[K'shrik] burned the contract--I guess that settles that question, but it really doesn't look like our rejection of the deal is stopping anything.  
The counter outside the [Overland Trading Company] is progressing downward--4 days, 3 days, 2 days, 1 day--I guess we'll know soon-enough
what they are up to.  

When the banner reads., "Grand Opening Today", I guess that means the waiting is over, and 
*oh dear*
--there are bells coming from two of the Ork-manned towers, signalling an attack.
  The party rushed to one of the gates, from which we could see wagons being pulled by teams of oxen.  A man is walking next to the wagons.

*Hi folks!*

What are you doing here?

*"Well, we heard that the automatic system went off, and here we are, ready to provide you with the finest imported goods from all of Barsave.*

Barsave? How long has that Caer been open?

*The caer that corporate HQ was in opened nearly 100 years ago.  It closed about 95 years ago, and then opened again 75 years ago*

Oh. I see.

*The nice thing about having the OTC warehouse meant that we had a full stock of Defense Supplies". But, anyway, stories aren't really what I'm here for*

What are you here for?

*Trade, of course. We sell things.*

Sell?  Whar do we have that you want?

*"Well, usually we buy food, craftwork, that sort of thing. With recently opened Caers, usually it's unused land (until your population expands, of course,  at which point we'd be willing to rent it back to you)*
*We can also use companies to assist in the Defense Corps, access to your library and any intellectual property that may have survived exclusively in your caer.  *
*Also, the waystations in Camrish have gone unmanned for years.  Re establishing the Throallian Post would be a big help.*

(*We'll buy anything you've got and rent it back to you later"--Brian*)

Gilad: "I'll point out that you seem to have appropriated a building in the middle of our city without asking..."

Arlan: *We've been there for 500 years, and that the automatic system noted our arrival and updated the building into the "Century of the Fruitbat" (so to speak.)*  

Where have you been most recently?

*Well, these wagons came from the T'skrang Clan Vardemos along the Serpent River--that way &ltpoints off to the East &gt*

We talked with Arlan for a while longer. Most notably, he warned us of the Lengese

*"You're at an area between several powerful political groups, all of which might want to gain control of this part of the river."*

That doesn't sound good at all.  Nobody else thinks so either, so we go off to try and find Rag Vorn.

Once we find him, the usual arguments about what action we should take commence. As I try to show Rag Vorn my arguments,  Thwack convinced Zero to cast a spell on my notebook that changed my notes into "I want to have your orkling" (still in my handwriting, of course).  

I, embarrassed and furious, turned to Zero, and then to Thwak, who said "You have satisfied your honor debt" to me.  
*Oh, shit.  The Trolls are going to kill me.*
I reset my matrix to Airwalk, and started running up my invisible stairs.  I got about 50 ft up and stopped, so that I would be out of range of the Trolls.

Rag Vorn did something to Thwack, and told Zero to reign in his "sense of humor".  
*"I can not be dealing with childish arguments, and I do not have time to deal with feuding factions of adepts.  
I want to go back to being a shaman for a nice quiet tribe of orks."*
He then turned to me and said, *"You. Come down from there."* 
I looked at Thwak, and started to shake my head, but before I could really do anything,  Thwak said "So what makes you think you know what is best for Camrish?" 

I think that may have been the last straw for Rag Vorn.  He leapt forward, trying to flying-tackle Thwak,  but didn't quite make it.  
Thwak then tackled Rag Vorn, who (being berzerk) continued to try to kick, bite, head-butt and generally beat up Thwak.
Then,  Magical energy started to crackle around Rag Vorn.  Steven dove for cover as a magical explosion surrounded Thwak, Zero and Rag Vorn.
Thwak shouted "give them back" and Zero turned into a porcupine
(though that may well have been Zero's own doing, not Rag Vorn's)

Despite all this, Thwak is still pinning Rag Vorn when a very large pointy icicle falls about 2 yards from them.  Thwack shouts "Help!" 
as the energy Rag Vorn's been throwing around starts flying even more randomly.
Thwak's horns disappear in one of the magical energy-balls--that's going to make him mad. 
I reattuned my matrix to "Instant Wall", as Thwak's horns appear in the snow and Gilad shoots Thwack in the back. (It didn't do much) I try to weave a
range-increase spell to my "Instant Wall" spell as Thwak bursts into flames.  Gilad shot him in the head with an arrow, and Thwack passed
out.  Gilad tells Donk to take Thwack away, into a room somewhere, so he can talk to Mr Vorn.  They go into a room to talk.

[A Conversation Between Gilad and Rag Vorn]

The flower in the bowl is still sitting in the bowl where I put it, so I figure that I will just try and find some nice building
where I can stay warm, but away from the Trolls, the Mathemagician,
etc.  I go into the building that is warm and light with Orks but no
other adepts. 

