Ill-prepared for the task at hand and with no clue of exactly what we were intended to accomplish, we entered the blood-reeking tunnels... We were soon assaulted by all sides by scary insectoid monstrosities, critters able to play the hit and hide game to almost perfection: the kruthiks.
As we proceeded further into the bowels of the earth, I pondered Sionas' words... what secret was he hiding from me? Could the caverns hide some powerful ley lines that would empower rituals conducted in the caverns? Was he summoning devils to his command, his red swollen eyes being a clue to his infernal interactions? Was it an area of wild magic, where no spell would work the same as usual? I decided to do some tests, out of the eyes of the spying guard that Sionas had sent to "protect" us... I started with silly cantrips and petty tricks but, soon, not seeing any effect to my spells, I decided Sionas had probably duped us, his demands not to use magic only some kind of twisted humour, and I decided to use any of the spells I had at my disposal.
And it was in due time, as in those caverns we almost found death at the claws and fangs of a Kruthik monstrosity, a gargantuan hive mother, surrounded by her horrific brood. The spy Sionas had sent with us died in that cavern, and we all could have perished, had we not used all our available resources in the difficult battle.
When, bloody and beaten, we exited the tunnels to tell Sionas of our success, the tricky wizard received us with anger and malice. He yelled at us, called us incompetents and told us that our use of magic had destroyed his experiments, a work of at least 30 years. He would not let the slaves free, even when we offered him more help to eradicate the Kruthik infestation and information on the wonders we had discovered during our travels.
We left Sionas' tower, intent on freeing the slaves using trickery, considering he would not free them otherwise. In the next days, the Halflings kept working in the tower, probably Sionas did not want to end abruptly his works at the tower, so that he would not angry them. We decided our best bet would be to make Sionas feel insecure by finding ways to make his position in Poisson uncomfortable.
So, while some in the group started spreading rumours that his treasure was false and running out, others tried to investigate further, but the only strange events were a couple of disappearances and some Halfling husbands cheating their wives: as days passed by it became clear that most Halflings, at least in Poisson, are cheaters by nature, and that their love of their Barrel of Ale god is lesser than their need to rip their visitors off. They overcharged us for everything: the food, the drinks, the rooms, the information they gave us...
We were desperate and clueless on how to proceed, when the slave that had helped us in the Kruthik lair, Leonardo, found us. He had been able to escape and had a plan: he would discredit the Wizard further and dupe the Mayor into calling Sionas for a meeting. With the wizard far away from the tower it would be easy enough to free the slaves. Tyrion then proposed using a cart to, disguised as merchants, enter the tower.
The plan seemed sound enough, so we gave it a try. Leonardo told the mayor that the wizard was running out of money, and convinced him to call for a meeting with Sionas.
In the morning, while the wizard rode to Poisson to meet the mayor, Tyrion, Leonardo and Vistra approached the tower disguised as merchants.
Unluckily for us, while approaching the tower, Leonardo was recognised by the guards at the entrance. It was not a big problem, as the guards were not in the mood for a fight, but Sionas had protected all doors magically and, unable to break them down easily, we aborted the attempt.
The plan had an unexpected effect, though, as Sionas grew paranoid. He decided that, as his works in the tower no longer had any sense, he would better leave before the Halflings realised that he was indeed running low on money. One day after a payday, and while the Halflings were paying attention to their Big Beer Barrel, Sionas packed his treasure and equipment and left the tower.
Part of the group had been monitoring the tower. When they saw the wizard leave, they waited some moments for him to get away, approached the tower and freed the slaves. The guards and Mandin decided to accompany us to Fort Eyrie, as they were now unemployed and would take Aygon's job offer.
Showing posts with label Sariel's Diary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sariel's Diary. Show all posts
Pressing Problem in Poisson
The Nerathian Temple
Those were terrible moments, huddled at the foot of the stairs that gave access to the Temple, spiders and hungry beetles blocking our way forward, the angry wyrmlings preventing a retreat.
With the booming thunder of the drakes' lightning shocks resonating in our ears, we used several flasks of oil to defend ourselves from the incoming beetle swarms and Adolfiel vented her fury on the critters, preventing them from becoming a serious menace.
Once we had rested some minutes, I had enough time to create a Tenser's Floating Disk and we carefully placed the body of our sister on top of it. As we still could hear the screeches of the dragons, we decided to explore the ruins. They seemed to be an ancient Nerathian temple, part of which had collapsed, probably due to an old landslide. The place was infested with insects, and several scary centipede-looking bugs attacked us appearing from tunnels they had burrowed through the walls and floor of the collapsing temple. We killed several before the rest decided to flee to their warrens.
In the temple we found an old altar with an indentation, some Nerathian tablets, a magical orb -which we placed in the middle of the altar, following the instructions of the tablets, but with no apparent results- and several other minor objects.
Scientific Notes
Today I have time to do some sketches - I am using a new book, as the original one I left at Ioun's chapel in Marshport to be copied there by a priestess-. Here you can see the horrible crocodiles that devoured poor Streisan and the centipede-looking creatures that attacked us in the temple. I have decided to name this new crocodile species Streisanorum Bocatae, in honor of my decesaed sister.
The Long Road to Poisson
The following day we left the ruins. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I could not avoid remembering when we three used to play near Leavendale's river and how I taunted Streisan and told her she could not run faster than her shadow and I could -of course using magic, but she was too young to know back then.
We followed the road, which at times could not even be called a path. Slowly, the ground became drier, and the swamp gave way to a beautiful forest where we found a nice tree to bury Streisan. We were preparing the digging tools when a screech alerted us to the presence of one of the blue wyrmlings that had attacked us the day before. I focused all my anger on the creature and she felt semiunconscious to the ground, where we quickly surrounded and almost killed it, but dragons, even young ones, are full of cunning and surprises, and this one survived our flurry of blows and, seeing itself in peril, decided to retreat to her lair to lick her wounds, even though Vistra, for a short time, was able to ground her again.
So we buried Streisan with her spear, and sent her body to the Circle, so that her soul can enter again the Wheel of Life, and with a final tear we said goodbye to her recklessness and to her playfulness, to her naivety and to her good and loving heart.
A few hours later we left the forest and reached a lonely hut, surrounded by a beautiful garden. We knocked the door and a halfling woman greeted us with good manners. She told us her husband was a lumberjack and that we could not stay at her place, as there was not enough place for a group of big adventurers, but we could sleep near her hut if we wanted. She invited us to tea and asked, as a favor, if we could repair the roof of her hut. While Adolfiel and I worked on the roof, Tyrion and Vistra shared a cup of tea with the halfling.
From time to time we heard flapping noises and saw big bats hiding in the shadows, but the woman assured us they were harmless. She also told us that Poisson was only half a day to the north, and that most of its inhabitants were working in the construction of the tower of some crazy wizard.
After the nice conversation, we made camp near the hut... We were awakened by some loud noises... the halfling woman was a horrible disfigured Hag! She had poisoned the tea, and even with the loud noise Tyrion was still snoring. Thankfully, Vistra's dwarven constitution allowed her to resist the effects of the poison and she had alerted us.
The battle was fierce. Every time any of us left the area illuminated by the campfire, she was attacked by the bats, so we tried to stay in the light, but there we heard the insidious thoughts the Hag tried to plant in our brains, and they provoked an agonising pain. It was a miracle that we survived, but we fought with all our resources and with a final push from Vistra, the Hag fell in the camp's fire, where she burnt like a dry husk, her horrible screams resounding in the darkness of the forest.
Pressing Problem in Poisson
After the attack of the Hag, the night passed uneventfully and we prepared for the final leg of our journey. After half a day of swift march, we started seeing some farms, all of them showed signs of being slightly unattended. We asked the occupants of a couple farms, and we learnt that they were inhabited by Halfling women, and that the men were "having fun" in Poisson, helping in the construction of a tower. All Halfling women wore expensive golden jewelry... it seemed the owner of the tower, someone they called Sionas, was a good employer.
We arrived at the main square of the village at dusk. The only inn of Poisson was surrounded by a multitude of tents, and several dozen Halflings were busy in and around the inn, spending their money in getting drunk as fast as their little mouths allowed them to.
The prices at the inn were outrageous and we couldn't even get a real bed, but we were tired of eating rations for three full days in a row, so we accepted the offer of the owner, a busy Halfling called Samner, and took our first nice warm dinner of the trip. I tried to earn some money for the group using my magical skills, but I was too tired to focus and I did not get much money out of the drunken Halfling builders.
We also asked for directions to Mandin's home, and everybody told us he lived at the construction site. We also learnt that the workers had been mainly digging what would become the cellars of Sionas' tower.
We were thinking about retreating to our tents, when a scared Halfling rushed into the inn calling for a cleric. The Halfling priest -probably these little creatures honour a Barrel of Ale above all- had prayed too much and seemed too tired after honouring the Barrel for what looked like hours, judging by his drunken stupor, so Vistra offered herself for help. The Halfling did not seem very convinced, but he had no other choice, so he finally told us that there had been a cave in at the construction site and Sionas needed help to rescue the workers. We all rushed to the Tower - a three mile trek-, following the Halfling, who was riding a pony, as fast as we could.
