Berronar forgive me

Vistra, in prayer to The Mother Goddess:

"Berronar, Mother Goddess, guide me in these troubled times. I have taken a road I am not sure I can follow, crossed a bridge that is now burning behind me. "

The screams of Szakeem echo in Vistra's mind.

"I knew what would happen, the screams echoing from the lower decks just psychic screams hammering my mind confirming what I already knew. Szakeem was being tortured, and I tried to ignore them. Szakeem, a lawless pirate, murderer, kidnapper and who knows what other crimes could be laid at his feet, a hob-goblin rotten to the core and still the screams plague me. My pilgrimage was interrupted to aid in bringing the kidnappers of the elves at Leavendale to justice and free the elves that had been torn from their lives. But is this justice... we all knew Szakeem's crimes, we knew the gallows waited for him and so too would he have taken the information we needed to find the elves with him to his grave. "

Flashback: Vistra arrives with the others to where Leo has brought Szakeem, entering the room she is shocked to find Szakeem bleeding from several cut wounds, clearly dead. Turning to Leo she finds him covered in Szakeem's blood giving a grim image of what must have transpired.

Leo turns to the group and says "I have the information regarding the elves, Szakeem's request for the information was for me to kill him before he is hanged in Marshport."

"He wasn't lying, I knew from the way he said it and the predicament Szakeem was in that it was true, he had taken no pleasure from killing, but neither had he shown regret. But Szakeem was supposed to face justice in Marshport for his crimes. Leo isn't an evil man, his goal to free the elves is a noble sacrifice on his part but can we be the judges and the executioners. Had it not been one of the evil races that plague our world I know I would have stood against any form of torture, but can I condone such an act even against one such as a hob-goblin? Can I be angry at his death, while standing idle during torture? This is the bridge now burning behind me, have I turned from everything you stand against? It is in this I seek your guidance Berronar, and more I seek forgiveness and mercy if my path has strayed. "

Disaster at Fort Eyre

It seems wherever we go there is always something that bars our way. After having been able to free the slaves from the Towerat Poisson, through some gruelling trials against the Kruthiks, we planned on going to Fort Eyre with Mandin and his guards, grab a good nights rest before heading to Marshport to drop of the elves and Mandin's group and see where we would go from then on. As soon as we arrived in Fort Eyre things started getting sour, one of the guards at the gate tried to stir up some trouble and apparently we hit a nerve as they 'convinced' one of the merchants we had sold our kart to say we had beaten him and brought those charges to the Guard Captain. He put us under investigation, although with luck I think he was sensing something was up as I had told him that as a Cleric of Berronar I would never condone or allow such action to be undertaken. We weren't permitted to leave town, even after securing a ship that would bring us to Marshport and then further north past the Whitecaps. But it seems Evil forces were conspiring against us. After having talked to the Harbour Master regarding (Zhakiem) and the ship with brown sails, everything went from bad to worse. Ambushes were placed, with helpless women crying for help and turning on us when we came to the rescue, beggers looking at us with more than just eyes for our money, an Elite assasin tried to get rid of Leonardo and Tyrion who only with luck managed to escape and reach the city guards who chased the assasin away, Mandin and his guards were also kidnapped from the inn they were staying at, and worst of all we had to spend time in the sewers of Fort Eyre the smell worse than Gruumsh's own foul breath. Someone was spending a lot of effort to get rid of us, and we still had only an idea of where they would be located, in one of the houses near the market that had been scouted out by Adolfiel. After Mandin's capture we thought enough was enough, we devised a plan to try and get into this house and get back Mandin and his guards and stop this hunting of us once and for all.

Defeat within Victory

I would have like to be able to write this down earlier, but the anguish and pain within my heart have made me cower from writing the events of the last few days down and the terrible event it lead to, hoping that by not writing about it, not talking about it, it would not be real. But I can hide no longer, as a cleric of Berronar I must be strong, how can I hide from pain and help others to accept and live through it, make their lives better even through the hardships? How can I do my duty, how can I aid others if I cannot even help myself. So here we are dear diary, the first step in accepting the fate that has befallen our group. My heart is torn, but I believe this trial has made me stronger, I pray to Berronar that it is so.

