A NOTE FOR READERS: The journals of Zong-Tossu, though fascinating, should not be taken as accurate. Even though he was considered a great ghav-urath, eventually many of his writings were dismissed as the products of severe psychosis by the ruling council of Thamasku and simply regarded as fiction or parody. It was rumored Zong-Tossu had a mental breakdown caused by his usage of the narcotic cam-rahn.

Drinking the first elixir, I found myself bodiless and floating above a vast island in a great blue sea. Vibrant coral reefs could be seen just below the surface of the crystal clear water, filled with dark blue, leafy-orange, and jade-colored plants. Fish and krill swarmed around the reef, vibrant in color with piercingly blue and strikingly green spots and stripes.

Small plump pink beings ran along the beaches, splashing in the water and gathering shellfish. These creatures closely resembled my dra-trin companions Zong-Tossu and Tr’Shadai, so I concluded that they must be of Rhul-thaun stock. Some of the larger Rhul-thaun beings seemed to be watching over the smaller ones, while others gathered fruits from various trees, cut cane stalks from the water’s edge, or dug up dark orange tubers from the ground. It was perhaps what you would call a ‘paradise.’

Suddenly several flying insects came flying over the shore, their Rhul-thaun riders frantically shouting and waving. Those on the shore cheerfully waved back, but the riders did not stop, instead hurring on towards a great white-walled city visible in the distance. Focusing on the city, I found myself floating before it. As the insect riders passed by, the beings on the wall began to act excitedly as well. A loud series of tones went up from the wall, where a Rhul-thaun could be seen holding up a conch shell and pressing it to his face, and suddenly activity at other points around the city seemed to rise as well. Back on the beach, I could see that those there had begun to act strangely, running away from the water’s edge or staring out at the sea when the tones rang out.

Willing myself back to the city, I saw many of the Rhul-thaun running towards great bulbous floating creatures - I believe you call them soar whales? - floating just above the city’s open courtyards and plazas. Many of them ran into the baskets hanging from the creatures and cowered. Once again the conchs sounded at the city gates. Back on the white sands of the shore, I could see hordes of stout crab-like creatures with lashing whip-tails crawling forth, and giant masses of purple flesh and tentacles rolling up onto the beach behind them.

The conchs sounded again and again. The great soar whales ascended with the cowering Rhul-thaun - would they not fight to defend their city? - accompanied by a group of insect riders, leaving the city empty except for a rearguard to protect the walls. These warriors were covered head to toe in thick shell armor, and they brought their quill launchers and great boney shields to bear. As the host of crab creatures approached, they were met with volleys of fire from those on the walls; the defenders launched wave after wave of quills at the approaching enemies. But barely any left their marks, as many of the razor sharp darts bounced off their enemies’ thick shells. Those few shots that did hit their mark rent bloody wounds in the crab-like creatures though, piercing shells and shattering limbs.

Nevertheless, the first wave of crab creatures was soon repulsed, falling behind the lines of the great purple-fleshed globual beasts. This second wave advanced on the walls, crushing the wounded that remained on the battlefield beneath their hideous, bulky bodies. Volley after volley of quills were fired at them, but the projectiles simply lodged inside the beasts’ gelatinous layers of flesh and could not penetrate the glowing vital organs deep within their bodies.

The tentacled beasts picked up momentum as they tumbled across the battlefield, smashing into the walls like a crashing wave. Sections of the wall cracked and buckled from the ferocity of the attack, and several of the defenders were flung from the wall by the assault. The tentacled beasts immediately began to pull down great sections of the walls, crushing many of the defending warriors in the process.

The conch sounded one last time, and the remaining defenders to insect mounts and took flight from the besieged city. At that point,my vision began to fade as the invading crab-like creatures scuttled over the rubble and swarmed into the city of coral…

I once again found myself here in the cavern, but I did not feel sick or strange the way you - Tr’Shadai - or you - Zong-Tossu - seemed to have. Regardless, I reached for the jade elixir and quickly consumed it. When my vision returned, I found myself standing in a strange place: seemingly a large tunnel made of meat. The tunnel walls pulsated and twitched in time with a great rhythmically pounding sound: boom, boom, boom, boom…

Looking back, I could see you, my companions, in this strange place, but no passageway behind us, so I started walking forward down the passageway. After a time, the tunnel floor grew spotted with dark patches. As I bent down to examine one, it snapped open into a fanged mouth! Suddenly, the other dark patches opened their maws as well to nip at our feet and legs. Relying on my instincts, I acted fast. Pulling you - my clutch-mates - along, I jumped free of the nearest mouths and ran down the tunnel until we had left the dark patches behind.

