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Topic: The Aielund Trilogy (Read 851 times) |
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Stravinsky
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This is the RP Forum for the Aielund Campaign that I will be DMing with the following players:
anoikis
Erik_the_Celt
neph
Skeeneyman
Background information will be forthcoming. Please stick to IC posts only
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 23, 2005, 2:33AM » |
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Stravinsky
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Hasrinaxx reached out his hand and lets the rain slowly collect in his palm. Most of the other people of Bracksworth are locked away in their houses, keeping out of the rain, but not him. Even his companion Sebastian seemed annoyed by it, growling slightly as he shook the water from his eyes. But Hasrinaxx had always loved the rain. It was a part of nature, as natural as the setting sun or the warm winds of summer. Or at least, it was normally natural. He lowered his hand and stood there lost in thought. One whole month of rain, without even the briefest respite. Never in his life had he seen so much rain. And that was the least of his worries.
He glanced once again at the swirling spiral before him. It appeared suddenly a few weeks ago, right next to his favorite tree. At first he assumed it was some form of portal created by some evil force looking to attack the town. Hasrinaxx and Dale had spent a few sleepless nights examining and guarding it, but nothing ever even attempted to come though, and they could not determine its true purpose. Still, Hasrinaxx never strayed to far from it, preferring to sleep out in the open anyway. That's the only reason he was there to hear it...
He didn't believe his ears at first, but as he crept closer there was no mistaking it: coming from the spiral was the sound of soft laughter. He held his staff out in front of him, prepared to defend the town as best he was able, but the laughter was not menacing...it sounded peaceful, joyful, and most of all, relieved. It gradually died out, and then Hasrinaxx barely heard a voice, full of warmth, but like the low rumble of thunder in the distance...."At last, they have come..."
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 3, 2005, 7:53AM » |
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Stravinsky
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As you relax out of the rain in the warmth of the Bracksworth Arms Inn, you while away a few hours perusing the meager contents of the inn's bookshelf...
A Brief History of the Kingdom of Aielund, Volume I
In the year of 698, Alaric Roebec, then a reknowned explorer from the tiny nation-state of Aiel to the east, did embark upon an expedition to find new lands for his people to inhabit following the devastating war in the neighboring kingdoms of Tusone and Althkalatra.
At the time, the lands we now know as Aielund were an uninhabited frontier on the edge of the known world. Alaric had explored only a small part of this land before he saw its potential as a new home. In particular, a lake in the northernmost tip of the region offered a perfect shelter for ships, and the nearby land was fertile with bountiful resources.
And so Alaric and his expeditionary force set up a small town at that point, using it as a base of operations to explore the nearby mountains. Word was sent back to the homeland that a far more hospitable place to live and thrive had been found, and that the rest of his people should make the journey here to start their lives anew. The town came to be called Fairloch, and for the first few months it thrived, even during the harsh winter that descended upon the land. But even though the spirit of the people endured the initial hardships of life on the frontier, their mettle was about to be sorely tested.
Although Alaric's search of the local area had been thorough, there was in fact a tribe of orcs in the hills to the west that had journeyed west during the winter. Once the warmer weather returned in the spring, they too returned east to their hunting grounds, only to find a new human settlement right on their doorstep. The land that Alaric had found so ideal for a new kingdom to be built had been the traditional lands of the orcs for a very long time - all signs of their previous existence on the shores of the lake had been covered by the snow.
Outraged at the theft of their land, the orcs descended upon the unsuspecting humans with great fury. But Alaric and his people had survived way in the past, and were no stranger to the ways of battle. They quickly recovered from their initial shock and took up arms to defend their new home from the oncoming horde.
It was during this battle that Alaric distinguished himself as an excellent leader, rallying the defenders time after time. When it was done, the orcs fled to the south, their numbers greatly reduced, while the remaining settlers mourned for their losses and crowned themselves a new monarch - King Alaric the 1st.
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 3, 2005, 7:59AM » |
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Stravinsky
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A Brief History of the Kingdom of Aielund, Volume II
By the year 722, Fairloch had grown from a rustic collection of shacks into a small city. Work was commenced on a great castle to defend the area from occasional orc raids, in addition to a sturdy stone wall to surround the growing city. Farms spread out around the walls and took advantage of the fertile ground to cultivate crops and livestock. And fishing was plentiful in the adjacent lake, all of which combined to increase the population to the point where young adventurous people embarked on expeditions to find new places to inhabit.
