The Lost Journals of Gort
by Gort
as compiled by Karagian, Elder of the Dragon's Neck Liferock and submitted to the Great Library of Throal by Caarad Surestrider, Troubadour and Scholar
Early into the next morning, the group arrived at the village of Gevin. After getting by a sleepy guard, they entered the town. The Vainglorious was docked, so their first stop was the shipyard. At the entrance to the docks, they were stopped by the Dock Master. When the party identified itself, the Dock Master handed them a pair of letters left for them. The first not was from their unknown nemesis, promising another present. The second was from Killian! Overjoyed to discover their comrade was alive and well, their good mood was quickly tempered by the foreboding message.
As Gort described the contents of the notes, their attention was drawn to a great deal of commotion on the docks. They saw a military official organizing some sort of search. When they went to inquire about the problem, they found themselves under the Guardsman's scrutiny. The problem was a murder, and the identity of the victim was a cabin boy on the Vainglorious. It was obvious that this was the present meant for them. The group told the Captain of the Guard (the title he gave them) everything they knew about the situation After allaying the Captain of any suspecions, they were surprised to discover that the prime suspect was not a white-haired ork, but a yellow t'skrang with blue stripes. A discussion with Tarqyn, female t'skrang captain of the Vainglorious, confirmed this disturbing twist. So did the revelation that an "I" was etched on the boy's back.
At that point, the group was interrupted by an ork swordmaster and his windling scout companion. The swordmaster, in very elegant style, introduced himself as Rokk Krinn and his associate as Garnel. As they discussed the situation, Krinn revealed that he and Garnel had been commissioned by Throal to bring back Darvis Trollsbane on charges of sedition. To that end, they were headed toward Iopos to find him. Killian's message told of an Iopan conspiracy to destabilize the region as well. The party, having decided that "I" stood for Iopos, invited the pair to travel north with them. They accepted. Before they left, Tarqyn informed them that they had two weeks to return in order to gain passage. In an attempt to catch Killian and head off dangers to the region, they went north that day.
Day VIII, 2nd Day of Gahmil, 1508
During their travels north, the two groups intertwined and shared stories. After a tense, overwhelming week, the ebullant ork and mischievous windling were a welcome relief. Halfway through the day, the reached Camil. After spending some time briefing the elder on what they knew, they decided to spend the night there. Throughout the night, they discussed options only to find themselves coming back to their decision to go to Iopos. Since the pathes of the Bryhn group and Throal contingent were similar, they decided as a whole to go north after Trollsbane.
Day IX, 3rd Day of Gahmil, 1508
Early the next day, they rode north. In the late morning, they arrived back at Forriam. Garnel and Krinn were aghast at what they saw. The others were even more disturbed by the increased number of slash marks in the granite (87). After some consideration, they decided to stack all the bodies in the corral, behead them and burn them in an attempt to hopefully free the people's souls. As they were stacking the bodies, Gort discovered a beheaded corpse, and some footprints that signified Killian. He interpreted this as Killian being ahead although, in fact, he was behind.
Using one of her flare spells, Akasha lit the morbid funeral pyre. While the others watched to make sure the fire didn't spread, Rokk etched in their names and the tale of what they did on either entrance to the town. After a while, they made to leave. Before they could cross the bridge, they saw a large cloud of dust coming toward them. The group moved back into the town, closed the gate and took up a strategic position. As the riders drew closer, the party saw that they were robed in black.
Gort, remembering the cultist dwarf they had encountered before, realized that they were in trouble. Sure enough, the twenty riders drew up on the other side of the bridge. One of the riders came forth, and inquired why the group was defiling the town of their master. After some exchanging of threats and vagueries, the party was given ten minutes to make up their minds. They decided to make a run for it. The party ran around the town, setting fire to all the buildings. Then, they flew out of the gates and crashed through a line of cultists. Half of the cultists went into the town, while the other half pursued the group.
The pursuit was swift and fierce. The Ristular caught up with Gort first, both because of his size and because he was riding in the Death Cart. However, Thysidonius favored the outnumbered on this day. With every swing of Gort's polearm, a Ristular was knocked to the ground. Other cultists pushed furiously onward. Chamberlain's Displace Image distracted the cult long enough for the group to achieve critical actions. Rokk showed flair and dramatics as he jumped from the back of Akasha's horse to a cultist's. Knocking the Ristular off with a single blow, Rokk turned the horse around and engaged the enemy. Together, the rain of blows from Krinn and unleashed elements of Akasha began to turn the tide. Further back, Garnel used his sleep darts with deadily accuracy. Weaving between arrows and sword swings, he helped even the odds.
