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A veiled woman approached the king and silently handed him a scroll. This is what he read:

From the Land of the Vanquished Saracens
Having escaped the Evil Overlord Burro-Cratzi
For a short sojourn in your kingdom
Riding across the seas in the belly of a beast
Comes the Prodigal Daughter

The king seemed befuddled as he read the scroll. The words were strange to his eyes and tongue and the meaning hovered out of his reach. The attending crowd had a curious mixture of expressions, from amusement to excited anticipation. Even the queen seemed to be teasing the king. His family and friends gathered close around and nibbled at the words.

"Saracens," said one, "is another word for Arabs."

"I've heard of that Burro-Cratzi character," said another. "I think we had one in the country I left."

"Sir," said one of the king's closest friends, "don't you have another daughter who has lived far over the seas?" The king looked from one to the other and back to the veiled one before him as his eyes widened with dawning realization.

Finally the woman dropped her veil and she was revealed to be the king's long-absent daughter. The crowd erupted in laughter and hugs and a few tears of happiness.

The queen stood by in delight, having received an early missive of the surprise visit. But her glow of fore-knowledge was soon to burst.

Another scroll appeared in her daughter's hand and was presented to the queen:

As did Gandalf travel
With those of short stature
So does the Prodigal Daughter.
Sadly, the company is incomplete.

The queen understood her message and was both happily surprised and sadly shocked as her twin grandchildren emerged through the door but without their younger brother. (She was to learn later that cruel fate had barred the young-one's travel to Pan-Tree. Yet the oracles have said that he will come the next year.)

The king, always attentive to the business of his realm and to the well-being of his people, sent out the Captain of the Guard to escort home the last road crew out on the land. He wanted to be sure that these workers also shared in the evening festivities. In the meantime a great feast was laid out and all present ate, drank and were satiated. But the Captain and the crew were still not back and the king began to worry.

In the meantime, Mage Chatterbox, the king's wizard, offered to lead a tour of the new folk to the Hawk Shrine, the most revered site in the land of Pan-Tree. A happy and talkative throng followed him. But before they reached the shrine the group passed the opening of a new road and there they saw a grisly sight.

The road crew was slaughtered and Cepheus, the Captain of the Guard, was mortally wounded. As he lay perishing the mage heard the Captain murmur, "…from all sides…they came…out of nowhere… attacking…." In the darkening woods the people saw a burst of fire and sparks and as they lifted the Captain there was an explosive discharge just beyond their circle.

With fear and heavy trepidation the people returned to the Inn carrying the Captain. They told the grisly story as wagons were organized to bring in the members of the road crew.

At dawn the population of Pan-Tree and the eager settlers gathered in the streets talking and planning. They decided the land must be searched for hints and clues to the evil forces at work. Some banded in patrols and some ventured alone. All were armed, some with weapons of steel and others with magic.

Many visited the apothecary to be supplied with healing potions or syrups of strength. However the chemist of Pan-Tree is quite absent-minded and often forgets to label her potions. Since she also carries a supply of mild poisons for use against ravaging animals (or husbands) one must be careful of the item purchased in her domain.

The royal surveyor issues land grab permits to the Prodigal Daughter and Askralus, the magic user.

One of the long-time inhabitants of Pan-Tree is the druid, White Witness. Adventurers may petition for her favors. She is a highly sensitive soul and if approached crudely will simply use her favors to protect herself. However, if one approaches her with care and consideration she may grant three favors according to the needs of the petitioner.

In the great meadow an enchanted statue of Bilbo sits upon an old oak stump. He speaks only to children and held great secrets for the children running the land during this difficult time. It seems that a treasure of his was stolen, cut up into several pieces and these were scattered throughout the land. He recently had news that the gnomes had found them all and were keeping them safe. The statue asked the children to find the gnomes holding his treasure pieces and bring them safely back to him. He hinted of a great reward.

Early on, many of the adventurers happened upon Fairy Isle. The fairies like to play tricks on humans and though they held many secrets that would have helped the adventurers, they also set out many tricks and trip-ups for them. Apparently, few of the humans looked past the tricks and did not receive much help from the fairies.

Among the diverse settlers was a rather ragged pirate with a thick brogue and a trailing zombie. The zombie had once been a beautiful thing who had been captured by the pirate. Apparently there had been a battle; the pirate ship had sunk with the beauty locked in the hold. Thus, the pirate was cursed by her undead body trailing him the rest of his life. These two became an active force in the land. They were fleet and determined and covered much ground.

Meanwhile, the Wizard Solarius had teamed up with Kcin the ninja. They had visited the Hawk Shrine early in the day to give their obeisances. There they found a curtain of ribbons and a message to select one of them and wear it on their garb. Each ribbon carried a power for the wearer. Neither of them chose a blue ribbon which would have protected them from compulsion spells.

Later Solarius happened upon the Rabbit Shrine which awarded him with a small golden key. The rabbits also gave him a spell with the key and told him to hold it in secret in his mind. Solarius and Kcin continued their trek into the depths of the forest.

