habitable land on EOW, it probably lies nearer the equator, so head EAST young man!

Astronomy of Totdham -.

One moon. Constellations do not match Vorn (or EOW?).

Astronomy of Vorn - 24 hour/day, 360 days/year. Compare with EOW.

One moon.

Astyanax. King of the Brids. Successor of Phalanx. He apparently has a mate, also called Astyanax, who was encountered on Shangri-land. Currently involved in a civil war with more conservative, xenophobic factions in the Brids.

Atlas, McNally (MattA) - Vornish (?) bedouin elf male staff fighter and thief type. Member of Sword Group. Joined during Flight across Ilico (?). Died unresurrectably in the Skeleton Battle.

Augustus, Leonardo (Chad?) - quiet and reserved orcish member of the Vyrican Reclamation Expedition. Snuck off in search of Dmitri's father, violating orders. Was supposed to be arrested.

Auric Moss - gold-flecked, deep purple moss; in mountain ranges all over; used in expensive perfumes; component for olfactory illusion.

Aviendho () - Member of Order of the Ring. Captured on rescue mission by egyebrech on unknown island in western ocean.

Aya, Chorn (Lisa) - An ugly, dwarven female cannoneer, blacksmith and war-hammer wielder. Member of Omnico and the Sword Group. Died on the docks during the Sword Group's escape from KDPW. Missions: Diplomat Transport, Ilmenite Mine, Ilum Alpha, Sword Quest.

Ayer's Rock - a jutting peninsula of volcanic rock that extends out into the eastern ocean from Vyrica.

From a 10039 (?) job offer to Omnico (?): The new Ayer's Rock shipyards on the eastern coast of Vyrica have proven more efficient and dangerous than predicted in launching the beachhead on Gailinia. In addition Ayer's Rock is the site of a recently established biomantic research facility and the location of a UDC Naval vessel carrying a secret and highly dangerous cargo. Ayer's Rock encloses a large, excellent harbor. Approximately 4,500 workers and soldiers will be encamped in the area. No detailed maps available..
From a 8 April 10042 job offer to SOAK from Pavel Grachev. "The past eighteen months have seen... a glorious restoration of Crimson Tide and other orcish villages and cultural centers on Vyrica. Our task that remains is the destruction of the enemy magical research and shipbuilding facility on Ayer's Rock on the Vyrican outcropping. The Rock continues to be a source of attacks on our civilization. We are interested in hiring your company... to destroy several targets in anticipation of a general assault. These targets include: (1) the mechanized ship loading cranes, (2) the small dam, (3) the dock and mountain watchtowers, (4) the grain silo, and (5) the necromancy research facility. We would be willing to pay... for each of the four prisoners known to be locked in the facility; their names will be provided upon acceptance of this mission. The assault will have to take place before the first of September in 10042. Planning will be coordinated with the Reconquest headquarters in Crimson Tide.
So who would the orcs want rescued from there? Anybody got a PC orc they've lost track of? No, but at least one of Lantelle Svorak's erstwhile companions on Vyrica ended up a prisoner there - V'Edma.

Balryg - very big, very dangerous black leathery flying magic-using psionic monsters associated with the Echyebrech invasion. They've been seen at the Arboreal Portal (on Vorn and EOW), the Administration Building, Persand, Terrerno... Mowcrot is the most active balrog. Other known balryg: Gothmog.

Some speculate that balryg are the evil equivalent of the grendels.
From Otis Ius' recollection of the Arboreal Portal Destruction: "I slipped down a set of stairs and hid behind the swing of a door... I watched through the crack as nothing less than a Balrog stormed by... I went unnoticed, as the beast passed. The Balrog, it would seem, had other prey in mind. (See Marocsy) Edging gently out of hiding, I peeked into the room whence the flaming beast had emerged... a strange and dimly lit scene. The floor of the room was stepped down to the center, in the form of an inverted ziggurat. Only the first two or three steps were visible, though, as the remainder of the room was filled with an oily and darksome liquid. Perhaps the Fearsome Belryg prefer to bathe in heated oil rather than the water that cleanses mortal flesh. The expanse of the room faded off to shadows, leaving me to wonder at what gruesome inner chambers a Balrog might keep. "
At the Friendship Temple, a vapourous ghost balrog allowed our adventurers to pass but seems to have attacked and eliminated everyone else who had come down, including folk from the surrounding encampments who had come in search of plunder. There were many screams. [A "good" balrog?] Later in the Friendship temple, they came to a vision of an open field, and an orc in princely garb holding a curved longsword and standing over a dead balrog. So they may be the first humans ever to see a dead balrog?

Beigebeard (NPC). A long dead pirate who left hordes of treasure protected by intricate puzzles all around the world. His wife was Veanesa Morse. Her body and grave [in Forsythia Cemetery?] was apparently found (?) by Forsythia Cemetery Exploration. One horde on Ilum Gamma yielded a magic item in the form of a snake whistle. Another horde on Adam-Ondi-Ahman killed Marduk Uranti and party by freezing to death in the liquid-nitrogen trap on Adam-Ondi-Ahman. Someone [Ben, Monty, Brian...] also apparently went Beigebearding on Sioux. Another Beigebeard puzzle may have been found by the Forsythia Cemetery Exploration.

Legends say Beigebeard killed Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.
So what about Beigebeard-- sure, he’s left lots of valuable treasure, but *what did this guy know?* More than we, that's certain. Who was he *really*? What can we deduce about him from the various hoardes of his we've seen? Were they some kind of “tool kits” for future use?

Beigebeard Ice Maze - Theresa Troost died in Beigebeard's ice maze in 10036.

