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2nd Trilogy: The Search for Black Alice

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  You know little of  Great Mbo , my homeland, and that is not surprising, for no foreigners are permitted there. The Empire has been closed to outsiders for a thousand years, by decree of  The God-King , saving the trade city of  Bawaaba  where outsiders are tightly controlled . So,  I will tell you of my homeland.  Know now that b eyond these  Thousand Isles , far  to the west is a vast continent of desert and jungle, watered by giant rivers. Cradle of an ancient civilization, and home to mighty pyramid cities, powerful gods, and ancient magics.  This land, which we call Great Mbo or The Land of Seven Rivers, is vast beyond comprehension. Even if dry land ran from  The Northern Reach  to the Southern, Great Mbo would still encompass that land and call it a province. The lector-priests claim 5000 leagues span from the eastern borders of the Empire, to the far western, and no man knows the distance from the northern coast to th...

Ok, New Plan

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  "OK, new plan," said Whisperleaf as they stared at the now fully active teleport circle. "No pirates. We do this ourselves." "And keep all the treasure," Ricmo agreed. Solving the activation sequence for the abandoned teleport circle hidden deep in the Annwyn Wing of Haven University had forced the companions to consider the details of the next step of their plan. Or Governor Davilia and Maria Teresa 's plan, at least. And the more they had considered it, the more flaws they had exposed. For one thing, it required rallying a large percentage of the fractious pirate captains and somehow getting them from Skull River Bay into position to attack the returning treasure fleet. During Hurricane season, no less. The only way to do that would be to bring the entire fleet through the Shadow and across the Shadow Sea . Difficult, very difficult. But it was really the pirates that had been the turnoff. "I mean, the problem with pirates is they are pirat...

To Take a Treasure Fleet

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       Maria Cristina offered Freddy another cup of tea and smiled at him. "We can never thank you enough, Freddy and friends. You saved us." Her husband, Governor Davila, nodded gravely. "Indeed. While my brave Musketeers would have sold their lives dearly, it was only a matter of time before they would have been overwhelmed. Without your intervention, even now, I would be in chains. Or worse.”      Davila suddenly stood up, rattling the fine china that adorned the large, richly adorned round table. The shock of his near escape seemed to be passing. His eyes burned with fury as he slapped one hand down on the table, hard, once again rattling china. "This will not stand sir, this will not stand! To assault me in my own abode! To do harm to my servants! To violate the Constitution of the Republic! The oligarchs have gone too far this time! We must take action. This will not stand!"     Maria Cristina laid a calming hand on her husband's arm. F...

Viva la Revolution!

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  "Well, the Mithran nuns seem to have driven them off," Dakhir reported, lowering his hands and letting the spell fade. From far down the boulevard, he could see flashes of white light, far away, but even at this distance, so bright it was painful to look at directly.  "The ones that are still alive anyway you cooked so many of them it smells like a fried chicken buffet over by the river," Ricmo replied, impressed.  "Firing cannon on an unarmed civilian crowd, I am not shedding any tears for them," Freddy replied grimly. "They killed scores of unarmed men, women and children before we interfered." "The interference was certainly moral," Tello agreed. "However, I wonder what we have interfered IN exactly." A swirling gale announced Whisperleaf's arrival. He was difficult to see when he took the form of air, but there was enough dust and smoke around to outline the ten-foot tall conical whirlwind that was Whisperleaf. The s...