Errin Lonewood
Errin "Slips" Lonewood is a swift, stealthy halfling street urchin. Swiping cash from the wealthy and the foolish alike. He does not practice magic, but instead focuses on crafting homemade traps/tools to disorient, distract,
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A Night in Hell
I had another brush with dark magic. I had hoped I'd never have to experience anything like that wizard's mind trick ever again, but fate saw things differently for me. After we witnessed the brutality of that horrific massacre, we went to take a rest and woke up in a strange crimson landscape, surrounded by what appeared to be giant hairs of an impossibly large creature. It didn't take long for us to realize that we're in a hellish dimension of sorts and that the old hag hit us with a spell. I tried to keep my composure and wake up from this, believing that this was just another magical mind trick, but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried to remind myself that none of this was real, I couldn't bring myself back to my senses. I was stuck in this unholy realm, witnessing tortured souls locked in cages, creatures more twisted and spiteful than what the halfling mind can conjure tearing at eachother in a spiritual war, and a never ending blood red sky storming across the horizon. I tried to find my parents, the fire, or any semblance of the previous nightmare scenario spell I had, but I couldn't find them. I tried calling these hallucinations out, hoping to just get it over with as quickly as possible, but they wouldn't present themselves. I tried taking control of this scenario when Avantis started slapping me, yelling at me to head for this skull shaped pavilion with the rest of my friends. All of a sudden I heard an infant's crying come out of the sky and saw a mutated travesty of pure evil slither its way through a portal and my god, it's face. I'd never seen anything so horrible in my life. It appeared to be a demonic aborted fetus, but with the power and strength of a god. By that point I'd begun to realize that this wasn't the same nightmare sequence I'd faced last time; this was something darker than that, more evil than that. When we came to, the treacherous hag had disappeared, I tried calming my friends down, letting them know that this was just an evil dream cast upon us and that I'd already experienced something similar when out of the blue, Avantis showed up with a third eye on his forehead. Salinor proved it was real when he poked at it, causing Avantis to spit out an earful of words I'd rather not repeat. Shade couldn't contain his laughter for the life of him, and I just sat there, awestruck and distraught at everything that had happened. All in all, it was a pretty decent night, considering the circumstances and I'm sure it goes without saying, but I really don't like dark magic.
Death With a Side of Truth
Rosefire 6th
A lot has happened these past few days. Too much for me to jot it all down in a timely manner. Where do I even begin? How about Hiasynth, that fae who allegedly accused the humans of slaughtering Hydrangea. We met up with her. According to her, she didn't accuse the humans of it at all. That other fae, "Bella", the one we know we can't trust too well did. Go figure. In light of this new information, we decided to bring her back to the council of fae to clear things up once and for all, but not before meeting with "The See-er". It turns out Hyasynth wanted answers as much as we did (maybe even more) and she believed that this woodlands witch could help us know what exactly happened that fateful night. It nearly cost us our lives as we crossed a chasm of sludge, mud, and blood over a skeletal carcass bridge that rolls over enough for one to think it's still alive and wholly responsible for the thick crimson hue of the river. The damned thing nearly drowned all of us in the quicksand, entrapping us in its tomb like god knows how many others.
In any event, we made it to the hag's home, if a bit filthier than usual and she greeted us to a seat at her table with a proposal. She'd give us a chance to see firsthand what really happened that horrible night if we (really Avantis or ) gave his "perspective" on something, essentially just rating the effectiveness of a potion she was cooking up. She got us to see what happened all right, but after experiencing it, I sincerely wish she didn't. We went through some kinda seance, causing us to wake up in the bodies of the fallen fae that fought (or tried to fight) this goliath monstrosity. I woke up in the body of one of those potato munchkins and I expect that my other party members were with me at the time, living through the memories of its other fellow fae. We didn't get a good look at it, whatever it was. It was shrouded in darkness, an oppressive mass of shadowy tentacles and teeth. The little lump I was seeing this through suffered from a problem I can relate to: overconfidence. It must've thought that it could cause this demon to slip on some oily ink it spilled on the floor, but as soon as it overcame its fear and marched towards the creature to set its trap, the monster pounced on it, tearing it to pieces with its claws. God, I can still feel the acid from its fangs burning into the poor little guy's carcass. I don't remember much afterwards, just that this abomination threw it around a bunch and scattered its remains across a large land mass. Afterwards, I woke up with a rather nasty bloodied nose. I can't rightly say that we learned much, seeing as we all already knew humans were woefully incapable of such bloodshed, but the old witch gave us something. A tiny marble that would allow us to relive this nightmare as many a time as we'd wish to. Personally, I don't want to witness such an incredible display of carnage ever again, but hopefully it'll convince the council that the humans had nothing to do with this.