Beregand, Damion (Ben) - Human male. Combat Wizard. From a letter to SOAK: "I write to you in hopes of obtaining a job with your organization. My name is Damion Beregand, and I am a combat-oriented wizard. What I mean when I say that is not that I can merely cast phyz-bang spells (although I do cast lightning bolt), but that I am versed in many spells both biomantic and physomantic which are essential to the offensive and defensive needs of a team of warriors. I would, however, like to make it explicitly clear that I am not a healer. The healing arts are the business of those who are unable or unwilling to fight, and I am neither." Died on lich island [Shang?]. Hated by SOAK co-workers.

Bermuda Parallelipiped - area in the western ocean that sea-farers avoid because ships that enter it disappear. See the Time Warp Group. From Miscellaneous Thoughts Below Persand, 30 July 10037, by January Barron. *What has been affected by the parallelepiped? Why bounded by four islands? Huge area. Trangle is bizarre. Edirne, Matest, Sectan. Is the BP a bounding polygon or is it the whole thing? There is a safe path through it. Ben People disappear in it. Brian. No ships go through there. Fiera. (?) No one has ever successfully launched a satellite. There could be islands in there. There is photomancy to take pictures. Barron *Whirlpools? All over the place. Nick. No, not really.

Does anyone ever wonder what cross-section of the Bermuda parallelepiped is on the ocean?

Black Box, The - Guanerius Guaneri, Tim Da Reaper, Werner Gunthor and Kiphelm Thorn were vilified as a result of misunderstanding the events surrounding the removal of the Captain and the theft of the black box and condemned to death as the vilest of traitors. The Sword Group determined that the only one who knew anything about the traitors personally was Duncan. He only knew G.G. as an acquaintance and knew of the others through G.G. So all they knew was that the four traitors had portaled out of Vorn with the black box but only G.G. had appeared on EOW, and that he did not have The Captain, but rather a phase long sword (from Kiphelm) that he gave to Folger. No one had the foggiest idea how the Captain got to EOW (since Maroczy was the only person involved except perhaps for Poppy-Tor, who was left on Vorn).

July 10036 - Guanerius' party arrives at the arboreal portal, but finds it inoperative. Talk to ancient orcish liches to the north and get the black box to use to get to Vorn. Not everyone arrives at the intended destination and they left the box behind because they couldn't figure out how to bring it along.
? 3202 ? - Magos appears in Vorn with the sword and the black box . Balrog appears and battle ensues. Guanerius and Co. hide and watch. (What were they doing there anyway?) They see the cliff collapse on Magos (with the sword) and the combatants leave the area. They dig out the sword but do not find the two rings or the black box. (where was this?) September ? 3202 - WG Thorn, WG Gunthor, Tim D'Reaper, etc. go to Friendship Temple where Magos is keeping the black box. They find an auction being run by Donald Kagan for day by day use of the black box. They go into the temple and find a secret passage. Magos' men and others who try to go along do not get far. (Screams were heard behind the party.) The party members are tested for virtue and receive 11 “kick-ass items” and information. They are told, among other things, that they have barely been judged worthy to hold the black box, but that Magos has been judged unworthy. We proceeded to lay plans for "raiding" the Zig as non-violently as possible and retrieving the box. These more or less worked, largely because of the extreme power of the impressive collection of items we had assembled. We fled the area, and escaped with the box, unscathed except for losing one pegasus.
? 3202 ? - Maroczy goes through the arboreal portal to EOW with The Captain's help.
Sept 3202 - We met up with our financial supporter, Wiz-Gen Kiphelm Thorne and also Wiz-Gen Guaneri somewhere in Pandoland and began to set off in search of The Captain based on a hint given to us by the orcs, leaving for the north to prepare to find Diomachus Maximus. But first they are asked by Allotar to destroy a new fire dwarven necromantic research facility. It goes badly and they barely manage to portal out with the box. Only Guanerius ends up at the intended destination on EOW - no black box.
Werner speaks: "What will we do with the black box? It is very dangerous for us to carry the box around with us. It would be very easy for us to lose it again... However, the usefulness of the box... It is my understanding that Wizard-General Guaneri has the ability to take the box with him when he uses it. So, one option is to send him home with the box to complete some other mission (perhaps gathering the people necessary for the virtue puzzle, or locating Maroczy and The King). This would get the box away from us, probably aiding us in our need for secrecy."
From the notes of G. Guanerius Guaneri on the escape from Persand -- "What are we going to do about our friends?" Julie asked looking at the slain members of our party that fell during the expedition. "...Can we take them with us?" ...I hadn't tried it before, but it might just work. "If they're dead then they should just act like equipment. I won't be able to carry anyone if I am going to be able to take the box with me..." It was a silent consensus as I prepared the box on the portable table I had brought so that I could take the box with me. Folger decided to take Jean-Paul and Duncan. Isabella took Gray and Andrew Wiles, while Julie picked up Angeliene. I got Julie ready to port to the Sprines... Julie slowly faded into the box and Isabella followed.
Folger... placed his head into the box... A moment later I was all alone - in Persand. I took one last look over the room and seeing nothing unusual I prepared to port while carrying the box. I found myself on a high ledge of the Sprines holding the box in my hands. I saw Julie and Folger together about ten feet below on a ledge... I looked for Isabella, but she was nowhere to be seen... I noticed Julie and Folger staring at me. I looked around and then down and almost fell off the cliff from the shock. A death's head amulet was around my neck. It hadn't been there before we left Persand. "What the hell is this?" I blurted out in Gnomish... The moment passed as Isabella ported through with her two bodies... (That was odd she left before me and appeared after. The weight she held was not as much as that of Folger, who seemed to not have any trouble being first through.)

Black earrings - worn by EO operatives. Also may serve as communication devices.

Bosch, Hieronymous (Ben) Human male. Messenger and spy. Bearer of "The Shield". Wandering about Vorn.

Bow of Steadiness - magic bow that makes any man the deadliest of archers. Received by the Tim and Werner Group at the Friendship Temple.

