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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ancalagon" data-source="post: 7222518" data-attributes="member: 23">SESSION 10 June 14th Our morning started with a fine breakfast. We discussed recent events, and the treasures we had recovered. Xavier has told us about some of the items; specifically, the stone and the gem. The stone is very odd; it reacts differently to different people. Whoever holds it may be granted wishes, or, on the other hand, bad luck. Finis has taken possession of it, and we're hoping that it likes him. We argued for quite a while what we should wish for, if it grants the owner a wish. The wish must be made soon, or it will expire unused! I find the gem intriguing. It has a symbol of knowledge written inside of it (I wonder how that was done!). Xavier says that it will increase both the wit and wisdom of its owner. We are not sure who would get the most use out of such an item, so I am holding on to it for now. Suleiman is considering training with Rinver to become a wizard, so he may be able to use it. On the other hand, it will probably be years before he masters the basics of magic use; in the meantime, Finis and I would both benefit from greater wisdom. Matrim brought us our freshly washed and dried clothes, and we happily put them on. Matrim, Suleiman and I left to observe the day's festivities, while Torin and Blades went to get Blades' reward (for his victory in the armor-smithing contest). Finis stayed in the tower to do some thinking. While we were out, I stopped by to see Glaucon again, to give him the bone scroll case I had purchased. I was happy to see that he had already hired a guard for the journey. The Ailechians may appear to be simple farmers and cattle herders, but there is another thing they know how to do very well: throw a party. I thought that the fair had been colorful these last few days; if anything, the streets are even more alive today. We traveled to the town square, where all manners of celebration were taking place. The Ailechians had several contests in the manner of that most unusual sport, jousting (in which two men on horses try to knock each other off by riding at each other, wielding long poles, or "lances"). No less than three parades went by, in as many hours! We heard many samples of that beautiful Ailechian singing--I simply cannot describe it to you. The Cimbrians delight in puppet shows, as well--the best puppeteers made a good deal of money, as people seemed to be freer with their coin today. Suleiman enjoyed watching several games of chance, and Matrim just seemed happy to be out of the tower. I will treasure the memory of this day for years to come. I heartily encourage all travelers to make a stop in Ailech during the festival--you will not regret it! I overheard a man say something that strikes me as funny; he said that he waited until today to buy things, as merchants will be trying hard to peddle the last of their goods, offering lower prices. How strange that he should think this! If this were the case, that is, if all the merchants were to charge prices too high for the first 13 days of the fair, no one would buy their goods during these days. Then, by the last day everyone would rush to buy at the low prices--but the surge in buying would drive prices up high. Any individual merchant could make a killing by selling at slightly lower prices the first 13 days, while the others wait for the buyers to come on the 14 day. Every merchant would see this opportunity, and jump at it. The result, of course, would be that the buyers try to choose prices that leave them with the perfect amount each day, so that they end up with no goods by the end of the fair, and prices don't jump up and down in between. A good response to this would be "The merchants might have made a mistake, and charged too high a price on accident--after all, they aren't omniscient! They don't know the perfect price." That's true. But mistakes would be costly, so the merchants have good reason to try to find that perfect price. And suppose they do make a mistake--why should they err on the side of having too many goods left on the 14th? Many merchants might have charged too low a price during the first 13 days, and end up with too little on the 14th! In that case, the man who was looking for a bargain may end up paying higher prices! Eventually, we tore ourselves away from the festivities, returning to the White Haven for a late lunch. Torin and Blades were there as well, and we were surprised to see that Torin been injured. They said that they had gone to get Blades' reward, but Blades had received a second offer (actually, an offer for an offer) from a man representing Angus McDunmor, the King's Steward. Blades said he wasn't interested, but the man insisted that they at least meet with him to hear the offer. They agreed, but were led into a trap. Once inside a building, eight men attacked them. They managed to beat them off, sending those few remaining fleeing through a secret door. Torin was knocked unconscious during the fight, so Blades grabbed him and crashed through a locked door. Facing two more guards, Blades took one down, and sent the other fleeing. They escaped to the street, and were escorted by Red Branch Knights to the temple of Dian C'echt. The priests healed Torin's wounds for a surprisingly modest fee. After an excellent lunch, we all headed to get Blades' reward, carrying a chest in which to put it. We