Bardic Lore

Another parchment toughen is tacked onto the corkboard, written in common with a scholarly penmanship and smelling of swamp water

• "Again," replied my olve companion, completely shrouded in her long black cloak as she gave the command. The archers had already drawn another arrow and began to take aim at the orc bandits, far from their home from the Pomarj. My eyes were drawn to what was underneath the cloak, her clothes shimmered a pearlescent silver. It matched the pair of ornate longswords - one silver and one gold, you could see the encrusted jewels occasionally when she loosen her hold on their hilts. The mercenary captain of the hunting party turned to me once more and answered my question with one of her own, "Vampires?"
  
  From my interview with the olve mercenary captain, I learned a great deal about the new locale that I'm currently investigating. If one would travel south of Ford Keep along the Selintan River, eventually one would reach a treacherous boggy marsh four days travel by river boat. The Rhenne and the Hobniz believe the land to be haunted and avoid the land. Most river merchants take note of it and continue onward. Only mosquitos seem to be quite abundant and is the reason why people call it the Mosquito Bayou. Travel slows at best to a crawl and at worst vanishes into deep pools of mud and brackish water. Were it not for the existence of a old cobbled road, some parts would quite possibly be nigh inaccessible. A perpetual fog seems to cling to this area, lending the land a moist chill even during the heat of the day.
  
  Local legends place the Mosquito Bayou as the domain of a lurking terror, known as the Nightshade. A shape-shifting horror that can blend flesh like clay and devour people whole as a living darkness. The Nightshade supposedly made it's lair in a old noble estate, a residence that once belonged to a even older legend: the Drachen Family, or also known as the Dark Heart Clan among some social circles. A family with a fell reputation that dabbled in necromancy and was exiled from the Free City after a scandal. One of the more infamous members of the Drachen family would be the necromancer known as the Corpsereliver, a reputed lich. The Mosquito Bayou is also debated by bards to be the headquarters of a coven of vampires that call themselves the Darkness, practitioners of terror tactics and many criminal activities, most notably kidnapping and blackmail. A new incarnation of the coven would be the current Sanguine Sisterhood that recently made a pledge to bring terror and chaos to the stability of the land. If the coven is or was around, one would have to speculate their relationship with the Nightshade.
  
  When I visited the Bayou, I had to contend against the hordes of little insectoid vampires trying to find a weak point in my defenses. I never did find the old Drachen estate, the Nightshade, or any Sanguine sister. But I did find a portal. To a land where the skies are always dreary grey, covered with clouds at all times of the day. The soil black as night and no grass in sight. It was a complete parallel to the old surrounding bayou that I left behind. I didn't dare brave any further and returned to the world that I and you know, in case that I would be trapped in that twilight shadow world. Ruled by the Nuit of Bats and Shadows.

Another parchment toughen is tacked onto the corkboard, written in common with a scholarly penmanship.

• Magepoint. This small, sleepy, idyllic village appears, at face value, to be an archetypal farming and fishing community. Well-tended fields and meadows surround the village proper, while many fishing boats bob at anchor along the village’s dock. Located east of Elmshire, it is also under the protection of the legendary archmage, Tenser. I sat across from my contact within Chauncy's roadhouse, a lean muscled man with alabaster skin and long silver hair. He dressed in adventurer's garb, one accustomed to travel and hosting a tiny arsenal of weapons. My eyes studied the crystal glaive that rested against his chair, until his cough brought me back to the subject at hand. "Tell me about the fiends." I asked.
  
  In 586 CY, Drax the Invulnerable traded the Crook of Rao back to Veluna in exchange for magic items more useful to the city of Rel Astra. In Coldeven of that year, Canon Hazen of Veluna conducted a ritual using the Crook that banished most of the demons in the Old One's armies, as well as many other fiends all over the continent, if not the world. "This is the common story heard and repeated by many grey beards." sneered my contact. "But I know many a adventurer who would argue against this claim. What people don't know is what the Church of Rao is trying to silence. That the bloody monsters are still out there"
  
  Considered heresy by the Raoan church and punishable in Veluna, the story explains about how three Raoan priests were tricked into betraying the Canon before the ritual. They accepted magical curses which transcribed the true names of 101 demons onto their skin in the forms of magical tattoos. These 303 demons were not banished. Some even say that most of the powerful demons left of their own accord to make the Flight of Fiends appear more successful than it truly was.
  
  In 587 CY, a former priest of Rao, recently converted to Saint Cuthbert's faith, discovered an evil warlord had been corrupted by a devil in disguise. He eventually founded a new religious sect, the Order of the Rosey Cross of Truth. This new order would track down other devils living among mortals in disguise. "How many did they catch?" I asked. Which he responded "plenty." In the aftermath of the Flight of Fiends, the Canon has rarely been seen due to a weakened condition and the Crook is rumored to have lost most of its power. After our interview, I recalled a old Wainford folk story about a devilish character.
  
  Tom Walker is a miser who worships money more than he does his miserly wife. This is until he takes a walk in the swamp and starts up a conversation with a devil called 'Old Scratch'. Old Scratch strikes up a deal with Tom Walker: he offers the riches hidden in the swamp by river pirates in exchange for Tom's employment under Old Scratch. Tom agrees to think about it, and returns home. Burdened with this secret, he mentions it to his greedy wife. When he is not there, Tom's wife takes all the valuables in the house and goes to make a deal with Old Scratch. When Tom goes in search of his wife, all he can find of her is her heart and liver in her apron tied to a tree. Tom Walker then agrees to the deal with Old Scratch (his wife was abusive towards him and he considered her death at the hand of Old Scratch a good thing).
  
