Callum Mac Craith
Sovereign of Aknir Callum Theodore Mac Craith (a.k.a. Cain)
Sovereign King Callum Mac Craith is the son of Hellskeeper Cathal Cain Mac Craith and Mother Lareina Amatalia. He is a Bloodhunter of the Lycan Order and Cleric of Faustina.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Broad-shouldered and muscular but not disproportionately so.
Body Features
Body is riddled in scars, often hidden by his clothing.
Facial Features
Strong jawline and chin, hooded eyes and heavy eyebrows and with a straight nose. He has relatively straight teeth with top and bottom canines that protrude slightly.
Identifying Characteristics
A vertical scar over his left eye and a scar cutting through the middle of his right jaw, arching up to his cheek. All the scars on his face are deep and discolored.
Physical quirks
Often seen with furrowed brows.
Special abilities
He can transform into a Lykantrop. In his half-elf form he is an excellent tracker and has heightened senses of hearing and smell.
Apparel & Accessories
He wears a full suit of dark studded leather armor and wears dark colored plainclothes. Strapped to his back is his travel pack with equipment and his glaive.
Specialized Equipment
He has a double-ended masterwork glaive that was made in Halberghair. His other weapon is a greatsword strapped to his back. Down the length of the blade is an inscription in older languages, including the sword's name.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Formative Years
Roughly four years after Cecily’s birth Lareina gave birth to the twins Callum and Kaelyn (in such order). Lareina tried to teach the twins the same she had taught Cecily with lesser success. They instead took more after their father, learning how to wield hatchets to help him collect sticks and clutter for fires and trimming. In the year 993, when Cecily was 14 years of age and the twins of 10, they were allowed to do chores independently. One day after their chores, the children returned home to see their parents dead (suicide to avoid being harvested for Paracelsus’s army) and their home raided by Paracelsus’ paladins, who had finally found them. Luckily due to their following/blessings of Athanasios they were spared from a second, false life.
Adolescence
Inspired by her mother’s teachings, Cecily left to pursue knowledge and power in Athanasios, and Kaelyn was hellbent on vengeance. As Callum was often taught to protect his sister, he minded her and cared for her until they both reached the age of 18. He accomplished this first by begging in the cities they passed through, but it escalated as the cities’ sizes grew. Eventually Callum became a pickpocket, nabbing items to pawn or salvage for himself and his sister. During his time pickpocketing, he was approached by an older man who noticed Callum’s skills and took time to help Callum learn his craft. Callum later learned that this man was a part of the local thieving guild. After years of pickpocketing, Callum was introduced to gambling and heists. As Cain was training to become a professional criminal, news of his talents had made its way into the ears of another guild’s leader.
In the beginning he started as a common grifter because of his smaller stature and quick fingers. As he matured, however, he began to take on more roles regarding enforcement and strength. It was during this transition that he began to travel more outside of Sernos, where he contributed to smuggling rings that supplied the black market and the illegal magic trade. From his work here he has dealt with many Ghovens, Novedois, and Mothniri that he worked with. He also had a keen eye for numbers, so often was tasked with doctoring ledgers or taking peeks at others’ books in between his usual duties.
Blood Hunter Academy
Around the age of 20, in the year 1003, they were scouted by one of the small orders of Blood Hunters who were beginning their resurgence. Kaelyn seized this opportunity as one to become stronger; she had been spending her time learning how to hunt and survive proficiently in the wild. Both young adults were taken to the base for Blood Hunters, where they learned about the different Orders in the society during their preliminary training. Inspired by what she remembered from her mother’s teachings, Kaelyn chose to follow the Order of the Ghostslayer, as she wished to hurt Paracelsus by culling his herd. Callum chose the Order of the Lycan because of his conversations with a mentor during his preliminary training. He was scouted by this mentor due to his even temperament despite external instigation, and how he often took time to analyze as much of the scenario as he could before acting. To be initiated, the twins were separated so that they could train at their respective locations for their chosen orders.
While at his Order training, he found his first love in a dark elf named Nyana Ciradyl. They trained together for a few years and were romantically involved for some of their time, to the point of which they were expecting a child. Sadly, Nyana died in a training accident where she was mauled to death by another member of the order in 1007. Since then, Cain has not taken another official lover.
Initial Independent Quest
Once graduated, both twins were urged to use an alias or plain identity to protect their fragile orders. This seemed reasonable to them both because of their previous use of a fake surname during their childhood. Callum decided to take the nickname of his father, “Cain,” and the surname he had used the majority of his life when interacting with the public (as his family was fugitive and his family identity of higher importance). After seven years of training concluded, Cain was released into the world, and his initial intention was to find his sister, who he assumed was also wandering the world alone. The year was 1010.
Gender Identity
Cisgender Man
Sexuality
Bisexual
Education
For the first ten years he was educated by his parents. From ages ten to eighteen he was trained by members of the Sernos Thieves' Guild, including his mentor Iacob. He was formally trained in Mothnir as an Order of the Lykantrop in Mothnir under the juristiction of Tefris Ó Rinn.
Employment
Current Employment
Reigning Sovereign King of Aknir
Previous Employment
Official Bloodhunter of the Order of Lykantrop, often took contracts as an adventurer.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Assisted the Emissary of the Oasis, Skamos Levenbrand, in the Trial of the Serpent.
Helped to depose Jane Henchy of Kraberkai from her position as local religious leader based on charges of corruption.
Led the Army of Blessed Undead in the Siege of the Oasis of the Ancillary in a successful defense (1017 2nd Era).
Thwarted Paracelsan hideouts in Kraberkai (1017), Ailbhefair (1017), Noma (1017), and Sernos (1018).
Ascended to the Throne in the year 1018 2nd Era and bested Lovrekke, Golden Dragon of Sernos in combat.
Failures & Embarrassments
Being tricked by a Cleric of Paracelsus who assumed the form of his twin sister.
The Siege of the Oasis of the Ancillary.
Mental Trauma
At age ten came home to dead parents because of the war between The Order of Rightful Passing and The Order of the Everlasting. Survived with sister in the Sernos Thieves' Guild. When training as part of the Bloodhunter Order, discovered his dead fiancée during a failed training mission (and speculates that her death was a homicide).
Intellectual Characteristics
Introspective and inquisitive, Callum often approaches everything from a place of strategy and resource management.
Morality & Philosophy
Callum intrinsically wishes for the welfare of all and has a deep focus on balance and justice. He often has had trouble adhering to moral and religious codes, such as the Order of Rightful Passing, as he often dabbles in the gray area.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
To stop and prevent the Cult of Paracelsus from preying on Verdans.
Virtues & Personality perks
As a friend, Callum is loyal and steadfast. The ones who break his trust are quick and sure to know of it and their transgression is made clear to them.
Callum is often invested in the big picture, which causes him to contemplate everything on an individual and situational basis.
Vices & Personality flaws
As an adventurer Callum was often slow to trust new compatriots, as he recognized their pivotal importance both in the heat of battle and the lulls in between. Despite this distrustful nature he often was quick to put himself in harm's way for the sake of another. At times it was hard to determine if this self-sacrificial tendency was selfless or selfish.
Due to his previous experiences, Callum was quite an angry and resentful individual. In the presence of many he made concerted efforts to temper his jaded outlook, though his caustic cynicism had a tendency of bubbling to the surface.
Prior to his campaign of 1017, Callum often partook in revelry and vices such as alcohol to numb himself to his past wounds and aches, though this is something he has since addressed.
Hygiene
As King, Callum often maintains a well-manicured look reminiscent of when he ascended the throne with a full beard and long hair often braided and styled to be both utilitarian and decorative.
As an adventurer he often bathed whenever he visited an inn or similar house of respite. He kept his beard trimmed and hair at a similar length whenever possible, but sometimes would do "hard resets," shaving and chopping his hair short.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Cecily Mac Craith, Older Sister
Kaelyn Mac Craith, Older Sister
Kaden Mac Craith, Son
Iacob Campbell, Mentor
Tefris O'Rinn, Bloodhunter Associate
Family Ties
His sisters Kaeyln and Cecily Mac Craith, and son Kaden Mac Craith.
Religious Views
Currently a practicing Cleric of Faustina.
As long as another's religion does not upset the natural balance he can abide and will respect their faith. The only faith he will not tolerate is that of Paracelcus.
Social Aptitude
He is often seen as brusque or callous, especially as he is often frustrated by the circumstances in which he finds himself. He is also often seen as intimidating and foreboding; his sour face and stature often give off a repelling aura. He often saves his kinder demeanor for specific circumstances.
Mannerisms
He has a habit of grumbling under his breath and being rather irritable; he does not like being held up with minor inconveniences that impede him from his missions.
He can sometimes be caught idly sniffing or panning his ear about as he is surveying an area.
Hobbies & Pets
He is a weapons enthusiast and can often be found cleaning and maintaining his weaponry and armor while he rests or waits. He also studies language and journals in his spare time; he is currently studying Infernal and is planning to pick up Celestial.
Speech
He is not eloquent or suave like professional bards, but he has a way with persuading others with his straight, direct speech. He is not one to mince words when speaking with others and will often let silence speak for itself when he deems it necessary or applicable.
Depending on his company he will choose his words carefully, but he is prone to cursing.
Relationships
Wealth & Financial state
Prior to ascending the throne, Callum was not particularly wealthy. After he was orphaned he was a beggar child on the streets and earns most of his wealth by doing meager services for townsfolk as he travels.
Upon his ascension he inherited the wealth of the crown family along with his parents' wealth.
Sovereign King of Aknir Callum Mac Craith, the king who rose above adversity for the sake of his people and in the memory of his family.
View Character Profile
Alignment
True Neutral
Current Status
Travelling with Oasis Emissary
Honorary & Occupational Titles
King of Aknir, Gwyntblaidd
Age
35
Date of Birth
4th of Relaquum, 982
Circumstances of Birth
Twin of Kaelyn MacCraith
Birthplace
Hanamura, Aknir/Halbergair
Family
Spouses
Siblings
Kaelyn Mac Craith
(Twin Sister)
Cecily Mac Craith
(Sister)
Children
Current Residence
Sernos, Aknir
Pronouns
He/Him
Gender
Male
Eyes
Light Blue
Hair
Platinum Blond
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Fair-skinned, Pale
Height
6 ft 2 in
Weight
200 lbs
Quotes & Catchphrases
"Did you know I converted a follower of Paracelsus with my dick?"
"[Paracelsus] wants to take my balls?"
"SUNSHINE COMES OUT OF MY ASS"
Belief/Deity
Athanasios, Faustina
Words, Words, Words
18th of Renovamen, 1018 2nd Era
We were present for the King's speech, though as the King went on about a new horizon, I sensed that something was lurking behind us. After the King acknowledged our efforts under Sernos, the service in Noma, and a few other honorable mentions, it seemed best for us to pull back to take care of the rat in the castle; a very big, shiny, red rat. I began the charge and was soon followed by Silver, Skamos, and Floran as we tried to stop Tanaka from committing her stealthy suicide. Lovrekke also seemed to be aware of the interloper, so my time was cut between pursuing the "enemy" and keeping the gold dragon out of the pursuit. She pressed on, however, shifting into the frame of a bird to catch the perpetrator sooner. We used different spells and abilities to track Tanaka as she ran out the front door of the castle and scrambled into the guardhouse. As we pressed on we were thwarted by obstacles, including a door that Lovrekke dove into before reverting to her human form. In the guardhouse we discovered only more problems. Luckily Skamos, Floran, and Silver all descended into the hidden door Tanaka used to re-enter the sewer system while I was caught in a stalemate above. I was stopped as I heard the faint voice of Baltair in my head, noting how I was technically interfering with Guild business. Although I could not locate him, I knew he had to be close enough to watch me, maybe even in the bunkhouse himself hidden among the guards and their beds. I countered him with his own argument, noting how my group's infiltration of the castle was, for all intents and purposes, also technically a guild mission. After that I took my time assuaging the rightly startled men as they rose from our commotion and did my best to steer Lovrekke back towards the Keep as the King wrapped up his speech, though she persisted in her own direction. Down below it seems that the Tanaka in question was caught and halted to their death. Upon death it was reported how the red half dragon melted away to reveal a changeling adorned in a symbol of the guild, along with a few other belongings. Silver and crew were able to retain the items as part of a payment for their service; Lovrekke promptly confiscated both the stolen item and the identifying necklace -- a symbol of Son'ka.
Over dinner the King acknowledged our efforts for the day and treated us with tickets to the Opera. Silver was not particularly interested and opted to stay in the castle, although the rest of us decided we would curry favor for now by indulging in the affair. At the opera house we found that we were about to witness a tragedy, although the tragedy became all too real. During the performance there was an interruption that caused a premature intermission. The stage was caught up in spores and decay, and the audience members were frozen to their spots. Floran, Skamos and I sprung into action as we found the whole opera house in danger. It seems that the contents of the Opera's tale were tragically true and haunted, causing the production of the play to be cursed. Finding the binding object, a mask in one of the actors' rooms, we attempted to break the curse and were beset by what I can only describe as the queen of spores. Though not an aspect of Eleanor, I would not be surprised if it had been. After waging battle and protecting the purifying spell we were able to save everyone in the operahouse before the place was besieged by the King and his military, ready to save the day only a moment too late. Again we were commended for our efforts by the King, both publicly and privately, and implored again to try and take a day or two off from saving everyone. After this we were able to take in a spot of revelry before reporting for duty at the time the King set summons for us.
An End to a Journey
30th of Alitas, 1018 2nd Era
It has been quite a while since I picked up a quill; I noticed this old journal stuffed deep into a chest after the dust had settled, probably never to be seen again. I guess I should take some time to jot down all that has happened since the last entry, as best as I can recall.
It's been two months since the end, since everything in my life got royally turned on its head. It started after our preparations on the 20th of Renovamen. We had a wonderful night celebrating and honoring Silver's birthday. We had even found a tailor in the city who helped us create regalia we could wear for the next King's Speech; something that more genuinely represented us. We had a nasty time with one dwarf bar owner, but in the end Silver made sure he got his comeuppance and then some. That night partying we had no idea what was in store, though we found rumbles when we talked to important organizational heads, including the Death Tyrant present in Sernos. The King had made separate calls to all of these figureheads to come to Sernos, though we knew not why. It was made clear during The Ascent. The night prior to the King's big speech, I was visited by my Goddess in a dream, along with my mother. They warned me of a terrible future and how me and my friends would have to take charge of the situation to save Aknir, essentially from itself. In the morning we prepared, waiting for the minutes to launch us towards the moment. As had been the standard practice, Lovrekke took care of the event and procession, including getting us onto the balcony.
As the king's speech went on, he laid it out bare. As part of the event, the dawning of a new age, Sernos was catapulted into the air by unprecedented magic, hewing the earth apart with deafening crashing and roaring. A big flying ship swam around us like a fish in the sky, another new invention for our unprecedented age. On top of all this, the King revealed his intention to abdicate his throne at the end of the war; to abdicate it to me. I took the opportunity as I was instructed the night prior. I made my own speech to try and assuage the people's fear and to prematurely claim my title as I would not roll over for this tyrant. As I made my declaration of war, of intended regicide, the king picked me up practically by the scruff and hurled me into the throne room, away from our audience. It was there that we waged a merciless battle against the king and his golden steed. Lovrekke gave us enough grief that I entreated my Goddess intervene, which she readily did. This put the King into a rage and I was momentarily ended. I was told after that Skamos murdered the king, along with Silver and Floran's assistance while I was deceased.
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to relay what happened while I was dearly departed, so I will save that story for a different log.
When I awoke I was surrounded by friends and family, happily returned to my body. Silver and Skamos were anxious to return home, and so I bade them go. Floran stayed with me as we began to roll out the announcements and began solidifying my seat as King through the proper ceremonies and channels. As if following an other-worldly inclination, I decided to contact Aterfodden's court directly. First I magically sent to Augustria, and later Aterfodden himself. We arranged for the ancient blue dragon to visit Sernos, the city who had waged war for a millennium. It was through this act of peace that we were to negotiate terms to end the war. Although shaken at first, Silver and Skamos came around to the idea after I informed them at the War Meeting which was held after their return from the desert. The meeting itself went well; Aterfodden was a model guest, and I could feel the resolution of the war as we convened in the throne room. It was agreed that he would pick the place, that we would both have entourages to witness the battle, and the victor was to be crowned King of Aknir and Righ.