The forbidding mountains to the southwest of Fairloch proved too difficult to navigate, so a few ships were constructed to allow the pioneers to bypass them to see what was to the west of their small nation. The journey by sea turned out to be shorter than expected, when the explorers discovered that the same fertile land that blessed Fairloch on the eastern side of the mountain range was once again present. It was here, on the northern end of a vast forest that the village of Culdeny was founded.
In 731, Amalis was founded by a similar expedition from Fairloch. Although the new village bordered on swamplands, the fishing off the coast was superb and more than made up for the lack of decent farmland. It was in 732 that contact was made with Clan MacTavish, in a large stronghold in another mountain range west of Culdeny. A ranger named Morgan Cale worked out a treaty with the stout folk of to allow human settlements to share the surrounding land, on the condition that they spread no further west than Culdeny.
The nation that had come to be known as Aielund continued to grow, founding the farming community of Bracksworth eleven years later, and finally reaching the northern borders of Athkalatra in 766, with the creation of Fort Highmarch in the dividing mountains. Although Athkalatra had no imperialist urges towards their new neighbor, the memory of the war between that nation and Tusone had left many scars on the collective memory of the Aielunders, and they felt better with a watchful presence in the southern regions...
The remaining pages have been hopelessly stained with ale, and are completely illegible.
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 3, 2005, 8:02AM » |
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Stravinsky
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A Brief History of the Kingdom of Aielund, Volume III
This book has fared somewhat better than the last, only a few scattered passages are partially obscured by what you hope is beer...
In the following year....the church began to have greater influence in political and civic affairs. The population had been terrified...Faith offered people strength in the face of such uncertainty, and with an increasing number of devotees, the church of Aielund had entered a golden age.
At first its effects were very beneficial, helping to bind the community together and strengthen the Kingdom. But as the priests became more politically motivated in the following years, the church began to have a level of power that rivaled the King himself. The Archbishop of the church (whose name has been struck from the records forever by royal decree) saw an opportunity to reshape Aielund into his vision - a realm ruled by righteous and God-fearing people.
In 775, The Archbishop, who practically controlled the House of Lords (and therefore the country itself) 'suggested' changes to the law that would give the authorities greater power to incarcerate criminals and punish the wicked. When his new laws were passed, the city watch immediately fell upon the known troublespots in Fairloch and began arresting those who were even suspected of crimes. And all the while, King Alaric the 4th sat in his castle, sudddenly realising he was no longer in command of his own Kingdom.
Later in that year, the puritanical clerics and city watch decided that all the local brothels were in violation of God's law, and prostitution was something to be eradicated from Fairloch's clean streets. It was a move that was supported by many in the city, but secretly outraged the majority of the population, quite probably because most of the menfolk had made use of such businesses at some point in their lives.
The King also watched with outrage, for he was a kind and compassionate man who didn't consider prostitutes the criminal masterminds the church appeared to. Maybe it was because they awakened certain feelings in religious men that they considered impure, for when the churchmen moved in to shut down a local brothel, the more fanatical of their contingent began to slaughter the women. what they had not counted on was a local swordsman and bard, who was in love with one of the women that was killed.
The bard, a man named William Randwick, took up his blade and attacked the cathedral directly, and fought for nearly an hour before he was eventually slain by superior numbers. When news of the night's slaughter hit the streets the next day, the King gathered his most trustworthy knights and moved in to arrest the Archbishop for murder. The Archbishop simply could not understand why he was being arrested, and his loyal followers moved to protect him.
The standoff was broken when a sizeable number of local business owners came in on the King's side. Once the Archbishop realised he had lost the backing of the people, he allowed himself to be taken in to custody. He was later tried and convicted of the mass murder of all the women at the brothel they had attacked, along with all who had participated. In one fell swoop, the King seized control of his city back from the church, and banished all the remaining priests from Fairloch, and decreed that the Archbishop's name be stricken from all records so that while his actions would be remembered, the man himself would be forgotten.
Alaric IV did not outlaw religion completely, for he was a wise man and knew that those who had perverted it to their own ends did not speak for God. In time, the church was allowed to regain some measure of respect in the Kingdom, but it never truly recovered from the crusade.