The Council of Fae
Rosefire 2nd
After solving the code and passing the trial, we were welcomed into a gorgeous palace with a seemingly endless supply of food. The fae regarded us as heroes for eliminating a few "hob goblins" a few nights prior (probably referring to those cat people my party massacred in the middle of the night in Bloodfire). After diving in on the buffet, I got to meet a few furry munchkins who were an absolute delight to say the least. We talked on and on about different experiences in our travels, the different types of beings that make their way into this elegant palace, how I met up with my friends, it was a great time meeting with these happy little furballs. They even gave me a lock of their fur as a sign of admiration for my free spirit, I do hope we get to meet again in the coming days!
Between a Rock and a Hard Puzzle
Rosefire 2nd
Among ferocious goblin battlemasters and winged demons, I believe we just faced our greatest challenge yet, a charming, talkative rock.
See, we went up this mountain, hoping to find Abraham, so we could get an audience with the council and explain our case. Unfortunately, we had a few obstacles in the way, impeding our progress, and causing Abraham to show up well before we did. I don't know how long he waited nor where he went, all I do know is that there was a specific cryptic means of opening the door and that this friendly polite door guard was not at liberty to help us solve the enigma, granting us access to the trial. After trying everything shy of brute force (which was one of our earlier suggestions), I remembered that those little tater-tot potato people drew something for me. Some kind of a mountain with directional circles around it. After a few more attempts at deciphering what it meant, I tried running in circles as depicted by the drawing. Low and behold, the charming door guard accepted this action and provided us with the riddle:
"As the king lay on his death bed, he called his twin sons into the room. He loved them both equally and could not name one an heir while leaving the other nothing. He told them, ‘You will both race your fastest horse to Saltwood, many miles away. The first rider’s horse there would get nothing, and the LAST horse there would be the heir to the throne.’ The sons fled the king’s room, ran to the stables, chose their favorite horse, one black and one white, and raced from the castle walls. Only after a few minutes of riding, they realized the trouble. The first one there gets nothing.
Slowing to a trot, they spoke of the problem and both were perplexed. They came upon a farm where a man was working his field. He hailed the young princes and bowed. ‘Why the long faces, my lords?’ They stopped their race and spoke plainly of their dilemma with the farmer. After only a few seconds of thought, he said something to them that sparked a fire in their eyes. They resumed thier Rae and rode as fast as they could to their destination, each looking to overtake the other.
What did the simple farmer say to them?"
We were nearly at our wits end at our wits' end at this point and felt as though we needed a rest, but Shade wouldn't accept that. He was absolutely determined to see the end of this predicament we'd found ourselves in and committed himself to solving the riddle or dying in the attempt. Given the fact that we were able to provide three incorrect answers before receiving a "punishment" of some sort, Avantis found it appropriate that we distance ourselves from the driven, battle-ready Shade, just in case. Thankfully, he also thought up the answer to the riddle fairly quickly. Early enough that we didn't have to discover what this "punishment" for failure was. The answer to this riddle was to 'switch horses'.
The decent mineral-man accepted this answer amicably and the rocks molded inwards paving a cave opening that led to the council and away we went.
Keep your Enemies Far and Your Allies Farther
Rosefire 1st
Oh man, these things are starting to get out of control! That attack from the other night didn't ever entirely end at all. It just simmered down. I don't think Shade is actively trying to hurt me or anyone else for that matter. I think he was cast under the spell of another. Avantis doesn't see things the same way however. What started the previous day as common bickering and complaining (as was expected) almost turned into yet another brutal family fight! Things were never this hostile with the Goodbottle gang (though, with Tarbin in charge, we never had to brutally murder anybody). Speaking of murder, our l̶i̶z̶a̶r̶d̶ f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶ dragonborn absolutely obliterated one of them (or so I hear). I didn't get to see the fireworks myself, but based on what I heard, there wasn't much of a body to inspect. Between him (or her) and another other cat assassin getting his (her?) head blown off, there wasn't much keeping my target from quite literally high tailing it out of here. So we won, right? Brutality aside, there's no cause for alarm, right? Well, as you may have come to expect with this new family of mine, things aren't that simple. Like, ever. As soon as Avantis called us to action, I rolled into a nearby bush to assess the situation and what do I see? He's holding Shade hostage via longbow to the neck! I can't say for certain that Shade had nothing to do with this attack, but what I can say is that he wasn't putting up a fight when he was threatened by our bard. This feud between these two is beginning to concern me. If we can't trust eachother in a moment like this, then when can we trust eachother!? Maybe Avantis was wondering the same thing. I don't know. I just wish that night never happened.
