text: [Themes: Fantasy]
  
  > Go downwards
  Lornedei climbs down.
  
  The clearing is almost perfectly round and thirty or so paces across. It is surrounded by the forbidden forest on all sides.
  A giant black oak stands in solitude in the middle of the clearing. Many of its roots stick out of the ground like snakes arching to suffocate their prey. Steps are cut in the oak to provide an easy way up.
  
  A stone altar stands in the shadow of the big oak. Dry grass and shrubs are still rooted in the dead soil, and more of the deformed bushes grow in a loose circle around the oak and the altar.
  
  An old stone well gurgles softly not far from a crumbling stone house. On the other side of the clearing, three paths lead into the forbidden forest.
  
  The great roots under the giant oak have slid aside revealing a passage.
  
  The sleepwalker is here, spinning slowly.
  Black smoke seeps out of the darkness between the trees. The smoke gathers itself until a dark pillar of smoke is formed. In erratic, twitching moves, it comes closer.
  
  It stops next to the staring Lornedei. It starts to turn slowly, releasing veils of broken smoke from its ragged surface. They dissolve in the air and new ones form to take their place.
  "The maker of horrors at night. The roaming nightmare. I thought they were stories."
  
  > enter the nightmare
  "Master? Are you sure about this?"
  She looks terrified but she decides to trust your judgment. She walks into the spinning smoke.
  the nightmare stops spinning and Lornedei appears on the other side. She looks at you with gray eyes and an uncanny smile on her lips.
  There is an angry buzzing from nearby. Lornedei looks around, mystified.
  "Pft, which is it, oh smelly it is. Stubborn, umpf, thing." Suddenly, the firefly comes out of the opening to the stone house, dragging a piece of straw. One end of it touches the ground while the other end, with the firefly in unsteady flight through the air, is at level with Lornedei's knees. "Hiya!" With a terrible boost of tiny wings, the fly gets the straw totally off the ground and stays hovering at eye level. "Oh dear, you are back." The fly and the straw, despite intense buzzing, starts to sink. Quickly, Lornedei grabs the straw and stops it from falling.
  
  "Phew! Thankee Girl. Let me rest. Was waiting for you." Lornedei sticks the end of the straw in her hair so that the other end sticks out in front of her face. After a moment, the fly starts pacing the piece of straw.
  "You were in the smoke were you not? I feared you being lost Girl. Oh, dear. I must tell a story now. About a little boy." Lornedei sits down on the ground to listen.
  
  "He is an ugly one, if you can say so about a spirit. He was not always so. He was a boy once, born in a village not far from yours. That was a long time ago you see. An odd child he was, yes he was. He sat by the pond for much time, lost in the sight of his own face in the water, catching..." the fly stops pacing for a moment and seems to shudder. "I heard from rumor I did don't you know, He caught fireflies and he... He pulled...Oh, dear, I will not speak of that. He was wicked! Then his parents died. He was alone and he took care of himself. How, no one could tell, as he was still only a little boy.
  
  Then the magician came. The villagers were relieved to see the boy go with him, and no one knows where they went. For many years the boy was gone, yes he was. When he came back, a young man with riches and fancy ways, he moved in to the old home of his family, and said he had gotten rich from trade in the far lands and wished to set up business in his home village." The firefly makes an angry buzzing and starts pacing the straw again.
  
  "I must make this story of less length I believe. He did not make trade honestly, tricks he had, power he had gained and fooled the villagers he did, and rose to a man of importance despite him being still young. Then his gaze fell on the merchant's daughter, and he wished her for himself. There was nothing but desire in his mind and when the girl's father refused him the still too young girl, a spell was cast. With magic he tried to force her to him, but something went wrong, very wrong."
  
  "The spell he cast was powerful. The girl ran from her father in desperation one night, threw herself on a horse and rode for her love. She was in a hurry and fell. The girl was several years younger than you Girl, and the Elder's knew something was amiss. They traced the magic spell to Raccdaha.
  
  The Elder's council banished him from the village and from his own body in the ancient sentence of severance. Death but no rest. A very cruel punishment and Raccdaha was in fact the last one they kept in the House of Penance. He became one of the forgotten ones, chased into the vast forest.
  
  He did not remain forgotten though. He remembered his name as some of them might if they are strong enough. He grew strong. The hatred he felt poisoned big parts of the old forest and gave some kind of life to the other forgotten souls that dwelled there.
  
