10 Riag 51/5 3/9
Surely today’s dinner warrants mention, for it was fit for a king! In fact, it WAS for a king. It actually happened yesterday, but not all requirements for my making a journal entry each night were met. At least this time I was unconscious from too much fluid, rather than lack of. Because of this, I have a headache and will have to try to keep this short. Yesterday, around mealtime, we were brought to the Royal Chambers by our friend Wishten, the king’s advisor. If you’ve never seen the chambers, then you wouldn’t believe the things they have there. A throne made entirely out of orichalcum and gold! A grand tapestry of the history of Throal, statues, and many other things that I cannot record here. The dinner table was a single slab of crystal, and it made for a fun time being able to watch Sanjuro and Maxwell kick each other beneath it. Denjada was already there, and Wishten sat to her left. We all sat according to nameplates on the table, and there were still 4 chairs empty at the head of the table. A few minutes after we arrived, four dwarves entered.

They were the "ambassador", two older females, and a regal old fellow that could only be the king. All were well dressed, with Neden and the younger female supporting the king. We all stood up, and then sat together when the four had joined us. The younger lady was Dollas, wife of King Vallerus III, who was indeed the old dwarf who was now seated at the head of the table. The older lady was introduced as Verosa, her mother, and the other was her son, Prince Neden. Neden stood up and asked us to introduce ourselves, expressing his regrets that in all the activity he had not had a chance to meet his liberators. We did so, most of us modestly except for Maxwell and Sanjuro who couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wag their tongues, and then servants came in with drinks. It’s amazing how much you can consume without realizing it when someone else is filling your cup and you don’t have to dig through your pockets for the coin to pay for it!

The king personally thanked us for saving his son, and asks to hear our story of the events in Viln. Sanjuro picked up the tale, with the rest of us adding details he left out. The king informed us that the Therans, and also Mashtug, are both ALSO claiming credit for the destruction of the Corinthian. This is enough to make even ME angry, for to think that they gain fame for OUR spilled blood... Nothing can be done for it I suppose, so we must let it pass and hope that the true story is the one to survive. The way Sanjuro and Maxwell spread it around, that shouldn’t be a problem. An inquery as to the well being of the captain of "The Flaming Hulk" reveals that he will be grounded for some time since the king has commissioned all shipbuilders to build for HIM, to aid in the fight agains Thera, but that the captain has been well compensated, so that I’m sure that he won’t miss his ship TOO much, from the bottom of a tankard no doubt.

After exchanging various stories and finishing our meals, the king called for our rewards to be brought out. Maxwell and Sanjuro insisted that they need no reward, but by the looks on their faces when the king DOESN’T insist (he’s as practical as the rest of us who accepted the reward), if they had to do it again I’m sure they would accept. Especially after they found out that he had tripled the original offer. In addition we were all loaned apartments nearby, and were asked to remain as retainers of the kingdom. The king, feeling his advancing years, decides to retire at one point, but my memory is a bit fuzzy so I’m not sure exactly when. I do remember Wishten telling us that Krathas has reNamed Cara Fard, and it is no longer part of the Barsaive pattern. This will surely give them more power to protect themselves, as will Voracious when I send it to them. I will elaborate later, but I am already late for my meeting with Prince Neden.

11 Riag 52/1
This morning I tried to convince Sanjuro to send Vitriol with Voracious to the orks, but he believed that there was some grand conspiracy behind Rokk’s fall, something about a second spellcaster on a grassy knoll or something, and would not honor the ork nation with such a gift until he saw Rokk alive again, or the deceitful cheater that enspelled Rokk was brought to justice. I can see why he would feel this way, but whether the spellcaster was in fact a traitor, or merely a believer in Mashtug’s right to ascendency who did not wish to see his king felled by a superior swordarm, it is now an ORK affair and I still feel that my decision to send the sword is correct. Krathas could not be involved in the treachery, for Rokk was an important figure in her success. She would have no reason to want him dead. The ork government is in its formative stages now, and its future strength will be based in large part on how things go now. I think it is important that they have the symbols of leadership right away. So I had a meeting with Neden today to give him Voracious.

Well, the meeting was productive. I met with Neden, and offered to send Voracious with the next ambassador they were sending, as a token of good will to the new nation. I decided that I could no longer wield it, now that its original purpose has been restored, that it actually HAD people in Viln to protect. Rokk’s request also had an impact on that decision, I only hope it is to him that I give Voracious, and not in his memory. I will be getting a proper windling sword to replace Voracious, and will try to find some better armor as well. This day, however, is spent, and I have a month to "take care of business", as it were.

14 Riag 52/4
I got a new sword today from Neden himself! It is a fine crystal windling sword, so much lighter than Voracious had been. Its razor-keen edge makes it more formidible than its size would indicate. To go with this I also acquired a shirt of crystal ringlet mail. While heavier and less flexible than my padded armor had been, my mind at least is more at ease that I am better protected now. Won’t the others be surprised by the change! I also bought a last chance salve and two healing potions for future adventures.

17 Riag 53/2
The party has gotten together several times for meals since we got here, with conversation being more and more focused on what our next step will be. Briana has some treasure she wants to pursue, but is willing to put it off yet and help Blue with a mission he needs to go on, which involves talking to a dragon! Could you imagine? I also would like to do this mission. Sanjuro and Maxwell keep pushing for us to form a group pattern in Viln. While I think we should form a group pattern at some point, now is not the time, nor do I think that Viln is the right place. First off, Miranda, Blue, and Mal were not with us in the battle with the Corinthian, so the site has no real meaning for any of them. Also, the city is now held by the orks, who have stated in no uncertain terms that uninvited visitors are not welcome. A group focus should be accessable without having to ask permission. Finally, if what Wishten says is true, Cara Fard is no longer part of Barsaive, and since we seem to end up trying to protect Barsaive from Thera it would seem more appropriate to have a group pattern centered IN Barsaive. So we will have to find a new site for our pattern, and also a name. I have a feeling we are going to be debating THIS one for a while. In the meantime, I will be working on my spellcasting abilities, and trying out my new sword.

19 Riag 53/4
Well, the cat’s out of the bag now. The others found out that I gave away Voracious. Maxwell and Sanjuro were, shall we say, displeased. Briana seemed to approve of the act but not the method. She seemed to think I should have come to an agreement with Sanjuro before acting. I knew that we would not see eye to eye on this one though, and not just because of the height difference. Blue seemed to agree with my decision, but I have a feeling that may be based on how much it irritated Maxwell more than any true basis on his approval of the action itself. Mal didn’t really care one way or the other, and Miranda seemed to agree with me. Sanjuro had some choice words for me, berating my "ridiculous insistence" on sending it in such haste instead of discussing it more. I think he just wanted the opportunity to reclaim the sword from me, since I really had no way to keep it from him. Maxwell also didn’t approve, claiming that I had weakened the entire party, and some other wizardly stuff that I don’t remember since I started to stare at an interesting stain on the wall behind him when he slipped into his wizardese. I don’t see why he feels so strongly about this topic, unless it rends his moral fabric to even think about giving away a powerful magic item.

One thing that actually concerns me is that they pointed out that we have threads woven to the objects, and if the item fell in to the wrong hands, it may be used against us. I am new to threadweaving and don’t know all that much about it, so I can’t just ignore this point as inconsequential. I suppose I should find out more about it when I can. Sanjuro also claimed that it was not a question of ownership, that I should have discussed it with him first. I don’t know if he means my ownership versus his, or ours as a group over the orks. And I guess he forgets that I DID ask him about it, as you can and probably have seen earlier in the journal. I just think that Sanjuro is bitter that I ruined his chance to make a big ceremony out of presenting the blades. But he makes such a big ceremony out of EVERYTHING, I thought I’d save everyone some grief. Maybe I SHOULD have gotten Vitriol from Miranda like I had originally thought of, so that BOTH blades would be gone and Sanjuro couldn’t complain about how weakened his dagger is. I had hoped that after I sent the sword, Sanjuro would follow suit and send the dagger, but now I don’t think he will send it at all, since he mentioned something about reclaiming Voracious from whoever has it the next time we visit Viln. Good luck on THAT, I say, since he will be facing the entire ork nation to try to get it back. He’ll be lucky if they don’t TAKE Vitriol from him, no matter the cost. From what Rokk said at the battle, they would think nothing of killing to get the blade. The thing that vexes me the most is that after we broke up our little meeting, I happened to overhear Maxwell and Sanjuro calling me "selfish" and "greedy". Now, I can’t see how GIVING something away is greedy or selfish, except maybe in the sense that I kept THEM from having it... But Maxwell couldn’t have used it, and Sanjuro is such a walking arsenal as it is, what with the gloves and helm of Elost, Vitriol, and the Corinthian’s twohanded sword, I really don’t see what he has to complain about. I really thought he would understand the importance of the blades to the orks, and do the honorable thing. Unfortunately, I guess not all swordmasters are like Rokk, who would agree with my decision if the situation was reversed and, say, we had a t’skrang heirloom. I suppose I am being petty though, and perhaps I was hasty. It’s done now though, and I’m sure it will be forgiven eventually....

