20 Oct 99
I have been back in the Skara woods for some time now. I must say that Tamesis has been impressive to watch, as she seems to hunt more for the challenge and fun than for the few coins and cooked ribs she receives. She is a definite menace to the Brits that cross the area, and that does give me one of those joyous little warm feelings... just like the ones you get from a successful kill.

But of greater import, and of serious concern is this orc invasion. More and more they are appearing in the woods. The seem to come from the northwest... not just orcs, but speaking, *thinking* orcs. An orc, in itself is a brute force, but given the packs that these creatures are now travelling in, and, given their ability to think... this is a grave problem. I've seen them in packs of up to nine or ten at a time!

Now I am afraid. Fear that the past has returned and that the horrors scarred into my mind shall become a reality. I have seen what orcs can do. I have seen them tear down an entire city after slaying and eating the populace. My only hope is that these orcs take to eating mages and leave the rest of us alone.

[Link: Orcs of Kor]


13 Oct 99
Word has reached me that a woman claims the forests of Skara Brae as hers. She goes by the name of Tamesis, and she has taken to asking tithe of the tamers and passersby. I am currently in the Den, and hiding from the law, however, I shall make my way back to the forests. She shall be informed that those woods are either ours or mine, but, most certainly, not 'hers'.


9 Oct 99
With the help of Catalina, Artemis, and various others, the stockpiled treasures of the past month of hunting were bagged and brought to Skara Brae. Calamaranda and Wild Cherry joined in giving it out at the Shattered Skull Tavern. It was good to be back in Skara Brae again, and I think that I shall make a habit of distributing the spoils of war to the people of Skara Brae. A game was made of it, as we asked questions and trivia to those we handed the goods out to. I'll sleep by the shores of the Skara mainland tonight, as it has been long since I had last done that. Tomorrow the hunt begins again, and I shall return to the Den where I have found the prey to be most fatted with reagents and weapons.

6 Oct 99
Ran into Kudos today. Our conversation was brief but interesting.


In the interim...
The large gap is due to a temporary period away from Pacific.


12 May 99
I rode north to see this core of evil that I had heard so much about. Upon reaching the greater Yew area, I came upon a graveyard. It was quiet... almost serene, with little to fear but a skeleton here and there. I asked a passerby if this was the graveyard that the bards tell their tales of, and i was informed that the locale in question was north of where we stood. He paused to rummage through his belongings and began to toss wands and other items upon the ground.
'Please don't litter the forest, sir', I had asked him.
He laughed and asked, 'What are you going to do? Fine me?'
He heeded not my second or third request. He also ignored my warning arrow. A few warriors that were headed up the road had attacked me for my slightly extreme method of persuasion, and I could not have been happier! It has been long since I've enjoyed the hunt and chase, and their assault was welcomed. I found, however, that I was a bit outclassed, as I was able only to take down one of them before I was forced to retreat into the woods.

I traveled north until I reached a few yards from the moongate. Already I had ducked behind a house and hid, and then remembered that the courts have long since forgotten the records of my previous deeds.

Remounting my steed, I looked around for any sign of malice or malevolence. It was to the east that I spotted it... an area enveloped in fog, with two large parapets rising into the dark sky above. I knew immediately that that was the place that my spirit had drifted to only days before. Supplies low, I headed south again for the forest. I hope to return again soon, and confront the evil within that tower.

10 May 99
A recent battle occured at the docks of Skara Brae... Lady Death rode forth with demon, Dark Lords, and a score of minions from the north in order to give the people of Skara Brae an ultimatum. Her words were met with bolts, both wood and magic, and the skirmish began. It appeared that the dark ones had broken their ranks and left formation, as their battle plans seemed to fall apart mid-war. The evil legion was driven off, but this seems it will be the first of many such skirmishes. Lady Death had fallen, but death is simply another state of being for vile souls such as hers. I have a feeling that she has more resources available to her than we currently are aware of... this enterage was probably just a small warning of what is to come.

