{"id":1840,"date":"2014-09-21T12:40:49","date_gmt":"2014-09-21T16:40:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/?p=1840"},"modified":"2014-09-21T12:40:49","modified_gmt":"2014-09-21T16:40:49","slug":"just-6-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/","title":{"rendered":"In just 6 more days!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>6 days from now comes the epic play by the New Britannia Theater Troupe, written by Gabriel Nightshadow!<\/p>\n<p>For now, kick back with dinner, a beer, and a pipe. Enjoy the first 10 pages of the written word! Keep in mind the audio production may differ slightly due to the difference in formats.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>AVATAR CHRONICLES I : THE RETURN OF THE AVATAR<br \/>\nOn one of the many parallel worlds in the multiverse\u2026<br \/>\nPrologue: New Britannia, Forty Years Ago<\/p>\n<p>COURAGE<\/p>\n<p>The shattered full moon of the lunar eclipse shone bright red in the night sky above<br \/>\nFalura Field. A lone white dove let out a mournful coo as it soared high above. Down<br \/>\nbelow, tens of thousands charred, frozen, and dismembered corpses littered the blood<br \/>\nstained battlefield, as healers tended to the few hundred surviving members of Lord<br \/>\nBritish&#8217;s army. Lord British lay on the grass, applying pressure to the deep sword wound<br \/>\nin his side. A few feet in front of him were the shattered fragments of the Amulet of<br \/>\nVazur, with which the evil Lord Shadowreign had unleashed the power of Eight of the<br \/>\nNine Legendary Dragons (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper, Red, Black, White, Blue)<br \/>\nupon New Britannia. (Thankfully, once the Avatar had shattered the Amulet with his<br \/>\nSword of Virtue, Lord Shadowreign lost control of the Eight Dragons and they flew back<br \/>\nto their lairs and went to sleep.) Lord British was surrounded by piles of bone dust, the<br \/>\nremnants of Shadowreign&#8217;s powerful army of undead warriors.<\/p>\n<p>(Music fades out. Insert \u201cViracocha\u2019s Demise\u201d By Eliot Corley)<\/p>\n<p>Lord British&#8217;s attention was drawn back to the present by the loud clanging of swords.<br \/>\nHe saw the Avatar and Lord Shadowreign locked in mortal combat in front of the Celestial Lunar Rift. The Avatar&#8217;s black and gold armor gleamed in the red moonlight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was so close to summoning the Celestial Dragon, Ashara!&#8221;, yelled Lord Shadowreign, an imposing figure clad in red and black armor, &#8221; Curse you, Avatar! Lord British stole everything that should have been mine &#8211; the throne and Lady Arabella, the woman I love! Why are you helping such an evil man?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No, Lord Shadowreign, you are mistaken.&#8221;, replied the Avatar, &#8221; Lord British is a good person and our rightful ruler!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Avatar, why are you content being Lord British&#8217;s lap dog? Our nation has grown weak and pathetic under Lord British&#8217;s rule. In the days of old , we were known for the courage of our knights as we expanded our empire by conquering those who opposed us. Nowadays, the other nations consider us to be a toothless tiger, more interested in making peace instead of war. Join me and together we can bring glory back to our nation!&#8221;, said Lord Shadowreign.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Never! You were once a good person, but you have forsaken your virtues and are now driven only by dark desires! You are not worthy to rule over anyone!&#8221;, the Avatar shouted, as he swung his golden Sword of Virtue with all of his might.<\/p>\n<p>The Sword of Virtue made a loud humming sound as it sliced through the air and made contact with<br \/>\nLord Shadowreign&#8217;s massive, unbreakable, ebony blade, Darkstorm. Lord Shadowreign&#8217;s blade shattered into a hundred pieces.<\/p>\n<p>Lord Shadowreign dropped the broken hilt and took a step back, a startled expression on<br \/>\nhis face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?! This can&#8217;t be&#8230;&#8221;, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Surrender and Lord British may show you mercy!&#8221;, said the Avatar, as he pointed his<br \/>\nsword at Lord Shadowreign.<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; Never! If I can&#8217;t rule New Britannia, then I shall see it destroyed!&#8221;, bellowed Lord<br \/>\nShadowreign,&#8221; But first I shall make you pay for ruining my plans, Avatar! Feel my<br \/>\npower!