Brid Island. The name given by SOAK to a smallish island whose location is unknown. The Brid King Astyanax was apparently able to fly from there to KDP in a few days. It may be just a little ways into the southern glacier - near Shangriland. It seems to be reachable only by snake or by wing, although Shangri-la-ists have also found the island somehow. It is inhabited by Brids. The island is about 8 miles across and full of tall hills that make the island into a sort of natural-caverned maze. In addition, positioned around the island are 8 mounds that have the "classical druidic" rock structures on them, only one of which has crumbled. Some of the stones have an unknown form of writing on them In the center of the island there is an intricately woven grove of trees that form an natural dome with a passage leading straight in through the canopy itself. The passage is quite dim, requiring lanterns. At the center is a largish space surrounded entirely, including over the top, by the tightly woven trees. In the center of the circle is a hole leading into an underground chamber or passage. A large tree limb stands above the whole, with a very old piece of rope tied to it. The rope looked like it had been cut, but it had been long ago. Going into the hole leads to what appears to be a living chamber. A small bed sits in one corner, a mirror is on the the western wall. Along the northern wall stand bookcases filled with old books which date from 9750 to 9826 and cover math, geography, chemistry and history. On the southern wall there are crates and chests, and a desk sits along the eastern wall. In the desk was an old vase. (See magic items.) Most of the crates turned out to be empty, but one was full of weapons: shortswords, axes, daggers, etc. A magic dagger was found under the pillow on the bed. Inside the chests were: a brown cloak in perfect condition (moderate magic item), a unstrung magic short bow (moderate magic item), 12 gold tipped magic arrows (minor magic items), and 240 silver ingots, and 20 vials of spices. However, the passage tends to close behind the intruder, apparently connected with the fact that the trees are low-level magical. It does reopen, for no apparent reason. (Open date, closed date?) There is a depression near the northeast edge of the island. There may be a Brid camp in the northern central area of hills of the island where Felissa Hayes-Hunter and others were held prisoner.

We know the Brid King was able to fly from the Brid Island in a few days. Judging from the brid preference to meet us on the outcrop of land we call Shangriland, we figure it's not very far across the southern glacier. IMPORTANT: JULIE IS THE ONLY SURVIVING PERSON FROM SOAK THAT THEY KNOW. The rest of us are strangers as far as the Brid are concerned, and you know how much they *love* strangers.

Bridge Missions - ill-fated attempts to destroy a vital enemy supply route by blowing up a bridge across Garibaldi Cut in the Sprines.

ECKS IN THE CONFEDERACY? Well, they're knocking hard at the front door, in any case. One of the many things that we *didn't* know is that the "bridge" we were blowing up [see Bridge Missions] wasn't necessarily just a conventional bridge; it looks in some respects like there may be a new portal; or else the Enemy have taken the Abraxian Shrine Portal and put it to use. Pity we didn't destroy it.

The Second Bridge Mission - (Apr. 11-21, 10043) Members: Grizzly Adams, Saka Doyo, Gregory Dunston, Brandywine Falcon, Maltese Falcon, Geo Gastric, Obsidian Rubble, Heinrich Schutz, Natasha Volminskaya, Merri Weather-Lewis, Marito Yoshida, Dirk Zand.
From the diary of Merri Weather-Lewis

5/11/43 Today we leave on the Obelisk. It is captained by Josiah Wedgewood, the former first mate of Robin Obelisk's Albatross... The mission... is an attempt by Commander Zand to finish what he started eight months ago: blow up the bridge crossing the Garibaldi Cut... Also, to take supplies to a church apostle named Othniel who is leading the trolls up north against the enemy...
5/13/43 We've just left Forsythia where we've picked up the supplies for Othniel - about 400 lbs... mostly arrowheads and swords.
5/18/43 We'll be landing a little later tonight. The party looks anxious--all except Commander Zand, who has a certain look of determination in his eyes, almost as if he were possessed. I think that he would march through the gates of Hell to blow this bridge up.
5/19/43 Today we were ambushed. Several eckyebrech started dropping flame strikes on us. Several of us rushed up the slopes to try to attack them. After a few rounds of inconsequential melee, one of the flame strikes hit the boomdust. There was a tremendous explosion that ripped our camp apart killing many... Dunston, Brandywine Falcon, Rubble, and Yoshida were killed. One of Adams' hands was severely damaged. Both our demolitions experts have been killed and all our boomdust and explosive devices are gone. Our supplies have been scattered to the four winds... There is no other choice. We must continue. The world depends on it.
5/21/43 Today Maltese woke up. That's a good sign. We've managed to scavange a significant percentage of the supplies going to Othniel. Also, upon re-evaluating our lot we have one expert at masonry, geology, and mining (Schutz) and a physomancer who can cast Disintegrate. Plus we may be able to get assistance from Othniel.

Brimble, Silas "Skip" (Ben) – hobbitian male, devoted ornithologist and flight fanatic. Unofficial leader of Vyrican Reclamation Expedition. Joined VRE solely to capture a rare mango-mango bird. Executed by orcish military consul after fiasco in Krasgorod.

Burble, Euphoria (Ben) - Nomadic Hobbit female. Lost during an El Ouhdian assault on the Grendel's Cave. A childlike head displayed by Eth in an attempt to subdue the Greymar Grendling Group may have been hers. (Eth threatened to kill 86 prisoners there in the fortress unless the GGG surrendered.)

Calveras, Simmian (Ben) - Human male. Pilot/navigator/sailor, healer (?) and short sword wielder, associated with the Order of the Ring, Pike, SOAK and Sword Group. Idolized Folger. Intrigued by biology and engineering. Died on the docks during the escape from KDPW (?). Missions: Biskupin.

