Entry 4/20/13

Chapter 34: Research and Worry

It’s been two weeks!  I haven’t been able to contact the group and I am going out of my mind with worry!  I checked in with Sheila and Grusk in Spearrow and found out that the former managed to heal the latter (with assistance from Rish) from a Mummy Rot disease!  Someone really did try to kill Grusk and from what I can tell, the group left the village and headed back north, but even checking in Hammerfell and Perch, I haven’t been able to find out any information.  I really hope they didn’t move on to Elb without me!

Oh, that reminds me, I’ve discovered where most of Fennic’s teleport arches go!   Obviously the three locations I mentioned already, but also three apartments in Stormguard which are all warded so their use can’t be detected.  Another arch led to a cabin on the ground of the Starfire Winery.  I met with the owner there to inform him of Fennic’s death.  He was a very pleasant elf named Raz, who besides making some truly wonderful wine, was a wizard who often worked with Fennic.   His specialization in Destruction-type spells made him a force to be reckoned with and he even made some of the magical traps guarding the Vault in Spearrow.  I will keep him in mind if any of my group needs to enchant their weapons with more destructive magic.

Another arch leads to a jungle located on the border between Lilly’s homeland of Rolonia and Grundo.  Other than a general impression that he enjoyed the hospitality of the area, I assume he went there for exotic materials for spells or possibly some of the wildlife there.   In his journals, I also found out that he did a lot of bounty-hunting for the nearby kingdoms.  I am glad that he wasn’t the one put onto Lilly’s trail.  That would have been much more dangerous than the dark paladin we encountered and I fear that we would not have fared so well.

The next arch was definitely used for relaxation.  It led to a cabin on a tropical island.  The sea and surf was quite beautiful and relaxing.  I am going to need to get rid of most of the clothing he left behind.  I shudder to imagine him in such skimpy attire and judging by the amount of female “clothing”, he must have brought company here often.

Speaking of females, the next arch I investigated made my stomach crawl.  It led to an unoccupied room in the lady’s dormitory of the Forthwright School.  There had been rumors of an invisible lover that could sometimes be found in the room and a number of sexually-adventurous young women had become pregnant after their “ghostly” encounters.  I made sure that none of children sired by Oslo’s deceased apprentice were in need of aid.  The girls were all of noble houses at least so the children would never want for anything.  Fennic was an amazing mage, but a despicable person.

The next arch I used led to a “Familiar Farm” where they raised many wondrous and magical creatures.  The staff was all friendly and accommodating and I spent a couple of days learning about the place and its wondrous inhabitants.  Someday, I plan to find a familiar of my own – something that can fly!

There were five other arches that I discovered, including one that had no destination set as of yet, but I didn’t feel comfortable exploring them and I had other things that I needed to research until I could reach my friends again.  I went through Fennic’s notes regarding the “dark constellations” that he studied in his Observatory.  As I looked at his diagrams, I realized that he had made an error with some of the runes.  They were the same symbol, but rotated or tilted.  In studying the runes in detail I managed to unlock two magical effects: a rune to make cloth lighter so that it could levitate or even fly and another that created a temporary protective circle.   I plan to study this magic further, as I find the time!

During my time alone, I spent quite a bit of time in Stormguard; though I made sure to travel in disguise when I traveled through the streets.  I missed my disguise wand more than ever, but Fennic had a strange wizard’s had that transformed its wearer into an elderly bearded wizard, complete with arcane robes.  It was a terrible look, but no one would likely recognize me.  During my time in the city, I did two things.  Study and research at the Great Library and I met a girl.

It’s not what you might expect (though, after my rather embarrassing behavior in Hammerfell and my shyness around my female friends, you probably don’t expect much).  Her name is Tal'edesha or just “Tal” for short.  She’s a gnomish tinkerer and engineer and besides being attractive and deadly with a blade, she is extremely intelligent.  We made a deal to produce items similar to the lightning generator that we discovered in the ruins of Ka’Fel.  Everything is in the experimental stage at this point, but I look forward to our progress.  I also started working with her to learn the magic techniques used by her kind to effortlessly maintain illusions.  We sparred a little and her blurring, dexterous style is something that I could definitely adapt to fighting with my scimitar.  Plus her movements make me think that she would be an excellent dance partner, though I might have to use magic to either make her larger or me smaller.  Regardless, I look forward to spending more time with her.

Besides my very pleasant times in Tal’s company, I did quite a lot of research.  There was very little about my family history other than vague mentions of some of the more famous of my ancestors.  There was quite a bit on Oslo, however.  In his (much) younger days, he had been a member of the Wizard’s guild in Stormguard and spent a great deal of time exploring and adventuring.  He found a staff that inspired him to leave and go to the land of my birth, but guild tried to take the staff.  A great fight broke out that left buildings melted, with stone running like hot wax.  Arcane duels set off explosions that rocked homes and even shattered windows in the Lord Knight's palace.  In the end, Oslo was left barely alive but the dock side was in ruins and the wizards guild had to pay blood price to the city and repair all that was damaged.

I didn’t find out anything new on Nicotem but all accounts; the Efreet that he imprisoned was a nasty character.  He is known as a warrior and a con man and though he isn’t powerful by his kind’s standards, he is still considered a Lord.  It is also said that he is quite vengeful so I will be sure to hide my connection to him and the man-djinn that imprisoned him so that he will not decide to take any form of retribution out upon me or my friends.

Researching the Bloodsong guild that Tom’s ghost spoke of yielded very little information.  Asking around, I did learn that they are seekers of knowledge and work to influence events from behind the scenes.  I found stories of how they spent vast fortunes to recover a lost tome or map an uncharted area.  Information appears to be what they value most.  It is also said that they have uncovered rituals that can gift a person with great power in multiple areas of expertise, merged together in one seamless blend of knowledge and ability.  I’ve studied Tom’s information and along with a detailed map of the ancient city and the current city, I have found a route to the location of the notes belonging to the ancient elven wizard, Thendaris.  Once I meet up with my friends, I intend to find these notes and meet the guild.

The last thing I looked into was the vampires that have moved into the city.  Known as the Red Fangs, they are based in the capitol city of Rengar, where they have dominated the shadows for the last three centuries.  I learned that the vampire that we killed was named Edgar White and at nearly a century old, was a high-ranking member of the group.  Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to find out anything further about why they have suddenly decided to move on the city of Stormguard.

Though I have enjoyed my time to research, study and make new friends, I really miss my group.  I hope I can get in contact them soon! 

Chapter 35: Reunited!

Finally!  We’ve gotten back together again, but things will never be the same.  It seems I missed out on an epic adventure!  Elb was liberated, Shane has regained all his power and knowledge, Lilly killed Mala’kai, and a new member has joined the group!  I still have to sit down with Shane to get the whole story (now that he is a master Bard once more), but I despair at having missed such important events.

Shane teleported the group inside of Stormguard and I rushed to meet them as quick as I could.  Before I could find them Lilly had disappeared, presumably to meet with her guild, but it saddened me that she couldn’t wait until after I got there.  I greeted others warmly and met the new person, a large man dressed in outlandish armor that I recognized as a style from Lunasigra, the Land of the Full Moon.  His face was covered in a masked that hid his features but his voice was deep and rich.  He introduced himself as Mak-ausk but insisted that I call him Mak. 

Shane had to excuse himself to attend to some business, leaving me alone with Rish, Fasa and Mak.  Not quite sure where to go first, we headed down the street in the general direction of the Silver Dragon, but before we could reach the inn, we were surrounded by a group of heavily armed and armored members of the temple of Irori.  Their orders were to detain Rish and bring her to the temple to face charges of Heresy.  To say I was outraged is an understatement and I came to her defense immediately, but there was nothing I could say.  We were all escorted back to the temple and informed that it would take at least two to three days to have the trial.  The inquisitor in charge was livid at this and I made my own objection because we had need of Rish’s healing skills.  A grizzled paladin came forth, dressed in plain but sturdy armor.  He guaranteed that our friend would receive a fair trial while another young man stepped forward to offer his services as a cleric.

Seeing no other option available to us, we departed and I led the group back to the apartment in the low quarter.  Though it was the shabbiest in appearance, it was also the easiest to get to unobtrusively.  Mak, Fasa and I talked with the new cleric by the name of Chad as we walked and eventually ran into Lilly who was leading a man in armor.  She introduced him as Warren, a paladin who was here to hunt the Red Fangs.  We reached the place and went inside to chat and get to know each other until there was an urgent knock on the door.

Since no one was supposed to know this place was occupied, I made sure everyone had weapons ready as I opened the door.  There stood a young man with dark hair and dark, angry eyes.   He was handsome and had darkly-tanned skin, but I couldn’t tell where he was from.  Standing the same height as me, he narrowed his eyes and I could see wariness in his tense stance.  He introduced himself as Will and said that Oslo sent him but before he could say much more than that, there was a crash and a dark figure hurtled in through the window.  Another followed him in, but we engaged the pair and disabled them quickly: one of them was terribly wounded by Will and Mak and the other was held by Chad’s magic.   Thanks to Fasa, no others managed to get inside; though they did try.  

We tied up the two humans to interrogate them.  Chad stabilized injured man’s wounds and in his weakened condition, he was much more cooperative in answering our questions.  The men, including more outside that Lilly had taken care of, were hired by the Red Fangs and sent by a vampire named Gregory Bones.  Before they could say anything further, we heard a crash in the hallway.  Standing in the shadows was a tall, menacing figure.  The gleam of red eyes and the glint of sharp, white teeth told us all we needed to know of our visitor.

