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Journals of the Five: A Forgotten Realms Tale
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<blockquote data-quote="Tokiwong" data-source="post: 7684" data-attributes="member: 961"><p>Another Journal by the man, the myth, the legend... Misha <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></p><p></p><p>Misha’s Journal #7</p><p></p><p>18th Day of the Rotting, 1372 DR</p><p></p><p>I never liked the idea of having a destiny; I like to be in control of my life. I do not relish the idea that I am not in control of events around me. I like to think I carve my own path, that I am the architect of my life. I am Misha “Burning Rose” Koldun; or at least I was Misha. Well, I am still Misha, but I don’t recognize me at all. Outside of my green eyes, I am not the man I was before my death.</p><p></p><p>My appearance, well, at least to me, is odd. My skin has turned a silvery hue, and my wild, short, dirty brown hair has been replaced with stark white, silky to the touch hair that extends to my waist. My build has become slightly leaner; some of my clothes do not fit as well as they used to. My ears have elongated and become pointy, and my features more chiseled, accentuating my elven appearance. Yes, by Selune, I am not sure why, but I have returned from the grave as an elf. As I told Karanaj in a mental communication, “Fate is not without a sense of humor.”</p><p></p><p>When I returned from death, I must admit I did not realize I had even been dead. It felt like awakening from a pleasant dream. I don’t remember much, only a slight tinge of sadness in a place of peace and happiness. I am not sure if I was at my final reward or not, I cannot recall much, and frankly the less I recall the better I think I will feel. I do recall seeing Ellyn and Kay, they were both happy, though that tinge of sadness lingered on. I do not know if we spoke or not, or if one even speaks in death. The visions fade from my mind quickly as the days pass. My respite in the afterlife was brief, for I soon found myself back in this world.</p><p></p><p>I found myself taking my first breath anew, looking at the stars. Vallia was there, and I felt as if I was waking from a pleasant dream. Vallia was in tears, and I did not understand why; she seemed enamored with my new appearance, though at the time I had not noticed the changes. She did not say much, and I had not the sense to realize that maybe something was not quite right; though waking from the dead, I guess anyone would be a little disoriented, even the best damn merc this side of Amn, or Mistledale for that matter.</p><p></p><p>Gruush and Karanaj arrived, followed by the elf I knew only as Nym. Gruush immediately took a defensive stance; he assumed, in a way correctly, that I was a stranger, and possibly capable of harm to Vallia. I admire his tenacity. Nym followed suit, pointing his bow at me, no respect for the newly raised, that is to be sure. Karanaj recognized me for who I was, due in no small part to the damned rings we wear, but it took some convincing to assuage Gruush and Nym. It was about that time that I realized my appearance had changed, and that I had died.</p><p></p><p>It is a strange thing to realize that you have died, that for a moment in time, you did not exist, and that your journey in this world had ended. What legacy did I have to leave behind? Nothing, it seemed, outside of my love for Vallia. I have nothing that ties me to this world. That will change, I will make sure of that. Misha “Burning Rose” Koldun will matter.</p><p></p><p>It was decided that we should move our discussion to a less public location, which also allowed us to divide up the goodies we had taken from Thamior’s body. I received a nifty pair of boots, Boots of Striding and Springing. I like them very much, thank you. Speaking of Thamior, he was involved in some messy business, and he was the traitor that Vallia suspected within the elven ranks. I had no doubts; the man was a bastard of the worst kind. He had carried a letter on his person from his employer, the mysterious K, who instructed Thamior to have us killed and then take Vallia, for what design I do not know. The letter that Thamior carried brought to mind the letters we had taken from Mantatulus, and I asked Vallia to show those as well. The letters spoke of a plan to capture Vallia, as best as I could figure it, and the enigmatic “K” once again appeared on these letters. I was troubled and wanted to delve deeper, but we were lacking in information. Maybe the citadel Vallia speaks so fondly of will bring us more answers, though fighting the Zhentarim on their turf will be difficult, to say the least. But I am Burning Rose, despite being a pansy arse elf; I still have a reputation to maintain.