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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ancalagon" data-source="post: 7284560" data-attributes="member: 23">SESSION 19 We are now headed to bed, looking up at the stars. Why can we see the stars, if we're in an inn, you ask? Well, we sort of blew the roof up. After lunch, we attended to our wounds, and then Suleiman and I attempted to open Nelbar's magically warded spell book. Finis and the others went to bury the Githyanki and their items. Suleiman successfully picked the lock, but the magical trap remained. A dispel magic was unsuccessful. So, I opened it. A huge ball of flame erupted as a powerful firetrap went off. The book was undamaged, but the thatch roof quickly caught fire. I told Suleiman to grab the book and run, before the roof collapsed. I managed to cast a create water before the roof collapsed, dowsing the flames. Although the roof was no longer on fire, it collapsed nonetheless, giving me some bumps and scratches. Of course, we compensated the innkeeper for the damage. Suleiman tried reading the first page, and it exploded in his face, as well. This time, some of the book was damaged. I cast detect magic and carefully folded over two other magically trapped pages in the book. Suleiman now has access to several new spells. The rest of the party soon returned, wondering what happened to our building. After explaining, the group fell into a discussion about what to do about the mithril we left in the temple of Oghma. I had considered using the candle of invocation to cast flaming pegasus, enabling me to travel there and back in one day. However, this would use thirty precious minutes of the candle, and I would have to travel there alone. Also, we would have to leave Nelbar's encyclopedia behind, in order to put the mithril in the bag of holding. Blades was very eager to get the mithril, but I'm afraid that Finis talked me out of it. Blades is understandably upset. Tomorrow we make final preparations to leave. I cannot wait to begin traveling again; I have yet to see the sections of Connaught we will be visiting. July 31st We began the morning by packing some of our gear. Urym soon returned from a night visiting "friends"; I suspect that he meant "ladies". He looks exhausted. Rinver came by, and offered us a topaz as payment for our services. It was time to say good-bye, and it was an emotional farewell. I asked if he could hold the mithril for us; he promised that we could have a whole wing of the complex if we wanted. After some hugs and handshakes, Rinver left us. While Blades spent much of the day trying to fit the magical Githyanki splint mail to Corwin, the rest of us went to visit Torin's grave. Finis attempted to stone-shape the symbol of the Pentachromata into the obelisk Blades had constructed, but it didn't look quite right. At least it was a nice gesture. After a moment of silence and prayer, we returned to Prolingmur. Blades had succeeded in fitting the armor to Corwin, and I asked him to try to remove the distinctive markings from the set of Githyanki splint mail I was to wear. Unfortunately, the strange metal could not stand the stress, and crumbled. We have another set of Githyanki splint; I suppose I must learn to live with the strange designs. Meanwhile, Corwin had rounded up a rowboat--ours had been stolen, and the one Corwin found turned out to be our own. We bought our own stolen rowboat back! We spent some time reallocating our magical items, tending to our remaining wounds, and making a few last minute purchases of supplies, and we are going to bed early. Our journey begins early tomorrow. August 1st With Urym and Finis in a canoe, Blades in a Kayak, Suleiman, Corwin, and our chest in a rowboat, and me in canoe, we set off down river. Urym has warned that a creature known as Guulg the Devourer lives further south, in a loch. We plan to portage around the loch when the water begins to slow. Fortunately, we don't seem to be close to him today. Our first day of travel has been quiet, with a cool breeze gently blowing. Large hills and thick woods stand on both sides of the river. A strange thing happened tonight while we set up camp. When Suleiman approached the fire, it turned blue. We are not exactly sure what causes this, but we suspect it may be related to his problems, which I have alluded to before. I suspect that it is meant to be a reminder, but I am not certain. It is puzzling. August 2nd It has been another day of quiet downstream travel. I saw another one of those strange "moose" creatures today. Their incredibly oversized antlers make them look awkward. I wish that you could see the beauty of the landscape! August 3rd While paddling downstream today, Blades spotted a dark shape moving towards us through the water. Thinking quickly, he shouted to us to paddle to the right bank. Blades jumped into the water, his magical otter pelt turning him into an otter. It was not a moment too soon, as a huge hand reached up, pulling his entire kayak under the water. The creature, which was, of course, Guulg, then turned his attention to Finis and Urym, who were frantically trying to reach the shore. The hand reached up, pulling Finis under. The rest of us managed to get to shore. I cast water breathing on myself and Blades, thinking that we would have to enter into combat with the beast. However, Suleiman cast levitate, floating into the air, and Corwin strode, using the ring of water walking, straight toward the spot where the beast held Finis underwater. Blades and I simply watched from the side of the river. It suddenly seemed that Finis had disappeared; the creature then devoted its attention to Corwin. It turns out that Finis had turned into a frog, and swam away. The creature surged upward, wrapping both hands around Corwin. Incredibly, Corwin stood his ground (water?), continuing to attack Guulg with his sword. He was actually supporting the weight of this monster, by himself! Suleiman struck it with several magic missiles, and Corwin smote it with mighty blows. It