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Amlin Challenge Cup
Hill vows to attack Stade
ESPNscrum Staff
November 9, 2011
Parisse will start for Stade at Sixways on Thursday © Getty Images
Worcester Warriors coach Richard Hill has insisted his team will be going on the offensive against Top14 giants Stade Francais in the opening clash of the Amlin Challenge Cup on Thursday.
Despite lying 11th in the Aviva Premiership, Worcester's defensive record is currently bettered by only three clubs this season - leaders Harlequins, second-placed Saracens and Northampton. And Hill now wants the Warriors to showcase their attacking prowess, starting in Thursday night's Pool One appointment with Stade at Sixways.
"We have put a huge emphasis on defence since the start of the season with Phil Larder coming in as a specialist defence coach, and it has paid dividends in the games," head coach Hill said. "What we are going to do now is change the focus for these next couple of weeks and really put a massive focus on the attack and try and get that part of the game really spot-on.
"We have tweaked a little bit of strategy, but also concentrated on lifting the intensity up in attack. If we can match the intensity that we show in defence with our attack, then we are going to be strong over the next few weeks. We have got to be at them from the start."
Hill has made four changes from the team narrowly beaten at home by Wasps last time out, handing starts to full-back Chris Pennell, wing Tom Arscott, prop Oliver Tomasczyk and flanker Matt Kvesic.
Stade, meanwhile, will be led by Italy captain Sergio Parisse - the starting XV also includes England internationals Paul Sackey and Tom Palmer, plus Argentina's World Cup skipper Felipe Contepomi - with the Parisians looking to go one better than last season after finishing as Challenge Cup runners-up behind Quins.
Hill's coaching career features a notable victory over Stade - a 17-0 Heineken Cup success when he was in charge at Bristol four years ago - and he added: "It is a similar sort of situation. They (Stade) have always had a star-studded team. They have all these stars, and as a team that plays against them you have to hope the sum of all your parts is stronger than the individuals.
"You have to work as a team and try and beat them by working together. If you don't defend well against them then you are in trouble. When I was at Bristol we really worked on our defence to try and close them down.
"The way our defence is going at the moment, it is very watertight for most of the games. We need to put the squeeze on them."
Elsewhere on Thursday, Toulon - minus a rested Jonny Wilkinson - begin their Pool Two programme against Italian side Petrarca, but not on anticipated home territory. Poor weather in the south of France has rendered Toulon's Stade Felix-Mayol pitch unplayable, so the encounter has been switched to Stade Pierre Rajon in Bourgoin.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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Mercer Cafe Terrace House
Creative Italian with an open front glass-enclosed penthouse
Stylish restaurant to enjoy the scenery day and night
This restaurant is on the top floor. It feels like a glass house with windows everywhere. Enjoy the scenery around Aoyama, but the scenery of day and night are totally different. You can enjoy your meal with the great scenery. In a modern tasteful shop, you can feel the cleanliness of the white decor. There is a couple seat on the terrace and it is a perfect for a date.
Casual and abundant menu with original Italian for everyone
A fresh seafood carpaccio and raw ham, grilled seasonal vegetables and soft juicy steak..originality full of original taste. The simple menu loved by every generation young and old. It is just the taste that for those who like seafood and meat lovers. Plenty of wines that are perfect for that delicious dishes.For wine suggestions just ask the staff.
Course menus for up to 60 available.
Party pans for 60 are available for nearly any occasion and sure to be a hit. Even though the ingredients vary depending on the time at the party course, 9 menu choices and and all you can drink course areincluded. A full two and a half hours party time allows for fun without worrying about other customers. Desserts are included as well as seasonal vegetables, seasonal seafood and meat dishes.
Dining Bar & Gastro Pub, Café & Coffeehouse, Italian

subset: commoncrawl


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The USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter connects a Mac that has a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) or USB-C port to a display that uses an HDMI cable. It also connects your Mac to USB-A devices and includes a USB-C port for charging your Mac notebook. All three ports can be used simultaneously.
Use the HDMI port of this adapter with a display, TV, or projector that connects using an HDMI cable. It's HDCP compliant and supports HDMI 1.4b at these resolutions and refresh rates when used with macOS Sierra 10.12 or later and a compatible display:
- Up to 1080p at 60Hz
- 3840 x 2160 at 30Hz
Learn about using 4K displays, 5K displays, and Ultra HD TVs with your Mac.
Data transfer and charging other devices
Use the USB-A port of this adapter with flash drives, cameras, and other devices that connect to USB-A for data transfer or charging. It supports data-transfer speeds up to 5Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen 1).
For example, you can connect the Apple Lightning to USB Cable to this port to sync and charge your iPhone, iPad, or iPod.
Charging your Mac
Use the USB-C port of this adapter for charging your Mac, not for data transfer or video. For example, you can connect one end of the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Cable or Apple USB-C Charge Cable to the USB-C port of this adapter, and connect the other end to an Apple USB-C Power Adapter.
This port delivers a maximum of 60W power, suitable for MacBook models and 13-inch MacBook Pro models. For the best charging performance on 15-inch MacBook Pro models, connect the power supply directly to your Mac, not through the adapter.
This adapter draws power from your Mac even when your Mac is asleep. To avoid draining the battery of your Mac notebook, unplug the adapter when your Mac is not connected to AC power.
Learn more
- Other adapters for Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) and USB-C
- These devices aren't compatible with this adapter:
- G-Technology G-DRIVE mobile USB 3.0 Hard Drive (Apple part number HF4F2VC/A)
- Apple USB SuperDrive model manufactured before Fall 2010


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December 12, 2002
Feed-O-Matic is an Australian based developer and marketer of a revolutionary automated feeding system for dairy cows. Their robotic in-parlor feeding system is easily integrated with RFID tags and farm management software to deliver individualized grain portions and maximize milk productivity. The Feed-O-Matic offers a high-quality, individualized feeding solution to increase farm profits.
Web Page: http://www.iprsystems.com
IPR Systems is the originator of the only accepted global open standard that enables the definition of rights associated with Digital Assets. IPR Systems is the infrastructure provider of value chain solutions to monetize these Digital Assets
Lincoln Indicators
With today's uncertain financial climate, where the trust between client and broker has evaporated, investors need a comprehensive and reliable stock risk analysis tool. Lincoln Indicators, an Australian financial advisory firm with over 1500 clients, has filled the void by creating an unbiased quantitatively based equity analysis software package called STOCKdoctor. The software has an easy to use graphical interface that enables investors to track and analyze over 1600 Australian stocks. Over the past 4 years, the STOCKdoctor analysis tool, when used in combination with Lincoln Indicators' 9 Golden Rules for Investing, has produce a portfolio of "Star" Stocks that has outperformed the ASX All Ordinaries Index by over 7.5% per annum. Lincoln Indicators is now looking for additional money to complete research and expand their market share.
Web Page: http://www.mindatlas.com
MindAtlas is an Australian Company that provides training and compliance courses on electronic learning and mobile learning platforms to client business and organizational entities. Their products provide cost savings and administrative flexibility for the employer/administrator and high learning retention through an enjoyable, game-like learning experience for the employee/end user. With its established clientele and break-even operation in Australia, MindAtlas is now seeking additional funds to enter the US market.
