What is happening to me?
The days blur in my mind. I am unclear what I am doing. I recall meeting a priestess of the Drow... unsure what transpired. We left the mines... why haven't we killed those damned criminals at the Caravanserai? Wait...
Ah...
Pelor wills mercy. I must follow the will of Lord Pelor. His path is forgiving, and I have lived a life of very little forgiveness...
I have been chosen.
And then?
Yes, we fought bandits, I remember that. More evil removed from the world, but there is so much more, and it is growing.
I can call the light of Pelor at all waking times now. It wells forth through my very spirit. The world seems a blur, while I have such strange and lofty thoughts. Of places far away? The realm of the Sun Lord? Or where then?
What has happened to Fflam? A black evil. What is he becoming? They SAY a spider? I wonder...
There is much the others don't understand, save perhaps Hrefna.
Or do I really understand?
Why can't I remember?
*A*
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Journal of Fflam - Day 62
We now know our path. I'm not sure Why I advocated returning to the mine, and despite every sign telling us to turn back, we didn't. We payed our way in through the Caravanserai for an exorbitant sum. We knew the drow had returned from below but still we worked our way in to where we were trapped inside by a priestess of the drow.
We now know our path. By her doing, I'm apparently turning into a spider. We go now to find the cleric of Thor, who has gone missing to the north. He should be able to cure whatever this is that's happening to me, and until then, his temple has given me an amulet that should slow the progress of it.
Even though it took Moradin practically spelling it out for us, we now know our path. I just hope I have enough time to get things right.
Hrefna's Calling, Day 62
After my last entry where the party had successfully defeated a pair of Driders--vile creations of evil Drow lords--my magic informed me of a humanoid in one of the adjacent chambers. It was revealed to be a Drow woman, sitting by herself. She clearly felt in full command of the situation, and was just resting comfortably waiting for the group to meet her.
It surprises me to see such clear signs of Drow this far south. Our War with them took place long before I was born, but our legends have them originating in our lands and--after the War--heading underground and into the wilds. They evidently have traveled a long way in that time.
From my training, the woman had all of the markings of a Priestess of a noble house. A snake whip, a mace, and a spider emblem, and the air crackled with her power. The legends say that after they left us, some of them were embraced by the dark goddess Lloth, and these rumors appear to be true. My homeland will be very interested in seeing this, and may wish to pursue these issues farther. At first light I'll send a message on the wind to my Master.
After meeting her we were waylaid by a group of bandits out in the woods. Shelré and Arcadius proved instrumental in defeating them, as the attackers had taken position in a group of trees. We easily dispatched them, and then headed into İzmir.
On the way back to town, Fflam started turning grey and complaining of sickness. The natural world avoids him now, creeping away as he turns slowly into something unnatural. We go forth now to find a priest capable of killing the sickness within him, and I can only hope that by the time we get there it will not be too late.
It surprises me to see such clear signs of Drow this far south. Our War with them took place long before I was born, but our legends have them originating in our lands and--after the War--heading underground and into the wilds. They evidently have traveled a long way in that time.
From my training, the woman had all of the markings of a Priestess of a noble house. A snake whip, a mace, and a spider emblem, and the air crackled with her power. The legends say that after they left us, some of them were embraced by the dark goddess Lloth, and these rumors appear to be true. My homeland will be very interested in seeing this, and may wish to pursue these issues farther. At first light I'll send a message on the wind to my Master.
After meeting her we were waylaid by a group of bandits out in the woods. Shelré and Arcadius proved instrumental in defeating them, as the attackers had taken position in a group of trees. We easily dispatched them, and then headed into İzmir.
On the way back to town, Fflam started turning grey and complaining of sickness. The natural world avoids him now, creeping away as he turns slowly into something unnatural. We go forth now to find a priest capable of killing the sickness within him, and I can only hope that by the time we get there it will not be too late.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Oda Day 59-62
Well the past few days have been interesting. We have faced spider/elf creatures, meet a powerful Drow, fended off some bandits and found out that an important leader of the Thor temple is missing. I must say there is rarely a dull moment with these paladins.