The pirate and zombie had traveled far in the land but missed most of the helpful clues the forest folk could have given them. They did happen upon the Frog shrine. As most of us know, frogs are a sign of fertility and thus associated with women. The pirate made the mistake of approaching the Frog Shrine. Whoosh…he was flung backwards into the old Ent who tripped him into the tangle vines which then threw him into the creek. The zombie did not follow him into the creek. Instead she approached the shrine, found a lovely necklace and a clue to the location of an important spot in the valley to the west.

Later they happened upon the Coon shrine where the smart zombie held back, figuring rightly, that if one shrine was for women… The pirate sauntered boldly up to the coons. Here, after being forced to leave a tribute, he learned that a site of evil was close by and how he could find it. Rushing headlong into the forest the Pirate did find a portal of evil.

He had earlier gained a blue ribbon from the Hawk Shrine and was thus protected from the compulsion spell of the portal. This compulsion spell had been the source of death in the land, for it compelled the captured soul to take possession of the weapon presented and go forth and kill.

The talisman left by the good-folk was also present and messages thereon revealed that it must be returned to the king to rid the land of evil-however it was bound with a golden lock and the pirate did not have a key.

While Solarius had been busy with the rabbits and others, his accomplice, Kcin had been registering his choice of land with the Royal Surveyor. Kcin and the young wench who worked at the apothecary shop had taken to the woods to, ostensibly, find a good piece of land for Kcin. They had located a piece he felt was a prime location since it was close to an established fort. Only later did Solarius learn that the fort was haunted by the ghosts of soldiers slaughtered at their post.

Nearby, Solarius and Kcin located one of the evil portals through clues they had gathered on their treks. Through conversation with a local Ent and stirrings of his magical insight, Solarius knew that the portal site should not be approached frivolously. Realizing that neither he nor Kcin had protection against compulsion spells but that Kcin was possessed by a guiding demon, Solarius added a spell of blindness against compulsion.

Thus Kcin was able to enter the portal, block the evil demands, and, with the key from the rabbits, unlock and retrieve the talisman. He then used the spell given by the rabbits to lock the portal, temporarily preventing the loosing of evil into the land. Solarius and Kcin soon located two more portals and repeated this process.

After a long, hot morning many people returned to the Inn for sustenance and regrouping. Solarius and Kcin met anew and plotted in muted tones. The wench joined the Prodigal daughter and her gaggle of children who lurched throughout the forest stumbling on clues and portents.

Just after locking the third portal they were set upon by the Prodigal Daughter and her gaggle of young-bloods. The attacking hoard mistakenly thought that Solarius and Kcin were stealing the talisman. Kcin defended with furious abandon and the battle was fierce and bloody. With fevered application of healing potions and spells, Kcin defeated all before him.

Early on some witnesses tried to convince him of the error in the motives of attack, but Kcin was an assassin at heart and knew only death as an end to battle. In sadness over the waste, Solarius sent prayers to the gods, calmed his partner and buried the dead.

Finally, Solarius and Kcin marched out to the village and presented the King with their three talismans. But, to their chagrin, they learned that this was not the complete set. Yet another talisman was locked to a portal in the forest.

Unnoticed, and snickering in self-congratulations, the pirate watched this exchange. As Solarius slumped away from the Royal Tavern, exhausted with his extensive efforts throughout the day, the pirate stealthily approached. And the bargaining began. The pirate had a blue ribbon against compulsion and knew the location of the last portal. Solarius had the key. (The rabbits had offered other keys but they had been snatched up as pretty trinkets by the children-not aware of their real purpose.) The pirate tried to bribe Solarius for the key, to no avail. Finally, it was agreed that they would work together on the last portal. Unfortunately, Solarius allowed the pirate to carry the key and the pirate took quick advantage of the mage's tired body.

From his years at sea the pirate was lithe and strong. He soon outdistanced the Mage Solarius and then loped ahead to the portal. Before Solarius and the trailing band of onlookers could reach him, the pirate had retrieved the talisman and locked the portal. Then, to everyone's dismay he dashed away, over the hill, along the ridge, across the road, through the maze, over the rabbit warren and deep into the northern forest.

"WHY?" screamed the throng with Solarius. "Doesn't he know that we need the final talisman to bind the staff, to lock out the evil portals?"

Apparently he didn't know, and, as with all pirates, was only looking out for himself. He cached the talisman with other treasurers he had accumulated that day and casually sauntered back to the Tavern. Upon sight of the rogue, all the people present set upon him and demanded the return of the talisman. He finally realized it wasn't worth his life and he led Solarius to his cache.

The pirate did demand a strange reward. One of his collected treasures was a stone book of spells. He asked the two mages, Solarius and Chatterbox, if they could bring the zombie woman back to life. The two mages took hold of the book and concentrated. They found the spell to restore life. The only ingredient required was half the soul of a living person.

After much thought and silliness, the pirate decided to give the woman half his soul for her life. The couple faced each other and stood between the two mages. The two mages began to chant the spell within the book. The air swirled around the foursome. It became charged with magic. The chant rose in volume until a magical flash occurred and the woman was restored to life. The mages declared them a bound couple. The group returned to the king with the fourth Talisman.

With all four talismans in his possession the king called an audience of all the people. With magic of the good-folk and spells of his Mage's creation, amid flares of fire, sparks of lightening, smoke of colors and cheers of the people the king bound the four talisman into a great staff of power that closed the portals of evil forever.

Thus ended MNLA II

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