24th Blossom, 801

Centaur Island, the Accursed Isles

This journey, strange from the beginning, has taken on the trappings of a faery tale, or nightmare. I still occupy the body of my cousin Stephen, and while his form is comely enough, I long for the comfort of my own.

Even worse, Lia is in my body and Jotork in hers, and it is embarassing when I am aroused by seeing either of them. I feel perverse and strange, by turns attracted to Lia in my own body, and then attracted to Lia's body inhabited by Jotork. It's enough to make me look the other way when I see either of them coming toward me...

We are on an unmapped isle whose main inhabitants appear to be centaurs. They are gorgeous creatures, strong and welcoming. One in particular, an older female whom we call "Wise Woman", took an interest in me. She inspected me quite thoroughly and then asked, "what is it about you?" I couldn't help myself, the whole pathetic tale came pouring out, and I unable to stop it. At first, I got the feeling that she didn't believe what I was telling her, but it was obvious to me that she was a practitioner of some sort of magic. Once she was convinced that I was serious, she concentrated for a bit and then told me what I'd been afraid of. Our souls are not only transferred between our bodies, they are also tied in some gordian knot on the astral plane, which means all must be untangled in order for us to be reunited with our true forms. I was so distraught by the news that I made some pathetic effort at thanking the wise one (bungled in more than one way, I had a rather large piece of venison stuck in my front teeth), and went to sleep.

The others told a strange story when I awoke, apparently Umbrion and Tenebrion are not the only brothers of that insane wizard clan, for a rust clad man suspended the centaur's animation and made himself known to the members of the party who were still awake. It seems that they all have the power to freeze creatures they wish to menace. I will be so glad to get to Puddleby. I pray that there we will find someone who can put us to rights, and of course I also pray that we reach Uncle Max before it is too late.

A Poem
by Maxfield Jaden Fox

Who Am I Really?

Outside, I am tall and fair
inside darkest black, my hair
Eyes of green stare back at me,
inside my head, grey eyes I see

I look to be a sunny soul
and so I try to play that role
but in my heart the twilight reigns
and many more unsavory banes.

Another poem
Centaur

Half a horse and half a man
a conflicted God began
To build a creature strong and fair
of fire and wind and earth and air
With the finest points of both it's parts,
the mind of man, the horse's heart.