After having traveled to Wylea, we had met with the Caliph and managed to convince her that the edict was not a good idea, at least till more thought and other options had been considered. But that was when the first tragedy happened, a man trying to reach the Caliph died just after having told us what was happening, the Vizir had stolen the edict and was planning on making it holy law despite the Caliph's orders. After having bested some guards told to keep us in the Palace, we managed to get to the secret entrance who's existance had been given to us by one of the Caliph's servants. We ended up in the sewers, smells I'd rather not describe attacking our nostrils the deeper we ventured. At one point we found a cavern, which as we ventured through had some slimes attack us. Fortunatly we dispatched them with fair ease.

But we kept hurrying to the Vizir's temple to hopefully prevent him implementing the edict. As we arrived at what seemed to be the entrance to the temple, we got hit by barrels pushed by attackers from the top of the stairs. Tyrion charged, and was badly injured and dying. We got pinnen in the stairs by one of the paladins trying to push through to save Tyrion. I admit I do not know if my faith could have saved me if Tyrion had died, we have traveled a lot together and... (that will have to be for another day). Fortunatly through the battle we managed to find out that the paladins had been sent by the Caliph to protect the temple and do what we had come to do, prevent the Vizir from implementing the edict. But as information reached us that the Vizir was at the harbor we rushed there to find the ships burning, the Caliphs personal ship leaving all of us knowing the Vizir was on board.

Grabbing horses, we rode. I don't remember for how long, trying to save every minute by pushing ourselves and the horses to the limit, time had become a torrential flow who's passing we could not measure. We arrived at a small village, my horse tired from the ride. We tried to get to the stables and hopefully ask the owner for some fresh ones, but all we found were terrified horses and undead attacking us from all over, their left hands and eyes had been cut showing us Vecna's hand in these events unfolding. Pushed by the fact that time was the one luxury we didn't have we dispatched them quickly and continued our ride. The horses grew tired, our bodies also were starting to feel the drain of us pushing ourselves to the limit. Further along we saw a burning watchpost, bodies litered on the floor. Ghesh and myself were compelled to give them a proper sending off, with a quick prayer we added them to the flames so their flesh and their souls would be cleansed before reaching the afterlife. Again there was no time to stop, we rode on reaching Relkingham tired and physically exhausted. But we received news that the Vizir had arrived not long ago, our plan had worked and we had managed to save conciderable amounts of time. We rode to the temple, where our way was barred, we got attacked by humans overcome by drugs attacking us, it pained me to see them die but I could not fathom the concequences if we failed in stopping the Vizir. Undead soon joined the fray, and we were assisted by Nietsch, a paladin of Erathis, and a few of his companions. The first tragedy of the day as Nietsch was killed by Jeryn, a paladin helping the Vizir who had renounced Erathis, althought there was a small concolation in Nietsch having struck Jeryn down.

But there was a pillar of darkness eminating from the back of the temple and again we rushed forward hoping to prevent these terrible events to progress any further. Dispatching some the final bodyguards, we finally arrived at the Shrine of Erathis in the temple, standing before it was Avonazemon, traitor to humanity and his god Erathis, now a minion of Vecna. Before we even had time to react he pulled Adolfiel in a swirling cloud of hands and eyes. We pushed forward, rage a part of some, cold anger in others, fighting for what was right and good in this world. We were pushing him back but suddenly using his powers of the mind he attacked the will of Tyrion taking over his mind. Tyrion managed to brush it off fairly quickly though before causing considerable damage. We kept pressing the attack, even Adolfiel swirling in the mass of hands and eyes managed to pull off some very impressive attacks hurting Avonazemon further. But our luck ran out, Avonazemon managed to take control of Streisan's mind. Probably knowing the battle was lost for him, Avonazemon used Streisan to attack Ghesh who weakened by the battle against Avonazemon fell prone to the ground. Using everything we had we tried to stop Avonazemon, help Streisan break his control but he was just too strong, using all his strength for those last moments defiling everything that was good.

