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Date of admission: 21 May 1091

Name: Neville
Race: Human
Sex: Male
Age: 26
Crime: Unlawful entry
Disposition: Released to Mansard with fare

Notes:
Unlike most other subjects of this program, number 29 is neither indigent nor criminal (although the latter is subject to debate – as he did enter the castle without permission). He arrived on the night of 21 May in the company of a Human/Male Illusionist (name unknown; ethnicity: Spindrift) intent on thievery (or worse).

Subject is a skilled fighter in the employ of said Illusionist. However, when his employer fled using magical means, No. 29 was unceremoniously left behind – indicating a noticeable lack of fealty and/or morality in said employer. At the time, I sensed both betrayal and resignation on the part of No. 29 – though that may be my own negative opinions of said Illusionist interfering with my observations.

Regardless of what I may or may not have sensed, based on my later interview, No. 29 seems to have only a weak loyalty to his master – likely based on nothing more than financial compensation. In fact, despite his employer’s criminal tendencies, I believe No. 29 to be an honest man – which makes him unlike all other subjects in this program. Whether this affects the outcome or not remains to be seen.

Due to the nature of his arrival, I confess some reluctance to using No. 29 as a subject of these experiments. However, since he is physically and morally superior to all other subjects, my reluctance is outweighed by my curiosity. In short, I feel there is something special about No. 29 that bears continued study.

While I normally limit my experiments to no more than two subjects at once, No. 29 arrived while I was preparing a two-person panel (see No. 27 and No. 28), so I opted to include him at the same time. (In addition, considering his employer can teleport, flight risk was particularly high – forcing on me a certain urgency).

No. 29 was given the standard pre-operation interview. Blood and hair samples were taken (see sample cabinet, panel #29). Finally, the Advanced Gygax test panel was executed. His scores were as follows:

It bears notice that his Intelligence score is the lowest I have ever witnessed in a functional human. How he managed to learn his advanced fighting skills is a mystery worth exploring – should the opportunity present itself.

At this point, I am compelled to admit that while No. 29 was given the opportunity to decline the procedures, my curiosity overwhelmed my own morality and I took advantage of his low intellect to guide him to an answer of consent. In light of my eventual results, I sincerely regret this decision now. In fact, it seems probable that this program has run its course and that further experimentation – even on those deserving it – should be discontinued.

Time Log: No. 29 was placed in magical sleep on the evening of 22 May @ 6:05 pm

• Process #1 @ 6:17 pm
  • Total time: 16 minutes. No observed anomalies.
• Process #2 @ 6:41 pm
  • Total time: 11 minutes. Anomalous elemental energies observed during the 4^th minute. Duration: no more than three seconds.
• Process #3 @ 7:10 pm
  • Total time: 12 minutes. No observed anomalies.
• Process #4 @ 7:37 pm
  • Total time: 9 minutes. No observed anomalies.
• Process #5 @ 7:56 pm
  • Total time: 26 minutes. No observed anomalies.
• Process #6 @ 8:28 pm
  • Total time: 16 minutes. No observed anomalies.

No. 29 was moved to recovery bed @ 8:50 pm and put in standard restraints.

Post-Operative Notes:
At some time between 8:50 pm and 10:25 pm, No. 29 regained consciousness. As the magical sleep time for normal subjects is measured in hours (sometimes days), this new state was entirely unexpected and I was not available to tend to him. When I finally noticed the change at 10:25, I was in the middle of procedure #6 on subject No. 27 and was not in a position to break free. I am perhaps 50% confident that this delay and the accompanying distress that No. 29 felt did not affect the outcome of any of his procedures. However, per the terms of the experiment, this event was grounds for dismissal of No. 29’s results in their entirety. Why I continued with the process is a mystery even to me – and perhaps additional evidence that this entire program has run its course.

It should be noted that time keeping became sloppy during this time as No. 29 had grown significantly agitated and I feared his Strength could overpower even my resources.