Captain, The

A Time Line:
Before the ancient orcs - the swords may originally be from Vorn since that's where the legends are.
Misty past - somehow, the Captain got to Arboria - a long time ago, since the swords seem to have been apart a long time.
First orcish empire - according to El Ouhd, the Captain was first seen at this time. One of the leaders of the orcish armies who denounced pacifism [see Liches, the Evil] was given the sword by a "specter". It then disappeared for about 1000 years.
Second orcish empire - The Captain was briefly seen wielded by an orcish hero named Artaxerxes who sought to re-create the ancient orcish empire and overthrow the decadent 2nd orcish empire.
Early 10,000's - Kendra Thrax held the Captain. She may have gotten it from her father. She learned from talking to it that it was active during the first orcish empire and she learned ancient orcish from it. She said later, that it was jealous of other swords and other people, possessive of its possessor. It claimed that, "together they can destroy the army and the portal that they came from."
Before 10014 ? - Magos Hamilcar stole the sword from Kendra, then was attacked by the ringwraiths' agents (balryg?) who seemingly killed him and took it.
June 10036 - Guanerius is at Aritheya's fortress to devise plan to get the sword to Vorn and the Temple Temple Temple. [How did he get the Captain back?]
July 10036 - Guanerius' party arrives at the arboreal portal, but find it inoperative. Talk to ancient orcish liches to the north and get the black box to use to get to Vorn. Not everyone arrives at the intended destination and they left the box behind because they couldn't figure out how to bring it.
August 10036 - date when the sword was supposed to be taken to Vorn.
? 3202 ? - Magos appears in Vorn with the sword [how did he get the Sword back?] and the black box, having apparently used his two rings to solve the portaling problem. Balrog appears and battle ensues. Guanerius and Co. hide and watch. They see the cliff collapse on Magos (with the Captain) and the combatants leave the area, then they dig out the sword but do not find the two rings, the black box or Magos.
September ? 3202 - WG Thorn, WG Gunthor, Tim D'Reaper, etc. go to Friendship Temple where Magos is keeping the black box. They go into the temple and find a secret passage. The party members are tested for their virtue and after being found worthy receive gifts and information. They are told that the King was last wielded by Diomachus Maximus who exists to the northeast beyond the mountains, waiting. He knows where the King is. They are also told that they have been judged worthy to hold the black box, but that Magos has not. They take back the box from Magos.
Ben summarizes in 1994: As you know, we basically "passed" the orcish virtue test. They gave us 11 kick-ass items, [what items?] told us the box was ours and sent us on our merry way. We proceded to lay plans for "raiding" the Zig as non-violently as possible and retrieving the box. These more or less worked, largely because of the extreme power of the impressive collection of items we have assembled. We fled the area, and escaped with the box, unscathed except for losing one pegasus. (Sept 3202) We met up with our financial supporter, Wiz-Gen Kiphelm Thorne and also Wiz-Gen Guaneri some where in Pandoland (I wasn't around for this part) and began to set off in search of The Captain based on a hint given to us by the orcs.
? 3202 ? - Maroczy, Poppy-Tor, etc. go to destroy the arboreal portal from the Vorn side. They have the Captain. There is a huge explosion, the portal is destroyed and Maroczy vanishes. Rumors of a balrog in the area.
October 10036 - Maroczy appears in Arborea over Grendel's cave. Mowcrot ends up at the arboreal portal. (The sword had apparently been asked to take Maroczy to the King, but something went wrong when the portal was destroyed, so...? But this does increase the credibility of the sword's claim to be able to control the portals.) See Maroczy.
? 3202 ? - Guanerius, Tim, Werner, the black box, etc. leave for the north to find Diomachus Maximus. But first they are asked by Allotar to destroy a new fire dwarven necromantic research facility. It goes badly and they escape using the box. Only Guanerius ends up at the intended destination in Arborea.
February 10037 - Keiko, an illiterate gypsy elf, is found by Hershel Tims on Vyrica with Sudibin refugees.
July 10037 - Near Persand, the Pike group meets the very psionically aware Keiko who was carrying a message for the Man of the Turtles. "Testitudine's phylum marks the grave on Alpha Illum you must save." Keiko passes the message on to the Pike group before she is killed by Mowcrot.
November 10039 - O.R./Omnico Persand Portal destruction mission includes former members of Pike group. Katie Resnick disappears.
August 10040 - Omnico/SOAK find the Captain under the empty coffin in the turtle-marked grave of Bredend Jones in the far south of main cemetary on Ilum Alpha. (Former Pike Group members had become involved with Omnico and O.R. operations by this time.)
late 10040 - O.R. helps Omnico escape with the sword and members of the O.R. join in the mission to get the Captain back to Vorn and find the King. Astro stays behind to fight off the pursuers. Richard Folger is dragged away by the Abraxian demon balrog thing.
August 3206 - the "Sword Group" has portaled in the desert on Vorn.
September 3207 - the Sword Group delivers the Captain to the Temple Temple Temple.
Sometime between 3202 and 3206, Guanerius Guaneri, Tim Da Reaper, Werner Gunthor and Kiphelm Thorn were condemned to death as traitors on Vorn as a result of Council confusion about the events surrounding the disappearance of the Captain and the black box. Of the Sword Group, the only one who knew any of the traitors personally was Duncan, who knew G.G. as an acquaintance in the O.R. Through Duncan, the group knew that the four "traitors" had portaled out of Vorn with the black box but only G.G. had appeared on EOW, and that he did not have The Captain, but rather a phase long sword (from Kiphelm) that he gave to Folger. No one knew how the Captain got to EOW (since Maroczy was the only person involved except for Poppy-Tor, who was left on Vorn and didn't know for sure where Maroczy was going).

Cardinoff, Isabella (Ben) - female dwarvish hand axe wielder and cannoneer. Commandress of OMNICo, Persand Expeditionary Force and the Sword Group. Killed fighting trolls in the Sprinal Tap (res.) and during the Sword Group's Skeleton Battle (3206) (body was lost in the Sandstorm after being carried for several weeks at the insistence of Grey Armstrong). Missions: Sprinal Tap (commander), Illum Gamma (commander), Persand, Ilmenite Mine, Ilum Alpha, Sword Quest.