Do not get me wrong I enjoying myself. I am all for improving my skills and taking on harder and harder enemies. It is the best way to improves ones skills, but we have had some issues to. For one thing the Drow has cast a spell on the dwarf. I guess he is turning into a spider, which is one of the reasons why we are going to track down the missing Thor leader. With such powerful Drow mages I feel we need to grow and or be better equipped before we even attempt to take them on again.
On a side note, I need to get better at either killing or capturing all of the enemies we fight. Allow some to get a way is only going to haunt us later. Part of this is I need to improve me skills with my bow. I wasted to many shots when fighting the bandits. The next time a battle like this occurs I may not be so lucky.
Well anyway, we are off to try and track down this follower of Thor, hopefully we can find him quickly. I would hate to lose the dwarf; he shows promise on the battle field and no fear even if it means catching himself on fire.
Do not get me wrong I enjoying myself. I am all for improving my skills and taking on harder and harder enemies. It is the best way to improves ones skills, but we have had some issues to. For one thing the Drow has cast a spell on the dwarf. I guess he is turning into a spider, which is one of the reasons why we are going to track down the missing Thor leader. With such powerful Drow mages I feel we need to grow and or be better equipped before we even attempt to take them on again.
On a side note, I need to get better at either killing or capturing all of the enemies we fight. Allow some to get a way is only going to haunt us later. Part of this is I need to improve me skills with my bow. I wasted to many shots when fighting the bandits. The next time a battle like this occurs I may not be so lucky.
Well anyway, we are off to try and track down this follower of Thor, hopefully we can find him quickly. I would hate to lose the dwarf; he shows promise on the battle field and no fear even if it means catching himself on fire.
Alcander's Fantastic Voyages: Part 4
Heracles has heard my prayers and sent me a sign. Finally.
My father has more pull with my order than I would like. It seems he spoke sternly to whoever ordered me held, so that I could leave this fortress and go see my city again. I wasn’t sure I wanted to, but my father insisted on it. He said that he hoped that Heracles might show me a sign in this city, as he had before. It seemed as likely as anything else.
So I wandered. I had nothing to wear but the skin they had provided me, that wretched thing festooned with jewels. But the order had provided it, so I wore it.
It did not stand out as much as I might have feared. It seems that many of the knights have taken to wearing such skins, not won in battle but made by slave girls. I made it deep into the city before I was recognized.
I had wandered near to one of the inns, where I used to spend far too long at dice and drinking. One of the whores there recognized me. She knew me from before, but she had heard stories, now. Of my dealings with the Tarrasque and that pack of lies, but also of my inappropriately enthusiastic behavior regarding some of her fellows who had been at the party. I wished to hide my face in shame, but I only walked away. Not before some others of my old crowd had recognized me, and believed that I had returned to my former state of sin.
It would be false to say that I did not flee. I may have run. There was no enemy I could fight, there.
I found a marketplace, far enough away that those present spoke only in vague rumors of debauchery at the fortress. I watched a bard, who said he had a story for me.
He told the story of a noble knight, who was falsely praised for deeds he did not commit, and then brought low by the fornicators who played at being his masters. He spoke of a knighthood that had lost it’s way, become corrupt, and how that noble knight made use of the reputation his masters had made for him to overcome their dastardly grip upon the land.
He was an unsubtle fellow. I asked him if he also asked the cleric for potions that would cure the genital ailments of his “friend.” He laughed and took that to be a sign that I was not as stupid as I had been made out to be.
He told me that he might be able to help make the story true, and gave me the location of a cleric who might help make it so.
I found that cleric. We spoke long of the Heracletians, of where they had gone astray, of what I might do to help correct it. He helped me see Heracles’s true path for me.
I am no longer of the order, for the order is rotten and has forgotten the face of the gods. I am released of my oath to obey them, for they have forgotten their oaths to obey Heracles himself.
The order is fouled, and it must be destroyed.