The battle was held in the birthplace of Aterfodden, the magical creation of the first Linneaun dragon. It seemed fitting that this would be his end; a cycle poetically completed. In the end, despite his best efforts, he was vanquished. As per our agreement, and with the entourages as witness, I was then claimed the King of Two Kingdoms. An official ceremony was held for my title in Aknir; although there were two ceremonies; the one in Sernos stood out to me as I was entreated by someone peculiar. A bird landed on my shoulder as we concluded the procession, which spoke to me. A bronze dragon, barely the weight of a flower delicately resting on my shoulder. Oblimet introduced himself and told me of a Queen in the East who looked to make her acquaintance with me. A new queen of just sixteen years old, she wished to rebuild her kingdom and invited me to her coronation. I readily agreed, finding that it was important for me to start establishing allies both within Aknir and across Verdai. That was the beginning to this two-month campaign to begin grappling with the new era; the "Reign of Cain," as I'm told it's being called some of people. For now, I wish to simply stabilize what we have and acclimate the people to a peaceful Aknir; something none of us had dared dream of. From there, I hope to rebuild this country into one that can sustain a relative peace for all its inhabitants. Though many doubt me now, I know I will now have time to do something worth living for, and to provide a new future for all those who reside here.
Now, I will put this journal among Lovrekke's hoard, hopefully to be at least one testament to the journey toward this new era; hopefully it can provide some insight to those who may come after me.
Crossroads
15th of Renovamen, 1018 2nd Era
I learned that Floran had brought me to consciousness, and I was able to awaken the other two. We confirmed that the statue was Atticus and he was still cognisant, but his consciousness was suspended. We agreed to rest, and upon waking we agreed to discuss the Atticus conundrum. Upon waking we searched the room and found objects of interest, including a journal entry confirming our suspicions that Atticus is a living phylactery. We went about burning the bodies of the priests and stripping them of their amulets. I found a secret room and was attacked by a myriad of creatures and enchanted objects; luckily Floran, Skamos, and Nakama saved me. We found secret passages throughout and I, on my way to address the captives again, removed Silver's curse. She reacted in anger, which made the conversation explode into a huge argument about will, freedom, and choice. As Silver, Floran, and Skamos left, I found myself left in the center of suffering and prayed to Faustina. While I was alone I did not think of anyone or anything else to turn to, I knew she would hear me, but I didn’t think she would come to me. She approached me in the flesh and consulted me, telling me what she knew and asking me why I called on her. As usual she was rather patient yet blunt, and she conveyed how she was unsure of the situation at hand. While unprecedented, she was able to suggest bringing the boy to Ianatan, who had worked with purifying phylacteries before, but urging caution and conveying how death may be the only, final option. I then returned to the group, noting Silver's sobbing, and conveyed what Faustina shared with him about Atticus. As I tried to argue for Atticus's life, I began trying to reach out to Cecily and got a prompt response. While I spoke with her, it became clear that Silver would need time. She requested time alone to think, so we gave her a moment to process and she demolished something and scared Nakama out of the room.
Skamos prayed to his god and got just about the same answer we all did, so it seems. Floran and I freed the 32 captives that wished to be freed, and Floran was temporarily gifted Skamos's sword Serenity Found to complete the task. As we finished and returned to Silver's room, Skamos met with us and informed us of Silver's decision. I needed no further prompting and began feeding Cecily the information she needed, and she and Tetch appeared before us in minutes. We ascertained that we would be able to get everyone and the bodies back to Vathi with little-to-no trace. We decided to destroy any evidence before alerting the king. I received the message "Excellent work Callum. Please gather your squad and return back posthaste. We will discuss our next steps as I send a cleanup crew with Lovrekke," from the King. I will wait to respond. We managed to agree to buy time with some probable excuses, but determining we had two or three days before we appeared before the king. After dinner with Cobalt in the tower, where he challenged me about Gyzatoak, I helped Floran build a forge and observed Skamos's training while Floran was pulled away by Tetch. We continued building for a while, planning to store the contraption in our new bag of holding as we travel. As we went to rest, I felt compelled to talk to my sister based on recent allegations and speculation rolling around in the back of my mind.
We are expected to be back in the King's presence on the 18th of this month.
I learned that Floran had brought me to consciousness, and I was able to awaken the other two. We confirmed that the statue was Atticus and he was still cognisant, but his consciousness was suspended. We agreed to rest, and upon waking we agreed to discuss the Atticus conundrum. Upon waking we searched the room and found objects of interest, including a journal entry confirming our suspicions that Atticus is a living phylactery. We went about burning the bodies of the priests and stripping them of their amulets. I found a secret room and was attacked by a myriad of creatures and enchanted objects; luckily Floran, Skamos, and Nakama saved me. We found secret passages throughout and I, on my way to address the captives again, removed Silver's curse. She reacted in anger, which made the conversation explode into a huge argument about will, freedom, and choice. As Silver, Floran, and Skamos left, I found myself left in the center of suffering and prayed to Faustina. While I was alone I did not think of anyone or anything else to turn to, I knew she would hear me, but I didn’t think she would come to me. She approached me in the flesh and consulted me, telling me what she knew and asking me why I called on her. As usual she was rather patient yet blunt, and she conveyed how she was unsure of the situation at hand. While unprecedented, she was able to suggest bringing the boy to Ianatan, who had worked with purifying phylacteries before, but urging caution and conveying how death may be the only, final option. I then returned to the group, noting Silver's sobbing, and conveyed what Faustina shared with him about Atticus. As I tried to argue for Atticus's life, I began trying to reach out to Cecily and got a prompt response. While I spoke with her, it became clear that Silver would need time. She requested time alone to think, so we gave her a moment to process and she demolished something and scared Nakama out of the room.
Skamos prayed to his god and got just about the same answer we all did, so it seems. Floran and I freed the 32 captives that wished to be freed, and Floran was temporarily gifted Skamos's sword Serenity Found to complete the task. As we finished and returned to Silver's room, Skamos met with us and informed us of Silver's decision. I needed no further prompting and began feeding Cecily the information she needed, and she and Tetch appeared before us in minutes. We ascertained that we would be able to get everyone and the bodies back to Vathi with little-to-no trace. We decided to destroy any evidence before alerting the king. I received the message "Excellent work Callum. Please gather your squad and return back posthaste. We will discuss our next steps as I send a cleanup crew with Lovrekke," from the King. I will wait to respond. We managed to agree to buy time with some probable excuses, but determining we had two or three days before we appeared before the king. After dinner with Cobalt in the tower, where he challenged me about Gyzatoak, I helped Floran build a forge and observed Skamos's training while Floran was pulled away by Tetch. We continued building for a while, planning to store the contraption in our new bag of holding as we travel. As we went to rest, I felt compelled to talk to my sister based on recent allegations and speculation rolling around in the back of my mind. After reassuring her of my intentions, I was able to learn a shocking amount of grave information. I'll have to think on what I have learned, and I must learn more about how wide and deep this goes before I act on it.
We are expected to be back in the King's presence on the 18th of this month.
Out of the Pan, Into the Fire
14th of Renovamen, 1018 2nd Era
After our rest we moved through the hallway opened by the gemstones, which led to a new room all encased in stone. In this new room we found ourselves in a room prompting us to wipe our feet on the carpet in the entrance hall. I obliged as did Floran, whereas Silver deliberately wiped her feet on the floor. Skamos seemed to not heed the words what-so-ever. After this action, I smelt roses. We passed through to find a room with a tree growing out of the center, and a wall with two rings of flowers. The flowers and plants making the circles were dandelions, lavender, and monstera. In the center were lilies. I grabbed 10 lilies from the two centers. We made our way through a large ornate door on the opposite side and found a hall lined with statues opening to a large antechamber. Silver and I took the lead. After listening in I realized I was unable to understand the language with accuracy, only taking snippets from previous conversations with Skamos and Silver. I presume it might be celestial in nature. After quietly communicating with Silver we decided to kill two and take one hostage. I managed to subdue one as my compatriots took down the others. We took two ceremonial daggers and the prayer book, among other things.
Silver managed to charm the subdued priest with her locket and learned more about the plans of the group. Specifically that Lady Perot, the supposed leader, is planning a demonstration that requires killing her with the ceremonial daggers I pocketed. After learning what we could I gave the poor man a chance before snapping his neck. I took the heads of his compatriots before we moved on. Silver shared how, when the man died, she felt some of her life force leave her. Floran identified the locket as cursed, and I offered to remove the curse later. We doubled back, finding the antechamber to be a dead end. We decided to take the southmost door in the tree of life room, saving the north door for later.
Upon venturing south we managed to quickly dispatch the first guard, but alerted the others due to the ferocity of our dispatching. I tried to disguise the situation but ran out of time, so we entered a small bloodbath from our front and right. During the match I thought about how I should have possibly barred with north door with the rod, but thought against it as it might alert them more than leaving it. We ran into Lady Perot herself, looking more necrotic than usual. She managed to torment us some before leaving her lambs to be slaughtered. She managed to paralyze me before she disappeared, and made an announcement to her followers about our presence.
We were able to obliterate her army, although I sustained a grave amount of damage. We made our way back to the tree room, leading to fighting and cutting down more foes. After, Lady Perot reached out to us, noting that since we cut down her army, we should come to her. Behind her words, echoing her, Paracelsus bid us find him. As we were momentarily resting, we were interrupted by an irritated Lady Perot. She rose all of the dead we made and casted a spell. We quickly dispatched the zombies and pressed on. In a new room we found an office with a logbook. We found names of victims, including the Jastire family and Gillian Muir, who I presume to be Kaden's mother.
Notes on the victim are disguised in the Tortle written language, as Floran is able to point out. The each member of the Jastire family have notes, the two with matching notes being Silver and Alma. As we moved beyond this group we broke into two teams, and Silver decided to join me. We found a dwarven man with his face magically rearranged. He refused to speak to me, but Silver compelled him to like us through her cursed locket, and we learned a little more about his fears returning to the surface. We conveyed to him our intent to save him in the name of the King, and left him to decide his fate. I tried to convey my concern with Silver using the locket on these tortured innocents, but she didn't seem to agree with me, implying that either she uses the cursed amulet or they die. Honestly, if they choose death I would have been willing to give them that mercy as long as they chose it freely. We marched on, opening all the cells, reconvening with Skamos and Floran at the end. We even encountered a drow named Galeron who I had met before on my travels. He seemed relatively unfazed so we let him go about his business to find his own trouble.
The last room we found was a new office with Lady Perot and a few mutated monsters such as cockatrice, a basilisk, and a gorgon. When I attacked Perot, however, I found that Shadow of Mercy responded with forceful damage rather than something more celestial. We were able to down the rest of her menagerie, but she made me see the end flash before my eyes as she picked us off one by one. When I woke again, it seemed as though time has passed, which prompted me to write what I could remember before moving on.
Thin Ice
13th of Renovamen, 1018 2nd Era
Upon waking we decided to rearrange the tiles and try to find the key to open the door of the room we were previously unable to fully access. We pushed through to a new room filled and constructed of ice. I tried to skate across the lake like I had done as a child to make the traversal of the room faster, but I was mistaken in some of my calculations. This mistake awoke two large beasts that sprung forth from the water, which I later learned were called Remoraz. We were able to dispatch of them quickly and upon killing them, we then made our way to the new altar in the icy room. The altar was exactly like that of the bone room, and had the same properties and capabilities. We were able to move the puzzle pieces of the altar around but to no avail, finding that we were still unable to advance in the room with the green sigil. Upon another attempt of shuffling the board, we made our way into a new room with a floor-installed chessboard. When we interacted with the board our bodies were altered and we assumed positions on the chess board. We had to make a concerted effort to fight, especially seeing that our opposing army had the ability to bend the rules of chess and summon more "pieces" in the form of monsters and fiends. Luckily, in spite of me being nearly felled and losing consciousness, we were able to solve the puzzle and neutralize the threat. After this we managed to rest.
When we were ready to move on, we were beckoned to by a being that could speak in our minds. The next room, where the voice coaxed us to go, was a room fully flooded up to the ankles in water and was surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) dark. In certain pockets the water was so deep that the water turned black, and from a pocket in the center, a creature rose up to speak with us, regarding us in the flesh as well. The creature tried to win me over to free it and join forces with it, but I heartily resisted its advances. During my conversation with it I learned that the creature can use the minds of those it slays, including several survey teams sent by the king. From what it harvested, it has learned much about our party, but seems to project or access knowledge of potential futures. According to it, Skamos is hurtling towards a devilish immortality that would insult and alienate Athanasios, and the King wishes to bathe Aknir in fire to birth it anew. Upon my asking, the creature revealed that despite the King being without heir, distant family members of note may take the throne once his claim is forfeit. Again, it assessed me as ill-fit to protect Skamos and the people of Aknir from the King's Fire and entreated me to use its powers. All of this seemed too good to be true, which made my refusal easier. I wondered if the creature was probing me of my own concerns, as I have worried for a while that Skamos has been teetering towards a dangerous edge as he's thrown himself at challenges since his lessons with Nasamos. Apparently the thing goading us doesn't claim any allegiance to anything outside itself.
After a tedious parleying with the creature we found that we had come to an impasse, as all of my comrades also declined its advances. Silver divulged that the thing is called an "Aboleth" as well as some of its nasty habits. We questioned it more and it revealed a theory of how its vitality is connected to the door we could not open, which was tucked away just behind the creature. Despite its advances and appeals, we decided that killing it was our best option and did so rather swiftly.
Once it was dead we found that he doors opened to a small room with an alter, just like the others. We managed to unlock the door in the "green circle" room and recovered a magical emerald. Returning to the alter, we moved the rooms again and found a new room that was seeped in darkness save for three platforms. I flew across with Nakama after we found that the dragon spirit couldn't open the chest. The lock seemed to be a hand print, and with opening it we recovered a small sapphire similar to the emerald. Leaving Silver to man the alter again, she managed to move us to another alter room, the first room, and managed to get us to the last room we had to clear. Entering it, we found that we were watching a lazy river of fire as the chest was blocked by a prismatic wall. On the lazy river of lava we encountered several elementals that were lava-like in nature. We worked to dispatch of all the elemental and retrieved a ruby at the end, just like the last two rooms. After we retrieved it, we returned to the first alter room to rest for a long while. At the south door of the room we notice inlays perfectly cut for the gems we collected during our rest. After our rest we insert the gems the door shatters in a burst of dust, opening to a new and unexpected long ornate hall.
King's Orders
12th of Renovamen, 1018 2nd Era
Even though only a day has passed, a lot has happened. We awoke on the 12th to find ourselves still altered from the stay at the Progenitor’s temple, although we didn’t know it yet. Silver was still on the hunt for alcohol and had stoked the ire of Baltair, so I intervened. I remember making a bit of a vindictive game out of it, seeing who would crack first but was hellbent on revealing Silver’s misstep. Thinking back on it I feel quite embarrassed, but I think the ire came from whatever alteration we experienced at the temple. As the morning rolled on and the whodunnit solved, we resolved to continue with our plan to meet with the king and how to go about travel. We decided to teleport up through the Arcane University as it was a relatively abandoned sector, due to the qualms against magic. I was mistaken, however, because of the poor housing project and the sonic clap that occurred upon our arrival. With this we accidentally alerted the nearby Wyvern patrol. We tried to avoid them by blending into the panicked crowd outside the university but to no avail as Floran stood out like a sore thumb, and Skamos and I rushed to protect them from the onslaught that would ensue with Floran in his current joking mood. Upon showing the patrol our documentation, including the direct summons in Floran’s possession, we were personally escorted to the keep. As we were escorted through the grounds we were passed off to what I found a rather perceptive guard. He made small talk and mentioned noticing and potentially recognizing my father’s sword despite its recent alterations. In his sly mention of it I detected no malice, which was heartening.