At the entrance to the tower we were met by Sionas. He was an extremely stern-looking eladrin. He told us that there had been a cave in while expanding the cellars of the tower and that he needed help with the wounded and with the removing of rubble. We followed him into what seemed like a constructed mine shaft, leaving behind some kind of elevator and descending into the depths following a long flight of stairs.
The end of the shaft had collapsed and we saw some people already working removing rubble. When we approached to help the workers, we were amazed when we got closer to them... They were some of the elves that had been taken prisoner in Leavendale! They seemed well-fed, but our surprise turned swiftly to anger when we heard their story...
Apparently, the captain of the ships that assaulted our village was a hobgoblin brute called Szakim, and he had sold the strongest elven prisoners to Sionas to work in the digging as slaves. They had not been tortured, but forcing an Elf to dig without seeing the sun and feeling the wind in the leaves of her forest can be considered a sort of torture. I confronted Mandin, who was the construction chief with the information, and he seemed to be ashamed of the events, but told us that removing the rubble and rescuing the wounded was of utmost importance now. Mandin also warned me not to use magic, as he feared that could have been the cause of the collapse.
While we worked helping our fellow Elven citizens, Sionas came from time to time to check the progress. He seemed genuinely concerned, so I tried to resist the urge of insulting him for his part in the enslavement of the Elves.
Soon, we started finding bodies. The first one we found was still alive, but his legs had been chewed off from knee down! There seemed to be more to the situation than the collapse, and our suspicions were confirmed when all the other bodies we found had similar marks of having been bitten by critters.
I spoke with Sionas, told him that the tunnels were obviously compromised and that he would need someone to clean the infestation before he could proceed with the construction works. In exchange for the job, I asked him to at least release the Elven prisoners, and he agreed with my demands, with the condition that we did not use magic while in the caverns.
One of the Elves said he would join us. We gave him some of the equipment we had found in the Nerathian temple, and we prepared ourselves to enter the dark and dangerous tunnels...
Elven Lament
Today has been the saddest day of my life, and weeks will pass until I am able to smile again at the sun... Streisan is dead! and life will never be the same.
As expected, the marshes between Marshport and Poisson were a foul place, full of mosquitoes and dangerous wild animals. The so-called road was a path overgrown with brambles and advancing was treacherous and tiring. The bridge was indeed broken, and the river was full of nasty-looking reptile creatures. I was preparing to create a Tenser's Floating Disk when I heard a loud crash. Streisan, in her recklessness, had not waited to carry out the discussed plan and had leapt a full 20 feet to the other side of the bridge. There she landed on a weakened section wich cracked, leaving her legs dangling dangerously close to the gigantic crocodile's maws. The creatures got into a frenzy at the sight and smell of such a tasty morsel and started to jump frantically trying to close her jaws around Streisan's legs.
She was able to get out of the crashed section into a kind of platform from which she would have been able to defend herself from the crocodiles while the rest of us crossed the river -she had a rope with her and Tyrion was tying it to our side of the bridge-, but she somehow got again in reckless-mode and charged wildly into the jungle, out of our reach and sight, the crocs following her in a feeding frenzy.
We crossed the river as quick as we could, but by the time we arrived we could only stop the crocs from devouring her completely. As the last of us were crossing the river, we were attacked by two blue wyrmlings. Luckily for us, there was a nearby ruined temple which entrance was blocked by a cracked stone slab. While Adolfiel and I maintained the dragons at bay, Tyrion and Vistra broke the sealing slab with the picks we had judiciously stored in our Bag of Holding.
Dragging the mangled body of our sister behind us, we could barely escape the lightning bolts of the dragons entering the dark ancient temple...
Time for a song to say farewell to Streisan, the "Friends Farewell":
As expected, the marshes between Marshport and Poisson were a foul place, full of mosquitoes and dangerous wild animals. The so-called road was a path overgrown with brambles and advancing was treacherous and tiring. The bridge was indeed broken, and the river was full of nasty-looking reptile creatures. I was preparing to create a Tenser's Floating Disk when I heard a loud crash. Streisan, in her recklessness, had not waited to carry out the discussed plan and had leapt a full 20 feet to the other side of the bridge. There she landed on a weakened section wich cracked, leaving her legs dangling dangerously close to the gigantic crocodile's maws. The creatures got into a frenzy at the sight and smell of such a tasty morsel and started to jump frantically trying to close her jaws around Streisan's legs.
She was able to get out of the crashed section into a kind of platform from which she would have been able to defend herself from the crocodiles while the rest of us crossed the river -she had a rope with her and Tyrion was tying it to our side of the bridge-, but she somehow got again in reckless-mode and charged wildly into the jungle, out of our reach and sight, the crocs following her in a feeding frenzy.
We crossed the river as quick as we could, but by the time we arrived we could only stop the crocs from devouring her completely. As the last of us were crossing the river, we were attacked by two blue wyrmlings. Luckily for us, there was a nearby ruined temple which entrance was blocked by a cracked stone slab. While Adolfiel and I maintained the dragons at bay, Tyrion and Vistra broke the sealing slab with the picks we had judiciously stored in our Bag of Holding.
Dragging the mangled body of our sister behind us, we could barely escape the lightning bolts of the dragons entering the dark ancient temple...
Time for a song to say farewell to Streisan, the "Friends Farewell":
"Aeons passed since our essence
from the Maelstrom of Chaos was fished
and in the beautiful Wheel of Living
we were allowed to roam free.
Our threads entwined for a long time
and so many moving moments we lived
now you wander the forest no longer
and the Feywild your home is to be.
Will you cross again the waters?
Will you again in the Circle live?
I hope I'll recognise your likeness
when the Wheel's next turn makes us meet."
from the Maelstrom of Chaos was fished
and in the beautiful Wheel of Living
we were allowed to roam free.
Our threads entwined for a long time
and so many moving moments we lived
now you wander the forest no longer
and the Feywild your home is to be.
Will you cross again the waters?
Will you again in the Circle live?
I hope I'll recognise your likeness
when the Wheel's next turn makes us meet."
Escaping winter
After several cold and damp nights, it was great to sleep in an enclosed area, with a nice chimney fire at our sides.
We all woke up with lots of energy and set immediately to search the tower. We realised that most of the ice encasing the building had melted away; we also found reasonable answers to some of the questions from previous days:
1- We found the portal on the tower's roof led to the mountain range near Wyllea. Obviously, Draigdurroch was obtaining his supplies through the portal, and that included wyllflower. Was he using the flower to power any mystical ritual or was he addicted to the substance?
2- The strange-looking crystals embedded in the tower's walls were spying glasses. Once the ice encasing the tower melted, we could use the crystals to survey the region surrounding the tower. It is such a good idea that I have made some notes, and I will try to use the same devices if I am ever able to buid a tower for myself.
3- Double doors in the ground floor led to a natural cavern with many passages going out of it. In the middle of the cavern there was a table with some maps. The maps detailed some of the passages, other passages were unexplored. It seemed obvious that Draigdurroch had been exploring the caves, and that they somehow led to what he thought could be Karse. I stored the maps in the Bag of Holding and made a mental note to do some research when back at Marshport.
As there was nothing more to discover in the tower and we did not want to explore the cavern maze, we left the tower -we closed the door and I used the Magic Mouth ritual to leave a joke-message behind: "Beware! This tower is now the property of the Four Queens and the Joker!".
In our trip back to Marshport we searched again the Goblin lair. There we met some bears rummaging through the food cases, and Streisan quickly charged them, without giving time to Adolfiel or me to try to calm the bears first -sometimes she is clearly too reckless- so the bears had no choice but to attack us and we had to kill two of them and force the rest of the family to flee.
We also met Aygon, but he did not know anything of interest about Draigdurroch.
Back at Marshport, we had to wait some days for the Mayor to receive us, so I used the time to keep on reading the books Aygon had lent me and doing some research on Karsus. In Marshport's library I found a book marked by some scribbled notes with what seemed to be Draigdurroch's handwriting. Apparently, Karsus was a very powerful mage or demigod that tried to become a god. In the process, the gods punished him for his vanity and destroyed his city, Karse. Reputedly, the city was full of wonders and Karsus' notes on his research to become a god would be priceless to anyone that could find them.
The Mayor of Marshport paid us very well when we told them that we had taken care of the Goblin menace, defeating some of the critters and making the rest scatter and flee the area. Then we told him we wanted to travel to Poisson and asked him if the city needed any adventuring work to be done in that area, but there seemed to be none.
We then asked for directions and learnt that there were two roads to Poisson. The most direct route crossed a river, but it was not maintained and nobody knew whether the bridge would be intact. The other longer route crossed some hills and would add one day to our trip. We decided to try the shorter route first, and discussed a plan to cross the river using Tenser's Floating Disk if necessary.