Cave Portal - a telemantic cave in the Sprinal Tap. Was discovered by an OMNICo team when Abner Strumpet, Grey Armstrong, and Felissa Hayes-Hunter disappeared while investigating the cave. Sargenta Welch checked out the cave with a rope tied about her waist, so that the minute we detected any strangeness we could yank her back. She went in about fifteen feet to the end, and called out that there were no passages to the side or any hidden doors. Then, suddenly, the group couldn't hear her any more, and the rope went slack. They pulled the rope out, and the loop which had been tied around her waist was perfectly intact, but she was gone. At this point they began to suspect some kind of magickal phenomena. The magic mushrooms read (7.9 general, 6.0 sorcery) at the cave mouth. Ed Xing tested the cave by throwing in a hatchet into the cave. It clanked against the back wall and fell to the floor, so he went to retrieve it, despite repeated orders. He picked up the hatchet, turned around, and disappeared. When it was determined that it was possible to establish a sort of communication with the missing party members by shouting and having high hearing party members listen carefully, it was estimated that they probably were only about five miles away at most. Thom Merrilin was sent through to assist them in getting back. Later, their trail was picked up in a swamp basin which was inaccessible without climbing ropes. The trail led to a basilisk cave where the missing party members were found - along with the basilisk family...

SOAK investigated the Cave Portal on several missions sponsored by the Telemancy College (the "Telemancy" missions). For Sprinal Tap I (?) The pick-up - 24th and 25th at midnight. The Cave portal took away the gnomes, necromantic mushroom and some of the stuff in the telemancy school's box, while the other magic mushrooms were just "cancelled". Pick-up Date - July 15. Two maps with notes (products of the mission?).

Cerano, Julie (Gooch) - went on a couple of missions with SOAK but never officially joined the organization. Worked for Omnico and O.R. and participated in Persand Expeditionary Force. Disappeared from OMNICo house in KDP West hours before they were to depart with the Order of the Ring with the Captain. Missions: Persand, Illum Alpha (?).

Chain of Strength -- 12 foot chain of clear links (weighs about 20 lbs) which is Darn Near Unbreakable. From the Friendship Temple.

Coatline, Alonzo (NPC?) - Directed the defense of Parapanisades (?). 15th-level cannoneer on The Dawn Treader. Got a couple of cannon shots into Mowcrot before he flew away with Keiko after the Pike Group's Eck Temple Mission. Participated in the Persand Expeditionary Force. Disappeared while swimming to shore on Persand. Presumed captured.

College Students - ill-fated group that decided to explore India. Members: Iana Veridian.

Cornucopia - A magic item that provides 3 person-days of food per charge in a convenient carrying package. Telemantic (?). Owned by OMNICo until Aug 20th, 10040 when it was sold to pay for the cost of resurrecting Grey Armstrong, Bartholomew Cubbins, and Delvin Rover after the Mission to Recover the Sword. Another, beefier version worth 1,000 person-days was given to the Tim and Werner group by the ancient orcs in the Friendship Temple.

Cosgrove, Liam (NPC?) -- Universalist who worked with Othniel in the Tap. SOAK brought him back to KDPW after he sustained injuries in a melee with the hill people.

Cromwell, Charles (Matt?) - Archer. Killed in combat with minotaurs on landbridge of Persand cave complex. Member of Persand Expeditionary Force, Nov 10039.

Culebra Island. Formerly known as Staple Island. Located in far northwest corner of the world some 70 miles from the glacier. Visitors: Alison Lyons, SOAK.

A flat topped 150-200 ft tall limestone rock with a cold, stormy, deadly climate and virtually no plant life except for one unidentified, almost dead tree. Storms come from the east (usually.) Sides of the island are kind of tiered. 150 feet./45 minutes. [What?] Very stiff wind. Top is greenish. On the plateau are strange rocks that are sliced like bread. There is a big stone tree trunk that looks like redwood up in a valley from the first landing that SOAK used. (Magic reading: 4.4 4.2 2.0) There is a cave in the cliffs (around to the North?) that is about 6 ft across.
The cliffs are too high to climb except for the only two good landing places - one (Rand Landing) features a sandy beach/hill (Magic readings - general 4.5, sorc 4.3, necro 2.1) clockwise from the original approach and from a waterfall (?). There is a "neato cave" nearby that is about 8 ft across and also possibly some sand bars for ships to be aware of. A sailor was lost in making the first landing there (Sailor Bay?). The other landing is on the opposite side of the island and is not much better. It has a harbor and a old wrecked ship. A third (?) landing site has a good landing but the harbor is too exposed to weather the storms - hence the newer shipwreck laying crashed and burned there. In the area of the two ships are seen three graves with crosses, and 6 other graves. Abner Strumpet found a carving: F.P. 10017. The older ship was Lady of Delmarintha, a merchant vessel - fabrics, silver ware, agricultural tools, chests: personal stuff (Mick Commerus), coins (newest 10017). The newer ship was the Homer, apparently being used for The Great Migration. It was burned, and melted and had been there 2-3 years. No bodies. Another group of 30 graves and 3 shovels were found nearby in the hills.
In the center of the north area of the island, there is a depression 15 feet deep, with grass, 5 graves and three sink-holes ("The Valley"). Of the 3 sink holes, one is10 ft deep, one is 20 ft, and one is about 30 ft deep (had water in it when first found). The deeper one has a wyvern skeleton (with a "big" horn which was retrieved by SOAK when the water drained out a couple of days later). Ben (Alison Lyons?) was lowered into first hole, 00- instant appraisal. Second hole 96, 15-20 minutes to figure out it was a hole. A black rock was found (strange since all the rest of the rock on the island is limestone.) Rehoboam Kafkel couldn't ID it, normal magic reading. Brian (Richard Stallman?) took a piece of it. Hardness of 3-4, solid black.
In the southern part of the island there is depression (Stallman's depression) where a poor camp (camp "D") can be set up, and also several gulches that lead to the off-pours/waterfalls at the cliffs. At camp "D" a wyvern attacked the party, poisoned Stallman and then killed him by dropping a cannon on him [was someone else hurt here too?] - "It was a smaller cannon to be sure." (Abner says out loud "But he is from the Order of the Ring" in front of the NETCo agents.)
Behind the waterfall in the center of the island (up the ravine from the first landing) is a cave. Inside it there is a skeleton (may be more now). It has clothing, knife, utensils etc. On the wall of the cave was carved "F.P. 10017" and three "day" scratches. It was used as a refuge by SOAK after the Rakshasa attack was foiled Island inhabited by guillemot birds (on the cliffs), walruses and frequented by wyverns. No whales seen. Claimed by Rakshasa and being used by NETCo. Location of two SOAK missions - Culebra I and II (Duh, Brian! *wink*)
So… What about the caves? What about the little island still beyond it? PROBLEM: Netco owns the island. And it's really cold.

