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The Journals of Niles Arcana - Archmage
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<blockquote data-quote="Gwarok" data-source="post: 2488257" data-attributes="member: 12249"><p><strong>Entries 1 - 6</strong></p><p></p><p>Entry #1(date and time) - The lands to the NE of the tower are much more corrupted than I had first imagined. Although we have successfully returned the princess, the harpy infestation is merely a mundane version of creatures much more insidious further on. The underworld prison of the demons appears to have weakened and has been unable to contain the teeming hordes. The entire region is teeming with the taint of the accursed, and we have no idea what the limits are as to their entry into our lands. After their bold kidnapping of the Roy's daughter, I fear acting against them too openly again any time soon. Reprisals against my tower's meager defenses would end badly, of that I'm sure. Steps will need to be taken to secure my valuables against even clever and resourceful intruders. Obtaining the Secure Chest dweomer and other abjurations I have heard about has become a priority. From now on I must operate in secrecy and from the shadows whenever possible. </p><p></p><p>In the meantime, Noston has been receptive to forming a loose coalition in light of the signifigance of the demonic threat. The other mages must be enlisted in this as well, I can only hope they are as amenable as no doubt we will need all the support we can get. I suspect some as yet unseen and more sinister power is behind the demons and their foray past proscribed boundaries. Should there be any further breaches it will be devastating to the local population. I am left to wonder, is the ancient prison merely crumbling, or is there an active power that has been able to bring about the relaxing of the Wards of Wee Jas? Either possibility fills me with dread. Tomorrow I set out to visit Troap and procure a text that Noston hopes will prove enlightening as to our current problems. I have never met him, but his reputation as a conjurer of reknown leads me to believe that Noston is wise in this. His auguries have indicated that I must travel by foot. An ally perhaps is in the making, but of course the specifics were denied him. But if we can't trust our Arts, where are we? </p><p></p><p></p><p>Entry #2 - Mundane travel is every bit as tedious and tiresome as I remember. We traveled 3 days thru rolling and forested countryside before the terrain gave way to more foreboding country. The peace of the journey was about to be shattered, and I believe justification for Noston's divination was revealed. A strange cave in the lower foothills under an escarpment attracted our interest. No sooner had we approached than a deafening roar bellowed out, followed by an awkwardly tumbling woman in armor who was very forcefully propelled. The source of her locomotion was soon revealed as a tainted giant standing well over 12 feet tall emerged stooping from the cave. He was heavily deformed with the marks of a demonic parentage and he looked like he meant business. </p><p></p><p>The woman was apparently made of quite hardy stuff, for she staggered to her feet and prepared to return to battle with the giant, who promptly sent her flying through the air once again. Even with the customized ornate armor she wore I was sure serious injury had been dealt this time as she crashed to a crumpled heap 10 ft. down the slope and was much slower in regaining her feet this time. I was suprised she stood up at all for such a blow would surely have been the end of me, armor or no. Baird flew into a rage at her ill treatment, or maybe it had just been a few days since his last rush of adrenaline, and fearlessly charged the monstrous giant. After their initial furious exchange of blows I could tell this battle was going to be uglier than we needed to deal with at the moment and resolved to end things swiftly. I hedged the giant in a forcecage of pure magic, leaving it open to our attacks and unable to strike back. It smashed against the walls with all it had, but without hope. Nothing was going to break out of that cage. </p><p></p><p>Things quieted down swiftly after that. The beast told us his name was Furgosh, and that he had been merely guarding his home. For some reason I have yet to discover, Baird had taken a sort of liking to Furgosh and decided we should let the beast live. Barbarians. I guess in the long run it would amount to little, but leaving a fiend tainted giant running around seemed like a bad idea to me but Baird was adamant. The woman to my surprise was not some knight errant running through troubled lands, but an actual prophet of Wee Jas! I was sure here was the ally we were meant to find, although I strove to hide my interest right away. She was a very striking woman named Selene, and she was in possesion of many weapons and armors with potent dweomers on them. Yes, she must be made an ally. But it grows late. I will continue in the morning, and be sure to record all that I can about our newest comrade in arms. </p><p></p><p>Entry #3 - Death, Fire, and Betrayal. Troap is dead. Selene has proved her worth. </p><p></p><p>The old wizard had apparently lost control of several creatures he has summoned, who then overpowered him and set an ambush for us. Fiery beings with reptilian demeanors were waiting for us when we entered his tower. We were fools to approach so incautiously, but who would have suspected trouble in a