Finally, as it was Streisan's nameday, Adolfiel and I decided to buy her a gift. Adolfiel found a pair of boots that would be perfect for her, and we passed a nice evening, joking and carousing, oblivious to the darker days that awaited us...
We all woke up with lots of energy and set immediately to search the tower. We realised that most of the ice encasing the building had melted away; we also found reasonable answers to some of the questions from previous days:
1- We found the portal on the tower's roof led to the mountain range near Wyllea. Obviously, Draigdurroch was obtaining his supplies through the portal, and that included wyllflower. Was he using the flower to power any mystical ritual or was he addicted to the substance?
2- The strange-looking crystals embedded in the tower's walls were spying glasses. Once the ice encasing the tower melted, we could use the crystals to survey the region surrounding the tower. It is such a good idea that I have made some notes, and I will try to use the same devices if I am ever able to buid a tower for myself.
3- Double doors in the ground floor led to a natural cavern with many passages going out of it. In the middle of the cavern there was a table with some maps. The maps detailed some of the passages, other passages were unexplored. It seemed obvious that Draigdurroch had been exploring the caves, and that they somehow led to what he thought could be Karse. I stored the maps in the Bag of Holding and made a mental note to do some research when back at Marshport.
As there was nothing more to discover in the tower and we did not want to explore the cavern maze, we left the tower -we closed the door and I used the Magic Mouth ritual to leave a joke-message behind: "Beware! This tower is now the property of the Four Queens and the Joker!".
In our trip back to Marshport we searched again the Goblin lair. There we met some bears rummaging through the food cases, and Streisan quickly charged them, without giving time to Adolfiel or me to try to calm the bears first -sometimes she is clearly too reckless- so the bears had no choice but to attack us and we had to kill two of them and force the rest of the family to flee.
We also met Aygon, but he did not know anything of interest about Draigdurroch.
Back at Marshport, we had to wait some days for the Mayor to receive us, so I used the time to keep on reading the books Aygon had lent me and doing some research on Karsus. In Marshport's library I found a book marked by some scribbled notes with what seemed to be Draigdurroch's handwriting. Apparently, Karsus was a very powerful mage or demigod that tried to become a god. In the process, the gods punished him for his vanity and destroyed his city, Karse. Reputedly, the city was full of wonders and Karsus' notes on his research to become a god would be priceless to anyone that could find them.
The Mayor of Marshport paid us very well when we told them that we had taken care of the Goblin menace, defeating some of the critters and making the rest scatter and flee the area. Then we told him we wanted to travel to Poisson and asked him if the city needed any adventuring work to be done in that area, but there seemed to be none.
We then asked for directions and learnt that there were two roads to Poisson. The most direct route crossed a river, but it was not maintained and nobody knew whether the bridge would be intact. The other longer route crossed some hills and would add one day to our trip. We decided to try the shorter route first, and discussed a plan to cross the river using Tenser's Floating Disk if necessary.
Finally, as it was Streisan's nameday, Adolfiel and I decided to buy her a gift. Adolfiel found a pair of boots that would be perfect for her, and we passed a nice evening, joking and carousing, oblivious to the darker days that awaited us...
Draigdurroch's Folly
Inside the tower, the cold was bearable and it was immediately obvious that it was abandoned and that it had been the residence of a wizard. As the source of the cold seemed to be in the roof of the tower, we decided to go to the top of the tower first.
Most rooms of the tower had no clue or interesting hint for us, but in one room of the tower we found the corpse of a Halfling dressed with peasant robes, and in another, that seemed to have served as a library we found a lot of information.
Apparently, the owner of the tower was a Dwarven wizard called Draigdurroch. He had been researching an entity called Karsus and searching for the ruins of a city called Karse. According to his frozen notes, the entrance to Karse could be found in a cavern complex below his tower, but it was a maddeningly complex maze and he had been painstakingly mapping the corridors and tunnels of the caverns for some time.
In his notes I also read that some faeries had warned Draigdurroch and threatened him with retaliation if he did not stopped his studies, but he had disregarded their warnings and attacked the faeries... judging the situation of the tower it had turned to be a bad choice.
I also found an interesting Red Book that seemed magically trapped and an amulet engraved with Draigdurroch's name. The amulet allowed me to control a magical floating disk that gave access to the tower's roof from a room with walls studded with strange-looking crystals.
As we arrived on the roof, we saw it was covered by an ice dome. The cold and ice seemed to emanate from a huge crystal embedded in the dome. There was also a chest from which open lid creatures of ice started emanating and charging at us. I had been waiting for this all day; my hands moved deftly and a sphere of fire materialized on top of the portal and started melting all the ice elementals entering through it.
At that moment, a gigantic creature of ice detached itself from the dome and fell in the middle of the group. The monster rushed towards Tyrion and grabbed him with its powerful ice fists and approached the chimney shaft of the tower's roof with evil intention in his eyes. Tyrion's eyes searched in full panick for an escape and a strange smile crossed his lips when he saw Streisan charging to the rescue... zup! and in the blink of an eye Tyrion was charging towards the monster while Streisan tumbled down the shaft, letting out a swear each time her head banged a brick.
The ice creature then went for Adolfiel, tired of being peppered by her arrows, and though Adolfiel managed to avoid it a couple times, he was finally grabbed ... and another of the sisters went down the chimney. More or less at that time Streisan appeared back at the roof, her head covered in blood, yelling with all the force of her mighty lungs, and foaming through her mouth -she looked like Bonpapá, a legendary Elvish character that leaves gifts to children in winter, usually climbing in and out of the houses through the chimney.
Already weakened by our attack and surprised to see that Streisan had survived her descent down the chimney shaft, the creature jumped out of the tower and lost itself in the wilderness.
We then quickly destroyed the crystal in the dome, then the deathly cold seemed to subside enough to make it bearable and no more ice creatures emerged from the portal. A short investigation showed that the chest had also some wylflower residue in it, near where the portal spiraled.
Anyway, we were too tired to think about all the mysteries the tower still contained, so we went to the tower's ground floor, made a big fire in a chimney and immediately fell asleep. I took the first guard turn, so that I could finish this chapter of the diary and think on ways to repay Tyrion's dastardly move... uuum, the wylflower offers a lot of possibilities... time for him to see the beauty of the elven body again...
Most rooms of the tower had no clue or interesting hint for us, but in one room of the tower we found the corpse of a Halfling dressed with peasant robes, and in another, that seemed to have served as a library we found a lot of information.
Apparently, the owner of the tower was a Dwarven wizard called Draigdurroch. He had been researching an entity called Karsus and searching for the ruins of a city called Karse. According to his frozen notes, the entrance to Karse could be found in a cavern complex below his tower, but it was a maddeningly complex maze and he had been painstakingly mapping the corridors and tunnels of the caverns for some time.
In his notes I also read that some faeries had warned Draigdurroch and threatened him with retaliation if he did not stopped his studies, but he had disregarded their warnings and attacked the faeries... judging the situation of the tower it had turned to be a bad choice.
I also found an interesting Red Book that seemed magically trapped and an amulet engraved with Draigdurroch's name. The amulet allowed me to control a magical floating disk that gave access to the tower's roof from a room with walls studded with strange-looking crystals.
As we arrived on the roof, we saw it was covered by an ice dome. The cold and ice seemed to emanate from a huge crystal embedded in the dome. There was also a chest from which open lid creatures of ice started emanating and charging at us. I had been waiting for this all day; my hands moved deftly and a sphere of fire materialized on top of the portal and started melting all the ice elementals entering through it.
At that moment, a gigantic creature of ice detached itself from the dome and fell in the middle of the group. The monster rushed towards Tyrion and grabbed him with its powerful ice fists and approached the chimney shaft of the tower's roof with evil intention in his eyes. Tyrion's eyes searched in full panick for an escape and a strange smile crossed his lips when he saw Streisan charging to the rescue... zup! and in the blink of an eye Tyrion was charging towards the monster while Streisan tumbled down the shaft, letting out a swear each time her head banged a brick.
The ice creature then went for Adolfiel, tired of being peppered by her arrows, and though Adolfiel managed to avoid it a couple times, he was finally grabbed ... and another of the sisters went down the chimney. More or less at that time Streisan appeared back at the roof, her head covered in blood, yelling with all the force of her mighty lungs, and foaming through her mouth -she looked like Bonpapá, a legendary Elvish character that leaves gifts to children in winter, usually climbing in and out of the houses through the chimney.
Already weakened by our attack and surprised to see that Streisan had survived her descent down the chimney shaft, the creature jumped out of the tower and lost itself in the wilderness.
We then quickly destroyed the crystal in the dome, then the deathly cold seemed to subside enough to make it bearable and no more ice creatures emerged from the portal. A short investigation showed that the chest had also some wylflower residue in it, near where the portal spiraled.
Anyway, we were too tired to think about all the mysteries the tower still contained, so we went to the tower's ground floor, made a big fire in a chimney and immediately fell asleep. I took the first guard turn, so that I could finish this chapter of the diary and think on ways to repay Tyrion's dastardly move... uuum, the wylflower offers a lot of possibilities... time for him to see the beauty of the elven body again...