The turning point came when three cultists jumped onto the Death Cart. Gort deftly dispatched two of them but, while fighting the third, was pushed back. The cart, with its two occupants, was sent crashing into to ground. The horses, free of their burden and terrified, bolted away. Still locked in combat, Gort and the Ristular faced off. As they prepared to cross blades, four horseman charged toward the obsidiman. With a one strike, Gort killed the cultist. Then, Chamberlain arrived and dismounted. Gort set for charge and, combined with Chamberlain's magics, threw all four riders. Back to back, the two companions fought desperately and bravely. When they finished, an eerie silence blanketed everything, disturbed only by the slight rustling of the wind through the tall grass.
The battle had been desperate, bloody and spread out over a mile. Bodies lay strewn throughout. A few of the survivors rose and made their way to the west. Krinn, Akasha and Garnel rode in pursuit, still in the throes of combat fury and oblivious to the setting sun. Gort and Chamberlain found the cart horses in the distance. Although they reattached the pieces of the cart, it was not fit for riding in. Wanting to put some distance between themselves and the Ristular, they began to make their way north. They were soon joined by Akasha and the Throal contingent, who had wisely given up pursuit before night fell.
Around three hours before dawn, they arrived at the walls of Basta, the unfriendly village between Mirik and Forriam. Given the hour, they were especially unfriendly. Despite some pleading, the group was forced to camp outside the walls. After a restless sleep, they began to make their way north again. By early evening, they reached Mirik. After a parley with the guardians of the town, Gort and Chamberlain were allowed to enter in order to have the Death Cart fixed. After bartering some of the small bounty they gathered from the Ristular, a sum was agreed on. Like Basta, though, the group was forced to sleep outside the gates.
Day XI, 5th Day of Gahmil, 1508
The next afternoon, the Death Cart was even stronger than before. With a renewed vigor, they made for Bryhn.
Day XII, 6th Day of Gahmil, 1508
At the far edge of the pass, the group was surprised that no sentries were left in the event that the group would return. Still, they pushed toward Bryhn.
Day XIII, 7th Day of Gahmil, 1508
Before reaching Bryhn, the sight of large plumes of smoke in the distance drew them. A number of villages lay burnt and stories of slavers led by an Iopan ork confirmed Killian's message. Before heading in pursuit, the group decided to get the full story in Bryhn.
Day XIV, 8th Day of Gahmil, 1508
Needless to say, the elders of Bryhn were not happy with the group. First, they had returned before going to Throal. Second, Gort's message of Iopan conspiracy and war put the entire town into an uproar. Still, the group stressed the importance of their return. Backed up by the words of Rokk and Garnel, the elders eased up and began to listen with more earnestness. The arrival of Malin, battered with dust covering cuts, scrapes and his entire body, brought the situation to a critical point. His news was grave. Trollsbane was burning entire villages and enslaving many of the population. Many villages were on the verge of readopting pre-Scourge tactics of trading people for their protection. Aghast at such a prospect, the group was immediately charged with stopping Trollsbane.
That night, Gort and Chamberlain visited Dag. Since arriving a few days ago, he had already engaged in a number of skermishes with Iopan soldiers. When asked to rejoin, Dag again reiterated his resolve to stay and protect his home town. After exchanging words of luck and friendship, they parted ways.
Few things in the world disturb Midnight Blue. However, what Blue saw when he awoke shook his very being. Facing him not inches from his face was an eyeless human boy, its face frozen in an unnatural grin. Yet again, carved in front was another letter. This time, it was the letter "R". Carved in eleven on the boy's back was a message, "I'll be seeing you soon."
The news put a damper on the start of the journey. However, that damper was lifted by the arrival an old friend, Killian the Red. In spite of the early hour, Killian insisted on a toast to renewed acquintances. After imparting his tale over a stein of dwarven ale, Gort finally became curious and inquired about Killian's silent companion. With him was an ork, whom Killian introduced as Boy. Despite assurances from the dwarf, Akasha, Garnel and Rokk remained quite skeptical about Boy's "apprenticeship". Akasha, having been enslaved, and Rokk, being an ork, objected quite strongly to both Killian and Boy's status. The rough-edged dwarf was not about to have his honor questioned and only intervention by Gort and Blue headed off a confrontation. Sadly, first impressions had been made and none of them were good. The mood became less tense as Killian described his trip and the events during it. By the end of the first day, everything was cordial but there was tension beneath the surface.