warded tower of unbreakable walls? One of the creatures named Valdoranna was apprently their "Leader", and she came as close to killing me as I've ever experienced. Only a speedy intervention of my more flexible magics and a signifigant investment of personal strength kept me from outright death. The situation quickly reversed itself as my able companions recovered from the initial shock. Valdoranna was banished, Troap was freed and the rest of our assailants fled. We gathered what we could, and attempted to make our getaway. It was of course barred and more of the creatures were waiting. In the ensuing melee, Troap fled and was slaughtered and a fire ignited in the tower. The enemy kept hinting that "The Father" was coming and our destruction was assured. This was a bit unnerving, but also a problem we decided we'd face when the time came. We were eventually victorious over our would be assasisns, our magics allowing us to blunt many of the advantages of the enemy now that we knew what we were up against. However, many of the works were damaged in the fire and a great deal was destroyed. I was able to restore the "Injunction of Wee Jas" completely, again using resources I'd soon harbor for later. I have suspicions that this ambush is related to our problems with the demons, but they are as of yet unfounded. </p><p></p><p>Someone was going to pay for this outrage, and I knew exactly who. I had an image, and a name. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Entry #4 - On our way back home, we ran into "The Father". Let me say that he is quite big, and we were more than a bit lucky to have come out of that in one piece. He was a gargantuan Red Dragon, which certainly explained the partially reptilian features of his "Children". In retrospect I should have pieced that riddle together. He approached us while we were on the road, and we quickly sought cover. My illusions added to the natural cover of the forest, but he sensed us anyways. It did however give us time to get warded for the inevitable deluge of fire. Had Selene not done that we would have been fried straightaway. As it turned out after a brief but vicious fight we ran him off. Apparently he had not reckoned on us putting up much of a struggle. I wonder if we might be able to take the fight to him at a later date. No doubt well prepared we could make a better accounting of ourselves. But perhaps I've been hanging out with Baerd too long. </p><p></p><p>We returned to Noston's shortly afterwords, and he was well pleased to see the Injuction of Wee Jas in good condition. While he was studying that I prepared for my own information gathering efforts. I must say, the look of surprise on her face and the immediate capitulation of Valdoranna when I summoned her was very gratifying. I had some lingering anger still. Not just for almost killing me, but for the death of Troap and the destruction of so much lore. I was prepared to be most ruthless in her interrogation but it turned out that she was more than willing to cooperate fully. After surrendering her meager gear, I learned that Troap and another archmage, Zandorhal, had pillaged the dragons lair and stolen several items. One of which was the Crystal Ball that sat in my study, recently recovered from Troap's Tower. The Dragon was on a mission of recovery and revenge, and now that I had that I had been added to the list. Valdoranna convinced me that returning the item to the Dragon would put us once more on a neutral footing, and I grudgingly agreed to do so. While I had grown somewhat attached to it, not having such an powerful enemy seemed like the better course at this time. </p><p></p><p>This however did not excuse Zandorhal. I feared he was going to get killed shortly, and so myself, Baerd and Selene set out to Zandorhal's tower. Even on Phantom Steeds the journey was quite a long one, and when we arrived it was too late. His tower had been laid waste, blasted and smashed flagstones evidence of the dragons vengence. The rage of an old dragon is great indeed and I was glad I had gotten rid of the Crystal Ball. However, this was the second archmage to die because of him in less than a week. Something would have to be done about this creature down the road as I do not take lightly the murder of my collegues, even if they offered provocation. Troap's apparent incompetence notwithstanding I'm sure he would have been invaluable to me in the future. The same I am sure can be said of Zandorhal. </p><p></p><p>We searched the ruins out, looking for anything that might show he survived the onslaught, or perhaps anything of value left behind. Not likely if the rumors of the greed of dragons are true. What we did find was nothing of value but clues to a curious story. An old servant of Zandorhal's survived the attack and waited out in a cellar. He was able to add some details to things we had observed. Apparently sometime after the attack a group of goblins moved in. They apparently made off with some swag, and a small party of them stayed behind. This group was apparently killed(quite gruesomely) by yet another pary of worshippers of Erynthuul, who then set off to track the goblins to their lair some 6 miles distant, in the wooded hills. Servants of the Blood Demon need to be dealt with, I hope we can catch them by surprise. Both they and the goblins are going to be treated harshly if they stand between us and any property of the late Zandorhal. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Entry #5 - Both the worshippers of Erynthuul and the goblins were treated harshly. The Heretics had actually already received a pasting from the goblins. We encountered them in full retreat from the goblin's lair carrying two of their wounded, having left behind a 3rd. They were quickly dispatched and put up little fight. The goblins were another matter. They were well dug in and we fell into a bit of an ambush. They assaulted us with assasins, priests, Ogres, even archers mounted on giant bees! These were the meanest goblins I'd ever heard of, and they were backed by a sorceror goblin named Vox with a fair grasp of tactics. Needless to say, the carnage in the front vestibule was terrible. Selene laid waste to many with her righteous fury, and Maug'dragu left a trail of corpses that looked like they had been caught in a wine press. It was all very exciting. When it was all over, Vox surrendered and groveled for his life, which we spared. With his cooperation we located what we were searching for. </p><p></p><p>Zandorhal's body was deeper in the cave, and the goblins had actually preserved it from corruption with magic. I guess maybe they had a lingering respect for the wizard. Several of his possesions and a spell book as well were recovered, all in good condition. Makes me wonder if we had approached more diplomatically how this situation would have turned out. Although they certainly didn't seem up for talking when we arrived. I shall try not to lose too much sleep over it. </p><p></p><p>Vox intrigues me. While he is certainly no luminary, his raw sorcerous talent is respectable. Perhaps he should be included in the coalition at a later date, provided he can maintain civility and not be corrupted by his powers. I will keep tabs on him from time to time and make a decision about that later. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Entry #6 - We have returned to the Roy's keep and held council with Noston. Funeral arrangements have been made for Zandorhal, he will be buried in a crypt on royal property. Selene has been kind enough conduct the services and hallow his final resting place. His effects are going to be parceled between myself and Noston. I do feel a bit of a vulture, this being the second time in a week that I have added the spells of a dead collegue to my own, but I would sooner perish myself than let such knowledge go to waste. I like to think Troap and Zandorhal held similar practical views on the topic. Whatever gets us through the day, Haizhe used to tell me. </p><p></p><p>As for the living, Noston has finished his research into the "Injunction of Wee Jas" and here is what we now know. At several stages in history, there have been sizeable decreases in the activity of the Banished. Each of these was preceeded by an increase in activity, likely due to a weakening of the Wards. However, each time the demons were apparently held in check by exceptional individuals whose legends survive even today. 3 such incidents have been recorded, each spaced about 300 years apart. In chronological order here are the people who we believe played the major role in stemming the demon tides: </p><p></p><p>Imgelt the Unwaivering - Mighty warrior who lived roughly 1000 years ago and is buried in the north. We know the least about him. </p><p></p><p>Im'Nafee - Orc Sorceror Lord. United the orc warbands and sent them to fight the Ki-Reen civilization to the south. This allowed Men to reoccupy the Old Kingdom. Also of note, there is reason to believe it was the action against the Ki-Reen that led to the collapse of the infernal threat. </p><p></p><p>Divine Henlee - Avenger of Lord Tamberlain, and founder of the Knights of that order. </p><p></p><p></p><p>I have decided to travel to the burial locations of each of these heroes and seek to uncover more information. As of now we do not know if there is an individual behind this periodic weakening of the Wards, or if they need to be strengthened from time to time. The Injuction was not clear on what was happening, but I hope to learn more by going to the regions of the activity. Surely someone has kept a record. I am going to head north to Imgelt's cyrpt. He was the first, and also resides in the area where the Archmage Elmurion has established himself. Noston has been trying make contact with him and fears that something has happened. Given the fates of Troap and Zandorhal I also have a bad feeling about it. I will make haste. </p><p></p><p>Baerd and Selene have agreed to join me once again and I am glad for their company. I must say they are ideal traveling companions so far, and not just for the considerable protection. Baerd's good nature and practical knowledge does a great deal to take my mind off the discomforts of traveling in the field. Although I am well versed in lore of the wilds, picking ticks out of your bedroll is another matter entirely. I shall soon devise a dweomer that will annihilate then in a wide area. </p><p></p><p>Selene has been a good spiritual advisor as well. We have taken daily prayers to Wee Jas. Although I am not particularly devout, it seems rude to not participate when you are traveling with an annointed prophet. I must say I have been feeling a bond with the bastard god I have never felt before. In our spare time we have been discussing many topics. She is quite knowledgable. In fact outside of Noston I don't think I've met a better student of the arcane. Which is good, because even Baerd's songs get old after awhile and there's only so many times I wish to hear about the Battle of the Straights of Madness and how many ships he sunk there. I think on last telling he was up to 124 galleys. When it gets to 150 I'm going to threaten him with a divination to find out how many were actually sunk and who was actually responsible. </p><p></p><p>Time to get packing, we have a long journey ahead.