He charged at us, but thanks to the blessed stakes that Warren had provided, we managed to dispatch him with little to no injuries to our group.  As he puffed away into mist, I used my command of air to capture him in the same flask that Edgar had previously occupied.  In the chaos of combat, the injured man escaped, leaving his partner dead with a stiletto buried in one eye. 

Quite the welcome for everyone!  To rest, I took them all through the arch to Fennic’s tropical island.  In the morning we are going to visit the temples and make sure everything is in order before heading into the ruins beneath the city so everyone is getting some rest.

Chapter 36: Trouble Above, Trouble Below

Our trip into the catacombs was a success!  Although, we have some concerns that we need to follow up on along with a potential business opportunity.  There’s also the Blood Song Guild!  But I am getting ahead of myself.  Let me start with how our morning adventure began that morning.

Temple district was busy as always as we went to the Temple of Irori so Chad and Warren could report the attack last night.  I went along to check on how Rish was doing.  The Paladin and the Inquistor in charge were both livid because the Hierarch was delaying the trial unnecessarily.  While the holy-types checked in, Fasa and Will waited outside.  I watched everyone as I usually do and noticed someone acting very strangely.  He was looking around a little too intently, especially at the more martially-inclined people in the room, almost like he was taking inventory.

I had been hearing rumors of paladin and other Faris going missing in the town so I decided to check on this individual.  I walked up to him to ask what he was doing but saw me coming, turned, and ran.   He was caught quickly and after questioning the man, we learned that he and others like him were being paid by some shadowy individuals for reports about the military strengths of the temples. 

Outisde, Fasa and Will had been watching another suspicious acolyte and when we moved toward, him he ran as well.  A chase led through the streets and in the direction he was running, we spotted a cloaked figure wearing a large brimmed hat and standing in the shadows.  He turned and ran too as well, but I called up a stiff breeze and blew the hat off his hand.  He immediately screamed and burst into flame in the morning sun.

The paladins all rushed around the smoking corpse and made sure nothing disturbed the undead creature’s final rest.  Unfortunately, that means I couldn’t add my third vampire to my collection.  Ah well, it’s still for the best.  We learned that the local butcher shop had been compromised by the red fangs and group of them were nesting beneath the place.  The throng of holy warriors made short work of the place and now the streets are just a little safer.  

We left the temple district and headed for the docks to enter the catacombs and began navigating our way through the ancient passages.  Will turned out to be an excellent guide as I immediately got turned around.   Our first difficulty was with a pack of rust monsters, but between the use of range weapons and wood staves our equipment came through unscathed.  The bulk of the group went down with a well-placed lightning ball.

After that, we ran into a wraithlike undead that would have been much more dangerous if not for the fact that we had a cleric and a paladin in our group.  We carefully avoided a gloomdrake, continuing through the tunnels and we didn’t encounter anything else of interest until Will spotted a dead body wedged into an alcove.  We found letters on the corpse between two individuals, Melarkius and Xris who are planning an assassination attempt against the Lord Knight at his upcoming birthday celebration.  As soon as possible, I will be delivering these letters to the Lord Knight and finding out who these people are.

Soon after finding the body, we encountered a group of Duergar.  They seemed to be focused on studying the support columns of the catacombs.  Consulting the maps I brought, we realized that the supports would likely collapse major portions of the city if they sabotaged them .  I don’t know if these dark dwarves are in league with the mysterious assassins but it seems too great a coincidence.

We set up an ambush for the group and devastated them with our initial attack.  Will proved to be a very competent archer and Mak used his blades to inflict terrible wounds.   I delivered a strike to one that I didn’t know I was capable of.  I practically cut the dwarf in half and the lightning unleashed by the spell stored in my scimitar finished him off.  One of the survivors of our ambush pulled out a small whistle and called for reinforcements.  A much larger group arrived and the fight continued in earnest.  There were a number of wounds on our group, but we managed to finish them off and even capture one of them.  Thanks to Chad’s communication spell, I was able to interrogate him and learned that they were sent here to map the region so they could hold the city ransom or possible just conquer it. They had been working for a year and half and have a tunnel under the northwest part of town that connecting to their lands.

Seeing no other option, we dispatched our prisoner and moved on.  Nothing else of note occurred until we reached the ruins of the manor house of Thendaris.  The building was mostly intact and quite impressive.  I took some notes, made some sketches and committed as much about the place as I could to memory.  Seeing this building, still standing after thousands of year, is an opportunity of a lifetime.  We searched the interior and found a library.  Most of the books and parchments were little more than dust but I found the notes in a protective case, still intact.  I used mending on the papers to make sure they wouldn’t crumble at my touch and looked them over.

They described a process to combine bardic music effects, something that I will definitely want to peruse in more detail if the Blood Song Guild will allow me.  After storing them carefully, I searched some more and found a spellbook belonging to the Wizard King.  This could be worth a fortune!  I intend to contact the Wizard’s Guild to see if they will purchase the volume; after I study it thoroughly, of course.  Although, Oslo may want to look at it as well, so perhaps I will wait to see what he wishes.

Still exhausted from our trek, we thought it prudent to rest here in the manor house.  When we are ready to move on, we will head to the surface and deal with everything we found out.

Chapter 37:  The Blood Song Guild

My head is swimming with knowledge and power!  I don’t know how long it will take for me to sort through it all.  I’m sure my fellow Guild members feel the same, but I am getting ahead of myself.  Writing this out does help sort through the chaotic maelstrom in my mind so I will describe what we’ve been through.

After resting in the Thendaris' house, we found a different route to the surface and emerged from a grate in the floor of a magic shop.  An elderly woman flared with arcane power at the intrusion, but fascination and bemusement won out over hostility.  We thanked the woman for her time and went on her way.  Though, I will have to return there to peruse her wares.  She may even be interested in the route down to the manor house so she can look through the ancient place.  Of course the Blood Song may wish to have exclusive access.  <writing trails off to indecipherable scribbles>

I apologize, let me continue.  Since our subterranean trek had taken almost three days, we went to Irori’s temple first to check on the status of Rish’s trial.  To our surprise and delight, the trial was complete and she had been exonerated of any charges.   The paladin had served as an excellent defender for which he will always have my thanks.   Once we had Rish back with us and said goodbye to Chad and Warren, we headed to the Purple Parrot tavern to meet the Blood Song Guild.

We were directed to an upstairs room and were met by a very distinct looking half elf who introduced himself as Alair.  Dressed in leathers, he was skinny, even more so than I but slightly taller.  He had green eyes and green hair as well while his skin was dark, almost the color of tree bark.  After giving him the notes, he was impressed and offered us membership in their ranks.  During a brief ceremony,  I distinctly saw the ghost of Tom Nice in the back of the room.  After it was finished, Alair took us into a private room and asked us if we wished to partake of the ritual of joining.

He told us that he was a druid and wizard and the ritual allowed him to advance in each distinct set of skills and abilities as a seamless hole.  The ritual would allow us to do the same.   Since Lilly and Fasa had only one set of skills that they trained, the process would do little for them, but for me, Will, Mak, and Rish, the ritual could be very useful indeed.

One by one were led to another room in the complex.  Being the only woman present (and I assume at some unheard urging from her god), Rish went first.   I never saw her leave the room and Alair returned to lead me inside.  After getting confirmation that I was definitely committed to this, he nodded and left the room.  The walls were circular and a dark red in color and the only furnishings in the room were two large mirrors.  Standing well over six feet tall, the perfectly polished surfaces were framed by an ornate swirling pattern of gold, copper and silver.  Suspended from the exact center of ceiling was a flickering lamp that, in contrast to the mirrors, was plain unadorned steel.  Without realizing I had even moved, I found myself standing between the mirrors, directly into the lamp. I could feel the pulse and hum of magic in the room but before I could reach out with my senses to study them a spectral voice echoed through the room. 

“Look to your left.”  I did so and saw the mirror but the surface was blank.  “Picture in your mind what it is to be a bard.”  As I did, images began to appear in the mirror hazy at first, but with increasing clarity and detail: singing in a crowded tavern, pouring over musty tomes, sweeping my scimitar in a practiced, complex pattern, smiling, laughing, and commanding.

The voice came back again, “Look to your right and picture what it is to be a sorcerer.”  Again the blank surface swirled and I saw flashes of lightning and swirling winds and in the center of the storm was me, hovering in mid-air, my hair whipping around my face, my eyes glowing with electric fury.

“Now look straight ahead and hold the images in your mind.”  As I complied, the mirrors rose off the floor and slowly began to rotate around me.  As each one passed in front of me, there was a flash and I was left with an image blazing in my eyes, like the glow remaining after looking at a bright light.  Faster and fast, the mirrors spun and the images became an indistinct blur: Singing, Casting, Dancing, Laughing, Whirling a staff, Reading a Book.

Then with an explosion of brilliance, the mirrors shattered and fragments of glass showered me from all sides.  They shards didn’t cut my skin; however, they embedded themselves inside of me, shredding my very soul.  As I fought to stop myself from screaming in agony, a warm soft radiance cascaded down around me.  I looked up to see the lantern giving off a study warm glow and the light bathed me and soothed me.  I can only describe the sensation as that of knitting my soul together once again, but now stronger than ever.

Knowledge and power grew inside me, stronger as both a bard and a sorcerer and equal in skill and ability.  Spells flooded into my mind and as well secrets unknown to me before I entered this chamber.  Weariness swept through me and I collapsed to the floor.  I had a vague sensation of being lifted and carried but darkness claimed me until I awoke in a soft, warm bed.