Shade and Dagger
Bloodfire 27th
I don't know where to begin. I'm shaking even while I'm writing this. I don't think Shade is entirely who he claims to be. I still don't fully understand what happened earlier this night, but I'll try to recount the actions piece by piece. Maybe it'll help me recount how all this happened.
1.) While resting outside the tavern, I saw Grimgrin, that sick demented lizard monstrosity that butchers whole families of dwarves for fun. IT was pilfering through Avantis' things while he was performing for a gathering crowd. I tried luring him away with a bell, but he snipped it off and continued. I knew I couldn't fight him, at least, not on my own, so I stayed back and tailed him.
2.) After a few moments, my scalie nightmare transformed into Shade. At this point, I thought this was just a common thief's error: failing to account for potential witnesses when you escape. I figured, maybe he wanted us to believe that a dragonborn did this, potentially pinning the blame on Salinor (If that were the case though, then why wouldn't he use Salinor specifically? And for the love of Kilve, why Grimgrin!?). I also thought, if he's willing to do this to Avantis, then maybe he's willing to do this to others as well. Others, meaning simple townsfolk who wouldn't know any better? He's proven himself capable of pulling a job or two here and there. I know he could pull his own weight on a few jobs I'd set up. I also know he's annoyed by me on a regular basis; he wouldn't help me if I just ask. He'd be more inclined to drop me for being a potential witness than he would to hear me out if I simply approached him. If I wanted to get his attention, I'd need something more. Leverage.
3.) I left a note just outside his bedroom door: "If you don't want Avantis or Salinor to know, meet me outside the tavern -Errin". Knowing that he'd be looking for a fight, I had to hide. Someplace dark, someplace where I could speak with him and he couldn't attack me directly. I hoped he'd be willing to listen to reason, but he (or whatever possessed him OR whoever he spoke on the behalf of) wouldn't. He showed up looking for a fight. A mess to clean up. I had to get out before he'd spot me.
4.) I told Avantis everything. I knew he wouldn't let this slide. I can't fight Shade myself, but maybe with my friends, we could at least make him see reason? At this point, I don't care about the blackmail. I just don't want to die. Fuck! why do I put myself in these scenarios. First with the sledgehammer guy back in Tardok, and now this! I can see why Perceus threatened to leave me behind.
5.) While gathering the rest of our friends, he (or someone/thing) else grabbed me. It happened too fast for me to properly react. I managed to yell out for help, but only just, before Avantis got him to speak. I untied myself and nearly got away when he gutted me. Next thing I knew, I saw bloodied up Shade huddled over my corpse, looking almost as disturbed as I did. I didn't have the time to think, react, attack, or much of anything else other than to hide behind the more experienced fighters in my team. Right away, Shade seemed like a different person. Like someone who didn't agree to the actions he'd committed. This cannot be a coincidence. He knows Grimgrin, or at least, he knows someone who knows Grimgrin. What the hell would that scalie son of a bitch want with me anyway? I'm not with the Goodbottle gang anymore! Hell, even when I was we never got into any major fights. In any event, the local guards took him in for questioning. I should be there too, but Avantis recommended me to hold back and wait for the guardsmen to dig out their answers first. Oh, the things I do for a score!
Spinning Stone
Bloodfire 26th
So just yesterday, we arrived to this lovely quiet little town and might I say, this place is significantly more pleasant than any other place I've been to thus far. It's not quite as fun as Tordek, but it has a unique charm with its quaint, peace-loving atmosphere. The community is so overtly wholesome and kind that it almost appears to provide a false sense of security, given all that we'd been through this past week. I got a chance to bathe, free of charge, as well as a great deal on a couple slings. The beautiful gem this town is based around is also quite a sight to see. It's crazy to think about it, but only a month or so ago, I was contemplating missing out on all of this, to just barely scrape by through constant bickering and bar fights with my fellow halflings. Fond memories aside, we got to see Nodel's family. They absolutely adored the tale of how Salinor rescued us from the menacing grasp of a terrifying, horrific master combatant goblin (even though they didn't quite see it in exactly that way). It was nice having such a happy evening for a change and if we weren't in a rush to meet Abraham, part of me really would like to stick around a bit longer. For what it's worth though, we're still going to stick around a few days while Avantis gets his new flute made.
