A Meeting of the Minds.

"We have an accord."

The acrid taste of The Overmind's infusion lingered for but a moment before Laniss's world exploded. Every fiber of his being screamed as he felt his head being ripped open from the inside. He felt the perfect serenity of his consciousness being expanded. The all encompassing agony of a polymorph gone wrong, the total ecstasy of feeling his body take the true and perfect form of his soul. Burning, freezing, hard, soft, sharp, dull. Forever, an instant. Everything. Nothing. And all the while, images and voices flashing through his brain.

When he came to, it was clear by the expressions of his comrads that mere seconds had passed, yet Laniss felt as though it had been longer than all the life he had lived. The alien presence in his mind was gone, and somehow he knew he was done with this place, with The Overmind. As he rose, he heard Killingsworth say something irrelivant about his tavern, but for the moment his attention was focused on Lord Highroost. If what little he had been able to piece together was true, the old bird may be more valuable than he realized.

Lost in his own thoughts, Laniss felt little need to contribute to the conversations and debates about what to do once they left, though he nodded his agreement when the notion of returning home was put forward, as he would need time to explore his new knowledge. He mostly ignored any questions, at best replying with a perfunctory "later" for those who showed persistence. Did they not understand that a creature such as The Overmind does not think as we do, so it's knowledge is not simple or easy to decipher?

                                                                                *********

"As far as I can tell, the man you saw in the Marshes is one of Orcus's highest servants, or at least a valued agent. What you walked in on was him negotiating to get that stone, though it seems the woman had little choice in the matter, which would allow him to find or create an appropriate location for a third Anima Engine. The first we encountered, it would appear they always predicted it would either fall or fail. If we wish to stop Orcus, we must deal with all three. However, I do not believe destroying them is the answer. I think there is something better we can do, though I will be running tests as soon as I can to confirm my hypothesis. It is my belief that Bofred was contained not only to power the device, but to hold him. It would appear, that the Chosen of Thyr may have an ability to influence these devices, to turn them to our benefit. Which is why I shall need you Lord Highroost, to aid in my explorations. I will also be attempting to learn a little more about these devices and their value to planar travel, for which I shall also need you Agamemnon. The ease with which clerics such as the 2 of you gain access to planar travel magic means we do not have to wait until I have deciphered such spells myself. Should all go according to plan, I hope to meet with one who may be able to shed light on the origin of these Engines, as they do not come from Orcus, as I already suspected. I may have need of the object you obtained from the Gorgers, but the more you can learn about it first the better, so I wish you luck on your quest. If you could deliver this order to the listed smiths while you are there, I would appreciate it. As early as possible, so as to not slow the process. Any questsions?"