Entry 20: I see fire

by Hayley Thomas

Dear diary,

When we woke up, Amarra was gone. Gael informed us she had slipped away in the night, likely avoiding another round of arguments with Luke. She was never one for long goodbyes. Left with no choice but to move forward, we had a quick breakfast before Luke activated the teleportation circle, transporting us to the heart of Caern Fussil in search of the elusive crystal.

We arrived in a dimly lit cave, the air thick with the scent of sulfur. At the center stood a small pedestal, upon which rested a tiny marble. Opposite it, a demonic face was carved from the stone, its gaping mouth spewing lava into a glowing pool below, casting an eerie light around us.

Unsure of our next move, we decided to explore the surrounding caverns. Each held its mysteries, three of them containing magical circles linked to the elemental plane of fire. In two of these caves, we discovered ancient books inscribed with symbols in Ignan, the language of the elemental plane. The script was indecipherable to us, but it was clear these tomes contained powerful rituals.

Frustration gnawed at us, knowing the key to our quest lay within those pages, just out of reach. The cave's oppressive heat and the ominous glow of lava heightened our sense of urgency, as we pondered how to unlock the secrets hidden within the cryptic texts.

Figuring out how to retrieve the crystal took some doing, but we eventually cracked the code. It turned out that standing in one of the circles while holding the marble activated it, summoning elemental creatures. Luke bravely stepped into the first circle, and we proceeded clockwise through the caverns, leaving one of us behind in each until Gael, Liliana, and I faced the last group of creatures and completed the ritual to unlock the central cavern.

Returning to the original cave, Luke placed the marble into the mouth of the demonic face. It sank into the pool of lava, revealing a vast cavern behind it. In the center of the room lay a larger pool of lava, and suspended above it was the crystal we sought. But it wasn't unguarded. As soon as Alistan and Liliana stepped into the room, a fire elemental materialized and attacked.

The battle was fierce, the air crackling with heat and energy. The fire elemental's rage was formidable, but our combined efforts ultimately overcame it. As the elemental perished, its fiery essence solidified into a staff—a final gift for my fire-loving brother. With the guardian defeated, Luke carefully retrieved the crystal from above the lava pool.

The moment the crystal was removed from its place, Alistan and I felt a rumbling from above. The heart of Caern Fussil had been removed, and the magic that held the tower together began to unravel. The structure started to collapse around us. Fortunately, Luke had anticipated this. When we scrambled back upstairs, a prepared escape route awaited us.

We emerged from the ruins and watched as the tower crumbled into a heap of stones and ash. With heavy hearts and a sense of finality, we said our last goodbyes to Caern Fussil and began our journey back to Keralon.

4th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

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Entry one: The trials

Entry two: The bramble

Entry 3: Rosebloom

Entry 4: Hearts and Dreams

Entry 5: of ghosts and wolves

Entry 6: Hillfield and Deals with Fae

Entry 7: mysteries and pastries

Entry 8: The scarecrow ruse
6th of Lug, 121 Year of the Tree

Entry 9: A betrayal of satyrs
7th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 10: The fate of twins
8th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 11: Cursed twins
10th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 12: Loss and despair
11th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Hayley's rules to being a Witch

Entry 13: the price of safety
12th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 14: A golden cage and fiery tower
13th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 15: A trial by fire
14th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 16: Keralon
15th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Letter to Luke 1

Letter to Luke 2

Letter to Luke 3

Letter to Luke 4

Letter to Luke 5

Letter to Luke 6

Entry 17: I shall wear midnight
1st of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 18: peace in our time
2nd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 19: Caern Fussil falls
3rd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 20: I see fire
4th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 21: Cultists twarted
10th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 22: Ravensfield
14th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 23: The Hollow Hill Horror
15th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 24: Burn your village
16th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 25: Ravensfield burns
17th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 26: There will be blood!
21st of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 27: A happy reunion
22nd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 28: The embassy ball
23rd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 29: The fate of Robert Talespinner
24th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 30: A royal summons
28th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 31: of Dogville and Geese
29th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 32: A boggle named Pim
30th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 20: I see fire

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