Tale 77 told by Ellamar on 28.11.2000
Strange Happinings

      Strange goings on are happing, just 
recently a drider approached me as I was making 
my way. He had cornered me and I thought for 
cretin that I was his next meal. As you well 
know talkin' your way out of a mess with a 
drider is a waste of time but it seemed I was 
left with no other. Therefore, I started to 
explain my business in the area after coming 
from the gathering in heavens and all, and being 
sent on this errand by Baldrick himself. That is 
when the cruel glint in his eye faded. In 
addition, after many a' foul words I care not to 
repeat. He calmed a bit, and he relayed this 
tale to me. He was felling a bit sorrowful of 
himself after for being summoned from the abyss 
for the third time that same day. He had called 
himself Ponfyr. Mind you, the whole time he was 
pinching me as if to discern how I might taste 
to him.

"... I was in no hurry to enter the lofty towers 
of gods in heaven either. I had found a great 
place to sit and wait for the bright globe in 
the sky to set. As I watch the comings and 
goings in that awful place, I started to feel 
less sorrowful and more disgusted of the bright 
and shiney place I now found myself. I thank She 
of chaos and hatred for that dark corner under 
those stairs.
     One of my legs was getting a bit cramped 
and as I shifted to adjust it, I accidentally 
dislodged a stone from its place in the wall. 
After looking around a bit to see if I had been 
noticed, I examined the hole left by the large 
stone.
     Mostly I saw the clouds surrounding the 
palace. However, as a wind parted the clouds I 
could see the part of the mortal ground of the 
surface world. How painful it must be to live in 
a place filled with light and elves though. I 
was looking for a nice gloomy spot I might be 
able to start a brood. There seemed to be a very 

dark forest near a road close to Shadowfall City 
that would do nicely, very gloomy indeed. I am 
sure it would protect me from the awful daystar.
     As I searched from above for the place to 
place the brood, I saw it. An it, it is. For I 
know not what to call it. Methinks a tree, yes a 
tree it was. It walked across the open part in 
the forest. It stopped briefly. Moreover, to 
stand next to other tress as some adventures 
came into view. They must have not seen it for 
the passed quickly by. Alternatively, this thing 
might be common on the surface. Once they were 
safely out of sight it started walking again. I 
saw him stop in the center of a small clearing 
as a human dressed in brown approached him.
     They seemed to be talking a bit. 
Nevertheless, before the human moved on he gave 
some scroll to the tree. I wonder what a human 
could want with a walking tree. For that matter 
what a tree could possible want with something 
from a human. Well anyway, if I set my brood 
there, I will use that tree for the anchor of my 
web, and if the human comes back, he will be a 
tasty snack..."

In addition, at that very same moment a large 
crack opened in the floor with the fires from 
some hell jumpn' out the newly formed pit. Well 
it seemed a firey hand reached out of the pit 
and grabbed hold of this Ponfyr feller and 
started pulling him in. He was screechin' 
somthin' awful. Moreover, just like that the pit 
closed up again as if it had never been. Ponfyr 
and all his disgusting hairy legs were gone. 
Like I said strange happens are going on...