Chapter 53: Jungle
Hell
It’s official. This
is the worst trip I’ve ever been on.
Before we left Stormguard, we received confirmation that the King had
gotten rid of the scales and already, the capitol was returning to its normal
peaceful state. We also arranged a
meeting to speak with my new shadow. The
woman was about as friendly as porcupine with hemorrhoids: wouldn’t tell us her
name but she did say that she was hired to be my bodyguard. (With Will and Fasa acting as defense for me,
I’m starting to think I should be worried!)
She refused to say who hired her or why I needed guarding. When I asked her why she was dressed in
clothing from my homeland, she also refused to answer but she did admit that
her clothing made her stand out.
We offered to let her do some shopping and while she was
occupied, I took a jaunt through the portal to Hammerfell to visit with my
cartographer friend, Brant.
Unfortunately, he only had one map of the region we were going to and it
was only for Grundo, not Rolonia. Also
the map had a decidedly childlike aspect to it.
Still, it could be useful so I purchased it and told him that I would
bring him maps and travel logs of the area when I returned.
As we finished our preparations, two tremendous bombs were dropped
upon us: Rish was leaving our group.
With her memories gone she felt uncomfortable being around people that
knew her so well when she had no idea who we were. I offered to tell her the stories of our
adventures together but she wasn’t interested.
So a good friend; someone to whom I owe my life just walked away: first
Shane, then Mak and now Rish.
To make matters even worse, Lilly refused to join us on our
trip. She was staying behind in
Stormguard. I understand that she would
be uncomfortable being back in her homeland, but we would be with her every
step of the way. I would do anything and
everything to make sure she wouldn’t be found by her father. She is my best friend, the closest person I have
to a sister and for the first time since I met her at the tavern in Spearrow, she
wouldn’t be at my side.
Tal was also staying behind to take care of our business
deals. Last night, she had given me an
item to, in her words, “help me miss her less.”
Like that could be possible… So
three of the most important people in my life would not be with me on this
journey; I suppose that more than anything contributed to my current
predicament, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
Will, Victor, Fasa and I met at the teleport chamber which
led to the jungles between Grundo and Rolonia.
We stepped through the portal, one at a time and I stepped through last,
straight into mayhem. Guttural roars
and fearsome howls of anger filled the jungle and before any of us could act, a
large green-skinned humanoid hurtled toward us and smashed into the
archway. I stared in shock as
enchantment faded quickly from the rubble.
We were stranded!
The fight raged on, however, and Will identified the
battling beasts as a Night Ogre and a Greater Troll. The ogre was of a much more powerful variety than
usual and the troll, who had been completely lifeless moments ago, got back up
on its feet, completely unharmed. After I
got smashed by a chunk of rubble while trying to fly Will and myself out of
reach, we decided to get away from the scene before one of us got killed. Not having a dedicated healer in our group
made it essential that we get away from the hostile creatures as quickly as
possible.
Lucky for us, the two giant-kin kept each other busy and we
managed to escape with no further injuries.
We wandered through the jungle and as we camped the first night, I
realized something very important: the bracelet was still with Lilly! Which means, that I am currently vulnerable
to scrying. I tried my missive tube and
learned that I was well out of range – something else I should have verified
before coming half-way across the world.
Cursing my stupidity, I briefly thought of using my message ring to
Oslo, but decided against it. First, I
knew he was still recovering from the battle at Stormguard and the terrible
wounds inflicted on him. Second, he was
dealing with Nico and I knew that they needed time to work things out. Last, I didn’t want to look like a fool to
my mentor (both of them, technically).
We trekked through the jungle for weeks until finally; we
emerged into the rolling hills and plains of Rolonia. I had frequently flown up above the canopy to
make sure we were heading in the right direction because being surrounded by
the huge trees and undergrowth was completely disorienting, but there were no
further mishaps of note.
We are now camped under the stars and I can feel a burning
sensation from my feet along with a distinctly unpleasant and uncharacteristic
aroma. Will says that it’s Jungle
Rot. Wonderful… At least he is confident that he can guide
us to village where he brought the children he saved. Unfortunately, it is an incredibly long way
there and we didn’t bring our mounts (another blunder on my part), so it looks
like we will be walking. I certainly
hope I can find a healer before my feet are completely destroyed.
Chapter 34: The Flames
of “Justice”
Yesterday, Will felt oddly compelled to lead us off of our northerly
route. Our supplies were getting low and
the problem with my feet was becoming worse.
