All the earth I have

[X-DM Jon]

There had been times before when he'd have worried about his current state, times when his breath would have been ragged with worry as the feeling of lifeblood seeping out beneath the strangely cool and seriously solid robe he was wearing, times when he would have thought that death was closer than ever and the Gods alone could help – if they would.
 But there was none of that today. He couldn't even remember how he'd gotten here, surrounded by a deeper darkness than anything he'd experienced before... No... Not experienced... That wasn't the right word. Remembering and experiencing belonged to something in the past. In this present he had neither, only feeling was left – and his feelings somehow knew, instinctively, when they'd been used before. Like fear... Was he afraid?
 No... More like waking up and not knowing who, where or what you are... A slate wiped clean, but you know something was once written there, you can see the markings. Like the harvested field of grain, now plowed to make room for next season.

 Have I been plowed? But this is all the earth I have...

 So dark... Cold... And no place to move. Ah, no, that wasn't entirely right. He could move... Somehow. Like flowing in water. Only this wasn't water. It was something else... Dark, solid, permanent. Inside the earth maybe? No... The smell wasn't right. Earth had a certain mix of smells to it. This was a dry, remote smell. Gray... Stone! He was inside stone! How in Haelyn's holy name had he gotten there? An unbidden thought came to his mind that he'd just used some name that he felt intrinsically connected to, but didn't have the slightest idea who was.

 Where am I? Why am I bleeding?

“Cough! Cough!”

Coughing inside stone is a wholly otherworldly experience. There's no noise and all the spittle and blood just flows down your chin as it gurgles up into your mouth with nowhere to go.

Must have broken a rib. Perhaps if I move, just slightly like this.

No, that certainly wasn't a good idea!!!!

Another thing about solid stone is you can cry out in mind-numbing pain all you want, no sound can exist in there. What is out there won't know that you're in here.

I'm hiding from what is out there!?

Blessed darkness yet again.

[X-DM Jon]

And then there was light.

 Gielbert Aurlien awoke on icy stone, a terrible gash in his seemingly silken robe, looking almost buckled in, like something hit it with enourmous force. A glammered armor, seemingly flowing robes, but in reality cold steel.

 It saved me... Oh Haelyn! Is it complete insanity I have wandered into! I went against him...

 But memory still wavered like some ocean lulling away the sands of his brain. Something terrible had occured and now he was here, lying up against a solid stone wall, in a corridor, looking in at the burnt remains of some grand library. A great bookshelf thrown like it was a mere toy, books scattered all about. Acrid smoke and the smell of still burning books hanging in the air.

 Stone all around him... Like submerged beneath the earth. He touched the wall gently.

 Was I inside that!? Merged with the stone...

As the world slowly dawned upon him and memories came flooding in, so did the pain. His glamered armour had saved him from death, but it had not prevented his ribcage from nearly collapsing under the thunder that had hit him.
 Blood collapsed out of his mouth like some great rainy mist. Lungs struggling to work against broken ribs poking at them.

Blessed darkness again.

[X-DM Jon]

There is something profound in awakening... Almost as if you return from some great plain of complete stilness, sheltered darkness. No pain, no pounding of the blood in your ears, no regrets. And when you wake... You're in a perfect state of peace, for just a little while. Then it all comes flooding back in.
All what I did wrong, all that had suffered for my sins, the endless errors I committed, the wrong paths, the misunderstandings, the betrayals... The betrayals!

 From somewhere far off, voices began creeping into his usual reverie, the endless debate stopped. Someone... Someone was there!

Iis be is a nazty many longzhanks... Make fire... Great Lord make rage noise! Kiiiill! Kiiiill! Kiiiill! Then go, him chase, long time gone. Look for nazties... This one, left there.
 You think we eat him?

Hunger... A spasm ran through his stomach. At least that was not torn through and ruptured, like the lung he was fiercely trying not to breathe trough. The more he tried not to make a sound, the more wheezing the air became and the greater the pain wracked through his upper body.

Another voice spoke, high pitched and nasal, almost whistling through sharp teeth.

Izzes a nazty I ses. Great Lord be gone away long long, grieat angry! Findzes the nazties he will. No worry over thiz one. We eat him!

