Peter's Log: Eleint

And now, my friends, you shall read a second excerpt from Peter's Log, as recorded in the month of Eleint. You shall see how Tell No Tales continues to grow even stronger, and how the power of friendship continues to lead them to victory!

Day 31(Eleint 1st, 1492) The next day, we hired Jill Is Teen, this new lady in town, for to feed the manticores for us. We want to make sure they stay fed while we’re gone… and don’t wander into town looking for food. 1 silver every 3 days seems fair. If she does a good job, maybe I’ll offer her a full-time job. Say Har went and bought himself a dog from Harbin. I think I’ll let Terry hang around the farm for a while. Day 32 The crab’s name is “John Zoidburg”. I guess I’ll start from the beginning… We headed to the lighthouse today. This… talking crab warned us about harpies and sharks. One shark named “Daggermaw” is supposed to be especially nasty. But, he promised to fetch the treasure for us if he helped him with an errand. The ghost of his master, a sea elf named Mirror All, needs to be putty to rest. Her ghost was haunting a nearby cave. She got offed by some half Orc named Tabasco. He worships Tay Lows, the “destroyer”, the “storm lord”. God of storms… who would worship that? Bad folks usually follow Tay Lows. They should follow a proper deity, like Chauntea. She makes food come out of the GROUND! Anyway, Tabasco has her “focus” or something… I guess we gotta go get it back. He was holded up in the lighthouse, so I guess that’s what Day Bed’s vision was all about. We continued on and ran into some harpies in the lighthouse. Day Bed… grabbed my bum during the fight, but I guess it was just a signal for a new tactic she came up with. She used me kinda like a trench, for cover… I’m not sure how much I like this tactic. Seems like I might just get attacked twice as much. We scared the harpies off and climbed to the top of the light house. Tabasco was up there. I tried to reason with him, but he just yelled at us and decided to die instead. Too bad. Once he was dead, we went to the roof. Say Har said I should touch this big metal thing, so I did. I got hit by lightning. It hurt… and I don’t know if it did anything useful, but the storm seemed to clear up right after that, so I’m gonna call it a “win”. That Say Har… always full of ideas! So the “focus” was this big sea shell… we gave it to the sea elf ghost lady, she got a little less scary and said her thanks before fading into nothing. We went back to John to report success. As a reward, he fished us out this real spooky looking sword. I’m not gonna touch that thing! I’m sure Lee Ray is… err… “brave” enough to give it a go. I set up camp for the night and am trying to… process the day. Day 34 We headed back from the lighthouse today. I decided to go straight home and get some chorin’ in while the others finished up their errands. Golda and I harvested some right nice gourds, so I decided to drop one off for the Stonehills with Toblen… and grab a few pints with the crew. Tolben had this fancy “Hiharveston” lager. I got a round for the table, knew when to quit, and headed home. It was a grand evening. Day 35 I woke up, had me breakfast, and did some light chorin while I waited for the others. We loaded up a caravan to deliver to the Logger’s Camp, then headed to the Hunting Lodge first to drop off a bottle of wine for a guy named Falcon. We traveled for 3 days... Day 38 After 3 days of traveling, we arrived at Falcon’s Lodge today. A fella named Corwin answered the door… he was impressive all right. You can tell the guy has seen his share of adventure. I quietly waited in silence, not making a sound mind you, while waiting for him to fetch Falcon himself. Falcon himself was even more impressive… what a tough looking bastard. He used to be part of “The Anonymous Quartet”. Naturally, there were 5 of them… not a bad gimmick. We took a break in the guesthouse while he had his help prepare us a great meal. On our way out, Falcon told us about a gang of Orcs and evil half-Orcs hanging around and asked if we would go kill them. The rest of the group and I talked it over in the guesthouse. He seems to really dislike Orcs. We agreed to check it out, but I think we’re gonna try to go real diplomatic like. Maybe we can keep the body count low? Too much murder isn’t good for the soul. Over dinner, we talked it over with Falcon. Say Har started talking politics or something and really upset our host. Day 39 Breakfast was good, Corwin saw us off as we headed east to the Orc Hideout. Lee Ray and Day Bed went up ahead, real sneaky like, as I followed a bit behind with my bow drawn to cover them. Tiv Ran and Say Har backed me up. Ethel.. Couldn’t make it. I guess the stew last night didn’t set well with her. Outside the hideout, this old Manse, there were some wild pumpkins and boars feeding on them. I remembered Meemaw’s old recipe for Pumpkin Meatpie and decided to whip one up as a peace offering. I couldn’t find the sage, so I used some leaves off this vine Day Bed found. We even added a few of Day Bed’s goodberries in there for good measure. We ended up with something kinda… spicy. A halforc named Grannoc answered the door, took