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He began hurling bolts of red mystic energy at the Avatar, who deflected them<br \/>\naway with his sword. Lord Shadowreign began glowing bright yellow as he unleashed<br \/>\neven more powerful mystic energy bolts at the Avatar. The Avatar was slowly being<br \/>\npushed backward by the force of the bolts.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You are no match for me, Avatar!&#8221;, said Lord Shadowreign, as one of the bolts struck the<br \/>\nAvatar in the chest. The Avatar fell to his knees, momentarily stunned. Were it not for his enchanted armor, the Avatar would have been vaporized.<\/p>\n<p>Lord Shadowreign&#8217;s eyes suddenly turned pitch black and he levitated several feet<br \/>\nupward. His body was now surrounded by a crackling globe of red mystic energy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow all of you will die!&#8221;, Lord Shadowreign bellowed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; I will not let you destroy New Britannia!&#8221;, said the Avatar, as he dropped his sword<br \/>\nand hurled himself at Lord Shadowreign . The Avatar felt agonizing pain as his flesh<br \/>\nbegan to burn once he penetrated the outer surface of the energy globe and plowed right<br \/>\ninto Lord Shadowreign.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No&#8230;!&#8221;, screamed Lord Shadowreign, as they were both propelled through the Celestial<br \/>\nLunar Rift. After they passed through the lunar rift, the Avatar saw the look of anger<br \/>\nand disappointment in Lord Shadowreign&#8217;s face as he realized that he had been defeated.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Curse you, Avatar!&#8221;, shouted Lord Shadowreign. The Avatar simply smiled. He knew<br \/>\nthat New Britannia was safe. His work was done. Now, it was time to rest. Then,<br \/>\neverything exploded in a sea of red.<\/p>\n<p>Lord British heard a loud explosion and saw a giant plume of red energy erupt from the<br \/>\nlunar rift before it was sucked back in and the the lunar rift collapsed in upon itself and<br \/>\nvanished. Everyone on the battlefield stood in shocked silence.<\/p>\n<p>Lord British was unaware that a small golden metal fragment had been propelled out of<br \/>\nthe lunar rift just prior to its collapse and had fallen at the prophet Nystal&#8217;s feet. Nystal<br \/>\nquickly picked up the fragment and slipped it into his belt pouch before anyone could<br \/>\nnotice.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly, the Avatar&#8217;s Sword of Virtue shot up into the sky. It paused for a few<br \/>\nmoments as the eight Runes of Virtue engraved in the hilt began glowing. Then, the<br \/>\nsword suddenly vanished in a flash of light.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My Liege!&#8221;, exclaimed Fire Lotus, as she rushed to Lord British&#8217;s side and examined his<\/p>\n<p>wound. (Few people knew that, in addition to being the city&#8217;s favorite tavern owner, Fire<br \/>\nLotus was also a highly skilled healer.)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You are badly wounded. Let me apply this healing salve and bandage your wound.&#8221;, said<br \/>\nFire Lotus.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Thank you, old friend. The wound does not appear to be responding to my healing<br \/>\nspell, perhaps because of the enchanted ebony blade which Lord Shadowreign used to<br \/>\ninflict it.&#8221;, replied Lord British.<\/p>\n<p>Lord British sighed as Fire Lotus tended to his wound. &#8221; New Britannia has been saved but at what cost? Thousands of my finest soldiers lie dead and our greatest champion,<br \/>\nthe Avatar, has been lost!&#8221;, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is a sad day indeed for all of New Britannia, My Liege.&#8221;, replied Fire Lotus, &#8220;But<br \/>\nyour men showed great courage in the face of insurmountable odds and their sacrifices<br \/>\nwere not in vain. This terrible year long ordeal is finally over and we can finally begin to<br \/>\nrebuild that which was lost.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The tall, slender, white bearded prophet Nystal walked over to Lord British and Fire<br \/>\nLotus.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My dear Fire Lotus, you are mistaken. We may have won this battle, My Lord,<br \/>\nbut the war is not over.\u201d, said Nystal, \u201c Lord Shadowreign was not destroyed. The ancient forbidden dark magic which now courses through his veins have made him far too powerful to<br \/>\nbe killed by conventional means. He has been seriously wounded and transported to a far<br \/>\noff planet in another universe. Lord Shadowreign will return at the head of a powerful<br \/>\narmy to reconquer New Britannia in forty years at the time of the next lunar eclipse.