The sun hung in the sky as though it were slowly falling asleep. Perhaps it was. But for the dwarf now moving into the light early-spring breeze that blew his hair and beard about softly, it meant only that the sun would soon leave behind a blood-red sky as it slowly but surely sank beneath the distant bank that was horizon. His footsteps made only light sounds quickly muffled by the swish of the grass, moist as it was from the previous night's light rain and the hard rain of the day that led into it. There seemed not to be another soul around, though the short grass was flanked by outcroppings of rocks and the occasional small river. One particularly large grass-covered rock outcropping that was about three times as tall as most humans offered both shelter from the daytime sun and good seating. The grass and moss covering the rocks softened the seat.

Gautrif stopped for a moment to rest himself. He'd been walking all day to get here, though he wasn't entirely certain where 'here' was. Before him was a vast, broad lake flanked on most sides by rocks and cliffs, while behind him was the vast plain across which he'd been traveling for the last four and a half weeks. He'd tired of the lonesome life and wanted to know what else was out there for a dwarf who'd spent the last fifty of his seventy-two years mining and then (during the last twelve years) working the forge in a mountainside city of trade. So, he was adventuring through Arda to have what experiences he could. He was young, after all, and restless. Perhaps he was a fool. Perhaps he was merely curious. But whatever his mental disposition, he was here now and that was all there was to it. Besides, it had taken him three years to get around to doing it. Now that he was finally doing it, he wasn't about to go back just because he was little homesick for his smithy. Besides, he'd left it in very capable hands; he wasn't too worried, all in all. He was trying to enjoy himself and the sights instead of longing for the heat of smelted metal, the ring of a hammer pounding a fine axe or a sharp sword into perfect shape, the roar of the furnace in perfect harmony with the waves of heat that radiated throughout the room.

He sighed. It was no use. He wouldn't be nearly as happy outside the forge as he would inside it, even if he was just watching - though of course, he preferred to be doing. Nonetheless, he was here now and that was all there was to it. He started to set up camp as he awaited the setting of the sun, deciding he'd stay here for a day or two. Perhaps he'd teach himself to fish. Whatever he did, though, he was determined to at least try to enjoy his stay here. It was most certainly very beautiful, at least, so that in and of itself was a major motivating factor.

Thundra had been flying through the air, her wings flowing in the wind her emerald green eyes watching below her looking for something, anything that would be entertianment. As she was flying she saw someone, a man, down by the lake, she wanted a good dip in cold water anyway, so she flew down on the opposite side behind a tree and landed on the ground. She pulled back her beak as though she was doing something as simple as taking of a mask. The next moment her bird like composure fell and her feathers shead looking as though she were only taking off a cape of some sorts.

Thundra's lean body crawled through the short grass to the bush watching the man take slow purposefull steps in deep thought, when he had his back turned she ran in the direction of the lake on the oppisite side and slowly slid into the water, the water carresing her olive skin, her long brown hair turing into a black as the water slid into every strand.

Thundra decided to aproach the man, so she swam underneith the water until she was to the other side, then when he was close she slowly let her head and neck show from the water putting her arms on the grass. She smiled up at the man showing rows of white teeth. "What are you doing alone in the breaking dusk?" She asked tilting her head to one side.

At first, Gautrif was merely getting his things together and preparing to set up camp. Finally, though, his camp was set up and he put a fire together. His back was turned to the lake as he got it going, so he didn't see the mad dash or the dive into the lake. He didn't notice anything at first even as he turned around and sat down to get out some food. He was hungry. In his pack, he found some jerked beef and some bread. He pulled them out and grabbed some water from the lake. It was freshwater, of course, so he didn't have to worry about boiling it before he drank it. He sipped the water as he ate.

As he was sipping the water, though, he noticed something swimming below. He wasn't sure what it was at first, though it seemed roughly humanoid in appearance. Then he noticed a head pop up to reveal a rather beautiful woman staring at him. His gaze was drawn to her only partly at first, though he found his eyes wandering down more and more as he saw that the neckline of whatever she was wearing was extremely low - until he realized she wasn't wearing anything. As in, absolutely nothing. Though he might not have noticed that he was swiftly turning beet-red, he certainly felt his cheeks and neck getting very hot indeed.

