6/22/13

Chapter 51: Resolutions

The first issue resolved is that Nico is no longer haunting.  Actually, he never was.  When I left the lute in my room and went back to Stormguard to have lunch with Tal, I noted that the ghost was gone!  Going back to Oslo’s tower, I found him still there.  He was bound to the Lute, not to me!

Seeing the opportunity to discuss matters in private with Oslo, I teleported back to my apartments and left the lute back in the armory before returning to Oslo.  My master agreed that it would be best to leave Nico with him.  It had been centuries since he had been able to speak with his son.  As we spoke, a feeling of dread washed over me.  I had the lute with me when we went to the Dao Genie which means that he was with us when we freed the Genie kings from their painted prison!

I told Oslo of my fears and he agreed that a warning should go out.  He would contact his wife in the Courts of Air and tell her.  This gave me pause because I had no idea that Oslo was still married… to a genie… my great (great, great, etc) grandmother… the Djinn King’s favored concubine!  I was shocked.  I had no idea they were still in contact but he assured that they were.   I’ll admit that I was upset that I had never gotten the chance to meet her, but Oslo assured that me that someday we would.  She was busy dealing with the repercussions of the king’s return.

Guilt washed through me at my part in the chaos she was going through, but Oslo assured me that the fault lied squarely on the Shugenja that trapped the genie monarchs in the first place.  The only reason the man was still alive was because he was immune to the magic of genie-kind.  I managed to keep my heart from leaping out of my chest, just barely.  The man was still alive!  For over ten millennia!  I had traded in the ire of a 400 year old djinn-blooded master mage for what could potentially be retribution from a 10,000 year old mage who could imprison the most powerful genies of all time.

Olso reassured me that spells were woven into my blood that would warn us if he or any of his agents were nearby.  Seeing nothing further that I could do, I retrieved the lute and left it in my room at the tower.  Nico and I had a civil conversation where I forgave him for trying to enslave me and he forgave me for destroying over a century of work and effectively causing his death.  He also told me that he did indeed form the Blood Song guild.

Saying goodbye to my ancestors I headed straight for my library to pick out any volumes I could find on the history of the genie courts and the disappearance of the kings.  When there is more time, I will have to continue my research, but for now, I had a promise to keep and a woman to save.   First, I contacted Fasa and asked him if he would be willing to act as my bodyguard.  I needed someone to watch my back on a more regular basis and I was pleased that he agreed.  As an initial payment for his services, I purchased a ring of lightning resistance for him.  (Working closely together, it was likely that he would get caught by some of my spells and I wanted to lessen the damage to him.)

We went to the wizard’s guild and I paid a hefty fee to one of the diviners for the location of the Sahuagin city.  After that, I went back to Tal’s place since it was nearing dinner time.  I agreed to meet Fasa back here in the morning and he a very pleasant evening.   The next morning was a bit of an eye-opening experience.   Unbeknownst to my lady, I had been learning the gnomish language and as I sat reading, she and her sister were having a conversation.  Until today, I had never been able to pick out more than a few words and phrases but now I could.

Erra was quite open in her questions to Tal about a number of very sensitive topics regarding out relationship and our activities, especially the quality and frequency.  They even discussed the customs of my homeland of men having a harem and whether Tal would be a part of that.  I did my best to keep from choking on my coffee or from blushing too badly.  It was especially difficult when Tal asked if she would be interested in me so that if our relationship does continue, they could be sisters under one roof.

This entire conversation happened as if they were discussing what to have for breakfast, which in fact is what they did next.  Tal said that she was getting tired of the daily routine of bacon and eggs and without a thought; I suggested that I go get crepes for everyone.  Tal said that would be lovely but Erra looked at me and asked bluntly, if I found her attractive, which I undoubtedly do.  Tal smiled and asked if I had thought of courting Erra.  The conversation continued regarding marriage and the future, but before anything was decided, I left to get breakfast.  No, I did not flee as fast as my magically-enhanced boots could carry me.  I swear.

Luckily, the topic was left alone for the rest of the day as we made preparations for our trip to the Sahuagin city.  Since the attack on the city, I have been studying the language of the aquatic people and I practiced taking their form with my Alter Self spell.  I went to Quint and purchased a variety of water breathing items, including a very stylish belt for me.   While the others were getting ready, I took Tal to the docks and I spent a few hours with her under the water practicing Illusions that would be convincing.

Lilly had secured a crew for her ship and I had created a compass using Francine’s hair and dewing needle to pinpoint her location.  Tal gave us a set of weapons that would be extremely useful under water, including two repeating harpoon crossbows, a trident and a set of bracers with retractable punch daggers.  We planned to set out the following morning, but Will expressed concerns that we didn’t have a solid plan for getting in and out of the city.

First thing in the morning, I went to check with Alair at the Bloodsong guild.  When I laid out the issue to him, he had a suggestion: he could cast a delayed teleport on my group with the destination in the Temple District followed by a teleport to the location which he could scry for using my compass.  All we had to do was arrive at Francine’s location, grab her, then teleport back approximately a minute later.  He did ask one thing in return, a favor for a favor.  He wanted a painting created by a specific artist: not a specific painting though, any would do.  Anytime within the next year would be acceptable but there were two complications.  (Aren’t there always?)  His name as Buster and he was of a race known as Octo-pedes which lived in the jungles near Ilonia, the same area where Lilly is from.

I gathered the others and told them Alair’s suggestion and they all agreed it would be best.  We had Lilly’s ship and crew standing by in case we were blocked from returning.  At 10 AM, we gathered around the elf wizard with our water breathing gear and weapons ready.   In a flash, we appeared in a set of pens surrounded by people in rags.  Moving quickly we gathered them all close and prepared ourselves for any guards, but none came.  The time we arrived corresponded to the middle of the night for these people.  No one was alerted and in another flash, we arrived on Temple Street with Francine and 66 other people who had been kidnapped from the city.

