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Journal of the Souls of Legend (completed)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nthal" data-source="post: 7930325" data-attributes="member: 6971069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Bugs? What Bugs? - 02/29/2020</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em>In a vain attempt to experience everything, sometimes we experience the absurd. Its barmy but true. </em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em></em></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em>How we cope with it, is the interesting question.</em></p><p></p><p></p><p>(Apologies; Real Life interfered with my writing. So, getting back on track.)</p><p></p><p></p><p>For the rest of the morning I was either glaring or Gossamer or watching the sky impatiently for dawn to come. While we were able to scare Drik and Drok into coming with us because of the risk of more hobgoblins, there wasn’t any sight of them, or sound of their worgs. All I heard was wind rustling the thick thigh high grasses that surrounded us and the muffled sounds of Beepu’s and the goblin’s snoring. Well, mostly Beepu’s.</p><p></p><p>In fact, I was spending my time doing anything I could to avoid Gossamer’s observation of me. I even tried to read the <em>Apocrypha</em> to no success; the strange Celestial writings were as unclear as anything to me. It was comical; because Beepu would probably run a green one if he knew that I could read in the darkness. He had things to read, and no way to do it on watch. I could but had nothing I could read, even though I wanted to.</p><p></p><p>As the morning’s darkness slowly turned to light, I thought about my tangled feelings I had for the others around me. The guilt and debts heavy weight still clung to me. But I had never considered my effect on the others around me. That Iesa felt guilty; that Beepu felt indebted, and as for Daneath…I had no idea.</p><p></p><p>Because it came down to that, I never asked. We never talked about my death; it was a forbidden topic. I always thought it was because the others didn’t want to cause me discomfort. But the truth was the episode bothered them as well. How does one even ‘discuss’ it? But at least I could discuss my death if I chose. My other emotional knots? That was another story.</p><p></p><p>Who would want to listen and help me sort out my feeling and my past? Would Beepu care at all about my ‘sister?’ What did I expect others to say to me about Markell? And all of them are looking for their fathers with eagerness. Mine was special only in the sense that he didn’t want to be found at all…and that he was an immortal. Only Iesa seemed to share the same perspective on finding his. But that was based on abandoning his mother and he to the slums. Mine at least tried to find a better place. And I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, let alone how I felt about it.</p><p></p><p>I realized that the answer was simple, and yet had no solution. That a person who truly wanted to know and listen would be a person that really cared about me. My dead mother might have. I thought Markell was that person, and that turned out to be horribly wrong. The only other one that might qualify that I knew, was in Sigil. But being an immortal, the definition of ‘care’ was very different that my own.</p><p></p><p>The sun peaked above the horizon, illuminating the camp. I slowly stood up, stretching out my stiff limbs. Finding someone to dump my internal ball of emotional issues was going to require a different locale. I turned and looked at our set of lean-tos and bedrolls and began the thankless job of waking everyone.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately, small talk and packing up the camp is all we did. Iesa said nothing more about last night, and I didn’t mention it either. The goblins and Beepu needled each other with a little less intensity, for which I was thankful for. The reason for this, less so.</p><p></p><p>The goblins were in front with Iesa and I close behind, and Beepu and Daneath following. Because the goblins were leading with a slower pace, so Beepu was having a much easier time with the journey. But I noticed that we were slowly making less and less progress. Watching the goblins, I saw that they were becoming animated with each other and halted with more and more frequency. Iesa however didn’t seem to notice the subtle change.</p><p></p><p>“So, we still on the right path?”</p><p></p><p>Drik nodded, while Drok almost shook his head, and then agreed. They started to mutter to each other in goblin. I didn’t understand the language, but I could tell there was some type of disagreement. Biting my lip, I decided to say nothing, and instead started to work the magic so I could understand them the next time they started to disagree. It took a little while to cast, but it was read when we crested a hill so we could get a better set of bearings.</p><p></p><p>“So, boys, I see hills, a valley a ways off in some haze, grassland…which way?” Iesa asked. I was pretty sure he was being straight up with the question, as none of us had been here before, and unlike the march to Flint Rock, there was no map hiding in Iesa’s pack.</p><p></p><p>The goblins stood there a moment, and Drik motioned to Drok. Drok sighed and came over to his brother. Drik then scrambled on top of Drik until he was precariously balanced on Drok’s head. He then looked around and confidently said, “The hills.”</p><p></p><p><em><”That not we said earlier.”> </em> Drok muttered in goblin.</p><p></p><p><em><”It been a while. Directions hazy.”> </em>Drik replied.</p><p></p><p><em><”Head hazy for directions. Let me see.”></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><”No. My turn to lead. Not hazy.”></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><”Valley of Bugs not in hills. In Valley gnomepoop.”></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><”You gnomepoop. You bitchy gnome gnomepoop.”> </em>and he gestured towards Beepu. Beepu, who clearly couldn’t understand them, was busy reading a parchment, while the pair bickered.</p><p></p><p>“So,” I tried to sound casual, “You been to the hobgoblin camps often.”</p><p></p><p>“Maybe” said Drik. “No.” said Drok.