He averted his eyes quickly, clearing his throat several times and trying not to look upon the radiant, tanned creature of artistic beauty in all her natural form. In short, he was highly embarrased. So embarrassed, in fact, that he didn't immediately realize she was asking him a question. He responded in what was perhaps a manner made only slightly gruff by his embarrasment.

"Camping," was all he could think to say in his present state as he tried not to stare.

When thundra shifted she lifted up her beak and took of her feathers like a cape, so her feathers were ina cloak like form laying behind the tree, and she had no dress with her so she was indeed naked, she kept the water for concelement though for this lake was fairly dark. She smiled politely when she noticed his face going bright red. For a moment she raised her eye brows.

When he replied camping she smiled largely. "Dont camp in this part its not safe, I live in a tent actually down in the forest where I do my fortune telling. You should camp near there very few dark creatures like it there, and I know how to do a protection circle. I suggest you camp there, but you can camp here if you wish. I'm Thundra by the way, if you wish to have your fortune told durring your camping trip I live in that direction." Thundra pointed to the mountains, many signs led to her tent and home.

Thundra's home was indeed a tent with silver stars on it, but it was enchanted, on the inside it looked like a small basic square, but on the inside it held many rooms, and a high ceiling. It had many lush pillows and silk falling curtains, it was a comfortable home that she loved and had grown attatched to. And it was her way of living, that of a fortune teller.

Thundra shifted a little in the water and waited for his reply, while she waited she observed, he was rather large in mucle, had a beard and thick hair. He looked to be a tad bit older than herself.

"I, um...I can handle myself. Pretty well."

He cleared his throat for about the tenth time. He was desperately trying not to look at the beautiful woman. He couldn't figure out what to do about her; that was the problem. Fifty years of handling orcs, goblins, duergar, drow, and barbarians and he couldn't handle one damn female. What was wrong with him? So she was nude. So what? But that was the whole point: she was completely nude - and she was very beautiful.

Of course, it was more because of his decency that he couldn't look upon her lovely body. Those fine curves, that soft skin, that brazen beauty...all made him start to sweat as he slowly but surely turned redder and redder. The thoughts now running through her head would have been blasphemous no matter what religion one practiced, but they only served to make him wonder at his own sanity. It wasn't right for him to look upon this heavenly woman in such a state. She had no clothes on. He wasn't married to her. He wasn't her lover. Then again, he almost wished he was. But blood and ashes, she wasn't even of his race. She wasn't a dwarf. Still, that wasn't much of an excuse. Her figure alone was enough to make a half-orc sweat blood.

As he desperately tried to allow her to retain her modesty, though she truly seemed to be oblivious and completely innocent in nature, Gautrif's eyes somehow managed to find hers - and then found her body once more. He stared against his will, drawn like a moth to the flame. That sensuous form...he finally managed to tear his eyes away and cleared his throat yet again.

Thundra couldnt help but laugh he was turning bright red and was staring. She was completely aware that she was naked but after transforming her whole life she got used to the fact that after she shifted she was naked. "Are you sure?" She asked laughing when he claimed he could handle himself. He obviously was flustering now.

Thundra smiled. "Can you hold on a sec." She dove underwater showing her legs as she dove under the surface. She swam to the other side, went behind the bush and fetched her feather cloak. She put it over her shoulders and closed the front, but didnt put the beak over her face for if she had she would have surly shifted and he wasnt ready to know. She walked back to him and sat on the ground near the water running a finger making patterns in the water. The cloak didnt cover up allot of her legs but she didnt really mind.

Thundra smiled. She put her long hair out of her face and began to speak hoping his face would go down a couple shades in red now that she had most of herself covered up. "Well I guess I can take your word for it I havent seen you get yourself in trouble yet." Thundra looked arround at his small tent and food. "Well if you need anything at all let me know I would be glad to help." She smiled and winked at him.

I need a woman. That's what I need, he thought privately to himself as another flurry of erotic images flooded his consciousness. He couldn't help but stare once more at the woman, though at least she was clothed now. Then again, he almost wished she wasn't.

He shook himself mentally at that thought. That wasn't right...he didn't even know her. He knew her name, at least - Thundra, odd name though that was - but that wasn't much to go on. Other than that, he knew she had one hell of a body - one that would make monks go insane and sailors drink an ocean of liquor. By the gods, what he would do to that body if it was his to do...but this time he shook his head for real. That was his male mind speaking to him, one he usually didn't hear.