  He fed the spirits with lies and promises of life. When they finally felt the same rage as him, he fed on their collective hatred and he could possess a poor wanderer's body for a while. Before his temporary body was used up, he joined the light bearers without them knowing. Their numbers started to decrease until there was very few left. He spread lies. The people grew afraid of magic, and the remaining light bearers had only one place to go. From their castle in the field of Unification, they tried to maintain the three great oaks for many years, but the day came when they had to flee even that haven. Me, cannot tell where they fled, or how. Perhaps if you go there, the place is now the field of despair, you could find knowledge. Me, yes me I don't know the rest of this story, only that Raccdaha came to rest somewhere, not able to move on, not able to live. I believe that he may be guarding the entrance to somewhere where he cannot go, waiting."
  
  The firefly is quiet for a long moment. Then it walks over to the end of the straw and with a powerful buzzing, the straw is dislodged from Lornedei's hair. The fly pipes up again. "I will be off. Good luck Girl, he may be strong but remember that he is only a big foolish and vain child." The fly and the straw disappear with a flash, leaving a scent of burnt straw in the air.
  Lornedei is muttering to herself.
  Lornedei turns her head slowly from side to side, dazed. She blinks.
  
  > follow the branch
  Lornedei steps through the smoke.
  Castle Ruins (In the Hall of Portals)
  This square chamber is dominated by four portals. Each has a small impression to place one of the plaques. Lornedei came in from the northwest. If all portals are open, she can also go south, east, west or north.
  
  Raccdaha stomps the floor, shifting its weight. It is getting ready to crush Lornedei.
  
  On the portal to the Hall of Severance is a small black plaque.
  
  She can also see a small green plaque here.
  
  > give the plate to Raccdaha
  Lornedei holds up the silver plate with trembling hands. Raccdaha stops moving. He is quiet, absorbed by the reflection in the polished surface. He grabs the plate.
  His attention is far from Lornedei for a little while.
  Lornedei looks around, puzzled.
  Raccdaha is staring into the polished surface, oblivious.
  
  > put the gray plaque in the south indentation
  Lornedei puts the small gray plaque in the round hole on the frame. It goes into place with a click.
  Raccdaha is staring into the polished surface, oblivious.
  
  > reach the south mirror
  The matted surface of the glass suddenly flares up in a cascade of crimson sparks. A shower of hot air and red light throws Lornedei back. It throws her on the floor, and she desperately claps at her shirt to kill the tiny flames. She drags herself back across the dusty floor.
  
  The moment passes, the sparks fade and die. Lornedei gets up on her feet, staring at a wavy, unsettling darkness. There is nothing at all beyond the polished frame.
  
  The portal to the Eternal Void is open.
  Raccdaha is staring into the polished surface, oblivious.
  
  > Light torch
  The torch is not of any use now. Let's just leave it as it is.
  Raccdaha is staring into the polished surface, oblivious.
  
  > Kiss raccdaha
  Raccdaha snaps out of it and turns to her.
  Lornedei smiles her uncanny smile and looks calm, pleased. She holds up one hand and Raccdaha is still. She walks closer and puts a hand on one of the rocks, caressing it slowly.
  "Yes. You can live again. Let me come with you. Let's find a body for you."
  A strand of darkness twists itself around her hand, touching her fingers, moving over her entire body. Light as the draft from a butterfly's wing, yet leaving her skin scorched and bleeding.
  If she feels the burning, her face shows nothing of it.
  The spirit that was once human embraces her. He wraps his arms around her body, seeking warmth. He holds her with arms of stone. She melts into the darkness.
  
  Smiling, she lets herself be crushed between stones, cut to pieces by sharp metal. He reaches for her hand, which turns to a bloody mess. He holds her head, which cracks like a ripe melon. Only then does the smile fade from her lips.
  
  > Pray
  She may or may not. Just hope that her prayers go to you and not something... else.
  Raccdaha drops the silver plate on the floor.
  Raccdaha is staring into the polished surface, oblivious.
  
  > take the plate
  Raccdaha is holding the plate, turning it this way and that. She can't take it from him.
  Raccdaha is staring into the polished surface, oblivious.
  
  > Heal west mirror
  Lornedei's shining eyes are fixed on Raccdaha. There is no way she will listen to you now.
  Raccdaha is staring into the polished surface, oblivious.
  
  > Exorcise ld
  Lornedei is possessed. Would you like to perform an exorcism on her?
  
  > Yes
  You give it your best shot, chanting and carrying on.
  
  > kill Raccdaha
  Raccdaha snaps out of it and turns to her.
  Lornedei stares furiously at you. Horrified but still angry, she steps back.
  "I am not strong enough Master, can you not see that?"
  She sidesteps to avoid a shower of crimson sparks.
  
  Raccdaha is staring into the polished surface, oblivious.
  
  > Magic
  Lornedei's magic is currently at 160.