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Gwarok, post: 2488257, member: 12249"] [b]Entries 1 - 6[/b] Entry #1(date and time) - The lands to the NE of the tower are much more corrupted than I had first imagined. Although we have successfully returned the princess, the harpy infestation is merely a mundane version of creatures much more insidious further on. The underworld prison of the demons appears to have weakened and has been unable to contain the teeming hordes. The entire region is teeming with the taint of the accursed, and we have no idea what the limits are as to their entry into our lands. After their bold kidnapping of the Roy's daughter, I fear acting against them too openly again any time soon. Reprisals against my tower's meager defenses would end badly, of that I'm sure. Steps will need to be taken to secure my valuables against even clever and resourceful intruders. Obtaining the Secure Chest dweomer and other abjurations I have heard about has become a priority. From now on I must operate in secrecy and from the shadows whenever possible. In the meantime, Noston has been receptive to forming a loose coalition in light of the signifigance of the demonic threat. The other mages must be enlisted in this as well, I can only hope they are as amenable as no doubt we will need all the support we can get. I suspect some as yet unseen and more sinister power is behind the demons and their foray past proscribed boundaries. Should there be any further breaches it will be devastating to the local population. I am left to wonder, is the ancient prison merely crumbling, or is there an active power that has been able to bring about the relaxing of the Wards of Wee Jas? Either possibility fills me with dread. Tomorrow I set out to visit Troap and procure a text that Noston hopes will prove enlightening as to our current problems. I have never met him, but his reputation as a conjurer of reknown leads me to believe that Noston is wise in this. His auguries have indicated that I must travel by foot. An ally perhaps is in the making, but of course the specifics were denied him. But if we can't trust our Arts, where are we? Entry #2 - Mundane travel is every bit as tedious and tiresome as I remember. We traveled 3 days thru rolling and forested countryside before the terrain gave way to more foreboding country. The peace of the journey was about to be shattered, and I believe justification for Noston's divination was revealed. A strange cave in the lower foothills under an escarpment attracted our interest. No sooner had we approached than a deafening roar bellowed out, followed by an awkwardly tumbling woman in armor who was very forcefully propelled. The source of her locomotion was soon revealed as a tainted giant standing well over 12 feet tall emerged stooping from the cave. He was heavily deformed with the marks of a demonic parentage and he looked like he meant business. The woman was apparently made of quite hardy stuff, for she staggered to her feet and prepared to return to battle with the giant, who promptly sent her flying through the air once again. Even with the customized ornate armor she wore I was sure serious injury had been dealt this time as she crashed to a crumpled heap 10 ft. down the slope and was much slower in regaining her feet this time. I was suprised she stood up at all for such a blow would surely have been the end of me, armor or no. Baird flew into a rage at her ill treatment, or maybe it had just been a few days since his last rush of adrenaline, and fearlessly charged the monstrous giant. After their initial furious exchange of blows I could tell this battle was going to be uglier than we needed to deal with at the moment and resolved to end things swiftly. I hedged the giant in a forcecage of pure magic, leaving it open to our attacks and unable to strike back. It smashed against the walls with all it had, but without hope. Nothing was going to break out of that cage. Things quieted down swiftly after that. The beast told us his name was Furgosh, and that he had been merely guarding his home. For some reason I have yet to discover, Baird had taken a sort of liking to Furgosh and decided we should let the beast live. Barbarians. I guess in the long run it would amount to little, but leaving a fiend tainted giant running around seemed like a bad idea to me but Baird was adamant. The woman to my surprise was not some knight errant running through troubled lands, but an actual prophet of Wee Jas! I was sure here was the ally we were meant to find, although I strove to hide my interest right away. She was a very striking woman named Selene, and she was in possesion of many weapons and armors with potent dweomers on them. Yes, she must be made an ally. But it grows late. I will continue in the morning, and be sure to record all that I can about our newest comrade in arms. Entry #3 - Death, Fire, and Betrayal. Troap is dead. Selene has proved her worth. The old wizard had apparently lost control of several creatures he has summoned, who then overpowered him and set an ambush for us. Fiery beings with reptilian demeanors were waiting for us when we entered his tower. We were fools to approach so incautiously, but who would have suspected