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nystal, you are truly a wise prophet, but are you certain of this?&#8221;, asked Lord British.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yes, My Lord, of this I am certain!&#8221;, replied Nystal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; How will we stop Lord Shadowreign when he returns?&#8221;, asked Lord British, &#8220;The<br \/>\nAvatar barely managed to defeat him, at the cost of his own life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; The Avatar&#8217;s physical form was destroyed by the mystical energies unleashed by<br \/>\nLord Shadowreign, but his soul is eternal.\u201d, said Nystal, \u201c It was shattered into 35,000 fragments<br \/>\nwhich were carried through the portal to your home planet, Earth. These soul<br \/>\nfragments now reside in the most worthy of Earth&#8217;s inhabitants. Over the next forty<br \/>\nyears, these avatars will be drawn here to New Britannia and compete<br \/>\namongst themselves to determine who will be The One True Avatar.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But will the new Avatar be revealed in time to stop Lord Shadowreign?&#8221;, asked Lord<br \/>\nBritish.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yes, I will work to ensure that happens. Until next we meet&#8230;&#8221;, answered Nystal. He<br \/>\nleered at the lovely Fire Lotus for a moment before vanishing in a cloud of white smoke.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Do you think Nystal&#8217;s prophecy is true, My Liege?&#8221;, asked Fire Lotus, &#8220;There are<br \/>\nrumors that he is slowly going mad, as others have recently reported seeing him talking to<br \/>\nhimself and to inanimate objects on several occasions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No doubt he would be acting strangely, considering how much time he has been<br \/>\nspending in your fine establishment lately. I suspect Nystal is rather fond of you.&#8221;,<br \/>\nanswered Lord British.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy Liege&#8230;&#8221;, stammered Fire Lotus, as she blushed bright red.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nystal did warn us about Lord Shadowreign&#8217;s plans and his past prophecies have<br \/>\nproven to be true, so I see no reason to doubt him now.,&#8221; replied Lord British,&#8221; I was so<br \/>\nhappy the day my younger half-brother James arrived here in New Britannia from Earth.<br \/>\nWe were so close growing up. I can not believe how far he has fallen. I am grateful that my mother and stepfather did not live to see this day. For now, we must make sure that<br \/>\nthe Amulet of Vazur does not fall into the wrong hands.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Lord British cast a spell and the shattered fragments rose from the ground and flew off<br \/>\ninto the sky to various remote parts of New Britannia.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And so it begins&#8230;&#8221;, said Lord British, as he gazed up into the night sky.<\/p>\n<p>Introduction: Mount Krendor, Four years ago\u2026<\/p>\n<p>TRUTH<\/p>\n<p>A cold arctic wind swept though Mount Krendor, as it continued to snow heavily. A<br \/>\nsolitary short, chubby figure, clad in a tattered brown robe, staggered across the<br \/>\nmountainside. The young monk Theodric was beginning to regret his decision to sneak<br \/>\nout of his monastery a week ago after receiving a vision compelling him to come here.<br \/>\n(At the monastery, Theodric was one of the five monks currently writing sections of The<br \/>\nHistory of New Britannia, Vol. 1, an important responsibility for someone so young. He<br \/>\nhad been assigned the task based on the Grand Abbot&#8217;s personal recommendation to<br \/>\nLord British.)<br \/>\nSuddenly, Theodric found himself standing in a lush garden next to a crystal clear<br \/>\nstream. His limbs no longer ached; in fact, he felt full of energy. Theodric looked down<br \/>\nand saw he was now clad in a comfortable white silk robe with blue trim and covered in<br \/>\nmysterious golden runes which he could not decipher. In his right hand was a massive<br \/>\nleather bound book. Theodric could not decipher the writing on the cover or the content<br \/>\nof the pages contained within. He peered into the stream and saw his face. He appeared<br \/>\nto be at least ten years older than he was now, complete with a full beard. Theodric also<br \/>\nappeared to be in much better shape than he was now, with most of his excess body fat<br \/>\nreplaced with solid muscle. He heard a sound and looked up to see a lone white dove<br \/>\nsoar overhead towards the massive Tree of Knowledge atop a nearby hill. Theodric<br \/>\ncould see a beautiful, red-haired woman in a black robe with red trim also covered in<br \/>\nmysterious golden runes standing beneath the tree beckoning him. He did not recognize<br \/>\nher face.