Okay. So now it is Heracles sending me visions? This is just too bizarre! Half of the group received the vision from Heracles, while the other half received a vision from Pelor. I preferred Pelor's vision. It involved really pretty music, though I suppose if you listen to the sea, truly listen, there is a song in the waves as well.
Either way, now we are helping a Drow in order to gain information. I am not exactly sure what we are doing for the Drow in order to get the information though. All I know is for fighting, I am strictly in the middle of the group, since I am not much of a fighter!
I wonder if everyone in an epic story always feels so lost and frightened. Most of the time, I just hold on for dear life and hope I come out okay on the other side!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Journal of W. E. Tupper, Day 120-121
Day 120
Oh hells no.
With all due respect to the mighty and noble god of… loincloths, but Heracles needs to knock it off with the aggressive recruitment tactics. Another short and direct message this time: Strike the root of the evil rather than the branches, and that the town of Stone Keep is a lost cause.
Sztuczka and Jake had this vision as well, but Sztuczka had a vision from Pelor last time. The criteria for who gets which deity on their shoulder is flexible, it seems. Maybe if I start worshipping Pelor, then… but then that's just replacing one (highly majestic and honorable in all ways) yacky parrot with another.
Tried to bluff my way onto one of the black ships in the harbor. All I could find out was that their home port is a place called Karaleet'numat and that the captain of the ship had a better idea of what a trade inspector does than I do.
Besides the rumor that there is an island off of the coast of Oohmaya that's raided by the black ships, no leads in town. I think it was Arcadius that recommended we call in a favor of sorts with the drow. Apparently they rescued a dark elf princess or something before I showed up, and she gave them a handy teleportation device back to her hometown. The plan is to stop in and make a deal for information about this threat. Oh boy.
Contemplated sending out another report before we leave. Considering the fact that this little excursion has little to nothing to do with my original mission, the highly probable interception of any message, and that I would have to write another poem… I am, hesitant, to do so.
Day 121
I don't know where I am, I don't really know why I'm here, and I am sitting next to a rock in the shape of a pine tree.
Bought supplies this morning, sent out cash to keep Horse stabled in Oohmaya for a month longer. The trip to the drow lands was, well, instantaneous. This is the third time I've experienced a teleportation spell, and the first time I didn't end up injured afterwards.
It spat us out into a pitch-black forest with black trees, black rocks, and a black road leading into the darkness. After following the road for a while and likely attracting every native predator for 50 miles in every direction with our lanterns, we came upon a town made of vines that glowed purple. They let us in and we set about wandering around like tourists. We found a building, or at least a pile of vines shaped like one, with the same emblem on it as the one on our teleportation disc. After a brief walk through a home that costs more than my soul, we met with the head elf woman Gozhn, a person of that most dreaded amalgam of concepts: a drow politician. She welcomed us to the city of Docolth'piar.
The agreement goes thusly. There is another House of drow in a faraway city. These are Bad drow. They enjoy causing a political ruckus and kidnapping people from the surface for fun. We, in our natural role as peacekeepers, are to barge in and kill them all in their own home. But, the home in question, like most drow buildings of import, is rigged to block teleportation spells. However, the House of Gozhn has captured a laboratory out in the subterranean sticks which has a 'transit ring,' something that can punch through such protections and get us inside. When we're done, we simply use the teleportation disc to return back for our reward of vital information on what the crap we're facing in the north. Got all that?
Gozhn's daughter Lestrum will lead us to the laboratory, but won't be able to join us in the ensuing bloodbath because her House desires a level of plausible deniability in the affair; and nothing says "genuinely random bout of surface-worlder violence" like a paladin assault team porting directly into a well-guarded area using experimental magicks. The journey is expected to take a week on foot and takes us through a duorgar city. The road to this inevitably colorful and bright place started at a locked gate leading deeper into the ground. We are currently camped in a 'clearing' in a cave, and I am writing this by funguslight.
There's something distinctly off about all this, but it may just be that I've been feeling that way a lot lately.
Oh hells no.
With all due respect to the mighty and noble god of… loincloths, but Heracles needs to knock it off with the aggressive recruitment tactics. Another short and direct message this time: Strike the root of the evil rather than the branches, and that the town of Stone Keep is a lost cause.
Sztuczka and Jake had this vision as well, but Sztuczka had a vision from Pelor last time. The criteria for who gets which deity on their shoulder is flexible, it seems. Maybe if I start worshipping Pelor, then… but then that's just replacing one (highly majestic and honorable in all ways) yacky parrot with another.