In fact, this was the only the second time he'd ever heard that part of him speak that strongly. Oh, sure, he'd had certain thoughts about certain dwarf women before. He was a man, after all - a creature of habit and of lust. Being dwarf, human, elf, or even orc didn't matter; males were attracted to females and vice versa regardless of race - males more strongly than females, of course. It was completely natural. But the woman he'd had thoughts that powerful about before blushed, smiled, and then went off to marry another dwarf before he could so much as think of making a move almost thirty years ago. He'd liked her, too. she'd been a nice girl, hard worker, non-complainer. She'd have made him a nice wife.

But he was living in the past. He needed his thoughts to return to the present - and at least try to stay away from Thundra's magnificent bosom and...certain other parts of her wondrous body. Clearing his throat gruffly one last time, he did seem to get a little more tanned and a little less red now that she had - whatever it was she was wearing - on. It seemed to be some kind of cloak, but it was apparently made of feathers. Odd-looking feathers they were, too - like nothing he'd ever seen, anyway. They almost seemed to glow with some inner fire, like a forge just waiting to smelt metal and shape it into something beautiful.

For that is what the items he crafted were to him: beautiful. They were more than merely tools, weapons, armour, or other such things. They were works of art, things he had put his heart and soul into. This was the way of all dwarfs, of course. When an elf made something, they made it based on the lore of ages past; it was wonderful and beautiful in its own right, while being practical at the same time, but it was not nearly so individualistic as the elf would have claimed it to be. When a dwarf made something, though, he poured all that he was into it. He poured all his memories, all his emotions, all his life into that one single hammer strike. Again and again and again he struck and shaped and worked and struck again, forging not a weapon but a piece of history: something that would far outlive its owner and make itself renowned if only in battle. It was a shame that such things were treated so poorly after. Dwarfs treated armour and weapons roughly, it was true, but they at least took care of them. They didn't leave the nicks, dents, and scratches in a weapon or a suit of armour for any reason, let alone some dim-witted idiocy humans called pride. They mended the damage.

Perhaps his slight homesickness was good in the present context. He was certainly looking much better, though he wasn't thinking of the luscious woman before him any more appropriately. At least he was trying, though.

"So, um...what brings a woman such as yourself out here in such an apparently dangerous place? Hm?"

A woman like her...she'd shown up swimming naked in the lake, after all. Just thinking about it still made him sweat and blush. And yet she was worried about him? Ha!

Thundra realized that he brought up a good point, she did look rather weak and helpless to any stranger, but to those who knew her knew that she was strong in many ways. She was able to protect her mind, her body, and her spirit. And, at the same time maintained a positive outlook on the world. That was a strenght beyond measureable muscle capacity.

Weather or not she should fear or mistrust this man she knew, as a fortune teller she was good at reading the vibes that radiated off people when the spoke and acted. He didnt send of any thing negative other than the fact that many questionable images could easily be racing through his head.

This one seemed like he was of good nature, not evil, strong physically, and a nice person, though flustered by some women like herself. She smiled and gave him the answer that didnt make her look stupid. "I live in that forest like I said so I know when it is that the dark creatures rome and when they do not. I also saw you and thought I would give you a simple warning, and also a free palm reading in hopes you would come and pay for a full fortune."

Thundra put a hand on his shoulder and traced her fingers down to his palm where she genlty put up his palm face and traced every line with her pointer finger lightly. She kissed his palm before closing her eyes and slowly reading his life line. "Hummm well, you will live a long life due to your species and physical strenght." She then traded lines and put her finger on another. "You will have romance in your life in the near future with an unexpected stranger." She smiled up at him for a moment before putting his palm down. "Thats all the free sample."

Gautrif let her do what she would, not really knowing much about fortune telling and the like himself. He was an herbalist, it was true, but most of his were medicinal remedies and things some people might consider spells. He wasn't much of a wizard, of course; he was a fighter, mostly. But he could handle himself both in and out of combat for the most part. It was magic that escaped him, though not entirely. He knew a spell or two, though he didn't really remember them. They weren't his forte, after all.