the pie, and dug right in. Turns out, Falcon’s been leading folks out here to hunt these Orc folk for sport. I liked that guy, but it turns out, he’s a real jerk! We decided that the Ork folk would be better off further south, in Cragmaw territory, then living next to a guy who hates Orcs. We’ll circle back to talk to Cragmaw territory before we head back to Phandalin and negotiate. The tough part was convincing Falcon to stop hunting these Orcs long enough for us to work everything out. Say Har had a great idea... We headed back to the Hunting Lodge for the night. Falcon agreed to not attack the Orcs for a Tenday if we bring him back some staff from within the Manse as proof the Orcs are gone. We retired in the guest house for the evening, had a good toast to pie over some fancy ale, and plan to continue on to the Logger’s Camp tomorrow. Day 40 (Eleint 10th, 1492) Finally, we made our way to the Logger’s Camp around noon. It was a bit overcast out, and without the sun, Day Bed got us lost… cost us a bit of time it did. We ran across a boar, the kind those Storm Lord Orcs revere. It looked tasty, but Say Har got this real serious look and creepily mumbled something about the Storm Lord, so I decided pork doesn’t sound so great after all. I thought alot about Say Har’s delivery idea today. Maybe it would be safer than what we do now… and pay just as well. Why am I out here risking my neck to help people when most problems can be solved over a good meal anyway? Maybe Meemaw’s pies can usher in a new era of peace. When we got to the Logger’s Camp, the place was empty. This is a problem because we need Tibor to fork over the delivery notice so we can get paid. We looked around and ran into this… giant bug. An “On Keg” I guess is what it’s called? Ugly son of a bitch… I hit it with the Yacht Club special, really knocked the bugger off it’s balance. A couple more popped up and we took care of them swiftly. Once we took care of the buggers, we split up to search for survivors. I found signs of a struggle, and what looks like tracks from where the beasts hauled off a few bodies. There was one house left standing, and wouldn’t you know, Tibor was in there hiding from everything. Another bug popped up, right through the floor actually, while we were in the house. We dealt with it swiftly, unloaded our supplies, and agreed to escort Tibor back to Phandalin. After a short rest, we continued southwest through Neverwinter Wood (making sure to avoid Thundertree). We have to find that fancy voodoo sword or whatever. A few miles out of the wood’s edge, we met a centaur fella named Xanth while we were settin’ up camp. Warned us that a thunderstorm might be brewing. He also warned us that the Dragon Barrow, where we’ll find that fancy sword, is haunted. Also told us that Neverwinter Wood was not a safe place to be right now (no kidding…). Orcs, maybe the ones we’re helping, have been doing spooky voodoo in the area. Xanth agreed to tag along as a guide for a while to help us keep out of trouble. We made a nice wild root stew and called it a night. Day 41 (Eleint 11th, 1492) We broke camp and headed for the Dragon Barrow. I climbed the highest peak to get a good look… then I realized where I was. The “Dragon Mound”, where a green dragon was buried. I never imagined it was true… but standing up there… I could tell. As a child, I heard legend of Lady Azdraka’s mighty battles, before she was laid to rest in the battle. That sword has got to be somewhere around here. We found a secret entrance by moving a big rock with some ropes. There were all types of ghosties in there, gave me a good beatin’. Got me in the head real good. Everything feels a little… less complicated now. At the end of it all, I got the sword, the Dragon Slayer. We got the right tool, now it’s time to do the job. We returned to camp for the night. Tomorrow, we continue our journey. Day 42 (Eleint 12th, 1492) We headed to Cragmaw Castle today. T’was a little windy, overcast, and dry today as we headed back into Neverwinter Woods. I could only think about looking down the snout of that King Queveshenk, and was trying not to piss meself. Though he has no ill will towards humans like some goblins do, he’s still a bloodthirsty warlord and I’m just a guy who shovels good. As we drew toward the castle, we overheard an argument. Some angry orcs were trying to get in, but the goblins wouldn’t let them in. I did overhear that King Queveshenk wasn’t there. While we discussed what to do, we heard a familiar thunder… then the mangled screams of a dying goblin. There was no time to talk, we had to help! When we got up close, we could see that these were the same Orcs and Boars who were led by Grannoc. That bastard just couldn’t lay low for a few days, and now… the Cragmaw are dying because of us. Pissed me right off, it did. Dupree got impaled by a javelin, standing right next to me. There were bits of critter everywhere. I could hear more goblins screaming as they were slaughtered by this band of… villains? Brigands? What word could I use to justify what I was about to do… We fought hard… we killed many, but our progress was slow and Grannoc was chanting… something. The sky darkened, the