Warming up is hard to do
We left Aygon's dwelling using a secret service door that was more comfortable to use than the entrance from which we had accessed his abode in the first place.
This time we followed what seemed to be an ancient path that led further into the icy hills. The day passed chilly and miserable as the previous one, and when we were already thinking about giving up the search, we found a big cavern in the face of a cliff. The cave showed signs of having been inhabited by a big group of Goblins, but at the moment it was deserted.
It seemed that fate was against us, but we did not want to give up so easily. We climbed the cliff where the cavern was located and, in the distance, detected the outline of what seemed to be a tower. It seemed to be far away, so we made camp in the cave. It was a damp, chilly, dreary night with the blizzard blowing outside and the sound of Adolfiel's chattering teeth constantly interrupting my meditation.
Another freezing day, another exhausting hike, but this time it seemed we had a clear goal! As we got closer to the building, it became clear that it was indeed a tower, and that it was completely encased in ice! It dominated its surroundings, built atop a low hillock, surrounded by suspicious-looking statues of wolves and mages. The ice encasing the tower was erupting from its roof, and our suspicions that the terrible weather conditions had a magical cause grew stronger.
I was so worried beholding the statues for any hint of them being magical guardians -during my studies in Fallcrest I had read many stories of wizards protecting their towers with that sort of creatures- that I was completely surprised when chunks of snow and ice took the shape of gigantic scorpions that charged us. Other pieces of snow coalesced into icy snowmen that threw balls of hard compact ice at us. It was clear that something was amiss in the tower, and that these creatures of ice had been somehow attracted by the cold emanating from it.
The battle was violent and dangerous; Streisan charged the monsters as if she had lost her mind after all the frustrations of the previous days and it was difficult for the rest to keep her pace. Only with the help of Vistra was she able to survive, but her courage and recklessness motivated the rest of us to go on and with courage, determination and lots of luck we were able to defeat the ice elementals.
After the battle, I explained to the rest my fears about the statues and we decided to topple them. Some animated and attacked us, but most of them had been shattered by the cold and gave us no trouble.
With the blizzard growing stronger, we digged the ice out of the entrance doors and entered the tower...
Scientific Notes
Well, even though the creatures we found around the tower are clearly not natural, I could not resist making a drawing of the scorpion-like ice elemental. I think I will add an extra chapter to my Ecology book, one about the different Planes of Existence and some examples of its creatures, which in some books of old are called Elementals.
This time we followed what seemed to be an ancient path that led further into the icy hills. The day passed chilly and miserable as the previous one, and when we were already thinking about giving up the search, we found a big cavern in the face of a cliff. The cave showed signs of having been inhabited by a big group of Goblins, but at the moment it was deserted.
It seemed that fate was against us, but we did not want to give up so easily. We climbed the cliff where the cavern was located and, in the distance, detected the outline of what seemed to be a tower. It seemed to be far away, so we made camp in the cave. It was a damp, chilly, dreary night with the blizzard blowing outside and the sound of Adolfiel's chattering teeth constantly interrupting my meditation.
Another freezing day, another exhausting hike, but this time it seemed we had a clear goal! As we got closer to the building, it became clear that it was indeed a tower, and that it was completely encased in ice! It dominated its surroundings, built atop a low hillock, surrounded by suspicious-looking statues of wolves and mages. The ice encasing the tower was erupting from its roof, and our suspicions that the terrible weather conditions had a magical cause grew stronger.
I was so worried beholding the statues for any hint of them being magical guardians -during my studies in Fallcrest I had read many stories of wizards protecting their towers with that sort of creatures- that I was completely surprised when chunks of snow and ice took the shape of gigantic scorpions that charged us. Other pieces of snow coalesced into icy snowmen that threw balls of hard compact ice at us. It was clear that something was amiss in the tower, and that these creatures of ice had been somehow attracted by the cold emanating from it.
The battle was violent and dangerous; Streisan charged the monsters as if she had lost her mind after all the frustrations of the previous days and it was difficult for the rest to keep her pace. Only with the help of Vistra was she able to survive, but her courage and recklessness motivated the rest of us to go on and with courage, determination and lots of luck we were able to defeat the ice elementals.
After the battle, I explained to the rest my fears about the statues and we decided to topple them. Some animated and attacked us, but most of them had been shattered by the cold and gave us no trouble.
With the blizzard growing stronger, we digged the ice out of the entrance doors and entered the tower...
Scientific Notes
Well, even though the creatures we found around the tower are clearly not natural, I could not resist making a drawing of the scorpion-like ice elemental. I think I will add an extra chapter to my Ecology book, one about the different Planes of Existence and some examples of its creatures, which in some books of old are called Elementals.
The Ice, the Fire and the Gnome
Getting an employment
The mayor of Marshport was impressed to see a group of Relkingham rangers offering their services. He told us there had been some complaints of Goblin raids in the north-eastern farms and roads and that he would reward us if we could do something about it.
Having nothing better to do, we did some preparations for the journey. As it will be seen, it was not enough, but everybody else was so frantic about leaving the city that they did not allow me to spend a little bit more time preparing; a pity, as I was really enjoying the scholastic atmosphere of Marshport's library.
There are two kinds of adventurers: those that rush to action and those that fill their bag of holding with useful stuff.
The Ice...
We spent the following days freezing in various meadows, hills, forests and gullies of Marshport's countryside. Even though we were well prepared for the cold, the winter was being specially harsh and the wind and snow was our constant companion.
After some days of exploring and tracking, we met a group of Elves! They acted very suspiciously and after some "talk" they were forced to give up their fishy attitude...- Streisan calls it surrendering. They had bought a map which, according to them, pointed to a treasure. When we accompanied them to their camp, we discovered it had been robbed by a group of Goblins, who we promptly tracked, battled and soundly defeated. Only the goblin boss avoided our wrath.
With nothing better to do -apart from freezing-, and not knowing for sure whether the Goblin menace was vanquished, we followed the map instructions. The map led us to a cavern complex which we navigated with great spelunking skill, to arrive to a strange-looking black plate with the words "Death awaits those who enter here" or some crappy scary phrase like that.
There are two kinds of spelunkers: those that know when to turn back, and those that don't...
Brave adventurers as we are, we disregarded the warning and tried to open the obvious door. Unexperienced as we were, it took us some hours to figure out that we only needed to push the plate.
...the Fire...
The plate was some kind of doormat, cleverly set in rails that allowed it to rotate and show different phrases "Welcome", "I'm not at home", "Trespassers will be Incinerated", "Death Awaits Intruders" and such... the smell of treasure and hidden knowledge attracted us, like Kobolds are to adventurer's swords.
Anyway, to describe it quickly, in another great show of recklessness and thoughtlessness, Streisan managed to fall in every single trap of what we considered a tomb seemed to contain, even when she was not leading the way: she got dumped into a pit of filth, burnt, crushed and more, all of which she endured with her usual stoicism and good humour (this is obviously a joke, dear diary).
There are two kinds of elves. Those that jump on the pit and those that hover over it.
After some time wandering the tunnels we came face to face with what looked like an enormous wyrm of legendary power. After some time observing the wyrm, we realised it had to be some kind of mechanical contratption, and Tyrion and Streisan could finally show their best skills and did what they are best at: destroy the machine-dragon.
...and the Gnome
It turned out that what we though was a Tomb full of treasures was the household of a gnome artisan called Aygon, fond of traps, mechanical devices and stupid jokes. And what is more, someone or something had turned him into a weapon! So he could not leave his house and had a mute Goblin servant that helped him go to the loo and read him bedside stories.
Anyway, the Gnome's house was warm, full of intelligent games, nice wine and better books, so we decided to stay and talk with him. He constantly demanded jokes from us, and though we all tried, I must say Tyrion's were the best -must have something to do with him being a Hummy and all.
In exchange of letting us stay and sleep at his home, Aygon requested our help to contact an artisan friend of his that lives between Marshport and Fort Eyrie, so that he would come and repair the dragon.
Well, and that's all for the moment; I'll start reading a couple of books I borrowed from Aygon before going to bed.
Tomorrow we'll try to find more Goblin tracks. We are going to give it a couple more days before going back to Marshport... I must not forget to put some mining stuff in the Bag of Holding, I think it would be useful.
Scientific Notes
Not that it's really my area of expertise, but I found Aygon's traps amusing and clever thought, so I asked him to sketch them for the group. I don't think anything I saw in Aygon's home can really help me with my Ecology book, although we found some interesting beetles in the cellars... bugs are great in Ecology books!
The mayor of Marshport was impressed to see a group of Relkingham rangers offering their services. He told us there had been some complaints of Goblin raids in the north-eastern farms and roads and that he would reward us if we could do something about it.
Having nothing better to do, we did some preparations for the journey. As it will be seen, it was not enough, but everybody else was so frantic about leaving the city that they did not allow me to spend a little bit more time preparing; a pity, as I was really enjoying the scholastic atmosphere of Marshport's library.