We entered the main hall and found the King doing his own practice all alone, swinging about his big ornamental ax. Upon our arrival we were greeted and managed to relay the important parts from our journey and assure him of our intention to root out his rat problem. We managed to also make a supplies request, including potions of restoration. I requested and obtained permission to use Sending on the King to report our findings more expediently, and I was surprised by the granted permission. He even implored us to send word once we found the hideout as a security measure; a measure we all later agreed to ignore. Given the nature of some of the items we requested Ceinaghus sent for a cleric, and for a shipment of available supplies from Lovrekke. As we waited for the cleric to arrive and after receiving a dragon’s hoard of potions, the king invited us to spar. Although we put up a good fight, I remember a flash of rage in the king’s eye as he hunted me down and I lost consciousness quickly. When I awoke, Skamos was administering a potion to me, although I didn’t manage to see what kind. As I rested, he mentioned briefly to me something about how “Silver hadn’t learned her lesson yet,” as we continued to watch the brawl. As we watched, it seemed that the nonsense Silver was spewing was taunting the King, who had no interest in her despite shutting her up. The spar seemed to become a thinly veiled fight for her life. In my worry I prepared to intervene, but found that it was unnecessary. It was after the brawl that I found myself able to breathe easier. I apparently had been overly tense and my chest had been tight since the night before.
The cleric arrived just in time as the fight ended shortly before and Silver was stabilized. We smoothed everything over with the king and made sure he didn’t intend on acting on Silver’s insolence. We thanked him for the opportunity to spar and were healed, saving Silver for last so the king could make a swift exit. As we healed, Skamos informed me that in my brief unconsciousness he had used one of our restoration potions on me as he saw I had not been myself since yesterday. He seemed quite cut up about the event and about going against my wishes, especially as I had denied that anything was wrong while I was under the effects of the Progenitor’s room. I assured him that I was alright and that I appreciated his thoughtful actions and insight to the situation. If anything, I see this as settling the score from the shipwreck. I have put my trust in him fully aside from that incident, so putting trust in him while I was out of sorts seemed not just reasonable but obvious. Floran also thoughtfully gifted me a belt of Hill Giant Strength, which I readily donned. They have done so much for me, especially with crafting. I must think of a way to repay them, or at least show my appreciation.
After healing and restoring everyone we took on the task of descending and continuing on the trail I had begun tracking yesterday. Due to Lovrekke’s reasoning, we managed to find rats to turn into mounts with which Silver communicated. As we traveled in the sewers, we were set on searching for Atticus. Our reasoning for this is that the members taken from Iacob’s care were probably kidnapped by the Paracelsans we were sent to find. At some point rocks fell over us from some faulty infrastructure, but it seems only I was hurt by the incident. We were able to quickly move on. As we continued on we encountered a Nabasu which delighted in jeering at us, so I am made to believe that we are walking into a hornet’s nest of “sanctimonious activities,” as mother would put it. Finally I was able to catch Atticus’s scent again and we drove on to find him. Back down near the lake we found some dead adventurers. Approaching with caution, we found ourselves ambushed by cloakers who used the dead bodies as a sort of bait. After dispatching of the parasites, we finally found the entrance to the temple after more searching and tracking. The entrance was blocked by a Gynosphinx who saw us coming, despite Silver and Skamos’s stealth. As was the habit of sphinxes, she proctored us a riddle to solve. Unsurprisingly, the answer was “life,” to which the temple opened with a glowing Caduceus staff. We took a moment to speak with the sphinx. We found that she is bound to a master, which we readily inferred as Paracelsus. We decided not to press the matter further as she seemed content in her life despite her servitude. As we entered, Floran began concocting an idea that required excess rope, which Silver readily supplied.
In the first room of the temple we found a barren room with only cemented bones adorning the floor and a pedestal in the room. We were greeted by a disembodied voice that said “welcome, Intruders” before leaving us to our own devices. The altar, we found, had a jar with a glowing pearl suspended inside. Instead of investigating this further we also found a plaque with a puzzle on it. We figured that the puzzle was connected to different rooms we would encounter, so we attempted to move some of the tiles and ventured into the first few rooms. In the first room, verdant like a hike outside, was littered with enemies. We found ourselves in contest with two eladrin, a night hag, three displacer beasts, and four harpies. We managed to survive, although half of us were charmed by the end of it. Finding ourselves a little bruised, we decided to circle back to the entrance hall to rearrange the tiles more. With this done we found the room we placed just beyond the verdant room was barred. The “green circle” room, we found, had a chest that was beyond a portcullis we didn’t know how to open. We decided to again circle back to the first room to rearrange the tiles further. In Floran’s curiosity, we finally addressed the pearl-in-a-jar situation. After they forced the jar open, an ichor slid down over the bones as Floran found themself in possession of a Pearl of Power. The ichor proved to be a problem, however, as the bones beneath us awoke and assembled into one giant bone naga. As we fought it we were worn down, especially as Silver was trapped in its maw and one of her bones flew out of her before being added to the abomination. Managing to kill the ultimate bone naga, we freed Silver and decided to rest. As she had conveniently fainted I decided to check her over and address her foot without complaint. Given the day’s endeavors and turns, we decided it was finally time to rest.
Plummeting Closer
11th of Renovamen, 1018 2nd Era
Short rest in the catacombs next to a dive-point.
Arose and made plans to touch base with hideout before meeting with King.
Contact with myconids; received myconid concentrate for future direct contact. Ingest in water.
Made contact with Baltair. Supplies ordered and secured. Made a tailing request based on a letter received.
Secured method of travel back to surface; received debrief on function and limitations.
Interrogated Iacob - revealed 57 personnel missing, including one Ms. Muir and an Addicus Jastire.
Note to self: begin personal investigation for Ms. Muir.
Caught scent of Addicus Jastire, pursued for four hours. Found to be retracing steps; turned back to camp for rest.
Fought several Bullettes, then fell into a poisonous chasm in relation to a large skeletal ribcage.
Encountered a room from a collapsed Progenitor temple. Stayed too long before Faustina confirmed my suspicions. Exited and continued to hideout.
Behavior of Silver, Floran, and Skamos seems relatively altered since stay at temple room. Silver must drink, Floran has a macabre sense of humor, and Skamos seems overly worried or suspicious.
Returned to hideout and touched base. Reinstated ring while others were out during recreation.
Skamos again pressed with his worry; he accused me of being a “lone wolf” and of over-aggressive tendencies.
Finally agreed to go to bed.
Returning to the Catacombs
10th of Renovamen, 1018 2nd Era
We awoke from our hideaway in the sewer and descended into the catacombs. I was able to give the team a quick debriefing about the place to stay away from, the kill-on-sight order from the king about entry and traversal of non-authorized personnel in the catacombs, and a warning to go into the bones and away from stone if we get separated. We found a small hideout hidden by a magical wall like in the sewers before. There I was able to reach out to Eoifen with Sending and he gave a cryptic response back, seemingly disturbed by my relationship with Skamos. I decided it best to see if he would take the bait, so we made our way to the designated meeting place. In our travel to the designated meeting spot, we encountered five bone nagas of the same make of the one we fought in Kraberkai. We dispatched of them quickly and made it to the destination otherwise unbothered. Upon entering we saw Eoifen there flanked by two flesh golems and a metal bull gorgon. After trying to parley with him, I realized that we were going to fight no matter what, despite my attempts to try and redeem him.
After dispatching of Eoifen’s playthings we cornered him. Floran artfully trapped his physical body from magical intervention and I marked him for death, seeing it as the only mercy we could grant someone so far gone. Silver was able to use Floran and my work to finally kill Eoifen. I took his head from the wall and his amulet. I went about casting gentle repose so I could keep the head fresh, as we would be needing it soon. After casting this ritual, I felt Skamos messing with my hair, but as he told me to continue with my task, I switched to meditate on Eoifen’s cause and death, holding my and Eoifen’s holy artifacts. Faustina spoke one word for me, which was "soon,' as she touched my left shoulder. I reached out to Cecily and Kaelyn to check in on Kaden, as the event reminded me of one the many reasons why we're here. We decided that in the protection of Floran’s spell we would rest, so we used parts of the gorgon to bar all the doors shut to deter unwanted entry and offer us some protection. Based on Eoifen’s use of Command, it seemed like he needed or wanted me to go lower, and if his master’s bidding was to have me, I believe that the hideout is deeper beneath Sernos. We will have to use our time wisely, as we will need to report to Mathias Ceinaghus on the 12th, which quickly approaches. Luckily we have more than a lead.
For now, I have prepared Eoifen’s head for travel, preserving it. I think if we have the opportunity to speak with him from beyond to grave and maybe compel him to truth, we could get some more pointed answers about where to go or what we should expect as we continue in our pursuit of the hideout. Maybe it would be worth bringing the head to King Ceinaghus, but we don’t need him to believe us yet. In the meantime, I plan on wrapping the head to protect it as I intend on carrying it with me until Eoifen can formally be put to rest. We should also try to burn his body when we have the time.
Delving Deeper
9th of Renovamen, 1018 2nd Era
We got up and started walking around, and we all noticed that Skamos sounded… Different. Which is worrying, but he seems okay. After trying to check him over we found nothing out of place, aside from the fact that his dialect and accent had changed. Upon traveling further we found a taunting note from Eoifen suggesting that they were not in the sewers, which seems dubious at best so we decided to contact Iacob. On our way to the Salty Sea Questers, we ran into what I later learned were corpse flowers that spawn zombies, which we quickly dispatched (I bisected a zombie by throwing my greatsword. Despite the derisive look and chiding from Skamos, I found it both enjoyable and effective.) We surfaced and found Vespucci carousing with customers, although it took me a moment to realize it was him. I asked the bartender about summoning Iacob before I ordered food and drink for everyone. As we waited for food I walked out into the sideways rain, courtesy of Vespucci, and scrubbed the remaining shit off myself before my skin crawled off me. To my surprise, Skamos met me outside and helped, rinsing himself down in the process given the torrent of rain. We returned to food being served. As I drank and tried to unwind somewhat, Floran had a rousing conversation about not believing in the Gods with Vespucci, who offered Floran a position as a follower. Luckily Vespucci took Floran’s rejection in stride and left the offer open to them. I also spoke to Vespucci briefly, shaking his hand before he ordered me a double-shot and a shot of 30gp Hannan, which I gladly took. Iacob entered after our encounter with Vespucci, and after explaining the situation more plainly Iacob granted us access to the lower levels (2 & 3) and went to find us lodging in middle sector below to give us better mobility. We were given more clearance at the risk/cost of Iacob's neck, so we will have to be wholly aware of our actions as we continue with Iacob’s protection. We took a short rest in the tavern as Skamos and I discussed strategies of finding the Paracelsan hideout using Eoifen. When Iacob returned, he gave me a driftglobe from to lead us to our next hideout. In the tunnel we found a coin pouch in the sewage which I was able to fish out and split with the others. As we walked we witnessed a man who's head was cracked against the grate as part of a sort of fight in the streets. Something possessed me to dig through his pockets instead of save him; I guess the environment clouded my judgement. All I could think of is when Kaelyn and I used to do the same as children. We encountered a gaggle of wererats which we dispatched of quickly before finding a place to rest for the night. I took a moment to finally open the pouch I pilfered, and upon examining the contents I regretted my actions, but I couldn't stomach admitting the extent of my atrocities to Floran, who pressed me on the matter before we rested. I honestly mentioned how no answer would sound good, to which Floran agreed. I was as honest as I could be, mentioning how it was an old habit, but not an obsession. We were able to find a hideout to rest in before planning to move on and contact Eoifen.
Reconciling Our Differences
2nd of Renovamen, 1018 2nd Era
See notes.
Stars Aligned
35th of Stiracus, 1017 2nd Era
The Oasis was in a flurry of activity after the siege. I managed to slip into Skamos's room undetected and took the sending stone for Cri. I'm not proud of it, but I couldn't let the interruption distract me from coordinating with all of those that might be running to Hanamura. I then assisted with clearing the streets and other areas of zombie debris; luckily the spectres hadn't left any ectoplasm or other ghostly byproducts to wash from the sandstone. At some point Skamos caught me as I was cleaning out my room; given my new position (or lack thereof), I assumed I wouldn't have the same place at the Oasis temple. We had a brief conversation about what had transpired, and at least he confirmed that I had not lost his favor. Instead, actually quite the opposite (so much for going slow). Skamos also invited me to continue joining him for his training, which I obliged. I busied myself with alchemy as I waited for the next day to come; Nasamos wouldn't let me teach the acolytes but I did find one student and our lesson, and our lesson strayed late into the night. Luckily I used this as an opportunity to keep an eye on Kaden, who still had not risen since the start of the siege. I packed my things and left for the evening, finding a room at the inn. Luckily, the scalpel stayed silent. I managed to speak with Cri about the Silver situation and appraised Kaelyn of the changing plans. The next day I went about town completing a few errands before returning to the temple to check on the sick. Eric and Kaden were both awake and I was able to speak with them both. Eric invited me to drinks in the evening, to which I obliged. His look haunted me at the time; he seemed in a faraway world like I know I have been before.
I was able to finally speak with Kaden again now that he was awake. I was surprised by the fact that he wanted to sit in a bed given his affinity for water, but learned that he at least prefers fresh water over salt, and requested some acolytes to change his prepared bath. During that conversation I helped him to understand what had happened based on what he explained. It seems that for the whole time we were fighting he was reliving his death, including Silver killing him. I finally started to explain that he had died and we brought him back. I warned that if he stayed at the Oasis he might run into Silver again since this was also her home, but assured him that he wouldn't have to interact with her if he didn't want to. I also brought up how he should consider finding a family and how I could help him arrange that. He seemed confused to I explained how having a guardian or support system directly tied to him could be beneficial, and how there were people willing to take on that role for him. In that list I guess I included myself. He keeps reminding me of myself, and how I don't want other children to go through what I did. At the suggestion, he actually wanted me to be his guardian. After learning more about the adoption process, I guess I can now say I am a guardian to Kaden Mac Craith. I let Kaden rest and copied some alchemy recipes in the library. I spoke with Skamos and Floran about Skamos's midnight meeting with Athanasios. He mentioned how he spoke with the God and got to tour the stars, speaking with the dead. To Jane, Iluna, and Nyana. ...
I spoke with Eric for dinner and returned for training, again going through the paces we had learned before Silver's abrupt departure. As Skamos convalesced the next day, I set up my alchemy kit so I could start brewing the new recipes. My endeavors were interrupted however, when Kaelyn informed me that they had all made contact, what Silver divulged to Cri, and how they were about to be on our doorstep. I panicked, realizing that Silver threw our plans down the drain in a bid for her mother. She had picked a side and made an enemy with Aterfodden, with whom our relationship is still considerably strained. I tried to communicate this with Skamos, but he was still exhausted from training. Seeing that time was of the essence, I ran for Nasamos's study to warn him about what was coming for us. WIP
And So They Came to Our Door
33rd of Stiriacus, 1017 2nd Era
I woke up to silence and tried to commune with Athanasios and it did not succeed, so I reached out to Faustina, who did reply. She encouraged me to not feel despair if we lost, and implied that Paracelsus can be defeated due to his fallibility. As I left to speak with Skamos, as directed by Faustina, I saw that some people were encircled in blue light like that of the Mother. I approached one of these people and asked if they worshiped the Mother, and encouraged him to spread her Mercy this day. I made my way to the temple and entered, meeting with Skamos and Floran before seeking out Nasamos. Nasamos gave us the directive to protect the Oasis, to which we agreed. They encounter acolytes in the hallway and I ordered three to begin escorting citizens into the temple for shelter. I met with Eric after he mentioned how he was ill, saw that he is decaying in his infirmary bed. Upon hearing pleas for water, I noticed that Kaden had been brought in. I immediately asked Skamos to take over as I scooped up Kaden to put him in a pool in Nasamos's study. I reached out to Cecily to ask about how to stop this impending doom, and she mentioned having found a teleportation scroll. Upon the prompt, I tried to find Alma's room to find another teleportation circle. Together I, Cecily, and Kaelyn help to cast a teleportation circle and a drove of 350 zombies from Cecily's army storm through the circle. I confirmed that Cecily and those of Mac Craith (Cain, Cecily, and Kaelyn) can control them. I marched the units out and met with Skamos and Floran. Together, we agreed on a battle plan as Tanaka joined us. Two units (including three beholder zombies) are stationed at the temple, while all others are sent to different points in the area to stave off the attack.
