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Journals of the Five: A Forgotten Realms Tale
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<blockquote data-quote="Aust Meliamne" data-source="post: 785" data-attributes="member: 95"><p>And of course Misha, the hero of this tale. Now his story too, can be told. </p><p>Misha’s Journal Entry #1</p><p></p><p>Maybe it is something in the air, or the people, or maybe just because, but I love Amn. Born and raised in Muraan, I have Amn in my blood. I leave this place from time to time but I always come back and usually in worse company. You might be wondering who I am, Well, at least more than “me.” I am Misha Koldun, the best damn merc this side of Amn. Some know me as Burning Rose; that’s just a name I cooked up, admittedly not a good one but evocative. It’s very useful to keep the authorities off track if the need arises. Now, I am no a criminal; well, not anymore, not since my early days with the Shadow Thieves. I think I have learned a thing or two since then. You have to learn quickly on the streets, especially when you are the youngest of eight children, and smart to boot. But I was never one for playing by the rules or following the shepherd. I plot my own course. ‘Course where that has gotten me to at the moment is, well, only Selune knows, but I think I’m doomed. Maybe it’s her eyes, or her face.... wait, I’m getting ahead of myself now. Let me start at the beginning, before I start babbling like crazy.</p><p></p><p>Just a little about myself, in case any beautiful young approachable women read this masterpiece. I will describe myself as best as I can. First off, I am human; just a plain old human. I am a rather swarthy fellow, a deep hue of cinnamon with green eyes; some women think them charming. I have a sinewy build that comes from long days of travel and work, plus I take great pride in being physically active. I have wild dark-brown hair; I like it that way. Around my left ear I have three braids with twinkling colorful beads strewn upon the braids. Rather dashing I think; something I picked up on the road, though I’m not sure where or when, but I like it, as do the women. I am not too tall or short, just average I guess, but quick and strong and good with a sword. You have to be if you want to survive on the road for long and can’t rely on magic. All I need is my sword, my wits, Selune on my side, and a little luck. Thankfully, luck is one of my best skills. Anyway, back to my story.</p><p></p><p>Just a few days ago I was in the capitol of Amn, Athkatla, trying just to mind my business and lay low after a particularly harrowing encounter with some goblins as a guard for a merchant’s caravan. We came a long way from the Dales, but it felt good to be in Amn once more. Did I mention I love this place? Anyway, there I was in the Waft just minding my own business when I heard a large crash and saw some thugs accosting a merchant. Now I am not the noblest person, but I don’t like it when bad things happen to most likely good people, and besides the merchant looked wealthy, so of course I offered a helping hand. The thugs were ill prepared for my assistance and luckily a few others in the crowd offered there assistance; adventurous types, I bet. I dashed and leapt over a cart, rolling in the air and landing in a low strike that left one thug wounded and reaching for his entrails. A little cruel, but one can’t kill you if he is reaching for his own guts. I shouldn’t have gloated too long, though; the second thug cut me with his dagger across my arm. I returned the favor by making an upward strike, slashing my longsword across his chest. He went down as well.</p><p></p><p>The dust seemed to settle at that point. There was a thug down being held by some cloaked figure (well I know who she is now, but at the time I didn’t). As I was saying, the cloaked figure had the thug in check, and I went about my business of checking the bodies (Hey someone was going to do it; might as well be me). The group, as it seemed to become, clustered around the thug. They consisted of the merchant, who I would come to know as Kathkallen, a half-orc monk by the looks of his fighting style, a halfling female, also a monk, the cloaked figure, and a human with some magic ability. My first guess was right, a group of clueless adventurers. Figures. Like I said, every time I return to Amn it’s in worse company, but at least I was back in Amn. </p><p></p><p>The party interrogated the thug, and I simply watched with my hand on my dagger tucked away in my sleeve. I didn’t like his look and was just hoping he would give me a reason to throw it. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long. He tried to go for an escape after the group tried to draw out any information he had. The dagger was quick from my hands and caught the thug in his leg; he didn’t get very far. Not my actual intent, but at least he wasn’t going anywhere for now. I gathered my dagger, and the cloaked figure was obviously seething with anger but I couldn’t tell since her hood hid her true features. </p><p></p><p>It was about then that I decided that the merchant, Kathkallen, might be important, and important people have money. I offered my services at the woefully low price of 300 gold, with an additional 150 gold to be heaped upon me when my job was done. Of course, at this point introductions were in order and I am surprised I actually paid attention to their names. The half-orc monk was Gruush, a rather quiet and smelly fellow but otherwise not too distasteful for being a half-orc after all. Then there was Kalaya, affectionately known as Kay, the halfling monk with a lot of spunk and a very saucy tongue. I liked her nearly right off, she’s funny in a halfling way. The mage, who I think is a sorcerer possibly, is named Karanaj, and seems to be rather close with the cloaked figure, who is an elf, named Vallia. Karanaj is silent and, well, sticks to Vallia mostly, but I like him. He seems trustworthy and smart enough to listen to me; I like that in a business partner. And Vallia, well, she is, in a word, beautiful for an elf, and much too stuck up for her own good. Probably born with a silver spoon in her mouth, never having to work for a darn thing in her life. Did I mention she is beautiful? We didn’t hit it off that well at first, though, which was fine with me. I had no intention of sticking with this clueless bunch for long. Alas, even the best plans often go awry.</p><p></p><p>Well, from that point on I was stuck with them till the job was done, which seemed simple enough from what I had gathered. Protect the rich merchant by night and find some lost contracts by day. Not that that would be an easy task, but I did have 300 gold in my pockets, so my morale was bolstered. From what I had gathered, it seemed that an assistant to this Kathkallen, Galliad, had bungled a lucrative deal in vanilla. He had gone missing a few days earlier, along with the contracts; no surprise there really. As merchants are apt to do, they did not want to honor the contracts with Kathkallen and were doubling their prices. Deep down inside I was laughing, but on the outside I showed a modicum of empathy. I like it when rich folks get the shaft, but a deal was a deal. It was my job to get those contracts back, well, our job if you count the group with me, which, at the time, I didn’t. Vallia, in her infinite elf-like wisdom decided we should spend time gathering any tools we needed and gather information if we could. That is about the same moment I got stuck with the halfling Kay.</p><p></p><p>Gruush I think had to go his temple or his master or some such, while Vallia and Karanaj, who were quite inseparable, went shopping together. It was quite obvious at that point that these two are much more then friends, and most likely lovers. It pays to pick up on these nuances; people in love tend to do stupid things for their better halves. I just don’t want to be around when that happens. I can’t wait to see their half-elven children; no, I can wait if they turn out anything like Vallia.</p><p></p><p>Now Kay is, well, she is something; for monk she can be quite candid, not that I know many monks. They all live in temples and contemplate flowers right? I don’t know but she was definitely different from what I expected of a halfling, which wasn’t much. She didn’t seem too bright, or at least had a knack for missing the obvious, which has only been reinforced more and more as we travel together. She went on at length about herself, but I was not paying much particular attention. I was looking for a few select items; oil, water skins, and a nice new shiny masterwork dagger. Oh did I mention I took five daggers from the thugs and their gold? If not, then that is okay I didn’t tell the “party” that either. Their loss I suppose. Anyway, I was able to procure enough oil for three water skins, for a decent price. And I was able to purchase the masterwork dagger for a mere 270 gold, a steal I say. Adelia, a comely human female, ran the weapons shop and drove a hard bargain. But I think my tale, well claim, of being a leader of a large mercenary band might have leveled the field some. She is good at her work, though, and gave me an interesting proposition after our haggling over the dagger had ended.</p><p></p><p>She showed me an interesting set of bracers, which doubled my fighting ability with my longsword. I was stunned, and impressed. After I demonstrated how effective the bracers were, she simply offered them to me free. Again, I was stunned. I think my heart even skipped a beat; possibly a few beats. She recounted to me that some old elven wizard named Aust told her that a man with beads in his hair would come to her, and that she should give him the bracers as a gift. I don’t put much stock in prophecy, but I do like it when one goes my way. Though there was a catch, and a strange one at that. This Aust requested that I make sure to help an elven girl in need. Like a fool, I accepted, and gave her my word that I would. It isn’t every day you receive Bracers of Speed for free. If I knew then what I know now, I would have run for the hills screaming. That still sounds like a good idea now, but I gave my word, and Burning Rose does not break his oaths. No matter how much he would like to.