Web Page: http://www.ncon.com.au
Web Page: http://www.remasys.com
Remasys is a company with a strong IT consulting background that is developing network management software, "Eagle Eye", which emphasizes security, including vulnerability assessment, monitoring, and prediction, targeting financial institutions. It is currently seeking a strategic partner to leverage Remasys' core competencies via the partner's resources and sales channels.
Contact: email@example.com
m2 Master's interactive traffic management technology, MLA, is a pilot tested concept that utilizes innovative systems to reduce roadway noise levels. This unique and sophisticated venture, poised for American partnership, has the potential to improve U.S. environmental traffic problems targeted in Federal Legislation. This plan identifies m2Master's market entry strategy and subsequent financial opportunities.
Web Page: http://www.biosonda.com
Biosonda S.A. is a successful Chilean biotechnology company with recognized R&D expertise in the areas of immunology, protein chemistry, and molecular biology. Biosonda specializes in the commercialization of antibody-related products, hailed by analysts as the fastest growing market in the biotechnology industry. Biosonda wishes to increase the sales of its flagship product, Blue Carrier®, which comprises a critical component of the antibody production process.
Every corporation has financial data that needs to be managed. Whether it's payroll, accounting, sales or inventory, the numbers need to be tracked, shared, stored, often across multiple offices. Many solutions exist to tie all this data together, but they are often costly, time-consuming to implement, and difficult to use. Defontana changes that. Defontana's web-based solution makes it simpler, easier and more cost effective to manage corporate data in real-time. Leveraging a breakthrough in server technology, Defontana partners with ATT data centers to provide secured, mission-critical software applications, accessed using only an Internet browser. No more hassling with complicated software licensing schemes, hefty hardware purchases, or hiring IT staff to keep it all running. For one simple annual fee, you can get customized, enterprise-ready software, that's secured, backed-up, and available 24/7.
Ingenería y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDT)
IDT is a Chilean power electronics firm specializing in technological research, design, fabrication, installation and engineering development. IDT's primary offering is a line of power rectifiers for the copper mining industry in Chile. Their latest product innovation is a patented self-resonating coreless induction furnace used for melting metals in foundries and related industries. IDT was founded in 1989 and incorporated in 1995. In 2000 the firm was acquired by Transformadoras Tusan, the only industrial transformer manufacturer in Chile. Tusan itself is a subsidiary of larger electric concern, Compañía General de Electricidad (CGE).
Web Page: http://www.cybelius.com
Cybelius develops 3D-virtual prototyping software for the mobile phone and hand-held consumer electronics industries. Their enabling software reduces design costs and increases new products' speed to market. By capitalizing on its sales and development deal within Nokia, Cybelius seeks to become the de facto industry standard for the next generation of Java based phones.
Dekati Oy
Dekati Oy is a leading designer of particle measurement instruments looking to expand its proven particle measurement technology into the $10B field of inhaled pharmaceuticals. Particle size, a critical element in pulmonary drug delivery, can be accurately and rapidly measured by Dekati's real time particle measurement instrument. This will allow inhaled pharmaceutical companies to significantly reduce sample-testing cost and decrease time-to-market for new drugs.
Web Page: http://www.granlund.fi
After 40 years of designing ventilation, electrical and plumbing systems for the Finnish commercial building market, Granlund has condensed its expertise into the RYHTI Facilities Management software. Rather than manage a building's complex internal systems ad hoc, RYHTI provides an organized and systematic tool characterized by a level of subject-matter detail unavailable in generic software. RYHTI can be deployed across intranets and the Internet for remote management of geographically dispersed buildings or a large portfolio of properties.
Lifa Oy
Web Page: http://www.lifa.fi
The air filtration market in the US is expected to grow 5% per annum, reaching $ 7.75 billion in 2003 as concerns about clean air continue to be of increasing importance to both the business community and genera public. With over 18 years of industry experience in Finland, Lifa Air is a proven market leader in providing Indoor Air Quality solutions. Lifa Air is proud to announce the introduction of the 3G filter, which uses advanced filtration technology to deliver high-efficiency filtration with minimal air flow resistance. The company now desires to bring this concept to the United States by developing strategic relationships with investors, distributors and other interested parties.
Patria Finavicomp
Satellite manufacturers are constantly searching for suppliers to meet ever improving power, cooling, and weight requirements. Patria Finavicomp is a Finish aerospace structures manufacturer with over 50 years of industry experience and is a current supplier to the European space market. They will couple their newly finished $17 M production facility with state-of-the-art composite manufacturing processes to supply space qualified composite structures at compelling prices to US satellite manufacturers.
Pharmatory Oy
Web Page: http://www.pharmatory.com
Pharmatory is a Finnish cGMP (current good manufacturing practices) custom synthesis provider for small drug discovery companies. With experienced personnel, Pharmatory plays a key role in the development of drug compounds that are used in the treatment of diseases such as cancer and Parkinson's disease. This presentation demonstrates how Pharmatory can grow their business and increase their efficiency by setting up international satellite offices.
Web Page: http://www.qpr.fi
QPR is a global developer of business intelligence software products. The company's two products, ScoreCard and ProcessGuide, enable companies to create automated systems for tracking performance and modeling business processes. QPR is seeking a strategic partnership with a U.S. company that will complement their strong R&D, easy to use products, and international partner distribution network.
Web Page: http://www.cabri.com
Cabrilog develops and distributes Cabri, a 3D dynamic geometric software for desktops and calculators. Developed by founder and world-renowned mathematician Dr. Jean-Marie Laborde, the Cabri technology offers instant 3D renderings without placing high resource demands of the device on which it operates. Cabrilog plans to develop a software development kit (SDK) based on this technology and market it for usage on other handheld devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Web Page: http://www.fluorem.com
Imagine that you're an aeronautical engineer designing the wing of an airplane. You spend a week calculating the characteristics of the wing and realize that it is not acceptable. . You now must go through the same time-consuming preparations and calculations all over again to check the new design. This iterative procedure uses up company's resources. Suppose that you have a software tool that enables you to find all possible solutions based on any set of design changes from your initial solution...Introducing Turb'Opty by Fluorem.
Web Page: http://www.euroconcepts.it
In the next few years, wireless devices, as we know them, will cease to exist. The hardwired chip in today's devices, managing all fundamental transmission procedures, will be replaced by a reconfigurable preocessing unit running software instructions. No more buying new devices everytime a new feature is offered; new features will be uploaded in software to your wireless device on-the-fly. EuroConcepts is an R&D firm involved in the design, development, and implementation of the software that will enable this to happen, software that will power the next generation of communcations systems.
Founded in 2000, YogiTech is a semiconductor design service company based in Pisa, Italy. The Company is well positioned to capitalize on the growing importance of fault-tolerance in integrated circuits (ICs). YogiTech proposes to build a business to develop and license intellectual property (IP) based on its propriety know-how in providing fault-tolerant technologies in the automotive sector.
Direct sales revenues in Mexico topped $2.955B in 2001. However, success also brings challenges, such as communicating with a sales force of over 1.8M. Companies are frustrated to find that most communication means are prohibitively expensive, if not physically inaccessible to their salespeople. IpsoBox addresses this pain by integrating new high-speed networks with multiple telecommunications infrastructures. IpsoBox has immediate solutions for the direct sales industry, and aspires to fulfill many communications needs for a rapidly-developing Mexico.


