Duke Zular No More

"I had initially had reservations about visiting Castle D'Honaire after my apparent successful poisoning of the overly inquisitive strumpet, Fredrina," Zular revealed. "It wasn't as if I was worried that they would be able to discover the method of poisoning. Assasin usually use the old style, all in one, poison. I've pushed the art of the kill to new depths..."

Zular drones on for several minutes about the method of priming a victim with a substance that stayed resident within the body for weeks, and then finishing the process by lacing food or drink with yet another substance. Alone, the substances were benign, and invisible to "detect poison" spells. Together, they were incredibly toxic and lethal.

"Or what some worlds would call a binary weapon," mutters Zerm darkly. "Like in chemical weapons, which use a similar method where relatively harmless chemicals are separated into different containers within the delivery system...and are mixed together just before being released to do their damage."

Zerm then gets the spell befuddle duke to continue.

"I put it down as just superstitious jitters and proceeded to pay my final respects," Zular says. "Anything less would look suspicious and would be bad politics.

"As it was, I should have stayed away."

Zular proceeds to tell of the initial confusion of the entire castle finding itself in a land that had the same topographic features as Allaria, but had neither buildings nor people. He continues the tale by telling how he wished, upon finding Duke Zular and Frederigo D'Honaire (Fred 1) being cheered as they entered the castle's main room, that "...the bastards had stayed gone and dead!"

He tells about the feeling of shock..and fear...upon seeing what would turn out to be an "analog" of Fredrina walking through the doorway ("I thought that my time was done.")

There is a trace of pride at being able to slip out of the "hangman's noose" when Fredrina 1 accused him of treason and "diddling Fred's map."

"Of course, truthfully, everything she said was true...in a certain way," Zular says. "I did all those events in my world...not her's. As such, I wasn't guilty of those things she accused me of, technically. Thus, I walked away alive and well."

"Cute," mutters Zerm darkly. The ghosts look at each other in askance. It was almost like Zerm was suffering from...moral outrage! That was ridiculous, because Zerm had NEVER displayed anything approaching what normal people would term as morals beyond a loyalty to friends he made!

"Then that damn Alliance soldier bastard came up to me after I'd left the room," Zular grinds out, clearly angered at the memory. "He said that I wasn't a duke since MY Allaria was on another world that I never was going to see again. He said that, after a quick talk with the Queen of Allaria and the Queen of Ethiopia, that I was to dress in a manner...more appropriate to my station!"

(Author Note: Remember, Terra Prime is still a world with medieval customs, such as dress. Peasants were NOT allowed to dress above their station back in the real world's Middle Ages, and such is the same for Terra Prime. )

"I laughed in his face and then next thing I know I'm stripped of all my weapons and jewerly...and CLOTHING...and wearing the meager processions of one born a peasant!" Zular nearly shouted, rage evident even in his clouded condition. "All that, and an aching jaw. I learned that Probe was something more than what he appeared to be. What, exactly, I never really learned...they did a very good job at keeping me away from all things of importance! Every time I tried to even sneak close to listen, either an Amharic speaking guard or Probe himself was there to move me away. I'm sure that I was being magically tracked by my clothing...but I couldn't get any other clothing! Whenever I tried I was told that I was a 'ward of the state' and my needs were 'provided for.'"

"You were tagged, fool," ghostly Dr. Vincent muttered. None of the mages are particularly worried about this right now. The room was nearly as magically warded against intrusion and eavesdropping as the vault that a certain Alliance shuttle craft resided within (not that the mages here KNEW that, however).

"A few days later, I was told by a guard to come with him. I was finally lead to see the Regent of Ethiopia. At first, I foolishly thought that the Queen had finally tired of this sick joke and was going to treat me as I deserved!" the duke laughed. "I should have not have bothered to hope.

"I nearly turned to run for my life when I walked into the throne room and the largest dragon I ever saw, " Zular shuddered and continued. "At first I thought that they had lead me down to be eaten by the blasted female wyrm, then it became clear after she spoke...that SHE was the REGENT!"

1. Heads nod at that, and then Zular is prodded into continuing.

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