[The following is all in elvish]
The Adventure Journal of Briana
{game date 3 Nov. 96}
1508TH
43/1
I was in the floating cask today, looking for a map to an old treasure that I've heard might be elven in nature, when I overheard a conversation between the Ork shopkeeper and a T'Skrang who was shopping in the store. The lizard said that he was looking for a companion who was recently lost in a valiant battle. I could tell by his appearance that he was a traveler, an adventurer, who probably had knowledge of strange things and strange worlds, and might assist me in finding information about Elven culture and customs. Perhaps, he even had some information that he would be willing to share with me, or, better yet, knew some elves that he thought could help me. Through all my 70 years of existence, the longing to see Wyrm Wood has never been this great, and the feeling of restlessness has never been this strong. By the time of the raid on my village, no one had seen the queen of the court for a long, long time. Since then, I have heard strange stories, but none of them made full sense to me. Well, I was able to convince the T'Skrang that I had a talent for finding people who are lost, which is mostly true. He and his apparent human companion invited me to a local tavern, which served a decent warm honey, and told me some of the story of their adventures. Most of what the Human said didn't seem to have much truth, even though he appeared to believe it, but I was so excited that I only barely listened, I couldn't wait to head out of here with them. They told me to meet them at the Happy Ork in Throal, a vile place where only ruffians and the unkempt (or unnamed) pass their time during the night. As I was leaving, another compatriot, an Elf, joined them at the table! I am now even more excited to see and talk with another elf, especially to travel with one. He is the first Elven male I have seen in half a century. I returned back to my glade, bade farewell to my animals, (except Henning, who is going to come with me) and the forest, packed all my belongings (meager though they are, they fill only half of my backpack,) donned the leather armor that I made myself, and headed out for Throal to meet my new companions.
Upon arriving at the Happy Ork, however, I was dismayed by my new companion's behavior. The Human, Maxwell, who is a spellcaster of some kind, and Sanjuro, the T'Skrang, seem to be overly aggressive pugilists, with no sense of right and wrong. Both are also immensely rude, even to the point where we were denied rooms at an inn that we were willing to pay for. I had to take the lead, and guide them to an inn that I knew of, and was able to secure rooms for the three of us. I insisted that I have my own room, and I whispered to the innkeeper to put it far away from the other two.
As we were checking in, Sanjuro spotted a dwarf that he insists that he had seen before. Having never traveled with him before, I had no idea what he was talking about. He and Maxwell ran off in pursuit, apparently forgetting that I have terrific luck finding people. Sanjuro, after about 30 seconds of searching, remembered this, and came back for me. Within minutes, I was able to track the dwarf to a residence a few blocks away. Having no reason not to believe that this dwarf had done something wrong, I entered the house with my rude friends, and continued to track him (and mud) through the house, to where his tracks disappeared through the back wall. I eventually found a concealed door, and the mechanism by which to open it. Sanjuro and I entered this passage only to be stopped by 6 armed dwarves. By this time, the town guard had showed up to 'escort' us out of the domicile. Sanjuro quickly made up a story and they let us go, thankfully. This is the last time I follow them blindly.
At this point I became tired of sophomoric actions, and came back here,
to my room at the inn. I expect the other elf to meet up with us by
morning, I can not wait to see him. And I hope the other's actions
begin to show me that they are worth traveling with.
43/2
By the time I awoke, there were four people who were waiting for me to come see them. Sanjuro and Maxwell summarized their deeds from the past night, making me very glad that I stayed home last night. I am shocked that they are both still alive, and free men. It makes me wonder about Throal justice. Without law, or good sense, to keep their antics in check, I wonder what will?
Anyway, the group now has 2 elves, Myself and Midnight Blue, Sanjuro and Maxwell, and a windling whom I have never seen before, named Garnel. Garnel seems to be a good enough chap, and Blue seems to be fascinating. The other two, Maxwell especially, seem to be uninteresting brutes. Were Garnel a bit larger, he would vaguely resemble my Mother's brother, whom I have not seen since the raid on out settlement. I don't think now is the time to tell him that, besides, would Windling be offended to know that he looked like an elf? An elf would surely be offended if told he looked like a windling.
Over breakfast, we decided to split up. Garnel had business in town, fulfilling a contract that was still open. Sanjuro was seeking a healer to help with his wounded arm (I've never seen a arm so withered as his.) Maxwell, like all boring spellcasters, had business in the Great Library, and went to research something obscure or other. Hopefully, he will find something that will take him on a different path than we are taking. Blue, however, had a message to deliver outside of Throal. I was anxious to get back outside, and to spend time with the elf, so I jumped at the chance to accompany him. We reached our destination without incident, and my finding ability was never really needed anyway.
Upon arrival, we were greeted like old friends, fed well and rewarded with a coin of true water. I envy those who can throw money around like that. I saved for 20 years to get my piece of earth. He gave it out as if it was water (heh.) After eating, we returned to Throal, the trip was unremarkable. At least, until we reached the gate.
Blue and I were riding on the same horse, and as we were riding, we were attacked from behind. Blue veered off, to try to lose them, and ran right into a trap. A net came up, snagging the horse, and eventually trapping Blue as well. I was able to push past them, as they apparently were not interested in me. When I reached some distance (30 feet or so) I turned and fired my bow, hitting a dwarf. But the scene I saw was confusing. Humans and dwarves were attacking Blue, and another batch of humans were attacking the attackers. Blue then apparently cast a spell, causing them all to run in terror. I have no idea what it was, but it was effective. It makes me wonder what I will find out about this Elf. He exudes power, but I can't tell if it is the kind that one would be proud of, or one that might, one day, command him. The leader of the friendly humans then took us to an underground cavern, and attempted to tell us what was going on. Apparently, Blue disturbed some people in a town in the north, called Iopos. These men were assassins who were attempting to exact revenge on Blue. Only one escaped Blue's magik, and I was able to track him back to his hideout, which was already known to our new friend. We were told that we were powerless in this town, called Bartertown and thus, we left. I am still confused about what happened. But I can't say that I really want to know, either.
Maybe it will make more sense after some sleep....
Very little happened today, I followed my new companions along on one rude adventure after another. Midnight Blue has turned out to be a quiet one, and one that is difficult to get to know. He has told me many stories of three individuals who are no longer with us: Akasha, an elven earth-worshipper, who has disappeared under very strange circumstances, Gort, an obsidiman front-line fighter, who died very well in battle-glory, although it has been said that the blade that struck him down was magical in nature (I have never heard of an obsidiman to be felled with one blow...) Lastly, Blue told me about an Ork of Legend, Rokk Krinn. News of him had even reached my distant corner of the world, so I wont bore you (or myself later) with the details of his legend, his feats wont be forgotten before this parchment rots and dies. His whereabouts are unknown, and were this any other name-giver, he would be presumed dead. Rokk's courage, valor and luck were so legendary, though, and this group's feelings for him so strong, that they are all assuming that he is alive and well, and awaiting us to come and find him.
We set sail today, off to Viln. We are searching for clues about one called the Corinthian. We expect him to be responsible for Rokk's disappearance, and possibly Akasha's, as well. We are traveling on an airship, manned by Trolls, naturally. We don't think we'll run into any trouble until we reach our destination.
Famous last words, eh? As we neared out destination. we realized that we were being followed. Pursued might be a better word. Although we could not confirm that they knew of our presence. So, we approached a man-made lake-bed that was full of wreckage from past airship accidents.
We hoped to mix in with this wreckage, and intentionally crashed our airship (You should've seen the look on the captain's face...) Our pursuers hovered over our location for a while, but we were well enough concealed in the wreckage (apparently) so they could not spot us. Then, some strange happenings began to occur. There were two airships following us, and they appeared to have different markings on them. When they could not find us, they began to fire on each other. There was one fatality that we could see from our vantage point, but I am sure there were others. After much pause, they left the area. Minutes later, we heard (and saw) a large explosion in the direction that the ship headed. By the time we would get to where the wreckage was, it would be gone, and a fire that would be much too large for the airship would be in it's place.
So, now we felt we were all alone. We crept out from behind cover, and traveled through the canals that, long ago, fed into this lake. After some travel, we found an entrance to a keep, and almost immediately found two wyverns. They appeared to be tied up in chains, and Sanjuro thought he recognized them as the Corinthian's mounts. I have never seen beasts in such a state. They were furious about being tied up, but they were also confused about their surroundings, and who we were. A debate ensued about the fate of these beasts. Some (read: Sanjuro and Maxwell) wanted to kill them while we had the chance, the rest of us, who valued life, thought they should be left alive. Sanjuro wanted it noted that if we are forced to face them in combat in the future, we will all be sorry. So noted, Sanjuro. These beasts had never done me a bad turn, I was not about to draw first blood.
We then decided to head toward the explosion that we had seen a while back. We continued along the canals, but that got to be very tiresome, so I scaled the wall of the canals and entered what used to be the town. Here we were attacked by giant bees, the like of which I have never seen before. Blue was badly hurt by these monstrosities, and I dreaded leaving him behind to heal on his own, while we searched out the explosion. But the rest of us took off to see what we could see, but when we reached the fire, there was too much smoke to be coming from just one downed airship. After some unusual sights, I began to get a feeling that Blue was in danger, but didn't want to alarm the group, so I headed back to where he was hiding. When I got there, I discovered that an eyeless T'Skrang had located Blue's hiding place. I did my best to conceal myself, but there was no way he could have seen me, but he didn't have eyes, and was able to sense me. Initially, Blue and I thought that we were in some danger from him, but he seemed very addled and confused. He called himself 'Black' an obvious play on Blue's name. We later dubbed him Grandma Black, based on his demeanor and his actions. He led us to his 'House' which was a long trip from where we were. He made us some really bad tea, and cooked some bat for us which was less palatable than the tea. He then told us about his relationship with the Corinthian, how it was his job to tell him when new visitors (like us) arrived at the town. After realizing that he wasn't going to give us any straight answers we left. On my way out, I noticed this beautiful silver mirror, that I didn't think he had much use for, the like of which I had never had in my whole life. He graciously let me take it with me. It is now my nicest possession. I think that's about where we stopped for the night, I'll try to write more tomorrow, my head is starting to hurt from this tea that I drank, and I hope some rest will knock it out of my system.
