...it brings on many changes

"Thou hast killed thine owne kin," came the haunting memory and he cried out unto the heavens: "Woe is me! How could I have done such a dastardly deed?!!?" He wept bitter tears for many long hours and when he was finished he wept some more. Finally, after much weeeping and wailing he took stock of his surroundings. He found himself to be in a wood of wild olive. Upon one of the trees he found, carved as if by a knife, a message: "Andrea de Croix & Danny forever."

He did not know any Danny, he did not know any Andrea, but the name Croix was an honorable one in the Kingdom. Was he near to the Croix Keep? That seemed absurd, for he had not yet crossed over the Shreken Mountains. Yet if not in the land of his birth, then where?

Frederigo continued on, making his way through the forest of olive, soon he found himself a path, perhaps the makings of foxes or even of sheep. He followed the worn soil as it wound its way between trees and soon it began to rise as the land turned to hillock.

Still the memory pursued him, taunted him: "Thou hast killed thine owne kin. Thy punishment is immortality."

Finally he reached the crest and he saw, stretched out before him, a new land. It was not the Great Kingdom, it was a towneship of simple cottages made in the style of Hespan! Yet there was a stone Tower, a soldier's Keep constructed as if by the Engineers of Aritaine! How could this be?!!? One was a puny principality to the east of the Kingdom while the other was a grand player in the game of politics situated some many, many weeks to the south. What land was this that held prizes from both countries? The only way to discover this would be to enter the hamlet; and enter he did.

Frederigo approached the edge of the hamlet and saw a farmer coming in from the fields. Fred called to him saying, "Hold, good man. Where be this fine land of yours?"

The farmer looked up at the now-dirt-encrusted nobleman, stained with old blood and fresh tears. The farmer smiled and answered: "Why, this be the land o' Cogan, and this be lil' olde Innsmouth. Come, enter o' yer free will and lay yer feet upon the hearth and drink ye up some ale and eat ye up some sup. Come o' yer free will, we be a generous folk always ready to entertain new guests."

Frederigo's spirit seemed to climb at these simple words and his heart seemed less burdened by the memory of his evil deed. He followed the farmer willfully into the village of Innsmouth and took a bed at the Gilman House. There were shadows as he entered the place, but he took no notice; as he supped with the local gentry the long lines on their faces went unattended; as the crescent moon lifted her pale face across the black sky that night and the nightshades seemed a wee bit more lively than they ought to be, the man known as Frederigo let it go as blurred vision. He closed the shutters and lay himself to bed - he was ready to pray to his God, but decided that he was too tired. Without a blessing he fell fast asleep, and that was when the evil came.

1. Damn, Damned and Damnable Damnations

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