Kevin L. O'Brien's Blog: Songs of the Seanchaí, page 8

Dreamlands Bestiary: The Kraken

The Kraken are a race of aquatic beings that live in the oceans of the Dreamworld. Almost nothing is known about them, other than rumor, because they live at depths exceeding 5000 feet and because there have been few encounters with any other race, including Dolphins and Mermaids. Descriptions from these encounters mention tentacles and squid-like eyes, but little else. This has led some scholars to speculate they may be the Dream-form of the Waking World giant or colossal squids, but there is no evidence to support this. Most Human encounters occur at the surface and tend to be described as attacks, but when it's possible to conduct investigations the evidence suggests otherwise. The remaining credible encounters describe benign occurrences where a Kraken breached the surface for a short time before resubmerging. Oddly enough, no carcasses have ever been recovered, unlike giant squids in the Waking World. All that the collective encounters agree upon is that the Kraken is huge, even by Waking-squid standards.

Mermaids are known to worship the Kraken as gods, and the Sahuagin are known to fear them. However, they worship a mysterious, gigantic shark that also lives below 5000 feet, and according to the Mermaids, the Kraken fear this predator that is even larger than they are. If the Cachalot, the supposed Dream-form of the Waking World sperm whale, actually exists, most scholars believe it feeds on the Kraken. There are persistent tales of solitary Humans befriending individual Kraken, but none of these have ever been confirmed, and they have the quality of urban legends in that they always happen to "a friend of a friend of a friend" or someone's "mother's sister's cousin". Nonetheless, for whatever it may be worth, these tales describe the Kraken as highly intelligent, gentle, and possessing a dry sense of humor.

Synopsis: Elissan Pirates (a Differel Dreamlands adventure)

On her third night in the Dreamlands, Sir Differel and Victor are sailing in the Mark of Elissa, on the Bay of Propontis south of the islands of Diaplo and Chryse in a sailing dinghy with a seaman named Jacopo. Above them her Wakiya, Eleanor d'Aquitaine, keeps pace. Jacopo was a former pirate who had his tongue cut out and was marooned by his colleagues because they feared he would turn them in. Though they were wrong, Victor rescued him and he turned state's evidence against them anyways. He now acts as an informant, keeping Victor apprised of shadowy goings on in the Mark.

Ostensibly they are out on a tour of the Mark so Differel can get acquainted with it, but really they are acting as a stalking horse. There have been numerous disappearances of fishermen and pleasure craft over the course of several months. Commodore Acacallis Mwinu, commander of the Punicae naval citadel on Imia, believes it is the work of pirates funded by Leng Men, but her naval patrols have failed to captured them, or discover their base. Jacopo proposed a ruse by which Victor and Differel would pose as newlyweds on a honeymoon to draw the pirates out. If it fails, Cdre. Mwinu will not be blamed, but if it succeeds, she can claim the credit, so she agreed to have a squadron of a dromon and three cutters standing ready at Makri.

As they approach the island of Gyaros, they are jumped by a half-dozen skiffs. They try to make a run for it, but are cut off by a Leng black galley. When boarded, Differel and Victor surprise them with their firepower and fighting prowess, but Jacopo is wounded and lost overboard, and the attackers numerical superiority proves too much. They are taken in chains to a secret cave complex under Gyaros, where they meet the pirate queen, Grace Beltis, a one-time captain in the Punicae navy and a former lover of Victor. She recognizes him, and Victor lies that Differel is just an adventurer he hired to play his bride. Beltis orders Differel removed to where the rest of the captives are being held and has Victor taken to her bedchamber.

Differel overpowers the two guards escorting her, but neither have a key for her manacles. She proceeds to the holding area and finds the captives imprisoned in a stockade. She also overhears two guards discussing that the black galley will depart the next day with them as slaves, and they'll finally get their pay and be able to leave. As she ponders what to do, she is jumped from behind, but she subdues her attacker, only to discover it's Jacopo. His wound looks worse than it really is. He is dressed in a guard's uniform and has a key to her manacles. He provides her with two of her wheellock pistols and a distraction so she can claim a uniform and a cutlass. With a headscarf to disguise her hair, she and Jacopo make it past the guards to the outside, where she sends Eleanor off to bring back the squadron.

She leaves Jacopo to keep an eye on the captives and goes after Victor. She finds him tied to Beltis's bed as she rides him. She is so distracted Differel walks in and pulls her off onto the floor by her hair. She forces Beltis onto her knees with her hands on her head and threatens to blow her brains out unless she reveals who she's working for, but she refuses, and Differel finally knocks her unconscious. She then frees Victor, and as he dresses she gags and hogties Beltis. She rifles through her work table and finds a letter of marque signed by the Prince of Dylath-Leen. She stuffs it down her shirt and she and Victor leave as Beltis wakes up.

They make their way back to Jacopo and she sends him off to commandeer boats to take the captives off. As she distracts the guards, Victor opens the stockade and the fishermen, some of them former naval seamen, rush out and overpower the guards. They raid an armory for weapons, and as Victor leads the captives out of the cave onto the shore, Differel and two captives set fire to the pirates' supplies. She rejoins Victor and they proceed to the hidden harbor, but are pursued by the pirate force. Differel makes a stand at a spot between a cliff and a breaker while Victor gets the captives away. The pursuing pirates are lead by Beltis, who got free after Differel left her. Differel challenges her, and she accepts, sending her men off to take another route. They engage in a vicious duel, a sort of swashbuckling catfight, but finally Differel manages to wound Beltis and she falls into the breakers and disappears.

Differel makes it to the harbor, where Jacopo had seized a yacht that the pirates had captured. They cast off before the pirates catch up with them and make it out of the harbor, firebombing some of the skiffs to prevent pursuit. However, the pirates still manage to chase after them, and they close in on the yacht as the black galley maneuvers to cut them off again. This time, Eleanor appears and attacks the skiffs, capsizing them, and the dromon and cutter squadron comes around the island. The galley tries to escape, but Eleanor hovers like a kestrel and blasts it with an electrical discharge, disabling it. As the cutters round up the pirates in the water and the dromon claims the galley, Differel and Victor share a private moment in which she tells him they need to have a talk about his former paramours.

Synopsis: Merchant Guards (a Team Girl Dreamlands adventure)

During their third night in the DL, TG are at the Amethyst Scorpion debuting a singing/dancing act. It goes over very well. Afterwards TB tells them he has lined up a job for them as TG Inc. There are merchants who sail the length of the Oukranos River, from its mouth at Hlanith to its source at Qahoe, and trade goods brought in by sea for goods brought across the desert from Tumbutu. They serve as middlemen so desert and sea traders do not have to go all the way to Tumbutu and back. A friend of his is one such merchant, and he wants to take a cargo of gold, pearls, cedar wood, and fluorescent glass from Celephais to Qahoe to trade for damascan steel, lapis lazuli, frankincense, and chilizon dye from Tumbutu. He needs guards to help protect his precious cargo going and back. He has hired three mercenaries he’s used before, but he wants two adventurers to pose as passengers to provide undercover protection. Tyco believes they would be perfect: no one would suspect them of being fighters. They will be well paid, including travel expenses, and if all goes as planned they will have a leisurely river cruise and nothing more. They jump at the chance.

When they discuss it with Medb later, she is adamant that they cannot go. She cannot accompany them, and they are as yet too green to go off on their own. However, she relents when Bruno the Cat volunteer to accompany them. Medb instructs them that their greatest asset will be their obscurity; having virtually no reputation at present, they can serve as a wild card should trouble occur, but she cautions them to listen to Shadow-stalker’s advice as to when to act; it may be that the presence of two cats could deter all but the most determined or desperate of bandits. In any event, she gives them her blessing. TG and Tyco concoct a cover story and later they meet the merchant. He is at first reluctant to accept them, but he trusts Tyco, and Medb’s endorsement sways him to accept.

Day 1

The next morning TG board a keelboat with the cats and the merchant and his mercenaries. With his cargo it is somewhat crowded, but TG are given a private space inside the cabin. Shadow and Bruno pay their way by hunting vermin. TG mostly sit on the roof of the cabin and watch the scenery pass by. By early afternoon they reach Thran. The captain explains that they cannot pole past the Dark Woods before nightfall, and they do not wish to camp either on its shore or the shore of the Enchanted Wood. So they will spent a few hours in Thran then pole up to the villa of Tarzi to spend the night. They don’t go straight to Tarzi because Thran has better amenities. TG spend the time shopping and make the acquaintance of a lady of Tumbutu. They almost miss the departure but go running back when they hear the bell.

They arrive at Tarzi in late afternoon. The inhabitants set up a makeshift market offering food, drink, and entertainment. TG take advantage of the villa’s bathhouse, then return to sleep onboard. They are awakened by the cats and surprise someone trying to break into the chests. He jumps overboard before they can catch him.