Goblin Gore Galore
Bloodfire 25th
So, we almost lost to a goblin today. While on the path to Spinning Stone, we were caught off guard by a goblin that demanded "tribute". Shade acted first, providing a magical energy blast as an opening tribute. Our little green friend didn't appreciate it very much, but he did seem to like Nodel's tasty treat. Sadly, that didn't stop things from turning violent. When I realized that we were dealing with this simple misunderstanding the hard way: I cannonballed into him, causing him to drop like a stone. Dumb luck meant caused him to get up first and made a good swing at me. I don't exactly know what happened next, but when I came to, he and some other goblin were both dead. I don't know where the new goblin came from, but the one that dropped me was somehow burned to a crisp! He didn't look much like a goblin or even a former living thing anymore, what I saw was more along the lines of a dried up raisin with a shield he so generously provided to me. The scary thing about all this is that I remember carefully scanning the forest before rushing the little guy and finding nothing. That means there have to be more of these tiny green turds around. Come to think of it, this might be my last entry. If it is and if you find this off my corpse, heed my warning: DON'T FIGHT THE GOBLINS!
A Carnivorous Creepy Crow was Killed by my Companions
Bloodfire 22nd
Just as I was mentally recovering from the massacre a couple nights ago, we stumbled into another fight to the death! This time it was with this large, winged crow lady. So get this, right? We wake up, I hear some singing. I tell my friends about it and we head off to investigate. Little did we know, the harmony being sung was some kind of a dazzling mind trick. Those unfortunate enough to get captivated by the big bird's tunes would essentially lose all control of their own faculties (and who knows what from there). I lucked out yet again, but Shade howled out for me to wake everyone else who got caught in the melody. In doing so, the bird-lady sent a murder of the winged rats to peck away at me, causing me to flee for cover. That's when Nodel hit me (literally) with the brilliant idea of plugging my ears with grease. The good news at this point was that we were recovering our friends, one of them even burned the roguish rodents with a spell of some kind. The bad news is that the crow lady was something of a poor sport. She started clawing away at and pummeling our lanky lizard friend with this big cudgel of hers when the halfling heroes swept into action! I scurried past her, using my trusty crowbar to hook her leg as I ran across while Nodel introduced a club of his own; He managed to crack a rolling pin over the winged demon's head, causing her to fly up in a panic when our bard hit her with a colorful powdery substance, effectively blinding her and giving Nodel a chance to finish her off with a well-placed toss of his signature rolling pin. I feel a bit sorry for the feathery foe, but I can't ignore the fact that she caused this fight....sort of.....somewhat.....not entirely.......Come to think of it, we did approach her. Maybe from now on, I should think twice before investigating the eerie sound of singing in a seemingly empty forest?
Blood and Fire on a Night of Bloodfire
bloodfire 21st
I knew adventuring would be dangerous, but I didn't expect us to be the danger! I don't fully understand what just happened, but I just woke up to see our dragonborn nightwatch coated in blood, sword in hand, with someone's severed head at his feet. At first I thought we were under attack and that this was just self-defense, but then when I managed to trip a guy and make him surrender, my friends went ahead and slaughtered him anyway. This really isn't what I was expecting when I broke away from Tarbin's group. I just hope these two died quick, whoever they were. I guess it's better to be on this side of the bloodbath, but I just wish there wasn't a bloodbath at all.
Hiasynth and "Bella"
Bloodfire 16th
A few days ago, we met an odd and curious fawn with blonde hair, slanted eyes, and responses that were less straight and narrow than her legs. That said, she knew more than what she was letting on when we pried her for information and she made little to no effort in hiding it, so earlier today, we came back with more questions as well as a bargain for information. We all offered services of varying tasks for such information and in return she gave us the answers we've come to expect from her.....at first. Lady luck must have favored me today, as my question to "Bella" (not her real name, obviously) garnered the closest thing to a real response we could reasonably hope for. Apparently, the sister (possibly NOT by blood) of this fallen fey is responsible for bringing up the idea that a human is responsible for her death. This "sister's" is Hiasynth. Next stop: home of the potato-people!
A Lake Leads to Large Lanes Left by...well, something.
Bloodfire 16th
The more we search for answers, the more questions we find! Deep within the lake near the tragedy we're investigating is a series of burrowed out holes. Nobody knows what carved them out or how they got there, but what we do know is that they're big and that they're several miles deep. Shade tried to dive down and reach it, but he couldn't even come close before he had to resurface. If we're going to search these tunnels, we'll need some kind of a breathing apparatus.