picked it up with no trouble, and headed to the priest of Goibhniu, hoping that we could sell some of the items we found on Mogrin. This, in hindsight, was probably a stupid idea, but it turned out all right. Finis and I remained outside, with Mogrin's plate armor, while the rest went inside with Mogrin's magical mattock. The priests recognized the weapon, and asked why they shouldn't just take it. Suleiman, who has proven himself an excellent smooth-talker, somehow convinced them that we had done them a favor by bringing it back to them! To return the favor, they healed Blades' of his long-standing mental injuries! They were not satisfied with only the mattock, however--they took his plate armor as well, and made us promise never to speak of the incident with anyone. I've already spoken of it to you, so I suppose I've broken my promise. I don't suppose it will do any harm, though; I doubt they care what people an entire continent away think of them. Besides, I have a duty to Prometheus and His church first. Blades is finally healed! He suddenly recalled and understood many of the jokes we had made at his expense since the injury, and at first seemed a little put out. Soon enough, though, we were all laughing about the whole matter. These are, on the whole, fine fellows I travel with! I am glad to have Blades back to his normal wit--he is really quite a clever fellow, when at his best! We ran a few more errands. The dwarves placed orders for plate armor, to be picked up in a couple months. As we were a little confused about our transportation and equipment arrangements, we went to see Rinver. He answered our questions, and we went to buy some food, tents, and some patches with our new party symbol on it (A black circle with five triangles, each of a different color, pointing away from a white spot in the middle). Finally, we went to the closing ceremonies, presided over by the King. It was more like a final party than a ceremony, and we joined in the singing and dancing. Many awards were handed out, including one for "best quilt". The winner was announced as a member of the Cithach Tuatha, the clan of my mother! I followed her after she accepted her prize, and congratulated her. She was, of course, completely surprised, and even more so when I explained that my mother was from her clan. Her name was Molly, and although she was of the MacFennan family (my mother is a MacMorna), she knew several of my mother's relatives. She agreed to deliver a message to my mother's family. My mother will be delighted to hear of this! Our busy day done, we returned to the tower, where Xavier told us that he had more information regarding Mogrin: Mogrin had a co-conspirator. Xavier knew nothing about him, except that Mogrin called him "one". Also, Mogrin did not summon the Hordling; "one", or one of his minions, did. The priests of Goibhniu learned all of this by casting Speak with Dead on Mogrin, and forcing him to answer their questions. On a whim, I asked Xavier about Magnas Dumas. Xavier said that he was a Baron in the third century--and not a very nice person. Xavier also told us that Fin had managed to get a moratorium on the thieves' guild's order to kill us. Finally, he gave us a gold token with a symbol on it, telling us that we will be recognized as friends by members of the White School if we show them the token. At this point, there was a knock at the door. We all went to answer it, and standing in the doorway was one of the men that had attacked Blades and Torin earlier that day! Of course, only Blades and Torin recognized him. He said that he came to offer Blades a job with Angus McDunmor--again! He said the previous conflict had just been a "misunderstanding"! We tried to explain that Blades wasn't interested, but the man couldn't seem to understand that someone would turn Angus McDunmor down. Finally, Torin shouted at the man and slammed the door in his face. I hope that's the end of this nonsense! Finis used his wish after the man left. At least, we hope he used a wish. I suppose we won't know if it works until one of us is killed, because of the nature of the wish: Finis wished that the next one of us to die would be instantly restored to full health. As soon as he was done with the wish, the rock grew warm, and changed into a diamond. I hope that's a good thing. We decided to go to bed early, as we have a busy day ahead of us, and we must pick up our sewn patches and meet Rinver early in the morning. I am glad that this last day has been a pleasant one; I do not want to leave the town remembering only danger and deceit. June 15th Happy birthday to me! We woke up early, as planned. After saying our farewells, and leaving some gold at the tower (carrying hundreds of gold pieces around is not wise), we set out to pick up our patches, and meet with Rinver. Rinver was waiting for us outside the inn, with our transportation (some mediocre quality horses and a cart) ready. He asked who our leader was, and before the rest of us could say anything, Torin boldly proclaimed "I am!" We started to protest, but Rinver cut us off, and handed a scroll to Torin. Inside were instructions about what to do if Rinver should die during our journey; how to dispose of the body, etc. Of course, we agreed to follow the instructions, and began our trip out of the city. Near the gates, we were surprised to find Balstead waiting to bid us farewell. I gave him a small amount of coin to invest while I am gone, and I promised to come back to check on