Day 2

The next morning three rowers are deathly ill and must be left behind. The remainder can make it to Kirin, but they won’t get rest breaks. Once they pass the Taras River the current slackens, and TG help out where they can. They reach Kirin by early evening. The polers are too tired to go into town, so TG cooks them a meal on the wharf. Then they sample the night life. Upon their return they take turns standing guard over the cargo, but no one tries to break in again.

Day 3

The next morning they have three more polers and they continue upstream. The river begins to narrow and the current gets stronger. Towards evening they make camp. TG cooks a meal for the boatmen and again take turns watching the cargo.

Day 4

In the morning the three mercenaries and the three new polers take everyone captive. They mean to steal the cargo, but also plan to sell everyone into slavery. They plan to meet confederates further up river. They blackmail the cats into a wooden barrel. They intend to rape TG, but when the first two try TG subdues them and jump overboard. The mercenaries try to shoot them with arrows, but they swim under the boat and hide under the rudder. The bandits throw the cat barrel overboard and force the others to pole upstream. TG swim downstream ahead of the barrel, catch it, and direct it to the southern shore. The cats are wet but alive. Shadow heads to Kirin to get feline reinforcements while Bruno remains with TG. They travel upstream and reach the boat by nightfall. After dark they swim across and scout the camp, but are accosted by the lady from Tumbutu. She is an ally and helps them infiltrate the camp and catch the bandits. The cats arrive and take charge of the bandits.

Day 5

They head upstream again, with TG and the Tumbutu lady helping to pole. Around noon they spy a dozen men on camels on the north shore. The men signal them, but they ignore them and push on. The men follow, still signaling, but after a short while they gallop ahead and begin shooting at the boat with arrows. The polers take cover and shoot back, but the current slows the boat and threatens to push it into the shore. The Tumbutu lady mans the tiller and tries to keep the boat away from the shore as TG shield her with a hatch cover. However, the boat will soon turn and head downstream if the polers cannot resume work. Then a zebra cavalry group rides in and drives off the attackers. Their leader reports they are from Qahoe. The cats had alerted them and they were sent out to escort the boat back. By the end of the day they reach the point where the grassland gives way to scrubland, and they make camp for the night.

Day 6

They start out in the morning again with the cavalry patrol pacing them. By mid-afternoon they reach Qahoe. The merchant arranges with the Tumbutu factory to offload his cargo and place it in a secure warehouse ASAP. They then spend the night in the factory hostel.

Trade Day (7)

The merchant meets with his Tumbutu counterpart and they make a deal, as TG and the Tumbutu lady keep watch. However, two obstacles cause trouble. The first is that no one will insure his return trip. The second is that no boat will carry the goods back. The reason is the same: everyone has heard of the attacks, and there are rumors there will be more. Furthermore, the local mercenaries refuse to hire out for a trip to Hlanith. The merchant will not move without insurance or guards, and cannot move without a boat. TG decide to underwrite his coverage. They are taking a huge risk. They don’t have enough money to cover for the loss, but they won’t get paid if the merchant can’t get his cargo back to Hlanith. The Tumbutu lady offers her services, and the trader agrees to buy her contract. Bruno puts them in touch with a colleague, a former adventurer who now makes a living running a flatboat on the Oukranos. The trouble is, he and his crew are in jail after a drunken brawl. TG doesn’t trust them, but Bruno swears by them, so the trader agrees to pay their fines and damages. He wants to get started right at dawn, so the boatmen load his cargo and guard it all night.

Day 1 (8)

TG loses a singing contest against the boatmen and have to pose naked for them; the men take a swim during a rest stop and TG steals their clothes, making them rescind their demand.

That night TG and the men play poker, when the cats sound the alarm. Armed bandits have snuck up on them in canoes and board the boat. They fight them off, and TG are impressed that the drunken uncouth louts know how to fight.

Day 2 (9)

The next day the boat is shadowed by riders on both sides of the shore. Because the boat is paddled it can stay in the middle of the river out of reach. The riders harass them by shooting arrows at them, but the boatmen respond with crossbows, which forces the riders to stay out of range. The riders try to ambush the boat from cover, but the boatmen let it drift and its size and mass keep it in the main current. Finally, as it approaches Kirin, the riders leave them alone. The boat docks at Kirin for the night. The captain hires some wharf rats to guard the boat while he and his men go carousing. TG go with them to keep them out of trouble. At one tavern they are approached by Marseilles Sheraton. She’s the one who has been trying to hijack the cargo. She wants it bad; her employers do not take kindly to excuses. She is willing to make a deal with them: if they let her have the cargo she will leave them alone in the Dreamlands. She walks away without complaint, but then a dozen thugs attack them. The boatmen turn out to be better brawlers than mercenaries and they soon route the thugs. They hurry back to the boat. It appears safe, but the Tumbutu lady explains that a rowdy group of drunkards tried to rush them, but the wharf rats held them off until the dock guard arrived and scared them off. They decide to set off, but they find a quiet place to stay the night on the south shore and take turns standing guard.

Day 3 (10)

As they approach Tarzi, lookouts indicate a barrier ahead. It turns out to be a heavy net strung across the river. Raiders appear on the north shore, and Sheraton calls out to them to surrender. They try to backpedal upstream, but another net is raised behind them using zebras. The raiders attack with bows, but the boatmen counter with crossbows, and a standoff is created. Sheraton raises a white flag and asks to parley. She comes on board and meets with TG, Fink, and the merchant. She threatens them with a catapult hurling Greek fire, but offers them three choices:

they can surrender their cargo, in which case she’ll let them go once it has been unloaded,

they can abandon the boat and take their chances on the south shore, in which case she will claim the boat and its cargo for salvage,

or they can fight and be killed; she’d rather not since she would lose the cargo, but she can also use them as an example to other merchants and boatmen.

She strongly urges them to surrender the cargo; it would be easier for all around. Besides, the cargo is insured, so the merchant will not lose on the venture. When TG ask what guarantee they have she will really let them go, she offers to act as hostage. They marvel at that, but she explains that her attitude is somewhat different in the DL; it has to be since she does not have access to her usual allies and resources. TG, Fink, and the merchant talk privately. They decide to fight. Sheraton is not pleased and gives them ten minutes to change their minds. They let Sheraton go. While the boatmen keep them pinned down TG and the Tumbutu Lady swim out to the front barrier and cut the supports to the floats, causing a section to collapse. Tumbutu Lady swims back to the boat as the boatmen row as hard as they can, but TG swim ashore and attack the raiders. They manage to disable the catapult using the Greek fire, allowing the boat to get away, but they are captured. Even as Sheraton considers what to do with them, Medb appears behind her and holds a knife to her throat while cats surround the raiders. Sheraton agrees to let them in exchange for allowing her and the raiders to go free. Medb and the cats escort TG downstream where they catch up with the boat. They then swim out to it while Medb and the cats go on to Thran by foot.

The boat reaches Thran without further incident. Medb waits for them on the dock, but while TG help the merchant arrange for guards the Tumbutu Lady disembarks and greets her, showing her deference. She then departs with no word of goodbye. TG then disembarks and Medb takes them to a tavern for supper. She reports the cats have confirmed the raiders have dispersed and are no longer a threat, but Sheraton has disappeared; not even the cats can track her. She tells them that she is extremely proud of them. She confesses that Tyco had told her of the job and that she had approved of him offering it to them. She figured it would be a safe way to give them a taste of adventure and some experience; she just didn’t count on them being targeted by Sheraton. When she found out, she arranged to have the Tumbutu Lady join them. Even so, they handled themselves well, and she is now confident enough to allow them to accompany her on her missions for Seidhloch and help out. In fact, she must go to Ograthon in a few days and invites them along. When they demure, she tells them they made mistakes and they still have a lot to learn, but they can feel proud of their accomplishment. She suggests they leave for Ograthon in the morning; they can travel with a caravan and earn some extra money as guards. But they state they want to finish their current job first. She tells them she will wait for them, and they return to the boat.

Day 4 (11)

The boat leaves bright and early. Though it goes alone, there are patrols on the greenway to Hlanith, and they are passed by cutters twice. At a certain point, however, the current strengthens and they are pulled off course towards the southern shore. They become caught in a whirlpool; they cannot break free and they are helpless. The cats hear chanting over the roar of the water. Sunny manages to create a short-lived magical effect that magnifies a spot on the shore, and they see Sheraton with a sorceress and a crowd of Korreds. Sunny figures the sorceress, with the help of the Korred, is causing the whirlpool. She might be able to stop them, but she needs everyone’s help. She and Eile are lashed to the navigation pole and as the boatmen pick off Korred with their crossbows, Sunny counter-chants. A waterspout forms and moves towards the shore. At the right moment Fink throws a Greek fire pot into it and the waterspout bursts into flames. The conflagration frightens the Korred, who run off, and breaks the sorceress’s concentration. The whirlpool dissipates and the boatmen pull for their lives and get away. Though exhausted, TG see Sheraton waving at them as they move out of sight.