So we wake up from our first night of camp in this horrible place. Blue has recovered from his injuries, and we set off to try to find the Corinthian and his minions. What we were not expecting was to find a group of Throal adepts waiting for us, but that is what we found.
Okay, so we wake up at the crash site, noticing that the Trolls are doing a splendid job of repairing the air ship. It still looks like it will be awhile before we are able to leave, however. We are about to break camp, when another elf, one who I don't recognize, shows up. It is Akasha! The group had feared her lost in a far-away land, months ago. She claims that she was a stowaway on the airship that blew up over our heads yesterday. We still can't be sure that she wasn't abducted and influenced by the Corinthian yet, though. The party is now half elves, which makes me very happy.
While wandering around, trying to get a good fiz on where we were,I noticed a set of tracks that couldn't have come from any one of us, and they were fresh enough for me to follow. They led to the walls of a city, which the Human insists is a 'safe' zone. We followed the tracks into one of the towers on the walls. We wet up to the top of the walls, and the tracks lead across the wall, and down into another tower. Before we continued, however, we noticed some things that we hadn't seen before.
From the roof of these walls, we could see a bee hive that was the correct size and proportion to fit the giant blood-sucking bees that we encountered yesterday, and that almost cost Blue his life. The barbaric human wanted to use his magic to fly over to it, and incite the bees for some unknown reason, but he was dissuaded when he used his magic sight to 'test' the air around us. It appeared to him that the air around us was free of any horror, or horror-taint, as he put it, and there were certain areas that were almost pure. On further examination, it looked like there were statues of young boys in these pure areas. So, Maxwell used his magic flight and jumped down to the statues. What happened next surprised, shocked, and dismayed me. It turned out that these weren't statues at all, they were real, petrified young boys. It was their essence that was keeping this area safe. Maxwell, apparently seeking to desecrate what was obviously an act of sacrifice, touched, prodded, smelled and even licked the young boys. To what aim, I have no idea, I turned my head. The human's antics are growing worse with each passing day.
Only by leaving the scene did the windling and I convince him and the others to continue on our path. We followed the footprints into the next tower, and Garnel and I sneaked in saw (and heard) that there were half a dozen or more people milling about. They were obviously a sentry unit of some kind, but we haven't figured that out yet.
Garnel and I went back to the group, and we decided to take the "shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later" approach. One that, for the first time, I really agreed with. This place was getting on my nerves, and I was hungry for some action. I had more physical confrontations in the forest than I had since joining this group. The human and Sanjuro most appreciated this approach, as they seem to feel that talking is just a waste of time, anyway.
The battle went well. I was able to fell a swordsmaster, who, In my inexperience, I thought had fallen dead. I would later find out that I was mistaken. I then rushed at a spell-caster whom I was able to wrestle to the ground and get in a few good licks when the lights went out. Really. It was like someone turned out the sun. I flailed at my opponent in the dark, but I was unable to find him. When the lights came on, he was gone, though I couldn't understand how he had gotten past me Maxwell believes that he used some spell that allowed him to melt into the ground, but any information from the human is suspect at best, an out-right lie at worst.
The fight then ranged outside, and it appeared that Garnel was surrounded and in trouble. With Maxwell and Sanjuro helping him out, I noticed another set of tracks leading in a different direction. Hoping that It was the Elementalist that I was fighting, I followed. When I caught up with him, it wasn't, but it was another sentry from the group that we were fighting. Disappointed that it wasn't my past enemy, I practiced my crossbow skills. I hit him six times, firing seven shots, finally dropping him on the last one. This fight was very tiring, and not very satisfying. I probably should've let him live, he might have been able to tell us something, but his last act before he died was to show me his clawed hand and rush after me. In my panic, I might have put too much force into my shot.
We gathered back at the sight of the original battle, and found the door to be stuck, or locked. Turns out, the elementalist got up after we left, and locked the door. The Swordsmaster got up, too, and walked away! My battle skills need improving, no doubt. At least my battlefield perception. What good is littering a battlefield with bodies that will get up and walk away?
I am sure that this group wants to hunt down and kill each of these sentries, but my thirst for combat has ended. My only hope now is to find this Corinthian, and learn some information as to the whereabouts of Rokk Krinn, the Ork of Legend, so that we can be on our way to a better place. Failing that, we should wander around this city some, we noticed a building made of glass while we were up on the roof. As Akasha said, that building is just screaming, "Come look at me!!!" Maybe we will find our answers there.
As for me, I am almost out of arrows, and I am tired of fighting. Maybe I am not quite in shape for this kind of life. I hope tomorrow is more peaceful.
I was hoping for a peaceful day. I didn't get one. I was able to persuade the group not to chase after the adepts that we found. I was in no mood for combat, and I did not see how chasing them was going to bring us any closer to finding the Corinthian guy. So, with Akasha and Midnight Blue sick and back at camp, we decided to check out this crystal palace. I would have rather spent the time with the two elves, but this time, I understood the urgency.
Before we leave, though, we discovered that the adepts left in a hurry, leaving behind a backpack with equipment in it. I think we found four portions of healing, potions that we badly needed. This left us with one of the adept's empty backpack. Under the guise of making the pack unusable, the human wanted to urinate in it, stating that, "You can never get that smell out, you know." We all disagree, except for the T'Srang, who seems to do whatever he says. If you've ever smelt T'Srang urine, you'll never forget it. I am assuming that the human has some magical power over him, he probably would not perform such a vile act on his own. I'll explore this at a later time.
When we arrive at the crystal palace, we discover an opening in a sewer grate. Using Maxwell's staff to prop it open, we enter. We climb up a sheer face (thanks to the Windling and some rope) and discover the adepts have gone here, fleeing from our battle. I had thought that fighting them was pointless, but this is too coincidental. I figured they must have something that we wanted. They are holed up in the top of this palace, and there is a hole in the roof. The windling, while spying on them, gets spotted, and they flee. Now convinced of their wrong-doing, I give chase with Maxwell at my side. Maxwell casts a spell that clouds my thinking, but makes me much more effective in battle as we give chase. After bursting through many magically sealed doors, we catch them. What had stopped them was the giant bee hive of the blood bees that almost killed Blue. After a lengthy combat, we are able to beat back the bees, and that leaves Maxwell, myself, and three of the adepts in a room adjacent to the bees. One of them is unconscious, and another is nearly so. I had the plan to knock out the near-unconscious one, and force the healthy one to run away, so that we could interrogate these two when they awoke. Maxwell cast his battle spell on me, and I guess I got turned around because I wound up engaging the one I wished to escape.
Near unconsciousness myself, I yielded, only to discover that I was fighting an elf! I sat down, as Maxwell continued to antagonize my accidental foe. I was sure that Maxwell was going to be shot in the head, as this man was a master archer, but he spared us. As he turned to go, I begged him in elvish to stay, and he turned back, but only for a moment, and then he was gone. Maxwell and I both believe that he could be helpful later, I hope he understands. We now believe that these adepts have nothing to do with the Corinthian, nor any evil activities that we are investigating.
We rode back to camp, and I used all available healing aids as we have no more time to waste. The Corinthian strikes tonight. If this is my last entry, you will understand why. I also hope that if you pick this up, you continue the search for Rokk Krinn, the Ork of Legend.
Once again, I had hoped that the rest of the day would be a little more peaceful, that we all would go unharmed in our battle with the Corinthian. Alas, that was not to happen.
We figured that the Corinthian knew that we were coming, so there was no reason to try to sneak up on him. That logic made sense to me. So, we ventured to the part of town that he was known to frequent, to try to stop whatever evil he had planned. Leaving Blue behind to recover in camp, we found the area known as "The Highs" where the well-built structures were. We found his 'landing pad' for his mount, which was surrounded by a murky swamp moat. Akasha (whom I haven't had the chance to have a good talk with yet) was apparently able to reshape the air into a bridge for us all to climb over. The Bridge seemed to hold on to us, as we held on to it.
We reached the mouth of the cave, and looked in to find the Corinthian standing over the body of Rokk Krinn, the Ork of Legend! Sanjuro immediately took the offensive, and the Windling struck at the Image of the Corinthian, and our foe, and Rokk disappeared! This was the last image that I would see for a long time, as my eyes were ripped from my head through the Corinthian's magic. After a few minutes, when I regained my remaining senses, I realized that there was a heavy battle going on. My compatriots were fighting the Corinthian, and not doing badly! Relying only on my hearing, I realized that I would never find the Corinthian. But I couldn't mistake the sound of his mount, who seemed bigger than a large cow. I rushed at the mount and was able to give it a few crippling blows. One of my comrades felled the beast behind me, leaving me in the darkness with nothing to fight.
Maxwell, the Wizard, assured my that my eyes weren't really gone, that it was only an illusion. After some poking and prodding, I decided that he was wrong, my eyes really were missing! Just then, I was attacked from below (I didn't even know there was a below) and fell unconscious. Tural also fell during this battle, we hope his life was spared magically, but he may never walk again. Our hopes go out to him, he was apparently one of the more famous opponents of the Ork.
When I awoke, I heard that the Corinthian had been killed, and my eyes had returned to me. Killing him must have reversed his powerful magic. I awoke in the presence, of Sonorius the Elven Archer that I accidentally fought before. He had helped me heal, and began to tell me strange and wondrous tales about the Elves of his homeland, Thera. While I had thought that all Therans were evil, apparently that wasn't so. He has assured me that there are plenty of good-inentioned elves in his world, and that he is related to the High Governor of the area. He gave me a lot of information about Elven political structure in Thera, and I hope, a pledge to help some time in the future. I carved runes of luck, health, happiness and thanks into a piece of my Leather Armor and made a fob for him to keep. The string was a tangle of my hair and twine. I hope I continue to see him in the future.
