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An unmarked cave, Rroan

A boulder had apparently fallen since her last visit. It must have been over a year ago since she had last encountered another member of the Group, maybe thrice that long since meeting at this location. The lizard remembered the long line of jagged rock sticking out like a sore thumb in the sand, bereft of purpose or habitability. One could walk it's length and find nothing serviceable, but her associates had found it a decent place for gathering when the time called for it. It was quite a rarity, as Tahlis knew well.

The Group had made attempts in the past to maintain scheduled gatherings, but all ended in failure. Members were few and far between as it was, and to be discovered at such a congregation by a passer-by was everyone's worst fear. That, and fellowship among members had always been a nonexistent thing. Nonetheless, Tahlis needed what little camaraderie they had to offer; it was a rare thing indeed to converse with anyone on the subject of magic.

A little less than a day's travel brought Tahlis to this place. Now, she stared at the boulder protruding from the once-hollow entrance to the cave, and groaned. Was it still passable? She had to find out. It was a strange feeling to actually need someone else to sort out her own thoughts. She came upon the opening and noticed there still was some space to enter the tunnel. The lizard removed her pack and swung it over the obstruction, then pulled herself up as well.

Tahlis gasped as the rock below her shifted. A harsh grating noise came forth from the stone below her, but then all was quiet. Tahlis warily tried to balance herself on the boulder, hefting her pack at her feet. Despite looks, the opening was actually serviceable. The lizard found that she could easily stand tall on the raised rock and continue through. Presently, she hopped down and ventured further into the crevice, tracing the vein-like flowstones along the walls for direction.

Soon the lizard saw light flowing in from a hole in the ceiling. Light filtered in along the length of the cave, but here the cracks in the ceiling split to branch off into a chamber. She found herself in the hollowed-out grotto that had once sheltered a fair number of the region's most gifted magicians.

Not to her surprise, she found no one there. She briefly tried to recall the set dates at which members were to meet. By happenstance, the lizard had passed through a nearby town around the time she thought members were to meet here. Hardly was there a reason, though, for members to convene in the first place. There were few select locations within the desert, but even so, the chances that anyone would show up were entirely up to the individual magician. But the lizard needed to at least try. She removed her pack once again, settled it on the damp floor as she found a slab of rock to rest on.

In the meantime, she had plenty of time to think. She had struggled to keep a cool head ever since that disorienting night in the cave. To say it shook her would have been quite an understatement. After her enigmatic captors had disappeared, she was dumbstruck to say the least. At first, her only explanation was that it was a dream. Surely exhaustion could play such tricks in the desert heat. But the more she thought about it, the more she doubted it was a trick of any kind. Everything seemed far too real: from the battle in the graveyard, to the two furred ones rescuing her, to that enticing stone of burgundy the ferret had shown her, to even his kiss. But what caused him to vanish, along with everything else?

The lizard visibly shuddered at the memory. The following hours had seemed like such a blur to her; for a while she half-expected her captors to reappear in some fashion, or for the night to turn to day, or even for her to simply be woken up in a start. Despite her original misgivings to travel at night, she made the trek anyway, back to Sopulch, and was somewhat relieved to find that everything was as she had left it. The only change of note was the uproar that had occurred when the townsfolk discovered their graveyard to be upended.

Upon entering the town she had conjured enough sense to decide her next move. Her obsession with the pyramidal stone the ferret had shown her had forced her to recall his words. In his teary state, he had asked her a question, adding, "back in Dileurnm." While reimbursing the local innkeeper in Sopulch, she had asked her if that name rang any bells. Certainly, the innkeeper had stated, Dileurnm was a large city in the very north-western corner of Rroan, a center of rule in the desert, if there was ever one. It was then that Tahlis decided to head north, away from the mountains and reach that city, eager to better understand what the ferret had meant. For whatever reason, Tahlis assured herself, the origin of the burgundy stone must lay within that city.

As the lizard mulled over her decisions, the light in the grotto faded. It was getting dark and Tahlis was anxious for some desired moonlight to fill the hollow. In the darkness, the lizard gave a despondent sigh. Even with something akin to purpose for motivation, the whole ordeal still haunted her.

The old lizard was a mystery. Upon mentioning her Group to the necromancer, the old one had refused her offer on the spot, turned hostile. Had she encountered ones like Tahlis before? Never before had the lizard heard of such a problem. Then there were the two furred ones who seemingly came to her rescue, each catching Tahlis off guard. She had never seen a magician with command of power like that before, and she guessed, neither had the necromancer. The old one's retreat from the grave site was proof enough. In short order, Tahlis was intimidated by not one but two rogue magicians, each with knowledge of magic that left her curious as to why she hadn't heard of them previously. Still more were other things that left her truly without answer: there was the dream, and the stone, and the ferret ...

