SID

The Bryant had finally left the study to help Krinn "scrub her back" at El Sid's urging. Now, with the randy Weasel of Tendut off to capitalize on his Glamour Spell, the rest of the party formed a huddle in the study. Heads rose occasionally to look over shoulders for prying eyes (or, in Glorm's case, peer between legs.)

[...there was a muffled 'e-e-e-e-k! from the floor above. then a distant 'come to me, my little tulip of love,' followed by the sounds of pounding feet...]

"OK, guys, here's the recap: we have some really *old* codger who claims to be a retired Bryant Hold agent and somehow rates an expensive PreFall house of unknown Powers. Also, he seems fairly conversant with current events. He also apparently can live here without assistance in upkeep, which is odd. He also admits to putting a Glamour on Krinn the second we met. That's hostile. Might she have recognized him as 'something' unless he did so?"

[...the sounds springs squeaking penetrated the ceiling above. a 'no! no! no!'...then a 'yes !yes! YES!'...]

"Also, take a look at this decor! It look like anyone lives here? There is absolutely no personality in the furnishings whatsoever. The entire place is sterile and lifeless!"

"Maybe this place used to be a 'Holiday Inn'? piped in Delrin, usefully.

The Sid stopped and considered. "Nah. Those were always built near interstates or amusement parks."

[...'not so hard, my buttercup of bounty! not so HARD!...]

He continued. "We still don't know if Corbelis a Vampire or something. Putting a Glamour on Krinn, a bodacious babe, is kinda Vampiresque, don't you think?"

Thoughtful heads nodded around the circle.

"Fortunately, he seems enamored of Krinn. Now as I see it, we have two alternatives. We can try to leave as a group and be prepared to try to talk... negotiate... ahhhh, dammit, ahhhh... DO SOMETHING to this guy when he stops us. Or we can leave Krinn here as a token of our appreciation (here Sid patted the back pocket that contained his antiBradford notes) and sneak out while his attentions are 'occupied elsewhere'. Anyone have a problem with that?"

[...the sounds of running feet...'no! no! no!'...'come to me my stallion! come to me!'...'no! enough! enough!'...]

The group hemmed and hawed. Don shrugged. He knew when to keep his pants zipped. Glorm, realizing that he had never even seen the top of Krinn's head, said naked faced basketball players, even female ones, had never turned him on much. Fuji opined that Krinn had always been to much the 'Elven Princess' for his tastes. Only Delrin was uncertain, for he had always thought Krinn pretty and nice.

"Alright, then the only thing is to figure if we can take him in a fight. Glorm, your our best fighter, can you...? --GLORM! PAY ATTENTION HERE!"

Glorm had a silly grin on his face and kept falling asleep. Sid lifted an eyelid to see bloodshot eyeballs. Glorm happily hiccupped. "COOKIE! HOW *COULD* YOU!" and the party rounded on their Troll. Cookie (grinning hugely himself) simply lifted his hands. "Dorf can *Party*!"

The rest of the men groaned. *Now* what?

[...from above there came the tinkle of crystal, as from a chandelier...and distant cries of passion...]

"Well, I suppose *I* could take the BlackHeart from behind and... and... and... damn, not again. What the hell COULD I do with the BlackHeart? Can't remember. Well, that tears it then. We can either sneak out while Krinn is diverting this guy or wait until our Dwarf 'returns' to us and duke it out with him mano a vampire. I don't how much time we have," said Sid finishing as he glanced up at the ceiling. "What's the vote?"

Cookie took a long drink of whatever it was he was drinking, belched loudly, wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and said, "me like it here. You want to sit in rain and eat half-cooked Bambi, you go ahead."

The Sid sighed. "Oh well. I don't think we'd get Glorm moving again for a while anyway. What the hell?"

A while later, Corbel rejoined them smoking a cigarette and wearing a heavy woven silk bathrobe, slippers, and a broad grin.

El Sid decided to take advantage of the man's obvious good humor. "Master Hart, out of curiosity, might you be conversant with the local history of these parts? We happened across a ruin apparently from the Second Human-Orc war. There we encountered an odd boy who said the ruin was called Bethalen Station. He spoke of something called Morgart's BlackLife, or words to that effect. Then he ran. He didn't seem dangerous, but didn't seem to be in his right mind, either. We would have tried to help him, but he fled straight away. The Wolf of Tendut, I know somewhat. This BlackLife, however, is new to me..."

Corbels face had frozen at the mention of Morgart. He asked with a smile that did not reach his eyes and in a way that made the Sid suddenly feel uncomfortable "Morgart. Just what do you know about Morgart, my honorable guest without a name?"