Now up and about, I realize that my skills with the sword and the bow have grown considerably. Fighting intelligent foes certainly increases one's skill. Also improved is my ability to track and find prints, and my running speed is getting better every day. I think that one day, I might be a fair match for Sanjuro!
But Ori told me much about elven culture, and specifically about the Wheel of Life. My parents died before they could tell me much, and I have been cut off from other elves for so long. Ori says that I should be well on my way towards my second path at this stage in my life, but I don't know if I've started my first. He says that I should be learning, gaining knowledge, as well as fighting and travelling. I have to find out more about elves, before I can learn too much more. I need to learn about myself first!
We are travelling on an airship, heading toward something called the "Triumph." Ori Assures me that we will be fine, and treated fairly.
A brief description of our group, as it now stands:
Maxwell, the human spellcaster, is a brash, rude, unthinking, unfeeling lout. He is ambitious, devious, envious, and has no concern for good manners nor respect. His only goal seems to be to increase his personal power and knowledge. He appears to be doing well at it, but I have no reason to think that he has any intention of harming any member of the party. I think he knows we distrust him, but I can't be sure, and I certainly can't ask. He recently promised Akasha that he would do some research for her, but didn't. Akasha is quickly beginning to think of him as the rest of us do.
Akasha, the elven mistress of the elements, and I haven't spent the time together that I would like. She seems very calm and reserved, even for an elf. I sensed some tension from her at the beginning, "I am the female elf of this party," is how she greeted me. I think, maybe, she is warming to me. We are very different people, but we share the same culture, a culture that I don't know too much about.
Sanjuro, the T'Srang Swordsmaster, is a odd fellow. My initial reaction to him was undeservedly poor, probably because I associated him very closely with Maxwell. It still seems that he does whatever Maxwell tells him to do, but he is improving somewhat. He seems to value me, perhaps I have shown him that you needn't be as large as he in order to handle yourself in battle. We have fought side by side a couple of times, and I look forward to continuing. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be too bright, or at least very perceptive. Last week, he decided to take a "short cut" to the scene of a battle, and wound up embroiled in a fight that had nothing to do with us. By the time he reached the area where we were, the battle was over, our foes had escaped, and I was bleeding heavily from the many wounds that I had gotten during the battle.
Garnel, the Windling of Legend. While I think Garnel is a terrific guy, and a brave and noble soul, I feel that he has chosen his traveling companions poorly. His abilities are sometimes redundant, and sometimes unsuited for the tasks at hand. I fear that we, as a group, take advantage of him. His experience, and proven valor, are unappreciated by the leaders of the group. Often times, he is just used when we need someone with the ability to fly to secure a rope. I fear for his place in the party, and I wonder how long he will remain with us. I wonder how he feels, or if he feels that he is wasting his time with us.
Midnight Blue, the other elven spellcaster. I believe that he specializes in the dark arts, and death magic, but I am not about to ask him. He was the first elf that I met when I joined this group, and half the reason that I decided to go the happy Ork in the first place. I was hoping that he could tell me some things about our culture and customs, but he turned out to be very stand-offish, and really only seemed to tolerate me. While we were talking with Grammy Black, on the premises of the Corinthian, Blue played a prank on the rest of the group that I thought I would enjoy being a part of. I didn't. He seems more like Maxwell and Sanjuro than Akasha and Garnel. I wasn't sure if this was a common behavior to elven males, but I have since met an elf, Ori, who treats others, and himself with respect. Blue has been very sick of late, we all hope that he will make a recovery.
Tural, the Human swordsmaster. I know very little about him, as he rarely talks, and is obviously a sword-for-hire. He plays almost no role in party decisions, in fact, he seems to want to have no part of it. He is only concerned with being paid, and getting his fair share of whatever spoils we find. He is a famous foe of The Ork of Legend, and for that deserves respect. His attitude, however, is causing me to slowly lose it. He also doesn't appear to me much of a brave soul, usually 'guarding the rear' of the party, leaving Sanjuro and I to take the lead. He is the last member of the party that I want at my side should trouble start.
It appears we are about to start a new path, even though Ori assures me that we will not come to any harm. I fear that the party will split up, or that goals and ideas will conflict. Garnel and Sanjuro want nothing more than to search for Rokk, something that I am not opposed to doing. Maxwell and Tural, however, couldn't care less. In my eyes, anyway, they wouldn't be much of a loss.
I hope I will be able to continue this journal, after our berth on the Triumph, but only the passions can guide us.
We stepped off the airship, and on to the Triumph, to be greeted by what Sonorious called an 'honor guard.' It looked more like we were being herded around, and now were prisoners on this behemoth, but that's opposite to what Ori said would happen. He didn't act any differently, though, perhaps I misinterpreted what was going on around us. We were ushered into a meeting with Ori, and three others, an elf, a troll and a human. After being asked all sorts of questions, including whether we new some people named <<<<>>>> in Bartertown and if we were affiliated with some other people whom I have never heard of, the four of our 'inquisitors' gave us some information about the Ork of Legend, Rokk Krinn. His last known position was heading towards <<>> to link up with <<>> another group of orks that seemed to be building strength. After all this, we were told that we were free to go. Free to go? We were at least a 15 day ride from our last known position, not to mention that we would have to cross a jungle to get there. We asked for, but didn't get, an airship. I suppose we were lucky to even get horses. We are going to stay the night, and embark in the morning. We fear that something will happen to us during the night, but I still feel that Ori is looking out for us. I am unaware if we are all being treated equally, or if some members are under more suspicion than others. I suspect that Maxwell is trusted least of all of us, followed closely by Tural, who is a fugitive from these people. Apparently, Sanjuro was able to convince them that he is blameless, or, they don't care all that much.
I spent most of last night with Ori, having him tell me more Elven history and culture. He admits most of what he told me is legend, and may not be true, but it was fascinating none the less. Certain stories seem like they are worth checking out. And it looks like there is a legend to be carved out of seeking some pieces of elven history. He seemed like he was willing to do so, but his other commitments prevented his doing so. Perhaps I can get him halfway. With three elves in the party, it might not be difficult to convince them to go on an elven-quest. Having seen Maxwell and Midnight Blue in action, I think I'd chose Blue, if I had to choose. Maxwell can do some interesting, yet useless things. Blue can do some things that are truly terrifying.
After Ori left, the night passed uneventfully. I shared a room with Akasha, who has been asleep ever since we arrived here on the Triumph. She is prone to these 'spells,' I hope she recovers this time. Each spell gets more and more lengthy, we are all afraid that, one day, she'll fall asleep and never wake up. Akasha, I hardly know ye.
We were given horses, and foodstuffs, and were preparing to ride off when Maxwell decided to abuse the hospitality and good fortune that we were shown by trying to steal supplies and magic from their storehouse. When this didn't work, he tried threatening, and then duping, the storemasters, trying to get supplies for our journey. After 20 minutes or so of trying, he tired of this, and Sanjuro decided to give it one last try. When his more diplomatic efforts failed, we rode off. Thankfully, Sanjuro stepped in. Garnel and I were halfway out of the gate, prepared to go out on our own, when they returned.
After some time, we reached a small village where we sold our horses. We then offered Tural his cut, and he appeared displeased. Finally, I said that he had to make a decision about his future, but I wasn't sure if I had crossed the line of politeness. Fortunately, Sanjuro picked up the conversation. Tural could not stay with us unless he agreed to be an equal, a party member. We were perfectly willing to keep him, but not if he was going to have his hand in our pockets at all times. I have also heard whispers that he once (recently) worked for a slaver. While this bothers me, it is his actions now that define him. We left the decision up to him, and he left. His sword arm will be missed, but his personality will not, at least by me. Sanjuro had seem to take a liking to him, I believe he will be the one to miss him the most.
So, we crossed on ferry to the city of reeds. Having already reached the limits of my abilities as a woodsman, I went searching for books and oddities in the marketplace. I found some books that look like they might be useful and interesting, but I haven't had the time to read them yet. I also have something to try, something Ori taught me. I'll work on that tomorrow, maybe.
47/2 Over the past 7 days, I have found five tomes on Elven history, and have
plowed through each one. It is just all so fascinating. I have learned about Elven history, culture, Legends and Heroes, and rumors and myths. I have never been so excited. I have learned more since joining Sanjuro and the others than I had in my first 70 years. I do not regret my decision to join this group. I feel honored to travel with Garnel and Sanjuro, and pleased to travel with the others. That they view me as a valuable member of the party seems incredible to me.
I have also been practicing with my bow, as I am thinking of concentrating on Archery as my main method of conduct. Ori has told me that Elves change disciplines at certain times in their lives. My next step, which he says I should have taken 10 years ago, should be towards an introspective discipline, one that improves my focus and my self-control. A discipline that requires both my brains and my muscles. Archery appears to achieve that end, and I feel that I can always rely on Ori, should I need assistance. I have spoken with Sanjuro, and he agrees with me about this idea. He also feels that with the loss of Tural, learning fighting skills would be a good idea, even if I am a long way from being a useful archer. I also think this will improve Garnel's standing in the party, as our abilities will have less duplication. I am proud to travel with this windling, anything I can do to help him in his quest would be an honor. I am going to teach him Tracking, so that he can be a more advanced scout than he is already.
These days passed slowly, and uneventfully, and fortunately, I saw precious little of Maxwell. He was off making empty threats and even emptier promises. I have no idea how well he fared, but I heard that his fate also rested in Garnel's hands, something I believe the Windling has been waiting to happen for a long time. I fear that Garnel is much nicer than I, however.
I am going to get back to reading my books now...
We left this morning on what is to be about a two or three weeklong trip. We are security detail for a ship bringing supplies down the Serpent River. I am very bored, but it gives me time to read my books.