One of them, a mage described what the Sahuagin were working on: a massive coral golem that was to be covered in a cloth golem (which Francine was working on).  The construct would be 40 feet tall when it was completed and effectively be two golems in one.  Destroy the cloth golem and there would still be a second even stronger golem underneath.  We called on guards and members of the clergy to take the people back to their homes while I personally made sure that Francine was reunited with her family.

Once she’s ready for more work, I will commission a new tunic using the Elf fabric I purchased but for now, after all the chaos we have been through in recent weeks, I believe that it’s time that we had some rest and relaxation.

Chapter 52: Vacation

Three weeks…  Three wonderful weeks, we’ve spent relaxing on the beach, playing with animals at the familiar farm, and training together as a group.  During that time, the first batch of Missive Tubes was completed and half went to the Lord Knight and half are staying with me.  He is very happy with the items and has already commissioned 30 more sets.  Though my initial profit was meager, I have hopes that this deal will be quite lucrative for all involved.

I gave two of my tubes to Lilly to use in her business dealings.  I kept the major tube for myself and gave another to Tal, leaving me with two unspoken for, at the moment.   I did spend some of my vacation time in the city to work on the business arrangements with Tal, but we spent most of our nights together in the “beach house”.  During the day, the others were there two but other than training on combat maneuvers, our only excitement came in the form of a brief visit from a shark.

At the Familiar Farm, a group of over-sized praying mantises got loose from their enclosure and we spent a chaotic afternoon gathering them up without hurting any of them.  I think Will might have even cracked a smile or two.  Now if only I could get him and that cute wizardess Violet to spend a little alone time together; I think it would do him a world of good!  He could use a good animal friend too.  I know he’s afraid of getting close to people, but holding everyone at arm’s length is no way to live your life.  She’s a little bit shy and reserved, so perhaps Victor would be a better match for her.   The woman’s skill with nature spells and her affinity with plant-based creatures could rival that of a druid. 

On our last night together, there was a rather impressive meteor shower.  I was reminded of the hours spent at the observatory unlocking a new Rune that allowed me to expand my spellcasting abilities.    Something else darkened my mood, however.  In my last few trips into the city, I spotted a woman following me. Though she was clothed entirely in black, her face covered, I could tell that she was Zakharan.  There was a jambiya on her belt along with a wicked-looking hand crossbow.  She took no threatening actions and judging by the fact I was able to spot her, she is either not very skilled or she is not worried about being seen by me.

I asked the group to help me confront her, non-violently if possible.  Will joked with me that perhaps she was a “fan”.  I highly doubt that.  Her behavior is definitely not what I would expect from someone who enjoyed my performances.  And how would someone from my homeland know much about me?  I was not well-known when my performing career was interrupted by my service to Oslo.  We’re planning to take a trip to Ilonia so Will can check on the children from his village.  While we’re there, we’ll also look for Buster the artist and maybe search for the lost city of half-genies.  I look forward to the adventure, but I am going miss the city, especially Tal.  I hope my newly made tube can reach from where we’re going…

Entry 6/15/13

Chapter 48: Remnants of Evil

The day started innocently enough.  I sought out a tailor whose reputation suggested she could make an outfit with my new fabric in any style I chose.  In her neighborhood, a man ran up to me and before I could say anything, he said that we were friends and he’d been with me for the last hour or so.  Blinking in surprise, I narrowed my eyes and asked why I should help him.  He handed me a very nice-looking mace just as some guardsmen ran up to us.  They were looking for someone who’d been looting in the area.  Putting two and two together, I realized what was happening and for some reason, I helped the thief.  I really have no idea why, but I said convincingly that he was my friend “Alphonse” and he replied that I was his friend “Ackbar” and we had just come from having breakfast together.

Luckily, neither of the men recognized me and accepted the story before moving on to search for the culprit.  Alphonse thanked me and handed me a wand: elm wood decorated with silver, gold and numerous gems.  It was ridiculously expensive but enchanted with a weak form of Dispel Magic.  As he left, he told me that it came from a nearby shop called El’Shara’s Magical Emporium.  During my recent shopping excursions, I had heard of the place.  It catered only to the richest of nobles and the owner was the snobbiest woman I’ve ever encountered.  I pulled out a piece of parchment and used my teleport spell to send a message to Lilly.  It’s not ethical, I know, but this woman charges prices that are criminal.  Lilly and I each have business projects to fund.

Speaking of projects that need funding, I found the tailor’s house/shop soon after.  It wasn’t difficult.  Though it was similar in style to other buildings in the neighborhood; it was masterfully painted to look like woven fabric.  I knocked on the door, but there was no response.  When I checked the door, it was locked and barred.  Though the blinds were drawn, I could see the house was dark.  Feeling uneasy, I went around to the back door, which was also barred and then to the side door which was completely unlocked.  I entered into a hallway. 

The house was quiet and eerie and there was a pervasive smell of wet dirt that hung near the floor of the entire house.  I summoned my dancing lights to see in the gloom and in the middle of the hall to my left I found a solitary dining room style chair.  When I sent a bobbing torch down the other direction, I saw the kitchen.  Next to the back door was a small stool, just the right size for someone of Tal’s stature.  The bar was partially lifted but I saw nothing else out of place there.  I checked the rest of the house and the only other item of interest was a large coffee table resting on the bed.  I went back to the main room and opened my senses to the presence of magic.  Immediately, I spotted strong auras of lingering Transmutation energy; from the hallway, the kitchen and the master bedroom.

The Furniture!  The three items out of place were polymorphed people.  I pulled out the garishly decorated wand I had just received and used it on the chair in the hallway.  A wavering veil seemed to fall away there stood and thin, older gentleman, looking confused and upset.  The butler followed me back to the bedroom and the table became a very large man who began to swing a thick club at me.  I avoided the attack from the tailor’s husband and convinced him I was there to help.

