The Diary of Dalan Ratslayer

[Dalan]

Saren does something stupid.

21st Nightal

We had a considerably more productive day today. Since no one really wanted to face those tentacled beasts again (although there was some talk of using Nawoom and / or Saren as bait and then pulling them off the ledge so we could attack them more effectively), we headed off to the other exit from the main chamber.

After wandering through the narrow, winding caverns for a short while, we found a large room. Since I was at the back guarding the merchants, I didn’t actually see what happened, but it seems that Saren once again touched something he shouldn’t have, because when I went to see what all the shouting was about, Saren was laying on the ground convulsing and looking decidedly yellow.

The cleric and the druid did what little they could for him – which apparently is the only reason he’s still alive – and we moved on, redoubling our efforts to find a way out of this accursed dungeon.

Shortly after that, I finally discovered the creatures that had left the tracks I found a few days ago. Some manner of humanoid lizards, they seemed very surprised to see so many surface dwellers wandering around their cave. Hoping to take them down quickly, I shouted for Tanzi to take the one on the left while I charged towards the one on the right.

After a short battle, the enemies lay dead on the ground, trapped (along with half the party) by some sort of spell that Tharivol had cast on the area. Once the roots stopped hindering everyone’s movement, our new party member decided to free a captive brown bear from its cage. At least he calmed it down before setting it loose.

Having finally found an exit, we happily left the darkness of the cave – only to find the darkness of the pre-dawn morning waiting for us on the surface. With Saren still in bad shape, and liable to die at any time (according to Tharivol, who says that Saren’s been infected by something called yellow mould) we debated about what was riskier – staying put until dawn or marching down the mountain in the dark. The debate was settled when Tharivol noticed a great many footprints in the tunnel entrance; if we stayed where we were, we’d spend the rest of the night fighting troglodytes.

Once we determined that we’d have to circle the entire mountain before we could head back down to High Horn, Tharivol began picking a reasonably easy path — although it was probably easier for him, what with not sinking into the snow at all. Shortly after the sun crested the horizon, I spotted a shallow cave just ahead, and pointed it out to our new member, who went off across the snowpack to see if it would make a suitable shelter to warm Saren up in.

The moment she saw the elf flying through the air away from the cave (or possibly after she heard the roar), Tanzi’s entire face brightened as she drew her greatsword and happily ran to the cavemouth. With the entire party (save for Saren, whose unconscious body was slowly sinking into the snowbank where Tanzi and Nawoom dropped him) engaging it, the yeti didn’t last very long. Tharivol obviously felt bad about killing it though, because he did what he could to make her mate (who was lying in the back of the cave dying from wounds caused by orcish weapons) comfortable. Nice enough gesture, I suppose, but he’s obviously not excessively sentimental – he made an attempt to make a passable blanket to wrap Saren in from the yeti corpses.

 

[ChaoticInsaneLunatic]

"...so tired am i..."

"...we've been awake for days bluehand...throw down yer cards and face the damn music...where's this accursed light be coming frum?...itabe night time damn-it...throw down yer cards and lose already ya blithering blue-handed wizard...hey wait a minute...arn't ya...supposedly...dead?!"
-Saren (of the Moonshavien Isles)

 

[Dalan]

Not exactly the heroic men and women of the tales, these Dragons...

22nd Nightal

In the morning, Saren’s skin was a little less yellow, but he was still feverish, convulsing, and occasionally coughing up spores. I don’t know a damned thing about disease or how the body works, but things seemed to be looking pretty bleak for Saren. And for some reason, that bothered me. A little.

We made it back to the fort, only to find it empty but for one foolish young recruit who didn’t look like he’d so much as started puberty. Seems the rest of the camp was off bivouacking in the woods somewhere and hunting orcs. Considering the quality of the recruits the Purple Dragons seem to have, I’m not really surprised that the orc tribe that’s been holing up in Kundrukar haven’t been rooted out before now…

Since there wasn’t anyone at the fort, we decided we may as well see if anyone was home at the High Horn Tower before trekking to Blaisingdell. We met two more of Cormyr’s finest, who were of no more help than the kid at the fort had been. Still, they were smart enough to realise that the group didn’t really have a charter, and insisted on peacestringing our weapons before sending us on our way.

We didn’t get more than a three or four miles along the East Way before it was too dark to see, so we had no choice but to hope that Saren would survive yet another night with a chest full of yellow mould.

 

[Dalan]

I guess Saren's going to live. Ah well, at least I get to spend the night indoors.

