This is a message for Eurac

Azeral here,lately I've been having many glitches with my planeshift making it totaly unplayable so i wont be ingame for the foreseeable future but please don't remove me from the guild.I will try my hardest to get it working again.

The metal pretrosaur

On the roof of a non descript Hydlaa cottage an elderly figure worked busily over a strange device,he was extremely old,dwarven with greying hair,his white robes were stained liberaly with thick spattered oil.By his side was a stack of various tools and components.

He was stooped over what at first glance appeared to be a metal petrosaur,complete with wings and on either side strange tubes stuffed to the brim with air glyphs,a small hollow on top of the device allowed for a seat and several strange appendeges.The dwarven figure was now in the process of anchoring this assembly to the ground with thick ropes which he tied to steel hooks around the edge of the roof,when this task was complete he attached what appeared to be a large flowing sheet to the top of the craft which billowed in the wind due to its size. With considerable difficulty he inserted a sizeable stone bowl filled with oil,not too dissimillar from the ones outside the temple of laanx under the canopy of this and lit its contents.Holding the sheet back so that it would not set alight he watched it as the column of rising air slowly inflated it.Soon the floppy fabric was supporting itself and continuing to inflate.The aging man estimated that it would take around an hour to fully fill and so locked his door and strolled purposefully in the direction of the Kada-el tavern...

He returned some time later and streight away ascended the steps to his roof,the scene which met his eyes made him beam with pride,the sheet had solidified due to the amount of air filling it and the whole assembly was tugging at its moorings ready to go.People had ridiculed him,they said that he should not give up his promising career as a professer of magical science to chase a 'foolish' dream,he had given up everything and after years of research and sacrifice his goal had been realised.He lowered himself into the kikiri pit [we can't call it a cockpit as there are no chickens in Yliakum ] and ran his fingers across the various knobs and levers,this made his vains pulse with exitement and anxiety.

Bearly able to contain himself the dwarven professor tugged on a carefully positioned rope which set a complicated system of slipknots in motion that released the ropes from their hooks as he slowly began to float free of the ground.At a steady rate the baloon and its charge climbed majestically higher and higher,within barely twenty minutes the sprawling metropolis of Hydlaa appeared no larger than a dinner plate;this was amazing thought the Dwarf,it was like being a god.

Having reached the planned altitude the professor slammed down a large,important looking handle which caused the baloon canopy to eject itself into the air before crumpling in the wind and falling to earth.Free from the canopy the metal gondala beneath went into a dramatic nosedive,the dwarf was not worried as this was part of the planned sequence but nevertheless the experience of falling extremely fast unnerved him.Calmly he let his will release the magical energy contained within the glyphs that sent a huge jet of air spurting from the back of the tubes,propelling the steel bird forward at tremendous speed.The professor gently nudged a control that changed the angle of the wings until he was level and soaring across the plains of the dome,from this high he could see everything;the azure sun was closer than it had ever been before.

After a long flight going streight ahead he realised that the light was fading and that he should now turn back.Steeply tugging on a lever caused the craft to back until he was facing Hydlaa,a slight turn of a crank and he was now approaching the walls at a steep tilt.The craft was now travveling at extreme speeds and was almost out of control,the professor skimmed over the city walls much to the disgruntlment of the town watch and was now on collision course with the plaza...

He skimmed the top of the statue and jumped out of his seat into the fountain as the craft crashed nearby sending a cascade of tinkling  shrapnel all across the plaza.As he looked up,dazed,he was aware that crowds of people had gathered around the scene and were all staring at him.

One by one,they started to applaud...

The ungreatful boy

In the rolling plains of the first level lived a family of stonebreakers,they were happy and lived comfortably,one day the parents instructed their young son to collect water from a lake a short distance away.As he approached the water's edge bucket in hand which he had done a thousand times before he noticed something unusual,in the shade of a tree was a tiny house no bigger than the boy's head (remember he is a dwarf child so that is especially tiny).

Curious the dwarf tapped gently on the roof of the pretty little house and out walked a rather disgruntled little figure,it was a Kran albeit an extremely small one.

"Hello," said the boy to the Kran, "You're a Kran are'nt you? why are you so small?"

The little rock man took a seat as he related a rather sad tale to the young stonebreaker who listened patiently:

"I was big like other Kran once but fairly recently I had an argument with a traveling sourceress,she was extremely angry at something I said to her and so she placed a very powerful curse on me,I will only return to my normal size once I perform a good deed for someone and once they appreciate me the spell will be broken."

The boy felt for the unfortunate Kran and offered that if he would help him collect the water for his parents prehaps that would satisfy the criteria of the curse.The Kran agreed and once the dwarf had filled the bucket he took it in his arms and began to push it towards the boy's cottage,this was an impressive feat as the bucket was twice his size.When they arrived the Kran nodded and said to the boy,

"Very well,I have completed my task,can you now please say that you appreciate me so I may return to normal size?"
 "Not quite yet," replied the boy,"There are a few more things I would like help with"...

Just under a year passed and the boy had still not made any gesture of thanks to the small Kran,the boy had become very lazy and now commanded his new friend to do everything from fetching water to cleaning the Kikiri coop.The Kran was unhappy at this treatment but tolerated it as he knew that one day his spell would be broken,one day the boy's parents were heading out in on bussiness to hydlaa and had instructed the boy to prepare a meal for their return.As soon as they were out the door he summoned the Kran and asked him to help prepare the meal.

"No!" said the little Kran resolutely,"I have been performing tasks for you all year and you have not shown the slightest thanks,I'm leaving right now to find another person to help me."

As the Kran stormed out the boy bitterly turned back towards the oven "I dont need him" he thought as the Kran stormed out of the door.The boy opened the fire door on the oven to place in another shovelful of coal and as he did so an ember caused him to recoil,this resulted in red hot coals spilling all over the kitchen;within seconds the whole cottage was ablaze.

As the choking smoke and blinding flames closed around the boy he glanced the small Kran through a window "For the love of laanx help me!" he screamed,the Kran looked back and calmly said "I'm sorry,I am too small to be of any help in a situation like this;prehaps I would be bigger by now if you were more appreciative.

"Well I did appreciate you very much!" cried the boy in desperation.At this moment an extraordinary change came over the Kran,he steadily expanded with a slight glow until he was towering over the boy,when the change was complete he lumbered forward and with his bulk removed a large section of the cottage's wall through which the boy ran immediately.

"Thank you," the boy said to the Kran as they stood outside the burning embers of the cottage "Please stay for a little longer,my parents will be back really soon and they are never going to believe this"

The Kran looked at the dwarf and flatly replied "I can't do that I'm afraid,you did wrong and must now face the consequences" with that he lumbered into the distance and the dwarf never saw him again.

Without the Kran to back up his story the boy's parents did not believe the convaluted tale of a three inch tall Kran being the underlying cause of the fire as there was only his word and the wreck of the burned cottage as evidence.Without a convincing story the boy was severely punished and was not forgiven by his parents even into adulthood,this was the Kran's way of teaching him a lesson.