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| White Wolf 1998, Art: Tom Canty |
- In Which Werther is Inconsolable: Werther de Goethe, the "Last Romantic", displays his newest creation, a gloomy rain tableau topped off with a black rainbow. Unfortunately, Mistress Christia the Everlasting Concubine destroys the rainbow by accident. After his other guests depart, Werther confides to Mistress Christia that he mourns the lack of real danger or risk in their existences. Mistress Christia innocently asks Werther what sin is.
- In Which Your Auditor Interposes: The author notes that this tale is based on an outline of events described to him by Mrs. Una Persson on one of her intermittent visitations.
- In Which Werther Finds a Soul Mate: One day, Werther discovers a young woman-child floating in one of his storm-tossed seas. He rescuers her and learns that she is the orphan child of two time travelers (now deceased). He revels in her genuinely poetic feelings of distress and insecurity and adopts her.
- In Which Werther Finds Sin at Last: Werther takes “Catherine Gratitude” to a costume ball hosted by My Lady Charlotina. Offended by the masquerade’s theme (“childhood”, seemingly an attempt to mock Werther’s new, young infatuation), he brings Catherine back to his home in despair. In a moment of passion, they make love, but the next morning Werther is wracked by guilt for his sin (of making love to his adopted daughter).
- In Which Werther Finds Redemption of Sorts: Catherine is puzzled by Werther’s regret. After he dismisses her, he throws himself off a cliff in order to end his life in a glorious gesture of redemption.
- In Which Werther Discovers Consolation: After his resurrection, Werther awakens amongst his friends, who congratulate him on an excellent drama. Catherine reveals herself to be Mistress Christia, who had undertaken her deception as a way to make up for earlier ruining Werther’s rainbow display. Werther hesitantly expresses his appreciation for her help in making his drama such a success.
"White Stars"
- A Brief Word from our Auditor: The author notes that these particular legends from the End of Time focus on themes of “philosophical and sociological rediscovery”.
- A Stroll Across the Dark Continent: After a stroll through the Duke of Queens’ miniature version of the African continent, the Iron Orchid and the Duke encounter the cynical Lord Shark the Unknown, who famously disdains the company of the other inhabitants at the End of Time. Lord Shark is seen in a sword duel with his robot double. In the hopes of starting a fresh new “fashion”, the Duke insists that Lord Shark help him learn how to duel as well so that they may “have it out”.
- Something of the History of Lord Shark the Unknown: Lord Shark is described as an unimaginative self-exile who wishes only for an end to his existence, but is unable to be injured due to the nature of his environment.
- In Which Unwilling Travellers Arrive at the End of Time: The Duke of Queens learns that My Lady Charlotina has acquired a group of 24th-century soldiers to her menagerie. He hopes that they can be of use to him in his new interest in “dueling”.
- In Which the Duke of Queens Seeks Instruction: The Duke creates a “gym” where a soldier named O’Dwyer tries to train him in the arts of “bayoneting”. Eventually, Lord Shark’s automaton double also arrives to teach the Duke about fencing.
- Old-Fashioned Amusements: Sergeant Martinez (leader of the soldiers) begins scheming to get his soldiers back home. Meanwhile, the Duke of Queens continues to develop his fencing skills under the tutelage of Lord Shark’s robot. During this time O’Dwyer develops a fondness for the Duke.
- The Terms of the Duel: The Duke of Queens visits Lord Shark in order to schedule the duel (and to ensure an audience). Lord Shark insists that the duel be to the death, and that there will be no resurrections afterwards.
- Matters of Honour: The Iron Orchid visits Lord Shark in order to dissuade him from carrying out the deadly duel (which she considers to be a waste) but Lord Shark resists her arguments. Their discussion is interrupted when Sergeant Martinez’ soldiers arrive outside.
- Questions of Power: Sergeant Martinez and his soldiers hold the Iron Orchid and Lord Shark hostage, and demand a time machine with which they can use to return to their own time. My Lady Charlotina convinces Brannart Morphail to come up with a solution. A flying craft soon appears outside Lord Shark’s abode and the soldiers climb aboard, taking with them Lord Shark’s robot servant.
- The Duel: After the soldiers take off, the Duke of Queens begins his appointed duel with Lord Shark. Lord Shark is killed. On board their escape craft, Sergeant Martinez realizes that they have been tricked into boarding a mere airship. O’Dwyer speaks with Lord Shark’s robot, who turns out to be Lord Shark himself: The Duke of Queens had only dueled with and killed Lord Sharks robot duplicate. In this way, O‘Dwyer has conspired to save the Duke’s life and preserve both men’s sense of honor.
