Hours, or more likely with the altered passage of time, days later, Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. found Kreemon asleep in his clothes, with the open shutters letting in the chilly air. It was dark outside, some time past the middle of the night. Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. studied his spells by candlelight, then waited for Kreemon to wake. The moons moved across the sky. Shadows formed and slid across the floor. No more than two hours could have passed, but it was noon. It was incredibly disorienting to have the sky completely ignore Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style.'s internal sense of time.
Kreemon woke up feeling much better but far from completely recovered. He was different. His features had softened, his build had changed. Even his quality of his voice wasn't quite right. If he hadn't been behaving exactly like Kreemon would, Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. might have assumed he was a poorly-disguised impostor.
“Kreemon, are you feeling okay? Your appearance has progressively been changing, over the last few weeks.”
“Really? How so?” He looked for a reflective surface, then remembered his own small, copper mirror. “Do I sound differently?”
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. shook his head. “No, you sound the same but look completely different. If you were to wear different clothes, I'd not have recognized you.”
Kreemon found his mirror. He did look different. “I am becoming a True Zahiranplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZahira
by Diane Hutton and the DM
The Common View
Zahira is seen as a dangerous cult that welcomes the Zioth and embraces death. It is led by mysterious druid-like entities known as “True Zahirans.” There is quite a bit of legend surrounding these druids, such as their ability to appear out of nowhere, or the fact that they all look alike., so many things about me will change. This is just the first of many.”
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. nods, “Seems we are all going through changes.”
While Kreemon changed his clothes, he told the story of his adventures beneath the Houseplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigThe House of Morenth
As the primary place of worship for a population of six thousand, the House of Morenth is an enormous structure, perhaps five or six hundred feet across at the longest, but it's not just one big rectangular building. It looks like it's been added to many times over hundreds of years. Whether the building is bigger or smaller underground is impossible to tell. It is known that a library exists under. Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style.'s mind was awhirl with ideas and plots. “Do you think you can take me with you via this path, back to the hidden chambers? How about my minions as well?”
“I can take you. I am not sure about your minions.”
“We need to do a bit more shopping: a sledge hammer, some wedges and stone working tools, a crossbow and as many bolts as we can get our hands on. Perhaps you can go do the shopping while I finish up my preparations?”
“Sure, I can do that. I'll be back soon.” Kreemon headed out into town. It was not easy to find what Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. had asked for. Most of the looting had stopped, but shops were still closed for the most part. The sun had set and risen again before he was ready. With Otplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigThe Five Moons
Five moons rise and set in the sky of Aerv, never crossing paths. At the end of the world, they will all wane together, and diminish to nothing for the Zioth.
Quite a lot of mythology centers around the moons. Zahirans' theology revolves around the Moon Children. The Moon Wanderers in the Shirahjat Cohilition migrate with the rising and setting of the moons in ways that only they fully understand. in its third quarter, it was now the twenty-fifth of Saulturithagon, four days after he'd explored the tunnels beneath the Houseplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigThe House of Morenth
As the primary place of worship for a population of six thousand, the House of Morenth is an enormous structure, perhaps five or six hundred feet across at the longest, but it's not just one big rectangular building. It looks like it's been added to many times over hundreds of years. Whether the building is bigger or smaller underground is impossible to tell. It is known that a library exists under and seventeen days since the earthquake.
While Kreemon was away, Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. packed up his inert mouse skulls, and the two mouse skeletons twitching with magic, then went to Kreemon's hiding place to count what his friend had collected. It was at least a dozen. No, there were a couple more sacks leaning against the remains of a wall. Perhaps as many as eighteen or twenty. Good. Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. returned to his room to mull over his plan some more.
When Kreemon returned with the supplies, Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. stood and asked, “Okay, how does this traveling work?”
“It is like traveling along a path, but distance and time are different. It is really hard to explain; you will just need to experience it. Hold onto my arm, and have your minions hold onto yours and we'll see if they can come.” Kreemon imagined a bubble growing out from his own body and encompassing those around him. After some searching, he found a Path that looked like it led beneath the Houseplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigThe House of Morenth
As the primary place of worship for a population of six thousand, the House of Morenth is an enormous structure, perhaps five or six hundred feet across at the longest, but it's not just one big rectangular building. It looks like it's been added to many times over hundreds of years. Whether the building is bigger or smaller underground is impossible to tell. It is known that a library exists under, and stepped out of normal reality. It was difficult. Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. and Galgeweplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGalgewe
Last updated 2012-10-26
This could afford to be a little longer, for such an important NPC...
Description
A short, stocky man with a balding head of curly, fiery red hair entered the room. His dull blue robes matched his eyes, and the sheath of a short sword hung from his waist.'s skeleton dragged at him, but they stepped out into the dark tunnels beneath the Houseplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigThe House of Morenth
As the primary place of worship for a population of six thousand, the House of Morenth is an enormous structure, perhaps five or six hundred feet across at the longest, but it's not just one big rectangular building. It looks like it's been added to many times over hundreds of years. Whether the building is bigger or smaller underground is impossible to tell. It is known that a library exists under, and Kreemon was only a little more tired than when he'd left.
