Chapter #232

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                                +
                              +   +
                            +       +
                          +           +
                        +               +
                      +                   +
                    +                       +
                  +      THE ADVENTURERS      +
                    +                       +
                      +      Epic II      +
                        +               +
                          +           +
                            +       +
                              +   +
                                +

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+    Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells,    +
+  and other terms used in these stories are the property of  +
+  TSR, Inc.  However, this does not mean that TSR in any     +
+  way endorses or authorizes their use, and any such items   +
+  contained within these stories should not be considered    +
+  representative of TSR in any way, shape, or form.          +
+    Due to the nature of the Internet, these stories have    +
+  been widely available since 1991.  I have given them to    +
+  the world freely, and have never intended to market them   +
+  or in any way make money.  However, due to TSR, Inc.'s     +
+  copyright restrictions, old episodes of the Adventurers    +
+  are no longer being archived on any ftp site anywhere.     +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+    The player characters contained in these writings are    +
+  copyright 1995 by Thomas Miller.  Any resemblance to any   +
+  persons or characters either real or fictional is utterly  +
+  coincidental.  Copying and/or distribution of these tales  +
+  is permissible only under the sole condition that no part  +
+  of them will be used or sold for profit.  In that case, I  +
+  hope you enjoy them...                                     +
+                                                             +
+                            Thomas Miller                    +
+                            tmiller@cimmeria.oit.gatech.edu  +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+   THE PARTY (or more accurately, a fragment of it):         +
+                                                             +
+   Arnold       12th level human warrior                (NG) +
+   Ged          14th/14th level grey elf priest/mage    (NG) +
+      Nenya     8th/9th level female elven warrior/mage (NG) +
+   Mongo        17th level dwarven warrior              (CG) +
+      Gorin      8th level dwarven warrior              (CG) +
+   Bosco        10th level halfling thief               (CN) +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+   Date:    7/18/574 C.Y. (Common Year)                      +
+   Time:    late morning                                     +
+   Place:   a dungeon beneath the floor of the Suss Forest   +
+   Climate: mild                                             +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+   "If you say you're going to do it, and you go out and     +
+    do it, it ain't braggin'."                               +
+                                              - Dizzy Dean   +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++





        CCXXXII.  Trials, Tribulations...and Treasure





  After entering an undiscovered section of dungeon that
the miners broke into, the adventurers have found a quartet
of unusual trolls...

Ged:  Immune to fire!  How can it be?!?  Boccob!  (he looks
  uselessly at his fire wand, which he was poised to use
  next)
Nenya:  Hmm.  (begins spellcasting)  Don't charge them -
  we need to cast spells here.
Arnold:  Aaa.  (he moves between the trolls and Ged/Nenya)
  Sdill, we can't let them get you.
Bosco:  (watching the fires roll off the trolls' skin)
  Whoa.  (he makes himself scarce)
Mongo:  That little shit'd better end up fighting...(he
  hurls his hammer at a troll...but misses)  HEY!
Arnold:  Aaa.
Mongo:  (catches his hammer, still wondering how he missed
  his target)  Damn!
Gorin:  (moves to Arnold's side, as the trolls bear down
  on the party)  Damn, those guys are big...
Arnold:  Yah.
Nenya:  (still spellcasting)  The trolls are getting too
  close!  I can't blast them with my spell if they're near
  us...!
Gorin:  (muttering)  But she didn't want us to charge them...
  what the hell _does_ she-
Arnold:  I vill sdop them.  (begins to charge the nearest
  troll)
Mongo:  No, let me!  (he throws his hammer at the troll,
  smashing it in the chest)  Yeah!
fire troll #1:  (despite its size and bulk, it staggers)
  Rargh!
Nenya:  Excellent...you bought me just enough time.  (she
  launches a cone of ice and frost at the trolls, who are
  all in the same basic area)  Banzai!

  As the sleet and frost exploded around them, the trolls
reeled, two of them falling to the dungeon floor.  It was
apparent, even to Arnold, that the monsters were rather
susceptible to the blast of cold.