Tried to bluff my way onto one of the black ships in the harbor. All I could find out was that their home port is a place called Karaleet'numat and that the captain of the ship had a better idea of what a trade inspector does than I do.
Besides the rumor that there is an island off of the coast of Oohmaya that's raided by the black ships, no leads in town. I think it was Arcadius that recommended we call in a favor of sorts with the drow. Apparently they rescued a dark elf princess or something before I showed up, and she gave them a handy teleportation device back to her hometown. The plan is to stop in and make a deal for information about this threat. Oh boy.
Contemplated sending out another report before we leave. Considering the fact that this little excursion has little to nothing to do with my original mission, the highly probable interception of any message, and that I would have to write another poem… I am, hesitant, to do so.
Day 121
I don't know where I am, I don't really know why I'm here, and I am sitting next to a rock in the shape of a pine tree.
Bought supplies this morning, sent out cash to keep Horse stabled in Oohmaya for a month longer. The trip to the drow lands was, well, instantaneous. This is the third time I've experienced a teleportation spell, and the first time I didn't end up injured afterwards.
It spat us out into a pitch-black forest with black trees, black rocks, and a black road leading into the darkness. After following the road for a while and likely attracting every native predator for 50 miles in every direction with our lanterns, we came upon a town made of vines that glowed purple. They let us in and we set about wandering around like tourists. We found a building, or at least a pile of vines shaped like one, with the same emblem on it as the one on our teleportation disc. After a brief walk through a home that costs more than my soul, we met with the head elf woman Gozhn, a person of that most dreaded amalgam of concepts: a drow politician. She welcomed us to the city of Docolth'piar.
The agreement goes thusly. There is another House of drow in a faraway city. These are Bad drow. They enjoy causing a political ruckus and kidnapping people from the surface for fun. We, in our natural role as peacekeepers, are to barge in and kill them all in their own home. But, the home in question, like most drow buildings of import, is rigged to block teleportation spells. However, the House of Gozhn has captured a laboratory out in the subterranean sticks which has a 'transit ring,' something that can punch through such protections and get us inside. When we're done, we simply use the teleportation disc to return back for our reward of vital information on what the crap we're facing in the north. Got all that?
Gozhn's daughter Lestrum will lead us to the laboratory, but won't be able to join us in the ensuing bloodbath because her House desires a level of plausible deniability in the affair; and nothing says "genuinely random bout of surface-worlder violence" like a paladin assault team porting directly into a well-guarded area using experimental magicks. The journey is expected to take a week on foot and takes us through a duorgar city. The road to this inevitably colorful and bright place started at a locked gate leading deeper into the ground. We are currently camped in a 'clearing' in a cave, and I am writing this by funguslight.
There's something distinctly off about all this, but it may just be that I've been feeling that way a lot lately.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Alcander: Day 121
This evil has hurt more people than I knew.
I had a vision of Heracles. He's back to his usual degree of clarity, which is to say that he was going on about hydras and cutting out the heart which are also roots or something. I had thought that a god would be above horribly mixing their metaphors, but clearly not.
So I figured the heart, right? If the black ships are a head of the agrarian hydra, then where they come from must be the heart.
But it seems they are not the heart, but victims as surely as ourselves.
I spoke to one of their men, a man who calls himself a "berserk." It seems to be their paladins. A fine man, I'd love to test my mettle against him. And decidedly not an evil man, though the captain of his ship was.
That man, it seems, came for the great battle. He was prepared for a great fight, a noble battle, and was as disappointed as we were that it didn't happen.
So they're not the roots or the heart or the veins or whatever. Heracles must have meant roots more literally, like underground.
Like where that Drow woman we promised to help lives.
Now we are here, and we have agreed to help her slay several evil doers. Perhaps the same evil persons responsable for kidnapping all those people in Point of Origin. Admittedly, there are so many who are evil in this place that I'm not sure how one would tell who was particularly evil. They let mindflayer's walk the streets, for gods' sake!
It is an evil place, but at least there is some light. Our prayers for Tupper's soul seem to be having their effect. He saw the vision of Heracles, too. And, though he may claim reluctance, he asked that we follow the manly path, twice! Soon, any day now, we will make him a real man.