The remainder of the trip is uneventful, and they make it into Hlanith by mid-afternoon. Fink and his men unload the cargo and help guard it to the Ooth-Nargai factory, where it’s finally placed in a secure vault. The trader sells it to a Celephais merchant and purchases a mundane, safe cargo for shipment to Qahoe. He pays them their fee, plus the premium for their underwriting his insurance, and also gives them a letter of credit with a share of the sale, as thanks for helping him get it through. (a few thousand tahlers) TG returns Bruno to the Amethyst Scorpion and agree to do a show that night. Tyco offers to invest their money: a trader friend wants to trade some goods in Ograthon, but she needs help purchasing them. He has already invested as much as he can; their payment will cover the rest. They agree, and offer to escort her there. They send Shadow on ahead to tell Medb they will be a day late and ask Tyco to set up a meeting with his friend.

Ancient Roman Baths

(Fan service for the ladies and gay men for a change.)

Aside from towns containing stately homes (domus), public housing (insulae), and retail space (tabernae), one feature distinctive of ancient Roman culture were the baths. There were basically two types. The balnea (plural, balneae) were the small public and private baths characteristic of the Republic, whereas the therma (plural, thermae) were the Imperial bath complexes characteristic of the Empire. Though the basic layout was the same for both, the thermae were larger and more elaborate, being based on the Greek gymnasium, and the biggest complexes would have theatres, shops, libraries, art galleries, eateries, and semi-private rooms for intellectual discussions and readings. Yet even the smaller, simpler public balneae served as centers for socializing much like the forum.

The most interesting thing about these baths was that the public ones were open to all citizens regardless of rank. Hence, patricians and free plebeians mixed together in ways that not even the forum permitted. Being naked probably helped, since without clothing it would be difficult to tell another person's rank, unless he was well known or accompanied by a capsarius, a body slave. (However, some modern writers do not believe the Romans practiced nudity like the Greeks did. Murals depicting exercising women at least showed them wearing a bikini-like outfit consisting of a loincloth called the subligaculum and a breastcloth called the strophiae. Men may have worn a form of subligaculum as well.) The bathing process tended to take some time, so the patrons used the opportunity to get to know one another, through conversation and games. Like the forum, many such discussions were commercial or political in nature, and it was not unusual for people to go to baths to relax as they brokered deals among themselves.

There is some uncertainty as to whether men and women bathed together or separately. We know from records that in many places women either used separate bath facilities, either in the same building as the men or in a separate building, or attended the bath at different hours, such as in the morning while the men came in the afternoon. However, various Roman writers mention mixed bathing, especially during the late Republic and early Empire, and the fact that later emperors kept forbidding the practice suggests it was common enough to be a concern for moralists. Modern writers have suggested that women concerned with respectability would not have engaged in mixed bathing, thus implying that the women who did also engaged in questionable behavior of other kinds (e.g., prostitution), but only the wealthiest of ladies could have their own private baths, so if there was only one public bath in town, and it did not provide separate facilities or alternative hours, most women may not have had much choice. Regardless, public lewdness was frowned upon, even forbidden, so fraternization other than conversation was discouraged. In fact, if prostitutes did take advantage of mixed bathing, they most likely arranged to meet their clients elsewhere for their assignation.

The basic design of any bath consisted of three rooms: a cold bath, a warm bath, and a hot bath. Though not all visitors used all three, there tended to be a natural progression of warm to hot, back to warm, and then to cold. What made the baths work was an ingenious system for heating the water and the warm and hot rooms. A furnace called the hypocaustum lay in the basement and provided the heat. The hot room sat directly above it and the warm room close by. Both received heat through their floors, but they also had flues embedded in their walls, for channeling hot air up through them. This kept the hot and warm rooms at their desired temperatures. Meanwhile, three boilers held water. One received cold water from a cistern, some of which flowed into the pool of the cold room. The rest went into the second boiler set next to the hypocaustum to be heated to above body temperature. This warm water flowed into the third boiler set on top of the hypocaustum, which was heated to boiling. The hot water then flowed into the bath in the hot room. Most warm rooms didn't have baths, so the warm water simply replenished the hot boiler, but in some more sophisticated baths the warm water could be circulated through the floor and walls as well as heated air, thereby controlling the temperature more precisely.

I should note at this point that a common misconception among modern people, thanks largely to Hollywood, is that Roman baths were, well, like modern bath spas, with pools to soak and swim in. (In fact, just about the only rooms in a modern bath spa without pools or showers are the saunas, and they still tend to be wet rather than dry.) While it would be dogmatic to declare that Roman baths never had pools (not to mention wrong; see below), the evidence indicates that the rooms were mostly dry, and people got wet by letting the heat generate sweat. On top of that, soap was a luxury that few could afford, even among the wealthy, so bathers coated themselves with olive oil and scraped it off, along with dirt and dead skin, using implements called strigils. At best, in most cases, especially with the balneae and the smaller thermae, there would be just basins of water or tubs to rinse off the excess. Otherwise, the rooms were meant for relaxing and enjoying the warmth. Only one room tended to have a pool (see below), and even then in many cases it was fairly small and shallow.

Also, public bathing was not free, though it tended to be fairly cheap. However, patricians or politicians wishing to popularize themselves with the free plebeians could declare a free day by paying for all admissions themselves. On top of that, not everyone engaged in daily bathing. The patricians might have a daily ritual of attending the forum in the morning and going to the baths in the afternoon, but other people, especially the poor, might only visit a bath once a week, or every ten days to two weeks.

The following description, though based off the Old Bath at Pompeii, is somewhat typical of all baths, though there were differences based on available space.



A bath might have several entrances (2, 3, 4, 5, 6), but one was the main entrance (1), which often had a latrine inside off the short hall (7). This would lead to a covered portico (8) surrounding an open-air atrium (9). There the balneator, who managed the bath, would collect the fee, and a bather's companions who did not themselves wish to bathe could wait for him to return. Often a smaller side chamber lay off the portico for better class visitors to wait (10).

From there the bather entered the apodyterium (11), a room where he could undress. It generally had stone benches to sit on, pegs to hang clothes from, and niches to store shoes and other personal items. Thefts of clothing and/or personals was not uncommon, but for a fee a bather could hire a capsarii slave to watch his belongings. However, they were notorious for dishonesty themselves.

From the apodyterium the bather could choose one of four destinations. He could go into an unctorium (not included in image) to be rubbed down with oil and perhaps even get a massage. He could go into the sudatorium (not included in image), a room with moist heated air, to sweat and have his body scrapped. He could go out into an open-air exercise yard called the palaestrae (not included in image). He might even visit all three in succession, starting with the palaestrae for some exercise, then the unctorium for a rubdown, and finally the sudatorium to get clean.

Most bathers, however, went straight into the tepidarium (12). This was a chamber that contained no water, just air heated to a comfortable warm temperature, but not as hot as the sudatorium. The bather could sit and relax, and prepare himself for the hotter chamber beyond. If he had not already oiled and cleaned himself, he could get oiled here. They tended to be long rooms, and often were cooler at one end and hotter at the other. Thus the bather could take his time moving to the hotter end until he felt acclimated.

Once he was ready, the bather would enter the hot room, known as the caldarium (13). At one end lay a tub or pool of hot water; at the other, a basin of cold water. It was here the bather could be scraped if he had not already attended to it, then rinse off in the hot bath. He had to wear special wooden sandals to protect his feet from the hot floor. In some baths, a laconicum (not included in image), a room even hotter but with dry air, sat off the caldarium, and served a similar role to a modern dry sauna. Before returning to the tepidarium, the bather would pour water from the basin over his head. Once inside the tepidarium again, he would make his way towards the cooler end to recover from the heat.

The last room most bathers visited was the frigidarium (14). It lay as far away from the hypocaustum as possible and contained a pool of cold water. Our bather could wash off and sit in the pool for as long as he liked to cool down, wash off excess sweat, and close his skin pores. When ready, he returned to the apodyterium to dress. As noted earlier, our bather isn't required to visit any of the three main chambers. He might simply get a massage and some exercise, or he might spend all of his time in the tepidarium or the frigidarium, but in larger baths, especially the Imperial thermae, he had a wide choice of whatever amenities in which he cared to indulge.

As a final note, only thermae had what we in the modern age would call a swimming pool, known as a natatio (not included in image), and even then only the largest complexes bothered to put them in. One good example is the therma complex in the city of Bath, England, which took advantage of the warm mineral springs in the region (see image below).

