Ebert and the Mysterious Encounters and Finds

[GodlyD&D]

"I know that. So, what can we do about it?" Rodston asked.

Ebert said, "Dan here doesn't know about it. Even if Mr. Endemort escaped through there and got away, we cannot go that way and find where he went."

Rodston went on, "How could Mr. Endemort go on through there? Even if he had a way to get into the passages from that building, though we never found the way for him to reach them, he would be going through passages where a huge snake is dwelling. He would have no way to go on, and get past it."

Dan said, "You should both come back over this fence, you could talk about it later on. You don't want to go back in there, do you?"

Ebert said, "If it was another man, it would be the same problem for him, right? There is no way for us to go through there any further, we see it is too dangerous. Come on, we should try getting over this fence again, and we can go back then."

With some difficulty, Ebert got up to the top of that fence with Rodston's help, he then put a leg over it to straddle it though with some real discomfort, as Rodston handed him the things they had with them now, which he passed to Dan on the other side. He then came down that other side, and Rodston worked himself over that fence. They were now on the side where they were near the now closed building of Supernatural Promotions here. They looked at it again.

Ebert said, "There is no way out from that building that we can see. But Mr. Endemort got out, he isn't there. How did he get away, Rodston?"

Rodston replied, "I can't answer that. But I am not claiming that he passed through the solid walls underground to walk through the passages down there that we found. And there is that great creature, the huge snake, that I don't think he could get past."

[GodlyD&D]

They walked on from there back to the street along which they had come. It was quite late in the day now. As they came to the street, Ebert said, "There was certainly someone down there previously. It would have been the same issue. How did he get to where we saw the marks he left started at?"

Dan said, "You both really don't want to wait until we get back to the hotel where we are staying to talk about that, do you?"

Ebert said, "We would not have anything more to figure this out there."

Rodston still said, "We would not, unless what I brought back would give us any clues."

Dan said, "We will be there shortly, and you will then have an opportunity to look through what you brought, if that can give anymore information related to Mr. Endemort in any way."

They continued on to the corner to the main street along which the hotel where they stayed was. The sun was now near the horizon. Ebert was really glad to be back as they came to the hotel, it had been a long day. And he knew they would leave again very early in the morning.

Dan said, "It has to be a great relief to you that the felon is caught and no one will suspect you are him, now."

They went along the steps in the hotel, and Ebert said then, "Yes, I have relief about that, but the mystery of Mr. Endemort is too puzzling to ignore now. All along he had been cheating us and the officers, he is not supposed to be in this country, he might have fooled the owner of the building, and he got away with all that. I really do want to see this solved. I sure hope we still have anything for some kind of clue."

[GodlyD&D]

They came to the door of the suite where Dan and Ebert stayed with their other friends. Ebert tried the knob, but it was locked. He called through the door, "It is Ebert. I am back." He had been gone almost all day, they should be glad he was back finally. After a little wait, with shuffling noises heard, the door opened.

It was Lenny at the door when it was opened. Ebert said happily, "You are back! I can't wait to hear about it."

Lenny said, "I see you all found each other. But you still took long. This day is already over. What happened that took you so long?"

Rodston who had come in with Ebert and Dan said, "We found out that Mr. Endemort got away. He was supposed to retrieve the contact information of the building owner, for the officers, he went in to the building for that, and then he was gone. They went in to find him, and they searched thoroughly, and he was not anywhere in there. We went there from the station, with finding Ebert to go along, and when looking around there we found there were underground passages around the building. Ebert is sure Mr. Endemort escaped through those, but I do not think so, the tunnels do not go up to where the building is, there are solid walls in the way, so there is no connection."

Ebert said, "And yet Mr. Endemort got out from the building, with no way out that could be found."

Rodston went on, "And we just got out of the passages escaping a huge snake in there. It is too dangerous for anyone there, even though we found footprints. But I brought out from there this book and these papers. They might mean something." He brought those to the table nearby.

Ebert, and Lenny, Roger, Terry, and Dan, came near to see what those items were showing.

"Supernatural Explanations!" Dan cried. "And you think there is no connection, Rodston?"

Rodston considered carefully how to answer. He said then, "Maybe I can't say there is no connection. But that still does not mean that Mr.Endemort escaped from that building that time to get to those passages we went through, to leave those there then. And he would have to deal with a monstrous snake down there, wouldn't he?"

Ebert said, "He would have to then. Someone was down there, right? And still dealt with that."

"Yes. Someone was there. I guess they ran into the monstrous snake then. It would have killed whoever it was. Or they have the monstrous snake in there just to kill others. That could be it. It was kept captive further on in one place, while that person then went through it, and it was released into the passages, maybe to keep anything in the passages from being discovered, as we just managed to do anyway."