D'Aeth, Chaffleur () - crewmember on the Dawn Treader (?). Chaffleur Da'eth and the Tracking Beeper- I've finally figured it out: It *was* Folger or a member of their crew who installed it-- to spy on Chaffleur because they didn't trust him and weren't impressed by our implicit faith in the drow Da'eth (well, he's a PC, right?)

Dagger of Soul Slaying - black dagger from the Friendship Temple. We are warned to use it only with compleat justice.

Danson, Daedelus (Ben). Human male reconnaisance specialist. Sorcerer, jeweler, and thief. Obsessive. Imitater of Abner. Member of SOAK. Died on Shang Island - toasted by the lich. Died 10042. Missions: Trangle Sewers, Omniventure V, .

Da Reaper, Tim, "Reaper of Marn" (Brian) - Equal-opportunity multi-pantheistic theologist and fugitive. "Big, tall, nasty. Death mask, holocaust cloak. Annoying, but alright." He lived with GG on Vorn for years. He was at the Obah Ziggurat when the group found Lady Marissa Althoric, blew a hole in the Ziggurat and saw it heal. Was killed during the Portal Destruction Mission but was resurrected despite his spell-reflection amulet. He was somehow responsible for giving Otis Ius extra height, getting in the process both thanks and curses... ?

He, along with Guaneri, Werner and Kiphelm was sentenced to death in absentia by the Alliance Council as the vilest of traitors for disobeying the wishes of the Council and for their apparent dealings with the enemy as a result of a misunderstanding of the events surrounding the disappearance of the Captain and the theft of the black box. Leader of the Tim and Werner Group along with Werner. Perhaps a bit mentally unstable - see his dream sequence in The Evil.
Involved in the Friendship Temple mission and the Fire Dwarven Necromantic Research Facility.

Death's Head Amulet - In GG's summary from using his black box to escape from Persand: "... A death head amulet was around my neck. It hadn't been there before we left Persand... "

What is this "death head amulet"? Is it magical? Which kind? What materials is it made from? What cultures does it resemble? Did any of the others (Folger, etc.) notice any gain/loss of possessions? Did GG remember anything else? Isabella? Could something be "inside" the box? Could it be from Arthur? (Joke:)"

Demolitions - see also Explosives. Demolitions focuses on techniques for the destruction of structures – bringing down buildings, blasting open safes, destroying bridges. It is not specifically for combat and anti-personnel devices, although with high level demolitions, you can try to device simple devices for those purposes. Notes by Alana Manes: Mixtures of quicklime and sulfur ignite on contact with water. They were secretly put on timbers of roofs and burst into flames when moistened by the morning dew. _History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder_p29 About 1 pound of explosives will shear a 6 inch diameter timber if placed on the outside. If a hole is drilled and the charge placed inside the timber, only about 1/5 the explosive is needed. _Blaster's Handbook_ Calculate: Pounds of explosive = D^2/40 for external charge Pounds of explosive = D^2/250 for internal charge Where D^2 indicates the square of the diameter of the timber in inches. _Blasting Techniques for Mining and Civil Engineers_ p 395 



 ________            _         "Fulcrum" wrecking technique

 |     |            / \_

 |     |           /    \

 |     |          /     / 

 |     x         /     /

 |     |  --->  /     o

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 x     x      o     o

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---------    ---------                  p 105 (?)
Ground and foundation stability are vitally important for bridge stability. Alteration in ground water content can affect ground stability. Pressure from behind an abutment can cause bulging or forward sliding. _Railway Bridge Maintenance_
From _Military Bridges_: What is required is the means of certainly and effectively throwing down a bridge in no more than 5 minutes. Use a "torpedo" made of a short bolt of 7/8 inch iron - 8 inches long - with a head and a nut. The head is 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. A washer the same size as the head and with a fuse hole in it must be placed under the nut at the other end. Between the washer and the head is a tin cylinder 1 3/4 inch in diameter and open at both ends which is filled with POWDER. This forms an enclosing case for the powder when the washer and nut are put on. A thick coat of varnish will exclude moisture.
To use this "torpedo" a hole is bored in a main support timber with a 2-inch auger (for maximum portability the auger only needs to be about 13 inches long with a detachable handle of a similar length or ending in a ring through which a stick may be inserted to serve as a make-shift handle) and the torpedo is driven into the hole, head downward, with a stone or hammer or whatever is to hand. The 2ft fuse is then lighted and the explosion will bring down the timber. Experiments have shown that a timber will be shattered into many pieces some of which were projected 100 feet. pp123-126 

 Head of bolt                                   Washer

   _____                                        _______ 

  /     \_______________________________________|     |____ Nut

 |       |      powder                          |     |    |

 |       |______________________________________\/\/\/\/\/\|

 |                                                         |

 |       _______________________________________/\/\/\/\/\/|

 |       |                                      |     |----

 |       |      powder                     -------------------fuse

  \     / --------------------------------------|     |

   -----                                        -------

Desiderata - ancient orcish text from the labyrinth of the Friendship Temple. In 3202, eleven triangular boxes containing small oddly-shaped pieces of flat stone were found. Experimentation showed that these little chits fit together and interlocked to compose a rectangular image with an inscription of an ancient Orcish text which Wizard General Gunthor and Colonel Tim both recognized and called "Desiderata".