</p><p></p><p>Oh, and I should mention that I learned a few things as well about Galliad and the company he kept. It seemed that he was in contact with a Bernal, a drunkard of a man that tended to frequent an inn called the Silent Siren or some such. Figures our best lead would be a drunkard, this would prove to be interesting indeed. Well, after my little escapade with Adelia, I returned to the group with haste, and arrived just as everyone else did. Kay came along a little later. I forget how slow Halflings can be. Karanaj and Vallia were, as always, inseparable, and I suspected they were lovers possibly (did I mention that already?). Kay figured the same as well and made many choice comments I do not care to jot down in my journal. They were funny, I will give her that. At this point, her highness, I mean Vallia lead the way to the Silent Siren; oddly enough where our patron Kathkallen was staying. Karanaj waited outside while the rest of us went inside, Gruush took the seat closest to the door. Which suited me fine, half-orcs smell, and although Gruush might have been a “smart” half-orc, he still smelled. Vallia made her way across the room and spoke with a portly porter, the drunkard Bernal. Kay and I took a seat close to Vallia, who was now playing the role of a common harlot, or I mean courtesan, as they are called here in Athkatla. </p><p></p><p>She swooned and crooned over the fat oaf as they spoke; it was sickening, but amusing. I didn’t know the stuck-up elf had it in her. Again, Kay made some very choice words, and I don’t think she picked up on the ruse that this was an act, albeit a well practiced one, I will admit that. Bernal spouted some interesting facts, though, that would help us in solving this mystery. First, he was the one to hire the thugs to kill, or at least harm Kathkallen, at the behest of his patron, a woman named Anteashara. We actually meet this Anteashara later face to face, and that encounter ends rather messily. Anyway, Bernal also mentioned that Anteashara’s patron was a wealthy man who had a penchant for historical art pieces. It seemed from what I could glean that we probably would not find Galliad alive, poor soul, he was tangled in some messy business it seems. Well the ruse thankfully came to an end when Karanaj entered the tavern and played the role of the jealous husband to the hilt. Almost too good, it seems, but I am not one to nit-pick. Bernal was of course flustered and made great haste to flee the scene; regrettably, we let him. But we had what we needed: names; and we definitely already had a motive. Now, of course, came the hard part of putting said names into some kind of sense. I knew that if we found this historic art collector we would most likely find these contracts, since he seemed to be the mastermind. Unless Bernal was lying to us. Oh and I should mention that Halflings shouldn’t drink normal servings of ale in one sitting, especially small female Halflings. Thank you, Kay. Nothing like a drunken monk to really spice up the day. Again, thanks Kay.</p><p></p><p>Before we left the establishment I spoke with the barkeep about Galliad. It seems from his recollections that the last time he saw poor Galliad he was in the company of a pretty young blonde courtesan. Lucky Galliad. That was the last he had been seen, and he was headed to the Path of Flowers, where one can find more courtesans. I kindly thanked the man and left a few coins and a warning that he should not speak about this to anyone, and that the eyes and ears of the Shadow Thieves were everywhere. An empty threat, but maybe it would stave off anyone tracking us down. Not that we are that important, yet. </p><p></p><p>Well it was time to hit the streets once more, though I felt it would be better if we split our forces to cover more ground and cover the various leads we had. Vallia was less then pleased with my brilliant idea, but she relented. Once again, I was stuck with Kay, who was slightly tipsy from the mug of ale she drained in one hearty draught. To speed up the travel, I carried her on my shoulders; Halflings are pretty light thankfully. But she fell off and hit her head, then swore up and down someone hit her, and knocked her off. I was not in the mood to argue with a drunk so we pressed on towards the Path of Flowers, or is that Path of Silk Flowers. I forget, but I do remember the perfumed flowers of silk. Quite enchanting, not that I like silk flowers. But the street had some charm to it, and the courtesans were equally interesting. Not that I would dare mix business with pleasure, not on purpose anyway, but the courtesans were very tempting.