wind picked up… real evil stuff was in the air when we heard the terrifying warcry of Qeveshenk himself. The King of the Goblins had returned, and went right to work on Grannoc himself. After that, we finished off the rest of them… it was a shame these… Boar Orcs couldn’t live peacefully. While we spent the next few hours resting up, I spoke with King Qeveshenk and negotiated err… rather poorly for the Cragmaw’s aid. Fortunately, the glory of battle (and a mention of celebratory fresh meat pies) was enough to convince these vicious little folks to help us. We rested within the keep for a bit and enjoyed the umm… Goblin Hospitality. I found a pack of bacon among the spoils. I went to show Say Har, then Say Har grabbed a piece right out of my hand. I guess the little guy couldn’t resist. Soon after, an entire room of goblins had piled onto me… I barely got a piece for meself. Once we wrapped up and secured the wagon (and Tibor), we headed to the mance to grab that staff Falcon wanted. It took us most of the day to get there, but we got to it right away. While we were searching we found this… tree. It was… bleeding? Day Bed said it was evil and we needed to umm… kill it. I got me trusty shovel out and started digging. Each time I struck, blood splattered everywhere. It was so nasty... I let loose a swear while I was digging. Hope no one tells me wife. After a minute or so of chipping away at the tree (and making a huge bloody mess), we were able to root the tree. We fought off some stirges after that. We looked around for a few minutes, and Say Har found the staff upstairs ( but there was a lot of talk about a basement). We decided to call it a day and rested within the manse. We’ll still need to decide what to do with what’s left of this bloody... bloody tree. Day 43 (Eleint 13th, 1492) This morning, we headed back to Falcon’s lodge. It was a little misty out, but we didn’t have far to go. Boy, I wasn’t prepared for what we found… The whole place had been burned to the ground. Falcon’s head was on a pike, but worse, those storm chasin’ Orcs even killed civilians. We found a few civilians huddled in the cellar Falcon’s human ward Pell and the halfling chef’s assistant Rylienne, starving for days. Lady folk cryin’ and hungry… it ain’t proper. It’s gotta be this “Talos” they worship… I know not all Orcs are bad. But the ones that pray to the storm… well… maybe Falcon was right after all. I wandered off to search for anything useful that might have survived the pillaging. I recalled the time I’ve spent among the Cragmaw. I’ve always admired their cooperation, and the respect they had for the forest that housed and fed them. It’s the same respect I have for me farm that keeps me family fed. Qeveshank told me it was the “will of Bargrivyek” for them to work together, and fiercely defend their borders. “Cooperation! That be it. Territory and cooperation, Bargrivyek be god of that stuff.” It was the “way of Bargrivyek” for them to welcome all those who were willing to work or fight into their tribe, and stamp out anyone who thinks one type of folk ought to rule over another… especially if they’re fixin to rule over your kinfolk. The goblins are naturally a savage and bloodthirsty lot, but it’s cooperation and the rule of law that makes them truly strong. Bargrivyek also had a special hatred for the type of Orc that would worship Talos. Maybe I’m going crazy, but this Bargrivyek is starting to make a lot of sense. His way makes every bit of sense as anything Chauntea leads us in. Maybe some sense lies in… balance between the two. Faelyn was a smith by trade, good with magic weapons. She’ll have no trouble finding work. I offered Pell A job back at the farm… I’m not sure they woulda had anyplace else to go otherwise. I reckon me missus’ll take good care of ‘em. On the way to the Circle of Thunder, we found some more weird dolls with… human hearts in them. Must be the work of them classless, storm lovin’ beasts. I tell ya’, I couldn’t wait to kill every last dirty stormie I saw when we got there. We came to a gully, and sure enough, there were a group of them stormies on the other side! We set about correcting that right away. “Yargath and his Achorites” were no match for us. At last, we finally arrived at the Circle of Thunder. There were a couple more of… whatever that Yargath was… dancing around with some deer and boar guts, and a buncha real unholy looking wooden men. Lee Ray made some kinda magic smoke screen, so it was real easy to but an end to that nonsense. There was some goofy magic guy there who picked the wrong day to be a follower of Talos.I dropped me arrows and still managed to get a shot on him. Once we ended him, a large bolt of lightning struck nearby. Once the light died down, we saw a massive blue boar standing there… surrounded by… I dunno, lightning! It froze the ground as it emerged. I umm… wasn’t prepared for that. I fell on me bum 3 times during that fight. We made short work of the spooky boar and rummaged through the camp for anything useful. A symbol came to mind… the red rose of Chauntae… the white mace of Bargrivyek on the other…. In perfect balance. I decided to destroy the symbols of talos, and claim