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Skeeneyman
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Elith opens his Book of God, some locals in the tavern have started harassing Elith for his race and beliefs, Elith recites this passage
“Chapter 13 Verse 16-19
But blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears fro they hear; for assuredly, I say to you *cough* that many prophets and righteous men desire to see what you see, and do not see it, and hear what you hear, and do not hear it. For the God of this age has blinded all but the elite".
The Great Dragon has been cast down upon the world *cough*. He is the Serpent of old. He is my brother. He is called the Devil and he is loosed upon the world to deceive it. All the world lies under the sway of the wicked one. I fear that somehow as the Dragon deceived those that I love most by his craftiness, so your minds *goes into a short coughing fit* may be corrupted from the simplicity that is me. He has told them that in the day that they eat of my flesh there eyes will be opened, and they will be like me.....God.”
*he pauses briefly to dab a little blood from his lips and take a sip of a potion*
"When the children have partaken of my flesh and bone, The Devil himself likewise shared in the same, that through my death he might destroy the power of death that is me".
He closes his well worn book and looks at the two patrons. “So you see my friends your eyes have been clouded and will not be able to see clearly until the time appointed by god, it’s not your fault that you have been deceived by the devil.” This statement does not sit well with the locals as they quickly remember why they don’t like elves very much.
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Erik_the_Celt
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Owain sat at the rear of the tavern, with his back leaning up against the wall, in the very same place that he had occupied with Ned just the night before. The wine was sour, burning his throat as it chased the dry bread down to his gullet. He wanted to cry a river of tears, as many tears as the endless droplets of rain falling on the miserable village of Bracksworth. He cursed Gareth, his father for sending him away from the front, cursed him again for sending Owain and Ned to Culdeny, to hide from the war. He sighed and took another sip of the thin, sour wine as he wished that this day had never been, that he had never heard of Bracksworth, that Ned was there beside him to tell him that everything would be fine in the morning. But it wouldn’t, it wouldn’t be fine, not in the morning, not ever. Ned was gone, dead at the hands of those God cursed brigands, dead protecting Owain as he had made his hasty retreat, back to Bracksworth.
Now Ned was gone, the purse was gone and he was as alone as he had ever been in his whole short life. He was stuck, here in Bracksworth, with only a few coins in his pocket, not enough to last more than a day or two. Not enough for supplies to get him back to Fort Highmarch, not enough to get to Culdeny even if he could get around the brigands patrolling the roads. He felt small and helpless, a lonely child in a frightening world. Well, it would not get the better of Owain ap Rhys, not by a long shot, there was coin to be found and he would find it. Ned had taught him the ways of locks and traps and now was the time to prove that he had mastered that knowledge.
He lifted his eyes up from the bottom of the wine cup and began to take in his surroundings in a new light. Merchants would have coin he thought, even trapped in this little rat hole, they would still find ways to pick the pockets of all comers. As he looked around the room to take stock of the inhabitants and their relative wealth, he noticed an odd looking creature, hardly human sitting closer to the door. A few of the locals had gathered around it.The creature, too thin and skinny to be called a man, began reading to the group. That crowd doesn’t look too pleased, thought Owain. Dammed fool is going to get himself killed. Oh well, maybe I can pick a few coins up off the corpse. He sipped some wine and sat back to watch the show.
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 6, 2005, 10:17PM » |
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Skeeneyman
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“What are you getting so upset about friends? You stumbled into my table, saw that I was very busy reading a book and understandably asked me what I was reading. I told you that you could not understand the contents of what I was reading and you asked me why. I was simply explaining the reason why….” A strange look crosses Elith’s slightly green complexioned face as he realizes just how bad the situation was and how much of a fool he had been to let himself get into this situation. It is not a look of terror or anger but more a look of disappointment, Elith does not fear death, he would actually welcome an end to his sickly meaningless life, but to die at the hands of these bullies would just not due at all.
As the bully raises his fist to strike the small elf, Elith makes a quick and very artful hand motion, which produces a slightly translucent barrier around the elf. The barrier does not stop the fist from striking Elith in the face but slowed it down considerably, “Pop!” Elith Falls to the floor as blood drips from his mouth, “Cough, cough, wheeze, hack” Elith stays on the floor and begins to convulse.
