Well Here We Go Again

Well here we go again, never thought I’d end up back with a crew like this but here we be, trying to catch our breath after being in mortal peril once more. Funny how the world seems hell bent on shoving me into as many heroic endeavors as possible. I thought I was done but no, here I am once more.
 
This started with Rh- no, wait, the whole thing might have started there but this particular incident didn’t start until I reached Averheim and joined the adventurer’s guild in Olaris for some much needed coin. Easy to run low on funds when left adrift. I thought it would be an easy job, they certainly seemed excited to hire my skills. And I wouldn’t even be going it alone!
 
With a hearty kick to the door I entered the hall and found the first member of my crew- a sour looking short man who didn’t seem too excited to buy me a drink or have my presence anywhere near him. His name was Raymond or something, I don’t remember. Maybe Ramen? Rob? He’s got a thing against being contaminated or becoming diseased, which let me tell you is a valid thing to be against as it turns out, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
 
We were joined by a goat lady named… what was it, Cynthia? Sybil? I had a couple drinks by the time everyone was introducing themselves so it’s hard to remember names. She kept giggling when I took a drink of what was frankly a dirt tasting brew, but maybe she’s just immature and finds the sight of a salty cat like me drinking hilarious, who knows. There’s a particular fascination with flowers she holds, and she seems to prefer to mutter things to herself in some unknown language- I’ll have to keep my one good eye on her in case she gets up to something.
 
Then this very normal looking human showed up all covered up in a cloak, just standing there and refusing to sit down. Something peculiarly normal about him, that man, that… Vinny or whoever. Apparently he’s got a troubled memory but a very honest disposition, something that could very well be dangerous to himself and us in the future. But for now he seems fine, or at least not as strange as some of the other folk I’ve called part of my crew before.
 
To round out our group we met Desmond, a lad with a good, easy to remember name, I like that. Says he’s a simple farmer but you know, the more simple a man says he is the more complicated he turns out to be, so I ain’t trusting him farther than I can throw him. Who farms wheat and then joins the Adventurer’s Guild? Going to have to keep my one good eye on all of them.
 
Gus showed up and gave us our assignment. The man’s a wimpy fellow but seems to have a good heart. Got a wife at least, which is more than I can say for myself or maybe anyone else in the crew. He even wrote us a note telling us to have fun, may the gods rest his soul. Need more of that positivity in the world because there won’t be any coming from me any time soon.
 
Apparently we were hand picked by some Dr. Whoever that had files on all of us? I don’t like the idea of someone keeping tabs or files or writings or observations on me. Going to have to find those papers and burn them.
 
Our assignment was to bring supplies to the town of Riverrun and help out some refugees. Seemed easy enough. We were discussing the job when the Grandmaster of the whole damn guild waltzed in, a big lion guy with incredible armor and a booming voice that commanded everyone’s attention. He gave some big fancy speech about being needed to be a hero up in the north, the usual “don’t disappoint me or fail” sort of swill, I wasn’t really paying attention. What I was paying attention to was a fire genasi lady with a scar on her throat standing at his side.
 
I don’t like to think back on my time before, especially while I’m here, but if that’s the same Right Big Problem Lady I knew then I’m going to… well, I don’t know what I’ll do but it’s going to be a problem. Maybe I won’t be seeing her again. Hopefully.
 
I tuned back in to hear about some Chimera guy escaping from prison and causing a ruckus up north. At the time I had no intention of going north or meeting this man but more on that later. He’s got the same flavor as another Right Big Problem I refused to deal with.
 
Anyways we were off to Riverrun, the five of us not assigned to hunt down the Chimera guy, and we left without too much fanfare. Gus was more excited than we were about it. Gave us some copper badges and said it showed our rank and marked us as members of the Guild.
 
Need to get rid of this badge as soon as possible, although I hear we get discounts so maybe I’ll just shove it in my bag for now.
 
It took us three weeks to get to Riverrun. Three long boring weeks.
 
We ran into some bandits outside of town that demanded we hand over the supplies we were supposed to deliver. Vinny intimidated them into leaving with his honesty. Never should trust a man so dangerously honest, but it is handy to have him on our side.
 
Once we finished with the bandits we came upon the town and realized that while we had some supplies to help a few hundred people we were woefully unprepared to help the thousand that awaited us. People were sick, starved, hopeless, and literally crawling for any chance to escape their inevitable dismal fates. Rob had a hard time handling the illness that was obviously spreading around, poor lad.
 
The guards were quick to try and get the supplies inside the town’s gates without the refugees noticing, since there were people inside that needed the food we brought, but quickly the mob saw us and ran for it. Took a lot of fighting and shoving but we got the cart- and the donkey- over the wall, and we were quick to follow.
 
We were assisted by the sixth member of our crew, a doctorly fellow named… what was his name… Dave or something. I really need to figure out how to remember these names. Anyways he’s a doctor guy like Rob and the two got on frighteningly well. He’s researching this plague that’s spreading throughout the land, thinks it might be artificial and made with magic. Another thing he seems to be keenly interested in is researching anything about anybody he comes into contact with. Keeps writing stuff down in his book.
 
Again, I don’t like people keeping tabs on me. Ain’t none of their business asking me my history and recording it down in a book. I know it’s strange coming from me when I’m writing down everything in my journal but I’ve been doing this a while and it’s different.
 