There are two kinds of adventurers: those that rush to action and those that fill their bag of holding with useful stuff.
The Ice...
We spent the following days freezing in various meadows, hills, forests and gullies of Marshport's countryside. Even though we were well prepared for the cold, the winter was being specially harsh and the wind and snow was our constant companion.
After some days of exploring and tracking, we met a group of Elves! They acted very suspiciously and after some "talk" they were forced to give up their fishy attitude...- Streisan calls it surrendering. They had bought a map which, according to them, pointed to a treasure. When we accompanied them to their camp, we discovered it had been robbed by a group of Goblins, who we promptly tracked, battled and soundly defeated. Only the goblin boss avoided our wrath.
With nothing better to do -apart from freezing-, and not knowing for sure whether the Goblin menace was vanquished, we followed the map instructions. The map led us to a cavern complex which we navigated with great spelunking skill, to arrive to a strange-looking black plate with the words "Death awaits those who enter here" or some crappy scary phrase like that.
There are two kinds of spelunkers: those that know when to turn back, and those that don't...
Brave adventurers as we are, we disregarded the warning and tried to open the obvious door. Unexperienced as we were, it took us some hours to figure out that we only needed to push the plate.
...the Fire...
The plate was some kind of doormat, cleverly set in rails that allowed it to rotate and show different phrases "Welcome", "I'm not at home", "Trespassers will be Incinerated", "Death Awaits Intruders" and such... the smell of treasure and hidden knowledge attracted us, like Kobolds are to adventurer's swords.
Anyway, to describe it quickly, in another great show of recklessness and thoughtlessness, Streisan managed to fall in every single trap of what we considered a tomb seemed to contain, even when she was not leading the way: she got dumped into a pit of filth, burnt, crushed and more, all of which she endured with her usual stoicism and good humour (this is obviously a joke, dear diary).
There are two kinds of elves. Those that jump on the pit and those that hover over it.
After some time wandering the tunnels we came face to face with what looked like an enormous wyrm of legendary power. After some time observing the wyrm, we realised it had to be some kind of mechanical contratption, and Tyrion and Streisan could finally show their best skills and did what they are best at: destroy the machine-dragon.
...and the Gnome
It turned out that what we though was a Tomb full of treasures was the household of a gnome artisan called Aygon, fond of traps, mechanical devices and stupid jokes. And what is more, someone or something had turned him into a weapon! So he could not leave his house and had a mute Goblin servant that helped him go to the loo and read him bedside stories.
Anyway, the Gnome's house was warm, full of intelligent games, nice wine and better books, so we decided to stay and talk with him. He constantly demanded jokes from us, and though we all tried, I must say Tyrion's were the best -must have something to do with him being a Hummy and all.
In exchange of letting us stay and sleep at his home, Aygon requested our help to contact an artisan friend of his that lives between Marshport and Fort Eyrie, so that he would come and repair the dragon.
Well, and that's all for the moment; I'll start reading a couple of books I borrowed from Aygon before going to bed.
Tomorrow we'll try to find more Goblin tracks. We are going to give it a couple more days before going back to Marshport... I must not forget to put some mining stuff in the Bag of Holding, I think it would be useful.
Scientific Notes
Not that it's really my area of expertise, but I found Aygon's traps amusing and clever thought, so I asked him to sketch them for the group. I don't think anything I saw in Aygon's home can really help me with my Ecology book, although we found some interesting beetles in the cellars... bugs are great in Ecology books!
Private Investigations
We only stayed two more days in Relkingham, enough to say farewell to Ghesh in a moving funeral, and to receive the gratitude of the whole city and the Caliph, as our quick action and sacrifices had saved Delornen from a terrible fate at the hands of the Vecna cultists.
We are now members of the famous Rangers of Relkingham! Although it won't heal the loss of the Paladin, I hope such an honour will help Streisan overcome her grief.
The Rangers also told us that some strange ships had been seen in the north, near Marshport. As we also had to deliver a letter to an elf in Sylfren, we thought our best bet would be travelling to the north. I was also delighted by the prospect of visiting a real town, with a real library full of interesting books, as I wanted to get the sad emotions of Ghesh's death out of my mind.
At Sylfren
After an uneventful journey of several days, we arrived at Sylfren, where we gave the letter to the elf Luboc and visited mama.
Mama was doing great and was happy to hear that we had survived the ordeal at Delornen. As things are going quite well financially, I felt obliged to give her some money to support her in this difficult times, before she is able to come back to Leavendale. I was very proud to see my sisters offering her part of the reward we received in Relkingham... Sisters' Power!
Luboc was a shoemaker and, although not particularly gifted, some of his craft caught my attention and I decided to invest part of my money in a beautiful pair of purple and green shoes. They'll fit greatly with a robe I saw in Fallcrest in my Academy days, and I hope I'll be able to glitter as much as possible the next time I visit the Academy there.
Marshport
The trip to Marshport was also uneventful. Marshport turned to be a busy medium sized town, and the weather was amazingly cold and windy. I immediately went to the main Library; as I have now some money, I paid my yearly fee to the Guild of Adventuresome Alchemists and Wizards. The fee will allow me to get free access to many libraries around the north and will make it easier to obtain components for magical rituals, I hope.
I discovered lots of interesting books and I immediately turned my attention to one about the classical art of Magic and another introductory treatise to Alchemy.
In the meantime, Streisan, Adolfiel and Tyrion searched for rumours that could lead us to the raiders that had attacked Leavendale. Ioun always preaches that real information can only be found in the towers and libraries of the sages and, as I feared, they did not find much information in the lowly dens of iniquity they visited.
Although their attitude as information seekers is commendable, I am afraid that Tyrion is leading both of my sisters to a life of gambling and lowly acquaintances. I will have to start looking for some intelligent and interesting catch for them, but with their limited capabilities of conversation, I am sure it will be a big problem.
The Black Cry and the ghost captain Angerplea
After several days of gambling and drinking, they managed to hear some rumours about a legendary ship named the Black Cry and its captain Angerplea. Some said the ship had been seen sailing north, some said it had been seen sailing south, and others said the whole thing was just a legend.
I also lost one full research day in Marshport's library, but could not dig any new information about the ghost ship.
Without knowing well how to proceed (Vistra told us her god was indicating her to move northwards, while Tyrion's sixth sense indicated him to move southwards), we decided to try our luck with Marshport's mayor... maybe chance would point us the right way...
We are now members of the famous Rangers of Relkingham! Although it won't heal the loss of the Paladin, I hope such an honour will help Streisan overcome her grief.
The Rangers also told us that some strange ships had been seen in the north, near Marshport. As we also had to deliver a letter to an elf in Sylfren, we thought our best bet would be travelling to the north. I was also delighted by the prospect of visiting a real town, with a real library full of interesting books, as I wanted to get the sad emotions of Ghesh's death out of my mind.
At Sylfren
After an uneventful journey of several days, we arrived at Sylfren, where we gave the letter to the elf Luboc and visited mama.
Mama was doing great and was happy to hear that we had survived the ordeal at Delornen. As things are going quite well financially, I felt obliged to give her some money to support her in this difficult times, before she is able to come back to Leavendale. I was very proud to see my sisters offering her part of the reward we received in Relkingham... Sisters' Power!
Luboc was a shoemaker and, although not particularly gifted, some of his craft caught my attention and I decided to invest part of my money in a beautiful pair of purple and green shoes. They'll fit greatly with a robe I saw in Fallcrest in my Academy days, and I hope I'll be able to glitter as much as possible the next time I visit the Academy there.
Marshport
The trip to Marshport was also uneventful. Marshport turned to be a busy medium sized town, and the weather was amazingly cold and windy. I immediately went to the main Library; as I have now some money, I paid my yearly fee to the Guild of Adventuresome Alchemists and Wizards. The fee will allow me to get free access to many libraries around the north and will make it easier to obtain components for magical rituals, I hope.
I discovered lots of interesting books and I immediately turned my attention to one about the classical art of Magic and another introductory treatise to Alchemy.
In the meantime, Streisan, Adolfiel and Tyrion searched for rumours that could lead us to the raiders that had attacked Leavendale. Ioun always preaches that real information can only be found in the towers and libraries of the sages and, as I feared, they did not find much information in the lowly dens of iniquity they visited.
Although their attitude as information seekers is commendable, I am afraid that Tyrion is leading both of my sisters to a life of gambling and lowly acquaintances. I will have to start looking for some intelligent and interesting catch for them, but with their limited capabilities of conversation, I am sure it will be a big problem.
The Black Cry and the ghost captain Angerplea
After several days of gambling and drinking, they managed to hear some rumours about a legendary ship named the Black Cry and its captain Angerplea. Some said the ship had been seen sailing north, some said it had been seen sailing south, and others said the whole thing was just a legend.
I also lost one full research day in Marshport's library, but could not dig any new information about the ghost ship.