A sharp echo made the lizard jump. Her eyes darted around the grotto, with only slight moonlight from the ceiling to illuminate the area. Quickly, she attributed the sound to a voice. Unconsciously she felt great relief that someone actually showed up. Perhaps the group member had slipped on the same rock that had fallen when she entered the cave. Assuming her guest had recovered from the fall, she could hear their footsteps along the grainy floor, no doubt in search for the chamber. Tahlis composed herself and drew her cowl about her face once again.

A figure emerged from the entryway and passed through a beam of moonlight as he entered the grotto. Upon noticing Tahlis, his gaze remained cool. He unwrapped his headdress yet Tahlis could not recognize him. Clearly his spikes, horns, and wide face revealed him to be a lizard, perhaps Horned Clan. She was disconcerted by his red and orange scales, though, and she wondered at his personality. She reminded herself to recite the proper greeting which they had all used since time immemorial.

"Have you a clem for power, friend?"

The lizard preserved his composure and intoned, "On thester ground, we meet." She noticed his voice was as gruff as his countenance.

With the verbal tradition satisfied, the horned lizard made himself comfortable against the wall opposite Tahlis. She had to look past the shaft of moonlight that now flooded half the room to see him. They sat there, for a moment, building an awkward silence. Were they the only two in the area? She wouldn't doubt it. The lizardess decided a second opinion was more than enough to ask for at this point, and broke the silence.

"I attended a meeting in this cave some years ago," she began. The lizard across from her remained silent. She continued, "I don't suppose you were among those few?"

"Yes," he stated. He crossed his arms and locked her with a frigid gaze. "I am not good with faces, or names for that matter." He paused as his eyes wandered to the floor and around the chamber, his short, spined tail flicking against the wall behind him. "It was the last time I assembled with other members."

"Did you give your name?" she probed. Distrust showed in his eyes, then. Typical of anyone, she thought. With powers such as ours let loose, you really can't trust anyone. She resolved to make some kind of connection, though, and added, "I am Tahlis."

"Halvar," he responded. He disregarded her and gazed up at the light filtering down from the ceiling. "Can't say why I showed up, I think this group lost it's purpose a long time ago."

Tahlis' voice took on an indignant tone. "What makes you say that? Have you lost faith in your power?"

The horned lizard's gaze shot back down to her, angry. His icy glare seemed to glow through the veil of moonlight between them. It made Tahlis a little dizzy and she had to blink a few times to regain her sense of up and down. "Never!" he hissed. He exhaled, then continued more evenly, "I have been in Rroan for but a few months, now. I spent three years following the mountains south through forest and moor and snow. You may not have ever left these coastal sands, my dear, but I tell you, don't bother! Never once did I come upon anything of worth." He paused again, averting his gaze. The lizardess remained curious and silent. "Sometimes I felt like the only magician on the continent. Not even so much as a magic trinket or oddity to be found. It makes me think of why we ever started convening with each other, in this desert that no one cares about."

The lizardess reflected on this for a moment. How would this one react if she blurted out the location of an obscure magical stone, right here in this desert? This lizard seemed bitter enough to simply use that information for his own gain. Perhaps coming to other group members was a mistake after all. She was suddenly angry that she had not given this much forethought. She also recalled that faint magical aura, almost familiar, about the stone the ferret had shown her.

There's a connection to that stone, she mused. I can feel it. She thought it best to keep that tidbit of information to herself. Tahlis' frustration returned, now that she couldn't mention that or the two that rescued her. But the necromancer was a threat, she knew, and that much she could reveal. She could turn this lizard's apparent world-weariness to her gain, by revealing what happened at the grave site.

"That is disappointing to hear, but I think we may have something here in our own desert," she began. As expected, the orange and red lizard showed interest. "I followed a rumor, on a whim, which led to something I doubt any of us would expect."

Halvar rose from the wall he had been leaning against and implored, "You found something? How long ago was this? Where?"

"An alleged grave robber had been skulking around the area, south of here, but she stole only the corpses." If Halvar was surprised, he didn't show it. She continued, " I tracked her down and she turned out to be a magician! She-"

"Was she of the Group, then?" he interjected. "And, and what of the grave robbing?"

