The Lost City - The Return of Taryn the Bard

"My journey never stops - I only pause at places you could hardly dare to quest." - Cora

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Previously in our story...

Tobias returned shortly, dragging the unfortunate archer by the scruff of the neck. As he stalked back into our camp, he informed us of a second, smaller camp of ragtag mercenaries hidden over in the ruins. The archer appeared scuffed up, and bore some slight injuries from falling of of the roof where he had tried to ambush us earlier. Scott made some attempts to talk to them man as Lan worked to heal his hurts, and the man told us that he attacked us because they didn't want us to find the stuff first. 

I looked at his mismatched armor, and the odd long bow that he carried, and asked him what "stuff" he was referring to. He grew tight-lipped at the question and told us that the leader of his little band was named Gavin. Glaring at the captive man, Tobias again picked him up by the scruff of the neck, and our party gathered our things and promptly escorted him back to his group. 

As we approached their untidy campsite, the archer's companions notice us and draw weapons. The archer shouts at them not to attack, and they warily allow us to bring their man into the circle of tents. They all bore mismatched armor, and inferior quality weapons, and I wondered at how far they thought they could get in such a place so ill prepared. I chuckled to myself at the thought, as it reminded me of something Shalev might have said, and I kept a watchful eye on the mercenaries as they talked to their returned man. 

They told us that we were looking in the wrong place over by the intact buildings, and that we wouldn't find the dragon there, but rather in the center of town. We all simply stared at them, and they began to realize then, I think, that maybe we were more than we seemed to be. A murmured discussion broke out among the mercenaries, and one of them stepped forward after a moment to state that he was looking for a way out of this place entirely. His companions all glare at him at the apparent betrayal, and we warily say that we can help him with that. 

The man said his name was Taryn, that he was a bard, and that he wished to join our group; and I saw Tobias and KelLyn startle in recognition. They stared at him curiously, and I remembered that there had been a bard with that name that had been a part of the party when Shalev and I had first joined the group. I remembered too that the man had disappeared only a day later, and hadn't been seen since then. I wondered if this was the same man, and I could see from KelLyn and Tobias' scrutiny that they were considering the same thing. KelLyn in particular glared at the man as if his appearance was a personal betrayal, and I recalled that she and the bard had once had romantic entanglements. 

Taryn's companions all begin arguing with him, asking him why he would want to switch sides so easily, and why he would want to go over to such a group, especially when they didn't even have good armor.  I saw Tobias smirk at that statement, and with a prideful flourish, he removed his outer cloak to reveal the imperial layan armor that he wore.The leader of the little ragtag group gaped at the armor and then took a closer look at the rest of the party members, seeing that we all wore quality armor and carried weapons that appeared to be far better than the ones they had. 

His eyebrows shot up in surprise for a moment, and then he shrugged and said again that the dragon was rumored to be in the center of town with a sniff, before subsiding into a grumpy silence when he realized that we were already well aware of that fact. Taryn gathered up his single pack of belongings, and joined our group without even a goodbye to his previous companions, and our party,now plus one more, set out to return to the street where the mage academy was located. 

As we trekked back over, Scott approached me looking like he wanted to ask me something. I looked at him curiously, and he asked me to gently break in the introduction of Jaeger to the new party member. I continued to stare at him, wondering why he thought I would be the best person to ask about such a thing, and he went on to say that it would either be me or Lan, and did I really want Lan trying to explain anything? I sighed and nodded slightly, and then relay the request to Tobias, as he speaks the common language better than I do. He shrugged and said he didn't see what the issue was. Scott then asked him what the long bow was, and they began discussing the use of the weapon. As they talked, Scott asked Tobias what an "army" was and I saw Tobias just stare blankly at him for a moment before remembering that Scott was also new to the party, and only a farm hand. He began to patiently explain to Scott what exactly he had gotten himself into, and I turned my attention to Taryn. 

I did not know much about him from when he was with the party before, and I asked him what the group of mercenaries had been looking for. He said that the dragon had been rumored to have been trying to piece together a "great weapon" which had been a gift from a great mage to a competitor in the courts where the dragon had attended in human form. The competitor had been challenged to a fight, and the weapon had been destroyed. The dragon was trying to reassemble the pieces, and anyone who leaves is sent out with the message that the Head of the Jade Court is looking for the items, with a promise of riches beyond measure if they were found. 

I pondered this new information at length, ruminating again on what the winged man had said about everything being tied together. I lost myself in these thoughts until we eventually returned to camp where KelLyn and Jaeger were still working on trying to dismantle the traps on the doors. We appeared to have good timing, for as soon as we walked up, Jaeger reached out and opened the front door to the academy. KelLyn agreed to wait with the cart for a while, as the efforts of disarming the spells had exhausted her and she needed to rest, and the rest of the party stepped inside the door. 

Inside, we saw a great empty room with double doors ahead of us. The walls are tastefully decorated with art that depicted stylizations of all four elements. Jaeger walked forward ahead of the rest of the party, and I saw him recast the ward to surround himself and the door. Lan cast a spell to see if there were magical traps on this door as well, and she found that there were. She said that the spells were of a control nature which involved perceptions, and involved both air and plants. Lan commented that the door appeared to be made of "one of her trees" with a nod in my direction, and I walked up to the door cautiously. I could sense, once I got close enough, that the wood was indeed sylvan, and that it seemed quite content that it was a door. I had a thought, and tried to ask it to open in high elven and then druidic. I got no response, but I wasn't really expecting one anyway. As I studied the intricate carvings on the door, I noticed that there were words hidden within the plants, written in elven. 

I read the words out to Lan, but she did not understand them, though surprisingly, Jaeger's eyes brightened and he said something to Lan. She told me that he had asked that I keep repeating the words, and I do so, listening as Jaeger tries to copy my pronunciation until he is able to replicate the cadence and accent correctly. The words were a spell, and when said by someone who used magic, they caused the wood of the door to turn transparent. 

We looked through the clear door to see two long oak tables, several chairs, and a hutch filled with crystal glasses and decanters. It looked like it was a dining hall, though long disused, and we took note of the double doors on the opposite side of the room. I reached out and knocked politely on the door, and we were promptly greeted by a ghoul. I cautiously asked if we could enter the room, and it - he - replied that we could not because we were not mages. I motioned for Jaeger to move forward, saying that he was, and that we were in his company. The ghoul looked critically at Jaeger and asked him to prove that he was a mage. Jaeger refused, saying that as a mage, he would not deign to prove himself as his presence here is proof enough. The ghoul accepted this statement, and then returned a short moment later to apologize, saying that there was no one here that could open the door. The ghoul thought for a moment, and then came back a  few seconds later carrying a heavy bowl, which he dropped on the handle to make the door swing open. 