9 May 99
It took some time, but I had tracked down Kudos in order to collect what he held of mine. He was originally keeping my belongings 'safe' for me, but I found out I had been taken. The scoundrel handed me a fistful of arrows and mumbled something about not being sure where the rest was. I had almost become angry at the realization that my possessions had been stolen and squandered by someone I had trusted, but soon realized that I never had use for them before, thus their absence now is trivial. It was the principle that irked me, but, actually, it was my fault for trusting a Brit.

7 May 99
I had run into Mr.T at the crossroads today. He was quite annoyed that he received not the bounty that was placed on my head. I, myself, was irked as well, for I felt the King should have more decency than to cheat the peoples of his land when other citizens have placed their hard-earned monies as reward.

All seemed much the same at the crossroads. Still the same echoes of 'Corp Por' and 'I ban thee!', with the latter being the most mystical and humorous of the two. Hemdar still seemed to spend half his time as a wandering spirit... SSra II still patrolled the area, waiting for unwary travellers to make the slightest error so that he may slay them with impunity. All the same amusing carnage of one Brit gutting another for the sake of a few gold coins and some reagents. Sickening, but entertaining.


4 May 99
A restless soul finds what she searches for in the silvan serenity of the Skara mainland. It is a healer.. one by the name of Wlby. Acting as if he sees her not, he continues to look about the forest for signs of those who need his aid.

"Wlby, deny me not this chance to save the forest! A wickedness beyond that which you can possibly comprehend does come this way! I have served my time in this sense-deprived abyss of nothingness, and I wish... nay... I DEMAND you help me return to the world!" The spirit spoke with conviction and an adamant tone.

Wlby turns, shakes his head, and mutters to himself about a young girl he once knew... a girl who was far beyond redemption.

"I beg of you, Wlby," the spirit cried out, "I have but only my soul, and I would trade even that to return! Look around you, old man! The few trees that are left- do you not see the withered leaves? Do you not hear the wimpers of the diseased animals as you wander beneath these clouded skies? Something even more vile than the Brits has seized the forest... and I fear this is but a mere sign of things to come! Bring me back, Wlby! I beg of you... BRING ME BACK!!"

"Have you been reading during your stay in the Netherworld, mine Zhelavar?", he asks with a twisted smile upon his face.

"Reading? Nary a book can I hold, let alone turn a page! Please, Wlby, the time is not for jesting. It is time to protect the Skara mainland... it is time to stand against that which taints our forest!"

"These words are being said for the sake of convincing whom, dear Zhelavar? Is it that you wish these words to convince my ears of your intent, or...", Wlby scowls at the banshee, "...or is it your own ears that you wish to deceive with such words?" He draws a circle upon the ground. "A ring's full circle bends its beginnings to its ends, sweet sinful spirit, so I shall make you this promise: I shall ressurect you, but I shall do so only because I know that one of two things will happen. If perchance your words are true, then I am confident you will do all in your power to further that end.... your obsessive nature dictates that. If your pleas are a ploy, and your words naught more than a wiley guise for some other motive, then we both know that you shall become a noose around your own neck, and you shall perish... again, because your nature dictates that." The healer raises his arms and looks the apparition dead on. "Welcome back, sweet Zhelavar."

Wlby, knowing full well what he may possibly be doing, ressurects the woman.

"Zhelavar, you have heard these words before, yet I shall say them again...", the healer says with a most sobering expression upon his face,

"Zhelavar, I shant tell you what you can and cannot do, but I ask one thing of you: remember the game. The day that you begin to enjoy the kill more than the hunt, is the day that you become like those nobles you despise. Hunt not those that do not run or fight. There is no victory in killing a cowering and motionless prey. Fight not those that do not hunt. A logger is oft not a hunter, and would make not for decent game."

Rain begins to fall upon the fields about them. Zhelavar runs her hands up along her arms, into her silver hair, and screams in ecstacy... the hunt begins again.


Click here to read the first set of Zhelavar's journals