"I asked her just as much, and no, she isn't. I assume she was simply there to practice her skills. Halvar, that old lizard ... she forced a corpse from its grave and controlled it's movements! And she claimed to somehow sense my own magic fro ma distance. I don't know what you specialize in, but focusing magic in such a way ..."

"I've not heard of it. Perhaps an embellishment ... and no, my spells are rather diffuse," he added, mumbling, "but that doesn't hinder them, surely..." He scratched his chin for a moment, then asked, "What happened after she rose the thing?"

Tahlis hesitated. She had to choose which parts to leave out. "I readily attacked her. We both know that someone like that could pose a threat to us." The lizard nodded matter-of-factly. "Her familiar was tricky, but still just a corpse. My problem was that she was able to summon more than one."

"How many? Two? Three? More?"

Tahlis shuddered again at the vision. She tried to hide it. How badly she wanted to tell someone of the army of horrors that had nearly doomed her! But he would not believe she had handled a graveyard full of the things, and she dare not mention the two furred ones that saved her. That would lead to explaining their eventual disappearance and possible mention of the burgundy stone.

"Enough to keep me busy," she stated offhandedly. "Unfortunately, a sand storm had begun to blow when I arrived at the grave site. By the time I had taken care of the horrors, she had made her escape."

The lizard dawned a dubious frown. "Are you telling me you let that magician get away? Surely you could handle a storm if an old crone can."

"The storm, it was, it hindered my magic," she stammered. "Even in flight she managed to delay me with more corpses. I was forced to find shelter shortly after." Tahlis took a quick breath, and added, "I searched for her, but she has eluded me."

The lizard cocked his head. Tahlis hoped he didn't catch on to her lie. "Have you given up the search, then?"

"No," she responded. "I felt it more important to let other members know, so as we can hunt her down and perhaps unearth how she manipulates such magic!"

"Hmm," the lizard pondered. "Yes, I'd like to know, also. It must take great focus to do such things. Any idea where she headed?"

"South," she responded. "Although that is all I have to go off of. It seems best that we spread the word and hope to encounter her again."

"Of course," Halvar assured. Then he laughed, almost ruefully. "It figures something happens when I'm not around. This could be of much benefit to the Group, for sure. That old grave robber sounds truly intriguing."

Tahlis agreed. It still irked her that she couldn't reveal the much stranger part of her tale, however. The peculiar stone was most assuredly magical, and for that matter, useful to the Group. But there was something almost personal about the encounter that restrained Tahlis from telling Halvar. She was certain now that she was missing something important concerning the encounter from the graveyard and after. Her only lead was the stone, and the name of a city.

Feeling slightly refreshed, Tahlis concluded to end the meeting. "Yes, I'm glad someone showed up. Still think our group has lost it's meaning?"

The lizard chuckled cynically, "I don't know about that. But at least it gives us something to do. Are you sure there isn't any more information as to her whereabouts?"

The lizardess shook her head. "I'm afraid not. The old hag should be appreciative the storm came when it did. Will you be heading south?" Tahlis hoped so, it would not do to have them traveling in the same direction, lest he discover her motives to get to Dileurnm and the stone.

Halvar shrugged. "The old magician could be anywhere, from what we know. You might have more luck finding her, I can't say. If I find her, though, I'll bet I can convince her to join us." He grinned to himself. "Older minds are oh-so-easily vulnerable."

Nonplussed by his words, Tahlis stood up and hefted her pack. "Well, then, I suppose that's all there needs to be said." She gave a slight bow, a custom for when a person took their leave from a gathering.

"Will you take your leave?"

"Yes, I had arrangements back in Rescert." The lizard nodded at this. "May our endeavors be rewarded."

The lizard stood into the moonlight, returning the bow. His fiery scales and horns glowed eerily. "May they, indeed. Farewell, my associate." Tahlis made to walk out, when Halvar added, "And watch out for that boulder. Took a nasty fall earlier."

~;~;~;~;~;`~

As the lizardess left, Halvar gave an irate hiss. He could tell Tahlis was hiding something. It was in his prowess to discern things like that. When the conversation began, he had let a spell loose when she had insulted his power. Clearly it had effected her. Halvar could also focus his power onto another and, with enough concentration, read how they felt.

What she mentioned about the old magician was true, he could tell, but what he noticed was that her mind was furiously avoiding something else. Something just as important to her, maybe even more so. In all probability it had to do with the old magician, and Halvar needed to find out. It would be interesting to see where she leads this endeavor, he thought. Whatever it is she kept hidden shook her to the core. And there's only one thing that can give a magician pause, he continued, Magic.