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Dressing sharply should be a matter of taste – and not a question of personal wealth. Aspetto brings you stylish, customized suiting, shirts with a touch of elegance, and other bespoke attire for the man who refuses to be ordinary.
Dressing sharply should be a matter of taste – and not a question of personal wealth. Aspetto brings you stylish, customized suiting, shirts with a touch of elegance, and other bespoke attire for the man who refuses to be ordinary.
We would like to welcome you to America's first high-end bullet-resistant clothing line. Now, at last, you have the revolutionary, life-saving protection you rightly deserve.
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During my research into Portsmouth's Great War casualties, I have come across a number who are buried in Greece. I must confess that although I knew that the British Army had fought in 'Salonika' during the First World War, I had very little awareness of what had actually happened in that campaign. As the Introduction explains, when this book was first published in 2004 it was the first book on Salonika to reach a British market in 39 years! Little wonder that the campaign has been ignored by history, overshadowed by both the Western Front on the one hand, and Gallipoli on the other.
The Balkans has always been a notoriously sensitive region throughout European history, with the melting pot of Yugoslavia, and numerous ethnic and religious tensions in the area. Into this dangerous context, the British Army landed in 1915. Ostensibly their presence was protect Greece against Bulgarian agression, yet many in the Greek establishment were decidedly anti-British and pro-German. The real intention was to divert Bulgarian resources away from a possible attack on Franco-Serbian forces elsewhere in the Balkans. The campaign took place in the Greek province of Macedonia (not to be confused with the modern state of Macedonia, which is nearby but part of the former Yugoslavia), and British forces depended on the port of Salonika for their lines of communications. Thus it was into a very delicate and awkward theatre that British soldiers entered in 1915.
Viewed from the foresight of British military overconfidence, and underestimation of the enemy, the campaign was a disappointment military. British forces failed to make much headway, even when the Bulgarians were on the point of collapse. In the end, the Armistice in September 1918 came completely out of the blue. Personally, I would argue that to have fought a tricky campaign with a lack of resources, lack of priority, and against a formidable enemy, climate and disease, not to mention a neutral host country, was no mean feat at all.
Many British troops at Salonika had embarked from Gallipoli, and there were many similarities between the two campaigns. Both were borne out of a desire to avoid mass casualties by fighting on the western front, and to attempt to 'knock away the props' by defeating Germany's allies. Little did the 'easterners' understand that Germany was propping up her allies. Similar arguments would be heard twenty five years later when Churchill exhoted the allies to exploit Europe's 'soft underbelly', irritating american suspicions in the process. But the similarities do not end there. Troops fighting in the Eastern Mediteranean fought against the enemies of the heat, disease, and an foe that turned out to be much more formidable than had been expected.
This is a very useful book indeed. It sheds new light on a vastly under-studied campaign, and it certainly expanded my Great War horizons. It is incredibly well researched, and makes plentiful use of primary sources – both official documents and eyewitness accounts. It is not just a political narrative, but gives ample attention to the rank and file soldier, and wider contexts.
Under the Devils Eye is published by Pen and Sword
Related articles
- Playing the Game: the British junior officer on the Western Front 1914-1918 by Christopher Moore-Bick (dalyhistory.wordpress.com)
- Horsemen in No Mans Land: British Cavalry in Trench Warfare 1914-1918 by David Kenyon (dalyhistory.wordpress.com)
- Suvla – the August offensive by Stephen Chambers (dalyhistory.wordpress.com)


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MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The Georgia College & State University men's basketball program and head coach Terry Sellers have announced the signing of Darius Stephens today (June 9).
Stephens comes to Milledgeville from Cairo High School where he played for head coach Ike Chance.
Stephens averaged 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks per game this past season. Cairo went 18-7 making a trip to the Sweet-16 where they were knocked out by eventual AAA State Champion South Atlanta High School.
"Darius is a 6-foot-6 forward with tremendous upside," revealed Sellers. "He is extremely athletic with a nice shooting touch. We believe his best basketball is ahead of him and are thrilled that he has decided to continue his career at Georgia College."
The Bobcats are fresh off a 22-7 season in 2008-2009. GCSU made a trip back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 and had its third 20-win season in the past four years. The Bobcats lose a trio of seniors including Shaun Keaton (2006-09) who was named to the first team in both the Peach Belt Conference and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)/NCAA Southeast Region.
Winners of the 2008-09 PBC Commissioner's Cup, the GCSU Department of Athletics sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, GCSU prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at Twitter.com username GCSUSID for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCSUBobcats.com to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame.


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Custom-engineered tubes deliver better airflow than you get with a stock intake. More air means better performance.
Using cotton gauze instead of typical folded paper, our filters increase airflow while providing excellent engine protection.
Helps capture most mold, mildew, fungus, spores, bacteria, germs, pollen and allergens, and helps to rid the air of unpleasant odors.
K&N oil filters use a high flow filter media that allows for high flow rates while providing outstanding engine protection.


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Explore in-depth feature stories from 2013 illustrating the impact of Gavi and its partners.
06 December 2013
Remembering Nelson Mandela, advocate for children's health
Among the many causes that Nelson Mandela championed, he was a powerful voice for children's rights and access to life-saving vaccines
19 November 2013
GAVI Board to consider new vaccine support at Phnom Penh meeting
First major GAVI meeting in South Asia since 2009.
Norway-Gates Foundation saving millions of lives with support for GAVI and immunisaton
Norwegian premier Erna Solberg and Bill Gates highlight GAVI as cornerstone of life-saving collaboration between Norway and the Gates Foundation on immunisation.
04 November 2013
Ghana to vaccinate girls against HPV with GAVI support
School girls in four districts to be immunised against leading cause of cervical cancer.
30 October 2013
How we are doing so far?
GAVI partners give a personal take on the Mid-Term Review, immunisation and the Alliance's performance against its strategic goals
A-Z of GAVI successes and challenges - Seth Berkley's mid-term review
Dr Seth Berkley, GAVI CEO started the Mid-Term Review with an all-encompassing presentation highlighting the Alliance's progress in delivering against its 2011-15 strategic goals. Read the A-Z of the key themes in the presentation.
29 October 2013
Why political commitment to immunisation matters
Lord Boateng of the UK Parliament helped kick-off the Mid-Term Review meeting by hosting a panel discussion exploring the importance of parliamentary commitment to immunisation– among MPs in donor and implementing countries
Save the Children and Action launch reports at GAVI Mid-Term Review
'Halfway there' and 'Donor Immunization Record' underline civil society role in holding GAVI accountable for its performance since 2011 replenishment in London.
25 September 2013
Ghana, GAVI, Global Fund host side event at UNGA
Ghana hosts a side event at the ongoing UN General Assembly, in collaboration with the GAVI Alliance and the Global Fund.
23 September 2013
UNGA side event: harnessing the power of global public-private partnerships in the Post 2015 agenda
Watch the live webcast at 3:00PM EST on 24 September: http://webtv.un.org/
Vaccine Innovation and the Global Press: Seth Berkley at the UN Foundation
GAVI CEO delivers post-MDG vision for role of vaccines in global health.