8 Teayu 57/3
We all met at "The Gilded Rose", and I am not the only one changing my look! Maxwell has switched to wearing a many-pocketed cloak over normal clothing, in place of his old robes. I must admit that the cloak is a rather impressive creation, capable of holding many items of interest I’m sure. We will have to watch and be sure that nothing disappears into this "cloak of greed" as he calls it. Mal arrived accompanied by a large mountain lion, along with his zoak. Briana has a certain learned air about her now, not the haughty arrogance of Maxwell’s knowledge, but more of a thoughtful introspection, and is probably the most changed in the group since joining. She also sports some new armor, fernweave on top of her old leather. I think she referred to it as "chia-armor", but whether that is a place, or the type of plant, I am not sure. Miranda hasn’t changed much, although we just met her recently so that I can’t say that I know what her "normal" self is. She is a mercenary of some sort, obviously confident in her ability with her crossbow, and her militant silence makes me wonder what events led to her choice of career. I am glad she is with us however. If what I heard is true, she carried Briana out of the arena in Krathas, and will be a main player in any battle we end up getting involved in. Blue and Akasha were absent from our gathering, and their absence was felt. We are getting used to Akasha not being around, as her presence is the exception rather than the rule, but Blue’s failure to appear was a bigger disappointment, since we were planning to go see his dragon. Without him, this is not possible, so we decided to go after Briana’s treasure instead, all of us feeling restless from our month of relative inactivity in Throal. She had a stack of documents and journals that followed the path of a Royal Elven Teaset before its disappearance several hundred years ago. It is rumored to be magical, imbuing the drink with restorative properties. Connected in some way with the Wormwood, its last known location was in the northern Servos forest. We set out on horse- (or zoak-) back, and to pass the time Maxwell lulled us to sleep with his and Sanjuro’s adventures of the last month, investigating the murder of the former owner of "The Happy Ork." I guess I dozed off before the end, because I don’t remember if they ever solved it....

11 Teayu 58/1
Once into the forest, we found a small stream. One of Briana’s maps showed that the town the teaset was destined for was built on the shores of a lake, so we decided to follow the stream in the hopes it would lead us to a larger body of water. After a little while, we heard the sounds of a waterfall, and those in the party with sharp eyes confirmed that there was one ahead. Looking around that area, we found that the ruins of a village sat at the head of the falls. An astral scan of the area showed that the space behind the falls was corrupt, possibly indicating the entrance to a violated kaer. It was approaching night, so at Maxwell’s urging, we retreated a few hundred yards and set up camp, to wait until daylight to enter. Miranda and I have second watch, and now I will rest for tomorrow’s adventure.

12 Teayu 58/2
The early morning started out innocently enough. I was awakened for my watch, and was not told of anything unusual happening, which I presumed meant nothing HAD happened. Miranda was on watch with me, and the night was pleasant enough. We stood near each other to keep one another awake. Suddenly I was struck from behind and a numbing cold settled into my muscles, freezing them. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Miranda was in the same state, and an unnatural shadow hovered behind her. Another blow from behind knocked me from my feet, and the impact with the ground must have jarred me loose from the paralysis, cause I could move again. The others had awoken and joined in the fight, wearing mainly just the underclothes and padding they slept in. Able to look at our opponents directly now, I could see they appeared to be elves, in an advanced state of decay, shrouded in an unholy darkness. Sanjuro managed to re-slay one, and I took a blow from the other. With its attention focused on me, it proved to be an easy mark for Sanjuro to finish off. Suddenly very tired, and badly injured, I decided to go to sleep, lamenting our decision to leave without Blue. The questioning bits of conversation I could hear from the others made me think Blue’s knowledge of this type of thing would have made us better prepared for what we were to face in the kaer, for surely these were just a sample of what was waiting for us.

The others waited for me to arise before approaching the kaer, and this was not until nearly afternoon. We walked up to the waterfall, and found a passage around one side of it, into a hallway. We headed in, and the passage started to open up into a room, with a doorway on the far side. Pieces of crystal set in it made us think that possibly there was a sheet of crystal as a door, but it had been broken. Maxwell informed us that the remnants of a ward could be detected astrally. Briana led the way through, into an oval chamber that was some kind of garden. There were four exits, and mosaic tile paths led the way through the garden. The walls were a mosaic as well, tiles and crystals, some of which spelling out ancient elven script, which Briana read and told us that she had a copy of already in her notes, a history of the village. The back wall had the crystal replaced with bones, an addition surely made by the horror now in residence.

Moving closer to the fountain, I decided, in ancient windling tradition, to throw a coin in for good luck. Remembering we are here to fight a horror, I decided to throw a gold coin in to join the copper I first threw, and noticed that Maxwell had become excited at noticing the coins. Deciding a little fun would alleviate the dread we were all feeling, I tossed in another to see what he would do. I was not careful enough this time though, and he saw me. It was well worth it to see him wade into the fountain and get his feet wet, though. If he needs the money that badly, he is welcome to it.

We explored further, and found a topiary garden with bushes in the shapes of various animals. Maxwell sensed several people ahead, so I went to investigate. The trail leads into a building, where 6 elves moved about. It seemed to be a library of some sort, and the elves were actually undead. I returned to the others and told them this, and we decided, on Maxwell’s advise, to kill them so that they could not come at us from behind. Entering the building we found that they ignored us, but decided to stay with our plan. The fight did not go well at all, these cadavermen being tougher than we had expected, until one of them hit Negri. Mal went into a fury, and killed 4 of them while the rest of us managed to dispatch the other 2. Never anger a windling beastmaster! There were 3 passages out of the building, and the trackers among us agreed that there was one that they had used frequently, so we went that way.

The hallway we entered was lined with cubicles and alcoves, like an office. We saw a door ahead, and decided to open it. Beyond was an office, and much to our surprise it was occupied by a living elf. At least he seemed that way, but we found out that this was not the case, he was in fact dead, and so was his pattern, but something was keeping him "alive". His name was Vissal, and he was 200 when they closed the doors 600 years ago. He knew the Corinthian during his wandering years, and also knows of the teaset. He then offered to take us to see his master, who from his description is reptilian, and Sanjuro recognizes it as some kind of half-dragon. We decided to go along, and try to find out more and maybe free this place from this horror. While walking there, Vissal slipped into elvish, but I don’t speak it so I didn’t know what he had said, although Briana seemed to take great interest in it. Vissal led us back the way we had come, through the garden, into the tunnel where the bones had been added to the mosaic. It led to a large room with a pyramid structure in the center, made up of rotting vegetable matter. A 15 foot tall reptillian biped was sitting on top of the mound. He began to beat his wings, hovering in the air, while berating Vissal for bringing visitors without a prior warning. Vissal, who was apparently mayor of the town, tells him that it is not a friendly visit, and that we are there to kill him! Looking around, we noticed that we were surrounded by cadavermen, and some other type of undead. Mal chose this time to return from his latest wanderings, and told us that there were more cadavermen coming up the tunnel, our only escape route! Things looked bad. I decided to try to slow the flanking group by casting icy surface in the tunnel. Unfortunately, this also blocked our escape, but then the cadavermen were doing that already so a little ice would not make it any worse.

Maxwell and I tried at this time to prepare combat spells, but Sanjuro, relying on steel more than magic, started to taunt the "master", who took exception to this and attacked before we had finished our spells. Vissal then called out "Kill the intruders!", and I thought we were done for, but to our surprise and relief, the cadavermen in response attacked the other undead! Apparently there were factions even among the dead. We were thus left to deal with the monster. I didn’t even get a chance to finish casting flame weapon, before Sanjuro, Briana, and Mal (apparently still mad about Negri getting hurt) managed to bring down the beast. I never realized how hard it was to cast spells in combat, and can sympathize with Maxwell, to an extent. Both of us are distracted by the sounds of battle, but whereas I want to jump in and join the fray, Maxwell is in fear for his life. The end result is the same though, neither of us got to cast what we wanted.

