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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sniffles" data-source="post: 2820878" data-attributes="member: 30035">A Chance for Justice?It has been 8 days since we departed from what remains of Camber. So much has occurred in that time that it will be difficult to chronicle it all in a sensible manner, but I will do my best. When I present this journal to my beloved on our reunion I hope that my recollections will make sense to her, Corellon willing.The wizard Gadron had told Phaele and Erim that he would "cleanse" the town, though he did not explain in what manner he meant this. We had only a short time to search for survivors within the walls, and as he had predicted we found none. Once we had departed from within the town the gates were shut and marked with an arcane sigil that conveyed a simple message to deter the curious. We caught a glimpse of a number of demons entering the town, presumably to be destroyed or trapped there by some arcane means of Gadron's making.I suspect that most of my companions would have remained to aid Serrah Puffleweis and the few other survivors, had not a burning desire for vengeance compelled us to continue our journey. Liadan performed a moving memorial ceremony for the dead and we departed with heavy hearts. Serrah and the others believe that with time they will be able to reoccupy the town and begin again, though we have our doubts.Before we left the town, Nekaya swore an impassioned oath to Elishar to seek justice for the slain and vengeance upon Elder Furnael. She wrote a letter to be delivered to the elders of Halruua complaining fiercely of his deeds. Phaele advised that such a letter might be at best ignored and at worst ill-advised, and reminded Nekaya that the entire nation of Halruua cannot be held at fault for Elder Furnael's evils. Nekaya, I think, is not convinced. It is her belief that all are responsible for the evils that others do, if they do not act to prevent such evils. I do not think Phaele was able to change Nekaya's mind entirely, but Nekaya was persuaded to make some alterations to the text of her letter so that the elders might find it less offensive. Though not all of my companions nor I agreed with the young paladin's opinions, we all agreed to sign the letter.Nekaya is also convinced that Gadron, too, is at fault for the deaths of the citizens of Camber. She refuses to believe that he did anything in their defense. I know too little of wizards myself to be certain what he may or may not have done. I do not find Gadron a personable man, but that does not mean that he is of an evil nature, and in any case Nekaya would likely be able to detect it if his intentions were truly sinister. I think that she simply wishes to find someone on whom to assign blame, when she is not blaming herself for failing to protect the people of Camber from a doom she had no power to prevent.As I had mentioned earlier, we have also come into care of Califax. Covenant's mighty steed seems somehow lessened in the time that we have been separated from him. He is passive and shows his age far more than he did when Covenant was present. Liadan insists upon looking after him herself, though of course I have offered to assist her. But I understand her desire. Califax is after all her father's horse, and she is convinced that her father will never return to her.Nekaya held a vigil for three days, fasting and praying, before we took our leave of Camber. When she had recuperated, she called us all to her side and told us that she had received a vision. This vision told her to continue to the south to find enemies and justice. Her intention is to follow Elder Furnael, who she assumes will be returning to Halruua. Should our path still continue to Calimshan as we had intended, this means that we must part from her. Now that we have arrived in Ankhapur, I suspect that with her usual youthful impetuousness, she has misinterpreted the message.The bustle and color of Ankhapur seems almost unreal after the terrible events in Camber. There is a festival of sorts taking place here, though nothing of the sort that took place on Camber's last day. The city is very crowded and seems to me to be pressed together on far too small an area of land, though most human cities seem cramped to me. The crowds here make me miss the meadows and gardens and great trees of my home.On arriving we at once observed that there had been some sort of disturbance at the gate. Nikos, Liadan and Nekaya went to question several city guardsmen about the trouble, and Nekaya and Liadan offered the divine healing of their deities, which earned them a writ in gratitude that they may reclaim for healing at one of the local temples. While they spoke with the guardsmen, Nikos questioned a bystander who provided much information about the city and recent events.It seems that over the past few days there have been several strange deaths, caused by the sudden appearances of monstrous creatures. Only the night before an ape with many arms had appeared and slain a man - a man who had already been reported dead! The creatures disappear as swiftly as they appear. How the dead man could be slain again the informant could not say. But our interest in this strange tale was deterred by the presence of two celebrities in the city. The first is Tyrion Sinistral, a paladin of the god Tyr, a man of great reputation. It was the second, however, who most aroused our interest. According