The battle was rough at the south bridge and I got possessed by a ghost, and Skamos was almost downed by a banshee wail. Luckily he burned a ki point to stay alive. We retreated to the second line, and I met up with Skamos again. Skamos retreated to meet with Tiamos and I was slain in combat. I met Athanasios and Faustina and was reassured that his families were at peace and proud. AsI refused to die, I was cast out by Athansios and fully accepted by Faustina. I glowed with blue light and returned to the land of the living, spoke with Skamos and my sisters, met up with Floran and a new plan was formed. We gave Floran potions from Tiamos (Skamos keeping the potion of lesser restoration) and we retreated to defend the temple and to protect ourselves, knowing Floran was the most capable. At the temple we held the final line against what Floran identified as a Death Tyrant. Luckily, despite my being petrified by the ungodly undead beholder. I lost consciousness somewhere in the middle combat and awoke on my back, being held by Skamos and my head smarting. We exchanged a few words and retreated to the temple as Nasamos addressed the citizens of the Oasis.
Accepting the Call
32nd of Stiriacus, 1017 2nd Era
After a discussion with Skamos, we returned from the bathhouse and visited the library. There, Skamos showed me the memorial wall of texts recording the deeds of those who readily opposed Paracelsus, including my parents. I was able to read my parents' book and asked Tiamos to make a copy of it for me. After that, Skamos and I parted ways as I commissioned Floran to remake my armor; I didn’t want to lose the attributes of my dragonhide armor, but I also did not want to upset Faustina through lack of representation. During a quiet moment, I also spoke with Nasamos to discuss my formal invitation to the Oasis. I was able to ask of him three favors upon my acceptance, to which he agreed. After that, I met with Kaden and encouraged him to try again at being an acolyte. I understand why he would want to be left alone in the moat, and twenty years ago I would have joined him (the best an air-breathing child could), but I worry for him. I was at least able to convince him to join us for dinner in exchange for swimming together the next day. He did ask if the “mean lady” was going to be there, who I assumed was Silver. I see that he remembers at least some of what had happened, but I assured him that she would cause him no trouble and would keep a great distance.
After dinner I tried to reconvene with Skamos regarding our training, but saw that he was engaged with Silver. I mentioned to him that I would be waiting with Nasamos. For our training, I was able to meditate with Skamos and focus on the veil between life and death before relieving Skamos from his poisoned state. A considerable amount of time had passed, but I was not exactly sure how much. Still reeling from keeping Skamos with us, Nasamos spotted that Silver had been watching and eavesdropping the whole time. Given Skamos’s state, I found it best to remove him from the situation and return him to his room, leaving Silver to the Grey wolf. As we sat together, I could only imagine the toll the experience took on Skamos, considering his weakened state. He wasn’t delusional per se, but he definitely was not with me in the present moment most of the time. Most utterances were mere grunts of assent or questions that would seem highly illogical if I hadn’t known better. Despite his need for rest, Skamos’s room seemed to be lit with activity.
Nasamos entered first, acknowledging that I was to stay at Skamos’s side and protect him at all times, while I was also (and Floran by proxy) charged with detaining Silver in the Oasis. Soon after his leaving, Silver barged in in her usual huff, demanding to see Skamos. Given her temperament I was not keen on leaving Skamos alone with her, orders or no. I did my best to bite my tongue, but she was putting him in an impossible position with her line of questioning. She also revealed that she had mentioned what she had seen to Cri, one of Skamos’s sisters. After some tense negotiations, Skamos was able to retrieve the sending stone from Silver so he was able to talk to his sister himself. She accused him of betrayal and left in a huff. Skamos then asked me to return the stone to her, to which I acknowledged my disagreement but obliged him all the same.
After what seemed like moments Nasamos was again at our door, mentioning his alarm about Silver. He called me to him, and together we went to investigate. I managed to give Skamos my sister’s ring for a short time, just in case he fell unwell or was attacked in my absence. Upon reaching Silver’s room, were were met with Nakama making halted statements about Silver’s decency as an excuse not to enter. It turns out that Silver was not in the room at all, and Nakama began to block me from leaving the area. Nasamos found Alma’s room empty as well, and together we ran across the Oasis looking for them. I was able to track them as far as a stable where they had acquired mounts for the desert. In defeat, we returned to the Oasis, and Nasamos seemed to try to console me after my first failure to task.
When I returned to Skamos, he warned me about the “mean lady” in the ring. I assured him that I would be okay and that I was sorry for any harm caused. Upon putting the ring back on I felt a ringing, searing pain in my skull. Cecily chewed my ass out for what I did, but luckily her anger abated quickly. I requested that Tyrion (or as Anglor refers to him, Tetch) and Kobalt to track down Silver and Alma. Cecily also informed me of how she had finally made contact with my sister Kaelyn, and how she would send all three to fetch our fugitives. She also informed me that I would soon be hearing from Kaelyn myself, which put at least part of my mind at ease.
The next day, us remaining met with Nasamos for a briefing regarding last night’s failure. I informed them of how I had rallied a small group to retrieve Silver, but Skamos was adamant about going to catch her himself, and Floran and I wouldn’t stand to let Skamos go alone. In this instance, Nasamos gave Skamos full authority over our group and decision. Despite our disagreement, I still performed favors as tasked by our leader Skamos, and managed to slip in time to keep my promise with Kaden and pop out for a small errand or two, including moving my things from the inn to the temple. When I returned from my personal errand, I found Floran running out of the temple in what I can only assume was a panic. Their hammer radiated with a sickly green light and before I could react they smashed it into the nearest palm tree. There was a flash of light and energy burst out from the impact, and four people collapsed to the ground.
I was in shock. I went to check one of the civilians, but found they were not breathing. I tried to ask Floran what happened, but I was more focused on what they had done. What had been done to these poor people. Instead of trying to piece the puzzle together, I sent Floran in to get Nasamos and the acolytes.
Skamos came out with everyone else, and I admit I expressed my anger about Floran’s actions. While Nasamos and I started coordinating the bodies and contacting the families, Skamos interjected to keep my anger from rising in public, saying how “this wasn’t the right time or place” for my commentary. Given the markings on the body and how they looked unlike themselves, almost taken over with a necrotic visage, I wasn’t going to let this incident sail into the night like many others, but I made my peace with his plea for the moment.
Immediately after, I had the four bodies ushered into the temple to perform rites on them. Given the ritual process, it took roughly five hours to complete, the sun beginning to dip lower into the changing sky. At this point, Nasamos gently commanded that I take a break from the bodies, and so I went to find Skamos first. I realized that in performing my duties as a Paladin, I had neglected my (relevant) directives from Nasamos. Finding Skamos in his father’s study, I offered to bring him tea. Given his distress and his affinity for tea, it seemed like the right thing to do. Over our drinks, he actually apologized to me about not just the incident, but for enabling Floran with the scalpel. It was not an unwelcome change of pace. After, I checked in with Floran at the inn, and they seemed out of sorts. We had a conversation about what happened, and I admitted to them that I believed it was their fault, but that they could redeem themselves by doing their best to amend the situation, take accountability, and learn from this horrible incident. I’m pretty sure Skamos would disagree, but Floran took it in their usual Floran stride. Given their shock, it felt cruel and unwise to leave them alone, so I invited Floran to stay with me at the temple, and to help with funeral preparations for the victims. They accepted my offer and agreed to meet me there later, as they had to gather their things and I had to report back for my duties.
Upon returning to the temple again, Nasamos and Skamos were having a discussion about the scalpel. I was ordered by Nasamos to take the artifact from the temple so as to stop the disturbance it was creating in the sanctity of the temple walls. As I walked away with the scalpel in my pack, having to remove my things to the inn again and mindful not to grab the scalpel itself, Eric and Kaden seemed to fall ill in front of me. First I encountered Eric in the temple and as soon as I came near him, his face fell from it’s smile and he mentioned how he felt sick again before ducking back into the infirmary. I used Skamos’s sending stone to ask Nasamos to keep an eye on Eric; his history and his condition did not bode well with me. With Kaden, again his smile fell and he looked nauseated as he fled into the moat, causing me to reconsider my hunch. I stayed at the inn for the night, and through the scalpel Paracelsus taunted me, both about the families affected by Floran’s actions and about my own family. I’m not sure if it’s for better or worse, but may Faustina guide me to mercy and peace before I lose my mind.
Shipwrecked
30th of Stiriacus, 1017 2nd Era
We were Attacked by Slaad on the ship, and I went and healed Nakama afterward, seeing that she had been infected. I overheard Skamos and Silver talking regarding the recent developments between Skamos and myself before it diverted to matters of Silver's love life. One night we fought a dragon turtle that rammed our ship. the dragon turtle was killed but not soon enough, as the ship sank. I ripped every patch off to get a bunch of items that weren't a boat, but luckily I did manage to grab a scroll of Polymorph (as later identified by Floran). I asked Silver to have Nasamos pull rank on Skamos to get on a dingy to escape, given that his alternative was to run across water into the vast ocean on a bleak night. To solve the issue of two possible drowings, I was polymorphed by Floran into a giant eagle and transported Tanaka. We landed on the desert shore and I talked with Jorja about Tanaka, getting a tentative pass. We slept the day in the desert and moved at night. I managed to talk to Silver about Nyana a little bit; gave some of the larger details. She encouraged me to apologize to Skamos. When we went to make camp we found that the purple worm might return soon, so we marched the full day to avoid an attack. We marched and were attacked by a Phoenix and later yet attacked by more Thri Keen. As we finished with the Thri Keen, a woman approached us on the dunes; I could only assume who it might be, and she's much younger than I anticipated. Silver's mother managed to teleport us back to the Oasis temple, and luckily we were granted rest for the night. The next morning I attended Skamos's report to Nasamos before departing to attend some errands. As I have found a moment to relax, I'll jot down my thoughts.
Stormy Seas
25th of Stiriacus, 1017 2nd Era
I talked to Skamos about what had been happening recently, he tried to convince me of having new magic. Silver angered me during training and I let them train while I taught Floran blood magic. She was giving me attitude so I ended up shooting her with anger. Had dinner and talked to Floran about his possible army. Fed Lareina and talked with Skamos more, truly accepting that I have been chosen by two gods. Then we were met by Paracelsus himself and his ghostly vessel, and we managed to fend of a horde of ghosts and other apiritions. I have been aged, strength sapped, and I fell into medical shock from meeting Paracelsus and narrowly surviving the onslaught. I was escorted to bed and slept as the rest of the party helped guide the ship to Ailbhafair.
Landed in Ailbhafair and met up with Ianatan, handed over Lareina and all with time sickness were healed. Met with Anglor and Ianatan revealed that I am a paladin. I now have my amulet (holy symbol) and a new breastplate (and a bible). We went and got drunk after being accosted by a guard. Then we made our way to the Siren's Rest inn. I intercepted Silver's makeout session and got a room, Skamos offered to exchange paladin lessons and elvish lessons over baths. I was surprised by the offer to bath. -23rd of Stiriacus
Skamos and I had a conversation not just about Elvish, but about several things. He ended up falling asleep so I managed to put him to bed and start on my tasks. Silver interrupted and I managed to stave off her demands by offering to take Skamos's place in her "requested" conversation. I managed to glean how she had feelings for Skamos's sister Cre, and how her mother's potential reaction to that (and our meeting Paracelsus) scared her. I seemed to put her concerns to rest temporarily; I hope she can take some solace in my words as I did mean them. I then returned to my tasks and woke Skamos for dinner. I rounded up the other two and at the tavern we were treated to haggis and ale. As it seemed the others were tarrying I asked Tanaka to return with me. Well into our... time, we were interrupted by Skamos kicking the door in and Floran requesting our immediate silence. After they left and we finished, I was able to overhear Skamos and Silver's conversation upon their return. Breakfast was... Fine. We boarded the ship after collecting our things and sailed off.
We sailed into a storm and heard quite a few big cracks of thunder. We went above deck afterward and helped the crew, before sternly encountering what can only be described as a slug-cursed genie. The Marrid was a tough fight, but Floran felled it quickly as Skamos, Silver and I fended off its summoned water elemental. A storm raged for three days until we were approached by an Elder Tempest named Corwynteu who wanted to confront Floran. After we staved off the creature and earned its respect, including my new title of Gwyntblaidd.
Twice the Dragon Roars
22nd of Stiriacus, 1017 2nd Era
After our encounter with the Roc we managed to rest for the night. In the morning, we awoke to the fact that our ship had been boarded by a military vessel. The captain asked me to bring up any other passengers and I obliged, bringing Silver, Skamos, and Floran with me. He asked for our papers, to which we obliged. The captain managed to heckle Floran until he was shown the royal invitation, which made him pale and retreat. Most of the day was spent training and practicing, and I managed to give Floran a crash-course in undead. During the night we were set upon by an adult white dragon. It was a gnarly fight that left me dead in the water until I was brought aboard and revived. I went downstairs to bandage my wounds, but resurfaced when I felt the boat sway unnaturally. Upon reaching the deck I saw what the cause was: the dragon's corpse was back on the ship. I saw Floran grow the scalpel they found in the temple of Paracelsus and begin to sever the head from the beast. As they worked, I saw that they were not beheading the dead dragon, and tried to pry the scalpel from their grasp to no avail. It was as if they were set to their task carving runes into the beast and it glowed something fierce before rising once more. We managed to down the beast again, and it plunged back into the sea. I was... Disgusted. Shocked. Angered. I ordered Floran to not use the scalpel again and to learn it well. If they ever resurrected another being I promised them that I would take their head, to which they agreed. I went back downstairs after that; I couldn't manage to stand the sight of Skamos and Floran. Later, Tanaka asked what happened and she seemed to be impressed that we downed an adult white dragon twice. I'm hoping I can quickly sleep this off and bounce back. This is two times we have come close to an untimely end aboard this ship, and I'd rather not keep doing this same song and dance.
Into Choppy Waters
21st of Stiriacus 1017 2nd Era
We managed our way to the inn and I offered to pay for everyone's night. I thought it was the least I could do all things considered. I managed to wash and care to Lareina before tending to my own gear; given her state of filth, her care was my first priority. After, I bought myself a few more amenities before cleaning up myself, trying to numb myself with two Wounds. Skamos visited me a little later on and we managed to discuss a few matters regarding our recent travels. In the morning we convened to discuss our next plans, including securing a boat to take us back to Ailbhafair. I went to the general store with Silver and managed to pawn off a few items and turned around to buy Silver a potion of greater restoration so she could have her memory back. On the way back we talked more about what happened in the sewers, and she revealed how she was afraid of the Paracelcans, and gave more information about her father Damakos. Luckily, this apology seemed to go over much better than the one Skamos had suggested. We reconvened with the others at the docks and secured passage at half-fare (or near) in exchange for our services protecting the ship. As we sailed through Lake Sidhe, none other than the King himself landed on our vessel. I tried to make myself scarce, but to no avail. I can now say I have officially met the King of Aknir and shook his hand twice. He was cordial enough, and apparently had invited Floran (and by proxy, us) to the castle. At least Tanaka could have her rest now given that we had a tangible way to get her information. That night, Silver had a terrible time falling asleep, and I may have let my displeasure show as she was agitating all of her bunkmates.
The next day Silver and I talked about what had bothered her the night before, and after discussing further with Skamos, we confirmed that she is indeed growing a second tail, supposedly like her father. As I tried to talk to her about it later in the day, we were interrupted by a Roc that had decided to engage with the ship. I was temporarily brought back to my training days, and to Nyana. Luckily, with Skamos's stunning strikes we were able to beat the dazed Roc before it tried to fly away. Skamos dove in after it once it fell from the sky from one of my hits. I jumped in after him to find him trying to free his scimitar from the dead creature. Together with the help of Silver's rope and our team's combined efforts, Skamos and I managed to get back aboard this ship.