Day XVI, 10th Day of Gahmil, 1508
The entire day was spent uncovering razed village after razed village. Reports from the poor stragglers who had been left behind were the same. Darvis Trollsbane was leading the marauders, taking slaves and any valuables. One new bit of information was that accompanying him was a man with a sunburst tatoo on the area around his left eye, a Theran tatoo. After examing the debris and the hoof prints, Garnel and Rokk decided that Trollsbane was about two days ahead of them.
Day XVII, 11th Day of Gahmil, 1508
The group reached a town completely decimated. Everything was destroyed and everyone was dead. The level of depravity and viciousness seen in the massacre gave the indication that the Trollsbane's group was no longer out for slaves. They were out to incite war. Worried that distance was not closing fast enough, the group pressed on.
Day XVIII, 12th Day of Gahmil, 1508
Early the next afternoon, the group reached the outskirts of a small village. Farmers in the field cheered their arrival and ran to the town. Soon, a welcoming party came out to greet them. After the treatment they had gotten in Basta and Mirik, the group was immediately on their guard. The welcoming party was led by the village mayor, who announced their arrival to the village of Rilon. The adepts were welcomed with fanfare and cheers into the town, and led to a tavern. In the tavern, they were fed a fine meal. At this point, looks were passed around, each glance the same. The group as a whole was experiencing the sensation of being fattened up for the kill. In the midst of being fed and pampered, Midnight Blue was presented with a bottle of elvish wine which predated the Scourge.
At the offering of such a gift, Gort and Rokk finally confronted the mayor about the treatment. As suspected, something was expected of the group. According to the mayor's tale, a Horror or some creature was terrorizing the local area. As a group of brave adepts, the town naturally assumed that they would be up to the task of dispatching it. Now, while this would normally be true, the group was worried about closing the gap with Trollsbane and also a bit upset about the rather sneaky way they were roped into this situation. Still, they were in the situation and in the end, they agreed to investigate.
Akasha left the group to go commune with the elemental spirits of the area in attempt to gleen some information on what their opponent was. The group, meanwhile, was scouting the surrounding area when they heard a scream come from a grove of trees a slight distance. Rushing there as quickly as possible, they found a disturbing sight. In the center of the clearing was a man half-wrapped in some sort of cocoon. The part of him that was exposed was horribly gnawed. One of the farmers from the village was unconscious on the ground, as was Akasha. Approaching her was a jehuthra. In fact, three jehuthras attacked but were beaten back in a solid effort by the group. The villager was revived and the corpse was unearthed. On the corpse was a strange amulet which Blue took.
Back in Rilon, the mayor said that the dead man had recently passed through on his way to Tureem, where he said a wizard had examined his amulet. Deciding that perhaps the dead body was once a person of some importance, Gort took it upon himself to load the corpse into the Death Cart in case the wizard wondered what happened. Early evening scouting reports by Garnel and Rokk established that Trollsbane's group was headed in roughly the same direction. Tired from their encounter, and wanting to give Akasha proper time to recover, the group settled in for the evening.
The next day, the adepts set out on the trail of Trollsbane. The lone note of interest was the discovery that Trollsbane's party had split into two groups. One branched off toward the northwest, and the other branched north, which Akasha speculated would skirt the western border of the Blood Wood. The northern group was in the direction of Tureem, so the party decided to follow that trail.
Day XX, Fourteenth Day of Gahmil, 1508
Early the next morning, the group arrived in the village of Tureem. The town turned out to be one of the larger settlements in the northwest that any from the region could recall. It didn't take much questioning to discover who the wizard was and where he was located. It seems that Tarquin, the wizard in question, was one of the more powerful local wizards. The name jarred a distant memory in Akasha's thoughts, and she mentioned having heard the name before.
Tarquin's shop was above a weaponsmith's store, run by an imposing female troll. However, the initial gruffiness of the troll was removed when she was able to have a solid conversation with Killian and Rokk concerning the nature of pole arms and their attributes. In the end, Rokk decided to purchase a lance custom-built to his preferences. In fact, when they announced their reason for being there, the troll gave everyone a discount to shop there.
Meanwhile, Gort and Blue were upstairs discussing matters with Tarquin. A human wizard, Tarquin fit the stereotype too well. He had a long, white beard and flowing robes with a pointed hat sitting off in a corner. Gort carried in the dead body and dropped it on the wizard's worktable, much to Tarquin's consternation. After glancing at the body, Tarquin calmly asked about the amulet. Although Gort and Blue feigned ignorance, the wizard easily saw through their trickery with a simple use of his astral sense. Chuckling in amusement, Tarquin offered them a deal. If they were to deliver a certain package to Takeris, a Blood Warder of Elven Queen Alachia, the wizard would uncover the secrets of the amulet for the party. After discussing the situation, the group decided that perhaps this would be an opportunity to recruit the Blood Elves to their cause since blood elves were seen among the slavers as victims and as perpetrators. However, there was dissent from Killian, who favored pursuing a direct course for Trollsbane. Rokk and Akasha took this as a sign that Killian was afraid how the appearance of Boy would look to the Theran-hating blood elves, while the others knew that Killian's insistence stemmed from his hatred of Trollsbane. In the end, Gort got Killian to acquiesce although the dwarf obviously still disagreed. Set on a course of action, they bedded down for the night.