Looking around at the furnishings, a flash of inspiration dawned on me and I realized that the stool in the kitchen must be the couple’s child.  We rushed there and one more use of the Dispel wand revealed a girl, maybe eight years old.  She had been trying to run out of the house, but couldn’t quite lift a bar when a man cast a spell at her.  There had been fish people as well, Sahuagin.  The husband, a massive man who I learned was related to the Sheriff and Baker from Benic, said that they had come up from the basement.  He didn’t know what happened to his wife, Francine.

Down below was the tailor’s workshop (her name, I learned was Francine).  Looking back on the events, I realized how stupid I was, not calling for any of my friends to check this out with me.  However, since I am writing this, you realize that I emerged from the ordeal in one piece, more or less.  Francine’s husband opened the basement door and held his daughter close.  As I walked down the stairs I entered the tailor’s workshop where she kept all of her tools of the trade, including a loom that was magically weaving fabric by itself.  In the middle of the 15 by 15 foot room was a large circular patch of disturbed earth on the floor.  I could sense magical energies lingering in the air.

When I stepped off the stairs and knelt at the edge of the muddy patch a roar shattered the silence.  I turned to find an eight-foot tall monstrosity emerging from under the stairs.  Thick chitinous armor covered its body and its face was a nightmarish mix of humanoid and insect.  Glancing down at the hole and back at the creature, I realized it was an Umber Hulk, a subterranean creature capable of burrowing quickly through rock and soil.  Before I could act, it charged me and ripped a gash along my left hip with one massive claw

I knew I didn’t stand a chance against this creature alone.  I let my dancing lights flare brightly for a second, making the light-sensitive beast wince as I rushed back up the stairs and left an illusory duplicate of myself downstairs and directed it to huddle against the far wall, cringing in fear and holding “my” injured side.  The creature recovered and blinked at my image before rushing at it with another heavy claw attack.  I couldn’t avoid the strike, but I made a convincing enough injury as I moved quietly to the top of the stairs and motioned for the family to get outside.

Looking downstairs, the umber hulk a flurry of claw attacks and a brutal bite.  I knew the image wouldn’t fool the beast any longer so I released the spell, slammed the door shut, and pulled out a wand to place an Arcane Lock on the door.  Unfortunately, while the door might hold, the floor didn’t.  I ran to the front door and turned, pulling another wand.  The creature was pulling itself out of the hole it made in the floor.  I released the magic of Fennic’s mending wand.  The hole in the floor sealed shut around the umber hulk but the magic didn’t stop there.  The creature froze as it suddenly turned to wood, the same material as the floor.

I had only been hoping to stop the beast so the family could get away and I could deal with out in the open until reinforcements could arrive.  I made sure that the two halves of the creature were loaded onto a wagon and delivered to my midtown address.  Then I went down to investigate the basement again.  The hole there filled quickly with sea water as I tried my Move Earth wand.  Nearby, I found an emptied wand of Aquatic Transformation.  Whoever had kidnapped the woman used the wand on the Umber Hulk so it could tunnel from the ocean, many miles away.  The wand’s owner and the Sahuagin obviously escaped back through the tunnel.

I promised the woman’s family that I would do everything I could to get her back as quickly as I could.  I received a message from my friends to meet at the Hobbit House, so I hastened to meet with them, hoping they could help me fulfill my promise.  Lilly and Fasa were there along with another human that I had never met.  He introduced himself as Victor and I recognized his accent as that of the region known as Thregalia.  Trained as a rogue and alchemist, he also admitted to performing stage magic.   I admit - I was a bit of a showoff as I used a bit of Sleight of Hand to upstage him.  I feel bad, but he seemed to take it well.

We enjoyed a meal and talked about what was happening in the city.  Rish and Will were missing because they were dealing with a magical threat to the city.  During the chaos of the attack, the Mother of Monsters, revered by the Cult of the Devourer had left five demonic seeds in the city; something completely unheard of as two of these seeds had never been placed within 100 miles of each other and never at the same time.  Will had been infected by one as the group was cleaning out portions of the city.  Rish had him hidden away at the Temple of Irori because many of the other temples had wanted to kill him on the spot.  As I understand it, that is the safest way to deal with these seeds, but Rish had communed with her god and found another way: which was why Tal was busily building the five elaborate clocks instead of eating with us.

As our meal wound down and we discussed what to do next, a man stood up to perform for the house.  He was of decent talent but his choice of material was a bit ironic.  He sang of the Fall of the Fire Giant Slavelord, the first original tale I had performed so long ago based on our encounter beyond the Caves of Madness.  Shane was changed to a Knight using enchanted armor to make him invisible. Lily wasn’t mentioned at all and Fasa was an axe-wielding warrior.  There were a few other more minor inconsistencies which I decided to overlook, but Fasa spoke up.

The minstrel took offense at being corrected in front of the crowd, until he realized that we were the ones he was singing about and that I was the one who wrote the song.  He had purchased the song from a man near the city gates.  When I get a moment to myself, I will have to find this person and see about correcting his version and collecting my royalties.  The minstrel was skilled enough and one of the performers from the Baron’s Theater Company (many of whom were regulars at the Hobbit House) told him to come by for an audition.

I took half of my food to bring back to Tal since she often forgets to eat when she’s working on detailed projects.   After making sure she had a few bites and getting a progress update on the clocks, I met up with the others at the temple to discuss the situation with Rish.  They had found and hidden away the four victims of the seeds left behind by the cult, but the fifth was still missing.  There was a ritual involved that drove a family member insane and in a fit of murderous rage, they would kill their entire family.  The violent energy would coalesce into a seed of pure evil and the next person to arrive on the scene would get implanted with that seed.  That is what happened to Will.

The group of us went to the Wizard’s guild to ask them to scry for the site of the last ritual.  The guild member we spoke with agreed to help, but only if the city would lower the fines against the guild for the destruction they caused in their attack against Oslo.  Since we didn’t have the authority to make that decision, I teleported a message to the Lord Knight.  Within minutes, he arrived and he was livid.  A threat of this magnitude against the entire city and the wizard would dare to attempt to get out of paying for the damage that they caused, especially when that destruction occurred because of a vendetta against someone trying to help the city.