Into the Depths of Noma
18th of Stiriacus, 1017 2nd Era
After our meeting with Aterfodden, Augustria teleported us to an old lake house of hers on the coast of Lake Sidhe. From there we walked to Noma to try and find the Paracelcan hideout. The guards were less than forthcoming, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that they weren’t going to be helpful (especially as they weren’t always making sense either). We descended into the sewers, given our earlier tip, and we encountered a plethora of creatures in the sewers. I managed to help stave off carrion crawlers and a few other creatures as we made our way through, looking for the entrance to the hideout. We then encountered a large venom troll that managed to put me down for a moment. Luckily we didn’t need to tarry in the sewers long, as we found the entrance to the hideout tucked away in the winding halls. In this deeper recess, we found flowing clean water and encountered a medusa, which we quickly dispatched. We circled back to some stone doors near the medusa’s hiding spot and found that it led to a bridge over a wide chasm. We managed to fight off the gaggle of priests and drow fighters. I will admit, as soon as I saw the unmistakable white robes I saw red. I managed to transform and barrel through the darkness to defeat them. I don’t remember how many I felled; I only remember their blood splashing about as I cut them down.
After the bridge we went into a room with a chest and keys strewn about the floor. No matter the poking, prodding, or finessing I tried I couldn’t budge the chest in the normal way. The others found writing on the walls to decipher, but I went ahead and tried using one of the keys. Not even the old skeleton key trick would work, it seemed, so all that was left to do was try. After a few attempts, I lost my vision. I flew into a bit of a panic, but did my best to focus on the keys; at least we knew part of the consequences of trying, and I didn’t think in my newfound state I would be of much use finding the hidden meaning of the Tortle message. That is how we ended the 14th day of Stiriacus.
After Silver and the others deciphered the message and found the right key, we unlocked the room’s doors. It seems to have been done without thinking, but Silver opened a door and managed to lose roughly eleven days of her memory, and we were ambushed by Ettercaps, to the best of my knowledge. I managed to help fend them off despite being blinded, poisoned, and restrained in spider webs. Skamos took it upon himself to haul my ass across the room and chide me for my actions regarding the chest. At some point he seems to try and slap me to attention, and I accidentally let slip that I wanted to kill the Paracelcans. The more I thought about why we were here, the more it bothered me that we weren’t making headway because of these stupid tricks.
He cautioned me about my behavior, but I wasn’t ready to listen. We took a full rest to recover, and my blindness seemed to dissipate in my sleep. During my watch with Floran I heard some humming and singing from a child-like voice fade around the room and in my head. After resting we pursued the noise, first finding a hallway of traps branching off from the room with Ettercaps, so we tried the southern door in the key room. There we found a dryder and some acolytes, as well as a burrowed-out tunnel with flumphs and a lever in the next room. After, we passed through the northern room from the key room and were attacked by three mimics. Upon ending the fight, Floran checked a chest and found two keys as Silver kept engaging a magical response from the other chest. I used one of the keys and opened a door. Walking down the halls, I found a trap that almost slid me into oblivion. Luckily the team helped to rescue me.
Upon returning to them, Skamos again tried to chide me for my actions. He was upset about how I kept hurling myself at the problem, and I tried to convince him that this was for the benefit of the party. He ended up slapping me for my insistence and I seemed to lapse in consciousness as Silver brought me back to a waking state. I felt terrible for causing Skamos such strife, but it was necessary. Lareina's life meant more now than ever, especially as we got closer. Although I'd hate to be a casualty, she doesn't deserve such suffering or pain. I'd gladly transfer her suffering onto the perpetrators or suffer myself so Skamos, Silver and Floran could rescue her. After this encounter, we at least decided to rest again, using the chests and dead mimics to block all entrances we're aware of and to sleep it off. In this time, two days seemed to pass, leading us to the seventeenth of Stiriacus.
We went through more of the dungeon. After our long respite Silver asked to speak with me privately. After some questioning she made it clear that she wanted to fuck me, but it didn't seem right, and she didn't seem to listen to reason. I almost had to barter myself away after this rescue mission to get her to drop it. As we delved deeper, we found an ettin statue and opened two doorways by "replacing" the giant's heads. We found a room with spectators after Nakama mysteriously died. We also found a secret passageway and a room with a brazier filled with shadows that only dissipated after the brazier was put out (Silver originally lit it).
Throughout this time Silver seemed to keep throwing herself into situations while Skamos was becoming more paranoid. Silver found what we learned was a secret passage, but she wouldn't seem to communicate why she thought it would all explode in fire, and to avoid the blast I ducked into a separate room where I discovered two spectators. When we returned to the secret passage Silver discovered, and upon exploring Skamos became afraid he had stepped on a trap and that the room would crumble if he moved. When I tried to reason with him, he didn't believe me, and I had to trick him to prove to him there was no danger. It concerns me deeply, and I see how my actions are affecting my friends. Especially now after the shadows, I feel much weaker and realize I cannot keep this up as long as I had hoped. Maybe I can reason with them to show them I haven't lost my head.
After exploring further we realized that Silver was missing. As the others searched, I tracked her to the main entrance and we encountered a dragon that was also a beholder. Silver looked rightfully scared and we decided to retreat and barricade the door. After that encounter, we made our way through the left ettin door and encountered two gelatinous cubes in one room, and a zombie beholder and two spectators in the next room. Beyond, we found a balcony with a ladder plunging deeper into the depths. We encountered the same eye drake again and barely made it out of that scenario. I had to climb back up the ladder and retrieve Silver, as she seemed to be frozen on the ladder. Upon descent we decided to rest, but were interrupted by a trio of Paracelcans. Skamos and I handled negotiations, myself posing as Brother Lars and the others as initiates. Our lie was that we were going to the bridge to clean up the bodies that were up there and to settle the eye drake. After they left, tentatively satisfied, we finished resting and agreed to keep up the disguise.
We continued on deeper after our encounter with the Paracelcans. We found a side passage that led us to what can only be described as a spider's nest, yet we easily dispatched the monsters. We then found a hall entrance and encountered more Paracelcans, but given that I had changed into my Lykantrop form, we were easily found out as a cultist tried to have us "clean up'' one of their "experiments." All hell broke loose; we ended up slaying a whole lot of cultists, two flesh golems, and a Drow spellcaster. Afterwards, Silver revealed why she had barely fought: apparently given her family's backstory she's also hunted by the Cult of the Everlasting. Apparently my response was not completely apropos to the situation, and Skamos forced my hand for an apology. The apology did not go over well either, but at least we all agreed to move together. In the next room we met with the half-tortle woman we had previously encountered, and a short battle ensued. Before I could question her thoroughly, Silver killed her and the body turned to snow. Skamos identified that this was part of a simulacrum and that she had never been here. We continued on to find Lareina and three other children who had been experimented on. Upon trying to retrieve Lareina I saw her fangs and realized she had been turned. I honestly thought my best option was to kill her and transport her body, but as I moved to kill her, I was stopped by the Gods, who stayed my hands. I obeyed and tied her up instead, giving her over to Silver and Nakama. From there, Floran and I dispatched the other three children, as instructed. Our main concern then was escaping, and we narrowly missed a full confrontation with the eye drake as we made our final escape. Into the streets of Noma again, we were not stopped nor questioned as we left, heading for the nearest inn on this dark night. As I write now, I wonder how we will proceed. Tanaka still needs assistance finding intel on the war, and we need to escort the now comatose Lareina back to her father in Ailbhafair. At this point, we will need to be strategic. Maybe I could send Tanaka Iacob's way at worst, or we can escort her there and help her more directly at best. Either way, rest is of the utmost importance now. A new start on a new day.
More Chores for Dragonlord
12th of Stiriacus, 1017 2nd Era
We finally made it to Celia's after meeting with a leatherworking merchant just outside Vathi. We handed over Kobalt and Kaiden and spent the night in the tower, feasting on the bear Tanaka (the half-dragon captain) and I were able to take down for dinner. I was able to brew an antitoxin to give to Skamos and I have more supplies for one healing potion, which I brewed later. On the road again, we narrowly missed a Cyclops and managed to pass a Gynosphynx on the road. Upon making it to the Court, we were ogled at by all of the inhabitants.
Upon meeting with Aterfodden, he was as irate as we expected. For some reason, I was possessed to argue for Tanaka's life; after my discussion with Skamos it didn't seem right for her to die because of his actions. Upon hearing my plea, Aterfodden gave Tanaka an option. He gave her two choices for death, or a suicide mission with us. She chose the third. Upon this, Aterfodden revealed that he wanted us to smuggle Tanaka into Sernos to gather intel on the King. We also relayed information about Celia, and I was able to convince the Dragonlord that she was harmless to him and his plans. After which, we left the court and Skamos asked why I was so ready to accept the mission. It seemed that he had forgot; we had already been requested by the king to find what would most likely be Aterfodden. It's not the brightest plan, but by playing both sides we can maintain our neutrality as we become further embroiled in this plot, especially after recent events. I plan on relying on my contacts in Sernos and seeing if a Hat of Disguise or something of the like would do the trick for Tanaka and we can smuggle her into the city. Honestly, I would be fine doing this on her behalf and having her report to Aterfodden with our findings (a... simplified version of events, at least). Hopefully, this works.
First Taste of Blood
5th of Stiriacus, 1017 2nd Era
After speaking with Skamos I did my best to sleep. Kaiden had the bed, so I took the nearby chair that was a part of the room's decor. I rose relatively early and checked in with Kaiden. He was alert and his fever had broken, but he seemed greatly disoriented. All he could recall was his name, Kaiden Muir, and that he came from a body of water, and his confusion seemed genuine. I had him sorted out to start; hopefully he would do as told and stay in the room. I made my way to Skamos's room to check in with him regarding Kaiden; it was a long shot to keep him in Killiganhaft with all that happened, and I didn't want to keep him on the road with us: the road was no place for a child. Leading with some of my thoughts, Skamos gave me the option I was looking for: to send Kaiden to the Oasis. I thought it would be a good enough solution giving Skamos's bleeding heart and his bond with Nasamos. They also had more plentiful resources to help Kaiden than we did. I telepathically reached out to Celia and asked if she would ship Kaiden to the Oasis and offered to pay the way for him. After some back-and-forth she agreed.
We made our way to breakfast at the tavern where we met up with Silver. Breakfast was largely uneventful save for some banter. I encouraged Silver to work with Skamos after we decided to stay one more day to be safe. I made my way to Tomi's house and managed to retrieve half of the gold Skamos had paid him yesterday for the altercation with Kaiden and myself. It cost me a bottle of whiskey, but it was better than making a scene. After, I met with Poppy and arranged to meet with her after dinner. She still seemed largely shaken by last night and wanted to be in a better headspace before talking further. Respecting her wishes, I peeled away to find Skamos and return his money. He seemed surprised and then commended me for my conduct, which felt a little odd. He wasn't wrong; it was nicer than I usually was. He then pressed me about what had happened the night before. After trying to stave off his questions I knew I had to concede, so I said the truth: it was a dumb wish and somehow two Gods wanted to respond. He seemed to accept the answer and I fell in line with the two Tiefling companions and listen as they caught up. From Silver's tale, it was obvious to me that she had met Tetch/Tyrion and fancied him from their adventures. I also let slip that I also was familiar with Mothnir from my previous stay, but I deigned not to tell them more than the basics.
On that walk we ended up meeting with Floran and decided to take time to spar. It was a quick and easy way to inform Silver of my lycan-predicament and to get a test for our skills. It was a shitshow to say the least, and I was knocked on my back by Floran and somehow managed to land on Skamos though he fared twice as well as I. After our sparring we decided to make our way back to the tavern where we ordered drinks and dinner, carousing until my meeting with Poppy. We took a short walk outside to talk about life and death, and eventually she took an interest in Linneaus and asked to meet Floran, which I obliged. Back in the tavern, Skamos was clearly piss drunk. It definitely wouldn't help to have him around if Floran was to make an impression on Poppy, so I scooped him up and took him outside. After some playful drunken banter I helped him the only way I knew how: I fixed his hair back and spun him. I didn't care to lose a finger trying to force him to vomit that way, so I found an alternative. It was only after all of that and putting him to bed that Silver healed him of his drunken stupor. We said our goodnights and slept for the evening.
In the morning we set out immediately after stocking up on rations. The first day of travel was uneventful, but during the second day we happened upon a skirmish between the Akniri and the Aterfoddens. I tried to reason with Skamos and Floran, saying that it wasn't our fight and we needed to remain neutral, but they jumped into the fray. Skamos tried his damndest to get their attention, but to no avail. Something came over me when I saw him out there, trying to reason with grizzled veterans. I couldn't help it; I asked Silver and Kobalt to watch Kaiden as I ran for the fray. I managed to nick the wyvern but it stung me well; I felt my vision blur and roll and a searing pain from the injection before I killed the captain of the Akniri forces. Again, Skamos attempted to have them stand down; this time all obliged. While the Akniri fled, the Half Dragon captain stayed to converse with us since Skamos let loose how we were acquainted with Aterfodden. I couldn't take anymore of this; it seemed that while diplomacy was a virtue it was not yet a developed skill. I interjected and gave the soldier the captain's information so that they could run recon as a favor. She tried to order us straight to the Court, but I countered her with a compromise. They will now be joining us to Celia's tower as we drop off Kobalt and Kaiden before we return to the Court as we originally planned. Given my calculations, we have at least four days to come up with a reason why Skamos thinks he is above this war.
Tensions Rise and Fall
35th of Amarus, 1017 2nd Era
Skamos, Floran and I left the church after speaking with both Krox and Kobalt about our plan for the evening and as we left we were surprised by another member. We were all shocked when Skamos was grabbed from behind until we heard a voice that seemed to be playful at best. We learned that this was his old-time friend from the Ancillary. She introduced herself as Sylveon at the time and seemed rather keen on talking to Skamos. I pulled him aside as he began talking to her because it felt like he was letting out far too many secrets at once. Upon asking him on the matter he seemed terse; I had obviously pushed a little hard given the context, but I wanted to be sure. Ever since I had learned about the price on my head I hadn't been too keen on sharing what wasn't necessary, but I trusted him so I would have to trust her as well. When we reconvened we decided to go around as a group and gather more information on the townsfolk regarding different members; maybe we could suss out some leads before having to rely on Kobalt. During the walk about town we were able to talk to a few townsfolk who seemed to have a bone to pick with one dwarf named Tommy; the very dwarf that had accosted Kaden earlier that day. Aside from this, we didn't seem to proffer much from our investigations. The ten gold kept rolling around in my mind; there was no reason for Skamos to have needed to bribe him. I was going to get the gold back even if it ruffled a few feathers.
As the day began to wane we decided it was time to head towards the Doppel Twin Inn to get the festivities going as we had heard earlier that they had moved the preparations due to some incoming rain. It was understandable, but it made me uneasy. The great torrent of rain we had faced the past few days seemed to have some eerie connection with the Boneclaw, but not to the same degree as the fog. Upon entering we were invited to sit at a place of honor and Kobalt requested that we keep any distractions at bay so he could focus for the evening. During the night I realized I had let my guard down somewhat as I drank my ale and had a fill of elk; Kaden seemed to appreciate the food with vigor as he devoured it in seconds. At some point there was a bubbling squabble between Skamos and his reunited friend of which Kobalt and I requested a pause (if not an end). We were also approached by old Ehmyr Killigan himself, a frail old elf that looked more like a pale mummy than a man, and was quite sour to boot. I gave him some customary well wishes; mother was always one for etiquette and diplomacy. Half way through, Kobalt finished with his scans and had the opportunity to eat what I had ordered him, which was pleasing to see. I haven't seen too many men that gaunt, and I'd rather keep it that way. We kept going with the festivities for a while, waiting until everyone had left and the party fizzled out for the night.