the site in the name of the two gods who oughta be prayed to in the Neverwinter forest. Day 49 (Eleint 19th, 1492) We finally got back to Phandalin today. We saw that dragon knocking about in the mountains over by the old gold mine. Tibor was pretty cross with Harbin about his whole situation. Got armor commissioned made from giant boar carcass, got me a set of genuine magic armor now. Commissioned a mace head for the other end of Peter’s shovel Spent 300gp on the Farm. (TODO: get with Dennis out of game to allocate) Wrapping up things here, then it’s off to Axeholm. Day 50 (Eleint 20th, 1492) I spent most the day on the farm with me family. When all this is over (if I’m not dead yet), I’m gonna take a few months off and enjoy some peace and quiet for a while. Day 51 (Eleint 21st, 1492) (beginning of Highharvestide) Woke up early, had me bacon and eggs, took me coffee to go. Went to town, grabbed my gear from Morrisey and Faelyn, then met up with the others and left for Axeholm. Tivran was riding an elk of some sort, real spooky looking, but friendly enough. I dunno how he got that thing to let him ride it, but I’m impressed. We rode hard and got to Axeholm within the day. THe place was crawling with bugs and not really dead things. We cleared out all we could, and I took a beating from a few real big spiders, but we didn’t die… today. We’re holed up in a room that has something amazing… hot water just… comes out of the wall. It was hot enough to clean the place up and make a nice little shelter. Once we drive these… things out of here, it’ll be a fine military base. Heh… a military base, for the likes of us. “Tell No Tales” is becoming a force to be reckoned with around here. Bargrivyek will be satisfied with our expansion into the south, and Chauntea will be pleased that we put an end to those unholy beasties. I been thinking about Hob lately, that boy who got us into so much trouble in Thundertree. Dunno why a 15 year old boy thought it was a good idea to rob a dragon, but it sure helped me make a name for meself as an adventurer! He split town right after, headed south on a boat when our old crew split up. He went along with Ash Kah Zee and his friends to Chult to break some curse on their friend. Lirae reminds me of him a bit, kinda does her own thing, but doesn’t let me die either. Ol’ Norman… he was the brains of the crew… but definitely not the heart. He’s as ruthless a son of a bitch as any Goblin,but he does it with trickery, not mob violence. He’s Qeveshenk’s advisor now, and I catch him spying around town sometimes. Well, not really spying… mostly he’s knocking back pints at the Stonehill Inn and getting the rich folks in town to tell him all about their dealings. Most folks don’t pay Goblins no mind, but Norman’s the smartest person I’ve ever met, and probably the most well known Goblin in Phandalin aside from Qeveshenk himself. As ruthless as he is, he loves his tribe and Phandalin, so he’s alright in my book. And that Sirakos… a quite and proper kinda guy, but just about the most honest guy I’ve met. Kinda reminds me of what Qeveshenk would'a turned out like if he was born a rich Elf instead of a poor Goblin. He really helped balance out Norman and Hob’s… uhh… ambition by keeping our feet on the ground. He went off back to Neverwinter some time ago, said he had some business to take care of. I sure hope we cross paths again. We cleared Axeholm, but then had to defend it against a hill giant boss named “Big Tony” and 'is rouge goblinoids. We made short work of 'im by workin' togethuh, but by the end of the 'ole thing, I was tired. Gonna need a few days of rest. Day 54 Eleint 24th, 1492 Today’s the day. We headed off to Icespire Hold. A stone fortress on a spur of Icespire Peak. Morrisey and Faelyn did a hell of a job.”Giant’s Tooth” sketched in the edge of the shovel head. It’s a good name. It was a gift from Lirae… I shed a tear. Nicest thing I’ve ever gotten. Cryovein was last seen around the old gold mine, real close to Icespire Peak. Lirae found a ripped doll. She fixed it, it came to life, and decided to come with us. We found a safe cave to rest in for the night. Day 55 Eleint 25th, 1492 I got a little exhausted going up the mountain… Found Icespire Peak 3 days of rest… not exhausted anymore. Day 58 Eleint 28th, 1492 The Stone Cold Reavers headed off today, and we were mostly rested up, so we decided to follow them. We went across the bridge and into the rest of the keep. We quietly witnessed one of their battles. They seem to be able to handle themselves, so we split off into a secret path Lee Ray found. Fought than damn dragon, and we won! Two of our allies died, but at least that Barakis fellow was okay. That Syleen is a jerk. Had a good long talk with Tivran and I decided to take an oath and become a Paladin… yay! But, it’s Highharvestide now. I’ll need to focus me attention on what really matters for a while; me family, me land, and me friends.

And just like that, Peter retired from adventuring to protect his home of Phandalin. Sahar and Debeid retired with him, and the shape of Tell No Tales changed as they marched forward into the future.

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