The wizard was banished from the kingdom but the head Diviner immediately agreed to help so no further punishment would befall the guild.  He gave us the location immediately and then turned to me and gave me the banished wizard’s Truename and the aliases he used here and in Lunaria.  I was shaken that I would be given such a thing, but it clearly showed how sincere they were to help.

We met Will and some other priests at the site of the last ritual.  It was a upper-middle class home, but all of the cleric-types immediately detected the evil within.  Will offered to go inside since he was already infected.  Rish declined and began a ritual of consecration.  As she worked, we were attacked by a group rushing out of the house across the street.  We took them all down and discovered that many of them were hobgoblins disguised by illusion magic.  I made sure that one of the attackers survived for questioning.  Soon after, the consecration was complete and the seed exploded in a cloud of violet smoke that shook the building.

We took our prisoner into the building where they had been hiding.  The family inside had been murdered so they could watch the house.  Using my bardic music, I put the hobgoblin into a trance so he would answer all of our questions.  Will stayed outside to keep watch and Rish stayed with him to watch over him.   I learned that this group was to learn the identity of whoever became infected and their leader, a mage of some sort, would use a spell to create a portrait of the victim.  Then they were to go inter the sewers and exit the city through the Duergar tunnels and meet their leaders at the Lighthouse.

On an interesting sidenote, the dark dwarves have a new chieftain and he is very distrustful of clerics and goblin types.  In order to travel through their tunnels, the cultists had to bribe them with a chest full of gems.  (Which were stashed nearby and lucky for me, I was able to reattach my hand before any permanent damage could take place.  Moral of the story: always have the rogue-types check the chests for traps. )  There were only four real gems inside.  I can’t imagine the fakes would have fooled the dwarves, unless they’re careless or not very bright.  

Lastly, I asked about the tailor who had been abducted.  He hadn’t been a part of that, but he heard that she had been kidnapped and taken to the Sahuagin city under the sea to the east.  She had been taken in order to make golems.  A tailor?  Maybe flesh golems that needed to be stitched together?  That gave me hope that as long as she was useful to them, she would be kept alive and hopefully not mistreated.

After turning over the hobgoblin to the city guard, we rushed Will back to the temple.  According to Tal, the clocks will be ready in two days, so the final preparations for the cleansing ritual are underway.  Two days of waiting and worrying.  For now that’s all I can do.

Chapter 49: Evil Seeds and Revelations

The day is here.  The ritual is happening.  I spent the last two days playing my lute, studying the stars and trying to find a location or a map to the Sahuagin city.  The best lead I turned up was an underwater salvage group that worked near the docks: the Wharf Rats and I had heard rumors that they were very pleased that the Royal Navy had arrived in the city.  When I learned that they worked at the Ice House, the same place where the alcohol-tainted ice served at the Lord Knight’s party, I became even more alarmed.  I asked Erra and her group to watch them and alert me if they did anything suspicious.  After the ritual is done, I will find out more about them. 

I visited Francine’s family and told them what I had discovered.  I also promised them again that I would find her and bring her back.  I know her husband understood that I couldn’t promise to bring her back alive, but I would do my best.  I saw a picture of the woman: a pretty fair-skinned human with blonde with gray eyes.  Before I left, I also collected some of her hair and one of her most used sewing needles.   I was inspired by Rish’s tracking device that she created to find the master slave collar, but that will have to wait until after the ritual.  Time to get everything ready.

…..

The ritual was successful and everyone ultimately escaped unharmed; although, my life will never be the same.  Dramatic I know but after what I just discovered, I am entitled, but before I get into that, the ritual itself.

Rish and I set up circles of protection around the four victims (Will, the town guard, a pick pocket and a fruit vendor) who were positioned directly behind one of the clocks.  At the same instant, the ritual started.  As the cleansing magic surged through them, the seeds were vomited up and absorbed by the clock, which would then be powered by the evil magic until it ran down harmlessly.  One clock worked perfectly.  The pick-pocket’s clock lurched suddenly and almost fell over as a spring popped out.   I moved forward to right the clock and the seed dropped into the device, which seemed to work correctly.   The fruit vendor, however, convulsed and the seed missed the clock completely.  It sailed through the air, directly at me, but Will leaped forward and interposed himself.  The seed buried itself into his chest and he dropped to the ground.

 All we could do was reset everything and try again – this time, only with Will.  The three others were checked over and sent away with some of the priests.  They seemed to be fine if somewhat harrowed by the experience.  Will unfortunately was not done and his task was made even more difficult by the pair of seeds buried inside him.  We reestablished the protective circles and restarted the ritual.  He vomited forth the seeds and they each dropped into the clocks but one of them would not start.  Making sure it was safe to enter this time, I moved to the clock, attempting to get it working.  It finally did and there was a sudden backlash of powerful transmutation magic. 

Rish was struck by the wave and began to falter and struggle.  The magic had partially transformed her into one of the creatures in the seeds.  Her heart was now that of a wyvern and the beating organ was quickly threatening to tear open her chest.   An idea flew into my head: if she could be polymorphed into a wyvern and then changed back to her normal form, it should save her.  I began to draft a message to the wizard’s guild to send someone, but Tom stopped me.  He assured me that he could do it and I knew from the last time we merged on the Negative Material Plane, that he had powerful enough magic to do it.  He couldn’t polymorph her but he could Spell-sing her shape back to normal.

As he merged with my body, something nagged at my mind.  The strains of music sounded very faint in the darkness surrounding me but the song was so familiar.  Then it struck me: Tom Nice – Nicotem!  I railed at the cage surrounding me as fear welled up in my chest.  Nicotem was controlling my body and he may never relinquish control!  I fought in vain against the magic when suddenly, I was back in control.  Tom floated next to me, looking as ghostly as ever.  Something in his eyes told me that he knew.