to Nikos' informant, Elder Furnael of Halruua has been staying in Ankhapur for several weeks!Naturally Nekaya wanted to go at once to the governor's palace, where Elder Furnael was reportedly staying, and expose his misdeeds to the governor. Erim was particularly opposed to any open confrontation of Elder Furnael, though he claims to have no fear of retribution. I am not one to counsel against confrontation when it is battle, but in this sort of matter I am not so willing to rush ahead without preparation. It occurred to me that the governor of so large a city as Ankhapur would have no good reason to see a band of adventurers such as ourselves. I doubted that the folk of Ankhapur would care what had happened to a small town such as Camber, it not being under their rulership, and though Liadan comes of a minor noble family of Cormyr, that does not seem to me reason enough for the governor to grant us an audience. Nekaya, of course, did not wish to be counseled against immediate retribution, but we at last prevailed upon her to wait. The news we had heard was somewhat contradictory to what we knew of Elder Furnael, for we were told that he had arrived entirely alone, all of his retinue lost in the storm at sea. It was also said that the elder had been ill for some days and had not left the palace. Nekaya was persuaded that we should first be certain this man was the same man we knew before we made any plans of bringing him to justice. It was possible that this man might be some impostor, or even that the man we saw in Camber was the false elder.In addition, Nekaya seeks to contact the paladin of Tyr, for Tyr is god of justice, and this paladin may be able to aid us in finding a way to bring the murderers of Camber to justice. Now we wait to observe the man in the palace, and to find an opportunity to speak with the paladin.But this discovery in Ankhapur is not the only surprise we have had in the past few days. Liadan also revealed to us that Lathander has granted her the ability to magically contact any person of her choosing, no matter where that person may be. She has been using this ability in an attempt to reach our missing friends. Thus far she has had no success, for though this spell is divinely granted it is not guaranteed success. There may be some other magic preventing our friends from responding. But Liadan has reached one other person of whom we know: Fallon Nightstar, who deserted us or was taken from us while we waited on the mountainside immediately after our friends left us. Ever taciturn, Fallon has refused to answer questions put to him by this magical communication, and in any case the spell does not permit a long conversation. Fallon is now in his home city of Amn. It may be that when we have completed our business in Calimshan, we will travel to Amn to find out what became of him. But that is a decision best left for another day.In the meanwhile, while we wait to observe Elder Furnael, we have accumulated a quantity of items we have no use for, the spoils of battle against the ogres and the despoilers of Camber. Many of these items are magical, though many also are unusable for us, either because they are made for creatures far larger than any of us, or because they use the foul shadow magic that none of us would sully our hands with. Phaele has seen to determining what these items are so that we can know their true value, and such items that we can use have been distributed among us. We are staying at an inn called the Cobblestone, which was recommended to us by the fellow at the gate. Somehow it seems that Gadron has learned our whereabouts, though I suppose I should not be surprised that a wizard of his power could do this. A package arrived addressed to us, which turned out to contain a pair of saddlebags. When Nekaya opened them she found that they held far more within them than any ordinary saddlebag. After she had drawn out a collapsible chair Liadan recognized that these must be her father's. Along with them came all of Califax's harness and tack. Naturally Liadan has taken charge of all of these things. I must pause now. We are being circumspect and even here in the Cobblestone Inn we are keeping watch, in case Elder Furnael should attempt to dispose of us before we can expose him. I pray that Corellon keep watch over all of my friends, and most of all over my dear Erendis, wherever she may be.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Sword of JusticeThe festival which is taking place in Ankhapur at this time that includes among its activities a horse race. Liadan convinced me to enter Aratan in this race. Ankhapur's citizens are evidently quite proud of the horses bred in their climes - justifiably so if I may judge by the animals I saw at the festival grounds. I paid two silver pieces for entry into the race. To my amusement, Liadan attempted to improve my standing among the competitors by boasting of Aratan's speed. In the hope that he can aid us in bringing Furnael to justice, we have decided to seek the advice of the paladin of Tyr, Sir Tyrion. Nicos had learned that he had been holding audiences in a manor house in the city. It was decided that all of us would proceed there as early in the day as feasible to seek an audience with the paladin.Already a line of supplicants had formed outside the manor when we arrived. These were being overseen by several warriors known as Soldiers of Tyr, who served in Sir Tyrion's retinue. We were questioned by these