</p><p></p><p>“Then, how do you know where to go?” I asked blandly. Inside I was afraid that they were guessing and stringing us along in fear. </p><p></p><p>“Remember landmarks mostly,” Drik said. “Not seen what I want to see.”</p><p></p><p>“I want to see. I remember.” Drok said sullenly from under Drik.</p><p></p><p>“Drik, can you le—”</p><p></p><p>“No. My day to see. We agree I stand on him!” Drik said passionately. I rolled my eyes and closed them, trying not to lose my temper. I then came up with an idea.</p><p></p><p>“Drik, come on down off of Drok,” I said smiling trying to sound reasonable. Drik didn’t seem to notice the tension in my words, and shrugged and jumped down from Drok. I then knelt down in front of Drok. I gently spun him around while he looked in confusion and then lifted him up by his forearms, the over my head and sat him on my shoulders.</p><p></p><p>As soon as I did so Drik’s face turned red, “Not fair. Drok short.”</p><p></p><p><em><”Short as bitchy gnome from up here.”></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><”Cheater! Deal Breaker. Lasher snot!”></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><”Wait. Gnome bigger. You smaller.”></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><”Take that back, halfling licker.”></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><”Why? You not brave enough to ride ugly magic woman.”></em></p><p></p><p>“Ok you two,” trying to hold back my laughter at their argument, and the revelation that I was a scary ugly <em>Booyagh </em>to them. “I’ll give you a look later Drik, if you think you are…brave enough.” Drik’s mouth opened a second and then it closed with him nodding vigorously. Seeing his agreement, I cocked my head to glance up at Drok. “What do you see?”</p><p></p><p>Drok looked around and then spoke, “Hazy head, not see hazy valley. If Valley has bugs, right place. Wrong valley, keep looking.”</p><p></p><p>“Haze around valley? Saw haze. Not sure it valley.” Drik said defensively.</p><p></p><p>“We’ll get closer, and I’ll let you look and then we’ll know.” I said. I lifted Drok from my shoulders and set him down on the ground. Looking at the others I said, “Shall we?” Everyone nodded, and we started moving again. Not long though Beepu tugged at my elbow.</p><p></p><p>“So, what was that about poop?” he asked puzzledly.</p><p></p><p>“Affectionate insults,” I said guardedly. “I thought you didn’t speak goblin.”</p><p></p><p>“I do not. But I do know what <em>Blergmak</em> means. That and I thought I heard the word for gnome; <em>Keygacht</em>.”</p><p></p><p>“Well…let’s just say that just like any pair of siblings, they like insulting each other.”</p><p></p><p>“I do not have siblings, so I do not see what the point is.”</p><p></p><p>“You don’t?” I looked at him a little surprised. “Siblings, or people that consider themselves ones, tend to insult and argue,” I said a bit wistfully. </p><p></p><p>“I know that. I do not understand why that is a necessary part.”</p><p></p><p>I shrugged, “I guess…I really don’t know. It just was...is.”</p><p></p><p>“Whatever. They are probably just laughing at me,” and Beepu then trudged along in silence.</p><p></p><p>“So…were they?” Daneath asked as Beepu stomped ahead.</p><p></p><p>“No. But he wouldn’t be laughing either.”</p><p>It was slow going, towards the patch of haze in the distance. The terrain wasn’t difficult, but it was much farther than I had thought from the hilltop. Every so often I would lift one of the goblins up on my shoulders. While I did it for practical reasons, it was clear that the Goblins enjoyed their moment of height. The others were just amused that I had become the center of the goblin’s world.</p><p></p><p>As it turned out that the haze was a light fog and it, was indeed surrounding the entrance to the valley. As we approached, the goblins started to become more wary. This wasn’t lost on anyone else either. Iesa pulled out his bow, and Daneath readied his sword and shield. We spread ourselves out a bit, keeping each other in sight as we tread through the fog. As we entered the valley, everything started to change. The breeze died down and was still. The air was thick and damp now. And then as we slowly made our way, I became afraid.</p><p></p><p>The sudden onslaught on our noses was overwhelming. The charnel smell of rot and decay was everywhere. My eyes stung and began to water and tear. As I wiped them, I kicked something on the ground. Looking down, I saw the source of the odors that now surrounded us.</p><p></p><p>It was a corpse, lying face down on the earth. The armor was in shambles, with large holes in the plate. The corpse itself was bloated; swelling up to fill the armor completely, and bulge grotesquely at the joints and neck. The skins’ color was between a deathly white and light rotten green. Flies and other insects swarmed around the bodies in thick clouds. As I stared, I could hear noises in the distance; noises of large metal plates grinding together.</p><p></p><p>Looking beyond into the mist, I saw that there were more corpses. Some in worse shape and some in better. But I didn’t see anything living beyond us. The field of corpses was descending downwards into a gully. And as we descended, the fog grew lighter, allowing us to see farther and farther.</p><p></p><p>It appeared that two hosts of men battled here in recent weeks. One group seemed to favor black tunics and yellow trim, the other was a more motley assortment of brown and red tunics. Spears were broken and thrust into the ground. In the distance, towards the middle of the battle and the valley, we could see a lone standard still planted in the ground, its colors hung limp in the still air. </p><p></p><p>I covered my mouth and nose, trying to ward off the stench. Then I heard the sounds of metal scraping nearby, giving me shivers up and down my back. I turned and faced a horror from tales told by veterans from wars past. </p><p></p><p>“Big Bugs,” Drik said quietly and pointed at the monstrosity. It was vaguely beetle shaped, with a grey carapace and spikes projecting outwards from it. The thing was massive, easily three paces wide and five long. It lumbered slowly and ponderously on the floor of the valley, unaware or uncaring of our prescence.