Differences

"Uh, not to interrupt," said Thesamar. "But I thought we were supposed to be reading about the Great Empire, not the...the Lex Regnum."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Fred. "In the dialect of Common which is most used in the Three Kingdoms the name of the Great Empire is Lex Regnum."

"Aah," said Thesamar. "I see. In our tongue it is called the Arcanaeia."

"That," said Doctor Priceless. "Is the beauty of Common. If we only spoke our different languages and dialects we'd never understand each other."

"Yes," said Fred. "Well, anyway, it says here...and I quote...Ix Jentium od Lex Regnumisian sefueran distante i disperse. Y kon il Jentiumis vinieron los Sicariis--"

"Stop right there," growled Astra. "Your amazon already said that she didn't understand this language, now I'm saying it too. Speak Common or I'll bust your chops."

"I'm not his amazon, sister," said Thesamar. "Don't presume—"

"Hah! I got you back!" jibed Astra, and she stuck out her tongue at Thesamar.

"Ladies!" said Dr. Priceless raising his voice. "Let us return to the book. Now, Fred, though I understood every word you said...it is from my collection, after all...please translate."

"Alright," said Fred. "Basically it says that after the Horrible Ruin the children of the Empire fled to the other parts of the world. During the journey the people separated from each other, they splintered. Instead of One People, they became multiple tribes and groupings. At first it was the presence of heroes who kept the people together, but after the Sacrifice of Rimbold it was the guilds who kept them from disintegrating altogether. One of the guilds was that of the Assassins, and of these the Sicarii -the Scissored Killers- were the most infamous. They attempted to usurp the authority of counselors and oversecretaries. Though some noblemen accepted their services, most did not, and in the end they were rejected by the people, ostracized and abandoned. Apparently they have since fled eastward and live in secret conclaves within swamps and fens."

"That is right," interrupted Astra. "Though I cannot speak this barbaric tongue of yours, I do know the history of the Scattered People. You roamed for generations. Everywhere you arrived, you tried to settle and control; you even tried to overrun the Mountains of Geniothmede -which you call the Goth- but we of Aqualaria put you in your place. As to the Schcarvi – your Sicarii – they are a dreaded caste north of our realm."

"But that isn't what happened in my world—"

"Timeband," corrected the Doctor.

"Timeband!" yelled Fred. "The Sicarii formed alright, but they did attain to high power among our People. In my...timeband...they are known as the 'Holders of Balance.' Though we have had our fair share of hardships at their hands, what with court intrigue and local bribery and secret killings, we have all come to accept their place in society."

"But here," said the Doctor, "they are outcasts. Let us continue this talk, but first let me feed my...watchdogs."

The group left the library and Dr. Priceless led them to another room that held a great pool of wet sand. The visitors watched the Doctor as he went to a strange metallic cupboard and upon opening the door pulled out a living mouse from within a cage. He approached the sandpond and held the quaking mouse over it. The visitors could see a ripple within the sands, something within began to move! Then another and another and another. The sand was shaking, pitching, frothing with activity just below its surface. Then the Doctor tossed the mouse onto the sand. Instantly there was a commotion as sand flew into the air, strange bulbous shapes appeared from below, and the mouse screamed. And then the mouse and the shapes were gone.

"Oh my goddess," said both Aqualarians in unison.

"What in the name of Fark was that?" said Fred, not sure if he really wanted an answer.

"Oh," said the Doctor. "I'm sorry. I've been alone for so long that I forget what might be deemed unsightly."

"Or disgusting," added the amazons.

"But," said Fred. "Can they survive on only one mouse?"

"Survive? Of course. But it does keep the little buggers hungry...in case someone breaks in."

This caused all three of our heroes to stop as they pictured what he meant.

"The creatures you caught sight of are regulan erythrocyte, bloodworms. It is feeding time. I keep them as watchdogs, that is, as a form of self- defense. I am not a Wizard as you may think, I am a naturalist, a philosopher, a scientist. I only took up magical manipulation as a side hobby. It is best to leave such things to professionals and their guilds; the Geldan WarHammer, the Hespan Magi, the Allarian WhiteHand, and the others. Magick for magick I cannot fight all the enil of the world and for this reason I surround myself with more mundane defenses."

"Enil?" asked Astra and Thessamar who were still giving each other the creeps.

"Enemies," answered the Doctor. "An exact translation into Common is 'the hundred' but over time my people came to use it when speaking of the many tribes and clans and peoples who wished to convert us, to assimilate us, to destroy us. But these are my problems, now to yours. Perhaps our worlds are too different. But the only way to really discover this is to make the journey back to the waste that was once the mighty Great Empire. But you should begin soon, for the desolation lies very far from my lonely tower."

1. And so they began the long and arduous journey to the Blasted Waste that was the heart of the old Great Empire
2. They acquired maps, collected foodstuffs, packed clothes, but then...

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