</p><p></p><p>Vallia spoke to me mentally and described the events of my resurrection, or reincarnation, not sure which is the proper term. Celestial beings came down and showered me in light, one an avatar of Corellon and the other a servant of Selune. I have not the knowledge to know why the two would work together, but if they brought me from the dead, then my destiny must be great indeed. I still don’t like being the pawn of gods, but there are worse options than this, the Shadow Thieves, being one of them. It still surprises me that, for some reason, they brought me back; there must be better people than myself. But I digress, I should move on. The party retired to sleep. I watched over Vallia; she was a target, and I did not relish the thought of losing her.</p><p></p><p>She rested reluctantly; she wanted to say so much to me, and I to her, but that was not the time. She needed her rest, and she still needs it. My own feelings I must place on hold, my concern is for the group now, their safety and well being come before my own. I find that odd, I would have never really put myself on the line for others, but I am growing to have a strong bond with these individuals, I genuinely like them all. Vallia especially, but that is another story altogether. Maybe it is the responsibility of leadership, which has been thrust upon me; I know I have changed in more than just my appearance. I only hope I can continue to keep us on the path that will lead us to victory, and not into destruction.</p><p></p><p>Sleep, or whatever the elves call it, was interesting; a few hours of meditation, and I was good as new. There are definite advantages to this new form. Elves have it pretty good, I must say, my vision is so much better, my senses more keen. I can see now why Vallia has been able to notice things long before me. Sometimes she amazes me. Sometimes. The morning came, as it always does. I spoke with Karanaj to rouse him and bade him to get Gruush; we were going to leave before dawn, to escape any retribution Tharivol or the Queen would take against us. Vallia, though, would not awaken; at first I thought her to be simply tired and lazy, she is not long for mornings. But she seemed more than just lazy; she was drained, as if something had stolen a part of her. I was not happy and did not understand what was going on. I helped her up and got her ready for travel as best as I could, all the while beside myself with worry. I sent a message to Karanaj, to see if he had met up with Nym, and I was surprised to learn that he was in the presence of the Queen. That was not the way the plan was supposed to go.</p><p></p><p>Before I could react, Tharivol and his lackeys, elven guards, stormed into the room. They grabbed Vallia and disarmed her, while I kept them at bay with my blade. I did not want to have them harm Vallia, so I sheathed my blade and peace tied it. The elves grabbed me and disarmed me accordingly; I swore I would kill them all. And I still plan to, one day, Tharivol will join his brother in hell, mark my words, Selune. They dragged us roughly into the presence of the Queen, Tharivol being especially rough with my beloved Vallia. Karanaj, Gruush, and Nym were waiting for us in the company of the Queen. I was angry and made quite the spectacle, before the Queen silenced the room with her force of personality and noble character. She did not appreciate my banter and slapped me rather hard. I was charged with killing Thamior; my mind raced, I knew the truth of the matter but one thought of Vallia and my companions, and I knew the choice I had to make for all of our survival. </p><p></p><p>I looked into the Queen’s eyes and spoke that I did kill Thamior. I knew she did not believe me, but that fool Tharivol would. He wanted my blood, he would have it, I suppose, but the rest would be spared, I hope, a small price to pay for their safety. I don’t remember when I became this noble; I hope it is only a passing phase. The Queen scowled; she knew as well as I that I was lying, but her hand was forced, justice had to be done, as I pointed out to her. It would have been perfect, but Vallia interjected on my behalf. Vallia revealed the truth of the matter, and had me freed. The Queen was shocked; I did not much care, and I was angry and relieved at the same time. The truth was the best option, much to my surprise, though Tharivol was not pleased with the outcome and tried to execute Vallia himself. He was foiled by both Gruush and myself, and eventually stormed out of the room with a sizeable compliment of the guard with him.