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recent experience has left me as shattered as an ancient treant struck by a lightning bolt from the heavens. I recall our last conversation when you told tales of these mysterious creatures you claimed to have seen while away in the land of the Synthets. I thought the stories too amazing to be believed and I felt that you had somehow been affected by Synthet propaganda. I write you now to tell you how wrong I was, and beg your forgiveness as I know not how much ether is left in me.

From Nadan's correspondence to Eilin,
Distinguished Mage of the Ether of Vitality

My Dearest Eilin, may the Ether of Vitality flow to you unbounded.

It was just yesterday that I was deep in the Great Forest to drive out the Synthet abominations who have been raiding our mines and resources. After quickly eliminating a few hoppers, I was making my way back to a small village when a Synthet scout appeared almost out of thin air. My recent combat with the hoppers had quickened my responses and I was becoming over confident after my beloved ticks tore through his worms. My confidence was quickly crushed however, when the Synthet began to sneer arrogantly at me and summoned a creature the likes of which resemble nothing natural in this world of ours.

I noticed the exchange of three ethers and then it appeared as an apparition, visible, but not fully there. I was bewildered and I truly believed that my own eyes were deceiving me, until, that is, it took solid form. It was pale in color, in fact color isn't the right word to describe the beast. It surely had no eyes, or soul for that matter, as they radiated a freakish light with no substance. The creature was peculiarly grayish and covered in both natural and metal armor. His two arms wielded a mighty spiked hammer and a massive shield and even a frightening horn extended upward from it's elongated snout. The beast made quick work of my beloved servants, taking no less than five life points with each attack and somehow always managing to strike first. He fixed his eerie gaze on me next and attacked with a ferocity that I had never witnessed in any opponent.

Although badly shaken by his first attack, the power of the Great Forest was with me and I called forth an ancient treant and cast a power enhancing spell on him. Even he could not kill the beast though, who after receiving a mortal wound, turned transparent and stood there watching the proceedings as if nothing had happened. Together with the treant and other servants we finished off the Synthet and the creature disappeared. I was unable to remove the Synthet's memory unit before it was erased, so I too only have this tale with no physical proof of my ordeal beside the multitudes of injuries which are surely drawing my life-force to the afterworld even as I write this.

I beg you to take my report to the Council and work with them in learning the secrets of this powerful magic the Synthets now wield. I fear if we continue to ignore and dismiss these strange stories our race will be faced with certain extermination.

Kinet Learned Council
Minutes from meeting held on the 9th day of the 205th season of Verde (excerpt)

hairman: I've reviewed your report, would you be so kind as to summarize your experiences for the rest of our respected council members.
Speaker: As many of our esteemed colleagues know, we have been collecting and researching data for our secret project: «Ethereal».

On the 90th day of the current year a most unusual creature appeared during one of our experiments with combined ether flows. We suspect that the creature is not of our own dimension, but this is a preliminary conjecture.

In many ways the creature resembled an ordinary wolf; similar to those controlled by the barbaric Chaots. Of course this one stood on it's hind legs and was much more massive in size. The creature carried a sword and was heavily armoured. The plate metal was artfully patterned, although the designs are primitive in comparison to our own, they signal a highly developed culture. One rather incredible difference between Etherworldly creatures and the behemoth we have encountered is that it almost appears that the face is a mask, as a mysterious glow emanates from its facial cavities. In response to our queries, the Chief Registrar of the Learned Council's Archives informed us that there are no references to any such creatures in both our practical or theoretical literature.

