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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ancalagon" data-source="post: 7392466" data-attributes="member: 23">SESSION 25 September 11 Dearest Brethren, Praise to the light-bringer! I hope that you received the third portion of my log. The first was sent from Caer Dorban, the second from Duma Faifni, and the third was sent from Anarchopolis. I now begin the fourth section, starting with our last day in Anarchopolis. While Kyros served us our last breakfast, we discussed how best to distribute our new magical equipment. I took the Ionian magic shield, and because Daito seems to be catching on to the Ionian tongue very quickly (he seems to have learned it almost overnight!), I took the helm of comprehend languages as well. Kellindel took the ioun stone which increases the wearer's abilities, and Daito took the strength stone. Finis took the boots of speed. We couldn't decide who could best use the ring of fire resistance, so Suleiman took it. Daito, Gorca, Suleiman, and myself went to the Academy and temple of Prometheus. On the way, we passed a large display in the Agora; it seems that many ornthra dealers have chosen to hawk their wares today. If only we knew how to ride them! We found Leander at the temple, in prayer. I joined him until he finished, and he informed us that he had arranged for a meeting with a Synod contact. I asked him to have my log sent to Demopolis, and he gladly agreed. Leander is to be praised for his assistance; he has been very helpful. I am sure that Prometheus will reward his devotion to his duties. Leander led us to a run-down section of town. The meeting was to take place in a shop called the One-Eyed Parrot. Judging by the run down exterior, lack of customers, and lack of merchandise on the inside, we surmised that this was in fact a front for a "fence"--a broker of stolen goods. Once inside, we immediately noticed four men pretending to look at the rotting silk and rusted cooking implements. They were obviously hired thugs, kept on call in case trouble should arise. We ignored them, and introduced ourselves to Solon, the well-dressed man behind the counter. He was very evasive in his answers, but he said that he knew my sister, and that she left on a ship for Leinster. Suleiman was using his necklace of ESP, and later told me that Solon was lying; my sister headed for the Isutian colony on the southeast coast of Ionia. He said that he would be willing to take a message for her, and I began to give him one, when a voice called from behind a curtain "The numbers don't lie!". Solon walked behind the curtain, and the voice of unkown origin continued, saying something about a high probability of something-or-other. Suleiman wandered toward the door, and was blocked by the four thugs that had been pretending to browse the store. Suddenly there was a loud, angry snorting sound, and a giant bull, seemingly clad in metal plates, appeared before us! Gas spewed from is flaring nostrils, and Leander shouted "Gorgon!". We braced ourselves for combat, and the Gorgon unleashed its noxious breath. I was unaffected, but Gorca and Daito were frozen in place. Strangely, they did not turn to stone--and this was the only clue I needed. It was an illusion; upon realizing this, the beast disappeared, replaced by a dark, shadow form. I announced that it was an illusion, but Daito did not seem persuaded. Gorca, Leander, and I struck the shadow, and Leander delivered the final blow. I jumped over the counter and ran behind the curtain, entering a small room. A door on the opposite side had just shut. Not wishing to run into what was likely a trap, I returned, and we stirred Daito from his frozen state. The four thugs wisely retreated. Suleiman said that the spell used against us was a shadow monster; I suspect that the Pythagorean Cult of Numbers was involved. Their control over numbers is known to give them strange powers. A sheet of paper in the back room, filled with formulas that were on the edge of my understanding, verified my suspicion. With no other interesting clues, we headed to the Hejazian district to get lunch, before returning to the temple. Suleiman's lecture went very well; he hardly needed any assistance from me. The various scholars practically begged him to stay and tell them more over dinner, but he declined so that we could make it to our ship, the Kozimo, on time. We briefly met with Ator, who said that he did not have any suggestions for Suleiman and his dilemma (regarding Utgard Loki). However, he said High Priestess Octavia may have some ideas. Interestingly, Ator said that my name keeps coming up in connection with the temple to be established in Libertopolis. It would be a great honor to have a role in such an event, but can I leave the