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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Eccles" data-source="post: 1523988" data-attributes="member: 5675">Miles' player has recently sent me his latest Journal for my website, and I reproduce that here. It takes us from just before the group was ambushed by the pinata of evil until just after they re-entered the Underdark after a 16 day 'holiday' in Calimport, well outside the area covered by the 'Dark Tide' affecting positive energy.---Miles' JournalPart 25Mirtul 13th - After spending an uneventful night, I heard snuffling down a tunnel and it seemed to be heading towards us. Whatever it was first ravaged the illusionary camp that Halbrinn typically sets some distance away as a decoy. As it did that we took up position behind illusionary walls that our gnome conjured, making our small cavern appear to be simply a continuation of the tunnel. What appeared was a truly strange floating ball-like creature with many clawed tentacles, each with an eye imbedded inn it. None of us have the slightest idea what it was. It fell for our trap however, and we massacred it in seconds as it floated along between where four of us were stood. As it died however, it detonated, sprayings its contents (as well as a goodly amount of blood, guts, ichor and flesh for good measure) everywhere. The creature, to our amazement and delight was stuffed with gold and gems, more then twenty thousand pieces worth to be exact. The wealth went some way to compensate for being covered head to toe in monster gore. All of us are now very eager to get back to the surface to spend our wealth before we become too heavily burdened by our impressive haul of loot. We pressed on a bit later (once we had mutually scraped one another mostly clean), and the tunnel led us into a huge cavern, so vast it felt as if we were walking outside. What was truly odd though was the strange vibration in the air, sufficient enough to set my teeth on edge. We made our way through the cavern, dodging attacks by a pair of flying creatures with sonic screeches. One snatched Aeron, flying away with him and I gave chase, flying across after them and slaying one of them. The other beat a hasty retreat as Aeron called down a pillar of flame to engulf it, and we continued on our way, only for the wretched creature to return with what must have been its parents. We fled then, following Aeron who had cast a spell to show him the best route of escape. We flew with the creatures close behind to a ruined tower where we found and uncovered a portal. Reading the runes on it gave us the key to activate it, and we dived through to appear on a crowded street in a strange city. After sealing the portal behind us, we set off to explore our surroundings, quickly finding that the locals did not speak any language we knew. Getting up on top of a wall that the richer citizens of this place seem to use as pathways, presumably so they do not have to share the ground with the commoners, we gazed in awe across the never-ending sea of buildings. The city is incredibly vast, easily surpassing Darromar in Tethyr which I have briefly visited before. From a temple of Tyr we learned that this is the city of Calimport, fully half the Realms from Daggerdale. We were led to an Inn where I paid for the group to stay for a while as we plan on making the most of our time in such a place. Calimport is reputed to be a place where anything and everything can be found and bought, and we have much gold to spend. Mirtul 14th to 30th - Staying at the Foaming Sherbet tavern (very odd name I thought at first, but it turns out that sherbet is a weird drink served in this land, that I am growing quite fond of), in Calimport. The Crusaders (myself included) have spent a vast amount of funds in this place in a very short time, I having paid to have Slayer upgraded (much to his delight), so that now the smith/wizard who did the work ensures me that his edge is sharp enough to slice through anything. This is good. We have a red dragon that needs killing after all, and I would hate for his hard scales to slow down my strikes. I might get Scourge similarly enhanced when I have the gold to do so. I also bought an amulet to bolster my health with what coins I had left. Halbrinn during this rest time teleported to his house in Dagger Falls, to find that the Revenance effect has reached the town, and caused a panic in the temples, which I guess was to be expected. We are running out of time, if the effect is that widespread it means that virtually the entire of the Dales are now blanketed in it saving perhaps Scardale. Too it will have started to infringe on Sembia and Cormanthor. I fear it will result in a war, and my country is ill prepared to fight one. Kythorn 1st - As we were about to set out, Aeron was suddenly possessed and issued a warning in a dire voice, as light poured from his eyes, nose and mouth. The warning went as follows: Weak, unwilling, ALL SHALL RISEOld and ailed, ALL SHALL RISEStrong, yet failed, ALL SHALL RISEBold, unwary, ALL SHALL RISEIt is coming, ALL SHALL RISE The time is coming when the strings, steel and hearts of nations shall be found equal. And then shall be found again. This prophecy uttered by Aeron, was pronounced by him to have been the words of his patron deity, Mystra. Which considering that this Revenance clearly seems to affect the Weave only makes sense. Still I'm suddenly glad that I'm not one of her priests, Aeron was in a bad way once the words ended and he collapsed to the floor. Taking this as a spur for us to get a move on, we set off back to the archway only to find that cleaning this side of it, didn't activate the portal. So we took a rubbing of the symbols off the archway and we headed to a temple of Oghma to get them deciphered. Whilst none of us could understand a word the priest said, he understood us after casting a spell and we learned that we would need blood to activate the gateway from this end. To that extent we bought a goat. I slit its throat (Slayer complaining all the while at being used for this), and we plastered the archway with bloodied handprints. The portal appeared, we cast fly and silence spells and headed through it, into the Yrthak's cavern (Rand had found out what the creatures were during the time we spent in Calimport). We crossed this while silent and moving quickly in the air and on feet, and headed back down the tunnel that leads eventually to Maerimydra. Thankfully today was without any encounters. It has been a while since I have listed my companions, so I feel it important as we set out on what I hope to be the final stage of this grand quest, to detail them, lest not all of them return. The Crusaders are: Stedd - A Monk of the Old Order and my usual fighting partner. A fatalist by nature, he seems determined to avoid the doom that he always sees ahead, fighting with fist and foot. The pair of us makes the most effective team in the party, though we rarely see eye to eye on anything. Yvgeny Del'Ansk - An agent of the Damaran government, sent to Daggerdale to study the zhents, he instead finds himself in a war under the earth, against a foe with the potential to threaten all life on Toril. A monk and a priest, Yvgeny is as equally useful in a fight as he is during its aftermath. He and I differ on many points though, due in the main part to his faith in Ilmater, a god I have little time for. Rand Stormseeker - A living engine of destruction, Rand commands a vast arsenal of magical firepower, and his magics have won the day more times than I care to count. He is also the mayor of Clearwater, and is rightly worried about the dragon Gran'Rath Tendathaloth who will be soon awakening and doubtless resuming his hostilities towards the Crusaders. Given that the last time we did battle with his minions the war was fought in and around Clearwater, he has every right to be concerned for the future. Halbrinn - Our eccentric gnome wizard (is there such a thing as a non-eccentric gnome I wonder), Halbrinn spends much of his time these days shifted into either Ogre or Pixie form so as not to slow the rest of the group down as we travel. A master of many different magics, Halbrinn always seems to have just the spell we need in a pinch. I will freely admit that despite his usefulness to the group I have little time for Halbrinn, he and I have so little in common to relate too besides this quest that most of the time we just don't bother. Aeron Corynian - Our indomitable priest of Mystra, Aeron relishes a good fight, wading into the thick of combat, mace flailing. He has a considerable store of spells at his disposal and arms himself each day with a wide selection of magics, though he is fond of those that bolster him, regularly boosting his size and strength to make him all the better at cracking heads. It would seem that he now has some oracular ability too, which might well come in useful. And lastly of course there is myself. Miles Killian O'Kayne - Assassin to the government of Daggerdale, I am the sword that waits in the shadows for any who think to harm the people of my country with impunity. I have overheard it said that I am not so much set to a task, as set loose upon it. I have never faced a larger threat to my people than I do now, I will see this through whatever the cost. Nothing less is expected of me. Once this is done though, I have a war to take to the Zhents.</blockquote>

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