11 September 2013
Ghana launches measles-rubella campaign
Ghana's measles-rubella vaccination campaign, launched today with GAVI support, will target over 11 million children nationwide.
05 September 2013
US president and Nordic leaders describe support for GAVI as cost-effective
United States President Barack Obama and the prime ministers of the Nordic countries underline their collective commitment to supporting vaccination through the GAVI Alliance in a joint statement issued after a high-level meeting in Stockholm.
16 August 2013
China President thanks international organisations for supporting Africa health development
07 August 2013
Lions Clubs and GAVI Alliance bond in Geneva
Representatives of the Lions Clubs International visited the GAVI Secretariat to kickstart partnership against measles and rubella agreed in July
02 August 2013
Introduction of life-saving pneumococcal vaccine targets 1.3 million infants in Sudan
Sudanese children have begun receiving pneumococcal vaccine that will
protect them from a leading cause of pneumonia, the biggest killer of
children under five in low income countries.
30 July 2013
President Mahama to support GAVI to reach all children with vaccines
By accepting to support GAVI's activities, President Mahama will take a lead role in the Alliance's second replenishment to secure sustainable financing of its programmes.
12 July 2013
Zambia protects children against two major diseases
Pneumococcal and measles second dose vaccines to reach more than 360,000 infants in next 12 months, part of global acceleration in rollout of life-saving vaccines in developing countries.
11 July 2013
Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder headline free concert to support global health
Global Citizen Festival in New York to kick off new partnership between Global Poverty Project and the GAVI Alliance
18 June 2013
USAID speech highlights global surge in GAVI-supported vaccine introductions
Addressing USAID's Distinguished Speaker series, GAVI Alliance CEO Dr. Seth Berkley today highlighted this year's global acceleration in the delivery of life-saving vaccines to developing countries.
03 June 2013
Angola begins protecting children against major killer disease
Angolan children begin receiving protection against the world's largest killer of young children as the country introduces the pneumococcal vaccine. The introduction marks a crucial moment for child health in a country that emerged from a quarter of a century of civil war just over a decade ago.
29 May 2013
How vaccines deliver health for women – Seth Berkley presentation to Women Deliver 2013
Addressing the Plenary on Global Family Planning, GAVI CEO Dr Seth Berkley explained why vaccination today ensures young girls grow into healthy and fulfilled women tomorrow.
28 May 2013
Voices from the Global Forum on Cervical Cancer Prevention
Over 400 Government leaders, policymakers, healthcare professionals, NGOs and corporate leaders gathered for the first-ever Global Forum on Cervical Cancer Prevention on 27 May.
27 May 2013
Non-communicable diseases Global Action Plan recognises role of vaccination
The frontline role of vaccination in fighting the rising number of premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) was recognised on Monday 27 May when WHO Member States (194 countries) endorsed the 2013-2020 NCD Global Action Plan and the Global Monitoring Framework for NCDs at the World Health Assembly (WHA).
24 May 2013
Norway to fund Junior Professional Officers to work at GAVI Alliance
Two talented Junior Professional Officers from Norway will spend up to three years working at the GAVI Alliance thanks to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Friday between GAVI and the Government of Norway.
GAVI as a model of 21st century development
Dr Seth Berkley shared the inside story of how lifesaving vaccines are reaching children in the world's poorest countries in record time with GAVI support as he delivered the inaugural lecture at the Wellcome Trust – Cambridge Centre for Global Health Research.
22 May 2013
Surge in support for vaccine introductions in developing countries
More than 200 high-level representatives from GAVI eligible countries attended a technical briefing given by the GAVI Alliance and the Government of Senegal at the 66th World Health Assembly.
19 May 2013
Guide to immunisation topics on 2013 World Health Assembly agenda
Thousands of health experts, Member State delegations and international organisations will gather in Geneva from 20-28 May for the WHO's 66th World Health Assembly. In this preview, we highlight topics on the agenda that will help shape the future of global immunisation.
29 April 2013
Amid the rubble, clinic in Haiti protects 20,000 with vaccines
'They are all my children,' says one of four pioneers, all of whom remain devoted to clinic in Carrefour after 20 years
25 April 2013
Vaccines to avert more than 23 million deaths by 2020
A new GAVI study published in Vaccine predicts positive long-term impact of vaccines on mortality.
22 April 2013
GAVI profiled in aid transparency report
The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) publishes its first annual report in which they detail the growing commitment among development partners to providing timely, comprehensive and comparable information about the aid they provide.
17 April 2013
GAVI CEO Awarded Honorary Doctorate by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
NMMU honorary doctorates (from left) Dr Seth Berkley, Dr Sylvia Earle and John Kani<br/>Photo credit: Leonette Bower
Geneva, 17 April 2013 – GAVI CEO Dr Seth Berkley was today awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Universi
12 April 2013
'Fully immunised child' recognised as an ambitious but practical indicator
The health sector has led the development success of the MDG era and created an unprecedented opportunity to achieve even more after 2015
11 April 2013
GAVI signs-up to Polio Declaration
Scientists, doctors, experts from 75 countries highlight achievability of polio eradication
25 March 2013
Global health leaders call for strong post-2015 focus
Seven of the world's leading health and development agencies call for the High Level Panel of the post-2015 development agenda to ensure that health remains central to advance global prosperity in the post-2015 era.
19 March 2013
GAVI requests additional funding from US Congress for Fiscal Year 2014
GAVI Alliance Special Representative, Alex Palacios, this week testified on Capitol Hill to request that the United States Government contribute US$ 175 million to GAVI for Fiscal Year 2014 and that Congress appropriate US$ 750 million for maternal and child health programmes administered by USAID.
14 March 2013
Rwanda's measles-rubella vaccine campaign: Q and A with Health Minister Agnès Binagwaho
Rwanda is the first country in Africa to introduce the conjugate measles and rubella vaccine with support from the GAVI Alliance. When this immunisation campaign was launched, Agnès Binagwaho, Minister of Health of Rwanda, answered GAVI's questions.
Comic Relief raises smiles, funds for GAVI
Comic Relief, the hugely popular UK charity, pulls out all the stops for its biannual Red Nose Day fundraising campaign today, bringing substantial visibility and support for child immunisation in the developing world.
08 March 2013
Global Health leadership meets to discuss health in the post-2015 development agenda
This week, the global health leadership convened in Botswana with a "defining purpose" to set the way forward for health in the post-2015 development agenda.
08 February 2013
GAVI recognises India's efforts to tackle polio
The GAVI Alliance presented the Government of India with a special award in recognition of its work towards eradicating polio.
14 January 2013
Understanding the value of vaccines
GAVI convenes 25 global experts to agree on a research programme into the wider value of vaccines.
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Chapter 7 - Traversing the Wasteland
The vast bulk of the Citadel rises behind the adventurers like a huge, granite behemoth, casting it's angular, mishapen shadow over them like a tattered blanket. The wasteland stretches out in all directions, hill upon hill of broken stone and gritty dust. They have in their possession food and water sufficient for the trip, along with a crudely drawn map of the destination: a point near the base of Erol's Peak, where the structure said to contain the Runestone lay.