</p><p></p><p>I then watched it move towards a pile of bodies. I saw it extend two grey metallic arms. Both were covered in dried blood and gore, and I watched it lift a corpse up into the air. The arms continued backwards over its body and then suddenly, it slammed the corpse’s chest onto a spike on its back. The arms then withdrew, and the corpse twisted and hung there, like a macabre scarecrow to frighten the living.</p><p></p><p>“That’s…that’s not a bug,” I gulp as I looked that the thing in horror. I knew was a blasphemy, and while one part of me recoiled, the other part of me wanted to destroy it. I then heard another noise deeper within, and I saw another one. And then another. Three of the things were creeping among thousands of corpses that lay on the ground. None of them in a rush, and none of them had noticed our presence.</p><p></p><p>“I’m not sure I care what those are. We should leave,” Daneath said grimly, his eyes squinting looking over the battlefield. </p><p></p><p>“Daneath is right. I do not think we want to mess with these things,” Beepu agreed readily.</p><p></p><p>“Lashers know that many would be afraid,” Drik spoke softly. “This battle old, yet the bugs never finish.”</p><p></p><p>“The lashers…you mean the hobgoblins control these things?” Iesa said looking at the goblins in surprise.</p><p></p><p>“No. Booyahg not in charge. They found secret.”</p><p></p><p>“What secret?” I asked, barely able to keep my eyes off of the one nearby, as I watched it impale another corpse on a spike on its back.</p><p></p><p>“They usually ignore living,” Drok said also whispering. “Lashers leave them alone to keep back entrance safe.”</p><p></p><p>“Back entrance?” Daneath asked, tearing his eyes away. “To their camp?”</p><p></p><p>Drik nodded, “Camp in little canyon with gate. This valley leads to cave that opens above camp. Only Booyagh and braver ones use cave.”</p><p></p><p>“How can we turn this down,” Iesa said sardonically. “Short cut with corpse backed bugs. This can’t possibly get any better.”</p><p></p><p>“I do not like it. Trusting the word of the goblins is a bad idea,”</p><p></p><p>I turned my head to look at Beepu, and just next to him the pair had turned their heads to glare at the gnome. I could only shake my head. But then I asked the pair, “Is there anything else we should know?”</p><p></p><p>They both quickly nodded and Drik said, “Yes. Do not touch the dead.”</p><p></p><p>“Well then, this isn’t going to look any better,” Daneath started. “Unless someone says otherwise, we head in and find that cave. Can you get us there?” Both goblins nodded, and Beepu only shrugged his shoulders.</p><p></p><p>We then started to thread our way through the battlefield. We moved cautiously; not running but not exactly sneaking either. The monstrosities ignored us, occasionally picking up a corpse and adding it to the pile on its back. The whole place gave me the shivers. As we continued through the valley, I began to notice that there were other bodies as well that didn’t match the ones at the entrance. The area felt off. It was like there were many different battles that were fought, and then overlaid on top of each other. I wondered if there was some other force at play here.</p><p></p><p><em>Gos, any of the…things moving towards us?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>--No. They are just meandering.</em></p><p></p><p>I frowned and slowed down so I could talk to Beepu. “Hey, doesn’t this seem strange?” I whispered</p><p></p><p>“What? Us following the ad—” he started in lecturing tone.</p><p></p><p>“—Drop that. No, I mean the valley. I don’t get why so many bodies, and so many different groups as a part of it.”</p><p></p><p>“Oh. Well, I agree it is strange, but the High Moors are a strange place. It wasn’t always like this.”</p><p></p><p>“How so?”</p><p></p><p>“Well, this place is a product of the Crown wars, the Fifth one as I recall. Over ten thousand years ago it was a forest, probably like the Misty Woods. In that war, the kingdom of Miyeritar was destroyed by the Vyshaantar’s Empires superior magics. Supposedly, that event led to the Miyertar becoming drow.”</p><p></p><p>“Supposedly?”</p><p></p><p>“I am not an expert on elven history, and my memory may not be accurate. However, the magic storms laid waste to the land, and in some cases warped it. So, this valley being cursed may not be a surprise.”</p><p></p><p>“I’m not sure I like that much better.”</p><p></p><p>“Honestly I agree. In fact, I…” and Beepu stopped a moment, his eyes brows furrowing in a mixture of concentration and confusion. Then his eyes bulged in horror and he shouted at Iesa.</p><p></p><p>“Stop Mo!”</p><p></p><p>“What?” Iesa said, and he like the rest of us started to look around wildly. Beepu thrust his finger in the direction behind us. Perhaps ten paces away was that lone banner, hanging limply in the still air, its colors faded and worn from the elements. Leaning on it was a corpse, its desiccated hands still wrapped around the pole, while another hand clutched at a spear that had passed through the warrior, propping the corpse as it bend slightly backwards, the shaft of the spear somehow holding up the weight of the body. Just another deader I thought, until…</p><p></p><p>“Oh sodding, Baator no!” I said aloud. Mo was on the shoulder of the body and was pulling something shiny around the neck. Iesa turned and looked where I was, and I heard him mutter something quietly before calling out.</p><p></p><p>“Mo! Leave it. Come here!”</p><p></p><p>Mo looked up at Iesa and made a sound like ‘ook.’ He started to come back to us, when suddenly it ran up the corpse again, and tugged at the neck. Something broke free, and it now was held in Mo’s paws, much to his glee.</p><p></p><p>I could feel a sudden chill on the field, and as I looked around, I saw one of the things, drop a corpse from its claw like hands as it turned towards us. It then started to move forward, with a hideous sound as it clanked and clinked as the grey metal plates scraped past each other. The thing undulated as it moved. And it started to move fast.</p><p></p><p>“We need to bolt!” I said, backing away. We were probably in the middle of the valley, and we could barely see in the haze, the rock wall the bordered the far side. Fortunately, there was no massive ‘bug’ in between us and that rock. But there wasn’t an obvious clear path either.