“You bullies leave him alone!” Shouts the bartender, “Get out of bar until you can behave yourselves! I will not have the reputation of having a bar full of thugs, this is a fine establishment and I will not tolerate violence!” he local bullies leave the bar quickly a bit shaken and surprised at how badly they had hurt the little green man with just one punch.
Once his attackers were gone Elith pulls himself off the floor, He does not look surprised that not anybody came over to help him nor does he look nearly as injured as he did when he hit the floor. Elith takes an already bloody cloth from his pouch and dabs his mouth of the blood straining his lips. “Thank you!” He shouts to the bartender “I’m afraid those fine men would have worked me over good if it was not for your help.” The bartender nods only slightly too little green man and goes about his business and Elith does the same, picking up where he left off reading his large worn book.
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neph
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one of the bullies comes back in thru the door. And lands right on his backside! Screaming is heard out side mostly the words"run" and "lets get out of here!" As a large (6'8 335 pound) half-orc steps thru the door. He reaches down and lifts the bully to look him in the eye, "you need to watch who you run into little man" he says. Then throws him back outside. A lot of people in the bar are shocked, Some start looking for another way out. Others start yelling "ORCS" The half orc looks around saying "orcs? where?" He reaches for his sword then starts to laugh. "you mean me? Even a dumb orc can tell Im not an orc" He starts looking around, his expression starts to change as he notices that no one is laughing. His breathing starts to speed up, he tenses ready to draw his sword and start attacking, when "Myridin calm down" is heard thru the door. He spins to look at the voice, cocks his head, then starts to relax As a human walk thru the door.
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Erik_the_Celt
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Owain pulled a coin from his pouch and began walking it back forth between the fingers of his left hand as Ned had taught him. He relaxed as he watched the scene unfold before him. He noticed the slight hand gesture and the almost invisible barrier envelope the little green being before one of the oafs knocked him off his chair. A mage, he thought, but not a very powerful one.
Owain was surprised that the bartender bothered to protect the sickly little being at the expense of his regular trade. Perhaps the bartender had glimpsed the gesture too and realized that sickly as he was, the little green being was a mage of some kind. It would not do his trade much good if a wizard let go with his magic in the tavern.
Obviously the bartender was a man that might be trusted if nothing else turned up. Still, Owain was not sure whether it was wise to let a local know what had happened to him or to trust one. Someone inside the town might have got word to the brigands, he would have to cautious about who he approached and how. The mage wasn’t a much better choice; he could be a spy as well, although Owain could not remember having seen him the previous night. He laughed softly, who would use such a ridiculous being as a spy, it was such a ludicrous thought he almost choked on the sip of wine he was drinking.
Wine spewed from his mouth and sprayed over the table at the sight of one of the bullies bursting back through the door and landing with a crash on his backside. Now this is getting interesting thought Owain, although he gulped a little at the sight of the huge being blocking the doorway. Owain quickly regained his composure and wiped away the wine that was dribbling down his chin.
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anoikis
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The words were spoken tersely as Leonidas Barca walked through the doorway. He gave his brother a look that said 'not here, not now.'
Stepping over to Myridin, he grabbed his musclebound forearm and guided him over towards the bar.
"Let me buy you a drink, brother. I have much to tell you about the training and what happened" He shook his head.
After securing ales for himself and Myridin, Leonidas said "a toast to us, brother; i am now proud to say I feel closer to you than ever- since Father is disappointed with both of us now!"
Clanging the tankard into his brother's, Leonidas thought back. What a tumultuous journey life is.
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neph
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After taking a swig Myridin looked around again, making sure nobody was trying to sneak any closer. He looked down at the man has called brother all his life, knowing that there was no blood between them. But also knowing that being raised by the same parents, well mostly his mother, that was as good as it got for him. He knew nothing of his blood parents, he was abandoned almost as soon as he was out of the womb. If Leonidas' mother had not found him he would be dead. So as far as he was concerned this was his brother. And he was very happy that Leonidas would call him brother in public.
"aye, father will be proud of you again, when we make names for ourselves."