I asked him bluntly if he suspicions were correct and immediately, his attitude became cold and distant. Why was he doing this?  What was the connection between us?  His next words shattered my world even more.  He was Oslo’s son!  That made him my distant uncle!  We had the same blood.  I felt angry and betrayed as I realized that Oslo must have known and he didn’t say anything!  Nicotem said that he would give me space, but if I didn’t behave in a heroic manner, he would take my body for his own.   If I descended into corruption and laziness, he would destroy me utterly.  All I could do was be silent.

So now I sit at my desk in the Study, surrounded by notes of my travels, snippets of songs, images of my friends and loved ones.  I no longer think of this place as Fennic’s.  It is mine.  I have earned it and I am not going to let some bitter, arrogant, hypocrite from the past destroy everything I have done and stop me from doing more.  I will find a way to put Nicotem to rest, but until that time, I have to tell Tal.  She shouldn’t be caught in the middle of this.  I know that I love her and I will tell her so, but if this is too much for her deal with, then I will let her go.

Chapter 50: Betrayal and Departure

No, regardless of the title of this entry, Tal neither betrayed me nor departed; quite the opposite, in fact.  Though she isn’t ready for any permanent commitment, she said that she loved me too and she would be at my side through whatever comes.   More than ever, I realize how lucky I am to have people like her and my friends in my life.

The day after the ritual, I knew I had to continue to search for the location of the Sahuagin city.  Regardless of my issue with Nico, I had made a promise to Francine’s family and I was going to honor that promise, no matter the cost.  My “uncle” had been strangely, but thankfully, absent; though I was certain that he was still around.  As part of my morning ritual, I picked up the Lute to practice but realizing the connection it had to him, I set it aside.  I will not rely on any power that comes from him.

 After breakfast with Tal, I went to meet my friends down at the docks.  Mak was leaving soon as acting Admiral of the Royal Navy (after executing his predecessor for treason).  While there, I first checked in with Erra and learned that the Wharf Rats rarely exited the building and they were working inside on some kind of anchor.  Since they dealt with salvage, I didn’t think anything of it.  (Big mistake!)

 At the docks, Mak was talking with others already when suddenly there was a series loud “crack”s from the docks.  The ships were sinking!  Will and I rushed out to the nearest ship which happened to be the flagship.  Just below the water line I could see a large hole where water was pouring in.  I got as close as I could and used my Mending wand.  The gap sealed immediately and we went to check the other ships. Knowing what to look for, the knowledgeable crews scrambled quickly to save the ships, but the furthest one down was almost beyond the ability to be saved.   We rushed out there and I used the Mending wand again, just in time to prevent it from completely sinking.  Under the water, we spotted a large chain that was attached to a set of thick hooks, almost the size of anchors.  The chain led to a heavy winch at the bottom of the bay which was obviously used to tear the holes in the ships.

Spotting one of the “Rats” on the dock, we grabbed him before he could run off.  Mak took the man into custody and began to do what he is famous for: brutally torturing people for information.  I immediately rushed off to the Ice House along with Will and Victor.  When we got there, Erra was confused because her group hadn’t seen anyone come or go.  We broke in and found out why.  There was a large trap door in the floor that dropped down into the sea.  A breathing apparatus was hooked to a winch and the chain was still reeled out.  Victor went to check the offices while Will and I turned the crank to bring the divers back to base.

A minute or so later, the diving rig bobbed in the water with six men, looking very confused.  Seeing the lightning dancing over my hands, they didn’t make any aggressive moves.  I questioned one of the men to see who they were working for, but he refused to cooperate.  Victor returned a little while later with helpful documents indicating that they were hired under the authority of the Crown Prince himself!  We summoned the guards to take the men into custody and then headed back to the docks in time to see Makausk taking a man into custody.  Lilly told me that she had overheard him attempting to speak into a message ring.   Unfortunately for him, Lilly had just stolen said ring and his message was only heard by her.  Mak began a new round of interrogations to elicit a confession and my stomach turned at the sight.

When I looked around, I noticed that Rish was gone as well.  I looked out over the city and spotted a yellow and red flare, a distinctive pattern that I recognized as Tal’s!  I grabbed the others and rushed off in the direction of the flare, running as swiftly as my new magical boots could take me.  We all reached

I rushed to Tal’s side.  She had a few minor wounds, which I healed and she told us that she and Rish had been attacked by a group of “clerics”.  (Yes, she used finger quotes and everything.)  After taking out the first group, more had shown up and Rish leaped to the rooftops and lead them away.  The men had training similar to Fasa and Rish and they had climbed/jumped up to the roofs to chase her.  Not typical for clerics of Imodae.

Lily pulled out her carpet and told Will to hop on.  Victor and Fasa rushed off down the street and after stealing a quick kiss from Tal and making sure she was alright, I followed after them.  A few blocks later, Victor and Fasa hailed a carriage and when the driver refused to stop, they jumped into the driver’s seat and the man was sent tumbling onto the street.  I jumped into the cab and glanced back to make sure he was okay.  I could tell by the fist he was waving and curses he shouted after us that he was not seriously harmed by the fall.

I had a pleasant conversation with two young men who were out for a night on the town, but the ride was soon over as we reached the scene of the attack.  I called out to a man on the street who looked like he could use some work.  He assured me that he could drive a coach and I paid him a gold to take the men wherever they wished.    We got to the scene in time to see Lily and Will riding on her flying carpet as he fired on the men chasing Rish, who performed an incredible rooftop leap across the main thoroughfare.  Lilly dropped a bag of marbles on the roof behind our friend which sent one man falling to the street where he landed in a crumpled heap.  A second went down to arrows from Will’s amazing new bow.

The final two soon realized that they couldn’t escape and since they were posing as clerics and we were now standing in the temple district, they surrendered.   We turned them over to the priests of their supposed temple and that was that.  I went back to find the carriage driver and paid him a tidy sum of gold for his trouble.   Though he was angry, I also assured him that we really had been on business for the temple of Irori.  He still seemed angry but I also told him where he would likely find his coach.  (The men had told me what their plans were for the evening, and if the man hurried, he should be able to catch up with them easily enough.