</p><p></p><p>“Iesa we need to move!” Daneath said and the warrior began to run, heading toward the rock, following Drik and Drok who despite their small stature, were swift enough to make Daneath work to keep up with them. </p><p></p><p>“Once I get Mo! MO COME HERE!!” Iesa shouted, and Mo started towards him, slowly. Then he turned and saw the lumbering monster starting to bear down towards him. Was he a target? I didn’t know, but nor did Mo, who froze in fear.</p><p></p><p>“MO!” Iesa bellowed, trying to get his pal’s attention. The bug thing was building speed. I grabbed Iesa by the arm and pulled him, trying to get him to move.</p><p></p><p>“We need to run. NOW!” I shouted. At that point there was a golden flash that blazed in front of the huge metal bug. And with that, Mo took to the air, as Foggle grasped the monkey in its talons.</p><p></p><p>Iesa blinked a moment, and started to stumble forward, and soon he was in a full sprint to the rock wall as well, easily leaving me behind, and passing Daneath. I looked behind me to see that another one had also turned and was giving chase as well. And then my heart sank.</p><p></p><p>While Daneath, Drik and Drok and I were about the same speed, and Iesa of course much faster, Beepu was still not swift and was falling paces behind us quickly, and the monster was gaining speed even faster. As they closed, I could feel the malevolence in them. I realized that while they were covered in metal, they were powered by the dark energy that sustained the undead. </p><p></p><p>I wanted to stand my ground and destroy them. That would have been the brave thing to do. And I knew it was a fast way to become a deader myself and impaled on a spike on its back. But with Beepu falling behind I didn’t know what I could do to help him move faster or slow down the bug.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately, Beepu had his own ideas, and quickly I saw behind him that a large fog bank appeared just behind him, enveloping the undead things. I could hear them slow a little bit in terms of the clanking and grinding sounds they made. Beepu ran as fast as he was able, not even looking to see if the fog delayed his pursuers. Ahead of him, Foggle carried Mo who was shivering in the talons of the mechanical owl.</p><p></p><p>I just ran. My heart pounded and my lungs burned. Ahead of me, I saw the goblins and Daneath heading toward the left and then I saw it, a narrow cave entrance. I turned and ran towards it, and then glanced behind me to see if we were going to make it.</p><p></p><p>Beepu, was still many paces behind, with only the wall of fog visible behind him. Suddenly, one of the monstrosities burst out of the fog, and was making a beeline for Beepu. Moments later the second one emerged, it too barreling down on us.</p><p></p><p>I was getting tired; my legs ached, and I was stumbling more. Glancing behind me I gulped, as I looked at our pursuers. Despite their bulk, they were gaining on Beepu and myself rapidly. I pushed myself harder; I wasn’t going to end up on a spike on an undead thing in the middle of prime. I was not going to die again.</p><p></p><p>The entrance was in reach, inside I saw the rest stand just inside the entrance to the cave. Daneath and Iesa had both unslung their bows letting arrows fly. I watched them streak by me, and I heard the metal tips ricochet off the metal plates. A moment later I had crossed the threshold of the cave, and I turned around, ready to let loose a spell to save the gnome from death.</p><p></p><p>Beepu ran, with the creatures close behind him. His face was red from the exertion, and his legs a quick blur as he ran for all of his worth. The metal creature was closing fast on the gnome.</p><p></p><p>He wasn’t going to make it.</p><p></p><p>I wracked my head for an idea, as the brothers kept up their barrage of arrows, even though they seemed to have no effect. Drik and Drok had pulled out their crossbows and also fired quarrels, trying to slow down the monsters in any way they could. I felt helpless; none of my blasts, my miasma, or anything could quickly cast could slow them down. I had no way to create an obstacle—or did I?</p><p></p><p>I reached out with a twisting of light and dark strands just behind Beepu. I focused on the earth itself, but instead of pushing out the dirt to make a hole, I simply churned it making it challenging to cross, lifting buried stones and loosening the earth, right in front of the metal thing. It ran over the dirt and it immediately slowed down. Its long form unable to quickly traverse the impacted area, its speed was cut in half.</p><p></p><p>It was just enough; Beepu surged forward and entered the cave. He paused a moment, to look behind him, and together we realized that it was now speeding up and was going to ram the cave at full speed. </p><p></p><p>We stumbled over each other to run deeper into the cave; Drik and Drok led the way, while I grabbed the arms of Iesa and Daneath and pulled them deeper into the darkness, having no time to create a source of light for the humans. We barely got two paces, when with a thundering sound, it crashed into the rock around the cave. Stone and dust fell from the ceiling, and we all stumbled forward, struggling to keep our balance. I failed to and I landed flat on my stomach, and was quickly covered by dust, and rock. I lifted my head and looked back at the entrance and saw the ‘bug’ back up and again slam itself against the stone.</p><p></p><p>I crawled deeper in, finally siting and turning to face the entrance with the others. After a dozen times, the bug went still. Then it slowly backed up and turned away, returning to the grisly battlefield. I sat there, still trying to catch my breath when I heard Mo utter a small moping sound. I turned to look at Iesa, and I watched Mo slink up Iesa’s shoulder and back into is pack. Iesa sighed and looked at his hand. There, a brass chain dangled from his fingers, ending in a cheap locket. The clasp that held it shut was open, and inside I could see a small dried red flower. </p><p></p><p>“All…of…that…for…a…flower?” Beepu said between breaths.</p><p></p><p>“Tells me…one thing,” Daneath said breathing a bit easier.</p><p></p><p>“What’s that?” Iesa asked giving Daneath a suspicious look.</p><p></p><p>“Mo thinks you smell too.”