</p><p></p><p>‘Course it didn’t help, that three courtesans noticed me right off and began to work their magic upon me, not that I was resisting. Hey I too am but one man. They lavished much attention upon me, and for a brief moment Galliad and Kathkallen’s problems vanished under a sea of lustful bliss. Thankfully, Kay was there to snap me from my revelry and bring me to my senses. Damn Halflings. Always ruining my fun, but it was for the best. I then struck upon an idea, and began to act as if Kay and I were closer then we ever possibly could be. I am not sure but she might have taken my words and actions much more seriously then they were meant to be. The courtesans were disappointed; I have to admit I was disappointed as well, but a job is a job and it comes first. I engaged them with some witty banter and was able to pique their interest about Galliad; well one courtesan in particular. I claimed to be an associate of his, and said that he had gone missing.</p><p></p><p>She seemed scared and wary to speak about what she knew, but I was able to coax a few choice bits from her. In particular that she had heard the name Galliad from a friend of hers, who was also a courtesan. I didn’t catch her friend’s name, but she matched the description of the courtesan Galliad was last seen with. Finally we were getting somewhere. It seemed that Galliad and this courtesan went to a park to get “comfortable” and then both were never seen again. That confirmed it for me. Galliad was dead, I figured. At least that would have made sense; dead men don’t talk. But the interesting part was that an unnamed party to lure Galliad to this location had hired the courtesan, and I had a pretty good idea of who this employer could be. The as of yet unnamed collector of historical art pieces, was my best guess at the time. Sadly, she had no idea who this individual was, or where the park was. I would have pressed the issue if it were not for Kay, who had sobered up some. I allowed her the opportunity to speak with the courtesan, but she didn’t get much more then I did. Like I said, I don’t expect much from a halfling.</p><p></p><p>It was about then that I heard a blood-curdling scream coming from the Waft. Now I am not usually one to charge headlong to rescue a damsel, but since I had to think of just more then myself, I scooped Kay up, and off I went towards the scream. It didn’t take along to arrive at an auction where Vanilla was being sold. Guards were trying to calm down a frazzled merchant as he recounted an assault against his person. From his words, a brutish orc and drow roughed him up, but thankfully he fought them off single-handedly. It seems that Vallia, who is an elf and not a drow, and her cronies, had already made quite a name for themselves. I am not sure if a career as drow brigands suits them, but who am I to judge. I wanted to add my two coppers but I thought it best to leave and find the rest of the group. Maybe, despite their sudden career change, they might have gleaned something useful I could use. It did not take long to catch up with Vallia, Gruush, and Karanaj. Maybe I shouldn’t have goaded them, but the opportunity was just too ripe. Kay and I had a good laugh at their expense; I like her. She has personality; a little slow, but she has personality.</p><p></p><p>Well it was about then that we decided to return to the Silent Siren, find our patron, and continue our duty by protecting the merchant while he slept. The only thing I gleaned from the rest of the group was that Galliad missed several appointments. Not too surprising since the poor lad was most likely languishing under the waters, long dead. Vallia suggested that we seek out some establishment called the “Platinum Quill” or some such. A place for writing I suppose. I really need to pay attention to names, more so then I have. We informed Kathkallen of all we knew, and then made sure his room was secure, just for my peace of mind. During this time, Kay took a seat on the table and played with my hair beads. Usually, I find that annoying but she had won me over with her personality. So I was not too bothered by it. It was about then the strangest event of the night took place.</p><p></p><p>An elderly woman claiming to be a seer stumbled into the tavern. She claimed she could read our futures; such a lofty claim from a ragged old crone. I scoffed at her words and went to the open door to look for any treachery; thankfully, we had little to worry about. Strangely enough the crone seemed to go into a trance and began spouting out strange albeit prophetic words. Like I said before, I don’t put much stock in prophecy but there were some choice phrases that caught my ear. I will try and recall them as best as I can:</p><p></p><p>“You seek a wizard who lives in the shadow of another wizard, and thieves who operate in the shadows of other thieves. The spirit of a man recently slain says you will find the wizard where sight meets sound and smell.”</p><p></p><p>It seemed that my guess was correct, at least if you take her words as fact, that Galliad was dead. That mages were involved and that we had to find a place where sight and sound meet; a jumble of information, but helpful despite the source. I hate cryptic messages, but sometimes that is all you have to work with. The old crone stood and wanted to tell us our fortunes; she must have blanked out in her trance, or maybe she was just senile. Either way, we declined and sent her on her way. The individual members of the party retired at that point, and I took to the roof. Why the roof? It is easiest to see Selune there and to pray that tomorrow would be a better day then today was. I hope I am not getting ahead of myself here.