I stumbled out of the room and staggered into the common room of the Purple Parrot to find Rish, Will and Mak all there looking as bad as I felt.  Alair walked up to our table once I was seated bearing four tankards of cold, clear water.  He smiled at us, but didn’t say a word before turning and leaving through the front door.

After drinking my water, I pulled out journal and began to write.  The others didn’t say anything but a feeling of camaraderie was present that hadn’t been there when we came here last night.  A new path has opened before us and I am excited to see where it leads.

Entry 4/6/13

Addendum to previous entry:

My future volumes will be written in a Custom Cipher using the Auran Alphabet but with Elven Vocabulary and Dwarven Punctuation.  I will also be writing the text from bottom to top on each page.   This is to ensure the anonymity of me and my associates.  (I decided to nix using nicknames.  As much as I liked the idea, I kept accidentally using the real names.)

Chapter 30: A New Volume 

    

As we rested in Oslo’s home and waited for my anchoring charm to be completed, we discussed our situation.  We needed to get back to Hammerfell to collect our belongings and determine the extent of Pell’s betrayal.  I seethed inside at the thought of him walking around with my grandfather’s newly enchanted scimitar! 

Shane was looking very haggard and admitted to having strange dreams that he thought might be linked to someone he knew: images of being shackled and whipped as a beast of burden.  The latest dream he’d had involved getting off a ship and he recognized the location, the port in Storm Guard.  Oslo gave me the charm (and a new message ring with one charge, as always) and Shane asked if we could be transported to the city.  Moments after collecting our belongings, we found ourselves on the roof of an apartment building, squinting at the darkness and shivering in the fall, night air.  We got our bearings and headed for the docks and as we approached, Shane could feel a connection getting stronger.  He told us that it had to be his old familiar.  Unlocking his casting ability, though divine in origin, must have reformed the link between man and beast.

As we zeroed in on the location, he could sense a cold stable and stale hay.  We found the place and the creature lying in the stall was odd-looking in the extreme:  shorter than our Halfling friend, but easily two or three times heavier.  He stood on two legs and had no arms and was covered in a thick, blood-red hide.  One long, straight horn projected from the center of his forehead which was coated in Adamantium and etched with arcane runes.  The creature looked rather malnourished and showed signs of brutal treatment.  I healed him immediately and he blinked up at us, immediately recognizing Shane (who he always refers to as “boss”.)

His name was Hex and he led us to a nearby tavern where we found the merchant who had mistreated him and purchased him, illegally.  After a nasty altercation with the man, the city guard was called and eventually, the Knight Captain came to get to the bottom of the situation.  After uncovering a litany of charges ranging from slavery to smuggling to fraud, the man was immediately put to death.

Sometime during this ordeal, Lilly slipped away from the group after telling me that she would meet us back at the Silver Dragon.  Seeing the sun starting to come up, we decided to head back to the inn to rest.  When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find that Lilly was already here and had secured the top floor suite!  After breakfast, a massage, a bath, and a long rest (all of varying degrees of incredible) we were ready to secure travel to Hammerfell.

While in the city, I made sure to check on the Baron and his theater.  Though it wasn’t the most successful theater in town, it was critically acclaimed and gaining popularity.  While visiting with the Baron, I did sell him a new song, “Romance in the Rain” which I composed after witnessing Shane’s reunion with his then-fiancé/now-wife.  I also used a snippet of the melody that was playing as she arrived.  It was so hauntingly beautiful, I had to use it.  Also, while I was there, a member of the props department gave me a cloth bundle.  It turned out to be a robe that when worn, transformed into a set of fine studded leather armor. 

I wished the Baron well and met up with Shane and his familiar outside but before getting very far, we spotted two men following us while carrying a basket, a tactic I recognized well from my last visit to the city.  Thinking they were after me again, I created an illusion and ducked into an ally so Shane and I could counter their kidnapping attempt.   Strangely, though one of the men saw through my illusion and spotted me, he told his ally to keep after Shane.  We still stopped them handily and trussed them up for the city guard.  They were actually a press gang looking for strong men to row a ship in the harbor, the Concourse.  Somehow, I don’t think that ship will be getting very far, considering the city’s stance on slavery.

Soon after the guards had hauled the men away, another man approached us, but instead of anything sinister, he offered us a meal.  We got a message to our friends and Lilly met us at the restaurant which was located in the bottom floor of the large apartment building.  The entire floor had been opened up and turned into dining space.  The smells that greeted us were incredible and I actually heard my small friend’s stomach growl as we were seated.

The man who brought us was named Rawul and he was a gastromancer, a wizard specializing in culinary-based spells.  For his aid and service to the owners of the restaurant, he always eats free along with any of his guests.  Since he hates to eat alone, he often finds strangers to share a table and a meal.  And oh what a meal it is!  The Halfling chef is extraordinary.  Every dish in the eight course meal is outstanding and perfectly prepared.  The fact that his restaurant isn't completely packed is only a testament of a lack of advertising, something I am going to rectify by talking to the Baron, whose theater is just down the street.

By the time we finished the meal and lounged around the fire afterward, it was getting quite late.  We took our food in boxes and made our goodbyes.  The wizard handed me a scroll with a spell of his own design which summoned a rain of boiling, slippery chocolate.  I thanked him and pocketed the scroll before we ventured outside.   On our way back to the inn, dark shadows swirled around us and man in a red cloak suddenly appeared before us.  Later, Lilly filled us in on who he was: a vampire from a group known as the Red Fangs.  (Yes, past tense)

The vampire had followers up on the roof of a nearby building, ready to rain arrows down on us so I pulled out the scroll I was just given and suddenly, the rooftop was filled with the screams of those being scalded by boiling, slippery chocolate.  None of the assassins survived the gooey onslaught, either succumbing to the heat or slipping and falling from the roof.  The vampire rushed Shane after his arrow buried itself in the undead being’s chest.  Fasa delivered some solid hits but what really made him angry was the mage-bane arrow I sunk into his back.  He moved to me in a blur and before I could react, needle-like fangs were buried in my throat.

I’m not sure exactly what happened next but something in my blood ignited and the next thing I knew, the vampire was swollen like an over-filled bladder.  He screamed in pain and exploded, sending bits of cloth and gore in all directions.  The flesh melted into puffs of mist and coalesced into one cloud which began to drift away.  Still angered by the attack, I called on the winds and captured the mist in Shane’s silver flask.  I used Oslo’s message ring and told him briefly what happened.  In mid-sentence, there was a flash of light and I was standing before him.

He held out his hand for the flask, disappeared into his lab and returned after only a few minutes, swirling the flask in his hand.  Raising it to me in a silent toast, he downed the contents and to my utter shock, he became youthful and vibrant in appearance.  He looked and moved like a man in his prime, calling up his knowledge spirit with virtually no effort.  Looking me over, he assured me that my condition which he called the Curse of Night, should be curable by one the clerics in Storm Guard.  He thanked me for my gift, gave me a new message ring and with an almost negligible effort, sent me back to my companions.  I stood blinking in the night, still reeling in shock, but nothing further happened on our way back to the inn.

Chapter 31: A Curse of my Own

The next morning was painful.  Sunlight dug at my eyes like hot shards of glass and my skin felt like it had dried in the desert sun.  Though we were planning to visit Shane’s temple, we went to the temple of Erory, god of knowledge and healing.  The first priest I spoke to, after being made to wait for over an hour, looked me over and charged me a sum 180 gold up front.  I showed him the amulet of favor that I wore after retrieving it from the Dao Genie’s dungeon but rather than offer any sort of discount, he actually sneered and insinuated that I had probably stolen it from someone worthy.

He cast a basic Restoration spell and I blinked when he finished because felt no different.  He sniffed in disbelief and recast the spell; again, to no effect.  After stomping off in a huff, he returned with an older and presumably wiser priest.  I refrained from asking if he was going to charge me a higher rate for something not done.  He was a much more pleasant, albeit reserved man and seemed to genuinely want to help.  After he cast the spell, I still felt unchanged.  He was shocked and left to get his superior who turned out to be the Hierarch(ess) of the temple.

She cast a much more powerful version of the spell as well as Remove Curse, but there was no effect.  The temple returned half of what they charged and I summoned up the will to genuinely thank them for the attempt.  Shane and Fasa waited at the entrance and while I told them of the failure clerics’ collective failure, the man cleaning the anteroom approached us.  Though he was a lowly acolyte, he had seen something similar occur in the past: curses that could not be cured.  But he had seen a woman who could; a “witch-woman” living near Hammerfell had cured other incurable maladies.  The priests here had renounced the woman’s abilities because she had no formal training and had supposedly been gifted with her power directly from the god himself.

We decided to look for the woman there, but we still needed to travel to Spearrow to retrieve our horses.  We gathered mounts and a series of missives from Shane’s temple and set out at once; traveling through Reeve and Westbrook and finally arriving at Spearrow.  Sheila was happy to accept the horses to be used by the townsfolk.  Grusk was a gruff as usual, although he did seem to look a bit ill.  He waved off our concerns and we went to rest of Fennic’s hut and make sure our mounts were well fed and taken care of.   Comet and the rest of the horses were quite happy to see us.