We were boarded today by a group of T'Skrang 'coast guard.' The captain paid the toll to travel the river, and we continued on our way. I am surprised by the lack of incidents on the journey thus far. I believe that it is making the crew restless, and anxious.
Sanjuro has been more serious than usual during this trip. I think he is feeling a sense of duty, and a sense of loss for his home. I am beginning to respect his views and beliefs, and think I may have misjudged him. He often surprises me with his depth of passion and feeling for others. He is acting very authoritarian, however. I don't know if he feels best suited for this security detail that we're on. He certainly has the most experience, but I worry that his leadership skills aren't what they will need to be to rouse the local security, if the need arises.
We made a couple of stops along the way. All without incident (again.) The only thing of note was the Jungle T'Skrang that I saw, but when I got close, he ran off. Sanjuro told me all about this poor sub-race of his brethren. I have little interest in following up on this matter.
I am too confused about today's events to describe them well. We arrived at another drop-off spot, which we found to be four miles inland. Sanjuro, Maxwell, Mal and myself accompanied six T'Skrang sailors ashore, to help guard the cargo. During the trip, we apparently bothered some Brithans, and one attacked me. I was able to slay it with the aid of Sanjuro, who gave it the telling blow, despite my warning that these beasts should be fought individually. I believe the either the swordsmaster, or the protective, nature in Sanjuro came to the fore during this incident. Then, what we assume was the beast's mate attacked us from the other end. Mal, the beast master, was able to dominate the beasts will, and have him turn around and flee. Perhaps due to inexperience, or perhaps due to some windling character trait, Mal didn't realize that this solution didn't solve our dilemma. We would still have an angry Brithans waiting for our return, and Mal was non-committal, even for a windling, about his ability to perform this trick again. The Task came for Sanjuro to slay this one, as well. I agreed that this was the most pragmatic, if regrettable, course of action. After the battle was over, I feared that they might have young that would now be on their own. I had hoped that I could enlist the help of Mal, and rescue the cubs, and maybe train them, or keep them as pets, to atone for our actions. This proved to be impractical, with a heavily wounded crewman, Sanjuro with a couple of deep cuts on his torso, and cargo still undelivered.
All the while, Maxwell did nothing but complain, whine and insult our honor. Perhaps, next time, we should put him in the front. It's easy to mock a decision that you don't have to make yourself.
After this scuffle, the ten of us reached the place to deliver the cargo. Immediately, the T'Skrang we were accompanying drew their swords, stating that these were the wrong people, something seemed wrong. Seconds after this, a battle ensued. It went well, with Mal proving his worthiness as a warrior, the T'Skrang doing a fairly good job of mowing down the opposition, Sanjuro displaying his acrobatics, and me supplying some cover, and some distraction to the archers posted in towers above us. Maxwell, however, took a glancing blow, and fell over wounded. He fell in such a way as to convince everyone (including me) that he was dead. He was no longer a part of this battle. When the battle was ended, we noticed only a small wound on his body, much less than any of us had. Maxwell's goal is now clear, self-preservation, even to the detriment of the rest of us. He gave an excuse centered around his magic not being appropriate for the situation. I've seen him throw fire from his hands, and make people bleed out of their nose with a wave of his hand. I have difficulty believing his assertions. It is now going to be hard to trust him in battle again.
The following is a letter that I drafted to Sanjuro this evening:
I wish to express some dismay about Maxwell's actions of late. It seems only you and I put our duty above all else. Evidence of this is our recent incident with the Brithans in the forest, and how he reacted to our choosing the most pragmatic course of action.
The Beast master can't be blamed, I believe he is capable of growing very fond of animals very quickly, and I think that is what happened on this occasion. I'm sure he also had confidence in his abilities to dominate the beast, and have it leave us alone. I'm not sure he realized that we could not take the chance. When you can fly away, you have a different concept of danger.
Maxwell, on the other hand, proved to be a coward, a weakling, and a detriment to the group. His refusal to aid in the combat with the first Bryphon, then his accusations towards you when you dispatched it were unbecoming. Later, when struck with a glancing blow, he played dead, again refusing to directly help the group. When I saw him fall, I had assumed he took a strong blow, but I was nearly three times as injured when we first met Sonorius, while Maxwell stood there laughing. It was only you, who came in later, who came to my aid.
Travelling with Maxwell has become a burden. I realize that you and he have some history together, but is it worth all the trouble he causes?
Alas, may the passions guide us,
Briana
I hope we are able to continue our search for Rokk, and not have the situation become vice-versa. Questions must be answered before we sail one ships length further down the Serpent River.
Even our security ranks are a question mark. Any number of the crew could be saboteurs or spies. This ambush certainly shows that ulterior forces are at work. I am now convinced that my pressing for a cargo watch seems justified. I know my paranoia may have confused you, but please take my word from many years of experience. It was the right thing to do.
Initially, I was fond of the beastmaster, Mal. So impressed that I considered discussing the possibility of him replacing Tural. Now, I have mixed feelings. As a woodswoman, you understand nature and accept its sometimes vicious and always primitive nature. Beast masters get attached to this primitive force and forget its dangerous power. Perhaps small windling beast masters on large bats don't mind sending creatures away, but what about all the other name-giver races?
If this continues, I will be forced to say something. I am, by no means, leader of this group. I make no claim. However, I WILL NOT let us lose focus or unnecessarily risk ourselves. Mal must understand that if he is to work with us, he must defer to our decisions until he proves himself to be trustworthy and able to put duty ahead of his own emotional ties. I don't hunt, and I don't like killing animals, but my life was not the only one at risk.
I know you disagreed with me about the wyverns back in Viln. Please understand where I was coming from. Those wyverns had been used once already to attack us. Their devastation is part of what caused Rokk to desperately attack the Corinthian. Furthermore, there were sailors who were risking their lives by bringing us there. As far as I was concerned, it was our responsibility to ourselves and to the sailors to make sure they were not a threat again. It didn't work out that way, but the Corinthian could just as easily released them. Here's something to ponder as you reorient your discipline - it is better to deal with the what ifs before than it is to ponder them after.
Briana, you and I have shed blood together. Among you, Garnel and I, we leave our fates with absolute trust. I would like to include Blue, but nethermancers have agendas we cannot comprehend. Don't misunderstand me, I trust Blue very much but there is a boundary there I would not like to test willingly. If Mal asks for admission into our group, we will come to a conclusion together. Unlike Tural, we will make sure he understands exactly what we expect of him. Which brings me to Maxwell Highcliffe.
For a month now, I have done some serious soul-searching. As I see the selfless acts of bravery done by you, Garnel and even Rokk Krinn (the Ork of Legend), I find more direction and more purpose in my life. When I see Maxwell, I see another part of my life. In those days, I was more carefree and self-indulgent. Those days are over.
Still, Maxwell remains. His goals, as far as I know, have been to advance his knowledge and gain fame. As you have noted, I now find myself asking at what cost will that fame be achieved? Will his legend be made on the blood and tears of our sacrifices? I don't know, but each passing day makes me wonder.
Despite this, I am loath to act upon my doubts. As a wizard, he has proven useful. His research and information helped us defeat the Corinthian, and has helped us understand our items of magic. On the other hand, he procured a magic-item from the Ristular cave without telling any of us. In this time of war, Barsaive adepts that we can trust will be rare. Can we risk losing Maxwell's knowledge? At this point, I don't think so. I think, though, that we must move quicker to silence his disruptions and distractions. Furthermore, we must closely regulate what we find. I fear the loss of any more items to his foolish greed. Until he regains my trust and respect, I intend to treat his input and opinions with a suspicious eye. It seems you already do.
In these dark, dangerous things, trusted companions are more valuable that orichalcum. A true friend has no price for betrayal. After this short time, I believe you could be one of those friends. Look forward, Briana, and know that if trouble should arise, I will be there to fight with you.
S.
It is true that I disagreed with you in Viln, I still disagree with what you wanted to do. However, I don't think that the situations are the same. The Wyverns were obviously held against their will, and were chained down thus proving not to be a threat in the immediate, or near future. I still believe that sparing their lives was the right thing to do. Had they been unchained, or staying of their own volition, I would have changed my mind.
The Brithans were a different story. What they did was revert to their primal instincts, there would be no reasoning. I wish we could've injured them, instead of killing them, but what we did was preferable to leaving them be. Besides, one did jump on me. And thanks for the assist, but you knew that these beasts were better fought solo, I wish you had heeded my warning.
Regarding Maxwell, in this case I will defer to your judgement. However, realize that he and his intentions are now highly suspect.
B
We collected the dead crewmember, the magical weapons that we were delivering, and the two prisoners we had taken and heading back to where we thought the ship was. We got back the shore to find a burning hulk of what appeared to be the ship that we came in on. At least, we thought so, until Maxwell realized that it had a different masthead than the ship that we were travelling on. Leave it to Maxwell to be looking down at the waterline when he is supposed to be standing guard. I suppose I'm not surprised.
We retraced our steps back through the jungle, and found the ship that we were supposed to be going back to was still there. It was mostly intact, thanks to Blue and Garnel, apparently. The story Garnel told us would be unbelievable if Blue didn't corroborate it immediately. Not that I do not believe the two of them, but it involved a bag of true air, and some other weird heroics. I almost wish I had been there to see it. They captured some Contention soldiers, who will be questioned along with the ones we captured.
So, we dragged the prisoners that we had from our battle, locked them up with the Contention prisoners that Blue and Garnel had captured. I think Sanjuro and Blue are going to interrogate them, the lucky ones will just have Sanjuro beat on them, the things Blue could do to make someone talk would probably be considered cruel and unusual.