And I will become the order.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Various Excerpts From the Journal of Hrogar, Over the Last Few Weeks
Tonight, we rest before fighting what seems to be a very powerful creature. It appears to have once been human, but that was likely a long time ago. He? appears to have drowned long ago, and was then twisted by evil forces and brought back as a truly horrible monster.
While the world would no doubt be better off without this creature, I worry that we will find this enemy too great for us. We seem to be much better at releasing evil upon the world than we are at finishing it off. But Alcander is the type to ignore such possibilities, and will no doubt forge on ahead with his plan to attack the creature. I fear he causes more problems for the world than he solves. But alas, we can only do our best to clean up the mess he leaves behind.
------Later------
We survived the battle with the drowned monster, but just barely. Thankfully, our new companion, the Samurai, was able to finish off the beast before it finished us off. But truly, this was a close one.
Afterward, we continued our search of the underground labyrinth, and discovered a number of imprisoned creatures, including some Druegar and a family of Drow. We released all that we did not detect as evil, although it was risky just looking in on some of the creatures.
However, it is the Drow that bear the most noting. One of them seemed to be the Matriarch of the Family. She explained that the labyrinth was a base of a rival family of Drow, and had captured her as well as her son and daughters. She asked for our assistance at some point in the future to aid in fighting the evil Drow that were her enemies, and had been conducting the evil experiments we witnessed, and are likely responsible for much of the evil that had more recently taken over the upper level.
Arcadius agreed, although I am not sure he should have been so quick to do so. He seemed enamored by her nobility. I’m not saying we should have necessarily refused, but as my mentor drove into me countless times: “Choose your battles wisely.” While these Drow did not register as evil, I am hesitant to trust them, as the stories of the race of Drow are not exactly comforting. I fear that agreeing to help will pull us into a war that is not ours to fight, and may end up having unintended repercussions. I will have to consider whether I can join my comrades in such a venture.
------Later------
We have received a notice from our king to return to the Druid grove, and examine that area further. Apparently, the black trees have gained the notice of the King, and he has asked that we continue our investigations of that problem.
Thus it seems that our quest into the depths of the earth shall end for now. As part of the reason we went back there was to aid in my personal atonement, I wonder if this means I am ready for the ritual. I will have to meditate on this matter for some time, as I must decide where I am going, and what I wish to do with my existence. Until I am fully committed to whatever path I choose, I fear I am not ready to take that final step.
Alcander and Kenneth have left to take the body of our friend and leader Ryan back to his family in city of origin, and taken Marion with him, as she no longer seems to be of sound mind. I pray that she will find peace and clarity once she returns home.
But providence seems to have supplied us with new allies that may be able to help us: Shelré, a Ranger, and skilled fellow by the name of Mr. Tupper.
Shelré seems reasonable enough, and we could certainly use her knowledge of nature and the forest. Tupper may also prove useful, although his skills have not yet been fully explained or witnessed. He claims to have been sent to aid us, but has not been fully clear on what he is capable of. But I’m sure we’ll learn in time.
------Later------
We have finally returned from the grove, and there is much we have discovered. With the aid of Shelré we’ve been able to get further into the area we discovered under the fountain in the Druid grove. It seems to be their living quarters and general place of refuge. Within this area, we found another portal to the sunken city, and this time we went through and did some investigation of the area.
In the realm that the portal leads to, we found a cave by the sea that the sunken city lies under. Within the cave we found a curious creature, one that claims to be quite old. From what I can tell, she is not entirely mentally sound, and may have multiple personalities within her mind. There appear to be at least two primary personalities, one of which, if not friendly, is at least willing to live and let live, and enjoys the company of a number of “undead pets”. The other personality (assuming they are not in fact two identical looking creatures) is a much more dangerous creature.
But what we eventually learned is this: the more dangerous one claims to be behind the planting and spreading of the black and evil trees. Her only reason given was that she likes them. She also made mention of another who seems to be involved. A creature that sounds like it may be similar to a shark in appearance, and whom the more friendly personality was afraid of, or at the very least did not like. We were able to make our leave from the more dangerous personality unscathed, but from her speed of movement, and other observations I made, she would appear to be a formidable foe indeed.