"Ancient Shadows"
- A Stranger to the End of Time: A time ship carrying a woman named Dafnish Armatuce and her son Snuffles arrives at the End of Time, only to find a roiling landscape of half-formed shapes. When they attempt to return to their own time, the machine fails.
- An Exploratory Expedition: Dafnish and her son encounter many strange illusions, seemingly summoned from their own memories. Eventually, they are discovered by the frivolous (even by End of Time standards) Sweet Orb Mace, who creates a duplicate of their time ship, although the control room is filled with birds, not navigation instruments.
- A Social Lunch at the End of Time: Sweet Orb Mace takes Dafnish and Snuffles to a lunch party where the various inhabitants of the End of Time chat and enjoy an “aerial fete” of flying shapes and conjurations. Dafnish explains that she comes from a very austere time period which espouses self-sacrifice and abstention from excess (root causes of an earlier apocalypse). Lord Jagged tries to convince her of the positive aspects of life at the End of Time.
- An Apology and an Explanation From Your Auditor: The author summarizes the events of the next few weeks during which Dafnish and Snuffles remain as guests of Lord Jagged’s and gradually become tolerant of the Dancers’ offensive (to her) affectations. However, the clingy, pathetic Miss Mavis Ming (a time traveler from 21st-century Iowa, now part of Doctor Volospion’s menagerie) pursues Dafnish’s affections even when Dafnish expresses her extreme distaste for her.
- In Which Snuffles Finds a Playmate: During a tour of the Duke of Queens’ new underground caverns, Miss Ming begins to bond with Snuffles. Dafnish hopes that this new infatuation with her son will prevent Mavis from continuing to force her attentions on Dafnish herself.
- In Which Dafnish Armatuce Enjoys a Little Freedom: While Miss Ming takes Snuffles on an outing, Dafnish enjoys a brief moment of much-needed solitude.
- In Which a Man is made: During the next month, Miss Ming and Snuffles become closer than ever, until Mavis gives Snuffles a feminine makeover. When Dafnish learns of this she is horrified and convinces Lord Jagged to let her and her son try to return to her own time. However, before she can take Snuffles away, Miss Ming has Doctor Volospion transform Snuffles into a full-grown man, newly-renamed the “Margrave of Wolverhampton”. Worse, her son the Margrave now has the same dandified features as a typical resident at the End of Time. Devastated that Snuffles will no longer be able to carry on her family’s legacy as an Armatuce, she departs Jagged’s castle alone, ruining Miss Ming’s hopes of gaining Dafnish’s affections.
- The Return to Armatuce: Dafnish departs in her time capsule and barely makes it back to her own time. She only just manages to blurt out a warning against the Future before the machine is thrown back forward into the timestream (presumably due to the Morphail Effect). When she tries to go backwards once again, her body is destroyed.
- In Which Miss Ming Claims a Keepsake: Back at Lord Jagged’s castle, Snuffles’ body disintegrates. This occurs because Snuffles is actually a symbiotic being artificially-derived from Dafnish’s own life-force. Back in his home time period, Snuffles would have eventually received Dafnish’s remaining life force upon her death in a ritual transfer. However, with Dafnish now destroyed in the megaflow, Snuffles’ symbiotic relationship with Dafnish causes a similar, sympathetic disintegration in Snuffles. Lord Jagged scolds Miss Ming for her vulgarity and irresponsibility. Stubbornly unrepentant, Miss Ming gathers up some of the dusty remains of Snuffles as a keepsake of the episode.
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| Orion/Millennium 1993, Art: Mark Reeve |
The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming
- In which your Auditor gives credit to his Sources: The author states that the following tale is based on notes from a member of the GTA, although he is not Mrs. Persson (maybe the Fireclown himself?).
- In which Miss Mavis Ming experiences a familiar Discomfort: At a party hosted by Abu Thaleb (intended to show off his collection of gigantic, “elephantine” creatures), Miss Mavis Ming tries to interest fellow time-travellers Li Pao and Ron Ron Ron in conversation, but the two men find her incredibly annoying and self-involved. After they disappear, Mavis finds herself bored once again.
- In Which Miss Ming Fails to find Consolation: Miss Ming finds her patron Doctor Volospion in conversation with Abu Thaleb and Li Pao. However, her clumsy attempts to join the conversation cause Volospion to lose his temper with her. Argonheart Po eventually takes her away with him so that she can help with some of his culinary decisions for the party.