Although it required all of our efforts and many of our staff sustained severe injuries, we managed to subdue the creature enough to observe its behaviour. The combat experiments were truly revealing and we were able to gather the following information:

The creature is cunning and exhibits a high degree of tactical prowess and brute force
Only the most powerful of our servants are able to withstand a direct attack
Although it does not posses as much strength as our more powerful servants, its services require fewer resources, costing just one ether to summon.
The initial cost is somewhat increased when used actively - in other words you must sacrifice one of your own servants, or one from an opponents cemetery to use him.
Like our own Ghost Warrior, this creature is a vampire

In conclusion, pending further experimentation, I believe that we should provide funding to create a sub-council to explore the possible uses of these creatures for the benefit of the Vital race.

isten to me, my friends, for I have a tale to tell you", said Storknar as he let out a heavy and mournful sigh. It was a fortnight past when I went with my chum, may his blade never dull in the next world, went for a mug of that swill they serve in the little tavern near the border with those haughty Kinet bores. So we had been there a time, and at least half of that lazy innkeepers entire stock of booze was inside our bellies when we began to harass him - may he never have enough ether to buy a rat - My pal decides that he was feeling ornery, always quite cocky when he's had a few and went out to take a breather.

After I had emptied a few more, and the innkeeper's daughter began to look good, I noticed that my buddy hadn't returned and decided to go see what was keeping him - I reckoned that he was trying to teach those Gibberlings how to drink again. After searching for some time I almost stumbled over him near the Kinet fort, he was soaked in blood - I almost mistook him for a cut of mutton instead of my Chaot brother. He was still conscious and managed to tell me what happened - but I can't say whether it was the truth or just a dying man's rant.

"These Kinet scum didn't have time to let out a squeak before I thrashed them within an inch of their lives - now that will teach them! Just as I was certain that I had finished them off the scariest thing happened! A four-armed demon appeared, of which I never saw the likes of before. Of course I know no fear - never have, but it was a truly freakish creature… Four arms flailing about and eyeballs bulging like an Orc who gobbled some muck for dinner and can't give it back to nature. The fangs that thrust out from its maw were so big our shamans would be envious. If somebody laid enchantments on them, it would hand its master the same ones! I couldn't make up my mind as to whether it was really there or not. One minute it was transparent and ethereal like the early-morning fog in the green-faces' woods, and then it was flesh and blood again. Its bludgeon and pole-axe were real all right, and very solid too - it killed my Orc guards with a single blow…what a stupid way to die…" And that was what he told me before giving up his spirit. I thought I'd never live to see him bested.

ynthet delta-300B Priestess of Perfection has been referred to the Modifications Section for optimizing her "aggressiveness" parameter. During a routine memory readout a series of retinal impulse signatures were relayed to the brain center that had not been detected and registered during the last data transfer:

Synthet delta-300B location: Square 12, Zone M-q-5668.
Synthet delta-300B state: Static.
Objects within field of vision: Chaot, Cyclops, Vital, Mantis, Non-static humanoid object (NSHO), origin undetermined. NSHO identification: unknown life form; orthograde; 6 symmetrical appendages attached to upper torso, 2 symmetrical appendages used for locomotion provide support for torso and head structure. Inorganic components: insignificant quantities; organic components: unknown. Undetermined light source emanating from eyes, lower appendages covered, upper torso uncovered. No apparent form of shield or armor defense, heavily armed.

Combat analysis: Vital casts spell. NSHO behaves aggressively, attacks Cyclops. Cyclops loses 7 life units. NSHO bends light spectrum, becoming transparent and inactive (Static Humanoid Object - SHO). Vital casts spell. Mantis appears in physical form. SHO changes state and becomes active - refer to NSHO. NSHO attacks Cyclops, active enchantments possessed by Cyclops transfer to Mantis. NSHO changes state to SHO.
Synthet delta-300B state: recharge required.
Attempts to obtain additional data from retinal impulses were declined. [This is the second incident of disobedience within the last 4 cycles: 3.587 cycles earlier the model refused to increase eyesight parameter. These have been noted and stored in Protocol of Irregular Situations 10.78429.]

Conclusion: Synthet delta-300B Priestess of Perfection, acting in autonomous mode, has not activated full eyesight center data transfer. Reason for refusal unknown.
Instruction:
(1) Check subroutines to debug any data corruption causing Synthet delta-300B Priestess of Perfection to disobey standard requests.