After going back through the portal, we closed it off in a manner similar to closing the one in the underground labyrinth. We then left the Druid grove, and found we had been gone from the world outside the grove for some time longer than we had expected. We then returned to the inn to consider our next move.
At the inn, I met a mage, by the name of Hrefna. After speaking with her of our recent endeavors, it seems she wishes to aid us in our quest. We can most certainly use one with arcane knowledge. But I wonder what her true goal is in joining the group. She seems to be hiding something, but I know not what. Her actions and intentions bear watching in the future.
------Later------
We have gone back to the labyrinth, and this time I intend to do a more thorough inspection of the areas we have already examined. I suspect there are secrets there still that we have yet to uncover. However, first we must get through the various monsters that have re-inhabited the area. It seems the Drow aim to retake their laboratories. Oda, our Samurai friend, has proven himself to be a most powerful ally, though, having finished off a Drieder swiftly and almost single handedly. Most impressive.
------Later------
After doing some further searching in the labyrinth, we met a Drow female who appears to be one of the leaders in the group that was conducting the dark experiments in the labyrinth previously. It turns out the two Dreider we fought were the two Drow of the group we fought earlier and had escaped. She is most certainly quite powerful, and I don’t much like her sense of humor. We will no doubt have to deal with her at some point, but I suspect we will have to grow stronger first. My brief experience with her, however, makes me suspect that helping the other family of Drow may be a better idea than I had first thought.
After leaving the labyrinth, we met a fellow admiring our horses, which we learned afterward was in fact a member of a band of thieves. The thieves attempted to rob us in the woods, but we quickly and soundly defeated them, only their leader (the one we had met earlier) escaping us. He should hope we never meet again.
While the world would no doubt be better off without this creature, I worry that we will find this enemy too great for us. We seem to be much better at releasing evil upon the world than we are at finishing it off. But Alcander is the type to ignore such possibilities, and will no doubt forge on ahead with his plan to attack the creature. I fear he causes more problems for the world than he solves. But alas, we can only do our best to clean up the mess he leaves behind.
------Later------
We survived the battle with the drowned monster, but just barely. Thankfully, our new companion, the Samurai, was able to finish off the beast before it finished us off. But truly, this was a close one.
Afterward, we continued our search of the underground labyrinth, and discovered a number of imprisoned creatures, including some Druegar and a family of Drow. We released all that we did not detect as evil, although it was risky just looking in on some of the creatures.
However, it is the Drow that bear the most noting. One of them seemed to be the Matriarch of the Family. She explained that the labyrinth was a base of a rival family of Drow, and had captured her as well as her son and daughters. She asked for our assistance at some point in the future to aid in fighting the evil Drow that were her enemies, and had been conducting the evil experiments we witnessed, and are likely responsible for much of the evil that had more recently taken over the upper level.
Arcadius agreed, although I am not sure he should have been so quick to do so. He seemed enamored by her nobility. I’m not saying we should have necessarily refused, but as my mentor drove into me countless times: “Choose your battles wisely.” While these Drow did not register as evil, I am hesitant to trust them, as the stories of the race of Drow are not exactly comforting. I fear that agreeing to help will pull us into a war that is not ours to fight, and may end up having unintended repercussions. I will have to consider whether I can join my comrades in such a venture.
------Later------
We have received a notice from our king to return to the Druid grove, and examine that area further. Apparently, the black trees have gained the notice of the King, and he has asked that we continue our investigations of that problem.
Thus it seems that our quest into the depths of the earth shall end for now. As part of the reason we went back there was to aid in my personal atonement, I wonder if this means I am ready for the ritual. I will have to meditate on this matter for some time, as I must decide where I am going, and what I wish to do with my existence. Until I am fully committed to whatever path I choose, I fear I am not ready to take that final step.
Alcander and Kenneth have left to take the body of our friend and leader Ryan back to his family in city of origin, and taken Marion with him, as she no longer seems to be of sound mind. I pray that she will find peace and clarity once she returns home.