4/6
With the horror dead, all of the undead began to collapse, deprived of the power that was keeping them animated. We explored the rest of the kaer, but the only thing of interest was one room full of books (Maxwell almost killed himself in his eagerness to "leap and bound" to the books, without the benefits of a spell) and bags of silver, and the teaset that Briana had been seeking, which had been buried under the topiary of a dolphin, some kind of fish. Apparently that is what Vissal had told her on the walk over. We were each given a cup, and Briana kept the teapot. Miranda then pointed out that Mal has some scars on his arm that he had been keeping covered, but were revealed when he was digging. Turns out that they were blood oaths to his love, Rikokum, but she became horror marked, and he had to leave her. This ended up violating the blood oath, and left a runic scar. Everyone else was concerned with how trustworthy Mal is in light of this new information, but I don’t have any doubts to his loyalties in spite of this. The only thing that seems odd is that if his love was horror marked, he should have been looking for ways to help her, not working on a riverboat. He claimed that he was looking for people to help him free her, but he should have mentioned this to us to see if we would help.... We have decided that Mal may stay with the group, but cannot join the group pattern yet, until a sort of "parole" period has ended and he regains our absolute trust.

We rigged up a litter for the books and silver with some saplings and cloth, and set out for Bartertown with our treasures. It should take a little over a week to get back, with our extra baggage. Briana spent the time we were collecting things and getting ready to go reading the books we found. They are apparently a history of the town, and she learned that these elves were perhaps the last group to split from the queen before the thorn ritual was held, and that the Therans helped them build their kaer. This should probably be looked into more carefully by someone, but not me.

58/3
We arrived in Bartertown today, and met up with Blue. He was, understandably, disappointed at not getting to see the cadavermen and other undead, but that is his own fault for not showing up for the meeting. We gave him an equal share of the treasure anyway, since he is part of the party, and then went to see his mentor, Hithliday, to get the message we are to bring to the dragon.

His mentor’s home was in a dragon skull in a pit, which seems an interesting place to live. We did not see the inside, for Hithloday came out to meet us. The dragon lives in the Mist Swamps, which is not a nice place so I hear. His name is Abem, but he is properly called "Elfbane", which brought a shudder from our elven companions. We are to give him a gem that Hithliday gave us, which glows with a yellow light. A tall human named Edinos is to be our guide. We are to leave in a few days, but we have time to go back to Throal and prepare.

I decided to give the Nimbus Bracer to a professional to find out who made it, since I don’t have the patience to do it. The king recommended one for me, and I hope he will have the information soon. It cost 150 silver, so I hope it is worth it. When I returned to my apartments, there was a package waiting for me. I was stunned to find Voracious inside, and even moreso to see my name enscribed on the blade! I must find out who had it done, and why the orks sent it back, but that will have to wait. I have decided to make a stronger bond with the sword, as I can call it my own now.

14 Teayu 58/4
The scholar was able to determine the names of the creators of the Bracer. Ocala and Nichiryo are the elementalists, and Grumbacher the weaponsmith. I was able to unlock the next power of the ring, which allows me to charge my weapon with electricity and zap the person I hit with it! Voracious will surely have a nasty bite now! I almost cannot wait for our next combat.

15 Teayu 58/5
I went back to speak to Wishten today about Voracious. It seems that when the orks took the blade to the guild hall, my name appeared on it, which makes ME the next lord protector of viln. I’m not sure what I want to do about this, and Wishten didn’t know what benefits or responsibilities this would entail. I will have to visit Viln in the near future.

17 Teayu 59/2
We all met in a tavern today and Etinos was there. After some initial confusion, we learned that there had been arrangements made, and "The Zidarod", a human-manned airship, awaited us. It is a cargo ship, so not very comfortable, but much better than walking, and we set out south for the mist swamp. The crew showed Etinos a great amount of respect, perhaps there is more to him than we know....

19 Teayu 59/4
Towards the end of the day, we landed in Skavia, on the borders of the mist swamps. We decided to spend the night and leave in the morning, giving Maxwell ample time to get drunk and brag. Etinos told us he would meet us tomorrow, and being uncomfortable about having our guide abandon us, we decided to follow him. His trail led to the docks, and ended in clawmarks on the dock, where he apparently flew away! The scent trail led into the mist swamps. We returned to the tavern, speculating that he may actually be one of the lesser dragonkind, working for Elfsbane.

Arriving at the tavern we overheard the patrons talking about us, and Maxwell was slumped in the corner. Mal returned after another of his unnoticed absences, and apparently had been asking around about the horror that had enslaved his love. He found out that it had last been seen in the cliff city four months ago. With nothing to do for the evening, I am going to rest for tomorrow.

20 Teayu 59/5
We all headed to the docks to meet Etinos, right on his clawmarks. He was there waiting for us, with a boat. We asked about the tracks in a general, non-accusing way, and he said they belonged to something called a "man thing" in ancient elvish, and some other names. Whatever he is, he can guide us to the end of our mission and that is enough for me.

He seemed to direct the boat by thought, and we headed into the swamp. It was quiet until Briana’s scream brought our attention to the large mass in front of us, rising out of the water. Anything that touched it stuck, as Mal and Neghri found out the hard way. I coated it with ice thinking this would make it less sticky, and then it hit me with a glob of sticky stuff, and I went into the water. This allowed me to try ANOTHER new spell, that allowed me to breathe water, and it worked my first try! I then saw Neghri start to sink by, and tried to wriggleswim towards him while casting gills again so that he wouldn’t drown. Then a reptilian form darted past me and grabbed him, so I stopped casting. Realizing it was Sanjuro, I called out to him and he grabbed me and swam for the surface. Luckily I was still able to breathe air while under the effects of the spell.

As we surfaced, the thing sank next to us, apparently badly burned. As we climbed aboard, the others were talking to Etinos, who apparently took his dragonform while I was underwater. Hopefully I will get to see it some other time, but he admitted to us that he is a mandrake, a lesser dragon.

Blue cast a spell on me to dry me off, but I still wanted to make sure Voracious was in good shape, so I took it out to clean it. Sanjuro and Maxwell noticed its return for the first time, and they angrily confronted me, asking why I lied about sending it back. After all the time we had traveled together, and they still have such an opinion of me! I explained that it had been sent back to me, and showed them my name on it, and Sanjuro proceeded to yell at me for going to Viln without him! Getting fed up with their outrageous accusations, and wondering when I would have had TIME to go to Viln, I explained how my name had appeared on the blade, and then ignored them both for the rest of the day. Sanjuro tried to apologize, claiming that he just "couldn’t reason out what had happened", but instead of asking he jumped to wild conclusions. The rest of the day was quiet floating, but there is not much to look at.

We continued on our journey, and to pass the time I practiced maneuvering around the boat to avoid Sanjuro and Maxwell. It was rather hot today, and I have decided that I don’t much like swamps.

21 Teayu 60/1
This morning was rather eventful. We made it to the ruins, and Maxwell decided to go exploring by himself, flying off with some new spell. If Mal had done the same, he would have been in trouble, but that is another matter. We got to talk to the dragon, who is bigger than a house. Just one of his teeth is as big as me, and I’m glad he wasn’t hungry, although we would have been but a snack for him. We gave him the gem, which he proceeded to eat, and then he disappeared. Etinos said the gem was the spirit of the dragon Yuichotol that Hithliday lives in now, but I don’t know about that. This Yuckytoll supposedly was the one who learned to make drakes, and also found a way to make drakes that could reproduce (all the ones today are sterile), but then he died. Now elfsbane can learn how by consuming his spirit. I sure wouldn’t want to eat another windling to learn anything, but we are vastly different creatures. We were taken to guest quarters to await dismissal by the dragon, and I practiced my puppetry for the others, with great success. Mal and I then gifted Etinos by carving his bed, and we both did an exceptional job, if I do say so myself. We have just been summoned to a meeting, so I will write more later.

22 Teayu 60/2

We are now on our way back to Skavia. The meeting was with the dragon again, and he gave us a chest for Hithloday. He told us about Rakish, Mal’s horror, who apparently draws its power from the water, and of a female drake somewhere in Thera, or sought by the Therans, or something like that. And that the Theran invasion is led by someone named Hethera, the mightiest wizard in Thera. He then dismissed us, only to sneak up on us later and give us another one for the king. I am curious as to what could be in them, but even I am not foolish enough to go through a dragon’s gifts.

