Played January 1997
Released 3/6/1997
                       THE COMING OF THE ZIOTH
                            TURN EIGHTEEN
                       ZIEDON'S SIDE-ADVENTURE


   The man tossed the stone into the air a few times, and then spoke in
a deep voice. "I am the master to whom my two servants guided you. I
have been searching the world for those worthy of my guidance, and you
alone have passed my tests. You are foolishly brave at times, but you
know how to recognize and solve a puzzle you are given. I commend you."
   Ziedon's eyes widened dramatically and he lowered his head and
spoke, his tone respectably subservient, "Master, forgive my harsh and
arrogant words. I embarked on this journey solely for the purpose of
knowledge." His head came up slowly, and in a low tone he asked, "Will
you teach me?"
   The mysterious wizard raised an eyebrow. "A bit quick to trust me.
How do you know that I am who I say I am?" He smiled slightly. "Since
it is I that you trust, however, I will forgive it." His face became
more grave. "Before I can teach you, you must make an oath of loyalty
to me. I can teach you much, but there may be times when I will require
you to do my bidding without question. There are higher powers at work
than you can imagine, so a task that I give you may not sound sensible,
but it must be done, for the good of all."
   Ziedon paused to think and then asked, "Master, I have companions
who await my return. Would my loyalties to you prevent me from
rejoining them? If not, then I so do swear loyalty to you and yours
until time as you see fit to release me."
   "Then I am your master, and you are my student. You will return to
your friends soon enough. You will etch my teachings into your Book of
Magic, and use them to serve both me and yourself."
   A circle formed on the floor, twenty feet across, with Ziedon's new
master at its center. It rose eight feet up, pulling the surrounding
rock with it, and a ceiling formed over its top. Ziedon found himself
in a circular room with a clearly man-made wall. Shelves protruded from
the wall at various, seemingly random places. They were covered with
books, scrolls and vials. Two small windows cut themselves into
opposite sides of the room, and light poured in through them.
   "This is my tower. You will study here for three weeks."
   Ziedon absentmindedly nodded his head as his eyes greedily gazed
upon all the knowledge that was contained in the small room. 'There is
more lore here than in all of the troves that I have seen in the past.
Only three weeks? I could spend the rest of my life here and not learn
a tenth of the lore present,' he thought to himself.
   "Yes Master," Ziedon said alout. Looking somewhat bashful he said,
"Master, may I ask questions about the trials I endured?" He thought of
the green moss and the fire and the riddle, wondering if he made the
proper and correct choices or if there was an easier way.
   "Most certainly, my student."
   Ziedon's questions trickled out of him slowly, getting faster as he
spoke. "Master, did I pick the proper tunnel? Was there an easier way
to negotiate the green moss tunnel and the fire other than the way I
did? Why did the moss attack me after I had crossed through to the
other side of the 'mouth' but not before?  Did I actually see my
companions or was it all an illusion?  Could I have stepped through the
door to rejoin them?"
   Ziedon's dark-robed master smiled briefly at his student's haste,
and then answered his questions slowly, in the order they were asked.
"You chose the correct tunnel. If you had not, you would not have found
the stones. Your reasoning, however, may not have been correct. The key
to that first riddle was the plaque that read 'The second tunnel is not
referred to by any other plaque.' Because of that limitation, the
plaque which read 'One of the tunnels is across from this one.'
eliminated both itself and the one across from it as being the second
tunnel. That first riddle was a test of wit.
   "The pillar of fire was a test of bravery. I have found that those
who are foolishly brave at first have the most potential as wielders of
our unique tools.
   "As for the attack on you, I do not know why it was done. Not all of
what you encountered was illusion, but you were probably wise to clean
your wound.
   "The third puzzle tested your mind. Many have been driven insane
before they could figure out an exit from that impossible maze. It can
have many varying effects, depending on the person trapped in it. Your
thoughts, or derivations thereof, appeared in physical form behind the
doors you opened. You did indeed see your companions, or at least a
perfect representation of them.
