"The inhabitants of the Copper Coast are known as the Men of the Sea due to their great sea-faring ability. Their boats are intelligent entities in their own right, being sculpted from the structure of living enchanted Coral. A Man of the Sea and his boat have an almost symbiotic relationship, almost sexual in nature. Having been in the company of some of the female inhabitants of the Copper Coast, I can see why the men prefer their boats." - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 5; "The Sea and its people"

My limbs protested with every sweep of the oar, but still I struggled on. Our boat ploughed through the waters following the Salamander coast, its craggy rocks and tall forboding cliffs most threatening to our tiny little vessel. If we had been swept into them, we would surely have been dashed to pieces. We all prayed to whichever Gods we worshipped to find out some safe place to land - If none was forthcoming, we would not have the strength to avoid colliding with the shoreline - a disaster in which the inhospitable terrain would surely guarantee no survivors!

Melody the Bard stood on the helm with the spray of the foamy waves crashing around her, and for a few fleeting seconds she cut a most striking figure standing proudly in command of our tiny vessel. The sunlight shone brightly upon her, forming what could almost be considered a glow which surrounded her. Suddenly aware that I had been staring at her for nearly a minute, I shook my head and continued with the rowing. I must have been suffering delirium in my exhaustative state, to even hazard the remote possibilty of the tiniest chance of thinking of the bard, no matter how attractive she may be, as anything more than an adventuring companion. We four souls had been thrown together by Fate, and as soon as we reached civilization I would give Fate a piece of my mind, or at the very least a stern speaking to.

"Lady Fate has many faces; She is at times as my mother who keeps me fed and clothed when I am destitute, at times my lover who keeps me warm in the night with a reassuring touch - and at others a deadly adversary with an intent of stabbing a stiletto through my shoulderblades when she catches me in bed with her sister." - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 3; "A Swashbucklers guide to Religious Survival (a.k.a. Don't bother the Gods and they won't bother you)"

The Bard shouted that she had spotted somewhere for us to land, and there it was to our left. A bay, complete with beach for us to land at. Putting one final effort into rowing, Darius and I guided the vessel between the rugged cliffs and into the bay. Two villages nestled in the bay, some distance away from each other. Will, with his permanent boyish spirits, jumped around on the ship in excitement at this sight. I must admit my own spirits were lifted considerably at the knowledge that we would be amongst people again - namely due to the fact that wherever people are, the chances of meeting attractive females are considerably higher than the odds of meeting them on the open sea! (Especially given the fact that the majority of attractive females hanging around in the open sea have a nasty tendency to sing sailors to their deaths - No woman is worth that).

There were a number of fishing boats dotted around the shores of the bay all docked due to the heavy winds which our vessel was a victim of. However one foolish individual was in the very centre of the bay in a tiny fishing boat making a futile attempt at rowing away from the village, and we steered a course towards him. We pulled up alongside and hailed him, and he stood up and replied. He introduced himself as Talaff, and he was a most interesting looking man - Huge in stature, and possessing the rugged countenance of one who has worked hard all of his life; Elderly, weathered and rugged. He explained his reason for being out here - He was a cleric of Typhon, God of the Sea, at one of the villages - but he believed he was nearing the end of his usefulness and had rowed out here several days ago for Typhon to take him. We explained to him that it didn't seem like Typhon really needed him quite yet (I have never been the greatest advocate of Suicide - a terrible waste). We asked him to follow us back to his village, and with a heavy heart he agreed. One must feel awful when one feels rejected by a God you've spent your whole life worshipping.