Now I am back in my apartment and as soon as I finish writing this, I am going read through the book I found on Nicotem.  Though he has been silent all day, I am sure that he is still lingering and I have no desire to have him following me any longer.  I have to find a way to break this connection we have, to stop him from haunting me any longer.  Tomorrow, I will go to the Wizard’s guild and pay the diviners for the location of the Sahuagin city, but first, I am taking Nico’s lute back to my room in Oslo’s tower.  I will not keep it with me any longer, no matter how useful it may be.

Double (Triple?) Entry starting 5/18

Trying to figure out what the time span of this entry was tough.  We started the battle on 5/18, took off Memorial Day weekend and then finished the battle on 6/1.  Then I missed the 6/8 game but worked out what J was up to during that time.  So this is almost a triple entry!  Hope it works out okay.   As always fellow Weekend Warriors, please let me know if I butchered anything too badly.

Chapter 46: The Battle of Stormguard

The last 24 hours have been… interesting.  Our research in the Necropolis turned up three potential sites for the planar rift, but the problem is that the rifts would need to be consecrated in order to close them.  The city has a law preventing the consecration of anything in the graveyard because of potential conflicts with legally-recognized temples.  The only way to accomplish our goal would be getting the Council to grant us permission to consecrate the rift sites only.

Which is exactly what we were doing when the battle began.  The council was reluctant to allow us to do anything but there was suddenly a blast of negative energy that rolled over the entire city.  We rushed to the windows of the council chamber and saw a massive wave of dark storm clouds rolling toward us from the east.  Reports began pouring  in from all over the city: Vampires and other undead were moving through the streets and large ships accompanied by Sahuagin raiders were moving in from the docks to the east and the King’s river to the northwest.

The unnatural storm clouds swirled directly over the Necropolis and the council needed no further convincing.  They gave us an emergency authorization to close the rift by any means necessary.  The Lord Knight called on the wizard’s guild to coordinate communications and mount a counter-offense.  One of the wizards allowed us to use a specialized communication spell to contact anyone we wished.  I called on Tal, Erra, and Shane.  Tal agreed meet us at her shop in the center of town while Erra and her group, who were already in the eastern part of the city, would meet us at the Necropolis.  Shane arrived immediately to begin the fight as well and suspected that one of his old group was involved, Nevin - follower of the Devourer.  Shane suspected that this person was also connected with the Red Fangs.  Lastly I called on Oslo and he assured me that he would be in the city soon.

As soon as I finished talking with him, a group of the wizards became alert and began to ready teleport spells.  I shouted at them to bury their grudge against my master, but they refused, speaking of lost treasures of the Wizard King.  After they disappeared from view, I turned to the Lord Knight to protest but I found that he was already livid and declaring the men traitors who would incriminate the entire Guild if their actions were supported.  The council agreed as well but I still worried for my great-grandfather.  I spoke through the communication spell again and warned him.  He was already fighting but assured me that he would be okay.

I felt terrible for getting him involved but there was nothing further I could do.  We had to close down the rifts in the Necropolis so we gathered outside and moved into the city.  I attempted to dispel the storm clouds using the magic I learned from the Wizard King’s book, but the forces at work were too powerful for me to counteract.  We rushed from the Council Building to Fennic’s apartment in the Noble Quarter.  On the way, we ran into a pack of rogues who were working for the Red Fangs.  After dispatching them, we encountered a group of Sahuagin clerics and their followers.  Neither of these groups posed any major threat, but they did slow us down.

At the apartment, Will and I took the arch to Mid-town to meet Tal while the others went straight to the docks.  Luckily there were enough spell-casters among our groups that using the arches didn’t deplete our spells too greatly and soon, we were all together in the right part of the city.  We rushed up the street toward the Necropolis, but we were still miles away.  Luckily, a wagon pulled up to a stop at one of the intersections and Rish recognized her friend Moon driving.  Nothing stopped us on the way, although, Will called out as he saw a fruit vendor being attacked by a group of raiders led by someone that Will swore was his father.

Unfortunately, we had to press on to our destination and soon the gates of the came into view.  Erra’s group had already found a route into the graveyard near one of the potential rift sites: the tomb of the infamous Pirate King of Stormguard.   We fought a group of undead, zombies and ghouls mainly while Rish prepared the consecration ritual to seal the rift.  When it was over, the gaping hole in reality sealed shut and the undead around us slumped lifelessly to the ground (no pun intended).  Overheard, the unnatural cloud cover began to dissipate and the ever-present feeling of dread began to fade.

We gathered back at the gate, killing a few more straggling undead when suddenly, the clouds rolled back in, darker than ever.  A new wave of negative washed over the city that could only be caused by another rift opening; this time, even larger than the first.  Mak and Rish pin-pointed the source and I realized that it had to be in the center of the Necropolis.  With the undead rising around us, more powerful than ever, we had to find a way there: Moon’s wagon!  Rish suggested a sanctuary spell, but it wouldn't be large enough to protect the wagon and the horses.  Luckily for us, I had a solution.  Rish would ride with Moon at the driver’s seat, where her spell would protect the horses.  I could ride inside with everyone else and use my Rune of Chalk to protect us there.  The only problem left was Mak and his worg, but he assured us that they would be fine on their own.

We reached our destination quickly and after releasing the protection spells, we approached a large mausoleum.  The ground around the building was broken by writhing and grasping skeletal hands.   Will tried to move through but became stuck immediately.  Lilly leaped gracefully from the wagon to one of the six doors and began dealing with the traps and locks.   Mak circled around the building to find another way in and from the length of his disappearance he must have found one.