</p><p></p><p>Iesa’s jaw dropped, dumbfounded. And with that Drik and Drok collapsed on the floor in fits of hysteria. Daneath just stood there with a grin on his face. Beepu looked at the goblins and then Iesa. After a moment, he too spat and started to laugh as well.</p><p></p><p>Iesa looked at me helplessly, like I was the last bastion of reason, or defender of his honor.</p><p></p><p>“Myr?” he said in a pleading voice.</p><p></p><p>I leaned back against the wall, with an exasperated expression. Closing my eyes for a moment, I smiled. I then waved my hand and suddenly the smell of cinnamon and roses wafted on the air from Iesa. He looked at me puzzled at first and then his nose caught the fresh smells that now clung onto him.</p><p></p><p>“Oh. come ON!”</p><p></p><p><strong>Session Notes:</strong></p><p></p><p>So…we never really understood the setup of the battle here. Based on the map, Loudwater and Secomber are the two closest towns, but Secomber didn’t have a large standing force. Many things didn’t make sense, but that only after I was reading my notes. Still, Mo almost getting us killed was humorous.</p><p></p><p>Almost.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nthal, post: 7930325, member: 6971069"] [CENTER][B]Bugs? What Bugs? - 02/29/2020[/B] [I]In a vain attempt to experience everything, sometimes we experience the absurd. Its barmy but true. How we cope with it, is the interesting question.[/I][/CENTER] (Apologies; Real Life interfered with my writing. So, getting back on track.) For the rest of the morning I was either glaring or Gossamer or watching the sky impatiently for dawn to come. While we were able to scare Drik and Drok into coming with us because of the risk of more hobgoblins, there wasn’t any sight of them, or sound of their worgs. All I heard was wind rustling the thick thigh high grasses that surrounded us and the muffled sounds of Beepu’s and the goblin’s snoring. Well, mostly Beepu’s. In fact, I was spending my time doing anything I could to avoid Gossamer’s observation of me. I even tried to read the [I]Apocrypha[/I] to no success; the strange Celestial writings were as unclear as anything to me. It was comical; because Beepu would probably run a green one if he knew that I could read in the darkness. He had things to read, and no way to do it on watch. I could but had nothing I could read, even though I wanted to. As the morning’s darkness slowly turned to light, I thought about my tangled feelings I had for the others around me. The guilt and debts heavy weight still clung to me. But I had never considered my effect on the others around me. That Iesa felt guilty; that Beepu felt indebted, and as for Daneath…I had no idea. Because it came down to that, I never asked. We never talked about my death; it was a forbidden topic. I always thought it was because the others didn’t want to cause me discomfort. But the truth was the episode bothered them as well. How does one even ‘discuss’ it? But at least I could discuss my death if I chose. My other emotional knots? That was another story. Who would want to listen and help me sort out my feeling and my past? Would Beepu care at all about my ‘sister?’ What did I expect others to say to me about Markell? And all of them are looking for their fathers with eagerness. Mine was special only in the sense that he didn’t want to be found at all…and that he was an immortal. Only Iesa seemed to share the same perspective on finding his. But that was based on abandoning his mother and he to the slums. Mine at least tried to find a better place. And I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, let alone how I felt about it. I realized that the answer was simple, and yet had no solution. That a person who truly wanted to know and listen would be a person that really cared about me. My dead mother might have. I thought Markell was that person, and that turned out to be horribly wrong. The only other one that might qualify that I knew, was in Sigil. But being an immortal, the definition of ‘care’ was very different that my own. The sun peaked above the horizon, illuminating the camp. I slowly stood up, stretching out my stiff limbs. Finding someone to dump my internal ball of emotional issues was going to require a different locale. I turned and looked at our set of lean-tos and bedrolls and began the thankless job of waking everyone. Fortunately, small talk and packing up the camp is all we did. Iesa said nothing more about last night, and I didn’t mention it either. The goblins and Beepu needled each other with a little less intensity, for which I was thankful for. The reason for this, less so. The goblins were in front with Iesa and I close behind, and Beepu and Daneath following. Because the goblins were leading with a slower pace, so Beepu was having a much easier time with the journey. But I noticed that we were slowly making less and less progress. Watching the goblins, I saw that they were becoming animated with each other and halted with more and more frequency. Iesa however didn’t seem to notice the subtle change. “So, we still on the right path?” Drik nodded, while Drok almost shook his head, and then agreed. They started to mutter to each other in goblin. I didn’t understand the language, but I could tell there was some type of disagreement. Biting my lip, I decided to say nothing, and instead started to work the magic so I could understand them the next time they started to disagree. It took a little while to cast, but it was read when we crested a hill so we could get a better set of bearings. “So, boys, I see hills, a valley a ways off in some haze, grassland…which way?” Iesa asked. I was pretty sure he was being straight up with the question, as none of us had been here before, and unlike the march to Flint Rock, there was no map hiding in Iesa’s pack. The goblins stood there a moment, and Drik motioned to Drok. Drok sighed and came over to his brother. Drik then scrambled on top of Drik until he was precariously balanced on Drok’s head. He then looked around and confidently said, “The hills.” [I]<”That not we said earlier.”> [/I] Drok muttered in goblin. [I]<”It been a while. Directions hazy.”> [/I]Drik replied. [I]<”Head hazy for directions. Let me see.”> <”No. My turn to lead. Not hazy.”