He looked around again, drinking with his left hand keeping his sword arm free to grab his sword(or a throat). He noticed a rather greenish skin person.At first Myridin thought he might be another half orc, but apon closer inspection(an inspection he didnt try to hide, openly staring at the green man) he realized that he was way to small to be a half orc. He points to the little green man,"Hey Leo, look at that green man. What the heck is he supposed to be?"
"Hey bartender! how bout another round?"
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 9, 2005, 4:03AM » |
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anoikis
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and looked across the room at the bloodied creature.
Almost instinctively he made the holy sign, crossing the index finger of each hand over the middle finger and bringing his hands together.
"Myr!" he whispered
"Do you know what that is?! I think its an elf!"
Getting up from his stool he approached the sickly being, noticing now the full extent of his wounds.
"hello? can you understand my language?" he said an infantile voice to the elf.
"i can help"
Leonidas walked back to where Myridin was sitting and reached into his pack. He removed a black leather trifold case and a small, flattened pillowcase-like object. He also took his left arm out of the back scabbard that held his sword and handed it to Myridin.
Walking over to the elf he held up his hands in a nonconfrontational way and smiled.
"I can help"
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 10, 2005, 4:12AM » |
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neph
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Myridin took leo's sword, but then got up following him over to the wounded elf.
"I never seen an elf before".
So he followed Leo with Leos sword in his left hand, always scanning the crowd.
Halfway there he started humming a tune.
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neph
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Myridin walks up behind Leo as he casts his spell,
"why you healin him? He dont look like he' gonna live that much longer anyway."
Myridin just shakes his head, Leo had always been there to help those in need even when the people in need of some form of healing was put in that position by Myridin.
So he just shrugs, steps back and lets Leo do what he has always done best, clean up someone elses mess.
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Erik_the_Celt
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the fighter with interest. Too big to be of pure human blood he thought, there’s likely a temper attached to that little defect. Something to watch out for but maybe it was a weakness that could be exploited later. The fighter was followed through the door by another adventurer and Owain listened intently to their conversation over the din of the tavern.
So, brothers eh, not much of a resemblance, they obviously have different fathers. Not like his brothers, they were alike as two worms in the ground, just like their father.
Owain watched as the larger of the two noticed the little green man and called him to his brother’s attention. Owain was surprised to hear the smaller brother call the being an elf. An elf, so that’s what it was, they do exist after all, although this one looks like it will not exist for very long. The small one’s a healer though. Owain hummed to himself a little and stroked his chin thoughtfully with the fingers of his left hand. These people could be very useful; they would do well against the brigands in the forest. I’ll have to see how good they really are; perhaps I can get them to help me on my way to Culdeny.
He noticed a small pouch hanging from the belt of the smaller one, Leo his brother had called him. Owain slipped of the bench and carefully made his way around the table to where he could approach the smaller brother from the rear. Perhaps I can relieve him of his purse and demonstrate my own usefulness he thought. I’ll have to be careful not to let the big ugly get a glimpse of this. This will be a good test of my skills, thought Owain, and a little bit of fun before I introduce myself.
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Skeeneyman
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Looking up at the human, Elith smiles and holds up his hand and says, “There’s no need, friend, no blessing from god will cure what ails me.” He quickly gets to his feet and with surprising speed and grace, he moves behind Leonidas and makes it clear that he knows Owain’s intention, yet he says nothing – only looks from person to person with a strange fascination. “This is the most wonderful display of…” He pauses as if looking for the right word and with a hint of dissatisfaction with the word he came up with he says, “…Life…I have ever seen.” He turns to Myridin and bluntly says, “You’re a half breed. Was your mother raped by an orc or did your mother simply have a taste for orc males?” He asks the question quickly and with obvious excitement. “Did she die giving birth to you? I heard you call him ‘brother,’” he says with a nod toward Leonidas. “Are you an older or younger brother? God, there are so many questions I must ask you all.” He opens his arms wide bidding all three of them to sit down at his table. He frowns a bit and lets out a small cough and shakes his head as if remember something. “I am so sorry; I got so excited just meeting the three of you that I have completely forgotten my manners. I am Elith Talarin,” he bows low and performs a bizarre hand gesture, making a circular motion with his right arm. “I come from the far-off land of Riordan. It lies deep in the forests to the south; I am what those of the north call an elf.”
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 13, 2005, 3:13PM » |
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