At the end of the night, Krox and Kobalt had singled out five people of interest: Ehmyr, the shopkeep Ralph whom we had dealt with upon entering town, Tommy the lead of the mines, Poppy the baker and miner, and Kaden. I was somewhat surprised, but upon hearing some remarks out of the boy I could sense a great level of malice underneath his naivety. I decided to get everyone drinks, and even humored the old elf with his wine-pouring traditions. After a chunk of talking we had learned a few things. Ehmyr, Ralph, and Tommy were all bigots for their own reasons, Poppy was a follower of Paracelcus, and almost no one knew what a Boneclaw was. Ehmyr seemed much more informed, but claimed that he would command it elsewhere (implying to me that he knew how the whole scheme worked, which was suspicious). Ralph follows he silver hand and Tommy is an atheist. Finally, we had seemed to figure out that the Boneclaw was attached to Kaden as our inquiries turned from probing to threatening. Sylveon first noticed the appearance of fog when we had turned out attention to the boy. From what I understand, she seemed to have known about them based on lectures from Nasamos. Luckily, he had deigned to repeat the lecture for Skamos and we Celia to confirm and dig deeper on the subject. Upon pressing Kaden further and we all prepared to strike, all hell broke loose.
The Boneclaw acted first, piercing through the window to snatch up Skamos's friend who fired an arrow that pierced between Kaden's eyes, taking the light from them easily. After he had been snuffed out she was hauled into the darkness. Skamos and I made a break out the window for her but were too late as the Boneclaw disengaged to pick on Floran and the suceptible townsfolk still in the bar. We made our way back in time to drive the Boneclaw out, but it had taken Kaden's corpse with it. Luckily, Skamos was able to chase it down and deal the final blows, taking its vile hands off before smashing its head in. Learning from my previous mistake with Iluna, I snatched the scroll from my belongings and ran to Kaden. Celia got back to me about my inquiry during the height of the fight, noting how it was possible to bring the boy back while leaving the 'claw behind. Skamos needed to sanctify the body for such a retrieval and return of the soul and was expertly lead by Krox and assisted by Floran. He uttered words to Athanasios, who in return spoke his will through Krox. I didn't know how to help aside from having the scroll, but I couldn't do nothing. I whispered a quick line, trying to pull on anything I knew. Before I knew it, Krox spoke again with two voices; I couldn't mistake either of them since I had addressed them both directly. Floran was able to deftly take the scroll and perform the revival of the child. Kobalt managed his way to us and confirmed that the evil had left; we had saved Kaden.
I took it upon myself to take the child back, minding to wet his gills with the rain as I had seen him do earlier. Upon bringing him back to the room Krox had provided me, I laid him out and set to work mending. I wasn't the best at it and I knew I had a higher pain tolerance than most, but luckily the kid was out cold and graciously healed by she who had slain him. He seemed to be running a fever so I found some clean cloths to use as cold compresses. It seemed a considerable amount of time had passed, but I felt easy enough leaving him alone. I had some questions for Skamos, considering what had happened upon bringing Kaden back. I managed to ask him about the speaking through Krox; some small part of me hoped it had been a fluke or a common practice. Luckily, it seemed he couldn't place the second voice. I didn't feel comfortable sharing more on that yet. He seemed as pleased as I about the outcome, and I asked about Sylveon, who I learned preferred to go by the name "Silver." I wouldn't press it; I knew the importance of an alias or nom de guerre. It seemed that she would be traveling with us for some time as he seemed pleased with her work. I expressed that I had also planned on killing Kaden and hoped she had no hard feelings over the matter. I decided to ask him about learning celestial, especially since it sounded much more formal and apropos if I were ever to deal with the Gods again. If. After deciding on trading language lessons (Celestial for me and Elvish for him), he then asked me an odd question about having children. With that classic smirk on his face (though... did it look softer this time?), I don't really know what came over me. It seemed my time had run up, as I had no way to respond nor counter his playful accusation. I'm not proud of my exit but... What had that been about? Well, he hadn't seemed too upset about Kaden, so I'm lucky for that. Hopefully we can get him reunited with his parents soon, or he's yet another vessel for the Ancillary.
For some reason, Kaden and this whole event brought me far back in time. Brought me to Nyana. Maybe Skamos was right... I had been prepared before, but now? I didn't even know what I would do if I had a kid now, especially with the shit show Aknir has become. For now, I wish only to focus on returning Kobalt to Celia and Kaden to his parents, reporting back to Aterfodden and getting our favor all so we can find and return Yonaton's daughter Lareina. I hope we haven't tarried to long, but of course Paracelcans wouldn't kill her outright; they would do worse. From there, maybe we can finally get into the belly of the beast and end this uprising of Paracelcus before the government catches wind of it. Which reminds me... If Agustria is right (and I have no reason to not believe her, especially given how close she and my mother were), the King has also identified himself as a potential problem.
The One that Didn't Get Away
35th of Amarus, 1017 2nd Era
Let's just say it's been a rough go since we left Celia and the tower. We made it to Killiganhaft with no issue but found more than enough problems once we started to locate Kobalt. Floran and I went in one direction to help canvas the area and encountered what I later learned to be a Boneclaw. Floran and I awoke in its lair, trapped, but at least we had found where Kobalt went. After a day of waiting, watching, and planning, Floran and I made our escape with Kobalt. After twisting and turning, hauling the depleted paladin with us, we found our gear and managed to escape, reuniting with Skamos and Iluna. Sadly, the Boneclaw was quick to catch on and met us out in the woods. It was a fierce battle, and only three of us survived. Sadly, after incapacitating Iluna and bringing her to the gates of death, the Boneclaw let out a fierce roar that sealed her fate. Sadly, the scroll hadn't passed my mind until it was too late. We managed to bring all our bodies back to town and I started making arrangements for Iluna.
I found a runner, procured a coffin for transport, and found a trinket of Athanasios and Faustina to put on her person for her final rest. I hope she chose well. In the meantime, the next morning we encountered a druid who calls herself Silver. During the day I made contact with Celia and relayed what happened, and she informed me that a Boneclaw is often attached to a master, often a necromancer or the most evil person in the vicinity. Approaching the priest Krox, we were able to establish an opportunity to test our theory. At this evening's banquet we will have both Krox and Kobalt try to sus out the most evil individual in town and take them to their death. While we were reconvening to establish this plan we encountered a street urchin who was turned down the opportunity for food. His name is Kaden, and he is a nine-year-old Triton who lives in the nearby pond. It's interesting to see such a small town have such an out-of-place urchin. His morals seem askew, but I don't particularly blame him. We will take him under our wing for now and try to figure the best outcome for him that is within our power. I marked the doorframe of the man who accosted and nearly assaulted the poor boy. I don't need magic to tell me that he's a rotten man, and I shall have Skamos's 10 gold returned to him.
Confirming a Hunch
29th of Amarus, 1017 2nd Era
In short, we blasted our way through a wizard's tower that was infested with traps and dead bodies, just to find at the end of it all, my sister Celia. I don't know how she managed to get wrapped into this, but I'm more than interested in hearing her story.
New Colleagues and New Leads
28th of Amarus, 1017 2nd Era
Leaving the Paracelcus hideout, I tried calling for the Vroc before being silenced, and then during our trip out of Albhafair I tried again. Luckily the Vroc responded and we were able to apprehend the Tortle Aasimar leading the small band. We were told that there was a hideout in Noma that may have Yonaton's daughter, but before we could make a deal for more information, she teleported away from us. With this defeat we decided to meet with Vroc's master, especially as he most likely had resources we did not. We went back to Albhafair to meet with the wizard Vroc promised, whom we learned was Augustria herself. She teleported us all to the Court of the Damned and I was able to return her things. We viewed the grounds to see monsters acting peaceably and even a ward area where a cleric of Faustina was healing a Beholder. Aterfodden met with us out in the field and told us about how he would like assistance disabling the King of Aknir's current plotting. We learned that Aterfodden is an ancient blue dragon and that his son was probably the dragon the King had asked us to search for. We decided that we would at least help Aterfodden by following up with a report about a necromancer in Vathi; one who had not been brutally killed and betrayed by the town's people.
Upon entering the town after our four days of travel, we entered the Golden Gizzard tavern and inn to stay the night. The barkeep let us know of a blue dragonborn who is known to be an assistant of the necromancer in question, a woman who seems to cure the wounded, despite being able to raise the dead. I have a feeling that this may be someone I know, and know quite well. Now that I've met the Wraith, I assume now I must meet the Spectre. We will go to the tower tomorrow, find a way to cross the drawbridge, and see if we can speak to the necromancer to get her side of the story; hopefully the dragonborn can help us reach her.
New Predicaments of Paracelcus
23rd of Amarus, 1017 2nd Era
After meeting with Yonaton we went back to the library. I immediately headed up to the fourth floor as I faintly remembered a second chest up there. Sure as shit, there were three gems, a scroll, a potion of Endure Elements, and 20 gold we split between the four of us. I went down a flight of stairs, managed to snag two books from the study, and got the feeling that some fiendish or undead activity was about. Upon trying to look and feeling the oddness persist, we were told to go away. In a flash of indignance I told them to face me, and face me they did. We managed through four Shadows before facing a Shadow Demon on the first floor of the library. We managed to leave alive, and I was able to snag some parts off of the decaying fiend. We took the rest of the night to rest.
In the morning we revisited the church and hatched a plan after speaking with Gawain again, surprised to see that we had naturally healed from the previous night's battle. In our plan, we were to pose as a group aligned with Paracelcus, I the captive, and we would hopefully either be led to little Lareina or have her given back to Yonaton in exchange for my capture. Now, we are sitting and waiting for the cultists to arrive.
New Information About the Cult
22nd of Amarus, 1017 2nd Era
As soon as we entered Albhafair we set to the church of Faustina to have Skamos's wounds tended to. We left Coconut and cart in the care of a lowly clergy member for a gold coin. After Skamos was seen to we tried to meet with Yonatan, but he turned us away. Skamos assured us that we would meet, including new information about how we were to meet Yonatan in the Mausoleum around sunset. While we waited for sundown, Iluna and I cased the Abandoned Library while Floran and Skamos shopped for supplies, trying to act inconspicuous as the day went on. In the library we did not learn too much, except for the mimic encounter at the top of the tower. In that tower we also left a chest unopened, a harp untouched, and a teleportation circle unused. As the commotion with the mimic occurred and as we left, the building gave off an oppressive and menacing aura, causing auditory hallucinations.
After fleeing the library, we met up with Floran and Skamos and decided to revisit the church so Iluna could heal. Apparently Iluna didn't notice my jesting, and has begun a continual pout. After Iluna rested and got the aid she required after the mimic attack, we decided to stop by the tavern for dinner. We ate our fill of stew and ale, creating banter as Iluna seethed from the "boo boo cream" incident at the church. Once we found the night to be satisfactorily dark, we made our way through the cemetery to the mausoleum and met with Yonatan. Apparently the cultists of Paracelcus have been using magic to extort information out of the high priest and have his daughter, Lareina (yes, named after my mother) hostage. We agreed that we would not meet with him anymore in his current state, and exited the mausoleum for the night. We left the cemetery and began to regroup to decide what to do next.
New Recruit and Old Wounds
23rd of Amarus, 1017 2nd Era
Upon our return, we were approached by a Vroc and two smaller buggers. They let us know that Aterfodden, the first dragon of Linneaus, wanted to summon us to the Court of the Damned. We reasoned with the Vroc and settled on meeting again with it in a fortnight in Ailbhafair. After that we met with the Lord of Kraberkai, who compensated us for our sob story about his daughter and bid us a curt farewell. We then stopped at the tavern and met with Yngvild and crew. I decided to step out of the morning reveling to stock up on rations both for myself an the horse (whom we later named Coconut). I spoke with Ella for a short while, being careful not to keep up many pretenses. While eating the complimentary cookie I made my way back to the hall and was confronted with a Earth Genasi harboring my seat and in discussion with the party. Upon talking to her, we learned that she was working with another group who had all been killed by a dragon, except for her, and that she more or less admitted to being a rogue.
Given that she was interested in joining our party and our party being naturally wary, we decided to do a "trial run" where she would assist us with the abandoned Wizard's keep in Ailbhafair. On the road we encountered a clay golem that hurt Skamos considerably, afflicting him with some clay illness. He let me know in one of our conversations at camp, where I had been making opportunities to learn more about Athanasios. I urged him to stay out of close-ranged combat until we could have the issue seen to. After that, we encountered a pack of gnolls outside of Ailbhafair that we took down with impressive speed. Skamos tried to gloat about his accomplishments in close combat, but was thwarted on account of the injury he had sustained from a dying gnoll. We bandaged his shoulder and continued on, learning some more about our new companion Iluna, and making plans to have Skamos healed before we confronted Yonaton.
New Knowledge
19th of Amarus, 1017 second era
We made good on our word and we visited Floran's creator, Trégrasgætir, in the woods north of Sudrynster. While we were there we spoke about what we all had learned and were regaled a tale from the Forest Spirit's memories of the times before gods. We also helped to cook the mammoth that the spirit hunted for our celebratory dinner as we celebrated Floran's birthday. While we camped we discussed how we wanted to move to Albhefair to speak with Yonaton and to explore the abandoned wizard's home. We thanked the spirit for its time and for its hospitality as we spent the night before marching for Hanamura. On our way there we crossed the dragon we felled and I recovered its head to share with the Lord of Kraberkai. We then reached Hanamura where we stayed at the inn for two days to wait out the blizzard. After stocking up on rations, we moved out and made our way to Kraberkai. On the second day of travel I noticed strange noises of a pack following us. We made plans for a pincer attack and took down six lizard folk, and we managed to survive. I was surprised at how helpful the new glaive was; it was smoother than I had expected.
New Sights and Encounters
5th of Amarus, 1017 2nd Era
In Hanamura we promptly bought winter gear for Skamos and myself before buying rations for ourselves and our horse. Staying overnight in the Blooming Lily inn, we set out in the morning to seek Madison O'Neillan in Suthrynster. We marched for roughly 10 days to Floran's home town and had two daring encounters. One was a fight with a young White Dragon. It was a big fight that temporarily took Skamos and myself out of the running if it weren't for Floran's quick work reviving us. We were able to retrieve meat and scaled hide from the dragon before we moved on. Later we found a worn road to town, and a bridge guarded by two Winter Wolves. Upon revealing my wolf-form to them and making peace, they let us pass and we were able to make it to town.
The town was encircled by massive trees and built upon even more gargantuan trees. We first went to the Temple of Linneaus and spoke with an Antlered cleric who seemed quite dismissive of anything not of his faith. He had little to no information about Madison, so we decided to move our focus elsewhere. We found Floran's forgemaster who gave us information of Madison. She was apparently traveling with a sizeable wood elf named Edgar, who requested of the Forgemaster a ring, but he sent them to the craftsman. We were directed to speak with the Craftmaster, and that she might have some information. She directed us to Jesper Oddvarson, Fred Braaten, and Hilda as jewelry smiths that might be recommended for making wedding-related wear. After our encounter we decided to visit Jesper first. With Jesper as a dead end we moved on to Fred. Fred, at first with pompous reluctance he revealed that he was also a dead end. We then visited with Hilda, who informed us that Madison was fawning over Edgar, who bought her an expensive ring. We made the time away from Hilda's work worth her while and moved to the temple district to find Madison and if she was to be wed to Edgar. We were informed that they might try through Helene, so that was our fist bet. After working with one of the attendants to the temple of Helene we learned that Madison and Edgar were married and set up here, so we went to find their home. We accidentally walked in on them and Madison was kind enough to explain the reality of the situation and her stance on the matter.
We came to the conclusion that we would leave Madison and Edgar to their business and fabricated a story that while we were trying to secure her for a return transfer she was attacked and eaten by a white dragon, since we'd have the hide to "prove" it, even after hopefully getting to use the hide for some new armor. We met with the Forgemaster, who was able to make me new armor and a new, double-bladed glaive at a fraction of the cost. We supplied him with the dragon hide we harvested earlier. After Forgemaster's work I was able to retrieve 5 sq feet of the dragon's hide to present to the Lord of Kraberkai if we decide to sell him our story. I now have a new glaive and armor, which makes the cold seem just a little less harsh. Speaking with Floran, we decided that next we would meet with his maker before we make our trip back.