"Many say the greatest part of a journey is the travelling itself. Others hold the view that a journey of a million miles begins with a single step. These people are all fools, and should either be committed to a reputable institution or completely ignored. Travel is a necessary evil, and it is the arrival which holds the attraction. Brigands, monsters and traps seem to centre themselves around the journey and it is a rarity indeed to find a group of bandits waiting for you inches away from your destination." - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 5; "Travelling and the Loneliness of the Long Distance Swashbuckler"

The village was small and poor-looking, but still more hospitable than the oceans. People stood in doorways and peered through open windows at us as Talaff guided us towards his home. I felt a little uncomfortable being the centre of attention - Many of the women in particular were staring at me, obviously fascinated by this handsome young man with a face unlike the ones they were accustomed to, being one elderly and laden with wrinkles. He took us into his meagre home and gave us Fish and Bread to eat. It was when we had settled down that he explained his plight. His granddaughter, a girl shortly to become the next Cleric, had gone missing several days ago. This was the main reason he had attempted to take his life - a feeling of sheer despondency and uselessness. The girl's voice had been heard in a nearby cave network, but nobody could find her and the searching had ended. Given the man's hospitality, it seemed logical that we should search for her. Even after I heard that the Granddaughter was only 14 (and that the added element of such a quest had been instantly dashed!) I still agreed to take part in a more involved search for the poor waif.

We set out to the Cave network and began exploring. The exploration was quite uneventful with no real incidents of note to mention here - Exploring one cave is very much like exploring another. Indeed we could hear the girl calling, but we quickly found the cause of this - Will detected magic afoot and the Bard made the leap of logic by finding Honeycomb, which was a spell component used in a spell which would recreate the illusion of a girl's voice - which went some way to explaining why the voice called out "Father" and not, as one would expect "Grandfather"! We had reason to believe that the girl was NOT missing in the caves at all - which posed an interesting question; Who would benefit from convincing the Talaff that his Granddaughter was lost to him, depressing him to such an extent that he would consider giving his life to Typhon? With both the cleric and his granddaughter "apprentice" lost, the area would be prime for an new cleric.. which led us the adjacent village in search of clues.

"Subterfuge and trickery follow a Swashbuckler around like a pretty Maiden. Watch your best friend, if not only to look out for his safety but to also ensure he is not plotting against you." - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 1; "Colleagues - Never give a Swashbuckler an even break"

A short walk took us to the boundaries of the village where we planned to explore, in the hope that Will would detect the evil we suspected was lurking here. We were again the subjects of intense interest as we wandered through the narrow streets, all eyes fixed intently on our party. Samovar was the cleric of this village, and did not look as I expected - A large man decked out fully in armour, accompanied by guards. We first saw him standing in the shadow of a house and we made a path towards him and Talaff introduced us each to him.

His manner and attitude were friendly, but it didn't take a magically sensitive person to detect that something wasn't quite right. We spoke for a while and explained that we had been searching - even going to the trouble of offering one of his closest colleagues to aid us in our continued exploration of the caves. We bid him farewell, and walked out of the village. It was now that Talaff revealed to us the horror of what he had discovered - that many of the village people were under a seductive influence, and that Samovar himself was possessed by a Shade! The Touch of the Endless Night itself was in the very village we had visited!

A chill down my spine I bid farewell to my party who, with the aid of Samovar's "lieutenant" continued exploring the caves. I accompanied Talaff back to his home, and guarded him as he prayed to his God on the beach. I had the sneaking suspicion that this prayer was a means of gathering energy for the battle which would undoubtedly follow.. I looked out to sea, where a mighty storm was beginning to brew - a Dark omen, perhaps..

We all met a short while later, and Talaff collected a fearsome looking flail from his home - We all took a deep breath and headed back to where we hoped to confront Samovar. He was waiting for us, still standing in the shadows and accompanied by his two men-at-arms. He asked, half laughing and half deadly serious, if Talaff was here to start a war. Talaff took a deep breath and I watched with astonishment as magical energies began to arc around his body - to launch themselves at Samovar.

"Despite what you may believe from my writings, I am basically a shallow man. I require the forces which act in my life to be tangible and manipulable. Magic does not fit into either of these categories, and I recommend that you never trust it. Many of you may even claim to have Wizards as friends, but can you really be that sure it is not their magical power influencing you into befriending these basically untrustworthy sorts?" - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 4; "The inherent Wisdom in never trusting Pirates, Priests or Wizards"

Helpless to react and overawed by what I was witnessing, I watched as the two launched themselves into a mighty magical battle. Energies of different colours crackled through the air, and mystical weapons formed from the very ether itself blazed around us. A hammer-type weapon, light blue and semi-transparent, smashed the corner of the house which Samovar stood next to into tiny fragments. Samovar countered by summoning a black liquid cloud which surrounded Talaff like a cloak, but I watched as the elderly cleric dispelled it with a whim. My companions and I realised that we must act to assist our cleric friend, or all would be lost - Both Samovar and Talaff seemed equally matched, and all it required was someone to tip the balance..