<br \/>\nThen everything suddenly turned to white and he found himself back on Mount<br \/>\nKrendor.<\/p>\n<p>In the distance, the shining beacon of light continued to beckon, but Theodric could go<br \/>\nno further. He had been walking for hours and could no longer feel his limbs. Theodric<br \/>\ncollapsed from exhaustion and lost consciousness.<\/p>\n<p>A pack of hungry snow wolves spotted the unconscious figure and came charging out of<br \/>\nthe nearby woods. A hooded figure suddenly appeared next to Theodric&#8217;s unconscious<br \/>\nform. The hooded figure turned and looked in their direction. The snow wolves<br \/>\nsuddenly stopped in their tracks and began whimpering. They quickly turned around<br \/>\nand ran off in the opposite direction. The hooded figure picked up Theodric and flung<br \/>\nhim over his shoulder. They both vanished in a flash of light.<br \/>\nTheodric awoke to find himself in a mountain cave, clad in a warm, dry robe and lying<br \/>\non a mat next to a burning fire. He could hear the loud roar of the snowstorm outside.<br \/>\nAn elderly, white bearded cloaked figure sat across the fire from him.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s about time you woke up! You&#8217;ve been unconscious for three days.&#8221;, said the old<br \/>\nman, &#8221; Here, have some fine wine from Fire Lotus&#8217; Tavern. It will warm you up a bit.&#8221;<br \/>\nThe old man handed Theodric a wine flask.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Thank you for rescuing me, kind sir. I am Theodric, a monk from St. Valdine&#8217;s<br \/>\nmonastery. Who are you?&#8221;, asked Theodric.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You may call me Nystal.&#8221;, answered the old man.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The mad prophet, Nystal?&#8221;, said Theodric, &#8220;I heard that you were once an advisor to<br \/>\nLord British himself long ago. What happened to you?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been busy searching for the new Avatar for the past thirty-six years, for Lord<br \/>\nShadowreign will be returning soon and only the Avatar will be able to defeat him once<br \/>\nand for all.&#8221;, answered Nystal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But wasn&#8217;t Shadowreign slain by the Avatar and Lord British thirty-six years ago?&#8221;,<br \/>\nasked Theodric.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No, he was merely defeated. I have chosen you to help me locate the new Avatar and<br \/>\nrecord the details of our journey for future generations. We will then help the Avatar<br \/>\nrecover the lost fragments of the Amulet of Vazur, for only an Avatar wielding the full<br \/>\npower of the Nine Dragons can hope to stop Lord Shadowreign and his invading army.&#8221;,<br \/>\nsaid Nystal. He pulled out a small golden metal fragment out of his belt pouch and held<br \/>\nit in the palm of his hand. The fragment began glowing faintly. &#8220;This will lead us to the<br \/>\nnew Avatar.&#8221;, said Nystal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is it?&#8221;, asked Theodric.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is a fragment of the Amulet of Virtue, which was worn by the original Avatar when<br \/>\nhe died battling Lord Shadowreign thirty-six years ago. &#8220;, replied Nystal, &#8221; It is<br \/>\nmystically linked to the new Avatar and will glow bright white when we find him or<br \/>\nher.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Who are you, really?&#8221;, asked Theodric,&#8221; Tell me the truth. I can sense when people are<br \/>\nlying to me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Ah, yes. One of your many hidden gifts. You are a learned man. Tell me what you<br \/>\nknow about the Old Gods.&#8221;, said Nystal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;According to the Book of Aramus, long, long ago, Britannia faced a grave crisis<br \/>\nknown as The Great Cataclysm. On the moon Faralen, an enormous obsidian egg<br \/>\nwhich had lain dormant in an underground cave for a thousand years was struck by a<br \/>\ndark magic spell cast by the evil wizard Sintar, the last surviving descendant of<br \/>\nMendarc, who wanted revenge against Lord British for the crimes he committed<br \/>\nagainst his ancestors. (Sintar himself would later be hunted down and killed in a<br \/>\nmagic duel by Marian, leader of the Council of Mages, on New Britannia.) The newly<br \/>\nhatched Star Serpent threatened to destroy Faralen, which would have had<br \/>\ncatastrophic consequences for Britannia. Lord British had the Avatar jump into the<br \/>\nWell of Eternity at the Temple of Argosa. The Avatar was instantly transported to the<br \/>\nunderground cave on Faralen. After a long and fierce battle, both the Avatar and Star<br \/>\nSerpent were seriously wounded. The people of Britannia assumed that both of them<br \/>\nperished when the moon Faralen exploded, causing the twin moon of Trilliax to shatter as well.