Day XXI, Fifteenth Day of Gahmil, 1508
Early that day, Tarquin met with them at the stables. He presented Akasha with a symbol engraved with the wizard's standard. According to Tarquin, the symbol would grant them passage into the Blood Wood. The group spent the rest of the day travelling. The ride was mostly quiet due to tension left over from the previous night's debate.
Day XXII, Sixteenth Day of Gahmil, 1508
Mid-morning saw them reach the edge of the Blood Wood. Words could not easily describe the feelings of awe, terror and magnificence all distinct yet present at the same time. The forest seemed to beckon them inward like a hunter's trap lures game. With trepidation, they entered. By midday, they had not encountered anyone but all of them had the same feeling of being watched every step of the way. When the sun began its descent, the adepts pushed hard, not wanting to camp out away from civilization. In the end, though, they were forced to.
Day XXIII, Seventeenth Day of Gahmil, 1508
During Akasha's watch that night, the group was surrounded by a group of blood elves. Akasha quickly showed the symbol and announced their intentions. The blood elves retained their icy demeanor but acknowledged that the group would not be harmed if they stayed in line. Obviously, they meant quite literally as all the adepts, except for Blue and Akasha, were blindfolded and marched the rest of the day.
Day XXIV, Eighteenth Day of Gahmil, 1508
Every member was at a loss for words that neither this journal or the journal kept for Garnel will help solve. Just as the Blood Wood itself projected emotions, how can words be used to describe something whose very meaning lies in its appearance and grandeur? Perhaps a troubadour could but even then it would probably not capture the spectacle that is the Elven Court.
Gort, perplexed at how they reached so far into the Blood Wood in such a short amount of time, asked Akasha how they had achieved such a feat. The elementalist said that she and Blue had been sworn to secrecy. The adepts were brought up into a large tree, and then ushered into a room where the very walls were carved with fantastic images. Akasha, very worried about the ill effects that the others sometimes have on strangers, demanded and received permission to be the sole spokesperson. Since she grew up south of the Blood Wood and because no one wanted to cross their hosts, no one disputed her claim.
After about an hour, a blood elf of obviously high station entered the room. The elf was dressed in regal garb, so magnificent that not even the Throalic tandem of Rokk or Garnel had seen its equal. The elf spoke in dwarven and introduced himself as Takeris, Blood Warder to Queen Alachia. It seems that Takeris and Tarquin had enjoyed a long correspondence but that as of late, a number of their go-betweens have disappeared. After discussing the quest of the adepts, Takeris admitted that news of blood elf involvement had just reached his ears as well. What truly disturbed Takeris is that the Trollsbane's group had taken slaves from the Blood Wood. According to the Warder's sources, Trollsbane evaded all attempts at capture using information he should not have had. Somewhere in Trollsbane's group was a double-agent. Once again, the group found themselves having to perform a task in order to get something. Takeris' deal was this - in exchange for the return package to Tarquin, the group had to spy on Trollsbane's group and uncover the traitor.
Although the group agreed, there was dissent privately once Takeris took his leave. Again, it came mainly from Killian. The dwarf was very insistent that the group not just investigate and leave once they found Trollsbane. The Bryhn adepts understood how and why Killian reacted so violently to Trollsbane's treachery. The dwarf's sense of honor and loyalty were great, and his wrath when those ideals were betrayed was equally as fierce. As he evidenced by his actions in the mountain pass, he was willing to die in his pursuit of vengeance.
This time, though, the argument did not reach a critical point. A silence enveloped the room with the crushing realization of what was coming. Gort, Chamberlain and Blue hung their heads in sadness and disappointment, Akasha remained impassive, Garnel upset with the whole situation and Krinn's face barely masked an obvious satisfaction. Killian, determined and defiant, announced that he and Boy had to go their own way. The adepts of Bryhn had lost one more of their number.
Arrangements were made with Takeris regarding Killian. The dwarf and his ork apprentice would join a border patrol of elves and at the end, would be granted passage out of the Blood Wood. After exchanging warm farewells with his friends, even a tender goodbye from Blue, Killian the Red left the Bryhn adepts. Soon after Killian, Boy and the elven patrol had left, the group set off in search of Trollsbane.