But his beard hid a very small grin of amusement at her comment about his physical prowess and duration of life. Yeah, he'd live long and hit hard when he needed to - that was for sure. But she was might or might not be accurate in her telling. Him, a surly dwarf, with a woman by his side? Heh. He wasn't too sure about that one. Oh, sure, he liked women well enough; the girl another dwarf had stolen from him years ago had nice sideburns and an attractive little goatee he typically associated with the artists back in Ondolond - the ones with the funky glasses and caps. Plus the bald head had been amusing and interesting to poke fun at; it was hilarious when she got red-faced and riled about it, proud as she'd been of her shiny bald head.

All in all, though, Gautrif just didn't see him making jewelry instead of weapons, armour, and tools. He couldn't quite picture himself doing anything different than he'd done previously. If he did end up getting a woman in his life, she'd have to deal with him; he wasn't about to change his ways. Oh, he might compromise on some things - but he was as stubborn as any other dwarf for the most part and wasn't going to do a complete one-eighty just because a woman told him to.

"Well," he said in his kind yet slightly gruff voice deep as was typical for a dwarf, "we'll just have to see, won't we?"

He winked at her, clearly amused. He was trying, anyway. He was also trying not to remember every single curve, line, and shadow of her naked body. That was embarrassing, good imagery though it was.

Thundra smiled getting up and walking a couple inches closer to him. Her eyes held a sparkle in them that showed mischief and playfulness. “Well if you wish to meet me again I will be at the village in the pubs, I wont tell you which one though you will have to figure that out on your own babe. But I'll be in one of them dancing. It will be very late in the night.” Thundra smiled and leaned just a little bit closer. “ I hope you come. I don't like to be kept waiting.” Thundra ran past the lake and into the tree's laughing.

Thundra took one more glance behind her shoulder before pulling the beak over her face and forming into a majestic thunder bird. When she flew over him she cawed once before flying to her part of the forest, where she controlled the fortunes and the stars.

Thundra landed in front of the star embellished tent. On the inside it looked small, but on the inside it was vast, had many rooms and could be a nice home. Thundra smiled, pulled back the flap and headed to the bed room and went through her trunk looking for the perfect night outfit. She opened the trunk and put her hands in the mess of clothes until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a black corset with ties going all down the front and two single thin spaghetti straps to hold it up, there was a skirt with it, the skirt was made of layers and layers of flowing sheer black fabrics, and up the side there was a slit that went up to the ending of the corset where her leg could be seen through. Perfect! She thought to herself.

At 2:30 AM Thundra slipped into the dress her leg showing out the slit in the side. She left her long brown hair down cascading down her back. Her green eyes were enhanced by the blue, purple, and green make-up she had on her eyes making them look like peacock feathers. She also had peacock feathers in her hair. Thundra looked at herself in the mirror and smiled before leaving her tent and going into the village.

Thundra walked through the dark until she found one of the more active pubs, there was multi-color lights coming from the windows and spilling onto the dirt ground. Thundra smiled before turning to knob and opening the door, she closed the door quietly. A new song was starting on stage. She walked past the bar where the bartender watched her walk by and past several tables before coming to the stage. The music began and she danced, her hips and body flowed with the music as she moved.

Now that he thought about it, he had seen a village in the distance as he'd approached the lake. He thought about it for a short while as he had his small meal, small only because he was trying to save the food. Long journey that this was, he needed all he could get. He was sure he'd run out just when he needed it most. Regardless, he stared off into the distance as most of the lanterns and torches went out slowly over the next hour. Finally, as Gautrif finished his meal and put the rest away for later, he made his decision. He could use a good bit of music for a change, and since he had no tent, it wouldn't be that hard to get there.

He kicked dirt over the flames of the campfire he had going and started packing up what little camp he'd made. Being a dwarf who'd spent a good portion of his life in the mines underground, he needed no light at all to see as well as any wolf in the night. He found himself glancing up and looking around him warily as that thought sparked in his head, though, for wolves were more dangerous at night than they were during the day. While most wolves left people alone - they didn't like people and stayed away from them as much as possible - a starving wolf would have no qualms about attacking the first piece of meat it saw. That was the problem with wild wolves: for them, it was kill or be killed. Yet at the same time, Gautrif respected that - and not just respected it, but admired it. For wolves, life was simple: hunt to eat and feed the pack, raise young, and never stay in one place for too long. That was similar to the life of a dwarf, though of course dwarfs had minds that thought in greater terms than those of wolves. Still, he admired wolves for their beauty and family life as well as for their endurance and simplicity. Really, he wasn't so different from them at all; no dwarf was when they were stripped down to the core.