As they worked on the puzzle, they passed in and out of trances where voices questioned them individually over moral and ethical matters. They were also tested in combat by a huge warrior-creature who pretty much wiped the walls with them. See the Temple of Friendship.

Drachma of the Drow (Ben) Drow elvish female. Committed suicide in the first years of the campaign at the Roanoake colony by falling on the rapier of her husband, The Highwayman, after he died from water poisoning. Carried a rod of ice/water/steam taken from Nefertiti's tomb. Had an evil sister named, Jachma.

Dragons - large reptilian creatures that breath fire and like fancy swords. They've been seen at the End of the World, on Ilico, and on Island 2.

The First Dragon Adventure - The group was hired to explore Island 2. At the base of its volcano the group came upon a large crevace where it was attacked by sibalfs. After killing them, the group ventured into the cave and discovered a doorway with a very large door that opened into a huge cavern that contained an enormous pile of steel cubes and treasure and, atop it all, a huge red dragon. After much deliberation (but apparently not enough) the group snuck in to steal from the dragon's hoard. Everyone grabbed something (including a ring...) but then something woke the dragon up. Lots of really nasty things happened, and tons of people died. Gulf Malone, stuck the dragon in the butt with his rapier. The dragon was very fast, and killed several people with its claws and breath, but a few made it out. As the group dashed out the door, the dragon breathed one last time, welding [Kaz] into his plate armor. They managed to close the door, which seemed to trap the dragon inside. It was pretty upset.
Another dragon, apparently blue, attacked the Sword Group on the Flight Across Ilico. While trying to take The Captain, it toasted Gabrielle Monterre and flew away, maimed by the Sword.

Drow - As a people, great evil has been done to them; the injustice they have suffered combined with their general isolation have intensified and magnified evil in the nature of Drow culture. Not all Drow are evil, but within the experience of their history few could succeed in rising above an evil nature, and these few would certainly be renegades within Drow society. Put another way: the statistical incidence of evil, necromancing, arrogant sh!tbags in the Drow population is quite high.

Druids - Known or suspected members: Juliette Naturas, Jubal Tokenfall. Lantelle Svorak - "I couldn't help but feel some guilt and shame as I left Carthage. I was leaving behind not only my leadership position in OMNICo, but possibly putting my comrades in deep risk. (Well, all except for the bastard that informed SETCO I had this ring.) Something tells me... that those [ancient orcish?] liches really wouldn't want some random idiot holding onto their magical devices, so why not take the logical choice and let this idiot carry it around... It saved me once.

[After Castle Vaheran], we returned to KDP-W, and reported to SETCO, but we told them nothing of the ring or the dagger officially. Yet soon after they asked for the dagger... I will not let them have this ring, I will take it to the High Druid myself, I will return it to them, and perhaps they will allow me to join them, allow me to learn from them. It is a risk I must take...
Who are these druids that put a doom on the party? A doom to find this Orlando the Red, a traitor, and bring his soul to the central plains of Vyrica to lay it before the feet of the High Druid... Do the druids hide in all orders in the world? Jubal was apparently one of them, yet he hid himself and worked for SETCO... "
A Shangrilaist, Luke, met by Lantelle Svorak and Stephen Bolger in November 10037 in the mountains of Vyrica with a band of guerrillas said that the druids were in league with the ecks... He took a great interest in the iron ring Lantelle wore, saying that it was a signet of the of druids that went to fight with the Ecks. He said that the druids had a prophecy saying that a 'wave' would begin in central Vyrica and overwhelm all. The ecks coincided their move so that they would seem to be that wave and most of the druids fell for it. Jubal Tokenfall was apparently included. Luke also mentioned that the wearer of the ring had once been his teacher. (Jubal?)
A hypothetical scenario: Long ago, the druids were looking for a secure place to build a secret temple that had to remain undamaged for "The passing of a thousand moons". They, in their infinite wisdom, know of a small, uninhabited area of sea out across the glacier. There are a few small islands there. They also know (they're so smart) that there is a sub-glacial tunnel connecting it to EOW. The place is safe from intrusion, so they go there (how, I don't know) and build their stonehengeish temple thingy. Now, after "a thousand moons", or whatever, something major is going to happen there and someone has to be there when it happens. Just to make sure that the right person will be able to get the island without the difficulty of crossing the glacier or something, they create a magic item that commands a sea-snake with a long life span to shuttle people back and forth. One thing leads to another, and Beigebeard winds up with that whistle. He figures "huh, another worthless druidic keepsake... I think I'll put it in one of my easy-to-get treasure chests in the stash I'm building on Ilum Gamma." He does just that. A group of hapless PCs (Omnico), several of whom just happen to be DOOMED for a druidic quest, stumble into the Beigebeard hoard and leave with the snake whistle. Abner Strumpet has his initial crazy ride, and the whole SOAK situation comes up. The party finds the temple, etc... They are caught by the elvish military. They spew forth most of the truth about their situation, and are not believed. The notes of the confession however make their way into the hands of a member of the higher command who has druidic connections. He recognizes what is going on with the snake, grabs the Brid Island dagger from the party's possessions as evidence, and sees that the party is released. It is possible that he even knows about Abner's involvement and the DOOMING. It just might not be El Ouhd that got us out of prison...
One Theory is that the Shangies are the split of the druids. The druids seem to have an extreme amount of knowledge (remember knowledge *is* power), but refuse to use it. Instead, they supposedly just "sit back and watch". The Shangies, as the theory goes, are the split faction of druids. This is frightening. Didn't The Shangies, at one time, have a prophecy that the destruction of the world as we know it would happen in 10020 or so? I believe that their faith has been ridiculed for the false calculated prediction. Maybe they are pissed off by this ridiculing. Maybe they have decided to use the knowledge they have to gain the upper hand.
What did we find at the end of the two person maze under castle Vaheraun? Maybe the druids don't directly act on anything, but I bet that they do exert a certain directional flow to many different events. Honestly, how "powerful" are all of these different groups?