<\/p>\n<p>After the Avatar failed to return and Faralen exploded, Lord British went to the<br \/>\nCadatep (&#8220;Stone Circle of The Gods&#8221; &#8211; Thirty 25 ft tall obsidian statues arranged in a<br \/>\ncircle &#8211; rumored to be the spot where the Old Gods first set foot on Britannia long,<br \/>\nlong ago) atop Mount Helios and cast an unknown powerful magic spell which he had<br \/>\nbeen entrusted with in an effort to summon the Old Gods for help.<br \/>\nThe Old Gods had originally visited us thousands of years ago in Britannia when we<br \/>\nwere still primitive cave dwellers. The Old Gods lived in a silver city named Ghidara<br \/>\nwhich floated in the sky. They were masters of both magic and science. The Old Gods<br \/>\nmated with our women because their females could no longer bear children; hence we<br \/>\nare all descended from the Old Gods. (In fact, it is said that the members of the<br \/>\nTwelve Great Houses who sit on The Great Council are descended from the members<br \/>\nof The Old Gods&#8217; own Council of Elders.) The Old Gods taught us how to make fire<br \/>\nand clothing, tools and weapons and gave us laws to govern us. After many years, the<br \/>\nOld Gods left us, saying that their other children needed their help but promised to<br \/>\nreturn someday to aid us if necessary.<\/p>\n<p>The most famous of the Old Gods was the warrior god Darhan, ruler of the Old Gods.<\/p>\n<p>Darhan had three sons. The eldest, Jonir, was a mighty warrior and sorceror, but he<br \/>\nhad a heart as black as night. He took great delight in tormenting mankind. The<br \/>\nsecond son, Barek, was wise and kind, and a powerful sorcerer. He used his gifts to<br \/>\naid mankind. The youngest son, Galen, was a brave and powerful warrior, who<br \/>\nhelped his brother Barek oppose Jonir&#8217;s attempts to subjugate man. Eventually, Barek<br \/>\nand Galen were forced to use their combined might to slay their evil brother, but not<br \/>\nbefore Jonir managed to impart much of his knowledge of dark magic to his secret<br \/>\napprentice. (As we learned thirty-six years ago, his secret apprentice was Lord<br \/>\nShadowreign.)<\/p>\n<p>Among the other Old Gods was a wise and powerful renegade whose true name has<br \/>\nbeen lost to the sands of time. A brilliant scientist, this inventor of time travel<br \/>\ntechnology was one of the three founders of their society (the warrior god Darhan and<br \/>\nthe female mage god Siral being the other two) and was highly respected by the other<br \/>\nOld Gods. He called himself Nystal, and he strongly disagreed with some of the less<br \/>\nenlightened members of The Council of Elders who felt that less developed<br \/>\ncivilizations should worship them as gods and serve as slave labor. Nystal resigned<br \/>\nfrom his position on The Council of Elders and left Ghidara soon after the Old Gods<br \/>\noriginally departed from Britannia in order to explore time and space on his own. Of<br \/>\nall of the Old Gods, Nystal had spent the most time interacting with our people and<br \/>\ndeveloped a real fondness for us. He promised to return someday to see how we were<br \/>\ndoing, but has not been seen since his departure all those years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Upon casting the spell, the thirty obsidian statues began glowing bright white and<br \/>\nemitted beams of energy which caused a column of white light to form in the center of<br \/>\nthe circle where Lord British was standing. Lord British was rapidly propelled upward<br \/>\ninto the sky by the column of light as the astonished members of The Great Council<br \/>\nlooked on. Meanwhile, the people of Britannia began to panic and ran for cover as the<br \/>\nsmallest fragments of both Faralen and Trilliax began striking the planet as meteorites,<br \/>\ndemolishing structures and causing numerous fires.<\/p>\n<p>When all seemed lost, the floating city of Ghidara suddenly appeared in the sky high<br \/>\nabove Castle Britannia. All Britannians were instantly transported to Ghidara. Our<br \/>\npeople witnessed the destruction of the planet from the depths of space as the largest<br \/>\nfragments of Faralen and Trilliax smashed into our planet, causing it to explode.