- In Which Miss Mavis Ming is Once Again Disappointed in her Ambitions: Mavis manages to get Argonheart Po to part from his dinosauric culinary creations in order to make love to her. However, the arrival of a flaming spaceship derails their intimate (and chocolate) encounter.
- In which certain denizens at the End of Time indulge themselves in Speculation as to the Nature of the Visitor from Space: Argonheart Po is distraught by the spaceship’s destruction of his culinary offerings (edible dinosaurs). Abu Thaleb and Doctor Volospion arrive and they engage in some more verbal jousting while waiting for the ship’s inhabitant to appear and announce himself.
- In which Mr. Emmanuel Bloom lays claim to his Kingdom: Miss Ming is disappointed to see that the ship’s lone occupant is a short, spindly, red-haired man (and not very much like the space opera hero-type she had hoped for). He identifies himself as Emmanuel Bloom, a Messiah and Prophet of the Sun. Bloom then claims rulership of the Earth, and claims Miss Ming as his mate (to her horror).
- In which Doctor Volospion becomes eager to offer Mr. Bloom his Hospitality: The self-described “Fireclown” resists Doctor Volospion’s attempts to patronize him and heads back inside his ship. He tries to command Miss Ming to accompany him but she resists, despite a brief internal struggle.
- In which Miss Ming begins to feel a certain curiosity concerning the intentions of Emmanuel Bloom: Weeks later, the Fireclown emerges from his old-fashioned space ship and once again demands that Miss Ming join him. Mavis is surprised when the usually-dismissive Doctor Volospion rises to her defense.
- In which the Fireclown brings some small Salvation to the End of Time: Later, the Fireclown destroys My Lady Charlotina’s newest sky palace. When she confronts him, he claims that he is an “Eternal Champion” who leaves happy, satisfied worlds behind him, and that the Earth is the last remaining planet in the universe for him to grace.
- In which the Fireclown attempts to deny any suggestion so far made that he is an Anachronism: While Volospion keeps Miss Ming protected in his castle, Bloom continues to use his powers destroy to various structures (although the Dancers immediately recreate their monuments after Bloom departs). Bloom confronts the Dancers at a party and claims that only he can re-ignite their sense of enthusiasm (and thus their souls). His audience remains unconvinced.
- In which Doctor Volospion is subjected to a siege and attempts to Parley: Bloom tries to penetrate the force field surrounding Volospion’s castle in an effort to capture the terrified Miss Ming. After Bloom promises not to use further force, Volospion allows him entry.
- In which Doctor Volospion gives a tour of his Museum and his Menagerie of Forgotten Faiths: While giving the Fireclown a tour of his collection of religious relics and prophets, Volospion is briefly distracted when Bloom claims to be empowered by the Holy Grail itself (he also somehow identifies Volospion as a time traveler from the 5th millennium). Nonetheless, despite Bloom’s claims of great power, Volospion is able to imprison him in an energy cage and makes him another member of his menagerie of prophets and gurus.
- In which Doctor Volospion asks Mavis Ming to make a Sacrifice: A couple weeks later, Volospion convinces Mavis to try and convince the still-imprisoned Fireclown to give up the Grail to him. Bloom berates Mavis for her weakness, causing Mavis to flees from the room.
- In which Miss Mavis Ming is given an opportunity to win the Forgiveness of her Protector: Although Mavis anticipates Doctor Volospion’s wrath at her failure, in the end he only asks Mavis to steal the Grail from Bloom’s spaceship.
- In which Mavis Ming sets off in search of the Holy Grail: Mavis enters the spaceship and is caught inside when it takes off into space. She becomes further horrified when Bloom reveals himself inside the ship: Volospion has betrayed her.
- In which Doctor Volospion receives the congratulations of his peers and celebrates the acquisition of his new Treasure: Volospion shows off his new “Grail” to his fellow End of Time inhabitants, who are grateful to him for getting rid of the two greatest bores at the End of Time. However, he wonders at the enigmatic inscription on its object’s base.
- In which Miss Mavis Ming at last attains a State of Grace: Inside Bloom’s ship, the Fireclown massages a corrosive fluid into Mavis’ skin, causing it to burn (in early editions, Bloom whips Mavis in a somewhat BDSM-tinged scene). She emerges from the ordeal transformed through this act of “purification”, with her latent self-loathing apparently banished. Bloom then reveals that Volospion’s cup is nothing more than a baking trophy once given to his father, Leonard Bloom. As the “real” Holy Grail materializes before them in the space ship control room, Bloom claims Mavis for his wife. The object apparently then heals Mavis’ burn wounds, completing her transformation.