All this stuff bores me. I think the group knows not to bother me with war and politics. I understand that it is important to Sanjuro, this being his home and all. He has often spoken of a love and loyalty to his home and his people. In some way, I think it gives him a deeper understanding of how I feel towards my people. On the other hand, I think Blue just likes to threaten people. I can't imagine that he is too interested in the goings on of the area, he must be in the interrogation for the fun and excitement of it. And Maxwell, well, he claims that he is concerned for his homeland, but he has shown no loyalty to it, and seems more interested in stealing the prisoner's spells and knowledge. (Can you even do that? It doesn't make much sense to me. No one could 'steal' my ability to find people...) I can't say that anything Maxwell does surprises me. He has his own rules about life. Once you understand those rules, you understand Maxwell. While I strongly disagree with his intentions and motives, I do think I understand him. His loyalty to the group is no longer the question. Now it's his loyalty to anyone. I don't think he would betray us, we are a part of his legend and power. But I think if he could make it one his own (which he can't) he would certainly prefer it.
Oh well, they must be doing that now, but I'm going to sleep. There has been too much excitement for one day for this elf. I tried to read my book on elven legends and heroes for the third time, but I can hardly keep my eyes open. My dreams have been haunted by visions of dead Brithans, and wondering if we did the right thing.
At breakfast this morning, Blue and Sanjuro didn't tell me they learned anything, but I don't know if that means they learned nothing, or they don't want to bother me with it. They know how the politics of war bores me. I wish we were out of the jungle, and off this damn river. How I long for a peaceful glade, or a nice clearing. Some place to put my back against a tree and take a nap. I am afraid that I am acting irritable and moody lately, but I don't know if the group has noticed. They could probably figure it out, I'm in a place I've never heard of, doing things I don't care about or that bore me, in an area that I can get no decent rest. I haven't meditated in awhile, I have been unable. I hope we get to do something else soon, like look for the OoL.
Well, the ship reached our destination today. When we got to the shore, a throng of people rushed at the ship, either in excitement for seeing us, or looking for a way to leave this dreadful place. Maxwell, couth as always, attacks one. This proves ineffective to stopping the crowd, and they continue approaching. Should this occur in a combat situation, we have to find a better way of holding them at bay. They reached the gangplank of the ship, and Sanjuro stopped them with his sword. At this point, I don't know if he was protecting the ship or himself, or both. While this reaches a standstill, I push past Sanjuro, push through the crowd, and enter the town. I was so anxious to get off the ship, and these people were obviously no interested in me. Looking up, I saw that Mal had decided to join me, and, I assume, continue to travel with us. This is good news, even taking into consideration the exponential rule of Windlings (two windlings are four times as bad as one, three are nine times as bad, etc...)
Anyway, Mal and I went into the nearest tavern or eating establishment, soon joined by our companions. I decided not to ask them about what happened on the dock. I have no need to embarrass Maxwell further, he does a good job by himself. It doesn't appear as if blood was shed, thank goodness.
We ask the bartender if he has any knowledge of the whereabouts of Rokk Krinn. After taking some of Sanjuro's gold, he tells us the story of the last week, how this place had been teeming with people, and three days ago, all the people left. He says that Rokk was probably with them. I think this greedy troll took twenty pieces of silver for this common knowledge. We could've asked just about anyone, and gotten the information for free.
While this is happening, a dwarf approached us, but Blue scared him off. The dwarf, in his hurry to get away from Blue, drops some signs that refer to Rokk, and contain a way to get in touch with him (or at least, how to get in touch with him up to three days ago.) As a group, we decide to go there immediately. Blue finds out directions, looks around menacingly, and we head off.
A few minutes into the trip, we realize that we are being followed. This was likely to happen, I imagine the bunch of us is either exciting or different, or look like we have stuff worth stealing. I try to allay my friends fears by reminding them that no one in their right mind would mess with us. It would probably take 15 to 20 of them to overwhelm us, and we would probably take out at least half of them. Not really worth it to them, they couldn't be that desperate.
But, not being trained as scouts, as I am, and apparently not being trained at listening to experts, either, the group decided to duck down into an alley. I was going to continue to walk down the street, but Sanjuro grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the alley. This lack of listening to those who know best is disturbing. Fortunately, the alley wrapped around the building, so I just continued walking and intended to go on travelling, but I bumped into the dwarf that we saw in the bar. He handed me a slip of paper with an address on it. I figured that if he wanted the whole group to come and see him, he would have told all of us. So, I decided to go alone.
Getting to the address turned out not to be much of a problem. However, I wasn't expecting what I saw. Turns out the address was to the Throal embassy in the area. The dwarf wants to hire our group to find one of his lost ambassadors, and is willing to pay highly for it! I'm just looking for something more interesting than protecting dead fish, so it sounds like a good idea to me. The monetary gain is very much secondary to having something exciting to do. I decided to go back to get the rest of the group, who by now, should be sticking out like a sore thumb.
As I'm walking back, I bumped into Garnel, who directs me to the rest of the party. We came back, and met with the dwarf, who promises to help us find Rokk when we are done with this assignment, a promise that pleases Sanjuro greatly. Turns out, the ambassador is captive and is in the area. His captors are planning a raid at dawn, and that seems like the best time for us to try to free him. We are going to be joined by a human archer. Perhaps, she will be willing to teach me the talents that I lack! She has the most exquisite color eyes, a deep shade of purple, and bright white hair, a color that doesn't exist on elven heads. She is about my size, but she looks young for a human. I have no idea why she is coming along, nor how much we can trust her. I assume we will find out shortly. It is nice to have another girl around, though. With Akasha falling to the sleeping sickness, it has been awhile since there has been another female active in the party.
I'm going to need to get some sleep if I am to get up at dawn and infiltrate this place. I'll add more details later....
It has been three days since my last entry, I am finally strong enough to write clearly, and form complete sentences. The memories in my mind are very vague, and incomplete, but if I wait any longer, I will probably lose it all.
The infiltration went well, to begin with. Blue, Miranda and Mal went into the tavern that the guards of the complex frequent. One of them was able to trick them into saying what the password was. It was some phrase that didn't make much sense, and has been blown out of my head. We then shackled Maxwell, who pretended that he was somebody important that we captured. We got past the first guard, but then got stopped by a troll and an elf, who wanted some more verification of who we were. When the elf left to get the keys to the lock-up area, so that we could incarcerate Maxwell, we kept attempting to get by the troll. When this failed, Sanjuro attacked and incapacitated him in one blow. Just after this, the elf returned. Blue magicked him, and Miranda shot him in the leg to stop him. Since I was the closest, I wound up jumping on his prone body, and ended his life. This is the first elf I have ever killed, something that I will have to explore when my head is clearer.
By this point, we realized that time was short. We went off in search of the dwarf, and wound up in a fight with a group of Therans. Maxwell went off to try to rescue the dwarf, and I hear he was successful. I was overwhelmed, and fell. I woke up here, in this bed in the Throal embassy two days ago, and have been here since. My compatriots are discussing finding Rokk and taking some time off. Sounds good, we each have the Throalic embassy's money to spend.
I will need to talk further with my party members, to get the whole story...
My hand tires, I will try again this evening.
I wish I had the strength to write all that I have seen, but I am still convalescing from my near-death experience.
[editors note]
<< fifteen pages have been torn out, very carefully. Those who know
stories of what happened to Briana during this time say that what she
wrote was probably not meant for historical records. It was probably
mostly about her feelings and confusions about the elf, Sonorius, and
her worries about the behavior of a young human named Miranda. In this
time, she apparently picked up some of the ways of the archer, but not
fully. We can only conjecture what the reasons were. We do know that
she met with the King of Throal during this time, and was very meek and
humble in front of him. It is believed that she returned to her 'home'
near Bartertown, and spent nearly a month on her own, before rejoining
her compatriots. Compatriots that she was starting to identify with,
and began spending more time with.>>
[Editor's note:]
The Journal picks up six weeks later, and Briana has already
rejoined her group...
[Game Date 16 March 1997]
57/2
We are leaving tomorrow to find the Elven tea set that has been occupying my time for the last couple of decades. I hope my information is somewhat accurate, I don't want to look foolish, chasing invisible artifacts or tilting at windmills. I am becoming fluent in ancient elvish, however, I might be able to use it on this trip. Stories say that the Kaer is hidden behind a waterfall, and the horror that ruined the Kaer lives there still. Some even say that the horror magic has been used to keep most of the inhabitant alive for eternity, mindless minions of the horror. We'll see, I suppose, but having to deal with 'undead' (as Maxwell calls them) always sets my teeth on edge.
We found the Kaer, behind a waterfall, just as the guides had said, and decided to wait till morning(today) to enter it. During the night last night, we were attacked by strange, lifeless beings. We dispatched them easily enough, but it was plenty to unnerve us. We are breaking camp now to enter the waterfall. I have no idea what to expect, I've never really been inside a corrupted kaer. All my information says that those who enter this kaer don't come out. I know our party is well-suited for this task, we have many members of the fourth circle among us, and I have no fear about the abilities or intentions of any one of these people. I do wish Blue was here, though. Although, those lifeless beings are a bad omen, I hope they aren't a sign of things to come.
Well, they were a sign of things to come, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. I can only assume that the groups that had preceded us into this kaer were either under-powered or unable to converse in ancient elven. Our party was short in neither place. My ancient elven is much, much better than I thought it was, and it is close enough to modern elven for those fluent in it (like Sanjuro) to understand bits and pieces of it.
We entered the kaer through the waterfall, without any idea of what to expect. None of my research had given me any clues about what was inside, and no one had come out. So, we entered, and we nearly immediately saw more cadaver men. We dispatched of them quite quickly. I had no idea that once wounded, they become far more dangerous. One of these wounded men was advancing on Maxwell, although slowly, causing him to flee in terror. Using my new-found sense of aim, I was able to keep him away, and eventually slay him. It was one of the few times I expect to hear Maxwell exclaim, "Thank You, Briana!" Or ever yell my name in joy again.