What dangers guard the stone, neither Ysene nor Cadogan had been able to say, though they are certain it will be guarded. It dawns on the companions that they never thought to ask why it would be guarded, or so carefully placed to begin with. Looking back, it seems that the door they exited from has vanished, leaving little choice but to coninue on the path so recently chosen. They would find the Runestone and return it to Cadogan, then he would work with his magical compatriots, using the stone to destroy the Cube - an evil artifact which the blind wizard had found and returned to the Brotherhood.
The Citadel had been a strange place, and one that did not do very much to comfort those alien to it. Yet now, compared to the desolate lands around them, it is hard to imagine why they would choose to leave such seeming luxury. Of course, the place they were headed would probably make them long for the simple dangers of the wastelands. Relativity is like that, one must conclude.
Last edited by Gralhruk; 3rd of September, 2004 at 02:01.
Things were moving quickly, a little too quickly for Blarth to follow everything that was happening. He's pretty sure they agreed to help the blind wizard find something, but what that something is and why its important are well beyond Blarth's ability to grasp.
They were, however, away from that strange place with its presumptious servants and Blarth, for one, was glad about that. Not knowing that things were going to be where you left them was disconcerting, even if they were taken to be cleaned or repaired. The wizrads had even been kind enough to take care of Trak's armor while Blarth helped out with this job so that he wouldn't have to carry it.
For the first time in several days Blarth is in high spirits and as the party heads towards their destination, Blarth takes advantage of the fact that he can move much faster than the heavily armored Cadrius to satisfy his curiosity and do a little exploring.
Her lips compressed into a thin, disapproving line Shade eyes the arid waste around them and compares it to the relatively barren map the wizards had supplied. Blarth's retreating form further tightens her grimace; hadn't the half-orc learned anything from the near death experience he had only a couple of days ago in this very land? Never particularly garrulous, she doesn't bother warning him. Sometimes it was easier to let people figure things out on their own.
Her flinty gaze shifts sideways to Cadrius, notices that his blue eyes are riveted straight ahead - almost unfocused, as though he was absorbed by his thoughts instead of their surroundings. The line of her mouth narrows even more. Typical. Not that it mattered, she was more than wary enough for the rest of them. Before he notes her scrutiny, her eye roves onward to Ben.
She was curious about him, but that curiousity was as edged as everything else about her seemed to be. Why was he here? A warrior, in the citadel, randomly recruited to join them. It seemed odd, and Shade didn't like it when things seemed odd. Unconsciously, she loosens a blade in it's scabbard.
Nicos notes the sound and gives her a half-amused, inquiring look. She returns it with a flat stare, wondering why she is making such an effort to alienate everyone even as her anger bubbles slightly higher. Her feet hit the ground rather harder than normal for the next dozen paces or so, glancing once more at the map before tucking it away. It didn't matter; they'd get this runestone and then they could get out of here.
Nicos is travelling quietly for a change, lost in contemplation and content to let the others lead. In their hurried departure, he barely had enough time to leave a cryptic note for Gemoud. 'Gone to borrow a cup of sugar from the neighbours. Be back soon.'
Well perhaps cryptic wasn't the word for it, maybe insensible was, he considered silently. Its purpose wasn't to pass on information about his task, just to inform that he hadn't run off without a word, a task that it performed admirable.
Continuing to muse in silent, the bard considers the implication of Gemoud being a Mooner. The Order of the moon wasn't a large organisation or an organised organisation either. It was just a small loosely allied band of bards with similar goals and basic means of getting in contact with each other. According to what he had been told when he had joined, the order had started when a bunch of bards had gathered together to exchange tales. At some point someone at pointed out that they all made a habit of poking their nose into other people's business for the same basic purposes. Then someone else noted how nice it would be if they had a way to work together. Several hours of drinking later, they had a system of symbols and code-words hammered out to identify each other, as well as a loose list of rules.
What bothered Nicos about the situation was that Gemoud wasn't a bard. When Saelyn had introduced him to the Order of the moon, she had described it as an organisation of bards, plus the handful that he had later met and worked with later had been bards. Gemoud however was a mage. Nicos by no means knew the organisation's secrets well enough to say for certain if there were non-bards or not, but the idea didn't seem too likely to him.
Putting the issue aside for the moment for the time being, the bard adjusts his pack on his shoulders and continues to walk in silence. Hearing Shade loosen one of her weapon, he shoots her an inquiring look. Getting a familiar glare back, he shrugs silently, content that if it was nothing more then paranoia something would have been said.
Unwilling for once to risk an argument, the bard adverts his gaze, instead resting it upon the back of their new companion, Ben. His presence so far was an enigma, and while Nicos remembered seeing him a couple of times, he knew next to nothing about the strange warrior. Making a mental note to strike a conversation soon, returns his attention inward, contemplating the mission, his companions, and his life of late.
@}-`-- Coffee + Hate = itches
The open sky, along with all of the wilderness's dangers, is a welcome sight to Cadrius. Having to guard one's words is tiring. Being polite is one matter, but having to speak in code and doubletalk is a thing the fallen paladin has no skill for. He isn't even certain how it is they managed to make their way out of the Citadel without angering the other faction. In retrospect, he doesn't particularly care. They've escaped from the magical conveniences and web of sorcerous intrigue. It might only be borrowed time; the opposing residents are bound to learn of their plans. Yet it feels good to be outside all the same.
He hears the soft, but familiar, scrape of Shade's swords. They weren't drawn fully. No, she loosens them when she's angry or worried, as is her wont. What could trouble her, besides the potentially angry spellcasters, the monsters likely roaming the nearby wilderness, or the stranger named Ben, is beyond him.
"How far to the Stone?" he asks, keeping his eyes on the horizon.
Ben placed his wide-brimmed hat back on his head to help protect himself from the sun that was just beginning to warm the surrounding land. He'd never been one of the best morning persons, so he had intended to get a decent breakfast before leaving the citadel.
The wizards had had other ideas. So here he was with the warrior Cadrius, that half-orc and one-armed bard, and a woman he didn't recognize. Brought together to look for a stone that would enable the wizards to destroy a cube capable of unleashing a demon on the world.
Ben shuddered at that thought. His friends had told him of their only experience with a demon, of it could convince rational men to perform terrible deeds, and the terrible cost the company had paid to stop its plans from reaching fruitation. Ben had never really asked exactly what those plans were, but he got the feeling that the group had never really understood exactly what the plan was supposed to do either.
So he'd agreed to find this runestone, to keep such a terrible presence out of the world. It was the least he could do for them after they'd given him a room and food for the night. Besides, he'd been the one who-
He rubbed his eyes at that. Best not to think of such things right now, Ben thought to himself. They didn't know exactly what they would face when they got there, but it probably wasn't going to be orcs or goblins or any of the other foes he was used to fighting. And he didn't know very much about his newfound "companions" either. He knew most of them only from last night at the table, and he only knew Cadruis' name.
That half-orc fellow was getting ahead of the rest of them. Ben didn't really know much about him, but he figured he must be the scout in this group. It was probably best to get moving fairly soon though.
He glanced back at the unknown woman who held the map that that female wizard had given them, and then returned his gaze to the receding half-orc scout.
She slows her pace until the others catch up, chewing on Cadrius' question. The answer, like everything else, wasn't exactly simple.
"I'm not sure. As the crow flies, the place lies perhaps 3 days northwest of here. Our route is going to be a little longer, and depending on the terrain, even longer than that. We'll head west until we reach what looks to be a dry riverbed, then follow that north until we hit the foothills of the mountains. Then west again along the chain until we reach the high peak called Erol. I suppose we'll know it when we see it."