New Friends and New Travels
6th of Amarus, 1017 2nd Era
We took Kaitlyn and Tetch back to Kraberkai with us and we met up with Skamos. We went to the temple of Masamune and found Eir who had made a swift recovery in the week we had been gone. We asked him to speak with the head of the Changeling to which he obliged, and Skamos was able to pose as an acolyte and record the questions and answers. We then talked to a boy named Eric who was the alive disciple we brought back and had stowed away in the tavern basement. After some poking and prodding he was able to clarify some information and wished to repent, so Skamos set up his conversion plan with his dad and we asked Eir and company to escort him to a trusted ship heading to the Oasis. We also learned that Yonaton was actually somehow connected to Paracelsus, giving him information, so that is something I will personally revisit in due time.
We made our way through the woods from Kraberkai to Hanamura and it was snowing; it is the middle of The Decay. We were able to buy 3 weeks worth of rations and a new wood cup to melt snow in. We also taught Skamos about snow and built a snowman. Next we need to buy winter gear so we are better equipped for the travel to the southern tribe of Halbergair.
New Faces New Adventure
32nd of Moors, 1017 2nd Era
I will admit, my sister seemed odd. She was very stilted and surprised by most everything, and she wasn't up to her usual jovial manner. She met with me and we discussed what we had learned, but she seemed very confused as to what our "quests" were; we only agreed that we needed to find each other after our training, so I started to suspect her, but it was too good to be true, so I did let slip what I had learned about our parents. We embarked for a secluded entrance to the Paracelcus catacombs and found it quite easily. Once we had descended we also found the prison quite easily, just to find that we had been tricked by a changeling. We revived my sister and her friend, Tetch, before breaking out of the prison and demolishing the priests of Paracelcus. We caught the changeling and were trying to extort information out of him, but due to a cheap trick, he died early. We were able to detain one priest alive and hog-tied him, and we collected the heads of those we had killed. We resurfaced and reconvened.
My plan here is to see if Kaitlyn and Tetch wish to accompany us back to Kraberkai, and to see if we could detain the one fellow while we find a priest or two that can cast either zone of truth or speak with dead. It's very good to see Kaitlyn again, and I would like to speak with her properly about what has transpired, both in the past 16 years, and of our more immediate pasts. Hopefully, this will also give Anglor some time to speak with her friend Tetch as well.
New Beginnings, Forging Relations
28th of Moors, 1017 2nd Era
We hastily returned to Ailbhafair by ship and had our horse and cart returned promptly. From there we made quick work returning to Kraberkai, even so far as ignoring the new nest of a chimera, nestled into the old abandoned quarry the Albans has been mining just weeks before. Approaching from the north we saw that the old church of Paracelcus was gone, yet not our marker. The town was seemingly deserted, and all of the Alban structures had benn updated, save for the tavern and the statue of Linneaus, which stood empty with no Eir. We readily knew that more was amiss than usual, and quietly made our way to the tavern. We met with Yngvild the tavernkeep who was practically chained to her brewing cellar, hastily brewing all the ale she could. By conversing with her we learned that the city was on lockdown and that the alchemist we had helped before had also attempted to murder Jane with the poisonous materials. Upon seeing that there was no change in power we did not know how to proceed (not knowing Rieta's location nor condition), we decided to stealthily circle near the keep and temple to see if we could glean more information, but to no avail. All we learned is that the guards were scarce and that the herbalist had been killed swiftly. We returned to the tavern after deciding that we would lay low and assist Yngvild and Thyri as we awaited more information.
Floran stayed to help Yngvild brew the alcohol that had been "commissioned" by Jane and Skamos and I went to help Thyri hunt. It was tough to find her out in the western forest, but we bagged a considerable amount of game while we looked. We eventually ran into her and made our way back to the tavern. Apparently Floran had told quite the yarn by the time we arrived, and Yngvild looked quite relieved of her duties as compared to when we had left her. After regaling us with his tale, our conversation turned to Floran's artistic abilities. Probably to save himself some embarrassment, Skamos retreated to the bar overhead once he had forked over the drawing Floran had made in Ailbhafair. Apparently we had been a little too jovial as we had attracted the attention of a sole patrol. Yngvild and Thyri shook them from our scent and we became more serious as we all shared what we had learned. Thyri had informed us on our return that she had spotted Rieta entering the Temple of Masamune days before, but with no return and no change in appearances or operation -- we were now going to have to rescue her from Jane.
As a group we decided that we would go in the cover of night to avoid being stopped by the patrol. We made our way to the temple with no incident, and approached the temple doors. Upon opening them we saw it was pitch-black, magical darkness. After a few moments of banter with Jane we entered and learned that she was indeed keeping Rieta here, and that Rieta had in fact attempted on Jane's life as well, with more success than the herbalist. Given that Jane knew of Skamos's new station, she offered that we fight her as part of religious combat. We agreed after confirming that the terms were witnessed by a third party and honored. We waited outside for the witnesses to appear and readied ourselves for a mean battle. Jane brought out Rieta and pinned her up to a wall from a custom gibbet for her to (supposedly) watch her brother's combat. It was a long and hard battle. Floran tipped the tides in our favor by goading Jane with her pride, and Skamos dealt the final blow and cleaved her handmade horns from the rest of her skull. Skamos made his proclamation of the victory and what it meant for Kraberkai -- and the lord clapped in response as we worked to free Rieta from her bonds. As we were summoned to the keep, we were allowed to pass and the Albans were allowed to bury their dead.
We heard from the Lord of Kraberkai that Jane had sold off his daughter (the one we were supposed to help) and that we had apparently killed his one good lead. We also did not know where Eir was being kept. I also asked the Lord if he would be able to clarify the Albans' place within the city, of which he obliged. For finding his daughter he offered us anything and all he could within his power, including knighthood. Despite our differences, we agreed to the matter and promised to start our search that morning after daybreak. After some terse words I doubled back to the temple to try and find out more from Jane's store, but instead came across an emaciated Eir locked in a storage crate in the dining hall of the temple. Floran caught up with me and we carried the poor priest to the tavern, where a party was ensuing. Yngvild took Eir from us into her care and we were allowed to engage with the party, where we saw Thyri invite Skamos to her table. As I was downing my third ale I heard the strangest thing. After some hushed words, a woman barked the loudest "Hey Cain, you bitch," to which I (understandably) tersely replied "What the fuck" only to turn around and see my own sister, Kaitlyn, in the flesh. I was in such a shock, all I managed was a very surprised and confused "shit" as I dropped my drink.
New Victory, Old Business
22nd of Moors, 1017 2nd Era
After our battle with Ignatius we decided to rest, as Skamos had faced the brunt of battle. Failing to mention the alternate dimension which we had visited, after we rested and healed we decided to quickly move on to assess the trouble that still lie yet before us. We chose the door to the left; what had been Ignatius's right, and proceeded. We braved a few more Kobolds after encountering a room full of statues of both Athanasios and Paracelsus. Minding the trial's words we avoided the statues' of Paracelsus' gaze. After the pit of Kobolds and the statues, we found a room with a lone ornate chest and 3 slits in the southern wall. Deducing that they were arrow slits, I made my way past with a dead Kobold's body as a shield. After a few unsuccessful attempts at blocking the arrows, Skamos and I killed the kobolds hidden behind the wall. In the chest Skamos retrieved a small, ornamental scimitar made of pure gold. We returned to the antechamber and proceeded through the path of greed, despite my reservations, which I appreciate in retrospect.
We passed through a chamber filled with gold and did not assist the odd skeleton buried within the horde. At the locked door, Skamos used the ornamental scimitar to unlock the doorway which led into an unanticipated area. It was a room full of lush grass and flowing clear water. We could either snake around the implied path made with wooden bridges, or do as Skamos did and jump over the rushing water to the other side of the room. Upon jumping, some green vines slammed Skamos to the other side, finishing his jump for him. After this Skamos reported that the next door was locked with no way to unlock it; only a picture of a tendrilled monster on the doorface. With this information in mind, Floran volunteered to try and lure the thing that had attacked Skamos up from its depths. After Floran did not return, Skamos and I decided to go in after Floran. It was a long, arduous battle. I remember fighting for my life, seeing Floran miraculously revive and shoot out of the water with all his might, only to valiantly jump back in and face the peril once more. There are parts of the battle that I do not remember; where everything was black and warm, cloying, suffocating. I had not even realized the battle was one when I came to my senses once more. I was on land, gasping for air and purging water from my lungs, my glaive still clutched fiercely in my hands. After our recovery and victory, we made our way around the room and opened the next door.
We were greeted by an apparition of a man in gold armor with black and red accents, with beaming olive skin. He regarded Skamos and his bowing, beckoning him forward. On the alter at the end of the immaculate room was a wicked scimitar and a ring. Skamos retrieved both and we all resurfaced from the dungeon and made a swift return to the Oasis, and ultimately to Nasamos. Nasamos commended us all and verified Skamos's new title as the Emissary, and Skamos was also gifted the items he had retrieved from the trial. We were also informed that Zatuma had been contacted, and that we were to pay 300 gold to hire Rieta, discounts and beneficiary donations having already been paid. Skamos, Floran and I all offered 10 platinum to pay the fee. After paying we were informed that Rieta had already been sent on her mission to kill Jane, and it was noted among Skamos's family the station Jane held. Nasamos also informed us of a proposition from the King of Aknir; a formidable man of whom I have many conflicting reports and have no intention of trusting so readily. The proposition was that either the Oasis would assist us how we could, ensuring our trip would be faster with their resources, or the king offered to expedite our mission by lending us the assistance of Wyverns. Given that the exchange for the wyverns was to locate an Ancient Blue Dragon causing havoc, we opted to go by sea and land rather than air, but noting to Nasamos that this was not a hard pass on the King's "generosity." From there we packed our things and made way to the fastest ship of the Oasis and had parting words with Nasamos, who gave Skamos an encrypted Sending Stone (of which we briefly taught Skamos how to use) before we boarded our ship and left for Ailbhafair.
I regret not using this opportunity to my further benefit by meeting with Nasamos privately, but I also realize that given our scenario and that this was a sort of homecoming for Skamos, it did not seem the right time to pursue such affairs. Besides, given that Skamos is now the Emissary of the Oasis, I have a feeling this will not be our last visit to the deserts of Aknir.
New Page and Young Face
16th of Moors, 1017
We figured out that the chests contained keys that we needed to open the locked turns. Sadly, the first chest we doubled-back to check was in fact a mimic. Considering what a mimic was I transformed into a werewolf and attacked to help Skamos. After the encounter I explained to my compatriots that this is a side effect of the Blood Hunter's Order I had chosen. We went through and collected the rest of the keys, including a key that was guarded by a pair of grey oozes. We unlocked the main door that had stumped us upon our initial entry. This door led to a long chamber with a pit in the middle; the pit we had encountered before with the gelatinous cube. By our belief in Athanasios, as explained in the Trial, we crossed an invisible bridge made of faith. Past the faith test we found an ornate door that had above it a sculpture of a Gold Dragon's head mounted high above.
We walked in and greeted the Gold Dragon Wyrmling who was flanked by two flying kobolds. Apparently our greeting (and invitation for parley) confused the dragon, who introduced himself as Ignatius, which prompted him to indulge us. We spoke with him and learned that he's been waiting for adventurers and has been tasked with killing all those who enter, and that he knows not why the Trial is named "The Trial of the Serpent." Given our respectful conversation, Ignatius allowed us the opportunity to rest before we engaged in combat, and he gave us the opportunity to ask a question each. My question was, remembering the Trial details, "through what door should one walk if they wish to avoid greed" and I was told that I should go through the door to Ignatius's right (my left). Given the riddle I thought that would be pertinent information, as I did not want Skamos to lose this opportunity.
We exited Ignatius's chamber and rested; luckily no monsters ambushed us. After our rest we re-entered the chamber and combat began. After engaging, the weirdest thing happened. Immediately after the dragon breathed a twinkling haze onto me, which had not affected me, I felt a sensation, as if my eyelids were being pulled shut and my brain turned to that of a rock, making my limbs weaken. Before I had realized it, I opened my eyes to a sight that still had all the same elements as the one before -- the dragon, my friends, the kobolds, the pillars -- but it was all dark and hazy, as if everything lay behind blackened glass. Though I tried to make swipes at Ignatius before he flew away, I made contact with nothing. I tried as hard as I could to will myself back, but to no avail, until I suddenly re-appaeared and the world came to life with color once again. After continuing to fight, Skamos managed to kill the Wyrmling Ignatius by stabbing through his throat and rending his head from his long neck and pecking off a kobold with a swift, flipping kick. I managed to kill the other kobold with a slash from my glaive, resolving the conflict.
Now, we must decide how we will move forward.
New Paths and Old Friends
15th of Moors, 1017
We met with Nasamos regarding contacting Skamos's mother to hire Rieta. While speaking, Nasamos offered Skamos the opportunity to become The Oasis emissary of Aknir. We were allowed some time to visit regarding the offer to complete the trial while Nasamos met with the king of Aknir. After taking some time to decide, we reunited with Nasamos and accepted the deal after heartily backing Skamos. We were allowed to take the rest of the day to rest and rejuvenate before our quest. I decided to take time to learn more about my history in the library, since Johnathan had mentioned how the Oasis was deeply connected to Athanasios. I was able to procure a book about the founding of Ailbafair, some history on Faustina, and a list of Paladins of Athanasios.
Anglor was also successful in her library visit, as she was attempting to stave off alcoholism, she found a supposedly fictional book written by her very real friend from the other dimension. Oddly enough, in her friend's recounting of the end of her world, he mentions a "Kaylin Amata" which is eerily close to my sister. After this revelation, I decided to visit with Skamos to learn more about the monastery. I realized on our trip here that I had practiced my specialized training in a while. Once I confirmed between Skamos and Tiamos that there was a secluded practice room I could use, I decided that I would try practicing again. I was able to purchase half of a giant hyena as a target for practice.
After practicing we all met up at the nearby tavern and inn and we rested for the night before traveling through the desert to find the temple. After following a mirage and breaking through at an illusion we were able to access the location of the trial. Once we were inside we learned that the temple is guarded by both Athanasios and the goddess of mischief and thievery. We explored for a while and found several locked doors and conspicuous chests. We also managed to fight a group of Yuan-Ti before deciding to rest after the arduous combat.
New Knowledge and Revelations
14th of Mors, 1017
We quickly secured a place to stay our horse and cart and have the cart fixed. After, we went to the market and Skamos secured passage with a merchant ship with an old friend of his. We also found a pen of endless ink and parchment for Floran, and Floran exhibited his excellent drawing skills with a rendition of Skamos and his well-endowed lover Thyri. After such excursions, Skamos and I visited the Church of Faustina, as I was curious to learn more about my mother's religion. While we were there, we witnessed a mass lead by Ianatan Sedha. After the mass he passed through the throng of people to exchange pleasantries and caught Skamos, Anglor (who had joined us a little later) and I in conversation. He quickly found me out; up until this point I had not encountered anyone who knew more about my family than myself. In his office he divulged to me some of the importance of my parents in exchange for knowing my identity, and I was advised to speak with Skamos's father, Nasamos, in the Oasis. I was also gifted some of Ianatan's memoirs pertaining to time spent with my mother as well as a drawing of her and two of her friends. As we left I was lightly chided by Skamos, who seemed to know more of the importance of my father than I, whom I had thought a simple tradesman and gambler. I proceeded to spend the night drinking, unable to cope with what jumbled information I had learned.