That day will be glorious.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Letter from Arcadius
(written in a foreign script and language)
To the honored, right-thinking and right-acting Ar-Mahdin, son of Ar-Ahrum, who was son of Ar-Dehret, who was son of Ar-Mirihaal, who was daughter of Ar-Khadesh, who was son of Ar-Kinas, who was daughter of Ar-Mahdin, who was son of Ar-Ahrum, who was son of Ar-Dehret, first of our rightly-guided lineage.
Keeper of the lineage of Dehret
Guardian of of the district of Ideb
Speaker in the assembly of the province of Zakhmemet
My father
From your son, Ar-Khadesh
*A*
Know o' father that I have seen much since I last wrote to you. Much has transpired since I and my companions were sent forth from Point of Origin for our training-through-doing. We have fought against the wickedness that grows in the world and abounds in these wild and northern lands.
Know o' father than I have been called by Lord Pelor more deeply into his service. Wondrous gifts have been given me, and much strength have I found, yet I am as an instrument in the hands of my god. These times call for piety and devotion, coupled with attention, perseverance, courage, and absolute loyalty to duty, as has always been the right path.
Know o' father that signs and visions have been given, as no doubt they have to the priests and astrologers. Surely they in our homeland, may it be blessed of the gods, have seen the portents! Surely the right path shall triumph and drive back the darkness. I am confident, yet would with humility hope for news from home.
Know o' father that in my travels, I came across a box scribed with evil magic of the folk of the Kaashmi cities, may they wither in the sands of their vile land and the gods bleach their bones. This box contained an evil jinn. Never would I have thought an item of their foul craft would be found so far afield. With humility may I conjecture it is a sign of events in motion that could affect our land. May this item of knowledge be instructive and of use to the assemblies and the hierarchy.
Know o' father that tomorrow I set forth on a path of great danger, journeying into darkness, but guided by the light of Pelor I may persevere, and from it may come new insights into the greater shadows of these times. If I do not persevere, may this letter be your last memory of me.
Know o' father that I honor you, my mother, and our family, may they be blessed and may they act in accordance with the old and proper ways.
Rightly we have done, rightly we do, and rightly may we do in the times to come.
To the honored, right-thinking and right-acting Ar-Mahdin, son of Ar-Ahrum, who was son of Ar-Dehret, who was son of Ar-Mirihaal, who was daughter of Ar-Khadesh, who was son of Ar-Kinas, who was daughter of Ar-Mahdin, who was son of Ar-Ahrum, who was son of Ar-Dehret, first of our rightly-guided lineage.
Keeper of the lineage of Dehret
Guardian of of the district of Ideb
Speaker in the assembly of the province of Zakhmemet
My father
From your son, Ar-Khadesh
*A*
Know o' father that I have seen much since I last wrote to you. Much has transpired since I and my companions were sent forth from Point of Origin for our training-through-doing. We have fought against the wickedness that grows in the world and abounds in these wild and northern lands.
Know o' father than I have been called by Lord Pelor more deeply into his service. Wondrous gifts have been given me, and much strength have I found, yet I am as an instrument in the hands of my god. These times call for piety and devotion, coupled with attention, perseverance, courage, and absolute loyalty to duty, as has always been the right path.
Know o' father that signs and visions have been given, as no doubt they have to the priests and astrologers. Surely they in our homeland, may it be blessed of the gods, have seen the portents! Surely the right path shall triumph and drive back the darkness. I am confident, yet would with humility hope for news from home.
Know o' father that in my travels, I came across a box scribed with evil magic of the folk of the Kaashmi cities, may they wither in the sands of their vile land and the gods bleach their bones. This box contained an evil jinn. Never would I have thought an item of their foul craft would be found so far afield. With humility may I conjecture it is a sign of events in motion that could affect our land. May this item of knowledge be instructive and of use to the assemblies and the hierarchy.
Know o' father that tomorrow I set forth on a path of great danger, journeying into darkness, but guided by the light of Pelor I may persevere, and from it may come new insights into the greater shadows of these times. If I do not persevere, may this letter be your last memory of me.
Know o' father that I honor you, my mother, and our family, may they be blessed and may they act in accordance with the old and proper ways.
Rightly we have done, rightly we do, and rightly may we do in the times to come.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tupper's Dream Log, Day 112
An old man in a suit of armor, sitting on a porch. A younger man with glasses, wild hair, a multi-colored shirt, and a strange device in his hands. The old man sounded like a box of gravel inside another box of gravel. He said to me, "Tupper. Your destiny lies not in the bloodshed of others, or in the skulduggery of deceit. Stand now before your God, and behold the road ahead!" And then the younger man began to play the device.