> <”Valley of Bugs not in hills. In Valley gnomepoop.”> <”You gnomepoop. You bitchy gnome gnomepoop.”> [/I]and he gestured towards Beepu. Beepu, who clearly couldn’t understand them, was busy reading a parchment, while the pair bickered. “So,” I tried to sound casual, “You been to the hobgoblin camps often.” “Maybe” said Drik. “No.” said Drok. “Then, how do you know where to go?” I asked blandly. Inside I was afraid that they were guessing and stringing us along in fear. “Remember landmarks mostly,” Drik said. “Not seen what I want to see.” “I want to see. I remember.” Drok said sullenly from under Drik. “Drik, can you le—” “No. My day to see. We agree I stand on him!” Drik said passionately. I rolled my eyes and closed them, trying not to lose my temper. I then came up with an idea. “Drik, come on down off of Drok,” I said smiling trying to sound reasonable. Drik didn’t seem to notice the tension in my words, and shrugged and jumped down from Drok. I then knelt down in front of Drok. I gently spun him around while he looked in confusion and then lifted him up by his forearms, the over my head and sat him on my shoulders. As soon as I did so Drik’s face turned red, “Not fair. Drok short.” [I]<”Short as bitchy gnome from up here.”> <”Cheater! Deal Breaker. Lasher snot!”> <”Wait. Gnome bigger. You smaller.”> <”Take that back, halfling licker.”> <”Why? You not brave enough to ride ugly magic woman.”>[/I] “Ok you two,” trying to hold back my laughter at their argument, and the revelation that I was a scary ugly [I]Booyagh [/I]to them. “I’ll give you a look later Drik, if you think you are…brave enough.” Drik’s mouth opened a second and then it closed with him nodding vigorously. Seeing his agreement, I cocked my head to glance up at Drok. “What do you see?” Drok looked around and then spoke, “Hazy head, not see hazy valley. If Valley has bugs, right place. Wrong valley, keep looking.” “Haze around valley? Saw haze. Not sure it valley.” Drik said defensively. “We’ll get closer, and I’ll let you look and then we’ll know.” I said. I lifted Drok from my shoulders and set him down on the ground. Looking at the others I said, “Shall we?” Everyone nodded, and we started moving again. Not long though Beepu tugged at my elbow. “So, what was that about poop?” he asked puzzledly. “Affectionate insults,” I said guardedly. “I thought you didn’t speak goblin.” “I do not. But I do know what [I]Blergmak[/I] means. That and I thought I heard the word for gnome; [I]Keygacht[/I].” “Well…let’s just say that just like any pair of siblings, they like insulting each other.” “I do not have siblings, so I do not see what the point is.” “You don’t?” I looked at him a little surprised. “Siblings, or people that consider themselves ones, tend to insult and argue,” I said a bit wistfully. “I know that. I do not understand why that is a necessary part.” I shrugged, “I guess…I really don’t know. It just was...is.” “Whatever. They are probably just laughing at me,” and Beepu then trudged along in silence. “So…were they?” Daneath asked as Beepu stomped ahead. “No. But he wouldn’t be laughing either.” It was slow going, towards the patch of haze in the distance. The terrain wasn’t difficult, but it was much farther than I had thought from the hilltop. Every so often I would lift one of the goblins up on my shoulders. While I did it for practical reasons, it was clear that the Goblins enjoyed their moment of height. The others were just amused that I had become the center of the goblin’s world. As it turned out that the haze was a light fog and it, was indeed surrounding the entrance to the valley. As we approached, the goblins started to become more wary. This wasn’t lost on anyone else either. Iesa pulled out his bow, and Daneath readied his sword and shield. We spread ourselves out a bit, keeping each other in sight as we tread through the fog. As we entered the valley, everything started to change. The breeze died down and was still. The air was thick and damp now. And then as we slowly made our way, I became afraid. The sudden onslaught on our noses was overwhelming. The charnel smell of rot and decay was everywhere. My eyes stung and began to water and tear. As I wiped them, I kicked something on the ground. Looking down, I saw the source of the odors that now surrounded us. It was a corpse, lying face down on the earth. The armor was in shambles, with large holes in the plate. The corpse itself was bloated; swelling up to fill the armor completely, and bulge grotesquely at the joints and neck. The skins’ color was between a deathly white and light rotten green. Flies and other insects swarmed around the bodies in thick clouds. As I stared, I could hear noises in the distance; noises of large metal plates grinding together. Looking beyond into the mist, I saw that there were more corpses. Some in worse shape and some in better. But I didn’t see anything living beyond us. The field of corpses was descending downwards into a gully. And as we descended, the fog grew lighter, allowing us to see farther and farther. It appeared that two hosts of men battled here in recent weeks. One group seemed to favor black tunics and yellow trim, the other was a more motley assortment of brown and red tunics. Spears were broken and thrust into the ground. In the distance, towards the middle of the battle and the valley, we could see a lone standard still planted in the ground, its colors hung limp in the still air. I covered my mouth and nose, trying to ward off the stench. Then I heard the sounds of metal scraping nearby, giving me shivers up and down my back. I turned and faced a horror from tales told by veterans from wars past. “Big Bugs,” Drik said quietly and pointed at the monstrosity. It was vaguely beetle shaped, with a grey carapace and spikes projecting outwards from it. The thing was massive, easily three paces wide and five long. It lumbered slowly and ponderously on the floor of the valley, unaware or uncaring of our prescence. I then watched it move towards a pile of bodies. I saw it extend two grey metallic arms. Both were covered in dried blood and gore, and I watched it lift a corpse up into the air. The arms continued backwards over its body and then suddenly, it slammed the corpse’s chest onto a spike on its back. The arms then withdrew, and the corpse