Inside the dining hall, we noticed that there were also doors to the right and left of us, and that the silverware was all engraved with the magic seal of the academy of Emer. We opened the door to the left into a large room with glossy polished floors and an enormous layan chandelier that suspended from the ceiling. The floors of this room were covered with trash and detritus, and as soon as we stepped into the room, the two ogres in the corner stood up and turned ponderously towards the party. They glanced at us in confusion and said "You're not supposed to be in here?" to which we hastily replied that the ghoul had let us in. The ogres looked even more confused, if possible, and said that we didn't look like mages. Scott, thinking quickly, said that we were wearing traveling clothes which the ogres seemed to accept as a rational explanation. Osman spoke up then and asked if they would like some fresh meat? The ogres looked at him, looking for the offered meat, and Osman conjured some goat haunches that we lobbed their way. 

As they ate, we saw that they were clearly undead things, and I have to repress a visible shudder at how wrong they feel. As they consumed the goat, we saw their open wounds heal, and Jaeger warned us that the ogres were pledged in service to this place, and that they should not be disturbed. I argue that they are wrong and that their presence here hints to something much larger controlling their allegiance. The rest of the party agreed that they should not bother the ogres though, seeming not to heed my warning about the potential of a larger threat, and I turn to leave the room entirely. A few moments later, the rest of the party followed me back into the main room, closing the doors to the ogres' chamber behind them. 

The next door opened into a long and dusty room which looked as if it had served as a gallery of some sort at one time. I saw that there were clear footprints in the dust on the floor, and lighter colored squares on the walls where the paintings had been removed by thieves. I noted the broken window and figured that was the method of entry and exit. Upon further examination, I notice that the nails that had hung the paintings were made of layan, and I pulled a handful of them out of the wall, putting them in my belt pouch.  Seeing no more evidence of the nature of the thieves, and no other doors in this room, we turned back to the main room to go through the next set of double doors. 

These doors opened to reveal a lavishly furnished bedroom which also boasted two full harps, a cello, and a number of other instruments. There were two full sets of armor, each holding a halberd, which stood on either side of the door. We explored the room, which looked like it might have been set up as a guest room, and Taryn eyed the cello with undisguised awe. He picked it up reverently and muttered to it as if it were a long lost lover. We also saw a strange shaped instrument off to one side of the room with white and black buttons on it. It looked almost like a harp that had been laid on it's side, except much larger. Scott and Taryn spent several moments  trying to figure out how it worked, and Taryn named the odd thing a "side hammer harp." 

Taryn was insistent on trying to figure out how to take the odd instrument with us, but it proved to be too heavy to more easily, and so with a sad sigh, he agreed to leave it where it was. He brightened noticeably though, when Tobias reminded him of the cello and the two of them went back out to the cart to deposit the instrument in a safe space and catch KelLyn up on the happenings inside. 

Once they rejoined the party, we made our way over to the main room and opened the doors to the right this time. This was a small sitting room with overturned furniture that was in shambles. The floor was smeared with old dried blood, and there was a single closed door on the opposite wall. The blood smears extended up to one wall which was empty of all other features, and after a moment of examination, I discovered and opened the hidden door to a small closet sized secret room. Inside the room were two skeletons, which were apparently the source of the blood smeared through the room. The two unfortunate adventurers were obviously on the wrong end of whatever had killed them. Their armor had been heavily damaged, but as I searched through the corpses, I discovered two intact vials of holy water, a 50 foot length of hemp rope from the Southern kingdom, and a small locked box with dwarven symbols inscribed on it. I took all three things, adding the vials to my belt pouch and tying the length of rope to my pack. The small box I worked diligently to unlock, and was successful after several long moments and a muttered curse as my masterwork lockpick broke from the effort.  I opened the box to reveal two small dwarven crossbows and a quiver containing 30 bolts. I showed them to Tobias and Osman, who were both thrilled with the discovery. I already carried one of these strange weapons, so I declined the offer, but Tobias and Osman each took one of the crossbows for their own use, and the bolts were split between the three of us. 

The single door at the back of the room opened up into a hallway and more doors, which we explored through thoroughly. We discovered another guest bedroom which boasted a large polished silver mirror. Jaeger made a noise of appreciation at the sight, and walked toward the shining pane, only to jump back as an undead specter lunged out of the reflection towards him. Osman immediately tried to banish it, but failed, and Lan worked her magic to pacify the specter. Taryn, unfamiliar with the threat, drew his needle like sword, and Tobias yanked Scott bodily out of the way of the lunging creature. Remembering the times we had encountered undead things in the pyramids, I snapped open one of the vials of holy water and flung it at the specter which caused it to smoke and to howl in fury. 

Lan's magic completed, and the specter quickly calmed down, only to have Osman's spell go off which enraged it again at the attempt to banish it. Knowing that I had nothing else that would hurt the creature, and wanting to save the remaining vial of holy water in case I needed it later, I moved over to one of the windows to break it in order to let the sunlight into the room. Jaeger picked up the empty vial and began casting a spell then, and we watched as a black shadow rolled down his arm like tar into the glass container. The specter howled again in anger, and Lan tried again to calm it down. She was successful at pacifying the spirit again, and Jaeger continued to concentrate on draining it's energy down into the vial. 

Osman drew his bow and aimed a shot at the shimmering specter, but Scott grabbed the bow and pointed his shot down away from the mirror. The specter and Jaeger continued to be locked in a tug of war, and the spirit gained enough ground to finally touch Jaeger just as Jaeger completed his spell. I heard the tone of his voice falter slightly, but the spell was not affected by the slip up, and the specter dissolved in a fading scream, turning into a thick slurry that oozed into the vial Jaeger held. 

Jaeger looked visibly shaken at the encounter, and stood swaying for a moment before straightening up and walking over to the mirror to examine it once again. The mirror was enormous, and much too large to move in its entirety. Jaeger contemplated the polished silver for a moment and then reached out with his hands, muttering something in magic under his breath, to try to cut a smaller piece off of the larger whole. I set about searching the room and uncovered a pen and ink set, several sheets of vellum, and a scroll written in an old clerical form with notes in magical writing. 

The scroll described itself as being "in regards to the divine restoration of loss of energy. A single use spell," which had been dedicated to the goddess of the waters. I remembered what had happened when Shalev had been touched by a specter, and the draining effect that such contact could have. I turned toward Jaeger and asked someone to tell him that I was going to use the scroll on him, and not to attack me. I read the scroll at Jaeger, and I felt the energy of the spell release gently. Jaeger straightened up immediately, and his eyes shone brighter as the effects of the spell restored what had been taken from him when the specter touched him. 

As this room was fairly secure, even in its trashed state, we decided to stop here and rest for a few moments before we continued to explore. Jaeger was able to remove a small square of the silvered mirror, and I noticed that he touched it to his sword, and half of it disappeared. I noticed that he did this often, offering his sword half of everything he touched, and I wondered at the symbiosis between the two.

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The presence of the undead things here bothers me greatly. Especially since Jaeger stated that they were clearly bound in service to... something. It's that something that has me worried. There are a number of things that can command undead, none of which are easy to deal with. It could be that they were simply bound to the service of the place, as I know mages are prone to doing such things, but my instinct tells me that there is more here to it. 

Further explorations here are needed, and likely will give us clues as to what we will face.