23rd Nightal

We made it to Blaisingdell fairly early in the morning, at which point I took Saren to the only cleric in the place while the rest of the group did various other things. After my feeble attempts to explain an affliction that I didn’t understand that was caused by events that I never saw, Nawoom finally remembered that he had a dying parishioner to try and help.

The cleric came into the shrine, smelling of ale and blathering about how cool his birthday present was going to be now that the smith had gotten it open for him. Birthday presents! I really think Nawoom could have benefited from spending a year or two living with some ascetic monks as a child.

Since I was no longer needed in the shrine, I left to find Tanzi. Which wasn't particularly difficult – there aren’t really a whole lot of public buildings to check in Blaisingdell after all. I found her getting hit on by the dwarven shopkeeper in the local sundries store. After grabbing a few items (and getting mocked for asking about a few useful – if slightly unusual – bits of gear), I decided to spend the rest of the day hanging around with the sane. So I left town and watched Tharivol training the black bear he’d recently made friends with.

As relaxing as spending a few hours without having to tell grown men "no" is, my appreciation of nature only goes so far. At dusk I went and rented a nice room with a big soft bed and clean blankets at the inn. Trees and stars are all well and good, but nothing beats the comforts of civilization.

 

[Dalan]

My association with this lot is now official.

24th Nightal

In the morning, I returned to the shrine, to the sound of Saren’s incomprehensible accent. It seems that the clerics had managed to fix him, and judging by the mark on his chest, their efforts involved smacking him with the forge-hammer. Bloody cleric never thinks to offer to let me in on the fun.

After acting as a Saren-to-Common translator, and turning down an insanely large amount of money for Durgeddin’s chain at the general store, I went back outside and was surprised to see Tharivol and Black Paw entertaining the locals. To think that a few months ago, an elven druid playing a shalm in the middle of a street to the delight of his ursine companion would have seemed incredibly strange and exciting to me. You know, back when I was first thinking about becoming an adventurer, I always thought that I'd be travelling with people with a firm grip on reality and at least a bit of propriety…

With everyone reasonably well equipped and feeling good, we were on our way back to High Horn. The trip took most of the day, but we were finally ready to obtain our adventuring charter and comply with the law.

Shortly after the very bored guards let us into the tower, Chamberlain Polthus came up to us, arms full of a wide variety of important-looking papers. The Chamberlain's quite the interesting fellow; his language skills and knowledge of geography and history are truly impressive. Anyone who can understand Saren straight off has got to have truly impressive language skills. He's also the first person I've met that seemed to know more about the Sunless Citadel and the Forge of Fury than what we'd managed to piece together while wandering around inside them.

After identifying each of our home towns just from our accents (and mistaking me for a monk – I don’t really act like those repressed, pompous, self-important sticks-in-the-mud do I?), Polthus started taking down the details of our charter. There was some debate over the exact name, but everyone agreed to the Blue Flame part of my suggestion at least. Putting Belmor on the charter was pretty much unanimous too – but no one else was interested in granting Meepo posthumous membership.

After discussing Kundrukar, Galthais, Durgeddin, cartography, dwarven, the infantilism of scatological humour, and the state of the trees around High Horn with the Chamberlain, we were off to finish what we’d started in the Glitterhame. Durgeddin’s chain shall be used to clear the evil filth from his home, and then I’ll try to find whoever his heir would be and present it to its rightful owner.

 

[ChaoticInsaneLunatic]

Back from Deaths vile grip...

(Spoken while traveling back to the Glitterhalm)

"...right then, there was I at the table of judgement playing cards fer me life when frum outta nowhere Beshabas very own hampster-demons attacked and began knawing on me leg and forearm. But within me fearful grip i had not but one but two wild cards before me. Hampster er no Hampster i be knowing i had ta win that last hand fer the sake of my party. So I rose flailing only one arm and shaken only one leg as i smashed the vast armies of Beshabas vile puffs of demonic fur ridden evil. And in the heat of me own adrenaled surge of fear...I slammed me cards down and declared victory over all where i stood. And then a boulder hit me. Right square on me chest. Pinning me against the heaps of deadened hampsters. And a lady of magnificent beauty started laughing as she walked up to me. And she declaired my fate to a coin and flipped it before me. She winked and I awoke in a strange place beside Bluehand. It was here I started talking to Belamy when I noticed da strangest of marks on me chest... Then I awoke again with two preists by me side. So in essence Deeleedo of da ratkin...instead of be owning yer life debt to me you can sway the favor ta da preist. Fer spirit-like guidance and such possibly bringing me along the path back to here or so to say. And just because Ida be thinking of trivial ideas of da sort. What I be saying is that itabe fit and trim that at least fer once ya all pulled together in such a twist of luck and journeyed through a wee time of darkness and plight, leaderless and such, to save me carcus without the panic-stricken failing of limbs and weapons agianst me. You all saved me kinda and it's a delightful change. Seeing how Ida be saving ya all da time like...hey...elfy...does yer bear gamble?"