Pentachromata? I hope that Prometheus may provide me with some guidance on this subject. Our business in the temple having been completed, we said our farewells, particularly to Leander. If I am placed in charge of the temple at Libertopolis, I would like him to be my second. He has proven his dedication. We returned to the Syrinx, finding Kellindel, Finis, Urym, and Kwame all looking very refreshed. It seems that they spent the day in a park, enjoying the sunshine. Kellindel's falcon apparently reduced the park's population of pigeons significantly. Kellindel has made what seems to me to be a very shrewd decision; he has forgiven the debt of the Obol protection agency. They do not have to pay him for the all the stolen gems. However, he did ask them to convert his existing wealth into convenient gems, and he asked that they continue to pursue the thieves. Dimitri was very pleased with this arrangement, and even offered Kellindel and his friends the service of the Obol, whenever they are in Anarchopolis. Dimitri provided us with an escort to the harbor, where we handed over our Obol medallions, and boarded the Kozimo. The crew is short a few hands, so we assisted them in moving the ship out of port and onto the open sea. I must admit, I am sad to see Anarchopolis sinking below the horizon. It was the closest thing to my home in Demopolis that I had felt in a long time. The evening has been amazingly quiet; there is nothing to do but ponder where we have been, and where we are going. I have never been to Urbs Deorum, and I do not know what to expect there. Our small schooner is making good time, and the captain expects to be there in a week, if all goes well. Let us hope that all goes well. September 12th So far, so good. There have been a few ships about, but nothing of interest has occurred. Playing with Kwame is one of the few activities that relieves the tedium of sailing. Hesperos, a crewman, seems to be especially interested in Kwame. He says that he had a dog when he was younger. Kwame is growing quite rapidly now; Suleiman is barely large enough to handle him safely (not that he would intentionally harm any of us). September 13th The empty hills of northen Ionia have become dotted with occasional shrubs, and we have passed a few fishing villages. The fisherman usually wave to us in a friendly manner. The weather continues to be warm and humid, but not terribly uncomfortable (especially since we removed all of our armor). September 14th Today we were stopped by a frantic fisherman, who warned us that a horrible creature was terrorizing ships traveling west. It flies, has several heads, and breathes fire. It sounds as though it might be a chimera. We have taken the warning seriously, posting a watchman and staying closer to the shore. The captain suggested that we could try to avoid the chimera by going further north, but that would take us dangerously close to harpy-infested islands. We will stay on our original course. Fortunately, the moon is full, so we can keep watch at night, as well. September 15th We had been under way for several hours when Lysurgis spotted the chimera. The terrible beast had a lion's head, a goat's head, and a lizard's head. We opened fire with ranged weapons as I prayed, and the chimera flew straight for us. Finis tried to dampen the boat with a precipitation spell, so that it would be less flammable, and the sailors pulled the sail down. The creature landed on the boat, knocking several of us off of our feet. Kellindel bravely stood against the chimera, dealing it several terrible blows, but the dragon head reared back and covered the deck with flame. Most of the sailors jumped into the water and out of danger, but Little Corwin went up in a puff of smoke. Suleiman tried to use a wand on the chimera, but the wand didn't seem to work. He then cast a magic missile, but it seems that the strange working of Ionian magic caused it go awry--the spell struck me instead! Fortunately, I was not badly wounded. We pressed our attack, with Kellindel leading the way. Despite its massive size, it could not last long against Kellindel. The chimera soon fell dead into the ocean. The crew, which had reached the shore by now, cheered and returned to the boat. Unfortunately, it seems that Lysurgis, the sailor who had spotted the chimera had been killed. We buried him at sea, and made for the shore to effect some repairs on the hull. Thanks to the precipitation spell, the fire damage seems minimal, and Finis repaired much of the hull with a shape wood spell. The triumphant Pentachromata went in search of the chimera's lair, and we soon found a road leading inland. Did you think killing the chimera was impressive? Wait until you read this. We traveled a short distance down the road and came upon a single man, standing in the middle