Eventually, we found ourselves at the edge of a village where a mob of
people surrounded a woman tied to a large pole among a pile of oil-soaked wood. She was drenched as well and there were
chants of “burn the witch” echoing through the air. A priest of Abadar along with two warriors of
his order stood with the crowd. A large
opulent coach waited at the edge of town beside a sinister looking prison
wagon.
Before we could come up with a plan of action, Victor pulled
a set of documents from his pack and hurriedly scribbled over them. Then he drank a potion which changed his
appearance to that of a justice of Abadar and strode forward, declaring that he
had orders to release the woman. The
priest was immediately skeptical as was the Paladin standing near the
wagon. He might have convinced them if
it wasn’t for the Inquisitor who could see through the growing mass of
falsehoods.
Grumbling under my breath, I knew I had to save the woman
before the situation got worse. After a
quick casting of two of my spells, I became invisible and flew up behind
her. She was clad in a ragged dress and
though her face was smudged with dirt, and her hair a snarled mess, I could tell
that she was young and attractive. No
matter what she had done, no one deserved this kind of treatment. I worked quickly, casting a Minor Image over her before casting Invisibility again and Knocking her shackles open. I don’t think I’ve ever cast so many spells
in such rapid succession but she was loose and no one was the wiser. I lifted her away from the unlit pyre, leaving
the image of her in her place and we flew away while keeping watch over what
was happening below.
Victor had been taken into custody and was being placed into
the wagon. As soon as the clergymen and
the villagers turned away to enact their “justice”, I saw him slip his bonds,
unlock the wagon, and dive under the carriage without being seen. Chanting began again and a torch was put to
the woood, which immediately burst into flames.
I focused for a few seconds to
make the image of the woman scream and blacken.
Satisfied that the illusion was in place, I flew us to a copse of trees
at the northern edge of the village.
Fasa was there, but Will was missing because he had doubled
back to go help Victor. Groaning aloud,
I handed a set of clean clothing to the woman after releasing her invisibility
spell. Then I flew off to gather the other members of the group. It took longer than it should have, but eventually
we all met up again. Victor was sporting
a few extra bulges in his clothing, presumably from looting the carriage. Will arrived with a set of gear that actually
belonged to the woman. Her name was
Aeron and interestingly enough, she was a witch after all. She also happened to be an inquisitor of
Irori and to make things more interesting, the man who had been about to burn
her alive was her father! She agreed to
join us, having no other way to go. In
a fortunate turn of events, she was able to use her magic to heal my
affliction, so for the first time in weeks, I can rest peacefully.
Chapter 54: A Town on
a Lake and a Town on Wheels
After a few weeks of travel, our supplies were almost
drained when the town of Octiviris came into view. Will had been supplementing our rations as
much as he could but we were running very low.
The town had no walls, but surrounding the cluster of buildings, there was
what appeared to be a moat, forty feet across!
A series of bridges let travels into the city and as we passed over, it
appeared that the structures could be retracted, effectively cutting off the
town from all but aerial or aquatic invaders.
Judging by the size of the fish in the water, taking that route would
not be advisable either.
The population was primarily made up of lllipers, humanoids
with extended muzzle-like jaws and no nose.
We found an inn called the Fat Lute and we got our first view of an Octopede
who ran the place. Imagine a centaur but
with an insect-like face and a segmented body from the waist down like that of
a caterpillar. The inn was lively and
eager for songs and stories, so I obliged for a bit. Will, Fasa and Aeron decided to check out the
fishing in the lake and eventually I went to the smithy across the street with
Victor. (He had taken a platinum holy symbol from Aeron’s father and wanted to
melt it down.)
Soon after that, a
cheer went up from the direction of the docks.
Will had managed to catch and kill a massive predatory fish called a
cutlass-fish and the town was planning a celebration in his honor! The party was quite lively and I think even
Will managed a smile or two; Aeron as well.
I lovely lady offered herself for a more private celebration, but I
declined. Victor had no qualms about
physical attention and staggered off to his rooms with a girl on each arm.
Eventually the party wound down and I slipped off into dreams
to meet with my own lady through the magic of the item she gave me. Though we could only meet once a week, it was
better than nothing. I still miss her terribly. It’s really amazing how real dreams can be,
especially when you share them with someone you love. During these nocturnal visits, I had also
learned that Lilly realized that she still had my anchor charm and was
attempting to contact Oslo to get it to me.
