Zonker, a man known and beloved by many, fell into a coma shortly after the holiday season, as a result of a weakening heart.  As days rolled into weeks, and weeks into months, friends and family began to accept that the Norseman might not be coming back.  His condition deteriorated, and on March 5, he was placed on life support.   

According to his living will, he was only to be kept alive in this fashion for forty-eight hours.  On March 7, friends and family gathered to bid this dear friend farewell.  Present that night: Sh'Lah Broadcreek MacKinnon, SunRunr DeLaChat, Zèranne Bladewraithe, Renne, Maia d'Thalia, Ariana MagGyldren, Tristan Atwood, Esme, Melkor, and Zonker's daughter Daria.

His final wishes were read by one of Zonker's lawyers.  Rena and Esme were to look after Zonker's children.  His daughter Daria was to carry the mantle of his questing, and use the armory to continue adventuring.  Maia was to carry out his final directive.  To the sound of the machines, and the warm words of farewell and blessing from his friends, she flipped the switch to the techonology keeping Zonker alive.  The beeping gave way to a long, flat drone.

Just as the nurse reached to stop the sad sound of a flat line, without warning, Zonker's heart started again.  He shuddered violently, and the fight began.  His doctors and nurses fought for him as he struggled to come back from the brink.  Those gathered hurled a not-entirely-unsurprising combination of encouragement and epithets at Zonker.  The Norseman rallied, in what can only be classified as a miracle.  Zonkers first words from the other side:  "Friends here...I did not have the HEART to leave."

Leave it to Zonker to knock on death's door, turn around, and come up punning.

After he had slipped from his punning back into a restful, natural sleep, Santharina Silverleaf arrived.  Many of the visitors had departed, but Rena, Ariana, Daria, Esme, and Renne stayed behind to watch over him a while longer.  There is no telling how full his recovery will be in the long run, but Zonker has been released from the hospital and seems as full of fire as ever, depsite that there may not be quite the same spring in his step.