While we tended our leg wounds, I pondered our surroundings - this strange place was not just made of flesh… it seemed to be alive. As this realization occurred to me, the flesh of the tunnel floor began to flow upwards into a bulb-like growth that nearly filled the space. As the oblong projection took shape, it developed a light-gray coloration, and folds and ridges appeared all along its surface. As more and more folds and bumps developed, a strange buzzing feeling began to fill my head.

Once the strange growth finished changing, it floated suspended in the tunnel for a moment, as if it was studying me. Then it began to bob and shift in place, slowly at first and then more quickly, with a curious rhythm to the movements. Meanwhile, the buzzing in my head pulsed in time with the thing’s movements. After a few moments, the bulbous thing stopped, turned to the side, and floated through the fleshy wall of the tunnel.

Still unsure what the creature wanted, I moved to follow it, but the flesh of the wall remained solid and would not allow me to pass; a simple swipe of my claws parted the wall, however. Stepping through the tear, I found myself in another chamber, but the bulbous floating creature was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a large egg-shaped object rested on the floor in the center of the room. Beyond, a tightly-sealed orifice stood on the far wall, while strange inset shelves lined the walls.

I stepped over to the egg-like object and reached out to touch it - it was leathery and soft, but quickly deflated at my touch, splitting open to release the stench of death. Within was a withered Rhul-thaun, dried out and long dead. As I looked down at the shriveled creature, a blue glow began to emanate from its body, only to slowly climb down and concentrate itself in one of the withered hands. As I watched the shifting glow, I felt a strange compulsion come over me - when the glow stopped moving, I felt the need to reach out and snap the glowing limb off the shriveled body. Walking slowly, I then went to the far wall and pressed the shriveled hand against the orifice. The blue glow pulsed very brightly, and then dimmed back to its normal brightness, and then the orifice flexed and opened, revealing a chamber beyond. But as I was stepping into this next room, my vision dimmed and faded to black.

When my sight again returned, I still did not feel sick from the vision and elixir, but I did feel… different. Trying to ignore the feeling, I grabbed the azure elixir and drank it.

Once again, I found myself floating bodiless above some other place. Gigantic insects moved through a sea of crimson grass here, one that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. As I watched, legions of… what seemed to be my kin - the kreen - assembled in cities of stone and resin before marching out into the grasslands towards a great cliff on the horizon. As the legions of warriors approached the great cliff, I heard a great rumbling and saw a portion of it collapse. The kreen army seemed to have expected this, however, as they leaped and climbed up through the resulting canyon and onto the lands beyond the cliffs, swarming out like locusts to destroy everything in their path.

Following them, I saw the innumerable kreen warriors, armed with strange weapons in their claws, pour through a great forest and up into the mountains beyond, wiping out whole tribes of Rhul-thaun in the process, only to make their way over the mountains and into a much drier land. Here, sand and stone replaced grasses and trees in the environment, and the kreen overtook countless cities of very tall, strange-looking Rhul-thaun and other peoples. As I drew back, I could see further and further, as waves of my kin conquered all before them until the land was barren of anyone but them. As the victors withdrew back to the fallen cities, they demolished the works of the other races and raised glistening cities of resin and crystal in their place.

Expanding my view, I searched for any hint of the other peoples, but could find no trace of them. I saw, however, the greatest city of them all, set on the edge of the great cliff - a seat of power to rule an empire. And I looked and beheld, in the center of that city, in the center of the empire, on a throne of bone and skulls a Kreen Empress, and the Gray followed her.

As my sight faded and then returned, I found myself back in the cavern. After my third vision, I could feel my limbs twitch with the horrors I had just witnessed, of what my people could become. I knew that you - my clutch-mates Zong-Tossu and Tr’Shadai - felt sick after your visions, but I did not; instead, I felt strong and healthy and knew what I must do - I reached out for the golden elixir and consumed it. I could feel them changing me, strengthening my limbs and sharpening my mind!