(2) Analyze obtained data with goal of classifying NSHO and SHO discovered by Synthet delta-300B Priestess of Perfection.

(3) Plan for further modifications to increase percentage of inorganic mass should the unit display additional autonomous tendencies.

As told by Thaena, great warrior heroine of the Chaots

s many here know well, I have never been one to withdraw from an unpleasant looking monster. In battle I have fought against the ugliest and cruellest creatures known to any of the races. I have come to tell you all though, what happened to me recently when I was practicing for my next duel far from the outskirts of our village. While rehearsing some new moves I heard the sounds of a furious battle raging over a nearby hill. I quickly moved to watch, the thrill of seeing two great warriors fight to the death too strong to stay my body. Although our Chaot men are far more pleasing to the eyes, I beheld two magnificent mages of the Vital and Synthet races engaged in a glorious combat. With not too little interest I began to consider which would win but the match was so perfect, as the Vital rejoiced at some victory, the Synthet pressed on and came back to deal his own revenge. So the duel played out until the Synthet endowed one of his Mechosaurus beasts with extra strength, enabling it to land some mighty blows on the Vital hero.

It was now that I witnessed something that I myself would never believe if I had not seen it with mine own eyes! The Vital, sensing his danger called forth a demon of which is completely unknown to us or any other race. A vile creature with deathly grey skin like ash from our fire pits, he was covered only by a loincloth and bore an ornate headpiece. From his snarling mouth hung two razor sharp fangs and he appeared to wear his body like a suit, an ethereal glow emanating from his eyes. I shuddered to just gaze on the beast, but when I saw him act I grew fearful for my life! His attack took three lives with one hit! He then proceeded to drain the extra strength from the Mechosaurus, gathering it unto himself. After this display of magical prowess, untold in all of our histories, he turned transparent and refused to battle on further. The Vital, wanting to finish the duel quickly, cast another spell to make the creature full again, and it reappeared as living, ready once again to execute any opponent. It was now that I became overwhelmed by the sight and returned to the village to tell all of these wonders.

From Fiona's letter to Raymond

Respected Raymond, the Wisest of the Wise,

et the Force of Life and the Energy of Ether be with you. Neither the day nor the night would relieve my memory of the tale about the strange beast you encountered during your journey through the other worlds. I know that I have not reached the pinnacle of magic enlightenment yet, and many a season will pass before my knowledge equals the wisdom endowed to your advanced years. With the bold hope of learning more about these amazing creatures, I spoke with the ancient trees of the forest, and came across a powerful Ash Tree who revealed that it had witnessed a bloody battle between a Chaot and a Kinet.

At the height of the battle a mysterious demon appeared, summoned by the Chaot warrior. With the very first strike it managed to drain more life out of the enemy than several regular creatures could. After the attack the demon turned transparent, appearing as a ghost. The Chaot master, unable to control the beast in this state, sacrificed one of his own creatures to bring the ghost creature back. The demon returned fully, as eager to get back into the battle as before. The Kinet, seeing that he would once again have to face this fury, summoned a creature for protection, but the demon deprived it of life and quickly rushed the Kinet in one turn! At the moment the great Ash tired of these temporal matters and fell into a deep slumber, thus the outcome of this most troubling clash remains unknown to me.

On these words ends my letter, I humbly seek and await your advice.
Fiona

n accordance with your instructions, I have A synthet delta-700G Turbomag is found in location 9 of zone L-e-1003. Multiple body damages. Life functions fatally damaged. Rehabilitation is impossible. Brain and adjoining details scan has revealed a sequence of residual impulses. Information sequence decoding:

unregistered life form
aggressive behavior towards delta-700G Turbomag
delta-700G Turbomag summons Iron Mechos
the creature attacks Iron Mechos
the creature strikes first
Iron Mechos is destroyed
the creature turns semi-transparent
Iron Mechos disappears from the graveyard
the creature returns to the initial state
delta-700G Turbomag is attacked by the creature

- break in sequence -

Decoding error: 1:10. Permissible error is exceeded. Data systematization and comparison with analogous cases is impossible.