Lantern in hand, Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. followed Kreemon to the trap door, mindful of warnings about the light tiles, and wearing a scarf around his head to keep out the toxic dust. Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. stopped to examine the closet with its powders and fluids to see if any of them were familiar to him. Some he recognized – common poisons and antidotes. With others, he could guess at some of the ingredients, but couldn't be sure about their effects or how their potency might have deteriorated with age. He collected a few which looked the best preserved, checked their stoppers or lids for leaks, then stored them in his bag. He couldn't nearly carry everything.
The three of them climbed down the stone ladder and walked to the crystal chamber. The five men still stood within a brightly lit haze, moving imperceptibly slowly. Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. tapped his chin, using magic of his own to sense the magic around him. Whatever spell held the five men in stasis was a powerful one. It struck Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. like a hammer, making him stagger backward into Kreemon's arms. He doubted any magic of his could disrupt such an effect.
“Obviously they are doing something that has to do with the barrier and time effects; as they seem to be caught up in the barrier's effects right now themselves. Which means likely, on that pedestal, is one of the pieces of the Zioth; but I am pretty sure they aren't going to just hand it over willy-nilly. I do not think any of my magic can break this effect but maybe some of the Houseplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigThe House of Morenth
As the primary place of worship for a population of six thousand, the House of Morenth is an enormous structure, perhaps five or six hundred feet across at the longest, but it's not just one big rectangular building. It looks like it's been added to many times over hundreds of years. Whether the building is bigger or smaller underground is impossible to tell. It is known that a library exists under can,” Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. said, as he pulled out the snake scepter and hefted it in his hands, “but first, we should test things.” Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. dipped a bolt into one of the poisons he'd collected, armed his crossbow, took aim at the priest, and let fly. As soon as he pulled the trigger, he raised an arm to shield his eyes.
The bolt flew at the room, then suddenly slowed. For the briefest moment, it pierced the haze like a worm slowly eating its way into an apple. Then the tail of the bolt caught up. It flipped sideways, and pressing against the haze, slowly sunk to the floor.
Frowning at the crossbow, Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. mused, “Darts? It has to be something smaller… Ah… sling bullets… Perhaps.” Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. picked up a fragment of stone that had chipped off the wall who knew how many years ago, and threw it towards the corner of the inner room. Like the bolt, it slowed, nearly stopped, then sunk to the floor, landing just a fraction of an inch further in than the dart.
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style.'s frown deepened. “That won't work either then.” He set one of his delicate mouse skeletons down, cast a spell upon its skull and told it, “Proceed forward and smash your skull on that man's foot.” He didn't care which target the automaton thought he was referring to; they would all feel the blast. He pulled Kreemon back, in case it exploded prematurely when hitting the barrier.
The mouse scurried forward. When it hit the haze, it kept trying to move, though it slowed until it was making no visible progress. Many minutes passed. Now the only question was, how would the shifts in time affect it? The spell would last two days, but what did that mean when the front of its skull experienced time differently from the back? As Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. was pondering the implications, the mouse exploded in a flash of violet light, sending tiny bits of bone flying in all directions. When his eyes adjusted, he saw an odd effect – the minute fraction of the skull that had entered the haze was in the room floating above the floor. Cracks had formed, and a mild, violet glow emanated from it.
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. removed Galgeweplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGalgewe
Last updated 2012-10-26
This could afford to be a little longer, for such an important NPC...
Description
A short, stocky man with a balding head of curly, fiery red hair entered the room. His dull blue robes matched his eyes, and the sheath of a short sword hung from his waist.'s robe and positioned the skeleton's arm so it was held straight out with a bony fist at the end. He tied a mouse skull to the fist with a strip of cloth, and had Galgeweplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGalgewe
Last updated 2012-10-26
This could afford to be a little longer, for such an important NPC...
Description
A short, stocky man with a balding head of curly, fiery red hair entered the room. His dull blue robes matched his eyes, and the sheath of a short sword hung from his waist. walk back and forth to ensure it was secure. He then cast the spell on the skull, backed away and told the skeleton to walk forward, towards the crystal room. He shielded his eyes and waited.
Keeping its elbow locked, the skeleton pushed into the haze, trying to walk forward but ending up twisting in one direction. Then the skull exploded.
The released energy was of a particular type which damaged only the living. Galgeweplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGalgewe
Last updated 2012-10-26
This could afford to be a little longer, for such an important NPC...
Description
A short, stocky man with a balding head of curly, fiery red hair entered the room. His dull blue robes matched his eyes, and the sheath of a short sword hung from his waist. was not only unharmed, but seemed to be in better shape than he had been before the explosion. Dents and scratches were polished smooth, leaving him in pristine condition.
