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.