Gorin:  Banzai?
Nenya:  (to Ged)  They were perfectly aligned targets.
Ged:  They may be bigger than normal trolls, but they're
  still just as stupid.  (he prepares a new spell)
Gorin:  (watching the trolls stagger toward the party)
  Hey...
Mongo:  They're not finished - hell, they're too close for
  comfort!  (he rushes forth and bashes one of the foes
  in the kneecap)  Hah!
fire troll #2:  (topples)  Graaargh!
Mongo:  Chew on THAT, you-
fire troll #2:  (sweeps at the dwarf with an oversized arm,
  bowling him over)  Graaaargh!
Mongo:  (drops his hammer and hits the floor, hard)  Ugh!
fire troll #3:  (moves in on Mongo from one flank)  Yrgggh.

  However, the huge monster had not considered the power of
Arnold; the warrior charged in from the side, swinging his
brightly-glowing sword in a sidewise motion.  The troll, who
was hunched over somewhat in order to claw at Mongo, was a
perfect target.

fire troll #3:  (howls in pain as its right arm, shoulder,
  and a portion of its head are sheared off)  Bleaaargh!
Arnold:  (counters with a howl of his own)  Ah-nold!
fire troll #3:  (its severed part falls to the ground,
  leaving the headless, one-armed torso swaying unsteadily)
Gorin:  Oh, this is too sweet to pass up...(he charges, and
  dives into the foe's feet, toppling it easily)  Hah!
fire troll #3's headless torso:  (falls to the floor and
  scratches at the rock)
fire troll #3's severed head, shoulder, and arm:  (lying on
  the floor nearby, twitching)  glk...
Gorin:  (quickly on his feet, he looks around)  Where'd the
  other ones get to?
fire troll #1:  (having gotten by the warriors during the
  initial engagement, it now stalks Ged and Nenya)  Argh!
fire troll #4:  (likewise)  Rargh!
Nenya:  (backing up)  Perhaps a wall of-
Ged:  Observe...Boccob's power!  (he finishes his spell, and
  a huge, magical energy-sword appears)
fire troll #1:  Graaar?
Ged:  (guides the sword into the troll's chest)  Yea!
fire troll #1:  (staggers, black blood spraying from its
  sliced belly)  Glurgh...!
Nenya:  The sword, then!  (she whips out her shortsword and
  charges the other troll)  Yai!
fire troll #4:  (not expecting this assault, it is a moment
  too slow in reacting)  Graa-
Nenya:  (slashes the foe in the knee, almost severing the limb
  with the blow)  Ah, foul one, my sword bites deep!
fire troll #4:  Graaargh!  (falls to one knee, while clutching
  the other, wounded knee)

  Meanwhile, Mongo, unable to retrieve his weapon before his
troll's attack, appeared to be in trouble...

fire troll #2:  (grabs the dwarf in its huge, clawed hands)
  Yaaargh!  (it tries to rip the small foe in half)
Mongo:  Urgh!  (he grabs one of the troll's wrists with both
  hands)  No...
fire troll #2:  (confused, as its arm is slowly forced back)
  Rngh?
Mongo:  ...fucking...
fire troll #2:  (struggling now)  Grrr!
Mongo:  ...WAY!  (he forces the foe's arm back even further,
  and the sound of snapping bones is heard)
fire troll #2:  AAARGH!  (it cradles its broken arm to its
  side, while holding the dwarf in the other)
Mongo:  (still dangling above the ground)  Lemme go!!!  (he
  swings a mailed fist into the troll's face, connecting with
  a satisfying "crunch")  Eat knuckles, fucker!
fire troll #2:  Graaargh!  (it drops Mongo as blood fountains
  from its ruined nose and mouth)
Mongo:  (dashes between the troll's legs, diving for his hammer)
Arnold:  (slashes at his foe again, ripping through muscle and
  bone with his huge sword)  Yah!
fire troll #3:  (the headless torso, it staggers, then falls)
Arnold:  Ah-nold strikes!  (he kicks the twitching chunk of
  carcass away)  Yah!

  Nearby, Nenya approached her foe, which was still on its
knees, wounded and perhaps stunned.