Once Lilly opened the door, we all made our way into the mausoleum.  Inside, we spotted the rift immediately, but other than that, we saw nothing.  As soon as we entered, the doors slammed shut and sealed us in.  The floor dropped away to reveal a group of skeletal warriors surrounding Mak and his worg as they faced their leader.  It gave of waves of evil magic that seemed to warp the air around him and though he was battered and bloody, the half-orc faced it bravely.

Before we could join the fight, another surge of magic flared around us.  I recognized the energy as a teleportation spell and instinctively reached out for Tal.  As I grabbed her hand, the world shifted and we found ourselves standing on a dark, barren landscape.  Cold tendrils of darkness surrounded us and began to sap our life force and I realized that we were standing on the negative energy plane.  If we stayed too long, we would be turned into undead husks, but looking around, there was nothing that we could see to help us.

Tom spoke suddenly and when we turned, he appeared to be completely solid but the worry on his face was obvious.  He couldn't help us directly, but he was able call on someone that could.  He chanted in a low booming voice and on the “horizon” a figure came striding toward us.  He was a large man, dressed very strangely in a yellow, high-necked shirt.  His hair and beard were snow white and he wore a strange red-crystal visor over his eyes.  He greeted as all with a blinding toothy smile and introduced himself as Othar Tryggvassen, Gentleman Adventurer.

He and Tom spoke quickly and Othar assured us that he could get us back to our correct plane of origin.  We just had to find a horrible monster, subdue it, and force it to open a portal to send us back; which is exactly what we did.  In an odd twist, the creature plane shifted back to Tal’s bedroom and though our celebration at being alive was enthusiastic (and sent Tom rushing out of the room), it was brief and fully clothed.  Taking a quick inventory we found that both of us were slightly translucent around the edges, almost ghostly in appearance.  I also discovered that my flight ring was gone but there was a rolled up carpet in the bed with us.

I eagerly examined the rug, hoping that it was of the flying variety, but the thing attacked me, wrapping around my body and making it impossible to move or even breath.  As my vision was going dark, Tal saved me, using a setup of clamps, wires and pulleys on the carpet (don’t ask) and stretching it out so that it released me.  We emerged from the room and Tom narrowed his eyes disapprovingly.  I decided not to protest and asked for a way to contact everyone.  He offered a way, but it involved me trusting him more than ever.  Seeing no other option and having no reason not to trust the man, I agreed.  He stepped into me and suddenly my mind was filled with all the spells he knew; and they were powerful spells indeed!

I (he? We?) cast a telepathic communication spell that allowed me to contact all of my companions at once.  I was pleased to learn that everyone was alright, more or less, and informed them that we needed to get back to the Necropolis as fast as possible.  Oslo (who I included in the telepathic message) told me that he could teleport two of my companions to me.  Lilly and Fasa were the farthest away so, I chose them and after burning a few more spells in the teleportation room,  we were racing back through the streets toward the Necropolis. 

On the way, I spotted an injured guardsmen slumped against an abandoned shop.  His wounds were severe and he couldn't walk.  He'd been run down by a flaming wagon as he and his unit tried to advance on the necropolis.  I healed him enough to get him back on his feet and we moved on.  As we neared the graveyard, we spotted a flaming wagon careening down the street toward us.  Seeing no other good option, we headed up to the roofs and continued there.   When the graveyard came into view, we stopped and stared at the nightmare the place had become.  Packs of powerful roving undead wandered everywhere but as we watched, a force pushed into the area from the west: the clerics and paladins of the city’s temple district had arrived and were cutting a swath of destruction.

Mak’usk arrived, preforming an exceptional jump on his worg over one the flaming wagons.  We met with him down on the street and soon after, Will hobbled up to us, looking and smelling like he had been through hell.  His wounds were severe and he was coated in filth so I used a few spells to clean and heal him.  I also gave him one of my baggier shirts to wear under his armor as his seemed to be in tatters and the leather was chafing and aggravating his wounds.  As we looked around we spotted Rish further in the graveyard and rushed to meet with her.

There were two knights with her, one was undead and the other was Half-dwarf I’d seen her working with before.  We were all taken aback when Sir <name> announced that he and Rish were courting, but before we could get any confirmation of that, we were set on by a massive force of powerful undead, led by the original Lord Stormguard himself!  We all fought to keep them away from Rish as she began the consecration ritual.  I don’t know exactly what she did, but a wave of positive energy exploded outward with three major consequences: the rift was sealed; all of the undead including Lord Stormguard and the unknown knight helping us collapsed; and lastly but most distressing of all, the entire Necropolis was consecrated.

I’m sure that won’t go over well.

Many heroic-types would have called it a day then, but we still had something personal to deal with: Will’s father.  After regrouping and healing, we set off through the city again, noting the distinct lack of undead.  There were some Sahuagin to deal with but those only slowed us down.  We found Will’s father stalking through the street with murder and mayhem in his eyes.  I tried to fascinate him with bard song, but whatever enchantment held in its grasp was simply too strong.  (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!)   Luckily, we were able to render him unconscious and Rish, Tal and I could study the magic which was emanating from a collar around his neck.  Judging by the scarring from the worn leather, it was clear that this collar had been on the man, a long time.

Very carefully, we managed to disengage a trap mechanism and remove the strip of leather.  If we hadn't been successful, Will would have suddenly been made an orphan.  Once the collar was removed, we revived his father, but the man was completely confused.  His last memories were of falling asleep in his home.   We had seen other men with Will’s father when they were rampaging through the streets and if they were under the control of devices like this, we could help them.  Luckily, Rish had an idea.  Using a bit of creative thaumaturgy, she rigged up a tracking spell using the collar we had to track the device it was linked to.

Moving quickly through the city, we followed Rish’s spell, first to the docks where we found two large ships in port.  Men stood guard; all wearing the same collars, but the spell directed us to a nearby tavern.  As we scouted the building, we found a group of city guardsmen, many of whom were badly injured.  We healed them quickly and they told us about a sniper firing alarmingly large arrows at anyone who approached the tavern.  We left them to watch our flanks and went up onto the roofs to get a better view.   Moving as stealthily possible, we formulated a plan.