At roughly 10:40 pm, I moved to release No. 29 from his restraints. However, he began struggling violently whenever I approached, so I felt that it would be prudent to monitor him from a distance – at least until his stamina dwindled to the point where he could be handled safely. It is with some regret that I admit that this dwindling did not occur in a timely manner, so I initiated a more extreme protocol – which included no more than three offensive spells. While I would like to document the exact spells cast during this event, I find that I am unable to recall them exactly – having been overcome by my own fear. I do know that Power Word: Stun was what brought No. 29 back under control – though I had one additional Power Word queued. Whether I would have actually cast it – even in my “altered” state – I cannot say with certainty.

Once No. 29 was under control, I moved him to the secure recovery bed in the dungeon, released him from his bed restraints, and let him sleep through the night. When I returned to observe him shortly after 7:30 am on the morning of the 23^rd of May, he was awake and alert and showed no signs of the violent intent he exhibited the night before.

Perhaps he was resigned to his fate or perhaps he was free of some unknown dark influence. Regardless, he was docile, humble, and even “friendly” during this time. He never even asked why he was imprisoned. It is my belief that this is (at least partly) due to the fact that he has been in this kind of situation before. Whether prior imprisonments were his fault or the fault of his wicked master is left for others to discern – as it is not relevant to this experiment.

It was during this time that I first observed the poetic ramblings that he exhibited for the remainder of his time in my care. As the detail, clarity, and consistency of this poetry seemed beyond his limited intellect, I found that I became prematurely excited – thinking this had revealed a rare success in process #2. However, later conversation dispelled this belief – and the Gygax panel proved it.

No. 29’s quiet demeanor convinced me it was safe to release him from the recovery cell and we concluded the post-operation interview and Gygax panel in the comfort of the main test chamber.

His final scores were as follows:

As can be seen, the only change is that his Intelligence rating dropped by a point. While this could be explained by normal deviation in the test panel, I believe it to be an accurate reflection of No. 29’s status post-operation. Conversations with the subject seemed simpler than they were before the procedure. This, combined with his propensity for poetic ramblings, lead me to believe that his mind suffered from the operations. And while it is likely that process #2 is the culprit, it could also be some combination of factors.

Since No. 29 left my care only a day later, I am unable to report any more details on his progress. Perhaps the opportunity will present itself in the future to perform a follow-up examination.

–Aladar, Council Mage (Earth), 23 May 1091

Addendum #1, 11 June 1091

The fate and mental health of subject No. 29 continue to haunt me. The anomalous event during process #2 has become a particular obsession with me. At this late date, though, I am unable to separate actual memory from fabricated imagining, so I fear this mystery must remain unexplained.

I hope that the mere act of writing this brief addendum will be sufficient to stop the dark thoughts that have clouded my mind ever since.

Addendum #2, 18 August 1091

In a dream last night, the poetry of our long-lost subject No. 29 came to me with a striking clarity. It seemed almost as if some extra-planar entity wanted me to know it and understand it.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with such events, what started as clarity became a jumbled mess by the time I retrieved a paper and pen to record the words. All I can recall was a repeated refrain – as follows:

<blockquote> But if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like you’ve been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this? </blockquote>

While I cannot record the specifics, I am able to note that the “sense” of the poem was that of intense loss, countered by a struggled optimism. It is as if No. 29 had suffered tremendously, but felt that given the right set of circumstances (perhaps after a difficult quest), he could reclaim the loss or even redeem himself from some unknown sin.

27 June 1104

Resh is dead. A calamity the likes of which this world has not seen since the end of the second age. The council will convene later today to discuss it, but in the mean time I am compelled to put this experience on paper.

In the early evening of the 26^th, a sudden and powerful psychic shock swept across the land from east to west. Here, on my island, the effect incapacitated me for several minutes – with a lingering headache for the remainder of the night.

Around sunset, a message arrived from Maug Limletter asking for an emergency session of the council. This same message proffered Resh as the source of the psychic wave. My own (albeit simplistic) divinations seemed to confirm this fact.