As we continued on, an elf, who was apparently magically alive, or at least animate and sentient, came to speak with us. He was conversant in ancient elven, and I think I did a good job of communicating with him. He told us of some of the history of the kaer, and of the new 'master' of it. Vissel said he would lead us to him, making us all uneasy. Maxwell realized that killing the horror would most likely kill the elf, as well, and asked him why he would want to do such a thing. Vissel replied that death was a preferable state to the one that he was living in. Along the way, he told me that the tea set that we had been seeking was buried in the Topiary, under the dolphin. I think Sanjuro might have heard that too, but I could never be sure.
We arrived at the 'masters' lair, and he turned out to be some odd half-dragon creature. Surrounded by Cadavermen, we feared that we were in for a rather pitched battle. Sanjuro and I even tried to talk our way into retreating, but Garnel had blocked our escape by creating a sheet of ice between us and the exit. We assume it was to keep the others from attacking us from behind. Mal was nowhere to be seen at this time.
So we realized that we must fight. The battle didn't last long, with Sanjuro landing the final telling blow on the beast. We then realized that there were two groups of cadavermen, one led by the horror, and the other by Vissel. The groups were fighting each other! Apparently, Vissel was sincere about his wish to end his existence. With the horror dead, the cadavermen, including Vissel, lost their magic, and all slumped to the floor, dead. Around this time, Mal returned to the party.
[Game Date 6 April 1997]
I went immediately to the Topiary, and Mal and I dug up the tea set. I was everything that I had heard it would be, and it still looked perfect, even after 600 years. The box that it had been buried in was ruined, so we had to split the set up in order to carry it. I didn't really want to, but I had to let Maxwell carry most of the cups. I took one cup, and the tea pot, and hoped for the best...
Mal had found some books when he was off during the battle. I examined these very closely, and selected four to carry with me for further study. The other books, all 28 of them, we carried back to my home near Bartertown, someday I'll get to read all of them, I hope.
I was reading specifically for mention of the "Books of Harrow" and mention of this Kaer. It turned out that this village had broken with the High Queen of Wyrm Wood very late, mere months before the blood ritual. They sought the aid of the Therans, whose magic they used to build this kaer. I have no idea what the ramifications are of this to us, but I do have this knowledge.
Finally, as we were leaving, Miranda noticed that Mal had a runic scar on his arm. This confused most of us, but Maxwell more than anyone. For once, Maxwell was vigilant and pieced together some subtle clues that the rest of us had missed. Mal claims that he has sword a blood oath to his beloved for five consecutive years (a long stretch for Windlings...) but that during the fifth year, his beloved had become horror-marked and tried to kill him. Under these circumstances most of us were willing to forgive Mal's transgression, as it seemed to make sense. But then Maxwell remembered that when we found him, he was working as a journeyman, and not really concerned with the fate of his beloved. It seemed odd to leave someone who obviously meant so much to him behind, without at least trying to save her. It was then brought up that Mal was often doing things for his own interest, even putting the party at risk, or unnecessarily delaying our plans. Sanjuro wondered how we could let such a self-centered and un-trustworthy member into our group pattern.
My opinion of Mal hasn't changed, however, since it was never that high to begin with. Growing up, I had heard much of Windlings, much of which was dispelled by the courageousness and bravery of Garnel, the WoL. Mal seems more like the Windling of Stereotype, and one not to be given much credence to, anyway. Weeks ago, Maxwell desperately wanted to form a group pattern. Blue and I pushed back, saying that we didn't know each other well enough yet. Turns out, we were right to wait. Maxwell might know magic, but I know people...
We finally decided to allow Mal to stay with us, we have no reason to think he wont be truthful to us. But, I fear that he has lost most of the respect the party had given him. Perhaps he learned that a little honesty can go a long way.
We ventured back to Bartertown, to drop off my new belongings, and then on to Throal to meet Blue. We were about to embark on our mission to find the dragon, but Maxwell informed us that he needed to stay behind to train. It was then brought up that Maxwell was often doing things for his own interest, even putting the party at risk, or unnecessarily delaying our plans. Blue wondered how we could let such a self-centered and un-trustworthy member into our group pattern. I am still unsure if our party is made richer by his association.
We traveled to Blue's Mentor, who told us of the Dragon that we are to meet. The dragon is unfortunately named Elvesbane, something I wish I knew before I agreed to this. We are to deliver a message to him, and very quickly. I'm not sure if we are getting paid for this, or if Blue is doing this as a favor. I need to remember to ask him.
Anyway, I am always bad at taking notes from meetings, that being
Garnel's strong suit, so I wont bother to put mine in here. Suffice it
to say that we are about to undertake a journey of danger, that we might
not come back from. I hope to return, if only to read my new books.
We returned home from Blue's mentor to stay a couple of days in Throal
(well, I stayed at home, duh) in order to give Maxwell the time to
train, and become a useful more powerful wizard. In this time, I have
become a Woodsman of the Fifth Circle and I feel odd abilities beginning
to manifest themselves. These abilities are nothing like what I
expected, however, they will make me even more valuable in combat.
I had the group, minus Maxwell, over for dinner tonight. It was only
the second time most of them had seen my home. Miranda has seen it on
other occasions, as the draw of Bartertown to a young girl is just too
difficult for her to resist, sometimes. We discussed what we are about
to do, and whether it is the right course of action. Blue has told us
that delivering this "package" to the dragon is going to be used as
payment for his training. I feel that I cannot refuse after the favor
that this group has done me recently.
During this meal, I expressed my desire to become a questor of Jaspree.
This was received with laughs. Perhaps I was a bit over-zealous in this
desire. It might be that talking with my mentor has spurred me to grand
thoughts that aren't realistic. I would still like to do the
reclamation work that would be associated with being a questor, but I
don't know if I can convince the group of this...
We left today. We met our guide, Etinos, near Blue's apartments, and
after some awkwardness, he directed us to an airship to carry us to our
destination. A dull day, thank goodness I brought a book.
We arrived in Scavia today, Maxwell's hometown. He was so excited to be
home that he immediately went to the nearest (and only) tavern, and
drank with his old friends until he passed out. Remember not to give
him anything important to do for awhile.
Anyway, Etinos left us on our own, saying he'd see us in the morning.
After a brief discussion, we decided to follow him. We followed him to
the docks, and watched as his tracks became claws, and he flew away. It
appears there is more to this Etinos than we thought.
We returned to the tavern where Maxwell was, and saw some hilarity from
Blue. We have decided not to confront Etinos with this information, it
might prove useful to us, later.
We parted ways with Mal today. I hate to admit it, but I don't think anyone (save Mal) was truly upset about it. Garnel made a valiant effort to prevent damage to Mal's legend, but we had no intention of doing him harm. It's a matter best left unopened again.
While were traveling, a courier reached me with a note from Sonorius that simply said, "Must meet with you, urgent."
I told my companions that I needed to go home for awhile, they acquiesced easily, I suspect we were all a little tired after the confrontation with Mal. When I arrived home, there was a note that read, "Meet me at the Vine of Grapes at Midnight tonight." It was unsigned, but it wasn't in Sonorius' hand. So I left a note for Sonorius, in case this wasn't him, and I left for Throal.
The Vine of Grapes is an elven pub inside Throal, I felt very comfortable there. The place had about 75 people, of which I would say 65 were elves. Every patron was speaking in elvish in one dialect or another (curiously, there were a handful of Theran accents in there as well...) No one was talking about the upheaval in Throal, or the death of the king. You would think that we were in a state of perfect piece and tranquillity.
Anyway, after a little while, a T'Skrang named S'Tenia joined me at my table. He had heard that I was interested in elven history, and that he might have some items that I might be interested in seeing and investigating. He agreed to meet me at my Throalic quarters in the morning, and we could discuss it then.
S'Tenia came to my Throalic quarters this morning, and brought an elf named Grameal with him. After a brief discussion, Grameal showed me some elven belongings dating back to pre-scourge and during the scourge. One of the pieces was a lump of wood that had undergone the ritual of thorns. When I held it, it cut the palm of my hand, I fear that it'll leave a scar for some time.
It was most interesting to experience the affect of the ritual of thorns so closely. My desire to learn more about elves has increased manyfold.
Grameal told me that he worked at Standish's Alchemical Wares and Sundries in the Grand Bazarre in Throal, should I want to contact him again. S'Tenia is more difficult to reach, but he is one of the Traders allowed into the Blood Wood.
Having absorbed all that, I rested and slept for the rest of the day.
I returned home to Bartertown early afternoon to find an armed stranger standing outside of my house. As I looked, there were two, one on each side of my house. As I approached, he didn't seem hostile, but he didn't seem like a friend, either. After making no threatening moves, he held the door to my house open, and beckoned me inside. I didn't know if I was being taken prisoner or not...
When I got into my house, there was Ori, sipping tea from my stove, with two more guards inside my house. After apologizing for the rude behavior of his guard, he reminds me that this isn't the most safe place for him to be right now. I couldn't help but agree.
Sonorius tells me the following:
1. The Therans are innocent of the crime of killing the king of Throal, and he thinks that he can prove it.
After giving me the message and the gift for Icewing, and saying that I should be able to complete this journey on my own, he bids me speed and luck.
I go to sleep, fitfully for a couple of hours, preparing to leave before dawn the next day.
Early this morning I left for Icewings. I brought a nice sturdy horse from the Therans, and Icewing's gift is well protected (I estimate it at over 50,000 silver in value...) and more of the books from Kaer Digium, I hope to read them all, someday.
Before dawn this morning, I arrived at Icewing's cave. It was easy to spot, with a gaudy "ICEWING" leafed with gold above the arch. I guess if you're a dragon you can do whatever you wish.
The transaction with Icewing took a total of four hours, surprisingly, because there were people who had obviously been waiting for weeks in the Valley outside.
Anyway, he had a reply for Sonorius, and I was looking forward to getting back home. I hope it's good news.
I leave for Bartertown now.
