Hi, all.

For those who missed the latest events...we finally raised
the entire 110,000 coin amount needed by Hekus for the altar
purification rite, at least one Puddleby day before Hekus
was rumored to perform the ceremony (11pm PDT ooc time,
which is less than three hours from the time I post this).
But that last day has been a nightmare.

A stranger appeared in town by the name of Ksyr Ashada.
Not 15 Puddleby minutes after he first started clanning, he
accosted Vagile Savane and stole about 40,000 coins Vagile
had been carrying (the rest was in the bank...Vagile was
afraid to deposit more, hoping to avoid paying more fees).
Vagile immediately cried out for help, and several exiles
chased after Ksyr.

He was finally "caught" by Puddleby justice and summoned
to court by Mervine. Ksyr's testimony:

- Ksyr Agasha snaps his head to the ceiling and cries out for help.

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Darshak amiaradah! Arir ayin!"

- Ksyr Agasha frowns when nothing happens.

- Ksyr Agasha sinks to the floor and weeps.

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Please!"

- Ksyr Agasha speaks in thickly accented common.

- Ksyr Agasha says, "Please! I---"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "I take! Yes!"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "For Darshak!"

- Ksyr Agasha says, "Enir... ah"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Please, Forgive!"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "I give some... but... but!"

[Ksyr was cut off by Judge Haengemie, and during
Mervine's further testimony...]

- Mervine says, "ksyr you can get out of this now by give the coins to
vagile"

- Ksyr Agasha nods eagerly at Mervine's kind words and holds out a
handful of gold coins, nowhere near all he stole though.

[Ksyr then testified again for his "defense"...]

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "I give! Yes!"

- Ksyr Agasha asks, "If exile will not... gregur eh... dead?"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Kill! Hurt!"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Please, no!"

- Ksyr Agasha's face falls.

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Kill Darshak!"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Get back coins. Save Ksyr. Poor Ksyr!"

- Ksyr Agasha says, "eh..."

- Ksyr Agasha collapses again.

[Ksyr was convicted and sentenced to 121 mins in jail. While
in his cell, several exiles confronted him, including Joe
in the adjacent cell! I have culled the highlights...]

- Joe asks, "What's going on?"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Danger for Ksyr!"

- Vagile Savane says, "Ksyr stole the coins for Altar 2.0"

- Ksyr Agasha looks at Vagile.

- Koric says, "Joe, Ksyr stole 40k from Vagile. He claims the Darshak
have most of it."

- Pugwash asks, "Who did you give the coins to on Ash Island?"

- Ksyr Agasha looks at a handful of gold coins.

- Joe looks at Ksyr's bulging purse.

- Ksyr Agasha asks, "eh... Who coins?"

- Ksyr Agasha says, "Darshak amira."

- Ksyr Agasha beckons to Vagile.

- Ksyr Agasha shrieks in terror. [apparently in response to Joe's
attention]

- Pugwash asks, "Where on Ash Island is Darshak amira?"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "I show!"

- Ksyr Agasha frowns despairingly.

- Ksyr Agasha says, "ved'Cabaal! Darshak tell me help me."

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Darshak bad, yes!"

- Ksyr Agasha holds out all the gold coins on his person and looks at
Vagile.

[At this point, Joe popped into Ksyr's cell from Joe's adjoining cell.]

- Ksyr Agasha shrinks back from the teleporting Halfling.

- Ksyr Agasha quickly passes his coins through the bar to Vagile.

- Koric asks, "How much did you get back, Vagile?"

- Vagile Savane exclaims, "less than 1/2!!!!"

- Joe hefts his club menacingly.

- Ksyr Agasha frowns at his empty pockets.

- Joe asks, "Want me to search him?"

- Ksyr Agasha shrieks.

- Joe frisks Ksyr Agasha.

- Ksyr Agasha grovels.

- Ksyr Agasha has no more coins, really. Ksyr Agasha points west.

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Darshak!"

- Ksyr Agasha struggles to get free of Joe.

- Joe looks surprised at Ksyr's strength.

- Ksyr Agasha points west frantically.

- Ksyr Agasha concedes another handful of coins.

- Ksyr Agasha frowns, completely broke now.

- Joe releases Ksyr Agasha.

- Ksyr Agasha wheezes.

- Vagile Savane says, "more than 20k missing"

- Ksyr Agasha kisses Joe's feet pathetically.

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Not hurt Ksyr. Friend of exiles!"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Friend of Malko. Peetol!"

- Golden says, "Well, you are Malkor and Ptolemy's friends, maybe. But
you did poison Sutai."

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Sutai hasfuk colbucu... eh... silly exile!"

- Ksyr Agasha kneels and whispers a strange prayer.

- Ksyr Agasha's fingers dance, his left hand begins to glow.

- Ksyr Agasha's hand slowly returns to normal.

- Ksyr Agasha frowns at his severed fingers.

- Ksyr Agasha says, "I give money Darshak amira. He take Ash"

- Ksyr Agasha says, "Exiles kill him. Get money. Get... al-tor"

- Koric asks, "Ksyr, why did you steal the money to begin with?"

- Ksyr Agasha asks, "Why?"

- Ksyr Agasha says, "ved'Cabaal"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "ved'Cabaal kill Ksyr!"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Ksyr leave Puddlesbyet!"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Danger here!"

- Ksyr Agasha exclaims, "Do not hurt meeee!"

- Ksyr Agasha says, "Ksyr help exiles."

- Ksyr Agasha says, "Return money! Exile free Ksyr."

- Ksyr Agasha says, "Exiles help. Ksyr help exiles"

[Shortly thereafter, Ksyr was released from his cell, and the
exiles followed him to Darshak isle. While there, we killed
several pirates, and Ksyr searched the corpses for us for the
stolen loot. Eventually, it was all returned (brought back
to Vagile by Koric and J'nder).

Shortly after all the money was back, Vagile was hiding out
in the bank while a very large horde of Darshak landed on
the beaches of Puddleby demanding the return of their loot,
but these several dozen darshak warriors, blades, etc. were
all destroyed by Puddleby's defenders.

Here the story ends (for now), as Vagile holds 110,000 coins
in her sweaty 'zo palms, awaiting the arrival of Master Hekus
for the purification ritual we all hope will restore our
healer abilities. I hope for further updates soon!]

Doug Ingram (Koric)

PS. This material may be reposted on a web scroll as needed
with my bles