Glammer was putin Charge of Astarian security and the army. With advice fromGranddad she divided the army into four groups each lead by awizard labelling them for ease red, blue green and yellow units.They were put to work cleaning up the mess created by the invaderswhich gave them exercise at controlling their new bodies andprovided a useful clean up.
She alsosuggested they discretely retrieve Astaria’s stolen treasure fromthe Mentarin occupied Solaron castle treasure vault before signingany agreements with the Mentarin. They did this and the Mentarindidn’t discover the treasure gone for several weeks later. Theysuspected Aquitain but had no proof so had to let it go.
Glammer andAquitain together searched the whole of Astaria looking forAstarian Group mind, Asterix and the portal to the netherworld, butfound no sign of them. This worried Aquitain as Asterix knew everypart of Astaria intimately. Where were they hiding? Were they stillalive?
Granddadcreated a magnificent plan for redesigning the city withmagnificent buildings, a shopping arcade, entertainment areas,fountains, parks and accommodation for different types of peoplebut of course they needed people to come and live there and thatwould take time.
He brought hisfamily to Astaria and discretely offered friends and acquaintancesback in Panmagica good deals to come and set up businesses inAstaria. Some agreed and came. A group of 35 gnomes from the gnomegate world agreed to a contract to work in Astaria. A few dozenLlanlleans and Newmans that had been slaves joined them and theCrin Queen sent a young Queen to set up an embassy and a smallcolony there. No little people came. Astaria began to take shapeand grow.
After a fewweeks and dwindling supplies Kelnor Head of the Panmagican invasionsent a delegation to talk to King Heteronymous to discuss peace andwithdrawal from Mudrun. However, when told that the gateway at twinTowers was no longer functional he first blamed the Panmagicans andrefused. Then later after discussions with Lord Asaba of the Yith,he realized the real situation. Aquitain had out manoeuvred the lotof them.
The kingrecontacted Kelnor, agreed on a plan for safe contact to thesouthern portal but refused to negotiate transport offworld ontheir behalf. Aquitain waited until he had word that they werehungry and dispirited then allowed transport to one on the worldsallied with Panmagica for a suitable ransom. This of course didn’tmake him popular with the Council of Unity who had to fund theransom.
Featherdownpointed out that Aquitain’s plan had worked. He had averted a war,and the possible start of the prophesy of the Time of Troubles.Both the Panmagicans and Yith now had no reason to stay in Mudrunso for all intents and purposes Mudrun was now an independentworld.
However, theking was not happy. There was no joy in being king of a peacefuljungle world that nobody could visit and nobody but the Inter-WorldSociety of Druids wanted. He knew that they would demand it bereturned to their control and further demand that he resign andpossibly even leave the world he loved.
Miranllaoccupied the summer palace as Queen of Moonmist. She was protectedby Darkmantle and loyal Llanlleans but only half of the Lordsrecognised her as the Queen. Some of the others recognised Gemelicaand others wanted no King or Queen. Lord Darkmantle tried in vainto unite the Lords but there was always a suspicion that he hadcaused all the problems and few trusted him.
The Trixieswere less enthusiastic for some reason. Even after Aquitain found acure for their malformations there was still a problem hidden fromsight and from Rory who acted on behalf of the Warden.
Gizel becamethe de facto Queen of Moonmist. She was beautiful, graceful,sociable, diplomatic and very astute. She handled the finances andpublic relations. She was well loved by all the Astarians.
Granitesearched for Kami and Shastritara in vain. They had vanished withan egg and he guessed that Lithgala had provided them with a safehaven somewhere until the young hatchling came of age then he knewthere would be trouble. Snowbelle had also vanished somewherewithin the Yith empire and he knew without doubt that she worldreturn bringing trouble with her.
Aquitainstudied his seeds and discovered keeping three partners happy was afull time job even for an Agent of Chaos. He also knew that whenthey next he saw Tigerlilly trouble would not be far behind her.Perhaps that’s when the prophesy of the Time of Troubles would cometrue. Until then a period of relative stability occurred throughoutthe region.
Meanwhile awhisper got around among the gods that a secret was hidden withinAstaria and they began to work out ways in which they might findout what it was.
The end – fornow!
GLOSSARY
People (books1-3)
Aquitain (Rob),a young mind wizard and magic item maker, the hero.
A.G.,supposedly Aquitain’s missing father.
Adonis,powerful elemental dragon, second son of Lithgala..
Allalanllea,Queen Snowbelle’s female Llanllean Royal Wizard also nanny andclose confidante of Miranlla.
Alin Amber, amystical Yith druid, agent of Lithgala and supposedly agent ofAquitain’s father.
Alpha,Aquitain’s sentient memory crystal, a walnut sized construct.
Aquiveratis,alias Aquiveritusgranitoberilax, stone dragon son of Granite andLithgala.
Ansidian,yithmardu, alias of Alin Amber.
Asterix, gnomeworker in Astaria.
Aurora, Queenof the Elendari on Moonmist.
Barra, sprittotem of the green-scaled (water) Little People.
Beatrix, Queenof the Crin on Mudrun.
Bellen, Mudrunborn Trixie Leader of the Queen’s castle Trixies.
Belloe,mercenary fighter, leader of Zephira’s expedition.
Bengorrin, darkElendari Leader of Dark Ones at Banshee
Bhopingar,barra herder from the great swamp Little People.
Borse, Head ofthe Mentarin, a minor Power
Buluk, shamanof the Bear people.
Burlop,sentient amphibian who saved Miranda
Cadalthian,artifact of immense power.
ChantalotRhythmesgrande, bard and spy, Featherdown’s brother.
Crys,Aquitain’s small green crystal construct body container
Curbut, SeniorWizard, Featherdown’s second in charge, Unity spy and assassin.
Daisy Theolaur,Aquitain’s grandmother, a weak mind wizard.
Darkmantle,Lord Wyvern, Elendari Lord, ex-husband of Snowbelle when she was anewman called Sindel.
Dragonfly,Miranda’s name and persona on Moonmist after she is captured byDarkmantle.
Erastius,chaotic spirit mind wizard inhabiting the Mask of Chaos.
Esller,Llanllean clan leader
Facit Decoid,Logicon spy and Aquitain’s shape change trainer.
Featherdown,Archmage and Lord High Wizard of Mudrun.
Franciscus,human Archmind wizard, trapped in the form of a sentient book,collector.
Gaston theGreat, wiry old wizard in Zephira’s expedition.
GarretAxegrinder, newman low level wizard whose father made the Rodof Lordly Might.
Gemelica,Princess,