After seeing to my staff and paying a brief visit to Mansard to soothe the concerns of the town’s leadership, I retired for the evening. Though hopes of a restful sleep were not to be fulfilled.

During one brief bout of sleep, a dream presented itself to me – one that arrived with such precision that I can only conclude it was given to me. From whom, I cannot say. But it got me out of bed and down to my study to record it in this particular log.

Why here? Because Neville (aka Subject No. 29) was the subject of said dream. And, though the idea fills me with uncertainty, I must wonder whether he was also the source of the dream.

In the dream, our man Neville stood on a night-time battlefield. The moon was missing from the sky, having set with the sun a few hours earlier – a fact that seemed of great significance. Despite the darkness, I could see as if with elven eyes. Nearby, the sounds of swordplay rang, but I could see no other combatants. The only figures present were Neville and a great, dark-robed and hooded man. He stood some nine feet tall and where his face should have been was only a grey mist with faint points of white light for his eyes.

Our subject, armed with a great sword and full plate mail, fought this creature fiercely, but his attacks could inflict no injury – and his defenses were insufficient to the task. Eventually, our hero’s strength waned and he fell (or was pushed) to one knee. It was then that the creature stepped in and wrapped what seemed like a bony hand around Neville’s throat, lifting him high off the ground with ease.

The creature spoke at this point – and while his words had the air of a threat, they could equally be seen as gentle advice. He said simply, “Close your eyes, Neville.”

At this point, a just-out-of-view light flared up and overwhelmed my vision. Coming with it was a wave of energy so powerful that it seemed almost solid. In my dream-state, I could feel no ill effect, but once the flare subsided, I could see that the enemy was gone and Neville had been felled.

While I woke up at this point, I exited the dream with a strong sense that I had witnessed the fall of Resh – and that Neville had tried (and failed) to prevent the tragedy.

Last night was indeed a New Moon. And consulting my charts and this log, I see that my initial experimentation on Neville also took place on the night of a New Moon.

The significance (if any) of this is not yet known.

I should also say that I feel the need to keep these events to myself for the time being. Unless something at today’s council meeting convinces me otherwise, my dream and my interactions with Neville will remain confined to this journal until such time as I can make more sense of them.

18 Oct 1110

A most joyous reunion! Neville appeared at my castle gates yesterday evening. Unaware of any ship arrivals, his presence surprised me totally.

I admit that I had mostly forgotten about my old “Subject No. 29” – it having been six years since my Resh dream, and nearly two full decades since my misguided experiments. However, once he was presented to me, I immediately recalled the whole unusual affair.

Unfortunately, while his physical form remains exceptional (despite his advancing age), I fear his mental faculties remain significantly diminished. He has only a vague recollection of his initial visit back in 1091 and was not entirely sure why he had returned.

He explained that his adventures with "Wizard" (the morally deficient Illusionist) allowed him to see the world, but that eventually they parted ways. Neville initially wanted to return to his homeland of Backbone, but the wars and refugee problem diverted him to Resh – where he spent several years. Considering the rampant xenophobia that nation exhibits, I admit some surprise that an outsider would spend so much time there willingly.

Regardless, this revelation prompted me to ask him more of Resh – with my intent to shed light on the weird dream I experienced the night it died. However, he refused to speak of that event and grew increasingly agitated the more I pressed. In the end, I was only able to confirm that he did witness the fall. Why he alone was able to walk free remains unknown.

Neville and I conversed for only an hour or so. His lowered intellect and limited memory made it difficult to carry on any kind of detailed conversation, so we were stuck with “small talk”. Eventually, he admitted weariness and asked for a bed. When I awoke the following morning, he was gone – having somehow made his way out without disturbing the main portcullis.

I should also note that at this point I very much regret not making a report to the council on this extraordinary man. While my experiments may have spurred scoldings from some of the others, I sometimes fear that my inaction has led to a changed world.

But if I close my eyes, I can imagine that nothing has changed, can’t I?