The Pliocene Adventure -- Geography and Climate

Mabuse sends Team Girl and Sir Differel back 3.3 million years, roughly one-third of the way through the latter half of the Pliocene Epoch. This time period extends from roughly 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago, but as with most epochs, the geological strata that defines its start and end are well defined, but the dates are approximates. Neither are they defined by worldwide events, though the end is set at the onset of the most recent cycle of glaciation. The Pliocene comes right before the Pleistocene, perhaps the most famous epoch outside the time of the dinosaurs.

Ever since the Earth recovered from the Chicxulub impact that wiped out the dinosaurs, it had been steadily and more or less evenly cooling, while getting drier at the same time. Seasons began to become noticeable in the Piocene, with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The Arctic ice sheet virtually didn’t exist. The cooling and drying trend encouraged the growth of conifer and deciduous forests at the expense of tropical forests, but also established and expanded grasslands and deserts. A permanent El Nino in the Pacific made southern Alaska, western Canada, and the northern US west of the Great Lakes warmer and drier in the winter, while making southern California, the Southwest, the Deep South, and northern Mexico cooler and wetter. An open seaway through Panama allowed warm Pacific water to enter the Atlantic, holding off glaciation.

However, change was beginning to accelerate. The permanent El Nino weakened, allowing colder air and water to reach the northern latitudes, and would collapse in only a few hundred thousand years. The Isthmus of Panama had been closing off the seaway for several million years, cutting down on the amount of heat reaching the Atlantic, and would close it off completely in only a few more. The growth of grasslands and deserts allowed more heat to escape the Earth into space, while the continued rise of the Rocky Mountains deflected the jet stream, again allowing more cool air to reach northern latitudes. Meanwhile, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels dropped, decreasing the greenhouse effect. Starting at around 3 million years glaciation near Greenland began to create the Arctic ice cap, which accelerated both the cooling and the drying, eventually leading to the first of the Pleistocene ice ages.

Even so, the mid-Pliocene, between 3.3 and 3 million years ago, experienced a mild spike in global temperatures, becoming 2 to 3 degrees warmer than today. In North America, forests are restricted to Alaska, extreme northern Canada, western Canada, eastern Canada south of Hudson Bay, New England, the Pacific Coast, and the extreme southeast of the US. Everywhere else -- central Canada, the bulk of the United States, and northern Mexico -- is covered in grassland, with a desert smack in the center of the US Great Plains. Large swathes of savannah -- grassland dotted with trees -- cover the mid central and western US.

To cut down on the complexity of the space-time coordinate calculation for placing the ladies safely at the target date, Mabuse decides to place them in the area of North America where Denver would be. To the west extends the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains; to the east is a series of folded ridges. In between is a long flat plain of varying width that runs along the Front Range; this is where the city would be founded. Though the Rockies and their associated plains and ridges were formed primarily 80 to 55 million years, continued tectonic activity modified and shaped them, as would the glaciation during the Pleistocene. As such, during the Pliocene the mountains of the Front Range are just as tall and massive, but not yet as rugged as they will become.

The eastern ridges, though worn down by millions of years of erosion, are still more rugged than they would appear today. A hogback ridge roughly where Aurora now lies is composed of layers of rock that had been lifted and tilted, exposing the layers to rain. Numerous caves have formed between the layers, and the ladies use one as their shelter. The plain is part of a savannah that stretches from the Front Range to past what would become the Kansas border. Though trees are thin across most of the expanse, they grow more numerous along streams, around ponds, and next to the ridges and mountains, extending up into the foothills. The plain is well watered, both by streams coming out of the mountains and ridges, and by rainfall, especially during the winter. The cave the ladies choose to live in is above a stream running out of the ridge, part of which has been converted into a series of ponds by a family of beavers.

The plain, and the savannah beyond, is home to a wide variety of animals that would rival the game of Africa for diversity, numbers, and size. But that topic by itself deserves its own series of posts.

Next eBook: The Cats' Peril

My next story to be published through Smashwords will be:

The Adventure of the Cats' Peril

One winter morning, Eile and Sunny find a stray cat half-frozen in the snow, outside their front door. They take it to a nearby vet, who discovers that it has an identity chip embedded under the skin. They get the address of the owner and go to tell him or her that they have their cat, but the location is an abandoned factory. Despite that, they go inside to check it out, just in case.

That's when the armed robots show up....

This will be another free ebook.

Weapons Tropes: Part 2

Here is part 2 of my discussion of Weapons Tropes.

When I started putting this post together I realized that there were too many to list in just one, so I arbitrarily divided it up into two for convenience. The Combat Tropes will be handled the same way.

As I've worked on these lists, I realize that I have not yet used many in stories. Others sound like Noodle Incidents, events that occur in stories not yet published or in the background of the characters outside the stories, but given little if any explanation. Still others are associated with character development that may or may not be presented in a story. Only a few so far can be given examples from stories I have actually published.

So why mention those that cannot be directly exemplified?

There are three reasons. The first is that, since Tropes Are Tools, perhaps other writers can benefit from seeing them listed and described. The second is purely mercenary: people can't read my stories if they don't know they exist, and this is one way to introduce them to each other.

The third reason is that readers can become fascinated with characters they like, and so want to learn more about them. One reason why Team Girl and Sir Differel even exist is because I wanted to know more about Otra and Winter and Sir Integra, but had to write my own stories to do it. However, most details of a character's background and life never make it into the stories, because they are aren't necessary, and because huge infodumps can disrupt the plot (though there are exceptions). As such, posts like these satisfy readers' curiosity and (hopefully) attract the interest of others, without having to try to figure out how to get all this information into a story in a plausible manner.

Cool Sword -- the most common melee weapon depicted in stories

***** The third of Medb's five favorite weapons. A typical Celtic sword had a straight double-edged 3-foot blade with a blunt or rounded tip, used for slashing. Medb modifies hers by using a leaf-shaped blade with a sharp point, so she can also thrust and chop.

Eile uses a sword in the Dreamlands; see "The Temple of Ubasti".

Differel is trained in fencing, kendo, and longsword, rapier, and broadsword dueling. And then there's Caliburn, the mystical greatsword of the Pendragons.

Royal Rapier -- the classic dueling sword of the swashbuckler

***** After Caliburn, Differel's favorite sword is the rapier. In fact, during the 4 year period before she took over the Caerleon Order, when she partnered with Vlad and went monster hunting, she carried a rapier with her.

Drop the Hammer -- hammers used as weapons

***** Fomorians love gigantic war hammers as much as humongous maces.

Epic Flail -- using flails (normally an agricultural implement) as weapons

***** Fomorians love over-sized flails as much as gigantic war hammers and humongous maces.

Knife Fight -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; a duel involving knives

***** The fourth of Medb's five favorite weapons is a straight, heavy-bladed, double-edged, foot-long dirk with a sharp point. It almost doubles as a short sword.

Eile uses a knife as a secondary weapon in the Dreamlands, while Sunny uses a dagger and Differel a poignard (see "Dribble & Maggot in the Land of Dreams").

In the Waking World, Differel is trained in the use of the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting dagger, and Aelfraed is a master.

Kukris Are Cool -- one of the most recognizable knives used in stories because of its shape and history

***** Marseilles Sheraton, nemesis of Team Girl, prefers a sawed-off Ithaca 37 riot shotgun, but she loves using a kukri because of the amount of damage it can do.

Machete Mayhem -- using machetes as weapons

***** This is probably the best anti-Zombie weapon, hands down. It has numerous advantages -- it doesn't require any special skill or training to use properly, it is tough and durable, it works even when dull, it requires no special skill or equipment to sharpen, it doesn't require any special maintenance, it is readily available, and it can be home-made -- with few disadvantages -- such as being a cleaver rather than a slice-and-dicer. Medb, Team Girl, and Lady Margaret use machetes as needed. Differel doesn't because she can summon Caliburn anytime she wants.

Simple Staff -- using a pole as a weapon

***** In the Dreamlands, before she learned archery, Sunny's primary offensive weapon was the quarterstaff. She still uses it when her bow is impractical to use.

Sinister Scythe -- using a scythe (normally an agricultural implement) as a weapon

***** Ceithlenn, one of Medb's Fomorian enemies, uses a scythe whenever she has assumed her terrifying-but-beautiful form.

Suffer the Slings -- think David and Goliath

***** The fifth of Medb's five favorite weapons. She uses specially-crafted lead bullets that come in a variety of shapes. With her prodigious strength, she can hurl a bullet farther, more strongly, and with greater accuracy than an archer shooting an arrow.

Whip It Good -- using a whip as a weapon

***** Fomorians love nasty whips as much as over-sized flails, gigantic war hammers, and humongous maces.

Emergency Weapon -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; a backup weapon in case the primary weapon is lost or broken

***** Technically, this is a video game trope, but it can work in other media as well.

Medb uses her sword as a backup to her spear or axe, and her dirk as a backup to her sword.

Any of Differel's weapons can serve as backups to each other, but if she's using the Beretta machine pistol, her regular pistol is backup to that and her dagger is backup to that.

