Stav Korwell

UP: Sonoma

    It was a fine, hot summer day, and Nolly and her lover Rolan hunted deer in the woods south of Occlo. Rolan slew the deer and Nolly, who was a tailor, stitched their hides into garments. As they hunted together, the two lovers cast fond glances at each other, for they were to be wed in a fortnight.

The air shimmered nearby, a blue gate opened, and several people stepped out. Last out of the gate was an astonishingly beautiful woman with very pale skin and green hair. They rushed up to Nolly and Rolan and said, "You are in grave danger! You must come with us immediately."

"What danger?," asked Rolan.

"No time to explain. Just come with us now and you will be safe."

The couple put down their deer hides. "Who is that murderer with you?" asked Nolly, gesturing towards the beautiful, pale woman.

"Oh, she's our prisoner. We're going to hand her over to the guards of Lord British. Come with us and we will explain everything. But hurry! We haven't much time!"

"Well, if it's really an emergency, we'll come with you."

A gate appeared. Nolly and Rolan stepped into the gate ... and found it led to the Chaos Shrine!.

The pale woman, who was really Vilendra, the Emerald Enchantress, pointed at the couple. "Seize them! Bind them well and drag them onto the Shrine." The evil ones grabbed the couple, and hauled them onto the Shrine, ignoring their cries of terror and pleas for mercy.

The Enchantress turned to the Shrine. "We now commence the ceremony of Control of the Heart."

Vilendra and her assistant, Nulgrum, began the arcane rite. Vilendra lit blood candles, sprinkled polluted earth from a polluted shrine, and then raised the heart of the Golden Stag in offering to the dark powers. She then turned to the other evil folks watching. "Now is the time for our human sacrifice!" she ordered, gesturing towards the trembling lovers bound on the shrine. "Slay our victims, and when they are slain, cut out their still-beating hearts and hand them to me."

The evil folk fell upon the lovers and gleefully hacked their bodies to pieces, handing the two hearts to Vilendra.

Vilendra and Nulgrum raised the still-beating hearts and chanted the final words of the ceremony, blood running down their arms. A group of undead appeared, and the Enchantress and her assistant smiled at each other, for this was the sign that the first Great Spell was complete and successful. The folks all entered a gate, and the Chaos Shrine was silent again, except for crows picking at the bones of the two corpses.

The Enchantress' main opponent is Doria Romanov, the gypsy. If you want to help stop the Emerald Enchantress, come to the meetings at Doria's tent in Skara Brae, every Tuesday at 7 PM (Pacific Time), just north of the bank. Last week Doria was completely cured of her illness when a group of brave folk retrieved a special curing potion from the body of an evil mage in dungeon Shame. Doria says she now feels fine, and plans to meet the Enchantress "head on".

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Monday, June 26th 2000