of the road, with a longsword at his side. He said that he was Nyceas, which meant nothing to us. Gorca informed us that he was a bandit, and the son of Aphrodite! Of course, he told us that if we gave him all our wealth, he would let us go; we noted that he had several armed men standing in the woods. Hoping that we could bluff our way out of fighting a demigod, I said that if he gave us his long sword, we'd let him go. He didn't seem to care for that, and seemed to charm Daito simply by speaking to him. Suleiman asked for a moment to discuss it, and we gathered around to discuss it. I informed them, quietly, that I was about to cast a spell, and that they should all attack as soon as I began. We whirled about, and Nyceas and his forces seemed stunned for a moment. The results of our attack were devastating. The charm Nyceas had placed on Daito didn't extend any protection to the men in the woods, who stepped forward with slings. Daito charged into a group on one side of the road, gave a great shout, and proceeded to kill them very quickly. Finis trapped the other group of men with slings on the other side of the road with a spike growth, and Suleiman began raining arrows down upon them. Four men in bronze armor charged down the road toward us, and Kellindel froze two of them in place with a hold person. He and Gorca made short work of the two that were free to move, and knocked the other two unconscious. Meanwhile, Urym and I squared off against Nyceas. Once again, Nyceas used his enchanting voice to remove Urym from the fight, and we circled each other. Fortunately, his swings bounced harmlessly off of my armor and shield, but I could not keep him away for long. Kellindel and Gorca soon came to my aid, and Nyceas soon saw that he had made a serious miscalculation. By this time, Daito had turned five of the men with slings into a grisly pile of body parts, and Suleiman had picked off the other group with his bow. The four armored men were dead or unconscious. It was Nyceas versus all of us. Fortunately for Nyceas, his godlike powers kept us from all attacking him; some of us just could not bring ourselves to swing at him, unless he was attacking us directly. Kellindel, however, felt no such restriction, and dealt Nyceas two terrible wounds. It was clear that Nyceas was defeated, and I offered him an opportunity to surrender. He accepted, but said "First, the payback", and then struck Kellindel with his sword. The blow was strong, but Kellindel shrugged it off. Nyceas then backed away, turned, and ran off. We recovered some bronze from the bandits and returned to the boat. By this time, all the repairs were complete and we were ready to resume our journey. The crew seemed very impressed with our exploits. I suppose we could have killed Nyceas without too much effort, but incurring the wrath of Aphrodite does not sound very appealing. Perhaps Nyceas will think twice before his next robbery. September 16th The ship has taken a more southernly tack; we must be getting close to Urbs Deorum. The fishing boats have reappeared, as we leave the area terrorized by the chimera. The captain anticipates our arrival in two days, at the most. September 17th While Kellindel was allowing his falcon to stretch its wings this afternoon, we spotted several flying creatures in the distance, coming from the large mountain range that has appeared. At first we were alarmed, and Kellindel recalled his falcon. Then I realized that they were Aarakocra, and posed no threat to us at all. I waved to them, and one flipped a wing in a sort of greeting. We left them to their fishing, and they left us to our sailing. Other than this, the day has been quiet. I think that it may be getting a little more humid. September 18th Finally, we have reached Urbs Deorum. Neither the city nor our greeting are what I expected. The city itself is large, and is surrounded by a colossal wall. The harbor is crammed with ships, as this is, of course, the headquarters of the Emathian navy. Statues, temples, and inns to house the large numbers of pilgrims seem almost as numerous as the people themselves. An aquaduct is under construction by Zek k'tri workers--they scale the vertical supports while carrying huge blocks of stone! We docked the ship, gathered our belongings, and disembarked. Hesperos, who has grown so fond of Kwame, asked us to look him up should we ever return to Anarchopolis. He says that he knows someone that trains Ornthras, and may be able to train Kwame. We told him that we might take him up on the offer. As Gorca led us to the temple of Hephaestus, a bell chimed the time, reminding us briefly of Tesplyn's Grove. Gorca entered the temple alone, in order to prepare them for our arrival (and probably our unusual appearance). As we waited outside, I began to feel a little