We just finished having breakfast with the only wizard in
town along with her druid husband. We
learned that Blackthorn Village and the surrounding woodland had been burned to
the ground. Merchant Buckbean had come
in and rebuilt the town which had begun to harvest all of the fire-hardened
wood. He even named the place, Buckbean
Village – such a terrible name.
Once Victor finally dragged himself out of bed, we were off
again, heading north. After another week
of travel we encountered a very strange sight in the distance: a long line of
enormous wagons, at least one hundred of them.
As we approached the caravan, they had already moved into a circle and
were beginning to unload. By the time
we got within hailing distance, a city of sorts had sprung up on the
plains. Will and Aeron recognized the
group as the mobile city of Peo. (I had
heard stories, but they paled in comparison to seeing the place in person.)
The population, made up of gnomes, octopedes and mole-men,
scurried around in an extremely efficient fashion, setting up shops, dwellings,
stables, inns; everything one would expect in a mobility-challenged town. After checking in at the Inn, we spent a
little time exploring and shopping. I
found some artists who had heard of Buster, the octopede painter that Alair was
interested in. He lived in a town on the
far side of the Parched Forest. Sounds
like a wonderful vacation spot – I can’t wait to go!
Okay, enough with the sarcasm. It turned out that the mobile town was
heading in the direction of Buckbean Village and the city leaders agreed we
could come with them as long as we helped with set up and tear-down along the
way. It was definitely better to travel
with such a large group: roofs over our heads, regular meals, safety in
numbers, and interesting people with whom we could exchange stories. Victor did some shopping and gave me a rare
domingo egg. I have no idea how to care
for it, but I will do my best. It sounds
like a fascinating creature.
We parted company with the fine folks of Peo near Buckbean,
but when we got there, we found wanted posters of all of use posted on the town
gates. We all decided it would be best
to avoid the town for the time being and set off for the capitol city of Rolonus,
where the children from the Village-Formerly-Known-as-Blackthorn had been taken
to find new homes. I admit, I am uneasy
about going to the capitol city of this kingdom, but with our skills of
disguise and stealth, we should be fine.
Chapter 55:
Catastrophe in the Capitol
I really need to learn to stop making such wildly optimistic
statements like the one at the close of the previous chapter.
Anyway, we entered Rolonus with no incident. Moving unobtrusively through the streets of
the Temple district, we learned something that was a bit disturbing: Aeron’s
father was back in the capitol and he wasn’t just a priest of Abadar; he was
the Hierarch! We had to be more careful
than ever, but eventually, Will found the orphanage where the children were
being housed. Many had been adopted
into new families and the young ones who remained all seemed to be doing
well. I would like to find a way to
reunite them with their family working in Stormguard but that is something for
a later time - once we establish a way to return. Unfortunately, as soon as we stepped outside
the building, we were attacked by the same urban ranger who had been hunting
Will. I don’t know how he was tracking
us down and traveling around the world so quickly: from Perch to Stormguard and
now Rolonus!
He had a friend with him, a strange creature that looked
like a lumpy pile of mud. The bulbous creature
managed to move quickly and Aeron recognized it as a mudblub. Unfortunately for him, he was vulnerable to
fire. A barrage of scorching rays sent
it screaming away but it didn’t get far before Victor and I took him down. Will squared off against his nemesis and in
a rare state of rage; my friend jammed his fist in the man’s mouth and popped
his bow. The weapon exploded out of the
ranger’s head and the man’s lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
Unfortunately, the attack raised alarms. We had been spotted and recognized. Members of the city guard and the church of
Abadar closed in on us and we looked for a way out. To the north of our location was a wooded
area called the Park of the Gods. After
getting everyone disguised, I bluffed the first guard patrol we encountered and
sent them off in the wrong direction while we moved calmly to the park. The wooded area was quiet but people were
beginning to mill about, curious and worried about the alarms and the
heightened guard presence. Though we
were trying to keep our presence unnoticed, some performers noted Victor’s
attire and asked if he would join them.
Of course he did, and soon a crowd was forming around them. (A singer, a magician and a sock puppet –
quite the odd show, I must admit.) Fasa even
got into the act as Will cast Jump on
him. The dwarf in wizard disguise
(thanks to Fennic’s hat) bounded nearly thirty feet up into a nearby tree, to
the delight of everyone. As fate would
have it, the crowd also drew the attention of some of the guards and I realized
that Victor was breaking the law: permits were required for any public
performances.