But providence seems to have supplied us with new allies that may be able to help us: Shelré, a Ranger, and skilled fellow by the name of Mr. Tupper.
Shelré seems reasonable enough, and we could certainly use her knowledge of nature and the forest. Tupper may also prove useful, although his skills have not yet been fully explained or witnessed. He claims to have been sent to aid us, but has not been fully clear on what he is capable of. But I’m sure we’ll learn in time.
------Later------
We have finally returned from the grove, and there is much we have discovered. With the aid of Shelré we’ve been able to get further into the area we discovered under the fountain in the Druid grove. It seems to be their living quarters and general place of refuge. Within this area, we found another portal to the sunken city, and this time we went through and did some investigation of the area.
In the realm that the portal leads to, we found a cave by the sea that the sunken city lies under. Within the cave we found a curious creature, one that claims to be quite old. From what I can tell, she is not entirely mentally sound, and may have multiple personalities within her mind. There appear to be at least two primary personalities, one of which, if not friendly, is at least willing to live and let live, and enjoys the company of a number of “undead pets”. The other personality (assuming they are not in fact two identical looking creatures) is a much more dangerous creature.
But what we eventually learned is this: the more dangerous one claims to be behind the planting and spreading of the black and evil trees. Her only reason given was that she likes them. She also made mention of another who seems to be involved. A creature that sounds like it may be similar to a shark in appearance, and whom the more friendly personality was afraid of, or at the very least did not like. We were able to make our leave from the more dangerous personality unscathed, but from her speed of movement, and other observations I made, she would appear to be a formidable foe indeed.
After going back through the portal, we closed it off in a manner similar to closing the one in the underground labyrinth. We then left the Druid grove, and found we had been gone from the world outside the grove for some time longer than we had expected. We then returned to the inn to consider our next move.
At the inn, I met a mage, by the name of Hrefna. After speaking with her of our recent endeavors, it seems she wishes to aid us in our quest. We can most certainly use one with arcane knowledge. But I wonder what her true goal is in joining the group. She seems to be hiding something, but I know not what. Her actions and intentions bear watching in the future.
------Later------
We have gone back to the labyrinth, and this time I intend to do a more thorough inspection of the areas we have already examined. I suspect there are secrets there still that we have yet to uncover. However, first we must get through the various monsters that have re-inhabited the area. It seems the Drow aim to retake their laboratories. Oda, our Samurai friend, has proven himself to be a most powerful ally, though, having finished off a Drieder swiftly and almost single handedly. Most impressive.
------Later------
After doing some further searching in the labyrinth, we met a Drow female who appears to be one of the leaders in the group that was conducting the dark experiments in the labyrinth previously. It turns out the two Dreider we fought were the two Drow of the group we fought earlier and had escaped. She is most certainly quite powerful, and I don’t much like her sense of humor. We will no doubt have to deal with her at some point, but I suspect we will have to grow stronger first. My brief experience with her, however, makes me suspect that helping the other family of Drow may be a better idea than I had first thought.
After leaving the labyrinth, we met a fellow admiring our horses, which we learned afterward was in fact a member of a band of thieves. The thieves attempted to rob us in the woods, but we quickly and soundly defeated them, only their leader (the one we had met earlier) escaping us. He should hope we never meet again.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Journal of W. E. Tupper, Day 57
Day 57
Breakfast found us with another head to count. This one's a wizard named Hrefna, a "diviner." She's yet to prove the exception to the rule that any wizard that insists on being called by their specialty is as stuck up as a rattlethrust on the null gear. (You don't tell them that, mind.) Couple that with me suddenly remembering her deity from my two-week Religious Equality lessons (one of the gods of alcohol, I think) and that she didn't like that aspect of her god being publicly discussed, and our acquaintance did not start off warmly.
I am beginning to wonder about the turnover rate in this operation. Moreover, they're too accepting of new members. Either of the two recent additions to our group could be infiltrators sent to mislead or betray us. Hell, I could be an infiltrator for all they know.
