2/4/214 - Report of Walter Lefkaris
General Summary
We set out for the Slicklick den. We crossed the River and they came upon us. Iskender was able to use his magic to understand them (but not speak to them). He communicated through signs and gesticulating. They were angry at us for killing their leader unprovoked when he was trying to negotiate with us (after we trespassed on their land). We offered them Auroch hides as "tribute." The Slicklicks accepted the tribute and allowed us to leave without violence. They told us they demand a larger tribute from Gatefall for killing their shaman or they will gather a war party to attack it. We decided not to be the villains and moved on to the north to investigate the shipwreck and deal with the Bloodlicks instead.
We found Alba. Well, she found us and put a knife to my throat. We were able to talk to her this time and she recognized Petra. She said her name was Alba Nassenius and asked if we came to face the Slaadi. They apparently call the Bloodlicks Slaad (or Slaadi). She wondered where we were from and what Language we were speaking. We told her we came from far away, another continent. She said she didn't think humans "lived across the Great Sea." She said that she didn't recognize what Vadim was. Does that mean there are no Dwarves here???
She said the ship was called the Peregrinus. She said it bore a valuable cargo that her employers are interested in. She seeks one item, a magical scroll. She is to bring it back intact, we could take anything else. She said she was employed by the Legio in the Mountains to the East to obtain the scroll. She said the Slaadi prey upon the shipwrecks along the coast. She said the lighthouse is older than the Empire itself. She recognized Iskender as Elven. She said the only Elf she knew was a merchant from Imaskar, a desert land south of the mountains and forest. Alba said it has an evil reputation and was an enemy of the Archaean Empire. She referred to a man named Archaeus. The Archaean Empire was named after a man who was a slave in Imaskar but led a rebellion. Fascinating.
We rested for the night and snuck up to the ship again. We ambushed the Slaad and killed one of the red ones. But a Green One showed up. Seeing that we were outmatched, we fled. Vadim and I were nearly killed, but through some creative fog, we are able to flee from the Slaad. We talked to Alba, who agreed to split her bounty with us if we went to Gatefall to get more men to fight the Slaad. She also agreed to show us the mouth of the River in exchange for a share of that bounty. Iskender's owl showed up and was pestering me. It wanted me to follow it. We traveled towards the mouth of the river and saw Iskender there lounging about with a coconut... AND THE SCROLL. Honestly it was a bit impressive. He handed the scroll over to Alba. We looked at the scroll and Petra determined it was an anti-magic scroll. Which is apparently incredibly rare and powerful in The Old World. Petra said there were four mages in the old world who could cast that spell. Alba said before The Plague there were several hundred who could cast an anti-magic field.
Alba said the ship was a Tymanchebari vessel. Tymanchebar is an island off the coast where the Dragonborn live (the Dragonborn worship the old gods). She said the ship was blown off course. We parted ways with Alba and continued exploring the area. We found this plant with golden fern-like leaves covered in an amber-colored sap. Iskender said the plant produces Aniseed Sap. I harvested three batches of it. We continued on and encountered a corpse floating in the water being eaten by Sharks. We drove the Sharks off and I collected the body from the water.
The corpse was a woman in her mid 20s with Archaean features. She had likely died from drowning and been dead for at most a few days. Yet she did not turn undead. Strange. She had a brass ring with a symbol of a cresting wave (white enamel on obsidian). Either she had a Deity's protection or she lived somewhere with no undead.
We pressed on and found a colony of Crocodiles. We figured they were minding their own business basking in the sun and moved on. We found a seam of Coal in a cliff face indicating there is a whole deposit of Coal. I took a chunk for proof.
We continued onward and found a large temple on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Iskender's owl saw some forms moving beneath the earth. We entered the temple and encountered these chitinous bug like creatures. We killed many of the bugs, but one of them gutted me and then ran like a bitch. Pussy bug. I harvested their chitin out of spite. We entered the temple and saw a beautiful sword and a whole bunch of treasure on an altar. It looked too good to be true. Iskender sent his owl to pick something up to trigger any traps, but he seemed to think to himself and then had his owl put them back. He just stood there lost in thought. Then Petra started talking to herself. She does that normally but it was her half of a conversation. It turns out they were talking to the sword itself.
We read the sword's poem on the scroll. It is called Need. It is meant to be wielded by a woman who needs it and cannot defend themself. We thought of Marcella. Need said it must stay here until the temple has been cleansed. This is a temple to the goddess Selune. The stained glass depicts a woman in all stages of her life, coinciding with the cycles of the moon. The statue reads: "Our lady of silver, the Moonmaiden, Friend to Woman, She who Guides"
The sword said that the bugs have infested it. Additionally, the temple was sacked by the followers of Zarus, who raped and killed all the priestesses. The blacksmith's apprentice, using the sword's power, killed 30 men. However, the Ghosts of the priestesses still haunt this place as Specters and we will have to deal with them. We started exploring and found the smithy. Outside of there, we were attacked by the bugs again but we killed them much easier this time. Iskender went out ahead and then I heard it. The scream. We heard a Banshee. That bloody scream that I can't get out of my head. I froze. And then I ran. It seems the others had the same plan and we all escaped that place and made our way back to Gatefall. We resolved to return to cleanse this temple. Selune is not my goddess, but a temple this beautiful should not be a bug-infested ruin.
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Report Date
05 Mar 2023
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