Inside, Shane mentioned something about remembering other rooms in Fennic’s homes when he had visited in the past.  We experimented with enchanted door and found three other rooms: the Teleport room complete with a circle in the floor that I recognized in Oslo’s tower.  I examined the circle and stepped into it, drawing on the magical energies inside of me.  With a flash, I was standing in the entry hall of Oslo’s tower!  Not wanting to set off any of his magical alarms, I activated the circle and went back.  I could tell the archways worked in a similar fashion, but not knowing where any of them went, I decided not to chance it.  I did carefully write down the symbols surround each.

The next room we discovered was the Armory and found a number of useful magic items including a large batch of magical wands.  The last room that we found was an Observatory, complete with a massive telescope.  Looking at a log book that Fennic left there, I learned that we were in the End of the World Fortress on a different continent northwest.  Fennic had been doing research on constellations and their relation to magical forces.  I will definitely be coming back here to look into this further.

It is time for sleep.  Tomorrow we travel to Hammerfell.

Chapter 32: Gains and Losses

Events here in Hammerfell have been tumultuous for lack of a better word.  Upon arriving at the city, we discovered that Pell had indeed acquired the deed to the mine and simply sold it outright.  They had no memory of us having made the deal initially.  They only remembered that the elf was the owner.  There’s nothing we can do except mourn the loss of a fortune in gold.

On the plus side, the gear made by Glyph was still waiting and I am now the proud owner of an enchanted scimitar.  The enchanted strings from the violin I received in Haschenal are worked into the hilt, giving me the ability to affect undead with my spells and songs.   It also has the power to store spells and discharge them when I hit someone.  Unfortunately, the loss of knowledge I was suffering under the vampire’s curse prevented me from storing my most powerful spell, Shocking Grasp.

We went to a few taverns, asking around for the whereabouts of Pell’s former group and found them at a quiet place called The Ringing Anvil.  Merriment followed as we drank and traded stories.   I gave Archibald one of the Triggering wands that I retrieved from Fennic’s armory.  They had helped us greatly and lost much.  They were all very interested in the news that Pell was seen taking a ship south and said that they were planning to hunt him down and make him pay for his treachery.

As our revelry continued, I asked our server casually about the healer known in this area.  She blinked in surprise and said a woman was actually waiting for us in the rooms upstairs and had been there for three days.   About this time, something strange happened.  The room became quite warm and the blood rushed to my ears before moving to … other areas of my body.  I glanced down at my drink and recognized the effects of Nixie Dust, a powerful aphrodisiac.  Looking across the room, I spotted a comely woman who was staring at me and winked.  Then she walked over to me, hips swaying in a way that made my blood boil even more.  She whispered in my ear that she had been admiring me and my stories and she wanted a more “private” performance.  I fought the desire rising inside me and told her there were better ways to get a man’s attention.   Before she could press the issue, Lilly came to my aid – pushing the girl away and seeing the state I was in, dragged me off to my room.

My memory of this time is very hazy and I really hope that I didn't say or do anything too inappropriate.  I have very little experience with women.  I’m not a virgin.  When I used to perform in taverns and at parties for the rich and influential, I was often approached by women.  Though, the times were enjoyable, there was never any talk of a relationship: not even with Kalliah.  I would have lavished her with attention and affection, but she and her father had ambitions that did not involve someone like me.  I love Lilly, but more as a sister and I would hate to jeopardize that in any way.  She is lovely and having seen her naked on more than one occasion, quite desirable.  Unfortunately, with the Nixie dust raging through me I was hardly in a state that I would want a “sister” to witness.

And then, the door opened and another woman appeared.  She was tall and graceful with obvious elven heritage.  Red hair tumbled around her shoulders and dark eyes taking in everything.  I think the room got even hotter and I had to fight my own limbs not to reach for her.  (Storms above, I hope she never reads this…)  Her name was Erish’dema, which I recognized as “Bad Ass” in elven.  Amusement raged with desire but she took a brief look at me and realized the problem.  She cleansed the poison from me and then removed the curse as if it were nothing more than a mild cold.  I fell into a restful sleep for the first time since I was met the vampire.

I’m now sitting in the common room of the Ringing Anvil, enjoying some breakfast.  I’m dreading when the rest of the group comes down to join me.  Looking the ladies in the eye without blushing is going to next to impossible.

Chapter 33: The Road to Fennic’s House

The healer has decided to travel with us and thankfully no one has made an issue of my artificially aroused state.  After gathering our things and saddling Fennic’s horse for Rish (as she has asked to be called) we set out on the road again.  We traveled toward the town of Three, where Fennic’s map was marked with a simple “me”.  According to his notes, he had a cottage there and after seeing the rest of the rooms in Spearrow I was eager to see what this place had to offer.

On the road, however, we ran into an ambush.  Unlike some of the others we had dealt with in our travels, this was much larger and much more organized.  Goblins and Hobgoblins attacked en masse, including a line of archers.  As usual, Lilly and Shane both ducked off into the trees to attack stealthily while Fasa, Rish and I stayed with the horses.  With my liberal use of lightning and Fasa’s powerful attacks, they didn’t last long.  With Rish able to heal us, we were never really in any serious danger.  Arrows fired at her were sent winging back at the archers thanks to the enchanted staff that used to belong to Fennic.

When the attack was over, Shane returned with news that the group was attacking primarily logging caravans to and from the city of Elb.  He had encountered their leader, a hobgoblin/orc half breed ranger.  (hobgoborc?)  The city had been clearing the forest for miles around the city, slashing and burning the land and he wanted to put a stop to it.  Shane assured him that it would be dealt with, if only he would stop his attacks.  We continued on the road, more eager than ever to reach our destination.

Before we reached town, there was one other encounter of note.  A spectral entity stepped out in from of our horses.  He wasn’t hostile and identified himself as Tom Nice, a bard who had been hunted down and hung in a tree nearby.  His crime was merely singing about a Captain Ventarius of Perch.  I have quite a bit of experience with performing and people who are so vindictive are people that need to be removed from the world.  We found his body and put it to rest. 

In thanks, he told us of a mission that he was on.  He worked for the Songblood guild and was heading to Storm Guard.  He had uncovered maps and information regarding the location of a treasure of great interest to his guild: the Notes of Thendaris.  He gave us his information which led to the ancient elven ruins under the city.  If we could recover these notes, we could even be considered for membership in the guild.  Tom told us of the Paths of Power that could aid us in our careers as adventurers and do-gooders.   He gave us pass phrase and a location to meet with the guild once we recovered the notes.

We’ve made it to Three and are staying at the tavern there.  We went to the bath house to wash off the grime from the road and to relax for a while.  Much to my initial embarrassment, there were no separate facilities for males and females, so not only did I have to undress in front of both Lilly and Rish, I had to share the bath and steam room with them as well!  I did my best to hide my blush in the water and mist and to avert my eyes as much as possible.  Luckily, no seemed offended by the situation and I was reassured that the Nixie dust had truly been flushed from my system.  We all emerged feeling clean and relaxed.

Back in the tavern, we asked about current events in the region.   The news of greatest interest was that the city of Elb had recently come under new leadership.  A half-orc named Grusk arrived on his worg and had taken over the city.  The current logging operations were his doing and everyone in the region was worried about what was going on.  From the description we got, this definitely was not the sheriff we knew and alarm bells immediately started going off in my head. 

Tomorrow, we’ll go to Fennic’s cottage where I plan on doing research and exploring that place thoroughly.  I’m also going to use the Archways to his apartments in Storm Guard to see what I can find out from the Great Library as well.  While I do that, I’ll send the rest of the group back through the Archway to Spearrow so they can check on Grusk.  I cannot shake the feeling that he may be in trouble.

Entry 3/23 and 3/30

Chapter 27: The City of Whispers

Oslo was strangely generous to me and the rest of the visitors to the tower.  He gifted everyone with at least one item useful to them.  As for me, I got a rod and a staff, each enchanted with unique spells.  In order to craft a new anti-compulsion charm, we had to travel to the ruins of the Kingdom of Ka’fel and get a drop of blood from a dao genie trapped there, but in order to enter the ruins, we had to retrieve an amulet from a noble in the City of Whispers.  It seems that a group who had done work for Oslo in the past decided to sell the amulet rather than return it: three guesses as to what group that was…

We had a few choices of routes but settled on going south to the City of Charity and taking a ship up the coast to the city.  Any other route would simply take too long.  We needed to get this done as soon as possible so we could return to Hammerfell and deal with the fallout of Pell’s betrayal.  Though I learned from Oslo that I had a relative (i.e. one of his former “apprentices”) who was a Vazir in the City of Charity, we skipped the reunion and chartered a ship, the Floating Goat captained by a man named Janeed, which is Zhakran for “goat”.

As we neared the coastline where our route would go overland, the captain and crew turned on us.   They wanted Lily!  It seems that there is a rather impressive bounty out for her capture and return.  In her homeland, her father had arranged a marriage that she had no interest in going through with.  (In her words, “the guy was ugly!”)  She’d manage to avoid the hunters for years, until now.

They tried to force Shane, Fasa and I to leap off the ship, but as we struggled, Shane called out a name that I didn't recognize.  Lily jumped overboard too to get away from her would-be captors.  As I went over the side, I used the rod that Oslo gave me on Captain Goat.  The spell “Chastisement” overtook him and he immediately jumped ship as well to save me from drowning.  The enchantment forced him to make amends for his wrong-doing in any way possible.  He called out to a crewman, a hulking man named Hakim, who lowered a raft and pulled us all out of the water while Janeed groveled for my forgiveness.