This dear diary is where my passage has lead me to, I do not wish to hide the tears the pain of these last day has caused me, innocents hurt and dying, the valorous paladin Nietsch struck down in his combat against evil. But the true event that I will never be able to forget, and who's pain will follow to my end of days was Avonazemon last act, bending Streisan's mind into one last desperate command, the execution of Ghesh. It is not only the death of Ghesh, a paladin we would all have called a friend, but what truely broke me was to see Streisan's face as Avonazemon's control broke over her as his death neared. I cannot fathom the horror she must be going through, having witnessed unable to help oneself, kill a friend. I admit, and I hope Berronar can forgive me, that at that moment I was broken overwhelmed by the pain that the evil in this world can unleash.

But through the guidance of Berronar, I believe I have found my purpose. This sort of pain, this sort of evil is but a drop in a wave crashing on the world. I must be strong, I must live with the pain so others won't, I must aid those that need it, I will be Berronar's shield upon this world molded by the trials I will face and I pray to Berronar that my faith will be enough to save me and that in death I may face her on Mount Celestia, with my head held high.

From Spiders to Dragonborn

Since the attack on Leavendale so much has happened I don't know where to start. On our way to find clues about the raiders in Relkingham, we got attacked by huge spiders! Not only that though, Sariel is quite talkative and distracted by her we ended up stuck in a huge spider web. The battle raged while Sariel and myself futily attempted to get clear of the web, but Tyrion managed to get us both clear of it. (He earns his money, but I sometimes wonder if there's more behind it than the money...) After we managed to get the spiders to flee, we continued on our journey, hoping for a hot bath though still have itches everywhere and always seem to find some strands of spiderwebs everywhere! But of course that couldn't be it, we still had to be attacked by a pack of wolves. Truely not our day, fortunatly for us we managed to dispatch them fairly easily with some impressive magic from Sariel and well... some barbaric executions from Streisan. Have to admit these sisters seem to be able to handle themselves quite well, it's quite unfortunate that they never seem to stop talking.

Anyways finally we arrived at Relkingham and I have to admit I was eager for that hot bath, but having booked an inn for the day we first made some inquiries around town. What we found out was shocking to say the least, not only was there a large trade of a narcotic plant, which we found out later from villagers and Sariel's experimentation on herself (I'm not sure Tyrion will ever be the same again..), but the Caliph of Wylia was going to implement a tax requiring sacrifices of the flesh! I had never heard such dispicable and horrendous law, especially after hearing it would likely become Holy Law for followers of Erathis. I went to the Temple of Erathis to see how they felt about this. In the temple I encountered what to say the least was an 'impressive' paladin of Erathis. Dragonborn, huge and very scary he introduced himself as Ghesh, we talked a bit about how he felt regarding the laws, and that he told me he was on a carrier mission to give a message to the Vyzier and High Priest of Erathis in Wylea.
To gain further information we made an appointement with the Mayor of Relkingham for the next day, and finally I was able to get the much wanted bath I was hoping for.
The next day we met with the Mayor of Relkingham who told us that this law would destroy the trade of Wyllflower (the narcotic plant) in his town and would be a disaster for the economy. He wanted us to go on a mission to Wyllea to try and confince the Caliph not to implement the tax. Although I do not agree with saving the trade of the narcotic plant, the tax is a far greater evil in my eyes and we decided to accept the quest. Although we did have to ask some help with fast transportation and a lettre of introduction to get us access to the Caliphs palace which the Mayor provided for us. At the Mayor's office, we also met Ghesh, who seemed to have fluttered the three sisters and even silenced them for a few seconds (a feat I thought near impossible). As he was traveling in the same direction and said he would help us to try and convince the Caliph not to implement the tax, we invited him to join us as it would be faster on the boat the Mayor had provided us with.