It didn't take long for Gautrif to be on his way. It took a lot longer to reach the village as he had to traipse around the lake a bit for the better part of two hours, but he finally made it there. The village was very tiny even to one such as Gautrif, for whom a mile took twice as long to walk as it did a human. There were a few small houses; a grass-covered road marked only by an old, faded sign nigh to falling over that said something about an outlying farm some three miles north by northeast; a church of some kind - there was a bronze sculpture of a woman with a bowl over her head and a sword through her belly high above the tall doors; and a stable sitting next to an inn and pub. It was the pub for which the dwarf headed. There seemed to be no one out on the streets and it was no wonder why they had abandoned the dirt road leading through the one-horse town. As Gautrif was walking, he stopped as he noticed a wolf trotting through the village; the wolf also stopped and the pair looked at each other for a few moments before the dwarf nodded solemnly to the wolf. After another moment, he headed on his way; the wolf wasn't bothering him, so there was no reason to bother the wolf. He noticed it trotting away warily through the night out of the corner of his eye as he finally reached the boardwalk just outside the inn and pub.

Despite the seemingly 'quiet' mode of the tavern just inside the worn oak door, there were a few people talking and laughing here and there. Someone was playing a harp in one corner of the room with a bored expression on his face. It was halfling who looked half-drunk, half-asleep, and fully ready for nothing short of bed. No doubt he'd jump at the chance for an adventure - but right now, Gautrif had none for him. He liked the solitude. He turned toward the bar and set his bag down heavily as he reached it. He climbed up onto a stool and ordered a pint mug of the strongest, darkest ale they had. He dropped some coppers onto the counter that were quickly scooped up in exchanged for the near-black beverage frothing before him. The froth would not dissipate for some time, he knew. He picked up the flagon and took a satisfying gulp. He sighed pleasantly as he pulled the mug away from his bearded face and belched lightly, using his beard to wipe his beard free of at least some of the small amount of ale that had spilled over into it. He stopped to stare as he looked about the room during the course of another deep drink, for he had seen someone he recognized: the woman from only a short bit ago.

He watched her as he finished his second gulp of the bitter black ale and as he put his flagon slowly back down to the counter. He wiped his beard again, absently this time and without belching, as he watched the girl. She had some talent in her, that was a certainty; then again, with legs like that, an idjit would have danced well.

Thundra was dancing with the music the notes flowed under her skin, in every fiber of her hair, skin, and emerald eyes. The sheer fabrics flowed arround her legs like water. The song ended and Thundra jumped up and down clapping and shouting for the singer. She tossed her long brown hair and walked over to the bar, her heels clicking on the wood of the bar, the mist clouding arround her body.

As Thundra walked to the bar she noticed that the man from earlier that night was sitting watching the crowd. He actually found me. What do ya know? She thought to herself before smiling and waving a light hand at the man. He was drinking and a couple drops of ale lay in his beard. She couldnt help but roll her eyes and laugh out loud her smile flashing in the dark bar. She tossed her hair and took a seat by him.

Thundra crossed her legs, the slit of the dress revealing much of her long legs and light olive skin. She smiled abd put one elbow on the bar, she turned to the bar tender and smiled. "Tigers blood on the rox please." She said the bar tender nodded once befoer going off to mix her drink.

Thundra turned her attentions to the man. "Well I didnt expect you to come wandering looking for one lone woman in the night. I must say I am suprised you found me. But scince you have I think we should play all through the night." She said with a quick wink.

As the music slowed to a gentle stop, the girl dancing before Gautrif also stopped - albeit not nearly so slowly. Hers was an abrupt halt, but graceful nonetheless as one who'd danced a thousand lifetimes to ten thousand songs. She was a ballerina dancing in harmonious perfection with every beat, every note, every chord amongst clumsy fools with three left feet and a ball-and-chain besides. She was a goddess amongst mortals, an elephant amongst ants as she pirouetted and bounced and slid like no man ever could - especially a dwarf. In short, though his face did not show it, he was in awe. His eyes showed it if nothing else did.