trouble in a warded tower of unbreakable walls? One of the creatures named Valdoranna was apprently their "Leader", and she came as close to killing me as I've ever experienced. Only a speedy intervention of my more flexible magics and a signifigant investment of personal strength kept me from outright death. The situation quickly reversed itself as my able companions recovered from the initial shock. Valdoranna was banished, Troap was freed and the rest of our assailants fled. We gathered what we could, and attempted to make our getaway. It was of course barred and more of the creatures were waiting. In the ensuing melee, Troap fled and was slaughtered and a fire ignited in the tower. The enemy kept hinting that "The Father" was coming and our destruction was assured. This was a bit unnerving, but also a problem we decided we'd face when the time came. We were eventually victorious over our would be assasisns, our magics allowing us to blunt many of the advantages of the enemy now that we knew what we were up against. However, many of the works were damaged in the fire and a great deal was destroyed. I was able to restore the "Injunction of Wee Jas" completely, again using resources I'd soon harbor for later. I have suspicions that this ambush is related to our problems with the demons, but they are as of yet unfounded. Someone was going to pay for this outrage, and I knew exactly who. I had an image, and a name. Entry #4 - On our way back home, we ran into "The Father". Let me say that he is quite big, and we were more than a bit lucky to have come out of that in one piece. He was a gargantuan Red Dragon, which certainly explained the partially reptilian features of his "Children". In retrospect I should have pieced that riddle together. He approached us while we were on the road, and we quickly sought cover. My illusions added to the natural cover of the forest, but he sensed us anyways. It did however give us time to get warded for the inevitable deluge of fire. Had Selene not done that we would have been fried straightaway. As it turned out after a brief but vicious fight we ran him off. Apparently he had not reckoned on us putting up much of a struggle. I wonder if we might be able to take the fight to him at a later date. No doubt well prepared we could make a better accounting of ourselves. But perhaps I've been hanging out with Baerd too long. We returned to Noston's shortly afterwords, and he was well pleased to see the Injuction of Wee Jas in good condition. While he was studying that I prepared for my own information gathering efforts. I must say, the look of surprise on her face and the immediate capitulation of Valdoranna when I summoned her was very gratifying. I had some lingering anger still. Not just for almost killing me, but for the death of Troap and the destruction of so much lore. I was prepared to be most ruthless in her interrogation but it turned out that she was more than willing to cooperate fully. After surrendering her meager gear, I learned that Troap and another archmage, Zandorhal, had pillaged the dragons lair and stolen several items. One of which was the Crystal Ball that sat in my study, recently recovered from Troap's Tower. The Dragon was on a mission of recovery and revenge, and now that I had that I had been added to the list. Valdoranna convinced me that returning the item to the Dragon would put us once more on a neutral footing, and I grudgingly agreed to do so. While I had grown somewhat attached to it, not having such an powerful enemy seemed like the better course at this time. This however did not excuse Zandorhal. I feared he was going to get killed shortly, and so myself, Baerd and Selene set out to Zandorhal's tower. Even on Phantom Steeds the journey was quite a long one, and when we arrived it was too late. His tower had been laid waste, blasted and smashed flagstones evidence of the dragons vengence. The rage of an old dragon is great indeed and I was glad I had gotten rid of the Crystal Ball. However, this was the second archmage to die because of him in less than a week. Something would have to be done about this creature down the road as I do not take lightly the murder of my collegues, even if they offered provocation. Troap's apparent incompetence notwithstanding I'm sure he would have been invaluable to me in the future. The same I am sure can be said of Zandorhal. We searched the ruins out, looking for anything that might show he survived the onslaught, or perhaps anything of value left behind. Not likely if the rumors of the greed of dragons are true. What we did find was nothing of value but clues to a curious story. An old servant of Zandorhal's survived the attack and waited out in a cellar. He was able to add some details to things we had observed. Apparently sometime after the attack a group of goblins moved in. They apparently made off with some swag, and a small party of them stayed behind. This group was apparently killed(quite gruesomely) by yet another pary of worshippers of Erynthuul, who then set off to track the goblins to their lair some 6 miles distant, in the wooded hills. Servants of the Blood Demon need to be dealt with, I hope we can catch them by surprise. Both they and the goblins are going to be treated harshly if they stand between us and any property of the late Zandorhal. Entry #5 - Both the worshippers of Erynthuul and the goblins were treated harshly. The Heretics had actually already received a pasting from the goblins. We encountered them in full retreat from