Nenya:  Die!  (she swings her sword, and the troll's head
  parts from its shoulders, neatly)  Shah!
fire troll #4:  (its head rolls away, while its body just
  stands in place, spurting blood at the ceiling)
Gorin:  (busy helping Mongo gang up on his troll, he notices
  the head roll by him)  _Two_ headless trolls?!?  This is too
  much...
Nenya:  Ah!  This dungeoneering business isn't so difficult
  after all!

  Just then, the rain of fountaining troll blood fell,
splattering everything within ten feet, including the elf.

Nenya:  (now drenched with foul gore)  Ugh!  Ptui!
Ged:  (driving his own foe back with the magical force-blade)
  Never gloat amidst combat-  (he causes his sword to stab
  the troll in the shoulder)  -unless you've just cast a
  fireball, or something like that.  Then it's okay to gloat
  a bit.
Nenya:  (wiping at her face in disgust)
fire troll #1:  (wounded from Ged's spell-sword, it rears up,
  determined to charge forth, sword or no sword)  Reaargh!
Bosco:  (appears behind the big monster, and slices its ankle
  viciously)  Hey, better watch your feet!
Ged:  Bosco?!?
Bosco:  Yes!  Yes, I am!
fire troll #1:  (suddenly burdened with an ankle that can't
  support its tremendous weight, it falls)  Aaargh!
Bosco:  (dodges nimbly aside)  Whoa!

  The trolls were muchly routed at this point; Arnold's was
slain, and Mongo, hammer in hand, was pounding his foe into
the stone floor.  Ged and Bosco had effectively crippled and
stunned their troll, and Nenya's was decapitated.

Bosco:  Gee, there sure are a lot of severed heads and other
  parts around here!
Nenya:  (brandishing her shortsword as she approaches the
  fallen troll #1)  That does tend to happen with specially
  enchanted swords...
Bosco:  Wow.  (he wanders by, casually stabbing troll #1
  in the throat, despite its flailing claws)
Gorin:  (now standing between Mongo's foe and Bosco's, unsure
  which to attack, he admires the halfling's deft swordplay and
  daring maneuvers)  Damn, he's quick.

  Shortly, the savage fire-loving trolls were dispatched, and
the adventurers regained their breath, warily.

Ged:  It's not over.  They'll probably regenerate, you know.
Bosco:  Well, we can't use fire to kill 'em for good.
Mongo:  (wiping black blood from his hammer's head)  Nope.
Arnold:  Naaaa.
Nenya:  Hmm.  Ice?  Cold?
Ged:  (rummages through his pack)  I think...yes!  Boccob!
  (he produces a decanter)
Gorin:  Eh?  This is no time for a drink.
Ged:  No...not a drink.  (he points the container's mouth at
  one of the trolls' bodies, and removes the stopper, chanting
  arcane magical syllables)  A flood...

  The item sent forth a gout of clear, cold water, dousing the
remains of the foul monster.

Bosco:  Hoyl cow!  Look!
Mongo:  Shit...

  Amazingly, the troll's body was melting!  Flesh, muscle, and
even bone were consumed, not unlike they should have been if
placed within a blazing bonfire.  Within scant seconds, nothing
remained of the grayish-red corpse.

Arnold:  Melded troll bodies.
Gorin:  Neat, isn't it.
Arnold:  (not quite sure)
Nenya:  (to Ged)  An insightful choice.
Ged:  Well, it made sense.  (he turns the decanter upon another
  troll corpse)  Water and fire are, after all, elementally
  opposed.
Arnold:  Aaa.  Of course.
Nenya:  (to Ged)  Say, could you douse me with that when you
  finish with the bodies?  I'm sort of...bloodied.
Ged:  Sure.  Just be thankful that the blood isn't your own.
Mongo:  (nursing numerous bruises)  Ugh...I need a rest.
Bosco:  No time for rest, lazybones!  (he scampers about
  merrily)  There's great treasure to be found!
Mongo:  (considers punting the tiny thief across the room)
  Go away.
Bosco:  (turns to Gorin)  Come on, let's go find the loot!
Gorin:  Well, I suppose _somebody_ has to escort you...(they
  head toward the northwestern exit)
Mongo:  (still resting, along with Arnold)  Bah.
Nenya:  (freshly drenched, she wrings water from her outer
  garments)
Arnold:  (out of the corner of his eye, he observes the way
  the elven maiden's wet clothes cling to her body, as wet
  clothes are wont to do)  Aaa.
Ged:  (looking from one group to the other)  Err...
Mongo:  Fuck it.  Let's go with Bosco before he gets into
  real trouble.
Arnold:  Yah.  I'll be o-kay.
Mongo:  Glad to hear it.
Ged:  To the exit, then.