tried to flee, but I managed to hit it with sunscorch before it could get away. Dead, Guulg floated to the surface, and off downstream. It must have been nine feet tall and five feet wide; it looked like some kind of frog-lizard-fish thing. Needless to say, Urym was impressed, as we all were with Corwen's incredible feat of strength (feet of strength?). Finis cast speak with animals, turned into an otter, and went off downstream to locate Guulg's lair. He came back a while later with a broach from an underwater cave, to which he had been (slowly) directed by a turtle. A careful search of the cave uncovered some bronze pieces and a magical spear. Upon leaving the water, the tip of the spear burst into flames. Urym was quite excited, telling us that it was a hero's spear, a weapon quite effective against the undead. Apparently, such weapons are very valuable--kings even fight over them! We must guard it carefully. After finishing our search of the cave, we returned to the river, with Blades traveling as an otter, now that his kayak lies crushed on the river bottom. Not long ago, while encamped near the river bank, Suleiman warned us of approaching footsteps. An older man's voice called out, asking who we were. We responded, asking the same. A man calling himself Amylawd the Seer approached our camp, saying that he was out getting water, when he saw our fire. He lives nearby, so he invited us to stay with him. We concealed our boats, and followed him to his small, sturdy cottage. On the way, he said that we have the "mark of destiny" on us; he predicts that we will accomplish great things of importance. I hope so! Once in the cottage, he shared his soup with us, and we shared some of our stories. He offered to tell our fortunes. Blades stepped up first, throwing a handful of stones. Amylawd interprets them based on the way they land. Of Blades, he said "Attainment of one hope leads to discovery of those around you". I decided to give it a try, hoping that Prometheus would reveal something through the stones. Strangely, several of the stones began spinning on their edge. Eventually, they settled down, but it still took quite a while for Amylawd to read. They said "Forces move through you that are vast and powerful; you are an agent that must follow your own mind. You will face a danger of many faces in the near future that will help you accomplish your goal." Of Finis the stones say "Mysteries of the past must be faced to understand the puzzles of the future." Of Corwin: "The future is uncertain, but an enemy defeated may still be a friend". Finally, Suleiman cast the stones, revealing that "From shadows fled to shadows returned, the road to freedom is bound by chains." None of us are sure what any of the statements mean; perhaps they will be revealed in time. We thanked Amylawd, and prepared for bed. Urym is entertaining us with his bagpipes. My eyes grow heavy, and this bundle of straw is so comfortable. I must put down my quill before my handwriting deteriorates further. August 4th We took our leave of Amylawd this morning, after I placed a blessing on his household. It was another beautiful day of peaceful travel, until late in the afternoon, when we saw a flashing light coming from some standing stones, several miles away from the river's edge. We stashed the boats and went to investigate. Finis transformed into a hawk, and went to take a closer look. He said that there were no creatures there, and that the light was emanating from a stone in the center. By the time we reached the stone, the sun had set. The air thickened oppressively near the stone circle. As we approached, a brown-skinned man came toward us, asking us what we wanted. Finis was strangely silent; as this was an area of concentrated natural power, I expected him to take charge. Blades, however, stepped up, and said that he wanted "power". The brown-skinned man asked him to elaborate, and Blades said that he wanted power over Jarvos Ironforge (apparently the person who stole his armor). The man walked off, then came back with a black arrow, saying that it would give him that power. Since Finis was still silent, I asked the man who he was. He replied that he was Imal Trevarin, a "dow". According to him, the druids placed the circle here to control the dow, but apparently it no longer did so. He turned around, walked away, and disappeared. Suddenly the center stone cracked, collapsing into dust and rubble, and an earth elemental arose. Between Finis, Corwin, Blades, and Arms of Flame, the creature was soon dispatched. The oppressive feeling in the air left, and we were left wondering just what had taken place. We returned to the camp, traveled a bit downstream, and are now encamped once again. I suspect that we will never know exactly what happened at the stone circle tonight. Then again, Prometheus has ways of revealing things to those who are willing to look and listen. August 5th As we travel, I've noticed that the leaves on the trees are starting to change colors from their full summer green to the oranges, browns, and golds of autumn. This is only the second real autumn I've ever seen; our Ionian fall and winter is so mild by comparison. Not long after we set out, Corwin spotted a large shape moving parallel to us, through the forest. We soon ascertained that it was a Fomorian, with a huge ball and chain. At first, we planned to fight it, as we were afraid that it might lob boulders or trees at us. However, Urym has informed us that Fomorians cannot throw. So, much to Blades' disappointment, we left it behind--it eventually spotted us, and stood on the river bank, shaking its fist at us. As we journey southward, I've been attempting to teach Ionian to the party members that are interested. They seem to be catching on quickly, especially Suleiman, who has heard it before. The bright and sunny weather has kept everyone's spirits up, and kept them alert, despite the tedium of the lessons. This afternoon, however, clouds started rolling in, and it quickly became overcast. Our evening became even more miserable when a group of winged humanoids--huge gargoyles, in fact--attacked our camp. I was badly beaten, but the party quickly came to my aid, and we prevailed. Urym says that these gargoyles are servants of a black dragon named Seguvox, who lives a quite a distance away. It's not clear what the gargoyles are doing in this part of the country. Three possibilities spring to mind: 1) Seguvox is expanding his territory. 