Without knowing well how to proceed (Vistra told us her god was indicating her to move northwards, while Tyrion's sixth sense indicated him to move southwards), we decided to try our luck with Marshport's mayor... maybe chance would point us the right way...
Such a gory, mourning story
After the defeat of Jeryn, a nasty purple cloud coalesced in the sky, on top of the Temple. A loud boom was heard, and a column of unholy light suffused the temple and the square... the corpses began stirring, and a sense of dread overcame us.
We took a short rest, then hurried to the interior of the temple. We defeated the last remnants of the Vizier's bodyguards and entered the main chapel. Avonazemon, the despicable Vecna traitor, was waiting for us. He had just finished desecrating the altar of Erathis and a column of hands and eyes was swirling around the altar. With a flick of his hand he ensnared Adolfiel in the nasty cloud and started playing cat and mouse with us. Ghesh, Tyrion and Streisan charged hi, but we found to our dismay that the Vizier had powerful ways of persuassion. All of us had problems trying to focus on him, and sometimes he would wave his hands and fingers and we would act as puppets in a theatre, awkwardly following his dirty commands. Also, the corruption of Vecna was strong near the altar, and we felt our life forces flow into the horrible column.
Even with all his dirty tricks, it looked like the Vizier was not going to be able to stop our coordinated efforts, but then he took control of Streisan and my poor sister could not resist the insidious commands of the Vizier; one quick thrust of her spear was enough to leave the already weakened Ghesh prone. The Vizier knew he was defeated, but his cruel mind was not going to pass into Oblivion without causing even more damage than he had already caused. He saw the opportunity and commanded Streisan to finish off the Paladin. With a forced expression in her face and yanking movements, Streisan plunged her spear in Ghesh's body. When we saw the Paladin expire, we were all enraged by this ignoble act and charged the Vizier with holy fury. His subsequent defeat was poor consolation for our bitter loss.
We left the temple bloody, exhausted and with tears running down our cheeks, carefully carrying Ghesh's mangled corpse.The mayor of Relkingham and the guards and rangers of the city were also devastated, having suffered the loss of many friends and colleagues. We all embraced each other, knowing we had barely been able to save the city from Vecna's doom.
We went to the inn to rest and bathe ourselves, then I started writing this long sad entry in my diary, my mind was filled with all the glorious moments with Ghesh, and I meditated on the elven prayer "Friends Farewell" and my eyes were moist again.
We took a short rest, then hurried to the interior of the temple. We defeated the last remnants of the Vizier's bodyguards and entered the main chapel. Avonazemon, the despicable Vecna traitor, was waiting for us. He had just finished desecrating the altar of Erathis and a column of hands and eyes was swirling around the altar. With a flick of his hand he ensnared Adolfiel in the nasty cloud and started playing cat and mouse with us. Ghesh, Tyrion and Streisan charged hi, but we found to our dismay that the Vizier had powerful ways of persuassion. All of us had problems trying to focus on him, and sometimes he would wave his hands and fingers and we would act as puppets in a theatre, awkwardly following his dirty commands. Also, the corruption of Vecna was strong near the altar, and we felt our life forces flow into the horrible column.
Even with all his dirty tricks, it looked like the Vizier was not going to be able to stop our coordinated efforts, but then he took control of Streisan and my poor sister could not resist the insidious commands of the Vizier; one quick thrust of her spear was enough to leave the already weakened Ghesh prone. The Vizier knew he was defeated, but his cruel mind was not going to pass into Oblivion without causing even more damage than he had already caused. He saw the opportunity and commanded Streisan to finish off the Paladin. With a forced expression in her face and yanking movements, Streisan plunged her spear in Ghesh's body. When we saw the Paladin expire, we were all enraged by this ignoble act and charged the Vizier with holy fury. His subsequent defeat was poor consolation for our bitter loss.
We left the temple bloody, exhausted and with tears running down our cheeks, carefully carrying Ghesh's mangled corpse.The mayor of Relkingham and the guards and rangers of the city were also devastated, having suffered the loss of many friends and colleagues. We all embraced each other, knowing we had barely been able to save the city from Vecna's doom.
We went to the inn to rest and bathe ourselves, then I started writing this long sad entry in my diary, my mind was filled with all the glorious moments with Ghesh, and I meditated on the elven prayer "Friends Farewell" and my eyes were moist again.
"Aeons passed since our essence
from the Maelstrom of Chaos was fished
and in the beautiful Wheel of Living
we were allowed to roam free.
Our threads entwined such a short time
and yet that I knew you always it seemed
now you wander the forest no longer
and the Feywild your home is to be.
Will you cross again the waters?
Will you again in the Circle live?
I hope I'll recognise your likeness
when the Wheel's next turn makes us meet."
from the Maelstrom of Chaos was fished
and in the beautiful Wheel of Living
we were allowed to roam free.
Our threads entwined such a short time
and yet that I knew you always it seemed
now you wander the forest no longer
and the Feywild your home is to be.
Will you cross again the waters?
Will you again in the Circle live?
I hope I'll recognise your likeness
when the Wheel's next turn makes us meet."
Wind riding to Relkingham
I can hardly control my tears while I write this last passage of my diary... Ghesh is dead! We were destined to form a family, with lots of half-elf-dragon kids! Even seeing him with Adolfiel would have been better than this! I knew that dead crow was a bad omen!
It all happened like this:
We arrived to Hamona -these Humans like giving names to their kids and villages that sound pretty silly in Elf, but they are a puny race anyway- in search for fresh horses that would allow us to keep galloping towards Relkingham.
The village was deserted and as soon as we tried to get into the stalls we were assaulted by a bunch of disgusting undead; most of them had their left hand cut and their left eye plucked away... a sign of the despicable god Vecna! His followers are always searching for secrets to control for their own advantage, instead of spreading knowledge to everybody, as is good and reasonable.
I immediately became suspicious of the Vizier and this damn Tariff: if the Tariff was implemented, many people would lose their hands and eye, and that would please that horrendous deity thousandfold... I prayed Ioun to help us in our task to defeat the Vizier, as I was sure now he was a traitorous follower of Vecna.
After burying the corpses in Hamona, we galloped all night long towards Relkingham and there were many times I thought I'd fall from the horse due to exhaustion. We passed an inn that had been attacked by raiders- probably another group allied with the vizier, and by this time it was clear to us that he had prepared everything beforehand to try out a coup against the Caliph. Our companions, Ghesh, Tyrion and Vistra decided to burn the bodies, although Adolfiel, Streisan and I told them it was a pity to lose time in such minor details. Nature should be allowed to follow its course, and they should have said a short prayer and left the bodies to the Feys and other heralds of Corellon so that they could still be useful to the Circle of Life. I used the time they spent resting and massaging my sore bottom.
After hours of exhausting riding, we arrived at Relkingham. We learnt from the Guards that the Vizier and his bodyguards had arrived only a few hours before us, but had already stormed the Temple of Erathis.
While we were discussing, in the square in front of the Temple, on the best way to assault the building, a guard came and told us there were some riots; the news were confusing, as they seemed to be people bent on attacking the Vizier, but when they arrived at the square it was obvious everything was a ruse, as their leader was wearing a symbol of Vecna.
The ensuing battle was dramatic; we received the help of some Rangers of Relkingham and a Paladin of Erathis while the rioters received the help of some of the Vizier's bodyguards that attacked us from the temple in an attempt to surround us.
In the final combat, Paladin Jeryn, the leader of the Vizier's bodyguards, charged us. Only thanks to the cooperation of all members of our group and with the help of Paladin Nietsch were we capable of defeating him. Both paladins killed each other in their last furious strikes, and the mighty sword of Paladin Jeryn broke when he pierced Nietsch's heart with it, probably the sword knew the last deeds of Jeryn had been too evil and felt ashamed of taking the life of such a noble person as Nietsch.
It all happened like this:
We arrived to Hamona -these Humans like giving names to their kids and villages that sound pretty silly in Elf, but they are a puny race anyway- in search for fresh horses that would allow us to keep galloping towards Relkingham.
The village was deserted and as soon as we tried to get into the stalls we were assaulted by a bunch of disgusting undead; most of them had their left hand cut and their left eye plucked away... a sign of the despicable god Vecna! His followers are always searching for secrets to control for their own advantage, instead of spreading knowledge to everybody, as is good and reasonable.
I immediately became suspicious of the Vizier and this damn Tariff: if the Tariff was implemented, many people would lose their hands and eye, and that would please that horrendous deity thousandfold... I prayed Ioun to help us in our task to defeat the Vizier, as I was sure now he was a traitorous follower of Vecna.
After burying the corpses in Hamona, we galloped all night long towards Relkingham and there were many times I thought I'd fall from the horse due to exhaustion. We passed an inn that had been attacked by raiders- probably another group allied with the vizier, and by this time it was clear to us that he had prepared everything beforehand to try out a coup against the Caliph. Our companions, Ghesh, Tyrion and Vistra decided to burn the bodies, although Adolfiel, Streisan and I told them it was a pity to lose time in such minor details. Nature should be allowed to follow its course, and they should have said a short prayer and left the bodies to the Feys and other heralds of Corellon so that they could still be useful to the Circle of Life. I used the time they spent resting and massaging my sore bottom.
