36,863, but that *is* counting some notes at the end of various chapters telling future-me what to do when I edit. I think that's legal.... but anyway, this shit just came [i]together[/i]. There was a lot of stuff that didn't make any sense at all in the backstory, and my characters just accidentally figured out how it all happened.

Read the synopses so far -- cool stuff. The Velt adventure sounds like a great premise, and although I'm still waiting for photographic proof that [@keyguyperson] can write hold off from destroying humanity, I've learned not to bet against him.

My story is based on a TTL entry I did for the Fourth Labor (which, I've since discovered, is also roughly the same premise as Uncharted 2, the multi-platinum AAA videogame..... darn.....) The TTL entry is huge, so here's a shorter synopsis. Basically, there's this history professor who gets a letter from an archaeologist, inviting him to come on a super-secret dig (set in 1925, so between world wars). Mackenny, the archaeologist, has found what he [i]thinks[/i] is the entrance to a mythological kingdom called Shambhala. He wants to go inside and find the Cintamani Stone, an important piece of history and (according to religion) a magical boon that can grant immeasurable wealth. They're racing against the Vaerichs (which are based on the real-life Roerich expedition), who want to get it first and use it for their own weird purposes. The story is all about the characters -- you've got Mackenny, the Indiana Jones type; Doctor Cole, the history teacher and former Rough Rider; Benevici, the do-gooder; and the Vaerichs, Helena (based on real-life wonderwoman Helena Roerich) and Nikolai (based on real-life creepy genius Nicholas Roerich). 

If I did it right, it's less about the magic rock, and more about all these different people interacting with one another (and some other characters) along the way.