him. We all wished him good luck, and soon Duma Faifni was at our backs. The journey away is almost as filled with revelry as the fair itself was; bards and singers fill the journey with stories and music. We spent a good deal of time familiarizing ourselves with Rinver's abilities (and he with ours), so that we might be more effective as a team. Also, Finis warned us that we were going to have to stop on the twenty-first, as that is the Summer Solstice, and it is a holy day he must observe. We are now resting in a pleasant, merry camp. The singing is beginning to die down. Suleiman has surprised me; I must have let slip somehow that today is my birthday. He bought me a bottle of wine, and we shared it together. It is good to have such friends. June 16th Yet another joyous day was spent in travel. The caravan slowly thinned throughout the day, as people split off to go to their own cities, towns, and tuathas. The return to the empty, rolling hills of the countryside is bringing back bad memories of orcs and caterwals. I hope that the Orinbar Mountains will be a change for the better. The day has mostly been uneventful. We will soon reach Crossing. Suleiman has decided to start training under Rinver as an apprentice. At first, he was leery of apprenticeship, as he does not like servitude--and being an apprentice requires submission to authority. However, he decided that he could live with the minor impositions Rinver would make on him. Rinver has been exercising his mind with simple recitations and math problems. I find it all very interesting. June 17th As Rinver predicted, we reached Crossing late in the morning. Rinver asked if we could stop for the day, as he has people to see here. We agreed, although I don't look forward to staying in this smoky, dirty, and foul-smelling town. Our inn is the Black Ox, and it is clean enough, I suppose. Suleiman, Blades, and I went for a walk around town. It is very active, although it is difficult to tell if the town is always like this, or if the activity is merely spillover from the festival. While walking near the docks, we heard cries for help coming from an alley. Blades and I charged ahead, while Suleiman followed behind us, covering our back (we have become very wary of traps lately). The alley was almost completely dark, but we could make out an old man being beaten by several ruffians. After a brief fright, we sent the bullies running, and bandaged the old man. The old man was a fortune-teller (Of course, he was probably a charlatan, not a true seer, unlike our Ionian Oracles), and one of the men beating him had not liked the fortune the old man had told him. He said that he would read our fortunes to reward us for saving him; I declined, but Blades and Suleiman were interested. He told Blades "The hand that brings order to the elements brings only discord to the hearts of men." That's a fairly safe thing to say of a dwarven fighter, especially one that looks as much like an armor-smith as Blades does! When he looked at Suleiman, he became hysterical, shouting that he saw darkness, and he ran back into the house. Suleiman seems somewhat disturbed by this incident, but I'm sure it's just an old man's confusion, and nothing to worry about. We retired to the inn to get some rest. June 18th Rinver has told Torin that our next destination is Genyrthus. Torin's supposed "leadership" is beginning to get a little annoying. It's also a little funny, so I guess we'll put up with it for a while. We reached the River Callin by midday, and took a ferry across. We met another adventuring group while crossing, called the "Iron Strikers". Once on the other side, we found that we were going the same direction, so we began riding together. Eventually, the conversation seemed to escalate into a "we've killed bigger monsters than you" contest, and they challenged us to a test of bravery. Of course, this is all total silliness. I don't have to prove anything to anyone, but this kind of thing is important to the dwarves. And given the nature of their challenge, I wasn't about to let the dwarves try it alone. The Ironstrikers told us that there is a graveyard up the trail, and it is said to be haunted. We were to enter the graveyard at opposite sides, and meet in the middle, destroying whatever opposition was in our path. Whoever destroyed the greatest undead wins. That fact that undead are an abomination made me even more eager to join in this hunt. By the time we reached the graveyard, night was falling, but the moon had not yet risen. Rinver offered to stay behind and guard the horses. We entered the graveyard from the north, using a lantern as our only source of light. We were soon set upon by several of the undead known as "wights". They fled before the holy wrath of Prometheus. At first, the others were disappointed that I took away an opportunity to fight the creatures. When they learned of the life-draining nature of the creatures, they were not so eager to fight them anymore. We started forward again, realizing that the Ironstrikers were probably in over their heads. Sure enough, we soon heard shouting and cries for help. We ran ahead. Only two of the members of their party were left standing, set upon by many wights. Prometheus again turned them away, and we tended to their wounded. One of them could be healed, but the other, named Vindicis, was very, very cold. As we examined him, his skin split open, revealing talons, and fangs emerged from his jaw. I quickly tried to smash him with