If she doesn't use Caliburn as her primary weapon, it serves as her last resort weapon when all others fail or are lost.

Ranged Emergency Weapon -- a backup weapon used by melee fighters to attack opponents while they are some distance away

***** Medb uses her javelins and sling for this purpose.

If Differel is fighting with Caliburn, she uses her pistol for this purpose.

In the Dreamlands, many of Team Girl's friends have throwing weapons they use with their melee weapons.

Hidden Weapons -- weapons hidden somewhere on a fighter's body or in her clothing

***** Differel has a compact pistol she uses for concealed carry, in a shoulder holster, and carries a dagger in a special scabbard sewn into the back of her jacket at collar level.

Impossibly Cool Weapon -- a weapon that is either impossible, unlikely, or impractical in Real Life, but in fiction is both extant and effective, Rule of Cool be thanked

***** Medb's fighting spears; Vlad's .79 Caerleon Order LC576 anti-material pistols; Caliburn. Plus, Mabuse's rail-gun pistol that fires flechettes.

BFG (Big Freakin' Gun) -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; a huge gun that more closely resembles handheld artillery

***** Averted; Vlad's .700 Maskeulin Nitro Express sporting pistols and .79 anti-material pistols are big by realistic standards, but they do not match the standard for this trope. They are more correctly Hand Cannons.

However, some of Dr. Mabuse's inventions could qualify, in power if not in sheer size.

BFS (Big Freakin' Sword) -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; an unrealistically large sword

***** Downplayed with Caliburn; it is a long sword, but the blade is not as big and heavy as is standard for this trope.

Depleted Phlebotinum Shells -- ammunition made of special materials to defeat monsters that are Immune to Bullets

***** None of the monsters that the Caerleon Order confronts require special materials, such as silver, to be killed. Any monster not Immune to Bullets can be killed with regular steel-jacketed lead rounds. However, some types of monsters that can shrug off even .50 caliber rounds can be vulnerable to more powerful ammunition. The Caerleon Order uses three types:

.700 Nitro Express -- 17.8 mm 1000 grain lead bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2000 ft/sec (muzzle energy 8900 ft·lbf; Vlad uses these in his Maskeulin sporting pistols)

.950 JDJ -- 24.1 mm 3600 grain copper-jacketed lead bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2200 ft/sec (muzzle energy 38,685 ft·lbf)

.79 Vulcan -- 20 mm 1540 grain steel-jacketed lead bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3396 ft/sec (muzzle energy 39,509 ft·lbf; Vlad uses these in his custom anti-material pistols)

Then there is the Raufoss Mk 211 .50 caliber multipurpose anti-material projectile. It is used against monsters against which even the above rounds are useless. It consists of a steel cup that contains a tungsten carbide penetrator, a high explosive mixture, and a charge of zirconium powder. It is then encased in a ballistic copper jacket, the tip of which is filled with an incendiary mix, and sealed with a lead steel plug. When the projectile strikes its target, the copper jacket melts from the heat of friction, igniting the incendiary mix, which sets off the high explosive mix, which ignites the zirconium powder. Meanwhile, the penetrator smashes through whatever armor the target possesses, creating a path for the explosive and thermal energy to get inside the target to cause even more damage. The only monsters that can shrug these off are those that are Nigh Invulnerable. See "Man Friday".

Dr. Mabuse is developing a special .50 caliber round that contains a tungsten carbide-jacketed depleted uranium titanium alloy sub-caliber kinetic energy penetrator, to better penetrate armor without the need for explosives.

Flaming Sword -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; a sword whose blade is either on fire or made of fire

***** One of Differel's enemies is the warrior nun Walpurga, a member of the Daughters of Cwenthryth, a Catholic all-female military religious order. She wields Durendal, the Paladin Sword, an equal to Caliburn. When in the presence of true evil, divine flames appear along the blade.

More Dakka -- the art of solving problems by firing as many rounds at them as possible

***** In "Survival & Sacrifice", when Master-at-Arms Giles Holt is sent by Differel to secure her son, he arms himself with a heavy machine gun fed from an Ammunition Backpack.

Serrated Blade of Pain -- a bladed weapon with a jagged cutting edge, like that of a saw

***** Medb's fighting spears have blades with at least one serrated edge.

Sharpened To a Single Atom -- a blade whose cutting edge can only be measured in molecular or atomic thickness

***** Ceithlenn's battle scythe has an adamantine blade as sharp as a broken shard of glass. Its weight along can cause it to cut through any material no matter how hard and strong.

Improvised Weapon -- using an object or tool not meant to be a weapon as a weapon

***** Team Girl uses these a lot, using Medb's training and what they learned in the Dreamlands as a basis for handling them properly.

Batter Up -- using a baseball bat as a weapon

***** A running gag in-universe is that, whenever Sunny gets really pissed with Eile, she chases her around the house with a baseball bat, threatening to bash her head in, but as Snowshoe Kitty once told Medb, it's just playacting, like wrestling kittens. However, despite having training in how to use guns, the Girls keep baseball bats handy in case of break-ins, not pistols.

Broomstick Quarterstaff -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; using a broomstick like a quarterstaff

***** In "Double Image", Sunny uses a long, thin metal pole to attack gunmen who hold her and Eile captive.

Crowbar Combatant -- using a crowbar as a weapon

***** In "Double Image", Eile uses a crowbar to attack gunmen who hold her and Sunny captive.

Frying Pan of Doom -- using a frying pan as a weapon

***** In a future story set in the Dreamlands, Team Girl is attacked by a Panthera Awesome at night while asleep. Cut off from their weapons, Sunny hits it in the face with a frying pan, distracting it long enough for them to arm themselves.

Gardening-Variety Weapons -- using any gardening tool as a weapon

***** In a future story, Sunny dispatches a Nosferatu-type Vampire by decapitating it with a garden spade.

Grievous Bottley Harm -- using a bottle, intact or broken, as a weapon

***** In a future story, Margaret uses a bottle of very rare, very expensive cognac to bash in the skulls of several Zombies, without breaking it, and decides to keep it as a good luck charm.

Handbag of Hurt -- using a handbag as a weapon

***** In a future story, Eile and Sunny first meet Differel when they save her from the Serpent People. As they escape, they are pursued by a lizard-hound. Eile bashes it in the snout with her handbag, causing it to stop and backpedal, but when she swings again, it catches it in its mouth and crunches it. Eile then berates it for destroying an $80 bag before it attacks them again.

Rolling Pin of Doom -- using a rolling pin as a weapon

***** In a future story, Madam Trumbo, Differel's executive chef, who saved her from a hag who wanted to eat her (see "Gourmand Hag"), uses a rolling pin to defend her against a Wicked Witch who wants to take over her body.

Shield Bash -- using a shield as a weapon

***** Both Medb and Eile were trained to aggressively use their shields to attack.

Sock It To Them -- using a filled sock as a weapon

***** Sunny collects loose change for conversion to bills and stores it in old socks. They came in handy when an Axe Crazy fan broke into their house.

Wooden Stake -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; using a sharpened wooden stake as a weapon

***** The Hollywood cliche of the wooden stake through a Vampire's heart actually works in my universe, not for mystical reasons, but because it causes too much traumatic damage to the heart for the parasites to repair it.

They also work against any monster who doesn't have an armored hide.

Good Old Fisticuffs -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; using one's own fists as weapons

***** Eile is a champion-level boxer, taught by her Uncle Gene, a former US Marine Corps drill sergeant who was a champion boxer. She in turn taught her daughter Connie to box.

Sunny's mother, Oda Jaeger, is also a boxer.

Mr. Holt taught Differel rough-and-dirty street fighting techniques, and she taught them to Margaret.

Cool Helmet -- helmets of all shapes and sizes

***** Whenever Eile and Sunny need to go all Action Girl on someone's ass, they usually wear armored catsuits that include space-age, high-tech helmets with all sorts of gadgets built into them.

Differel's troops use British Army helmets when going into battle.

Helmets Are Hardly Heroic -- when a helmet is not worn, even in combat

***** Medb never wears a helmet, even on those exceedingly rare occasions when she does not fight in the nude.

In the Dreamlands, Eile wears armor, but no helmet. Otherwise averted by many of their friends who also wear armor.

Luckily My Shield Will Protect Me -- using a shield for protection

***** Both Medb and Eile use shields when fighting, if they have time to prepare.

Next week I shall present part 1 of Combat Tropes.

Dreamlands Bestiary: The Sahuagin

The Sahuagin (yes, the classic AD&D monsters) are a race of marine creatures that live at depths below 1000 feet. As a result, they can live anywhere, from arctic to tropical waters. They look like a cross between fish, snakes, and Humans, with huge eyes and wide mouths full of sharp, peg-like teeth. Because of this, some scholars claim they are a Dream-form of the Waking World Deep Ones. However, the latter are better described as fish-frogs and do not sleep, so they are incapable of dreaming. There is no evidence at present to believe they are anything other than a true Dreamlands species, although the possibility that they are immigrants from an alien Dreamworld cannot be discounted at this time.