The Enemy of my Unidentified Enemy is a Conundrum
Bloodfire 16th
So, we followed a lead provided by our talkative otter friend (it turns out his name is Abraham) and it led us to a shrine of sorts in honor of Hydrangea. This shrine wasn't left well enough alone however, some cluster of small goblin-like big lima bean-headed potato people were guarding it. Apparently, these pint-sized prunes have bought into the idea that a human would be capable of tearing a fey limb from limb and scattering the reduced remains across a large landmass. The two humans in our party took it upon themselves to forge a clever means of communicating with these deformed dolts in a (successful?) attempt to clear their names. Avantis used some kind of a magic spell to represent what we believe had happened and Shade cast another spell, allowing him to understand what they're saying. That is of course, after he'd already shot at a few of them and defused the problem he caused. In any event, I don't speak the language of these little lumps, but I have a feeling that they were left questioning their own judgement after our conjunction. They allowed us to inspect the remains and what I saw was almost as unnerving as the tiny tater tots themselves, I wasn't joking when I said that this thing (or things?) tore the lass apart. There wasn't much left to inspect. What little we did gather though is that there's almost no possible way that any human could cause the visceral damage that had befallen on this poor, defenseless creature. I wish I could say that this put my mind at ease, but now I'm more skeptical and uncertain than ever before. I don't know what to make of any of this, but I am certain that we haven't even scraped the tip of the iceberg on it yet.
Damrel Walmer
Bloodfire 16th
So, I went out to meet a monk that the Guard Captain we spoke with mentioned. Apparently this tall, narrow needle-eared blonde goes on strolls across a bridge from time to time. At first, I found it odd that he crosses the bridge for small talk, but I figured he's just enjoying the weather. According to Damrel, he's got a line on some small "forest friends" as he put it. One was a talking otter named Albert or something. This I gotta see for myself!
A New Journey?
Bloodfire 15th
I just came across a unique group of misfits in a tavern one evening. In this group are two humans, one was some kind of hardass warrior-type who no doubt has some experience in a fight. Maybe we can share some stories sometime? The other one was a bard looking to make some coin before moving to another town. He played well and kept good company. I hope I get to see him more in the coming weeks. There was also a Dragonborn and a fellow halfling. I didn't speak to the brass-plated mega-lizard much, but the accented halfling has plans of moving to a new town. Maybe that could be an out? A chance to experience more? Anyways, there we were, downing shots and mugs like this was the last bar in the empire when talk about a river that's flowing in reverse came up. Apparently, a few of them wish to investigate and will leave town in pursuit of such answers. Maybe this could be the start of something new? As much as I miss my former group, I can't help but feel excited about where this life will lead. This specifically is what I've been missing out on while I was busy smooth talking a guard into looking the other way or creeping into a dwarve's shack, something real, something different, something that would helpme fill these otherwise blank pages. Apparently, there's guard captain in town, too. Maybe I could find something interesting there? Time will tell.
The Grass Was Greener
Bloodfire 12th
I'm starting to have second thoughts about this whole, independence thing. I'm all for freedom, but freedom costs an awful lot. I don't mean in gold, but rather in effort. When I had a crew, everything was organized and stable, everyone had a role and we all could manage to pull our own weight. Out here and on my own, pulling scores is getting tougher and riskier. I should consider finding a new crew, lest I choose to cut and run back home.
Parting Ways
Greenfire 25th
So, I've been thinking about it for some time, and I decided that I should try to go it alone. I spoke with Tarbin, Rimin, Bellile and Perceus and we came to an understanding: they aren't leaving, but I have to. This can't be all there is to it. I can't leave behind a tale of a simple common thief that survived until he couldn't. Besides, if I depend too much on my family, how will I survive without them? This is for the best. This is going to work. It has to. They said that they'll still be here if I ever want to return and who knows? Maybe I will someday, but today is a new day; the first day of the rest of my life.
Carlisle
Greenfire 18th
I met a new friend today. A cordial chameleon found a cozy spot on my belly to rest for the night and woke me up by catching a fly off my nose. I'm not too sure what to call him yet. Maybe Zeke? Riley?
Security or Self-Sovereignty?
Greenfire 5th
Things are getting a bit desperate these days. I don't doubt our loyalty towards eachother for a second, but everyone can see how each take is a little bit less than the one before it. That other gang doesn't seem to be letting up much neither. I guess this has just been a rough patch we went through, but even if we get back to our normal takes, I feel like it wouldn't mean much to me. Hear me out, this gang is my family, right? We've been through thick and thin together and any one of us would die for the rest. Be that as it may, there doesn't seem to be much left in it for us in this town. I mean, sure we might be able to just barely scrape by, but what then? We just keep taking from homes and shops until we're too old to pull a score in this town? Fuck that, if I'm in it for the long haul, I'd rather live a full life than survive until I can't. I'm gonna have to think it over some more.