2) These gargoyles were sent specifically for us. Neither of these are especially comforting. 3) Seguvox has been defeated, his forces scattered. I hope it is the third one. With our wounds mostly healed, we once again retire for the night. August 6th This afternoon we began to see signs of civilization. People were traveling a road next to the river, south toward Galway. In large carts they took the last of the summer's harvest of wheat to town. We soon pulled into the somewhat dilapidated docks, tied our boats, and began our search for an inn. Galway is a sizable town, of around 3,000 people. Most of the homes are of clay and stone, with thatch roofs. The populace is busy collecting, storing, and selling the harvest. We soon located an inn called The Dryad, which seems nice and cozy. In exchange for Urym performing tonight, the innkeeper offered us one of the rooms for free. Conversation with the innkeeper revealed some interesting information. The King is having a fall festival of some sort, to celebrate the last harvest. Also, someone called "Gutatar the Firelord" is attacking the kingdom with firedrakes. This is fascinating, but we must be on to Ionia! Suleiman, Finis, and I went out to see the town. Finis' hero's spear attracted a lot of attention, and we were sure to advertise Urym's performance. Suleiman found an herbalist, and picked up a few odds and ends. The shopkeeper turned out to be a wizard of some ability, and traded spells with Suleiman. Now Suleiman can cast invisibility! Also, the shopkeeper agreed to identify some of our items for us. We will pick them up in the morning. Urym's performance was excellent, although I feel a little embarrassed, as I am a part of some of the stories he told. I was amazed at the number of people that showed up to listen to Urym. The inn was packed! I have retired a little early, although the performance continues. I am more than a little tired. August 7th The first thing we did today was go to get our items from the wizard. He could not identify the magic ring, but he said that the scarf allows the wearer to charm people, as well as improving singing and speaking ability (I think Finis should get the scarf, as he mumbles most of the time). The arrow that the dow gave Blades is an arrow of fighter slaying. Soon it was time to resume our journey to Wicklow. We saw people traveling upstream to Galway until the afternoon. Other than the occasional friendly greeting, our travel has been quiet. August 8th While packing to leave camp this morning, we saw a man on the other side of the river, who was standing by a cart full of apples, cursing. We paddled our boats to his side of the river, and offered to help. Apparently, one of the wheels of the cart had broken. So, Suleiman and Corwin lifted the heavy cart, much to the man's amazement, and the man replaced the wheel. As a reward, he let us partake of some of his delicious apples. As we ate, an elderly woman came down the road toward us, carrying a cage with a bird in it. We talked to her for a while, and quickly discovered that each of us saw a different kind of bird in the cage. She said that her name was Taleri, and that she had tried to kill herself over fifty years ago, when the Taygete League invaded her land and killed her family. But a druid intervened, giving her a cage, and saying that she must bear it until she finds someone who sees the same thing in it that she sees. However, she cannot tell anyone what she sees. When she finds that person, he or she will give her what she needs. We were intrigued by this puzzle, but unable to do anything to assist her. So, we offered to accompany her to Wicklow. She has traveled with us today, during another peaceful voyage. I continue to teach Ionian to those who are interested. August 9th Once again, we were interrupted in the morning while packing our belongings. Two large, flying creatures, resembling manticores, but with reptilian faces, approached and attacked. They threw their tail spikes at Suleiman, almost knocking him unconscious. We scrambled for cover, and they spat streams of vile acid on us. Finis harassed one with a cloud of insects, while I managed to blind one with a sunscorch, forcing it to land. Corwin charged and killed it. Suleiman tried to cast a spell, but instead of the intended effect, darkness 15' radius appeared. That was okay; it provided some protection from the tail spikes. He and I hid inside it, until I had healed the damage caused by the acid and spikes. I then ran to Corwen's aid. He was under attack by the other creature. As it flew in, Finis cast a spell, exploding a nearby pine tree. The needles flew out, striking the creature. It landed and blasted Corwin with acid, then flung him around with its mouth, badly mauling him. Blades and Finis finished the creature, and we saved Corwin from the brink of death. He has an incredible scar on his chest now. On a strange looking man like Corwin, it is barely noticeable. We went through the familiar procedure of tending to wounds, and returned to the river. As we stop now for dinner, I can smell the sea air ahead, and we have spotted a few sea gulls in the distance. The roar of the sea can faintly be heard; I think that it is a little disconcerting for those in the party who have never been to the ocean. In a few more hours, we will be in Wicklow. I can barely contain my excitement. From there, we should be able to catch a ship to Alcyone, and then to Anarchopolis. If all goes well, I will be home in less than two months! May Prometheus continue to guide us swiftly to Ionia!</blockquote>

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