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. told Galgeweplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGalgewe
Last updated 2012-10-26
This could afford to be a little longer, for such an important NPC...
Description
A short, stocky man with a balding head of curly, fiery red hair entered the room. His dull blue robes matched his eyes, and the sheath of a short sword hung from his waist. to stop and walk away from the haze. He did so, arm still outstretched. Like the previous mouse skull, a tiny fraction of this one was embedded in the haze, slowly exploding.
Kreemon watched the tiny fragments floating in the air while Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. pondered what to do next. “Do you think you can break this enchantment? Or are we stuck waiting?”
“I am not sure. The amount of magic radiating from the enchantment is staggering. I thought perhaps we could try hitting it with the snake scepter but am having second thoughts because of the possibility of backlash, especially considering how much magic is involved here.”
“Maybe we are going about this wrong. There are Paths that go through time as well as space. We could travel back to before the barrier is in place and then just leave town.”
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. replies, “Through time? Interesting.. So, you could perhaps take us back to when Galgeweplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGalgewe
Last updated 2012-10-26
This could afford to be a little longer, for such an important NPC...
Description
A short, stocky man with a balding head of curly, fiery red hair entered the room. His dull blue robes matched his eyes, and the sheath of a short sword hung from his waist. passed and we could take the necklace then,” Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style.'s eyes unfocused as he thought aloud, “Which could be a reason why we cannot find it now, because we already went back in time and took it from the body… which leads to the implication of paradoxes…” Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. shook his head. “Bah. I could run my line of thought down so many rabbit holes; but what you say has merit. Why don't we go back to when Galgeweplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGalgewe
Last updated 2012-10-26
This could afford to be a little longer, for such an important NPC...
Description
A short, stocky man with a balding head of curly, fiery red hair entered the room. His dull blue robes matched his eyes, and the sheath of a short sword hung from his waist. died? I believe that was before the barrier went up, right?”
“I think so.”
“How much equipment can we bring with us? Just what we can carry?” That was how his own magic worked.
“I believe so.”
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style.'s eyes lit up. “We can then get the necklace and obtain all of the onyx stones that we need without the jewelers being all alerted and watchful.” He chortled. “We could also kidnap the head Morenthplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigMorenth
Morenth's theology revolves around the simple idea that the entire universe belongs to him, and humanity is barely worthy to bask in his radiant presence. Those who refuse to acknowledge this simple, self-evident fact heretics, and deserve punishment or death. There is no repentance for heretics priest and interrogate him prior to the appearance of the Golden Priest. We can learn what they have done with the pieces of the Zioth and get ahead of the situation, then it wouldn't matter what these people are doing.” He indicated the men trapped in the haze. “Yes, I think that is a good plan. Just let me finish up a few spells here and we can be off.”
“Don't get too excited. I have only done it once and that was by accident. I do not know how precise I can be. I am not sure right now which Paths go to the past and which to the future. I have an idea but we will need to experiment. I may not be able to get you to a specific moment in time but hopefully I can get within a few days or weeks. Also, traveling is strenuous, especially when bringing passengers, so I will need to rest between the attempts.”
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. nodded. “Yes, that makes sense. We will need to carry everything we want with us then, just in case you aren't able to get us back to the exact same instant. If it is similar to magic, then you will need to form the trek in your mind and place mental milestones or markers. That may help in getting back to known or specific times, if it works that way. So, let me finish up here and we will depart.”
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. cast his remaining two skull traps, one at a time, and sent Galgeweplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGalgewe
Last updated 2012-10-26
This could afford to be a little longer, for such an important NPC...
Description
A short, stocky man with a balding head of curly, fiery red hair entered the room. His dull blue robes matched his eyes, and the sheath of a short sword hung from his waist. to detonate them in different areas of the haze, to cover as much of the room with explosions as possible. When he was satisfied that no one would survive, he said, “Okay, I am ready to go.”
Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. climbed the ladder last, spreading a bit of the ancient poisons onto the steps so the next climbers wouldn't have it so easy. In the glass room, he loaded as many pots and jars into a sack as possible, and handed it to Galgeweplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGalgewe
Last updated 2012-10-26
This could afford to be a little longer, for such an important NPC...
Description
A short, stocky man with a balding head of curly, fiery red hair entered the room. His dull blue robes matched his eyes, and the sheath of a short sword hung from his waist.. “Okay,” he said, giving the room a last look in case he'd missed anything interesting. “Can you move us back to our room?”
“Make sure your minion is touching you, and then grab me by shoulder, just in case.”
As Ziedonplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigZiedon
Ziedon stands a little under six feet tall and is relatively thin. He has a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache which stand out considerably against his pale skin. His hazel eyes seem to see everything around him. Ziedon's white hair is cut short in the traditional townsman's style. had suggested, Kreemon attempted to establish a marker at this point on the Path, so he would be able to easily return to it, and then brought them back to their boarding room.
When his eyes adjusted back to normal reality, he said, “I am going to meditate and then get some rest.”