Something that both Gort and Rokk noticed was that both the elves in Killian's patrol and the scouts who were escorting the group bore only the standard of Takeris. No other elven house standards were to be found. Wondering just how far up this treason might go, the group began to wonder exactly who the real players in this situation were. Using innumerable shortcuts and hidden trails shown to them by scouts, the adepts emerged the forest in position to catch Trollsbane's group by the end of the day.
Day XXVI, Twentieth day of Gahmil, 1508
Closing the distance with Trollsbane took longer than planned because the adepts did not want to give away the knowledge that they were so close. Still, early the next morning, the group was tailing them just out of visual range, using Garnel's talents and abilities as a scout and a windling to keep up. However, they were forced to close the distance when the marauders entered a misty forest, whose fog banks grew deeper and deeper. In the forest, there were a number of small skermishes as the group wandered through the fog into one group of stragglers after another. During one of the struggles, they lost Garnel in the fog and were unable to locate him.
By late-afternoon, the fog had lifted slightly, enough
to uncover the bizarre sight in front of them - a ruined
kaer, five stories tall. Part of the wall was missing,
although the fog did not allow any revelation of the
interior. What struck the magic-users immediately, and
then the fighters, were the two types of people in the
town. One group was the marauders, who moved quickly and
with a definite purpose. The other group were gaunt,
haggard people who shambled along as if stuck in the
middle of a tedious day. People would go to a location
and stop as if there was something there for them to do.
After a few minutes, they would turn around and go back
the way they came as if they had accomplished what they
had to do. Akasha and Blue came to the same conclusion -
the marauders were using this lost kaer as a hiding spot
and that this kaer was still under the influence of a
horror. The two daunting questions that tasked them was
a. how powerful was the horror and
b. what type of deal could the marauders have struck
with it?
While they were pondering this question, Chamberlain noticed a number of blood elves talking with Trollsbane. Each of the elves wore a noble crest. Akasha, having studied and lived near the blood elves her whole life, recognized it as the standard of Kalourin, one of Alachia's Blood Warders. Having gotten the information they needed, the group made to leave only to find themselves surrounded by Trollsbane's men. Quickly realizing that their position was untenable, the group surrendered. They were led over to Trollsbane and one of the blood elves.
The ork was overjoyed to have the group in his grasp, but not for long. Once more, Trollsbane attempted to taunt his opponents only to have Chamberlain and Gort outaunt and embarass him yet again. By the end of their initial volley, Trollsbane was in a state of rage. However, when the blood elf demanded that the group be killed, Trollsbane calmed down a little and spoke of plans already made. He taunted the group one last time by promising to bring war and chaos to this region. As Trollsbane and his marauders left, the group was escorted to the third floor by a squad of soldiers left as base guards. When they were locked away, the guards mockingly hinted at the fact that soon it would be meal time.
Once the door was shut, the group immediately set about freeing themselves. Looking out the window, they saw Trollsbane's men riding off into the forest. At that point, there was a knock on the door, followed by a small shout. Garnel had arrived! The resourceful scout snuck into the room and put the two guards by the door to sleep. Although the windling had unbolted the door, he did not have the strength to open. The 900-pound obsidiman quickly stepped in and gave a hand. Back together again, they decided the next course of action. Midnight Blue was anxious to try a spell he had learned - fog ghost. Laughing at the possibilities, they decided where best to place it. According to Garnel, most of the guards were lounging about the entrance of the kaer. Blue was able to see the entrance, and cast his spell.
Shouts of shock and terror immediately arose from below. For a few minutes, the group sat in quiet amusement as the spirit rampaged through the guards. The amusement disappeared when they noticed some fog moving in through a hole in the wall. At that point, Blue mentioned that the ghost constantly sought out the nearest living thing. Although he tried to calm the fears of the group, he was instructed to banish his unholy summoning. While the creature poured itself into the room, Blue desperately tried to remember how to unsummon the thing. Right at the point of conflict, the nethermancer remembered the words and dispelled the spirit.
Sure enough, all the guards had been killed horribly by the fog ghost. With a free run of the kaer, the group split up. Akasha, Rokk and Chamberlain decided to explore the top half while Gort, Garnel and Blue examined the bottom half. On the fourth floor, the first group found a room untainted by the Scourge. Flowers grew and pedals floated on the top of a running fountain. The centerpiece of the fountain and of the room was a statue representing Garlen. Akasha, whose discipline and upbringing were closely linked with the Passion, immediatedly walked in. No sooner had she crossed the threshold of the room than Akasha collapsed to the floor.