</p><p></p><p>Misha "Burning Rose" Koldun</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Aust Meliamne, post: 785, member: 95"] And of course Misha, the hero of this tale. Now his story too, can be told. Misha’s Journal Entry #1 Maybe it is something in the air, or the people, or maybe just because, but I love Amn. Born and raised in Muraan, I have Amn in my blood. I leave this place from time to time but I always come back and usually in worse company. You might be wondering who I am, Well, at least more than “me.” I am Misha Koldun, the best damn merc this side of Amn. Some know me as Burning Rose; that’s just a name I cooked up, admittedly not a good one but evocative. It’s very useful to keep the authorities off track if the need arises. Now, I am no a criminal; well, not anymore, not since my early days with the Shadow Thieves. I think I have learned a thing or two since then. You have to learn quickly on the streets, especially when you are the youngest of eight children, and smart to boot. But I was never one for playing by the rules or following the shepherd. I plot my own course. ‘Course where that has gotten me to at the moment is, well, only Selune knows, but I think I’m doomed. Maybe it’s her eyes, or her face.... wait, I’m getting ahead of myself now. Let me start at the beginning, before I start babbling like crazy. Just a little about myself, in case any beautiful young approachable women read this masterpiece. I will describe myself as best as I can. First off, I am human; just a plain old human. I am a rather swarthy fellow, a deep hue of cinnamon with green eyes; some women think them charming. I have a sinewy build that comes from long days of travel and work, plus I take great pride in being physically active. I have wild dark-brown hair; I like it that way. Around my left ear I have three braids with twinkling colorful beads strewn upon the braids. Rather dashing I think; something I picked up on the road, though I’m not sure where or when, but I like it, as do the women. I am not too tall or short, just average I guess, but quick and strong and good with a sword. You have to be if you want to survive on the road for long and can’t rely on magic. All I need is my sword, my wits, Selune on my side, and a little luck. Thankfully, luck is one of my best skills. Anyway, back to my story. Just a few days ago I was in the capitol of Amn, Athkatla, trying just to mind my business and lay low after a particularly harrowing encounter with some goblins as a guard for a merchant’s caravan. We came a long way from the Dales, but it felt good to be in Amn once more. Did I mention I love this place? Anyway, there I was in the Waft just minding my own business when I heard a large crash and saw some thugs accosting a merchant. Now I am not the noblest person, but I don’t like it when bad things happen to most likely good people, and besides the merchant looked wealthy, so of course I offered a helping hand. The thugs were ill prepared for my assistance and luckily a few others in the crowd offered there assistance; adventurous types, I bet. I dashed and leapt over a cart, rolling in the air and landing in a low strike that left one thug wounded and reaching for his entrails. A little cruel, but one can’t kill you if he is reaching for his own guts. I shouldn’t have gloated too long, though; the second thug cut me with his dagger across my arm. I returned the favor by making an upward strike, slashing my longsword across his chest. He went down as well. The dust seemed to settle at that point. There was a thug down being held by some cloaked figure (well I know who she is now, but at the time I didn’t). As I was saying, the cloaked figure had the thug in check, and I went about my business of checking the bodies (Hey someone was going to do it; might as well be me). The group, as it seemed to become, clustered around the thug. They consisted of the merchant, who I would come to know as Kathkallen, a half-orc monk by the looks of his fighting style, a halfling female, also a monk, the cloaked figure, and a human with some magic ability. My first guess was right, a group of clueless adventurers. Figures. Like I said, every time I return to Amn it’s in worse company, but at least I was back in Amn. The party interrogated the thug, and I simply watched with my hand on my dagger tucked away in my sleeve. I didn’t like his look and was just hoping he would give me a reason to throw it. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long. He tried to go for an escape after the group tried to draw out any information he had. The dagger was quick from my hands and caught the thug in his leg; he didn’t get very far. Not my actual intent, but at least he wasn’t going anywhere for now. I gathered my dagger, and the cloaked figure was obviously seething with anger but I couldn’t tell since her hood hid her true features. It was about then that I decided that the merchant, Kathkallen, might be important, and important people have money. I offered my services at the woefully low price of 300 gold, with an additional 150 gold to be heaped upon me when my job was done. Of course, at this point introductions were in order and I am surprised I actually paid attention to their names. The half-orc monk was Gruush, a rather quiet and smelly fellow but otherwise not too distasteful for being a half-orc after all. Then there was Kalaya, affectionately known as Kay, the halfling monk with a lot of spunk and a very saucy tongue. I liked her nearly right off, she’s funny in a halfling way. The mage, who I think is a sorcerer possibly, is named Karanaj, and seems to be rather close with the cloaked figure, who is an elf, named Vallia. Karanaj is silent and, well, sticks to Vallia mostly, but I like him. He seems trustworthy and smart enough to listen to me; I like that in a business partner. And Vallia, well, she is, in a word, beautiful for an elf, and much too stuck up for her own good. Probably born with a silver spoon in her mouth, never having to work for a darn thing in her life. Did I mention she is beautiful? We didn’t hit it off that well at first, though, which was fine with me. I had no intention of sticking with this clueless bunch for long. Alas, even the best plans often go awry. Well, from that point on I was stuck with them till the job was done, which seemed simple enough from what I had gathered. Protect the rich merchant by night and find some lost contracts by day. Not that that would be an easy task, but I did have 300 gold in my pockets, so my morale was bolstered. From what I had gathered, it seemed that an assistant to this Kathkallen, Galliad, had bungled a lucrative deal in vanilla. He had gone missing a few days earlier, along with the contracts; no surprise there really. As merchants are apt to do, they did not want to honor the contracts with Kathkallen and were doubling their prices. Deep down inside I was laughing, but on the outside I showed a modicum of empathy. I like it when rich folks get the shaft, but a deal was a deal. It was my job to get those contracts back, well, our job if you count the group with me, which, at the time, I didn’t. Vallia, in her infinite elf-like wisdom decided we should spend time gathering any tools we needed and gather information if we could. That is about the same moment I got stuck with the halfling Kay. Gruush I think had to go his temple or his master or some such, while Vallia and Karanaj, who were quite inseparable, went shopping together. It was quite obvious at that point that these two are much more then friends, and most likely lovers. It pays to pick up on these nuances; people in love tend to do stupid things for their better halves. I just don’t want to be around when that happens. I can’t wait to see their half-elven children; no, I can wait if they turn out anything like Vallia. Now Kay is, well, she is something; for monk she can be quite candid, not that I know many monks. They all live in temples and contemplate flowers right? I don’t know but she was definitely different from what I expected of a halfling, which wasn’t much. She didn’t seem too bright, or at least had a knack for missing the obvious, which has only been reinforced more and more as we travel together. She went on at length about herself, but I was not paying much particular attention. I was looking for a few select items; oil, water skins, and a nice new shiny masterwork dagger. Oh did I mention I took five daggers from the thugs and their gold? If not, then that is okay I didn’t tell the “party” that either. Their loss I suppose. Anyway, I was able to procure enough oil for three water skins, for a decent price. And I was able to purchase the masterwork dagger for a mere 270 gold, a steal I say. Adelia, a comely human female, ran the weapons shop and drove a hard bargain. But I think my tale, well claim, of being a leader of a large mercenary band might have leveled the field some. She is good at her work, though, and gave me an interesting proposition after our haggling over the dagger had ended. She showed me an interesting set of bracers, which doubled my fighting ability with my longsword. I was stunned, and impressed. After I demonstrated how effective the bracers were, she simply offered them to me free. Again, I was stunned. I think my heart even skipped a beat; possibly a few beats. She recounted to me that some old elven wizard named Aust told her that a man with beads in his hair would come to her, and that she should give him the bracers as a gift. I don’t put much stock in prophecy, but I do like it when one goes my way. Though there was a catch, and a strange one at that. This Aust requested that I make sure to help an elven girl in need. Like a fool, I accepted, and gave her my word that I would. It isn’t every day you receive Bracers of Speed for free. If I knew then what I know now, I would have run for the hills screaming. That still sounds like a good idea now, but I gave my word, and Burning Rose does not break his oaths. No matter how much he would like to. Oh, and I should mention that I learned