twisted and hung there, like a macabre scarecrow to frighten the living. “That’s…that’s not a bug,” I gulp as I looked that the thing in horror. I knew was a blasphemy, and while one part of me recoiled, the other part of me wanted to destroy it. I then heard another noise deeper within, and I saw another one. And then another. Three of the things were creeping among thousands of corpses that lay on the ground. None of them in a rush, and none of them had noticed our presence. “I’m not sure I care what those are. We should leave,” Daneath said grimly, his eyes squinting looking over the battlefield. “Daneath is right. I do not think we want to mess with these things,” Beepu agreed readily. “Lashers know that many would be afraid,” Drik spoke softly. “This battle old, yet the bugs never finish.” “The lashers…you mean the hobgoblins control these things?” Iesa said looking at the goblins in surprise. “No. Booyahg not in charge. They found secret.” “What secret?” I asked, barely able to keep my eyes off of the one nearby, as I watched it impale another corpse on a spike on its back. “They usually ignore living,” Drok said also whispering. “Lashers leave them alone to keep back entrance safe.” “Back entrance?” Daneath asked, tearing his eyes away. “To their camp?” Drik nodded, “Camp in little canyon with gate. This valley leads to cave that opens above camp. Only Booyagh and braver ones use cave.” “How can we turn this down,” Iesa said sardonically. “Short cut with corpse backed bugs. This can’t possibly get any better.” “I do not like it. Trusting the word of the goblins is a bad idea,” I turned my head to look at Beepu, and just next to him the pair had turned their heads to glare at the gnome. I could only shake my head. But then I asked the pair, “Is there anything else we should know?” They both quickly nodded and Drik said, “Yes. Do not touch the dead.” “Well then, this isn’t going to look any better,” Daneath started. “Unless someone says otherwise, we head in and find that cave. Can you get us there?” Both goblins nodded, and Beepu only shrugged his shoulders. We then started to thread our way through the battlefield. We moved cautiously; not running but not exactly sneaking either. The monstrosities ignored us, occasionally picking up a corpse and adding it to the pile on its back. The whole place gave me the shivers. As we continued through the valley, I began to notice that there were other bodies as well that didn’t match the ones at the entrance. The area felt off. It was like there were many different battles that were fought, and then overlaid on top of each other. I wondered if there was some other force at play here. [I]Gos, any of the…things moving towards us? --No. They are just meandering.[/I] I frowned and slowed down so I could talk to Beepu. “Hey, doesn’t this seem strange?” I whispered “What? Us following the ad—” he started in lecturing tone. “—Drop that. No, I mean the valley. I don’t get why so many bodies, and so many different groups as a part of it.” “Oh. Well, I agree it is strange, but the High Moors are a strange place. It wasn’t always like this.” “How so?” “Well, this place is a product of the Crown wars, the Fifth one as I recall. Over ten thousand years ago it was a forest, probably like the Misty Woods. In that war, the kingdom of Miyeritar was destroyed by the Vyshaantar’s Empires superior magics. Supposedly, that event led to the Miyertar becoming drow.” “Supposedly?” “I am not an expert on elven history, and my memory may not be accurate. However, the magic storms laid waste to the land, and in some cases warped it. So, this valley being cursed may not be a surprise.” “I’m not sure I like that much better.” “Honestly I agree. In fact, I…” and Beepu stopped a moment, his eyes brows furrowing in a mixture of concentration and confusion. Then his eyes bulged in horror and he shouted at Iesa. “Stop Mo!” “What?” Iesa said, and he like the rest of us started to look around wildly. Beepu thrust his finger in the direction behind us. Perhaps ten paces away was that lone banner, hanging limply in the still air, its colors faded and worn from the elements. Leaning on it was a corpse, its desiccated hands still wrapped around the pole, while another hand clutched at a spear that had passed through the warrior, propping the corpse as it bend slightly backwards, the shaft of the spear somehow holding up the weight of the body. Just another deader I thought, until… “Oh sodding, Baator no!” I said aloud. Mo was on the shoulder of the body and was pulling something shiny around the neck. Iesa turned and looked where I was, and I heard him mutter something quietly before calling out. “Mo! Leave it. Come here!” Mo looked up at Iesa and made a sound like ‘ook.’ He started to come back to us, when suddenly it ran up the corpse again, and tugged at the neck. Something broke free, and it now was held in Mo’s paws, much to his glee. I could feel a sudden chill on the field, and as I looked around, I saw one of the things, drop a corpse from its claw like hands as it turned towards us. It then started to move forward, with a hideous sound as it clanked and clinked as the grey metal plates scraped past each other. The thing undulated as it moved. And it started to move fast. “We need to bolt!” I said, backing away. We were probably in the middle of the valley, and we could barely see in the haze, the rock wall the bordered the far side. Fortunately, there was no massive ‘bug’ in between us and that rock. But there wasn’t an obvious clear path either. “Iesa we need to move!” Daneath said and the warrior began to run, heading toward the rock, following Drik and Drok who despite their small stature, were swift enough to make Daneath work to keep up with them. “Once I get Mo! MO COME HERE!!” Iesa shouted, and Mo started towards him, slowly. Then he turned and saw the lumbering monster starting to bear down towards him. Was he a target? I didn’t know, but nor did Mo, who froze in fear. “MO!” Iesa bellowed, trying to get his pal’s attention. The bug thing was building speed. I grabbed Iesa by the arm and pulled him, trying to get him to move. “We need to run. NOW!” I shouted. At that point there was a golden flash that blazed in front of the huge metal bug. And with that, Mo took to the air, as Foggle