23 Teayu 60/3

We reached Skavia today, and were waiting for an airship, when two people met up with Etinos. They were Selarian and Rospin, and they told us there was an airship waiting at the docks. Briana was already there, and told us that they are also drakes. Surely with THREE of them with us, I’ll get to see one transform eventually. Mal showed me some rope he acquired today, and we both got a chuckle out of envisioning Maxwell trying to fly while tied to Sanjuro’s tail. Now wouldn’t THAT make a good tale....

29 Teayu 61/4
We arrived in Bartertown today, and were asked to be back in a day or so after taking care of business, so that we could go search for Aardella, the female drake. Heading to Throal, we were surprised to find all the gates but one were closed, and all the guards in front of that one gate. The king has apparently died, it had been announced that morning. There will be a general assembly, and doubtless a power struggle for the throne. I hope Neden is the new king, he seems a nice enough dwarf.

The grand bazzar was totally quiet, which was really bizzare. A man we learn is called Drazen approached us, the grand nephew of Tholin of house Alcome, with the message that Wishten wants to see us. The tunnels to the apartments were crowded with people, debating the merits of King Valerus III, and who should follow him. There will apparently be no king for 8 days, a mourning period, and then a new one will be crowned. Maxwell decided to join Mal and me in flying above the crowd, unnatural as that may be for a non-windling. Mal apparently decided that a stalactite will work better than Sanjuro’s tail, and lassoed Max as a joke. The last I saw of them Maxwell was chasing Mal and Neghri down the tunnel.

I returned to my apartment to find that I have a roommate. She was not there, but from the items in the room she is a traveler like myself and a silversmith. My crystal sword is the only item of mine that was out of place, or rather gone, but in its place was a necklace of some sort. I am going to try to find her on my own, and, if that fails, I will go to Wishten and find out who this other windling is.

5/4

Well, I was able to find a track after a quick look around the room, and followed it out the door. I then had to airtrack her, since she started flying to the bazaar. Knowing that there was the general assembly soon, I decided to go ask the guards about her. They didn’t know anything about her, but said they had seen her, and told me to go see the person in charge at the Golden Scales, who takes care of such things as who lives where. She was an older female dwarf, and after checking the records found that I had signed papers allowing a guest to stay there. It is possible that her assistant Renni took the signature, but he wouldn’t be there for another half hour, and I was late for the assembly as it was. So I decided to come back later.

At the assembly hall, I met the others. Mal was absent, as was Blue. The hall was crowded and I made an effort to look for a female windling in attendance, but to no avail. Prince Neden arrived, and announced the king’s death, or murder as it were. He was found cut into pieces, apparently while still alive, and it is thought to be a magical affliction. Neden admitted to keeping the king’s illness of the last four years a secret, at his father’s request. He named the Therans as a prime suspect. When they got the noise to subside, Wishten took over the assembly.

A female dwarf in the front then stepped forward and asked how Neden and the others with him could be trusted, if they lied about the king’s health all this time. People started throwing rocks and rotten produce then, and Briana noticed some dwarves in front of us preparing to shoot crossbows. Wanting to avoid a general bloodbath, we attempted to take them out. Miranda shot one of their crossbows, disabling it, Maxwell dove in front of their crossbows to prevent anyone politically important from getting shot, and the rest of us closed in as we could. They were subdued, except for one that was killed and another that fled, and as the others tried to leave, I flew up to Wishten to tell him what happened and see if I could set up a meeting with him since we needed to talk. He said to tell the others to give up the captives and meet him in one hour at the Royal chambers. As an afterthought I asked him about my roommate, and he had no idea what I was talking about. That’s where we are waiting now, the Royal Chambers. Ah, here he is now.

Wishten thanked us for intervening and preventing a general riot. If the attack had succeeded, then the opponents of house Alcome would have had a martyr to gather behind. He then explained how the king was magically dissected alive, and how it was similar to the affliciton that Neden had when he was little. We told him of the chest that we had for the king, and that the mandrakes had one too.

We went back to our apartments then, to discuss recent events and decide what to do next. At the door to my apartment, I noticed a windling flying down the hall carrying a crystal windling sword, so I decided to follow. Maxwell tried to follow as well, but I told him to go back to the others. The trail led into the ventalation system, and I finally caught up with my guest. She is Raleem of the Striptrees to the south, recently of Parsaive but things got too hot up there, so she is now here plying her trade, which is thievery I think. She was using my place as a hideout/residence. Being small and stealthy, she has heard rumors of various things, but the most interesting is that Hithloday has apparently disappeared or become reclusive. I decided that she was not an immediate threat, and she hasn’t stolen from me yet so I am not worried. With her skills, she may make a good spy for Wishten in the rival’s house, maybe to find out about the attack. I decided to let her keep the sword, which she had given me the necklace in exchange for, and then track her down again when I found out if I could get her more "honest" work.

Returning to my room, I found the others already waiting inside for me. I told them about my visitor, and gave Maxwell the amulet to examine. It is apparently very powerful, but what it does is still not known. We then had a discussion about Mal’s recent breach of the agreement we had, of him not leaving without telling someone, and the others are strongly in favor of, in fact insisting upon, him getting expelled from the group. I don’t think it was such a bad transgression, since Maxwell WAS chasing him at the time, but they think he is up to some mischief with Hithloday. We must wait till we are all together again, and then decide what to do. It is a shame that the others are taking the runic scar so seriously. Don’t get me wrong, it is a serious matter, but they are blowing it out of proportion, not accepting Mal’s explainations and then taking every little thing he does and putting it in a bad light.

Reaching an impasse in the Mal question, we then talked about locating the female drake, and decided that maybe the mandrakes would know more to guide us in this. I don’t see why they need us at all, but I am willing to help, if only for the chance to see them transform! Finally we discussed the ascention, and agreed that we should do what we could to ensure Neden got the throne. Thinking of the king made us check the packages, and we noticed the one for Hithloday was gone. Maybe that is where Blue went, for he still had not returned from his business. Maybe tomorrow will bring more answers.

30 Teayu 61/5
We received a message, delivered by a spirit, that we were to meet Blue at Hithloday’s. I decided to wear my old hide armor again, as the crystal ringlet is really too heavy and constricting for my comfort. Upon arriving at the nethermancer’s, we are surprised to find Mal there already. The chest from the dragon is also there, and Blue tells us there is treasure in it, and there was a letter but the head of the council took it. There was also some type of magical block of mahogany, but we are unsure of what purpose it serves. Blue then told us that Hithloday is "gone". Not dead, his breathing body is still downstairs in his house, but his pattern and spirit are gone. It happened in his lab, and is still being investigated. Another item of note is that the dragon skull is now a pile of dust. I suggested that it may be due to the other dragon eating its spirit, but there is no way to know for sure until we find Hithloday.

About this time, Drazen shows up again. He has a lead for us in the king’s murder. Apparently a few months ago a Theran exile named Dado Durvidious approached Drazen with a bribe offer in exchange for an audience with the king. He is a spice merchant in Bartertown, on Shadow Street and Spice Lane. He seemed to be interested in the layout of the chambers, and things like that. We then gave Drazen a cup of tea, and when he had finished we thanked him for the info and sent him on his way.

Since we were all together, we decided that this was a good time to address the Mal issue. Maxwell explained that Mal broke the pact, and demanded to know what Mal did when he left yesterday. Mal said he came to see Hithloday about Rakish, and then got accused of interfering with party business, or not having a partymember present while conducting party business, but I don’t buy it cause it was a personal matter and he had every right to be there. He didn’t tell anyone cause Maxwell was chasing him and thought it better to give him time to cool off. They would hear none of it, and Mal left in disgust. I don’t blame him, it is unfortunate that we ever found out about his scar. I went after him and told him that if he ever did find out where Rakish was, that he could come to me for help and I would stand by him. I hope he frees his love someday, and will miss him. I think it was totally unnecessary for him to be kicked out.

When I returned to Hithliday’s, we decided that Blue would set up a ward in the lab to protect Hithliday’s body, while Sanjuro, Miranda, and I went to check out this Dado Durvigious. We found the warehouse easily enough, and when all the doors were locked I went on the roof to find another way in. There was a vent I was able to climb through, and the duct led down to another grating. I tried to cut through it with Voracious, and managed to do so but got fried with a ward in the process. An alarm was ringing somewhere in the building, but no one arrived so I continued on.