the warhammer, but I was not fast enough. Then the other wights renewed their attack, as I had stopped keeping them at bay to tend the wounded. Again I turned them, but not Vindicis. The others desperately attacked Vindicis before he could drain life from one of us, and we quickly took him down. Shivering with fear, we ran back to the camp as fast as we could. I am having a hard time sleeping after that close call. I think that the remainder of the Ironstrikers have learned a lesson about boasting and challenges. I hope that we have learned it as well. Humility can be a painful lesson. June 19th We set off again. The ground is beginning to slope up, as the hills turn into the feet of mountains. It has been a quiet day of travel, and the pensive Ironstrikers are still with us. We have made camp by a small copse of trees. June 20th The wind is coming from the south today, as we enter the switch backs of the Orinbar Mountains. The roads are becoming difficult to navigate. One of the wheels on the cart broke, and Finis managed to fashion a makeshift repair to the cracked spoke using some twigs. Rinver tells us (well, he tells Torin, actually) that the Genyrthus is still several days away. Other than the problems with the cart, the day has been pretty dull. June 21st Today is the Summer Solstice, the day that the planet receives the greatest amount of daylight. It is a cloudy day, but without rain. Finis had us stop just before noon, so that he could perform a ceremony. He invited us to take part. I, of course, declined. Finis seemed a little surprised, and said "Do you not call your god the light-bringer? Do you not wish to celebrate this day when Ermoon receives the most light?" Finis apparently thinks Prometheus is some kind of sun god, like Helios. The light we refer to, of course, is the light of the gift of flame He brought us, as well as the symbolic representation of knowledge. Prometheus lights our way with truth and wisdom, not the sun.I must explain the distinction to Finis sometime. Rinver wanted to watch the ceremony, but Finis said that if we do not participate, we must leave the area until it is over. Rinver and I went into some trees a short distance from the horses, while the others participated in the ceremony. I began a long prayer of thanks, as is our tradition. The rest of the day was passed in rest, which is good, as I fasted today, and strenuous exercise might be dangerous in my weakened condition. June 22nd Nothing significant happened today, except that, in late afternoon, we heard the sound of falling water growing louder and louder. There must be a very large waterfall nearby.June 23rd We have finally reached Genythus, a fine dwarven town. The well-crafted stone walls are thirty feet high. In fact, all the buildings here are imposing and the stonework is wonderful. Only a few humans are about, and there is only one inn that accommodates "tall folk", the Sleepy Giant. The only other occupants of the Inn are mercenaries and merchants. After buying some rations, we all retired to the Inn for some well-earned rest. Suleiman and Rinver continued their training process, and I tried to listen in. The quizzes are becoming to difficult for me to follow, although I have noticed that my recall and understanding have been improving very slightly--possibly due to the magical gem. Tomorrow we will set out for Tesplyn's Grove, another Dwarven town. Finis likes the name, for obvious reasons. The journey should take about a week. June 24th The Iron Strikers headed north today, restoring our party to six. We are heading east, mostly. The day was happily uneventful. It is starting to get a little cooler as we climb in altitude, but it is Spring, so the temperature is not uncomfortable. June 25th Yet another unremarkable day has passed. I've actually become rather proficient at napping while riding in the wagon, even though the road is very rough. Also, I've been trying to practice my dwarven and elvish, based on what I've heard Torin and Blades say, and the little bit of Elvish I've heard out of Suleiman (he speaks Elvish, although I'm not sure where he learned it). I've only learned a few phrases so far; maybe I can get Suleiman to teach me some more. June 26th Our peaceful journey was twice interrupted today. Shortly after lunch we came to a bridge crossing a chasm. Sitting on the bridge was a large creature with a lion's body, bat's wings, and human head. We have come to know these beasts as "Manticores" (we fought one last month, if you will recall). As soon as it saw us, it took to the air, flinging metal spikes at us from its barbed tail. We were struck several times, but we struck it as well. Rinver's magic missiles proved dramatically effective; the creature was injured and forced to land. It did not last long in melee combat, but Finis damaged his magical druidic staff while fighting it--I hope it can be repaired! At nightfall we camped, our travels since the manticore attack having been without incident. While encamped, one of our horses screamed (an unsettling sound!). We turned to see two giant, green skinned humanoids with dark, empty spaces in place of eyes, trying to drag its carcass into the trees. We couldn't let them get away with that, of course, and we attacked them viciously. The creatures seemed to quickly heal damaged body parts, confirming my suspicion--these were trolls. The fiends were defeated quickly, thanks to our flameblades (Finis and I can both cast the spell). The fire prevented them