grasped the monkey in its talons. Iesa blinked a moment, and started to stumble forward, and soon he was in a full sprint to the rock wall as well, easily leaving me behind, and passing Daneath. I looked behind me to see that another one had also turned and was giving chase as well. And then my heart sank. While Daneath, Drik and Drok and I were about the same speed, and Iesa of course much faster, Beepu was still not swift and was falling paces behind us quickly, and the monster was gaining speed even faster. As they closed, I could feel the malevolence in them. I realized that while they were covered in metal, they were powered by the dark energy that sustained the undead. I wanted to stand my ground and destroy them. That would have been the brave thing to do. And I knew it was a fast way to become a deader myself and impaled on a spike on its back. But with Beepu falling behind I didn’t know what I could do to help him move faster or slow down the bug. Fortunately, Beepu had his own ideas, and quickly I saw behind him that a large fog bank appeared just behind him, enveloping the undead things. I could hear them slow a little bit in terms of the clanking and grinding sounds they made. Beepu ran as fast as he was able, not even looking to see if the fog delayed his pursuers. Ahead of him, Foggle carried Mo who was shivering in the talons of the mechanical owl. I just ran. My heart pounded and my lungs burned. Ahead of me, I saw the goblins and Daneath heading toward the left and then I saw it, a narrow cave entrance. I turned and ran towards it, and then glanced behind me to see if we were going to make it. Beepu, was still many paces behind, with only the wall of fog visible behind him. Suddenly, one of the monstrosities burst out of the fog, and was making a beeline for Beepu. Moments later the second one emerged, it too barreling down on us. I was getting tired; my legs ached, and I was stumbling more. Glancing behind me I gulped, as I looked at our pursuers. Despite their bulk, they were gaining on Beepu and myself rapidly. I pushed myself harder; I wasn’t going to end up on a spike on an undead thing in the middle of prime. I was not going to die again. The entrance was in reach, inside I saw the rest stand just inside the entrance to the cave. Daneath and Iesa had both unslung their bows letting arrows fly. I watched them streak by me, and I heard the metal tips ricochet off the metal plates. A moment later I had crossed the threshold of the cave, and I turned around, ready to let loose a spell to save the gnome from death. Beepu ran, with the creatures close behind him. His face was red from the exertion, and his legs a quick blur as he ran for all of his worth. The metal creature was closing fast on the gnome. He wasn’t going to make it. I wracked my head for an idea, as the brothers kept up their barrage of arrows, even though they seemed to have no effect. Drik and Drok had pulled out their crossbows and also fired quarrels, trying to slow down the monsters in any way they could. I felt helpless; none of my blasts, my miasma, or anything could quickly cast could slow them down. I had no way to create an obstacle—or did I? I reached out with a twisting of light and dark strands just behind Beepu. I focused on the earth itself, but instead of pushing out the dirt to make a hole, I simply churned it making it challenging to cross, lifting buried stones and loosening the earth, right in front of the metal thing. It ran over the dirt and it immediately slowed down. Its long form unable to quickly traverse the impacted area, its speed was cut in half. It was just enough; Beepu surged forward and entered the cave. He paused a moment, to look behind him, and together we realized that it was now speeding up and was going to ram the cave at full speed. We stumbled over each other to run deeper into the cave; Drik and Drok led the way, while I grabbed the arms of Iesa and Daneath and pulled them deeper into the darkness, having no time to create a source of light for the humans. We barely got two paces, when with a thundering sound, it crashed into the rock around the cave. Stone and dust fell from the ceiling, and we all stumbled forward, struggling to keep our balance. I failed to and I landed flat on my stomach, and was quickly covered by dust, and rock. I lifted my head and looked back at the entrance and saw the ‘bug’ back up and again slam itself against the stone. I crawled deeper in, finally siting and turning to face the entrance with the others. After a dozen times, the bug went still. Then it slowly backed up and turned away, returning to the grisly battlefield. I sat there, still trying to catch my breath when I heard Mo utter a small moping sound. I turned to look at Iesa, and I watched Mo slink up Iesa’s shoulder and back into is pack. Iesa sighed and looked at his hand. There, a brass chain dangled from his fingers, ending in a cheap locket. The clasp that held it shut was open, and inside I could see a small dried red flower. “All…of…that…for…a…flower?” Beepu said between breaths. “Tells me…one thing,” Daneath said breathing a bit easier. “What’s that?” Iesa asked giving Daneath a suspicious look. “Mo thinks you smell too.” Iesa’s jaw dropped, dumbfounded. And with that Drik and Drok collapsed on the floor in fits of hysteria. Daneath just stood there with a grin on his face. Beepu looked at the goblins and then Iesa. After a moment, he too spat and started to laugh as well. Iesa looked at me helplessly, like I was the last bastion of reason, or defender of his honor. “Myr?” he said in a pleading voice. I leaned back against the wall, with an exasperated expression. Closing my eyes for a moment, I smiled. I then waved my hand and suddenly the smell of cinnamon and roses wafted on the air from Iesa. He looked at me puzzled at first and then his nose caught the fresh smells that now clung onto him. “Oh. come ON!” [B]Session Notes:[/B] So…we never really understood the setup of the battle here. Based on the map, Loudwater and Secomber are the two closest towns, but Secomber didn’t have a large standing force. Many things didn’t make sense, but that only after I was reading my notes. Still, Mo almost getting us killed was humorous. Almost. [/QUOTE]
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