Because of their normal habitat, very little is known of these creatures, and what we do know comes from Dolphins, Mermaids, dead bodies, and their occasional surface attacks. They are exceptionally intelligent, they have a language, and they practice various crafts. Recovered weapons are made of metal and are corrosion-proof; so far, all attempts to identify or replicate the metal have been futile. They favor pikes, tridents, harpoons, knives, and nets woven from a tough, fibrous seaweed. They wear no clothes, they have two genders, male and female, their genitalia are hidden inside their bodies, and they spawn eggs that are fertilized outside the body. The females have a modest but distinct hourglass figure and a pair of small protuberances on the upper chest that are reminiscent of breasts which are nonetheless non-functional. This has led some scholars to speculate that they may be transformed Humans, but their internal anatomy and physiology is all wrong; in addition to egg-spawning they are also coldblooded, they are covered with scales, they lack true kidneys, and their blood chemistry is based on copper instead of iron.

They are hypercarnivorus, which means that at least 90% of their diet is meat, but it is unknown if they farm prey animals. Though they are assumed to eat fish and squid mostly, they will eat Dolphins and other cetaceans, Mermaids, Gnorri, Humans, Cats; in fact, whatever they can catch. They are adept at “land-fishing”, using nets and snares to catch and drown land-based animals. They have even been known to hunt sea serpents. They are not, however, fast swimmers (even a swimming Human can escape them), so they rely upon group-hunting, ambush, and traps. They can move around on land, however, and they can breathe air for several hours. As such, they will attack ships and coastal villages, plundering wealth as well as killing and carrying off whatever they can find to eat. They can also tolerate freshwater for weeks, and are sometimes encountered in deep lakes and slow-moving rivers. Some scholars speculate that, like salmon and bull sharks, they spawn in freshwater and their fry return to the ocean after a period of maturation, but their spawning grounds, if any, have never been found. They are known to have domesticated a few species of sharks, including one similar to the Waking World basking shark. They live in castles composed of stone blocks or coral bricks, with seaweed substituting for textiles.

They are hated and feared by nearly every oceanic and land-based race, which seems to suit them just fine. The only creatures they seem to fear are the Kraken, but they themselves worship a species of monster shark that the Kraken fear, so a stalemate is maintained that preserves a balance of power. Even so, they are allies with the Moonbeasts and the Fomorians and have been known to trade with them, and they will cooperate with Human pirates and wreckers, though they and Mermaids will attack each other on sight, even if they work for the same employers. There are even stories of individual Sahuagin partnering with individual Humans. One persistent rumor speaks of a man who would lure travelers to the seashore, where a Sahuagin would drown them. The man would then loot them of anything valuable and strip them naked, and the Sahuagin would devour them. Another story tells of a woman who would seduce young men, then she and a female Sahuagin would torture him, and the fish-woman would then eat him alive. There is even a report of a smuggler who uses a Sahuagin to ferry goods underwater to escape the detection of revenuers, and as an assassin to kill and eat anyone who gets too close to the truth. Such tales sound a bit too lurid to be true, and yet seem entirely plausible, so the truth is hard to discern.

Synopsis: Differential Integration (a Sir Differel adventure)

Aelfraed enters Differel's office carrying a lunch tray, and finds her staring at a double-picture frame, her head propped up on one hand leaning on the elbow while she taps a pen on the desk top with the other. Aelfraed knows which pictures she's staring at. One is a recent picture of Henry, the other an old photo of Victor. He also knows she's been moping for the past three weeks, ever since Henry went back to the Plunketts. And he knows she's been trying to resolve a personal dilemma: whether to tell Henry his father is still alive. He sets the tray down as she pushes back her chair and stands up. She looks out a back window into the garden, and as Aelfraed sets out her lunch, she announces she's decided to tell him. But she wants to go further: she wants him to meet his father. She orders him to prepare her private jet; she wants to bring Medb and the girls there to consult.

Dracula appears to the girls and gives them a letter from Differel, then vanishes. It is an invitation to them and Medb, and explains Differel's purpose. The girls inform Medb and they decide to accept. They wonder if she knows what's going to happen already, but she assures them that, since they no longer can go to the Dreamworld, she is as much in the dark as they are.

Differel contacts Muriel Plunkett to tell her she wants Henry to visit for a four day period. Muriel tries to deny permission, but the agreement she made with Differel through their solicitors permits Differel a limited number of on-demand visits each year, provided she pays for tutoring services so that Henry does not fall behind in school, and she is exercising one of those now. Muriel promises to have him ready by the next day.

In the Dreamworld, Differel discusses the issue with Victor. Though uncertain, he finds the prospect of meeting Henry again too tempting, and he agrees to try it.

The next day, while Aelfraed drives down to Suffolk to pick up Henry, Differel meets the girls and Medb in London. She asks them to say nothing to Henry, she will tell him later, and she discusses options with Medb. Medb is reluctant to use the potion on Henry. She's never used it on someone as young as him. Bringing Victor into the Waking World is the only viable option. There is a way it can be done, but there are risks. She tells Differel to discuss it with her Dreamworld counterpart.

Henry arrives, and the five of them spend the day together having fun. After dinner, when Differel puts him to bed, she explains about Victor in the Dreamlands. Henry isn't sure whether to believe her, but Differel promises he will have proof in the morning.

That night in the Dreamworld, Differel meets with Victor, Medb, and Team Dream-Girl to find out how Victor can visit the Waking World. She finds the table-turning rather interesting. When she first started coming to the Dreamworld, the girls were from her own time, while this Medb was from an earlier time. As such, the girls would tell Dream-Medb about events that were in her future to prepare her to intervene as a deus ex machina in their Waking World adventures. However, that also meant the Waking-Medb knew about things that were going to happen before they actually did, both in the Waking World and the Dreamlands. However, when the girls "died" in the Dreamworld, they were replaced by versions of themselves from far in Differel's future, after they had lived a full life and died for real in the Waking World. As such, they knew things that would happen, in both the Waking and Dreamworlds, that Medb knew nothing about because she was still to experience them. But that also meant Differel told the Waking girls about her adventures in the Dreamlands to prepare them for their future. As a result, when the girls advise against trying, she takes it seriously. However, since the girls would not tell her why, for fear of changing the timeline, she decides to go ahead and try, with Victor's consent. Medb warns them that any slipup could spell disaster; since Victor no longer exists in the Waking World, if he dematerialized there for any reason, he would be gone for good. However, he and Differel are willing to take the risk.

Over the next few weeks, Medb, with Sunny's help, devises a torc that uses pieces of gems ensorcelled to stabilize a Dream form. When Victor puts it on, he finds the snug fit a bit uncomfortable, but Medb explains it has to be a tight fit. The torc must maintain physical contact at all rimes. If it is removed even for a moment, he will dematerialize and be lost forever. He understands and accepts the restriction.

With the Cotswold gate destroyed, the fastest way into the Waking World is through the ghoul tunnels. Victor, Differel, the girls, and Medb travel into the Underworld to the Crag of the Ghouls, and they agree to take him to the cemetery on Differel's estate. They take the group to the edge of the Dreamworld and they wait until Differel disappears upon waking up. The ghouls then lead Victor into the Waking World. Once he is out of sight, Eile tells Medb they have a very long journey ahead of them, and they have to get started now if they wish to make it on time.

As soon as Differel is awake she throws on some clothes and rushes out to the cemetery. She finds Medb is already there. After a short wait, Victor emerges from the family crypt. After he and she embrace and kiss, she takes him back to the manor. The girls are already having breakfast with Henry. When Differel introduces Victor to Henry, the boy is cautious and suspicious, but with encouragement from the girls and his mother, he goes up to Victor and touches him. Discovering he's real, he throws his arms around him, and Victor hugs him back.

The rest of the day, the girls entertain Victor and Henry around the manor as Differel catches up on her backlog of work. When Aelfraed asks her about that, she explains there will be plenty of time for her and him after Henry goes to bed. She rejoins them at dinner, and afterwards watch a movie together. Dracula appears and respectfully greats the consort of his master before gping off to perform his nightly duties. Victor puts Henry to bed, and he, Differel, Medb, and the girls sit around and reminisce. Then Medb and the girls retire, leaving Differel and Victor alone. They talk for awhile about what's been happening in the Waking World, then she shows him to the master suite. They spend the night together there.

In the morning as they all have breakfast, Muriel Plunkett shows up unexpectedly; the girls take Henry away. When she sees Victor, she at first thinks it's a trick meant to rob her of any influence over Henry, but when Medb tells her he's from the Dreamworld, she shuts up, and Victor and Differel realize she was once a Dreamer. She admits it, though it was before Medb's time, and she met Victor's father in the Dreamworld. Both of them "died" there, but they got together in the Waking World and married. Victor realizes he understands his mother and father a bit better now. Differel decides to leave them alone, and she and Medb depart. For all their antagonism, they are still mother and son, and Differel is beginning to understand what that means.