  Tom agrees to become a loan shark. Tom constantly swindles people out of money, until he suddenly becomes fearful for the after-life. He then starts to become fiercely dedicated to St. Cuthbert, always keeping a holy book at hand. When, one day, a person who had borrowed money from him and is asking for clemency blames Tom for taking his money, Tom says, "The Devil take me if I have made but a copper!" At this time, there are three loud knocks at the door. Tom is drawn towards the black cloaked figure and realizes, in horror, that he has left his holy book at his desk. Tom Walker is then taken away by the Devil on the back of a black horse and is never seen again.
  

A masquerade is an event which the participants attend in costume wearing a mask. A celebration of carnival. A masquerade is also a facade, intended to deceive and conceal. The creatures that lurk the lands of Wainford practice this masquerade, keeping their existence unknown to mortal beings. They come from other worlds, entering ours and wage private wars and seek to relieve themselves of boredom, at our expense. Since the establishment of the Cross Roads by a Sha'ir, a engimatic and powerful wizard that gains their power from alien outside sources not natural to this world, the people of Wainford has suffered and those surrounding the lands has also suffered. There has been a increase number of conflicts, deaths, unnatural births, accelerated aging, new diseases, and the spreading of cults to foreign deities not friendly to our world.

So to you out there, reading, I offer a end to the masquerade. I offer a list. The following names are those who seek to deceive us, prey on us, and lord over us. To those who are enlightened, I ask you to add to this list, so that we all will be enlightened. Pick up the torch and let the flames of truth be known to us. I shall be the first to end the masquerade.

My name is Innocenzo of the Pale, bard of Pholtus and let us take back the night.

• Titus - a demon
• Baalodias - a devil
• Rajak - a yugoloth
• Dangren - a vampire
• Elvina - a vampire
• Odessa - a devil
• Zyanya - a devil
• Ruthia - a dragon
• Xan - a demon
• Bell - a demon
• Star Bright - a vampire
• Cocaphony - a vampire
• Devaena - a yugoloth
• Atia - a devil
• Sigha - a devil
• Ashy - a devil
• Mayu - a vampire
• Raine - a vampire
• Dithigen - a vampire
• Maalgor - a devil
• Vapora - a vampire
• Jazzmyn - a vampire
• Thya - a devil
• Fatora - a shapeshifter
• Ultan - a vampire
• Ariel - a vampire

*A young woman shakes her head after reading this note. She returns awhile later with one to add of her own.*

Devils, Demons, Vampires, Dragons! Why does the town guard not cesse their activities, why does it not protect it's people! I offer more names to those who wish to be enlightened. Many of these creatures LIVE in our fair town. My name is Alycia Tubberstone, a once simple farmers daughter who got mixed in the wrong crowd...who is no longer afraid of the dark.

• Branth - a dragon
• Rainart - Assamir
• Malendor - a dragon
• Phereal - Lycanthrope
• Rammy - A dragon
• Equinox - Pixie
• Lyth - a dragon
• Brishy - Fey Touched
• Ryth - a dragon
• Hex Mark - Lycanthrope

The elf-lady is seen, pondering the boards, her eyes lit with a strange laughter, a quiet amusement that does not pass her lips un-noticed. From pocket she draws out parchment and quill, using blood as her ink, pricked from her left hand index finger.

Quaint...when all one does is watch, accused of schemes beyond the reckoning of minds and magic; purely left in the strengths of souls. Deceive you, perhaps, but you deceive yourselves with writ and lies and tales and spies. But prey and lord over you; a little presumptuous that I would care so deeply for this land or it's peoples. A mask I do wear, of polite smile and even temper; it keeps well, my livelihood.

Ariel

A second note is found, spaced from the former, sweetly written.

Ru-dear, seems we are both to be toys of lies. Perhaps there is bargaining to be done, that we might plan together...

Where came this information, and is it correct

I do hate deception, but would wish to know where the list of disguises came from and is it accurate. I confronted one such, and it was, but I hate to base my actions on a list that was inaccurate. Please let me know in so far as possible.

The dark man approaches the board, and his usual smirk grows only slightly, tacking up his own reply

So it seems that someone is attempting to pull the strings around here. Comicial in it's own deviousness perhaps, though in light of the responses so far it seems all this force has managed to do is to become a focus point for all creatures whom he's ousted becoming a common goal perhaps or in some cases a common snack. This should be entertaining to see through.
Aaron O'Connor Junior.

Light laughter escapes her lips as she reads this notice on one of her few trips to town. Though she rarely bothered stopping in the place now at days, occasionally she'd poke in to see who was about. On this day she smirks some before penning a quick notice.

Funny how ones who are rarely seen anymore, ones who honestly could care less about the schemes and lies that circle in this place, seem to be singled out in this small notice. Prehaps the one who wrote it had his hat on too tight while writing, prehaps the spies that feed the information to begin with lie. Be whatever the cause, do as you will for I honestly care not. People can not rise up against what is not there......

The flower among the vines
Ruthia

Attached undernieth a similar little note near this thread of lies, this little notice appears.

I do believe you are correct Ariel love, someone is toying with minds here. An accord could be reached, you know where to find me......