I know what must be done. I must temper myself to wield the justice-bringing might of the accordion.
I know what must be done. I must temper myself to wield the justice-bringing might of the accordion.
Alcander: Day 119
Heracles has sent me another vision.
By the gods, I've missed their message all along! That dream, it was not a dream of battle! It was a dream of celebration, of partying!
Yes, the party has not yet come. But soon, soon the party will happen. And when that comes, I know my place in it. I must be prepared to do my part. Myself, and all of my companions, we must be there, we must all band together.
But where can I purchase kazoos in bulk at this hour.
By the gods, I've missed their message all along! That dream, it was not a dream of battle! It was a dream of celebration, of partying!
Yes, the party has not yet come. But soon, soon the party will happen. And when that comes, I know my place in it. I must be prepared to do my part. Myself, and all of my companions, we must be there, we must all band together.
But where can I purchase kazoos in bulk at this hour.
Journal of W. E. Tupper, Day 108-119
Day 108
Dragons.
Saw a fire from the road. Turned out to be the remains of a town. No survivors, no corpses, no signs of a fight, just a funeral pyre and a red dragon scale.
Watching the skies now.
Day 111
Arrived at Oohmaya. Quieter than I thought it would be. There's a makeshift dock set up on the outskirts, as the city's own ports are clogged with supernatural glaciers.
We're staying at an Inn called the Narwhal, with a carving out front of a man in a red suit wrestling a unicorn-whale thing. Spent the day settling in and shopping for a holy symbol to wave at Alcander so as to scare him off his little quest. Damned if I could recognize half of the religions represented, though.
Alcander and Oda secured passage on a boat for Stone Keep in three days' time. I will have to help row on this vessel and I am not keen on this.
Day 112
Strange dream last night; but as nobody else in the group had it and nobody in the dream tried to send me on a quest or showed me legions of foes, I am marking it down under "Not a Vision."
Rumors about town is that Stone Keep has fallen to invaders from the west, and that the town fell in under a day. Hopefully they're wrong, otherwise we're walking into an ambush.
Day 114
I hate rowing.
Hrefna's been missing for two days now. Apparently she got news of an unknown sort, packed up, headed for the docks, then left on foot for… somewhere else. She missed the boat for Stone Keep, at any rate. And Chtuyishhskah gets to keep rhythm on the drums.
I really hate rowing.
Day 118
Stone Keep! And a complete lack of fleets full of evil things! Way off on the predictions, Heracles, but I'm not complaining about it.
We were greeted by the sight of a large rock formation in the shape of a dragon's head. This proved to be the least frightening sight in the area. The keep looms over the coast, with five black-hulled ships anchored in its harbor.
Rumor mill has been surprisingly quiet; this may have something to do with various houses in the town exploding, supposedly at random, since the takeover. A small army of foreigners disappeared into the keep in the morning before the attack. The invasion was practically over by the time the news got around town that they were under attack. Then the leader of the town apparently just 'changed their mind' and surrendered. The invaders then leave everything as it was and prance off merrily back home. Yeah.
My hackles are up in a place like this. There's just something intrinsically wrong about the setup.
[The following is encrypted, but not anywhere as annoying as the letter. (David: rolled an 15 on the Knowledge: Cipher check.)]
Day 119
I worked it out.
They conquer a modestly sized trading hub, but keep it running and even lower the tariffs. Meanwhile, their biggest competitor in the area get their shipping lanes 'mysteriously' clogged with icebergs. This sets up the new landlords of Stone Keep to send… something… out around the world as fast as their ships can carry it. Omnious and terrifying, just the way we hate it.
I may be able to parlay my status as Official Sable Lion Whipping Boy into a plan of attack. I was talking to an official inside the keep, and told him I was an investigator from Point of Origin. (Note: him and a sizeable number of official-like people wore quartz necklaces. Maybe it's traditional around here to wear them, but with our previous luck with crystals…) Conceiveably, I could threaten to return to my city and warn against trading with Stone Keep unless I talk to their higher-ups.
Since we are dealing with a foe that can control minds, I would therefore remain ignorant to the rest of this plan. As far as I would know, the paladins skipped town to warn the world or play skiphotch or something. Hopefully they would do more than that, mind. The others have not taken enthusiatically to this plan.
