Herman, former wandering soul

UP: Napa Valley

    It can be hard being the smartest in one�s class, getting bullied by the warriors and having all self-proclaimed geniuses trying to outsmart thee. Well t�was the case with a old school chum of mine that came back to haunt me recently.

After well over two decades since the time we had last met, this fellow searched me out and challenged me to a battle of the wits. T�was one last shot, I suppose, and in some ways he did win. Though I bested him with my intellect, in the end he got the best of me. With some peculiar bit of sorcery, the fellow caused my body to fold into itself, my limbs seeming to wither away as my flesh softened and diffused into a gaseous form. I had been transformed into what, by all appearances, seemed to a floating green wisp. I still cannot imagine how the old bat pulled it off, but there I was at his mercy. My vile�companion� then set before me a collection of riddles that would take me to the places I needed to go for my body to be reformed. Obviously he thought that I would never succeed � but soon after he had left me on my own, I had managed to decipher the clues for each and every location.

The only catch was that I could not go myself - nor tell any of my plight - or the spell would remain. I had to come up with a way to get people to go with me of their own free will. Determined to return to my normal state, I began to wander near locations frequented by adventurers. In an old crypt, I bumped into a loudmouthed yet good-natured fighter who called himself Decimus. Taking advantage of his confidance, I challenged his group of adventurers to a battle of wits after their weekly meeting at the Warrior�s Guild Hall. At first I was doubtful that they would obtain the answers I sought, since I assumed them to be slowwitted warriors. Thankfully, they proved me wrong.