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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Brakkart" data-source="post: 1962992" data-attributes="member: 19617">Player Handout: Esau Enoch's JournalThe group found this diary in his laboratory in session fifteen. I have posted it here in it's entirety as following the plot thread for those reading this and not at my table might be a bit difficult if they were not able to read it.1370DRMirtul 7th    I have received word today that my services are needed once again in Faerûn. Not before time too, I am heartily sick of these jungles in Kara-Tur, though some good has come of the past few years spent here. I have gained myself a worthy companion and bodyguard in Shan Hsi, a disgraced assassin of these strange lands. I must make haste back west to Hlondeth.Uktar 17th    After months of travel across the Endless Wastes, and then the Inner Sea, I finally arrived in the City of Serpents. Only to be handed a message, and bundled onto a caravan bound for the Sword Coast. Not at all what I was expecting. I have copied the message in full below:To the esteemed Esau Enoch    My apologies for not greeting you in person on your arrival in Hlondeth, but secrecy is of the utmost concern. Let me explain. A while ago, one of our explorers on the Sword Coast, found an interesting location. The humans call it Wolfhill House, apparently it was built by a nobleman some time ago by the name of Hezekiel Wolf. What the fool did not realise is that he built the house on a knoll that exudes a magical aura. This aura causes things to grow larger. I immediately thought of what use this could be put too, as I am sure you have by now. I am sending along one of my best wizards, her name is Domino. She can help you with the magical side of things, but it is your analytical mind that I feel is best suited to harnessing this aura and figuring out how best to use it to the vrael olo's advantage.Yours SincerelyD.    Well I could hardly refuse, such a challenge lay ahead of me, and my mind is already awhirl with possibilities. As well as the lovely Domino, my benefactor has provided me with a couple retainers, some pets, and all the equipment I will need for a modest laboratory. 1371DRHammer 6th    We arrived at this Wolfhill House this morning, the place is falling into serious disrepair. Still, the surrounding swamp is pleasant enough, and should guarantee that I am not disturbed in my work. Shan quickly found an access to the cellars beneath the house, and there is plenty of room down there to set up the laboratory.Hammer 7th    After investigating the house and its grounds thoroughly, I can write that this places growth aura is considerable in its effects. I have lost several retainers from my company whilst battling the giant spiders we encountered here, and we have decided to leave the giant wasp hive well alone. Still, none infest the cellars, and I have little use for the house itself.Hammer 9th    We have discovered that the house is infested with annoying jermlaine. These midget terrors harrass us at every opportunity, but I think we are winning in this battle. As many as there are of them, they are no match for Shan and Domino, and the pair have been hunting them to great effect. I doubt there will be any left within a week or two.Tarsakh 21st    The laboratory is fully assembled, and after a few experiments I have been able to determine that the growth aura only affects things that are still growing. It has no effect at all upon myself and my staff, yet the eggs laid by my pet snakes are larger than usual, and their hatchlings are barely a month old and considerably larger than they should be. This is a worthy challenge for my intellect, we cannot utilise the aura to simply increase the size of our existing servants and creatures. In order to tap the potential here, we must create new life here for it to be affected. Yet to bring in large numbers of our kind to create a viable breeding population would attract too much attention, and invariably alert the authorities in Waterdeep to our presence. I must think further on this.Kythorn 2nd    I have it. The perfect solution to the problem. If I cannot bring in a population to benefit from the aura, then I shall create one here. I have experimented before with the possibility of cloning using alchemy rather than wizardry. I believe that I can better the efforts of wizards in this regard, and prove that science is superior. To this end I have directed Shan to abduct some travellers off the road that runs around the east of the mere. Humans will provide me with suitable subjects to experiment upon.Flamerule 7th    I have sent word back to Hlondeth via Domino (having an aide who can teleport is a great help in my work), informing them of my findings, and also of my needs. In order to pursue this line of research, I am going to need great quantities of many ingredients, which are impossible for my cell here to acquire. Too my laboratory as it is, is inadequate to the task ahead. To that end, I have requested the aid of every Viper's Fang cell on the Sword Coast, so that they might procure the needed equipment and ingredients which I need, and ferry them here to my base. Thankfully the river that flows past the house is deep enough to take small ships. I will have my other retainers construct a small jetty there.Flamerule 10th    Domino returned today, to inform me that my benefactor has agreed to back my ambitious plan, and that word is being sent even now to the various cells to activate them from their dormancy.Marpenoth 1st    I've done it! I have successfully created a pair of clones from one of the human captives. Not only have I, Esau Enoch, managed to create life, but by alchemy I have solved the problem that has plagued wizards. My clones are not consumed with the desire to destroy one another, so it is possible to make many copies of a single individual. Too, these clones are significantly larger than their "parent". Deliveries have started to arrive at the house now, and my laboratory grows more extensive by the day it seems. Still at the moment, these clones are mere copies of the original, albeit larger. Not of much use as yet. there is still much work to be done. I have had them changed to histachii, they will provide a useful addition to my guards here.Marpenoth 15th    The house was attacked yesterday by a group of adventurers. There were three of them, and they were woefully unprepared for what they encountered. While one was slain easily, the other two, an Uthgardt tribesman and a woman, fought fiercely before being brought low by a sleep enchantment. They will provide the perfect specimens from which to breed a new strain of clones.Marpenoth 17th    In light of the recent attack on the house, I have had to distract myself from my experiments to see about bolstering our defences here. To that end I have made contact with the local lizardfolk tribe, who style themselves as "The Poison