  They followed the initial scouting team of Bosco and Gorin,
and found a small complex of rooms beyond the exit...


        _______          ___              ___
       |__     |_       |   \____    ____/   |
      ____|  u   |      |__      \__/      __|
     |__     ___  \       _|              |_
        \_  |    \  \____|                  |__
          | |      \_____                    __ x
          | |____        |        t         |
           \     \       |                  |
    N      |  v   |      |                  |
   W+E      \____/       |_                _|
    S                      |_            _|
       ______________________|____  ____|_____
      |    b  __________\  \  a            #  |
      |      |    | c  ||  |__________________|
      |______|    |____||  |
                        |  |

KEY TO ROOMS:
    a   entry room (# = broken ceiling)
    b   corpse room
    c   secret room
    t   huge hall w/trolls
    u   room w/troll lair
    v   empty room
    x   (still unexplored)



  First, they discovered what appeared to be the trolls' nest.
The filthy place consisted of rotten brush, bits of furniture,
pillows, and the like.  Bosco nosed around in this mess, but
only briefly, for the passage to the south of the lair seemed
to have caught his attention.  This corridor led into a smaller,
somewhat rounded chamber, which was empty.

Bosco:  (eyeing the floor)
Gorin:  What?  Do you see a secret hatch?
Bosco:  Shh...(he wanders around the room, constantly changing
  directions)
Ged:  (enters, and observes the halfing's strange antics)
  Let me guess...dance lessons?
Mongo:  Hah.  He needs 'em.
Arnold:  Aaa?

  Bosco had stopped, and was pointing at a section of floor
as he jumped up and down excitedly.

Bosco:  There!
Mongo:  What is it?  (he examines the floor)
Bosco:  Can you smash through that?
Mongo:  Probably...but why?  It's finished, worked stone.
  Probably six inches thick, and a thousand years old.
Bosco:  Yeah, yeah.  But can you break it open?
Mongo:  (senses a method to the halfling's madness)  Sure, if
  that's what you want...

  The dwarf raised his hammer, and then brought it down upon
the stone floor, sending shards flying everywhere.

Mongo:  (casually pries a sliver of stone from his forearm)
  Better get back, people.

  They did, and the dwarf resumed his demolishing work.  It
only took half a dozen blows before he noticed something...

Mongo:  Hey, the floor's sounding hollow now!  (he hits the
  stone again, and a large crack appears)  We've hit a space
  or cavity of some kind!
Bosco:  No, not a space...a chest!

  Indeed, the collapsing stone fragments revealed the top of
a metallic chest, a well-preserved one from the looks of it.
Despite the dust and rubble now scattered atop the thing,
the unmistakable glow of gold was visible.

Mongo:  Well, I'll be damned!
Bosco:  Yup.  (he begins picking chunks of rock from the top of
  the chest)  Solid gold, I'd guess.
Ged:  Boccob!  (to Bosco)  How did you know?
Bosco:  (unable to remember if he ever told the party about his
  ring of x-ray vision, he abruptly decides not to give away
  any information)  Special thief training.  (he winks)
Ged:  Oh.  Well, we all have to have our little secrets...
Nenya:  (having already caught on, as she suspects Ged has)
  Truly.

  They wasted no time clearing the rubble away, and were soon
faced with an interesting dilemma:  the chest, heavy as it was,
couldn't be lifted from its hole in the floor.  Even Mongo's
strength was useless without the leverage to apply it.