Zero went to the OTC camp to ask if they needed anything.  

[A Conversation between Zero and the OTC]

Gilad came into the building where I was meditating.
*"What are you doing in here?"*

*I am not going anywhere*
near
*the Trolls or the Mathemagician.*

*Why?*

*They're gonna kill me! It wouldn't be hard--all he has to do is drop me and I'll pass out. I can't take that chance!*

*I'll protect you*

*You can get them before*
you 
*get hurt, but can you do it before*
I 
*get killed?*

*Er...*

*Look. I don't understand this Trollish "Honor" thing very well, but from what I understand, it means that Donk and maybe Thwak both feel it to be their duty to see my head on a large pointy stick somewhere and my body a crumpled mass of flesh and blood.  I'm not fond of this idea, so until they decide that I'm more useful whole and well, I'm not getting within line of sight.  Sorry.*

*Not even to talk to them?*

*As long as I am allowed to defend myself, I am willing to get close enough to talk.  I'm not sure if, despite how much I like you, there is*
anything
*you can do or say that will make me feel safe enough to, say, sleep nearer than the next block over from any of them.  I'm just not that ... brave, stupid...whatever.  Donk said he was going to kill me.  I believe him.*

*Thwak's honor restrains Donk. He won't kill you as long as Thwak is alive*

*I am no longer protected by Thwak's honor.*

*How do you know?*

*He told me so, just before getting into that argument with Rag Vorn.*

*Oh.*

*You understand?*

*Yes.  I'll be back.*

"Eleia appears to be under the impression that you're going to kill her."--Gilad
 "Oh, she's right" --Donk


I created a seat in the corner, about 5 ft off the ground, so that I can sit cross-legged and face outward, with my back to the wall, and see the
entire room.  Then, it's safe to meditate, so I start meditating on Plant Form, figuring that will be
a nice way to *HIDE* if I go far enough.
*That's what forests are for, right? Elves are supposed to live in forests, and nobody ever threatens to pluck the head off of a tree and
feed it to a horror*

While I was meditating, Donk came in.  I freaked and dropped 
my chair into a wall in front of me, then turn it to stone.  From behind the stone wall, I hear him say:

*"I will not kill you.  For the sake of the party, I will not kill you"*

He turned and stomped out, and I, relieved beyond belief, realized in my panicked defense-building, I forgot something.
I can't turn stone back into earth, and Masonic Magic is too complex a spell for my spell matrixes.  Luckily, I didn't turn the
back wall into stone, so I cast "Fresh Breath" to give me an extra few minutes,  and then make a door out the back.

I walked around to the front door, and began talking to Gilad


We agreed to meet at the city gates in an hour, and I handed him a letter to give to Rag Vorn.

[A Letter to Rag Vorn]

We met at the gate, but Thwak was not there, so we went to go get him. Joan ceremoniously presented him with his horns, and he went off
for a moment. When he returned, we set out the East side of the city (away from the Caer)We end up, after not long, in forest.  The road
is worsening, and it's awfully cold...After three hours, we find a collapsed former shed.  It's full of snow, which is bad since I don't
know how to melt water.  Apparently Zero can, though, and I managed to put out the trees he lit on fire.Then Gilad drew me a picture of
the kind of wall he wanted, and I form the now-visible earth into a wall in that shape, then turn it to stone.  Now we have a lovely stone
building, with a fire burning inside.We set up a watch schedule:

Gilad and I on the first watch, Donk and Steven on the second, Thwack,
Joan and Zero on the third.  
I'm not sure I want to sleep while the Trolls are awake...

"You can have up to seven illusionary archers if you don't mind having a HCP (hexagonal closest-packed) company of
archers..."--Brian

I cast "Plant Alarm" on two of the corners (outside the walls) so that I would wake if anything got near the walls, and after
my (uneventful) watch, I move to a corner and begin to meditate on my spell matrixes. 
During the second watch, I notice my Plant Alarm going off just before Steven sets off a lightningbolt.  

N swarms of 8 10-inch-long purple things attack. 
16 of these are close to me, and begin attacking me.  I tried to cast "fireproof" on myself so I could
flame the bugs, but my matrix collapsed before I got a chance to cast it.  
I tried to move away from the attackers, but they bit me a LOT and I passed out. Even after I fell unconsious, they continued to bite me.

The other swarms continue attacking us--the Trolls ignore the bites, but I'm close to dying at this point.  
Zero is down and, if they keep biting me, I'll die. Luckily,  Gilad realized that I had two booster potions and a "Last Chance Salve" in my backpack, 
so he poured the booster potions into me and Steven, and put the salve all over Zero, who manages to regain semiconsiousness. 

*Apparently these things like spellcasters*