She shifts the pack on her back, heavier now that it is laden with food for the trip. They should be able to refill their water in the foothills and once again at the place where the Runestone was said to be interred.
Ben looks over at the mountains that can be seen rising above the horizon. They are only silhouette at this time in the morning, but many of them appear to be craggy spires of rock, impossible to climb except by the most rugged -- and some might say insane -- individuals.
None of them stood out to Ben as a tower or stronghold in which a magical stone capable of unlocking the key to a Demon's prison might lay. Not that he expected one to. He closed his eyes and tried to mentally picture the route the woman had described.
"Sounds like a trip of 5 days minimum to me," Ben mumbles to himself. "Maybe more, if we're waylaid by whatever it is that lives out here." Not much out here in the way of food, so I suspect we would look to be quite the delicious targets to a pack of starving monsters.
"That is, if anything does live out here."
The majority of the day is spent in silence, the surrounding desolation and the unknown danger of their mission conspiring to cast a pall of silence over the group. In the silence, they make cover a good amount of ground. As the sun starts to drop toward the horizon, the group discover a sheltered dell off the side of the road. Out of sight, away from the wind, and if push came to shove, more defensible then camping in a clearing.
Though all are seasoned travellers, the party members are foot sore and tired from the day's march and glad for the opportunity to rest. As the sun sets and the first of the night's chill settles onto the land, the group gather in their makeshift camp.
@}-`-- Coffee + Hate = itches
The tumbled ring of stones is as good a spot as they are likely to find. At least it blocked some of the wind, which would be positively numbing once the sun departed. They weren't being pursued, so a fire seemed likely to keep more critters at bay than it would attract. Shade goes about building one, noting that Cadrius is becoming more adept at camping in the wild.
Before she can even broach the subject, Nicos announces he'll be cooking dinner. She is skeptical of his skill, but the bard makes a great show of combining food and herbs in an almost dazzling spectacle. Dinner is passable, and at the very least, hot enough to warm their bellies for some time afterward.
Almost immediately after they have finished eating, even before watches have been discussed or decided, Shade focuses on Ben.
"The rest of us have travelled together for a time, and so know something of one another. You don't have that benefit. I'll start by telling you something of myself, and then perhaps we can all do the same. I like to know who I'm travelling with."
The veil is down now, as it has been for most of the day, showing the thin, white scar that runs beneath her eyes. Her steel grey eyes are harder than the tone of her voice.
"I used to thieve for a guild in Darnell, a large city many leagues south of this place. It wasn't the life for me, although it beat starving to death. There was a falling out, and I went north, eventually coming to Karkas and resolving some unfinished business. Since then, I've been trying to figure out what to do, but trouble keeps finding me."
It isn't much, but more than the others are used to hearing from her. She folds her arms and waits for someone else to speak, her eyes still on Ben.
Washing down the meal with water from his water-skin, Nicos lets his eyes switch between Shade, Ben and back again. It was obvious that Shade didn't trust the new comer, but by the same mark she didn't appear to be overly distrustful either - those few sentences were the most the bard had ever heard about the woman's past.
As good an idea as sharing histories to build trust is, the last thing Nicos wants is for Ben to feel overly set upon. Clearing his throat, the bard draws attention towards him.
"Well, as long as we're sharing juicy pieces of gossip about our past, I think I'll join in. I used to be a monk, a member of the Brotherhood of the Ravens Claw. An overly ponderous name if you ask me, though they never did. When I lost my arm, it became clear that the life of a monk wasn't suited to me, nor I to it. The option to become a travelling performer became available, and I took it."
@}-`-- Coffee + Hate = itches
Nicos's cooking was certianly edible, if not as tasteful as what the citadel had had to offer, and Blarth consumed it with a gusto.
Staring at the stars, Blarth doesn't even notice the conversation going on around him.
The warm food is a comfort against the cool autumn air. He isn't used to this climate, in a place where gnarled, scragglily trees eek out an existance. Still, a hot meal does wonders to fortify one against the elements. If only they had some ale or whisky as well.
He raises an eyebrow while Shade summarizes her tale. Had she told him she used to belong to a guild? He didn't think so. Then again, she didn't relate what her unfinished business were. Perhaps the murder of a dwarf isn't best brought up, not to acquaintances.
Cadrius draws his blade and whetstone and methodically sharpens the edges. The shhhrk-shhhrk fills in the gaps in conversation. When it comes his turn, Cadrius doesn't look up, and keeps running the stone along the blade.
"I was in the military and now I am not. I also may, or may not," --he smiles softly-- "have run afoul of a certain priest along the way. I met Shade during my first stay in Karkas. Blarth and Nicos came later."
It's a story, if only barely. Then again, why complicate things with a tale of woe and self-pity regarding murder and a fall from grace? Looking around at his companions, he wonders how many have done the same. Shade? He has a hard time ever imagining her being innocent, or at least pure enough to fall. For all her qualities, she seems to have been permanently hardened by the world. That alone causes a twinge of sorrow within the former paladin. Blarth? Innocent, certainly, but perhaps too much. The half-orc is too simple, and likely hasn't killed, not outside of combat. And Nicos? Cadrius imagines it's rather hard to murder someone when they have two arms and you only one. Still, out of the three, the bard is the most likely to have fallen. Perhaps his life as a monk was more complicated than he leads them to believe.
Turning his eyes to Ben, Cadrius awaits the man's story.
It wasn't much different from what Ben had used to do really. Never really spending more than a few days in any one place, walking from destination to destination. The wide-brimed hat on his head protecting him from the worst of the sun, and once again his close were covered in the dust of the trail.
It wasn't the first time he'd had travelling companions either. He'd often traveled with -- and protected -- a caravan or some other group in return for food and temporary shelter. This was the first time he had ever traveled with other adventurers, or toward someplace that wasn't a city or town though. So it was that he found himself agreeing when the woman suggested they share a little bit of themselves.
He listened as the others revealed a little about themselves. The woman spoke of being part of a theives guild at one point, but leaving after some sort of disagreement apparently. The one-armed man stated that he was a monk in a Monastary until the loss of his arm made him rethink his life. Cadrius said he was part of the military and running afoul of a priest, though that was hardly odd. There were plenty of priests out there serving evil dieities who caused a great deal of trouble. The half-orc remained strangely quite.
They'd each spoke of at least a bit of their past. Ben didn't doubt that there were some things about their past they weren't telling. Everyone had something they'd rather keep to themselves. It was his turn to tell something now though. He poked the fire with a stick as he stared into its crackling depths. Then he spoke.
"I was a street urchin for a time, before I joined up with a mercanary group. I traveled with them, and they raised me to be part of their group, but I never really got the chance." He paused for a bit, but then pressed onward. "A little around 8 years ago, they were all killed in a forest after finishing a job for a nearby village. I was the only survivor out of a group of nearly two dozen seasoned adventurers. That happened far to the Southeast from here though, and I've been traveling ever since."
No real need to tell them why he'd been traveling. Still, if knowing who what one was traveling with was the goal of this little chit chat...