As she came to the bar, he hurriedly buried himself in his drinking and quickly ordered another. He was finished with the first almost before he had made the silent, raised-hand order for the second and the empty was switched for the full almost immediately, somehow spilling none. Gautrif felt he was going to need all the ale he could get in him tonight as he tossed down a couple of more coppers and muttered to himself, "Bottoms up." He had downed half the dark-brewed concoction in almost an instant - certainly in a swift quadruple-gulp - and was just putting it down when the girl came to sit next to him and ordered a drink of her own.

He blushed as the slit in the side of her dress - Thundra, he remembered her name was - showed a bit more leg than he was used to. Of course, he was mostly remembering certain images from earlier that evening - which, of course, only made him blush more. He was beet-red when she made her comment about "playing all through the night". He smiled as best he could, though, and responded with a seemingly strained voice that sounded much as though he'd only just learned how to use it and hadn't thoroughly practiced talking with it yet.

"G'eve', Thundra," he said gruffly, though he meant no disrespect in his voice; it was simply his manner. He was a dwarf, after all. "I figured I might as well sleep in a bed for once. Been on the road for nigh on three weeks now, an' nary a bed but for the gravel an' grass b'neath me. I'm used to it, o' course, but sometimes a bed's nice. Besides, I was runnin' out o' ale. And how're you this evenin'?"

((OCC I'm changing my char AGAIN permanitly this time so I will stop this topic but restassured I will start a new one with you shortly I appologize for the delay and such, but watch for me in the cbox!!!))

((In which case, I'll just finish out my part in this topic to end it. Deserter. <_< :p ))

Gautrif talked with the woman a bit amidst the pleasant music and folk in the tavern. What started out as small, however, soon turned to talk of the present situation in the larger cities to the north. It was in this manner that he came to learn of growing trouble with what could be drow (people weren't entirely certain, as they came cloaked and hooded at night for the rather bloody raids) to the west. From the sound of things, more and more people were dying and there had even been rumor of dwarfs killing people. Gautrif, of course, knew better. He knew at once that those were no dwarfs - not by the description Thundra gave him, which she'd heard from other travelers passing through the village along their road to other, more distant locations throughout Arda. They were duergar, the evil kin of the dwarfs that had been taken by the drow many centuries ago, tortured, driven mad, and enslaved. They were even bred to produce more duergar. They were the drow's playthings, essentially. With this knowledge in him, Gautrif's mood and features darkened considerably. There was anger and hatred in his eyes - of the drow; of the duergar; of the events themselves.

Thundra must have seen that something was amiss, for she tried then to return Gautrif to the world of pleasant ale and good company. But it was no use. In the end, she drifted away from the surly dwarf as he muttered to himself. He no longer enjoyed his ale. Now it was merely a tasteless concoction that he drank only because it was before him. He pulled out his pipe, filled the bowl, lit it, and smoked a while as he sat there at the bar. He was deep in thought about what to do now. If the drow were growing bolder, then the duergar most certainly were an extension of that and would only make bad happenings worse. The drow themselves were evil and dangerous enough as it was, but duergar were almost as dangerous in their own way. While drow relied on the darkness and the element of surprise, duergar - like dwarfs - were heartier than most human warriors and lived quite a long time besides. He was now three weeks out from the Ered Annon Mountains and another month from where the happenings were said to take place. Right now, things were just rumors; they hadn't yet begun to boil. But he was certain they would be boiling over by the time he got there.

At the same time, though, the raids posed a significant threat to his kin in the mountains. Though they were not of his clan, they were his kin nonetheless - if only by race and lifestyle. The duergar alone posed a great problem for them, not only hindering their trade but a match for them in battle. Yet the drow were slavers; they took dwarfs and turned them into duergar for the fun of it. It was this last that finally decided him long after his ale was gone and the drifting smoke from the pipe clenched between his teeth had dwindled to fast-dying embers. He would go back to the Ered Annon Mountains. He would seek what allies he could in Ondolond, but then he would go to the villages nearest the Annon-en-Groth mines and help his fellow dwarfs fight off the constant attacks from the dwarfs' racial enemy, the duergar. He would go tonight, he decided, and damn the danger of traveling by moonlight or darkness to the Underworld. He'd be an adder's tail if he wasn't going to help his brethren. With that thought, he emptied his pipe and pocketed it. Throwing a couple of more coppers down for good measure and hefting his pack, he headed out to see what could be done about reaching Ondolond more quickly than he had traveled to Lake Aelin. Looks like his adventures were over - or were they?