As we got into the raft a saddening swelling of water surged around the ship and within seconds it was dragged under the waves with a splintering of wood and wailing from the sailors.  Soon, it was silent and other than Janeed’s sniveling, we went to shore and set off across the steaming jungle.   One the way, we realized that the men would betray us once the spell wore off so we sent them away with threats of Shane calling down the same fury that caused the destruction of the ship.  Hakim tried to grab Lily and run, but a knife in his back made him rethink his position and the two men ran off into the jungle empty-handed.  I am not confident in their chances of survival.

We reached the city with no further complications and Shane led us to a very nice inn that he knew of.  As usual, he had some explaining to do with the innkeeper, but we managed to get nice rooms anyway.  Lily has wandered off with a shadowy figure in order to find out what she could of the noble we had to recover the amulet from.

Oh hey!  Something interesting is going on outside.  Is that rain?

Chapter 28: Love, Thievery, and Consequences

Half our party is embroiled in amorous entanglements: the woman’s name that Shane called out back on the ship is his new mother-in-law.  Yes, Shane is now married and as we speak, he and his new bride are consummating their newly established nuptials in their private rooms.  Now this isn't their first encounter of the carnal nature.  I discovered that the happy couple already has a son that Shane knew nothing about.  In fact, until today he thought his fiance was dead.  Yet another thing that Malachi’s touch corrupted.  Now that Shane is married, the bride’s father is no longer seeking to kill him, we can be on our way to complete our tasks, but I do wonder what this will mean for our adventuring days. 

Speaking of our tasks, Lily was still gone so after composing a song to honor the reunion of the couple (set to a melody that was playing in the wind as they met in the street with rain falling around them).   I took Fasa into town and went to a few craftsmen and made a reasonable facsimile of the amulet we were going to steal.  It wouldn't hold up under close scrutiny but it might by us some time after stealing the piece.  The following evening, feeling refreshed after our long journey, the four of us went to the noble’s estate.  By all accounts, this former adventurer had an incredible gallery of treasures from around the world and since security would be too tricky for anyone but Lily to go in, the rest of us stayed out on the street to keep watch.

Well over an hour passed and I assume that she was successful when I noted the large bundles under her arms.  We left the city quickly and made camp somewhere secluded so we could examine everything that Lily had taken.  I used a scroll that Olso gave me that would magical analyze enchantments and aid in determining the history of each item.  First I confirmed that amulet was genuine.  After that I examined the other items: a master-crafted goblet by a famous artisan, an enchanted map and a key to a lost library, a flying carpet that was given to the noble by an Efreet he had rescued and last, a painting that I immediately recognized: the Four Faces of Zhakara!  This priceless artifact had graced some of the wealthiest palaces in my homeland.

The painting itself was powerfully enchanted and as I studied it I realized why: the four genie-folk depicted in the painting were actually the first kings of genie kind, trapped there by one of the first Shiar, wizards who specialized in binding and dealing with the powerful lords of the elemental planes.  Two things became clear as I examined the painting: first, the four were actually aware of everything that went on around them as they had been for centuries.  Second, their truenames had been used in the binding ritual and through my examination, I knew their names!

I’ll admit, I panicked a bit with that realization, but I knew what had to be done.  The four had to be released.  The only way to accomplish this would be to use their names to unravel the spell, like pulling threads from a tapestry.  It had to be done at once, so I gave each of my companions a name: Shane, the Marid; Fasa, the Dao; Lily, the Efreet and I kept the name of the lord of my own kind, the Djinn.  We chanted the names and with a chaotic blast elemental energy, the four lords were released!

Each of us was given a gift for doing what no one else had ever been willing to do.  The Efreet king placed pellet of energy in Lily’s mouth and told her to look under her pillow each time she awoke.  The Dao lord gave Fasa a permanent stoneskin enchantment.  The Marid gave Shane something he knew would be appreciated.  He placed a curse on the waters of Malachi’s kingdom.  (Oh and did I forget to mention that Shane’s new family was Marid-blooded?)   My liege seemed less pleased than the others.  His favor is both a blessing and curse.  Electricity magic that I wield will act as chain lightning, arcing through both enemy and friend alike.  Before he left, he did tell us that other favors would come at a later date, after he had dealt with his household.

Chapter 29: The Kingdom of Ka’fel

Our travels to the ruined kingdom were largely uneventful.  We traveled through an immense tunnel built by Shane’s Father-in-Law.  Shane’s new family status allowed us access to the route and an armed escort.  From there, we traveled across the dessert to the City of Free Men.  On the way, we were confronted by a band of Yak-men.  Their leader was horribly scarred and looking for revenge upon any of the group that tormented him, years ago.  You guessed it: Shane’s group again.  Luckily, Shane was able convince the beast man that he had nothing to do with the wrongs committed.

I’ll admit – the terrible things done by those people and dealing with the aftermath of their actions everywhere we go has been weighing me.  I said some uncharitable things to Shane especially when their actions also caused tremendous upheaval in the city we were traveling to.   Fortunately, he didn’t take offense and we continued on to the City of Free Men to secure another ship to take us nearer to our final destination.

We finally arrived and used the amulet to pass through the magical barrier and after some searching, found a simple hole in the ground.  Dropping down, we found ourselves in a small chamber with a wardrobe, a table covered in cards and dice, and a spectacularly disturbing relief of a naked Efreet at full attention.  There were three doors leading from the room; one logged and two completely jammed.  As we looked around, I realized who the relief was actually depicting: a well-known hedonist who would grant magical favors for sexual favors.  I noticed scuff marks on the floor and against my better judgment or taste, I knelt and there was a click, followed by a scraping sound as the wardrobe slid to one side, revealing another passage.

What follows can only be described as a “dungeon crawl”.  Twisting and turning passages ended with rooms filled with various oozes and undead.   Our search came to an end at the room with a mithril door.  We entered to find a group of wights, including a troll wight!  Fasa and I got separated and we led a second group of wights on a merry chase into a number of traps that we had discovered.  Lily and Shane dealt with the original group and the troll, locking them in their room and securing it with traps.  I actually witnessed the final outcome of that encounter as the troll performed what can only be described as the “ultimate self-circumcision”.  (Though, I really don’t think that was his intention.)

In the room we found a trap door and a ladder leading down.  I don’t mean “down” though, I mean DOWN.  We climbed for hours, being careful not to slip as a previous visitor did as indicated by the bloody smears on the rails.  Shane actually chuckled at this, though he didn’t say why.  At the bottom, we discovered an incredible dessert landscape, stretching all around.  The dao genie approached immediately, recognizing Shane immediately but he calmed as I told him the Oslo sent us.  We stayed for a few days and I entertained him with every story I could think of.

He told us that Malachi and his group returned (without Shane) and attempted to bind him but were unsuccessful.  They were lucky to have survived the encounter; though I’d say this was unlucky for the rest of the world.  Shane made a deal with the genie and in return, he was giving his own medallion that made him a “citizen” of the kingdom.  Any future visits would be much easier.  Before leaving, I gave one of my story books to the genie and he gave us not one, but three drops of his blood and transported us directly to the surface.

As we blinked in the sunlight and dry dessert air, two men attacked.  The hunters sent by Lily’s father.  The fight was brutal and fierce but in the end, we triumphed and as soon as we left the barrier surrounding the kingdom, Oslo teleported us to his tower.  He was pleased with our work and told us to rest while he finished the enchantments on the new anchoring charm for me.

As I finish this entry, this will be the last one of this volume.  There are simply too many pivotal events and almost as many secrets that I don’t wish to carry around with me.  If someone were to steal this journal it could be very dangerous for me and my associates.  I will leave this in my chambers where I’m certain it will be safe and begin a new volume.  Perhaps I will use aliases for everyone involved.

Entry 3/16/13

Chapter 25: The Curse of Being Me

So I thought Shane had it bad.  His curse and dealing with his past is more like a trip to Inira’s Palace in the City of Delights compared to what I’ve been though recently.  It started in Hammer Fell when we were approached by a harried and breathless elf.  His name was Pell and he was looking for aid in rescuing his adventuring party from a band of gnolls in a ruined fortress to the south.  Checking Fennic’s map, we found where it is located.  He told us of how they found the location of the fortress, from a dwarven hero’s tomb in the catacombs beneath the city.

Shane knew the location of the tomb and had heard stories of the horde stashed by Tamalash Hammerfell, one of the founding fathers of the city.  Between the lure of treasure and the desire to do good for fellow adventurers of the region, mixed with the fact that we had nothing to do until our special equipment was finished, we could hardly say “no”.   (Though, in hindsight I wish we had!)

After meeting a wonderfully talented cartographer named Brent and purchasing some very well-made maps while exchanging stories, we gathered our provisions and went on our way.  Eight days of travel, much of it of treacherous terrain lay between us and our destination.  According to Pell, we could expect goblins outside the ruins with plenty of traps throughout the area.   Inside the remains of the fortress and in the caverns beneath were gnolls and the leader of the group, a blue-skinned goblin with powers of the mind.

I recognized the breed of goblins from my homeland.  Similar to the duergar, or dark dwarves, they were the servants of the vile Illithid race.  The servants strong enough to be use to the Mind Flayers were endowed with impressive mental powers and durability far beyond their usual breed. 

We moved through the ruins as stealthily as possible, but as a patrol was moving passed us, Pell broke wind and the foul stench was noticed by the gnolls immediately.  Thinking quickly, I created an illusion of a goblin rushing off into the ruins, struggling to hold up his soiled pants.  The gnoll growled and gave chase and we moved further inside until we spotted another group of gnolls that were leading a group of prisoners.   Pell, in another moment of colossal ignorance, yelled out “That’s my party!” and all heads turned toward us.

