Session 6

Today I made a breakthrough, one that will change everything, no longer am I shackled by my need for sleep I have successfully discovered a way to stay awake indefinitely, however, my body still needs time to rest from the events of the day but my eyes will never close willingly again. This is the culmination of much work and is indeed a victory however it will only makes life easier for me it does not solve my issues or answer my questions but it is a victory nonetheless. Outside this, the ordeal in the sewer was done and today was the day to collect the reward from the king however before that I had some letters to deliver to people of interest, high lady Thornwood and first reader Metimer. Attached in each of my letters were the letters Rugo wrote to each of them and the name I used was “Rivers of Stygian Black” an address I haven't used since my first years in university… it's not really a name more of a joke but if I told it, it wouldn't be funny to anyone other than me… Maybe I will share more later about that… But back on topic, after sending the letters the party and I when to get an audience with the king. It went well I guess the pay was more than expected and I half thought the king would kill us since after all this quest was for a slave originally. It was funny the king thought Milo was the leader of the group and the seconds of panic he showed on his face when the king spoke to him was amusing. But I wonder what you would call our group the king asked for a name but none of us could come up with one… we aren't really a band of merry men nor a group of hardened mercenaries, more of a collection of people forced together through the forces of fate, or coincidence if I am feeling a little less poetic, though I wonder about the distinction there… One platinum coin was the pay. With this money, I went out and got the materials necessary for the identification spell and cast it on the amulet I have been keeping the effects didn't look too bad so I put it on. Its power was wonderful I believe it was meant for me and me alone to wear and as such I don't think it is necessary to take it off after all I would lose its effects and powers if i did such a thing but I am still curious about the inscriptions on the gem itself although I can't read it. The next few days were much-needed rest and talk about what our next move as a party should be. Frung told us about a crimson cult the king was an unwitting member of then spoke of murder or something my thoughts wandered to our old friend Rugo I wonder… his methods were undoubtedly occult in origin perhaps he kept a book on it or made notes in a ledge of sorts… I must know. At that moment I made up my mind, I had thought by giving the letters away to their respective recipients would be the end of Rugo in my mind his methods were distasteful but for the amount of money his potions got us just to acquire them… I wondered what possible thing could human blood add to potions to make them better and the blood diamonds were intriguing as well, I had read that old shamans would make blood diamonds out of old warriors upon their death, in battle or of old age, and use them to prolong their lives in rituals but from my understanding, there was little evidence they actually worked in practice but rather worked to temporarily cure ailments. But these ones are different, made threw malice rather than respect or consent of the participant, the effects must be different somehow… there were other spells that called for human blood as an ingredient in them mostly to summon demons from the nine hells but those spells are only speculation from historical accounts on demonologists none of the actual records of those spells survived however. Ah, these thoughts remind me of my position in the university such a simple life of books, quills, and ink viles. My fixation was now on the existence of any of Rugo’s books or notes which could explain why he went through all that effort to extract blood in that manner. I went and asked that woman we save in the potion store about Rugo and if he ever kept a ledger or something to that effect and she said it was taken to a university for holding for the investigation on Rugo. I had confirmation I had to know the contents of the ledger it must have something worth knowing in it. So I made myself a role I was under orders from the king to get a hold of and read the contents of Rugo’s ledger and report it back to the king. This cover didn't fly well with the people working at the university and was only able to see where they kept the book and confirm its real, I was able to touch the surface of it, but the leather it was bound in seemed off, rough but soother than normal book leather, its texture was vaguely familiar when I realized what this material was I had to hold back a grin, human skin… or rather human leather. I simply must get possession of this book my curiosity could not be sated. So that night I tried breaking into the university to get the book after a scuffle with some staff/guards I convinced them that I was there to get the book since it was of vital importance to get to the king quickly after having seen the book was gone I was annoyed so much so the roll I had crafted felt real I demanded they tell me where it was immediately, they said it an Earthsmasher was on duty during the time the books were taken. I had then told them or rather alluded to a plot that involved the king and the crimson cult pure fiction but at that moment I was using anything and everything to convince them of my quest to find the book, it worked well I trust they won't tell of the break-in after all who knows who is involved in the plot. hehehehe… But wait… Rugo mentions something about the first reader and his involvement in a group could that group be… the crimson cult perhaps… his relation with Rugo seems to reflect poorly on his character. These thoughts I mulled over in my mind on my way back to the inn and I have little evidence my speculation is true in fact I originally doubted the existence of said cult since its source was Frung after all. Suddenly I was transported to a world of mist and echoes, the landscape was obscured by a veil of soft, cool fog, Gradually, a structure emerged from the fog—a small, quaint cabin. I entered the cabin and inside was a cozy room lit by the gentle glow from a hearth, across the room in a chair facing the fire was a figure, shrouded in a dark, flowing cloak. The figure's face was hidden under a hood but a feeling of melancholy seemed to emanate from him. Despite this feeling and many others telling me to run, I took a seat next to the figure and after a long painful silence, he spoke. His words were delivered to me from a strong voice but his tone betrayed him as he spoke "I've been a silent witness to the turning of countless cycles, an eternal spectator amidst the dance of ages. Yet now, a premonition gnaws at my existence, a fear of an approaching event that even I am not prepared for." as he spoke these words I started feeling short of breath as a creeping dread came over me before I couldn't speak a word to this figure, he continued "I have stood alongside many during their darkest hours, a beacon amidst their storm. But now, as I find myself lost in my own storm, I realize how daunting the darkness can be." I felt sick and sunken into the chair I sat in, my voice taken from me, dread overwhelming my mind, these feelings, I felt as if I was about to pass out but just as I felt my consciousness start to fade from me the figure turned his head slightly toward me and said: “We are disappearing at an incredible rate.”