I would have expected to feel the presence of the dragon by now, and the fact that we haven't has me wondering.

Taryn has returned to the party. I did not know the man before this, as he disappeared only a few hours after we had joined the party, but the fact that Tobias and KelLyn seem so quickly accepting of him seems to indicate that they bear him no ill will for his desertion. KelLyn especially seems to be affected by the return of her once lover, and seems almost uncertain around him. It is obvious that he remembers nothing of his prior encounters with her, however, and I wonder at how this might play out. She is volatile at the best of times, and having her be so emotionally off center might prove to be disastrous. 

The Lost City - Returning to School

"It is important that one never stops learning. Whether it be traditional studies through books and letters, or more practical studies of life and experience. The moment you stop learning... stop wanting to learn... is the moment you cease to be." 

The party seems adrift with Shalev gone. Despite all of the things they said about him and to him, they can not deny that he provided for us. It is interesting that with him gone, they seem to have lost interest in completing the tasks we have set ourselves to accomplish. They seem content to wander aimlessly, and I am reminded strongly of the moment we... I first encountered them wandering lost and ill-prepared through the middle of the desert. 

- Cora

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Previously in our story...

We made our way along the road, traveling west at a steady and uninterrupted pace. The roads here are scarred badly in places and not well maintained, but still passable. Travel is not difficult, and we see small farm houses scattered throughout the fields. There is a large forest off to the right composed primarily of nut trees, and I took the opportunity to gather some of these for our stores. It was slow going, but we were not traveling quickly, and eventually I was able to gather two full barrels of pecans and walnuts. The nuts were sweet and delicious, and I was thrilled to find such a bounty. I thanked the trees for their fruit, though I do not know if they heard or cared.

After about two weeks, we were able see the mountain clearly off to the right, and we used this as an additional guide in our travels. The roads were thankfully quiet, and we appeared to be the only travelers out and about. As we rode, we saw the corn fields that had stretched for acres end and a huge field of the strange crimson flowers begin. Recalling the earlier warning about the danger of these flowers, we noticed with some caution that the road branched off here and the road to the right went straight through the center of that field. The left hand path went off by the edge of the corn fields, and Jaeger agreed to scout ahead as a raven. 

When he returned, he told the party that the path through the flowers was much faster, potentially, than continuing on our current path. Still wary of the potential effects of the carmine fields, we elected to stay on our current path despite the additional travel time, and continued on the left hand path around the flowers. 

The next morning, the party awoke to what appeared to be snow falling, and as we began to bring out the winter gear, we noticed a humming sound in the air. We looked around to try to locate the source of the sound, and we saw a number of iridescent soap bubbles floating in the air in a northern direction. 

While this was, by far, not the strangest thing some of us had ever seen, it was enough to make us pause for a moment. When Jaeger reached out to touch one of the delicate bubbles with a curious look on his face, it popped with a small sound. The bubbles gradually increased in size, and one particularly large bubble was almost 8 feet across. This large bubble descended down right in front of where the party stood, and when it touched the ground it burst in a shimmering shower to reveal a human woman wearing long white robes.

The party watches her warily, and she looks long at the party, noticing each one of the magic users right away with a simple nod in their directions. After a moment, she comments that she noticed that we had chosen to travel around the flowers, and that this was wise. She asked us directly then what we intended to do to fix the land, asking KelLyn specifically if, as an archmage, could she not detect the imbalances? 

I remained silent at this, but raised an eyebrow, as this is something I had been telling the party almost as soon as we arrived. KelLyn murmured that she wasn't always an archmage, and then waxed poetic about balance and the nature of things. I looked at her with some amusement at this, and began to think that maybe - just maybe - she had been paying attention to what I was saying after all. 

The woman, who says her name is Glenda, tells us that the war has spread across the entire continent, and asked what our purpose here in this bowl was. As KelLyn had been singled out by her, she continued to speak, telling Glenda about our quest to restore the sylvan tree in the center of Emer, and the additional quests that we had to heal GranTier and locate Joffrey's library. 

At that statement, Glenda smartly quipped "which one?" and tells KelLyn that the library that we are seeking is most likely the one located over in the Krakafir mountain ranges. KelLyn ranted for a while about Joffrey breaking her things, and when she described her staff, Glenda took immediate notice. When Glenda expressed interest in this, KelLyn told the her about the desert being cursed, and then said "but I fixed it." Which caused Tobias and I to glare at her with some anger, because it was not she alone that helped to restore the desert, and had it not been for all of us, we could not have accomplished the feat. 

Glenda noticed our ire, and raised her eyebrow at KelLyn at the presumptive nature of her declaration, but then quickly changes the subject to ask her about her ability to do magic with water, as it was an uncommon gift. KelLyn mentioned Lan, and Lan began speaking animatedly about fish and water,and how she missed the ocean. She then stopped, mid-ramble, to ask what kind of fish hamburger was, and then started up about water again, and the strangeness of the fish there. 

This whole conversation caused Glenda to blink, amused, but she was either very interested in what Lan was saying, or she was too polite to interrupt the selkie's chatter. The rest of the party, seeing no threat and deciding that we were not going anywhere any time soon, began to set out the camp again and relax. 

I watched, quietly, and listened as KelLyn and Glenda talked. KelLyn proceeded to lay out her entire life story for the unknown woman as if they were long lost sisters. During the course of the conversation, her goddess Leilanna was brought up, which made Lan chirp that she was her avatar. This sparked another long discussion about divinity, which ended with Lan wondering aloud if Leilanna could taste whatever she tasted, and promptly licking the ground. 

Again, Glenda blinked at the antics, and murmured under her breath about whether or not we actually HAD traveled through the flowers. After a moment, Glenda waved her hands and snow fell gently onto the blood colored flowers. She pulled out a wand, and I tensed at the action, but she only conjured a table with a smile and a statement that it was time for a break. I relaxed some at this, realizing that there was nothing we could likely do if she chose to harm us in any case, and in desert fashion, I offered to share food with her. Tobias brought out one of the older bottles of wine to share, and the food appeared directly on the plates in large portions. I noticed with some appreciation that the meal was individually tailored to each of the party members, and that the vegetables and fruits that appeared on my own plate were well spiced and seemed at the peak of their season. 

Jaeger pulled out his sword and laid it on the table, as was his custom to do. Half of his food vanished into the sword, and Glenda's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She accepted the wine that we had provided, and crystal goblets appeared to pour it into. She asked us about our next steps then, and KelLyn stated that our immediate goal was to repair or restore the sylvan tree. I was uncomfortable with the amount of information KelLyn seemed to be so carelessly sharing, and I shot her a warning glance as Glenda asked her how we knew it was still there. 

Glenda cautioned us that we would need to be stealthy to get back in, and tells us that the dragon would be quite difficult to deal with, as things are the way they are here for a reason. She says that the imbalance here is necessary, with a glance at me. KelLyn tells her about the blue dragon that we encountered and Glenda looks at her with some alarm. She tells us about dragon nobility, and the difference between metallic and chromatic dragons. She tells us also that we had gathered a large amount of power together in one place, and that those who sense magic could see us coming from a half mile away. 