</p><p></p><p>We turned our attention to Vallia, who had fallen unconscious, after revealing not only the truth about Thamior’s death but the price she paid to raise me back from the dead. I carried a piece of Vallia inside of me; I guess it almost killed her doing it. I love her for that, but I would never want her to risk her life for me like that. It is my place to defend her, not the other way around. She has made my life so difficult, almost to the point of impossible, and sadly I wouldn’t want it any other way. As I told Gruush, it is never a dull moment with us. The Queen did not want us to leave, well, not Vallia anyways, and even had her remaining guard surround us. It was natural, though; she does not trust me, hell, I wouldn’t trust me either, but I knew that Vallia wanted to go. Vallia’s destiny was elsewhere, she had a task that she would see to the end, and I was not about to let her mother deny her that. I told the Queen that Vallia needed us as much, if not more so, than she needed her, but I also would not let the woman that would one day be my wife come to harm. Well, not too much harm, anyways. The Queen relented and said to me, “Do not disappoint me,” to which I replied, “Of course.” There was precious little else I could say, though I did call her Mother. The Queen was not pleased, I can only guess, at my remark, I love annoying her so. I had Gruush and Karanaj place Vallia on our wagon, while Nym and myself took to horses; it felt good to be in the saddle. We left the elven village and continued towards Mistledale, our quota of chaos left in our wake. Never a dull moment, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.</p><p></p><p>Vallia rested, thankfully, and I was able to focus on keeping my wits, and use my elven senses to stay alert. Nym was welcome company, a bit silent, though much of his world came crumbling down in the past few days. I can only imagine the disillusionment he feels. I remember a similar feeling after leaving the Shadow Thieves, and losing Ellyn. Hours passed as we continued down the road; for the most part we had survived, but not without scars. I had been changed, perhaps forever; Kay was dead and I could not honor her in a proper way; Karanaj was changing into something more than human; Gruush was suffering with the loss of his master at the hands of Mantatalus, and my dearest Vallia, she seemed as if she was dying. I can only suspect that sharing her life force with me has weakened her greatly. I can only pray that she survives. In many ways I would be a shattered man without her. I did not have long to linger in my thoughts, as the hours passed. Vallia returned to consciousness, just as a flock of birds flew overhead. </p><p></p><p>The birds were fleeing something, as I scanned the tree line I spotted what scared them so. Three owl-bears lumbered out onto the trail, gruesome and strange looking creatures. Nym and I both dismounted; I have never been comfortable with mounted combat. Nym took out his bow and fired rapid shots at the creatures as I moved to engage them in melee; the boots were quite helpful in that aspect. I was able to quickly down one of the owl-bears, though one of them landed a vicious blow on me before I was able to retreat back to the wagon. Vallia healed me as Gruush and Nym tangled with the beast that had dealt me a grievous wound. I tried to help Karanaj and Vallia, but the wagon was not as stable as I would have thought and I ended up sprawling on the dirt behind the beast. The creature took advantage of my predicament and mauled me. I sprung to my feet quickly and slashed at the beast quickly before springing away in a back flip. Karanaj finished the beast off with Vallia’s assistance and I moved to flank the beast fighting Gruush and severed its spine, the battle was over as quickly as it had begun.</p><p></p><p>Vallia attempted to heal everyone, but her strength was failing, and once again she fell into unconsciousness; as Gruush said, she is “pushing herself too hard.” I did not like seeing Vallia so weak but thankfully Karanaj was there to watch over her while I continued to keep the group together and get us to safety. Putting my feelings aside for the greater good of the group is something I am not too familiar with, but something I have grown accustomed to. We continued on and began to near a village. I still have not gotten the name of it, but it is a pleasant place, despite the animosity they feel to elves and half-orcs and any other non-human. Vallia’s strength returned slightly and she awoke to see us nearing the village. She recognized the village, Aliya kept a house here, just as I decided to move down towards the village for a closer look. She was not happy with my choice, as usual. I infuriate her, I know, but I can’t help it. It is who I am. Karanaj, as well, wanted me to wait, but I am not one to sit idly by and listen when I can experience for myself. I am glad that I did, I was able to learn that our reception here would be less then pleasant.</p><p></p><p>The people were xenophobic and seemed to attribute problems that had happened in the past to an elven witch they had run out of town some time ago. It was easy enough to put two and two together that Aliya was the elven witch they had run out of town. Ignorance runs deep in humanity; sadly, I know the feeling; I might have done the same thing at one time, if I had not known Ellyn. Being an elf, I can see things that I had not seen before, though I often forget that I am an elf, it is strange. I might have come to blows with the men if an old woman had not intervened. She was pleasant and a joy to talk to, but she warned me that I should not stay for long. Sadly that was not an option I could entertain.