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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ancalagon" data-source="post: 7282166" data-attributes="member: 23">SESSION 18 July 27th We are free, and eating a rabbit dinner, expertly prepared by Urym. The air is fresher than I imagined. I hope that the monastery has not caused me to develop claustrophobia! The day started at the entrance to the library. We were somewhat surprised (but not too much) to find Relmor waiting for us there. We politely told him that he was making us uncomfortable, and he left. That creature makes me so nervous! Perhaps we've seen the last of him. It was decided that Rinver should do the honors; he stacked the plates, placed them on the podium, and said "Oghma the Binder". Nothing seemed to happen, but Rinver assured us that we were free to enter. We did, and were pleased to find those large golems that had easily pummeled us the other day were standing, unmoving, against a wall. The room was absolutely filled with books. Two huge scroll tubes, with mechanisms for turning them, sat near a table, at which a skeleton lay slumped over. Apparently, the priest had drunk poison. Three holy symbols lay on the table as well. Three statues, representing the aspects of Oghma, stood on a dais in the middle of the room. When placed in the statues' hands, the holy symbols caused a shimmering triangle of light to shoot from the wall to the ceiling, briefly forming a beautiful triangular column. The light soon faded. Blades went to find out whether the fog was gone from the stairs. Rinver has announced that he plans to claim the library as his own, and "set up shop", so to speak. I am not sure that the library is his to claim, but I will leave that up to the remaining priests of Oghma. While Suleiman, Finis, and I did research on various subjects, Corwin followed after Blades. They came back down a while later, reporting that they had been attacked by giant rats, which they had defeated (but not without a few nasty, disease-causing bites). Strange, lifelike statues, without bases or pedastals, were scattered around the side of the above-ground monastery that we had not explored. They then heard footsteps coming toward them. Suspecting that it might be the medusa, they came back down. That was a wise decision. After looking around some more, we decided that it was time to leave. Rinver plans to return with another adventuring party, to finish clearing the ruins. We walked up the stairs, with our eyes firmly fixed on the ground. I'd wager that nothing had come up the stairs in a long, long time. As we stepped into the cool, fresh air, we remained on our guard. Corwin kept his huge ears cocked for signs of the medusa, but she did not appear. I cannot blame her; we probably looked like seasoned adventurers. It did not take us long to reach the hill at which we had promised to meet Urym. He came marching up, playing a stirring piece on his bagpipes. We set up camp a short distance away, and feasted on his excellent roast rabbit. It wasn't nearly enough for Corwin, but I don't think he wanted any more magically created food. It was rather dull, but I'm working on it. Suleiman presented Urym with the magic lute. He seemed interested, but I'm not sure that he knows how to play it. We've traveled short distance toward Prolingmur this afternoon. It will be nice to sleep outside, under the stars tonight. The trials of life, such as that dank, haunted monastery, truly make one appreciate the comforts that we often take for granted. I will endeavor to pay greater attention to my blessings, from now on. July 28th It has been a day of uneventful, plain travel. Urym has cooked and prepared several rabbits for us; with just a little variation in their seasonings, he can dramatically change the taste. He is a skilled cook; if he would join our party, he would not go unappreciated. I believe that Finis has had further discussions with him on this subject. July 29th Today I tried to determine who in the party would be willing to travel with me to Ionia. Much to my surprise, the entire party agreed! I was, needless to say, quite delighted. Finis, in particular, was quite eloquent in voicing his support. Friendships like these are priceless. I wonder; would I have such friends if I had stayed in the temple, in Ionia? I do not think I would. We near Prolingmur, and the signs of habitation grow. A few cattle and fisherman have been seen. Tomorrow, we should reach the town. July 30th At last, we have returned to civilization (or at least, something closely resembling it). Never did six dilapidated buildings look so urban. Rinver is jubilant, and is already making plans to hire another party, to get rid of the medusa. Finis and Urym have decided upon terms of employment. We now have a bard as well! Unfortunately, our joy was short-lived. While Suleiman and I were trying to find a way to open Nelbar's Spellbook (Suleiman feels that he can now return to using his skills as a thief, without detracting from his wizard training), Relmor appeared. He warned that his former companions were coming. We quickly tried to scatter, hoping that Relmor would be left to fight his foes alone (as we wanted no part of his fight). Of course, that didn't work. Four Githyanki appeared, assumed that we were Relmor's slaves, and attacked us. While we fought them off, Relmor stood there. One of the Githyanki had a wand, and turned first Finis,and then me into tiny puppy dogs. Finis, however, waddled behind the fighting Githyanki, and (much to our amazement), turned back into himself! I was unable to do anything so dramatically effective, so I moved away from combat. Suleiman was faced with some kind of martial artist, who gave him a severe beating. Suleiman summoned Tanvil, however, and the odds improved somewhat. Nonetheless, Corwin and Suleiman were knocked unconscious, and things looked bad. A crowd of MacFinden clansmen gathered around, watching the fight. Somehow, Tanvil managed to kill both the martial artist and another Githyanki, while Blades dispatched the other two. However, Blades, possessed by the combat fury of his magical sword, could not stop, and struck Finis twice before managing to sheath his weapon. Finis quickly tended to some wounds, and then he and Blades turned on Relmor. Relmor was totally taken by surprise, and was on the defensive. Suleiman, though badly wounded, managed to restore me to normal using the wand. Meanwhile, Blades and Finis had quickly defeated Relmor, with a little help from Connel MacFinden. We consulted Nelbar's encyclopedia to find out whether Githyanki come after all items left behind, or only their weapons. Apparently, they are only interested in recovering their magical silver weapons. So, we resolved to dump them into a lake or stream, and keep whatever other items seemed interesting. That was a close fight; I am glad that we will not leave it empty-handed. Plans must be made for our travel to Ionia. Right now, we are planning to travel south, by river, to Galway, and then on to Wicklow, on the cost. From there, we will take a ship to Alcyone, and then to Ionia. Urym warns us that there is a group of overzealous mages in Wicklow that is obsessed with "justice"; we shall have to be careful of them. Justice is good, but blind pursuit of it is dangerous. Once again, the Pentachromata have come through victorious. Of course, there are still several hours left in the day. You never know what might happen next. I, for one, am eating lunch. _______________________</blockquote>

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