An Absolute Failure
Greenfire 1st
Well, that couldn't have gone much worse shy of maybe a wizard waiting there to cast a nightmare spell on us again. The guards must have been tipped off about the places we were keeping an eye out for, or maybe they beefed up security, on account of us doing it every year. Either way, we couldn't find any entrance for the places we were scoping out without making ourselves known. We tried using what we've been taught to cause a disruption or lure them away from these places, but short of directly attacking them, there wasn't much any of us could do. We all got heated after this. Bellile says this was entirely Tarbin's fault, but Tarbin accused us of not not having enough heart in it. Even Perceus took to our defense against Tarbin this time. The worst part about this is that the local papers mentioned how several homes and businesses actually were vandalized and looted. How weren't we part of this?
Falling Faith
Skyfrost 20th
Bellile seems a tad scared. Well, I guess we all are. We don't normally act as individuals. She keeps saying that Tarbin isn't on his own to keep an eye on us, but rather, that he's setting us up to take the fall. After everything we've been through, I can't honestly believe that that's what's happening here. He wouldn't do that. I mean, even if he wasn't loyal to us (which he is), he still wouldn't be able to replace us. This thing of ours, it works, only because of how much we trust eachother. You won't find that in any other group. Besides, he gave us a signal to look out for with each house. If he lifts his left arm horizontally, Bellile's take is compromised, if he does so vertically, mine is compromised. Rimin and Perceus operate on the same principle with Tarbin's right arm respectively.
High Reward With an Even Higher Risk
Skyfrost 14th
The day is slowly approaching. I still don't know what exactly he's expecting, but he believes there's more potential in us all than we know - or at least, that's what he keeps telling us. This plan of his is for us to hit 4 different businesses across a strip while he keeps watch over us. Bellile told Rimin and me to be weary about this and that Tarbin might just throw us under the wagon if any of us got caught, but Perceus seems convinced that this will work out fine. Maybe that's because he wrote out an escape plan for us individually.
A New Lead?
Skyfrost 3rd
Tarbin is talking about a major festival the town throws yearly: The Festival of Luminous Cloud, I think? He sees some kind of potential for it. He keeps saying that we're wasting that day whenever we use it to nab a somewhat wealthy home or a somewhat well-stocked business. I don't know what he has planned, but he's excited for it.
Aggressive Negotiations
Blackfrost 17th
That group we like so much decided to make a social call, complete with rocks, bottles, arrows, and threats. I'm surprised we got out alive, though given the fact that they caught us asleep, I suppose they didn't want a massacre. In any case, we're seeing more of them here and there. Maybe it's just paranoia on my part, but I can't help but wonder how much further we can (or should) flee. This town might not be big enough for the both of us.
A Fool's Errin
Blackfrost 15th
That general store had just about everything we could ever need apart from the gold. I guess the owner knew something was coming or was just naturally paranoid. In this town, I could believe either case. We made off with some food and supplies, but other than that, not much. We're still trying to calm down the Quickaces.
Extortion by a Shadowbroker
Blackfrost 13th
Good news and bad news, we were spotted by some elf we supposedly stole from. I don't remember ever seeing him before, but maybe he remembers seeing us? Anyway, none of that matters now. He saw us sneaking in some motel and said he'd turn a blind eye and even tip us off about a competing merchant he didn't like. He took more than what we'd consider to be a fair share, but we weren't exactly in a position to argue with him. It looks like our next stop is at the edge of town, near the mountain range. There's supposed to be a general store there that climbers and hunters frequent.
Calamatic Carnage
Blackfrost 2nd
We found the aftermath of that group we've been getting into scrapes with. Sometimes I just don't get people. I know I'm a thief, so I shouldn't be acting all high and mighty, but at least I can hide behind the fact that I don't really hurt people. This group however, it slaughtered these poor dwarves in their own home. A mother, father, and kids. What on Zelestara could they have possibly done to deserve this!? Maybe Tarbin was right. Maybe we should keep a fair distance. At least until we have a better idea of what we're dealing with. These monsters aren't much like anyone we met before. Was this the work of Grimgrin?
Nice Gnomes
Plumfrost 20th
We met a few gnomes at a tavern earlier today, I liked them. They had some good stories and the positive energy to match. As much as I love the other halflings in my group, it's become obvious to me that we aren't always seeing things in the positive light that we should. These gnomes however, they can really turn a travesty into a fun lighthearted joke. I'd like to meet more folk like that in the future.