This was not new information for us, as Jaeger had warned us before about his swords inability to mask it's signature. Glenda went on to say, with a note of ire, that those who had worked hard to control their destinies saw us as a wild card, and as a dangerous one at that. She added in a warning that we should be careful in our travels here, as we trod in a place where we could come face to face with our own destiny. 

Then, with a deep breath as though she were making a decision, she stated that if we continued down this road past "Hoppin John's" farm, that we would end up at Waglebug University where we would find information that would be useful. She reinforced the warning that the right fork should be avoided as it leads straight to Emer. She wished us well, and drawing a circle at her feet, stepped into the giant bubble that formed around her. She said she needed to depart to look more into the appearance of the blue dragon, as it concerned her greatly, and with that she floated away. The table disappeared with her, and the party begins to break camp and prepare to travel on. 

KelLyn asks Jaeger something, and they begin discussing in earnest for a few moments. She tells the rest of the party that she is (finally) looking into a way to mask our appearance to other magic users. She uses her Nature of things spell on her necklace to see if that would lend her any clues on how to cast a spell on the entire party, but does not come up with any useful information. She promises to continue to look into it though, and we begin our journey along the road once again. 

Another week passed before we saw anything other than flowers and corn fields. We came to a break in the fields where we saw a large, well kept farm, with workers out in the fields. We noticed that one of the workers was running towards the party carrying a pack on his shoulders.

The large man hailed the party loudly, and asked directly if he could join us to help kill the dragon. We looked wryly at the farm hand, and asked him pointedly who he was, and if he knew what he is getting himself into. He told us his name was Scott, and that his boss told him to go get hired on with a caravan. He told us that he was bored with farm life and looking for some adventure, then asked for a going rate of three silver a week. We chuckled a bit at this, knowing that he would soon have more than he likely would ever know what to do with, and with a glance at one another, agreed to let him join us. 

We traveled on for another few hours and then made camp for the night. That evening, Jaeger and Scott got into a wrestling match to see if they could prove who was stronger. I watched the male display for a moment, before shaking my head and returning to my studies, meditations, and tea. 

The next morning, I requested that we wait a while, as the season had turned and I wanted to do the rituals for springtime properly. I took the time and moved a little away from the party. I could tell that the ring of mushrooms surrounding this place still dampened my connection with my ancestors, and I felt the distance keenly. I was able to successfully complete the spells and rituals though, and their culmination made me feel some better. 

I returned to the camp in time to see a live goat fall from the sky with a bewildered bleat. Scott caught the goat easily and tossed it towards Osman, who was not so skilled at catching farm animals and instead caught the confused animal with his face. Both he and the goat toppled over with a surprised cry, but thankfully neither was overly harmed. Scott walked over to calm the goat down, and he asked quite confused where the goat came from. Osman sat up and explained that, where he comes from, once a year goats fall from the sky if you said the right words.

The rest of the party laughed at this, but I gave them all a disapproving look at the deception, making a mental note that I should not take any of them at their word when they spoke in Common. 

Scott and Jaeger got into another wrestling match, and while they grappled with one another, I made my way over to where Lan and KelLyn were sitting. We began to discuss how to potentially break the fairy ring here, and the ramifications that such an action might cause. I mentioned that I got the strong feeling that, while Glenda may have been one of those who had worked hard to control her own destiny, that she had aided us in her own way, and may not be so opposed to the return of natural order here. 

The next morning, we all woke up to the goat making a horrible racket right near Osman's ear. Scott looked at the goat with the critical eye of an experienced farm hand and promptly stated that the goat wasn't right in the head, but seemed physically healthy. Osman tried to talk to it, but this only led to more loud bleats from the goat, and confusion on Osman's behalf as he tried to figure out what his godsend was trying to tell him. 

The goat kept acting strangely, bleating loudly, stumbling around, and running into everything. We eventually decided to break camp and move on with the noisy animal in tow. Even the horses were eyeing the goat warily, and as we travelled, Scott eventually became fed up with the noise and threatened to knock the goat out if Osman couldn't quiet it. This, naturally, caused an argument to break out, and I took note of the aggression between Osman and Scott. KelLyn stated that the goat seemed to be magical, and as they argued, I watched the goat. After another moment of everyone yelling at each other, I calmly stepped in the middle of the argument and pointed to the goat, who was happily, noisily, and woozily munching on the crimson flowers that were growing near the roadside. 

The argument ceased then, and Osman quickly pulled the disgruntled goat away from his colorful feast. Osman put a muzzle on the goat to prevent it from eating any more of the addicting drug flowers, and travel afterward proceded quietly. It took an entire day for the goat to come down off of whatever it was in the flowers that made it so delirious, and it became obvious that if we had gone through the forest of flowers instead of taking the long way around, we would have been lost ourselves. 

Eventually we came to the fork in the road that Glenda had told us about, and we decided to keep to the straight path, feeling like we were not yet prepared to enter Emer itself. We followed the path until we came to an enormous and ornate wrought iron fence that surrounded a large and immaculately kept campus with several stately buildings scattered among the green grasses and shrubs. The presence of iron here was curious, and the sheer amount of it was impressive. It was obviously meant to repel and keep out fairies of all kinds, and Lan was distinctly uncomfortable.

We discussed it with her, and we all agreed that she should stay outside of the fence with the cart and the bulk of our belongings, as we did not want the presence of the iron to injure her. Scott agreed to stay with the cart, and Jaeger also offered to remain behind. Tobias, Osman, KelLyn, and I walked up to the decorative gate, and we are guided to the administration building. 

Once inside, a round little man walked up and welcomed us all to the university. He explained that the library was open to all who wished to study, and that they offered a variety of courses for those who wished to learn. He recognized  KelLyn immediately, and warned her sternly not to cast any magic anywhere on campus. He pulled out a lengthy liability waiver that he requested that she sign as agreement, and she grumpily agreed. 

Tobias inquired about what classes were offered, and after hearing the descriptions, expressed interest in some. He was informed that those he was most interested in were already in session, and it was too late to register for them. He chose a biology and a monster knowledge class, and he was ushered off to where the classroom areas were located. 

I expressed my simple desire to visit the library, and I was shown the way to the great gold doors. Osman follows me to the library, and once through the doors I approached the librarian to ask for guidance in my search for knowledge. 

The librarian looks at me kindly, and asked what I was searching for, and I requested - to start with - a history of this area, and any information they could find for me about the sylvan tree. He disappeared among the books and scrolls, and after a while came back to me with a cart full to overflowing with texts.

I am able to learn much of what happened to create this place as it is now, and only a little about the tree. From what I learned, the elves that were here had arrived early after the crater was formed, and planted the sylvan tree over the wellspring at it's heart. The elves were loathe to share the sight of the tree with anyone else though, and were loathe to leave the tree unguarded. They built a wall around the city to protect the tree, and over time become complacent, and were central in provoking conflicts between the four quadrants. 