men as to our business with the paladin, though they acknowledged only Nicos and Nekaya. They showed some interest in the fate of Camber, as did some others among the waiting throng. Rumors abounded regarding the destruction of the town, most of them wildly speculative. After arranging for an audience at noon, my companions and I parted company for a short while. At midday we met again at Sir Tyrion's manor and were conducted into a dining hall to meet the representative of Tyr. He kindly shared his midday meal with us. Sir Tyrion is a most impressive man of middle years, who strangely has bound up his left hand in such a way that it is withered to the size of a child's hand. He bears a mighty blade known as Justice which contains some powerful divine grace. This blade he wears on his back in a baldrick at all times, so that one may see its guard in the form of a balance scale over his shoulder. Such is the power of this sword that most of my friends and I felt unworthy to be in its presence. I experienced a sudden wave of guilt for every minor transgression I have ever committed. Only Nekaya seemed little affected by the aura of judegement the sword radiated. After we had dined - most of us in silence, cowed by our feelings of shame - Nekaya showed Sir Tyrion the ring taken from the wizard Pascal in Camber, which he examined most thoroughly. Then he asked each of us to swear upon Justice as to the truth of our claims. When he drew the sword from its sheath it transformed from a longsword into a kind of scepter. Once we had each laid a hand on this scepter and testified to what we recalled of our experiences in Camber - my own memory still being inaccurate according to my friends, as a result of the spell cast on me by the priestess of Shar - Sir Tyrion assured us that he would speak as soon as possible with Elder Furnael. His intention at that time was to summon the elder to him for questioning, and thus we waited to witness this event. But Elder Furnael would not come to Sir Tyrion, and the paladin then arranged to go to the governor's palace. We were given a choice to remain at the manor or be summoned once he returned. Rock and Nekaya chose to remain while the rest of us returned to the Cobblestone Inn.Our dinner at the inn was a quiet one, for most of us still felt the effects of Sir Tyrion's aura. Nicos in particular was visibly shaken by this experience, having already confessed to us that his past has contained some actions of which he is not proud. But despite our solemn demeanor, we did overhear the other patrons of the inn discussing various affairs of the day, including the plentiful rumors regarding Camber. We did not disabuse any of these folk of their misconceptions. Nicos also overheard some folk of the Millwright family, who are evidently horse breeders of some good standing, whispering and plotting as to how they might win the horse race. Late in the evening Nekaya came to call us back to speak with Sir Tyrion. He told us that Elder Furnael had answered all his questions and denied all accusations. Sir Tyrion evidently has some ability to sense the truth or falsehood of a statement, and he stated that he could not sense that Elder Furnael's remarks were either false or true. He advised us that should Elder Furnael suddenly depart from the city, the paladin would consider this an admission of guilt and pursue him. He also permitted us to perceive precisely what he had experienced during his conversation with Furnael. In some manner Justice is able to preserve a memory of what it perceives, and by touching the sword-scepter we were also able to see this as though we had been present. It was by this means we were able to confirm that the man we met as Elder Furnael in Camber and the man appearing under that name here are the same. Now we are more confused than ever as to how Elder Furnael could seemingly be in two places at once. For now we will continue to watch him, seeking any opportunity to expose his secrets. It is still possible that some other person was masquerading as the Halruuan. I pray that Corellon Larethian give us all the wisdom to act when the proper moment comes.In the meanwhile I must prepare for the horse race. I have every confidence in Aratan, and will pray only that Corellon keep him safe from harm. And as always, I wish that my beloved Erendis could be here, but as she is not I pray that she be safe. Quips & Quotes for this session:Jubilee: "Justice waits for no man."Setni (Nicos' player): "Nor does lunch, apparently."Zora: "I wonder if Heward's Handy Haversack is waterproof? I could fill it with water using the rune of create water."Devo: "You need a 7-foot straw."Hedrin: "Heward's Handy Sippy Cup!"