After hours of exhausting riding, we arrived at Relkingham. We learnt from the Guards that the Vizier and his bodyguards had arrived only a few hours before us, but had already stormed the Temple of Erathis.
While we were discussing, in the square in front of the Temple, on the best way to assault the building, a guard came and told us there were some riots; the news were confusing, as they seemed to be people bent on attacking the Vizier, but when they arrived at the square it was obvious everything was a ruse, as their leader was wearing a symbol of Vecna.
The ensuing battle was dramatic; we received the help of some Rangers of Relkingham and a Paladin of Erathis while the rioters received the help of some of the Vizier's bodyguards that attacked us from the temple in an attempt to surround us.
In the final combat, Paladin Jeryn, the leader of the Vizier's bodyguards, charged us. Only thanks to the cooperation of all members of our group and with the help of Paladin Nietsch were we capable of defeating him. Both paladins killed each other in their last furious strikes, and the mighty sword of Paladin Jeryn broke when he pierced Nietsch's heart with it, probably the sword knew the last deeds of Jeryn had been too evil and felt ashamed of taking the life of such a noble person as Nietsch.
Intrigue at Wyllea
The trip to Wyllea took only two days, during which my sisters managed not to destroy the vessel or damage the reputation of the Elven race too much with their petty discussions.
We arrived to Lake Wyll and were witnesses of a wonderful view: the white colours of the lake's waters, due to the abundant wyllflower. The show was magnificent, and having Ghesh around only made it better.
We lost no time and went to the Palace to discuss the matter of the Tariff of Relkingham. We were received by the Caliph in a magnificent throne room, beautifully decorated with all kind of tapestries and carpets. The Caliph was sumptuously dressed, but I did not like her choice of colors and her nose looked like a crow's...
Anyway, we explained why implementing the Tariff would be a bad idea for Delornen and, thanks above all to the elocuency of Ghesh, we were able to confirm her that the Tariff should not be sanctioned; even Streisan was able to express herself in sentences longer than 5 words. At last all those days of schooling her prove to be worthwhile. A courtier, impressed by our way with words, even gave us a letter to deliver to her brother Luboc in Sylfren and told us of a secret passage in the kitchens to leave the Palace through the sewers, in case of emergency.
But things were not going to be so simple: as soon as the Caliph left the throne room, the Seneschal came running and warned us that Avonazemon, the Vizier, had stolen the Tariff and wanted to sanction it in a temple of Erathis.
We suspected he would try to carry out the binding ritual in the Temple of Erathis in Wyllea, so we rushed to the kitchens, having to deal with some of the vizier's guards that feebly tried to block our way. There we found the secret passage Luboc had mentioned, and Adolfiel led us through the sewers and some narrow cavern passages - where we were assaulted by some bizarre monsters that looked like gigantic versions of Streisan's favourite porridge.
We entered the temple and got into a nasty fight thinking the guards were some of the vizier's followers, but our tactical position was disadvantageous, as we had to climb a narrow stair to reach the temple, and when the guards received us with a rain of heavy barrels and Tyrion was beaten almost to death we realised they were much more powerful than us and we were forced into giving up our violent attitude...- Streisan calls it surrendering.
Luckily for us, the guards were supporters of the Caliph. After realising that the Vizier had robbed the Tariff parchment, they were sent by the Caliph to protect the Temple. A short conversation and some witnesses convinced them that we were also in the Caliph's side. They also told us that the only other temple the Vizier could use to enact the Tariff was in Relkingham. We rushed to the port to see all boats burning and a lonely sailboat in the horizon.
We then talked with the Caliph and decided to pursue the Vizier on horseback. Now we are making our way as fast as we can, while I use my Ghost Hand to scribe these lines; in an hour or so we will arrive at Hamona where we will exchange our mounts for fresh ones, as Vistra's is suffering under her weight.
I see dark clouds in the horizon, and only minutes ago a crow flew towards us and dropped dead in front of my horse... bad omens indeed...
Scientific Notes
I have decided to name the horrible creatures that attacked us in Wyllea's sewers, Mocus Streisanorum, in honor of my sister and her taste for strange looking porridges. I'm sure she will be grateful when her name appears associated with such a wonderfully unique creature in my ecology book. I have also added a drawing of the creature at the end of the diary.
We arrived to Lake Wyll and were witnesses of a wonderful view: the white colours of the lake's waters, due to the abundant wyllflower. The show was magnificent, and having Ghesh around only made it better.
We lost no time and went to the Palace to discuss the matter of the Tariff of Relkingham. We were received by the Caliph in a magnificent throne room, beautifully decorated with all kind of tapestries and carpets. The Caliph was sumptuously dressed, but I did not like her choice of colors and her nose looked like a crow's...
Anyway, we explained why implementing the Tariff would be a bad idea for Delornen and, thanks above all to the elocuency of Ghesh, we were able to confirm her that the Tariff should not be sanctioned; even Streisan was able to express herself in sentences longer than 5 words. At last all those days of schooling her prove to be worthwhile. A courtier, impressed by our way with words, even gave us a letter to deliver to her brother Luboc in Sylfren and told us of a secret passage in the kitchens to leave the Palace through the sewers, in case of emergency.
But things were not going to be so simple: as soon as the Caliph left the throne room, the Seneschal came running and warned us that Avonazemon, the Vizier, had stolen the Tariff and wanted to sanction it in a temple of Erathis.
We suspected he would try to carry out the binding ritual in the Temple of Erathis in Wyllea, so we rushed to the kitchens, having to deal with some of the vizier's guards that feebly tried to block our way. There we found the secret passage Luboc had mentioned, and Adolfiel led us through the sewers and some narrow cavern passages - where we were assaulted by some bizarre monsters that looked like gigantic versions of Streisan's favourite porridge.
We entered the temple and got into a nasty fight thinking the guards were some of the vizier's followers, but our tactical position was disadvantageous, as we had to climb a narrow stair to reach the temple, and when the guards received us with a rain of heavy barrels and Tyrion was beaten almost to death we realised they were much more powerful than us and we were forced into giving up our violent attitude...- Streisan calls it surrendering.
Luckily for us, the guards were supporters of the Caliph. After realising that the Vizier had robbed the Tariff parchment, they were sent by the Caliph to protect the Temple. A short conversation and some witnesses convinced them that we were also in the Caliph's side. They also told us that the only other temple the Vizier could use to enact the Tariff was in Relkingham. We rushed to the port to see all boats burning and a lonely sailboat in the horizon.
We then talked with the Caliph and decided to pursue the Vizier on horseback. Now we are making our way as fast as we can, while I use my Ghost Hand to scribe these lines; in an hour or so we will arrive at Hamona where we will exchange our mounts for fresh ones, as Vistra's is suffering under her weight.
I see dark clouds in the horizon, and only minutes ago a crow flew towards us and dropped dead in front of my horse... bad omens indeed...
Scientific Notes
I have decided to name the horrible creatures that attacked us in Wyllea's sewers, Mocus Streisanorum, in honor of my sister and her taste for strange looking porridges. I'm sure she will be grateful when her name appears associated with such a wonderfully unique creature in my ecology book. I have also added a drawing of the creature at the end of the diary.
Eventful Trip to Relkingham
It took us several days to arrive to the first Delornian city, Relkingham.
During our travels we were ambushed by Spiders - I have hated them since my nice sisters filled one day my bed with several of them just before we went to bed- and they gave us a hard time, jumping from tree to tree while injecting their venom. We also were attacked by some stray wolves, but after I put them to sleep, Adolfiel and Streisan defeated them with well placed blows... Sisters' Power!
Relkingham, a beautiful city for human standards, trade seemed to be slow. We learnt that the Caliph, Fanden Linam, wanted to pass an Edict that could impose a hefty tariff on the Wylflower trade: human sacrifices to Erathis! Anyone that crossed the Relkingham Bridge would be forced to pay offering some part of their bodies to Erathis! How barbaric humans are!
After some inquiries, we became acquaintanced with the town's situation. Relkingham was in dire straits; snow had not come to the Cairntops and this could spell disaster to the Wylflower production. Hoping to be able to appease Erathis, the Caliph had decided to impose the Tariff. After a short interview with the Mayor, during which we explained him the danger the raiders of Leavendale posed also to Relkingham, the Mayor offered us compensation and help to track the raiders if we could travel to Wyllea and convince the Caliph to stop signing the Tariff.
In the Town Hall, we also met Ghesh, a handsome Paladin of Erathis, with a commanding presence. He was like no one I had seen before, with the features of a powerful dragon sculpted on his beautiful face. The Mayor told us that Ghesh would accompany us, as he had to deliver a message to the Vizier Avonazemon, Supreme Judicar of Delornen.
Since Ghesh is accompanyin us, Adolfiel has been playing more with her hair, Streisan is excited about talking with him about the best movements with a polearm, and I have decided to question him about Erathis and his family... Ioun, guide my path to absolute knowledge!!