from regenerating the damaged body parts. We went to find the Troll lair, leaving Rinver and Suleiman at the camp. The trail was pretty easy to follow, and we soon found their cave. We decided to investigate their lair in the morning. It has been a peaceful night so far, and I now end my watch. June 27th Our first task of the morning was to defeat any remaining trolls in the lair. We found the lair again; it was very easy, as the path had been traveled many times recently. A dwarf's skull, wearing a rotted helm, sat in the doorway. Hiding at the edge of the trees, we made our plan. Suleiman fired a flaming arrow into the cave, and a troll soon came out, looking around. We waited, and two more trolls slowly ambled out. As soon as they were together, Rinver cast a fireball on them--it was a sight to behold! The explosion of flame was tremendous, and took the trolls totally by surprise. As soon as the fireball ended, Finis threw what appeared to be a mushroom at them. It erupted into a cloud when it hit the ground, leaving one of the Trolls choking and struggling for breath. We gave them no time to recover, as we charged into battle. Rinver sent magic missiles flying at them, and with Blades and Torin swinging like mad, the trolls soon fell. After setting them ablaze, we slowly moved into the cave. The remains of animals and travelers were scattered around the filthy hole; I could scarcely breathe. In the very back of the cave we found a pile of gold, bronze, gems, and a few other items. There was a jar of that healing goo (it seems to be relatively common in these parts), and a strange ten-sided zircon gem. One of the sides had its edges worn smooth. Suleiman tried rubbing the gem, and several images of him sprung into existence around him. It was difficult to tell which was the real Suleiman. Torin tried punching an image, and it disappeared (thankfully, it was not the real Suleiman!). This is indeed a useful magic item; however, after rubbing it, another of the sides was worn smooth. Only eight uses of it are left.After returning to camp to make sure we left nothing behind, we resumed our journey. In the late afternoon we spotted several giant eagles circling overhead. They soon flew away. I have heard conflicting rumors regarding these creatures; some say that they are a noble race of intelligent birds, while others say they are nothing more than large, cruel hunters. I'm hoping for the former. As I write this at our campsite, the borealis shines brightly overhead. It is difficult to describe this unusual phenomenon; it is like a curtain of shimmering light. I wish that you could see it. The night is very quiet; it is very beautiful here. I think that if I had to choose a place to live in Ailech, I would choose the mountains. It is a rough, dangerous place, but that is part of its beauty. June 29th Today's travel was pleasant, except for a disturbing sight early in the morning. Soon after we got underway we came upon the scene of a battle. Broken goblin bodies lay strewn everywhere--across the road, in the bushes, backed up against the trees. A variety of weapons had been used on them, although we suspected that this was probably dwarvish work. Only the flies seemed to be able to stand the taste of goblin flesh; no animals or other insects had disturbed the corpses. We resumed our journey as quickly as possible. By late afternoon we could hear bells ringing in the distance. They continued for quite a while. We made camp by a large pile of rocks, looking down on the path behind us. We have come a long way in two weeks, and the time has flown by. June 30th We finally reached the dwarven mining town of Tesplyn's Grove soon after stopping for dinner. Finis was pleased to find that this town has many trees scattered around it. Two large bell towers were the source of the ringing we heard yesterday, and they rang today as well, although it is not clear why. A small river flows by the town, and several smelting buildings are built around it. An inn called the One-eyed Crow is our home for the night. It is owned and run by dwarves. It is actually quite cozy; despite the fact that it was designed for smaller folk, I feel comfortable. We have been relaxing and resting for the remainder of the day. Our horses are tired from the journey, especially since we had to redistribute the weight that the horse killed by the trolls was carrying. I am glad that they have a chance to rest as well. I doubt that their dinner was as fine as our roast pheasant, though. While resting in the common room, two dwarves approached us dressed in hunting clothes and leather armor. They announced themselves as Amar and Colby, from Breckenswan. Breckenswan is a small town about half a day from here, and the ducks that visit the nearby swamp in the spring and summer are the town's main source of income. Amar and Colby tell us that there were less ducks than usual last year, and almost none this year. The livelihood of their village is threatened, and they want us to investigate, to find what is killing or frightening off the ducks. Of course, we could not turn them down. First we asked Rinver if we could temporarily leave his employ to help them; he agreed. He is not sure whether he wants to come himself or not. It is late at night now, so we will go to Breckenswan in the morning. I think that tomorrow will be a long day; I am off to bed to ensure that I get enough rest. ------------------</blockquote>

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