The city was impossible to take, with the wall that the elves had built, importing rocks from Al-Auld mines, which were now known as the "Border of Death." The dragon came down from the caves to the north, and seeing the city, dug up the entire road to prevent easy access to the city, and carried the hoard of gold to the center of the city which he made his dwelling. 

The tree in the center was crushed by the fae dragon and the dragon used the sap to encase a man who had attacked him so that he wouldn't rise up against him again. I recalled the ghost castle where the knight encased in sap had rested, and did not tell the librarian about what we had done.

the librarian goes on to tell me that the dragon continued to monitor the treasure he had gathered at the center of the city, and that as a fae, the dragon was susceptible to iron. Magic was generally unreliable here, and each quadrant was essentially now an empire of their own. The entire crater was under an extreme amount of magical tension. 

Among the texts and writings was also a detailed map of the entire area, and I asked the librarian to have the map transcribed. They agreed to do so, and when I offer to pay for it with some old platinum coins from my own purse, they sternly tell me that platinum is cursed and that they will not accept it. I relay this information to the party, recalling the warning that Shalev had given them when they picked up the platinum bars from the ghost castle. They made a sound of derision when I told them my own concerns, mirroring the thoughts of both Shalev and the librarian, and I tried to get them again to avoid using the platinum. An argument about finances broke out, and I asked simply if they wanted the map, or not. They grudgingly said that they did, and so I used some of the party funds to purchase the map, staying well clear of even touching the platinum bars that had been picked up.

I returned then to the library with the gold required, and returned as well to my studies of the area. 

 .oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

The Lost City - The Queen's Apples

Previously in our story...

Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness.” 
― Hermann Hesse, Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Shalev, Lan, Yaeger, Tobias and I traveled quickly to try to catch up with the rest of the party. Unencumbered, we made good time, and arrived at the small town just as night fell. We saw the cart parked just outside of the only inn, guarded by a small terrified looking boy of about 8. Shalev approached the cart, only to be sternly rebuffed by the trembling child who said "She said no one was to approach the cart, sir."

Shalev looked at the child for a moment, then silently turned to enter the inn with the rest of us following him. He has said very little over the past day or so, still being mostly lost with his internal contemplations of what Ma'at had chosen to reveal to him beside the lake.

We saw Osman sitting at a table in the middle of the common area, but Fife and KelLyn were nowhere to be seen. Osman told us KelLyn was upstairs and Fife had departed almost as soon as they had arrived, stating that he no longer felt comfortable traveling with us. Shalev blinked once at this news, then sighed and walked over to the innkeeper only to find that nothing had been arranged for the rest of the party. He spoke with the innkeeper to arrange room and board for us and the animals for four nights. Shalev inquired as to whether or not it was acceptable to have Amit stay with him, and the innkeeper replied, with a pale faced glance at the giant cat, that it would be preferable to the alternative. When asked about facilities, the innkeeper informed us all that a bath was included with the room. I promptly decided to make use of the luxury, and disappeared upstairs.

The rooms were small but well kept and tidy, and there was a large bath tub in the center of the space. The tub was made of a single piece of a tree trunk that had been hollowed out and polished until it shone. Out of curiosity, I touched the wood to see if I could sense anything about it. The wood was from a very old tree, and someone had used a modify plant spell at a very high level to create it. I ran my hand over the smooth surface and then sank myself into the heated water with a sigh. It had been a while since such a luxury was available, and so I spent long moments simply enjoying the feel of being clean. Afterward, I gave my adventuring clothes a good wash, laid them out flat to dry, and donned my blue and silver dress, wanting to feel something other than the worn traveling clothes against my skin. I let my hair fall free and then made my way down the stairs to take a seat by the fireplace where I ordered a bowl of the odd but delicious root vegetables that the inn's cook had prepared and made some tea. As I sat there in the corner, sipping my tea and watching the other guests, I noticed a rather nondescript man also sitting by the fire.

KelLyn descended the stairs shortly after that, also wearing better robes and appearing freshly scrubbed. Shalev approached her and asked if she would go relieve the boy watching the cart so that Shalev could add a few things to the inventory. She does so, and Shalev noted that when Fife left, he left almost all of this possessions with the cart. The only things that he took with him were the potions he carried, the trident, a small bag of smaller coins, and the sword that they pulled out of the ceiling at Lacosta's tower.

Returning to the fire, Shalev brought me a list of the wine collection that also came from that tower, and he asked me to help him categorize the bottles for value. I helped him do so, and over the next several hours, also helped him rewrite the list properly. I chose one of the better vintages to enjoy during the process, and also earmarked about 20 bottles or so of the best vintages to keep for my own. As we worked, I noticed Osman trying to engage the stranger by the fire in conversation, but he seemed to get nowhere with the exchange.

At dawn, Shalev and Osman came down to head to the farmer's market to restock the supplies, and they noticed the same man sitting by the fireside. He seemed to be in the same exact place that he had been before, and when Shalev inquired to the innkeeper, he was told that the man had been there just like that for four days straight. Shalev approached the man and asked if he would like something to eat, and what he might like, and the man looked at him blankly before replying "flavorful" before blinking once and turning back to the fire. Shalev took some of the spices that he had back to the kitchens to have the chef add them to a meal for the man.

After that he and Osman headed down to the markets. I walked along with them, helping them restock the cart with a variety of fruits and vegetables. A farmer came in a short time later, driving a cart laden with large red globes. As soon as he appeared, a crowd immediately began to form around his cart, and the farmer began to auction off the fruit - apples. He called them the Queen's apples, plucked from the queen's orchards and that they only came in once a year. The townsfolk began loudly bidding for the fruit, and Shalev and Osman also joined them. Shalev purchased 14 apples, and Osman bought 10 more for his own consumption. Shalev asked the farmer how long the fruit would keep, and the farmer looked at him oddly before stating that he had never seen anyone wait to eat the fruits. Shalev bit into one of them with a crunch, and within mere moments had finished the entire thing. He nodded in affirmation that the fruit was delicious, and then as he walked past me, handed me the seeds of  the fruit to keep in store for later. I decided to stay there at observe the crowds for a time, and Shalev and Osman ventured off to find armor and weaponry.

As I watched the stock of apples dwindle down to the last 20 or so, a portly man - noble in appearance - came up and began bidding for the rest. I watched him for a moment, and decided to bid the apples up, as he looked like he could afford it, and the farmer looked like he could use the extra income. As the bidding war continued between us, I realized that there was more at stake here than just a handful of apples, as the farmer goaded the merchant noble into offering his daughter's hand to the farmer's son in marriage. I looked at the young man and asked him quietly if this was what he wanted. He looked at me, wide eyed, and said that it was. I ceded defeat at this, and after the noble grudgingly carried the high-priced apples away, I turned to the farmer and asked if it would be possible to visit the orchards.