Then we were off to meet this big Wizard guy who, like me, had trouble remembering names. He flashed an emerald badge at us and said that this Chimera man was on his way to the town, which really wasn’t a surprise, I knew this wouldn’t be a simple quest. It was only a matter of time before destiny stepped in again and shoved me in the direction of the most dangerous enemy out there.
 
While we were talking we suddenly smelled smoke. Someone had lit the supplies on fire, so me and Dave and Vinny ran off to put out the flames. While we were busy Rob, Cynthia and Desmond went and murdered the culprit. Turns out it was that bandit guy from before that tried to intimidate us. Dave wanted to tear into the guy (literally) and asked a guard to help bring the body to his laboratory. He even offered the guard some tea, which seemed like an innocent gesture at the time.
 
Then all hell broke loose. The tea caused the guard to foam at the mouth and out of his neck exploded a worm, a very familiar, very unwelcome worm. I can still feel the worm I had in my own neck before it was removed by Dari
 
No, not thinking about that name. Focus on the present names. Dave… no, Davian, that’s his name, Davian said something nasty at it and the worm exploded. Absolutely horrible. Whatever the hell was in that tea pushed the worm out.
 
The Wizard showed up again and said if we wanted to we could leave town before Chimera showed up. Of course this was a very thinly veiled plea for us to stay. It would be foolish to run off into the woods with the Chimera out there wandering around, but that was the only reason I stayed. The Wizard mentioned that by wearing the badge of the Guild it was like… well, like wearing the mark of heroes. If he knew who he was talking to he would have known that was the worst thing to say to a fellow like me but I was too preoccupied with the worm incident to destroy my badge right then and there.
 
Might set the badge on fire later though, once I get some discounts. I will not be a marked man again. Once was enough. I made my choice and I am not changing my mind no matter how much the universe seems determined to sway it.
 
The Wizard eventually convinced me to stay with copious amounts of wine, although it did have a faint dirt taste to it. Is there something about Averheim that makes the drink taste like dirt? Am I cursed again?
 
Davian did an autopsy on the corpse and bonded with Rob, good for them, the more attention they pay to each other the less attention they’ll pay to me. The rest of us took a rest and as night fell we took our positions on top of the keep, waiting for Chimera to come.
 
And boy did Chimera make an entrance. He was a terrible sight, one I hope to never see again, tall and covered in rock like protrusions, accompanied by various individuals of nefarious natures. The refugees were convinced that this was their savior, and as they gobbled down the food these guys were giving them I knew it was over.
 
Then I saw the catapult and really knew it was over. We weren’t ready for a big fight like this. Vinny- no, wait, it’s Vir, his name is Vir- Vir fired a flaming arrow at the catapult and set it aflame. Unfortunately this just made the undead lady they fired at us into a flaming, undead lady projectile. Really didn’t think I’d be on the receiving end of one of those. Rob… Ruin, that’s his name, Ruin took great offense to this and set her body even more aflame until it was as toasty as could be.
 
The Wizard threw a ginormous fireball at Chimera and his crew, this part of the world really seems to like their fire, which is all fine with me. What I wasn’t fine with was the fact that Chimera didn’t take any damage from the attack and threw it right back at us, blowing up the Wizard and putting an end to him. Davian almost died trying to save him, the silly lad, but thankfully Ruin was there to help him out.
 
That was my cue to leave. We almost made it except that Ruin, Davian and Desmond all got bit by some of the undead army that was running after us. With the help of the soldiers we managed to escape, watching the keep go down in an astounding display of fire that resembled a dragon sweeping over the town.
 
We did not fail our assignment. Technically we did bring the supplies to the town. Unfortunately there was no one left to enjoy them. With the soldiers in tow we fled to the woods, but we could not flee the plague that was now upon us. Three of the soldiers were infected. I was ready to set them on fire but the captain finished them off himself.
 
Davian decided to examine himself and even went so far as to cut a piece of his own infected flesh off of his leg for study, which made poor Sylvie ill (that’s her name!). Ruin and Desmond were also infected but the three of them didn’t seem to be turning as fast as the soldiers. In fact, after a very unpleasant hour, Davian, Ruin and Desmond seemed to miraculously recover. They also smelled of honey, which is what the wine the Wizard gave us smelled like too.
 
Maybe that Wizard was on to a cure? Any sort of alcoholic cure is fine by me, bring it on. Curently Davian’s reading the Wizard’s mushroom book, which apparently was where he kept his notes, while the others try to get as much rest as they can.
 
Sylvie went off to pick flowers, Vir is doing something not at all suspicious by himself, Ruin’s trying to find solace in his holy symbol, Desmond might be thinking of farming or whatever, and I’m sitting by the fire wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into again. Might have made a mistake taking out my eye to examine it, as was habit back on the ship, and everyone was quick to point out that usually folk wear an eyepatch to hide the vacant hole beneath it, not cover up a full socket. When did everyone become an expert on having one eye?
 
I’ll have to remember that this is not the world I’m familiar with and try not to attract too much attention. I will not join this crew. I will not allow it to happen again. The first time was a complete accident, I didn’t have a choice, but now I do. I make my own fate and I will not let the world push me in a direction I’m not willing to go.
 
For now I’ll rest. Better to think on the next course of action in the morning.