</p><p></p><p>I could not stay long; I heard a commotion, it seemed my friends had arrived. Not even ten minutes into the village and we had already started a ruckus. I am not sure if it is possible for us to keep a low profile. Selune help us, a moment’s rest would be pleasant. Men had crowded around the wagon and were heckling Gruush, who was thankfully being non-violent and controlled. I tried to intervene, but my presence made matters worse, I cannot deny that I wanted to show these men a thing or two. My left hand danced on the edge of my blade’s pommel ever so slightly. Before I lost all of my control, Vallia leapt out of the back of the wagon and confronted the leader of the mob, a man named Korbol. Someone she knew from her past, someone she knew quite well, as a matter of fact. She spoke very plainly to him, as Karanaj assisted her; she was still too weak to stand on her own. She spoke strong words to Korbol and struck a chord in him. He called her Elena, an alias I can only presume to protect her true identity. When she finished, she collapsed into his arms; Korbol held her in shock. I was more than a little intrigued at where this would go. He suddenly lifted her up and sprinted for Aliya’s household; we followed as best as we could and found him inside the house with Vallia laying on the bed and Korbol holding her hand weeping. He demanded to know what we had done to her, the fool, I could have asked him the same thing about Aliya. The old woman arrived shortly after and began to look over Vallia. She was not pleased, but said that Vallia needed rest, and I could agree wholeheartedly; thankfully, we could rest for a few days. I had much to plan and think about, we still have the Zhentarim to think of. I am not sure if Vallia will be ready for that; if not, then we must go without her, but one way or another Karanaj will have his Aliya, as well as Vallia reunited with her sister.</p><p></p><p>The task ahead is great and I am not sure how we will fare, but I have faith that our purpose is noble. We are the Five, or the Four, or whatever, and we must not falter. If the task has been put to me to guard Vallia, then I will do it with the utmost of my ability, for Burning Rose is a man of his word. As long as I draw breath my blade will defend Vallia, and all of my companions. I am Misha Koldun, I am an elf, and this is my bond.</p><p></p><p> -Misha “Burning Rose” Koldun</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tokiwong, post: 7684, member: 961"] Another Journal by the man, the myth, the legend... Misha :D Misha’s Journal #7 18th Day of the Rotting, 1372 DR I never liked the idea of having a destiny; I like to be in control of my life. I do not relish the idea that I am not in control of events around me. I like to think I carve my own path, that I am the architect of my life. I am Misha “Burning Rose” Koldun; or at least I was Misha. Well, I am still Misha, but I don’t recognize me at all. Outside of my green eyes, I am not the man I was before my death. My appearance, well, at least to me, is odd. My skin has turned a silvery hue, and my wild, short, dirty brown hair has been replaced with stark white, silky to the touch hair that extends to my waist. My build has become slightly leaner; some of my clothes do not fit as well as they used to. My ears have elongated and become pointy, and my features more chiseled, accentuating my elven appearance. Yes, by Selune, I am not sure why, but I have returned from the grave as an elf. As I told Karanaj in a mental communication, “Fate is not without a sense of humor.” When I returned from death, I must admit I did not realize I had even been dead. It felt like awakening from a pleasant dream. I don’t remember much, only a slight tinge of sadness in a place of peace and happiness. I am not sure if I was at my final reward or not, I cannot recall much, and frankly the less I recall the better I think I will feel. I do recall seeing Ellyn and Kay, they were both happy, though that tinge of sadness lingered on. I do not know if we spoke or not, or if one even speaks in death. The visions fade from my mind quickly as the days pass. My respite in the afterlife was brief, for I soon found myself back in this world. I found myself taking my first breath anew, looking at the stars. Vallia was there, and I felt as if I was waking from a pleasant dream. Vallia was in tears, and I did not understand why; she seemed enamored with my new appearance, though at the time I had not noticed the changes. She did not say much, and I had not the sense to realize that maybe something was not quite right; though waking from the dead, I guess anyone would be a little disoriented, even the best damn merc this side