The farmer said that he would be happy to have my company, and Tobias and I traveled with him back to the orchards. I saw the trees before we even got close. The apple orchard was enormous and so very old, and these were the largest apple trees I had ever seen. As we walked up, the trees began to shout angry insults at the farmer. Tobias blinked in surprise at this, and I asked the trees why they were being so insulting. The trees told me that the farmer insulted them and stole their children, and the farmer said that shouting insults at the trees made them throw apples to him as it was the only way to get any to sell. I noticed that the apples that had fallen to the ground were bruised and rotten, and I asked if they would be willing to come to an understanding. The trees became insulting and they called me a city elf and a tree killer. I informed them that I was not one of those elves, but that I would deal with them very soon. The trees told me then that those elves were all dead, and tentatively agreed to talk.

I spent several moments in conversation with the trees and the farmer, in an attempt to help them reach an agreement between each other. The trees agreed to stop insulting the farmer and share some of the fruit if the farmer agreed to expand the orchards, keep them protected, and stop insulting them in return. The farmer looked thoughtful for a moment, as if amicably discussing this had never crossed his mind before now. He agreed to the terms, and then said that he would have to save up to purchase the neighboring fields. I promptly handed him a bag full of gold pieces to help with the purchase, and the farmer said that he couldn't accept it. I told him, truthfully, that it was just shiny metal to me, and that it would be better served in his hands to help with the expansion of the orchards.

At that moment, an older tree spoke up in a grinding voice that I was one of the Immortals and that he should listen to me. The farmer paled and took the money with thanks, and the other trees in the orchard became very quiet at this revelation. After a moment of startled silence, the trees apologized to me, and I accepted the apology with grace. I asked the trees if they would like a guardian, and again there was a startled moment of quiet. They asked me if I had one, and I told them that I did. They showed me to an area on the northeastern corner of the orchard where the oldest tree had died. The ground was thick with old dead roots, and nothing else grew there. I asked the trees if it would hurt them to remove the roots, and the trees declined, saying that the roots had been long dead. As the farmer started to move in to tear the roots up, I stopped him with a gentle gesture. I made my way to the center of the area and knelt down to touch the ground, I used some of my power to cause the roots to rot to a rich mulch in a 6 foot circle. I took one of my ent seedlings carefully in hand and planted it deep within the rich earth. I thought for a moment, and then took the unidentified pouch with the create earth spell on it and planted it deep beside the seed. I felt a rush of heat as the seed drew power from the object, causing it to crumble to dust around the newly sprouted roots which curled gently around my fingers. I quickly but carefully removed my hand from the earth,and a moment later, a small sapling pushed up through the earth and stretched it's arms out with a sigh.

I nodded at the work, feeling tired but accomplished, and informed the farmer that the ent would protect his groves, and that in turn he was to protect the ent. The farmer snarked at the fact that he would have yet another talking tree, and I warned him solidly that this grove and this ent were entrusted to him to protect from now on. I would return to check on him, and he subsided into silence as he began to realize what I had gifted him with. He made some notes to build a protective fence around the ent's clearing and the orchard to help protect against thieves. The trees all rustled with their approval and also agreed to act as protectors as they had agreed until the guardian was old enough to protect himself.

I added a blessing to the orchards, and then Tobias and I began walking back toward town and then inn. As we walked, the trees reached branches down, and I held a hand up to brush along them in greeting. Tobias stared at me, and at the trees, but walked quietly beside me along the road, lost in his own thoughts of my display of power. I knew that if we stayed on the road that the trees would protect us, and we made it back to town without incident.

Once we made it back to the inn, we walked in to see the rest of the party conversing with the nondescript stranger, who had introduced himself simply as Ashley. I noticed that both Osman and Lan sported new, fitted armor, and that Shalev had a bundle of black silks in one arm. As I took my seat by the fire, Ashley turned to me and asked in halting common "what do you do?" I thought about this for a moment before responding simply "I live."

Later that day, I walked with Shalev over to the poorer side of town, as he had requested my company to help him examine the poor and sick to see who could be aided. As Shalev and Lan worked to heal and feed those who needed it most, I traveled back to the farmer to inquire if he would need any additional help with the groves. He declined the help, and I told him that there were those in town who might need a job later on. He agreed to check if the need arose, and I made my way back to town again. I spent the rest of my time in front of the fire, studying my book on sacred druidry and sipping tea.

I did go by the armorer at Shalev's request, but found that they could not make better than I already wore. We also visited the apiary where Shalev eagerly purchased about 20 lbs of honey (about 40 half-pint jars). I also purchased 3 small jars of the honey for my own use, and Shalev also purchased a keg of good beer as a gesture of goodwill for KelLyn. I am happy to see that they at least treat each other civilly now.

Ashley still sat by the fire when we returned, and I offered him some tea. He drank it without comment, and Shalev asked where we were to go next. As he did, he pulled out another apple to eat, and offered one to Ashley. Ashley tore the fruit in half with his bare hands and sniffed at it curiously. He took a bite, and then within moments had consumed it all, saying with the first real inflection I had heard in his voice "THAT was flavorful."

Shalev repeated the question about where to go next, and I stated that I would like to visit the university here, as I was interested in finding the journals and maps of the wizard who had been here before. Osman turned to Ashley and asked if he would like to travel with us, as it would be a good way for him to learn new things. Jaeger looked at me and said something in orcish which I did not understand, then turned to glare at Osman. It is my guess that he is wary of picking up additional party members, and I wonder if Shalev should remind him gently that it wasn't so long ago that he was the new one among us.

Ashley contemplated the offer to travel with us for a moment or two, then agreed. We packed up our things and made preparations to leave the following morning. The animals had been well cared for and appeared fit and well fed for their time in the stables. Once we got the cart hooked up, I took the apple seeds that Shalev had given me, and planted them in my small traveling garden, next to the tea tree saplings. I decided to ride in the cart for a while, since I was already here, and found a comfortable place to sit and continue my studies.

We traveled around toward Yup castle, where we had been advised by the brownies to inform the people there that Lacosta was no longer a worry. As we neared the area where Locasta's tower was, the horses became skittish, and the ground began to rumble and shake, cracking up from underneath. I quickly climbed out of the cart, and Shalev was able to steer it clear and back away form the hole that suddenly opened up in the ground.

The hole grew rapidly, and a full circle of teeth appeared around the edge. Lan was still on her horse, and was not able to handle the animal skillfully enough to make her way clear of the threat. Osman, thinking quickly, threw a rope with a grappling hook on it to Lan, and she grabbed it. She jumped off of her horse and Shalev and Osman yanked closer to safety. Free of it's rider, Lan's horse was able to scramble up to solid ground and ran over near the cart. They were not able to get her clear of the closing jaws, however, and as they began to close, Jaeger began to chant and wave his hands in a spell. Two large hands made of earth appeared on either side of the jaws, holding the giant mouth open with tremendous strength. Shalev and Osman tried again to pull Lan clear, but there was a groaning sound and one of the giant hands disintegrated back into dirt as the mouth of the now visible great purple worm snapped shut.