a few things as well about Galliad and the company he kept. It seemed that he was in contact with a Bernal, a drunkard of a man that tended to frequent an inn called the Silent Siren or some such. Figures our best lead would be a drunkard, this would prove to be interesting indeed. Well, after my little escapade with Adelia, I returned to the group with haste, and arrived just as everyone else did. Kay came along a little later. I forget how slow Halflings can be. Karanaj and Vallia were, as always, inseparable, and I suspected they were lovers possibly (did I mention that already?). Kay figured the same as well and made many choice comments I do not care to jot down in my journal. They were funny, I will give her that. At this point, her highness, I mean Vallia lead the way to the Silent Siren; oddly enough where our patron Kathkallen was staying. Karanaj waited outside while the rest of us went inside, Gruush took the seat closest to the door. Which suited me fine, half-orcs smell, and although Gruush might have been a “smart” half-orc, he still smelled. Vallia made her way across the room and spoke with a portly porter, the drunkard Bernal. Kay and I took a seat close to Vallia, who was now playing the role of a common harlot, or I mean courtesan, as they are called here in Athkatla. She swooned and crooned over the fat oaf as they spoke; it was sickening, but amusing. I didn’t know the stuck-up elf had it in her. Again, Kay made some very choice words, and I don’t think she picked up on the ruse that this was an act, albeit a well practiced one, I will admit that. Bernal spouted some interesting facts, though, that would help us in solving this mystery. First, he was the one to hire the thugs to kill, or at least harm Kathkallen, at the behest of his patron, a woman named Anteashara. We actually meet this Anteashara later face to face, and that encounter ends rather messily. Anyway, Bernal also mentioned that Anteashara’s patron was a wealthy man who had a penchant for historical art pieces. It seemed from what I could glean that we probably would not find Galliad alive, poor soul, he was tangled in some messy business it seems. Well the ruse thankfully came to an end when Karanaj entered the tavern and played the role of the jealous husband to the hilt. Almost too good, it seems, but I am not one to nit-pick. Bernal was of course flustered and made great haste to flee the scene; regrettably, we let him. But we had what we needed: names; and we definitely already had a motive. Now, of course, came the hard part of putting said names into some kind of sense. I knew that if we found this historic art collector we would most likely find these contracts, since he seemed to be the mastermind. Unless Bernal was lying to us. Oh and I should mention that Halflings shouldn’t drink normal servings of ale in one sitting, especially small female Halflings. Thank you, Kay. Nothing like a drunken monk to really spice up the day. Again, thanks Kay. Before we left the establishment I spoke with the barkeep about Galliad. It seems from his recollections that the last time he saw poor Galliad he was in the company of a pretty young blonde courtesan. Lucky Galliad. That was the last he had been seen, and he was headed to the Path of Flowers, where one can find more courtesans. I kindly thanked the man and left a few coins and a warning that he should not speak about this to anyone, and that the eyes and ears of the Shadow Thieves were everywhere. An empty threat, but maybe it would stave off anyone tracking us down. Not that we are that important, yet. Well it was time to hit the streets once more, though I felt it would be better if we split our forces to cover more ground and cover the various leads we had. Vallia was less then pleased with my brilliant idea, but she relented. Once again, I was stuck with Kay, who was slightly tipsy from the mug of ale she drained in one hearty draught. To speed up the travel, I carried her on my shoulders; Halflings are pretty light thankfully. But she fell off and hit her head, then swore up and down someone hit her, and knocked her off. I was not in the mood to argue with a drunk so we pressed on towards the Path of Flowers, or is that Path of Silk Flowers. I forget, but I do remember the perfumed flowers of silk. Quite enchanting, not that I like silk flowers. But the street had some charm to it, and the courtesans were equally interesting. Not that I would dare mix business with pleasure, not on purpose anyway, but the courtesans were very tempting. ‘Course it didn’t help, that three courtesans noticed me right off and began to work their magic upon me, not that I was resisting. Hey I too am but one man. They lavished much attention upon me, and for a brief moment Galliad and Kathkallen’s problems vanished under a sea of lustful bliss. Thankfully, Kay was there to snap me from my revelry and bring me to my senses. Damn Halflings. Always ruining my fun, but it was for the best. I then struck upon an idea, and began to act as if Kay and I were closer then we ever possibly could be. I am not sure but she might have taken my