He looks up at the woman with the scar on her face. "So what are your names anyhow? I know his name's Cadrius," he gestures at the man sharpening his blade. "But I don't think I was formally introduced to the rest of you. Or, if I was I don't really remember it."
Her grey gaze doesn't waver from Ben's blue one, her scrutiny undiminished by his short tale. When Paladin had joined them she had every reason to be uneasy. With Ben she had none of those reasons but the unease was still there.
"Shade. You can call me Shade. Everyone else does. The quiet one is Blarth, the not so quiet one is Nicos."
She folds her arms, frowning.
"You must have been pretty lucky to escape. Mercenaries tend to be a tough bunch, and eight years ago you couldn't have been more than . . . what . . . sixteen?"
Shade, Nicos, and Blarth. Not the most flamboyant names he'd had ever heard, but then again there was a decided lack of Elves present. Probably just as well, Ben's experience with Elves had been more annoying than productive for the most part.
Shade's comment caught him a little off guard though. He looked back at the campfire, not responding immediately. He wondered for a bit if he should just ignore the statement. But no, it was harmless enough, more of an observation than a question.
"Fifteen actually. As far as being lucky goes..." He trailed off, silent memories coming forward in his mind unheeded. But he beat them back to the farthest parts of his mind, where unpleasant memories were buried and forgotten. Or, were tried to be forgotten.
Giving a little sigh, he looked back at those steel gray eyes. "Sometimes the worst punishment one can receive is to be the survivor when all the rest of your friends have died."
Shade shrugs slightly, her narrow shoulders making the gesture lithely reminiscent of a lioness stretching before the hunt. It wasn't fun to outlive your friends - unless they were trying to kill you, that is. Of course, Ricard was still alive.
The bastard.
"Loss is a lesson we all learn, one way or another. The good news is it means you're still alive. How did it happen?"
Loss is a lesson huh? That was one way of lessening the pain, Ben supposed. It wasn't all that accurate in his eye. Loss happened to lots of people who didn't deserve it. The sons and daughters he'd met, to tell them their mother or father was never coming home, had probably never deserved it. The parents, who would never be able to see their son or daughter again, had probably not deserved it. If loss was a lesson, it was a lesson that was all too often not deserved.
Shade probably didn't want to hear that though, his opinion on loss, else she would have asked for it. No, she wanted to know about the loss of his companions, how he alone had gotten away from the slaughter. She probably suspected he had sold them out to enemy forces or something. Ben wondered how close to the truth she was.
"How did it happen?" he repeated the question like it was a matter of course. He fell onto his back and a small puff of dust flew into the air. He gazed up at the stars, just starting to twinkle into existence with the sun disappearing behind the mountains, before answering. "It probably happened like you think it would have happened," he pulled his hat off his head before continuing. "It happened with a fight."
With that, he put his hat over his face.
He shoots Shade a warning glance, unseen by Ben's hat-covered eyes. He can't exactly fault Ben for being unwilling to disclose each and every detail, but to tell them that there was a fight and that his entire company was slain without explanation is a tale that cannot be ignored. It isn't that Ben supposes the rest of the mercenaries were slain, it's that he knows they were. The complete certainty of his knowledge puts Cadrius ill at ease.
"If what you say is true, those numbers of that skill, it would have taken quite the foe, or foes, to wipe them out. Yet you survived. Was it through strength of arms? Speed? Or simple luck? There is no shame in the last two.
If you are to travel with us, Ben, I would know more."
Should I tell them? Would it really be so bad to tell them the truth? To get this lie off of my shoulders. Would it really be so bad to tell the whole story?
But apparently they weren't going to take his dodgy answer lying down. He couldn't blame them really. They didn't know much about him, or why he had been thrust into their little group with little in the way of explanation. Ben sort of wished he knew himself, but that didn't change the fact that their own stories had been just as scant on detail as his.
That got his blood boiling a bit. What gave them the right to interrogate him, when they had told him so little themselves? Granted they weren't asking much. Just a simple question really, how he alone had gotten out alive when so many others who deserved to live didn't.
Several more seconds pass after Cadrius asks his question. Finally, Ben takes the hat off of his head. He looks up at the stars once more, so familiar and yet so alien in their own world, ignorant of the problems of those they twinkled down on. Then he spoke, never actually rising to meet their eyes that he could feel on him, just watching the stars.
"Strength of arms I suppose. I had to fight to survive, but I wasn't the target, not really. Whoever caused it all must've known I was not a great threat to them. It always happened at night, and the attacker retreated, only to return the next night. I never saw who it was; Hell, all I recall are the faces of my friends as they fell, one by one. At the end of it all, only I remained to continue on in the land of the living."
He let that sink in a bit. Ben, for his part, wondered how he was able to recall the event without bursting into tears. He had at first, and so many times thereafter. But, after a while, the emotions attached with the memory had...lessened. He still felt them, but they were dull reminders at best, ghost-pains at worst. Maybe in time they would disappear all together. Ben didn't think so, but one could never tell with these things.
"I'll take second watch."
The words break the momentary silence, and Ben places the hat back over his head as he finishes the small statement. Closing his eyes, he tries to find in the blackness of his sleep what he cannot find in his conscience.
Last edited by red_dr4g0n94; 24th of September, 2004 at 13:02.
Shade blinks once when Cadrius meets her eyes; she senses the warning there and her head dips ever so slightly in the smallest of nods. Wariness creeps up and slowly overtakes the anger that burns beneath the stillness of her face. As she waits for Ben's response, arms folded beneath her cloak, her hands slowly drop until they rest comfortably on the hilts of her swords.
Her brow creases slightly as Ben speaks, but she does not relax at all. His grief was plain but his story does little to ease her tension, nor does it answer the question of why he was still alive when other -presumably more competent- warriors had perished. Very nearly does she let anger and fear get the better of her; harsh words are already forming in her mind, the desire to expose and remove any threat vibrantly alive.
She bottles it back up; maybe because she is uncertain, maybe because he seems genuine, or maybe because she can see a glimmer of what he must have gone through. Her eyes meet Cadrius' once again. If he was telling the truth.
"I'll take first watch then. Cadrius, tag along with me while I mark a perimeter? We don't know what else is out here."
Listening to the tale Ben weaves; Nicos quietly considers its implications. Lost in his silent contemplation, it takes the bard several long moments to respond to Shade's declaration of taking first watch.
"Actually Shade, it might be a better idea if I," he says looking up to see Shade and Cadrius already beyond the range of his low voice. "Damnit."
Pulling himself to his feat, Nicos quickly jogs after the pair.
@}-`-- Coffee + Hate = itches
Shade sees the danger too, and Cadrius supposes he shouldn't be surprised by that fact. The woman has an uncanny ability to feel out the potential harm in any given situation. Then again, a deaf man could likely hear the danger in Ben's story. He gives a quick nod and shoulders his shield.
"A wise plan. I would know our surroundings as well," he says, brushing some errant dirt from his breeches. He fetches a brand and nods to the bard."Nicos, watch the fire, would you?"
He casts another look over his shoulder and sees the bard looking down at something. Cadrius shakes his head; the man only listens when he wants to hear what's being said. Turning back he sees Shade has faded just far enough to honor her namesake. In the growing dark he can barely make out her sillouette, but it's there all the same, a lithe shadow amidst a wasteland of black.