Muriel stays for the day and joins in on the activities, while Differel again works. What she sees of them presents her with a different picture of her mother-in-law. Since that night is Halloween, the staff have spent the past two days preparing a party in honor of Henry and Victor. As a magnanimous gesture of reconciliation, Differel invites Muriel to stay the night and participate. Differel also gives the entire staff the night off. A large bonfire is erected in the landscape park beside the lake and lit at sunset. Decorations include jack-o'-lanterns, scarecrows, skeletons, and inflatable ghosts. Games include bobbing for apples, eating a sticky bun hanging from a string, a candy hunt, and divinations. Treats include colcannon and barmbrack (in deference to Medb), bonfire toffee, caramel apples and apple tarts, caramel corn, roasted sweet corn, soul cakes, and other breads, confectionaries, and pastries, along with nuts and fruits. Drinks include punch, hot cider, beer, wine, and whiskey. Aelfraed performes a magic act, while Sunny tells ghost stories, and some of the staff play, sing, and dance. A fireworks display is planned for midnight.

As midnight approaches, Differel considers sending Henry to bed, but he is having so much fun with Victor, that she decides to extend his curfew. At one point, however, she receives a report from a security patrol doing a circuit around the park of strange lights coming from the megalith. Not wishing to disrupt the party, she decides to investigate on her own, with Medb and the girls. Taking a cart, the ride out to the stone circle, but as soon as they clear the woods they see the megalith illuminated by a bright light. Medb identifies it as fairy fire, a manifestation of the Otherworld. As they approach, numerous sluagh emerge from the fire and range over the land looking for victims; a large number head for the party. They all race back as Differel orders an evacuation. Guards present open fire, but the bullets have no effect. Some people are carried off before Dracula appears. His pistols seem to have an effect, and he guards Henry and Victor. When Differel and party arrive, Differel summons Caliburn, which also seems to have an effect, as Medb blasts them. However, more people are carried off before Sunny discovers by accident that fireworks frighten them off. Aelfraed organizes a defense, but three sluagh attack Dracula and one snatches Henry. Victor grapples with it as Differel and the girls come to the rescue. Sunny shoots it with a Roman candle, making it drop Henry, and Differel cuts it down, but accidentally hits and breaks the torc around Victor's neck. As Victor starts to fade out, Differel hugs him. At first it feels like grabbing a sheet flying away on the wind, but then he solidifies. Then Medb chases off the remaining sluagh with a burst of light.

Even as Differel is about to release Victor, Medb orders her not to. How her contact is able to keep him corporeal she doesn't know, but she speculates that when Differel bodily entered the Dreamworld, she somehow picked up the ability to materialize Dream matter. Unfortunately, it will last only as long as she holds him. They must return him to the Dreamworld to save him, before Differel grows tired and accidentally lets go. Differel orders herself handcuffed to prevent her hands from slipping off. She assumes that they can get Victor home through the ghoul tunnels, but Medb rejects that idea. Only Waking material can pass back and forth. The torc was able to give his body enough substance to mimic Waking matter, but now he is little more than a ghost, even if a solid one. They must get him to a gate, and the only one she knows of is in Colorado. Differel orders Aelfraed to have the jet made ready, then asks Medb about the people taken by the sluagh. Medb informs her they are gone and cannot be rescued.

While Aelfraed takes charge, Differel and Victor head for London with Medb and the girls. Henry and Muriel insist upon coming along, and Differel has no time to argue. They take off around midnight, with Royal Air Force fighters escorting them. About an hour into the flight, they are attacked by sluagh. Successive waves are driven off by using decoy flares, but eventually the flares run out and the fighter planes are destroyed. Medb begins chanting, which somehow keeps them at bay, but it's obvious it's taking all her strength. Two hours later, she is beginning to weaken, and the sluagh begin buffeting the plane. However, they are again driven off by intense bursts of light. An antiquated B-58 moves in above them and provides cover by firing thermite flares. On board is Lt. Gen. Morgan Leia Ross. She received word from Aelfraed and everything is ready in Denver. Unit 666 has had experience with sluagh before, hence the thermite flares: lots of light but no real concussion. As she's now riding shotgun, she suggests they get some rest, they won't get any after they land.

With the emergency over for the time being, Muriel asks what happened back at the manor. Medb explains that Halloween, or Samhain in Ireland, is one of the two times of the year when the barriers between the Mortal World and the Otherworld break down and the inhabitants of both can cross over at will. The megalith is a place where the barrier is weak even under normal circumstances. She suspects the party caught the attention of sluagh. They are spirits of the unsanctified evil dead, and they hate the living; they need no other reason for attacking. Fortunately, the light of day will dispel them and they will return to the Otherworld at dawn; that's why they are afraid of bright light. Unfortunately, they need only follow the night to remain in this world, and though the flight to Denver will take nine hours, because they are chasing the sun west, it will be only 2 AM local time when they arrive. And dawn will not be until 7:30. Differel asks what became of her people taken away. Medb doesn't know. She hopes there is a chance they may be alive, but she wouldn't count on it. Muriel berates Differel for putting Victor and Henry in danger, saying this is why she never wanted them to marry or to allow her to see Henry. Victor and Differel fight back, and a nasty three-way argument ensues until Henry screams at them to stop fighting. Bursting into tears, the girls take him into a back cabin to sleep. Medb tells them that they can fight about this later; for now, they must cooperate, both for Victor's life and Henry's peace of mind. They agree to table the discussion, though Muriel is clearly unhappy. She goes forward to sleep in a flight seat while Differel and Victor head back to the remaining cabin. They look in on Henry; he's curled up with Sunny in bed and both are asleep. Eile whispers everything's fine. She helps Differel shift herself around to face Victor, and to remove their jackets; Victor's disappears as soon as it's off his body. She then helps them lie down before going back to Henry and Sunny.

Differel recriminates herself for the loss of her people and the RAF fighters. Fortunately, Gen. Ross seems to have everything under control. Victor tells her that Unit 666 is a US government agency with access to all its resources, but she reminds him the Caerleon Order is suppose to be the same, except that her incompetence handicaps the bureau. Victor tells her to stop, saying he is sick and tired of her constant self-denigration. He warns her that if she doesn't stop beating herself up, he will divorce her. That shocks her enough to make her angry and being unable to storm off, they are forced to hash it out. In the end, Victor acknowledges that it is her dedication that makes her so driven, and he understands her past experiences have had a profound effect on her, but she must understand that everyone makes mistakes; the crime is only if you never learn from them, and she has. Besides, sometimes crap just happens, and it is impossible to anticipate and prepare for every possible contingency, especially when you have no idea there even is a threat. She also needs to trust in herself. She is no longer that naïve, arrogant, headstrong, and inexperienced girl from thirteen years ago, and she is getting more unlike her every day. Differel apologizes for her temper and admits that he's right, she's just having trouble convincing herself of it. He then admits that he deliberately made her mad to get her out of her funk. Piqued, she bites him on the nose. Laughing, he further admits he's always wanted to experiment with some bondage games, and this seems like a perfect opportunity to try it out. Despite the difficulties, they manage to make love.

As soon as the jet crosses into US airspace, it picks up an escort of four F-22 Raptors, taking up a tetrahedral formation. The sluagh continue to harass them, but the B-58 keeps driving them off. Any that get too close are targeted with an air-to-air missile that explodes with a burst of light. Eventually they land at Buckley Air Force Base outside of Denver. The sluagh try to attack during the landing, but anti-aircraft guns open fire. Ross meets them on the ground and ferries them in jeeps across the field to awaiting helicopters while an AC-130 gunship takes off in the distance. As marines fire flares at the sluagh, everyone gets on board an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter, which takes off along with a half-dozen RAH-66 Comanche attack helicopters. They then head west over the city and into the mountains. The gunship passes back and forth over them, providing cover by launching flares, while the attack helicopters deal with any sluagh that get through by shooting tracer rounds. Muriel asks why the sluagh are still after them. Medb doesn't know, but she cannot rule out the possibility they are after Differel. Regardless, this behavior is not inexplicable, because it is impossible to predict the actions of the sluagh.

After an hour they arrive at a rendezvous point. Two platoons of Marines await them, armed with shotguns modified to fire flares and light guns, essentially powerful flashlights. The girls and Muriel accept weapons, but when Victor takes one it turns into a club. Dracula appears, but stays clear of Victor, instead teams up with the girls to protect Henry. The adults except Victor are given nightvision gear, but Dracula doesn't need it. He hoists Henry onto his shoulders while Muriel helps Victor and Differel negotiate the rough terrain, and they start out with Medb leading the way. Strangely enough, while the sluagh track them, they keep clear, except for picking off an occasional careless Marine. Medb wanders aloud if it is due to Dracula, but Ross and Differel are just grateful for the respite.