- Saren (of the Moonshae)

 

[Dalan]

Naked Tymorean Clerics are not what Dalan signed on for.

25th Nightal

After a quiet night’s rest, the Warriors of the Blue Flame set out once more for the infested caverns of the Glitterhame. As we neared the Stone Tooth, a pair of vile owlbears burst from the trees to attack us. Possibly realising that both Tanzi and Nawoom were more than it could handle, one of them wrapped me up with its wings (arms?) and crushed the air from my chest. Unable to defend myself and presumably of little concern to my party, I quickly passed out from the horrid stench.

There’re worse things than the odour of unnatural unbathed ursines though – even though they were somehow blending into the rock walls, the Troglodytes that attacked us made their presence known quickly enough with their nausea inducing musk.

After exploring the main level more thoroughly and discovering that the iron door in the vast main cavern was both locked and Tanzi proof, we had to decide where to explore further. While bearding the smelly lizards in their lair was a nice idea, it was deemed to risky to swim through their river-tunnel.

Looking at Saren’s map made it seem as though the dam we’d seen shortly before plunging to our near-doom might make for a back door of sorts, so we went off to see what we could see. Once we reached the river again, the druid helpfully pointed out that the bank looked slippery. Twit. Anyhow, we discovered that there is no way over the dam, and even if we found a way to pull it down, the pressure of the river coming out the bottom makes it seem as though it may well be a very bad idea to do so.

Since we had nothing better to do for the moment, the party went downstairs to investigate the doors that we’d seen near the waterfall pool earlier. There were two to choose from, both swollen shut from the constant mist. Swollen shut or not, they were only wood, and mere wood isn’t about to stop Tanzi from going where she wants.

Nawoom must have been hoping to find more obviously evil artefacts to play with, as he rushed into the room beyond the doorway with the cheerful enthusiasm of the innocent (or the suicidally insane). Instead of terror-inducing musical balls though, the Tymorean found only some sort of animated goop that dissolved all his clothing and possessions, and a fair bit of hair and skin as well. By the time he pulled loose from its grasp, he had only his magical morningstar to conceal his nakedness with. Not that he made any effort to do so. Bloody perverted decadent exhibitionist. With the now naked priest happily strutting around, I felt it prudent to retreat to the upper level and the crates of old clothing Saren and I had found the other day.

On the way though, Tanzi decided that we should investigate the narrow tunnel that the stream cutting through the stairs flowed into. After all, where there’s stirges, there’s, well, probably more stirges. But whatever. I guess I’m the only one disturbed by the cleric wandering around waving his stick in the air.

Initially, the whole group started into the crevasse, but once the first wave of stirges attacked, it was decided that the clumsy folks (that’s everyone who’s not me or Saren) should stay the hell off of two-foot wide ledges. Once the second wave of stirges caused Saren to damn near drown me while yelling about hamsters, it was decided that only the non-clumsy, non-insane (that’s just me) should go. Not far around the curve of the tunnel, I found a niche in the wall, with a narrow chimney that the stirges seemed to have nested in. At the bottom I found a long-dead dwarf. I gave Tanzi his money and kept the light-making wand for myself. At least now the bloody priest’ll keep his spells away from me – unless of course he feels like explaining why his pants are glowing every time we go to town.

Once we finally returned to our favourite campsite and obtained some clothing for Nawoom, he pointed out that we now had no food, and that he could neither cast nor pray for new magic until he secured a new holy symbol.

 

[Dalan]

Blue Warrior Needs Food

26th Nightal

So off we went again, back downstairs, out the tunnel, and down the mountain. Right past the troglodytes that were hiding in the shadows, throwing spears at us. Can’t be bothered hunting down the sneaky bastards when we’ve got more important things to do. Like get a decent meal. Or a meal of any sort really. In fact, its probably a good thing the druid pissed off to take care of Blackpaw’s tummy ache the day before (serves him right – shouldn’t have let the animal eat those foul troglodytes in the first place – seems somewhat like letting small children eat candy until they vomit really – its always the overly accommodating adult who has to clean up after them). I always knew this adventuring life would involve roughing it and while bear might not be steak, it probably tastes pretty good after going a day without food.

Upon arriving at the palisade, we discovered that the soldiers were still camped elsewhere. Considering the kid they left behind to guard the place, I think they might be gone a little longer than usual. And since the little snot wouldn’t share any of his food with us, we were forced to move on, walking all damned night to get to town.