Battle ensued and Pell proved to be a competent fighter at least.  We recovered a few of the elf’s party members but the others were led down another tunnel.  Pell rushed after them and after freeing the prisoners from their bonds, we rushed after.  The next few minutes were a blur.  We moved into the tunnel and the gnolls let go of the last of the prisoners.  Pell rushed them back up the tunnel which is when I noticed a strange glyph-covered arch.  As soon as the elf rushed his friends through the arch, there was a flash of light and the tunnel filled with solid stone.  Completely impassible from our side, but we could still hear the group arguing.  Pell told us that he didn’t have a choice, the goblin and his master made a deal.  His party in exchange for someone that they needed: a djinn-blooded human train in sorcery and the bardic arts –ME!

The goblin’s master was some kind of bodiless spirit and needed a vessel to inhabit so he could stretch his power across the world.  I tried to explain just how bad an idea it was that he had handed me over.  (and yes, I also called him a Jackass.)  Then he revealed that my companions were likely to be used as a sacrifice and that Pell was going to get all of our worldly possessions, whatever we weren’t carrying on us.   The elf’s group was almost as outraged with him as I was and the coward ran off.

The party stepped back through the portal and became trapped with us.  Whatever fate would befall my friends and I would also be wrought on them.  There five of them initially: Trist, an elven ranger; Olwen, a cleric of the god of Justice; Shoorg, a half-orc priest of the god of battle; Roland, a human barbarian; and Archibald, a wizard.  Their last member stepped through the arch a few moments later – a Halfling rogue named Terry.  He brought all of their gear and as they re-armed themselves we discussed our options as we studied the arch.  The writing was in Auren and spoke of a chosen one (me) who would act as a vessel for the ruler of this place.  Archibald and I couldn’t determine any way to activate the arch.  It was more of a trap than a portal.

I looked down at the message ring on my hand and told them briefly of my connection to Oslo, but before I could activate the ring, a voice rang out through the cavern.  “You will go nowhere!”  A wave of magic surged around us and every magical item we owned shattered!  All of the brand new gear that we had bought in Hammerfell; everything owned the people we rescued; Fennic’s map, Iodur’s enchanted gear, my collection of wands, Everything!  Our wagon suddenly exploded out of my pocket, scattering our stored gear and blasting me back against the cavern wall.

As we recovered, we all stared in shock at the loss of so much accumulated wealth.  Not only was Pell going to get everything we left behind, anything of value we had with us was destroyed.  Even worse, Oslo’s gear that he loaned me was destroyed: the message ring, the preservation bag and the anchor bracelet that Lily wore.  The party devastated by the situation.  Many the items they had lost were things they had only just recovered from the Hammerfell’s tomb.  Even Archibald’s spellbook was destroyed.

Seeing no other choice, we began exploring the caves.  The tunnel ended at rough waters and what appeared to be a ruined dock constructed of stone.  I spotted something of the wall that turned out to be pictographs that I recognized as bugbear.  They told a story of “god” of sorts who built the entire island from “music and lightning”.  As I looked over the writings, we spotted a figure watching us, a sea nymph.  Fortunately, she made no attempt to charm us (or at least, we all managed to resist).

She told us that the being worshipped by the bugbears was named Nicotem and he did indeed construct the island, which was located out in the middle of the sea far to the east of where the fortress where we had come from.  She had only been here for a few decades and had managed to avoid the islands inhabitants and their god.  We left her and went back through the caverns until we came across a series of tombs inhabited only by mummified bugbears.  They all showed traces of an unknown Necromantic  spell.

One room held a female bugbear on a stone slab.  She had no trace of the magic on the others but had an interesting amulet with a stylized lightning bolt and a circle of bardic script that was a tune of some kind.  Something told me this would be important, so I took the item and stored it away.

In the main tomb was a large throne occupied by a bugbear of “small” stature.  Writing on the walls told of a story of a bugbear leader sneaking into a castle to steal items but meeting the ruler of the castle, a man made from “music and lightning.”  They two became friends and the bugbears served the man but the story ended there.  While I read, Lily found a series of traps on and around the throne which had a false bottom.  She worked her way through them and when the last one was disarmed, the bugbear king’s body animated.

He “spoke” in a series of odd phrases and gestures, but he also pointed up at the ceiling, there Lily found his treasure: in a black bag enchanted with Silence, there was an Animated length of rope, a wand specially made for thievery, a sword enchanted with lightning and a pair of goggles (also only for thieves) that could detect traps.   As soon as the king delivered his message, all of the mummified remains of all the bugbears collapsed into heaps of rags and dust.  Among the other bodies, we found a staff and Magic Missile Scroll for Archibald and a large sword for Shoorg

We quickly moved back out into the caves and eventually made our way to the surface with only a few hours to sundown.  We spotted a village that looked deserted and went to find shelter.  In the center of the small collection of buildings was an Effreet statue that I felt would be best to leave alone.  One of the buildings was large enough for us to stay in and after eating our meager rations, we settled in to get rest.  Archibald feverishly scribed the scroll he had found into a new spellbook that he made from one of my blank journals.

During the night, as Olwen was on watch, a group of the most incompetent archers attacked.  They were quickly and brutally dispatched and we found some equipment among their rag-covered bodies.   The next morning, the rouge Terry caused a much more serious problem.  He had picked my pocket and taken the amulet I found and played the tune on his pipes.  Immediately a violent and dangerous storm rolled in.  Wind and rain sprang up and lightning and thunder crashed all around us.  Not wanting to be stuck in rickety buildings, we rushed back to the caves.

From there, we saw a lone, sputtering torch moving down the mountain trail.  A man, clearly frightened, rushed to the village and we called out to him.  Though, he looked uneasy, but joined us in the shelter of the cave.  His name was Felipe and he had crashed on the island months earlier.  His surviving crew had gone insane and become cannibals.  Judging by his attire, it’s likely that the people that had attacked us earlier were at least part of that crew.

We asked about where he had come from and given us a quick rundown of the island’s scenic destinations: the “natives” village, a large castle up on the highest point of the island, and a bell tower.  He warned us to stay away from all of them, especially the tower and the castle because of the “Guardians”, large and brutal killers.  When the storm passed, Felipe rushed off again and we took the path further up the hills from where he had come.

At one point along the path, we were ambushed again.  With our expanded group and the lack of decent gear among our attackers, we put down the ambush quickly.  As we stood over the defeated foes, an image appeared of the blue-skinned goblin.  He told us his name was Suleesh and threatened us.  While we watched, he turned his attention to one of the surviving ambushers and through a mental compulsion, forced the man to kill himself.

Clouds suddenly rolled in and lightning flashed across the sky.  Shane, in an incredible display of bravery or stupidity (maybe both) called out to the sky, calling Nicotem a false god.  A bolt crashed down toward him but Terry was suddenly there, holding the lightning amulet (which he had stolen from me, again!)  The amulet was destroyed, but the managed to survive the strike.  As the clouds continued to boil, a soft deep voice called out, “light a fire.”  Shane pulled out a torch and I sparked it to life just as another bolt of lightning flashed downward.  The energy was completely drawn into and absorbed by the flickering flames and suddenly, the sky cleared and we were alone again.

Afterwards, we took shelter in another cave to tend to Terry and Shane’s wounds.  This cave had evidence of Orcish inhabitants, including some colorful graffiti.  At the back of the cave, however was something very interesting: a set of four broken tablets that I mended along with some help from Shoorg.  They were covered in writing of bardic script and studying them briefly, I determined that they must have belonged to Nicotem!  (I also began to make an effort to stop speaking his name out loud.)

They detailed magic related to weather control and musical study and one that specified a ritual of purification that would convert a person a full-blooded Djinn.  I carefully wrapped the tablets and stowed them as we left the cave to make our way to the Bell-tower.  We had a suspicion that the key to undoing what Nicotem had done would be found there.  We climbed to a high point with the help of Lily’s new rope and spotted the Bell-tower far in the distance over difficult terrain.

Then we spotted something else, a tethered line leading down the mountainside.  Sliding down the line was one of the most frightening and exhilarating experiences I’ve had; though a few of the others didn’t fare so well:  Arhchibald, especially.  He failed to let go at the bottom of the slide and he smashed into the post, breaking ribs and knocking himself unconscious.  A few others sustained minor injuries from their lack of acrobatic prowess, but after some healing we were ready to move on.  We camped a little while later and I collapsed into a sleep borne of constant stress, worry, and exhaustion. 

I am sitting now at my turn on watch but everything is quiet.  Tomorrow we go examine the bell tower and hopefully put an end to this nightmare.

Chapter 26: For Whom the Bell Tolls   

We awoke and prepared ourselves as well as possible.  Then we moved off to the large building topped with a tower.  We could see the bell hanging there, silent and ominous.  We also quickly spotted the “Guardians”.  They were massive and encased in metal armor.  They stood completely still and silent as we approached.  As soon as they became aware of our presence, they came to life with a surprising degree of speed and grace, drawing their weapons menacingly.  Booming metallic-sounding voices called out to us, demanding to know our business.

Thinking quickly, Lily answered that were there to pay our respects to the master of the island.  The armored figures paused as if in thought and then moved aside to allow us entry.  I think most of us sighed with relief as we strode passed.  Inside, we found a large sarcophagus located under the bell.  Using Lily’s rope again, I ascended to the bell to look for writing or any indication of how we could defeat the island’s “god”.  In the bell, there was no clapper, but an enchanted and incredibly fine lute.   I retrieved that and studied stone coffin.