Mongo:  Damn.
Bosco:  (to Ged)  Can't you just use magic to lift the chest?
  'Cause if you could, I'd sure like to get inside it.
Ged:  No...I have no levitation spells.
Nenya:  I do, though.  (she begins spellcasting)
Ged:  Hmph.
Bosco:  Cool!
Arnold:  (looking at the chest)  Aaa.
Gorin:  Wonder what's inside?
Nenya:  (completes her spell, and then gets a strained look on
  her face)  Odd...the chest won't lift.
Ged:  Maybe it's anchored somehow.
Bosco:  Darn it!
Nenya:  It's...no use.  I cannot move it.
Mongo:  Well, shit.  There's only one way left - we'll have to
  get the miners in here.
Bosco:  But...my treasure!  We must open it, now!
Mongo:  We can...but they need to dig around it...get ropes
  and levers in place.  Once it's out, we can check for traps,
  then ransack.
Ged:  Hmm.  Think of the mighty magicks that might be contained
  within.
Nenya:  Yes...
Arnold:  Shall I go up and fedtch the miners?
Ged:  Yes, good Arnold.  Bring the dwarves.
Gorin:  (looking around)  We could move on, explore that other
  side passage from the main room.
Ged:  While the miners work on this...yea.
Mongo:  Sounds like a plan.

  They took a break for lunch, and the miners got to work on
the chest.  This was to be a long and arduous task, though,
and the adventurers were ready to explore further before the
miners had even cleared a third of the rock from around the
golden chest.  They began to eye the northeastern exit from
the large chamber.

Mongo:  Shall we?
Ged:  Let's.

  Venturing into this area, they were disappointed, for they
quickly found it to be a dead end, consisting of a single
nearly-square room.  The chamber was lined with pillars, but
was otherwise empty.


        _______          ___              ___
       |__     |_       |   \____    ____/   |
      ____|  u   |      |__      \__/      __|
     |__     ___  \       _|              |_        _____
        \_  |    \  \____|                  |______|     \
          | |      \_____                    ______   x   |
          | |____        |        t         |      |      |
           \     \       |                  |       \_____|
    N      |  v   |      |                  |
   W+E      \____/       |_                _|
    S                      |_            _|
       ______________________|____  ____|_____
      |    b  __________\  \  a            #  |
      |      |    | c  ||  |__________________|
      |______|    |____||  |
                        |  |

KEY TO ROOMS:
    a   entry room (# = broken ceiling)
    b   corpse room
    c   secret room
    t   huge hall w/trolls
    u   room w/troll lair
    v   empty room
    x   second empty room...



  However, this room was most certainly _not_ empty, as the
adventurers soon learned...

Bosco:  (out of the corner of his eye, he notices one of the
  pillars detach itself from the wall and assume a humanoid
  shape)  Uh...look out!
Mongo:  (whirls about - just in time to get smashed over the
  helm with one of the new foe's fists, spraying a white
  powder everywhere)  Eyagh!  (he reels about)

  The pillar-turned-statue was about ten feet in height, and
appeared to be fashioned of a grainy, whitish substance.  The
thing moved awfully quickly for a statue...

statue:  (bashes Arnold, sending him flying backward, bleeding)
Arnold:  (in extreme pain, and partially covered with whitish
  powder)  Aaa!
Ged:  (guiding his Mordenkainen's Sword toward the foe)  What
  the hell is that thing?
Nenya:  (spellcasting)  Beats me.
Ged:  (slams the magical sword into the whitish statue)  For
  Boccob!
statue:  (staggers slightly, then veers toward the elf)
Ged:  Uh-oh.
Gorin:  (charges the statue)
Bosco:  (grabs a pinch of the white powder off of the floor,
  and sniffs it)  Huh?
Gorin:  (axe whirling, he chops at the statue)  Yah!
statue:  (chipped a bit)
Gorin:  Damn...it's like the thing's got armor on.
Arnold:  (stands, shakily)  Pain.
Gorin:  What?
Arnold:  The wounbs from the stadtue...they hurt.  And that
  makes me mad...(he leaps forth, slashing wildly)
statue:  (nicked in several places, it recoils, driven back
  a bit)
Gorin:  Yeah!
Nenya:  (finishes her spell, and sends a magical arrow toward
  the statue)

  The arrow hit the thing, and turned into a greenish jelly
upon doing so.