----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fortunes and FarewellsWe have managed to gain personal experience of the monstrous creatures that have been plaguing this city of late. My friends and I were merely walking through the streets this day when I sensed something peculiar and turned to be confronted by a huge, black, horned beast that had appeared without warning. No doubt it was summoned by some dark witchery. This massive creature began to thrust its way through the pedestrians on the street, hurling them aside like so many leaves tossed on a fast-flowing stream. I drew my swords and leapt to strike it at once. I believe that Erim may have cast a spell of haste upon the us all but I was so concentrated upon halting the beast's charge that I am not certain. At that time I was not aware that it had a particular target, but my companions observed a man bearing an odd smoldering dagger who seemed to be the focus of the monster's fury. This man fled into a side alley rather than face the creature. My blades struck true again and again, though the monster's black hide was as tough as steel. My friends also attacked the beast, but so large was it that I could not see them beyond its bulk. Erim had chanced to move up within sword's reach of the beast and it caught him on its horns and tossed him into the air just as I struck it a fatal stab. It would have collapsed atop him had I not caught hold of him and drawn him out of the way. Once it was slain the monster simply vanished as though it had never been. This confirmed for Erim and Phaele that some wizardry was afoot. Of the man it had been pursuing we could find no trace other than his peculiar weapon. Afterward Liadan presented each of us with a small brooch in the form of Lathander's emblem. Through these she can extend her deity's healing mercies to us at a distance. She regretted that she had been unprepared to present these gifts to us prior to our encounter with the black creature, but thanks to Corellon none of us had suffered any serious harm. We struggled with the decision as to how to proceed in our inquiries regarding Elder Furnael. Our small company has little power to affect one of such lofty position, and though perhaps Nekaya would not agree with me on this, we cannot merely attack him on the street. We have concluded that we must seek more information. It is still possible that some other person masqueraded as the elder to mislead us.We have attempted to watch Furnael further, but rumors tell that he has been ill for the past week. He is reputed to be planning to attend the horse race. Perhaps we will see him at that time. Other rumors indicate that the Millwright family intend to prevent Sir Tyrion from judging the race. We have advised him of this, but it seems unlikely such a plot can succeed against one so well-protected.Nekaya has learned by questioning some of the servants at the governor's palace that Furnael fell ill at about the same time that Camber was attacked. Phaele and Rock learned that prior to his illness he had purchased a number of enchanted items and exotic animals. Phaele thinks this odd, for the items he purchased would not ordinarily be of interest to one as well-versed in the arcane arts as an elder of Halruua. Things which seem exotic to us are quite ordinary in her homeland. This discovery further suggests to me that some impostor is masquerading as the elder. But does this then mean that the man we met in Camber was the true Halruuan wizard?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It seems that the Millwright family are more devious and more determined to win the race than I had imagined possible. They have attempted to poison Aratan!I took him to the festival grounds to exercise this morning, and found that he did not seem quite himself. When we returned to the inn I sought Liadan's aid, for she is not only a healer but also a trained farrier. She quickly determined that Aratan had been poisoned. An examination of the stables revealed sacks of contaminated grain.We called the ostler to us to question him, and under our angry gaze he soon confessed that the Millwright family had persuaded him to allow them to feed the poisoned grain to my faithful steed. I lost my temper at this point and caught hold of his shirt front, lifting his feet off the ground. He will think carefully before he crosses one of the Tel'Quessir again, I believe. The stable manager was summoned and apologized profusely for this affair. The ostler was dismissed from his position, and Aratan was given free lodging. Liadan called upon Lathander's healing energies to ease some of Aratan's discomfort. Tomorrow she will be able to summon further healing grace. Rock was furious when I explained to him what had occurred. I have little doubt that if he can arrange it the Millwrights will suffer his wrath for their actions.As we dined this evening, Erim told us of a peculiar encounter he had experienced earlier. An unknown woman had approached him and offered to assassinate Elder Furnael for an exhorbitant sum! Naturally he scoffed at her suggestion. Then Nicos shocked us all with an unexpected announcement: he has decided to join the retinue of Sir Tyrion!He was greatly impressed by the paladin, and the aura of judgement we experienced during our meal with Tyrion has made Nicos think on his past and his desire to atone for his previous actions. He feels that service with Tyrion will be the best way in which to do this. In preparation for his departure he gave me one of the well-crafted shortswords he carries, and also the enchanted archer's bracers we found among the ogres in the Cloven Mountains. I am of course grateful for these items, but sorry to see Nicos leave us. He has been with us so short a time and we have had little opportunity to know him well. I know that Liadan will be particularly saddened by his departure. He has already become like a brother to her. But if this new direction will ease his heart, then I wish him well. I pray that Corellon watch over him. Quips & Quotes:Devo: "It has all the hallmarks of a summoned creature."Zora: "Aw, it's a Hallmark creature - for when you care enough to summon the very best."</blockquote>

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