   "The illusions you saw were very powerful, increased in power by the
inherent magic of this place. This place has been a prized location
for wizards for hundreds of years. It is said that its power is a
remnant of the Zioth itself, and increases in power now that the Zioth
approaches."
   Ziedon listened intently to his Master's words and once finished
asked, "Could we begin the lessons now Master? I am ready and anxious
to learn."
   "Very well," the master began. He then introduced the meaning of
what Ziedon was about to learn. "Nature has caused things to grow and
shrink since before the great Zioth that destroys our world. Another
Zioth approaches, and nature's power will outlive it. The art of magic,
however, will outlive nature itself. I will teach you how to cause both
living and nonliving objects to change in size, much faster than even
nature can do it. Do not grow arrogant, however. Your magical effects
do not last for long. Once you have perfected that art, and overcome
the bounds of size that nature places upon us, I will teach you to
affect your weight and that of others around you. You will be able to
make any object, living or nonliving, weigh as little as a single
goose's feather. This magic too, has limits. It can only affect those
things that are already falling or flying, and only lasts for a few
minutes at most. Both of these are simple magics compared to what can
potentially be learned by an experienced wizard."

   After a week of difficult study and training, Ziedon succeeded in
learning the first spell. He spent the next week practicing the
complicated spell first on benches and books, and then on mice and
squirrels. By the end of the two weeks, he felt that he could use the
spell without difficulty. He had managed to reduce its casting time to
only five minutes.
   "Good," Ziedon's master said. "Now you will learn the second."
   Ziedon spent yet another week studying the second spell, and then
attempted to finish his learning. As much as he tried, however, he
could not manage to learn the ancient writings. Some of the phrases
made sense to him, but most seemed like gibberish. Finally, he closed
his book in frustration. It would be impossible to learn such a
complicated spell. With the slam of the book, his master jumped up from
his bench in anger.
   "You did not learn such a simple spell? How can I teach someone like
this?! The words are simple! 'Nl Chpotjtkinthzzx vorrtrtenwikhhqlb
vopskiltnthhg!' You can not even learn those first four words! Perhaps
I was wrong in chosing you as my student. Maybe it was luck that
brought you through my tests!"
   "Master," Ziedon said, "I am a necromancer by learning. Some spells
are beyond my learning. I am indeed doing my best."
   "I, also, work the Magic of the Dead, but I can learn a simple
spell! You are a fool in the body of a wizard!"
   "Master," Ziedon replied soothingly, trying not to offend the great
man, "I have learned almost as many spells of the First Order as my
being will allow. I believe that I may be able to learn the secrets of
one more spell before I have reached my limits. Since you are also a
practitioner of the Magic of the Dead, you know that the first and last
spells that a necromancer must learn in an Order must be of those which
deal with the Dead." The master necromancer's anger was mixed with
surprise for the brief moment in which Ziedon paused.
   "This is what my previous mentor told me. Only after I attempted to
learn the spell of lightening weight did I feel my capacity had reached
its limits. I may only learn one more spell of this Order and only a
spell of the Dead."
   Ziedon coughed briefly to clear his puffy, raw throat.
"Additionally, Master, I have endured great hardships to reach this
point. My body and mind are still recovering," Ziedon held up a red and
swollen forearm.
   "Would you teach me a spell of the Dead, Master, for the Dead is why
I live," Ziedon finished.
   Ziedon's master smiled lightly. "Although I doubt the truth of some
of your words, you make valid points. It is difficult to learn words of
magic when your body and mind are strained to their limits. I will
remain your mentor. However, I can teach you little more now. When you
first joined me in my tower, I told you that I would teach you for
three weeks. Those weeks are almost at an end. I soon will have other
buisness to attend to, and you will have to leave me."
   Ziedon let out a breath of air that he did not know he was holding 
when the Master gave his decision. "Yes Master, my time is almost up. I
believe that I have time to learn one more spell at your knee, after
which I will go out and use your teachings in the world."
   "You have but two days remaining. I will not teach something as
complex as a magic spell in two days. You may use these days to rest,
or you may read my histories, or do other such simple work, or leave
before your time is gone, if you so desire.