Dusk". They were impressed with me (and with Domino's command of magic), and have agreed to keep watch over the swamp that surrounds the hill the house is built upon, and thus provide a useful first line of defence. Too, I won't have to be bothered with them getting underfoot in the house itself, as they view the hill as taboo, owing to the large insects that live here. I do so love dealing with primitives!Uktar 4th    With Domino's help, I have concocted a solution to add into the cloning chamber during the clones creation. Comprised of venom's, herbs and some powedered metals, quicksilver and a few other things it alters the mind and bodies of the forming clone, giving them partial immunity to poisons and rendering their minds more susceptible to control. Nightal 24th    After a lot of thought, I have decided to try and clone one of the clones. I am curious to see what the effects would be.1372DRHammer 19th    The experiment has produced an interesting result. Not only was cloning the clone a success, but it seems that several effects are magnified. The growth affects the second generation clone just as much as it did the first, producing a creature larger and stronger still, but the effects of the solution upon it are also increased. As far as Domino's tests can tell, this new creature is completely immune to poison, and its mind is even more in thrall to our wills. We celebrated our findings with a writhing. It was exquisite to join with one so close to being my equal in intellect.Ches 13th    Again the results multiply. A third generation clone is larger, stronger and more obidient than one of the second generation. I have sent this new clone with Domino to Hlondeth, as I am sure that my benefactor is eager to see the results thus far of my work. I am continuing to refine my research and alter the solution. The Viper's Fangs have been a great help to me in my work, I could not have come as far in my research as I have without them supplying me. They have orgaised themselves well, the cells in other cities channel their efforts to Broca House in Baldur's Gate, which in turn then sends the ships to here. I also receive a small stream of supplies from Waterdeep via Carbo Haulliers.Ches 15th    It seems my benefactor has decided to share the results of my research with more of our kind, namely the vrael olo of House Se'Sehen in Serpentes. I am not overly surprised by this development, as the houses of Se'Sehen and Extaminos have been allies for centuries. Too, those of Serpentes have access to far greater resources than Hlondeth does, especially as most of the ingredients for the solution can be easily harvested from the Black Jungles.Mirtul 20th    An unexpected and unwanted visitor arrived on todays shipment, Sissiska, a halfblood from Serpentes. No doubt here to check on my progress, as though I need someone to watch over me. It seems that while my benefactor is content to let me get on with my researches, his allies are eager for results that they can use. This could not have been worse timed, as my latest experiment has ended in failure. It would seem that a fourth generation Megalomen (my term for the altered clones), is impossible. While larger and stronger then the third generation, it is virtually mindless and useless to our cause, as it cannot understand instructions given to it.Kythorn 11th    Domino returned from Hlondeth to report that the cloning there of the third generation Megalomen I sent them was a success. Using my methods, they were able to create a half dozen copies of it, all of which retained the size, strength and other improvements that my research has gifted them. They have passed the information to Serpentes, as well as begun work on enlarging the facilities there, to accomodate the creation of dozens of Megalomen at a time.Eleasis 3rd    I have made some small improvements to the cloning process. It is possible now to grow a fully adult Megalomen in half a tenday. Sissiska has insisted that I send this information to Serpentes first, and I will have to do so. I cannot afford to make an enemy of the nation he represents.Eleasis 14th    Domino has spent the past tenday teleporting between here and Ss'inthee'ssaree, transporting Megalomen and equipment, as well as a complete copy of my researches. I know enough to know, that House Se'Sehen will swiftly be able to breed an army of my creations. For too long have human realms prospered on the Chultan peninsula, lands that belong to the vrael olo, and will soon be reconquered.Eleint 2nd    I have sent word via the last ship to Broca House to cease sending me any more materials. I have directed them now to funnel their gathered supplies towards Hlondeth. I still believe that there is a way to create a viable fourth generation Megaloman, and am intent on remaining here for a while yet to pursue this line of research. Sissiska is staying also, curse him, as is my beloved Domino and the ever loyal Shan. I have enough guards to see off any curious adventurer types who might poke their noses into my work.    Even should my efforts in this regard fail, I have still succeeded beyond any reasonable expectation. I have delivered to the vrael olo the process for them to create an unlimited number of slave soldiers, stronger, tougher and more tractable than the humans we have always had to rely upon in the past. Humanity's days are numbered!Marpenoth 6th    I was informed today by an emmissary of the Poison Dusk that a group of human priests and paladins have taken up occupation in the Ruins of Iniarv's Tower, which overlooks the eastern side of the Mere. Presumably they are there to try and deal with the recent attacks on travelers along the High Road, which are not of my groups doing. As far as I know they do not know of our presence here, but they must be regarded as a threat nonetheless, should their efforts to solve the problem of the attacks result in them launching attacks on the Poison Dusk tribe, thus weakening my defences. I have ordered the lizardfolk to keep a close watch on these humans, and to deal with any incursion into the swamp from there.Marpenoth 10th    I received word today from Waterdeep that the Viper's Fangs cover company in Baldur's Gate, Broca House, has been all but wiped out by the actions of a group of adventurers. Furthermore, there seems to be no trace of the perpetrators within the city, and a search of the House's compound by one of the surviving cultists revealed that both the Houses ledger, and the letter I had sent to "Janesh Broca" were missing. They believe that this same group of adventurers are even now heading northwards towards this house, and me! I have informed Shan and Domino of this impending threat, as well as the Poison Dusk tribe. We have several Megalomen here as well as Histachii. Let them come, we are well ready for them! I have not bothered to inform Sissiska, if they kill him, so much the better!</blockquote>

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