The unusual disappearance of Hyuga into the northern territories of Stonefist is the first indication that this evening is special beyond all others. For the first time in many weeks you actually feel tired. Exhaustion rarely plays a part in your daily routine, but you get the distinct impression that this is tiredness born from necessity. Your companions seem to be sinking also, sinking into a melancholy, dream-filled slumber.

Your eyes open and your companions have vanished. Before you is a sensuous man of about your age, although you are aware of the wisdom behind his blue eyes. He possesses an almost female beauty that transcends any of your familiar notions of attractiveness and blows them apart. He is the most beautiful man you have ever seen.

"Greetings, granddaughter," he says in a musical voice that demands to be heard. "Although you are probably not aware of it this is a very special evening. It is like no other you will encounter, for this evening the normal rules of existence have been suspended. I will take this opportunity to tell you a tale, my sweet beauty. This tale has many tragic twists but it is one you must hear and understand...your survival depends on it.

"I am Quizet Daesil, or to be precise, I am the spirit of my former self. If you know your history then you will understand who I am. The beginning of my tale concerns the gods. As you will appreciate they are beings of enormous power but what you probably won’t know is that they are not the most powerful creatures on Greyhawk. It is a failing of gods (and I include myself in that) to believe that they transcend any creature or any power. They do not.

"Their power is closely interwoven with certain Prophecies which exist but which are largely ignored. The destruction of the Law of Telepathy put paid to anyone’s ability to read into the future but the gods discovered there was a way in which this could be achieved. They discovered a little known freak of nature called The Law of Prophecy. I myself discovered the possibilities of actually ‘reading’ these ancient clues which Nature leaves lying around from time to time. If you know where to look - and any god will know about this - you have a certain advantage to predict what might actually happen. The present gods have made sure that their mortal counterparts know nothing about this and actively encourage the rumours that The Law of Prophecy is nothing but ridiculous babble.

"I will try to simplify it. Nature is a direct product of the work of Promethius - the all father and creator of the universe. Whilst she is not strictly a ‘being’ it is the simplest way of categorising a very complicated awareness. Anyway, Nature came about because of certain circumstances which came into being during the Time of Creation and because Promethius did not want randomness to rule his new universe he ordered things so that every event which occurred would have a kind of warning. He hated surprises. Therefore, if a rabbit died of drowning there would be some clue (or prophecy) to foretell the death. Now, these clues (prophecies) were mostly unbelievably obscure (for instance the rabbit’s death could be foretold by a leaf turning blue instead of green) and I wasted many years in this obsessive hunt for these small signs. There are rules to The Law of Prophecy, however. The more profound the coming event, the more pronounced the prophecy (or clue. Get the idea, now, granddaughter ?)

"The present gods are furtively following a set of prophecies (or perhaps only one prophecy) which includes Anstran, Hyuga, The Blade of Gaxx and yourself. Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with you ? Well, I’ll get to that shortly, but I’ll have to fill in a few gaps in your understanding first.

"Let’s get back to who you are. As I have said, you are my granddaughter and you are the product of my son, Doctor X. You have probably heard of him. What you probably don’t know are the exact details of your birth, for they are fairly complicated. Anyway, your father was a friend (and enemy !) to a very powerful priestess called Isula. She is indirectly responsible for the present god, Isulan, but at the time she was my archpriestess - my strongest ever, actually. At the time your father was forced by Isula to ‘impregnate’ three of her priestesses in return for some favour my son required from Isula. Well, with my help I arranged for Isula to take the place of one of the priestesses for only the power of a god could have fooled him - he was a very powerful and astute man and although I should probably not admit it he almost discovered mine and Isula’s plan. So, now you know your mother. This is where things got complicated.

"Isula and I discussed what to do with the growing foetus. We eventually came to the conclusion that Greyhawk was no place for the son of a such a man so we concocted a plan to hide the foetus in the Abyss. It is not nearly as drastic as it seems. There are six hundred and sixty six planes of the Abyss and not all of them are so bad. Isula knew what she was doing. She went to the Plane of Sands and with her demonic lore bound a demon to carry the foetus during the gestation period, with a condition that you be born upon Greyhawk when the time came. The mistake she made, however, was not to bind the demon to The Plane of Sands. Your surrogate mother wandered through the Abyss whilst you grew within it. Unfortunately there is no linear scale of time in the Netherworld and when your time eventually came and the demon surfaced centuries had past on Greyhawk and both your parents, and myself, were gone.