Going downstairs, I saw most of the doors were warded. Going to the back door, which was not warded that I could tell, I removed the bars and let in Sanjuro and Miranda. Suddenly everything got cold and I couldn’t move. Apparently there was a ward on the door, I just failed to detect it. Miranda picked me up and took me outside, while Sanjuro took a look inside. He apparently met some dwarves, and when I came to Miranda brought me back inside. We waited for Dado for a while, and I am still not sure what we were going to try to do. Sanjuro had told them that we had arrived at the back door to see it open, and came in to make sure no robbery was in progress. He found the guard sleeping or unconscious, and woke him up.

When Dado arrived, he wanted to inspect his warehouse for losses. Nothing seemed missing, and apparently Sanjuro also decided that we could do nothing at this time, so he said we had wanted to negotiate a spice deal, but would prefer to wait till morning and meet again. Dado agreed, and we went back to the Guilded Rose, the address that Sanjuro gave them to reach us at. We each got a room in the inn, and sleep beckons.

1 Borrum 62/1
Early this morning I was awoken by someone opening my door. Not expecting visitors, and knowing an honest visitor would knock, I rolled out of bed and iced the floor. Two thugs came in, one falling down and the other rushing the bed. I struck down the first, and Miranda appeared in time to shoot him with a flame arrow. The other one cowered in the corner, realizing he was outmatched. Leaving Miranda to cover him, I flew across the hall, to the sounds of combat in Sanjuro’s room. We managed to subdue the final assailant, and another was dead on Sanjuro’s floor. We moved everyone into my room and began to question the conscious one after tieing up the unconscious one. I realize that they are Therans, or at least have Theran accents.

The innkeeper, aroused by the commotion, came to see what had happened, and we pay him to send away any guards, so that we could interview the prisoner ourselves. Blue arrived shortly after, in response to Sanjuro’s summons earlier that evening. We heard guards in the hall, and gag the captives until they leave. With Blue’s help, we were able to determine that his boss is called "Slackdarth", and he leaves notes for this group in the "Greased Pig" tavern, and also tells them where to get the payment, this time under a seat in the auditorium. He knows of Dado Dirvigious, and thinks he is scum, an ex-Theran and a traitor.

A mailed fist knocked at our door then, and it is Wishten, with guards. He had heard of our presence here, and of strange occurrances, so he came to investigate. We tell him what we know, and find out that Slackdarth is a mid level spy in Bartertown. We decide to let Slackdarth think his plan worked, and fake our deaths in the hope that he will be caught leaving payment or something like that. We were bloodied up with the dead Theran’s blood, and carried out of the inn to the constable’s. That is where we wait for word of any new developments.

At about 3:00 today, we were summoned to the kings quarters. Pado and his family have been arrested. We all got cleaned up, and then went to the throne room. Wishten was there, along with Neden, and most of the nobles in the city. 5 dwarves were escorted in, Pado and his family. Neden says that they have been implicated in the murder of his father, is there any evidence to support this claim? Wishten then brough forward a box, containing papers detailing the ritual for the dissection spell, and the kings signet ring, a pattern item required for the spell and which had been missing for 6 months. They were found in the warehouse, during a raid that the king’s men had conducted that afternoon.

Pado proclaims his innocence, but the evidence is strong. Not wanting to lose our only lead, and suspecting others behind it, Sanjuro pleads with the prince to not kill them yet, but Neden is resolved. Scanning their patterns, I see that Pado is a thief, and his wife is not an adept. Neither one is capable of conducting the ritual, so someone else must be involved! But we were unable to change Neden’s mind, and all five members of the family were beheaded. I wanted to leave, but Sanjuro held my arm. It would be bad politics to leave early. I hate politics.

After the beheadings, a dwarf steps forward and announces the arrival of Selinda, of the rival house. She announces that they relinquish their claim to the throne and throw their support behind Neden. The ascention seems assured now.

Wishten took us aside after the ceremony, and asks if we knew what was in the chest that Elfsbane sent. It contained funeral gifts for the king, from him and all the other great dragons, and the scroll offered condolences. The puzzling thing is that the chest was assembled and sent BEFORE THE KING WAS DEAD. This would seem to implicate the dragons in the kings death. It would not be completely unfeasable, since Elfsbane does hate the Therans, and the old king was reluctant to go to war. Neden on the other hand is all for it, so putting him in power would make a war inevitable. Its all so confusing, hopefully we will learn the truth eventually.

2 Borrum 62/2
We were summoned before the prince again today, and there were many other important people in attendance. In reward for our efforts in finding the conspirators, we were given 3000 silver each, which Sanjuro gave back, and places to live on the gallery of justice. As a final honor, we are invited to join the king on his flagship during the assault on the Triumph. The war is about to begin.

I got back to my rooms tonight hoping to get a nights’ rest from the craziness, but that is not to happen I guess. Raleem was there already, opening my mail. I surprised her I guess, cause she threw the letters on the bed and turned to face me, brandishing my crystal sword. Her eyes were red from crying and she quickly burst into tears again, apologizing for I knew not what. The parchment was from Challaden, and was sealed with purple wax and the coat of arms of Thera. It said simply:

Garnel, If I had known earlier, we could have probably prevented the senseless death of the innocent Durvigius family. Now I fear both our nations shall suffer greatly. Realize that in this matter, we are on the same side. Challaden of Travar

The other pages with this cover letter were handwritten pages in Theran. Raleem then sobbed from the corner, "I killed them, they all died because of me. I let her convince me that it was worth the silver to wreck a family’s reputation and now they’re dead. At least I can follow them to their graves...." and she turned the sword on herself. More angry than frightened for her safety (I can’t imagine a windling killing themself, no matter what the circumstances...), I grabbed the sword from her and told her that would be the easy way out, and that she had to pay for what she had done by fixing it.

She then explained that Jaril Damris, a t’skrang spice trader, hired her to spread rumors about the Durvigius family to make merchants think twice about dealing with them, and instead go to Jaril for the spices. She had no idea they were being framed for the king’s murder. The sheaf of papers were notes from Theran spies, who were keeping an eye on the Durvigius clan because they were Theran exiles. They wondered how such strange rumors of them working with the Therans could be popping up, since they were considered dangerous traitors. They were later rumored to be nethermancers. All of it was Raleem’s doing. She was even responsible for planting the box, but didn’t know what was in it. She met Jaril in the Stuttering Serpent, a tavern in Throal for t’skrang. She didn’t show this week, and Raleem came back here. When she awoke, the papers were on the bed. Jaril turns out to be an orange tskrang with black stripes, often called Tigress of the Serpent. I looked for tracks of the delivery person, and found one but it didn’t lead me anywhere.

At a loss of how to find Challaden or the deliverer, I decided to go to Miranda, and have her take me to Chaldrach, the Eye of Throal, in the hopes that he would know something. We went to the central chambers, and a tall thin dwarf answered our knock at the closed door. He went to get Chaldrach after Miranda explained who she was, and that her mother worked there. We told him the whole story, and he said that last report had Jaril at Kaer Aidelon, renting out her boats as war vessels in the Iopan siege. It would take a week to get to Throal by boat, so she couldn’t possibly be making it to the meetings every week. On top of all of this, the prince is not happy with us, for our intervention at the trial. Apparently it was not stringent enough though, for innocent people died. Thus is exposed the folly of hasty judgment. Agreeing to keep this from the prince for now, we went on our way to rest the night, leaving the papers with Chaldrach. We will go to the Stuttering Serpent tomorrow and see what we can learn.

3 Borrum 62/3
We arrived at the Stuttering Serpent this morning, and Raleem walked over to the table she usually met Jaril at. I noticed her take something from under the table, and it was an orichalcum piece! Severance pay we’re sure, but apparently her employer is happy with the results of her efforts. In talking to the serving t’skrang, (can’t say boy or girl yet for it is too young) we learned that Jaril had not been there in almost two weeks, and that she spoke with a varied clientelle, including a troll and some dwarves. Most everyone else dealt with t’skrang. I noticed a few t’skrang taking an unusual interest in us, and marked who they were. We decided to check out Jaril’s stall, and see if it was still in business. Not far behind followed a purple female t’skrang that had been sitting at the next table over, and a green monacled t’skrang that had been in the corner.