Dukas, Colonel Abraham (NPC) - prominent member of the Dun Cess military whose tomb is the focus of the Dukas Puzzle.

The Burial of Colonel Dukas - April 19, 10030 (Local)--As one family today, the whole of Forsythia, pooled their sorrows and cried together at the funeral of Colonel Abraham Dukas. The Colonel was a longtime resident of Forsythia and one of its greatest citizens. He was buried in a gorgeous neolenevestic mausoleum of his own construction in Chestnut wing of the municipal graveyard claiming that his ties to the people of the town were greater than his ties to the military despite his thirty years of service to the Dun Cess army, ensparkled by distinguished service during the Second War of Ilican Succession. Colonel Dukas established the Forsythia Zoological Gardens and contributed handsomely to the martial displays of the Museum of Culture. He also established the prestigious Dukas Fellowships at the University of Dun Cess and the Martial Academy of Neorome. No epitaph adorns the marmoreal, monumental grave of this fine citizen. Dukas was succeeded [sic] by his wife of fifty-five years, Eleanor, and three children: Lionel (45), Obidiah (41) and Rachel (39). Colonel Dukas was born in 9958 in Urbandale, Iceland.
The Tomb: There are 2 "dots" in the front and a round hole on top. Like a die. It is 25' high. There is a gargoyle on each corner of the roof. There is a 6-inch thick by 4.5 foot octagonal slab of stone on top of the "1 dot" hole. It is very heavy. Compare with description of tomb in Dukas Puzzle Group, below.

Dukas Puzzle Group –

“[Preceded by postings about the Dukas Puzzle] People were assembled, a party was created.
It consisted of 3 gnomes, and two humans. The humans (Scott and Nick), the gnomes (Matt Willard, Chad, and Gooch).
Having met while we were all in Forsythia for this-and-that reason, our group of fast-made friends found out from Scott that there was a woman he was interested in. A woman. Go figure. Anyway, it turns out she has some horribly nasty disease (that is contagious, by the way) that was going to kill her, and Scott wanted to see if we could help them get a cure. After Scott and the deaf gnome of Chad's went to visit the little woman, we found out that there was a cure that worked 50% of the time, only killed you the other 50%, and cost 50K silver for the dosages. Needless to say, the woman's family could not afford such a thing. Having little better to do than look around for gnomish beer, we decided to see what we could find out about the disease, it's cure, and how much of a price cut we could get from any other source could be... So, after visiting the less-than-hospitable doctors office of the woman (anti-gnome sematists), we eventually found out there was a Colonel that had retired from the Army that had the disease, and that the woman had contact with. (Probably where she contracted it...) Further inquiries about the now-dead Colonel were fruitless, except that he was buried in a big old cemetery, and had an ostentatious tomb.
The tomb, in fact, was interesting. It was of ancient orcish design, and had one "door" which was more of a seamless wall set into another seamless wall. Very handy to keep vandals out. The group set to go to the top of the tomb to inspect it, and found 2 stone snakes coiled in the center. After fiddling with the snakes for a while, lightning struck down from the sky, colliding with four rods in the corners of the building, and arcing to the snakes, which then came to life and beat the party up significantly. Chad's character was knocked a good one, and didn't wake up for the remaining time. The snakes turned back to stone, and were vanquished by two bow shots into their eyes by Nick. They crumbled completely, leaving no trace of what they were before. After Scott had fallen into the darkness of the hole that was underneath the snakes, and wandered about finding absolutely nothing for a long time, Nick headed off to find a pick-axe of some sort. He was gone for quite a while. When he returned he noticed there was now writing on the front of the tomb. (What I assumed was previously called the "door") It was, of course, a cryptogram -- I'd love to post it, but I neglected to grab a copy before I left. At any rate, we solved it, but are still at a loss for what to do with what it says. (Gooch posted that later.) [Followed by posting of Colonel Dukas Funeral]”

Dun Cess Archaeological Society -

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY EMPLOYEE ARRESTED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT ([20 Dec 43]) An mid-level business manager for the Dun Cess Archaeological Society was arrested for embezzling about 8,500 sc from the organization over the last year. Mr. Toddhue Gitlin maintained his innocence and is set to come to trial sometime in mid-February. Officials are unsure of where the money went; some suspect that Mr. Gitlin was involved in a smuggling ring for drugs and used his travels on government boats to ease the process of bringing substances into the Confederacy.

Du Nord, Phillipe (Ben) - male Viking Orcish Warrior. Had goal of developing competence with every major modern weapon. Present for last days of Roanoake colony, and friend of Roan and Oake, the two orcs whose names became accidentally associated with the failed settlement. Briefly owned the "Bottle of Wishes" and died of the incurable disease caused by using the words "I wish" after selling the bottle. Willed his wealth (~16,000) to the Jackets orphange .

Dunston, Gregory (Ben) Human male. Demolitionist. Really likes coffee. Member of SOAK. Participated in drow glacial outpost mission and Second Bridge Mission. Killed 5/19/43 by Ecks.

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