the goblin's lair carrying two of their wounded, having left behind a 3rd. They were quickly dispatched and put up little fight. The goblins were another matter. They were well dug in and we fell into a bit of an ambush. They assaulted us with assasins, priests, Ogres, even archers mounted on giant bees! These were the meanest goblins I'd ever heard of, and they were backed by a sorceror goblin named Vox with a fair grasp of tactics. Needless to say, the carnage in the front vestibule was terrible. Selene laid waste to many with her righteous fury, and Maug'dragu left a trail of corpses that looked like they had been caught in a wine press. It was all very exciting. When it was all over, Vox surrendered and groveled for his life, which we spared. With his cooperation we located what we were searching for. Zandorhal's body was deeper in the cave, and the goblins had actually preserved it from corruption with magic. I guess maybe they had a lingering respect for the wizard. Several of his possesions and a spell book as well were recovered, all in good condition. Makes me wonder if we had approached more diplomatically how this situation would have turned out. Although they certainly didn't seem up for talking when we arrived. I shall try not to lose too much sleep over it. Vox intrigues me. While he is certainly no luminary, his raw sorcerous talent is respectable. Perhaps he should be included in the coalition at a later date, provided he can maintain civility and not be corrupted by his powers. I will keep tabs on him from time to time and make a decision about that later. Entry #6 - We have returned to the Roy's keep and held council with Noston. Funeral arrangements have been made for Zandorhal, he will be buried in a crypt on royal property. Selene has been kind enough conduct the services and hallow his final resting place. His effects are going to be parceled between myself and Noston. I do feel a bit of a vulture, this being the second time in a week that I have added the spells of a dead collegue to my own, but I would sooner perish myself than let such knowledge go to waste. I like to think Troap and Zandorhal held similar practical views on the topic. Whatever gets us through the day, Haizhe used to tell me. As for the living, Noston has finished his research into the "Injunction of Wee Jas" and here is what we now know. At several stages in history, there have been sizeable decreases in the activity of the Banished. Each of these was preceeded by an increase in activity, likely due to a weakening of the Wards. However, each time the demons were apparently held in check by exceptional individuals whose legends survive even today. 3 such incidents have been recorded, each spaced about 300 years apart. In chronological order here are the people who we believe played the major role in stemming the demon tides: Imgelt the Unwaivering - Mighty warrior who lived roughly 1000 years ago and is buried in the north. We know the least about him. Im'Nafee - Orc Sorceror Lord. United the orc warbands and sent them to fight the Ki-Reen civilization to the south. This allowed Men to reoccupy the Old Kingdom. Also of note, there is reason to believe it was the action against the Ki-Reen that led to the collapse of the infernal threat. Divine Henlee - Avenger of Lord Tamberlain, and founder of the Knights of that order. I have decided to travel to the burial locations of each of these heroes and seek to uncover more information. As of now we do not know if there is an individual behind this periodic weakening of the Wards, or if they need to be strengthened from time to time. The Injuction was not clear on what was happening, but I hope to learn more by going to the regions of the activity. Surely someone has kept a record. I am going to head north to Imgelt's cyrpt. He was the first, and also resides in the area where the Archmage Elmurion has established himself. Noston has been trying make contact with him and fears that something has happened. Given the fates of Troap and Zandorhal I also have a bad feeling about it. I will make haste. Baerd and Selene have agreed to join me once again and I am glad for their company. I must say they are ideal traveling companions so far, and not just for the considerable protection. Baerd's good nature and practical knowledge does a great deal to take my mind off the discomforts of traveling in the field. Although I am well versed in lore of the wilds, picking ticks out of your bedroll is another matter entirely. I shall soon devise a dweomer that will annihilate then in a wide area. Selene has been a good spiritual advisor as well. We have taken daily prayers to Wee Jas. Although I am not particularly devout, it seems rude to not participate when you are traveling with an annointed prophet. I must say I have been feeling a bond with the bastard god I have never felt before. In our spare time we have been discussing many topics. She is quite knowledgable. In fact outside of Noston I don't think I've met a better student of the arcane. Which is good, because even Baerd's songs get old after awhile and there's only so many times I wish to hear about the Battle of the Straights of Madness and how many ships he sunk there. I think on last telling he was up to 124 galleys. When it gets to 150 I'm going to threaten him with a divination to find out how many were actually sunk and who was actually responsible. Time to get packing, we have a long journey ahead. [/QUOTE]
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