After informing my friends of the potential problem, I
headed off the incoming guards while they snuck away. I created an illusionary group on the next
block and called their attention to it.
The pair rushed off, but another nearby patrol who had an Inquisitor of
Abadar in their ranks was not fooled. They
chased after us and though Victor cleverly slowed the guards down by showering
the crowd with (fake) gold coins, I realized that our only option to make it
out of the city quickly was to take to the air.
I cast Fly on Victor, Will and
myself while Aeron change into a large eagle.
I used my wand of Reduce Person
on Fasa so Aeron could carry him and we flew out over the wall.
Immediately, riders poured out of the gates to give
chase. Since the flight spell doesn’t
last very long, we had to figure out a way to escape. Looking over the barren plains, that didn’t
seem likely. I had Victor carry me as I
began to call on my innate ability to control the weather. Ten minutes later, thick fog rolled over us,
concealing us from our pursuers. To
prevent them following us, I pulled out a wand that I had been saving and
summoned an illusionary red dragon.
Enough of the riders (and all of the horses) believed illusion that when
the dragon breathed a massive cone of flame over them, they all dropped
unconscious to the ground.
That gave us enough time to change our direction to make it
harder for them to find us. The only rider that caught up to us was someone
that Will knew, a slave like he had been.
Will convinced him to do what he did: escape and flee into the jungle to
the east. We continued to the southeast
in the direction of town that Will knew of.
Eventually, we had to camp and I am currently writing this in the last
light of the day while Victor and Will set up traps and alarms. When I finish, I am going to add something to
the perimeter: stones set up in the cardinal directions that are enchanted with
Magic Mouth that will call out if
anyone approaches. I’ll be taking first
watch so I can sleep in while the other spell casters prepare their magic in
the morning.
----------
Well, the precautions worked out well and the two rangers
that caught up to us have run for the hills thanks to a nice illusionary
demon. I’ll write more when we reach the
town. Hopefully, they will have horses
that we can purchase.
Chapter 56: The Road
to Green Hill
The town Will led us to was small (I don’t even remember the
name) but we were able to restock our provisions there. We purchased mounts as well, though not the
type we were accustomed to. Two were
“sauruses”, long lizard-like creatures slightly slower than horses but easily
capable of carrying two people. We also
got two other raptor-like mounts that were quite swift. Will and Aeron, being the most capable at
riding, took them while I rode one of the others with Victor. Fasa planned to simply run alongside us,
leading the second as a pack animal.
We also met a pleasant but annoying girl named Gabby who
followed us around talking incessantly and asking more questions than a fleet
of interrogators. Thanks to Victor’s
ventriloquism spell, we finally managed to distract her long enough to leave the
town and continue on our way to the Parched Forest.
The landscape shifted into something quite different. The sun beat down on petrified trees
occasionally dotted with brightly colored oversized flowers. We saw large scaly creatures that we
recognized as dinosaurs and we did our best to avoid them. A loud buzzing noise caught our attention and
we discovered an enormous wasp nest. We
stayed far away, but Will expressed concerns with leaving such a hazard on the
main trail. We debated how best to deal with
the dangerous creatures, but Victor suggested the best course of action:
posting warnings.
After making sure the trail was well-marked, we went around
the nest and left the parched forest behind.
Soon our surroundings changed again.
The air became heavy and moist and everywhere we looked there were mushrooms
of every color and size, from tiny buttons dotting the ground to others as
large as trees. Near the “trunk” of a
fallen giant we spotted a strange little creature. It had feet and a beak similar to that of a
bird, but its body consisted of three red balls of fluff. It greeted us pleasantly and six more of them
appeared around us, each a different color of the rainbow.
They said that they were “fobs” and after feeding them some
dried apricots, they agreed to lead us through the forest to meet someone who
could help us, the “Whatsit”. On the
other side a wide, swift river we came to a waterfall where another strange
creature was bathing. It looked like a
cross between a gorilla and a troll but was covered with thick purple fur. The Whatsit greeted us pleasantly and
graciously agreed to lead us safely out of the mushroom forest toward Green
Hill. Upon exiting the forest we said
goodbye to him and continued on our way.