Lan was trapped inside, and Osman continued to try to pull her free. Ashley began to cast a spell, and as he worked, his appearance began to change and blur around the edges. Jaeger responded to Ashley's spell by casting one of his own, and Shalev grabbed the javelin from the cart. He ran to attack the worm, and I, realizing that my bow would be useless here, drew my sword to attack where I could. Shalev was successful with his attacks, and he managed to visibly wound the creature. I was also able to hit it, and as I did, the sword once again began to sing. Once the blade struck the hard purple hide, it screamed and sparks flew off as I knocked several scales loose.

Ashley's spell went off and it looked like he was on fire, though he did not appear to be taking any damage from the flames. Jaeger's spell also went off, and the giant purple worm fell to the ground with a loud groan. It was not dead, but it seemed to have lost all will to live, and just lay there on the ground. Osman, giving up the attempt to pull Lan free, moved to summon an elemental, and Ashley also made motions to cast another spell. Jaeger, noticing that some of the scales were loose, ran over to grab one of them.

Shalev struck the worm again and again, and I took the chance to stab at it through one of the revealed patches of skin behind the scales. Jaeger grabbed one of the scales and began casting a spell that I recognized as one KelLyn had cast on the dragon to draw it's essence down into a point. Osman summoned a fire elemental and asked it to go burn a hole through the worm to get to Lan. Ashely's spell also went off then, and the great worm turned transparent. Shalev finished the beast off and then quickly began cutting in to free Lan. Osman and Lan dismissed their summoned elementals, as Lan had also summoned a small fire elemental while she was trapped inside the mouth of the worm. Just before they were dismissed, I heard Ashley say very clearly in a tone of happiness "people!" After Lan was freed, Shalev donned the tapestry gloves and protective clothing he had crafted in the swamp, before beginning to cut his way through to the now -visible treasure in the worm's stomach. He retrieved 2 long swords of average craft, a shield of average craft, a rough hewn building brick made of emerald, and a large egg shaped black stone.

Shalev showed it to me, and I recognized it as a black sapphire, but could not give him any more information than that. Shalev offered it to Jaeger, and Jaeger took a look at it and said something in dwarfish that made Shalev quickly but gently put the stone on the ground. He told KelLyn that the stone is magical, and she promptly picked it up and identified it as having an extremely powerful Modify Human spell on it. She claimed it for herself and quickly became lost in the study of it. Shalev and Jaeger pull off 4 of the foot-long teeth to turn into a matching set of knives.

We moved a safe distance away and made camp, and Shalev expressed interest in trying to take some of the transparent hide to turn into an invisible armor of sorts.

 .oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

The wizard's quest to restore the sylvan tree strikes close to home for me. Despite being told that there is no way to regrow a sylvan tree, I have not lost hope that it would be possible to restore one to health, should it be willing. Those notes and maps might give me some of the answers I seek. 

Shalev seems to have returned to his roots, after a fashion. Focusing more on being a fighter and a ranger than a paladin. This is good, I think. This crisis of faith that he is experiencing will either draw him to or push him away from Ma'at, but that is ultimately for him to decide. 

The more I consider this place and all we have learned about the area, the more I think that the dragon is trapped here within the fairy ring. It makes me wonder if  killing it is necessary. Goddess knows it could take us out any time it wants to, and yet it has refrained from attack. It is food for thought. 

We have lost one party member, and gained a new one. I hope Fife finds peace with his decision to leave, and may his adventures lead him to all the riches and glory he desires. As for Ashley? He appears to be another spell caster, albeit an eccentric one. His speech patterns are odd, but my understanding of common is only rudimentary as well, so it could be just a lack of understanding. 

One of the ents that I was given care of has been planted. It felt *right* to do so, and what better place for one of the guardians than in an enchanted apple orchard. I know that the trees there will protect him, as he will grow to protect them in return. The farmer does not seem to realize what he has been gifted with, but I trust him to hold to his word to protect the groves and the grounds as he promised. I will make a note to return in time to check on them once these adventures are done. I have one more entling to care for in the mean time, and like this one, I will know when the time and place are right to find it a home. 

The eighth man

After the battle with the giants, the party decided to rest and recuperate for a day as we waited for the effects of the Slow spell to wear off of Amit. While we rested, Ishmael used the down time to practice his craft, and he made several tubes of varying sizes out of the metals he carries.

The next day we broke camp and traveled on. Shortly up the road, we came across a very large oak tree that had been recently split by lightning. At the base of the tree lay a man in obvious distress, and a second man was there tending to the injured person. The second man stated that his name was Osman, from the desert area. He spoke desert common in a dialect that Tobias, Shalev, and I all recognized, and seemed quite taken aback when Tobias offered him a formal desert greeting. He returned the greeting somewhat timidly, and then told the party about how he came across the wounded man, and had been tending to his wounds.

As he conversed with the rest of the party, I went over to check on the oak tree to see what could be done. I was able to determine that the tree was still alive, and I attempted to cast a basic druidic spell to help heal the tree. There was no visible effect, but I felt like I succeeded to some degree. Perhaps my spell was able to give it the strength it needed to sustain itself during the regrowth process? Only time will tell, but I could not just leave it there without trying something.

I came back over to the party to see Shalev check the wounded man, and then give him a healing potion. As he regained consciousness, we asked him gently who he was and what he could remember. He said that his name was Bartow, - this is the man that the Count tasked us to find - and that he faked his death in order to discover what happened in the area, but was unfortunately captured anyway. He managed to escape, but was wounded in the process and that the last thing he remembered was collapsing by the great oak tree.

Bartow went on to describe the enemies he faced in great detail – including verifying that the old man did in fact seem to be a harbinger of attack. He described the old man to us as being short of stature and wearing nondescript brown and green rags. He told us of the prisoners that were lead behind the Inn at Waycam, and warned that he did not know what else we might face.

 He seemed confused and still weak from his ordeal, and Osman chimed in at that point telling his side of the story – How he found Bartow gravely wounded, and took cautious steps to care for him during his time of need. Osman then stated that he is a scholar from the desert areas with some knowledge of the lizard folk and that he had ventured out to enhance his knowledge of the creatures. This struck the entire party as rather foolish, as Osman appeared to be neither armed nor armored, nor did he carry any supplies with him. He mentioned quietly that he knew some few spells that he had used to keep himself fed and mildly protected along the way, and I wondered then at how much more there was to this new stranger.

Fife and KelLyn both quipped with wry humor that the peoples of the desert seemed to be everywhere. I wisely kept my opinions to myself on the matter, but took small note of the nature of the gripe. Given the infighting that has gone on between the other party members to date, there might be concern for the mentality of “us vs. them” which, while not the case in the slightest, could cause trouble later on. It’s worth keeping a watchful eye on anyway. I have come to admire or respect each of the party members in their own way, and am loathe to see any rift between them grow.

As Bartow was still obviously weakened, and in no shape to guide us forward, Shalev equipped him with a horse and enough supplies to get him to the Robin’s Breast in safely, then sent him on his way with his word of honor that he would inform the count of our promise to find him, and of our continued progress to restore Waycam and clear the Evil out of the Swamp.

Since Osman had some small knowledge of the lizard men that we faced, and we could provide first-hand knowledge of the creatures, we agreed that he could join the group and travel with us; and after sending Bartow on his way, we gathered our small caravan and continued on for another few hours.