Mind Mending
Plumfrost 8th
That nightmare I had didn't really end after the event. I kept seeing it in my dreams for the next few days. Rimin suddenly became terrified of bugs, so he needed me to catch and send out any spiders he found. It was decided by the group that Rimin and I should take a few days off while we recover from whatever it was that wizard put us through. In the meantime, everyone else from the group snagged smaller takes from some of the less well-guarded areas. They had to tip off a few guards to make it work and we definitely didn't gain as much as usual, but all things considered, this was probably the best course of action after what we went through. After the first 2 days, we started getting back into the groove of things, keeping an eye out here, chatting with a few guards there. Really mild tasks. As of now, however, I'd say we can get back to it as we did before whatever THAT spell was.
...
Plumfrost 5th
Yeah, we really shouldn't have touched that house. While returning his things, he must have caught us and hit us with something. So, there we were, Bellile and Tarbin keeping his attention at the front door, with Rimin and yours truly sneaking in through the back, to return the goods. Perseus was standing just outside in the back porch with a few rocks and sticks, ready for a potential fight. One minute, we're sneaking upstairs, looking for his bedroom, the next minute I hear an ear-bleeding screech, louder than anything I've ever heard in my worst nightmares. Speaking of nightmares, the house suddenly went up in flames, the walls, the ceiling, even the floor beneath me was engulfing me in flames. I didn't have the time to check on Rimin or even question where the fire came from in the first place. I immediately high tailed it out the door only to find the stairs were collapsed. When I turned around, looking for another exit when I saw my parents down the hall behind me. Their skin was melting off as they stood there, staring. I tried asking them what they were doing there, but all they kept saying was "why did you let us die?" over and over again. Then all of a sudden, I felt something hit me in the chest, knocking the wind right out of me and causing me to fall backwards into the raging flames. It felt like someone threw a boulder at me. I thought that would have been the end of me. I truly believed that I was going to die there, roasting alone, forgotten, and with my final thoughts being that I let my parents die in what might be one of the worst ways imaginable. I wish I had the chance to apologize, to let them know that I couldn't save them. However, as I was falling, their figures zipped towards me in half a second, taunting me, telling me how I was going to burn like they did, forever. Next thing I know, I'm getting pelted by flaming slabs of wood and I kept getting pulled in several different directions, like gravity was a conscious being that was playing with me. Then all of a sudden, I noticed a demon dragging me by some flap of skin torn off my back, towards my parents who, at this point, appeared entirely carniverous, waiting eagarly, for a chance to tear me limb from limb. Instead of facing the eternal punishment that I figured I was in for, reality came back to "normal". I found that I was outside the house we tried to loot, that there were no flames inside it nor on me, that Perceus was the one dragging me, and that Rimin was sprinting out, clawing away at his flesh, like he wanted out of his own skin. Belile and Tarbin were apologizing repeatedly and trying to explain what was happening and the wizard said that if we ever set foot in his house again, he'd make sure our nightmares would never end. Needless to say, we didn't go back.
Fortune or Flounder?
Plumfrost 4th
We may have gone a little too far with the last take. We hit a 2-story den on the edge of town and made off with a reasonably good score, some heirlooms, an artifact, and some gold coins to make it worth the effort, but a beggar warned me that the person we stole from is a highly trained wizard. We're gonna see about returning his things, hopefully without him noticing.
"Grimgrin"
Emberleaf 26th
This other group we've gotten into a few scraps with are starting to sound pretty serious. An old friend told me there's this guy named Grimgrin; apparently he's supposed to be this goliath macho, ultimate badass sort. To take it a step further, he's said to be something of a sadist, using cruelty that would make the royal interrogators flinch. I brought this up to the group but Rimin said we shouldn't worry about them, because they're bringing too much attention to themselves for an all out brawl to be possible for them. He even suggested we loot in the same places they do, so they could take the fall while we take the earnings. Perceus believes that we didn't get into a "real spat" with them because we're too small time. Truth be told, I kinda have to side with Rimin here. We wouldn't have made it this far if we didn't know what we're doing, ya know?
An Irregular Sight
Emberleaf 13th
Some of the people we meet in Tordek make up for the fact that we rarely stay anywhere for over a night. I just saw a dwarf barkeep run off a drunken half-orc with nothing but empty bottles and new words for the swear jar. Perceus told me that the dwarf used fear as a weapon, because the odds of him winning in an actual toe-to-toe fight with the big lunk were lower than the prospect of them actually getting along in the first place. I wonder what caused the commotion between these two.
Greed or Grievance?
Emberleaf 2nd
Tarbin and Bellile are at it again, she keeps going on about how she and her brother could make it without us and that Tarbin should split the take from each score more evenly. I guess she's kinda right. I mean, we did find them pulling a job by themselves, but I just don't see why money should be such a big deal here. Aren't we a family?