<\/p>\n<p>The Old Gods used something called a hyperdimensional drive to transport their city<br \/>\nthrough the vortex to a parallel universe where both Faralen and Trilliax were only partially<br \/>\ndestroyed. (These parallel universes originally came into existence long ago when the<br \/>\nAvatar shattered the Gem of Eternal Life in order to make Mendarc mortal once again<br \/>\nand allowing him to be slain.) This parallel world was uninhabited because it&#8217;s former<br \/>\ninhabitants were not visited by the Old Gods in the distant past and ended up killing<br \/>\neach other in The Barbarian Clan Wars. After relocating us here to New Britannia, the<br \/>\nOld Gods helped us rebuild all we had lost by providing us with more advanced<br \/>\nknowledge, technology and materials.<br \/>\nAfter several years, Darhan and the rest of the Old Gods departed our new world to<br \/>\nexplore other realms. Soon after the Old Gods&#8217; silver city of Ghidara left Mount<br \/>\nKrendor and soared off into space, both Lord British and the Avatar suddenly<br \/>\nreappeared in a flash of light in Castle New Britannia while the Great Council was in<br \/>\nsession, with no memory of what had happened since their disappearance. When<br \/>\nnews of their reappearance spread to the general populace, some of the people<br \/>\nwondered why Lord British now appeared to have a more youthful appearance, but<br \/>\nmost people overlooked this fact because they were just happy to have their beloved<br \/>\nruler back. The Book of Aramus suggests that some of the Old Gods never left and<br \/>\nmay still walk among us, but today most people believe that Aramus&#8217; account of the<br \/>\nExodus and Founding of New Britannia is merely a fable and that the Old Gods never<br \/>\nreally existed at all.&#8221;, said Theodric.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Really? Is that what you young people believe today? What would you say if I told you<br \/>\nthat everything described in the Book of Aramus was true?&#8221;, asked Nystal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;How could you possibly know that?&#8221;, asked a skeptical Theodric.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Because I was there to witness it!&#8221;, replied Nystal, &#8220;We wouldn&#8217;t have these problems<br \/>\nwith Lord Shadowreign today if Darhan had simply followed my advice and personally<br \/>\ndealt with his son Jonir before he began down the path to darkness. I guess he was<br \/>\nblinded by a father&#8217;s love for his children.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You knew Darhan personally?&#8221;, asked a stunned Theodric.<br \/>\n&#8220;Indeed. A brave and powerful man, but certainly not the wisest.&#8221;, replied Nystal,<br \/>\n&#8220;Stubborn as a mule. Loved beautiful young women and wine. Not as much as I do, of<br \/>\ncourse.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You still haven&#8217;t answered my original question. Who are you?&#8221;, asked Theodric.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am Nystal, although in the past I have also gone by the name Hawkwind and<br \/>\nTime Lord. You must promise me never to reveal my true identity to anyone! For over<br \/>\n5,000 years, I traveled through time and space and, while helping those in need, made<br \/>\nmany enemies who would like nothing better than to see me dead. That is why I altered<br \/>\nmy physical appearance after I left the city of Ghidara long ago.<\/p>\n<p>I deeply regret that I was not in Britannia at the time of the Great Cataclysm. Had I<br \/>\nforseen the rise of Sintar, perhaps I could have done something to stop him. Contrary to<br \/>\npopular belief, despite our mastery of time travel, the Old Gods are not all-knowing.<br \/>\nThankfully, the summoning spell I had entrusted Lord British with on my last visit to<br \/>\nBritannia in my guise as Time Lord was successful and the majority of Britannians<br \/>\nwere saved and relocated here to New Britannia.<\/p>\n<p>About two hundred years ago, my timeship was badly damaged following a hostile encounter<br \/>\nwith a Jinrazi battlecruiser and I was forced to crash land here on Mount Krendor. Based on<br \/>\nthis civilization&#8217;s current rate of development, suitable replacement parts for my ship&#8217;s damaged quantum field generator won&#8217;t be available for approximately another 2,000 years.<br \/>\nIn the meantime, as far as the world is concerned, I am simply the mad prophet Nystal!&#8221;,<br \/>\nanswered Nystal.<\/p>\n<p>Nystal noticed Theodric&#8217;s puzzled expression.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You have no idea what I&#8217;m talking about, do you?