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| New English Library 1984, Art: Chris Achilleos |
"Elric at the End of Time"
- In Which Mrs. Persson Detects an Above Average Degree of Chaos in the Megaflow: Una Persson arrives in 1936 and checks in with the Time Centre. Sgt Alvarez reports a disturbance in the time streams, probably caused by one of Jerry Cornelius’ incarnations. Una heads towards the End of Time to investigate the problem.
- In Which the Eternal Champion Finds Himself at the End of Time: Elric leaves Smiorgan Baldhead at the Isle of the Purple Towns in order to visit Imrryr (before he reclaims his throne from Yyrkoon in the events of “The Dreaming City”). However, he is sidetracked by an encounter with Grrod Ybene Eenr, a brutish Shaman based on Sorcerer’s Isle. After defeating the shaman, Elric finds himself caught in a strange Void. Stormbringer transports Elric to a world with a desert in the sky and snow on the ground. While crossing a glassy floor area (probably the true surface of the Earth), Elric is soon attacked by a 7-eyed dog-beast.
- In Which Una Persson Discovers an Unexpected Snag: Una arrives and shoos away the beast. She invites Elric into her insectoid air car, but Elric turns away and disappears.
- In Which the Prince of Melniboné Encounters Further Terrors: Mistaking Una for Xiombarg (a Queen of Chaos), Elric runs into a tunnel filled with tempting food, although the food is protected by a quartz barrier. At the end of the tunnel he reaches a cliff edge and leaps into space.
- In Which Werther de Goethe Makes a Wonderful Discovery: Werther de Goethe shows his friends a giant head he has sculpted into the side of a mountain. He then sees Elric emerge from one of the eye sockets. Werther catches Elric in mid-air as Mrs. Persson arrives on the scene from the other eye socket. When Werther prevents Una from taking Elric back to his own time, Una decides to seek out the help of Lord Jagged.
- In Which Elric of Melniboné Resists the Temptations of the Chaos Lords: Werher and the other Dancers at the End of Time try to entertain Elric. An air fleet manned by piratical parrots approaches, summoned in order to give Elric some “peace” in battle.
- In Which Mrs. Persson Becomes Anxious About the Future of the Universe: Jagged is absent from his castle, so Una returns to the Time Centre to track him down.
- In Which Elric and Werther Fight Side by Side Against Almost Overwhelming Odds: Elric, Werther and the Duke of Queens pursue the bird-pirates after they kidnap Lady Christia. Elric begins to suspect Werther and the Duke of Queens of “playing” with him.
- In Which Mrs. Persson at Last Makes Contact with Her Old Friend: Una finds Jagged in the 1300s at a joust. Jagged urges patience. Una gets a splinter in her eye.
- In Which the Castle is Assaulted and the Plot Thickened: Elric and his new friends spy on the “Pierrots”. The castle is eventually attacked by demons and Elric escapes on Werther’s hand-made “wings” (after which they are pursued by flying cats). Eventually reaching a bone-white castle, Elric realizes that this entire adventure has only been a manufactured drama for his benefit and asks to be returned to his own world. The Dancers’ patronizing answers only cause Elric to become angry.
- In Which Mrs. Persson Witnesses the First Sign of the Megaflow’s Disintegration: At Lord Jagged’s Castle Canaria, Una and Jagged see the disturbing arrival of a city from another space-time, signifying a further deterioration of the megaflow. They also spy Elric, Werther and the Duke of Queens flying towards it to engage it in battle.
- The Attack on the Citadel of the Skies: Elric, Werther and the Duke of Queens attack the floating city and land on it. They are met by “Arioch”, who immobilizes Werther and the Duke and agrees to help Elric return to his own plane.
- In Which There is a Small Celebration at the End of Time: Jagged holds a party at his castle for his friends and pretends ignorance of the recent disruptions. Later, Werther wonders at Lord Jagged’s familiarity with the Melnibonéan language (without having first taken a translation pill).
- In Which Elric of Melniboné Recovers from a Variety of Enchantments and Becomes Determined to Return to the Dreaming City: Elric wakes up with only a rough memory of Arioch helping him. He heads off towards his ship to continue towards Imrryr.
- In Which a Brief Reunion Takes Place at the Time Centre: Back at the Time Centre, Una Persson expresses her admiration to Lord Jagged for how easily he had been able to “impersonate” Arioch. Jagged only smiles.