Ged:  Acid...
Nenya:  Melf's Acid Arrow, to be exact.
statue:  (emitting strange vapors as the acid eats at its body)
Arnold:  (with Gorin, he awaits the foe's next move)  Aaa.
Mongo:  (to one side, rubbing his eyes)  Can't see...stings
  like hell...
Ged:  Eh?
Bosco:  (to no one in particular)  Salt!
Nenya:  What's that?
Bosco:  I said, salt!  The thing's made out of salt!
Gorin:  Huh?!?
Arnold:  Aaa.  Thad's why my wounbs hurt so much.
Nenya:  And that explains Mongo's blindness.
Bosco:  See?  I told ya, it's made out of salt!
Ged:  Oh, it is, is it?  (he begins rummaging through his pack)
  Hold the thing off, for a moment!
Gorin:  Gotcha.  (he and Arnold move in)
statue:  (bashes each warrior with an arm, decking both)
Arnold:  (getting to his feet, slowly)  Ow.
Gorin:  (staggering around, on his knees)  URgh.
Bosco:  I'll take care of it!  (he floats into the air, his
  sword brandished boldly)  Hah!
statue:  (swats at the halfling, who dodges the attacks)
Ged:  (holds his decanter of endless water)  Time for a bath.
  (he speaks a command word, and the vessel fires a powerful
  geyser of water at the statue)

  It worked - the thing was driven back, slowly but surely.
Amazingly enough, its body had begun to dissolve under the
jet of clear water, and Ged stepped in closer, keeping the foe
under the aquatic barrage.  The others retreated, but after a
minute or so, there was no need - the statue of salt was gone.

Ged:  (shuts the decanter's flow off)  Salt...a salt golem?
Nenya:  Yes, I believe so.
Ged:  Me too.
Mongo:  Hey, could you give me some clean water, for my eyes?
Ged:  Sure.  (he allows a trickle to issue forth from the item)
Mongo:  Ah...much better.
Arnold:  The powder-man is gone.
Gorin:  Yep.
Bosco:  (searching for treasure)  Nothing here...no secret doors
  or chests...nothing.  (he begins thinking of the large golden
  chest in the other room)  Ahh...
Gorin:  What's this?  (he steps on, then picks up a small, white,
  grainy lump from the mess on the floor)  Hmm.
Bosco:  Lemme see.  (using a tiny knife, he carefully picks
  hardened white powder from the thing)  What the...oh.  Oh.
Mongo:  What'd you find?
Bosco:  Well, Gorin found it.  (he holds the item up for all to
  see)

  Appearing huge in the halfling's tiny hands, a large, clear
diamond sparkled and glistened through the patches Bosco had
cleaned away.

Ged:  A fine jewel, that.
Bosco:  No kidding.  This'd be worth five, no, ten thousand coins
  of gold.  At least.  (he picks away bits of crusted salt)  At
  least.
Mongo:  Good.
Ged:  (notices his Mordenkainen's sword flicker, then die out)
  Hmm.  (he thinks about ways to make the thing last longer)



  They returned to the miners and their excavation project, but
the chest still wasn't out of the floor.  This left the party
with some extra time to ponder things.

Ged:  Hmm.  (he rests on a small boulder, his brow knit)
Nenya:  What troubles you, teacher?
Ged:  I was just thinking...these trolls can't have lived for
  all this time down here, cut off from everything else.  Some
  other passage - an exit, maybe - must exist.  Somewhere.
Mongo:  You know, you're right.
Ged:  Of course.
Bosco:  All we have to do is find it.  (he begins scanning the
  nearby walls)





next time :  an old friend revisited

notes     :  Here's something I did awhile back, but forgot to
  include in an episode.  Until now, anyways.