of Amn, or Mistledale for that matter. Gruush and Karanaj arrived, followed by the elf I knew only as Nym. Gruush immediately took a defensive stance; he assumed, in a way correctly, that I was a stranger, and possibly capable of harm to Vallia. I admire his tenacity. Nym followed suit, pointing his bow at me, no respect for the newly raised, that is to be sure. Karanaj recognized me for who I was, due in no small part to the damned rings we wear, but it took some convincing to assuage Gruush and Nym. It was about that time that I realized my appearance had changed, and that I had died. It is a strange thing to realize that you have died, that for a moment in time, you did not exist, and that your journey in this world had ended. What legacy did I have to leave behind? Nothing, it seemed, outside of my love for Vallia. I have nothing that ties me to this world. That will change, I will make sure of that. Misha “Burning Rose” Koldun will matter. It was decided that we should move our discussion to a less public location, which also allowed us to divide up the goodies we had taken from Thamior’s body. I received a nifty pair of boots, Boots of Striding and Springing. I like them very much, thank you. Speaking of Thamior, he was involved in some messy business, and he was the traitor that Vallia suspected within the elven ranks. I had no doubts; the man was a bastard of the worst kind. He had carried a letter on his person from his employer, the mysterious K, who instructed Thamior to have us killed and then take Vallia, for what design I do not know. The letter that Thamior carried brought to mind the letters we had taken from Mantatulus, and I asked Vallia to show those as well. The letters spoke of a plan to capture Vallia, as best as I could figure it, and the enigmatic “K” once again appeared on these letters. I was troubled and wanted to delve deeper, but we were lacking in information. Maybe the citadel Vallia speaks so fondly of will bring us more answers, though fighting the Zhentarim on their turf will be difficult, to say the least. But I am Burning Rose, despite being a pansy arse elf; I still have a reputation to maintain. Vallia spoke to me mentally and described the events of my resurrection, or reincarnation, not sure which is the proper term. Celestial beings came down and showered me in light, one an avatar of Corellon and the other a servant of Selune. I have not the knowledge to know why the two would work together, but if they brought me from the dead, then my destiny must be great indeed. I still don’t like being the pawn of gods, but there are worse options than this, the Shadow Thieves, being one of them. It still surprises me that, for some reason, they brought me back; there must be better people than myself. But I digress, I should move on. The party retired to sleep. I watched over Vallia; she was a target, and I did not relish the thought of losing her. She rested reluctantly; she wanted to say so much to me, and I to her, but that was not the time. She needed her rest, and she still needs it. My own feelings I must place on hold, my concern is for the group now, their safety and well being come before my own. I find that odd, I would have never really put myself on the line for others, but I am growing to have a strong bond with these individuals, I genuinely like them all. Vallia especially, but that is another story altogether. Maybe it is the responsibility of leadership, which has been thrust upon me; I know I have changed in more than just my appearance. I only hope I can continue to keep us on the path that will lead us to victory, and not into destruction. Sleep, or whatever the elves call it, was interesting; a few hours of meditation, and I was good as new. There are definite advantages to this new form. Elves have it pretty good, I must say, my vision is so much better, my senses more keen. I can see now why Vallia has been able to notice things long before me. Sometimes she amazes me. Sometimes. The morning came, as it always does. I spoke with Karanaj to rouse him and bade him to get Gruush; we were going to leave before dawn, to escape any retribution Tharivol or the Queen would take against us. Vallia, though, would not awaken; at first I thought her to be simply tired and lazy, she is not long for mornings. But she seemed more than just lazy; she was drained, as if something had stolen a part of her. I was not happy and did not understand what was going on. I helped her up and got her ready for travel as best as I could, all the while beside myself with worry. I sent a message to Karanaj, to see if he had met up with Nym, and I was surprised to learn that he was in the presence of the Queen. That was not the way the plan was supposed to go. Before I could react, Tharivol and his lackeys, elven guards, stormed into the room. They grabbed Vallia and disarmed her, while I kept them at bay with my blade. I did not want to have them harm Vallia, so I