This morning I arrived back in Bartertown at Apullian's house, and deliver the reply to Sonorious. It's good news, Icewing will see us. Ori wants to leave immediately, but sees that I am so tired that I can barely stand. He agrees to wait till morning. I sleep for longer than I think I ever have.
Sonorious wakes me up early in the morning, and we prepare to set out for Icewing's cave. As we leave, most of my friends are standing around outside (curious.) Only Blue and Maxwell are missing, and Maxwell isn't much of a loss. After catching each other up, the group decides to accompany me and Sonorius to Icewing's Cave. They need an hour to tie up some loose ends, and we give it to them. Ori and I spend the time planning and resting.
We arrive at Icewing in the late evening. We enter the cavern, and we are swept away into Icewing's lair. Sonorius tells him the following:
The Therans have Ardelia, the drake that can reproduce, and they're taking her to the Triumph. Sonorious doesn't want Ardelia to fall into the Theran's hands. He thinks we could rescue her, he knows where she is, but we have to act fast.
Sonorious needs Icewing to stop the war, He doesn't want the war. Icewing replies by saying that if we rescue Ardelia, he'll consider talking with Nettin, and putting a stop to the hostilities.
Icewing gives us an airship, and we sail off for the south side of Lake Vors, a village called Hondo to find and rescue Ardelia.
This evening, we arrived at Hondo, and we see two airships, on Throalic, being loaded with Slaves or refugees, and another Theran. The Theran airship immediately fires upon us, and we notice that Ardelia is well guarded, in the center of town.
A great battle ensues, Sanjuro and I rappel down from the Airship (me a little more gracefully than he...) Garnel floats down, the Airships collide, Garnel creates ice, Sanjuro splits an Obsidiman with the Corinthian's sword, I fire 5 arrows, hitting with 4, Swing my sword 8 times, hitting 7 of them, and killing one combatant. Dancing on air allows me to act so swiftly, that I was more than a match for any of the non-spell casters in this group.
The battle is nasty, Garnel is near death, at least one of the Drakes that accompanied us dies, and all but one of them die as well. One of them, who was protected by a magical globe, disappeared before we could reach him. But, through all this, we saved Ardelia.
One of the Drakes signaled Icewing that the deed had been done, which is good, as I see no way for us to easily leave where we are. We have created another burning hulk, as our airship collided with the Therans, destroying both.
Right now we are resting, healing, and waiting to see what happens. It promises to be very eventful.
In the aftermath of the battle that saved Ardelia, we rested, healed, and while giving thanks to Gort, the OoL, we looted the bodies of the adepts that we had just fought. Turned out that they were a named group, a name that we do not know as of yet. All of them carried their group pattern item, and each time it was something black, be it a scarf, a crossbow bolt, a statue, etc. Makes me think that it may be time for our band to Name ourselves something a little more formal than "The Bearers of Akasha." Judging on our recent history, the Bloodletters might be more appropriate, but that will have to be left to the group.
After looting the bodies of all silver, weapons and armor (I threw away my buckler and picked up a footman's shield -- I finally feel protected) we divvied up that which could not be split. Blue took the grimoire and the helmet of the Obsidiman Nethermancer. None of us really wanted to touch them, anyway. I wound up with the sword of the person who was fighting me. I have to believe it is magical, based on the tricks that the swordsman used with it, but I have no way to be certain, as all attempts to scrye into it have failed. I hope to have it examined by a sage in Throal or Bartertown upon my return.
As we were pondering the fact that we had no way to get back to Throal in time for king Neden's coronation, an airship appeared on the horizon. Thanks to Henning's eyesight, I could tell that the airship was Throalic, but flying a private banner. Miranda fired three flaming arrows into the air, to draw attention to us, but that was probably unnecessary. The airship coasted down near us, and it was being flown by Raleem and her crew. What luck! We're all tired and injured, so the ride did us a great service, by being able to rest and heal.
Today is the last day of mourning for the King of Throal. Long live the king.
We were able to get a rid back to our destination, of which I have been told to keep secret until the day I die (which will be today, if I reveal it...) and after a few transactions, we head back to Throal.
We arrived at the coronation about 1/2 hour late, but that turned out to be okay, as king Neden didn't step to the stage until 6 1/2 hours later. Neden accepted the kingship of Throal, and vowed to attack the city of Triumph tomorrow at noon. We still believe that the Theran's are innocent of the crime of killing the king, and we believe that the Throalic army will get routed if they attack the Triumph, so we have a little more than half a day to stop a war.
We returned to my apartments, filled Sonorius in on the proceedings, and decided to split up for the evening. Miranda went to the eye of Throal to talk with her mother, Blue went to Hithalday's to try to revive him, Garnel went insearch of Wishdin, Sanjuro went to find out more about the mysterious imposter that he had been chasing, and I went to find Grameal, to seek his counsel in the whole matter.
Maxwell, again, was nowhere to be found. Though I do not expect treachery to come from him, it makes me uncomfortable, not knowing where he is...
I met with Grameal, to get the feeling of the elves, and to see if there was anything that we were missing. I figured that we had Sonorius' thoughts, and we knew Throal's perspective, we might be suited to get a third.
Of course, as one would expect, the Elves had very little feeling about the upcoming war. Their main concern was that the war is pulling Throalic resources away from Kaer Eidelon, and the kaer is now totally encircled and beseiged. Reports say that they can hold out for a month, two at most, before it falls. This might be the biggest casualty of the war.
I looked around Throal for a sage to look at this sword, but found little (it being midnight and all...) but I think I found a place to return to in the morning, like I'll have a chance.
I returned to the Vine of Grapes, to try to find out if there is anything else I'm missing, but there is really nothing. When I asked an elder for advice, he simply said that it was time for me to find a new profession, before I fly on the lead ship in a suicide mission.
I returned home from the Vine of Grapes at about 3am, Garnel returned about an hour later. We all realize that we have 8 hours to stop the army from leaving, and then about 2 more days before the conflict starts. No time for sleep today.
It is 4:30 am as I write this, I believe we will all be leaving soon.
May the passions guide us...
63/4
The party had gotten together to plan before the war, when we heard a scratching at the door, as if someone was trying to pick the lock. Whomever it was, wasn't doing a very good job, though. Throal has great guards to let such a thing happen. I'm glad that I keep nothing in my room. Anyway, Sanjuro yanked the door open, and threw the person on the bed. It was a very small elf, named Dowling, who had a message. Dowling handed Sanjuro a letter from Alarian, and a bag of screws to Garnel, the WoL. Blue escorted him to the door. I doubt we will ever hear from him again.
The letter to Sanjuro basically told of Alarian's quest to find Denjata and ended with the phrase, "I am heading to Travar to find Denjata..." We don't assume we'll see her before the war. I have only met her for a brief time, but I can sense her connection to Sanjuro. I believe we hope to rejoin with her.
The screws are the notes taken by Rigban, aided with some magic, I suppose. When the nut is wrapped around the screw, it begins to play what has been recorded on it. Garnel spent about 45 minutes off in the corner (As few of us could stand the high-pitched whine) listening to it, and summed up the information, thusly... Apparently, Alarian had been searching for Denjata, and finally concluded that when Jarrol entered a certain bathhouse of Garlan, Denjata came out. Further study showed that this was often the case, someone would enter, and someone else would leave. We shall have to investigate this phenomenon. Perhaps this is what happened to Maxwell.
Sonorius tells us some information about the Triumph, and bids his farewell. I fear for him, and I fear I wont seem for a long, long time.
At this point, we decide to split up. Sanjuro and I decide to go plead our case to Wishdin one more time. I think I've convinced the group that the real victim is going to be Kaer Eidolon, which would turn out to be prophetic. Sanjuro and I plead with Wishdin for stopping the attack on Triumph, and supporting Eidolon. We told him that we are sure the Iopons are involved, but we don't have proof. Wishdin admits that our reasoning is sound, but the ground forces are already committed, to turn them around would be political suicide.
Sanjuro talks about the soul switching ritual, which is met with scorn, and not worth going into here. He also foolishly makes mention of Sonorius (thankfully not by name) but Wishdin is either too busy or too confused by Sanjuro's actions to notice. I cast Sanjuro a baleful glance, he plead ignorance, or innocence.
By 8am we were back at Blue's chambers. Blue and Sanjuro decide to send a message to Elvesbane, and as soon as I saw Blue making a life circle, Garnel and I left. I go to the Grand Bazarre to speak with a sage, and then head for the King's airship, the Justice. I hope to convince the king to change his mind, and support Eidolon. Sanjuro knows I would head to the ship, but I don't know if he'll be joining me.
Shortly thereafter, the rest of the Bearers join me on the ship. Doing so they admit that they were out of options. But, we all hit brick walls over the last two days. Only Garnel ever seemed to make any progress.
A short while after take-off, Garnel sees something on the ground. A blood elf and some T'Skrang are entering Bartertown. The king turns the Justice around to pick them up. The news isn't good. They tell us that Eidolon fell two days ago, and that they were the only to escape to the south. Some Blood elves might have made it back to the Blood Wood, but there's no way to tell.
Here we learn that Haven has been assaulted by Cadavermen, Falsemen and Therans, and taken. Parlainth has been reclaimed by the Horrors. I think we'll be going there sometime soon, as well.
[On the Justice...]
Here all hell breaks loose, and I'm sure there are others who will record it better. But, to sum up, a small Theran videt comes to us, flying a white flag. Chaladin has come with an Iopon to tell us what is really going on. At this point, a dwarf named Dresdin throws a poisoned dagger at Chaladin, hitting him square in the chest. The poison is of Theran make, further proving his duplicity. Through Garnel's magic, Chaladin is barely saved, but we think he'll pull through. We jump onto the Videt (an unwise move) and after some confusion, the Theran captain, Alchiton, drops us, Chaladin and the Iopon off on the ground.
We get picked up and brought back to the king, and we tell him everything we know. Maybe now he'll believe us. It's too late, though, Eidolon has already fallen.