Between Olwen, Shoorg and Shane, they consecrated Nicotem’s remains and the effect was immediate.  The Bell suddenly rang out and the ground began to rumble and shake.  We rushed out of the building as chunks of stone began to rain down.  Outside, the guardians were thrashing on the ground and in the distance, where the castle stood on the highest point of the island, we could see Something bursting out of the ground, destroying the building. 

It was an Efreet, old and massive and Nicotem trapped it and used its power to perform his rituals and create this island.  A wave of fire rushed out over the island, scouring the land.  When it struck the Guardians, they collapsed and shrunk down to reveal the transformed bugbears beneath the armor before they were reduced to ash.  The Efreet’s vengeance was swift and terrible and when it was finished, he disappeared, leaving behind only scorched earth and silence.

We looked around at each other in a daze until suddenly, with a flash of light I was standing in front of Oslo.  He looked both concerned and angry but when he heard what had happened he was more understanding.  He was still worried about the anchoring bracelet and told me that another one needed to be made as soon as possible.  Not only did it allow me to be summoned from and sent back to distant locations with ease.  It also prevented anyone from using my truename to compel me, something those of my bloodline are susceptible to.

My friends, older and newer were waiting down in the lobby of the tower.  As we settled down, Oslo told us that he needed us to retrieve materials for a new bracelet.  He had tasks for the other party as well, but for now, he’s letting us rest and recuperate.  Soon, we’ll be heading off across the dessert of my homeland to the City of Whispers.

Entry 3/2/13

Chapter 23: City of the Dead and Damned

Haschenal, another red dot on Fennic’s map.  No one knew anything about the town or what might have happened there.   Considering the track record we had with places of interest so far (an invisible town, a village of zombies, another village of ghouls and town that had become a feast for cursed godlings), we had absolutely no idea what to expect.  It wasn't a shock to find a black plague marker outside town next to a toppled sign

Black means “Certain Death” so it definitely set the town for our investigation.  To make matters worse, it had been raining the entire trip and I was feeling the stirrings of another wave of sickness.  I am going to have to find some form of magic to acclimatize myself to this region.  But I digress…

The town was completely deserted and showing signs of disrepair and neglect.  A general feeling of hostility filled the air as we started to investigate some of the buildings.  Lily led us to the Inn, which was mostly intact.  She immediately found a trap rigged inside and I detected the presence of magic – something illusory but I was unable to pierce the glamor.

Shane called our attention to another building further down the street:  one of the larger houses which obviously belonged to someone of importance.  He told us that it was radiating a steady evil aura.  Deciding to bypass the evil for the moment, we continued search specifically for a temple.  The place was completely desecrated and Lily again detected a trap which would have brought the entire building down on us if we entered it.  The sun was going down and with it a sense of dread filled the air.

A voice called out to us from the graveyard at the edge of town and we spotted a man dressed in cleric’s vestments.  I recognized the symbols as belonging to the local goddess of death and he was in the process of trying to consecrate the graveyard.  Shane could tell that the man wasn't successful, but we couldn't detect anything sinister about him.  His name was Kaleb and he warned us against being outside at nightfall and offered to let us stay in his hovel.  Seeing no other options, we did so after making sure our horses were safe and secure.

As soon as the sun went down, two things happened.  First, Kaleb faded completely from view.   Outside the hovel though, the town came to life, so to speak.  Peeking outside, there the dead were walking: spectres, ghouls, wraiths and in the distance I heard the unmistakable wail of a banshee.  Shane struggled with the urge to do something, but Lily and I knew that we would have no chance of surviving against that many powerful undead.  All we could do was wait quietly and hope they didn't find us.

At one point we heard the raspy voice of the banshee and found the withered form standing in the graveyard, looking toward the hovel.  She didn't let out her deathly screech but she did say that we weren't the ones responsible for this - that we didn't kill them all.  She wore the tattered remnants of a cleric’s robes and when she turned away, I spotted a kitchen knife stuck in her back.  She had been murdered and knowing how Banshees could create various forms of undead, it was likely that her rage was responsible for the horde out there now.

The rest of the night, though completely unnerving, passed uneventfully and in the morning, Kaleb appeared again and told us about his situation.  His brother had been the mayor of this town and after what had happened; he vowed to do whatever he could to help.  Since that day and every day since, he had appeared in the graveyard and was compelled cleanse the evil over the formerly hallowed ground.   As the sun went down, he would fade away and find himself back in his home in Reese.  Not wanting to keep him from his task, we mounted our horses and went to find out more of what happened in the town. 

Our investigation did not take long.  Almost immediately, we were set upon by unseen assailants.  Something in the heavy rain caught Lily’s attention in one of the narrow alleys and when we moved over to the alley, a knife flashed out from somewhere and struck my horse in the leg.  We leaped from out mounts and rushed into the alley to find the attacker, but a flare of magic from across the street caught my attention.  What I thought was a lightning bolt never came however.  Instead, it was a wall of force, sealing Lily, Fasa and I into the alley and cutting us off from Shane who was standing in the street, weapons drawn. 

Something large and heavy pounded straight toward him, but another knife sunk into my leg which demanded my attention.  Pulling the wand I had traded with Heratha, I shouted defiantly as I unleashed the spell.  A surprised, naked man covered in strange painted-on sigils suddenly appeared as the dispelling magic washed over him.  The symbols were similar to those used by worshipers of the “Devourer”, a particularly nasty deity bent on chaos and destruction.  The wild man screamed in surprise and anger but before he could effectively attack, Lily and Fasa dispatched him.

The battle raged in the street between Shane and his attacker and our friend bellowed in pain as he was wounded.  I looked to find a blood-streaked axe suspended seemingly in mid-air and I was struck by a strange similarity to Shane’s recent role as executioner of the slavers.  The attackers were from Riverton!  (or had at least been bathed in the waters from there.)

I found that the application of my minor prestidigitation spell allowed us to see the cultists.  Splashes of whatever color I chose appeared on them and let us effectively target them.  The unarmored men and women didn't last long under our assault and soon the street was quiet.  But only for a moment, as something very large and angry smashed open the door to the house where Shane had detected Evil.  He detected evil now and could detect magic as well.  Heavy footsteps rushed toward us and I threw a splash of color at it.

A massive, four-armed fish-like creature appeared before us and would have been much more fearsome had it not been lime-green with bright pink polka dots.  Even with the garish colors it now wore, Shane and I recognized it as a Sahaguin.  It wielded a club that was larger than I and even though it was ridiculously colored like the rest of him, it was still quite frightening.  He whirled the tree-trunk around to great effect, wounding me, Fasa and Shane before we managed to take the beast down. 

After that, the town was silent.  No other cultists rushed out to attack us and we were free to explore the town thoroughly, but carefully.  In the house where the four-armed beast had come from, we found the altar that they had been using, along with the desecrated remains of many of the townsfolk.   We called Kaleb over to us and though he was unhappy to have his ritual interrupted, he was willing to help. Dumping an entire bucket of holy water over the altar had the desired effect.  Dark, malignant energy crackled and sputtered until a sense of peace settled over the room.

In the graveyard, the townsfolk were laid to rest and Kaleb was suddenly filled with a burst of divine energy.  With a wave of his hand, the graveyard was consecrated.  After healing our wounds, he thanked us for our efforts and presented us with gifts.   I didn't get a good look at what the others received, but he gave me a violin that had belonged to his brother.  (It seems the Mayor was also a bard)  The instrument was a work of art, but what made it even more interesting were enchanted silver strings.  After the gifts were given, he faded from view and we were free to move on.    The people of Westbrook and the Regent were pleased to hear that the town which had almost been forgotten was now safe to resettle and the story was well-received in the tavern.   Tomorrow we head north to Hammer Fell.

Chapter 24:  City of Dwarves

Though not as large as Storm Guard or the cities of my homeland, Hammer Fell was a bustling, noisy place.   Anvils rang like bells while heavy clomping footsteps rivaled the beating of hooves and the rumbling of carts.  Loud raucous voices, both in celebration and conflict added to the cacophony.  In short, (no pun intended) the city is wonderful.  We secured rooms at one of the nicer inns and went into the town to do some shopping.  Before leaving our headquarters in Spearrow, we had loaded our stash of gold bars into the wagon so we had plenty to spend.

After asking around the city, I found Glyph, a weaponcrafter and enchanter to start a project: I wanted to have my grandfather’s scimitar re-crafted into a masterwork weapon.   Then I wanted to the Spell-storing enchantment from Fennic’s wizard staff transferred into the blade and have the violin strings worked into the hilt.  We worked out a price that I felt was quite reasonable and after securing the money for the project, I left my equipment and went off to find other gear, specifically some form of protective gear which would not interfere with my sorcerer spells.

I found it at a wondrous shoppe filled with an amazing array of enchanted gear.  Unfortunately, Lily had gotten there first and purchased the only high-quality armor bracers he had.  I did find a well-made armored robe that could change colors at my command.  In addition, I found a bracelet that could project a shielding effect similar to the Shield spell.   I was not going to be talked into buying a garish hat with spell-storing bells dangling from the brim.  As useful as the item sounded, it was simply too hideous.   Also, it seems that it belonged to an old associate of Shane’s and though I consider the large man a friend, I wanted nothing to do with anything related to his old group.  They were a scourge on this part of the world and everywhere we go, it seems that we have to either undo the terrible things they did.