sheathed my blade and peace tied it. The elves grabbed me and disarmed me accordingly; I swore I would kill them all. And I still plan to, one day, Tharivol will join his brother in hell, mark my words, Selune. They dragged us roughly into the presence of the Queen, Tharivol being especially rough with my beloved Vallia. Karanaj, Gruush, and Nym were waiting for us in the company of the Queen. I was angry and made quite the spectacle, before the Queen silenced the room with her force of personality and noble character. She did not appreciate my banter and slapped me rather hard. I was charged with killing Thamior; my mind raced, I knew the truth of the matter but one thought of Vallia and my companions, and I knew the choice I had to make for all of our survival. I looked into the Queen’s eyes and spoke that I did kill Thamior. I knew she did not believe me, but that fool Tharivol would. He wanted my blood, he would have it, I suppose, but the rest would be spared, I hope, a small price to pay for their safety. I don’t remember when I became this noble; I hope it is only a passing phase. The Queen scowled; she knew as well as I that I was lying, but her hand was forced, justice had to be done, as I pointed out to her. It would have been perfect, but Vallia interjected on my behalf. Vallia revealed the truth of the matter, and had me freed. The Queen was shocked; I did not much care, and I was angry and relieved at the same time. The truth was the best option, much to my surprise, though Tharivol was not pleased with the outcome and tried to execute Vallia himself. He was foiled by both Gruush and myself, and eventually stormed out of the room with a sizeable compliment of the guard with him. We turned our attention to Vallia, who had fallen unconscious, after revealing not only the truth about Thamior’s death but the price she paid to raise me back from the dead. I carried a piece of Vallia inside of me; I guess it almost killed her doing it. I love her for that, but I would never want her to risk her life for me like that. It is my place to defend her, not the other way around. She has made my life so difficult, almost to the point of impossible, and sadly I wouldn’t want it any other way. As I told Gruush, it is never a dull moment with us. The Queen did not want us to leave, well, not Vallia anyways, and even had her remaining guard surround us. It was natural, though; she does not trust me, hell, I wouldn’t trust me either, but I knew that Vallia wanted to go. Vallia’s destiny was elsewhere, she had a task that she would see to the end, and I was not about to let her mother deny her that. I told the Queen that Vallia needed us as much, if not more so, than she needed her, but I also would not let the woman that would one day be my wife come to harm. Well, not too much harm, anyways. The Queen relented and said to me, “Do not disappoint me,” to which I replied, “Of course.” There was precious little else I could say, though I did call her Mother. The Queen was not pleased, I can only guess, at my remark, I love annoying her so. I had Gruush and Karanaj place Vallia on our wagon, while Nym and myself took to horses; it felt good to be in the saddle. We left the elven village and continued towards Mistledale, our quota of chaos left in our wake. Never a dull moment, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Vallia rested, thankfully, and I was able to focus on keeping my wits, and use my elven senses to stay alert. Nym was welcome company, a bit silent, though much of his world came crumbling down in the past few days. I can only imagine the disillusionment he feels. I remember a similar feeling after leaving the Shadow Thieves, and losing Ellyn. Hours passed as we continued down the road; for the most part we had survived, but not without scars. I had been changed, perhaps forever; Kay was dead and I could not honor her in a proper way; Karanaj was changing into something more than human; Gruush was suffering with the loss of his master at the hands of Mantatalus, and my dearest Vallia, she seemed as if she was dying. I can only suspect that sharing her life force with me has weakened her greatly. I can only pray that she survives. In many ways I would be a shattered man without her. I did not have long to linger in my thoughts, as the hours passed. Vallia returned to consciousness, just as a flock of birds flew overhead. The birds were fleeing something, as I scanned the tree line I spotted what scared them so. Three owl-bears lumbered out onto the trail, gruesome and strange looking creatures. Nym and I both dismounted; I have never been comfortable with mounted combat. Nym took out his bow and fired rapid shots at the creatures as I moved to engage them in melee; the boots were quite helpful in that aspect. I was able to quickly down one of the owl-bears, though one of them landed a vicious blow on me before I was able to retreat back to the wagon. Vallia healed me as