TIMELINE FOR THE ADVENTURERS EPISODES:

Common Year  Event
-----------  --------------------------------------------------------
      396    Alindyar born in drow city of Dril'ithzan'abaar
      452    Belphanior abandoned in Badwall at the age of 2
      462    Ged born in Celene
      467    Alindyar flees Dril'ithzan'abaar, begins a 90+
                 year journey through the Underdark
      475    Lyra born in drow city of Rilauven
      501    Mongo born in the Flinty Hills
      505    Belphanior begins his apprenticeship under Nerkon
      510    Belphanior kills Nerkon, leaves Badwall
      519    with some relatives, Ged sets sail for the Spindrift
                 Isles, to visit other relatives there
      522    Ged decides to stay at the isles for a lot longer
                 than originally planned; his other relatives return
                 to Celene without him
      527    Peyote born in the Vesve forest
      530    Mongo's grandfather slain in battle with humanoids;
                 young Mongo begins his fighting days
      531    Flint Firelips born in Lortmil Mountains
      534    Otto born in ?
      540    wars end; Mongo settles back down to peaceful life
      543    Halbarad born in Jharek, in northern Furyondy
      545    Peyote's rebellious ways begin, much to the chagrin
                 of his parents
      548    Peyote falls in with the Traveling Ones, and begins
                 worshipping Obad-Hai; he soon leaves the Vesve to
                 wander with the outcasts (this ends up lasting for
                 twenty years!)
      549    Arnold born in tiny village in the lands of the Frost
                 Barbarians
             Rillen born in ?
      550    Rob born in Keoland
      551    orcish attack wipes out the town of Jharek; young
                 Halbarad survives and makes his way to a nearby
                 city, where he is adopted and begins training
      553    Bosco born in ?
      557    at the age of seven, Rob begins his clerical training
      560    Alindyar arrives in Barr'Bazithan, where he will
                 remain for the next 9 years
      564    Mongo leaves the Flinty Hills along with some other
                 dwarves, seeking adventure; he will spend the next
                 six years wandering the land
 1/  /566    Belphanior returns to the Wild Coast, specifically
                 to Fax, and begins setting up his operation there
 4/  /566    Ged first experiences the wonders of Boccob, and
                 quickly becomes a priest
      567    Halbarad's mentor dies of old age, and the ranger
                 packs up and leaves for parts unknown, where he
                 will eventually meet Peyote
      568    Ged leaves the Spindrift Isles to see the world
12/  /568    Peyote leaves the outcasts, somewhere in the Wild
                 Coast area; he is next seen in Fax, with Halbarad
 9/  /569    Rob completes his clerical training and is sent to
                 Nyrond by the elders; however, he loses his way
10/ 3/569    Mongo arrives in Fax, and lingers, relaxing
10/19/569    Alindyar leaves Barr'Bazithan for the surface world
10/21/569    Alindyar arrives on the surface world
10/25/569    Halbarad and Peyote arrive in Fax
10/27/569    Alindyar manages to join some bandits, and rides
                 with them into Fax
10/28/569    totally lost, Rob wanders into Fax
11/ 1/569    Belphanior decides that he wants to join a party
                 of like-minded adventurers, and begins keeping an
                 eye open for an opportunity
11/ 2/569    Ged arrives in Fax
11/ 3/569    Peldor wakes up in a field outside of Fax
11/ 4/569    PARTY FORMED in Fax                             001
 5/ 1/570    party finishes off Slavers                      038
10/16/570    Rillen joins the party                          050
12/18/570    Lyra encountered/captured by land group         062
12/25/570    Bosco tries to pick Peldor's pockets            067
 3/25/571    Arnold is introduced as the party regroups      069
 7/17/571    Flint Firelips found in Underdark               086
 9/20/571    individual quests begin                         101
 6/ 3/572    climax of Zagyg dungeon                         125
 6/ 6/572?   Flint Firelips dies on Oerth-2                  143
12/ 6/572    party returns from Oerth-2                      144
 3/17/573    Gorin saves Mongo's life                        148
 6/10/573    pact for solo quests is made                    149
10/25/573    party rescues Alindyar from drow city           175
 1/18/574    party explores the City of the Gods             199
 6/20/574    party returns from Earth                        212
 7/11/574    Belphanior and Rillen meet Otto                 217
 7/17/574    Ged and Mongo return to the Lost City           226
 9/20/574    Rillen fights in Lao Khan's tournament          225
     /575    Lyra's 100th birthday                           ???

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