Dan said, "We could just see what is in this book now, then."

[GodlyD&D]

Rodston moved the papers, with ones that were showing they had fine print on them, away from the book, and he opened the cover, and came to the cover page within it, showing the title. Ebert gasped. "That is the same design on the wall in the underground passage!" Indeed it was, as Rodston and Ebert recognized. It was that round shape, with small stringy projections shown all over it and from its circumference. There was an apparently shut eye depicted on it, and something like an open mouth, askew from the shut eye.

Dan asked, "What is it?"

Lenny said, "This looks familiar."

Ebert turned to Lenny. "What do you mean? Where would you have seen anything like this?"

Lenny answered, "It was just today. It was on a manuscript we saw from the Sons of Sharalden, of Vancago, where the manuscripts come from, including what was used for that plaque with the printed text you found, Dan, when we were at the printing Press at Shiny Shelves."

Ebert said, "Well I did really want to hear about what was found out there. Then this book, that plaque, the Sons of Sharalden in Vancago, the tunnels we went in, and Supernatural Promotions, are involved, and that design connects them."

Rodston said, "You win. I cannot argue against that."

Dan said, "We still want to know how Mr. Endemort fits in with it all, and what happened to him."

Roger said, "We could divide all this up between us to look through all the material we can to find out anything more."

Ebert quickly said, "There is a lot to look at, and we are not staying here much longer, this is the last night here. Let us divide up the material and go through what we can. Rodston can take a pile of those papers, about a fifth, and Dan, you take about as much, and then Roger, Lenny, and Terry, you each take other piles of the papers. You all can sit around the table looking through them for learning anything significant to finding out about the Supernatural Promotions business, the passages, the writers of the materials from which materials that were found at Supernatural Promotions were from, or the passages near the Supernatural Promotions building. I will look through this book."

[GodlyD&D]

Dan said, "I looks like you choose for what would be of the most interest."

Ebert said, "This will be of interest. But none of us know yet what writing is on all those papers we brought back. Anything there could be of much more interest for this search."

Ebert moved the book to one side of that table, where he would sit. Rodston carefully took what he estimated would be a fifth of the stack of papers, from the top. Dan came and took as near to the same amount as he could manage. He sat then next to Rodston who was near Ebert now at the table. Roger then came and took another portion of the remaining papers and sat by Dan, Lenny took half of the remaining papers, and then Terry took the rest, and they sat around the table in a circle looking through the materials.

Ebert thought it was fair. This book was about the same thickness as the stacks of paper sheets each of the others were taking to look through. But those sheets had writing just on one side of each. The book Ebert started looking through had the binding cover which was thicker than just a few sheets, but the pages after the title page had printed writing on all of them, both sides of each page sheet. Ebert did not know what term to look for to just scan, anymore than the others, and he tried reading quickly through it from the beginning.

This book, titled Supernatural Explanations, seemed at the start to be an account of someone involving events in history. Then he recognized a name in the sequence of the text. This account was about Sharalden. He was involved in historical incidents far in the past. Ebert told the others about this finding.

Terry said, "Sharalden! The same name as what is in the name of the fraternal organization that sends manuscripts to be printed in books, which we found out: the Sons of Sharalden! So the organization is linked to that account in that book."

Ebert said, "So yes, there is that connection. But this Sharalden lived far back in history, from what I find here. So this organization of Sons of Sharalden are many generations removed from this Sharalden."

Rodston said, ""But it wouldn't mean there was not continuity. Sharalden went to others to speak of what he had seen. And he had a following. So the Sons of Sharalden could date from that time and have continued on through the generations."

Ebert said, "That would make sense. Is there anything any of you see yet?" The others shook their heads. "Well let us keep looking."

[GodlyD&D]

Ebert scanned further. Sharalden lived in an ancient kingdom, which he had hardly heard anything about, and what little he had was a very long time ago, the kingdom of Aritharia. It was a small kingdom very early in antiquity. All science then was trusted to those of a special class who made temples for others to come and make their prayers, while those of this class observed the heavens, with reading patterns in the shooting stars, and also observing what they could learn about a few strange rocks that were found in obscure places there. He turned the page, and he looked with surprise.

"This! This image means something!" Ebert pronounced. He held the book up and turned it for others to see the image. It was that same round shape with little thin projections, and the form like a mouth, that had been depicted along the wall of the underground passage that Ebert and Rodston had just gone through. Ebert said, "There is an explanation with this image!" He turned the book around again to look at it himself. He read, for the rest to hear, "Astroplasm is the unique substance only found here. It is inaccessible except for one occasion, as the appointed Darafog came near to the singular Ezel Star."