After three hours, they reach their destination. The gate is formed by two huge trees growing close together, with a space between them. It is daytime in the Dreamworld, and a verdant hilly countryside is visible through the opening. For a brief moment, the girls think they see Medb and themselves, but decide it was just wishful thinking. Differel is surprised Muriel lasted as long as she did, especially since she helped support them both. The sluagh mill around the gate, but do not attack. Ross deploys the Marines in a cordon to cover them. Victor says goodbye to everyone and he and Differel approach the gate. Before they can enter, however, a figure emerges from the woods: a gigantic shrouded anthropomorphic being with a jack-o'-lantern head; Medb identifies it as Tine Ghealáin. He is the spirit of Halloween, who enters the Mortal World at dusk every October 31, only to return to the Otherworld at dawn every November 1. He leads his army of spirits, Faeries, and monsters across the world, doing mischief, but has grown tired of this existence. He wishes to dwell in the Mortal World permanently, and has discovered that if he enters the Dreamworld, he can return to the Waking World anytime he desires, if only for a single night. However, he did not know the location of any gate within the Waking World, and the Otherworld has no direct access to the Dreamworld. When he sensed the presence of Victor in the Waking World, he knew this would be a chance to fulfill his desire, and he sent his sluagh to attack the party, hoping to manipulate Differel and Medb into leading him to a gate. He also kept the sluagh harassing them to spur them on. It all worked out better than he had hoped. Differel and Ross defy him, but Medb silences them, saying that he has won. However, she has the power to hold him until dawn, though she cannot deal with him and the sluagh at once, meaning that all the others are in danger. Therefore, she offers a deal: she will let him pass through the gate unimpeded if he releases all those his sluagh have taken. He agrees, and the sluagh swoop down, depositing the captives, unconscious but unharmed. The only ones still missing are the RAF pilots, who were killed when their planes were destroyed. Medb orders everyone to stand clear, and Tine Ghealáin passes through. Before he does, however, he pauses and signals the sluagh to attack.

Medb orders Differel and Muriel to get Victor through the gate as Ross and the Marines provide covering fire. Differel does as Muriel covers them, then she passes through herself. Once they are through, Ross orders, "Now!" through a walkie-talkie head set. Lights come on above them, and the whole area is illuminated as if in daylight. Sluagh caught in the light vanish back to the Otherworld; others try to hide in the shadows of trees, but are flushed out using the lightguns. A few make it through the gate. In minutes the sluagh have all been banished. Ross orders the lights shut off. The girls ask what happened, and Ross explains that months ago Medb had alerted her to be ready for this day, and had Mabuse create a powerful searchlight that could reproduce the intensity and wavelengths of sunlight. A dozen CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters have been hovering some 17,000 feet above them, each with a light attached to the underside of their fuselages, ready to activate and flood the area. They just had to wait until the captives have been released. The girls then look towards the gate and wonder aloud what will happen now that Tine Ghealáin is loose in the Dreamlands.

As soon as they pass over, Differel's handcuffs turn into rope bonds and Muriel's shotgun into a sword. Medb, with Sunny's help, is dueling with Tine Ghealáin. Eile rushes up and cuts Differel's bonds, then passes Victor a sword as Differel conjures Caliburn. Then they and Muriel deal with the sluagh who come through the gate along with another warrior whose face is hidden. They make short work of them, and as they go to help confront Tine Ghealáin, Medb banishes him from the Dreamlands. Muriel is surprised by how old the girls are, and that they can be here while also in the Waking World, but Differel explains they come from their own future, after they have died, and asks that she not say anything to the Waking girls. When they thank the unknown warrior for his help, he reveals himself to be Edward Tiberius Plunkett, Victor's father and Muriel's husband. He is now a duke for the Doge of Sarrub, and has been a friend of the girls for some time. When they arrived in Sarrub a number of months ago and asked for his help, he agreed out of friendship, but never dreamed it was to help his own son. They only told him after they arrived . He is overjoyed to have a chance to see his family again, especially his son as a successful man, and the daughter-in-law he never met, though the girls have told him of her. His only regret is that he cannot meet his grandson. Differel contradicts him, and returns through the gate to retrieve Henry; with the crisis over, it should be safe. The girls retire to remain unseen, and Medb allows a short reunion, but after a short while, she declares that they must part. Differel sends Henry back through with Muriel, then says goodbye to Victor. Just before she crosses through the gate, however, she looks at the girls and thanks them for saving the day. Sunny grins and quips, "Hey, you can't be the hero all the time!"

The party returns to Buckley by dawn. Medb and the girls remain behind with Ross, while Differel returns to Britain on her jet with Muriel and Henry. When she puts Henry to bed for a nap, she apologizes for how his reunion turned out. He seems unconcerned and instead is happy that his father is still alive. He asks if he can see him again. Differel says she cannot promise anything, but she can see. She adds, however, that she visits him every night in dreams, so she can deliver messages. Henry seems satisfied with that and kisses her goodnight as she hugs him. In the cabin, before Differel can immerse herself in work, Muriel asks to speak with her. She tells Differel that nothing has changed: it was a mistake for Victor to marry her, her association with Henry puts him in danger, she still intensely dislikes her personally and has little doubt the feeling is mutual. But, she is grateful for the chance to have seen her son and husband again, and she understands that Differel loves Victor and Henry enough to sacrifice and die for them. While she will continue to work to remove her from Henry's life, as the best thing for his welfare, she will no longer consider it a disaster is she fails. Differel tells her that the feeling is definitely mutual, and she will do everything in power to thwart Muriel's efforts to undermine and discredit her with Henry, but she understands Muriel better now, and she can no longer see her as anything other than a concerned mother and grandmother. With that they nod and go their separate ways.

Synopsis: A Lifetime Together (a Team Girl adventure)

Sunny tells Medb she plans to propose to Eile, and asks Medb to help her make it memorable. Medb agrees.

A week later, Sunny suggests to Eile they spend the weekend up in Winter Park. When Eile agrees, she also invites her to a romantic dinner at a very expensive restaurant.

On the day of the dinner date, two super-elegant little black dresses are delivered. When the girls go down to meet their taxi, they find Medb has arrived with a limo. She takes them in the limo to the restaurant, which she owns. She has closed it for the night, so the girls can have a private dinner. As the restaurant musicians serenade them, the dine and dance. Afterwards, Medb takes them in the limo to the airport. She takes them aboard her private jet. As they fly to an unknown destination, they make love.

The next morning they arrive in the Bahamas. Medb then takes them to an island resort she owns. There they meet Sunny parents, Oda Gabriele "Oge" Jaegar, her mother, and Maela Hiver, her father. After they get settled in, Medb takes them on a tour. They have brunch, then spend the afternoon on the beach. That evening, they spend a number of hours gambling in the casino.

The next morning, Eile and Sunny have breakfast with Sunny's parents, without Medb. Oge humiliates Eile, who leaves. Sunny is furious with her mother and she goes after Eile to comfort her. Medb invites the girls to spend the day snorkeling. They return late afternoon and Medb has a talk with Oge. That evening, the girls attend a dinner party where the entertainment is Billy Joel and Sarah Brightman.

The next morning, the girls have a workout in Medb's gym. Eile and Oge have a boxing match, which gets serious, but afterwards, Oge apologizes for her behavior at breakfast the day before. She and Maela take the girls boating and waterskiing, then into Nassau for sightseeing, shopping, and dinner.

The next day, the girls spend the morning getting a spa treatment. Medn goes into Nassau to meet with government officials. At brunch, armed men attack the resort. Oge and Eile are captured, but Maela and Sunny get away. The leader, Renoir, is an old colleague of Sunny's parents, now an enemy, and he is looking for revenge. He taunts Oge but takes a liking to Eile.

Sunny and Maela get a message off to Medb, then arm themselves. They determine that most of the mercenaries are in the ballroom with the few resort staff members who were unable to get to the panic room. The rest are searching the resort for them. Maela and Sunny decide to deal with them first.

Renoir is frustrated that a woman and a girl are able to take out his crack mercenaries. He is considering threatening to kill hostages unless they surrender, when other mercenaries attack. In the confusion, Renoir snatches Eile and heads up to the roof to his helicopter, with Oge in pursuit. Renoir and Oge confront one another, but when Oge gives up to save Eile, Medb appears and kills Renoir.

Later that day, Sunny talks with her parents. They encourage her to make her proposal to Eile. She does so and Eile accepts. They celebrate with aquatic frolicking in Medb's private pool.

Medb watches them, satisfied with the results. She talks with Snowshoe Kitty about how she is now convinced that the girls are the fulfillment of a prophecy in the Book of Skelos concerning the Twins.