Jaril’s stall was indeed closed, and in talking to her neighbor I found out that it had been for several months. We decided to head out again, and then realized that Raleem was not with us. She was talking to the purple t’skrang from the tavern, who is named Alarian. Deciding more privacy is necessary to continue the conversation, we allowed Raleem to lead us to a place. On the way out of the market, I noticed the green t’skrang talking to a dwarf, and Alarian realized that the dwarf was now following us a few minutes later.

Turning a corner, we decide to stop and let him catch up. He continues past us though, and I decide to follow HIM. After a few blocks, he went into a tavern, and I returned to the others. Raleem lead us to the Glittering Opal, across the street from where the dwarf went! Probably just a coincidence.... We rented a room to talk in, and find out that Alariam had been hired by Jaril! She is indeed in Kaer Aidelon, and there is an imposter working here in Throal. Raleem had the closest association with her, so she wanted to talk to her. We all agree that we need to talk to the real Jaril, and agree that Miranda will go get the others, and Raleem and I will go get an airship, and all meet at the Bountiful Harvest in the evening.

6/3

In Bartertown, Raleem and I managed to find a ship. Actually, Raleem found a ship and I was there to make sure she didn’t get on it and fly off alone. Apparently it took most of her severance pay to rent it out. We met up with Sanjuro and Miranda and Alariam at the Bountiful Harvest. Apparently the others have things to do. Remembering our promise to help the drakes find Ardelia, we left a note for Etinos saying we would be back in a few days, and set out for Kaer Aidelon.

4 Borrum 62/4

The trip was quiet, and we arrived at the Kaer in the evening. Four vedettes met us to determine our business, and then let us pass as they headed south. We landed in a courtyard, and Sanjuro is overjoyed to see his kin, exchanging news and such. He tells them that the king’s killers were found and executed, which we know is not actually true, but for the time being it is better to maintain the lie than cause an uprising.

Apparently the Iopans have started the siege again, and the blood elves have sent some aid. The ones I saw had the emblem of Takeris, the elven warder that Blue and I had met before. Sadly, I realize that we are the only remaining members of the group that entered the Blood wood so long ago.... We managed to find Jaril at a meeting of officers, and have to await her at a tavern. After a while, she met with us and we accompanied her to her quarters. After telling her what we have learned, including the whole story of the setup, we asked her if she had any suspects in mind. The only ones she could think of were in the spice trade, since only two others besides the Durvigius and herself trade in "talomin" spice. It seems unlikely that they would also want to kill the king, but we should look into it, in case one of them also has strong political ties or opinions.

Onto other news, Jaril informed us that Takeris was there, helping defend the kaer. He is one of the few in favor of helping outsiders in the blood wood, and it seems almost too convenient to send him with a token force, possibly just to get him out of the court. I hope he doesn’t suffer politically for it. Conveniently enough, Takeris arrived about then, and he had no thorns! I was shocked until I found out it was just an illusion. On a whim, I asked him how it was possible to change one’s appearance, and if it would be possible to imitate another person. He said it could be done, either by spell or item. Maybe something we should keep in mind while looking for Jaril’s impersonator. He brought news as well that Parlanth had been taken back by the horrors. A few people have come wandering back, but not many. No one has gone to check the story out, so it is uncertain how bad the situation is. He then mentioned he had a gift for Blue, and bid goodbye. We decide to head for Throal again immediately, and as we are packing, a messenger brought the gift- a bottle of elven wine. Blue will be most pleased.

5 Borrum 62/5
We arrived back in Throal today, and went to see Chaldrach. Assuring him that Raleem had no informed part in the plot on the king, he released her to my custody after deputizing me. We retired to my apartments, and I remembered the pouch that poor Akasha had from the Corinthian, and took it out. Realizing it would be useful in the coming months, I decided to weave to it. Upon doing so, its contents spilled out. We realized quickly where the Corinthian kept all the eyes he took. Let me warn you, it is impossible to get decaying eyeball gook out of carpeting! And the smell! I will have to let my apartment air out for a few days. Also in the pouch were some gems and a potion. Worn out from scrubbing, I decided to go to sleep while the others went about investigating. I think they were going to the Stuttering Serpent again. Raleem is staying here with me, in case Chaldrach decides he needs to talk to her.

6 Borrum 63/1
Early this morning, perhaps after an hour of sleep, I was awakened by knocking at the door. Before even getting out of bed, I realized that Raleem had left. Grabbing the pouch and voracious, I flew past a startled Sanjuro and went in pursuit. He was yelling something about needing my badge, but I had to catch her before she left Bartertown. I managed to catch her at the Bazaar, and she told me she was going home, to the Striptrees. Deciding that I had enough to worry about without having to keep an eye on her, I said good riddance to her, and that I hoped she enjoyed the sword. She proceeded to drop the sword and walk away. I went back to retrieve the sword, and then flew towards my apartments.

Along the way, a sooty troll rushed past me. Thinking nothing of it, I continued on my way, only to find Sanjuro, Miranda, Alarian, and a dwarf approaching. Shouting at me something about a sooty troll, I said I had just seen one, and they told me we had to catch him. Tiring of these late/early games of tag, I flew after him, all the time losing hope of getting a good night’s sleep. I caught up to him in Bartertown, and tried to stall him with conversation. Once he heard the others coming up behind, he tried to flee, but I coated the ground with ice. On top of having Miranda shoot him in the feet, he didn’t get very far. In falling, his pack spilled out, and Alarian noticed a figure grab something and run. Or fly, to be exact. Wondering what Raleem was still doing around, I flew after her, and Miranda quickly outdistanced me on the ground. Entering an alleyway, I was hit from behind, and then heard a windling cry of pain.

Shaking my head to clear it, I saw Raleem nearby, also on the ground, with a crossbow bolt torn through her wings and stuck in her back. Glancing down the alley, I saw Miranda approaching, and quickly stepped in her path of fire to protect the now-incapacitated Raleem. She had a silver teapot she had taken from the troll, which she said was to fund her trip, since most of her money was spent on the airship. While we were talking, Sanjuro arrived, leaving the troll in the care of Alariam and the Throal guards. Lights started turning on in the area, and then a fully dressed dwarf stepped out of the building in front of us. Looking down at us, he shook his head and asked what we were doing to this innocent? Sanjuro said she was associated with a crime and was fleeing. He then said to me "Don’t you read anything that we send you?" and walked around the corner. It was then that we noticed we were outside the home of Apulian Coreatus, and the Theran embassy in Throal.

I was about to follow the mysterious dwarf, when much to our surprise, Briana and Sonorious walked out of the same door! Quickly updating each other, we learn that they have an audience with Icewing later that day. During the conversation, Sonorious replies to me that the dwarf was Challadin! Eager to find out what else he might know, I set out to follow him. I didn’t get far though, before I was frozen in my tracks, and turned to see Sonorious aiming at me! He advised against bothering Challadin now, and I decided to follow his advise, requesting that he lower his bow.

He didn’t get a chance to, however, as Raleem had snuck up behind him, and now had a dagger to his throat after cutting his bowstring. I told her to back off, and explained that she was merely concerned for my safety, and meant him no harm. Returning the weapons she had taken from Sonorious, we went back to the rest of the party. A quick discussion led us to decide that we would go talk to the troll and see what he knows, and then go see Icewing. Sonorious agrees to wait an hour for us, which should have been enough time to find out what he knows. It turned out that was unnecessary though, because Alariam chose this moment to join us, with the troll accompanying her.

Appartently, he is Ratheem, a silversmith, and he had been blackmailing the imposter for 10,000 silver a month, but she stiffed him this past week. I manage to figure out that the payment Raleem picked up was in fact for Ratheem. It is odd that two very different individuals would have such similar names, but the will both be leaving soon so it is not an issue. Ratheem the troll has notes, in some special code, that he was using on the imposter. He agrees to teach the code to Alariam, which should take a day, in exchange for passage out of Bartertown on Raleem’s rented airship and 8,000 silver. I took the money left over from the rental from Raleem, and added 3 fire and an air to make it the 8k, and then gave the pouch to Alariam to turn over after learning the code. Hopefully what is in the notes is enough to catch the imposter, clear Raleem, and find the REAL killer of the king, because Sonorious assures us it was not the Therans.