Gruush and Nym tangled with the beast that had dealt me a grievous wound. I tried to help Karanaj and Vallia, but the wagon was not as stable as I would have thought and I ended up sprawling on the dirt behind the beast. The creature took advantage of my predicament and mauled me. I sprung to my feet quickly and slashed at the beast quickly before springing away in a back flip. Karanaj finished the beast off with Vallia’s assistance and I moved to flank the beast fighting Gruush and severed its spine, the battle was over as quickly as it had begun. Vallia attempted to heal everyone, but her strength was failing, and once again she fell into unconsciousness; as Gruush said, she is “pushing herself too hard.” I did not like seeing Vallia so weak but thankfully Karanaj was there to watch over her while I continued to keep the group together and get us to safety. Putting my feelings aside for the greater good of the group is something I am not too familiar with, but something I have grown accustomed to. We continued on and began to near a village. I still have not gotten the name of it, but it is a pleasant place, despite the animosity they feel to elves and half-orcs and any other non-human. Vallia’s strength returned slightly and she awoke to see us nearing the village. She recognized the village, Aliya kept a house here, just as I decided to move down towards the village for a closer look. She was not happy with my choice, as usual. I infuriate her, I know, but I can’t help it. It is who I am. Karanaj, as well, wanted me to wait, but I am not one to sit idly by and listen when I can experience for myself. I am glad that I did, I was able to learn that our reception here would be less then pleasant. The people were xenophobic and seemed to attribute problems that had happened in the past to an elven witch they had run out of town some time ago. It was easy enough to put two and two together that Aliya was the elven witch they had run out of town. Ignorance runs deep in humanity; sadly, I know the feeling; I might have done the same thing at one time, if I had not known Ellyn. Being an elf, I can see things that I had not seen before, though I often forget that I am an elf, it is strange. I might have come to blows with the men if an old woman had not intervened. She was pleasant and a joy to talk to, but she warned me that I should not stay for long. Sadly that was not an option I could entertain. I could not stay long; I heard a commotion, it seemed my friends had arrived. Not even ten minutes into the village and we had already started a ruckus. I am not sure if it is possible for us to keep a low profile. Selune help us, a moment’s rest would be pleasant. Men had crowded around the wagon and were heckling Gruush, who was thankfully being non-violent and controlled. I tried to intervene, but my presence made matters worse, I cannot deny that I wanted to show these men a thing or two. My left hand danced on the edge of my blade’s pommel ever so slightly. Before I lost all of my control, Vallia leapt out of the back of the wagon and confronted the leader of the mob, a man named Korbol. Someone she knew from her past, someone she knew quite well, as a matter of fact. She spoke very plainly to him, as Karanaj assisted her; she was still too weak to stand on her own. She spoke strong words to Korbol and struck a chord in him. He called her Elena, an alias I can only presume to protect her true identity. When she finished, she collapsed into his arms; Korbol held her in shock. I was more than a little intrigued at where this would go. He suddenly lifted her up and sprinted for Aliya’s household; we followed as best as we could and found him inside the house with Vallia laying on the bed and Korbol holding her hand weeping. He demanded to know what we had done to her, the fool, I could have asked him the same thing about Aliya. The old woman arrived shortly after and began to look over Vallia. She was not pleased, but said that Vallia needed rest, and I could agree wholeheartedly; thankfully, we could rest for a few days. I had much to plan and think about, we still have the Zhentarim to think of. I am not sure if Vallia will be ready for that; if not, then we must go without her, but one way or another Karanaj will have his Aliya, as well as Vallia reunited with her sister. The task ahead is great and I am not sure how we will fare, but I have faith that our purpose is noble. We are the Five, or the Four, or whatever, and we must not falter. If the task has been put to me to guard Vallia, then I will do it with the utmost of my ability, for Burning Rose is a man of his word. As long as I draw breath my blade will defend Vallia, and all of my companions. I am Misha Koldun, I am an elf, and this is my bond. -Misha “Burning Rose” Koldun [/QUOTE]
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Journals of the Five: A Forgotten Realms Tale
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