uncomfortable; something here seems awry, but I cannot put my finger on it. Gorca returned and said that we would speak to the head journeyman, Actinos, in one hour. We took advantage of the hour to find an Inn, called the Pilgrim, and quickly eat a light dinner (which consisted of fish stew, except for Gorca and Suleiman, who ate scallops). Upon our return to the temple of Hephaestus, we were escorted into Actinos' office, where he sat on a large chair, set slightly above our own. The manner in which he looked down upon us was meant to unsettle us; it worked on Gorca, who seemed mildly annoyed. I told him of my vision, of what had happened to the Hammer, and of our misssion. I refrained from telling him about my sister, as I do not trust this man, and I cannot predict his reaction. He asked us if we knew anything about an Amazon named Narissa. Of course, that was the mysterious Amazon who had inquired about the Arboria before us at the harbormaster in Anarchopolis. He looked at us, in a disdainful but calculating manner, and we waited. He finally said that he would tell us why the priests of Hephaestus wanted to talk to the the priests of Prometheus--if we paid a price. At this point, we could hear Gorca's teeth grinding. He gave us a choice of tasks to perform. Two artifacts have been stolen from their temple. The first, a golem called the Golden Forger, was stolen hundreds of years ago by a cyclops, and placed on an island. Gorca stood up in anger, and objected that many adventurers have tried to recover it, but none have succeeded. Actinos ignored him and continued. Our second option is to proceed on to the Isutian colony and recover the Hammer of Hephaestus. We asked if he had any information that would help us recover it, and he said yes--but he will not give it to us until we recover the Golden Forger. Basically, this man was forcing us to recover the Golden Forger. We said that we would return in the morning with an answer. Gorca led us on a brief tour of the temple. Suleiman seemed particularly interested in the sacred forge, from which the Hammer of Hephaestus was stolen. Apparently, they found two priests inside, their throats slit, a thread of red hair near a forge, and the rack, on which the hammer lay, empty. There were no signs of intrusion, but Suleiman was determined to continue investigating. He climbed to the roof, where the forges vented their gases, but all possible entrances were sealed shut by metal bars and grates. There seemed to be no way the hammer could have been stolen. Finally, we returned to the inn. Urym went out to collect information--with strict instructions not to get drunk and tell everyone that we are fabulously wealth. Suleiman talked to the barkeeper and found that in two days, the city will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first Emathian victory over the Taygete League. It is not likely that we will be around to see the celebration, as we will probably be headed south to the Isutian colony, or west to the island of the Cyclops. Urym returned and informed us that no one in this town seemed interested in gossip or chat. Everyone is busy with business or religious work. Upon his return, we began discussing our options. Actinos has left us few; it seems that we must try to recover the Golden Forger. September 19th After eating more fish stew for breakfast, we headed to the temple of Hephaestus. There was no choice; we had to find and return the golem. Actinos immediately sent us to a fast ship called the Wings of Hermes. He must have known we would accept; we were underway quickly. The crew of this ship is sullen and unfriendly. They would likely abandon us in a second. This could be our most difficult trial yet. To make matters worse, I think the weather may be getting rough soon. It is a bad omen. September 20th The sky grew even more overcast in the morning, and the rain began to pour down in the afternoon. We heard a strange, roaring sound in the distance. The crew attributed it to sea lions. I assumed that they meant the creatures which resembled seals or walruses, but they said they are strange creatures, with a lion's head and forelegs, and a fish's tail. So far, there is no sign of the creatures. The crew seems hopeful that we will reach the island without encountering them. September 21st We have sighted the island, and pulled up close to it. A giant temple stands atop its rocky summit. Soon we will row in close, jump from the boat, and walk ashore. We must leave the chest behind, so I am making a last log entry, should this be my downfall. I have convinced Daito to put on our extra suit of Githyanki splint mail, so he is better protected. I hope that Prometheus' wisdom lights our path. ------------------</blockquote>

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