Scientific Notes
Wylflower -see drawing at the end of the diary- seems to be a powerful drug that improves the mood of those who eat its seeds: I had a most wonderful experience with it the first night we arrived at Relkingham.
I have also talked with several Sailors and it seems that Wylflower Elixir is particularly powerful in improving one's focus... I will try to gain the knowledge of obtaining the Elixir to see if it is helpful for my investigations... at least it will make a good addendum to the book I am writing on the ecology of the Sylfaen Forest and the surrounding nations, Ioun be praised!
During our travels we were ambushed by Spiders - I have hated them since my nice sisters filled one day my bed with several of them just before we went to bed- and they gave us a hard time, jumping from tree to tree while injecting their venom. We also were attacked by some stray wolves, but after I put them to sleep, Adolfiel and Streisan defeated them with well placed blows... Sisters' Power!
Relkingham, a beautiful city for human standards, trade seemed to be slow. We learnt that the Caliph, Fanden Linam, wanted to pass an Edict that could impose a hefty tariff on the Wylflower trade: human sacrifices to Erathis! Anyone that crossed the Relkingham Bridge would be forced to pay offering some part of their bodies to Erathis! How barbaric humans are!
After some inquiries, we became acquaintanced with the town's situation. Relkingham was in dire straits; snow had not come to the Cairntops and this could spell disaster to the Wylflower production. Hoping to be able to appease Erathis, the Caliph had decided to impose the Tariff. After a short interview with the Mayor, during which we explained him the danger the raiders of Leavendale posed also to Relkingham, the Mayor offered us compensation and help to track the raiders if we could travel to Wyllea and convince the Caliph to stop signing the Tariff.
In the Town Hall, we also met Ghesh, a handsome Paladin of Erathis, with a commanding presence. He was like no one I had seen before, with the features of a powerful dragon sculpted on his beautiful face. The Mayor told us that Ghesh would accompany us, as he had to deliver a message to the Vizier Avonazemon, Supreme Judicar of Delornen.
Since Ghesh is accompanyin us, Adolfiel has been playing more with her hair, Streisan is excited about talking with him about the best movements with a polearm, and I have decided to question him about Erathis and his family... Ioun, guide my path to absolute knowledge!!
Scientific Notes
Wylflower -see drawing at the end of the diary- seems to be a powerful drug that improves the mood of those who eat its seeds: I had a most wonderful experience with it the first night we arrived at Relkingham.
I have also talked with several Sailors and it seems that Wylflower Elixir is particularly powerful in improving one's focus... I will try to gain the knowledge of obtaining the Elixir to see if it is helpful for my investigations... at least it will make a good addendum to the book I am writing on the ecology of the Sylfaen Forest and the surrounding nations, Ioun be praised!
Taking care of the refugees
We all slept comfortably in our cottage, and the following day we decided to accompany our Mama and the other refugees to Sylfre, so that they could feel secure while we pursued the raiders.
At half distance from Sylfre, we arrived to Cousin Alfrediel's inn. Cousin Alfrediel has always been interested in Streisan, although he is too clumsy while courting and very slow cutting trees with a trident, and because of these important reasons, Streisan had never taken a liking for him. A pity, as they would make such a nice couple! And he is a very good cook!
Anyway, other refugees from Leavendale had flocked to the inn and the smoke of the town had been noticed by a group of valiant Elven Rangers that had grouped together to investigate the tragic events. We left the refugees with them, and Mama with Cousin Alfrediel.
Vistra had told us that he was in a pilgrimage to Wyllea, the capital of a human caliphate called Delornen that expanded to the south of the Sylfaen forest. We all agreed that Delornen would be a good place to obtain more information about the raiders... and we were also curious to see how her relation with Tyrion would evolve, so we decided to accompany them... Sisters' Power!
At half distance from Sylfre, we arrived to Cousin Alfrediel's inn. Cousin Alfrediel has always been interested in Streisan, although he is too clumsy while courting and very slow cutting trees with a trident, and because of these important reasons, Streisan had never taken a liking for him. A pity, as they would make such a nice couple! And he is a very good cook!
Anyway, other refugees from Leavendale had flocked to the inn and the smoke of the town had been noticed by a group of valiant Elven Rangers that had grouped together to investigate the tragic events. We left the refugees with them, and Mama with Cousin Alfrediel.
Vistra had told us that he was in a pilgrimage to Wyllea, the capital of a human caliphate called Delornen that expanded to the south of the Sylfaen forest. We all agreed that Delornen would be a good place to obtain more information about the raiders... and we were also curious to see how her relation with Tyrion would evolve, so we decided to accompany them... Sisters' Power!
Sariel's Diary
Raid on Leavendale
It looked like it was going to be a normal market day. Adolfiel was combing her hair in the bathroom until the last moment... though it never seems to work with the lads of the village, she always manages to annoy me and Streisan when she blocks the bath. Streisan was training her muscles cutting wood with her trident, and I was finishing the last page of a mostly interesting book about the history of Leavendale and the riots against the Charcoal Tax that almost completely destroyed the town 200 years ago.
As usual, I conjured my servant hand to finish packing for the market: furs from Adolfiel, wood and woodcarvings from Streisan and some medicinal herbs I had found while investigating a nearby copse of trees.
It was a gloomy and wet day indeed, and Adolfiel lost in a one minute rain shower all the coiffeur work of the morning.
We occupied our usual place in the market square, and less than an hour had passed when we heard a commotion coming from the outskirts of the village. Adolfiel went to take a look at what was happening and came back saying that some Humans were attacking the village, burning with oil and torches every house they could get their hands on!
We ran towards the closest battle din and found there a bearded Dwarf and a cloaked Human trying to protect some of the village's citizens from a band of nasty looking Humans. We aided as many villagers to flee the village as we could and the Dwarf and Human proved also to be quite resourceful during the escape, helping a woman and her child in a most spectacular way, although they seemed to have trouble jumping the pool near Clumliel's shop... something very strange, as even the elven kids seem to be able to jump it without a problem.
We run towards our cottage to verify that Mama was safe, and we found that the raiders had not discovered our home. We thanked the travellers and learnt their names: Vistra the Dwarf -the name sounds ridiculous in Elvish, but we try to avoid laughing too much when we are in front of her - and Tyrion the Human. We also learnt that the Dwarf is a female, even though she has a beard!
We immediately tried to gossip with her and asked whether Tyrion was her boyfriend, how they had met and whether they had Princesses in Dwarvenland, but she mumbled something about a headache and ajusted her helm tighter... a pity they don't talk much, as they make such a nice couple...
After a short refreshment, we went back to the village in time to see the last raiders shoving their captives into some longboats and departing. They seemed to be commanded by a big Human in full black plate armor and a red cloak. We promised ourselves we would not rest until we had rescued our fellow citizens from the claws of the raiders!
It looked like it was going to be a normal market day. Adolfiel was combing her hair in the bathroom until the last moment... though it never seems to work with the lads of the village, she always manages to annoy me and Streisan when she blocks the bath. Streisan was training her muscles cutting wood with her trident, and I was finishing the last page of a mostly interesting book about the history of Leavendale and the riots against the Charcoal Tax that almost completely destroyed the town 200 years ago.
As usual, I conjured my servant hand to finish packing for the market: furs from Adolfiel, wood and woodcarvings from Streisan and some medicinal herbs I had found while investigating a nearby copse of trees.
It was a gloomy and wet day indeed, and Adolfiel lost in a one minute rain shower all the coiffeur work of the morning.
We occupied our usual place in the market square, and less than an hour had passed when we heard a commotion coming from the outskirts of the village. Adolfiel went to take a look at what was happening and came back saying that some Humans were attacking the village, burning with oil and torches every house they could get their hands on!
We ran towards the closest battle din and found there a bearded Dwarf and a cloaked Human trying to protect some of the village's citizens from a band of nasty looking Humans. We aided as many villagers to flee the village as we could and the Dwarf and Human proved also to be quite resourceful during the escape, helping a woman and her child in a most spectacular way, although they seemed to have trouble jumping the pool near Clumliel's shop... something very strange, as even the elven kids seem to be able to jump it without a problem.
We run towards our cottage to verify that Mama was safe, and we found that the raiders had not discovered our home. We thanked the travellers and learnt their names: Vistra the Dwarf -the name sounds ridiculous in Elvish, but we try to avoid laughing too much when we are in front of her - and Tyrion the Human. We also learnt that the Dwarf is a female, even though she has a beard!
We immediately tried to gossip with her and asked whether Tyrion was her boyfriend, how they had met and whether they had Princesses in Dwarvenland, but she mumbled something about a headache and ajusted her helm tighter... a pity they don't talk much, as they make such a nice couple...
After a short refreshment, we went back to the village in time to see the last raiders shoving their captives into some longboats and departing. They seemed to be commanded by a big Human in full black plate armor and a red cloak. We promised ourselves we would not rest until we had rescued our fellow citizens from the claws of the raiders!
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