Dropping water into the single fireplace would produce a large amount of smoke, driving the men inside to the exits.  We sealed the back door so that they could only come out the front where we were waiting in ambush.  As our stealth experts were carrying out their part of the plan, I spotted something interesting:  a dead body, surrounded by blackened smears of ash which were vaguely man-shaped.  Next to the corpse was a sword, driven deeply into the tiles.  I could sense the magic from the weapon and as I drew it easily from the roof, I noted a distinctive red colored blade.  It was a Sun Blade, legendary for its devastating effect on vampires and the like, as evidenced by the ash surrounding the swords fallen wielder.

I stowed the sword for now as every was now in place for the attack.  The first wave went down quickly and during the fighting, Will got impaled with what looked like a harpoon attached to a heavy cord.  He was pulled away from the fight, but quickly recovered.  Raging fiercely, he almost disabled the sniper while we were forced to deal with a second wave of much more competent attackers.  One spellcaster tried to turn Tal to stone, but she resisted and Lilly killed the man by burying her sword in his back.  (I still need to thank her properly for that.)

When the battle was over, we found the control collar and disabled it.  All of the collars linked to it and dropped off the enslaved men, leaving them stumbling around in confusion.  None of them could remember anything and hopefully that will be taken in consideration at their trials.  Exhausted from our encounters, we all stumbled back to Fennic’s dockside apartment for a well-earned rest.  My mind was racing, so I stayed up to write out the experience while it was still fresh in my mind, but sleep is beginning to win the battle for my attention.  Plus there is a lithe, warm body in my bed to cozy up to.

Chapter 47: Aftermath

Much of the city is in ruins and our group has all gone their separate ways for a bit.  I've been spending most of my time with Tal.  We had business plans to arrange, especially with the Lord Knight.  He has already commissioned some lightning cannons to be placed on the city walls and to defend the docks.  I also have finalized my plans for my “Tubes of Distant Missives”.  The enchanted scroll tubes use the teleport spell I developed to instantly send messages over long distances, a fraction of the cost of other forms of magical communication.  We finalized the contracts with the Lord Knight and having heard rumors and accusations of his incompetence, I made sure the documents were “accidentally” dated weeks ago.

To support these business ventures, we needed to assemble a work force.  There weren’t enough hours in the day for Tal and me to build all of these things by ourselves.  We moved through the streets of the crafters district around Tal’s shop and drove off looters from partially destroyed shops.  We offered the victims work and they gladly accepted because they needed the work to get back on their feet.

The evening following the attack, I was suddenly teleported away to Oslo’s tower.  He looked terrible, older than ever and obviously in quite a bit of pain.   One of the attacks that the guild wizards used on him, a vile spell called “Soul Daggers”, was slowly and steadily killing him.  He was so drained by the ordeal that he didn't think that he would survive long.  Guilt welled up inside me because I was the one that called him to Stormguard.  I was responsible for his current state.  I rushed to my room and collected the vile containing the essence of the second vampire that I had killed.   It took some convincing, but he mixed the potion and took it and though the effect wasn't as pronounced as the first one, he looked much stronger and assured me that he could deal with the curse. 

Later, he told me that he was beginning to consider study the wizard king’s secret for longevity and I certainly hope that he unlocks that mystery.  Oslo is the only family that I currently have contact with and I don’t want to lose him.  We discussed some of the things I had learned and encouraged me to keep working.  I can’t read the old man’s moods very well, but I suspect he’s proud of what I've managed to do so far.  It’s a good feeling.

…..

Back in the city, Tal and I continued recruiting a work force and making business contacts.  Inrus’s grandson, Quentin agreed to work with some of the rehabilitated enchanters we rescued from Lilly’s father and they are already working on the first batch of Missive Tubes for the Lord Knight.  I’m currently working on a custom one for myself.  It’s nice to share a workspace with Tal as she toils on projects of her own.  Strangely, Rish showed up at the shop as commissioned a very unusual clock for some unknown purpose.

Seeing how urgent the project was, I decided to find some other skilled help.  I contacted the Feldor family, the gnomish tinkers who owned the mansion where we recovered our clockwork golem and one of Rish’s swords.  The family was in dire straits and was very grateful for the work.  As a show of good faith, I also informed them that the mansion was inhabitable again and I gave them back the engineering texts that were written by their ancestors; after having copies scribed, of course.  The rest of the library is still with us though – call it a “service fee”. I also worked out a contract with the De'Jay family to supply the iron needed for our projects.

I had little contact with my friends but I assume they are all doing well.  I heard a rumor that Lilly was taking over some of the brothels and other businesses on Pleasure Street.  Good for her!  I’ve come to love that girl like a little sister and I want to see her happy.  Maybe I should set up a date with one of Erra’s adventuring group.  Or that dishwasher at the Hobbit House…  That boy is positively smitten!

…..

Over the last week, I've been spending my evenings at the Observatory, studying Runic magic.  The two runes I've learned so far have been incredibly useful and I am close to unlocking a third.  Tal’s been spending so much time working that I don’t think she minds having me out of her shop.  Oh!  And Shane stopped by with some water from Riverton and my experiment was a complete success!  Treating the lenses of my spectacles with the water does allow me to see through the invisibility enchantment and it has no adverse effect the perception-enhancing spells already on my glasses.

Yesterday, I also met with the Gray Elf merchant and purchased a length of cloth for a future project.  I was lucky to catch him because he was in the process of packing to depart the city for a prolonged period.  Now I need to find a really proficient tailor, but that’s for a project for another time.  I really need to check in with everyone.  I heard some interesting rumors about an Admiral from Rengar and group of thugs down at the docks who seemed very pleased that the Royal Navy was here.  Also, I heard about a crazed ranger going attacking someone who I suspect was Will.  That boy collects enemies like a camel collects flies!   I hope the others have managed to keep out of trouble, but knowing them, it’s quite unlikely.