Ebert looked down at the book he was scanning through again, but still he looked at the image he had found on the page before him, and the text under it. As others were sifting through the pages, where they were around that table, Ebert looked further then. Another paragraph further on showed a mention of Darafog again.

"In the season that Darafog came finally to the realm of Aritharia, he visited with the Sons of Sharalden, and showed them among other things the cup of the only sample of the substance of Astroplasm, from the Ezel Star. Darafog told them how inaccessible it was, guarded by irrational creatures that circled about that place, and it was extremely hot near there, with far greater heat than the molten places. The Ezel Star heat would kill off any from this world in less than a moment, but with a specially insulated vehicle it was possible to briefly approach after avoiding surrounding irrational creatures which were near along that way, and gather the sample, which is now with just heat that we are very comfortable with. Darafog opened the container, and the Sons of Sharalden saw a substance rising in narrow peaks and dropping again within it."

Ebert read on. The substance from Astroplasm was studied for a long while. It was concluded eventually that it was alive. But it was clearly quickly weakening. Those holding it exposed this way for more than a few moments were soon after losing their minds, doing crazy things from then on, and eventually uttering indecipherable words. But the substance also was quickly diminishing, to a small fraction of the container it had almost filled. Darafog closed the container once again, for good, after that time of it being studied, and he took it away with him. He was asked later about it. He answered that he had taken it into a deep tunnel known to just him, and buried it there.

[GodlyD&D]

This was a fascinating account. But it did not seem to help for Ebert's search, he wanted any connection he could find to the Supernatural Promotions business, the writers of the materials from which materials that were found at Supernatural Promotions were from, or the passages near the Supernatural Promotions building. The Sons of Sharalden seemed to be the best connection so far of what he had seen, so he figured he would watch for mention of them as he continued.

Lenny spoke up then. "Here I find mention of this Gebb, the Great, who took Sharalden to that alternate reality beyond this one! There is quite a description of it."

Rodston said to Lenny, "Can you read what you found to us?"

"Sharalden's account speaks of a gate he passed through with Gebb the Great guiding him. 'Gebb the Great guided me into a huge strange grotto that had offshoots in different directions, it was strangely contorting. It was covered in most places with a growth not at all like any plants, but like a fuzz with hairy bits reaching in places, mostly yellowish but in some places it was brown. Gebb the Great said that these were psychic colonies, meaning they could affect the minds of others, I should not dally in one place anywhere that they were growing. A huge fiery bird was perched high above. And a strange people who dwelt there approached me, they resembled human people a bit, standing and walking upright, they only wore a small item appearing to be something like a waist cloth about them. Their hands and feet were huge relative to themselves, they had faces shaped differently and narrow in appearance with great eyes, lacking in hair but with the skin having a stony appearance, they were short in comparison to myself and grown people who I have met. One from among them told me that they were giving me information to share with others for having a place to reach where they would always go on living. All things in this great grotto were living and always going on living. Here you could learn to listen and understand all those living creatures. I saw some of them, they were shaped in strange ways compared to creatures of our world. At the outer gate of the grotto there was a hall, the Hall of Knowledge, full of books on shelves along it, and beyond it an opening at the other end. After I had been shown many things in the great grotto and many creatures there, one of those strange people, which were called petriads, took me to that outer opening beyond the Hall of Knowledge. There was a gate a small distance across from it, the openings facing each other. But there was nothing right in between to walk across to it. There were the colorful sights of distant things all around on all sides, they were moving quickly in that distance, miles and miles away. But the opening was just a hop across.' "

[GodlyD&D]

Ebert said, "So what Mr. Endemort said about another realm of reality outside of this one that someone might get to was not just his own idea. It could be related to this. I hope we find out more than that."

Lenny answered, "That is what I see. It says here, 'There was a confusion of a world of colors that rushed by miles and miles away, below and above. Gebb told me it was the Moonglow Bridge from that other opening on. There were other beings there that were usually allies in strategic working of events in this and other worlds. I was then led through the Hall of Knowledge. Gebb told me, here with any question I would have, there would be an answer. He told me that I might ask one question while there, and we would get the answer to it.' "

Lenny went on seeing the others were listening with interest. "I thought of many things to ask. But the future would only wait without anything being shown of it until it came, so I saw if a question about that could be asked, I should learn the answer to a good question about that. So I asked then, 'How long from my time do the kingdoms and societies of people last in our own world and how will they end?'