Rokk immediately went in to rescue, likewise being rendered unconscious. Finding himself without companions, Chamberlain took a more cautious approach. Tying his rope into a noose, he was able to drag them out of the room without any trouble. The last thing either of them remembered was walking into the room. More unique was that they both had the same sad dream about the loss of the kaer. Akasha tried twice more to enter the room, both times being unable to accomplish the feat. Finally, they elected to move on and delve into that mystery later.
Meanwhile, Gort's group discovered that the second floor contained nothing other than a partially caved-in room. The first floor was full of blacksmith's equipment, as well as a large kitchen. What appeared to be a number of pens and the like indicated that the base of the tower was probably the social center of the kaer.
Day XXVII, Twenty-first day of Gahmil, 1508
The mist had a luminescent, living glow to it which kept the surrounding area just visible enough to keep the group aware of the danger that was all around them. Likewise, it wasn't until much later that anyone realized that it was an entirely new day.
On the fifth floor, they found a room full of bones. While examining the room and bodies for any clues, a spirit in the form of a female warrior rose from one of the bodies. The spellcasters and swordmaster prepared for battle. The spirit made an odd request - a dance so that it would not attack. Both Chamberlain and Akasha realized that the spirit was a spectral dancer, a Name-Giver turned into a trapped spirit by a horror. The only way the creature could communicate and get set free was by a living Name-Giver to dance with it. Akasha noted that the dance itself does damage and that if the living being were to die during the dance, he too would become a spectral dancer.
However, Rokk had an odd intution that this spirit wanted to help. Taking the chance, he entered into a dance with it. The spirit identified herself as a warrior adept who had died protecting the last survivors of the kaer, which she called Akarim. The Horror in question was called Mist, and it lived in the catacombs of the dungeon. By this point, Rokk had already taken a good amount of damage but continued on. The warrior smiled at him and said that by turning her into this form, Mist had inadvertantly given her the key to its death. By studying its astral form from beyond, she had learned that its coporial form must be destroyed. Afterwards, the item the form was linked to must be presented to Garlen and a certain ceremony performed. Having imparted that knowledge, the spirit gave Rokk a gentle kiss on the cheek and with a parting smile, disappeared. Although badly hurt, Rokk could not help feeling good about freeing spirit. In true Rokk fashion, he carved the story onto the wood.
Meanwhile, in the aforementioned catacombs, Garnel was flying around while Blue and Gort investigated the shabby huts and strange people that existed outside the tower. The windling saw rows upon rows of wrapped corpses laid side by side. Curiosity getting the better of him, Garnel flew deeper into the dungeon. At one intersection, he was attacked by undead. Caught off guard by the unnatural attack, Garnel retreated to the surface.
On the surface, Gort and Blue were uncovering a bizarre tale. The people of the town were the remaining residents of Kaer Akarim. One of them, who seemed to be a former leader, told them that the population was in a state somewhere between living and dead. The horror was forcing them to act out mundane, everyday tasks as if they were still living. Even with a monotone voice, the plight of these people and their cry for help was clear to the obsidiman and the elf. As they finished their conversation, Garnel came flying up from the catacombs.
Upon hearing Garnel's tale of the undead, Gort told the windling to get the rest of the group. When the windling had flown off, the warrior and nethermancer looked at each other and smiled. Spells ready and weapons in hand, the two descended into the catacombs. Sure enough, they encountered the undead at the location Garnel described. The two adepts were hungry for combat, though, and the undead were quickly dispatched. As the last creature hit the floor, the rest of the group arrived.
After resting an hour to let Rokk recover from his encounter, they delved into the catacombs for a confrontation with the Horror Mist. In a room with a fountain, they found it. A hole in the room began billowing forth a dense smoke that formed into a shape of something half-man/half-beast. A pitched battle followed. Gort's strength and Rokk's finesse complimented each other and kept the creature off-guard. Akasha and Blue struck at it astrally while Chamberlain and Garnel used long-distance attacks to keep it harried. In the end, the fighters were bloodied as was the nethermancer, but Mist had vanished.
Akasha followed a thread into the wall where the smoke had come from. After a great deal of searching, Garnel discovered a secret passage that led to a room which contained a massive pile of bones, treasure and items interwoven. The thread led to a staff at the top of the pile. From what the spirit had said, Akasha speculated that this was the Staff of Akarim the Kaer Builder. Knowing that Mist was not truly banished as long as this link existed, the group made to the Garlen room with due haste. This time, a determined Rokk and Akasha made their way into the room. With Rokk holding the staff toward the statue, Akasha performed the ceremony. Mist's link to the staff severed, accompanied by a great rumbling. The kaer was falling apart, having been held together by the Horror's link to the staff. The adepts ran out and saw the people walking into the catacombs. The last person in was the leader of the town, who turned toward the group. With a smile of thanks, he turned back and descended into the catacombs as the tower collapsed around him.