While we sailed to the Oasis I did my best to read the memoirs but found myself interrupted, as my constitution waned with the rocking waves. Once we landed on the shores of the desert we were advised to follow the river and followed Skamos's lead. We fought three bug-men known as Thri-Kreen and returned the stolen robes of the Ancillary to the proper entities once we reached the city. We also stopped at a bathhouse and met Isidora, another friend of Skamos, and we were privy to hot baths before approaching the Ancillary. Upon approaching the Ancillary we noted that three trained wyvern were perched atop the back of the monastery. We briefly met Tiamos, Skamos's younger brother, who led us to Nasamos. We managed to interrupt his conversation with Mathias Ceinaghus, King of Aknir. Skamos was able to easily request Nasamos's assistance contacting Rieta and Skamos's mother regarding the assassination of Jane in Kraberkai. Nasamos also divulged that the King was interested in the monastery's assistance in locating a (most likely ancient) blue dragon that has been wreaking havoc in Aknir. Ultimately, Nasamos asked for a conversation with myself and offered us a potential wyvern escort back to Kraberkai. If I am reading the insinuation correctly, we are to find room and board here at the monastery while we wait for Nasamos to make contact with Rieta and barter with the King.
New Friends and New Sights
8th of Moors, 1017
After deciding that we would journey to the Oasis to hire Rieta, we stopped by Ella's shop to procure some rations for the journey. She offered us food at a bargain again and also gave us some cookies to celebrate the eclipse. Feeling a pang of nostalgia, I also ordered a slice of pie. Ella seemed interested in this venture and Skamos was confused as to why I would order pie of all things, so I let slip that it was indeed my birthday. Ella seemed interested in this and after some interaction, I was invited to visit her for the evening. I was quite surprised at her offer - it's been a while since I've engaged in such activities. After that I decided to scout around the keep to keep tabs on the guards' movements and postings, as well as the reactions about town. Anglor approached me and asked what I would like for my birthday. I told her that a healer's kit would be good to have as a group just in case we ever needed it, to which she agreed and went to find one.
Skamos had scampered off with Floran in tow after our stint at the fish monger bakery and rushed back again to ask me a litany of questions, including my eye color, height, hair length (when wet), how many toes I had, and measured all parts of me as he rambled off questions. I was quite confused by all of it, but tried to comply to the best of my knowledge. Later I came across a hefty half-orc who looked very ragged from his mining and offered him the cookie I had received from Ella and an extra gold coin.
After all of that and my day scouting, Anglor invited me back to Yngvild's mead hall. I complied and found that the tavern was basically empty and that a lavish venison steak and good whiskey was prepared for me. While eating, I realized I hadn't eaten this well in months, maybe years, and accidentally ended up scarfing down my food. I might have to partake in a lone hunt one of these nights; I can feel myself growing hackles the longer I hold it back. After my meal I thanked Yngvild and wished I could spend more time with her, but I found that time was nearing night and I was promised elsewhere. When I met with Ella I was delightfully surprised that she was worshipping a new god as we had suggested - and Helen no less. She treated me to a fine night with blueberry pie and I offered the fine mead I had purchased earlier that day.
We reconvened the next day near Eir's home, as our usual, and set off on the road. We passed the ettercap forest and found it still ablaze, and that a section of fire had overtook our path, so we took another day to trek around it. A little over half-way there we happened across a halfling named Ceilidh who jabbered on with questions and had an elaborate backstory about being from Inve. We traveled with her for a while and came across a meat vendor named Davis of Ailbhafair. Ceilidh offered her Hanamura-wood rod as a spare axel and we traveled with Davis for a short way. During camp one night we learned that Ceilidh was an experienced highwayman who killed Davis in the night. We ended her quickly and took possession of her belongings. We used the remains of Davis's damaged tent to wrap his and his sister's bodies properly for the rest of our travels.
After 11 days' travels we ended up in Ailbhafiar with more rations and bodies than we had bargained for, but we definitely were not complaining. We reached out to a priestess or two of Faustina and couldn't gather more information about the abandoned tower in town, but learned that we could have the bodies buried at the Church of Faustina and have our cart's axel repaired at the docks, especially having learned that Ceilidh's rod was actually an immovable rod that probably shouldn't be used as an axel much longer. We intended on having the remains interred first before we try to hail a boat at the docks. We will also need to find a place to board our horse and cart while we travel overseas.
New Gear and New Horizons
4th of Relaquum, 1017
After the culture shock of landing on a different plane of existence, Anglor decided that she would wait in Kraberkai and monitor the situation while Floran, Skamos, and I ventured to the Ettercap forest to retrieve the deadly plants for Evald. Before leaving, we reached out to multiple people about our suspicions. I met with Odinkar, who agreed to start making weaponry for the commonfolk if worse came while we were absent. Floran met with Eir and explained the situation, and Skamos visited the bar to inform the keep and Thyri as well as trying to talk sense into those at the keep. We were mostly successful in our endeavors; of course the Lord and his family did not see the situation as we did, more or less confirming our initial suspicions.
In the forest, we felled two Ettercaps and a swarm of spiders before grabbing a whole hemlock plant and a whole snakeroot plant and accidentally starting a forest fire from the desiccated vegetation. We fled from the forest and returned on the 4th of Relaquum, where we found a dreary shift in the town. We questioned one of the few remaining Albergair refugees about the whereabouts of Eir and found that he and his people were mining at the quarry as per Jane's demands. Upon meeting with Eir, we learned that Jane had issued an ultimatum: the refugees must convert their homes to stone in the fashion of old Kraberkai, or leave, and she gave them a deadline of the last of Mors.
Upon learning this we were horrified and started thinking of a plan to circumvent this impasse. We met with Evald, who was grateful for the whole plants we safely returned to him. He was only able to make four health potions, which we split, and he gave us an additional 150 gold on top of returning my original 150 gold. I took back my coin and we distributed the new 150 pieces evenly (37 gold and 5 silver). We then also met with Odinkar, who was frantically making pickaxes, and garnered a little more information from him. We also checked in on the keep, but seeing as it was as heavily fortified from a (unfounded) refugee-assassin threat, we decided not to engage. We also met with the Hill Giant named Isabel to see if she could assist us in combat, which she was unable.
After a long deliberation underneath the eclipsed sun, we decided it would be best to head to Ailbhefair and take a ship to The Oasis of the Ancillary to try and hire one of Skamos's sisters as an assassin as our plan to assassinate Jane. If that does not work, we will then try to initiate a religious combat and see if Jane will take on two opponents, either of Linneaus or of Athanasios. We will board an on-route cargo ship to the Ancillary and back, then we shall hire horses once back in Ailbhefair to hasten our return to Kraberkai. For now, we should be sure to stock up on supplies and the townships and villages in Aknir are far and few between these two cities. So far we have only told Evald of our plans, and very cryptically at that, which he promised to pass on to Eir, since we may not see him again before we leave.
New Job and a Growing Issue
35th of Alitus, 1017 2nd Era
We first embarked for the mining shaft that Jane had pointed out to us to collect the Mithril that she requested we find. Upon entering the shaft we discovered that a pack of Kobolds had moved in, and we slowly worked our way through the mine, eliminating the small draconids as we moved. Skamos had been temporarily trapped in a manufactured landslide trap, but luckily he was able to escape with my aid as Floran and Anglor pushed ahead. Half-way through our excursion Skamos and I came across a shimmering wall. As Skamos went on ahead to assist Anglor and Floran, I investigated the shimmering wall to find that it was an illusion and peeked beyond the magical barrier. In the other room I found what seemed to be a sparse morgue that was also housing a Basilisk. I reconvened with my friends and alerted them to the danger. We ended up fighting the basilisk at a chokepoint in the mine's tunnels after we had eliminated the remaining Kobolds. Skamos was almost petrified and Anglor almost died. Luckily I was able to land the deathblow to the basilisk and survived being petrified myself before we stabilized and resuscitated Anglor. With all of our healing potions used we ventured back to the basilisk's lair to investigate what was left.
We found a map, a journal, and a wizard's spell scroll on the main table in the room, along with a destroyed statue of Paracelcus behind the one stone chair in the room. There were 6 sarcophogi that were labeled as "failed experiment." Skamos also found a bed that had two ingots of Mithril and a special necklace. We returned to town with what we had found and delivered the Mithril to Jane, who was quite giddy with our retrieving of the metal. She was more than agreeable as she offered us scrap Mithril from her "project" and payment equal to 150% the value of the Mithril she used. She told us to return in the morning to receive our payment. We then needed to replenish our supplies so we visited an herbalist named Evald Damjansson who worked out of his home on the Linneaus side of town. After some haggling, he offered to give us 13 potions of healing and Alchemist's supplies and monetary compensation if we retrieved some herbs (including deathroot) from a nearby location to the east of town, nearing the coast. We were warned that the place was overrun with Ettercaps, or humanoid spiders that are unlike Driders. We decided that it was a hefty bargain and agreed to the deal. We would have to wait for the 2 out of the first 7 potions to be made, so we stayed the night in town.
The next morning we returned to Jane in the Temple of Masamune to discover that she had, in short, mutilated herself. She chopped off her splendid horns and replaced them with molten hot, expertly crafted pair of Mithril horns. We received half an ingot and 75 platinum pieces to divide among ourselves. She seemed manic, to say the least. She referred to the glorious abomination as her "magnum opus" and had an uncanny grin plastered on her face for the majority of her stay. While she was paying us she prattled on about her new horns, ones that had left blistered skin halfway up her tiefling arms, and about how she was adorned with a new "crown" and that she could handle challenges to her station and church through duels, or "trial by combat." Given how she has spoken ill of the refugees who worship Linneaus and how she openly speaks ill of the Lord of Kraberkai and his family, I am afeared of what we may find in our return after three days away. I'm not sure if it would be wise to alert the Lord of Kraberkai, but I might try to reach out to Madison and Eir regarding the issue, as I feel they may need to take action prior to our return.
Also, between our delivery of the Mithril and Jane's transformation, I had an odd sort of conversation with Skamos. He approached me with a horde of basilisk teeth and professed that given his near-death experience in the mine, he didn't want to die a virgin. I was confused, as what is one to do when presented with thirty-some venomous teeth and the fleeting desire for sex after a life-altering experience? I was also feeling shaken after the event, and I professed that I would prefer dinner over teeth. He seemed disgruntled that I had misread the situation - apparently he wishes to present the teeth to Thyri, the village huntress. I suggested he make her jewelry or weaponry from the teeth, which he seemed to appreciate. Kaylin was always better at social interactions than I. Instead of bathing, which I had intended on doing prior to our conversation, I took to drinking instead to reward myself for not having died the day prior and washed off the blood and viscera at the next opportunity. I hope Anglor is alright; she seemed quite tired (and rightly so) after our encounter with the basilisk. I luckily was able to repay her the potion I used to revive her after Skamos had stabilized her.
If a basilisk was difficult to defeat, I wonder how we would fare against Jane and her posse if my suspicions are correct.
New Leads
31st of Altius, 1017 2nd Era
After we had officially rid the abandoned church of Kraberkai of magic associated with Paracelcus, we reconvened at the Yngvild Mead Hall with Eir the priest and Odinkar the friendly blacksmith to celebrate in our ventures. There, we took solace and merriment for the time being: Skamos misinterpreted lusty looks and placed chess with a Half-Orc woman named Thyri to protect his virginity, and Anglor became piss-drunk as she mourned the end of her world while Floran made friends with the townsfolk that no longer openly gawked at him. After our night of revelry I took about the town to visit the job board and find any new leads regarding Paracelcus or similar ill-tidings. I found a post from the Lord of Kraberkai requesting assistance with notes of discretion, which seemed more enticing than helping a poor woman find a better pickaxe. After I had taken this job and was going about the town hawking for rumors I was approached by the Priestess and Cleric Jane of the Order of Masamune. She gave me a proposition very similar to that of the Lord of Kraberkai. I told her that I was willing to listen and went to gather the party seeing that I was not gather as much intel as I had hoped.
We first decided to meet with the Lord of Kraberkai (as we all loathed the idea of visiting Jane), and met with him regarding his discreet issue. Upon meeting with him, we were quick to realise the inciting reason for the town's societal haphazardness. He informed us that his mission pertained to curing his daughter Madison of recent voicelessness. We were able to communicate in writing and find that about a year and a half ago she crossed paths with what to her appeared to be a veiled, elderly female elf while frequenting her favorite food shoppe. With this information in hand and wanting to no longer stay in the pigsty of a Lord's office, we made our way to the Temple of Masamune. We met with Jane, who had such a long pole up her ass she could have been used as a banner for snobbish prudes, and she let us know of a nearby mine that was rumored to contain Mithril. She didn't know more than that there was supposedly mithril there - she had sent parties to retrieve the or (or materials made of ore) yet none had returned. We agreed that we would assist and be paid either in coin or by having items forged from the excess mithril. We tried questioning Jane about Madison's symptoms and she had little to no information (as she did the last time we sought her help) so we decided to return to Eir to see if he had any information. Jane also lent us a map of Aknir that is by far the best-crafted that I have yet seen. I intend on keeping it in my possession, as I feel it will not service Jane as well as it will us.
Upon returning to Eir's home we woke him from his slumber and proceeded to question him before his daily prostrations. He informed us that a man had confessed about a year ago to hiring a hag (possibly of a larger coven) to cursing the poor girl because the confessor grew tired of how the Lord of Kraberkai ran the city. We implored him to seek council with his god regarding letting us know the name of the confessor while we went and searched for more details at the Hag's coven. If we do happen across the hag who cursed her, we were advised by Eir to take her tongue back so he could try to help Madison.
From there we decided to visit the cook that Madison had seen the day she lost her voice, a woman named Ella who had a stand at the established market. She was kind enough and gave us 4 days' rations and a strudel each for 1 silver. She then had a similar proposition to that of the Lord of Kraberkai and of Jane, so we agreed to meet her at her home after the hour of five. After we had made most of our plans for the day, we decided to also stock up on some traveling gear. We entered a store known as Yonder Mountain that was run by a dwarf named Lambchop Baggis. Baggis was quite haughty about our purchasing of tents and sleeping bags, but we were able to haggle for 4 sleeping bags and 2 tents at the price of being banished from his shop, which all-in-all was quite a deal--a steal, even!
After this we took in more of the town and learned more about the general area as we waited for Ella to return to her home for our meeting. Upon meeting at the appointed time, Ella invited us inside and also invited us to sabotage the business of a Albon refugee who was taking away her customers. As we refused to do this (given the insanity of the request), we suggested that she instead partner with this merchant, which is apparently prohibited by the Lord of Kraberkai, and that this segregation of Albons and Kraberkai inhabitants is not well received by many of the common people, and Ella also speculated that the Lordship and the Temple of Masamune were in each others' pockets, so to speak. From there, we also learned that Ella is not a worshipper of Masamune, but of Paracelcus. Despite this she was friendly enough to let us investigate her home as she became abhorred once we enlightened her on "everlasting life" truly meant. Anglor found a tome tucked under some floorboards that had logs of how the church's desecration grew since the 600's. We confiscated the book for further study and encouraged her to find worship in a new god after our findings.
To end our eventful day we returned to the home of Eir, where we ate our fill and now intend to sleep so we may set out on our journey to the mine well-rested.
A New Day, A New Party
30th of Alitus, 1017 2nd Era
While beginning my journey (I loathe call it a quest), I ran into some peculiar individuals whom have banded with me to form a party. This party consists of a Tiefling monk named Skamos, a human bandit named Anglor, and a tree-like warforged artificer named Floran. Together we took on the abandoned church Kraberkai to find it infested with bone nagas and ancient magic connected to Paracelcus. We recruited some assistance from a local priest of Linneaus, a refugee from Halbergair. Together we rid the church of the cursed magic and recovered some materials pertaining to the sacrilege. If the priest does not mind, I would like to take those items with me so I may study them as we travel. This seems to be one of the first instances of worship to Paracelcus but I cannot be sure; to better make sense of the task ahead of me I plan on continuing to find locations of Paracelcus's worship so that I may cleanse them and learn more as I track the whereabouts of the followers of Paracelcus.
Once we have rested and recovered from the recent battle, I plan to go about town and ask locals about possible leads for new locations of Paracelcus worship. If nothing comes of such questioning, I will look for other areas of concern regarding cursing, monsters, and other foul play. If neither of these options work, I will look for the closest places of worship related to Faustina or Athanasios so I may find more information about the orders and history of this feud.
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