"Gebb the Great said, 'Ah, asking about your future. There is actually even information here about that. There are some things known about it from all the information available, yet almost all small details cannot be determined, it will be the major events from effects when they happen. Come along, the answer to that will be further along these shelves.' Gebb the Great went on along the shelves looking at the titles, and first at a good pace along that great stretch, but then slowing down when he came to a recognized section. He looked at the top shelves way above, certainly with good eyesight he had to have, and then along shelves lower to those yet above us. He said then, 'I see the one good for holding the answer to that.' He went a little further and reached a small step stool and brought it over, to where he would reach the book he had found. He stepped up then and reached it, a fairly large book, and he brought it down. I tried looking at the title on it which was shown, but it was with writing I did not recognize. It had the design of the Ezel Star on the cover of it, the ball with its thin tentacles reaching out, its mouth yet ready to bite anything, while the being yet slept. Gebb the Great opened the book as he stood before me.' "

Ebert said, "It is that same image!"

Rodston said, "Yes, we knew now already that this image is representing this Ezel Star."

Ebert said, "But what this part said is making claim that the Ezel Star is really a living being."

[GodlyD&D]

Rodston said, "Yes, that is how it was believed to be. It would not actually be historical."

Ebert said, "We are still trusting what we find in these writings for any connections that we can make with them. Lenny, is there anything more related to this?"

Lenny had still been looking through the texts. He said, "Yes. Do you not want to hear how this Sharalden was answered?"

Rodston said, "But it can't have the real answer to the future, which has not happened."

Ebert said, "I don't think it could be answered either. But let's hear it, I am interested."

Lenny went on about what he had found. "The kingdom would fall to another kingdom that would become greater, that and other kingdoms were going to fall to a greater system of human people than any kingdom yet. It would last many centuries. Yet it was going to weaken with its power spread over such a large area, and invasions from outside would overtake it, and it would not remain an effective system. A great amount of accumulated knowledge would be lost, while kingdoms not nearly as large as that great system still developed after it, changing structure over more centuries, with some kingdoms of that same area lost to others, and after many centuries there would be new growth of more knowledge being recorded. There would be much more known about the heavens, and about the life in the world, about further lands in the world with their people, and more about humanity's place in the world. New machines would be made and power to travel much farther made possible. Though ways to have farms grow much more for more to be possible, there will be too much demand on what the world could provide, and systems will collapse again. There will be small kingdoms again, but even those will not last. There will be people living more simply on land without access to anything more, as there will be much less growing. Through all those times there is the way of escape through coming to the alternate reality they can find is made available. And for those in this world remaining, in the end the greatest being will awake."

[GodlyD&D]

Ebert said, "Wow! What does that mean?"

Roger said, "It is sounding like how the future was portrayed to them, up to the end."

Dan said, "But it just stops at a point, only saying the greatest being awakes. What does that have to do with it?"

Rodston said, "It is what they imagined for what is to come. Possibly it means what they call the greatest being is yet to awake, and then when that comes, it is the end."

Ebert said, "That doesn't sound right."

Rodston said, "It is not. It was imaginative writing, for what those early people believed would be the end."

Dan said, "And as there are followers that would have these things published, there are such who still believe these things."

Terry said, "What then is the greatest being, which would yet awake? Does that mean everything is all over right then?"

Rodston said, "It seems to be saying that, in this account that is still a story. It does not say more about the greatest being. Right, Lenny?"

Terry said, "Then what about the projected future? A lot of that seemed to be what has really happened, and is happening."

Rodston said, "They were broad statements, that could be understood easily to apply for any of many things happening."

Lenny said still about what he had been reading, "Yes, I see it must be that being awakening that is the end of this world. It does not explain anything that being then does." He read, "Sharalden thanked Gebb the Great, and that Gebb went back to put the large book in its place. Sharalden asked, 'Is there a way for any of those from my world to see information that is held here among all the books?'

"Gebb the Great answered, 'Your followers can be trained, and you would show them how to be able to break from their reality. They then might come here, to this Grotto in this reality, to live comfortably among those who people this place. Here they might merit learning more from books here in the Hall of Knowledge.' "

Ebert said, "So, we know certain things from this, and I am seeing a pattern. Do any of you not see it? Sharalden learned things and trained followers. Those are who the Sons of Sharalden are. They were trained for effective ways to come to an alternate reality distinct and separate from all this reality, according to that. This is also what that Mr. Endemort claimed he could teach us. This suggests it was the same thing, Mr. Endemort would teach what is passed on through the Sons of Sharalden, who have writings they have kept being published for reaching others. Mr. Endemort might be one of the Sons of Sharalden. And if he knows the way to leap to another reality, like he claimed one he trained had done, though that was the felon who was no follower, Mr. Endemort knows how he could leap out of the reality of the building, so he might have just gone quickly to the tunnels a little way from the building, that way."