Moving with the swiftness of a Grakhan Yatterjape caught in a hunt, I dodged my way around the guards until I stood in front of the imposing presence of Samovar himself - now looking much larger, much stronger and considerably more immovable than he seemed a few moments ago. Before he could realise what was going on, I leapt at him with my arms open for a tackle against his large frame. He staggered slightly, but it was ultimately not enough - and he pushed me away from him, leaving me in an awkward looking heap on the floor. I looked at my companions to see how they were faring; Darius was busy hacking away at guards with his sword, and the Bard was making futile attempts at stabbing people left, right and centre. She seemed to be getting quite involved - her lips moving silently, probably already writing the lyrics for a new song about our exploits..

I leapt up to my feet and tried again, this time pushing him out into the sunlight. He swiped at me with his sword, but I ducked beneath the arcing blade. One of the mesmerized villagers stabbed at me with a blade ill-designed the combat and I winced in pain, neatly span on my heels and stabbed him through his heart. I have trained with the greatest Swordsmen in the Golden Empire and it takes a great deal more than one poorly trainer villaged to stop the legend of Xander Du'Blanc! Samovar's attack began anew, his blade whirling through the air. A backwards triple somersault took me away from the range of his swings, and Melody joined the fray stabbing him neatly between the shoulderblades. She leapt away to be replaced by the mighty Darius who swung his sword back and then into Samovar. I stared at his face, an expression of complete astonishment etched upon it. With a single gasp he staggered forwards and collapsed into the ground.

Everything was silent for a moment, half-expecting a Shade to emerge from the corpse and attempt to possess one of our own party - but nothing happened. Talaff stepped towards the body and stood over it, staring thoughtfully down at it. I decided to check out Samovar's house, and sure enough came across what I had sought - Talaff's daughter, tied and gagged into a chair in the empty rooms corner. I sheathed my sword and stepped towards her, reaching my hands around the back of her head and untying the gag which kept her silent. She remained silent as I removed the binding from her arms, until suddenly her face adopted an angry expression. She pointed an accusing finger at me, and screamed one word aloud, "DIE!"

"Not me for the appeal some hold of dying peacefully in one's sleep. No, Not for me a quiet death. When I die, I want to die as I lived - standing on a stairwell, a sword in each hand, repelling countless demonic hordes pouring at me from all directions. As their blows begin to strike more and more frequently, and my vision begins to fade, I shall thank Luck for giving me better odds through my interesting life than most men. When blissful unconciousness washes over me and I see the emaciated figure of Death striding towards me with arms outstretched, I shall stare him in his darkened sockets, smile graciously.. and then deliver as hard a bloody kick I can to his zombified privates" - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 4; "Death and the Swashbuckler"

My eyes flicked open and I realised that I was lying on my back on the rooms floor, my companions, Talaff and his granddaughter standing over me with concerned expressions etched upon their faces. I blinked for a moment, and then sat bolt upright. I was feeling fine - a little disorientated, and a little confused - but fine nonetheless. Talaff helped me to my feet, and patted me on the back. I just stood there in a daze deep in thought - while I was "dead" my whole life had flashed before my eyes.. and it had suddenly dawned on me how much had been spent on gratuitous self-gratification and debauched behaviour - and how scared I had been for an instant that if dead, I wouldn't be able to carry on my life in exactly the same manner for a good many years to come..

Our search of Samovar's domicile uncovered some treasures, a proportion of which we gave to Talaff to look after his village. The plan of Endless night had failed - an evil scheme to imprison the populace of both villages with the absence of the Cleric and his apprentice to tip the balance back in favour of Good. Bidding our fond farewells, we set off in search of our next adventure - which, with the favour of the Gods would bring my life back to relative normality again..