With the exhilration of beating a horror and a newly forged determination, the group left in pursuit of Trollsbane. All around them, the forest revealed itself as the curse of Mist lifted around it. With a clear path ahead of them, they made good time back to the Blood Wood.
The Oft-Interrupted "Is It Really
Worth the Money?" Journey to Throal Pt. IX
The group pressed quicky toward the Blood Wood,
determined that Trollsbane and Kallorin be brought to
justice. Because of her closeness to Garlen and her
performing of the ceremony, the group decided that
Akasha should have the Staff of Akarim. The elf was
appreciative and she immediately wove to the first thread.
Day XXVIV, Twenty-third day of Gahmil, 1508
The group entered the Blood Wood without any
complications. However, Akasha fell victim to the
sleeping sickness, and had to be carried. Despite their
rest the night before, they were still exhausted from the
events of the previous days. Although physically
prepared, they were mentally exhausted. Because of that
exhaustion, they wandered into an ambush of thorn men.
Totally out of position, everyone took serious damage
early on. As Rokk, Garnel and Gort tried to rally the
spellcasters behind them, the fighters were beset on all
sides by the vicious creatures.
When the battle began, Chamberlain was currently
carrying Akasha. When the thorn men attacked, he was
forced to defend both himself and her. The vile creatures,
sensing this, swarmed over the illusionist. Fighting for
his friend, Chamberlain fought bravely. He threw himself
in front of blows aimed at the defenseless Akasha and in
the end, was unable to properly defend himself. As Gort
raced over, time slowed down. Unable to reach in time,
Gort watched as a blow to the head knocked his companion
to his knees. As the troll's eyes glazed over and he fell forward
onto the ground, the obsidiman knew that Chamberlain,
illusionist and friend, was dead. The warrior launched
into battle with a furious rage, knocking thorn men down
with a single blow. The battle was soon joined by a patrol
of blood elves bearing the standard of Takeris. After the
battle, the group carried their sad burden to the elven
court.
Day XXX, Twenty-fourth day of Gahmil, 1508
Takeris himself greeted them upon their entrance to the
elven court. What made everything worse about the
situation was the discovery that their knowledge was
useless. Kalourin had already fled and the thorn men were
just a vengeance device for the group. The adepts were
then escorted to the foot of a huge tower. Looking up,
they saw a shimmering figure of majesty and beauty on a
balcony looking down. The queen thanked them in a quiet
voice that somehow reached their ears despite the
distance. She then threw down a white rose that was
caught by Rokk. When the ork caught the rose, a thorn
pricked his hand and the rose turned red! According to
Takeris, the rose offered safe passage into the Blood Wood
for a year and a day. Concerning Chamberlain, Gort
proposed that certain possessions be removed, thinking
that his friend would want them used for good. However,
the others interpreted this as looting and vehemently
struck down the idea. There was a honorable burial for
Chamberlain and, on that sad note, the group retired for
the night.
Day XXXI, Twenty-fifth day of Gahmil, 1508
Windlings are, of course, infamous for their love of
practical jokes and their dislike of unhappy situations.
Garnel, who had ignored the former and indulged the latter
for far too long, decided to remedy the situation.
Fascinated by the transformation of the rose and the
pricking of Rokk's skin, Garnel decided to create the
first Blood Ork. Carving sticks into tiny, sharp pieces,
he used sap to glue his makeshift thorns all along Rokk's
body.
When the ork woke up the next morning, he was soon
startled by the sharp pains in his hand when he went to
rub his face. Already paranoid about the effects of the
rose, he grabbed a hand-mirror and looked at his
reflection. Upon seeing his thorny face, he let out a
yell of terror. Upon opening the door, he found himself
facing two blood elves and Garnel who were laughing
uncontrollably. Perplexed and angered that they were not
helping him, he brushed at some of the thorns on his arm.
As they fell off, Rokk finally noticed that the thorns
were wood and that sap was holding them in place.
In cold anger, he looked at Garnel. The windling's
face gave away that he was the culprit. The ork snapped
and entered gahad. He charged the windling and swung at
him with his mirror. Garnel evaded the swings and flew
down the hall. One of the guards had enough control to
cast a wall of vines seperating the ork and the
windling. When Rokk saw that he was caught, he threw the
mirror at Garnel. The mirror connected and Garnel fell to
the ground. The enraged ork stomped through the vines,
without his full faculties, intent on killing the dazed
windling. Before Rokk could reach there, both he and
Garnel were overcome by a sleep spell. The caster,
Takeris, demanded an explanation from his guards. When he
was told, the Warder could not help but laugh along with
the guards.