It was then necessary for us to rent horses, and after acquiring them we set out. It was most amazing, the valley we rode to had snow in it, something I have rarely seen in my lifetime. At the end of the valley was a huge cave, and in gold over the opening was "Icewing". We went in and spoke to an ancient female dwarf, signed in a book, and Sonorious gave her a diamond bigger than me! Erondri, one of Etinos’s friends from the return trip from Elfsbane, then escorted us in to see Icewing. He led us into a huge cavern, covered in paintings, tapestries, statues, and coins neatly piled around the room. In the middle of it all was Icewing, a huge black dragon with white wings and translucent membranes. Several namegivers were bustling about the cave, cleaning and such. He spoke to us, and seems angered that we brought a Theran into his presence. Sonorious then spoke up, explaining that Hefera is here in the area, looking for Aardelia. She has been found and taken by mercenaries working for Thera, and is soon to be taken by the Therans. They are to be taking her to the Triumph, but we may be able to get her before then. He asks that in return for rescuing her, Icewing talks to Neden and stops the war. He insists that Thera is not responsible for the king’s death, and the war is a mistake.

Icewing then says that if we retrieve Aardelia, he will consider talking to Neden, but if we fail to get her from the Therans within 3 days, he will join in the attack on the Triumph. For a dragon, he sure doesn’t seem to understand bargaining. Or maybe it is BECAUSE he is a dragon that he DOESN’T bargain.... In either event, we agree to try to save her, although I agree more to help her and thwart Thera than out of desire to go along with Icewing. We only asked to get Blue, and for an airship, and then we could set out for Honto, Aardelia’s birthplace on the south shore of Lake Vors.

Not wishing to allow us to waste the day it would take to retrieve Blue, Icewing opened a portal right to Blue, and I looked through and asked him to come through. When Blue hesitated, Icewing used his wings to cause a gust that blew me across the room, stirred up anything not tied down in the cavern, and pulled Blue through the portal. Realaizing that we would not be going back to Throal, and that I was still in my nightclothes, I asked Icewing if he had some armor I might borrow. All he had was a rusty suit of chainmail, which is just too restrictive for me to wear comfortably. Not wanting to offend him, I accepted the armor and promptly put in into my pouch.

Sonorious, it turns out, is a member of a secret society in Thera dedicated to improving relations with the dragons. Obviously, if Thera were allowed to use Aardelia in whatever ritual they had in mind, things would be from bad to worse between Thera and the dragons. She is now in her village, being held by mercenaries that discovered her, waiting for Therans to come pick her up. We will try to get there first and take her away. After disguising Sonorious in case we did run into Therans, we set out for Honto on the airship provided by Icewing, with Erondri and Tureliam, the other drake from our earlier trip.

7 Borrum 63/2
What an interesting day it has been! We arrived at night, to find the village in flames, and two airships landed in front. One Throal ship had refugees or slaves being loaded aboard, and the Theran ship next to it wasted no time in launching and attacking us. We could see Aardelia being escorted out of the town by 8 namegivers. Seeing our target, Briana lowered a rope over the side of the ship and slid down. Sanjuro followed behind, having considerable trouble imitating Briana’s graceful rappel. I flew down to join Briana.

The airships exchange a few volleys, and then collide. They both start to plummet to the ground. I flew up and attacked the first mercenary in line, a huge obsidiman. After a rather ineffectual hit, I realized the futility of facing such a superior foe, and went around him to face his companions. I cast icy surface on the ground, and grabbed Aardelia, hoping she could slide along the ground behind me, and we could thus escape. But a human in blood pebble armor grabbed onto her as well. I was hit severly from behind, but then felt a healing touch from an unknown source, although I would guess that it was Aardelia. After a few off-balance swings to try to get him to let go, he formed a sphere of translucent light around himself. Sanjuro came crashing into the battle then, and then the drakes joined in. Eventually, it was down to the blood pebble guy, and us. The sphere would turn red after one of us hit him, and then discharge on one of us to devastating effect. He then started to fade, and as he disappeared there was a huge flash and everything went dark.

I am certain that I was closer to death than ever before, but amazingly enough it was friend BLUE that called me back. Feeling much better, (I never knew he had such healing abilities) the others then told me that one of the drakes had been killed. I took out my last chance salve, and gave it to Sanjuro to administer. It worked perfectly, and we are now taking stock of the situation and deciding how we are going to get back to Icewing. Aardelia apparently took the last charge from the red sphere, and was unconscious. No one else went unconscious, and somehow Blue and Sonorious survived the airship crash.

After removing any valuables from the bodies of the fallen, we took stock of the situation. Both remaining airships had been decimated, and we were faced with a long walk back to Throal, long enough to make us miss the coronation and the flight to the Triumph. Briana then noticed a ship in the distance, a Throalic ship, RALEEM’S ship. Thanking the resourcefulness of windlings, we all climbed aboard and set out for Throal, after making a stop at Icewing’s. A quick calculation made us realize that we would miss the coronation anyway. Blue used a spell from the grimoire to help me heal faster, and I must say it was a great improvement over how I felt before.

8 Borrum 63/3
At around 7AM this morning, we arrived at Icewing’s back door. A young dwarf was at a desk there, and he went in to announce us. He came back a bit singed, but sent us in to see Icewing. Raleem came with us to see him, and we delivered Aardelia to him, and he then made us promise to never tell anyone of her existence, or of his involvement in this whole thing (I would like to note here that if you are reading these journals, you are not to tell anyone about these last few parts dealing with Aardelia and Icewing). We can say, however, that we performed a favor for a great dragon without going into specifics. Blue asked him then about Hithloday’s condition, and if there was anything we could do to help him. Icewing advised that he summon a certain spirit that could help him learn what to do. He then gave us a parchment to deliver to Neden, and agrees to our request that he open a portal to Throal for us to return in time for the coronation, like the one he opened to get Blue here. Raleem decided to accompany us, since her rental had expired. After some incantations, a doorway opened up into darkness, and we entered, but I’m not sure exactly when we got to Hithloday’s, because it was completely dark. Blue led us out of the laboratory, and into normal darkness, which I dispelled with a light quartz.

Realizing that we would have to hurry to make it to the coronation on time, I decided to fly ahead to deliver the message to Neden. It was about 9:30 in the morning at this point. Flying as fast as I could, I made it to the Royal Chambers with little time to spare, and ended up delivering the message to Wishten. He opened the letter, and it was mostly congratulatory for the king, with a statement in the middle requesting that they don’t attack the Triumph. He agrees to tell the king about it, and leads me to the hall, where he seats me on stage! There are chairs for all of us there, and I sat next to some tailor who was not very friendly.

The next few hours were taken up by speakers puffed up by their own importance at speaking, and then Wishten said a few words and then introduced the king. He is led up by representatives of the passions, who each says a few words, and then more people spoke. I was lucky enough to be so small, allowing me to lie down on the chair, but I feel sorry for all the other people who had to sit or stand through the entire process. Finally, Neden spoke, and announced their attack on the Triumph! I was at first startled that he didn’t seem to consider Icewing’s opinion important, but then had the thought that what if it was Wishten responsible for the deaths, and he never told Neden about the letter?

The ceremony ended soon after, and Raleem flew up to the stage. Apparently the others were all towards the back of the room, not realizing there were seats for them up front. We all find each other finally, and head back to our apartments. There is no note at mine, so I went to Briana’s to meet with everyone again. Sanjuro had a note from Alarian that the notes that Ratheem had are blank now, magically erased. The windling that had been working for him, Rigban Mentigalish, had been found dissected in his quarters. I knew Rigban, he was from my village and 2 years younger than me. He had left before me, and last I had heard was doing well in Throal as a messenger. I dread having to return to Greeble with this news.... They had learned that the imposter had been taking another form of late, that of Denjada! Remembering my suspicion of Wishten earlier, I decided that I had to go talk to Neden. Arriving at the Royal Chambers, I was blocked by the doors entering the hall, and guards standing outside of it. Realizing that they would probably not grant entrance to me, I waited near the ceiling (they are tall doors!) until they opened them again. A few minutes passed, and Agimar the Admirable arrived. They opened the doors for him, and I slipped inside. Not sure if there were wards on the doors or anything, I waited to see what Agimar did, but he apparently noticed me because I was suddenly trapped in a bubble. After telling him about the letter from the dragon, and how I had important news for Neden, he agreed to let me talk to him.