Again the blessed silence entered Gielbert's head as death took another long good look at him.

Eyeless sockets staring down at him, offering the frozen orbs that Gielbert tried to, but couldn't find, at the bottom of the icy cold Star Lake.

Azrai took you brother... And you were betrayed... Just like me... But I tried to save you!

A grinning skull placed a finger upon his eternal grin.

Ssshhh...

I sayz we waitz. Great Lord come back... Then we give him nazty... Great Lord give good nice things to eat! Great Lord eatz nazty! We eats nice bull-ratties!

Not yet brother! I won't go to join you yet! It's too cold... Too cold... And your eyes wasn't there... I looked, but I couldn't...

The Warlock came to look at the dying man. Cold fire, so remorseless, staring down at him. The sneer of his lips stretching from horizon to horizon. Beginning and ending in empty eyesockets.

I iz hungry! We eatz now! I no eatz self-dead nazty! It makez ztomach bad nazty zmell. Eat dead bison-rat kill Gribol! We eatz him now! He be still alive, you see it in roll roll eyes, sweaty nazty, but soon, death come DIE DIE! Then we be hungry and Great Lord be go "DIE DIE Stoopid Raldik!! You let nazty die! Bleed on nice floor!"

A young man, bright of eye and determined of mouth, stepped into Gielbert's vision. In his heart was a door, a portal. With a prayer to Haelyn the door was opened, determination set and all pain flew into the world. The young man screamed and screamed and screamed, tearing his eyes out. Over and over again.

 And always the sardonic sneer of the Warlock. A reminder...

Forgive me brother! I should have saved you! I betrayed you to one who was worse! You only ever wanted to heal all pain, but was Lost in it... I should have... I don't know what I should have... I should have believed more...


To our two goblins the man isn't much to look at, lying in a pool of his own blood, moaning and sighing, gibbering with long lost memories. Passing back and forth between the veil. Their was an easy choice... Eat or be eaten. Always it has been so for goblins. Eat or be eaten. One looked to the other, their complicated musings over whether to have dinner or no, near an end.

I no wantz Great Lord to zteps on Gorl. Is bad... And if Great Lord come back, think nazty be here, but be dead and we iz gone. No blame Raldik and Gorl... No knowzes Raldik and Gorl be here...

 One looked hopefully at the other.

"Great Lord knowzes all..."

They both looked dejectedly down at the dying man. What to do... What to do?

[X-DM Jon]

Raldik and Gorl were devout servants of their master, not so much because it was the right thing to do, as because it was the really clever thing to do. Their master knew things they couldn't dream of, always leaving them guessing as to whether things they did were known in advance or not...

 Besides, they knew free thinking could lead quickly to a serious case of death. The lord did not like surprises.

I is thinking... Is a surprise this Longshanks be alive still? Great Lord go stomp stomp on our heads when he finds nazti alive?

They were dragging the limp, delirious man along darkened underground corridors, leaving his head to bump against any old rock outcropping in the floor.

You no think! You drag more! Drag good! Then we is getting nazti up on longshanks, tie to table, find bonecutter, have her look good long at nazti. Nazti not our problem any longer! Bonecutter eats him, we is no in trouble!

One goblin looked at the other, thought digging a hole in his little brown furry head.

But if Bonecutter eatz nazti, then Great Lord says WHERE NAZTI!? Bonecutter says "Gorl and Raldik eats him, yum yum". We is good as verschwunden...

The other looked dejectedly at the one.

We no leaves him... We bees guards for nazti, keeps longshanks alive...


"Burn! Yes! Anuire will burn! I tried to warn them! Marie you demon loving bitch! It's your fault! Burn... Burn... Burn..."


The goblins both looked at the suddenly raving man.

All longshanks is be born with great lump in head... They is craziii! Great Lord say they soon be gone die die, serve him all, bow nice, or heads off chop chop... Then goblins be masters!

The other goblin snarled at the delirious man.

I still thinks we eats him... Great Lord no be want crazi nazti. He be no missed by nobody! EAT HIM!

The one nodded.

Yes... EATS HIM WE WILL!

They let the man drop to the floor, rounding on him. A hungry gleam in their eyes.