The Sid responded carefully, "I have not had incentive to study him in depth previously. Morgart, The Black Wolf of Tendut. His reputed role in saving that city during the First War is, of course, widely circulated. By reputation, his was one of the keenest political intellects in Kethem history. Now my curiosity is piqued. I can see his name has significance for you, could you indulge me?"

"Keenest political intellects in Kethem? Ha!" answered Corbel. "Morgart was bright, yes, in the same way a weasel is smart about getting into the chicken coop." Corbel seemed to calm down, then continued. "Regardless, Morgart is not a name that is welcome in this house."

The Sid took a small leap. "It seems... well, a little odd for a name from so long ago to arouse such animosity. There is no reason to believe that Morgart is still... alive, is there?"

Corbel looked at him in surprise. "Morgart? No, of course not. He was killed almost two hundred years ago in Tawhiem."

The Sid frowned and gestured, "But how than can we account for this BlackLife? The boy said it/he was the Word, Will and Mind of Morgart. How could this be were Morgart two centuries dead?"

His host did not immediately reply, merely cocked his head and stroked his chin as he contemplated, digested this information. "I'm not sure, but I am most interested and disturbed by this. If you can give me more detail where you ran into this boy, I would be most interested in pursuing the answer to those questions myself."

The Sid did his own digestion, decided to change subject abruptly while he decided whether he wanted to pursue that line of conversation or not, and continued, "Lord Cornball, will you walk with me a minute?" and gestured to the main hall, out of earshot of the others.

"Certainly, El Spud" their host replied, leading the way.

"My Lord, may it please you, it is clear that you are a Senior Player in the Great Game of Kethem." He gestured, "You service to Bryant, this 'house', your presentment, that you have taken the measure of Morgart of Tendut himself, all make it clear that you are one such as I have journeyed to find."

Then, with a slight court bow, "Serra, I am Sidney Borgia, Gold Ring and Heir of House Borgia of Salta. My kinsman, Don Dom Perignon, and I are on a quest under peril of our lives and that of Borgia Hold. Almost seventeen years ago, House Borgia was falsely accused of high treason in the loss of the naval Battle of WhatchamaCallit. False evidence, cleverly planted by Bradford Hold led to the massacre of almost the entire family and the disgrace of our Hold. This was accomplished through the use of a fiendish PreFall device which has fallen into the clutches of the Bradfords. This device, at the cost of a vampiric sucking of human lives, affords the Bradfords an unstoppable scry with a range of tens of miles at the least. No shielding can stop it. No spell deflect it's powers. The Bradfords have been using this device to subtly gain advantage and manipulate events nigh on twenty years now. They intend to crush every Hold beneath them, starting with the smallest, until they devour the greatest. The freedom and security of ALL the Holds is now at stake, Bryant Hold not excepted.

"They have killed my Uncle, Victor Borgia, who attempted to oppose them, and have driven me from Salta, seeking my life because of my knowledge of this treacherous engine. They will stop at nothing short of total dominance of Kethem."

"I am sorely in need of advice, my Lord. My resources are meager. My companions loyal, but untested."

"Were it to me, I would destroy this device entirely. It is too powerful to reside in the sole hands of any Hold, or the KNI, or any of the Temples. *Any* would begin to abuse it's infernal abilities."

"I am sorely in need of advice and allies. What you can do, if anything, I know not, but I implore you to consider my plea. Can you provide me with what information you can? Do you have contacts that might assist me? Would Bryant Hold join Borgia in an attempt to end this villainy? Any and all information that can be put to use, however indirect, in overcoming the Bradfords I shall use to that cause."

"My life in your hands, sirrah. Will the Senior make common cause with the Junior? Will you help me? House Borgia would hold itself in your debt."

Corbel looked troubled, but bowed more formally. "My appologies, my Lord. I had no idea you were a gold ring. And your story... most interesting, most interesting indeed. As a silver ring, I cannot commit Bryant Hold to any course of action, although I can, of course, suggest one. Since Bryant Hold isn't in Arketh Providence, I'm not sure my Lord Gustaven will be that interested, since he has his own fish to fry... Nereta Hold, our current Great-Hold, had made some political blunders recently, and my Lord Gustaven sees an opportunity to promote Bryant interests, perhaps even become the Great Hold in the next election."

"Political blunders?" asked El Sid. Anything with political connotations HAD to be ominous in Dave's World.

"Nothing ominous. They invested heavily in financing the Kom Offensive against the trolls, which as you know was quite a disaster." The Sid nodded. "Nothing irritates the Major Holds and the Holds they represent more than losing money. That having been said, a Major Hold with a piece of dirt on not just a Great Hold, but on the representative for Arketh providence to the High Council... well, that has its own value. I will pass it on, an while it may not unseat the Bradfords, it will at least inconvenience them considerably."