They move away from the fire in silence, unwilling to break it, unwilling to risk Ben hearing their thoughts. She must want to speak of his story. No other option enters his mind.
Drawing a slow breath, Cadrius exhales, watching the plume of steam billow forth and dissapate into the chill autumn air. It's cold up here, colder than he's used to. A blanket will serve him well tonight.
Or a warm body. The thought startles him, a rogue emotion amidst a disciplined order of duty and melancholy. Cadrius wills it away. There will be enough time to dwell on such foolishness when there isn't a risk of being murdered while sleeping.
"Something is not right, obviously. He spoke plainly enough, I would think, but what would take a handful of well-trained mercenaries each night but leave a boy alone? Some sort of monster that refuses to prey on the innocent? Or does Ben bear a dark secret like us?"
The crunch of feet across earth and stone sets Cadrius's heart racing. Had they been discovered? Had Ben just overheard the suspicions?
Nicos walks out of the dark. Cadrius rolls his eyes. If Ben was asleep that meant Blarth was tending the fire. Cadrius reconsiders his apprehension; the half-orc likely has more sense than Nicos ever will.
"Yes? What is it?"
As usual, Shade doesn't wait to see if Cadrius listens to her. She is already well away from the group when she hears his footsteps approaching. Her steps slow slightly, waiting for him to join her, one hand pulling her new veil across the lower half of her face. When he speaks, his sentiment is not unexpected; the very same suspicions had run through her mind. Hidden, her mouth frowns at his choice of words.
A dark secret like us.
Her mind flashes back to a dark stain on the floor of a tavern in Karkas, where a dwarf had spilled his life's blood. The blade that had opened his throat was at her side still. Cadrius had witnessed the murder and though he had never offered an opinion on it, she knew he had never forgotten it. Before she can sort out her feelings and respond Nicos appears. For a change, she is relieved, having wanted to ask him along but fearing that the three of them convening would appear suspicious.
"I would guess he knows that I wanted to talk to you privately, and that he knows what about. Ben. His story is far from complete, as anyone who tells stories for a living would know.
"The real question on my mind is why is he here?"
Last edited by Gralhruk; 29th of September, 2004 at 00:42.
"Actually there are two reasons I'm here."
Holding up a finger, Nicos looks from one to the other.
"First, I don't think you should take a watch tonight Shade. I'm not trying to step on your pride, but you still don't look 100%, and would benefit from a full night's sleep more then any of us."
Lowering the first finger, Nicos holds up another.
"Second, Ben. Obviously you sensed he wasn't telling us everything about his friends' deaths. He didn't appear to be lying, but to be blunt; I've heard whore's promises that sounded more likely. It sounds like he blames himself for their deaths, maybe because he fell asleep on watch, ran away, maybe he was giving their potion away. I don't know, but I don't like that he was left alive."
Taking a deep breath and making sure that none of the others had followed him, Nicos looks tired from the day's march.
"The killings could have been a vendetta against the others and not him, an assassin. Maybe he was allowed to live because the killer had a use for him still, or maybe he just got lucky and is still being tracked. Or maybe he is the killer, I just don't know."
Giving the pair in front of him a grin, Nicos continues.
"The one thing that bothers me about all of this isn't why Ben is here, but why none of the mages came with us. There were a lot of people at that citadel, and even one or two of them would have been a help. Instead they send us out a former mercenary? The pair of you have a greater sense of mistrust then I do, what do you think?"
Last edited by itches; 2nd of October, 2004 at 04:22.
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Pre 12:00pm (Mon - Fri)
Saturday or Sunday Delivery*
£6.99 (£5.99 - spend over £40)
International Delivery Pricing
*Weekend deliveries are only possible for orders placed Mon-Fri before 4pm.
Please note, there may be additional postage charges if your order consists of unusually large or heavy items. If this is the case, you will be contacted prior to dispatch.
Next Working Day Delivery (UK)
Any order placed before 4pm (3:30pm for edible images) Monday - Friday, with the Next Working Day Delivery option selected, will be dispatched for delivery the following business day (Monday - Friday), between the hours of 8am - 9pm. A signature is required for this method, so you will need to be at the delivery address to sign for it. Please allow an additional 24 hours for any order to be delivered to the Scottish Highlands.
If delivery cannot be made, DPD will try again on the next working day. If this is unsuccessful, it will be held at the depot for an additional 5 working days. After this, the parcel will be returned to us, at a surcharge of £5.
Please Note: None of our services are a guaranteed service. DPD have a 98% success rate on next day deliveries.
Any order containing a product that is listed as a preorder, will be held until the preordered item has arrived in stock. Orders containing a preorder cannot be split, if other items are needed before the expected delivery date, these items should be ordered separately.
Weekend Deliveries (UK)
Any order placed before 4pm* on Friday, with the "Saturday Delivery" or "Sunday Delivery" option selected, will be dispatched on the same day for delivery between the hours of 8am - 6pm on the selected day. A signature is required for this method, so somebody will need to be at the delivery address to sign for it. If the order is placed after the 4pm cut-off on a Friday, the order will be dispatched for delivery on the following weekend.
Please note we are unable to guarantee any order being dispatched to the Scottish Highlands to arrive within the quoted time frame.
*Orders for edible images have a cut-off time of 3:30pm – orders placed after this time will be dispatched for delivery the following weekend.


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JC's Christian Books & Gifts
Community Info
Online Shopping
Featured Shopping
- Just Released
- Sale Bestsellers
- Gifts for Him
- Gifts for Her
- New & Bestselling Fiction
- Back To School
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- Christian Book Award Winners
- Bible Study Resources
- Wedding & Marriage
- VeggieTales
- Dove Awards Winners
- Keep Kids Safe Online
- Bulk Discounts on Books & Bibles
Spiritual Helps
Inside Scoop
Product Media
Update RequiredTo play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.
Product Description
A soulful collection of Christmas classics---each rendition an unforgettable original! Features "Beautiful Son" (Mandisa); "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (Danny Gokey); "O Holy Night" (Tasha Cobbs Leonard); "Give Love on Christmas Day" (Lexi); "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (Gene Moore); "Give Me a Star" (Brian Courtney Wilson); "Piano Carol" (Max Stark); "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" (Kenny Lattimore); and more.
More Product Information
- Publisher: Motown Gospel
- Release Date: October 19, 2018
- Language: English
- Binding: DVD
- Height: 0.40 inches
- Width: 5.60 inches
- Length: 5.00 inches
- Weight: 0.10 pounds


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The best offers
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1 Point = 1 Euro
Room Upgrade
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August 2014
Feature Stories
Photos from the Rural Electric Youth Tour.
New technology for energy efficiency.
Two events this month recall the 1899 hurricane.
Much more than a Buncombe County community garden.
The legendary dentist of East Bend.
Mosquito control then and now.
Art by Susan Vaughn
Adventures of the Homestead Redhead
An early Hurricane Arthur slammed the coast July 4
Co-ops send students to basketball camp
North Carolinians value above-code homes
Looking out for you in Raleigh
10 linemen advanced their education at Nash Community College
Journaling helps kids explore nature
Prepping financially for college
Good-for-you grilling with tofu
New white dresses for summer revival
Strong, educated girls: Girls Incorporated of the Albemarle
Kids learn about energy via hands-on power grid
Wilmington studio tours, location walks