Resolution: write off delta-700G Turbomag

To: Chairman, Kinet Learned Council
Top Secret
Personal, by hand

Extra-Urgent Report

n accordance with your instructions, I have undertaken a series of observations in the vicinity of … (excluded by censor) to obtain data for classification of life forms from other dimensions. As a basis was used unclassified document (report by Barnard, Kinet informer, member of the Learned Council) describing his encounter with an unknown to science creature.

A similar phenomenon has been observed in two days' walk distance from lake … (excluded by censor). Comparison of the observed creature's physical appearance with that of the one seen by colleague Barnard revealed the following differences: unlike the beast with the fox snout described by Barnard, the creature observed by myself had:

snake head;
body not protected with metal plates;
loin-cloth;
wrist and neck decorations made of golden-coloured material.

At the same time the two organisms did have something in common, which allows to conclude they were of similar nature:

shining emerging from the eyes;
amazing tenacity;
ability to turn semi-transparent.

This creature was appreciably more powerful than any other being known to science, and had abilities never observed before; careful analysis will be needed to research those abilities. The creature materialized after its master spent two ethers to summon it. Only by calling a magic wall could the enemy stop the creature's attack. However, the next attack by the ferocious creature cost him three lives. After that the creature turned semi-transparent and became invulnerable to the enemy attacks. However, it should be noted that in this state the creature could not carry out its master's orders, so the latter had to sacrifice one of his servants to bring the creature back to active state.

The locals insist they also witnessed emerging of other mysterious creatures. On the basis of recorded facts I dare to suggest that the reasons of the above unusual phenomena probably have something to do with unique properties of the area. I'd like to draw your attention to the fact that so far nobody has been able to discover any data which could explain the purpose these creatures have been designed for, or the identity of their creator. Accordingly, I dare to conclude that research of the mysterious properties of the above area can shed some light on the unknown forces which occasionally materialise here in the form of creatures described above, and similar ones.

Composed by Kinet Paola, member of the Learned Council

Resolution by the Learned Council:

Classify this report. Include Kinet Paola, member of the Learned Council, in the special training programme for future participation in intelligence-gathering expedition to be sent to … (excluded by censor) area.

he Chaot Hongar's valor was renowned for tens of seasons and tested in many a battle, for it was more than once that he had defeated his enemies against the most horrible of odds. Although no one among us can lay any doubts upon his sterling reputation, it was not so long ago when it appeared that his courage was truly shaken by a battle that he witnessed. Hongar went out when the moon was new and the heavens appeared to be covered by a spread of black velvet to size up the strength of the Synthet guard forces near the borderlands. As he peered through the thick underbrush he spied a Synthet challenging a belligerent Kinet.

After spending three ether units, the angry Kinet summoned a mysterious creature to help him. This beast was like no other that Hongar had ever see or heard of, with a head like that of a bull, and odd-looking clothes adorned with birds' feathers. Like a flash of lightning the ferocious savage dealt a horrible blow to the Synthet, taking six of his life units. The Synthet, stunned by this unexpected viciousness, could not gather his senses before one of his own creatures was abducted by the beast and a spell handed over to the Kinet. After this storm of activity was complete the bull-like creature turned semi-transparent and refused to obey his master or fight further until the Kinet sacrificed one of his own minions in order to bring the bloodthirsty beast back to service. Once the creature returned to action it instantly launched another murderous attack against the once magnificent Synthet warrior and soon the Kinet prevailed over him, much to the amazement of the great and respected Hongar.

From Raymond's letter to Fiona:

ostile Organic discovered in zone PF7, area Having received your letter, I spent many hours reflecting and reading ancient manuscripts. After a long and fruitless search I made up my mind to undertake a voyage to other lands.