Much later, after Rokk had been pacified by certain
potions and a talk from Takeris, the group prepared to
leave. Takeris presented them with a basket containing
the head of Darvis Trollsbane. He said that it had been
found by one of his patrols. The group wondered if
perhaps it was Killian's doing, but were perplexed how he
could have overcome the ork's defenses. Blind-folded
again, the scouts took them on whatever magical path
existed and brought them to the southern edge of the
forest.
During the last leg of their trip, Akasha awoke from
her sickness. She was dismayed to learn of Chamberlain's
death and embittered that the troll's demise came while
protecting her. She swore an oath to honor his name.
Upon reaching Tureem, Gort inquired if there was a
temple dedicated to Floranuus, Chamberlain's passion.
When told there was, Gort took his leave of the group and
went to pray alone for his friend. The rest of the party
made their way to Tarquin's shop. Inside the weapons
store, a fierce round of haggling was going on between the
owner and a rugged troll sky raider. While Rokk went to
collect his lance, Blue and Akasha went upstairs to
deliver Takeris' package to him.
Once upstairs, they found the wizard sitting quietly.
Although Akasha announced their presence, the wizard
remained silent. Blue moved closer and discovered that the
wizard was locked in some sort of trance. Before he could
inform Akasha, a side door swung open and out stepped
Kalourin and two human fighters. Kalourin introduced
himself and his companions, Tural and Alkor. Akasha let
out a scream of warning before being hit by a blow from
Tural.
Downstairs, the scream sent Rokk into action. The
ork dropped his lance, took the peace-bond off his sword
and bounded up the stairs. Garnel was carving part of the
Death Cart outside. As he flew thrugh on his way up, the
sky raider stopped him and asked what was going on.
Garnel indicated that his friends were in trouble, and
that he was going to help. The sky raider introduced
himself as Brutus, and offered his services. Shrugging
his shoulders, Garnel figured why not and beckoned the sky
raider upstairs.
When the two of them got there, the battle was in
full swing. Blue and Akasha were doing their best to
draw off the spells of Kalourin, who turned out to be a
high-level nethermancer. However, they were already
wounded by the two soldiers and did not have much left to
fight with. Rokk was engaging Kalourin's men with decent
success. Brutus came over and put a quick end to
Alkor, allowing Rokk to concentrate on Tural. Swordmaster
against swordmaster, Tural could do nothing to stop Rokk's
deadily accurate attacks. Before too long, Tural was on
the ground. Not content to just beat the swordmaster, Rokk
wanted to literally leave his mark. Rokk used his sword
to cut Tural's belt so that his trousers fell down when
the human stumbled up. Rokk then tried to carve his
initials on Tural's buttocks, but did not fare very
well. Instead of 'RK', it came out something like 'BL'.
While Rokk was trying to carve the K, Tural realized what
was happening and jumped out the window. Rokk raced over
and looked down. Tural lay curled up on the ground,
grasping his left leg in pain. The leg was not quite the
shape it should be. Content that Tural was not going
anywhere, Rokk turned back toward the combat.
The battle was going poorly for the party. Kalourin
had a strange amulet that began pulsing astrally. Akasha
and Garnel both recognized that pattern of the amulet but
before they could say anything, Mist rose out of it.
Shocked and surprised, the group was slow to react. The
Horror and the nethermancer redoubled their efforts, and
victory was up in the air. At that critical moment,
Kalourin's spell over Tarquin wore off and the wizard
snapped out of his trance. With Tarquin's help, the tide
was turned. In the end, Kalourin lay dead and Mist was
finally banished from this world.
When Gort arrived forty minutes later, he found the
group still upstairs discussing what had happened. In a
humorous vein, Rokk asked what Gort thought of the
crumpled form of Tural. When Gort indicated there was no
one outside other than a curious crowd, Rokk raced
downstairs. Tural had somehow disappeared. He searched
the town to no avail. The swordmaster was gone. Brutus,
having enjoyed the rousing combat, thanked the group for
a good time and took his leave of them. The adepts
offered him a chance to travel with them but Brutus
declined, citing a number of his own projects he had to
work on.
Here ends the lost journal of Gort, Obsidiman Warrior
of the Dragon's Neck Liferock. So submitted by Caarad
Surestrider, 16 Veltom, 1509
Day XXVIII, Twenty-second day of Gahmil, 1508
The Adventuring Journal of the Adepts of Bryhn