words and actions much more seriously then they were meant to be. The courtesans were disappointed; I have to admit I was disappointed as well, but a job is a job and it comes first. I engaged them with some witty banter and was able to pique their interest about Galliad; well one courtesan in particular. I claimed to be an associate of his, and said that he had gone missing. She seemed scared and wary to speak about what she knew, but I was able to coax a few choice bits from her. In particular that she had heard the name Galliad from a friend of hers, who was also a courtesan. I didn’t catch her friend’s name, but she matched the description of the courtesan Galliad was last seen with. Finally we were getting somewhere. It seemed that Galliad and this courtesan went to a park to get “comfortable” and then both were never seen again. That confirmed it for me. Galliad was dead, I figured. At least that would have made sense; dead men don’t talk. But the interesting part was that an unnamed party to lure Galliad to this location had hired the courtesan, and I had a pretty good idea of who this employer could be. The as of yet unnamed collector of historical art pieces, was my best guess at the time. Sadly, she had no idea who this individual was, or where the park was. I would have pressed the issue if it were not for Kay, who had sobered up some. I allowed her the opportunity to speak with the courtesan, but she didn’t get much more then I did. Like I said, I don’t expect much from a halfling. It was about then that I heard a blood-curdling scream coming from the Waft. Now I am not usually one to charge headlong to rescue a damsel, but since I had to think of just more then myself, I scooped Kay up, and off I went towards the scream. It didn’t take along to arrive at an auction where Vanilla was being sold. Guards were trying to calm down a frazzled merchant as he recounted an assault against his person. From his words, a brutish orc and drow roughed him up, but thankfully he fought them off single-handedly. It seems that Vallia, who is an elf and not a drow, and her cronies, had already made quite a name for themselves. I am not sure if a career as drow brigands suits them, but who am I to judge. I wanted to add my two coppers but I thought it best to leave and find the rest of the group. Maybe, despite their sudden career change, they might have gleaned something useful I could use. It did not take long to catch up with Vallia, Gruush, and Karanaj. Maybe I shouldn’t have goaded them, but the opportunity was just too ripe. Kay and I had a good laugh at their expense; I like her. She has personality; a little slow, but she has personality. Well it was about then that we decided to return to the Silent Siren, find our patron, and continue our duty by protecting the merchant while he slept. The only thing I gleaned from the rest of the group was that Galliad missed several appointments. Not too surprising since the poor lad was most likely languishing under the waters, long dead. Vallia suggested that we seek out some establishment called the “Platinum Quill” or some such. A place for writing I suppose. I really need to pay attention to names, more so then I have. We informed Kathkallen of all we knew, and then made sure his room was secure, just for my peace of mind. During this time, Kay took a seat on the table and played with my hair beads. Usually, I find that annoying but she had won me over with her personality. So I was not too bothered by it. It was about then the strangest event of the night took place. An elderly woman claiming to be a seer stumbled into the tavern. She claimed she could read our futures; such a lofty claim from a ragged old crone. I scoffed at her words and went to the open door to look for any treachery; thankfully, we had little to worry about. Strangely enough the crone seemed to go into a trance and began spouting out strange albeit prophetic words. Like I said before, I don’t put much stock in prophecy but there were some choice phrases that caught my ear. I will try and recall them as best as I can: “You seek a wizard who lives in the shadow of another wizard, and thieves who operate in the shadows of other thieves. The spirit of a man recently slain says you will find the wizard where sight meets sound and smell.” It seemed that my guess was correct, at least if you take her words as fact, that Galliad was dead. That mages were involved and that we had to find a place where sight and sound meet; a jumble of information, but helpful despite the source. I hate cryptic messages, but sometimes that is all you have to work with. The old crone stood and wanted to tell us our fortunes; she must have blanked out in her trance, or maybe she was just senile. Either way, we declined and sent her on her way. The individual members of the party retired at that point, and I took to the roof. Why the roof? It is easiest to see Selune there and to pray that tomorrow would be a better day then today was. I hope I am not getting ahead of myself here. Misha "Burning Rose" Koldun [/QUOTE]
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