During my journey, I encountered a mysterious beast, but of a different appearance than the wonderful animal mentioned by seer Melian. The wonderful creature I saw was not inferior in height to your faithful Mantis; its body was clothed in apparel of an earthen colour, and a horse's head sat on its shoulders. True to Melian's word, this beast can be summoned into our world, but it's not easy to keep it here. A mage must spend two ethers to summon it. When the beast attacks, it takes four enemy lives. After attack it tries to return to its world like the boar described in the manuscript you found, so the master is forced to sacrifice one of his servants to hold the beast here. The beast can also deprive the enemy of a spell and draw one of his servants into its own dimension, after only receiving one ether from its master. I'm afraid I'll need your help in my future search, as the beast promises to bring the Vitals a great many troubles, and my years are falling away as the leaves of a tree in autumn.

Raymond, Mage of Vitality Ether

ostile Organic discovered in zone PF7, area sector 8-W, organic classification: Vital…
The Vital casts a spell, using 1 ether unit.
Unknown object appears within direct contact radius.
Preliminary identification of the object: Unknown; Organic or product of unknown synthesis processes.
Further Reference: Unknown Object 0037.965B

Scanning Unknown Object 0037.965B:
Description: Posture: erect, Body type: symmetrical, Feather-like constructions protrude from head, Facial Features: Massive Beak.
Undetermined shining emanates from ocular apertures, spectral analysis inconclusive.
Torso and additional appendages covered by indeterminate non-metallic material
Final Analysis: Results Incomplete…

Analysing Action Parameters:
Unknown Object 0037.965B determined to be aggressive, after first attack Synthet Model Eta-400 suffered damage equivalent to 2 life units.
Hostile Vital has lost 1 ether unit. Unknown Object 0037.965B changes Jumper belonging to the Synthet model Eta-400 into aberrant state, accompanied by change in visual manifestation of the organism. Jumper's body turns semi-transparent and displays no signs of controllability Hostile Vital's ether reserve increases by 3 units
Unknown Object 0037.965B turns semi-transparent, similar to Jumper's aberrant state and supposedly
Hostile Vital sacrifices one of his common creatures.
Unknown Object 0037.965B attacks Synthet Model Eta-400…

Transmission Terminated: 15:45:29 CST
Channel Scan Initiated: 15:45:30 CST
Scan Results: Channel interrupted, no further communications intercepted.

here was no rest for the awesome Helgy, who was always in search of trouble and adventure. She decided to go to the dark forest to do battle with the Kobolds, wandered from the path into the dark brush and soon came across a young and frightened Kobold. She sized him up and decided to spare him, as he was too meek to suit her, and he, for her favor, told an unbelievable tale of an amazing battle that he had just witnessed.

As the Kobold was resting in the grass near the opening of a mountain cave, he suddenly heard the clanking of steel from inside. His curiosity bested him, and he decided to have a peek into the cool darkness. When his eyes adjusted to the light there, he saw that a Vital and Synthet were about to engage in combat against one another.

The Synthet opened with a mighty spell cast up in the air, drawing forth a strange and horrible creature that was covered in heavy steel armor that eerily reflected the sinister light that shone from his eyes. He had the snout of a tiger and finely crafted martial weaponry. Even though the Synthet had only consumed three ether to bring the creature forth, he took four enemy lives with a single blow! When one additional ether was spent, he gathered the Kinet's servants unto him and gave them to his Master to control. After all of this had been done, the creature became transparent, and in this state he was untouched by any enemy attacks, and was also unaware of his Master's commands! When the master sacrificed another spell, the creature would become solid again, as if waking from a slumber.

The Vital quickly lost spirit amid this raging onslaught. He was unable to shed a single drop of his opponent's blood in the heated battle, while watching many of his servants depart to the lands of the dead, or turned over to serve his enemy. Fearing that the Synthet would turn this terrifying creature on him when he was done with the Vital, the Kobold quickly departed and promptly ran across Helgy.

Helgy, who knew no fear, was torn between amazement and disbelief, wondering if she should go on to search out this Synthet, or send word of this event back to the Chaots.

To: Chairman, Kinet Learned Council
Top Secret
Personal, hand delivery only!