&#8221;, said Nystal, &#8220;Forgive me,<br \/>\nsometimes I do tend to ramble on a bit. Theodric, you are about to play a pivotal role in<br \/>\nthe history of New Britannia!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So, why did you choose me to aid you in your quest?&#8221;, asked Theodric.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You remind me a lot of your grandfather Tiberius at this age.&#8221;, replied Nystal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You knew my grandfather?&#8221;, asked a surprised Theodric, &#8220;I never got the opportunity<br \/>\nto know him. He died before I was even born.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That is most unfortunate. Like you, he was extremely bright and inquisitive. Always<br \/>\nspoke his mind.&#8221;, said Nystal, &#8220;We often debated long into the night about many topics<br \/>\nsuch as philosophy, law, politics, and science. He rose from humble beginnings to<br \/>\nbecome the greatest scholar of his era. That is why Lord British chose him to write his<br \/>\nbiography, Lord British: The Path of Virtue.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I know. Lord British&#8217;s biography is still required reading in school today.&#8221;, replied<br \/>\nTheodric, &#8220;Did you know my grandmother as well?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Of course! When I first met Talia, she was an incredibly beautiful, fiery tempered,<br \/>\npowerful young mage &#8211; the exact opposite of your grandfather. Nobody thought that<br \/>\nthey would make a good couple, but I knew they were meant to be together. I<br \/>\nintroduced them to each other and, as you know, they ended up having a very long and<br \/>\nhappy life together.&#8221;, said Nystal, &#8220;By the way, how is your grandmother doing these<br \/>\ndays?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Nystal smiled as his eyes briefly glowed.<\/p>\n<p>That evening, as Theodric slept, Nystal teleported out of the cave.<\/p>\n<p>In a moonlit clearing in the woods north of Libris, stood a small wooden cottage. A wisp of grey smoke rose from the chimney. A white-bearded wizard sat on a rocking chair on the porch, smoking on a long bamboo pipe. In front of the cottage, a young female elf was practicing her fire magic.<\/p>\n<p>Lord Baldrith stopped smoking on his pipe and said, \u201cLanthirthel, try that again! I want you to envision the fire forming in your hands. Shape it into a ball and let it loose upon your enemy!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lanthirthel concentrated and uttered the words of magic. A small ball of fire formed in her hands and she hurled it at the plate armor covered scarecrow standing in the distance. The fireball found its target and the scarecrow erupted into flames.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png\" alt=\"12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg.med\" width=\"252\" height=\"297\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png 252w, https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_-127x150.png 127w, https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_-195x230.png 195w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>6 days from now comes the epic play by the New Britannia Theater Troupe, written by Gabriel Nightshadow! For now, kick back with dinner, a beer, and a pipe. Enjoy the first 10 pages of the written word! Keep in mind the audio production may differ slightly due to the difference in formats. AVATAR CHRONICLES [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In just 6 more days! - Echoes from the Caverns<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In just 6 more days! - Echoes from the Caverns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"6 days from now comes the epic play by the New Britannia Theater Troupe, written by Gabriel Nightshadow! For now, kick back with dinner, a beer, and a pipe. Enjoy the first 10 pages of the written word! Keep in mind the audio production may differ slightly due to the difference in formats. AVATAR CHRONICLES [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Echoes from the Caverns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-09-21T16:40:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sir Stile Teckel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sir Stile Teckel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"22 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sir Stile Teckel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2c55acb38b3a532cca350b916446ed15\"},\"headline\":\"In just 6 more days!