We look forward to this war ending quickly, and forming a strike force to liberate Eidolon. Then again, we all are looking forward to some rest.
May the passions guide us...
Much Hilarity Ensued on the Justice, including the imprisonment of Dresdin and the ending of a terrible military defeat for Throal.
What would soon be Named the Battle of Prajjor's Field (64/2-64/3, 1508) turned out to be a disatrous loss for the Throalic Army. Here is contemporary Military Philosophist Mulvihill's record of the incident:
"The Theran forces were less numerous than the Throalic forces, but almost every Theran soldier was either an adept or had been magically augmented. In the battle's early stages, the Throalic army suffered heavy losses. Nonetheless, they fought furiously, anxious to avenge their murdered king. The second day's fighting produced further heavy casualties among the Throalic infantry units. The ork cavalries do better; their ability to move quickly and unpredictably, combined with the stunning demonstration of unity behind the flag of Cara Fahd, which had not been flown since before the Scourge put the regimented Theran troops on the defensive. Throal will always be thankful for the leadership of Moshtug, representative of Cara Fahd, who brought two hundred ork cavalry and united the three hundred others.
No full-scale naval battles occurred, because neither side was willing to risk its expensive airships. Finally Neden sounded the retreat, using the airships to prevent the Theran troops from engaging in a wholesale slaughter of the routed dwarven troops; no rhetoric or hindsight can disguise the ugly truth -- this sally against the Therans has cost the lives of hundreds of Throalic soldiers. Neden's first major initiative is a resounding failure." We return to Throal to find that we have fallen out of favor with King Neden. He apparently believes that we showed him up, purposely embarrased him by being right about the whole situation. As Garnel said, "I hate to say I told you so, but..." So, Neden has summarily thrown us out. Our apartments have been packed, and our belongings are waiting for us to be removed from Throal. This greatly confuses and upsets us, but we decide not to make waves, figuring that either this will blow over, or Neden will lose some of his influence.
Two significant things happened to me today. Sanjuro and I, after talking about our failure to form a group pattern, and our dedication to each other's dreams, formed a blood oath of Peace and Loyalty towards each other. We were both nervous when discussing it, but when we went through the ritual, it seemed so right, so perfect. Sanjuro has been a worthy companion, as I hope that I have been to him. With this oath, I pledge to continue that without hesitation.
The second significant thing was the return of Sonorious. I knew that he had made it back to the Triumph in time for the "War," but I also knew that he would be missed from his post. Well, Sonorious was tried in a Theran court for abandoning his post, and for trying to make peace with an enemy of Thera without proper authorization. His only defense was, "Politics aside, I was merely trying to save Theran lives, the lives of my Brothers and fellow countrymen. I knew that we were unjustly accused, and the impending war had no basis for being fought." The court responded to this appeal to kindness and loyalty harshly. He was stripped of Military rank and title in perpetutity, and his rights and priveledges as a member of the Theran Nobility for a year and a day (that would be one year from today 65/1) when the case will be reopened and reexamined. He seems both pleased and displeased with this result. He is pleased that the court obviously agreed that he was behaving honorable, but is disappointed to lose his military station. He came to me to be comforted, but recogized that he really didn't need it. He has decided to travel with us for a while, and see what kind of good he can do for Barsaive while absent from Thera.
I also retrieved the sword from the Sage that I brought it to before we left. The sword apparently has strong magic to it, as the sage could only find the most basic information about it. However, what it does have is pretty cool. Seems when I pull it out of it's scabbard, it screams at any opponents around me. It scared the mess out of me when it happened for the first time. I can only imagine what facing it in combat would be like. Unfortunately, I'm torn. My sword has served me well. Even though it is non-magical, it has been worked on (at great expense) by Throalic Weaponsmiths. I've seen few swords as finely forged as this one. I fear that this new sword will have more difficulty in felling the enemy, even though it should be more effective at scaring them off. I am leaving my old sword at home for now, I hope I don't regret this decision.
The Yet Un-Named Bearers of Akasha were then summoned to the Eye of Throal. Sonorious accompanies me as we attend, and find J'Role, Raleem, Jaril, Wishten, Lachadeln, General Follerian, and Adjmar the Admirable. J'Role speaks:
"We have found the location of the assassin of the King. Jada Denairastas, great granddaughter of Uhl Denairastas, has usurped the identity (and often, lives) of several Throalic citizens including Denjada, Jaril, and Mabil Ueraven (her skeleton was recently discovered in one of her House's cavernous estate's closets). She has also been positively been placed in Kaer Eidolon.
In three days, she will board the luxurious Iskarat riverboat, the River Pearl, for a cruise up the Serpent River to her home -- yes, they have finished their canal, and have been using it for several weeks already.
"We have also arranged to transport you into Kaer Eidolon where you will infiltrate the River Pearl, which shall be fairly easy as it is loaded with officials of Iopos and Iskarat, as well as several of the heads of the cities and towns they are recruiting to their cause. Of course, we will provide you with suitable clothing -- they're all ready enroute to your destination. Once you have infiltrated the boat -- find Jada Denairastas and kill her. Also, if you find Drazon Elcomi on board, feel free to kill him. He escaped our
custody and is believed to have fled to the ship. Don't ask how. We haven't a clue how he did it. But perhaps the most important thing you must do is guarantee that King Neden's sword, a vital pattern item for him, is taken from Jada and returned to us or destroyed. You will recognize it -- it appears to be a standard Throalic cavalry sabre, but has a hidden compartment in the
hilt, containing a last-chance salve. We'll see what we can do about getting you out safely, but don't count on outside help.
"You leave in an hour. If this mission fails, we never heard of it. If it succeeds, we may consider telling the king of its success. Right now, we're doing all we can just to keep him from exiling you -- he doesn't like being proven wrong or insulted in public, and you've done both far too often." This last comment irritated us to no end. We had no intention of insulting him in public, our only aim was to prevent this ill-fated, and unfounded war from occuring. We shouldn't have to apologize for being right. So, we decide two things. We decide to enter into a self-imposed exile (we will not return to Throal until either conditions have changed, or we have good reason to, and we will make that distinction, not Neden.) Second, we decide that this mission is a worthy one for the Bearers to undertake, on many levels. For the good of Barsaive, Neden's pattern item must be recovered. If Neden were to die a violent death in the near future, it would spin Throal into Civil War, something that could only harm Barsaive, and help Iopos and the evil T'Skrang. Second, we would have the opportunity to exact some revenge on Jada Denairastas, something that most of us are looking forward to. Third, it will give us a chance to loudly proclaim our defiance of Iopos. They need to know that we are watching, and they will not be unopposed. And, lastly, we will be able to enter Eidolon and survey the damage, and the possiblity of liberating it in the future, perhaps freeing some prisioners in the process.
Thus, with good reason, we decided to accept this mission.
We arrived at the "walls" of Kaer Eidolon to discover that there are no walls. The great magician, Uhl, worked through his apprentices to crumble the walls with a touch. No wonder the Kaer fell. However, for the moment, at least, it makes the Kaer rather vulnerable and undefendable. Now might be the best time to strike. It's too bad that striking now is fairly unlikely.
So, we show up at the gate of Eidolon, and, I must admit, I make a poor bounty hunter. It seems unlikely to me that our heros would be captured by the likes of me, Jaril, Miranda and Sonorious. But, the guards at the wall belived it. Maybe it was the sight of Sanjuro in chains that excited them, I don't know.
Blue, ever difficult, magicked one of them, and I was forced to hit him in the back of the head. I hit him hard, but not hard enough to do much damage. Realizing what I was doing, Blue Crumpled to the ground, making a good show of it. When the guards starting in on me, saying that I should take better care of my prisioners, I kicked him in the ribs. The guard joined in, then gave me a gag and a magical blindfold to keep him sedate. I wonder what kind of treatment I would've gotten if I was a 6' 8" Troll, instead of a 5' 1" elf. I'll never know, but I suspect it would be much different.
Anyway, Blue, Garnel and Sanjuro are led to their cell, which they will be sharing with a blood elf named Mirkaltin, who was a military advisor to Eidolon when it fell.
Sonorious is recognized by the commander of the force, who refuses to call him anything but Lord Sonorious. This isn't bad, as it gives us better rooms, guarenteed passage on the River Pearl, and bargaining power for the 'prisoners.' Sonorious is able to get 6000 silver for Sanjuro, but we were dissatisfied with the offer for Garnel and Blue, so we decided to keep them, and take them to Iopos ourselves. In my mind, this couldn't have worked out better.
We believe that Sanjuro and our prisioners will be loaded onto the riverboat sometime tomorrow. After arguing with Jaril, as I really thought we should take action while in Eidolon, we decide to wait, and strike while the boat is on the water. Everything seems to be going according to plan.
Very little happens during the day, and Sonorious and I are able to get some of the much needed rest we feel we deserve. In the early morning, we watch the Three get loaded onto the boat, and we then climb aboard, as well. While there, I could swear that I saw Tural, but I was never able to catch up with him. I have found that Jada Denairastas is on the boat with us, staying on the top level (which I'm sure is heavily guarded with magic, if not sentries.)
When the dinner hour comes, Sonorious and I force ourselves to leave some of our weapons behind and mingle during the party. Jada Denairastas is at the head of the table, and Sonorious is given a place of honor, as well. We found out that our companions are being held in the Engine room, but the noise of the party and the ship keep us from hearing much from down there. We have no idea what they are doing, nor have we seen Jaril in awhile.
Hopefully, this plan will come together....
2. The Triumph is preparing for a full-scale war with Throal, but will not attack unless attacked. Sonorius fully believes that the Triumph can hold off the Throalic army.
3. To prevent a war, he needs to get the great dragon Icewing to intervene
4. He needs me to go to Icewing, and beg for an audience for Sonorius, Icewing is already distrustful of Therans, and might not grant one to Sonorius.
4am
A days march north of the Triumph, the battle starts. After half a day's fighting, the battle is about even.