\--==Official Submission==-- FROM: Lieutenant Haplo RE: A Mad Mage''s Journal Brothers and Sisters, So, we continue the story of the mad mage found in Sage Absalom's care. For the past few weeks, I've been doing some extensive research on the Seven Charms (mentioned in his journal) and the incantations that our fellow used to get into the Etheral plane. The monks in Yew were very helpful, and I would like to formally thank them in this report. I was able to uncover what the Seven Charms were. It seems that these charms are used as wards against whatever it is that naturally inhabits the etheral plane. The keep the traveler safe from harm... well, physical harm that is. However I was unable to uncover the exact incantations that were used to enter the etheral plane. The monks of yew were unable to assist other than to give me the name of a Necromancer that inhabits Serpent's Hold, and that's where our story begins. After Sunday night's training, Captian Shade, PFC Venom, Draven, Myself, and the Captian's wife decided to take a journy over to Serpent's Hold to see if we could uncover the abode of the Necromancer Solianius. We made a short stop in Skara Brae to pick up some additional support in the form of Evin of Winterfell, Hannah, Ian and Kerris. We then gated to Serpent's hold and looked about for the Necromancer. Draven located him in the back of Serpent's Hold mage shop, and we all gathered there. Entering his den was like walking into a crypt. I'm not very often spooked, but this man definatly was not all there. After a short conversation, he admitted to knowing the nessicary incantations, but said that in return he needed us to pay a price. That price being some items nessicary for his craft. We were set to retrieve 2 vials of blood from a blood elemental, 2 blackmore, and 5 bone chips. Not very easy things to come buy. We shook on the deal and returned to Northwood. Upon returning to northwood, we were rejoined by the training group who had sojurned to Shame for some real time training. Several of them decided to accompany us to the dungon to get the Bone and Blackmore. Lybor knew that Blacmore was held by Lich Lords, and the bone chips could be recovered from skeletal mages, and he also had a rune that would lead us strait into the dragons mouth so to speak. The trip there was somewhat uneventful. We were a force of sufficent size to fell the lich and mages, and recovered the nessicary items. We returned to northwood with the items, and then moved on to Shame to retrieve the blood from the elementals, which was again done with minimal losses. I'm not going to detal the battles here though, suffice to say that the Rose is always more than capable of handling monsters with force. Having recovered the items, It's now time to return to Serpent's Hold and fufil our end of the bargan. Once I get the incantations, I'm going to attempt to recreate the mages experiment and see if I can discern what the disturbances in the Etheral plane may be indicating. Yours in service to the Rose, Lt. Haplo Darkblade Keeper of the Annals.