Stoyhickah is taking up an observer position inside the keep. Tried to talk over a plan of attack with her, but… I am reasonably sure she declined to work with me. That gnome is creepy.
Sent a letter out to Milya on the same boat that brought us here, warning Point of Origin about Stone Keep. I hopeArt gets to read ishe's okay.
We're keeping a watch while we're in town, and I'm sleeping with my journal in my arms.
[/encrypted]
Something keeps bugging me about this. Talking around town yesterday learned us that 30-40 ships were used in the assault on the town. But there are only five in the harbor. Where are the other 25-35 ships?
And what are they doing to the other port towns?
Dragons.
Saw a fire from the road. Turned out to be the remains of a town. No survivors, no corpses, no signs of a fight, just a funeral pyre and a red dragon scale.
Watching the skies now.
Day 111
Arrived at Oohmaya. Quieter than I thought it would be. There's a makeshift dock set up on the outskirts, as the city's own ports are clogged with supernatural glaciers.
We're staying at an Inn called the Narwhal, with a carving out front of a man in a red suit wrestling a unicorn-whale thing. Spent the day settling in and shopping for a holy symbol to wave at Alcander so as to scare him off his little quest. Damned if I could recognize half of the religions represented, though.
Alcander and Oda secured passage on a boat for Stone Keep in three days' time. I will have to help row on this vessel and I am not keen on this.
Day 112
Strange dream last night; but as nobody else in the group had it and nobody in the dream tried to send me on a quest or showed me legions of foes, I am marking it down under "Not a Vision."
Rumors about town is that Stone Keep has fallen to invaders from the west, and that the town fell in under a day. Hopefully they're wrong, otherwise we're walking into an ambush.
Day 114
I hate rowing.
Hrefna's been missing for two days now. Apparently she got news of an unknown sort, packed up, headed for the docks, then left on foot for… somewhere else. She missed the boat for Stone Keep, at any rate. And Chtuyishhskah gets to keep rhythm on the drums.
I really hate rowing.
Day 118
Stone Keep! And a complete lack of fleets full of evil things! Way off on the predictions, Heracles, but I'm not complaining about it.
We were greeted by the sight of a large rock formation in the shape of a dragon's head. This proved to be the least frightening sight in the area. The keep looms over the coast, with five black-hulled ships anchored in its harbor.
Rumor mill has been surprisingly quiet; this may have something to do with various houses in the town exploding, supposedly at random, since the takeover. A small army of foreigners disappeared into the keep in the morning before the attack. The invasion was practically over by the time the news got around town that they were under attack. Then the leader of the town apparently just 'changed their mind' and surrendered. The invaders then leave everything as it was and prance off merrily back home. Yeah.
My hackles are up in a place like this. There's just something intrinsically wrong about the setup.
[The following is encrypted, but not anywhere as annoying as the letter. (David: rolled an 15 on the Knowledge: Cipher check.)]
Day 119
I worked it out.
They conquer a modestly sized trading hub, but keep it running and even lower the tariffs. Meanwhile, their biggest competitor in the area get their shipping lanes 'mysteriously' clogged with icebergs. This sets up the new landlords of Stone Keep to send… something… out around the world as fast as their ships can carry it. Omnious and terrifying, just the way we hate it.
I may be able to parlay my status as Official Sable Lion Whipping Boy into a plan of attack. I was talking to an official inside the keep, and told him I was an investigator from Point of Origin. (Note: him and a sizeable number of official-like people wore quartz necklaces. Maybe it's traditional around here to wear them, but with our previous luck with crystals…) Conceiveably, I could threaten to return to my city and warn against trading with Stone Keep unless I talk to their higher-ups.
Since we are dealing with a foe that can control minds, I would therefore remain ignorant to the rest of this plan. As far as I would know, the paladins skipped town to warn the world or play skiphotch or something. Hopefully they would do more than that, mind. The others have not taken enthusiatically to this plan.
Stoyhickah is taking up an observer position inside the keep. Tried to talk over a plan of attack with her, but… I am reasonably sure she declined to work with me. That gnome is creepy.
Sent a letter out to Milya on the same boat that brought us here, warning Point of Origin about Stone Keep. I hope
We're keeping a watch while we're in town, and I'm sleeping with my journal in my arms.
[/encrypted]
~
Something keeps bugging me about this. Talking around town yesterday learned us that 30-40 ships were used in the assault on the town. But there are only five in the harbor. Where are the other 25-35 ships?
And what are they doing to the other port towns?
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