Unfortunately, nightfall was quickly closing in upon us and
we had to make camp. Though we made our
usual precautions, we were still attacked by a strange creature. Hazy and indistinct, the Pooka exists
partially in the ethereal plane, making it almost impossible to see. It also had the power to steal magic directly
from the mind of spellcasters (which is likely what attracted it in the first
place). We managed to overcome it and
slay the beast. Being highly magical, I took
the creature’s head and its liver which is used in a number of
enchantments. Victor filled some vials
with its blood because it was a vital component in potions of
invisibility. Lastly, Aeron skinned the
creature as its hide could be made into a camouflage cloak.
Nothing else attacked us and the next morning, we arrived
safely in Green Hill. This community is
quiet and pleasant, filled with artists of all kinds. We found rooms at a quaint inn and after
taking a long, hot bath, I am currently enjoying some tea. Victor, Aeron, and Fasa went out to do some shopping. Will and I plan to go meet Buster later this
afternoon.
Chapter 56: Fine Art,
an Unexpected Visit, and the Removal of Limbs
Will and I found Buster’s studio. His house was decorated an amazing mural that
made his dwelling completely blend into the landscape. He was definitely an artist of incredible
talent. The octopede greeted us
pleasantly and eagerly, offering us tea as he showed us his work. His current paintings were nothing short of
amazing. He was attempting to paint
sound. As I looked at one of his works,
I could sense a faint aura of magic and within moments, I realized that I could
hear a song captured on the canvas among the swirls of colorful brushstrokes.
I sang the song of the painting and suddenly, it came to
life! A birdlike creature sprang from
the canvas and flew around the room before escaping through an open
window. Buster was in awe and very
pleased that his work was successful. I
apologized for letting his painting escape but he assured me it was fine. I am very interested to see if I can recreate
that image. The bird was incredibly
beautiful and unique. If it has
intelligence, it might even serve as a familiar.
We asked buster about purchasing a painting for Alair and he
knew exactly which one the elf would want.
It was in the museum in town but he warned us that it was
expensive. We left the artist to visit
the museum before it closed and found out that he was right. The painting was an astoundingly life-like
image of the waterfall where we met the Whatsit but the point of view was from
much higher and there was a circle of stones in a clearing at the top of the
falls. The curator quoted the price at
ten thousand gold! I didn’t have that
kind of coin anymore, but Will did and paid it without batting an eye.
I knew I had to do something in return for him and last night, I
believe we repaid that debt. But I’m
getting ahead of myself.
When we walked back to the inn, painting carefully rolled up
and stowed in my haversack, Oslo was waiting outside for me. He looked so different that I almost missed
him at first. He didn’t appear old
enough to be my father, let alone my great, great, etc grandfather. There was an aura of power and vitality
surrounding him that I had never seen before, not even when he had consumed the
essence of the vampire. He had very few
words for me but handed me back the anchor bracelet. Lilly had contacted him and asked him to get
it to me. Though, I was afraid that he
would disapprove of my recent activities, he said nothing. I gave him the pooka liver, and he seemed
pleased, and requested some mushrooms from the nearby forest. Then, without another word, he teleported
away. I’ll admit; I am worried about
him. We need to have a long took, sooner
than later.
Victor and the others were waiting inside and they were
looking very satisfied. They told us of
the merchant they had met and some of the wares he had. One thing in particular stood out in my mind:
an herb that could cause incredibly fast regeneration. I glanced down at Will’s arm where the slave
brand was hidden and smiled. We
purchased the herb from the shadowy merchant and adjourned to Will’s room. After taking remedy, his eyes began to glow
green and a euphoric expression slid over his face. Holding him steady, we hacked off the arm
with brand and watched in amazement as the limb quickly grew back with no trace
of the brand. Looking down at the other
arm where the (decidedly inferior) bow was embedded in his hand, we lopped that
extremity off as well. The hand grew
back quickly and Will smiled drunkenly.
Eventually the light faded from his eyes and he fell peacefully to
sleep.
I’m still too anxious to sleep. I miss Tal fiercely and dream ring won’t be
ready for a few more days. I could try
to arrange a visit through Oslo, but somehow I don’t think he’d appreciate me
calling on him for using his time and magic for something so personal. So, with nothing else to occupy my thoughts,
I’m taking this opportunity to write.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
(So next Entry will include the letter that Will received
from Lilly’s father and the confrontation with the monks of Fasa’s order.)