During the third watch that evening, Fife heard voices that forewarned “They’re not moving. Kill them now!”  He immediately threw a spear towards the voices and shouted to KelLyn to wake the party. The monsters attacked Fife, and he again relied on his skills with the spear and his extensive knowledge of boar hunting to kill one of the creatures with his first hit to the face.

Tobias and Shalev were the first to awaken fully, and they also immediately engaged the remaining monsters, only to see two additional foes appear just over the ridge about 60 feet away. Fife then shifted his attack to the new foes while Shalev and Tobias closed with the ogres that were attacking Fife.


KelLyn, having woken the rest of the party, then engaged and cast a spell on the end of Fife’s spear which turned it white-hot. Fife’s aim was true, as it always appears to be, and the spear exploded against the ogre’s face with a shower of molten metal and slag. Fife reacted to the explosion like a child with a new toy, and promptly urged KelLyn to do it again. As she prepared a new spell, Tobias and Shalev took down the two ogres that they battled, and the others turned to flee.

I managed to get a shot off at one of the running ogres, and shortly after that KelLyn's spell goes off.. predictably badly, causing a deafening cone of sound to detonate off into the swamp to the right. Shalev called for Amit to catch and kill the remaining running ogre, and Amit took off like a bolt to attack. Amit used his magically enhanced claws to rake the back of the fleeing ogre, and slowed it down long enough for Ishmael to smash it in the foot with his mace to take it down entirely.

With all of the enemies taken care of, we search their remains to discover more of the embroidered money pouches, this time with 50 silver in each. We check the party members for injuries, and discover that Amit was radiating an evil aura because of the effect of using the magical ability of his claws. Shalev was alarmed by this, and cast dispell evil on Amit, thinking it would cause the aura to disperse. Unfortunately, it caused a grievous wound to the great cat instead, and Amit collapsed. Shalev managed to get a healing potion into him quickly, and the wound was terrible enough that even with the effects of the potion, it took an hour for Amit's wounds to close and knit.

Amit was understandably distressed, and was very wary about letting anyone near him for quite a while after that. Only Lan and KelLyn were able to approach him and they fed him some of the salmon we had in our stores. They managed to get him to calm down enough to allow me to approach him - though with a deep warning growl - and I was able to cast a simple healing spell on him. It felt as if it were successful, and I thanked the god and goddess that he was well, and asked them to add some small blessing to Amit to help aid his recovery.

Shalev was heartbroken that he had caused such unintentional harm to his friend, and he spent quite a long time in prayer to Ma'at. I do not know what it was that she said to him, but after he emerged from his meditations, he asked for a goat so that he could perform a specific rite. She appears, for the first time, to have answered him directly, and that intimate conversation seems to have had some effect on Shalev. Perhaps his goddess has started him on the next steps of his path as a Paladin to her name? Time will tell there, I think. Though he has gained a measure of confidence with his position, he still appears to have some reservations about how he should proceed in some cases. I am concerned that he seems to gravitate towards rigid law, as opposed to the sense of balance that Ma'at represents.

I will pull him aside when I get a moment to gently remind him that balance is not necessarily about always doing the good thing or the right thing, but that maintaining balance can sometimes mean allowing something bad to happen as well. This will be one of his most difficult lessons, I fear, and I hope that I can guide him with what little advice I can give.

On an interesting note, it appears evident that Osman is also a cleric or a paladin of sorts, as he emerged from his tents radiating a sense of faith and power. This would explain his lack of equipment or weapons when we found him, and it bears not only noting, but some careful observation as well. We know little about this new party member so far, and it will be interesting to discover more about him.

Later that afternoon, after the party had rested a little while, we continued down the road and eventually came across the remains of a ravaged village. Fields were burned, houses destroyed. The only remaining structure of any stability was the Inn. The Inn was also gutted and deserted, save for the innkeeper, who was trying to rapidly pack what belongings he could in preparation to leave. The innkeeper informed us that this was, indeed, what was left of Waycam; and he went on to describe the enormous flying creature that came out at night, as well as the crazy old man who squatted on the northern edge of the ruins here. He recalled that the road through here went north to the mountains, or continued straight to the desert, then went on to say that we could keep what wine we found in the inn, for he was leaving and didn't care much what else happened here.

It is possible that he was originally party to the destruction of the village in the first place, but we will never know for certain. After he left, we spent some time searching the remains of the inn, but found nothing remaining of any value. We then continued warily to the north, towards the old man, recalling the warnings that he was possibly some form of harbinger to attacks. We found the poor wretch to the north, in a semi-livable hut, singing to himself about others that had been carried off to the "bad lair". His rambling sing-song told us of Sacatha the great lizard king, who would come to rescue all and renew his kingdom. He knows how to get to the bad place on his raft, but that he would not go there. that he was to remain behind and bear witness to the destruction of all.

We managed to get him to agree to take us out to show us his raft. We left the horses at the stables near the inn, and agreed to hide the bulk of our supplies under the floorboards of the inn to retrieve should we return from the swamp. KelLyn promptly threw a hissyfit about her books, but finally stated crossly that as she did not trust any of the other party members with her things, and agreed to wrap them in oil cloth and hide them with the rest of the supplies. While KelLyn was arguing about her possessions, and angrily muttering about having to choose what to bring with her, Lan discovered that the old man was actually cursed with madness. After several more moments, and some more angry diatribe from KelLyn about being interrupted, Lan managed to convince her to see if she could help remove the curse from the old man. KelLyn reluctantly agreed, and drew a circle on the ground to call the power she needed to break the curse. She was successful, and as soon as she had completed the spell, she went back to sorting through her belongings.

The old man - who was now quite lucid - told us that he remembered fishing, and then being captured. That he was supposed to watch the people to see where they burned. The realization of all he had borne witness to sank in with a shocking realization, and the old man wailed at what he had done. In shock, and wounded to the soul at what had happened here, he tried to kill himself. We were unfortunately not fast enough to stop him from wounding himself, but we succeeded at removing the dagger from his chest and healing him completely before the wound could complete his desire. We promised him gently that he would have a chance to make things right. We sat him down carefully, wrapped him in a warm blanket, and gave him a little food and water to help calm him down.

He wearily told us that the tomb is actually real, and he made the offer to take us there on the raft. At that point Shalev boldly stated that he would destroy the evil, or die trying. Osman and I looked at each other in alarm, as we felt a clerical spell discharge, and we realized that Shalev had managed to geas himself to the task; quite possibly geasing the entire party to the same quest.

I do not think that the rest of the party was paying close enough attention to realize what Shalev had done. It alarms me that he made such a broad statement of intent, and that such a statement carried such a powerfully binding effect. He is still very cavalier with his own life, and it is my quiet thought that perhaps I should remind him that he is both a valued friend to me, and an essential member of the group. I do not know if the binding effect of the geas affects only Shalev, or will affect the entire group.  I fear what may come of this, but I promise to see it through to whatever end may come.