He brought me deeper into the Royal Chambers, and then left me in a foyer while he went to get the king. Unfortunately, he also brought back Wishten, Osgo (Neden’s friend), and several commanders. I asked to talk to Neden alone, but Wishten and Osgo accompany him. Resigning myself to whatever fate they decided on, I told them all I knew about the imposter, her forms, and the conspiracy on the king, leaving out names of the innocent. They then sent for Jerol, the honorable thief, and I was forced to repeat the story several times. I also told them about how the imposter was now Denjada. The king demands that I bring solid proof by noon the next day, or the attack will commence. Taking my leave of the king, I decided to check out Rigban’s place at the address Alarian provided. After getting directed to an alleyway, I found his home set up in the wall. It was as bad as she had said, and with great difficulty I placed all that I could find of him into a box, and put the box in my pouch for later burial. A windling’s final resting place should not be underground.

9 Borrum 63/4
It was about 4 AM by the time I got back to Briana’s. Blue reveals that he learned that Hithloday cast a spell to hold the dragon’s spirit, and as a side effect of the spell his soul got trapped in astral space. The mystery box of dark wood has been opened, and it contained letters warning of the dangers of the ritual. The council is looking into the situation, and the one who helped Blue was called Phoman.

Briana talked to some elven friends and contacts in Throal, and learned that this impending conflict with Thera has made Throal underman Kaer Eidelon, and it has been completely encircled. They predict the siege will last no more than 2 months unless some help is sent soon. Sanjuro found out that Denjada is a real person, a famous healer of the city of Travar to the south. She had been brought here several months ago as a personal healer to the king. The temple hasn’t seen her in a month, and the head of Garlen said she had decided to go back to Travar. Months ago, when we first met her, Denjada had told us the Corinthian had been champion of Travar a long time ago. There seem to be three options regarding her. Either the real Denjada had been killed and replaced, or is being imitated like Jaril was, or is actually an evil person. We need to find out more, but this is not the solid proof we need to convince the king. We need more time!

Sonorious then told us that the Triumph is securing its position. It is no longer able to fly, and has been using the true elements around it to fortify its walls and form a shield around it. This attack will be even harder than the king thought! We must convince him to call it off.

Sanjuro then came up with an interesting point. When we were on the Triumph, they asked about Feran Denarastas, and a ring he supposedly had that he was supposed to deliver to them. We never saw a ring, but Sanjuro wondered if it could possibly had been the king’s signet ring. Who would benefit most from a Theran/Throal conflict, if not the Iopans? With Throal distracted, they could take Kaer Eidilon, and continue their conquest. Both armies would be weakened, and Iopos would be able to walk through. But once again, we dont have the time to explore this further!

At this point, someone realized that there was someone scratching at the door, apparently trying to pick the lock. Sanjuro went over, swung the door open, and threw the would-be thief on the bed. It was a small elf, named Dowling, and he had a message for us from Alarian, and a pouch for me. He sure left in a hurry after delivering the package, no doubt due to Blue’s influence. The note said she was trailing Denjada, and the pouch was Rigban’s notes, contained on some screws and a wingnut, that played back the person’s voice when you spun it on a given screw. Along with it were instructions for recording on the two blank screws in the pouch with the ones covered in runes.

Listening to a few of Rigban’s notes, I was able to find one with Alarian summarizing what he had learned. Fake Jaril would frequently go to a bathhouse of Garlen, and not come out. After a few times, he realized that some people came out without going in first. The most common was Denjada. He then noticed others that would come in and not come out. Lately he hadn’t seen any of them. Sanjuro mentioned to us all that Maxwell once scanned Denjada, and could see the patterns of everything around her, but not her pattern. We have our scumbag. Blue told us then about a possible way to get Hithloday back. If we could get someone else to sacrifice themself, and allow their spirit to be sent to the astral plane to replace Hithloday’s, we could bring him back. Or rather, Phoman said he could do it. Sanjuro suggested that we ask Wishten for a criminal to use for it. We all decide to prepare for the coming battle, and meet again later.

We all met back at Blue’s, and he told us that the ritual for Hithloday will be at least 7 days away. He has to work on some things, so Briana and I head for the bazaar. Not long after we left, Sanjuro caught up to us babbling something about Blue being possessed. I went back with him, only to find Blue drinking a cup of tea. I don’t know what possessed him, but at least it is civil! Deciding we need to be on the airship with the king like we promised, we set out for Bartertown. We arrived in time, and boarded "The Justice". Just as we took off, I noticed a group of Blood elves and t’skrang entering Bartertown. I rushed up to tell the king, and he sent another ship to get them and see what they wanted. I went onto the other ship, and had mixed feelings about seeing Jaril and Takeris among the visitors. My anxiety was confirmed when they told us that Aidelon had fallen. We proceeded with haste back to the king’s ship, and I was allowed into their private meeting with the king and his advisors.

I used one of the screws to record the conversation, so it is all well documented. The kaer fell in 3 days, due to the use of some powerful magics that froze all of the defender’s ships in ice and made the walls crumble at the attacker’s touch. The group that arrived at Bartertown are the sole escapees as far as they know, although some blood elves may have escaped into the blood wood. They lost their airship on the way here, and rode their horses into the ground in their haste. Many were lost. The river is now frozen on the surface, allowing the Iopan ground forces to cross at will. Many riverboats were captured.

Other news they brought concerned Parlainth. Several blood elf fugitives from it reported that it had been overthrown, that Haven had been assaulted by cadavermen, false men, and THERANS! They surrounded it so no one would escape, and nearly succeeded. We will have to worry about it another time, however, since there are more pressing matters at hand.

I still tried to press the case that we should go free the kaer, that the Iopans were a bigger threat than the Therans, who wouldn’t attack until attacked if Sonorious were to be believed. I didn’t mention his name of course. The king, in the end, decides to continue on to the Triumph. Frustrated by his stubbornness to protect his political position at the cost of his troops, I challenged him again about his decision, and he got very angry, slamming his sword into the table. He said that any under his command would follow him in the assault, and then he reminded me of my badge, and then saying that I was still a free soul and could decide how I would. It was obvious that he was trying to use my appointment as leverage, so I surrendered it to him and left. I rejoined the others on deck and related the events to them. Sanjuro pointed out that even if we disagreed with his decision, we were looked up to and a source of inspiration. If we left, we would remove some of their fighting spirit and make things worse. Reluctantly, I saw that he was right, and we all agreed to stay, at least till the battle started. If it went poorly, then it was our job to get the important people out of there. Thus resolved, we await battle.

12 Borrum 64/2
This afternoon, we came upon the Throal ground forces engaged in a skirmish with a smaller Theran force. The Therans retreated to the cover of some forest to take away the advantage of numbers, and both sides suffered roughly even losses. A Theran Vedette approached us then, waving the white flag. As it got closer, I was stunned to see Challadin clinging to the deck, waving at us. He called out "Ah, greetings from your old friend Challadin." As it pulled closer, we could see that its crew was nervous, and understandably so since it was in the middle of a Throalish fleet. He asked us to come aboard, and then collapsed to the deck, a dagger in his chest. Realizing the importance of him staying alive, I quickly flew over and inspected the wound. The dagger had been poisoned, and he was at death’s door. Using my antipoison potion, and last chance salve, I got him stabilized. Sanjuro joined me, as did Briana, and a group came up from belowdecks of the Vedette. They carried a man bound in chains, who cried out in glee when he saw the stricken Challadin. Sanjuro informed me that Drazen had thrown the dagger, claiming that Challadin had drawn a knife. This is preposterous since he was on a ship outnumbered 20 to 1, and why would Drazen have a poisoned dagger at the ready? We were not expecting close combat.... The Justice then began to fire upon the Theran ship, and it turned and fled, with us on board.

Two more healing potions were still not enough to revive Challadin, but we learned from the captain, a female ork named Alchiton, that the prisoner is a member of the "Holders of Trust", the Iopan spy organization. Challadin had brought him on board, and taken over the ship to reach the king. It must be important information indeed to take such a risk, no doubt evidence of Iopan plotting to kill the king and cause all this other trouble, as Sanjuro had been saying for some time. The spy attempts to attack Challadin again, but Briana and Sanjuro quickly subdue him, made easier by his torture-weakened state. The captain agrees to set down and let us go, and allows us to take the prisoner and Challadin with us after I take a blood oath to return him to them. We set down half an hour from the battle, and are trying to decide how best to get back to the fleet, when Jaril’s airship arrives. She assures us that Challadin will recover from the poison, which is Iopan, and we head back to the fleet. She has learned that the imposter is one Jada DENARASTIS, surprise surprise. Hopefully we now have the evidence we need to head off this war.

Garnel's Introduction

Garnel's Adventuring Journal Part I

Garnel's Adventuring Journal Part III

Garnel's Adventuring Journal Part IV