\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-21T16:40:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":4440,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/08\\\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Echoes from the Caverns\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/\",\"name\":\"In just 6 more days! - Echoes from the Caverns\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/08\\\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-21T16:40:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2c55acb38b3a532cca350b916446ed15\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/08\\\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/08\\\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png\",\"width\":252,\"height\":297},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/just-6-days\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"In just 6 more days!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/\",\"name\":\"Echoes from the Caverns\",\"description\":\"Powered with the help of The New Britannia Theater Troupe\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2c55acb38b3a532cca350b916446ed15\",\"name\":\"Sir Stile Teckel\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/be4dd1e43c0600e75a22dd38210f60b2940e8c2e59802f1731dac03a44e11ab2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/be4dd1e43c0600e75a22dd38210f60b2940e8c2e59802f1731dac03a44e11ab2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/be4dd1e43c0600e75a22dd38210f60b2940e8c2e59802f1731dac03a44e11ab2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sir Stile Teckel\"},\"description\":\"The Mechanic\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/Www.thecaverns.net\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thecaverns.net\\\/Podcasts\\\/author\\\/stile\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In just 6 more days! - Echoes from the Caverns","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"In just 6 more days! - Echoes from the Caverns","og_description":"6 days from now comes the epic play by the New Britannia Theater Troupe, written by Gabriel Nightshadow! For now, kick back with dinner, a beer, and a pipe. Enjoy the first 10 pages of the written word! Keep in mind the audio production may differ slightly due to the difference in formats. AVATAR CHRONICLES [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/","og_site_name":"Echoes from the Caverns","article_published_time":"2014-09-21T16:40:49+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Sir Stile Teckel","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sir Stile Teckel","Est. reading time":"22 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/"},"author":{"name":"Sir Stile Teckel","@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/#\/schema\/person\/2c55acb38b3a532cca350b916446ed15"},"headline":"In just 6 more days!","datePublished":"2014-09-21T16:40:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/"},"wordCount":4440,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png","articleSection":["Echoes from the Caverns"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/","url":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/","name":"In just 6 more days! - Echoes from the Caverns","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png","datePublished":"2014-09-21T16:40:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/#\/schema\/person\/2c55acb38b3a532cca350b916446ed15"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/12362677172022248945nicubunu_Comic_characters_Putting_a_banner.svg_.med_.png","width":252,"height":297},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/just-6-days\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"In just 6 more days!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/","name":"Echoes from the Caverns","description":"Powered with the help of The New Britannia Theater Troupe","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/#\/schema\/person\/2c55acb38b3a532cca350b916446ed15","name":"Sir Stile Teckel","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be4dd1e43c0600e75a22dd38210f60b2940e8c2e59802f1731dac03a44e11ab2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be4dd1e43c0600e75a22dd38210f60b2940e8c2e59802f1731dac03a44e11ab2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be4dd1e43c0600e75a22dd38210f60b2940e8c2e59802f1731dac03a44e11ab2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sir Stile Teckel"},"description":"The Mechanic","sameAs":["http:\/\/Www.thecaverns.net"],"url":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/author\/stile\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1840"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1841,"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840\/revisions\/1841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecaverns.net\/Podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}