   "Histories? That would be splendid Master. I shall rest to regain my
strength and read through your choronologies to pass the time."
   Ziedon looked inquisitively at his Master. "Master, when do you wish
for me to return to your side?
   "You will return when I summon you. This orb," he said as he removed
a small sphere, half a dozen inches in diameter, from a pocket in his
robe Ziedon had never noticed before, "will sound a warning when I
require your presence, and it will direct you to me."
   "When I receive such a calling, am I do drop everything that I am
doing to heed it, or will I be allowed to finish the matters at hand?
How much time am I allowed? I ask, not to be given the opportunity to
dally when I hear your summons, but rather in the case that I am
involved in something that is at a critical juncture which my abrupt
leaving would cause to destroy."
   "If I require you urgently, I will find better ways to bring you to
me. Normally, the matters I will call you to attend to may be quite
important, but will usually not be urgent. If the orb glows white, you
must come as quickly as you can. If its transparent surface is only
tinted white, you may delay a few hours. If the orb is green, you may
wait a day before coming, and if it is black, you may delay for as long
as you deem it necessary to finish the matter at hand."
   Ziedon nodded and continued on a different topic. "I am somewhat
concerned about my companions. The last I saw of them, they were
surrounded by small creatures with, from what I gathered, unfriendly
intent."
   "I recognize your concern, but I believe they will survive until you
join them once again."
   "Is it possible to be magically transported to my companions proper,
or do I have to travel across land to reach them?"
   "You will not travel to your companions by any magical means.
However, I will give you a small map to lead you to them, before you
leave. I have no wish to see my student lost."
   After hearing his Master's answers, Ziedon found the apprentice's
pallet and bedded down for the night. The next morning, Ziedon found
the shelves of histories in a room adjoining his own. He spent the next
two days browsing through the chronologies and tending to his wounds.
   The most recent scroll, a short, incomplete one, focused on two
characters. The Great Wizard Lounin was much praised in this work.
According to the account, he had lived for over four hundred years and
now resided in the great marshlands of the south. He ruled over parts
of the marshlands in the past, but recently had taken to conquering
large segments of it. The other character was one Ziedon had heard of;
one, in fact, that everyone had heard of, King Diure LXIV. That account
supported the rumors Ziedon had heard. Diure was indeed as tall and
strong as a giant, and was as good to his people and as well liked as
any king could ever be. The scroll did not speak of him favorably,
however. It seemed he had taken his morality too far, and its
repercussions spread throughout his kingdom.
   The earlier works made no mention of either Diure LXIV or Lounin.
Some did give brief accounts of the lives of earlier rulers of Rang,
including Diure LXV, the father of the current king, who was known for
his charisma, strength, and stubbornness, traits which had apparently
been passed down to his son. Most of the books and scrolls gave
uninteresting descriptions of various wars and territorial gains and
losses. One contained hundreds of sketches of coats of arms, and
another was full of magical symbols Ziedon did not recognise, but could
tell they were magical because of the similarities with other symbols
he'd seen.
   At the end of many of the longer books, a note was written in small
letters: "And so ends my research to date. I will rewrite this work in
the Old Tongue at such time when I find the Archives at Brundash or
disprove their existence."
   After the two days were completed, Ziedon packed his meager
belongings and graciously took the map offered by his Master, along
with a new quarterstaff and leather shoes. "I shall come when you call,
Master," he said as he shouldered his pack and headed off to rejoin his
companions.

  
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   Note: The first spell is "enlarge." The second is "feather fall."
You rolled a 17 to learn "enlarge" and 82 to learn "feather fall," much
higher than the 40 you needed. (you needed 40 or lower to learn it). I
just checked, and you can only learn 9 spells per level. You have 2
left for level 1. Also, you can't learn illusion or enchantment/charm
spells since you're a necromancer. Explanation: Ziedon's original
master knew the importance of the Charm Person spell and taught it to
Ziedon. He learned it but since it is very opposite to his natural
calling it takes up two spell slots.

   Experience: 1600