The Great Escape
Mistleaf 24th
We just busted Rimin out after he got into a scrape with some dwarven dockworkers. It turns out the guards normally keep a watchful eye on the docks for whatever reason. Anyway, Bellile told us what happened and Perceus came up with an idea to make a quick escape on our way back. As luck would have it, the guards and the foreman were still trying to get the full story out when we came back. Anyway, Bellile and I went around getting some beggars to start wandering around an alley way, crowding it up a bit. Tarbin and Perceus went and got a rope to trip the guards for the chase. It went, well, it mostly went according to plan. I called out to Rimin, giving him a nod to let him know it's time. He turned and kicked the guard holding him in his 'sword and shields' before following me down the alley, a few beggars got detained for getting in the way and there were a few other guards waiting on the other end, but Bellile made sure they were none the wiser when we jolted past them. She nearly got caught herself in the confusion, though.
One Dirty Hand Washes the Other
Mistleaf 16th
Note to self: local beggars are actually more helpful than you might think. I shared some coin with a friend in need and he ended up repaying me by telling me about a few safe spots to hide in if things get heated. It seems these hobos are having more troubles with the local guardsmen than we are. In any event, we're implementing them into our escape routes now.
The Harvest Festival
Mistleaf 16th
Thank our merciful maker for the Harvest Festival. It's one of the only times in the year we can settle down not only as a small group, but as a full community overall. Security is ramped up in the days leading to it, but considering how much food they're stockpiling, I guess it makes sense. In any case, none of us went home with empty bellies today (or rather, yesterday at this hour).
A Small Skirmish
Ashleaf 25th
We just fended off a group of discount lackeys from that gang Tarbin was so scared of. I thought we were gonna cheese it when they called us out for an alley fight, but Perceus grabbed me by the back of the neck and said this is my chance to prove we can take 'em. While Bellile kept berating them, Perceus came up with a plan for us to take them down as a group. His plan was for all of us to back out except for himself and Bellile, and then have the rest of us us drop down onto them from the neighboring roofs. Sure enough, we managed to come back with a few bottles and boards, Tarbin cracked a board over the big guy's head, Rimin drop stomped on another guy but I must have drawn the short straw for luck. The guy I had saw me just before I landed and moved out of the way before kicking me through a window. That didn't stop me from launching a stool at his head on my way back into the fight, though. Anyway, a few cuts and bruises aside, I'd say we came out as the victors here, getting them to scatter like the roaches they are.
Of Marbles and Mallets
Ashleaf 19th
Whelp, I now get why Tarbin was as concerned as he was. I think I broke my ankle hopping off a balcony after going for a solo hit. The owner came out with a sledge hammer and nearly killed me, cracking a few holes in his kitchen. I'm lucky to be alive, but it's gonna be a while before I have much of a say in anything. Perceus said if I go solo again, he wouldn't come for me. Note to self: never leave home without a small pouch of marbles.
Forboding Conflicts
Ashleaf 7th
After the Tavern hit, Tarbin said we should be more careful about picking our targets, and suggested that Bellile speaks with the locals, to get an idea of where roughly these guys are. I tried explaining to him that we managed to get out just fine with a decent take and that he's overreacting, but he just wouldn't have any of it. I'm not one to dismiss him often, but I really think this is a sign of weakness on his part. We never had this problem before and it didn't look like there were many of them, but what do I know?
Fire Bottles and New Friends
Silversun 9th
It seems we aren't the only ones making the most of it out here. Some lowlifes took it upon themselves to attack us in the middle of a take. At first I thought this was the shop owners' security, but Tarbin told us they were in it for the loot themselves, and just didn't want to share. Perceus managed to keep them out long enough for us to hop out the rear window with some kinda makeshift fire bomb. I've never seen anything like it before, but he stuffed a rag down the nozzle, lit it, and threw it at the front door, blocking their entrance. When I asked, he called it a 'molotov cocktail'. I'd pass on that drink.
New Journal
Silversun 4th
Having been moving around Tordek these past few days, I figured this'd be as fine a time as any to start jotting things down. For starters, I'm Errin and I've been living with a small family throughout most of my life, constantly swiping and conning our way from town to town. Tarbin, Perceus, Rimin and Bellile have taught me that even horrific tragedies don't have to be the end to a chapter, but rather, the start of a new one. I lost my parents to a fire when I was young, and instead of becoming a beggar on the streets, Tarbin picked me up when I was down and gave me the chance to start a new life. I really don't know (nor do I want
to) where I'd be if I hadn't met him. Frankly, I don't know where any of us would be.
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