Went out in the morning to talk to the city seneschal as part of an attempt to garner official (and more importantly, military) support for a plan to lock down the grove. After talking to him for 10 minutes, he threw me into an asylum for the insane. Now, admittedly, this could be partially attributed to a few slip-ups on my side of the conversation. That said, this was the act of a man who is distinctly and undoubtedly derelict in his duty. He has willfully ignored abnormal circumstances that have hindered the execution of his duties and the duties of his guardsmen in an area of the city explicitly under his jurisdiction; namely, the failure to ensure the timely patrol of a suspicious public park from which the very menace to Point of Origin was spawned. Also he is a dick.
Arcadius was nice enough to spring me after that, though he tried to steer me away from talking to anyone else. I have the feeling that it will be some time before I live this down. Shell talked the seneschal into posting a guard at the front gate of the grove. It's slightly better than the finger-up-the-arse that he had maintained before, and likely the most help we're going to get out of him.
Once everyone met back up, they decided to roam the city asking around about current events. Since I was apparently off of my game when it came to social manipulation today, I figured I would go to the marketplace and buy some fresh supplies instead, as well as acquire a few things I had recently found myself lacking.
Evening consisted of gossip swapping, sword discussion, and the trading of various visions of doom between the more astrally inclined among us. Only thing that sticks in my mind from all of it is the rumor that all of the orcs have left town. Even the ones that live here? Hmm.
I suggested returning to the only other known coral gateway, so we're heading back to the mine tomorrow to see if Rann has reestablished a link to it.
Just remembered that I had promised to send Stuart a progress report at two-week intervals, and because of… events I am overdue on the first one. I'll make sure to write it after checking up on the mine.
Breakfast found us with another head to count. This one's a wizard named Hrefna, a "diviner." She's yet to prove the exception to the rule that any wizard that insists on being called by their specialty is as stuck up as a rattlethrust on the null gear. (You don't tell them that, mind.) Couple that with me suddenly remembering her deity from my two-week Religious Equality lessons (one of the gods of alcohol, I think) and that she didn't like that aspect of her god being publicly discussed, and our acquaintance did not start off warmly.
I am beginning to wonder about the turnover rate in this operation. Moreover, they're too accepting of new members. Either of the two recent additions to our group could be infiltrators sent to mislead or betray us. Hell, I could be an infiltrator for all they know.
Went out in the morning to talk to the city seneschal as part of an attempt to garner official (and more importantly, military) support for a plan to lock down the grove. After talking to him for 10 minutes, he threw me into an asylum for the insane. Now, admittedly, this could be partially attributed to a few slip-ups on my side of the conversation. That said, this was the act of a man who is distinctly and undoubtedly derelict in his duty. He has willfully ignored abnormal circumstances that have hindered the execution of his duties and the duties of his guardsmen in an area of the city explicitly under his jurisdiction; namely, the failure to ensure the timely patrol of a suspicious public park from which the very menace to Point of Origin was spawned. Also he is a dick.
Arcadius was nice enough to spring me after that, though he tried to steer me away from talking to anyone else. I have the feeling that it will be some time before I live this down. Shell talked the seneschal into posting a guard at the front gate of the grove. It's slightly better than the finger-up-the-arse that he had maintained before, and likely the most help we're going to get out of him.
Once everyone met back up, they decided to roam the city asking around about current events. Since I was apparently off of my game when it came to social manipulation today, I figured I would go to the marketplace and buy some fresh supplies instead, as well as acquire a few things I had recently found myself lacking.
Evening consisted of gossip swapping, sword discussion, and the trading of various visions of doom between the more astrally inclined among us. Only thing that sticks in my mind from all of it is the rumor that all of the orcs have left town. Even the ones that live here? Hmm.
I suggested returning to the only other known coral gateway, so we're heading back to the mine tomorrow to see if Rann has reestablished a link to it.
~
Just remembered that I had promised to send Stuart a progress report at two-week intervals, and because of… events I am overdue on the first one. I'll make sure to write it after checking up on the mine.
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