Finally, we moved on to our primary business in the city and contacted the Miner’s guild.  They were amazed that we had secured the deed to Iudor’s mine and after haggling with them, we managed to sign a deal for 25% of the mine’s yield.  To begin the operation we are going to lead a team to the mine itself.  Tomorrow we begin our travels south again with all of the equipment and personnel needed.  I am a bit nervous to leave without my sword or staff, but this operation is too important to delay.

Entry 2/23/13

Chapter 21: Siege of Crossing Dust

 I really need to keep my mouth shut!  You guessed it – we ran across a goblin army: the Bonechewer Clan.  Besides the sizeable group of the diminutive green-skins, there were a number of orcs and a group of four “shamans” who led the force.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that they were Pasacha!  Unfortunately, not the dim-witted group that we encountered in Spearrow but intelligent spellcasters.  Shane’s command of the goblin tongue allowed us to listen in on their plans.  They were going to attack Crossing Dust!

We quickly hatched a plan to delay them and get warning to the town.  Lily snuck into a position upwind and released the entire bag of amnesia powder into the breeze.  The army was thrown into complete confusion as the dust took effect, making them forget virtually everything.

We mounted up and rode hard for the town.  Shane’s expertise in the woods was invaluable for making good time even though Fasa’s riding skills (or lack thereof) slowed us a bit.  We made it to Crossing Dust the next day and immediately went to the one person in town who knew us: Heratha.  The elven wizardess listened with concern and took us to the captain of the town guard, vouching for us as we explained the situation.

Preparations began immediately and my friends and I were at the heart of it.  Shane and I reassembled a catapult that hadn’t been used in decades while Fasa began making slings for the townsfolk to use and Lily moved out to the woods to set traps for the oncoming attackers.  Once the catapult was ready, we organized a group to practice with it while continuing to organize the defenses.  Crossbows and bolts were readied for guardsmen to use on the walls.  We set up traps at the main gate to deal with the heavy battering ram that we saw the army preparing.

I worked with the clerics for the three temples in town to prepare triage centers for the wounded.  Shane and Lily prepped more surprises around the city with the assistance of the townsfolk.  We sent riders on the roads north, south and east (to Spearrow, Qualm, and Bennit, respectively).   Heratha and I readied some magical defenses while Shane, Lily and another Ranger from town moved out into the woods to look for advance scouts.  We also made sure they had arrows for signaling.  After the battle, I learned that they dealt with some advance scouts and a sapper crew.  Without their efforts things would have been more difficult.

The army arrived with a pounding of drums and chanting.  First, the group of Orcs charged forward carrying their battering ram.  Unfortunately for them, they stumbled straight into the spiked pit we had dug in front of the gate.  As they floundered in the hole, the guards above the gate dumped a large cauldron of boiling water onto them.   One of the goblins called out to the archers to send a valley of arrows at me.  While I ducked the volley, the revealed Pasacha waved his hands and muttered some arcane phrases.  The group of dead Orcs suddenly began to rise as zombies.

I called for three actions: launch the catapults at the Pasacha and the group around him; Heratha to send a fireball into the group of archers, and oil dumped onto the zombies and set on fire.    The goblins were thrown into disarray.  At the rear of the group a number of wagons were pulled up.  Shane’s whistling arrow flew from the trees and I saw the big man race across the road.  A group of dog-like creatures burst from the cage and chased after him into the woods.  During the fighting, Lily rushed out of the trees and was brought up to the battlements with the aid of our magical winch. 

A horn blared from the North wall of the city and Fasa, Lily, Heratha, and I charged off to see what was happening.  When we arrived, the situation was very bad indeed.  The three remaining pasacha had used powerful magic to warp a large hole in the palisade.  Goblins and orcs were already charging through the gap led by a large Orc warrior.  Fasa charged out to engage the warrior while lily and the guards opened fire.  Heratha and I moved into position where our spells would be most effective.  She began channeling a large spell, which I assumed (incorrectly) was a summoning spell.  I jumped down off the wall and unleashed a blast of lightning into the group of spellcasters.  Did I forget to mention that I had embraced my djinii heritage and began training as a Sorcerer?

Heratha yelled for me to get out of the way before she unleashed her spell – Chain Lightning.   I followed up with another lightning blast.  Slipped up behind the remaining Pasacha and buried her sword into its back.  I turned to see Fasa finish off the Orc leader with a flurry of powerful attacks.   Seconds later, horns sounded from road to the north as Grusk charged in with a group of mounted guards.  The fighting quickly ended and we found that main gate was secured by a group of fighters from Qualm and Bennit.  Celebrations began immediately and though the town had some casualties, there was much to be thankful for.

Chapter 22: Horror at Wagon Wheel

We left Crossing Dust to head back to the Goblin's lair.  Unfortunately there was little there of interest: some copper coins, some large cauldrons, a magic shield, and a set of strange leather armor made from something called an Armadillo.  I will NOT repeat the joke that was made.  The pun was just too painful.

From the goblin caves, we traveled North with a brief stop in Bennit before continuing north through the woods.  On Fennic’s map there was a town labeled Wagon Wheel.  None of the townsfolk from Bennit had heard any news from the place so we decided to check it out.  We arrived in late morning and then place was deserted and eerily quiet.  Buildings seemed to be intact but there was no sign of life: animal or people.  Houses were empty, but Lily found one house was trapped by turning the floor into quicksand. 

The largest building in town was the mayor’s house and inside we found something extremely disturbing.  In the dining room, laid on a serving platter surrounded by nine place-settings, was a rotting corpse.  I’m ashamed to say that I had to rush out of the room to violently empty the contents of my stomach.  The others informed me that the body had evidently been partially eaten, carved up like a holiday feast.  In the kitchen, we found a large oven which had been used to cook the man.  I managed keep my stomach under control but we left the grisly scene and checked the rest of the town.

In the jail-house we found another crude spike trap set above the door and Shane recognized it as goblin-made.  We found a journal which belonged to the sheriff.  The town had been plagued by disappearances.  Every night someone disappeared, often with no sign of a struggle.  The cleric in town developed a powerful ward against evil and no one was taken that night, but the following night, goblins of the “Runny Eye” clan attacked instead.  When the protection spell ran out, the disappearances began again but soon after this part of the journal, the entries stopped completely. 

We checked the temple of the God of Luck and Travelers.  The priest was gone and the temple was empty and desecrated.  About this time, we saw that the sun was going down.  We took a vantage point on the roof of the mayor’s mansion since it was the highest point in town.  As we waited, we heard noises coming from inside.  Lily snuck in to see who was inside.   While we waited for her, Fasa spotted a woman wander into town.  She was well-passed middle age and looked terrified.  As she stumbled around, eight dark figures seemed to appear from nowhere and begin stalking her.

Lily rejoined us and told us that another man was inside and that she found him cleaning the dishes and that dining room table was already cleared.  A sinking, sickening feeling washed over us as we realized that the woman below was going to be next on the menu.  I could see that the figures stalking her were highly magical, in addition to being undeniably attractive and unnaturally menacing.  One in particular seemed extremely powerful.  The only tales that I could recall were of vampires, but I had never heard of any that ate their victims.

The next events are a complete blur.  I remember a blinding flare of light from the temple and a feeling of righteous might poured into me.   We fought the creatures and I have fleeting horrific memories of their bodies erupting like foul sacks of rotten meat and organs.  The key seemed to be destroying their heads. 

As the heady rush of power faded from us, we found four of them had been destroyed.  Near one of the “bodies” I spotted a book a book titled “Secrets Between the Teeth” which radiated magic.   

The other things had fled without a trace but the woman was safe.  She led us back to a cave where she had been kept prisoner along with the other survivors, including the goblins.  In another room in the cave there was fancy dining room table set with nine settings of solid gold dinnerware.  There was also a large banner which read “Our home shall grow to befit us, for we are men who would be gods.” 

Shane seemed to recognize the words but couldn’t recall enough of the details.  Not willing to leave treasure like the dinnerware lying around, Fasa and I went to collect them.  As soon as he touched one of the plates, a terrible power rushed through him and his face changed.  He looked angry and hateful.  Every few seconds he shuddered and changed again, becoming increasingly agitated and threatening.  Lily sapped him into unconsciousness.  I used my telekinetic cantrip to put the rest of the dinnerware into a sack and we put it carefully out of sight.

The survivors, both human and goblin wanted nothing more to do with this area.  We offered to let them come with us to Spearrow and they were very eager to do so.  I sent a message to Oslo as we began to finish our preparations to travel and I suddenly found myself in the presence of my Master, along with the sack of cursed plates, cups and silverware.  He was extremely alarmed when I told him what I had and he took everything to a special room to dispose of the items, along with the magic book.

They belonged to a group known as the “Godsmen”.  They used to be people but they had fallen under a curse, subtle at first but one which made the individual more and more powerful as they became less “human”.    The curse had been created by evil gods of Greed and Gluttony and when the curse became complete the victim would become an Archfiend completely enslaved to the two gods.   The book was the key (which is why he destroyed it) and the plates and such were the foci of their power.  Touching them would either kill the person or making them increasingly more twisted and evil.

Oslo gave me four scrolls of Protection from Evil, just in case the group wanted to replenish their numbers.  After resting, he sent me back to the group who had already arrived back in Spearrow.  Now we have to decide where we are going next: east again to some of the other points of interest on Fennic’s map and then north to Hammer Fell.  It’s time to get our gold mine operating!