"Your ultimate grandmother was an archdemon called Loramas. I will digress a while and talk of her. It is she that instigated a brilliant scheme which she called The Bloodlines of which you are now a part. You will not hear a good word spoken about this demoness despite the fact that her lineage has had such an incredible involvement in the history of Greyhawk. In spite of this she possessed the keenest intelligence of any creature I have ever met and the depth of her genius is beyond the comprehension of normal mortals. It is with the profoundest regret that I must inform you that your grandmother has been murdered, slaughtered by Greyhawk’s newest gods - Skarvik and Isulan. Their treachery against our family will be complete if the Bloodlines die. You, Dismet, are the last surviving member of a truly great family. The sixth day of the Bear is significant since this was the day that Loramas was destroyed. Skarvik and Isulan bent a law in order to achieve this and the universe has decided to bend back, for during this day Nature will allow unusual meetings such as this to compensate for the gods’ treachery. This gives me an opportunity to speak to you, for you will need your wits about you if you are to survive the onslaught that will follow.

"Now, let us return to prophecies. It is entirely likely that the two gods - through their reading of the clues - are aware of your presence and although you won’t believe me they will be terrified of your potential. Recall my earlier words: the more profound the event the more profound the clue. It is possible that the death of one hundred of Skarvik’s warriors by the Blade of Gaxx was one of these profound prophecies. This would obviously foretell an equally profound event. I am not saying that this is exactly the case but I will assure you of one certainty...Skarvik and Isulan have nightmares, like all gods, but the face in their dreams will be yours !!

"Your unusual parentage has produced some unusual side effects within you. The grasping of the power of the Void was perhaps your first real involvement on Greyhawk and it has further complicated an already complex and flowering potential. I shall try to unravel some of the mysteries. Let us forget the Void for now. The primary power of your father was Rootvile, which is the essence of the dead and one of the three Primal Powers. His mastery of it was complete, it suffused every cell in his body, it formed the core of his being and altered his entire state from the moment he drank his first mouthful. This is his legacy for you. You are now entering what is called a primal awakening and your blackening fingers are a testimony to this occurrence. The rate of maturity is varied from creature to creature. You seem to be a late developer. My son’s blood will soon overwhelm your own and take over you and your soul completely. Do not try to fight it, for you cannot. You are what you are and there is nothing that can be done. My studies in sorcery and women seem to indicate a prolonged period of transition into full power that is closely linked with puberty. I digress again.

"You will, as the old cliché goes, not know what hit you. My only advise is do not fight it - embrace it.

"And now the Void. This is a more abstract, and yet in some ways more frightening, power which will require all your control to master. You are poised on the verge of a unique event for the universe has yet to see a creature who has the potential to utilise and master two of the primal powers at the same time. No god could ever boast that. Neither could your father, or Chael, or your mother. You can therefore understand the concern of Skarvik and Isulan, who conceal their abhorrence for you in a spurious vendetta against Anstran and Hyuga and the Blade of Gaxx. The danger that you face borders on the unbelievable but I would not be so downhearted. As your potential flowers so will your confidence in your own talents.

"The Bloodlines bear a rather unique responsibility. There will be those on Greyhawk who are ‘experts’ in the field of primal magic, or whose ambitions are taking a grandiose turn. They will offer advise concerning your future and the future of your precious ovaries. If you ignore all my previous words then take heed of my final ones. Under no circumstances whatsoever must you succumb to any pressure regarding a mate or regarding your virginity. It must remain intact until your power has fully matured. There will be some persuasive arguments, I am sure, but you must listen to me. In exactly one years time it will be the spirit of Loramas who stands before you. It is her advise - and no others - that counts. I must say it has been a pleasure granddaughter. I only hope that you have inherited the guile of your parents so that you might survive the treachery of the gods. May you succeed...Goodbye..."

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